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<![CDATA[A-to-J Connections - Gaming]]>Wed, 08 May 2024 00:13:56 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Game Review: Monument]]>Fri, 10 May 2024 07:00:00 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/game-review-monumentBy Al

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC

Old school FPS games have seen a bit of an uptick recently, and that makes sense since Doom gels perfectly in the current wave of '90s nostalgia. Enter Monument, a throwback to '90s games like the aforementioned Doom and Quake. It's out now for the Nintendo Switch and PC, we're going to be taking a look at the Switch version today. Seeing as this game promises to take us to the gates of Hell itself, we might as well get right to it!

Normally I start my reviews with a look at the game's story, but I'm not exactly sure Monument has one. There seems to be a lot of references to Hell going on throughout, and maybe there are aliens involved, but there seems to be very little in the way of plot to drive the action forward. Unless I somehow missed it, there's not even throwaway references in-game or in the eShop description. I guess this really is a story-less game. That's not necessarily a bad thing of course, as it lets players get right to the shooting in a quick and efficient manner. Let's just say you're a dude wandering what might very well be Hell itself, and it's your job to shoot everything that comes at you. It doesn't get much simpler than that.

While the word "simple" could also be used to describe the gameplay, I think there's a beauty in the way the game handles that simplicity. This is a no-frills first-person shooter, and it's sure to remind old school gamers of classic Quake. There's no surprised as far as controls go. You move with the left analog stick, aim with the right, fire and change weapon with the shoulder buttons, and you can even strafe and jump with the face buttons. You don't have an "unarmed" state, but you do always have a gun or two at your disposal. These guns include all the standards like a pistol, a rifle, a machine gun, a shotgun, a plasma gun, and even a teleport gun. The latter makes things a bit more like Portal, but we'll focus our discussion on the others. There are pros and cons to each weapon, but most players will gravitate to a weapon that suits their play style best. Like to run and gun and get out fast? Then the machine gun or plasma gun are the way to go. Prefer to take things slower with calm, deadly precision? Then the rifle and shotgun will suit you best. Whichever you end up choosing, you will eventually run out of ammo thanks to the enemy count being pretty high. Thankfully ammo drops are generously scattered throughout each of the levels, and there's even a mechanic where you can "purchase" more ammo at the cost of your health. Speaking of which, your health is in even shorter supply than your ammo, but regenerative items and armor pickups are common too. Losing all your health means a game over, but you instantly restart from your last save. That save could be one created automatically, or one created yourself through the pause menu. Since you're able to save at any time, you can technically save scum your way through the game. Though possible, I assure you that it will still take a lot of skill and luck to see the journey to its end.

Enemies in Monument are quite the varied lot, and I'd be lying if I said I could identify what they were exactly. Some look like deformed humans, others like alien creatures, and others still look downright demonic. Most run at you relentlessly, but others will hold back and fire projectiles. Stealth isn't really a thing here, so you'll pretty much always have to face threats head on. There are some tactics that can be used, like using cover to your advantage, but combat can get really hectic really quickly. Also, enemies tend to spawn in large groups once you hit a certain threshold, or when you unlock a door or pick up an item. This means you can easily find yourself in the middle of an ambush if you're not always on your toes. You'll quickly learn to watch for potential spots where enemies may spawn in, and to keep an ear open for any noises that might give away the sudden arrival of nearby enemies. While killing all enemies isn't required to complete any of the game's levels, it makes sense to do so anyway since most in-game areas require lots of backtracking. Don't expect much in the way of puzzle solving or maze exploration, but do expect to encounter a lot of locked doors that require color-coded keys to open. Each level will have of these doors, with one of them leading to the heavily guarded exit. And that's pretty much it, survive long enough to find and get through the exit, and do the same thing in the next level.

Just like the old school shooters of yesteryear, Monument is as tough as they come. There are no difficulty options, and the enemy placement and spawn rates are the epitome of unforgiving. Rather than balance out the game, the developers saw fit to litter each level with health and weapon pickups that you'll need to conserve so they last the entire level. While I can easily see some taking this gameplay quirk as a shortcoming in game design, I appreciated the straight-forward approach. There's no emphasis on stealth here, there's no puzzle solving or wonky platforming, there's not even a lot of thought required in clearing a room full of enemies. It's a simple run and gun type of game, and the players who have the most skill or luck will be the ones who survive the encounter. This is the very definition of a "boomer shooter", and I mean that in the best way possible. I didn't mention it earlier in the review, but I found out during my research that this game began life as a mobile title. Once I learned this I soured on the game a bit, and went in wanting to hate it. I assumed it was going to be shovelware, and was completely biased before even booting it up. Obviously I was wrong, and I feel bad that I was so hard on the game initially. Don't get me wrong, this isn't Game of the Year material, but if you're looking for a fun retro-inspired, action-heavy FPS, then you can't really go wrong with Monument.

Before I wrap up this review, I want to talk a bit about the game's visuals and music. The graphics in Monument are very similar to what you'd find in the original Quake or Unreal, but with a Doom aesthetic slapped on top of everything. It's all very low-poly, with lots of Hell-like visuals, and that's a look that I'm not ashamed to admit that I enjoy. Said graphic style might be something of an acquired taste, but Monument really nails the '90s PC vibes perfectly. This game looks amazing when placed in context, and I'm pleased to report that it consistently runs smooth on the Switch. I can easily give just as much praise to the game's soundtrack too. Guitar-heavy metal gets the blood flowing in just about every level, and the soundtrack sounds like it's made up of music from a lost Doom title. Whenever I review a budget title and rave about the music, I can't help but wonder if the music was created specifically for this project, or if it was simply taken from a music library. Though I have no clear answer in this case, I guess I'm willing to overlook it since the music is just that good. My only slight complaint would be that most tracks seem to loop in an odd way, but that's hardly noticeable when the action in full swing. This is no AAA release by any stretch of that definition, but the presentation in Monument really punches above its weight.

After giving Monument several hours of gameplay, I can easily say that picking it up is a no-brainer if you're a fan of the genre. It's by no means a perfect game, but it's fun for what it is, and it comes in at a very affordable $7.00. At that price it's worth picking up just for a quick level or two, and it's even on sale now (at the time of writing at least) for an even lower $1.99. Get it, boot it up, and get to blasting. Hell isn't going to clean itself up after all!

Check Out Monument on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/monument-switch/

Story: N/A
Gameplay: B+
Graphics: B
Music/Sound: B
Value: A

Overall: B+

Pros:
+ A fun retro-inspired FPS in the style of the original Quake.
+ The '90s vibe and aesthetic permeate everything, down to the graphics and music.
+ Though not perfectly balanced, the many health and ammo drops take away some of the sting caused by the game's difficulty
+ An example of simple run-and-gun action done right.
+ Its price makes picking it up almost a no-brainer.

Cons:
- There's no story or plot to speak of.
- Can be very unforgiving at times, even in the first levels.
- Enemy placement can feel very random at times, and some enemies are cheap as hell.
- The graphic style might not be for everyone, and the looping of the music can sometimes take players out of the otherwise enjoyable experience.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

#MonumentFPS

]]><![CDATA[Game Review: Ratyrinth]]>Thu, 09 May 2024 07:00:00 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/game-review-ratyrinthBy Al

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, XBox, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC

Even though precision platformers aren't something I normally play, I figured that one that featured a rat would surely be what got me back into the swing of things! Ratyrinth is that game, and it's out now on all major platforms by way of EastAsiaSoft. We're going to be taking a look at the Nintendo Switch version today, and seeing as our rodent friend is already hopping with excitement to get this review going, we're going to dive right in!

Even though I'm not going to bother judging Ratyrinth on its story, I felt I should point out that it technically does have one. You play as a rat who is separated from his family and sets off to find them. That's it, that's the story. It's told to you in the briefest of cutscenes, and I actually had to go back to the start of the game to verify that said story wasn't something created for the eShop description. Our rodent friend of course decided that he was going to take the deadliest path possible in order to rescue his family, and we're all along for the ride. There are 80 levels to go through, and they all vary in difficulty from "kind of hard" to "I don't want to play this anymore". While you'd think I'd say that the levels get progressively harder as you go, I don't think that's the case here. Perhaps in a move to keep players invested, each extremely difficult stage seems to be followed by 3-4 that are relatively easy when compared to it. I guess that could just be something that only I noticed due to my platforming skills (or lack thereof), but I'm fairly positive that it was an intentional move on the part of the developers. With that story talk out of the way, let's move on and discuss gameplay.

Ratyrinth is a brutally tough platformer, but your rat avatar is quite nimble. Our rodent hero can run, jump, duck, cling to walls, and perform a wall jump. It only takes one hit to take out our spunky rodent, though he does have the ability to jump on certain enemies. Jumping on enemies won't kill them, but the ones you can jump on can be used as additional platforms. Most of your enemies come in the form of other animals, but you're just as likely to die from the ever-present bottomless pits and spikes scattered throughout each stage. You'll be doing a lot of dying over the course of the game, but you never have to worry about something as archaic as lives, and you respawn at the start of the stage instantly. Most stages can be completed in a very short time, but they all have a couple tough sections that make getting to the exit far more than a chore than it needs to be. That's actually one of the big issues I had with Ratyrinth, the fact that there are no mid-level checkpoints that allow you to skip sections you've already cleared. Each level has to be completed in a single go, and that can lead to lots of frustration when you struggle just to get back to the section that killed you in the first place. Despite the instant respawns, I found that it often took several minutes to get to the final impossible challenge in those very hard levels. More often than not minutes would be spent getting to a tough section, a spike gets our rat friend, and the cycle starts anew. This quirk of gameplay is ultimately was why I never bothered to beat the game. At around level 50 or so, I just lost all patience and gave up. I promise I won't give up on this review though.

Since Ratyrinth styles itself as a precision platformer, you'd assume that means that it has tight controls. While I'll admit that most actions, like running and jumping, are very tight and responsive, there are others that don't operate nearly as well. While there are a few tiny things I can point out, I think that the biggest culprit in the wonky controls department has to be the wall slide and the wall jump. I've never encountered a more inaccurate wall jump in my life, and the amount of times you're required to use it in-game is simply insane. In order to perform a wall jump, you must first grab onto a wall. I say "grab", but you latch onto it for a second before you start to slide down. You then have to jump away from the wall, but you have to do so at the right time or the slide will negate any upward movement you may have made. You then have to do this back and forth repeatedly until you clear the section. This is all really hard to explain in writing, but you'll more than likely find that jumping up spiked walls, or avoiding enemies and projectiles placed in alcoves, is near impossible thanks to that annoying slide. Every section that required wall jumping were ones that I only cleared by sheer luck. Not once did I feel I grasped the wall jump mechanic, and it too was a reason why I ultimately gave up on the game.

