oprainfall
Homepageoprainfall's Reviews
Battle Princess Madelyn is what a classic throwback should be. It mixes the old and the new seamlessly together and is probably one of best quality indie titles I’ve played in a while. I put around 10 hours into this one and there were plenty of secrets left to discover. While I may have some complaints about the gameplay here, don’t take that as sign that Battle Princess Madelyn is a bad game. Games like this were never really my cup of tea, but I know there are those out there that love hardcore platforming challenges like this, and if you are one of those people go buy this game now. At $19.99 it’s a fantastic value, and you will love every minute of it!
Desert Child is indeed a very special release. It’s not only unique in being an M-rated indie on the Switch, but it’s also perhaps the most impressive indie title that I’ve played in years. Every aspect of the game is teeming with originality and the passion of the developer comes across clear as day. That’s to be expected though, as creator Oscar Brittain created nearly every aspect of the game himself. The relatively short gameplay certainly detracts from the game’s overall score, but I can mostly look past this given how impressive my time with it was. I’d say that this one lies somewhere between a 4.25 and a 4.5 on the review scale. Desert Child released for all major platforms on December 11, 2018. I played the Switch version, but it can also be downloaded on PS4, Xbox One, and Steam. At just $11.99 on any of them, I can’t recommend it enough.
Despite some problems I found with the game, I did enjoy Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom. Though it’s not a deep or particularly compelling story, it’s still a fun nod to games of the past with some new bells and whistles. There’s a lot of replay value if you want to 100% the game, including solving all the puzzles, finding all the items and upgrading all the equipment. The charm mostly shines through, and I’m still happy to see games like this on modern consoles. It’s also worth noting this was far more enjoyable than Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, as far as successors go. For $39.99 you’ll get a meaty adventure with lots of platforming, boss slaying and drunken wizardry. So long as you can look past the rough last part of the game and some frustrating dungeons, you’ll get along with Jin and company just fine.
Revenant Dogma feels like a game that is cobbled together with mediocre and, at times, inferior RPG parts. As a sequel, it fails to respectably and coherently continue the storyline of the first game, instead abandoning many of the plot elements that made the first game remarkable. Taken on its own, it’s not completely terrible, earning a 2.5/5 rating, but only barely. It’s difficult to recommend this game and I would sooner recommend Revenant Saga, if you haven’t yet played it, as well as other, stronger Kemco games like Asdivine Hearts or Antiquia Lost. As a fan of Revenant Saga and knowing that Kemco is capable of more, I expected far better.
Tetris Effect is the full realization of what Miziguchi set out to do when he first made Lumines all those years ago. In a word, Tetris Effect is transcendent: the perfect synchronization of puzzle game, art, and music. Beyond the sights and sounds, it’s got killer-app worthy PSVR compatibility. I’ve already spent a good five hours on Effect, and I’m not done yet thanks to its various extra modes. Who would have thought that a Tetris game would be considered as a Game of the Year contender? Videos and screenshots alone aren’t enough to explain its genius; you only have to experience it yourself to see it.
Fire Pro Wrestling World has a number of minor, but noticeable flaws in its execution. What saves it from a death-by-a-thousand-cuts scenario is that the creation options and the gameplay (mostly the gameplay) are simply too fun to rate this game anything below above average. While the PC version can be and has been modded to hell and back, the PS4 version is a solid option with a dedicated, creative community behind it. The base game’s asking price is $50, with the season pass for extra content down the line costing another $50. Even without the season pass I’ve more than gotten my fill, clocking in over 35 hours and counting across the whole game. Either tap into that fighting spirit or, as Taka Michinoku says, “Just! Tap! Out!”
At the end of the day (having played the game for about 2 weeks (roughly 1-1.5 hr/day), I came back to that initial question that I set out with – What unique element sets this game apart from all the others? The gameplay is pretty standard fare, the music is nice, but unmemorable, and there is no defined story or end goal. The one aspect that did stand out to me was the quality of the animations. I can’t put my finger on why, but the animations used for a lot of the larger enemies, bosses, and even the backgrounds were really impressive to me. Were they game-changing? I wouldn’t go that far, but they definitely impressed me and helped make the game feel somewhat distinct. Fast Striker currently retails for $6.99 on the PSN. Playing on PS4 is a much nicer experience than on the Vita, but this type of game tends to work best when played in shorter bursts or while on the go. If you’re interested in the limited physical editions, PlayAsia still has both PS4 and Vita copies. Given the low price point and overall level of enjoyment that I received, I’d say this one’s still worth a look.
