I’ve been playing Dungeons and Dragons for a couple of years as a player and a DM and have enjoyed every minute. I have made some great new friends, and I look forward to hanging out with them every week. That said, there have been times in my D&D career when burnout has gotten to me. This burnout has made me curious about other systems. Sometimes just I want to live in a new system for a session or three to keep things fresh. Over the years, I’ve researched a few systems to sprinkle into our sessions. This time, my search brought me to the classic Swedish RPG Dragonbane.
What first drew me to this system was the beautiful art style. If nothing else, you need to look up this system to appreciate the artwork. The system looks simple enough to pick up quickly, and it has an interesting parry/dodge mechanic that could make combat more interesting.
If you want to play Dragonbane, there is a free QuickStart guide you can download with the basic rules and even a short adventure you can run. You will not have to enter any payment information if you order it through the site, but the delivery does take a couple of minutes to get to you. I suggest you get a copy directly from Drivethrough RPG instead.
You can preorder the core set from the official site for $53.93. For this price, you’ll receive a copy of the rule book, an adventure book with 11 adventures, a set of dice, five pre-generated character sheets, five blank character sheets, a double-sided map, custom treasure cards, and cardboard standees for characters and monsters. People who preorder will also get immediate access to the PDF of the rulebook, so you can start playing immediately. The core set has everything you need to get you hooked for a very reasonable price. You can convert the pricing on the store page to your local currency but not the cart. A quick Google search should remedy this. They do ship to the US, but I am not sure about anywhere else. The shipping cost was reasonable if I did the conversion correctly.
Dragonbane looks to be a solid system if you are looking to get into a new TTRPG. I will be trying to get my players to join me on this adventure, will you be doing the same?
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Portal Fantasy Beta Impressions
I’ve written about Portal Fantasy in a previous post where I discuss my impressions of the game and Web3 gaming. Since then, I was given beta access and have had a deeper exposure to the game.
Portal Fantasy is a pixel art monster capture MMO coming to your favorite browser. While Portal Fantasy will have some Web3 features that will require a digital wallet, the game will be free to play. The beta is only available if you have a digital wallet, but setting up a wallet is very easy if you follow these instructions. Access to the beta isn’t guaranteed, so make sure you follow the game on Twitter or join the official Discord for news on when keys will drop. They hold regular contests and competitions for beta keys, so make sure you check in regularly.
The beta has you play as an adventurer who must travel the land catching porbles and completing quests. There is a story, but I recommend you go read the official webcomic instead. The story quests follow the same story as the comics, but the webcomic has a bit more flavor. I love the art for the comic, and the story is a lot darker than I expected. Reading the comic isn’t necessary, you will get the same story if you play through the game, but I appreciate the attempt at making the IP more than just the video game.
The game plays more like an RPG than a traditional Pokemon game. Catching, trading, and healing porbles play similarly to Pokemon, but the combat feels more like a traditional RPG. Each porble comes with unique abilities, but in battle, you only have access to the basic attack until you can generate enough mana to cast stronger abilities. Type advantages do matter, so make sure you learn them as soon as possible. I will say that the initial grind is a bit steep. In the early part of the game, I kept having to pop potions or run back to the fountain in the main town to heal my Porbles. If you’ve played any grindy JRPG or even the original Pokemon games, the grind isn’t bad.
Outside battles, you will be traveling to unique lands and solving puzzles. The puzzles are manageable, and the different ecosystems are unique. every location has its flavor, and exploring them was relaxing. When the architect class releases, players will get a chance to design their own maps, quests, and bases. I am very excited to see what the community will come up with.
As far as the performance goes, it ran pretty well for a beta. It is unfair to talk about the bugs and other issues because the game isn’t finished yet. I will, however, commend the dev team for its diligence in fixing bugs. Bugs I would encounter one day would be gone the next. I tried repeating to break this game and found that it wouldn’t always break the same. It is clear that the game still needs work, but I have faith that there is enough passion, love, and diligence to get it done.
