Review: Royal Frontier

Daniel Waite
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Review: Royal Frontier

Trying to find a new and better life for yourselves is never easy. The path is always thwarted with danger, and minor errors will undermine your chances. Nonetheless, you mustn’t let this dishearten you! No matter how many times you get knocked down, you must brush yourself off and start again. This is the premise of Royal Frontier, an old-school title that’ll drive you nuts.

Developed by Woblyware and published by Ratalaika Games, this is a rogue-like turn-based and real-time adventure title. Set in a fantasy world full of traps, quick time events, and monsters, you’ll have your work cut out for you. Like others in the genre, it’s hard work, requires an awful lot of grind, but it’s fantastically addictive.

Royal Frontier's map is easy to navigate.
Which path will you take?

Royal Frontier relies on luck. 

The story behind Royal Frontier is as old as the hills. Subsequently, the plot is familiar and doesn’t offer any surprises. However, don’t let that discourage you from giving it a go, as it’s reasonably challenging. You control a band of 3 heroes who undertake a dangerous expedition. They must survive 45 days while battling creatures, uncovering mysteries, and defeating bosses. If they are successful, they’ll make it to New Haven, where their lives will be transformed.

So, nothing too complicated about the plot, or the core concept. Nevertheless, the developers are evil as they make it tough to progress. Consequently, you’ll be frustrated by the gameplay grind and the repetitive nature of the beast. Unlike its peers, Royal Frontier relies more on luck than it does on skill. Sadly, this weakens the tactical elements and makes the action feel unbalanced.

Your 3 heroes must battle their way past endless amounts of monsters. During these encounters, you must decide whether to attack, use items, or special abilities. This is all very standard fare and didn’t shock me. However, there was a glaring oversight as you couldn’t dodge your foes’ advances. Subsequently, no matter what you did, you would always take damage! This was bloody infuriating as you simply waited for harder monsters to wipe you out. Therefore, it was a massive mistake from Woblyware, as it made the gameplay almost unbearable.

Turn-based and real-time combat. 

Where the developers have tried to alleviate this problem is the use of real-time combat. Here, you must press buttons when the character flashes in order to strike an opponent or defend an attack. This element ensured there was some finesse and tactical moments. However, it wasn’t enough. Yes, there was some variation to the button pressing, but it fell way short. Sadly, the key moments in the combat were seriously lacking.

This, unfortunately, continues in the turn-based elements. There is no indication of which hero will go first, so you have to play it by ear. Consequently, this adds to the frustration, as you won’t know who to attack or whether to heal your characters. The only thing you do know is that your team goes first and the enemy second. Other than this, the rest is anyone’s guess. 

Save your gold and purchase new equipment.
You’ve earned it, so spend it on whatever you wish.

QTEs, blessings, and heroes. 

I’ve examined every way that Royal Frontier lacks a tactical approach. So, let’s look at its positives. These lie in the QTEs, the blessings, and the heroes. These mechanics are the saving grace in a title that would otherwise be bitterly disappointing.

The QTEs randomly spawn on the map and offer you game-changing choices. You’ll visit shrines, steal from bandits, enter caverns and more. Whatever you choose is up to you, but you must live with the consequences. Yes, you may get rich, but you could lose everything. Alternatively, you could increase your health or your strength. Whatever happens, it’s bound to add spice and an element of uncertainty.

The blessings add permanent upgrades for that playthrough. Whether you increase health, strength, XP, add scrolls or more, they give you a tactical advantage. These magical embellishments are unlocked as you progress and are key to a unique experience. I loved this element of the gameplay and wish the rest of the action was as good.

In total, there are 6 heroes to pick from. However, you open with just 3 and the rest must be unlocked. As you defeat each boss, you’ll earn new characters and this should be exciting. Sadly, though, they add little to the gameplay and this was disappointing. Yes, they look different, have a unique set of stats, and have special abilities, but they don’t alter the gameplay. Hence, it matters not who you pick, as the action doesn’t vary.

Royal Frontier has a simple style. 

Much of Royal Frontier lacks sophistication, so it is fitting that the artistic style is clean and simple. Each playthrough takes place on 3 maps made up of 15 nodes. On top of this, there are 3 paths that contain monsters, treasure, shops, and more. Each of these routes is limited and you must select whichever you fancy. This basic world map has a board game appearance and is easy to follow. The combat elements, on the other hand, have a more detailed 2D approach. I loved the old-school sprites, the vivid colours, and the variety of enemies.

The audio embodies a dated style with its shrill and upbeat tunes. The aggressive music emphasises the drama of each battle without being OTT or annoying. This is also true of the basic sound effects. Sadly, though, they are not unique, yet they offer enough quality to be of interest. 

Royal Frontier has so many different monsters.
Which foe will you kill first?

It’s easy to play. 

I unfairly expected this to be complicated and tough to play. Luckily I was wrong! Instead of a challenging mess, you get a simple to understand title that’s easy to play. On top of this, the buttons are responsive and the controller layout is well-considered. In short, it’s a basic game that can be mastered in moments.

In theory, Royal Frontier should keep you playing for hours. However, in reality, it won’t. Sadly, much of the gameplay is mundane and repetitive. This doesn’t change when new heroes are introduced or blessings are unlocked. Unfortunately, its simple approach undermines its replay value and longevity. 

Royal Frontier should have been great. 

Royal Frontier left me wanting! It was irritating as I could see the potential and it had the ingredients to be terrific. Sadly, however, it never got going, and this was disappointing. Instead of playing an addictive and demanding title, you get something that is mediocre. I loved its aesthetics and simple story, but everything else is understated and lacklustre. Subsequently, I don’t recommend you to buy it. Can you traverse the dangerous terrain to find a new home? Pick your heroes and your route and hope luck is on your side. 

Review: Roguebook

Daniel Waite
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Review: Roguebook

Books are often magical as they transport you to a faraway land. However, no one takes this literally, otherwise, libraries would be a dangerous place indeed. Yet, Roguebook does just that with its tough missions and magical chapters.

Developed by Abrakam Entertainment SA and published by Nacon, this is a rogue-lite deck-builder. At first, it appears to be complicated and tough to play. But, this soon changes as you revisit the repetitive gameplay for the nth time. Subsequently, practice makes perfect and an experimental approach will be your best friend. 

Roguebook is brilliantly repetitive. 

It’s rare that I praise a game for being repetitive, but Roguebook is brilliant because of it. The core concept demands a slow and methodical style where death and failure are leading mechanics. Consequently, there are moments where you’ll be disheartened, the action feels unbalanced, or you’ll want to quit. Yet the flip side to this is when it clicks and it all comes together. This fleeting moment is euphoric and makes it so rewarding and unbelievably addictive.

The game is set within a book that has developed a wicked will. This tome was lost within a well in the land of Faeria. As it lay in the magical waters, it became tainted by the evil magic. Subsequently, the stories and characters within are now cursed! However, where there are villains, there are heroes to fight them, and this is what you must do.

There are many obstacles to overcome.
Search each vast land and collect every treasure.

A new story on every playthrough.

Roguebook heavily leans on its rogue-lite mechanics and procedurally generated maps. Therefore, you experience a new story during every playthrough. Like every other rogue-lite, death takes all but your character progression. This is normally harsh but acceptable. Yet in Roguebook it’s bloody soul-destroying. You’ll spend your time collecting treasures, abilities and brilliant cards for each hero. You’ll have an amazing loadout only for some bad luck or poor planning to take it all away. 

Thankfully, the disappointment is short-lived, as a new attempt creates a unique adventure. The action unfolds on a blank page of this magical book. Moreover, each chapter has a central boss to defeat and victory moves you onto the next page. You’ll have to explore a large map comprising many hexagonal spaces. Within this landscape, there is gold, treasure, ruins, battles, and more.

However, it wouldn’t be a magical tome if there wasn’t a degree of mystery. Luckily, each chapter is shrouded by a fog of war. Therefore, you must uncover your surroundings by painting paths with magical paint. It was a wonderfully tasteful way of incorporating the novel (pun intended) theme into the navigation elements.

The pages of the Roguebook are full of colourful monsters.
What the heck is that thing?

Teamwork, trinkets, and deck-building. 

Though navigation and the book elements were key to the story and theme, the gameplay revolves around deck-building and teamwork. Subsequently, you must experiment with your approach, your heroic duo, and the trinkets you find.

Each run allows you to select a pair of heroes who have unique strengths and weaknesses. One may be strong and hardy and act as a tank. Whereas, another may be agile, quick, and better as support. Whichever you choose, they all add a different tactical approach. Furthermore, combining the heroes correctly adds different synergies and abilities to each encounter.

