Last week was kind of wild as a Marvel fan, and what better way to celebrate that than with a brand new comic to read? BACKGROUND:
In case you missed it, the Disney Investor Meeting (or whatever the fuck it's called) happened last week, and that brought with it a cavalcade of announcements, including but not limited to new Disney movies and series, more Marvel Studios stuff, and a bunch of things for Star Wars. In the case of the MCU, they announced a whole bunch of shit, many of which made me lose my shit (in a good way). One of these things (and arguably one of the biggest announcements of them all) was the confirmation of a Fantastic Four movie in the MCU. There were other comics I could have read that tied into the other announcements, but it's the goddamn Fantastic Four. I had to do this one. Much like Spider-Man and the X-Men, the Fantastic Four are a childhood favorite of mine. A lot of my all-time favorite characters were introduced in FF comics (to name a few: Doctor Doom, Silver Surfer, Black Panther, and the Inhuman Royal Family), and I'm familiar with a lot of their landmark storylines. However, I've not yet read this brand new run, so this is uncharted territory for me. THE WRITING: Before this book came out, the Fantastic Four have been out of commission for a long while. After the events of 2015's Secret Wars, Reed and Sue Richards (along with their kids Franklin and Valeria) never returned to Earth, and were presumed gone by the Thing and Human Torch. In reality, they've spent their time traveling across the multiverse with the Future Foundation, helping rebuild it after the aftermath of Secret Wars. Ben and Johnny have since continued on with their relatively normal lives, but deep down, they still hope to see their family reunited. When the Future Foundation encounter an immensely powerful being known as the Griever, who is hell-bent on destroying the universes they helped rebuild, Reed uses his smarts to make the seemingly impossible happen: reunite the Fantastic Four. The reunion was as emotional as expected, and a little twist helped make it even more amazing. After the battle against the Griever, Reed, Sue, Valeria, and Franklin return to Earth, while the rest of the Future Foundation continue their expedition. Reunited at last, the original Fantastic Four found themselves in an odd spot when they meet the Fantastix, an off-brand version of them who have now taken residence in the Baxter Building (the FF's old HQ, which was sold and resold due to a few Spider-Man related shenanigans). The team let Fantastix keep the building, and they set up their new base at Ben's place. Off the bat, this series has all the things I want from a Fantastic Four story: exploring new worlds, battles against cosmic-level threats, and a focus on the familial relationship of the main cast. This particular volume is on the short side (only collecting four issues), but it covers a lot of the bases that I've come to expect. Plus, the twist revolving around the Fantastic Four reunion was fucking amazing. There are also a couple of short stories in here. One focuses on Doctor Doom, who has been inactive for quite a while, but has been spurred to action when his homeland Latveria is under threat of siege. The other is a meta comic strip starring Impossible Man that takes a jab at angry comic fans' potential complaints over how the new series is being handled. THE ART: I've already encountered Sara Pichelli's art style in other comics before, and I have to say that I really dig her style. Something about her line work (especially on the characters) just feels so satisfying to look at. The last issue is done by a different artist, and I like the style here as well. It's much different in terms of the line work, but it's still well done. VERDICT: Fantastic Four is back in full force with this volume, and while it's on the short side, it's got all the elements of a good FF tale with a few awesome twists mixed in. The book answers the question of "where was the Future Foundation" in a neat way, introduces a new, terrifying threat, and all the characters are as great as I remember them. This is well worth checking out if you're a longtime fan of Marvel's first family, and a pretty safe jumping-in point for casuals. Here it is on Comixology: Fantastic Four Vol. 1: Fourever - Comics by comiXology - end -
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This is the penultimate game on my backlog. It's pretty fortunate that I was able to find time to get all these games done. BACKGROUND:
Two words: Steam sale. I actually don't remember if I beat this. I'm pretty sure I didn't, but either way, I'm finishing it. PLOT: Does this even have a plot? I don't fucking know. Nothing makes sense in this game. The only thing in this game that conveys any sort of coherent thought is the occasional text you can read in the levels. A lot of these are phrased like one of those motivational quotes, and if you find that shit pretentious, you'll probably find this game insufferable. I personally don't feel strongly about it. PRESENTATION: The visual style is strikingly simple, if that makes any sense. There's not a lot going on in terms of color (apart from the occasional gradients), and objects and the environment don't have any complex detail to them. Most of the areas are simply white rooms with the odd splash of color here and there. You should probably tone down the brightness if you play this game. Where this game excels in terms of visuals is how everything comes together to look like an abstract painting in video game form. There are odd shapes in all sorts of configurations everywhere, random models and writing that defy explanation, stairs all around M.C. Escher-style, all sorts of morphing objects... it's rather surreal at times, and the fact that the visual style is as simple as it is makes everything look even more trippy. The music is more on the ambient side, and to add to the bizarre presentation, you hear a wide array of sounds that make absolutely no sense. Some areas sound like they're underwater, and I occasionally heard completely out-of-place sounds like birds chirping or the sound of thunder. Everything about this game's presentation is designed to fuck with your senses, and as I will discuss below, this is a rather deliberate choice. GAMEPLAY: Antichamber is a first-person puzzle game, in the same vein as titles like Portal. The objective is the same: move around the rooms, solve puzzles to progress. That is where the similarities end, however; whereas Portal is relatively more straightforward in terms of its mechanics, Antichamber is anything but. What makes this game special is how practically everything in it defies conventional logic. Going back the way you came could take you to an entirely different place. Looking through a window can completely alter an area. Some walls could be walked through and some bridges aren't solid at all. I could go on and on with examples, but we'd be here all day. Long story short, nothing makes fucking sense, and the sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be. The fact that you're in some twisted dimension where real-world rules pretty much don't apply makes this game incredibly difficult to figure out at first. You pretty much have to think outside the box every single time because common sense is virtually useless in solving puzzles. I spent a good amount of this game muttering "what the fuck am I supposed to do?" In any other game, that would be an indicator of poor design, but in