3 Yrs✓#
Skyhler
3 Yrs✓#
Yeah, I've stopped purchasing after Sword/Shield. Biggest reason being is that I think they've deviated far too much from what made the franchise work. I seriously think they've just made it too easy and takes away the challenge, thus the enjoyment of the game. Good to know I didn't miss out on much when I decided not to purchase Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D21999
4 Yrs♥✓#
See, I would have done that too and at least have held off on buying, but my roommate was planning on getting Brilliant Diamond so I preordered the Double Pack for the two of us and he paid me for Brilliant Diamond. Then down the line I plan on buying a cheap copy off ebay of BD and just put it with my Shining Pearl copy.
So really I only bought it so I could get a valuable double pack for cheap in the future lol.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
Game #138: Balan Wonderworld
Platform: Switch
Main + Extras: 12h 10m 51s
Rating: 2/10
Date Completed: December 26, 2021
Game Synopsis: A man has lured kids into his home and holds them hostage until they solve his problems.
Blog: Oh wow I did not like this game.
There's a lot of bad to unpack with Balan Wonderworld.
Let's start with the gameplay. The controls are left stick for moving and right stick for the camera. That makes sense. Then A, B, X, Y, and a few of the trigger buttons lets you jump. Umm... why? Why can't jump be only on one button? Why does every other button need to be jump? My theory is that they were planning on making this a mobile game.
The choice of controls also limits the potential creativity of the costumes. Costumes are the big new thing with Balan Wonderworld. Each one has an ability... like jumping, hovering, shooting, etc. All of these abilities are used with one button. Which means some costumes can't jump. So some costumes are actually worse than just not wearing anything, or equal to it.
The story is nonsense. I don't understand anything that's going on other than you're helping people and you have to fight an edgy version of Balan.
Speaking of the edgy Balan guy... his fight sucks. It took me a long ass time to figure out how to do his first form because everytime I got hit I lose a costume, making me have to look for those costumes whenever I completely run out of the 3 I came with. I don't mind having to die and start the fight over, but don't make me have to searching for costumes when I run out. That's lame.
Even better, after I beat him for the first time my game crashed, and because it crashed it didn't count as me beating him. So I had to do it again. I was so angry.
So yeah, Balan Wonderworld is not a good game. It was boring from the start and only got worse with time. The only thing keeping it from a 1/10 is that it at least functions for the most part.
TL;DR: Balan Wonderworld is a game that had so many terrible choices gone into it.
Platform: Switch
Main + Extras: 12h 10m 51s
Rating: 2/10
Date Completed: December 26, 2021
Game Synopsis: A man has lured kids into his home and holds them hostage until they solve his problems.
Blog: Oh wow I did not like this game.
There's a lot of bad to unpack with Balan Wonderworld.
Let's start with the gameplay. The controls are left stick for moving and right stick for the camera. That makes sense. Then A, B, X, Y, and a few of the trigger buttons lets you jump. Umm... why? Why can't jump be only on one button? Why does every other button need to be jump? My theory is that they were planning on making this a mobile game.
The choice of controls also limits the potential creativity of the costumes. Costumes are the big new thing with Balan Wonderworld. Each one has an ability... like jumping, hovering, shooting, etc. All of these abilities are used with one button. Which means some costumes can't jump. So some costumes are actually worse than just not wearing anything, or equal to it.
The story is nonsense. I don't understand anything that's going on other than you're helping people and you have to fight an edgy version of Balan.
Speaking of the edgy Balan guy... his fight sucks. It took me a long ass time to figure out how to do his first form because everytime I got hit I lose a costume, making me have to look for those costumes whenever I completely run out of the 3 I came with. I don't mind having to die and start the fight over, but don't make me have to searching for costumes when I run out. That's lame.
Even better, after I beat him for the first time my game crashed, and because it crashed it didn't count as me beating him. So I had to do it again. I was so angry.
So yeah, Balan Wonderworld is not a good game. It was boring from the start and only got worse with time. The only thing keeping it from a 1/10 is that it at least functions for the most part.
TL;DR: Balan Wonderworld is a game that had so many terrible choices gone into it.
3 Yrs✓#
Skyhler3 Yrs✓#
Haha fair enough. I'm just really strict on my game purchasing now. Unless I reduce my JRPG backlog by 500 hours (which is no easy feat) then I'm not allowed to purchase another game. For my standard backlog I think I have the same rule. It's tough, but it definitely helps me both save money and focus on the games I already have.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
Game #139: Supertype
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 1h 16m 22s
Rating: 5/10
Date Completed: January 3, 2022
Game Synopsis: Type letters and have them touch the goals.
Blog: Supertype is a Phillip Stollenmayer game. If you know his work then you what that means: physics puzzle game!
What makes Supertype different from his usual works is that Supertype allows you to type up a bunch of letters into a particular area and then once your finished, the gravity turns on and the letters fall.
The objective is that a letter or letters need to touch any of the little goal squares or circles that are on the levels.
It can be pretty fun and unique, but honestly it gets pretty old really quick. The game is sort of a one trick pony.
The only other type of level it has, is that some levels there are already letters but you need to draw a single line for the letters to land in certain spots. These are definitely not as good as the normal levels and I groan whenever I ran into them.
TL;DR: Supertype is a good idea but it's very much a one trick pony relying solely on its difficulty.
-------------
Game #140: Super Mario Run
Platform: Mobile
Main + Extras: 2h 14m 42s
Rating: 4/10
Date Completed: January 15, 2022
Game Synopsis: An auto runner level but with Mario!
Blog: Oof I was expecting more from a game that was about $10. Mobile or not.
Super Mario Run is one of Nintendo's first attempts at getting deep into the mobile market, and I think it wasn't a very good attempt.
It's an auto runner game, and your taps on the screen help Mario jump. That's fine, auto runner games can be fun. However I don't feel like it has much personality.
First of all, the story is the usual same. Bowser takes Princess Peach and destroys the castle.
It seems like Bowser wasn't very prepared though, as there's 6 Worlds and 4 short levels for each world. Not a lot of meat there. There's a special world with 6 more levels but you have to get the optional special coins from every level in each world and I'm not doing that.
So where's the meat of the game? I think it has to do with the castle part of the game. The castle is like the customizable area for the game. You can put up little buildings and other decorations around it. Some buildings can give you special things, such as a bunch of coins, tickets, and some even give playable characters. Most are decorative though. You can also repair and upgrade Peach's castle from the damage Bowser did.
So how do you get these decorations and upgrades? Through 2 modes: Remix 10 and Toad Rally.
Remix 10 is a game mode where you spend a ticket to play 10 really quick bits of levels that are somewhere in the game. At the end of the set of levels you move up in the world and a meter will fill up. If the meter gets to the end you'll get a random decoration or building and the meter resets.
I'm not sure what the end goal of this mode would be. I know that if you finish World 15 you unlock daisy, but it took me 7 tickets to reach the end of World 3 and the worlds were progressively gaining in levels. So no thanks I'm not going through with it anymore.
Then there's Toad Rally. Toad Rally is where you compete against another player to get Toads for buying buildings. Do better than the other player in the level then you get all the Toads collected at the end.
This one sucks. Not because of the mode itself, but because of the Toad system. Toads come in 5 colors: red, blue, yellow, green, and purple. Certain amounts of different colored toads will unlock different things. In Toad Rally, the amount of Toads distributed isn't good. If you need red toads, you'll always get them because red toads are guaranteed to be in every level. The other toads aren't always going to be in the 5 levels you have to choose from and even if you did, you'll always end up with more red Toads than the other color. It doesn't help when I need 30 each of purple and yellow Toads for a building and it takes me ages to just get that many. Each level also costs a ticket. Which also isn't great.
I just don't find any of that fun. It's just a lot of grinding without a purpose. So after I finished the story mode I called it quits there.
TL;DR: Super Mario Run is not Nintendo's best attempt at the Mobile game market. There's just not a lot of meat to it. Mostly bone.
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 1h 16m 22s
Rating: 5/10
Date Completed: January 3, 2022
Game Synopsis: Type letters and have them touch the goals.
Blog: Supertype is a Phillip Stollenmayer game. If you know his work then you what that means: physics puzzle game!
What makes Supertype different from his usual works is that Supertype allows you to type up a bunch of letters into a particular area and then once your finished, the gravity turns on and the letters fall.
