I'm making some real progress with my Steam backlog, as I've got another finished game to talk about right here. BACKGROUND:
Outlast was one of those horror games that a lot of Let's Play channels played at the time, but strangely enough, I never watched a playthrough of it. I was able to capitalize on a Humble Bundle promotion that gave me this game for free, but I never got around to play it until now. A fun thing I did for my playthrough of this is that I streamed it to my friends on our private Discord server. I had been toying around with the idea of streaming again this year, and I wanted to try out Discord's Go Live function, so I thought a game that would scare my friends would be the perfect thing to have them watch. It was a really fun experience that reminded me of the old days (when friends would huddle up around the guy with the laptop and watch the game), and I'm planning to do more of these streams soon. And with the really rough year I've been having (which I'm sure is a sentiment many can relate to), getting to hang out with friends virtually is something I really need for my shattered psyche. PLOT: The game follows Miles Upshur, an investigative journalist, who's just gotten a tip about strange goings-on at Mount Massive Asylum. The tip alleges that the people running the place, Murkoff Corporation, have been conducting unethical experiments on the patients within the asylum. Seeking to take the corporation down, Miles heads to the asylum, but finds the place in utter ruins. To make things more unsettling, there are dead bodies everywhere, and the things that left those dead bodies are 100% still in there with Miles. As you go through the game, you will learn more of the exact nature of the experiments, and how they made the patients completely homicidal. Some of the details are relayed to you in scripted scenes with lots of dialogue, but a lot of it must be pieced together by finding various text documents scattered about in the game. Overall, I thought the story was interesting, because while it's grounded for the most part (dealing with criminally insane patients and all), it goes in a sort of sci-fi/supernatural direction that I wasn't quite expecting. I wouldn't say it's particularly innovative, but I was sufficiently engaged. Miles is a silent protagonist, so you won't get much personality out of him, but you'll also encounter a small assortment of characters throughout the story. Majority of them have unfortunately gone off the deep end, so you don't get much out of them other than how events have completely warped their minds. Learning more about these characters requires reading the aforementioned documents, and if you're not a fan of storytelling that involves piecing things together yourself, or lots of reading, you may not enjoy the story as much. I personally find some enjoyment with this method of storytelling, but I understand that it's not for everyone. PRESENTATION: I'd say this game looks pretty good in terms of visuals, but it's nothing insanely impressive. The 3D models and textures are all pretty decent for the most part. The environments aren't all that remarkable, though to be fair, there's only so much you can do to make an asylum look interesting. There are a lot of gory visuals (like mutilated corpses, disfigured patients, pools of blood, and scattered viscera) and violent moments in the game, so fair warning to the squeamish. Both the strongest and weakest point of this game is its lighting. As this is a horror game, you would naturally expect little lighting, and that is true for Outlast. Most rooms are poorly lit for one reason or another, and it's done in a way that adds to the creepy atmosphere. It really makes you want to be cautious when moving across areas. However, the game sometimes takes this too far, with some places being so dark as shit, it's difficult to figure out where to go or to find what you need. That said, there is night vision, so it's only really a pain if you decide not to use it. On that note, the game in night vision mode looks damn good, and it adds to the dreadful atmosphere, too. The game excels in terms of audio. The music is suspenseful, and the tracks fit the mood of the current situation to a tee (e.g. eerie music when exploring, panic-inducing music for chase sequences). The sound design is where the audio really shines, with pretty good stereo sound (I can usually tell in which direction footsteps are coming from), and terrifying sound effects. One particular sound effect we all agreed was well done was the heavy breathing of the player character. If something frightening happens in the game, Miles would start hyperventilating, and I thought this was a brilliant attention to detail. Plus, this adds to the sense of dread the player feels; I was honestly more unnerved by the panicked breathing than the actual scares in the game. GAMEPLAY: Outlast is a first-person survival horror game. The idea is to explore the various areas of the museum, find items and interact with objects to unlock new areas, and to run the fuck away from danger. Unlike other survival horror games, which give you some sort of offensive capability (like a gun), you are utterly defenseless here. Your options are, as the game itself tells you: run, hide, or die. The fact that this is all you can do in the face of danger certainly adds to the sense of dread. All you have on you is a video camera, which you can toggle on and off at any time. It has two functions: first, turning it on during key moments records a Note, which you can view in a menu to help piece together the story. Second, and more importantly, the camera has a night vision feature, which is the key to navigating the seemingly infinite dark areas of the asylum. Using night vision drains the camera's battery, and you'll need to look around for spare batteries to keep it alive. I thought the implementation of the camera as a mechanic was neat; it serves a story purpose and a gameplay purpose at the same time. The night vision is an interesting take on resource management; you almost always need to use it for most of the areas, but you can't use it forever, so you have to pick and choose your spots to turn it on. In my playthrough, I didn't really have any issues managing battery power, but I can't imagine this game being that pleasant to play without the night vision. Something about how the environment is laid out makes it somewhat confusing to navigate, and I got lost or turned around a fair amount of times. I'd wager that I would have found it infuriating without night vision. Speaking of navigation, the game is mostly linear, but there are a good number of instances where you have to explore branching paths or backtrack. It's generally easy to find your way around thanks to straightforward paths or helpful signs, but in some areas, it can be difficult to notice the way to go. There are also areas that loop back around on each other, which can get confusing at times. The few extra rooms there are usually lead to documents or batteries. Although most of your movement is just running around, there are also instances where you have to vault over obstacles, squeeze through tight spaces, shimmy across ledges, pull yourself up to vents, and jump across gaps (we joked during streams that this was "some Nathan Drake shit", in reference to the Uncharted games). Though it's generally simple to execute these (just walk up to the designated area and you'll do it automatically), it's sometimes not immediately noticeable that you can perform these actions in a given area. There are certainly moments where I wandered around like an idiot for several minutes because I didn't look up and see an open vent, or didn't realize that I could climb onto those stack of boxes. Also, the jump is practically useless apart from small gaps; you can't jump over or onto anything that isn't explicitly an object meant to be vaulted over or climbed. Most of the puzzles are pretty tame, and they're either a variation of "interact with a number of switches and then hit this main switch after" or "find the key somewhere". The trouble is mostly in actually finding the places, or surviving long enough to get everything done. There are also moments when you can push obstacles in front of/away from doors (either to open up a path or to block enemies), but those aren't complex either. If you're looking for something engaging in this aspect of gameplay, this is not really the game for you. Of course, because this is a horror game, there are a bunch of deranged motherfuckers out to kill you. As stated before, all you can do is run or hide, so avoiding these assholes involves plenty of running around. In some areas, all you have to do is outrun the bastards (and that will usually involve well-timed jumps or something of the sort), or you have to lure them into an area, run circles around them, and make a mad dash out of the way. In terms of hiding, you can interact with lockers and hide under beds, but these hiding spots only work if you aren't spotted going into them, and if there's more than one hiding spot in an area. You have to do a lot of running and hiding, and it's easy to lose one's sense of direction when doing so. Having people watch me play and assist me when I get turned around definitely mitigated the frustration I felt in such moments. Since I am usually terrible at stealth, a lot of what I did was running, but hiding and sneaking around is definitely effective if done right. Waiting for the enemy to walk past your hiding spot and sneaking away is a completely viable strategy, and not running or opening doors quietly makes you less likely to be noticed. I found that there were a fair amount of jump scares in the game, so if you hate shit like that, you will probably have an unpleasant time even just watching this game. As somebody who doesn't really get fazed by horror and has seen a lot of the common setups for scares, the most I could muster for a lot of these jump scares is a mild startled reaction. What I found more stressful were situations in which you actually know danger is present; the game usually gives you audio cues or presents the danger at a somewhat safe distance (which is often enough to prepare). Shit gets a little intense when you lose track of where the danger is, get lost/turned around/get stuck in a dead end, or do something too slow and let the enemy catch up to you. For those reasons, I found the numerous chase sequences to be the most thrilling moments of the entire game. The game is lenient when it comes to dealing with enemies (at least at the difficulty I played), as it takes three or four good hits from the assholes chasing you to actually kill you. The checkpoints are also generous, saving when you make it past a given area. Trial and error is actually a viable approach because of this. On the subject of difficulty, there are four settings: Normal, Hard, Nightmare, and Insane. I played on Normal for the sake of just beating the game, and I didn't really find it troublesome at all. If I had to guess, the harder difficulties probably adjust things such as enemy AI and the abundance of batteries. Perhaps they even become less generous with checkpoints or HP. I'll have to explore this in the future. VERDICT: Outlast does a lot to provide a solid horror experience: uncomfortable setting, "monsters" that are (sort of) grounded in reality, excellent atmosphere (especially with the audio), and the fact that you are defenseless. Apart from a few minor issues, I enjoyed playing through this game, and I thought it did a lot well to make things scary. I can't really say I was scared at any point (because I honestly didn't feel anything beyond mild surprise and nervousness), but some of my friends who watched along were definitely unsettled (that, or they were unsettled by how poorly I played the game, which is probably justified). If you've got the stomach for horror games, this is definitely one to check out. If not, you may want to spare yourself the nightmares. Special thanks to Jed, Sheela, Adi, and Moses for humoring me and watching the Discord stream; it was the most fun I've had in a while, and I plan to do more. Their insights also helped in putting together this blog entry. Here's Outlast's Steam page: Outlast on Steam (steampowered.com) - end -
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I'm slowly but surely working through this Steam backlog, and today, I'll be discussing the latest game that I've crossed off the list. BACKGROUND:
Once again, this was one of those random Steam sale purchases. I thought it looked interesting, it was super cheap, so I bought it. I had fun with the game, but I ended up dropping it halfway for some reason. What was it about the mid-2010s that I just refused to finish games I bought? PLOT: It's not that kind of game, unfortunately. PRESENTATION: Ichi has an immediately obvious "crayon on grid paper" aesthetic with its visuals. All the level elements look like they were drawn with bright crayon colors, and the background has textures that make it look like paper. It's nothing graphically impressive, but I certainly thought it was charming. The music is likewise on the simpler side, with only a small handful of tracks that have a cheery vibe to them. There isn't a lot of complexity in terms of the composition or the amount of instruments, but the tracks are rather melodic and put me in a good mood. However, there's not a lot of variety, and there's a good possibility that the few tracks can wear thin on longer play sessions. GAMEPLAY: Ichi is a puzzle game where you try and navigate a tiny yellow ball around a level to collect rings. The ball moves in a fixed path at the start, and it's up to you to redirect its path to get the job done. The gameplay is as simple as it gets, as all you need to do is use one button. Clicking your mouse (or pressing A on a controller) toggles all the elements in the level, and all you have to do is press the button at the right moment such that the ball interacts with said elements in the way you want them to. The primary elements affected by the one button are these right triangles that deflect the ball 90 degrees when it hits the slant side (or, if you wanna get technical, the hypothenuse). One click will rotate these triangles 90 degrees, and that allows you to direct the ball to other parts of the level. There are slight variations to this mechanic, but this is the main way to control the ball's path. In addition, you will also encounter portals, switches (which toggle other mechanics in the stage), breakable blocks, and spikes (that destroy the ball on contact and force you to reset). These other elements are generally not controlled by the one button, so the challenge is figuring out how to maneuver the triangles to interact with these objects. Perhaps the most interesting