I love Kirby’s Adventure. It’s my favorite Kirby title and my favorite NES title, too. I’ve played it countless times and each one has been an absolute pleasure, as I mow down enemies, wreck the bosses, unlock all of the extras, and clear stages in a blur. Kirby’s Adventure is a joy and a gem, and so back when Nightmare in Dream Land was first released, I was excited to play this reimagining of my favorite Kirby title. Strangely enough, nowadays I have very little recollection of my experience with it. Is it because the memories have mixed with those I have of Kirby’s Adventure, or have they just faded with time? Regardless, as I’m finding myself once again wanting to blitz through Adventure, I thought I would instead give Nightmare in Dream Land another go, and see if it has the same charm and magic the original unquestionably possesses.

Nightmare in Dream Land shares the simplistic plot of its predecessor, in which we see Kirby and the residents of Dream Land unable to dream anymore. Dreams have stopped flowing from the Fountain of Dreams and as Kirby sets out to find out why, he spots King DeDeDe. Upon witnessing DeDeDe taking the Star Rod from the Fountain of Dreams and handing pieces of it to his cohorts, Kirby sets out to recover the fragments and return the Star Rod to the Fountain, thus mending the flow of dreams to Dream Land. Unbeknownst to Kirby, however, a more sinister presence looms over the dreams and dreamers of Dream Land.

Like the original, Nightmare in Dream Land presents its story with a slideshow if you wait on the start screen, which means we are gifted a cute, colorful introduction to Kirby’s quest. Concise and cute, the slideshow conveys Dream Land’s current dilemma in a way for players of any age to grasp, and is adorably befitting of the Kirby style. The inviting slideshow, depicting an equally delightful story, nicely segues players towards the charm, energy, and fun this game has to offer.

Gameplay will be very familiar to Adventure fans, yet is still a blast

As a remake of one of the most spirited titles of the series, Nightmare in Dream Land delivers exactly what one would expect regarding its gameplay. The essence of Kirby’s Adventure has been faithfully reproduced, which means making your way through cleverly designed stages full of enemies to tackle. The imaginative and diverse platforming of the original is mostly preserved here, seeing Kirby run, swim, and fly across stages that are as colorful and charming as they are perilous. Adventure’s copy ability style is also preserved, meaning we don’t see newer powers nor the additions that many abilities have received in later titles. Rather, we get the most traditional form of this iconic gameplay mechanic. The hidden secrets which unlock the mini games also return, though hidden doors and such have been made to be just a touch more visible compared to Adventure. Overall, gameplay regarding the main campaign has been pleasantly and appreciably reproduced, providing the same levels of liveliness and enjoyment.

Ability aesthetics from other games have been brought in, but not their extra attacks

Of course, a remake will have changes and additions, and fortunately these only add to the quality. One new inclusion is the multiplayer, in which up to four players can play the mini games, or play through the main game together. I found this addition to be an incredible idea, especially multiplayer for the main game, as it brings a new way to enjoy a familiar effort. In fact, my hopes are that this multiplayer option is retained if, or when, the game is re-released on the Nintendo eShop. Another set of changes and additions from the original comes by way of the mini games. Rather than Crane Fever and Egg Catcher, Nightmare in Dream Land features Bomb Rally and Air Grind. Certainly different than the two original mini games, both are fun and test similar skills, such as reaction speed and precision timing. Quick Draw is the only returning mini game and with a redesign, yet still tests reaction time, too. Although I found myself missing Adventure’s mini games, again, the two new offerings and the redesigned Quick Draw are each a pleasure to play.

One of the two brand new mini-games is a race that demands timing and precision

Although Nightmare in Dream Land offers a close reproduction of Adventure’s excellent gameplay, it also possesses the very few shortcomings of the original, as well. The challenge of gameplay remains on the accessible side, meaning more veteran gamers will blaze through the game. That’s not to say there isn’t any challenge, as there are plenty of segments with clever platforming and shrewdly placed enemies to test your skills. Several of the boss fights, too, offer a pleasant challenge, yet with a bit of practice and patience, all challenges can be overcome rather quickly. The other shortcoming, really more of a wish on my part, is game length. As in, I wish the experience, as wonderful as it is, was longer. Yes, this is me wanting more of the charm and fun the game offers, but longer stages and more of them would have been magical. Other than the one minor issue and my wish for more, Nightmare in Dream Land is every bit the gameplay achievement as its predecessor.

Ah yes, those enchanting, giant buttons

Perhaps the most obvious difference between Adventure and Nightmare in Dream Land is the aesthetic presentation, given the GBA’s hardware. As such, the developers had much more artistic freedom, and I believe they made the most of it. Visually, Nightmare is absolutely beautiful, with more coloration and detail across backgrounds, foregrounds, and sprites. Dream Land looks incredible with the added details, making for levels and backgrounds that exude a fantastical, vivid feel. Also, each level has benefited from the new graphics by way of their style and character. For example, Vegetable Valley has become more of the lush natural haven it’s intended to be, with more to emphasize its forested foregrounds and idyllic land and riverscape backgrounds. Or, I like how Butter Building’s first stages have sections depicting clean, regal surroundings, yet also feature portrayals of lost history, past battles, and dilapidation in later ones. As for sprites, Kirby and the enemies definitely look cleaner and only benefit from the larger color palette. The hats and such that depict abilities are easy to recognize, and I appreciate that many of the powers’ attack animations have been altered or touched up for the better. The enemy sprites, especially mid and main bosses, all look as good as ever, emphasizing that creative element in each of their designs. As a whole, Nightmare’s visuals perfectly recapture the same whimsical style and feel of Adventure, with a noteworthy effort full of the same fanciful charm.

From backgrounds to foreground, the worlds look bright and teeming

As for the audio, Nightmare updates the original tracks of Adventure, altering tones and adding to their melodies and harmonies. I felt the end results were appreciable, as most of the tracks gain a bit of pep, fitting nicely with the energy of gameplay. The few slower, calmer tracks see more in the ways of altered harmonizing, which nicely emphasizes their intended mood setting. As for sound effects, they, too, have been updated, with sharper and cleaner effects, yet maintain the styles and intentions of their 8-bit counterparts. As a whole, the audio efforts are impressive, as the altering, sharpening, and modernizing of the audio never diminishes, but rather maintains the styles, moods, and overall allure of the original’s audio.

Classic Kirby right here. May some things never change…

Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land is both a wonderful experience on its own, and a nostalgically delightful reminder of the brilliance of Kirby’s Adventure. Nightmare does a fantastic job of honoring the past, with similarly high quality gameplay. And yet, it also manages to deliver its own charm and feel through its aesthetics, as well as touches of uniqueness in its encompassing style, feel, and gameplay, as well. Overall, Nightmare is every bit as fun as its predecessor and deserving of the same degree of praise. As of this writing, unfortunately, Nightmare is not available on the Nintendo eShop, nor are there any plans to make it available. However, I do believe, at some point, we will see it again, given its quality and contributions to the Kirby series. My hopes are that a release is announced sooner rather than later and that HAL Labs is able to make its multiplayer available, perhaps via an online play option. As for me, I’ll be including Nightmare in Dream Land into the rotation when I doubtlessly get the itch to play through this chapter of Kirby in the future.

Review Score
Overall

The post TBT Review: Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land appeared first on oprainfall.

I feel like I can always turn to a Kirby title when I’m emotionally low. Charming, candid, and overall uplifting, the Kirby games forever deliver fun, leisurely experiences without the need to stress or exert. My last few reviews touch upon games that offer this; ones which demand very little and offer us much more. The Kirby series has taken this and made it a style of its very own, offering us a unique escape full of wonder and magic which only a lovable puffball like Kirby can take us on. In Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, this escape is more an escapade of secrets and discovery. Very much an adventure full of hidden paths to uncover and large worlds to explore, this longer Kirby installment yet has plenty of easygoing fun to swiftly brighten and uplift any mood.

In Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, a Mirror World resides above Dream Land, whose mirrors may reflect, and make reality, the wishes of those that may peer into them. One day, a malevolent force enters the Mirror World, reflecting its own evil intentions upon the mirrors, thus plunging the Mirror World into darkness. Meta Knight recognizes that this darkness threatens both the Mirror World and Dream Land, and so sets off to the Mirror World. Meanwhile, Kirby is confronted by a shadow resembling Meta Knight and is soon split into four copies of himself. The shadow takes off towards the Mirror World and the four Kirbys give chase. Upon their arrival, they see the real Meta Knight being cast into a mirror by the shadow, who then breaks said mirror, and scatters its fragments across the Mirror World. The four Kirbys must now collect the fragments, track down this shadow to save Meta Knight, and stop the threat to both the Mirror World and Dream Land.

Four Kirbys, four times the adorable chaos

Like most Kirby titles, we’re offered just enough story to give background and reason for the adventure Kirby is setting out upon. And although the story is not overly unique, in fact, collecting fragments of a plot device is a Kirby staple, it possesses enough charm, familiarity, and ease of understanding to make the game both attractive to its fans and easily accessible to all. Young, old, experienced, or newcomers, the story is simple and inviting. Ultimately, the pure, innocent plot serves as a perfect segue into what truly makes a Kirby game a Kirby game; its gameplay.

Like most Kirby games, Kirby & the Amazing Mirror’s gameplay offers simple, pure fun that any level of player can enjoy. And with a suitable challenge level, as well as easy-to-master controls, attention can be fully given to the experience. Starting with the familiar, Amazing Mirror is an action platformer that sees Kirby traversing colorful worlds, avoiding hazards, and mowing down loads of enemies by using them as projectiles, or by copying their abilities. The abilities Kirby can copy are plentiful, ranging from familiar favorites to several new ones, such as the Smash ability, which lets Kirby use some of his Smash Bros move set. Also, several of the well-known abilities have been expanded to give Kirby additional ways to attack with them, akin to Kirby’s Super Star. Needless to say, learning of an ability’s additions and being pleasantly surprised is a blast.

Some abilities have multiple attacks

Although there are similarities aplenty to other Kirby titles, Amazing Mirror does feature a few unique changes that add a bit of variety to the classic Kirby formula. Perhaps the standout difference is the Metroidvania style implemented for this title. Rather than a linear series of worlds and stages, players must traverse an interconnected world whose many paths must be discovered, or unlocked using specific abilities to advance. Those abilities are usually nearby or near enough to a door leading back to the central hub area, so the task is never daunting. Rather, the way this style is implemented simply lets you explore spans of different worlds and rewards you when you take note and remember hints, or when you have the chance to revisit. I would say the Metroidvania style has been adapted to perfectly fit the delightful Kirby mood and feel.

Doors previously entered won’t glow, making it easier to recognize and explore new paths

Other unique additions to gameplay include the phone, which summons the other Kirbys, or a warp star, and multiplayer. With the phone, the other Kirbys can be called for simple actions like having them hold down switches to open doors, or to just cause a bit of havoc when overwhelmed by enemies. Calling the other Kirbys during a boss fight possesses its own particular brand of adorable chaos. The warp star takes you back to the central hub, either when needing a quick escape or to traverse the world quickly. As for multiplayer, on the Game Boy Advance, it allowed up to four to connect and play together. In regards to current availability and hardware, we can only wait and see if the potential Nintendo Switch release will remodel the multiplayer for local and/or online play.

Old favorites like Spark work as they always have, but some abilities have alterations or added actions

Another aspect of gameplay that departs from the norm, Amazing Mirror features a slightly higher than expected challenge level. Narrow areas of play filled with enemies is a frequently used design, which may test unprepared players. Also, unique hazards and level layouts that will test your platforming add to the challenge. New, tougher enemies add to the challenge too, as these require more than one or two hits to defeat, as well as a bit of caution when approached. I appreciate the danger they add, though I found they can also slow a faster play pace. And lastly, the boss battles have their intimidating moments, though I found them far more entertaining than difficult, with a clever blend of familiar and unique. Altogether, the challenge level is, again, a bit higher than expected, along the lines of Kirby 3, yet a little patience and practice will always see you through.

Tantalizing buttons like these connect the worlds to the central hub for easy future access

Taken in its entirety, Kirby & the Amazing Mirror’s gameplay is impressive. The level designs are imaginative and various, inviting players to explore and engage. The execution of the Metroidvania style is noteworthy, as it adds much in the way of exploration and depth to play. And for those looking for the more traditional Kirby experience, worry not, as there are ample opportunities to unleash and plow through waves of enemies. Mowing them down is as fun as always, and the challenge of mid and main boss fights offers pure satisfaction when victorious. The new aspects, and the familiar, all work well together to offer an overall uniquely deep, remarkably fun experience.

Blades like sword or the cutter can cut strings

The Kirby style typically means aesthetics saturated in charm, and Kirby & the Amazing Mirror offers it in spades, with its imaginative, inviting visuals and solid sound score. Starting with its visuals, this game simply looks outstanding. The backgrounds and level designs are colorful and appealing, and the spritework is equally impressive. Especially Kirby’s sprites, the depictions and effects of each of Kirby’s powers look great, showing off the cleverness behind the abilities. Enemy and boss designs are just as impressive and offer Kirby some truly unique adversaries. The overall feel of the visuals is lively and charismatic, perfectly capturing that appealing Kirby style. As for the audio, every track is fitting for its environment, adding to the charm and feel of the worlds Kirby traverses. Each piece also does well in its ability to set or emphasize the mood, bringing more immersion and energy to the experience. I also appreciate the mix of familiar and new, as some music borrows from previous works, while others are completely new to the series. A last note, the musical effort as a whole sounds like Kirby; entirely fitting and evoking that particular style and feel we come to expect from a Kirby title.

From the worlds to their inhabitants, the game looks invitingly enchanting

Kirby & the Amazing Mirror is a mesmerizing journey and an authentically fun romp through one of the most imaginative and deep of the Kirby titles. It’s a gem, and most definitely a must play for any fan of the series. Newcomers, too, will easily find the fun and charm of Kirby in this title, which offers hours of gameplay for those that appreciate fast, high-energy platforming or plenty of exploration. With its simple, enjoyable gameplay and engaging aesthetics, Kirby & the Amazing Mirror will never fail to entertain or brighten any mood. A final note, as of this writing, Nintendo supposedly remains intent to release Kirby & the Amazing Mirror on Nintendo Switch Online. Therefore, I wholeheartedly recommend anyone with interest to keep an eye out, for this is absolutely a Kirby game worth experiencing.

Review Score
Overall

The post TBT Review: Kirby & the Amazing Mirror appeared first on oprainfall.

In my previous TBT review, I cover Super Mario Land 1 and 2 for the Game Boy and I talk about the simplicity of their gameplay. To go a bit further, I’d say I appreciate this aspect the most in these kinds of games, for it makes them terribly easy to just pick up and play. There is no significant time commitment nor mental or emotional investment needed to get enjoyment out of them. Also, there is a particular charm these titles possess along with that simplicity. They may feature silly backstories to start us off, and incorporate seemingly ridiculous elements in their worlds and gameplay. And we hardly ever question it, we just accept it and enjoy the magic. Those are the feelings I look forward to presently, wanting to game, not having much time or the feeling to do so. So instead, I recently reached for the Game Boy versions of Adventure Island I and II, soon enjoying the simple and the silly, as well as the challenge and fun they offer.

Like with so many titles from the late ’80s and early ’90s, backstories and story development were glossed over in favor of gameplay, and Adventure Island I and II are no exceptions. In these cases, it’s the typical “save the princess” storyline as we play as Master Higgins to save a girl named Tina from a cohort of monsters in I, and Jeannie from aliens in II. And from there, gameplay takes center stage. Bare bones is all I can say, and although I chose to play and review these games specifically for the need to leave my mind and emotions behind, an additional plot point or two wouldn’t have hurt.

Both titles have gameplay mechanics that are easy to learn and master

Anyway, we’re here for the gameplay, and that of Adventure Island I and II both have their strong points; however, they each have their flaws too. Starting with their basic gameplay, both titles are platformers that offer varied means of attack and movement. Both games see Higgins equipping a throw-able weapon, with II offering a variety of weapons with different behaviors. Both games also offer him opportunity to pair up with a dinosaur ally that may alter his movements, from running or swimming faster, to traversing dangerous terrain, or even flat out flying over most obstacles. The main objective of both games is to survive, as these titles implement a 1-hit sudden death style, while side-scrolling through each stage, or fighting a boss at the end in specific stages. Both games offer eight levels, or islands, with around five stages per level. Both also feature hidden bonuses in various forms. In II especially, alternate routes, hidden stages, and mini games will be rewarded to those keeping a sharp eye. And so, clearing enemies, dodging hazards, and collecting fruit to replenish a health bar styled timer, all the while keeping a lookout for hidden advantages, bonuses, and secret paths, make up the core of gameplay.

Hidden doors and extras can be found if one is willing to do a touch of exploration

As for execution, gameplay is mostly solid in both titles. The play mechanics are simple and easy to master, and the overall degree of challenge is acceptable, as platforming, enemy variety, and layout all gradually increase the difficultly as the games progress. The item system, which allows you to stock and choose which weapons and companions to take before a stage is helpful, especially when you’re finding yourself stuck on a particularly difficult stage. Lastly, all of the hidden extras help to add diversity to a gameplay structure that may feel unduly familiar.

Dino buddies allow faster movement and help Higgins cross dangerous terrain

As I mentioned, the two titles also have their flaws; however, beginning with that familiarity, gameplay in both titles is nothing truly unique. Even when these titles were first released, there were already games that offered more unique play mechanics or were notably more impressive or innovative in their platforming. Gameplay can also come to feel repetitive quickly due to uninspired and terribly short stage designs. Most stages can be cleared within a minute or two with marginal skill or strategy. The increase in challenge, the bonuses, and the boss battles all help to stave off the feeling, yet with minimal effort or a touch of practice, any and all stages can be sped through, meaning that most play time is spent on these numerous short, familiar treks. I’d even suggest that if the health/ time bar were eliminated, I’d feel more inclined to spend additional time within each stage to explore or collect everything. Another, smaller complaint, is that Adventure Island I lacks the password system of II, meaning that the game must be completed in a single sitting. Hardly an issue for the experienced or veterans of platformers, rather I make comment of this as it may be a point of frustration for younger or less experienced players. My complaints aside, both games are, again, solid gameplay efforts, offering plenty of fun for those willing to demonstrate a bit of forgiveness.

Moving on to aesthetics, Adventure Island I has a satisfactory visual and audio effort, making the game look and sound as one may expect given its title. Visually, the designs of stages channel that island feel to an extent, with terrain and platforms having a primitive, untamed style. Backgrounds also have the island vibe, however many designs are a bit on the minimal side, with reused, repeating designs and long stretches of blankness. The strongest visual point is the pixel art, as Higgins, the enemies, and the dino buddies all look great. And as for the audio, the developers tried to adapt music from the NES predecessor, however, the tracks sound squeaky at their worst and are forgettable at their best. The music simply lacks impact, thus they serve as a basic alternative to silence. Too few tracks to begin with, they are also reused often, however, I will say each track does sound and feel fitting with the stage they’re paired with.

II’s visuals are stronger, with its sharper, more detailed spritework

Adventure Island II has an overall better aesthetic presentation, featuring stronger pixel art, and a cleaner, less squeaking audio effort. Visually, the spritework is sharper and more detailed, bringing a bit more life to Higgins, the new and returning dino allies, and to the new enemies. The sharper spritework also gives an overall cleaner, more appealing look. Stage design and backgrounds possess the same strengths and shortcomings as I, as they, too, channel the primitive island style and feel in their designs, yet are also lacking detail and variation. Lastly, the audio effort is better, in that the music is less grating or squeaky, but again, too few tracks that lack memorableness are reused often to fill the game out. Overall, the aesthetics of both games have similar strengths and weaknesses, making for adequate efforts that merely serve their purposes, albeit failing to leave significant lasting impressions.

