REVIEW / Shikhondo: Soul Eater (PS4)

 

There used to be a time when shooter games were all the rage and putting up a high score in a game like Defender, Gradius or R-Type was proof of your gaming greatness.  Well, that’s not the case these days, as good things aren’t meant to last, but it is nevertheless good to see development studios still working at keeping the shmup genre alive.

 

 

While they don’t get the recognition anymore that they truly deserve, bullet-hell shooters are still being made and offer some of the best gaming bang for the buck.  Recent offering from developer Deer Farm and publisher Digerati called Shikhondo: Soul Eater melds Korean mythology with fast-paced shoot ’em up action against the backdrop of beautiful Oriental artwork.

Shikhondo: Soul Eater is described as a Korean bullet-hell shoot ’em up set within a beautiful and bizarre world of Asian mythology.   You will face off against armies of demons known as yokai that have escaped from Limbo and are spreading like a plague across the land, sowing fear and stealing souls.   You take on the role of one of two female protagonists known only as “Grim Reaper” or “The Girl” and will need to use their magic abilities to destroy the pestilent invaders and free the captured souls from their eternal torment.  The game features an Arcade mode, a Hardcore mode for genre purists and Local Co-op so you can invite your friends to come over and play.

 

 

Levels are set in a vertical orientation with action happening in a bottom to top setup.  Your character can move anywhere on the screen however, enemies usually make an appearance directly from the top of the screen or from the sides along the the top two-thirds of the screen.  There is gorgeous artwork that covers the left and right sides of the screen as that area isn’t really used by the game.

The actual play area is a pretty narrow area of screen real estate, but is typical of modern shmups as this keeps the gameplay intense and at times feeling claustrophobic.  Enemies will invariably fill that real estate with pulsing bullets in various colors and amazingly intricate designs. Working your way to the level boss while navigating that type of environment will be challenging.

 

 

I realize that my next statement really doesn’t need to be said, however I will state it anyway; you will die a lot.  Mythological beasties of all shapes and sizes will try to thwart your attempt to curtail their soul stealing activities. They will launch a seemingly unlimited amount of firepower at you, so not getting hit sometimes will be impossible.

Fortunately, the game is built with unlimited continues so you can just hit Start and pick up right where you left off.  Back in the day, if you were killed you would have to start back at the beginning of the game after you had depleted your original allotment of three lives as well as any extra lives if that was offered in the shmup you were playing.  While this gets rid of the frustration of getting far in the game only to lose your last life and have to start all over, it makes for a quick play-through of the games middling five levels.

 

 

Each of the two characters has just one main attack and a powered up version that can additionally be powered up depending on how many Soul Attacks you have available.  You can fill your Soul Collect gauge by getting as close to the enemies projectiles as possible without coming into contact with them.  Once your Soul Collect gauge is full, you can unleash a devastating attack on the enemies that you can use if you have gotten overwhelmed by the lesser demons.

However, it may be a good idea to save it for when you get to the level boss and need to do massive damage.  One thing that I felt was missing from the game is a system of floating, collectible power-ups so that you can boost your regular weapon beyond its normal operation without having to manage a gauge. It would have also been nice to perhaps have even some different weapon types like a laser attack or pulse attack to complement the machine gun type attack that is standard.

 

 

One aspect of this game that really grabbed me is the amazing artwork that is the foundation that this game is built upon.  Normally, the shmups that I play have some sort of tech or sci-fi aesthetic to them so the player is usually piloting some type of spaceship or aerial vehicle of some sort.  I have even played a fair amount of shmups where the player is in a mech suit with various weapon upgrades to make things more interesting.  Having the player take on the role of a couple female baddasses is cool and was the perfect design choice for the game having them opposite the evil demons.  I recommend giving this one a spin and checking out some of the other features besides just the Arcade mode.  This one has a lot to offer in a small package if you give it a reasonable chance.

 

 

 

This review is based on a copy of the game provided by the publisher.

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Popular puzzle game The Room headed to Switch

 

The highly popular and award-winning puzzle game The Room is headed to the Nintendo Switch. Fireproof Games, the original publishers of The Room, have teamed up with Team 17 in order to rebuild and remaster the game for the Switch. The game was originally released on iOS, Android and PC.

 

The Room is a physical puzzle game coupled with an element of mystery. You, the player, receive a mysterious invitation that leads to a note from a distant companion that delivers a promise of something worthwhile in an ancient iron chamber. The game mechanics revolve around solving visually based puzzles with unique and interesting solutions in order to make your way into the iron chamber.

 

 

The entire game has been rebuilt from the ground up in order to fully utilize the functions of the Switch controls. The game uses both the Joy-Con controllers as well as the touchscreen. Players can solve puzzles through hand-held mode, or with the newly implemented motion controls.

