Review: Fireworks Display Simulator

Jonah Ehlers
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Review: Fireworks Display Simulator

Have you ever thought about your birthday, wedding reception, even funeral’s entertainment. I know I have. My personal dream is to have fireworks at my wake. Why have people bawling their eyes out (hopefully) over my passing? Let’s give them something to gawk at. Let’s give them lights, colours, loud noises and music as the ultimate send off. 

Fireworks… Need I Say More?

I think most people can agree that fireworks are pretty great. The sheer spectacle is something that arrests your attention with extreme prejudice. Fireworks want every sense you can spare, and in the right hands they can do just that. 

But unfortunately for all the joy and excitement a good fireworks display can bring. they are not perfect. They scare our pets, and they bring with them a considerable amount of noise pollution. On top of all that they’ll never be as magnificent as the fireworks from the Lord of the Rings.

But there are ways to enjoy a fireworks display without giving your dog tinnitus or bothering sleeping babies in any nearby homes. Which are truly unforgivable acts. Despite these shortcomings, there are other solutions you can find here. Enter the Fireworks Display Simulator. One of the best ways to enjoy controlled explosions indoors. Sorry though, there’s still no way to top Gandalf’s collection, but it sure does try.

Explosives Without the Risk

Fireworks Display Simulator greets you with an introductory display of what’s possible. A great show of timing and choice in fireworks that really caught my interest. I’ll admit I was more than a bit intimidated by what I saw. I had no idea how I would even get close to creating a display that wasn’t just random explosions in front of a static backdrop.

Fireworks Display Simulator takes a hold of your hand and guides you through the basics of what the possibilities are in a way that is easy to grasp. It did a pretty great job of bridging the gap between what they showed you before and what you are able to do as a novice. You get a feel for the easy to use and simple UI (User Interface). Or at least relatively simple compared to something like Adobe Audition, which to be fair is professional software. It has to be said though, accessibility aside, the UI does not look particularly pretty. I can only hope for a more appealing design, or at the very least a dark mode one day.

Sky’s the Limit

The tutorial provides you with the foundation of setting up a decent display, but there are still a lot more possibilities under the surface. It does teach you enough without bombarding you with information and mechanics which could muddy the waters terribly. However, I do think something in the way of an advanced tutorial would be more than welcome. Although, with some experimentation in the sim and browsing the support section of their website I discovered a couple of interesting things. 

For one you have the ability to import 3d models for the backdrops of your displays; cars, buildings, etc. This adds some variety to the unfortunately few options you’ve got  by default. Hopefully we see more models get added to the base game in the future though. It is still in early access, so I’m sure we’ll be seeing more content added over time.

The most exciting prospect however, has to be the Firework editor. This is the playground in which you build your ideal firework. Comets, mines, shells, whatever you want. You have the ability to create some spectacular stuff if you take the time to get familiar with it. This is something I’d have loved to see a tutorial on in-game. The manual is easily accessible online sure, but something that helped you along step-by-step would be a great inclusion.

More Fun Than You Might Think

Clearly there’s a lot at your disposal to create a really spectacular display, considering it’s on a PC and not outside. You’ve also got ways of inserting camera pans and sweeps to add some dynamic movement to the display or line up that perfect view. Although at this point you must be wondering about music. Well don’t worry, you have full authority over the soundtrack to your event. It’s easy to add any audio file you like. Hell even add an audiobook chapter to your display, and insert some culture to the occasion. Just as long as it’s in the right format.

Fireworks Display Simulator was a lot more fun than I’d initially expected I’ll admit. It turned out to be a fairly enjoyable sim. It does a great job at what it intended to do and it’s something you can inadvertently lose a lot more time in than you bargained for. Which is not a bad thing at all. There is a plethora of fireworks at your disposal, some good mechanics for dynamism and flair, and an Interface that’s pretty welcoming to newcomers; if not a bit plain looking. If you’re into simulators, fireworks, or both it could be a good time. 

Now please, enjoy a little amateur display I spent a little too much time on, below.

Review: Pacer

Daniel Waite
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Review: Pacer

No matter your age, we all have a vision of what we think the future will look like. For me, it’s robotic, cold, and controlled by money. You may think this a depressing outlook, but the more we allow robots to control our lives, the less say we have about our own destiny. Even if the way we live changes, the desire for high adrenaline sports will never fade! What better way to scratch this itch than to combine technology with supersonic speed. Pacer does just this! You are a racing driver, or pilot if you will. You control an anti-grav craft that must race around town circuits, winning events and shooting opponents from the sky.

Developed and published by R8 Games, this sterile vision of the future is; wonderfully brutal, insanely addictive, and is sure to get the heart pumping. Your futuristic vehicle soars above the ground and glides around corners. It comes equipped with deadly weapons, and has a shield to ensure that it stays in the race for as long as possible. The premise is simple; choose your layout, select your event, and race. The winner will be crowned the victor. There are no complexities, and the only thing that’ll hold you back are your reflexes and reactions.

Pacer is packed with content.

I’ve played many racing games in the past, including its nearest rival WipEout, but many are guilty of limited options, and repetitive gameplay. Pacer doesn’t fall into that trap. 14 unique and challenging venues are at your disposal. Not only do you have these locations to visit, they also have interchangeable variants; mirrored, night, reversed and so forth. You will take part in; 8 different race types, select 5 unique vehicles, 4 engine classes and wield 11 types of weapon.

Keep away from the barriers.

It’s a content overload that will please the many racing genre fans out there. The races are a straightforward affair, with the classic speed pad being utilised alongside a ship boost that regenerates. Ammo and shield icons are dotted around each stage, flying over them enables you to pick them up, ensuring that you replenish your armour, or power your weapons to take down the opposition. Other than this, all you have to do is focus on your objective and go for gold.

It’s all about your career.

A fantastic career mode makes up the core of the game. This is broken down into sponsor based events with a specific number of goals to complete, and rigid objectives that must be achieved before you can progress. Medals are allocated that reflect your success, and these don’t affect your progression, they are simply a badge of honour. You will be asked to; destroy X amount of opponents, win every race, and many other challenging goals. There is nothing complicated about it, but the opposition can be frustratingly hard, and hitting your target can be easier said than done.

Pacer isn’t all about the racing. No, you are free to customise and design your ship layout as you wish. This is the section of the game where you must consider your approach and design your vehicle according to your style. Anything you select will impact another attribute; increase the acceleration, and the handling will take a dive. Improve speed, and your defence drops. It’s a constant juggling act, and finding the perfect balance can be difficult. Alongside the stats, you are free to pimp your ride as you see fit. Choose body kits, OTT parts, and many colours and wraps. The world is your oyster when it comes to design, but these options aren’t free. You must spend your hard earned cash on any improvements, meaning some tough decisions have to be made.