The art style gives me Scott Pilgrim vibes, and the porbles are cute and cool enough to make me want to collect them all. I like that the game plays on a browser because players won’t need an expensive machine to run the game. I am always in favor of games that don’t limit access to those who can’t afford it. It reminds me of the time when the only source of gaming I could afford was on the library’s computers. I know that this design choice was made to accommodate the Web3 side of things, but the resulting accessibility is a huge pro for me.
Portal Fantasy will have NFTs, but they are entirely optional. Porbles will be mintable and the game’s license will be an NFT you can purchase for $19.99. With a license, you will get a unique avatar to play and some to-be-announced quality-of-life bonuses, but nothing pay-to-win. If you ever choose to exit the game, you can sell your NFTS and make back some of the money you spent on it. I wouldn’t go into any game with NFTs thinking you’ll turn a profit, but it is nice to have the option to transfer assets when you’re done.
Gamers might dismiss this game because of the negative connotations surrounding Web3. While I understand the position, it is becoming invalid. We have entered the Web3 era of gaming, and there is no going back. Big companies have been slowly implementing these changes and will continue to do so. If you think about your gaming history, you have already purchased digital assets in the form of skins or digital licenses. The only difference between the skin you buy for your League of Legends character and an NFT is that you can’t sell your skins when you no longer want to play League. I am not here to sell you NFTs or even on Web3, but I do want to dismantle some of the apprehensions. It’s time to accept Web3 as the future of gaming. But before you dive into any game, make sure you do your own research.
So what do I think? I enjoyed my time with this game. I enjoy the lore and world, the art is cute, the music is fantastic, and the gameplay is relaxing. This might change for the PVP side and end game, but I wasn’t able to try either to be able to speak on it. I’d say that if you’ve enjoyed classic Pokemon or RPGs, you should look into this game. It certainly has potential. Make sure you follow them on Twitter and Discord to keep up on all the news, but in the meantime, go read the comic and get hyped.
Movie Review: Ghosted (2023)
I just watch Ghosted, but I wish I didn’t. This has to be one of the laziest and most boring action films I have seen, and I have sat through some terrible movies. This movie is so boring that Anna Del Armas slept through her whole performance. This movie is so boring that the best part is when they played My Sharona, even though the action scene it belongs to is terrible. For those few who were thinking of watching this movie, don’t. It is a huge waste of time.
A farmer meets a girl at a farmers market and falls madly in love with her after one date. She ghosts him. Instead of taking the hint and moving on, the farmer tracks her down without her knowledge to attempt a big romantic gesture. Instead of finding romance, the farmer finds himself in the middle of a covert CIA operation. It turns out that the love is life is a secret agent. Will he be able to find love between the rain of bullets and lies?
Ghosted starts off as one of the most awkward romcoms but quickly turns into an incredibly generic action movie. This movie doesn’t work. There is absolutely no chemistry between the leads, which was essential for this movie’s success. I blame the lack of chemistry and mediocre acting on the terrible writing. The writing for this movie is lazy. You can guess down to specific lines what will happen next. At least they had they lacked the nerve to sequel bait because that would have thrown me over a ledge.
As an action movie, it doesn’t work because the action is boring. I preferred the romcom bits of the plot because at least sometimes it would be funny. For this movie to work, it needed a tangible villain and real stakes, anything to make it less goofy.
The worst part of this movie was the couple. They meet after a very awkward and obnoxious fight and somehow still end up going on a date The guy, who everyone agrees is obsessive, uses a tracking device that only he knows about to track the romantic interest. The movie tries to play it like the male lead is quirky, but it is creepy. It doesn’t make sense when in the end they are in love because there is no reason for them to be.