II features more stages, including hidden ones and alternate paths to complete the game

Adventure Island I and II are pleasant, straightforward romps across handfuls of short, vanilla platforming stages. With hints of charm and whispers of challenge, both titles offer short spurts of pure fun, yet offer experiences more familiar and plain than anything else. Depth and intrigue these titles have not, however, for those looking for experiences that will allow players to easily and readily turn their minds off, I can wholeheartedly recommend the simplicity of play and ease of distraction these titles can offer.

Note: As you may have guessed by now, I am using the numbering specific to the western releases on the original Game Boy.

Review Score
Adventure Island I
Adventure Island II

The post TBT Review: Adventure Island I and II appeared first on oprainfall.

Recently struggling to find time to game and missing it, nostalgia can be an especially powerful motivator. Remembering certain titles from my youth and how much I enjoyed them, as well as recalling that jovial ability to just play while shutting myself off to the world around me, finally got me to pick something up and play. It didn’t matter how popular or niche, nor how long or short the games were, I enjoyed them as a kid and hoped I would do so again. And so, I revisited two well-known classics, Super Mario Land and Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, pleasantly humbled for how much enjoyment I received from two short, yet particularly charming games from my youth, and now, as I write this, trying to be as objective as I can through my waves of nostalgia.

These Game Boy titles were pure, classic platforming

So, classic Mario is save the princess right? Sort of. We all know how lax the Mario developers can be regarding stories, yet we are, gratefully, provided a bit of setup with these two titles, providing just enough reason for Mario to do what he does best. In Super Mario Land (SML1), Mario treks through Sarasaland in order to find and rescue a princess. But not Peach, groundbreaking, I know. It’s Daisy. Daisy has been abducted by an alien and they, along with four other unique bosses, are terrorizing Sarasaland. In Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (SML2), a jealous rival of Mario’s past, Wario, manages to take over Mario’s island during his time saving Daisy. As to how Mario acquires or owns an island, furnished with his own castle, as a supposed humble plumber will forever nag me. I mean, did Peach just give him an island? Or did he buy it? With what money then? And did he build the castle, or hire help? Really, did Peach just finance the whole thing? Anyway, upon his return to a now spellbound island, he must recover 6 coins to re-enter his now captured castle to oust the jealous squatter, break the spell, and return his island back to its once peaceful tranquility.

Both games have plenty of secrets to discover

Needless to say, no one is playing these titles for the blurbs included in the instruction booklets. No, we’re here for classic Mario, which is to put our platforming skills to the test, while dealing with suspiciously well placed enemies and enticing us with discoverables along the way. SML1 offers a decent, though short, challenge reminiscent of its original NES counterpart. Four worlds with three levels each, this is mostly classic platforming with a variety of enemies thrown in, and with the difficulty naturally increasing as we progress. The platforming has its moments of cleverness in its design, necessitating speed, good timing, and a daring jump or two. There are also hidden extras for those on the lookout, in the forms of pipes that lead to rooms full of coins, or invisible blocks and lifts that may also lead to coins or 1UPs. They surely help in an otherwise strictly side-scrolling style of gameplay. And then there are the two shooter-style levels, of which I wish there were more. They welcomely break up the monotony of the platforming, and only add to the fun. Fighting the final boss of the game in this style is also a pleasant departure from the norm. I feel the game would have only benefitted from more of these levels, as the strict platforming can feel one-dimensional. But let’s face it, more levels in any form would have been a boon, for it’s over all too soon. And yes, even with an expert mode to tackle after completing a full run, the experience is overall sweet, yet too short.

Only 2 levels like this was nowhere near enough

Then there’s SML2, which improves upon gameplay in nearly every aspect by adding a variety of different environments, adding new abilities, and bringing tons of creativity to its platforming. Perhaps the most notable aspect of gameplay is the emphasis of vertical platforming. We’re no longer constrained to a left-to-right course that simply has gaps or minimal climbing within a fixed vertical axis, but rather most levels feature ascending and dropping to their main and hidden paths. Platforming only gets better by the use of an assortment of moving platforms and the need to push abilities to their limit. The magic carrot, for instance, which gives Mario rabbit ears and the ability of slow descent, opens up the platforming by pushing the degree of challenge and making for some novel ways to reach hidden areas. And lastly, many of the more challenging platforming sequences require you to bounce off enemies. A well timed bounce may allow you to reach a seemingly out of reach area, or, paired with the rabbit ears, extend a long descent enough to reach a secret path.

As for criticisms, the only real complaint I have is that SML2 skimps on the levels that drastically alter the platforming. The Space Zone, for example, only offers two levels, plus a hidden third. I would have loved more, as Mario’s speed and jumps are affected by the different gravity levels of the moon and star courses. I find the altered gravity a clever way to change up the platforming, and so I wish we could have had more. Also, the level to reach the Space Zone, in which you need to navigate the course while floating in a bubble, and the familiar yet few underwater levels all offer variety in gameplay, and so I wish we could have had more. Honestly, not enough of the good things is, again, my complaint here, as SML2 is an absolute gem and always a fun experience.

Check out more classic Mario on page 2 ->

The post TBT REVIEW: Super Mario Land 1 & 2 appeared first on oprainfall.

Unlike Ghost in the Shell (1995), of which I had fond memories wholly colored by pure nostalgia, my recollection of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is starkly different. Having only watched the film after experiencing the brilliant revitalization of the franchise through Stand Alone Complex, I remember Ghost in the Shell 2 being a convoluted, poorly developed examination of the series’ common themes framed around a storyline that received the absolute minimal of effort by its writers. In fact, what I remember most vividly is my own feeling of disappointment when contrasting the success of Stand Alone Complex’s fantastic stories, character development, and world building with the clash of Ghost in the Shell 2’s struggle to engage and immerse me throughout the film. Nostalgia again may be playing a role regarding my feelings and memories here, as I have fond ones innumerable for S.A.C. With that in mind, I’ve decided to revisit Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence in the hopes that I discover new charms, new depth, and a perhaps an appreciation for a film I have since felt unfavorably towards all those years ago.

Taking place after the first film, Ghost in the Shell 2 begins with Public Security Section 9’s Batou and Togusa investigating a string of killings by supposed malfunctioning gynoids. Due to the frequency and specificity of the particular types of robots involved, the investigative tone transitions from hardware failure to premeditated murder, yet with no clear motives in view. The investigation takes an umbral turn when the remnants of a ghost, a human consciousness, are found in one of the gynoids. Soon after, a Yakuza hit involving an employee of LOCUS SOLUS, the manufacturer of these specific gynoids, provides a step towards a far deeper conspiracy. And so what began as a probe of possible hardware malfunction turns into a vastly more sinister narrative of corporate malfeasance, organized crime, trafficking, and the exploitation of both body and soul.

After my rewatch, Ghost in the Shell 2 remains in my eyes a mishmash of philosophical themes, droning dialogue, and sequences that try, but fail, to set mood, all bearing over a poorly constructed story. Beginning with its story, it’s a spotty, fragmented drama, whose key points are nearly buried by the producers’ attempts to jam as much existentialism and implicitness into every scene. The story is so hollow, it comes off as if the writers made a list of points to cover from the manga chapters this film is based on without any desire whatsoever to flesh them out. The result is a wisp of a plotline, unable to hold one’s attention, let alone begin to immerse.

A glaring example of this lack of detail is the scene where the dead LOCUS SOLUS employee is discovered. This should be a major turning point, as this is when the story begins its transformation from murder investigation to the realization that something deeper is unfolding. The scene is portrayed in a nebulous manner, however, in which viewers may miss the connections that, later on, tie all of the pieces of the mystery together. Instead, the connections and final resolution feel anything but, too far stretched thin and buried under stylized allegory by the time they occur. Perhaps the writers realized they had taken their reliance on implication and metaphor too far, as towards the end of the film, one of the characters provides a short expositive monologue for Batou’s sake, yet more likely for ours. Needless to say, I would have preferred substance throughout rather then failed profundity and a summary at the end.

The nature of robots is one aspect of the larger discussion

Alternatively to a deep story, Ghost in the Shell 2 focuses on introducing existential and philosophical themes framed around its trademark backdrops of technological and digital advancement. Ideas concerning constituents of life, and questions pertaining to consciousness, their origins and what may possess them, are some of the themes the film presents. Can a shell, in any of its robotic iterations, be considered living if having possession of a consciousness? Does the method of how that consciousness came about play into the answer? Similar to Ghost in the Shell (1995), these themes and resultant questions are proposed to make its audience think; to consider possibilities that may arise as the lines between life and technology blur.

Unfortunately, just like its predecessor, Ghost in the Shell 2 only vaguely attempts to prompt said discussions, as there is hardly any depth offered to keep the discussion going. Rather, these themes are brought up haphazardly throughout a wash of convoluted conversations, silent implications, and attempts at tone-instilling symbolism. These methods of narration are partly to blame, most notably the dialogue, as it’s uninspired and quote heavy, purely to serve as a means to pack in as many references to philosophy, religion, and symbolism as possible. A passing quote or mention of a philosophical topic before firing off the next only serves to exemplify the detached style of narrative. The results are interactions full of indifference rather than the implications and allusions the writers are trying for. And those attempts to encourage the audience to contemplate those existential themes fail in the end, as no room is left for further exploration through narration, nor time for viewers to consider the deeper meanings. I, personally, kept having to adjust my attention and train of thought as I tried to make sense of the detached strings of theoretical verbiage. In the end, the reliance on themes through brute force and implication simply doesn’t hold up. Pairing all of this with its shallow storyline and you have a film that’s just downright plodding.

Thankfully, the dragging conversations are offset with some action

Ghost in the Shell 2’s characters don’t fare much better than the story, again being treated as an afterthought rather than receiving any kind of investment by its writers. Batou is the ever gruff tank and Togusa takes Batou’s place from the first film as the discussion partner. And similar to the first film, character development is also nearly nonexistent. All we learn of Togusa is that he was recruited when he was a police detective and is your stereotypical family man. As for Batou, he’s still the blank-faced tough guy, but now with the smallest of hints of sentimentality for the missing Kusanagi, and a soft spot for his pet basset hound. However, there is one stand out moment for Batou; a single, burst of emotion where he shows anger and sympathy for the dolls involved. Normally, I love these emotional moments and would have loved to have seen more emotion by the characters throughout the film. Regrettably, the emotions Batou displays in this instant only make me feel downright uncomfortable and leave me with a poor impression of him. How the scene plays, overall, comes off as ill-fitted to the rest of the film, simply because of the lack of emotion throughout. But what ultimately will stick with me, the one defining moment of this film, is Batou losing his cool to a child; a trapped, desperate victim. That, to me, is the stand out scene, for it turns Batou into a complete ass. And that’s it; Batou’s an ass, Togusa exists, and regarding the rest of the cast, there’s so little to them that I just won’t bother.

While the 3D animations look good, I think I would have preferred a completely 2D visual style

Whereas the story and its parts only leave subpar impressions and a feeling of exasperation, which you may now be feeling after having read that top half of this review, the aesthetics of Ghost in the Shell 2 leave a better impression. Starting with its animation, the quality is excellent, with its characters and their actions rendered fluidly and adding much needed mood and spirit to help draw in its viewers. The small actions like opening a can of beer or lighting a cigarette stand out, as they all feel authentic to the point of relatable. The equally subtle play on lighting throughout the film, such as the orange glow of holograms or the shifts in lighting when characters walk or drive under lights, also impresses and never fails to contribute to the moods of their featured scenes. Of course the complex animation sequences, such as the adrenaline-pumping action scenes where we see sprays of bullets, raucous melee, and brutal physical destruction, are all outstanding and captivating. They inject plenty of energy and instill that intensity we’ve come to expect from the franchise. My one issue in relation to those more complex animation sequences would be their noticeable scarcity, as heavy action and combat are secondary to the more moody, implicit scenes of mundane inaction and stoicism.

Though real-life holographics may never look like this, I find these portrayals convincing

As for its art style, the film implements a mostly 2D endeavor with 3D CGI, similar to its predecessor film. The 2D style is, of course, saturated in digital and hardware advancement with also quite a bit of holographic portrayal. The quality is high, with detailed illustration across its characters, animation, and backdrops, making for a plausible depiction of a cyberized future. Regarding the implementation of 3D CGI, there’s certainly more than the first film, ranging from static adornments within a 2D backdrop, to fully 3D and animated environments, too. The results definitely stand out, as one would expect when having 2D characters moving about a 3D CGI world. And so, the two styles tend to clash, making for a few awkward sequences here and there, though I do give credit to the times when the two styles work well together.

Lastly, Ghost in the Shell 2’s audio is a mixed bag, in that it possesses some excellent sound effect usage and competent voice acting, however also features a limited and forgettable soundtrack. The sound effects played during wordless scenes and moments that call for ambience are notable, further helping to set moods along with its paired imagery. Solemn scenes of routine or wordless stretches of reason and reflection all contribute to the feel that something deeper awaits. But too much of a good thing can hurt, as these scenes of ambience and silent thought are used far too often, taking away from their impact and leaving me bored at times. The opposites of these scenes, the ones full of gunfire and brutality, are only enhanced by the exquisite accompanying sounds of chaos and destruction one would expect.

At times, perspectives and angles meant to add atmosphere are instead just weird. Yes, that’s Batou’s face when he looks at stuff. We get it.

The voice acting, both the original Japanese and the English dub, is also fairly strong, as this is the only real source of life the characters receive throughout the film. Most of the voice actors that lent their talents to the first film and S.A.C. return here, a huge plus given their abilities.

Then there’s the soundtrack, whose music never adds to the moods or tones on screen, and never quite caught my attention. The tracks just fade into the background of the scenes they’re used for without making any lasting impression. Many of the tracks also sound curiously similar, and that could have been a contributing factor as to why I find the music so unmemorable. Thus with sound effects that have their successful moments of impact versus a sound score soon forgotten, the audio aesthetic is adequate at best.

So it seems my impression of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence has not changed much between my initial viewing of the film years ago and this rewatch. It remains an unimpressive attempt to delve into the franchise’s common themes without the needed depth and development to nurture any kind of lasting intrigue. Its story is a framework at best, a collection of plot points easily lost between stretches of inaction and convoluted scenes filled with philosophic verbal logorrhea. Although the film looks impressive and possesses an audio effort that deserves merit, aesthetics alone are not enough to cover up the film’s glaring flaws. Bottom line, the film just isn’t entertaining. And so, whether it be fans of the genre or the franchise, this is nonetheless a hard pass for most. If curiosity gets the better of anyone, I would only suggest that one prepares themself for a slow, uninteresting drudge through attempted profoundness.

Review Score
Overall Story
Art & Animation
Music & Audio

The post TBT Anime Review: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence appeared first on oprainfall.

Ghost in the Shell has been a mainstay in the cyberpunk genre for decades, defined by its distinct themes of physical augmentation, as well as the inter-connectivity and interweaving of the mind with a digital landscape, and the emphases regarding the soul that the series’ many interpretations introduce. Captivating and intriguing, to think Ghost in the Shell has been igniting our imaginations and continues to have us ponder those more philosophical questions posed since the debut manga back in 1989, is nothing short of extraordinary. The manga managed to lay a foundation of profound concepts and thought, along with plenty of style, action, and tone that defines Ghost in the Shell’s particular brand of cyberpunk. And from the manga came the franchise’s first animation in the form of the 1995 film adaption of the same name. Whether it was my previous knowledge and interactions with the franchise, or perhaps it was purely nostalgia, I had regarded Ghost in the Shell (1995) rather highly. Years later, I find myself wanting to know if this film adaptation remains as truly magnificent as I once believed it to be.

Major Motoko Kusanagi leads the task force for special operations Public Security Section 9, a department that handles digital and traditional national security and counter-terrorism. From digital theft and manipulation, to espionage, to military level incursions, Section 9 is responsible for investigating and neutralizing the most dangerous of digital and real-world threats. An entity only known as The Puppet Master is one such threat, and one that captures Kusanagi’s intrigue. Considered to be a genius hacker, The Puppet Master is able to hack the very ghosts of individuals and through these “ghost-hacks,” controls several individuals to commit digital and real-world crimes on their behalf. However, what starts as a string of crimes leads to a hostile discourse regarding the definitions and purposes of life and existence in this digitally amalgamated world.

Motoko’s implied inner turmoil is often symbolized through reflections throughout the film

This series has always excelled at posing questions and making its audience think through its core themes, and Ghost in the Shell (1995) is no exception, as the philosophical play here is in full force. The concepts surrounding technological augmentation of the body and mind definitely spur the imagination, as do the possibilities that arise when blurring the lines of what constitutes life. Those overlaying themes all serve to engage, which they do so capably.

Having said that, the actual delivery of these themes through the film’s story, as well as its participating characters, is surprisingly weak; weaker than I recalled. In truth, there is little in the way of plot development. Putting my prior knowledge and experience with the series aside, I came to realize that plot points are more thrown at you throughout the film rather than given proper introduction and depth. Details regarding those themes, too, are actually quite limited and receive hardly any genuine development. It’s mostly left up to the viewer to extract the deeper meanings behind what’s being portrayed. On top of that, there are a number of wordless scenes that depict reflection into oneself and other symbolism that, again, is left entirely up to the viewer to interpret.

Physical augmentation plays a crucial role in the world, as well as to why Motoko struggles with the concept of what constitutes being alive

What I believe is the fatal flaw here is that the film fails to ever establish a proper foundation for its story. Right from the start, the film begins with a hardly-pertinent discussion between different parties and soon spirals into a gun fight. Then it’s just action sequences and inner-reflection on Motoko’s part with story fragments, in the form of bits of dialogue, banter and leaps in logic, haphazardly jammed in between. The result is an incoherent, vague story, unable to spark interest or bring together the themes and animation the film inarguably prioritized and relies upon instead. Lastly, for those completely unfamiliar with the series, given all of the shortcomings I’ve discussed, I can certainly see the film failing to provide enough immersion or coherence for newcomer viewers to consider it an appealing watch.

Character development is also lacking, as we never receive much more than each character’s base personalities. Kusanagi is the overly-capable heroine with an existential crisis. Batou is the partner and a dialogue partner. The rest of the cast simply serve to move the story along to its next objective and that’s it. As far as actual development, we get glimmers of Kusanagi’s and Batou’s personalities through a half-philosophical conversation, but really nothing more. None of the humorous banter that’s in the manga. None of the personal conversations. Zero opening up. There isn’t even any fleshing out of the existential crisis Kusanagi supposedly has throughout the film.

In fact, what should be the driving force for Kusanagi’s character; an individual who questions her own existence due to her augmentations, inter-weaved with the Puppet Master’s own existence and his outlooks over what constitutes life and its purposes; is never directly addressed nor developed accordingly. Instead, Kusanagi remains a person of few words, idly staring at her reflection at times, until the latter twenty minutes of the film. Then, Kusanagi’s personality sees a rapid, dramatic change towards obsession. I realize that her fascination, perhaps to a point of obsession, crossed with her own existential crisis, is what drives her actions late in the film. Yet, to say she becomes obsessed is just too much of a stretch, as that aspect of her character is never developed to a believable point. Similar are her actions, as her style transforms from calculated to full-on reckless too quickly, contrasting with her behaviors and character seen in the majority of the film. To put it simply, in the final acts, her character is jarringly, and poorly, rewritten from capable and cool-headed to a reckless idiot. And this is all to convince the viewers, that she now, suddenly, must feed an obsession-laced need to find something that only her counterpart in the film supposedly can offer her. Without any real details or development, Kusanagi ultimately comes off as nothing more than a plot device to move the film to its end. Therefore, and as brusque as it is to say, the story is a resultant novelty at best, let down by its overly-convenient heroine and one-dimensional supporting cast. I am fully aware that this is not only a striking departure from the majority opinion of the film, but is also a significant change to my own opinion when I first watched it so long ago.

