LadiesGamers.com's Reviews
It’s no secret that the origin of Shoot ’em Ups lies in the arcades of days-gone-by. In that moment it was imperative to create games that were at once challenging, engaging, and would have people spending their coins. These are the kind of games that are found in Psikyo Shooting Stars Alpha, the first of a two-volume collection of Arcade Shoot ‘em ups.
Eqqo tells the story of a mother, her son… and an egg? Drawing inspiration from the architecture, traditions and legends of Ethiopia, Eqqo is a unique game unlike anything I’ve ever played before. Eqqo, our titular character is a blind boy lead by the voice of his mother, the narrator. His is on a journey through lands he can’t see, given the responsibility of caring for a sacred egg which is sought after by mysterious dark forces. As the player, it’s your job to guide Eqqo over obstacles, help him solve puzzles and avoid traps as he makes his journey.
Just A Phrase is a very simple game, with a very simple premise, that can easily be picked up and put down over your morning coffee. It’s a hangman-style game where you’re given 4 letters to choose from at a time. It’s nice to have a game that I can play one-handed while I consume my morning dose of caffeine with the other, and would probably be highly educational for younger children learning about homophones and spelling, but I found it a little too simple to really be engaging.
Ever thought you’d like to construct bridges, to be a bridge engineer and architect? In Bridge Constructor Ultimate Edition that’s exactly the role you play as you create and design your own structures. Watch the cars and trucks drive over them. Will they cross safely or will you see them fall and crash while your inferior creations collapse due to weight and the laws of physics? Bridge Constructor is the sort of puzzle game that you would play in short bursts, maybe when inspiration strikes. Remember one thing: Triangles are your friend when building bridges!
The Nintendo Switch has a large collection of logic puzzles in its library. Games for when you don’t feel like button mashing, don’t feel like tending the farm or jumping from platform to platform. OmoTomO is a new addition to the eShop, one that not only helps you exercise the grey cells. Plus, it’s also designed to feel like you are in a Zen garden: time for some peace and quiet!
Visually Orn the Tiny Forest Sprite looks good, with the bright lush colours in Japanese style. The idea behind the platformer of progressing through the levels clearing away all obstacles using the runes is a nice one. But sadly, the way you fill up the jump meter, and the problems it causes spoils the gameplay for me. Hopefully a future update changes or improves the use of the magic meter.
Arc of Alchemist is an RPG/ Adventure game, according to the info on Nintendo’s web page it has been newly polished for a western release. Released from a publisher and developer who have a lot of RPG games in their back catalogues. I thought I was in for an enjoyable RPG adventure when I took the game on to review. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case! In my opinion Arc of Alchemist should never have been released in the eShop or advertised as “Newly Polished” in Nintendo’s blurb for the game, and priced at $40. It did get an update on the day of release but I can honestly say it has made no difference to how the game runs and preforms.
This isn’t a game with much replay value. Once you finish it, I don’t see many reasons to try it again, but the one time that I did play felt like a decent experience. The actual game runs smoothly and seems like a solid port; I didn’t encounter a single serious bug. If you like atmospheric exploration type games, and don’t mind something that isn’t very replayable, this game may interest you.
Ember is about as old school RPG as can be, it has touches of most of the elements of RPG though on a smaller scale and not as in-depth. For a player that has never played an RPG it would be a good introduction game for them. However what I have written above would only be recommended if Ember had received an update as in its present performance state of shutting down and stuttering during play I can’t recommend it to anyone. I’d be disappointed if I had bought Ember with the way it preforms at the moment.
The storyline is different, and the fact that both protagonists spend their time working for a company sometimes makes it feel more like a management game. But the characters that accompany you on your assignments are likeable and each have their own story to tell. The fans of the series will see many familiar faces, like Marion, Linca and Wilbell. I like the interaction between Escha and Logy and the mystery that has to be unraveled. The visuals, gameplay, soundtrack and combination of synthesising, battling and the story made it into a great experience for me.
