This was my intended read for last week, but due to recent events, I had to postpone it to today. Don't worry, I'll make up for it next week and double up; I have the perfect set of reads planned. BACKGROUND:
Now this is a series I'm actually familiar with, since there was a hit anime series when I was a kid. I didn't really follow it closely, though, so I don't remember much. SUMMARY: Shaman King follows the story of Yoh Asakura, a young shaman who moves to Tokyo in order to hone his skills. Indeed, shamans are real in this world, and they're able to see spirits and channel their abilities. He's a bit of a strange kid, but he becomes fast friends with Manta Oyamada, a classmate of his at the local school who is completely weirded out by both Yoh and the world he's immersed himself in. Most of the first volume is Manta playing the reader insert as he tags along with Yoh's shenanigans. Not only does Manta's presence perfectly justify all the exposition you read in the book (he's just a regular kid dragged into the whole spirit world mess), his wildly exaggerated reactions to all this new information also makes all that exposition entertaining. While he is understandably skeptical of Yoh at first (even questioning his use of spirits to get ahead in school), he comes to understand and appreciate Yoh's unique world view. Yoh's chill disposition is one of the things that catches Manta off-guard, as he acts in an affable, sometimes overconfident manner even when confronted with people who are clearly hostile. That confidence is also present when things get serious; he acts immediately when others are in danger, and he's willing to make sacrifices even when the odds are against him. Outside of that, Yoh's a cool guy who looks out for his friends and does his best to help others, human and spirit alike. As a shaman, Yoh is able to integrate with willing spirits, allowing him to use their skills (both physical and otherwise) and knowledge in the real world as they possess his body. Yoh's goal upon arriving in Tokyo is to team up with as many spirits as he can, as according to him, the number of spirits a shaman is able to partner up with is a mark of a skilled shaman. One of the key developments in this first volume is Yoh befriending the samurai Amidamaru, who was a formidable swordsman back in the day. Yoh's efforts to get him to accept his offer of partnership as well as his kind nature lead to Amidamaru accepting, and his dedication to helping Yoh is endearing. We also get to see a lot of his backstory, which paints a tragic picture. I really liked that the book took the time to flesh out his character, and that has me excited to meet more ghost characters. There are also a number of less prominent characters introduced, like Ryu, the leader of a gang who gets clowned on at least twice in this book, as well as a few of Manta's classmates (who only appear to make fun of Manta). Some get more interesting moments than others, though I'm impressed that some of the seemingly one-off characters have solid stories for being only featured for one chapter (like the ghost of a billboard painter, and an up-and-coming boxer). Tao Ren (introduced near the end of the volume) is easily the most interesting character outside of the main two, as he is also a shaman (and a powerful one at that). His mindset towards spirits being pretty much diametrically opposite to Yoh's makes for an interesting foil for our lead, and he gets to do some cool shit with his spirit partner in an epic battle. I see the makings of a great rivalry here. Ren also mentions the concept of the Shaman King during his encounter with Yoh, though no time was allotted in the volume to elaborate on it. It seems that shamans do have some kind of goal to shoot for, and I'm curious as to what exactly that means. For the most part, the art style leans toward the simple and cartoony. There's not a lot of variation in the shading, and while you typically get intricate faces for the characters, they do get plenty of fun, exaggerated expressions. That said, the manga has its fair share of more detailed panels, like pretty location shots, dynamic action scenes with a lot of intense linework, and splash pages that depict characters in a badass light. Overall, I found the art to be a healthy mix of simple and more detailed, and there's a lot to enjoy in both schools of thought. VERDICT: Though this volume doesn't really build up to anything until the end, I really like what Shaman King is setting the story up to be. The concept of working together with departed souls and using their abilities in the physical realm is really cool, and there's a lot of potential in introducing a wide variety of spirit characters to push this idea to the limit. I also enjoyed the main cast, between Yoh's friendly nature, Manta's penchant for freaking out, and Amidamaru's enthusiasm to help Yoh. I quite like the status quo of helping spirits/integrating with spirits to help people, plus I'm interested in the setups for the rivalry with Tao Ren and the whole Shaman King thing. I can see myself reading more of this. I recommend checking this manga out if you think the premise is interesting. In the case of this first volume, it's a healthy mix of light-hearted and serious, and there's already a good amount of supernatural hijinks even in the first chapter. - end -
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![]() The month of March brought with it some new retro games to play in the Switch Online emulators. This time around, we only have the one NES addition. BACKGROUND:
I'm only vaguely familiar with Xevious, with the most I know of it is that you fight a massive mothership in it (the design of which is rather memorable). I did some reading on it after I played it once and learned that it's originally an arcade game (meaning what I played here is a port, like many NES games I've encountered) that came after Galaga (arguably the more iconic arcade-era Namco shmup), and that it featured a lot of firsts (or at least earliest known examples) for gaming: the boss fight and pre-rendered backgrounds for the arcade version. It also set the template for the many vertically scrolling shmups I've played before (from TwinBee to Ikaruga). I learned some new things that day, which was exciting. SUMMARY: As established, Xevious is a vertical scrolling shmup, and like most other titles in this genre, you control a ship, shoot at enemies, and try to stay alive as long as you can. Your ship has two modes of attack: the regular shot, and the bomb. The former is used to destroy flying targets, while you use the latter to blow up ground-based targets like turrets and such. This is a mechanic I first encountered in the NES version of TwinBee, and it's cool to see where that originated. Unfortunately, that's as deep as your abilities go, as there's practically no power-ups here apart from the hidden extra lives you can get. Apart from a few exceptions, most of the enemies are generic fodder that either move around in some formation while also shooting a given pattern of projectiles. The challenge, as usual, is weaving through the onslaught of bullets and enemy ships flying about while also trying to shoot down enemies. In particular, it's quite tricky to attack ground-based targets with the bomb since it has a limited range; you'll need some ace maneuvering to get into that range without getting shot down yourself. Xevious holds the distinction of having perhaps the earliest example of a boss fight in a video game that I've seen. This comes in the form of the Andor Genesis mothership, a massive octagonal ship that shoots an endless barrage of bullets. The fight itself probably can't hold a candle to the plethora of iconic boss fights throughout gaming history that have come since (all you have to do is either blow up the core or dodge around like a coward until the ship leaves), but there's something quite novel in experiencing one of the firsts (allegedly) of video games. This game is interesting in that it has hidden secrets on the map that you can blow up for bonus points if you're particularly attentive. I don't know if this game can also lay claim to being one of the first games to have secrets of that nature, but I nonetheless found it interesting that it even exists here. Unfortunately, they're only good for points, but points are at least valuable here for extra lives. Compared to the arcade version (which I went and looked up screenshots of out of curiosity), the NES version looks incredibly plain. The scrolling backgrounds, while varied in terms of locations, barely have any detail, while enemies are mostly on the gray side despite a handful of neat designs. The Andor Genesis is definitely memorable, though, and that's thanks to how bloody massive it is compared to everything else you run into. VERDICT: Arguably more complex and engaging shmups have come out since Xevious's heyday, but despite how simplistic it is, I still enjoyed killing a few minutes just trying to get as far as I can and getting to face off against the mothership. Plus, it's really cool to have played at least a port of a game that turned out to be more influential on the history of games than I initially realized. Like I said, you could probably find more interesting vertical shmups out there to play if this is the kind of genre you want to indulge in right now. That being said, I think this game is worth playing once if only to appreciate a historically significant title (a major criterion that compels me to label this as an "essential" title). - end - I get to try another game I haven't before thanks to a new Switch Online Game Trial! BACKGROUND:
The list of Star Wars games I've played has sadly not grown since I talked about Knights of the Old Republic, and I certainly know little of the many Star Wars games that came out in the 2000s. This is more or less new to me. PLOT: It's important to point out that the game's story is under Star Wars Legends, which means it isn't canon. I don't know if any element of this story has been reinstated into the canon at any point. You are Delta 38 (nickname: Boss), a Clone Trooper who leads the Delta Squad, an elite clone commando unit tasked with special missions. Together with squad-mates Delta 62 (nickname: Scorch), Delta 40 (nickname: Fixer), and Delta 07 (nickname: Sev), you are deployed to various locations in service of the Republic. In this game, you play through three specific missions. The first mission is set during the Battle of Geonosis (which takes place during Episode II: Attack of the Clones), where Delta Squad is sent to assassinate a high-ranking Geonosian official (who is working with the droid army) and destroy a droid factory. In the second mission (set many months after the first), Delta Squad is deployed to the Prosecutor, a Republic cruiser that was hijacked by Trandoshans, a group of slavers and mercenaries who are looking to ally with the Separatists in exchange for droid armies. Last, Delta Squad is sent to Kashyyyk to help liberate the Wookiees from an imminent Separatist invasion, leading directly into the battle we see in Revenge of the Sith. I can't say there's much else to the story apart from what you witness during each mission, though I didn't really mind. There's a lot of action, some stuff goes wrong, but Delta Squad finds a way to push through, and that's enough for me. You're not going to get a lot of deep lore apart from the prequel connections I mentioned, and most of the dialogue you hear is