Saturday Morning RPG - Review

 

Many moons ago when I had an iPhone 5, I downloaded a game by developers Mighty Rabbit called Saturday Morning RPG. While I enjoyed the small amount I played the screen was too small, so eventually I got an iPhone 6 only to find out it was pulled from the app store. Limited Run games had released it on the PS Vita but sadly missed my window. Move forward to 2021 and I finally managed to obtain a copy that did not cost me a kidney. After years of waiting I would finally get to play it on the PS Vita.

Growing up Saturday morning TV was awesome, hours of cartoons along with the A-Team. What could make it better? Cereal. More specifically Kellogg's Variety Pack. I know there was usually cornflakes and Ricicles but the rest were usually gold and never really stopped my enjoyment. Playing Saturday Morning RPG I found myself did the TV shows and Variety Pack still hold up?

Story

You play as Marty (almost definitely a reference to Back To The Future), who over five episodes has to disrupt the plans of Commander Hood. Each feel like a Saturday morning cartoon, one episode might  have you trying to save Christmas by taking back all the stolen presents, another has you taking on robots from another planet (that look suspiciously like Transformers) to stop them destroying a small town. Each episode takes around one to two hours to complete, most of it is dependent on if you do all side missions and decide to gather up all the collectibles.

Overall the episodes are a lot of fun, everything is very tongue in cheek and features tons of Easter Egg and nods to eighties and nineties cartoons. The story ends on a cliff hanger of sorts, not sure if this was done intentionally as many of those cartoons never really ended or perhaps they are planning a sequel?

Visuals

Saturday Morning RPG's visuals are bright vibrant and lots of fun, the bad guys look like James Bond or GI Joe villains, even the monsters themselves seem like they could be just people in suits like in Scooby-Doo. Basically everything is fun visuals, they change when going from battles which looks like some older RPG's moving to a top down view when exploring the world. The areas are a lot of fun, even the school feels like one from a TV show and oozes of nostalgia.

Overall the visuals are colorful, fun and full of nostalgia, loved every moment of it.

Music

The music has a sound that is eighties and nineties-tastic!  Listening to it brought back memories of; The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Saved By The Bell, The Wonder Years, The A-Team, MacGyver, Thunder In Paradise and Airwolf to name but a few. The cool guitar riffs mixed with tender melodies. The music is created by American composer Vince DiCola and Kenny Meredith responsible for; The Transformer Movie, Rocky IV, Angry Bird Transformers and Demonic Toys: Personal Demons.

The sound track run at almost ninety minutes and feature more than twenty five tracks, my favorites being:

Tune In For Saturday Morning RPG

What Was That?

Battle Scene

Trust (Bad Bots Theme)

Determination

Overdrive

Escape

Legacy

Overall a fantastic and nostalgic soundtrack which brought me back in time to my childhood.

Gameplay

The gameplay is fun and simple, and while it sticks with the mechanics of many other RPG's it does also add in its own twists.

The exploration part is fun, it involves talking to people in the world which can in some cases lead to optional quests. The optional quests are straight fetch quests but each has something fun about it like; collecting signatures from the local football players, collecting class pets, or helping someone out with their chemical toilet. The main missions are pretty straight forward but that does not mean they are not a lot of fun.

There are collectibles scattered around the world that give you power ups and new weapons, there also vending machines (if you have the money).

The battles start by you rubbing the screen vigorously to select your five stickers (which can be changed out as you progress) that help give you powers up for the battles ahead; burning effect, poison enemies, more health, etc. Each battle has you start with a damage multiplayer which can be charged through certain moves or being attacked by enemies and defending yourself. You have a limited amount of special attacks and health packs per battle so use them wisely otherwise you will be stuck punching enemies. The battles are quite short, ranging from one to three minutes with the exception of  boss fights. The special moves available are huge, from being able to turn into a transformer and run over enemies, stampeding unicorns or throwing CD's with deadly precision. 

If you are looking for more of challenge there is a challenge mode where you take on enemies until you drop which can be fun. 

Overall the gameplay is pretty solid, the only oddity is that most battles are very easy but the end couple of battles really jumped up in difficulty level which threw me off a little as there seems to be no gradual increase in it.