Once your team is selected, it’s all about deck-building and combat! These two elements are intertwined and require planning and tactical nuance in order to be successful. Each character has 50 cards to select from, and their use varies from defence, attack, or miscellaneous. Furthermore, every card costs energy to be used. Therefore, you must juggle between an all-out attack and ensuring you block your enemies blows.

Getting your approach right isn’t easy and at times you won’t have the correct cards available. When this happens, you must learn to gamble while potentially sacrificing a hero. Consequently, this makes the gameplay tough and unfair, while letting you hope for an ounce of luck. 

Roguebook has an old-school style. 

Though the graphics are crisp, sharp, and colourful, there are distinct old-school vibes going on. I’m not sure if it’s the simplicity of the 2D sprites or the basic landscapes. Whatever it is, it works brilliantly with both the theme and genre. What’s more, I adored the vivid animations that add to the fantasy approach. On top of this, the well-designed UI prevents the screen from becoming cluttered.

Like the gameplay, the audio differs during each element. As you wander the world, you’ll hear folksy and airy music that creates a calm environment. However, as each battle rages on, you are treated to some hard-hitting, high-energy songs. These bring drama and aggression to each encounter while adding a new dynamic to the gameplay. This is then accompanied by some fantastically loud and crunching sound effects. The developers did an amazing job of incorporating the magical theme within each action.

Roguebook has many QTEs.
What will you choose?

An easy to play deck-builder. 

Some genres perform better on PC, and this is one of them. Because of the menus and levels of detail, it can be tough to use a controller. However, Roguebook performs particularly well on a console. Helped in part by its excellent UI, but the straightforward approach and excellent tutorial made it easy to understand.

I’ve mentioned the repetitive gameplay, and this is a key element. Every time you die, you gain XP to improve your deck of cards. Moreover, on your journey, you’ll find pages of a book that permanently improve your character. This may increase the levels of treasure, healing potions, special shops, and more. Whatever you pick will improve your chances of progressing! Therefore, all these elements combined increases the replay value while adding to the longevity.

Roguebook is a deck-building dream. 

There are plenty of great deck-building games to buy. However, Roguebook has to be one of the best! Its straightforward approach makes it easy to understand, while its complexities add tactical elements. Yes, the rogue-lite elements are harsh, but this makes the gameplay extremely rewarding. Moreover, it has an excellent story, interesting characters, and plenty of unique environments to explore. Subsequently, I think it’s phenomenal and I recommend you to buy it here! Can you survive the cursed tome? Pick your heroes, build your deck, and come out fighting. 

Review: Chocobo GP

James Refelian
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Review: Chocobo GP

Chocobo GP is the direct sequel to Chocobo Racing from 1999 and delivers the same fun racing experience as its predecessor.

The game is available in a digital-only format on the Nintendo Switch. What is unique for this console game is there is a Lite version available for free in addition to the fuller paid for game. This review is only of the full paid game.

Chocobo GP is a kart racing game for fans of the Final Fantasy franchise with tracks taken straight from the games. The game centres around Chocobo and friends and as you would expect from a kart racing game features a lot of unlocks. Unfortunately, some of these are contained within a microtransaction based store. Call me old fashioned but any game that costs as much as Chocobo GP really should not have microtransactions. Combine this with the season pass requirement to access things like the online mode and felt a little ‘cash-grab’ and unsettling when you know how many children will be drawn into the bright colours and cartoony visuals.

Speaking of the visuals, they’re great. Really fun, bright, and cartoony. Just what you want from this sort of fun and casual kart racer. What sets Chocobo GP apart from most similar kart racers, however, is the story mode. Story mode in Chocobo GP is a fun trip through the Final Fantasy landscape and fans of the franchise will enjoy the little cutscenes that break up the racing. If you’re not overly familiar however, these can get a little tedious. While the tracks start very basic (and in some instances are very short) they do get a lot better and more complex as the mode progresses.

Other modes are what you’d expect – quick races, time trials, custom modes all offering alternative gameplay options. What I do particularly love though is that the game supports two-player split screen, so this game is a perfect ‘party game’ for those wanting some variety from other, popular, kart-based racing games on Switch.

There is then the online mode – this is quite impressive with a large-scale 64 player staggered GP. However, it’s only available with the season pass so I didn’t get to experience this.

The game plays exactly as you would expect it to. There’s a three second timer before a race begins that will allow you to boost as you’d expect. You can drift, gaining additional boosts as you do so. On the track you’ll face obstacles and boost pads that keep things interesting. The best part, by far, is the array of abilities that can help you or hinder your opponents. The system is interesting, you can stack magic types providing additional boosts to the abilities. From ghost attacks to a teleporter that leaps you forward (or pulls you back if it’s dropped by an opponent). This variety does keep things fun.

For the most part Chocobo GP doesn’t reinvent the wheel. In fact, any kart racer will give you the same, if not better an experience. However, Chocobo GP does give you some interesting mechanics with the racers themselves. Throughout the race you can fill a bar that will trigger a special ability once filled.

Overall, Chocobo GP has a lot to offer for an alternative to such kart-based staples like Mario Kart. It’s vibrant, offers a good experience with slight variations on the genre’s norms. What lets it down, however, is the price point and reliance on microtransactions/season passes to experience the full game. If you’re a die-hard Final Fantasy fan then I recommend it, for everyone else there’s Mario Kart.

Review: Synergia

Daniel Waite
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Review: Synergia

Sci-Fi and Cyberpunk go hand in hand and the wonderfully futuristic ideas are intriguing. Furthermore, if you then couple this with a seedy romance and an overbearing government, you get a winning combination. Synergia tells the story of a dark and dystopian future through the eyes of a young girl. Despair and doom are around every corner, but will there be a light at the end of the tunnel?

Developed by Radi Art and published by Top Hat Studios and Eastasiasoft Limited, this is a Yuri thriller visual novel. It tackles some far-fetched ideas but is also touching and endearing at the same time. If you can accept the human and android interactions, you’ll experience a heartwarming romance. Furthermore, the elements of forbidden love will inspire you to keep reading.

Everyday life is still mundane.
Even the future has mundane tasks.

Synergia is a depressing tale.

You are Cila, a veteran Cop who is uncomfortable in this futuristic world full of androids. Cila, however, never trusts her computerised companions, as they are cold and lack emotions. This all changes, however, when her android stops working. Her friend lends her an unusual model called Mara. Unlike any other robot she has seen, this one has human characteristics. Subsequently, this intrigues the protagonist, and friendships start to blossom.

Though romance is a key portion of this novel, it only materialises later in the game. In the beginning, you experience the seedy and untrustworthy elements of this futuristic society. Subsequently, much of the dialogue and tone is of distrust and fear. Furthermore, this leads to confusing and flawed subplots. Thankfully, though, as you progress, the pieces fall into place, yet it’s a little messy until it starts to click.

The poor editing skills don’t help! Unlike its peers, Synergia is determined to dump as much information as possible. I have read many visual novels and I appreciate the bite-size approach. However, this one lacks finesse, and this impacts the pace of the story. Furthermore, it’s difficult to keep up with the emotional side of each character. These problems sadly undermine the gameplay and should be addressed to improve the ebb and flow of the storytelling.

So many problems to overcome
What are you going to do?

Underdeveloped romance.

When I saw the words Yuri, thriller, and Cyberpunk in the same sentence, I expected an epic novel. However, instead, you get a short 3 to 4 hour read that has limited dialogue choices. Moreover, there are only two endings, good or bad, and this impacts its longevity further still. The minuscule and underdeveloped plot impact the rapport that you build with each character. As such, I never warmed to the romance elements, as this was introduced too late.

Sadly, the gameplay feels like it’s two unique parts running sequentially. This wouldn’t be a problem, but one focuses on the lore of the world and the latter on the brief romantic encounter. Had the developers infused the two segments, this story would have been much more dramatic. On top of this, the introduction of bit-part players in the later story increases the confusion. These throwaway characters come and go and leave nothing but unexplained loose ends.

This odd approach works well with the elements of suspicion, but it adversely impacts the flow of the story. It reinforces my belief that parts of the plot need to be revisited. If this was done, the story would be stronger and much easier to follow.

Synergia looks amazing.

Though I struggled to follow the story or build rapport with the characters, I admired the stunning artistry. The neon-infused backdrops and wonderfully striking characters enhance the Cyberpunk theme. Furthermore, the mix of tones and colours adds to the oppressive and overbearing atmosphere. However, there were a handful of minor issues that detract from the brilliance. First, it was hard to decipher the dialogue choices. The developers used a translucent effect, and this was unclear and confusing. Second, there are many continuity errors that are simply irritating. Consequently, you’ll witness hair changing colour and different outfits. Last, there is an array of grammatical errors that need to be addressed.

Like the visuals, the audio is wonderfully emotive. Its dramatic soundtrack has been composed by Andy Andi Han, the composer for Sense – A Cyberpunk Ghost Story. The deep and rich music transports you to this futuristic world, and its style and approach work perfectly with each unique backdrop and CG.

