Just over ten years ago Bastion was released by Supergiant Games. Initially I was curious, it looked like a lot of fun, and as you played your actions were narrated. I played the game for a very short amount of time and very quickly it seemed a little gimmicky, and my brain lost interest. Fast forward ten years and I found myself browsing games in the PlayStation Store (yeah, I'm still rocking one) and decided I would give it a proper go.
I remember when KitKat Chunky was first released, I was not a fan. I liked the little break-away fingers, running my fingernail along with the foil and breaking off a piece. I found the chunky version too unwieldy for my mouth (yeah, yeah, stow it). Years later I found myself nibbling on one without even thinking about it and thought, 'yeah it's different, but still good in its own way'. Playing Bastion I found myself asking was this like my dilemma of the Kit Kat Chunky, had I simply not given it enough of a chance the first time around?
Story
The game has you take on the role of 'The Kid', a silent protagonist who awakens after 'The Calamity', which fractured and partially destroyed the city of Caelondia and some of the areas around it. He is journeying to the Bastion - a place of safety. You quickly meet Rucks (who is also the narrator of The Kid's journey), and he asks you to collect shards to help repair the damage to the Bastion. I'll leave any further explanation so as to not spoil the plot.
The game offers two types of side activities; proving grounds, used to hone your skills with any new weapons, and 'who knows where' another type of proving grounds but with a big emphasis on collecting crystals to upgrade your weapons. There is also a plus game which is great for anyone looking to get a higher overall completion rate and try the two endings the game offers.
Overall the story did not hugely excite me, I did not really connect with the characters, and the endings themselves in some ways seemed to be both bad choices based on what you learn throughout the game. The narration is great initially but loses its appeal after a time.
Visuals
While I may have found the story to be a little lackluster, the visuals I did not. The game is awash with vibrant colors, not only the levels themselves but also all the enemies. The thing really stood out for me was the details; barrels, market stalls, walls, and flowers, and provided some idea as to how beautiful the world may have been before the Calamity.
One massive thing that sets the games asides from top-down games, or games in general, is that when navigating levels sections raise up in front of you. This is a great mechanic and while it would have been simpler to keep basic colors or visuals with these raised sections, instead the Supergiant Games team ensure that every part of the level was as visually impressive as another.
Overall the visuals far outshine the story, it felt like something new, and every effort was made to make it look as impressive as possible.
Music
American songwriter Darren Korb describes the soundtrack as "acoustic frontier trip-hop" combining "heavily sampled beats in layers along with acoustic elements". To me there was very much a cajun flavor, elements reminded me of Becks Odelay and middle eastern music. Korb also worked with Supergiant Games on Transistor, Pyre, and the critically acclaimed Hades.
The soundtrack is an hour long yet despite that and the hours I played of Bastion they never felt overplayed which really is a testament to how great the soundtrack is. My favorite tracks are:
A Proper Story
In Case Of Trouble
Terminal March
Percy's Escape
Mine Windbag, Mine
Build That Wall (Zia's Theme, vocals by Ashley Barrett)
Brusher Patrol
Setting Sale, Coming Home (Ending Theme)
Overall a fantastic soundtrack that made me very curious about Korbs other works and from what I have heard they may even be better than Bastion.
Gameplay
The gameplay is a lot of fun and is where the game really shines. The main object of each level is to collect a shard and return it to the Bastion to help restore it. The more you restore the more access you have to new weapons, upgrades, trials, and more. The Kid gets to carry two weapons, a shield, and a special weapon. There are a number of weapons in the game and the game to a degree forces you to use each weapon for a time so you try everything once. My personal favorites were Brushers Pike and the Fang Repeater, along with the Special Squirt Lure. The Brushers Pike is a great distance weapon, The Fang Repeater is a great way to clear an area fast, Squirt Lures help distract enemies from you and do a nice of damage too. Each weapon can be upgraded with crystals and materials and is well worth it.
The enemies all have their own patterns - initially, a little button bashing is fine but will need to throw that mindset aside quickly or you will go through health potions like there is no tomorrow. It also makes the game both more challenging and fun, some enemies can be a pain but nothing that can't be overcome. There are not any real bosses as even the larger enemies can be beaten in less than a minute.
There is a leveling up system, each time you level up you can hold new passive potions, which will help increase damage, health, lives, and more. If you are looking for more of a challenge they are a must as you can add idols to each level which will increase both the rewards and difficulty.
The Bastion itself can be upgraded but there are really fun things that can be added to it. The first are mementos that help expand on the world, are interactive and some provide 'who know where' challenges. There are also pets, which I won't spoil as they are so awesome but well worth exploring every level thoroughly.
For those looking for more, there is a Plus Game, Score Attack Mode, and even a no-fuss Chill Mode. I played the game twice and was certainly time well spent.
Overall some really great gameplay, and some great replay value too!
