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Review: Rivalia Dungeon Raiders

Daniel Kelly

-

Mar 31, 2023

Rivalia is an action dungeon crawler game with a simple, DND-like concept: what if 4 adventurers were trapped in a rougue-lite loop by an evil jester during one of their quests?

After the brief tutorial of the game (in which you fight but do not defeat Ciceron, the aforementioned jester), the protagonist (Ashelin) awakens in a sanctuary and is fed a large helping of exposition by Halmor. Through this you are told that Ciceron has warped the castle into a series of easily generated, cookie-cutter levels which you now have to trek through in order to finally defeat him.

All 4 characters venture into levels together and all can be played as: Ashelin is the typical sellsword/ leader, Halmor is the archer and dagger enthusiast, Yhorm is the hammer-wielding strongman, and Evanya is the sorceress.

The Characters*

Everything I’ve just said is effectively all the story the game gives you. This is fine, there’s no reason that a game, especially one which is marketed as a rogue-lite should have to have any trenchant or immersive story. But what about the characters?

All of the characters are very generic, not only given their token roles as ‘adventurers’ but even in the moves they have. Every character has a basic light attack, as well as 4 ‘unique’ abilities which can be activated by holding L1 and pressing a corresponding face button.

All of these abilities are exactly what you would expect, from AOE damage, to party shields, to healing circles, to flurry attacks. This is all fine as no one expects the starting loadout to be anything amazing, but this is ALL you get for the entire game. Sure, you can level up, but that only upgrades your health and damage, and there are no weapons to equip or gear to unlock outside of runes, which are just flat stat upgrades anyway.

At this point, I at least expected for the game to lean very heavily into each of these characters personalities. Sure they look generic, but there must be something beneath each of their bland exteriors. Well, maybe there is, but I would have no idea of knowing because all dialogue in the game isn’t voiced, only subtitled in the top right corner, and a lot of it is during combat, so good luck trying to read any of it.

Even in the hub area, your safe-haven, you still can’t speak to any of them. They’re there, and they can even help you craft runes and items, but you can’t ever interact with them.

The Levels

The game has 6 levels. There are only 6 levels. Man, these must be some wonderful levels, right? Well, it’s really just 1 level which is re-themed each time until the game is over. I suppose there is a degree of modularity here as each dungeon is randomly generated each time you play, but these are not grand quests, they are just 5-15 minutes levels of similar looking rooms wherein you fight the same enemies, with the same set of characters, who all have the same moves for the entire game.

It may have been better if each level was just an actually designed level as the modular nature of them, and how obviously rooms are slotted into one another means that after a level or two you find yourself tuning out a lot of the environments which, while admittedly nice to look at, don’t have anything in them that warrants searching or requires any keen sense of awareness. Essentially: if a room has 1.) no exits but the way you came, and 2.) no chest, then just don’t even bother.

Even some decisions made regarding the enemies are strange. All the enemies are the typical DND fair you would expect from this kind of game, but enemies don’t spawn in rooms unless you walk into that room first. This baffling decision only serves to makes each area feels even more artificial than they already did. It’s not even as though they’re teleported in by the boss, or by the final boss to come and test you, they just appear when you walk through a doorway.

The modular nature of these randomly generated levels only serve to hurt the experience as there seems to be no line of code which keeps the boss room a certain number of “squares” away from the starting room. I’ve started several levels (2 of which in my initial playthrough) where the boss room was just a single room away.

The Gameplay

Okay, let’s assume you don’t care about the story, or the repetitive levels, or the lack of progression. Are the characters fun to play as? No. The gameplay is bad. Not terrible, but disappointingly bad.

Each character has this strange issue where their walk cycle is seemingly not matching the speed at which they’re moving. Every character should have a higher base movement speed based upon their walk cycle, they just don’t. The only way to alleviate this problem is by ‘running’, I put it in quotes like this because it should just be your base walking speed so far as I’m concerned and there should be no reason I have to spend stamina to use it.

As for the combat, it’s nothing. Every character has standard attacks as well as a dodge, but the dodge is almost always useless as there’s no way to cancel any moves into said dodge. This mean that if you’re using a character with even moderately heavy swings in a later stage, you’re going to get hit for far more damage than you’re putting out, or better yet, you’ll to be staggered out of your move, so you may as well have not pressed anything at all.

Worse than that however is the fact that there’s no lock-on, nor can you re-aim your attack mid animation. This is already terrible, but when so many of your ‘combos’ or L1 abilities are multi-hit/ ‘powerful’ moves that can’t be manually directed or re-directed to hit any kind of moving enemy, then they become almost useless.

All of this is worsened by the fact that the characters have no synergy with one another, the game only tricks you into thinking they do because everyone attacks at the same time, so enemies, at least early on, often don’t have the health to effectively counter anything you’re throwing at them.

Assuming you buy this game (don’t buy this game), who should you play as? Evanya is the sorceress and healer who you would at least expect to have some interesting variety in her ranged moves, she doesn’t. Every move Evanya does is some colour of orb, the effects of which are largely useless. Next.

Okay, how about the main character Ashelin? Ashelin has heavy sword strikes and a berserker mode which allows her to hit harder. This is so negligible an upgrade that it in no way makes up for how often you will get staggered out of her normal attacks in the last 2 levels. Next.

Yhorm could be cool? You’re right, he could be, but he isn’t. He’s far too slow, has no good power moves, and gets staggered just as much as everyone else despite being twice their size. Next!

Play as Halmor. Obviously don’t buy this game, but if you already did then just play as Halmor. He has the fastest attack speed and is the only character with two weapons (a range and melee option). There is no reason to play anyone else.

Are The Bosses Any Good?

To the game’s credit, the bosses do often look quite nice, and while they’re often easier to beat than the rooms of enemies leading up to them, they are a surprising breath of fresh air as their small intro cutscenes remind me of boss encounter intros from early 2000s 3D JRPGS.

One of the bosses is even a very clear nod to Orntein & Smough from Dark Souls, something that, along with the relatively giant character who is actually named Yhorm, convinced me that these devs were clearly fans of FromSoft’s work.

I wish they could have taken some better gameplay lessons from that studio however as each boss ends up as a straight up DPS race as opposed to any sort of interesting or memorable battle. The last two bosses are especially tedious and turn what could otherwise be remembered as decent spectacle bosses into slogs which take longer to beat that the levels leading to them.

At Least It Looks Nice

As I mentioned before with the boss intros, the game, while very rough around the edges, definitely has an otherwise ineffable early 2000s JRPG charm to it. The 3D models are often very good, especially for the four main characters and the bosses. The levels, while bland, do at least have somewhat distinct themes, and even the music, while there are only 8 or so songs in the entire game, does at least sound nice (even though I’m almost positive that 1 or 2 of them are just facsimiles of already existing songs).

As for everything else, I do have a few more small gripes:

The game has an odd feature where the camera can be moved with the touchpad and you can attack by clicking it. I thought this was some remnant of porting it from mobile, but it was never on mobile so I have no idea why it’s here.
The game has no real ending. Not to spoil anything, but it effectively just pulls something out of thin air and forces you immediately into new game plus.
I beat the entire game in 2 hours. I got the platinum because I felt compelled to and my total playtime was still only 3 hours.
For some reason, the English localization slipped up in one section and anytime I was using a potion on a character it was labelled in Spanish. So far as I could tell, this was the only item affected by this.

Conclusion

This is a somewhat charming game, but with the overwhelming number of gameplay, balancing, and design issues, there’s not enough charm in the world to save it. It’s a 3/10.