Synergia highlights an unusual relationship between humans and androids
Allow Mara to make your life easier.

A bizarre skip feature.

Visual novel fans love a long read and multiple endings. However, what no one wants is to have to re-read the same bit of text repeatedly. Thankfully, a skip feature is incorporated into the majority of these games to make things easier. Yet, Synergia has taken the bizarre approach of making you hold buttons to use this feature. Though it wasn’t difficult to do, it was annoying and broke up the immersive nature of the plot.

With only two endings and a short read time, this sadly lacks replay value or longevity. What’s more, the small achievement list requires little effort to complete. Unfortunately, Synergia is no epic tale and absorbing both endings takes less than 5 to 6 hours of work.

Synergia could have been great.

Much of Synergia is okay, but it could have been great. If the developers had focused on delivering a stronger and more rounded story, it would be vastly improved. Sadly, the poor pacing of the text and many loose ends undermine much of the action. Subsequently, I cautiously recommend you to buy it here! Can the barriers of distrust be broken, or will you question everyone’s intentions? Find the light in the darkness of this oppressive and dystopian future.

Wonder Boy Returns Remix – Limited Editions for Nintendo Switch

Andrew Edney
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Wonder Boy Returns Remix – Limited Editions for Nintendo Switch

Wonder Boy Returns Remix will soon get a special limited release! Strictly Limited Games is happy to announce the pre-order start of the Limited and the Collector’s Edition (Nintendo Switch) for March 20th. The game together with some special physical collectibles will be available at the Strictly Limited Games Store. 

Hammer tossing from the sky!

About the Game 

The Wonder Boy adventures have a long history. In 1986, players first accompanied the young hero on his journey in the side-scrolling action game. Over time, the legendary adventures have delighted many fans of all generations. And so, in Wonder Boy Returns Remix, you’ll join Boy/Tom-Tom once again on his quest to save his girlfriend! The HD remake of the legendary and iconic original Wonder Boy adventure was rearranged and greatly improved by Wonder Boy creator Ryuichi Nishizawa and features a beautiful anime-inspired style, an awesome soundtrack and special features! Now, Strictly Limited Games is making a boxed Nintendo Switch version available for the very first time 

Battling baddies

Experience an ultimate classic of video game history!

  • Modern HD, anime-inspired graphic style
  • Bright visual effects and smooth animations
  • Superior soundtrack compositions and sound effects
  • 2 playable characters: Boy/Tom-Tom & Tina/Tanya
  • Improved gameplay and interface compared to the original

Limited & Collector’s Edition

Some might remember the special editions of Wonder Boy Returns that were released in a limited quantity by Strictly Limited Games for PS4 only, a few years ago. Now Nintendo Switch owners can finally also get their hands on the Wonder Boy Returns Remix special editions, including awesome collectibles. Available for pre-order March 20th!

The Limited Edition (Nintendo Switch) will be available for €29.99,  limited to 3,000 copies worldwide. 

Collector's Edition contents

Also available is a highly limited Collector’s Edition (Nintendo Switch) with quality physical collectibles, including:

  • Collector’s Edition Box
  • Tom-Tom Keychain
  • Stylish Tote Bag
  • Postcard Set of 2 
  • Reversible Artwork Poster
  • Character Sticker Sheet
  • Original Soundtrack CD
  • A colorful manual 

The Collector’s Edition will be available for €54.99, limited to 2,000 copies.

For all Wonder Boy fans out there, Strictly Limited Games has some more awesome titles in their lineup, such as the Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection (Nintendo Switch/PS4). Featuringsix games of the beloved series in console ports from Arcade, Master System / Sega MARK III, Mega Drive / Genesis and more, the Anniversary Collection comes with a total of 21 different versions! Visit strictlylimitedgames.com for more information!

Review: Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?

Daniel Waite
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Review: Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?

Families are a funny thing. The saying “you can pick your friends but not your family” haunts every household. Therefore, for every content group, there are the ones that despise the sight of one another. This being said, family bonds should overcome any animosity! However, this isn’t always the case and heated arguments can turn sour. Consequently, this is the plot of Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? It’s a headache-inducing title that reminds us all that family get-togethers can be deadly.

Developed by Good Gate Media and Wales Interactive and published by the latter, this is an interactive movie title. It utilises the theme of a murder mystery, and it is your job to become a detective and hunt out the perpetrator. Subsequently, you’ll have to search for evidence, have an eye for detail, and identify the criminal in this funny, yet stressful game.

Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? is maddening.

I’m all for a crazy and eclectic family tree, but Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? is something else, altogether! It is the epitome of maddening action and you’ll love and hate many of the central characters. Each of these whacky individuals adds humour, mystery, and tension to the proceedings. They all hate one another, and each has a hidden agenda that you must uncover.

You play the part of Abby, who is the black sheep of the family. She is a calm, caring, and methodical person who is henpecked by her mother to follow a career she hates. Furthermore, everyone except Abby despises her uncle Marcus. Sadly, he is viewed as a paranoid attention seeker and a thorn in the side of the family business. Consequently, resentment has been building for many years, and unsurprisingly Marcus has been poisoned by someone close to him. He knows he is hated, and he is likely to die, so he turns to Abby for help.

Thankfully, the annual family quiz allows you to question people with ease. Therefore, you must team up with potential suspects, go along with the flow, and find evidence in a timely fashion. If you fail to identify the killer, or you can’t find the poison that was used, your uncle will die and his murderer will evade capture.

This is Uncle Marcus from Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?
Hi Uncle Marcus.

The characters are infuriating!

Every household is weird in its own right, but this one is stranger than most! The blend of characters in Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? are an infuriating bunch. Yet you will find them amusing, endearing, and interesting to interact with. Including Abby, there are 7 key players in this plot. You will converse with your mother, gran, aunt, sister, and two male cousins. So far, so good. However, this strange bunch is always at each other’s throats and you must put up with their snide comments.

There is the uptight mother, the alcoholic and spiteful aunt, the tech-fearing gran, the social media-obsessed sister, the nature-loving cousin, and the one that is obsessed with death and violence. Each of the characters has their reasons for hating Marcus, and each has a story to tell. It is your job to question, probe, and unravel the lies from the truth. On the surface, it seems easy, but you quickly realise that playing the detective is hard work. Unfortunately, this family that is fuelled by hate despises one another, and therefore, getting them to trust you is a difficult task.

Clues and evidence.

The gameplay revolves around the necessity to piece together clues and reveal evidence. The hints are found by listening to conversations, speaking to Marcus, and choosing which suspect to team up with. As you begin each round of the quiz, you are treated to an array of strange questions and short interactions between each protagonist. Annoyingly, your time with each person is short and subsequently, you must pry as much information out of them as possible.

The restrictive nature of the gameplay can be frustrating, especially when a round is ended prematurely. You will see the conversation opening up, but it’ll be cut painfully short. This is especially annoying when you a desperate for evidence and you are unable to interact with that person again. This annoyance comes to a head at the end of each playthrough as the amount of information you have gathered matters. If you have enough clues, you can accuse one of your suspects. However, if you have failed in your task, your uncle may be dead and you are no closer to the truth. Luckily, though, each run is short, and this makes replaying not so bad, after all.

Can you find the evidence?
Collect the evidence and point the finger.

Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? is a standard FMV title.

I’m no FMV expert, but I have played and reviewed Night Book. Consequently, like its peers, Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? delivers a good quality but unsurprising performance. The use of video streaming, an array of cutscenes, and varied locations for each character add depth to the story. However, it wasn’t unique, and this holds it back. It would have been nice to see some flashbacks to the “meeting” that is constantly discussed. If the developers had incorporated this, it would have added meat to a rather sparse meal.

This problem aside, the simple filming methods, high quality recording methods, and excellent video editing make it pleasurable to experience. Moreover, on multiple playthroughs, you can skip already witnessed scenes and the action smoothly transitions between each new aspect.

It is tough to judge the quality of acting on offer as it’s a subjective matter. However, I enjoyed it mostly. Yes, there were times when the actors were wooden and, quite frankly, awful. But, the story flows nicely thanks to the overall performance they all provide. I enjoyed their blend of eclectic styles, and this adds to the madness that ensues. The acting dominates proceedings and there is little in the way of music. Moreover, there are some basic and familiar sound effects that help support the virtual world you experience.

There is always one idiot in every family.
The sister is tiresome.

Easy to control.

Like visual novels, FMV titles are easy to control. Obviously, there are moments where you must make snap decisions, but it’s normally a calm affair that can be enjoyed leisurely. For what it’s worth, however, the controls are responsive and the button layout is simple to understand.

