★40
The Banner Saga
29/34 (74%), 16 hours
A harrowing journey across a viking landscape, the sun has stopped moving and a once thought to be extinct "dredge" are invading. The Banner Saga is part one of a trilogy following the story of various humans and varl, a race of giants. Each choice made carries a heavy weight, deciding the fates of those who follow and trust you.
The art direction is probably the biggest strength of the game with beautiful and expressive hand drawn fluid animations from start to finish, reminiscent of classic Disney films such as The Sword in the Stone and Sleeping Beauty. The accompanying music is just as stunning, setting the mood perfectly.
The turn-based combat was something I struggled with for the majority of the game and the final boss was a huge hurdle for me even playing on "normal" mode. Up to 6 characters can be chosen from your party to fight and only through a killing blow can they level up which added to the challenge. Almost every character is unique in playstyle and abilities and trinkets found throughout the world can influence their talents and detriments even more so.
Having to witness the long drawn out pace of the caravan as it travels really emphasized the solemn nature of the game and when supplies were low a sense of dread. There are random elements in the game that occur at set points, usually just combat but occasionally they grant extra supplies or more people following the caravan.
Mostly based on Norse mythology, the game does wonders introducing the culture and lore of the lands, both before the sun stopped moving and how they have adapted since. Many of the characters feel real, with personalities and moralities of their own. However, there were parts of the game where I felt like only an observer or maybe someone listening to the story around a grand hearth but that changed whenever I was presented with a choice, hoping that whatever I picked would be the best for the situation even if half the time it was really just the least worst.
The only reason I have not to recommend this to someone is if they have an extreme dislike of turn-based games but even then it's worth it for the rest of the experience.
Thank you DC!
Pixel Puzzles: Space
55/55 (100%), 16.2 hours
Most the Pixel Puzzle games are fairly similar, this one just happens to be space themed. If you don't like jigsaws you won't like these however I find them very enjoyable and relaxing. There's a range of sizes, the smallest has 60 pieces to the largest has 350.
The hints systems have always been rather interesting in these games, for this particular one they have floating parts mixed up with the puzzle pieces. There are three types of hints available, "fix angle" - shows the correct rotation, "show ghost" - flashes the solution in the background, and "location" - shows where the piece belongs. To use a hint, grab a part and place it in the appropriate slot then use the hotkey relevant to the hint you want to use. Alternatively you don't have to use hints at all, instead using them to build a rocket which if you complete before you place the final piece you will earn an extra achievement. I didn't realise this at first and went back to replay several levels despite never actually wasting parts on hints.
Pixel Puzzles: Birds
33/33 (100%), 13.7 hours
Again very similar to Space and the other Pixel Puzzles, various jigsaws with the same sizes available this time with birds. The backgrounds seem to have at one point been a mess, the screenshots on the store page are no longer representative of this and they've opted for a plainer flatter ones instead.
Although the same hints are available, there is a different hint system in place revolving around catching crabs. After a while they spawn on your board, up to two at a time, pick them up and put them in a net, when you have enough just use your hotkeys and they're ready to go. The crabs do get annoying but you can turn them off with one button so that's a plus.
Fair warning to those planning to play with a younger audience or those of a more sensitive nature, one of the puzzles contains a dead bird, nothing graphic but worth a mention. Also, welcome to penguin hell!
Polyology
9/9 (100%), 4.2 hours
It's not much to look at but this Sokoban or "crate pushing" styled puzzle game is a fairly good twist on the old genre. Starting with the traditional blocks, the goal is to push all blocks of the same colour together (opposed to a set location), how many needed to be touching is also indicated by an optional number on the blocks. Gradually a variety of mechanics are introduced, these include: "restraint" - routes which blocks cannot pass, "constraint" - routes which you cannot pass, "switch" - instead of pushing you change places with the block, "fading" - blocks gain a timer when touched by another block followed by disappearance, "static" - blocks which cannot be moved, "polymino" - blocks with more varied shapes, "wildblocks" - blocks that aren't picky with who they're connected too, and my favourite "ice" - blocks that continue moving until they hit a wall after one push. In later levels these mechanics are used in various combinations with some interesting results.