Antichamber, that utter confusion seems to be very much intentional. It is engineered to test your goddamn patience, and if you don't have a lot of it to spare, you probably shouldn't touch this game with a ten-foot pole. At first, figuring out how to do anything takes an immense amount of patience. You're being asked to leave common sense at the door, so you're left with trial and error, wandering aimlessly, and scouring the area for anything that remotely feels like a way forward. It takes a long while, but if you stick through the game, you'll slowly figure out the game's rules (or, rather, its lack of rules), and soon enough, you'll be cruising through rooms in no time. In this sense, the game almost has a sort of reverse difficulty curve; the longer you play, the easier it gets (provided you're actually taking the time to figure things out, of course). Of course, the journey to get to that point is a struggle, and oftentimes, you're just stumbling into the answer. I eventually played enough that I could somewhat make sense of the game's nonsense, but I could see the game's deliberately obtuse puzzles being too frustrating for other people. Even if they end up figuring it out, whether or not they feel a sense of accomplishment after doing so is up in the air. Once you progress far enough, you'll encounter a device that has the ability to place and remove tiny cubes in the environment. This device is incredibly versatile, as the cubes you place not only activate designated switches, but they can be used as platforms, too. The game becomes even more interesting thanks to this device, and throughout your time, its capabilities are expanded to give you even more ways to manipulate your cubes. However, some aspects of it are a bit of a pain to control; one ability in particular is quite cumbersome to use because you're working in a 3D space. Nothing is really straightforward in this game, and the solutions to some puzzles are pretty open-ended as a result. There's usually an optimal approach to many of the puzzles, but you can get away with a lot of shit if you do it right. I love when I have the opportunity to experiment on how to solve something, and this game gives you freedom to do just that. If you ever get stuck (which, in this game, is a guarantee), you can always return to the starting area. There, you have the ability to warp to any area you've already visited, allowing you to revisit puzzles you may have skipped or explore new paths. The game even indicates which areas still have paths to unlock and which areas are fully explored, which is nice. The only gripe I have is you have no access to the map in the actual game; you have to return to the start if you want to see it. The game's collectibles come in the form of drawings strewn about the levels, which display the aforementioned "motivational" quotes I described earlier on when you click them The game keeps track of what you've found, but there's no real incentive to collect them since the game doesn't have achievements (a choice I found rather odd). Notably, the quotes sometimes serve as hints, and are the game's main tool for teaching you to stop applying real-world logic to the puzzles. VERDICT: Antichamber is a strange game through and through, taking your preconceived notions of real-world logic (or even regular video game logic), saying "fuck you" to those notions, and throwing them out into the street. It laughs at your intuition and common sense by presenting a world of puzzles that require the brainpower of beings from another dimension to solve, and makes you feel like a fucking moron in the process. Once you take the time to figure things out (and I use that term loosely in the context of this game), you'll feel like you've seen the code Matrix-style. Mix in some incredibly abstract visuals and surreal audio design, and you have what would be a good answer to the question "what would a hallucinogen-induced fever dream look like in video game form?" I highly doubt I did it justice in writing here (nor would I wish to spoil anything about what this game throws at you), but you'll just have to trust my word that it is an otherworldly mind-bending experience to play through. Whether or not I enjoyed it as a whole is up for debate (there's plenty I enjoyed about it, but there were also a good amount of things that frustrated me), but either way, it's an experience I'll never forget. I don't think this is a game for everyone. I see its intentionally confusing design being a massive hurdle in a lot of people's enjoyment. Its puzzles easily go from "holy shit, that was pretty cool" to "how in the goddamn shit was I supposed to know that was the answer?" One may also find the quotes in the game utterly pretentious. I'd completely understand passing on this game, but I think the people who are curious ought to check it out. There really isn't a puzzle game out there quite like it. If you're on the fence, try and watch some gameplay (but not too much; don't spoil yourself); it's difficult to put into words exactly what the fuck is going on, so it'll probably be better if you just looked at it yourself. Get Antichamber on Steam here: Antichamber on Steam (steampowered.com) - end - Knocked another game off the list. Let's discuss. BACKGROUND:
As you probably guessed, this was a random Steam sale purchase. I strangely didn't put in a lot of time into it before I inexplicably dropped it entirely. Oh well, now I can beat it. PLOT: The game adapts Norse mythology. You play as Munin, one of Odin's ravens tasked to fly around the world and report to the Allfather. The catch here is that Munin has been transformed into a mortal woman, no thanks to Loki's bullshit. In order to restore her true form, Munin must travel across the Nine Realms to collect her feathers. The story is mostly presented through short poems at the beginning of each stage. Interestingly, the poems are composed pretty similarly to the Poetic Edda, which is the biggest/most significant source of Norse mythology that we know of. I thought that was a neat approach, but it does use somewhat archaic language, so if you're not into that, you should just probably skip the text. Personally, I didn't really care for the story; I think the setting and premise is neat, but the game doesn't do much outside of that. PRESENTATION: The visuals have a painterly look to them, and it's most evident in the level backgrounds. Most things look decent, but stuff like water looks kinda odd. Some levels are pretty striking in terms of design, but a few feel a bit drab to look at. The music is just fine, leaning more on the tranquil and ambient side, which fits the overall slower pace of the game. None of the tracks stood out to me as particularly memorable, but I thought they were all decent. GAMEPLAY: Munin is a puzzle platformer, which means a lot of walking, jumping, and solving puzzles to progress. General movement feels kinda clunky (in particular, controlling your movement in mid-air doesn't feel great), but it wasn't to the point that made me angry. If you're used to platformers with more responsive controls, you might find this game a little vexing to play. The object of every level is to collect all the feathers strewn about the area. In order to get them all, you'll need to use the game's main mechanic: the ability to rotate sections of the level. Doing so is easy; simply move the cursor to a particular section and hit the button. It's a little tricky to get a hang of since you're constantly shifting things around, but