Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope - Review

 

A few years ago I played Supermassive Games' Until Dawn, a fantastic story-driven horror game. Naturally, when I heard they had released a series of games called The Dark Pictures Anthology I was excited. Last year I played the first game in the series The Man of Medan and was a little underwhelmed, everything was very so so, but I was willing to give the second instalment in the series Little Hope a chance. My lovely partner in crime got it for me at Christmas and just finished playing it this week.

With it being January I have been trying to reduce my intake of sugary goodness. I have been having slightly less bold things, one such thing is Milky Bar Milk Slice. Barely 100 calories, so how bad? Well it's a mixed bag, I like Milky Bars but these slices not so much, I mean I wanted to like them but just couldn't get into them. Playing Little Hope I have found myself asking did I like it or was I just trying to like it?

Story

The game is set in the small Salem-like town of Little Hope, an apt name. The story moves between the past, very past and present. There are five main characters and while you get to move between them Andrew is the main protagonist who is a student and comes across as fairly emotionless.  There are four others who make up the group, Angela, an old mean woman that is constantly stirring things up, although one of her main traits is that she is understanding? There is John, the professor who is a stick in the mud and prone to behaving rashly and attempts to be the leader no one needs.  There is Taylor who is a bit of drip and a troublemaker and her nice-guy jock boyfriend Daniel who seems nervous to go public about them until 'I trust you 100%'. 

The dialogue is quite poor and most conversations seem overly simplistic or over-explained. That being said the overarching story is actually really good and went a small way to making up for the dialogue. As with the Man Of Medan, and Until Dawn there are many dialogues choices and actions, some of which can result in the death of any or all characters.

Overall the story is good, but the clunky dialogue and poor characters really let it down, and how Supermassive Games went from the great story and dialogue in Until Dawn to that of Little Hope is beyond me. 

Visuals

The visuals are one of the strongest parts of Little Hope which is something Supermassive Games are constantly good at delivering on. While the quality of the visuals is good at a lot of the game feels like you are walking down a long road. What really stands out are the 17th-century sections which feel authentic, and eerie, from the clothes to the buildings. Without giving too much away the enemies are twisted and unnerving, which help in providing jump scares.

Overall there are some great visuals with two of the timelines but present-day feel likes you spend a lot of time walking down a long road, while there are detours along the way none of them really excited me as much of the 17th Century sections.

Music

The music left little impact on me and unfortunately no matter where I looked it I was unable to find a place to listen to the soundtrack. The music is composed by Jason Graves who has an extremely rich back catalogue of work, Command Conquer 4, Far Cry Primal, Until Dawn, Friday The 13th: The Game, Evolve, Dead Space, and Fear 3 to name but a few.

Overall the soundtrack sadly did not do a lot for me which is disappointing as Graves is an accomplished composer. Perhaps it was less to do with him and more how Supermassive Games incorporated his music into the games.

Gameplay

The gameplay like much of the rest of the game is underwhelming. There are a lot more chances to move around and control characters, than in the Man Of Medan. Unfortunately, movement is still an issue, it feels like trying to drive a forklift with only two wheels - that are both on one-side. Outside of movement, there is a lot of dialogue choices, while each choice does affect your relationship with the characters it does not really seem to matter. The only true thing that seems to matter in the game is how you react to quick-time events. If you mess up even one you can kill a character, which can be interesting, as much as seeing someone die horrifically can be interesting.

The game can be played solo or with friends, I would be curious to play it with friends to see how the mechanic works as while the game is short it might be difficult to get multiple people to play in one sitting or multiple ones. 

Overall the gameplay is very so so and I can't say it enough - how did SuperMassive Games go from something as good as Until Dawn to the Dark Pictures Anthology.

Final Thoughts

So, after six hours how did I feel?  Sadly, underwhelmed. The overall story was pretty good, but the characters were annoying and fairly unlikable, there were some good visuals, the music was meh, the gameplay felt like it was still in the Beta stages. That all being said there is still a part of me curious to play the next instalment. Overall this one gets a lowly 2 out of 5

Panzer Dragoon Remake - Review

 

Many moons ago I played a game by Sega called Panzer Dragoon Saga II, a fantastic rails shooter. Later they released a game called Panzer Dragoon Saga, one of the first RPG's I ever played and one of the most memorable. The first game in the series was called Panzer Dragoon. I played it years after it was released on PC - it handled poor and looked in desperate need of a visual overhaul. When I saw there was a remake I thought it was worth a look.

