In Supermarket Shriek you tackle all sorts of challenges, all while being a man and a goat screaming in a shopping cart. Needless to say, this game has a lot of charisma. Between the screaming, Heinz beans and all of the cartoonish slapstick found in this game you can really feel how much passion is behind it.
But how is the gameplay? In single-player, you control both characters in the shopping cart, and their screams and by using that you can manoeuvre your way through the levels. This could be as simple as racing to the end, but it could be a level where you have to race something, collect items, or smash through towers of Heinz beans. There are also some secret levels which are amusing references to other games.
In co-op, which the game seems to be designed for, the characters are split between you and the game is much tougher for obvious reasons. There’s also a different ending depending on whether you’re playing single player or co-op and I’ll just say that the single player ending is somewhat sad. Other than the very beginning and end of the game there’s not really any story at all, but that’s fine for this type of game.
However, when it comes to progressing through the levels there’s a bit of a problem. There are several streets in the game and at the end of each street the game requires you have a certain number of stars to access the final level of the street to go to the next one.
So how are stars earned? Well, each level has up to three stars you can get per level. One you get by completing the level and the rest you can get by getting being faster and/or getting higher scores. The thing is, this only seems to exist to artificially extend your game time.
There is an argument that could be made that perhaps the developers want you the master the lower levels first otherwise you won’t be able to do the later levels, but I found that pretty much no matter the level it’s easier on the second try anyway.
You might also suggest that it’s so you can skip levels you’re not good at or don’t like, but the number of stars you need often require a majority of two stars from every level or three stars from some levels. Therefore, skipping levels doesn’t seem to be a good reason for doing this either. You can’t skip the end of each street’s level regardless.
The fact that you have to grind out stars wouldn’t be so bad if you didn’t already have to play most levels more than once to begin with as you can often be blindsided by bottomless pits or walls you couldn’t see and hitting buttons when you couldn’t have known what they activate.
All this in co-op can be a pretty frustrating experience as you have to coordinate and both learn the levels and then replay them enough to get enough stars to proceed.
All in all, Supermarket Shriek is pretty fun, but there are just some pacing issues that will make it hard to go back to, because you’ve probably gone back to each level at least once by the time you finish the game. However, if getting better scores and times is your thing, then this game will be up your alley.
There are lots of things I’m confident about in life, and two of these are; Space is a wonderful, mysterious entity that mankind loves, and that computer games are a relaxing pastime. You wouldn’t combine these two subjects easily, but many an excellent gaming titles have been created using space at its core. With this in mind, I looked at a new outer world experience known as Bonkies.
Developed by Studio Gauntlet and published by Crunching Koalas, this puzzle/construction title asks you to control an array of spacesuit wearing monkey. Their only aim is to solve the puzzles as quickly as possible to gain their delicious bananas. You must flit from planet to planet solving each stage, while aiming to soar off to pastures new.
The gameplay is split between two modes; a Solo campaign, and a Couch Co-op. Both follow a very similar path, and you’ll be enraged and entertained in equal measures. If you thought that getting out Monopoly at Christmas guaranteed an argument, you’ll be amazed at how quickly friendships fail, and marriages end, once you play Bonkies. (These things may not actually occur.)
It makes your blood boil!
The premise of the game is simple; start each task, scan the stage, observe the highlighted shape that needs filling, and move the blocks to ensure you fill the space correctly. If you don’t place the blocks in the highlighted area correctly, then the puzzle will not move on, and you will have to adjust the blocks to ensure 100% coverage is obtained. Sounds easy, right? Chuck into the mix that each of your monkeys move using a Jetpack, and the slightest of nudges sends the tower falling, and you know that failure is just around the corner.
Gently, gently catchy monkey.
Your blood will boil over into a rage induced rant as a fellow monkey undoes all your hard work. This combined with the ever ticking clock moving closer to zero, and you’re in for an uncomfortable and challenging gaming experience. This is where my understanding that this should be a relaxing pastime is completely wrong! I’ve never been so on edge while playing on my console. I’m glad that I don’t stream as the faces that this game made me pull were a combination of; weird, wonderful and scary. The noises that came out of me matched the theme as they can only be described as “not of this world”.
It sounds like hell, so why play it?
Admittedly, this is one of the toughest games that I’ve played in a long time. Not in concept, no. But in ability, patience, and luck. It’s a deceptive one as each level that you face is well explained, easy to understand, and simple on the surface. But when you combine all the horrendous elements together, you get a title that kicks your ass at every opportunity.
If flying around space hauling boxes to make specific shapes wasn’t tough enough, Studio Gauntlet went one further. Exploding boxes, glass surfaces, hovering containers, and rocket ship launchers (it’s enough to give you a headache). In a game that is about accuracy and balance, these extra ingredients to the mixture made for a really complicated dish.
Can those monkeys resolve all the issues on Earth? Not without a lot of screaming and shouting first!
