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Games 11-15:
11.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night | 17th Mar |
19:12hrs |
rating: 4/5
Basically it's as metroidvania as a game can get.
- GAMEPLAY: Extremely satisfying game loop from start to finish, killing enemies, get new weapons and abilities and explore new corners of the map. It does get very easy too quickly (the first boss was easily the hardest for me), but it doesn't matter as there's always new things to see and do, and the customization is very satisfying.
- AUDIOVISUALLY: Played it on Switch, and this is a pretty ugly and blurry game! Some areas have serious slowdown, but at least I never encountered any bugs or crashes, so honestly I didn't mind. The music is catchy!
- STORY/PRESENTATION: The plot is forgettable but not in the way. The loading-times are a little too long, and in general it just doesn't run well.
I gotta say I enjoyed this one more than Hollow Knight in many ways. Especially the insane amount of weapons, abilities and equipment kept things constantly interesting for me, even when backtracking.
12.
Wuppo | 19th Mar |
7:20hrs |
rating: 2/5
You're a small ball who gets kicked out of your hotel, and now you have to find your way back!
- GAMEPLAY: The main mechanic is aiming your various guns with the right analog stick, but mostly you explore the world, do some light platforming and read a lot of (humorous) dialog.
- AUDIOVISUALLY: I find it pretty ugly, like it's made in classic Paint with modern effects on top. The music is very nice though, the best aspect of the game!
- STORY/PRESENTATION: It starts interesting, but you get back to the hotel pretty quickly and after that it seems like they just made things up without any planning or structure. It's just too aimless for this kind of game.
- MULTIPLAYER: After a few minutes, a second player can join in as a bird buddy, but since most of the game is slow and eventless, it doesn't really add anything.
I'm sure a lot of love was put into this, but it's just too unfocused for me. Uncaptivating (though at least occasionally silly) plot, long empty corridors especially if you don't know where to go next, lots of shops and areas that turned out to be useless in order to progress, regular slowdown and more than a few bugs like getting stuck in walls. I'd definitely recommend Wandersong instead, which is a similar adventure platformer but superior in every single way.
13.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons | 2nd Apr |
3:00hrs |
rating: 1.5/5
Two brothers set out to find a cure to save their dying father.
- GAMEPLAY: All you do is move your character around and occasionally press the action button to activate an animation to climb, talk or interact with various elements. Despite this, the wonky pysics and controls are nothing less than hilariously bad, and we often laughed at the random clipping and errors. This game is not played for its gameplay.
- AUDIOVISUALLY: It looks like what I imagine Gamecube/PS2 games to look like in HD. It's very basic, and the music is basically nonexistent.
- STORY/PRESENTATION: The story is the strength. Can't say it moved me at the end or anything, but there are some really cool and freaky scenarios on your adventure.
- MULTIPLAYER: The whole game can be co-oped with a friend, and it certainly makes it a lot more fun, maybe partly because it caused even more bugs than when playing alone!
This feels like it wasn't made by people with video game experience, but if gameplay isn't very important to you, it's a short but fascinating journey through a few environments and events.
14.
Dandara | 18th Apr |
9:24hrs |
rating: 2.5/5
A very special "platformer" where you can't run, only jump between designated spots.
- GAMEPLAY: The controls are snappy and feel fresh and fun, and within minutes I was zapping between walls, taking out enemies and traversing the hallways. Unfortunately there isn't much variation at all (the weapon upgrades don't change up the gameplay), so the game loses steam and excitement pretty quickly. The level design is initially more about spatial awareness than most other metroidvanias, but gets more plain later on.
- AUDIOVISUALLY: The pixelart is above average, with smooth zooming and rotation effects. The audio is even better, with punchy effects and cool if unmemorable music.
- STORY/PRESENTATION: The story and lore was fascinating at first, especially the unusual environment/character design, but like the rest of the game, the first hour is much more interesting than the rest.
It started so promising, but the levels got blander and the gameplay didn't change things up enough. It's a very difficult game too, and not in a very satisfying way! I had more fun selecting unlimited energy in the "cheat menu", so I could blast away with the more enjoyable weapon upgrades without worrying. All in all, great concept but needed more ideas.
15.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons | 19th Apr |
150:00hrs |
rating: 4/5
Express yourself like in no other game, this time not just with clothes and interior design, but an entire island!
- GAMEPLAY: You move to a deserted island where you fish, craft, collect, furnish and spend time with friends. A lot of text, slow one-thing-at-a-time pace and movement (to help you from making mistakes), and it results in slightly lacking gameplay feel. Still extremely polished and enjoyable, especially if you have a creative mind.
- AUDIOVISUALLY: Simple but beautiful visuals, impressive how the framerate can stay solid when you place hundreds of various items on screen. There are some nice songs too (6pm!), but some are surprisingly annoying too. I would have liked more variation in the end. Maybe winter has other songs?
- STORY/PRESENTATION: From my perspective, the progress isn't slow enough. In previous games you were "out of things to do" after just an hour or so per day, but this time you can marathon things, and reach what is essentially "the end" in just 10 days. It's a good ride, and it opens up the minecraft-like terraforming, but there aren't many new things unlocking after that. For the first time in a video game, I'm craving DLC, and a lot of it.
- MULTIPLAYER: Couch-co-op is a fun distraction a couple of times but is too limited. The online experience is amazing though, except for the long loading times. It's a lot of fun to regularly visit your friends to trade things and see what they've made. Sharing island (a requirement if you share your Switch with someone) is also a great experience as long as you can collaborate.
It's hard to compare this to other games. It's more of a virtual reality, one where you can spend hours and hours just designing signs and floor tiles, or hanging out with visitors. The biggest flaw for me is the limited amount of custom patterns. Please Nintendo, give me twice the pattern inventory in an update so I can keep creating unique visuals!
I will keep checking in for a bit every day, but 150 hours in, I'm out of island space to build more things, and it's time to start playing other games again.
Next up:
Murder by Numbers
Underhero
Dark Souls