Review: WRC 10

Daniel Waite

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Sep 20, 2021

Motor racing fans have an array of games at their disposal. However, followers of rally racing have a narrower field to select from. The go-to franchise has to be World Rally Championship and I’m fortunate enough to look at the latest iteration, WRC 10.

Developed by KT Racing and published by Nacon, this builds on an already exceptional racing franchise. Utilising its strong foundations, you experience a wonderful blend of modern and retro racing. Reusing its well thought out formula is a great idea that creates a nice comfortable consistency. However, it also replicates many of the minor irritations from previous titles.

WRC 10 shows the sports excellent historical roots.

Whenever I play a sports game, I turn to the major franchises as this guarantees me a deep-rooted and interesting career mode. This always complements the other elements and creates a well-rounded experience. Skill levels are always considered and driver assists even up the playing field. Now, I was surprised when KT Racing took a slightly different route! The excellent Anniversary Mode ignores these rules and follows a dog eat dog idealism instead.

It makes for a baptism of fire and separates the men from the boys or the women from the girls. It was chastising and left me reeling in disbelief. Fortunately, though, you can experience the classic cars in quick play if you can’t overcome the shock difficulty curve.

This would be fine if the most intriguing concept within WRC 10 wasn’t locked within the Anniversary Mode. The Private Team option and livery editor are both unlocked after tackling this beastly option. It was a little confusing and held me back from truly enjoying everything on offer.

Same mistakes, new game.

I’ve been a sports gaming fan for years and yet I’m irked by the repetitive mistakes made by the developers. They treat every player like they’ve never played the game. It’s infuriating, as I don’t wish to recap the basics that I’ve covered for the last twelve months. WRC 10 assumes that every player wishes to start in the Junior or Series 3 events. In reality, experienced plays want to skip the apéritif and starter and go straight to the main course.

Nonetheless, what truly excited me was the roster of vehicles at your disposal. Petrolheads will adore the championship-winning rides that are available to be selected. Audi, Lancias, Peugeot, Toyota, VW, Ford and more are available. These iconic rides add further depth to an already overflowing title. Moreover, it was enthralling to race in a selection of much-loved vehicles across world-famous venues.

Customise your co-driver and an odd choice of races.

Alongside some other minor elements, WRC 10 has introduced a customisable co-driver. This made an interesting twist on a character you spend many hours with and added a layer of realism.

Another element that added to this was the introduction of tyre strategy. Combining a selection of rubber based on the track you were facing was an interesting tactical twist. You can gamble for more speed, increased tyre life, or improved grip. This was, however, undermined by the bonus objectives. Therefore, it was bizarre that this was a key strategic element, yet the bonus system ignored this interesting mechanic. Nonetheless, this was shortsighted by the developers and perhaps they should have forgotten about the bonus tasks.

I was surprised by the selection of tracks on offer. With the introduction of the stunning Estonian and Croatian rallies, but the exclusion of the Arctic Rally, it seemed the developers missed the boat. There were also key tracks from previous titles sadly unavailable. I’m unsure why KT Racing decided to exclude some much-loved locations, especially as there is a tab highlighting ‘other rallies’. I’m not sure whether these will be added later, but for now, it remains a mystery.

WRC 10 looks incredible and runs fantastically.

Whatever your thoughts on racing games, there is no denying the quality of WRC 10. Graphically, it’s fantastic and the gameplay is ultra-realistic. The tracks look amazing and the cars are mechanically sound. I love the dated liveries and the crazy crowds during the retro races. The claustrophobic nature of the tighter courses is great, and I adored the technical challenge within these courses. It retains the excellent quality I’ve come to expect from this triple-A franchise and runs smoothly with no glitches or frame rate issues.

The fantastic visuals are supported by some ear-splitting and meaty sound effects. Somehow these have improved on last year’s efforts and I loved the roar of the engines and the squeal of the tyres. Every race is accompanied by the custom sounds of your co-driver. They bark instructions, shout when you crash and make the odd sarcastic remark. All of these elements combined heighten the sense of realism and make for a great experience.

Reactive tracks and excellent controls.

The car handling and reaction to different surfaces have always been wonderful in the WRC franchise. WRC 10 is no different, and I loved drifting on mud, sliding on gravel, and powering through tarmac. The cars skit and slip as you’d expect, and this adds to the challenge. The array of driver assists make the gameplay accessible and reduces the learning curve considerably.

Your desire to return will depend on your love of online racing or the detailed career mode. Both options offer hours of thrilling action and fans will lose themselves in this adrenaline-fuelled world. Completionists beware! Finishing this isn’t easy and you’ll need skill and determination to get every achievement.

WRC 10 evolves from a wonderful foundation.

With a vast selection of modes, an in-depth career, and excellent online play, WRC 10 offers the full package. Its only let down is the Anniversary Mode that holds the keys to the best feature. I loved it and recommend you to buy it here! Choose your vehicle, select your track, and race your heart out.

Review: Evil Genius 2: World Domination

News

Wil Raterman

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Sep 19, 2021

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It’s time to take over the world, again. Rebellion Games returns with the follow-up to 2004’s acclaimed Evil Genius. That’s a noticeably large gap in-between releases, due to studio changes and other logistics involved. The question is whether this will be a benefit or a detriment to the newly-released sequel. Does Evil Genius 2: World Domination live up to the expectations? Will it take an evil genius to make that judgement? There’s only one way to find out. (Disclaimer: I have not played the first release so comparisons will be based on observation over experience.)

In The Name Of Evil

Select one of four geniuses to plan your global conquest. Choose between an operational labor exploiter, a war mongrel, an almost robotic scientific egoist, or a spy villain. After selecting your anti-hero and choice of landscape to bas your lab out of, it’s time to get to work. You’ll see the contour boundaries of your evil lair filled with sediment, in which you can send your minions to clear corridors and rooms. It gives you an architectural sense of creativity being able to scale each and every room size. Just keep in mind you have the proper space for a door; doors are not sizeable.

It’s time to create a new world, but not necessarily a good world.