Like the brutal nature of the Dark Souls franchise, Bonkies draws you in to keep on playing. It’s addictive as hell and has that just one more try feel about it. No matter how much it made me want to smash my controller to pieces, that feeling of overwhelming rage dissipated the moment I was victorious. The simple approach tricks you into believing success is just around the corner, but in reality time will wash away from you, and you’ll be found rocking in the corner of your living room begging to get to the next stage.
A game that makes you this angry shouldn’t be so cute!
No matter how angry those darn monkeys made me, (did I mention this game made me rage?) I couldn’t help but love their adorable little faces in their absurd spacesuits. The world is a colour-explosion, with some brilliantly varied backgrounds that could easily distract you if you allowed it. Several environments are seen throughout, which helps to add a variety to the gameplay, and stops it from feeling repetitive. Of course, that is as long as you can complete the stage that you will no doubt get stuck on. The simple, yet bright imagery works really well, and with no issues it sits at the higher standard for an indie title.
I really enjoyed the audio, though there wasn’t much to it. The music was only apparent when you completed a level, and it was always a welcome sound. Like a crowd at the end of a marathon who cheer you over the line, this repeated tune felt euphoric after the epic battle that I had just faced. The sound effects were as expected and to a good standard. The whooshing of the Jetpack and the crashing of the explosive crates were highlights. The audio is underwhelming, but the developers balanced it perfectly with the hectic nature of the gameplay. If there had been a constant upbeat soundtrack, I would have switched the game off.
It’s all about the accuracy!
In a game of fine measures, the control setup is vital, and luckily it has been delivered and designed well. An easy-to-understand mapping awaits, with a well designed tutorial that explains the fundamentals. The action flows smoothly, allowing you to move the grabbing arm and control the blocks through the air. You feel in control of all the action throughout, and the only time you fail is because of your own inadequacies. Practise makes perfect with this, yet I don’t feel there is enough time on earth to make anyone perfect at this.
Select your team, give them a name and be prepared to argue relentlessly.
Having spent around 10 hours of my time on this already, I know that I’m going to lose an awful lot more trying to get to the finish. It oozes replay value if you can suck up the constant dents to your pride and skill levels. It’s unbelievably tough, with an achievement list to match. I have no idea how many hours this game will take to complete, but you will have fun and angry times trying to get everything unlocked.
It should come with a free controller.
Rage, rage, rage! If you ever wanted a game to test your patience, this is it. For every copy purchased, a free controller should be offered as this is guaranteed to make you angry. If you can get through this without swearing, or clenching your fists, then you deserve a medal. A brilliantly fun game that will get under your skin and cause that awful twitchy vein thing in your forehead! With everything considered, do I recommend it? Hell yes! It made me angry, made me want to cry, and I made noises I didn’t know existed. It’s tough as hell, super addictive, and a game you simply have to put in your library. Get it now on your Xbox by buying it here! A short time discount is available so don’t miss out! Can you help the Bonkies on their path through space? Time, patience, luck, and a lot of controllers will help you get to the finish.
Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm follows the story of a mute hero who is trying to save hundreds from calamity. Who just so happens to enjoy smashing pots. Does this sound familiar? To fans of the original Oceanhorn game, this is a must play. It switches the top-down perspective of the first game to an evolved Breath of the Wild-esque style. Although the inspirations behind Oceanhorn are still hidden, certain elements of the franchise glisten with familiarity to any Zelda fan.
From Apple arcade to Nintendo Switch
Oceanhorn 2 was released as an Apple arcade exclusive in 2019, but came to Switch in 2020. The release to Apple was received poorly by fans and a lot of struggles were faced regarding control and glitches. These were resolved when it came to Switch and fans were able to enjoy Oceanhorn to it’s full potential. I found the controls a little tricky when I first picked it up. The lack of any jump button caused my natural instinct with an action adventure game to reset. After spending a while getting used to these controls you realize how basic they are and how easy they are to wrap your head round.
Stunning sound design
The game has a wonderful soundtrack, with different music for each area you discover. Boss battles are kept tense with high strung music, and curiosity is reflected with different sound effects. The narration is fully voiced and each character engages in charming dialogue with our hero. Although there is a lot of narration from characters they often say mundane facts about the surrounding area or enemies. With such a plot heavy story line this lets the game down. There is so much which could be explored but is reflected with little engagement from NPCs.
Simple combat
When it comes to combat the controls are simple. A sort of slash, slash, block, which you’d find in most action adventures. You have to quickly learn attack patterns in order to protect yourself, but most attacks are easily dodged. There is no lock-on approach to combat which is frustrating when you’re facing several enemies at once. You raise your shield when expecting an attack but as soon as it’s dropped your camera returns to its original position. What’s even more frustrating is how useless your party members act around enemies. Delivering very occasional pointless hits, you can order your companions to attack specific enemies but they will hardly ever complete this objective.
Familiar puzzles
You will encounter a number of different puzzles as you discover more of the map but to any fans of the older Zelda games you will have seen these countless times before. There is a minimal amount of guidance when it comes to these challenges but the simplicity allows anyone to be able to understand the concept. There are enough clues around to understand what needs to be done, you just have to look for them. Once again, members of your party can help to complete these but will usually be somewhat useless unless standing on a button or pulling a lever. You will probably just forget they are even aiding your adventure by the end of the game.
