We’re currently in the midst of a Minecraft-terrain generation overhaul—where developers are coding away to create the “Caves and Cliffs” update—which has caused me, an avid player of the game, to cease playing until the full update is released.
Another dungeon-crawler is among us; with so many to choose from, what exactly makes this the choice over the plethora of others available? Well, in my humble opinion, you’d be hard-pressed to choose this over many similar games out there. The game does some things nicely, but, for the most part, what it does do well is dampened greatly by some of its downfalls. And in a genre like this, where there are so many strong contenders, you pretty much have to make an exceptional title to really stand out. Unfortunately, there are some issues present within the game which prevent it being part of those iconic dungeon-crawlers we know and love. The basic premise of the game is of a methodical dungeon-crawler. Enter the game and you will see a randomly generated group of eight fighters, each wielding a certain weapon type (maces, swords, spears…).; though, this ragtag bunch is barebones to begin with—no special armour, equipment, or weapons. As you begin, your quest is to track down and destroy the ten Gods, and …
After recently finishing Cyberpunk, the game left me craving more story-heavy games. Cyberpunk, although having many faults, did keep me entertained when it came to world-building, story, and its characters. I decided to do some research and, after looking in my backlog, I came across The Outer Worlds. An interesting proposition: I do love the Fallout series, and this looks quite similar. The Outer Worlds was developed by Obsidian, the makers of Fallout: New Vegas; you’ll discover just how much of a spiritual successor of the Fallout series this game is, as it plays very much the same. Upon starting the catalogue of quests available, it was quickly apparent that there was a clear emphasis on “you need to make a decision, and therefore this will affect which faction will hate you and which will tolerate you”. There is very much a cause and effect to your actions, which can take you down some alternative paths to achieve a different ending. You’ll choose whether to help each faction or go against them, and, in the …
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the original release of Dragon Quest in Japan—on the Famicom. There have been eleven main-series instalments and countless spin-off games released since then. With the entire main-line series (bar the MMO instalment, Dragon Quest X) now having had an official English-language release, I figured it was time I explored some of those older Dragon Quest titles I never had a chance to experience. With the Nintendo Switch remastered releases of the Erdrick Trilogy (Dragon Quest I–III), I figured there was no better place to start than with the game that started it all. So, please join me as I endeavour to take on the quest that is the Erdrick Trilogy. Dragon Quest on the Nintendo Switch is a remastered version of the original 1986 genre-defining classic, ported across from the mobile version and rescaled. The game feels immediately familiar, as a long-time JRPG fan, because this game was the innovator that started it all. Every JRPG that you’ve likely ever played features some element of gameplay that was …
The original XIII released back in 2003 and has gone on to become a cult classic. When it was announced that XIII would be getting a remake for modern audiences, naturally, fans were quite excited to see such a beloved game with a new coat of paint—reborn on current day technology. In a rather strange turn of fate, the original game would see a resurgence in sales upon the release of the remake because, quite frankly, the remake is a mess. So much of a mess that even the developers issued a public apology for the state of the game on release. Now, for the sake of this review, I’m going to try and find the silver lining here with the XIII remake; but, bare well in mind that, they are few and far between. One of the major issues fans of XIII had with the remake was its decision to completely overhaul the game’s iconic cel-shaded art style. Now, while this change in art direction really subtracts a lot of the original games charm, …
Okay, first things first: I don’t give a flip about the graphical glitches that have been the topic of conversation wherever this game is concerned. The models take a hot second to load sometimes: big whoop. I know that might not be the most professional-sounding opinion, but whatever. I feel like talking about Cyberpunk; let the rest of the internet worry about optimisation. Like, did you know that you can wield a katana? Well you can, and that’s the sort of stuff I plan on talking about (technically “writing” about, but you know what I mean). Anywho, let’s dive into Night City, shall we? So…Night City is a little bit the worst. As a technological/societal beacon of a dystopian-like, futuristic hellscape, ol’ Night City is a melting pot of chaos, carnage, and crappy people. The game literally begins with you being blackmailed, betrayed, and almost killed—at least if you’re a Corpo. Oh, Corpo is one of the backgrounds you can pick for your version of V (the protagonist). The other two options are Street Kid and …
If there’s one thing I’ve learnt from Bakugan, it’s the intro to the anime series…and that’s about it. Oh, I also know that the Bakugan are spheres that open up into little monster figures. I know that isn’t a tremendous knowledge base to start from, but we’re all here to learn. So, with that in mind, let’s see what Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia has to teach us. Lesson one: Bakugan are from Vestroia. See, what a great start we’re off to. More game specifically, Bakugan are capable of crashing to Earth in a meteor-like form—a method through which our protagonist finds their very first Bakugan. Now, I’m not sure if every child in the game’s universe stumbled upon a glowing crater containing a Bakugan, but our protagonist did; so…yeah. I’m also being rather vague about our protagonist, as this is one of those affairs where you, the player, design them. Though a fun gimmick—as character creation always is—the same assets are also used to build most other NPCs, leading to a world where slight variations on a …
It has been thirteen years since the first instalment in the Dirt franchise and, over the course of that period of time, Codemasters have refined and polished the series into what has become one of the most enjoyable racing properties on the market. Dirt 5 continues that trend, providing what may very well be the most complete off-road rally-racing video game experience to date. Upon loading up Dirt 5 for the first time, I was immediately blown away by the plethora of gameplay options available to me; the deep customisation options only add to that. There are countless gameplay modes and a rather incredible career mode with its own narrative—that features the voice work of iconic voice actors Nolan North and Troy Baker. The career mode will have you running the gauntlet in a variety of different styles of racing, be it rally, stadium super trucks, and even ice-road racing. You never get a chance to get bored, as the game switches things up frequently enough that you are always taking on new challenges and …
Everybody likes robots: it’s just one of those inescapable facts. People also tend to be rather fond of animals. So, why not combine the two? Also, why not throw some combat into the mix? Also also, make it an anime. I know it may sound crazy, but this particular formula culminates in Zoids. I mean, you probably already knew that given the title of this collection of words, but it’s more dramatic to pretend otherwise. Regardless, let us delve into a new game from a franchise reinvented…because they stopped making series/games in the original style a while ago and mad me sad. Zoids Wild: Blast Unleashed is a fighting game based around, surprise surprise, Zoids Wild. Now, I myself am quite the fan of Zoids, but I will admit to knowing nothing of Wild. So, Blast Unleashed is my first foray into this new world…and it is wild. The first thing you’ll probably notice is just how “anime” the cast appears. I know, I know, “anime” is a wide-ranging medium, but you know what I mean. The main character has …
Back when the original Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning came out, I simply fell in love with the massive open world, the fluid hack and slash mechanics, well-thought-out story, fantastical lore, and decent crafting and looting system. It was a game that felt way ahead of its time and while I never actually finished the game—because I got lost in the seemingly endless side quests—I was truly excited to get back into the game on PC with the new remaster: Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning. Now, I want to get something out of the way, there are a vocal few disappointed by the remaster, as there wasn’t any tangible texture improvements, but to that I say: there really didn’t need to be. With the newly included super-sampling, the game’s textures look cleaner and crisper—while still maintaining the same art style and feel. Another addition are the camera features which allow for adjustments to camera height, field of view, and camera distance. This small change is a big quality-of-life addition, as in the original I found the game’s …
Since the series’ inception back in 2015, the Ride series has proven with each instalment to be staking its claim as the best motorcycle racing game on the market. Now, with Ride 4, we get the most complete and polished iteration of developer Milestone S.r.l’s vision for the motorcycle racing video game genre. If Forza Motorsport was a revolutionary take on the motorsport gaming experience, Ride 4 is the same kind of revolution for motorcycle racers. It is, simply put, the game that motorcycle racing fans have been waiting for. Ride 4 builds upon the incredible game design of the previous Ride instalments, with a plethora of new features and modes that are sure to delight motorcycle enthusiasts and Ride fans alike. There are immersive, advanced customisation options new to Ride 4, as well as the very interesting new AI system developed by Milestone S.r.l—which will adapt to the way you play, changing as the game goes on. The new Career Mode will, however, likely be the bulk of the experience for those who want …
Football video games are trotted out by the year with little more than a face lift. Yet football fanatics, loyal as they are, purchase the latest FIFA or PES game each year without fail—mostly because the franchises have earned the trust of the players. The games play very well and are simple yet complex, meaning they can be enjoyed by both casual and hardcore players alike; it is undoubted that these football video games are very fun. Enter Captain Tsubasa: Rise of Champions—an anime fan’s FIFA game. Whether you are in the know about the legendary Captain Tsubasa football anime series or not, there are all the hallmarks of both a great football game and a great anime game here. Not unlike Captain Tsubasa‘s modern equivalent Inazuma Eleven, the players in the game are able to use supernatural abilities to spice up the play with some wild and explosive shots and manoeuvres. Gameplay-wise, the core foundation of the game is in the football matches themselves. If you have ever played a FIFA game, the football …