From there, via tutorial, you’ll be introduced to all of the nuts and bolts of Evil Genius 2, and there are quite a few. Learn about recruiting and grooming henchmen, going on scientific and global crusades, and gaining intel from prisoners with your technologically adept interrogation means. The tutorial lends itself well to teach you all of the mechanics with voice narration as well. However, I did find myself clicking around, building required rooms, and expansions to satiate the tutorial goals and losing a bit of focus during the process. This is mainly due to the specific sizes, positions, and general requirements to be able to construct certain things which aren’t always clarified.

A Wrench In The Machine

One mechanic that took me a minute to get used to was the [confirm all]. When carving corridors, laying down floor tiles, and installing engines, etc., be mindful to press [confirm all]. That way your changes will be permanent. When adding one thing to another, it gives the illusion that your edits are final, like in Sim City. I would complete objectives, and try to add to my expansions, and [confirm all] wouldn’t accept the changes. Either something was misaligned, a room wasn’t the right size, or other vague reasons. I would mistakenly revert the changes which deleted everything I did in the past few minutes. This created headaches and the feeling of having your time wasted, even after completing an objective. Similar to what I mentioned in the tutorial, this issue could be derived from my lack of competence, instead of the overall game design. Tt was still a huge paint point nonetheless.

You can add multiple things at once, but if you don’t ”confirm all” you can accidentally erase minutes of progress.

Evil Personality (or lack of)

While Evil Genius 2 has a lot going for it, in terms of bells and whistles, one area that could have been explored more was the overall presentation. The graphics are clean and in detail, and it’s captivating to watch all of the henchmen hard at work under your command, but the music, and personality don’t add much to the experience as a whole. The dialogue cutscenes are there mainly for the sense of being there. With the concept of playing a vibrant Evil Mastermind, I expected some jokes or one-liners to compliment the cartoony design. Sadly there wasn’t much there. The music isn’t very memorable either, which is important in games with an emphasis on building, scaling, and patience. This was a huge missed opportunity, and I wonder if the previous title had that spark I’m looking for in this one.

Getting some real Fortnite vibes from the visuals.

Bottom Line

Evil Genius 2 gets a lot right. The visuals are in good detail, and the overall gameplay is engaging and challenging. The issues come from whether that spark of joy is sustainable or not. The lack of a decent soundtrack and any humor or personality may sway those on the fence in the wrong direction. Those whom have experience playing both titles seem to prefer the first one, and I can understand why.

Review: The Amazing American Circus

Daniel Waite

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Sep 19, 2021

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All the greatest stories revolve around tragedy. Whether it’s a breakup, death, or war, it makes for an intriguing time. The Amazing American Circus is no different because death is where the story starts. A failing business and a son who doesn’t care, but from sorrow comes light and soon a phoenix rises from the flames.

Developed by Juggler Games and Klabater and published by the latter, this is a blend of tycoon, RPG, and deck-building titles. Set in a bygone era where entertainment is hard to come by, you are the son of the ringmaster for Jones Circus. Your father’s untimely passing forces you to take control of this decrepit Big Top and the performers it hires. You are forced to entertain wave after wave of people as your crew become stronger and the shows become larger.

A circus is exciting but The Amazing American Circus is anything, but!

Adults and children all agree that a circus is a wonderful theatrical stage. With death-defying tricks, exotic animals, and freaks of nature, the crowd are supposed to be amazed. Imagine my disappointment when The Amazing American Circus failed to capitalise on this notion. Yes, the ideas are fantastic in practice, and there is something wonderful about the setting and the blend of genres. Yet, this falls by the wayside when the challenge is negligible, and many mechanics counteract one another.

The central story sets up an intriguing endeavour. You are convinced to take on the rundown circus to win a grand prize of one hundred thousand dollars. To be successful, you must travel the country, wowing your audience, and hiring the best acts. You’ll manage your crew, level them up, feed them, and choose who must perform. It’s a fantastic blend of strategy and tactics that should entertain from the off. However, once I had my tactics set, I rarely changed approach, nor did I bother with any new acts.

Deck-building, teamwork, and plenty of long-winded battles.

The deck-building element will attract an array of gamers to try this unusual take of a well-trodden mechanic. You will combine your performers to whittle down the crowd’s boredom meter while building to the grand finale. You must choose whether to attack your foes or defend your team. You’ll use an array of performers, from jugglers to strongmen. Each has strengths and weaknesses and must be used wisely to tackle the crowd. Then there are the buffs and debuffs that come from the correct management of your team. It’s a hefty mix of elements that should create a mouth-watering experience. Yet, it doesn’t!

It isn’t helped by the lack of reward or desire to mix up performers. In theory, you can hire an eclectic blend of acts that bring fresh tactics with them. Nonetheless, this brought unnecessary risks and undesired challenges. The adage if it isn’t broken don’t fix it couldn’t be more relevant. This sadly makes the gameplay plateaus early on and you grind out victory during each long-winded battle.

The card battles should have been interesting tactical encounters. Yet, they quickly become drawn out experiences that fail to evolve. The constant back and forth of chucking balls or defending from jeers from the crowd soon became tedious. Having to deal with this across three acts became a chore, and I felt the excitement draining from my body. It was a shame, as theoretically it should have been great, but with no reward for taking risks, I lost interest very early.

The Amazing American Circus has a Monty Python quality, but with unnecessary clichés.

When a game is set in the 18^th century, there is always the risk of outdated clichés rearing their ugly head. Sadly, The Amazing American Circus falls into this trap multiple times, notable in the depiction of Native Americans. The unnecessary stereotypes matched the era but could have been toned back with the same impact.

Other than this slight faux pas, you’ll witness a nice hand-drawn title that has an air of Monty Python. The crisp lines and sepia tones complement the wonderful character animations. The art style created a pleasant distraction from the tedium of much of the action and it captures the razzmatazz of circus life. It’s just disappointing that other elements suck the energy from it.

The audio combines a tasteful and colourful soundtrack with wooden acting. The lifeless delivery of the lines undermines a well thought out and nicely written script. I did, however, love the music and its jovial sound. It was era-specific and matched the theme. Sadly, this wasn’t enough to save this title from its shortcomings.

Work together to reduce their boredom meter.

Micromanagement, a nice UI, and surprisingly good with a controller.

