I just watched the Fire Emblem Engage trailer and it has me pretty excited. I haven’t played any of the previous games in the series, but it seems to exist as its own independent story based on the trailers. The art looks great, the animation is cool, the voice acting is fantastic, and the story seems interesting. I am not sure how I feel about the gameplay, but I have been slowly coming around to the RTS-style gameplay since I started reviewing games. I could always use another JRPG to fill my time.
The game comes out for the Nintendo Switch later this month on January 20. You can preorder your copy today. I am not sure if I will preorder, but I will be playing this game. Stay tunned for the full review.
Gravity Circuit
If you are a fan of the old-school Megaman games, Gravity Circuit should already be on your radar. The game promises an intense 2D platformer experience where you take control of Kai as he makes his way through a post-apocalyptic world full of bloodthirsty robots.
For those curious, you can download a demo on the steam store. I played a bit of the demo, and although I am terrible at platformers, I enjoyed the experience. It reminded me of the frustration I felt when trying to beat the original Megaman games. This game will carry a level of difficulty that will frustrate most players, but the feeling of achievement at the end will be all the sweater. If you are a fan of these types of games, this game is probably already on your wishlist. For those who aren’t familiar with the genre, I recommend you try the demo before making your decision. I had a hard time with this game on normal. I can only imagine the challenge involved in higher difficulties. If you have never played these games before, prepare to die a lot.
Gravity Circuit has great art with fun gameplay. It has been announced to release on the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC. Check it out today!
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Trailer
Gameplay
Images and gifs taken from the steam store. I don’t own these pictures
Game Review: YS IX: Monstrum Nox
I got to play YSIX: Monstrum Nox when it was free on Amazon Luna, and I quite enjoyed the experience. This isn’t a promotion for the platform, it was a game I was interested in, and I got it free through my Twitch Prime membership. If you don’t know, Luna is Amazon’s cloud gaming solution. For 9.99 a month, you are able to play any game in their library without the need to download the games. This is a great solution if you have a good and stable internet connection but don’t have the money for the hardware. I mostly played on my iPad, but it ran nicely on my PC as well.
YS IX is an action RPG that sort of plays like Genshin Impact. You take control of characters with unique abilities as you try to solve a mystery and fight monsters. I was able to solve the mystery immediately, but I enjoyed the journey. The game is divided into chapters and each is dedicated to a playable character you unlock along the way. The stories are a bit of an anime trope, and the cast is full of familiar archetypes. I like anime so I had no problems with the story or the characters.
The gameplay is a lot of fun. Like any RPG, you can craft items, buy upgrades, and change the skills you use. I am not the best at theory crafting so I often went with whatever was fun. The game is limited in its exploration, but I was here for the story anyways. Combat was fun and the game does a good job of keeping it fresh by giving you new characters and abilities to use as you explore the city and advance the story. I loved that I could switch between characters at will so I was always allowed a unique combat experience. There is a slight grind as is tradition in these types of games, but I didn’t feel like it was that bad. I never felt the need to spend hours fighting the same mob in the forest in order to advance. This is also a pretty contained game, I was able to finish it quicker than most of my RPGs, but your mileage may vary.
This game is the 9th installment of the YS series, but it isn’t necessary to play any of the others. This was my entry to the series, and I never felt lost. Outside of a few references to the previous game, the story in IX exists independently. YX has been announced for 2023, and I can’t help but feel excited about more news.
You should get this game if you are in the market for something new. The combat feels great, the story is fine, and the art is awesome. YS IX: Monstrum Nox is available on PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and Amazon Luna.
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WoW: Dragonflight First Impressions
Blizzard sent out a trial for their new Dragonflight expansion, so I decided to give it a try. I’ve played World of Warcraft on and off since vanilla, and I played a lot of Shadowlands. I played Shadowlands until Nvidia no longer supported my graphics card which was right around the time Blizzard was in the middle of their big scandals.
I have since moved on to other MMOs and haven’t resubbed because I don’t have time. I made time so that I could no-life the limited experience Blizzard had gifted me, but I wasn’t very impressed. They should have allowed me to get a lot farther into the story because there wasn’t enough to grab my attention in what little I played. I felt like I was barely scratching the surface of what the expansion had to offer. A few extra levels would have left a better impression.