Leaving story and characters behind, Ghost in the Shell (1995) possessed many aesthetic strengths that still hold up today. Starting with perhaps its greatest pro, the film’s animation remains strong, even after all this time. It’s still fluid and energetic, able to hook and hold any viewer. From the big, attention-grabbers like the fight sequences and the destruction, to the more subtle, yet complex sequences, such as Kusanagi altering parts in her rifle, the animation remains the most praiseworthy contribution to the overall experience. Equally impressive is the artistry of the backgrounds and supplemental scenes, depicting a convincing clash between technological advancement and the gritty, worn-down aspects of the locations and people that have suffered or been left behind by that prosperity. That dismal style in the art only helps to bring much needed mood to the film. Similarly strong are the sound effects that further contribute to establishing the tones and moods of its scenes. Those sound effects, as well as the ambient noises throughout the B-roll, are exceptional, bringing plenty of needed immersion with them.

Plenty of action sequences and they all still look phenomenal

Unfortunately, time has taken its toll on Ghost in the Shell (1995), making certain flaws more evident and interpretations feel more dated. The visuals aren’t sharp, given the limitations to animation technology back then, and this has only become more apparent now. The scenes are grainy and the upscale efforts can only do so much. Having said that, most of the visual’s subtle details, thankfully, haven’t been lost. Another victim of time, however, are the depictions of the film world’s futuristic, fictional technologies. They simply haven’t aged well, which I suppose is an inevitability for most interpretations of fictional technology given enough time. Lastly, yet not a fault of time, I found the soundtrack to be rather underwhelming. For one, there aren’t many tracks to begin with, which may have been a wise choice, given the strength of the ambience and sound effects. What music is there, though, is grating at its worst, unmemorable at its best. Perhaps it’s because I really can’t say I found the music to benefit any particular scene. I would notice a new track playing for a time, but I found myself naturally dismissing it as the scenes went on. If anything, this soundtrack makes me appreciate Yoko Kanno’s contributions to S.A.C just a bit more now. Taken in their entirety, the aesthetics have their strengths, which remain praiseworthy for what they continue to offer, however the shortcomings, I fear, will only become more perceivable as time goes on.

The dirty, dismal artstyle speaks volumes

Viewing Ghost in the Shell (1995) on its own, while pushing aside all of my previous experiences with the series, most definitely changed my opinion. As a film, it interests and entertains to an extent, but fails to satisfyingly immerse. Its themes and aesthetics are its strong points, yet not so strong as to carry it. Its story is shallow and its characters are unmemorable, cons that are far too detrimental to the overall production. As an adaptation, it truly lets down its source material, especially since its manga source succeeds in these very areas. I will admit that previous fanboying and nostalgia had kept Ghost in the Shell (1995) high on my favorites list, yet having come back with a clear mind and the resolve to review this impartially, I must rate this lower than I had ever expected. Does it still intrigue and make you think? Yes. Is it still an action-packed lark across an interlaced scape of flesh, code, and hardware? Of course. Will I probably return to it, being the cyberpunk and Ghost in the Shell fanboy that I am? Probably. As an entry point into the franchise, it’s just too difficult of a recommendation. However, if one were to read the original manga or watch Stand Alone Complex, which I would recommend as an entry point, and then return to this film, you may then come to appreciate the few, yet brilliant, charms of this film.

Review Score
Overall Story
Art & Animation
Music

The post TBT ANIME REVIEW: Ghost in the Shell (1995) appeared first on oprainfall.

They actually did it. Shin Nekketsu Kouha: Kunio-tachi no Banka has received an official English localization as River City Girls Zero! If you had asked me even two years ago if I thought I’d see the day when this would happen, I would have told you you were crazy for even suggesting it. WayForward, along with Arc System Works and Limited Run Games, made it happen. It is a bit ironic that this game is being released as River City Girls Zero and even being advertised as the origin story for the two protagonists from River City Girls, considering the true ending in that game implied this game wasn’t canon, but that’s a whole other story for another day that I have already gone over in my review for River City Girls. It’s also a bit odd for them to advertise it as such considering this game’s story is more about Kunio and Riki than it is Kyoko and Misako.

River City Girls Zero starts off with a new intro featuring some brand new art and animation, and when the game begins you are given multiple language options. Perhaps most interesting about this is that there are two options for English text: a “New” translation that is more in line with River City Girls‘ feel and a “Literal” translation that is meant to be closer to the original script. The fact that it was called Literal was somewhat controversial online and as a result, WayForward have announced that they will rename the modes to “RCG” and “Original” respectively in a future update. It’s also worth noting that the two script options are only available in English, and the localized script for every other language featured here is going to be based on the “Literal” translation. The story follows Kunio and Riki as they are framed for a hit and run accident and, as a result, are sent to prison. They then break out and set out to, not only figure out who the true culprit is, but also clear their name.

The game will have you traverse a series of levels, punching and kicking your way across wave after wave of enemies. At first, Kunio and Riki’s moveset is rather limited to a couple punch and kick combos. You also have a useful back attack button for crowd control and can even attack enemies on the ground by stomping on them or getting on top to pummel them into submission. Pressing R or L will also allow you to block, but the timing for the block is pretty strict, so you will want to use this carefully, or else you will leave yourself open for attacks. Eventually, you will unlock some special moves which can be performed by pressing R/L and then a face button. These moves can be devastating, but tricky to pull off in the heat of battle and can leave you vulnerable to counterattacks. The enemies and bosses in this game are relentless and can deal a lot of damage to your character very quickly.

Thankfully, you will recruit other characters such as the heroines from River City Girls, and they play similarly to Kunio and Riki, but do not have the ability to grab and throw enemies. All four playable characters have their own life bar, and you can switch between them on the fly with the select button. Unfortunately, if one character bites the dust, it’s game over and you are sent to the continue screen. Fortunately, this game is very forgiving with checkpoints, and nearly every single screen/area in the game has a password which you can find by pausing the game. So while a game over will never set you back too far, it is very easy to lose one of your character’s health and because of this, you will want play in a very methodical manner, taking your time to pick off enemies and knock them down one by one. This may make the game come off as slow at times, however, those of you willing to learn it and get used to the flow will find a game that can be very satisfying to play.

River City Girls Zero also looks really good with big detailed characters that are incredibly expressive, and the sound design does a great job at making every hit sound like it hurts. The music is also excellent, featuring some nice fast paced tunes to get you pumped for combat. To break up the flow, there are some sections of the game where you ride a bike and have to attack other bikers while avoiding the edges of the road. If you so much as touch them, you will fall off your bike and be brought to the continue screen, regardless of the amount of health you have. So, like the normal stages, you want to play it very safe here and not rush.

As for extras, there aren’t too many here for you to enjoy after you’ve spent 2-4 hours trying to beat the main mode. You can view some scans of the original instruction manual along with 3D models of the original box and cartridge. Like a lot of retro game re-releases, you can opt to play the game with different borders if you don’t like the black bars. However, the only options available are some designs that feature the Limited Run Games logo, and I have to be honest, I find that incredibly disappointing. It would have been nice to have some artwork of the game here, instead of the LRG logo being thrown in your face like this. Hopefully, some more border designs will be added in an update, but for now, I will play this with the black bars.

At $14.99, River City Girls Zero is a nice curiosity for those of you that have never played this game before. But, I wonder if modern audiences, especially those used to River City Girls, will enjoy this one considering it plays very differently, and the relatively high difficulty and lack of QOL can put players off. An optional difficulty mode that re-balances some of the damage values and boss health would have been a welcome addition to this. I can definitely enjoy the game for what it is personally, but I can see this being a tough one for modern audiences to get into.

Review Score
Overall

Review copy provided by the publisher.

The post REVIEW: River City Girls Zero appeared first on oprainfall.

Whenever The 7th Saga comes to mind, it’s always a vexing thing for me, for when I think about this particular title, it stirs a number of conflicting emotions within me. At times, I love it, for the sheer epic-ness of the adventure, and for its distinguished aesthetics, which still impress me today. Other times, I downright loathe it, lesser for its lacking narrative, more for its notably unforgiving gameplay. This game is an endeavor, not to be challenged casually, for this game does not test skill so much as it tests patience and endurance. To say The 7th Saga is a tough game wouldn’t be wrong, but rather, I think a better term to describe it would be a trek. This game is a trek; one for only the most devoted of JPRG enthusiast; one that, personally, ever challenges my patience and drains my endurance.

The 7th Saga takes place in a land called Ticondera, where Lemele, the current king and son of legendary hero, Saro, has recruited seven individuals to become his apprentices. After five years of training at his palace, Lemele tasks these seven to seek out the seven runes that are hidden across the world. These runes contain immense power, and whomever acquires all seven will become Lemele’s heir. And so, the seven individuals set out into the world; surviving, competing against one another, and battling the evil forces who have come to possess the runes. However, the legend of Saro, the secrets of the runes, and the evil which once haunted this land in the distant past will all play their parts in the fates of the apprentices.

The 7th Saga possesses a fairly serviceable story, in that what seems like a straightforward plot hides a few twists and turns along the way. During play, we learn more about the history of Saro and his epic battle with an evil being named Gorsia. We also receive hints of the individual reasons as to why these apprentices wish to obtain the runes, along with how those reasons influence the thinking and actions of these characters. Throughout play, the simplistic, overarching plot point of finding the runes gains a touch of depth through these inclusions of history and, though to a lesser extent, character background. It all serves to create just enough intrigue to carry the story to its conclusion.

However, those minimal touches of depth also expose the glaring flaws of the story. Simply put, there needed to be more: More dialogue, more character development, and more depth and details. Especially among the characters, I wish we could see more emotion in their actions and interactions. Instead, it’s a dry, uninspired effort. And, the shortcomings are only made more apparent by the pacing of gameplay, for there will be terribly long stretches where hardly any story tidbits are offered. The narrative doesn’t help things either, as many of the most critical story points are delivered by exposition or long, emotionless rants. Lastly, what little appeal the story possesses during a first playthrough is lost upon its conclusion. There just isn’t enough offered by the story for a revisit. The story has its moments of intrigue, with the few plot twists that may entice committed players to see the journey to its end, but the story falls short in its ability to offer any more beyond that.

Apprentices’ opinions may change depending on your level, except for the traitor…

As I mentioned, there is an unfortunate lack of character development that also hurts the overall story performance. Perhaps having seven characters was a stretch, for they all tend to blend together regardless of who you choose to play as. There are hints at individuality, with some characters receiving more than others, like Lejes the demon, not hiding his arrogance nor shying away regarding his desire for power. Or Esuna the elf, treating the task as an amusement at first. Yet, despite these glimmers of individuality, ultimately, they all tend to behave more similarly than not throughout the campaign. Those initial reasons as to why they seek the runes are the only outstanding distinctions they receive. Add to this the severe lack of any genuine growth or development and you have a set of characters that are terribly forgettable. If the journey wasn’t worth the emotional investment, the characters certainly aren’t either.

Leaving its story behind, The 7th Saga’s gameplay is perhaps the most memorable aspect of the game, for both its strengths and its weaknesses. Starting with the good, at its core The 7th Saga features gameplay mechanics that would presently be considered traditional, in that play utilizes many of the aspects that we now consider part of the classic RPG style. Roaming from one town to the next, clearing dungeons in between, and, most notably, a model of menu-based interactions, including the use of menus for its archetype turn-based combat. At the time of the game’s debut, this game’s turn-based mechanic was exemplar with its clean, simple to use design, which would ultimately help pave the way for this style to be recognized as a standard within the genre.

Take your pick and keep in mind another may join later

Another strength to gameplay is the randomizing feature that alters the behaviors of the other apprentices. During the campaign, the other apprentices will suggest joining up with you or challenge you for your collected runes at certain points. Also, early in the game, it will be revealed that one apprentice wishes to eliminate the others through the hiring of a mercenary. This traitor, as well as where and when specific apprentices are available to team up with, or challenge, are all varied with each playthrough. This adds a bit of variety to gameplay and may force players to rethink their strategy during play.

The classic menu command is used for all interactions

Despite these few achievements, The 7th Saga possesses some major gameplay missteps, and due to a combination of these different flaws and quirks, the game has ultimately gained a reputation for being unforgiving in its approachability, especially for new players. Firstly, the game is tough. Common enemies will hit hard and can take a beating while every single boss battle can easily result in your swift defeat. The only way to stand a chance is to grind. And the grind is real. If you try to progress into new areas without first amply grinding, you will fail. Even after grinding, you will often only achieve a sense of adequacy in level against enemies in each area. And so, gameplay quickly becomes a test of patience as you’re forced to grind when reaching any new location, every time. New town; grind. New dungeon; grind. Rinse, repeat, all to have enough of a fighting chance to proceed. It’s a slow process, to say the least.

Prepare to lose…a lot

Another standout issue is the high encounter rate. Battles occur far too often, breaking any kind of play flow and dragging play down to a crawl. Despite a radar that shows enemy positions, they are faster than you, meaning you can’t exactly outrun them. Also, the maps of the game are large and have a bit of complexity to them, and so with that high encounter rate comes an ultimate snail’s pace for progress, along with pure dissuasion when it comes to exploration. There will also be necessary backtracking, as the need to recoup at a town and restock supplies will be significantly often. Due to the difficulty, after a major fight, like a mid-boss or boss fight, you’ll need to retreat regardless of level. Fortunately, the wind rune, which can be obtained early in the game, allows you to warp, but not always within a dungeon, so more battles are an inevitability even when a fast getaway is needed. Lastly, for those playing blindly, the encounters become a far worse issue as the time spent finding the right paths or roaming the overworld are compounded by the constant interruptions. Battle after battle, gameplay wears thin real fast.

One of the main strategies, defend and then attack

The last aspect I wish to address are the overall imbalance issues that plague the game. I’ve already spoken of the difficulty of enemies and the like, however, depending on how you progress in the game and in what order you choose to collect the runes, you may inadvertently set yourself up for failure later. Some of the runes must be taken from the other apprentices, who are always at the same level as your main character, and so they may possess a combination of stats and spells that make for a virtually unwinnable scenario. Speaking of the apprentices, they too suffer from imbalance. Some of them are clearly better choices to play as or team up with than others due to their spells, equips, or growth potentials. Olvan the dwarf will nearly always be a lesser choice than Kamil the knight due to his lacking speed and magic. Lux the Tetujin robot will hardly ever receive new equipment, forcing a reliance on leveling for stat boosts, so he too is rarely an optimal choice, especially as you approach mid game. Truly, the imbalance makes some of these apprentices so unappealing that you may never want to use them ever, unless you purposely want to make things harder than they already are. Taken in its entirety, imbalance plus the overly frequent battles, the need for grinding, the need to recover and restock often; all of it adds up to an experience that’s far more obnoxious than fun and challenges temper and patience above all else.

Counter to the flawed story and the tedious gameplay, The 7th Saga features some truly remarkable aesthetics. Visually, this game is beautiful, and I’m impressed with its uncommon level of detail. The towns and nature locales of the overworld are vivid and colorful. I also admire the spritework throughout, especially the enemy designs. They are detailed and intimidating, and some are so well designed that they’re downright horrifying in a good way. The bosses in particular have some fantastic designs, matching looks with their sheer power and ferocity. This is the one positive of the game that genuinely sticks with me; just how well the visuals convey the liveliness of the world, as well as the danger of the journey.

The soundtrack is also noteworthy, for each piece fits its intended purpose or locale well. While not the most memorable of sound scores, I do appreciate each track for their ability bring much needed mood and a touch of depth to the world and its events. Perhaps it’s because of the shortcomings of the story I notice how supportive this soundtrack can be to the overall experience. Taken altogether, the visuals and audio breathe life into an experience shrouded in stress and ennui.

The visuals stand out, even amongst other titles of the time

The 7th Saga is a difficult recommendation. This is not a JRPG for those looking for an emotionally immersive experience, or those wanting more complex, intriguing gameplay mechanics that other titles of the genre can offer. While its aesthetics remain impressive, its average story helps not, and the lack of character development hurts. However, its harsh gameplay will remain the biggest aversion for newcomers. Truly, I would only recommend the game to players seeking that straining, rough, old school level of challenge that thoroughly tests a player’s patience and mental endurance. Finally, unless you know exactly what you’re doing or closely following a guide, this game will take a serious time commitment. As I said, the grind is immense, and with its lopsided difficulty, slow combat, and high encounter rate, veteran players may still take up to 30+ hours to complete a playthrough, whereas first time players going in blindly can easily approach the 50 hour mark. The 7th Saga has glimmers of magic, but they are buried beneath a play effort whose demand is nigh hopeless to justify.

Review Score
Overall

The post TBT REVIEW: The 7th Saga appeared first on oprainfall.

There’s not much to say about SNATCHER that hasn’t all ready been said, but I’m gonna give it a go, because after years of being told it’s a game I need to play, I finally sat myself down and played it, and it’s fucking great and I want to wax poetic about it.

I did not grow up on cyberpunk. I remember watching AKIRA and Ghost in the Shell when they’d air during the Sci-Fi channel’s Saturday morning anime movie block, but I didn’t see Bladerunner until I was an adult, and I never actually finished reading its source material, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. I did really love watching Lain, but that wasn’t until I was in high school. I’d heard about properties like Shadowrun but only played some of the SNES game last year, read part of one book, and never played its tabletop origins. But I know the trappings of cyberpunk, and I am a fan of its aesthetics and moral quandaries. Technological dystopias; the boundaries of human and machine; the origin of souls; cyber surveillance and a world that is constantly connected; where the border between the self and the collective lie; the complex interactions of governments and peoples on a world stage — all of this fascinates me. And, as it just so happens, all of it is in SNATCHER, some more than others, and not always told eloquently, but it is definitely present and it feels like the breeding ground for many of Hideo Kojima’s later works.

SNATCHER unapologetically stealing Bladerunner‘s aesthetic.

SNATCHER has a simple premise that belies the more complex questions it asks of the player. You play as Gillian Seed, an amnesiac who was found with his wife in the Siberian wasteland 50 years after a deadly virus — Lucifer-Alpha — wiped out half the world’s population. In an effort to remember his past, Gillian joins JUNKER, a quasi-militaristic arm of the Neo Kobe Police Department tasked with killing SNATCHERS, bio-engineered robots that kill humans and take their place as almost perfect facsimiles. Where did they come from? What do they want? Are they connected to Lucifer-Alpha, since they appeared shortly after the viral outbreak? No one knows, but they’re all Gillian has to connect him to his lost past.

Gameplay is simple and straightforward, though it suffers from some design philosophies of the time. As Gillian, you’ll explore a wide array of locations, from JUNKER headquarters to a colleague’s mansion home to Neo Kobe’s seedy black market district, and more. At each location you can interact through looking, investigating, talking, and a handful of other story-dependent actions. The game is, at its heart, a detective thriller, and the gameplay reinforces this, but there is an abundance of times where what you need to do is shrouded by opaque design choices. For instance, if you don’t look at something first, investigating it will yield no results. But investigating often opens new looking options, so you have to constantly revisit both options in order to move the story forward. Talking and asking work in a similar fashion where each choice feeds into the other. It’s tedious and pace-breaking for a game that otherwise moves along at a relatively quick clip. Much like graphic adventures that came before it, sometimes the only way forward is to just exhaust every option, no matter how outlandish it might seem.

There are also a handful of shooting sequences (it’s a detective game, of course there are). I played the Sega CD version of SNATCHER using an 8bitdo controller, and the directional buttons + A button combination were sufficient, if clunky, to get through these parts — no Justifier required, though that would have been a neat feature back in the day. I wish I would have had the chance to use a light gun, if only for the immersiveness of needing to fight for my life in sudden battles, much like Gillian does. These sequences are a nice switch up from the visual novel formula, shifting the game into an arcade-style shooting gallery for a burst of action. They’re fun, even if they aren’t nearly as engaging as the plot.

