Review: Skully

Daniel Waite

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Feb 17, 2021

Colourful, fun and challenging 3D platform games are scarce. We all know that a platforming title gets released in some form nearly every week, but I want one that ticks all the boxes. Skully has made a great effort in fulfilling that criteria. It’s bright, modern, cartoon graphics combined with an enthusiastic audio, and humorous dialogue make this an enjoyable experience from the off. If you then add; a good storyline, hard (ish) levels and a variety of game mechanics, then I think I’ve found a winner.

Developed by Finish Line Games Inc. and published by Modus Games, this delightful platform title asks you to go on an adventure around a remote island. You are reanimated by one deity (Terry), he has summoned you to help with his three siblings. A fight over the land has erupted, and you are expected to help calm down the situation and restore order to this once peaceful land.

A platformer that plays like the classics.

Whenever I think of great titles from this genre, I’m drawn to; Spyro, Mario, Ape Escape and Croc. They all have; strong stories, excellent mechanics, stunning graphics, and are accessible to gamers of all ages. Skully isn’t far off achieving this greatness. The world that you explore is a dangerous place, yet with a little practice, it’s easy to navigate. A mixture of mechanics that must be combined with the environment make for an interesting and unusual experience.

Skully can; roll, jump, and transform into different forms. Random mud pools are located around the map that act as a checkpoint. As you roll into them, they allow you to change to a hulking rock figure. This beast can smash boulders, push over rocks, and more. He will annihilate any creatures in his path and allow Skully to access otherwise blocked areas. It was a clever twist that ensured you had to think about the approach for each problem that you faced.

An expansive world following a linear path.

The world around you appears open and vast, but well designed levels push you towards the stage goal. All 18 chapters that you face follow this approach, though some use a different camera angle to add suspense and tension. Gamers may find the lack of an open-world frustrating, but I enjoyed knowing I was free to explore without the risk of losing myself for hours in each chapter.

Another frustration that may be felt is lack of variety in gameplay. For me, I was ok with this as I believe the game cleverly uses its environment. It ensures you must adapt your approach to its evolving ways; new monsters, many pathways, and more challenging surfaces to traverse mean you must be careful how you plan to proceed in each level.

It has the heart of a platformer, but it’s missing the soul!

Platforming games aren’t all about the story and the loveable characters. No, they are also about the challenge of finding all its collectables and what they add to the core gameplay. These are the soul of the platform genre and if this is weak, it can seriously undermine the integrity of a game. Unfortunately, Skully truly messed this part up!

Flowers are situated around each stage with a counter highlighting how close you are to finding each one. They are well hidden, and locating them all is difficult and adds hours to each playthrough, but it’s a shallow and pointless target. Gathering all, or none has the same impact on the character progression. It matters not if you skip past them as they offer no; boosts, health increase or new attacks. It was a lifeless task that was not in keeping with the genre, and a missed opportunity for the developers.

It’s great to look at.

An argument can be made for its core concept and mechanics. But you can’t say anything bad about its presentation. It’s an incredibly vibrant world that’s amazing to look at. The art style is crisp, detailed, and looks spectacular on the Series X. The camera pans around you in a seamless motion, and the world is alive because of the beautiful landscapes that you explore.

This is helped in part by the folksy and upbeat audio that drills energy deep into everything that the game does. The voice-over work is amusing, well delivered, and helps to build a rapport with each character. The sound effects are childish, magical, and just what the game needs to be in keeping with its theme. It’s an intelligent approach by the developers and is up there with the best of its peers.

Remarkably easy to play.

I’m not usually a fan of constant on-screen tutorials, but it worked well in Skully. Gentle reminders on how to transform were shown at each checkpoint, though it wasn’t always necessary, it was more of a help than a hindrance. Moving and completing actions was a smooth and responsive experience. The simple UI allowed you to focus on what you were doing, and it was a joy to play, even with its mini drawbacks.

If you are a completionist, you are going to despise the flowers by chapter 18. Luckily, there is a level select option to ensure that you don’t endure every stage again. This would be the only reason to return, so it unfortunately does lack replay value.

Does Skully stand out amongst its peers?

On the whole, it does a very good job. Most of the cogs are moving in the right direction, and you will have fun throughout. But the weak points cannot be ignored. The main one has to be the collectables. A disappointing and pointless task that adds no purpose other than to keep you playing for a few more hours. I wish the developers had integrated this portion more intelligently. So, do I recommend it? Yes, it’s positives outweigh its negatives, and it does a good job on the whole. Can you help Terry see eye to eye with his siblings, or is this magical paradise destined to be war-torn for Eternity?

Review: She Remembered Caterpillars

Edward Bobincheck

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Feb 17, 2021

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I would imagine that naming a video game is harder than one would think. I actually liken it to writing introductory paragraphs honestly. For me, writing these openings require me to avoiding giving away my entire opinion while teasing it slightly. For video game publishers and developers, they’re trying to catch your attention by standing out. So I ask you this reader; does She Remembered Caterpillars stand out to you at all?

A puzzle game brought to us by Ysbryd Games, She Remembered Caterpillars is like no puzzle game that comes to memory. Part of that might be my normal aversion to puzzle games due to a combination of ADHD fueled impatience, and poor challenge curving in the few I’ve tried. The genre has given me enjoyment before, as I reviewed an indie game titled Swim Out at my first (and now defunct and offline) site with a positive 7.5/10 score.

What stood out to me first about She Remembered Caterpillars in terms of gameplay is that it lacks a fail state. This differs from the other games in the genre that I’ve experienced. I felt this was a brilliant decision that keeps the focus on finding success rather than avoiding failure. Not only that, but it helped keep my mind clear and calm. My frustrations never boiled over, causing a rage quit or angry gesture.

The challenges provided were quite numerous despite the simple goal. Your task is to move all the Gammies onto a pad. Having to navigate the colorful bridges and gates that fill the stage present turn a singular goal into a complex puzzle. The rules are presented without words and does a fantastic job of showing you what you need to know.

The feedback the game provides is strong despite the simplicity in the methods. A red Gammy can cross a red bridge with no problem, but if a blue Gammy tries to, the bridge will raise up to stop it in its tracks. However, if the red Gammy tries to walk between a red gate, they’ll be stopped as the posts writhe and wiggle. Later mechanics add a bit more complexity, but the visual feedback explains in a way that words can’t as easily.

Speaking of visuals, I once again feel compelled to go into detail about them. While with Gelly Break I wanted to call them out, here I need to sing high praise. Every visual choice was perfectly made. The backgrounds are calming, bleak, and unique, setting a distinct and macabre tone. They hide beautifully and allow the bright colors of interactive pieces to shine through and steal your focus. However, what makes the visuals top notch are the inclusions of shapes.

Where Gelly Break featured no color distinction, She Remembered Caterpillars makes every character and obstacle clear as day by tying the colors to a different shape. For example, red Gammies all feature square heads, with both the red gates and bridges built out of squares. Later in the game you can merge colors, and again the game mixes the shapes as well, turning the red squares and blue circles into a purple half circle. This accessibility for color blind players is an absolute highlight that allows others to enjoy the game, which is always a win.

