This is going to be far from a full review,but after spending about 20 hours with it I think it’s a good time to talk about how I feel about this one.
First,I loved the original and still count Persona 3 FEZ as one of the best JRPGs of all time. Reload obviously had a lot to live up to.
Now for starters the graphics look great. Not the best obviously but for a remaster of a game so old I didn’t expect some sort of ground breaking graphics simply an upgrade and it is a massive one.
Classroom shenanigans return
The gameplay is of course where this game shines,and the day to day activities of increasing social links or stats like courage, intelligence or charm. This is a very addictive loop,if you allow yourself to connect with the characters themselves. The old couple in the book store aren’t very interesting to me but my friend loves them because they remind them of their grandparents. On the other hand, getting to know the classmate dating a teacher is great to me not because I relate to him but simply because of how nonchalant the whole thing seems to be.
Always find the weak spot
Combat is fluid, tho not always very difficult unless you are playing on the harder difficulty setting where hitting weak spots and using Buffs/Debuffs along with negative status effects becomes very important. One of the first bosses was stomping me into the ground until I managed to poison them. A few rounds later they were dead.
This is where things get interesting tho, many people rush through the tower simply to get back to the story. Others ignore much of the side story stuff for the tower. I love that because it means the game has something for most people,or like me I will lose close to 100 hours trying to do it all. With the game on gamepass, there isn’t a good reason not to try this one out. Best wishes,and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Dead Man’s Diary is a narrative survival game released by TML-Studios and they were kind enough to send me a copy to review. I have to say I was really excited to play this one and check it out.
That excitement was met with a beautiful game with a world that felt pretty empty. I never felt like I was in any real danger. Collecting supplies was a chore because every new section requires you to recollect basic things to build a camp fire and a place to sleep. None of which had any real variety or ability to make your own.
The sounds and music were fantastic however. Walking through the woods or exploring abandoned cities you could hear the creek of wood from old houses or windmills or the wind blowing through the trees. While the world is alive,there simply isn’t much to do.
The controls themselves aren’t bad but could be clunky at times when trying to jump over things that look like you should be able to get over but can’t. Having to use a Geiger counter to examine any food or water you find is an interesting idea, but having to switch back and forth between that and your flashlight so much is quite honestly just annoying.
The news isn’t all bad however. The game goes heavy on the narrative and this will keep many people invested in the game. It starts out with your character explaining that a nuclear war ended society and the time period people were expected to be in the bunkers was wrong. As a result lots were drawn to see who would be kicked out of the bunker to make sure there is enough supplies for everyone else,and you are the lucky winner of a permanent eviction.
This trend of your character telling his story or commenting on things around him continues and it is where the game shines the most. This however will not be enough for everyone,and that’s ok. For me if you like survival games this one is a huge disappointment but if you like narrative adventures the story is quite interesting. For me it’s a 6/10, and survival fans are better off looking elsewhere for their survival needs. Narrative fans however will find some enjoyment. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Devil Inside us:Roots of Evil is another narrative based game that is built strongly on story and revolves around an exorcist that is recognized by the Vatican itself. The story starts in 1984 and jumps quickly to the future when you will return as an old man attempting to help a family against an evil in the home.
Everything isn’t always as it seems
If this sounds like something out of most horror movies,you would be right. It does more or less follow a tried and true formula set up by Hollywood for generations.
I have very mixed feelings about this game,it looks solid and the story while not attempting to reinvent the wheel does enough to make itself standout in a genre that is pretty over done.
The power of…wait wrong movie
My biggest issue with the game is honestly I just didn’t enjoy it. Our priest walks slowly, which makes sense for a guy in his 70’s, figuring out where to go was really just a matter of aimlessly walking around the house end it’s yard, and it was too easy to just die because your exorcism powers ran out at the wrong time and you didn’t have the item needed to replenish them.
These complaints about the gameplay are admittedly just my personal issue. The game has 100% very positive reviews on Steam and it definitely doesn’t shy away from what they are doing with the story as finding a dead body isn’t uncommon. For me the game just wasn’t fun and part of that was the slow movement and lack of any real direction. The story however is its saving grace,and that’s what is important for the game. A solid 6/10. It wasn’t for me,but many will love it. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Lil’ Guardsman is the newest release from my friends over at Hilltop Studios publishing and the great people over at Tinybuild Versus Evil, and once again they were kind enough to toss me a review copy of the game. Huge shout out to them for once again trusting me with top secret information. (I mean video games)
First thing I want to get out of the way is that Lil’ Guardsman is above all a narrative based game. You won’t be swinging swords or hurling magic etc. You will spend most of your time in a guardhouse using your tools and common sense to decide who can come into the town and who can not.