With a short lifespan and many playthroughs required, this minuscule murder mystery will keep you playing for hours. You must investigate every possible outcome, pry information out of stubborn suspects, and build a case against every perpetrator. This takes time and effort but will keep you entertained during each attempt. Luckily, though, the developers allow you to retain all evidence from previous attempts. This sign of generosity will speed up your investigation while removing the possibility of repetitive action.

Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? ticks the right boxes.

Murder mystery games are a tough nut to crack. They require an excellent plot with many twists and turns, and an exceptional cast. Fortunately, Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? ticks the right boxes from the off. Yes, the acting was terrible at times, but it’s mostly brilliant and helps to convey the theme perfectly. I enjoyed my time working out this heinous crime and I recommend you to buy it here! Will you be able to save uncle Marcus or will he die in vain? Challenge the suspects, gather the evidence, and solve this horrendous crime.

Review: Monster Hunter Rise

Davide Roriz
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Review: Monster Hunter Rise

First of all, let me preface this review by saying that this is my first ever Monster Hunter game. Therefore, if you are reading this hoping to find some sort of comparison to Monster Hunter World, then I’m afraid to say that you won’t find that here. Nevertheless, if you’re a fan of the franchise, maybe you can come up with your own conclusions by learning how a newcomer feels about the latest entry of this beloved series. 

If you’re like me and never played a Monster Hunter game before, or if it’s the first time you’re hearing about it, then all I’ll say is that the name really does the game justice. To nobody’s surprise, Monster Hunter Rise is a game about hunting monsters. However, I must admit that I was surprised by the fact that, when you start a new hunt, the game tells you exactly where the monsters are located on the map. This feels a bit contradictory, since you’d assume that tracking down the location of monsters would be part of hunting as an activity, but I’ll discuss how this actually works in a few moments.

Despite having played this on a PC with all the graphics options turned up to the maximum, it’s clear that Rise was built with the hardware of the Nintendo Switch in mind. Even at max settings, Monster Hunter Rise still pales in comparison to World. With that being said, I think that the series’ characteristic art style still remains in place, albeit at a lower visual fidelity. Don’t get me wrong though, I don’t think the game looks bad, it’s just that it can look dated in a few areas, namely when it comes to vegetation density and just the amount of detail that’s present in the world, or lack thereof in this case.

Now, when I said that Rise was made with the Nintendo Switch in mind, I’m not only talking about the way it looks. The whole game feels like it was made so that every area wouldn’t be bigger than it needed to be, with the village hub area even being divided into smaller rooms that you have to enter if you want to interact with certain NPCs. Everything feels strictly streamlined, but while I couldn’t stop wondering how the game might have suffered from this in my first few hours, the more I played it the more I realized that the flow of the game actually benefited a lot from this. 

The core gameplay loop is simple, you go on hunts and kill monsters, you get materials from said monsters, and then you return to the village and use said materials to upgrade or craft new weapons and armour. Rinse and repeat. While I can see how some people might find it repetitive, and I have to admit that I felt the same way when people would describe Monster Hunter to me, now that I’ve played it, I found it to be extremely addicting.

Loading times are pretty much non-existent, and the game as a whole is extremely fast-paced, which undoubtedly helps in feeding its addictive nature. When you’re in the village, all you have to do is talk to an NPC and then you can press a button to instantly go to your next hunt. As I’ve mentioned previously, once you load into one of the game’s hunting grounds, the game tells you exactly where all the large monsters are. But why would it do that?

The only thing that comes to mind when I wonder what could have made Capcom make the game this way, is that they just wanted to make the game faster and less time-consuming. However, I found that having this information beforehand, allowed me to plan a route that could be used to gather resources and stat boosts along the way. Yes, because hunting monsters isn’t all you do, you also have to feed your hunger for materials and resources that will allow you to grow even more powerful. 

Each mission, or hunt, in Monster Hunter Rise, takes place in a self-contained area. There’s no huge open-world to explore or anything of the sort. Nonetheless, exploration is heavily encouraged. The hunting grounds are brimming with resources that you can farm. These can mostly be used to craft potions, food, and other consumables on the go, but there are also these small birds called spiribirds that grant you stat boosts when you pick them up. 

It’s with this kind of exploration in mind that I think that revealing the monster’s location from the very beginning is an excellent idea. This way, you can plan your route through the map to maximize the amount of stuff that you can pick up while making your way towards the monster. This whole preparation phase isn’t really required to kill the main monster you’re after, but it’s definitely an advantage since you can configure the game so that you’ll automatically craft certain items once you acquired the required materials. You definitely don’t want to commit to a fight empty-handed.

The novelty of exploring a new area is rather brief though, as you’ll be revisiting the same areas a lot, and even more so if you really get into the game and want to do and unlock everything in it. I assume that this shouldn’t be a surprise to fans of the series, but for a newcomer such as myself, I have to admit that I wish there was more to see and explore. However, I’d be lying if I said that I’d consider this aspect to be a deal-breaker for me. At the end of the day, gameplay is king, and if there’s one aspect in which Monster Hunter Rise excels, then that’s most definitely its combat.

It’s honestly quite unlike anything that I’ve ever played before, and despite struggling for the first few hours, I can now see the appeal of it. The combat in Monster Hunter almost feels like an exhilarating kind of ballet, with the player chaining together a series of over the top animations that unleash a flurry of blows on whatever is on their way. There are 14 different types of weapons, each with its own unique set of combos and special attacks, and playing with a new weapon requires you to pretty much learn a whole new game. Each weapon feels exceptional and behaves in a completely different way, so changing your weapon while you’re still a rookie can definitely feel like a huge challenge.

The weapons aren’t just everything that makes up the bulk of the combat however, because to be a great hunter, one must also master a constant battle of keeping up the momentum. Players have to manage their stamina, the state of their weapon, making sure their well-fed, while also looking for opportunities to attack monsters when they’re exposed. The thing that I love the most about this though, is the fact that monsters aren’t just enemies with huge health pools. Each monster is unique in the sense that they have their own set of moves and attacks, but they also have body parts that you can damage in order to weaken them. 

With Monster Hunter Rise’s rooster of monsters, getting to know each monster is a tremendous task and a huge time commitment, and while this will certainly please a lot of people, others might stay away because of this very same reason. It’s clear that the story isn’t really the focus of the game, and while there’s certainly a campaign, I wouldn’t recommend this game if all you’re looking for is a game with a campaign that you can beat and then be done with it. This is one of those games where most enjoyment comes from investing a ton of time and seeing how you evolve throughout your many hours with it. I’m not just talking about an evolution in terms of much better loot you get, I’m also talking about how you evolve as a player. 

In Monster Hunter Rise, part of the player’s evolution can also be seen in how they gradually learn to move around with the use of the Wirebug, a new addition to the franchise. Despite its rather odd name, the Wirebug is just a grappling hook, but one which you can hook into thin air. In essence, it allows you to quickly get out of harm’s way by dashing vertically or horizontally in any direction. The most important thing about it, however, is that it allows you to prevent yourself from being knocked out when you’re hit mid-air. 

Just like a lot of things in Monster Hunter, the Wirebug is also a resource that slowly generates its charges, so you can’t just keep dashing away to infinity. Still, it creates a lot of opportunities during combat, especially when you use it to unleash powerful attacks that are unique to each weapon type. Furthermore, it opens up more ways for you to navigate the maps, essentially giving you a lot more vertical reach.

Whether you’re hunting alone or with other players, you’ll always be accompanied by two of your pet companions, a cat and a dog. Palicos is what Monster Hunter calls its cats. These are adorable but fierce cats that will actively support you during hunts. Moreover, there are five different types of support that your Palicos can provide. They can place traps to weaken monsters, they can focus on healing you, or you can just have them specialize in finding high-quality materials. Likewise, Felvines (dogs) are also very reliable companions that not only aid you during combat, but also let you ride on their back, which obviously makes the task of traversing each locale and tracking down monsters a lot easier.

Just like you, they can have their own equipment and they also level up as they get more experienced. You can even hire more of them and send them out in expeditions to find materials for you or send them to train at a dojo. To be honest, Monster Hunter Rise feels rather overwhelming at times. There just seems to be so many systems and menus, and so much stuff to keep track of. 

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate how much depth Monster Hunter Rise has, but personally, I do wish it was a lot more straightforward. I really dislike having to pay attention and keep in mind dozens of different things when playing through the game. Still, I’m sure that a lot of people love the series for this very same reason, so, at the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference.

I absolutely love the combat, exploring each area to the fullest, getting new equipment and all that, but there are just so many more things going on and they didn’t feel like they add much to the experience. For instance, your pet companions, sure, they’re cute and useful, but it feels like a chore having to also keep track of their gear, and then recruiting even more companions that you can send out to gather materials for you. Yes, these are all things with a purpose, but they just feel more like padding than anything else. 

