Alright, I'll admit it, I've never used a compact keyboard. I'm quite particular when it comes to the precise space I expect to have when maneuvering my hands across a keyboard, and the thought of havin?g to muscle memory learn to deal with smaller real estate—even if it is just a Numpad or some extra function keys being lost—has always terrified me.

Razer just dropped its Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75%, a wireless hot-swappable pro version of BlackWidow V4 featuring the latest Razer technology: HyperSpeed and 4K Hz HyperPolling. With all the tech in this Pro version, I figu?red this was as good a time as any to take the plunge into the world of compact keyboards, and boy have I been missing out.

I've always preferred wired peripherals, but if all peripherals came with the HyperSpeed and HyperPolling technology that the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% has, I think I'd make the switch to wireless. With a 4,000 Hz polling rate, there was never a delay. I've used wireless keyboards in the past where even the most minimal delay has been enough to make me switch back to wired. I've used the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% now in a variety of ways; gaming?, working, even just chilling and surfing the internet. And if I hadn't known, I'd assume it was wired. It looks like delays with wireless could finally be a thing of the past.

If you have other hardware that could make use of they keyboard, you can actually add up to three devices at a time and instantaneously toggle between them. I tried it ??out with my nearby PS5, and? sure enough, I was able to quickly toggle between it and my PC without the need to go in and re-configured it each time.

The original BlackWidow V4 75% was all about customization, ?and that mantra continues with the Pro. The hot-swappable design is back, with the versatility for both 3 and 5-pin mechanical switches. The pre-loaded default for the Pro includes Razer's Orange Tactile Switches, a classic set of Razer switches that was surely a safe option overall. Most seem to prefer either the orange or green, and for me, the green is just a tad bit too loud, so I feel like pre-loaded with the orange was a solid albeit safe choice. Of course, hot-swappable m?eans you have the freedom to change that if you disagree.

Of course, we can't talk about a Razer peripheral without talking about the RGB. As I expected, both the RGB quality and versatility via the Razer Chroma app continue to be the best in the industry. I'm rather simple in my creativity when it comes to this sort of thing but even still I've made some pretty cool profiles. The lighting is bright, making the light show vibrant and concise no matter the profile. I hadn't messed around with the Razer Chroma app in a little while, so these may not all be new, but some of the pre-existing profiles that you can apply based on specific gaming scenarios are pretty sick. Like ??I said, best in the industry for a reason.

With the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75%, the scrollable wheel in the top right of the keyboard has been replaced with a grayscale OLED display. You can cycle through lots of pre-set options to display on the OLED such as crucial PC information including temps and ??speeds, detailed info about the keyboard, an audio meter, and even custom animations such as animated gifs. On the side to the right of the OLED is a scrollable wheel knob to cycle through pre-set profiles on the keyboard as well as change things like pol??ling rate and RBG profiles on the fly. The OLED is a nice touch, but I have to wonder why the choice to go with grayscale of color. I assume it's a cost-cutting measure, which is fair given the $299.99 price point of this BlackWidow V4 Pro 75%, which is already considered a premium price.

Speaking of p?remium, let's talk about the wrist rest. I know I know, not typically a focal point when deci?ding on a keyboard. But the Magnetic Plush Leatherette wrist rest that comes with the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% is exceptionally well made. It's the perfect blend of soft and cushiony, without feeling indentable or like a pillow. When I think of the right middle ground, this is what I envision.

After using the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% over the last cou??ple of weeks, there is only one real issues I have with it: the battery life. I understan?d there's a lot of potential battery draw with RGB lighting, an OLED, and HyperPolling, but even with all of that dialed down a minimum the keyboard struggles to get through a normal work day without needing a bit more juice. It's quite possible that turning all of that off will boost the battery life—in fact, I'm certain it will—but all the cool bells and whistles are part of the draw for the keyboard, so they should be used.

According to Razer, the built-in Power Saving Mode deactivates the OLED and keyboard backlighting while also pausing communication with Razer Synapse, allowing the keyboard to achieve up to 2100 hours of battery life. That's quit?e a formidable?? battery, but it seems just having any of those features enabled really ramps up on that drain.

My issue with the battery life aside, the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% has been an absolute joy to use. I'm pretty particular when it comes to keyboards, which is part of the reason I've yet to try a compact keyboard before now. B??ut the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% has converted me. It's offi??cially replaced my previous keyboard and became my mainstay gaming keyboard. Who knows, I might even get creative and see how I like the green switches when this keyboard after all.

The Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% is availa??ble now f??or $299.99.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the hardware provided by the manufacturer.]}

The post Razer’s BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% has converted me to a compact keyboard enjoyer appeared first on Destructoid.

Nothing terrifies me like tight spaces, heights, and never-ending seeming dark holes. Also, there are few games I’ve been wa?nting more than a serious platformer capable of making older audiences feel the childlike wonder provided by the classics.

I read that Lorn's Lure could be that game. The first video I saw of it showed the main character getting ready to make a deliberate plunge into a hole in the g??round; one I feared co?uld be long enough to cross the entirety of the Earth.

Lorn's Lure seemed lik?e a challenge I’d have to go through, to get the platformer I’d been hoping for.

Lorn's Lure (PC [Reviewed])
Developer: Rubeki Games
Publisher: Rubeki Games
Released: September 20, 2024
MSRP: $14.99

Upon first glance, Lorn’s Lure is very simple. You can jump, slide, and climb over platforms until you reach the place the game wants you to get to. From the outset, the only tool ?at your disposal is climbing gear you'll use to somewhat freely climb many wa?lls in the game.

I say somewhat freely because, like where Portal only lets you portal on white walls, Lorn’s Lure only allows players to climb on vertic?al walls made of climbable rock. The pickaxes allow you to move up, down, left and right for a limited time while you put yourself in the right spot to safely drop down or jump ont?o the next platform.

This alone would’ve been good enough to keep me engaged till the end of the game, but I was pleasantly surprised to unlock more more mechanics that enhanced my climbing abilities and the fun I had climbing. There's wall running, wall jumping, and a grappling hook to traverse the areas like Pathfinder from Apex Legends.

The rest works just as you’d expect. Fall into a bottomless pit, or onto the ground from a high enough altitude?, and you’ll get the option to restart from the last good position you were in, or from the start of the chapter.

On the graphical front, Lorn’s Lure cold trick you into thinking it’s a PS1 game with upscaled textures. Still, the humongous size of the play areas would likely melt Sony’s OG console in one second. Lorn’s retro look only adds charm and a wel??come sense of eeriness, to a game that wants the player to feel like they’re trapped in an infinitely alien, indifferent, and sometimes surprisingly beautiful world.

Lorn’s Lure also takes a cool minimalistic approach?? to storytelling. The set-up is done by small cutscenes show the vastness of this world. Then, you can scan areas of interest to learn more about the haunting mega structure where your character �and many others before them �have found themselves trapped for hundreds of years.

The world of Lorn’s Lure will seem familiar to anyone who’s read BLAME. Just like Tsutomi Nihei’s manga, it puts the main character in a high-tech hell-scape vast enough to make any being, living or imaginary, feel tiny. I love that choice for a platformer. It conveys a grandeur never before seen in the likes of Tomb Raider or Uncharted. Those series have shown us a fair amount of large areas, but they have always been just as focused on showing us tiny details. In Lorn’s Lure, y?ou never feel like you’re just exploring a level �you?? feel like you’re exploring a planet.

Like Chained Together, Lorn’s Lure could probably prove a hit among the speedrunning community. I don’t doubt it will, because this is a better looking and much more mechanically challenging title. Still, I was a bit surprised to learn Lorn's Lure actually? feels like a puzzle game of sorts. It starts off as simple as any other platformer. Then, it has players clearing the way of obstacles, or finding ever-more intricate ways of completing the supposedly simple task of getting from point A to B.

Even with its awesome mechanics, what makes Lorn’s Lure truly shine is its level ??design. Its dauntingly vast spaces make the player feel helpless when thinking of a way to get to the next checkpoint. Then, once they clear their minds, the game makes players feel like a true post-apocalyptic sci-fi raiders once they've finally overcome yet another obstacle.

Lorn’s Lure will need you to be quick on your feet, to be precise in both the spacing and the timing of your jumps. Even if you’re just trying to escape the megastructure, Lorn’s Lure will provide quite the cha?llenge. But, once you’ve already beaten its main challenge, the game is still filled with?? collectibles placed in even harder-to-access areas.

Fortunately, Lorn’s Lure doesn’t waste your time. The developer knew this would be a very intense trial-and-error affair. Players can, at any point, restart their run to the last time they had secure footing on the platform closest to the objective, with no loading screen involved. I’ve tested the restart option a lot �you guess whether I did so intentionally or not �and it works very well. Too many platformers struggle to record the player's last good position before a fateful misplaced jump, or record a platform where they'd been previously, wrongfully making it the restart position. Lorn's Lure is free from that sin.

As for what I didn’t l??ike, the massive size of the play area makes it sometimes difficult to understand where to head ??next. The game’s plot conveniently introduces a guiding glitch in our character’s eyesight, but it isn’t visible at all times. Players can toggle a marker at all times to know exactly where they need to go, but I’d rather just have a diegetic cue like the one the game intended.

Still, that’s more of a nitpick than a huge problem. In terms of what I liked but many might not, well, Lorn’s Lure is very challenging. The trial-and-error nature of the entire game might put some off. I totally understand players might not want to die more times to one single jump than they would to a boss in Elden Ring. Even I felt deeply frustrated at some points, but the frustration would vanish as soon as I'd found myself past each of the most demonic jumps. Many pl?ayers may not re-energize so easily, and I totally get that.

But, if you’re into challenging platformers like the remaster of the original Crash Bandicoot, then you’re very likely to enjoy this one. Alongside with the aforementioned Chained Together and Jusant, Lorn’s Lure p??roves that the world of platformers still has a lot of mechanics to be tried out. It’s also revealing just how inhospitable and ?utterly terrifying platformers can be �in the coolest of ways.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Lorn’s Lure appeared first on Destructoid.

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 brings the Warhammer 40K universe to life in glorious, blood-soaked detail. This game puts you into the h??eart of the action in a major conflict with a story that has all the twists and turns of any good galactic incursion in humanity's Imperium. While there are a few issues here and there, it's a triumph of a translation of the miniatures tabletop game into a video game that feels like it has something for everyone.

In Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2, you shoot, rip, and shred your way through a chu?nky 10-12 hour solo campaign that's a rush or ridiculously meaty combat and iconic encounters from start to end. It also packs in PvE and PvP multiplayer modes that, together, do a great job of easing you into the core mechanics before asking you to go out and master them for what you'll undoubtedly end up calling "glory for the Emperor."

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 (PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 [reviewed])
Developer: Saber Interactive
Publisher: Focus Entertainment
Released: September 9, 2024
MSRP: $59.99

Give me a worthy adversary

The campaign in Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 goes hard. You play as Titus, a disgraced Space Marine who rejoins the Ultramarines to help defend a system?? from a Tyranid invasion. This nasty foe descends on a world ??using sports and evolves quickly to defend itself from whatever strategies its enemies are using, before liquifying all organic matter and moving onto the next world.

Saber Interactive and Focus Entertainment have done a great job of taking what they learned from the swarms of zombies in World War Z and using it to make the Tyranids a formidable threat.?? The smaller Xenos among the Tyranid ranks rush toward you and explode in satisfying bursts ??of blood, while the larger warriors among their ranks work their way through the gore and provide a real challenge.

This is where Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 feels very different from World War Z, which surprised me a lot, but it suits the source material much better. You can only gun your way through so many enemies before you've got to pull out? whatever melee weapon you have equipped, preferably a Chainsword, and cut through them and fight until you wear the stronger foes down to a weakened state. From there, you can trigger an execution for a grotesque and glorious finisher, of which there are dozens to dis?cover.

Executions reward armor recharges and health, and by the end of the campaign, you'll have mastered the careful dance be?tween staying back and hammering enemies with gunfire, and getting stuck into the hordes with nothing but a Power Sword.

Your melee weapon is also important for parrying those pesky enemies who leap the crowd? and dig into your armor. Parrying is an essential skill you must learn to deal with bosses and minor enemie??s alike, ensuring that on higher difficulties, you don't get mauled before you're even at the tricky part.

I have to say, I didn't expect thi??s level of complexity from the game's combat, but it fits really well. If the game was all big guns and the occasional? execution, it would be dull. The combination and refined combat that's been developed here both feels and looks so good that I could play for hours without ever feeling fatigued.

Missions have great checkpointing, which always means you'll have enough ammo and grenades, but you never feel safe because you have too much. Bosses stretch you to your l?imits, especially the Lictor Tyranid early on, but you'll grow to understand exactly how to defeat them with the game's unique blend of gun and swordplay before too long.

When I say the story goes hard, I really do mean it. At one point, you're in the belly of a Forge World when the power goes out, and your character can hear Tyranids in the walls. Later in the campaign, you hoist a flag high and stand your ground among other Ultramarines against impossible odds, making for the most Warhammer 40K scene I think I've ever come across in a game.

Between missions, you'll return to a Battle Barge to get new intel and refit Titus with weapons you've unlocked. The thing that stuck out for me here, and in other quieter moments on the three major worlds you play across, is the chatter between NPCs. Listening to characters discuss topics such as a human toolbox recalibrating their eyes or watching a sermon to the Emperor, to which mighty Space Marines kneel and listen, felt amazing. It's as if I was transported into the world of Warhammer 40K, something I've been trying to achieve since I fi???rst started painting a Necron army when I was ten years old.

Even something as simple as walking feels brought to life with the weight an Ultramarine should be, sparks flying from his boots on metal and small objects shattering as he walks through them with the arrogance a space warrior should have. The dialogue feels like several people polished it because it feels like ??it's been pulled from the universe. Every line is deliberate, with no embellishment or over-explanation. You understand more from these words than you do in some entire paragraphs from other games, and I think that helps gel every other element together to make newcomers feel at home in this far-flung futuristic version of our galaxy.

I don't want to spoil the game's midway twist here, but suffice it to say that it feels like it was ripped right out of the pages of White Dwarf or the Black Library. You begin the game knowing nothing and having only on?e objective, and end it doing something else entirely with a set of revelations weighing heavily on your shoulders. It's incredible to experience as a fan of the universe, and it's thrilling even for those who aren't because of the regularly occurring epic moments that are i??mpossible not to be pulled in by.

The other side of the story

The second of Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2's three game modes is a multiplayer companion to the campaign. In Operations mode, you'll tackle missions that fill out parts of the story you see in the campaign, but don't get to play through. This is where you understand how a Hive ??Tyrant took so long to kill, or what was going on when the vox blackout occurred.

The miss?ions themselves are short and very replayab?le. I couldn't put the game mode down once I'd started, thanks to the balanced rewards you get for every mission and the exhilarating risk of hopping into a mission you know so well on a slightly tougher difficulty level.

There are a few new mechanics in Operations missions that make them stand out, such as regular enemies who can now call in re??inforcements and puzzles that you need to solve while also fighting back against the hordes of enemies every mission throws at you. For the most part, though, they're designed to be pure multiplayer fun, and that's exa??ctly what they are.

While yes, there's definitely some point to seeing the other side of these stories, the real reason to play is to experiment with different Space Marine classes, weapons, abilities, and earn XP. This mode is where I saw all the multiplayer elements from World War Z bleed through, and that's an ?extremely good thing for any game to have.

Each class offers a unique experience in-game, with various special abilities such as hea??ling and an overpowered melee attack for a short time, a Jump Pack, or even a shield that can protect you and your allies. Each class has a huge skill tree that you'll earn perks in and can purchase to unlock their benefits over time to craft the best builds for the toughest missions on the highest difficulties.

Every weapon also has levels to grind, unlocking more perks and making you a more efficient killing machine with every hour you sink into Operations. Of course, the biggest draw of multiplayer in Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 is unlocking new cosmetics. You can't craft your own Chapter (a company of Space Marines) without first gaining access to every color and part to ?customize, and then you can go nuts making the most obscene or beautiful warriors the galaxy has ever gazed up??on.

Stem corruption

The final part of Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2's offerings is a PvP mode called Eternal War. It plays into all the same progression systems as Operations mode, but is solely focused on PVP. I didn't know what to expect going into this mode, part of me really thought it wouldn't work, but it's thoroughly enjoyable and fits well within the universe.?

One team plays Space Marines, generally seen as the forces of (relative) good, and the other is Chaos Space Marines, w?ho are bad by all accounts. There are only a few modes to play around? with, but it's the combat that saves this game mode. Player health has been tweaked to meet weapons in the middle, so you're not obliterating one team with a single class.

Just like in Operations and the campaign, you need to use melee, grenades, and long-ranged weapons to win. However, I noticed a spawn camping issue while I was playing. For ??some reason, the game took too long to shift where my team was spawning from, so we lost a lot of points to two Hea?vy Space Marines who simply fired at roughly where we'd appear for a minute or so.

Eternal War is definitely the weakest mode in a game that sets the bar incredibly high. There's something to love here, and it's a nice d?istraction from all the PvE missions you'll be grinding, giving you something else to master and?? a reason to mess around with your builds and cosmetic styles in the Battle Barge before returning to a harder mode in the campaign.

In both Eternal War and Operations, I experienced server issues in Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2. These came and went, and might just have?? been down to the player base being limited to those who have an early access edition of the game. I did see the developer reaching out t?o fans explaining that it's working on the server issues, so I feel that these are likely more prevalent but are something that could be fixed with time.

I've seen Saber Interactive take World War Z and foster an amazing commu??nity around its PvE missions, with new content added regularly based on player feedback. Based on what I've seen from the developer so far, I have no doubt that it plans to do the same with this game but kick things up a notch. We already have a roadmap for season 1 that includes things like new enemies and a horde mode, which I can't wait to see, as well as even more fancy cosmetics to unlock.

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 is a great game in its own right, and it will only get better w??ith ongoing support. But you can get a lot out of the title without ever engaging with the online elements. The story and lore on show in the campaign are a great reason to get this game alone, and everything else ?is just a giant, Battle Barge-sized cherry on top.

I can't praise this game enough. It's as if the Emperor himself oversaw its development, pulling on the threads of time and space to bring the right people together at the right time to make it. There are flaws, sure, but it's a damn good game and a flipping fantastic Warhammer 40K game. If you even remotely enjoy the universe, this? will blow your mind. As I mentioned at the top, though, you can go into this game with no prior knowledge and still have the best time with it because the experience is solid, the world is completely realized, and the gameplay is highly engaging.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

I've always loved the pace of turn-based tactical titles like XCOM, but find myself leaning into games akin to Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. I p?refer the light-hearted approach to the genre that's generally less punishing, because I know my soldiers/characters won't fall for good on the battlefield.

That's why I like Steamworld Heist II so much, and while it definitely has its flaws, it?'s a great game for those who want a decent turn-based tactical time without the teeth-clenc??hing risk of a beloved character disappearing because you made a single mistake.

SteamWorld Heist II is a terrific, turn-based tactics title that eases you into its gameplay loop before piling on complexities that serve only to make you hungry for more miss?ions. Its bite-sized heists coupled with an expansive overworld, memorable and unique characters, banging soundtrack, and approachable job system will keep you busy for dozens of hours.

The scope of SteamWorld Heist II starts out small but grows exponentially over time, and w??hile I feel like some of the added grin?d could be done away with, it's still an incredibly enjoyable experience.

SteamWorld Heist II (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5 [Reviewed], and Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Thunderful Development
Publisher: Thunderful Publishing
Released: August 8, 2024
MSRP: $26.99

Earn freedom on the open seas

After a? brief?? introductory mission in which you meet Captain Leeway and his crew of Steambots, you're quickly shown the engrossing gameplay loop that will have you hitting just one more heist after one more heist before you're done because you can't quite bring yourself to stop.

SteamWorld Heist II's gameplay is spread out across multiple elements that gel together surprisingly well. At its heart, this is a tactical turn-based heist game in which you head out on short-is??h missions around a massive map. Each mission has a rating to give you an idea of its difficulty before diving in, and the more challenging they ??are, the more crew you can usually bring with you.

Every heist sees your crew break into a location to try to ste?al loot, which sometimes takes the form of ??intelligence, Steambots in need of rescuing, story-specific items, or reputation. All of them feel different from one another and keep the game fresh, even if you're smashing heist after heist, chasing reputation to advance the story. You can mix things up in the moment-to-moment gameplay to make the game feel even more vibrant, with several options for how any character can approach a situation.

Every location has multiple routes for your crew to take, and enemies will be positioned along those routes that you'll need to destroy? to get to the loot and escape. Each turn, your Steambot crew can make a couple of moves, such as firing and reloading, moving and firing, or throwing a grenade and healing. Crew members all have unique abilities you unlock over time as they successfully complete more and more missions, leveling up in the process.

The job system is fantastic because it's wide open for you to use your favorite characters in any role. With each mission completed, characters earn experience for those jobs, so you can swap your Steambots in and out of the roles you need rather than ending up stuck with three Engineers or Snipers for a tough mission that you desperately need a Reaper for. It's also very satisfying to?? see a character hit max level in multiple roles, which is easily possible thanks to an XP banking mechanic that applies XP from a fully leveled job to the next job it's possible to level when a character completes a mission in that role.

At the start of the game, you'll mostly use a Sniper to take out enemies from afar, while a close-ranged specialist Reaper cleans up after and throws a grenade in a pinch. But after hiring a few crew with your hard-earned Gallons, you'll have a shotgun-wielding Flanker Steambot who identifies the perfect flanking position and?? has advanced movement, or a melee specialist who can run down even the toughest Dieselbots the Navy has at its disposal.

My go-to crew for missions quickly became a Sniper, Engineer, Reaper, and Chimney, the melee-specialist. Chimney is my favorite character, because she has a can-do attitude and, once she's gained a few levels, is the best tank I'??ve ever seen. I used her to take enemies out, which healed her, as missions began; my Sniper to hit the biggest foes from afar, ?and my Reaper to clean up where he could. My Engineer Steambot varied, but mostly focused on providing healing backup and the occasional potshot to finish enemies off.

Variety is the spice of life in SteamWorld Heist II, and that applies to every aspect of it. You can completely customize your crew with new weapons you? find or purchase, additional items to give them new tools and buffs, and abilities like Rage, which give them more power when damaged. I found a bone sniper rifle early on in my playthrough but swapped it for a banjo rifle that had less firepower but didn't need reloading. If you get the banjo rifle, equip it immediately because it'll change your life.

Steamworld Heist II does a fantastic job of rewarding your actions with rare weapons and plenty of loot. Even when you hit the stagger points in the story that task you with completing missions to gain reputation for a story-specific reaso??n, you feel like you're making progress in terms of equipment and skill. It's not without its punishments, though. If you tackle a couple of missions and fail to make it back to a bar to rest before being taken out by enemy ships in the overworld, you lose all of your loot. Mercifully, reputation is saved between deaths, which I appreciate because it f??eels like the game respects your time without being overly forgiving.

Foes are smart in every mission and move around?? just as much as you do. You'll have to battle turrets, captains who apply shields to other Dieselbots, sword specialists, riflebots, and even shamanbots am??ong the Rattlers, who have replaced their metal parts with bones and can make your life an absolute nightmare.

In one mission, I found myself feeling on top of the world as, despite blaring alarms, I wiped out ev??ery Navy Dieselbot as they appeared in waves because I'd positioned my crew so well. In another??, I was broken by Rattlers, who fight ferociously and can summon more soldiers to your position. You never know what you're getting into with any mission, and that feels more and more exciting as you play.

A gracious checkpoint system? allows you to re-attempt a failed mission from 2-turns back, and your crew will revive after a good night's rest if destroyed. The stakes are still high though, because every mission awards Stars, Bounties, Gallons, and loot. Gallons are used to hire crew and buy weapons, Bounties help you unlock helpful special items each day, and Stars are your reputation, unlocking new rooms in bars around the overworld, but also acting as a crutch for padding out the game's length.