Final Thoughts

So, after ten short hours how did I feel? Pretty happy! If I had to sum the game up in one word it would be fun. The story is great and loved it being split into episodic adventures. The visuals are colourful and look cool. The music is filled with nostalgia and awesomeness! The gameplay is fun and has no real issues as such. Overall this one gets a solid 4 out of 5

Jotun Valhalla Edition - Review

Last year I played Sundered Eldritch Edition by Canadian based Thunder Lotus Games. It was a phenomenal game, part horror, and part Metroidvania, to me it was a perfect game. It had a great story, beautifully hand drawn visuals, an epic soundtrack along with challenging gameplay that toed the line between difficult and hair pullingly frustrating. The only downside about the whole experience is that I didn't buy the physical copy when it was released by Limited Run Games.


I love chocolate, but then again who doesn't? In the last five to ten years I have really started getting into Oreos, I tried so many varieties of them and there are few I did not like. A couple of months back I tried Cadbury's Oreo Mint Chocolate, it combined three things I love; chocolate, mint and Oreos, little to say I loved it. I didn't think it was possible to enjoy any of those parts any more than I already did but somehow combining these great things made them even greater. Playing Jotun I found myself asking was this the perfect combination of great ingredients?

Story


Jotun comes from Scandinavian Mythology and means a member of the race of giants and enemy of the Gods. The game follows Thora a Norse Warrior who is killed at sea when a storm destroys her ship. Unfortunately, dying of old age or as Thora did is considered an inglorious death and means you are unable to get into Valhalla. She is given a second chance and must defeat five Jotun and impress the Gods. Thora discusses the different areas she visits and how she came to be on that ship and her family.


Overall the story is intriguing and left me wanting to read more into Norse Mythology. A well developed story that had me care not only who Thora is but also her journey to try and reach Valhalla.

Visuals


No matter what I say about the hand-drawn visuals in Jotun it will not do them or the artists that created them justice.  The cave area feels so enclosed and treacherous, and Fe the cave boss looks amazing. Two of my favourite Jotun were Hagalaz who controls lightning and on first look seems fairly innocuous but that changes quickly. Then there is Kaunan who is a fiery smith who is the most overbearing enemy and really gave me pause.


Overall the visuals are up there as some of my most favorite and can't wait to see more games in the future from Thunder Lotus Games.


Music


The soundtrack is easily as epic as Lord of The Rings and in my opinion better, I am already listening to it for the third time today.  The music when exploring the levels differs in intensify to those of the boss fights and make each track really stand out on it's own. The score is composed by Canadian Maxime Lacoste-Lebuis, who worked on Thunder Lotus Games Sundered.


The soundtrack comes in at around an hour and there is not a single second wasted. It is by far my favorite soundtrack I have listened to this year. There is no point beating around the bush I love all the tracks and gun to my head I can't pick a favorite one. Overall the soundtrack is magnificent and even during boss fights I found the soundtrack helped keep in the zone and focused.

Gameplay


The gameplay moves between exploration and boss fights. Because of this, the boss fights feel more intense and the exploration feels more relaxing. Thora is equipped with her mighty axe which has a light and heavy attack. Then she has her roll ability, which saved my life more than a few times. Each new area you explore offers the chance to gain new abilities, improve them and increase your health bar.  Thor's Hammer was one of my favorites and can really help major damage, use it at the right time and you can really turn the tide of battle.


The boss battles are well balanced and offer a good challenge that while often tough feel achievable. Hagalaz was one of the first Jotun I took on and to me is still one of the toughest, maybe it's because he seems unassuming at first or because he can create two of himself, or maybe it was that I had to really focus on his attack patterns and my own. In case the battle was intense and defeating him was all the more satisfying.


Overall the gameplay is fantastic, well balanced and hugely enjoyable. Once you have completed the game Valhalla mode opens, give you the chance to have all abilities and upgrades and take on the Jotun again but this time much tougher.





Final Thoughts

So, after six hours how did I feel?  Pretty damn good! An intense and fun experience. The story was great, the visuals were beyond amazing, the soundtrack is one I will listen to again and again, and the gameplay was perfect.  Overall this one is a slam dunk and easily gets a 5 out of 5