If you never played a Monster Hunter game because you fear that you’d feel overwhelmed, just like I did before playing it, I can safely say that the game does a pretty good job of onboarding new players. Sure, it can take a while to get used to the movement system, and every time you’ll pick up a new weapon type it will feel like you’re trying to learn to play a whole new game, but it’s most certainly worth the effort you put into it. The game has a lot of cool and memorable moments, like these missions where you have to fight against a series of waves of monsters while building automated turrets and manned defences, or the fact that you can even ride the large monsters that you’re hunting. How did I not even mention this before?! 

While in the past I might have just glossed over a new announcement about the Monster Hunter franchise, this will certainly not be the case any longer. I honestly can’t wait for Rise’s expansion, Sunbreak, to arrive later this Summer so that I can put even more hours into it. It might take a while to get there, but once the game clicks with you, Monster Hunter Rise becomes a highly addictive experience that you can’t just put down. It’s an extremely satisfying and engrossing game that can definitely keep you entertained for at least a hundred hours. 

Whether it is the right game for you or not, that is up for you to decide. If the idea of hunting down a plethora of monsters in what’s possibly one of the best melee combat systems out there sounds enticing, then definitely give this one a shot. If you’ve played a previous Monster Hunter game and felt like it wasn’t for you, then I doubt that this one will change your opinion. Whatever your case may be, Monster Hunter Rise is one hell of a game, and I can’t even imagine how a sequel might topple it.

Review: Hero’s Hour

Jonah Ehlers
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Review: Hero’s Hour

Welcome to Hero’s Hour, the perfect opportunity for you to fulfil imperial dreams in a safe environment. Invade cities, commandeer resources and build up terrifying armies to amass power in a world that’s only purpose is to serve as an ever-changing battleground

Guilt-Free Conquest

Hero’s Hour is a strategy RPG that allows you to test your empire building skills in a vast array of different factions, scenarios, and maps. There are so many options available you’d find yourself struggling to see and do everything the game could offer. You take control of a faction, either by choice or the luck of the draw. It drops you in the world where you then build up your base, which can increase income, train elite troops (using money and resources), and provide spells to give your armies an edge.

One base is not an empire, though. Your goal is to grab up all surrounding structures and settlements in order to take control of a region. It’s not always a matter of planting your flag and calling it a day. There is often a range of enemies blocking your ambitions. At times you’ll be facing creatures guarding buildings like sawmills or ore refineries necessary for producing vital resources. Other times you’ll be going up against members of rival factions in order to stem the tide of invasion or do a little invading yourself.

Spoiled For Choice

Start a new game, and Hero’s Hour greets you with a list of options for your new attempt at consolidating power. There are maps of varying sizes, where neighbouring domains and their leaders can be a stone’s throw away, or across oceans. Along with these maps are even more scenarios, such as a two-kingdom tug of war. As well as a battle royale between four neighbours, not only fighting each other for dominance, but also contesting a central area belonging to none of them.

On top of the array of conquest scenarios, you also choose between factions. These differ in the kinds of soldiers they produce, innate abilities, and design (obviously). Between the maps, the number of enemies, difficulty, and factions, the amount of possibilities is insane. You could spend countless hours playing, and still have a bunch of variations to try. There are simply a lot of options for what will inevitably be a lot of different runs.

Choose a Side

When I had a look at the lexicon, which gives you some useful lore on the 11 factions, their culture, troops, and strengths, I saw just how much variety there was on offer. Every faction has three specialities. Such as the Dwarves of the Earthen being able to use gold to endlessly create soldiers, so long as they have the coin. Or the Lizardfolk of the Enclave that produces a free resource every day.

Through hours of experimentation, you can find the factions that work in accordance with how you like to play, You might want to be able to restore mana every turn, or be able to trade resources for specialized troops.

When you start a campaign you are given control of one of 22 heroes. These heroes can have a variety of skills made available as they level up depending on their class. For example, I landed a demon-worshipping Pyre who could use a teleportation spell for free every day, which caused a huge explosion around their destination point.

The Armchair General

Combat is very straightforward. Almost to a fault. Choose your troops if you’ve got more than can fit onto the battlefield. Hit start, and then watch legions crash into one another like a pair of waves. You can attack, defend, or flee when things start to go sour. Occasionally you may want to scale a wall if you’re attacking a neighbour’s stronghold. Although the more exciting elements in skirmishes often come from spellcasting.

Every run you will find yourself with a different set of spells, except for Hero-specific magic. There are comets that can rain down on you and your enemy alike. Explosions that can blow combatants to smithereens, tossing some right into the middle of your army. Spells that can summon elementals and Lovecraftian beings. There are also a couple of spells to transform opposing fighters into weaker units or just plain old frogs. Mana is limited though, so you can’t just spam spells willy-nilly.

These spells were my favourite bit of battles though, and I think a large part of that is thanks to how simplistic battles can be. Amass your army till they can steamroll your enemies then watch them absolutely demolish anyone in their way. Spellcasting helps bring some more interaction into things and gives you a bit more of a say during combat. It’s repetitive to a degree, but somehow still quite satisfying to witness. Especially in the tail end of a run, when you’ve amassed a gallery of eldritch horrors, dragons, and demons.

However, some of the complaints of overly simple wars can be alleviated by simply upping the difficulty. This forces you to put more thought into which resources you search for first, and which buildings should be prioritised. Not only this, but also what kinds of troops to stockpile, and what spells to use for invasions. Like blinding enemies so flying troops can scale walls and attack. After the cooldown, you might just follow up with a bloodlust spell and take out the poor disoriented souls.

Building For Dummies

Besides warmongering and conquest, building up your own base is also very important. It’s not like many Strategy games where you build scores of structures with specific jobs and go from a hamlet to a city. In Hero’s Hour there are preordained slots for everything you might build. You simply gather the money and resources necessary and choose which building you want first. This can be a bit of a turnoff if you’re looking for more of a hands-on experience in building and management. But if you’re just here to grow an unrivalled army, you’ll be fine.

One vital building is the tavern, which gives you the chance to recruit new Heroes. These individuals may technically be optional, but they’re actually essential for any run. These Heroes come with a couple of troops, which you can take for yourself. They can also act as stewards for your base, should a rival decide to try their luck while you’re out exploring and expanding your borders. Although most of the time I used these heroes as supply lines. Let them train and deliver fresh soldiers from bases to me, saving me limited moves provided each day. They can also be a force to reckon with on their own. If managed right you could send them out to take over one region while you’re in another.

8-Bit Empires

The 8-bit style art direction of the title was a great choice in two regards. The first is that the 8-bit art style is always a pleasure to look at for me. It simply enables creative design without having to worry about graphics too much. Environments aren’t especially unique. The faction troops and strongholds are where it shines a bit more in their wonderfully distinct designs. With the number of different types of soldiers you can train, I was happy to see a good amount of design variation between them.

This leads me to the second aspect of the design that worked. The large-scale battles. There are a lot of fighters on-screen during a battle. Both in terms of number and types. the 8-bit style makes it so that you get as much action as possible on-screen without melting your hardware. Thanks to this art style we get to have our cake and eat it too.

Gameplay is fairly easy to wrap your head around, however, there is a lot of content. Troop types, factions, hero classes, abilities, and skill trees, as well as the items and treasures you find on your journey. This makes things a bit harder to perfect and master than it is to get into initially. Especially, on higher difficulties and larger maps. This is hardly a bad thing though, it just means there’s a lot more depth than meets the eye. And a lot more hours of fun than I anticipated.

 If you’re into Strategy games this can be a fun take on things. Plus I’d wager it’s also a great entry point into the genre. Its learning curve isn’t steep enough to scare off newbies, and it’s got more than enough content to keep you going for a long time.

Review: Assetto Corsa Competizione

Natosha M
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Review: Assetto Corsa Competizione

Do you have what it takes to be a great racer? All you need to do is take a seat in front of the steering wheel, both hands holding on tight, the gas pedal continuously being pressed and the wheels spinning so hard that it burns marks right into the pavement as you turn at each corner. If so, well it’s time for you to try Assetto Corsa Competizione, a game that really will keep your eyes captivated on the screen. As well as engaged by each hand on either a controller or wheel, forcing you to quickly decide which button to press or move to make by steering and speeding past other racers on the circuit.

This game will make you feel like you’ve entered into a real race, just as it should with everything featured in this realistic simulated experience. Plus, with so many quality vehicles to drive, the graphics that look so close to seeing the outdoors of a circuit and even the sound effects are so unbelievably real, it’s hard not to feel as if you are honestly racing in real life. It also truly helps by the well-designed viewpoints of the inside and out of each car driven.

Keeping Steady And The Will To Win The Race

Being my first time playing such a realistic racing game, it does really show promise to please many as well as myself. I honestly can’t believe how astounding the graphics really are, and one of the most exciting experiences to watch as well as play! I’m quite intrigued by the realistic effects that occur on the circuit, from damages taken to the vehicle, as well as the knowledge needed to know how to drive. Plus, if you add in the environmental design of each background, how close it appears to the real thing, well that just perfection even more!