Final Thoughts
So, after almost twenty hours of playing how did I feel? Not bad at all, I certainly left with an overall better impression of the game than my first time around. In terms of the story, I could not help but feel a little underwhelmed about it and the endings certainly did nothing to help with that which is a shame. The visuals are stunning and were a big part of making me want to play. Korb's soundtrack was really cool and had a very cajun flavor to it which worked fantastically with the game. The gameplay was really great and offers a decent amount of replay value. I was at odds as to how to score the game but finally settled on 3 out of 5
I finally stopped playing The Elder Scrolls Online long enough to get into a new game that I have been very excited about playing - Techland's Dying Light 2 Stay Human. As zombie games have been done to death the original passed me by but was not going to let the sequel do the same.
Anyone reading this blog (I thank you), knows that I am a healthy eater and only enjoy the best quality ingredients and food - if you believe this you actually have not read my blog before, welcome! I have been partaking in shall we say certain plants of the earth that make me feel chill, when this happens I reach for Deliveroo (bad Barry). Instead, I make sure I have food at home to avoid this, one such thing I have taken to is steak sandwiches in garlic ciabatta, it is epic. There is lots of it, tasty and extremely filling. Playing Dying Light Stay Human I found myself asking was there enough and was it filling?
Story
The story has you take on the role of Aidan, a pilgrim, wandering the wastes after the release of COVID across the world, no I'm joking it's a virus that infects people and essentially turns them into zombies. But to Aidan that does not matter, he is on a mission to find his sister and will do whatever it takes to find her. There will be a lot of tough decisions to make and there are a lot of people looking for help that will change the city of Villedor for better or worse. There are parts of the main story that don't always seem to make sense but are not enough to pull me out of it all. There are also multiple endings so is certainly not a one-and-done.
The game separates itself from the zombie genre by making it about the people, their lives, and struggles - it is very human and easy to make connections with them. The main story is great don't get me wrong but the side stories are so much fun, some made me laugh others nearly made me cry. I did not want to try and complete every story to gain trophies but to enjoy Villedor for as long as possible.
Overall a fantastic set of stories woven together in a very satisfying way, the biggest disappointment was coming to the end of it all.
Visuals
The visuals are out of this world and made me feel the same way as when I first played The Last Of Us on Playstation 3. There were a lot of critics very negative about them as a whole but being honest playing it on the Playstation 4 Pro just made me want to see how it looks on the PlayStation 5. Nature has started to reclaim a damaged city, the two mix well together especially when you land on a high rise and see a garden growing on top of it.
It is all based in a city so is to a degree hard to diversify the landscape but I feel Techland did a great job of it. In makeshift towns, people live in relative safety on rooftops, and there a large bridges spanning bodies of water. The first area of the game is so different from the main part of the city it is overwhelming when you first go there, but I loved that, wondering how was I going to get to the top of that building and navigate the roads below.
Overall the visuals were amazing, to me the city was as big of a personality and important as many of the characters I came across.
Music
The soundtrack is as close to a masterpiece as is possible. The music moves from the fast beat, heart-pounding music that actually knocked me off balance when on occasion when playing, there are more somber reflective pieces and of course, those creeping dread tracks where you know something bad is about to happen. The soundtrack is carefully crafted by Olivier Deriviere, who was worked on more than a few great titles including; Streets Of Rage 4, Vampyr, Remember Me, Alone In The Dark, and Of Orcs and Men.
Even listening to the soundtrack as I type this I cannot believe how much was packed into less than ninety minutes. It was of these lucky occasions where I find it challenging to pick out my favorite tracks as I loved the whole soundtrack, some really standout pieces for me were; 'Run Jump Fight', 'The Good Doctor', 'The Last Parkour', 'Monsters We', 'The Renegades', 'The Mark' and 'New Beginnings'.
Overall a phenomenal soundtrack that once again has me asking why do they not get noted as part of game reviews when they are such an integral part of games?
Gameplay
The gameplay has a lot of RPG elements combined with some Far Cry and Mirrors Edge. It's a lot of elements to throw into one game but I do feel it worked. Combat works pretty well, for the most part, the infected are mostly easy prey unless you get a few coming at you, that said as soon as the more crazy variants appear all bets are off, especially at night when the rooftops become your friends. The human enemies start easy but later that AI gets pretty good at blocking and weaving around your attacks which in groups can be tough if you are not prepared. The weapons in the game are all beaten up looking but some can really pack a punch if you are willing to upgrade them even better. The only sad thing is that there is no repair option so don't get too attached, unless you are willing to get the Korek Charm which is one of the developer's tools, in my opinion well worth the effort in getting it. Attachments can be upgraded with the right parts and money. There is also the option to craft med kits and explosives, who knew a tennis ball grenade would be so powerful?
There are a lot of skills to unlock, which can be with a little effort unlocked in a single playthrough. The skills are broken into combat and parkour. The more you do in the world the more experience you gain and can unlock points. Some complained there was so much focus on this, to me it was like playing Metroid, finding an area I could not reach, getting the upgrade later, and coming back later to overcome it.