I love food but I might love sweets even better. Refreshers were something I really like growing up, which is unusual as I don't really like lemon or lemon flavoured things. There are tough, chewy, full of colouring and sugar - simply put they are bad for you. Things you enjoy during your childhood are not always the same as those you like as adult. Strangely while Refreshers have enjoyed their high point there is still something great about them now. Playing Panzer Dragoon had the time of this game and indeed series seen its day?

Story

The story is set a thousand years in the future, the once densely populated Earth has been reduced to almost nothing. It is no surprise that weapons of mass destruction were the cause of the issue. Civilization seems to be made up of small towns and nations, and the ruling force is known as The Empire. They are already starting to take over but their latest discovery is ancient weapons which could change everything. 

Moments into the game's intro sequence someone riding a dragoon kills another in front of your eyes. The dying rider chooses you to take charge of the dragoon and simply tells you to follow the dragoon, he knows where he is going.  

Overall the story is sparse yet intriguing and continues to develop as the series continues. When all is said and done you don't really get much of a story from any arcade rail shooter but this one certainly piqued my interest.

Visuals

Panzer Dragoon was originally released on the Sega Saturn in 1995, at this time polygons were being used to help create visuals. The visuals could sometimes look clunky and even ugly but at the time they were pretty damn good. While the newly remake Panzer Dragoon Remake cannot hope to rival today's visual marvels it is also far cry from the original release twenty-five years ago. The colours used in the game are quite vibrant especially during the forest episode, the games look pretty smooth and it is easy to see how much time and effort MegaPixel Studios put into the game.

Overall the visuals are massively improved over the original release and while the remake may not be as impressive as some of newer games on the market it cannot be overlooked how much effort has gone into this remake.

Music

The music is classic Sega, warm and whimsical sounds, it is reminiscent of the music of Studio Ghibli. The music is composed by Yoshitaka Azuma, who worked on Panzer Dragoon Orta and Saori Kobaishi who worked on Panzer Dragoon Saga, Sonic Drift 2, Nights Into Dreams, and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz.

The soundtrack runs just shy of an hour, it features some great tracks including; 'Main Title', 'Sudden Turn', 'Departed Souls', 'Imperial Capital Set Ablaze' and 'Conclusion'. Overall it's a fairly solid soundtrack that really is a classic example of early Sega Saturn music.

Gameplay

Panzer Dragoon Remake has the same mechanics as the original but with some improvements. Essentially the game is an arcade rail shooter, which is really fun as you don't see any nowadays. There are two weapons; your pistol and the dragoons lock-on lasers, the lasers are far superior to use on enemies with the exception of one of the bosses.

While you are stuck on a rail you can, and need, to bob and weave to avoid structures and incoming projectiles. The radar is a big help in this regard, not with structures but enemies as you can see where they are coming from and act accordingly.

Overall the gameplay is simple and fun - the only issue I ever ran into was that the lock-on lasers could be slow to recognise targets on occasion. There is a lot of replay value as there are a number of difficulty setting and even a Pandora's Box menu which can really change the game.

Final Thoughts

So, after a few hours of play how did I feel? Pretty damn good. The game really played on my nostalgia and made me giddy to play Panzer Dragoon Zwei (which hopefully will be released later this year). The story is interesting, the visuals look pretty solid for an older game, the music reminds me of a simpler time and the gameplay is a lot of fun. Overall this one gets a solid 4 out of 5

The Witcher 3 Game Of The Year Edition - Review

 

Wow, what an epic and fantastic year 2020 was....well it probably was in an alternative universe but here it sucked ass. Everyone has been affected by COVID in some way and even typing the word sends shivers down my spine. Feeling everything creeping in around me I needed a reliable escape and after nearly fives years decided to play Witcher 3 again - this time it was the Game Of The Year Edition with all the downloadable content.