tool in your arsenal is your ability to create your own barriers. If you hold down the button, your ball will start drawing a gray line along its path; this line will count as a wall and bounce the ball in the opposite direction (and disappear afterwards). I thought that this was a particularly ingenious mechanic; it seems like a busted tool that could get you out of any puzzle, but you still have to position yourself correctly to use it effectively. It's a straightforward mechanic that sees a lot of use throughout the levels (usually to save the ball from danger), and successfully incorporating them in your strategy is incredibly satisfying. The base game has 60 levels, and while that isn't a whole lot, majority of these puzzles are deceptively tricky. A lot of the more challenging ones often require the judicious use of your line-drawing ability to clear, and figuring out exactly where to place those lines takes a bit of experimentation. Though this isn't common overall, a few puzzles do require some quick reflexes, like in instances where you have a tight window to rotate triangles to point to the correct path. Levels also have a letter grade system, and your grade is determined by how many time you pressed the button. The game tells you the maximum button presses you need for A rank, and if you exceed that, it shows you the limit for B, and so on. In my experience, getting A rank is basically guaranteed if you figure out the exact solution. Getting lower that that is usually caused by incorrect inputs (e.g. rotating things too many times because you were mashing A) or by miscalculating (e.g. poorly timing a button press, which causes you to have to redo a section of a level, which involves more button pressing). There's also a full level editor in the game that allows you to make your own levels. Unfortunately, it seems that the servers for this game have since shut down, which not only means that you can't upload your levels or play other people's levels, it also means that this game's achievements are literally impossible to complete. It's a real shame, as once you're done with the puzzles the game has, there's nothing more to do. This game had, at one point, virtually unlimited replay value thanks to level sharing, and now that's gone. VERDICT: Ichi is a delightful puzzle game with simple controls, an assortment of neat mechanics, puzzles that are no pushovers, and a charming art style. It has a lot going for it, but its most exciting element (online level sharing) is effectively dead now, making this game not as worthwhile a get as it once was. I still had a good time with the game as it is, but I can't help but be a bit disappointed by the removal of all the online functionality. You really feel how little the base game has to offer without it. I still think this game is worth checking out if you're into more casual puzzle games, but I'm not sure it's worth its base price with such little content. You should probably wait for a sale. This is the game's Steam store page. I thought for sure this would be on mobile (its one-tap control scheme fits well with the platform), but I couldn't find it in the App Store or on Google Play. Ichi on Steam (steampowered.com) - end - During my quest to finish a bunch of games on PC, I also took the time to revisit a special game from way back in my childhood. I'm very excited to talk about this one. BACKGROUND:
It's not really a secret that I didn't grow up playing many PC games. One of a small handful of games I did get to play as a kid was Ricochet: Lost Worlds. My dad had installed it on the desktop, and after seeing him play it for a bit, I took a crack at it myself when I was permitted to use the computer. I remember really enjoying the game, and the fact that I remember it to this day, almost 15 years later, kind of speaks to how fondly I felt about it at the time. In my quest to find a copy of this game, I discovered that Reflexive Entertainment (the developers and publishers of this game) have since shut down and the company has been bought by Amazon. That's a shame, because not only does it seem like the former devs aren't doing anything (that I know of, anyway), that probably means all their IPs are under the stranglehold of Amazon. Thanks a lot, Jeff. I don't know exactly what prompted me to try and find a way to get this game in 2020, but here we are. Let the nostalgia rush commence! PLOT: As far as I know, there is no plot. I wish there were one, because someone really needs to explain why there are sci-fi ships with paddles designed specifically to bounce balls into bricks. PRESENTATION: Despite being an older game, the visuals still look all right for the most part, but the age is definitely a little apparent when compared to the HD visuals that have since become the norm. Other than a weird graphical glitch that occasionally leaves behind ghostly trails from moving objects, it runs just fine. The thing that caught my eye all those years ago was the sci-fi aspect of the game's design. You pilot this goofy-looking ship that's propelled by rockets and has a paddle on the front held up by electricity, and you bounce a futuristic-looking ball called an Ion Sphere against it. It makes zero sense when you think about it, but damn, did eight-year-old me think that shit was cool. It's in the "Lost Worlds" aspect where the game's design really shines. The Lost Worlds being described are the four stages you play the game in, and they all have their own distinct visual identity. You have an underwater stage, a stage set in a volcano, a stage that's reminiscent of Mesoamerican temples, and a cybernetic alien-type stage that goes all in on the sci-fi. Everything from the animated backgrounds to the actual level elements are designed to fit the overall themes (e.g. underwater stage has elements that look wooden, reminiscent of old ships). These stages were so memorable to me that I still had vivid memories of how things looked despite not having seen the game in over a decade. Now that I'm older, I can really appreciate how much effort they put into making everything in a level fit an overall theme. There isn't much in the way of music, as there's pretty much only one track with the same motif. With that said, it does change according to the stage that you're on, with some elements added or changed to help complement the current visuals. For example, the theme plays that stereotypical sonar "ping" sound effect in the underwater stage. GAMEPLAY: Ricochet: Lost Worlds, simply put, is a Breakout/Arkanoid clone. A generic term for this type of game would be a block/brick-break game, or simply a brick game. The basic idea is that you move a paddle horizontally to bounce a ball into breakable bricks at the top portion of the screen. The object of the game is to break all the bricks while also keeping the ball from falling from the bottom. If this sounds familiar, you've likely played one of a billion clones of this type of game. Boiled down to the very basics, Ricochet plays pretty much like the games it's inspired by. You move the ship-paddle across the bottom with your mouse, the ball hits the paddle and bounces, and the ball breaks bricks on contact. If you miss the ball, it falls to the bottom, and you lose a life; lose all lives, it's game over. Ricochet does a whole lot to differentiate itself from the myriad of clones. For one, it has a plethora of power-ups that you can mess around with. Breaking special bricks causes these power-ups to drop, and you must collect them by moving your ship towards them. These power-ups can do all sorts of things, like modify the ball (e.g. make it a laser ball that shoots lasers in every direction), modify your ship (e.g. add a ball catcher that allows you to hold a ball as opposed to it simply bouncing), or some other helpful thing (like a safety bumper that prevents death once, a 1-Up, a power-up that slows the ball down, or a power-up that multiplies the balls in the field). Hell, you can even get a fucking missile launcher that homes in on bricks and destroys them. There are a good number of these power-ups to get, and they are largely the reason why I found this game so much fun back then (and they're still fun today). To make things interesting, not all the power-ups are good. Some negate any buffs you have, while others are straight up bad (like a power-up that speeds the ball up, a power-up that shrinks your paddle, or even a literal bomb that blows up your fucking ship if it hits you). Having to avoid picking these up adds to the challenge, as you may find yourself in situations where you have to choose between picking up the bad power-up or straight up missing the ball. Although the brick designs vary quite a bit in appearance based on the stage, they all fall into the same categories: normal bricks, bricks that explode and take out other bricks, "unbreakable" bricks that can't be destroyed through normal means, power-up bricks, bricks that can only be broken from one side, and bricks that take multiple hits to break. In addition to that, each stage also has brick types and gimmicks unique to that stage; a good example of this is the Factory Brick, which is only found in the temple stage. Outside of bricks, there are also a whole bunch of level elements that change things up significantly. You have things like teleporters, ball spawners, bumpers, and more. Some of these are exclusive to a specific stage, while others can be found elsewhere. Where this game really excels in terms of level design is movement. Many levels feature bricks that move around, change formation, or even appear/disappear depending on certain interactions. This leads to incredibly dynamic levels where everything shifts around at a moment's notice. While this is quite exciting, it does come with a caveat, as levels that feature a lot of movement tend to be more challenging to clear; I can't tell you how many minutes I've wasted trying to chase down a brick that was zipping all over the stage at a thousand miles per hour. Speaking of level design, it really seems like the devs had a lot of fun putting levels together. Some levels are more focused on the gameplay side, having you try and navigate through a combination of mechanics. Others are more artistic in nature, featuring bricks arranged to form an image. A few combine both, with designs that also feature thematic gameplay elements (e.g. a volcano stage that continuously spits out bombs). Regardless of type, majority of the levels really capitalize on the fact that bricks can be made to move around, leading to some really inspired levels (a personal favorite of mine is the level where the bricks are arranged to look like a train, complete with "moving" wheels). They even go the extra mile in certain levels, going as far to add sound effects that fit the theme (e.g. pinball sound effects in the pinball levels). They also have fun with the level names, too. I will say that a few levels are a pain to complete with regards to their layout. Some levels have impenetrable barriers that you have to finagle the ball around to hit things, others have finicky gimmicks that alter the formation of the bricks when you hit something, while some have particularly low bricks that can mess up a bounce. There have been instances where it took me nearly five minutes to beat a level just because I spent too long trying to aim a shot just right at something that was incredibly difficult to hit. The frustration is usually compounded when the level also features moving bricks on top of all that. The game also features collectibles (something you don't really see in games of this genre) called Rings. There are five Rings in every level, and they generally take a lot of effort to get. While some are simply out in the open (requiring only a well-aimed bounce to get), others can be in hard-to-reach spots, some move in and out of the stage, and a few even require a bit of puzzle-solving to reach. Collecting these is not only satisfying (especially the ones that take some skill and brainpower to acquire), but there is a good incentive to do so; if you get a cumulative total of 35 in a run, you get an extra life. Quite useful for high score runs, or for surviving in harder difficulties. The base game has 160 levels total, with all four stages having an even share. The game splits these levels into groups of 10 (called rounds), and the stage changes at each interval. You start out with only one round unlocked, and you have to clear that to unlock the next, and so on. This can be frustrating at times; having to beat 10 levels straight just to get to the new ones becomes an ordeal when the levels start getting more difficult. At the level select, you have the option of picking one of four difficulty options: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Insane. All these do is adjust things like the number of lives you have at the start, and the ball's initial speed; nothing about the levels is changed at all. There is a high score leaderboard in the menu tracking all the scores of every user across every difficulty. It didn't do anything for me since I'm the only one playing and there are no online leaderboards, but it's there if you give a shit. One other cool thing this game has is a full level editor, where you can make your own levels and even put together your own custom rounds. The editor gives you full access to all the elements you see in the base game, plus the ability to add custom movement patterns to the bricks. I didn't use it a whole lot, but there are plenty of options for any aspiring level creators out there. I'm pretty sure there's also a way to import custom levels made by other players, but given the age of this game, it might be extremely difficult to find those in today's Internet. Perhaps Wayback Machine could be of some assistance there. VERDICT: Ricochet: Lost Worlds is as fun as I remember it, with its inspired level designs and visuals coming together with a modernized, dynamic take on the classic brick game to deliver a block-busting good time. I did find that some of the levels are a tad cumbersome to get through, and there were a few odd graphical hiccups that I don't recall being there before, but overall, I think this game still holds up. I'm so glad to have replayed this, and I hope people check it out, too. Here's the game on Amazon. I don't know if it can be found on anything else (legally), but this was the first link I could find: Amazon.com: Ricochet Lost Worlds [Download]: Video Games - end - This week, I'm reading a limited series. For the unfamiliar, a limited series is simply a series of comics with a fixed number of issues set ahead of time (as opposed to ongoing series, which don't have a definite end, releasing issues at a set interval until the publisher decides to end things). In terms of writing about it, it will be functionally similar to me discussing a trade paperback or comic collection, so there won't be any difference. I just felt like pointing this out to avoid any confusion. BACKGROUND:
Damage Control, while a more minor part of the Marvel Universe, has showed up in a number of occasions across comics and adaptations, so I'm quite familiar with them. If the name sounds vaguely familiar to you, that may be because of Spider-Man: Homecoming. That movie introduces the MCU version of Damage Control; it's a federal agency there as opposed to a private organization, but it functions pretty much the same as its comics counterpart. I love Damage Control as a concept, as it's a fun answer to that question that everyone's thought about at least once: who the fuck cleans up after superhero-related disasters? THE WRITING: The series follows the various jobs taken on by Damage Control, a company specializing in cleaning up large-scale superhero messes. It's composed of a team of skilled construction workers, competent accountants and legal teams, an R&D department, and more. Though most of their clientele are people directly affected by the damage (like the owners of buildings), a few superheroes and supervillains also employ their services at a hefty cost. Each of the four issues sees members of the team clean up a different mess. Issue #1 has them clean up a giant robot carcass defeated by the Avengers, #2 sees them confront Doctor Doom over unpaid fees, #3 has them clean up a marketing scheme gone awry with Iron Man's help, and #4 sees the team work together with the X-Men. Although there's some obvious star power with all these special guests, the focus is still primarily on the Damage Control team. While superhero messes are certainly no joke, this comic is quite light-hearted in tone, and presents its scenarios (some of which are absurd in nature) in a comedic manner. Issue #2 is the best example of this; you may think that Damage Control confronting Doctor Doom will end poorly on the account that he's one of Marvel's most ruthless villains, but that entire situation actually resolves itself rather amicably (something I found hilarious). The characters themselves are also a big part of the comedy, as they're all just regular people caught up in the bullshit of superpowered idiots. The comic introduces a handful of characters, like John the account exec, Lenny the foreman, Gene the technician, Robin the traffic manager, and more. Their personalities really shine as they do their best to tackle their various responsibilities, and they each get to have some funny moments. THE ART: I don't think there's much I can say about the art. It looks pretty much like many comics from its era: simple palette, simple shading (if any), not a lot of detail. Many comics from this time period tend to bleed together for me in terms of style, so I tend to have a hard time talking about it, VERDICT: Damage Control is a fun, silly comic that answers the age-old question of "who cleans up after superhero battles?" It's a question that most people have just learned to not think about with all the superhero adaptations these days, and Damage Control explores that question with a charming cast of characters dealing with humorous superhero-related situations. I've heard this comic be described as a sitcom set in the Marvel Universe, and I think that's an apt description. If you want a change of pace from typical superhero action, but still want to see some of Marvel's finest characters (in albeit minor roles), this is an entertaining read worth checking out. View the full limited series on Comixology: Damage Control (1989 I) Digital Comics - Comics by comiXology - end - I still have a good number of games on PC to finish, so I decided to get this rather short one out of the way first. BACKGROUND:
This was one of those random Steam sale purchases where I just saw the super affordable price and went for it. According to my play time, I spent about an hour on it before I inexplicably stopped. I do recall enjoying the game, so I probably just got distracted by other things. PLOT: You're a diver exploring the shipwreck of the S.S. Eurydice. It seems like any other shipwreck at first, but as you navigate the depths, you slowly uncover the cause of the ship's demise. This game presents its story through letters and notes written by people who were aboard the ship before the ship sank, and you find these by exploring the ship's expansive corridors and rooms. I generally enjoy this approach to storytelling where it's up to you to piece together what happened, but I recognize that it isn't a narrative style that works for everyone. As for what actually happened, the circumstances that led to the ship sinking are supernatural in nature, and as you find the writings that expound on the lore, you learn about how these events slowly but surely got to the people on the ship. Though you don't get a comprehensive explanation of what exactly took over the ship at the time, the way the characters describe the events was sufficiently unsettling. I will say that the ending is a bit too esoteric for my taste. PRESENTATION: Graphically, the game takes on a retro-feeling 8-bit pixel art style. Everything looks quite simple, and you don't get much in the way of detailed background elements or sprites. Where the game may not excel in detail, it more than makes up for in atmosphere. The lighting (or lack thereof) really makes you feel like you're under the murky depths of the sea, and your limited field of vision (which narrows or widens in certain places) adds to the sense of unease you feel when exploring. The camera also zooms in and out on occasion, either to depict scale or to make you feel boxed in when you navigate certain areas. To add to the visual presentation, the game also has phenomenal sound design. It doesn't have any music, but its sound effects is incredibly immersive and adds to the eerie atmosphere. Most of what you hear are bubbling noises and creaking sounds on the ship, but sometimes, you'll also hear a few sounds that defy explanation. Overall, the presentation delivers a truly impressive atmosphere. It is definitely recommended to play this game with the lights off and with headphones. GAMEPLAY: Reveal the Deep is a puzzle platformer with an emphasis on exploration. Walk and jump around, interact with things in the environment to progress, rinse, repeat. There's nothing that requires any execution-based skill or twitch reflexes, so I don't think this will be too troublesome for most people. In terms of controls, your character moves a bit slow, which I suppose makes sense since you're underwater, but it can get a bit tedious at times. My only real frustration in this department is the lack of controller support; I don't like playing platformers on keyboard. Other than that, I didn't find anything that was significantly frustrating. There are only three levels, but each of them are quite expansive, with lots of nooks and crannies to explore, and rooms that are interconnected and loop back around on each other. Although the levels aren't big to the point that you could easily get lost in them, they are large enough that it feels like it takes a long time to get from point A to point B (perhaps that's because of the controls). I will say the real tedium comes from the lack of any save states in the game. There's no way to save and quit, so if you exit in the middle of a level, you will have to start from the beginning when you boot up the game again. Considering each level takes upwards of 20 minutes to get through, this is kind of annoying. The puzzles themselves aren't complex. Many simply involve pushing blocks to reach high places, finding keys to open doors, or interacting with switches that open up paths. The more interesting puzzles utilize your character's ability to turn their light on/off. Toggling your head lamp has a bizarre effect on the environment, as it can cause objects (like platforms) to appear/disappear, or previously stationary blocks to start floating upwards. It's a really cool idea, but I don't think it was used to its full potential, as only a handful of puzzles incorporated this mechanic. There are a few puzzles that don't have immediately obvious solutions, but the only one I'd say that actually frustrated me is the last puzzle. It's definitely one of the few places you could easily soft-lock yourself in (not fun considering the lack of save progress), and the solution for it is actually found in the many bits of lore you read when you explore (which I personally did not mind, but may frustrate other players). As you might have guessed, this game does have a horror element to it, but most of it is simply the sense of dread you feel thanks to the excellent atmosphere. There aren't really any jumpscares, and there aren't a lot of things that actually pose a threat to you (i.e. shit that actually kills you and impedes your progress in the game). With that said, you are definitely not alone in this ship... Other than that, there isn't a lot left to say. Like I mentioned, there are only three levels, so this game is dreadfully short. There are a few achievements to get, but most of them you'll get simply if you take the time to explore everything. The descriptions aren't helpful, however. VERDICT: Reveal the Deep is a short but sweet puzzle platformer game, delivering an immersive experience despite simplistic visuals and a lack of music. Though there are definitely things it could have done better, I enjoyed my brief time with this spooky game. If you're looking for an inexpensive game that can be beaten in one or two hours, or are in a mood for an eerie, but not too scary game, this is worth checking out. Disclaimer: this game, for some reason, demands you install an instance of Java to run it. That's probably one more thing I don't like about it, but it honestly didn't take that long, so I got over it. Here's the game on Steam: Reveal The Deep on Steam (steampowered.com) - end - I mentioned before that I now have a list of Steam games to go back to or start playing. Today, I'm taking on a game that I actually have a good amount of progress in, but never finished for whatever reason. BACKGROUND:
Super Meat Boy is a game that, I think, needs no introduction. Its notoriety as an incredibly difficult platformer made it one of the most well-known indie games ever (at a time when indie games weren't as popular as they are now), so it wouldn't surprise me if a good number of you have heard of it. I myself heard a lot about it during the early 2010s (which is when indie games slowly but surely started to take off), and eventually got the game during a sale a few years later. I recall enjoying my time with the game the first time I played it. According to Steam, I logged in five good hours in this game before I stopped. Checking in on my save file, it turns out I didn't make a lot of progress in the story, but instead have gotten really close to completing the first two worlds 100% (I get a little fastidious when it comes to completion, so this is definitely in character for me). I don't know exactly why I stopped; perhaps I had gotten busy, or I got distracted by some other game (entirely possible given I had to have gotten this game in 2017, and Hollow Knight came out that year). Nevertheless, I am here to tie up this loose end. PLOT: Meat Boy's girlfriend Bandage Girl is kidnapped by the evil Dr. Fetus, and he must now chase the bastard across the world to rescue her. That's it. That's the story. Basic-ass plot from 1985 aside (which, to be fair, is meant to be an homage to video game stories from that time period), the way this game presents itself is rather humorous. The brief animated cutscenes are incredibly goofy, over-the-top, and quite referential (with a lot of the scenes calling back to much older games like Ninja Gaiden or Castlevania). As you go along, the scenarios get increasingly absurd, as Dr. Fetus's schemes start to escalate. There's also a sense of irreverence throughout the story, as there's no shortage of cartoonish violence, occasional toilet humor, and Dr. Fetus's penchant for flipping the bird. It's not a style of comedy for everyone, but I found it sufficiently amusing in some instances. PRESENTATION: Super Meat Boy's visuals in gameplay are relatively simple; much like the plot, it's meant to be reminiscent of the "retro" era of 8-bit and 16-bit visuals, but this game does feature a lot more detail and polish to it compared to actual retro games. The same can be said of level aesthetics; while a lot of them call back to classic video game level tropes (the forest world, the lava world, etc.), they all have a unique flavor to them that sets them apart. The music is, as you may expect, also an homage to the retro soundtracks of yesteryear, with many of them sporting a chiptune sound, but still having the polish of more modern OSTs. Most of the music is incredibly upbeat and complements the gameplay really well, with a few having a techno vibe, and others featuring intense guitar riffs. There are even a few tracks that feature vocals. What's interesting is that you also have the option to listen to an alternate soundtrack (which is the one used for later versions of the game). Most of these tracks sound completely different from the original, and generally have a different style (the new OST feels more instrumental than the original). I don't have a strong preference, but I did enjoy both soundtracks. The cutscenes are super simple animations that are exemplary of the Flash cartoons that used to be popular on the Internet in the mid-to-late 2000s. Edmund McMillen's art style here (something I'm quite familiar with thanks to my time with Binding of Isaac) consists of thick, bold outlines, flat colors with little to no shading, and character designs that walk the fine line between cute and kinda grotesque. I found these cutscenes amusing, but it's probably not for everyone. GAMEPLAY: Super Meat Boy is a 2D platformer. Run and jump to the end of the level. It doesn't get any simpler than that. The only other skills Meat Boy has in his repertoire is a wall jump and a dash, and these will be enough to get you through the levels. The controls take a bit of getting used to, but Meat Boy's behavior when moving is more or less consistent, which is important for a game like this. Now, what makes this game famous (or infamous, depending on your perspective) is that most of its levels are incredibly challenging. The level designs feature all sorts of hazards that kill you instantly on contact, and they are often placed in spots that require a lot of finesse to avoid. A lot of the levels demand an almost unreasonable amount of precision, near-perfect execution, and pinpoint accurate timing. There is very little margin for error, especially in later levels. If your movement