The Guise is a new metroidvania game from our friends over at Ratalaika Games and they were nice enough to send me over a copy to review. Now at a very reasonable price point of $6 U.S. dollars, and the company it was coming from I expected exactly what was advertised. A short but solid Metroidvania game that would be fun to play through,get a pretty reasonable Platinum trophy for trophy hunters and be a fun little story.
What I got was a pretty reasonable Platinum trophy for the hunters, a fun dark fairy tale about an orphanage of kids going into a room they shouldn’t have and one of them being trapped in the body of a monster and of course some solid,but not perfect by any means gameplay.
During the boss fights it always seemed like dodging didn’t quite go as consistently as it really should have. This caused a few deaths that were a bit annoying. Nothing that stopped me from enjoying the game of course, far from it. It was easy to adapt to in fact,just be aware of it.
The sound however, chefs kiss. It is the perfect level of sinister for what the game is trying to portray. It was actually my favorite part of the game,aside from playing as a creepy monster that can eventually spit acid on things.
This guy should die in a fire
All in all the game is fun, cheap an reasonable Platinum and most importantly it is fun. I can easily recommend this one for fans of metroidvania games, trophy hunters or just someone looking for something new to check out. 8/10, pick it up and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Fans of the horror genre have something new to look forward to when Jukai studios and Versus Evil release Stray Souls later this year.
Dive into the mind of Daniel, a teenage boy who inherits a home from his estranged grandmother. As he moves in, Daniel meets the enigmatic Martha who knows more about the house than he would expect. As night falls, dark secrets hiding within the dwelling and Daniel’s past come out of the woodworks – secrets Daniel cannot seem to outrun…
I personally can’t wait to check this one out when it releases on PS 4/5 or Xbox series S/X. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
NIS America was kind enough to once again toss us a review copy of this one,much like they did the first installment of the Crossbell series, The Legend of Heroes Trails From Zero Review and that is always appreciated.
The first thing you need to know about getting into this, you don’t technically NEED to play Zero to play Azure. You can read through much of the in game text and such to get a general idea but to be honest you are much better off playing these two games in order.
The second thing you need to know,if you want to play them both you are probably looking at 40-50 hours each. And it is worth every hour of it.
The story starts up about a month after zero ends and continues the saga of a corrupt government, admittedly seemingly less so at first. It doesn’t take long for things to go bad however. This isn’t strictly true, there is a lot of lore packed into this one. Long conversations and some of it is quite heavy. I don’t say any of this as a bad thing, the story is quite amazing and easy to get into.
Graphically the game does show its age and the sound does leave much to be desired at times. The voice acting and the music could be hit and miss, nothing that takes away from the enjoyment of the game but it does exist and would be dishonest to pretend it didn’t get up to some weird things at times.
As we all know any RPG is only as good as the combat. The combat reminds me a lot of the original Grandia. You walk around the map,and touching an enemy changes the battle screen and from there you can move around to fight enemies. It isn’t quite a tactics style battle, the battle maps are way too small for that but it is turned based and and positioning does matter for a lot of reasons. It is really well done and a lot of fun, but depending on how you play it can feel a bit slow. Thankfully quality of life improvements have been added that have taken care of that.
To be short and sweet about it,the game is highly recommended especially to anyone that enjoyed the Cold Steel series. 8/10, best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Indie publisher Ratalaika Games, together with talented developer Rasul Mono, is delighted to announce The Guise, a stylish and dark Metroidvania fairytale about a boy trapped in the body of a monster! Coming on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch it is due to hit digital stores with a release date of 17th March.
Setting the Scene
The Guise is a distinguished looking game in which ‘evil’ has apparently already won the day. In the world, where the player is taken, there is almost no light and no hope for anything good. Dying settlements, dark forests, winding dungeons, and deadly valleys full of demons are abundant.
The action begins in a children’s home, perhaps the only bright and warm place in the game. It is there in the room of the owner of the orphanage that a boy named Ogden finds a strange mask that turns him into a monster. The game is based on Ogden’s new appearance, his new abilities, and his relationships with the unfriendly world that surrounds him. The goal of the frightened and bewildered Ogden, who has become a monster, is to regain his human form. The player’s goal is to get the most out of the monster’s appearance.
An ancient conspiracy of local gods prevents Ogden from turning back into a human, and almost everything alive and inanimate is against him staying in the monster’s skin. The player must get used to his new body, master new abilities, and try not to lose the remnants of his humanity.