All of these decisions matter however. Let the wrong person in and it can end the game early, it is also completely possible to say the wrong thing and have your guardhouse burned down. I discovered this when I decided screwing with the very obvious arsonist went wrong.
One of the many machines you can use in this game is a truth serum that will make people tell you exactly why they are coming to your town, sort of. Later in the game you may or may not come across people that can resist it. (you will) and you will need a crystal to use each tool. These aren’t hard to come across but you wont get enough to power every tool every day or multiple times so make your choice on who and when to use them count.
The story itself is what matters here. The graphics are nice and perfect for what we are playing here and the sound is great. But the part that matters is the story, and honestly between the interesting story and the cute and hilarious dialogue this game is a great 9/10. I loved my time with this one and have no issue recommending it to others, with one small note. If you have never played or enjoyed a narrative game before, this is one of those rare games that could change your mind. It isn’t hard to get into or understand and there is plenty of reason to try new things. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Rising Lords is another game Deck13 was cool enough to send me and it’s honestly another game I sank far more time into than I expected. With the help of Argonwood they have crafted a beautiful,if not slightly flawed, strategy game.
I love the world map
Rising Lords is a strategy game through and through and comes with a couple of game modes (and a tutorial). I spent most of my time in the custom games after I finished the tutorial because I found the story a bit difficult to learn the ropes in,but honestly that could just be a me issue. It is also worth noting the game comes with a full multiplayer mode but I never got the chance to dig into it prior to this review.
The game plays as you would expect with you controlling a small town and it’s peasants. Every 250 population gets you a new peasant that you can use to work fields, work the blacksmith or any number of other things to keep your resources like food,wood or iron coming in.
When the time is right however you are going to want to build an army to spread your influence around. This will let you have an easier time collecting the things you need. (some things aren’t even available in every area it seems) Luckily it is very easy to send things from one town you own to another so even if you end up in a position like I found myself in where one town had more food than I would really need but another town starving you cam easily ship it over.
Combat is also very well done with a sort of rock paper scissors way of units being better against some than others with the terrain also playing a big part. Take your knights charging through a swamp into some spearmen and it’s going to be a bad day even when you out number the enemy almost 2 to 1. Use those same knights to catch some peasants or swordsmen on the plains and they will make quick work of them.
The graphics are great for what they are aiming for and I couldn’t ask for more from the sound. You will notice I’ve only had one complaint so far and it wasn’t the controls,which is intentional. The controls have come a long way on console for this sort of game and this is no exception. While the mouse and keyboard will probably always be king for strategy games, console developers have hit a point where I don’t feel like I’m missing anything.
This game is an easy buy for strategy game fans and even the slight balancing issues in the story mode aren’t anything to worry about. Definitely check this one out,and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Rising Lords, the exciting, turn based, all encompassing turn based strategy title, developed by Argonwood and published by Deck13 Spotlight, is only days away from its launch on PC Steam as well as Xbox One, Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch later this month!
Participate and Grow
Experience and become immersed in the mediaeval and exciting world of Rising Lords as you assume the role of a Lord endeavouring to rise through the ranks and gain more power throughout the kingdom. Battle with other lords, increase production, resource gathering, diplomacy and treason, tax and rations, and much more. A variety of modes to explore include campaign/multiplayer, quick battles which will deploy a vast array of strategic acumen.
Rising Lords’ unique blend of card/board style turn based presentation and intricate gameplay conveys a lavish and ambient feel in a digital game experience that will leave gamers happy and will even capture many new players who are unfamiliar with this – cross genre experience.
Loot River from Supershot and Straka.studio is a new rougelike that combines the fun and difficulty of one more run and Tetris. I originally played this on Xbox Gamepass. They were awesome enough to toss me a copy of the PS5 release full of new updates, such as the level editor.
Sometimes it’s best to move and lure enemies
The game style is pretty nice, you start each run at level 1 and collect different currency that can be used to unlock different weapons to be used on runs. The game is also quite honest that you need to spend these before you die, because if you don’t you lose it all. Luckily the game is quite forgiving and let’s you spend part of it to unlock weapons at a time and you don’t need to save it all up at once.