the game eases you into it adequately. My only gripe with this mechanic is that the direction of rotation is fixed, but that's just a minor thing that didn't really affect me in the grand scheme. Once you get a hang of how the rotation mechanic works, solving puzzles gets super satisfying. You'll be doing a lot of moving between sections and rotating afterward, and it feels amazing when you've learned the level well enough that you know exactly what to rotate to get to where you need to go. It gets trickier later on, as more advanced levels feature multiple sections that rotate at the same time. For the most part, this game doesn't require too much in the way of twitch reflexes, but there are a few situations where it comes in handy. As stated before, you travel through the Nine Realms, which means you go through nine whole stages, each with a good handful of levels (adding up to around 70 in total). Once you get past Midgard (which is essentially the tutorial world), each succeeding realm introduces a brand new mechanic that (sort of) fits the theme of that realm. For example, Jotunheim introduces boulders, which you can push around, use as a platform, and (with enough speed) use to break barriers. Every mechanic has something interesting to offer, and the way they interact with your ability to rotate sections of the level leads to cool interactions (as well as some tough levels). In terms of difficulty, Munin is no pushover, with a good number of levels that have a lot of shit going on. Though there were certainly moments when I got stuck or was annoyed, none of the levels stood out to me as exceptionally difficult. Most of them can be beaten simply by just taking the time to inspect exactly what happens when you try to rotate every section of the level. Once you clear one of the Nine Realms, you can play through them again via the Chapters menu. The only catch is that you have to play through all the levels of the entire realm in order, and there's no way to simply select individual levels. I found this incredibly odd; I figured the Chapters menu was some sort of level select, but it isn't (not entirely, anyway). VERDICT: Munin is a solid puzzle platformer that takes plenty of inspiration from Norse myth, and features a novel mechanic that has you directly manipulate each of the game's levels to get through them. Add in plenty of other level-specific mechanics that work in conjunction with the rotation to create some interesting interactions, and you have a game with a lot to offer puzzle-wise. I have my qualms with the game, and it's a little on a short side, but overall, I thought it was a pretty good puzzle platformer that gets real creative with the level design. Although one can argue that there are probably better puzzle platformers out there, Munin is still worth getting if you're a fan of the genre and have a couple bucks to spare. It's pretty cheap even without a sale, so if you want a budget title to pass the time, this isn't a bad game to get. Go get it on Steam: Munin on Steam (steampowered.com) It's also on Android. I tried to look for it in the iOS App Store, but it appears to be delisted (that, or it's region-locked). Here's a link for that: Munin - Apps on Google Play - end - After nine months, Five Comics is finally back! Many factors (including the pandemic) unfortunately led me to have to stop doing this blog series for a very long time, but I did my best to keep the reading streak going by tackling the TPBs/graphic novels in my collection. Now that I've had some time to reorganize, I can start working on Five Comics posts again. I already have a brand new list of Five Comics themes ready to go, but there's only a few on it at the moment, and I still have to categorize 1000+ comics (not hyperbole, by the way) in my digital backlog before I can start putting more themes together. As such, I don't think I'll be doing these every week like I was before (at least not anytime soon), but you can expect more of these to gradually show up in the coming months. For the time being, I'll still focus on graphic novels/TPBs like I have been for the majority of this year. THE THEME: This year's Game Awards is upon us once again! Aside from playing games myself, I wanted to mark the occasion by reading five comics adapting video games. Turns out I had a lot of comics that fit this category, so my selection here is pretty much random. THE COMICS: ![]() AGENT 47: BIRTH OF THE HITMAN #1 Publisher: Dynamite Comics Writer: Christopher Sebela Artists: Jonathan Lau, Ariel Medel - This is a prequel comic that shows the backstory of Diana Burnwood (who would become Agent 47's handler in the future), and 47's time as a killer for the Institute that raised him to be a killer. I've only ever seen 47 as he is in the games, so it's neat to see him get a new layer of his character here. - Comixology link ![]() BATTLETOADS #1 Publisher: Titan Comics Writer: Simon Furman Artist: Andres Genolet - A super cartoony-looking comic featuring the Battletoads, stars of a classic NES game. Here, they've just defeated the Dark Queen (again), and are looking for a new adventure. However, it seems they've gotten themselves into a real pickle by entering a Contest of Champions-style tournament. Delightfully goofy. - FREE on Comixology ![]() CENTIPEDE #1 Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment Writer: Max Bemis Artist: Eoin Marron - Probably the most interesting adaptation in my selection, considering it adapts a very old Atari arcade game that didn't really have a story. It's been reimagined here as a sort of post-apocalyptic scenario on a planet called Sty-Rek, and the last surviving man is out to hunt the centipede that ravaged his homeworld down. It's a pretty interesting take on the game's story, and the protagonist is weird in a good way. - Comixology link ![]() HORIZON ZERO DAWN - FREE COMIC BOOK DAY Publisher: Titan Comics Writer: Anne Toole Artist: Ann Maulina - This seems to be set after the events of the first game, and focuses on Talanah, who is struggling to find her purpose after Aloy's sudden departure. I haven't played Horizon Zero Dawn, but I thought its overall setting is really unique; seeing it a little fleshed out here has me more interested in checking the game out. - FREE on Comixology ![]() WARFRAME #1 (CONVENTION EDITION) Publisher: Top Cow Writers: Matt Hawkins, Ryan Cady Artist: Studio Hive - This comic follows a lone Tenno defending the remnants of a village decimated by the Grineer. The action is just as cool as the game it adapts, and the introduction of a blinded girl (who the Tenno is protecting) and her narration enhances the otherwise basic story. - FREE on Comixology Gotta say, it feels good to be doing one of these again. I'll do my best to get back into writing more of these, and I look forward to all the comics I'll be reading. PANEL OF THE WEEK: - end -
With this game crossed off the list, I'm down to the last three games on my Steam backlog. If only similarly impressive progress can be said about the rest of my personal life. BACKGROUND:
Another random Steam sale purchase. Go figure. I got more than halfway through on the old save, but once again, I stopped for some unknown reason. It's strange considering I enjoyed how challenging this game was. PLOT: I feel like there is a plot in here somewhere, but if there is, the way it's presented is way too esoteric. I could just be reading too much into the few "cutscenes" of the game, but there seems to be some sort of cryptic narrative that involves the bizarre journey the player characters undergo. Regardless, the fact that it made no goddamn sense to me is largely irrelevant to my opinion of the game. That said, if you came here for something story-driven, or even just a story that's presented clearly, you may not like what you find. PRESENTATION: Circa Infinity keeps it simple when it comes to visuals: 8-bit style pixel graphics, super simple sprite designs, and a very limited color palette. The game makes up for the limited style by making everything else look trippy as hell: backgrounds and level elements routinely alternate colors, you see all sorts of abstract patterns, and the screen transitions and the like look like straight up optical illusions. A good way to describe it is one of those stereotypical brainwashing/hypnosis devices you see in cartoons that display all sorts of weird shit on the screen. On that note, this is definitely one of those games that requires warnings for those who get dizzy/motion sick when seeing a lot of moving objects on a screen, as well as anybody with photosensitivity issues or a history of epileptic seizures. The music is just as mesmerizing as the visuals, taking on a somewhat techno style that also serves to complement the fast-paced gameplay. I found myself idling on a few levels just to enjoy listening to the tracks for a bit. GAMEPLAY: Circa Infinity is a 2D platformer, and it's the kind that demands quick reflexes, precision, and a knack for adapting on the fly. Though I wouldn't say it's on the level of Super Meat Boy or the harder levels of Celeste, it's still fairly demanding. Unlike most platformers, which tend to keep the action in a horizontal plane, Circa Infinity's action takes place in circles. You'll have to move clockwise or counterclockwise around said circles to position yourself correctly. The controls aren't exactly the easiest to adjust to; your main inputs are left and right, and those are directions that are easier to grasp on a completely horizontal plane. On a circular plane, those inputs can get confusing; even with several hours of experience, I still found myself inputting a direction incorrectly because I got turned around. I see this being a cumbersome barrier for many players. Depending on where you are in the circle, your main button has a different function. Within a circle, it's a regular jump, and you have to use it to reach the next circle (which is a new section of the level). On the outer side, it's a sort of quick crouch, and you have to do that on a specific wedge of the circle to enter it. My description makes it sound fucking confusing, but I promise it'll make sense once you see it. Although these are pretty basic actions, avoiding danger by using them at the perfect time feels pretty satisfying. It's not a platformer without obstacles, and in this game, they come in the form of weird devil-looking things. There are many different types, each with distinct behavior. Some are simply stationary, others move along the circular path, some jump, others fly, and more. The game introduces each enemy in a relatively safe area, so you have ample time to figure out their behavior. It's very important that you learn what each enemy does as quickly as you can, because later levels will start to mix and match different types and make your life a living hell. In the event that you hit an enemy and die (which will happen), you'll be sent to the previous section of the level. This is kind of annoying, because this makes it so you have to clear a section you already beat just to get back to where you were. This gets extra frustrating if you accidentally die in said previous section and get sent even further back. Thankfully, the game does have sort of "rest areas" with no hazards that effectively serve as checkpoints. The game has five zones, each with 10 decently-long levels. Each zone introduces a new twist to the gameplay; for example, the third part really mixes things up by having you control two characters simultaneously, and the final part introduces color-based mechanics into the mix. It's in these new twists where the level design really shines, as each section becomes a sort of puzzle where you have to decipher how to take advantage of the new mechanic to get you through unscathed. Each zone ends in a boss fight where you have to brave your way through the boss's onslaught to hit them (which, in this case, is simply doing your "crouch" move on top of them). I didn't expect boss encounters at all in this game, and they ended up being some of the most creative levels in the entire game. Beating the final boss unlocks a speedrun mode where you try to go through every level in the game, with the twist that you're now being timed. It doesn't change anything about the levels, but if you're all about getting the best times and optimizing your gameplay, this is something you can sink your teeth into. Circa Infinity also has a completely separate mode (which could probably be its own standalone game) called Circle Affinity. It plays pretty much the same as the normal game, except that it's structured more like an arcade experience. Instead of simply getting to the end of the level, it's a survival-type mode where you try to clear as many individual sections as you can. Once you die (either by hitting an enemy or idling too long), the game ends, and the number of sections you cleared up to that point is your score. Circle Affinity is a solid mode that gives this otherwise short game good replay value. Not only is it great if you're into getting high scores, but there are things you can unlock, like more level sets, and even alternate color palettes for the game (which you unfortunately can't use in the main game). I should note that the achievements of this game are quite interesting. In addition to your standard progression achievements and challenge achievements (like clear every level in a zone without dying, reach a specific score threshold in Circle Affinity, or various speedrun achievements), you also have achievements that encourage you to play a game a specific way. For example, there are a set of achievements called Immobile, which requires you to beat levels without moving left or right. It's not everyday achievements encourage you to play the game in different ways, so I wanted to highlight this aspect of Circa Infinity. VERDICT: Circa Infinity provides a one-of-a-kind 2D platformer experience with its circle-based platforming action, interesting mechanics, and challenging level design. It's also distinct in the sense of presentation with its simple yet somehow psychedelic visuals and enjoyable soundtrack. It even has its own arcade mode on top of that. Despite being on the short side, and some mild frustrations I have with some elements of the gameplay, I was satisfied overall with the game's difficulty and assortment of mechanics. If you're in for a decently difficult platforming challenge, or are looking for something a little off-the-wall, this is definitely a game worth checking out. If you're not that into platformers that require some trial and error or are demanding execution-wise, you may not enjoy this as much. Of course, you don't have to take my word for it. Visit the game's Steam page below and you'll find that it has a free demo. See if it's for you. Circa Infinity on Steam (steampowered.com) - end - It's the most wonderful time of the year: the time when William Regal screams "WARGAMES" at the top of his lungs. As usual, I talk about each match on the Takeover card below.
