Reviews – Savior Gaming

The Relic: First Guardian PlayStation 5 Review

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.

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.

Panzer Knights: Commander’s Edition Xbox Review

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 Steam Review

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 1.0 Steam Review

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.

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 Steam Review

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.

Kynseed PlayStation 5 Review

Kynseed has finally hit consoles, and Pixel Count Studios was nice enough to send me a copy. Truth be told,I don’t know the best way to describe this game. It is a lifestyle sim, you start out living in a shoe- yes, if you are familiar with your fairytails, THAT old lady’s shoe. You and your twin sister will be adopted. Your childhood will act as sort of a tutorial until you inherit what is known as the Kynseed, where you trade 5 years of your life for it. When you come out of what I can only describe as a 5-year time warp, your uncle is dead, and your sister is pissed. Congrats tho, you own a house.

From here you can sort of do whatever you want. Go fishing, mine some ore, become a blacksmith, buy a store, buy many stores, help out around the village, start a family. Hell, go buy a kid. Sorry, I meant adopt a kid from the old lady in the shoe for 500 gold.

Combat is also an option; you can tell how hard combat will be by the name of the forest you are fighting in. Don’t worry, it isn’t hard to figure out. The best method is to do a bit of everything, but honestly, the game truly does not care what you do when you continue through the story and have to increase your reputation; pretty much everything will increase it.

The game has beautiful pixel graphics and functions very well; the real question is how fun it is, and the problem there comes down to how fun you find what you do in it. I love fishing, and the mini-game for blacksmithing is quick and simple. While the cooking could be better explained, once you get the hang of it you will be whipping up meals in no time. This is a 9/10 title that has been locked on PC for far too long, and is worth every penny of the $25 price tag. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Forsaken Realms: Vahrin’s Call Steam Review

Forsaken Realms: Vahrin’s Call was sent my way by the nice people over at Titan Roc, which I always appreciate. I think to truly understand why the game has mixed reviews on Steam, we have to understand what this game is not. It is not the next Fable, despite what the trailers may suggest. I don’t know why anyone went into this game expecting a 60-hour epic adventure with towns, dungeons, and side quests. This was never even suggested. You are simply a mercenary searching for your next adventure to make some money in a war-torn land.

Now, for starters, the game is beautiful, especially when you realize this game was made by a small team. I believe it was 7 people, and for most, if not all, it was their first project. Together, they made a handcrafted world for you to explore and live in. They also put a story together that manages to be both cohesive and yet allows you to feel like a mercenary who isn’t really some powerful chosen one by god, just some guy looking for chances to make money.

If there was anything bad to say about this game, it’s that while the checkpoint system is nice and it is refreshing to be able to die in a game without being punished, just reload at the last checkpoint and try again, it’s that the combat is clunky and it doesn’t matter how you play. If you want to play with magic, arrows, sword and board, or a giant sword, it will take some getting used to. My first two deaths were because I dodged or healed, and my character just didn’t do anything.

This can be worked around by being a bit more defensive than you otherwise would be, and it is far from game-breaking as some would have you believe. The price point, however, $35, does give me some pause on recommending the game. As my long-time readers know, I love indie games and have supported many over the years both with my reviews and by purchasing others. Forsaken Realms: Vahrin’s Call can be beaten in about 15-20 hours, and while fun does have its issues, and at $35 is a bit steep. It is a 7/10 title that, unless you are a hardcore fan of the genre, you will probably want to wait for a sale. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Far Lands PlayStation 5 Review

Far Lands on PlayStation 5 was sent to me by Axyos Games, a company I have worked with a few times in the past on games like Ebola Village and Apartment No 129. The good thing about Axyos Games is that you always know what you are going to get. The bad thing about them is it will never be a fantastic game. Far Lands continues that trend; it is an open-world survival game where you survive a plane crash and find yourself with nothing but a rock. Do not lose this rock until you use it to mine some more rocks and wood, or you will have problems.

