The first chapter of Digimon Liberatorwas released on the official Digimon website, and Bandai has botched its release. If you can get the comic to load, it’s off to a strong start, but I gave up when it stopped loading halfway through. The comic is supposed to bring new people into the hobby with its compelling narrative, memorable characters, and story-inspired product. Unfortunately, botched releases like this continue to hurt the growth of the Digimon fandom. While long-time fans will find ways to struggle through the official content or find fan-driven alternatives, newer or casual fans will give up. I hope that Bandai listens to its fans enough to fix the comic moving better, but I read through Digimon Seekers and know better.
That said, the Digimon TCG is getting a Liberator themed set sometime in September, and we got some spoilers! The cards look sick! I was ready to give up on the comic, but after seeing some of these cards, I might struggle through or find an alternative.
Always support your LGS, but you can always pick up Digimon, like the upcoming Beginning Observerset on TCG Player through my affiliate links. If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. Don’t forget to follow the socials! I am currently doing pack openings of Battles Spirits Saga on my YouTube and TikTok.
I was sent a free copy of Rauniotto review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. Don’t forget to follow the socials!
Rauniotis a post-apocalyptic point and click puzzle game out now for PC.
A natural disaster has destroyed civilization. Continents crumble, pollution fills the air, and supplies run scarce. Those lucky few left on earth must now survive with whatever is left. Aino is one of those lucky few, but everything you do now in this new world is dangerous.
Aino searches for Toivo who hasn’t returned from his last mission. What secrets will her search uncover? Will she fine Toivo, or has this cruel world taken another victim?
Gameplay
Rauniot is a top-down point-and-click game. Players must click around to explore the world, find clues and items, and solve puzzles. Puzzles are creative. They aren’t difficult, but missing clues or items in exploration means you can’t progress. Some clues are well hidden or hard to see, but I don’t think you need a guide to complete the game. This is a game you pick up when you want to sit back, enjoy a decent story, and solve some decent puzzles.
Impressions
I enjoyed Rauniot for what it is, a chill puzzle game that isn’t a huge commitment. While it isn’t a genre-defining amazing game that gamers should flock to, it does some interesting things in its space that are worth seeing. Rauniot has an interesting world design, a solid story, and decent gameplay. The English translation is rough in some places, but it is by no means unplayable. I enjoyed listening to the Finish dialogue even though I understood none of it. The game plays well, although some of the clues and items can be easy to miss because of the lighting or colors. None of these issues are deal breakers, and I recommend this game if you’re looking for something in this genre.
The game does introduce a unique save system where you have to go to the main menu, select a floppy disk, and save manually. I might have missed the instructions, but I didn’t save assuming it would Autosave and I had to start over. It wasn’t a huge deal because this is a short game, (about four hours) and I remembered where everything was.
You can pick up Raunioton Steam for $17.99. I wouldn’t go out of my way to play it, but it is a solid option if you’re looking for something new to play.
World Beyond has officially been announced, which means we have a few new spoilers to get excited about. World Beyond will be the first direct-to-consumer set, which is an exciting development. Collectors should especially be excited because there are some beautiful cards you’re going to want to get your hands on. World Beyond will release with two new theme decks, a collectors box, and a blister pack. The set breakdown:
9 NEW Akora Chains
9 Full Art Akora
10 Full Art Alchemy
10 Full Art Battlezones
41 Holographic Akora/Alchemy Cards
10 Holo Relic Shards
100 Mechanically Unique Cards
9 Stage 1 Akora Extended Art Box Toppers
10 Character Relic Shards
18 Stage 2 & 3 Extended Art Akora
9 Stage 2 Extended Art Akora
9 Stage 3 Extended Art Akora
2 Serialised Generational Rare Akora
1 Serialised Box Topper
Ancient & Secret Rare Cards (Limited to 5 copies each)
Make sure you join the official Akora Discord if you want to stay on top of all the news. Check out the official post for all the details.
Collectors Box
The World Beyond collectors box will be up for preorder on April 26. There will only be 100 of these available, so make sure you get yours before it is too late. Collector boxes will include new exclusive art rares, and they are beautiful. These will look amazing in a binder and are a fantastic way to bling out your deck.