The beautiful world of Gaia
The world of Gaia is undoubtedly Oceanhorn’s best selling point. Although your hero is led through the world with simple tasks, you still get to take in the world around you. Animation and graphics remain fluid throughout game play. Alongside the sound design mentioned earlier the game looks and sounds wonderful.
Aside from being aesthetically pleasing, Oceanhorn lacks in something to make it stand out to its very popular competitors. It has the basic function of an action adventure, the combat, the puzzles, the rewards hidden in chests held just out of reach, yet something lacks. Even the story isn’t quite enough. It’s nothing we haven’t experienced before.
Final thoughts
If you are looking for a game similar to Breath of the Wild but with a smaller price tag, it will most certainly fill your needs. I definitely see myself picking this game up again in the near future. But if you’re looking for an entirely new experience, keep searching. Going into this after playing the first Oceanhorn game would definitely help your experience since you know what to expect.
A Resident Evil ‘love letter’, Outbreak: The New Nightmare is the 2nd indie title in a series that promises the moon but never quite delivers. False advertising it’s not, but rather the nostalgia-led expectation that this RE-inspired horror-survival game cannot possibly be as bad as it looks. Welcome to the Outbreak series.
An archaic fixed camera, awkward controls and unfriendly interface exist as a dose of nostalgia for fans of a bygone era, but for everyone else are examples of ancient game mechanics that should be consigned to the long-forgotten past.
We’ve started off on the wrong foot though, so let’s reset and continue as we mean to move on, with some positives – all two of them. Its Onslaught campaign mode (which exists alongside Story and Experiments) and the ability to kill zombies are the only decent features of this soulless offering, unless you count the sound of a reloading gun or the main menu’s “Outbreak” voiceover.
“What year is it?”
Onslaught is a survival mode that provides wave upon wave of enemies and really should have been the main focus of the game, being that it’s the only one that’s even remotely enjoyable. With a ‘pick-up and play’ quality that combines well with the game’s character levelling up system and unlockables, you can use the waves of enemies to level up your character, allowing you to fare better in the main story, if you haven’t already soured on the experience.
I realized afterwards that she just wanted to hug.
“Potential to build off!” a fan might think – if only the story had you shooting zombies as much as it has you looking at the map and pause menus. Some of these issues are RE nostalgia-related which, while intentional, are still notably irritating like the player’s bearings that are constantly confused by the game’s camera angles, the awful controls and the fact that you can only see your ammo levels and health on its pause screen.
Get used to seeing this screen…
Outbreak: The New Nightmare brings its fair share of bugs and issues to the party though, making the experience that much more regrettable. So basic is the attack system that you can barely register that enemy has landed an attack. Your character doesn’t recoil in pain, often doesn’t make a sound and there’s no blood, forcing you back to the only area of the game with any degree of accuracy – its menu, or so you thought. Even the safety of said menu is a lie, as there’s a bug that allows enemies to continue attacking you even when the game is paused. The worst attack on your perception of video games comes in the form of the level design, however, which is atrocious, with all the rooms and corridors looking exactly the same, so you’d have to be some kind of genius to remember where you are going without your map, nullifying any fun you are having shooting the undead.
What are these scallywags doing in this alley by themselves?
The horror genre is quite often used as a gateway into the gaming industry for indie developers, requiring minimal story, detail and gameplay to actually succeed, but this developer seems to be taking the cake and opening their own patisserie.
Considering how many other – very similar – versions this developer has released (5 as of writing), and with another coming this year, it’s highly unlikely that this game will receive a patch or update to fix its issues. It’s also unlikely based on the apology they give for the game’s failings in a screen that loads every time you play the game and the faux pas on the main screen that describes issues as ‘hints’ instead of getting around to fixing them.
I’m not sure how to feel about this.
It’s impossible to recommend this game, or even this series, when it gets a new low-quality entry every single year. No story, tense music or any decent action to speak of, this feels like a fan-fiction web browser game getting a yearly FIFA update. If you’re an ardent fan of survival horror games, then perhaps it’s worth following the incremental updates as it may eventually result in a decent release, but let me assure you, it’s not now and it’s not Outbreak: The New Nightmare.
Sea of Thieves enters a new era on January 28th with the arrival of Seasons! Learn all about earning Renown in the Seasonal progression system, the rewards you can earn, the optional Plunder Pass and much more…
Executive Producer Joe Neates goes into further detail: “The plan is for a Sea of Thieves Season to last approximately three months. Each Season will add new content to the world – for example, in Season One a new Merchant Alliance Voyage becomes a permanent part of the game – and we’ll also introduce new Events and challenges throughout the Season to keep you entertained.
Seasonal content is free for all Sea of Thieves pirates to play, and its progression system offers a treasure trove of rewards to earn as you progress through levels of Renown – rewards ranging from in-game currency through to cosmetics, emotes and even Ancient Coins to spend in the Pirate Emporium! There will also be an optional premium element to Seasons via the Plunder Pass, which we’ve explained in its very own article. Access to Seasons will not be gated through this Pass, and as is the case with all our updates, the Seasons updates will be free for all players.