is off by one pixel, or you time it one millisecond too late, or don't react quick enough, you're dead. Very rarely are there levels that grant some semblance of leniency, so you pretty much have to execute a clean run to progress most of the time. Getting through a level first try is pretty rare as well; most of the time, it's a war of attrition involving a lot of trial and error. Suffice to say, this game doesn't fuck around. Nevertheless, it is incredibly satisfying to clear a level, especially one that took you many tries to beat. The game helps add to this feeling by showing a replay whenever you beat a level that overlays all your attempts; you see all your failures, but at the same time, you also see the one run that succeeded. There's a metaphor in there somewhere. The game offsets the difficulty in a number of ways. For one, many of the levels are short, so you actually don't have to survive a grueling onslaught of horseshit to get to the end. For another, death isn't really punishing, as it just resets you at the start. There aren't any lives or game overs; if you die, just try again. Although it can certainly get frustrating at times (especially in moments when you're so close to the end), dying is actually somewhat rewarding, as you slowly acquire the muscle memory to get past obstacles, and if you manage to progress past the point you were stuck in, you get to scope out the rest of the level. Lastly, each level is independent from one another (i.e. beating 1-1 isn't a prerequisite to reach 1-2), so even if you manage to get stuck in one level, you can just try your luck in a different one. There are seven worlds in the game, and each of them (except World 6) contain 20 levels each. You can tackle the levels in any order you like, which makes progress less frustrating on the account of you having the freedom to choose what you find least difficult. Each world (except World 7) also has a boss that you must beat to unlock the next world, and to unlock those boss levels, you have to beat a certain number of normal levels in the given world. Granted, you still have to beat a significant percentage of a world's levels to unlock the boss, but the fact that you don't have to beat absolutely all of them is somewhat forgiving if you're just looking to finish the main story. The boss levels are generally longer than most regular levels, and are structured slightly differently. Some are still your typical "get to the end" levels, but now they've been altered to be chase sequences or a race against time. A few of them are structured like fights, but as opposed to actively attacking the boss, you're just deftly avoiding their attacks and luring them to their own demise. Although dying is slightly more punishing due to the length of each boss level, I enjoyed the ridiculous settings and mechanics of each boss. In terms of level mechanics, there are too many to mention, but they make things challenging in their own unique ways. Many of these level elements are pretty intuitive (pointy saws = death, for example), but game does pretty well when it comes to introducing players to new mechanics. A lot of these mechanics are exclusive to a specific world (e.g. conveyor belts are only really a thing in World 3), but they're used quite well in terms of both creative and challenging layouts. Though some of them are a little finicky, none of the mechanics involve any randomness at all; they all have consistent behavior, so you don't have to worry about some random bullshit killing you. Of course, it's still on you to figure out exactly what to do. If the 100-something levels aren't enough, there's an entire Dark World featuring remixed versions of every normal stage in the game. These Dark World levels are significantly more difficult, requiring a level of skill (or persistence) that even the hardest levels of the Light World don't ask of you. To make things more challenging, unlocking the Dark World version of a level requires you to clear the time trial of its corresponding Light World counterpart. As somebody who went out of their way to beat a good amount of these time trials, let me tell you: beating a level is one thing, but beating it quickly is another thing entirely. If even an entire Dark World doesn't satisfy you, there's more. In many of the levels, there are collectible bandages in out-of-the-way places. These things are a pain in the ass to collect, as not only are they in places that are difficult to reach, you have to actually beat the level for them to register as collected. Despite the added challenge, these bandages are worth getting, because you can use them to unlock other playable characters. Said playable characters have their own unique gimmick that changes your approach to beating levels, so they're worth unlocking if you want to try your hand at beating levels with slightly different abilities. Aside from bandages, you can also find Warp Zones off the beaten path in a good number of levels. Entering these warp zones takes you into levels with overtly retro visuals. What makes these levels challenging is that, like the games of old, you only have a limited number of lives to beat them, which makes them a bit tougher to beat. Thankfully, the game is a little more lenient when unlocking these; once you find the Warp Zone, it will be always accessible in the level select, allowing you to retry at your leisure. There are also what's called Glitch Levels, which are like the Warp Zone levels, except unlocking them is based on pure chance. I've only unlocked two of these purely by dumb luck, and I wish there were an easier way to unlock them. But if you're willing to grind it out for a few extra levels, there you go. If, somehow, you are still not satisfied, there's also something called Super Meat World in the PC version that allows you to play player-created levels. From the looks of it, it doesn't seem like you can upload new levels anymore, but a lot of what was uploaded before can still be accessed. There's even an option to play a randomly-selected assortment of levels, which is neat. Of course, this is player-made stuff, so the actual quality of the levels can vary greatly, but if you want even more levels to play, this is something to check out. Of course, everything outside of the normal levels is completely optional. They're only there if you want to play absolutely everything or want as much challenge as you can get. The only real thing that's locked behind these extra levels is an alternate final boss (unlocked by beating 85 Dark World levels, of which there are around 120+ in total), but you don't really get anything out of it other than another level to play through. VERDICT: Super Meat Boy is one of the most well-remembered indie games for a good reason. Its simple but incredibly demanding precision platformer gameplay routinely walks the line between "super difficult but still fair and doable" and "goddamn it, how the fuck do I beat this." I enjoy games that aren't afraid to provide a punishing challenge, and Super Meat Boy offers just that in spades, both in terms of its level design and the plethora of levels there are. Along with a story and visuals that have a weird charm to them and enjoyable music, Super Meat Boy was a hell of a time for me. This is absolutely not a game for everybody. I don't know many people who actually enjoy games that are designed to be difficult, and Super Meat Boy is certainly one of those games. If you're more of a casual player, or you're not adept at precise, execution-based games, you may be better off avoiding this game. It will likely frustrate you/piss you off, and if you don't have the patience for persistent trial and error, most of this game might just end up completely inaccessible to you. As much as I want to encourage people to play challenging games like this (because I want them to feel the satisfaction that I do when I beat them), I completely understand if they skip over this one. Super Meat Boy's reputation is not at all hyperbolic; I am well versed in games like this, but I still faced the occasional struggle in a fair amount of levels. Unless you're a glutton for punishment like I am, please spare yourself the frustration. Go watch some speedruns of the game if you wanna live vicariously through someone else. In the event that you do give this game a chance, I implore you to stick with it. You don't have to sink 12 hours of your day attempting a level, but keep trying. It may take a while, but you'll get better at the game. Check out Super Meat Boy on Steam. Don't say I didn't warn you: https://store.steampowered.com/app/40800/Super_Meat_Boy/ Listen to the original soundtrack on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1a4TATTxo7fdfqYxn2uMFN - end - I still have a ton of Black Panther comics in my digital backlog, so I thought I'd knock one off the list this week. BACKGROUND:
I only have a vague memory of reading issues featuring Shuri as the Black Panther, but I've always enjoyed the take on the character. I'm quite excited to start properly reading her story arcs from the mid-to-late 2000s. Hopefully me talking about such comics will pique the interests of people who never knew Shuri was the Black Panther once. THE WRITING: This comic is set after the events of Doomwar (a comic that I will read in full and talk about here in the near future), which follows the story of Doctor Doom's attempt to take over Wakanda. One of the end results of that story was T'Challa rendering all Wakandan vibranium on Earth inert, making any weapons or technology that uses vibranium useless. An unfortunate side effect of this is Wakanda itself is now in danger both from physical threats and economically. In an effort to help the nation, Shuri, who has taken over as the Black Panther, visits the Savage Land, which is a region of the Antarctic that is lush jungle and still has dinosaurs. She has come to request a supply of Savage Land vibranium, which actually has different properties from Wakandan vibranium. Unfortunately, someone got to the vibranium first, and that is none other than Klaw himself, T'Challa's old nemesis. Klaw is now more dangerous than ever to boot, as he is now a being made of pure sound, making him virtually unstoppable. To make things more difficult for Shuri, he's teamed up with AIM, everyone's favorite beekeeper suit-wearing terrorist organization. After helping out Ka-Zar (protector of the Savage Land) and his wife Shanna, Shuri gives chase to Klaw, who is out to collect the rest of the vibranium elsewhere in the world. This takes her from Madripoor (where she teams up with Wolverine), New York (where she teams up with Spider-Man), and outer space (where she teams up with Black Widow). Along the way, Klaw's master plan is laid out: he intends to use the Savage Land vibranium to damage all communcation outlets, which will then allow him to use his sound-based powers to unleash a powerful attack that will force everyone under his control. Throughout the comic, Shuri struggles with some serious inner turmoil; she finds herself spending the majority of the story trying desperately to control her urges to kill. As she continues teaming up with various heroes (including Wolverine, who is probably the angriest, most violent Canadian in the Marvel Universe) and fights against AIM's henchmen, Shuri slowly but surely finds her way through the various moral dilemmas that come with killing (and the false notion that it's the only option in difficult situations). This is an internal conflict that's been told in countless other stories, but the added layer of Shuri having to live up to her brother's example makes the tried-and-true formula a little more interesting. Klaw's machinations are the typical "take over the world" scheme, mixed in with grandiose delusions that his nature as a sound-based being is a sign of elevated existence. His plans do introduce a brand new character, who, without giving anything away, serves as a good foil to his villanous nature. Given how Klaw is personally responsible for killing Shuri's father T'Chaka, shit gets real personal, and the story does use that to push Shuri along her character arc. I enjoyed how much of this story involved other corners of the Marvel Universe, from the obvious team-ups with other heroes in every chapter, the use of classic locations like the Savage Land and Madripoor, and the use of AIM as one of the primary antagonists. One of the things I love the most about comics is when a story takes the opportunity to use other corners of the universe to build upon the current narrative (without making things into a full crossover), and that is very much the case in this book. THE ART: This comic is interesting in terms of art, because the style not only varies from issue to issue, but can also vary between panels of a single issue. Some panels remind me of older, Silver Age-style comics with their lack of intense shading and simpler line art, others have that cartoony feel with simpler shapes for characters, and some even boast a meticulous amount of detail. Even the line art itself can change at a moment's notice. I certainly found it fun to stop and compare each of the different styles by going back and forth the pages, because there's a lot to see. VERDICT: Klaws of the Panther is only four issues long, but it's still an enjoyable series that sees Shuri kick ass as the Black Panther, grow as a character, and team up with other Marvel heroes. Though Klaw's endgame isn't all that interesting, his personal ties to Shuri and the story wrinkle he introduces in the latter half does make his presence worthwhile. If you're only familiar with Shuri as she is in the MCU and want to learn more about the character, this is worth checking out. I don't think the fact that Shuri was once the Black Panther is common knowledge, and I'd love if more people found out about it. Read the entirety of Klaws of the Panther on Comixology: https://www.comixology.com/Klaws-of-the-Panther/digital-comic/211576?ref=Y29taWMvdmlldy9kZXNrdG9wL3NsaWRlckxpc3Qvc2VyaWVz - end - Now that I'm somewhat able to play games on PC again, I have made a list of Steam games to play/replay and talk about here. Today, I checked this game off the list. BACKGROUND:
I don't really know anything about NiGHTS, other than I've seen the main character before. As I've mentioned before, I didn't have the chance to get into Sega back when they still made consoles, so the most I know about games like this is that they exist. In short, this is pretty much a blind playthrough. PLOT: NiGHTS mostly takes place in the dream world, which is split into two parts: Nightopia and Nightmare. Wizeman the Wicked, who is the ruler of Nightmare, is attempting to conquer Nightopia, and he does so by taking the energy of dreaming humans. He also creates a bunch of beings called Nightmaren to further his cause. One such Nightmaren, named Nights (the purple elf-genie thing), opposes Wizeman, and is imprisoned as a result. Two teens, Elliot and Claris, eventually end up in Nightopia after going to sleep one night. There, they free Nights, who briefs them on the situation. Together, they journey through Nightopia in an effort to stop Wizeman. The game doesn't really tell you all of this, as the cutscenes don't show 100% of what's going on (and also don't have dialogue). Despite having to piece most of it together myself, I found the story charming, if a little derivative ("kids spirited away into another realm and are tasked with saving it" isn't exactly breaking new ground in the screenwriting department). You also don't really get to know Nights or Wizeman, but Elliot and Claris at least have some nice character moments at the end. PRESENTATION: The neat thing about the Steam version of this game is that you can choose to play it with the original Sega Saturn graphics (which, like most games in that time period, featured low-poly 3D models) or the touched-up HD remaster, which has more polished models and cleaner textures. Regardless of which one you pick, the overall style is lovely, with its cartoony (and rather inspired) character designs, vibrant colors, and truly dream-like level designs. If there's one thing that really captivated me about this game in terms of presentation, it's the music. As I said, I pretty much went into this blind and with little expectations, so I was blown away by how amazing the soundtrack was. Most of the tracks are an absolute delight to listen to, and complement the dream-world setting of the game. Some of the tracks were also surprising in terms of style, as a couple have elements of jazz to them. There are tracks with vocals, too. GAMEPLAY: At first glance, NiGHTS looks like one of those 3D platformers. While the game is in 3D, most of its gameplay is actually in a fixed side-scrolling 2D perspective. There are moments where you control a character like you would in a proper 3D platformer, but these sections are pretty much negligible in the grand scheme. In the level select, you have the option to select either Elliot or Claris's levels. They each have three unique levels (with one unlocked as you clear them), while their respective final levels are exactly the same. I like the idea of each character having their own set of unique levels, but it's a shame that there are so few of them to actually play. Each level starts off with you controlling either Elliot or Claris in a 3D space. I said that this was negligible, and that's because the only point of it is for you to walk into the designated area to start the actual game. I fail to see the point of this, as there's nothing to really explore, and you can't progress at all in these sections. That said, the fact that the 3D sections don't really amount to much doesn't ruin the game at all for me. Once you walk into the designated area (which usually looks like this gazebo thing), you enter the actual game and control Nights. As Nights, you fly freely through fixed paths, which is where the "side-scroller" aspect comes in. Though your movement is limited to the x and y-axis, the camera does utilize the third dimension as you move, giving you the feeling of flying in a 3D space. I can only describe the feeling as simultaneously liberating and limiting. Flying itself feels really good, but the fact that I'm restricted to the 2D plane is rather jarring. The object of these flight sections is to collect 20 blue orbs, which you have to deposit into special receptacles to make them explode (there's a story explanation for what this means, but I don't actually know what that is). You have two minutes to get this done; if you fail, Nights falls down and you return to the aforementioned 3D platformer mode, where all you have to do is walk back to the gazebo thing to repeat the process. By the way, the game doesn't exactly tell you that this is what you should be doing. It took me a good three minutes flying around like an asshole to figure out the objective. Each level has you collect 20 orbs four times. On each iteration, the path you fly through is different, with unique layouts and everything. What makes it interesting is that you can clearly see that all the elements of each path exists in the same space, as you can see them while flying (though you're not necessarily able to interact with objects in other paths). It helps make the level feel really populated, but it does make things confusing at times because of the fixed 2D movement. There were a number of instances when I couldn't tell whether the thing in front of me was just in the foreground/background or actually in my immediate path. Nights doesn't have much to them in terms of controls. You have full range of motion with the analog sticks, and you have a move called a Drill Dash which both propels you forward and destroys objects/enemies. You can also do loops in the air, which is actually useful, as they collect nearby items for you and kill nearby enemies. There's also the ability to do acrobatic maneuvers, and they're purely just for style points. Each level has a ranking system from A to F, determined by your score total. Points are earned by collecting orbs, stars, flying through rings, and chaining all three in quick succession for extra combo points. These rankings only matter for unlocking both Elliot and Claris's final levels, as you need to get at least a C in all three of their respective levels. Other than that, there's no sense in building up score unless you're a leaderboard chaser. Many of the individual paths of each level have unique mechanics or gimmicks to them, like bars you can swing around on, or water bubbles that launch you in a direction. A few kick it up a notch by throwing you into a section that completely alters the perspective, or even put you in a mini-game situation. Notable examples of this are the snowmobile/sledding section in the winter level, an underwater section where Nights transforms into a mermaid, and a vertical climbing section where you're spiraling around a tower. After you've successfully collected orbs in a level four times, you are thrown into a boss fight. Most of these fights are simple, as all you have to do is avoid the few attack patterns they have, and Drill Dash into them. Despite being on the simpler side, I enjoyed a lot of these fights, as the bosses looked cool, they had fun set pieces and tend to have the best music in the game. The only thing that stifled my enjoyment somewhat is the time limit. Getting hit slashes five seconds off your clock, and if it runs out, it's game over. That means you have to play the entire level from the beginning (which means collecting orbs all over again) just to get back to the boss. This didn't happen often, but I was certainly annoyed the few times it did. This version also comes with Christmas Nights, which is an extra side story set during Christmas (duh). It features a redesigned Spring Valley (the first level of Claris's route in the main game), with all the visuals and objects replaced to fit the Christmas theme. Even Nights is wearing a Santa outfit. Overall, this is a short romp (you simply play the level twice to see the ending), but the Christmas aesthetic was lovely, and they went all in on the holiday music. There's also something called the Nightopian Collection. At first glance, it looks like a Tamagotchi-type mini-game where you try and keep the little critters happy and try to hatch new ones from eggs. I didn't understand it at all, so I left it alone, but I thought I should mention it here. VERDICT: At first, I found NiGHTS confusing with the way it presented (or not presented) its story, its handling of 3D visuals, and the fact that the objective isn't explained. But as soon as I figured out what was going on, I immediately got really into the game, and had a lot of fun flying through the levels, taking in the pretty visuals, and listening to the amazing soundtrack. It's really a shame that it's a less than 5-hour game, because I was enjoying the experience quite a lot. Despite a few personal gripes and the initial confusion, I thought that NiGHTS was an overall fantastic game. I'm not really sure if NiGHTS Into Dreams is a widely-beloved classic or a forgotten gem that reached cult status, but either way, I think it's well worth playing. I would probably go as far as to assert that it's an "essential" game that must be played at least once, on the account that it's one of the games the Sega Saturn is known for. However, with the way some things like plot or gameplay are conveyed (or not conveyed), and the confusing nature of the 2D gameplay in 3D environment, it may not be a game for everyone. I do implore anyone who does give the game a try to stick with it; I wasn't sure of it myself at first, but I ended up loving it after giving it some time. Once you figure it out, I think this is a game that can be enjoyed casually by people of most (if not all) skill levels. Download NiGHTS Into Dreams on Steam (hey, that rhymed): https://store.steampowered.com/app/219950/NiGHTS_Into_Dreams/ Here's the game's incredible soundtrack on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5W0dn1iXZ4xxiBo5mqSttq - end - This blog entry is more than a week in the making, and I've finally made enough progress in the game such that I'm ready to talk about it. Strap yourselves in, because this one's pretty special. BACKGROUND:
Ever since I bought and fell in love with Transistor one fateful day in 2015, I have become a huge fan of the work put out by Supergiant Games. After Transistor, I went and played Bastion (loved it), and then Pyre (also loved it); at that point, I'd resolved to get every game they released. When I heard that Hades, their latest game, was going to be a rogue-like, I was like "you son of a bitch, I'm in." One of my favorite indie devs tackling a genre I love? Inject that shit directly into my open eyeball. The initial release of Hades was on Steam Early Access, so I didn't get a chance to play it on the account of me having a shitty PC at the time. And then the mad lads announced that the game was coming to Switch. 2020 being what it is, I didn't really have an opportunity to just buy it on a whim, but after the insistence of a good friend of mine (who put a shit ton of time into the game in Early Access), I got myself a copy. PLOT: Hades, as the name might imply, is set in ancient Greece, where the gods and goddesses of Olympus are alive and well, the Underworld is a real place, heroes like Achilles and Theseus are prominent, and monsters such as gorgons exist. Though some obvious deviations from the actual myth are present, there is a surprising amount of accuracy depicted in the setting. Without spoiling this game's plot, a number of classic Greek mythology stories are adapted almost verbatim, and that astounds me. The game follows the story of Zagreus, the son of Hades himself, as he attempts to break free of the Underworld. At the start, his reasons for doing so are unclear (though one can assume that he simply just hates the place), but as you play, his motives are revealed gradually. Hades, though not an outright villain towards his son, thinks this is dumb as fuck, and insists that Zagreus quit his nonsense immediately. Of course, the Underworld was not meant to be escaped, but Zagreus remains undeterred and tries anyway. To aid in his quest, he wields the Infernal Arms, weapons once used by the Olympians to slay the Titans, and he uses them to fight his way out from the depths of Tartarus and out into the surface. The Olympians take notice of his efforts, and throughout his journey, Zeus and the gang provide Zagreus all sorts of blessings that strengthen his being, in hopes that their long-lost relative breaks free and joins them in Mount Olympus. What makes this game distinct is how it makes sense of all the rogue-like tropes within the story's context. When you die in a run, Zagreus actually dies in-universe, which sends him down the River Styx and restores him back at the House of Hades. Every time he dies, you get new dialogue from NPCs (of which there is a surprising amount; I've clocked in around 40 hours and I'm still encountering new dialogue), and a few story elements actually progress this way. Rogue-likes tend to focus more on the gameplay and don't think too hard about the in-universe logistics of multiple runs, so the fact that this game actually contextualizes the live, die, repeat aspect of the genre is impressive to me. Even the concept of permanent upgrades, or the idea of playing again after actually clearing a run make sense in-universe (I'll get into the latter point near the end). The game's cast is an impressive who's who of Greek myth, featuring most of the essential Olympians (Zeus and co.), a number of Cthonian gods (Hades, the three Furies et al.), heroic figures (like Achilles), and even figures like Sisyphus and Cerberus. Hell, even Chaos is referenced, and that's as far back as the Greek deity family tree goes. Of course, not everyone is here (I'm rather surprised Hephaestus isn't in the game at all, for one), but what they do have is still pretty solid overall. Speaking of characters, everyone has a distinct personality, with the more known gods/goddesses having traits that somewhat align with the myths, but still have enough quirks to be a distinct portrayal from what you may have seen in pop culture. Perhaps the strongest point for every character is how human they are; modern religion tends to depict gods as somehow above human emotion, but every deity in here feels like a person in terms of their behavior. This is best shown with the Olympians, who are a bunch of fickle bastards whose moods change on a whim, and that's pretty accurate to the myths as well. Though Hades is a primary source of conflict for Zagreus, he actually isn't a villain. Instead, he has a single-minded focus of maintaining the Underworld, and he merely sees Zagreus's shenanigans as an affront to that. Unlike pop culture portrayals (see: Disney's Hercules) which depict Hades as an evil motherfucker, this Hades is more in line with the actual myths; sure, maybe he's a little salty that the Fates gave him the shitty Underworld to rule while his brothers got the sky and the sea, but he's just focused on his job and has no interest in vengeance against Olympus. Zagreus himself is an interesting character in his own right, but a lot of his depth is tied to pretty big spoilers, so I have to refrain from talking about it here. All I'll say is as the story progresses, you learn a lot about who he is, why he's trying to escape, and how his relationship with his father becomes more complex. Both father and son get some really emotional moments, and the final stretch of the story is when it's most