Review: Dysmantle

Daniel Waite
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Review: Dysmantle

The world is coming to an end, so what are you going to do? Will you panic, break the law, or hide in a corner waiting for the inevitable? Or will you plan, build, and survive? Dysmantle tells one man’s story of when he beat the odds only to find apocalyptic monsters blocking his path! Will this be his end, or will he fight to live another day?

Developed and published by 10Tons, this is an apocalyptic survival title. This grim open-world game allows for both solo and couch co-op action. Furthermore, it isn’t obsessed with statistics, so gamers won’t feel weighed down or overwhelmed. It leans heavily on exploration and quest mechanics, but its semi-linear approach allows you to play as you wish.

Dysmantle is brilliantly balanced. 

I’m always concerned when I start anything in the survival genre. I worry that it’ll be too realistic, too hardcore, and too much of a time sink! Fortunately, Dysmantle strikes a fantastic balance between fun, surreal, and addictive action. Its resource gathering elements could be deemed a “grind fest”, but I adored the constant back and forth. Every journey you take is thwarted by danger, and the further you travel, the harder it gets. Yet, 10Tons has incorporated multiple respawn points as you light campfires en route.

This excellent mechanic allows you to explore with little risk. There is nothing worse than losing tons of loot because of a mistake. Luckily, this has been reduced considerably and the gameplay benefits exponentially. As well as the campfires, you will find landmarks, abandoned buildings, and hordes of zombies. Many of these additional structures form the backbone of quests and other tasks. It was enthralling to stumble across secret locations while evading the attention of the undead.

Survival has never been so tough.

A run-of-the-mill plot in an exceptional game. 

If you adore apocalyptic themed entertainment, and you’re are obsessed with the survival genre, then the run-of-the-mill plot won’t amaze you. However, don’t be put off! The well-trodden story is surrounded by amazing elements, and this makes Dysmantle an exceptional game. Its deceptively deep gameplay got under my skin and I couldn’t stop playing it. I don’t know whether it’s the joy of slaying zombies or gathering resources, but I was hooked!

You are a survivor who has hidden in his bunker for years. Your supplies have run out and subsequently, you must leave or die! Venturing out, you have no idea of what to expect, but you know you must fight for your life. Armed with weak tools and nothing else, you must scavenge, fight, and steal whatever is useful. You quickly realise that everything wants to kill you and resources will deplenish. Consequently, you need to leave the cursed island before your luck and time runs out. You must find a way to upgrade your equipment while discovering the surrounding secrets. It’s intriguing, full of surprises, and wonderfully enjoyable.

RPG elements and a massive amount of resources. 

Though Dysmantle isn’t complicated, it has an in-depth levelling and crafting system. This was fascinating to unlock, as it distracted you from the zombie hordes. Every action you complete earns you XP, this levels you up and unlocks new equipment and skills. You can choose to befriend animals, improve crop growth, increase health, or gather more items. How you wish to specialise is up to you, and this makes each playthrough unique.

You can carry a crowbar, machete, spade, sickle, fishing rod, and more. Each item is essential to your survival and can be upgraded. Every improvement allows you to gather new resources which, in turn, improve or unlock new equipment. It’s a crazy ride that never stops from beginning to end, yet I never tired of it. The constant search for resources forces you to venture into greater danger, and that was a brilliant twist.

You’ll slay wildlife for meat, grow crops for recipes, and smash furniture, fences, and more for building materials. You’ll balance must-have items with upgrades, and deciding between the two can be tough. At times, it feels like you are spinning many plates, but it was never overwhelming.

The darkness won’t save you!

Dysmantle has a massive and grim world to explore. 

If I ignore the fantastic mechanics and horrible zombies, I can admire the phenomenal setting. The large open world of Dysmantle is fantastic to explore! It blends a variety of locations while filling you with dread. Whether it was dilapidated buildings, abandoned farms, or empty army bases, each will make you shiver. Furthermore, the oppressive world is filled with an array of brain chewing zombies. Every variety has its own style and appearance and this was great. Moreover, you’ll love the super undead, which is tough as hell and horrendous on the eye.

Exploration is easy thanks to a wonderfully designed UI. The clutter-free screen is supported by a free-flowing camera. Luckily, this ensures there is never a blind spot, and this helps to overcome foes and find treasure. 10Tons has combined some fantasy imagery and colours with a mainly natural style. The strange twist on normality was creepy, and this makes the action a little unnerving.

This blend of realism and fantasy continues with the excellent audio. A well-thought-out soundtrack adds drama and emotion to each journey. Furthermore, loud and aggressive sound effects support every action while infusing every zombie with energy. It was petrifying to hear screams and the banging of the undead as you tried to escape with your life.

It won’t know what hit it.

Unbelievably easy to play.

Dysmantle has a simple concept, but there are many layers to understand. Therefore, I expected it to be hard to pick up and challenging to master. Fortunately, though, I was wrong. The developers have incorporated a thorough tutorial and hint system to guide you through the opening moments. This is supported further thanks to the use of submenus and a well-mapped controller set-up. Moreover, its responsive controls make it a joy to play.

I’ve been hooked on this from the moment I installed it! Its simple approach and resource gathering demand that you keep playing. You’ll push yourself to keep exploring and will die repeatedly. However, this matters not! Your body will remain unless you are slain again. Simply use the excellent minimap to find your corpse, loot it, and continue your adventure. I loved its balance of survival mechanics and brutality, and this makes it moreish from the start.

Dysmantle is a gem of an indie title. 

Indie games saturate the market, yet, occasionally, I find a gem. 10Tons have taken the best elements from each genre to create a top-quality, must-play experience. Other than the grinding mechanics, everything else is perfect. I loved it and I recommend you to buy it here! Surviving is no mean feat, but will you back down to the undead? Scour for resources, improve your equipment, and escape the island no matter the cost. 

Review: Demoniaca: Everlasting Night

Daniel Waite
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Review: Demoniaca: Everlasting Night

People play games for many reasons! Some like to relax or socialise, whereas others love to push themselves to their limits. These hardcore gamers adore the challenge and rewards that come with these tough titles. Therefore, unsurprisingly, Metroidvania games are high up on their must-play list. Demoniaca: Everlasting Night ticks a lot of boxes and will attract many fans to its sexy and dark charms.

Developed by AKI and Eastasiasoft Limited and published by the latter, this is an RPG platformer with a Metroidvania twist. Presented with an old-school aesthetic while utilising some well-trodden mechanics, this side-scrolling game will appeal to many. 

Demoniaca: Everlasting Night is unforgiving.

Demoniaca: Everlasting Night sets the tone very early on by warning you of its rogue-lite ambitions. If the Metroidvania genre wasn’t hard enough, this twist manages to up the anti beautifully. Yet, somehow, this brutal element complements the gameplay. You won’t mind the increase in challenge as it’s reined in by other mechanics.

The classic side-scrolling action is filled with retro charm. Older gamers will love the nostalgia-fuelled moments, while younger players will enjoy the old-school vibes. The tower of Babel is a dark and mysterious place full of dangers. The hero must explore every room to discover its secrets while battling hideous creatures. It’s not a game for the faint of heart and loss and failure are all but guaranteed.

Use every skill you have learned.

Solo or co-op action. 

When you are getting your ass handed to you repeatedly, it’s nice to turn to a friend for help. Luckily, Demoniaca: Everlasting Night incorporates a couch cooperative mode. Right at the start, you are introduced to a demonic being who can be summoned! This ungodly beast is your companion that adds firepower to your attack. It was an excellent addition to the gameplay while helping to balance the unwavering difficulty.

If you are familiar with Metroidvania games, much of what unfolds won’t surprise you. You must explore a maze of interconnected rooms while unlocking new abilities and discovering secrets. You have the freedom to explore while tackling an array of monsters. These heinous creatures have strengths and weaknesses and you just exploit them with your demonic sidekick if you wish to succeed.

RPG elements and many abilities. 