While this new approach shifts the pace of major content updates to every three months, it also allows us to craft more meaningful experiences for you all and return to a more predictable rhythm of release. As we said back in November, we’re incredibly proud of the amount of free content rolled out in 2020 despite all the changes and challenges of remote working. However, we had to be flexible with our plans for each month – so working to this new rhythm means we have more space to deliver new and engaging, world-enriching content.”
Sea of Thieves is available with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for the Xbox family of consoles including Xbox Series X/S, Windows 10 PC and STEAM. For more information on Seasons in Sea of Thieves head here:
Play the free demo today to discover a wonderful world of wonder ! Experience the full game where you can play through 12 different tales and choose the way to save the day with over 80 different costumes. Don’t forget to bring a friend to play in 2-player co-op mode. Combine your costumed powers to find new ways to overcome obstacles and vanquish villains!
Balan Wonderworld is available on March 26th, 2021 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam.
Turn the tides of battle with the power of the Phantom Thieves! A newly released Persona 5 Strikers trailer shows off their unique combat abilities. Whether you play as Joker or Queen, harness their strength and strike back, Phantom Thief-style!
Persona 5 Strikerstakes players on an epic road trip with the Phantom Thieves, where they strike back against the corruption overwhelming cities across Japan. A summer vacation with close friends takes a sudden turn as a distorted reality emerges; reveal the truth and redeem the hearts of those imprisoned at the center of the crisis!
New story and sights – Persona 5 Strikers features a deep story campaign and thrilling combat that makes for a true Persona experience. Visit 6 different cities across Japan, cook tantalizing regional recipes, and lend a helping hand to those in need; then fight against the Shadows to uncover the source of the corruption within the Metaverse dungeons. Jump into the story whether you are a newcomer to the series or a longtime fan!
Fight with Style – Attack enemies in the hybrid battle system that fuses explosive action-combat with pause-and-plan sequences to decide your next strategic move. Gain an advantage over your enemies by ambushing them, striking their elemental weaknesses to knock them down, and deal the finishing blow with an All-Out Attack!
Harness the Phantom Thieves’ full strength – All Phantom Thieves are fully playable, so utilize each character’s specific skills and summon their Personas for smooth, elegant combat! Strengthen their skills and abilities and fight with your own style. Each character has their own unique suite of wide-ranging, flashy spells and magic to clear out big hordes. Have you ever wanted to fight as a giant cat bus? Well, look no further. Persona 5 Strikers is purrfect for you.
SEGA and ATLUS has revealed the pre-order packages and bonus items for each:
Exclusive access to the game four days early, on 19th February
Bonus Content Digital Download
Digital Art Book
Digital Soundtrack – Over 40 songs included
Behind-the-Scenes Video – Making of the Music “You Are Stronger” and “Towards a Dream”
Persona Legacy BGM
Persona 1 and Persona 1 PSP remake
Persona 2 Innocent Sin and Persona 2 Eternal Punishment
Persona 3 and Persona 3 Portable
Persona 4 and Persona 4 Golden
All-out Attack Pack
Boost Skills Pack
Basic Affinity Skills Pack
Ally Buff Skills Pack
Armor Pack
Persona Points
Enemy Debuff Skills Pack
Standard Edition – €59.99 / £49.99
Pre-order Persona 5 Strikers from digital and physical retailers now! All pre-orders, digital or physical, come with access to the Bonus Content Digital Download.
Persona 5 Strikers is coming to PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Steam on 23rd February! Players who pre-order the Digital Deluxe Edition now will get access to the game four days early, on 19th February.
The First Xbox Series X/S game “The Medium” launches today, January 28th 2021, and it immediately goes into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for both Xbox Series X/S consoles and PC. Take a sneak peek behind the veil and discover 9 intriguing facts, Easter Eggs and development hurdless Bloober Team successfully overcame during the pandemic.
The Medium is a third-person psychological horror game that features an innovative dual-reality gameplay and an original soundtrack co-composed by Arkadiusz Reikowski and Akira Yamaoka. Discover a dark mystery only a medium can solve. Use your unique psychic abilities to uncover its deeply disturbing secrets, solve dual-reality puzzles, survive encounters with sinister spirits, and explore two realities at the same time.
Have you ever wanted to watch the latest movies, only to find they aren’t available in your country?
If you have already binged everything on your Netflix account, you may be craving something new or wishing you had access to more movies. It can be so frustrating to find that certain films are not available on your streaming service library, simply because of the country you live in. You’re already paying for a subscription, so you should have access to as much content as possible. A VPN will allow you to get the most bang for your buck. Everyone will be gathering at your house as movie nights with your friends will never be the same once you install a VPN.
You can even catch your favorite TV shows that might otherwise be unavailable, like the UK’s Dr Who series, which you can get from the BBC iPlayer streaming service.
What Are Geo-restrictions?