Combining deck-building, tycoon management, and RPG elements was always going to create a complex title. The Amazing American Circus is an information dump that takes some sifting through. But, once you understand the fundamentals, you’ll manage your circus-like a pro. Thanks to its excellent UI, you’ll fly through the micromanagement moments with ease. This is also helped by the well thought out and surprisingly easy-to-use controller layout.

For the right gamer, this offers an intriguing proposition! If you are willing to experiment with your troupe and take unnecessary risks, you’ll experience unique battles and more variety than I ever did. There is also a large achievement list that requires multiple playthroughs to complete. Unfortunately, I don’t think enough people will be willing to experiment to get the most from this.

The Amazing American Circus is a bit of a damp squib.

I hate to be negative, yet I was left disappointed by The Amazing American Circus. Unlike its peers, there is no reward for mixing your team or taking a risk. This sadly undermines many of its fine qualities and turns you off almost immediately. If you combine this with the unnecessarily long battles, you experience something more arduous than fun. There is a player base for it, it simply won’t comprise me and I don’t recommend you to buy it. If you are interested, a copy can be purchased here! Wow the crowd, manage your performers and run the Amazing American Circus.

Review: Terrain of Magical Expertise

Charles Ombler

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Sep 19, 2021

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Terrain of Magical Expertise or TOME for short deserves a place alongside Tom Clancy’s High Altitude Warfare eXperimental squadron (HAWX) or First Encounter Assault Recon (FEAR) on the list of painful acronyms that were clearly determined backwards from the cool thing the acronym was supposed to spell. Sure, there is some terrain in the game but, as you’d probably expect, it’s the characters that have some magical expertise, not the terrain. Although, for reasons we’ll get onto later, shifting that magical expertise 6 feet under the terrain might be a good move for the enjoyability of game. The only saving grace for this appalling naming convention is that the game is named after the game you play in the game and that game in turn is named after the web series that inspired the game. So it’s the creators of the original series you have to blame for the name, not the fictional TOME developers or the developers of TOME. Clear? Good.

In TOME you play as White Hat, a hacker who has been hired to play the fictional MMO RPG of TOME (that’s a lot of acronyms). TOME is under threat from hackers who are using exploits and other hacking terms that I’m familiar with and know how to use to gain an immoral advantage in the game and spoil the fun for everyone else. As White Hat your job is to play your way through the game and take down the hackers, giving them a taste of their own medicine by combining your hacking skills with mastery of the mechanics of the game to take out the elite hacker trash, swinging a ban-hammer like Rockstar cleaning up a GTA Online server.

As fascinating as playing as a hacker sounds – the idea of being almost all-powerful thanks to your access to abilities beyond the scope of the game and well beyond those of your enemies – the execution of playing as a hacker doesn’t quite live up to those expectations. When you start the game you only really have access to one hack: the ability to stop an enemy from taking their turn. Unfortunately, playing a hack takes up your turn so you’re not benefitting much from stopping the enemy’s turn. If it’s a 2v2 fight you’re essentially removing a combatant from each side of the fight, leaving you with an equally challenging 1v1 fight to win.

More hacks get unlocked through the game but whether you can stomach playing far enough to unlock them is a big question. I chose the magic class because I’m not an idiot. Magic always has more interesting abilities – I’d take an Eldritch Blast over a bag full of ball bearings anyday. I’m not sure if it’s choosing the magic class that screwed me over and the game isn’t quite built for it, like how in Dark Souls choosing the magic class leaves you underpowered. But as your hacks are pretty impotent and magic isn’t much of a backup, the fights are hard. On your turn, you can do a melee attack for one damage or your main attack (magic in my case) for more significant damage. However, doing magic attacks takes mana which recharges unbelievably slowly. This means you’re left able to do a couple of magic attacks at the start of a fight and then waiting for several turns where you can only do your 1 damage melee attack while you wait for your mana to recharge.

I’m sure these complaints are early game issues and as you play more, unlock more and become more powerful they become less of an issue but that isn’t enough encouragement to push through it for me. As it stands, I have no motivation to progress that far because the early game is a difficult, frustrating and boring slog.

It would be a lie to say I enjoyed my time with TOME. There is an excellent idea buried somewhere deep in the design brief for the game but there is barely a vestige of that idea demonstrated in the final product. If you play for long enough you might be able to find something great in TOME but I don’t see much in the game to compel you to get that far.

Review: LEGO Super Mario Adventures with Luigi Starter Course

Andrew Edney

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Sep 18, 2021

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Review: LEGO Super Mario Adventures with Luigi Starter Course

Here is our review of the LEGO Super Mario Adventures with Luigi Starter Course.

Introduce children to the interactive LEGO Super Mario universe with this Adventures with Luigi Starter Course (71387). An awesome gift toy for trend-setting kids, it features a LEGO Luigi figure that gives instant expressive responses via an LCD screen and speaker. Players earn digital coins for helping LEGO Luigi complete spinning seesaw and flying challenges, interactions with Pink Yoshi and defeating Boom Boom and a Bone Goomba. The nougat-brown-coloured bricks in this Tower biome also trigger different reactions from LEGO Luigi, and the ? Block offers extra rewards.

What’s in the box?

The box contains 7 packs of LEGO and some simple initial instructions.

Building It

The in the box instructions give you enough detail to build the first set which is Luigi himself. You need put in 2 AAA batteries and download the app. Once you have done that you need to sync Luigi with your device and the app by pressing the Bluetooth button on his back.

The first thing that will then happen is that the app will update LEGO Mario – this took a few minutes to do so now would be a good time to sort the other bags of LEGO ready to build.

You can even see he is being updated by the image of a phone on his chest!

You can then step through the app to build each element. The app even shows a representation of the specific bag of LEGO to open and then walks you through step by step building it, even giving you the opportunity to have a 360 degree view to make sure you have built the thing correctly.

Now it’s time to play!

Final Thoughts

The starter kit comes with a lot of pieces to build and without the app you might have some problems (unless you like building LEGO without instructions). The app is actually brilliant, it tells you want pieces you need to build each section, with 360 degree views and then a little video at the end of each one showing what it can do.

The app also gives you tasks and challenges you can compete in, gives the ability to upload pictures of your creations and so much more. When you buy another set you can add it to the app very simply.

Building and playing with the LEGO Super Mario Luigi set was a lot of fun, certain pieces have a special bar code piece that the camera under Luigi reads in order to activate sounds and visuals on him, including collecting coins and finishing a course. You can even make him go to sleep if you want.

