Romancing Saga 2

( PC – JRPG – 2017 ) + TRAILER

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There's a story about how I ended up playing Romancing SaGa 2, but to keep it brief the remake got released and I considered buying it. Then I remembered I actually have the remaster of the original already. So why skip it? And so decision to play the remaster of a SNES title was made. What a ride it turned out to be.

Having practically no experience with SaGa franchise at large I was shocked by just how abruptly story is dispensed to the player. In fact, if you skip the opening which itself gives you a meager primer on ancient history, you'll have no idea who the Seven Heroes even are. What we see is good king Leon and his scholarly son Gerard embarking on a quest to cleanse the nearby ruin of monsters. Not long after disaster strikes – while the pair was outside with their retinue, castle Avalon, safe kept by the king's other son Victor, is laid siege to by monstrous Kzinssie who slays Victor for opposing him. Except... wasn't Kzinssie one of the Seven Heroes according to legends? Receiving council from a mysterious seer our king Leon and prince Gerad track down the fiend only for king to fall in mortal combat. Emboldened by revenge and effects of mysterious “inheritance magic” it now falls to Gerard to settle the score, expand the empire of Varennese and set straight this mad world where monsters are on the rise once more.

More than few hours further into the game we're introduced to the actual central mechanic of Romancing SaGa 2 – succession. With Gerard it happens after three “fade to black” screens, something to keep in mind for the future as well since it indicates passage of time, as he accomplishes milestone tasks available, but can also be forced if your party dies for real real aka they run out of LP in combat. So what exactly happens then? You get to choose from four not-so-randomly picked emperor candidates drawing from a pool of unlocked classes. In reality it's THREE choices since the first is always the same class as your last emperor, and remaining ones depend on various selective tables and RNG game will never tell you about. Something worth pointing out is only Gerard and the Last Emperor, individual you got to name when you started the game, have something resembling story relevance. All the in-between emperors you'll be playing for the majority of the game are yours to pick. Aforementioned inheritance magic means your emperors have a continual line of inheriting skills, spells and proficiency from their predecessors giving them advantage by default.

Since I've started name dropping classes I might as well get into what the game's actual content is. You'll be annexing other regions and kingdoms, usually by resolving whatever issue is present there. Putting aside that you're raising your empire's income, very useful for projects that cost hundreds of thousands and even millions, the real reason why you want every region is for further missions it may offer generations down the line AND class unlocks. Almost every region seems to directly or indirectly add a class to your roster. If there's story in Romancing SaGa 2 it's found in these localized arcs which are created wildly uneven. Some like the branching Cumberland succession crisis or Comroon volcano situation are way more involved, while others are “village elder has a problem, slay big monster to resolve”. In essence you're getting everything from party members, gear R&D and combat fix by playing conquest. Much to my surprise there are bad decisions to made which will result in screwing yourself over. Keep multiple saves which could be a problem since you have four slots + autosave.

I can imagine fear some of my readers may be experiencing upon reading “timed” in context of any RPG, but there is no ticking real-time clock here. You essentially get to perform three big events in every generation. Annex a region, defeat one of the Seven Heroes, resolve a quest, etc.

Your adventures will certainly take you to odd places with equally as strange motivations.

Albeit seeing that expected QoL modernization it's evident the game's menu wasn't made for PC.

In both frustrating and refreshing upset, combat status elements are only visible on request so mind that HP.

Choosing your next Emperor upon death or milestone passage of time is the most important decision you get to make time and time again.

Based on their class said Emperors can also unlock a new formation for your party to use. Not to be overlooked.

What Romancing SaGa 2 taketh away in the story department it more than made up for in combat and systems in general.

I don't like repeating myself, but if I was more experienced with the franchise at large I would've already been familiar with its glimmer system. Level ups are neat and yet inadequate next to the glorious light bulb effect when your character learns a brand new skill, doubly so when you know it's now stored in the Dojo and you can train it to all future characters. It's also exceedingly rare in JRPGs to see character advancement running on “you are what you do” akin to The Elder Scrolls. There are formulae involved here you can look up online if you want to, but you should know there are no character levels with which to easily gauge progress or difficulty. Get hit a lot? Your HP goes up. Want to get better at Hydrology? Cast water spells. Want to glimmer a specific skill you've looked up in a guide? Recruit a Saigo Clansman inclined towards the Mace category, find a tough enemy to battle with for higher activation chance and start pray. Did I forget to mention generic class characters are anything but and each has their own pros/cons, as well as gender differences where applicable? You can add that to the variables table.

But what of combaaaat?

Elegant deli platter of turn-based offering where your chosen formation, as taught by certain classes-turned-emperor, can make a notable difference. Since you have FIVE characters to play with and shuffle around your choice of current emperor is very important as that is the only spot which cannot be moved. Wouldn't want to put your squishy Strategist autocrat on the front line, now would you? I'm struggling to put into words exactly how combat plays as there is this constant “will my party setup get me more glimmers?” high overriding everything else. I did notice reliance on gimmicks and having faith in the player to figure it out. I've lost count how many bosses have overpowered attacks that will quickly wipe you unless you're A) tackling them later so you're the overpowered one, or B) capable of exploiting their undisclosed weakness. Realizing that stun and paralysis are two different status ailments has been the bane of my existence, as was one particular hag charming male party members. All five of them.

Add to that no random encounters, albeit some very tight corridors with enemy placement aplenty, and the ball seems to be in your corner. Running in the original SNES release would've limited your vision which made walking a viable option. That's been changed in the remaster as QoL, but you'll still opt to walk from time to time purely to outmaneuver enemies. There were a few instances I got frustrated enough to quit the game due to enemy density. Fight more = get more stats = get more glimmers, right? Well yes, but Battle Rank exists for a reason. The more you engage in combat, fight or flee, the more enemies get upgraded to deadlier variants with advancing generations. A cynical man would call this level scaling, but that's not entirely accurate. Presumably this is in place to prevent you from grinding a single spot for hours on end.

I've used some acronyms earlier and Romancing SaGa 2 brings its peculiarities. HP is automatically recovered after every battle, your SP/MP require manual curatives and are used to power skills/magic respectively, but LP is where things get interesting. Life Points vary on by-character basis, even within the same class, are extremely difficult to restore and once they hit 0 it's permadeath time. If it happens to your emperor it's time to pick a new one. Don't be alarmed because your recruits are not lifelong companions and assembling a new party with each new ascendance quickly becomes second nature. Or point of annoyance depending how you feel about it. Fortunately you get to keep all the weapons, armor and items you've accumulated up to that point. I'm not even getting into fusion spell research here because I... look, I just can't. I missed out.

Do I sound somewhat bitter? Maybe, but that's the sort of obtuseness you, well, learn to live with. At the end of the day this is a SNES title with a slight facelift. Checking out the manual is highly recommended lest you completely miss out on some concepts like global magic level or research order. Mind you, the SNES comment is not meant to be derogatory in any way. I was taken aback by aspects of the game playing it now so it may be difficult to grasp what reactions were like back in 1993. Despite there being the Imperial Log which tracks the state of the world, rumors and everything you've done so far, very nature of the game feels so far ahead of its time you can feel it buckling under pressure. Speaking from first hand experience it takes a while for the game to click and there's an extended sweet spot between early and late game when you get to bask in your own ignorance exploring this unrestricted world before the hammer falls on you.

Warhammer 40 000: Space Marine 2

( PS5 – Action, TPS – 2024 ) + TRAILER

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As someone who played the original and rather liked it I was extremely pleased to hear the news Space Marine 2 was in development, and now we're here playing the released product. Was Titus' new adventure worth the wait? Was shifting priorities to multiplayer department a good decision? Well, I can only answer one of those since I didn't bother much with MP beyond dabbling in co-op for a while. Here we go.

Going by metal studs in his head it's been 200 years since events on Graia and Titus is doing his stint with the Deathwatch following certain heretical accusations. Suddenly things change and it would appear his name has been cleared as he's transferred back to Ultramarines chapter. Under the watchful eye of their Chaplain, of course. Now demoted to Lieutenant he has to become familiar with new faces, especially two Space Marines that comprise his squad who seem real inquisitive about his past, as well as dealing with the Tyranid invasion in the system. Amidst all that it would appear certain familiar terms and faces keep popping up giving Titus the chance to settle things once and for all.