It’s all about the spectacle.

People want action, and that is what you are going to give them. The 8 unique races demand a different approach and skill set. Will you be asked to race over a set number of laps? Do you have to destroy X amount of opponents, or survive to be the last car standing? These are to name but a few, but with the variation in game modes, and different track, it’s hard to get bored with what R8 Games have presented.

The future isn’t all about overbearing cities and dull landscapes.

This is then pushed one step further with a selection of single-player game modes, and online play against friends and strangers. Like the career mode, online supports up to 10 players at once. You can select from 7 game modes, and the developers have attempted to keep things balanced by implementing a matchmaking system. I found this slightly floored at quiet times as I was chucked into lobbies to make up the numbers, even though they were clearly much more experienced than me. If you didn’t wish to take part, but wanted to spectate, this was also accounted for. The spectator mode was a great way for novice players to observe the higher skilled players, and to gain some valuable tips.

A friendly bunch!

The online lobbies were easy to navigate and were well populated, mostly. The community, though in its infancy, had a mixture of high end gamers, and those who wanted to play for fun. With the use of VOIP to help build a community environment, I was worried that it would be toxic from the go, but my fears were misplaced. I had no issues at all, and would happily allow younger players to join in with little concern of foul language or trolling occurring. If the developers can keep this high standard as the game expands, then it will have a marvellous following that will make this a family friendly title.

Pacer is buttery smooth to play.

With vehicles exceeding 1000 Kph, it would be easy for the imagery to blur into a horrible mess. This never happened, with the graphics easily keeping up with the game’s demand. The vehicles float past the neon lights of each city, maintaining the high detail of each ship, and the buildings in the background. The landscape uses a dark and gritty colour palette which opposes the bright and vibrant tones used for the power up icons and the boost pads. This decision by the developers made it easy to navigate each track even when the world was moving at a supersonic speed. I adored the custom options, and the many choices that were placed at your fingertips. It’s rare that you have such freedom to create the look that best suits your personality.

I can keep talking about my love of the garage mode and all the mods that this allowed, but I won’t as I now want to gush about how great the audio is. I knew the moment I switched it on that the music would be a loud upbeat affair, but I didn’t think that I’d love it as much as I did. The style isn’t something I’d normally listen to, but it worked perfectly in this setting. With a custom track list available to select any of the 80+ songs, you can race to your favourite tracks. The drum and bass sounds are accompanied by some excellent sound effects. Booming explosions, screeching engines, and the shrill scraping of metal on metal, it was glorious. The brilliance of the audio adds a strong and stable element to further improve a well delivered spectacle.

If only you could stop to take in the view.

No one wants a difficult to control racing game.

With so much going on, it would be easy to have made this insanely complicated to play. Luckily, Pacer is unbelievably easy to operate. Which in part is helped by the minimalist power up approach taken by R8 Games. Each ship uses two air brakes. These help you slow down immediately, but also allow you to bank around corners at high speed. Acceleration and boosting require no thought process, and weapon aiming is automated to your closest rival. With the world skipping past you at a ridiculous pace, a straightforward approach was the correct choice, and it makes the gameplay enjoyable and accessible for many gamers.

The racing genre is renowned for containing a high replay value, and this game doesn’t buck that trend. With many game modes, race types and an in-depth career mode, there are plenty of reasons to return. It can be repetitive at times, especially when attempting the tougher challenges. But, this was eased with a change of focus, or any of the many track variations you will come across. An extremely tough achievement list has been incorporated, so completionists are in for a challenging time if they want to finish this off.

Pacer stands up against its peers.

With many games trying to replicate the enthralling and addictive nature of WipEout, it’s understandable that many will fail miserably. Fortunately, Pacer isn’t one of these titles. With many well designed levels and modes, lots of weapons to choose, and 5 different vehicle types, there are plenty of options to make everyone happy. A fair but challenging difficulty curve will keep you interested from beginning to end, as does the wonderful graphical and audio presentation. I loved my time with this and recommend that you buy it here! Choose your ship, customise it to your liking, and make each of the sponsors happy. You must race for money, gold medals, but most importantly pride.

Square Enix Presents: 18/03/2021 Showcase – All News and Trailers

Sean McCarthy
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Square Enix Presents: 18/03/2021 Showcase – All News and Trailers

It has been a busy few days for all things Square Enix with the news of Outriders going into Xbox Game Pass on release day as well as the New Console Generation upgrade and Hawkeye DLC launching for MARVEL’s Avengers today as well. But this is the first showcase of what Square Enix has to come in 2021 an beyond and for me, my eyes are on the next Life is Strange game reveal most of all. So let us checkout the news and trailers from the show including my own final thoughts on the showcase:

Outriders: Story and Power Classes 101 Trailers:

Outriders will release April 1, 2021 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC (Steam, Epic & NVIDIA GeForce NOW) and Stadia. Learn everything you need to know about Outriders in this in-depth 101 trailer. Enoch was meant to be a fresh start… yet now you’re stuck on a hostile planet that considers you prey.  Mankind might be on the backfoot but it’s up to you to push forward. You do not run. You do not hide. You are an Outrider. Outriders is a 1-3 player co-op RPG shooter set in an original, dark and desperate sci-fi universe. As mankind bleeds out in the trenches of Enoch, you’ll create your own Outrider and embark on a journey across the hostile planet.

Tomb Raider 20th Anniversary News: Tomb Raider ‘Definitive Survivor Trilogy’

Tomb Raider: Definitive Survivor Trilogy is the complete edition of the award-winning Tomb Raider origin games. This collection contains all the definitive edition content from each prequel title—Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. The new Anime and next Tomb Raider feature film were also mentioned.

Mobile Games Segment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tdkmyAE4ns

MARVEL Avengers: Next Gen Console Update Launch Trailer

The long wait for those with Next Gen consoles PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S is over with Marvel’s Avengers Operation: Future Imperfect and Next-Gen Versions launching today and available NOW!

Black Panther and the War for Wakanda are coming to Marvel’s Avengers along with Klaw, the Wakandan Jungle Biome, new enemies, and much more later in 2021. Bow before the king

Scarlet Nexus Kazane Trailer:

Connect with Scarlet Nexus when it launches June 25th, 2021, finally fans have a release date!

Balan Wonderland: New Trailer

Wonderworld is waiting for a hero… or two. Leo and Emma are lead into Wonderworld by the mysterious Balan to help bring balance to the hearts of 12 others, as well as themselves. Face your fears with the power of over 80 different costumes and join them on a journey to discover true happiness on March 26, 2021. This was originally one of my most anticipated games of 2021 until I played the PS5 demo and it completely lost me, personally….one for the bargain bucket sales end of the year possibly now.