After an eleven-year break, the spin-off series of the Final Fantasy franchise returns with the remastered edition of the game that started it all way back in 2003: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition. Given new life on the Switch, PS4, and mobile devices—with online cross play between the platforms—the remastered edition is an ambitious effort from Square Enix, to say the very least. Unfortunately, its own ambition may have ultimately proved to be its defining flaw. Generally speaking, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition plays relatively identically to the original GameCube title—more a dungeon-crawling action RPG than the typical Final Fantasy formula. The crux of the original game was its multiplayer mode, which was truly where the game shined. Rather disappointingly, the remastered edition launched with a plethora of issues that plagued the online multiplayer mode, making it impossible to play the multiplayer mode for the first several weeks after launch (a problem that plagued Oceania region more so than other regions). That said, after ultimately patching the issues and correcting things, the game …
Serious Sam 4 was the first real iteration of its franchise that I played long enough to be worn out by—which took almost no time at all. It’s extremely hard to have something positive to say about this title, because it does nothing well and a lot of things poorly. Having previously tried Serious Sam 2 & 3, I expected a simplistic arena shooter. I don’t believe my expectations were super high—I didn’t expect anything particularly revolutionary and interesting—so I went in to the game only expecting a fun time at the very least. Instead, what we got in Serious Sam 4 was serious disappointment, requiring some serious questioning. Where do I begin? The enemies: seriously? The sophistication of the AI in this game is abysmal—it’s non-existent. You can cheese nearly every battle, and it is so easy to do. Countless times, enemies found themselves stuck on environmental objects, even without my intervention. They sit there, struggling to free themselves, while you unload clip after clip to take them down. Where is the fun in …
There have been an incalculable number of games that have tried to emulate the magic of The Legend of Zelda games—very few have ever come close. Ary and the Secret of Seasons undoubtedly owes a lot to The Legend of Zelda as well; the more and more you play it, the more you come to find that Ary has undeniably and indisputably carved out her own legend. Ary and the Secret of Seasons is a vast game that just begs to be explored. The world of Valdi and its colourful cast of characters are bursting with life, in ways that games of the same genre often fail to accomplish. The expansive world is rich with detail and you will no doubt find yourself wanting to inspect every nook and cranny. The main hook of the game is Ary’s season-changing abilities, which adds an even deeper layer to the world—as each season can open different paths and place a different perspective on each location. Speaking of the season-altering abilities of our heroine, Ary, it hearkens back to …
Who doesn’t enjoy a little bit of fantasy every now and then? A chance to imagine a world that is free from the pesky shackles of reality; to ponder “What if?” and relish the nonsense that is born from it. As it turns out, children tend to lean further into imagination than those fuddy-duddy grown-ups; but, that doesn’t mean that adults can’t return to the world of fantasy every now and then. Giraffe and Annika is an odd duck. Though mostly a light RPG experience, each of the game’s five dungeons are capped of with a rhythm game: which is unexpected. And though not a bad idea per se, these segments are markedly separate from the other mechanics of the game. Still, I should probably explain the bulk of the game before I get to the events that end each dungeon. For the most part, Giraffe and Annika sees you—through the character of Annika—running around Spica Island. After a brief comic-panel introduction, Annika awakens with no memory and…you just go. Rather than any kind of tutorial, …
It was only a matter of time before the clones showed up, but The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was undoubtedly a paradigm shift in open-world gaming; so it is only natural that other aspiring game developers and designers would feel inclined to emulate it. Windbound is perhaps the most obvious of these, but to call it a straight-up clone would be a little unfair. Sure, the tribal-infused, cel-shaded visuals are obviously inspired by Nintendo’s worldwide hit and the general feel of the adventure is similar—minus the epic set pieces of Hyrule or a demonic incarnation of Ganondorf—but Windbound takes a far more grounded approach, with the focus being on survival rather than discovery. Windbound starts off with a storm at sea, as our hero finds herself drowning into a watery abyss—before seemingly getting a second chance at life after passing through some sort of afterlife portal. Early on, it becomes clear that this island-survival game is a rogue-like adventure, which means there are multiple chances at this life for our resourceful, yet …
-Sali- I always have an itch to scratch when it comes to ARPGs (and more recently rogue-likes, thanks to my love of Dead Cells). Luckily, Devolver Digital has provided us a taste of this genre with their recent early-access release Blightbound. I say “taste” as the game certainly satiates the desire to dungeon grind for progression but still has room to grow exponentially—as the developers are still actively working on, and adding to, the title. There is a lot of potential here. If you have the option, this is a game you are going to want to play with two other friends. That is how I experienced the majority of my time with the game, and I think it was all the more enjoyable for it. The game definitely relies on good communication, especially when choosing higher-difficulty dungeons. There is a need to often call out to the team for heals, to get them to group up, and to warn them of incoming attacks. I can’t count the amount of times my teammates assisted in …
Relicta is a first-person physics-based puzzle game very similar to games like Portal, Q.U.B.E., or Quantum Conundrum. The game has a lot great content…albeit with a glaring few caveats. You start as a female scientist, combining magnetism and gravity to unravel the secrets of Chandra Base—a collection of bio-domes on the moon used as a facility to test out the capability of the game-mechanic gloves, cubes, gravity, and magnetism. Throughout the game, you spend your time talking with different characters and working to solve different issues on the moon base—while having personal banter. I’d like to first point out that it’s refreshing to see a game including an Indian protagonist—a nationality not explored often enough within games. The cast’s voice acting is top notch, but with the unfortunate failings of the dialogue it doesn’t feel natural. An example of this is discussions with Alani seeming very schizophrenic. One second she will come off as rude, angry at your actions and overall acting hostile, then will enjoy some teasing banter—with you calling her “bae” in response. …
From the arcades of Tokyo to PlayStation 4’s across the globe, Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. Maxi Boost On gives console gamers the addictive arcade experience—from the comfort of their own home. Maxi Boost On is an upgraded port of the wildly popular arcade cabinet game Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. and he action and intensity of the Mobile Suit Gundam series is on show here in what may very well be the best entry into the series’ long line of video games to date; its addictive arcade-style nature makes this a game that is hard to put down. Maxi Boost On plays exactly like its arcade counterpart: placing you in an expansive map and charging you with combating enemy Mobile Suits in fast-paced and often times overwhelming action. There is a massive list of Mobile Suits available, spanning just about every iteration of the Gundam franchise. If there is a particular Mobile Suit you have in mind, it is most likely available to play in—and likely upon launching the game as well. I was truly impressed by …
It has been a very long time since someone has done something to reinvent the wheel with the skateboarding video-game genre. The genre has always been fun to dive into and just enjoy skating, but games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and the Skate series always had a more arcade style to them—never truly feeling like real skateboarding. Enter Skater XL: an innovative new entry into the hallowed halls of skateboarding video games, which comes about as close to skateboarding simulation as can be. Part of what made the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series so addictive were its simple controls and how easy it was to pull of insane tricks. Skater XL takes the opposite approach: attempting to simulate skateboarding rather than simply have you tap a button to do a trick. Skater XL implements an innovative Independent Foot Control system which allows you to manipulate and control each foot of your skater with the analogue sticks. This admittedly comes with a steep learning curve at the start, but once you come to understand the …
The Warhammer 40,000 franchise has arguably one of the most well-crafted lores in popular culture. It is complex and deep in all the right ways, which makes it ripe for exploration in a variety of different mediums—be it on the table top, in literature, or through video games. Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus may very well be one of the most interesting entries into the long-running multimedia franchise. Combining XCOM style strategy gameplay with the world and lore of Warhammer 40,000 proves to be a winning formula for Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus. Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus is now available on the Nintendo Switch and it actually finds itself perfectly at home on the console. The game plays like a faster paced XCOM-style strategy game and lends itself nicely to quicker gaming sessions—compared to other gaming entries in the Warhammer series which can be more time demanding. That said, it doesn’t mean that the game itself has been simplified or dumbed down; instead the Warhammer experience has been streamlined through a turn-based strategy game format—to superb results. For those uninitiated …
I’m not usually fond of strategy games in general; but, as a child, I was given a dungeon-sim game and ended up spending a long time playing—and actually enjoying—it. It’s also been a while since I willingly dived into a strategy and resource management game, but I decided to have another dive into the genre with Dungeons 3. The hesitation struck me when I first opened the game: at the menu. I saw the option to start the campaign, which was tempting. I mean, who doesn’t want to skip the tutorials and just get right into things? But, I mustered up the will to navigate through the few tutorials that the game offered. And for once, I’m glad I did. The tutorials were necessary in my case. The game adds some new features that I hadn’t experienced in similar games in the past, and this is where I learnt of them. Luckily, the tutorials were quite quick to get through, and the blow of being tutorialised was lessened with the humour in the narration and …
Reading the title alone could dehydrate someone. There are a lot of SpongeBob video games—a lot. While the release cycle has slowed down to a halt, in the previous two decades there was no shortage of these damn things on any platform. Most of these games weren’t great, but among them was a decent 3D platformer called SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom released for sixth generation consoles way back in 2003. It was flawed for sure, but certainly a lot better than most other games bearing the barnacle IP namesake. Over a decade later, they decided it was worth revisiting the game and bolstering it up to reach its full potential; the end result is SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated. Where the 2003 original was a serviceable platformer at best, the 2020 rehydration effort pays off in Krabby Patties—as the game can now claim to be a legitimately good platformer. That’s even in the presence of modern classics like Yooka-Laylee, A Hat in Time, and Super Mario Odyssey. The most apparent …
Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris begins with series protagonist Kirito trying to log out of the virtual reality game he has found himself in. To his surprise, he is seemingly trapped in the game without the ability to log out. It is a moment that encapsulates the entire experience of Alicization Lycoris—you can’t help but want to log out and play something else. The Sword Art Online franchise is source material ripe for making a video game from; however, so many of the attempts to make a Sword Art Online game have failed to capitalise on the inherent excitement of the series’ concept. While some like Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet actually make an attempt at exploring the video game world in a compelling and engaging way—telling an original story and letting you craft your own player in the Sword Art Online world—Alicization Lycoris is too focused on being a direct adaptation of the anime series, rather than being a good game. Alicization Lycoris retells the story of the “Alicization Arc” of the series, following …
Despite my long-lasting love for a wide range of racing games, I have never played a F1 game; so, for the first time ever, I’ve taken a curious step into the wide world of Formula 1 racing with F1 2020. Throughout many hours of play, F1 2020 opened my eyes to how deep and complex the racing world can be: countless hours spent outside the track, testing, fine tuning, practising, managing, and even being interviewed so you maximise the potential on the track. A new career mode has been introduced, called My Team, where you are both the owner and driver of the 11th team on the grid; where you not only test your limits on the track but also manage all of the intricacies that come with owning a team. From the start, you manage all parts of the company: from picking the sponsor, power-unit supplier, and second driver; to pouring finances into your R&D teams—researching upgrades and scheduling team building activities in between Grand Prix Weekends. Whilst a tad limited, you can also …
Friendship. If I’m being honest, that’s all you really need to know about Fairy Tail. It is a property built entirely upon the foundation of camaraderie, of finding strength in bonds with others, of helping people move through the pain of their past in order to strive for the future. It’s uplifting, a little cheesy, and full of action that really simplifies the concept of emotional conflict. I mean, punching a bad guy in the face is also more visually appealing than internalised monologue, but the analogy is still in there somewhere. Also, I lied: Fairy Tail can be really cheesy…like, dangerously so. But that’s sort of what makes it so charming. Who doesn’t want to see the power of friendship turn the tides of darkness? Villains, that’s who. So, if you just thought to yourself that you’d like to see friendship lose…then I’ve got some bad news for you. First things first: Fairy Tail is not a game for people who have never watched or read Fairy Tail. I know that might sound mean, but I’m saying it …
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel has been quite the tetralogy and an immensely ambitious one too. Imagine if Shin Megami Tensei: Persona had the rabbit-hole content density of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim; that’s basically what The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel achieves—and very successfully so on all accounts. The localisation journey of this series has been a long one, initially starting out on PlayStation platforms where it gave the late PlayStation Vita quite the RPG showcase, before completing the rest on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. For Japanese players the tetralogy is fully complete, with our side of the world getting both Trails of Cold Steel and Trails of Cold Steel II in 2016; now in 2020, we finally get III—with IV due for a localisation release sometime in 2021. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III takes place only a couple of years after the dramatic events of its predecessor. For consistency’s sake, you can get the previous entries remastered on PlayStation 4 along with this …
It’s been a long time since I played a Story of Seasons (a.k.a. Harvest Moon) game. Reminiscing, it was back on the Game Boy Advance (GBA) where I bought a copy of Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town to play. Funnily enough, Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is a remake of the GBA classic—and what a classic it was. Back on the GBA, it was the game that first captured my interest in farming/mining/romancing games—where the goal was slow progression…and to get rich eventually! And it’s safe to say that the remake has captured that same feeling of nostalgia. The game is a smooth and enjoyable experience on the Switch. This being said, for the first time ever, the game is available on the PC in glorious 4K—if that’s what you’re in to. In this day and age, it’s rare to experience a game where you aren’t bombarded with tutorials and complicated mechanics; I am happy to say that the experience here was desirable. The game doesn’t call for complicated, lengthy tutorials and …
There are quite a few games out there where you are tasked to be the villain, but not many like Carrion—the reverse-horror game in which you assume the role of an amorphous creature made of flesh, blood, sharp teeth, and countless whipping tendrils with two goals: to go on a murderous rampage and kill/eat everything in sight, and to spread your biomass throughout the facility where you were held hostage in order to escape. What’s different about Carrion is presented throughout its variety of puzzles, interesting game mechanics, and the psychopathic feeling of killing without empathy or remorse. The atmosphere and feel of the game all starts with the monster; you are the monster. Your growls echo through the hallways, sending shivers down your meals’ spines as they run or prepare for you arrival. Your tendrils pitter-patter against any surface they can, flinging you across rooms at lightning speeds. You rip doors off their hinges, lunging yourself at helpless humans with the urge to kill and feast like the ravenous beast you are. The horrified …
It has been five years since the last instalment in the Mr. Driller series—a mobile spin-off title: Mr. Driller for Kakao—and more than a decade since the last main series release. You’d be forgiven for thinking that, much like Dig Dug (the series which spun off into Mr. Driller), this series was effectively a dead property at this point. That is why it comes as such a pleasant surprise that Namco Bandai has revived the series with a full remake of the GameCube classic which defined the series: Mr. Driller DrillLand. The GameCube game has been remade completely from scratch here for the Nintendo Switch in glorious fashion. Mr. Driller DrillLand for the Nintendo Switch maintains all the features that made the GameCube version so remarkable, all the while expanding upon them and improving the visual aspects of the game. For the uninitiated, Mr. Driller is essentially a wicked combination of Dig Dug and Tetris—only you’re playing Tetris in reverse. The aim of the game is to drill your way through the various blocks and make …
If you are a fan of stunning pixel art and roguelike games similar to Dead Cells, you should probably check out Children of Morta on Steam. With its recent full release—away from being an early-access title—the game provides value and a sense of progression and accomplishment for those who have the patience to stick with it for the long term. Children of Morta-–firstly—is beautiful in all aspects. I don’t feel like I’m exaggerating here. If you have a penchant for pixel art and the inherent cuteness of it all, you will adore the attention to detail and style of the art presented in this game. The art within the game is so vivid and vibrant. I imagine the colour palette of the Bergsons’ home in its entirety has hundreds of different shades of colour. Looking at the outside of the home, your eyes are met with wild, almost psychedelic colours which mesh together so well. The family home provides a beautiful retreat and is a wild contrast from the dingy dungeons you will be diving …
Any time a game is promoted as “free-to-play”, the grizzled gaming veterans among us raise our eyebrows; the youngins on the other hand wouldn’t have it any other way. Ninjala is among the many recent slew of these titles; but, unlike the money-grubbing exemplars of this rather exploitative model, developer GungHo have created quite the tempting “free” proposition. Splatoon quickly became one of Nintendo’s quintessential IPs—ever since its Wii U debut—and is still as strong as ever: with Splatoon 2 being part of the first-year lineup for Nintendo Switch. When Ninjala was first revealed, it turned heads and rolled eyes as the similarities with Nintendo’s squid-kid shooter were just far too obvious. In the build up to the eventual worldwide launch—and after many delays—those similarities are very much still the case, but to the extent of Pepsi being similar to Coca-Cola. Right on the title screen graphic you see a soda ad with the caption “Taste the Difference”. Subtle. Ninjala may resemble Splatoon in its style and use of fonts, but when you get right …
I’ve never been one for difficult or rogue-like games—you can thank my short temper and minimal patience when it comes to dying in video games—but I’m a little bit different when it comes to Dead Cells. The game is a combination of stunning 2D pixel graphics and smooth movement. It can be punishing in its own right; but, on the other hand, the potential for progression kept me running through levels again and again. The addictive gameplay and the feeling of building my strength and capability with every run made me endure every mistimed dodge-roll and cheap enemy tactic. To be fair, I felt some of my tactics were cheap too… First off, there is no doubting that the game is beautiful in its own right. The pixel art and animation is stunning, and care was definitely taken when designing the levels and the enemies. The art style is consistent across the game, with all enemies and levels all appearing unique in their own right. The style is very much “cute-and-endearing”, but you can’t focus …
If you think that Sleeping Dogs is just another Grand Theft Auto clone: you’d be wrong. After playing Definitive Edition the second time round in an attempt to 100% the game, I found myself still enjoying the story and the world—more so than I did with any of the games in the GTA series. It is a bit daring to compare the game to (and favour it over) a behemoth like GTA V, but the game does well for itself—even if it is on a smaller, less grandiose scale. Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition introduces the player to an intriguing set of characters facing an intriguing set of circumstances, and that’s a key factor in what kept me returning to the experience. You begin your story by infiltrating the Sun On Yee (a triad organisation) as Wei Shen, an undercover police officer. Navigating the streets of contemporary Hong Kong, Wei must balance his time between his policing duties and proving himself to the triads—travelling between four key districts to complete missions for both, earning experience and …