Even though I just laid out two big reasons why Ratyrinth doesn't exactly hit it out of the park when it comes to gameplay, I have to say that it's a great-looking game in spite of those flaws. The graphics are all displayed in a monochrome style, and there's a certain beauty in that simplicity that's hard to describe if you haven't seen the game in action. It almost feels like a manga come to life, and there's even lots of smooth animation that adds to that aesthetic. Since it's not exactly a graphically intense game, it probably comes as no surprise that Ratyrinth runs perfectly no matter what nonsense may be happening on screen. Honestly, it's the graphics that kept me around for the most part, though they weren't enough to get me through to the end. Oh, and if you're not a fan of spiders, there's an arachnophobia box you can check in the options menu to not see them at all in the game. Even though I didn't bother with this myself, I appreciate that it's an included option. Unfortunately, the rest of the presentation doesn't fare nearly as well as the graphics. The music and sound effects are fine, but they're largely forgettable, and there isn't much in the way of menus or a title screen. Hell, I wasn't even sure I saw that opening cutscene the first time through and had to restart the game to confirm it actually had one. Still, the graphics do make up for a lot of the game's shortcomings, and most of the stuff I just mentioned were things I barely noticed while actually playing the game.

I gave Ratyrinth about three hours before I threw in the towel, and who knows how long it would've taken me to clear the entire game. I know that sounds like far too little time for me to write a review, but I'm not exaggerating when I say that at least two of those three hours were spent trying to clear only 2 or 3 levels. I even had a friend who was over help me clear one of them, and that "help" turned into an hour session of us going back and forth until we somehow got through it. With all that in mind, I'm positive that the game can be cleared in well under an hour if you have the skill to just run through it. Obviously most people will need far more time than that, but this isn't exactly a long game if you take away the difficulty. I'm not proud that I ultimately gave up, but I had to do it for the sake of my sanity. Despite the fact that I walked away from it prematurely, I must say that I didn't hate my time with Ratyrinth. There were plenty of times where I was simply having fun, and I'm sure that fans of these types of games will find even more to enjoy here than I did. Also, the game only costs $4.99. At that price, I wouldn't even care if I had bought it outright. It was worth it for the couple hours of distraction, and for me and my friend to have an old school, controller-sharing gaming session.

While I can't give Ratyrinth a full must-buy recommendation, I do think that it's a game that fans of precision platformers will enjoy. That wall jump is wonky as all hell, but maybe others can get the hang of it better than I did. At less than five bucks, it's worth picking up just to see what I'm talking about. If you do choose to get it, be sure to let me know if our rodent friend ever gets to see his family again. I need that closure in my life, because I know that my rat will never see his family ever again. See you in the next one!

Check Out Ratyrinth on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/ratyrinth-switch/

Story: N/A
Gameplay: C
Graphics: A
Music/Sound: B
Value: A

Overall: B-

Pros:
+ A challenging platformer for those who enjoy such things.
+ The monochrome graphic style looks great, as do the enemy designs and animation.
+ With the exception of the wall-jump, all the controls feel tight and responsive.
+ Quick respawns mean you get back into the action quickly after death.
+ Very affordable at just $4.99

Cons:
- The wall-jump mechanic seems near broken and makes many challenges harder than they need to be.
- Much of the difficulty comes from the lack of mid-level checkpoints rather than challenging platforming.
- There isn't much in the way of presentation, and there's no story to speak of at all.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

]]><![CDATA[Game Review: Timberdoku]]>Wed, 08 May 2024 07:00:00 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/game-review-timberdokuBy Al

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch

Fans of puzzle games have a lot to enjoy already on the Nintendo Switch, but there's a new game in town that just might grab their attention for a while. Coming to us by way of Leoful Entertainment, Timberdoku is a line-clearing puzzle game that has several mechanics that seek to make it stand out in an already crowded genre. We're going to be taking a look at the game today, and seeing as we have a lot to go over, let's get right into it!

Describing puzzle games that involve the placing of shapes to clear lines often boils down to comparing it to Tetris and something else. Even though it may be somewhat boring to go that route, I'm going to do my best to give Timberdoku one of those comparisons. Simply put, Timberdoku is what you'd get if you mixed Tetris with Sudoku, and threw in a bit of Columns for good measure too. There, that's the review. No, but seriously, while there's a lot going on here that has to be explained, that one sentence does an okay job in describing the game. We'll cover the jewel mechanic that brought me to mention Columns later in the review, but most of Timberdoku falls into the "Tetris meets Sudoku" label. You are given three blocks at a time, and they can pretty much be in any configuration. You then take the blocks and place them in 9x9 grid that is divided into 9 smaller 3x3 grids. Lines are cleared if you fill in a line completely from left-to-right or top-to-bottom, or if you manage to fill up an entire 3x3 grid. Either way, this means filling in some solid shape of 9 blocks. You're then given a score that's dependent on how many lines/grids you've cleared, and if you're able to get a clear chain going. You must place all three of your blocks before you're given more, and the game ends when you have a piece that you no longer have space for on the board. That sounds simple enough, but let's go over some of the intricacies that make Timberdoku unique.

The most interesting aspect of Timberdoku, and the thing that makes it challenging, has to be how the game handles block pieces. While many of the shapes the blocks take will be familiar to players of Tetris, there are some that are just strange. Throughout Timberdoku you'll be given U-shaped pieces, long L-shaped ones, lines from 2-5 blocks in length, single blocks, and even diagonal lines. I'm not sure how many block variants are in the game, but the sheer variety never ceased to amaze me in the Endless Mode. Placing these requires a lot of thought too, as their odd shape can leave gaps that can be near impossible to fill once created. These gaps will either need smaller pieces to fill them in, or you'll have to clear several surrounding lines in order to get to them. The other odd thing about placing shapes is that you can't actually rotate them. This will probably throw most players for a loop, as that mechanic feels key to any shape-based, line-clearing puzzle game. This makes a lot more sense within the context of the game, but it can be a harsh thing for newcomers to learn. I still try in vain to rotate pieces from time to time. Also, since you're given three pieces at once, you often have to plan how and where you're going to place each one. You may notice early on that one of them won't fit onto the board as it currently stands, so your job will be to clear a space for it with the other two. It all works surprisingly well, even if the mechanics do take a bit of getting used to.

While what I just described works for all of Timberdoku, I mainly had the Endless Mode in mind. Endless Mode is your standard non-stop puzzle game mode where score is all that matters. It's fun for a while, but the Adventure Mode is probably a better place to hone one's skills. This mode offers 80 challenges that either involve hitting a certain score threshold, or clearing a certain number of gems. The first goal is rather self-explanatory, but the gems mechanic require more explanation. In Adventure Mode, gems take the place of some block pieces, both on the board and attached to shapes that spawn in, and you need to clear a certain amount of each color to progress. This is easier than it sounds though, as it just means that a gem has to either be in a line, or in a 3x3 grid, when it's cleared in order for it to count. If you're not given enough gems on the board when a stage starts, you have to wait for them to spawn in along with your playing pieces. That's one challenging aspect of these stages, but the other has to be the fact that all Adventure Mode stages already have pre-placed blocks in them. These can be rather troublesome, as you'll often spend the first few turns trying to clear the mess that's in the stage when you first enter it. While I don't think any of the Adventure Mode stages are particularly difficult, they can be rather challenging if the game's RNG gives you pieces that simply don't work with the blocks already placed. It makes for some game overs that feel a bit unfair, but it's a great mode nonetheless. Oh, and before anyone says anything, I know that what I just described has very little to do with Columns. I just figured I'd mention it earlier since bother have jewel/gem-related mechanics.

There isn't a lot presentation-wise worth mentioning about Timberdoku. Everything about it is rather simple, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. There's not a lot of color, there's not much in the way of music, and even the title screen is rather bare bones. I'm not even sure what the visual theme is supposed to represent, as I think it revolves around wood and a farm, but I can't be sure. It does have touch controls if you're playing in Handheld Mode, but that actually made me wonder if this were all some sort of mobile port. It's probably not the best puzzle game out there, but fans of the genre are sure to sink several hours into this one, and I have to admit that the gameplay concept of mixing Tetris and Sudoku is rather unique. It's big saving grace has to be its price, as it currently sits at a very affordable $4.99. That makes picking it up a rather simple choice, even if it's not the most robust puzzle game out there.

While I personally don't think there's a lot about Timberdoku that makes it stand out among the puzzle genre greats, I have to admit that I had a lot of fun during my time with it, and I appreciated the way that it changed up the standard line-clearing format. It's not a must-buy title by any means, but puzzle game fans might want to take a look at it if they're feeling adventurous. It's a nice distraction, and it comes in at a very reasonable price. Just keep an eye out for those big pieces, those are sure to ruin anyone's day!

Check Out Timberdoku on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/timberdoku-switch/

Story: N/A
Gameplay: B
Graphics: B
Music/Sound: C
Value: A

Overall: B

Pros:
+ A great puzzle game that mixes Tetris-style line-clearing within a Sudoku-like playing field.
+ The sheer variety of pieces the game throws at you is sure to keep you on your toes in a way Tetris rarely does.
+ While the Endless Mode is entertaining, the Adventure Mode is sure to keep players invested for several hours.
+ At just $4.99 at the time of this writing, picking it up isn't a big investment money-wise.
+ Clearing blocks is just fun.

Cons:
- Not being able to rotate pieces can take a long time to wrap one's head around.
- Some Adventure Mode stages feel unfair due to the RNG of the pieces given in regards to the blocks already placed in the puzzle.
- Just isn't quite as addicting as other similar puzzle games.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

]]><![CDATA[Game Review: Mothered]]>Tue, 07 May 2024 07:00:00 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/game-review-motheredBy Al

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC

I've played a lot of horror games over the years, but I don't think any have come close to creeping me out in the way that Mothered has. Styled as a "role-playing horror game", it comes to us by way of Delores Entertainment, and is available on just about every major platform. We're going to be taking a look at the Nintendo Switch release today, and seeing as there's a lot of ground to cover here, we're going to get right into it!