There are a number of tools you will have access to in the game and is certainly worth unlocking all of them as soon as possible. The tools change the way you can move around the world and also gives you access to inhibitors that help increase your health and stamina. For me, hands down the paraglider was the best it feels really cool flying through the skies and once upgraded is even better.
There are lots of things to buy and craft but you never feel overwhelmed and a lot of what you can do depends on your own playstyle.
Parkour! This is huge in the game, climb, roll, swing your way into anywhere but one wrong button press, and you become road pizza quickly. If there was a weakness in the gameplay I would say it was parkour as sometimes Aidan did not always seem to respond to button presses which turned more than a few things to failure. It did not happen often but when it did I was left a little frustrated. That being said movement as a whole is pretty good and the fact you can climb almost everything gives you so many options to reach places.
The game has you pick a faction that offers some great rewards on both sides and can really change the landscape of the game. Two things I thought were really cool are the option of a plus game and calling for a random real-world player to come help you if the need arose.
Overall the gameplay is fairly solid, a few crashes here and there and a lack of responsiveness with controls were frustrating but not game-breaking.
Final Thoughts
So, after dropping 60+ hours how did I feel? Sad but in a positive way. With the exception of a few questionable stories the overall story and side stories with really great. The visuals were awesome and never got bored of exploring Villedor. The music was stellar and really for me is what video game music is all about. The gameplay had a few shortcomings but nothing game-breaking or that ever affected my wanting to play. This one gets a solid 4 out of 5
Where have you been? Did you die and come back to life? Why over 6-months without a single game review? Alright, enough with the questions. There are lots of reasons - well no, there is actually just one; The Elder Scrolls Online. While I love The Elder Scrolls Oblivion and Skyrim an online version of Elder Scrolls just did not appeal. Last year my partner in crime (and honorary penguin) really wanted to find a co-op game to play together, we both decided to take the risk and purchase copies, and after that, time disappeared - rapidly.
I'm trying to be healthier this year, and by that, I mean not eating and drinking sugary things every day, so in that regard, I am winning. Sometimes you forget just how mind-blowing some things can be, for example, Peanut Butter M&M's. I love peanut butter in almost all forms, so wrapped in chocolate and candy is pretty awesome. The only thing is once I eat one, quickly ten boxes are gone. Playing The Elder Scrolls Online I found myself asking did I have a problem?
Story
The main story is pretty good, and while it does have a note of familiarity to it, it still manages to stand out from others. I'll aim as much as possible to keep this all spoiler-free. We all know that races, cultures, and classes can clash from time to time (or often) and that the only way to bring them all together is to have a big bad they can all fight. That will work, right? Well as it turns out no, in a world embroiled in war and politics no one is willing to do anything just in case one of the others swoops in and tries to take their land. Luckily, there is one person who can bring them together, you. Playing the main story made me feel for all those UN and Corporate negotiators, everyone has a bone to pick and special something they need before they will consider throwing their hat in the ring.
While the main story is good what really brings the world to life are the side quests. Of course, there are the standard fetch quests - much of the game is populated by people who are really struggling with health, love, fortunes, and in the more extreme cases destruction of their home. The voice acting is amazing and genuinely brings a level of realism that I have not experienced in an online game before. The one potential downfall here is that you can do literally anything in any order, as the quest difficulty scales to match your character. This means it's entirely possible to play the stories in each of the three alliances (Aldmeri, Daggerfall, and Ebonheart) out of order. I would highly recommend doing a little research on the best chronological order to play. If you're not too worried about the story, it won't matter much - but if you do, you'll notice some discrepancies in terms of NPC attitudes to you based on the chronology.
If the hundreds of side quests are not enough there are also player-created guilds and the classic guilds the Elder Scrolls players will be familiar with; Thieves, Dark Brotherhood, Fighters, Mages, Arena, and Dawnguard. Each has its own missions, and ranking system, and if that is not enough the player-created guilds also offer daily and weekly missions, stalls for players to player buying and selling, banks, and more.
Overall a very solid main story, with tons of side quests with new content being added almost every few months.
Visuals
I knew going from console dedicated games like Skyrim and Oblivion that visuals would be dialed back a bit for The Elder Scrolls Online, To be honest, though I was quite impressed by them. The world is huge and the topography of each area can vary a lot from one to another. If you look at Skyrim it is snow-filled, and mountainous, the towns seem smaller and there is a lot of nature. Then Alik'r Desert is at sounds but not as visually boring as some games can be, there are bazaars, hidden oases, and even bustling cities. Then there is Greenshade, lush forests, trees that are so large a city full of people can live in them. That is just a brief snapshot of the types of lands there are to explore.
Character creation has come a long way in the Elder Scrolls, it has always been a staple but sometimes characters do not always look the best. This has changed now with Elder Scrolls Online, people look more realistic than before, tons of customization including the ability to dye clothes and add new styles to create a very unique character.