Having a main LEGO piece that plays sounds and has visuals is a really great idea and a lot of fun to play with on it’s own.

And the great thing about any LEGO set is that you can build it however you want and play with it however you want. And that’s exactly what we did. We can’t wait to add more pieces into our growing world!

You an even sync Luigi with Mario (if you have him) – that’s a lot of fun too and will bring hours upon hours of fun!

The set is aimed at ages 6 and over and contains 280 separate pieces and the LEGO code is 71387.

The LEGO Super Mario Adventures with Luigi Starter Course is available now priced £49.99 and is a so much fun – my 5 year old trusty assistant loves it (even though it’s not really aimed at his age quite yet!

You can learn more from the LEGO website.

Disclaimer: The LEGO Super Mario Adventures with Luigi Starter Course was sent to us for the purposes of an honest review. All opinions are the opinions of our reviewer.

Review: Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 1

Michael Hoade

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Sep 18, 2021

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Review: Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 1

Nippon Ichi Software, most well known for the hugely popular Disgaea series of strategy RPGs, has released a new collection; re-casting the spotlight on two of their less well known titles.

The first volume of the NIS classics collection contains Phantom Brave and Soul Nomad & The World Eaters, two strategy RPGs with 60+ hours of content (hundreds, for our completionist friends).

Released in 2004 and 2007 respectively, these two titles certainly have a lot of content on offer. But, is there enough on offer here to justify the full priced collection? And what changes have been made to these games – originally released on the Playstation 2 – to reach modern standards?

Were these ‘classic’ games even worth revisiting in the first place? Let’s discuss.

A tale of two titles:

Phantom Brave was one of the first Nippon Ichi titles to reach the West, whilst Soul Nomad came out to a much more lukewarm reception a few years later.

You can immediately see why this is: Phantom Brave is a far more conventional affair, with a familiar bright and colourful JRPG aesthetic – where every character has either a bright green or purple hairdo – and the idyllic tropical island home of our main protagonist, Marona.

On the other hand, the darker palette employed in Soul Nomad feels more like something from a WRPG, with the much more gloomy tone distinguishing itself from familiar titles – as does your team-up with Gig, the malevolent spirit who summoned the threatening World Eaters in the first place.

Where Phantom Brave received a sizable amount of releases on different platforms – and subsequent additional content to boot – Soul Nomad finally has the chance here to make a stronger second impression.

It is safe to say that this collection does offer two very complex and worthwhile tactical RPGs to sink countless hours into.

For those new to the genre – or just generally looking for a more structured experience – Phantom Brave provides a more accessible experience. You play as Marona, a young orphaned girl who has the ability to see and manipulate ghost-like phantoms. Unfortunately, this has led to Marona being deemed an outcast by society.

Thankfully Marona has Ash, a Phantom who was saved by her now deceased parents. Their bond carries the adventure, with good writing and voice acting adding plenty of humour.

The story itself isn’t anything new to JRPG fans, with the usual great evil rising to destroy peace. However, the characters managed to keep me engaged, along with the relatively straightforward mission structure.

Soul Nomad on the other hand, has you playing the role of silent protagonist (who can be male or female). At the start of the game, you receive a black sword which happens to house Gig: an ancient evil spirit, who subsequently attempts to take over your body. Funnily enough, Gig was the original creator of the World Eaters – yes, the exact beings that you are quested to take out.

You form a bond with Gig, which creates a fun gambit element to the game. By using more of Gigs power, you increase your chances at defeating the World Eaters, but at the same time, there is greater risk that you will lose yourself entirely to Gig.

Soul Nomad is a far less straightforward narrative experience, when compared with the largely linear Phantom Brave. You could, if you wanted, immediately give into Gig’s power at the start of the game. There are a few different endings that you can get, and paths to explore, depending on how much you choose to involve Gig in the narrative. I really enjoyed this structure.

The contrast between the games is definitely a strength of the collection. Narratively speaking, both these games felt distinct and enjoyable, in their own way.

Stories get the thumbs up from me, but how about the gameplay?

Engaging and complex:

… is probably the most apt description for both games’ combat systems.

Again, both systems feel fairly distinct from one another.

Phantom Brave feels decidedly more classic RPG. The usual turn-based affair is altered in an interesting way, however, as Marona is the main conductor of combat. You are also not tied to a strict grid, unlike in Disgaea.

Marona has the ability to summon the phantoms, who will fight on her behalf. This includes Ash. To add the Phantoms to the field, you bind them to various environmental objects, which will affect the characters stats in interesting ways. For example, binding a character to a flower will increase their spellcasting, which, whilst not great for a warrior, might benefit a healer or mage archetype.

Challenge comes in a variety of ways. Phantoms only have a set amount of turns that they can remain on the field, and with a limit on the number of Phantoms, there is a lot to consider when using Marona.

Tutorials do well to alleviate some of the combats complexity, but this is a thoughtful system that will punish you if you rush in without considering each move; as I learnt early on when I struggled to deal with an enemy tethered to a healing tree.

Soul Nomad has you creating and controlling different units (think somewhat akin to Fire Emblem), which you house in different rooms. Position of each unit is important within the room, as it will determine how each troop behaves and there are a number of different combos to consider.

These units deploy like an army on the game’s grid system, and when you attack, each of the soldiers within the unit will attack all at once. Rooms can also be used to increase stats and provide buffs by using different trinkets.

There is definitely more pre-battle prep required in Soul Nomad, but again, it provides a rewarding combat experience that can be explored deeply (for some crazy damage numbers).

Overall, much like the narratives, both games in this collection offer fun tactical gameplay, with their own quirks and equally deep systems.

Should you buy it?

After reviewing the story and gameplay, I must say I am impressed with how well both these games hold up to modern standards. The voice acting and the writing for the main characters is very good and the gameplay is fun and stays interesting.

Sadly, there are some elements of these games that really show their age.

The character sprites, whilst delightfully designed and generally okay in handheld (not good, by modern standards), become extremely blurry in docked mode. This is especially evident with Soul Nomad: you can see that this game hasn’t been touched since the PS2 days.