I knew Ghosted was going to be bad when I saw how hard Apple was pushing it up to its release. They even shamelessly collected name-brand actors for seconds of cameos to trick people into watching this garbage. If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ve seen all the good parts. It even shows you bits of the climax. I avoided using names in this review because the characters are so generic that the names don’t matter. You can watch this movie on Apple TV, but I wouldn’t waste my time. Go watch Killers instead. That movie does this plot a lot better.
So I got a Vital Bracelet BE
Bandai has come out with the web novel Digimon Seekers to sell their latest fitness toy, the Vital Bracelet BE. I’ve written my first impressions of the project in a previous post and am currently revising the story to fix some of the awkward translations. Because of how invested I am in this series now, I broke down and bought one for myself. I’d like to say that I got the watch to have hands-on experience to help me with my writing, but honestly, the advertising probably got me first.
The Vital Bracelet is a fitness tracker that lets you carry your favorite Digimon wherever you go. You train your Digimon by being active and completing exercises. If you want to buy a Vital Bracelet, I think the best place to start is with the Vital Bracelet VV. It sells for a decent price and comes with one of the newer dims. The only difference between the VV and BE version is that the VV is themed after the Ghost Game anime. The BE is functionally the same but has no Dim included. The BE come are available in black and white. I believe the idea was to have the BE available for those who needed the upgrade but already had Dims to play with.
I got the Vital Bracelet Be because I wanted it sooner. I went with the Angoramon Jellymon dims because they were cheap. Keep in mind these older dims won’t have as good stats as those from the BE dims, but they are nice for collecting. I am rocking Jellymon at the moment because she reminds me of Splatoon.
Out of the box you get the Vital Bracelet BE, a micros usb cable, and instructions manual. The manual is in Japanese only, but someone translated the instructions online. The watch looks like a Fitbit, but the straps do feel a bit flimsy. I found the fit to be perfect despite my thick arms. There are longer straps available if you need them, but I can’t speak about the quality of those. You can also find replacements on eBay.
As a fitness tracker, it’s good enough. Keep in mind that it isn’t as accurate as a Fitbit. I assume you aren’t buying this for fitness tracking but rather for the game included. I will be wearing this in addition to my smartwatch because I need the tracking, but I understand I will be looking like a crazy person. There are methods of carrying the device without having to use it as a watch, but I wanted to test it as intended for a bit.
I haven’t had the watch long enough to try out the app yet, but I do intend to do so as soon as possible. I understand the Digimon I have at the moment won’t be competitive, and it’s fine. I’ve only had the watch for a day, and I like it. I will return with an update once I’ve had it a bit longer. If you like Digimon vpets and want a fitness tracker without all the extra features, it might be worth looking into.
Game Review: Lightracer Spark
I was sent Lightracer Spark as a review code. I am very grateful for the opportunity, but I will keep my review honest.
Lightracer Spark is a sci-fi visual novel with light RTS elements. You play as an amender from an advanced alien cavillation on a mission to save the universe from collapsing. To do so, you must travel to developing planets and help with their evolution. You manipulate governments, stabilize economies, or eliminate anything stunting the growth of a civilization. But be wary of your choices. A single mistake could be the difference between the birth of an advanced civilization and the destruction of another. Can you bring enough planets into the modern era before it is too late?
If you like sci-fi novels, Lightracer Spark has an interesting narrative that is worth looking into. Only the first chapter of the story is playable, but there are two more chapters planned as free DLC for future releases. This game has some fantastic flavor. I love the idea of playing this god-like creature with the power to control the flow of a civilization, but the story has a few grammatical issues that are hard to overlook. Not enough to ruin the experience, but they are noticeable.
At each planet, you are given a set of issues you need to fix. It can be anything from bringing peace to a war-torn country to helping discover new technology. How you approach solutions to these problems are limited by resources gained or gather in the game. You can use your resources for things like raising armies or on buildings that grant bonuses. I felt this part of the game was a bit too slow. There is a way to speed things up, but I was never confident enough to mess with it. If you are good at RTS games, you will enjoy the pacing and gameplay a lot better.
