AI is everywhere lately. I think it’s something that won’t blow over or will go away in our lives. In the past few months, I had a craving to write stories again. So, I downloaded one of those AI chatbot apps on my phone and at first, I was afraid that it would be something very niche or something that was a fad. Yet, I found value in these apps and I wanted to talk about them in this article. This article isn’t meant as a review of these apps, but more to open a general discussion of these apps. Since, I think these apps have their place in our lives and can help if they are used correctly. Yes, they also have their pitfalls and dangers. And that’s what I wanted to explore in this article. So, let’s dive right into the world of roleplay and story creation with AI.

What are these apps?

There are a lot of these apps. You have examples like Talkie, Character.AI and Moescape. The idea of these apps is that you create a character that replies to you. In a lot of cases, these characters fantasy characters to play out a story.

Some of the advertisements don’t do these apps any favors. By advertising them as apps where “you can create your own girlfriend” or “combat being lonely”. And it’s a darn shame, since the creativity that you can find on these platforms is amazing.

I personally feel that these apps are the strongest when you look at them what they really are. Apps to let you roleplay a story like old school text adventures. The biggest difference is that you can totally craft the world and have full control of the story line.

This does create a big risk that you fall in an echo chamber. I call it the “main character syndrome”. Where your character in these stories barely get any problem in their way, without it being solved in a few dialogues later. Then again, power fantasies are something that’s quite attractive to people. It’s fun to play a character that can overcome anything and is the best version of yourself. Or where you can say anything you want in an argument.

Some of these apps add additional features for you to play with. Things like a character speaking their dialogue, creating various AI generated images or even love songs. After trying various apps, I personally landed on Moescape. At the moment of writing, this app keeps things quite simple in the character department. Giving great replies and amazing in playing multiple characters.

Essentially, these apps are apps where you can write a story, but AI plays another character and tries to challenge you from time to time to be creative. This is really something where you have to create your own fun.

Limitations of AI

While ChatGPT turned two years old this week, AI isn’t still fully there yet. It still needs quite a lot of processing power and other things to run properly. It’s quite clear that the AI is also quite dependent on your reply.

I notice that the AI in the apps I tried is rarely to never negative towards the player. Which is a tricky thing, especially when you want to create character depth.

I tested this with playing a couple going through a rough patch. And I noticed that the AI always tried to get back together with you. Even when you give it the worst backstory, your mind can come up with. But that’s not the only problem. The AI story memory is quite limited. Sometimes you need to repeat certain parts, like where you are, or what your name is.

Thankfully, almost every app has a regenerate button. This regenerates the message in case you disliked the reply or if it didn’t fit the storyline you are making at all. Some apps even allow you to give feedback to the AI on the generated messages, so the AI knows how to craft more engaging messages for you.

What I personally love about Moescape AI is that you can tweak the settings of the AI quite a lot. You have various different models to play around with to get the best experience. I even tried to play the same 3 scenarios with one of my characters with different models and got very different and interesting results.

Now, how do you make apps like this profitable? I have seen apps that limit the amount of regeneration you can do or have other limitations. Some apps even offer a call feature where you can call your AI bot. Personally, I haven’t tried that yet, since I love playing stories where there are multiple characters involved. And since the calls only answer in one voice, it’s a difficult.

But most apps have ads or limit the more advanced features. I have tried some apps, but as soon as the “BUY PRO NOW” features became too aggressive, I stopped using them. I’m not here to buy the PRO version right away. Let me first try out the quality of your AI and if I like it, I’ll buy a PRO subscription.

There was one app where I almost bought the PRO membership, but it has one major issue that I notice in a lot of apps. The issue of multiple characters.

The perfect app

For me, the perfect AI chatbot app should be able to handle to play multiple characters. I dislike app where the AI only plays one character. It’s not the stories I like to write.

I like to write stories where you can play multiple characters and interact with multiple characters. Yet, with AI, this brings its own can of worms. Sometimes the AI ends their message with a question to a character they are playing. Why don’t they reply on it themselves?

Or better yet, I have a story where you are part of a friendgroup where almost, without fail… One character gets forgotten and barely gets any interactions. So, you are not only playing the story out to its conclusion, but you are also playing a moderator on how the AI is reacting.

At the moment of writing, the app that best fits my needs is Moescape AI. The reason why is quite simple. It has the best models that fit my writing style and the way how I want to go through the story. It allows quite fine control on the settings of the app and the bot. You can see earlier generations when you regenerate replies. You can create a wiki with trigger phrases for your bots to reply too. Like if you set up certain lore, you can use a trigger phrase you set up and the AI will keep it in mind.

But, I’ll keep a review on that platform for a later article. Since, I mainly wanted to focus on how these apps can be used for good. I personally use them to write out various stories I always wanted to write and see if certain arcs would work or if they would fall flat on their face. I find them a great outlet of my creativity.

Sometimes the strange replies, forgotten characters and other weird generation things can pull you out of the story… But, a good writer knows how to solve these things. Sadly, some of these apps can be money traps. So, before you spend any money on these apps, look into it. Test it out and see if it’s for you. Since, I have to admit, I’m somewhat addicted to my stories. I’m so glad I have these apps a chance and I found the app that best clicked with me. If you want to see the characters and stories I came up with, you can find my Moescape profile here: https://moescape.ai/@jonez

I’m curious what you all think about these apps. I totally understand that they seem “weird” but, I urge you to give them a chance and look at them with an open mind. Since, they hold value. Yet, I have talked about some traps in this article. So, keep those in mind as well.

With that said, I have said everything I wanted to say about these apps for now. I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to be able to welcome you in another one, but until then, have a great rest of your day and take care.

Today I wanted to talk about a totally new type of game that’s gaining a lot of popularity. In late 2018, a totally new type of game called I’m on Observation Duty got released on Steam. Recently, these type of games are exploding on Steam. A spin-off called The Exit 8 gave a totally new spin on the formula. The games are actually a scary spin on the spot the difference style of gameplay. But, what does attract players so much into this formula? Let’s talk about a few titles, and maybe we find an answer to that in this article. Now, feel free to leave a comment in the comment section down below with your thoughts and/or opinions on these games, similar games and/or the content of this article.

Two main gameplay styles

There are actually two major styles in this genre. A lot of streamers call, one style Observation Duty and the other style Exit 8. Both styles have the same core concept. You need to first look at a room and then notice if anything changes or anomalies appear. The way how you deal with these anomalies differs in both styles.

In Observation Duty style games, the idea is mostly always that you are a security guard watching camera’s. You have to flip through camera’s and report the anomalies before there are too much present in the area. In Exit 8 type games, you play through them while walking through the rooms themselves. You have to walk one direction when there is no difference and another direction when there is a difference. The difference is that you have to make a certain amount of correct judgements in a row. One wrong judgement and you are sent back to level 0.

The gameplay is tricky to explain in words and in an article. I wanted to write this article several times, but I was unable to describe it properly. The best way to describe it in my opinion is a non casual spot the difference game.

Ever since, “I am on Observation Duty” and “The Exit 8” hit the scene… A lot of horror game streamers played through them. They gained a lot more popularity. A lot of new titles came out in a rapid pace with different spins on the genre and interesting innovations. I think it will become more clear when I talk about the games I played through or watched my favorite streamers play through.

The Exit 8 – The Platform 8

During the summer of this year, Klamath and I streamed through these two titles. The Exit 8 is one of the earliest games to my knowledge in the 3D style.

The idea is that you are trapped in a looping metro hallway where you have to reach the 8th exit. Travelers are advised to continue walking when nothing out of the ordinary happens. But when suddenly a poster changed or something else changed, you need to turn back.

Like I said in the introduction, when you make one mistake, you start at level 0 again. The first passage through the hallway is always safe. After that, you have to do 8 correct answers in a row. Now, at least 8, since if your 8th run has an anomaly, you need to turn back. You can only win if you have a hallway that has no strange thing, and you are above the 8th hallway.

Something really nice that this game does is, it doesn’t repeat anomalies. When you defeat a certain anomaly, it won’t repeat until you see all of them or reset the game. This makes the game more unpredictable and replayable.

The anomalies in this game range from extremely obvious like suddenly the hallway flooding… But others are sneaky, like a camera that moved location to the other side of the hallway. So, it was a puzzle. Is this room really the same, or did something change. Since you couldn’t go back to check. And there were various details that added to the complexity of the game.

In May of this year, we got the follow-up to this game called The Platform 8. If you thought that was more of the same, think again. This time, you are in the actual metro, and you have to survive 8 carts. The big change is that you can’t fail with an anomaly this time around since the exit door is locked if you need to find the anomaly first.

It’s a change that didn’t sit well with me at first, but I totally understand why. This game is now turned into a more tense game where you have to survive the crazy things that the game throws at you. The game is shorter than The Exit 8, but I’ll say… This game had me spooked and jump several times.

That’s Not My Neighbor

At it’s core, this game is an Observation Duty game. But with a big twist. You are a security guard at the entrance of a building. There are imposters out there, trying to look like your neighbor, and you have to keep them out.

This game tests your reasoning skills and tests you if you can look at all the clues. The best I can describe this game is: a mixture between Papers Please, and I am on Observation Duty. The added layer of difficulty is that you have a lot to keep track of. Who did you let already inside? Who is on the list and for who do you better call their apartment first?

This game is getting frequent updates with more lore and more modes. Each time I see this game being played by the streamers I watch, the new update impresses me. And I totally understand why this game got so big.

There is this extremely catchy song by longestsoloever. The amount of times I played it on repeat is just getting silly. Give it a listen if you like electronic music, but I warn you. It’s an earworm.

Confabulation

Confabulation, noun. Confabulation is a memory error consisting of the production of fabricated, distorted, or misinterpreted memories about oneself or the world.

This game does a very interesting take on the actual formula. Instead of explaining the differences and anomalies with unexplained events, in this game it’s caused by a mental illness.

The flow of each play trough of this game is the same. But, the puzzles, the changing objects amongst other things are randomized. It’s up to you to make sure that you avoid you going insane and finding the truth of what happened.

This is an Observation Duty style game, but you can walk around in the area instead of watching at camera feeds. There is an extra layer added with the puzzles that add more information and lore of what happened.

I could talk about it more, but I highly recommend you play this game as blind as possible. The story, scares and impact is that much stronger when you don’t know what’s coming and let yourself be surprised. Watch the candles since they give you amazing hints on where to look next.

ATTA -Spot the Oddities in the Strange Hotel-

What if you have to count the amount of differences in a hallway instead of deciding there is a difference or not? Well, then you describe “ATTA, -Spot the Oddities in the Strange Hotel-“.

This game is an Exit 8 type of game with multiple rooms, where you have to count all the errors in a hallway… While various strange things happen. Like a train suddenly appearing and you have to duck for cover.

The atmosphere this game has, where it leaves you with an open ending that raises more questions than it answers, is the cherry on the cake. It’s a more intense game than your usual games. It may be a short run, but it’s a wild and pleasant ride all the way through.

Hospital 666

The final game I want to talk about today is called Hospital 666. In this game, you try to escape a cursed hospital. The first level has you running down a looping hallway. The second level, has one side room open.