If I had to draw parallels I'd say Space Marine 2's story is shorter, often interrupted by returns to the Battle Barge serving as your HQ and trying to convey more of the setting than the first game did. You'll see the interior of the aforementioned Battle Barge and exactly what armor clad Space Marines do when they're not deployed as well as ins and outs of Mechanicus itself. I also noticed a distinct inversion at work – both narrative and presentation get better as story advances. Although the game opens with you playing as cape-bedecked Black Shield what follows is rather mundane meandering through jungles fighting Tyranid swarms. After a brief jetpack level everything seems to pick up and budget starts pouring in. More cutscenes and even full fledged cinematics take control towards the end. I was invested in what is a very basic story that even has a small TWEEST in the finale.

I wish there were some great praise to sing about characters, but it is what it is. Titus is your stoic badass, although I do lament the absence of Mark Strong's voice acting since the new performance blends too much into “generic Space Marine” background noise, and his compatriots Chairon and Gadriel end up being the ones responsible for occasional moments of levity. It should be noted everyone is taking this extremely seriously so don't expect any quipping or such. Somewhat amusingly you do have other characters essentially forming secondary squads doing operations in the background, but I'll briefly get to those later. They have squad banter among themselves albeit playing only a small role in campaign proper. As far as antagonists go there's no zany Ork leader to speak of and Tyranids are devoid of personality by design. Archenemy does show its ugly face eventually, but certain space wizards never learn that trusty bolter & chainsword always win the day. Ultramarines are here to remind them of that fact.

Onto gameplay. I should once again point out it I didn't engage in PvP multiplayer since that's generally not my thing, and only briefly tried the co-op PvE aka Operations mode. This means my opinions only carry weight as far as campaign is concerned since multiplayer is where actual progression is contained with the player unlocking skins, weapons, skills, etc. It does appear to be a class-based game within a game affair, and if that's your thing there's probably dozens of hours of enjoyment to be found there.

You'd think we no longer needed so many hidden loading screens, but elevator rides are back.

Sadly, customization is almost entirely reserved for multiplayer and there is variety here to make your perfect Space Marine.

Heaviest of dakka are temporary weapons only to be carried until ammo is exhausted. They also overheat.

Akin to visual customization actual, meaningful progression is likewise also reserved for multiplayer.

Taking that step from fetid jungles to space spires feels liberating in more ways than one.

Space Marine 2 is most definitely an intentional throwback to games from 10+ years ago. There's no mandatory crafting or leveling up to be found in this very straightforward TPS eschewing cover-based approach for a more aggressive one. In fact, I'd argue it expects you to get into melee most of the time until the last third or so when the board is wiped clean. That may also be where part of the problem lies as there's hidden loading screens aka elevator rides aplenty.

Absence of modern day “designed by committee” frills also means some relics that should've been forgotten rear their ugly head. Only two guns + melee is still very much in effect, for example. Luckily one of the things I complained about, intermissions taking you back to HQ so your co-op partners can rejoin, let you choose the equipment you want and I've only rarely found myself changing it from drop pods in missions themselves. You do want want more melta and plasma weapons as the game advances to combat heavily armored enemies. Some systems are also changed from the first game. Health no longer regenerates from performing executions, but instead your tiered Armor does. Healing packs exist even though you're capped by only carrying two at the moment. Since the entire campaign and Operations both are structured to played in co-op I was frankly surprised by how... not braindead they are? I personally wouldn't go above Normal difficulty in either, but they'll do the job and unlike players you're not competing for all the goodies. Remember – bash everything as it may contain ammo or curatives.

Since combat is everything you do in Space Marine 2 it's only fair we talk about it and enemies you'll be dispatching. Basically, there's two Tyranids and forces of Chaos you'll end up going against. Tyranids are your brainless swarms baked by more dangerous individual enemies wheres each one is practically a mini-boss until they became a semi-regular encounter. Keeping in mind game trains you there are blue telegraphs you can parry and orange ones you should avoid this can lead to strange behavior where you forget regular attacks can be parried just as easily, and that's what keeps you alive. In addition you're meant to approach enemy types very different. You clear out swarms, be they Nids or chaos Guardsman, and take a very deliberate approach with Raveners or Chaos Terminators, for example. There is a trick in where carefully timing executions when enemy health drops low will restore your latest received damage regardless of Armor status. Just because there's no actual sticky cover mechanic it doesn't mean you should avoid taking cover whenever you can, if only to reach that infinite ammo case and not get hit by Warp energy missiles.

I mentioned them earlier, but Operations are worth mentioning. Narratively they're side missions your other squad is undertaking while Titus is doing his thing. In practical terms there's six, each taking 30-40 minutes to complete and requiring three players, living or bots. This is also where you get to customize classes you play as so even if you're not into PvP you can still experience that aspect of the game. I just wish there were more of them as randomization is limited and Operations do add to an otherwise short campaign. I suspect you can get couple of extra hours as bare minimum on the lowest difficulty.

As usual I save presentation for last and oh boy it's impressive alright. Somehow making those swarms work in real time and each enemy being an actual object you can kill is astounding in its own right, but it's not until the very finale that you truly see what developers can pull off. What was previously a matter of “enjoy your corridors and elevators, but look at all the SCALE in the background” now takes center stage with hundreds of enemies engaging in conflict as demons rage in the sky. Just top notch all-around. Sound doesn't falter in the slightest and choosing the option to wear a helmet garbles audio lines appropriately. Those bolter sounds are still among the best representation of 40k's iconic weapon.

Tails of Iron

( PC – Action, Adventure– 2021 ) + TRAILER

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Sometimes you play a game that checks just enough boxes from multiple genres or schools of design that the end result is familiar, but still more than enjoyable. Taking cues from metroidvanias and Souls-like titles, Tails of Iron achieves precisely that. Does it hold up on its own merits, though?

Following a long reign, King Rattus' legacy of having scoured the realm of dirty Pondscum is suddenly cut short when aforementioned frogs besiege his castle, do away with his life and leave only couple of accidental survivors. Young prince Redgi among them as he swears revenge. So begins his quest to not only get his father's vassals to accept him as the rightful heir, since he's so small in stature and many favor his brother, but also to eradicate the frogs everyone thought were gone for many years. There are also other challenges in store taking him beyond and below what any common folk would think possible.

Even though characters, rats or otherwise, don't use words but rather pictograms to communicate, Tails of Iron got a chuckle out of me multiple times as Redgi is self-aware enough to acknowledge he's doing everyone's busywork that normally his retainers should be all over instead. If only he had some. Pulling a lot of the weight is Doug Cockle serving as game's narrator and he doesn't fail to deliver a snide or cynical remark while carrying this Game of Thrones meets folk tale atmosphere. Characterization overall is pretty lacking, though. If you ask me I'd point fingers to narrative department as a whole taking the backseat since storytelling isn't the primary focus here so don't the RPG treatment or such. As the story advances and reaches post-game you have a marriage of things become really dire the closer to finale you get... and then various puns on wrestlers, musicians, etc. Who can forgetting squaring up against Molehammad Moli in the arena?

It may be an easily overlooked aspect of the game as you're rushing from sidequests to the main quest, but I absolutely loved how the world kept fixing itself. Gradually, a ruined town gets repaired and royal guards are now securing the castle, for example. This is all fluff since the game isn't reactive in a meaningful way, but it's still nice to see even sidequests have visual feedback. Later on you get to spend some gold on castle ornaments bringing it even further to life. This also means you sometimes don't want to fast travel between sign posts, but take a stroll and see the changes.

This is, however, an action game so let's get down to some nitty-gritty details and how the entire things works. I was surprised by how much emphasis there is on combat in comparison to very basic platforming or even customary “re-visit areas to progress with new powers” metroidvania design. Being a Souls-like is much close to Tails of Iron's ethos.

Despite lacking a dimension compared to Souls titles which took gaming by storm, here we have a game that very much subscribes to many of those tenants while eschewing others. Perhaps to accommodate scaled back format? Providing you go with the recommended gamepad control scheme shoulder buttons will be your light, heavy and block functions, with the last one dedicated to healing. You get one jug of Grub Juice which you use for that purpose, but in a twist it doesn't recharge when you rest on a bench to save progress. Instead, you have to find juice dispensers or butcher grubs for smaller refills. It's good news those, as well as other goodies, are spread out decently across almost ten locations. Travel only becomes a chore when you have a specific sidequest and it's at the very end of a locations where there's no fast travel signpost nearby. Areas re-populate with enemies, but Tails of Iron doesn't subscribe to “every enemy can easily kill you” so it's just more of a hindrance. Such escapades become an easy way to loot for resources you'll rarely use.

Characters communicate via pictograms, and Geralt of Rivia steps in as narrator to fill in the blanks.

Good things are simply not meant to last, but Redgi brings it around. Full circle and stuff.