The reputation system definitely gives you a good reason to grind missions for stars so you can unlock the ability to buy better gear and weapons, but it feels like it's used to add time to your playthrough more than necessary. Early on in Heist II, when you're progressing quickly and butting up against the game's difficulty, the last thing you want is to play four or five missions just to push your reputation an??d move the story?? along.

Conversely, I found that the late-game is when you feel like you'??ve mastered missions and want to push the difficulty up, wh??ich is the perfect time for the game to give you a couple of grind sessions. It's a minor inconvenience in the great scheme of things, but it definitely makes for a point before the mid-game where you feel like you can't get through missions even on the easiest difficulty and wonder what you've done wrong.

All this disappears before your first real boss encounter, though. By that p??oint, you feel like you've got a handle on things and relish the challenge of harder missions. I found myself actively seeking out missions with the most stars to earn because I knew they'd be meaty and had the most risk for huge rewards, making my time feel worth it no matter what I was doing.

The only part of SteamWorld Heist II that doesn't live up to the quality of the rest of the game is the overworld exploration. In this mode, the screen pulls back, and you sail your submarine between areas, fighting Navy and ??Rattler ships with equipment you'll collect over time. It's fine and is a nice br?eak between missions, but I always found myself dreading these travel sections and willing them to end.

It becomes more interesting over time and with upgrades, but I still never enjoyed them as much as the heist missions. It's a necessary evil, though, because the world of SteamWorld Heist II is filled wi??th far more missions than you'll complete during the story unless you're doing a completionist run. There's so much to do, and the elation of discovering yet another new mission from which to grab every star goes some way to counteracting what I see as downsides in the overworld exploration sections.

One thing the overworld travel really does well is show you where you are in the world and where you're going. In a game about sailing the open seas and effectively being a steam-powered robot pirate, this is essential. It adds to the lore of the world without it feeling forced, so you know what everyone's talkin??g about when they discuss the Navy's wall after seeing the imposing structure for yourself, or the frigid ice in Arctica and the monstrous discoveries you make below its waters. You also make the link between mission locations and characters yo?u've met very quickly because names and descriptions match up well and expand the world without ever actually making it feel overwhelmingly big.

The overworld serves to make your submarine a tangible character rather than purely a base of operations. You can upgrade it and the characters you recruit from it, spending the resources you collect each day to build yourself into?? a formidable force. The upgrade system isn't so involved that you'll need to min/max anything, but it's impactful enough that you'll notice your speed boost, added firepower, and shout with joy when you get an extra bunk so you can recruit a new crew member.

A water crisis, a legacy, and a crew to look after

The story of SteamWorld Heist II is nice and simple and never gets in the way. Captain Leeway an??d his crew take his mother's submarine back from the Navy, who have been hoarding water supplies in the wake of a water crisis that's causing the steam-powered c?itizens of this world to rust up and die, and fight back against this authority choking the waterways to uncover the truth behind said crisis.

Every character is fantastic, from Leeway to the most unremarkable Steambot in the corner of one of the world's many bars. Thunderful did a great job of giving each of ??them a personality and appearance that makes them stand out. There isn't one NPC I don't have something to say about, whether it's the not-at-all obvious Navy spy telling Steambots to get free water from a suspicious outpost, or the two cloaked Steambots who look like this world's version of voodoo shamans.

As you acquire more crew me???????????????????????????mbers during your playthrough, you can chat with them and learn more about who they are as Steambots in the submarine. I loved checking in with everyone between missions, just in case there was some contextual story I might miss. Leeway himself is the most developed character and struggles throughout the story with the burden of his quest, the expectations everyone has of him because of his family's legacy, and the fact that he has to be brave all the time when he doesn't always want to be.

Heist II's bosses and story-essential characters are the biggest highlight. An eccentric engineer, mad scientist, Navy Commander with a grudge, and the que??en of the Rattlers with more bones than sits right with me in a game with robot characters. The dialogue never goes on too long, but they all stick in your mind as you play, and they make every story beat so m?uch better.

The areas I love the most are the bars, especially Hardwater. SteamWorld Heist II's amazing soundtrack comes to life in each one, and I spent far too long just hanging out at Steambot bars, waiting for a song to finish before heading out on a mission or ending the day. The sound design overall is also just to??p-notch. Part of what makes every mission feel so thrilling is the clank of your crew's feet, the harsh noise of a lock being engaged or a door closing, and the meaty shots and explosions.

Despite looking like a light indie game you might finish in a day or so on the surface, SteamWorld Heist II has surprising dept?h and is a game you could easily replay two or three times across the several difficulty options it offers?.

SteamWorld Heist II is a phenomenal title that offers you the best when it comes to short, tactical encounters with thrilling turn-based gameplay. It's not without its frustrations when it comes to story progression, but pushing through will reveal to you a game with incredible mission variety that you can mix up even more using your crew. Thanks to its checkpoint system and no punishment for mission failure, it's incredibly approachable and opens the turn-based tactics genre up for anyone who doesn't want to play something as intense as XCOM.

The post Review: SteamWorld Heist II appeared first on Destructoid.

What happens when a game-breaking bug turns out to be a tougher fix than initially thought? If you're Chilla's Art, you delist the game on Steam and release a remake a year and a half later. The Bathhouse: Restored Edition has been rebu??ilt from the ground up, and now it's time to clock back in. It's time to find out if the supernatural can top the horrors of working in customer service.

The Bathhouse: Restored Edition (PC [Reviewed])
Developer: Chilla's Art
Publisher: Chilla's Art
Released: August 9, 2024
MSRP: $7.99

You step into the shoes of Maina, a 23-year-old woman who's traded living in the city for running a bathhouse in the countryside. She's compelled for reasons unknown to her and takes up the position through an internal transfer that secures her an a?partment as part of her employment. All in all, it sounds like a pretty good d??eal and is one of those things that's totally doable in your early 20s.

Upon her arrival to the perpetually stor?my street that hosts her new abode and workplace, we're introduced to the Landlord. He's an uber-creep whose face looks like it was modeled on an impression of tree bark on Silly Putty. Aside from owning the apartment building Maina i??s staying at, he runs the bathhouse where she'll be working. It's a thinly veiled power dynamic that carries through the rest of the game, with nothing being done to subvert expectations.

The Bathhouse is about as subtle as a blunderbuss in every other aspect of its narrative. Customers are downright hostile for no reason, there's absolutely a spirit hauntin?g the establishment, and Maina is objectified and harassed with zero recourse. All of this ties in with the gameplay mechanics to drive home the point: Maina's voice and desires don't matter and she's simply there as a "thing" to be used by the NPCs and story.

The foundation for the story, Maina's coming to this village, and the larger narrative are great concepts. However, nothing is built upon that foundation, leaving it to feel lacking. The Bathhouse cl??ocks in at around three and a half hours to complete, which is plenty of time to tell a compelling story. Instead, our time is spent on throwaway NPCs and banal scares.

I can appreciate what Chilla's Art was trying to do here, as the concept itself is brilliant. I'm an absolute sucker for sims like House Flipper and PowerWash Simulator. Throw in a healthy dose of spookiness and you'd have to actively try to make me dislike it. So, you can imagine my disappointment when The Bathhouse managed to be subpar in both respects.

The simulator aspect has more meat on it than the horror side, which isn't saying much because running the bathhouse is about as fulfilling as the inf?amous bread meal shared ?by Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. Customers come in, you take their?? money, give them their requested goods, and then monitor them like a hawk while maintaining the temperature of the baths.

It's this constant running around that eliminates any sense of dread or fear. Sure, there's spooky stuff happening and the occasional attempted jump scare, but I'm too busy k??eeping sexual deviants out and fighting with the fickle water heaters to care. The setting is fantastic, but the story and atmosphere are never allowed enough time to breathe and do their work.

It's hard to say that simply adding features will make it better, as that sounds dismissive of the effort that went into creating this artwork. It seems that Chilla's Art was so laser-focused on the core idea, that it forgot to add the details and flourish that other titles in both spaces employ ?to make them so engaging.

Even if the pacing was adjusted, the character models and animations are so bizarre (not in the good way) as to nullify any sense of horror. Faces and features are distorted enough to enter the uncanny valley, but never make it to the other side of artistic intent. Walking animations are stilted and some characters, who totally aren't ghosts, simply disa??ppear.

These? flaws are only exacerbated by the litany of bugs on display. Playing in full-scre??en mode isn't an option thanks to the borders being cut off. Motion blur can't be disabled (which is an unforgivable sin), overall performance isn't consistent with bouts of stuttering, and a few game-breaking bugs are present when trying to get specific endings.

The Bathhouse is a victim of under-delivery. It feels as though it's scared to step out of line and ultima??tely fails to succeed as either a sim or horror game. Had Chilla's Art really lean?ed into it and incorporated the horror elements as part of the sim, it could have been amazing. There was real potential to mess with the player's head in a Hideo Kojima fashion that was squandered on a subpar story focused on violence against women.

Chilla's Art has a long history of making games in this style and has built up a cult following. The developer's games are bite-?sized adventures into a?? digital world of pulp horror. While they fill that role of inexpensive uncut gems that delight a few, I would love to see a few more passes on a title and have it really shine. As it stands, even this "restored edition" feels like a first draft rather than a finished product.

The post Review: The Bathhouse: Restored Edition appeared first on Destructoid.

One of my favorite things about g???aming is the incredible variety of genres, difficulties, and accessibility. It's like if Baskin Robbins wasn't relegated to producing only ice cream and decided to get real weird with the flavors.

With the AAA bubble collapsing inward, indie studios like KeelWorks are rising up to take in disenfranchised gamers. Can this studio knock it out of the park with its debut shmup, CYGNI: All Guns Blazing, or will it succumb to the trappings plaguing the industry at lar?ge?

CYGNI: All Guns Blazing (PC [Reviewed], PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S)
Developer: KeelWorks
Publisher: Konami
Released: August 5, 2024
MSRP: $29.99

Reading the promotional material for CYGNI: All Guns Blazing will have you beaten over the head about how pretty the shoot 'em up is. It feels like a magician trying to distract the audience with one hand while preparing the trick with the other. While the distraction is indeed quite gorgeous, this ultimately undermines the other?? aspects of the performance. It quickly becomes apparent more time should have been spent making the gameplay equally beautiful.

CYGNI: All Guns Blazing has a hard time deciding its tone. The pilot is rendered in a style very reminiscent of Pixar films like Big Hero 6 and for reasons which elude me, the opening cinematic even features a gratuitous shot of her pulling her pants up over a thong-clad bottom. It's such a weird inclusion that i??nstantly makes this hard to recommend for a younger audience, despite there being nothing remotely sexual ?for the rest of the game.

Cinematics are either fully rendered affairs or illustrations with minimal movement, akin to cost-saving measures seen in titles like Destiny 2 or World of Warcraft's later expansions. Levels, t?he pilot's ship, and enemies are otherwise rendered in a more realistic way with the bosses looking like the offspring between a chainsaw and an H. R. Geiger illustration. It's simply all over the place and much like myself in college, is beautiful, yet co??nfusing.

The narrative is oddly present for something riding in the back seat while visuals and gameplay sit up front. It's clear a not-insignificant amount of time was spent creating the world of CYGNI and crafting the lore of using alie??n technology to bolster humanity's own. I found the concept of these eldritch mechanical beings slumbering until humanity awoke them by harvesting their "corpses" fascinating. Unfortunately, it only exists to set up a bare-bones explanation of why we're shooting these aliens.

In terms of gameplay, CYGNI: All Guns Blazing could have benefited from more time in the oven. There is an overwhelming amount of shallow mechanics at play. Instead of forcing the tutorial on players, this option is off to the side and ultimately sets the player up for failure. This is compounded?? by the fact that the first stage is arguably the most difficult and longest. It's a trial by fire that will leave all but the most masochistic a trifle aggravated.

The biggest issue with CYGNI's gameplay is balancing. Ther??e's no even progression and you'll be punished for things you don't know exist. With the first level feeling more like an endgame level, players aren't able to acclimate themselves to the various systems and mechanics. Even worse, you're going into it underpowered for what it is.

Unless you're playing on Easy, you'll only have one life through levels that are upwards of 20 minutes long, have no checkpoints, and will have you tackling multiple bosses. Unlike other games in the genre, there's no point system where you can gain another life. Should you run into a barrier that appears out of nowhere and immedia??tely die, it's too bad.

This, in turn, has a negative impact on the upgrades, which are crucial to surviving missions. Enemies have a chance to drop Energy Points on death. These points are used to replenish shields, increase firepower, or fire missiles??. They are also used to purchase upgrades. This means that you'll be forced to walk that line between using points to survive and saving enough to actually enhance your ship. Don't die though as all of those points disappear like a fart in the wind should you die.

Sadly, the upgrades are mostly useless. Side drones increase outgoing damage and additional homing missiles are great, but everything else is moot. For example, CYGNI has a layered approach to combat in that you'l??l need to deal with foes in the air and on the ground. However, you can only attack one layer at a tim?e and it's incredibly rare not to be fighting both simultaneously.

Attacks against ground troops are weak, even with upgrades, and more often than not it's better to simply ignore ground troops so as not to be completely overwhelmed by splitting your attention. Hell, giving me the option to change my ground a?ttack to something like a carpet bom?b would have been a thousand times better.

Finally, your ultimate, the Shield Blast, might as well not be a thing. This attack uses your shields to unleash a screen-wide AoE that obliterates everything. The problem is that enemy reinforcements quickly repopulate and you no longe??r have a shield. Should you get tagged by a stray shot before you can replenish them, that's it. You're done. Time to start over.

Not being a masochist, I opted to play on Easy with the intent of purchasing upgrades and then tackling harder difficulties. With a few choice upgrades, Easy became just that. Yet, attempting Medium is a fool's errand as that core balancing issue rears its ugly head. There are simply too many enemies, too many projectiles without any meaningful evasive maneuvers, and the levels are way too long. Honestly, you could b?isect each level and end it with one of the enjoyable boss fights and it would be so much better.

All of this then makes me reconsider the $30 asking price. All in all, it took me about four hours to beat the campaign, unlock al??l of the upgrades, and replay it a few times over. Sure, there's a local co-op and an Arcade Mode that's just a points-driven version of the campaign, but it's lacking too much to ask that much money.

Perhaps if it was bal?anced better, had more meaningful upgrades, or strove to play as well as it looks, it might be worth it. As it stands, I'd say wait for a sale and don't bother paying more than $15. It's a fun way to kill an afternoon and gives you a taste of the genre, but that's about it. Here's hoping that developer KeelWorks can learn from its debut effort and bring its gameplay design to the same level as its visuals.

The post Review: CYGNI: All Guns Blazing appeared first on Destructoid.

Dredge is a fabulous indie cosmic horror fishing game that eases you in with a solid fishing mechanic and a few mutated catches. The story and gameplay are engrossing and had me hooked from start to finish, which is why I'm so glad that its latest and final DLC, The Iron Rig, is the best excuse to start a new save file.

Dredge: The Iron Rig is both a story and world expansion for the base game that manages to preserve the core experience to the point that you'll have a better time with it if you restart the game instead of continuing on from a near-complete playthrough. The DLC's focal point is a huge oil rig that's visible from every part of the map, looming in the distance like some great metal giant just waiting to come to life and chase you across the seas. Mercifully, The Iron Rig doesn't do that. It does something much m?ore sinister.

Dredge: The Iron Rig (PC [Reviewed], Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Black Salt Games
Publisher: Team 17
Released: August 15, 2024
MSRP: $11.99/£11.99

A new world beneath the surface

You can't access The Iron Rig in Dredge until you've reached the base game's third major location. This ensures you know what you're doing and have most of the equipment you'll need when you finally decide to visit the hulking metal structure. This is the DLC's greatest strength, because it helps keep the base game's story and progression intact. The way you slowly gain new technology and upgrades through the story helps you master them all, and The Iron Rig is all about increas??ing your power, so it wouldn't do for it to break that progression right off the bat.

You will notice the impact of the DLC from the very first moment you set sail on a new save file, though. Strange crates now appear in specific locations all over the map. Of course, the game teaches you to d?redge up anything and everything you can, so these crates quickly fill up your storage as you hold onto them for a rainy day. That rainy day is your arrival at the oi??l rig just after reaching Stellar Basin.

The crates you've collected are used to build and unlock parts of the rig, a?llowing you to meet and greet the odd new characters it introduces. They're just as strange and haunted as the residents of every other location in the game, but each one seems to be trying to escape their past. They add a lot more flavor to a playthrough, and I had a great time working with them to unlock new features of the rig and use their services.

After a short while, the true nature of The Iron Rig is revealed. Once operational, the oil rig inadvertently causes a huge rift in the bedrock under the seas you thought you knew so well. This causes a thick bl??ack substance to bubble to the surface and forces new fish species to return to the ocean, having only previously appeared as fossils. It's obvious Black Salt Games had a blast with these creatures because you've got ancient fish, crustaceans, and even things we don't fully understand in 2024, like the Tully Monster.

As you might expect, you'll pick up quests that revolve around these new species and that dark substance, but the base game's undercurrent of cosmic horror only grows with this new develop?ment. You have n??o idea what's going on, and the DLC's events only worsen over time, adding to the overarching narrative of this cursed collection of islands.

The most important thing about the way The Iron Rig's story evolves over time is that it follows Dredge's natural progression. It takes you through each area of the game in the same order you follow in the base story, which felt like it let me see them all in a completely new light. The progression also plays into the equipment you need to use in these areas as they change over time. Despite having already completed an area, you'll need to improve your equipment with strange new rods and gear if you want to return and advance The Iron Rig's story.

While some residents of previously visited locations will mention Ironhaven and the dark ooze covering their local waters, many others don't. I found this a little stranger than is usual for Dredge, just because these are massive alterations to the ?environment, and I expected to see more mentions of it in dialogue. Howe?ver, this is an odd game with odd characters who fit just as well in the world, whether they mention changes to their surroundings or not.

The Iron Rig's characters more than make up for this, though. They're incredibly chatty and strange and toe the line between unnerving you and making you feel like a firm friend. They're super unsettling and don't feel like a part of any of Dredge's communities. This fits perfectly because the??y're outsiders, so they shouldn't be similar to any of the locals. Black Salt Games hit the nail on the head with them because they really are this cosmically haunted world's definition of a rag-tag group of outsiders, all clearly hiding from their past or attempting to hide their ??intentions in the most remote location in the world. The problem for them is that location has just as many secrets as they do.

The Iron Rig gives you more reasons to fish and dredge up materials, but it can be a bit of a slog if you don't utilize the new gadgets you can grab from the rig. Standard equipment like trawler nets and crab pots are altered to allow you to gather the thick black liquid rising up from the deep and collect the materials strewn throughout the ocean by crashed ships. You'll also need a new set of rods to catch every n?ew fish and crustacean the dark liquid brings with it because the infu??sions the rig provides protect your line from the unknown substance.

This speeds up progression through both the base game and DLC somewhat, but with the added seven hours or so The Iron Rig tacks onto the base game, it doesn't feel any less meaty. I tried to play through the DLC's story in tandem with the base game, and nothing ever felt like busywork. The initial story helps you grasp the basics, and The Iron Rig lets you stretch your wings, so to speak.

For all the new technology The Iron Rig adds and the renewed speed at which you can get it, Dredge's attention to detail may be its own downfall when it comes to the DLC. After acquiring upgrades for my engines that added new abilities but also massively increased my speed, I found that traversing the world actually became more difficult. I kept bumping into rocks that I never hit even when my boat was fully upgraded in the base?? game.

I want to stress that this only happened in a couple of areas, such as the Collector's island and locations where there are many objects to dodge as you travel. It's not a dealbreaker by any stretch, but it did frustrate me because I knew I shouldn't be ramming these things, and the only difference is that The Iron Rig has give?n my boat more power ??than I can clearly handle.

I fell in love with Dredge all over again while playing The Iron Rig. It completes the game in a way I never thought I needed and makes it feel brand new. Every point that the base game made about humanity's impact on the world and the unknown implications from...well, the unknown, is heightened by the DLC. It's the perfect reason to replay, a fantastic excuse to stay in bed all weekend and play a cozy horror game, and a new way to make yourself wonder about what's lurking out of sight the next time yo??u look out at the vastness of the ocean.

The post Review – Dredge: The Iron Rig appeared first on Destructoid.

We've all cooked up a storm in slice-of-life farming games like Stardew Valley, survival MMOs, and the occasional Zelda game. Rarely are those systems that complex, though, and they're almost never linked to your overall progression in the story or character's growth. In Magical Delicacy, cooking is at the heart of every aspect of ?gameplay, and it feels all the cozier for it.

Magical Delicacy (PC [Reviewed], Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Skaule
Publisher: Whitethorn Games
Released: July 16, 2024, 2024
MSRP: TBC

In Magical Delicacy, you play as Flora. She's a young witch who has traveled to the harbor town of Grat to advance her understanding and mastery of magic in a place?? where witches were always rumored to have thrived. When she arrives, it's a different story. Everyone expects Flora to already know her cr??aft, and only a few seem to have any knowledge of witches.

Still, the settlement seems keen for Flora to help as many people as possible by cooking up a storm?? and delivering a lot of food, and a few magical potions, where required. She's left to fend for herself after being bamboozled into buying a small shop in the middle of Grat, where she knows absolutely no one.

The intro is brisk, but gives you all the information you need to get moving. Despite having a decent s??tory that'll suck you in with its mystery and intrigue, the game is quite fast-paced. The core gameplay mechanic revolves around meeting n??ew residents of Grat, chatting with them to get a request for food, and then delivering that food.

Of course, nothing is ever that simple. Flora must learn new recipes by fi?nding them around Grat or purchasing them with currency earned from deliveries. Ingredients must also be foraged from around Grat, purchased, or grown at Flora's shop.

Even when you've got every ingredient you need, there's a wide array of cooking equipment you can upgrade Flora's kitchen, allowing you to cook increasingly advanced recipes. One of the first tools you'll unlock is the oven, which requires you to make a few deliveries and meet some interesting charact??ers before you're even close to getting it.

The cooking system itself is nice and meaty. I spent a good few minute??s working out what ingredients to use with each, staring at my pot or oven to ensure I got the best result. Ingredients are split into set types, such as herbs, mushrooms, and ground, and each recipe requires a bit of certain types. There are also ?staple ingredients, such as Rock Salt, that must be used in some of the food you'll cook up.

Ingredients can be ground and processed in other ways before they're cooked for more complex recipes, but everything must be discovered organically. For example, I purchased some wheat because I knew I ne?eded flour, and things clicked when I purchased a Mortar and Pestle for Flora's shop. This allowed me to grind the wheat to make the flour to craft the dessert that had been requested.

Magical Delicacy isn't just about delivering food to make people happy, though. Over the course of the story, and by making more deliveries, Flora will unlock recipes for potions that can unlock ??paths and abilities to explore more of Grat, access new ingredients, and increase her abilities as a magical culinary creator.

You'll feel how the developer was inspired by 2D platformers and Metroidvanias through the gameplay as you advance and unlock new areas of the stunning environment. But the game is also about slowing down and taking it easy. Grat is packed w?ith benches for Flora to sit and chill o?ut on, pulling back the camera so you can fully admire the pixel art environments and listen to the cozy soundtrack playing away in the background.

I played Magical Delicacy for hours and hours, but it never felt like a chore. The game's natural sense of progression and regular deliveries are a satisfying reward for the work you put in, and even waiting for the day/night cycle to pass by as you enjoy the sounds of the harbor town has a point, because you're waiting for i??ngredients to grow or characters to move around.