The dungeon crawling elements are supported by some excellent RPG elements. The developers have incorporated character levelling, a basic stat system, and a large list of attribute adjusting equipment. You collect necklaces and trinkets, clothing, charms and so forth. These objects increase your strength, speed, and more. It was another fantastic tool that reduced the harsh gameplay. Moreover, you’ll increase your stats while looking fashionable at the same time. 

Alongside the ridiculous amounts of equipment, you’ll discover a stupidly large list of abilities to learn and master. These combo attacks must be utilised to open new paths while tackling your foes. This was one layer that I was equally impressed and frustrated with. Sadly, the sheer volume of attacks was overwhelming and was tough to learn. This was frustrating, as it undermines the action while ruining the fluidity. Its positives, however, were that you can approach situations in multiple ways, and this keeps things fresh.

The world is full of dark imagery.

Demoniaca: Everlasting Night is gothic and sexy.

When a game attempts to over sexualise matters, I normally scowl. I’m no prude, but the normal Anime/Manga OTT style is too much. Luckily, however, Demoniaca: Everlasting Night has a wonderfully dark and gothic theme that is interlaced with a sexy protagonist. Furthermore, this is complemented by the cutscenes. They tease you with pixelated images of the hot hero and her foes. Moreover, the oppressive colour palette and horrendous creatures add to the sinister action.

Metroidvania is all about interesting level design. Fortunately, this doesn’t let you down. It was fascinating to delve into the labyrinth while discovering secret rooms and hidden treasures.

Old-school titles are renowned for their memorable audio and Demoniaca: Everlasting Night has a fabulous soundtrack. Its grungy, rock sounds enhance the evil aesthetics while demanding you keep going. I loved the hard-hitting tunes and the shrill sound effects. This is retro gaming personified and was a fascinating trip down memory lane.

It is time to go shopping.

It’s hard to master.

Experts and veterans of the genre will probably disagree, but this is too hard to master. Fundamentally, it’s sound, but to progress and get the most out of it is unfairly challenging. There are simply too many abilities and special moves, so learning them all is nearly impossible. Yet, if you get to grips with it, you’ll experience a responsive and well-mapped set-up that’s fun to play.

This is a fantastic and well-considered example of multiple genres working together. Therefore, it’s full of replay value and is addictive. However, it’s really challenging and unforgiving to newcomers and this may put some players off. On top of this, its achievement list is brutal. This adds to its harsh nature while increasing the longevity, further still. Consequently, you get a game that is great value for money if you can overcome the tough learning curve.

Demoniaca: Everlasting Night is tough but worth it.

All the best things in life are worth fighting for! Demoniaca: Everlasting Night is tough, but it’s oh so rewarding. It’ll test your patience and resolve while kicking your ass repeatedly. It pulls no punches and takes no prisoners, but this makes it so moreish. Aesthetically, it’s brilliantly retro while offering interesting stage design and couch co-op action. Its only negative is its complex ability list that is overwhelming. Even though I struggled, I loved it and recommend you to buy it here! Can you survive the tower of Babel? Probably not, but who cares? Search the labyrinth, discover the secrets, and tackle every foe you face.

Review: McDROID

Natosha M
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Review: McDROID

McDroid is one of the most unique games I’ve tried this year so far! It feels like a game with such a variety of game styles; genres in just one game. I can’t find it hard to not like the game, as it’s a type of game I do enjoy playing. Its main focus is on building a team, defending our location in each level, like a tower defense style game. Yet, there is a twist in this game, it’s like at first we are trying to build a defense team to defeat enemies then we are also trying to put together this small farm.

On the other hand, each thing in this game has a purpose. The farming portion aids in one’s research for upgrades and the robot’s armor. While the defense team is being used to destroy the enemy bugs, which in return sets free these spheres of souls. Then they appear to turn into these butterflies and fly away once collected. Allowing us to obtain plenty of souls which turn into currency for purchasing new fashionable and personalizing styles for our robot. These could be items for the head, the body, or the bottom portion of the robot. The more money made by the more souls saved, the better the options.

First Impressions!

When I first played the game I felt that this robotic creature named McDroid, which is us as we play through each level. Looked closely to me like a spider, just that it has 4 legs, yet the manner in which it moves while walking. Not saying that this robot is going to be climbing walls during gameplay. It’s just the appearance, which I can’t get past the resemblance of a spider. Even more, the basket on its backside has a special purpose which isn’t just there for a look but provides us with a way to help harvest our food, such as these strawberries, which in return aid to buying equipment such as weapons and armor to build a terrific defense team in the game.

The purpose of harvesting is to obtain money for exchange once placed into the shuttle. In return, you may be able to buy armor and weapons to defend your shuttle and protect yourself from harm and of course losing. As with the many new worms and bugs that are encountered throughout these locations we land at. you are introduced to many scary and unearthly, but alien-like bugs that are more than the simple small worm or snail. They are ginormous and gruesome in appearance. Each with its own strengths, which is why we need to keep updating our abilities and style to have a better chance to defeat them as we move forward in the game.

Is The Game A Bit Too Confusing?

I honestly had never come upon a game like this. The game’s design is nice and yet the gameplay can be a little awkward at times. The levels are designed in some way that you are to work in these many different locations, protecting the ship; the shuttle by enemies causing damage. Basically, as the robot, we are in need of keeping the shuttle alive and safe by repairing any damage when it needs it. Otherwise, the other part of this game is to build a defense and get ready to battle!

It all begins with those seeds, small green seeds that you’ll find lying around, plant them and start to grow these berries for the shuttle. Each time you harvest the berries and bring them to the shuttle, you make money to buy armor and more defense weapons to use. It’s really an unusual mix in-game with the two, but as mentioned above, a bit interesting and even challenging to keep up with everything.

I think what confuses and makes the game a bit complicated is that it’s not just farming to earn new weapons and research for future defense weapons. It’s the souls that you release, in the form of these spheres that turn into butterflies once collected. Each enemy releases one as a reward for destroying them. This in return is used for accessories that also help provide a beneficial upgrade to the robot during gameplay, and a whole new style. I just think it’s so much you have to do at one time, it’s not too easy to keep on time with everything, if you forget one thing it may rot like the strawberries or if you don’t obtain enough it is a loss to what you can help earn for your robot.

I wish it was just a little less complex and a bit simple. don’t mind taking on the challenge, but you do have to remember everything that is needed to be done while being attacked with so many bugs, of all sizes at a time. Again, I can see having to protect the shuttle with a defense you would purchase with earned money and set up in the game. However, is it necessary to collect so many unique pieces to earn money for all different things, including these spheres that hold souls? I feel it could have been done a bit simpler than it is, and still be a great game.

Even though, this isn’t a big issue, since research is I guess the same thing as upgrading and learning something new after each level. Allowing for you to obtain a new weapon. The other issue is in combination with that is also earning these souls to obtain something totally different. Like an upgraded style that not only personalizes but adds additional power to our character, the robot. When everything is going on, enemies are attacking and our shuttle is crying for help. Well, it can be a bit difficult to farm, grab soul spheres, and fight off these bugs all at the same time.

Now even if there are these quite interesting weapons, I think my one fault I find is that it’s not touch screen or able to maneuver the aiming portion correctly. It just feels as if it’s not so easily able to direct one’s weapon to aim at the location you want it to. Instead, it is a bit of a pain to get it to be exactly aiming correctly, just wish the controls were a little different and the touch screen was an option too.

The last thing that is strange, you can make it out of the game even if the ship is on fire. It’s a bit odd, to see smoke coming from the shuttle or a bit of flame and it still being functional. At least, I guess you win no matter if it’s not in its greatest shape. The same goes for the graphics, it is odd the outer part of the world. You can fall down and land back in the world, even if there is just a big hold and nothing else to land on. I don’t know, I feel it’s incomplete or missing something, like instant death, remove some from our lifespan or even just remove that free space where you can fall down into it.