I love the look of this expansion. I love how vibrant the Dragon Isle looks and the aesthetics of the armor and creatures that fill it. I played as the new Dracthyr race introduced in this expansion and was a bit underwhelmed. The visage (human) form had some nice customizations, but I wasn’t a fan of the dragon form. This is a personal issue. If you like the dragon aesthetic then it should be fine. I didn’t think it was as cool as it could be. The new race comes with new mechanics that make travel in the new zone very fun. You can fly around either with the Dracthy’s natural abilities or with a dragon mount you unlock by doing the story.
Flight in this zone is limited by a stamina bar that fills automatically over time. From my understanding, you can obtain more stamina and flying abilities the deeper you get into the game, but I didn’t feel limited by what I started with. Flying makes Dragonflight a better expansion than Shadowlands because travel in Shadowlands was annoying and cumbersome. Unfortunately, these flying mechanics are reminiscent of those introduced in Guild Wars 2 a while ago, and I would rather be playing GW2.
I thought leveling at this time was more fun than in Shadowlands, but that isn’t saying much. I was eventually bored and underwhelmed by the experience. I get a lot of joy from the grind of leveling and not from dungeons, although I will dabble in PVP from time to time, the leveling grind is what makes an MMO for me. While this expansion doesn’t feel as big of a grind as others have, I had trouble convincing myself to keep playing. I appreciate the attempt to make this game fresh with the introduction of a new class, race, and mechanics, but it grew stale as the novelty wore off. Maybe I have outgrown this World of Warcraft, or have become accustomed to a more active experience like those of games like Guild Wars 2 or Phantasy Star Online 2. I just can’t justify subscribing to something that won’t get fun until I am deep into the end game.
The worst bit of this game is that it isn’t stable. With a worse graphics card on a worse setup, I was able to play Shadowlands on the highest settings without issue. I encountered performance issues in Dragonflight that affected my gameplay. Spells would take moments to register if they registered at all, and frames would drop. I wasn’t alone in my experience; global chat would flood with people complaining about the sudden spikes in lag and instability. I expect these types of performance issues from launch or an MMO made by a smaller company, but this is World of Warcraft. This is an established title from an established company, and we are far into the launch. Performance did get a little better the deeper I got into the story, but I had to die more than usual to get there.
I tried out the Evoker class that comes with the Drachyr race. I thought it was an interesting change in pace that introduces some interesting mechanics, but I will probably switch back to my shadow priest if I ever upgrade to this expansion. I loved the mobility of this class and the lore behind it, but combat kind of grew stale for me. Maybe this class is better the deeper you get into it, but I will never know.
One of my favorite additions to this expansion is the new UI. It is so pretty, and it offers more customization than previous expansions. I remember having to load my game with all these add-ons like Bartender and Bagon to make the game more efficient. These features are now all baked into the game. I spent a lot of time rearranging my UI, setting up my skill bars, and reading through all the settings before playing this game. It is a much-welcomed experience, but I can’t believe it took this long for it to happen.
So is this game worth the purchase and the subscription? It isn’t for me. I wasn’t hooked by the story, which is one of the reasons I play World of Warcraft, leveling is boring, and the game is buggy. A lot of the new mechanics that are introduced in this game are mechanics that Guild Wars 2 has had for a while now, and I would much rather play Guild Wars 2. I had a lot more fun with Guild Wars 2 End of Dragons expansion than I did with this game. The story is better, and the gameplay is a lot more fun.
I always end up buying back into World of Warcraft, but this time I am glad I got to try it first. I think this expansion is a neat concept, and it does bring in much-needed improvements, but it isn’t for me.
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Game Review: The Fantastic Kitty Rue
I was sent The Fantastic Kitty Rue as a review code. While I am very grateful, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be an honest review.
The Fantastic Kitty Rue is an interactive visual novel with a rhythm game baked into it. You take control of a young cat girl as she tries to become a famous performer to help her family financially. It’s a cute short title with puzzles, decent voice acting, and a solid story.
The gameplay is split into two parts. There is a rhythm game where you perform to captivate an audience of onlookers and some minor exploration where you scroll through rooms to find items you need to solve puzzles.
I thought the rhythm mechanic was rather clever. Kitty dances to ragtime music, and you are positioned on your keyboard as if you were playing the piano she dances to. The gameplay isn’t very challenging, growing stale after the first song. The music you play isn’t very catchy and part of the reason I grew bored. The animation isn’t finished yet, but promises were made for future updates. What animation exists is fine, but I was so focused on not missing any notes that it didn’t matter.
The exploration is where I take issue with this game. While I did appreciate the bits of world-building presented through the exploration bits, it feels clunky. Moving the camera around feels slow, and some of the puzzle pieces are hard to see.