Knocked off another quick one from the backlog today. If I'm lucky, I'll clear this out before the year is over. BACKGROUND:
Life is Strange was the talk of the town at one point, so I had heard plenty about it. That said, I never watched any Let's Plays of the game, so I didn't actually know anything about the story. In retrospect, I'm glad I never bothered, because I get to see everything for the first time. Since I do not own the full game right now, this blog entry will focus entirely on the first chapter, which is free to play. I attempted to play this the first time they made Episode 1 free, but something about the game made it completely unplayable on Mac. Now that I'm on another machine, I actually get to play the game this time. PLOT: Life is Strange focuses on Max Caulfield, an aspiring photographer studying at the prestigious Blackwell Academy. The academy is located in her hometown of Arcadia Bay, Oregon, and she moved back after spending five years living in Seattle. The events of the game start around a month after she moved back, in the middle of her photography class. During it, she sees strange visions of a storm coming to Arcadia Bay. Later on, after a particularly harrowing event, she discovers that she can actually rewind time, allowing her to alter the outcomes of her decisions. After using her newfound abilities to make rather pivotal actions, she eventually reunites with Chloe Price, her childhood friend with whom she's drifted apart. The story in the first episode is mostly teen drama (which I generally don't care for), but early on, there are clear hints that there's something much more sinister afoot in the town. There are big moments and you do get to make some significant decisions, but for the most part, Episode 1 is about establishing characters and setting up the pieces. There are also hints that the story could go in a darker direction and take on more serious themes, but very little actually comes to pass in the first episode. There are a good number of characters in the story, and while most of them have strong personalities, they tend to fall into common tropes. That said, this is only based on what I saw of them in this first episode; it is entirely possible there's more depth to them in later chapters. Max and Chloe get the most screen time, and thus have the most opportunity to be fleshed out in Episode 1. I found the dialogue to be a bit weird at times, but nothing really stuck out to me as particularly cringeworthy. Perhaps other players may feel more strongly about that. PRESENTATION: In terms of style, Life is Strange has a sort of painterly look to it. It looks really nice, but the age is showing a bit when it comes to model and texture quality. Other than that, I think it looks decent, especially during moments with nice lighting (like during sunsets). The effects when rewinding time look pretty cool, too. The music is more on the ambient side, but there are tracks that are more melodic in nature. Some licensed songs do play during certain moments to help set the mood of a scene. The voice acting is decent, but is a bit hampered by the fact that the models don't quite have the best lip syncing in the world. I didn't really mind, but I could see this taking someone out of the story if they noticed. GAMEPLAY: I would describe Life is Strange as a mix of visual novel and point-and-click adventures. There's a lot of dialogue, and story is very much the main focus of the game, but there are still elements of a game that make Life is Strange a bit more involved than a typical visual novel. For one, the game has a third-person perspective where you control Max in a 3D environment. You can interact with highlighted objects in the environment; doing so triggers dialogue from Max, and for specific objects, Max can perform certain actions. The point-and-click elements come in here, as you'll have to pick things up, move things around, or alter objects in order to solve puzzles and progress the story. None of the puzzles are particularly hard, and none of the important objects are hard to miss, so I don't think this game will be a problem for casual players who just want to experience the story. Since this is a story-driven game, dialogue is important, and that means multiple options. Some of these decisions are pretty innocuous, while others feel significant. Like many games of this kind, your choices matter down the line; something that was good for the short term may not necessarily be the best choice in retrospect. However, since this is the first episode, there really isn't a chance to see the butterfly effect cause a chain reaction. I'm sure the later chapters address that issue just fine. Actions or dialogue that have major consequences are noted by the game, which keeps you aware of the potential ramifications (and paranoid when the prompt comes up for something as seemingly inconsequential as watering a plant). In the event that you second guess your choice, you can rewind time to a certain point with a press of a button. Doing so allows you to explore the other dialogue options, reverse potentially dangerous decisions, and even be the key to solving puzzles. I like this mechanic a lot; it gives you the freedom to weigh which decision you wanna stick with without being afraid of having to restart. Of course, once you've passed a certain point in the story, you can't rewind time to change earlier decisions, so you still have to make a choice in the end. VERDICT: Even with not much to go on in terms of the full narrative or the extent of the consequences of my decisions, I still really enjoyed the first episode of Life is Strange. I think they laid the groundwork for a potentially interesting and emotional story, and I'm quite interested to see where it goes. The rewind feature is a brilliant feature as well, and it's both a clever puzzle-solving tool and a means to explore all the different outcomes and craft a story that speaks to you. Hopefully I get a chance to play the other chapters in the future, because I wanna see how this shit ends. If you're curious about the game, the entirety of Episode 1 is free to play. Here it is on Steam: Life is Strange - Episode 1 on Steam (steampowered.com) If you're of the mobile persuasion, here are some alternatives: - end - The latest game I crossed off from my Steam backlog is a very interesting one. I'm looking forward to talking about it. BACKGROUND:
Psychonauts is not the most popular game out there, but it has quite the cult following; I wouldn't have heard about it otherwise if it weren't for those passionate fans. I had the chance to buy the game on sale for a really affordable price, but I couldn't find the time to sit down and play it. PLOT: The game is set in Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp, which appears to be a normal camp at the surface, but is actually a training ground for young psychics. The most exceptional of the children are then recruited into the Psychonauts, an elite team of spies/fighters who use their mental abilities to aid them in their missions. Razputin (Raz for short) sneaks into the camp in hopes of becoming a Psychonaut, but is immediately caught by the instructors. They allow him to stay for a few days until his father comes to pick him up, so Raz resolves to hone his skills in that time. During his training, Raz uncovers a conspiracy that involves a mysterious entity stealing the brains of the other kids in the camp, and it falls to him to get to the bottom of it. Overall, I thought the story was super weird in the best way possible. All the characters have distinct personalities, and the fun thing about the game's setting is that you actually get to explore their inner psyche, so you learn even more about what makes them tick. The whole concept of someone's mind being a place you can explore is cool, and the game gets really creative when depicting the minds of the various characters as a "physical" location. This creativity extends to the game's humor, too, and there are some clever jokes in the dialogue of various characters. The plot itself isn't anything new (how many times have you heard a "it's up to this one guy to stop this massive conspiracy" story?), but I think the whole "going into people's minds" thing breathes fresh air into it. As you go along each of the levels (which are focused on the mind of a particular character), you learn about their past traumas (and how that dictates their actions/behavior in the present), or how they perceive their current situation. It's a novel way to add depth to the characters, and doing so helps contextualize what's going on in the main narrative a little bit. PRESENTATION: This game came out in 2005, and while the age is noticeable in terms of texture and model quality, I still think it looks fine. From what I understand, the version I played is the updated one that was released in 2011, and the resolution looks better than how the game originally looked. However, the pre-rendered cutscenes aren't, and the lack of updates to it is quite noticeable next to the upscaled gameplay. In terms of style, I got a sort of Tim Burton-esque vibe from the unnatural proportions and faces from the characters. Where this game really shines is the level design, as they took all manner of inspiration when it comes to the overall aesthetic of each level. They also did a fantastic job of keeping the level design in theme with the character it's associated with, featuring elements that accurately depict a particular character's quirks or personality. The music is pretty great as well, with many tracks perfectly complementing their respective levels. It feels like a full-blown movie score at some points. The voice acting is also no slouch, with some real heavy hitters in the cast (like the voice of Raz, who is also the voice of Zim from Invader Zim, and other high-caliber names like Steve Blum and Tara Strong). GAMEPLAY: Psychonauts is a 3D platformer, so there's plenty of running and jumping in a 3D environment. Structurally, there is a good amount of room for exploration, but it's not exactly on the level of, say, Super Mario Odyssey, whose levels are full-on sandbox areas. Psychonaut's levels have a sense of linear progression to them, but you get to do a fair bit of backtracking, and there's plenty of opportunity to explore nooks and crannies to find secrets. Raz starts out with a basic jump, a double jump, a short-range punch attack, and a ground pound. As you go along, you unlock more psychic abilities, ranging from combat-focused (like Marksmanship, which gives you a projectile attack), mobility (Levitation, which gives you a higher jump and a float), defensive options (Shield), to abilities more focused on solving puzzles (like Pyrokinesis, which is primarily used to burn down barriers). Some are pretty useful as they are, others are more versatile (Pyrokinesis, for example, can be used to hurt enemies), while others are rather situational. Each ability (with a few exceptions) has a level dedicated to it, and you get ample time to explore what they can do. There are some areas where you get the opportunity to use multiple abilities in succession, but they're not as common. I had a lot of fun messing around with these abilities (you can do some fun stuff with some of them, like mess around with NPCs), though I can't help but feel like there's still a lot of untapped potential when it comes to designing levels around these abilities. Aside from his psychic abilities, Raz also has some acrobatic skills to his name. Throughout the levels, you'll be able to shimmy across ledges, climb marked surfaces, swing from horizontal bars, balance on tightropes, and slide down slopes and rails. Some of these can be a little finicky to deal with, but none of the platforming sections are particularly tough or demanding (except for the last level, which is a lengthy platforming challenge full of these things). Your main hub at the start is the camp itself. It's not that large in the grand scheme, but there are a good number of areas and spots with hidden goodies. Once you start actually entering people's minds, you'll gain access to what's called the Collective Unconscious. This area is a collection of doors, each of which will allow you to revisit individual levels. The levels based on the minds of the characters is where the design truly shines. The tutorial level, for example, is set in the mind of a war veteran, and you go through a literal warzone. It gets super creative later on, with a level set in a dance party, a level where you get to pretend to be a kaiju, a level where you help produce a stage play, a level where "a battle of wits" is interpreted literally as a board game, and the iconic Milkman Conspiracy level, which perfectly captures the paranoia of the character with a '50s suburban setting filled with spies and hidden cameras. I deeply enjoyed each and every level's theme, and I found myself wishing there were even more to explore. There's less variety in terms of enemies, with most of the levels using the same set throughout. Most of them are merely nuisances, but a few can kick your ass if you don't deal with them quickly. The bosses are pretty inspired when it comes to design (as they're the manifestation/culmination of the character's emotional troubles), and they get creative with the solutions to beating them, but I wouldn't call them particularly