Mothered has one of the strangest stories I've ever experience in a video game, but I'll do my best to explain it. You take on the role of Liana, a young girl who's returning home after an operation that has caused her to be apart from her mother for quite some time. She is taken to her mother's home by her father, but he mysteriously doesn't want to show his face. Things get weirder from there, and you learn that no member of Liana's family seems quite right. Her brother only sometimes talks to her through his door, never leaving his room, and her mother appears to be a mannequin. I actually thought that last part was just a quirk of the graphic style being used, but it becomes apparent over the course of the game that Liana is in fact seeing her mother as something other than human. That feeling is apparently mutual though, as Liana's mother seems to have trouble adjusting to her daughter being home again. Things get weirder from there as Liana's mother gives her various tasks to fill up her week at home. That's the other thing, Liana isn't going to stay at her mother's home forever, and she’s actually set to be picked up again by her father after only seven days. What starts out as a family reunion quickly turns horrific in ways that I can't really get into without also going into spoilers. This all might sound very confusing when laid out like this, but rest assured that it all (mostly) makes sense within the context of the game. I'm going to circle back around to the story in a bit, but I want to get it out the way now that I think it's by far the strongest aspect of the game, and it's sure to keep players glued to their screens.

There isn't a lot of gameplay in Mothered, but I guess it could be classified as a first person adventure game. As mentioned earlier, he game refers to itself as a role-playing horror game, but the only role-playing elements I can think of come in the form of a level up mechanic I'll explain later. Most of the game sees you move around the house in a first person view, and interacting with people and objects using the shoulder buttons. The game has something of an in-game clock, with the week slowly advancing as you complete each task given to you by Mother. These "tasks" are all rather simple things like talking to Mother, eating Liana's favorite breakfast, answering the phone when Liana's father calls, or even picking apples. Speaking of picking apples, I want to get that part of the game out of the way now as it's the only section that made me truly feel frustrated. At one point of the game you're tasked by Liana's mother to pick eight apples, but there appear to only be exactly eight apples available to be picked and the graphics do you no favors in seeing said apples in the trees. This single task took me about 30 minutes to complete, and I was so done with the game at that moment that a lot of the weight and impact of what should've been a very creepy scene was lost. That's probably the only task worth really describing, as most of them are far simpler to complete. You usually simply have to find mother, and do whatever she asks you to. Or maybe you don't...

I don't want to give away the specifics, but Mothered actually operates on a loop. More than likely you'll finish the game the first time only to see it loop back around to the beginning. One of your goals is to figure out how to break this cycle. I only mention this bit of a spoiler as I think it's not quite obvious that this is what your greater task is. I only kept playing out of sheer curiosity, but I could see others simply give up there. That's not even a bad thing admittedly, as leaving the game at that point does still give you a good sense of what is happening in-game. It's also easy to lock yourself out of changing things up in subsequent playthroughs as the game autosaves at the beginning of each day. And that's pretty much it for gameplay in Mothered. Figure out what tasks are expected of you, and either do them or don't. While this does mean that the game technically has multiple endings, only one can be classified as the "true" ending. On an interesting note, I think it may be possible to accidentally stumble into said true ending on your first playthrough if you either know what you're doing, or if you're simply someone who thinks a bit outside the box. I'm sort of going in circles at this point, but that's mostly because there's very little else to discuss as far as gameplay is concerned. I mentioned levelling up earlier, and there is something of a mechanic where you gain an important in-game percentage each time you perform certain actions. This is related to the ending you'll eventually get, so it's something you're going to want to watch out for. This might all sound like I'm being vague for the sake of being vague, but that's mostly because I truly want to preserve that first-time experience for those who may want to get right into the game after reading this review.

Very recently I reviewed a similar game that was also published by Delores Entertainment called The Enigma Machine (You can find that review HERE), and Mothered actually shares a lot of similarities with that game when it comes to presentation. There may be no computer interface this time around, but Mothered has the same low-poly, PS1-era 3D feel that the exploration segments do in The Enigma Machine. They once again remind me of a Puppet Combo title, but even more so this time around since this game leans far more into its horror elements. I once again have to admit that the visuals are something of an acquired taste, but I personally fell in love with the glitchy, VHS-style look of the game. The graphics complement the game perfectly, and I can't imagine it being presented in any other style. Amazingly, I can also say pretty much the same things about the game's sound. There isn't a lot in the way of traditional music here, but there's a lot of spooky and atmospheric tracks that accentuate whatever is on screen at any given time. It may sound rather trite to say that the music has a movie-like quality to it, but the only thing wrong with that statement would be that I rarely hear music this good in any horror movie. There's even a lot of jump scares that work better than anything I've seen before, and they work almost exclusively thanks to their attached sound effects. It's probably the hardest thing to describe in writing, but seeing and hearing the game is action is truly something else.

Mothered is by no means a long game. First time players can easily clear it in about 1-2 hours, even if they too get stuck in the orchard scene like I did. There is the loop mechanic I mentioned earlier though, so I think full completion falls more in the 2-3 hour range. Obviously this means it's a very short experience, but at just $4.99 it offers more than enough content for its price. Actually, that's not really fair as I'd have to say that its price feels almost too low for how great this game is. Saying that I enjoyed my time with Mothered would be an understatement. It actually worked its way so deep into my head that I now count it among my favorite games of all time. I've never experienced a horror story told in this fashion, and it's simply executed perfectly. I mentioned The Enigma Machine earlier, but now it's time for me to reveal that there's a bigger reason as to why and Mothered look so similar. Though I can't seem to find much about their release dates online, Mothered appears to be a prequel to The Enigma Machine. I didn't reveal that game's story in my review, and I won't reveal more of Mothered's here, but the connections are so deep and jarring that I don't think I'll ever forget playing them for the rest of my life. I'm so glad that random chance brought me to play them practically back-to-back. I really don't want to be hyperbolic, but these games are just that good.

Do I even have to say how I feel about the game overall? Not only do I give Mothered the highest of recommendations, but I suggest you grab The Enigma Machine along with it. The fact that both games will cost you less than ten dollars almost feels criminal, but it also means that you pretty much have no excuse to not grab them both right now. Pick them up on whatever platform you can, clear your weekend, turn down the lights, boot up the game, and thank me later. These are some of the best horror games I've ever played, and they deserve a high spot when discussing excellent video games in general. Even though these both seem to have released quite a while ago, I hope that it's not the last we see from this series. (If one can even call it that.) Anyway, I'm done here. It's time for us all to hurry along, we wouldn't want to keep Mother waiting.

Check Out Mothered on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/mothered-a-role-playing-horror-game-switch/

Story: A+
Gameplay: B
Graphics: A
Music/Sound: A
Value: A+

Overall: A

Pros:
+ A truly creepy horror experience that is like no other.
+ One of the best written stories I've seen in a video game across any genre.
+ Breaking the loop and achieving the "true" ending really requires a lot of thought and action on the part of the player.
+ The low poly graphics give off a very nostalgic PS1 feel.
+ The atmospheric soundtrack sounds like it belongs in a horror movie far above this game's budget.
+ At just $4.99, both Mothered and The Enigma Machine are clear must-buys.

Cons:
- The controls can be a bit clunky at times.
- The graphics and subject matter may not be for everyone.
- That orchard section is sure to try the patience of most players... but maybe it's meant to?

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

It's Wednesday, my dudes!

#MotheredConsoleEdition

]]><![CDATA[A Class Reunion You'll Actually Want to Attend: A Class of Heroes 2G: Remastered Edition Review]]>Mon, 06 May 2024 07:00:00 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/a-class-reunion-youll-actually-want-to-attend-a-class-of-heroes-2g-remastered-edition-reviewBy Manuel

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PC

I've already mentioned my love of the first two Class of Heroes titles in my review of the first game (Which can be found HERE), but I think it's the sequel where things really get interesting. Rounding out the new PQube-published Class of Heroes re-releases is Class of Heroes 2G: Remastered Edition available now for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PC. We will once again be taking a look at the Nintendo Switch release, but I'm sure most of what I'm going to say will apply to both versions. I already know that this is going to be a long one, so let's jump right into it!

The principal is an alcoholic!

Costini is always welcoming to near-dead heroes.

The Class of Heroes series isn't exactly known for its strong stories, and Class of Heroes 2G is no different in that regard. You play as a new student at Crostini Academy, and you're tasked with creating and guiding a group of fellow students on the road to becoming the best adventurers the world has ever seen. Once again I'm a little confused as to who exactly it is that you're playing as, since you're addressed directly by several NPCs before you even assemble your first party of adventurers. Third party protagonist or not, neither you nor the characters you create have any particular role to play within the story itself, instead things are driven forward by the game's many NPCs. It probably goes without saying that the cast is just as colorful this time around, with fellow student Olive being your main point of contact between the Academy and your party. There are several more students and teachers for you to get to know as well. There's the silly dwarf student Coppa, the wishes-he-was-a-fairy laboratory instructor Giorgio, the unbeatable swordsmaster Dante, the slightly creepy Vice Principal Vese, the rather sus health teacher Galenus, and plenty of others that I don't have time to discuss. Class of Heroes 2G has dozens of characters of all types, and I'm pleased to say that they're all well-written and easy to love. While I do think that these characters do a good job driving the game forward, the school setting does feel a bit removed from the gameplay. I praised the first game for integrating the Academy itself into most of its other systems, but there's quite a bit of less of that here. While there probably won't be many stretches of the game where you're not reminded that you're simply a group of students, it doesn't really give players the same feeling of your adventures taking the place of attending classes or taking tests. I guess one could just imagine the entire game as a series of afterschool sessions, but I do think it's a missed opportunity to expand on what the first game provided.