Although, it might seem quite difficult. I noticed that it’s not too bad after a while of playing the game. I think it can just get a bit difficult to see what’s going on with so much happening at a time. Especially, if the enemies are coming faster and there is tons of smoke, laser beams, and other weapons shooting at the same time. However, with a better plan of strategy, it would probably be less difficult to play and easier to maintain a great defense and organized regime.

Final Thoughts

I honestly think it’s a game I’m still trying to master. It’s a bit challenging and totally original from anything I’ve ever played before. Even if it is strange it’s hard to put it down, maybe that is what really hooks me in about the game. With so much going on in this single game, it really is a complex and challenging game to play. The more I play the game, the better and more I begin to understand.

Hence, I don’t think it’s going to be a game I’m going to give up on just yet! I may feel a bit confused, but when I play it a few times, even if it’s going back to the first few tutorial levels, I begin to understand the game and even upgrade my character to be stronger for the levels that require you to be a bit powerful. In addition to this, I’m going to say that even if I’m not used to the complexity of the game and don’t have the patience at times to learn so much at a time. Nevertheless, I will keep on proceeding and see if I can unravel the parts that I’m failing and being stumped at.

Review: Probe: A Game Dev Experience!

Christopher McNally
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Review: Probe: A Game Dev Experience!

Every now and again you get an opportunity to play something quite new in terms of experience. Probe: A Game Dev Experience! is a game about being a game developer making a game so hopefully it shows the behind the scenes elements but also keeping it fun to play otherwise it might put some future game developers off pursuing a career in the games industry!

Probe: A Game Dev Experience! attempts to showcase the magic of the videogame production cycle from an initial idea to being sold. You are able to go behind the scenes and get an insight into how they are designed, the programming that is required to get things moving and also the digital art which brings a game to life for the player. Probe: A Game Dev Experience! takes this from an educational perspective, it’s not just to be played for enjoyable, you are meant to learn how things work. There are even modules for prospective students in real life to look at.

You start off as a freelancer at a company called Ecosoft in Probe: A Game Dev Experience! You’ve been employed to help out with a new game called Solar Blossom and also do some additional work for another title Emissary. From a first person perspective you can walk around the pleasant looking studio interacting with a variety of characters. After you’ve spoken to enough people you get your first task which is simply adding light to a videogame. These tasks slowly help develop the games you are involved with, once you finish the lighting aspect you move onto the next stages which include 3D modelling and Sequencing for example. As each tasked is finished, you are thanked for your help and then you move onto the next one, from an educational point of view it’s lacking why you’re doing the tasks you’re doing.

Probe: A Game Dev Experience! is predominantly a PSVR game which control wise works fine from that aspect. You can however play using your controller but it’s a painful experience unfortunately. What should be very easy straightforward tasks using the controller are very frustrating to implement, to the point that I recommend that you should not play it that way otherwise you’ll just want to throw your controller away. It’s not a great advertisement to be a games developer.

Graphically Probe: A Game Dev Experience! contains quite a nice looking office to work within. The tasks when completed show off your technical achievements is a well presented way. There are a fair few staff to talk to and the models come across well. Unfortunately there’s no speech involved so those interactions with your fellow developers can feel a little cold. When you complete tasks you unlock QR codes which give you access to further educational resources which you can use which is a useful inclusion.

Probe: A Game Dev Experience! is an interesting educational concept giving an insight into game development. The biggest issues with Probe: A Game Dev Experience! is that it’s a very light look at games development whilst the non PSVR controls are borderline unplayable. You will learn how lighting and digital art are added to games but there is nothing further to keep you playing long enough to get the kind of experience that makes you want to go back and learn more about game development unfortunately.

Review: Summertime Madness

Daniel Waite
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Review: Summertime Madness
My video review with footage captured using my Xbox Series X, enjoy!

War is bleak, lonely, and deadly. It will break the hardiest of souls and will drive people to despair. Therefore, it’s understandable that the slightest glimmer of hope is a welcome distraction. Summertime Madness feeds off this escapism in its surreal but beautiful theme.

Developed by DP Games and published by Sometimes You, this is a dreamy, puzzle title. In an ever-changing world where perspectives are fluid, you must solve challenging problems. With the answers staring you in the face, you won’t see the wood for the trees! Subsequently, it’s a maddening game that’s equally infuriating as it is rewarding.

Summertime Madness is emotive. 

I adore an emotive story, and what could be more emotional than World War II? The city is Prague, and the year is 1945. A painter resides in a war-torn street and is surrounded by destruction. His only escape is to paint beautiful canvases. However, this is about to change. From the shadow of his room, a stranger appears. He offers the artist the chance to enter his paintings, but there is a twist. He must complete his adventures before the time runs out, otherwise, he’ll become trapped forever. The deal is struck and a dreamy, puzzling adventure begins.

The journey takes you across an array of landscapes that are filled with problems. You begin on a boat, then a lighthouse, moving platforms, a maze of stairs, and more. The puzzles you face become increasingly complex as they test your memory and logic skills. You’ll quickly become disoriented as the surrounding landscape shifts as problems are solved. The evolving world was intriguing and the transition from one canvas to another was seamless.

Time simply ticks away.

An array of puzzles. 

Summertime Madness could have utilised one type of puzzle repeatedly. With the constant flux of environments, it would have easily been achieved. Fortunately, though, the developers mixed up the approach and the gameplay benefits exponentially. You are tasked with exploring maze-like worlds while flipping switches to unlock new paths. Furthermore, you must adjust cogs, rotate moving paths, and venture into alternative dimensions. Every layer of each stage is beautifully intertwined, and every action has a consequence.

The complexity of each problem will test veteran players, yet, at times, it was confusing. The lack of hand-holding increased the difficulty, but in a surreal setting, it was unnecessarily hard. This is compounded further when some solutions require you to listen to audio clues. Now, this wouldn’t normally be an issue, yet, with no guidance, you can easily miss it. Consequently, you may get stuck on a level with no obvious way out, and this was frustrating.

To help alleviate this situation, the developers introduced three levels of difficulty. Now, the game doesn’t get easier. No, it just allows you to use the hint system more freely. If you attempt the hardest setting, you have 3 in-game hours to escape. The medium setting is 6 hours, and the easiest is unlimited. Every time you check your watch for a clue, it jumps the timer by 15 minutes. This adds a horrible layer of pressure, especially as the clues are as surreal as the world you are exploring. Time ticks away and this makes a tricky game tougher still.

Lose yourself in the surreal world.

Summertime Madness: A pastel dream!

I have recently looked at Drizzlepath: Déjà Vu and Summertime Madness look similar. Its pastel landscapes highlight the desire to escape the war-torn world. Yet, the soft and charming environment is juxtaposed with garish monochromatic imagery. These striking moments are cold and heartless and enhance the nightmarish situation. Each level has been wonderfully designed to look and feel unique. However, there are moments where each stage combines to open new paths. It was an interesting concept that ensured a loose narrative between each area.

This shaky bond is reinforced by steady and familiar audio. The soft and calm music plays throughout while enhancing the surreal situation. Thanks to its airy tones, you are transported to each wonderful location. This is supported further because of an understated use of sound effects. You’ll occasionally hear rain and thunder, but mostly you are accompanied by the sound of footsteps. I loved how this added to the feeling of isolation without going over the top. The developers’ approach to the audio was excellent, as it complements the theme perfectly.

Probably not best to approach her!

Typical gamepad inaccuracies.

This genre doesn’t demand much from its controller setup. However, it still needs to be accurate and responsive. Fortunately, Summertime Madness for Xbox is pretty good. Its mapping is easy to understand, and it reacts well to each command. Sadly, though, it isn’t as accurate as I’d like. A small hitbox makes selecting items a little cumbersome, and this can be frustrating. If you are playing on the easiest setting, it matters not. Yet, when time is of the essence, you don’t want to keep missing the mark. Moreover, this would be better with a mouse and keyboard, but the controller is serviceable, nonetheless.