There is nothing better than roast dinner, its reliable, hearty, and - depending on how much you consume - healthy-ish. Over the Christmas period, I had days and days worth of roast dinners. Did I get sick of eating so many of them? Nope. Playing Witcher 3 I found myself was there almost too much game and was it as good as a Christmas roast dinner?

Story

The Witcher series does not do simple when it comes to storytelling - it is filled with politics, revenge, espionage, war, romance and monster slaying. Geralt is a mutant - a skilled fighter with two swords; steel for humans and silver for monsters, on top of that he can perform small amounts of magic referred to as Signs. Witcher 3 sees Geralt trying to find Yennfer his love and Ciri someone who was his ward and like a daughter to him. Things are never simple for Geralt and he will have trade blows politically and physically to get her back. The main storyline is excellent, the side missions are even better. Helping out people who are looking for loved ones, sorting out disputes, helping people get back their land and even some more unusual deeds.

There are two large DLCs for Witcher 3 - Blood and Wine, and Hearts of Stone. The Blood and Wine DLC is set in a brand new area of the game and is clearly inspired by the French with the new area being called Toussant. It is a story filled with wine, lots of it, along with a mysterious assassin, royalty, oh and did I mention, wine. A really solid story that I dare say is better than the main game story itself. Hearts of Stone focuses on a deal with the devil of sorts, partying with a devil, talking cats and dogs and living paintings. The story is many ways in more heart wrenching than any other in the game and is a solid example of CD Projekt Reds commitment to not just phone it in but to really create something new and special.

Overall the main story, side missions and the DLCs are amazing and I would be hard-pressed to think of a game of this size and magnitude that does it better. 

Visuals

For a game that has a few years under its belt, it really looks amazing and being honest it puts a few more recent games to shame. The cities in the game look old and grim and tell a story of downtrodden people, back-alley dealings, and other much darker elements. The villages in some ways are a breath of fresh air, open country farmland, animals and something resembling peace if not a hard life - although still, waters run deep. Where the game shines visuals is the open world, the vast lands, mountains and wooded areas. The enemies, especially the monsters, have a lot of unique designs that make monster-hunting all the better. 

That all being said the Blood and Wine DLC leaves the rest of the visuals in the main game in the dust. They are fantastic, the buildings, artwork, vineyards, animals, it is just breathtaking and once again shows CD Projekt Red going above and beyond to create fantastic content.

Overall the game looks amazing and I would be really curious to see a little upgrade in the visuals to bring it more up to date. I genuinely feel if this happens few other games will be able to stand above it.

Music

The music used in The Witcher 3 including the DLCs is some of the best fantasy music I have heard in a game. The music moves between epic battle music, to folksy melodic music which works really well when roaming the countryside. The music is composed by Marcin Przybylowicz who has worked on Cyberpunk 2021, The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter, and Duke Nukem Critical Mass to name but a few and accompanied by Polish Folk Group Percival.

The complete soundtrack runs around three and a half hours and features some brilliant pieces of music, my favourites being:

• The Trail
• Commanding The Fury
• Silver For Monsters
• 4. Whispers of Oxenfurt
• Cloak and Dagger
• Forged In Fire
• Drink Up, There's More!
• After The Storm
• The Song Of The Sword Dancer
• The Hunt Is Coming
• Back On The Path
• A Story You Won't Believe
• Fanfare and Flower
• For Honor, For Toussaint
• Wine Wars
• On the Champs-Desoles

Overall a magical and powerful soundtrack that I never got tired of and may even feature some of it myself and Noll's wedding in 2021 (we're having a fantasy RPG themed wedding).

Gameplay

When I say there is a lot to do in The Witcher 3 it is an understatement. The world is huge, the story is huge and the gameplay is no different, I will do my best to try and summarize it all.

Fight, fight, fight! Naturally, there is a lot of killing to be done, roll, sword attack, use a sign to set someone on fire, roll again, throw a bomb. That is just a snapshot of what is involved in combat. The system works pretty well and while the lock-on targeting system is not always 100%, it works well the majority of the time. Everything can be upgraded if you have enough coin and materials. There is a levelling up system that is one of the most satisfying I have experience in a long time. The levelling is steady, every time you level up and upgrade an ability you genuinely feel more powerful and is extremely rewarding.