The combat is simple to get into,and you can easily take advantage of the Tetris like aspect to move in,hit an enemy and move out or even simply lure a weaker enemy onto your raft. This is good because like many that are simple to get into,mastering it is a monumental task.
You do have to ask tho if this is worth undertaking,and the answer is yes. While the story leaves much to be desired in my opinion,the fun I had playing the game was well worth it. The sound is nice,and the accessibility options were fantastic. If you want to see all the possible ways a section can move,there’s an opinion for that. Want to make countering easier, there is an option for that. Want to make the game as hard as possible,they have you set. The base difficulty however all on its own is fair but challenging.
Bosses are a challenge,but in the best way.
Graphically the game won’t be winning any awards,but I can’t think of a better way to attempt this great idea of a hybrid game. And while it won’t win any awards it does look good,and the sound really lends to the gritty feel of certain levels. Without a doubt this game is a 8/10. For the $25 dollar price point it is worth picking this up for rouge like fans. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Dear villagers recently released,and hooked me up with a review copy of the adventure RPG ,Born of Bread. To say I had high hopes for this game would be an understatement. If you have ever seen or played Paper Mario, you know what to expect graphically or even from the gameplay.
To those that don’t want to know anymore but want to know if the game is any good, just go pick this game up. It’s amazing,and worth every penny of it. For those that want more details (spoiler free) keep reading.
If you are familiar with the paper graphics of games like Paper Mario,that’s what you will get here. This game is beautiful. You will not be disappointed here.
The gameplay is also typical RPG here. It’s all turn based, with button timing for hits and defense as attacks happen. Some of them are as simple as hitting the button when it gets into the green zone, others are more of the guitar hero button commands of hit this button when they pass this section. It functions very well and there is enough variety to keep it interesting without becoming repetitive.
The story, is also fantastic. You start with a chief that attempts to make a special loaf of bread for the queen,and he turns out to be a real boy. This happens as an evil is released into the world and it comes to you to stop them,mostly because you wanted to save your “father” (he is more like a creator) from the queen that wrongly arrested him for blowing up part of the castle.
Leveling up is simple, you get experience,level up and you can choose one of three things to increase.
Health is self explanatory,and will is essentially your ability to use special attacks. Resolve is special abilities that are specific to a certain person and have very specific purposes such as healing or increasing your defense.
You can also choose a sort of points card that will lead to the ability to carry more items or equip more accessories for battle so to speak. Both are important and you can’t really choose wrong.
There is also a sort of hidden game of collecting sleeping lizards,and every 2 you find can be returned to a specific person and you will get SP that can be used to learn new attacks for your friends and completing a row will also give them a boost in their HP.
The game is a master class in how to recreate a gaming experience that people love while making it your own. You can see the creators loved the Paper Mario series, but they didn’t try to replicate it step by step. This leads me to my one real complaint. Each friend has an ability to use on the map to solve puzzles, but switching between characters requires going into the menu to do so,and when you have to do this multiple times it gets annoying. However if this is the biggest complaint for a game, that isn’t a bad thing and that is my only real complaint. The game is a great 9/10 and worth anyone buying. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Deck 13 has another exciting release early in 2024, January 18th to be exact. Check out some details and the trailer below and enjoy on your PC, Xbox Or Nintendo Switch.
Implemented for release
Together with a gripping story campaign, other alluring elements broaden its tactical appeal with exciting card and board game features, presenting an experience not to be overlooked. The full release of Rising Lords comes with an impressive list of must ‘shout about’ enhanced features: From graphics, user interface and engine upgrades to new events, maps, buildings, special figures, factions, skill cards, morale system, diplomacy, map editor + workshop support, challenge mode, story campaign and much more!
Setting the scene
The epic Rising Lords takes place in the fictional Northern Island Kingdom of Aubelin. For generations there has been no king, and the country is loosely ruled by the Council of Counts. The people are unhappy and the various regions are in a desolate and isolated state. The all-new story campaign accompanies the journey of Tankred of Tannheim, a young boy who must quickly learn to follow in his father’s footsteps and protect his homeland from bandits and cultists.