Winning Takes All You, the player, assume the role of Ogden, our hero, who has animal agility, monstrous strength, and abilities that are not available to ordinary people. You will have to learn various skills, such as running on the ceiling, finishing moves, acid spitting, bomb belching and a lot more As in any ‘metroidvania’, to obtain a new ability, the player will have to defeat a certain boss. For example, after Priscilla, the rat queen, dies, we will be able to climb walls and run on the ceiling, which will open up access to new locations.
Venture Forth There are a number of exciting and challenging side quests, some of which are related to the life of the orphanage (although Ogden has become a monster, the children in the orphanage still see him as a friend). For example, one quest is to help a mad cultist who wants to destroy the remaining angels in the world.
The world of The Guise consists of seven large regions, each with 10-20 interconnected locations. Some locations have multiple paths thanks to forks, multiple entrances, and exits. All closed exits can be unlocked by obtaining a certain ability (for example, after getting the “Spider Legs” ability, the player can overcome a water-filled gap by simply running along the ceiling above the gap). Secrets, hidden passages, and secret rooms containing various treasures are scattered throughout the world.
Features/Elements:
Beastly Abilities
Cool Battles
Great Challenges
Monsters!
Appealing Graphics
Atmospheric Music
Finders Keepers
Exploring the game world, the player will gain access to resources that strengthen the protagonist. Thus, in hidden chests or as a reward for side quests, the player will find amulets that complement his combat abilities (for example, he can stink up the area, causing damage to those around him). And the reward for defeating enemies will be their eyeballs – the local currency – which can be spent on improving the abilities obtained from the Eye Collector.
In this hostile world, almost everything is out to get you!
Age of Wonders 4 invites players to rule a fantasy realm of their own design, in a blend of strategy, role-playing, and turn-based combat. Powerful Wizard Kings have returned to the realms to reign as gods among mortals, and players will rise to challenge their rule using Tomes of Magic to unleash arcane destruction and evolve their armies, gaining new abilities and forms. For the first time in the series, players can create their own custom factions, and leave their mark on countless worlds through each choice they make.
In the Age of Wonders 4 Expansion Pass, players will receive the following content:
Archmage Attire: The Wizards of Magehaven dress to impress, representing their grand personalities and ambitions. This outfit pack unlocks a new set of clothing you can wear as a whole, or to be mixed and matched with other in-game items. The Archmage Attire pack will be available instantly with the launch of Age of Wonders 4 for all Premium Edition players.
Dragon Dawn: Embrace the power of the Ancient Dragon Lords in the Age of Wonders 4: Dragon Dawn Content Pack. From your Dragon Throne, forge empires inhabited by reptilian minions and use draconic magic to evolve your people into dragon hybrids. This content pack includes a new Dragon Ruler type, a Reptilian Form, and New Tomes of Magic, and will launch in Q3 2023.
Empires and Ashes: The empires of mortals resurge after the devastation brought forth by the Wizard Kings! In the Age of Wonders 4: Empires and Ashes Expansion, players fuse magic and steel to unleash devastating war machines to drive the Godir back into the Astral Sea. This full expansion, slated for launch in Q4 2023, includes a new Culture, new Tomes of Magic, new Empire Building options and a new Story Realm.
Primal Fury: Channel Nature’s Spirits in the Age of Wonders 4: Primal Fury Content Pack. Create races using new beastly forms and a primeval culture, with new Tomes of Magic that tap nature’s hidden powers and the Fey realms. Your surroundings will be able to contain new forms of wildlife, creatures and bountiful resources. Primal Fury will become available in Q1 2024.
Eldritch Realms: The Age of Wonders 4: Eldritch Realms Expansion opens portals to realms filled with arcane marvels and unspeakable horrors. New forces threaten the rule of the Godir of Magehaven. With new strange monsters, new racial forms, magical realms and locations, this full expansion will bring a new dimension to the game in Q2 2024.
In addition, pre-orders of both the Standard and Premium Editions of Age of Wonders 4 will award players with an additional ruler and armor set: Aric Rex, a Tigran High King, and his elegant Lion Plate armor, Imperial Cape and Athlan Crown. Age of Wonders 4 can be pre-ordered today for a suggested retail price of $49.99 / £41.99 / €49.99 for the Standard Edition, and $89.99 / £74.99 / €89.99 for the Premium Edition.
In addition, pre-orders of both the Standard and Premium Editions of Age of Wonders 4 will award players with an additional ruler and armor set: Aric Rex, a Tigran High King, and his elegant Lion Plate armor, Imperial Cape and Athlan Crown. Age of Wonders 4 can be pre-ordered today for a suggested retail price of $49.99 / £41.99 / €49.99 for the Standard Edition, and $89.99 / £74.99 / €89.99 for the Premium Edition.