Todd Stashwick Interview

James Refelian

-

Mar 30, 2023

2

Star Trek Picard Season 3 is with us, and one of the break-out superstars is Captain Liam Shaw. Some people hate him, others love him, but what we all agree on is that the actor, Todd Stashwick (Star Trek Picard, 12 Monkeys), plays the part perfectly.

I was lucky enough to sit down with the Chicago-born actor and geek out!

What is the most meaningful item in your collection?

You know what? It very well may be my original Kenner Star Wars action figures. From 77 or something? So those I’ve literally carried with me for 45 years. So those mean a lot because they’re… I mean, I have my Mego Star Trek figures, but they’re not the originals, right? Those I re-bought on eBay or were gifted to me. So they’re representative of something very meaningful. But I would say my Star Wars action figures because I’ve had them forever!

[We then geeked out for a bit over his Mego bridge and the tree topper providing sound effects! I showed off my sixth scale Speeder before getting a full tour of the Nerd Lair – it’s incredible. The man has a dragon! I certainly found myself envying the Atari 2600 hooked up to a CRT TV].

So, we both love collecting, and I know you have access to the real thing because, of course, you’re an actor, and a lot of actors do like to take souvenirs from the set after production. So, got to ask, did anything come home with you after Picard wrapped?

No, we’re absolutely not allowed to keep anything from the set.

So you didn’t sneak away a combadge or anything like that?

No. Yeah. No. No, it’s not my property. No, no, no, no. I would never admit to that.

[We can only imagine what goodies now have (but definitely don’t exist) a home in the Nerd Lair!]

Being a Trek fan, you said you have the original Mego figures in the seventies, and of course, you grew up with the movies and The Next Generation; what did it feel like to put that uniform on for the first time and step out onto the set of the bridge of your ship?

You know, it’s obviously a slow process. I mean, I got fitted for my suit. They measured me, and I’d had stages of having it cut to fit me. And then, before all of that, Terry brought me to the set, so I got kind of a private tour of it so that I could kick the tires of the bridge before I actually shot. So, the upside was that none of it felt like a first time, so I could comfortably live in the skin of this character once we got to shooting.

I walked onto the bridge, I knew where everything was, and I knew who was where and what positions were what. And I’d already sat in my chair! But having all of it collectively come together fills your soul. Like it’s that feeling of being connected to a legacy that has brought so much joy to people. Me being one of them. And you feel yourself being part of a continuum; It’s quite beautiful and thrilling. And, you know, I had to separate the six-year-old in me from the adult actor in me, and it was never lost on me while it was happening. I was always appreciative of feeling the gratitude of the event while it was happening.

What was it like working with the original TNG cast?

I have admired their work. You know, I’ve been fortunate in my career to work with people whose work I’ve admired. It’s always nice to meet these people. I’ve been to many cons and whatnot in my life just as a fan; I’ve walked around and been a part of nerd culture as a fan, as much as I have participated in them as an actor. So, it was really nice to meet these people under the circumstances of we’re coworkers. I could extend my compliments to them that I enjoy their work, and at the same time, I got to be chill because we had a job to do. We were all in the same, I was going to say boat, but ship!

We had you know, we had this great writing and these great scenes that we got to do. And I had known Jonathan Frakes prior to it, and Terry Matalas, obviously, I had known for quite some time. It was walking into a very warm, welcoming set.

Was Shaw fully fleshed out when you got the script, or were you allowed to input at all into the character’s development?

Well, obviously, characters happen in stages. No one person is responsible for what the audience finally receives. So, Shaw started in the writer’s room and in the imagination of the writers. And then, they created his backstory, and they created his forward story. So, my job was to be the best custodian of what was on the page. My input comes in performance in how I play the role and what nuance and thoughts I bring to the moment because what they’ve committed to the page differs from what I am experiencing as I interact in real time with the other characters.

How do you, as an actor, prepare to portray Shaw’s trauma in such a convincing way?

I have all the information. Right. So, you know, I know things the audience doesn’t. And so, as an actor, I take all that information, and I process it, and I, you know, you try to think the thoughts that the character’s thinking that’s all based on the information that you have about the character. So, anything that anybody says to him, his response is always going to be seen through a lens of his experiences. When certain things trigger him, or he has to reckon with issues that he’s maybe buried, it will come out in the moment. Despite his need to be professional and to be precise, he’s still a human being.

I think you do see that kind of dichotomy between the professional officer and the human being reacting to triggering things.

But I do have to ask as well in Episode 1, did that blue stuff taste good?

It was space meat!

Was it Tribble?

It was not Tribble! No, it was, you know, they never give you anything bad just because you have to eat it for more than one take.

Undoubtedly, you will have seen a lot of the early reactions to Shaw, and with your knowledge of what’s to happen across the course of the season, do you think people are judging him too quickly and writing him off?

Oh, no, no. I think I think people are judging him based on the information that they have at the moment. That’s the joy of going on a journey with a character, right? Just like every person you meet, you get first impressions and then as you get to know them, you find out other things about them that will also shape your opinions. So, what’s really fun for me is to go on the initial journey with them. I think this is the joy of a single episode release, which if you had given people a binge, a lot of these conversations we wouldn’t be having. But because we are releasing one at a time, people watch it more than once. They’re replaying the episode, replaying the episode, replaying the episode, and so they get to perseverate on specific moments and dig in and dissect things that you probably wouldn’t have done if you had gotten all ten episodes all at once.

So, what I really enjoy is the people going, ‘he’s a jerk, but he’s not wrong’. Like one person said, ‘what if it was Picard’s ship and two superior officers without orders showed up and said, we’re taking the Enterprise where we want to take it? Picard would have gone. Yeah. No, I don’t think so. And even without any personal baggage, he would say no.

Of course, you’ve worked with Terry Matalas before on the incredible 12 Monkeys.

The character you play in that show was another character that started out looking a bit like a villain and then seemed to have a redemption arc, and by the end of it, was a fan favourite. Is this a similar thing we can expect with Shaw?

What’s different about Shaw is that he’s not a villain. He’s actually the opposite. He’s a good Starfleet captain. So, he’s not like Deacon at all. Deacon was a murderer, a sociopath. So, to compare them, the only thing that’s similar is that I’m the driver of both characters. They both prickly and acerbic and funny, hopefully, and brutally honest. But, I think that’s where the similarities stop. Now, if the journey for the audience is I don’t like this guy and maybe as I get to know them, I start to like them more. Then, yes, that would be a parallel journey, but Deacon was a warlord. So, he’s nothing like Shaw at all except in perhaps delivery. You know, they both speak with salt in their mouth!

What’s your fondest memory of working on 12 Monkeys?

It’s always the people. It’s always the people. I think my fondest memory was getting to go to Prague with everybody and being able to explore this magical city with people that I had spent three years with and that I love. And that’s always what you take away from these experiences. The job is amazing and fun, but it’s always the human beings and experiences.

How did you feel at the end of 12 Monkeys Season 4 with how Deacon’s story wrapped up?

I think he may have the most profound arc of anybody in the show. Like, he’s the only one that went from being a villain in season one to be very altruistic, self-sacrificial, hero. That’s a rare thing to get in this industry. The character with the breadth of his arc.

It was astonishing to see because it also didn’t feel forced. It felt like, oh, no, that makes sense. That’s his logical progression in life.

Yeah. He gets stripped down to his basic human elements, and then you understand why he is the way he is because of the man that raised him. And so your heart breaks for the guy. Then you basically go, well, I don’t know if I was stuck in a post-apocalyptic situation. I might make some of the similar choices that he’s made. He was never a villain in the sense that The Witness was a villain; he wasn’t hellbent on world domination. He wanted to keep people alive. Yeah. All of it was motivated from his father’s treatment of him as a boy and his love for his brother. Like, there’s a lot to sympathize with this guy.