Also, I mentioned before that the voice acting is generally good for the main cast. Well for side characters, and other less important dialogue, both games suffer from some hilariously bad performances. This isn’t to say that on the whole the voice acting is bad; just widely inconsistent.

These were both clearly well made games at the time, but it is clear that, throughout this collection, both games have largely remained untouched. Phantom Brave fairs a bit better – due to the later releases on other platforms – but the extent to which this collection offers a ‘remaster’ of these games is minimal. I think for the price of the collection, I would have expected more work to have been done to improve both games’ overall visual presentation.

That is just a word of warning; if you’re hoping for two games that will feel at all modern, then this collection may not be for you.

However, what you will get is two very solid – and distinct – games. I genuinely enjoyed playing both Phantom Brave and Soul Nomad, and found the characters in each game to be especially interesting!

Review: Broken Blades

Daniel Waite

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Sep 18, 2021

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My disdain for rogue-like games has waned over the years, but the mention of the genre still fills me with fear. This is especially true when you include the words hardcore and 2D platformer! So when I was offered Broken Blades I put on my big boy pants and decided to face the challenge headfirst.

This has been developed and published by two Polish studios; Golden Eggs Studio and West Wind Games. It’s a brutal, procedurally generated 2D platform title that has a unique crafting mechanic and character progression system. It’s not a game for the faint of heart and will make you want to smash your controller within five minutes of playing.

Broken Blades takes inspiration from some market-leading titles.

I always enjoy it when a developer clearly shows its inspiration for its project, and Broken Blades is no different. It draws from games such as Dead Cells, Rogue Legacy, and Skull: Hero Slayer. Players that are familiar with these titles will enjoy the nods to these much-loved games. Yet, Broken Blades offers enough to be enjoyed on its merit.

With its horrifically difficult rogue-like elements, procedurally generated dungeons, unique crafting system, and character progression, each playthrough is different. The dungeons utilise a Metroidvania approach, and the labyrinthine levels ask you to search for gold, upgrades, and sword shards. You’ll encounter an array of monsters that want to kill you. You must be careful, have oodles of dexterity, and plan ahead if you wish to survive. Death undoes all your hard work, but get used to this as death is all but guaranteed.

Upgrade scrolls, sword shards, and monstrous bosses!

What I loved about Broken Blades were the random upgrade scrolls and the sword shards. With two options available per scroll, you can create the character of your dreams. You decide whether to increase health, armour, attack power, or tame wild animals. You must decide which approach you wish to take and hope that luck is on your side.

The interesting crafting system asks you to combine random sword shards to create a mighty weapon. The buffs come at a cost though, as the larger your weapon becomes, the slower it swings. You must weigh up power and abilities with agility, but a weaker attack. There is no right answer, and many playthroughs require you to be flexible. This randomness was fantastic, and it ensured that every attempt was unique.

Every stage culminates in a tough boss battle that is guaranteed to screw you over. You must identify their weaknesses while desperately avoiding their attacks. You’ll die repeatedly and have to clear the dungeon again! This may seem tiresome, but the challenging experience makes the eventual success extremely rewarding.

Broken Blades is inspired by fairytales.

I’m always a fan of fairytale-inspired games and Broken Blades implements this style perfectly. With its dark cavernous dungeons and fantasy creatures, the aesthetics ooze fairytale charm. The simple yet clean images move around the stages smoothly and I experienced no frame rate issues or stuttering. I enjoyed the variety across each dungeon, and this helped to stop the action from becoming stale.

The audio was sadly repetitive. This wasn’t helped by the brutal difficulty and the requirement to repeat levels. The upbeat synth music had a classic indie vibe, but its chirpy sound quickly became annoying. You’ll shut off to its cheerful ways as you die for the n^th time. It’s not unbearable by any stretch, but more variety would have been warmly received.

Slow controls make it frustrating.

The control setup was well thought out and was easy to master with both a controller and mouse and keyboard. Sadly, however, a latency issue impacts the gameplay. In a title where reactions matter, this was badly implemented. You’ll attempt to dodge blows or attack your foes, but your efforts will be in vain. You’ll fail because of these issues and this adds to the already harsh difficulty.

Your desire to keep playing this will depend on your sadomasochistic tendencies. The repeated failure of stages enforces you revisit the same bit of dungeon, albeit with different traps and foes. For some players, this will be too much, but for those that love the genre, they will enjoy the challenge this brings. This, combined with a moderate achievement list, ensures there is plenty of replay value.

Broken Blades is a well-designed but tough rogue-like title.

Broken Blades core concept doesn’t stray too far from the genre’s much-loved formula. However, its unique crafting and character progression stand out against its peers. It’s a well-designed but tough rogue-like title that will punish its player base. I can’t say I enjoyed its brutality, but it’s good and I recommend you to buy it here! Upgrade your sword, collect scrolls, and try to survive.

Sam Brace releases Panic

News

Andrew Edney

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Sep 18, 2021

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Skinny Lister’s guitarist swaps Shanty Punk for Indie Rock as he debuts with an apocalyptic track penned in lockdown sounding like its time travelled straight out of 1998!

Skinny Lister’s electric guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, Sam Brace makes a major departure from the Skinny sound with an epic take on the apocalypse and loose comment on the current state of the world. Launching through California based Stay Free Recordings on limited edition 7” Vinyl with two colour runs, Panic sees Brace step out on his own for the first time as a solo artist.

“This is something I’ve been wanting to do for years but just never had the time to sit down and actually make it happen” commented Brace, “The process has been liberating and I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to get back to making music which I truly resonate with, although it has been endlessly fun running with Skinny for all these years, my influences are very much more on the David Bowie, Arcade Fire, Kate Bush, Elliot Smith and Radiohead side of things which I hope you’ll hear sprinkles of in the record. A full 11 track album is finished and I just can’t wait to release it!”

After spending most of the last 10 years on the road playing major festivals, headline world tours, as well as supporting the likes of Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly and Chuck Ragan with Skinny Lister, Brace was ready for a break, and as Covid struck in early 2020, he was able to finally start work on writing a solo record.