The objective is that a letter or letters need to touch any of the little goal squares or circles that are on the levels.
It can be pretty fun and unique, but honestly it gets pretty old really quick. The game is sort of a one trick pony.
The only other type of level it has, is that some levels there are already letters but you need to draw a single line for the letters to land in certain spots. These are definitely not as good as the normal levels and I groan whenever I ran into them.
TL;DR: Supertype is a good idea but it's very much a one trick pony relying solely on its difficulty.
-------------
Game #140: Super Mario Run
Platform: Mobile
Main + Extras: 2h 14m 42s
Rating: 4/10
Date Completed: January 15, 2022
Game Synopsis: An auto runner level but with Mario!
Blog: Oof I was expecting more from a game that was about $10. Mobile or not.
Super Mario Run is one of Nintendo's first attempts at getting deep into the mobile market, and I think it wasn't a very good attempt.
It's an auto runner game, and your taps on the screen help Mario jump. That's fine, auto runner games can be fun. However I don't feel like it has much personality.
First of all, the story is the usual same. Bowser takes Princess Peach and destroys the castle.
It seems like Bowser wasn't very prepared though, as there's 6 Worlds and 4 short levels for each world. Not a lot of meat there. There's a special world with 6 more levels but you have to get the optional special coins from every level in each world and I'm not doing that.
So where's the meat of the game? I think it has to do with the castle part of the game. The castle is like the customizable area for the game. You can put up little buildings and other decorations around it. Some buildings can give you special things, such as a bunch of coins, tickets, and some even give playable characters. Most are decorative though. You can also repair and upgrade Peach's castle from the damage Bowser did.
So how do you get these decorations and upgrades? Through 2 modes: Remix 10 and Toad Rally.
Remix 10 is a game mode where you spend a ticket to play 10 really quick bits of levels that are somewhere in the game. At the end of the set of levels you move up in the world and a meter will fill up. If the meter gets to the end you'll get a random decoration or building and the meter resets.
I'm not sure what the end goal of this mode would be. I know that if you finish World 15 you unlock daisy, but it took me 7 tickets to reach the end of World 3 and the worlds were progressively gaining in levels. So no thanks I'm not going through with it anymore.
Then there's Toad Rally. Toad Rally is where you compete against another player to get Toads for buying buildings. Do better than the other player in the level then you get all the Toads collected at the end.
This one sucks. Not because of the mode itself, but because of the Toad system. Toads come in 5 colors: red, blue, yellow, green, and purple. Certain amounts of different colored toads will unlock different things. In Toad Rally, the amount of Toads distributed isn't good. If you need red toads, you'll always get them because red toads are guaranteed to be in every level. The other toads aren't always going to be in the 5 levels you have to choose from and even if you did, you'll always end up with more red Toads than the other color. It doesn't help when I need 30 each of purple and yellow Toads for a building and it takes me ages to just get that many. Each level also costs a ticket. Which also isn't great.
I just don't find any of that fun. It's just a lot of grinding without a purpose. So after I finished the story mode I called it quits there.
TL;DR: Super Mario Run is not Nintendo's best attempt at the Mobile game market. There's just not a lot of meat to it. Mostly bone.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
Game #141: Creepy Tale
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 1h 21m 34s
Rating: 3/10
Date Completed: January 5, 2022
Game Synopsis: Your brother has been kidnapped by monsters. Brave the horrors in the forest and rescue him.
Blog: This was the first game I completed in 2022 and it was not a good start.
First of all the story isn't anything special. Your brother was kidnapped and is planned on being used for some purpose. That's pretty much it.
Some of the puzzles were asinine. Things that I needed were often way too small for me to notice or there wasn't a telltale sign for me to do it the way the game wants me to.
The biggest problem are the controls. Movement is very slippery. It's as if I'm walking on ice the entire time. A weird design choice they decided to do, if you press up on the right stick you move left, and pressing down makes you go right. You're still able to use normal left and right of course, but they also made that an option. This isn't really an issue unless you're like me and like to press up and forward when I go to jump. In which case it often screws up jumps, making me go farther or much shorter than how I needed to go.
Creepy Tale is just very bland to me. I don't recommend it if you want fun in your games.
TL;DR: Creepy Tale is a game with overall bland presentation, mediocre puzzles, and terrible controls.
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 1h 21m 34s
Rating: 3/10
Date Completed: January 5, 2022
Game Synopsis: Your brother has been kidnapped by monsters. Brave the horrors in the forest and rescue him.
Blog: This was the first game I completed in 2022 and it was not a good start.
First of all the story isn't anything special. Your brother was kidnapped and is planned on being used for some purpose. That's pretty much it.
Some of the puzzles were asinine. Things that I needed were often way too small for me to notice or there wasn't a telltale sign for me to do it the way the game wants me to.
The biggest problem are the controls. Movement is very slippery. It's as if I'm walking on ice the entire time. A weird design choice they decided to do, if you press up on the right stick you move left, and pressing down makes you go right. You're still able to use normal left and right of course, but they also made that an option. This isn't really an issue unless you're like me and like to press up and forward when I go to jump. In which case it often screws up jumps, making me go farther or much shorter than how I needed to go.
Creepy Tale is just very bland to me. I don't recommend it if you want fun in your games.
TL;DR: Creepy Tale is a game with overall bland presentation, mediocre puzzles, and terrible controls.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
Game #142: Powertris
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 45m 32s
Rating: 5/10
Date Completed: January 6, 2022
Game Synopsis: Connect falling pipes to make a path to the other side.
Blog: Powertris is a game that combines Tetris and those pipe games where you need to connect one end to the other.
It sounds like a great combination of two well-known puzzle games. Unfortunately I just wish there was more I could commend it for.
The controls are the main problem. In Tetris you often get small spaces and have to get a particular piece through a tight area and you can do that very smoothly. In Powertris it's a tossup if it'll allow you to move around, and if it does it's going to move like crazy. This is especially unhelpful when in some levels the game decides to add in obstacles, so it's not like you're going to be able to avoid them forever.
After you get a certain amount of points, the level structure changes. The pipe ends will move, the amount of pipe ends will change, and even obstacles will be added from time to time. After a while it just loops though.
That's really all there is to Powertris. There's no multiplayer, and while there are leaderboards it's only a local leaderboard. So nothing online. Just rather bare in terms of content.
TL;DR: Powertris is a neat idea but the controls that come with it wasn't very good execution.
------------------------
Game #143: Kickerhino World
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 55m 24s
Rating: 1/10
Date Completed: January 7, 2022
Game Synopsis: Juggle a soccer ball.
Blog: Sorry guys, I'm American so I'm going to be calling it soccer.
Kickerhino World is a game that cannot be saved.
The concept first of all is quite lame. A game where you do a Simon Says type of gameplay where you juggle a soccer ball. I was hoping this was at least going to be a freestyle tricks kind of game. It's not. You're just following a set path that the ball decides to go.
And let's talk about the path for the ball. Sometimes it's obvious which way it'll go, and others you'll need to be able to predict the future. It's very inconsistent and very unfair since one mess up means you have to start over.
Sometimes it feels like the character you "control" gives up halfway between their kicks and the ball only goes up just a little bit. It's very strange and bad.
I wish the tutorial was better. You don't get much of an explanation. You just learn about the starting moves and not much else.
The power-ups are all worthless. The money you get in-game is all worthless. The things you can buy in-game are worthless and also cost too much. The character designs are also extremely bad looking.
This game is a waste of time. I'm glad I was able to get it for free. RIP to those who actually spent money on this.
TL;DR: Kickerhino World is a game about juggling a soccer ball. It's as boring and bad as it sounds.
------------------------
Game #144: Pirates: All Aboard!
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 8m 17s
Rating: 4/10
Date Completed: January 9, 2022
Game Synopsis: Fight your friends as pirate ships.
Blog: Pirates: All Aboard? More like Pirates I'm Bored. Ha gottem.
Pirates: All Aboard is suppose to be a multiplayer-focused game with battle ships. I do not have anyone to play with, and the game has no online to play against other people. Already a great sign for this game.
The only things I really had access to as a single player was the practice mode and endless mode.
Practice mode is the actual game only you play against bots. The game itself is very slow and boring. It's not very fun.