I may or may not confirm katanas are overpowered. Let's dance, grub.

Status screen LOOKS more complicated than it actually is. Managing weight is key to it all.

I think boss difficulty ramp up is handled well enough. They start off easy, but take more tries as attack patterns get involved.

There's also no concept of experience to speak of as your character progression comes entirely from equipment. What can Regni use then? As far as armor goes you have slots for helmet, armor and shield, but alongside those your have murderous implements with sword & board, two-handed and ranged weapon slots. In my opinion there's too much equipment and it really becomes apparent towards the end when game starts throwing complete sets at you. Maybe there's a purpose to those if you haven't killed couple of side bosses who net you some of the best stuff in the game, but I do appreciate this extensive variety means you can play dress up and go with whatever Regni looks best in. Want a kingly crown? Plenty of those under light helmets. Want a riot shield? It's there. Want to cosplay as a samurai? Well, you get some look-alike armor AND a katana. Keep in mind you want to rotate and replace equipment as you're constantly finding better pieces, need some armor for resistances against frogs or alike, and you need to manage weight.

Which pulls me back to combat since that's the bulk of what you'll be doing when you're not completing chores for the townsfolk as, by Thor, someone needs to clear the cellar of monsters. I survived by simple mantra: PARRY IS KING. Dodging also ranks highly for those unavoidable flashing red attacks or AoEs, but dodging is dependent on how heavy Regni is based on your gear whereas that perfect block will do so much more for you. Especially if you get it right for yellow-telegraphed attacks which are made to be parried. Game will also keep surprising you with enemy variety as you can exploit them as well rather than reserving “special moves” just for bosses. My one regret is devs should've pushed the player harder to master parry earlier. Already mentioned Molehammad Moli is one of those optional, post-game arena bosses... yes, there's both an arena and post-game stuff, who will punish you with his bee stings, but that lesson arrives way too late. Since I brought up bosses there is a steady escalation of threats and player performance expectations. Looking at my time played I've probably spent an hour or so repeating boss fights. It's a learning curve and not a learning cliff, is what I'm trying to say here.

Presentation I left for last because game looks just plain gorgeous. If you ever wanted a 2D Redwall game this is it and that aesthetic carries the day. Some animations, particularly brutal executions Regni gets to perform, are sometimes wonky because there's a bit too much pushing and pulling to get the actors into correct positions, but that's negligible in the grand scheme of things. Soundtrack is all over the place, but just give me more strings. Frogs sure love their bongos, though.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime - ISEKAI Chronicles

( PS5 – Action – 2024 ) + TRAILER

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Having managed to actually keep up with the anime I thought checking out That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime - ISEKAI Chronicles would be a logical thing to do. Doubly so since, wonder of wonders, it's not just another cash-in arena fighter anime productions seem to get when they delve into video game territory. Keeping that in mind... I can't say I liked the game. Quite the opposite, in fact.

In case you're not familiar with the subject at hand this is a very truncated retelling of the main story. Our protagonist gets killed in the real and ends being transported to another world. Catch? He's now a slowly slime who accidentally comes across the legendary dragon Veldora, two strike up an accord and so begin the adventures of our boy Rimuru. His main goal over time becomes building a nation by monsters, for monsters as all other kingdoms are extremely antagonistic towards them on principle. With that in mind they build a town in the Great Jura forest from which their civilization begins.

That's the gist of it and if it's any comfort game won't really go in great detail since we're following arc-based structure of the source material. ISEKAI Chronicles does oddly skip some bits or brings details out of nowhere, though. Perhaps to offset what's being adapted here, story proper stops when you-know-who ascends to Demon Lord status, we have two brand new arcs and they're not really worth it. One follows a goblin bent on revenge who didn't fall in with Rimuru's plan of ending inter-monster hostilities, and other involves Jura hostilities with brand new theocratic nation following Angels. Both come with original characters who ultimately end up being the biggest worthwhile additions and at least one could've fooled me into thinking she was always there.

Speaking of characters this is another case where game chooses an odd approach in fleshing them out. You have a mixture of classical VN talking heads, brand new CG made for the game and stills from the anime, yet bulk character interaction will largely come from stilted models yapping. To game's credit and presumably where most of the budget went, everything is voice acted. That doesn't change you're constantly being herded form A to B to C just talking to characters as they go along with their one-note archetype. Badass warrior chick who's a horrible cook? Industrious dwarfs with a sweet tooth for alcohol? Extremely competent and aloof ninja? Yeah, take your pick. This isn't inherently bad so much as limiting what you can do with characters, but this is less of a problem when you're sticking to already existing storylines.

That's enough rambling about narrative aspects. Game doesn't break any molds and what it adds is largely subpar. I think this comes from design choices I'll get into below, but even on basic level game could've used perhaps less side chores and more of that production could've gone into critical content.

Only rarely suffering from too much visual clutter, combat is on the simplistic beat 'em up side.

YABAI!

I wouldn't call it “city building” per se, but this is the reason why bulk of your expeditions will be made – to gather building resources.

Not a big fan of the two game-original arcs included here as they just add filler to a game already, well, filled to the brim with it.

Looking at all of this you'd think it actually matters, but since game keeps tabs on you via milestone checks you'll be just fine.

Easily the simplest way to summarize ISEKAI Chronicles would be to say it's a story of two halves; rudimentary character combat and even more straightforward city building. Problem arises when neither is really satisfactory?

Amusingly enough the closest comparison I can make would be Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, which I've reviewed last year, albeit without the platforming part so that's one vital pillar gone. Hints of problems that game had with combat and base management are many times worse in this case. Mind you, I have nothing against beat 'em up combat with fixed 2D lanes if it's executed well which I would say is at least average here, but the problem is how often you're in combat all the while re-visit identical locations fighting same old group configurations. I don't say this lightly, but randomly generated levels would have helped immensely to break the mind numbing monotony. After you've explored a location once you now know the map inside and out, with chest rooms and enemy rooms clearly marked for you.

No even taking into account you're bringing 3+2 characters into the fray (active combatants + supports with their special attack) can shake things up. Only character progression is unlocking talents with flat stat increases so you don't have much to look forward to. Their abilities unlock at narrative's convenience and getting friendship 100 makes one of their abilities available to Rimuru just in case you think his OP abilities aren't enough. Not to completely pile on the game here I did like the characters are distinct, from a range-heavy magician to lighting fast swordsmen. It goes beyond just flavor even if you'll never lose sleep over element compatibility on Normal difficulty. For the record I didn't die once in the entire game and only the final boss pushed me hard enough I brought one character onboard specifically because he special is healing. Wasn't really necessary since perfect dodge is absolute king, but still.

Second pivotal aspect of gameplay is managing Jura-Tempest Federation aka city building. And by that I mean you get empty plots of land where you choose which buildings to build with their associated resources cost. Mind you, there's no simulated aspect here as beyond some minor bonuses, like temporary status boost or low-tier resource generation from farms, primary purposes city building serves is to create Tempest Resonance aka global percentage boost to your stats, and said boosts vary depending on variety of buildings you've constructed. That's it. City itself is also a traversable location for Rimuru, mainly to reach quest givers who pop up as story progresses, because there's no world map beyond just markers you choose to travel to. Any by god, you WILL re-visit locations since game is not only very liberal with horrendous missing design sending you out to collect X of Y while also being incapable of combining mission when location is shared. Which means further visits. I'm talking dozens upon dozens. If you're inclined towards doing all the side nonsense, because Gabiru really needs magical ink to create photos of himself, you will at least never be starved for building materials.

While all of the above is already well beyond minor cuts that can hamstring game the biggest issue that resulted in me fast forwarding through cutscenes is just how cheap overall package is. Yes, chibi art style is somewhat at odds with everything else, but I think it looks alright. Production limits hit the hardest when you sit through Rimuru's 245th instance of animation where he slowly walks away from the conversation, info box pops up to say it's ten minutes later, and now he's slowly walking into the scene with all other characters giving stock waves and hellos. No scene really feels unique because game assets could not be allocated for such scenes. There's a lot of characters having meetings in the exact same room. Repetition of it all ended up driving me crazy and being the chief reason why I gave up on post-game. There's supposedly a season pass planned with three new characters to bulk a somewhat anemic roster, but you won't catch me alive playing this ever again.

Asura's Wrath

( PS3 – Action – 2012 ) + TRAILER

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Long stuck in my backlog, Asura's Wrath finally gets its due after I got to try the demo more than a decade ago. Does this straightforward game about a man TOO ANGRY to die deliver or does it show signs of aging? I guess we'll find out and also touch upon its controversial DLC while we're at it.