pertinent to the mission. The four Delta Squad members (including the player character, surprisingly) do have distinct personalities and banter with one another, but I found these moments to be less common than I would have preferred. The ending was perhaps the most interesting part, since it adds a wrinkle to Delta Squad's relationship with their superiors. I feel like the moment that leads to this would have been more impactful if they spent more time establishing the bond between the members of the squad, but I nonetheless liked what they were going for. Unfortunately, the game ends very abruptly, which tells me there were clear intentions for a sequel. PRESENTATION: Since this is a game from 2005, I didn't really expect mind-blowing graphics. This enhanced port touches up a lot of these old models and textures, but you'll still be able to notice the age if you look hard enough. Nothing looked completely hideous, and important visual elements are legible, so I have no complaints. Plus, the game has impressive attention to detail despite its age, especially when stuff gets on your character's visor. The music sounds pretty close to the movie score by the legendary John Williams, which is wonderful. There are also other tracks that don't really fit into that mold, like one dramatic track with an intense chorus of deep voices. Most notably, they play a licensed rock song during the end credits, which is very jarring (but not in a bad way). Much like a good portion of the soundtrack, many of the sound effects are taken straight from the movies, though you sadly won't hear the iconic sounds of a lightsaber at any point. The voice acting's also pretty solid, which really helps set each clone character apart from one another. GAMEPLAY: Republic Commando is a first-person shooter where you take control of Delta 38 and the rest of your squad-mates accompany you as ally NPCs. What makes this game stand out is the core mechanic of giving your squad orders, and we'll talk all about that a little later. In terms of the actual shooter action, the game is mostly standard fare. Your main weapon is an assault rifle with decent ammo capacity, but you'll also unlock a sniper attachment that lets you take out targets with powerful shots from far away, as well as an anti-armor attachment that works like a grenade launcher. All of these have limited ammo, so you'll have to pick up refills as you move through the levels. In the event that you're all out of ammo, you still have a trusty pistol that has an overheat function in place of ammunition. Plus, you have a melee attack if things get up close and personal. Certain enemies/areas have special weapons that you can pick up, which does a lot to keep the action fresh. These include SMGs, shotguns, a chaingun-like weapon, a powerful laser, a rocket launcher with lock-on, and even the iconic Wookiee bowcaster. Like your base arsenal, these have limited ammo, so you'll have to kill the specific enemies/find the weapons lying about to get refills. You also have access to an assortment of grenades to complement your guns. You have the classic thermal detonators (which are equivalent to frag grenades), EMP grenades that are highly effective against droids, sonic detonators that explode on contact with enemies, and flashbangs that briefly stun enemies. These grenades can really tip the scales with a well-placed throw depending on the situation, so they're absolutely worth using if you're in a bind. Some of the most satisfying plays I've made in this game were with grenades, like stunning an entire room of Trandoshans with a flash, disabling a horde of droids with a single EMP, and knocking enemies off turrets by throwing a sonic detonator at the turret. Most of the enemies are droids that you'll recognize from other Star Wars properties, like the standard battle droid, Super Battle Droids, droidekas, and even Magna Guards. You'll also go against Geonosians (bug things that like to hop/fly around) and Trandoshans (lizard dudes with guns), each having different types with different weapons and properties. I think the variety is fine, though things can start to feel repetitive since you can deal with a lot of enemies the same way. The challenge is often managing overwhelming numbers, as well as the occasional presence of droid dispensers and enemy-manned turrets. While you can certainly try and be a one-man army, you don't have to be. Your AI-controlled buddies are competent fighters, and you can give them orders to ensure that they don't get themselves killed or fail to cover you during important moments. You can have them spread out and take down any enemies on sight, order them to stick together, or even tell them to secure a specific area. Many of the levels have special points where you can order an ally to perform a special action. These include ordering someone to take a sniper position to cover you, assigning someone as a grenadier to bombard a specific area, or give an order to hold a position and fire anti-armor ordnance. If there's a particularly tough enemy, you can even order the team to concentrate fire on the enemy currently in your crosshairs. At certain points, you'll need to use explosives to clear paths/breach doors, slice (the Star Wars equivalent of hacking) into electronics like automatic doors, or disable/install proximity mines. You can do these tasks yourself if you want (just stand next to the designated area and hold a button), but they'll often take some time and leave you open, so you'll have to make sure your teammates are covering you. Alternatively, you can order one of your squad-mates to do these tasks for you so you can cover them. HP works like Halo where you have both regenerating shields and fixed health. If your health goes down to zero, it's not game over, as your teammates can revive you. If they succeed, you'll be back in the action with half health, but reviving is a slow process that leaves your teammate open for attack. As such, you have the option to let your teammates clear the room first before you order them to bring you back up, but that isn't foolproof. Conversely, you can also revive downed allies (or order anyone still standing to revive their buddy), but if you're not careful, the entire squad could get wiped, and if that happens, you start at your latest save point. Thankfully, the game generously places several healing stations throughout the levels, so you can keep yourself topped up if you happen to find one. Just make sure to also order your teammates to heal, because they can forget. Don't worry about being sent far back after dying, as you can quicksave whenever you want (just don't do it when you're about to die and you'll be fine). And if you want, you can adjust the difficulty to be higher or lower. I played exclusively on Normal, so I don't know what exactly the other difficulties change. You won't be exploring a whole lot in this game, as every level in the game is linear. The most you'll get are corners in rooms with ammo refills and the occasional optional entryway from which you can enter/scope out a room full of enemies. Certain missions also have Delta Squad split up and take on different tasks before meeting back up, which keeps things fresh. While the game does a decent enough job ensuring the battles are balanced depending on your number of party members, you immediately feel the absence of your squad when you're stuck having to do tasks like breaching doors yourself. This version of the game does not have multiplayer, so I can't talk about that. You'll have to play the PC version to see what that's all about. In any case, I think that this game not having co-op for the campaign could be considered a missed opportunity for many players. With that said, I love the order system of the single player just fine and personally think it's equally satisfying as playing this with friends. VERDICT: I can see why Republic Commando ended up building quite the cult following. The FPS action is solid (decent weapon and enemy variety, grenades are super useful, scenarios are challenging), and I really enjoyed the tactical aspect that rewards you for properly coordinating your squad. It's as satisfying to give your team orders and successfully take down hordes of droids with not a scratch on anybody as it is to kick ass on your own with efficient weapon usage. I do wish they spent more time fleshing out the bond of Delta Squad (perhaps the game could have done with a longer campaign with more levels), but apart from that, I had a really fun time. You're probably better off playing one of the Battlefront games if you want a multiplayer-focused Star Wars FPS, but if you're a Star Wars fan who also enjoys single player shooters, I think you'll want to try this. It's a neat (albeit not-quite-canon) look into an unseen part of the Clone Wars, and the tactical shooting action is engaging despite its limitations. Here's the Steam version of the game. If you want to also try the multiplayer, this is the one to get. STAR WARS™ Republic Commando™ on Steam (steampowered.com) - end - I just got home from my late grandfather's burial as I write this. I was asked to give a eulogy as one of his direct descendants, but I was... in no state to speak earlier. The least I could do now is to articulate what I wanted to say here. My lolo was a constant in my life even past my formative years. He's always there in family gatherings, and he's one of the immediate family members I actually see a lot of since he regularly went to the house. He was always kind, understanding, and went out of his way to be helpful or of service (even though he's the senior in the situation). He kept an eye on my brother regularly since Mom would be at work and there usually wasn't an adult at the house, and he even accompanied me to Manila once when I was taking care of my enrollment during my freshman year in college. To hear that he was very ill so suddenly last month took me aback, since despite his penchant for smoking and drinking during gatherings, he was always able to freely do things with no problem. I was thankfully able to visit him during Holy Week earlier this month after being informed by my mother (his daughter) of this jarring development. On one hand, I was a bit excited. I hadn't seen lolo in a while (thanks, COVID), and it was my first time going to his house in Laguna. Mom would only ever tell me he had a house there, but for whatever reason, we never came to visit (perhaps it's because he usually comes here?). I wasn't prepared for what I would arrive to. I'm used to seeing lolo just chilling outside, and I know him to walk as much as I do in his travels to and from the city. His state during that visit was a far cry from what was I used to. He could no longer walk under his own power (having to be wheeled in and out of his own house), and his hands were constantly shaking. Most heartbreaking to me was his constant struggle to speak; I've always known lolo to be quite eloquent (especially in English), and it was hard to watch him have trouble holding a conversation. Despite this, I was able to have one last meaningful conversation that day. As is tradition with our talks, I updated him on the goings-on of my life. I was thankful that I'd been able to turn my life around and share positive things, because I don't know what I would have said if all I had to say was how miserable I was during the past two years. He was glad to have confirmation that I have graduated and thrilled to learn that I have a job, and