Brace continued: “The songs have all been written and recorded by myself with my old mate co-writer, Adam Tarry who I used to be in bands with at school back in the day, at the start of lockdown one quite out of the blue, he sent over a video of him playing a Longpigs track and we got to talking about doing some originals together, he sent me a very basic verse and chorus which, over the course of the next couple of weeks, I turned into a fully formed, Panic. We’ve continued to work together and now have 11 tracks finished and ready to release later this year or early 2022.”

Find Sam Brace online at:

Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Soundcloud
YouTube
Sam Brace Website
Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon / Deezer

Review: myFirst Camera Insta 2

Andrew Edney

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Sep 17, 2021

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Here is our review of the myFirst Camera Insta 2.

myFirst Camera Insta 2 is designed to add joy and fun to your child’s learning process. Unlike a conventional instant printing cameras photo, this instant camera for kids uses thermal printing to create vivid and clear photos without needing to wait for the pic to dry. No shaking needed! Your child will be printing memories immediately with our 10-second printing capabilities!

Specifications

Photo resolution: 12M/9M/6M/3M
Video resolution: 1920*1080 / 30fps
2.4” IPS color screen
Battery capacity: 1500mAh
Charging time: 2.5 hours
Camera weight: 8.2 oz / 232 g

What’s in the box?

The box contains the myFirst Camera Insta 2, 2 rolls of High Quality Thermal Paper, 1 roll of Thermal Sticker Paper, Charging cable, Neck lanyard and Quick Start Guide.

A Closer Look

Final Thoughts

When you first take the camera out of its box you will notice that it’s quite large, although it’s easy to hold as you can see demonstrated by my trust 5 year old assistant above.

Once the camera is charged and the memory card inserted, along with a roll of paper, it’s time to get using it.

You can just take pictures using either the front or rear camera – both work very well. Once you have a picture you want to print, you just select it and print. It’s fairly quick to print and then you just tear off the picture and you are done. The quality isn’t fantastic, but its usable and fun! If you want a high quality print then you can always print the pictures on a proper printer. But this is designed for quick and easy prints, and for that it works very well. There’s even a roll of sticker paper so that you can stick your prints anywhere you like. Each roll gets around 80 pictures.

The battery takes about 4 hours to charge but will last all day!

There are other fun features on the camera too so it’s way more than just something to take pictures on.

The myFirst Camera Insta 2 is available now priced around £93.50 and is a lot of fun to use.

You can learn more from the myFirst website.

Review: Lost in Random

Daniel Waite

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Sep 17, 2021

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There are people in this world who demand structure and order. They fear the unknown and won’t let randomness or chance control their lives. Then there are the ones who love a gamble and thrive off the risks involved. No matter which one you are, why not contemplate this question! How about a world where every rule and event is dominated by randomness and a roll of the dice? Would this excite you? Scare you? Or something in-between? This is the oppressive and exciting reality for the zany people and creatures of Lost in Random.

Developed by Zoink and published by EA, this is a macabre indie action-adventure title. Set in a grim Tim Burton-esque world, you must traverse six zones while helping the citizens of each district. With a distinct fairytale narrative and dark but comical characters, this game hits you immediately with its striking style.

Lost in Random is the cartoon version of The Hunger Games, without the brutal violence.

Lost in Random core concept revolves around six districts, that each complete a different role for the kingdom. Where you live is decided by the Queen and a roll of her all-powerful dice. Every child on their twelfth birthday must roll the dice to unveil their destiny. Unlucky individuals will roll a one and live their lives in Onetopia a damp and dank dockyard town. The people are poor and life is hard. If you are lucky, you’ll roll a six where the Queen will be your master and you the servant.

You take on the role of one of the twins, known as ‘Even’. Her sister ‘Odd’ has luck on her side as she rolls a six to land a dream life beside the Queen. ‘Even’ should be happy for her sister, yet she is haunted by nightmares of ‘Odd’ screaming for help, and she convinces herself that she must rescue her. This is where the adventure begins and your journey traverses some weird and wonderful lands.

A vibrant world that’s full of colourful characters.

Lost in Random gave me the impression there would be a vast open world to explore. Sadly, this wasn’t the case. The plot flows linearly, with the central quest line highlighted throughout. You travel through each district completing tasks for the whacky and creepy NPCs who add humour and uneasy tones to this bizarre tale. The rigid plot is supported by an array of excellent side quests, collectables, and puzzles to complete. These elements add some freedom to the game and ensure that you don’t feel rushed or railroaded to get to the finale.

If you adore finer details and interacting with the surrounding characters, then you’ll fall for the charm that oozes from Lost in Random. The NPCs are some of the best I’ve experienced in an adventure title. Their bizarre speech patterns, interesting looks, and unnerving one-liners add energy to this sombre tale.

Excellent combat, but luck can be a pain in the arse.

Though the NPCs intricately piece together the story, much of the gameplay focuses on its interesting combat mechanics. The real-time battles that follow a hack n slash style are punctuated with luck and tactical elements. Your foes have crystals growing from their bodies, and you must dodge their attacks and shoot them with your slingshot while collecting the fallen shards. This powers your deck of cards that comprise fifteen items and allows you to unleash your special ability. It materialises in the form of Dicey! He is your Pip-earning, storage-wielding key to progress, and is also your secret weapon. As you throw him to the ground, time is frozen and a roll of the dice occurs. Depending on the result, you can now play one or multiple cards to add buffs, drop shields, or attack your enemies.

It was an interesting way to add tactics and to reinforce the element of luck. When the roll of the dice falls your way, you’ll love how easy the fights are. However, Lady Luck is fickle, and when it goes wrong, you’ll squeal and shriek with rage.

Lost in Random is a beautifully oppressive world.

Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder, and Lost in Random proves that. This horrendous and sinister world shouldn’t be so beautiful, yet I was captivated by it. The miserable colour palette and freaky character models were enough to give me nightmares for months! Yet, I couldn’t get enough of the surrounding landscapes. Zoink has created the perfect fairytale-inspired world with some of the most grotesque creatures I’ve ever seen.

The audio emphasises the surreal nature of the story, thanks to its excellent acting, classic narration, and haunting soundtrack. The three elements combined brilliantly to add drama and tension to the action. Lost in Random’s presentation borrows heavily from Tim Burton’s films and works fantastically well with the plot. Fans of his macabre yet comical style will love what’s on offer here.

Complex rules, but easy to play.