Their game has a lot of enemies and when I say a lot I actually mean tons. Each new area can have a very different set of enemies. Playing it felt like the enemies had more of The Witcher 3 level of details rather than those seen in Oblivion and to a degree even Skyrim.
Overall the visuals are solid, which considering the sheer size of the game is a rather impressive achievement.
Music
The music much like the game itself is vast, with some great fantasy, choir, and orchestral pieces scattered throughout the two and half hour soundtrack (this just covers the base game). The music was composed by US-born Brad Derrick responsible for almost every part of the Elder Scrolls Online music along with creating the music for Warhammer Online: Age Of Reckoning. Canadian-based Jeremy Soule penned the opening track For Blood, For Honor, For Glory and has worked on a large back catalog of games including; Oblivion, Guild Wars 2, and Dungeon Siege 2.
The soundtrack is great, and if you want to space out and relax it is great to listen to, also looking to feature a couple of tracks for our wedding in September. My favorite tracks include:
For Blood, For Glory, For Honor
The Three Banners: Fanfare
Omens In The Clouds
Dawn Gleams Of Cyrodil
Moth, Butterfly, And Torch Bug
Oath And Malacath
Stendarrs Mercy
Onslaught At The Gates
Overall a great soundtrack by itself but even better as part of the Elder Scrolls Online world.
Gameplay
This is going to be tough, really tough as there is a lot to cover, and being honest I am probably going to miss something. That being said I will do my best to provide you with a screenshot of the gameplay on offer. Above is a map of the world of The Elder Scrolls Online, thanks to Game-Map.com for going to great effort to capture everything to date (as of this posting). The reason for me showing it is to truly capture the size of it and tell you that exploring everything will take time, a lot of it.
I have a certain biased when it comes to Online Games and MMORPGs in general, I like playing with myself (oi oi), but I don't like to rely on others to help finish a mission or potentially the game. So with that being said no I really mean this when I say, this is the best MMORPG for people who don't like MMORPGs. While of course with any online there is a focus on the social aspect, you can, for the most part, do everything solo, apart from Dungeons which have a great matchmaking system and there is no need to even chat, with a lot of groups you will find a natural simpatico. On the off chance, you don't most dungeons can be finished in around fifteen minutes and then you can team up with others.
Combat! There are many classes to choose from and it is not limited by the race you pick which is pretty nifty. Each class offers its only positives and negatives and I found myself at times comparing it to Monster Hunter World, lots of time in menus making adjustments to give the best loadouts. It can be a bit overwhelming but there are plenty of guides out there to help you build the right character for you. There are skill and attribute points, make a mistake, want to change up skills? No problem, go to the shrine, fork over some of your hard-earned coins, and presto all reset. The game offers the best first-person and third-person views which become massively helpful later when you start taking on dungeons and need to see everything. The game never rushes you and lets you find your own way in the game, this is quite helpful when it comes to combining moves and working out tactics.
Something for everyone. Some people want to stay away from combat and be a humble chef, an alchemist, a blacksmith, or maybe something else altogether. The Elder Scrolls Online offers this all and more, some people don't want to spend time gathering and leveling up their cooking skills to make a legendary recipe. That's okay, go to a guild shop and search it for what you're looking for, nothing there? Plenty of guild traders around. Still nothing? Then join a guild, join a few and soon you will find what you need for a price. Interested in antiques? Go scrying for and digging up antiquities.
Home is where your heart is, but also where your loot and homewares are. Previously in the Elder Scrolls you could purchase homes and decorate them to a degree, The Elder Scrolls Online is on a whole other level. You make things for your home, buy or get others to make them, and they can then be placed wherever you want and with a lot of precision. It is a great way to take a few minutes to relax unwind and if you have the coin have workstations in your home rather than going to the market square. The level of precision includes movement and rotation by single degrees, with some players adding entire floors to their residences thanks to the availability of walls, wooden panels and more.
I have not been paid or sponsored to say this, however, the first thing you should do after getting set up by ESO Plus. It will give you access to almost all content, and get some free rewards, and this is the big one that gives you have a sack that can carry an infinite number of ingredients, which you will need or risk having to run back and forth to towns and cities to trade. It does cost a monthly fee, but if you get into the game it's well worth it.
There are a few elements to the social part of the game; guilds, dungeons, and PVP. The guilds are great to find other players to help with dungeons and give advice on helping you improve. There is a match-making tool for dungeons for the most part other than a 'hi' there is no big need to communicate. PVP can be fun-free for all if you are looking for it and you can be rewarded with gear only available from doing it. That being said it can be a little mismatched in the same way GTA V Online used to be. The social aspect can be as relaxed as you want or a heavy investment depending on what are you looking to get out of it.
Final Thoughts
So, after 400+ hours how did I feel? The main story is solid and even in places where it slips a little the characters themselves along with the tons of side missions more than makeup for it. The visuals are really impressive, especially for an online game and one that is as large as it is. The gameplay is solid and the only real drawback is that the only way to take full advantage of the game is to buy ESO Plus and PVP perhaps being a little unbalanced. Overall this one gets a solid 4 out of 5 and yes I will be playing more of it in the future.