As far as RTS games go, Lightracer Spark is fairly manageable. The tutorial does a fantastic job of slowly introducing players to the game’s mechanics without it feeling like a tutorial. The tutorial felt like an immersive conversation with an AI, and I appreciated the touch. My only complaint is that I felt like I was taught mechanics that never came up again, but that could be due to user error.
So is it worth it? Lightracer Spark is a niche game, but that isn’t a bad thing. If you like sci-fi and don’t mind the light RTS elements, you should at least look into it. The story is solid, and the flavor is well-designed. It isn’t a bad game, but you do need to enjoy this type of gameplay loop. It’s a lot of reading and waiting on timers. For those interested, you can grab your copy on Steam for 12.99. It’s not a bad price for what you get.
Outerplane
Outerplane is a new turn-based RPG coming to IOS and Android that you should consider if you are in the market for a Gotcha game. The animation and voice acting for the announced characters are fantastic. I recommend you head over to the official YouTube page and check them all out. The art style might lean too heavily into the anime and fan service, but I didn’t think it was an issue. I like the art enough to start collecting.
I have a soft spot for Gotcha games because I love collecting things. I like that the gameplay is casual enough that I don’t have to no-life the game to enjoy the content. I can play on the go without having to take a console with me, and I appreciate the dopamine rush of rolling for a new character. Ever since Nintendo shut down Dragalia Lost, I have been unsuccessful in my search for a replacement. I can only hope that Outerplane is fun enough to fill the void Nintendo left behind.
Outerplane is going to be free-to-play, but you can pay money to gamble for new heroes. First-time players will get a free three-star hero, and another one if they get far enough in the story. The game will launch in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore on Android and IOS on April 18. Preregistration for the global release is coming in May. I’ll be trying Outerplane as soon as it becomes available, and be back with my results when I can.
If you want to stay up to date on the news for this game, make sure you follow the socials: Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
All the images were taken from the official twitter. Make sure you go follow them!
Movie Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
While Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania isn’t the worst movie in the MCU, it isn’t worth watching either. I am glad I didn’t watch this in theaters, but I can’t justify streaming it either. The movie just feels lazy, uninspired, and anticlimactic.
An accident sends the Ant family into the quantum realm where they find another universe and a unique culture to go with it. But an evil tyrant has taken over the quantum realm and has set his sights on the Ant family. Can they beat the tyrant and save the universe?
There isn’t anything spectacular about this movie. I struggle to remember what happened, and its plot will probably fade into obscurity as soon as I publish this review. The acting feels muted, the writing isn’t good, and the action is boring. The biggest issue with this movie is the silly tone it carries throughout. Instead of building proper tension and suspense, it cuts it with a joke or gag that doesn’t always work. There are characters in this movie that exist to be a joke, never contributing anything meaningful to the plot. Even the lazy sequel bait is riddled with overused jokes that don’t land.
Another issue I have with this film is that they underutilize the villain. Instead of developing the villain and giving him a proper presence, they waste on the pointless drama that no one cares about. The villain only exists when he becomes convenient. Outside of these moments, he doesn’t exist. The tension in this movie comes from poorly written family issues, and King feels like an afterthought. We are told he is powerful and evil, and then he is easily beaten by ex-Machina. King could have been an interesting character if everything about him wasn’t so vague and he showed up to do anything meaningful.
The action of this movie feels like a generic attempt to emulate the rest of the MCU. The build-up to the climax is muddied by the silly tone this movie insists on having. As fun, as this movie tries to be, it never is. The big fight at the end feels like every super hero last-stand fight, so I stopped caring.
I don’t recommend you watch Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Everything takes too long to happen, the action isn’t fun, and the story is boring. It isn’t the worst MCU movie, but it is going to be one of the forgettable ones. Don’t pay for it. If you end up streaming it, throw it in the background so you can ignore all the boring bits. I recommend you skip this one unless you are super invested in the MCU. Even then, it is going to be a hard sell.