Opening on an epic siege of planet Gaea where the Eight Guardian Generals and their fleet are waging war on corrupting creatures called Gohma we see it's not the actual fleets themselves that are doing much fighting so much as the key generals themselves. Our protagonist Asura is one of them and he's pretty damn angry as he zips about and punches monstrosities to death. It turns out this is the finale of an offensive orchestrated by leader of these eight Demigods, man fittingly called Deus, during which they put Gohma to rest since they cannot truly be defeated. You'd think this is a happy ending, but Deus is not satisfied with the way war offensive had gone and decides to commit regicide on their Emperor while framing Asura for it. Seemingly betrayed by his compatriots, losing his wife and daughter in the process, Asura is cast down to the planet and left for dead. Then, 12 000 years pass and he awakes finding a different world while his wrath still burns bright.

Something that has to be emphasized about Asura's Wrath and is, in fact, it's main selling point would be just how over the top epic it is. I mean that in the true sense of the word. From the very opening you see these Demigods, who are never exactly explained WHAT they are – but we see they have cybernetic parts to them while also seem capable of having children and dying – treating things like vacuum, gravity and oxygen as mere suggestions more than hard rules of reality. They're capable of unbelievable feats for the sake of high action and drama. Another thing that immediately becomes obvious are heavy influences from Hindu and Buddhist mythologies both in terms of aesthetics and structure. After all, more astute may have already drawn a connection between Wrath, Eight Generals and Mantras. There's also Journey to the West influence here, but SF meets soul energy meets willpower gives it all a unique blend that really stands on its own. I wish there were more explanations about the setting at large even if just consigned to extras, though.

Since game goes the extra effort to have these important Demigod general characters it's only appropriate I talk about them for a while as well as how characters are treated as a whole. Not all of these are given the same treatment. Lucky ones get to be boss fights, some like Olga are resigned to background support or being inglorious dealt with. You know you're in for a crazy ride when the very first boss consumes millions of human souls to turn himself into a planet-sized big guy and tries to squash Asura with his finger. Those with the most characterization would probably be Yasha, Yin to Asura's Yang, and Deus as stand-in antagonist. I really liked how Yasha effectively becomes a deuteragonist in the story later on. I do wish Asura's daughter Mithra was more than an absentee he has to save throughout the game. She remains a distant objective for him to become ever angrier in the attempt to locate and save.

Man, then there's Asura himself.

I imagine there's an art form to sounding angry while performing quality VA and Liam O'Brien absolutely steals the show. Which is slightly amusing since 90% of Asura's dialog is yelling, shouting and grunting. This is a rare instance where I prefer English voice acting over Japanese where extreme emotions have to be brought forth. It makes few of Asura's longer lines really stand out. Since the same VA is involved I'd make a comparison to War from Darksiders – where War is cold angry barely keeping it under the lid, Asura is raging anger boiling all over the place. Despite some minor character development through the game, primarily through a random village girl he sympathizes with, you get the feeling he cannot fight his nature and remains one note throughout. In his own words “then I will destroy everything”.

Game doesn't use Quick Time Events as a crutch, but rather as core pillar of its design. They're EVERYWHERE.

Behold our dastardly band of villains... or are they?

While not being as present as regular ground battles I've found the on-rails tube shooter segments to be a refreshing change of pace.

Occasional episodes are book-ended by brief VN style interludes. Perhaps a cost cutting measure, but chance for artists to shine.

Expect to be interrupted by QTEs mid-combat as well when it comes to special attacks you can counter or pull off your own.

If all of the above sounded great I guess now we get to the parts where I lose some of the audience.

It now occurs to me I haven't said anything about the structure of Asura's Wrath. Basically, we're talking episodic even with the accompanying “next time on...” trailer for the upcoming episode. Which is somewhat redundant since A) game was not released episodically and B) individual episodes are on the short side. I'm talking 30-ish minutes and even those have an intermission. Result is this stop-and-go disruptive pacing when I just want to sit down and play. There's also none of that character upgrading you might expect given how everything has incorporated progression elements nowadays. You are ranked on per-episode basis depending on speed, damage and QTE synchronization rate. Speak of the devil...

Asura's Wrath is very, very strongly QTE driven and that was a point annoyance all the way back in 2012. I don't mean “occasional QTE for special scenes”. Nah. They're omnipresent and driving force behind cutscenes which make for large chunk of the game. If this is a deal breaker for you look up a Let's Play or something because game will be unplayable. Sadly this also means you're more focused on inputs than watching the glorious battles unfolding, but couple of hours in there's this zen point where you realize just how well integrated QTEs are and how they're reflecting the actions character is performing. Considering this is a game running on fist-pumping moments that cannot be overlooked when mashing the circle button comes into play.

Not to say it's all QTEs, though. In fact gameplay is split between two distinct types. Firstly you have your ground beat'em up combat which is rather simple with light attack, heavy attack and ranged. Idea is you keep hitting the enemy until your Unlimited bar is full, which increases your attack and reduces incoming damage, and then hit them some more to fill your Burst gauge at which point you unleash it to end the fight. Second, there's aerial shoot'em up mode which is used somewhat sparingly and more of a diversion. Fast attack is here, but heavy is replaced with auto-targeting homing variety. Same as above applies in that activating Burst will end the current fight. This remains a constant and something you strive for as primary objective. In my opinion both modes of combat are simple and with more added enemy variety it boils more down to knowing how to instigate a QTE input to pull off specials. Some like elephant or turtle Gohma mini-bosses + their gang of monkey mooks were especially annoying since controls aren't exactly made for anything more involved than straight up 1v1 aka boss fights. Nothing offensively wrong here, but definitely airing on the serviceable side.

I hinted at it in the opening paragraph and now the time has come to pay the piper with unvarnished truth – selling the ending as DLC, in addition to two “movie” episodes that expand on key moments otherwise not present in the base game. Yes, there's the final episode and true final episode you unlock with enough A scores, but latter is somehow an even worse cliffhanger. If you actually want the ending, or heavily truncated sequel that never got made according to some theories, you'll have to get Episode IV: Nirvana. This is where I get to blast Capcom and game itself for the horrendous practice I'm glad never got to take root, right? Except I can't because Episode IV is incredible. Developers took the best parts from the base game, amplified what worked, told a 2-hour extended finale while also giving a certain character chance to shine. All the emotional buildup and HELL YEAH pays off as Asura sees character development he always deserved with an ending he could not avoid. All around phenomenal send off I wish was included in the game. There are also two Lost Episodes which are non-canonical battles where Asura faces off against Ryu and Akuma from Street Fighter in what are pretty challenging scenarios. Capcom, I swear.

Always a brother, never an enemy.

And lastly – production values. Words or still images cannot really convey how much cutscene choreography, scale of setpieces and melodrama carry Asura's Wrath more than anything. At first I was annoyed by constant “animation/touch up” credits in every episode, but this turned into respect further in I progressed. I've already sung praises to VA so I'll skip that here, but the soundtrack. Man, this soundtrack. It adds to game's gravitas so much it's unreal. It's just not the same when heard out of context without all the grunting and inputs, but this track alone probably summarizes it the best. And that's not even crazy levels. And then you offset that with something totally different like this. If QTE-driven cutscenes are one pillar of Asura's Wrath then OST is as well.

Vampire: the Masquerade - Swansong

( PC – Adventure, RPG– 2023 ) + TRAILER

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Playing Vampire: the Masquerade – Swansong felt like a very familiar journey. Why? Because it's based so heavily on studio's previous game, The Council, and a more cynical person might call it precisely that game with the addition of RNG to simulate dice rolls. What put me off from playing Swansong initially was the fact it was confined to Epic Game Store for a good while. Here we are at long last and I have to ask myself... was it worth the wait?

As Camarilla Kindred of Boston are preparing to attend a party meant to announce the alliance between the Prince and another Kindred group, that being Tremere with their Chantry, disaster strikes as Code Red is activated indicating something has gone horribly wrong at the party and early attendees from both parties. It seems to have been a massacre. With Prince Hazel being in the dark she summons her three agents; Ventrue Galeb, Toreador Emem and Malkavian Leysha, to accept their tasks and go figure out just what happened. Needless to say this being Vampire: the Masquerade there's a lot more going under the surface internally and externally. Since game is based on the latest edition of the tabletop roleplaying game there's a new top dog in town who just might throw a wrench as far as vampire politicking goes...

In case you're not familiar with the property at hand and above makes little sense to you there's nothing to worry about. Swansong assumes as much as it drowns you in pages of supplementary lore and backstory.