Linear puzzle titles aren’t renowned for their replay value. Luckily, though, there are plenty of reasons to return. Whether you wish to beat the hardest setting or find every collectable is up to you. There are 30 butterflies to find as well as musical instruments and graffiti. These items are hidden around each stage and are challenging to locate. This, combined with the tough achievement list, adds to the longevity while making it great value for money.

Summertime Madness: A puzzling dream.

I adore a good puzzle game, and Summertime Madness hit the right notes. With its fantastic blend of surreal imagery and strange puzzles, I was hooked. I admired the calm audio and the tough puzzles that’ll keep you working throughout. If you love the genre, you’ll enjoy this strange twist on the action. It’s for these reasons that I recommend you to buy it here! Jump into your paintings, beat the Devil, and solve every problem you face. 

Review: Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG

Davide Roriz
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Review: Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG

After about 2 years of Early Access on Steam, Encased finally released its 1.0 version into the wild back in September of 2021. This period was a long and arduous one, and despite being out for about 4 months now, the game is still receiving updates. Although I prefer to wait for when a game is no longer scheduled to receive any more content, so that I can play everything in one playthrough and then move on to the next thing, it just got to a point where I felt like I finally needed to dive into this one.

While I’m happy that I’ve finally played through the entire game, I must say that the game feels rushed in a lot of aspects. It’s clear that a lot of care and thought was put into creating such an imaginative world, but it seems like some things just didn’t make it into the final game in time, or they were just scrapped during development as the Early Access period stretched on.

Regardless, Encased is another great example of why the recent CRPG Renaissance has been such a thrill to experience. The developers, Dark Crystal Games, have clearly been inspired by the old-school Fallout games, and this reflects itself not only in Encased’s gameplay but also in its setting. 

The game takes place in an alternate timeline during the 1970s, where the discovery of a mysterious Dome led to an abrupt end of the Cold War. With all of Humanity uniting under the goal of exploring the Dome and its riches, CRONUS is created, a megacorporation dedicated to unlocking the secrets and technologies under the Dome. However, the problem presented by this mysterious and massive structure is that once you’re inside of it, there’s no coming out. 

It’s a pretty interesting premise as far as I’m concerned, and it allows players to open multiple doors both in terms of roleplay opportunities, as well as in terms of gameplay. Right at the start of the game, you create your own character, a new employee of CRONUS. As an employee of CRONUS, you belong to one out of five different wings, with each encompassing individuals with a specific set of skills. There are the prisoners and ex-convicts from the Orange Wing, the technicians from the Blue Wing, the guards from the Black Wing, and so on. It’s a system designed to segregate everyone under the Dome, but it works great from a gameplay perspective, as it functions as a pretty straightforward faction system.

In any case, once you’re thrown into the actual Dome, Encased feels extremely familiar if you’ve played any CRPG before. In a way, perhaps that’s to its own detriment. As far as gameplay goes, Encased doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t actually need to. As an RPG, it’s pretty good and roughly at the same level as its peers. As long as you aren’t expecting something groundbreaking in the gameplay department, then I’m sure you’ll be pleased with what the game has to offer.

The combat is pretty bog-standard and should feel extremely intuitive, even if you’re not a hardcore fan of turn-based RPG combat. With that being said, the game offers plenty of ways for you to build up your character, as well as your party by providing a pretty diverse range of companions. Now, for example, even though you can use a lot of weapons, regardless of their class, if you invest skill points to specific areas, such as high-tech or heavy weapons, you’ll unlock active abilities to use during combat and even passive buffs that not only affect your character but also your companions. 

As with a lot of RPGs, everything in Encased happens in real-time and when you enter combat the game switches to a turn-based mode. The combat is pretty much what you’d expect from an RPG such as this, but the surprise for me was the fact that the game has no cover system. Instead, the game allows you to use unspent action points to increase your defence for the next turn. 

Now, if combat isn’t really your thing and you just want to explore the world and enjoy the story, then you don’t need to worry. Encased offers 4 different difficulty modes suited for all sorts of players. Whether you just want to experience the story, have a little challenge, or be fully immersed in Encased’s turn-based tactical combat, the game has got you covered. With that being said, I wish there were more customization options that would allow players to fine-tune specific aspects of the game, such as if certain stats affect you or not. In this regard, I think that the developers of the Pathfinder games, Owlcat Games, have been doing a tremendous job in providing players with a vast array of difficulty customization options, and I hope other developers eventually follow suit.

Although the combat has left me wanting something more unique, the rest of the game left me pretty satisfied. Even though some locations in the game might feel very similar to each other, they’re populated by a unique set of characters. At the end of the day, the strongest point of Encased is precisely that, it’s characters that are driven by a set of morals and beliefs, the mystery surrounding the Dome, and the ongoing power struggles between the various different groups with each seeking to shape the world under the Dome under their own ideologies. 

Just imagine a series of factions with different points of view on how things should be run, sometimes with extreme opposite opinions, all locked in a confined space, and under constant threat by a series of anomalies that decimate everything in their path and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. Everyone should be working together, but that’s precisely what’s not going to happen. It falls on the player’s shoulders the choice of how they want to shape this world, who they want to align with, who they want to eliminate, but most importantly, who they want to become.

Despite everything, I’ve run into a few issues during my playthrough that clearly indicate that the game still isn’t as good as it could be. For example, the most obvious one is that inventory management isn’t smooth and requires a lot of work on the player’s behalf. There’s also no way to compare the stats of different items, especially if you’re figuring out what you should sell or not. I found myself constantly going back and forth between my inventory and opening up trade windows just to make sure I was selling the right items. Furthermore, traders have limited money, so selling your unwanted items can become quite a chore, since you have to go all over the place looking for traders with money to buy from you. I understand that the developers might have wanted to simulate an actual economy under the Dome, but it just gets in the way of my experience.

Another issue that you always run into as soon as you get your first companion is the fact that companions don’t keep up with you. Instead, they follow you from a distance, which is rather annoying when you initiate combat and the rest of your party is slightly behind you. There can also be some rare occasions where your companions will stop moving until you select them, and they can also get stuck in the terrain sometimes. One thing that does confuse me about your companions is the fact that they can’t equip power armour, even though they have a slot for it in their inventory. At the moment, power armour can only be equipped by your main character, which I find to be quite a shame.

In spite of all that, these aren’t really the main issues that I have with the game. The ones that I was really bothered by are things such as being unable to finish quests, despite meeting the requirements, and having characters stuck with radiation sickness and all the methods that can be used to treat it refusing to work on specific characters.

Nevertheless, something that disappointed me about the game was how the main quests change as you move through each act. While the game starts quite strong and keeps like that for a good while, it comes to a point where the main quests turn into glorified fetch quests. Sure, the story follows along nicely, but I would like to have seen something more captivating. The first half of the game feels like you’re constantly seeking answers to an unsolvable mystery, while the other half feels like you’re just tagging along for the ride and gathering materials to craft something. The characters and the dialogue are just as good throughout the entire game, but I did feel less interested in the main questline towards the end of the game.

It took me roughly 60 hours to reach the end of the game while completing the overwhelming majority of its side-quests. I was lucky enough to get an ending that I was happy with, even though it presented a rather unexpected twist. With that being said, if you want to experience other endings, you can just reload your last save and go through the last part of the game until you’ve seen most of them. On the other hand, the reason why I can see this game being replayed by many people is due to how you can approach its story from various different points. There are multiple factions that you can align with, betray, not to mention the entire roleplay potential of it all. Despite its shortcomings, I do think that Encased has done quite well on this point.

It’s really a shame that the game suffers from multiple issues, even though I wouldn’t consider any of them to be game-breaking. Despite being in Early Access for about 2 years, Encased feels rushed and unfinished in some places. At the end of the day, Encased is a good game, but it really feels like it has a lot of untapped potential. The universe and the story are unquestionably the stars of the show, but the rest of the game just doesn’t stand out as much.