There are so many cult franchises under your belt at this point. You’ve been in Buffy and Supernatural, 12 Monkeys, and Star Trek twice. Is there a franchise missing that you’d love to work on that you haven’t been able to do yet?

It’s a great question! You know, people ask, what do I want to do next? I would say be surprised. The jobs that are the most rewarding are the ones that I didn’t see coming. We just finished season one of Foundation, which was great. I would love to do like a big sword and sorcery thing. That’s one area I haven’t really explored. Like Rings of Power or Game of Thrones. I did audition for Willow. Something like that would be really fun. Yeah, I would like to do that because I’m a D&D kid. I would love to do that and live in that world.

You’re not just an actor, of course; you’re also a writer. How do you separate your writer instincts from an acting part that’s been written by somebody else?

Well, I don’t. I don’t separate them. They all work together because it’s all the same. It’s all coming from a storytelling need. So, my job as a writer is to make sure that I have enough information out there so that the audience or the writer or the actor, director, or producer reading it gets the understanding of the character that I’ve created or shaped or whatnot. So as an actor, I am reading the script with the writer in mind in many ways going, okay, I want to make sure that I see what their vision is and I see what their intentions are and how I best can then serve that vision as an actor.

I remember reading that you were working on a Star Wars game which never came to light, unfortunately. Can you tell us anything about what it was going to be? What we could have expected?

It was a third-person, action-adventure game, much in the spirit of the kind of games that Amy Hennig crafts. So it was, you know, of that Uncharted cloth. It was an ensemble game set in the world of scoundrels, I believe is the best way to put it. It was set in the more underworld areas of Star Wars. Not the Jedi or Empire of it all. I prefer the scoundrels. That is where my strength lies, I like writing those characters. You know, watching Star Wars, I always saw myself as Solo, not Luke Skywalker. And Amy as well. I think there’s a pulpy spirit of those space pirates.

Yeah, definitely. I really wish they had allowed that to be made. That sounds awesome!

You and me both. Three years of work on that.

Would you write a Star Trek game or book if offered?

You know what? If I’m honest with myself. I’m not sure. I mean, look, I would if somebody said, hey, we want to hire you, I would jump in with both feet. But, it is a realm of writing that is maybe beyond my strengths as a writer. When I listen to all of the military tactical stuff and the Starfleet protocols and all of those things. That is definitely a deeper skillset that I currently have. And I’m always in awe of people that could do it with such aplomb. But again, I certainly would love, you know, if given that challenge, I would try to rise and be that, you know. Something involving the Fenris Rangers, maybe.

One of the biggest games so far this year, Forspoken, which of course, you were involved in. How much involvement did you have with that story, and how did you end up working on it?

That was through Amy that I was brought in. They had been working with a group of writers that were breaking down and building a world. Then they came to Amy and said, hey, would you like to take this worldbuilding and turn it into a story? And Amy brought me on board. And then we broke the story on that and Allison Reimer, who was my official writing partner. and then she and I, after Amy went to go over to Skydance Media, continued that. Allison was on the project with Gary as well. Allison and I then went on to develop the bible of the world and then the script itself. We wrote primarily the cinematics, like many of the side quests and combat dialogue, and stuff like that is all done later in the process. So we did the main story.

We had a great time with it. We loved these characters. We loved this process. I love the world. It was a heck of a lot of fun to try and blend this kind of high fantasy Game of Thrones world with a young woman from contemporary America. It was cool.

We tried to keep it bouncing and buoyant and fun and truthful as to how someone who’s in their early twenties might react to this.

Now you’re working on the Skydance Marvel game, Captain America and Black Panther. You probably aren’t allowed to say anything under pain of death from Marvel, but how involved are you with this project?

I was working on this even when I was doing Forspoken. Amy and I, since I was brought on for Uncharted 4, have developed a very strong collaboration relationship, and we work really well together. And so, I get to, you know, on Star Wars I was what was called a narrative consultant and a writer. I get to be the same with this game. I get to be part of the art meetings and reviewing that and I’m there to kind of toe the line of narrative. I go to the development meetings; I go to the the level design meetings be the voice of the story in these meetings. And Amy of course is that as well but she’s also you know, she’s the creative director. She’s the head of the pyramid here. So, I get to just focus on the story and view all these meetings through the lens of how does the narrative affect this or how does this affect the narrative? So that process is just fantastic. We built a really great writer’s room early on when we were breaking story, we brought in people who had worked on other Marvel projects like Akela Cooper, Niceole Levy, Evan Narcisse, who had actually written some Black Panther comics. Marc Bernardin who wrote on Picard season two and I’ve been friends with for a while. So, it was really great, it’s a big process making video games. It’s a slow process.

How do you prepare for something as big as the Marvel Universe? Have you been reading lots of Captain America and Black Panther comics?

That’s exactly what you do. And we’re not set in the MCU. We are its own thing. Which gives us a certain amount of freedom in storytelling because we’re not bound to the events of it. But we also want it to feel as good and as solid and as well thought out as the MCU is, even though we are not an MCU project. You do your research and we work in tandem with Marvel as they are there as our ongoing partners and consultants on this project. We focus on certain eras of comics and certain aspects of comics. And so, yeah, you do your research and then at the same time you go, all right, well, this is also an original story so what new can we add to this? What are the different flavors of these characters that we can bring out that maybe you haven’t seen before? We’re working on something special, you know.

Of course, with all these cool franchises comes a lot of fans. So what’s your most memorable novel or unique kind of fan experience that you’ve had?

I think when I saw people cosplaying as Deacon and sending pictures on Instagram cosplays of Deacon, that always tickles me. That someone in their spare time is pouring over the show to actually then go to their sewing machine or whatever and put together a costume, that always that tickles me. And they’re always just so very kind. Obviously, Now Don’t You Forget About Me is tethered to my existence. I’m often asked to sing that when I make Cameos for people!

[Todd also mentioned he won’t know if ‘older dudes with white beards’ will be cosplaying him or Riker – so make sure to let him know!]

One of your big loves is Dungeons & Dragons. And, of course, you have the Nerd Circus business as well, which is great. What got you into TTRPG?

[A great piece of advice from Todd if you want to play D&D and can’t find a group – teach yourself to become a Dungeon Master, and then you put the group together!]

My cousin, the same cousin that introduced me to Star Trek, who was a few years older than me. I just remember him taking out his dice and his character sheet one day in his apartment. I was just like, what is that? He started to describe it to me. I remember trying to connect like The Hobbit with these dice, like, it didn’t make sense to me. Then, like, a year later, it caught fire. I probably first heard about D&D in ‘78, and then I started playing in ‘79. Then I played pretty strongly for four years, and I came back to it as a grown-up. Years and years later.

[The Stashwick Table, by the way, is a thing of glory, and you can find out more about it at The Weathered Dragon]

If you were going to recommend a comic, a film, and a TV show that every geek should read and watch, what would they be, and why?

Comic, The Sandman by Neil Gaiman because it’s among my top two favourite pieces of literature. A TV show, Battlestar Galactica. The reboot is damn near perfect and just all the things you want. I’m carefully avoiding franchises that I’m in – so obviously Star Trek, obviously 12 Monkeys! Film? You know what? I’m going to avoid all the obvious ones, and if you want to be a hardcore nerd, watch Hawk the Slayer. It is a fantasy, Star Wars rip-off Dungeons & Dragons it was made in the eighties so it’s all like synthy. It is very much a B film, but it meant so much to us D&D nerds of the eighties. Hark the Slayer gets my recommendation. It’s craptastic! It’s not terrible, but it’s very B of its era. Like, it’s it obviously low budget, it has very laughable moments but the spirit of it is great. It is craptastic. Then not-craptastic and actually good, I highly recommend Green Knight that came out a few years back. That would be a good watch for fantasy fans. But Hawk the Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, Sand Man.