Game is structured in scenes as it takes place over multiple nights and each of our three characters gets to shine. They're not created equally, however. Needless to say this is entirely subjective but if you ask me this could've been entirely Leysha's story, and I'm not saying that simply because she's a Malkavian who have an additional hook of their own. Game will actually pull a fast one with that just as you think you've figured the character out and you were oh-so-smarter than the writers thought you were. Then there's Galeb who happens to be an Elder with his own baggage and angles. For all intents and purposes he is the protagonist who gets to do the heavy lifting as far as the main story goes even as all three perspectives intertwine in the last third or so. Which lastly leaves us with Emem as she's stuck with odd jobs. One of her scenes can be rendered completely moot as player can decide “nah, I'll do it alone” making you wonder why you've just wasted an hour trying to convince multiple parties to help you on direct instructions. She does get to make a doozy of a story reveal, though.

Speaking of story.

My final impression is it's as flawed as approach to game's characters is. There are definitely few high points, mainly dramatic choices you get to make as games does feature those and I will get into them later, but uneven three-way storytelling has a toll that must be paid. Some scenes are simply more interesting, some drag on for far too long, and towards the end they become so brief as to distract. Keep in mind this IS the kind of game that expects of you to pay attention to documents you come across if you want more than just the bare minimum game will feed you to keep its wonky pacing on schedule. This is at odds with how Swansong approaches investigations and puzzles, something I'll get into as well. Ending especially did not land for me with how it turns out a half-way measure between epilogue text and character resolutions.

You can get decent mileage out of something like Auspex as alternate means to discover clues and information.

On top of your attributes and Disciplines there's inventory with scarce curatives I very rarely used. Stat boosting “gear” even less.

Always time for a classy selfie. Swansong gets to show off neat lighting when it feels like it.

Interactive hot-spots are conveyed clearly to the player thus sidestepping the age old adventure game issue of pixel hunting.

Confrontations are very much the dramatic highlights of the game with no immediately obvious I-WIN buttons.

Game's biggest strength is also its biggest weakness – it is both an adventure game and RPG. I've often lamented how there are very few /true examples of this genre fusion out there and perhaps it's for the better. Which is also weird since I liked The Council and that game did the exact same thing. What's the major difference? Well, you have THREE characters in Swansong. Their Clans are fixed, but this doesn't define them nearly as much as you'd think. Only your Disciplines are fixed and everything else is up to you. When you get experience points to spend, based on what you've managed to do on per-scene basis, your hands are completely free even if you go with one of the starting archetypes since those just determine initial spread. Even with scenes aka levels tailor made for that particular character developers still had to build in redundancies. What if you made Galeb go full Intimidation + Dominate, for example? You won't get stuck since there's a basic progression thread always there no matter what “build” you went with, but it makes the game lend itself to this uncomfortable sensation where you always get the feeling you've built your characters... wrong?

What I mean is you're constantly seeing grayed out options unavailable to you so you KNOW you're missing out on alternate routes or extra experience. Or you're out of Willpower chips, fuel you use to activate skills in conversations or in the field, as well as sporting high Hunger as you try to rely on magical disciplines to force solutions. Even on the best of days if you have a good spread of skills you may find yourself wasting precious resources on a progression route in the scene that leads to the same outcome, but one that simply drains your resources more. Did I forget to mention you only have autosave available and restarting the level is the only way to undo mistakes? Well, I have now. In essence, Swansong ends up being very anxiety-inducing where the RPG half interferes with the adventure game half resulting in missing out on options rather than opening new ones for the player. You have two choices to make: either embrace [hehe] what the game is and go with your gut, or you'll need to have a guide on the side to stray sane. Choice is entirely up to you.

It occurs to me I forgot to mention at all about what the game is actually like to play. Don't be fooled into thinking this is a casual Telltale experience. Yes, it's a seemingly familiar third person adventure with interactive hotspots to alter the world, doing away with pixel hunting of yore, where some have accompanying skill checks. This ties into how you've built your character, see. These same skills are usable in dialog as well. You will spend a decent chunk of Swansong in conversations. To game's credit simply using options tagged with your highest ranked skill or Discipline is not a way to automatically resolve conversation when it matters. Game calls those Confrontations and you have a limited number of misses lest you fail to convince the other party. They're reserved for pivotal moments and sometimes it's not mandatory for you to WIN to progress. Swansong sometimes allows for story to continue from what is seemingly a failure state. Another thing I've noticed is game being pretty heavy on moral decisions you get to make. It will never outright tell you which is the correct one, or even judge you, but I've noticed being shortsighted is not necessarily always in your best interest. One of those calls resulted in the worst level for poor poor Leysha, for example.

Production values diagnosis? Typical case of jank all-around. Can't say I experienced any major issues besides the game freezing in dialog couple of times. Overall level of polish leaves much to be desired and definitely reveals smaller budget. This is fine by me, though.

Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana

( PS2 – JRPG– 2004 ) + TRAILER

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Years ago I considered myself an avid aficionado of JRPGs, but even then there were series I never got around to. Some simply had the misfortune of non-existent localization and it seems Atelier is one of those despite growing ever prominent since those days. Which makes me jumping into it with Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana quite amusing since it's one of those entry that don't exactly represent the franchise at large.

Our story opens in media res with a brief glimpse of pivotal characters and seemingly our two main characters – Klein and Lita – as they discuss “this was where everything began”. Looking back on it that statement is kinda overblown, but we also get to see their initial meeting in a forest where Lita assumes Klein needs saving from a falcon. Little does she realize he's an Alchemist capable of governing Spirits to do his bidding, and not long after they come across each other again later as she more-or-less ropes him into joining the Galgazits. They're kind of adventurers for hire who take jobs at the local tavern. And with hints of mysterious monsters called Growloons appearing around the region our little adventure is afoot with both Klein and Lita having mysteries to unfold.

Above is a rather weak summary, but that's the best I can do since this is one familiar story if you're experienced with the genre. At the end of the day it's about a villain who has a misguided notion of “saving the world” in his own way. It concerns elusive Alchemists and nature of Mana Spirits in the world... somehow making the matter even worse because what he's attempting has already been tried and it didn't pan out. Our characters also don't really break the mold and what you see is what you get. Klein is that good-meaning, but somewhat dense protagonist who finds his determination, Lita is a hot-blooded brawler with an obvious crush on our main dude, Delsius is a swashbuckling lover with a dark past, etc. Few exceptions notwithstanding, when you delve into those backstories, characters are very straightforward. Playing on archetypes does make this a more lighthearted and adventurous game than one might expect. Sure, there's gravity to events, but threat is never looming over everyone and wacky characters have that localized way of putting a smile on your face.

I'll get into it more later down the road as it pertains to mechanics as well, but I was surprised how much completely skippable sidequests add to the game in terms of character development and fleshing out the world. Oddest thing? It's not about the main cast, but rather store owners you interact with in the game. Blair and Veola respectively stand out with so much to them I was surprised they didn't have a bigger role to play. Seeing their arcs through by putting in effort towards crafting was well worth it. There's also a handful of longer sidequests like ghost Pamela on a quest to find her body or fellow Alchemist Rurona who embarks on multiple quests as you stumble across her.

Something that struck me as strange about Eternal Mana's setup is how it almost gives you this impression it's a directionless, or more open if you will, JRPG. While there are hints of that in some sidequests sprouting up along the way this is still a fairly conventional affair. Game simply happens to have elements you don't exactly expect like bigger focus on crafting as well as Klein's Mana Synthesis which is its own separate thing.

Even peaceful areas are filled with respawning items. Something to keep in mind when you have all the tools and get to explore them fully.

Mana Synthesis is what Alchemists do and Klein can Synthesize in as well as out of combat.

Rather familiar combat setup with the freedom to switch out your characters since you'll have more than three total.

It's staggering how much is packed in sidestories, specifically concerning couple of storekeepers/crafters you can actually ignore for the most part.

While disassembling items for Mana is an option you'll mostly be whacking objects out in the world to procure some for free.

So how does Eternal Mana actually play? Well, Klein travels across cities and dungeons whacking objects that seem suspicious in order to gather Mana from them. Remember, he IS an alchemist and short of directly extracting Mana from items in your inventory this is the go-to method. Different kinds of objects will give you different kinds of mana, color coded for your convenience. Dissolving an icey rock, for example, will net you blue and brown Mana. You then use those resources in this game's standout feature – Mana Synthesis. Separate from crafting it lets you, well, synthesize items in and out of combat. You discover specific formulas over the course of the game, but fill in the gaps between simple healing jar, damage causing comet and shields meant to absorb 50% of incoming damage. You can stock up on the synthesized items beforehand so you can just use them in combat rather than synthesize them on the spot? If Mana cost is the same, what's the difference? Well, now we're getting into combat.