Since Pikachu’s Vacation, we have known that—despite nominative, and therefore linguistic, differences—Pokémon have their own interactions beyond human influence. They laugh, they fight, they party down, and they have adventures all their own. But, what happens when an adventure goes awry? What happens when a Pokémon is lost to the depths of a dungeon? Well, they’re rescued of course. This isn’t some tragic, twisted tale: this is Pokémon. And the power of courage and friendship trumps all—even the perils of walking ninety-nine floors beneath the actual ocean. Originally gracing our handhelds fifteen years ago, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon is an interesting spin-off of the standard Pokémon formula. Gone are gyms, trainers, professors, Pokedexes, and mothers who wait until after you’ve walked one town over to give you shoes capable of supporting a run. Instead, you awaken as a Pokémon—a Pokémon who was once human. Mysterious, to say the least. Thrown into an uncertain world—not helped by the amnesia you are afflicted with—you immediately befriend a cheerful Pokémon and decide to join their rescue team: vowing to …
As an avid lover of Minecraft for the past ten years, I knew I’d have to give Minecraft: Dungeons a shot. After all, what more could I want in a game than for it to be a combination of Minecraft aesthetics and Diablo-esque gameplay? Being a massive fan of ARPGs like Path of Exile and Diablo—which usually promise lengthy playtime, huge replayability, and that addictive feedback loop of grinding for loot—Dungeons appealed to me, as it had been a while since I sunk my teeth into the genre. The game—newly released, and on the Australian PC market for $29—seemed like a cheap enough entry point to not have to wait for a sale. The price point upon release was one of the biggest clues as to what I was diving in to—before even booting the game up. At about half the cost of a full-priced title, I was expecting half the content. And I was kind of right. Firstly, one of the striking things is the aesthetic. Even though Minecraft is not often described as …
“Odyssey” is a word usually used to describe a long and eventful journey or experience. In the case of Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, this is a fitting description. Upon release, and especially after the release of Assassin’s Creed: Origins, the game received flak for some of its design choices. Currently playing through—at about seventy-one hours in—I thought I would review some of the criticisms that Ubisoft were faced with upon its release. Are these things really an issue? And for who? Gripe Number 1: The game has too much padding and filler There is no hiding this, that’s for sure. Ubisoft—maybe in an effort to draw out “more value” (a.k.a. more gameplay hours)—perhaps thought it was a good idea to make the game world, and the quests within it, massive. Yes, the world itself is huge—I would say bigger than Origins. Things are plentiful on the map (you won’t run out of things to do for a long time), but that doesn’t necessarily make all of these things fun to do. Even with an abundance of …
If you enjoy a good walking simulator—backed by a gripping narrative with light puzzles—then you may want to consider playing The Suicide of Rachel Foster. Usually, these types of games don’t entice me to play, due to the slow-paced movement and lack of stimulating fast-paced action. The movement in these games is slow, yes, that’s true; however, everything accomplished within the game is done so with purpose—to add to the overall experience. That is what makes it worthwhile—the experience. In very brief terms—so as not to detract from the experience for those who have not played it yet—the game follows the story of Nicole, who reluctantly needs to return to her father’s hotel after his passing. She is there to assess the damage to the long-abandoned hotel and collect anything she wants to keep, as she intends to sell it and be done with its (and her family’s) troublesome history. From the moment she steps into the place, she is slowly drawn into an investigation about what happened to a girl named Rachel and her …
Sometimes you just need a bit of mindless fun; so when I picked up Rage 2, that’s what I was hoping for. The game received a lot of criticism back when it was released in 2011, which is initially why I hesitated to buy it at full price. A couple years later, left with a wanting desire to switch off any part of my cognitive thinking after work, I decided to pick up the game during a Steam sale. I was not disappointed with what I found. If you approach the game with the presumption that you will dive into the lives of the protagonist and form a deep connection with their story, then you will be disappointed. The game introduces you to the Rangers, a group dedicated to patrolling the wasteland and eliminating the Authority. Right off the bat, the game exposes you to the villain of the wasteland, Dr Martin Cross, the leader of the Authority. You encounter Cross almost immediately, and he soon dispatches of Ranger Erwina Prowley, who raised you, Walker, …
Luke Halliday My first experience with the Animal Crossing series was on the GameCube. Playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and witnessing the feverish hype surrounding the game, it is evident that Animal Crossing has become one of Nintendo’s most popular and acclaimed series since its humble debut on Nintendo’s purple box that could. Tracing the history of the Animal Crossing franchise is an important part of understanding why New Horizons has had gamers clearing shelves across the country, not unlike the pandemic panic buying of toilet paper that has concurrently been taking place. The Animal Crossing series began rather humbly. The GameCube version didn’t allow for travelling to other players villages via online play because, quite simply, that wasn’t a possibility at the time. The game simply charged you with paying off your home loan, building up your own house, and welcoming other villagers to your town. I have many fond memories bonding over this game with my siblings—my sister of which has rather eagerly aided me in making this a joint Humble Opinions piece, …
Shinsekai: Into the Depths was one of the many, many launch titles for the Apple Arcade subscription service; then developer Capcom figured, why restrict this neat little underwater adventure to just one service when there are fifty-three million plus Nintendo Switch owners who would love another unique take on the Metroid formula. At its core, that’s what Shinsekai: Into the Depths really is: a Metroid-style adventure with its own signature gameplay style, but still emphasising exploration above everything else. Where most of the world is obsessed with outer space, this neat little adventure from Capcom appreciates just how little we know about the sheer depths of the oceans. Under the sea, down where it’s better—so they say. As an Aquanaut—and a sole survivor of a long lost civilisation—players venture into the depths of the unknown, as they make their way through the mysterious remnants long submerged into the deepest of waters. As much as it is about discovery and wonder, this mute Aquanaut must also deal with the looming disaster of an underwater ice age of …
At the age of fifteen, I found myself with a bargain bin copy of Resident Evil 3 for PC; however, like Resident Evil 2, I couldn’t get past the first area. Not out of fear this time, for some reason the controls wouldn’t work on my keyboard—this I believe was due to some incompatibilities between the game and my PC. So, much like Resident Evil 2, my only experience with the game was flaming zombies making their way towards an immobile face-meal—preparing to eat me alive. It was another Resident Evil that I didn’t get to fully experience in my youth, and another horror I had to overcome. After playing through Resident Evil 2, I felt the next battle to face was Resident Evil 3. I decided to jump straight into the Resident Evil 3 remake without much of a break in between. Leon and Claire’s story has ended; however, Jill and Miguel’s…sorry…Carlos’ was still a big blind spot to me in the RE universe. In the Resident Evil 3 you play as Jill, of …
When I was but a wee little child, I had accrued several PS1 Demo discs—which I believe I obtained from convincing my parents that magazines were good for me. They were like books: educational! Or maybe the true reality was I kept annoying the high holy hell out of them until they gave in. Either way, one demo disc in particular had the starting level of Capcom’s original 1998 survival horror game Resident Evil 2. I didn’t know what Resident Evil was, or the fact that it was a horror game, but I was to learn. I was to learn fast. A cop, Leon, navigating through the fire-y, zombie-torn streets. I wasn’t used to the tank like controls, shooting, or survival mechanics of the game, which meant Leon quickly got overwhelmed with the undead (and his face bitten off). A 10-year-old Matt got overwhelmed and scarred for life. Fast track to 2020, where a grown 26-year-old faced his childhood fear of getting his face bit off by playing the 2020 modernised remake of Resident Evil …
The old Exodus book of the Bible is about several Israelites brought into slavery in Egypt, where they were freed through the guidance of Moses through God. Metro Exodus brings a similar story, though instead of Israelites, it’s the Russians of Moscow; the restriction of freedom not being slavery, but the irradiated world around them. The escape not being….all right, you got me. I know little about the story of Exodus, but I know about the story of Metro Exodus. Artyom has been through a lot over the last two years, and is at a point in his life where he wants something more. Something better than living in an irradiated wasteland, tunnelled into the metro like a rat. This chapter of his life takes place with a small group of post-apocalypse Spetznaz called “The Order”, namely on a train “‘The Aurora”, looking throughout Russia for any sign of an active Russian command centre—and any location where The Order can live in a free irradiated zone. There are a lot of things that separate Metro …
In 1997, a 1st Class SOLDIER left the military for reasons he cannot remember. This man promptly ventured forth to the Midgar underground. Today, still watched by Shinra, he survives as a mercenary. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can afford him…maybe you can hire Cloud Strife. Dun-dah-dah-daa, duh-duh-dah. This one has been a long time coming, hasn’t it? For years people have been clamouring for the next glimpse at FFVII, the next evolution of a game beloved by folks the world over. I mean, I never even played the original and I was excited by Remake, am excited by Remake. Which goes to show the impact this instalment in the ever ironically named series had on the world. So ingrained is the story of this game, that I doubt there is any player of games who doesn’t know at least a little something about the tale of Cloud and his friends in AVALANCHE (as tumultuous as said friendship began). Still, I will refrain from detailing any …
Id Software surprised the world a few years back with its reboot of Doom (2016). A game featuring a protagonist (the Doom Slayer) who didn’t care about anything aside from ripping and tearing through demons, pushing away dialogue, and using hands as key cards before ripping them off of the dead. Unlike 1995’s Doom II, which was very much an extension of 1993’s Doom, Doom Eternal feels like a complete remix of old and new gameplay mechanics, lore, and feel. While the game is a marvel, I have a few minor bugbears that made the experience feel a little tarnished. You start the game with a pist—nope. This is the first time where you start off with the bread and butter of Doom gameplay: the combat shotgun. Id Software have decided that the pistol was largely redundant, which I agree, and started off with one of the primary weapons of the series that you’ll be using. Very quickly, throughout the first couple of missions, you also receive your double jump, chainsaw, shoulder-mounted grenade launcher/flamethrower, and …