Feels like ages since I put fingers to keys and wrote a review, but it is no surprise considering the length of Assassins Creed Odyssey. Like a moth to a flame I play all the Assassins Creed games even though I know the chances are that I am going to be left burnt. Be that as it may I saw a sale on some Ubisoft titles, low and behold there was Assassins Creed Odyssey for less than €20, what did I have to lose?
I like a bit of pasta from time to time, it's a great meal to have when you are feeling a little lazy. A handy one I get are the Jamie Oliver pasta dishes (see below). They are okay in a bind but honestly no matter how I cook them there always feels like there is too much and it does not always leave the most satisfying taste in my mouth but it's passable. Being honest, each time I finish it I am left thinking why did I get this again. Playing Assassins Creed Odyssey I found myself asking was this the perfect amount of pasta or too much and when all is said and done did I enjoy it.
Story
The story starts with a young boy named Alexios and his baby sister Kassandra on top of a mountain in Sparta. Present are their mother and father, priests say they must both die under Spartan Law, in a blink of eye both of them disappear into the abyss. A pretty dark start to the game, but luckily and by some miracle they survive.
The game gives you the choice to play as either Alexios or Kassandra. The story sees you work as mercenary and as time progresses you start focusing on getting back to Sparta and finding your family, while trying to find out why this all happened.
The game allows decision making in the game, sadly with most non-RPG games that try this, few of your decisions really make a difference until closer to the end of the game. It was a nice option but felt a little tacked on and with there being nine endings that is a lot of replaying.
While there are some interesting side missions (which there are plenty of) the main campaign felt overly long. Each main mission has sub missions, then even those can have sub missions. Everything feels way longer than it needs to be and the pay off just isn't worth it.
Ubisoft have really moved away from the Assassins and Templars story which is really disappointing, while there are some elements of it in the game they have to be hunted for, which seems wrong to me. For sometime now Assassins Creed games are released annually and while there are changes made it feels more about making a quick buck than making a high quality story driven game. Overall the are some fun elements in the story but there is a lot of fat that could have been trimmed.
Visuals
While the game certainly has its flaw the visuals are not one of them. The game looks vibrant, smooth and beautiful. The markets and streets you pass through look and feel alive. The ancients ruins and huge statues are awe inspiring and to date is the most visually stunning game in the series.
One of my favorite parts of the was actually any enemy strongholds, they feel more built up than before, yielding crates, clothes, animals and other miscellaneous items. Overall the visuals help create a very organic environment and help make it one of, if not the strongest element of the game.
Music
The soundtrack has a very Moroccan feel to it, this is not too surprising as the first few games in the series had this feel and as the game is set before many of the others in the series it feels like a call back to humble beginnings. The composers are UK Duo The Flight responsible for the scores of both Horizon Zero Dawn and the DLC Horizon Zero Dawn Frozen Horizons and Dark Futures.
The soundtrack offers over two hours of music, some of my favorite tracks included; Legend of Eagle Bearer, The 300, The Assassins Creed, Atlantis, and A Spartans Fight.
Overall not a bad soundtrack but no where near as good as some of the others in the series.
Gameplay
There is a lot to get into with the gameplay, so let's dive right in. The combat is very different to other Assassins Creed games and a lot more robust. The fighting is robust, feeling not too simplistic and not too tough. There is an array of weapons including swords, staffs, axes and bows, special shout to Ikaros. If you take on one to three enemies it is okay, anymore than that and things can go south quickly. To help combat that you can unlock special abilities which, apart from looking great when used, can help take down even the strongest of enemies. While using RPG elements were so-so the combat ones were great, level up your character, unlock new abilities and access to gear.
You can climb anywhere with ease, you can even climb a giant Greek statue and hang from his cheek - sadly his wiener is a no-hang area.
Leveling up is fun, killing an enemy, discovering a new area, building - like an RPG the game encourages and rewards exploration which is good as the world of Odyssey is massive. I finished the game at level fifty-two but you can now go all the way up to level ninety-nine. If you are willing to put it in a little effort you will level up pretty quick.
Each time you level up you are able to raise the level of your weapons and gear. Essentially if you love a weapon or some gear you can keep it for the whole game and just keep leveling it up. In my case I got the Ezio gear and kept leveling it up. Be warned it will cost you a ton of resources.
Similar to the last few games there are plenty of ship battles, meaning plenty of upgrading which to be fair can be a lot of fun. That being said it feels nowhere as fun as the Black Flag battles which is a shame.
There are; side missions, bounty missions and player story created missions. Side mission comprise of a lot fetch quests and assassinations which can usually be completed pretty quickly, especially if you have unlock a lot of fast travel points. Bounty missions are limited mission where you can unlock special materials for upgrading or purchasing weapons. Player created story missions are okay but the only ones I found useful were the ones aimed at farming for materials and experience points.