Now, an impressive option that the game gives you is that you can choose if you want anomalies in the hallway or not. So, if you are in the second level, you can choose if you want things in the hallway to change or only focus on the new room.

Something impressive that this game does as well, is when you make a mistake, you can go back to the hallway to see what the mistake was that you made. You still start from the lowest floor of that level, but being able to see what got you is amazing. Since this game has very crazy anomalies but also various very sneaky ones. Like one is that some smiles faces appear on the wall.

In between the levels, there is a boss fight/puzzle that separates the floors from each other. They can be a bit janky, but the developer has updated and optimized the game quite a lot, and it is a lot better. Now, he is currently creating a sequel taking place in a school. And as somebody who works in education, I can’t wait to play through that.

Final thoughts

These games are only a handful of games in the genre. I have given a quick rundown of the games mentioned in this article, but if you are interested, I’m willing to talk more in depth about these titles. My intention with this article is to promote these titles.

Each game listed here is between 5 to €10 and is an amazing ride. These games are short little romps but are bursting to the seams with creativity. I always think, now, I have almost seen everything this genre has to offer. But, then I’m surprised with a new gameplay mechanic or a new setting that changes the atmosphere completely.

So, depending on how well this article does… I might write more of these. If you found amazing titles like this, feel free to send them my way or leave them in the comment section down below. But, for now, I’m going to leave you with my usual outro. Thank you so much for reading this article and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to be able to welcome you in another one, but until then, have a great rest of your day and take care.

Wikipedia – Nintendo Microsite

After the release of Tears of the Kingdom, I was afraid that we would never see a new game in the style of the 2D Zelda game. Yet, I have been proven wrong when this game was announced. To be very honest, I didn’t have very high hopes for this game. Especially since this game was announced this summer and released in late September. I felt that this game going to be a game to fill a gap while the developers are working on a much larger game. Now, the game is released, and I have played through a fair chunk of it. So, what is my opinion on this game? Well, that’s what I’m going to tell you in this first impressions article, while I all invite you to leave a comment of your thoughts and/or opinions in the comment section down below.

Renewing the Echoes

After a short introduction where you play as Link, the main story of this game is introduced. There are all consuming interdimensional rifts appearing all over Hyrule, and it’s eating various people in the kingdom.

Link gets eaten by one of those rifts while freeing Zelda and when Zelda tells her father, the king, about these rifts… A new rift appears and replaces the king with an evil clone of himself. Zelda gets thrown in the dungeon and there she meets a fairy named Tri. This fairy gives Zelda a special staff where she can summon objects into the world using echoes. With those echoes, she escapes the dungeon and sets out on an adventure to save Hyrule from doom before the land is fully consumed by the rifts.

Something I always love about the Zelda games is that there is a different core mechanic at the base of the game. In this game, we get two things. We got the rifts to another dark world, but we also got the magical staff, which we can use to summon various echoes into the world. These echoes mean you can tackle this game in various different ways. But I’ll talk more about that later in this article.

In terms of story, this game is hitting all the same beats as your typical Legend of Zelda game. It might be disappointing, to some, that in this game there is no voice acting anymore apart from the grunts and various emotional noises. Personally, I think it adds to the charm of this game. That’s because the characters in this game are way more expressive. While the story isn’t going to leave you at the edge of your seat of “what’s going to happen next”, it’s still well quite enjoyable, and the more expressive characters add quite a lot to the charm and atmosphere of the game.

Something I really like is how in this game, you are free to explore the world at your own peace. This game isn’t limiting you to go in a certain order. While this game isn’t fully open world like Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, it’s somewhere in between. You can tackle parts in a different order. Like the first two major dungeons can be done out of order. Each area is its self-contained puzzle, and everything you need can be found in that general area.

In my introduction of this article, I said that I was afraid that was afraid that this game would be a short one where you were able to beat it in a few hours. That it was going to be a game that’s supposed to hold players over for the “next big 3D Zelda title”. To my surprise, this game is rather lengthy for a 2,5D Zelda game. It clocks in at 25 hours of casual playtime, which is, to my knowledge, one of the longest 2,5D Zelda games.

Climbing with beds

Something I find myself doing quite a lot while playing this game was climbing the area with beds. I summoned various beds stacked on top of each other to climb a wall. Since, I wanted to know if the developers hid a secret on that cliff face.

The exploration of this version of Hyrule is a blast to do. While you visit a lot of familiar places and meet your usual suspects like the Zora and the Gerudo, it’s a treat seeing them again. The only thing I missed a bit is showing the impact of the rifts. Something that this game only tells through dialogue was how things got impacted by the rifts. I wish it was shown a bit more visually. Like different animations of the characters before and after. But maybe, Tears of the Kingdom set the bar a bit too high for those expectations where each major area had a certain curse.

In terms of gameplay, this game really leans into the echoes mechanic. It also remembers that Zelda is a princess and didn’t really have combat training. So, you have to use summoned enemies to your advantage to let them fight for you. Now, you do have a sword, but you can only use it when your power meter has charge. I always reserved that for the dungeon bosses or when the situation got pretty dicey. Since recharging that meter is either done with potions or by defeating monsters from the rift world. These enemies aren’t exactly common in the overworld, and the energy bar drains fast.

In general, this game hits the same general gameplay beats as all other Zelda games. You go from dungeon to dungeon, learning a new technique or skill, defeating the boos and moving forward to another dungeon. There are also side quests in this game, that give you a nice reward. In this game, you also have a nice system to keep track of these side quests, like in Tears of the Kingdom. Something they also brought over from that game is the cooking system to a degree.

That’s something I personally feel mixed about. Maybe it’s me, but I feel the ingredients are quite rare to come by and there is no real way to farm certain ingredients like in Breath of the Wild. I have to admit that it adds a certain charm to this game, but I feel it’s a bit under implemented here. Like when you first meet the potion creators Deku shrubs, they talk about recipes… And I had a hard time finding any.

Like in Tears of the Kingdom, you can also eat most of the ingredients without cooking them. While I personally dislike the fact you have to do two clicks to consume an item, I do understand why they did it. To avoid you consuming them too much. Yet, this is a change from the two previous games and I honestly really feel it’s a set backwards. A fine solution would be to give the player an option to switch between both systems.

Grezzo playset

This game was co-developed by Grezzo. Their previous original Zelda game was Tri Force Heroes. But, this game looks very similar in graphical style to the remake of Link’s Awakening on the Nintendo Switch from late 2019.

This game looks like a plastic toy set and it looks amazing. While I was playing this game, I felt amazed at how expressive they were able to make everything without breaking the illusion that this is a toy set brought to live by our imagination. I don’t have a lot of complaints about the visuals and animations. And most of my complaints aren’t that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.

Just like, I don’t have any complaints about the music and sound design of this game. If you take the music and sound design in a vacuum, you would say that it sounds just like very other Zelda game. It sounds like a remix of the familiar melodies we all know and love from the Zelda games. But, this isn’t a problem, since it sells the illusion that you are a child playing with a sort of Playmobil toy set of Hyrule and trying to recreate the sound effects and music of the game.

In terms of controls, this game plays like a dream. I rarely had problems with the controls and something I really like is the fact that with one press of a stick, you can see a view from on top when you feel the camera is blocking something. Now, there is one thing that I do have some things to criticize about. And that’s about the jumping.

It’s pretty difficult sometimes to judge how high Zelda can jump. I had moments in combat where I wasn’t aware I could jump on a higher ledge until I saw an enemy jumping backwards on that ledge. I also got tripped up several times with how far Zelda can jump. Her jump is shorter than I think, and the amount of times I jumped into a pit misjudging the jump is quite a lot. Something that would have helped is something a small landing shadow when Zelda was coming down. Then again, that must have been a nightmare to implement… So, maybe I should keep her shorter jump just better in mind.

Now, something else. Something I really like is how this game has two difficulty modes. I’m playing through this game on the normal difficulty setting and I have to say, I’m happy that I did. This game can lure you into a false sense of security. I wouldn’t say that this game is hard, but it isn’t a cakewalk either. You really need to keep your wits about you and think fast sometimes.

Being aware of what’s around you is also quite important since this game loves to hide things in little side area’s and using the map system is a must. I love how you can put pins and such on the map. Yet, I have to admit that I still keep notes in my phone like: “treasure in Gerudo dungeon, need to check later”.

The more I play through this game, the more I realize that the critiques I can make about this game are more on the minor side. Like how it feels like a waste of time when you are scrolling through a long list of echoes when you just want to find one. An easy solution would be to give the player an ability to favorite certain echoes. But then again, the sort function in the quick menu has “most used”, “recently learned” … So, it’s kinda that.

Now, you have two save slots in this game. So, you can play through this game and let a friend or a sibling play through a different slot. Now, this game also autosaves for you frequently, in case you forget to save. The game also keeps like several autosaves in case you want to return to an earlier point.

Something I really like is how this game also has a quick travel system. The system works similarly like an owl statue in Majora’s Mask or a water vane in Link Between Worlds. It makes it easy when you feel stumped by a puzzle and want to return later. The fast travel locations are very fairly placed all over the land.

While I went quite critical in this game, the more I played it, the more it won me over. This game is a new 2,5D Zelda adventure game I hope we were going to see again. The last new, non remake 2,5D Zelda game was released almost 11 years ago. And, I’m so happy to see a return to this style. I’d love to see a this style also making an appearance very so often since it’s clear there are still various unique ways to explore Hyrule and tell a story about the Hyrule legend without going fully 3D.

Apart from a few small complaints you read in this article, I honestly don’t have any major complaints about this game. This is a game I’m going to finish for sure, since I’m enjoying my time with this title quite a lot. If you are into the series, I highly recommend this title to you. If you enjoy exploration and playing with unique mechanics, I also think this game is for you. This game is totally worth it’s price tag and it pleasantly surprised me.

And with that said, I have said everything I wanted to say about this game for now. I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to be able to welcome you in another one, but until then, have a great rest of your day and take care.

Trailer – Steam store page

Today, I want to talk about a new game that’s going to come out later this year. It’s called Cave Hikers. It’s being developed by Porcupine Parkour. This small Croatian based studio reached out to me to review their demo in July. I would have written an article about it before, but I have been suffering from a writing burnout. Thankfully, I’m slowly getting back in the groove. And I’m going to make it up to the developers by publishing an article on their game today. Let’s take a look at the demo together, shall we? And I have a small surprise in store later.

Demo review

In this demo, you get an introduction to the gameplay. If you ever played a game like My Brother Rabbit, you will feel right at home in this game. This is a point and click game where you go from screen to screen. Each screen has a small puzzle or hidden object moment for you to take part in.

This game feels like playing through a children book. The voice of the narrator sounds like a (grand)father telling a story to their children. It’s extremely charming, and the story book art style really helps to sell this story.

Overall, there is no real tutorial in this game. Yet, the gameplay is quite simple. You learn quite quickly that this game is controlled with only the mouse. The menu system exists out of icons that make the game a lot easier to localize.