The story was the best part of this game. It tells a sad but solid narrative while building up to a proper climax. There is a part of this game that gave me anxiety because of how invested I was in Rue’s adventure. I was a big fan of the art and the storytelling, but I wish there was more.
You can buy this game for $16.99 on Steam, but it isn’t worth it. This game is short. It took me 2 hours to finish even though I explored everything. This game is cute but lacks the substance and polish to be worth your attention. I would wait for a sale unless you really want to support the developers. I would be interested to see what they can do in a longer title. Skip this game for now.
Now for a shameless plug, check out Canva. If you need a quick and easy photo or video editor that works in your browser, try Canva. It is free, easy to use, and you get access to a wide selection of templates for those who are like me and aren’t that creative. Check out my affiliate link today! You can also try Amazon Prime with my Affiliate link!
Game Review: Knights of Honor II: Sovereign
I want to mention that this game was sent to me as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let this sway my opinions. This will be my honest review.
Knights of Honor II: Sovereign is a medieval-themed real-time strategy game. The goal is to become the most powerful kingdom in the world. It is similar to the Civilization game but with a lot less waiting and a lot more choices. If you are a fan of strategy or want to get into the genre, this is a fantastic title to add to your collection.
First off, this game has the strange ability to manipulate time in real life. It was morning when I started my campaign, but when I got up, it was well past midnight. I still had choices to make and kingdoms to topple. Knights of Honor II quickly became an addiction, and I don’t even like strategy games.
Choose a kingdom and start making your plans toward world domination. Victory takes many forms in this game. You can bolster your economy through trade, becoming the most prosperous. You can raise mighty armies and watch kingdoms crumble under your might. You can influence the world through your religion and diplomacy. But if you are feeling sneaky, send in your spies to sow dissidence within your enemy’s borders. There are so many choices in this game, and they all matter.
Do not be discouraged. This game sounds complicated, and in many ways it is, but it is easy to pick up. I am terrible at strategy games, but I picked it up quickly. The game does a fantastic job of giving you the resources you need to understand the game, but there are some great guides out there for when you get stuck. I played my campaigns without referencing any guides. I didn’t feel like I needed them, but I made mistakes. None of my runs were optimal. I suggest you look some up if you plan to play online. I didn’t play online, but I assume that people are a lot less forgiving than the AI. The AI is great and found it provided the perfect amount of challenge. If I made too many mistakes or didn’t think about my choices, I was easily overrun by enemy states. I have left behind my collection of failed empires but had a blast losing them.
This game is worth $49.99 it is asking for. I can play this game for hours, and I dare you to not do the same. My only complaint is that sometimes the audio would cut out, but I never play with audio anyways. Get this game if you love strategy. Get this game even if you don’t. Head over to steam and grab your copy today!
Now for a shameless plug, check out Canva. If you need a quick and easy photo or video editor that works in your browser, try Canva. It is free, easy to use, and you get access to a wide selection of templates for those who are like me and aren’t that creative. Check out my affiliate link today! You can also try Amazon Prime with my Affiliate link!
My First Impressions of Horizon XI the FFXI Private Server
Update
I haven’t played this game in a while now because I’ve been too busy. A few people in my comment section have voiced their concern about the current state of the game that you should consider. It seems it has become a bit more toxic than when I first got to play it. It might be a good idea to do a bit more research before diving in.
I want to give out a huge shoutout to Michaël Janssens for buying me some coffee. I really appreciate the support and yes the coffee is going to taste so good. I hope you have a great day, stay blessed!
I got to play HorizonXI over the weekend during their official launch, and I was blown away by how smoothly it went. HorizonXI is a private server where you can play the classic MMO Final Fantasy XI. Sure its launch wasn’t without its issues, but it was a better experience than a few modern MMO launches I tried this year. If you were a fan of Final Fantasy 11 when it was alive and thriving, you need to get on this game now. If you are like me and never got the chance to play it back in the day, give this game a try. Final Fantasy XI is a classic MMO at its finest. Best of all, it is free. All you have to do is download the client from the official HorizonXI website and you are good to go.
At its peak, the server held about 3000 players and it ran well. I didn’t notice any performance issues, but the server did shut down a couple of times for bug fixes and resets. The shutdowns were rare, and the developers did a fantastic job at keeping the base informed on any news. If you are going to play this game, join the official discord server. This is a great place for questions, tips, parties, and for keeping up to date on news and the status of the server.