The biggest new feature in the game are the mercenaries, think of them like the stars in GTA, they can be paid off but leaving them at the highest bounty can be fun if not hard. Each tier you wipe out gives you added benefits so is worth spending a little time on them. A lot of them you will naturally run into while exploring, getting the drop on them later is definitely the way to go as fighting a few at the same time is like taking on an army.
Overall the gameplay is solid and there are some interesting additions that were not in previous games. A few minor issues with the gameplay but nothing crazy.
Final Thoughts
So, after fifty hours, which easily felt like a hundred, how did I feel? Relieved. The story is okay and while there were some interesting points the story was far too drawn out. The visuals were fantastic and helped dilute some of the not so great elements in the game. The music is okay but not the most memorable soundtrack to date. The gameplay is pretty solid and offers a lot for players, overall very few notable issues. Overall the game is a little lack luster, the story could have benefitted to be shorter, the visuals were amazing, soundtrack was okay and the gameplay was pretty good. Overall this one gets a not so exciting 3 out of 5
I recently finished playing Tamsoft's ( published by Marvelous Entertainment) Senran Kagura Bon Appetit on the PS Vita which I found to be a lot of silly fun and parts even reminded me a bit of some side quests in the Yakuza series. Naturally, I was curious about the rest of the series and have been on a PS Vita kick so decided to try Senran Kagura: Estival Versus.
I like KitKats, they are simple and satisfying. They always remind me of being sick when I was young, seemed to have them along with some Lucozade. Over course my grandmother likes to remind me that when I was still in a pram I used to ask for 'Pussy Chocolate' (yeah, I know). The other day I tried a new type of KitKat, salted caramel with popcorn. KitKat good, salted caramel alright, popcorn why not. I thought I would like it, I wanted to like it, but I just could not get into it, maybe there were too many flavors, perhaps I don't have a refined enough palette. All I know is that I was not pushed on it and wished I had got a regular KitKat. Playing Senran Kagura: Estival Versus I found my asking was this as tasty as a regular KitKat or had I accidentally ate a salted caramel one with popcorn?
Story
For an anime and video games series which is relatively speaking light hearted the story in Estival Versus is quite dark. Shinobi girls of Hebijo Clandestine Girls Academy are mourning a loss of an older sister. This is tough enough but then a portal opens that transport them along with there allies and enemies to a an after life of sorts that allows them to see the dead as they remember them. The story is filled with a lot of emotion, drama and coming to terms with loss.
There is of course the naughty humor that is to be expected from the Senran Kagura series but as whole there is very much a downbeat feeling. Overall the story is deep and though out but for me lacked the lightheartedness of Bon Appetit.
Visuals
The PS Vita version of the game visually speaking is not a million miles away from the PlayStation 4. The beach levels are bright and vibrant and feel good, some of my favorite missions were set in the winter resort areas, it felt like Christmas and there were snowman littered around the level. The characters look pretty solid and the only time things go a little sideways is when the characters are moving a lot as they can look a little low quality.
Overall the visuals are pretty good for a PS Vita game, the anime sequences look great as do the visual novel segments. The only draw back visually speaking are the some of the fighting sequences.
Music
The soundtrack is pretty upbeat feature guitars riffs-a-plenty fused together with oriental instruments. Some of the music brought to mind music from Metal Slug and many anime series. The three Japanese composers responsible for the soundtrack have work on a number of video game and anime series. The composers are; Tatsushi Hayashi (Queen's Blade, Stein's Gate, Revival Prophecy), Akihi Motoyama (Oneechanbara, Hyperdimenion Neptunia U, Gun Gun Pixies), and Mutsumi Ishimura (Quora Q-3, Hyperdimenion Neptunia U, Gun Gun Pixies).
The soundtrack provides around an hour of music, the stand out tracks for me were; 'It's Summer!', 'Great To See You Here!', 'Get Heated Up!', 'Come On', 'Chatting With The Usual Friends', 'Peacefulness Right By Your Side' and 'Shopping Spree'. Overall that soundtrack isn't bad but did not get me that excited.
Gameplay
The game is a brawler, lots of enemies and a few bosses is the set up for most missions. The fighting is fairly in depth, having a lot moves to learn and unlock. The initial levels you will get away with just bashing buttons but as you progress this tactic will fail. Each character has a Shinobi transformation which shows the character naked (apart from one or two sensitive spots) and a ninja scroll will appear from between their breast, butt or, well, another place. These transformation are quite powerful and let you carry out special moves which in some cases can half a bosses health.
Each character has their own look and style along with their own weapon. All character can be upgraded simply by playing with them. The game is clearly designed to be played multiple times as I finished each character at around levels fifteen to twenty. The more you level up a character the better they get.
Out outside of the main story mode there are also side missions for each of the characters. These can be unlocked by moving through the main story along with destroying shrines.