How did you feel about the developments of Shaw in episode two?

Episode two was really fun because you actually get to see him captaining. In light of this wrench that got thrown into the works of his otherwise, fine day. So, you actually get to see him be the captain and make decisions as a captain. Again, what I love about Shaw is when given all of the information, Shaw makes the right decisions. So, we get to see him be a good captain as opposed to just a jerk.

What advice would you give aspiring writers or aspiring actors?

Well, watch. Watch what you love, watch it, consume it, read it, and then write. Like, write. Just write your own. Find a way to put it out there. Find somebody to put it on the internet. Just write, write, write if you are an aspiring writer. So, consume it. Read books, read Ursula K. Le Guin. Read Philip K. Dick. Read just good science fiction. And Neil Gaiman read great fantasy, read Tolkien. And then watch this stuff. Consume it so that you know what field you’re entering yourself into. Then, like we live in a day and age where we have film studios in our hands so make stuff. Make, make, make. Don’t wait for somebody to give you permission. Just do it.

[You can follow Todd Stashwick on Twitter and Instagram and catch him in Star Trek Picard on Paramount+]

Review: King of the Arcade

Daniel Waite

-

Mar 30, 2023

0

The gaming industry is a competitive animal. As such, if you are a gamer, you’ll play to win. What’s more, players of all ages have a chance to shine. Consequently, when King of the Arcade tells a sombre story of a man that is down on his luck, it makes you sit up and listen. Luckily, though; the plot isn’t too heavy and this arcade-loving title is mainly a lighthearted affair.

Developed and published by Super Villain Games, this is an adventure arcade experience. Moreover, it is witty, competitive, and can be enjoyed solo or with another. Furthermore, it is distinctly old-school and comprises some classic and original games. Therefore, there is something for everyone in this short but amusing endeavour.

The hero cannot escape his gaming destiny. — The hero can’t escape his gaming destiny.

King of the Arcade tells a fall from grace.

Everyone loves to see an underdog fulfil their potential. Yet, what isn’t so popular is when you witness their subsequent fall from grace. Sadly for the protagonist in this tale, this is exactly what happens. However, there could be a sting in the tale as the hero could redeem themselves and save the day.

You are Mac McCormick, a gaming prodigy who reaches his peak at the age of 13. Having won the King of the Arcade competition, his life then takes a downward spiral. 20 years on from that life-changing experience, Mac fid himself broke and desperate for work. As such, he enters Castle’s Arcade where he must prove his worth if he is to be employed. But this fateful encounter sets off a chain of events that could have devastating consequences.

Gus tells you that you must complete 7 challenges. — 7 challenges, is that all?

80s gaming at its best.

I love retro gaming. Therefore, I felt very comfortable with every brilliant arcade game on offer. The action is divided into 2 modes. There is the story option or a private arcade to enjoy. The latter choice allows you free rein of every game, handheld device, console, or computer. Furthermore, you can enjoy most of the machines with someone else and that was great fun.

The body of the experience, however, is the excellent, albeit short story mode. Here, you must prevent a hostile takeover of Castle’s Arcade by overcoming 7 challengers and defeating a final boss. Each task incorporates a unique genre, and the “tough” and obnoxious characters wonderfully capture each clichéd personality.

Each title is astonishingly 80s in its design and this enhances the arcade theme and the retro style. Moreover, you’ll enjoy racing, air hockey, football, a claw grabber, plenty of shooting, platformers, and a punching bag game. Alongside this, some addictive and simple titles beg to be experienced. Accordingly, this straightforward affair offers plenty of variety during its short playtime.

King of the Arcade is gloriously low-poly.

Low-poly graphics aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. However, when it comes to retro gaming, they are a must. As such, I loved the boxy shapes, the garish colours, and the silly character models. Furthermore, the rough graphics and even rougher edges were fantastic. What was even better was how smoothly each title performed. Yes, they are extremely simple games, but I didn’t experience any issues. However, the same can’t be said for the protagonist’s movement. Disappointingly, he walks like he’s soiled himself, and bumping into the furniture is unfortunately a given. Accordingly, this should have been much better even if it wasn’t game-breaking.

80s gaming requires an upbeat and aggressive soundtrack. Thankfully, there is a fantastic choice of songs to listen to, and a retro jukebox is available to let you pick your favourite track. On top of this, you can “enjoy” some horribly shrill and apt sound effects. Whether it was the distorted sound of a crowd cheering, the tinny noise of bullets, or the crass noise of failure, it was amazing.

A black and green race car fight one another. — That is some aggressive driving.

Excellent controls

Other than the aforementioned movement issues, the developers got their controls spot on. With responsive inputs, easy-to-understand layouts, and thorough tutorials, you’ll be enjoying this in no time.

Though the story is short, and that was annoying, there is still replay value and longevity. Thanks to the private arcade, the leaderboard, and the multiplayer action, there is plenty to do. What’s more, there are over 40 games to try out, so it is great value for money.

King of the Arcade is a tongue-in-cheek title that will tickle you.

There have been several games that have tried to replicate the arcade experience. Sadly, most of them fail and the action feels shallow and pointless. Luckily, King of the Arcade doesn’t take itself too seriously, and this helps its cause. Moreover, most of the games are great fun and this helps things further still. Yes, I wish the story was longer, but I still had an enjoyable time, nonetheless. Accordingly, I recommend that you buy it here! Your path to redemption has come to the fore. Can you prove your worth in the gaming arena and save the day? Take on each challenger, obtain every high score, and prove that you are the King of the Arcade.

The Ins and Outs of Australian Car Insurance

News

Christopher John

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Mar 30, 2023

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The Ins and Outs of Australian Car Insurance

Are you looking to get car insurance in Australia? If so, you need to know the ins and outs of the car insurance industry in the country. From the various coverages available to the various providers, it can be difficult to know where to start. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know to make sure you get the best coverage for your needs. Keep reading to learn more about Australian auto insurance.

Choosing Insurance Coverage

ISelect car insurance is an insurance comparison tool in Australia that showcases a range of policies that suit different needs and budgets. Choose from comprehensive cover, third-party property damage cover, and third-party personal injury cover. Comprehensive cover protects you from losses due to theft or fire as well as accidents involving other vehicles. Third-party property damage covers the costs associated with any damages caused by your vehicle to another’s property, while third-party personal injury covers any medical expenses incurred by other parties if they are injured in an accident involving your car. In addition to their car-related policies, iSelect also helps you compare home and contents insurance which can protect you against loss or damage of your possessions within the home such as furniture, appliances, electronics, etc. Check out different general insurance products on the iSelect website and start figuring out which ones work best for your lifestyle.

Learning Factors That Impact Insurance Cost

The cost of car insurance in Australia is determined by a variety of factors, including the make and model of your vehicle, its age, where you live, and the number of years you have been driving. Additionally, insurers consider your claims history as well as any other additional coverages that may be required for specific vehicles or situations. For most drivers in Australia, the primary factor influencing their premiums is their overall risk profile – how likely they are to make an insurance claim. Insurance companies use detailed data to assess each driver’s risk level and set their premiums accordingly. This includes things like age, gender, occupation, and driving history (including traffic convictions). Drivers who are considered a higher risk will pay more for car insurance than those deemed lower-risk drivers such as those with perfect records or no prior claims on their policy.