The controls are precise, and only a few tricky platforming sections require you to push your muscle memory to the limit, though they're not essential to the main story and only unlock cosmetics. Outside of a single graphical issue where the moon ?followed close behind Flora's head on one screen, I didn't have any issues.

Magical Delicacy is a jo??y to play and a relaxing experience that, despite ??having a grind you must work through, feels no more stressful than looking at a cookbook and working out how to prepare and then make the meal you want.

It's one of those games that will live in your head even while you're not playing it, as you think about what characters have requested and how you can meet their needs. There's something to learn in every session with it, be it a new use for an ?ingredient or a revelation in the story that you've been holding out for.

Take a few jumping puzzles from a 2D platformer, a pinch of progression from a Metroidvania, the story of a gorgeous indie title, lashings of pixel art, a dollop of relaxing tunes, mix well, and bake until you can see the personality rising out of it. If that sounds tempting, that's Magical Delicacy for you.

The post Review: Magical Delicacy appeared first on Destructoid.

The looter shooter genre is fraught with difficulties. Titles like Anthem and Outriders show promise and nab an audience, but quickly die off, whereas others like Destiny 2 and Warframe are generally positively received with some caveats. It seems like the formula is so obvious and a studio only needs to reach out and grab it. Could Nexon pull off the impossible with The First Descendant?

The First Descendant (PC [Reviewed], PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S)
Developer: Nexon Games Co., Ltd.
Publisher: Nexon
Released: June 30, 2024
MSRP: Free-to-play

I'm going to be blunt with this: The First Descendant's story is largely irrelevant. Like a kaiju film, NPC dialogue only exists to move? us to the next encounter. Standouts like the villain Greg and slimy weasel Jeremy stick out due to their out-of-place names alone. It's like when the transfer student showed up at my high school and introduced himself as Zebulon. Equally tragic, said school was not in Tokyo-3, and there?? were no ensuing kaiju battles to offset the day's doldrum.

Unlike the ho-hum story, The First Descendant goes all out in design and presentation. The characters and environments are simply astounding to look at thanks to the blend of futuristic technolog??y, surreal and desolate landscapes, and encroaching divine elements. It doesn't hurt there's a solid roster of hotti?es to play as.

The First Descendant isn't so much inspired by other media as it directly lifts from them. The character Bunny is a mixture of Overwatch's Tracer, in terms of personality and abilities, and D.Va in terms of design, while her Ultimate outfit bears a striking resemblance to Major Motoko's from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Then there's the litany of Destiny 2 "inspirations," from icons to the Different Dream sniper ?r?ifle being easily recognizable as an IKELOS weapon.

These possible infringement lawsuits waiting to happen have me taking a step back and really looking at The First Descendant. It doesn't do anything original, and is more a potluck of other ideas and properties than anything else. That bein??g said, this is the finest-looking potluck I've partaken in. The pla??ting on this spiraled ham is superb.

Unfortunately, these exquisitely rendered latex-clad butts and luscious landscapes aren't presented without issue. When playing on my desktop or laptop, both of which are plenty beefy and have a wired connection, there are a concerning numbe??r of random framerate drops. No amount of settings adjustments alleviates the problem and there are numerous posts across social media from PlayStation 5 players reporting an even worse experience.

The performance issues don't stop there as server stability is another large concern. The First Descendant was effectively down for th??e entirety of its second day and issues like rubber ban?ding, input delay, and disconnects are a regular occurrence right now. It's to the point wher?e when the screen freezes, I know it's one of two lag spikes and I'll have to wait five seconds to see where my character has ended up.

It's incredibly frustrating when running more difficult content where there's a large number of enemies or attacks happening at once, or when doing an activity like ?a Void Intercept where a single death can ruin a run. Failure to get on top of these issues quickly has the potential to do irreparable harm. Player patience might evaporate quicker with a free-to-play title as there was no initial investment on their part. Combined with other, intentional decisions, these could quickly turn away potential players.

Dragging me out of my despair is The First Descendant's gameplay. When it's running without issue, it's nothing short of amazing, and why I'm rooting so hard for this wonky l?ooter shooter. It's an engrossing blend of gunpl?ay and power usage with a build-crafting system that has me obsessing about the possibilities and gnawing away at the puzzles laid before me in the Colossus battles.

The core gameplay loop is: start in an area, do two to five open-world missions, run a dungeon, fight a literal Colossus, and repeat. Each part is a lot of fun and can be tackled differently according to your Descendant's kit. The open-world missions often pit you against swarms of hyper-aggressive enemies, dungeons almost always end in a fight where you must decipher the puzzle of the orbs in a Sisyphean battle, and the Colossi are the big show. Once you've cracked the code on beating the likes of the Dead Bride or Pyromaniac, it's easy to forget the issues The First Descendant has.

Well, that is until you contend with the overly convoluted crafting system and over-the-top number of materials, accrual methods, and time gates st??anding between you and putting together a build. Item descriptions are anything but helpful and the game is misleading in how it wants you to approach some content.

At several points, notably the Dead Bride and Pyromaniac fights??, there are strict DPS checks that must be beaten. It's not a matter of playing better, avoiding team wipes, or persistence. You're on the clock, and if you can't melt the boss in that time, the run is over.

Due to the expensive nature of putting together a build to try, experimentation is limited unless you have plenty of time or cash to burn. For me, th??e game came to a complete standstill when I encountered the Pyromaniac. The only way I could beat it was by purchasing a new character, grinding them to max level, grinding out resources to put together a new build, and then puttin??g together a team through a Discord server, as in-game matchmaking wasn't ever going to get it done.

I was stuck for days and it can't help but feel intentional as, at that level, there's only one viable character to use, as Pyroma??n??iac is nigh invincible against guns and non-ice powers. Everything I had been doing up to that point was entirely useless.

It's these nudges and design choices that make The First Descendant feel like Nexon is milking players for everything it can. From the aforementioned crafting system to forcing players to buy recolored alternate outfits just to unlock the ability to customize the colors by buying dyes, it feels scummy. Worse, should you grind out a new Descendant to use, you need to shell out some cash for another character slot or delete one of your existing Descendants to make room. Throw in some Ultimate Descendant bundles that retail for $100 and it really feels like Nexon is in ??the business of whaling.

I am nothing but conflicted regarding The First Descendant. It's a Modern Prometheus of parts and ideas that looks and plays wonderfully when it works. However, the Dr. Frankenstein who assembled it is clearly profit-driven and has a bit of a reputation for its microtransactions. Throw in the equivalent of a Dell Dimension 8400 for a server and things look grim. I don't expect The First Descendant to get a lot?? of support in the time it's arou?nd, and I'll enjoy it for what it is, but I won't make the mistake of believing it will hold much attention outside of a small, dedicated player base.

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Usually, when I visit a fantasy game’s inn, it’s to rest up before heading out to fight a dragon, pick up a quest, or have a little fight with an NPC to ultimately get them to join my party.

Tavern Talk subverted my expectations by putting me in the shoes of the innkeeper and tasking me with doing little more than chatting away with the patrons who came by during their adventures. It’s a lo?vely change of pace, but I couldn’t help but feel it needed a little more oomph by the end.

Simple yet mostly satisfying

Tavern Talk (PC [Reviewed], Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Gentle Troll Entertainment
Publisher: Gentle Troll Entertainment
Released: June 20, 2024
MSRP: $17.99/£14.99

You get to grips with the core gameplay mechanics in Tavern Talk pretty quickly. Each patron who sits at the bar needs a drink of some description. Some of them are going to tell you what they want, while others simply hint at ??tipple they’re eager to taste with fairly easy-to-decipher dialogue cues.

Once you roughly know what your customer needs, it’s time to mix the order. You’ve got a set of ingredients to pour into a gl?ass, and must balance the stats in that glass to cater to the customer’s need. Mo??re often than not, the result is two or three pours of two particular ingredients, and one of another for flavor.

The system is easy to learn, but I don’t think that makes it basic. I had a lot of fun balancing brews by pouring each stat-boosting elixir into the glass for every customer I met each night and day. This is definitely the most engaging part of Tavern Talk, and serves its purpose of breaking up the heavy? dialogue sequences that make up the bulk of the rest of your time with th??e game.

If you mess up a drink, you can pour parts of it away for your pet, Andu, which I think is a great little touch. The game is full of small tidbits of the fantasy setting like this, be it in the conversations you read through or the flavor of the quests you can put together. They fill out the world without you ever needing to leave ??the inn, ?allowing you to live vicariously through everyone who passes through.

Match three

Don’t get too excited about the idea of quests. It’s another gameplay mechanic to add to the list, but it’s super basic. You’ll hear bits and pieces of information about the world as you speak to each character. For example, people are disappearing in a nearby town, there’s a rumor about a werew??olf, and a warrior you serve finds themselves unable to head out and kill this alleged beast.

This gives you three notes that you can piece together to form a quest and post it on your job board. A character will then pop in, pick that quest up, and head out to tackle it. How they do it is down to the drink you make them before they go, but you won’t get a ?satisfying cutscene or gruesome follow-up tale. Instead, you’ll hear about how the character succeeded or failed through yet more rumors and teases of the story from the wider worl??d, courtesy of more customers.

If you’re looking for more from a fantasy tavern simulator, so was I. But that’s not what this game is. Tavern Talk saves you from its limited interactivity with incredible writing, both in the story and behind every character, that keeps you glued to your screen. It's easy to get instantly invested in the patrons you meet and their liv?es outside of your inn’s four walls.

My favorite is definitely Fable, an elf youâ€??™re introduced to right from the start of the game. Her narrative arc, like every character’s, focuses on who they are as a person rather than fo?rcing her to go from frightened farmer to impressive warrior in no time at all and forcing it to somehow fit the narrative for action's sake.

Tavern Talk is about the real lives of characters in ?a fantasy setting. There isn’t always a world-ending event to contend with, and not everyone is always chirpy or upbeat??. For example, sometimes, your thief needs to feel like they’re worth a damn and have someone be genuinely curious about how they’re doing, or a warrior's hesitations about killing something they’re often mistaken for need recognizing instead of brushing over by the protagonist.

It fills out the world in a way you almost never consider. The only time I've really thought about the same sort of themes is while playing Fable 3, a game with a world you're actively encouraged to mess about in and notice the small day-to-day things. Tavern Talk is a game about all of this, and you're the fly on the wall seeing it all unfold from the relative safet?y of your inn.

In a way, this game made me realize how shallow even games like Fallout 3 can be in their dialogue and character development when you think about how some actions might really impact them. That’s not to say these other games are bad, far from it, but Tavern Talk makes these characters seem a lot more real, even though all you’re doing is pouring them a drink an?d asking them how they’re really doing underneath their armor and f?acades.

If you enjoy visual novels and games very similar to this like the Coffee Talk franchise, then this is absolutely for you. It’s a slow burn that doesn’t speed up or see you getting into scenarios you could describe as epic or turning points for a universe, though??. This is a game for those who want a genuine answer from friends when they ask how they’re doing, a visual novel you can take your time with and leans much more into making you feel something instead of blasting you with impressive fights, fates, and fantastic visuals.

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Still Wakes the Deep takes the horror of the sea and drags it into a virtual reality where you'??re small, trapped, and must try to escape an entity you cannot understand. It's brutal cosmic horror that borrows from some of Lovecraft's best work and manages to craft a survival horror game that I believe is going to be remembered by the horror community for years to come.

Developer The Chinese Room is perhaps best known for games like Everybody's Gone to the Rapture and Dear Esther, narrative titles that do a great job of telling a compelling story through gameplay that's generally okay. Still Wakes the Deep kicks things up?? a notch. Set on an oil rig in th??e North Sea in 1975, you play as Caz, an electrician who took a job on the rig to get out of Scotland and dodge some police charges. While his past has caught up with him, it matters little compared to the monumental event that occurs on the rig right after his boss gets wind of them.

Still Wakes the Deep (PC, PS5 [Reviewed], Xbox Series X|S)
Developer: The Chinese Room
Publisher: Secret Mode
Released: June 18, 2024
MSRP: $34.99/£29.99

The opening to Still Wakes the Deep is dripping with atmos?phere. You're introduced to a plucky crew around a rig that's barely holding itself together, a flawed protagonist whose past is less than glamorous, and a first-person perspective and movement system that's good en?ough to get around, but feels as clunky as a middle-aged Scotsman should.

Something that stuck with me from the outset and lasted all the way through is the exceptional visuals. At points, I struggled to understand h?ow the game looked so real. The Chines?e Room has pulled off some sort of magic with this game, and it makes the horrors you face all the more terrifying, because they seem to be bursting out of reality. That's quite appropriate because, soon after the muted introduction, the rig drills into something, an entity, and all hell breaks loose on the platform.

However, the visuals, like the movement system, aren't perfect. An update may fix this, but the logic of narrow wires in Still Wakes the Deep is, to put it bluntly, bonkers. It makes sense for enemies, but phones and other wiring will also go haywire and fly a??round in unnatural ways. Seeing these glitch in and out of existence or fly around f??or no reason broke my immersion, but at least they didn't break the game.

After being thoroughly thrown around, Still Wakes the Deep reveals its true colors. What starts out feeling like a walking simulator very quickly becomes a first-person horror game, and I adore it. There's a lovely split between environmental puzzles, things like switches and fires, platforming, and sneaking around or running away fr??om colossal, impossible enemies.

The environmental puzzles are a lot of fun. They're all framed as fixing a system or finding an item that you need to help someone and progress, much like in the original Dead Space. This gives you a sense of purpose and helps you forget the scary parts until they suddenly rear their head again. Mechanically, these puzzles are? simple, but the way they're used throughout the game keeps it fresh without anything ever feeling overused.

The enemies are where?? the real horror/fun is, though. Certain crew members have been altered by the entity the rig's drill ran into. They're bloated and barely human, but retain some?? level of intelligence and a few dangling limbs. The monster design is top-notch and grossed me out more than once. I even froze up a couple of times just because these creatures look like they were ripped right out of nightmares.

You're not fighting these things. Instead, you're escaping them, working around an environment, sometimes quite a long series of rooms, while throwing objects to distract them. Some encounters even have you activating systems for the rig, wh??ich feels incredibly stressful when a giant blob of fishy human meat is moving ?around trying to absorb you.

If this sounds a lot like Alien: Isolation's Xenomorph encounters, that's exactly what it feels like to play. Where in that game, the environment and your arsenal changed how you explored and worked around your enemy, Still Wakes the Deep's environment and enemy variety keep things from feeling dull. Even when you think you know how an enemy will react, it's going to surprise you and keep you on y??our toes.

It's not ?just how these things look and move, either; it's how they sound. Human voices have been distorted to sound like animals or certain personality traits that they had before being transformed. This debases them, but also makes them feel scarily advanced, because you just don't understand why they've been twisted in such a way.

The sound design, in general, for Still Wakes the Deep is better than many AAA titles. Silence is used to devastating eff?ect, but the soundtrack, where used, is superb. Every footstep, creak of metal, or groan from something in the distance is done so w?ell that this game can scare you with the controller on the table and nothing happening.

The Scottish voice acting is also just amazing. Most of my family is Scottish, and it felt?? almost homely to hear so many Scottish words used in passing that I'm sure a lot of people will miss. While some of it feels a little forced, the majority of the dialogue is stunning. It makes the game feel authentic, even though it's packed with dreadful monsters.

Lastly, there's the story. The real narrative in Still Wakes the Deep is told through flashbacks, your actions, and even the way the enemies look. In true cosmic horror fashion, the true nightmare li??es within protagonist Caz's mind, not the rusty rig falling apart around him.

Similar to how the horror community still analyzes, dissects, and discusses Soma to this day, I can see Still Wakes the Deep b??eing a game that people find new ways to explore and explain for at least a decade. It's well-made and clearly has a strong vision be??hind it, which I'd say has been nailed.

I've always thought that the unknowable depths of the sea make for a terrifying realm to contemplate. We really have no idea what lies at the bottom of a large percentage of? Earth's oceans. That's why it's always seemed a little bonkers to me that we're so willing to drill straight down into the crust below and hope for the best when aiming roughly where we believe there's some oil.

Still Wakes the Deep blends this terror with genuine human flaws. Outside of Dredge, I don't know if a game has felt so uniquely Lovecraftian. This is a game that everyone should play just to experience once, and thanks to its deathless story mode, you can. It's not perfect by any means, but it's noteworthy and a game you're not going to stop hearing about for a long time, and it scratches the itch you'll have been feeling since playing Alien: Isolation.

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One of the greatest villains of Dungeons & Dragons is Vecna, a lich god with dimension-spanning cults and body parts so evil they corrupt anyone who finds them. Originating in the Greyhawk setting, Vecna has proven to be such a popular villain that his influence has extended to the Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft and even other media like Stranger Things. For DnD's 50th anniversary, it seems only fitting that this world-spanning campaign book, Vecna: Eve of Ruin, puts the Arch-Lich front and centre.

Eve of Ruin is a campaign that takes characters from levels 10 to 20 where the majority of published campaigns focus on lower-level characters. While starting at 10 might be less accessible, it does give Dungeon Masters a great opportunity to work with some of the higher-level monsters. For players, it is a chance to use those fabled level 17 abilities that seem like an unattainable dream for most groups. Eve of Ruin also contains advice for starting characters at 10 for?? the adventure or adapting existing characters, and there are options to scale the adventures up and down a little for different levels.

Eve of Ruin is more than just a greatest hits collection of settings and cameos. It is packed with evocative adventures in different worlds where the characters face devious puzzles, shocking twists and even gain access to a unique mechanic unavailable in other games. To discuss it any further requires a certain degree of spoilers, and if you're planning to play Eve of Ruin, I'd recommend stopping h??ere, as the t??wists are worth waiting for.

In Vecna: Eve of Ruin, a simple investigation into a group of missing nobles in the Forgotten Realms city of Neverwinter throws the player characters into a world-hopping adventure to stop Vecna from reshaping reality itself to make his perfect new world. At the centre of this campaign is the eternal struggle between Vecna and his former ally Kas, now a powerful vampire lord in his own right. Kas himself is a figure who looms large across the book and this campaign is a great opportunity to dramatise the conflict between these two legends. Along the way, Eve of Ruin brings in fan-favorite figures like Lolth, Mordenkainen, Tasha, Strahd and the Lord of Blades. It may not be a game for starting players, because of the added complexity of characters at 10th level and above and the amount of backstory this campaign evokes. Nevertheless, it is a fun way to play in every setting at once. I was very happy to see my personal favourites, Ravenloft, Eberron and Planescape, interacting with the core Forgotten Realms in a way that I hope brings newer players into those ??fantastic worlds.

Eve of Ruin introduces a unique mechanic through the player characters' links to Vecna himself: secrets. Vecna is gathering all the secrets he can to empower his act of creation, and the characters can expend the secrets they learn along the way to give the whole party advantage on d20 rolls for 1 minute. It is a thematically-interesting way to explore the link with Vecna, and encourages the characters to spend time wit??h every NPC.

Each adventure takes place in a different setting, and this is where its limitations start to show. Adventures with rich and complex ongoing stories at their heart are highly rewarding for DMs and players, but they can quickly unravel as soon as the players start to express their agency. By dragging the characters from world to world, the adventure needs to be at least partly on rails. Some groups may balk at the fact that they are forcibly teleported right from the first adventure. The revelation about Mordenkainen in Chapter 2 is a highly dramatic moment, but trying to manage it in the face of player ingenuity could be tricky, especially for a less experienced DM. Despite these small objections, Eve of Ruin is clearly a labour of love. Each individual chapter is stuffed full of setting details, NPCs, and puzzles that make Eve of Ruin a meaty and satisfying campaign. A worthy celebration of the greatest ??lich who e?ver liched.

[_{This review is based on a retail copy of the game purchased by the reviewer.}]

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Developer Puppet Combo is well known for its particular brand of retro horror games, harkening back to the era of PS1 and PS2. The studio combines dated visuals with interesting game mechanics and concepts, juggling classic and modern design ideas that stand the test of time. Its latest game, The Glass Staircase, is particularly good, as it layers its horror with clever tricks for overthinking and scares ??when you least expect them.

While many Puppet Combo games are restricted to the developer's Patreon, The Glass Staircase is available on all major platforms and is the perfect little ?hit for any retro horror fans. It took me around two hours to finish, and I enjoyed almost every minute of it. My frustrations boiled down to my own silly miscalculations and m?istaking some intentional elements for game-breaking bugs until I discovered the path forward.

The Glass Staircase (PC, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 [Reviewed])
Developer: Puppet Combo
Publisher: Puppet Combo
Released: May 24, 2024
MSRP: $5.95/£7.99

In The Glass Staircase, you begin your journey as Helen, a young girl seemingly being held hostage in a large, dilapidated, stately home turned orphanage. After taking your designated pill, you'?re instructed to head downstairs?? and complete a task the owners have prepared for you. However, the task itself isn't the reason for Helen's release, and you soon discover that she and the other girls are gradually there for a much more nefarious purpose.

The haunting story spends about half its playtime building up tension. There's the perfect mix of dingy visuals and eerie music laced with off-key notes, crafting an atmosphere perfect for the unexpected jump scares. The presentation makes The Glass Staircase full of frights that are rewarding, just terr??ifying enough, and without much time to digest what you stumbled up?on.

As is standard with survival horror games, the environment and notes strewn across the grounds tell the wider context ?of why everything has gone to hell. These are lengthy, sometimes taking quite a few minutes to parse, but the dread they add is worth it. On the other hand, you could probably enjoy the game just as much without reading a single note, it's approachable in that way.

What isn't as approachable are the controls. You direct characters using tank controls, and while yes, this is the best way to control characters in a survival horror game, there's something a little off in The Glass Staircase. The characters feel like they slide right and left in certain rooms, and it's all too easy to get caught up in obje?cts sticking out of the environment.

Towards the end, there was a puzzle that took me twice as long to solve as it should have because of the fixed camera angle?s. Those perspectives feel right at home here, but I missed one section of the puzzle room multiple times. While the error is totally on me, I was a? bit torn between the satisfaction of finally getting it right and the frustration of getting there. It's one of those little things in a short experience like this where small tweaks could make major improvements and help avoid the runaround.

Ultimately, I have to say when the puzzle piece's location dawned on me, I felt brilliant. The excitement lasted just enough to get me moving on, and as is regularly the case in The Glass Staircase, I was pleasa??ntly horrified by ??the reveal that followed.

Mercifully, the environment is quite good at broadcasting objects that need your attention. I w??as never left hammering X while walking around a room, looking for hidden objects to interact with. The gunplay is also precise without ruining the idea that this could be a game made for consoles in the '90s. I only took damage in combat when I misjudged an enemy's movement.

As far as its retro horror inspirations, The Glass Staircase is much more Silent Hill than it is Resident Evil. The hold-your-breath atmosphere builds and builds, waiting for the perfect moment. Like so much of classic Silent Hill, the crescendo never hit when I expected. It nails what the era was perfect at, but elements like this and its clean combat keep T??he Glass Staircase refreshingly rooted in the now.

I can't speak too much about the enemies without ruining the plot, but some of that Resi DNA is still there. The sense of panic some foes instill feels a bit like when Nemesis comes crashing through a wall in Resident Evil 3 or when Jack Baker breaks his way into your path in Resident Evil 7. They're overwhelmingly powerful, and you've got to outmaneuver them inst?ead of outgunning them.

The Glass Staircase is a fabulous little? retro horror game you can sit down and complete in a morning or afternoon and feel satisfied that you've experienced a genuinely unique take on the genre. Whatever jank experienced is more than made up for by the hand-cra??fted nature of the story and terror it provokes.

If you're looking for a complete and fun time with a horror game, then this is it. It's also the perfect jumping-off point for anyone looking to get into indie horror games without needing to get into something meaty or overly complicated. Its themes and atmosphere are better than those of some AAA titles in the genre, and The Glass Staircase easi??ly stands amongst the classic games that inspired it while simultaneously paying homage to them.