it was nice to hear all that after everything I put myself through just to achieve those two things. He also asked if I kept my mind sharp with games like chess (I do, but not with chess), and if I learned to drive yet (he asked me this last time we saw each other at a reunion, and the answer is still no). I take solace in the fact that I was able to tell him that I'm doing well (especially given that I wasn't for a long time) before he passed. The news of his passing was equally sudden. It was Monday morning about two weeks later, and it was literally the first thing I heard the moment I woke up. My mom had to hold back tears telling me as she woke me up. Like the other times I was informed that someone I hold dear had passed, I found myself unable to do nothing but sit there in stunned silence. I had to wait until the end of the week before I could make the journey back to Laguna for the wake because I had to be on standby for a work thing. There was another situation where someone's passing completely divided my attention and I struggled to get anything done. This was no exception. I must admit I was frustrated that I had to put this of all things on hold because my current arrangement won't permit it, but it was fortuitous that I was able to come in later in the week. We arrived on the last day of the wake (with the next day being the interment), and I spent my entire day sitting there. From morning until the early evening, I was mostly just seated and pondering the whole situation, but family members started rolling in during the day and there was ample opportunity to talk. I've gone on record to say that I'm a distant person (moreso towards extended family), but this day was a much-needed reminder that my relatives are good people and I shouldn't be a total recluse. It was nice to see cousins, great-aunts/uncles (lolo's siblings), titas/titos (technically Mom's cousins), and [insert family label I don't know] (what do you call your mother's cousin's child?) after quite a while. I'm pretty sure I haven't seen a lot of them since either my own father's passing or some reunion years before that (and they were not shy about pointing that out). It was mostly amusing to see them react to me not being a child anymore and being blown away that my younger brother is also capable of growing. Most of my conversations that day were remixes of the classic "what's up with your life" spiel I described earlier. One of my aunts (seriously, what do you call your mother's cousin?), for whatever reason, was blown away that I'm in software development, and we had a whole conversation about what I do and the logistics of a project their company has planned. I also had a lengthy conversation with one of my uncles, who updated me on his own situation. He was apparently in a bad way a few years back (I was not informed of this), so I'm very glad that he's all right now. He talked about how utterly thankful he was for the support of his children (my cousins) and my mother during that time, we reminisced about dad, and he took pride in the fact that I was a UP graduate. That was a really good talk. I was also tasked by my mom to set up a Zoom meeting for my uncle (his brother) in Toronto during this day. He (along with my cousins and my grandmother) have been living in Canada for years now, and apart from the very rare occasions they come back home, I typically don't see them. Naturally, they want to be a part of the services for lolo's funeral in some way, so I put everything in place and discussed some particulars with my mom. Amusingly, my mom paraded around my work here as some kind of accomplishment amongst relatives like I built the Large Hadron Collider. I just pressed some buttons, Mom. The day of the interment was hard. Lolo being gone didn't really hit me until after the mass and we had to close the casket. My mother was near inconsolable, and I could hear my uncle over Zoom crying. I looked over briefly at the meeting (I was holding the phone streaming the services to overseas relatives) to see him hugging my lola/his mom tightly, who was also in tears. All of that was hard to watch, and I was in tears myself. We walked to the cemetery behind the hearse, had the eulogies, and watched the casket lower to lolo's final resting place. I was already in tears during all this, but I finally broke down when I saw the casket six feet under and threw a flower down. I don't recall if I mentioned this when I talked about Dad, but he was adamant that we not hold any sort of services (viewings, masses, or anything) and insisted that he be cremated straight away instead of being buried. I guess he had the right idea, because the wave of emotions that overcame my family during that day completely drained me. I was asleep for a good while before I got up to write this. Since thinking about what just happened is making me tear up, I'm going to end this with a more positive story.
The one thing that immediately comes to mind whenever I think of lolo is newspapers. I don't think I've ever not seen him reading one or doing a crossword puzzle (often with the radio on a news station). He was always up-to-date on current events, and I was excited when he would come over since I could swipe the paper when he's done to do my own reading. I also relish in the opportunity in finishing the crossword since, despite how well-read and smart he is, there would be times where he doesn't know the answer and I would. He doesn't really have a preferred publication (though if memory serves, he usually got The Manila Bulletin), but it was always a good day if the broadsheet he bought that day had sudoku in it. Sudoku is my jam. I suppose that's all I have to say. The emotions from earlier today are still fresh, but I think I'll be OK. Lolo got to live a full life (man made it to 80; how wild is that?), so many relatives turned up (which speaks to how beloved he was), and I have my fair share of fond memories to look back on. I'll be sure to think of him every time I do a crossword puzzle. - end - We've yet another indie game showcase today, and as usual, I'll document my brief thoughts on each announcement so I have something to refer to when shopping for new games.
Sizzle reel time:
There's no bombshell finale this time around, which I thought was curious. In any case, this was an interesting presentation given that a lot of the stuff shown are follow-ups to previous releases (be it sequels/prequels, spinoffs, and DLC). I liked what I saw, though I did wish there were more of the truly new stuff, because that's what I'm primarily on the lookout for when watching these.
- end - With this game, I finish up the launch lineup of Switch Online's GB emulator. And with Tears of the Kingdom on the horizon, I picked the perfect one to end with. BACKGROUND:
I'm pretty well-versed in the Zelda series, but I definitely haven't played every game in the franchise. This is one of the games I have yet to play. SUMMARY: In a rare departure for the usual Zelda formula, Link finds himself stranded on Koholint Island after a storm destroys his boat during his voyage. He is found by a girl named Marin, who allows him to recover at her house. After Link comes to and retrieves his sword, a talking owl briefs him on the situation. Koholint Island's guardian, the Wind Fish, is trapped in a deep slumber atop a mountain, and Link must scour the island for eight Instruments of the Sirens. These instruments are the key to waking up the Wind Fish, but monsters known as Nightmares guard them, hoping to prevent Link from acquiring the items and thwarting their plans to rule over everything. The fact that we're not in the typical Hyrule setting and Zelda, Ganon, and the Triforce are all missing in action is interesting enough, but later in the game, the truth about Koholint Island is slowly revealed. I actually already knew the twist beforehand, but I found it amusing, nonetheless. It would have been even better if the game explored the implications of Link's actions in response to the revelation, but that's just my feeling on the matter. As far as gameplay is concerned, Link's Awakening DX is your traditional 2D Zelda. You have the top-down perspective, one big overworld to explore with a handful of dungeons containing the main objectives, the usual arsenal of weapons and tools, and a healthy helping of monsters to fight. If you've played A Link to the Past before, this game will feel quite familiar indeed. Koholint Island isn't terribly vast, but there's still optional rewards to uncover for diligent explorers (like the expected Heart Pieces and other bonuses like larger arrow/bomb capacity). Navigation isn't hard, either, as the in-game map has a neat grid that allows you to check each individual screen for information (like the area name or revisiting the owl's dialogue telling you where to go next). In terms of the environments, I would say the only areas that feel unique are Animal Village and the beach. Everything else is standard fare for Zelda locales, apart from the mountain upon which the Wind Fish's egg rests. Link's arsenal is largely the same as what he had in A Link to the Past (minus a handful of items like bottles or the Ice Rod), so again, this is familiar territory for seasoned players. The most notable exception is of course the feather, which gives Link the then-revolutionary ability to jump. Other returning items have been tweaked from previous iterations, like the magic powder being a consumable item, the fire rod being unlimited use (since there's no magic meter), the ocarina having multiple songs with different functions, and the ability to pick up objects being tied to the Power Bracelet (which needs to be equipped instead of being a passive ability). Speaking of equipping things, you're able to equip any combination of your arsenal to your two face buttons. This allows you to actually unequip your sword and try out different loadouts (e.g. you can double up on projectiles and equip both the bow and the boomerang). Although the act of constantly switching items is tedious, there are some interesting combinations, like having the Pegasus Boots and the feather equipped (allowing you to jump really far after a dash), or how equipping the bomb and the bow gives you bomb arrows. The dungeons are standard Zelda fare as well in terms of structure. You can pick up a compass and map like before, and though I didn't think the dungeon map is as helpful this time, the compass has a much-appreciated new feature: it notifies you if a room has a hidden small key (again, classic Zelda dungeon component). Aside from the instrument required to progress the main story, every dungeon also has your usual treasure in the form of a new tool or weapon to use. And like before, dungeon puzzles and boss fights are designed around the use of these items. In terms of dungeon gimmicks go, there isn't much here that I haven't seen before. Classics like pushing blocks and crystals that toggle orange/blue blocks are present here, but there are some neat mechanics like a device that spawns platforms, the game allowing you to walk on top of barriers, and plenty of rooms that take advantage of the fact that you can jump. A few of the dungeons do have some particularly tricky puzzles that may actually necessitate talking to the owl statues who give you hints. Those hints don't come for free, either, as you actually have to find the beak that lets the statue talk within the dungeon before you can access the hints. I thought this was an interesting