The Buy a Box Promo card has also been announced, and it is beautiful. I am a huge fan of the Akora artwork, and it continues to blow me away.
2 New Theme Decks
Conclusion
I can’t wait to see more spoilers, but I am excited. I might at least get the decks to play with, but I’ll have to see how much money I can get together by then. If you want to pick up any Akora to begin your collection, pick it up on TCG Player with my affiliate links. If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. Don’t forget to follow the socials! I am doing daily pack openings of Spellbound Wings on my TikTok and YouTube.
I was sent a free copy of Solforge Fusionto review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review of the game. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. Buying cards from TCG Player through my affiliate link is also a great way to help me out. Don’t forget to follow the socials!
SolForge Fusion is a CCG card battler out now on Steam. The game features single-player and PvP modes where players face off against opponents with uniquely fused decks. Do you have what it takes to outmaneuver your opponents and come out on top?
Gameplay
The gameplay loop is where this game becomes an acquired taste. You are either going to love SolForge or find it boring. The game is split into rounds where players can perform one action per turn. Players have two alternating turns in each round. During their turn, a player can cast a spell, summon a creature, or move a creature between spaces on the board.
At the end of a round, the cards auto battle depending on whether the player is defending or attacking. Creatures of attacking player will attack the opponent directly if there is nothing blocking them, players of a defending player can only attack adjacent enemy creatures.
Cards that aren’t used in a round level up and are shuffled back into the deck. The strategy seems to be choosing the right cards to hold onto for later in the game. Players also have access to a hero ability that also levels up as the game carries on. A player wins when their opponent’s life drops to zero.
In the roguelike single-player mode, players can fuse or choose a deck to make their run. The game plays like any other deck-building roguelike but without deck-building. Players earn special buffs and abilities along their run. The run is over when a player gets to the end, or their life drops to zero.
Review
SolForge Fusion is an interesting concept that is ultimately held back by its gameplay. I was intrigued by the random fusion deck building and found the boardlike game mechanics interesting, but found the game boring. Even with the animation turned up, the game feels slow and repetitive. These might be personal preferences, but there are more fun CCGs with a campaign I could be playing instead. Shadowvese has a neat one for free.
Playing a card per turn makes the game feel more luck-based than your traditional card game. You either pull the cards you need to fill your board properly, or you’re just playing from behind. Movement is always an interesting concept, but I don’t think this game does it well. When choosing between moving or playing a card, it is almost always better to play a card. There are cards that do damage when moving which might be how they balance things, but it felt kind of like a pointless mechanic.
The evolving card mechanic is an interesting one. You either play your cards for an early advantage, or you save your good cards for more explosive rounds later in the match. Finding a balance between what you play and what you level on top of keeping a healthy board state has the potential to create an interesting strategy. Unfortunately, the game just feels too slow and boring.
The deck fusion mechanic is what is going to kill this game. While I love playing random decks, it doesn’t work in this game. You either get a decent deck to play or have to try again. This game already feels very heavily reliant on luck, I can only assume that the ladder is overrun by the luckier players. I understand that all card games have some luck involved, but it should at least feel like there’s some skill involved. I don’t think I would have minded the Fusion mechanic as much if it were just a roguelike, but there’s PvP and people want to build their own decks.
SolForge is still in early access, and future updates may make this game fun, but the game didn’t create enough interest in me to find out. While I do believe it comes down to preference, there are better card games with similar mechanics out there. If you’re curious about the game, try the demo first.
You can pick up SolForge Fusion on Steam for $19.99 (currently $14.99 until April 23).
I first wrote about GLYDR when it’s Kickstarter launched. It not only met its but blew past its goal by $70,000. In a bit of new news, GLYDR has partnered with leading design engineering firm CRE8 to complete the design and engineering of their revolutionary gaming peripheral.
What is GLYDR?