As always with these things I like to start out by saying a huge thank you to Binary Haze Interactive for tossing me a Redemption Reapers review copy for this one. I always appreciate it, and it is always a lot of fun playing a new game from a new company.
Redemption Reapers is a tactical role playing game that takes on a darker tone than most. The game starts out with you playing as Sarah, who is attempting to make up for some past mistake. This mistakes makes her and the Ashen Hawk brigade hated, for some reason. They are also one of the only groups fighting the Mort. The Mort are simply put a group of creatures hell bent on destroying basically any living thing it comes across.
I will admit, I do not really know what the Mort are or why they are killing everyone. You sort of just get dumped into that, and they never really explain it very well. It is ok though because in games like this the combat usually makes up for it.
I say usually but this time that isn’t really true. You will be limited in characters, five them. This is really a good thing because weapons upgrades are expensive and require resources and money all of which are mostly found during battles. These battles can be long, with one little mistake making you start all over again. This isn’t because they are all that hard exactly, each character can only heal once unless you have them use these special spots on the map, which usually don’t have more than two.
These problems with combat are made worse since the main way the game gets more advanced is it simply tosses more enemies in the way. Thought you had problems keeping your starting three characters alive when it was six enemies? Try it with ten enemies and four characters.
The game isn’t all bad however. The game is beautiful. The cut scenes are well done, the character images are probably some of the best the Nintendo Switch has to offer. That isn’t enough to make me say hey go buy this game. At the $50 price tag, you are going to want to wait for a sale. This one is a 5/10, best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
My friends at strictly Limited Games have once again sent over an exciting opportunity to get your hands on a limited edition physical copy of their upcoming title . I have of course simply copy and pasted all the info they passed along to me so you guys can see for yourself and have all the links they provided me. As always supplies will probably go fast, so best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
2 March 2023 – Strictly Limited Games, in partnership with MY.GAMES are delighted to announce the pre-order start for exclusive and highly limited boxed editions of Blast Brigade vs. the Evil Legion of Dr. Cread. This exciting release of the upcoming retro indie platformer is scheduled to launch in autumn 2023 and eager collectors can already pre-order their exclusive Limited Edition, starting on Sunday the 5th of March!
These editions will only be available at Strictly Limited Games and will be the only physical version of the game.
About Blast Brigade vs. the Evil Legion of Dr. Cread:Blast Brigade is a unique blend of Metroidvania and twin-stick run and gun, with a shot of Megaman elements, featuring 4 playable characters with unique abilities and personalities, between which the player can swap at any time. This being a Metroidvania, these abilities are naturally necessary to progress through the interconnected world, as well as discover secrets and materials to upgrade your workshop. And you really want to, because this game won’t be a walk in the park. Even normal enemies can kill you if you are not careful, and for the bosses, pattern memorization is key. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Speaking about the world, Blast Brigade manages to stand out here as well, leaning heavily into 80s spy movie tropes with its archetypal characters and the classic setting of a tropical island housing the super villain’s base. Combined with its bright Saturday morning cartoon style graphics and fourth-wall breaking humor, Blast Brigade really manages to stand out in the sea of samey action-platformers.
Features:ASSEMBLE THE TEAM! Switch between four playable heroes with unique abilities and weapons!AMAZING ABILITIES! Use a grenade launcher, grappling hook, and сhakram-teleporter to beat foes and challenges!CRUSH BOSSES! Take down hybrid monstrosities, giant robots, ninjas, and other evil minions!METROIDVANIA WORLD! Explore, backtrack, and trailblaze non-linear routes through gorgeous, interconnected biomes!
Limited Editions:Blast Brigade gets physical, powered by Strictly Limited Games. The Limited Editions for Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation® 4 (PS4) and PlayStation® 5 (PS5) can only be found there. The Limited Edition is limited to 3,000 individually numbered copies for Nintendo Switch, 1,000 for PS4 and 1,000 for PS5 at a price of 29.99€ / $29.99.
The Special Limited Edition is limited to 1,500 individually numbered copies for Nintendo Switch, 500 for PS4 and 500 for PS5 at a price of 49.99€ / $49.99
Both editions will be available for pre-order on Sunday the 26th of February, at 8 AM PST / 11 AM EST / 5 PM CET and shipping is expected for autumn 2023.
Many of you may remember when I reviewed The Caligula Effect: Overdose on the PS4 in what seems like the distant past. The Caligula e Effect is now coming to the Playstation 5 in 2023. For those that may be new to the game it follows the go-home club on club on their quest to break out of a fictional world they are trapped in and return to the real world.