“So first I’m silent, then I’m an asshole, then I become world famous, then I topple a worldwide crime syndicate, then I defuse a nuke and kill a terrorist, then I’m elected president, and then I’m in an alien spaceship in outer space fighting aliens in a simulation…I have the best life ever.” ~The Boss This one quote that can sum up the story of Saints Row IV, and shows a clear sign of escalation throughout the series. In Saints Row IV, as “The President”, you get trapped in a Zin Spaceship fighting against the warlord Zinyak in a simulated, alien-invaded Steelport. The only way to defeat the Zin Empire is to bring the simulation to its knees by doing what The Saints do best: cause complete destruction and mayhem. You play as your own custom President; I personally created a Clark Kent, representing the Saints in a purple suit. I felt that this ties well because, within the simulation, you are quickly granted superpowers of mass destruction and mobility. Powers range from super-jumps, launching …
After recently finishing Metro 2033 Redux on the Switch, my attention turned quickly to the next game in the series. Metro: Last Light brought a similar experience on the Switch, but with some improvements, and a continuation of Artyom’s travels in depths of the sewers. Similarly to the 2033 Redux, the graphical fidelity is not so impressive. Of course, this was completely expected (as the Switch has its limitations), and this was pretty much hit on Metro 2033 Redux with not much room to evolve. The graphics aren’t bad in any sense of the word, but you would definitely have a more aesthetically pleasing experience on PC with settings turned to maximum (if you care about that sort of stuff). The graphical fidelity, or lack thereof, by no means diminished the experience at all. I actually enjoyed this game a lot more than 2033 Redux, and it came down to a few factors. Firstly, the levels were varied. Sounds simple, but having different environments for the player to experience is essential in making sure things …
After fourteen installments across countless gaming platforms dating as far back as 1985, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms video game series stands as one of the longest running franchises in gaming history. Yet despite that fact, you’d be forgiven for not having come across the series previously. While it is a genuinely popular franchise in Asia, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series has always struggled to find an audience in the Western world. Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV is perhaps best put as the culmination of the entire franchise up until this point. The strategic gameplay system is damn near perfected after all these iterations, and will provide strategy game fans more than enough to sink their teeth into. The game requires a lot of thought and focus in order to do well, proving to be a hardcore strategy gamers delight. That said, if you are in the market for something of a more casual experience set within the Three Kingdoms historical setting, perhaps you’d be better off exploring the spin-off series …
Moon Studios’ 2D action puzzle-platformer Ori and the Blind Forest is one of my favourite games of all time; to hear that a sequel was being made, I couldn’t help but feel hyped about it. That’s an enormous thing for me nowadays, what with buggy releases, aggressive micro-transactions, uncooked early access titles, and an overabundance of cookie cutter releases over-saturating the market of gaming. What’s worse is that, for some, it’s very easy to have high expectations that a game simply cannot meet; regardless of what the game offers, it doesn’t hit the same dopamine high that the hype for it originally did. For that reason, I keep clear of those hype trappings before a game gets released. I want to keep as neutral as I can so, that when I play, I can enjoy the game for what it truly is. This is not the case with Ori and the Will of the Wisps (or Ori 2 as I’ll be calling it). Before release, I was counting the days for it to come out. …
I’m not one to usually enjoy playing first-person shooters on the Nintendo Switch (and you’ll understand why soon enough), but I had the opportunity to play Metro 2033 Redux recently and it was still an enjoyable experience. The game takes inspiration from the Metro books written by Dmitry Glukhovsky – you follow the story of Artyom, who is residing within the sewers (along with the rest of civilisation), after a global nuclear holocaust forces humanity to retreat from the surface and away from the threats that lie above. Going in blind to the series, I wasn’t sure quite what to expect. From screenshots, I envisioned a similar setting to the Fallout games: that post-apocalyptic grimy wasteland, filled with abandoned buildings and sewers. This is what I encountered, but on a smaller and more linear scale; there weren’t large open wastelands to trek across, but that was probably for the best. With such a current focus on making games expansive, and ensuring they have maps so big you will never finish exploring, sometimes you need a …
With the recent release of Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem, there is an abundance of solid ARPG titles on the market to choose from. I was excited about this release; it had been in development for some time now, and was early access on Steam. As a massive fan of ARPGs, I wasn’t inclined to purchase it with that “early access” label on it however, due to bad experiences with early access titles in the past. When it became a full release on Steam, I decided to try the game out, and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was marketed at a cheaper rate than a full-priced, newly-released title. Just at first glance, the game was stunning. The graphics were akin to Diablo 3‘s style, which has always been one of the more aesthetically appealing ARPGs that I have experienced. Path of Exile compares very differently, reminding me more of classic Diablo games – with its gritty textures and typically dark environments. From the previews into Path of Exile 2 that I have seen, Grinding …
In 1320, Dante Alighieri finished The Divine Comedy. His epic poem dealt with humanity’s relationship with sin and presented a representation of the journey towards spiritual understanding. In 2001, Hideki Kamiya helmed a project that punched up the script a little; eventuating in a few more iterations, the third of which we shall be specifically speaking. Now, I won’t say that somebody of Alighieri’s literary magnitude would unequivocally love the work which took nominative inspiration from his poem…but he’d be crazy not to appreciate a game that has a guitar-scythe in it. Like, a guitar that is also a scythe. I don’t care what era you’re from, that’s cool. Now, if a guitar-scythe is up your proverbial alley, then boy are you going to love this game. Just in case you didn’t know, Devil May Cry 3 is all about style (as were its predecessors). If the protagonist wearing a red leather trench coat wasn’t proof enough, then…just, everything else will be. I mean, the entire opening brawl consists of Dante beating up demons with …
Time is a commodity – once you spend it, there’s no getting it back. So, why you ask, have I spent 400+ hours grinding away in Path of Exile? Some simple reasons really. There’s a lot of treasure to be had within this free-to-play title, and if you’re already a fan of ARPG’s (that’s Action Role Playing Games for those folks of you out there who aren’t in the know yet), then this is my preferred one to sink in every free waking hour into. Let me tell you why. Never have I come across a free-to-play game as refined as this – at least not one that has always been free. Sure, some games eventually go free-to-play once their subscriber base starts to diminish, but Grinding Gear Games have expended all their effort into Path of Exile (POE) from very the start, regardless of the size of the fan base or monetary gain, and it shows. The developers are New Zealand based, so I was pleased to find that there are dedicated Oceanic servers …
I think at this point there are more editions of Street Fighter than there are Ken dolls in this world. Not that it’s a bad thing, because in the past each new edition of a canonically numbered Street Fighter felt like a true sequel in every sense. Most modern fighting games have now migrated to a free-to-play model, some more shamelessly than others, but the 2016 launch of Street Fighter V on PS4 as a “disguised” and overpriced free-to-play title was an utter disappointment. The initial game at launch was so incomplete that the quintessential arcade mode would only come months later as free DLC; Capcom were quite generous that way. Since then, there was Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition in 2018 which was probably what the 2016 game should have launched as a bare minimum, and from there things got a little better…and also a little confusing because Arcade Edition on PS4 would subsequently get released in arcades. So basically the arcade version of the Arcade Edition. Give it a moment, it will sink …
Since the dawn of 8-bit time, video games have brought joy to the masses and free space to wallets the world over. However, within this lightening of hearts and pocketbooks, a darkness lurked: the darkness of perceived competition. Be it challenges found within the halls of combat both mortal and otherwise, the clashes between multiple space-based laser fests. Contest. Favouritism. Focus. Extrapolations of a joyous rivalry that make some wonder: what will it take for everybody to just get along? Amnesia. It turns out it’s amnesia. Okay, so maybe the loss of memories isn’t a true solution to perceived aeons of in-fighting, but it’s a fine place to start; and by “fine”, I mean tropey; and by “start”, I mean start; and by what I’m about to say, I mean the next instalment of the Neptunia franchise: Super Neptunia RPG. That’s right folks, it’s time for another jaunt into the world where the fourth wall was torn down long ago, and the references flow like so much prized pudding. This time, however, our beloved Goddesses …
Though the cycle of life and death has been a concern and point of interest for humans since time began a-turning, none really know what happens after that final curtain is drawn. With that in mind, nobody can really say that a decades old plot to subsume an entire planet in order to facilitate the resuscitation of an older, more advanced planet is wrong. I mean, it probably is wrong, but is it really any crazier than the theories that so called scholars throw around? Yes. Of course. But those theories are usually well thought out and morose in their acceptance of life’s inescapable final destination, so let’s focus on the cuckoo-bananas-bonkers one instead. Since jokes about the hypocrisy of Final existing in the title of a game series that has spanned into double digits, let’s skip past that particular well and get right to the good stuff. Final Fantasy IX is back and possibly better than ever. I say possibly because I never actually played it the first go ’round. So, expect a surprisingly …