Going back and reading my Swim Out review, one thing that stood out as a negative to me was the lack of a narrative. While I understand that not everything needs a story, having a framing device can help provide motivation and craft a ‘just one more level’ mindset. She Remembered Caterpillars once again makes a smart selection by featuring a light story element between puzzles.

At the start of each map there’s a sentence or two that tells a tale of loss and love, of regret and dedication. Speaking about their father, the narrator hooked right into my fatherly heartstrings, compelling me to push myself to swiftly complete the game to unlock all the lines. The result provided what is my biggest negative to the game being that I felt it doesn’t properly resolve. I eagerly fought to solve challenge after challenge, got invested into the fable provided, only to never get a satisfying conclusion.

What I did get going through the entire game was a master class on how to naturally scale difficulty. The first few levels serve as a solid introduction to the rules, and then they take off in terms of adversity. Yet I believe that the complications arise not out of unfairness, but rather unfamiliarity. You’re pushed to think steps ahead, working backwards using the information provided in order to successfully complete the level. By the time you reach the last of a set of levels, the struggles have you thinking multiple moves in advance rather than hiding a simple solution. Then once you’ve gotten used to the design it shifts on you, introducing a new wrinkle that alters the flow of movement and resets your line of thinking.

Almost every move the game makes is perfect, yet a slight nit-pick I had was the diagonal movement design. On one hand I see the benefit as it allows the obstacles to stand out and show up easier placement wise. Yet I also found the Gammies to control slightly erratically, undercutting the game ever-so-slightly. By no means was this a deal breaker, but it did stick out to me in the long run.
Against all odds though, She Remembered Caterpillars is a game that blew me away. I had a great time solving each puzzle, and in later stages the completion of them resulted in me physically celebrating with a fist pump. The story, while lacking a strong resolution, is still touching, and does a good job of keeping you invested in the game. While I don’t feel it deserves a perfect score, She Remembered Caterpillars is still an exceptional game that you should absolutely pick up. It’s definitely a title that I’ll remember for quite awhile.

Review: Talking Tom Candy Run

Jack Boreham

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Feb 16, 2021

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At its heart, Talking Tom Candy Run is an endless runner. Although it has some appealing features with a cute art style and charming music. It does not reinvent the wheel in terms of what an endless runner can do. Thus, Talking Tom Candy Run is a rather uninspiring endless runner, adding relatively little to an already saturated genre.

Not all that sweet

From first starting Talking Tom Candy Run the games cartoon-style graphics and music immediately strike you. It is charming and adds a nice joyful feel to the game. The game involves you controlling Talking Tom (a cat) and his companions through a side-scrolling level, collecting candies, which improves your score. This mechanic is a classic. Since the birth of side-scrolling endless runners, almost nearly all of them had had this simple mechanic of gaining collectables to better your score. Think of Temple Run, one of the subgenres most popular titles. Talking Tom Candy Run is no exception, just this time you are collecting candies. Thus, the game in a nutshell.

Besides a reasonably bland co-op mode and an NPC challenge mode, Talking Tom Candy Run adds nothing new to endless runners’ genre. It involves simple endless runner gameplay with no depth. I quickly found myself getting bored with the game due to its repetitiveness. Although I am negatively portraying the game, it’s not a bad endless runner. It just adds very little to the genre, which is disappointing.

On a positive note, it is worth pointing out the game makes the player collect these candies to build a candy store. The more candies you collect, the bigger your store will become. The addition of a shop building mechanic is a nice feature. Instead of the game making you collect candies to purchase powerups, there is an objective to this candy collecting mayhem. I can see the ability to upgrade your shop, adding an addictive element to the game. Likewise, the game does a good job in adding, although not deep, some levels of customisation, which is also a nice touch.

The games a bit mallow

Nevertheless, Talking Tom Candy Run shouldn’t have been on console platforms such as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It does not reinvent the wheel in terms of endless runner mechanics. The graphics are nice, but simple, making the game best suited for mobile and handled devices such as the Nintendo Switch rather than on these platforms, and there is no depth to its other game modes or customisation options. Thus, the game’s best suited to the mobile and handheld devices’ pick-up and go mentality and played best there.

Verdict

Talking Tom Candy Run is not a good game. Despite a few nice features, it fails to reinvent the endless runner genre’s wheel adding nothing new, making the game repetitive and boring. It also has very little depth, in terms of its gameplay modes, customisation and graphical capability making the game best suited to mobile and handheld devices.

Review: Gem Wizards Tactics

Davide Roriz

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Feb 16, 2021

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Gem Wizards Tactics is a turn-based squad tactics game where you can play as one out of three different factions. The best thing about this though is the fact that they’re all asymmetric. In other words, each unit type and each faction plays a lot different from each other. Besides that, the game promises to deliver an “endless challenge”. This is mostly achieved thanks to randomly generated maps and somewhat of a free-form campaign structure.

Besides the campaign, which you can play with any of the three factions, there’s also some sort of ranked mode and custom games, if that’s your thing. The campaign consists of a series of randomly generated levels, where you have to capture enemy flags in order to win. There isn’t really any story to it, you just keep playing these encounters until you liberate 100% of the map before your enemies achieve their full strength.

Things aren’t that straightforward as they might seem though. For instance, you can only take a small squad with you on each mission, and if you lose one of your units, they’re gone for good. Thankfully, some missions give you the chance to rescue random units, some of which might be veterans, so there is an optional element of risk versus reward. Nonetheless, the game is pretty challenging as is and since there aren’t any difficulty options, you can find your playthrough doomed rather quickly. This is simply due to the fact that there isn’t any way to recruit new units outside of missions. Hopefully, the developer does add some way to mitigate this in the future, whether in the form of new difficulty modes or allowing players to acquire troops by some other means.

In a way, what makes the core gameplay loop of Gem Wizards Tactics sound exciting is the fact that you’re always outnumbered, so you have to get creative in terms of tactics. Thankfully, the game doesn’t really present that much of an entry barrier. The gameplay and controls are pretty straightforward and easy to pick up. In some ways, Gem Wizards Tactics is exactly what you’d expect from your standard turn-based squad tactics game. Every action revolves around an action points system, there’s a flanking mechanic, and obviously, there are different units that offer various distinct abilities. Furthermore, every time a unit attacks another, they will both deal and receive damage, with the amount of damage being based on both units attack and defence values.

Although this is certainly a game that’s easy to pick up, I can definitely see people getting absolutely destroyed if they don’t take advantage of the game’s mechanics. Gem Wizards Tactics places a lot of focus on troop positioning and unit abilities and how they can not only synergize with one another, but also how they can impact the terrain. For example, if you manage to position enemies in a river and then you use a storm on a tile of that river, you’ll be able to damage every single unit that’s standing on tiles from that river. The game allows you to exploit its systems in various ways, mostly through nature’s elements, but it’s up to you to pay attention to the terrain and unit positioning and figure out when and where these opportunities arise. More than sheer strength, it’s the player’s creativity that plays a big role in how combat plays out.