I definitely think that Encased is worth the asking price, but if 30€ is too much for you right now or you’re unsure, just keep an eye on it for a little longer. Although the game has been fully released for a few months now, it’s supposed to receive a content update pretty soon. Therefore, it’s clear to me that the developers are not only focused on improving the game, but also on expanding it by adding even more things to do. In any case, while Encased might not be the next big RPG, and even if it was frustrating at certain times, it did leave quite the impression on me. If you’re a fan of CRPGs, especially the old Fallout games, then I definitely recommend that you check this one out.

Review: Klang 2

Natosha M
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0
Review: Klang 2

I’ve never been too fond of games that require following a rhythm or beat and do it in a certain mannerism that allows you to correctly earn those points or defeat any enemy in front of you. It was due to some bad experiences with a few games. I rather just turn them off and stop playing when noticing it’s that type of game. However, I didn’t do anything like that for this game, the total opposite! The unique design and story appealed to me, so did the music and after playing a few times playing in a single day, I honestly can say I was quite hooked and impressed. I may have to rethink games about music and rhythm!

First off, I’ve never played Klang before, so having a chance to try the 2nd edition and getting to experience every bit of the game, well it is true enjoyment! The music, the flashing lights, and the colors going all over are just mesmerizing! The game is a perfect balance of gameplay coordinated quite well with the music even in with mistakes by not accurately getting the perfect aim at any time, it still plays excellently, and playing on the Xbox One console makes it just superb!

Let There Be Sound!

There is no doubt in my mind that this game is quite remarkable and unique. I’m totally engaged in accuracy and being a perfectionist when it comes to the goal of winning each level! Additionally, I want to make clear that this review is going to be based on the game as you start it up, first thing. There were no changes in the controls and to make it anyway easier, just as it would play if you started right when it came on without configuring the control keys. I only want to make this clear because, there is no difficulty level adjustment, but you can change the way it auto-locks onto each mark, taking one less step away from the game and making it a bit easier. Also adjusting the control to work with your choice of the trigger button.

For me the X button was ok, but I’m used to pressing the A. It was so much easier to push than X all the time. Therefore, these setting changes can aid in the way the game plays and makes it easier for those who need a little less worry on speed and more just on accurate timing. So my review is based on the game as you first turn it on and play it, not with the adjustments.

So first off, I must admit that in the first few rounds of the game, my score was graded with a letter C. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t grasp the concept of the gameplay, to get it anything more than a C. I was just blasting my tuning fork’s power at each shape as quickly as I can, hoping it was correct. However, there is so much more to it than speed, which dawned on me after a couple of redos in each level.

I did notice that my controller, which could just be me, but for some reason, the triangle-shaped marks made it hard to get it completely accurate. Yet, I’m not sure if this is an error or something else, but I finally realized there is no need to do it perfectly, just good enough. It would accept as long as the shape is in the lines somewhat, which is a blessing as it’s hard to always get it just right. So it took a few tries to realize what mistakes I’ve been making. Especially when it came to the other shapes, aiming when it’s in the right location at the right time. Nothing can be too far off, or you’ll see words appear this is anything other than PERFECTION!

Is this game fast-paced, yes and no. It can require a quick response, but also patience is needed. So I wouldn’t suggest this game for someone who wants to sit back and feel they’ll be playing something relaxing. Especially, if you are not able to be patient and always got that trigger finger pressing the button to blast balls of color all over the place. I almost can say it’s like how you would play Guitar Hero or any game that requires accuracy at certain timing.

As the main goal is to continuously aim accurately at the correct locations when required. The wonderful music in the background may even push you to feel as if you need to shoot sooner, but don’t be fooled. Sounds can trigger that speed-up effect and not really help if you want to get the score to pass. I’ve felt that way when I use to play any Mario game. The one-minute timer, changing to this fast pace sound, it pushes you to want to go faster. This is where the game brings a bit more challenge to the player, seeing if they can hold they’re cool and continue to be perfect and correct at all times.

Once again, I must say that it’s not such a super easy game to get right away, but it is fully challenging. You first need to learn to play the game through the tutorial. Especially, if you happen to be like me and not have ever played the first game, I’m sure it would have been played the exact same way. However, being my first time trying this game, it really interests me because it’s got some very nicely motivating music and sequence challenges that add to the difficulty. I won’t just be playing the game through, get a high score the first time around, and be done with it in an hour or two. So look forward to a more challenging game than just a simple and easy one!

On the other hand, it may mention using a pair of headphones; earbuds while playing. I must say that even without a pair of headphones, the game still sounds quite remarkable. Of course, the sound in a set of headphones may make for a stronger and powerful background sound while playing. I don’t think it really is too bad without! In addition to the music, each beat just plays well with the music that you get to hear during each level and the dark atmosphere with the bright colors; flashy fireballs, which you’re aiming and shooting with your tuning fork is just a perfect combination. The entire design from sounds to background scenery and graphics is just brilliant!

I never was a fan of these games, as mentioned above. However, after playing this game, I find my entire mind and eyes immersed in the game! I just want to keep playing till I am able to reach the passing grade or a higher score than I got before. Yet, it is a bit challenging to get each sequence right, while everything speeds up during the level. Additionally the taunting the game throws out, if you aren’t doing as much as you should, it can be a bit hard not to step back and stop playing till you can show off your skills and beat the level, proving that you do have what it takes!

The Final Beat

Kang 2 is really one entertaining game! I can’t say there is anything wrong with a little bit of a challenge from being used to a slow-paced or one that requires a quick change in aim to hit each note just right. I really feel so much more engaged and excited to continue to play and get a better grade; score!

Even if it’s difficult, I’m so blessed to have a chance to try such a splendid game that is pushing my eyes to be on alert for the next location that the target will appear and have my finger ready to aim. The only way to be the best in this game will include speed, but most of all accuracy. After you get those few things down, which is speed, timing, and aiming accurately you will be super successful! It really will have you pushing till you aim for perfection or close to it!

Review: Warriors: Rise to Glory (Early Access)

Charles Ombler
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Review: Warriors: Rise to Glory (Early Access)

‘Funny’ games are an interesting beast to tame. Humour is entirely subjective so you’re either in the situation of finding the game funny, in which case *tick* the game has gone its job, or not finding the game funny, in which case you can often see where humour has been attempted and can acknowledge that it just isn’t for you. However, that all changes when the game explicitly calls itself ‘funny’. When a game does that, all allegiances to whether the jokes are funny or not disappear to be replaced with a very difficult united audience of cross-armed individuals saying “Go on then. Prove it. Make me laugh. I’m waiting.” All of this rambling introduction serves to set the scene for this review of a self-professed ‘funny’ game: Warriors: Rise to Glory.

Warriors: Rise to Glory is an early access online multiplayer Roman gladiatorial combat simulator where you play as a gladiator of your own creation. You can stick with some historical accuracy in your character creation by playing as a tired-looking human man or you can do what I did and mash the randomise button until you end up with a Doctor Manhattan-looking chap with blue skin, red hair and a triangular forehead tattoo. You start from the bottom and, as you win more and more fights, earn the money and experience you need to work your way up, purchasing weapons and armour to start looking a bit more like Russell Crowe and unlocking new skills to rub your opponents’ faces in the dust.

The things you can unlock are pretty great and make a real impact on your ability in the ring. Armour significantly increases your health bar, weapons make a much more major dent in the enemy’s health and the skills you can unlock are game-changing. When you level up, you get 5 points to put into your RPG-style core abilities, things like your chance to hit, health and evasion. You also get to unlock a new ability from a dazzling array of options which will switch up your play style – things like your weapons now bestow bleeding to deal damage over time or taunting forces the enemy to move towards you.