In my review for Class of Heroes I discussed my history with the series, and my many biases between the first two games. I basically stated that I loved both games for different reasons, but I feel that Class of Heroes 2G is where the series really gets off the ground. Even though that may sound like I played the second game far more than the first, that wasn't actually the case. I don't want to get too deep into the weeds when it comes to details that don't matter, but it took years for me to finally get my hands on Class of Heroes 2. Basically the original PSP and PS3 versions of the game were released in very limited physical versions only to people who preordered them from a company known as GaijinWorks. This release (at least the PSP version) was first mentioned back in 2009/10, but it wasn't until 2013 that players in the West were able to finally play it. I was indeed one of the lucky few who got both physical releases, but I played them both digitally to preserve what are probably some of the rarest games I own. I immediately fell in love with the original PSP version, but initially cut my time with it short when I learned that an updated PS3 release was coming soon. This release was the actually the one we're reviewing today, and it included all sorts of additions and even full voice acting. Though I did play that one too, I never really strayed from the PSP version. The problem was that by 2013 I wasn't really playing my PSP. I basically only kept it around for Class of Heroes 2, and that meant that my time with it was far more limited than the first game. That didn't mean I didn't enjoy it far more than the first, but I figured it was worth pointing out that my biases aren't based simply on having played one more than the other. With all that in mind, I'll try to keep my comparisons as relevant as possible, and my biases to a minimum.

Olive is new best girl!

Fast travel is such a time saver.

I could very easily make this review twice as long by simply rehashing what I've already said about gameplay in my review for the first Class of Heroes game. Rather than doing that, I think I’m going to instead focus on discussing what this game does differently, and provide context as needed. While both Class of Heroes games are dungeon crawlers, I like to think of the first one as being heavily influenced by the unforgiving classic Wizardry games, while this one goes for a more player-friendly approach. The steep learning curve is still there, and you'll more than likely have a few encounters that take out your entire party in one fell swoop, but Class of Heroes 2G does a much better job when it comes to establishing better difficulty and progression balance. You once again assemble a party of up to six adventurers, and this time the default party is not complete expulsion-worthy trash. I actually used the default characters as my main party for the purposes of this review, and it's not a bad idea for players new to the genre/series to do the same. If you choose to create your own characters, you'll find that there's a lot of new additions this time around. All the races return, but their bonuses and weaknesses are better implemented, and there is far more variety within the character classes. I mentioned most of the notable races the first time around, but it's worth mentioning that there aren't as many "obvious" classes certain races are forced into. Fairies are still mainly magic users, dwarves still have high strength and the like, Elves make good rangers as always, but you can more realistically put most any race into any class if you have enough patience and determination. Besides the obvious classes like fighter, monk, mage, and ranger, you can also create ninjas, puppeteers, and idols. There are also advanced classes that require stat minimums that have to be met by levelling up in an adjacent class. Each race and class feel far more unique this time around, and there doesn't seem to be as much pointless filler. I did find it a bit odd that just about every class learns magic even if it doesn't seem like they should (Looking at you fighter!), but I guess class growth of that kind isn't exactly anything to complain about.

The first boss is really hard!

Other towns have limited resources.

Character creation and party balance isn't the only way the game is improved, as there are several other quality of life changes that speedline adventuring. For example, magic no longer has a per use cost but uses MP instead. This change means that magic users are far more useful early on as they aren't limited to just two or three spells before they have to rest. Exploration is made easier as fast travel can be achieved once you purchase an area's map and have filled in the relevant areas. This makes the frequent retreads through lower level areas far less of a chore in the long run. The entire alchemy system is made more streamlined, and you no longer have to identify materials before they can be used. Getting rid of that identify step not only ensures that players will actually use the alchemy mechanic, but it's also a big weight lifted off the party's budget. Then there's the alignment system that's been made more refined, which along with synergy is made far less important than it was in the first game. That may sound like a negative, but it actually means that gambits can be used far more frequently, and that you'll have access to more of them too. I can go on like this, but I think you get the point regarding this game's improvements. It almost feels as if the developers put out a survey asking what players didn't particularly enjoy in the first game, and then actually worked to improve the game based on those suggestions. I don't want to make it sound like it's all a cakewalk now, because it really isn't. There simply far fewer aspects of the game that seem to work against players this time around.

Considering the fact that you'll be spending much of your time in dungeons, let's discuss those for a bit. While they pretty much operate the same as they did in the first game, there are some changes worth mentioning. While I already discussed the fast travel bit earlier, the map system makes things far more accessible to the player. You can see warp tiles and traps on the maps, and there are even notations on each exit that indicate where they lead. The first dungeon in the game, The Forest of Beginnings, is also probably the best intro to the game that once could hope for. It seems large and expansive when you first enter it, but you'll quickly learn the layout of its four regions in no time. It also serves as an indirect tutorial to multiple game mechanics as you'll learn about different tile types, monster encounter spaces, the floating mechanic, and even how event squares work. It's a fun little area that you'll see a lot as you'll be forced to pass through it several times in the early game in order to get to the more advanced dungeons in the game. The repeated pass-throughs were rather enjoyable though, as there's probably no better feeling of accomplishment than plowing through enemy encounters that used to give you trouble. There will definitely still be times where you get find yourself in a jam several maps deep, but this is no trial-by-fire first dungeon. Even when you get beyond that dungeon, don't expect to get your entire party stuck in a hopeless situation like you could in the first game either. Hell, I'm not even sure this game even has a party rescue mechanic because I never once had to use it.

The bulletin board is important for progress.

Don't forget about alchemy!

Class of Heroes 2G is a very non-linear game, and its story is mainly told via a series of quests. This is my cue to once again say that I miss how integrated the school aspect was in the first game's main questlines. While you still get all your quests from fellow students and faculty, there inclusion could very well be an afterthought. That not to say that the quests here aren't without their own charm. What Class of Heroes 2G ditches in keeping the framing up at all times, it gains in sheer characterization and world-building. Many quests will introduce you to new characters in very a natural way, and you'll come to learn all about them the more you complete their requests. Even though the game feels like it moves quite a bit faster than the first, it has a much bigger world that features many more dungeons, more cities, and even three schools. The other two academies don't come into play until quite a bit into the game, but they're a neat addition nonetheless. Early on you'll find that you have to finish every quest in order for the story to progress, but things become more open-ended as the game goes on. Nearly half the game is made up of optional quests and areas, but I think that's one of the things that makes this sequel far greater. You can never have too much of a good thing, right?

I guess all my talk about gameplay in Class of Heroes 2G is circling around to the point that this probably the single best example of a dungeon crawling RPG of its era that you're likely to ever play. While I wouldn't say that it's perfect, I would say that it's damn near close. It surpasses the first game in just about every way, and maybe is only outdone by its own sequel. (Note: I have yet to play Class of Heroes 3.) I pointed out in my review for the first game that I'd refrain from talking too much about this one, but it seems that I didn't hold myself to that same standard in the writing of this review. I guess that has more to do with the both games being released back-to-back this time around, but it also has to do with the fact that Class of Heroes 2G feels more like an improved redux of the first game rather than a true sequel. There's obviously different characters and a different story here, but everything about it seems to be an attempt to perfect the first game's formula rather than attempting a true follow-up. This was actually a problem I had when I played the game back on the PSP, as it simply replaced Class of Heroes in my rotation in a way that sequels usually don't. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you're only planning on playing one Class of Heroes game, make it Class of Heroes 2G. You really won't regret it. Now excuse me as I slowly regret making that point in a review that's only about halfway done.

Not weird at all...

Everyone is named after food.

Seeing as both Class of Heroes games have very similar art styles, you'd think I'd have to say that they both fare about the same when it comes to visuals, but I'd still have to give Class of Heroes 2G the edge. Not only do the character, monster, and area designs all look as good as the first game, but there are far more of them too. While I still have the same gripe regarding the rather limited character portraits, the game makes up for it with just about everything else it offers. There's more detail to everything, less reliance on text-only menus, and the various dungeons and base locations have their own distinct look and feel. Simply put, the world feels more fleshed out in ways that are hard to explain. Races like the dwarves, felpurrs, and fairies felt rather generic the first time around, here they have personalities all their own. That may sound like a point that shouldn't be included in a discussion on visuals, but you'll see what I mean once you start meeting students of the various races. I guess I have to say that I miss not having a robust image gallery in this one, but not only is that a rather small issue in the grand scheme of things, but I'm also not sure it won't unlock once I fully beat the game. There still isn't a lot in the way of actual animation, but one could make the point that it's a limitation that's present in many other titles in the genre. Also, while I would definitely expect things to be far more impressive if this was a newly released game in 2024, we have to of course remember that this is an update of a game that's well over a decade old. In that regard I guess we can forgive its few graphical shortcomings, even though I don't think any concession needs to be made in regard to the game's visuals.

Going along with the overall theme of the review, I have pretty much nothing negative to say about the music or sound design in Class of Heroes 2G. The soundtrack is perfect for what it is, even if I do sometimes think that the dungeon music is a bit too dramatic and ominous than it needs to be. Thanks to the overall length of the game, the soundtrack is quite large, and there isn't a bad track in the bunch. In fact, there are several that were stuck in my head throughout my time writing this review. I often say things like: "I'm going to go pick up this soundtrack after I'm done with the game!" but in this case I already have it. The limited PSP release I mentioned earlier came with a 2-Disc soundtrack, and it's been one of my favorites throughout the years. And that's just talking about the instrumentals. The opening cutscene and closing credits feature amazing vocal tracks that have seen heavy rotation in my video game playlists. If that were all I had to say about things it would be fine enough, but unlike the original Class of Heroes, this game is fully voiced. This little touch of presentation brings the entire world to life, and it's one of the main reasons why I keep going back to the fact that I love the game's characters. They're just made all the more memorable and endearing through the voice acting. Admittedly there is no English dub option, but that's never been an issue for me. That said, it would've been nice to have included an English-language option since the game was getting the remastered treatment. Once again, I have nothing at all bad to say about the sound in Class of Heroes 2G, and I encourage everyone to grab its soundtrack after you're done with this review!

WTF are these?!?!

I think this is all a Wizardy VI/VII reference.

I mentioned in my review for the first Class of Heroes game that one of the few things it had over its sequel was its difficulty and hardcore dungeon crawling nature. I have yet to personally compare the two games in regards to how long it takes to clear everything in each of them, but I can say that they both square up rather evenly when it comes down to their runtime. Even though Class of Heroes 2G is a lot smoother in its progression and difficulty, it stuffs in far more content than the first game. There are many more dungeons to explore, more locations to see, dozens of party combinations to try out, and it's simply the more enjoyable experience overall. The biggest factor has to be that it cares far more about your time than the first game did. You can probably clear the main storyline in about 30 hours if you're just running through the main questline, but you're looking at well over 50 hours if you really want to see everything the game has to offer. I never actually completed the game fully back on the PSP, but I recall putting in about that many hours nonetheless. This is quite the time sink of a game, but none of the time spent on it feels like filler. Considering that both Class of Heroes games currently come with the same $19.99 price tag, it probably makes sense as to which game I suggest you go with if you're only going to get one. Once again, they're both great and offer their own unique gameplay quirks, but Class of Heroes 2G is a must buy for fans of dungeon crawling RPGs.