The demo is rather short but gives a very good impression of the full game. This game looks like it’s something I’m going to play. It’s a charming point-and-click game with hidden objects that feels nostalgic. Since the demo is so short, I don’t have a lot to talk about in terms of feedback.

The art style, voice acting, animation is all pretty well done. I only have a few minor complaints. The first complaint is that clicking to unmute the music or sound effects can’t be done right away. It doesn’t always register right away. And the second complaint is the in some rare spots, like with the red crystal at the end of the demo, the hitbox of placing it in the crusher is too tiny.

So, the game describes itself as:

Cave Hikers is a relaxing and humorous 2D interactive cartoon mockumentary that follows three characters through a cavernous world, on a quest to find the mystical “cave with an infinite ceiling”.

And I think it fits the game pretty well. Like I have been saying, the humor and charm of this game is there, and it’s pretty clear that maybe from some very minor things, this game is going to be an extremely charming game.

Now, how interesting would it be if I asked some questions to the developers of this game? Well, I had a few interesting questions in mind, so I went and asked them. Here are their replies.

Interview with the developers

– What games inspired you take to make this one?

It was mostly HOPA style games, which are usually made by much larger companies with inexpensive artists and a pseudo-realistic and kitsch-y style. So we went more in line with our own kind of art style, with some inspiration from Amanita games.

– What’s your process in creating puzzles?

It’s a strange process. As we started making the game in our free time for fun between odd jobs and more “serious” projects, we made a number of locations, creatures and simple mechanics. First we take a look at what already exists on the screen, then we intertwine the narrative with some clicking and potential puzzle elements. Then we play around with it until we are happy with the amount of “work” the player needs to do before accomplishing the goal.

Sometimes it includes a bit of moon logic. First, we make it clearer through conversation clouds and drawings. Then, whatever is unclear or hard to find for testers, we explain further through the Narrator.

– What are the funniest bugs or whoopies that happened during development?

For a while, we had a splash screen that looked exactly like the main menu, which created a lot of confusion! That was because the engine was upgraded, and also we started working with a much better programmer, we consolidated it into a coherent menu.

As for actually funny bugs, at one point we had Valeriano’s secret twin showing up at the cutscene. It took a while to realize we accidentally put two Valerianos of which one was outside the camera view.

– What engine did you use and why?

It’s Construct 3. At first, we made this project for fun and the Animator wasn’t exactly a programmer, so he used a really simple engine. (Un)fortunately, the project got out of hand and got some funding. Now we have a real programmer, but he had to learn Construct with all its limitations, but it’s also a really simple engine so we can still make a lot of the game without much hassle.

– What are some things you learned during developing this game?

Something that we re-learned time and time again… a game is easier to build if you have the whole team and a proper plan. Because otherwise you leave a lot of work and frustration for “future you”. We also learned that Construct can be a lot stronger than we initially thought… but also that it can be really stubborn in some areas.

– How many people worked on this game?

It first started with Sven the illustrator and Zvonimir the animator. At first, we were building a completely wordless game. But some testers were a bit confused at what the characters are really doing. So we hired Tom Bennet as the narrator and also Lea Konjetić to compose original music for the game. In the last six months, Fabjan the programmer also joined the team and superpowered our development process. All in all, five people, excluding all the translators.

Final thoughts

I’m very happy that games like these are getting more attention. Hidden object games have a strange reputation of being “too casual” or “boring”. Yet, I dare to argue there is something to love in these games. Especially when a game is created with this much passion and love.

I want to apologize to the developers again for taking such a long time in creating and article about the demo. But, I’m happy I did today. Since, if you have any interest in playing this game after reading this article, go and play the demo. Or share this article with somebody you think will enjoy playing this game. The demo takes roughly 15 minutes to finish.

I wish the developers a lot of luck and success with their game and when it’s fully released, I’m going to play this game and most likely review it on my blog. And with that said, I have said everything I wanted to say about this game for now. Thank you so much for reading this article, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed making it. I hope to welcome you in another article, but until then, have a great rest of your day and take care.

I love games that let you unwind in a Zen kind of way. Whether it’s arranging your personal belongings in a title like Unpacking, or driving across a lonely highway in the calming silence of the night in Euro Truck Simulator 2, I can always appreciate it when a game lets you completely tune out the outside world to the point it becomes almost therapeutic.

Man, how do I even begin? Dark and Deep is a game that kept me in a cautiously optimistic mood at first, because clearly a good deal of work had gone into it. It’s a first-person, narrative-driven adventure game with puzzle-solving and mild exploration as its main focus, featuring a storyline that’s hoping to blur the lines between the real and the nightmarish.

If you are looking for a good narrative adventure that respects your ability to choose and explore, Dustborn is for you.

The post Review | Dustborn (PC) appeared first on 8Bit/Digi.

SNK VS. CAPCOM SVC CHAOS is a retro fighting game. If you know Street Fighter, King of Fighters, or any of the many and varied 2D offerings, you’ll know exactly what to expect here; two fighters duke it out over three rounds before moving on to the next opponent.

Before we get into whether this particular outing is worth your time, here’s a quick history lesson. SNK VS. CAPCOM SVC CHAOS marks the third installment in this particular crossover series, debuting at the arcade way back in 2003. Although both companies developed games for the series, this outing was developed by SNK, confirmed by the appearance of SNK first in the game’s title.

Let’s talk characters. The roster is robust, bringing together 36 characters in total. Team Capcom uses classic Street Fighter personalities such as Chun Li, Dhalsim, Vega, Ryu and Ken. The SNK side brings the likes of Shiki, Mr. Karate, Earthquake, and Kasumi Todoh into the fray. These tough guys hail from such SNK outings as Art of Fighting and Samurai Shodown. Despite this seemingly vast collection of fighters, there are still plenty missing. You won’t find the likes of E. Honda, Zangief, or Cammy here, for example.

The single-player mode disguises the simple premise of brawling with a story involving the end of the world. It seems a group of fighters is drawn into an afterlife tournament in purgatory. The winner will be granted a wish, and the fate of all life hangs in the balance, etc. 

But, in reality, we’re here to fight. One of this port’s best features is that it doesn’t change a thing about the combat. It takes the original outing and…puts it on the Switch. This means the classic early 2000s graphics and fighting style remain intact. For fans of the original, this perfectly recaptures the essence of the game, providing a sweet dose of nostalgia along the way.

Unfortunately, the original game was average to begin with. The fighting, though solid, is unbalanced in one-player mode. Even on the easiest difficulty setting, some foes stand dumbly waiting to be hit, while the next combatant takes you out easily. This leads to a frustrating experience, especially since you can’t continue. In real life, you could add another quarter; here, it’s back to the beginning, despite a countdown asking if you’d like to continue. How do I do that, exactly?

The graphics are nice, if a little bland. We’re stuck in a post-apocalyptic version of the afterlife, so many of the backdrops are a little foreboding. You can fiddle with the settings to change the screen size, which I appreciate. You can keep it at the original size, make it larger, or stretch it to fit the entire screen. The latter is a zoomed-in experience that, while it’s a nice option, doesn’t look great on a big screen. When playing at a more reasonable size, you can also choose the backdrop, from plain black borders to artwork using some of the characters.

Speaking of artwork, there’s a gallery in the menu for those wanting to see the characters portrayed in unique ways. I imagine fans in the early 2000s would have appreciated this crossover event, even if it was the third in the series, and the gallery presents some neat artwork depicting characters from different worlds colliding. 

In fact, there are a few such additions that provide an extra incentive to play. For starters, there’s an online mode, allowing you to compete with another player from around the world. This is easy to use, with the ability to create a room or find a random player to challenge. I was also pleased with the smooth network experience.

There’s also an option to turn on hit boxes. I’m not sure how valuable this is, but it places a couple of colored boxes around each fighter during combat, presumably to see exactly where your hits will make the most impact. It would be nice to get an in-game explanation on this. It also can’t be toggled on and off while playing; to do that, you have to quit and return to the main menu. If it becomes an eyesore while playing, that’s just bad luck I guess.

Overall, SNK VS. CAPCOM SVC CHAOS is a faithful port of the 2003 original, with a few extras thrown in for good measure. It’s not the best 2D fighting game around, but fans of the original will appreciate the extra details.

The post Review: SNK VS. CAPCOM SVC CHAOS (Nintendo Switch) appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

The Nintendo Switch now hosts Parasol Stars – The Story of Bubble Bobble III, a fun entry in the surprisingly confusing franchise. Mind you, it’s not confusing in gameplay but in the naming of all things. Because what was the second game? Was it Rainbow Islands subtitled The Story of Bubble Bobble II? Or was it Bubble Bobble Part 2 on the NES? The fact that I can name a couple of additional entries with similar claims demonstrates the worthiness of a clarifying collection. Instead, we get this single entry, Parasol Stars, a likable game subtitled The Story of Bubble Bobble III. Of course, the arcade game Bubble Memories makes the same claim…

In some ways, Parasol Stars feels quite different from the original Bubble Bobble game that I grew up playing on the NES. To begin with, my favorite dinosaur/dragon duo, Bub and Bob, aren’t here. Instead, we have their human personas (Bubby and Bobby), a bubbleless and not nearly as cute pair. This duo is also a bit wider in human form, so you must adapt to the hit detection. But their parasols have many comparable functions, and, ultimately, you have similar goals to Bubble Bobble. In that way, there is no mistaking that this is a Bubble Bobble entry. It has the same pick-up-and-play vibe, with plenty of enemies to eliminate and even more goodies to collect. This balance of the familiar with the fresh works. And I’m delighted it’s on Switch, as I never did pick this up in my younger years for my TurboGrafx – 16, whether due to availability, cost, or both. (Despite the arcade style, it debuted on the PC Engine).

As my wife and I are big fans of its NES predecessor, we were anxious to enjoy this game in co-op. Although we never played this specific entry, our prior Bubble Bobble know-how, combined with the expected ‘simple to learn tough to master design,’ allowed us to jump into the game quickly and adjust to the new parasol mechanic. Hitting an enemy with your closed parasol temporarily neutralizes them as a threat. But if you hope to defeat them before revival, you must fling them with an open parasol. It’s different, but not any more challenging.

That said, after relaxing our brains in the early goings, soaking in the colors and such, the challenge does eventually arrive. Later planets (above the Rainbow Islands) and their accompanying bosses ramp up the difficulty with a greater emphasis on careful timing. This version of Parasol Stars has plenty of optional cheats for those who want them, such as infinite lives or even invincibility. While I’m happy these are available to pick from, as similar options were missing from some prior ININ releases, they could break the game. Depending on the combination, frequency, or coupled with liberal rewind use, a fair game could become an absolute breeze. So these are best limited as options for the youngest or least-experienced players.

The screens are just packed, meaning your eyes won’t have a chance to get bored. While still set up with single screens, they often scroll, and the wider-feeling presentation is well suited to a game designed around flinging enemies. The soundtrack’s advertised as “catchy and memorable,” and I’ll confirm the former. I also suspect the latter will prove true as we revisit this replayable game after a while. Happy tunes kept our heads bobbing and faces smiling, while determined notes during boss encounters reminded us of the distress of these planets. My one wish is for an in-game music player, but it feels like ININ releases rarely let the soundtracks shine to their full potential.