 

The Room was first released in 2012 and will be available for Nintendo Switch on October 18th for $9.99/£6.99/€8.99.

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REVIEW / Flipping Death (PC)

 

Flipping Death is an easy game to like—the cardboard slapdash art style and zany humor evoke memories of Psychonauts and other off-beat titles—but it’s a difficult game to love. Luckily, the relatively short playtime and genuinely funny writing still make for an enjoyable romp through the land of the dead, even if the game doesn’t quite live up to its potential.

 

 

The story of Flipping Death follows Penny, a teen with all the personality of an emo kid from the mid-2000s. Through a series of unfortunate events, Penny finds herself working as a temp for the Grim Reaper. Typical of most temp job orientations, she’s given barely any initial training and is expected to help sad souls in the afterlife pass on after finishing their unfinished business.

It’s hard to stay engaged with Penny’s story because she basically remains the same from start to finish, and there’s not really a major narrative hook to hang your hat on after the first hour. Flipping Death is part 2D platformer, part adventure game, but you could completely eliminate the platforming element and still have a good time. Thankfully, the game is very short and you’ll probably see credits within 5 hours of dedicated play.

 

 

The most enjoyable aspect of the game is the core possession mechanic, where you take control of unsuspecting humans in order to complete tasks in the world of the living and solve puzzles. None of the puzzles are particularly challenging, but some of the best chuckle-worthy moments happen when you’re behind the wheels of the weird inhabitants of this game world.

Outside of those moments, however, the jokes failed to land for me. In my mind, for a game like Flipping Death the writing and humor are expected to do the heavy lifting, but when the core gameplay feels largely uninspired it makes that job even tougher, so most of the “funny” fell flat.

 

 

It may be because it’s sitting in the shadow of Stick It To The Man, developer Zoink Games’ first foray into this weird and wacky universe that provided a more enjoyable experience. Coming from Stick It To The Man to Flipping Death feels a lot like your friend recounting their favorite joke from a comedy special. They may remember all the words to the joke verbatim but hearing it without the tone, cadence and skill of delivery from the comedian results in a weak punchline.

If you’re looking for a quick palate-cleanser between the slew of chunky open-world video game releases this fall, you could certainly do worse than Flipping Death. The creative and crisp art style, wacky world and straightforward puzzles provide enough fun to kill an afternoon, even if it leaves you wanting something more.

 

 

 

This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.

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Assassin’s Creed Odyssey: Alexios takes the fight to the internet

 

Not content with merely ass-kicking his way across ancient Greece, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey male protagonist Alexios has taken to the theatres of modern warfare. And no, I’m not talking about space – the unusually intense Spartan warrior has been spotted on YouTube, responding to comments posted on Reddit and Twitter.

This is the video. Fair warning: if you’re not keen on blokes wearing criminally short battle-skirts, look away now.

I’m not sure whether this is brilliant or cringe-worthy. Hopefully, you’ll be better able to make up your mind. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is launching on October 5th – the latest installment in the juggernaut franchise takes us back to the age of epic poems and mythical creatures, offering the entire Adriatic as our playground.

You’ll be able to choose between playable protagonists Alexios and Kassandra. For the first time since the franchise began, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is promising non-linear storytelling; dialogue choices will shape the outcome of your tale, so be sure to look up the best endings before you play. What, no-one else does that?

Parkour returns unchanged from Assassin’s Creed Origins, as does the literal take on Eagle Vision in the form of an avian companion. But fear not: combat has had a revamp, and naval warfare returns from the fog of Assassin’s Creed history to let you pillage and plunder your way around the Greek islands.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is out now for anyone who purchased the Gold, Collector’s, or Ultimate Editions of the game. For the rest of us sniveling paupers, launch day is Friday, October 5th, on console and PC (and enhanced for PS4 Pro and XBox One X). Watch this space for a review as fast as we can bring it to you.

 

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Pit Blocks 3D modernises the Tetris style puzzler

 

There is a very soft spot in my heart reserved for Tetris. It was the first game I ever played on the Nintendo Game Boy and it was also the reason why I asked for that console that Christmas. I spent hours playing that game and although I was never particularly good at it, it was just pure, simple addictive fun. Spin time forward nearly thirty years and I can’t actually think of another block-based puzzle game that’s beaten it. Columns came close but it still didn’t have quite the same draw. A new game is soon to bring the block busting theme right up to date. It’s called Pit Blocks 3D and it’s the topic of my little news piece for today.

So Pit Blocks 3D will soon be appearing on Steam, itch.io, Humble Bundle, and Game Jolt. This game takes a new more modern twist on the classic Tetris theme and will introduce a number of fully realised 3D environments including Fantasy, Ice Cave and Volcano. In addition to the usual block breaking that we have all come to know and love, we can also expect each of these unique zones to be rife with minions and bosses that must be faced before the player can progress. This game also has an evolving story-line, something that has been missing from other, similar games of this genre.