Even though Gem Wizards Tactics can surprise with its combat, it absolutely falls flat when it comes to mission design. Despite featuring randomly generated maps, the objective in each level is always the same, you just capture enough flags to win. This gets old pretty quickly. Although I admit that the synergies and reactions between the different units, elements, and the terrain can be alluring at first, everything else about the game just feels bland. At first, it seemed like there was going to be some sort of narrative that was going to unfold, but it quickly became apparent that, besides a few monologues here and there, there isn’t anything else to it. It’s obvious that a lot of thought and work has been put into this game, but, unfortunately, after just a couple of hours, I was already tired of it.

At the end of the day, this game still feels very much like a work in progress. Don’t get me wrong, Gem Wizards Tactics has the potential to have a really addictive gameplay loop, but right now, it’s just lacking something to make it special. The fact that the game doesn’t really have anything else going for it other than the combat also doesn’t help matters. Still, it’s clear that the developer plans to update the game, as is evident by the 4 “COMING SOON” factions that you can see in the faction selection screen. To be honest, everything about Gem Wizards Tactics screams Early Access, but the game has been as a finished product. I certainly hope that more content gets added to the game in the future, and hopefully, that will make Gem Wizards Tactics a much better game than it currently is. As it stands, I find it hard to recommend it.

(Reviewed on PC, the game will be available for Windows on Steam)

Review: Dungeon & Bombs

Daniel Waite

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Feb 16, 2021

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I’m a big fan of developers being allowed creative license, but even I think that sometimes they go too far. Dungeons & Bombs is a prime example of the mind of a team running wild with ideas. Developed by PigeonDev and published by Sometimes You, this retro, arcade, puzzle title follows the basic concept of the genre well, but with a weird twist chucked in for good measure.

Using the influence from the Sokoban puzzle games, Dungeon & Bombs asks the hero to work his way around small maps, avoiding traps, placing bombs, and destroying crates. So far, nothing too unusual with that, right? Bear with me, though. The calm and prosperous kingdom becomes overrun with orcs, necromancers and other unworldly creatures. The beautiful Princess has been kidnapped, and only you can save her. Here is where it gets weird! As a knight you do not have a sword, so, armed with only your wit and bombs, you must enter each dungeon and save the bearded…..yes bearded Princess.

50 levels of weird timed action.

Oddly, you save the bearded lady once, but then she gets captured again. This happens across each of the 50 levels, so you’d think they’d have learned after it happened twice, but obviously not! Each of the stages has a movement counter, and every step reduces the figure, as does being hit by monsters or spikes. You must plan your route to your glamorous prize, but if you take too long, the world blows up, and all is lost. Sad times indeed.

Though the story is silly and absurd, the puzzles are well designed and require a fairly high amount of logic skill. As with all games in this genre, the difficulty increases on a gradual curve, and you regularly have to rethink your approach to a stage. PigeonDev clearly likes a bit of a challenge. They offer no hint or solution system at all, so if you find yourself stuck, you must either cheat (more on this later), get a solution, or give up playing.

It’s good until you find out you can cheat.

I’ve played enough games to realise that programming errors occur, and I’ve come to terms with this. What I can’t accept, however, is when issues impact the gameplay. Players can cheat from start to end if they wish. Puzzle games are supposed to be challenging, but a method seen on YouTube allows you to run from start to finish without solving a single stage. How this got through testing is beyond me! If I was to rate the game based on this, it would score at most a 2.

Obviously, cheating isn’t required, so let’s put that to one side. In the first 10 stages, you are shown all the game mechanics. These failed to evolve from the moment they were introduced until the title ends. The puzzles got more complicated, but the lack of new ideas and the continued use of the same stage layouts make it repetitive. It was as if the developers spent all their creative ideas on the wonderfully odd storyline.

Retro aesthetic.

This sense of Deja Vu continues with the old-school look and sound. If you’ve played enough indie titles, every part of this will feel familiar. A pixelated 2D fixed screen arena awaits you on each level, and dark, earthy tones make up most of the colour palette. Each of the sprites has a light resemblance to their description, and are pleasant to look at. However, you won’t be blown away by the presentation, and though it is perfectly serviceable, it offers nothing new.

“Bah dah dah dah daaa, Bah dah dah dah daaaaa!” Get used to that beat, that repeats over, and over, and over again. This bassy audio really suits the atmosphere of the game, and creates a sense of peril. Even though there is limited movement, the audio adds pressure to complete each stage quickly. The sound effects of; doors opening, players moving and bombs exploding suited the style of this game. The simplicity and repetitive sounds helped to emphasise the retro nature of this title.

Simple game, simple controls.

Move, drop bombs and move again. That’s it, that is all you do! The complexity does not lie in the control system, but the puzzles that you solve, and I liked that from PigeonDev. It was easy to pick up, and I was concentrating on the problems and not how to play it after stage 2.

When a game offers 50 levels for around £3, you think that’s pretty good value for money. If you don’t cheat your way to victory, it really is. The solutions aren’t easy to come by, and though the concept and the level design are repetitive, it’s an enjoyable if not odd casual experience. It lacks replay value as its achievement list is unlocked through natural progression. So, once you’ve finished this, I can’t see you wanting to return to play it again.

A game of 2 scores.

It’s rare for me to split my thoughts over two very different scores, but for Dungeons & Bombs there is little choice. If I was to ignore the glaring issues with the coding that allows players to cheat, then I give this one a 6 out of 10. The cheating is unforgivable, which results in a score of 2 out of 10. I’m going to guess that it will be patched out, because of this I will stick with my higher rating.

A tough puzzle game awaits anyone brave enough to take on this title with a very odd storyline. Plan your approach to each stage, blow up boxes, kill monsters and save the Princess. Do I recommend it? Even with its issues, yes. A copy can be purchased here! Enjoy it for what it is and don’t cheat your way to victory!

Review: Scribblenauts Showdown

Frances Addison

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Feb 15, 2021

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At a time when high-octane, fast-paced FPS games dominate the player vs. player space, Scribblenauts Showdown is a breath of fresh air. With a cutesy animation style, jaunty music, and overall light tone, this game is probably the last thing players might picture when they hear the word ‘showdown’, but it absolutely makes it work.

In line with its simplistic style, the gameplay is not overly complicated: type in words to create objects or apply adjectives to things, and use said items in competitive minigames or to solve puzzles.

The true victory of Scribblenauts Showdown is its typing mechanic. As a game that relies on you typing in the names of objects in order to solve puzzles and complete minigames, I was initially bracing myself for the tedious process of trying to navigate a QWERTY keyboard with a controller and I could not have been more thrilled to be wrong. Instead, typing in Scribblenauts Showdown relies on a letter wheel wherein you use a thumbstick to select a group of four letters and then use the correspondingly-located button to choose the right letter. The system is very easy to use and within a few minutes, you’ll be able to conjure up a huge range of objects in rapid succession.

And there is a tremendous range to choose from. As with previous titles in the Scribblenauts series, Showdown gives players an impressive level of freedom when it comes to interacting with the game world. While it’s certainly possible to test words that the game doesn’t have an answer for, the vast majority of items or adjectives you want to use are available to you.