Need a break from the main story? No problem. There many people who need your help and are willing to pay for it; some are simple, while others take time and patience. There are treasure hunts, quests for new witcher gear, and of course witcher contracts so take down troublesome monsters terrorizing the locals and threatening their livelihoods.

Sick of swords? Like boxing? Got you covered. There are opponents big and small waiting to be defeated to you can be crowned champion -  lots of fun and a great way to make coin. Horse racing is another great past time as long as you have the right upgrades for your horse. One of my favourite card games of all time is in this game - Gwent. It's not only about playing the game but also battling to win cards and then getting others from merchants, tavern owners and some unexpected people. It is so much fun and has such a following a stand-alone game was created from it.

Overall the gameplay is really good bar a few glitches, there is so much to do and none of it ever seems to be boring or a waste of time and the DLC adds even more including a home for Geralt and his trusty steed Roach to stay in.

Final Thoughts

So after a hundred plus hours (this time), how did I feel? Excellent and like I could easily play more, I'm even considering starting the plus game already. The story is so in-depth and enthralling, the visuals are in places boarding on the masterful, the music is impactful and helps to create a more organic world, the gameplay is like the Christmas dinner you can't finish as your heart might shut down but you keep going anyway. After careful consideration, this one gets a solid 5 out of 5

Deliver Us The Moon - PlayStation 4 Review

 

Deliver Us The Moon has been on my to playlist for a while, after just completing Metroid Samus Returns on the 3DS I really wanted to stick my teeth into a console game. What attracted me to the game is the intense name and that it reminded me of Observation (available on the Epic Games Store) which was a fantastic game. With my spacesuit on I was ready to play Deliver Us The Moon.

Sometimes for lunch, I can't quite decide what to eat. At those times I might go for something noodle based. I recently tried Naked Noodles, they were not as bad Pot Noodles and tasted pretty good, but the whole time I felt something was missing? Where is the meat? Now they are called Naked Noodles so I knew what I was letting myself in for, that being I thought they would be better. Playing Deliver Us The Moon I found myself asking is there something missing?

Story 

The story is set in the not too distant future, the Earth has depleted almost all sources of energy and the planet is quickly turning into a wasteland. But there is hope, The Moon. It contains Helium-3 that could provide enough energy for the Earth for decades to come. Quickly a base is set up on the moon along with an ingenious way to transport it to Earth. For a time it was great and then they lost communication with the moon and stopped getting Helium-3. The Earth looks doomed once more until a small group manage to get enough resources together and send one person to the moon to try and fix everything, that person is you.

Overall the concept is really interesting, and while there were moments that were interesting it always felt like it needed to be fleshed out a little more is wasn't really until near the end of the day that I started connecting with the story. It is not a bad story, it isn't great.

Visuals

The game is powered by the Unreal Engine and the visuals are pretty solid. The setting is bleak and is hard to make the moon itself look that exciting. That being said I did really enjoy my time roaming around it. The manmade buildings on the moon feel futuristic, not crazy Ironman technology but certainly up there. One of my favourite areas visuals was the reactor, it felt impressive and a little scary.

Overall the visuals are pretty solid, nothing standout but nothing to complain about either.

Music

The music used in the game is by far one of the strongest elements. It feels like a cross between classic and electronic music turning into a powerful symphony. The composer is Sander van Zanten, this is his first video game score to date and is a great debut. I went onto his website and read something that resonates with me and is why I love video game music:

"Music serves a twofold purpose within games; it reinforces a games world-building and it set the mood. Done correctly, this results in a more engaging and enthralling game experience: music makes the fictional worlds of video games come to life."

Overall the soundtrack is phenomenal and is well over three hours in length, strangely while I am sure it was not intentional (or maybe it was) the sound create an ASMR effect and even fell asleep to it the other night.

Gameplay

The gameplay is a mix of exploration and puzzle-solving. The game, for the most part, feels like a rail shooter giving little opportunity to explore. The puzzle element can be fun and most can be completed in a few minutes. As the game progress, you pick up a little robot friend who I grew quite fond of and not just because he could reach areas that I could not.