poignant. Overall, the game's main story revolves around family, and that theme is present in characters outside of Zagreus and Hades. This game probably has the best sense of humor out of every Supergiant game, with lots of snarky banter between characters, and hilarious twists to otherwise normal gameplay prompts. Even the narrator and Zagreus sass each other, and I found that highly entertaining. PRESENTATION: This game looks gorgeous, which is something I fully expected from Supergiant given their track record. Most of the game has this beautiful hand-drawn feel to it, while the character models have a cel-shaded look to them. Speaking of gorgeous, nearly every character in this game is attractive (in more than one sense of the word). The character art is superbly done, and they each have striking designs that both feel original and inspired by past depictions of the gods. The most I'll say in the other context of "attractive" is that Artemis is cute and Dionysus looks damn good. Take away from that what you will. Most of the game is spent in the Underworld, but that doesn't mean it's all boring hellscapes. The couple of zones in the game are quite distinct visually, from the bloody chambers of Tartarus, to the idyllic expanse of Elysium. The enemies you fight that populate these areas have equally interesting designs, with some taking inspiration from myth, while others leaning more towards original. Of course, I can't talk about a Supergiant game without mentioning the phenomenal music. A huge part of why I love Transistor so much is because of the music, and composer Darren Korb is four for four on amazing soundtracks with this game. There's a healthy mix of melodic ambience, battle music with face-melting guitar riffs, and even a few lovely vocal tracks (some of which feature Ashley Barrett, who reprises her role as the primary female vocalist from previous OSTs). There are a good number of tracks that I really enjoy listening to, but the main theme hooked me right when I first booted the game with a sound that gives off a menacing vibe. The voice acting is also excellent in this game, and pretty much every character has a voice that effectively conveys their overall personality. GAMEPLAY: As mentioned before, Hades is a rogue-like. Mechanically, it plays like Supergiant's previous games Bastion and Transistor; it's an action game with an isometric view where you run around and beat the shit out of enemies. What sets Hades apart from the other two is how it's structured; whereas Bastion and Transistor play more like a somewhat open action RPG and let you run around and explore a bit, Hades is confined from traveling from chamber to chamber, not unlike how you slowly advance through a dungeon by going room to room in a Zelda game. What makes Hades different in this respect is that you keep moving forward; there's no backtracking or checking out branching paths. And like any rogue-like, each room is procedurally-generated; the order of room layouts (and the enemies within) is different pretty much every time. To progress to the next room, you have to kill everything in the room you're currently in. Once that happens, you'll be able to acquire that room's reward, and see what reward the next room has by looking at the preview on the door. Many rooms will have more than one door, and deciding on which rewards you need the most is the full extent of routing in this game. The possible rewards you can get can vary greatly, so very few runs feel the same. Combat-wise, Hades is also similar to Bastion and Transistor (though it leans more towards the former, as the latter has a turn-based element). Like Bastion, you're able to access a small assortment of wildly different weapons, each with their own set of normal attacks and special moves. You can go vanilla and stab a bitch with a sword, or go full Hawkeye/Green Arrow and bust out a bow. There are only six weapons, but they all play distinctly from each other. In addition, you have a dash (which is good for avoiding danger or positioning), as well as something called Cast, which I'll get into in its own section. Enemies gradually get tougher to deal with the farther along you are, but once you take the time to learn their patterns, you'll be fine. It gets pretty challenging when there are many different enemies to fight (especially if some of them are shooting projectiles), when there are hazards like spikes to contend with, or you get armored variants (who essentially have two health bars). Sometimes you'll even run into a mini-boss, and they can eat through a huge chunk of your health if you aren't careful. The primary way to enhance Zagreus is to acquire the blessings/boons of the Olympian gods and goddesses. Each of the dozen or so deities have a whole host of abilities to offer, but they all fall into one of a few categories: abilities that augment your weapon's primary attack, abilities that modify your weapon's special move, abilities that change your Cast, abilities that modify your dash, and an assortment of miscellaneous passive skills that give special buffs or synergize with status effects inflicted by abilities from the other categories. They also come in different rarities, with rarer versions providing more potent boosts. It seems like there's a lot going on, but basically, every god/goddess can grant abilities that can alter your basic skills, plus abilities that complement those abilities. Each god/goddess also specializes in a certain status effect (e.g. Poseidon adds knockback to skills, Zeus adds lightning, etc.), so it's easy to remember what kind of skills a particular deity has. Take note, however: the boons for your basic skills don't stack; for example, if you already have Poseidon's dash boon and select Athena's dash boon later on, the former is replaced. Boons that don't modify basic skills can stack just fine, so don't worry about that. There are even unique boons called Duo boons, which, as the name implies, combines the power of two gods as one. These boons tend to synergize with both deities it references, and if your build already has boons from these two gods, acquiring them will likely make you more effective in battle. I like this idea a lot, but these Duo boons aren't something you get often, so I rarely get to have fun with them. In addition, there's also something known as a Call, and it's like a super move courtesy of whoever god is helping you at the moment. It requires a filled God Gauge to activate, which charges up as you fight, and activating it at the right moment can really turn the tide of battle. The Cast is kind of like Zagreus's magic attack. Normally, it's a standard long-range projectile that does decent damage, but most of the gods' blessings drastically alter its properties (for example, Zeus's Cast boon turns it into a chain lightning shot). It can be very powerful, but you can't use it willy-nilly, as you need Bloodstones to fire off a Cast. When you use Cast, the Bloodstone you spent falls to the ground, and you'll need to walk over and collect it to be able to Cast again. Often, it'll get stuck in an enemy, and you either have to wait a while or kill that enemy to force it to drop. It's a very interesting way to handle resource management; you have to choose between going out of your way to collect the Bloodstone or simply continuing to fight without your Cast depending on what's happening. In addition to boons, you can also get a plethora of other rewards as you go along. You can collect obols (coins), which can be spent in Charon's shop for other power-ups. There are also pomegranates, which are not only a cool myth references, but also serve to level up any boons you currently have, enhancing their effects. You can also find Centaur Hearts, which add to your max health, as well as Daedalus Hammers, which enchant your current weapon and give it special abilities of its own. A lot of these are worth getting, but sometimes, you have to choose between one or the other, whether in a shop or when picking the next room to go into. You can also collect treasure, keys, Nectar, and Darkness, but for reasons that will become clear later on, discussing them will be reserved for later on. On rare occasions, you can encounter a helpful NPC who gives you unique rewards that can significantly aid you in your journey. Not only are these folks interesting characters, these rewards are really helpful, making them worthwhile to seek out. Just as infrequently, something mysterious called a Chaos Gate can occasionally appear. Entering it damages you a little bit, and it'll take you to the dark dimension where Chaos themselves resides. You can receive a boon from Chaos, but the catch is that you have to "unlock" that boon by surviving a specified number of battles while afflicted by a negative status. For example, if you get through four battles while you take more damage, your attack power may increase significantly. It's a cool take on the classic "Devil Deal" mechanic that's pretty common in a lot of rogue-likes; not only are you taking a risk simply by entering the Chaos Gate, you're also actively giving yourself a disadvantage in the hopes of making yourself stronger in the long run. Compared to other rogue-likes, Hades is relatively short, with only four zones you have to go through. Each zone has you go through an average of 10 or so rooms, then it ends in a boss fight. The last zone is structured slightly differently in that it's split into mini-dungeons, but everything else is more or less the same. I'd have loved if there were more zones, but I think the length of each zone individually does do a lot in offsetting the seemingly shorter pace. Plus, you get all sorts of new dialogue pretty much every run, and that does make things interesting. Each of the four boss fights are quite different from one another, but each fight by itself doesn't change very much for every new run. They do introduce new wrinkles here and there on occasion (like slightly different attacks), but ultimately, once you've figured the overall strategy to overcoming the boss, you'll be fine in future runs. I kinda wish there were more bosses to fight, but on the flip side, I do find enjoyment in finding new ways to beat the shit out of the same boss with different builds, weapons, and strategies. Beating a boss for the first time with a given weapon gives you one of three special rewards: Titan's Blood, Diamonds, or Ambrosia. The first one is the most significant in terms of the main gameplay, so we'll talk about that first. Overall, I like this approach to rewards, as it incentivizes playing with every weapon. Titan's Blood is the currency you use to upgrade your weapons. With them, you can unlock what are known as Aspects, which are essentially variations of the same weapon with slightly different abilities. For instance, the sword's Aspect of Nemesis is unique from the default because using the special move increases the critical hit chance of your normal attack. Aspects do wonders in adding a whole new flavor to each run, as they all have something unique to offer in combat, and encourage experimentation in terms of what boons and upgrades you pick up to complement the aspect's traits. Unlocking these Aspects is absolutely worth doing if you enjoy the combat. That pretty much covers most of what you do in a run, but what about in between? Whether you succeed or fail, you are sent back to the House of Hades, which acts as the hub area of the game. In here, you can do a bunch of things. For one, you can talk to a rotating cast of NPCs, from Hypnos, to Nyx, and even Hades himself. Depending on how far along you are in the story, or what you may have achieved in previous runs, the dialogue you get is different, so it's often worthwhile to talk to everybody. This place is also where you spend all the other rewards I mentioned earlier. Treasure and Diamonds can be given to the House Contractor, which allows you to alter the House's cosmetic appearance, unlock various new functions in a run (like enhanced room rewards, or Infernal Troves, which are challenge rooms that give you more rewards the faster you clear them), or open up special features (like an achievement list that grants you rewards). A lot of the really game-changing stuff requires Diamonds, which are hard to come by, so it'll take a while to unlock everything. Nectar and Ambrosia are items that you gift to NPCs. The first time you do so, they'll give you a Keepsake, which you can equip at the start of every run to give yourself a unique passive buff. Gifting Nectar to NPCs after that point unlocks even more dialogue, so if you're particularly invested in the characters, you may find this worth doing for everybody. Lastly, you have Darkness and Keys. The former is spent in the Mirror of Night, and you use it to unlock/power up an assortment of passive buffs, including (but not limited to) a revive ability that saves you from death. Keys are used to unlock the other weapons, as well as reveal more abilities in the Mirror, but after that, they're not all that useful. Luckily, there is a merchant in the House of Hades you can talk to that lets you exchange resources you may no longer need. This is a reliable way of getting some of the rarer items like Titan's Blood or Diamonds, but you'll need a considerable amount of resources to trade for them. After the first time you beat a run, you unlock something called the Pact of Punishment. Before every subsequent run, you can look over this pact and activate special conditions that make the run more challenging (such as "more enemies spawn" or "take more damage"). Activating a condition fills what's known as a Heat Gauge, and the higher the Heat, the harder it's gonna be. The incentive for doing this (other than the thrill of the challenge) is that going through a run with a full Heat Gauge allows you to get more rewards like Titan's Blood when you beat bosses. As of now, I've only done runs with one condition turned on, but if these are anything like the Limiters mechanic in Transistor, activating more of these can be incredibly punishing. As I mentioned before, playing again after a successful run makes sense within the context of the game's story, and that's because the game's main story moves forward on each win. On the tenth successful run, you get to see the story's conclusion, as well as the credits. After that, you pretty much just play the game for the sake of playing or getting better (though lots of post-game dialogue become available too). They even rationalize this post-game in-universe, and they did so in a rather clever and amusing way. Of course, not everyone is well-versed in rogue-likes or action RPGs, and you may find it daunting to have to get good at the game just to see through the story. Well, there's something called God Mode that you can activate in the options, and it apparently makes the game either easier or more accessible to those who just want to play it casually. I can't tell you exactly what it does since I never bothered to turn it on, but hey, it's there if you want to use it. VERDICT: Every Supergiant title has been an excellent experience for me, and I'm happy to say that Hades keeps the streak going. Though it doesn't feel like it has a lot compared to other rogue-likes, it still has a respectable amount of replay value, impressive variety in terms of combat options, and a plethora of possibilities for loadouts. Combined with a story that's both heartfelt and smartly tied into the gameplay, characters overflowing with personality, beautiful visuals, and an incredible soundtrack, the game comes together in what I feel is a total package. The fact that I've said that of the last three Supergiant games should say something about the quality of their work. Whether you're after a good story inspired by the myths of old, a rogue-like with a good amount of room for experimentation, or both, this game has you covered. Even if you've never played an action game like this before, or are overwhelmed/confused by rogue-likes, the God Mode accessibility option can help mitigate that so you can enjoy the game how you wish. Go get this game. Actually, go get every Supergiant game. They're all great. Play Hades on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145360/Hades/ Listen to the soundtrack on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5jTYZA6b4VoSRnR5TMldgb - end - The next generation of consoles is upon us, and one of the games heralding its arrival is Spider-Man: Miles Morales, the sort-of sequel to the hit PS4 Spider-Man game. And I have just the comic to celebrate this release. BACKGROUND:
Most of what I know about Miles Morales comes mostly from the original Ultimate Spider-Man runs, so I'm not really familiar with any solo stories of his from after that era. Apart from crossover titles like Spider-Verse, or ensemble titles like Champions, I haven't read a lot of post-Secret Wars Miles Morales stuff, so this is uncharted territory for me. THE WRITING: The six issues that this collection contains covers three stories. Issues 1-3 has Miles investigate a new group of superpowered criminals, and the true nature of said criminals is shocking, to say the least. Miles finds himself in an unlikely alliance with none other than the Rhino, who has a sort of personal connection to the case. And if that's not exciting enough, Captain America also gets involved. I liked this story a lot; the "unlikely allies" angle was entertaining, and the whole story did a lot to humanize Rhino (who's usually just portrayed as a dumb brute). Issue #4 is its standalone thing, and sees Miles attempt to skip a day of school to hang out with his friends. And because he's Spider-Man, trouble's not far behind, and he spends a lot of the day trying to juggle hanging out and saving the day. There's also a B-plot involving the vice principal of Brooklyn Visions, who is paranoid about Miles and is trying to catch him in the act, and it's pretty funny. Overall, this is more of a fun side story where you get to see Miles be (mostly) a regular teenager, as opposed to the typical superhero action which involves a proper conflict. The last two issues have Miles take on Tombstone's gang, but in the process, he meets a mysterious new super-person named Starling. Starling appears to have her own quarrel with Tombstone, but whether she's friend or foe remains to be seen. I'd say that this is a pretty standard Spider-Man story, but the added wrinkle of Starling's introduction is enough to make things interesting. Plus, the cliffhanger at the end sets up a new arc for the next volume. In between his escapades as Spider-Man, the comic spends a good amount of time showing Miles being a regular teenager (or, at least, his attempts of being one). You see him have a laugh with friends, have relationship troubles, deal with bullies, and more. You also see the toll being Spider-Man takes on him, as he finds himself consistently late for class due to sleep deprivation, as well as struggle to be completely honest with some of his friends. That's pretty familiar territory as far as Spider-Man goes, but seeing that double life struggle somehow never gets old for me. A fun thing this comic does is frame Miles's internal dialogue as entries from his journal (which he has to do for his creative writing class). I thought that was a neat approach. THE ART: There's not much I can say about the art other than it looks quite good. The style is in line with a lot of modern comic art, there's a lot of color variety (but it doesn't lean too hard on bright or muted), and there's a solid amount of detail achieved with varying line thicknesses and superb shading. The detail is rather evident when looking at characters like Miles himself; his figure is well-defined despite his suit being mostly black. VERDICT: Although this particular volume doesn't have any big story arcs, Miles Morales Vol. 1 is still a good read if you want some Spider-Man action. It has all the classic Spider-Man story elements; Miles kicking ass, Miles being a normal student, and Miles trying very hard to juggle both. Each little story also has its own thing that makes it interesting, like the stuff with Rhino or the debut of Starling. This is an excellent jumping-in point for new readers or fans of Into the Spider-Verse, as it's a completely fresh run that doesn't really reference anything else. This volume is available on Comixology: https://www.comixology.com/Miles-Morales-Vol-1-Straight-Out-Of-Brooklyn/digital-comic/772944?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L2Rlc2t0b3Avc2xpZGVyTGlzdC9pdGVtU2xpZGVy - end - Something something the fifth of November... BACKGROUND:
Like many others, I knew of V for Vendetta as a movie first before learning it was originally a comic. This realization did not come until I became more interested in comics outside of the typical superhero stuff. I was on a real Alan Moore kick in the early days of building up my physical collection, and getting the graphic novel was a no-brainer. I even sprung for the special edition, which came with the iconic Guy Fawkes mask that you can wear. It's been quite a while since I last read this, so I only remember the most important bits of the story. THE WRITING: The book is set in '90s England (which, at the time this was written, was the distant future), after a nuclear war ravaged multiple continents and plunged the world into environmental disarray. After a period of chaos caused by said war, a totalitarian regime rose to power and took full control of the country, enacting Orwellian levels of surveillance and control. It's as fascist as it gets here, with propaganda channels, unbelievable breaches of privacy, intense censorship, discrimination towards various groups, and straight up concentration camps. The regime is split into six branches, each in charge of a specific aspect of the government. The Head is the primary leadership, and is led by Adam Susan, who oversees all with Fate, an advanced computer system. The Eye and Ear handle video and audio surveillance respectively. The Mouth is the propaganda machine, controlling every broadcast in the country. There's also the Nose, which is like the investigative body of the government, and the Finger, who are essentially the secret police who enforce the rules. V for Vendetta is split into three books. The first kicks off when Evey Hammond is rescued by V, and the latter's anarchist escapades catch the eye of the regime. A lot of this first part is spent building the mystique of V, and in later chapters, the reader gets a sense of their backstory (though a lot is still left to the imagination). In addition, a lot of the world-building is established here, as the prominent leaders of each government branch is introduced, and their respective functions are highlighted as they respond to V's activities. Evey is still kind of the reader-insert character, as you are learning what's going on alongside her, but her backstory is also established here. It's in the first book where the "vendetta" in "V for Vendetta" is most prominent, as a lot of V's actions seem personally motivated. Of course, this changes over the course of the story, but the people hunting down V don't know that yet, and it's exciting to see them get outfoxed at every turn. The second book is set a couple of months after the first, and it is here that V's mission to topple the fascist regime really gets underway. At the tail end of Book 1, Evey and V have a sort of falling out, and Book 2 spends a good amount of time focusing on Evey's life after she moves on from V (especially in the later chapters, where she undergoes a monumental character transformation). Evey and V's relationship dynamic changes drastically here; in Book 1, Evey sees V as someone who saved her life, and both her issues at the end of Book 1 and the events in Book 2 completely alter her perception of V. Finally, the third book sees V plunge London into total anarchy. Here, you simply see the madness play out. Throughout the previous books, key members of the regime are made prominent and are given characters, and it is in this third book that you see how they act once the power they hold finally slips from their fingers. V's actions (whether directly or not) shape each of their mindsets in significant ways throughout the entire comic, and while a few get their big moments in previous books, some of the most impactful character moments happen in Book 3. Naturally, one might say that V themselves is the most prominent character in the book, and in many respects, they are. It is their actions that set everything in motion and make an impact on all the other characters. But apart from his significant escapades and the good chunk of Book 1 focused around his "origin," I would say that other characters get a somewhat equal amount of time to grow as characters. Personality-wise, V is mostly the same throughout; they're the epitome of a mad genius, with schemes that are simultaneously cold-blooded and hare-brained, and a penchant for incredibly verbose speeches and excessive theatrics. It's always exciting to see them in action in a panel, and their poetic speeches are filled with quotable lines and nuggets of wisdom that ring true in the real world. Second to V is Evey, who changes drastically as a character from book to book. As mentioned before, you learn a bit about her tragic backstory at the beginning, but she starts out mostly just asking V what's going on. Eventually, she gets into disagreements with V's methods (and esoteric speeches), but it isn't until Book 2 (where she is separated from V) that she is given significant time to develop as a character. By Book 3, she's a completely different person, and her connection with V has taken a new form. Exploring her transformation throughout the story is a definite highlight for me. The other characters (of which there are too many to mention) vary in terms of "screen time", but they all have something interesting to offer. Some serve as a prominent example of the ill effects of the fascist regime, others serve as an example of what complicity in the face of evil gets you, and the truly depraved ones have the misfortune of seeing their house of cards fall apart. I don't think I have to elaborate on the main "fight for freedom, take down the authoritarian bastards" theme of the comic. It's pretty overt. All I'll say is that some of the shitty situations presented in the story feel a little too congruent with real-life events, and that's pretty unsettling. Unlike Watchmen, V for Vendetta's structure is a little more straightforward, and doesn't jump around too much. The language is, as mentioned, pretty verbose in many sections, especially when it's V talking. The few instances the structure takes on an unconventional form is when a chapter is heavy on internal dialogue (like in Chapter 10 and 11 in Book 2), or sets the stage in a creative way (like the prelude to Book 2). THE ART: V for Vendetta has great art that complements the gloomy setting well. There's a decent amount of detail, achieved by fairly intricate line work, intense shading, and the use of dry-brush techniques (I think that's what it's called; I'm no expert). The colors are more on the muted side, but they do a lot with a little. Similar to Watchmen, the panel layouts are straightforward; just a bunch of different-sized rectangles spaced apart somewhat evenly. It makes the book easy to digest, in case that's an issue for you. OTHER THINGS: This special edition I got has some extra content at the end. It has a lengthy article written by Alan Moore himself detailing the origins of the comic, as well as numerous sketches and paintings by David Lloyd. There are also two short stories that aren't essential chapters to the overall story of V for Vendetta, but are interesting reads nonetheless. The mask has nothing at all to do with the quality of the comic, but I guess I'll mention it here. It's quite well-made and boasts a lot of detail, but is kind of a pain to wear. Great for display, though. VERDICT: V for Vendetta is another one of Alan Moore's finest works, with a deep dive into a fascist regime, the forces that dare oppose it, and a roster of characters whose places in it vary greatly. There's plenty to take away when reading it, whether it's the real-world themes, the variety of characters and their respective journeys, or even just V's quotable lines. Though most people just remember the Gunpowder Treason Plot rhyme, this comic has so many memorable moments and ideas worth exploring. I'm willing to argue that this is "essential" reading for anybody who's interested in reading prominent or iconic comic books. Alternatively, if you liked the movie, you may also find this book enjoyable. Pick up V for Vendetta on Comixology: https://www.comixology.com/V-for-Vendetta/digital-comic/48529?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L2Rlc2t0b3Avc2xpZGVyTGlzdC9pdGVtU2xpZGVy - end - I'm slowly but surely getting back into playing games on PC. My first stop today is a rather iconic classic. BACKGROUND:
Sonic is a character that needs no introduction. The blue blur has been an icon since the '90s, and his franchise is still going strong today. Dude even got his own movie. My personal experience with Sonic games is limited. The Sega consoles were a little after my time, and I never really got into any of the Sonic games that were released post-Dreamcast (not even now; most of what I know of Sonic is based on what gameplay I've seen online). I did eventually emulate a couple of the older games, but I only really remember the first one, and I don't think I played Sonic 3. I can't say for certain if I have played Sonic 2 before, but either way, I'm coming in with a fresh perspective. PLOT: Dr. Eggman/Robotnik is once again gearing up for world domination by putting together a robot army, building a space station, and attempting to steal the Chaos Emeralds. Sonic, now joined by his sidekick Tails, is on a mission to stop the bastard. Pretty basic stuff, so not much to say here. PRESENTATION: This was a Genesis game, and thus has 16-bit graphics. Like most games from this era, I would say this game aged very well, with awesome-looking sprites, a cheery art style, and decent variety in terms of level design. The animations are solid as well, and the characters are rather expressive to boot. The music in this game is excellent, with many of the tracks having an upbeat vibe. A couple of tracks are incredibly catchy as well; Casino Night Zone is a particular standout to me. GAMEPLAY: Sonic 2 is a 2D platformer. Run, jump, avoid danger, get to the end. You know the drill. At the start, you can choose whether to play as Sonic, Tails, or both (you control Sonic while Tails is also present, controlled by the CPU). They play pretty similarly in this game, so just pick your favorite. Regardless of who you choose, the basics are the same: keep running in the same direction to build speed, and jump into enemies as a ball to hurt them. This game also adds a Spin Dash, where you curl into a ball, charge in place, then zoom forward in a burst of speed. It's nothing complex, but if you're not a seasoned player of platformers, adjusting to the speed and maintaining momentum may prove challenging. There are 11 stages (called Zones) in total. The first seven have two levels, Metropolis Zone (level 8) has three, and the last three are singular levels. Each zone has a unique aesthetic, as well as mechanics exclusive to the level. Some of these zones are rather inspired, like Casino Night Zone (whose layouts are heavily inspired by pinball machines) and Wing Fortress Zone (which has you navigate an airship). Levels tend to have a lot of branching paths, and while there are nooks and crannies to find secrets in, they're all generally linear in structure. That said, one may find a few levels a bit frustrating to navigate, whether due to the path forward being unclear, or a few finicky mechanics that stifle progress (like bouncy surfaces that knock you away from where you need to go, or inclines that require a lot of speed to get over). Your main collectibles are the rings, which not only work like coins in Mario (getting 100 gives you an extra life), but also acts as an extra hit. If you have rings, getting hit by spikes or enemies won't kill you, but you'll lose all your rings. Get hit again without having rings on you, and you lose a life. I've always thought that this was an interesting way to handle damage; it makes getting rings actually useful (unlike in older Mario games). In addition, you can find a small assortment of power-ups to aid you on your quest, like the Speed Shoes (makes you go faster; imagine that), a shield that allows you to take a free hit, and temporary invincibility. These will often be found in tiny monitors that you can break. Of course, it's not a Sonic game without the Chaos Emeralds. If you go to a checkpoint with 50 rings on your person, a portal will open that takes you to a mini-game. In this mini-game, you're thrown into this pseudo-3D half-pipe where Sonic and/or Tails run forward automatically. Your objective here is to collect the specified number of rings by moving left or right on the course. Successfully doing this three times will award you the Chaos Emerald. This mini-game is more challenging than it looks, as not only is there a finite amount of rings to get (making the margin of error pretty slim), you also have to avoid bombs on the course that take away 10 rings if you hit them. Getting all seven Chaos Emeralds gives Sonic the ability to transform into Super Sonic. He'll automatically transform once you collect 50 rings, at which point your ring count will serve as a timer. Once it hits zero, you'll revert to normal Sonic (and you won't have any rings), but it can be extended by collecting more rings. As Super Sonic, you move significantly faster, and you're completely invulnerable to anything that isn't a bottomless pit. It's a lot of fun, but it becomes more of a hindrance when you get to sections that require some precise platforming, as the fucker moves way too fast for you to get any proper footing anywhere. Each zone (except Sky Chase Zone) ends in a boss fight where you beat the shit out of Dr. Eggman's latest robotic abomination. Most of these fights are pretty simple, with only a couple of patterns to watch out for, and the opening for attack being rather clear. If you got to the fight with rings, you'll probably be fine. In general, most regular enemies are not so much deadly as they are annoying. Unless you're really unlucky, they'll rarely ever kill you (since you'll most likely have rings on you, and they're generally easy to avoid), but a lot of them are placed in tricky spots where it's hard to avoid them. Some of them also have sweetspots, or have spikes that you shouldn't jump into. The only real completion bonus you get for collecting all the Chaos Emeralds (other than the ability to go Super Sonic) is an alternate victory screen, so if you can't be bothered to get them all, it's perfectly fine. VERDICT: Sonic 2 is a classic for a reason, as it features the iconic hedgehog at his very best. Though much simpler in terms of gameplay compared to modern offerings, the game is still fun; the speed is satisfying, the levels give you a bit of room to find your own path, and Super Sonic is an exhilarating power boost. Aside from the gameplay, Sonic 2 has visuals that still look good in 2020, and insanely catchy music tracks to complement the lovely level designs. Despite a few imperfections, I still think this is a fantastic experience that defines the Sega Genesis. This is another one of those classic games that I would label as an "essential"; go play it, even just once. Also great for two-player, if you have a friend you can pass a controller to. Here's the game on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/71163/Sonic_The_Hedgehog_2/ I played Sonic 2 via the Sega Mega Drive and Genesis Classics collection, which can be found on Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/34270/SEGA_Mega_Drive_and_Genesis_Classics/ - end - Now that October is over, I can finally talk about the latest Animal Crossing update! BACKGROUND:
After the August update, New Horizons had a month-long content drought, with September being pretty much uneventful apart from the seasonal change. This was not unexpected, however, as the tease for this particular update was explicitly Halloween-themed, so it makes sense that it came out closer to October. As much as I had fun with the fireworks stuff in August, the last update wasn't as meaty content-wise as I had hoped, so seeing the trailer for this new update gave me hope for more things to do. WHAT'S NEW: Halloween The biggest addition here is the Halloween event, which happens on your island on the 31st of October (makes sense). From 5PM to midnight on that day, Jack, the self-proclaimed Czar of Halloween visits the island, and he (along with all your villagers) will celebrate the night with the time-honored tradition of trick-or-treating. To participate in trick-or-treat, you naturally require candy. Throughout the month of October (and only on October), you can buy candy from the shop in order to stock up for Halloween, with the caveat that you can only buy one piece per day (which can be worked around by shopping on other players' islands). It's an interesting way to build anticipation for the event; I certainly felt excited to finally use the candy on Halloween after spending an entire month hoarding the stuff. Another thing you need for Halloween is a costume, and Animal Crossing has you covered there, too. The game adds a new assortment of horror-themed apparel to the Able Sisters' shop, from mage dresses to animal suits. There were already plenty of costume-type clothing before the update, but these new additions feel fresh and are a more than welcome addition to the expansive selection of apparel you can wear. Even Kicks gets in on the action, selling devil wings that you can wear on your back like a backpack. That's pretty much the first new thing he's sold since the game came out, and I hope this is a sign that the devs are willing to expand his selection in future updates. If you're not satisfied with all that, this update gives you all-new eye colors and skin tones to really get into the Halloween mood. The new skin tones are essentially "body paint," taking on unnatural colors as blue, green, purple, and bone white. The eye colors go the same route, and you can have irises in colors such as gray, pink, orange, and more. I really loved this addition; it adds a whole new layer to putting together your costume, and the best part is that you can use these even after Halloween is over. I hope they explore more ways to expand character customization in future updates; stuff like new hair styles would be neat. On Halloween, your villagers (who are all in costume) will walk up to you asking for candy.... or else. If you give them candy, they will give you something in exchange: DIY recipes for Halloween furniture, the Halloween furniture items themselves, pumpkins, and even new Reactions. A couple of these items are only obtainable during Halloween, but if you've stockpiled a lot of candy, you'll get them pretty quickly. The rest of the items can be acquired through various means from October 1-30, so if you've been playing regularly during that time, it won't take you long to complete the set. The villagers can ask you for candy multiple times, so if you have candy to burn and want duplicates/still have missing items, you won't have too much trouble rerolling. Once you have all you need, however, you may get a little annoyed by ten different villagers constantly asking you for candy. Not all of the villagers may be roaming outside during the event. The ones inside their houses actually give you candy when you talk to them, which feels more like how trick-or-treating usually goes. It's a good way to restock on candy if you find yourself low on the good shit. If you don't give a villager candy, they play a trick on you. The "trick" is pretty much just them switching out your current skin color with "body paint" and putting a custom face paint design on your face. It's rather amusing and all in the spirit of fun, so I found myself actively not giving villagers candy just so I can see what they do to my face. The only gripe I have with this is that you can't save the face paint designs they put on you to the Custom Designs app. Jack himself also participates in the trick-or-treating action, so you can either share your candy or incur his "wrath". What makes Jack special is that you can give him lollipops (something you can acquire from your villagers when you give them candy), and doing so will reward you with Halloween DIY recipes that you can only get on Halloween. In addition, he can also give you two special clothing items that allow you to cosplay as him. Not only is this a cool reward, there's actually a special interaction with it; talking to villagers on Halloween with these clothes on spooks them into giving you candy, which is hilarious to me. Jack himself is flattered if you talk to him while wearing the outfit. Overall, I thought the Halloween event was a fun time. The rewards are neat, everyone gets in on the festivities, and it feels like a good payoff to a month of "preparation". I enjoyed running around my island making sure all my villagers got candy, seeing Jack's excitement over lollipops, and even goading folks into pranking me. Once you have all the rewards, there isn't really a reason to keep trick-or-treating other than for your own amusement, but I think that's fine. There's no need to make what's supposed to be a fun event feel like a chore. Pumpkins The other big addition to this update is the ability to plant and harvest pumpkins. You can buy pumpkin starts from Nook's Cranny (during October only) or from Leif (available year-round), plant them like you would a shrub, and in a few days, pumpkins will be ready to harvest. Yes, you can be a pumpkin farmer now. There are multiple varieties of pumpkins, each coming in different colors. You have the regular orange, as well as pumpkins in yellow, green, and white. What you get when you plant a pumpkin start is random, but you can control what varieties you grow by planting the corresponding color pumpkin like you would a fruit. You can even water the plants, and this results in a more bountiful harvest. Aside from eating and selling, the main use for pumpkins is as a crafting material for the Halloween DIYs that also came with this update. The orange ones are the type you'll be using to craft, but the other colors are still useful, as they are what you use to customize the Halloween DIYs (instead of a regular customization kit). It's pretty cool that there's a whole furniture set you can make with these things, and I love the idea of using other color pumpkins to customize them, but I think it would be even more fun if you could do more with these pumpkins. That leads into why I gave this addition its own section: pumpkins being in the game opens up the possibility of other crops eventually making it into the game. While I imagine any new additions will be given the same DIY treatment as the pumpkins, I wager that adding all these food items will also lead to a sort of cooking mechanic being added to the game. Animal Crossing isn't really a full-on farming sim, but I think giving food items like fruit and veggies more uses apart from eating and crafting DIY items could be a lot of fun. VERDICT: Majority of the content in the latest Animal Crossing update revolves around a one-day event and is limited to only the month of October, and while it can be argued that more could have been added, I think what we got here is still pretty good. Halloween itself is a fun event, and all the things you get before and during it (new clothing, character customization, DIYs, Reactions, and furniture) meaningfully expand the ever-growing catalog of things you can collect and interact with in the game. Plus, the addition of pumpkins sets the stage for what may come next, possibly heralding a whole new game mechanic that could give players even more to do. The next update is due later in November, and it looks to be similarly holiday-themed with Franklin and Jingle being teased for the Thanksgiving and Christmas event respectively. I look forward to see what they add next! - end - |
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