take on a hint system; you have to make the effort to get those hints, but they're not necessarily required if you manage to figure out what to do. Many dungeons also feature very brief side-scrolling segments not unlike the treasure rooms in the original Zelda. These are a bit more involved than those rooms, as you do have actually navigate some basic obstacles with the help of your trusty feather. Nothing too tricky here, either, but having these segments was a fun change of pace. For those who are unfamiliar, the DX version of Link's Awakening is a re-release designed specifically for Game Boy Color. Obviously, this comes with lovely colors for the charming 8-bit graphics, but the version adds an extra dungeon that's completely optional. This dungeon has some fun puzzles and makes liberal use of the fact that the game has colors, plus the reward is quite helpful for your adventure. A lot of the regular enemies are either taken straight from the older games or feature similar behavior despite having a different sprite. What makes this game stand out is the presence of characters from other Nintendo franchises, as you can fight Goombas, Piranha Plants, and even Kirby. The cameos don't stop there, as some of the NPCs you can interact with include Dr. Wright from the Super Nintendo SimCity, Wart (the final boss of Super Mario Bros. 2), a character from a Japan-exclusive NES game, and a Chain Chomp. The bosses/minibosses are a healthy mix of familiar and new, with some being one-to-one recreations of A Link to the Past fights, and others being completely unique (like the boss that requires the use of the feather to jump over their attack). In terms of challenge, I would say only the final boss was rough given it had multiple phases (and its last phase can kick your ass if you don't have a specific item). I've already talked briefly about optional collectibles and rewards, but one such collectible is interesting both for how tricky they are to find and what the reward is for collecting a lot of them. Throughout Koholint, there are hidden seashells you can pick up, and they're hidden in all sorts of places (under bushes/rocks, in chests, knocking them out of trees). Collecting 20 of them is worth going for, as this is how you get the upgraded sword. I enjoyed finding these seashells a lot, and I found it interesting that there's more than 20 in the game. Another interesting collectible are the photos for the photo album, which are nice-looking stills of notable moments in Link's quest that the photographer NPCs captures. The cutscenes that unlock these are funny, though other than that, they're just collectibles for the sake of collecting. If you were playing this on original hardware and also have the fabled Game Boy Printer accessory, you could print these out as pictures, but alas, no such equivalent exists for the Switch. Perhaps the most notable sidequest in this game is the trading sequence, which involves you acquiring an item, giving it to an NPC, receiving another item in return, then looking for the NPC who wants that item. Fetch quests of this nature can be hit or miss, but I enjoyed this one largely because you'll get most of it done right alongside the main quest. It's technically required for the end (though only to a certain point), but completing the sequence also unlocks a great optional reward. There are some fun interactions that make this game stand out, like the handful of segments where you escort a friendly NPC. When you escort Marin, there are a lot of amusing bits of dialogue you can get out of her when doing various things. Some of these escort missions actually matter during gameplay, like escorting a rooster that allows you to fly over gaps. The best escort mission out of the three is you walking the Chain Chomp, as it attacks nearby enemies for you as you walk around. Other minor things I found amusing were the few impressive-looking cutscenes, minigames (which include fishing, a claw machine, and collecting goodies on a raft), and the hilarious ability to steal from the town shop. If you manage to swipe an item from the shop without getting seen, the game calls you out, going as far as labelling your save file as "THIEF." There's also the penalty of never being allowed to shop again, so I would advise being a shoplifter if you regularly need to restock arrows/bombs. Otherwise, stealing the bow is a great way to save 980 rupees (an absurd amount, but not that hard to accumulate if you find bonus chests and play minigames). VERDICT: Link's Awakening is the standard Zelda-style adventure game I know and love, but it offers plenty to make it stand out from the rest of the series. Between the atypical story, some unique mechanics and fights, and all the Nintendo cameos, there's a lot I like about this title, and I can see myself replaying this the same way I replay A Link to the Past. Handheld entries of notable console series were hit or miss in terms of quality back in the day, but I think Link's Awakening is on equal footing with its predecessors. Now, I haven't played the remake of this game on Switch, but based on what I've seen of that, Link's Awakening on Switch is quite faithful to the original and adds quality-of-life changes on top of that. As such, I feel more comfortable recommending that over this, but of course, I think this version holds up just fine today (apart from the constant need to navigate menus). Also, the remake is still $60 for some reason, which is pretty steep. Wait for a price drop on retail, find a used copy, or cross your fingers that Nintendo has a digital sale (which is painfully rare). - end - Next to play among my final 3DS eShop purchases is this interesting little puzzler. BACKGROUND:
This was a much smaller Nintendo series that mostly stayed under the radar throughout its existence in the 3DS/Wii U era. I didn't know about it myself until Stretchmo (apparently the fourth game in the franchise), which was a free-to-start game on the 3DS that I tried (and enjoyed). Pushmo was a lot like BoxBoy in that it was a digital-exclusive series, so I felt compelled to get at least the first game given that it's yet to get a new iteration on the Switch. Also, fun fact: this game was developed by the same studio behind Fire Emblem! PLOT: The titular Pushmos are block puzzles constructed by a dude named Papa Blox, who is the caretaker of Pushmo Park. Children play in this park and have fun walking atop the Pushmos, but the fun is spoiled when a little shit starts trapping the kids inside the Pushmos. Mallo, one of the people visiting the park, helps Papa Blox free the kids by manipulating the Pushmos and climbing to the top. Apart from the huge red flag regarding the fact that Pushmos are allowed to exist despite how apparently easy it is to trap people in them, and the kind of wholesome ending, there's not much else to the story. The gameplay was more than enough to carry the whole experience for me (as I'll get into later), so I wasn't bothered by this. PRESENTATION: Everything in Pushmo is a delight to look at, from the colorful visuals, the cutesy character designs of Mallo and co. (I don't know what manner of creature they're supposed to be), and the fun pixel art-style images that the Pushmos make. That said, this is still a game running on a humble little handheld device, and this fact is apparent when you look long enough at some of the 3D models. It was always a running gag that the stereoscopic 3D gimmick of the 3DS is next to useless, but this is one of those games where it actually sees some use. The camera angle in the game is fixed, and given the nature of the gameplay, that could potentially lead into some depth perception problems, which the stereoscopic 3D alleviates. This feature has had a history of making me dizzy, though, so I used it sparingly. The music is as cheery and delightful as the visuals, with some happy but chill tunes to solve the puzzles to. As mentioned before, I prefer playing my 3DS with the sound off, so I only listened to the soundtrack on occasion. GAMEPLAY: Pushmos are structures whose blocks can be pulled or pushed a set number of times, and with the right set of steps, you can climb atop them to reach the goal (in this case, a crying child paralyzed by fear of never escaping). The entire game is all about manipulating different Pushmos to create a path to the top with this simple act of pushing and pulling the blocks it's composed of. Funnily enough, you do more pulling than pushing on average, which makes the name of the European release of this game (Pullblox) more apropos. The limitations are equally simple. Mallo can only pull blocks a maximum of three spaces outward and he can only pull them when he has space to move backwards. Typically, you can only pull a block when you're in front of it, but you can also pull a block from the side if it's already partially exposed (allowing for some clever workarounds for tricky puzzles). Mallo himself isn't particularly mobile, and he can only hop one block up and clear gaps one block across. These few rules are all you need to remember, and you really feel the restrictions they create the further you get in the game. There are a whopping 252 puzzles in this game (including 54 tutorial levels), each ramping up in difficulty as you go along. Things start out almost hilariously easy, but once you get to tougher levels (indicated by higher star ratings), you'll start to realize that this supposedly cute little puzzle platformer is a brain-busting bundle of complexity. You'll run into massive Pushmos with a ton of blocks you have to think about, deceptively difficult layouts with seemingly obvious solutions, and puzzles where you really have to think far, far ahead to even conceptualize how to get to the end. Underestimating the puzzles in this game will lead to a prompt humbling once you get to 3 or 4-star levels. There aren't many other gimmicks apart from buttons that extend all blocks of a specific color when pressed and color-coded ladders where both ends have to be unobstructed. It's impressive enough that most of the puzzles in this game don't even need these mechanics to be challenging, so their presence in a puzzle can be quite intimidating. These few gimmicks are that significant in how you approach solving a given puzzle, as misusing a button can completely derail your progress, and accidentally blocking off a ladder can be devastating. I was completely engaged all the way by nearly every puzzle. Many of the later puzzles demanded I think ahead to how I wanted the blocks to look by the end, I had to consider all the possible ways I can manipulate a single block, and I also had to weigh the consequences of using buttons or potentially blocking off ladders. With how many puzzles there are (and how few gimmicks there are), the possibility of repetition was real, but each one felt distinctly challenging from the last. I suppose the only thing I won't recommend is trying to solve several of the hard puzzles in one sitting, because they really are a mental workout. If any of this sounds daunting, don't worry, as the game features both a reset button and a limited time rewind feature in case you get stuck/make a mistake. When things get to be a bit too much, the game even lets you skip levels and revisit them later. I'm not too sure about this, but the option seems to pop up over time, so I suppose one could skip all the way to the end and then play the puzzles in any order they choose. Seems like a lot of waiting, though. Many