There are no enemies as such apart from some evil Roombas, there are no weapons and outside of your robot pal and a laser, there are no other tools. The laser is used to open seals and cut cables and the robot can essentially help open doors that are inaccessible to you.

There are little mini-games where you need to align towers which is quite fun and tough especially near the end game. One of the biggest parts of the game is finding evidence of what happened on the moon and other miscellaneous bits and pieces.

Overall there is nothing particularly bad about the gameplay it is just a little lacking. It can't really truly be called an exploration game and does not have enough puzzles to be called a puzzle game either. If the developers had put more time into one element or the other it would have been a more enjoyable and engaging experience.

               

Final Thoughts 

So, after eight hours how did I feel?  Underwhelmed. The story was okay but a little lacking, the visuals were solid but far from exciting. The music was the highlight of the game and if the other elements had been as strong it would have been a fantastic game. The gameplay was okay but very limited. If I was describing the game as colour it would be grey. This one just managed to slide in with a 3 out of 5

Carrion - PC Review

 

Early last year developer Phobia Game Studios and publisher Devolver Digital revealed a game called Carrion. Essentially you are alien/experiment that breaks containment in a lab that has to kill and attack the scientists and soldiers inside. The gritty and pixelated visuals had me hooked along with the gameplay itself. While I wasn't familiar with Phobia Game Studios, Devolver Digital has a keen eye for games so was more than willing to try it.

Many, many years ago I used to work for Super Valu as a teenager (dark days). Before work each day I would run home and throw on a frozen curry first. They looked pretty good and I like curries, at first, it seems okay but then it becomes tasteless and an unappealing and end up being just pure substance. In reality, it was just a sad excuse for a curry and fooled myself into thinking it was even in the same league as a real one. Playing Carrion I found myself asking was this a real tasty curry or was I just eating a frozen one trying to fool myself?

Story

The opening scene is focused on a containment unit marked with a biohazard symbol. Inside is an experiment or perhaps a being from another world. Its mission (and also yours) is to destroy anything that stands in your way, become stronger and try to find a way out.

Overall the story does not provide much detail but that is okay, the only downside for me was the ending which felt a little underwhelming.

Visuals

The visuals are intense and gritty, not only the look of the creature with its many tentacles but the dark underground you navigate. While there are different areas within the facility you are imprisoned some of the areas can feel the same, the greatest strength of the visuals is also its greatest weakness. It can get extremely tiresome on your eyes and made me reminisce of when I got the GameBoy first and if the light was low in the room at all it could be a real struggle.

Overall the visuals are good but the only way to play the game is in short bursts, trying to play it a single sitting would just be a little too much (I played it over two sittings). 

Music

The music to me can be best described as a horror scape, spine chilling sounds, creeping danger and music you may hear in a horror to create a tense atmosphere and let you know the bad guy is coming. But what happens when you are the bad guy?  Instead of it being scary it becomes exhilarating, and for me could be compared to the feeling I get from listening to the music used in the latest instalment in the Doom series. The music is created by American composer Cris Velasco, who has worked on and created the music for; Darksiders, Mass Effect, Assassins Creed Unity Dead Kings, Bloodbourne and Borderlands to name but a few.

The soundtrack runs just shy of being an hour, and features a number of great tracks including; 'The Hunger', 'What's Yours Is Mine', 'AMD (Armoured Tech Drone), 'Metamorphosis IV' and 'Attack Of The Peacekeepers'. Overall a great soundtrack with really good sound effects.

Gameplay

The game is a side-scrolling horror game with some Metroidvania style gameplay. The game starts you escaping from a containment unit before killing and absorbing a few scientists. As you consume so shall you grow and the more hideous and horrifying you become. 

There are a number of abilities that can be unlocked in the game by finding other containments units scattered throughout the facility. The creature undergoes a number of metamorphoses, each time unlocks new abilities. Interestingly it is sometimes necessary to reduce your mass to get through certain areas which is quite interesting and unique to the best of my knowledge.

The save points are pretty frequent so you never need to worry too much if you die and later on you will, a lot. The enemies start with handguns and get's a lot tougher. The biggest downside for me was the lack of a map, so try to remember which areas you need to revisit and where exactly they are located can be tough. Including this feature would have made Metroidvania elements more fun.