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My time as a Nintendo fangirl playing on a GameCube feels like the halcyon days. Between Metroid Prime, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Eternal Darkness, and F-Zero GX, I was always deep ?into something that would endure as an all-time favorit??e.

Then I remember?? those were also the years I was in high school, which were years of trauma that helped shape me into the mess I am today. That’s maybe why ??those games shine brightly in my memory; they were backed by total darkness.

Speaking of which: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. A? 20-year-old high-water mark that the series may never return to.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Switch [reviewed])
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: May 23, 2024
MSRP: $59.99

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is the second in the series, and the follow-up to �bear with me here �2000’s Paper Mario. The series started off as something of a successor to Super Mario RPG. In fact, the original working title of Paper Mario was Super Mario RPG 2, and that’s how I first saw it in an issue of Nintendo Pow??er.

What the series h??ave in common is a simplification of the JRPG format. Aside from that, they’re almost entirely different? approaches.

However, the story is rather familiar. Mario has to collect seven stars. Stars tend to be the solution to all of Mario’s problems. At this point, the narrative framework has been so well-trodden that it actually points fun at it, by having Luigi embark on an extremely similar MacGuffin gathering quest that he’ll tell you about a??t the start of each chapter.

Luigi’s quest actually sounds a bit more interesting. Not that the one in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is t??errible or anything. But everything is bet??ter when Luigi is involved.

The story kicks off (and largely takes place) in Rogueport. The characters describe it as a wretched hive of scum and villainy, which is already kind of a hilarious conc?ept in a Mario game. Sure enough, the infrastructure is crumbling, people who skulk in dark alleys talk about how much they love crime, and gangs talk about holding dominion over a small chunk of the town’s four blocks.

The town sits on top of ancient ruins, and in these ruins is the eponymous spooky door. Allege??dly this door holds great treasure, so Princess Peach, like all monarchs, wants this treasure for herself. But also like all monarchs, she doesn’t want to do it herself, so she mails it to Mario while she pursues her passion of getting kidnapped.

Mario, the ever??-obedient w??orking-class hero, sets off and immediately starts solving people’s problems in return for Crystal Stars and things you can just find on the ground. Really, the story doesn’t throw any huge curveballs that you can’t see telegraphed from a mile away. In fact, one of its best pieces of exposition has you guessing the twist in dialogue.

But it’s the journey, and not the reason for it, that makes Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door so memorable. Each of the game’s chapters could be their own episodic game, as while they’re linked by the central mechanics, they are each largely self-contained and entirely unique. I don’t want?? to spoil it for anyone who didn’t play the original �4 release, but you’ll probably come away with your own rankings of all the chapters.

The combat uses a unique system where everything is played out in front of?? a live audience. Your party consists of Mario and his partner, though that partner can be swapped out mid-combat. It brings in the hallmark of all Mario RPG systems, by which I mean “timed hits�or “actions�as they’re simply called. You perform these by either pressing a button at the correct time during an attack, or playing a short mini-game.

There are also stylish moves for appealing to the crowd. Your ultra-special moves require star power to perform, and that means exciting the audience. The more audience members you have, the more star power you get when you rile them up?. It’s not as complex as it maybe s??ounds, but it’s a fun extra layer on the otherwise simple turn-based combat.

Outside of combat is similarly simple. Dungeons don’t get too d??evious, though there are plenty of secrets enticing you to stick your finger into every nook. It makes use of the paper aesthetic to have you peel away scenery or turn into a boat to traverse water hazards. 

What I find interesting is that, while Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door lacks complexity, it’s also not as signposted as modern games. You can get a hint from your partner, but there are times when it will stop you and force you to think about what you’re supposed to be doing. I don’t just mean when solving puzzles, either. It will sometimes ask you to recall where you met a specific character or what happened earlier. You can always ask for a hint from your partner, but sometimes they’ll just tell you to think hard about o?ne particular spot. It struck me that a lot of modern mainstream games won’t ask this of you.

The dialogue is what makes Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door really excel. Like most RPGs, the world is infested with NPCs, ??but most of them here are given a loving touch to bring them alive. Each one has its own priorities and fixations, and they’re all just so bitchy.

You generally expect that a Mario game is going to keep on its kid gloves, and to an extent, The Thousand-Year Door does. There’s nothing graphic or explicit, but some of it pushes the line. It can often be quite cutting, or just extremely clever. There’s a depth to it that makes even Mario’s bizarr?e, fungal-centric world seem real. But most?? of all, you can tell that the writers had a lot of fun with it. It’s awash with personality, something else that tends to be lost in mainstream games of today.

For those of us who did play the 2004 original, there’s enough in the Switch version to m?ake it worthwhile. While much of what made the original so special remains unchanged (though, I didn’t see the scene where the robot spies on Peach showering), there are some additions that go beyond just being a simple upscaled port.

The weirdest is actually the graphical upgrades. A lot of small details have been redone, which is nice. But for some reason, part of the overhaul is to make everything slightly reflective. Like, it’s still paper, but it’s glossy or laminated for some reason. To be fair, it looks really good. It was very pleasing to my brain to see these gentle reflections on every surface. However, I think the idea behind the Paper Mario aesthetic is that it’s a collection of hand-crafted dioramas. I ??don’t know anyone who crafts with glossy paper.

The new soundtrack is extremely helpful, however. There’s a badge you can get early on that allows you to change to the original soundtrack, but I don’t think the nostalgia is worth it. The new compositions generally stick to the tracks from the original, but it’s greatly expanded. This is best demonstrated through the battle theme, which changes depending on the section of the game you’re in. It’s always the same tune, but the instrumentation is different in each area, providing a new twist. Considering Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door can take? around 40 hours to complete, not having to listen to the exact same music every time combat starts is we??lcome.

Beyond ??that, there are other tweaks to the gameplay, some of which I can’t really get into. It’s not a complete overhaul, but it is a slightly more comfortable e?xperience.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is the series�concept delivered with maximum effectivenes?s. The games have seen their ups and downs since then, and that’s partially because they had to find a new direction. They could keep revisiting the same formula, but it’s hard to improve on perfection, and even that would get old after a while.

But the fact that Paper Mario did diverge after The Thousand-Year Door makes this remaster even more effective. It’s been absent for 20 years, an?d the new territory that has been covered since then hasn’t resulted in the discovery of the same magic. It’s a new oppor??tunity to see the series�apogee. It’s a reminder that while the JRPG-lite approach has its limitations, with the right voice, it can really sing.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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There are two things that Lorelei and the Laser Eyes brings to the table that I think make it a puzzle game worth anyone's time. First, its stunning visuals are reminiscent of the most stylish games ever made, like Killer7. S??econd, its puzzles grip you and will have you working, inside and out of?? the game, to solve them.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes' story revolves around the Hotel Letztes Jahr. The protagonist arrives there after receiving an invitation, and that's all the information you're given. From this incredibly vague start, you must figure out why you're here by solving contextual puzzles that allow you to explore more and more of the hotel, while an overarching story eerily seeps out of ??the walls to fill in the gaps.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Switch [Reviewed], PC)
Developer: Simogo
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Released: May 16, 2024
MSRP: $24.99/£19.99

I didn't click with Lorelei and the Laser Eyes from the start. It took me a few hours to understand what was required of me, and then, after entering a twisted maze, I suddenly got it. I say this because I don't think this game is for everyone in the same way as I'd say Animal Well is. It's deliberately obtuse, requires a lot of input, and has clues that you could completely miss for h??ours at a time.

However, if you're looking for a puzzle game that wil??l have you scr??????????????????????????ibbling in notebooks and has a slow-burn story you won't fully understand until the end, this is it.

As you've probably worked out by now, the bulk of Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is puzzle-solving. In fact, your very first a?ction, opening the front gate, is a puzzle. You're always given a clue and directed to the information you need in red. This is why the game's visuals are so impactful, because everything else is monochrome, giving you an almost supernatural ability to pick out clues where they appear.

It's this style choice that I think enables Lorelei and the Laser Eyes to be a great puzzle box game. It would be too overwhelming if the environments were richly detailed w?ith colors. But the monochrome color scheme and quiet, almost non-existent soundtrack help you focus in and identify solutions. As someone for which colors on a page can make a book illegible, the visual style helped me grasp the game. But I still struggled at?? the start.

Back to that front gate. Once you receive your clue, it's not a simple case of using it to unlock the gate. Instead, there are puzzles within this puzzle. You'll need to decipher the clue from a letter, use it to unlock a door, then a panel, and then, you'll need to solve one final puz?zle that opens the gate for you.

This felt maddening when I was first getting to grips with the game. It's as if you're given a clue for one puzzle and then sent off to do another one until you forget about the first and get lost. That's not the case, though. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is designed so that every story beat and revelation plays into a new sequ?ence of puzzles within puzzles.

As you approach the hotel, you'll feel like you've got a handle on these early puzzles and can?? manage to get inside and explore. But that's when the game really opens up, dishing out lots of information that won't make sense until much later. ??If you're paying attention, you might even see where some of the puzzles are going early on and have half a chance of getting through two or three before you get stuck again.

Eventually, as I mentioned, everything clicks. You realize how the game frontloads information so you can refer back to it later to solve the dozens of puzzles it throws your way. A c??ollection of images and letters gives you the basic information you need for certain codes and pathways, but you'll often need to manipulate the information to get your answers.

For example, those images might have numbers you need to add together or type out in a specific order based on environmental cues. Letters and docume?nts provide codes, but they're wrapped up in further history or discoverable information, like a Russian nesting doll of clues.

Your notebook will come in handy because there's information you need to reference while looking at objects in some puzzles. Some even had me looking up real-world information for solutions. It preys on your real-world knowledge in subtle ways like this, and it feels fantastic because? it adds to the undertone of dread and cosmic horror that slowly rises as you open more doors and uncover more of the truth.

This all sounds like a lot, and it can be, but Lorelei and the Laser Eyes has beautifully simple controls and great systems that make solving its complex puzzles so much more enjoyable. Your protagonist has a photographic memory, so you can reference an??y document you've seen anywhere you need to. It's simple to explain, and negates any unnecessary complications other games might throw at you to pad out their playtime.

Aside from movement, all you can do is interact with objects or open the menu. The menu allows you to access items you've picke??d up and that photographic memory. Otherwise, you'll be interacting with keypads, pictures, and everything else possible in the game. I can't overstate enough how simple this is, and yet its simplicity still feels complicated because of the puzzles you're solving and the information you're referencing. All the gymnastics are in your head, though, because you've got to hold numbers, sums, images, and the hotel's layout in your mind to the po??int where it becomes mentally exhausting.

It feels a lot like playing an ARG or one of the Exit board games. You've got so much information to go through and pull together for a puzzle, but Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is more simplistic because of its wonderfully simple UI,? controls, and focus on a story you're led through by listening and watching, not by being told by a tutorial.

That might seem crazy, and it feels crazy while you're playing. But, like I said, at some point, it just clicks. You no longer see a letter and red lines. You see the start of a puzzle and the basis for solving it. You start to enjoy them and look for more information in every room. That's when Lorelei and the Laser Eyes decides to genre jump a little.

Without spoiling these changes too much, the game is pocketed with p??uzzles that are almost minigames that change your perspective, the genre, and even the tone. They feel fun and free compared to the base game's almost horror-like? darkness in the hotel, and help keep up the pace when you might be flagging.

Flashing lights warning: If you're sold on Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, then you should absolute??ly go and play it. I want to warn all potential players that flashlight lights begin to take over the screen at some point in the st?ory. They're not regular, but they are persistent, and there's no way to turn them off in the settings. If that sounds like it could be an issue for you, it might be worth avoiding the game.

The twisted maze, where I fell in love with Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, is just one great example of these minigames. You're told to reach the middle, but it's never quite so simple in a puzzle game like this. Even when I gave up, the game threw yet another puzzle at me linked to my actions in th??e maze, and that's when I rea??lly understood the game's flow and where I fit into its world.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is an intense puzzle box game that draws you in deeper the more of its mysteries you unra???vel. Yes, it can be frustrating, but the satisfaction you feel for completing each puzzle is heightened because it asks so much more of you as a player. The story that seems unimportant at first quickly becomes an engrossing and stylistic mystery thriller that will keep you guessing until the end, staying up for just one more hour in the hopes of seeing the next twist or big reveal.

_{[This review is based on a review build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Lorelei and the Laser Eyes appeared first on Destructoid.

I love a good Metroidvania, having been obsessed with Metroid 2: Return of Samus as a kid. These games ?enable you to grow as a player alongside your character as you absorb knowledge from the world and find new abilities, which is fascinating and incredibly satisfying.

That's what I expected of Animal Well. I was captivated by it when it was revealed as the first game published by Videogamedunkey's company, Bigmode, and steered clear of most pre-release marketing videos. I went in fresh with no expectations, which is exactly how this game should be experienced. Animal Well is packed with surprises, each making you feel in?telligent upon discovery and delivering reward after reward with every session. Even if those sessions cause a lot of fru??stration at first.

Animal Well (PC [reviewed], PS5, Switch)
Developer: Billy Basso
Publisher: Bigmode
Released: May 9, 2024
MSRP: $24.99/£20.99

Animal Well begins with an introduction to the cute little seed creature that is your squishy protagonist, tentatively exploring the world around you. It's dark and wet,?? but light seeps in where it can, from little fires, bioluminescence, or cracks overhead. Traversal seemed straightforward enough, and I figured it was the usual tired retread? through the Metroidvania/puzzle platforming genre: follow the path, unlock new abilities, repeat. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Soon after those first opening rooms, Animal Well lets go of your hand and expects you to learn using the visual language through which it communicates. This might be a cluster of ladders just close enough to jump between, a moving platform with an opening nearby you've got ??to?? reach, or a set of buttons with a locked door.

The main objective of Animal Well is to explore the world and collect all four flames marked on the map. It's a loose goal, but it's grounding, providing direction when you've hit a wall and don't know where to go next. Those directions are also a suggestion, not a demand, you can ignore them. The map displays every room you've found and the route??s in between, so you can always look for the path not taken if you feel like you're miss??ing something.

There's always just enough information on every screen to eventually figure out if there's a way forward with the tools in hand, too. And if not, these screens stick in your memory as parts of the map you'll need to return to later. It's an environment good at teaching you how to adapt quickly, so you'll eventually move through the game's world just as you may navigate roads or paths near your home. It's a sign Animal Well's world de??sign nailed something in the formula just right, hitting that sweet spot between being overcomplicated and so simple it's empty.

While not every room is a puzzle, there's always something to find. It might be a hidden path, a chest co??ntaining an egg??, or a stunned creature that wasn't expecting you to find it. It's packed with mysteries to the point I stayed up hours late at night playing, often thinking about puzzles throughout the day, and using time between taking the kids to school or errands as gaps for pondering over the next solution.

Something I like about Animal Well is how mysterious and puzzl??e-filled its world is, considering the relat??ively small number of items you find as you explore. The Bubble Wand allows you to create a bubble and hop across larger gaps, the Disc is a great tool for hitting hard-to-reach buttons, the Slink can help you with puzzles that seem to require two of your characters, and the Yo-Yo is an instrument of chaos that causes damage and distracts in equal measures.

Every single item has several uses, some of which you'll need to work out for yourself as you progress. The environmental design includes things tha??t should help you figure them out by yourself, but you'll be no less amazed when testing an idea and it somehow works??.

To get the most out of Animal Well, I recommend you try to play it without looking up room solutions ?so you can feel that same sense of growth when an item becomes even more complex before your very eyes. Both in terms of the evolution of the world and the items you gain.

It's where developer Billy Basso's approach to the metroidvania truly shined. Resources are limited, but you'll expand your abilities by acquiring new tools and n?avigating rooms specifically built to act as upgrade chambers. There's never any ceremony, and the tools don't change. Instead, the puzzles you solve upgrade the tools at your disposal; they force you to find new uses for them.

A great example of this?? is the Yo-Yo. Initially, it's presented as a way to reach buttons around corners, under platforms, and generally out-of-reach locations. However, specific puzzles force you to experiment, helping you realize that animals are attracted to the Yo-Yo, which can make them hit switches for you or transform a ?room entirely by reversing certain mechanical inputs.

The tight control scheme helps these items work so well. You can? tell how much time and effort went into working out exactly how far and high your character can jump, and every puzzle is built around that as a default. It makes everything feel fair, even when you're frustrated.

This game has no cheap tricks, just very well-built puzzles designed around how you move and what your tools can do. It runs you through so many challenges that you'll start to be able to see solutions like you're Neo looking at the Matrix. For me, platformers like this live or die based on the most basic movement controls, and Animal Well is ??so brilliant in this area that it's easily the best game I've played in the genre in recent years.

As with most 2D puzzle platformers, Animal Well has secrets. There's a big set of collectibles that I'm still working through at the time of writing that gives you a reason to run through every roo?m again and explore them in ways you'd never think otherwise. Like everything in the game, they play a much bigger role than you think at first, adding to the already huge amount of rooms, puzzles, and items to discover already.

As you explore the well where Animal Well is set, you'll get a sense of the story being told through the environment. Again, I won't spoil this here, but something I can't leave out is the phenomenal bosses. Traditionally, boss fights are where games like Metroid Dread and Tales of Kenzera: Zau shine. They're shiny, tightly designed, and filled with explosive moments that?? make you sit back wide-eyed at t?he spectacle on-screen.

Animal Well's bosses are no less impressive and tough to beat, but you're not doing any ?fighting. In fact, there's no combat in the game at all. You're a helpless, defenseless seed creature in an ecosystem that's already established around you and doesn't want to be messed with. As a result, you've got to fi?nd clever ways of beating each boss using knowledge gained from the rooms you've explored and the tools at your disposal.

The only one I'll speak about is one you've likely seen in the game's trailers: the ghost cat. Triggering this boss is a puzzle in itself, and beating it is a gauntlet that took me hours. What's so impressive about it is how quiet the spectacle actually is, though. This enemy is chasing you; there's haunting boss music, and you can hear the creature making unnerving sounds that make you want to put the game down and walk away. But there's?? no big-budget cin??ematics, no special moves. It's all about beating the game using your skills and knowledge of the world.

The same could be said for the entirety of Animal Well. There's some music here and there, but most of the sounds you'll hear are ambient well noi?ses from the creatures calling this world home. It all blends together perfectly �music and ?visuals �because, at its heart, this game wants to show the beauty of nature.

The 2D-pixel art is really refreshing after so many high-fidelity 3D games, and the limitations it brings have been worked on to make the world of Animal Well stand out. Vines grow down from the ceiling of the well, but ??they'll shift if you run through them, resulting ??in a beautiful swishing animation. The creatures of the well are recognizable, though visually unique for this world, and come across as almost ethereal and ghost-like.

This adds to the environmental storytelling, but also makes your character stand out. The tiny seed creature is a bright light in a dim world. It's a happy little soul among ancient beings who are too old and too scared to venture far from th?eir hovels.

Animal Well is packed with more things to do and secrets to find than most other games, yet retains a distinctly indie charm. It feels so much bigger than what I thought was promised by initial impressions, enchanting me with a world I could listen to and watch all day, and boastin?g some of the most satisfying gameplay of 2024. It's one I'm grate??ful I experienced knowing so little, and urge anyone else sitting on the fence to wholeheartedly embrace until the darkness and biologically fueled light sources of its world envelop you in your beautiful, if slightly chilly, new home.

The post Review: Animal Well appeared first on Destructoid.

Just over five years after being announced as Project Eve, Stellar Blade is finally here as a PlayStation 5 exclusive. It's quite a journey for the console debut title of developer Shift Up, best known for its popular mobile third-person shooter RPG Goddess of Victory: Nikke. Originally planned as a PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One release, Stellar Blade pivoted to PS5 as an exclusive in 2021 after? Sony Interactive Entertainment became ??its publisher.

It sparked my interest those years ago, during the 2022 State of Play where it debuted its story trailer, but Stellar Blade mostly dwindled in the back of my mind until the more recent 2024 Sony showcase. Its fast-paced, intense gameplay and ????sprawling world rekindled my curiosity, and I watched the action game for hints of my favorite ingredients.

At its core, Stellar Blade has the world and aesthetic choices rooted in Nier: Automata, with storytelling ambitions in pursuit of those same highs �though they don't reach them. Gameplay remains more akin to Dark Souls over anything else, but as a fan of both, the mashup was enough to keep it firmly top of mind by just the promise. And finally, after a roughly 30-hour playthrough, I can say there's plenty there worth its namesake curiosities, but it's not without rough edges. Stellar Blade is full of points of excellence scattered throughout its journey, ping-ponging between those re?wards with stiff combat and a far more linear, conta??ined experience than I expected.

Stellar Blade (PS5[reviewed])
Developer: Shift Up
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Released: April 26, 2024
MSRP: $69.99

Glory to Mankind, again

Stellar Blade takes place on a post-apocalyptic Earth ravaged by strange alien creatures, the Naytiba. ??Humans have been forced to flee the planet, creating a Colony in outer space to live until an opportunity to drive back the Naytiba presents itself.

The player takes on the role of EVE, one of the members of the 7th Airborne squad being sent to Earth from the colony to take out a threat called the Alpha Naytiba, and hopefully ?eradicate the Naytiba from Earth and reclaim it for Humanity.

Unfortunately, the mission immediately goes south. Most of the squad is obliterated upon entering the Earth's atmosphere, and even EVE's Squad Le?ader Tachy sacrifices herself to save EVE from a deadly unidentified Naytiba. EVE is saved by a Human scavenger named Adam who lives on Earth and comes from the last surviving city of Xion. The two agree to work together as EVE sets out to fulfill her mission while also aiding the desperate people of Xion. Remotely piloting a robot drone, Adam joins EVE in her adventure, helping her along the way.

Story-wise, Stellar Blade definitely took inspiration from Nier: Automata. Which, let's be real, is not a bad thing. Nier: Automata is one of my favorite video game stories ever, if not the favorite. But despite the inspiration, Stellar Blade is indeed its own story as well, weaving its way through a variety of topics like "What is life? What is it to be Human?". There are a couple of underlying plot points told over time as you progress through Stellar Blade as well. What are the Naytiba? What happened on Earth, exac??tly? All told through the eyes of EVE, who also has to analyze these questions as she encounters them.

The story of Stellar Blade is one of its strongest elements and a worthwhile endeavor for anyone who's a fan of Science Fiction, thought-provoking narratives, or of course, Nier: Automata. There are also three different endings you can experience as well, depending on certain choices you make near the end of the game. I've only seen the ending I got naturally. And while I am ha?ppy with it, I am curious to see what other routes the ending could explore.

Emotions are prohibited

With such a strong narrative-driven experience that Stellar Blade ends up taking, it's equally as important for the world to feel alive. If you've played Nier: Automata, you kno?w exactly what I'm talking about here. Even thoug?h it wasn't exactly a massive open world, it felt like it was. Giant wide-open landscapes that allowed you to explore and traverse at your own pace were some of the key components of the world.

But in Stellar Blade, while most of the backdrops and surrounding landscapes a?ppear open and massive in scale, the actual areas in which you can go are rather linear, contained, and? in a lot of cases even closed. At some points, the game unexpectedly restricted my ability to explore the few areas it seemed like I could, which was quite disappointing.

Early on you swim through an area of the city submerged in water, with the ability to even dive down and fully explore underwater. But in the very next area when I attempted to jump into the water I immediately started taking damage and quickly died, with Adam alerting me that the water must be receiving an electrical current. It was a weird flip-flop from being able to swim and explore an underwater portion only for it to be used as a "you can't go here" prop soon after. I also encountered a couple of literal invisible walls that took control of ??my character, turned her around, and told me to look around elsewhere first. I hate invisible walls.