of the Pushmos are just a random (albeit colorful) assortment of blocks, but there are plenty of them that actually form images reminiscent of old school 8-bit pixel art. Granted, it's a little hard to appreciate these designs in the actual game since the action is zoomed in, but I loved that they had fun with the puzzles in this way. Hell, I'm actually impressed they were able to design so many solvable puzzles that also doubled as images. The best part of this is how many of the puzzles are actually sprites from classic NES games like Super Mario Bros., the original Zelda, and even deep cuts like Kid Icarus and Excitebike. Are 252 levels somehow not enough for you? You're in luck, because there's a studio that lets you craft your own levels as well as a way to share puzzles via the 3DS's ability to read QR codes. I'm sure there's a forum somewhere filled with player-made levels you can download. VERDICT: Pushmo has pretty much everything I enjoy from a puzzle platformer: a smorgasbord of challenging levels that push a very small set of rules/mechanics to their absolute limit. It still amazes me how goddamn tricky some of the later levels were, and it always felt satisfying to figure out the right set of steps to make my way to the top of the blocks. The fact that not a single follow-up to this series has seen the light of day in the Switch generation is almost criminal. Someone tell the folks at Intelligent Systems to stop making Fire Emblem for five minutes so we can get a bloody sequel for this. Or someone twist Nintendo's arm to port the old games over. Just do anything, damn it! I want more of this shit! The odds that this series flew under your radar too is probably pretty high, given I saw little fanfare for any of its releases during its heyday in the 2010s. It is a damn shame that there's no way to legally play this right now, because I honestly think puzzle fans who haven't tried this game are missing out. - end - I don't really have any scheduled reads at the moment, so I'm taking this opportunity to read some more manga. BACKGROUND:
As you may have already guessed, I'm not at all familiar with this title. I simply picked out a name from my list of around 200 manga in my backlog (not hyperbole) that seemed interesting. I had outer space on the mind when I was deciding what to read for this week, so here we are. SUMMARY: Brothers Mutta and Hibito Nanba witness a UFO during their childhood, which inspired them both to become astronauts and go to the moon (where the UFO seemingly went). Ever competitive, the elder Mutta pledges to reach Mars first because that's what older brothers do (or so I'm told). Fast forward nineteen years later (in the year 2025), and we see that Hibito is one step closer to his goal. He's now part of JAXA (Japan's NASA equivalent), and he's one of an elite few set to go to the Moon in a joint program with NASA. Mutta, on the other hand, took a different career path (automotive design), one that was cut short after he was fired for a workplace incident. He tries to find another job in the same industry, but finds that he's pretty much been blacklisted, forcing him to take on odd jobs instead. Seeing that Mutta is down on his luck, Hibito reaches out and reminds him of their childhood dream, urging him to follow through on his promise this time. Meanwhile, their mother secretly sent an application on behalf of Mutta to JAXA, which ends up getting accepted. Thus, Mutta's journey begins anew, and he vows to be by his brother's side once more. The rest of this volume is Mutta undergoing JAXA's rigorous gauntlet of tests and interviews, designed to determine applicants' physical and psychological well-being as well as assess their personality and knowledge. All throughout, Mutta finds himself doubting his place amongst the candidates as he deems some of his colleagues superior and he second guesses his own abilities. Despite this, he still does his best, but the volume ends before we see the results of the final set of evaluations. I completely understand what Mutta goes through in this volume. I am acutely familiar with the feeling that I fell so far from what I aspired to be, and I still deal with the sting of seeing my peers get to where I wished I would be while I wallowed in my own failures. Even his journey to chase his dream again hit very close to home; I myself recently had to deal with that paralyzing feeling of self-doubt that comes from trying to chase a dream I already screwed up once before. I know what it feels to look around and think "I don't deserve to be here" even if I could readily demonstrate my qualifications if asked. Our situation isn't one-to-one, but Mutta's experience is as real as it gets for me. Despite everything preying on Mutta's insecurities (potentially better candidates, perceived screw-ups, the feeling that his brother has surpassed him, being only seen as "related to someone who's successful"), he still pushes forward, and I think that's quite admirable. I suppose having a driving force (in this case, a strong desire to fulfill his childhood dream alongside his brother) does wonders, though I wouldn't know anything about that. Hibito may be much closer to the dream than big brother, but he remains a supportive sibling and takes active part in helping Mutta find his feet again. He trusts that his brother can succeed in his upcoming trials, but he isn't afraid to be blunt when Mutta's doubts start to surface. He (along with their mom, who helps in her own way) is the kind of support system I'd be eternally grateful to have. Mutta gets to know a few of his fellow candidates throughout the many rounds of examinations, from the erudite, well-spoken Kenji Makabe to the total package that is Serika Ito (seemingly the perfect candidate in every way, and pretty to boot). Between these two alone, Mutta has some stiff competition, but that doesn't stop him from befriending them (I don't know if this will change in later volumes). We also meet someone the brothers know as Auntie Sharon, an astronomer who works at an observatory. She did a lot to encourage the Nanba brothers' passion for space during their childhood, and even inspired them to learn some instruments. Sharon and Mutta's reunion in present day stuck with me, as Sharon reminding Mutta of a seemingly random choice he made as a kid ends up having a deeper meaning when they reflect on it years later. The art is pretty impressive overall, between the wide variety of shading/textures applied to depict certain objects/situations (including the prominence of hatching for tense/dynamic panels) and specific objects/backgrounds having almost photorealistic levels of detail. I also found the way faces are drawn to be notable, though I can't quite place why. Perhaps it's a mix of faces not being intricately detailed, yet still having enough that the faces look decently realistic, but also having a few exaggerated details. Describing art is not my forte... VERDICT: Personally, I found Space Brothers to be a compelling read, and that's largely to the connection I feel with Mutta's situation. While I'm not going to space anytime soon, I've felt what he's felt and I've faced similar struggles. I want to read more just to see the man succeed, though I will say I'm also interested about the mystery of the UFO they set up at the beginning. This manga wasn't as jam-packed with sci-fi as one would have assumed from the cover, so if that's what you're after, you might not get it here (at least for Vol. 1). That said, I think Mutta's bout with imposter syndrome is a story many people can read and connect with, and I'd recommend this book on that alone. - end - This, out of every game in GB Online's launch lineup, raised the most question marks in my head. BACKGROUND:
I had no earthly idea what this was before I saw this game on the emulator. Apparently, this was a whole series that started on PC, and is one of the earliest examples of survival horror. Considering my console-based childhood, that would explain why I've never heard of it. I was quite excited to learn something new here. SUMMARY: Alone in the Dark follows the story of investigator Edward Carnby, who is notified by a woman named Aline Cedrac that his partner Charles Fiske had been murdered. Fiske had been working with Cedrac on a case on the not-at-all-ominous Shadow Island, where they planned to retrieve a stolen statuette. The artifact, according to Cedrac, was once used by a tribe called the Abkanis, who reportedly used it to perform magical rituals. She believes that the statuette indeed has mystical properties, and that it is the reason it was stolen by millionaire Alan Morton. Cedrac is also sure that Morton is the one who killed Fiske. Not exactly the most revolutionary story, but it gets the job done. If I were to use a comparison to describe The New Nightmare, this game feels like diet Resident Evil. You move Carnby around in "3D" environments, explore the island per section, the camera angles are fixed, and you have to pick up items that you'll need to unlock inaccessible areas. You'll also encounter monsters that you'll have to dispatch with your guns. As you can tell, a lot of what I recognize as trademarks of the Resident Evil games are present here, but now knowing that this series came first, it seems that I've found the true pioneer of the survival horror genre. The first thing that I noticed about this game is its graphics. The Game Boy Color isn't exactly the cutting edge of technology, but the devs sure did their damnedest to try and capture intricate visuals within the limitations of the hardware. The end result is far from pretty (look at it long enough and it becomes difficult to parse what's what in the mess of colored pixels), but I could still see their intent in replicating the 3D experience while restricted to 2D. If it's any consolation, the seemingly pre-rendered elements of the visuals (like the loading screens, the cutscenes, and the environments) look decent despite the circumstances. Wish I could say the same about the character sprites. In terms of exploration, the island isn't that big, so you won't really get lost or miss anything. What makes exploring a pain in the ass is trying desperately to parse the warped images on the screen. There were plenty of instances when I'd get stuck because I completely missed the other exits. A graphical powerhouse, the Game Boy Color is not. Puzzles aren't any more difficult, because there's none of them to speak of. The only thing you need to do to get past barriers like doors is to simply look around until you pick up the appropriate key or interact with the right switch. I suppose the only thing that could cause problems is how certain items/interactables are unavailable until you read the few journal pages you pick up. Other than that, a lot of what you need to interact with is noticeable in the environment thanks to incredibly helpful sparkles, so apart from some exceptions (I have no clue why they didn't just give everything sparkles), you won't miss anything here, either. Combat plays out like RPG-style random encounters, albeit the encounters themselves are fixed. In these battles, you're thrown into a sort of top-down shooter situation where you try to shoot at various generic enemies like spiders (and the only behavior any enemy has is walking towards you). I did not enjoy this part very much, because it's hard to tell where your shots are going to land, and your character can't really maneuver in a way that allows