Most card-based combat games have a steep learning curve, yet this one isn’t so bad. There are many rules to learn, but most can be studied on the fly and that makes this extremely accessible. Combining this with the well-planned button layout makes it very easy to play. However, to master it and excel during each battle, you’ll need to practise and understand each card you hold. Moving around the world was easy thanks to orbs that highlight interactive objects. This enhances its user-friendly approach and makes it a joy to play.

Thanks to its collectables, multiple side quests, and unique NPCs, there are plenty of reasons to return. Sadly, the linear approach impacts replay value slightly, but the interesting world will drag you back in for another visit. The moderate achievement list will be a challenge for completionists and adds hours to its meaty gameplay.

Lost in Random is an exceptional indie title.

Lost in Random took me by surprise, mainly because of its fantastic story and excellent presentation. I adored the mixture of NPCs, the well-devised side quests, political turmoil, and a heavy dose of luck. It’s an exceptional indie title that I recommend you to buy here! Roll the dice, begin your adventure, and save your sister. Let’s hope that luck is on your side!

How to Restore a Classic Car

cars

Andrew Edney

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Sep 16, 2021

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If you’re a car enthusiast, you might have thought about restoring a classic car before. Not only can it be a fun, challenging project, but you will also be left with a gorgeous car that you can either sell for profit or keep for yourself. However, before you embark on this venture, it’s important to understand that it can be an expensive hobby. Think about whether the cost of a project like this will be worth it for you, and also if you have the time to dedicate to it so that it doesn’t sit in your garage half-completed for years. If you think this is something you’re able to do, here are a few basic tips on how to restore a classic car.

Find Room to Work on it

Firstly, you will need to make sure you have adequate space to work on your restoration project. If you have a large garage at home that can accommodate this, then great; if not, you might want to consider leasing a space such as a storage unit or workshop space that will be big enough to fit your car, give you room to work, and to store it securely when you’re not around.

Assess the Amount of Work You Need to Do

Some cars will need more attention than others, so once you have your classic car check it all over to see how much work there truly is to do. The seller should have walked through this with you, but it’s always good to double-check in case they have missed anything out. Take photographs of the vehicle if this helps, and this will also help you throughout the project to remember where everything goes. You can always get a professional mechanic to take a look at it for you if you’re not entirely sure.

Take it Apart

When you have assessed the work that needs doing, and you’re confident that you have everything you need to get started, the fun part begins. You will need to remove the windscreen and make sure that the glass is kept somewhere safe unless you are planning to replace it altogether due to damage. Then take out the seats, carpets, and trim from the interior of the car, and you might want to take off the bumpers as well, particularly if they need to have the chrome restored. Take out the dashboard as well, but make a note of where all the gauges and dials go. If you want to replace any of these, you will need to purchase a gauge kit.

Send Off Parts

You will need to send parts of the car to be tested and restored by experts, such as having the engine tested and rebuilt if necessary. Having the body of the car properly stripped and repainted is also worth doing if you have little to no experience doing this yourself; otherwise, you won’t have the best finish. Seats may also need to be reupholstered after years of wear and tear.

Putting it Back Together

When you have all the parts restored, it’s time to put the car back together. Start within wiring in the car and make sure that is working correctly. Then you can put the dashboard back on, followed by the carpets and trim. Then put back on the windscreen and the rear window, the doors and other windows, the seats, and recarpet the trunk. Finally, put the bumpers back on, and voila! Your car should be ready to go!

Restoring a classic car can be a very satisfying project if you do it right, and while there are more intricate steps that aren’t listed here, this will be the basic order you should be working in.

How to Customize Your Car

cars

Andrew Edney

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Sep 16, 2021

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Having a car can provide a great sense of freedom. It allows you to get around at times that suit your schedule, rather than relying on the routines of public transport. You can pick up friends and go out for the day to places further afield or drive to a remote place to enjoy a tranquil weekend break when you need a relaxing break. It even makes it easier to do your grocery shopping each week. Yes, having a car is great, but it’s also nice to make it feel like the vehicle is truly yours, rather than just another model that has been manufactured in a giant workshop somewhere. If you want to give your car a more personal touch, here are a few ways you can customize it.

Rear-view Mirror Accessories

You mustn’t have too many things hanging off your rear-view mirror, as this can be distracting or obstruct your view. However, having some nice car air freshener hanging from there will not only make it smell great, but you can get some that have aesthetically pleasing designs as well. Other people choose to hang good luck charms on their rear-view mirrors or other decorative items.

Body Modifications

If the first suggestions aren’t enough for you, perhaps making some more significant changes is what you’re looking for? You can always make some modifications to the body of your car, such as a new paint job if you don’t like the color or would like to have a pattern painted on your car. You may want to change the glass in the door windows to tinted glass for more privacy if your car doesn’t have this already. You could even give your car a little lift if you find it easier to drive with a view from higher up or that it’s easier to get in and out of the car this way. Look at this Subaru Outback lift kit to see an example of the difference this modification can make.

New Upholstery

If you’re happy with the exterior of your car but would like the interior to be more your style, you can always update the upholstery. You could look at getting leather seats installed if this is a look that you like or changing the color of the fabric. The carpets and interior trim can also be replaced if you think they are looking shabby or again would prefer a different color. This can help to make your car feel more comfortable and is a great way to put your spin on it.

Personalized License Plates

This is possibly the most common way that people choose to customize their car because it is one of the most affordable changes that you can make. Whether you want to include your initials, a nickname, or make sure your lucky number appears on your license plate, having yours personalized is a great way to make your mark.

If you love your car but would like it to suit your style a little bit more, consider the suggestions above on how you can customize it and choose one or two options that work for you.

5 Ideas for Tech Loving Families

News

Andrew Edney

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Sep 16, 2021

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If technology such as gadgets and gaming comprise a large part of your family life, then this is the guide for you. Compiling some of the best and most fun ideas for tech-loving families, it will make sure that never a day goes past without enjoying all that technology has to offer or without bringing a smile to your family’s faces.