Shopping! There is a lot to buy and unlock in the shop, from outfits and accessories, to music and gallery art. There is also a shrine you can exchange tokens to unlock more items.
Overall the gameplay is pretty solid with no real complaints, it features RPG style elements pushing to level up, earn more rewards and try to unlock everything.
Final Thoughts
So, after nearly thirty hours of playing how did I feel? Undecided. The story itself has a lot to it but was almost too serious in some ways and in some ways wish they had focused more on the comedy. The visuals are pretty solid and only really fail when it comes to fast moving combat. The music is okay but is nothing stand out. The gameplay is pretty solid and has a lot of depth to it. I think when it comes down to it the game just didn't do it for me personally but as a whole is hard to criticize, this one gets a 3 out of 5
I'm a pretty big fan of the Yakuza series, especially since it was remastered with the release of Yakuza 0. Each year around Christmas time I end up playing one of them, this year it is Yakuza 4 (will likely play Yakuza 5 as well). While I try not to read about the plot or gameplay before I play a Yakuza game I knew going in this time there would be four playable characters. I previously enjoyed playing Kiryu and Majima, but would be four a little too much?
I like many things about Japanese culture and like to try and embrace it when I get the chance. When myself and Nollsy visited London a few years ago went to a Benihana which was an awesome experience. Tried a selection of sake which was really nice. A couple of months ago I saw these awesome sake glasses and had to have them. My better half got me two bottles, tried both and I have to say I did not like them. I asked myself was it just a lower quality than I had tried or was I simply swept up in my time in London and anything would have taste good. Playing Yakuza 4 I found myself asking was this a lower tasting quality or was I just not into it?
Story
There are four playable characters in the game; Kiryu Kazuma, retired legendary Yakuza now running the Morning Glory orphanage, Masayoshi Tanimura, a police detective who has a problem with authority and playing by the rules, Taiga Saejima, in prison for the last 25 years after a hit gone wrong, and Shun Akiyama, a very unique loan shark who doesn't believe in his clients paying any interest on their loans. What connects all these characters together, a mystery woman who everyone seems to want to find.
The game is split into four parts (one for each character), set over four chapters each. The stories independently are interesting and in the final chapters all the stories converge revealing something much bigger going on.
As always with Yakuza it has sub stories for each character to play, the only downside is that while there were some zany missions it felt a bit more serious than normal.
Overall the story is pretty good and while having extra characters was interesting at times it was a bit too much of a distraction from the main narrative. I did feel once Kiryu became playable the story did heat up quite a bit and was more interesting.
Visuals
The visuals are pretty good in the game, and with the addition of new areas like the rooftop, hidden ally town, underground, car parks you get to enjoy another level of Kamarucho never seen before. At night the game seems more moody than in previous, a large part of this I feel are due to the lighting effects. One of my favorite parts visually was running around when it was raining, the effects look so good.
When playing as Taiga Saejima you get to explore a prison which was a bit different and very reminiscent of A Way Out (due to just having played it). The other characters tread familiar ground but as Kamarucho has been upgraded even more it never gets dull to look at.
Overall some great visuals, and see a game remastered after ten years really does breath new life into Kamarucho.
Music
The soundtrack has that classic Yakuza feel, with some extra guitars and a blend of both smooth jazz that on occasions gets pretty intense and gave me a feeling of being pulled down. The soundtrack is created by Yakuza series veteran Hidenori Shoji who also worked on Judgement and Fighting Vipers.
The soundtrack provides over three hours worth of music and around seventy tracks. My favorite tracks include: 'Roarless Dragon', 'Glee', 'Funny', 'Whiskey and Rhapsody', 'Spicy Brass Squid', 'Speed Star', 'Material Delights', and 'So Hot Ping Pong'.
Overall a pretty classic Yakuza soundtrack with a little extra added on top to keep it fresh.
Gameplay
The four playable characters have very different playstyles; Akiyama is pretty agile and his punch and kicks do a decent amount damage, Tanimura has a play style very close to that of Yagami in Judgment and Lost Judgement, very fast and has a great counter block technique. Then there is Saejima, who hands down is the worst (combat wise), he is painfully slow, his moves when they connect are strong but even his defense is not great. The first boss you take on as him nearly broke me as I felt like I wasn't fighting more dodging a lot and then occasionally making contact. Kiryu is hands down the best fighter by far and incorporates the best elements of the others.
Each character can level up and get orbs, these are used to increase skills, it does not take a lot to level up as long as you don't avoid battles and engage in other activities.
Weapons feel like they have more focus on them this time, there a lot of weapons to be made, upgraded and broken. It was fun to try but still like using my body to do my fighting.
Like with the other Yakuza games there are slew of sub stories, some are fun but other feel like a bit more of a chore especially the hostess missions which every character has and is quite costly. I really do wish they would bring back the hostess club game where you could manage the whole thing.
There are a ton of mini games, my favorite being table tennis, there is also; batting cage, mahjong, shogi, karaoke, arcade machines, fishing, UFO grabber and more. There is more than enough to fill your time whether you just want the experience points, looking for trophies or just want a break from the main story.