There are a couple of areas in Stellar Blade that offer more open environments like the desert. However, these areas are rather empty and barren compared to the other parts of the world that actually seem worthwhile to explore. The environments and overall world design in Stellar Blade are well done. I just feel like the actual level design itself is far too restrictive and linear at points. I had a similar issue with Final Fantasy XVI, though even that felt more capable of actua??lly being explored.

A future is not given to you

It should be no surprise that by being compared to Dark Souls, the combat in Stellar Blade is well...tough. There are only two difficulty modes in Stellar Blade: Story and Normal. Normal is the intended difficulty, bu??t I have to admit, certain encounters—primarily boss encounters—gave me quite a challenge. For the sake of making sure I actually saw my journey through to the end, I had to switch to Story Mode a few times near the end.

For the most part, combat is done in the form of melee battle using EVE's one-handed blade, the Blood Edge. This Stellar Blade...hah...allows you to carry out quick and weaker attacks as well as strong heavier but slower attacks. Pretty standard for this style of action combat. You can also block with the L1 button to negate most attacks or dodge out of the ??way?? completely with the Circle button.

As you progress, you'll level up and earn Skill Points that allow you to unlock various skills and passive buffs from five different skill trees. There are actually a ton of skills available, so you can really build EVE to cater to ?your preferred playstyl??e.

Attacking enemies will charge up your energy, which allows you to then execute Beta Skills that you've unlocked from the Skill Tree. Beta Skills are strong attacks that I found I typically relied on to get through some of the more intense encounters in Stellar Blade.

Where I had a problem with the combat of Stellar Blade, is that in almost every aspect it felt quite stiff, or even rough around the edges. While games with similar combat systems like Dark Souls have fluid free-flowing combat, many aspects of the combat in Stellar Blade feel clunky and unrefined.

Early on you unlock the ability ??to Blink through your enemy and counter-attack them from behind when you pull off a properly timed dodge. I'm not sure why but it only actually works for me maybe 70% of the time? At first, I thought it was my controller so I tried another one, but still had the same result. The execute the Blink you have to push up on the left-stick and hit Circle at the same time; a very specific maneuver. However, sometimes when I'd do this exact maneuver I had done many times before, it simply wouldn't work, resulting in the enemy wailing on me.

Unfortunately, this happened with some other skills as ??well, which led to be finding a very specific set of skills I preferred to use and for the most part, stuck to the whole game. Ones I knew worked, at least mostly. Even outside of the seemingly broken skills, the default melee combat itself feels heavy and clunky at times, with no rhyme or reason as to why. At times I'd get stuck in a combat animation that other times I'm able to easily dodge out of. Or when I could properly dodge backward from an enemy attack, sometimes the enemy would float forward just a bit to still be able to land a grab attack on me even though I had just dodged it the same way before without issue.

Of course, the boss fights are where Stellar Blade truly shines. There are just over a dozen b??oss fights in total, each with their own unique playstyle and approach required. The boss encounters actually felt more polished than most reg??ular enemy encounters throughout the game, which priority-wise is probably not such a bad thing. Some of the encounters near the end are brutal and unforgiving, but it's rewarding to finally take them down. You know, the classic Souls-like mantra.

Do you think games are silly little things?

The world is littered with many different things for you ?to collect, including Exospine's and Gear that you can equip and upgrade to enhance and alter your playstyle of EVE. For example, some gear may increase your defenses such as offering damage reduction bonuses, while others may increase your energy recharge rate or attack damage.

You can really mix and match the Exospine's and Gear to cater to a specific build when matched with the skills you choose, creating a really rewarding experience when it comes to trying new builds. I can't wait to see what insane builds theory crafters come up with for Stellar Blade with all the possibilities that are here.

There are 30 different outfits you can find and craft to change the appearance of EVE, as well as glasses, masks, earrings, and even alterations for your drone. These are purely cosmetic, but as you can tell from the various trailers for Stellar Blade showing off the many costumes EVE has? at her disposal, this is?? a very important feature.

A myriad of collectibles can also be found throughout the world, helping tell the backstory and narrative of Stellar Blade. Some wil??l document life on Earth before or during the Naytiba attacks, as well as dealing with the aftermath. I actually like this style of offering more det??ailed story elements through collectibles, and I always found myself looking forward to reading about the world in the Data Bank as soon as I picked up a new collectible.

Everything that lives is designed to end

In terms of both the graphics and the audio, Stellar Blade is spectacular. The overarching world is beautiful and some of the landscapes and backdrops in certain areas are literally breathtaking. Paired with the remarkable score, it really helps you settle into the world of Stellar Blade. Once again, the actual storytelling and worldbuilding are second to none in Stellar Blade, and I real??ly have to appla??ud Shift Up for knocking it out of the park. I plan to add a few songs from the soundtrack to my playlist because they are just absolute bangers.

Oddly enough, there are two major features I thought would be present in Stellar Blade that aren't there: a Photo mode and New Game Plus. I usually don't care much about Photo mode, EVE with all the available cosmetic unlocks feels like it was made for such a feature, not to mention the flashy combat. After I completed Stellar Blade, I was looking forward to knocking out some of the side quests I opted to skip due to time constraints in NG+, but was surprised to find out no such mode exists. Certainly, these aren't features that are required, but? feel as though they'd be a perfect fit here.

Overall, Stellar Blade is a journey worth experiencing. If you're a fan of games with a unique and compelling narrative, Stellar Blade has fired on all cylinders in that regard. While there are some flaws along the way, it's nothing too detrimental to ruin the overall experience or make it any less worthwhile. I feel like with some improvements in certain areas, Stellar Blade could be a legendary landmark experience like those it clearly draws inspiration from. But even in its current form, Stellar Blade offe??rs a fast-paced action combat system in a unique world with a rewarding narrative. It's not quite stellar, but it's certainly solid. Solid Blade.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Stellar Blade appeared first on Destructoid.

Final Fantasy XVI was a standout in an already crowded year of gaming hits in 2023. It was one of the few? titles in the series to have a Mature rating, ?but did so without putting in graphic content simply for the sake of doing so.

For me, it was that rare exception where I became interested in the politics and relationsh??ips of nations and the??ir people. This might have been due to fight sequences between the colossal Eikons backing these nations, but that's a minor detail.

In the ever-shifting world of gaming where many publishers are pushing for a title to be live-service or have an extended tail, it was nice to buy a game and genuinely believe that it was complete. Then, once other people realized how great Final Fantasy XVI was and it actually managed to meet Square Enix's expectations, it was only natural to see DLC get announced.

The first, Echoes of the Fallen, was released on December 7, 2023, and while enjoyable, was rather meager when compared to the main game. The follow-up, The Rising Tide, was released on April 17, 2024, and promised to be much more substantive. With no further DLC planned at the moment of this writing, is Final Fantasy XVI going out on a high note?

Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide (PS5)
Developer: Square Enix Creative Business Unit III
Publisher: Square Enix
Released: April 17, 2024
MSRP: $19.99

The only mention of Leviathan in the main story of Final Fantasy XVI is that the Eikon was lost ages ago until, up??????????????????????????on purchasing the DLC, Clive receives a missive regarding the legendary sea serpent. Clive, Jill, Torgal, and Joshua head out to Northreach where they meet Shula, the Tributary of Mysidia. After hearing of Clive's exploits against the other Eikons, she enlists the former's help in dealing with the lost Leviathan.

Taking a sloop across the bay to the infamous Surge, we get the first taste of the magic fueling The Rising Tide. Mysidia has hidden itself for over a century by using a Glamour. This same magic that hides it also disperses the oppressive mauve sky that dominates the endgame of Final Fantasy XVI.

I had always hated the overcast sky of Valisthea gets in its endgame sprint, so to see the pure blue sky immediately lifted my spirits and reminded me of the unadulterated beauty that dominated a good chunk of the main story. Seeing the characte?rs mirror my reaction made me realize how much the design department nailed it with that decision, no matter ??how I may have hated it.

What follows is another story of those in power abusing those who can channel aether for their benefit. Mysidia is a tiny village haunted by the sins of its past, and before you're done there, you'll have unraveled the lot of them. While it lacks the poignancy of other story beats in Final Fantasy XVI, it's nonethe?less an interesting take on ??the already interesting nature of Mothercrystals and aether.

The Rising Tide is a direct follow-up to Final Fantasy XVI's first DLC, Echoes of the Fallen, and places it firmly before the climactic confrontation between Clive and Ultima. Due to the structure of the story, its conclusion, and the epilogue, there's no other place this second piece of DLC could fit, and that's what leaves a subtle note of bitter???????????????????????????ness in an otherwise lovely dish.

While it was never ruled out, CBU 3 originally had no plans for Final Fantasy XVI DLC. It was shipped as a complete product, a finished story. Echoes of the Fallen was able to skirt this as it felt like a minor side adventure. The Rising Tide, however, is anything but, and it's this grandness and connection with tidbits about Leviathan in the main game that make it feel shoehorned in, rather ?than flowing naturally.

The main story of Final Fantasy XVI is a dense and wonderful tale interwoven with complex relationships between characters, where learning a??bout one typically leads to untangling the ball of yarn from which they are spun.

We see hints of this as the people of Mysidia have some defining aspects, namely white-gray hair and blue eyes, that are shared by leading lady Jill. Despite statements regarding Jill's larger involvement in the DLC, that never feels like the case.

The entire time Clive, Jill, Torgal, and Joshua are roaming around Mysidia, I kept thinking Jill looks an awful lot like this lost tribe of people. Why is no one bringing this up? In fact, the only time that Jill is anything but a wallflower is when she points out a connection to another Eikon, Shi??va. Clive then chimes in, saying he should have seen it too, and Jill slips back into the background.

I'm all for letting the audience figure things out, but in a story about orphans of war, slavery, and coming together, you would think ??somebody in-game would point out that Jill, a girl born in the Northern Territories, is likely a member of this lost clan.

Both Jill and the overall narrative felt primed for a much greater integration which never happened, which just distracted me from what was taking place on screen. But maybe that was the intention?. Mysidia and its people are literally trapped in time, isolated from the rest of the world. It could be a metaphor for the DLC itself, as it too feels isolated.

I hadn't touched Final Fantasy XVI since completing Echoes of the Fallen five months ago. Much like I did then, I had to shake off the rust and get acclimated to the action-oriented combat. There were two factors that both helped and hindered this process: my overly strong endgame Clive and the unbalanced nature of fights in The Rising Tide.

When it comes to the random mobs populating the forests and coasts of Mysidia, they're an afterthought at best. Using my standard loadout of Phoenix, Shiva, and Ramuh, I could simply spam overpowered attacks to wipe out entire mobs in a few moves. This was fairly boring, so I began relying solely on sword combat, combos, and dodging. Even then, the fights weren't difficult, and all I was doing was sp?ending more time.

Things took a dramatic shift once I encountered the first boss, the Timekeeper. Much like the Sigma fight in Echoes of the Fallen, my hubris was mercilessly beaten from me as I quickly found myself on the ropes and spamming my dodge like a mouse evading a cat. Though I emerged victorious, the Timekeeper fight was the longest seven minutes of battle in recent memory. Again, it might be a meta-commentary on The Rising Tide as a whole, but time works differently when your a??nimal brain takes over and all you're trying to do is su?rvive.

So, when I finish that fight and go back to effortlessly beating on random monsters, it's like missing that bottom step on the stairs. It was a jarring experience that felt completely unbalanced. The Rising Tide is an endgame DLC that should take into account the tremendous power that Clive has obtained by then. I'm not saying that clearing mobs in the wild should?????????????????????????? be like fighting a Behemoth, but th?ey should be a little more involved than me cycling through my three Eikons and using their ultimate attacks.

The balance issue was only exacerbated when the time finally came to square up against Leviathan. I was disappointed when Echoes of the Fallen didn't include an Ifrit segment, so I was excited to have another Eikon to square up against. What I wasn't expecting was ??an overly long figh?t consisting of five phases, with one demanding absolute perfection to clear.

To be fair, I hadn't taken part in a fight with Ifrit in nine m?onths, so I was having a real rough go with it. That being said, it was such an abrupt jump in difficulty that I was no longer engaged and instead, simply wanted to be done with it after starting over for the umpteenth time.

This is the part whe??re I would normally say that to help Clive in this undertaking, he gets some new power sets. However?, for the story content, it's both largely unnecessary (the Timekeeper) and not applicable (Leviathan).

Clive gets ?access to two new Eikons, Leviathan and a secret additional Eikon. Leviathan was to be expected as Clive has a tendency to help himself to others' Eikons, but the big bad straight up giving our protagonist his kit as a tre?at? I get that it's meant to tempt Clive, but as a player, this just screams to me that the developer is personally giving me a gift.

The bonus Eikon is, as you might surmise, over the top. While we're not discussing it in full, so as not to ??spoil it, it feels like a mix of Bahamut and Alexander, and grants Clive a ton of power.

The issue here, again, is placement. Giving these two power sets to Clive when players have likely already completed everything else in the game and don't have anything meaningful to experiment with feels like a waste. They're both highly mobile and powerful kits that have a tremendous synergy. Aside from doing an NG+ run, it feels like giving a bike to a kid w?ho already has a car.

Oh, wait, forget everything in that last paragraph. Tucked away in the Arete Stone at the Hideaway is a new mode, Kairos Gate. This roguelite mode pits a level 40 Clive with a predete??rmined set of gear and no accessories against 20 increasingly difficult levels consisting of three waves, each with a ?boss fight against Dominants.

Completing each level will net players Enhancement Points and Boon Points, which are used to purchase permanent and temporary buffs, respectively. The number of points earned is b??ased on the previous level's score. To net a higher score, players will need to employ a variety of tactics while also racing ag?ainst the clock.

It's all very similar to the Bloody Palace mode in the Devil May Cry series, and serves as a great way for players to really push themselves. For me, it was tough enough to come up with a synergistic trio of Eikons that could get me through to the end. The scoring ?system is one geared towards style and variety, rather than brutal efficiency.

That said, players do get some pretty nice rewards for initial and repeated completions of each level. Beating each level for the first time will award either crafting components, accessories that buff the aforementioned secret Eikon's abilities, or Radiant versions of each sword, plus Rhema, which can be sold for a tidy profit. Completing the Kairos Gate on Final Fantasy Mode will also award the nece??ssary components to craft the Original Sin weapon, which has a mind-boggling 750 Attack Power and Stagger.

Kairos Gate isn't a mode that will tide players over forever, nor is it meant to be. Rather, it serves as that final test of skill, much like hunting down the various Weapons in Final Fantasy VII and VIII.

The Rising Tide isn't perfect, and that's only evident when compared to the masterpiece that is the base game. Had that story not been so polished and nea??tly packed together, I would have no issues with putting this second DLC on a pedestal. However, this DLC was designed as a piece of the larger puzzle, but fails to fit in neatly due to its detached nature. It's like making a dessert that spills over; it's just as tasty, despite the overall appearance being slightly marred.

That being said, it's still an enjoyable journey and adds plenty of playtime thanks to the multitude of cinematics, lengthy main story, and generous helping of sidequests. The Rising Tide is definitely a step up from the meager offerings of the boss rush mode that was Echoes of the Fallen. If ?you've been looking for a reason to return ?to Valisthea, this is it.

The post Review: Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide appeared first on Destructoid.

Playdate creator Panic revealed that Lucas Pope, the developer behind Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn, was making a game for the device early on in its lifecycle. After a couple of years of work, that gem, Mars After Midnight, is finally here, a?nd it fee?ls like an essential entry in the Playdate catalog.

Most, though not all, Playdate games take advantage of the system's unique crank and control system. For me, a game just isn't up to par without some sort of crank usage as they don't make use of the platform's defining trait �it doesn't show me how the experience is better or more interesting on the little yellow machine. Mars After Midnight not only uses the crank in almost every area, but it does so in? ways that are tactile; a natural?? signaling to the player without feeling shoehorned in.

Mars After Midnight (Playdate [Reviewed])
Developer: Lucas Pope
Publisher: Panic
Released: March 12, 2024 for Playdate
MSRP: $6

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Mars After Midnight makes you a councilor on s Mars' Off-Colony Settlement. Every night, after midnight, your sessions begin by opening the doors and only allowing those with whom you're holding an appropriate discussion inside. For example, if you're holding a meeting for cyclops anger management, you need to make sure ?you only allow cyclops patrons in that evening.

This sounds basic and that's because it is. You've got a hatch to open and close as new potential attend?ees walk up from the street. You can move your eyes around to check for various body parts and ensure the citizens match the service you're offering. The real challenge comes once those citizens enter the building.

You earn credits for every satisfied attendee, and attendees are satisfied by two things. First, by being at the right meeting, so someone with more than one eye won't pay up if you let them into cyclops anger management. Second, each attendee needs a few refreshments, and it's up to you to rearrange those re??????????????????????????freshments once they're done being absolute monsters about eating up their share.

This is what makes up th??e bulk of the gameplay, rearranging the refreshments on offer and ensuring that you always maintain a well-presented table for those arriving. To do this, you'll use the D-pad and A and B buttons to stack and pick everything up before using the cra??nk to clean the table. Then, you'll need to place everything back on the table in the required order.

Failing to clean the table or place everything back perfectly results in fewer credits at the end of the session. These are essential for ??the future, though, since you must help almost 100 citizens in the settlement and have a limited budget within which to do so. Every session costs money to put on, plus the cost of the refreshments, and finally, any additional expenses such as advertising or specific gear to identify those you're trying to help.

The game's scope grows as you play. At first, you're just helping one group of citizens. Then, you're helping them, feeding them, and making them feel welcome. The final pullback to reveal the map of the colony is what hooked me, though. It makes the title feel like a strategy game because of all the individual working parts you're mastering. It somehow manages to nai??l the idea of being a therapist running free sessions for a set community somewhere without it ever becoming boring.

If this all sounds a little bit stressful, it is. At least, it is in?? the moment. Setting up a session is the fun build-up to the frantic gameplay section. It's checking potential attendees as if you're some sort of nightclub bouncer that really had me sweating. One one session I ran for particularly ga?ssy mutants, I had to listen for a fart every time I opened my hatch. The thing is, some of these mutants sound like they're farting when they're speaking. even though I thought I'd aced it and served all six mutants in the game with this issue, I'd actually only helped four.

That experience, and all the other times I failed, made for a fun narrative because I couldn't help but wonder why these mutants wanted free refreshments and to sit around complaining about issues they don't have. Then again, to be honest, we all like complaining a little, don't we? I think that's why this game feels so grounded despite its retro-fut??uristic visuals. It sells you on a task, and nothing really phases you because you're more concerned about completing the said task than you are in the fi?ctional world it takes place in.

As with the way Mars After Midnight nails wha?t I assume it feels like to be a therapist running free sessions for a pre-determined local community in dire need of help, I think it also gives you the ability to provide some self-help. It's so easy to get caught up in what you feel is important in life, be that work, education, or sitting down for hours at a time in the game-of-the-moment. This game is here for you when you need it, and it doesn't ask much of you. I found myself reflecting on it after or before stressful conversations, and i??t honestly gave me the mental space I don't think I'd have gotten otherwise.

New elements are slowly introduced over the course of Mars After Midnight, but it never feels overwhelming. In fact, the game is built to be enjoyed in small chunks. I worked through one session over the course of a day between childcare and work, but never felt the disjointedness some games inflict with lengthy time between checkpoints or loading. That's the beauty of the Play??date, though. You can pause and pick up a game whenever you want.

If the game has one failing, it's that it's too short. However, I had to remind myself several times while playing it that this was a Playdate game. It's not designed with the length of other portable titles in mind. It's built for a fun little device and designed to offer an accessible ??counseling management experience in a sci-fi setting on Mars.

Where the game doesn't? let it??????????????????????????self down is in the audio and visual design. Great care was taken to build a soundtrack that not only fits the Playdate, but it also this slightly grotesque yet cutesy monster counseling game. The mutants look like something right out of a '90s TV show that children definitely shouldn't be watching, and that vibe is felt throughout. Lucas Pope's bizarre adventure is right at home on the little yellow machine and makes the most of every part of it. It's an engrossing affair, perfect for small sessions that I guarantee you'll be fitting around every spare moment of the day until you're done with it.

[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the p?ublisher.]

The post Review: Mars After Midnight appeared first on Destructoid.

I grew up being absolutely terrified of the Moomins. I have no idea what it is about them, they just creeped me out. It wasn’t until I saw the world through my daughter’s eyes that I sat down and took in the stories of these fantastical charac??ters who are just strange enough to pull you in, but stay grounded enough to engross you.

Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley follows the titular ch??aracter as he returns to Moominvalley after wandering over the winter. The valley, a peaceful haven for nature and the Moomins�sustainable lifestyle has changed, though. Nature has been organized and contained, and Snufkin’s best friend, Moomintroll, is nowhere to be found.

Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley (PC, Switch [Reviewed], PS5, and Xbox Series X/S)
Developer: Hyper Games
Publisher: Raw Fury
Released: March 7, 2024 (Switch & PC), PS5 & Xbox Series X/S in the future
MSRP: $17.99

The introduction is a slow build to a fairly large adventure across the entire valley. It feels very much akin to the opening of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. I??ndeed, the gameplay follows suit with a character-first approach to storytelling and a gorgeous art style that’s regularly jaw-dropping and laid bare for players to admire as long as they want.

Over the handful of hours it takes to finish this adventure, you’ll control Snufkin as he explores Moominvalley and restores nature to its former glory. A parkkeeper has shown up and thinks he can organize the chaos he sees with a police force in place to keep everyone out ?of his gardens.

There’s no combat in Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, though. This is a musical adventure in which the?? player’s only tools are instruments that are slowly unlocked over the course of the story. Each one can be played to interact with animals and obstacles around the world, opening paths for puzzle solving, platforming, and collecting everything required to complete the decent selection of quests found throughout.

At first, I fel??t the game was rather linear. Attempting to hide the fact behind a gated open world that’s really just an illusion. That’s not entirely the case, with some quests being secret or completely optional, and there’s a fantastic openness to the path players can take that allows for loads of time spent ex??ploring and uncovering items or gaining experience.

Over the course of the story, you’ll need to level Snufkin’s musical ability up by interacting with nature and solving small puzzles. These, as I mentioned already, are optional and aren’t telegraphed. You can steamroll the story and hit a wall where an interaction requires a higher level of playing. But it pays to take the time to explore, climb the trees and play to the birds, guide that bee to its hive, and really engage with the purity of nature in Moominvalley as the developer so clearly intended us to do.

This level system starts out feeling arbitrary, but once you’re midway through the game,? you realize that you really do need to do everything you can to gain experience if you want to progress without hitting a stopping point. It’s never a chore, though, and fits perfectly with the vibes of the Moomins in every way. These are creatures who understand they must work to a point, but they also know the value of rest and relaxation, and that’s what this game feels like.

One aspect of the game I really adore is its viewpoints. These aren’t parts of the map you have to visit to uncover the fog of war. They’re areas where you can have Snufkin sit and look out at some part of Moominvalley. They’re animated works of art, and they’re stunning. They also speak to the game’s focus on taking your ti??me and seeing what the world has to offer in every sense, not just bashing through a quick story.

While playing for review, I accidentally stayed up far too late because I didn’t want to leave Moominvalley. The world is perfect, like a nature reserve that keeps on going. I used to live next to one of these, and I had regular moments whe??n I’d discover a new path, stream, or bird living there.

Despite walking through it daily during the worst location for COVI??D-19 lockdowns in the UK, I was always surprised, and Moominvalley is exactly the same. You can tread that path dozens of times, but sometimes you’ll take a new turn and find something new, even though you thought you’d mapped the world out already.