Frankly, I should have bought Celeste a long time ago, but I’m glad I finally made my way the mountain. It’s a perfect example of why I love both indies and platformers. It’s also easily the best platformer I’ve played this year. For $19.99 you get a robust package full of challenge, heart and mystery. This small cast of characters really charmed me, and the gameplay itself was pitch perfect. Though I played it with the default settings, you can turn on many helpful features to make things a bit easier. I had gotten about 1300 deaths and 81 strawberries the first time I beat the game, and since starting this review I’ve already added plenty more to both tallies. I honestly love this indie gem, and can’t recommend it highly enough. Go do yourself a favor and climb this mountain!
These issues do lower the score a bit and affect my overall enjoyment of the game. That being said, the portability factor is a huge one. Is this the definitive version of Dark Souls? No, I would say that belongs to Dark Souls Remastered on PC (or maybe current gen consoles). But if you just want to go through the game for the 20th time and you want to do so on the go, this is a really quality release. I can’t recommend it for PVP due to the lag, and you would generally not want to do that on the go with WiFi anyways. So this is a great release, as long as you know what you are getting. It certainly justifies the full $59.99 price, but I don’t think that I can recommend paying for the Nintendo Online service just to PVP in this game. What I can recommend is taking this game on long trips, like I did a couple weeks ago, and just soaking in that glorious Soulsborne horror while you are sitting in bed.
Overall, for more avid fans of the horror genre, Home Sweet Home can provide a middling but decent experience. The main issue is that I wish most aspects of the game were developed more. If there were more to the story and environments, the atmosphere could’ve been more unnerving, as everything had more meaning. There are plans for a sequel, so perhaps Yggdrazil Group could do just that to make a more vivid experience. If they were to use more of a variety of superstitions and give them more screen time, it could lead to an interesting development for Tim and what they all mean to him. However, in the end, it may be best to wait for a price drop, as $16.99 is rather steep for what amounts to three to four hours of game. It is an okay game with decent ideas, but there could’ve been more to the package.
Games like Twinkle Star Sprites occupied a space within the shooter genre that doesn’t get a whole lot of attention – the competitive shooter. Those games stood out because they dared to be different and put a weird spin on the genre and I always wondered why more developers didn’t try and expand on the ideas that game brought to the table. Rival Megagun seems to do just that. It took elements from it and delivers a package that is not only fun, but offers something you don’t often see. For $14.99, some may say that the game is lacking in content, but personally it was so much fun to play, I felt it worth the price of admission. This is the kind of game I can come back to or would want to show my friends because I can see us having a ton of fun playing.
Pyre is a wonderful experience. The story is captivating and the characters are full of charm and depth. It’s a pleasure to become invested in their tales and natural to come to care for them throughout their struggles. I would have appreciated more detail, though, for both story and characters, as I feel there is too much that is glossed over or never properly developed. The gameplay, while not revolutionary and somewhat tangent to the visual novel style of narrative, is still clever and fun, especially with the variety the characters can bring to your strategy. The visuals are simply incredible, yet I feel the soundtrack wasn’t quite up to the same levels as Transistor or Bastion. Regardless of its shortcomings, Pyre delivers in enjoyment. With my reading speed, conducting practice Rites, and my just taking in the atmosphere, my first playthrough took about 10 hours. That does not include subsequent playthroughs and discovering all of the individual and paired endings the game offers. Although I’m giving this a 3.5/5, it only just misses the 4/5 mark. With its intrigue and originality, Pyre is definitely a game that delivers enjoyment and is unquestionably worth playing.
While I don’t think this is the best game in the series, Warriors Orochi 4 is far from a bad game. The game runs at a solid framerate, the combat is fun and there are tons of enemies to slay. The lack of alternate routes and some dry storytelling do set this one back a bit, but the massive cast helps make up for it somewhat. You’ll get 20 to 30 hours of gameplay out of this one for its $60 price tag. If you’re a fan of Musou games there is still a lot to love here, but I can’t help but feel a little disappointed since I was expecting something on par with Warriors Orochi 3 and this didn’t quite live up to that.