It’s perhaps to Scribblenauts Showdown’s detriment then that this central mechanic is only really put to use in the game’s Sandbox mode. The titular ‘showdown’ elements of the game only generally require players to select a single item at the start of the round which will then influence the difficulty of the minigame. While this does allow for a certain amount of creativity by limiting players to words beginning with a specific letter and favouring items with specific properties – heavy, light, flat, sharp etc. – it still feels like this approach cripples the main draw of Scribblenauts games.

Fortunately, the Sandbox levels help to plug this gap. This single-player mode is a much more traditional Sribblenauts experience, with a series of small worlds to explore that are populated by NPCs with problems that need solving. Each game world has its own unique environments and challenges to explore, enabling more creativity that you can find in the ‘main’ game. The Sandbox isn’t perfect, with some of the puzzles requiring overly-specific solutions and others remaining obscure even after purchasing a clue to help you along, but there’s a lot of fun to be had there all the same.

None of this is to say that the ‘showdown’ elements of the game are a total loss. While they largely ignore the main mechanic the Scribblenauts games are known for, they have a certain appeal all of their own that is only heightened by the fact that they can be played in couch co-op. Given that a lot of us are spending more time at home than we might otherwise, it’s nice to see a modern game that actively embraces the ability to play alongside one another on the same screen. The games themselves are generally very simple, but there’s enough variety on offer to keep things interesting.

Put together with the charming art style and music that will be familiar to anyone who has played previous Scribblenauts titles, Showdown is a delightful little game to pass the time with a few friends on a rainy afternoon.

Review: Ys: Memories of Celceta

Jonah Ehlers

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Feb 15, 2021

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Hordes of beasts and monsters, uncharted territory, a mysterious world, a protagonist with their memories wiped, a lovable crew with hearts of gold, and some wonderfully flashy combat. Ys: Memories of Celceta has it all, and a little bit more.

My Shame

Originally released on the PS Vita, Memories of Celceta has finally made its way to PS4, joining the likes of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana and Ys IX: Monstrum Nox. Ys is a long running series with its roots stretching all the way back to 1987. And yet, I remained unaware of its existence and success until I got my hands on Memories of Celceta. On one hand I’m disappointed that I had overlooked this franchise; but on the other I’m grateful for exactly that.

You see once upon a time I was a very casual and extremely impatient gamer. I was also afflicted with a very narrow mind in terms of the genres I enjoyed. I doubt the Jonah of old would have given any Ys entries the time of day. The person writing this review, however, actively seeks new genres, and my-oh-my did I leave myself a treasure trove of experiences. Especially in the world of JRPGs. Until I turned 19 I hadn’t touched a single JRPG, shameful I know. The game that led me toward redemption was Persona 5. I doubt I could have picked a better entry point. Since then it’s been a slow slog toward completing more Japanese titles. With the cornucopia of options from past and present, I couldn’t be more excited.

But I digress. Memories of Celceta is a great title with a lot to offer fans of role-playing games. From the combat to the crafting it’s got all the familiar features one expects from these kinds of titles and does them a great service in both their reasonable depth and excellent accessibility.

What’s It About?

In Memories of Celceta you play as Adol Christin, a famous adventurer, who begins this journey as a blank slate. He has lost his memories in the forest of Celceta, but has not lost his adventurous spirit; exactly what he’ll need to start down the treacherous path of recovering his past and finding out what exactly happened.

Amnesia is a great starting point for newcomers to the Ys Series as Adol learns about the world and its inhabitants in much the same way that the player will. Having him start from this clean state allows for a natural progression in worldbuilding. There are healthy doses of exposition due to this, but thankfully they never overstay their welcome. Along the way you acquire party members for a roster of 6 including Adol himself.

He is tasked with mapping the same forest he lost his memories in and in doing so encounters isolated villages and towns. Having you slowly recover memories and explore the map in tandem make for some excellent pacing in its exposition and overall narrative. The two work symbiotically and can be done at the player’s pace.

The Crew

That being said the story here is pretty good, it doesn’t tread any especially new ground, but hits all of its story beats effectively. It ends up amounting to the classic tale of two powerful forces sharing a similar goal, but wildly different methods of achieving it. What helps the whole narrative along, however is the ensemble you have traveling alongside you.

Your 5 party members bring levity and emotion to plot points and have a decent amount of depth. Each member has their own personal goals and reasons for joining your cause. They are never solely dependent on you or live to serve at your side. They have come to respect you and after finding your quests to be similar, offer their aid to you. Almost every character has a personality of their own and a dynamic between one another. They bring not just personality to the table, but also their own unique move sets.

However, it did feel that at times certain characters went a little underutilised. Particularly Calilica, the mace wielding striker. She has motivations for being there and is directly involved in the plot. Yet both her unique ability and presence in that narrative felt a little undercooked to me. She’s not alone in this, as Ozma’s unique ability was also few and far between in use compared to the others.

Frantic Combat, With a Dash of Flair

The gameplay of Memories of Celceta is simple and straightforward, Combat amounts to attacks, dashes to evade and guards to block. Timing an evade or guard has some great incentive. A flash evade slows time allowing for a quick counter; while a flash guard replenishes skill points or SP, allowing for more special skills. These skills are what create the wonderfully flashy fight. Each character has their own skills which deal different damage, status effects; and differ in range and area of effect. Across the campaign you will be encountering a plethora of abilities for everyone and by the end you’ll be a walking instrument of death, with moves endemic to Japanese titles.

It should be noted that while relatively straightforward, the game does add a layer of depth to it that is completely optional to the player. You could just pick up and equip a weapon or armour and leave it at that. You also have the option of reinforcing your gear. What this means is a weapon can have status effects applied to it, or armour can be made to have resistances to specific status effects. Thus you can have a sword that deals poison damage over time, along with the ability to freeze an enemy in place for a limited time.

This is great because you can have each party member specialise at a specific status effect. One member might focus on damage, burning and critical hits; while another might excel at freeze, paralyze and poison. You’re not the only ones who can apply status effects, though. The beasts and bosses you battle are more than capable of applying these effects to you. This is where armour reinforcements come into play. You can prepare for an area that you know has poisonous enemies by focusing on that area in crafting.

That Can’t Be It

Unfortunately in Memories of Celceta there’s no real endgame content. You go from beating the main story, to credits, right back to the main menu which prompts you to start a new game plus. While I’m grateful for a NG+, I felt a distinct lack of closure. Both in the inability to go around exploring to get 100% map completion and in the lack of finality to party members’ storylines. It just kind of ends, and Adol is shown to continue his adventure, alone once more. I would have loved to have a quick chat with Duren and the Gang to see what their futures hold. Perhaps at least one last chance to get a pat on the back and a, “Job Well Done.”

Sight & Sound

One thing to keep in mind is when Memories of Celceta initially released. The game came out in 2012 on the PS Vita and has been remastered for the PS4. This means that visuals will seem a little more dated than some people might expect, but it hardly looks bad. While mostly set in a traditional forest, it does hold some unique locations such as the forest of ash. There are towns to explore, ruins to delve into and caves to clear out. There is also a wide range of monsters to fight, I was seriously astounded by the amount of creatures you come across. They are native to certain parts of the forest or specific caves and many species never appear in more than one location. The monsters and bosses alike have some really cool visual variety and are more than intimidating at times.