If this game is starting to sound familiar, it is because it is basically the premise of most other survival games out there. You will also get attacked by zombies, only a couple different kinds, and very quickly run into guys with guns. Yes, if you are quick, you can kill them with the aforementioned rock; they don’t track you very well with the gun if you get close. None of the enemies are very smart, truth be told.

I know this sounds like I didn’t like the game, and I still haven’t even touched on how bad some of the animations are. I don’t know who designed the horse riding animations, but those look like something from the N64 days. Not liking it actually could not be further from the truth; you see, what they made was a FUN game. Yes, the game is clunky and adds nothing new to the genre. The game isn’t all that good-looking, but you can build some interesting things if you want; just looking around is fun in its own way, and there aren’t many survival games out there for $15 that function well and also offer this many ways to customize your base.

This game definitely isn’t for everyone, and the best way to play this is with friends who don’t take it seriously. It is a 5/10 game if I ever played one. I can’t hate it though. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

HellSlave II: Judgment of the Archon Steam Review

It isn’t often I play a game and its demo so close together, but it wasn’t that long ago I checked out the demo for Hellslave 2: Judgment of the Archon. Dear Villagers and Ars Goetia were kind enough to hook me up with this one, for which I am eternally grateful. For people who enjoyed the first one and just want to find out if this one is also worth playing, the quick answer is yes.

For those who want more details, let’s get started. You will begin by creating a character. I once again decided to give people the plague; I wanted to finish my game out and see if this would be as game-breaking as the demo made it out to be. Maybe don’t use this build on easy; with the right gear, you can win entire battles, even against weaker bosses, before they even start or in the first round. The right gear will let you start the battle dealing massive amounts of poison damage and then stack even more on top of it with your skills.

The battles kind of remind me of old Dragon Warrior in a way, as you only ever have yourself to fight with. You can manipulate the battle quite a bit by judging how long moves take and by waiting or defending, which is a nice touch. Again, on easy you can get away with just spamming your strongest moves, but anything higher than that and you will have to think before you act. The standard difficulty feels like the way the game was intended to be played.

A nice touch is that, rather than punishing you for avoiding enemies, the game rewards you for killing every enemy in an area, not just with experience but with extra stat points. In this way, my level 10 and your level 10 characters may not be even in power simply because you decided to kill every enemy in some games and I did not.

This brings me to my one issue with the game: there is a weird bug that did not exist in the demo. A few side quest bosses, for example, the skeleton you fight early on, for some reason just die when you enter the fight. I never had to hit him; the battle never started, and my weapons before battle skills never triggered. I just entered it, and the quest completed. I got credit for it, but the battle just resolved itself.

Aside from those weird bugs, the game looks and plays great. I loved my time with it; it is an 8/10 title that I am sure I will play again. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Soulbound: Online Steam Review

Soulbound: Online for Steam is classified as a pixel art action roguelite with an MMORPG overworld, which sounds like a lot is going on for only $15, even if it is only early access. With this much going on, you would think at least something would suffer.

Turns out, basically everything is suffering. We will get to that; let’s talk about the good first. The game does look great if you like pixel games, and the ability to work with up to 3 friends to raid and fight bosses is a lot of fun. The almost bullet-heaven-like dungeons are a lot of fun, and I am always a sucker for farming or fishing in a game.

Now the bad: the game lags a lot, more than most Early Access games I have played, depending on what is going on and how many people are playing. This goes for both input and output. This wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for what is coming next, which is honestly unforgivable.

While the real-time waits aren’t long at first, later on they become massive, literally days, and I have heard even weeks. If this wasn’t bad enough for a game you have to pay to play, I could deal with it. The unforgivable part is the fact that there is a progression wipe coming at some point, most likely at release. Anything bought with real money would be kept, everything else being reset. This, to me, is unforgivable and kills any reason to play the game; you are simply a playtester paying to play the game. You will lose all progress, and worse, and this is after fighting through lag, bugs, and waiting real time for it all. For this reason, I have to give the game a 4/10 and suggest you wait for a few patches and the full release or news on the planned reset being reversed. Best wishes, and may the gaming god bring you glory.