Life is Strange: True Colours – Official Reveal Trailer

A bold new era of the award-winning Life is Strange begins, with an all-new playable lead character and a thrilling mystery to solve! Alex Chen has long suppressed her ‘curse’: the supernatural ability to experience, absorb and manipulate the strong emotions of others, which she sees as blazing, colored auras. When her brother dies in a so-called accident, Alex must embrace her volatile power to find the truth – and uncover the dark secrets buried by a small town. Releasing on September 10, 2021 for Platforms PC, Xbox One|S, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Stadia.

Life is Strange: Remastered Collection

Return to Arcadia Bay and experience two award-winning Life is Strange games like never before! Remastered visuals and animation breathe new life into the great cast of characters and gripping stories. The Life is Strange Remastered Collection includes ‘Life is Strange Remastered’ and ‘Life is Strange: Before the Storm Remastered’.

New Game Reveal: Forspoken

Introducing Forspoken, the new narrative-driven adventure set in a beautiful yet cruel world. Play as Frey Holland, an ordinary young woman who must harness her magical abilities to survive in the fantastical yet dangerous land of Athia. Developed by Luminous Productions for the PlayStation 5 and PC, Forspoken will take players on a magical and perilous journey.

Final Thoughts…

This played out pretty much as I had expected and whilst I know that many were hoping and expecting some sort of Final Fantasy VII Remake news for Xbox, there was far too much to focus on this show for that to really outshine what was planned. Opening with Outriders made sense and whilst the demo left me very disappointed, the fact it is coming to Xbox Game Pass means I can play the full game with no additional charge so I get to give it a fair chance, but it was interesting that this showcase made no additional mention of that for the game. MARVEL Avengers Next Gen upgrade, the long delayed and sought after upgrade for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S along with the new Hawkeye DLC featuring time travel and one of my own favourite characters in MARVEL, Maestro Hulk and as the showcase played my own Series S started a 72GB “upgrade” install so I am looking forward to diving into this new content later. The reveal of the first main expansion starring Black Panther is a welcome one although as I type this in the moments after the showcase has ended, if it will be one fans will have to pay for which is likely but also “later in 2021” because the wait for new content is why many players have walked away from this game since launch.

Nice to see Tomb Raider’s 25th Anniversary mentioned, the release of another collection was expected but the mentioning of the new Anime series and next big feature film shows there is some progress in celebrating the Anniversary. But of course, away from mobile games and short teases, it was the reveal of Life is Strange: True Colours that had my attention today and in a move away from the traditional Episodic release format of the previous games, will now be a full game experience when it releases this September, a much welcome change. I failed to connect with both “Before the Storm” and LiS 2 but I have already made a connection to the new power of “emotion” and the new main character Alex which has me excited for this game.

This Square Enix Presents ended with the news of a next one to happen this summer, perhaps this will be the moment to announced Final Fantasy VII Remake for Xbox as the one year PlayStation exclusivity will have ended but there is still much in Square Enix schedule we still need to look at such as Final Fantasy XVI but it is clear, Square Enix has more to show!

Win Torpedo U-235 on Blu-ray

Andrew Edney
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63
Win Torpedo U-235 on Blu-ray

We have three copies of Torpedo U-235 to give away on Blu-ray.

In this epic cinematic adventure, resistance fighters accept a suicide mission to deliver uranium from the Belgian Congo in a stolen Nazi submarine to the United States. Hunted by Hitler’s army, the crew must outwit the German navy to bring the cargo safely to America.

Filled with exhilarating action, suspense and a great ensemble cast headlined by Koen De Bouw (The Last Tycoon), Thure Riefenstein (12 Monkeys) and Ella-June Henrard (Admiral), Torpedo: U-235 is one of the most exciting war films of the year, from new writer-director Sven Huybrechts.

How to enter to win

We have three copies of Torpedo U-235 to give away on Blu-ray. All you need to do is enter below.

Win Torpedo U-235 on Blu-ray

The contest closes at midnight on 2nd April 2021.

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

Torpedo U-235 is available on Blu-ray and DVD now.

Review: Sir Lovelot

Daniel Waite
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Review: Sir Lovelot

No matter your location in the world, you would have grown up with fairy tales. These fantasy settings have been adapted over the years, and are more PC than the Brothers Grimm original scripts, but the core concept is still the same, nonetheless. A hero, a damsel in distress, true evil and love, loss, sorrow and more. These are the foundations that make up each novel, but when a game takes these fantasy settings as its main influence, are the rules still the same? Sir Lovelot is a fairy tale-inspired platformer that puts a chauvinistic twist on a much-loved tale.

Developed by Pixel.lu and published by Sometimes You, this retro-looking old-school platform title focuses on Rapunzel’s story, with the hero’s one true love being stuck in a tower for all Eternity. The twist comes when our super stud ignores Rapunzel and rescues other princesses who are suffering from the same tower predicament. What a sexed-up chauvinistic pig of a man, eh? 

For Sir Lovelot, Love is in the air. 

Sir Lovelot is determined to get his damsel in distress. He travels the four corners of Lululand just to find “The One”. You must take on over 40 handcrafted levels across several environments. Each has a unique set of nasties for you to avoid or destroy. Unlike other platform titles like Mario, where jumping on their heads will kill them, in this, you must use a laser style weapon to eliminate your foes (not very in keeping, but let’s ignore that.)

A broken heart, and no love for Sir Lovelot.

The platform element is pretty straightforward and certainly isn’t of a Metroidvania level of difficulty. The challenge comes from trying to finish each level 100%. You can achieve this by; killing a set number of nasties, finding all the hidden geese, collecting the golden coins, and plucking the white flowers. These objects can be hidden behind a range of moving traps, such as; pendulum axes, circular saws, pits and more. Secret rooms also hide precious items, so each stage must be searched thoroughly if you wish to collect everything. However, the only thing you must gather to progress is the flower. After all, no lady is going to want to kiss you if you have no flower to woo her.

As nimble as a gymnast. 

Sir Lovelot is the most nimble Knight I’ve ever seen. He can; double jump across gaps, leap over traps, and spring off walls like a world-class gymnast. The choice of actions by the developers wasn’t exactly original, but they worked well in the platform setting. The obstacles that you had to overcome require little consideration, as did the approach of slaying your foes. Even though the difficulty ramps up in the later levels, it’s never unachievable to get to that lady in the tower. 

This ease of gameplay is helped by the spawning mechanic. Each time you die, and you will a lot, you simply load back in at the start of that section. It’s easy to learn from your mistakes. Yet, this isn’t a game that’ll be completed in minutes. However, its simplicity won’t challenge the hardcore members of the platforming family.