The gameplay so far has been a lot of fun. This is an early MMO so the grind is very noticeable, but I hear that it isn’t as bad as the original. Early leveling is chill, but it can be competitive at the start, especially during peak times. You will be competing for mobs in this game since you can’t attack an enemy that has already been tagged. I spent a lot of time in the starting zone rushing around mashing the enter key hoping that I could tag anything. If you find yourself in a competitive starting zone, find a bunny or worm and camp its spawn. I recommend you don’t start hardcore mode on a character until you are at least familiar with the game or else you will die to user error.
There is little hand-holding in this game. There are no arrows or markers to tell you where you need to go. You will be given directions, and you will have to find your own way. I have a terrible sense of direction. I spent a lot of my time running around in circles. I suggest you activate the allmaps addon from the start.
If this is your first time playing FFXI, the interface is going to be tricky. Spend some time learning the menus and adjusting the interface to your liking. You can use a keyboard and mouse to play, but I found the best configuration for me was to use the keyboard alone. I use the arrow keys to move the camera and asdw for movement. Controlling the camera with your mouse is a terrible idea, but if it works for you, go for it. If you prefer to use a controller, Horizons makes it very easy to configure through their launcher.
The HorizonXI Launcher is incredible. You can configure your resolution, select the language, and activate addons to help your play experience. Make sure you check your window resolution before you launch the game. Mine was set way too small. I am not sure if this has been fixed, but when I launched the game, everything was in Japanese. I had to go back into settings and change the language to Japanese and then change it back to English for it to work. The texture addon is on by default, and I recommend you leave it on because the game looks better with it on. Other addons are included with the launcher that you can activate with a flip of a switch, but your stability may suffer so be conscious of what you activate. There is a full list of allowed addons on their website. If there is something they don’t offer, you can always request it or install it through Windower.
HorizonXI is intended to be community-driven, and the actions from the developers have proven this fact so far. They are very active on their discord and will quickly address issues as they arise. One thing to note is that this project is run by passionate gamers who do this for the love of the game. There will be issues that arise, but they have proven that they are more than capable to keep the game afloat. Please be patient with the incredible people who are working on HorizonXI. They do this in their free time so there are bound to be issues, but best believe they will work on ironing them out when they can.
I love the experience so far. It may not be the high-paced MMO experience I am used to, but it feels more meaningful. One thing to note is that this game feels a lot more turn based than traditional MMOs I’ve played, and this has made for a chill early leveling experience. I love the leveling experience in MMO. I find peace in a certain amount of grind, so the early leveling in MMOs is a huge determining factor of whether or not I will stick with a game. I have dropped a lot of the modern titles because the experience was empty. FFXI is giving me a sense of peace that I have been savoring because I know the challenge that is to come.
So what are you waiting for? Head over to HorizonXI and experience a brilliant classic MMO worth your time and attention.
Game Review: Digimon Survive
This was not a review code. I bought this game when it came out because I love Digimon. Digimon Survive is a visual novel with some survival and RPG elements. You can play it on all major consoles, but this review is for the Switch version.
If you are a fan of visual novels, this is a solid one based in the digital world. The art is cool, the voice acting is amazing, and the story is fine. Most of the gameplay involves flipping through a visual novel with a bit of exploration and combat sprinkled in.
The exploration is simple. You move between rooms and talk to other characters to unlock more of the story. The game does encourage exploration by hiding useful items in each room, so be sure to click on everything. The exploration is limited to whatever rooms are relevant to the current events in the story. There is no voice acting for the exploration scenes, so you will have to do the voices yourself. This isn’t a criticism because I love the sound of my own voice.
Combat is where I had the most fun, but it is a bit limited compared to other RPGs like Fire Emblem. You control a team of Digimon that you can continually edit as you progress through the story. You can move, make attacks, use abilities, boost your Digimon, and even befriend enemies. I recommend you mess with the settings to speed up the combat unless you don’t mind the tedium of sitting through the animations. Compared to other games in the genre, the grind is almost non-existent. You can grind as much as you feel necessary, but it wasn’t a life-sucking endeavor that others have been. You can enter combat whenever you want in between stories, but I wish there was a bit more in the form of dungeons personally. I had a lot of fun with the combat. It was my favorite part of the game.
The visual novel makes up most of the gameplay in Digimon Survive. The story is fine, but if you don’t like anime, you are going to have a bad time. I watch a lot of anime and felt the story to be a bit on the generic side. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t do much to break the mold. If you are a fan of anime and love Digimon, this will be a decent experience. The story is voice acted by very talented actors. It is in Japanese and I couldn’t have it any other way. I can only hope that this can become adapted as an anime because the fights would be amazing!