Extras? These aren’t something ININ has traditionally handled well with these types of releases. I can think of plenty (I won’t list them to pad out this review), but they could’ve added value to the game for both existing fans and those new to it. And, of course, I’d enjoy additional Bubble Bobble games, period. But it’s not like Parasol Stars has seen wide re-release since the early ‘90s. At $9.99, it’s fair for what would’ve been a full-priced game in 1991.

Note that this game is available physically through Strictly Limited. Previously, I advised caution with this company due to many well-documented issues. As I’m still waiting for a game I ordered from them two years ago, I must change my recommendation. Avoid this company altogether! Buy Parasol Stars off the eShop.

Though some extras would’ve been beneficial, Parasol Stars is a likable release in many ways. It’s straightforward fun yet still offers plenty of excitement as you find secret doors, the “Hurry” message appears, and more. Bubble Bobble fans will want to scoop up this “third” entry, as will fans of quarter munchers, even if this classic skipped the arcades for the home console realm. This game’s nearly a must-have if you can enjoy it with someone in co-op.

The post Review: Parasol Stars – The Story of Bubble Bobble III (Nintendo Switch) appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

A cute dungeon crawler, Elrentaros Wanderings takes you on an adventure between two worlds. You play as a young adventurer who explores dungeons, defeats monsters, protects the townsfolk and occasionally pays a visit to the school you attend in a different, less exciting world.

The majority of the game takes place in the fantasy world of Elrentaros. You camp outside town as you earn the trust of the locals. At the start of the game, there is one mysterious dungeon at the edge of town. As you progress, you unlock more until there are a total of six. The first five dungeons have various missions you can complete to gain coins, equipment, and special items that you can use to assist people in the town. The sixth consists only of boss fights.

Befriending the various townsfolk is a mechanic in itself. When you have spoken to them enough times, completed enough missions for them, and raised your likeability level enough, you can equip them as a support. This offers you boons to your dungeon runs equating to gifts you’ve given them.

The types of missions you have to complete fit into broadly similar categories. For instance, unlocking all the warp panels to the bonus rooms, completing the dungeon with equipment of a certain level or below, or avoiding or winning with a particular type of attack. This means that, later in the game, you might be able to guess your way into completing some missions on your first attempt (completing a dungeon without your HP dropping to 0 is a standard first mission), but it’s rare to get through them all at once. This gives you a reason to go back into each dungeon trying out different types of weapons and being cautious of different enemies.

Each dungeon in Elrentaros Wanderings is made up of a number of stages to explore and a boss battle. As you complete the missions, you unlock new variants of the same dungeons with more powerful monsters spawning in different places, with new missions and greater rewards. The dungeon layouts remain the same each time, so there is a risk that the game can get a bit repetitive, especially if you get stuck on a tricky mission that is blocking the story from progressing.

However, the dungeons are very beautifully designed, each with a distinct style, making them genuinely fun to explore a few times without getting dull. This is complemented by fluid animation and bold designs when it comes to the enemies you face and the moves they use. Monsters are unbearably cute, based on wild animals, with different creatures corresponding to different classic party classes, ranging from adorable little bunnies and birds to monstrous swine and floating octopodes.

The points at which new challenges unlock are staggered cleverly so you can’t jump straight to the next difficulty level of one dungeon without using a different dungeon as a stepping stone. This introduces a natural element of variety to the game that flows comfortably with the narrative.

Instead of leveling up your character, you pick up equipment with varying levels and special abilities that you can unlock. This means you can challenge yourself to try a harder dungeon using lower level equipment if you want to really test yourself outside of the story.

Dialogue in Elrentaros Wanderings is more of a visual novel than a truly interactive experience. There are a handful of dialogue options for your character, but they don’t have a huge impact on the story. But otherwise this aspect is crafted well enough. All the characters are well designed and written, with distinct looks, personalities and ways of connecting to the protagonist as you get to know them.

The sections that take part in the “real” world at school may as well not exist. There isn’t any action to it; it’s all conversation with very few dialogue options, so can be clicked straight through with minimal consequences to the overall game. It’s still well written and the relationships easily established, with a fun parallel to their visual equivalents in the fantasy world. But you spend considerably less time at school, and the lack of action means you feel less engaged in that world. At the end, you get the option to choose which world to stay in, but the choice doesn’t feel like one with much weight.

The post Review: Elrentaros Wanderings (Nintendo Switch) appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

As Pure Nintendo’s resident NES fanboy, I suspected I’d be a practical choice to take a closer look at Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition. The wording makes me wonder with some excitement about future volumes like NES Edition 2, SNES Edition, and so forth. But as far as this debut installment, how does it fare in the twilight years of the Nintendo Switch? While certainly better than not, there’s undeniable unevenness. It’s a highly amusing but borderline apathetic release. It’s lively fun yet also shockingly lackadaisical. Allow me to share why that is.

I say debut, but it doesn’t take eagle-eyed players to see this release as inordinately similar to the NES Remix games. The structure, flow, and even specific individual challenges are recycled here, minus the terrific remixed stages. It makes comparisons impossible to avoid, which unfortunately does NWC: NES Edition no favors. Because while the previous games were content-rich, this package, though fun, unfortunately, is far from that.

To be clear, the 13 games from where these challenges are curated are among my favorites. For instance, The Super Mario Bros. trilogy has such consequence, high quality, and sheer fun that there’s little I could add. But let’s stick with Mario for a minute and think about some of the other NES games featuring him. He was on the cover of black box Pinball, a game with nearly 2 million copies sold. It’s sadly missing here. Similar to Dr. Mario, which sold even better, just shy of 5 million copies. How about Mario in the sports realm? He was a referee in the 3 million seller Punch-Out!!!, and graced the cover of a pair of golf games that sold over 5 million copies; where are these? I could go on, but it illustrates a significant point: Nintendo’s once-celebrated first-party NES library is now falling into neglect.

And it’s odd because some of the missing games would better fit the narrow speedrunning focus of this package as replacements. Ice Climber, with its spotty collision detection, would be preferable as a polished remake to the snippets included here. Similar to The Lost Levels, a game that continues to surprise me if only because of Nintendo’s seemingly revisionist love affair with it. Even Kirby’s Adventure (a top-five NES game for me) is questionable, as the pink puffball is better for floaty exploration rather than rushing through stages.

Still, let me stress that the bulk of these games and their associated challenges aren’t just fun, they also get you hooked. I genuinely enjoy trying to shave off a second or two when grabbing the screw attack in Metroid or the harp in Kid Icarus. I feel similar when entering the hollow tree in The Legend of Zelda and crossing the cliffs in The Adventure of Link. Lengthier challenges are also present. The final one in Donkey Kong requires beating all three levels of the NES port, for example. Each game’s last challenge (“Legend-difficulty”) has an awesome Classified Information spread that looks straight out of a lost issue of Nintendo Power! Just note that not every game has an equal number. For instance, Excitebike only has six.

As a solo player, you initially earn coins to unlock every game challenge while doubtless trying to achieve the highest letter rankings. S ranks can be demanding to earn. I cut a Zelda challenge finish time by half but stayed stuck at A++! Later, you can save up to buy all the player icons (sprites) for your profile. 

With local friends (up to eight), the party mode offers some enjoyment. I played this with my wife and had good fun, and I’m sure to have fun with a bigger group of friends down the road. NWC: NES Edition won’t be a party staple, though, just one to bust out occasionally due to the limited content. Party mode ranks don’t affect your personal speedrun ranks, which is not only something worth noting, it’s something I appreciate.

Beyond that, you better hope you’ve paid for a Nintendo Switch online subscription to get longevity out of this package. World Championships and Survival modes change every few days with a mashup of random challenges. I’m someone who “Has a Lifetime of NES Memories.” Imagine how humbling it’s been to see my world rankings hover in only the top 60%. But my skill level compared to Famicom Wizards doesn’t diminish my NES nostalgia. Racing ghost data of players worldwide is mildly entertaining for as long as the service lasts. Still, I’d greatly prefer leaderboards to compare times with my wife or PN colleagues. Improved online implementation is a must for whatever hardware follows the Nintendo Switch.

The default settings have a small-screen setup, with wasted real estate for things I doubt the majority desire (replays of your personal best runs, instructions that give too much info). Ensure you fiddle with the options to your desired preferences to properly enjoy these timeless 8-bit graphics while making the gameplay as smooth as possible. Sadly, there is no option to update this game at the time of this writing (three weeks or so from release). I’ve noticed a couple of minor bugs (emulation issues with Zelda and an “Error Has Occurred” menu booter in Kirby. I hope these get patched quickly. How about some DLC while you’re at it, Nintendo? I’d like to see Donkey Kong Jr. or Ice Hockey—both million-plus sellers represented in NES Remix.

At its best, Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is a game I love, and I say that as someone typically not a speedrunning fan. But Nintendo did not give the NES the same respect here that they did in the NES Remix titles. This approach is more indifferent without question, reflecting a company going through the motions with this release. Only Nintendo can still manage to pull off a game this good—possibly one of my favorites of 2024—despite such bad habits.

The post Review: Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (Nintendo Switch) appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

I gave up on an official translation of Ace Attorney Investigations 2 some time ago. The game, released in Japan for the Nintendo DS all the way back 2011, seemed like the one title in the series that would simply never get an English release, even after the miraculous Great Ace Attorney Chronicles release for modern systems in 2021. The continued adventures of Miles Edgeworth, the dapper, goofy-serious prosecutor who I'm pretty sure has a huge following on Tumblr, were denied to us. It's unlikely, I reasoned, that it would happen 13 years after the fact.

I'm very excited to have been wrong. Ace Attorney Investigations Collection finally brings the sequel to modern consoles with an official English translation, distinct and different from the (reportedly quite good) fan translations. The game has been jazzed up with new HD art, and tweaked to work on a single screen. Having received a preview code I'm finally able to play the spin-off, which, many fans contend, stands tall as one of the great games of the series.

After all these years, I can finally play Ace Attorney Investigations 2. I could stop writing this preview, step away from the computer, and finally see what all the fuss is about.  But I'm not playing it yet. Instead, I've been replaying Ace Attorney Investigations, a game I already finished in 2010.

The embargo stipulation for the preview session allows me to discuss the first three cases of the original game, as well as the first two of the sequel - and for a moment, I considered getting through those first three chapters and jumping right into the game I haven't played yet. Ace Attorney Investigations is, after all, often talked about as a lesser game in the Ace Attorney canon - a cute adventure for Edgeworth that, in my memory, was a pleasant but slightly meandering distraction. The thought of playing it again first felt like (and please forgive this extremely Australian simile) eating the lumps of raw capsicum and rubbery tomato in a pub side salad before digging into the schnitzel I'd ordered. I like the side salad just fine! But it's not what I'm at the pub for. 

But having revisited the first three cases of the game - which, as it turns out, I remember very little of - I can say that I was wrong again. Ace Attorney Investigations isn't an inessential spin-off. It's another properly wonderful Ace Attorney game.