The character creation and levelling up systems in Warriors: Rise to Glory are honestly excellent and I don’t have anything negative to say about them. Unfortunately, it’s when you take your lovingly crafted character into the arena that it starts to let itself down. The game is in early access so there’s still time for this to be rectified but, as it stands at the moment, the combat (the whole point of the game) is a little lacklustre. The turn-based combat is on a 2D plane that’s made up of a row of tiles. On your turn, you can take one action. This could be moving forward or backwards some tiles, resting to recharge your stamina, dancing to win the crowd and enrage your enemy or attacking. When you attack you can either do a ranged attack or a close attack of light, medium or heavy strength, each of which has a damage stat and a chance to hit. I think the issue with the combat lies in only having one action per turn. This disincentivises doing anything clever because choosing to move is also choosing not to do any damage and opening yourself up to your enemy doing damage to you on their turn. This means you spend most of the fight standing next to each other taking it in turns to hit the attack button and waiting for one of your health bars to drop to zero.

To circle back to the abstract for this review, the opening statement on humour in video games – Warriors: Rise to Glory isn’t very funny. It’s trying. It really is trying but that’s almost what lets the humour down, like it’s trying too hard. All of the jokes are toilet humour. When you get the crowd excited enough, they might throw a toilet at your enemy. When you spare your enemy, you fart on them to humiliate them. It’s all just a bit juvenile and basic so whenever it happens it elicits a sigh rather than a laugh.

Warriors: Rise to Glory has a lot going for it. It has a character creation and progression system that I love and applying that to some tight gladiatorial combat would make one hell of a game. However, in its current state of early access, that combat just isn’t there and the humour that has been inserted to fill the gap is honestly dire. I’m going to keep an eye on Warriors: Rise to Glory because, if the developers make the right choices over the next few months, there could be a hell of a game there. However, I’d struggle to make an argument that it is worth buying into at the moment.

Review: Football Cup 2022

Daniel Waite
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Review: Football Cup 2022
My vvideo review with footage captured using my Xbox Series X, enjoy!

Football has long been known as “The Beautiful Game”! It draws together friends, family, and strangers to show their adoration towards one team. Therefore, it brings out the best and worst in people and is ever popular in the gaming industry. When I was offered Football Cup 2022, I was intrigued. I wondered, could this be a contender to FIFA or PES’s thrones? Or would it be a waste of time?

Developed by Inlogic Software and published by Jandusoft, this is a classic footballing title. It allows you to pick from club or international teams but it lacks a full license. Unfortunately, this means that the authenticity is somewhat reduced. Instead of Harry Kane, you have Harry Kanu and Bernd Leno is Bernd Lena. These minor alterations are seen throughout and will make hardcore fans chuckle repeatedly.

Football Cup 2022 is full of content but considerably misses the mark.

Modern football games are a fantastic representation of the real thing. The graphics are stunning, the audio is immersive, and the gameplay addictive. Furthermore, each title is full of content and a deep and fulfilling career mode. Sadly, other than the content, Football Cup 2022 is horribly lacking in every department. Yes, at its roots it represents the action, but it is so badly optimised and designed that it’s laughable.

At best, this will remind you of a rudimentary early FIFA title. At worse, you’ll despise everything about it, so, let’s look at the positives. The developers have worked hard to create multiple game modes with enough variety to keep you interested. There are daily challenges, quick matches, a career mode, and multiple skill games with a global leaderboard. These will keep you playing as you attempt to complete tasks to unlock badges. The badges earn you coins and these, in turn, help you to unlock extra kits. It certainly lacks complexity, but it does add depth to an otherwise overly simplistic approach. 

Take on the Daily Challenges.

It lacks finesse, and the AI is awful. 

There is no greater feeling than when you beat a challenging opponent. Sadly, however, you never get to experience that in Football Cup 2022. The AI is so terrible and predictable that you can simply walk past every player. Moreover, the keeper is about as useful as a chocolate teapot! With some basic trickery, the keeper will always fall to the floor and you can roll the ball into an empty net. This lack of difficulty is an immediate turnoff and undermines some already poor mechanics.

To add insult to injury, the game lacks finesse. Passing is woeful, shooting is appalling, and every player turns like a tanker. Throw-ins are bizarre, corners rarely occur, and someone forgot to implement the offside rule. The list of shortcomings is almost endless and this ruins this dated title. I know in some games these problems can be endearing, but Football Cup 2022 is just eye-wateringly terrible!

Remember to train regularly.

Football Cup 2022 is ugly as sin! 

I’m not usually one to worry about graphics. Yet, I expect modern sports games to look incredible. Therefore, I was understandably disgusted by what I experienced. The players run around as if they are suffering from whiplash. The pitches all look the same, and the players are limited to a handful of models. Consequently, it lacks variety and is horrible to look at. This is then compounded by the jarring movement, awful animations, and garish colour palette. The redeeming features are few and far between and to say it’s enhanced for the Series X is a joke. 

The appalling quality continues in the lacklustre audio. This hollow and soulless endeavour adds nothing to the gameplay. There is no commentary, only limited atmospheric noises, and basic sound effects. While flitting through the menus, you experience a high-energy soundtrack that fills you with hope. However, as you load into a match, the energy dissipates and everything falls flat. You get to hear the same repetitive noises of boot on leather and the occasional roar of the crowd. It’ll remind you of the faux crowd noises added to matches during lockdown, and is just as disappointing. 

Good old Jordan Handerson.

It handles like a bag of spanners. 

The controls are some of the worst that I have come across in any game. In short, it handles like a bag of spanners. It’s slow to respond, the aiming is off, and the shooting is underpowered. Sadly, it also lacks fluidity, and this makes the gameplay poorer still. It’s shocking how terrible it handles and this makes it even less appealing.

Yet, for all its shortcomings, I couldn’t put it down. I laughed repeatedly while enjoying its terrible ways. Thanks to its daily challenges and its large achievement list, it has some replay value. However, there is a glaring omission that deeply impacts its longevity. For unknown reasons, there is no multiplayer mode. Therefore, this can only be played solo, and that’s just ridiculous! This was an enormous mistake and one that’ll instantly put off fans of the genre.

Football Cup 2022 is dreadful.

Football Cup 2022 has a few minor positives, yet these are heavily outweighed by the negatives. It’s probably the worst sports game I’ve tackled while being one of the least desirable titles I’ve ever played. The developers got this so wrong that it’s laughable. I do not recommend it, but more information can be found here! If you want a great football game, you’ll need to look elsewhere. This is woeful in every conceivable way and is an insult to the genre. 

Review: Ary And The Secret Of Seasons

Natosha M
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0
Review: Ary And The Secret Of Seasons

Ary and the Secret of Seasons is a game like no other! As we take on the role of a young heroine named Aryelle, which we all come to know her as Ary. Our main goal is to help save the world from the horrible enemies that are creating havoc. Even more so, we must try to assist the Guardians of the Seasons to keep the balance of the world, Valdi. Without that balance, everything will stay in disarray.

So what’s great about being this heroine Ary? Unquestionably, It has to be her ability to work with the different seasons. Using each of them as a powerful weapon, by manipulating them to help her defeat enemies and make it easier for us to continue our way through the beautifully created world, even if it’s going through some chaotic changes. Additionally, there are so many different quests to accept and challenging puzzles to figure out as we venture forward!

The Adventure Begins!

While being such a beautifully designed game, I must first mention how much fun it is to be able to interact with the objects and the people of the world. Ary was very well created to the resemblance of a young child, by her mannerisms and yet she’s strongly spirited and even trying to be a great hero like her brother Finn. Plus, how confident our character is, there really is nothing going to stand in our way, we just push forward and prove ourselves to the entire world. This must be one of the most favorable aspects to why I love the game!

In addition to our character’s personality and the lovely ability to change the seasons throughout the game. I do want to comment on how nicely designed each of the characters is. They actually remind me of a cartoon character from a Disney animated movie. I don’t have anything negative to say about the character style, they really look perfect. Plus, the enemies, such as the humorous design in the hyenas add a little more of an interesting appeal to the game as well!