Overall the gameplay is pretty good, the only thing that lets it down really is a certain characters fighting style, and some sub stories not having the fun quality Yakuza fans are used to seeing from the series.
Final Thoughts
So after close to thirty hours how did I feel? Not bad. The story is pretty good but as they sometimes to many chefs spoil the broth and while the inclusion of new characters was interesting four felt like too many playable characters especially for a game which traditionally has had just one. The remastering real brought the visuals up another level, and added to an extra layer to Kamarucho. The soundtrack is what we have come to expect from the series but Shoji has got lazy and added some new elements. The gameplay is pretty solid but again the extra characters do slightly water things down especially Saejima or maybe his enemies were just not as well balanced. Overall the game wasn't bad but can only give this one 3 out of 5
The PlayStation Vita for me is probably the best handheld console, it has a huge array of games, the console looks good and feels good. I sometimes forget about it for a while but always find myself coming back to it. One game I have been curious to play for a while is Punchline a game based on an Anime, although I had not watched the series my interest had been peaked by the few trailers for the game I had watched. With a little help from my friend Ivan he helped me get a hold of a copy.
While I first came to Ireland there were two things I really enjoyed eating Kimberly Biscuits and drinking Red Lemonade. Within a year I had got bored of these due to overeating and overdrinking. About a decade ago I tried a Chocolate Kimberly, they were amazing, but before I got to fully try more they were gone, if only there had been more left. Playing Punchline I found myself asking had I got into the game too late? And unlike Chocolate Kimberly's I could not just go out and buy more.
Story
The game has you take on role of Yuta, who already suffering with difficulties of being a teenage boy finds his soul pushed out of his body. As if that was not already enough you are some how connected with an asteroid on a course to destroy the planet. On top of this you have restricted movement and are stuck in Korai House with a punch of girls, who if you see their panties brings about the destruction of the world. Luckily you have Chiranosuke, the spirit of a dead cat.
The story has some odd pacing, the first ten-twelve episodes have a calm well paced approached, the final eight or nine have so much packed in them it can be a lot to process. It feel likes a different writer took over part way through, or they felt the game needed to be shorter and rushed the remaining episodes.
Overall the story is pretty good, and while it has some obvious sexual innuendo there is a lot more on offer besides it. If you look passed some of the unusual pacing and are into anime this one is worth look.
Visuals
I really love the combination of anime sequences combined with some great visual set pieces. Almost the whole game is set around the house, there a multiple rooms, each with personality as big as their occupants. Korai House is like a quaint guest house, if you ignore all the crazy goings on. I can't really decide my favorite aspect visually as while each room and character are all different it all feels like one strange happy family.
The Vita does a great job of representing the game visually and comparing it to the PlayStation 4 version there is very little different. Overall some great vibrant visuals which made the game more like watching an Anime series rather than playing one.
Music
The soundtrack is light-hearted, wacky, fun and has a sweetness to it you only get from Anime. The soundtrack was created by talented Japanese composer Tetsuya Komuro, who also did the music for Persona 4 Dancing All Night, and Gaball Screen. He also has large back catalog of music.
The soundtrack runs well over and hour and features almost fifty tracks. Some of my favorite tracks included:
'Strange Juice (Action)'
'Nervous'
'State of Tension'
'Sacred Thing'
'Invisible Fear'
'Comical (Up)'
'The Cheeromancy Song'
'Justice Punch, Here We Go'
Overall a fun soundtrack that really suited the game!
Gameplay
The gameplay is interesting a different from others games I have played before. Yuta is a spirit and by scaring people in the house he can become a stronger spirit. Essentially you need to find clues, set up tricks of a sort and then get them to play out. Put things in the wrong order, game over, look at panties for too long game over. The latter is easier to take, the former not so much. Chiranosuke, will tell you vaguely what you need to do, as expected the earlier tricks are easy to pull off and get a lot harder. While this is only natural I was left scratching my head from time to time as I could not see how something would work out so ended up setting things up incorrectly.
For the first half of the game each episode is set into two phases, scare people in the house to get your spirit level up, and then set up a trick and execute it correctly. That is until after episode twelve where some require you to answer questions or simply watch the story. It was interesting but like with the story is jarring as the gameplay is consistent and then changes abruptly.
There are are multiple endings but only decisions made in the second part of the story, and even those seem a little odd the way they play out.
Overall the gameplay is okay but rather than switch gears part way through you have a hand break pulled at 90MPH.
Final Thoughts
So, after fifteen hours plus how did I feel? Not bad, there were ups and downs for sure. The story can be good but could use some better pacing to not feel as rushed in places. The visuals and music I liked a lot and felt like I was playing and watching an anime at times. The gameplay and story share a similar problem in that the pacing feels a little off at times. All in all not a bad experience but a few different editing choices could have made this game much better, this one gets 3 out of 5
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