you to reliably avoid enemies. You don't die in one hit, at least, and most encounters have ammo drops, but overall, these segments were not fun. The weapons aren't interesting, either, as apart from requiring different ammo, their only differences are rate of fire and damage output. You can also find ammo and health potions while exploring, which is nice. Don't worry about the scarcity of the latter, however, as apart from literally a handful of screens with hazards, it is impossible to get hurt unless you're thrown into combat. Plus, you can save pretty much anywhere, so even if you get your ass kicked, you can just load a previous save. VERDICT: Unfortunately for Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare, I played the Resident Evil games first, so I can't exactly say I was impressed by the barebones survival horror experience it provided. The gameplay itself has since been refined in other games, and apart from the atmosphere (that they did the best they could to create on a handheld console), there's nothing remotely eerie about what's going on. Overall, it was an inoffensive time. All that said, I'm glad to have played this game, since I ended up learning about a series that a) I've never even heard about, and b) is more historically significant than I gave it credit for. And for all the trouble the graphics gave me, I would still argue that the final product here is nothing to scoff at. I'm now compelled to check out at least the original Alone in the Dark to satisfy my personal quest to explore as much of the world of video games as possible, as well as play the other versions of this title to see what's different. You're more likely to get a satisfying survival horror experience from titles like Resident Evil or Outlast, so you could probably get away with not playing this one. If you're still interested in playing this specific title, I'd recommend keeping a walkthrough handy just so you know what to look for in the environment. - end - As I mentioned previously, I bought a few more games before Nintendo shut down the 3DS eShop forever. Let's talk about one of them right now. BACKGROUND:
This game made a bit of waves back in the day due to it being developed by Game Freak (most recognized as the Pokémon devs, and usually little else). There was a demo for it at the time, which I actually played (and really enjoyed). I never got around to buying it for whatever reason; I reckon it was because I was playing mostly on the Wii U back then, but I just had to buy this 3DS eShop exclusive before it's lost forever. PLOT: You play as a fledgling jockey who's a little too enthusiastic about proving themselves on the racetrack. Their early attempt at getting on a horse nearly ends in disaster, as the resulting accident is a near-death experience. Our main character is then briefly visited by some sort of angel, who gives them a unique way of becoming a skilled jockey: treat it like a game of solitaire. After that hilariously weird intro, there's not really much of a story, as you just go through the rigamarole of entering races with different horses. You will meet a handful of quirky characters along the way, like the owners of the various racehorses you ride (which includes a game developer and a pop star), a rival jockey who's paranoid about your sudden rise to prominence, and a shopkeeper named Chirp who chirps when she talks. You learn a bit more about these characters the more successful you get, but that's about it. PRESENTATION: The game has a simplistic, cute art style with mostly flat (but vibrant) colors, thick outlines, and an overall chibi aesthetic for the horses and characters. There are some neat designs for the horses and well-animated visuals for the actual race, which is a bit of a shame since you'll be spending most of your time looking at the bottom screen (where the gameplay primarily takes place). I typically play 3DS games with the sound off, but they're worth turning on for this game. The soundtrack is surprisingly catchy and it keeps the vibe upbeat despite the take-your-time nature of the gameplay. Some of the tracks seemed to lean towards jazz in terms of genre, and I was surprised to hear a bit of vocals in some of them. GAMEPLAY: Pocket Card Jockey is all about winning horse races, but you don't actually control the horse in a conventional way. Instead, the key to victory is playing a form of solitaire. I'll get into the specifics in a little bit, but the main idea is that the better you do in the card game, the better your horse runs. Specifically, you play a more lenient variation of golf solitaire in Pocket Card Jockey. If you're not familiar with it, golf is a simple game where you have to clear the board simply by playing cards that are one value higher or one value lower. If you happened to catch my post on Solitairica, you've heard this explanation before, and if the explanation doesn't suffice, here's a link where you can play golf solitaire for free on your browser. Conveniently, the game has a training mode where you can freely play the card game without the whole horse race stuff if you're still learning the ropes or just want to practice. In the main game, however, you play multiple rounds of solitaire as the race progresses on the top screen. How well you do in each round determines your horse's performance in the race, as leftover cards affect your horse's mood negatively. If your horse is in a bad mood, they'll likely run much slower, lose more stamina, or in some unfortunate cases, go out of control. Each round also has a time limit (also affected by your horse's mood), so make sure to clear as many cards as you can before it hits zero. On the flip side, clearing cards increases the Unity between you and the horse. Unity is a resource you can spend to either reposition your horse between solitaire rounds or convert to Enthusiasm, which determines your top speed in the Homestretch. Getting a full clear nets you bonuses as well, with the rewards varying depending on your position on the track. Having a lot of Unity can help you in a race, which makes the starting round of solitaire (which has a short time limit but a smaller board) extremely important. The idea here is to clear the board such that some of the S-T-A-R-T cards at the bottom are revealed. Each of those cards will have bonus Unity on them, and it's a tricky balance between getting to the card with the most Unity and clearing any of the other cards so you don't start the race empty-handed. Thankfully, the normal rounds don't involve as much time pressure. Repositioning your horse is more than just getting yourself in front. The game will mark areas called Comfort Zones, each with varying levels (from Lv. 1 to 3). Running in a Comfort Zone adds Enthusiasm to your counter the longer you stay in, with the rate you earn increasing the higher the level of the Comfort Zone. However, the rounds of solitaire you have to play get much harder on higher Comfort Zones, so there's reason to move out when, say, you've been failing to clear cards effectively. The full clear bonuses I mentioned are significant depending on the Comfort Zone level; higher levels grant you extremely helpful buffs like no stamina loss, for instance. You also have to take into account the rival horses in your vicinity, as they can absolutely block your path in the Homestretch (and even crash into you at multiple points in the race). Depending on the pace of the race and the track you're racing on, you'll also have to take turning loss into account. The further outside you are on the track when turning loss is in effect, the more stamina your horse loses, which will make them slower at the end. Often, special cards with symbols also spawn on the track that you can collect, which incentivize you to reposition for bonuses. The types of cards that spawn depend on the mode you're playing (more on that later), but the gist is that you pick them up, and in the next round of solitaire, some of the playing cards will have symbols on them. If you clear them, you get the bonus corresponding to the symbol (e.g. heart is an extra point of stamina, carrot maxes out your horse's mood, red fireballs add Enthusiasm, and blue fireballs, which I discuss briefly in the next part). In some instances, there are cards on the track that you do want to avoid, because failing to clear them in the solitaire round is a massive penalty to your horse's mood. After you play the designated number of solitaire rounds (determined by the race event you're competing in), you enter the Homestretch. Here, the game is mostly played for you, as your horse runs full tilt based on your remaining stamina and all the Enthusiasm you've earned. The most you can do is move your horse from side to side as to avoid others in the way, as well as expend any stamina cards/bonus blue fireball cards you still have for a burst of speed (handy if you need to eke out a win). Whether or not you win does involve a fair bit of luck; at the end of the day, you're still playing a card game, and there's also the matter of the other horses simply having beefed up stats. That said, all the other parts do tip the scales somewhat (especially the matter of positioning your horse). Of course, before you can race, you'll need to pick a horse. You'll be given a few choices at the start, each with different attributes. Each horse has two stats (speed and stamina, both of which are self-explanatory), the potential for two skills (abilities that activate at random, like Infinite Time for the solitaire rounds), a trait (like the Charger trait, which grants bonus Enthusiasm depending on your horse's position relative to something), a running style (which determines their most effective position relative to the other horses in the race), and their Peak Time (the round number where the solitaire game will give you bonus Enthusiasm). It was really surprising to see there was a lot to this. There are two phases to Pocket Card Jockey: Growth Mode and Mature Mode. The horses you select at the start are young, so you'll start out in Growth Mode. Each race in Growth Mode takes place monthly, and the idea is to level up your two-year-old horse as much as you can until it turns four years old. Winning is pretty important, of course, but you'll also want to pick up experience cards on the track to level up the horse's stats and unlock its skills, as well as save leftover stamina cards on the Homestretch so they become bonus XP. Once your horse turns four, you get to play them in Mature Mode. Here, you don't get any more opportunity for growth; whatever stats and skills your horse got previously, that's all you have. The goal here is to simply win as many races as you can. If you lose three times, your horse must retire, and you get to repeat the cycle of Growth to Mature mode with a completely different horse. In between races, you can spend some of the prize money you win for placing on the podium in races in the shop. The items give you buffs for the next race, like bonus stamina for your horse, or various items that make solitaire easier. The prices get steep the further on you go, however. Fret not if you've gotten attached to your horse, or ended up with one that boasts some really good stats. In the farm, you can still see retired horses hanging out, but more importantly, you can breed male and female horses to produce more powerful offspring. I haven't really figured out the mechanics here, but generally, you want two top performing horses to be the parents. Oh, and inbreeding is highly discouraged in this game (they're apparently harder to control), so it'll take multiple playthroughs to get viable horses. There are also a bunch of other miscellaneous features, like a museum (which tracks everything from the races you've won and your best times in each course), collectibles you can throw extra money at, and the apparent ability to import/export horses via the 3DS's ability to scan QR codes. VERDICT: Pocket Card Jockey manages to combine two completely unrelated things (racing horses and card games) into one extremely addictive package. I already am a sucker for solitaire games, and this game gives me that plus an added layer of strategy with regards to positioning my horse between rounds and plenty of potential to minmax horses with selective breeding. I found myself going "just one more race" every time I boot this game, and it's already becoming a problem. Needless to say, I think I got my money's worth. You unfortunately can't buy this version anymore, but I heard that there's a newer version on iOS's Apple Arcade called Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! I don't know how much that changes from the original, but if you like card games like I do and are intrigued by the whole horse racing business, I highly recommend giving it a try if you have an iOS device. I am willing to argue it's worth the Apple Arcade subscription. Here's the App Store page for Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! on the App Store (apple.com) - end - I chose this to be my first read for the month of April simply because it has the word "April" in the title. That is the extent of my terrible humor. BACKGROUND:
Some of my friends spoke highly of this series, so I am at least vaguely familiar with it. Still, I can't say I've seen much of the anime, let alone read the manga, so it's as good as new to me. SUMMARY: Kosei Arima was once a famous piano prodigy, but the death of his mother caused him to break down completely and become unable to play. Now, he's content not really doing much at school, only really hanging out with his friends Tsubaki and Watari. It really seems like Kosei's bleak outlook on life would persist until he meets Kaori, a gifted violinist whom Watari is courting. Tsubaki (aware of Kosei's personal tragedy) tricks him into going with them to cheer Kaori on as she performs in a violin competition. Kosei is moved by Kaori's iconoclast performance, and for the first time in seemingly forever, he sees a little color in his life again. Kosei and Kaori have a very awkward first meeting (where Kosei discovers that Kaori has a rather aggressive, free-spirited personality), but through their mutual friends, they start spending a bit of time together. Kaori is clearly aware of Kosei's talent, and with Tsubaki's insistence, persuades (well, more like bullies) Kosei into becoming her accompanist for her violin performances. Kosei vehemently refuses at first, but the volume ends with him taking the leap in hopes of figuring himself out. As far as backstories go, Kosei's is pretty rough. It turns out the main reason behind his mastery of the piano was due to how brutal his late mother was in instructing him. I can barely imagine the trauma that must have come from that, and I can't even begin to understand how it must feel when she died. Sure, she was horrible, but she also taught Kosei the one thing he knows; how do you reconcile the fact that the one thing you know was literally beaten into you, but you know nothing else? Kosei is free, sure, but free to do what? We don't know much about Kaori in this volume, but it's evident from the start that she's passionate about music, and not in the way Kosei was taught. She's not concerned about winning competitions; instead, she's all about playing her way. It's also apparent that there's a deeper motivation in her desire to play the way she does (based on how fervently she implores Kosei to play alongside her at the end of the volume), but that isn't revealed just yet. Tsubaki and Watari are along for the ride for most of the volume, and while the two seem preoccupied with their respective sports or focusing on supporting Kaori, they're generally good friends with Kosei. Tsubaki in particular worries about Kosei's well-being (though she doesn't say that to his face), and Watari remains supportive when he guesses that Kosei may have developed feelings for Kaori. On the flip side, they are not afraid to get physical to bully Kosei into doing things. If that ain't true friendship, I don't know what is. For the most part, the art style doesn't go all in on the finer details, but there are definitely panels that are more intricately drawn than others. The manner of shading also varies, and it's used quite well to convey the emotion of the scene (e.g. lighter shades of gray for more idyllic visuals, starker contrasts when going deep into Kosei's trauma). I also enjoyed the abundance of goofy facial expressions and surprisingly effective depiction of movement (which, hilariously, is used to great effect when Kosei is being chased/getting his ass kicked by his friends or Kaori). VERDICT: Your Lie in April Vol. 1 sets the stage for a very emotional journey for Kosei, who's been through a lot and is finally seeing some semblance of moving forward after meeting someone special. I look forward to seeing Kosei taking his first step towards finding himself goes, and how Kaori will play into that journey. I would like to read more, but I feel like watching the anime first would be more impactful, since I get to hear music. A lot of my friends who followed this story were moved by it, so based on that, this might be one to read if you want something that tugs at the heartstrings. Volume 1 has some pretty heavy stuff already, but I do know that things get more emotional later on. - end - Next on my GB Online playlist is perhaps the most interesting title I've played so far. BACKGROUND:
My exposure to Wario has always been either via the many Mario spinoffs or the WarioWare series, so I know next to nothing about the Wario Land series. Jumping into a Nintendo series I haven't played at all is as exciting as it gets when it comes to my retro adventures. SUMMARY: Wario's having a fun day flying his plane.... until it goes kaput, at which point he crashes down into a forest. He stumbles upon a cave with a mysterious music box after he comes to, and the ever-greedy bastard tries to take it for himself. Unfortunately, he's sucked into the music box, which apparently houses an entire world within it. With the guidance of a hidden figure who promises to help him return to his world, Wario must scour this strange land for magical artifacts to restore the hidden figure's power. It's nothing out of this world, but the story gets the job done. Wario Land 3 is a 2D platformer where you run and jump like most titles in the genre, but the way it's structured is quite the departure from the usual offerings. Instead of simply getting to the end of a level, the goal is to acquire a colored key somewhere in the level and using it to open the corresponding chest elsewhere. Finding the key and the chest is only part of the challenge, as along the way, you'll have to solve puzzles to unlock the way forward and avoid all sorts of obstacles meant to annoy the hell out of you. Each level has four treasure chests you can acquire, but at the start, it's impossible to acquire everything in one go. The way this game works is the treasures actually give you the means to go to previously inaccessible areas in past levels, so there's a lot of revisiting levels to try and collect everything. For example, a treasure in one level will end up clearing an obstacle present in other levels, while other treasures reveal completely new levels with their own set of treasures to acquire. There's even a day and night cycle that swaps every time you exit a level. Most levels aren't actually affected by this mechanic, but there are a few that do change depending on the time of day. Some paths may only be open during the night, or the enemies you run into may change. I liked the idea of the levels changing via this mechanic, but I feel like it was only relevant in a small number of levels. It was to the point that I actively ignored it and ended up not noticing that some levels did actually change depending on whether it was day or night. Backtracking to-and-fro sounds like too much effort, but I found this game's approach to it quite fun. Most levels aren't that expansive, so even if you have to go through a section over and over, it won't take long. The best part is that once you start unlocking alternate paths in the level, those new paths have a completely different feel from what you've already played through thanks to the different puzzles/challenges you'll encounter. It felt satisfying to go back to a level and finally explore that area that felt out of reach for so long. Keeping track of everything that you've collected is tough at first, but there is a way to see what you have in-game. What I did find challenging is making mental notes of every level I had to revisit after getting a treasure, since multiple levels can open up when you collect something. If it's any consolation, the game shows you exactly which levels to revisit after you acquire a treasure, and if you lose track of your progress, you can consult the hidden figure in the temple for a hint on where to go next. If you want 100%, however, it may do some good to keep a walkthrough in your back pocket, as the game only tells you the critical path. The levels themselves are plentiful, but in terms of mechanics or locations, it's probably nothing you haven't already seen before. I will say that they all look pretty nice along with the character sprites. At the start, Wario can only run, jump, roll down slopes, and perform his signature shoulder bash. Certain treasures can expand his platforming repertoire, eventually allowing him to swim underwater, jump higher, ground pound, and throw enemies. These abilities are required to open up specific paths in particular levels, so there's a bit of a Metroidvania feel to this game as well. Enemies are perhaps the most interesting deviation from the norm in this game. They can definitely get in your way, but unlike most other games.... they actually can't kill you. In fact, you can only "die" during the final boss. Plenty of enemies or hazards simply send you flying, but several of them have unique interactions with Wario, transforming him into all sorts of things. Coming into contact with fire, for instance, sends Wario running as a fire is literally lit under his ass. These transformations aren't just for comedic effect, either, as some puzzles or obstacles require Wario to be transformed in some fashion. There are a ton of examples, but a few include a zombie transformation that lets Wario descend thin platforms, blocks that can only be broken if you're on fire/crushed after you've eaten a donut (and become a very rotund individual), or areas that require you to float upwards as a puffy Wario. You can even transform into a vampire or be flattened, which allows you to squeeze through tiny gaps. This mechanic was really entertaining, not just because the ways Wario's sprite drastically changes are hilarious, but I also loved all the puzzles they came up with that revolve around them. In general, most of the platforming sections to acquire the game's many keys and treasures are really fun, having you