The story is mellow, the world is vibrant yet relaxing, and the characters are quirky and fun in a way only possible thanks to the well-established Moomin universe. However, this isn’t a game that’s going to push you in terms of reactions, agility, and puzzle-solving. It’s extremely chill, almost vertical, but a game I think is essential as a palette cleanser following something much more?? intense.

Unfortunately, the game has some framerate issues in ?specific areas of the map. On Nintendo Switch, these caused the world to stagger as I moved through it, but just a little bit. It was enough for me to notice it?, but not so much that it was game-breaking or ruined my experience. I’ve no doubt that this could be fixed after launch, but I have no details on whether it will be.

The slow pace of Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley isn’t for everyone, and I think that’s okay. If you just want a game that’s going to hold your hand a?? little and won’t kill you over and over again, it’s very much worth your time.

My favorite part is the parks, which are criminally underused, in my opinion. These transform the game into a top-down stealth title where Snufkin has to get around policemen and remove signs to clear the location. Visually, it’s right out of Ocarina of Time, but the way it plays is very fresh.

Instead of just moving between each policeman, Snufkin has to play music to convince the creatures in the park to help him distract them. Once they’re out of the way or otherwise occupied, he can remove a sign or get to a new sec?tion of the park. These are the most satisfying sections to play through, and thankfully, they’re all part of the main story.

Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is a game I reckon every Nintendo Switch owner must play. While it was a little too cold to do this for the review, I think playing this game in the summer sun while lying in a hammock is probably the ultimate way to dive into it. It’s built to be played curled up in bed or on the sofa with a warm cup of something swee?t.

This is a game you want to rush th?rough and see in its entirety, but you also play slowly because you don’t want your time to be over with it. There aren’t many games I long to forget as soon as I’ve finished them so I can relive that first playthrough, but this is one of them.

If you’re waiting for bigger and better games, like Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, then this is a nice ??short experience to fill your time that’s guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and warm your heart.

A calm, cozy experience you can really immerse yourself in for a few hours while shutting out the world and enjoying somewhere somewha?t strange yet utterly comfort??ing.

[This review is?? based on a retail build of the game p?rovided by the publisher.]

The post Review: Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley appeared first on Destructoid.

Metroidvanias and bullet hells hold a special place in my hear??t for contrasting reasons. One is great for an explorative and relaxing experience that's typically a one-and-done. The other, meanwhile, provides an adrenaline boost that gets many repeat playthroughs in vain attempts to scratch the skill ceiling.

From this perspective, examining CreSpirit and GemaYue's latest collaboration TEVI seems contradictory but not unwelcome. It advertises itself as a Metroidvania/bullet hell mash-up, and it's a concept I adore, despite my mindset on both genres. The cute anime art style and developer's existing pedigree with Rabi-Ribi only served as the icing on the cake. TEVI is even sold as Rabi-Ribi's successor due to having the same genre mash-up? and GemaYue's return.

While I never played Rabi-Ribi, my time with TEVI might have sold me on it. Although TEVI suffers from a fairly uninteresting plot early on, the fantas??tic gameplay and progression system make it a joy to blast? through.

TEVI (PC [reviewed], Switch)
Developer: CreSpirit, GemaYue, and Ein Lee
Publisher: CreSpirit and Neverland Entertainment
Released: November 29, 2023
MSRP: $29.99 (PC), $34.99 (Switch)

Some journeys start with a stumble

TEVI's hook is pretty simple. Players control the titular lead, a g??irl on the ?hunt for Astral Gears. These objects are filled with a powerful energy called mana, and Tevi collects them to help her rabbit-obsessed father's research.

Joining her are Celia and Sable, an angel and demon who are both created from magitech. They mostly follow her journey inside her orbiters, tiny floating orbs that shoot off various ranged attacks. Of TEVI's narrative choices, it is neat seeing something like magitech recontextualized as an entire race of people with disti??nct subraces.

Unfortunately, it takes a bit for the story to get rolling. While the opening sequence set 30 years prior helps set up TEVI's important plot points, it takes some time for anything interesting to happen. For the first few hours, the plot devolves into looking for Astral Gears witho??ut much direction and comes off as unfoc?used.

The conversations around Celia's chest size and the aforementioned obsession Tevi's father has with rabbits don’t help, e??ither. The latter comes off especially weird, given how he projects it a bit onto his daughter, whose hat has mechanical rabbit ears to blend in with beastkin, who look human with animal ears and sometimes tails.

These only happen a few times around the starting hours and for brief moments, but this is what TEVI leads with. So while I was enjoying the gameplay? loop, it did feel like I was watching an u?nfunny anime during cutscenes.

Any issues I have with the narrative disappear quickly as the tone focuses on the Astral Gears' purpose, and stopping the spread of a corrupting entity known as the Decay. TEVI never transcends into a storytelling masterpiece, but the core characters get solid arcs, ??and the closing hours are compelling with a surprisingly bittersweet concl??usion.

While having a slow pace at the start of a story is fine, TEVI doesn't put its best foot forward. At least my biggest issues w?ith the story don't occur often, an?d really just didn't leave the best first impression.

Hopping through art

Even if my story complaints extended throughout TEVI, the art direction would have compelled me to keep playing. Throughout the entirety of its runtime, TEVI is an ocular feast.

It's hard to determine my favorite area in the game because each has something special about it. From Morose's strangely comfy industrial setting, to the adorable mushroom cottage-c??ore vibes of Merry Village, even the beginning areas are distinct and lovely.

TEVI is generally a relaxing game to c??asually roam ?around in. Some of my favorite moments came from just soaking in the varying atmospheres. Even the rainy and somewhat melancholic Gloomwood and the city of Ana Therma are pleasant to explore for collectibles.

This isn't to say that TEVI only has the cozy vibes going for it. Some areas, like The Plagued Forest, show how devastating Decay is by turning a normal forest into a toxic wasteland. The creatures and machinery still alive are corruptions of their former selves, spewing even more Decay. It's so prevalent in the air that, before entering ?the forest, Tevi needs a gas mask to protect her from the toxins.

The Plagued Forest also happens to be where TEVI's plot picks up, since it demonstrates how Decay took over swathes of its world. One similarly desolate mid to late-game area is particularly haunting due to its connection with Tevi's backstory, showing gl??immers of what was there ?before.

TEVI's character art is also solid, if indistinct f??rom other games with an anime-adjacent art style. Even though some of the revealing outfits look genuinely uncomfortable to wear, both major and minor characters have cool designs. A standout for me is Tevi's design, which demonstrates her capabilities as a mechanic while appearing easy to move around in. It's rare for me to like the protagonist's design the most in a game, but Tevi herself is cool enough that I'd want to cosplay her.

As wonderful as TEVI's art direction is, its gameplay is its greatest strength. I would consider it good enough that it's become arguably my favorite Metroidvania this year, and one that's perfect for playing on a handheld.

Heavenly bullet hell in my Metroidvania?!

TEVI's best part is by far its gameplay loop because it's a joy to play. It takes the best of its inspirations and go??es wild with ?them.

Starting with how it handles its Metroidvania elements, exploration is fantastic. ?Not just for how pretty its world looks, but because exploration is almost alw?ays rewarding. There's a lot to see for sure, but it sometimes feels like there's a potion with a permanent boost or money blocks around every corner.

Permanent movement abilities also come along at an even pace. There are mainstays like the double jump and slide, but others stand out in fun ways. The jetpack, for one, lets Tevi gain more air while letting her float for a few seconds. Once I got used to how it worked, the jetpack was fantastic for landing jumps I would have otherwise missed. It's also fantastic in boss bottles, for av??oiding the tail end of particularly long attacks.

And TEVI's boss fights have some wild attacks. This is where the bullet-hell inspiration comes into play. Boss battles are the game's biggest ??highlights, and bring out its best qualities.

Although combat isn't deep, it provides some fun options. Airdashes and slides work as attacks and are great for quick movement, and Tevi's basic four-hit combo is always reliable for solid damage. Celia and Sab??le also have three different charge ??shots which have their uses, both in and out of combat. These and more can receive flat upgrades, or be boosted with sigils Tevi can equip.

If boss attack patterns remained simple and relatively grounded, TEVI's combat would be serviceable. Thankfully?? this isn't the case, as even boss encounters in the opening hours are a blast to fight.

An early example of this is Tevi's friend and self-appointed rival, Vena. As another engineer, she attacks using her various bombs and stat-buffing robots to give her a leg up. It's a great introduction to how the dozens of boss encounters alternate between massive lasers, lock-on attacks, and clusters to take out the player. Tho?se three are the most rudimentary descriptions of boss moves, but each uses those basic concepts to create dozens of dazzling attacks that take all sorts of different shapes and speeds.

Another thing I appreciate about the boss progression is that each new encounter incrementally adds to the bullet pattern complexity. Even with a good bit of upgrades collected, each fight felt like it was always getting a bit harder. The final encounter had me sweating because of how much there was to keep track of. Late-game fights are no joke in TEVI, with plenty of screen-filling attacks and narrow mar?gins to avoid them, and I love it.

It's a small point to harp on, but it's an area TEVI excels because, from a ??gameplay and narrative standpoint, the stakes match up pretty well. I wish I could say the same about normal enemies, however. While not actively detrimental to the overall experience, normal enemies pale in comparison to the boss encounters. 

There isn't much to say about the regular enemies, other than they serve their purpose as obstacles. Not to say they are poorly designed. Even the most basic machine enemies recycled throughout the game always come back with a unique spin on their base attacks. It's just that the bosses absolutely shined brighter whenever they appeared over TEVI's lengthy adventure.

A lengthy and worthwhile journey

Something that surprised me about TEVI was its length, taking around 2??5 hours with only half of the items collected. With detailed exploration and dedication to find every item and upgrade?, playtime could probably increase to 30-35 hours.

This doesn't even account for how replayable TEVI is, with how it handles difficulty. Alongside increasing enemy attack damage, higher difficulties also bump up the enemy bullet density. It's a neat way of keeping repeat playthroughs on high difficulties fresh. This doesn't even?? account for other modifiers, including a Turbo Mode to increase game speed or Random Sigils, which randomizes where? sigils are found in the world.

These possibilities wouldn't matter much if TEVI was a slog to get through, but it's the opposite. Even if the story drags in the beginning and it's easy to blitz past normal enemies, TEVI is always a joy. Simply maneuvering around the environment is wonderful due to how beau??tiful and varied each lo?cale is.

The boss battles make TEVI shine the most because it has several of the best fights I've played this year. As odd as this comparison might be, I'd say they’re as enjoyable as Armored Core 6's fights. Both have frant??ic and challenging battles that are never unfair. 

TEVI is a pleasant surprise that hopefully doesn't fly under most radars. Even with my gripes, I can comfortably recommend TEVI to anyon?e looking for a solid Metro??idvania with a bullet hell twist.

[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]

The post Review: TEVI appeared first on Destructoid.

I genuinely despise writing negative reviews. There are real human beings behind every? project, and bad games are seldom the product of moral failings, but instead are typically caused by an unfortunate convergence of factors both predictab??le and otherwise.

With that said, the gaming industry isn't a charity, and people deserve to know what they're potentially spending their hard-earned money on. Here's what you need to know: the problem with Flashback 2 isn't merely that it is buggy, sometimes to a hilarious degree. Instead, the main issue is ?that even if the bugs weren't present, it still wouldn't be worth its current price tag.

Flashback 2 (PC, PS5 [reviewed], Xbox Series X/S)
Developer: Microids Studio Paris, Paul Cuisset
Publisher: Microids
Released: November 16, 2023
MSRP: $39.99

The silver lining

Let's start with the positives. Flashback 2 is the follow-up to the cult classic 1992 game by Paul Cuisset. Flashback found popularity through its simple but effective level design, as well as i?ts adventurous story. Despite its age, the art style can still be appreciated, and the wide range of movements available ensures you can engage with several aspects of the environment. It's a game I enjoy, which is why I was looking forward to this title.

Like its predecessor, Flashback 2 manages to capture that sense of adventure. It has varied environments that each present a unique aesthetic, with my favorite being the jungle which instantly reminds me of the 1992 game. The cities are cyberpunk communities w?ith industrialist architectural styles, and when racing between locations on a motorbike, ?you'll be treated to bright colorful lights and neon signs.

It's also a g??ame that looks good (sometimes). On PS5, the game runs at 60 FPS most of the time, though you can expect some pretty significant framerate dips, especially when new enemies are spawned. There aren't ?many graphics options on consoles (exactly zero to be precise), but that's not too much of a downside, as the game isn't graphically intense.

The cutscenes, which are ocassional??ly presented in comic book-style panels, are also aesthetically pleasing. It would have been nice to have more of them, as they help give you a better sense of the kind of world the developers were attempting to create. The soundtrack and ambiance complement the visuals nicely, and the voice acting is also satisfying.

Lastly, I like the mini-games that are present. To get through some doors, you'll have to engage in some hacking. This involves completing a mini-game that has you moving blocks around until the blocks with the same symbols collide with each other. These puzzles aren't particularly hard, but they are satisfying to ??solve. You'll also have a mecha battle to get through, which is short but kind of entertaining, at least compared to the rest of the game.

These a??re all the positive things that can ??be truthfully stated.

Artificial stupidity

For most of the game, you'll be exploring different environments and completing tasks on your quest to stop the shapeshifting Morphs that threaten humanity. O??f course, you'll have a trusty weapon on hand called A.I.S.H.A. that also doubles as an AI companion.

I hated the shootouts. Every last one of them. Flashback 2 takes on a 2.5D style and then is brave enough to throw in some gunplay. It is painfully awkward to aim from this perspective, and oftentimes I found myself just rapidly tapping R2 and relying on the spray-and-pray metho??d. As time progressed, I got a little more comfortable with aiming, but at no point did it ever feel like I wasn't in a constant battle against the camera perspective.

The enemies don't make things any more enjoyable. They're stupid, uncoordinated, and sometimes just plain broken. Instead of having enemies that strategize against you, Flashback 2 instead attempts to inject some difficulty by flooding you with foes. The problem is that whether there are two aliens or twe??nty, the spray-and-pray method still applies. There is no strategizing when most of the gunfights take place in empty corridors - you just shoot and shoot until there are no more baddies.

There is at least one saving grace when it comes to gunplay, and that's the fact that when you die, you're not forced to restart the encounter. You can pick up where you left off, with a full health bar this time. Normally, this would be a bad thing, as it would make the game too easy. However, in the case of Flashback 2, it helped shorten what was an ?agonizingly frustrating experience.

T??hings reach a peak in awfulness with the ?last battle where the game suddenly decides to entirely change the perspective into... I don't know what this would be called. It's kind of fully 3D, but way too confusing to call it that. Attempting to aim goes from being hard to being wholly impossible. Trying to explain it won't do it justice. Just know it's painful to deal with.

It should be mentioned that stealth is technically an option, but practically it's not, and in the end, it's ??inconsequential because you'll be barraged with enemies at some point either way. You don't have to worry about ammo either so there's rarely a reason to not just blast your way through any problem.

The gam??eplay is b?elow average, but it would have been far more acceptable if it weren't for the bugs...

The bugs�/h2>

The bugs... there's a lot of them. They're not just annoying, they're game-breaking. They will bring your progress to a screeching halt and sometimes even make you lose hours of progress. Trust me, I learned the hard way. Flashback 2 shouldn't be on sale in its current state.

Let's start with the subtle bugs first. Arrow buttons don't work on the main menu, forcing you to use analog sticks. Don't press any buttons while the game is loading. You could accidentally pause while on a loading screen. Why is this possible? On that note, be aware that you'll be running into far too many loading screens, and they last far too long. Why is this 2.5D title loading slower than Spider-Man 2?

For significant parts of the game, you'll have an NPC with you as you get around. They're not quite escort missions, as your companion can't die, but they do come with most of the same problems. If you're getting anywhere, you'll have to wait for your cruelly slow companion to catch up with you. NPCs? frequently get stuck, or sometimes ?just decide they're not following you anymore. With AI this rudimentary, this should never have been attempted.

Now onto the bigger bugs. More than once, I got stuck in? a wall, forcing me to load up an old save, costing me hours of begrudgingly earned progress. You see, there are a limited number of save points, and they're spread out quite thinly. It is an archaic style of game design likely meant to hearken back to the 1992 classic, but it only succeeds in triggering frustr??ation. Some things are better left in the past.

I also ?just fell through the floor a few times, landing me in a black void. At some point, I hoped the game would just stay that way, and I'd have an excuse to not finish it. Unfortunately, reloading an old save fixed the problem.

Toward the later hours of Flashback 2, it felt like I was intentionally being punished. The frequency of bugs increased, and eventually, the game didn't bother even giving me my next mission objective. This forced me to search for a playthrough online so I could figure out what I needed to do next to finally end this ordeal. I’m so glad I had an obscure French YouTube channel to help me because the game sure wasn’t.

That wasn't even the most ridiculous moment. The peak of my frustration hit when the game was actively giving me incorrect instructions. That image above is a spoiler but it doesn't matter at this point. What's important is that it's telling me to press th??e Right button. That's false, I'm supposed to press the Down button. Eventually, it?? glitched so badly that the text in the message box stopped appearing at all.

On the French YouTube ch??annel, you can watch a desperate soul struggle with this portion for over 15 minutes. They go to the controls menu to see if they missed anything, and they even reload a save file from far earlier multiple times before they realize just how ba??dly they've been bamboozled.

Some of the glitches and errors just fee??l like a lack of quality assurance. The sequel blindly reuses game over messages, even when you've lost for reasons other than Conrad dying. The game is lying to you in the image above. Conrad didn't die?. You can see him standing right there.

Mission objectives annoyingly remain on the screen even when cutscenes play, but that's not the end of the long list of bugs. During battles, if you pick up an item containing text or get stuck in some dialog, Conrad will stay frozen until you've worked through all the text, leaving you vulnerable to enemy attacks and with no means to defend yourself. Also, remember that cool hacking mini-game I mentioned? Flashback 2 eventually manages to ruin that by overlapping image??s and turning the screen into a visual mess, as you can see above.

Just play the first game

It's decades later, and Flashback hasn't magically become a bad game. You can still pick it up on Steam for about $10, maybe less when it's on sale. I guarantee you'll? have a better time with it? than the sequel.

It took me 10 hours to get to the end of Flashback 2?, but I suspect I could have cut that down to 5-6 hours if it wasn't for bugs frequently forcing me to lose progress. I didn't enjoy much of it, and I barely paid attention to the plot because it didn't matter. You can't focus on the plot when the game is so broken.

I cannot in good conscience recommend this. Your tim??e and money is better spent els??ewhere.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Flashback 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

We've had 10 years of The Jackbox Party Pack, and the tenth entry does show signs of the series' rickety age. The Jackbox Party Pack 10 has some solid games in its arsenal, like the time-based trivia game Timejinx and Tee K.O. 2, but there are more misses than hits.

It hurts me to say, as I'm a huge fan of the developer. FixyText felt pointless within my group and brought back memories of Word Spud, and then they were confused by Hypnotorious.

The Jackbox Party Pack 10 (PC [reviewed], PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch)
Developer: Jackbox Games, Inc.
Publisher: Jackbox Games, Inc.
Released: October 19, 2023
MSRP: $34.99

Timejinx is by far the best game in The Jackbox Party Pack 10

I love trivia, and Jackbox Games are masters of making the fun-fact genre of party games weird. In Timejinx, you're tasked with identifying the exact timeframe of historical events. The further out you are, the more points you gain. That's usually a go??od thing, but in this instance, you actually want to get the least out of the group to win.

While Timejinx does last a little too long for my liking, the questions ??are creative, and the rounds change up the formula. For example, you'll hav??e two different copies of a famous historical figure. You'll need to guess which one is telling the truth (correct answer). One question asks how many novels Jane Austen has written; the first answer says four, and the other states 12. The former answer is correct.

The graphics behind Timejinx are aweso?me, too, as you dive deep into a time machine and see all the bits and bobs flying in the air. For example, there's a flying robot that looks like a Tamogatchi.

However, one issue came up with Timejinx when I had a small group of people playing. You see, later on in the game, the players with fewer points receive hints on what date they should pick for the matching event. They're way too obvious, and time after time, I pulled away the victory against my sister in Timejinx because of these massive hints. They helped gain me a 15-20 point advantage, ??frustrati?ng my poor sibling. With a bigger group, however, this shouldn't be a problem.

Tee K.O. 2 brings back the fan-favorite game

This sequel is an evolution of the Tee K.O. format. We now have shirts, jackets, and vests to ut??ilize, in addition to multiple text fonts. We can get more creative with our designs, ?and if you make a mistake, you can actually undo your drawing step-by-step.

It's still hilarious. Each player makes three different drawings, and then every group member picks their favorite design. The players also create funny catchphrases and words to attach to that image. The result is usually laughter as everyone votes on thei?r favorite

It specifically makes me cackle as I love the absurd humor this lets you play with. Tee K.O. 2 still hits and is even better than the original, thanks to its new functionality. It also lets you c?hoose the drawing you want to alter from a bigger selection for the second round.

The Jackbox Party Pack 10 has more misses than hits

I'm a big fan of Jackbox's work. This studio gave me many memories of making jokes with my university friends. Unfortunately, The Jackbox Party Pack 10 may show signs of the format growing stale.

FixyTest is kind of a mess. The idea is that you're writing an email that can't be edited or backspaced. Then, four players on each team make up words on the fly. As my friend group played this, they were so confused and didn't know what the point of the game was. It feels as directionless as Word Spud from the original Party Pack 10 years ago. It does show some signs of promise, however?.

Other players can actually edit what you've written and completely turn the? conversation in a different direction. The words you type can also be relatively amusing if you put them in wrong.

At the end of a round, the other team of four picks their favorite (funniest) words from the letter written. It is also read out loud by an AI voice.? The one-note gameplay mechanics a??nd humor fell flat most of the time, and it was generally boring to play. My group moved on from the game quickly.

Hypnotorious is also confounding

Another odd game in The Jackbox Party Pack 10 is Hypnotorious. This one features a psychic confusing you to become another object like bacon and eggs. You then are asked several prompts that require you to answer in character. The scenarios the game presents, however, are frankly strange wi??th inanimate objects, animals, and other beings m?entioned. You need to have a creative group to make this work.

The aim of the game is to spot whi?ch player matches with you. For example, at the diner, you find a grill alongside bacon and eggs. They are m??atching.

At the end of the game, there's a twist. You'll need to point out who is the outlier. There is one player that isn't matched with anyone in terms of the topic. For example, in Stumpt's first time with Hypnotorious, there were three fast animals and one slow animal. The latter is the p?erson you need to spot. If the outlier doesn't get caught, they practically win the game with the amount of points they gain.

Generally, this game confused my group, due to the absurdity of the prompts, and we were left wanting to go back to Timejinx and Tee K.O. 2.

However, when I played with another group the next day, Hypnotorious ??got interesting. One of the players was trying to skew their an??swers to better match the others.

There's an element of strategy that makes the game far more interesting than I initially thought before. For example, someone got the Grinch and tried to make us believe the topic was about us b??eing winter-themed rather than it being bl?ue characters and green characters.

Dodo Re Mi is something new for Jackbox Games

Lastly, there's Dodo Re Mi. It's a new music-rhythm game from Jackbox Games that has you forming a band with friends. The quirky side of the Chicago-based studio comes in with the eccentric instruments you can play. You can have an oboe playing alongside gargling sounds and constant screaming. It's surprising what the e?nd result could be.

If you get the timing settings correct at the beginning of the song, you'll have a decent music-rhythm experience. It plays a lot like Guitar Hero, but if you struggle with having five different threads on-screen at once, you can choose an easi??er difficulty instrumental with just one thread. For example, the Constant Screaming has only three threads to maste??r.

Once the song is?? complete, you'll watch as the birds perform your work in front of a carnivorous monster. If you succeed, you're spared. If you fail, your group? will be eaten. A cool aspect of the game is that you can download an MP3 of the song after.