In order to shoot you need to press the left or right triggers, which corresponds to which side you shoot from. Makes sense. However, you also get a special, which are all useless by the way. In order to use it you need to press in the right stick, which is the same stick used for moving. Why? You have plenty of other useless buttons, do those. Why the stick?
Then you have endless mode. This is a bit of false advertising. Endless mode is an entirely different style of gameplay kind of like Temple Run. There's not much else to say. It's just Temple Run and it has no value to the actual game.
Although I suppose this game also has no value at all
TL;DR: Pirates: All Aboard is a boring game focused on multiplayer but has nothing going for it with it going at a snail's pace.
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 45m 32s
Rating: 5/10
Date Completed: January 6, 2022
Game Synopsis: Connect falling pipes to make a path to the other side.
Blog: Powertris is a game that combines Tetris and those pipe games where you need to connect one end to the other.
It sounds like a great combination of two well-known puzzle games. Unfortunately I just wish there was more I could commend it for.
The controls are the main problem. In Tetris you often get small spaces and have to get a particular piece through a tight area and you can do that very smoothly. In Powertris it's a tossup if it'll allow you to move around, and if it does it's going to move like crazy. This is especially unhelpful when in some levels the game decides to add in obstacles, so it's not like you're going to be able to avoid them forever.
After you get a certain amount of points, the level structure changes. The pipe ends will move, the amount of pipe ends will change, and even obstacles will be added from time to time. After a while it just loops though.
That's really all there is to Powertris. There's no multiplayer, and while there are leaderboards it's only a local leaderboard. So nothing online. Just rather bare in terms of content.
TL;DR: Powertris is a neat idea but the controls that come with it wasn't very good execution.
------------------------
Game #143: Kickerhino World
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 55m 24s
Rating: 1/10
Date Completed: January 7, 2022
Game Synopsis: Juggle a soccer ball.
Blog: Sorry guys, I'm American so I'm going to be calling it soccer.
Kickerhino World is a game that cannot be saved.
The concept first of all is quite lame. A game where you do a Simon Says type of gameplay where you juggle a soccer ball. I was hoping this was at least going to be a freestyle tricks kind of game. It's not. You're just following a set path that the ball decides to go.
And let's talk about the path for the ball. Sometimes it's obvious which way it'll go, and others you'll need to be able to predict the future. It's very inconsistent and very unfair since one mess up means you have to start over.
Sometimes it feels like the character you "control" gives up halfway between their kicks and the ball only goes up just a little bit. It's very strange and bad.
I wish the tutorial was better. You don't get much of an explanation. You just learn about the starting moves and not much else.
The power-ups are all worthless. The money you get in-game is all worthless. The things you can buy in-game are worthless and also cost too much. The character designs are also extremely bad looking.
This game is a waste of time. I'm glad I was able to get it for free. RIP to those who actually spent money on this.
TL;DR: Kickerhino World is a game about juggling a soccer ball. It's as boring and bad as it sounds.
------------------------
Game #144: Pirates: All Aboard!
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 8m 17s
Rating: 4/10
Date Completed: January 9, 2022
Game Synopsis: Fight your friends as pirate ships.
Blog: Pirates: All Aboard? More like Pirates I'm Bored. Ha gottem.
Pirates: All Aboard is suppose to be a multiplayer-focused game with battle ships. I do not have anyone to play with, and the game has no online to play against other people. Already a great sign for this game.
The only things I really had access to as a single player was the practice mode and endless mode.
Practice mode is the actual game only you play against bots. The game itself is very slow and boring. It's not very fun.
In order to shoot you need to press the left or right triggers, which corresponds to which side you shoot from. Makes sense. However, you also get a special, which are all useless by the way. In order to use it you need to press in the right stick, which is the same stick used for moving. Why? You have plenty of other useless buttons, do those. Why the stick?
Then you have endless mode. This is a bit of false advertising. Endless mode is an entirely different style of gameplay kind of like Temple Run. There's not much else to say. It's just Temple Run and it has no value to the actual game.
Although I suppose this game also has no value at all
TL;DR: Pirates: All Aboard is a boring game focused on multiplayer but has nothing going for it with it going at a snail's pace.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
Game #145: Star Horizon
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 2h 08m 55s
Rating: 4/10
Date Completed: January 9, 2022
Game Synopsis: Like Star Fox but bad.
Blog: Where are the good games?
Star Horizon is just Star Fox but tries a bit too hard while also not doing anything.
First of all, the story is all over the place. You're in a ship battle, then you're knocked out, then you're in a revolutionary war, and then you're fighting a giant spider robot. I don't get what's happening. There's also a few points where you're able to pick options that are suppose to change the story. It doesn't end up really changing anything though and gameplay is really unaffected. You could probably go through the entire game ignoring the story and the choices, nothing would be noticeable.
It also doesn't help that the voice acting is just atrocious. There's no emotion, they're all just lifeless robots. Did anyone try?
The gameplay is alright, but there's one thing that to me is totally unfair. There will be some occasions where a turret or ship is just barely out of frame, not enough for me to shoot it but will still be able to hit me. I'm talking point-blank range, with almost no time for me to react, I can't shoot, I can barely dodge.
The game itself is just not great. I try to ignore the flaws but the game makes it hard to do that. I wish this were a better Star Fox clone but it just isn't. Do better next time.
TL;DR: Star Horizon is a shoot em up game with a terrible story, bad voice acting, and unfair gameplay sections.
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 2h 08m 55s
Rating: 4/10
Date Completed: January 9, 2022
Game Synopsis: Like Star Fox but bad.
Blog: Where are the good games?
Star Horizon is just Star Fox but tries a bit too hard while also not doing anything.
First of all, the story is all over the place. You're in a ship battle, then you're knocked out, then you're in a revolutionary war, and then you're fighting a giant spider robot. I don't get what's happening. There's also a few points where you're able to pick options that are suppose to change the story. It doesn't end up really changing anything though and gameplay is really unaffected. You could probably go through the entire game ignoring the story and the choices, nothing would be noticeable.
It also doesn't help that the voice acting is just atrocious. There's no emotion, they're all just lifeless robots. Did anyone try?
The gameplay is alright, but there's one thing that to me is totally unfair. There will be some occasions where a turret or ship is just barely out of frame, not enough for me to shoot it but will still be able to hit me. I'm talking point-blank range, with almost no time for me to react, I can't shoot, I can barely dodge.
The game itself is just not great. I try to ignore the flaws but the game makes it hard to do that. I wish this were a better Star Fox clone but it just isn't. Do better next time.
TL;DR: Star Horizon is a shoot em up game with a terrible story, bad voice acting, and unfair gameplay sections.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
Game #146: Picklock
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 2h 59m 09s
Rating: 4/10
Date Completed: January 9, 2022
Game Synopsis: Break into homes and businesses and steal valuables.
Blog: Picklock is a stealth game all about trying to steal from people. It's like a thief simulator game in a way. The gameplay can be fun but it's a mess in some areas.
First is the story. There's not much to it. The main character is a guy who decides to go back to being a burglar after he "lost it all". This is never explained. That's pretty much it.
Now for the gameplay: the camera sucks. I hate the overhead view you're given, it doesn't really reveal enough and it can be hard to see. Controls also suck, moving isn't great. That in combination with the camera is a recipe for disaster.
There was also one level that has a random invisible wall that you can't get past without some really tricky maneuvering. It was almost game-breaking and would have prevented me from completing the game had I not done an exploit.
Picklock just isn't good. There are other thieving simulator games that are probably better. Don't recommend this one.
TL;DR: Picklock is a simulator game about stealing from homes and businesses. The camera and controls make this game an issue however.
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 2h 59m 09s
Rating: 4/10
Date Completed: January 9, 2022
Game Synopsis: Break into homes and businesses and steal valuables.
Blog: Picklock is a stealth game all about trying to steal from people. It's like a thief simulator game in a way. The gameplay can be fun but it's a mess in some areas.
First is the story. There's not much to it. The main character is a guy who decides to go back to being a burglar after he "lost it all". This is never explained. That's pretty much it.
Now for the gameplay: the camera sucks. I hate the overhead view you're given, it doesn't really reveal enough and it can be hard to see. Controls also suck, moving isn't great. That in combination with the camera is a recipe for disaster.