Always keep your guard up.

Beware Dante!

I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I give Class of Heroes 2G: Remastered Edition the highest of recommendations. It's an amazing game that has truly held up over the years, and it's an excellent dungeon crawling RPG. Getting to play it again was a delight, and I hope that this means that we'll be getting the third game in the series soon. I didn't mention it earlier, but there's actually a more recent spin-off game in the series that players might want to check out once they clear this. It's called Adventure Academia, and you can find our review of it HERE. Anyway, grab this one on whatever platform you can and thank me later. Just make sure you're not late to class or Dante will make sure you pay for it!

Check Out Class of Heroes 2G: Remastered Edition on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/class-of-heroes-2g-remaster-edition-switch/

Story: A-
Gameplay: A
Graphics: A
Music/Sound: A
Value: A+

Overall: A

Pros:
+ A near perfect dungeon crawling RPG that improves on the first game in just about every way.
+ Hits the perfect difficulty balance where things never feel too easy or difficult.
+ Great monster, character, and dungeon designs make this a feast for the eyes.
+ Not only does the game feature an amazing soundtrack, but it's fully voice acted too.
+ Even though it moves far faster than the first game, it still features about double the content.
+ Advanced character classes, optimized party setups, and a rich alchemy system give players a lot to dive into.
+ At just $19.99, it's a must buy for any fan of the genre.

Cons:
- Even though it's better balanced overall, it still has a rather steep learning curve.
- While there aren't any character classes that feel useless this time around, there are some that feel far more overpowered than others.
- Definitely more heavy on gameplay over story, so it may not be for those looking for a more plot-driven experience.
- Though it didn't bother me at all, the game doesn't have an English-language dub.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

This game even has its own Tingle!

#ClassOfHeroes2

]]><![CDATA[Game Review: The Enigma Machine]]>Sun, 05 May 2024 07:00:00 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/game-review-the-enigma-machineBy Al

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, XBox, PlayStation 4, PC

I'm no stranger to adventure games, but even I find The Enigma Machine to be a rather odd entry into the genre. It features both text-only and low-poly, first-person 3D segments, and plenty of sci-fi horror elements that tell one of the strangest stories I've ever encountered. It's out now on the XBox, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, and we're going to be taking a look at the Switch version today. As the name implies, this is quite the mysterious game, so let's dispense with all the intros and dive right in!

There are some parts of the plot of The Enigma Machine that still elude me even after completing it, but I'm going to do my best to lay out its story here. You play as a test user (Apparently called a RADE?) that's currently demoing a computer program known as DREAMSCAPE. The virtual world of DREAMSCAPE is meant to simulate the mind of an AI, and your guide throughout this journey is a program known as demOS. demOS doesn't remember too much about itself, but it tasks you to travel through the various levels of the DREAMSCAPE in order to recover the codes that might help it remember what series of events brought it to its current state. Seeing as you'll be going in and out of a virtual world, it may come as no surprised that the game is split between the distinct parts. All interaction with demOS is done via text-only interactions on a computer console, and you're given free rein to explore a series of 3D environments whenever you're in DREAMSCAPE. As mentioned earlier, each of DREAMSCAPE's worlds hide a code, and your goal is to figure out where they're hidden in each level. Finding the code and inputting it into demOS' console then progresses the story. While I don't want to reveal too much more about what's going on in-game for fear of dipping into spoiler territory, I will say that I found The Enigma Machine's storytelling to be one of its strongest aspects. There were other parts of the game that I was far less enthused about going through, but I always did so with the hope that the next story section would be compelling enough to make it all worth it. That always turned out to be the case thankfully, but I think that's as good a segue as any to move onto discussing gameplay.

Though it may sound like an odd comparison, I couldn't help but feel that The Enigma Machine reminded me a lot of how gameplay worked in the original Myst. This is mainly due to the open-ended puzzle solving sections of the 3D parts of the game, and also the reliance of messing with contraptions as opposed to managing a huge inventory system. These 3D segments are all in the first person, and you interact with objects using the shoulder buttons. Figuring out each level's puzzles can take you the long time, or you can simply breeze through them depending on how well you're able to figure out what is expected of you. Each level just sort of throws you in with no instructions, so solving each puzzle requires you to first learn what the puzzle even is. The levels don't really have a beginning or end to them, and you can leave them once you get what you want. You can even clear the entire game without partaking in any puzzle solving if you know the codes needed to progress. (As in by looking them up or remembering them from a previous playthrough.) Obviously skipping the entire game this way doesn't help you in the long run, but it is an option that's there. While I personally don't think any of the puzzles were particularly difficult to solve, I figured I'd drop that bit there just in case anyone is hopelessly stuck in some of the admittedly obtuse 3D exploration sections.

In the end the only thing that really matters in-game are your interactions with demOS. Sadly, it's these interactions that I feel are the weakest part of the game. Finding screenshots that I felt captured the game was the bane of my existence as they were all either filled with giant, jagged textures, or filled with tiny, glitchy text. Reading the dialogue (if you can call it that) from demOS is easy enough in the first half of the game, but things start to become nearly unreadable halfway through. Glitches occupy a lot of the screen, and bright lights blur out the font. This is all exacerbated when you see the in-game keyboard that you have to use. I understand the vibe the game was going for, but simply picking from on-screen options would've shaved minutes off the game time. Typing out "contamination" on a keyboard controlled by an analog stick, and also full of the same on-screen glitches, isn't my idea of fun. I played the entire game docked, but I imagine it would be nearly unreadable if one were to play it in Handheld Mode. Thankfully most of these sections are just reading, but it did make for a rather uneven experience.

Presentation-wise, I have to admit that The Enigma Machine is something of an acquired taste. The graphics in the 3D sections are low-poly models that remind me of the PS1-inspired survival horror games of Puppet Combo. I actually had to look up if this was one of their games when I first booted it up. Some might find a bit of nostalgia to the look and feel of the graphics, but they're not all perfect even within the context of their style. Textures constantly bleed into one another, and there are times when the lighting seems to be completely broken. The graphics work for the most part, but there are some sections that were just as buggy as the later demOS bits. I've already discussed those demOS sections of the game earlier, but I think the change in graphic style was a bit odd due to how different they are to the other parts of the game. A very 80s computer interface feels a bit odd when it's mixed with 90s-era 3D graphics. It makes one wonder who the game was made for. While I'm of the opinion that the game falls short of greatness visually, I do think it hit it out of the park when it comes to its sound design. This isn't a soundtrack that's going to have you run out and buy it as soon as you're done with the game, but it's one that perfectly sets and enhances the mood throughout the entire experience. Every single piece of sound works in tandem with the game, and I'll admit that there were some parts where a soundbite jump scared me.

The Enigma Machine is a rather short game at about 1-2 hours depending on how long it takes you to figure out some of its more difficult puzzles. You can even speedrun it a bit by simply inputting the codes right off the bat like I mentioned earlier. Though it's not going to be hold your attention for very long, I do think it's a rather great experience overall in spite of that. It's creepy, it tells its story in a very unique way, and it's a game that I don't see myself forgetting any time soon. It also comes in at a very affordable price of just $4.99. Rather than look at this as a standard gaming experience, I think of it more akin to watching an interactive movie that is priced with budget in mind. What genre of interactive movie it is though is probably a matter for further debate. It may not be the most accessible game out there, but it definitely is one of the most affordable.

Even though I have to admit that there are parts of The Enigma Machine that won't appeal to all players, I still have to say that I think it's a game worth picking up. It doesn't ask for much time or money, and there really isn't anything else like it. As long as you go in expecting some level of jank and wonkiness, you'll be fine. Grab it now on whatever platform you can, and get to solving the mystery behind demOS and DREAMSCAPE!

Check Out The Enigma Machine on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/the-enigma-machine-switch/

Story: A
Gameplay: B-
Graphics: B
Music/Sound: A
Value: A

Overall: B+

Pros:
+ A unique take on the adventure game genre that mixes together an 80s-style computer interface and 90s-style 3D graphics.
+ One of the strangest stories I've seen in a while. Does not go at all where you're thinking.
+ Music and sound are totally spot on and create the perfect eerie atmosphere.
+ At just $4.99, this game feels like a steal.

Cons:
- The visuals in both sections of the game can be a bit of an eyesore at times.
- The clunky keyboards in the demOS segments, and the wonkiness of the 3D sections, make the entire game feel a bit jank.
- Can be fully cleared in about an hour, with very little reason to go back to it afterwards.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

#TheEnigmaMachine

]]><![CDATA[Who Knew Returning to School Could Be So Much Fun?: A Class of Heroes: Anniversary Edition Review]]>Sat, 04 May 2024 07:02:23 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/who-knew-returning-to-school-could-be-so-much-fun-a-class-of-heroes-anniversary-edition-reviewBy Manuel

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PC

I'm a huge fan of the classic dungeon crawling RPG series Class of Heroes, and I was excited to hear that the first two games in the series were getting updated releases for modern platforms. Out now on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch by way of PQube Entertainment, we're going to be taking a look at both games as they are on the Nintendo Switch. This review is going to be for the first game, but I'll be getting around to the second one soon enough. Enough with intros, let's get into it!

No pressure at all...

The default party members aren't good.

Even though the name implies that the game is going to be in a classroom setting, I don't think most players will realize how literally the developers take that premise until they get into the game. Class of Heroes puts you into the shoes of a first year student in the recently-opened Particus Academy, and the goal of this Academy is to train young recruits into battle-ready adventurers. There is no main character that you play as, instead you seem to be a third-party student who assembles and leads various groups of other students into the dungeons that surround the campus. Class of Heroes does give you some basic characters to start with, but I found them to not be very optimized. That said, it'll take a long time for new players to understand the ins and outs of character creation, so you'll most likely be stuck with them early on. Even though the characters you play as are all something resembling blank slates, there is an entire roster of NPCs that make of the teachers and other residents of the Academy. These include the drunk dwarf healer at the infirmary, the always hungry Vice Principal Ryna, the somewhat hunky elf Dox who works in the Lab, and your cute classmate Sara. Fans of dungeon crawlers like the Wizardry series are most likely familiar with this story-lite form of gameplay, but it might put off players new to the genre. Rather than judge the game for not really revealing what it's really "about" until well past the beginning, I think it's worth looking at how well it integrates its premise into the standard dungeon crawler formula. Personally, I think it succeeds on that front, as you'll find that most of your quests come in the form of lessons from your teachers, and even the more advanced ones never forget that you're still a student in the academy. While this game will most likely never win any awards for its storytelling, it does a really good job with worldbuilding and in giving you reasons to care about the characters you encounter.