For an expert of love, he’s not doing a great job.

A retro world for an old-school tale. 

Anything other than pixelated graphics, would look wrong when the developers reinterpreted the Rapunzel tale. The delightful simplified sprites look great against each of the colourful backdrops. The 2D side-scrolling approach was a great success and worked smoothly without issue. The hidden rooms are well disguised, which increases the challenge of finding all the collectables. 

Maybe I’ve played too many indie games as the audio from each blend into an indistinguishable combination of synthesised music and suitable sound effects. The audio in Sir Lovelot isn’t bad, but it isn’t great either! It performs its job well, helps to set the scene and then sits in the background becoming mainly forgettable. 

It’s not a challenge performing so many moves. 

Our hero has a lot of moves up his sleeve, yet it’s no problem to complete them. A lack of tutorial doesn’t hinder your progress, and like the classic nature of the actions he must complete, the controller layout is also a familiar place to be. The complexity comes from the accuracy required to avoid traps or to overcome monsters. With a small amount of patience and some practise you’ll fly past any obstacles finding yourself in the arms of another woman.

Lovelot truly is hot stuff!

Even though new elements and traps are drip-fed into the gameplay, the core concept is rather repetitive. Some monotony is eased with a change to the backdrop, but unfortunately, this doesn’t remove the deja vu feeling you get throughout. Luckily, the levels are short, and this mixed with a lower difficulty ensures you won’t be stuck on a stage indefinitely. A small achievement list can be unlocked through natural progression, mostly. With a small amount of grind needed to complete the list, this sadly supports the feeling of repetition. 

Sir Lovelot doesn’t reinvent the wheel. 

I have a soft spot for old-school platform games, and I love the fairy tale theme. The only issue I have with Sir Lovelot is the lack of originality in the gameplay. Nothing felt new or fresh! It was done to a good standard, but it didn’t capture my imagination. I loved the tongue-in-cheek take on romance and the art style, but I wish the audio stood out more. I recommend it because of its theme and the good standard set throughout, and you can buy a copy here! Sir Lovelot is an old romantic at heart, he searches every corner of the realm to find his true love. Will he be successful, or is he destined to be with the first girl he finds?

Review: Encodya

Brendan Dick
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Review: Encodya

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not very familiar with point-and-click adventure games. My exposure extends to Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Dry Twice—and that’s about it. But I’m getting the sense that atmosphere is everything. While studios can only innovate so much with the controls, they can play with the settings as much as they want. This is where Encodya succeeds. It creates a truly unique atmosphere that feels more like a quirky movie than a game.

The story follows Tina and her giant robot protector, SAM-53. Like all endearing robots, he behaves in a far more clumsy, human manner than he has any right to. Encodya opens on a typical day in Tina and SAM-53’s life. She lives under a makeshift shelter on a rooftop smack in the middle of a downtown city, assumedly somewhere in Japan, but called Neo Berlin.

There’s a creeping unease that settles in during Encodya. It goes beyond the typical dystopian bleakness and starts to feel flat-out disturbing. The streets are littered with humans completely enthralled by VR headsets—what SAM-53 calls “the opium of the people.” Everywhere you turn, you are greeted by odious hopelessness. The world is broken and Tina and SAM-53 are just the team to fix it.

Encodya’s official website suggests that the game is a mix between Blade Runner, Monkey Island, and Studio Ghibli. If ever there was an assertive boast, there it is. If you take three beloved pop culture staples and combine them, you better have something outstanding. Encodya gets close, but unfortunately it’s missing a certain je ne sais quoi. It almost does feel like a mix of these three elements, but it needs to add something fresh.

It feels like any game that dips a toe in the sci-fi genre pulls from Blade Runner. It’s almost inevitable. Here, I’m fine with it. Like I said, Encodya has something deeply unsettling about it. IT gnaws at you. Perhaps where Encodya’s ambition most widely misses the mark is with Monkey Island. This is because Encodya’s gameplay is fairly standard, and comes carrying all the familiar frustrations of point-and-click adventure games.

I admitted during my review of Leisure Suit Larry, that the truth might be that I’m just terrible at point-and-click games, but the solutions always feel a bit convoluted. Even if an item would be a logical fit, it never seems to work. The solution is always a little more difficult than expected. To be fair, Encodya offers you hints from SAM-53, but they are discouraged by an achievement that is only available to players who complete a playthrough without using them.

I’m focusing too much on the negative, though. Encodya is obviously a visual masterclass. It’s a sort of 2.5D setting that leverages foreground and background animation to great effect. I’m not sure if I get entirely Studio Ghibli feels from the animation, but something more akin to a Tim Burtonesque, early 2000s vibe. The disproportionate characters and their eccentric attitudes can be simply summed up as quirky.

For what it’s worth, point-and-click adventures largely end up becoming a story. Encodya is exactly that. It’s a heartwarming story of life and lessons learned. The gameplay is largely incidental, but the setting, though derivative, is an absolute win. Players that are unfamiliar with the genre may want to forego it if they crave a bit more action, but it’s difficult to not suggest Encodya to point-and-click enthusiasts. It’s difficult, it’s enchanting, and it’s a bit odd—even if it isn’t wholly original. But, to be fair, the studio praised their inspirations more openly than most would anyways.

The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos DLC Out Now!

Sean McCarthy
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0
The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos DLC Out Now!

Today, Private Division and Obsidian Entertainment announced The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos, the second and final story expansion for the award-winning and critically acclaimed sci-fi RPG, is now available for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro, Xbox One consoles, and Windows PC. The expansion will release later this year on the Nintendo Switch. The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos is available individually or at a discount as part of The Outer Worlds Expansion Pass, which also includes The Outer Worlds: Peril on Gorgon expansion for the complete narrative experience. 

Venture to the skies of Eridanos and unravel the grandest murder mystery in the Halcyon colony. Everyone is a suspect in this peculiar whodunit after Rizzo’s spokesperson, the famous Halcyon Helen, is found dead just before the release of the brand-new Spectrum Brown Vodka. Uncover clues with the Discrepancy Amplifier, a semi-sentient device that shows the anomalies and inconsistencies of a crime scene. Unlock additional dialogue paths and different quest routes with each discovery. On your mysterious journey, you will encounter a host of interesting suspects, famous icons like Helen’s co-stars Spencer Woolrich and Burbage-3001, celebrity athlete Black Hole Bertie of Rizzo’s Rangers, and many more! Be careful as behind each eerie smile lurks a dark secret, but press on as your steadfastness is the key to unlocking this case. 

