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 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.
Without a shell, dude is ugly.
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.
The flowers do not help at 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.
Found a lute, had to play it.
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.
proof I saw the ending
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.
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.
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 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.
The Relic: First Guardian is a game I first saw about a month or so before it released, and Perp Games was nice enough to send me a copy to check out. Now I am going to let you guys in on a little secret here. 95% of the time, when someone gets a review copy of a game, they ask for it. Yes, I do get offered some here and there, but probably 9/10 games I review it is because I saw it, thought it looked interesting, and it was something you guys might want to read about, and I sent an email.
As someone who prides himself on being upfront with you guys, The Relic: First Guardian is not a game I got at release. They passed over me, which happens quite often, and when they decided to send out more codes to how case around 12 updates of work, I got one from that batch. I am well aware this game did not get off to a good start, so is Perp Games. Remember this review reflects a lot of hard work, and I did not play the released version; I played the version released 12 updates later.
The game starts off quite suddenly, much like any souls-like. You get a cutscene and off you go to learn the game by walking down a trail, with the game explaining how to play. I won’t lie, probably could have figured this out without this section. For the most part, combat is very minimalist. I don’t mean this as a criticism; I rather enjoy the less-is-more setup. Something I loved that many people seemed to dislike was the stamina system. Unlike most games in this genre, you don’t lose stamina from attacking, only from running and dodging. So feel free to swing away and get hammered like I did. It is still very much a souls-like in many ways. You will still need to dodge and block. Once you figure that out, it is more forgiving than most.
It has definitely come a long way from here. (taken from Google)
Now, after playing for a few hours, I did go and read some early reviews and check out some early gameplay videos because I wanted to see what many of the issues were. Early versions suffered from some severe issues with lag, frame rate drops, and many of the visuals were kind of hard to look at. I think the visuals thing was from poor optimization because, 12 updates later, I ran into very little, if any, frame rate drops, and the early videos I watched and the game I played did not really match. I am not saying this is the most beautiful game ever, but if I woke up next to her Sunday morning, I wouldn’t deny it to my friends.
Now, the game still has some issues; for example, there is no traditional leveling system. You just sort of collect an in-game currency to buy upgrades like new magic or upgrades for your weapon of choice that give you more power or hit points, or even new moves. There are enough weapon choices to be interesting, but gaining enough of this currency to buy anything is a huge slog that kills a lot of the enjoyment. I am not saying I should be running around like a god at 3 hours in, but I should be at least 2 or 3 upgrades in.
Cool image from CGMagazine
All in all, the game is now playable, and with a dark story that I just instantly found myself invested in, it was a 6/10 experience, one that, when the game is on sale, is worth experiencing, but I can’t really justify spending $50 on. Credit where credit is due, however, The Relic: First Guardian has made substantial improvements, and Perp Games deserves a ton of credit for that. If you already own it and gave up on it, it is time to give it another go.
Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Did you ever wonder what it would be like to fight as the Germans, but as Japanese people, during World War 2? I didn’t think so, but with Panzer Knights: Commander’s Edition, you finally can. Pqube Limited sent me a copy of this one to check out, and I always love working with these guys because I know I am in for a treat, and Panzer Knights is no exception.
The game starts off simple enough; you are finishing your training to drive and command your tank unit. You will learn the basics of driving and aiming, switching ammo types, and calling for air strikes or extra supplies. After passing this test, the real game begins. Missions are typically: do this and this, with bonuses for side tasks. You can use this money to buy new tanks. This version does come with some extra tanks for you to use, which, of course, have their own strengths and weaknesses and can have a different number of crew members.
The only thing is, be ready to read everything because the voice work is in Japanese. It is really well done, and the characters are very well done and interesting. But in today’s world, I know some people aren’t a fan of reading alone with the subtitles. You don’t need to be an anime fan to enjoy this tank shooter; you just need to enjoy a good story and shooting things with a tank.
My only real complaint about the game is that it honestly does get a bit repetitive, and I would have liked a bit of variety in the game. I am not sure what could have been done to break it up; maybe some more optional mini-games or something. It is still an 8/10 title that I enjoyed; however, best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Project Zomboid has been on my radar for a very long time, so when I had the chance to get a copy from The Indie Stone, I jumped on it, unlike the zombies you see in most games and movies. Huge shout-out to them. This review is actually a joint effort, as my daughter Kaitlin logged more than a few hours into this one as well. When I would go to work or sleep, she would play; then when I had time, I would play. We actually had vastly different experiences but came to much the same conclusions.