Comparing Different Providers

Comparing different insurance companies in Australia is also an important step before committing to a policy. It is essential that you research and compare the various policies available to ensure you are getting the best value for your money. Different insurers will typically provide varying levels of coverage, such as third-party property damage or comprehensive insurance, so it’s essential that you find out which type best suits your needs. Consider any additional features offered by each insurer; this could include things like roadside assistance, excess waivers, or no-claim discounts—all of which can save you money in the long run if utilized correctly. Finally, check whether there are any exclusions on their policy. Some may not cover certain types of vehicles or activities (such as off-road driving). Once these aspects have been considered thoroughly and compared against other providers’ offerings, then one should be able to make an informed decision about which car insurance provider offers them the most suitable coverage at a reasonable price.

Understanding Excess Fees and Deductibles

The excess fee is an amount that you, as the policyholder, must pay before your insurer will cover any costs associated with a claim. This means if you are involved in an accident or other incident resulting in damage to your vehicle, you must first pay this fee before the insurer covers the remaining cost. In Australia, there are two types of excess fees: standard (which applies to all policies) and voluntary (which applies only when chosen by the policyholder). Standard excess fees can range from $200 to $1,000 depending on the type of coverage purchased. Voluntary excess fees allow policyholders to opt for a higher deductible at their own discretion; however, this increases their risk because they must pay more out-of-pocket should they need to make a claim.

Overall, learning the ins and outs is essential for anyone who owns a car in Australia. It provides an in-depth look at the different types of cover available, as well as the risks associated with each type so that drivers can make an informed decision about their car insurance needs. Knowing the ins and outs of insurance can help to make sure that drivers have the necessary protection to keep them safe and secure on the roads.

Seven Amazing Features You Should Check on Your Android Device

News

Christopher John

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Mar 30, 2023

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Seven Amazing Features You Should Check on Your Android Device

The Android phone software has several amazing features that are freely available. Apps perform many functions, but your device’s settings also include a number of useful features. Many of these features are rarely used, and most people are unaware that they exist.

Let’s explore seven of these awesome features and how you can use them to get the most from your Android device. Some features may not be available on devices with Android version 8 or lower. The settings described here may differ from one device to another. However, you can always check with the manufacturer to determine the right settings and features.

One-Handed Mode

One-Handed Mode is a useful feature that enables you to use your phone with one hand. It does so by shrinking the active screen down to a smaller size, so that it is easy to reach all corners of the screen with just one hand. To use this feature, just swipe up from the bottom of the phone screen and select the one-handed mode option from the resulting options. You may choose whether you want the screen to be shrunk down to the left or right side of the screen, depending on which hand you are using.

Screen Pinning

This feature is ideal for people who love reading online books or gaming on the go, as they can do it with a single hand while the other holds luggage or provides support on public transport. With many gaming sites and casino websites in India offering mobile gaming, you will have lots of fun as you wait to get to your destination. Websites such as IndiaCasinoClub.org have authentic reviews of mobile casinos whose games you can play on the go.

Screen Pinning allows you to secure your phone by tying it to a specific app of your choice. This feature comes in handy when you need to lend your phone to someone but don’t want them to have access to your personal data or other apps. You can lock it to the specific one that they are using when you lend them the device.

To use this feature, go to Settings > Security > Screen Pinning and toggle the bar to blue. Then, open the app you want to pin, tap the Recent Apps button, and swipe up on the app’s card. This will pin the selected app to the screen, and no other app can be accessed until you unpin it.

Multi-Window Mode

Multi-Window Mode is a great feature for Android users who would like to multitask on their phones. It allows you to use two apps simultaneously on the same screen and get full visibility of the activities done by each. To use the feature, tap and hold the Recent Apps button, then select the second application that you want to use. The phone screen will then split in two, with each app taking up half the screen. The feature allows you to determine the size of each of the apps by dragging the divider icon between them.

Smart Lock

All Android devices have a lock feature that automatically locks the screen after a given period that the user sets on the device. However, the feature can be annoying if you have tokeep unlocking the device every few minutes. Fortunately, you can use the Smart Lock feature to keep the device unlocked when connected to a trusted device via features such as NFC, WiFi and Bluetooth. You don’t have to enter your password or use biometric authentication every time you want to use your phone.

To use the Smart Lock feature, go to Settings > Security > Smart Lock and add your trusted locations and devices. Once set up, your phone will automatically unlock when you’re in a trusted location or connected to a trusted device.

Split-Screen Keyboard

Split-Screen Keyboard is a handy feature for those with larger devices, such as tablets and other devices with large screens. It enables you to divide the digital keyboard in half, allowing you to type with both hands as you would on a computer. To activate the feature, tap and hold the comma key on your keyboard. This will split the keyboard in half, with each half on either side of the screen. You can adjust the size of the keyboard halves by dragging the divider between them.

You may need a little training to be able to use each half of the keyboard. However, once done, you will find it easy to type on your phone.

Guest Mode

Guest Mode is the perfect feature to use when you want to let someone else have your phone but don’t want them to have access to your personal data or apps. Guest Mode creates a separate user profile on your phone that provides limited access to your data and apps.

Just like in guest mode on a Windows computer, the user does not have the rights to make changes in the settings and cannot access your private files in your profile. However, they are able to use all the features of the phone without any issues. To use it, go to Settings > Users > Add User > Guest. When your guest is finished using your phone, you can simply switch back to your profile and continue accessing all features as you had before.

Infrared Blaster

Some Android phones have an infrared blaster that allows them to be used as a remote control for your TV or other electronic devices. To use this feature, download a compatible app and follow the instructions. The compatible app could be device-specific remote software or a universal one. Once set up, you can use your phone as a remote control, which makes it easier to switch channels or adjust the volume without having to use the physical remote.

Review: Sifu

Daniel Kelly

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Mar 29, 2023

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Does anybody remember God Hand? God Hand was a 2006 game released by Capcom and directed by the survival horror icon Shinji Mikami. God Hand was near universally panned on release, but after years of people digging through the review bomb ruble, they found what was probably the greatest hand to hand combat in a video game.

Sure Yakuza has more gameplay variety and an undoubtedly better story, Sleeping Dogs and the Arkham games were more accessible and more immediately satisfying, but no game had ever gotten hand to hand combat THAT right. Until Sifu anyway.

To ensure I don’t ramble, this is going to have to be heavily truncated and compartmentalized, but Sifu is now the best hand to hand combat game around, and alongside its most recent update, it has finally been released on Xbox.

Sif-Who?

In Sifu, you play as either the son or daughter of a kung-fu master who was killed by five of his former students. Seeking revenge, you set off to take down each and every one of them. These five ‘bosses’ are what comprise the game’s five stages.

I do think it important to note that, while the game does now offer difficulty options, the original difficulty labelled ‘Disciple’ is far and away the best difficulty for new players; ‘Student’ is comically easy and effectively trivialises an otherwise thrilling game, and ‘Master’ is far too hard for a beginner. Even if you pride yourself on tackling the hardest difficulties immediately, I implore you, pick normal. The game does not need your help to be difficult.

The Folly of Youth

The reason the game can be so difficult for beginners is because the entire conceit of the game is that you have to reach the end in one lifetime. Notice I said ‘lifetime’ and not ‘life’, that’s because Sifu is not so insane as to expect perfection. You can die, but when you die you can revive on the spot by adding a year to your life. See, you start the game at 20 years old, and you get gradually older the more you die, and your goal is to beat the game before you use up all your available years and die. Every time you beat a level, you start the next level at the age at which you finished the previous level, but you can always replay earlier levels in order to beat them at a younger age.