Speaking of the plot, it is definitely SNATCHER’s bread and butter. Who doesn’t find the idea of a killer robot infestation fascinating? Who wouldn’t want to explore a bustling futuristic melting pot of a city? But it’s the way the game interweaves this story into its themes of found family, scientific progress, humanism, and global politics that really shine. SNATCHER’s world building absolutely thrives here, and most of it isn’t immediately relevant to the story. Kojima crafted a believable, nuanced alternate history of the world that teems with political intrigue and scientific advancements that intersect with the daily struggles of class, race, and human connection. Neo Kobe, itself, is a mishmash of nationalities, races and ethnicity splintered along a North/South class divide, with the poorest living in squalid conditions in the South of the city, eking out a meager existence while the well-to-do thrive in the North. The well-off are also the most surveilled, however, living directly inside Government-controlled sectors where everything is controlled by a central computer system. They are also the ones targeted by SNATCHERS, who ignore the poor. Not that this stopped the rich from massacring poor citizens in the early days of the SNATCHER menace in what the game calls the Witch Hunts, only quietly ending the slaughter when it was discovered the well-to-do and powerful were the actual targets for death and replacement.

I spent at least two hours reading through the history files on JORDAN, the JUNKER computer system with details on all of SNATCHER’s world building. Typing in almost any name in the game will yield a quick bio of the subject, often with relevant information to Gillian’s main quest. How tall is Jean Jack Gibson? You can find it on JORDAN. What birth mark does Gibson’s daughter have? That’s required knowledge. Need the password to talk with informant Napoleon? Better look him up and remember key phrases from his bio, because there are no multi-choice menus when it comes to answering these questions. The game’s interface requires you to type out every answer, with a bit of wiggle room. But more than people, JORDAN is also a treasure trove for information on the world itself. What lead to World War III? How was Neo Kobe founded? What political factions exist within the city? How did the world powers react to both Lucifer-Alpha and the SNATCHERS? If you want any of these answers, they’re in JORDAN, and it’s such a brilliant way to introduce the backbone of this world without wasting the player’s time with lengthy exposition dumps. Gillian’s story plays out just the same with or without this knowledge, but knowing it, helps flesh out the world in which he lives and is a really great reward for those willing to seek it out.

Two themes I constantly consider in SNATCHER are “alienation” and “connections.” Throughout the game you’re constantly encountering characters facing this sense of otherness – with themselves, with each other, with society as a whole, even with faith. How does not knowing about your past cause you to draw away from everyone around you? How does the loss of one’s parents lead to crippling isolation? How does seeing the worst in humanity alienate you from emotional connectedness? How does a desire to meet a creator you’ve never known lead to genocide? Gillian is alienated from not only himself, but his wife and society as a whole. His driving force throughout the game is understanding how SNATCHERS relate to his past so that he can rebuild the life he lost. Throughout the game you constantly build these connections between Gillian and those around him, with each interaction pulling him closer to others, and others to him, as well. Jamie is standoffish and aloof, but you can call her and talk with her pretty much whenever you want. She thinks her actions are in Gillian’s best interest, but in the end realizes she’s wrong. Mika spends the majority of the game inside an impenetrable bubble, but she’s just as distant in her conversations early on, too, scarred by her time psychoanalyzing serial killers. It’s only after knowing Gillian that she’s willing to feel an emotional connection again. Harry is a closed-off drunkard with no connection to his past outside a picture, but building rapport with him helps both him, and Gillian, learn the truth about their pasts. Everyone is alienated from everyone else early on, despite their shared interest in the SNATCHERS, and through Gillian they all come to be more than the sum of their parts.

SNATCHER asking all the philosophical questions.

Beyond Gillian, the world of SNATCHER itself also follows this “alienation” and “connection” theme. The SNATCHERS themselves are an alienating presence, forcing humans to distrust and suspect one another, while they simultaneously seek a connection with a creator they’ve never known. Neo Kobe is alienated from the rest of the world because of the SNATCHERS, and its populace alienated from itself by sectors, surveillance, economic conditions, and technology. That doesn’t stop the people of the city from finding connections to each other, either through the Black Market or unlicensed taxis that exist outside the surveillance state. Even in the worst of the slums, the people there find community with each other. JORDAN is a neat encapsulation of all of this, a computer program with no humanity but given a human-sounding name, connected to literally everything within Neo Kobe. Metal Gear Mk. II fits this mold as well, a robotic companion for Gillian with an artificial personality with which both Gillian, and the player, build a real connection – Gillian narratively, and the player mechanically.

I really like Metal Gear. It’s sassy, quick-witted, and a constant companion from the moment Harry gives it to you. Kojima has always liked to play with the ways in which players interact with the stories he tells. Metal Gear feels like an early prototype for what comes later in Metal Gear Solid, merging in-game resources with player input. It is narratively Gillian’s companion, relaying information back to JUNKER HQ, providing data analysis and communications support. As the player, we also use Metal Gear to interact with the world of SNATCHER, as it’s through it that almost all player inputs are registered. We call Jamie through Metal Gear’s phone, we save using Metal Gear’s memory chip, we see using Metal Gear’s light. When Gillian asks Metal Gear to analyze a substance, the player learns the results in real time along with him, helping fit us into Gillian’s shoes so we can work out the mysteries surrounding the SNATCHER menace at the same time. It’s a clever, but simple, marriage of narrative and mechanics that is woefully underutilized in the majority of games, and it really helps SNATCHER feel different from other visual novels and graphic adventures.

That’s not to say some of Kojima’s less-than-stellar marks don’t exist here, as well. Gillian’s constant hitting on every woman in the game grew stale, and his interest in Gibson’s daughter Katrina is questionable at best. The English version aged her up to 18, but she’s 14 in the Japanese and Gillian hits on her all the same in both. Personal taste obviously matters a lot here, but I felt it made Gillian a lot less likable and a lot more annoying than he needed to be. Even with JORDAN, most of the cast aren’t as fleshed out as I wish they were, especially Harry. I also found a major plot point at the end of the game eye-roll worthy for how it used a character, but it’s a massive spoiler and also pretty your-mileage-may-vary.

Speaking of YMMV, Kojima wearing his influences on his sleeve may or may not be a negative in the eyes of some players. For me they were an obvious plus, but he isn’t exactly subtle. The game is, for all intents and purposes, a Blade Runner rip-off, with a hefty dose of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Terminator thrown in for good measure. Neo Kobe feels like an analogue for Neo-Tokyo from AKIRA, written only a few years prior. And the game is contemporaneous with several other Japanese cyberpunk properties, including Ghost in the Shell, which also explore the concepts of transhumanism, technological advancement, and the surveillance state. The Cold War also plays an unmistakable role in the game’s world building, but so does Japan’s isolationist policies. The combination ends up creating a really compelling world that offers a lot of questions about the human condition.

SNATCHER is one of those games that I think everyone needs to play. As one of Kojima’s earlier works, you can see a lot of the potential he realizes in later games but in a more focused, grounded story. It explores familiar themes of alienation and connectedness that come up often in his portfolio, and interweaves numerous works of fiction as well as contemporary real world politics into a title that questions the human condition. It’s also a great use of video game systems helping immerse the player in the story, marrying in-game actions and player input in a more meaningful way than simple button prompts. It’s a great game that’s aged surprisingly well, despite some of my gripes with its tedium, and having played it, I appreciate Kojima’s later works all that much more.

Review Score
Overall

The post RETRO REVIEW: SNATCHER appeared first on oprainfall.

Title	Chrono Trigger
Developer	Square
Publisher	Square
Original Release Date	JP: Mar 11, 1995 US: Aug 11, 1995
Genre	RPG
Platform	SNES, PlayStation, Nintendo DS, Mobile, PC (Steam)

Chrono Trigger, just reading the name or saying it out loud causes within me a flood of wonderful memories and emotions. For so many of us, Chrono Trigger is the epitome of games. And calling it the greatest of all time, masterpiece, or similar are all completely founded. With its epic story, excellent gameplay, unforgettable soundtrack, and endearing cast of characters, this masterwork of Square is still outperforming and outshining modern releases in and outside the RPG genre.

The year is 1000 A.D and the Millennial Fair is in full swing. Our hero, Crono, and Marle, a young girl he unassumingly runs into, participate in the unveiling of his friend Lucca’s newest invention, a teleporter. As Marle tries it for herself, the machine reacts with her unique heirloom pendant, causing a portal in time to open and flinging her 400 years into the past. Without a moment’s hesitation, Crono takes the pendant and has Lucca send him back to rescue Marle. Little do any of them know that these events are the trigger to a cascade of many more happenings that will ultimately bring about the end of the world. With past, present, and future all in jeopardy, Crono and his friends set out on a journey through time, filled with fateful meetings, perilous struggles, and dire consequences, all in the hopes of ultimately saving humanity from its catastrophic fate.

The story of Chrono Trigger is still one of the most engaging I’ve ever experienced, impressively standing strong and even outshining competition for 25 years and counting. The overarching conflict of preventing the end of the world is full of depth and is only further strengthened by the subplots and individual struggles specific to certain times and particular characters. As for its theme of time travel, though it’s a familiar one, what continues to impress me is the aspect of its manipulation, something we as players get to participate in through our direct actions in the altering of history and events. That, to me, makes the experience truly immersive, as the triggering of said events is mostly done by player actions rather than narrative exposition. The story in its entirety is full of depth and detail, tying together plot, subplots, and character-driven conflicts to produce a thoroughly intriguing, utterly satisfying adventure from start to its ultimate end.

As for its characters, Chrono Trigger truly has one of the most memorable casts in gaming. Though they share certain traits and behaviors at times, each has their own distinct personality which shines through their dialogue, reasoning, and actions. Crono’s courage and will are always on display, and Marle’s outgoing, energetic style makes her incredibly charming. Lucca’s inquisitiveness and compassion; Frog’s drive and sense of loyalty; Ayla’s pure energy and fearlessness; Robo’s ability to encompass and convey the best of human traits and emotions; I could easily write a paragraph or two for each of them. And yet, the opportunity to interact and immerse ourselves into their lives is the real gift. It has been reason alone for my repeated plays over the years. Lastly, it’s always a treat to discover or rediscover a unique conversation or interaction based on the active party you have at the time. Those little details truly take the experience over the top. With its vivid, charismatic characters and the sheer depth and detail of its story, Chrono Trigger delivers a narrative of legendary proportions.

In addition to its fantastic story and its wonderful cast, Chrono Trigger features solid, engaging gameplay. The extensive main campaign and the numerous subquests that add depth, backstory, and the occasional combat advantage, all come together to create a genuinely captivating experience from start to finish. As for its main component, gameplay features turn-based combat with a unique technique system. Each character will learn a set of techniques similar to skills and spells, yet further depth comes in the form of paired and group techniques that can unleash serious damage to enemies. As each character possesses an elemental affinity, as well as a specific attack style, the sheer number of combinations is not only staggering, but incredibly imaginative. I always find myself awed by how the dual techs are inspired by their character’s style and, sometimes, even their personalities. Ayla’s dual techs in particular come to mind, as her straightforwardness and her brute strength are the typical factors of how her techs look and hit. The clever variety in techs, the elemental aspects of them, and the different ways they can hit groups of enemies all keep combat fresh and immersive.

Paying attention to how enemies are grouped and the attributes of techs can turn the tides of any battle

Outside of combat, the RPG elements, such as leveling, keep fairly consistent with enemy growth for a well-balanced outcome. I find the degree of challenge optimal, never requiring excessive grinding, which results in a flowing play pace. The bosses, in particular, provide enough difficulty to require a proper strategy to defeat and, upon said defeat, I always feel that sense of satisfaction you want from a respectable challenge. And of course, using the variety of techs and discovering what works best only adds to the fun. Taken in its entirety, Chrono Trigger’s gameplay is timelessly superb. An amazing main campaign, a set of subquests that offer legitimate backstory, subplot, and purpose to them, and combat that offers a good bit of variation all harmonize for an incredibly fun, fully satisfying experience.

I’ve always loved the variety of the dual techs between different characters. It’s a constructive way to have you try different team setups and switch often.

Finally, what ties all of this brilliance in story and gameplay together into one complete masterpiece are Chrono Trigger’s spectacular aesthetics. Visually, Chrono Trigger impresses with its bold styles, dramatic use of color, and its attention to detail, capturing and expressing the fantasy and magic of its diverse characters and time periods. The sprite work is incredible, with its details that bring life to heroes and enemies alike. Through animations, poses, and the like, the strength of Crono and Ayla, the enthusiasm of Marle, or the compassion of Lucca and Robo is palpable. It all further adds to their memorable personalities. The detail that went into the environments is also impressive, and I’m especially awed with the plays on light and dark coloring to convey the tones of the time periods and their locales, as well as events unfolding within. The brightness and large color palette of 1000 A.D pairs with the lively atmosphere of the Millennial Fair. Contrast that with the muted colors of 600 A.D., that speak of a kingdom in turmoil. As for boldness, I love the striking designs of 12000 B.C that overflow with imagination and mystique, telling of an existence both fantastic and fleeting. Or, the lush green, pristine world of 65,000,000 B.C. and how its saturated colors and untouched nature speak of a time before calamity. The bold designs of enemies, too, shine in their ability to instill ferocity and power. Lastly, I love the animations and the greater usage of Akira Toriyama’s designs and artwork in later versions of the game. His artistry takes the visuals to another level, further exalting the already impressive aesthetics.

In-game tutorials at the start will teach you all you need. And since we’re talking Chrono Trigger, of course Gato’s making an appearance

As for the audio, the soundtrack of Chrono Trigger is nothing short of masterful. Every score is a pleasure to listen to all on its own, and each fits the person, place, and event they represent perfectly. They contribute to the tones and moods of the events onscreen so well that they allow for a degree of immersion rarely achieved. It’s amazing how well the themes for crucial fights and turning points instill such emotion. I still get hyped every time I hear Frog’s theme and get goose bumps when listening to Magus’ theme. Joy, sorrow, fear, danger, from devastation and loss to love and heartfelt reunions, the soundtrack perfectly encapsulates it all, stirring our emotions in the most profound of ways. The aesthetics are wonderful as visuals and audio together bring greater vividness to an already spectacular game.

Chrono Trigger is a timeless masterpiece. To overpraise it, an impossibility; to undervalue, a sin. With its fabled story of epic proportions, its delightfully memorable cast, its strong gameplay, and its remarkable aesthetics, Chrono Trigger will stand as the quintessential RPG and remain in the hearts of all it has touched. Crono, Marle, Lucca; how could I ever forget you.

Review Score
Overall

Review copy provided by author

The post TBT REVIEW: Chrono Trigger appeared first on oprainfall.

Title	Eternal Senia
Developer	Sanctum Games
Publisher	Sanctum Games
Original Release Date	June 18, 2015
Genre	ARPG
Platform	PC (Steam)

Eternal Senia began with the wish of a lone developer to convey his love for RPGs and game design. A passion project, made available to all for free, Eternal Senia palpably delivers those feelings, and the result is a heart-wrenching tale of love and personal growth. A wonderful tragedy of pure emotions, Eternal Senia will grip you and won’t let go, nor would you want it to.

The story of Eternal Senia begins with a young girl, Senia, in search of her adoptive older sister, Magaleta. Magaleta serves the church and is often called upon to eradicate demons. Through her past trauma, Senia is determined to learn swordplay in order to help and protect Magaleta in her work. And so, when Magaleta is called for a task, Senia, believing herself ready, decides to secretly follow her out of worry. Seeing her sister vulnerable during a skirmish, Senia ends up throwing herself into the path of an attack, becoming cursed in the process. Magaleta is unable to remove the curse and with Senia’s condition failing to improve, resolves to enter the Tower of Eternity, where it is said that any wish can be granted. With Magaleta’s disappearance, Senia is determined to conquer this enigmatic tower herself, for the sole sake of finding and bringing home the only family she has left in this world.

The story of Eternal Senia is a short, straightforward one, yet what makes it shine is its surprising emotional depth. Despite the simplistic, sometimes blunt, writing and wanting grammar, the story possesses such an emotional immersion that I was gripped almost immediately and until the very end. And this is achieved through its bolstering by flashback scenes and its expressive aesthetics, as all build upon each other to make for a noteworthy experience. Through the combination of its visuals and narrative, the sadness and determination of Senia is direct, yet impactful. The fleshing out of backstories and personal tragedies through flashbacks is also a notable narrative choice and the execution makes for equally emotional and memorable impact. And while the writing in monologue, dialogue, and flashbacks is terse, those emotions felt by its characters and the tones of events always achieve a remarkable poignancy. Again, it’s direct, impactful, and the result is a relentless assault on your feelings. The intertwining of past tragedies and present struggles, as well as the striking visuals, all come together for an overall fantastic emotional experience.

Simple yet profound, the aesthetics raise Senia’s character all the more

As for the characters, Senia and Magaleta, while not the most dynamic, are easy to come to care for. I love how Senia’s past reveals her vulnerabilities through her tragedies, yet in the present, she is a determined young woman, unwilling to let that past or her introversion hold her back from reuniting with her sister. I only wish we could have seen more of that inner conflict in greater detail, as it would have only served to develop her character further. Yet with the narrative support and the excellent visuals, Senia’s emotions come through with such a degree of purity that I can’t help but be awed with her. She is a gentle, loving soul and that charm of hers is evident. I found myself immersed in her struggle immediately, wanting that happy ending for her and Magaleta. And as for Magaleta, her own tragic past makes her a character easy to sympathize with. She is more than simply a kind person, as she struggles with deep-seeded feelings of guilt and regret. And those feelings are what drive her to be somewhat of a loner in her actions and decisions. It makes her ultimate decision for entering the tower all the more relatable, and yet all the more tragic. With her, I wish that loner aspect of her character was further emphasized, as it’s her one real flaw that we see from her which could have been a means for greater depth. Ultimately though, these are two sisters who love each other dearly and those palpable feelings and the raw emotions they express are what make them so memorable.

Simply run into enemies to defeat them, but watch your health

With its gripping tale and memorable heroine, the story is where Eternal Senia truly shines. As for its gameplay, however, this is much more of a mixed bag. Taking inspiration from Ys, combat consists of walking into enemies to defeat them. As such, there is a direct correlation between damage dealt and received. The mechanic here also doesn’t provide a consistent means of avoiding damage, such as running into enemies off center or avoiding frontal contact. Since you will be taking damage for the majority of attacks, all of this adds up to a play mechanic that requires you to keep track of health while having a bit of patience when you need to recover. Although this style of play is a notable departure from any bare-bones, turn-based mechanic lacking any kind of innovation, as seen in too many RPG Maker games, the novelty of this style wears out fairly quickly. There are attempts to add a bit of innovation, such as certain enemies having more speed, ranged attacks, and others having a bounce back when attacked, but these are more in line with minor inconveniences than adding any real intrigue or enjoyment to play. I will say that I like the four skills made available as you progress the plot, as I found these to provide the most fun. Skills, in the forms of quick movement, area damage, and range, provide some much needed variety to combat and may also offer a creative edge, for example, when you’re facing a horde or a particularly strong or quick enemy. I also like how their uniqueness plays into the glimmers of puzzle solving the gameplay offers. For example, the Phantom Strike skill, in which Senia instantly dashes to an enemy, can also be used to dash over water. I only wish to have seen much, much more in the way of puzzle solving, as the combat alone, while not broken by any means, doesn’t provide the most fun or entertaining of play experiences.