The differences from country to country are usually because of geo-restrictions, which will determine the films you will watch. It is sometimes referred to as geo-blocking, and it is the process of restricting users’ access to internet content based on their geographical location. Using your IP (Internet Protocol) address, the technology will approve or deny your access to particular websites as well as governing your steaming services libraries. When it comes to streaming services, it is used for copyright and licensing reasons. However, a VPN will mask your real IP address and generate a new one that will bypass these restrictions, and many internet providers support them.
Stream More Film Content
A VPN is the coolest way to access and watch movies that are not usually available in your country, and it’s so simple too. If you want to watch movies like 21 Bridges above, which may be exclusively available in countries such as the UK or Canada, you can do this with ease. A VPN is an essential tool for dedicated movie streamers who want to stream the exact content they want no matter where they are in the world. If you’re traveling for work or on holiday with your family, you don’t have to miss out on your favorite movies. A VPN is the ultimate way to get the most out of your subscription. It doesn’t matter which streaming service you have; a VPN will give you access to more movies straight away, so you could be watching new movies just a few minutes after you install your VPN.
Which Streaming Services Are Compatible?
With a VPN, you can make the most of your favorite streaming content. Services including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and many more are all compatible. A VPN will give you access to worldwide content with just a few clicks. Simply connect to a server in the country you want and log in to your account to see all the movies that are available in that country. By using a VPN, you could access all the movies on Netflix or Amazon Prime from the UK that may not be available in the US. If you’re a Disney fan, you may think you have all the Disney you need, but you can get more with a Disney Plus VPN. By choosing a specialist resource like Cyberghost VPN, you can make sure your streaming services aren’t restricted.
What Else Can A VPN Do for Me?
As well as accessing all your favorite movies around the world, you’ll also have the added benefits of a powerful and trusted VPN service. Here are just a few of the other benefits you’ll get when you install a VPN:
It’s not just movies. You can access TV shows, games, and documentaries that you wouldn’t usually be able to watch in your country. This includes banned content or films that haven’t been released in your area yet.
A VPN will protect your identity online by blocking your personal information from hackers and scammers.
Your ISP (Internet Service Provider) is consistently monitoring what you do online. A VPN will protect your anonymity and keep your internet activity private, allowing you to browse worry-free.
Public Wi-Fi connections have little security and are a hot spot for cybercriminals. Protect your devices when you connect to public Wi-Fi at the Airport, in the Café, or at your local restaurant.
Next time you are shopping online, you can use your VPN to search for better deals, as prices will differ depending on your location.
A VPN will not only give you access to movies from all over the world, but it will give you added security and protection too. You never know who’s looking over your digital shoulder.
When I look at the visual novel (VN) genre, I see a reoccurring theme with style and character models. More often than not you lose yourself in a story about young love, and their promiscuous ways, or it’s a mystery horror. But one thing that is always guaranteed is the characters are over sexualised with abnormally small waists, massive breasts, and enchanting eyes. This over the top representation reflects the desires of its major audience, and we in the West have just switched on to the captivating world of visual novels.
Vera Blanc: Ghost In The Castle is developed by Winter Wolves Games and published by Ratailaike Games. The sequel to Vera Blanc: Full Moon, it captures much of the essence of the first, keeping most of the gameplay mechanics. Having reviewed the first chapter in the franchise and scoring it 7 out of 10, I was excited when I was offered the next instalment. Ghost In The Castle tells the tale of Vera Blanc, she is a mind reading detective who gained her powers after experimental treatment to cure her cancer.
A quaint village, and murder afoot.
This episode focuses on the troubles in a small village in Italy. The people tell a tale of a ghost that haunts the villagers. An old wife’s tale, you may think! Unfortunately not! Bodies are found, and people become scared. Reports suggest the ghost is responsible, but this cannot be true as ghosts don’t exist. You control our heroine as she seeks clues and questions the people of this sleepy community. Surely someone is lying, a ghost can’t be responsible for murder?
It’s important to know if he has a ring on it, After all, who cares about the murderous ghost?
It reads like a storyline from a Scooby Do cartoon, but once you scratch the surface, you realise its more in-depth. The gameplay is broken down over 6 days, where you are free to explore the town and question anyone you feel is guilty. You may play this as a true visual novel where the clues unveil themselves to you. Or you can spice up the action with a selection of mini-games. These will test; memory, observation, reading and more. The games are not challenging, but do add a layer of interest and difficulty above the base VN game. No matter which you choose, the outcome will be the same, but the length of playtime will be altered considerably.
A simple tale with many twists.
The concept allows for a simple tale to dominate the proceedings. You must work your way through the surrounding area questioning anyone that you suspect is guilty. Information can be obtained in the strangest of ways, and if you are getting nowhere, read their minds. “It can’t be difficult to solve a mystery when you can read thoughts!” Vera’s powers are limited, but it’s a handy skill to have. Even as you piece together information, the clever way the story has been written means you will keep you guessing right to the end.
It kept me captivated throughout. The selection of questions, the cast of characters, and the increasing points of interest meant that the plot didn’t get stale. The writing style can be clichéd, and some parts, though light-hearted were cringe worthy. I let this all slide, after all, the heroine is a large busted mind reading detective, how serious do you want it to be?