Since the dawn of more-than-one-fictional-character-with-superpowers, people have longed to see them punch each other really hard. Not in a serious way, more in a no-holds-barred-no-consequences kind of way. Enter fighting games. The perfect opportunity for heroes and villains alike to test their mettle and meet in completely non-canon scenarios, wearing completely nonsensical clothing, all for the enjoyment of whoever so holds the controller. I mean, there usually is a story in there somewhere, but that tends to be drowned out by the aforementioned clashing of fictionally historical characters…or historically fictional characters…or a bear in a hat. With a concept so closely surrounding the idea of decking villainy until it says uncle, it was never too hard to foresee a fighting game featuring those lovable chaps from U.A. High. This is especially true if you knew about the one that already came out for the 3DS, but let’s not argue semantics. That being said, some concession may have been given to this Japan only predecessor, as One’s Justice focuses on the tale of My Hero Academia …
As a particularly musical lion cub once said: “I just can’t wait to be king.” Unfortunately, what tunes that have been lodged in your head since the 90s gloss over is, to be king means that the previous must die. It’s like Highlander rules, only with less Christopher Lambert. Such is the way of a monarchy and so shall it be forevermore…or until there’s a coup and some rat takes the throne, after having slowly poisoned the previous ruler over an unspecified amount of time due to a combination of their own insecurities and evil magic. Though the likelihood of that very specific chain of events occurring is, like, really low…probably. Welcome to the wonderfully named kingdom of Ding Dong Dell, a place where Grimalkin (cat people), Mousekin (mouse people) and Humanfolk (people people) all live together in peace and harmony under the kind rule of King Leonhard. Psych. As it turns out, Mousekin have felt perpetually repressed by their Grimalkin cousins and held a slow boiling hatred that finally bubbled over. Said scalding onslaught saw …
Where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods? A question once posited to the world, left forever unanswered…until now. As luck would have it, the good men appear to have all congregated in Edo, pushed by destinies not of their own choosing. As for the gods, well, their existence can only be inferred from the presence of their opposites: Demons. Creatures who live amongst humanity, some with a desire to keep to themselves and others with a craving for human blood. Of course, situations become a touch more complex when some carry the burden of all three classifications, mixed with that oldest and truest of emotions: Love. Also, politics… Having previously found herself tangled in the various webs woven by the Shinsengumi (via Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds), Chizuru Yukimura is still on the hunt for any clues pertaining to the whereabouts of her father…possibly. As with the previous game, and despite her best intentions, Chizuru is ever at the behest of those around her, as both enemies and friends draw her …
When it comes to virtual reality, escapism is the name of the game. Unless the actual name of the game happens to be Sword Art Online or some variant thereof, then escapism flies right out of the proverbial window. Then it flies back in and makes you wonder what the stakes are in an adventure where dying in-game does not mean you die in real life. Then somebody forcibly throws it back out when they come to the same realisation and have a bunch of people die in real life again…but with guns. Welcome to Gun Gale Online, newbie. The hip happening VRMMO taking the fictional world by storm. Glocks are in and estocs are out as everybody leaves behind the worlds of swords and fantasy, replacing them with guns and science fiction. Not to be left behind, you (the player) have also made this leap and are ready to test your virtual mettle in a tournament of firepower, the reward for which is an exceedingly rare item that will make everybody else jealous. Of …
If there’s seven things I’ve learned, it’s that the mortal sins make for fun character archetypes. Not always as literal as the particular example soon to be delved, but even a glancing connection to the listed weaknesses of humanity is discernible. Is wrath entirely evil? Is greed perpetually consuming? Is lust destructive, or just really fun? It is these questions that intrigue and cause us all to ponder this veritable rainbow of corruption and how damning its light doth shine. Either that, or what dots must’ve connected to transform envy into a tsundere giant what swings a giant hammer. To put all my cards on the table, as one does in poker or something, I am quite a fan of The Seven Deadly Sins. I also like the series. But enough terrible jokes, The Seven Deadly Sins is a property that appeals to my personal style, with plot points generally unravelling in-line with my own ideas. That is to say, incredibly over-the-top and stupid moments that are more often than less often than not actually …
Digimon. Digital Monsters, if you will. A fictitious collection of creatures that captured the hearts and minds of children long ago, by taking the concept of virtual pets and asking one simple question: What if they could fight? Then they did. Then there was an anime and they saved the world. Then they did it again. Then Chiaki J. Konaka got involved and things got dark. Then they got lighter. Then a few petitions cropped up and the video game side of the franchise reappeared in the Western market, resulting in another World and a rather interesting Story. However, we all know that stories are not one-sided endeavours, leading to yet another question asked and answered: What was happening, like, two meters to the left of the protagonist of Cyber Sleuth? Just so there are no misconceptions about what this game is, Hacker’s Memory is rather heavily tied into its predecessor in terms of both setting and story. Though the tale of this game is one unto itself, far too many references to Cyber Sleuth …
As the old adage so delicately puts it: Dragon! Dragon! Rock The Dragon! Dragon Ball Z! As true now as it was back then, this infallible selection of 90’s lyrics goes to show the true artistry that lies at the core of Akira Toriyama’s famed creation. Of course, a true creator never remains content for long and the various people who have added their input to this franchise have created many a variation on the formula that is Dragon Ball Z. This time around, it’s Arc System Works’ turn and they have most certainly put their spin on the seven magic balls that we have all sought since we were young. Which is totally fine because you can see the stars no matter what angle you look at them, thanks to the magic way they were made and…I’ll just move onto the topic at hand. Dragon Ball FighterZ, the game that every fan wanted when they saw the artwork way back when and have only now figured out how to pronounce (like the word “fighters”). …
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Long ago, in a far off place, lived a brother and sister, twins, destined to share the burden of ruling their kingdom. As for how monarchically accurate that is, I do not know, but it is what it is and we all have to deal with that. Also, it would seem that calmly ruling a nation does not a good adventure make, and thus the intricacies of wearing a crown are not so much focused on as they are forgotten amidst a horde of monsters whose ultimate goal is seemingly the destruction of everything ever for now real reason other than evil. On the plus side, combating the forces of evil is a pretty solid learning experience for a pair of fledgling royals…because responsibility. Welcome to Aytolis, one of those wonderful fictional kingdoms that has lived in peace and tranquility for an indeterminate amount of sunshine laden years…until now. As it is want to do, the forces of evil descend upon the innocent, transforming the once idyllic landscape into a brutal realm of monsters and …
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Let’s face it, the real world is so last season. It’s all about the virtual space now, buckaroo. What with all the websites and apps and streaming, the just isn’t any fervour for the actual world. Heck, even fiction is becoming a little predictable. So here’s what we do: We put a virtual world in a fictional world. I know, mind blowing. Who would ever think to have a story about another story? Nobody, that’s who. We’ll make a mint with this. Just need to come up with a catchy name. The game’s got swords in it, obviously, and takes place online. The title should also be, sort of, artistic… Get it? Because of that other series. Now, if that kind of referential humour doesn’t tickle your funny bone…then you should probably not invest dozens of hours into this latest foray into the realm of Neptunia. Seriously, there is a character called Kiria who is straight up You-Know-Who. Also, he is kind of annoying and sworn defender of the most annoying character I’ve seen in …
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To kill, or not to kill? That is the question that has been presented to us since Danganronpa first graced our consoles in years gone by. Now, the are very clear arguments for not slaughtering your fellow humans based solely on the statements of an animatronic bear, however those tend to fall by the wayside once the killing begins. Not a very fair balance of reasoning, I know, but fairness seldom rears its head in a Killing Game. But we shouldn’t have to worry about all of this, right? Danganronpa is over. The saga of Hope’s Peak wrapped itself up over a multitude of formats and brought closure to the chaos of Junko Enoshima, so she may never darken our minds with feelings of Despair…right? Okay, so the drama of that introduction loses some of its lustre considering you all know Danganronpa is definitely not finished (if not, congrats for making it this far without reading the title). But I’m going to ignore that and just relish in the melodrama of it all regardless, partly …
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For as long as time has turned and the people caught within have longed to spread their thoughts, there have existed stories. From simple tales of imagination, to life lessons masquerading as something less. A timeless art form that continues to this very day. The downside to this ever present existence, however, is that not all stories reach the same lofty heights and find themselves lost amidst the stream of the middling. Long story short: Not every story is good, even when it attempts to stand on the shoulders of its predecessors. In the list of places people generally wish to avoid, jail is pretty high on the list. Doubly so if jail is capitalised and is less of a prison and more of a sentient demon that consumes entire cities and forces torture and trial upon the citizens swept up in the consumption. Such is the life of Jack and Alice, our main duo and entry point into the hideous world just mentioned. Existing in a literal cell within the Jail, these two childhood …
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If there is one positive of living in a world of mindless, bloodthirsty monsters, it’s that it’s easy to tell who the enemy is…because of the claws and fangs and violence. Unfortunately, the situation becomes a touch more complex when said monsters are actually humans, infected and transformed by the unholy fusion of alien matter and a virus. Not that that changes what needs to be done… Asahi Shiramine is moving to the big city, with little more than a dream in his heart and a mission on his mind. With a brand new work opportunity and the Ultimate Beginner’s Luck, his life is looking up…at the giant monsters who stand before him: Chimera. Horrid abominations that prowl the world and threaten the uninfected populace of the world, with both violence and the fear of contracting the Chimera Virus. Naturally, the military is all over this and Special Force Valkyrie now stands as humanity’s best hope for survival. Probably. The game certainly promotes their effectiveness, but the simple fact remains that they are only present …