My main issue is getting the timing right. The beat is sometimes inaccurate if it's set wrong. It can be easy to do. The touch screen personally didn't feel as tactile as a Guitar Hero button, and the timing sometimes felt slightly off. I had fun, but Dodo Re Mi isn't something I envision playing with my friends all too much. It seems like a hassle playing the game over Discord, ?Twitch, or Skype, as a music game needs precise inputs.

Closing thoughts

The Jackbox Party Pack 10 is a mixed bag. Two of the games are confusing, one is a welcomed return, and Time Jinx is the absolute star in this pack f?or being a creative trivia title. The format's starting to get stale, unfortunately, and the novelty of connecting to the game with your phone has worn off.

My friends and I also had regular disconnects fr?om games, and it can be frustrating as these experiences can last 10-20 minutes at a time. My sister also had issues connecting to Jackbox.TV at first due to having a VPN on, which could be? a hassle for many. Additionally, questions popped up multiple times, and I had to give the answer to my friends playing with me to keep it fair

Hopefully, the series continues with a new pep i??n its step next year.

[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]

The post Review: The Jackbox Party Pack 10 appeared first on Destructoid.

Stellaris is probably my favorite grand strategy game of all time, so when I saw developer Fast Travel Games was creating a standalone VR roguelite set in the Stellaris universe, I immediately became interested. I'll admit, I don't have too much experience with VR. But the idea of a Stellaris story with its many species, systems, and space structures sounded like the perfect fit for VR. Ghost Signal: A Stellaris Game steps away from grand strategy and instead puts players in control of a single ship as they traverse systems dealing with threats, acquiring upgrades, and tracking down the Ghost S?ignal.

Ghost Signal: A Stellaris Game puts players in the role of the captain of a single ship called the Aurora. At the end of the tutorial the Aurora receives a mystery signal, dubbed the Ghost Signal, that sets in motion the story of the game. Players must track down the source of the signal as they take on various enemy ships, traverse asteroid fields, and even encounte?r various space creatures.

Honestly, I was expecting the Stellaris universe to do a lot of the heavy lifting here. But in reality, the roguelite gameplay is what shines. The overarching story of the Ghost Signal sort of fell into the background, and I found myself more just worrying about getting ship upgrades and?? taking on more—and stronger—enemies.

Ghost Signal: A Stellaris Game (PSVR2[reviewed], Meta Quest 2, SteamVR)
Developer: Fast Travel Games
Publisher: Fast Travel Games
Released: October 5, 2023
MSRP: $19.99

VR was made for space

Space really is the perfect environment for VR. In Ghost Signal, you'll progress through different Sectors via a map, similar to the progression in FTL: Faster than Light. Each Sector has a different encounter upon reaching it. These i??nclude battles,?? boss battles, random events, or even shops and rest points. But also, each sector features a beautiful backdrop of space, with differing planets and other celestial bodies in the background. In the foreground, whatever you are encountering takes center stage alongside asteroids, your Aurora ship, and other entities you can interact with.

A robot companion assists you with learning the ropes and exploring the universe in Ghost Signal. As you find new entities in space, the robot will tell you more information about it. It's a nice little added element for fellow Stellaris fans, helping to flesh out the universe. Unfortunately, I do think the overall narrative is a bit lacking. For me, upgrading my Aurora and taking on more challenging encounters is what got me excited. Not so much finding out the source of the Ghost Signal. Of course, as a roguelite, the story is probably intended as added flavor, anyway. But with "A Stellaris Game" in the title, I really hoped for more actual Stellaris.

A hybrid of various genre favorites

The core gameplay of Ghost Signal revolves around swapping between three different weapon types for the Aurora. Autocannons deal hull damage, lasers deal shield damage, and m?issiles deal damage to both types while sacrificing attack speed for increased range. Meanwhile, you can navigate your ship to create distance from attacking fleets. The goal is to take out enemy ships one by one while taking the least amount of damage you can. Once you've taken out the entire fleet, you obtain?? a reward that will enhance your ship in some way, and then choose the next sector you want to advance to.

As you progress, you'll find various ways to enhance your Aurora. Alongside upgrades for encounters, you'll also come across shops and other NPCs that are willing to trade upgrades. There's also a mechanic where you can gamble for the opportunity to receive an upgrade while having the chance to instead receive a debuff. It's all the roguelite mechanics you can expect, plopped into the Stellaris universe. It works surprisingly well, as upgrades fe?el meaningful.

Even if you end up failing a run—as is common with this genre—you'll have the opportunity to carry over some resources and use them to obtain permanent upgrades to the Aurora. These upgrades will persist for all future runs. As such, each successive run should allow you to gradually progress further. It's a fun gameplay loop and definitely where Ghost Signal shines. The rock paper scissors style combat mixed with the ability to focus your build in a specific way keeps the com?bat fresh with each run.

Yep, that's a Space Dragon

With some slight alterations, I could easily see Ghost Signal: A Stellaris Game working in a non-VR environment. I'd imagine controls could easily be reworked to a mouse and keyboard or even a controller to operate the Aurora. With its replayability value and low price point, it's the perfect play-a-run-here-and-there sort of title. It's a very similar experience to FTL and other similar roguelites. ?That's not to say it doesn't work as a VR title. It's just one of those games that could work as both.

But as it is, Ghost Signal: A Stellaris Game is an entertaining and worthwhile adventure through the universe of Stellaris. If you want to play captain and commandeer a ship through asteroid belts while you fight entire fleets of enemies and even massive bosses, look no further. The roguelite loop is satisfying and rewarding, and slots well into the VR experience. I don't know what Fast Travel Games plans to do next, but I'd love to see what other genres the studio could pull off in the Stellaris setting.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Ghost Signal: A Stellaris Game appeared first on Destructoid.

The Assassin's Creed franchise has been on quite a roller coaster since the original was released over 15 years ago. At first, each successive title seemed to enhance the core mechanics of the stealthy gameplay you'd expect from a game with the word "assassin" in the title. But then Assassin's Creed Origins changed up the formula a bit. Assassin's Creed became an open-world game, with more similarities to Far Cry than the original Assassin's Creed games. The next two entries in the franchise, Odyssey and Valhalla, built upon that formula. With Valhalla, it felt like the combat had finally reached its peak, but something was lost along the way. It no longer felt like Assassin's Creed. In fact, Valhalla often discouraged?? you from ??taking the stealth route.

Mirage seeks to return the series to its roots, so to speak. Instead of a sprawling open world, Mirage takes place in a single location: Baghdad in the year 861. It sheds the massive free-roam style in favor of a handcrafted linear experience, with a focus on the story and getting to learn the ins-and-outs of the bustling city of Baghdad. And while still keeping the polished and optimized combat from recent entries, stealth becomes the focal point once again. For the most part, Mirage achieves its goal of returning to its assassin ways. But in some ways, it also shows m??e why Ubisoft made the decision to take the franchise in a new direction in the first place.

Assassin's Creed Mirage (PC, PS5 [Reviewed], PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One)
Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Released: October 5, 2023
MSRP: $49.99

The Hidden Ones

In Mirage, players take on the role of Basim, a character those who have played Valhalla will recognize. Mirage is essentially a prequel to Valhalla, taking place a decade before the Viking invasion of England. In Valhalla, Basim is already a Hidden One—the ??name of the Assassins before the later formation of the c??reed.

But Mirage focuses on the story of a younger Basim, as he grows up as a thief in 9th century Baghdad, learning about the Hidden Ones and eventually joining their ranks. Even though those who have played Valhalla might appreciate this prequel story a bit more, the narrative is its own confined experience. You do not have to have played Valhalla to understand what's going on in Mirage.

The events of Mirage take place over eight different chapters, in a mostly linear fashion. Around the halfway point you get to choose which order to tackle three of the chapters in, but all of them must be completed regardless. A??fterwards, it continues to be completely linear.

The story is definitely a strong point for Mirage. It's probably an unpopular opinion, but I was a fan of the modern-day story in the earlier Assassin's Creed titles, back ?when Desmond Miles was the main character.

While Mirage doesn't have a strong focus on the modern-day story, it does touch on it at times. But the main focus is certainly what's going on in Baghdad in the year 861. It's got some twists along the way, and overall is one of the stronger stories Mirage has told yet. My favorite in the franchise story-wise beforehand was probably Assassin's Creed 3, and I feel like Mirage is right up there with it.

Basim Holmes

The primary gameplay loop of Mirage is Investigations. Essentially, each chapter of Mirage has an ultimate goal. For example, in the?? first chapter, you are trying to track down Ali ibn Mohammad, a leader of the rebellion against the Cali?phate in Baghdad. He's been taken captive by the Caliphate, and you are tasked with rescuing him. It’s a more fluid system compared to previous entries that would either beeline you to each objective.

You will start with a breadcrumb and a single clue to track someone down who may have more information about your investigation. Along the way, each person will give you more clues as well as other leads to follow up on. Once you have gathered every clue for a specific Investigation, you can move forward with the original objective. Overall, I feel like the Investigation ??system is a nice touch to the formula of tracking down your target and building up your knowledge base about them. It’s a very rewarding feeling to unlock each clue and build your Investigation.

Plenty to do around Baghdad

Of course, in between investigations, there's plenty more to do. The series staple of climbing the highest points of the city to synchronize with it, thus revealing the surrounding area and creating a fast travel point, makes a return in Mirage. There are also assignments you can pick up at the Hidden Ones Bureau that give you side missions, with rewards including resources and Favor Tokens. While it’s nice to shake things up between Investigations, ?there’s not much of a point in doing so. The only time I took on assignments was when I needed extra Favor Tokens.

Resources can be used to upgrade your gear and unlock new tools. Favor Tokens can be used to enlist the aid of various groups around Baghdad. For example, you gain Notoriety when being seen carrying out nefarious acts like pickpocketing, killing someone, or trespassing. Your Notoriety has a meter, sort of like a Wanted Level in Grand Theft Auto. Yo??u can visit a specific NPC to exchange a Favor Token for completely erasing your Notoriety. Once again, the system just feels irrel??evant, unless you are a completionist and want to fully upgrade and collect everything. It’s nice that it’s here, but doesn’t feel overall worthwhile to do.

In terms of ??visuals, it's sort of a mixed Bag(dhad). I originally tried Quality Mode but struggled to stay above 30 FPS. Honestly, it wasn't necessarily unplayable, but it was pretty close. I feel like there are some optimizations that could be made there. In Performance Mode, I consistently stayed above 60 fps. But the downside?? to supporting a previous generation was definitely visible. From far away, everything looks beautiful. But up close, textures are pixelated and low resolution. It's a shame because the bustling city of Baghdad is a beautiful sight at a glance, but when you take a closer look, not so much.

RPG-Lite

Even though Mirage strives to be more like the originals, there are some RPG elements that have become prevalent in more r?ecent entries. As you c?omplete main story missions you will unlock skill points which you can use to unlock skills on your skill tree.

Unfortunately, most of the skills feel rather inconsequential. Nothing is really game-changing in any way, instead just offers minimal enhancements. To give you an idea, the ability to evade an attack via dodge and then follow up with a counter has become a staple early-game skill in the recent AC titles. However, in Mirage, this is a final skill in the tree.

The same can be said for a lot of the other RPG-like elements, such as gear. You can find different weapons and armor throughout Badhgdad, primarily in Gear? Chests. You can even take them to blacksmith NPC's and enhance them, making them better. But the enhancements are minimal as well, granting just a little more damage.

It's evident that Ubisoft wanted to keep some RPG mechanics in Mirage, but no longer make them a focus like they were in Valhalla and Odyssey.

Hardcore parkour

Mirage is the best assassin simulator yet. Scaling the beautifully architectures buildings in Baghdad is peak Assassin's Creed. Pickpocketing and assassinations are well-executed and don't feel like a hassle. Even the combat is probably at its highest quality. Mirage definitely wants you to avoid combat if possible. Stealth assassinations still take enemies out in a single attack, while combat is a more lengthy—and challenging—experience. But when you do break out the sword, it's the well-refined combat system similar to Valhalla, which was probably one of its strongest elements?.

But once again, the formula has its issues too. Most of the end-of-the-investigation missions are the same. Find a way to sneak into a heavily guarded building, then navigate its multiple levels to track down a target. This isn't necessarily a bad mechanic—it's been in a lot of the previous AC titles—but for some reason in Mirage, ??Ubisoft decided to put a lot of doors in its buildings.

The problem is that some doors are essentially walls and cannot be interacted with at all; some are barred shut from the inside, and some can be opened from both sides. I spent a lot of time running around similar-looking corridors of doors trying to find which one I was supposed to interact with to proceed. They all look the same, and most are essentially just walls. This is the biggest problem with Mirage. In between t??h??e good parts, things can get really boring and just not fun.

A glitch in the Animus

Unfortunately, I did encounter some pretty annoying bugs and overall tedium throughout Mirage. If you played previous entries, surely you know the staple "feature" of always grabbing onto the wrong thing when trying to scale buildings or evade guards that are hunting you down. Sadly, this is still a thing in Mirage.

I also encounter??ed a pretty annoying bug deep into an assassination mission where, when I tried to execute a running assassination on an enemy, t?he animation caused me to drop straight down off a ledge, through the roof of a building, and into a locked building with no way to escape. I clearly wasn't meant to be in there and had to reload a previous save. erasing about 25 minutes of progress.

There are also some pretty glaring oversights in terms of game design, that really bog down the experience. The ability to use Eagle Vision to highlight enemies' returns in Mirage, which in itself is a good thing. However, the enemies glow red for an extended period of time. If you get into c??ombat with an enemy that's marked red, you can't see when it's attacks that can't be parried. Typically they flash red when doing so, but now you can't see, due to them already glowing red. I'd be lying if I said this didn't result in a handful of deaths. Eventually, I learned to just wait ??for the mark to fall off before engaging, which probably isn't intended.

You think you do

I have to admit that Assassin's Creed Mirage is a challenging title?? to review and score. It's almost as if it needs two separate scores: one for its ability ??to be an assassin game, and one for how enjoyable it is. But unfortunately, that's not how things work.

When Assassin's Creed Mirage is at its best, it's an entertaining experience. But in between those moments, the repetitiveness really starts to weigh it down. The middle part of the game is a bit hard to get through just because of how boring it gets. For those looking for a pure return of form to the original Assassin's Creed, you're going to love Mirage. ??After all, the ?stealth, parkour, and accompanying systems are the best they've been. And Baghdad is one of the best cities we've explored in the series yet. But for me, I can't help but wonder if the true mirage was thinking this return to the old formula was the right direction to take.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Assassin’s Creed Mirage appeared first on Destructoid.

With the fifth and final episode of The Expanse: A Telltale Series, the nearly two-month journey reaches its conclusion. Even though I did an impression-based and non-scored re???view for each episode prior, this final episode will go over my thoughts on the entire adventure.

_{(Previous reviews: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4)}

I was cautiously optimistic coming into The Expanse: A Telltale Series. I'm a huge fan of the show, and while Telltale titles—and more importantly, Deck Nine—have been pretty hit or miss for me in the past, they typically do storytelling right. And, when it comes to The Expanse universe, that's what interests me: the story. Overall the experience had a few?? highs,?? and a few more lows, but there is certainly some enjoyment to be had.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series (PC [Reviewed], PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S)
Developer: Deck Nine
Publisher: Telltale
Released: September 21, 2023
MSRP: $39.99

Welcome aboard the Artemis, beltalowda

The first episode set the stage for the rest of the package. By the end of the first story, Camina Drummer is the captain of the Artemis, leading a crew of five others. Again, the narrative takes place before the events of the TV show and serves as a bit of a backstory for Drummer. The original voice actress, Cara Gee, reprises her role and nails it every step of the way. If you're a fan of the show like I am, Deck Nine nailed it in terms of fitting into what we know and love from the source. However, the decision to set The Expanse: A Telltale Series before the events of the show def??initely hamstrung it a good bi?t.

The bigger-picture narrative simply doesn't feel important, which is one of its biggest stumbling blocks. One of the strengths of the show is its storytelling, including backstory. Upon completing The Expanse, despite having fun, I found myself wondering if this story really needed to be told. In the final episodes, you get a little more information about Drummer's time in the OPA organization: but in the end, the details weren't all that important. I'd love to see The Expanse which takes place after the events of the show. After all, there's a roughly three-decade time jump between where the show left off and the events in the next book, so th??ere's plenty of possibilities for storytell??ing in between.

A short but beautiful journey

Telltale titles have never been long by any means, but The Expanse feels even shorter. I played each Episode as they were released, with two weeks in between them. In the end, my total playtime was just under six hours, and I explored and interacted with everything I possibly could. Don't get me wrong, a narrative-driven game can certainly be short and sweet. But I think my bigger issue here is price. At $40, six hours is a bit on the lower end. For comparison, The Wolf Among Us was 9-10 hours on average and was only $20. I understand there are potentially higher costs involved when it comes to licensing The Expanse, not to mention getting Cara Gee to voice Drummer. But at some point, you do have to consider whether there's enough there to justify the?? price. Of course, that's up to the individual player mor??e than anything.

With that in mind, even though it's short, it's a beautiful journey. This is the most visually beautiful Telltale game yet. And with most of the episodes taking place in space, it's nice to have the beautiful backdrop of deep space to look at. The first couple of episodes both take place amongst ship debris in deep space, which started to feel repetitive. But each episode is well crafted and designed to fit the theme of The Expanse universe. There are even a couple of space combat scen?es that feel like they are right from the show. If you are a fan, you know t??his is a good thing.

A building block for Telltale gameplay

Though past Telltale titles have been considered "walking simulators", that wasn't really the feeling I got with The Expanse. There's a range of freedom to run around, not to mention the ability to disable your grave boots in Zero-G ??and float. It's a nice touch for a narrative game, and a step forward for Telltale titles.

There's a handful of mini-games scattered throughout the episodes as well. You'll find yourself cutting through hull sections to find items, dodging lasers from drones trying to find you, and properly routing power between junction boxes to enable devices. The added element of gameplay isn't necessarily game-changing, but it does help spice up the adventure through this narrative-focused t??ale.

However, there are?? some growing pains as well fro??m adding more gameplay elements. Throughout each episode, you'll find various collectibles such as data logs and Salvage. The data logs are pretty much just some extra story, but collecting the Salvage seems to have no purpose. In the first episode, Drummer comments that the Salvage could be useful, but then nothing is ever done with it. You'll find several other collectible items that do have a purpose. For example, in the first episode, you can find a focusing laser crystal to give to the Doctor on board the Artemis. But Salvage just seems to exist to exist.

Do choices ever really matter?

The ability to make your own decisions is a big part of any narrative title, especially a Telltale title. At the end of the first episode, you're presented with your first big decision which is essentially to kill someone or let them live. The choice feels very important at the time. However, I realized late??r that regardless of your decision, you just don't see that person anymore. So in the end, did the choice really m??atter?

In typical Telltale fashion, you are shown the decisions the community has made at the end of each episode. Looking through one of the potential outcomes of a decision in the third episode made me very curious to see what could happen. So, I made a separate save just to see how much it actually changed: I got a few extra lines of dialogue, but then the rest of the episode played out exactly like my original playt??hrough.

"Truth is truth. How you deal with it is up to you."

In the end, The Expanse: A Telltale Series feels like a slightly above-average Telltale game. Visually it's the best we've seen yet, and the added gameplay elements are certainly moving in the right direction. If you're looking to consume any canon The Expanse content and are willing to pay a premium to do so, you'll enjoy what Deck Nine is offering. Just expect the story to enhance what you know about The Expanse, not build upon it.

It's important to note that for anyone who hasn't watched the show, it's a tougher recommendation. While it does technically serve somewhat as a prequel, and it is its own standalone experience,? I just don't know if there is enjoyment to be had playing through it if you aren't already on board with the universe. Most of the enjoyable ??moments for me were when I could relate to something from the show, or learning some more Belter (one of the languages in this world).

Unfortunately The Expanse: A Telltale Series probably won't stick with me like The Wolf Among Us or even The Walking Dead did. But there is still some fun to be had, and it's proof there is the potential to add a little more gameplay to Telltale titles. I even think another proper Expanse entry that has a bit more meaningful of a story t?o tell could be perfect for the Telltale formula. If that happens, I hope the narrative doesn't play it too safe next time.

[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]

The post Review: The Expanse: A Telltale Series appeared first on Destructoid.

Turning tabletop role-playing into a digital experience feels like an eternal conundrum. Capturing the imagination space of the tabletop and transforming it into a single-player, highly produced and catered experience is a dream that can seem a little unattainable. But Baldur’s Gate 3 gets pretty damn close.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is the third game in a series of Dungeons & Dragons RPGs originally made by BioWare; but just as importantly, it’s the l?atest game from Larian Studios, hot off a winning ??streak with Divinity: Original Sin 1 and 2.

As has already been di??scussed to death, plenty of individual factors account for Baldur’s Gate 3 success: the established development history of Larian, y??ears of relat?ive freedom in development and Early Access, the surging popularity of tabletop role-playing games, and the hunger for both a crunchy CRPG and BioWare-esque degree of production.

Yet Baldur’s Gate 3, for me, exceeds those cravings. It's massive but focused. There's choices big and small, affecting stories in equal measure. Companions who stand alongside genre bests, combat encounters that feel challenging and memorable,?? and a world that's as much its own setting as it is built on the lengthy lore of D&D. Baldur’s Gate 3 is, in a banner year for role-playing ??games, s??imply one of the best RPGs you can play right now.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TmGocqpY0Y

Baldur's Gate 3 (PC)
Developer: Larian Studios
Publisher: Larian Studios
Released: August 3, 2023
MSRP: $59.99

La??rian wastes l??ittle time in introducing the key driver of Baldur’s Gate 3’s story. You, among many denizens of Faerun, have been abducted by mind flayers and infected with a tadpole. This ticking time-bomb sits?? on your brain, waiting to turn you into a tentacled illithid monster, ripping you apart in the process. After narr?owly surviving the mind flayer ship's crash landing, you team up with other survivors for one simple, shared purpose: find a way to get the tadpole out of your head.

[caption id="attachment_399699" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

What makes this drive so effe??cti?ve is not just the immediacy and urgency of the constant danger lurking behind your eye, but how it binds your party together. The companions of Baldur’s Gate 3 are not fast friends. They are each in it for themselves, and the glue is their shared dread of a tentacled end. There are clashes over ideology and belief, while characters begrudgingly accept that going it together—however undesirable it may be??—is still better than going it alone.

The crew that slays together

This framing leads to incredible arcs for individual characters. Shadowheart is an enigma, an amnesiac devotee of a goddess with more than a few secrets to keep. Lae’zel is similarly devoted to her own queen and the githyanki’s goal of eradicating mind flayers, fueling her fear of becoming one herself. Gale is ambitious, to a definite fault. Astarion is plainly a man that will ruin your life, and players are signing up for it. Wyll harbors?? his own demons, as does Karlach, and their stories be??come particularly entwined even in Act 1.

[caption id="attachment_399696" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Each main companion is strong enough to be a lead, and they can be if you choose them as your Origin. Playing a custom character seems most fitting, and where most pla??yers will probably head first, but the option to play as Origin characters adds an extra nuance that’s welcome from Larian’s Divinity work.

Either way, their arcs play out incredibly well across the breadth of the game, reaching stellar narrative highs. The way each companion’s story weaves into the main plot, while still allowing room to carve out their?? own side niches, is simply excellent. I was a little less enthralled with Halsin, Jaheira, and Minsc. Halsin makes an interesting companion, but he only plays a major role in a set quest series and doesn’t feel as deeply connected. The same goes for Jaheira and Minsc, two returning Baldur’s Gate companions. T?hey’re welcome additions to my camp, but they didn’t carry the same weight ??as the core crew.