If you’re confused, I wouldn’t be surprised, let me explain. When you die at 20, you get 1 year added to your age, the next time you die you will get 2 years added to your age (as you’ve died twice) and so now you will be 23. This is an exponential growth that can see you hit your 30s by your 4th death; however, there is a remedy. There are certain powered up/ higher tier enemies that, when defeated, will take one of those deaths away, not one of the years (you cannot de-age outside of easy), but when you die at 21, you will instead rise as a spry 22 year old instead of a decrepit 23 year old.

For each new decade you enter, your damage will increase, but your health will decrease, there are also age cut-offs for certain moves and shrine bonuses, so pay attention to what skills only a young man can learn.

The Essence of Learning

There are two ways in which you can ‘level up’: you can use xp you’ve earned from defeating enemies to learn new moves (moves which can only be permanently unlocked by investing heavy amounts of xp into), and you can use your level score (based on your combat performance) to buy upgrades at one of the level’s shrines (there are 3 per level, and each can only be used once per run). These are not permanent fixes however, as when you become too old to continue and actually die, you will lose all of your moves that you did not deign to permanently unlock, as well as all of the shrine bonuses for the level on which you died.

Do You Know Kung-Fu?

Sifu’s combat is fairly simple: you have a light and heavy attack, you can throw enemies when stunned, trip them, and break their ‘Structure’ bar by parrying and attacking them in order to deal a flashy finisher, thereby circumventing the need to deplete their health.

While simple, Sifu’s combat used to be so difficult to explain because before it’s latest update, it was incredibly esoteric and relied solely on your own ability to understand what works in what situation, and why. Thankfully, all of this has been alleviated with the addition of an actually informative tutorial mode. Thank god. Now, in lieu of explaining all of the intricacies of the combat, I can simply say “go play the tutorial”.

The Joy of Mastery

Sifu is a difficult game to fully sum up without a plethora of visual aids, but essentially you are just working your way through room after room of increasingly difficult enemies and trying to get to the end, and defeat the boss, without too many deaths so that you can then tackle the next level with your aging knees and back in tact.

The gameplay of Sifu is all about entering a flow state; it’s key that you understand what your opponents can do, as well as how to counter or avoid their attacks. While it may seem initially daunting, there is nothing better dominating a room or entire stage of enemies that once gave you trouble.

Who We Fightin’?

Each of the 5 levels is painstakingly constructed to be as beautiful and as unique as possible. All of the bosses are represented in some way by their stage: Fajar is the animal who lives in the slums, Sean is the nightclub dwelling bad-boy, Kuroki is the suffering artist holed up in her museum, Jinfeng is the CEO who never leaves the office, and Yang (the man who killed your father) is the stoic master meditating in his hilltop dojo.

If you’re looking for more of a definitive story, there is one here. It’s not just a slapdash excuse for you to go kill some enemies, throughout each of the levels there are a series of collectibles and clues, all of which speak to the larger narrative of who these people actually are and why they killed your father. As well as this, there are a number of shortcuts which can be unlocked in a sort of metroidvania-esque workaround should you find yourself getting too old before the boss. These shortcuts can either be unlocked by progressing further in that level, or even by finding a key or passcode in another level. These crisscrossing collectibles do a great job of showing how even though these bosses are intimidating and powerful, there are still human, and they are, or at least were, good friends.

The Never-Ending Journey

As for what to do after you beat the game, Sloclap have been updating the game since launch and periodically adding new content, whether in the form of alternate outfits, in-game challenges, or unlockable modifiers and cheats to tune the game any which way you want.

They’ve also recently released the Arena mode, which is a collection of 45 individually tailored challenge missions. They’ve also finally allowed you to somewhat customize your moveset to a greater degree by allowing you to switch out the animations on some of your attacks, so you can truly tune your fighter to look as cool as the limits of the game will allow.

Conclusion

I’ve gushed quite a lot about the game, but what’s wrong with it? Honestly, not much, especially now that the update and re-release has seemingly ironed out every issue I’ve had with the game. There were still times when the camera would catch on a wall, but in most cases that was due to my poor positioning, and the enemy tracking doesn’t seem as magnetic as before, so it’s far easier to choose your targets.

On top of everything I’ve said, the game was only $40 on release; which is an insane deal no matter how you look at it.

This is a game that I would universally recommend, and with so few (if any) issues, it easily deserves a 10. 10 obviously does not mean perfect, just that there were so few issues that my enjoyment was never soured. Even after 100 hours, I still sunk 5 into the new update, and that only came out two days ago. Sifu initially released last February, and even amongst the likes of Elden Ring, it was my favourite game of last year, and in re-playing it for this review, it’s also my favourite game this year.

Review: Terraformers

Samuel Beattie

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Mar 29, 2023

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As far as we know, Mars is not home to any life, but what if that were to change? In Terraformers, you can get a glimpse into what that might look like. Terraformers, developed by Asteroid Lab and published by both Golbinz Publishing and IndieArk, is a turn-based strategy game in which you are tasked with the survival of a human colony on Mars. While you might have some trouble doing so thanks to the poor tutorials, there is a lot to enjoy about this title. From the challenging yet fair difficulty, engaging gameplay and beautiful presentation this game is an enjoyable experience.

The Red Planet Awaits

As stated earlier, you are tasked with the survival of a human colony. To survive on such a rough planet, you will need to explore, expand and terraform the planet to the needs of the colony. All of this is done via turn-based gameplay. At the start of a new game, you will select a path. These paths determine the victory conditions for your survival. These conditions include but are not limited to reaching a certain amount of sustainable resources, terraforming the planet a certain amount, or populating enough areas on Mars. Upon choosing a path to walk, the game will begin by having the player choose a leader. Every leader has different skills, each providing different benefits. A leader only has one chance at being elected. Once this whole process is complete, the game will officially start.

As shown, it takes a long time to start playing the game. Even after all of that, the start of a new game is slow due to the limited resources at your disposal. Because of this, I didn’t enjoy the game at first. However, the player will eventually build their way up to a more self-sustaining system. Building trade routes between Mars and Earth, creating mines for resources and so much more. Going from a city with few resources to a planet with plenty of oceans and forests is very satisfying. While the start of a new game can be slow, building up the planet makes it worth it. After achieving the victory conditions, the player has the option of starting a new game or continuing with their current game in a free-play mode. After clearing a game, your level will increase; giving you more options in future playthroughs.

Building Support

In this title, you have a lot to manage. But how do you spend your resources? Why gather resources in the first place? Well, Resources can be used to build cities, fund projects, and create trading routes. These actions will increase the resources gained and the support level. Every few turns you will receive a continuous decrease in support. If the support level reaches zero or lower, it’s game over. Some actions may cause negative support level gain, however they may be necessary for gaining more resources for future support level gain. This risk and reward system is very interesting and can lead to a very difficult time surviving on Mars, especially with the chance of random events, like earthquakes, occurring. When all the mechanics are at play, it can be quite challenging, which makes it all the more enjoyable.

The Sounds and Looks of Mars

Terraformers looks and sounds incredible. Every detail from the menus to the amazing illustrations and even the soundtrack adds to the incredible presentation of this game. As soon as you see the title screen, you can tell you are in for a treat with the amazing artwork on display. These pieces are also used to display scenarios you encounter while exploring Mars. The menus are easy and simple to navigate while being fun and satisfying to use which is very important for a game with so many menus. While all this is good, the soundtrack is the highlight of the presentation in Terraformers.

