Game reviews – Savior Gaming

Orc Incremental Steam Review

Orc Incremental was sent my way by the fine folks over at Nice Ride, which is just 3 people making games, and according to their website, they don’t like AI making art or Dairy before 3p.m. You can also destroy their logo by playing a game similar to Brick Break, but you only get one chance, and if you miss the ball, the logo comes back, so I don’t know if anything happens if you succeed. I tried for like 20 minutes. So if anyone finds out, let me know.

The game is an homage to Warcraft 2 in many ways; you’ve got orcs vs elves and human-looking things, though the game didn’t seem to specify what they were. You will recruit all sorts of other creatures, like dragons and trolls, and fight griffins and others if you get far enough.

You start at level one, and as you kill enemies, you will gain money to spend on upgrades. You start with 1 single orc and the ability to throw a fireball yourself. It won’t take long before you can recruit another.

The upgrades you pick are very important, as is the fireball you can throw. Eventually, the formation you pick will become important as well. I was lucky enough to play alongside another reviewer, and he had to do his first rebirth well before I did, and I believe this is because we used wildly different strategies. He put his orcs and ground troops in the front and mid-range to the sides, while I had my mid-range guys in the back. My longer-range catapults ended up in the back, and his ended up where my mid-range guys were. This resulted in me making it to around level 110 or so before I chose to rebirth the first time, while he had to do it before level 100.

Rebirthing is very important, as this is where you can unlock permanent upgrades as well as other game modes, such as the ability to do quests, which will also unlock other stronger permanent upgrades. They all make you restart ( in a separate game mode; you can switch back and forth willingly. The further you get and the more money you earn, the more points you will get to buy those upgrades.

So is the game worth buying? Yes, absolutely. My favorite part is that even when you walk away, your little army will continue to earn money for you. So feel free to shut the game down, turn your laptop off, go to work, and come home to some money to upgrade with. The game is a 9/10 experience. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Ground Zero Hero PlayStation 5 Review

Ground Zero Hero Was Sent my way by the one and only Atari, which still blows my mind that I get to work with. But here we are, about to discuss what I can only describe as the most bonkers action roguelike I have ever played. For the low price of $10, you can control some sort of weird nuclear apocalypse as a mutated freak with a random mutation, such as laying eggs, shooting spikes from your back, or being a cyclops shooting a laser out of your eye. You can then kill weird enemies, like living trees during the day, for example, with the exploding eggs you lay. This is assuming one of the eggs doesn’t hatch into a superhero named Chicken Man, who will fight with you for a bit before leaving for the home planet that apparently needs him.

Yes, that is a UFO; no, I can’t and Won’t try to explain that crocodile with a hat.

The more enemies you kill and absorb, I guess, the more nuclear fallout from it, the stronger you get. You can collect new mutations or upgrade the ones you have to make it easier to survive. This is all before nightfall, when vampires and werewolves show up. You can, of course, simply go underground and sleep in the sewers for the night to pass time and save, of course. This makes the far deadlier night creatures go away.

There are, of course, different biomes with different enemies and different animals to ride. Yes, you can, for example, ride a two-headed cow in one, for a little bit. Then it explodes killed a bunch of animals. To make things a little extra wtf is you do have a food meter to watch. That food is candy, and if it runs out, you will start to die. So if you see a piñata, go smash it. Don’t worry; this is pretty easy to keep track of, and unless you are kind of negligent, it never really becomes an issue.

This brings me to my only real issue with the game: the upgrades you get between the runs seem kind of lackluster and pointless. They are kind of expensive, and unless you buy a ton at once never felt like they made a difference, as opposed to just upgrading my powers did. This isn’t a deal breaker or anything, but it did kind of take away from it a bit. It is still an 8/10 experience for me. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault PlayStation 5 Review

Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault was sent my way by 11 Bit Studios, a company I love working with. Obviously, I appreciate being sent a copy of what could be argued is their most anticipated title. Being a fan of the first game, I have been waiting for this one to hit consoles and to see what Will has been up to. Now, it is worth saying this: Moonlighter 2 is a direct continuation of the first game; it takes place right after the first game, and you will play as Will, the main character from the original, with many characters returning. The game does a great job of catching you up if you want to start here, however.

You can quickly switch weapons before heading out to collect relics.

The main gameplay is simple: at night, head out into the dimensional gate, collect relics to sell in your shop, and sell them to the people of Tresna. The more money you earn, the more upgrades you can buy to make these journeys easier, grab more loot, make more money, and appease the endless vault to get more of its secrets. Why do you want its secrets? Well, to find out, you will need to play the game; I won’t spoil the story for you.