It’s a beautiful and quaint village until murderous ghosts appear!
Influenced by comic books.
It’s clear that Winter Wolves Games take their inspiration from the comic book market. The art style is fantastic and matches this genre perfectly. Scenes flick from one to another as if you were turning the page in a book. The colour palette and crisp lines are reminiscent of many major branded comics read by avid fans. Equally impressive was the unique nature of each segment of the village. This attention to detail brought the world to life and made every scene interesting to look at.
The audio brilliantly compliments the visuals. As the scenery changes, and the atmosphere alters, so does the music. The developers didn’t miss a trick, and they kept the songs flowing alongside the many changes. The words are key in a visual novel, but the music must be supportive. A mixture of fast-paced tracks and slow, sorrowful songs complimented the action perfectly.
You can skip all the text!
As you’d expect, the controls are simple to pick up, after all, you are just reading a book on your console. But what always amazes me is the chance to skip all dialogue, cutscenes, and every element of importance. Players are free to skip the heart and soul of this game if they wish, but other than to get to a specific portion, I’d suggest not doing it. A VN is all about relaxing and taking your time, so do just that. Grab a beer or tea, some cake or crisps, and unwind. There are worse stories to relax to. Trust me, I’ve read a lot of them.
Just what you need when an ungodly spirit is after your soul.
Ghost In The Castle has several endings, and multiple outcomes encourage you to return, increasing the replay value. Though I found most of the plot to be the same no matter which ending I went for. It was still nice to sit through it, knowing that I’d get an alternative finale. As the final curtain falls on this tale, you note that you have unlocked the simple achievement list. Ratalaika Games have struck again with an easy 1000 Gamerscore.
Is it worth it?
A Scooby Do style murder mystery might not be up your street, nor may an over sexualised mind reader, but don’t write this off just yet. The light-hearted nature of the plot, alongside the fun mini-games make this stand out from other visual novels. Winter Wolves Games have done well to create an excellent second episode, and I recommend you give it a go. If you want to try it out and give it a read, you can buy it here! Keep telling yourself that ghosts aren’t real, because eventually you will be face to face with one trying to stop another murder.
Well I have to say, this is a very strong line up of games for PS Plus subscribers in February and again a real focus for those lucky enough to have snagged a PS5 console.
Hop into the driver’s seat with this in-depth look at the car-smashing, heart-pounding, thrill-seeking world of Destruction AllStars. Coming to PlayStation 5 on 2nd February. Active PlayStation Plus members can download Destruction AllStars at no extra charge from February 2 to April 5.
The controversial “Control: Ultimate Edition” is also included bringing the base game and both DLC Expansions; The Foundation and AWE alongside Expeditions end game mode, Photo Mode and all content updates since the release of the original game.
Set in a small fishing town called Denska, which is deserted, a lonely teenager having a difficult time in his neighborhood gains a magical paint brush and starts to paint his home town to bring vibrancy back. Ash discovers that his magic paint can cleanse the pollution from its streets and alleyways.
This is an extremely strong line-up for PS Plus in February with a definite focus for PS5 players and personally I have waited a long time to play Concrete Genie! This month’s Plus Monthly Games are Control: Ultimate Edition, Destruction AllStars, and Concrete Genie – all available from 2nd February, 2021.
Xbox have revealed the Games with Gold titles for February and it is a pretty strong line-up with a couple of surprises with its Five game offering:
Gears 5: February 1 – 28 The latest chapter in the Gears saga puts you in the stompy boots of Kait Diaz for its main campaign, and all the multiplayer modes will definitely put your Gold subscription to work. Make sure you check out the Hivebusters story expansion if you want a proper showcase for your Xbox Series X.
Resident Evil: February 1 – 28 It’s an HD remaster of a GameCube remake of the PlayStation original, but somehow it’s just as sharp and shocking today as it was in 1996. Even if you’ve played more recent Resident Evil games, prepare for a different generation of survival horror to unfold as soon as Chris and Jill set foot in the Spencer Estate.
Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition: February 16 – March 15 Dandara has a uniquely acrobatic approach to action platforming: instead of walking, you jump from one surface to the next, clinging to each surface as you go. Perfect Dandara’s movement and she’ll tear through each stage like a heroic pinball, stopping only to blast enemies and admire her pixel art surroundings.
Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb: February 1 – 15 Punch Nazis and keep them from stealing powerful artifacts. Sure, neither the controls nor the visuals hold up so well now that we live in a post-Uncharted world, but this backwards compatible original Xbox title is still a powerful hit of nostalgia especially with the recent news that Massive Games (Bethesda now Xbox Studio) are working on a brand new Indiana Jones game,
Lost Planet 2: February 1 – 28 The Lost Planet franchise has gone quiet since the third one came out in 2013, but Capcom’s sci-fi shooter sequel is still some of the most fun you can have in co-op. Drop-in with up to three friends, load into your mech suits, and get ready to take on some strange monsters!