Kakele: A cute pixel art MMO you should try once
I got to play Kakele at GDC and liked it enough to try to get a deeper experience. Make sure you check out my original post for additional information. Kakele is a free-to-play pixel art MMORPG that you can play on IOS, Android, or PC. There is cross-play between devices, and your saves carry over. If you are looking for and cute MMO to try, you should consider Kakale.
I played on both the PC and mobile versions and enjoyed them the same. Each version has its advantage. On PC, I felt like I had better control of my character, and made fewer mistakes in combat. Mobile was much more convenient, and I liked being able to play on the go. I loved that I could grind out some levels while I waited for my oil change. I didn’t feel an unfair advantage between devices, but most players I talked to preferred PC for endgame content and PVP.
Kakele has a voice-acted story, but there are some syntax errors due to the translation. It isn’t so bad you won’t understand what’s going on, but it is noticeable. The voice acting is computer generated, but I appreciate that I don’t always have to read the text. I found the story delightfully quirky, and it did enough to set up its lore. I am curious to see where they take the story, but the English translation needs some love. According to players I chatted with, the story is the quickest way to level up your character.
Kakele has an undeniably adorable aesthetic, but some of the maps can feel a bit cluttered. The character creation is limited to a few sprites and color changes, but they want to sell you skins. The early leveling experience is great. The game does enough to ease new players into their new roles, and there is enough to do to keep players busy. Outside the starter zone, the difficulty felt well-scaled. I felt I was given enough of a foundation to grind efficiently while still feeling challenged. It is easy to get overwhelmed by mobs of enemies if you are playing too passively, or aren’t properly geared or leveled. The combat felt active. I liked that I didn’t have to wait for global cooldowns, and had a blast kiting with the mage.
There is a grind, but it doesn’t feel any different from modern MMOs. You can pay for premium or buy boosts to level up faster, but I leveled quickly without having to spend money. There are global boosts that can be applied to the whole server in the cash shop. I was lucky and always got to play with a global boost and it made the grind more pleasant. At least this early in the game’s life, some charitable players love the game enough to help grow the community.
One issue that might be a barrier to entry is the social element. If you speak Spanish or Portuguese, you will find a healthy supply of friendly players ready to help you. I am fluent in Spanish and understand enough Portuguese to get by. All the interactions I had were pleasant and made me want to play the game more. I was never able to find English-speaking players, at least not on the North American server. I don’t think this is much of an issue because there are plenty of players walking around who will help without the need to communicate. I doubt you will have issues finding groups for PVP or PVE content. At least that was the experience on the PVE server, I can’t speak for the PVP side. If you want to level up with English-speaking players, I recommend you convince friends to join you.
I liked Kakale and played it more than I should have. I love the combat system, love the tone, and enjoy its simplicity. The combat is complex enough to keep the game from growing stale, but the simple graphics means this game can run on anything. I am a huge proponent of games made for all gamers, not just the ones that can afford high-end computers. The game is a lot of fun, and the community is very welcoming. If you are looking for a new MMO while you take a break from your main one, consider playing Kakele. It’s free to play, so you have nothing to lose.
You can download load Kakele for IOS, Android, and PC. Make sure you also check out my previous post for additional information.
Series Review: Florida Man (2023)
I am at a strange place with Florida Man because while there are elements of this series that I liked, it failed to leave much of an impression. It isn’t a bad show, but it isn’t worth the binge either. It has a solid start with solid performances, but the story is dragged out and boring. If you are going to watch this series, I recommend throwing it up in the background so you can zone out for the boring bits.
Mike Valentine is a disgraced cop who finds himself in the service of a local mob boss to pay off his debts. Mike is sent to Florida to search for his employer’s runaway girlfriend. Mike returns to a town he vowed never to return to and finds himself on a treasure hunt. Will Mike be a faithful servant and do his job, or will he use this treasure to buy his freedom?