Onwards – Battle Forth
As Lord or Lady, lead your provinces to success by balancing production, resource gathering, construction, diplomacy, taxes and rations. Build mighty fortified cities, raise massive armies and use a variety of unique characters to triumph over your enemies. Manage your growing number of lands and people as you conquer neighboring territories, and engage in highly tactical grid and turn-based combat, using counters, skill cards and terrain to your advantage. Help your people become knights or sacrifice them on a battlefield far away, but be careful – even the most humble peasants will revolt… eventually.
Challenge yourself and your friends with simultaneous cross-platform multiplayer, a map editor and multiple gameplay modes! The story campaign consists of a prologue and six chapters, not forgetting a challenge mode where waves of enemies appear at every turn, and a scenario mode where you can choose a map and battle up to three lords (or friends of yours).
Features & Facts
Turn-based tactics
Varied game modes
Versatile maps and map editor
Skill and event cards
Deep morale system
Resource management and building construction
Weapon forging and army creation
Balancing of military and economic strength
Producer Carola Feierfeil “With a long and focused development Rising Lords can boast of MORE skill cards, units, events, buildings, victory conditions, etc. We are extremely pleased with the varied modes, including the gripping story campaign where you play the role of a young boy struggling to restore the glory of his ancient house and every decision you make will shape your path.”
An epic turn-based challenge is set to battle, build and survive!
Truck and Logistics Simulator is one of many simulator games I have played over the years,and I am grateful for Aerosoft tossing me this one to review on PS5.
First,while you can get this on PC, I won’t be comparing this to other PC titles. I only played this on PS5, and with the limited amount of games in the genre you get to choose from on console I always find it silly when people say hey a game is ok but there’s better on something you probably can’t play on.
The idea here is pretty simple. You will start with a small vehicle that you can do some basic customizing to. (mine was a bright purple mini van sort of deal because I like the ridiculous) Then you can go places to pick up jobs where you will be tasked with loading up your fan,or trailer using various tools such as a forklift at the start. Then driving from point A to point B and delivering them for money. Repeat this until you can buy more impressive vehicles like box trucks, a sports car, semi trucks or a monster truck. Yes,I do mean monster truck with giant wheels usually used in an arena to crush cars.
Graphically the game is unimpressive, most of these games however are. The things it does well however are pretty nice. Outside of some clipping graphics when getting on and off the highway everything is stable including the FPS. I never noticed cars disappearing or suddenly appearing either, which is something I have noticed on other titles like this when it comes to console releases.
Hitting stuff is rather mundane however, general damage is pretty much always the same to cargo and vehicles and don’t expect to go cannon balling through traffic and watching them go flipping down embankments. Don’t get me wrong, you can knock cars out of your way but they mostly just roll out of the way.
The sound is also nice,nothing special,but nice. I liked listening to my engine roar on my new semi as I went down the road and my breaks squealing because I decided to slam on them at the last possible moment was a cheap thrill I enjoyed.
I do have several minor complaints. For example there is an option to turn off traffic violations,which is awesome. But you can and will still get speeding tickets. And even with traffic violations on,I never noticed using turn indicators (blinkers for some Americans on the east coast) means nothing. I stopped using them and never got a ticket. A legal system that you can turn on and off that never matters if you do or not seems pointless.
Another issue I had unless I missed something,the only way to know about speed limits was to read the actual signs on the road, which are not universal. UK speed limit signs look vastly different from American ones which look totally different from the ones in Canada (in terms of shape and design. Despite popular belief most Americans understand the metric system and KPH) so a little thing in your dashboard that said the current speed limit like many other games would have been nice.
The news isn’t all bad however,for example I love that you can skip loading up your cargo if you want and the punishment for doing it may as well not even exist. The map is also a nice size, but the variety of jobs is done in such a way that if you want a 5 minute drive or 30 minute drive in real time, you can find a mission for you quite easily. It also isn’t a simulator lite game, but at the same time you won’t get bogged down in things like having to drive back to your garage to switch vehicles if you see a job you want. I appreciate a game that respects my time but is also willing to let me waste hours of my life if I want.
Here is where I may disagree with a lot of other reviewers. The game is 29.99, and offers a full game experience online as well as offline. Anything you have in one mode is available in the other, and you can happily play and work with other people or just watch and see what they are doing,like flipping off a bridge with a trailer full of cargo. (Real thing I saw) This one is definitely worth a buy and is an 8/10 simulator, possibly the best on console. So enjoy,and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Savior Gaming 