Xbox Live Gold members will have exclusive access to these games for a limited time as part of Games with Gold, get Xbox Live Gold today to get in on the action or join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate which includes all the benefits of Xbox LIVE Gold plus access to over 100 high-quality games with Xbox Game Pass.
A common misconception is that the length of a game tells you the quality of said title. While some say unlimited play of a game is best,I disagree. Eventually every title needs to be moved on from, and I personally would rather leave on a high. Now I’m no stranger to games like Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate where I’ve sunk hundreds of hours into multiple files in both the english port and the Monster Hunter Double Cross Japanese version. Yet a game I reviewed once, Detective Gallo, still pops into my mind despite it lasting only a few hours. It’s on the shorter side of things that Gelly Break ended up, taking up only a single night of my time.
Gelly Break blends together a plethora of ideas boiled down to their simplest variations. It’s a predominately 3D platformer, occasionally going to a side scrolling build. Combat wise you have two methods of attacking; a powerful spinning hit, and an unlimited ammo pea shooter. However these physical moves are most often utilized in puzzle solving and overcoming obstacles.
What I want to first discuss though is my biggest issue with the game, the visuals. Now I rarely have issues with the audio/visuals of a game, yet for once I find myself being critical of the audio/visuals of a game. Aesthetically the world is fine enough, using the cartoony CGI look and mixing in colors that get the job done. Where the issue lies is in the main character’s designs.
The unnamed controllable protagonists are almost identical except one is green while the other is red. For a large majority of players this isn’t an issue, but as someone who is partial red-green color blind I had major issues with this. The platforming is crafted using the colors of the characters in mind by having to switch between who’s top and bottom to navigate. Red and green platforms would only let the corresponding color stand upon them. As someone who couldn’t tell the difference between them by looking, I suffered damage and took extra attempts because the game lacked the ability to cater to my slight disability.
What did help diminish this issue was that even at the end of the game the platforming isn’t so difficult that I couldn’t trial and error my way through the obstacles. You’re given a generously sized health bar to take hits from hazards and enemies. In my entire playthrough I died maybe once or twice.
On the subject of enemies, they serve more as a nuisance than a threat. While you can take the equivalent of a warhead to the face, they perish after a spin attack or two. You can fire projectiles, but between their low damage and scattering nature it ends up not being worth it compared to the spin. The biggest challenge the enemies provide is that the aforementioned spin attack also swaps your character’s positions, causing me to lose track of who my bottom dude was after encounters.
The game lacks an overall challenge for the vast majority of the play time. Enemies were never overwhelming or problematic and the platforming was so-so at best. Each level features two little critters to free from glass jars, but the rewards for it are, to my knowledge non-existent, so there’s no reason to bother with it. Overall the stages feel sluggish and sticky, the challenges so start and stop that they become boring and just not fun. There is one area that does absolute shine and was the highlight of my playthrough though; the boss fights.
Large contraptions that take animalistic forms, these fights were fast and engaging. In the main levels a lot of the ideas were disjointed and would slow down the game. Here the antagonists instead used them as extensions of themselves by making them accents rather than featured. A solid mixture of melee and ranged combat was also on display. It required you to master both, timing your spin strikes or keeping up a barrage of shots while avoiding attacks.
Visually, these monsters were unique and looked great. A standout was the flying snake like monster that was a glorified platforming section that pressured you to move and hide from laser strikes. This sped up the movement in a way the rest of the game couldn’t. If my time with Monster Hunter has taught me anything, these are the kinds of fights that could have carried the entire game and in my opinion should have been extended and/or expanded upon.
However as good as the bosses were, the lack of background on them, the playable characters, or the world was also a massive disappointment. Knowing more about anything else could have upgraded my time. Knowing why I was embarking on the journey or where the outstanding bosses came from would have been a massive boon. Instead the complete lack of any form of lore does nothing to help make the game stand out.
Ultimately, I find myself disappointed by Gelly Break. I never want a game to leave a sour taste in my mouth, but ultimately I find myself looking like a Warhead wrapper. The lack of color blind options or consideration is admittedly a very personal issue, but there is nothing to help me get past this when I look back.
The best moments of the game were spent fighting unique adversaries that lacked character. The complete absence of lore makes the game easily forgettable. Deep in the bones of Gelly Break there are potentially strong ideas, but the failure to capitalize on them left me just wanting to go back to playing Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate.
The war genera is one of the most heavily delved upon topics in the video game medium, with World War II in particular being adapted to the video game format more times than I can count. Many developers have given their go at successfully portraying World War II in a compelling way, that can keep the player entertained and engaged. With all the options available for experiencing this sub genera of games, standing out is both crucial, and difficult. Many World War II games come out and quickly become unspoken of. Partisans 1941 enters this genera in a unique way by looking at the war from a prospective that isn’t told as often as the average war story, from the prospective of a small depot of people fighting and surviving on enemy lines. Partisans distinction in story type goes well with its tactical strategy playstyle. Despite the games promising distinctions from other titles in the genera, the overall experience is lacking in some departments.