Ace Attorney Investigations is a slightly different style of game than what fans are used to - there are no courtrooms, and you control Miles directly as he wanders through environments. The new chibi art style is a huge improvement over the DS pixel art original, even if a few of the animations have translated to it a little awkwardly. The narrative thrust of the whole thing is the same as the other Ace Attorney games - there's a series of murders to solve, and you need to investigate areas, talk to witnesses, present evidence, and eventually untangle testimonies to get to the truth.

But having revisited the first three cases of the game - which, as it turns out, I remember very little of - I can say that I was wrong again. Ace Attorney Investigations isn't an inessential spin-off. It's another properly wonderful Ace Attorney game.

A new mechanic, unique to the Investigations series, is the ability to deduce. Edgeworth collects facts as he investigates, and two facts can be snapped together in the deduction menu at any time to form a new piece of information. Miles is a prosecutor, but this is really a game about detective work, even more so than the other games in the series. Instead of surprise witnesses in the court, interviews are carried out in the field. Finding important clues  often yields immediate results, and the cases aren't protracted over several court days. This game still has that incredible user experience touch that all the games in the series have, where a successful objection during a testimony leads to the music immediately cutting out. Even without a courtroom or a judge, it still feels like Ace Attorney. It's never quite as exciting as that feeling of stepping into the courtroom, but those court battle elements - the back-and-forth of dissecting a testimony - can pop up at any time in a case.

The first three cases of Ace Attorney Investigations, which ease you into the new gameplay concepts and characters, are great fun. Each one is more isolated than the sprawling investigations of the mainline series - you travel from room to room rather than location to location. They're also jam-packed with easter eggs and fan-favorite characters, all of whom show up to play on their pre-existing relationships with Miles. It's fun to see some of these characters again, even if I know, on some level, I'm being pandered to. Ol' Edgy is a delight, too: the character has always projected a sense of seriousness and competency that might collapse at any moment, and seeing him get flustered by the other characters is always so much fun. Playing as Edgeworth humanizes him a little bit.

The third case also introduces Kay Faraday, the fan-favourite new addition to the cast, and her ability to recreate holographic simulations of crime scenes with her super-fancy phone - the exact kind of silly science this series excels at. The third case uses Kay, and a handful of other new characters, to facilitate a great series of twists and turns. It's one of those cases where the broad shape of what happened becomes clear early, but piecing together all the specifics is quite thrilling.

This game still has that incredible user experience touch that all the games in the series have, where a successful objection during a testimony leads to the music immediately cutting out.

After digging into these cases, I can't help but wonder why I didn't remember it more fondly. Ace Attorney Investigations is the first game in the series directed by Takeshi Yamazaki, who would go on to direct its sequel and the 3DS games in the mainline series, Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice (Shy Takumi, the director behind the first four games, helmed the incredible Great Ace Attorney titles, as well as Ghost Trick). It's possible that my memories of Ace Attorney Investigations have maybe been tainted by my opinions on Dual Destinies, the only Ace Attorney game that I flat-out do not like.

Beyond that, I think time has been good to the Ace Attorney series, and the slowed release schedule lets a game like this one breathe. When Ace Attorney Investigations originally released in 2009, it was, for those of us in the West, essentially an annual series. There had been a new Ace Attorney game on the DS every year since 2005 - and Investigations, as good as it is, wasn't as exciting as the bold (and slightly divisive) Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, not to mention the series highpoint Trials and Tribulations.

Now, releases have slowed - there have been five new games in English since 2009, one of them a crossover with Professor Layton. Revisiting a game like this means revisiting old friends, characters that the series has moved away from in more recent entries. If we ever see an Ace Attorney 7, Edgeworth could, theoretically, put in an appearance - but Dick Gumshoe has not shown up in one of these games for a long time, and neither have many of the side characters from the original trilogy who pop up in here. If there was a time where I felt like there were too many Ace Attorney games featuring these characters, it has long since passed.

Revisiting a game like this means revisiting old friends, characters that the series has moved away from in more recent entries.

Even with my renewed vigor, this isn't as good as peak Ace Attorney. The logic in the solutions isn't always as strong as they are in the best main series games - a few times in the third case I felt like my reasoning for presenting items on certain lines of testimony was just as solid as the actual answer. And for my money, the localization of this game - which is carried over exactly from the DS version - is not as strong as the other games in the series. There are more grammatical issues, more comma splices and run-on sentences, than you'd expect from an Ace Attorney game.

But these are minor quibbles, and I love this game. These characters, these cases, the feeling as the pieces start to fall into place: it's all vintage Ace Attorney. This just makes me all the more excited to move onto the sequel - the one I've been hearing good things about for over a decade now -  for my upcoming review. Ace Attorney Investigations 2 is the headliner of this release, but - judging by the first three cases, at least - the first game is well worth your time, too.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection releases for Switch, PS4/PS5, Xbox, and PC on September 6, 2024. SUPERJUMP will be publishing a full review, focused on the sequel, at that time. 

First person shooters (FPS) have been around for quite a while. Of all the gaming trends to come and go over the last four decades, it seems like FPS games refuse to go down. Ever since the likes of Wolfenstein and Doom popularized the idea of shooting from a first person perspective, the genre has continually dominated as some of the best selling and highest rated games of all time. There's a huge resurgence of sorts happening in the FPS world right now with countless games attempting to recapture one of the best time periods for the genre itself – the 1990s.

Games like Duke Nukem 3D, Quake, Hexen, Heretic, and the aforementioned Doom were at the top of the gaming food chain in the '90s. Recently coined "boomer shooters," these fast-paced shooters had an emphasis on movement, crazy over-the-top weapons, minimal story, huge set pieces, and intricate level design. This is in stark contrast to the more modern realistic take on the FPS genre we've seen over the last few years. Action was the name of the game. You didn't always need to know why you were shooting these awesome guns at these oftentimes disgusting and monstrous baddies, just that shooting them felt exhilarating and challenging. The point of these games wasn't to move you emotionally or challenge your world view; it was about turning you into an action hero defying the odds and (usually) saving the world.

Recently coined "boomer shooters," these fast-paced shooters had an emphasis on movement, crazy over-the-top weapons, minimal story, huge set pieces, and intricate level design.

The last 10 years have provided an influx of modern boomer shooters to introduce a new audience to the woefully underrepresented genre. A game like Doom Eternal is a perfect example of modernization within in the retro FPS space. Doom Eternal, and a lot of games like it, tend to skew towards a complete modern version of every aspect of the boomer shooter itself. This modernization arguably makes for an objectively better gaming experience overall, but it fails to scratch that itch of the pixelated masterpieces of the 1990s. Doom Eternal feels like the best Doom game, but it doesn't feel exclusively like Doom. That's where a game like Phantom Fury steps in, and boy does it scratch that itch hard.

Phantom Fury was developed by Slipgate Ironworks and Phoenix Game productions. It is the sequel to 2019's Ion Fury, which is itself a sequel to 2016's Bombshell. At first glance, Phantom Fury may not look like anything too unique. Like many titles in this genre, Phantom Fury presents itself with the modern retro aesthetic; pixelated textures, blocky and polygonal in-game models, and a vintage level design. The devil is definitely in the details, however, as Phantom Fury takes advantage of how many more pixels can be packed into these tighter spaces thanks to the "modern" part of today's technology. The game can look downright beautiful at certain points, especially during the outdoors sections, and it really captures that ever-so-important aspect of modern retro games – it feels like how I remember games looking like back then.

As far as gameplay is concerned, it is a little bit less exciting than the art style direction may make it seem. Phantom Fury covers the basics of what a boomer shooter should be: there's a huge arsenal of fun and inventive weapons that all serve different purposes, ammo can sometimes be hard to come by and as such forces the player to switch weapons and be thoughtful with their choices, staying in one spot for too long means you'll get chewed up by enemy fire, and your health and armor are pickups that don't regenerate when you're outside of combat. While this may be all pretty standard stuff when it comes to boomer shooters, Phantom Fury is still really fun to play. Guns feel decidedly punchy and devastating to use, with the aim of the game not necessarily being the best crack shot in the room, more-so just annihilating all of the enemies in front of you. So many of the weapons – like the main character's delightfully over-the-top triple-barrelled revolver known as "Loverboy" – look like they should put bowling ball sized holes in people, and Phantom Fury understands this. Many of the more powerful weapons will kill a weaker enemy in a single shot, making mowing down your combatants extremely satisfying.

The real beauty of Phantom Fury shines through in its loving depiction of those who came before. There are so many games in this genre (such as the much maligned Duke Nukem Forever) that takes these references way too far. This not only forces the experience to lose all of its own identity, but it causes the games to slide from "cheeky little reference" to "irreverence and envy for a game it considers its better." Phantom Fury doesn't do this, instead taking much of what made FPS games from previous time periods great and drawing from them exclusively.

Doom Eternal feels like the best Doom game, but it doesn't feel exclusively like Doom. That's where a game like Phantom Fury steps in, and boy does it scratch that itch hard.

So many times I found myself smiling at how well this game did at feeling like an experience I've had before while being something completely new. So many shooters from the past strove to be an example of how intricate physics engines could get and how to implement them in a fun and dynamic way. A symptom of this is that every single object in a lot of these games are interactable, oftentimes for no good reason. Appropriately, pretty much everything in Phantom Fury has some sort of physics. Whether you're throwing a bottle across the room for fun or spinning an office chair endlessly while it squeaks, if it looks like you can mess with it, you probably can. When you read computer terminals to activate objects or read information, it zooms in on the actual terminal itself; arcade and claw machines are totally usable, with some going as far as giving you ammo or keeping up with your high score; using keypads means physically manipulating each individual button with a virtual outstretched finger. It seems like a lot of these aspects of the retro shooter have been deemed unnecessary, but it all went so far in immersing the player in the world around them. Sometimes it can slow down the pace of the game, but for the most part, it's a net positive to make more of the world feel real, despite the pixelated textures. This goes as far as being able to use the physics to solve puzzles or circumnavigate an obstacle, which can show a real relationship between the player and the world they're in. One of my personal favorite aspects of boomer shooters makes a return here as well, being that you are able to get your health and armor over 100% if you're able to find health capsules and armor pieces after you're already full. It isn't a huge change, but it's enough to make diving after health and constantly checking every nook and cranny for secret areas (of which there are many if you look around) worth it. This includes the various food items found throughout the game, and there's something so charmingly video game-y about opening up a bedside table, seeing a half-eaten slice of pizza, and devouring it without hesitation for the single percentage of health boost. All of this speaks nothing to the literal references to other games found within Phantom Fury. Little extra details go a long way, and whether it's porta potties named after Portal or a soda brand named after Doom's cacodemons, there's always more fun Easter eggs right around the corner if you look hard enough.

There's a certain level of jank present in Phantom Fury that's very easy to adore. AI can sometimes be a little bit wonky, movement can feel a little bit strange, and hit detection can seem off. Even though these aspects can easily be interpreted as a negative, it truly does add to the feel that you're playing something from an antiquated era. Those of you who are familiar with boomer shooters may see Phantom Fury as just another entry in the popular genre, but for me, it helped satisfy a craving I've been having for a good long while. Even though it never hits the same level of high as these titles, there were multiple times throughout where I had the feeling I was playing the original Half-Life or even the cult-darling Timesplitters. If a $25 USD fps released to relatively quiet reception can do that, I think it hits every mark it sets out to.