“With Murder on Eridanos we set out to unveil more about the memorable cast of The Outer Worlds universe while continuing to put the player front and center in a gripping and intriguing narrative,” said Megan Starks, Game Director at Obsidian Entertainment. “This expansion sheds light on another infamous corporation in a nearly implausible new setting and introduces new mechanics that push how we develop the story. It is a wild ride, and we can’t wait to see the fans’ reactions.” 

“Murder on Eridanos is a perfect climactic closure to this chapter in The Outer Worlds. It delivers on what made the original game great: deep player choice in a fantastic world,” said Michael Worosz, Executive Vice President and Head of Private Division. “Players should expect another riveting and humorous story, whip-smart dialogue, and much more. This expansion is an excellent reason to revisit The Outer Worlds or dive in for the first time.” 

The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos also raises the level cap by three, unlocking additional options for even more skill customization. Obtain three new science weapons, one being Helen’s signature gun “The Needler,” and collect a variety of new armor sets. Explore treacherous new territory and venture to Eridanos, a collection of drifting asteroid islands chained together and being pulled through the gas giant’s upper atmosphere, which houses multiple locations to explore in this thrilling mystery like the Grand Colonial Hotel to Rizzo’s colorful Purpleberry Orchards. 

The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos is available now for £11.99 digitally for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Players on Xbox Game Pass will receive a 10% discount to purchase Murder on Eridanos. Murder on Eridanos is also available through the expansion pass for £24.99 which will include the first expansion Peril on Gorgon. The expansion requires the base game in order to play.

More information can be found by subscribing on YouTube, following on Twitter, by becoming a fan on Facebook, and visiting www.TheOuterWorlds.com. 

Review: Destiny Connect – Tick-Tock Travelers –

Alex Chessun
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Review: Destiny Connect – Tick-Tock Travelers –

Destiny Connect – Tick-Tock Travelers – is a JRPG that you might get if Back to the Future was made by Pixar – an emotionally gratifying and child-friendly story that accrues a lot of frequent flyer miles. Developed by Nippon Ichi Software (the Guinness World Record holder for the most RPGs made by one developer), Tick-Tock Travelers takes a colorful and minimalistic approach to the genre for its younger audience.

An intriguing story has time stand still when the clock strikes midnight on January 1st 2000 for everyone apart from a young girl named Sherry, her friend Pegreo and a talking robot named Isaac who pledges to protect her as machines rampage across the London-inspired town. A fortuitous encounter with an eccentric scientist who conveniently knows how to make a time machine starts the characters on their journey to save the town. Traveling back and forth in time, Sherry amasses a brave and fearless cast of time travelers and come up against plenty of well-worn time traversing issues along the way. What if they negatively affect the past? Will saving someone’s life make irrevocable changes to the future?

With charmingly beautiful graphics and animation, the world is infused with a colorful warmth similar to that of the Toy Story movies, while a superb and emotionally evocative soundtrack compliments it perfectly, bringing life to the text-heavy script sans voice-acting. 

The game’s tremendous aesthetic extends to the enemy robots that you are constantly in battle with, whose every aspect teems with humor, and the little dialogue they have, as well as their animation delights as much as it amuses. It’s this personality, this potential, that remains under the surface throughout, but is never quite given the opportunity to let loose.

Unfortunately, there’s also a significant lack of content and variety in the world with empty streets and duplicated sections, making you rely on the quick travel feature and the map far more than usual. The two shops and Sherry’s house are the only unique buildings you regularly visit, for example, despite a playthrough potentially taking up to 20 hours.

Thankfully the game’s RPG elements make the duration and repetition bearable, with the upgrading and improving your characters possible through a relatively large list of unlockable moves and equipable items providing a feeling of progression and excitement. The most enjoyable of which is upgrading your robot, Isaac, who has 6 different forms all with a variety of moves that allow different approaches and different strategies during your fights. Each form exudes charm and switching between them during boss battles and deliberating which approach should be taken next is the best part of the game.

Standard battles, with enemies that frequent the town, can be defeated easily with your most powerful moves and little forethought. Main bosses, on the other hand, require a strategy decided ahead of time, as you’re unable to switch members during battle and buff and debuff skills are necessary to have any chance of success. All of the above is more in-depth in standard JRPGs, but with the younger target audience in mind, everything has been watered down to provide an introductory experience to the genre.

While initially gaining your praise, the minute details start to become a negative the longer the game stretches on, making it feel rough around the edges. Whether it’s poor reflection quality in mirrors, the same main bosses over and over, or inaccurate attack descriptions – to name just a few – these otherwise dismissable issues pile up to threaten your enjoyment of the experience.

Unsurprisingly, the story requires an open mind to enjoy with its emotional plot points guiding the game’s events rather than logic, similar perhaps to Pokemon protagonist Ash’s tears reviving his nearly-dead Pokemon – it’s a means to an end rather than the basis for a scientific investigation. Character building and consistency is optional at times with Pegreo’s father’s change from human to robot and the team’s desire to turn him back to his original state lasting a hot second for example.

The first moments of the game tease Open-World functionality and interactive NPCs, but shortly after the time freeze, the game’s limited gameplay loop becomes highly predictable with the same events occuring over and over. Running across the robot-filled map, defeating the same boss characters followed by a scheduled emotional cutscene gets especially tiresome if you find the plothole-ridden and fanciful story too much to handle. As someone who loves a great story, but secretly wishes every game had Shenmue-level interaction and variety, the game’s linear offering disappoints, especially given the potential afforded by its movie-like presentation.

With no New Game + mode, the game’s replay value consists of collecting missed items from scratch, which won’t likely inspire a second playthrough amongst adult JRPG fans. Despite all this, Destiny Connect – Tick-Tock Travelers – is a success. It’s an intentionally limited game aimed at a young audience who will no doubt enjoy it. For everyone else, however, it feels like a poor video game conversion of a cute Pixar movie and one that should cause pause before purchase.

Review: I, Zombie

James Willmott
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Review: I, Zombie

With the endless shows, games and films depicting worlds infested by the living dead, has anyone really ever stopped and thought – how is it for the zombies? Well, in ‘I, Zombie’ you can do exactly that. Across a series of official and community-created levels, take control of an undead horde, infecting every last human within sight. A puzzle game with sporadic stealth elements, ‘I, Zombie’ will see you placed in a series of scenarios with the simple objective – kill everyone. With a cute and whimsical art style, its hard not to sympathise with this endeavour, even if you are technically betraying your own species…

Live action of the undead’s assault.