As with other brick busters you have to stack your bricks in order to accumulate your score and survive. What makes this game interesting is its 3D nature. You aren’t looking at a 2D grid; you will have to account for the X, Y and Z axis of the cube that is your play area if you are to continue. To make this task feel more comfortable, intuitive mouse (or gamepad) controls will allow you to fluidly view your game cube from all angles with ease. The option to set different difficulty levels will also allow you to customize the game to meet the challenge you are feeling up to at any given point in time.

The enemies you will face in your quest through the game will do more than just hamper your progress; they will actively try to defeat you. In the Ice Cave you will find yourself having to dodge minions slinging ice missiles, the Fantasy Environment will pit you against a fearsome Leviathan and so on. There definitely appears to be a horde of enemies standing in the way of your goal of victory. This can only add to the level of frustrating fun that comes with a really good puzzler.

Something worth mentioning for those completionists amongst you is that this game offers a whopping 20,000 achievements. Along with the variety being offered in level design, you will also be able to unlock story cards which will allow you to go for a deeper dive into the game. For anyone who loves a good brick-buster, this sounds like something definitely worth watching. All of these games are brilliant little time wasters at the very least. They also lend themselves to those long sessions when you just want to focus on having fun so there should be plenty here for any puzzle addict.  Whether Pit Blocks 3D is a game to rival Tetris remains to be seen but it certainly looks like it’s having a very good try.

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Monster Hunter Stories rides onto iOS and Android

 

Monster Hunter: World was a smash hit earlier this year, becoming the highest selling title in the series as well as garnering overwhelming critical praise. However, while the gaming world at large is slaying away day in and day out in Monster Hunter: World, what happens to the pacifists of the world? What if you didn’t want to kill that unruly Anjanath, but instead wanted to be its friend and ride on its back like a pony? That’s where Capcom’s Monster Hunter Stories finds its time to shine, moving from the 3DS to a more pocket-sized platform.

In the world of Monster Hunter Stories, you play as a member of a remote village of Monster Riders. Instead of hunting for sport and sustenance, the riders form bonds with the monsters of the world and live in peace side by side. Hatching monsters from their eggs, the Riders imprint on the baby Monsties and gain a valuable asset in their adventures. By raising a kinship with the adorably titled Monsties, you can explore the boundless world those Monsties call home.

Things aren’t always sunshine and roses in Monster Hunter Stories; you will still be called on to battle alongside your Monstie. Stories has an entirely different battle style than the mainline Monster Hunter games that have come before. In this game, the player will have a turn-based attack system that works on a simple rock-paper-scissors foundation with added skills and equipment to keep things interesting. There are also plenty of opportunities for head to head online battles with fellow Riders.

With the port to the smartphone platform comes enticing new features that revitalize the game. The iOS and Android versions of Monster Hunter Stories will receive a big boost with high-resolution graphics and an incredibly useful auto-save feature. The smartphone edition also includes an all new user interface, which you can get accustomed to playing the demo version of the game, MHST: The Adventure Begins.

Monster Hunter Stories is available on the Apple store and the Google Play store for $19.99.

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REVIEW / Hipster Attack (PC)

 

This will not be new to you but I have a very serious dislike of clones. There is a subtle difference between saying a game is a bit like another game and saying that it’s virtually the same game in a different skin. These little monstrosities are plaguing sites like Steam and are one of the reasons why the really good games in it’s free to play category get missed. In many cases this seems to be done as a cash grab. Take something that you know works, call it something different and change the characters so you can’t be sued for plagiarism and bob’s your uncle you have a game. Stick this on Steam with a mammoth pay wall and hope nobody notices. This mentality is doing so much harm and it really makes my blood boil. It was also with this in mind that I began playing Hipster Attack. This game is effectively a re-skin of another title but it isn’t making my teeth itch and I’m going to explain why.

 

 

You can be all nasty, lazy and stealy and fall into the group of charlatans I’ve just mentioned or you can pay homage to another well loved game and make yours just different enough that it isn’t really a clone. This, for me is Hipster Attack, a game that is basically Plants Vs Zombies without the plants or the zombies. What makes this stand out is that you can see a real level of care has gone into the making of this title and this begins with the unique and hilarious concept behind it.

In the game you run a series of coffee shops and you need to protect your beloved beans from a horde of rampaging Hipsters who are determined to do horrible, completely unnecessary things to your wonderful cups of Joe. If you are to stop a perfectly good cup of black coffee becoming a mocha-choca-frappe-latte-thingy you will need to use your speed, skill and of course your employees to fend the flannel wearing nightmares off.

 

You’ll need to protect those tables at all costs.