There was also one level that has a random invisible wall that you can't get past without some really tricky maneuvering. It was almost game-breaking and would have prevented me from completing the game had I not done an exploit.
Picklock just isn't good. There are other thieving simulator games that are probably better. Don't recommend this one.
TL;DR: Picklock is a simulator game about stealing from homes and businesses. The camera and controls make this game an issue however.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
Game #147: Destropolis
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 26m 17s
Rating: 7/10
Date Completed: January 9, 2022
Game Synopsis: Fight off waves of enemies in a city, where everything is blocks.
Blog: Woah, a good game? Yeah I actually talk about those.
Destropolis is a top down shooter where endless waves of enemies come at you and you need to defeat them. Along the way you'll also be able to pick up upgrades and weapons, but you'll also start fighting tougher enemies as time goes on.
I enjoy the arcade feeling it gives. It's quite fun to go a few rounds, see how long I can survive and how many enemies I can take out.
I do wish there were a bit more to it however. Because once you've played through it a few times there's no reason to ever go back.
Also my god the text needs to be bigger. It can be so hard to read.
TL;DR: Destropolis is a great top down shooter, but I wish it had more to it than just being endless.
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 26m 17s
Rating: 7/10
Date Completed: January 9, 2022
Game Synopsis: Fight off waves of enemies in a city, where everything is blocks.
Blog: Woah, a good game? Yeah I actually talk about those.
Destropolis is a top down shooter where endless waves of enemies come at you and you need to defeat them. Along the way you'll also be able to pick up upgrades and weapons, but you'll also start fighting tougher enemies as time goes on.
I enjoy the arcade feeling it gives. It's quite fun to go a few rounds, see how long I can survive and how many enemies I can take out.
I do wish there were a bit more to it however. Because once you've played through it a few times there's no reason to ever go back.
Also my god the text needs to be bigger. It can be so hard to read.
TL;DR: Destropolis is a great top down shooter, but I wish it had more to it than just being endless.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
Game #148: Pokemon Rocket Science
Platform: Game Boy Advance
Main Story: 25h 53m 21s
Rating: 6/10
Date Completed: January 13, 2022
Game Synopsis: A ROM based on FireRed/LeafGreen where you play as a Team Rocket member.
Blog: Have you ever wanted to play as one of the bad guys in Pokemon? Pokemon Rocket Science gives you that opportunity.
It's based on the LeafGreen and FireRed Pokemon games. The region is the same and the Pokemon are all the general gen 1 with no changes there. So aside from just being a different sprite, what's changed with this version?
One of the biggest differences is that instead of the usual pick of three starters to choose from you instead start with a Magnemite and a Zubat. The Zubat I got rid of as soon as I got a better Pokemon, but the Magnemite was awesome to see. It's normally a Pokemon you don't see until much later so it was pretty cool.
Another change is the mechanic to steal a trainer's Pokemon. It sounds cooler than it really is, they're just used as currency to buy a few items, which I don't recall having even used any of those items. It's quite a disappointment.
What's even worse is that when you're giving up the stolen Pokemon, you're giving them one at a time instead of all at once or as many as it takes to reach a milestone. I had about 50 to 60 Pokemon when I was finally given the opportunity to spend them, it was tedious to have to sit through that.
What is cool is that every once in awhile you're given some kind of mission. You're told to transfer Cubone skulls from Lavender Town. You get told to raid a cruise ship. There's even one mission that allows you to get to the post game content way earlier than you're suppose to. Which is quite cool.
One more thing I think is neat is the implication that you're always following in the footsteps of the original protagonist of the gen 1 games. If you talk to NPCs you'll occasionally hear them talk about how they were helped by that protagonist. Even with something like the Safari Zone game, you're given the second place prize because you're told that someone had already gotten to the goal first. It all leads up to you having to fight against him as he's the Elite Four champion. It's really cool.
While it may sound like so much has changed, the things that have changed are so few and far between. At its core not much about the game has changed a whole lot. It would have been a breath of fresh air had more about it changed but it's kind of disappointing in that aspect.
TL;DR: Pokemon Rocket Science is a change to the FireRed and LeafGreen games, but I wish the differences were more frequent than they actually ended up being.
Platform: Game Boy Advance
Main Story: 25h 53m 21s
Rating: 6/10
Date Completed: January 13, 2022
Game Synopsis: A ROM based on FireRed/LeafGreen where you play as a Team Rocket member.
Blog: Have you ever wanted to play as one of the bad guys in Pokemon? Pokemon Rocket Science gives you that opportunity.
It's based on the LeafGreen and FireRed Pokemon games. The region is the same and the Pokemon are all the general gen 1 with no changes there. So aside from just being a different sprite, what's changed with this version?
One of the biggest differences is that instead of the usual pick of three starters to choose from you instead start with a Magnemite and a Zubat. The Zubat I got rid of as soon as I got a better Pokemon, but the Magnemite was awesome to see. It's normally a Pokemon you don't see until much later so it was pretty cool.
Another change is the mechanic to steal a trainer's Pokemon. It sounds cooler than it really is, they're just used as currency to buy a few items, which I don't recall having even used any of those items. It's quite a disappointment.
What's even worse is that when you're giving up the stolen Pokemon, you're giving them one at a time instead of all at once or as many as it takes to reach a milestone. I had about 50 to 60 Pokemon when I was finally given the opportunity to spend them, it was tedious to have to sit through that.
What is cool is that every once in awhile you're given some kind of mission. You're told to transfer Cubone skulls from Lavender Town. You get told to raid a cruise ship. There's even one mission that allows you to get to the post game content way earlier than you're suppose to. Which is quite cool.
One more thing I think is neat is the implication that you're always following in the footsteps of the original protagonist of the gen 1 games. If you talk to NPCs you'll occasionally hear them talk about how they were helped by that protagonist. Even with something like the Safari Zone game, you're given the second place prize because you're told that someone had already gotten to the goal first. It all leads up to you having to fight against him as he's the Elite Four champion. It's really cool.
While it may sound like so much has changed, the things that have changed are so few and far between. At its core not much about the game has changed a whole lot. It would have been a breath of fresh air had more about it changed but it's kind of disappointing in that aspect.
TL;DR: Pokemon Rocket Science is a change to the FireRed and LeafGreen games, but I wish the differences were more frequent than they actually ended up being.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
Game #149: Monument Valley
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 1h 03m 02s
Rating: 10/10
Date Completed: January 13, 2022
Game Synopsis: Lead a girl through a mysterious world of optical illusions.
Blog: Monument Valley is such a cool game.
This is story-driven puzzle game. You follow a young girl going into a strange land. For what reason is unknown to the player.
The player helps the girl on her way, by manipulating the land. This messes with the perspective and creates optical illusions in which it looks as if there really was a path the whole time, when from another perspective the pathway did not exist.
It's a short game but it's not a lot of money. It's such a fun and creative game. I highly recommend it.
TL;DR: Monument Valley is a fun puzzle game that messes with perspective. A must play for anyone who even remotely enjoys mobile games.
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 1h 03m 02s
Rating: 10/10
Date Completed: January 13, 2022
Game Synopsis: Lead a girl through a mysterious world of optical illusions.
Blog: Monument Valley is such a cool game.
This is story-driven puzzle game. You follow a young girl going into a strange land. For what reason is unknown to the player.
The player helps the girl on her way, by manipulating the land. This messes with the perspective and creates optical illusions in which it looks as if there really was a path the whole time, when from another perspective the pathway did not exist.
It's a short game but it's not a lot of money. It's such a fun and creative game. I highly recommend it.
TL;DR: Monument Valley is a fun puzzle game that messes with perspective. A must play for anyone who even remotely enjoys mobile games.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
DLC/Expansion #13: Monument Valley - Ida's Dream
Game: Monument Valley
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 18m 2s
Rating: 8/10
Date Completed: January 13, 2022
Synopsis: A small expansion to the base game of Monument Valley.
Blog: Ida's Dream still holds what made the base game so good.
However, the problem is that it's so incredibly short. It's only a single level and the level itself isn't very long nor does it introduce anything new.
I wish there were more to it than this but that's genuinely all there is to the expansion. At least it was free.
TL;DR: Ida's Dream is a short little expansion to the base game, but it doesn't add anything new.