The premise of each level within ‘I, Zombie’ is fairly simple. You start as a single zombie, and slowly navigate your way around each 2D level, infecting enemies and adding to your army until none are left standing. You’ll encounter regular civilians (who run for their lives at the sight of you), armed soldiers (who, quite the opposite, try to shoot you) and stationary turrets (which funnily enough can’t be infected). Despite on the surface appearing to be a relatively small pool of enemy-types, the varying combination of these foes in each level provides a markedly diverse selection. Some levels start with you acquiring a few pals before taking on soldiers, others, the soldiers must fall first… and so on. Each level presents a unique challenge, and as a result must be approached differently to the last. As well as this, there are the occasional ‘stealth-only’ levels, where you must evade undefeatable enemies with the objective of infecting a single civilian (usually located at the other end of the map). These by far present the hardest challenge, and are an excellent break in the usual level-format. All in all, although ‘I, Zombie’ provides a relatively simple gameplay loop, it is a markedly fun and engaging one, with enough diversity and challenge to keep players interested.

Nevertheless, one of the most glaring issues with ‘I, Zombie’ comes in regards to its levels. There simply aren’t enough. Even with a series of winter-themed levels added in, you can blast your way through the entirety of the game within only a few hours. Granted, the levels provided are great, but it is still disappointing for so few to be given to players. It almost feels as if the developers were forced to stop adding content to the game and ship early. I truly believe with a fully-fleshed out single-player mode (pardon the pun), ‘I, Zombie’ is the type of game that would be able to keep players hooked right until the final level. Furthermore, considering that the level design is relatively simple, its hard to see why this isn’t the case. The ability to create your own custom levels (more on that later) is a testament to this point. I can only hope the developers plan to add future content to the game, but regardless, providing enough content on launch is a basic requirement that is unfortunately not met with ‘I, Zombie’.

The winter levels are unique but limited

Despite this, with the levels you are able to play, the experience is both smooth and bug-free. I encountered almost no issues at all during my playthrough, and was impressed at the care taken in the gameplay design. Friendly and enemy AI are remarkedly intelligent (even if their available actions are limited) and I observed no instances of any friends or foes straying from their programmed roles. On occasion, the limited options available to the AI can lead to some chuckle-worthy moments (e.g. soldiers performing sudden 180 trickshots when approaching them from behind), but certainly with the allies at your disposal, their movement and actions felt incredibly responsive. I would have preferred a slightly different control scheme in order to enact commands more smoothly, but this is only a minor gripe, as with a bit of practice it is easy to become comfortable with the button-layout.

On the topic of minor gripes, I do want to talk about the sound design of ‘I, Zombie’. The SFX was fine, albeit fairly basic, and for the most part the game’s soundtrack was both complementary and un-invasive. That was until I felt a sense of familiarity with it. In a ‘Eureka!’ moment, it became blindingly obvious that I had heard the exact audio accompanying each level in countless YouTube videos. OK look, I understand that as an indie game, there may not be the personnel and/or budget to develop a completely unique soundtrack. But honestly, could the developers not have picked a less generic batch of tracks? I wish it was easier to convey this point through words, but seriously, just listen to the soundtrack when playing and I can promise you have heard it at least once before. In fairness, its hardly a terrible choice of audio, and it does fit the game rather well. However, the inclusion of such a generic soundtrack certainly added a sense of ‘cheapness’ to the game. Of course, this hardly affects the core gameplay experience, but much like my issue with the number of levels, the game feels somewhat incomplete in this regard.

A well-disciplined horde hunting down a patrolling soldier

Lastly, let’s get into probably what I would consider the most entertaining element of ‘I, Zombie’ – custom levels. Players are given the ability to create their own levels, which they can then upload and let others play and rate. The level editor is relatively straightforward, and so whether you want to create a level involving 20 zombies vs a single soldier, or one zombie’s lonely revolt against an army of turrets, you can do so with little difficulty. I did encounter one bug with this process, as I suddenly found myself unable to delete objects in the level editor, but in all honesty, this was likely my own fault after mashing a series of buttons. On the flip side, you are able to download and play other’s custom levels, which for the most part were created in the same vein as the first example I mentioned before. These are a lot of fun, and there is a real sense of catharsis in playing level-after-level where you outnumber your enemies 10:1. I do feel that the user experience could have been improved here, as having to individually download levels does become a bit tedious, but the inclusion of this mode at all far outweighs any issues with it. It is worth mentioning the inclusion of community leader-boards, but in all honesty, they are rather meaningless when you consider that the top 50 places are filled with people achieving the highest possible score. Again though, this was a nice touch from the developers.

All in all, I can certainly say I had a lot of fun playing ‘I, Zombie’, and especially with the post-game. The lack of levels is a notable issue with the game, but the inclusion of custom levels (almost) makes up for this. Of course, this is an indie game, but I do try to hold any game I play to high standard. I’m not saying every game has to be epic in scale, but I’m sure you can agree that regardless of the development budget, you would want a fully-fleshed out game at launch. ‘I, Zombie’ certainly has a lot of potential should the developers stick with it, and with some additional content and some polish to the user experience, they may have a fantastic game on their hands.

DOOM Eternal ‘Ancient Gods Part Two’ DLC Releasing March 18th!

Sean McCarthy
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DOOM Eternal ‘Ancient Gods Part Two’ DLC Releasing March 18th!

Well was not expecting this when the trailer for ‘Ancient Gods Part 2’ was teased earlier this week but it is officialy, the finally part to the DOOM Eternal journey ends on March 18th!

The Ancient Gods – Part Two is the second campaign expansion to the critically acclaimed DOOM Eternal. You denied the gods and awoke an ancient evil. Now rally the scattered Sentinel armies, lay siege to the last bastion of Hell, break through the fortress walls, and face the Dark Lord himself. The soul of the universe hangs in the balance.

Your war against Hell ends here.

For more information on DOOM Eternal, follow these channels:

Review: Sumatra: Fate of Yandi

Daniel Waite
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Review: Sumatra: Fate of Yandi

In high-pressure industries, the word safety is deemed an ugly phrase. Not by the PR people, or those on the front line. No, the shareholders and the people in charge of productivity only care about one thing, and that’s money. Cash and greed are the underlying tones of the beautifully worked story in Sumatra: Fate of Yandi. An old-school pixelated title that proves that gaming has moved on from its high-end graphical obsession.

Developed by Cloak and Dagger Games and published by Ratalaika Games, this is a point and click adventure title with a puzzle twist. Set in the heart of the Sumatran jungle, you are Yandi a young and dedicated man who loves his wife Adiratna and his job for a logging company. Young love isn’t always plain sailing, and this couple have their fair share of fights. But on the day of the accident, these words will continue to haunt him.

Sumatra: Fate of Yandi is surprisingly deep.