Hate to sing the old tune yet again, but combat also airs on the familiar side. Noticing a pattern yet? You'll have more than three characters throughout the game, but that remains the number of active combatants. You can rotate them in and out with the backup crew although being in the back row does not have any curative effects. And this isn't the kind of game where you're soft-forced into using certain characters for certain enemies. Only Klein has his Synthesis command while everyone uses the good old Attack, Skills, Items, Defend, etc. There are no combined attacks or even outright spells in this turn-based JRPG since characters are driven entirely by skills as far as unique characteristics go. Whenever you level up you get points to assign to said skills eventually leveling THEM up as well. There's a matter of assigning Mana spirits to characters for additional stat/skill growth as well. If you want to min-max your characters you can do it here + three equipment slots they get, but Eternal Mana is on the easy side making it redundant.

It feels jarring to bring up game's Mana Synthesis in a brief synopsis like I did above, but that's because the mechanic itself is very simple. Find artifact blueprints, get enough Mana to synthesize and do so. Where game truly shines is with conventional crafting you have to get couple of storekeepers to do for you. Some items are fixed recipe, some have ingredients you can switch out and others will forever remain a mystery unless you try out combinations on your own. Bomb recipes, for example, will never go beyond basic level unless you play with usable ingredients. This systems is directly fed by all the items you find from enemy drops and out in the world making a great little ecosystem. Crafters involved will gradually reveal more and more recipes as story progresses, their store rank goes and as you craft more items from the available ones. There's a massive blunder with the system, however – Eternal Mana never actually requires from the player to get involved with it. Sure, there are some instances where you have to craft to progress, but this are very obvious items that will be spelled out for you, but choosing not to will feel like you're missing out on a huge feature. Even more so because the game is so easy you'll practically never end up using crafted items and just save them for future crafting. Doubly so because Mana Synthesis will cover all your needs be it healing or damage. Maybe this design decision was driven by accessibility?

In terms of production values one has to keep in mind this came out in 2004 on PS2 when further 3D visuals were becoming all the rage compared to PS1 jumbled polygons. And yet I'll say something perhaps controversial as these visuals were and still are perfectly fine. Pure 2D with higher fidelity better hardware would allow. You can tell no bank was broken, but the aesthetic completely itself. I would raise objection to character artwork as it clearly dates the game more than anything else. Soundtrack. Well, any game that has multiple overworld tracks depending on the region gets my voter. Now that I think on there's unique tracks for every location and I can hear some as I'm typing this out.

Hank: Straightjacket ( PC (Steam) – Adventure – 2023 ) + TRAILER

There really isn't much to say about Hank Straightjacket beyond the fact it's a single-scene P&C adventure you'll finish in couple of minutes. Needless to say it's free and somewhat of a tease for another game, but I don't think I've played anything more straightforward almost making this "review" unnecessary.

You're Hank, having done away with your superhero name, and now a villain from your past has you suspended above some shadow snakes that await you should you fall. Provided he doesn't shoot you first after he's done with his monologue and teasing. Probably the single standout here is the way game handles dialog as it lets you seamlessly inspect objects while the the only other person in the room is going on and on. You can interrupt his train of thoughts to ask about things strung about. Ultimately there's two actions you to complete to finish the game, and that's that. Rewinding is also an option although I'd be hard pressed as to explain why. If anything game needed a fast FORWARD feature to get through the slow, typewriter dialog presentation.

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Draugen ( PC (Steam) – Adventure – 2019 ) + TRAILER

Draugen has me stepping back into the walking sims territory. Hit or miss as far as those go. Does this short 1920s mystery in Norway hold up, though?

Stepping into the shoes of Edward Harden we disembark in a small coastal village of Graavik searching for his missing sister. However, he's something of a stick-in-the-mud kind of character far more interested in his own quest than anything else and Draugen balances that out with his companion Alice, or Lissie which she seems to prefer, as polar opposite to Edward with an extremely bubbly personality. Two complement each other like a glove, but soon find not everything is as it seems in Graavik. In fact, no one appears to be there and our dynamic American pair soon find themselves tackling that particular mystery as well...

Some walking sims attempt to flesh out the world with myriad of items to [pointlessly] examine, some go for rudimentary "puzzles" to solve, and yet all seem to thrive on building up atmosphere. Draugen definitely falls in that third as this Norwegian village in the middle of nowhere has immense atmosphere through sheer desolate landscapes. Howling wind is ever-present and fixed weather effects as well as time of day are at narrative convenience of the story. In fact, only familial aspect is your chatty companion Lisse with even a dedicated button to call out to her. She becomes your link to reality in this harsh place that never really takes any threatening action against the protagonist. Thing is, that's a double-edged sword as Lisse may quickly wear out her welcome provided she doesn't click with you from the beginning with her mannerisms. I expected a twist with this kind of setup, especially as you come across more and more clues as to what happened to both your sister and local bigwig family in who's mansion you take shelter for the visiting week, but when said twist hits it still managed to surprise me. Not that it covers up for what is essentially a very weak and understated story. There's open endings and then there's giving your players blue balls.

Would I recommend Draugen? There's nothing OFFENSIVELY wrong with the game, but almost everything except for the visuals and sound design - landscapes primarily since character models could've been better - seems to falter to some degree. There's little to really DO except walk forward and read some cryptic notes, story does not end in satisfactory fashion for my taste, and I'm not the sure I approve of the state Edward finds himself at the end. Then again going by that teaser in the credits there may be more coming which would flesh out our boy and Lisse further for possible improvements.

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Minecraft: Story Mode - Season Two ( PC (Steam) – Adventure – 2017 ) + TRAILER

Released as second to last proper in-house developed Telltale title Minecraft Story Mode - Season Two left me mixed with opinions. Or rather, not with as favorable impression the way the first season did. Why? Mainly because they decided to focus on some questionable aspects I didn't like even back then.

It's some time after the first game and Jesse is in charge of Beacontown as its mayor. What opens as warm reminiscing with your friends, who are now off doing their own thing, leads to some drama as yet others worry your friendship is going to end and eventually leads to Jesse and Petra making a discovery that puts them in contact with what is effectively an omnipotent creator of the Minecraft world they live in - the Admin. Sadly, he takes interest in Jesse and so begin his trials and tribulations to not only protect the people he cares about, but also to re-affirm old friendships and forge new ones.

Provided you know the Telltale formula there isn't much to talk about here. This is technically an adventure game without anything I'd classify as a real puzzle as your solution is never further away than a crafting table at best. Actual meat and potatoes of the game is the dialog system where you make your choices to various illusionary degrees of importance. This is also where I think Season Two has a lot of cameos and callbacks I didn't exactly get seeing as I'm unfamiliar with Minecraft in general. Some VA performances and designs definitely stood out as beyond "regular", though. Other two elements you get to do more of are actually BUILDING things, kind of a big deal in Minecraft itself, and combat of all things. I complained about the lack of former in the last game, but simplistic combat is something I could've done without even though it results in a boss fight or two. You won't really be breaking a sweat here and QTEs are still your primary interaction with anything more involved than initiating a conversation or examining a hotspot in the world.

Story and characters are in-line with what you've come to expect from Telltale. First game, too. I won't go into spoilers, but expect a light drama about friendship, misunderstood antagonist(s) game expects you to start caring about. Season Two is certainly nowhere near as dark as the The Walking Dead, for example, since this is based on Minecraft. While absolutely bearing that signature "we're winging it from episode to episode" Telltale writing I can't help but think the out there nature of the property and generally zanier story/characters help it get away with more. In one episode you're going through the Ice Citadel challenge while in another you're in a maximum security slammer below bedrock where you have to escape from. Episodes were not created equal either as some, second in particular, have a cutscene-heavy approach where I could've sworn entire chapters passed with me barely pressing a button or two.

Would I recommend the game? Personally the genuinely high threat story presents doesn't gel with the source material they're working with. Everyone's also a bit too upbeat considering. Then again that lighthearted approach, funny writing that got a chuckle from me here and there just might be what you're looking for. That's where the game delivers in spades as did the original.

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Stillwater ( PC (Steam) – Visual Novel – 2022 ) + TRAILER

Stillwater is a short Visual Novel about a private investigator Hugo Laurent and his two assistants who find themselves embroiled in a particular case when a panicked young woman enters their office begging for help. You see, it concerns her grandfather who may be in danger having received letters with the latest one containing a VERY threatening sentence. While this story is about our intrepid protagonist(s) accepting to help it's their interactions, Hugo's somber personality and nature of the secret itself that equally vie for the spotlight. Entire affair is strictly on-rails except for one choice you get to make, though. Following is rather subjective, but I think the art style did its job especially with character portraits as no expense was spared on them having myriad of expressions to convey emotions.