Each weapon feels vastly different, and you will find your favorite very quickly, just to discover that every weapon within those categories of weapons are also quite different. I fell in love with the great sort originally to later find a spear I didn’t want to live without, even though I didn’t like my first spear.

Combat is quick and fluid, and each dimension has its own enemies and gimmicks to contend with, and relics that act differently in your backpack. If you want to make the most money, you will need to master them all, and dying will bring their worth down immensely, so know when to retreat with what you have. It is far better to retreat with a couple of relics worth a bit of money than to leave with a lot worth next to nothing. Trust me, I have the trophy for dying with a backpack filled with relics, and not on purpose.

The one issue I had with the game is that the very beginning of the game can be one hell of a grind if you aren’t smart about how you pick your upgrades, and if you are, it is still a hell of a grind. You only get 2 potions to start healing, and very few hit points, with no way to really replenish them, and the money early game just isn’t there to afford upgrades. Unless RNgeus is on your side and blesses you with some great loot and perks early, your starting runs will be a struggle to even reach the boss, let alone beat him. But once the upgrades start a couple of hours in, the game really opens up.

/ So is Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault worth the $30 price tag? If you liked the original, this is everything the first one was and better; if you missed the first and are worried because it is a continuation, don’t be. The game starts by telling you how we got here. It is a 9/10 experience that I am glad to have experienced. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam PlayStation 5 Review

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam was sent my way by the fine folks of Team 17 who I always love working with. Ironically, this game brought me some trouble before it was announced because many of my friends are shooter fans, and as I have been reviewing games for so long and have been working with Team 17 for many of them, they actually sent me the reveal trailer a few days before it was revealed as part of the announcement. Not being able to tell or show people I KNEW would be excited about it was brutal. So when the clock struck 0 and we were able to post about it, I did get a couple of phone calls asking me how I could keep that to myself. Ok so it didn’t cause me trouble; it was hilarious.

As for the game, this will be hit and miss for many people, because it is essentially a hardcore shooter. It is as close to being in Vietnam as you can get without having been in Vietnam. In my first game, I decided I wanted to launch mortars and ended up the leader of a mortar crew, but I had no crew at first. This meant I was just a regular soldier because you need all 3 people to set up the mortar. The leader is simply a spotter, while another has the supplies needed to build it, and the third has the actual mortar launcher. You can then work as a team with the spotter finding targets, helping you aim, finding enemies an telling you where they land. One person aims the actual launcher while the third actively fires.

Many things in the game work this way; one person on each team is even the overall commander, and if that person doesn’t have a mic, you will be in a lot of trouble. In one game I joined, we were backed into the upper right corner of the map; however, the team didn’t quit, and the commander had a great strategy. We managed to fight our way out and come back and win. See, unlike Battlefield, you aren’t necessarily limited to deaths or time; you have to take the entire battlefield itself like a real war.

Even snipers work as a group, sniper and spotter, like real life

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is not for everyone; I love the game for many reasons, but it is very team-based. If you want to simply run and gun, this game is not for you. Worse, if you don’t want to be careful every step of the way, you are going to have a bad time. This is the Vietnam War at its best, by showing it at its worst. People will hide in the trees, behind rocks, and death will rain from the skies, and sometimes you can do everything right, and it will still go wrong. This is a 9/10 experience for those who love the style. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Hearth and Hamlet Steam Review

Hearth and Hamlet was sent my way by Gamersky Games, and I always appreciate it. Hearth and Hamlet is a little weird for me because, admittedly, the start is a bit boring and slow to get going. You start out assigning a worker and clicking the mouse to get some resources to and get your camp set up, and build the very bare basics of a place to live.

Eventually, you can build more and bigger houses and logging camps and fishing; this unlocks more workers that you can assign to auto-collect resources and more of them faster with more advanced buildings that you can upgrade. How interesting you find this is completely subjective; I enjoyed it once the game started moving, but the opening hour or so was kind of a slog.

There are a few issues with this cozy game; however, you don’t really get to choose where anything goes, or even what you build when. You simply get the option to build things at certain times as you finish quests. Now I understand why I am not allowed to start the game building a fishing dock or why options are limited at first, but to completely streamline the choices feels less like a game where I can help shape a country and more like I am simply there to hit the button while my friend builds it, without the added benefit of hanging out with my friend.

That being said, I don’t expect a ton out of an $8 game. I do expect a little more engagement, however. It is a 6/10 title that, on sale for 50% off, becomes worth buying. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Void Salvage Steam Review

Void Salvage was sent my way by Myrdann Games, which has made several small titles over the last few years, with Void Salvage seemingly being the best one. It is a sort of roguelike/ incremental game similar to many free to play game except you avoid many of the pitfalls of the free-to-play genre by paying a very reasonable $7 for what is actually quite a bit of gameplay.