Overall the gameplay is good, the only downside is the lack of a map.

Final Thoughts

Soooooo, after eight hours of playing how did I feel? Mixed. The story has an interesting concept but fizzles out, the visuals are great but become really tough on the eyes after a relatively short time. The music is really good, the gameplay is pretty strong and was certainly interesting getting to play as the bad guy. Overall, this one get a 3 out of 5

Metroid Samus Returns 3DS

 

Last year my kind little Starfish (known by other people as Nollaig) purchased me Metroid Samus Returns on the 3DS for Christmas. I was looking forward to playing it for a long time and while I started it last year it ended up falling to one side, until recently. 

I like Pringles, so many different flavour options, in the last few years they have added even more. Some of the flavours are good, some not so much. I recently tried their Katsu Curry flavour, the first few were okay but was not sure I wasn't fully sold on it but quickly I ended up consuming the entire can. Playing Metroid Samus Returns on the 3DS I found myself asking was it this actually tasty or was the flavour just not for me?

Story

One of my favourite games in the Metroid series is Zero Mission, which is a remake of the original Metroid. Samus Returns on the 3DS is a remake of Metroid 2 on the Gameboy. The story sees the bounty Samus Aran sent to the planet SR388 to investigate the disappearance of a reconnaissance unit.  It is time for Samus to suit up and take on the Space Pirates and the Metroids again. 

Overall the story is fun and simple. I have always been drawn to the Metroid series due to the setting and gameplay, the story is just the icing on the cake and I don't need much icing.

Visuals 

The visuals look really good, and unlike many 3DS games where the 3D can be so-so in the case of Samus Returns it looks awesome. The different areas you visit are mostly under the surface of the planet and features a lot of caves and caverns, along with lava pits of death and the familiar Chozo statues that hold your next coveted power up. 

Overall the visuals look good, and while some areas can look a little samey Nintendo has done a lot to set it apart from the original release on the Gameboy.

Music

There is something very classic Nintendo when it comes to the Metroid music, it could never be mistaken for another series, and Samus Returns is no different. The music always has a retro sound even the newer games in the series and remakes. The soundtrack is created by Japanese composer Daisuke Matsuoka, who works include; Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Super Smash Brothers on Wii and 3DS.

The score is just over an hour, or two depending on which version you find online (I went for the longer version). There are some great tracks, my favourites being; 'Title', 'Samus Appearance Jingle', 'Item Obtained', 'Alpha Metroid', 'Area 1 Caverns', 'Diggernaut Chase', 'Verses Diggernaut' and 'Verses Proteus Ridley (Phase 1-3)'. Overall a fun soundtrack steeped in nostalgia.

Gameplay

Metroid Samus Returns is a 2D/3D side-scrolling game. Any fan of the series will be used to the format of the game. At a Metroid games core; explore an area, if come across something you need a power-up for, move onto another area, later on, once you get the power-up return to the area. This type of gameplay not only pushes the player to explore but gives a reason to go back to areas already visited to try and get 100% completion.

As Samus traverses the planet there will be the opportunity to upgrade your health, power-ups and missiles. New (for me anyway) is the ability to activate abilities for a time such as; rapid-fire, increased protection and one that allows you to reveal the map around you including hidden areas. 

Samus has a ton of great weapons, my favourites being the morph ball and the full upgrades three-way laser beam. The accuracy of weapons is great and taking a moment to aim helps you use a lot less ammo. 

The areas are littered with enemies, while most of them are fine there are some poor ones most notably the bosses themselves. The bosses repeat themselves, a lot, and while I can only imagine it must be difficult to come up with so many different devices in my opinion less is more. There are some cool bosses later but not enough to make up for the repetition of the earlier ones.

Overall the gameplay is classic fun Metroid, and while the repetition of bosses could be annoying it wasn't a deal-breaker either.