I honestly enjoyed hearing the engine roar, while revving it up during a race. Having real lights on the vehicle I choose to turn on during the night, as well as many other functions to work just as well. It’s just so much like a real vehicle or even a well-resemblance of a real racing car. In my opinion, there is nothing left out, no lag in the movements, or even the graphics. Yet, this review is in regards to playing it on an Xbox One console, not even the newer Xbox Series that others may play it on. So if it’s great on an older console, it must be excellent on a newer one!

There is one difficulty I’d like to point out. A problem that may only be hard for a bit or depends on those who played any recent or similar racing games like this one. It’s nothing to fear, but something that may take a little bit of time to learn. This is actually more about the controller and the many buttons that are used to move the vehicle you’ll be driving. Not the actual game I’m referring to.

I know from my experience, it’s something that won’t come so easy to learn, by whoever plays the game for the first time. Yet, this is normal, As with all simulated-style games, it does require a bit of practice. I had to understand it a bit more before moving forward and trying to race others through the more difficult modes and choices of gameplay. Even if I decided to choose to play against others online, which will allow more challengers of all types, not just the AI; computer from the game. It all requires a keen sense of understanding how to drive, making it the biggest part of the game.

Other than being stuck in for a while, the game isn’t too bad. There are some issues with the capability of reversing and only being blocked to go a certain way, even if you are trying to get back on track. Yet, there can even seem to be a few areas where cars path through you, possibly a slight error in the graphics. Nevertheless, it’s not a bad game, just need some more time spent playing and practicing before really moving forward to actual events and challenges or challengers.

Final Thoughts

Honestly, I think that even for a game so real, it is a bit difficult and not super easy for many. I won’t find it to be something I’d probably spend most of my time playing. Especially if I can just set up a quick race. It’s great to have so many options and features, but if you aren’t so familiar with the features and how to really move the vehicle it can just be confusing. As it takes time, and even after pausing for a bit, some more time is needed to understand the true concept of the game and not just what it’s all about, simply racing to win. Yet it’s the controls and the many features which are necessary to comprehend.

Leaving me to say that the game isn’t bad for all, as many may love to race and played plenty to love this just as much. On the other hand, it could just be a task that might not be something for an occasional player or amateur to pick up and play with ease. Don’t get me wrong, the realistic appearance is a pleasant surprise, but the difficulty out dues me at this time. Even if I find racing games to be fun in other games, it struck me to be a bit frustrating and tedious as well. Yet, for a more average racer will find it a bit easier and possibly enjoy as much as I have, the real appearance that is the surroundings, the car, and the sounds. That I can say is breathtaking like a real racing tournament, but better as you have the pleasure to take the seat as the driver and take the wheel into your own hands.

Review: Wife Quest

Daniel Waite
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Review: Wife Quest

The sanctity of marriage is a special thing. Therefore, if someone or something comes between you and your spouse, there is bound to be trouble. Most of us would be annoyed if our significant other was taken away from us, however, I’m not sure we’d all turn to violence. Wife Quest, on the other hand, has fighting and rage at the core of everything it does.

Developed by Pippin Games and Eastasiasoft Limited and published by the latter, this is a retro platform experience. It utilises some Metroidvania mechanics as well as a side-scrolling perspective. Furthermore, it has shrill synth audio and colourful pixelated graphics. Sadly, though, it offers no groundbreaking ideas and as such, it’s familiar from beginning to end.

Wife Quest is a saucy affair.

If you like your games with a hint of sexism and a heavy dose of misogyny, then look no further. Strangely, the developers have insisted on a bizarre and over-sexualised plot. Now, normally this would turn me off, as I find the OTT nature of the gameplay to be tedious. Luckily, however, most of the ideas are tongue in cheek and are subsequently very humorous. If you think of Jim Bowen from Bullseye, but make his jokes funny, then you just about hit the mark.

The action takes place in a quaint but magical kingdom. Here, a farmer (Fernando) and his retired warrior wife (Mia) live a quiet and relaxing life. However, things soon take a turn for the worse because of the horny and seductive monster girls! These big breasted and skinny monstrosities are determined to capture Fernando to make him their love slave. Surprisingly, he hates this idea and begs his enraged wife to save him. This is where the adventure begins, as Mia will stop at nothing to save her beloved.

God damn this volcano is hot.
Is this shield fireproof?

Plenty of levels and drip-fed mechanics.

Unlike some of its peers, Wife Quest has a large array of levels to explore. Helped in part by its Metroidvania twist, this is a title that keeps on giving. You start on a basic linear path where you encounter an array of monsters, traps, and treasure. As the game evolves, you must traverse different pathways to unlock gates and activate platforms. Consequently, the action is somewhat convoluted, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless.

Where the gameplay excels is its straightforward concept. Furthermore, its drip-fed mechanics offer up a gentle learning curve. Therefore, this is an excellent title for newcomers to the genre. However, the saucy theme may not be suitable for younger players. This aside, you’ll love how new elements are added as you defeat each boss. You’ll gain the ability to fly, defend yourself, smash walls and floors, and so forth. Not only did these new abilities alter your gameplay style, but they also allowed you to find hidden locations within each dungeon.

What I found to be less impressive, however, was the ill-explained fundamentals. Mia’s special abilities are powered with Mana crystals. Subsequently, every time you fly, use your shield or smash blocks, you use some Mana. Now, this may seem obvious, but without an explanation, it took me around 2 hours to realise what was happening. In such a simple game, this was an oversight that could have easily been avoided with a basic tutorial.

Wife Quest has an array of bosses to defeat.
Brrrrrrrr.

Wife Quest: a retro adventure.

I enjoy a good retro-inspired title, and luckily, Wife Quest is well designed. Its interesting levels, blend of colours, and dated sprites give it a distinct old-school look. Furthermore, each of the dungeons you visit has a unique theme that keeps things fresh. However, the varied looks merely mask the repetitive nature of the gameplay. Many of the stages use identical mechanics and this stifles the progress a little. Fortunately, though, this doesn’t undermine the end product. To add to the humorous nature of the story, Mia punishes every monster she tackles. Therefore, you’ll witness a funny animation as you capture each of the creatures. Whether you beat them with a club, rip off their wings, or strangle them, you’ll make every one of them pay.

The cute but oddly sexy nature of the gameplay is enhanced by the fun and lively audio. Thanks to its upbeat music and chirpy sound effects, every moment is filled with sound. The aforementioned animations are awash with noises and this will make you chuckle. I loved the little details that were incorporated into the simplest of ideas. Subsequently, you’ll notice new things each time you play.

Wife Quest begins in a simple hamlet.
This is where the journey begins.

Simple controls.

Platform titles require precision and accuracy. Luckily, Wife Quest’s controls are well designed and responsive. It is easy to attack or defend yourself in any situation. Furthermore, the clear UI is neither clunky nor is it overpowering. These elements make it easy to play. However, I wish the developers had made the use of Mana much clearer.

Wife Quest oozes replay value because of its secret locations. Fans of the genre will love revisiting dungeons to find collectables that were otherwise out of reach. Moreover, each stage has a set number of foes to defeat and treasure to find. On top of this, there are unique challenges that must be completed in every area. All of these things combined add to the longevity while making this great value for money.

Wife Quest is a misogynistic success.

Rarely would I place the words misogyny and success together. However, Wife Quest has delivered a wonderful and whimsical title that does just that. Its amusing plot, interesting monsters, and large dungeons will make you laugh and keep you playing. It’s wonderfully dated, challenging and interesting. Subsequently, I enjoyed it and I recommend you to buy it here! Can you defeat the monsters in every dungeon? You must otherwise Fernando is destined to become a sex slave forever!

Review: Shredders

Daniel Waite
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Review: Shredders

I, like many other winter sports enthusiasts, missed the opportunity to hit the slopes. Therefore, I crave the chance to carve through fresh powder while hurtling down a mountain. Luckily, Shredders scratches the snowboarding itch with its stunning depiction of life on the piste.

Developed by I-Illusions and published by FoamPunch, this is an open-world sports simulation title. It captures every beautiful detail of the industry while transporting you to many stunning mountain resorts. Moreover, it’s ultra-realistic, jam-packed with tricks, has oodles of official gear, and many pro boarders. What’s more, it’s loaded with humour, gnarly language, and can be played with friends. Furthermore, the pièce de résistance is that it’s included in the Game Pass subscription service.

Shredders is wonderfully accurate. 