Now I won’t pretend the game is perfect; there are some issues- nothing major and some of it could just be the system I am playing on, I suppose, but I doubt it. Minor slowdowns when things get busy, for example. The game is still being worked on and updated, however.

The game has a massive amount of skills, weapons, cores, and upgrades to find and use. While some balancing would be nice, it can drag after a couple of prestiges; what game doesn’t? The soundtrack is pretty relaxing, which surprised me; I wasn’t really expecting such a relaxing experience when I booted this one up. Half the fun is finding new and fun ways to kill enemies in both game modes, tho the game does favor one over the other; I won’t spoil which.

The game could use some quality-of-life upgrades. It would be nice to see more about the enemies more easily and faster, or have it be clearer about where I am going and what’s happening when I get there. But for the price tag, the game is damn good. 7/10, best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Mortal Shell 2 PlayStation 5 Review

Mortal Shell 2 is the newest souls-like to hit the market from Playstack, and as the clock struck the 0 hour to get my request in, through a weird twist of fate over on Twitter (yes, I still refuse to call it X), I ran into Playstack’s very own Charlotte, who worked I don’t want to know how many hours the weeks leading up to release to get review codes out to slobs like me. So thank you, Playstack, and a special thank you, Charlotte; you did not go unnoticed.

If you never played a Mortal Shell game, you play as a hero in Mortal Shell 2, the Harbinger sent on a quest to collect the Ova (of which you are a surviving one of) and save the world from evil. You can inhabit what are known as Shells; each has its own abilities to help you fight. Tiel, for example, is more stealth- and speed-based, while Proxima is made to take advantage of her lightning to essentially stunlock enemies. There are 8 in total to choose from once you find them all.

I am going to get the bad out of the way before I gush over the game, because admittedly it has some issues. Far more so if you play on PC; luckily, I know a few others who played through side by side. It is very unoptimized on PC currently, with people falling through the floor on the final boss, enemies doing extremely weird things like running away for no reason, and frequent crashes. The game is playable, but there are some decent issues.

On PlayStation 5, I did not have a single crash in at least 50 hours. However, I loved the lute as a side arm, and I did die a couple of times when attempting to run because my character would simply sit down and play the lute. See if you have the lute out and hit the run button; he plays it. This should not be an issue, but currently there is a weird glitch where he will occasionally sit down and play his main weapon like the lute. I won’t say it is rare; I have seen it at least 10 times. But it also isn’t common, considering that in my 50 hours I probably had the loot for 40 of them.

These spots don’t do anything; you can just enjoy the view

Once, while trying to sit next to a random guy with a bag on his head, I suddenly found myself in the sky. Also, while getting the Tiel Shell, I walked through a door instead of opening it. Both soft-locked the game, and I had to quit out and restart. Nothing major, but it was annoying.

Now, on to the good. First, the game is beautiful; it is better looking than some AAA titles I have played. Second, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the lack of stamina in combat, which is becoming more common nut Mortal Shell 2 nails it. Dodging and light attacks being infinite sounds like it would make the game easier, but it is easy to get caught up and then be punished. A new level of patience is now required for some enemies, not just bosses.

Another thing I love is the exploration; while I wish beacons were a bit better proportioned, discovering a new dungeon or beacon feels like an accomplishment. It reminded me of Elden Ring in many ways. Stumbling on a new weapon or tarstone was always a treat.

There are so many good things to say about Mortal Shell 2; I actually can’t say them all in one review without this thing going even longer than it already has. Expect to see me talk about this one again. While I love this game and I wish I could give it a higher score, the technical issues can’t be ignored. For now, it is an 8/10 because, to me, the fun I had can’t be ignored. But to go higher would be dishonest. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Marvel’s Spiderman 2

We pick up our tale of our favorite wall crawlers not too long after Marvel Spider-man: Miles Morales . Both Peter and Miles are struggling balancing lives as regular guys and superheroes. A random attack from Sandman sets the spiders on the path of a powerful new adversary on the hunt not only for them but their strongest, most dangerous villains. Enter Kraven and his mercenary army. If that wasn’t enough, Peter’s world is turnedupside down again when his best friend Harry turns back up-better than ever. Seemingly cured from his deadly illness with a mysterious black suit that grants him incredible powers of his own, but at what cost?

Spiderman 2 could be in the running for best superhero games I’ve ever played. A few things keep it away from that coveted spot. First, the MVP of this game is easily the traversal. Not only is web swinging and Spidey’s signature acrobatics fine tune flawlessly, we also get the web wings which add a whole new layer to getting around. Combined, getting around a truly humongous New York is a marvel just in itself. I really loved the story as well as its take Kraven the hunter and the Black Suit saga. A lot of people hated this universe’s take on Venom but I actually found this version of Harry Osborn to be my favorite. I found him likable, sympathetic, and menacing once Venom is born. Plus, Tony Todd was perfect voicing the lethal protector. My only issue with the story is I wish we got more. There are a lot of great plot threads and follow ups that I feel were a mistake to leave all for the 3rd game.