Along with combat, there is a basic crafting system. Utilizing item drops from the various types of enemies, weapons and armor can be crafted and upgraded. And unfortunately, that’s all there is to it. It fails to add any innovation or variety to gameplay, as crafting is simply a list of choices opened via the plot. Rather than providing any genuine advantages, it’s instead implemented as a simplistic means to keep up with increases to enemy difficulty. This forced means of implementing further challenge can, at times, reach the point of annoyance, as it calls for some item hunting. While you do have the choice not to pursue the highest versions of the equipment available, the tradeoff is taking more damage per attack and taking more time to recover your health. You will also miss out on completing some of the subquests directly tied to this need to fully upgrade your equipment. So instead of having a crafting system that adds play depth and advantage, here we have one of obligation that dances on the line of obnoxiousness. The result is the marring of those few glimmers of fun combat may provide overall.

The puzzles are great, but more would have benefited the experience

Lastly, Eternal Senia possesses aesthetics that perfectly complement its story and overall tone. As I said above, the visuals truly drive home the range of emotions Senia feels throughout her campaign, and that vividness contributed through those visuals is profound. The developer notes that all of the art assets were commissioned, and I believe the decision to incorporate them was a good one due to just how much depth they provide, as well as how much more Senia’s character becomes one to feel genuine compassion for. From the portrait work to the CGs, all are excellent and I would have liked more, but I can understand the limitations that come with a free offering such as this. As for the audio, while the tracks are borrowed either from RPG Maker’s library or from free use composers, the selection is solid, further emphasizing the overall tones and moods of characters and events. The music is perfectly fitting and a pleasure to listen to. And finally, I also wish to praise the more subtle aesthetic details. From details like the changes to Senia’s portrait art when Eternity Burst is active, or the flower petals that appear when using Eternity Burst together with Phantom Strike, to the harsher critical hit sound versus the normal strike, these additions and variations demonstrate just how much care the developer put into his work. Overall, the aesthetics are remarkable, a prominent complement to story and gameplay.

The artwork is fantastic and I would have loved more.

Eternal Senia drips with passion; a satisfying, if short, experience that will tug at your heartstrings. The fact that this game has always been, and continues to be, available for free on Steam means that there are zero excuses to pass on playing this hidden gem. Even if this were sold for around $5 USD, I would recommend it in a heartbeat. Short but sweet, Eternal Senia is a tragic tale of one determined heroine who will resonate with all who open themselves up to her.

Review Score
Overall

The post TBT Review: Eternal Senia appeared first on oprainfall.

Over the years, I’ve reviewed several Kemco titles, becoming familiar with the particular style of game they tend to favor publishing. Whether it’s Exe-create, Hit-point, or the other developers they work with, almost all of Kemco’s publications fit a framework or checklist of content and quirks. An oldschool look and feel, turn-based combat, JRPG dressings, and unfortunately in too many cases, a bland story, form-fitting tropes for characters, repetition in gameplay, and an overall mediocre execution. However, exceptional successes like Revenant Saga and Asdivine Hearts show that there exists the potential for another hidden gem by Kemco. And so, I keep holding out hope. Which brings me to Bonds of the Skies, my latest foray into Kemco’s ever expanding library of mobile to PC/ console adaptations in that hope of uncovering a throwback hidden gem.

Bonds of the Skies tells the story of the Grimoa, four deities responsible for the creation of the world. Each representing a natural element, the Grimoa manage a reasonable coexistence. Since it’s only these four, the Fire Grimoa, Rednaught, suggests that they pour their powers into the creation of new life. The other three agree, each creating a new Grimoa and contributing to the formation of mankind. However, Rednaught does not participate in his own idea, instead allowing the other three to spend their power. Now the most powerful of the Grimoa and with his true intentions clear, he wages war in an attempt to subdue all. The other, now six, Grimoa fight back, managing a draw that exhausts Rednaught’s power. The other Grimoa retreat to dwell under the villages of the people they created, allowing humanity’s beliefs and prayers to revitalize them. Centuries later, Rednaught begins a new assault against humanity, attacking several of the villages these other Grimoa are still resting under. Unable to retaliate on their own, the Wind Grimoa, Nogard, forms a partnership with a human boy named Eil, lending him his powers and tasking him with recruiting the other Grimoa and potential human partners to fight against the resurfaced Rednaught.

The story told in Bonds of the Sky is a familiar setup, in that you have some ragtag group and nearly hopeless odds against a single big baddie who seemingly has the power to conquer existence. And in typical JRPG storytelling fashion, you start with an unlikely hero, Eil, and a high-fantasy companion, Nogard, who journey across the world to find and recruit allies in the fight against the main antagonist. Standard fare for the most part, yet fortunately and also in classic JPRG style, there are a few twists that depart from the predictable. As for its overall quality, the story is acceptable, delivering a satisfactory plot with enough intrigue that kept me entertained throughout. Even stronger is the narrative; a humor-filled, lighthearted telling that occurs through character dialogue and interactions. Tones of danger and importance in their quest mesh well with the uplifting mood the characters are able to convey as their friendships and relationships bloom, making for a more immersive experience than I initially expected.

A high point, there’s plenty of humor awaiting

As for the characters themselves, they’re your classic, mold-fitting band of misfits. Eil is your good-natured yet reserved hero, Iks is a more brutish tough guy, and Avi, a spitfire who has developing feelings for an oblivious Eil. Their character types are nothing new and they may or may not leave a lasting impression, however, their overall personalities at least remain distinct, again mainly due to the quality of the dialogue. I’ve made the complaint in other Kemco games that the dialogue tends to fail to individualize the characters, but here, I feel they speak with just enough distinction in their voices. Lastly, their personalities may not change or grow much as the game progresses, but they maintain their initial strengths throughout, making for a more memorable trio compared to the vast number of disposable characters throughout the Kemco library.

As for the side characters, they are far less memorable. Nogard is perhaps the exception, since we spend the most time with him outside of the three main characters. His autocratic, respectable personality comes through and is consistent in the writing. But the other Grimoa, though possessing base personalities, have far less depth. The writing does the bare minimum of justice in individualizing them, but the lack of character build and detail make them nothing more than power-loaning passengers on this journey.

Bonds of the Skies presents itself as a classic JPRG and with that comes standard fare for its gameplay. Traditional turn-based combat, random enemy encounters, leveling, you get the idea. Subquests are all about hunting specific numbers of enemies too, so gameplay is near entirely dependent on combat. Outside of combat, the game boils down to that unimaginative formula of reaching a town, then entering a dungeon like area, then it’s off to the next town, rinse and repeat.

There is a bit of innovation in gameplay that does help it stand out. For one, there is the partnering system, in which your human characters can partner with the Grimoa. Grimoa level up similar to the heroes and for every level they gain, new skills specific to them unlock. From attacks to stat boosts, the variety is plentiful. However, only a limited number of skills can be assigned and used at one time, so deciding which skills to assign can be tricky. Do you activate several stat boosting skills and sacrifice attack skills and spells? Do you choose to assign healing spells over attacks or boosters? These are the choices that can make or break a strategy against tougher enemies. Another unique aspect of combat, as you attack and take damage, a meter will fill and when it’s full, you can Synchronize with your Grimoa, giving you an additional, temporary stat boost and the ability to use special Syncho skills, again unique to each Grimoa.

As for its execution, gameplay is solid, if a bit unremarkable. Combat is simple, and the world is easy to navigate due to the town/ dungeon formula. I appreciate the limits on skills as it added genuine challenge and the partnership mechanic is unique enough to stand out. Unfortunately, there is little else besides combat to move the game along, as there is little reason for any real exploration. I did like the cutscenes that would play when you stay at an inn or after you gain a new ally, as it broke the monotony and helped with character development.

Initially, you can have 6 skills set per hero, however, many newer skills have a Spiritual Cost. For example, the Sword-Drawing skill costs 3 out of the available 9 Spirit Points. As you level up, more Spiritual Points and even more skill slots may become available

Though gameplay is fairly self-explanatory, one of my gripes regarding it is that there are no initial instructions regarding controls. Even if they are easy to figure out whether you’re using a keyboard or controller, having a prompt for the menu, save, and map button mappings would have been nice. Controls are explained only after you’ve figured out how to open the menu and select the Help section. Another gripe, there are on-screen commands left over from its mobile version that do not function. For the PC version, you cannot click them using a mouse to access the menu or save, and so for these icons to just remain on-screen makes for a terribly lazy impression. Speaking of the mouse, you cannot use the mouse at all. Previous Kemco titles allowed you to play the entire game with just the mouse. It’s not a necessity, but I’m always an advocate for multiple control styles and customization and I would have appreciated that here. A final issue I took with gameplay, and perhaps the largest, is the inconsistency in difficulty. There are several difficulty spikes that will require grinding and these usually rear their head when facing bosses. Enemies also become sharply more powerful in specific areas, so I felt the balance, though manageable, was off. And although I said grinding is necessary, it goes by faster than expected, as the EXP gains by enemies are generous. It helps to take out some of the frustration for sure.

Remember, fire is hot

Lastly, Bonds of the Skies features an old-school, 16-bit stylized aesthetic reminiscent of other Kemco titles, yet I found this game’s look and feel to be particularly remarkable. The detail that went into bringing this world and its characters to life is outstanding. From the maps to the character sprites, the execution of the 16-bit style is fantastic. They capture the style of that golden age of RPGs perfectly. There is also plenty of subtle detail that make the aesthetics that much more outstanding. For example, I appreciate that every enemy type has a distinct attack animation. I also like how much detail went into their design. These are definitely not your generic cast of baddies and having a touch of animation is always an improvement over static images. Visually, the only misstep would be the quality of the portrait art of the main cast. This artwork looks amateurish and not as polished as seen in other games, though it does its job of bringing our three human heroes to life. Only Nogard gets portrait art out of the Grimoa and the difference in quality between it and the human characters made me think it was borrowed from another artist or game at first. If that level of quality were available, I wonder why it wasn’t consistent throughout. I also would have liked to have seen the other Grimoa illustrated in such a way. As for audio, the game possesses a fairly strong sound score. The tunes are catchy and fit their on-screen events well. But, they are limited in number, so you will hear each track a bit too often. Overall, I found the aesthetics to be Bonds of the Skies’ greatest strength.

Bonds of the Skies possesses a few highlights that help it stand out on its own amongst Kemco’s library. It struggles to escape average territory when compared to the entirety of the JRPG genre, but with a fairly intriguing story, noteworthy aesthetics, and enough fun to be had, Bonds of the Skies may yet provide you with some of that classic, old-school enjoyment that we love.

Review Score
Overall

The post TBT REVIEW: Bonds of the Skies appeared first on oprainfall.

Eredia: The Diary of Heroes, a traditional RPG at first glance, is far more, one which attempts to take the classic elements of the genre and create something truly outstanding. The first game in a developing series, Eredia succeeds in establishing an intriguing history, as well as laying the foundation for a genuinely immersive story. With deep, mysterious lore, gameplay that strays away from the standards, and a memorable cast of characters whose personal ambitions tie together and blossom into an ever evolving destiny, Eredia: The Diary of Heroes possesses all of the makings of a true epic.

Eredia is set in the once peaceful fantasy world of Arlis. The many races of this realm, including the fledgling human race, coexisted, for they knew nothing of violence or hate. Yet, brutality and bloodshed are introduced by an unknown entity four-hundred years prior to our adventure’s start. And from this historic cataclysm, Arlis and its history have since been seeped in war, intolerance, and mercilessness.

A world driven by selfish ambition, animosity, and greed, yet a single realm amongst many, all intertwined, influencing each other. And so, Eredia: The Diary of Heroes begins the story of Kenrad Krauser, a young hunter ready to prove himself in this harsh reality. Believing what awaits him is a self-serving, straightforward life full of fame, riches, and women, it would seem destiny has other plans for our cocky, unaware hero, for he will become the catalyst that changes the course of Arlis, its peoples, and perhaps the fates of all the realms in existence.

Right from the start of the game, several major plotlines begin, throwing players into what will become a deep and intriguing story. Before Kenrad even shows up, we are witness to a prologue that reveals the return of the malevolent entity from four-hundred years prior. Then, it’s introduced that Aegea, the continental empire in which this game takes place, is at war with a neighboring empire. Later still, the demon-led Cult of Sargoth, affiliated with the realm of Hell, is supposedly attempting to overthrow Arlis. And finally there is Aika, a mysterious woman who was born inheriting a demon’s powers and is currently wreaking havoc across Aegea as her powers continuously increase.

Although the game develops several plotlines in tandem, some of which are for setting up future games, it does so remarkably well through its ability to intertwine and tie together these multiple major and minor storylines. This is where Eredia: The Diary of Heroes truly shines brightest, as it manages to introduce, build, and keep relevant the many storylines in a convincing way that adds to the immersion of the overall experience. The Cult of Sargoth story arc is the plotline we spend the most time with in this title, yet it also serves as the vehicle in which we see how Aegea and its people are impacted by the lack of care by a hawkish empire whose only concern is war and conquest. This direct tie-in with the war plotline bolsters both, reminding players that war impacts all, having consequences in places other than the front lines. The Cult is able to get as far as they do mainly because they go unchallenged by an empire whose attention is elsewhere. This, in turn, fosters the need for mercenaries and hunters, such as Kenrad, which provides the framework for his personal journey. The Aika plotline also has several tie-ins, bringing forth a number of characters that have history with or who influence Kenrad’s growth during his quest. It also serves to develop said characters and adds personal, concise points of view within the vast, overarching plotlines.

Overhead text helps move the story, but if you change maps, you’ll miss it, so stop when you see it.

Not all of the plotlines are treated equally, however. Many of them serve as devices to move the more central plotlines along or, again, only serve as set-up for later games. We are made aware that this unknown four-hundred year old entity has returned, but other than the prologue, we don’t see much else; maybe a hint or two sprinkled throughout the 50+ hour campaign. As for the ongoing war, it’s mostly used as a device of explaining why certain events are taking place or why there is such dilapidation in this supposedly great empire. Also, the rather vague reason of the war, an emperor’s simple thirst for conquest, is weak at best. I’m hoping there is a far deeper story behind the war itself in future installments. Finally, there is the title, The Diary of Heroes, for only late in the game do we learn of the Diary of Heroes and its potential significance in regards to that four-hundred year old threat. Overall, I would have liked more buildup in these mentioned storylines given their significance within this budding series, but I will admit that what is provided is more than enough for me to remain intrigued for the next game.

Equally impressive as the story are the characters in Eredia: The Diary of Heroes. Every major character possesses distinct personality, which is an impressive feat given the number. A few examples; Kenrad is the typical cocky jerk, Elric is the intelligent tactician with a love for monologue, and Rurouna is the adorable, naive sheltered girl. Each is well written with unique voice and style through variations in diction and use of slang, convincingly individualizing their personalities. I also love the banter between characters, further conveying individuality while also showing off the strength of the overall narrative. Elric is often the victim of Kenrad’s jokes and insults, playing up Kenrad’s ass-like qualities while furthering Elric’s style for patience and wit when he makes a solid comeback. The banter between characters also serves to add depth to them, revealing background stories, personal ambitions, and purpose for endeavoring through this quest. Every character stands out, a poignant element in such a grand game. And finally, the dialogue is pretty damn funny. Quick jabs, collective roasting, and oodles of snark, all add to both the quality of the characters and the charm of the overall narrative.

Most of the humor, interactions, and narrative are fairly harmless and quite funny

Unfortunately, the characters and their implementation in the game’s story do possess their flaws. For one, there is a minimal amount of genuine development or growth by the characters. Whether it’s their thinking, their personalities or their interactions, there is a notable lack of evolution. This is especially evident given that this game can easily span over 50+ hours. My biggest gripe in this regard is Kenrad, for he remains the arrogant prick he starts as. It’s a shame due to how difficult it is to want to invest in such a character emotionally. There were many times throughout my play in which I felt he would have made a far better side-character or even a nameless villain. Had there been any shred of development to his personality, then I could see myself tolerating his rough, sometimes jarring nature, but only as it transformed. However, from start to end, he’s just an unpleasant twit. Rurouno, Sharina, and others fare better in regards to coming to care for them on an emotional level, but they too hardly grow or evolve throughout the campaign. I realize this is the first game in a series and perhaps we will see that evolution later, but I would have loved to have seen just a few hints of development here. By in-game time, the campaign could take anywhere from several months to a year, so I did expect some degree of change given the implied length of this journey. Again, I am highly impressed with the base characterizations of most of the cast, but I wish it hadn’t stopped there.

Some jokes, however, are downright tasteless

Moving on to gameplay, Eredia: The Diary of Heroes features a traditional RPG framework with a few touches of innovation and tons to do. The core of the game is the completion of the main storyline quests revolving around the Cult of Sargoth. This means becoming strong enough to hunt down demons and the tougher enemies of the game. There are also a number of other main quests pertaining to the other plotlines as well as a myriad of side quests available. These side quests come in the form of contracts that are posted in most towns and from the major guilds that can be joined. As for these the guilds, more difficult contracts become available as your rank within them increases. Although most of these side quests are based on the typical fetching of items or defeating one or several enemies, some have their own miniature plots and may revolve around conducting an investigation. Searching for clues in houses, finding and talking to the right individuals and then finally making an accusation are the makeup of these particular side quests.

Regarding these quests, the main quests are intriguing due to their direct ties to the story and so they have the support of the narrative. The side quests, however, are a poor example of quantity over quality. Too many of these are what you would find in most other lazily designed RPGs, in that to complete them, you either hunt enemies or items. It’s the same tired, overused method of adding bulk to gameplay. I will say I very much enjoyed the investigative side quests. Even if they were completely irrelevant to the main plotlines, they had just enough substance and strayed from the normal RPG formula for me to appreciate them. My hope is that we see more of these types of quests in later games because their quality far outshines the handfuls of defeat and fetch quests.

More fantasy on Page 2 ->

The post REVIEW: Eredia: The Diary of Heroes appeared first on oprainfall.

Capcom’s Breath of Fire was released at a time when we would see the birth of many JPRG series whose legacies would carry on for years to come. Although never gaining the recognition or fanfare of Final Fantasy and the like, Breath of Fire would yet earn its title as a classic, ushering in a series destined to capture hearts and forge its own noteworthy legacy in this beloved genre.

Breath of Fire throws us right into conflict, as the Dark Dragons are hell-bent on world domination. A thousand years prior, the Dark Dragons fought the Light Dragons over Tyr, a goddess whose promise of power triggered global war that nearly wiped out all life. As Tyr fanned the flames of war for her own amusement, a hero of the Light Dragons emerged, pacifying the war and sealing Tyr within six keys. However, the Dark Dragons never gave up on wielding such power, pushing the Light Dragons to the brink of extinction and forcing them into hiding. Now, the Dark Dragons have once again laid siege against the Light Dragons and the other peoples of the world in an attempt to seize the six keys and release Tyr. As history threatens to repeat itself, a prophesied hero, Ryu, will emerge from the Light Dragon clan to save the world from ending.

Breath of Fire’s base story is pretty darn epic, as Ryu is tasked to grow into the hero that will save this fantasy world. The militaristic Dark Dragon clan has already forced their oppression onto the many human and anthropomorphic clans and as Ryu ventures out, he will meet and be joined by several characters from these many races. They will all lend their unique abilities and work together to free themselves from both the current Dark Dragon threat and the looming end of the world that Tyr’s release will bring. This base story is mostly introduced in the beginning of the game, but the strength of that hook is enough to carry us to the end. And it needs to, for those introductory narratives are all we really get in terms of story development.

Though we see the unfolding of events throughout the campaign, Breath of Fire’s narrative is perhaps one of the most bare bones I’ve ever experienced. Such an epic backstory is left by itself to entice us to play on, as the narrative beyond does nothing to further develop or support the main plot. Throughout, the plot is simply moved along with vague quests, bland backstory tidbits, emotionless dialogue, and a severe lack of detail or depth to truly hold immersion. For a JRPG, a genre that depends on intrigue and narrative depth, this misstep is painfully evident, especially in the SNES version. The GBA version does have a few added cutscenes and CGs, but it’s not nearly enough to bolster the plot to an acceptable height. At least there is a plot, it just never receives the development it both needs and deserves.