It’s rare that sports simulation titles get it 100% correct. Try as they may, there is always something that goes wrong. Whether it’s a lack of fluidity, missing atmosphere, or poor controls, they all undermine the final product. Luckily, however, Shredders pretty much nails every aspect of snowboarding. From the wonderfully laid back language, brilliant clothing, smooth movement, and stunning landscapes, it has it all! Therefore, as a lover of the sport, it had me hooked. I couldn’t help loving the user-friendly approach and the tough but fair learning curve. The developers have got the difficulty balance just right, and this makes it challenging, but fun.

The game follows a pair of YouTubers who call themselves Shreddergeddon. You and your friend Scotty are making goofball videos at the Frozen Wood resort. Your crazy antics capture the attention of Lisa, a brand ambassador. Looking for some free advertising, she asks you both to shoot some promo videos. From here, the pair experience otherwise out of reach areas of the mountain. Furthermore, they are introduced to an array of pro boarders and may get the chance to enter the kick-ass invitational event.

Use the snowmobiles to get to hard to reach places.
Make the most of the snowmobiles.

Do as you wish.

What makes Shredders truly special is its blend of open-world and mission-based antics. Subsequently, you are free to do as you wish, and this was just fantastic. You can, and you will spend hours carving up the pistes or riding through powder. What’s more, the action revolves around multiplayer shenanigans. Therefore, you can enjoy the mountain with friends and strangers online. Whether you just want to slide down a red run or hit the park together, the choice is yours.

The missions, on the other hand, are a little more restrictive. With primary and secondary objectives to achieve, these somewhat limit your freedom. This being said, you only have to achieve the primary goal if you wish to progress. Fortunately, most of the time, this is achievable with a small amount of practice. However, ticking every box for each mission is no mean feat.

Each quest you undertake is scored between 1 and 3 medals. If the main task is completed, you pick up 1 medal. If you successfully complete the secondary tasks, you’ll be awarded maximum points. However, in order to do this, you must be dextrous, quick thinking, skilful, and have a great memory. Furthermore, you must race at lightning speeds, smash flags, complete tricks, weave through slaloms and more. 

The completion of each mission progresses the story, but it also unlocks new gear. Consequently, you can kit yourself out in bright apparel and your favourite brands. After all, snowboarding is as much about the tricks as it is looking cool as hell. 

Take to the board park.
Which jump will you try?

Getting around. 

If you’ve ever hit the mountain, you know that getting around can be tricky. Yes, there are ski lifts, but these don’t get you to the best and most wild places. Instead, you’ll need to hitch a ride behind a snowmobile. This was a brilliant addition to the gameplay that made traversing the terrain much easier. 

Alongside this, a fast travel system has been incorporated. Therefore, you can easily flit between free-roam, board parks, and any quest. Subsequently, it was an easy and trouble-free way of getting around the resort. However, I rarely used this option, as I enjoyed exploring the vast wilderness. 

Shredders looks incredible. 

Even if you detest snow and winter sports, you’ll adore and admire Shredders’ beautiful aesthetics. The world you explore is vast, interesting, and stunning! From the crisp white snow to the azure blue sky, this captures a perfect day in the piste. Moreover, the character models are fantastic, the cinematic is fun and interesting, and the animation is spot on. However, I encountered many bugs during my pre-release experience. Sadly, I fell through the mountain, was stuck on rocks or trees, or slid on my back forever. Thankfully, none of these issues was game-breaking and the issues will be patched out.

The brilliant audio adds to the realism. Consequently, if you are riding solo, you’ll love the atmospheric sounds. Whether it’s the crunching of snow or the whistle of the wind, you’ll be transported to the mountain. Furthermore, the noises of you crashing will make you wince every time. Unfortunately, though, it’s not perfect. Sadly, the soundbites become tedious and repetitive. If the developers had mixed things up, then this issue would be resolved. 

Shredders is full of off piste action.
Will you land this epic jump?

There is lots to learn. 

When a game is realistic, you know there will be a lot to learn. Shredders pushes you to learn and memorise every trick. On top of this, you must be precise with the analogue sticks. Luckily, though, you can scrape through with limited skills. However, to excel, you must master every element. Fortunately, the controls are responsive and this reduces the challenge exponentially. Yet, it’s still tough to pull off every trick, but this makes it particularly addictive.

Thanks to the massive maps, a large list of tricks, the crazy amount of unlockables, and multiplayer action, this has masses of longevity. Alongside this, a tough achievement list keeps you playing. I enjoyed the focus on each mission, but free-roaming is where Shredders excels. You’ll lose yourself in the vast rugged world, and will enjoy the blend of piste, park, and wilderness to ride across.

Shredders is well designed.

Snowboarding isn’t simply a sport, it’s a way of life. This ethos has been captured perfectly within Shredders’ core concept. Every element is so well designed that you’ll lose yourself in its beautiful and simple to understand approach. It is excellent to play alone, but it is much better with friends. I adored it and I recommend you to buy it here! Can you impress the pros and make it to the kick-ass invitational? Grab your camera and your board, and set the mountain alight. 

Review: Valley of the Dead: MalnaZidos

Alex Chessun
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Review: Valley of the Dead: MalnaZidos

Reading the developer’s description of a video game is pretty normal in the life of a reviewer, but it’s never a good sign when you still feel the need to read it even after you’ve finished the game, just to comprehend what happened. 

As a Nazi Zombie game, Valley of the Dead: MalnaZidos shouldn’t need much of an explanation, but it tries to will itself some meaning when it probably should have just tried to be fun.

Taking place in the Spanish Civil War, enemies band together to take out Nazis who have poisoned the population with a blue zombie-creating gas. Controlling the main character, Jun, you are part of said group that increases in size as you progress and they require protecting. It’s a nice idea in theory, but it’s a difficult feature to implement well, and like nearly every other element in MalnaZidos, its awkward implementation leads to poor playability and makes you question whether it needed to be included in the first place. 

I always say that ambitious games should be applauded, but they also need to be realistic in what can be achieved, and this title is certainly not that, stringing together as much logic and sense as a Jack-in-the-Box.

The story skips from one map to the next with animated screenshot cutscenes and seems to tell a story of a war that just happens to include zombies – or at least, from what I could gather from the barely legible English subtitles and Spanish audio. Your group, which amasses around 7 characters by the end, might as well consist of untrained and anonymous bystanders, as you not only learn nothing about them, but the reason they require saving is that they seem to think that thin air is the enemy – as they are awfully good at hitting it.

Comic-like designs clash with the tension that the game attempts to create, despite looking relatively decent.  

Ironically, the incredibly slow and wooden controls of your character actually adds tension to the proceedings as it takes time to aim and take your shots, but as your comrades have a health meter like Superman on steroids, you needn’t worry about it.

It goes without saying that the key to a good zombie game is the zombies and while – visually – they are well-designed and animated, the vast majority of them use an attacking system that is implemented so poorly, that it probably should have gone back to the drawing board. When the undead does manage to attack, they can only do so one at a time, before launching into two very generous QTEs – a timed press and a rapid press QTE. Fail in the first and the zombie will chow down on you in the second assuming you don’t press the button fast enough.

Once you’ve seen it once, this QTE is a walk in the park, which doesn’t exactly convey the danger of dancing with a zombie. Unless of course, the screen freezes which the game tends to do – or experience big frame rate drops – with reasonable frequency.

Succeed, on the other hand, and it will push the zombie away and reset their attacking process, which essentially means that unless you fall asleep in front of the TV – or forget where the triangle button is – you could go the entire game without losing health as it’s so easy to counter.

That’s until one of the very few, but more aggressive zombies swipes at you in a normal fashion. Imagine a man both very confused man and with a mouth wide open in disbelief and you might come close to how I felt when discovering this. Why the QTE system even needed to be there at all is really quite unbelievable. 

It’s one thing to make a bad game, but it’s another to make a game badly. Gameplay or aesthetic limitations aren’t so bad if all the basic mechanics and interactions work as expected, but when things go against all standard logic, it’s hard to cut it any slack.

In an underground map, there’s a zombie in a white dress that screams at you while following you room to room and is annoying enough to hope that she might be a boss of some kind, but she just walks off for no reason – and that’s the end of it. The same map has zombies just hanging out/sleeping, making you wonder if you just walked into some weird zombie hotel and that zombie in a dress was actually the concierge.   

Even the basics are implemented poorly – like the camera, for example, which will revert to the previous camera angle that you had from before you started aiming, regardless of how long ago that was. This means that you have to almost aim the free camera before even aiming your weapon if you don’t want to be completely disorientated during the action.

Based on how the above, I should have been expecting what comes next – but what can I say, I like to be surprised. 

Rounding off the game is a highly memorable ending that blindsides you with zero build-up in tension or logic. I would normally preface this by saying *spoilers*, but the story would need to be comprehensible for that.

First, a truck blows up for no good reason after two characters declare their mutual admiration for each other, and then, after you whittle down the health of a huge guy in a Nazi costume – who turns out to be the main and only boss in the game – the game cuts to a ‘fin’ screen – even though I hadn’t even defeated him yet. 