Sara is best girl.

An easy starting battle.

Before we jump into discussing gameplay, I have to get something off my chest right away. I loved Class of Heroes way back when it released on the PSP over a decade ago, and I put countless hours into it back then. It's a great game that I have lots of fond memories playing well into the night. This remake does do a great job of recapturing that magic, but it doesn't bring much else to the table. I'm not one to complain too much when a re-release doesn't add a lot of new content if it does a good job with the base game, but the problem with this release is that it's releasing at the same time as the remake of Class of Heroes 2. It probably goes without saying that Class of Heroes 2 is the far better game in the series, as it's essentially an enhanced version of this first game. (Owing to the fact that this series has always been more focused on gameplay over story.) This is made even more complicated by the fact that a lot of releases of this game come bundled with its sequel. Reviewing it on its own is a task I'm more than up to, but I find it hard to be unbiased when I know that there's a much better version of the same game just around the corner. Anyhow, I wanted to get that out of the way now since I'm sure I'll be referring back to how this game falls short of its sequel many times in the review, and I need readers to understand how similar the two games really are. I'll try to keep it to a minimum though, and even I have to admit that there are quite a few things that keep Class of Heroes unique from the other games in its series.

Taking quests is how you move the story forward.

Why so many monsters!?!?!

Discussing gameplay in Class of Heroes is both simple and complicated, as mentioning what it offers is easy enough, but every in-game system has a depth to it that you'll have to experience for yourself to truly understand. The entire game takes place in first person, with all the non-dungeon exploring sections being handled mainly in the form of menus. After you create your characters, or accept the ones you're given by default, you then assemble a party of up to six adventures with which you'll be doing all your adventuring with. Each character has a class, race, and alignment, with several of them being unique to this game. It'll take me far too long to explain them all, but rest assured you're getting far more than the standard Humans, Elves, and Dwarves here. Classes are also fairly unique as while you have standards like fighter, thief, and mage, they're also mixed in with more unique classes like the summoner and the valkyrie. All classes require a stat minimum to go into, so that means that some races are better suited to some classes than others. If you're dead set on creating a specific race/class type, then you'll have to spend time levelling up in an adjacent class until you hit the stat minimum. Oh, and I'm using terms like "character class" for simplicities sake, but the game refers to their class system as "courses". Each character has a set amount of money and equipment which you'll have to get used to as it'll take quite a while before you're able to afford any upgrades. With all that in place, you're ready to begin the extremely long journey of seeing your party grow strong enough so they're not wiped out from a single badly timed encounter.

The stuff you do in the Academy is pretty self-explanatory, and mainly things one would do in any town in any other RPG, so I'm going to focus a bit more on the dungeon exploring here. This makes sense of course, as that's what you'll be doing the most of in-game. Each time you enter the dungeon, you have a chance of coming into it via one of several entrances. This is important as some of these entrances offer far easier challenges than others. There's no readily viewable automap in game, but there is a spell that brings one up temporarily if you have the character class that's able to cast it. Random encounters can happen with each step, but some battles happen on pre-determined spaces indicated by crossed swords. Combat is usually taken in waves, where only the frontlines of both the party and the enemies are able to attack. In terms of your own party, the frontline are the first three characters in line that you'll see on the left side of the screen. The back three characters act as support, and they can only use ranged attacks or magic if they have them available. These same rules apply to large groups of monsters, though they have the ability to change rows in the middle of combat. Since this game leans heavily on the uber-hard gameplay style of the Wizardry series, don't expect battles to simply go your way if you keep up with your strongest attacks. Strategies are often needed for even the simplest of monster groupings, and you'll find that you have to run back to the Academy to rest after every battle or two. This latter point is made even more troublesome when you realize that healing your characters directly is prohibitively expensive. Instead you're going to want to have your priest heal you with their spells and then rest for free (or for far less if you're outside of the academy) to regain their spell slots. This plays a lot like old school Dungeons & Dragons, right down to the lack of an MP system. By the time you survive several battles, you'll start to notice that you don't get a lot of rewards for beating battles. That's right, experience and money are both in rather short supply, with the latter basically being limited to selling off found loot for the entire first section of the game. While this does make Class of Heroes a rather difficult game, it isn't without its own brand of fun.

The world of Class of Heroes.

This is the easiest class in the game.

I probably scared away a lot of potential players by laying out the game's brutal difficulty and unforgiving nature, but make no mistake, Class of Heroes doesn't pull any punches and I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. Things cans actually prove to be so difficulty that you can actually get yourself stuck in a dungeon, without enough resources to properly find your way out. Thankfully (I guess?) there's an entire mechanic that centers on retrieving lost party members by creating and sending in an entire second team. This was something I was very familiar with during my time with the game on the PSP, and I'll admit that I had to do it early on when I lost my initial party (made up of the default characters) in the second dungeon of the game. While this may sound like anything but fun, there is a sense of accomplishment once you realize that you've built your party up to the point where they're crushing monsters that formerly gave them trouble. Let's not focus on the fact that it'll take several hours of gameplay before you get to that point. That's actually one of the biggest problems I have with Class of Heroes versus Class of Heroes 2, the time it takes for you to be in the "tutorial" part of the game. Depending on how you play, it can take between 5-10 hours just to get strong enough to finish the initial batch of quests, courses, and dungeons. It's all very slow going and it won't be until several dungeons in that monsters will start dropping enough money and loot for you to even upgrade your equipment, or even think about playing around with things like the alchemy system. There are some quirks that can speed the process along, but it really should be marked as a detriment of the game that one of the best ways to get through the early sections is by essentially cheating. There's a very deep game here for those willing to put in the time, but the question is whether anyone is willing or able to.

These coordinates are so hard to follow.

Ominous? Maybe.

Even though I have some misgivings about playing Class of Heroes in a modern setting, there's no denying that this is a great looking game. The monster and character designs are all on point, and the anime style is the best the JRPG genre has to offer. There's even some unique touches to the world that are easy to miss early on. While the game offers a cat-people race in the form of the Felpurr that I'm sure everyone will love, it also has a dog-like race in its take on dwarves. They're not the only one to be different than what you'd expect either, as the gnomes are actually doll-like automatons, and this send-up of classic fantasy tropes can be seen in several of the monster types too. Admittedly there really isn't anything in the game that could count as animation, but it looks so great that you probably won't notice that most of it is made up of static images. Speaking of static images, one of the coolest things included in this version of the game has to be the image gallery that's available from the options menu. This gallery features tons of concept art, manga panels, and all sorts of promotional pieces taken from various points in the game's life. I spent so much time perusing the gallery, and my only gripe with it has to be that I can't just save the pictures to my hard drive so I can have them accessible outside of playing the game. Since I feel like I'm raving about the game's visuals a bit too much here, I guess I can point out the only real issue I had with them in general: the lack of variety in character portraits. For a game that all but requires to create several party members in order to complete it, I found it very odd that you're only given two portraits for each race, one for male and one for female. There isn't even any variant for classes, even though all the portraits seem to show them in their "default" one. That's not really a big issue though, and it's one of the few that's shared with its sequel.

The sound design in Class of Heroes is a mixed, as I feel it's somehow one of the strongest aspects of the game, yet also one of the weakest. Going for the positives first, the game features a very robust soundtrack that doesn't have a single bad track included. The school themes are relaxing, the dungeon themes are ominous, and the battle themes get the blood boiling. There's even a cool song for the opening cutscene. I have no complaints at all when it comes to the game's music, and that same sentiment extends to the sound effects too. Sound effects are often overlooked, but Class of Heroes has some thwacks and bangs that really make it feel like damage is being done to whoever is on the receiving end of attacks. There's even some monster battle and death cries that live rent free in my head even now. Simply put, there's a lot to love about the sound design but it does have one big flaw: a lack of voice acting. Let me start by pointing out that there are indeed some vocal bits here and there, mainly in the form of battle cries and the like, but the game is pretty much silent for most of its runtime. I know it's unfair to keep comparing it to Class of Heroes 2, but it's so jarring to experience that game being fully voice acted, and then coming back here to nothing but silently scrolling text. Back during the game's original PSP release, I didn't notice nor care that there wasn't any voice acting, but seeing as these two games are being released simultaneously, I can't help but feel that it's yet another aspect that makes the first game feel inferior to the second. The lack of voice acting is by no means a deal breaker of course, but I can't help but wish the developers went that extra mile for this re-release.

My all-new rescue party.

I did remake Alavic a few times though.

If you're planning on picking up Class of Heroes on its own, you're looking at a very long game. It may not seem like it'll take a long time to complete the core questline, but you'll quickly realize that much of your time will be spent making refining and retooling your party. Class changes will come and go, and you'll probably end up shuffling between a dozen characters. I bring all this up mainly in regards to the game's longevity. Even if you speed through the game, you're looking at a very old school-esque time of about 50+ hours. You can easily spend more time on the game than that of course, and I'm pretty sure I logged upwards of 100 hours back on the PSP. This leads me to what I'm sure is my last point of comparison between this game and Class of Heroes 2: its gameplay loop. If you're looking for a hardcore dungeon crawler that is tough-as-nails and gives no quarter, then you might enjoy this game more. If you want a far more balanced experience, that feels like it's more aware that your time is precious, then you might want to skip this game altogether for its sequel. One can argue that you can just play both, but these aren't story-rich games, there's really no reason to play one over the other beyond preferring their gameplay styles. No matter how you look at it though, this is quite a long game and it's very much worth its $19.99 asking price.

Joru is my favorite.

We know what we're all here for!

If you're a fan of dungeon crawlers, and want your games to be a bit more on the old-school Wizardry side of the difficulty spectrum, then you're going to want to grab Class of Heroes: Anniversary Edition. It's a great game that offers up a very challenging gameplay experience. If you're looking for something a bit more casual though, then you're probably better off picking up Class of Heroes 2 instead. This all of course only really applies if you plan on purchasing each game separately, as there are physical and digital collections that bundle them together. Maybe go with that latter option and get the full Class of Heroes experience. If you choose to play the first game though, be sure to clear out your week, because you're going to be here a while!