There's 60 levels in total and to finish them isn't particularly difficult, getting under par for 3 stars each level is the real challenge. There's also an arcade mode where blocks are spawned in and you have to match as many as possible before the timer runs out. An unexpected surprise was unlockables, instead of just plain numbers on your blocks after collecting enough stars you could change it to shapes or aztec styled numbers (plus a couple of other designs).
HardCube
13/13 (100%), 1.4 hours
A short and simple rolling ball platformer, HardCube takes you through forests, western plains, winter landscapes and ... "sci-fi"? Not sure about the name given to the last one, it's modern and futuristic, a cityscape with the colour-scheme of Mirror's Edge (and the achievement for completion references the main character) but is it really sci-fi? Even with the lasers? Interestingly enough there is still variations within each set of levels, some being during night-time, dust storms and such.
32 levels total, not including tutorial, 8 for each set. There's two options for playing, timed or not time but difficulty remains the same. Only one achievement is reliant on timed mode being active and it's not hard to earn. In fact the entire game is relatively easy, just takes a small amount of patience, rushing your way through the level leads to careless mistakes. Hazards are introduced throughout the game, a few mines, several styles of obstacles that try to push you off, slippery ice and of course the previously mentioned lasers but nothing particularly innovative. There are also optional collectables and a scoring system based on how many you gather with leaderboards. The most direct route may not always be the best way, frequently I found a way around the obstacles sometimes even climbing over them so if you're planning on playing this game try the less obvious path.
Job the Leprechaun
3/3 (100%), 4 hours
Another game which mysteriously had pointless achievements added. I finished this last year but had to go back and become a jumping cow. Not a game I would recommend even before this nuisance but it's a short simple platformer about collecting clovers, rescuing a friend and hitting creatures with your hat. I wish I could say more but there really isn't a lot to it.
I would buy Banner Saga just for the art. Some day I will! and thanks for the link to the GA. :) I’m pretty oblivious when it comes to these things.
Why there has to be a puzzle with a dead bird? I see no reason why they thought it would be a good idea. :s
It does seem silly, wouldn’t have thought it to be too difficult to get a picture without a dead one. That particular puzzle is actually on the store page.
Holy crap, that’s beautiful. Color coded bar is such a nice yet functional touch.
I really need to get to Banner Saga one of these days before I eventually buy the sequel. I forgot: was it envisioned as duology or trilogy of games?
Thank you. :)
Do you often buy the sequel before the first game? :D
The Banner Saga is intended as a trilogy. :)
I don’t really. This really comes to bite me in the ass because I get the urge to play game series chronologically and that’s a bad call with JRPGs spanning half dozen and more games.
Even games which are only sequential in name? o_o
I stick to core entries usually. But even if games are independent, like Final Fantasy or something, you can see clear progression of themes and systems over the series so it’s worth checking out for that.
Oh, Banner Saga - it seems I’m one of the few people who didn’t like it =( I did not actually dislike it (I loved the art), but it left a sour taste in my mouth. As far as I remember, it was very unfair to lose some great warriors with their equipment due to some vague choices during the events. The combat system was terrible, I think (it feels like I’ve played it ages ago). Also, this was the second game in which I eventually gave up on the last boss.
Loved, loved, loved The Banner Saga and have the next one ready to go once I’m done with the current batch. I can see why it may not appeal to some, but it was exactly my thing. There’s a strategy to beating the final boss as well that holds fairly consistently even on hard mode. It actually a lot easier than one might think.
I wouldn’t be surprised if I was missing the trick to the final boss but it worked out well in the end. :)
Can’t wait to see what you have to say about part 2. :)
In case anyone missed it the first time round: click.