Get a Subscription Box

Most of the ideas on this list are one-time activities, that, while being incredibly fun, are often over before you can blink. However, subscription boxes make sure that fun is delivered to your front door every single month. Although you might associate subscription boxes with beauty and food, this is not always the case. Instead, there are subscription boxes to suit everybody, including those who love technology, games, movies, and everything nerdy. Then, there are subscription boxes available for every single member of your family, from children to adults, which will help to give you all a boost regularly. You might even consider sharing the box between you if you cannot afford to commit to more than one box.

Invest in Home Gadgets

As a tech-loving family, you should consider surrounding yourselves with technology by investing in the best gadgets for your home. Some of the basics include a high-quality, HD television, surround sound speakers, and a games console that can bring the family together. You could even decide to dedicate a part of your home to your love for technology by creating a high-tech entertainment room. However, gadgets can also help you to complete the most mundane tasks out there, with voice assistants and smart tech such as smart ovens, locks, and vacuum cleaners helping you to lead a more relaxed life.

Go on a Tech Vacation

You can even make technology a large part of your vacation. Not only can you take tech with you in the form of tablets to watch movies on and portable games consoles, but there are also many destinations around the world that can help you to immerse yourself within the world of tech and to learn more about the latest technology. These destinations can make you feel as if you have been blasted into the future, although, if you don’t want to travel as far as the future, a vacation to Disney World can offer you the chance to spend a day in Tomorrowland.

Combine Tech and Family Time

Although tech time and family time can often seem like they are entirely separate slots in your schedule, this is not the case. Instead, there are many tech-related activities that you can do as a family, from watching a movie or playing a game together, to creating tech quizzes and doing tech craft projects together.

Go on a Tech-Savvy Day Trip

There are also many tech-savvy day trips that you can go on if your family can’t get enough of technology. These include trips to science museums, which often have technology exhibitions, as well as tours around tech sites, such as nuclear bunkers and even space-related locations. Going on day trips can allow you to visit the places where discoveries were made and see tech history in action.

Review: Merek’s Market

Daniel Waite

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Sep 16, 2021

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Village life isn’t for everyone! You know exactly what the community has been up to, and secrets are hard to keep. Then, there is the lack of amenities to contend with. If you are lucky, you’ll have a quaint pub and perhaps a village shop. Shockingly, this tiny convenience store stocks everything and it’s more surprising when your requested item is not available. Merek’s Market captures this small town mentality within its hectic action.

Developed and published by Big Village Games, this is a medieval solo and cooperative crafting title. Like the market-leading Moving Out or Overcooked, Merek’s Market relies upon teamwork and a cool demeanour to be successful.

Merek’s Market is funny and will test your ability to plan.

Like its peers, Merek’s Market tests your ability to plan. You must learn to best utilise the surrounding space to serve as many customers as possible. Slow work or mistakes are costly and errors will downgrade your final score. You must follow recipes, collecting the correct ingredients while using different workstations. The orders come in thick and fast and you must prioritise crafting, selling, and haggling however you see fit.

As the game progresses, Merek’s shop expands, perks are unlocked, and new blueprints for crafting are awarded. The gameplay quickly evolves from being a fun and easy to manage experience to a full-blown headache-inducing menace. You’ll contend with ill-tempered customers, faulty equipment, haggling, and special orders. It can get messy pretty quickly, but the gameplay rarely becomes tedious and you will chuckle thanks to Merek’s amusing ways.

The cutscenes and his relationship with his customers are hilarious to watch. These wonderful bits of cinematic are a welcome break from the fast-paced action, and they usually indicate a new mechanic or special event. The pace and delivery of new elements were well-thought-out and created amusing moments.

Read the clues and remember the recipes.

Merek’s Market will get under your skin as it tests your memory at every stage. If you are happy to receive a low score and simplify matters, you can refer to the recipe book throughout. However, if you wish to speed things up and receive the highest score, you must memorise a ridiculous amount of recipes. Matters quickly get out of hand and you’ll mix incorrect ingredients, use the wrong tools, and mess up repeatedly. It was fantastic fun and this unique approach made it stand out from its peers.

A market would be soulless if you couldn’t haggle and fortunately, Merek’s Market has this covered. Customers reel off a vast amount of information regarding the item they want and the amount of money they have. You must choose what to sell them, decide on your price, and hope they agree. If they don’t, well, it’s haggling time and you have to be careful not to upset them. Like the memory element, this was equally fantastic. I loved the additional challenges it created, and I especially enjoyed kicking out time wasters.

Merek’s Market looks good, runs smoothly, and captures the medieval theme well.

This genre has progressively become a fun and polished arena that keeps improving. Merek’s Market is up there with the best titles, with its crisp and well-finished presentation. The isometric viewpoint and earthy colour palette make following the action pleasurable. The cartoon art style is what I expected, and the imagery worked well with the comical undertones. The constant supply of people and back-and-forth movements could have made it a juddery mess. Fortunately, this wasn’t the case. The gameplay is smooth and even when things got out of hand; I experienced no issues.

The medieval theme continues in the fun and lively audio. The acting will win no Oscars, but I enjoyed the comical one-liners, nonetheless. The soundtrack is interesting to listen to and supports the madness perfectly. I loved the sound effects but expected them to be less realistic and to be more whimsical. This mattered not, as both the visual and audio presentations were completed to a high standard.

The easiest game to play in the genre.

I’ve played and reviewed most of this genre and I was surprised by how easy this was to play. Usually, I’m concerned that the controls are clumsy or physics-based mechanics are implemented. Fortunately, neither of these things was true of Merek’s Market and it was a pleasure to play immediately. With a few buttons to memorise and a gentle learning curve, this is mastered in no time.

Thanks to its approachable gameplay, solo and cooperative action, and thorough achievement list, this has ample replay value. Fifty levels stand between you and completion, and every stage is ranked from bronze to gold. To increase longevity, the couch co-op mode has a full adventure for you to enjoy with friends. This additional section was a pleasant surprise, and I thoroughly enjoyed falling out with friends and family while serving the whole town.

Merek’s Market competes with the genre’s leading titles.

In such a competitive marketplace, it’s hard to stand out. Luckily, Merek’s Market has done just that thanks to its unique approach and moreish gameplay. Its wonderful cartoon style, comical audio, excellent single and co-op game modes, and approachable mechanics means it competes with the genre’s leading titles. I loved it and recommend you to buy it here! Open a shop, craft exactly what the customer wants, and get rich in the process.