----------
DLC/Expansion #14: Monument Valley - Forgotten Shores
Game: Monument Valley
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 55m 2s
Rating: 10/10
Date Completed: January 13, 2022
Synopsis: A expansion that was made to dedicate the Earth's oceans.
Blog: Now this is a great expansion.
Forgotten Shores is so much heftier than Ida's Dream in terms of content. The levels are so good, especially the last one.
It's also great to know that these levels were made to commemorate the oceans here on Earth. So I didn't mind spending a single penny to pay for this game.
It's a tad shorter than the base game, but not by much. It's also way longer than Ida's Dream. If you have any spare change, spend it on this.
TL;DR: Forgotten Shores shows what a Monument Valley expansion should be. Lots of creativity and all for a good cause.
Game: Monument Valley
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 18m 2s
Rating: 8/10
Date Completed: January 13, 2022
Synopsis: A small expansion to the base game of Monument Valley.
Blog: Ida's Dream still holds what made the base game so good.
However, the problem is that it's so incredibly short. It's only a single level and the level itself isn't very long nor does it introduce anything new.
I wish there were more to it than this but that's genuinely all there is to the expansion. At least it was free.
TL;DR: Ida's Dream is a short little expansion to the base game, but it doesn't add anything new.
----------
DLC/Expansion #14: Monument Valley - Forgotten Shores
Game: Monument Valley
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 55m 2s
Rating: 10/10
Date Completed: January 13, 2022
Synopsis: A expansion that was made to dedicate the Earth's oceans.
Blog: Now this is a great expansion.
Forgotten Shores is so much heftier than Ida's Dream in terms of content. The levels are so good, especially the last one.
It's also great to know that these levels were made to commemorate the oceans here on Earth. So I didn't mind spending a single penny to pay for this game.
It's a tad shorter than the base game, but not by much. It's also way longer than Ida's Dream. If you have any spare change, spend it on this.
TL;DR: Forgotten Shores shows what a Monument Valley expansion should be. Lots of creativity and all for a good cause.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
Game #150: Monument Valley 2
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 1h 17m 42s
Rating: 10/10
Date Completed: January 14, 2022
Game Synopsis: Play as a mother guiding her child through a world filled with optical illusions.
Blog: Oh man! I love this Monument Valley too! Hit after hit with this series.
I will admit, this sequel doesn't change much mechanically from the original. It introduces new puzzles of course but it's the same for the most part.
There are some levels where the main character's daughter copies her movements from a different area and I thought those were good.
What makes this one different is I felt I enjoyed the story in this one and consider it better than the first. I like the mother and daughter dynamic with it. It's a good story.
What are you still reading this for? Go play it!
TL;DR: Monument Valley 2 doesn't improve the mechanics too much, but the story is so much better here. Go play it.
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 1h 17m 42s
Rating: 10/10
Date Completed: January 14, 2022
Game Synopsis: Play as a mother guiding her child through a world filled with optical illusions.
Blog: Oh man! I love this Monument Valley too! Hit after hit with this series.
I will admit, this sequel doesn't change much mechanically from the original. It introduces new puzzles of course but it's the same for the most part.
There are some levels where the main character's daughter copies her movements from a different area and I thought those were good.
What makes this one different is I felt I enjoyed the story in this one and consider it better than the first. I like the mother and daughter dynamic with it. It's a good story.
What are you still reading this for? Go play it!
TL;DR: Monument Valley 2 doesn't improve the mechanics too much, but the story is so much better here. Go play it.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
DLC/Expansion #15: Monument Valley 2 - The Lost Forest
Game: Monument Valley 2
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 8m 42s
Rating: 8/10
Date Completed: January 14, 2022
Synopsis: An expansion dedicated to the trees and forests of the Earth.
Blog: This has the same problem that Ida's Dream had with the first Monument Valley.
It's a game that plays great and it's free. It's also dedicated to the trees. That's always a good thing, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
The DLC is so short though, shorter than Ida's Dream! How? It's unfortunate but that's the way it is here.
TL;DR: The Lost Forest is a DLC dedicated to the environment and that's great, but the game itself is insanely short. It's free though.
Game: Monument Valley 2
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 8m 42s
Rating: 8/10
Date Completed: January 14, 2022
Synopsis: An expansion dedicated to the trees and forests of the Earth.
Blog: This has the same problem that Ida's Dream had with the first Monument Valley.
It's a game that plays great and it's free. It's also dedicated to the trees. That's always a good thing, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
The DLC is so short though, shorter than Ida's Dream! How? It's unfortunate but that's the way it is here.
TL;DR: The Lost Forest is a DLC dedicated to the environment and that's great, but the game itself is insanely short. It's free though.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
Game #151: Senran Kagura: Peach Ball
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 9h 40m 56s
Rating: 6/10
Date Completed: January 15, 2022
Game Synopsis: A pinball game where you hit revealing cat women and turn them back into revealing regular women.
Blog: Be warned parents: This game has swearing in it!
I thought this was actually a pretty good game, and not just because I'm attracted to women.
I think this is genuinely a good pinball game at its core. The mechanics are good for the most part, the physics feel fine, and the tables that are available have some quality to them.
My problem with the game is that it feels limiting in a few key areas.
My main complaint is while the tables are good, there's only 2 of them. One is a carnival theme and the other is Asian-focused (I don't know what the proper term would be, apologies if that wording offends anyone). I think it would be great if there were some more variety. Maybe a jungle theme, or space. Heck, the story mostly takes place in an arcade. So why not have that as a theme? Lots of missed opportunity here.
Also let's talk about the girls themselves. The game has 6 girls included, and only 5 of them you can "play with". Maybe it's just me, but I feel like that's too few options. From what I understand the series has a ton more girls in it. Why not have them included? They don't even need to be in the story, just have them be unlockable skin swaps or something. Have that 6th girl be included as well, there's no reason she should be excluded.
One other thing: you're able to get usable power ups as the pinball game goes. One of these is called "ball return" where if the ball is lost then it won't count as a real loss and act as if nothing happened. The problem is after activating the power up through a button press, the ball return disappears after a while. Why? I earned that power up. It should stay there until it actually gets used up.
TL;DR: Senran Kagura: Peach Ball might be a skimpy pinball game, but it's good at what it does. I just wish that the options weren't so limiting.
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 9h 40m 56s
Rating: 6/10
Date Completed: January 15, 2022
Game Synopsis: A pinball game where you hit revealing cat women and turn them back into revealing regular women.
Blog: Be warned parents: This game has swearing in it!
I thought this was actually a pretty good game, and not just because I'm attracted to women.
I think this is genuinely a good pinball game at its core. The mechanics are good for the most part, the physics feel fine, and the tables that are available have some quality to them.
My problem with the game is that it feels limiting in a few key areas.
My main complaint is while the tables are good, there's only 2 of them. One is a carnival theme and the other is Asian-focused (I don't know what the proper term would be, apologies if that wording offends anyone). I think it would be great if there were some more variety. Maybe a jungle theme, or space. Heck, the story mostly takes place in an arcade. So why not have that as a theme? Lots of missed opportunity here.
Also let's talk about the girls themselves. The game has 6 girls included, and only 5 of them you can "play with". Maybe it's just me, but I feel like that's too few options. From what I understand the series has a ton more girls in it. Why not have them included? They don't even need to be in the story, just have them be unlockable skin swaps or something. Have that 6th girl be included as well, there's no reason she should be excluded.
One other thing: you're able to get usable power ups as the pinball game goes. One of these is called "ball return" where if the ball is lost then it won't count as a real loss and act as if nothing happened. The problem is after activating the power up through a button press, the ball return disappears after a while. Why? I earned that power up. It should stay there until it actually gets used up.
TL;DR: Senran Kagura: Peach Ball might be a skimpy pinball game, but it's good at what it does. I just wish that the options weren't so limiting.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
Game #152: Blue Fire
Platform: Switch
100% Complete: 12h 36m 37s
Rating: 6/10
Date Completed: January 20, 2022
Game Synopsis: Explore a broken land, and use your platforming skills to get more powerful to defeat the darkness.
Blog: Blue Fire is pretty good.
One look at this game's style you might think that this is a combat-focused game like Hollow Knight or maybe something similar to a Zelda game. I would say it's neither in those regards. While it does have combat, this game is mainly focused on 3D platforming.