Check Out Class of Heroes: Anniversary Edition on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/class-of-heroes-anniversary-edition-switch/

Story: B
Gameplay: B-
Graphics: A
Music/Sound: B-
Value: A

Overall: B

Pros:
+ A great chance to revisit a classic PSP dungeon crawling RPG on modern consoles.
+ Lots of character customization and creation options in terms of stats and abilities.
+ A challenging, difficult game that feels rather unique even in its own series.
+ Excellent art design, visuals, and music make this game pleasurable to all the senses.
+ Lots of content at a very reasonable price.

Cons:
- Is somewhat hard to recommend picking this one up on its own when Class of Heroes 2 is also available.
- There are some gameplay elements, like the class change mechanic, that feel a bit too complicated for their own good.
- Difficulty spikes are all over the place, and it's easy to get yourself stuck in a dungeon.
- The lack of voice acting really stands out here.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

A man after my own heart!

#ClassOfHeroes

]]><![CDATA[Slapping Your Way to Your Inheritance: A Rose & Camellia Collection Review]]>Fri, 03 May 2024 09:22:52 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/slapping-your-way-to-your-inheritance-a-rose-camellia-collection-reviewBy Manuel

Players: 1-2
Platforms: Nintendo Switch

Have you ever played through the slap fight between Tifa and Scarlet in Final Fantasy VII and wondered what it would be like if that were stretched into a full game? Well, wonder no more friends, as Rose & Camellia Collection is here to answer that very specific question! This game comes to us all by way of Limited Run Games, and is available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch at the time of writing. While Switch exclusives are nothing new, this one is a bit unique in that its exclusivity probably has more to do with its reliance on motion controls than anything else. I'm getting ahead of myself though, there are slap fights waiting, and a review to finish! Let's get right into it!

The amazing slapping life?

All of this is over money of course.

As the name implies, Rose & Camellia Collection brings together five games into a single package. It's my understanding that some of these games were flash or mobile games at one point, and several of them are unique to this collection. That said, I'm not totally sure about their origins, so let's pretend we're going into this game fresh for the first time. This collection includes Rose & Camellia 1, 2, 3, 4, and Rose & Camellia vs. La-Mulana. With the exception of the La-Mulana spin-off, all the games pretty much play exactly the same, and act more like chapters within a single game. The plot of all the games centers on the Tsubakikoji family and what is essentially a struggle for the family inheritance. The last male heir has recently passed away, and the first chapter deals with his widow asserting her dominance over her rather cruel in-laws. The next game follows the second daughter of the family getting revenge, and the next the daughter of the family's maid. Though you are given some backstory of the family, and there are visual novel style cutscenes that explain each character's motivations, the plot is largely an excuse to get to the slap fighting. Each scene between the fights is usually only about 5-10 text screens, and each chapter rushes towards a conclusion after the end of the final slap fight ends. Even though this may sound like I'm knocking the game for its lack of story, I was actually surprised that it had one at all. This could've just as easily been reduced to the status of a fighting game-type story where only an intro and an outro would've been bothered with. You get far more than that here, and the writing is suitably funny and off-the-wall. There were times throughout my playthrough where I felt that the gameplay was wearing out its welcome, but I always stuck around just to see what ridiculousness was around the next corner. It's not the most in-depth story out there, but it's excellent for what it is.

This is the game right here!

Why is she up there?!?!

Before I discuss gameplay, I have to mention that I have a soft spot for games that use motion controls. While that's not exactly a unique statement, I hope that it's a sentiment you share too as that's pretty much all you get in Rose & Camellia Collection. This game requires the joycons in order to be played, so dig out that dock if you're a Handheld Mode player. Before we go over the pros and cons of this setup, let's talk how the slap fights work. Each slap fight has two parts to it, the slap and the defense. In order to slap you hold the A button and swing the joycon in an arc similar to a slap. When it's your opponent's turn to slap, you can dodge by holding the R button and singing the joycon in the opposite direction. This all sounds simple enough, but there is a bit more to it of course. Both you and your opponents sometimes have special skills available like a double slap, or a slap fest where you just swing as fast as you can for max damage. Also, each party in the slap fight can counterattack following a successful dodge. The latter is probably the most important factor to any fight, as you pretty much always have far less life than your opponent. The winner is the first who knocks their opponent's life down to nothing, but I think that part is rather obvious.

Though I have a deep love for motion controls, that love stems from the Wii and its Wii Motion Plus Wiimotes. Though the joycons have motion capabilities, they aren't nearly as precise. It was rare that I felt like my movements were one-to-one with what was happening on screen, and the force behind a slap often didn't match the force of the swing that activated it. Seeing as slaps can be weaker or stronger depending on force applied, this actually is rather important in the grand scheme of things. The amount of times I swung with all my might only to see my on-screen avatar barely touch her opponent's cheek were too numerous to count. It made me long for some sort of alternate control scheme, but I'm sure that would've also made the game quite a bit easier. Somewhat wonky controls aside, slapping in real time is a lot of fun. The charm and wackiness of everything quickly makes one forget how inaccurate things are on a technical level. Then there's the fact that the entire game is only made up of about 20 or so slap fights. It doesn't take very long for you to get the hang of things, and the entire experience is over before you know it.

She actually has a tell.

What even is happening here?

Of course, if the game were as simple as just swinging the joycons to slap it wouldn't be a lot of fun. This may not be a complex fighting game, but it does feature some advanced techniques to master if you want to clear the tougher scenarios. The first has to do with timing your slaps, as you can very easily leave yourself open to counterattacks if you're not careful. This is probably the mechanic I had the most problems with as performing a false swing requires you to nudge the joycon a bit but not follow through completely into a slap. Seeing as I've already mentioned how the motion controls aren't the most reliable, you may understand the frustration I felt when my false slaps either went unregistered, or simply turned into the weakest slaps imaginable. Moving onto countering, this technique isn't always easy either as it'll most definitely take you a few hits before you learn the timing of your opponent. Each opponent has their own quirk regarding when they're going to perform a slap, and some of them are even Punch Out-style tells that you have to watch for. These tells can be a sparkle in the eye, or some other non-hand action you have to keep an eye out for. Then there's just general timing to keep in mind too, as even if an opponent has no tell, they still hit at different speeds. Some opponents strike almost immediately after raising their hand, and others take their time. While I don't think this is unfair or anything, knowing when to counter will only come after your opponent gets in a free hit or two. Toss in the added skills of performing a double slap or a backhand, and you suddenly have a lot to watch out for and not a lot of life to play the trial-and-error game. Though it does make for uneven difficulty spikes, I must admit that it does make the gameplay far more complex than you'd think it would be going into it.

I wish each chapter were a different family.

It really is unfair.

Though I do think the graphics are very strong in Rose & Camellia Collection, I have to say that I'm not exactly a fan of the art style. Being a Japanese-developed game, you'd probably expect standard anime art to be featured, but what we get here more resembles a style you'd find in the horror manga of artists like Suehiro Maruo. There's nothing wrong with that particular art style, and it's one that I'm actually a fan of, but it's arguably something of an acquired taste. Seeing as this is already a niche title featuring very niche gameplay, I think a more casual-friendly look would've done wonders for the game. Though that's almost definitely just me nitpicking, there's no getting around the fact that it doesn't take very long to see pretty much all of what the game has to offer. The story makes it clear early on that you'll be playing within a single house against members of a single family, but that doesn't change the fact that there's a distinct lack of variety to the setting and characters. Opponents and protagonists repeat themselves in later chapters, and new opponents are just variants of ones you've already seen and fought. The art is great, the animation is great, and there's even a really cool anime-style intro, but I just found myself wishing that there was more to everything. I guess that's not the worst thing one can complain about though, but it does mean that the novelty starts to wear off quickly once you start to notice the repetition.

Sound is probably where I think the game shines the brightest, but I do have one odd thing to point out. The cool opening cutscene I mentioned earlier features a Japanese-language song, a great one at that, but it's one that's sung by a Western dub voice actor. While I am a fan of Christina Vee, I can't help but feel that her non-native Japanese comes off feeling like a cover one would find on YouTube. You can actually change the language of the in-game spoken dialogue, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to change the opening song to what I assume is its original version. Even though the track sounds great and features people I've met in real life, I can't help but think that the stilted Japanese sounds rather forced. I don't usually like to call out dub tracks like this, but I found it strange that they re-dubbed a Japanese song in Japanese, and didn't do it in English. It makes one wonder why they bothered in the first place. I guess that this song could've been original to this version of the game, but if that was the case, why not get one of the Japanese voice actors to perform it? Anyway, the music is all great besides that one rather big gripe, even though I think it's a bit limited due to the overall small scope of the game. There isn't a single bad track in the bunch though, so you'll be doing yourself a favor if you decide to pick up the soundtrack at some point. Even though I wasn't a fan of the dub performance of the opening track, I was a fan of the English voice acting in general. Everyone is hamming it up in an excellent scenery-chewing fashion, and their performances added a lot of character. The humor is also well executed, and it really fits in with the mood of the game.

Me too, girl, me too.

Slap Rush!

Even though I really enjoyed my time with Rose & Camellia Collection, I can't help but think that it feels like a minigame spread a bit too thin. The game progresses you from one fight to the next, but never really changes up the formula very much. Rather than adding more content, difficulty spikes are what will keep in you in the game beyond the hour or two required to fully complete it. There's a neat multiplayer mode to try out, but I really don't see it being much more than a brief novelty to break up rounds of Super Smash Bros. or Mario Kart. That's basically the main problem of the game: There isn't a lot of content here, and the content you do get is shallow. Considering that the game is currently priced at $19.99, I can't help but feel that it's worth maybe half of that at best. This is not a bad game by any means, but its (maybe?) mobile roots shine through even this remake.

Some opponents are just so hard.

Oh yeah, this chapter is rather interesting...

I have really mixed feelings when it comes to recommending Rose & Camellia Collection. On one hand it's fun and silly, and there's really no other game like it. Then you have the flip side to that, where you have to look at the game's shallow, imprecise gameplay and overall lack of content. It's definitely a fun game that's worth experiencing at least once, but its current price feels a bit too high for a casual purchase. If money is no matter to you, then grab this now and go have fun. If you're a gamer on a budget though, maybe wait for it to go on sale before grabbing it. Either way, watch for those backhands, they can be killer!