What starts as a simple tale of survival soon turns into a deep story. It takes many twists and turns, and you meet some interesting characters on your journey. A classic take on the point and click genre, Sumatra: Fate of Yandi screams of Monkey Island influence. You must explore each scene you wander into, observing objects and interacting with items. Your inventory must be combined and used at specific times so you can proceed. Characters that you interact with will give you cryptic clues to what must be done next, but this doesn’t make the gameplay any easier. It’s a fantastic experience that explores; the sadness and loneliness of survival, the joy of helping others, and the beauty of the world that is all around us.

What’s this shack doing in the middle of nowhere?

Your adventure starts on a mountainside, your boss cares not for safety, he only wishes for trees to be felled no matter the cost. As you and your best friend get to work, a tremendous landslide occurs sucking you into its path. You are swept miles downriver, where you awaken on a riverbank. Was this just an accident, or could it have been avoided? These are questions that will need to be answered if you survive, but more pressing concerns lie before you! Where are you? What will become of Adiratna? How will you survive? This is the beginning of Yandi’s story, and how it is written is down to you.

A small world, but it feels big and immersive.

The gameplay explores but a small section of the Sumatran jungle. Where different elements can be investigated to gather items and overcome the many challenges you face. You will discover; caves, a village, waterfalls, stomach-churning flowers and more. You will also encounter many animals; monkeys, elephants, tapir, bears and tigers. Each of these forms a key part of the plot and doesn’t simply act as a window dressing.

Every section flows into another with an area of “dead” space between. This empty zone, gives the environment a feeling of vastness and helps to increase the immersive nature of this title. It also ensures that you can get lost easily on each of your explorations, which adds a sense of realism to the plot. I enjoyed the movement between locations and each part loaded quickly, flowing smoothly from one to the other. The only downside was Yandi was incapable of mapping his route, which seemed odd. I had to draw out my adventures on pen and paper, which emphasised the old-school approach and brought back memories of my Amiga gaming days.

Bears are scary enough, but these look horrific.

Sumatra: Fate of Yandi is old-school personified.

Everything about this game is as retro as it comes. The control system, audio, text font, pixelation and animation. It’s brilliant, but it takes some time to adjust. Once you familiarise yourself with the brash colours, harsh lines and limited tones, you’ll lose yourself in the glorious world. It will not win a beauty award, but it oozes charm. The few cutscenes you experience are hilariously bad, but they are excellent because of it. My favourite had to be the cave bears (see the above image). It made me chuckle a lot more than it should of. The comedy soon dissipates when memories of the life he left behind come to the fore. This is shown by a change of light and colour between the present day and the past. These flashbacks were an excellent concept and helped to convey the emotional impact the journey had on Yandi.

The audio was equally touching. 30 mellow and melancholy songs emphasise the plight that our hero faces. The minor tone adds sadness and fear to each scene. Yet, this is beautifully halted with uplifting melodies when a fleeting moment of success is enjoyed. The music is accompanied by realistic sound effects from the jungle; tweeting birds, the whoops of monkeys, or the growl of predatory cats all adds realism and transports you to this beautiful yet dangerous setting.

Obviously a PC port.

Sumatra: Fate of Yandi was first released on PC, and this is obvious because of its challenging control system. This would work perfectly with mouse and keyboard, but the controller is slow and cumbersome. The inventory requires the cursor to hover at the top of the screen. This wouldn’t be bad apart from when you try to exit to the North. You interact with your inventory every time in error, and it soon becomes tiresome. If you then add in the need to jump in and out of your inventory repeatedly, it soon becomes an arduous task. Not that it’s broken, as it’s not. It simply isn’t as clean and user friendly as it should be.

Finding Kevin was a bit of good luck.

This is a game that won’t take up a lot of your time. If you have a logical mind and remember the map layout, you’ll complete this in 5 hours. Once you’ve run through it, there will be little desire to want to return, other than to grab the achievements that you missed. It certainly lacks replay value, but makes up for this with a fabulous storyline and an excellent cast. At £5.99 it proves a good investment and great value for money even with the lack of desire to return.

Is Sumatra: Fate of Yandi worth it?

If you are all about high-end graphics, then this won’t be for you. If, like me, you love a great storyline filled with emotional subplots, then you’ll love it. It’s a well-delivered tale of; loss, sorrow, survival, friendship and love. Cloak and Dagger Games have created an amazing world to explore, and I suggest you buy your copy here! Will Yandi find out the truth? Can he escape the jungle and find his love? Begin your adventure and find the answer to these questions.

Review: Ekster MagSafe Card Holder

Andrew Edney
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Review: Ekster MagSafe Card Holder

Here is our review of the Ekster MagSafe Card Holder.

A MagSafe compatible cardholder that turns your iPhone 12 into a slim wallet with room for 3+ cards or some cash. Strong magnets keep your add-ons securely in place, and a thumb slot on the back ensures easy access.

Features

  • Stores 3+ cards & cash 
  • Strong auto-aligning magnets
  • Easy access thumb-slot
  • MagSafe compatible

Specifications

StorageStores 3+ cards & cash
MagnetsMagSafe compatible
SlotEasy access thumb-slot
CompatibilityiPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Max, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max 
LeatherPremium American hides by ECCO

A Closer Look

Final Thoughts

The MagSafe Card Holder is small and lightweight and looks very professional. Fitting it to the back of my iPhone was simple – it just snaps on. One thing to remember is that it won’t work if your iPhone is in a case – I had to remove mine which obviously reduces the protection to my iPhone, but depending on the situation it might be acceptable.

Putting the cards into the wallet and removing them was simple – the cards all felt very safe and secure in the wallet.

Removing the wallet was simple too – just pull and it comes off. You can then use it as a normal card holder until you want to reattach it to your iPhone.

Overall this is a useful thing to have, its easy to use and it will keep your cards safe and with you, and it looks good too – what more would you want?

The Ekster MagSafe Card Holder is available now priced around $33.

You can learn more from the Ekster website.

UNFORGETTABLE ENTERTAINMENT a week-long celebration now on

Andrew Edney
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UNFORGETTABLE ENTERTAINMENT a week-long celebration now on

It’s time to sit back, relax and recapture the thrill of a magical movie night, with UNFORGETTABLE ENTERTAINMENT, a week-long celebration of unmissable content and incredible deals across the UK’s digital stores.

Pop the corn, settle down and make the sofa special again, with the very best entertainment available to buy or rent in an instant. During the UNFORGETTABLE ENTERTAINMENT week,nine film and TV distributors have united to offer an unrivalled choice of films and boxsets available at unbeatable prices. Running for seven days only, and with offers across all digital retailers, including Amazon Prime Video, the Apple TV app, BT TV Store, CHILI, Google Play, Microsoft Store, PlayStation Store, Rakuten TV, Sky Store and Virgin Media, UNFORGETTABLE ENTERTAINMENT provides a huge range of quality content to excite everyone in the family, whether they want to settle in for a blockbuster movie night, recreate the magic of family movie time or revisit a much-loved classic.