The obligatory sewer level still sucks, though.

Billing itself as a modern gothic tale, Frank and Drake is certainly that – but it's also a kind, winding tale of personal connections. Clocking in at a little over four and a half hours (at least, my first playthrough took around that long, spaced over a few days), developer Appnormals Team has managed to deliver a heartful rumination on the flaws that keep us from meeting others halfway, and the small moments of kindness to ourselves and those around us that brighten our lives.

I've lived in a city for nearly all my adult life. I know the backway graffiti, the quiet streets, and flickering lights in wide alleys. It's a vibe the game captures well, reminding me of nights when I stood by an alley close to home, looking at the neon-lit lights of a bar and hearing the raucous music inside as if it were a paean. I know how deep our connections go here, even if they feel as if they're surface level. People look out for each other. Neighbors take in mail, check on those they know live alone, keep an eye on the familiar paces we always see someone taking and worry when, one day, they're no longer there.

Frank and Drake illustrates this cohesive awareness of others in loving detail.

Between hours

The story revolves around two characters: the eponymous Frank and Drake. Frank functions in the daylight and has issues with memory, Drake is (literally) allergic to the sun and can only go out at night. They communicate, once Drake moves in, entirely through sticky notes left on the fridge. Through these, the relationship grows, moving from curious to caring as Frank and Drake begin to take on the burden of each other's troubles. This eventually unites them as they work towards the same goal. Something is afoot in Oriole City, and they both mean to find out what.

I know the backway graffiti, the quiet streets, and flickering lights in wide alleys. It's a vibe the game captures well, reminding me of nights when I stood by an alley close to home, looking at the neon-lit lights of a bar and hearing the raucous music inside as if it were a paean.

We follow this branching mystery by taking turns playing through each of their points of view, with Drake at night and Frank during the day. It's through their "ships passing in the night" style of cohabitation that we learn what ails each of them, physically and mentally, and get slowly closer to finding out why.

The art style of the game utilizes rotoscoping, which traces animation over real movements, and these feel enlivened by the animations, given greater personality by the simple color and lighting. The movement is heavy, even, in something as simple as the contemplative lifting of a hand to draw a sticky note from the fridge after a restless sleep. These moments of movement are indicated by pressing the arrow keys in certain scenes, and they feel nearly meditative in their slowness. Take a moment, the game seems to say, relax with this.

The music moves between nascent lo-fi to soft jazz, echoing the lulling feeling of the game itself. Its decidedly reflective and moody, but that fits the nature of the game's mystery taking some darker turns. I played Frank and Drake mostly at night, which felt appropriate for me, glancing out occasionally over my own city skyline. It's a game with a comforting melody, a mystery to solve that's edgy but never brutal.

There's a lot to infer from Frank and Drake as well. It doesn't really hold your hand at all. I sometimes sleepwalk a bit through games, pressing buttons to progress without really putting thought into it, but this game requires more focus. Not by being loud and explosive and direct, but in the silent ways it asks you to put the pieces together. You move through its numerous puzzles without a real roadmap, but they're simple enough that a little bit of thoughtfulness can go a long way into solving what might otherwise be a frustrating thing when rushed. There was a small puzzle I had to do as Drake to make constellations, and I later realized these shapes corresponded with a pamphlet that I had on hand as a reference. I didn't know it then, but these tiny moments of realization tie directly into the narrative, even if they aren't always obvious.

At first, I thought this was a detriment (there were a few parts where I was left scratching at my head, wondering what to do next) but I also realized this was, in a way, user error: I was asking the game to tell me everything, when I should have been paying attention to what it was trying to say.

Longing for more

Frank spends his time chasing his own ghosts. There is a despondency to this – as if he's aware he may never catch them. Drake, meanwhile, moves with reluctance through his troubles, haunted by actual ghosts but lamenting the fact that they're even there. These are characters who have been through a lot, but still manage to exude kindness and a readiness to help, even if it's just to escape their own turmoil. I leveled up their relationship fairly quickly, moving them to intimates by the 3rd day out of a 6-day period, mostly because it felt the natural inclination of the game.

You're able to choose your direction, picking from two options on most days, sometimes more, and these actions affect the story's ending. I only got to one ending, but I was intrigued enough that I'll go back for more. I'm sure there's a load more to explore, but even so, I enjoyed the sparser aspects of the game's narrative. Some of the told stories or insinuated elements remain more elusive, but the art of it all – and the way it conveys these feelings through art – make those unknowns feel purposeful and vibrant, in that we might be able to put our own conclusions together.

I was asking the game to tell me everything, when I should have been paying attention to what it was trying to say.

The development team did a wonderful job with Frank and Drake's story, from the lovingly crafted soundtrack to the intimacy of its art style. Each playthrough offers a different set of options, the branching networks told daily by a small slip of paper. And there is a lot of little communicators in the game, between post-its, memories, hauntings, and journals, this gives us a deeper consideration of these characters, even given the brevity of the gameplay. Frank and Drake provides us glimpses into other lives, reads like a love letter to urbanity, and reminds us that good people are all around us.

Kunitsu-Gami Path of the Goddess, developed by Capcom, is a strikingly ambitious action-adventure title for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. With a seamless blend of traditional Japanese mythology and cutting-edge technology, this game promises an immersive and exhilarating experience. In this review, we’ll delve into the many aspects that define Kunitsu-Gami Path…

The post Kunitsu-Gami Path of the Goddess Review appeared first on Invision Game Community.

Released back in October of 2023, Sociable Soccer 24 finally made its way to the Nintendo Switch this past July and thus is now in my hands. With footy options being limited on the Switch, it’s worth scoping out how this one holds up with our Sociable Soccer 24 review.

What I Like

Surprising Authenticity

Equipped with the FIFPRO license, Sociable Soccer 24 has a surprising amount of authenticity to offer. With over 13K professional players and 1,000 teams, you can take the club of your choice and attempt to win one of the 80 trophies offered in the game.

It’s unrealistic to expect authentic uniforms, but the basic color combinations are there and surprisingly there aren’t kit clashes when randomly matched up against an AI opponent. Even the tactics and roster management are surprisingly realistic, but we’ll get into that in a bit.

Gameplay

According to Tower Studios:

It’s everything Tower Studios described and more. It’s fast and intuitive in the sense that it’s easy to pick up, yet takes a little time to master, especially when you factor in the ability to toggle the controls between assisted and manual — and of course the difficulty levels (Easy, Moderate, and Expert). At first, I began with assisted controls on the moderate difficulty levels before finding my footing and changing to the highest difficulty and manual controls, which still ends with me sending a few shots into the stands (a good thing).

The commands are simple on defense as well. You turbo and slide tackle, and the game switches players for you on that end to a better standard than eFootball. In general, the best form of defense is similar to UFL where you just try to run and take it off the other player while dribbling, but it’s acceptable for a game on the Nintendo Switch — on the PS5, not so much (sorry, UFL).

No DLC

What you see is what you get from Sociable Soccer 24. In a genre dominated by loot boxes in console and mobile games alike, it’s refreshing to know that you won’t need to grab your wallet if you want to enjoy the game. With a selling point of about $25, Sociable Soccer 24 is reasonably priced and offers enough content to justify the cost.

What’s even more reassuring is that Tower Studios (Sociable Soccer 24’s developer) is committed to updating the game as seen by its most recent patch (June, 2024).

Nice Pace Of Play For Seasons & Tournaments

One area that I really like, and is a must for mobile games, is the length of time it takes to complete a tournament or season. For my tournament playthrough, I focused initially on the Africa Cup of Nations, complete with three group stage matches, and luckily I was able to guide the Ivory Coast through three knockout rounds that ultimately culminated in me achieving legendary status and taking home the trophy, all in about 45 minutes.

Season play takes longer as expected, but since you’re not playing the other teams in your league home and away, you can get through a complete season in a couple of hours or space it out and take your time over the course of a few days.

Can Feel The Difference In The Quality Of Players

It’s a strange thing to say about a game on the Nintendo Switch, but you can really feel the difference between good and lesser players when it comes to quality. My first match with Sociable Soccer 24 was the heated contest between Argentina and Brazil with me taking charge of the Selecao, and just like recent times, Argentina handed me my head on a plate with Julian Alvarez scoring a hat-trick.

The action was fast and Argentina was all over me, a stark contrast between my “world” squad, DC United, where it was slowed down because my players were not as good.

What I Don’t Like

Lack Of Stats

There aren’t many things I don’t like about Sociable Soccer 24, but the lack of stats across their modes is the big one. I don’t expect a game like this to have the advanced stats EA FC has, but a simple tally of goals, assists, and clean sheets is the bare minimum and that’s what I expected, especially as I put my finishing boots on and started scoring goals for fun.

Even if the stats aren’t tracked on a league status page (league leaders and so on), it would be nice to see some Team Player stats.

Bottom Line

There aren’t many mobile or Nintendo Switch sports games that can hold my attention, but Sociable Soccer 24 is one. You may or may not find me getting a few matches in during work hours while I slog from online meeting to online meeting. You can’t prove it regardless! At about a $25 price point, the game offers a good bang for its buck and is enough to satisfy a hardcore footy fan like myself or casual fans like my daughters. Either way, Tower Studios you have a fan.

The post Sociable Soccer 24 Review (Nintendo Switch) appeared first on Operation Sports.

It's about to kick off in the centre of Kuttenberg, the sprawling medieval city at the heart of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Menhard the sword master has offered to teach protagonist Henry of Skalitz a few tricks with the blade, but the lesson has been interrupted by Kuttenberg's official fencing …

There's nothing quite like the moment right before sitting down to see a new Civilization game for the first time – particularly since this is the longest we've ever had to wait for a new one – and I'm happy to say I came away with a pretty positive outlook …

The last time the developers at MachineGames made an Xbox-exclusive first-person action-adventure based on a movie character, it turned out to be one of the best experiences of the entire original Xbox/PS2 console generation. That game was The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, back when the core of …

Afil games publishes no-frills puzzle games, like Sokobalien. Honeyland is no exception. In this ,your goal is to get your bear to its Honey. You do this by playing cards with direction arrow and a number. The bear moves in the direction of the arrow, relative to how it is facing. The number corresponds to the number of spaces the bear moves. The goal is to play the cards in the right order to get the honey, and that is it. Later on, special cards, like jumps, are introduced, biut the idea is the same. Play the right cards in the right order to get the honey.

There are thirty increasingly tough levels, and nothing else. Still, Honeyland is not a bad game. It is only five dollars, after all. You could much worse for the money. I give this a Recommended with a seven back end score. I could continue and ramble on to meet word count, but after a recent disaster of a review, I’m going to play its safe for awhile.

Overall: Honeyland is a no-frills puzzler that delivers a decent puzzle game, and nothing else.

Verdict: Recommended

eShop Page

The post Honeyland Switch Review appeared first on The Game Slush Pile.