 

What makes this game so similar to PVZ is it’s layout. You are looking after a series of lanes along which the Hipsters move. You must position your own employees in the path of the enemy and stop them reaching the coffee tables at the end of each row. The formula is very simple but it makes for some very addictive, fun, and often completely frantic gameplay. In PVZ, (expect a hell of a lot of comparisons, I can’t help it, it’s the best way to explain the game,) you use sunshine as your currency. In Hipster Attack your main currency is coffee and to maximize this you will need to build coffee machines. These just sit there and help you replenish your units until they’re upgraded, then they get mean and start slinging projectiles.

The main thing that sets this game aside from the other one is that you have two currencies. Coffee is used in each level to buy your employees and set them. Different units cost different amounts and they have a cool down to stop you just playing anything, anywhere. The second currency is cash. You use cash to kick off special unit abilities and play field powers. Each unit has a more powerful move type which will really help you if used properly. The thing with cash is that it really needs balancing because the total carries over between levels. If you get stuck and blow all your hard earned money on a particularly tough run you might find you’ve just made life harder for yourself in the levels to come.

 

The hipster menace is varied and dangerous. You will need to be on your toes.

 

As you progress through the game, you unlock new unit types and powers ready for use. Different units are great for different scenarios and are better equipped to deal with different types of Hipster than others. You start out with your HR employees who are armed with one of the most baneful things to a Hipster in the game, the job application. God forbid the beard wearing weirdos might actually ever work. As you go, you expand your staff adding security guards.

These big lumps just sit sleeping in the way of the attacking mob and act as blockers. Their special ability wakes them up and causes them to throw a flurry of damaging punches before dozing off again. This is a short range attack but woe betide anyone who happens to be in the way. HR Managers are another useful unit. These guys are never happy with their own work and have a ton of little screwed up balls of papaer on them at all times, this gives them a mortar attack and makes them very useful for taking out shielded enemies. The list goes on but I’m not going to explain all of your weapons, lets let you figure a bit of this out for yourself.

 

Vinyl is great to listen too, less great when it’s being used as a missile. Good thing you have coffee cannons ready to use when needed.

 

Just as there are a variety of weapons at your disposal the same applies for your enemy. As we all know the only ironic thing about Hipsters, (that being the irony they all crave,) is that they don’t know what Irony is. Instead of being cool and edgy they just come across as a bunch of clueless trend obsessed lemmings. Hipster Attack takes this and makes fun of it in some really wonderful ways. You have you basic rank and file Hipsters of course, these are just beardy and wanting to get at your coffee. It’s the variations you have to watch out for. You have, for instance, the record lover.

This is the guy that will only listen to vinyl and knew about every band out there before they were “mainstream.” These little know-it-alls not only carry record players but sling records at you. You have the fitness fanatic who is obviously faster than the others. Then you have my personal favorite. Mimester. This freak of nature carries a metaphorical shield which he likes hiding behind. As I’ve got an unnatural fear of mimes killing this little blighter off is something I get a special amount of joy from. As with your allies the list of enemies goes on and each need tackling slightly differently. As you find yourself facing a mix of hipsters on each level you will need to be on your toes.

 

Cash is an important resource that you will have to use sparinly.

 

I’ve spoken about mobile games porting badly to PC in the past but rarely the other way round. Hipster Attack is an IOS and Android game as well as being a PC Steam release. I haven’t played the other version but I don’t think it would translate as well on a smaller screen. This game can get really frantic and keeping up with everything is hard enough sometimes with a mouse, my stubby fingers on a phone screen wouldn’t be able to  manage as well and I think it would get really frustrating. As I’ve said, I haven’t played it so I’m not criticizing it’s just an observation.

All in all this is a really fun game to play and for those of you that don’t remember the first iteration of PVZ before EA got their hands on it I think it’s a must. It’s funny, lovably written and very well drawn in a quirky but colorful way. Even if you have played Plants Vs Zombies I think you’ll find a lot to love here. Do expect an entirely different game, it absolutely isn’t but it’s still an awful lot of fun and, so far at least, isn’t too hard. It would have been really easy to crank the difficulty level right up with massive spikes in play but everything feels fluid and I haven’t come across anything thus far that I couldn’t manage. I’m not saying this game won’t get harder in later levels but I think that everything will remain within doable parameters.

 

 

So to sum up, this game is a clone but it’s a very good clone. I can see the love and hard work that Televisor have put into their title and nothing about Hipster Attack is sloppy. The fact that I can only think of one other game similar to it means it’s not something that’s been done to death either which is a definite plus. If you want something that will make you smile as much as it wears you out, (you really need to be fast on your mouse,) this is going to be the game for you. Is it different enough for an avid PVZ fan? That’s probably debatable but it still shouldn’t put you off giving it a good college try. I mean Hipsters, who wouldn’t want to use them for stress relief right?

 

 

 

This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.

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