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As unhappy a thought as it is, there are plenty of people across the world who wish they could escape the confines of their life. To break free from the shackles of unhappiness that bind them and live the way they truly desire. However, there are no true shortcuts to attaining said end goal and, though it is far easier to say from an outside perspective, one must work hard to reach their truth through personal choices. Of course, most choices don’t involve dumping your brain into a complex virtual reality system, but hey, video games. Take, if you will, the VR concept that has permeated anime for quite some time now, wherein a number of characters are separated from their bodies and trapped inside a digital world. Now combine this with the personal development arcs that comprise Persona and hey presto: The Caligula Effect. With the Go-Home Club leading the cast, as the only group of students who realise the world they live in is fake, the story is a relatively simple “Let’s get …
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In the bustling capital of ancient Japan, walked one brave traveller; a girl dressed like a man. An unseen destiny that she would carry, pulled her onwards and compelled her to tarry. Mere moments later two monsters were shorn, by figures in light blue haori adorned. The were the Shinsengumi and they had but one task, to maintain peace in the city and destroy the monstrous creatures that secretly prowled the streets at night and lusted after the blood of the innocent. Meet Chizuru Yukimura, a down to Earth girl who has made the trek to the big city of Kyoto and is looking for love. And by that I mean that she is searching her father who mysteriously disappeared whilst away for work. With nary a clue to go on, Chizuru’s investigation, however, is limited to simply asking around town if anyone even knows who her father is. Though he is a doctor, so that does narrow the search down some. And yet, this game does not truly focus on this personal quest, nor …
If there’s one thing you may have noticed on SnapThirty, it’s that at least once a year, we are absolutely floored by Japanese pro wrestling, or Puroresu if we were to use its sanctified term in the Land of the Rising Sun. Sanctified is probably the right word here to describe Puroresu, particularly New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The pop culture barrier-breaking sports entertainment that dominates the global perception of professional wrestling is primarily thanks to the efforts of WWE, which has transformed wrestling into an all-encompassing global cultural phenomenon. Honestly, if the entirety of the world can get along simply by the virtue of sharing a passion for a glorified soap opera featuring intense physicality, then I have yet to see a better avenue to achieve world peace. Puroresu, unlike sports entertainment, is very much set in time-honoured tradition. For better or for worse, it is set in its old ways by treating the art of pro wrestling not as some form of entertainment, but a true disciplined lifestyle, akin to that of choosing …
Deep within the darkness you can find the light. In the recesses of the light you can find darkness. Don’t think too light of the darkness or the light nature of being dark on the subject around lightly darkened spaces with dark tendencies making light of the situation around the dark nature of light. But within this darkness we can find a glimmering light, the light of Kingdom Hearts. It is a series developed and published by Square Enix for both home consoles and hand-held consoles, with nearly 16 games in the line-up there is many an adventure to choose from. As a game franchise I hold very close to my Heart, Kingdom Hearts is one I have grown up with and thoroughly enjoyed since getting the first game for my tenth birthday. I remember fondly saving Kairi and Riku and the Princesses of Heart and stopping Ansem. Then I though Oh boy, time to play Kingdom Hearts 2! Wait, where is Sora… Who is Roxas? Whats is a Nobody? What is an organisation XIII? WHAT THE HELL …
The human condition is, by and large, one of the most common elements of fiction. Who are we? Why are we? How could we? When will we? All the incredibly vague questions with no seeming answers that are conveyed through stories about fighting villainy, finding love, or whatever else takes a creators fancy. For the most part, however, these stories tend to share a common element; people. The aforementioned who seek the answers. So what happens when you remove humanity from the equation, but retain the same questions? Short answer: Chaos. Long answer: Complicated. Welcome to the remains of Earth, a planet long ago burnt out by the fires of conflict. Possessing a storied history that began in a what-if ending for Drakengard of all places, the world of NieR is not a fun one to call home. Having already dragged itself through a period of time involving rampaging demons, clones and disease, residents (and players of the first NieR) believed an upswing of society was finally around the bend. It wasn’t. Instead, humanity found …
Since the concept of fusions first entered the Dragon Ball Z canon, fans have pondered one simple question: What if? What if, instead of Vegeta, it was Gohan who combined with Goku? What if permanent fusions were actually so? What if the Z fighters decided to mix and match and create a plethora of new combo fighters? Unfortunately for fans however, these musings were relegated to the realm of fan fiction, fan art and general friendly discussions…”were” being the operative word. Yes friends, no more must these ideas lie in the minds of the populace, for now there is an outlet for insanity, a vessel for nonsense, a game cartridge that houses far more what ifs, how coulds and why nots than most though possible; Dragon Ball Fusions. Somewhere on the mystical planet of Earth, or at least the Dragon Ball equivalent of said planet, two impetuous youths decide to test their mettle against the greatest fighters in the world. Naturally this means Shenron is in order, and both Pinich and (insert customisable main character …
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King was a historic release when it landed on the PlayStation 2 back in 2006 for many reasons: it was the first Dragon Quest video game under the SquareEnix banner, it was the first time Dragon Quest did not have to use its Western placeholder of Dragon Warrior for legal reasons, it was the first Dragon Quest in full 3D, and it was the first Dragon Quest title to feature a full English dub and an excellent one at that too. Dragon Quest VIII did for its franchise what Final Fantasy X did for its own: upping the production values and realising the fantasy setting to its full potential. For many including myself, it was our first foray into the brilliant fantastical world of Dragon Quest, and it honestly felt like the first true encounter with the Japanese Role Playing genre. Over a decade later Dragon Quest VIII makes it way to the 3DS with a truckload of new features and improvements to boot. Back in 2006 I’d think you were …
Japan, 1997: The Birth Of Digimon – Bandai took the world by storm with its Tamagotchi variant directed at young males. With a focus on training and fighting, it quickly became not only a great alternative to pet ownership but a competitive craze that would dominate the year as well as the few that followed. Japan, 1999: A Whole New World – Bandai releases Digimon World for the PlayStation. A spiritual follow-up to the Sega Saturn title Digital Monster Ver. S: Digimon Tamer which would, one day, be lost in the shadow of what many consider to be the quintessential Digimon video game. Digimon World sucked Tamers into the world of the Virtual Pets they loved so much, introducing us all to a brand-new world. Japan, 2012: A Missed Opportunity – Another addition to the Digimon World line; Digimon World Re:Digitize was released across Japan, but never in any other regions. This game saw Tamers, once again, return to the Digital World in much the same way as its descendant. While many other Digimon games had come …
Well folks, it’s finally here; the game we’ve all been waiting for nigh on a decade now…or was it longer? Though understanding regarding the development processes of a video game vary, I think everybody can agree that they are simply happy that this period of waiting is now over. Of course, that means that everybody can now play the XV (nee Versus XIII) adventure they have so longed for, finally, and perhaps contentiously, putting that one burning question to rest; Is it as good as we’ve hoped? The Hype Train, as it has so been dubbed, is a rather perilous facet of pop culture. With passengers pinning their hopes and dreams on a station not yet reached, joy can turn to malice in an instant depending on how well their dreams and ideas mesh with the reality presented to them. Of course, this effect is only intensified by a particularly lengthy journey and with more than a decade of trailers, concepts and plans behind them, Square Enix lay bound to the tracks before this aforementioned train. …
In life, there is nothing sweeter than the sharing of experience. We as humans actively seek companionship from others as a trade for our own for more than basic primal needs to belong. There is a joy that comes with sharing that simply cannot be explained, but it is a necessary element of happy and healthy living. Pokemon was first conceived with this in mind: Satoshi Tajiri built Pocket Monsters on a foundation made up of interactivity. Swapping weird and wonderful creatures with friends new and old is the foundation on which Pokemon was constructed, and to see such a base concept come so far speaks volumes about the human mentality. Twenty years later and Pokemon is far more than what it once was, breaking through the proverbial ceiling and reaching higher into the stratosphere than anyone thought possible, and yet with this latest iteration we’re delivered something humble in essence. Even this far removed from the original games, Pokemon fans are still sharing experiences with one another, trading from across the globe and battling like never …
Sometimes, no matter how hard you wish, the past cannot be changed. Always actually, on account of the real world not possessing means of time travel…yet. But what would you do if you could travel the other way down a one way street? If you could freely traverse the realm of tics and tocs and alter that which has already happened? Would you mix things up in your own life and set mistakes right? Or would you work on a grander scale and try to fix the world? Though perhaps the better question is; could you live with the consequences of your alterations? Unless, of course, you just went back and fixed your fix…because time travel. Welcome to Canton City, a wonderful, magical place that makes Toki Toki City look like a smaller, less populated hub world by comparison. Standing as the brand new headquarters of the Time Patrol because why the HFIL not, Canton contains a few memorable locales that you DBZ aficionados may just recognise. Of course, if you’re more interested in fictional …