use both these transformations and Wario's innate platforming abilities in challenging ways (e.g. maintaining a transformation while avoiding a gauntlet of enemies, timing-based challenges, and more). You'll also run into more than a few bosses on your journey. It's your usual "rule of three" deal (hit 'em three times in the weak spot and you win), but the fights themselves make creative use of Wario's abilities (particularly the ability to throw objects), involve multiple steps, have unique arena layouts, or are straight up weird gimmicks (the most notable of which is a soccer match turned into a boss fight). Apart from a couple of fights that get annoying if you get hit (there are some fights where getting hit knocks you out of the boss room, so you end up doing a walk of shame), the bosses aren't too much trouble, but fighting them is overall fun and memorable. There's also a golf minigame, and they're the only use for the coins you collect in the game (as you have to pay to play). It plays like any golf game (press a button to set your swing power, try to get a score under par), though the perspective is that of a side-scroller. The minigame gives you bunkers, rough, and water to maneuver around, but apart from that, it's pretty simple. You'll run into one of these minigames in most of the regular levels, and clearing them is required to get one of the keys needed to open one of the chests. Optional treasures in specific levels unlock the ability to play golf whenever you want, which is a neat reward. Speaking of optional treasures, every level also has eight music coins you can collect. They only unlock an extra golf course for the minigame, but the journey of collecting them is quite fun since many of them are pretty well-hidden. I suppose my only gripe here is that you have to collect them in one run as none of them count as collected even if you clear the level. If you manage to open every chest in the game, you unlock Time Attack mode, where you try to get all four keys in a level as quickly as possible. It's the perfect challenge for people who have taken the time to learn the ins and outs of every level. VERDICT: Wario Land 3 was so much fun from start to finish. It featured the exploration-heavy platforming I know and love from the Metroidvania genre, had a lot of interesting puzzles that used both Wario's abilities and the kooky transformation gimmick, and even had some neat boss fights and challenging optional collectibles. Plus, the transformations themselves were entertaining due to how they'd radically transform Wario's sprite. I thoroughly enjoyed taking my time to 100% this game, and if the other Wario Land games are anything like this, sign me the fuck up. I highly recommend this game not just because of its significance as part of the pre-WarioWare days, but just because the unorthodox nature of its 2D platformer gameplay is something worth experiencing at least once. Some of the puzzles can be troublesome, but I think most people can get into this since there's no stress when it comes to getting game overs and you can explore levels at your own pace. I would advise keeping a walkthrough handy just in case you lose track of where you've been. - end - Look at me, playing a party game by myself. That isn't sad at all. BACKGROUND:
I saw a fair amount of promotional material for this game during its original release many years ago, and while I wanted to get it for the Wii U at the time, I never really got around to it. Eventually, it got ported to Switch, but even then, it wasn't a high priority purchase. It took Epic Games making the game free for a week for me to finally get around to playing it. PLOT: There's really not much of a plot overall, even for the single player modes. The most you're going to get for the campaign is that Satura (the monochromatic woman) seems upset that all the other folks are having fun, so she decides to cause chaos and transforms people into monsters. Hue and Val, the default characters, have to collect trophies scattered across the worlds and fight Satura to restore order. I don't really have anything to say about it, but I suppose the ending is wholesome. PRESENTATION: The game's striking minimalist style pops out immediately with its flat, but vibrant colors. Despite the overall simplicity of the visuals, the levels still have personality with various background elements, and the cartoony characters (and their wide array of fun costumes) look delightful. The music is super upbeat, and the tracks take on a small assortment of different genres and sounds. I heard some techno and jazz in there, and I was amused by the abundance of trumpets overall. Although this is an element only noticeable briefly, I like how the loading screens for each mode are styled like old-school movie posters. GAMEPLAY: Runbow is a side-scrolling 2D platformer with a core mechanic centered around color. At regular intervals, the color of the background will change, and this affects elements in the level. If a platform, wall, or hazard matches the current color of the background, it doesn't exist, and will only reappear once the background color changes to something else. It's this very core mechanic that caught my eye all those years ago, and it's applied in all sorts of cool ways in the game's many levels. You have your standard colored platforms, barriers that become shortcuts in the right color, deadly spikes that become not-so-deadly when timed right, and even colored shields for enemies that make them invincible unless the background matches their shield's color. Even the color changing mechanic itself is mixed up in different ways, like with scrolling multicolor backgrounds, or spotlights that move back and forth. The level design mixes the color gimmick with tried-and-true platformer mechanics. These include (but are definitely not limited to): moving platforms, hazards like spikes and lava, enemies you can bounce on, auto-scroller sections, and much more. Most of it is stuff I've seen before in other games, but the added mix of the color mechanic does a hell of a lot to make these classic elements feel fresh. A lot of the time, you have to play through each level at the pace that the game sets with the timing of the color changing. Not being able to play at your own pace tends to be inherently frustrating, and while I'm used to cycle-based platforming, I feel the need to point this out since some players may not be as well-versed with the concept. Some of the levels I played through can be a little unforgiving when it comes to the timing, and I did get stuck briefly in levels that also demand some precise execution. Speaking of execution, your character controls pretty smoothly, so unless you have a particularly unresponsive controller/keyboard, you won't get tripped up by wrong/missed inputs. As far as abilities go, you have a double jump, a punch, and a dash, which is standard platforming fare. Perhaps my one gripe with the game control-wise is how the game implements the dash. That's because it's mapped to the same button as punch. While you can conveniently input up + dash for a vertical dash and down + dash for a sort of ground pound, you have to tap punch twice to get a horizontal dash. To me, this is borderline unusable. I have to mash the button to get a dash out, and in situations where a horizontal dash would actually be useful, that split second I spend to press the button again is actually enough to mess up my timing and cause my death. And if, for whatever reason, I hesitate, I end up punching in midair, which halts my momentum and also leads to death. I really wish dash were its own button for this oddly specific reason, but if it's any consolation, the current setup works perfectly fine for vertical/diagonal dashes. There are plenty of modes in the game. Two of these can be played in single player: Adventure (AKA the main story), and the Bowhemoth challenge. I'll talk about these one by one. Adventure has you make your way to five encounters with Satura by playing one level at a time. As you do so, you unlock more levels, and you can carve your own path to the boss encounters by playing whatever sequence of levels you wish. You can blast through the game by taking the shortest path, but I think that would be a disservice, because the story mode has a whopping 140 levels you can play. There's a ton of variety to the mechanics you'll encounter in each, and the color mechanic is applied creatively in many levels. Most of these levels will be your typical "get to the end" kind of levels, but there are a few gimmick levels in there, like a bunch that just have you try to collect a set number of coins without dying. Pretty much all the levels in the campaign are short, which is good news for the tougher ones (I ran into many levels that had me resetting numerous times over the course of several minutes). Each one also rewards a set number of medals based on your clear time, and those medals unlock all sorts of things. Bowhemoth, on the other hand, is one grueling gauntlet that has you try and clear an incredibly challenging long level in one go. I'm a seasoned platformer veteran, and this mode is no pushover. Patience is definitely a virtue here. While these two modes are ostensibly single player, they can be played co-op. The max number of players is nine, so there's probably a threshold where shit gets way too chaotic. Otherwise, it sounds like a fun idea to try and beat tough levels with friends. Runbow is more built around the multiplayer, and there are three modes you can try with up to nine players. Run! is pretty much just a race to the end, Arena is where all the brawling happens and you try to be the last person standing, and King of the Hill has players fight for control of a single point in the level. They all have their specific appeal, but the common denominator here is that they all lend themselves well to frenetic chaos, which is exactly what you want from a party game like this. If your friends don't own Runbow, not to worry, as this game also allows for online play with randoms. I don't feel like it's the same, though, because there really is something special about having friends react to wacky shit happening onscreen beside you. The game has a ton of costumes you can unlock and wear to differentiate yourself from the other players. In addition to that, you can also play as one of many guest characters from other indie games, from heavy hitters like Shovel Knight and Shantae, cult classics like CommanderVideo and Gunvolt, and even deep cuts like Xeodrifter and ARID. None of these special guests have any additional abilities, but it's cool to see them in the game's simple art style running around. VERDICT: Runbow's colorful core mechanic delivered a ton of fun level designs, and while the game is more multiplayer-focused, I'm quite happy that there are two robust single player modes where the color changing is applied in all sorts of creative ways in over a hundred levels (many of which pose a respectable challenge). I'd like to properly play this game's chaotic multiplayer modes with friends at one point, but for now, I am more than delighted with the single player offerings. Whether you're looking for an easy-to-learn party game that can accommodate a lot of people, or you're a solo player into platformers and think the main gimmick is interesting, Runbow can cover both bases no problem. Check out the game on the following platforms: - end - |
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