I must say I’m a fan of the music in use here. They often have this strange familiarity to them. Like one might have heard in another title or even anime. But I believe that is a symptom of their quality. These are tracks that set the tone without being intrusive or grating. You’ll hear the same song in every town, but it never really gets old, at least in my opinion. I even caught myself whistling or humming along to the soundtrack. Once or twice when I wasn’t even playing the game.

Ys: Memories of Celceta is a great time, it’s got some wildly fun combat, a simple and intuitive crafting system, and a cast of characters that really grow on you. Not to mention a solid runtime of anywhere between 20-30 hours. Perhaps more depending on your play style and difficulty setting. I know I’ll be checking out some more Ys titles in the near future.

Review: Orbi Tri-band Mesh WiFi 6 System

Andrew Edney

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Feb 15, 2021

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Review: Orbi Tri-band Mesh WiFi 6 System

Here is our review of the Orbi Tri-band Mesh WiFi 6 System.

Orbi WiFi 6 is a Tri-Band WiFi System built with the latest and fastest WiFi 6 technology to provide you and your family with the ultimate smart home experience throughout your entire home with next level WiFi coverage and connection capacity.

Features

Ultimate Performance Whole Home Mesh WiFi System–Covers large homes up to 6,000 sq. ft with fast WiFi. System includes a WiFi router and two satellites.
Powerful AX Mesh WiFi System– Keeps all your connections strong in every room, all the time. Enjoy 4K/8K UHD streaming and online gaming to multiple screens simultaneously without interruption.
WiFi 6 Brings Capacity Beyond Belief – Latest generation WiFi 6 technology is faster than ever, with 4X increased capacity compared to a WiFi 5 (802.11ac) system. From 1 to 100 devices, WiFi 6 supports your devices’ connections for today and tomorrow.
Seamless and Consistent Mesh WiFi Coverage- From front door to backyard and in every corner of your home. A dedicated quad-stream WiFi 6 backhaul allows up to four data streams on each band.
Built for the Gigabit Internet Speeds Everywhere ^†– Innovative Tri-band WiFi helps maximize the internet speeds available in your home to every device.
Multi-Gigabit Internet Speeds Ready – 2.5Gbps Ethernet port support multigigabit Internet speeds available from service providers. Or use port aggregation to combine two Gigabit Ethernet (LAN and WAN) ports for multi-Gigabit speeds.
NETGEAR Armor – Best-in-class anti-virus and data theft protection for all of your smartphones and computers. Protects your connected home from internet threats.
Easy to Set Up and Use – Simple setup and WiFi management with the Orbi app. Create a guest network, view connected devices, and perform speed tests.
Connect More Wired Devices- 4 Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports on each router and satellite support home offices or home entertainment areas.
Works with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant so you can use voice commands to control your home WiFi network.

What’s in the box?

The box contains the Orbi Router, an Orbi Satellite, ethernet cables, power adaptors and a guide.

Setting up the Orbi

Once you have connected up the Orbi router it’s time to work through the setting process. Connected to the Orbi WiFi network and follow the onscreen process.

You can also choose to add a satellite at this point in the process, but I waited until later – the choice is yours.

You can then upgrade any firmware.

And that’s it – the router is set up and ready to use.

Using the Orbi

Configuring the Orbi and making any changes are handled either through the Orbi app or through your browser. Below shows the browser version, as you can see it is very easy to see what your options are and to select anything you want to see more of.

You can make changes to your Internet setup:

Change Wireless settings:

You can easily see what is connected, with a signifiant amount of detail:

If you want to enable Guest access you can do so:

There are also a number of advanced options to choose from and view:

Placing the Orbi Satellite

Once you have your Orbi router and network configured just how you want it the next step is to place your satellite, or satellites where you want them. Once you have them physically located where you want them it’s just a case of clicking on Add Orbi Satellite from the menu and following the on-screen instructions.

Once the process is complete you will be able to see them listed on the Attached Devices page, as you can see below.

Then all you need to do is connect up your devices to your Orbi network and away you go.

Final Thoughts

Setting up the router is relatively straightforward and fairly quick – just follow each of the steps and you should be up and running in no time.

One of the steps during the setup is a firmware check – make sure that you upgrade to the latest version of the firmware otherwise you might run into some problems.

You can choose to have your satellite or satellites connect to the router, or each other via WiFi – which depending on your walls and room layouts might work perfectly well, or if you have a wired connection near where you want the satellites you should connect the satellites to it. This then connects each satellite to the router using the Ethernet backhaul process which ensures you get the maximum possible speed from each satellite otherwise you will be limited to whatever speed the satellites will get when connecting either to the router or to each other. I noticed a significant speed and reliability increase when connecting the satellites to the router via Ethernet.

Then all you have to do is make any configuration settings you want and have your devices connect to the Orbi network and that’s it. Each satellite, along with the router also has Ethernet ports on the back so if you have devices that need a wired connection you can easily utilise those.

There are a lot of different configuration settings you can make – so do take the time to go through them all before you start connecting your devices as the web front end provides a lot of useful information as well.

The overall coverage you get with the Orbi is really great – and walking around where you do have coverage with your device provides a seamless constant connection. Speed wise I found the connection to be excellent when the satellites were connected to the router via Ethernet, and between very good and good when connected via Wi-Fi, although to be fair the was because of my particular setup, so make sure you do your own testing, but if you can use Ethernet for the satellite to router connections you won’t be disappointed.

If you are looking for the fastest and easiest to setup and use WiFi 6 Mesh system for your home then look no further than the Orbi Tri-band Mesh WiFi 6, it’s fantastic!

The Orbi Tri-band Mesh WiFi 6 System is available now priced around £700 for the router and one satellite version (RBK852). Additional satellites can be purchased and added to your system as you need them.

You can learn more from the Netgear website.

Review: Story of a Gladiator

Daniel Waite

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Feb 15, 2021

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Gladiators have been entertaining crowds for centuries, and our love for these brutal killers hasn’t waned. From the theatre of the Colosseum, to films, TV series and computer games, their deadly ways create as much excitement now as they ever did. Story of a Gladiator tells the tale of one man who has lost his way.

Developed and published by Brain Seal Limited, this gory arena fighting game has you hacking and slashing your way through waves and waves of warriors. You must survive each round that you face, all while slaying your opponents in the most unusual way possible. Merely killing someone isn’t enough, you must decapitate them or crush their body under a leaping attack. It matters not what you do, as long as it entertains.

A simple yet fun concept.

The main premise behind this couldn’t be simpler. You control a man who questions his god’s existence. He began drinking too much and fighting in taverns. He would sleep with questionable ladies and was considered a mess. One day he stumbles across a Champion of the Arena, a man mountain, and someone who he aspires to be. This is the sign he needs, he knows what he is destined to become.

Your path is now laid out before you. You start at the bottom; a brawler with no skills and limited equipment. With luck on your side, you will win over the crowds and be victorious. You must upgrade your gladiator by levelling up, earning gold and buying better; armour, shields and weapons. You may request the help of the gods and use food and amulets to improve your stats. Animals will be your ally and your foe, and make a deadly opponent and companion during a battle. You soon learn that all-out attack isn’t always the best option, so planning and tactics are a must.