Be they fictitious or otherwise, as time flows through a world the tales within become far more complex. Stories upon stories of heroism, villainy and all that lies between. Faces that define themselves, names which become legend and deeds which remain in eternity. A broad concept to be sure, but one that boils down to one simple fact; sometimes, anything that can happen, will happen. Now, whilst this may imply chaos in most circumstances, namely those of the real world, the ever numerical form of Final Fantasy lends itself to wholeheartedly to this idea and builds a world within a world, adjacent to another world that is populated by more than a few familiar faces…and a few that are perhaps less so. But hey, if you’ve made it this far down the rabbit hole, you know what’s up when that half truthful title rolls around. So grab a seat, buckle up, heed the warning of a being on high and prepare to somehow use crystals to save the day, night and possibly that which lies between, …
At the start of 2016 we got The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel on the PlayStation 3 and Vita, a much welcome release in Europe and Australia, particular for the Vita that has all but faded from our store shelves. As long as strong releases like The Legend of Heroes exist, the Vita (and even the PlayStation 3) will continue to stick around. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel was a title jam packed with content, an RPG with as much gameplay variety and density as something like The Elders Scrolls V: Skyrim, no exaggeration there. A huge cast of characters to interact with and take control of, a ton of compelling gameplay features to fine-tune your character in a way that is meaningful and not superficial, and above all a rich setting backed by a well-developed lore that fuels a plot and story which is as much about politics as it is about character development. If you haven’t done so already, do check out our full review of The Legend of …
Think back to your Primary School days; it was a time in each of our lives wherein which making friends was as easy as sharing the same lunchbox contents. Perhaps you and your pal at the time had the same flavour of juice box which, for a pair of seven year olds, was more than enough to start what could grow to become a life-long friendship. One of my oldest friends and I have a relationship built upon what class we happened to be assigned to, and what desk it was that we were told to sit at. There was no preconceived notion of one-another’s character, there was no prejudice based on personal beliefs, it didn’t even matter that we came from vastly different home lives, all that mattered was our physical placement in the classroom and an inexplainable need for friendship. As a twenty-two year old, making friends is…much harder. Between my somewhat cynical outlook on life, and my constant quest for an easily-maintainable lifestyle, making friends as an adult doesn’t come easy. Now, …
Since the dawn of time, mankind has utilised one technique to propel themselves throughout history; building. Well, there’s probably two or three other techniques, but they don’t relate to what I’m talking about, so I won’t talk about them. From the humble wheel, to the ultimately pointless iterations of the Rube Goldberg machine, people have endeavoured to create, innovate and make their lives easier…or cooler, that also governs a lot of decisions made throughout time. How else do you explain video games? Venture, if you would, into the long spanning franchise of Dragon Quest, filled to the brim with characters and creatures designed by Akira Toriyama, one specific example of which being dragons, though you probably gather that from the title. However, before you make your way into the heart of the series, pivot slightly and walk a different path, a voxel based path. That’s right friends, similar to the Minecraft your mind will immediately compare it to, Dragon quest Builders takes place in a cubular environment that just begs to be shattered by Giant Hammers …
As time continues to spiral forth on its merry way, certain facts become clouded. Sure, history can help record certain facets of information, but it is not always accurate, something about it being written by the victors. Yet, despite this knowledge regarding the ironic lack thereof, there is little one without a sentient time travelling motorcycle can do. Sure is a shame nobody like that exists in a preposterously prefixed dimension prone to whimsy and wonder. Truly, a shame… Psych! Or, you know, it would be if you didn’t read the title of this review, or avert your gaze slightly to the right and witness the cover art of this particular game(although I applaud your adventurous spirit if you didn’t). But, suppositions aside, let us delve into yet another wacky, personified adventure of the Neptunia franchise, specifically the one known as Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls. First things first; Why does the title say Neptune instead of the usual Neptunia? Good question…I have no idea. There is nothing within the game itself that references …
My level of historical knowledge is…trivial, to say the very least. It boggles my mind to think about the countless descendants of human kind, all of which made certain decisions that set our race on a path that lead us directly to this point in time and into the future as it continues ever on like a speeding locomotive. We, with the decisions we make in the present, will effectively become key factors in the world’s development, eventually become a historical point of interest for those in the distant future wishing to learn more about our time. There’s a saying that goes; “history is written by the winners“. As a result of my whimsical nature, this quote interests me to no end. Let us say that, yes, history is indeed written by the winner; the winner being the one to emerge victorious from, perhaps, a battle or farce that would have changed the records of time. One, when writing, has the freedom of interpretation and composition. They have the ability to delve into factual detail or, to …
Attack On Titan is, arguably, one of the most popular Anime series’ of all time, alongside that of Sword Art Online, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Shonen staples like Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach. While it’s original Manga began in 2009, it didn’t receive any kind of mainstream attention until the airing of it’s Anime adaptation in 2013. The Manga scaled the best-seller charts alongside the rise in the Anime’s popularity, eventually coming to produce a gargantuan audience of die-hard fans. As you could imagine; the more beloved this series became the more people wanted from it, which has lead to both a Manga and Anime spin-off as well as, at this point in time, a couple of games. The first game, Attack On Titan: Humanity In Chains, was released in 2013 to a heavily below-average reception. It is now 2016 and video game development studio Omega Force have just released their very own take on an Attack On Titan game, one that boasts an enjoyable yet intricate control scheme that will ultimately prove to the Attack …
Just when you thought that Omega Force couldn’t scrape up the rights to any more franchises and slap an anime styled coat of paint on Dynasty Warriors 8 again, here comes Arslan: The Warriors of Legend. Hang on a moment, The Heroic Legend of Arslan should in theory actually make for a pretty good Warriors game. It is about warring nations, epic horseback battles and sure as hell makes a lot more sense as a Warriors game than that Yo-Kai Watch one, right? Wrong. Not only does Arslan: The Warriors of Legend wind up being the single worst Warriors game ever cranked out of the Omega Force machine, it is quite frankly an insult to the fantastic source material upon which it is based. How could things go so very wrong when it could have actually been a legitimately good Warriors title? Well this game simply reeks of lack of care on Omega Force’s part. The game seems like a cheap re-skin of Dynasty Warriors 8 at times with many maps clearly recycled from past …
Though the hero’s journey is a time honoured tale, it is one fraught with one irrefutable concept; sacrifice. Though the degree to which this notion holds true varies, one must always face loss on the path that lay forward. For it is in this loss that the appreciation of what one has is gained. All is fleeting and yet all is eternal. In accepting the impermanence of things, one can come to see how nothing is ever truly gone. However this is not an easy realisation to come by, hence the necessity of the journey. For if one never takes a single step forward, how are they to reach this inevitable conclusion? Journey, if you will, to a sombre, snow covered land that is home to a number of quaint villages, scenic forests and an ever present swathe of demonic enemies. Sound pleasant does it not? Well, if that hasn’t ignited your urge to travel, then how about focusing on the most time honoured traditions of this fine land; ritualistically sacrificing a young woman in …
Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei are two long-running Japanese Role-Playing Game series’ that I never thought would meet each other in this capacity, and yet I’m overjoyed that such a conglomeration has taken place. I remember, in the May of 2014, it was announced that these two beloved series’ would come together to form a singular video game for the Nintendo Wii U. Simply called Fire Emblem X Shin Megami Tensei, my mind raced in anticipation of what this game would be. Alas, none of my assumptions lead me down the road of what we in the West now know to be a video game called “Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE“. It has been a long two years since the announcement of Fire Emblem X Shin Megami Tensei but, like all of us, it is a video game that has come quite a long way. Now released worldwide, fans of both franchises are able to explore the combined wonder of both Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei as they do battle with creatures who’ve come …
For as long as kings and queens have reigned, there have been those who defend them. Valiant warriors who defend the realm from invaders, armies and demons (depending on the kind of realm) in order to keep the peace. However, there is another type of warrior who thrives in this same kind of environment, a less valourous type who places their loyalty within whomever possesses the most coin. I speak of mercenaries and, in a world wherein mercenaries now run rampant, they are integral to the foundation of peace, war and all that resides in between. A tenuous balance to be sure, but it sure is amazing what a splash of colour and stylised characters can do. Journey, if you will, to the land of Resonail, a grand kingdom (*wink wink*) that is home to four great nations; Landerth, Valkyr, Fiel and Magion. Born from the tumult of war, these kingdoms rose from the ashes of the Uldein Empire, a force which once claimed dominion over the entire continent. Having existed in a state of …
Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is the latest by Vanillaware for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita. The title is billed as a remaster of the original Odin Sphere which was released for the PlayStation 2 back in 2007 (2008 in PAL territories). To call Odin Sphere Leifthrasir a mere HD remaster of a nearly 9 year old game is putting it very,very loosely, and it is in fact is a huge disservice to what the game really is. Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is more than just a HD update to suit modern TV resolutions, more than just being the very best version of Odin Sphere (dare I say, perfection), and is more than just an expanded and enhanced re-release. Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is truly a whole new game altogether. In fact, I feel they could have gotten away with calling it Odin Sphere 2 and no one would have argued otherwise. Whether you’re a fan of the original or a sceptical newcomer who is tired of seeing sloppy HD remasters, Odin Sphere Leifthrasir proves to be a truly a one of a kind experience that even …