This goes straight from celebrating a wedding to having a quest dumped on you. Blunt is an understatement.

Character development is equally lacking, as none of the characters receive any proper development during the course of their adventure. Each character does have their own introductions when we first meet them, which helps immensely to define their base characterizations, but that’s hardly ever built upon or evolved further as the game progresses. We are instead given hints at personality sprinkled throughout their interactions with each other, but it’s nowhere near enough to take their characterizations any further nor is it enough for us players to make an emotional investment in them. They’re also mostly written with the same voice; there are no unique voices that the dialogue can convey. Even their actions during cutscenes mostly fall short in furthering their individual personalities. It’s again left up to their introductions into the story, as well as their aesthetic depictions, to truly define them. Needless to say, I would have liked much more on the development front.

Right to the point…thanks Dr. Wily looking NPC

In regards to gameplay, Breath of Fire features a traditional, no-nonsense RPG style. Turn-based combat, simple menu system, and navigating a world map while utilizing distinct character abilities make up the foundation of the game. Within combat, each character has their own archetype, whether it’s a favoring of strength and physical attack, speed, magic attack, or support. A unique mechanic, Ryu and Karn have the abilities to transform. Ryu can transform into several types of dragons and Karn can merge with other characters to form more powerful entities. This, along with eight characters in total to choose from, lends itself to a myriad of different play styles. Outside of combat, navigating the menu systems takes a little practice, as there are no guides or tutorials in-game, nor are there too many text labels due to presentation limits. The game menus instead rely on symbols and abbreviations, but navigating and figuring out the whats and hows comes relatively quickly. And finally, navigating the world map, including the use of character abilities to cross forests, break rocks to open new paths, or fly across the world, is a simple-to-master ordeal. Overall, this foundation may seem austere in presentation, but there are zero flaws in its quality. The mechanics are solid and function exactly as you would expect.

You can position your characters forward or back, too

Unfortunately, Breath of Fire possesses some major flaws in its gameplay outside of its main mechanics. One of these major flaws is the failure of the game to provide any genuine direction. Especially in the SNES version, you are mostly left to yourself to navigate the world and complete quests with nary a hint as to where to go or how to go about them. Getting lost in this world is too easy and the lack of in-game direction makes for a tedious trek. The GBA version doesn’t fare much better in this either, as again, you’re mostly left to yourself to figure things out. Although the game is linear, some progression points require certain tasks to be completed, some of which aren’t mentioned, ever. For example, in order to enter one of the last dungeons of the game, Mogu requires a specific, one-time use item. What it is, where, or how to go about obtaining it is never described. It’s completely left up to players to figure out who to speak with in order to start a chain of events between two random NPCs before gaining the item, and then returning to Mogu’s village to have him learn how to use said item. This is just one example of this obnoxious practice. Another, slightly less offensive, example is the requirement of Ryu having acquired all of his dragon transformations before endgame. Transformations are rewards given by completing dragon shrines and each shrine has its own conditions for access. Completing one shrine typically unlocks others, but these shrines also require you to find certain dragon-named items, too. These items can be found by fishing in old wells. Spotting shrines and wells on the world map isn’t the most difficult task, but zero hints are ever given as to their locations. Also, it’s never specifically mentioned that the needed items are all hidden in these wells and that Ryu needs to fish for them unless you just happen to try it. On top of that, some items can only be fished out with the best of fishing rods. So what seems initially straightforward is in actuality a series of steps and requirements that are, again, left completely up to the players to discover.

Bo’s passive skill is crossing through forests

Two other major flaws in the SNES version are in regards to combat. One is the noticeably higher than average difficulty level. High difficulty here results in the need for grind. And even with grinding, normal enemy encounters take time to finish and boss battles will nearly all be lengthy ordeals. Though not impossibly tough, the low EXP gains combined with tough normal enemies and challenging bosses does make for a dragged out, less than enjoyable journey. A far worse offense, however, is the ridiculously high encounter rate. There will be many times in which you will only manage a few steps between battles and this combined with the slower pace of battles makes for a painfully tedious, time-consuming experience. Even worse, too many of the game’s dungeons and layouts are unnecessarily large and twisting, meaning that you’ll be spending far more time than you’d like just to get through. It’s so bad that exploration is discouraged lest you want to spend those extra hours for dead ends or, if you’re lucky, meager reward. Thank goodness that these two flaws were directly addressed in the GBA version, as EXP gains, enemy difficulty, and encounter rates have all been adequately adjusted. Also, the GBA version includes a dash ability. Did I mention that in the SNES version, everyone walks at a snail’s pace? Overall, the SNES version’s pros simply cannot cover its fatal cons, but the GBA version’s gameplay corrects most of those flaws, making for a much more satisfactory playing experience.

Bosses especially will take time to defeat, as they’re tough and many will have a second phase with an extra, unknown amount of HP

The SNES version does have its strengths over the GBA version, however, and those lie in its aesthetic appeal. The SNES version has some impressive visuals, especially with its sprites. The characters look great, the sprites for Karn’s transformations are unique, and all of Ryu’s dragon forms are impressive too. In particular, I’m amazed with the enemy sprites, as their details are intricate and all look fittingly menacing. The portrait avatars looks good too, adding those hints of needed character I mentioned earlier. The GBA version has a few missteps though. The color saturation of this version has been turned up, giving the game a far more vivid pallet that clashes with the tone of the story. While it does make things easier to see on a GBA screen, it’s just too much. Also, the characters’ portrait art is changed and although it’s not worse, I do prefer the originals.

Breath of Fire’s audio is fantastic, offering a robust soundtrack that remarkably instills the tones and moods the game aims for. Never once did I not notice the music, nor did I ever feel the songs chosen clashed with the events on-screen. The music stands out, immersing players in the ways the story should have. A complaint with both versions is that some tracks are used a bit too often. The themes for towns and dungeons in particular are well used to the point that you may get tired of them by the end. And a last complaint regarding the GBA version is that the audio is reduced from stereo to a poor mono mix. Overall, the visual and audio aesthetics of Breath of Fire are outstanding and are perhaps my favorite aspects of the game.

As Capcom’s inauguration into the JRPG market, Breath of Fire is satisfactory. Strong foundational gameplay mechanics and an epic introduction help the effort. Adjustments to difficulty in the GBA version and robust aesthetics in the SNES version also add value. Yet the difficulty and pacing issues of the original, the downgrade of aesthetic appeal in the GBA version, and the lackluster story and a mediocre cast shared between both versions are all impossible to ignore. If you’re looking for a solid, manageable RPG experience that will last 15-20 hours, I would recommend the GBA version. If you want the grind and near brutal challenge of the oldschool that will take you closer to 40+ hours, then the SNES version is for you. Breath of Fire has its flaws, but giving it a try may reveal to you just why Breath of Fire continues its legacy today.

Review Score
Overall for both SNES and GBA versions

The post TBT REVIEW: Breath of Fire appeared first on oprainfall.

The golden age of RPGs gave us many classics that continue to bring about memories of joy and awe when simply mentioned. Games like Secret of Mana or Chrono Trigger are universally loved due to their epic stories, fantastic gameplay, and beautiful aesthetics. However, not all RPGs from that era achieved such legendary standing, as few games, even now, have come as close to perfection. Secret of Evermore is one such example; it’s a game with a satisfactory story and both familiar gameplay and aesthetics, yet it falls terribly short in its execution and overall quality. Not quite a hidden gem, Secret of Evermore is more a game with loads of potential that never manifested nor achieved the greatness it could have had.

Secret of Evermore begins with a cryptic thirty-year flashback, at a tucked away mansion depicting an experiment gone wrong. Turn to the present, a boy chases his dog to the now dilapidated mansion, stumbling upon a peculiar machine. The machine is activated and the boy is transported. He soon meets two unknown individuals, one of whom promptly dismissed him and eventually the boy finds himself plummeting from space in a pod before landing on what seems to be prehistoric Earth. Not knowing where he is, how he got there, or why his dog is now a feral wolf, the boy and his pet set off into this prehistoric wilderness in search of a way back home. He will ultimately need to work together with individuals from his own world that he meets and uncover the secrets of this land he will come to know as Evermore.

No kidding…

Secret of Evermore is a quest-driven story in which history, knowledge, and imagination mishmash to create the world our hero and his dog find themselves in. The simple task of finding a way back home develops into meeting various other characters who also find themselves in Evermore and doing the tasks they give in the hopes of achieving that similar goal. The game solely depends on its story to intrigue its players throughout the hero’s journey. Unfortunately, the story itself isn’t all that strong, as the mysteries of Evermore aren’t all that mysterious or intriguing. Rather than a fleshed-out unraveling of what Evermore is and how it came to be, it’s mostly addressed without any significant depth. We are told rather than shown. Exposition comes quickly and mysteries are bluntly uncovered to move the story and game along. This is a fairly common occurrence, missing out on opportunities to build suspense and establish a heavier tone of mystery. There is also an existential element to the story that is never explored, which is something that would have added much-needed depth. The story may remain amusing enough to hold one’s curiosity until the end, however that end is unsatisfying and once the game is completed, with its lack of mood, even less character development, and the linearity of the entire journey, the game does little to entice a replay other than purely for nostalgia’s sake.

The writing can be blunt at times…

Other narrative shortcomings come from the near nonexistence of character establishment or development. Not to say there isn’t any characterization⁠—the only character to have any semblance of unique personality is the hero⁠—but that doesn’t go much further than his apparent love for fictitious movies and his willingness to refer to or quote them as his circumstances call for it. The other major characters hardly have any detail to them other than their connections to the experiment and their current residency in Evermore. Even their voices are written painfully similar to the point that their only distinguishing traits are their obvious influences on Evermore’s landscapes and their character sprites. Simply put, characterization and development never seemed like a concern of the developers at all.

Our hero is simply a story-driving pawn

Leaving story behind, Secret of Evermore’s gameplay should be familiar to anyone who has played Secret of Mana. Secret of Evermore implements near-identical gameplay mechanics, utilizing the ring menu system and combat system from Mana. Basic combat requires a recharge after every strike and most other functions, from using items to equipping arms and armor, to casting alchemy skills, can all be performed via the ring menus. Familiar and intuitive, gameplay does have some unique quirks as well. One major departure from the Mana formula is that magic comes in the form of learning alchemy recipes and the use of items. Rather than a magic meter, in order to perform skills, you must have the required number of ingredients necessary to perform them. For example, to use Flash, the basic fire skill, you need one wax and two oils. As you traverse Evermore, different ingredients and more skills become available, but all are dependent on your having the right ingredients and quantities. In turn, this makes having plenty of cash on hand to make frequent purchases an absolute necessity. Together, the constant need for cash and ingredients becomes an annoyance as you’ll constantly be making purchases in order to make a viable offense.

Other familiar traits in gameplay include the use of different weapons. As you use a particular weapon, it levels up and allows for a charged attack that typically provides better range. Standard attacks, however, significantly and annoyingly lack range regardless of weapon type, so leveling weapons comes into greater play. Though the charged attacks are unique, I much preferred the varying ranges and traits of the different weapons as seen in other games at the time. Also, the need to get overly up close and personal to enemies to inflict damage means taking damage. A lot. More often than I’d like, placing even greater dependency on cash and item stocks for too frequent healing.

The challenge level of Evermore is noticeably steeper than similar games, so defeating enemies while balancing the unavoidable damage and maintaining HP is key. Grinding for levels is also recommended, as the hero and dog will both feel like they’re not hitting hard enough in crucial fights. Unfortunately, the experience gains from enemies are lacking while experience demands for a level up feel higher than what can be considered balanced, adding to the potential frustration players will feel. There are many enemies and moments that can feel downright unforgiving, so patience with the gameplay’s nuances is also a must. Again, that means working around the limited range and power of physical attacks and near complete reliance on alchemy skills, especially in regards to boss fights.

Not everything is intuitive or explained, leaving it to us to figure out. Here, you need to use the floor hatches to leave or the machine to launch your dog in the air

Outside of combat, gameplay is a linear ordeal, as you explore the subsequent towns, talk to NPCs, do a bit of trading should you choose, and simply trek from one point to another until the end. There isn’t much in the way of subquests, nor exploration in the dungeons and other enemy-infested areas, keeping gameplay to the simple tasks of surviving and boss beating. Though the straightforward style works, it lacks creative appeal and may be more a deterrent than an attraction to potential players.

Finally, Secret of Evermore sports a familiar, yet appealing aesthetic that overflows with nostalgia. The visuals are mostly strong, with detailed sprites and impressive enemy and boss depictions. The backgrounds and map designs are especially strong and creative, vividly detailing the historical aspects they are meant to represent. Few other games have attempted such an idea, so the uniqueness of Evermore’s world continues to stand out. Though I did find some maps inconsistent in their levels of details, the areas that do receive that attention definitely show it. As for the audio, the soundtrack is satisfactory, as the music matches its locales and serves its purpose of amplifying the tones that both the story and visuals attempt to convey. However, I didn’t find the soundtrack nearly as remarkable. None of the tunes truly stand out or possess the weightiness of the tracks from other games at the time of its release. I will say that I am impressed with the use of silence and ambiance, as both are used effectively to create mood, plus neither are overused, which I find to be a skill in itself. Overall, Secret of Evermore’s aesthetics support well the story and gameplay and while the music fails to stand out in any memorable way, its visuals will impress.

They may look cool, but the bosses can be annoying. This one constantly drops you, forcing you to climb up a tower to attack

The fact that Secret of Evermore was the first attempt by a new development team definitely shows, yet their efforts produced a satisfactory game that continues on more as a cult classic. Some love it, many others look upon it with mixed feelings or utter indifference. It’s not the hidden gem that is Terranigma, nor will it trigger the same levels of awe and pleasurable nostalgia like Chrono Trigger. Its narrative potential fails to hide the linear story and instead exposes its disappointing lack of depth. Missteps in gameplay hurt and may likely turn away players expecting the more robust gameplay of Secret of Mana, Illusion of Gaia and the likes of those more highly regarded RPGs. Despite all of this, Secret of Evermore has its strengths and will appeal to players looking for a bit of a classic, throwback RPG style. It’s not for everyone, but if you have the patience and the passion for the oldschool, Secret of Evermore may be worth the look.

Review Score
Overall

Review Copy Owned by Author

The post TBT REVIEW: Secret of Evermore appeared first on oprainfall.

Horgihugh is a 2D, side-scrolling SHMUP and the debut game by developer PiXEL. Not quite the bullet hell and nightmare inducing experience of other SHMUPs, Horgihugh still possesses the key characteristics of the genre. Combining those with an original story, classic 16-bit style, and an adorable aesthetic, and you have a notable first offering from a fledgling development studio.

Horgihugh starts off by introducing its backstory, set in a world similar to our own yet with its population consisting of anthropomorphic animals. After relative peace for most of its history, a single violent event triggers a world war. During this conflict, a former pilot, Dr. Howard, discovers an alien stone, one that could be used to neutralize any and all weapons this world possesses. However, before he could finish his work to end the war, the conflict ends on its own accord. Since then, a global initiative to renounce the possession of weapons is put in place.

Six years later, following a signal from the stone, aliens, called the Gozarean, arrive on earth and begin to steadily take over. One country, which broke the treaty to disarm, has an arsenal and launches a counter attack, only to fail due to the alien’s ability to neutralize these weapons. Meanwhile, two pilots who turned their backs on the world war and who isolated themselves since, are now the only means of defense, as their vintage biplanes are the only weapons unaffected by the aliens’ ability. Hugh the dog and Figaro the cat are thrust into action, the last hope of the world against the Gozarean invasion.

The story of Horgihugh sets the stage for the game, explaining the whats and whys for this conflict. The entire story is presented as a prologue cutscene and that’s all we really get before the epilogue. The prologue feels like it’s just lumped up and thrown at you before anything else happens. It’s also not the most intriguing or thought provoking of stories, though I suppose it does enough of a job to explain why we as players are controlling World War II era aircraft against an advanced alien invasion. It serves a purpose, but it’s hardly memorable. The epilogue fares only slightly better, in that there is a relevant message we can all learn from. If anything story related can be called memorable, it’s that single message at the very end. And I do realize that SHMUPs in general rarely have intriguing stories to begin with, but the lack here does zero favors.

The characters, too, are not all that thought provoking, simply serving the purpose of addressing who’s fighting who. Hugh and Figaro are two pilots who had isolated themselves, not wanting to use their flying talents to cause suffering or death. But, as the only hope in a new war against aliens, they take action. While Figaro gets a sarcastic line or two during play and while we do get a few lines at the end, we don’t get much else from either character. Much of their personalities is implied or left to us to assume. Bare bones, unmemorable, moving on.

As a SHMUP, the heart of the game is not in its story, narrative, or character development, but in its gameplay. Though this is the first game from a new developer, Horgihugh has solid gameplay for the genre. There is an appreciable degree of action and challenge here, as players dodge and destroy in classic 2D, side-scrolling fashion. Several traditional elements of play are also present, including the need to recognize enemy patterns and familiarize oneself with level layouts if you’re planning to survive or rack up a high score. Upgrades are available via collecting medals or buying them from Howard’s Lab with collected crystals and examples include increasing firepower and improving defense. If you’re struggling, there’s also Angela’s Shop, which offers extra lives or a level selector to practice unlocked levels. Keep in mind, using Angela’s items will incur point penalties. During play, one unique gameplay element is the somersault, which destroys enemies and makes Hugh invincible for a few moments. Another unique element of this game, after a number of medals are collected, Figaro will join the fight, mimicking your control of Hugh and adding to your destructive power. You can also control Figaro’s formation, moving him in front, behind, above or below Hugh. A bit of innovation goes a long way here.

In terms of its execution, Horgihugh hits most of the expected marks, with fluid movement, appreciable upgrades, and plenty of fun to be had. I thought having Figaro as a copilot was great, both as an innovative element and one that actually contributes to gameplay rather than an unnecessary change for change’s sake. I do wish there was more innovation or uniqueness to play, as the game quickly feels overly familiar to other SHMUPs. I also wish the game was longer. Levels feel a bit short and because of that, six levels just doesn’t feel adequate. Most players will be done with the entire experience, replays and all, within a few hours. What I do appreciate is the challenge level of the game, allowing itself to appeal both to veterans of the genre, as well as newcomers. I like how both an easy and normal difficulty are available from the start and, for the most part, the challenge remains even with only few moments when the difficulty spikes. Fortunately, those are rare and most will be able to manage the campaign in its entirety. The one gripe of mine I can’t forgive is the lack of customizable controls. The keyboard controls are not the most intuitive and require practice to master. The developers even recommend using a controller, which is telling. Using my Xbox controller, I found the controls much easier to master, however I again wish I could have customized them. Such a small convenience to players can make an experience changing impact.

When Howard’s Blimp appears, fly into it to enter his shop

What stands out the most in Horgihugh is its aesthetic charm. Visually, the game is adorable, offering an appeal for all ages through its 16-bit era pixel art while also impressively disguising the hidden destruction and challenge that lie within. The character designs are cute and the miscues that come from enemy appearances, especially the sub and main bosses, is satisfyingly deceiving. It doesn’t matter how cute Hugh, Figaro, or the enemies are, everything poses a threat and it’s all lovably illustrated. I also love the level designs, ranging from oceans and cloudy skies to caves, blizzards, and cityscapes. Artists KOU, Hidekunki Sasaki, and Kengo Tanaka have lent their talents to the visuals and the results are charming in every aspect. The audio is equally impressive, with catchy tunes that fit the overall style of the game perfectly. Konami composer Motoaki Furukawa has created a soundtrack that perfectly captures the tone of the game, emphasizing the charismatic visuals. Although the soundtrack probably won’t stick with you afterwards, its charm and quality are a pleasure to listen to in the moment. Together, the visual and audio aesthetics are easily the highlights of Horgihugh.