In some way, I always get this feeling of one Disney movie because the first portion of this game’s story is about a female who changes her appearance to appear like a boy. Even if everyone knows it’s not, which is where it is a bit different. Yet, if you have ever seen the movie Mulan, this is the vibe I get when Ary decides to dress up in a warrior-style suit and cuts her hair before venturing out to help save the world. On the other hand, instead of seeing it at the end of the game, Ary’s mom is proud of her right from the beginning, proving herself by just being strong and fearless.

The next thing to mention is how fun it can be to basically run around the world, checking out all the locations without running out of time or being rushed to finish the game. You’re able to be free to roam around every nook and cranny. Plus, there are so many quests you can do at a time, giving you more to do and complete in any order. A few are bonus quests, but there is also the regular route we must accomplish in the game. Nevertheless, there is no rush to need to do any of the extras in order or possibly at all!

Anywho, these quests as they are obtained and accepted will be listed on the top left side of the screen. Making it easy to recall what you decided to accept and need to complete. Never forget what was the next location you need to check out. After a portion or at least one quest is completed, the listed quest turns green, till the entire quest is done and at that time it’s removed. The creators really thought of that quite well. Especially, I love how they made sure the quests in this upper-left corner of the screen aren’t too big or dark, covering up the screen so it’s hard or in the way as one plays the game.

In addition to the quests and our character. I must mention that the ability to venture through the world is quite easy, as well as the battles we take on with the enemies in the game. All the movements we need to use to rotate and move Ary are very easy to pick up and well mapped out on the controller. If it’s using Ary’s sword or her powers using the seasons, they are all easy to trigger. Therefore, there are no worries about this game being too difficult, which is perfect for kids and even adults who want a game that is taught to them as they play or who can pick up the game at any point and know what needs to be pressed. Plus, a little bonus help is while the game loads, there are these helpful tips making it easy to know and learn to use certain features a bit better.

Even if we want to get more into the action features of the game; the battle sequence between you and the enemies. Well, one good thing is that it does take place in the actual game once you come up to an enemy. Another is that it’s just as exciting as many other games. No change in who fights next, just go all for it and keep swinging that sword till the enemies are defeated. So there will be no letdown in the fighting portion of this game. Each one is similar, fully entertaining, and engaging from start to finish.

Of course, when you travel through many locations, battling many enemies, and obtaining the different seasons to use during the game to get you so much closer and accomplish plenty of quests. You might as well be totally captivated by the realistic appearance of the worldly environment. The graphics are marvelous, like a piece of art. That is possibly why I find myself wondering sometimes, freely checking out every area that I can, fully before continuing the game’s main goals and quests. Luckily, If I need to get back on track, there is a nice size map located in the bottom right corner with many different pieces directing the player where to go for the requests being asked to be completed.

There is one other feature I must point out, that really is a blessing about this game. You are in charge of how hard you want the game to be. If you aren’t one for very difficult gameplay, just choose to have the game be easy, while others can always choose a harder version, making it a bit more challenging. There also are a few other settings that can be adjusted throughout the gameplay, making it suitable as you play, anytime during the game.

As the game has so many wonderful features, I can tell you that there are a few displeasing ones as well. Depending on personal preferences, it may not be such a big issue to many players, but I feel a tiny tweaking could improve the game immensely! For example, the use of the season power, especially the winter ability. You can turn it on and off at any time, which is nice. However, when using it anywhere, for example, the winter ability could just cause a snow globe effect or even trap you if done in a spot that is without an escape route. It just appears a bit strange. At least with the use of the power again, you can untrap yourself and hopefully not have to reset the game to a past location you’ve saved yourself at.

The second problem I came across is during the loading screen. It does take some time, and honestly, I was surprised that it’s without color. It feels as if the game is missing some completion. However, this is just a minor issue, which I can get past. Yet I am surprised that there was no color. The other portion as it loads is a little strange too. The character rides the horse across the screen as it loads, but it looks like the character gets to the other side, and yet the loading is still loading, when it clearly would appear to be done.

The last one is that many of the objects you can swing a sword at can break things, but it doesn’t include much of anything inside to find. It’s possibly just for appearance and the joy of swinging at something. However, there doesn’t seem to be much to worth finding inside.

Regardless, these issues are not such huge problems as the game is still very well made. I honestly wouldn’t let these features bother me, since the game’s story is very cute and the game itself is very entertaining and original. Even if you can’t change weapons to fight with, you do have the ability to play with the seasons and make the weather become whatever you like. Now that is what makes the game so appealing and fun!

In Conclusion

This game brings a bunch of entertainment, from the normal story or the additional challenges, which you accomplish besides the original adventure. Additionally, there are so many beautiful scenes to be seen and plenty of objects to interact with. When you have the ability to work with all of the lovely seasons, it can be fun and to be honest, the snow falling down is so beautiful in every part of the game.

It’s a game with so many lovely images that you’d want to capture a photo of. The graphic art is just gorgeous and so are the well-designed characters. I also think the enemies are quite cute and silly in a cartoony way. Lastly, Ary And The Secret Of Seasons is a perfect family-style game for young to old, not too easy or difficult, but just a whole lotta fun!

Review: S.W.A.N.: Chernobyl Unexplored

Daniel Waite
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0
Review: S.W.A.N.: Chernobyl Unexplored

When it comes to horror, I don’t mind dated and clichéd elements. In fact, I love an obvious jump scare! There is something truly thrilling about knowing you are about to be scared senseless. S.W.A.N.: Chernobyl Unexplored utilises these old-school and obvious moments at its core.

Developed by Volframe and published by Art Games Studio S.A, this is a first-person puzzle horror title. It’s a suspenseful game filled with dark rooms, supernatural encounters, atmospheric audio, and challenging puzzles. Its story beautifully intertwines eerie elements to create an enthralling but unnerving adventure that tests you throughout.

S.W.A.N.: Chernobyl Unexplored blends real life with the supernatural.

Chernobyl is an emotive, painful, and sorrowful subject. I always worry that using its past will be in bad taste. However, S.W.A.N.: Chernobyl Unexplored tastefully touches upon the events while focusing you on its bizarre storyline.

9 months after the events of reactor 4, a team of scientists were sent in to investigate a mysterious facility. Though the rest of the area was evacuated, this top-secret location was not. The group didn’t expect any hostile activity, but they were wrong. The academics alongside paramedics must explore the unknown area looking for abandoned survivors. A straightforward expedition quickly takes a turn for the worse. Subsequently, you must explore the facility alone while trying to piece together any information you find.

Is there something in the dark?

Darkness, locked doors, and plenty of puzzles.

The action rarely deviates from its core principles. Therefore, much of the progress is reliant on the exploration of darkened, confined spaces and solving simple puzzles. Scattered around each location is an array of visual and audio clues that guide you to a solution. Walls are scribed with codes, and photos and journal entries provide you with hints. You must wander through hallways with doors magically opening and then dramatically slamming as you pass through. The classic jump scare tactics are dated, but they never got old! There was always a sense of suspense as you waited to jump feet.

These standard moments are beautifully complemented with petrifying supernatural encounters. Rooms will shift and change as you explore them. Alongside this, shadowy images will adorn the walls, or chase you as you run. These entities are the result of the S.W.A.N. program, a scientific experiment that was inhumane. Syndrome Without A Name took people from around the globe and experimented on them. The plan was to weaponise these individuals, but as usual, it backfired. These abominations that haunt you are the result of these trials and form a key horror element of the gameplay.

What experiments have taken place here?

Drip-fed mechanics. 

I’m desperately trying to skirt around the story, as I don’t want to ruin the many twists. What I can say is that, unsurprisingly, death is always around the corner. Fortunately, though, the facility offers some insight into the life of 1980s Ukraine. I loved how the plot returned to the tragic events while not making them the key focus. It was a truly respectful way of drawing you back to the cause without overdoing the matter.

Another element I adored was the use of drip-fed mechanics. With a heavy reliance on ghostly images and bizarre happenings, the developers had some creative licence. They took full advantage of this with strange medical equipment that helped to see other dimensions. Moreover, you can gather swirling ammo that helps to fight off the apparitions. It was a little odd, but the balance of a hard-hitting location combined with the absurdities of science fiction worked.