You can't beat free and I'd recommend you give this one a try to see if VNs might be your thing. This is certainly the equivalent of dipping your toes.

Assassin's Creed Origins

( PC (Ubisoft Connect) – Action, Adventure – 2017 ) + TRAILER

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It's hard to deny that 2017 was a notable year as it marked a major retooling for the franchise and Assassin's Creed Origins was the outcome. If you ask me I'd say the results were mixed, but I'll get into it proper with my ramblings below based on exactly 80 hours played total.

Breaking the series' convention, Origins goes back in time to Ancient Egypt as we follow Bayek of Siwa and his journey of revenge after a massacre took place in his village, resulted in his son getting killed and certain faction revealed itself just enough for Bayek to follow their trail. He's not in this alone as his wife Aya is pursuing the same goal off-screen, albeit more enveloped in higher level players that can affect all of Egypt and beyond. I'll get to Aya in due time, though. Needless to say this group of proto-Templars is up to no good and it falls on proto-Assassins to take them out with some nuance to who's right and who's wrong. Possibly because neither is really the modern equivalent familiar to us from franchise at large and, as you may have guessed by now, this IS an origin story.

Now we get to my problem with story – I lean more towards not liking it when observed as a whole. Bayek is no big damn hero you might expect from other Assassin's Creed titles. He's a Medjay, protector of the people in service of the true Pharaoh, which goes hand-in-hand with constant pleas for help you'll be getting from people as sidequests. Also has a very clear goal of avenging his son and clearing immediate corruption in the process, but doesn't see the big picture. That's where Aya steps in as game wrestles control away from you and forces her as a playable character for milestone moments which end up being more spectacular and engaging than the mundane “track the target, do some side missions, kill the target” routine. Problem? I don't care for Aya as the protagonist nor can you alter her equipment from a mechanical standpoint. Not to mention you can clearly tell she's getting in just a bit over her head without realizing it. Which left me conflicted because I liked seeing her story beats and even gameplay, reminiscent of the old ways franchise did things with more handcrafted parkour or stealth sections, but she never earned any of it and just ended up disrupting my time with Bayek where I wish some of it went to instead.

Since I'm on narrative and storytelling I might as well cover the characters. Bayek himself fits into this “living mythology” world where Gods have many facets and their praise is in the open wherever you look. As a Medjay he's almost akin to a handyman albeit one where martial prowess and skills of deduction are most valued. Personality-wise our protagonist definitely has layers. Sorrow over his son, at times barely contained rage and sense of humor are all mixed together for a believable character. Which is good since most others aren't that fleshed out or get lost in the shuffle. Historical figures like Cleopatra, Caesar and lesser known ones notwithstanding. Aya comes across as, ironically, more suited to being the protagonist if only she had the screen time. A domineering personality with a long-term plan and clearly pushing Bayek's button to prod him along. I was slightly amused when 60+ hours towards the finale game gets some key people together and expects me to remember who they are when I maybe had twenty minutes tops with them. Less said about intrusive modern day segments and Layla as the new POV the better.

Before I get into gameplay and other subjects I'd like to point absence of traditional Database included in every other game. I suppose it makes sense considering we're working with ancient history and Ubisoft most likely took some liberties, but to offset this they introduced historical tours and readable notes aplenty you come across in the game. I quickly lost interest in both.

Game is a looker both outdoors and indoors.

Inventory paper doll captures Bayek in the exact moment you accessed inventory. Can result in silliness.

I had no idea how much I missed ship combat from the last few games, and sadly it's barely used in Origins.

Cinematics in general, but especially execution ones, have never looked better.

Your eagle Senu takes center stage over the old Eagle Vision even as latter is more useful for finding all those containers.

If I had to easily summarize changes in design of Assassin's Creed Origins compared to earlier entries it would be sacrificing parts of its identity to become a more familiar action RPG. Said genre re-alignment comes from Ubisoft's self-proclamation. However, this also means one thing – Origins has stepped into the arena with acclaimed action RPGs the likes of The Witcher 3, etc. all the while coming across as unprepared.

I suppose the biggest change is a structural one as Origins feels like this “evolved” version of franchise's take on open world where you have greater freedom when it comes to the order in which you tackle assassination targets. Sure, there are level recommendations, but since you have side chores activities and side quests to tackle along the way I was never lagging behind. Now that I think about it I'd regularly over-level every piece of content in the game simply by playing all the stuff leading to it. I'd loudly argue Origins has too many zones for its rate of progression and had I not intentionally wanted to complete everything I could've easily skipped about half of them. Which is a big problem since that loop of clearing out maps is the bulk of what you'll be doing. Essentially, the more you build your game around the idea of only following the critical path the more redundant everything else begins to feel, doubly so when your game is too big for its own good, TRIPLE so when you have a trusty eagle that can just scout everything for you pinpointing it on the compass. Just keep in mind you're still unlocking chests and climbing towers to uncover the map no matter how much they've tried to cover it up. Not to mention game runs headlong into dumbing down its signature parkour system and then further aggravates the matter by mostly taking place in deserts, swamps and shanty villages. Occasionally sliding down a pyramid doesn't redeem general absence of places to clamber across.

Chief reason Ubisoft likely branded the game as an action RPG is because it goes well beyond what series did when it came to power progression. Not only is there an extensive gear system included, but Bayek's advancement also comes in the form of unlockable abilities to choose from as you level up. Better invest in automatic looting whenever you kill enemies or you'll be pressing that loot button a whole lot since there's absolute loot bonanza going on. You know the drill – various weapon types with all the usual rarity color coding to go along. With seven weapon types, ranging from fast dual swords to heavy maces, you get some genuine variety to work with. Add to that four bow types with their own gimmick, on top of a shield you always carry, and there's a decent selection to mix and match from. Much to my surprise Origins doesn't go too heavy on stats and is more about getting those perks included on specific gear pieces. As there is no way to reclaim sold or salvaged equipment I'd suggest keeping all legendary stuff as you can upgrade it and potentially see it as more useful later down the road. Alas, armor itself is solely cosmetic as it brings no bonuses to the table. As is your trusty steed, be it camel or horse. Although...

What do you actually use all that for? Why, for combat, of course.

Combat is the second major system that got overhauled for Origins. Now you have two bows/weapons equipped and can switch between them freely, plus the addition of a ranged tool on top of it. Developers have decided to go with rather popular Souls-like system by binding offensive/defensive functionality to trigger buttons, but retaining lack of challenge at its core. You'll learn to be vary of enemies based on their level more than anything else since that little number is the biggest factor in whether you can instantly stealth kill them or if you have to go through the rigors of dull combat. Enemies can charge their attacks, but so can you now to break through their defensive posture. It's a decent change to an old system that really needed more dangerous and engaging enemies to shine. Sadly, aside from the occasional aggressive dual wielder easily handled with a smoke bomb you won't find any of it here. Besides elephant bosses.

Duat is one of the Afterlife realms you get to visit in the DLC for a change of locale.

What else can I talk about.... ah yes, the DLC. There are two worthwhile ones and I did get 15-ish hours out of them. I'll start with The Hidden Ones as it picks up some time following the end of the main story and the Roman threat has not gone away. In fact their power endures in Sinai where the eponymous group now operates in secret by aiding the local resistance leader. Sadly, not everything is as clear cut as Bayek embraces his new role. The Hidden Ones is largely more of the same. If you liked taking out underling targets so far think of this as couple of small zones providing what you want. Second notable DLC is also far grander in both execution and design as The Curse of the Pharaohs takes Bayek to Thebes at an even later date. I think this is either some serious hallucination material or just non-canonical, but it involves rising mummies, visiting Egyptian afterlives and chasing down a familiar artifact to all the fans of the first game. This is the REALLY chunky addition to the game as it not only adds way more areas to explore, but also raises the level cap and allows further equipment upgrades via new supernatural material. Out of the two I would heavily recommend the latter although it will heavily depend on your tolerance for the base formula. Personal advice is to do the story and explore along the way organically so as to avoid retreading the same areas.