Horgihugh accomplishes what it sets out it do, in that it provides its players with a no-nonsense, action-packed experience. The 16-bit stylizing and the cutesy anthropomorphic aesthetic add plenty of charm, furthering its appeal to a wider audience. Yet, with a forgettable story, missteps in its gameplay; controls, lack of innovation, and limited number of levels; and with achieving high-scores or going for perfect playthroughs as the only reasons for replay, the overall experience lacks enough punch to take it beyond average territory. The price tag of about $12 (original price) is steep for what the game provides and unless you’re an avid fan of SHMUPs, charming aesthetics, or you’re looking for a solid entry point into the genre, you may want to give this a pass. If that price were to ever drop by half or more, then I would whole-heartedly recommend the purchase to anyone interested. PiXEL has provided an acceptable first release, as Horgihugh is, overall, a fun experience throughout. They’ve impressed me enough that I’ll be keeping an eye on PiXEL in the future.

Review Score
Overall

Review Copy Provided by Publisher

The post REVIEW: Horgihugh appeared first on oprainfall.

Frane is a series of JRPGs developed by EXE-Create beginning in 2000. From 2000 to 2003, the series included three games that took place in the same universe, albeit with new characters and storylines that loosely interconnect. Releasing only in Japan for PC, the first Frane was later released for Japanese mobile platforms. With EXE-Create’s shift to a global market, the third Frane game, Dragons’ Odyssey, was translated into English and received a PC and iOS release in 2011-2012. In April of 2019, this third game received a remastered re-release with all new artwork and updated graphics. Made available on all major platforms, many, myself included, finally have the opportunity to experience Frane almost twenty years after its initial series debut.

The Frane series encompasses a universal story in which two kingdoms, one of angels and another of demons, all play a part in humanity’s existence. Both strive for the betterment of humanity through their influences on the world, however their different methods have been a source of stress between their kingdoms’ relationship. This third entry to the series focuses on a much more personal story relating to this overarching point. Dragons Kunah and Riel are tasked by Zeus to find the angel Escude. Escude has set off to find out for herself which of the ways of the angels and demons are the right ones for humanity’s prosperity. Zeus has Kunah and Riel leave the heavenly kingdom of Vanneth, perhaps as a motive to offer similar experiences as Escude for these two. And just as soon as Kunah and Riel arrive on earth, they are entwined in a far more heartfelt journey, one that will reveal to them the treasures of friendship and the power of personal relationships.

Frane: Dragons’ Odyssey takes us alongside Kunah and Riel as they begin their search for their missing friend and angel, Escude. This only serves as a plot framework, however, as the game’s story is in actuality a personal journey, focused on the lives of Kunah, Riel, and a select group of individuals who all discover new friendships through their own painful pasts and current struggles. Since the flow of the game depends on this individualistic style, the overall story can feel a bit disjointed at times. Hunting down clues takes Kunah and Riel in all sorts of different directions and so some of the story points can feel like a collection of sub quests the two need to work through in order to reach the end. Fortunately, the story has its moments of brilliance, as these quests more often align with the defining points of the supporting cast. For example, Miriam, a knight once betrothed to Denarius, seeks to exact revenge against her love’s murderer. As the game progresses, we are taken to locations, such as an abandoned town and Denarius’s ruined mansion, that allow us to interact with Miriam and her companion Bartz, as they uncover the mysteries behind her fallen fiancé. There are other examples too, but I do wish they were more abundant in quantity, since the quality is there. When it does happen, the game does an excellent job of connecting these characters and their individual stories together to form an intriguing, easily immersive tale.

As for the characters themselves, Frane: Dragons’ Odyssey provides a colorful cast that are a joy to get to know. Kunah, although a typical good-natured hero, demonstrates unfailing compassion for those around him. Despite always being ready to do the right thing, his personality is an easy fit for the friendship and relationship elements of the game. It also lends itself to quite a bit of humor between him and Riel. Riel is very much your standard tsundere; easily riled, powerful, aggressive, and adorable. Yet despite the tropes, Riel is a fantastic character; well written and memorable. Her straightforward style, saying exactly what’s on her mind, is the perfect contrast to Kunah’s polite, simpler demeanor. And the contrast in styles only helps to highlight the feelings they have for one another, as well as the compassion they both express. The writers made the tropes work and the results are outstanding.

The other characters also have their strengths, but those strengths mainly lie in their backstories and current situations. I mentioned Miriam and Bartz before and I found their subplot immersive, especially when it later connects to the main story. Their characterizations, however, fall a bit flat, as they don’t see much growth. Their development is satisfactory, but I would have liked to have seen more evolution of their characters. The same can be said for Floryn, who is implied as one of Kunah’s potential love interests. She’s an orphan, overworked and underfed by her abusive uncle and lives a pitiable life. Yet she manages to live life with as much happiness as she can. Kunah immediately becomes a light in her life and through this, we get to see Floryn’s good-nature and charm. Unfortunately, we never really get to see Floryn shed that identity as this poor girl with a heartbreaking past. Floryn would have been a phenomenal character had she received a more complete development arc. We do see moments of growth from her, but again, it falls flat as there’s too little to make the impact it could have had and what we do get only happens late in the game. Having said all of this, while the side characters could have been so much more, they do have their strengths, charms, and an ease of investing in them on an emotional level that is satisfying throughout the game.

Moving onto gameplay, Frane: Dragons’ Odyssey borrows much of its style from the older Ys games. Combat is very similar, in that hordes of enemies are defeated by running into them and attacking. Players control Kunah, a melee fighter who uses three types of weapons, while Riel is your invincible companion who follows behind and uses ranged magical attacks. Variation in combat comes with the different weapons Kunah uses, which alter power and range, and Riel’s magic, which vary in power, element, and range as well. Also, there is a basic elemental system, in which enemies are either ice, fire, or neutral and attacking with the opposite element is key.

In regards to combat, its pros lie in its fast pace. Mowing down enemies is pretty fun and a nice change from the classic turn-based style both EXE-Create and Kemco often employ. I also like the special attacks the two can launch. As Kunah deals damage, he builds up a meter to launch a rushing attack . As Riel takes damage, her rage meter increases and when full, she automatically knocks Kunah into everything onscreen, dealing massive damage, but at the cost of 25% of your HP. Combat isn’t perfect, however, as this combat style tends to boil down to spamming your two attack buttons. I also didn’t like how I couldn’t change weapons and magic on the fly, instead having to open the equip menu each time. In some dungeons, the elemental affinities of enemies will change from one room to another, so having a quicker way to swap would have been ideal.

Plenty of enemies and nearly immediate respawns will keep you busy

Outside of combat, there are three game mechanics that add variety to gameplay. These are the relationship system, cooking, and crafting. The relationship system is a means to reveal more about the side characters, often providing additional background and allowing us to see different sides of these characters as relationships are built. In order to build these relationships, gifts must be given, which is how both crafting and cooking come into play. Discovering and making favorite items for each character is a must to make significant progress, as other items may diminish or barely raise the relationship meter of a character. Also, this meter decreases over time, so cooking or crafting gifts and giving often is a necessity. As a reward for all this effort, once a relationship has passed the 75% mark, the character will give a unique crafting item, one that will become available at one of the many shops in the world as well. These crafting items are usually components for the best arms and armor in the game.

Even though the relationship mechanic is a nice touch and the cooking and crafting can be fun as you make new discoveries, there are noticeable downsides and detractors. For one, several of the side characters have lock out points. Miriam and Bartz especially have lock out points that are far too early in the game. So in order to make their unique crafting items available, or if you wish to perfect the relationship (you can only choose one person to have a perfect/ max relationship with), you need to build it up early. That means grinding. A lot of it. You need tons of money to buy the crafting and cooking items, as enemies only drop cash. Plus, everything is purposely expensive. This all means a break in the story and hours spent to form these relationships. Honestly, the EXE-Create developers could have made items cheaper, increased relationship point yields, pushed back lock out points, eliminated lock-out altogether, or have the characters that leave return via story, since we do see all of them again at some point. Simply put, the execution here is poor. Even Riel has a lock out point and she’s with you the entire game. And perhaps the worst of all, having a maxed, perfect relationship with most of the side characters makes zero impact on the game’s ending. Way too much effort for far too little payoff. Again, these mechanics have fun to offer and plenty of innovation, but execution and integration could have been so much stronger.

As this version of Frane: Dragons’ Odyssey is a remaster, naturally the most obvious changes are in its aesthetic presentation. Visually, this game looks great, keeping the charms of the original 16-bit stylizations, yet also featuring sharper sprites, a more vivid color palette, and sharper, more detailed standing portraits and CGs. The game looks great and comparing it to the 2011 version, the increase in quality is apparent. That’s not to say the CGs of the previous version were bad, but the increase in vibrancy and detail is a nice touch. I also appreciate the number of CGs available, depicting the cast and bringing more significance to the events unfolding. My only gripe would be that some of the CGs are made from the standing portraits and some are reused a bit too often. I’m always for more original artwork, but what we do get is still quite impressive.

The audio isn’t as robust as the visuals, however, as they generally serve to fill out the aesthetic appeal. They aren’t terrible, but they are hardly memorable. Also, the tracks don’t properly loop, so there’s a noticeable break when the track ends and starts over. The major complaint I have here is that not all the tracks from the original version of the game are included. This is a huge letdown because the tracks with vocals are some that were cut from this version. There’s no reason to leave out your best quality music. There was even an OST released around the time of the 2011 English version’s debut because of how strong the soundtrack was, so to deny us the best of that, it hurts.

The artwork is some of the best EXE-Create has produced

Before wrapping up this review, I do wish to discuss other differences between the original PC versions of the game and this remaster. Having researched the 2011 English original, I noticed that much has been altered or cut completely from the remaster. For one, the name Zeus is used in place of God. It’s not a major change, as it doesn’t impact the story or the game’s universe, but I believe this and other potentially religious-sensitive changes to the script was the cause for another major cut; the complete removal of the voice acting. Now, the English voice acting can be described as awful, but leaving out the Japanese voice acting, which was made available in 2011, is a regrettable omission for this remaster. I highly doubt anyone would have complained about the discrepancies between the in-game text versus the Japanese voice tracks if it meant its complete exclusion. I also doubt the script edits would have played a significant role, as the usage of religious terms is so sparse to begin with.

Another issue I have, which for me is the most disappointing, is the decision not to redo and include the animated cutscenes. Those cutscenes actually explain quite a bit and emphasize the events on screen. There was a fantastic intro cutscene that shows Kunah and Riel in their dragon forms, as well as depicting what’s in store for players. Another example is the cutscene that plays between the final boss and the ending scenes and this one getting cut from this version sucks big time. Escude has limited on-screen time and so the moments we do have with her are character defining. Having this cutscene would have made Escude’s actions and her very character far more impactful to the story and the people around her. So the fact that it was removed is flat-out detrimental. This same cutscene also makes clear how deep the feelings go between Kunah and Riel. It’s a major loss not to have it. Generally, taking away story related content is never a good idea, as this story indeed needs help at times. The complete removal of them all is painful, so much so that I would rather they included the 2011 cutscenes, regardless of graphic quality, rather than not having them at all.

Overall and despite my many complaints with decisions made by the developers, I still enjoyed Frane: Dragons’ Odyssey and did so enough that I hope one day the entire Frane series is made available in the West. Perhaps that’s exactly why I’m so emotional in this review; I liked what I got, but it could have been genuinely epic. I think I’ve only been similarly distraught by EXE-Create when comparing their Revenant Saga to Revenant Dogma. EXE-Create has the potential; it’s there, but the execution for this and several other of their games is really getting to me. The price point of about $13 for the ten to fifteen hours of play, grinding included, is not great, but I can wholeheartedly recommend the purchase during a sale and fortunately those occur fairly often for Kemco products anyway. Though the flaws of Frane: Dragons’ Odyssey are visible and may even turn away more impatient of gamers, its story quality and its fast-paced, destruction filled combat system will surely please any and all JRPG fans.

Review Score
Overall

The post REVIEW: Frane: Dragons’ Odyssey appeared first on oprainfall.

I’m always impressed when an indie developer successfully tackles a beloved genre like Metroidvania, mainly due to the fact that these genres include some of the greatest games ever produced. And to develop a game that can compete with the big names of those styles is deserving of any recognition it gets. That’s exactly what Ghost 1.0 is, a Metroidvania style game that successfully employs the best aspects of the genre, while also possessing its own charm and brilliance.

Ghost 1.0 is set in the future in which robots are advanced to the point that their physical and mental abilities are comparable to humans in every way. These robots, called Nakas, are so much like humans that efforts to grant them human rights and freedoms are ongoing. However, Nakamura, the creators and producers of the Nakas, are resisting these efforts, claiming that Nakas are no more than a material good, despite their human-level intelligence, learning abilities, and personalities. Meanwhile, a pair of individuals, Jacker the hacker and Boogan the engineer, are more concerned with acquiring Nakamura’s AI algorithm for the sake of personal profit. After many failed attempts at hacking their servers, which reside on the Nakamura Space Station (NSS), they decide to build a robot Chassis and sneak it onto the station. Through a mutual contact named Viktor, the two hire Ghost, an expert at infiltration, capable of masterfully controlling any robot. The Chassis is successfully delivered to the NSS and what starts as a simple procurement mission for Ghost spirals into a far deeper and more personal journey.

I really enjoyed Ghost 1.0’s story, as it kept me thoroughly intrigued from start to finish. Using the covers of theft of technology and the simple premise of a destruction-filled infiltration, the story has far more depth than first perceived. The reveal of secret after secret to build this web of mystery is fantastic and the resolutions are equally satisfying. I’m most impressed with the quality of the story itself, as it’s not only incredibly creative, it’s also well executed through its narrative.

Mainly told through dialogue between Ghost, Jacker, and Boogan, the narrative is outstandingly clever and entertaining. The lighthearted banter between the three expands their personalities and brings quality immersion. I love how Ghost has a mischievous sense of humor and how Jacker conveys his stubborn unwillingness as the recipient of it. I also appreciate Boogan’s implied role as mediator between the two, though more often siding with Ghost’s joking at Jacker’s expense. I especially like the tones the dialogue brings, as it makes everyone not only more likeable and memorable, but more human, which ties into that Naka plot point perfectly. Just as impressive are the changes in tones as the story progresses. These moods are implemented in such a way that they never feel forced, rather they are convincingly palpable and further add to the experience.

The story and narrative are only further strengthened by the character development. We’re treated to the personalities of these characters, from their sarcastic responses to each other to the way they react to the events unfolding. Ghost is definitely the outgoing, energetic type, preferring action and chaos to the alternatives. One aspect of the gameplay is the need to trigger alarms and clear the room of enemies and through her dialogue, it’s heavily implied that she’s doing it on purpose just for the rush and the havoc. And yet through her sarcasm and jovial behavior, she’s incredibly charming. And it’s not just her mischievous side that makes her so appealing; she shows genuine concern for Jacker and Boogan as if they are her friends, despite their only initial relation being a contract for services rendered. It’s these additional sides of Ghost that make her such a memorable and complete character.

Jacker and Boogan, though somewhat less developed than Ghost, are just as memorable. Jacker’s responses to Ghost and his behaviors don’t really change throughout, yet they’re full of humor. Jacker even has a few noteworthy moments of expressing his genuine feelings. Boogan is much more vocal and straightforward with his thoughts and again, his role as mediator make him a likeable personality, especially with his blatant favoritism. Also, even after mysteries are brought to light, his trust in Ghost never wavers. Yet, I would have liked to have seen the same levels of dimension or additions in personality that we see with Ghost. These two have more defined or clear-cut personalities, but they are still so well developed to the point that I wanted more cutscenes and discussions amongst the three of them together. Overall, the story, narrative, and character development are all amazing and are an absolute pleasure to experience.

Moving on to gameplay, Ghost 1.0 plays like a faster-paced Metroid. With healthy doses of platforming and 2D shooting as you explore a vast interconnected map, Ghost 1.0 plays as one would expect from this genre and the execution is impressive. In Classic Mode, you control Ghost as you explore the space station, discover new areas, acquire new weapons and powerups, and backtrack to previously locked locations. And although much of it may seem familiar, Ghost 1.0 has plenty of innovation too, so much so that I’m glad the first section of the game is a tutorial level, explaining the nuances of the unique elements of play.

Hints help explain gameplay elements like power-ups and weapons, too

While you start the game with a simple pistol, there are plenty of additional primary and secondary weapons to collect and upgrade. Although you have unlimited ammo for every weapon, weapons need to recharge, limiting shot number and fire rate, so upgrading is key. There are also plenty of power-ups that improve Ghost herself, such as health and defense. The skill tree featured in the game can not only improve Ghost’s abilities, but can add additional advantages and changes to gameplay as well. For example, progressing in the game requires the triggering of alarms and defeating all of the enemies that appear. Some skills improve Jacker’s ability to manipulate these Alarm Phases, either by shortening the alarm time, which in turn decreases the enemies that appear, send health containers for Ghost, cause instant death to some arriving enemies, or send friendly robots to fight alongside you.

Other skills can increase dropped energy cubes, which are the currency of the game, or decrease prices in shops. Others still can even increase the difficulty of the game, should you wish to do so. As for Ghost herself, a few examples include increasing her health, increase defense against certain types of attacks, improve firing rate, add a double jump, increase recharge rate for weapons, or reduce the penalties for dying. There are plenty to discover and trying different combinations can radically change the experience from one playthrough to the next.

Figure out your preferences sooner than later since things get tough…

Ghost 1.0 also features a very unique gameplay mechanic: the ability to possess other robots. Ghost is able to leave her Chassis by becoming an invulnerable digital ghost. In this ghost form, she can float to anywhere on the screen and if there’s a vulnerable robot, she can possess it. This opens gameplay to many possibilities, from solving more complex puzzles that require multiple robots, to protecting your Chassis by controlling other robots during a fight and dropping the number of potential threats while keeping your Chassis safe. There’s also a section of the skill tree that improves her ghost abilities, such as moving faster, strengthening possessed robots, or attracting souls.

Collecting souls can yield power-ups, but getting them to appear is the problem. For this room, you have to ghost to this specific spot to make souls appear

Outside of standard gameplay, Ghost 1.0 has a lot to do in terms of collecting and unlocking. Items, upgrades, and plenty of achievements are just a few examples. One of my complaints is actually with a certain collection aspect of play; many upgrades to health, ammo amount, and defense are linked to the collecting of souls. Almost every room has souls to collect and triggering their appearance can honestly be a real pain. Many times, the trigger is not intuitive at all. From saving and quitting, to rapidly moving Ghost back and forth, to reaching a specific point in the incredibly large rooms, for every hidden trigger that makes sense, there are several that just don’t (examples in the gallery below). This is where a guide most definitely comes in handy.

Unfortunately, the pain doesn’t stop there, as collecting souls doesn’t always yield a helpful reward. Sometimes the reward is energy cubes, which can be helpful as cash is usually nice, but other times an item called a Geek is unlocked. Meant as jokes, Geeks will change something in the game for humor’s sake without changing the main story or affecting gameplay. For example, the White Plastic Geeks will reskin certain robots to look like storm troopers. Others may add audio and/or video clips from famous shows and movies. While they add humor, their appeal wears thin fast and I would have preferred more power-ups instead.

Another example: needing to come to a complete halt in play. You need to gather three scientist droids down to this spot for souls.

The reason this is a complaint of mine is because this game is tough. Although I played on medium difficulty, there were plenty of times I found myself frustrated with the need to survive rooms and Alarm Phases that felt more like playing a bullet hell than anything else. More upgrades and power-ups would have helped, rather than cash and joke items. As you progress, gaining certain upgrades definitely helps, as well as focusing on upgrading a few weapons rather than buying them all. Yet the higher difficulty stays consistent throughout and it will get frustrating at times, hence soul collecting and Geek items rubbing me the wrong way.