The Japanese indie developer SAT-BOX is getting lazy in my opinion. I have given them two must plays in the past, one for Extreme Bike X and one for Sushi Shot. However, they increased their pace to two games a month. As a result, their usual decent quality is slipping drastically. How do I know? Enter Sushi Drop, which uses all of the same assets as Sushi Shot, including music, sushi and UI. This is on top of the fact the game is a mediocre stacking game, where you drop sushi into order to build a high tower of sushi.

There are two main modes in Sushi Drop, Score attack, where you just build as high a tower as you can, and Battle, where you take turns dropping sushi until one of you drops a sushi off the board. The problem here is the physics, it sucks and makes no sense. Why does some sushi stick in place and other pieces do not? Don’t know. See the yellow egg sushi about the salmon piece in the pic above? Normally, it should slide off, but it does not. Therefore, The physics inconsistency sinks the game instantly. This is regardless of how good the rest of it, and the rest of it is honestly alright.

SAT-BOX needs to slow it down and take their time. Sushi Drop is mediocre at best, and I know they can do better, they have done better. This gets a Not Recommended with a five back-end score. If they patched the physics to make things consistent, I’d probably give Sushi Drop a much better verdict and score, but as it is, it gets what it gets.

Overall: Sushi Drop could have been a lot better, and should be a lot better. But terrible physics sinks it. SAT-BOX, do better!

Verdict: Not Recommended

eShop Page

The post Sushi Drop Switch Review appeared first on The Game Slush Pile.

Trinity Fusion has an interesting premise. Three universes were created, the underworld, overworld and hyperworld. They all went wrong. The beasts of the underworld went feral. The machines of the overworld rebelled And the humans in the hyperworld transcended into a new species called the Ewer. You are Maya, a woman who can travel between universes, and needs to save them. You play three versions of yourself, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, Altara, Kera and Naira. You can even, at points, fuse two versions together to get special abilities.

Trinity Fusion is a rogue-lite. The game is divided into runs in procedural generated levels in each of the three universes. Each universe has unique biomes and enemies. Each level has two exits. One to an in-universe biome, or one to a place called the In-Between. In each level, you’ll find amplifiers that you give you in-run buffs. Stack some of the same buff type, you get an even more powerful buff. There are psychic amplifiers you can get that give you permanent buffs, like an extra 10 health.

Combat in Trinity Fusion is your have a melee weapons, and a powerful energy weapon that is powered up by melee attacks. To get around, you’ll slide, jump and dash, plus abilities specific to each character, like wall jumping for Naira.

I have two complaints about Trinity Fusion. First, loading takes forever. Second, the teleport function in the hub, Prime, is broken and doesn’t work(or at least I can’t figure how to use it). Other than that, Trinity Fusion is a stellar game, fun, absorbing and inviting. I will give it a solid Recommended with an eight back-end score. The is solid fun and worth the time invested.

Overall: Trinity Fusion is an interesting rogue-like where you play three separate characters in three different worlds and is overall very good.

Verdict: Recommended

eShop Page

P.S. Why not play what started a genre: Epyx Rogue!

Game received for free from the publisher.

The post Trinity Fusion Switch Review appeared first on The Game Slush Pile.

I’ll be honest, Tomba! Special Edition(Tombi! in the EU) is not for me. It just is not. I tried it, twice, just never clicked with me. Cannot put a finger on exactly why. I should like it, its a 2.5D platformer where you can traverse the foreground and background, but I didn’t care for it. Maybe because it plays more like a point and click adventure. You see, in each area, you get various quests to complete, like find baby chicks or feed a monkey, go do that, the story story progresses. However, if you don’t even find the monkey, the story stops dead as you cannot move forward, so you have to go read a guide. I shouldn’t have to read a walk-through for a port of a 1997 platformer, but you kind of do for Tomba! Special Edition.

Tomba! Special Edition has nothing particularly wrong with it. It is well made, allows you to save anywhere, has lots of behind the scenes stuff. I just don’t like it. And that’s just fine, somebody else might. So playing a pink-haired cave-man fighting pig men sound appealing, by all means, play it. This is why the Your Mileage May Vary verdict exists, for these types of games. I shouldn’t have to suffer through it just for a review, so I’m putting my foot down. Tomba! Special Edition gets a YMMV with a seven back-end score. Again, there’s nothing wrong with it, it just was not for me.

Overall: Tomba! Special Edition is a remaster of a odd platformer from another age that some might enjoy even though I did not.

Verdict: YMMV

eShop Page

PS. Try Glyph!

Game received for free from the publisher.

The post Tomba! Special Edition Switch Review appeared first on The Game Slush Pile.

The most read review on my site, by a thousand views, is the abysmal Hentai Golf, quite possibly the worst golf game ever created. So in comes Easy Come Easy Golf, which is absolutely delightful, but flew completely under the radar. I had never heard of this 2022 title until I randomly found some guy on X who talked about completing it recently. At his word and recommendation, I bought it, and after putting several hours into it, it is completely worth the money. Its not like a PGA tour game, its more like Hot Shots Golf, which is made by the same developer of that series, Clap Hanz. .

The catch to Easy Come Easy Golf is that each hole requires a different character. You start off with 4, the rest filled with a generic “mini-golfer” and over the course of the long campaign, you will unlock thirty in total. Each character has their own strengths and get more powerful by leveling them up via play. You unlock new characters by winning regular tournaments, which spawn matches against characters. Win those, and characters get unlocked. In additions to tournaments and match play there are distance challenges that unlocks character colors and outfits(which raise character level. New courses are unlocked with tour rank, which is raised once you win enough tournaments, which spawn the boss battles, and you win.

The golf itself is great, not surprising given the pedigree of Easy Come Easy Golf. Its easy to pick up, hard to master. You get a choice of two shot types, either flicking the right stick, or the the three tap system. I used the stick system, but either work. The game is gentle early on, but packs a punch later once you level your team and learn the mechanics.

The meat of Easy Come Easy Golf is the single player campaign. However, there are numerous online modes where you take your leveled team online and face others. But I have to wonder how easy it is to find others, given the game’s age and low visibility. My only other complaint is that the loading takes a long time, longer than it should anyway.

Easy Come Easy Golf gets a must Play with a nine back-end score. It is truly is a delightful golf game and should be as popular as Hentai Golf sadly seems to be. There is a serious golf game here that fans of Hot Shots Golf, or golf in general, will love.

Overall: Easy Come Easy Golf is a Hot Shots Golf spinoff by the same developer. Given that pedigree, its not surprising it is great!

Verdict: Must Play

eShop Page

The post Easy Come Easy Golf Switch Review appeared first on The Game Slush Pile.

Don’t Nod Studios is taking us back to the 90s for a narrative adventure with Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. From the same creative minds behind the award-winning Life Is Strange comes this new story guaranteed to capture your heart.

We play as Swann Holloway as she reconnects with old friends after receiving a mysterious package. Although the girls had vowed to never speak about the strange things that happened when they were teens, it seems that they now have no choice.

Madden 25 on PS5

We’re seeing an injection of fresh life into this year’s Madden thanks to the return of college football with EA Sports College Football 25’s release. The college football franchise comes off an 11-year hiatus, tying nicely into Madden 25’s pro football package. But the return of college football can only do so much for Madden 25, as this year’s experience feels more like a mechanical iteration from past entries rather than a comprehensive overhaul.

Surprisingly, the biggest innovations in this year’s Madden are found in nitty-gritty gameplay details rather than in modes or presentation. EA has been proudly campaigning its new BOOM Tech physics suite; a physics package that incorporates realistic tackles and individualized player movements. By extension, the iconic Madden Hit Stick has been re-engineered so that you can control your tackles through risk/reward hit timings. I’m a terrible tackler in these games and even I found the Hit Stick timings to be intuitive and fun to pull off, even if it sometimes resulted in the carrier breaking through a poorly timed hit.

Originally released in 2006, Dead Rising quickly solidified itself as a zombie fan favorite, spawning multiple sequels and a following ready to rival The Walking Dead. Now, 18 years later, Capcom has rewarded us all with a remastered update of the game that started it all.

It is safe to say that the biggest update in the game is the graphics. With 18 years comes incredible advancements in animation, and Capcom did not skip out on making sure we could see every reaction and emotion on not only Frank’s face, but on every NPC’s too. While the original game still holds up well, the graphics overhaul was well worth the time and makes the gore that bit more visceral, which you definitely want in a modern zombie game. Especially when taking them down with a skateboard or golf putter is still very much an option.

Earth Defense Force 6 on PS5

To me, the Earth Defense Force series exists to deliver the perfect comfort food games. Each new installment is similar enough to the one before so that you can easily drop back in, but there’s always a new gameplay wrinkle and enemies to encounter. You always know what you’re getting with any EDF, making it exceptionally easy to lose yourself in them, which is simply the best. I had imported the Japanese release of Earth Defense Force 6 in 2022, and I happily jumped at the chance to review the English release.

For anyone who has not heard of this long-running series, Earth Defense Force is a third-person mission-based shooter. At a base level, the game is all about shooting giant enemies (typically bugs) to collect the random weapons and max health upgrades they drop so that you can take on tougher enemies/difficulties. Earth Defense Force 6 is the first game in the franchise on the PS5, and it definitely shows, as it constantly feels like there are more enemies on screen than I’ve ever seen.

Cat Quest 3 has just about everything I want out of an indie RPG. Gorgeously vibrant visuals and a whimsical atmosphere to lose myself in? Check. A unique premise and satisfying progression? Check. Meaningful exploration that encourages me to complete as much as I possibly can? Check, check, and double-check.

The icing on this bright and colorful pirate-themed cake is its relentless and unwavering commitment to the feline species. With seven years of catspertise under their belt, The Gentlebros have created a brilliant pirate-themed setting that serves as a brilliant set dressing for a world inhabited by cat heroes and rat foes. The tone is as bright and whimsical as its gorgeous visuals. If you’re as enthralled by cats as I am, you’ll be easily won over by Cat Quest 3. If not, there’s still an incredibly rewarding action RPG to get stuck into.

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Read the full article on GamingOnLinux.

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Read the full article on GamingOnLinux.

INVERSE, a survival horror VR game from developer MassVR, drops on the Meta Quest today. We’ll have a full review soon, but we got a sneak peek at the game and mechanics. We’ll give you the rundown on what you’ll be in for with this twist on the innovative asymmetric gameplay genre.

INVERSE is not just a simple solo or multiplayer VR game. While yes, it does offer players the choice to embark on their own as either a lone monster hunter or to play as a team, the agents you play must survive defenseless until power control terminals throughout the creepy facility are activated.

All the while, a twisted, monstrous entity called the Nul attacks at every opportunity. But who is this destructive creature… could it be one of your own?

Game design by those who love the genre

MassVR is a team of horror and sci-fi enthusiasts, so INVERSE offers a ‘spine-chilling and cinematic experience’ that immerses players in a relentless fight for survival. In a press release, Chris Lai, CEO and co-founder of the company, said: “INVERSE brings the essence of survival horror to VR, offering players an unmatched experience of fear, thrill, and strategic gameplay.”