S.W.A.N.: Chernobyl Unexplored is a little rough.

The developers have created a title that captures its era beautifully. Sadly, though, it is rough at the same time and this makes it appear dated. S.W.A.N.: Chernobyl Unexplored utilises a grey and grainy palette to represent the industrial side of 80s Ukraine. Subsequently, it works brilliantly with the setting and theme. Each chapter was horrifically claustrophobic and running around a maze of corridors and rooms was disorientating. Its oppressive nature, combined with the spooky horrors, makes this a creepy and unnerving experience.

This is then enhanced by the haunting audio. A beautiful blend of dramatic and slower songs adds energy and fear to the wonderful imagery. The noise of your footsteps or the creak and slam of doors was petrifying. Furthermore, the click of your Geiger counter was both scary and a telltale sign that something was a miss. The audio is excellent, and this makes S.W.A.N.: Chernobyl Unexplored stand out from its peers!

Will you approach it?

The controls could be better. 

The developers have done a great job of making this a user-friendly title. They have implemented a well-thought-out tutorial, and this makes it easy to master. Sadly, though, selecting items can be hit and miss. The cursor lacks accuracy and this can break up the immersive gameplay. Undoubtedly, this would be better with a mouse and keyboard! It’s not a game-breaker by any stretch, as the controller is serviceable and well mapped.

Like many titles in this genre, the replay value is limited. With a linear story and no additional content, there are few reasons to return. Fortunately, a handful of achievements demand you return to play, so it has some longevity. Luckily, your first experience is memorable, so it’s good value for money. 

S.W.A.N.: Chernobyl Unexplored plays to the clichés. 

Clichéd horror won’t be for everyone, but I loved it. I jumped repeatedly and adored the strange supernatural twist. The developers have created a tasteful title that is scary as well as taxing. I enjoyed it and I recommend you to buy it here! Can you uncover the mysteries of this top-secret facility? Solve the problems, read the clues, and get out alive! 

Win Van Helsing Season 5 on Blu-ray

Andrew Edney
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62
Win Van Helsing Season 5 on Blu-ray

To celebrate the release of Van Helsing Season 5 on Blu-Ray and DVD, we have two Blu-ray copies of Season 5 to give away.

Van Helsing has become one of the most exciting and entertaining fantasy-horror shows of recent times, combining brutal action with compelling storytelling and memorable characters. Inspired by the Helsing graphic novel series, the show has gone on to earn a loyal fan following worldwide. 

Following an event referred to as “The Rising”, vampires now dominate the world. Vanessa Van Helsing (Kelly Overton, True Blood, Legends), the great-great-great-grand daughter of vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing, is resurrected to lead the surviving humans in their struggle against the vampires.

How to enter to win

We have two Blu-ray copies of Van Helsing Season 5 to give away, enter below: 

Win Van Helsing Season 5 on Blu-Ray

The contest closes at midnight on 29th January 2022.

This contest is only open to those in the UK – sorry!

Van Helsing: The Complete Collection is also available on Blu-ray & DVD from 10th January
Find it on Amazon: www.amazon.co.uk/Van-Helsing-Season-1-5-Blu-Ray/dp/B092JVKB1K

Review: Watcher Chronicles

Jordan Kirkpatrick
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Review: Watcher Chronicles

Have you ever wondered what you would get if you took Dark Souls and Castle Crashers and mixed them together? Well, the answer is a colourfully frustrating 2D tale named the Watcher Chronicles.

After Purgatory has been invaded by hordes of monsters, it becomes your main mission as a nameless knight to traverse this colourful and rich Purgatory, defeating monsters and bosses along your way, in order to reclaim Purgatory

Choose your hero to take back Purgatory

The world of Watcher Chronicles is non-linear and interconnected through secret passages and routes as you travel. Each area you pass through has a plethora of skeletal enemies ranging from axe-wielders, bow users and even larger mutated beast-like skeletons. Eventually, at the end of each level—if you manage to reach it with enough health intact—you’ll face a boss you need to defeat before you can continue to the next region.

Be prepared for the bosses…

If you delve into this game thinking that your knowledge and basic skills at souls-like games is decent, be prepared to rework your skills a fair bit. Methodical combat and managing your strategy will be your best friend in Watcher Chronicles. I found out the hard way that spamming your blocks and attacks will only get you killed—several times in fact before I decided to change strategy. Being methodical about your attacks to save energy and stamina to block incoming attacks from large groups is absolutely essential if you don’t want to die right before a boss fight and get sent right back to the start of the region again. With more than 20 bosses in Purgatory too, you’ll certainly have your work cut out for you if you fail to skill manage early on.

Managing your energy and stamina levels is crucial to survival

As for the art style itself, if you’ve ever played or seen Castle Crashers, it is very similar. The cartoony appearance and bright colours work fantastically together in order to create a contrast between the background environments and foreground play area. As for your protagonist, you can either choose from a male or female model, but that’s really as far as character customisations go aside from armour upgrades. NPCs and non-hostile characters that appear and live at your home base of Haven also have their own unique appearances and styles which is a nice addition to be able to distinguish them from one another—these characters are able to assist you in upgrading your weapons, armour as well as skill levels if you have enough currency to do so. Their abilities often update after each completion of an area too, so it’s worth checking back home often to ensure you’re maxing out your character.

Another nice detail is the sound design and music. As you travel through each area, both the music and ambience of the crumbling castles, fires and rattling of bones is amplified and it gives a wonderfully realistic experience. It also doesn’t become repetitive, which was a factor that I found to be crucial—usually in games where you tend to die a lot, the music and ambience only tend to make your frustration worse—but thankfully, this wasn’t the case with Watcher Chronicles.

The addition of a two-player co-op multiplayer was a feature that I didn’t expect but was highly impressed by. Whilst I didn’t play much in multiplayer, the addition of the mode brings a new change of pace as well as a skill set that you need to adopt. The addition of a friend would definitely prove helpful in some of the tougher areas, especially at lower levels near the beginning of the game when it can become difficult to kill a lot of enemies quickly.

Overall, if you’re a fan of the souls-like and Metroidvania genre, Watcher Chronicles may be worth checking out if you’re looking for a frustratingly fun title to sink your teeth into. With tonnes of content, bosses to kill and hordes of enemies to rid Purgatory of, you’ll have a lot of hours of content to explore with Watcher Chronicles. Despite the steep learning curve for those newer to the genre, the presentation and style of play would absolutely be a good first stepping-stone into the world of souls-like games.

FAR: Changing Tides pre-order available, full launch on 1st March

Andrew Edney
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0
FAR: Changing Tides pre-order available, full launch on 1st March

Today, Frontier Foundry, the games label of Frontier Developments, announced the launch date for FAR: Changing Tides, the next part of the FAR universe, from developers Okomotive. Due to launch on 1st March, 2022, pre-orders have opened across a range of platforms, including Xbox, where the game will hit GamePass, day one. 

To celebrate this, two new lo-fi soundtrack videos, Soundwaves, have been created using in-game assets. Across a two-hour runtime, these meditative videos invite listeners to lose themselves in the world created by Okomotive, from the gentle lapping of the waves to the rhythmic thump of the mighty engine that powers the ramshackle vehicle across a flooded world. 

Pre-order links are below:

Xbox: https://www.microsoft.com/store/productid/9n29vz9lrnnq~
Windows: https://www.microsoft.com/store/productid/9mt3d7z4nwdv
PlayStation SIEE: https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/product/EP2377-PPSA03767_00-FARCHANGINGTIDES
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1570010/FAR_Changing_Tides
Epic: https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/p/far-changing-tides
Nintendo: pre-orders available in February

For more news and information about FAR: Changing Tides:

Website: https://www.farchangingtides.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FARtheGame/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FARtheGame
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farthegame/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FrontierDevelopments/+
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/frontierdevelopments

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