Escape to another world and delve into a collection of classic movies, the biggest releases and iconic boxsets, available in an instant. The UNFORGETTABLE ENTERTAINMENT collection brings you an unbelievable selection of films and shows to own and watch again and again, across all your devices. 

From family favourites like Trolls World Tour, to epic classics like Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, pick-me-up musicals and comedies, including Bill & Ted Face The Music!,or amazing TV like His Dark Materials, the range offers something for everyone. 

2021 just got better with a huge selection of unmissable movies and TV shows to own at amazing one-off prices. Head to www.unforgettableentertainment.co.uk to find out more about the seven day digital event, or visit your favourite digital store now.

The UNFORGETTABLE ENTERTAINMENT celebration runs exclusively from Monday 15st to Sunday 21st March with all digital stores. Offers and titles may vary. 

Watch. Relive. Repeat.

Review: Katana Kata

Daniel Waite
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Review: Katana Kata

There is something mysterious and captivating about ninjas. Their secretive ways, high levels of discipline and deadly skills make them a worthy adversary for the most battle-hardened individuals. Years of training are necessary to perfect each technique required to become a master. This is before you consider the demands placed upon their mental state. Every fighter must be coached and guided by a Sensei. They are a someone that is; respected, quietly feared, and demands your all. Can you imagine the disappointment they must feel when their pupils let them down? Years of training wasted on a person who cannot make the grade! They may have the fighting prowess, but lack the mental discipline. This is the story behind Katana Kata, an indie fighting game that demands perfect timing, patience and understanding.

Developed by Stas Shostak and published by Samustai Limited, Katana Kata is a 3D fighting game that will test your ability to balance when to fight, and when to dodge. Not all battles can be won with one slice of a blade, so planning and observing your foes is a must.

Probably not the best time to take a still shot.

A tired story, and a simple concept.

There is unfortunately very little originality in the plot. You are the last apprentice that the Sensei has at his dojo. You are haunted by a shadow warrior that fights you every night. Your master puts this vision down to an internal struggle and sees this as a positive as you do not stop questioning your abilities. His previous pupils mastered the skills, but they all failed to push themselves mentally. Each of them left the safety of the dojo, and now they wish to cause problems for you and the people of this quiet community. You must venture into the wilderness, attacking every; Sumo, warrior, karate expert and master that you find.

The game takes place over 5 stages; Bath House, Garden, Lake, Waterfall and Castle. As you progress through each one, you note enemies get progressively tougher, and weapons improve to ensure that the difficulty stays on track. Each of the levels is small, but offers a fair amount of challenge. This is assisted by the use of a single life, and rogue-like features. If you die (and you will), you will face your shadow nemesis in a 1V1 duel. Defeat this fighting expert and you continue where you left off. But fail, and all your XP, your active perks and your weapons are stripped away from you. You are also expected to start your run through from the beginning level, though you can cheat if you so wish.

It’s a brutal approach.

This tough mechanic will break some players. A lack of healing potions causes you to enter a battle already battered and bruised. The dodge mechanic uses a high amount of your stamina (breath), and enemies can swarm you quickly. If you then realise that your weapon can break unless you use a whetstone, you know you are in for a chastising experience. Like the potions, the whetstones are limited, so your equipment will break. Luckily, swords can be found in the grips of your fallen foes. So replacing damaged tools, or finding new weapons can be done regularly. 

Someone has Jedi Powers.

Your ninja is well trained, but he is still a rookie. As he slashes his way through the sea of people he faces, he gains XP. This can then level up 4 attributes; Strength, Health, Dexterity and Breath. Each is denoted by its own colour, and each multiplies the base skill of the hero. Alongside these improvements, you can gain temporary perks from certain warriors. They are easily spotted as they carry a coloured flag on their back. Once you slay them, you can collect your reward and equip it at a Buddha statue. Yes, a Buddha statue helps to make you; faster, stronger, healthier and battle longer. It adds a nice touch that matches the theme, but wow, was it clichéd.

Gore and low detail.

Katana Kata uses a cool wash of colours across every stage. This weird stylistic choice gives the game a computerised feel, similar to a Holodeck, or something out of The Matrix. It was all very bizarre, but worked really well because of the size of the levels. Each character is drawn with a small amount of detail, and each individual class was usually identified by the weapon they wielded, or the armour they wore. Every stage has a unique look, and you could instantly tell the difference between them, but it still wasn’t enough to wow me. What I was impressed with, however, was the decapitation of limbs, and the bodies left strewn around the map. This gory touch was glorious, disgusting, and just what the doctor ordered. Overall, it works well as an indie presentation, and I enjoyed the direction that Stas Shotak had taken.

And now we are back to the clichés. The audio screams 80s martial arts film, where an oriental soundtrack chimes away in the background, unnecessarily creating the impression that you are fighting in a Tibetan monastery. The swishing of swords, thuds of hands and feet, and the screams of battles were all great, if not a bit OTT. For all its ridiculous ways, I actually loved the audio! It was cheesy, unnecessary, made me smile, and it works well with the theme and style.

That blood will never come out of the rugs.

Limited controls that are tough to master.

A simple button layout, and a good tutorial are normally enough to set me on my way. Unfortunately, in Katana Kata not all elements are clearly explained. It takes a considerable amount of trial and error to learn the finer points. Mastering the controls is not an easy matter, as this isn’t helped by some aiming issues and button lag. When you attempt a power hit, you no longer can aim, so enemies move and you swing into fresh air. This happens a lot, and almost renders this powerhouse attack useless. In order to get the most out of this, you must practice and fail an awful lot to master a not so perfect control system.

With only 5 small levels, it would be fair to consider this a tiny game. Content wise, that is a fair statement, but that can’t be said for the gameplay. With such a high difficulty, many perks to collect, and an array of warriors to face, you will return to each stage to slice off some limbs. Sadly though, each playthrough is exactly the same as enemies are in the same position each time. This rinse and repeat approach was lazy, and should be looked at ASAP. If the developers want its player base to keep playing, this should be made a priority.

Katana Kata is a tough but fun game in short bursts.

This is one of those titles that you will need to play casually. It’s great fun when approached in manageable chunks, but it becomes tiresome quickly because of the aforementioned issues. If the developer added in additional challenges, an NG+ mode, or more levels, then it would improve this no end. I recommend Katana Kata it in its current build as its; tough, gory, will test your patience, and you can buy a copy here! Can you make your Sensei proud? Will you be able to take down his previous pupils and bring peace to the realm? Grab your sword and slice your way to victory.

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