Just Shapes & Beats is one of the most passive aggressive bullet hell shooters I’ve ever seen, and an interactive Fantasia (that’s more accessible and interesting than the actual one made by Harmonix). It’s a trippy, insane adrenaline rush where every move and beat is superbly choreographed. Although it came out back in May, now’s a good time as ever to revisit Just Shapes & Beats to establish it as one of 2018’s quiet sleeper darlings.
Jake Hunter Detective Story: Ghost of the Dusk will last you about 10-12 hours. This 3DS package justifies the $39.99 price tag by including a few bonus cases which are ports of mobile entries in the series. There are also hidden passwords to find throughout the main game that can be entered. These unlock all sorts of bonuses including sound tests, character profiles, interviews with the developers and a CG gallery. Overall Ghost of the Dusk is a decent visual novel that’s held back by a localization that tried a bit too hard to appeal to an audience that likely wasn’t interested in this kind of title to begin with. Aksys Games should know better and quite frankly this is concerning. I fear they may have written themselves into a corner and have to now stick with it in order to be consistent with future games. Case in point, a new title in the series was recently released for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. However the game was rated in Korea as Jake Hunter Detective Story: Prism of Eyes, suggesting that they are intending on localizing this one and keeping the Jake Hunter name. Should that actually be the case, we might be stuck with all the pointless localization changes made in the releases by Aksys Games and that’s a shame. As for Ghost of the Dusk, I can recommend it to those of you who really enjoy the genre and are looking for one to play on the 3DS. It may not be the best the system has to offer, but you might enjoy it for what it is.
Overall, Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is an interesting, though fairly short game. The campaign took me 12 or so hours to complete, however, the game has a number of difficulty levels, with the highest being Mythic mode. You could spend a lot more time in the game working your way up to, and trying to beat that mode. For the Steam version (which this review is based on), there are 31 achievements as well. Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is also available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. You can get the game for $24.99 on Steam. Can you outwit the Nazis on the battlefield, and put a stop to their insidious plans?
Overall, I feel The Bug Butcher is a success. Fans of classic games are sure to enjoy it, as are those who love vying for the top spots on leaderboards. For $7.99, you get a respectable amount of game here. I probably spent a couple hours playing through Arcade mode, and easily that long playing around with Panic mode. It’s not a huge game, but it also didn’t feel too short. Most of the replay value is found in trying for better scores to earn stars and additional coins in stages. Really, the only thing I wanted from the game that I didn’t get was a bestiary showcasing details about the creepy bugs, as well as a couple actual boss fights. But that’s just cause I’m an old school gamer, and I always want epic boss fights. If you want a fun and challenging game with old school charm, I would highly recommend The Bug Butcher. 2Awesome Studio has published a great game, and I’m eager to see what else Awfully Nice Studios has brewing next for the future.
All in all I had a great time with the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection. I had a wonderful trip down memory lane with great title selections here and I’m certainly glad these titles will now find their way into the hands of this generation. The controls are solid, the audio is top notch and the graphics look great, but I would like to see some more filters added via the next patch if possible. If you’re an old timer like me you will certainly want to snag this one up. If you’ve never seen or heard of any these game before at the $39.99 price tag I feel like this is well worth it not only for the great games, but Museum Mode is great for anyone wanting to learn more about the history of the industry as well. Just don’t try to stick quarters into your Switch, it probably wouldn’t go so well.
All in all, I was expecting more from Trove Geode. More lairs and bosses, more community-designed loot and masks, and more sprawling adventures. Instead, I received a welcome distraction from the usual Trove activities, one that was not my cup of tea after a few hours but could be rewarding and relaxing for those seeking less hectic Trove tasks. Trove Geode was an interesting experience. I enjoyed the user-crafted loot drops and the Bomber Royale mode was a lot of fun. The caverns felt like a slog and didn’t offer enough engaging tasks to keep me at the grind. I’m still figuring out how to expertly pace myself between Bomber Royale and the Geode world cave exploration. The sweet spot I found was in balancing the two.
I can see Gal Metal work for music game fans, casual players who are taken in by the motion controls and wacky antics, and anyone looking for something super Japanese and esoteric. It’s also arguably producer Tak Fujii’s best game in a decade. Grumblings about pricing and length aside, this is another welcome slice of eccentric, accessible Japanese game design available on Switch.