I didn’t have much to say about this series because it doesn’t have much going for it. The acting is fine, but it is inconsistent. The story has potential, but it goes on for too many episodes. If they cut out all the filler, it still wouldn’t be great, but it wouldn’t be as boring. It wastes a lot of time on emotional moments that don’t matter, character development that adds nothing to the story, and Florida Man gags that aren’t always funny. This series’ biggest problem is that it tries to do too much without actually doing anything good. The comedy isn’t consistently funny, the heist is boring, and the twist is painfully obvious. The series tries to build up to this deep ending, but it doesn’t do enough to make it work. By the end of the first episode, you will know what the twist is going to be, and sitting through the build-up isn’t worth it.
Floridan Man is a mediocre series. You won’t hate it if you throw it on, but you might find it in you to finish. You can stream the series on Netflix, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch it.
Digimon Seekers: First Impressions
Bandai has been releasing their weekly installments of Digimon Seekers, and it’s fine for what it is. There is still much room for growth, but I will sit here being hopeful.
Digimon Seekers is the companion story for their Vital Bracelet fitness tracker game. The Vital bracelet is a basic fitness tracker that lets you train and level up your favorite character from one of Bandai’s popular IPs. I will be focusing on Digimon, but you can also have characters from shows like My Hero Academia or Ultra Man.
The Digimon Vital bracelets have a vast selection you can choose from to level and take on adventures with you. You train your Digimon by staying active. Your Digimon earns XP based on the steps you take or exercises you complete. It isn’t a particularly advanced tracker like you would get with a Fitbit, but it has the added benefit of having a cute little character to motivate you to stay active. Once your Digimon is leveled up, you can transfer it to the official companion app where you can battle other players, join tournaments, or participate in special events. If you are thinking of getting a Vital Bracelet, the Vital Bracelet BE is the latest edition and the best place to start.
UPDATE: Didn’t think this was going to blow up so I wanted to amend my statement. I chose to link the VV bracelet because it comes with a dim. If you are a fan of the Ghost Game anime, this is the newest generation of the watch on the show. This version still runs BE memories, but it may be too loud for some. The Vital Be is available in Black and White as seen on top. These won’t come with BE memory chips (where the Digimon are stored). You can get some of the older dims for cheap or get them imported from a retailer that you trust. I saw a few on Amazon, but they were kind of expensive. Older chips aren’t as strong, but they’re nice if you’re starting a collection.
To sell more of this toy, Bandai has Digimon Seekers to give the toy some meaningful lore to go with it. As of writing this post, the first eight chapters of this web novel are available on the official website with a new one coming out every Sunday. So far, the story is okay. There are some syntax errors and some poor translation, but it is fine for what it is. It is written for a younger audience, so expect the language and imagery to be on the simpler side. The story does a solid job of introducing the conflicting factions, building the world, and showing off its cute mascots. There isn’t enough for a proper critique, but it is a promising start.
I am excited about this project, and I hope it gets the traction it needs to grow into something worth reading. It is too early to tell for sure, but I can be hopeful. I love the idea of different mediums collaborating to make a unique experience. Fans will be able to get the lore from the novel and videos, carry their Digimon while they go about their day, and even connect with people from around the world who also love the hobby. I am always fascinated by the idea of people from different walks of life communicating through a single hobby.
I love Digimon, so there is a clear bias. I will follow it until it isn’t worth it, but until then, I am all in. So far, I love the neo-Tokyo aesthetic and the tone the story is starting to take. Make sure you go check it out if you want some more Digimon in your life. Don’t forget to watch the trailers, and listen to the audiobook if you understand Japanese.
Edit 2: I have since started revising the published chapters. The story will be the same, I just fixed some of the issues I had with the translation to make it sound nicer. Go check it out and let me know what you think!
Images taken from the official Bandai website. I don’t own them.