[caption id="attachment_399694" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

The wild card is the Dream Guardian, who embodies the endless mysteries of what's happening and why. Unraveling the threads of Baldur's Gate 3 is part of the fun, especially as seemingly inconsequential moments suddenly yield significant implications. And to that point, plenty of side characters end up stealing the spotlight in their own ways. Reoccurring faces like the Infernal engineer Dammon, the sanguine experimenter Araj, and the tieflings Zevlor and Alfira that follow your journey all make Baldur's Gate 3 feel like a journey in a living, vibrant world.

There and back again

Baldur’s Gate 3 plays out over three Acts, each of which has a broad??, overarching direction but lots of space to develop and flesh out stories. I loved how each of them had very distinct offerings, with their own vibes. Act 1 is a flashpoint between secluded druids, tiefling refugees, and a cult. Different paths wind out, with their own struggles and strife, into Act 2, a desolate land that you have to gradually unlock access to while learning its history??. And then, of course, the city of Baldur’s Gate.

But more than that, Baldur’s Gate 3’s individual areas are i?ncredibly well-designed. The goblin camp, by itself, feels almost like a Hitman level in its intricacy and methods of approach. Dungeons and specialized zones all have their own approaches, each of which is valid if you can throw it together. You could try to just outright fight the goblin priestess, or you can trick her into a private conversation and throw her into a chasm. Either wa??y gets the job done.

Role-playing like this is where Baldur’s Gate 3 shines. I played a Charisma-centric Warlock, acting as the party “face�and trying to clear what I could with conversational checks. Initially, this was just a good way to avoid combat. But as time went on, I found some of the more interesting options weren’t just in dialogue; they were in the world. I got onto roofs by stacking boxes. I raised corpses to learn information. Heck, I stacked a bunch of barrel??s in Karlach’s inventory so she could chuck them at enemies during fights. In its best moments, Larian feels like it is managing a predestined “yes, and�with every kooky plan you concoct.

[caption id="attachment_399700" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

There ar??e limitations to this tabletop-like freedom, though, and distinctly some moments that feel a bit more video game-y. Those moments never lingered long, though. In fact, a number of them led to really compelling combat encounters that pushed and challenged me to engage with all the tools I had. Challenges that asked me to take out certain foes, escape within allotted turns, or other requirements were where I felt my understanding of Baldur’s Gate 3’s systems was put to the test.

It’s her??e where you can see how Larian’s lineage from Divinity lines up and branches out from the Dungeons & Dragons framework. There’s a really interesting mix of D:OS�highly?? interactive, laid-out environments and the combat language of D&D. It’s a playground for build experimentation, interactivity, and moments where you have to open the combat log and scour for just exactly why everyth?ing exploded. The same system that rewards my careful, thoughtful builds meant to max out damage also lets me turn angry bosses into sheep. It’s great.

To arms

Combat itself ranges from interesting to o??verwhelming, depending on an encounter's scope. Everything is fairly well paced out, so you’re not running into big fights too often unless you’re determined?. Mastering the natural rhythm of move-action-bonus action means grappling with all the different ways you can bend, and break, those rules to your own advantage. In some ways, it’s liberating, like getting an easy kill on an enemy by pushing them off a cliff. Other times it’s frustrating, like when an enemy gets an easy kill by pushing you off a cliff.

As the possibility space of what you can do expands??, Baldur’s Gate 3 only gets more involved and complicated. While the level 12 cap might seem?? low, there are tons of spells and items along the way that routinely change up how you tackle fights. Tack on multi-classing, and it really feels like I’ve only scratched the surface of how intricate character builds can become.

[caption id="attachment_399698" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

So much of Baldur’s Gate 3, even in its launch state, feels like a foundation for more. That also carries over to its performance and technical hiccups, too. While Act 1 feels very polished and refined—symptomatic of its years-long stint in Early Access�/span>Baldur’s Gate 3 starts to encounter more bugs and performance hitches the deeper players ??get. Act 3, at the time of writing, is particularly noticeable; I’ve had performance issues in the massive city, as well as moments of clipping through objects, misaligned cameras during conversations, and dialogues where characters thought I’d made a choice I hadn’t. Different narratives and ideas felt like they fell a bit by the wayside, by story's end. The frays certainly show in those moments.

It’s hard for me to dock Baldur’s Gate 3 too much for these issues?, though. It’s not that they don’t exist, but it’s more like they only momentarily impede, usually just reminding me to be liberal with my save usage. And yes, save scumming can and will happen, whe??ther in combat or just to see how different outcomes play out. Though BG3 is a generous GM with how much Inspiration (free rerolls) it gives you, sometimes th?e dice just don’t go in your favor. In fact, some of my favorite storytelling happened when the dice failed me. And?? let me say, se?eing the dice roll in real time? Excellent touch.

[caption id="attachment_399703" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

So yes, I have gripes. But I don’t mind them, in?? the scheme of things, because what Larian’s built feels worth enduring a few bumps along the way. The incredible highs of the story, the way choices plainly and effectively branch out in front of you, and the memorable encounters all combine for a role-playing experience that is simply, absolutely worth playing.

All along the Sword Coast

I’ve b??arely touched on the incredible voice acting from ?the main cast, or the wonderful music, or even the vistas that sit behind some of Baldur’s Gate 3’s most scenic locales. Or how ?it manages to find a pretty solid approach to playing CRPGs on controller, anot?her sign of Divinity in BG3.

There’s an entire way of playing through a custom Origin calle?d the Dark Urge, which I’ve started a new file under. It’s an inventive way of providing a defined origin and central conflict for a customizable character, and has led to my new story feeling completely different from the old one, despite taking place in the same areas. Add on multiplayer, and there are so, so many ways to experience and re-experience this game that all feel rewarding.

There has been a rising tide of CRPG?? love over the last few years, through developers like Obsidian, ZA/UM, and Owlcat Games continuing to build out a seemingly niche genre. It’s poetic that Larian, arguably a? leader on that front with Divinity: Original Sin’s Kickstarter back in 2013, is now at the forefront a decade later with Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s every bit the culmination of those years of work, and a well-crafted sequel to a pillar of the gen?re.

[caption id="attachment_399690" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

It’s always hard to assess, in the post-review haze, how I’ll feel about?? a game years later. How I might look back on the characters, story, and world of any given game. And even after 120 hours and change in Baldur’s Gate 3, I’m still working my wa??y through all these feelings; how stories played out, how my own custom character’s tale came to a dismally bittersweet end, and what possibilities may still lie in wait for future playthroughs??. 

But I do know that I won’t forget about Baldur’s Gate 3 anytime soon. Characters like Lae’zel and Karlach will stick with me. Moments of pain, wrought over what choice to make, or praying that the die will roll in my favor to keep this party together, will rekind??le when I see fan art. Grand battles, whether on top of a looming tower or down deep in the Underdark, will still be recognizable at a glance, and I’ll reflect on how much fun it was to s??olve their intricacies. Even though it takes place in the world of D&D, Baldur’s Gate 3 carves out its own voice and charact??er, from big plot beats to the little details.

Larian Studios has made so?mething truly incredible, and even as the studio continues to fine-tune an??d polish with post-launch patches, Baldur’s Gate 3 feels like something abso??lutel??y worth playing now, and even more in the future. Baldur’s Gate 3 is a legendary RPG, and one that anyone with a love of storytell?ing, strategizing, or just thirsty for a few fantasy companions should take the time to experience.

The post Review: Baldur’s Gate 3 appeared first on Destructoid.

Atlas Fallen is a very ambitious title from developer Deck13. While overall it shares some similarities to their previous title, including Lords of the Fallen and The Surge 2, it's also their first step away from the Soulslike genre. At its core Atlas Fallen is a third-person action RPG that focuses on speed and fast-paced encounters. While you sometimes encounter groups ?of smaller enemies, the bulk of your enemies is giant hulking beasts, which quickly becomes a staple of the gameplay.

[caption id="attachment_395703" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Atlas Fallen (PC, PS5[reviewed], Xbox Series X|S)
Developer: Deck13
Publisher: Focus Entertainment
Release: August 10, 2023
MSRP: PC: $49.99, PS5 & Xbox Series X|S: $59.99

In Atlas Fallen, the world lies in ruin due to the savage sun god Thelos. Most of the once lush landscape is n??ow entirely sand dunes with the occasional dead tree or patch of dried-out grass. The inhabitants are forced to serve Thelos by extracting a powerful resource called Essence from the world and delivering it to him. Some people have pledged loyalty to the sun god in exchange for an elevated status or a more desirable job in the harsh desert. Others are tasked with perfor??ming slave-like labor, extracting Essence, and transporting it across the dunes.

The protagonist discovers a powerful ancient Gauntlet that is able to manipulate Essence to shape the sand, granting its wielder powerful weapons and powers. With t??his newfound strength, the player sets out to lead a rebellion and put a stop to the savage rule of Thelos.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGQfhGubWns

All hope relies on the Gauntlet

The Gauntlet allows you to equip two of three potential weapons at all times. The Dunecleaver is a powerful heavy weapon axe and hammer hybrid. The Sandwhip is a fast attacking whip that also allows you to close distances quickly. Finally, the Knuckledust is a hard-hitting fist weapon that also allows you to grow addit??ional arms as you pound your foe. Each weapon has its own specific attacks and combos that synergize differently with the other weapons. Honestly, the three weapons are unique enough, but once I found the combo of weapons that worked for me—Sandwhip and ?Knuckledust—I never really found the need to ever us the third weapon.

While beating up on majestic beasts in the desert, you'll also learn how to master Atlas Fallen's Momentum system. Momentum is a bit of a risk-reward system. As you successfully land attacks, you will fill up your Momentum bar. As its filled, you will be able to carry ??out more hard-hitting special attacks. However, the fuller the bar is, the more damage you take when you are hit.

It's a great premise, but it honestly feels like it misses the mark a little bit. There's not truly any risk to be had, because at the end of the day you're just going?? to be focusing on beating down your enemy. I never really stopped building momentum to consider the risk of doing so. Instead, I'd just try to land as many attacks as I could while also prioritizing not getting hit so I didn't risk taking additional damage.

Throughout the world you will find deposits of Essence, as well as from dropped enemies??. With this Essence you can unlock new abilities and upgrade your Gauntlet, increasing its capabilities.

[caption id="attachment_395700" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

A truly beautiful world

Visually, the world of Atlas Fallen is simply beautiful??. I literally found myself stopping to look around the vast open landscapes, and admiring the beauty of the ruins scattered amongst the sands. The detail in some of the areas such as the Knights of Bastengard Stronghold is second to none.

As?? you progress through the world you will visit three different areas in total. Each one has a main hub that you will pickup the bulk of your quests from. Additional optional quests and collectables are peppered all throughout the area as well, in no short supply. Your Gauntlet also has the ability to raise buried objects up out of the sand, which can include chests and even structures that allow you to reach higher elevation areas.

Some of the colossal beasts that you encounter are pretty incredible as well, both in size and appearance. Fans of Monster Hunter will find familiarities here, as some of the bigger monsters have various body parts that you can focus on. If you deal enough damage to them, they will break, causing massive damage to the enemy and also dropping special loot. Unfortunately, I found loot to be mostly irrelevant throughout Atlas Fallen. I still tried to break as many monster parts as I could, but nev??er found the materials I obtained for doing so to really m?atter.

In fact, this is perhaps one of the bigger issues with Atlas Fallen. A lot of the systems in place are great in premise, and even have their own intricacies to them. However, in most cases they fall short in terms of relevancy. In a vast open world action RPG like Atlas Fallen, equipment and itemization should be important. Unfortunately, this isn't the case. In fact, I think it would be quite possible to play through all of Atlas Fallen without bothering t?o equip anything you've obtained throughout the entire experience.

[caption id="attachment_395704" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

But, not everything is beautiful

Unfortunately there are some pretty sizeable problems with Atlas Fallen as well. The biggest issue without a doubt is the voice acting. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect every title to have Baldur's Gate 3 level of voiceovers. But the voice acting in Atlas Fallen isn't even average, it's downright terrible. Some of the non-important side NPC's were alright, but the playable character as well as your main c??ompanion, Nyaal, were not great. It really took from the overall experience.

From a lore perspective, the weight of the world is on these two character's shoulders. But you wouldn't have known that based on their monotone line delivery. I know I'm emphasizing this a lot here, but can't stress how bad it is. We're talking worse than Peter Dinkelage as Ghost in Destiny 2 before they replaced him.

Overall the story of Atlas Fallen had a lot of potential, but it falls short and overall I think the voiceover was a big part of it. Furthermore, the story felt a bit rushed at times. In total it took me just over 14 hours to complete Atlas Fallen, but I did a good bit of the optional content it had to offer. If someone was beelining through the main story quests only, I would not be surprised to see a sub 10 hour completion. However, if you do choose to take your time and really explore every nook? and cranny to obtain every collectible and complete every side quest, I coul??d see it taking 20 hours.

Also, a lot of the potentially fantastic features in Atlas Fallen end up feeling tacked on. There's a feature called Watcher's Fury where once you've done enough to draw the attention of the eye of Thelos, he will create a massive sandstorm on your location. Insi??de the storm an onslaught of enemies will attack you, all while you have limited visibility. When I first encountered Watcher's Fury I was excited to see the outcome of it. You have the choice of running and escaping the storm, or fighting all the enemies to the end. At the end you get some rather basic loot...and that's about it.

All in all, the Watcher's Fury felt pretty lackluster in every way. Furthermore, I only experienced the Watcher's Fury a few times throughout Atlas Fallen, making?? me wonder why it existed in the first place.

[caption id="attachment_395708" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

A flawed but good experience

Overall, I like Atlas Fallen. It's great to see Deck13 step ?outside its comfort zone and show us their ??take on an open world. It's a good time, but it could have been a great time.

This was honestly a tough title to review for me. In some ways, Atlas Fallen shows glimpses of a truly remarkable AAA title. The world is vast and beautiful and lively. But in other ways, it just makes me wish it had been more. The combat system had the potential to leave a memorable mark on the genre. But, in reality, it will instead pr?obably end up being forgettable instead. It felt like perhaps Deck13 played things way too safe with their first no?n-Soulslike endeavor.

I do think there is reason enough to experience Atlas Fallen. Especially if you are a fan of the action RPG genre. It may not leave a lasting impression once you've completed the adventure. But it will be enjoyable enough along the way to hold your interest. Also, I didn't get the opportunity to try it out but you can play the entirety of Atlas Fallen co-operatively. Honestly, while I don't think ??that would fix any of the bigger flaws. However, I do think it could enhance the experience overall.

Perhaps the best words to summarize Atlas Fallen is this: I can't wait? to see what? Deck13 does next.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Atlas Fallen appeared first on Destructoid.

Accidental tourism

The Gamecube started off with a bang in 2001. As if Star War: Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader, Luigi’s Mansion, and Wave Race: Blue Storm weren’t enough to get fans through the year, Pikmin and Super Smash Bros. Melee dropped on the same day on December 3, 2001. It would be crazy to pit any game against such a titan today, but Smash Bros. wasn’t yet the institution it would soon become.

I have a lot of warm memories of Pikmin. I remember failing to get the last piece of the Dolphin on my first attempt and arguing about the existence of purple Pikmin on message boards. Good times.

In preparation for Pikmin 4 (which is one of my most anticipated games of the year), Nintendo has released the first two games on Switch in a nice, clear HD update. There's precedent. They previously surprised us with Metroid Prime Remastered, which was far more than just an HD port. Did Nintendo go to the same effort with Pikmin 1? No. Did I get?? the last piece of t?he Dolphin? You better believe it.

[caption id="attachment_388240" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Pikmin 1 (Switch)
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: June 21, 2023
MSRP: $29.99

Pikmin is the story of the intrepid Captain Olimar, whose intelligence is not up to par with his intrepidness. While cruising the galaxy in his favorite ship, he’s hit by an asteroid and s?ent crashing onto a nearby planet. With his only hope of escape in tatters, he enlists the aid of some indigenous root vegetables to help him piece it back together.

The original Pikmin is perhaps the most anxiety-inducing. You have 30 days to assemble your ship before Olimar’s life support runs out. There are 30 parts, though only 25 of them are necessary to prevent the spaceman’s posthumous metamorphosis. When you’re new to the game, maintaining a pace of obtaining a ship part each day can be a ?bit of a tall orde?r. It’s sufficient enough, though. This time through the game, I managed to get everything in 18 days.

//youtu.be/_kKLW7_218s

A new pair of glasses

While Pikmin 1 is largely a straight port of the Wii version played at a higher resolution, it’s been touched up. Mainly, this is just the interface, which dis??plays in HD rather than simply upscaled from its original resolution. You can also play using either motion contro??ls or joypad. Some people swear by using the pointer, but I feel most comfortable with two sticks.

At least I would, but the port also changes the use of the right stick. On the Gamecube version, simply pointing the stick would rally your Pikmin in that direction to? attack or grab anything they ran into. In the port, it moves the camera. This makes a whole lot of sense to everybody except my t?humbs. Holding the L button results in the right stick functioning as it did originally, but my muscle memory is so ingrained that I’d forget to do this when under pressure.

In any case, the point here is that you shouldn’t expect Pikmin 1 to have been given the tender, loving care of Metroid Prime Remastered. A closer expectation is that it’s more on the level of Super Mario Sunshine from the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collectio??n, which I still can’t believe is no longer ava?ilable. That is screwed up.

[caption id="attachment_388241" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Root vegetables

In any case, Nintendo hasn’t imposed the same time limitation on the Pikmin remasters, which is nice. Pikmin maybe doesn’t top my list of favorite Gamecube games??, but I still love it very much. It’s a survival game with none of the features that we would?? normally associate with the modern survival genre. It’s also interesting in the fact that you can grow hundreds of the little carrot people, and still, it’s hard not to feel bad when your judgment fails and a few dozen get squashed by a Wollyhop.

Poor identical little dudes.

Pikmin 1 is also the most straightforward in its concept. The only gating you run into is when it comes to collecting Pikmin abilities. You start off with only red, which are immune to fire and hit harder. Then there’s yellow that can carry bombs and fly farther wh??en thrown. Finally, you obtain blue, who can breath underwater and that’s good enough. Once you ?have them all, the world is your oyster.

Actually, not quite. The different stages are unlocked after obtaining a certain number of ship parts, but the point is that, very early, you’re essentially let off the leash. The only thing between you and s??uccess is your vegetables and your brain. It’s quite refreshing, even if that means you can finish the game in 18 in-game days (8-ish hours for a fresh run).

[caption id="attachment_388243" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Carrot-kind

Pikmin’s unique premise and tight design have ensured that it remains rather ageless. Even the graphics, as aged as they are, still convey everything they need to. It’s every bit as enjoyable now as it was back in 2001. Pikmin nailed it so hard?? on the first try that its sequels could only really iterate on the concept.

Pikmin 4 is looking like it may be the biggest evolution the series has seen, but it’s unlikely you’ll need any prior experience with the earlier titles. Nonetheless, I absolutely recommend you check out Pikmin 1 if you haven’t already. If you are familiar with the original, just know that this is a solid port, but it doesn’t really add anything that wasn’t in the GameCube version. However, with its bumped-up re??solution, it’s easily the best way to play this absolutely timeless fight for carrot-kind’s survival.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Pikmin 1 (2023) appeared first on Destructoid.

As I hung up the phone, it occurred to me, he'd grown up just like me

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life offers a slightly different take on the well-worn farming sim genre. As a new resident of the Forgotten Valley, you’re still here to revitalize an ol??d farm and socialize with the townsfolk, but it’s that second aspect that takes a central role here. The point of your new life in this hamlet isn’t to save a farm or to stop the development of a theme park...

You’re here to make a life for yourself, one that is filled with love, fa?mily, and ??friends.

[caption id="attachment_387436" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (PC, PS5, Switch [reviewed], Xbox Series X|S)
Developer: Marvelous
Publisher: Xseed Games
Released: June 27, 2023
MSRP: $49.99

A Wonderful Life is one Story of Seasons title that genuinely lives up to its name. Prior games in the series �and when I say prior, I mean those before the release of the original version of this game back on the GameCube in 2003 �put the focus squarely on farming, with making friends and courtship positioned as side activities to keep players busy between harvests. In A Wonderful Life, those elements are the core of the experience. Yes, you'll still spend roughly half your time tending to crops and livestock as you would in any other Story of Seasons game, (and the farming system can get somewhat deep with hybrid crops and animal husbandry to consider), but nothing you do on this farm matters if you go home to an empty ?house and an empty bed at the end of the day.

It's your activities outside your farm that make the difference in Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life. Meeting people, making friends, falling in love; these have (mostly) always been elements of the franchise, but here, whether or?? not you've had a life well-lived will be determined by your success in these ar??eas.

The story of A Wonderful Life is divided into several periods of your farmer's life. You'll start the first ye??ar single and hopefully ready to mingle as you'll need to be married to one of the eight eligible townsfolk—same-sex relationships are an option here as is the option to make your farmer non-binary—by the end of winter or it's on to the end c??redits roll. From there, you and your companion will have a child, and the next several chapters will focus on how well you do as a parent, as a partner, and as a member of the community. As your child grows into an adult, you and your spouse will grow old. People in the town will age as well. Some will die. People will move, and others will make a new start in the Forgotten Valley.

I've played plenty of games in the Story of Seasons franchise over the past decade, but not one of them handles all of the stuff outside your farm as well as A Wonderful Life does.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q2qKTRydI0

Life on the farm is pretty par for the course. To accommodate the structure of the game's story, each season in A Wonderful Life lasts just 10 days. For some crops, that might mean you get one shot at growing it a season. For players who like to maximize their farm's potential, there are hybrid fruits and vegetables to discover, several?? different breeds of cows, each with their own milk, and machines that can help guarantee high-quality crops. With the available arable land being as small as it is, tending to your farm will likely only take up a few hours each day. That leaves plenty of time to go fishing, help out at the archaeology site, complete various requests, participate in some mini-games, or try to strengt?hen your relationships with the people around town.

Or you ??can spend that time shaping your child into the adult they will become. In your role as a parent, you can help dictate your child's future, directing them toward one of several interests that may ultimately become their vocation. I'm not entirely sure how much of a difference it makes between which path your kid takes, but the destination didn't matter that much to me. It was the journey that won me over, all those nights spent playing with my daughter, buying her toys, and watching her grow from a toddler to a tween to an adult.

I don't have kids in real life. And, I'm not entirely sure if I want them. But seeing my virtual daughter grow into a young woman was something special to experience. In those moments, when time would jump ahead and I'd see how my rearing impacted her growth, I felt this sense of accomplishment no other Story of Seasons game has given me.

[caption id="attachment_387435" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

If you're already sold on Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life as a fan of the original and are just wondering how this remaster holds up, know that this is an exceptional version of the game. The Forgotten Valley looks wonderful in HD, it runs pretty much flawlessly on Switch, I appreciate most of the new character designs, and Marvelous has added enough new elements, incl??uding new hybrid crops, new recipes, and a new bachelor in Gordy, to make this a return visit well worth making if you've played it before.

Just don't expect certain elements, like animal husbandry, to have the depth they once did as a lot of the processes have been streamlined. For those who didn't give it a try on the GameCube or PlayStation 2, the easiest way to decide if this is right for you is to ask yourself how important you consider farming in your farming sims. If there is one complaint I have that isn't just nitpickin?g, it's that the audio isn't up to par with the rest of the prese??ntation.

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is a remarkable experience. It takes the classic farming formula and gives it a purpose beyond just seeing how many S-ranked tomatoes you can grow. With its focus on family, legacy, and living a good life, this ?is a farming sim where what you do away from the fields is as important as what you do when you're tilling that land. It's a game that encourages a healthy work-life balance, and there is no better lesson we need in our modern era than that.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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