Final Thoughts 

So, after thirty hours how did I feel? The story is nothing exciting (apart from near the end), visuals and music are great. The gameplay is awesome with very little to complain about overall. This one gets a solid 4 out 5

Shadow Tactics: Blades Of The Shogun - Review

 

A couple of years ago a friend loaned me a copy of Shadow Tactics: Blades Of The Shogun by Mimimi Games, sadly it kept having issues running on my computer. Unfortunately, I ended up forgetting about it until I recently saw it on sale in the PlayStation Store. The thing that drew me to the game is that it reminded me of years ago when I used to play Commandos. Wanting to feel a little nostalgia from my childhood I decided to purchase it.

Growing up something I really loved eating was toasted peanut butter sandwichs, the combination of toasted bread, crunchy peanut butter, and some additional butter to go with the peanut butter. It was simple, tasty, and went well with a glass of milk. I have had them since and I am still taken back to my childhood. Playing Shadow Tactics: Blades Of The Shogun I found myself asking was nostalgia a good enough reason to try something and would it feel as good as when I was a child. 

Story

The game is set during the Edo period, after years of turmoil and war, Japan is finally united due to Shogun. There seems to be a growing conspiracy to destroy this peace and the only name whispered is Kage-sama. The Shogun assigns Oshiro Mugen, a trusted samurai, to investigate and stop this new threat to Japan. He gathers four allies in his mission, ninjas Hayato and Aiko, a thief named Yuki, a crack shot and gunsmith Takuma and his fluffy tanuki companion. Things grow ever darker as the story unfolds, and you start wondering will five allies be enough to halt the unstoppable force. 

Overall the story is fantastic and had me hooked from start to finish. Watching the characters develop was really interesting and added a lot of depth to the game, some points in the story are really gut-wrenching. 

Visuals 

There are many great backdrops in the game, there are beautiful lush forests, flowing lakes and busy towns. There are no two levels that look the same, and each provides a lot of diversity from both a visual perspective and a gameplay one. The character models are good but could certainly use a little polish as the game looks a lot older than four years old. The only other trouble I had is sometimes it was difficult to see my character and had to pan the camera around and zoom in to get the perfect angle.

Overall the visuals are good and while they could use some polish and a little bit of camera work it definitely wasn't a deal-breaker for me.

Music

The music for the game has a beautiful oriental feel to it and one I enjoyed listening to multiple times. The music is created by German composer Flippo Beck Peccoz, who worked on; Desperados 3, Growrilla, Light On Earth and Fox N Forest to name but a few.

The soundtrack runs at almost ninety minutes, and not a moment of it is wasted. The soundtrack is perfect for the game and for me was one of the highlights of the game as a whole.

Gameplay

The gameplay is a top-down strategy and anyone familiar with playing Commandos will easily see the comparison. Mimimi games have created a modern-day Commandos with an Edo Period backdrop. The game has you command five units, with unique skills across a campaign of thirteen missions. Some missions you will only have two or three of the units other times the whole squad. What makes a game like Shadow Tactics: Blades Of The Shogun so great is that there multiple ways to complete each level. Most levels took me one hour to, well, quite a few hours, others online seemed to finish some missions in as little as twenty minutes!

Each level has a main mission and submissions that will generally help make the final objective easier. While the game is very much a strategic one the strategy employed is entirely up to you. For me, Yuki was one of my favourite characters has her trap skill was great for thinning out enemies and was handy with a knife. That being said all of them are very good in their own way. The game allows you to see how far the enemies vision goes with a press of a button, this is invaluable throughout the game. The next most important thing is the Shadow Mode which allows you to coordinate your entire squad and execute a plan at the same time, it can really change a mission.

One of the most things in the game is that if you are going to kill someone make sure to hide the body afterwards as the last thing you want is an alarm going off. If you do set off alarms it will cause more soldiers to appear on the map, stealth is optional, but also advisable.

Overall the gameplay is fantastic, my only regret is that I played in on PlayStation 4 rather than PC as it would have likely improved the fluidness of the game.

Final Thoughts

So, after almost forty hours how did I feel? Pretty damn good! The story was solid, had a lot of heart and certainly hooked me. The visuals were one of the weaker elements of the game, but that isn't to say they were bad overall. Whatever shortcoming the visuals may have had were certainly made up by the solid soundtrack and gameplay.  Overall this one gets a 4 out of 5