The battle system is unique in that you can actually see what will happen before it happens and plan each move to create combos and possibly interrupt the enemies plans to prevent otherwise devastating outcomes. Definitely keep an eye on The Caligula Effect: Overdose coming to Playstation 5 later this year, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Oh NIS America I love you guys, and as always they have sent me a copy of this game as they did with void tRrLM(); //Void Terrarium! PS4 Review many years ago, and it was a fun-filled game that despite its flaws kept me diving back in for more. Has the sequel changed anything however is the question however?
The game takes place after the first one, once again we are taking care of our cute human Toriko who is the last human on earth. While the games are directly connected you don’t need to play the first Void Terrarium to understand this Void Terrarium as the start of the game does a solid job of filling you in on the details without spoiling the last game. Just know you will end up caring for Toriko in a new tank in a new section of the same contaminated world, as the same robot with the same A.I. partner.
This time the game adds a bit of a twist to the story, as the A.I. figures out a way to send you into a sort of VR representation of what the world used to be in order to discover more about our dear Toriko whose health isn’t exactly great. Along with this new section of gameplay you will still be decorating her tank, growing plants in it as well as crawling through the wasteland attempting to find food and supplies to create new items from the blueprints you are supplied with or find.
The combat is simple and straightforward. You will move around a large map, and each move counts as a turn with you and the enemies going back and forth much like many other dungeon-crawler roguelikes. Each time you return home all of your items are transformed into materials for creating things, however, each time you create something most things have a permanent stat buff that applies to your character, Robbie the Robot. This makes getting further into the dungeon easier each time even if the random drops aren’t in your favor.
Each time you level up you will be given the option to choose abilities for these runs, some are extra item slots, stat buffs, or increased healing abilities. Which skills you pick can vastly change how you play, and often you will pick and choose which item to bring and which one to simply leave behind.
This was one of my main issues with the first game that is still an issue in this one, item management is far too difficult and because of it, you will end up making far more runs than I would have liked just to make something simple like a chair. It felt like they were trying to really stretch it out by making you run through the same sections over and over. You will be doing a lot since for the most part, you have to repeat each section each time you want to get to a different section. This is understandable since enemies get stronger as you go it was repetitive and very fast.
Graphically and the sound of the game weren’t very different from the first one. It is an upgrade, and both set the tone and serve the game well. There is nothing wrong or any sort of glitches with them, they also aren’t amazing or anything to brag about. All in all, if you enjoyed the first game this one is an upgrade and you will enjoy it, but you won’t suddenly like this game if you didn’t like the first. I enjoyed my time with it, and I feel safe recommending it to fans of the genre. A sold 7/10. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Thunderful and Early Morning Studio are pleased to announce that Vendir: Plague of Lies is available now on iOS and Android ahead of a PC and consoles release later this year. Building on Early Morning Studio’s established RPG-pedigree, Vendir delivers tactical turn-based combat, a cast of fascinating characters to recruit and interact with, and a deep and storied world to explore.
Drawing on the rich-history of classic RPGs, Vendir: Plague of Lies’ party-based combat uses a turn-based system to create intriguing tactical battles. Your party will be composed of a cast of compelling characters who will add to the game’s story as much as they do your prowess in combat, interjecting themselves in your conversations with NPCs to create a tapestry of conversational options. This feeds into a splintering narrative where your choices have a long-lasting impact on the story.
The once-great kingdom of Vendir is now under the tyrannic King Elrik who rules with an iron fist, his judgements harsh and his punishments torturous. When discovering an ancient prophecy promising the end of Elrik’s reign, two siblings must make their way from one muddy end of the Kingdom to the other- inciting Elrik’s wrath every step of the way. Challenge the truth in a Kingdom drowning in a plague of lies.
Expect to encounter an intricately crafted world, steeped in history and brought to life through a carefully crafted atmosphere and the stories of the people that inhabit it. It is a world where your decisions will have real weight and consequence – in conversation, combat, crafting and every other aspect of this old-school RPG created by a studio with a true passion for the genre.
“We have put everything we have learnt from the success of our previous titles, Vampire Fall Origins and Champions of Avan, into creating our biggest and best title yet in the form of Vendir: Plague of Lies,” said Emir Kuljanin, CEO and Co-Founder at Early Morning Studio. “I’m really excited for players to begin exploring the game today and discover for themselves why we say this is a game where your choices, in everything from combat to conversation, really matter.”
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