GLYDRis a unique gaming peripheral that aims to revolutionize the way we play games by giving players the ability to play with their feet. This controller features 16 programable actions designed to give your hands some much-needed relief. These actions can be saved into game-specific profiles that you can easily pull up through their software so you can always have the loadout you need. There will also be a library of community loadouts for those like me who are less creative.
What the CRE8?
CRE8 is a design engineering firm tasked with the final consumer version of the peripherals. They are responsible for some well known gaming designs like Cougar Gaming products. While the Kickstarter prototype looks fine, I wouldn’t mind something with a deeper gaming aesthetic.
Impressions
I get pretty bad RSI after all the gaming and typing I do. It gets so bad that my hands become unusable. I’ve worked hard to find the perfect ergonomic set up for gaming and work, but the pain still comes through with certain games and tasks. Having something like GLYDR that takes away some of the strain from my hands seems like a fantastic addition to my arsenal. I will need to try it first, but I am at least curious. With the news of this partnership, I am excited to see the final product.
If you’re looking for a way to unload some of that hand strain, GLYDR seems like a fantastic solution. If you missed the Kickstarter, you’ll be able to reserve your unit soon. Stay tuned for the official announcement.
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Ascent Worlds is coming to Las Vagas on May 11 to the 12th. It will be an exciting time for fans of the competitive scene, I can’t wait to see what deck comes out on top. Tickets are still available.
Recently, Weebs of the Shore announced the Path of Silver event that will also be happening at Worlds. Collectors will have a chance to compete for some exclusive promos without having to play the game. This is fantastic news for those who aren’t good at the TCG or collectors of the game and still have a chance at some of the beautiful promos Weebs of the Shore hands out as prizes.
How it Works
The competition is limited to 200 participants. Participants must build a 50-card deck from their collection. You can look up the card value on the official database. A special multiplier will be announced during the day of the competition to shake things up. The person with the most points wins. You must submit your list through Omnidex before the event and have the physical card on hand. Make sure you have an account. Check the official post for the full details.
Top Prize Promo
These promos are so cool, and they’re going to look even better in person!
Catagory Prize Promos
Mystique
Ferocity
Valor
Conclusion
This is a very cool idea to encourage collecting. I like that it rewards collectors who want to enjoy the game, but don’t want to dip into the competitive scene. The multiplier is an interesting idea for making the contest a little less pay-to-win, but I have to see it in action first.
The contest has some solid prize support, so make sure you go through your collection and get out there. Always support your LGS, but if you need Grand Archive singles for the competition, you can always pick them up on TCG Player through my affiliate link.
If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. Don’t forget to follow the socials! I’m doing pack openings of Battle Spirits Saga on my TikTok and YouTube.
I was sent a free copy of Ario to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. Don’t forget to follow the socials. I am currently opening some Battle Spirits Saga on TikTok and YouTube.
Ario is a side-scrolling Metroidvania platformer out now for PC. Dark forces have kidnapped his mother, and Ario will do anything to get her back. Ario now faces off against a land full of nightmares. Parkour your way across a 2.5D steampunk city and fight off anyone who gets in your way. Do you have what it takes to save your mother?
Gameplay
Ario feels like a Pince of Persia clone with a tower defence minigame sprinkled throughout. Ario runs, jumps, slides his way through a side-scrolling map of the city, and fires off arrows at his enemies. I found it more convenient to jump over everything, but you will occasionally be forced to do combat. Ario can shoot arrows and bombs, but I found the arrows to be pretty useless. The platforming isn’t too difficult and is easily the best part of the game.
Occasionally, Ario will have to man a ballista and fire off arrows at waves of enemies. You can control the arrows in this mini-game, and it’s okay when it works. The hitboxes can be wonky on some enemies, and missing an arrow means you have to start over. While I appreciate the attempt at something new, this minigame makes it hard to recommend the game. I tried getting gameplay video, but I kept running into bugs that would ruin my runs.
Impressions
I really wanted to like Ario because it reminded me of Sands of Time. The art is nice, the animation is cool, and the platforming is manageable. The problem I have with this game is that it still needs work. The tower defense portions of the game feel clunky, and the hitboxes make them unnecessarily challenging. I didn’t like having to start the mini-game over because the hitbox bugged and I failed the challenge.