Lastly I get to wax poetic about the production values because they really are up there. An open world game from 2017 should not look this good, but I believe Ubisoft had already shown off their capabilities with Unity... so much so that game required extensive support to run decently. Visuals were always there and they remain there. With Origins we've shifted from dense urban locales to sweeping desert dunes, colossal temples and murky swamps festering with crocodiles. Let's not even talk about Greek and Egyptian cultural differences present everywhere as they blend together. Soundtrack might not be everyone's cup of tea, though. Not to say it doesn't have memorable or bombastic tracks because it dies, but where it truly shines are subdued environmental pieces building atmosphere as you trek in the shadow of the pyramid and see something shimmering in the distance...

PIGBLUE ( PC (Steam) – Adventure – 2023 ) + TRAILER

Text-based adventures tend to not invest heavily in visuals which makes Pigblue stand out as it uses both written word and pixel art in tandem to carry its story. Developer does put a disclaimer in the opening, but be forewarned this takes an extremely dark turn.

Our protagonist seems to be dazed as he drives aimlessly in the middle of the night. He's struggling to piece together who he is when voice on the radio seems to speak to him directly with a vengeance. That is, until his car runs out of gas and, well, stops dead smack in the forest. Half-remembering it's been a while since he last saw a gas station he has no idea what to do next, but walk until coming across a boy in the middle of the road. Not long after silhouette of a motel appears and he stops for the night...

Like I said in the opening accompanying pixel art does wonders for already evocative writing, some misspellings aside as it acts as bread and butter of the experience, with both working tirelessly to establish a sinister outlandish atmosphere. Story intentionally presents the protagonist's struggle as one between reality and delusions where the player is constantly left wondering precisely what is going on. Nightmares seem to creep into memories. Subjective narrative aspects aside I was honestly surprised there WERE actual puzzles in a short game like Pigblue since modern adventures/VNs/etc tend to forsake those as relics of the past. I even got stuck on one for good fifteen minutes because I'm a dumb-dumb who can't read or recognize musical notes. Don't expect the age old "use cat to get a mustache" variety here so much as inferring information by carefully reading couple of notes and paying attention to your surroundings.

This is pretty heavy psychological experience and sudden ending revelation might be too much if you're squeamish. Game does give you recourse to answer in kind, though. Major compliments for what is a free, one-man project.

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Regenesis ( PC (Steam) – TRPG – 2023 ) + TRAILER

Before judging it too harshly one should keep in mind Regenesis is not only free, but also a student affair. I think both are on display with potential for improvement in future projects.

Earth has fallen on hard times with apocalyptic ecological event driving humanity underground to survive the onslaught of mutated plant life, and other dangers. Our party of three survivors makes subway their home base with support team in tow backing their missions through freshly crafted weapons and bought supplies. I've told you the story in about as many words as the game does and you can forget lore tidbits or fancy descriptions to glean meaning from. Narrative isn't really Regenesis' strong suit, but nor is it a requirement regardless.

What is on display is a rather basic SRPG backed by the closest equivalent to a system seen in Grandia aka there's a timeline at the bottom where both your characters' as well as enemies' activity is shown on. When icons move from left to their rightmost mark characters input and activate their commands. Unlike in the aforementioned JRPG there's no actively delaying enemies by attacking them. What you see is what you get, and without stats or anything that would let you see why someone is acting faster than everyone else you're left to experiment. Which wouldn't be a problem if all combat scenarios weren't boss battles that get tweaked a bit for later levels past the first two. What I'm not-so-subtly saying here is you'll see everything Regenesis has to offer in under an hour and you'll wonder why it even has a crafting system before realizing character abilities are tied to their weapon as each subsequent upgrade switches out one of the four available ones. This leaves your characters with options to move, use ability, use item and, well, wait as you tick down available number of points they get to spend per-turn. Circumventing numerical advantage you have on bosses by giving them cheap movement so they can get to you from anywhere on the map was not my idea of fun, though. Game does have some neat features like Events happening during battles that can change the tide, like wind blowing and sliding everyone by a single tile. Which can potentially knock characters into obstacles and stun them for a while.

What do you have at the end of the day? A very short game that can be completed in under an hour if you just want 100% achievements, but under the hood it's an SRPG that needs way more meat on its bones compared to what it has. If you want difficulty I'd say Regenesis airs on the easy side.

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Green Reaper ( PC (Steam) – Action, Platformer – 2023 ) + TRAILER

Having played Green Reaper impression I was left with was one of textbook action platformer, and subsequently discovering it's a student project went hand-in-hand with that newfound knowledge. Not to say that's a slight against the game, though.

As we're slowly drip fed while playing the greenhouse is danger and Goddess invokes Rubin's help to save them all. Needless to say, that's our literal rose-haired protagonist's cue to take the fight to evil purple fungoids investing the place. As you vanquish them you turn twisted landscape into peaceful greens yet again.

What I said in the opening holds true - you have your somewhat floaty movement with basic light + special attack combat, accompanied by customary dodge roll. It's all well-trodden and instantly familiar with any tacked on "progression" systems games are so fond of including these days. There's really no need to pad out a fifteen minute game with such contrivances. What you see is what you get. Only three enemy types are fitting inclusion as well with standout being they'll telegraph every attack they make which took me a second to get accustomed. As a result you're paying less attention to wind up animations, big guys at the end notwithstanding, and more at exclamation marks popping over their head. I'd say simple combat stakes claim to about 3/4 quarters of Green Reaper with the remaining quarter belonging to rudimentary platforming. Landing on rose flows to propel yourself up high is about as complex as it gets. Sadly, there's no narrative big bead to handle at the finale, but rather a gauntlet of enemies to slash through with your scythe.

All of the above might come across as somewhat negatively tinted and yet that's not my intention. This is simply a case of "what you see is what you get" at its most distilled. Game did get my GPU fans spinning something fierce beyond what these visuals should be capable of which might be attributed to Unity engine powering it as I have experienced it before.

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Vampire: The Masquerade - Out for Blood ( PC (Steam) – CYOA – 2021 ) + TRAILER

I haven't played many CYOAs as far as video games go, but I am familiar with the concept from various books tackling the very thing over the decades. Backed by Vampire: the Masquerade's license, which seems to have thrived insofar as CYOA titles go, Out for Blood has to be intentionally miscategorized. This is no Vampire game, but rather a Hunter one. Something to keep in mind if you're going into this with certain power fantasies... which may yet be realized.

Our story takes place in Jericho Heights, town with under 20 000 residents as our [INSERT NAME HERE] protagonist returns having received the news that his grandfather had died, and left you a store as inheritance. Cutting a long story short you'll rekindle old friendships, discover that something has subtly gone wrong in this quaint town, and depending on what kind of a character you build will have impact on HOW you go about it. Since this is exclusively a text-centric affair, baring some pieces of art for characters and chapter titles, it means author's imagination and responsiveness to your choices are only limited by the word count. And yes, there are certainly limits here as you're not working within a sandbox scenario aka there's a fixed mystery to unravel, but what tidbits you discover will depend on your choices/type of character. To put things into perspective - there are TWELVE endings to a game that lacks manual saving and only one autosave slot. Expect replays aplenty if you want to discover all the hidden angles or hunt for achievements. Twice was enough for me and even then some parts I didn't even get a whiff of with my second character.

Something I was extremely pleased to see was implementation of a proper tabletop character sheet you not only get to make full use of during character creation, but also add to as you accumulate experience. Needless to say you will be using said Attributes, Skills and Backgrounds while playing the game although I wish it was more transparent in how exactly they're being employed. You see what's used in a specific action, such as STR + Combat, but you have no idea what chance you actually have at succeeding as you cannot see what you're rolling against. In essence you'll want to keep an eye on your character sheet and concept you're going with in mind before committing to choices. There's also a matter of ever-fluctuating relationship points you have with characters, both allies and antagonists, which come into play at certain points. As well as Paths your character can adhere to. And no, for Vampire: the Masquerade aficionados out there these are not the Paths you're thinking about. Out for Blood is hellbent on being a foremost narrative experience so you have to enable the Storyteller Mode just to see actual numerical values shift or you'd have no way to know that, for example, bringing up a certain topic increases Salem's stress. Not showing the player how it all works under the hood probably culminates in endings themselves. Some obvious factors like deaths or major choices aside, they end up being a combination of exactly those things game has decided to keep hidden from you.

So, would I recommend this one? CYOA holds limited appeal considering games are a visual medium, but I enjoyed the writing quite a bit. I was honestly surprised how much unique content my smooth talking faith-based character had. In comparison my second run with a pugilist marksman landed me a more straightforward deal, although I also fared better in situations I had to carefully tread in diplomatically before. There's a beautiful pin drop moment when realization hits the group and protagonist goes something along the lines of "they all have to die", and I was inclined to agree. Your mileage may vary.