First off the visuals, I love the visuals. It gives WindWaker vibes but a darker feel given the color palette leaning toward a dark tone.
The combat is fine. It's nothing amazing or stand out, but it works.
The platforming is tight and difficult. Which is good, when you're making a platformer you want the feeling to be good, you want it to be challenging.
However Blue Fire then gives you upgrades. The upgrades are fine, but it completely breaks some of the platforming challenges. It just seems like an incredible oversight to me.
I also feel like this game doesn't have much heart. I realize how that's a weird thing to say and it might be totally subjective to only me. There's just not much to it in general. Talking to characters doesn't feel rewarding, the story has a cool premise but I feel like the characters themselves aren't impactful and drag the story. I don't know why but I always find myself comparing Blue Fire to Hollow Knight. I feel like the stories are very similar: a character goes into a ruined kingdom. Hollow Knight handles it all so much better. There's heart in the characters and the story. I can't tell why exactly I think this way about Blue Fire. I wish I didn't but that's the way it is.
TL;DR: Blue Fire is a great platformer for the most part, but upgrades can cause challenges to be easily circumvented and the game itself feels void of heart.
Platform: Switch
100% Complete: 12h 36m 37s
Rating: 6/10
Date Completed: January 20, 2022
Game Synopsis: Explore a broken land, and use your platforming skills to get more powerful to defeat the darkness.
Blog: Blue Fire is pretty good.
One look at this game's style you might think that this is a combat-focused game like Hollow Knight or maybe something similar to a Zelda game. I would say it's neither in those regards. While it does have combat, this game is mainly focused on 3D platforming.
First off the visuals, I love the visuals. It gives WindWaker vibes but a darker feel given the color palette leaning toward a dark tone.
The combat is fine. It's nothing amazing or stand out, but it works.
The platforming is tight and difficult. Which is good, when you're making a platformer you want the feeling to be good, you want it to be challenging.
However Blue Fire then gives you upgrades. The upgrades are fine, but it completely breaks some of the platforming challenges. It just seems like an incredible oversight to me.
I also feel like this game doesn't have much heart. I realize how that's a weird thing to say and it might be totally subjective to only me. There's just not much to it in general. Talking to characters doesn't feel rewarding, the story has a cool premise but I feel like the characters themselves aren't impactful and drag the story. I don't know why but I always find myself comparing Blue Fire to Hollow Knight. I feel like the stories are very similar: a character goes into a ruined kingdom. Hollow Knight handles it all so much better. There's heart in the characters and the story. I can't tell why exactly I think this way about Blue Fire. I wish I didn't but that's the way it is.
TL;DR: Blue Fire is a great platformer for the most part, but upgrades can cause challenges to be easily circumvented and the game itself feels void of heart.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
DLC/Expansion #16: Blue Fire - Void of Sorrows
Game: Blue Fire
Platform: Switch
Main + Extras: 2h 24m 38s
100% Complete: 3h 02m 11s
Rating: 9/10
Date Completed: January 22, 2022
Synopsis: Find the hidden history about the Fire Guards.
Blog: A DLC better than the base game.
Void of Shadows focuses on what Blue Fire's strengths are: platforming. The platforming here is like no other in the game. The jumps and wall climbs are even tougher, even tighter. It even makes sure to keep in mind the upgrades you have, which is something the base game didn't do and the platforming's difficulty plummeted to cheese difficulty. It's actually fixed here with these new platforming segments!
There is some fighting of course, a new enemy is introduced. Just like all the other enemies in the games they're easy. Especially if you brute force it.
Also the boss here was fantastic. I was never really stoked about the bosses in the base game. They were fine. The one in the DLC is the best one by far though.
Now, this DLC has caused me to realize something that I didn't notice about the main game. The camera sucks. It's not a good camera and it really hindered me.
Also in some of the void platforming sections if you fall off, you could be falling for more than 10 seconds before the game decides that you're dead. This was frustrating. The death should have happened way earlier than that.
TL;DR: Void of Sorrows is a fantastic free DLC. Although the camera and long deaths are blemishes on it.
Game: Blue Fire
Platform: Switch
Main + Extras: 2h 24m 38s
100% Complete: 3h 02m 11s
Rating: 9/10
Date Completed: January 22, 2022
Synopsis: Find the hidden history about the Fire Guards.
Blog: A DLC better than the base game.
Void of Shadows focuses on what Blue Fire's strengths are: platforming. The platforming here is like no other in the game. The jumps and wall climbs are even tougher, even tighter. It even makes sure to keep in mind the upgrades you have, which is something the base game didn't do and the platforming's difficulty plummeted to cheese difficulty. It's actually fixed here with these new platforming segments!
There is some fighting of course, a new enemy is introduced. Just like all the other enemies in the games they're easy. Especially if you brute force it.
Also the boss here was fantastic. I was never really stoked about the bosses in the base game. They were fine. The one in the DLC is the best one by far though.
Now, this DLC has caused me to realize something that I didn't notice about the main game. The camera sucks. It's not a good camera and it really hindered me.
Also in some of the void platforming sections if you fall off, you could be falling for more than 10 seconds before the game decides that you're dead. This was frustrating. The death should have happened way earlier than that.
TL;DR: Void of Sorrows is a fantastic free DLC. Although the camera and long deaths are blemishes on it.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
Game #153: Ape Out
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 1h 40m 17s
Main + Extras: 2h 00m 51s
Rating: 8/10
Date Completed: January 22, 2022
Game Synopsis: You're an ape, and ape wants out. Slaughter those who stand in your way.
Blog: Ape Out is a game where you play as an ape who has just broken out of its enclosure and now needs to escape the area it's in.
The gorilla can throw people into walls and even carry them as a riot shield. Be careful as it doesn't take many hits to take you out.
Everytime you die the level layouts and enemy placement can also change, so it keeps you on your toes as you have no idea what to expect. This game is an adrenaline rush and that's what makes it fun.
Levels themselves can also tend to change things up a bit, so it's not stale. Then there's the acts which are also different themes.
The simplistic artstyle is great. I love the music and sound design as well. Throwing enemies around can make the sound of cymbals being hit and it's so addicting.
A few things: the game is short. I wish it were longer. I also think there's something wrong with the flamethrower enemies on Act 3. Those guys are insanely unfair, they turn around unleashing their fire in a split second giving the player no time to react to them. Those guys were rough.
TL;DR: Ape Out is a great game. It's unfortunately on the shorter end and the flamethrower guys could probably be tweaked a bit.
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 1h 40m 17s
Main + Extras: 2h 00m 51s
Rating: 8/10
Date Completed: January 22, 2022
Game Synopsis: You're an ape, and ape wants out. Slaughter those who stand in your way.
Blog: Ape Out is a game where you play as an ape who has just broken out of its enclosure and now needs to escape the area it's in.
The gorilla can throw people into walls and even carry them as a riot shield. Be careful as it doesn't take many hits to take you out.
Everytime you die the level layouts and enemy placement can also change, so it keeps you on your toes as you have no idea what to expect. This game is an adrenaline rush and that's what makes it fun.
Levels themselves can also tend to change things up a bit, so it's not stale. Then there's the acts which are also different themes.
The simplistic artstyle is great. I love the music and sound design as well. Throwing enemies around can make the sound of cymbals being hit and it's so addicting.
A few things: the game is short. I wish it were longer. I also think there's something wrong with the flamethrower enemies on Act 3. Those guys are insanely unfair, they turn around unleashing their fire in a split second giving the player no time to react to them. Those guys were rough.
TL;DR: Ape Out is a great game. It's unfortunately on the shorter end and the flamethrower guys could probably be tweaked a bit.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
Game #154: Celeste Classic
Platform: Switch
Main + Extras: 20m 51s
Rating: 8/10
Date Completed: January 22, 2022
Game Synopsis: Get to the top of the pixelated mountain!
Blog: This is the original Celeste.
It's a very simple game, even in comparison to the newer Celeste. Jump on platforms, wall jumping, and boost. There's also some strawberries to collect. Halfway through you'll obtain an upgrade for a second boost. Your goal: get to the summit of the mountain!
That's all there is to the game really. There's no story, it's short. Just a basic little game that will keep you busy for 20 minutes
TL;DR: Celeste Classic is a short, basic Celeste game with no story. It's fun but nothing you should go out of your way for, even to play the "newer" Celeste.