The game makes a solid bold claim that ‘horror enthusiasts’ and ‘virtual reality aficionados’ should prepare themselves for a ‘chilling journey into the depths of fear and discover what awaits in the shadowy realms.’ And the visual setup certainly delivers. The look and feel of the abandoned station is quite creepy and just enough of a maze to keep players looking over their shoulder.

Agent… or monster?

The game supports up to four players working together as agents locating and unlocking weapons terminals and defeat the evil Nul. But that’s where the fun twist comes into play. One player actually assumes the role of the Nul, using unique abilities to hunt down and eliminate the agent!

But don’t worry if you don’t know enough people to fill a team. AI players can seamlessly fill in to make sure the experience is immersive regardless of the number of human players.

Players begin by completing tasks and surviving Nul attacks. Once your weapon is unlocked, it’s time to go on the offensive in Monster Hunt mode. INVERSE is unique in that all players play offense and defense in each match. This ensures that you must master both offensive and defensive tactics to succeed.

Don’t fear being alone

The solo player experience has been quite well thought out, too. During single-player matches, INVERSE presents players with plenty of challenges that test players’ skills. But they also offer a deeper exploration of the game’s lore and terror-filled world. The story the game is built around takes center stage.

Plus, the progressive leveling system allows players to unlock new skills and perks. These added bonuses keep the game interesting and allow players to be better equipped when facing the growing challenges as well as enhancing survival chances.

Face the ever growing darkness

MassVR has stated that they’re going to provide a “continuously evolving experience for players.” INVERSE is expected to receive bi-annual content updates to ensure players have new experiences. This will keep the game from getting monotonous, hopefully. Since the company started out in the physical VR space, console games certainly seem to be adding more versatility and the ability to grow to their repertoire.

Lai says, “We wanted to create a game that captures the intense emotions of playing a horror game with friends in real life while still delivering engaging gameplay for both solo and cooperative play styles in VR.” Time will tell if they succeeded, but INVERSE is certainly off to a good start.

The game is available on the Meta Quest today, Sept. 7. We’ll have a full review shortly.

Are you excited for this new horror multiplayer experience? Let us know in the comments.

The post PREVIEW: Hunt or be hunted in INVERSE [Meta Quest] appeared first on Mega Visions.

After years of rumors and false hopes, the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake is finally happening. Konami announced Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater earlier this year as part of the May 2023 PlayStation Showcase. It’s the first Metal Gear title since 2018’s lackluster Metal Gear Survive, and the first time familiar Hideo Kojima characters have graced our screens since 2015.

Considering his rocky exit from Konami and subsequent new ventures, Kojima’s future with the Metal Gear series seemed over. And while he’s still working over at Kojima Productions, Konami has been hard at work remaking one of his classic stealth-action games.

Metal Gear Solid 3 was first released back in 2004 and garnered critical acclaim. It remains one of the most popular games in the franchise, with many players voting it as their favorite. Now, players will get the chance to explore the origins of Big Boss and the Metal Gear Solid franchise once again, with updated graphics and gameplay.

Metal Gear Solid Delta doesn’t have a release date yet, although we anticipate this Snake Eater remake might come out in 2024. Until we know for sure, here’s everything we know about this title.

The dead are not silent

It helps to understand the backstory of the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake, as it’s been a rumored project for a few years now. Although Konami mostly exited the video game business a few years back, talks of a separate division or company remaking classic Metal Gear entries was still buzzing. Konami wasn’t one to confirm rumors, and Hideo Kojima was too busy working on Death Stranding and Kojima Productions to worry one way or the other.

Still, the rumors persisted, and gained heightened attention in the lead up to the PlayStation Showcase in May. Many industry insiders proclaimed that Konami would reveal the MGS3 remake at the event. Many fans were understandably apprehensive, but the showcase proved that their fears were unfounded.

Konami revealed the remake, titled Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, at the event alongside the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection. The latter is a series of compilations that bring classic Metal Gear games to current-generation consoles; the first volume will include all mainline Metal Gear games up to Snake Eater, with some additional games as well.

With that and Metal Gear Solid Delta, it seems that MGS3 fans will have plenty to look forward to. As old and new players alike experience the original game through the Master Collection, we also have a revamped version on the horizon. With that, it’s time to start the mission proper.

We’re off on a mission of virtue

Konami and the team have confirmed that Metal Gear Solid Delta is as close to a 1:1 remake of Snake Eater as possible. Although it’s built on a new engine with recreated graphics and sound, the actual storyline and progression is the same. The team is even reusing the original voice clips, preserving the original script as much as possible.

As such, we can provide a basic rundown of the story as it relates to the original. (There won’t be any spoilers in this section, so fret not!)

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is the story of Naked Snake, an agent in the FOX unit. He’s sent deep into the jungles of Russia in 1964 to retrieve a defector from the Soviet Union. However, his commanding officer on the mission, a woman known as The Boss, interrupts his mission by defecting to the Soviets. She wounds Naked Snake, leaving him for dead and coordinating a strike on Russian civilians to frame the United States.

With the mission exposed and Russia threatening to retaliate if the situation isn’t under control, Naked Snake is forced back into the jungle after he recovers. He needs to stop The Boss and her Cobra Unit and shut down the new Soviet weapon, a mysterious combat vehicle nicknamed the Shagohod.

Head back into the jungle in Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

Up to this point, the Metal Gear series was primarily focused on interior locations and buildings. You’d sneak around long hallways and open rooms while trying to find cover amidst the manmade terrain.

Metal Gear Solid 3 switched things up by trading the concrete jungle for a real one. There were far more natural settings in that game, dropping you off in the fictional Russian jungle of Tselinoyarsk. It created more unique opportunities for stealth; in particular, camouflaging your gear and face to match your surroundings. You could also the naturally unpredictable terrain and elements to your advantage.

That’s true of Metal Gear Solid Delta as well, as its version of Snake Eater doesn’t change the location up. From the reveal trailer, the swampy marshes where Snake is initially dropped in have been rendered gorgeously. Considering the story is the same, it’s unlikely that there will be any new areas to visit.

Until we get a gameplay trailer for sure, we won’t know if Delta will retain either the original version’s fixed camera system or include the updated camera system from later versions of Snake Eater. It’s also entirely possible that the camera has been reworked entirely. It might take the more modern system found in Metal Gear Solid V. We’ll just have to wait and see.

What a thrill

As a remake that’s meant to honor the original to the letter, we can assume a few things about the gameplay even without a trailer. The core fundamentals of tactical stealth action should all be implemented into Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, but newcomers will hopefully have little struggle adjusting.

MGS3 gave you ample opportunity to surprise your opponents with both artificial and natural traps. Or you can sneak around them and avoid fights altogether (except for mandatory boss fights). When the heat does come down on you, of course, you’ll have plenty of weapons at your disposal. That is, once you find them first.

The tactical side of Metal Gear comes from the limited resources you’ve got in the field. You’ll need to find weapons and ammo as well as survival resources like food and water. One of the most unique parts of MGS3 was patching up your own wounds in the middle of combat. It remains to be seen if this system carries over in the same way in Delta. Given its apparent faithfulness to the source material, we can expect it to remain.

When is Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater coming out?

So far, Konami has not yet confirmed a release date for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. However, the original game hit store shelves in late 2024. It’s reasonable to expect that Konami might try to tie in with the game’s 20th anniversary and release it in Nov. 2024. However, this is pure speculation. Until we get more information from Konami, take this with a grain of salt.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is developed by Konami Digital Entertainment with the help of Virtuos and published by Konami. It will be available for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

What are your thoughts on this Metal Gear Solid 3 remake? Let us know!

The post Everything we know about Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater appeared first on Mega Visions.

It’ll take me quite a while to get through Sea of Stars, but if my first impressions are anything to go by, it’s going to be a hell of an adventure. This latest indie RPG comes from Quebec’s Sabotage Studio, the developers of the acclaimed The Messenger.

The developers were kind enough to send over a review key for me to look at the game. I’ve been plugging away at it over the past couple of days, with about 12 hours of progress done. Given that I’m not even halfway done, it’s easy to expect the review will take some time.

But one thing’s for sure: Sea of Stars is living up to the hype and then some. It’s a grand and engaging adventure that’s satisfying in its combat and enticing in its story. And despite a few incredibly minor issues that will hopefully be patched out, it’s set its hooks deep into me already.

Fire of the sun, light of the moon

Let’s talk about the combat first. I already had an idea of how this played, thanks to the demo released back in February. In practice, it’s already been a consistently fun and rewarding combat system, and I can see it appealing to both retro fans and newbies.

Much has been made of the game’s comparisons to games like Super Mario RPG, Illusion of Gaia, and Chrono Trigger. And they’re certainly warranted; any fan of 90s RPGs will be right at home here. I also got a substantial whiff of Mario & Luigi in it, especially with the combo moves. You have to juggle a few factors at once, including elemental weaknesses, enemy positions, charging enemy attacks, and available magic points and boost power.

While it’s a deep and layered combat system, it’s also very approachable. If you’ve never played an RPG before, Sea of Stars would be an excellent first choice. You can grasp the core concept very easily, and there aren’t so many mechanics and meters to keep track of that it’s overwhelming. The biggest challenge is determining the optimal strategy, which requires paying close attention in the heat of battle.

Feeling like a star

Sea of Stars immediately made a stir thanks to its wonderful aesthetics. You’ve probably already noticed the lovely pixel art through these screenshots, and in action, the game looks absolutely stunning. With beautiful color palettes and some excellent music tracks, it’s already a heavily absorbing adventure.

More than its aesthetics, though, I’m also really into the story and characters so far. With a wacky pirate crew, some excellent party members, and an old order of the Solstice Warriors to talk to, there’s plenty of love and care into these characters. I’ve gotten quite a bit ahead of the introduction, so I won’t be writing any story spoilers here.

Just know that the game takes maybe an hour or two to get going, and then a couple more hours to REALLY get going. For a game that’s expected to take about 25 to 30 hours with no side content, there’s hopefully plenty more great story bits and characters to come.

If there’s one aspect I can criticize Sea of Stars for, it’s that the dialogue needed a bit of a tune-up. Not the words themselves, but rather the grammar; there’s a few typos that needed ironing out. That’s something that could easily be fixed with a few patches, although of course, it’s not the most important factor. I haven’t encountered any other bugs so far, and hopefully that will remain the same throughout the rest of my playthrough!

Sea of Stars shines in its first impressions

I’m happy to report that my first impressions of Sea of Stars are highly positive. The combat is engrossing for both RPG veterans and newcomers, and it’s a beautiful game filled with charming characters and storylines. And while the text perhaps needed one last proofread, it’s hardly enough to take you out of the adventure.

Sea of Stars is developed and published by Sabotage Studio. It is available now for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC via Steam. You can also play it via Xbox and PC Game Pass. A free demo is available to play right now.

The digital version costs $34.99 USD. A physical version for Nintendo Switch is on the way, but Sabotage Studio hasn’t announced a price yet.

Thanks to Tinsley PR and Sabotage Studio for providing a review key!

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