The sound design is jaw-droppingly amazing, featuring a full orchestral soundtrack. This soundtrack made me feel emotional and it made the experience all the better. The best part about the soundtrack is how it reacts to what you do. For example, if you start growing plant life, it will play a jungle-esque beat, or when you complete the objective and win, it will play a triumphant melody. Listening to this soundtrack is truly a treat for the ears.

Terraformers, Space at its Finest

While Terraformers has its faults like the unclear tutorials that don’t explain the mechanics of the game very well, it is overall still a very fun game. This is thanks to the fantastic presentation, the many unlockable options and difficulty options leading to a very replayable game, and the challenging yet enjoyable gameplay. I strongly recommend giving this game a go. While it has a slow start, I encourage you to push through its grueling start to find a fantastic game with a lot of depth and an emotional soundtrack.

Sakeworld Review

Daniel Kelly

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Mar 29, 2023

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What Is Sakeworld?

From Sakeworld’s official Twitter: “Sake is a clothing brand created by Jack Phoenix. Sakeworld is a side-scrolling beat ’em up game inspired by Jack’s artwork”.

One of the problems with this concept is that Jack’s artwork is fundamentally, unequivocally awful. This was immediately evident once I had seen the game’s splash screen; however, horrible art does not a horrible experience make (just look at most Adult Swim shows), so I figured I’d give it the benefit of the doubt. My initial optimism failed to take into account that for every low-budget masterwork that the terrible art of Adult Swim provides (think 12oz Mouse), we get about a thousand soulless, craven, hideous cash-ins (think The Nutshack).

This is a Nutshack-type game.

The Main Problem

Sakeworld is a a beat-em-up wherein you play as either D Savage, Chief Keef, Trippi Redd, Rucci, or Yung Bans. This distinction is almost purely cosmetic as, aside from ONE special move per character, they all have the exact same set of moves.

Speaking of moves, let’s explore that for a second. Beat-em-ups (especially modern beat-em-ups) are deceptively difficult to make well as there’s a litany of considerations to be made as to how to distinguish the characters from one another through their moves, frame data, looks, attributes, and combo-strings. Sakeworld seeks to circumvent that problem by having a total of 3 (technically 4) moves: a punch, an uppercut (which sometimes comes out when a punch is thrown anyway despite there being no combo strings), a kick, and a special kick which has a cooldown. Not even a grab, which puts this gameplay firmly in the 80s alongside any number of NES games which were swept into the great dustbin of gaming history.

As well as all of that, while Sakeworld has a rank and combo system, there is no combo counter, nor is there any way to actually string together moves; because of this, I found myself burning through levels which were doling out A and S ranks like candy. The only challenge here comes from either wrestling with the awful controls on higher difficulties, or losing due to sheer boredom.

How’s It Look And How’s It Sound?

Sakeworld (surprisingly) has a number of original songs for it’s soundtrack, as well as a jukebox on the main menu wherein you can listen to the entire soundtrack at your leisure. This is a surprisingly competent feature to include here and, while the overwhelming majority of the soundtrack is terrible to me as, aside from Shakewell and the occasional Fat Nick track, this ad-lib heavy, post-glam era pseudo-mumble rap isn’t really my kind of music, but it is here if you want it, so that’s gotta count for something.

Though the game has a decent amount of visual variety, as the backdrops of each level are at least distinct, it all completely collapses under the weight of how awful the gameplay is. To it’s credit though, the game also has a boss rush mode. This mode is incredibly tedious and just has you fighting every boss in a row, in the tutorial area no less, but it does at least exist.

Should You Buy It?

Ultimately, Sakeworld is a pristine example of how quickly and lazily an Android game can be ported to Playstation; however, it should be noted that while this game is undoubtedly terrible, it AT LEAST does not have a platinum, so it is at least better than the mountains of ‘2-minute platinum’ shovelware that is seemingly dumped on the Playstation store every time you open it.

This game is impossible to recommend, but it’s not a 0, the aforementioned ‘2-minute platinum’ games are the only games that are worthy of a zero in my eyes, as they have nothing to offer anybody. But then of course we circle back around to the question of who this game is actually for, and I have no idea. As I see it, it is a game bereft of any charm, full-to-bursting with incompetent design, and absolutely hideous to look at, BUT it is only 12 dollars. I suppose the choice then is whether you would rather spend 12 dollars on this, or a comparable amount of money on an actual good or great beat-em-up. This game isn’t a 0, but with all of it’s problems, and with so many better alternatives, there’s no way it’s any better than a 2.

Review: Mayhem in Single Valley

Daniel Waite

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Mar 29, 2023

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Mayhem in Single Valley is a tongue-in-cheek affair that is riddled with zombies, puzzles, and amusing characters. What’s more, the young hero must overcome a serious case of bad luck if he is to fulfil his potential in this fun pixelated adventure title.

Developed by Fluxscopic Ltd. and published by TinyBuild, this is an action-adventure title. What’s more, there are some glorious puzzles to solve, masses of zombie creatures to run away from, and some cruel bosses to defeat. Furthermore, you’ll learn that though the creatures are sick, they still have feelings. As such, you must find out their likes and dislikes as you try to quash this zombie invasion. However, this isn’t going to be easy as the hero is weak as piss and the zombies are fast, furious, and not as cute as they should be.

Mayhem in Single Valley will make you chuckle.

Jack is a young lad that has little to no luck. Subsequently, he is always getting into trouble no matter how hard he tries. However, his latest whoopsy dwarves anything from his past as he awakens to find the world is crumbling. Moreover, the number of survivors is limited, and those that are alive are a bit nuts, to say the least.

Single Valley was once a quiet but happy town. However, under its serene surface lies cruel secrets and many mysteries. Yet, only a few inhabitants are aware of the strange goings on, and Jack is, frankly, blissfully unaware. Unsurprisingly, his world is turned upside down when a zombie apocalypse appears before his face. But this cheeky lad doesn’t let that stop him as he undertakes a mind-blowing quest to save the town and get home in time for tea.

A plane full of clones is about to crash. — What will happen to those clones?

A brilliantly constructed plot.

Where Mayhem in Single Valley excels is its brilliant plot and wonderful drip-fed mechanics. As the game evolves, you are given new abilities, items, and information to help you to understand your surroundings. Furthermore, each unique location flows nicely and you never feel out of your depth or confused. This was even more impressive as the cryptic puzzles require you to think outside of the box. However, once you get your head around the developer’s mindset, you adjust your way of thinking and this helps immensely.

Unlike other zombie games, Jack isn’t armed for combat. Instead, he has a catapult, a selection of unusual ammo, and a special homebrew that helps to cure the plague. Yet, with an array of creatures attacking you, you must understand what foods they like if you wish to cure them all. Squirrels, rabbits, humans, dogs, bears, monkeys, and more stand in your way. Furthermore, you must combine grubs, apples, beetles, bananas, and so forth with the cure if you are to save each creature.

Using your catapult will enable you to distract each animal as you make your way across the town. However, at times, you must move furniture, save clones of yourself, and upgrade your equipment to progress. What’s more, you’ll locate key items to unlock doors, complete tasks, and appease ghostly apparitions. On top of this, you must unravel cryptic clues, use UV lights to find hidden messages, and leap across chasms with an umbrella. All the while, you will be being chased by zombies and a mysterious figure throughout.

Jack stands on top of a fire truck while a rhino charges and zombies gather. — We have a minor zombie problem to deal with.

Tight spaces and boss fights.