Platform: Switch
Main + Extras: 20m 51s
Rating: 8/10
Date Completed: January 22, 2022
Game Synopsis: Get to the top of the pixelated mountain!
Blog: This is the original Celeste.
It's a very simple game, even in comparison to the newer Celeste. Jump on platforms, wall jumping, and boost. There's also some strawberries to collect. Halfway through you'll obtain an upgrade for a second boost. Your goal: get to the summit of the mountain!
That's all there is to the game really. There's no story, it's short. Just a basic little game that will keep you busy for 20 minutes
TL;DR: Celeste Classic is a short, basic Celeste game with no story. It's fun but nothing you should go out of your way for, even to play the "newer" Celeste.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
Game #155: Okay?
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 2h 33m 23s
Rating: 7/10
Date Completed: January 26, 2022
Game Synopsis: Another Phillip Stollenmeyer physics puzzle game! This time use the ball to clear all of the shapes.
Blog: If you've read the mobile game sections of my blog posts, you'd know that one developer/publisher's games I consistently play are the games by Phillip Stollenmeyer. I also usually end up giving them middle-of-the-road scores. They're not bad games and they're very smart gsmes, but they're not games that I would really play again.
Okay? is one of the only games of theirs that I would consider playing again.
The point of Okay? is to make shapes disappear by hitting them with a ball. You can shoot the ball from anywhere you want so long as it only takes one ball to hit them all. So you really need to think of a good pathway for them to travel.
Later levels would introduce some new concepts like the ball looping if it goes off screen.
Now while I don't feel annoyed with the puzzles, I feel like the game is a one trick pony. I grew tired of it after a while. That's why I gave it a 7. It's still not perfect.
TL;DR: Okay? is a fun puzzle game but it can grow old on you fast.
---------------------
Game #156: Shot2048
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 1h 18m 28s
Rating: 6/10
Date Completed: February 2, 2022
Game Synopsis: Shoot the same numbers at each other to get bigger numbers.
Blog: Have you ever wondered what Yuji Naka did after leaving Square Enix in 2021? He designed this mobile game, Shot2048, all by himself. It's apparently his first time making a game without a team.
While that is very commendable to gain new experiences, how does the game play?
If you've ever played one of those 2048 games, that's essentially what this game's goal is about. Try to match numbers to get even higher numbers.
The difference here is that the game is like a bubble shooter but with some physics. It's kind of neat. When shooting balls you need to be careful though, if any of them pass a certain threshold and stay there for too long it could be the end of the run.
It's fun. Got some issues though.
When you get a 2048 or higher, you're forced to watch an ad with the reward being that a multiplier adds to the numbers that you shoot out. It sounds cool, but there are times where I've felt this did more damage than good. I would much prefer if I had the option to turn it on instead as a power up. Unfortunately no, I have to watch the ad and get the multiplier.
Also I mention that if a ball passes a threshold and stays there for too long then you lose. That mechanic is fine, but the game doesn't seem to make it clear how long the ball can stay there for. Sometimes it takes like 2 seconds and other times it's like 10. I'd just prefer some consistency with it. Also, the threshold counts the balls if they're in the air too, which is unfair as I can't do anything about that.
Overall the game is fine. It's a 2048 game, there's only so much you can do with a game like that to make it stand out. Either way, I wish Yuji Naka the best.
TL;DR: A 2048 game but you shoot out the numbers instead. I think the ads are annoying however and the penalty for going over the threshold is too inconsistent.
---------------------
Game #157: 10000000
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 5h 26m 55s
Rating: 8/10
Date Completed: February 4, 2022
Game Synopsis: Traverse a dungeon and get enough points to escape.
Blog: 10000000 is an interesting game that combines games like Candy Crush with a dungeon crawler. Each different block correspond with an action that your character does. Match 3 sword blocks to do a physical attack, match staves for a magical attack, keys to unlock doors, chests to unlock usable items, etc. It's really cool because instead of just mindlessly matching the blocks like you would in other match 3 games, you're strategizing when you should match them at a given moment.
To progress in the dungeon you also have to get enough points for a rank upgrade. You want to get to these later sections of the dungeon because it will be much easier to get higher points to be able to have a closer chance of beating the game after getting 10,000,000 points.
The game has a few drawbacks.
The music is the exact same through all of the dungeon. It makes me go insane and I'd love for some variety.
Sometimes when fighting a beefy enemy, they might have a ranged enemy behind them that chips away at my health. This sort of feels unfair considering these beefy enemies were already huge problems and having something else to do large amounts of damage to you wasn't ideal.
All the same though, I had a great deal of fun and can see myself playing it again.
TL;DR: 10000000 is a fun puzzle and dungeon crawler mix. I would have liked some music variety and beefy enemies teaming with ranged enemies were a bit unfair.
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 2h 33m 23s
Rating: 7/10
Date Completed: January 26, 2022
Game Synopsis: Another Phillip Stollenmeyer physics puzzle game! This time use the ball to clear all of the shapes.
Blog: If you've read the mobile game sections of my blog posts, you'd know that one developer/publisher's games I consistently play are the games by Phillip Stollenmeyer. I also usually end up giving them middle-of-the-road scores. They're not bad games and they're very smart gsmes, but they're not games that I would really play again.
Okay? is one of the only games of theirs that I would consider playing again.
The point of Okay? is to make shapes disappear by hitting them with a ball. You can shoot the ball from anywhere you want so long as it only takes one ball to hit them all. So you really need to think of a good pathway for them to travel.
Later levels would introduce some new concepts like the ball looping if it goes off screen.
Now while I don't feel annoyed with the puzzles, I feel like the game is a one trick pony. I grew tired of it after a while. That's why I gave it a 7. It's still not perfect.
TL;DR: Okay? is a fun puzzle game but it can grow old on you fast.
---------------------
Game #156: Shot2048
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 1h 18m 28s
Rating: 6/10
Date Completed: February 2, 2022
Game Synopsis: Shoot the same numbers at each other to get bigger numbers.
Blog: Have you ever wondered what Yuji Naka did after leaving Square Enix in 2021? He designed this mobile game, Shot2048, all by himself. It's apparently his first time making a game without a team.
While that is very commendable to gain new experiences, how does the game play?
If you've ever played one of those 2048 games, that's essentially what this game's goal is about. Try to match numbers to get even higher numbers.
The difference here is that the game is like a bubble shooter but with some physics. It's kind of neat. When shooting balls you need to be careful though, if any of them pass a certain threshold and stay there for too long it could be the end of the run.
It's fun. Got some issues though.
When you get a 2048 or higher, you're forced to watch an ad with the reward being that a multiplier adds to the numbers that you shoot out. It sounds cool, but there are times where I've felt this did more damage than good. I would much prefer if I had the option to turn it on instead as a power up. Unfortunately no, I have to watch the ad and get the multiplier.
Also I mention that if a ball passes a threshold and stays there for too long then you lose. That mechanic is fine, but the game doesn't seem to make it clear how long the ball can stay there for. Sometimes it takes like 2 seconds and other times it's like 10. I'd just prefer some consistency with it. Also, the threshold counts the balls if they're in the air too, which is unfair as I can't do anything about that.
Overall the game is fine. It's a 2048 game, there's only so much you can do with a game like that to make it stand out. Either way, I wish Yuji Naka the best.
TL;DR: A 2048 game but you shoot out the numbers instead. I think the ads are annoying however and the penalty for going over the threshold is too inconsistent.
---------------------
Game #157: 10000000
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 5h 26m 55s
Rating: 8/10
Date Completed: February 4, 2022
Game Synopsis: Traverse a dungeon and get enough points to escape.
Blog: 10000000 is an interesting game that combines games like Candy Crush with a dungeon crawler. Each different block correspond with an action that your character does. Match 3 sword blocks to do a physical attack, match staves for a magical attack, keys to unlock doors, chests to unlock usable items, etc. It's really cool because instead of just mindlessly matching the blocks like you would in other match 3 games, you're strategizing when you should match them at a given moment.
To progress in the dungeon you also have to get enough points for a rank upgrade. You want to get to these later sections of the dungeon because it will be much easier to get higher points to be able to have a closer chance of beating the game after getting 10,000,000 points.