Combat takes some getting used to. This game leans as heavily on the new implemented parry mechanic almost as much as Doom: The Dark Ages did. The game is definitely the most difficult of the trilogy and at times I did get frustrated with the parry, dying more than I did in the previous games.

I feel like both characters were well done and feel pretty unique. The black suit abilities are nuts and I loved them to death. I like that both characters get there own individual side missions that actually add to their stories. The villain roster is a lot smaller than the first game but they are all well done. Kraven is a absolute beast and Venom is peak after years of those awful movies.

In the end, Spiderman 2 isn’t perfect. I still say Marvel’s Spider-man is still better but is still a damn good sequel that is almost great. I highly recommend checking it out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Lord of the Rings: War in the North – Legacy Edition PlayStation 5 Review

Anyone who knows me knows I love a good shadow drop, and not only did Aspyr surprise us all recently with a big one, but they were nice enough to hook me up with a review copy of The Lord of the Rings: War in the North -Legacy Edition on PlayStation 5.

Now, for those of you who missed the series of Lord of the Rings games that came out in the same time period- this one was 2011, for example the concept of this hack-and-slash multiplayer adventure is simple. While the hobbits were off on their walk, screwing around, what was everyone else doing in the world? Surely other people did things that were noteworthy, right?

You can play as one of three characters: an elf magic user, a dwarf melee user, or a human ranger who will also use a melee weapon way more often than his bow that you would spend a fortune on arrows trying to use strictly as an archer. Each character is better at certain things, and even the special armor and such you get from this edition strongly push you to upgrade certain stats.

The story is admittedly pretty much what you would expect. You are essentially providing a distraction and keeping the enemy occupied while the Fellowship tosses some jewelry into a volcano. Unlike them, however, you get the help of an eagle. Seriously, quite early in the game, you save one and get to summon him when you need him in combat. It is a pretty sweet mechanic and very helpful if you use him right in combat.

Now, it is worth mentioning that at times the game does feel its age. While they have upgraded everything from graphics to the controls, they can still feel a bit stiff at times, and the map by today’s standards is possibly a crime against humanity. It is practically useless, really. The combat, however, is a ton of fun; leveling always feels rewarding, and at no point did I ever feel like dying was anything but my fault. Having played the original, this feels like a nice upgrade without feeling like a different game. It is an 8/10 game that is worth the money. Also, don’t worry if this isn’t the Lord of the Rings remaster you were hoping for; Aspyr has confirmed this is simply the first, and more of them are coming. Which ones they have not confirmed, but there are more, and i have to assume Return of the King and The Third Age are on the list. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Severed Gods Steam Review

The Severed Gods was sent my way by Topebox Games, which I always appreciate. Many of yoy may remember me checking out the demo a while back and speaking quite highly of it. One of my favorite things about what I do is getting to see games go from concepts to demos to finished projects. A few times I have been disappointed; others, they have been amazing; mostly they just kind of land in the middle. The Severed Gods, however, falls into that category that scared me at first.

See, the day they sent me this one, I excitedly downloaded it, booted it up, started playing, hit the battles, and took my turn. And then the enemy stood there. This happened twice. So I did all the usual tech stuff, made sure it wasn’t my system while I uninstalled and reinstalled it, and checked to see if anyone else had this issue. Turns out, it was quite common.

Woke up the next morning to see an update. Please be the fix. Answer a couple of emails, start the game. Battle starts, slaughter the first couple of enemies. Ok, so far so good; run into the same enemy type that froze yesterday a bit later than last night. The true test, and it worked just fine. Quickly fixed the issue.

The game is a typical turn-based RPG at its heart; enemies are weak or strong against certain attacks, use these to break their guard, and when you do, keep using them to do more damage. Attack high, mid, or low to make sure your attacks hit, and if you don’t have one at that level, don’t worry; they can still hit, it just becomes a lower chance. I’ve won entire early boss battles without the right level of attack.

My only real issue with the game is that getting new attacks and healing items can be a bit rough at first, so there is some losing involved until you can gather enough points to get the permanent upgrades that allow you to do so. I feel like they sort of leaned a little heavily into the roguelike aspect instead of the RPG aspect for that. Admittedly, that could just be me; the game is an 8/10 regardless and well worth the $15. More importantly, they have openly said the price will increase when it leaves early access, but they intend to add more characters, special villages, and an entire subclass system, so getting in now would be the best way to save money on a game you may want later anyway. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.