Check Out Rose & Camellia Collection on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/rose-and-camellia-collection-switch/

Story: A
Gameplay: B
Graphics: B+
Music/Sound: A
Value: C

Overall: B

Pros:
+ It's a game that centers on slap fights. What's not to love?
+ The art and animation are both top notch.
+ Similar to the visuals, the game's music and voice acting are among the best I've ever heard.
+ The story is crazy and wacky in all the right ways.
+ Though they can be a bit hit or miss, the idea of performing the slap fights with motion controls is a neat one.
+ The La-Mulana chapter is a nice bonus.

Cons:
- The motion controls can be pretty inconsistent, even unresponsive, at times.
- Despite its funny and unique premise, there isn't a whole lot of content here.
- Can be fully cleared in a couple hours, and there isn't much reason to return to the game outside of its multiplayer.
- Rose & Camellia's current price of $19.99 feels just a bit too high.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

I still really like this song!

#RoseAndCamellia

]]><![CDATA[Game Review: Tell Me Your Story]]>Thu, 02 May 2024 17:30:30 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/game-review-tell-me-your-storyBy J,D,

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC

Tell Me Your Story is a new cozy puzzle game released by Red Deer games. It tells the story of Amelia, who along with her dog Peanut, goes to visit her grandmother Rose. Rose has been on plenty of adventures over the course of her long life, and her house is filled with mementos. By digging through these mementos, Amelia bonds with her grandmother and learns of just a few of her past adventures.

Sorting through all these mementos and memories takes the forms of puzzles. Some are fairly easy like matching objects with silhouettes. Some are more difficult, but still understandable like one that plays like the boardgame Master Mind. And finally, two I found so frustratingly obtuse, that I began to wonder if this was the kind of game for me.

None of the puzzles have any form of guidance so it’s up to the player to intuit the rules and/or solution. For most of the puzzles it’s pretty easy, but for whatever reason on those two, I just could not get what the developers wanted me to do and that makes me feel more frustrated than cozy. Thankfully the game does have a hint system, but it seems players are only allowed three hints per playthrough and I had already used mine up by the time I got to the most frustrating puzzle.

If there’s one thing that stands out about this game, it’s the art. They definitely convey the cozy feel of the game along with the music, and together they tell the story of the game without a word being spoken. However, there is some text to give context to where Rose’s adventures took place. For example, her second adventure story is about her trip to the Yunnan region of China which makes it a bit weird when the dish made afterwards is Japanese onigiri. I’m not sure if this was something I missed like “Rose went to Japan after her trip through China” or is simply an oversight by the developers. It gives the story an appropriate picture book vibe like one that might be read as a bedtime story. Like a bedtime story, this game is over nearly as quickly. Even after my hard time with some of the puzzles, it only took me about 2 hours to finish the game.

Makeup design is my passion.

Finally, all those years of screaming at kids on "Legends of the Hidden Temple" pays off!

Overall, if you’re a fan of the kind of cozy puzzle game, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with your time playing Tell Me Your Story. he art and sound make the game as cozy as a summer trip to a beloved grandmother’s house should feel even if like those fleeting summer days of youth, it is sometimes frustrating and over before you even know it.

Check Out Tell Me Your Story on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1415570/Tell_Me_Your_Story/

Overall Rating: B+

Pros:
+ Art and sound convey the cozy feel
+ Most puzzles are easy to figure out

+/- Short at around 2 hours

Cons:
- One or two frustrating puzzles

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

]]><![CDATA[Game Review: Alterity Experience]]>Wed, 01 May 2024 07:00:00 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/game-review-alterity-experienceBy Al

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, XBox, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC

What do you get when you bring together aliens and a closed-door adventure game? You get Alterity Experience of course! Having released on just about every major platform by way of publisher Delores Entertainment a couple years ago, we're going to be taking a look at the Nintendo Switch version today. I'm always ready for a good adventure game, and this one has some horror elements that I love to see. Speaking of seeing horror elements, it looks like those pesky lights are trying to break in again, so let's skip the intros and dive right into the review!

All because of this corn...

That can't be good...

Alterity Experience places you into the shoes of Anton Cornwell, a farmer whose corn crop has recently become infected by a strange substance that causes it to glow purple. His financial livelihood at stake, Anton decides to get to the bottom of this and look into things more closely while his wife and kids go out for a night of fun. It doesn't take long for strange things to go on at the Cornwell Farm though, and Anton learns that there is something very strange indeed behind the purple substance. Maybe it even has something to do with all the strange lights in the sky that have been reported by other local farmers... At least the Cornwell Farm has a great security system! From there the story moves into sci-fi and horror elements that you expect, but it also takes some twists and turns that'll most likely leave you surprised. Nothing is as it seems, and the alien menace turns out to be a much closer to home than you first realize. Though the story did keep me at the edge of my seat, it is a rather short experience overall. Alterity Experience's brevity makes it hard to discuss more of the plot without going into spoiler territory, so I'll just leave it there and move on with the rest of the review.

The game would be so different with a gun.

There's a bomb shelter in this house?

While I would definitely classify Alterity Experience as an adventure game, there are actually two distinct gameplay modes at work here. For much of the game you'll be exploring the house, looking for keys and documents, and slowly uncovering what is actually going on. Alterity Experience makes heavy use of atmospheric storytelling, so expect to get key plot points in the form of notes, articles, diary entries, and other scattered bits. While it's this aspect of the game that feels most like an adventure game, it doesn't feature other adventure game staples like a large inventory to manage. Instead of an inventory, you have a set of keys and codes that you must find in order to open up new parts of the house to explore. These are all used automatically, and you'll have to eventually find them all in order to progress. Why there are so many locked doors in Anton's own house is beyond me, but let's not think about that too much. Seeing as the entire game takes place in this one house, there isn't a whole lot of space to get lost in. Small space or not, the game does do a great job of slowly unveiling new areas to explore. Exploration is rather enjoyable too as there are a lot of references and optional plot points to pick up on if you're thorough. Admittedly it's a rather simple game, but I appreciated the way it streamlined adventure game mechanics that might feel a bit too esoteric for the average player.

The other half of the gameplay in Alterity Experience is a bit harder to describe. If I had to do it though, I'd say that it feels like a take on the Five Nights at Freddy's formula. Though that game has a static protagonist, here you'll also be moving around in real-time. At various points in the game your house will come under attack by mysterious floating objects in the sky. They will try to enter your house by way of the windows and doors, and you'll have to stop them by using the security app on your cell phone. It's not a simple task of just hitting the breached area on the on-screen map to close its shutter, as you also have to move closer in order for it to re-activate. You also have to close the now open window or door, and you'll only have a few seconds to catch your breath before you have to do it again. Things can get rather frantic during these invasion segments, and I'd be lying if I didn't admit that they can be quite challenging. You have to move with a sense of urgency too, as failing even once will result in a game over. I initially found these parts of the game to be a bit unfair, but once I learned the layout of the house, and after I got a grasp of the controls, they became my favorite part of the game. While I don't think it would've been much fun if the entire game were centered on this style of play, the invasion segments did offer a nice break from the exploration and key finding.

I want to read this!

Why is this in the bathroom?

Even though there isn't anything here that's anywhere near hardware-pushing, I think that Alterity Experience has some rather impressive visuals. Much of the game has an "asset flip" feel to it in its everyday objects that does give the game a budget look, but there's a level of detail to everything that I think surpasses that. The scattered books and magazines, the things that are left running on the computers and TVs, and the many posters that line the walls really made the house feel lived in. The realistic house layout even got me to eventually overlook oddities like the bomb shelter located in the sub-basement. Oh, and the first-person switch to the strange alien machines was always intense and totally unexpected. Sound design fares even better, as every bit of it seems to complement the main game. The music feels like it was ripped straight from an old sci-fi movie, and the sound effects do a good job emulating that sound and style too. Everything was suitably atmospheric and creepy, and the soundtrack always felt on point. The look, feel, and sound of the game in particular reminded me a lot of the 1982 Creepshow segment "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill", and I mean that in the best way possible. Though not perfect, every aspect of Alterity Experience works to bring together a great game.

I like to use the analogy of some shorter games feeling like they're interactive movies, and I think that's most true of Alterity Experience. You can beat the entire game in about an hour, and probably even speedrun it in about thirty minutes once you know what to do. Even though I personally don't think I'll give it additional playthroughs in the future, there are some elements that might entice other players to do so. Besides the fact that there are multiple endings that I don't want to spoil, there's also some randomness to the adventure game elements. It's not the deepest of systems, but keys and codes are placed randomly in each playthrough. Though things largely stay the same, I can see how it'd be fun to see things play out differently a second time around. Even I personally didn't go this route, I still feel that the single gameplay experience is more than worth its price of admission. Speaking of which, at just $9.99, Alterity Experience is priced perfectly to go along with the vibes of picking up a sci-fi thriller to wrap up the evening.

Lots of mystery here.

They're coming!

Despite the fact that this isn't a game that's going to keep you occupied for days on end, it was one of the more memorable experiences I've played in recent memory. I may not play it again anytime soon, but I won't be forgetting it for a long while either. It's fun, it's spooky, and it has several gameplay elements that are rather unique. Fans of adventure games, horror games, and maybe even the Five Nights at Freddy's series, will want to pick this up on whatever platform they can. Better hurry though, I hear an alarm going off near that window...

Check Out Alterity Experience on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/alterity-experience-switch/

Story: A
Gameplay: B+
Graphics: B
Music/Sound: B+
Value: B

Overall: B+

Pros:
+ A fun closed-door adventure game that features unique gameplay elements.
+ The invasion segments can be quite thrilling and keep the game feeling fresh.
+ The atmospheric storytelling is spot on, and uncovering the story will feel very natural despite the lack of on-screen characters.
+ Though the graphics aren't exactly the most impressive, the level of detail in the game's world is.
+ Features a soundtrack that is spooky and atmospheric in all the right ways.

Cons:
- No matter how great the experience may be, there's no getting around this being a very short game.
- While there are randomized elements and multiple endings, there isn't much reason to return to the game once you've beaten it.
- The invasion segments can be a bit unmanageable once the house completely opens up.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

I need a beer after this!

#AlterityExperienceConsoleEdition

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