Lots of depth.

For such a straightforward concept, it has some in-depth mechanics. A wide range of weapons are available that offer a variety of tactical advantages. Battle boosts from food and amulets must be chosen wisely, as must the skill points earned at each level. You will receive enhanced damage on attacks and a range of fighting techniques. These can be learned and forgotten at any point to allow you to alter your approach to any fight.

As your enemies become stronger, you must become more savvy with your approach. Rolling past your foes and stabbing them in the back looks great and incurs a damage boost. Combining attacks gets the crowd going and rewards you with health replenishing foods and bags of gold. I absolutely loved the slick attacks and mindless violence. It’s unashamedly gory, and most fights end with bodies and limbs scattered over the arena.

The road to becoming a champion.

Becoming an arena god would never be quick. You face 3 different venues, each with their own challenges and unique enemies. The waves of gladiators that you face get progressively harder and gaining the 3 star rating for each battle is no mean feat. Any battle can be replayed at any point, and all gold earned is used to overcome the increase in difficulty faced in the latter rounds.

It has a clever and well balanced route to victory and though it is enjoyable, it screams “Grind Fest”. No matter how good you are at arcade fighting games, this one will spank you repeatedly. It’s an addictive, rage inducing game that will make you as angry as it does happy.

So many limbs and so much blood.

For such a basic looking game, it depicts the disgustingly gory nature of the arena to a tee. The 2D side-scrolling images move around the arena in a smooth fashion. Combat animation and the action never stutter, nor are there any issues, even when its hectic and the screen is full of bodies. The old-school character models worked really well, as did the use of a dull colour palette. There wasn’t much variety in the arenas, but this wasn’t an issue. With so much going on, you never had time to observe the environment.

The audio lived up the retro hype and was reminiscent of a Mega Drive game. The constant grunts, screams and other masculine noises made for a very manly title, but damn was it annoying after a while. The music was nothing more than expected and suited the theme and the fighting genre.

So many buttons to press.

When you’re not battling you can relax in town.

To continue on with the arcade nature, Story of a Gladiator uses button combinations in everything it does. Though none of them were complicated, it takes a bit of focus to ensure no mistakes were made. As the action gets more hectic, I found I was pressing the wrong buttons, but I think this was my problem and you probably won’t suffer with this issue.

Alongside the story mode with its 3 challengers to choose from, there is a tournament to compete in. Again 3 characters are available and you must compete against wave after wave of opponents to be named champion. This was a great distraction from the main story and enabled you to experience some endgame traits without enduring all the grinding.

All the gore and violence without the risk.

Brain Seal Limited has done a great job of recreating the brutal environment and high energy that came with all the killing in the arena. An in-depth skill tree and equipment selection enables you to choose the game style that suits your approach. Do I recommend this? Yes, so buy it here! Fun, fast-paced, bloody action awaits anyone who wishes to become a champion. Start from nothing, wow the crowds and become the next big thing.

Review: The Wild Eight

Daniel Waite

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Feb 15, 2021

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I rarely get close to being Liam Neeson from The Grey. More recently, my chance came when the Beast from the East 2 struck the UK. Even so, the closest I came to starving or dying of thirst was when I ran out of Doritos, and my beer supply ran worryingly low. Death was also never an issue, though it was a close-run thing when one of my kids kicked me in the balls. This all changed the moment I installed The Wild Eight. It’s a delightfully dark survival game based around the wintry tundra of the Alaskan plains.

Developed by Fntastic and published by Hypetrain Digital, this survival game has you running across miles of snowy procedurally generated lands. A remarkably accessible game that offers a brutal experience with a relatively gentle learning curve for the genre. Death will certainly happen, but you have a fighting chance of preventing it, even if you are new to the game.

Few stats to manage, but it keeps you thinking.

Unlike a lot of its peers, The Wild Eight has kept its character survival stats to a bare minimum. This is great if you are new to the genre, or if you simply dislike micromanaging a virtual person’s life. You must focus on; health, food and temperature, and that’s it. And keeping each one topped up is as straightforward as it should be. Suddenly cold? Build a fire, find shelter or chuck some wood in your furnace. Hungry? Go foraging, beat to death a wild animal, or eat the remains of yourself (this happens more often than I care to think about). Low on health? Medikits, bandages or sleep. This is surviving all wrapped up for you!

Surviving is always easy when you have friends.

If only it were that simple. After you come around from your plane crash (original I know), and you’ve escaped the many wolves roaming around (Liam Neeson’s, The Grey *cough cough*), there is plenty for you to do. You will; explore bunkers, search warehouses, follow electrical lines for miles, and more. Each lead to different quests and objectives. It was a great way to progress the story and ensure that you ventured far from the safety of your snowy base.

Wolves and character progression.

You will want to stay close to home as the army of never-ending wolves hunt you relentlessly. These evil menaces love nothing more than to rip your throat out, leaving your remains strewn across the snowy ground. This is frustrating, annoying, but not the end of the world if you play on the easy setting. Respawn, retrace your steps and collect all your goods. Just make sure Mr Wolf doesn’t kill you again.

One way to ensure these furry hell hounds are less of a problem is to level yourself and all your buildings up. Fntastic balanced this just right. No matter how much you try, you can’t steamroller your way through the skill trees. Items must be collected, hunted or made, it’s slow progress, but it’s rewarding and challenging, just how a survival title should be.

It may be cold, but the fire and food are always hot.

Improving your buildings leads to new items and environmental boosts. Your basic shelter turns into a warm haven, and your workshop transforms into a place to get top tools and weapons to battle the elements and the wildlife. It’s brilliantly balanced and keeps the action pushing you to the end.

Filled with despair and a small ray of hope.

It’s incredible when a developer transports you to their creation with some emotive audio and great art style. From the off, you are sucked into this world of despair and sorrow. The vast emptiness and a sense of loss are at odds with the beauty of the surrounding scene. A blanket of untouched pure white snow lies before you. If it wasn’t for the situation you find yourself in, you’d be in awe of your new-found surroundings.

Playing out from a bird’s-eye perspective, this simple cartoon style title will suck you in with its easy on the eye and no-nonsense approach. The grid-like map is easy to navigate as your field of view is large. Character models are basic but detailed enough, and the use of cold tones emphasise the icy bleak world you now live in.

The audio complements this perfectly. A sad minor toned audio plays out quietly in the background. It allows the sound effects of the eerie howling wind, the crunch of feet in the snow, and the padding of animal feet to sound over it. Like the graphics, it’s not complicated or triple-A-rated, but its simplicity works brilliantly in this setting and is thoroughly enjoyable, if not a tiny bit depressing.

Berries, mushrooms and a Wildebeest. The joy’s of the great outdoors.

Clumsy controls.

Unfortunately, Fntastic didn’t get everything right with their port to console. This is noticeable in the clunky and clumsy control system. Though the UI is well designed, and lends itself to easy navigation, you still press the wrong buttons repeatedly. When time is of the essence, and your stats are ticking down, you don’t want to die because of the control setup, but you will, and you do, all the time. Without a doubt, this would handle better on a PC. The UI lends itself to the use of keyboard and mouse over controller, and though it’s serviceable, it’s frustrating.