Lumini is a beautiful game. Your story begins as that of a simple desire to survive to uncovering the tragedy of this alien world. It combines environmental storytelling that you see in games like Journey, but also the struggle of surviving not just for yourself, but for your Lumini family; a kind of gameplay that induced both stress and pleasure, similar to Shelter. You play this game alone, but it never truly feels that way. It does not take long to care deeply for the fragile fairies that traverse this frightening world of danger and death, but by doing so you learn what it means to survive and to live in this world.
Games, often have us talking about joy, about the things which made us feel like we’re having fun or experiencing something new. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, the game at hand, Lydia, is something which feels new, and it is pushing the boundaries of games, in the best of ways. Because of the sensitive content it requires some resolve to get through, but it is a masterpiece. It's a powerful and beautiful game, one that leaves an everlasting impression.
JayJay Falcon is a defense attorney in Paris (around 1847). His assistant Sparrowson eggs him into taking a case for the bourgeois kitty Dame Caterline, who is accused of murder. With mere days before trial you must begin your investigation. Aviary Attorney is a delightful adventure game with beautiful presentation and some silly moments. Perhaps a bit short for the price but the multiple endings and other options give it a bit more depth.
Puzzles and Dragons is probably best know as a mobile game and the 2015 3DS release of Puzzles and Dragons Super Mario Edition. I played both versions over the years and I particularly enjoyed the 3DS Super Mario Edition. When Gold was released on the USA Eshop, with no European release scheduled I downloaded it from the USA shop. The story mode is very short, but after it’s finished you can play against the AI and unlock more teams and believe me, there are plenty to unlock. Visuals and sound effects are top notch and the core gameplay is interesting and enjoyable.
Coffee Talk is a sweet little visual novel game with amazing artwork, and the one of the chillest soundtracks I’ve ever heard in a game, ever. The point of the game is that you are a barista at a coffee shop in Seattle. The year is 2020, and this is no ordinary coffee shop; this coffee shop is open late at night. Now if you think that’s strange, it gets stranger: this coffee shop exists in a version of Seattle where humans aren’t the only race. Coffee Talk is definitely worth picking up! The creators, artists, musicians, programmers… everyone who worked on this game should feel proud of what they’ve done! Thank you for such a fun and interesting experience!
Originally released a few years ago on PC, World of Magic Planar Conquest has now been released on the Nintendo Switch. A 4X strategy game which for those that don’t know stands for eXplore, eXpand, eXploit and eXterminate with the games goal to Explore the world around you, I feel the five minute tutorial isn’t long enough to equip the player with the knowledge they need to play this style of game. If you’re trying the 4X genre for the first time this is not the game to start with, otherwise you will loose interest in it before you’re completed the first game. For those that have played this genre before you might find something you like in World of Magic Planar Conquest.
When villain Hysterica wants to poison the water with sour lemonade, the King send Sir Eatsalot to save the kingdom. If you are looking for amusing platformer with amusing writing and nice visuals, then help Sir Eatsalot by vanquishing her!
If you are an Atelier fan, Atelier Ayesha is a good addition to your collection. In every Atelier game the synthesis and battle system is slightly different. Still, I feel Atelier Ayesha is the game that made an impact on me mainly because of the story. Plus, every Atelier game is unique because of the character, and Ayesha really is my kind of girl! So I’ll stick to my verdict from all those years ago:
In To The Moon you play as Dr. Watts and Dr. Rosalene, whose job involves granting their client’s final wish. This is done artificially by editing their memories, which made me wonder what the point was, given it’s a lie. Probably to give them peace of mind in their final moments. Using specialised headsets they are able to enter and adjust memories. And so the story starts as they edit the memories of John. To The Moon is still a great story and as long as you understand the gameplay and graphics are not a high point of it, I’d recommend it to anyone interested.
In the year 2590AD the Atlas corporation is excavating for crystals in an asteroid which is orbiting Earth. Something horrendous has gone wrong in the asteroid and it’s orbital correction has been disabled. The Technosphere is the only hope to reload the asteroid system and restore its orbit around earth before disaster strikes and wipes out Earth and all its inhabitants…..and one other tiny detail: you have 10 hours to succeed in saving Earth. Yes that’s right 10 hours….. that certainly add’s a sudden sense of urgency to the gameplay. Nice enough gameplay until the glitch...