Platforming in this game was fine, and it looked cool but there are some bugs that make some sections a bit frustrating. There is a section where you have to clear the enemies to advance while a ballista fires at you. The only cover you have are these pillars. Sometimes the pillars will block the arrows, but not always, and the arrows Ario caries are useless. Instead of skillfully sneaking my way through enemies, I had to figure out what pillars were coded correctly and pray. The game isn’t unplayable, but there are enough bugs in it to make it difficult to recommend.
Ario certainly has potential, but it needs some work. I would skip it for now and hope that it gets some patches and a boost in performance. You
As we gear up for Grand Archive’s Worlds on May 10th – 11th, I’ve gathered a few spoilers to get us excited for both the event in Vagas and the upcoming set, Mercurial Heart. The set releases on May 17 which means we’re getting close to spoiler season! There will be an exclusive Pre-Release event at Worlds. Make sure you sign up if you’re attending!
I’ll be including all the spoilers to have so far to have them all in one convenient place. If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. If you need any Grand Archive, like the latest Alchemical Revolutionset, get it over at TCG Player through my affiliate link. Don’t forget to follow the socials! I started cracking packs of Battle SpiritsSaga on my YouTube and TikTok.
Winners of worlds will receive this unique Apotheosis Rite. This card is beautiful, and it makes me wish I could make it to locals. Good luck to everyone competing, I am extremely jealous.
Artwork
Product
I don’t care too much about deck boxes, but Tristan Dragon Shield stuff looks amazing!
I was sent a Pathless Woodsfor free to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. Don’t forget to follow the socials.
Pathless Woods is a cozy open-world survival game available now in early access on Steam. Players will travel through an adorable thematic world, gathering resources, building bases, and doing everything necessary to stay alive. The game offers a single and multiplayer mode, allowing gamers to choose the type of experience they want to play. This review will be based on the single-player mode.
Gameplay
The game starts with an easy-to-follow tutorial quest line to help guide players through the essential mechanics. While a guide might be needed for efficiency or more complicated recipes, the game does a fantastic job of getting players up to speed without feeling slow. Farming and gathering doesn’t feel like an unnecessary grind, and the recipes are pretty easy to follow. Some recipes are locked behind the quest line, but the game does this to teach players some of the less intuitive mechanics unique to Pathless.
Pathless Woods is an adorable entry to the genre, with enough depth to deserve its attention. Building and gathering mechanics are all designed for relaxing sessions, but the recipes and gathering locations might require a guide to be tabbed. Combat in this game is cute, with enough options for strategy without things getting too sweaty. The game’s survival mechanics like thirst, hunger, and illness make a meaningful impact without ever becoming unmanageable. If you enjoy survival games but aren’t in the mood for anything hardcore, Pathless Woods is an answer.
Impressions
I had a lot of fun with Pathless Woods. The game is adorable, there is a lot to do, and it never became a job. The game is still in early access, so there are some imperfections, but none of the glitches were game-breaking. Sometimes I couldn’t lock onto an enemy, or things wouldn’t load, but I could still play the game and have fun.
What sets this game apart is its cozy aesthetic. The art design, music, and mechanics all come together to create this relaxing and chill experience. You can die if you aren’t careful, but I never felt like I was up against impossible odds. This experience can change in multiplayer.
I am a huge fan of Fantasy Life, and this game had similar vibes but with a lot more content. If you like survival games or are just looking for something cute and chill to play, you need to get on Pathless Woods. I wouldn’t be too worried about the game’s Early Access status. The game is playable, it’s fun, and there have been consistent updates since I started playing. There is also a demo available if you need further convincing. Honestly, if I didn’t have to move on, I’d still be playing.
You can pick up Pathless Woods now on Steam for $17.99 (normally $19.99) until April 16.
Sidney just had their online regionals this weekend, and I’ll jump in on the top four decks that dominated the format. Always support your LGS, but I’ll leave TCG Player affiliate links to the singles for those who need them.
If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. Don’t forget to follow the socials.