With several difficulties to choose between, a procedurally generated map, and different approaches being offered to succeed, this oozes replay value. A challenging achievement list ensures that would-be completionists must play through every portion of this to get their 100% status. This is one survival game that will keep you coming back for more.

More than you’d expect.

When I first saw this advertised, I was sure that it would be “just” another survival game, but yet it surprised me. With its generous difficulty curve, glorious aesthetics and ample replay value, it will test newbies and veterans of the genre. I enjoyed how the developers dipped their toes into the world of surreal and fantasy alongside their realistic survival mechanics. I won’t spoil it for you, but you will find some joyous and brutal surprises during your time in Alaska. Do I recommend it? Absolutely! It’s a cracking example of a survival game and can be purchased here! Do you have what it takes to venture into the snowy tundra and come out stronger on the other side? Plenty of ice, wolves, and mysteries lie ahead for those who take on The Wild Eight.

Two Minute Review: Confetti 88 from Geomag

Andrew Edney

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Feb 15, 2021

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Two Minute Review: Confetti 88 from Geomag

Playtime can be fun with the Confetti 88 from Geomag, here is our two minute review.

Geomag Classic is an inventive system of simple construction made of 58 mm magnetic rods and steel spheres. A huge number of shapes, geometric figures and models of every kind can be constructed. Geomag stimulates creativity and logical reasoning. The variety of the shapes and their transformations make it possible to create different structures continuously.

The wonderful Geomag Confetti set is the perfect introduction into the world of construction and creativity. With 88 pieces you’ll only need a few parts to create some awesome magnetic constructions. Full of vibrant colour the magnetic rods and non-magnetic and safe steel spheres come together to create a hundred of patterns, structures, and shapes.

The set is fun and educational, the inventive system of simple construction is made of 58mm magnetic rods and steel spheres. Stimulating creativity and logical reasoning and featuring all the components of STEM, (acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), the set is great for the whole family.

You only need to add imagination to the set and you are well on your way to create a unique masterpiece. Geomag magnetic kits are the perfect way to express your creativity. There is virtually no limit to the creations that you can make.

Final Thoughts

The Confetti 88 set we were sent was the 88 piece set and there are other sets to choose from (more more or less pieces).

You can create anything your mind (or the mind of your child) can think of, and its a lot of fun to put something together and feel that snap as the magnetic pieces come together. There are examples in the box of shapes and structures you can put together and other suggestions available on the Geomag website.

It’s not only fun to build, but it’s a fun way of teach your child about magnetism – seeing my 4 years old face when the pieces appeared to push away from each other was priceless.

The Confetti 88 set is available now priced around £39 and is aimed at ages 3 and up. There are different sized sets, so have a look and see which one fits you best. This will make a really fun present and you will find yourself wanting to buy more sets just to build bigger and more fun creations.

You can learn more from the Geomag website.

Review: Splashy Cube

Wyatt J. Sinclair

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Feb 15, 2021

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Let’s Make a Splash(y)

Do games need to have complex control schemes to provide an entertaining gameplay experience? Definitely not. For every Monster Hunter game that requires you to remember increasingly difficult control schemes, there is an incredibly simplistic game like Galaga that pulls you in with easy to pick up, tightly responsive gameplay. Splashy Cube for Nintendo Switch is a game that certainly falls into the latter category.

Everything about Splashy Cube screams mobile gameplay with its touchscreen control scheme, bite-sized levels, and the barebones UI. The game originally came out on iOS as Splashy Cube: Color Run in 2018. The responsiveness, fast-paced gameplay, and “just one more try” persistence the game cultivates is perfect for the hybrid Switch console.

Just Move Forward

Splashy Cube is also a game with a very simple premise. You play as a cube whose goal is to scoot to the end of procedurally generated labyrinths while collecting same-colored blobs and avoiding obstacles. Buzzsaws, protruding spikes, dead-ends, and pits are all out to get the cube. The challenge navigating these snags is that the stage is constantly plummeting into the abyss and your cube can only move in forward diagonals. This is accomplished by pressing the L/ZL and R/ZR buttons.

I did not have high expectations of the game upon booting it up for the first time, but I was later proven wrong. The main navigation menu offers a single-player gameplay mode, a modest customization suite to change the look of your cube from around one dozen options that you unlock through gameplay, a national leaderboard, and the ever-present credits. The developer missed a real opportunity by not adding a multiplayer mode to the Switch port of the game. However, if Splashy Cube had included one, it would easily rank in my top multiplayer games on Switch.

Splashy Cube dropped me into the first level without any hand-holding. I was told by the game to press A to start and given the two-button control scheme. But outside of that, I could choose my own adventure, so to speak. Is this cube an Arthurian hero trying to save the prince from a hidden dungeon? Maybe it is a race-cube driver trying to set the record for fastest hotlap. It can be anything that you want.

What Makes a Good Game?

The key to a good game is having the ability to make the player say “one more try” or “one more level.” Splashy Cube overwhelmingly succeeds in this category. I originally set aside 15 minutes to get some first impressions of the game. However, when I looked at my watch, 30 minutes had zipped by. If you have chores to do or scheduled commitments to keep, beware the vacuum of time this diversion creates. The additional promise of climbing up the leaderboard was my motivation to keep scooting through the levels. After an hour of gameplay, I owned that coveted top score.

Levels are incredibly compact, ranging anywhere from 10 seconds to a couple minutes at the end. There are no hit points or checkpoints; if I make a mistake, I drop back to the beginning of the level and my high score resets. With zero loading time, if you thought you would have a chance to think about whether or not to take a break, you do not. Just hit A and continue giving those blobs Hell.

Take in the Sights and Sounds

Visually, the game would best be described as taking a minimalist futuristic approach because the colors are vibrant, fun, and clean. Every couple levels your cube and the environments change color, giving you the sense of leveling up and pushing you to keep exploring further. One complaint I could make about the visuals is that with gameplay so dependent on hues there is no option to toggle a colorblind-friendly mode which is a serious disadvantage to a portion of the gaming community.

“Is this cube an Arthurian hero trying to save the prince from a hidden dungeon? Maybe it is a race-cube driver trying to set the record for fastest hotlap.”

The sounds in Splashy Cube match the overall aesthetic perfectly. A cheerful, chiptune-like soundtrack pushed me to keep moving. The sound effects are cartoonish in a good way with satisfying plops when I crush blobs and the iconic cartoon falling out of the sky sound when I make the wrong move into a hole.

Verdict

Above all, at a $4.99 price point, Splashy Cube sets itself up as a great game. Whether playing in short bursts while riding on public transit, looking to kill a few minutes, or even as a new game for chasing those high scores, you’re covered. If you want to try the game out before purchasing and you have an iOS device, download Splashy Cube: Color Run.

Review: Orwell’s Animal Farm

Charles Ombler

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Feb 14, 2021

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Old MacStalin had a farm, ee-eye ee-eye oh.