For example, for a game that first released into early access around 2013 and has 42 builds, the game still looks damn good. Now I will openly admit, I am not an expert at the game. In fact, I am not even good at the game. After about 20 hours, I wouldn’t even consider myself “adequate” at the game; I have simply played the game enough to tell you if it is worth your money.
For example, the game runs pretty damn smoothly, and the controls take a bit of getting used to. This isn’t because they are hard; it is because there are a lot of them. You can learn the basics in the 10-minute tutorial. See, the learning curve isn’t a curve really; it is a whole damn mountain, and just when you think you have it down, you discover you have simply hit a plateau on which you are resting before you continue the climb. I say this as a compliment, because if you ever wanted a realistic zombie survival game, this is it. Every single decision matters. Your character will get bored, just like you do. You fix this the same way you do: watch TV, read a book, etc. You have to cook meals, fix a car, build a fence, and your character needs to know and practice these skills.
This, however, does come with some drawbacks. Not everyone wants to play a game like this, and it does lead to some frustrating moments. How hard is it really to make a damn steak? My 9-year-old can do it; why can the veteran character I created just toss it in the damn oven at 400 degrees ferienheit until it’s done? (Don’t worry for the people that don’t use freedom units, celsius is an option)
This all leads to what to my daughter and me is an 8/10 experience. The realism at times was its biggest downfall in many ways because it also meant I couldn’t do realistic things. I needed a certain knife to cut certain meat or a certain tool to fix a certain thing, which really meant I couldn’t do it the way I would in real life. Sometimes, in a pinch, any hammer will do the job. But is the game worth the $25? Oh yeah, this game will be in my rotation for a very long time to come. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Doloc Town was recently released in 1.0. If you remember, I was sent an early access version by Redsaw Games to review. Now I am back after putting some time into 1.0 after getting early access to it, which I always appreciate.
You can read my earlier review if you want to get into some of the details of what the game is; I mostly want to focus on what is new. For example, the story finally has a finale. You can see how it truly all ends now. Don’t worry, your hard work won’t go away; you can still keep playing.
We all know I love fishing
Another new thing is automation. I enjoy farming, but I don’t always love taking care of the farm itself. Now you can eventually set up machines to take care of all that dirty work for you while you reap the rewards. This, to me, is a huge game-changer because it leaves more time mid- to late-game to solve many of the quests, including the new three final quests and the new residential area to explore.
There are also new characters and enemies, and plenty of balancing issues. Now you may have noticed I haven’t mentioned any fixes for other issues, like the game running better. That is because the game has always played great. Even when I played in early access, I never ran into crashes or stutters. The game still has overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam. I once rated this game a 9/10 experience, and that has not changed. Why is it missing that 1 point, you may ask? Is it tradition because I have never given a perfect score? Am I being petty? No, the game does falter in one area. I don’t find the characters very appealing. They are cute, but overall, many of them simply exist in the world. In a game with what is a very nice story, the lack of intriguing characters is kind of heartbreaking. Regardless, the game is amazing. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Ledgerbound is one of those games I asked for, not knowing what to expect. I have never worked with OmniMegaSuperCorp, honestly; nobody has. This is their first game as far as I can tell. Thankfully, they sent me a copy.
The story is not simple in the most simple way possible. You work for an insurance company, and you not only love your job, but you are the best at it. You insure heroes in case things take a turn for the worse, and they die. Your job is to investigate and reenact those battles and prove they should have won, and show they were neglectful, so the company doesn’t have to pay those families the insurance money.
The problem is the best heroes in the world, with the biggest and best insurance policy, were just wiped out with ease, and now the company you work for and love is about to go bankrupt paying out that premium. Your mission is to find a loophole that shows they should have prepared better, fulfilled a prophecy, and saved the world. Well ok, you want to save the company, but the world will also be saved.
Also, it is a dating sim, because why not? Personally, I think the dragon chick is pretty hot, but hey, I’ve always had a thing for dating people I shouldn’t, and the HR lady is definitely forbidden fruit.
All that is meaningless if the game is bad; luckily, the combat in this turn-based strategy RPG is anything but bad. Each character has their own element to worry about in the usual rock-paper-scissors system and their own weapons and abilities, meaning you will need to focus on your strategy every step of the way. It may seem like a good idea to rush in with the big guy and let your archer hide in the back, but if the fire guy rushes the water guy, it might be game over before you know it.
The real question is, should you play Ledgerbound? The short answer is yes; the long answer is absolutely yes. If you like RPGs, this game has basically everything you could want. Interesting story, interesting characters, romancing options, sexual innuendo, humor, and a fun battle system. Aside from one instance when the game froze, I never encountered any technical issues. This is an 8/10 title. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