Partisans 1941 is a tactical strategy game with an emphasis on stealth. Most missions consist of taking parties of four or more through large levels full of enemies who you need to avoid, or quietly dispose of in the way of your main goal. As you progress you unlock more party members, equipment, and level up your characters through individual character skill trees. Along with this, in between missions you return to your base of operations. From here you can heal your allies, research new items, and manage your camps resources, food supply, and moral.
The missions themselves are fun! The map layouts are fair enough that I never feel like a mission was impossible, but complex enough where it may take me a while to figure out how to approach whatever obstacle I encounter. Enemy layouts are balanced very well. I never had a moment where I thought there were an unreasonable number of enemies in the way. When the game would feature an area with a large number of enemies, their layout was fair, and challenging. Taking out enemies in this game is incredibly satisfying. Picking the right time to run in with a silent melee attack or coordinating all your party members to quickly take out a group of enemies feels fantastic, especially when getting to utilize character specific abilities. Partisans 1941 is at its best when the player is able to analyze the enemy’s locations and movements, wait for them to line up in the perfect position, and then carry out a well-organized attack.
Sadly, despite Partisans 1941’s enjoyable combat and level design, there are many components of this experience that are underwhelming at best and intrusive at worst. One component that feels incredibly underwhelming is the games skill tree system. Every character gains skill points after leveling up, and each character has their own skill tree. Although character specific skill tress sound like they provide the player a lot of freedom, the number of times new skills would feel as though they actually had an affect on the game were slim. This made going through the process of individually going through each character and leveling up specific abilities feel like a chore that could have been streamlined by having characters gain abilities automatically as they level up.
The inventory system is incredibly underwhelming. There are so many items that the player picks up just to immediately forget about. Every inventory slot is taken up by a low detail black and white outline of whatever item it may be. Some items like medicine packs and rifle rounds are easily distinguishable, but there are multiple items that are unclear as to what there may be. Unlike most games with a multitude of items, hovering the mouse over an inventory item does not tell you what it is. This becomes incredibly annoying when you have all of your equipment for the mission, possible key items you may have found, and random junk from across the level, all separated across four different character inventories. Also, some ammo is incredibly hard to differentiate from other ammo types, especially when trying to separate the ammo across multiple different characters, all with up to two different weapons. The sub machine gun ammo’s design is four tiny bullets, and the pistols is three tiny bullets, and of course hovering over the ammo does not tell you what type it is!
The story was subpar. As far as World War II Stories this is very generic despite the unique perspective of people stuck behind enemy lines. You start as a general who must escape a German war prison. During the escape you encounter a young man and his injured comrade and you all escape together. This opening feels incredibly over done, and the characters feel very typical as well. Even the missions feel as though they have been recycled from other places. For example, one missions involves stopping an execution in a certain amount of time. This mission is not terrible, in fact it is very fun, but the concept behind it is nothing that hasn’t already been done. The voice acting however is fantastic. Each character’s dialog never feels forced, and nothing feels over or under delivered. Even in moments where the script starts to become generic and typical of an average war story, the actors still manage to make it sound convincing.
Overall, the skill tree and inventory issues, as well as subpar story are nothing game ruining, but do make the game less reasonable to recommend due to the extensive library of media in the genera. The games stealth mechanics, combat, and level design were a good time, but unfortunately those moments are interluded with an extremely unenjoyable, confusing, time waster. After completing each mission, the party returns to their camp. From here players must manage their food and resources, as well as raise moral, upgrade the camp and complete missions. Players assign Partisans with jobs every day, and the tasks are completed when the day ends. This entire portion of the game feels like an incredible waste of time and is the antithesis of fun. Managing your camps food and recourses feels like it only exists to waist your time. It is not difficult to send a Partisan to get food, or go fight a mission since these actions are done automatically without the player seeing them. The action of sending them to do these tasks is not fun either. At the end of the day it makes managing the camp feel like a drag. Sure, gaining resources allows you to upgrade your medical station to heal your party members after missions or gain new items and weapons, but couldn’t items be gained simply by beating the missions? Most items gained from missions directly go into the camp, allowing you to upgrade your base, which then allows you to upgrade things such as weapons. Also, healing your allies feels like a waste of time. Making the player send an injured member to the medicine tent is not required when they could just heal on their own in between missions. I would much prefer playing the actual missions consistently instead of taking a five-to-fifteen-minute detour between missions to manage a camp without any interesting gameplay. I understand that some people enjoy base management mechanics, but this certainly was not my cup of tea.
Partisans 1941 is a good game, with small issues, and a few major annoyances. Where the core gameplay and level design succeed, other elements such as UI and other gameplay elements really get in the way. The camp mechanic was certainly my biggest problem with the game, and it takes up a lot of time. With there being so many options in the World War II genera it makes recommending this game difficult, but I do think there is enjoyment to be had. The stealth mechanics are enjoyable, and missions are overall a fun experience that is certainly worth a try. If you think the camp mechanic sounds fun then I definitely recommend Partisans 1941, but as someone who did not enjoy that aspect I must say proceed with caution.