The game has a few drawbacks.
The music is the exact same through all of the dungeon. It makes me go insane and I'd love for some variety.
Sometimes when fighting a beefy enemy, they might have a ranged enemy behind them that chips away at my health. This sort of feels unfair considering these beefy enemies were already huge problems and having something else to do large amounts of damage to you wasn't ideal.
All the same though, I had a great deal of fun and can see myself playing it again.
TL;DR: 10000000 is a fun puzzle and dungeon crawler mix. I would have liked some music variety and beefy enemies teaming with ranged enemies were a bit unfair.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
Game #158: Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 7h 51m 47s
Rating: 5/10
Date Completed: January 29, 2022
Game Synopsis: Something happened to your father and his entire city. Investigate what happened.
Blog: Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery is one of those puzzle, point and click style of games.
It starts off pretty good but as it goes along it gets noticeably weaker.
I think the game was doing very good in the first act when it came to the puzzles. You had to look around and investigate, and really think about what it is that you're doing. There wasn't anything insane but it was fun.
In the later acts there are some very obtuse puzzles. Even after looking at the hints and solutions for the puzzles, I still wasn't quite sure how I was suppose to reach the conclusion. It really seems that numbers or codes were pulled out of thin air.
Then the story. I won't say too much but the story progressively gets worse. They introduce an antagonist at the last act and even then, you aren't told too much about what he's trying to do or his goals or anything. The game pretty much leaves you in the dark at the end.
I just wish the game's second half was as good as its first.
TL;DR: Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery is a point and click with a good first half, but it progressively gets worse as time goes on.
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 7h 51m 47s
Rating: 5/10
Date Completed: January 29, 2022
Game Synopsis: Something happened to your father and his entire city. Investigate what happened.
Blog: Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery is one of those puzzle, point and click style of games.
It starts off pretty good but as it goes along it gets noticeably weaker.
I think the game was doing very good in the first act when it came to the puzzles. You had to look around and investigate, and really think about what it is that you're doing. There wasn't anything insane but it was fun.
In the later acts there are some very obtuse puzzles. Even after looking at the hints and solutions for the puzzles, I still wasn't quite sure how I was suppose to reach the conclusion. It really seems that numbers or codes were pulled out of thin air.
Then the story. I won't say too much but the story progressively gets worse. They introduce an antagonist at the last act and even then, you aren't told too much about what he's trying to do or his goals or anything. The game pretty much leaves you in the dark at the end.
I just wish the game's second half was as good as its first.
TL;DR: Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery is a point and click with a good first half, but it progressively gets worse as time goes on.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
DLC/Expansion #17: Tiny Room - Case #05
Game: Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 1h 24m 55s
Rating: 3/10
Date Completed: January 29, 2022
Synopsis: Go through a guy's apartment and find some dirt on him.
Blog: What the hell is this?
Case #05, which is a DLC for Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery, seemingly has no connection to the base game.
If anything it seems to be a continuation of some other story. So why is it here? Why was it attached to Town Mystery? If it is a part of the base game why not make that obvious?
Also, the game is shorter than the base game. I had to pay for this DLC. I would expect it to at least have been close to the length of the game but nope.
And then the hints don't work. Like the devs didn't even bother adding them in. Why is this so bad?
TL;DR: Case #05 is DLC for Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery but it doesn't have any connection to the base game with a hint system that wasn't actually implemented.
Game: Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery
Platform: Mobile
Main Story: 1h 24m 55s
Rating: 3/10
Date Completed: January 29, 2022
Synopsis: Go through a guy's apartment and find some dirt on him.
Blog: What the hell is this?
Case #05, which is a DLC for Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery, seemingly has no connection to the base game.
If anything it seems to be a continuation of some other story. So why is it here? Why was it attached to Town Mystery? If it is a part of the base game why not make that obvious?
Also, the game is shorter than the base game. I had to pay for this DLC. I would expect it to at least have been close to the length of the game but nope.
And then the hints don't work. Like the devs didn't even bother adding them in. Why is this so bad?
TL;DR: Case #05 is DLC for Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery but it doesn't have any connection to the base game with a hint system that wasn't actually implemented.
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
Game #159: Celeste
Platform: Switch
Main + Extras: 13h 21m 28s
Rating: 10/10
Date Completed: January 30, 2022
Game Synopsis: A game about a girl and her quest of climbing a mountain.
Blog: This isn't my first rodeo with Celeste. Back in 2018 or 2019 I played Celeste and beat it. I didn't think it was all that great back then. I'd probably give it a 6 or 7 back then. Now I give it a 10. I'm not sure why I changed my mind, but I just really enjoy Celeste now.
The platforming is tight and difficult, especially on the optional B-side stages and getting the strawberries. Even with that difficultly I never felt like it was too harsh or too unfair to the player. If you die, you start from where you entered in from the screen or section and their usually pretty short so you aren't expected to go a long way.
I also like the story. It deals with anxiety and it's a very touching and inspiring story of this girl learning to deal with it by climbing the mountain. It's really good.
It's pixel art which is good. The sound design is great and the music is excellent. I think I've said it before, but good music makes it more likely for me to enjoy a game. It sets up the tone.
Celeste is good. Play it!
TL;DR: Celeste is a good game that I highly recommend. It has good platforming, a good story, good music. All good!
Platform: Switch
Main + Extras: 13h 21m 28s
Rating: 10/10
Date Completed: January 30, 2022
Game Synopsis: A game about a girl and her quest of climbing a mountain.
Blog: This isn't my first rodeo with Celeste. Back in 2018 or 2019 I played Celeste and beat it. I didn't think it was all that great back then. I'd probably give it a 6 or 7 back then. Now I give it a 10. I'm not sure why I changed my mind, but I just really enjoy Celeste now.
The platforming is tight and difficult, especially on the optional B-side stages and getting the strawberries. Even with that difficultly I never felt like it was too harsh or too unfair to the player. If you die, you start from where you entered in from the screen or section and their usually pretty short so you aren't expected to go a long way.
I also like the story. It deals with anxiety and it's a very touching and inspiring story of this girl learning to deal with it by climbing the mountain. It's really good.
It's pixel art which is good. The sound design is great and the music is excellent. I think I've said it before, but good music makes it more likely for me to enjoy a game. It sets up the tone.
Celeste is good. Play it!
TL;DR: Celeste is a good game that I highly recommend. It has good platforming, a good story, good music. All good!
4 Yrs♥✓#
R2D219994 Yrs♥✓#
DLC/Expansion #18: Celeste - Chapter 9: Farewell
Game: Celeste
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 10h 43m 14s
Rating: 9/10
Date Completed: February 5, 2022
Synopsis: Help a girl deal with grief and acceptance.
Blog: Ooooh this was harrrrd.
This free DLC chapter for Celeste is all about Madeline's grief. She's lost something dear to her and tries to cope with that loss.
Avoiding talking about the story any further, this chapter was hard. It introduces a ton of new mechanics, including a wave dash?!?! Am I playing Melee? There's a ton of content here.
My issue with the DLC is that it's just so long. It took me 10 hours just to get through the one and only chapter. That's a lot! The base game was 13 hours for me to get through! I feel like it should have been broken up but that might just be a me thing.
That's all with the expansion that I can put without spoiling too much. I recommend playing it for yourself. Just watch out for the jellyfish.
TL;DR: Farewell is a great DLC for Celeste, but maaan is it so long.
Game: Celeste
Platform: Switch
Main Story: 10h 43m 14s
Rating: 9/10
Date Completed: February 5, 2022
Synopsis: Help a girl deal with grief and acceptance.
Blog: Ooooh this was harrrrd.
This free DLC chapter for Celeste is all about Madeline's grief. She's lost something dear to her and tries to cope with that loss.
Avoiding talking about the story any further, this chapter was hard. It introduces a ton of new mechanics, including a wave dash?!?! Am I playing Melee? There's a ton of content here.
My issue with the DLC is that it's just so long. It took me 10 hours just to get through the one and only chapter. That's a lot! The base game was 13 hours for me to get through! I feel like it should have been broken up but that might just be a me thing.
That's all with the expansion that I can put without spoiling too much. I recommend playing it for yourself. Just watch out for the jellyfish.
TL;DR: Farewell is a great DLC for Celeste, but maaan is it so long.