Orwell’s Animal Farm, as you can probably tell from the title, is a video game-ized retelling of the classic 1995 film Babe. The game focuses on Babe’s pre-Pig-in-the-City days and brings in a lot of political themes that weren’t present in the original film. It also swaps out a lot of Babe’s characterisation, making him a lot meaner and changing his name to Napoleon, presumably in an attempt to situate the game as another gritty reboot.

I am, of course, being ridiculous.

Orwell’s Animal Farm set itself the ambitious goal of taking a novel about communism and converting it into a choice-driven text-based video game with a branching story and multiple endings. Somehow, despite the mammoth-ness of the undertaking of transforming a century-old linear novel into a game where your choices matter, Orwell’s Animal Farm absolutely smashes it. Just to show off, it also makes it cute, charismatic and captivating as well. It has a thematically appropriate style that reminds me of a children’s storybook and some buttery smooth narration from the wonderful Abubakar Salim of Assassins Creed Origins fame.

The game’s opening is what you’d probably expect from an Animal Farm game. You’re dropped into the Animal Farm barn, with the animals conspiring to free the farm from its human owner, Jones. The animals go ahead and do this with relative ease and very little prompting from the player, begging the question of where the animals’ competency runs away to once you’re left in control of them. The main gameplay picks up straight away after that, leaving you in charge of controlling the animals as they begin running the farm for themselves. It’s sort of like a communist Animal Crossing, in which case the farm’s raccoon has probably been taken to a quiet corner and shot in the back of the head for his capitalist agenda.

The game spends most of its time on an overview screen which shows all of Animal Farm and a selection of its animal inhabitants. Every day you’re given a scenario and the on-screen animals will all have different opinions on how the scenario should be dealt with. It’s up to you to choose which animal’s option to go with, balancing the potential gains and probably consequences. The game shows you what improvements and damage that choice will cause by placing little up and down arrows on the things being effected. These things often include the happiness of the animal itself, the happiness of other animals and some of the different resources you have to balance. These resources include:

Animalism: Don’t trust anything on two legs, don’t drink alcohol, don’t sleep in a bed. The rules the animals set for themselves when they revolted. Break them at your peril.

Supplies: Plough the fields, harvest the crops, don’t starve. Use up all your supplies and you won’t make it through the winter.

Defences: The humans will come back. You better be prepared to fight them off.

Repair: Winter will damage the farm’s buildings. You better repair them if you don’t want your animals to get sick and your supplies to spoil.

Windmill: You’ve had it too easy for too long. The animals want a windmill. You’ll need to use some of the time that you should be managing the other resources to focus on building it.

On top of managing your resources and the happiness and health of your animals, there are several events and achievements you can acquire through your choices in the game. They trigger different story events, such as animals arriving and departing from the farm, your relationships with the humans changing and the prosperity of the farm as a whole being altered. They come thick and fast so you’ll get a whole bunch of them through your first playthrough for that instant hit of dopamine. There are also 8 different endings your choices can lead to, some harrowing (like the one I got) and some, presumably, less harrowing. This branching narrative allows a significant level of replayability to the game as you’ll want to choose different options to see the story beats you missed the first time and how a different ending might unfold. In my mind, that’s a great way to encourage replayability as the game is only a couple of hours long, which is reasonable considering the story being told and the price of the game.

On that subject, there are a few flaws in the game due to its small scale. The same choices come up several times throughout and I’m fairly sure the same story event triggered twice for me during the same playthrough. I don’t think anyone was expecting the levels of choice and branching story that you might from an RPG along the lines of Skyrim, but, after a couple of playthroughs, I can imagine you’d be bored of seeing the same narrative, like tuning into the news on the day 335 of a pandemic.

There also isn’t any kind of tutorial to the game so the exact consequences of your choices aren’t always completely clear. When all the choices increase supplies but decrease the happiness of the animal doing the work, except for the sheep that doesn’t have a negative consequence, why wouldn’t you choose the sheep every time? I suspect I was missing something and those choices tie into the progress of story events behind the scenes but I’m too much of a pedant to let it slide without a mention.

Orwell’s Animal Farm is a great retelling of a classic story. It’s almost a visual novel but the level of interactivity and choice elevates the game well above what it could’ve been with a little less ambition. It’s small scale but the number of options and potential story outcomes give a good amount of replayability and intrigue. Overall, I think the content is perfectly pitched for the price and, whether you’re a fan of the novel or want to experience the story for the first time, it’s definitely worth a couple of hours of your time.

Review: Bartlow’s Dread Machine

Jack Boreham

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Feb 14, 2021

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Bartlow’s Dread Machine is a great game. From starting the game, I didn’t expect to enjoy it. The game’s mechanics felt off. The mechanics are arcade shooter like, but you don’t have complete movement of your character (a secret agent). It felt unnatural and limited as an arcade shooter—however, the games set in an interesting era of history. The game’s setting pulled me in, and I quickly found myself loving it. Bartlow’s Dread Machine is set in 1930s America, a period of history whereby US president Franklin D Roosevelt attempted to revitalise the US after the great depression. As a secret agent during this period, you embark on a mission to stop an evil plot from taking shape.

An amercianised feel

The game shines in this regard; its setting makes it stand out. The game has an Americanised 1930’s look which is beautiful. The outstanding graphics combined with its early 20th-century pre-war soundtrack puts you in the boots of a secret agent during this particular part of US history. You feel like a secret agent during the period, and it feels great. By great feeling, I mean the gameplay. Although I wasn’t a fan of the gameplay at the start of my playthrough, it grew on me as I continued to work my way through the story. The gameplay is fun and strategic having you the player using various weapons to take down enemies in a classic arcade shooter feel but in early 20th-century America.

Outstanding variety and customisation

As you progress through the story, the enemy types vary, making you choose how to take down the enemies to go through the level strategically. Bartlow’s Dread Machine also has considerable variation in level design and uses various camera angles to change gameplay dynamics. This variation makes the game stand out, turning a traditional arcade shooter into a strategy game. One example is the use of the top-down camera angle to position the player in such a way as to be able to take down and see incoming waves of enemies otherwise impossible from a side-on view. Furthermore, Bartlow’s Dread Machine also has considerable customisation with a vast range of weapons and 1930’s clothing to choose from, to give your agent that 1930’s feel. Further adding appeal to the game.

Despite the positives, I found the lack of complete control of your secret agent still very restrictive. Your secret agent can only move up, down, left and right and this restrive movement made boss battles reasonably bland. Likewise, your character’s motion is slow and could have done with more speed to improve the game’s pacing. Thus the pacing of the game is bad, due to restrive and slow movement. Nevertheless, controlling your character in this respect is easy. The game’s controls are easy to pick up and simple, making it an appealing and accessible arcade shooter.

Verdict

Overall, Bartlow’s Dread Machine stands out as an arcade shooter. From the great graphics to the outstanding variety in levels and customisation. Bartlow’s Dread Machine incorporates all of this in a 20th-century feel that not only controls well but makes you feel like an agent of a bygone era. Despite pacing and movement issues, the game stands out amongst its rivals in the arcade shooter genre. It is adding a considerable amount of new to an already saturated genre of games.