This is the big bad guy, clipping through the barrels you can explode to damage him. Aiming and using your weapon takes longer than you’d like, and considering that most zombies only die by being shot in the head, it makes all the other weapons – apart from your handgun – pretty useless.

Sadly, this isn’t a wacky comedy, but if you weren’t reading the subtitles, you might think it was one.  

Something that could have been a plus for MalnaZidos is the fact you can – theoretically – play the game through 7 different characters’ perspectives in a New Game+ feature. I say theoretically because the game provides zero explanation that this is possible and in the very first scene the 2nd character is met with an invisible wall that you can’t progress beyond. 

Not only is MalnaZidos an awful and poorly performing title, but it’s also incomplete and should never have been released in its current state. When a AAA developer releases a game this undercooked, they can at least take solace in the fact that they might have the resources to rectify it, but you’ve got to wonder if the same can be said here, or if it’s even worth it considering all its fundamental issues. With that in mind, the only reason to plunge into this title would be out of morbid curiosity – or to experience an ending that has to be seen to be believed.

Review: PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller

Daniel Waite
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Review: PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller

As highly anticipated games come to the market, we start to see official merchandise where ever we look. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands from developer Gearbox Software is released at the end of the month. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that hardware companies are releasing their peripherals. PowerA is the first to blink as they release another striking PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller.

Previously, I’ve reviewed the Spectra Infinity and Cuphead: Mugman pads. Today we’re looking at the stunningly beautiful Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands-inspired creation. It is designed for the Xbox Series X/S and has the benefit of a capture button, mic mute, and two mappable rear triggers. Furthermore, it is comfortable in your hands and is sturdy and well built.

The PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller is striking to look at. Thanks to its purple Borderlands-esque imagery.
Such a striking pad!

What do you get?

  • The controller comes in a striking box. It’s adorned with official imagery as well as an Xbox official merchandise sticker. Subsequently, you know you are getting a well-made controller that meets Microsoft’s high standards. The accessory is nestled between two transparent plastic sleeves. Fortunately, there is no risk to the pad in transit. However, I can’t say that the outer packaging will fare so well. Sadly, mine arrived a little battered but, what are you going to do?
  • The pad matches the official accessory for both weight and size. Unlike its peers, this one cannot be connected wirelessly. Therefore, you must use a USB cable with a micro B connection.
  • Rubberised 10 foot USB cable with a micro B connection.
  • User manual with care instructions. 
The PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller has a beautiful but flimsy box.
Beautiful but lightweight packaging.
The PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller has a generous 10 foot USB cable.
The 10 foot USB cable.
The PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller is easy to setup thanks to the excellent User Manual.
The User Manual.
The PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller is striking to look at.
Such a striking pad!
What's in the box?
What’s in the box?
The PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller has two mappable buttons to the rear.
The mappable buttons.

How does the PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller compare?

PowerA Enhanced Wired Controllers are a well-established rival to Microsoft’s official controllers. Thanks to their convenient wired system, excellent quality, and vivid themes, they are a great alternative. At less than £40, they are also much better for your bank balance. However, these aren’t the only advantages to buying this accessory.

First, you get all the expected next-generation enhancements. There is the excellent record feature button, smooth D-pad, and responsive analogue sticks. Second, the 3.5mm audio jack is sturdy, and I had no issues with my Razer headset. Finally, the mappable buttons on the rear are easy to use. You can change them on the fly and this gives you that pro gamer feeling. They are well-positioned and, with a little practice, become second nature to newcomers and veterans alike.

No issues and excellent build quality. 

I experienced zero issues with latency or stick drift. The PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller was excellent from the first minute to the last. Consequently, I could game with it for hours without a problem. On top of this, the wired approach ensures that you never have to worry about charging batteries. I appreciate that this won’t be for everyone, but I loved the convenience of never running out of juice.

Whenever you look at an alternative to Microsoft’s excellent controllers, you want quality. Luckily, the PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller is well built. It feels sturdy, comfortable, and robust, while not weighing too much. Furthermore, I’d be happy for younger gamers to use it without concern.

The PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller is a worthy alternative.

Buying accessories for your console can be stressful. Yet, you needn’t worry anymore. The PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller is a worthy alternative and great value for money. Not only will the Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands pad be good for your bank account, but it’ll also look fantastic in your hands. It’s striking, beautiful, and a real head-turner. I loved it and I recommend you to buy it here! 

Review: Will You Snail

Natosha M
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Review: Will You Snail

One thing to remember when you play this game, is you don’t need to be ashamed to be a snail! As you’ll have so much power and strength, you can never call yourself slow or in any way weak. Will You Snail is quite a pun on the question of whether you’ll fail. No matter the title, in this game failing doesn’t appear to be an option. Instead, it’s so much easier to leap, move, and attack like you are a turbo-charged snail packed with a fully installed engine inside your shell.

The thing about this game is that there isn’t any chance for you to be slow, even if you are the hero character of the game; a snail. It’s true that you’d think a snail won’t be in any form or way superior, but in this game, you can go above and beyond with all the firepower, strength, and mobility as any platform game character you’d normally play as, maybe even better! Especially, taking into consideration the brilliantly bright, neon-style colors entertaining you through each level and plenty of challenges and obstacles.

Puzzling, Challenging and So Action Packed!

For me, this game has nothing to do with being bored or losing interest. As the entire game is fast-paced and will continuously have you moving, shooting, and figuring out unique puzzles as they appear on each level or stage. The brain and the two hands you have on the controller will be always working, as you avoid so many different enemies and obstacles heading your way. Even the graphics may confuse or blind you from what is happening as you play.

The bosses you come across are tough, large, and take time to defeat. However, they will go down if you play the level just right! Getting it just right, each pattern is all it takes to accomplish the levels! Each part of the game is a puzzle and figuring out the way to attack is just part of it. I love the challenges and the many unique obstacles to battle through. It really does hold one’s attention. Just as with the many levels to play, you will be focused too much on the game than anything else, like if you’re being hypnotized.

Additionally, the AI robotic voice and face that pushes you to play the game and survive his entire ability to control the levels, makes it even more interesting. It’s funny, with his little pressure-pushing techniques and also the way he adjusts the difficulty from all sorts of easy. There isn’t just one type, it’s all in the form of easy, but the original easy is the most difficult, while the lowest one you can choose will cause it to be slower and less difficult. Yet it doesn’t stop the AI to adjust when he thinks you’re moving through quite easily and feels you need a challenge. However, adjust it back, that’s all it takes.

It’s even amazing how entertaining this graphics of the game really is, even if you are not the one playing. Just by watching it can be very hard to lose interest. Furthermore, the entire gameplay is very easy to figure out, no matter who picks up the controller. It’s actually perfect for all types of gamers as there is a variety of simple or challenging levels to figure out. Plus, the unique levels are quite puzzling to the mind, all include a pattern and something that might be fun to have another to play along with.

Either way, the controls of the game are simple. Just leaping, moving any which way and even self-destruction is a great way to restart and just a fun site. Oh and for a bonus achievement, self-destruct 100 times will get you one! However, it’s also a great way to restart the level if needed. Plus, it reminds me of fireworks or some exciting to view when you self-destruct with all those lights.

I can honestly say, from the first time I turned it on and a few times after. I found this game to be hard to turn off! It’s just a perfect blend of so many genres I love. Plus, with a game that plays great from start to finish, it’s really hard to find a negative aspect. You can even replay the levels at a different difficulty if you tried it at the simplest, why not push it up a bit more to the next difficulty option up next. At least, if you ever do get stumped on any level or stage in this game you can easily choose to play the easiest option and not be frustrated for too long.

Final Thoughts

No matter if you are one of the slowest animals in the world, it’s impossible to consider you weak or helpless. This game may not be influenced by the actual snail’s reputation or any creature that moves slow, can’t jump or leap so high, and that of practically any animal unless they actually hide weapons we never known of. Nevertheless, being a part of the gastropod family, you are just a character designed to be totally superior and awesome!

Therefore, it’s my pleasure to say that this game is incredible! The music, graphics, and the nonstop shooting when obtaining a special weapon style object to get you blasting objects, as well as challenges in every level or stage, are like a thrill that won’t have you stopping anytime soon! It’s one of the best games, for those who love continuous action throughout the game, where there is no time for stopping or taking a break. Each puzzle is trickier and many as original and unique as the last! So if you want to travel into a world of geometrical and neon-colored graphics, the brain is always on figuring out the puzzles in each location you enter, attacking enemies that are large in size, and enjoying the motivating music playing in the background. Then step on up and give your hands and mind a chance to try this exhilarating game, as it will keep you entertained for hours.

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