Another great element of Mayhem in Single Valley is the claustrophobic and hard-to-navigate world. Now, some of you may think that sounds awful. Yet, it wasn’t. With an army of zombies chasing you and limited room to move, it made the action dramatic and stressful. This was then made worse when you had to flip switches, shoo rats, or barricade doors. Moreover, don’t get me started about the angry lion and the strange secret areas hidden beneath the surface.

These elements were great, and they each played a part in the boss battles as well. These relatively simple affairs were fun, interesting, and easy once you worked out the solution. However, until you figured out what to do, you’ll run around like a headless chicken. Yes, that was a little annoying, but you were afforded a wry smile once the eureka moment struck. Consequently, though the battles weren’t the hardest I’ve come across, they were still rewarding.

Mayhem in Single Valley is a pixelated dream.

I’m sure everyone is fed up with the word pixelated. Yet, I still love this approach when it is executed correctly. Mayhem in Single Valley gets its presentation just right as the blend of colours, interesting character models, and varied locations keep things fresh. What’s more, the animation is smooth, and I rarely encountered any visual issues.

I loved what I was looking at, but the audio was better still. By finding cassette tapes, you may change the style of music. This was incredible, as each original song added drama at the right times. Whether it was a daunting song as you crept through a cave, or an upbeat track as you avoided swirling tornadoes, it never got boring. Alongside this, I enjoyed the silly but effective sound effects.

Jack uses his umbrella to float over gaps. — I’m on top of the world.

Great controls but awful inventory management.

The control system was mostly a raving success. However, the inventory management screen was a slow and tiring mess. If you wish to access your items, you must scroll through several other screens. Alongside this, if you want to combine food with any liquid, it was a clumsy affair. Yet, once you got used to these minor issues, it mattered not. As such, it doesn’t undermine the gameplay, nor does it prevent you from enjoying the experience.

Someone needs to tell the developers to ease off the collectables. Accordingly, Mayhem in Single Valley is jam-packed with weird items to collect, clones to rescue, cassette tapes to locate, and other bits to find. Thankfully, you can ignore most of these elements, but the clones reward you with rolls of tape. This everyday commodity is essential, as it is used to upgrade Jack’s skills, his backpack, and his catapult. Subsequently, finding every clone is essential if you want the best chance of surviving.

Mayhem in Single Valley is a great indie title.

I’ve played some great indie games recently. Luckily, I can say that Mayhem in Single Valley is up there with the best of a great bunch. Thanks to its witty writing, interesting characters, unique environments, and intriguing puzzles, this will keep you busy while entertaining you. Unfortunately, though, the inventory screen was clumsy, and you’ll die repeatedly. Yet, these are minor problems when you consider all the plus points. Accordingly, I loved it and I recommend that you buy it here! Are you strong and brave enough to stop the zombie apocalypse? Solve every puzzle, cure the infected, and take down the shadowy figure once and for all.

Review: Astronite

Daniel Waite

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Mar 28, 2023

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Astronite is one of those games that’ll make you scream and scream and scream! Consequently, this maddening 1bit Metroidvania title will infuriate you to the point of despair. However, this also makes it moreish as hell, and I struggled to put down this brutal platformer. Alongside this, it is a game that is full of secrets, upgrades, tough bosses, and a surprisingly big map. As such, this straightforward-looking game will push you to your limits while surprising you regularly.

Developed by DUME Games Studio and published by JanduSoft, this is a 1bit Metroidvania platformer. What’s more, it has plenty of puzzles and loads of combat, and there is an interesting upgrade system to master. Additionally, there are plenty of zones to explore as well as familiar Metroidvania mechanics to endure. Accordingly, you’ll traverse the enormous map looking for different paths as new powers, abilities, and skills become available.

The hero traverses a wooden bridge over a bank of spikes. — Which way should I go?

Astronite tells a damning tale.

Your home planet used to be lush and peaceful, that was, until “they” arrived. These invasive beasts destroyed your home and killed your people. As such, you must seek revenge and remove these evil creatures from your planet. However, this is easier said than done, as giant bosses and evil overlords stand between you and success.

Though the story was damning, the action was harder still! This brutal Metroidvania title does very little hand-holding and offers almost no guidance throughout. As such, you are free to explore at will and die repeatedly. The action focuses on the hero and his endeavours. Throughout his journey, he must collect a valuable resource called Sphirti. This sought-after element is traded for upgrades and is used to power each teleporter. Consequently, it is essential if you wish to progress.

However, the developers enhance the masochistic nature of this title by wiping your Sphirti collection every time you die. Luckily, though, if you can get back to your grave without dying, you can collect everything you have lost. Yet, this isn’t easy and the cruel nature of this game wipes your progress in relentless fashion as you die over and over again.

Use the teleporters to travel great distances. — It is teleporting time.

Typical spaceman gear.

As a spaceman, you expect to have certain resources at your disposal. As a minimum, there should be a weapon, a jetpack, and a way to move quickly. Unfortunately, though, the evil overlord who leads the invasion snatches each of these items from you. Consequently, your journey is hindered until you find each boss that protects each element.

This was a “fun” way to enforce the fundamental Metroidvania tropes. However, this is enhanced further, as upgrades and different items can be purchased separately. You can use your Sphirti to increase your health, buy a map, reduce the cost of teleportation, increase firepower, and so forth. On top of this, the more you explore, the more likely you are to find upgrades in the wild. Subsequently, determined explorers are rewarded for their efforts as a more powerful hero will mow down each brutal boss in a heartbeat.

Alongside these ideas are some excellent secret locations. The Echo Doors hide challenges that only the strongest and bravest can witness. Accordingly, this already tough game offers an extra layer of difficulty to anyone that is stupid enough to try their luck.

Astronite may be dated, but it looks great.

The use of a monochromatic colour palette and a simple art style may not be for everyone. Yet, I loved how Astronite looks. The use of lighting and shade creates depth in each of the incredible areas. Furthermore, the excellent sprites and simple labelling ensure that you can identify land and water, or solid or crumbling platforms. Though the visuals may be rudimentary, they work perfectly for this genre and I adored its stripped-back simplicity and the excellent stage design.

The original audio was equally good. ZeeWave Sound has created a brilliant synth soundtrack that is futuristic, energetic, and full of fun. Alongside this, the basic sound effects complemented the music.

A boss in a giant drill stands between you and your ability to dash. — I hate this drill guy! Just give me back my dash ability.

Responsive controls.

When a game is as infuriating as Astronite, the controls must be spot on. Thankfully, the responsive inputs ensure that you have a fighting chance. With spikes to leap over, chasms to jump, saw blades to avoid, and a never-ending army of creatures to kill, the simple control layout was a blessing. Additionally, you must also master your jetpack and the ability to dash, swim, and shoot. Subsequently, there is a lot to focus on if you wish to complete your mission.

This genre is tough but also rewarding. Moreover, it has plenty of replay value and longevity if you can withstand the cruel mechanics. Fortunately/unfortunately, Astronite goes one step further with its secret areas and its incredibly harsh bosses. Furthermore, the lack of hand-holding or guidance will test your patience and your will to live.

Astronite is cruel but undeniably good.

I normally give Metroidvania games a wide birth. Why? Well, I usually find the back-and-forth and cruel mechanics to be unfulfilling and far too tough. Now, Astronite is guilty of these things as well, but I adored the story, the fantastic presentation, and the rewarding nature of each boss encounter. Furthermore, the drip-fed mechanics and excellent stage design were wonderful as well. Accordingly, though it kicked my ass, I loved what I saw. As such, I recommend that you buy it here! Can you destroy the plague of invaders that have ruined your planet? Search for your gear, find every secret, and fulfil your destiny to become a hero.