difficult. Dying is rarely inconvenient, as the checkpoints tend to be generous. You do, however, have a limited number of "lives", and losing them all kicks you out of the level. Even then, that isn't all that troublesome, as the checkpoints still apply for the most part. For the most part, the puzzles are pretty straightforward, with a lot of them simply requiring the correct abilities to be used on the specified interactables. There is a bit of a point-and-click adventure element to some of the puzzles, requiring you to use items in your inventory in conjunction with your powers to progress. Figuring out what to do is rarely ever problematic, but in the event that you get stuck, the game does have a built-in hint system thanks to a special item. Each level has a number of collectibles. First, you have Figments, which are outlines of objects strewn about the area. There are a lot of these things to find, and while most of them are in plain view, some of them are tough to reach. Next, you have Memory Vaults, which, when broken, reveals the memories of the character whose mind you're exploring at the moment. You also have Emotional Baggage, which is literal in the sense that they're actual luggage weeping loudly. To collect these, you have to find their corresponding bag tag, and collecting them all unlocks even more memories pertaining to the character. Lastly, you have Mental Cobwebs, which you have to clear out with a special item to open up paths. There are also miscellaneous upgrades (like expanded ammo for certain psychic abilities), but they're not really required. The campsite also has collectibles of its own. On it, you can find PSI Challenge Markers, which level you up. You can also find PSI Cards, nine of which can be converted into Challenge Markers in a certain area. There's also a scavenger hunt where you have to find 16 special items, and completing it levels you up even more. Mental Cobwebs can be exchanged in a certain area of the camp as well, and they'll be converted into PSI Cards. Since I just mentioned leveling up, now's a perfect time to discuss it. Raz starts out at Rank 1, and you level up by doing certain tasks. Collecting Challenge Markers and Figments levels you up, and at certain points, you unlock new psychic abilities or get upgrades for existing abilities. Since leveling up is tied to collecting finite resources, there isn't so much grinding as there is scavenging, and depending on the kind of player you are, you may find that more fun or more tedious. I personally enjoy this more; I like collect-a-thons and grinding RPG-style bores me pretty quickly. Unfortunately, there is still an element of grinding with respect to Arrowheads, the game's currency. There's a shop in the camp that has a few required items, and one of them (the Mental Cobweb Duster) costs an exorbitant amount of money. You usually collect these by just finding them littered about on the campgrounds or by beating up enemies, but it takes quite a while to get a good amount of them, even with a special item known as the Dowsing Rod (which allows you to collect even more Arrowheads at a time). It's not that bad overall, but I certainly let out an audible sigh when I hit the point when I needed the Cobweb Duster to progress and I had less than half of the money required to buy it. Keeping track of collectibles is pretty easy thanks to the pause menu having a counter for everything, so completionists can relax and focus entirely on just looking for the items. For people who don't really care about that sort of thing, you only need enough collectibles to get to Rank 30, and enough Arrowheads to get the Cobweb Duster to beat the game, so don't worry about the game being overly demanding in that sense. Compared to other 3D platformers, this is on the shorter side, which I think is fine considering the levels aren't all that big anyway. VERDICT: I now see why Psychonauts has the cult following that it does; it's a delightfully bizarre game that takes full advantage of its "exploring people's minds" premise with outstanding level design and solid 3D platforming action. All this is complemented by the fittingly weird art style, the colorful cast of quirky characters, and entertaining writing. I do have a few minor qualms here and there, but overall, I really enjoyed playing this game, and I can't wait for the sequel (which is 15 years in the making at this point). If you want a particularly off-the-wall experience, or are a fan of the 3D platformer genre, this is absolutely worth checking out. I'd go as far to say that this is pretty close to an "essential" game that must be played at least once given its unique legacy as a cult classic. Here's the game on Steam. You can also get the soundtrack on there. Psychonauts on Steam (steampowered.com) - end - I'm already at my next game on the Steam backlog. Hooray for progress! BACKGROUND:
This is yet another random Steam sale purchase. You've probably noticed that this is the case for a lot of the games I've been discussing. I didn't play this game for very long (according to my activity log, anyway), but I recall being intrigued by its one-of-a-kind gameplay. Now, I'll have a chance to actually take my time with it and talk about it here. PLOT: The light in the galaxy is fading, and a singularity is consuming everything in its path. Apparently, you (a seemingly sentient ball of light) are the galaxy's last hope, and you have to travel through the solar system and reach the sun to restore the light. Most of this narrative is relayed to you through text in between levels. Nothing is really explained in detail (e.g. what exactly you are, why this is happening, who put the shit in the levels there, why you have to reach a random star on the outer arm of a galaxy to restore light to its entirety), so it's hard to actually appreciate the premise. It's interesting to me on paper, but there's just too little context for me to really get into it. Thankfully, this isn't a story-driven game, so I don't mind that much. PRESENTATION: The game is set in space, and it captures the dazzling sights of the cosmos well. Although it's not the most cutting-edge in terms of graphics, the backgrounds still look lovely and the level elements glow beautifully in various colors. The soundtrack is excellent, with many of the tracks having a techno vibe (with a few even having hints of retro chiptune). Most of the music is on the chill side, but there are a few faster-paced tracks that get your heart pumping. GAMEPLAY: The basic idea of Waveform is that you control a ball of light through a series of auto-scrolling levels. Where it gets super interesting is how you actually manipulate the movement: instead of