Eliminate all enemies first, and then save and quit. Then continue to make souls appear.

The last piece of gameplay to mention are the two distinct modes of play. Classic mode is exactly what you would expect, with a gradual increase in difficulty as you complete the game, buying new weapons and improvements along the way. Then there’s Survival mode, which is more of a rogue-like experience. Rather than purchasing items and weapons, you start with a random set. Difficulty increases the longer you survive and you lose everything upon death, starting the sequence of being assigned random items and resetting the difficulty again. This is definitely for veterans of Ghost 1.0, with much patience. Lastly, three difficulty settings for both modes are available. As I mentioned, I found medium on Classic Mode to be somewhat challenging, despite being very familiar with Metroid and Metroidvanias, so that may give you a sense of which mode you’d like to start with.

In terms of issues I had, besides the soul collection, a minor complaint is with the default controls. Playing through using an Xbox controller, the default controls did not feel natural to me. The firing assignments worked very well, but several of the secondary functions, such as opening doors and switching weapons, didn’t feel intuitive in their default assignments. Fortunately, there is full customization for both controller and keyboard/mouse controls. Once I played around and figured out what was most comfortable, I had no issues. Another issue I had is with the vastness of the NSS and, in turn, the sizes of the rooms. This again works against triggering the appearance of souls, but a bigger issue I had was that I found myself having trouble seeing. In order to demonstrate the sheer size of the place, many times I felt the camera was zoomed out to an uncomfortable level. There is a TV mode, but that didn’t help much when the issue was at its worst and this is as I play on a 32-inch screen. Ghost 1.0 is nearly flawless overall, which only makes these few shortcomings stand out.

Can’t forget the big boss fights.

And now for its aesthetics. Simply put, Ghost 1.0 looks and sounds absolutely amazing. Visually, every aspect of Ghost 1.0 looks as if a ton of love was put into the artistic efforts. From the character sprites to the cutscenes, it’s all truly stunning. I’m very impressed with the amount of detail that went into every sprite. Ghost looks incredible and the various new Chassis you can unlock all look distinct and equally impressive. The various enemy designs are also impressive, all alluding to the senses of a danger-filled, futuristic setting, yet possessing their own individuality in design. Even the backgrounds are fantastic, with their clear and vivid details that show the technological achievement that is the NSS while also conveying the major differences in purpose of each unique area. The cutscenes are great, bringing more life to Jacker and Boogan. I definitely found myself wanting more of them because of how great they look and sound.

Speaking of sound, the voice acting is phenomenal. Mirisha Lottich’s voicing for Ghost is perfect, as she flawlessly conveys the many sides of her personality. After hearing her work, I couldn’t imagine another voice for Ghost that would be at the same level. Andrew Miller’s Jacker is spot on and the sarcasm that defines this character is convincingly portrayed. Jonathan Jones’s Boogan is great too, as he manages the range of emotions Boogan faces as events unfold. The voicing adds so much depth to these characters that I found myself wanting so much more. The soundtrack, however, is not quite at the same level. Some of the tracks are great, fitting the sci-fi theme of the game and adding to the mood of the events on screen. Others don’t though, failing to contribute to the overall mood of the game. They don’t sound bad by any means, it’s just that the majority of them lack any significant impact.

Overall, Ghost 1.0 is a remarkable Metroid-style game that drips with creativity. Strong plot, stronger narrative, a memorable cast, and extraordinary aesthetics allow Ghost 1.0 to stand up to the best the genre can offer. The few flaws in gameplay in regards to difficulty and mechanics do stand out because of how much they contrast with the rest of the game’s polish. The frustration in those moments is real and can’t be ignored. Having said that, Ghost 1.0 will please any fan of the Metroid and the Metroidvania genres, as well as most casual players looking for a solid game full of mystery and action.

Review Score
Overall

The post TBT REVIEW: Ghost 1.0 appeared first on oprainfall.

Over my course of exploring and reviewing games from Aldorlea, I’ve developed a bit of a fondness for this independent developer. This is a small group of developers doing what they love. As such, I genuinely want to see them succeed, so much so that I continue to find myself drawn to them. They’re not perfect, in fact, I’ve been critical of most of the games I’ve reviewed by them. Yet, they continually produce games with enough charm and satisfaction that I can’t help returning to Aldorlea for more. Most recently I played Moonchild, one of their stand-alone RPGs, in the hopes of discovering a hidden gem and finding new reason for persisting in my fascination with this group.

Moonchild tells the story of Calypso, the Queen of New Haven, and the epic quest she is about to undertake. Having risen against and successfully seceded from the tyrannical Fallensword, she, her people, and her relatively new kingdom live in peace. However, a sinister plot by an unknown organization begins to unfold, necessitating in the kidnapping of Calypso’s daughter, Moonchild. Determined to rescue her only reason for living, Calypso dawns her sword and armor once more, ready to sacrifice anything to get her precious daughter back, even if it means facing off against Fallensword once more.

The story of Moonchild takes players on a journey alongside Calypso where she meets new people, visits new lands, and confronts past struggles, all for the sake of rescuing her daughter. During her campaign, we see the emotional turmoil of our heroine, as well as the thoughts and actions of our cast as they explore, investigate, and discuss their courses of action. The main conflict of Calypso rescuing her daughter frames the adventure, yet it’s the personal feelings and interactions between characters that drives the narrative. This narrative is fairly strong, as it successfully delivers the plethora of emotions the cast is exhibiting. Calypso’s sadness is clearly evident, but the strength she demonstrates throughout her pursuit of her daughter is equally evident. Her strong feelings are palpable to us players and it helps immerse us and we come to care for both her and her missing daughter. And fortunately, this level of emotional depth isn’t limited to Calypso, as we see this from her many companions. Although less consistent than our main heroine, the supporting characters have their moments to shine too, ranging from quick bouts of sarcasm, to banter between each other and outside characters, to the feelings that come with attraction and budding relationships. There is easily enough here to immerse players and provide a worthwhile experience. One complaint I would mention is those relationships fail to pan out in any meaningful way. Now, I understand relationships may not be a priority given the plot, but I would have liked to have seen proper resolutions on that front. A more prominent flaw in regards to the narrative or storyline is how abruptly everything comes to an end. To have had development throughout and then to have it all come to a screeching halt with a completely rushed epilogue, if you can even call it that, stands out negatively against what had properly been built up to that point. It’s such a disservice to the accomplishments of the narrative to that point. Yet as they say, it’s not the destination, it’s the journey.

Though the narrative is fairly strong, the actual character development is less so. Calypso is the only character that has genuine dimension. Her motherly side, including her fierce love for her daughter and her devotion to her rescue and safety, are on full display. We also see her sheer strength, ready to go anywhere and face down whomever she needs, which includes past enemies. She is a strong, capable, determined woman and it is a pleasure to witness all of her. Unfortunately, none of the supporting cast receives similar treatment. Although every character has a clearly defined character type, it is never given the depth of dimension Calypso receives, nor do they ever grow in any way. Essentially, they all remain the same from beginning to end. That’s not to say they are unappealing, on the contrary, I enjoy having many of these characters on this campaign. Stardust, Calypso’s longtime friend, is a jovial, outgoing ball of energy. Susanna is as sarcastic and blunt as they come. Whenever either of them speaks, I’m instantly drawn in because usually a funny moment or two are soon to follow. But for every Stardust or Susanna is a Gabriel or Rupert. Gabriel is your typical protective type and Rupert is an academic who obsesses over Stardust. They lack the same depth and, as a result, lack the emotional impact these few other characters pull off. And again, there is hardly any growth or further development to their established personalities. Overall, the quality of the narrative achieved through their interactions is impressive, yet I would have liked to have seen stronger character development complement this.

Where Moonchild shines in its narrative, it does less so in its gameplay. Moonchild plays like your standard RPG Maker game, utilizing the pre-built cookie-cutter turn-based combat mechanic. Enemies are visible on the map, which I like and, as one would expect, touching them initiates the battle. From there, it’s your typical attack, skill/ spell, use an item or run. Up to four characters can be used at a time and my one recommendation would be that you level your characters evenly and high. As for the mechanic itself, no alterations have been made to this, so while the turn-based style functions perfectly, the devs fail to add anything new or unique to combat. Having said that, there is a bit of variance that comes from the differences in the types of weapons equippable and the spells learned for each character. Because each character will have their own spell sets and weapons available, there is a degree of strategy that comes into play. However, with this as the one bright spot in an all too familiar system, combat can become repetitive quickly.

Outside of combat, the game plays linearly, following the main storyline from one location to the next. Visiting towns and conquering dungeons is the game’s format and it works for the most part. There are also a number of sub-quests that help to add variation to the campaign. These reward players with stat boosts to every stat, so they are most definitely worth the effort. They’re also easy enough to complete, so at 15, I would have liked a few more. As for these towns and dungeons, they are packed with hidden items to find and, especially in the towns, opportunities to fill in some backstory, as well as better set the moods of the game. My one outstanding complaint against this game is with the dungeons, specifically their layouts. I feel they are poorly designed, leading to far more frustration and annoyance than I cared to endure. From overly long hallways that end in dead ends, to needlessly complex webs of halls and rooms that house nothing at all, I can’t help but think the devs sought to bloat gameplay time. Trying to disguise it as potential for exploration, too many of these atrocious design flaws end with zero rewards and the few hidden items or rooms present are simply not worth the time or effort to suffer such obnoxiousness. As if to add insult, the game tracks how many steps you take. It feels like a slap in the face.

A hidden item, depicted with a change to the pointer icon

Finally, a staple of Aldorlea’s games, the search mechanic also makes a return. Using your mouse pointer and running it over objects and suspicious areas of the map may just reveal a hidden item. A corresponding change to the pointer’s appearance from an arrow to a magnifying glass depicts the presence of an item. Using it in towns and areas in which the maps are open can yield easy item gains. Unfortunately, it does absolutely nothing to help the exploration of dungeons, but that’s the fault of weak layout and not this mechanic. The mechanic itself works well enough, but I soon found myself simply checking everything manually with my characters and the confirm button instead of reaching for my mouse.

Not every hidden secret can be found with the mouse…

Moving on to aesthetics, Moonchild looks and sounds like a game built with RPG Maker. Starting with its visuals, several characters have customized portrait and standing art, similarly seen in the Millennium series. Unfortunately, along with a CG or two, that’s all we really get. No customized sprites or tilesets, just that handful of portraits and standing poses. It’s a shame because that little glimmer of originality brings a wealth of charm and life to the game. Although the game itself is visually pleasing, it looks a bit too familiar if you play RPG Maker games often; more original work would have helped it stand out. As for audio, again, there is a heavy dependence on RPG Maker, utilizing its provided tracks. As least with the Millennium series and their newer stand-alone games, there is more of an effort to incorporate free-use music outside the Enterbrain music collection. Here, although none of the music is out of place, it’s just a bit too commonplace and fails to make a lasting impact. The aesthetics, while maintaining the classic 16-bit RPG style seen in most of Aldorlea’s offerings, fails to shine as brightly as other entries in their library of games.

CGs are few and far between…

Overall, Moonchild is an intriguing story driven by satisfactory depth and palpable emotions expressed through several memorable characters. The narrative is the high point, a feature most fans of RPGs will appreciate and the entire story will easily hold your attention and interest throughout. Familiar gameplay and commonplace aesthetics neither hurt nor help the experience, but again, I know Aldorlea is capable of more. A first playthrough will take you around 15 hours and fortunately most of those hours are an enjoyable time. Despite its flaws, Moonchild is a pleasure to play and regardless of whether you’re a casual player or true RPG enthusiast, Moonchild has plenty of charm for all.

Review Score
Overall

The post TBT REVIEW: Moonchild appeared first on oprainfall.

After having played Maytroid and giving it an average score, I decided to review another game by PixelGreeds to see if I would have a similar experience. When it comes to developers that are new to me, I do try to play more than one game by them if available, especially if it proves a group has a wider range, style, and a greater skill set than what a single game can convey. And so, I decided to give an earlier game by PixelGreeds a chance. Teleportals, as one could guess, is named after Portal, yet, similar to Maytroid’s naming, is not quite the carbon copy one should expect going in.

Teleportals is a puzzle-platformer in which you control a woman named Susan, who randomly arrives in an alternate realm. How she got there or why remains a mystery. She soon finds a companion in a one-eyed ball-like creature named Maki, who tells her that time spent in this realm will have an adverse effect on her. The only way to prevent her eventual demise is to escape. The single upside in all of this is that she can teleport to where Maki is dropped. With not much choice, Susan takes Maki with her and begins making her way through this realm in hopes of finding an exit.

The overarching plot of Teleportals is painfully straightforward with escape as a driving force. Susan arrives, wants to leave, and so she goes on her way. As to where she is, how she got there, who these things are that she meets, and how she can teleport with them, none of this is explained. It just is, and we’re meant to take it at face value. Setting all of these questions aside, there is another narrative that takes place, which does a far better job of providing a much needed story element, as well as adding character development. For one, Susan has a backstory, in that she is a scientist researching a virus. Due to her lab running out of funding, one of her colleagues, Nancy, infects herself with said virus in an attempt to garner funding and push the research forward. Susan’s thoughts often return to Nancy, a means for Susan to strive ever closer to escape.

Maki also provides narrative strength, discussing his interest in movies, which serve as his attempts to have Susan open up during their campaign. There are several moments of humor and charm here and they contrast in a particularly satisfying way with Susan’s concern for Nancy and her drive to return and finish her work. We even see Susan forget her troubles at times, hinting at a desire to run away from an anxiety that potentially runs deeper than first implied. In fact, the narrative even suggests that there is more to the situation of Nancy infecting herself than Susan lets on. These glimmers of story are helpful to a weak plot and I would have liked far more than what is delivered.

Why do I say “far more?” Because glimmers of a story do not make an intriguing, immersive experience. More than anything, I felt dissatisfied, as I was left confused, maybe even a little cheated when I finished the game. All we actually get are hints at an underlying conflict that goes beyond the text we are given. The text itself, which I believe is a translation from another language, is not nearly strong enough to make the implications it’s attempting to make. Also, there is no proper resolution to the story at the end. We are left wondering what happened, why, and again, what significance it’s trying to imply. After one ending and credit roll, there are more levels and then a vague epilogue as if those last levels didn’t happen. What was even the point? More mystery? No, just more random nonsense. Zero genuine conclusions can be made with such a fierce lack of details.

The developers want to insinuate that there’s more happening in the plot, but without proper set up and build, it comes off as a collection of fragmented ideas that, again, seem nonsensical. If you’re planning to develop a deep lore, you need details. Vague is not the same as mysterious, nor does it build mystery. Now, there are theories floating around on the game’s Steam discussion board that could potentially make sense and better connect these fragments into a coherent story. However, I believe these theories are simply too far-fetched. Huge stretches need to be made and some major assumptions are necessary for these theories to work. Granted, you can theorize until you’re blue in the face with such a lack of detail and depth. A stronger overarching plot and a far more detailed look into these characters would have turned a forgettable mess of a story into one of legitimate intrigue.

Although Teleportals suffers from this lack of story, a recurring problem I’ve seen from them, its gameplay fares better. As I mentioned, this is a puzzle-platformer, in which the goal is to reach each room’s exit. Every single room is its own puzzle filled with traps for you to avoid and designs that require the unique attributes of your companions. Susan has the ability to swap places with Maki and another character, Bruce, who you meet later on. Susan can run and jump, as well as activate switches. Maki is small and light, allowing him to pass through narrow spaces and also bounce on special platforms when dropped. This bouncing can allow Susan to swap and reach higher areas or launch over hazards. Also, if there is a jump too high for Susan, she can place a companion near the jump point, bounce herself, swap, and ride the momentum for a higher jump. As for Bruce, he is a block-shaped entity that can act as a shield against projectiles or a step for higher platforms. Many of the later rooms will require you to utilize both companions, using their attributes and working them in tandem to reach the exit. Once you start playing, it may seem like gameplay is one-dimensional, but I was easily engaged throughout. There were several puzzles that caused some frustration, but I will admit that it was always pretty satisfying to solve these more troublesome rooms, especially the ones that take you multiple tries.

Other gameplay points include zero penalties for dying and a quick reset button for starting a room over. For the most part, the game is pretty fun and it challenges you thoroughly, however some puzzles have quite a few obnoxious elements to them. Even so, with no consequences to infinite attempts, every puzzle is doable with practice. Also, there is no combat in this game. While there is a means for Susan to destroy certain traps, there are no real enemies to fight. It’s simply surviving each room and exiting, yet the simplicity offers a lot more fun than I could have expected. Finally, gameplay options include support for multiple languages. I can appreciate the wider audience multiple languages can garner, but I’m still wondering if some things got lost in the translation.

My only complaint with Teleportals’ gameplay is in regards to its controls. I had the same complaint previously with PixelGreeds, in that if you wish to use a controller, you must rely on third-party software for any customization. Teleportals requires precision in your moves, so having zero controller customization out of the box is disheartening. Keyboard controls have customization, but if you wish to make changes, you must input all of your changes anew, as you cannot simply change a single key binding.

Moving on to the aesthetics, I had much to say about several of the visual additions seen in Maytroid that basically took a game that could have been for all ages into mature and 18+ territories. This seems to be PixelGreeds’ style, as an ecchi CG gallery that can become fully 18+ with a patch is present here. And, as in my Maytroid review, this inclusion does nothing for Teleportals. It’s senseless, as it limits the potential audience that can play this game. Perhaps my opinion is an unpopular one, but not everything needs naked women to make it better. Putting that time and effort towards the plot would have made more sense. Or, if you want hentai in your game, make it the focus of the game and don’t just tack it on. Having said that, the artists responsible for these CGs do seem to have a bit of talent. I only wish those talents were utilized in the form of in-game CGs to support dialogue or other on-screen events.

As for the in-game presentation, the aesthetics are satisfactory with its 16-bit visual style. Even though this game uses the same tilesets and backgrounds as Maytroid, they are no less impressive. Several different environments are depicted, from dusty deserts to snow-covered forests. It’s hinted that these environments even symbolize the symptoms of the virus Susan is researching. For example, one of the early symptoms is coughing or a sore throat. She makes this comment while in an arid desert, which is an early game area. A later symptom is a high fever and the connection is Susan commenting that she doesn’t feel cold, despite walking around wearing only a nightie while traveling through a snowstorm. As this narrative takes place later in the game, it points to the later stage symptoms of the disease.

Unfortunately, these connections to location, time, and viral symptoms all amount to speculation, theorizing, and tidbits the developers mention on Steam, as none of this is ever directly addressed in-game. A stronger symbolism or one with more direct connections would have made more impact. I realize this is another criticism of narrative, not aesthetics, but give me a strong, fleshed out story first, and then pepper it with secrets using the other facets of the game. Having said that, the storytelling flaws don’t take away from the quality of the visuals themselves. Finally, the audio is fair, with each track pairing to their locations adequately. My complaints are that the music itself isn’t all that memorable and there is too little of it. I think I counted just four or five tracks in the entire game. Also, these tracks may actually be the same ones used in Maytroid, but again, unmemorable.

Teleportals as a whole is a collection of great gameplay elements beaten down by unfinished ideas and bad decisions. If you were to strip away the plot and the lewdness, then the gameplay by itself would most definitely serve as a fantastic base for a potentially great game. I would even say by expanding gameplay further and properly addressing the plot, this would have had the makings of a hidden gem. The game can be completed in a single sitting, clocking in between three to five hours. Perhaps its saving grace, Teleportals can be picked up for $1, even less during a sale. So, if you’re in the mood for some quick platforming fun, and not a darn thing more, then maybe Teleportals is worth your consideration.

Review Score
Overall

Review copy provided by developer.

The post TBT REVIEW: Teleportals appeared first on oprainfall.