directly manipulating the ball, the only thing you can control is the path it travels through. Your ball's path is, unsurprisingly, a wave, and it will travel through it without fail. In order to alter your path, you can manipulate the amplitude (the wave's maximum height) and wavelength by simply dragging your mouse around. It sounds complicated (wave motion is no joke in physics, after all), but it's super intuitive in practice, and I think most people will understand it ten seconds into the tutorial level. However, this is definitely one of those "easy to learn, hard to master" kind of game; figuring out the exact amplitude and wavelength you need to get through levels takes a fair bit of trial and error. Along each level, you will collect light orbs, which add to your score total. The initial challenge is collecting as much orbs as you can by adjusting your wave on the fly; collecting all the orbs in a series gives you a boost of speed (and points). It feels satisfying to get the wave just right and get every orb in one go, but doing so requires a lot of precision (especially in later levels, which have other mechanics you have to contend with). As you go along, the game will introduce more mechanics. These range from hazards you have to weave through (like space squids and asteroids), rings that give you score multipliers and an extra hit against hazards, colored elements (and ways to change your light's color in order to interact with said elements), lines that give you lots of points if you trace them with your wave perfectly, stuff that alters your wave significantly (like mirrors and worm holes), and more. The game introduces each element in its own level, giving you a relatively safe space to understand them, and gradually integrates them in the succeeding levels, often in conjunction with other mechanics. The challenge really ramps up when the game starts mixing several mechanics together, and collecting orbs starts to become even tougher when you have to juggle adjusting your path to both intercept the orbs and deal with obstacles. There are 11 zones in total, with each zone representing a part of the solar system you're traveling through (you start in Pluto, then go through each gas giant, pass through the asteroid belt, then the terrestrial planets, and end in the Sun). Each zone has a decent amount of levels, and they all introduce a new mechanic every time, which kind of gives the zone its own "theme" in terms of gameplay. For instance, the asteroid belt is the first time you'll asteroids (who would've guessed) that damage you if you hit them, and all its levels feature them prominently. Every level has a maximum score threshold, and you are awarded stars at the end based on how close you got to it (1 star per 10%). These stars are not just an indicator of performance, but are required to unlock levels as you progress. There's no real obligation to collect these stars, and you can play the game as casually as you want (for reference, I got mostly ~40% in most of my playthroughs and got through most of the game just fine). However, if you want to unlock every single level, you actually have to try and get good scores in as many levels as possible, and given the level of precision you need to maximize your score, getting many stars may be easier said than done. Of course, you can replay levels at your leisure in an attempt to improve and get a better score, but it can start to feel like a chore when you just want to unlock the next level and see something new. Nearly every zone has a bonus level which requires a lot of stars to unlock. These levels often have a unique modifier you have to contend with; for example, one of the bonus levels has the Twinkling modifier, which means level elements periodically blink in and out of view. It unfortunately takes a whole lot of grinding to even unlock these levels, but if you enjoy playing through as many unique levels as possible, it may be worthwhile to unlock them. In addition, you also have the occasional black hole level. These are unlocked by going through black holes in regular levels; think of them as this game's take on warp zones. Black hole levels dim over time, and you need to collect starlight to keep everything visible. Accessing these levels is a fun challenge in itself. The last regular level of each zone is structured like a chase; in them, you have to outrun a singularity that's sucking up everything in its vicinity. Here, you have to maintain as much speed as you can (which requires collecting orbs almost perfectly and not getting hit by hazards), as well as taking advantage of any speed boost mechanics on the way (like rocket fuel or particle accelerators). These levels can get a bit stressful, as there's usually not a lot of room for error. Fortunately, these levels (as well as other levels with a lot of hazards) tend to have checkpoints. Beating the last level in each zone unlocks Deep Space Mode in that area, which is basically the game's endless mode. This is the game's purely arcade experience, and all you have to do is survive as long as you can through the randomly-generated level, while collecting as many points as you can. If you're a competitive sort with a need to chase the leaderboards, you'll get a kick out of this mode. This game has a ton of achievements, ranging from the easy to incredibly demanding. They actually give you stars if you complete them, so knocking a few off can actually be helpful if you're trying to unlock levels. Apparently, there's DLC for this that adds a new zone based on the dwarf planet Eris. I didn't get it, though I assume it's just more levels with some new mechanics. VERDICT: Waveform is a rather unique game with a truly novel core mechanic, and it has a ton of levels that push the wave manipulation to the limit. Though it can be enjoyed casually and one can simply take in the pretty visuals and enjoyable soundtrack, it also provides a decent (sometimes frustrating) challenge to completionists and leaderboard-chasers alike with the amount of precision many of the levels demand. This game is pretty cheap on Steam, so if you're interested at all in the gameplay, it may be worth checking out if you have the extra cash. Waveform on Steam (steampowered.com) - end - Due to Internet problems, I had to shuffle the blog schedule around and put my usual Monday comic read later in the week. Thankfully, this is something I kind of planned on doing anyway given the circumstances.
I got a little carried away with my excitement while writing about this, so I'm gonna have to put up a spoiler warning. Don't read on if you intend on exploring the comic for yourself. |
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