So is this game worth it? It depends on your tastes as a person. This is a very niche game made for a specific audience. If you are a fan of Digimon and anime and enjoy visual novels, pick it up. If you don’t mind spending your gaming time reading and want to dive into the visual novel genre, this is a decent place to start. If you are on the fence, I would wait for a sale. While I did enjoy this game and am glad I bought it, I could only play it in small bursts because of my short attention span.
You can play this on the Switch, Playstation, and Xbox. Links are for my affiliate shop.
Now for a shameless plug, check out Canva. If you need a quick and easy photo or video editor that works in your browser, try Canva. It is free, easy to use, and you get access to a wide selection of templates for those who are like me and aren’t that creative. Check out my affiliate link today! You can also try Amazon Prime with my Affiliate link!
Game Review: El Paso, Nightmare
I want to mention that I was sent this game as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let that sway my opinions. This will be an honest review of the game.
El Paso, Nightmare is a Doom-like first-person shooter that proves you don’t need high-fidelity graphics to make a game fun. This high-octane, blood-pumping and disorienting experience is something that should at least be on your watchlist. Take control of Luis Rojas as you navigate through a nightmarish labyrinth killing monsters and trying to find a way out.
The gameplay is strait forward. You run around a maze picking up pills, weapons, ammo, and keys while killing the monsters that hunt you mercilessly. Don’t get caught or it’s game over!
I had a blast with El Paso, Nightmare. The music is fantastic, and I hope there is a soundtrack soon. There isn’t much of a story except for the little setup you get at the start, but the voice acting is great. I love the bit of dialogue Luis says as he tries to calm himself down. It is well-acted, and it makes Luis a more tangible character. Luis is very relatable because he is a normal guy going through a terrifying experience and the voice actor does a tremendous job of expressing this.
I don’t do well in horror games; I had a hard time at first. My heart was racing, and I almost quit after the first jump scare, but I powered through for you. The horror in this game is well done. You can hear the creatures shuffling in the distance, feel the footsteps as they chase you, and the music makes the whole experience that much more intense. It does get easier the more you play, but I always had trouble when I reached a new area of the maze.
My only complaint about this game is that the gameplay does get a bit repetitive. When you die, the level resets. All of the monster, weapon, and item spawns stay the same. After a while, you learn where everything is. You start to form routines as you make you plan your way to the next area. It becomes tedious when you are killing the same monsters and following the same paths because there are no checkpoints. At least none that I reached. The game does try to balance the monotony by creating multiple paths that lead to other areas where you fight different monsters. I still wish there was a way to save my progress so I didn’t lose my work because I got careless.
You should check out El Paso, Nightmare. It is well worth the $5. If you are a fan of the original doom, you will like this game. If you want a game that isn’t a huge commitment that you can pick and drop whenever this is a great choice. I will be looking out for its sequel because I am curious to see what they can do. You can buy it now on Steam.
Game Review: Of Blades & Tails
I’d like to start by mentioning that I was sent this game as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let this sway my opinions. This will be my honest opinion of the game.
Of Blades & Tails is a 2D turn-based RP that I had a lot of fun with. I played it on steam, but there are plans for its release on all major consoles in Q3 2023. This game is currently in early access, and this review will be more of my initial impressions of the experience. I will be consistently returning to this game over time so that I can experience its growth.
The game lets you take control of Reik, a fox person with an empty slate. As you grow, you are allowed to grow Reik and whatever manner you wish. I played him as a warrior with a sword and shield, but the combinations are nearly endless. Want to do magic? There is a skill tree for that. Want to play a rogue? There is a skill tree for that. Want to punch people to death? It’s in the game! If you are indecisive, I have great news: you never have to commit to a class or skill tree! The game allows you to reset your skill trees whenever, provided you have the materials to do so.
The game lets you choose from three different difficulties: relaxed, adventure, and a challenge mode that isn’t out yet. I played on the adventure difficulty and thought it was perfect. I suggest you start there unless the challenge mode is available when you play.
Combat in this game is relatively simple. You move around on an open map with roaming monsters that attack you on sight. If you agro a monster, combat starts. Combat is turn-based. You can take one action per turn. You can move, attack, use an item, or use an ability as your action. Monsters don’t move unless you complete your action, allowing you time to plan appropriately.
Do not let the appearance of this game fool you; this game can be unforgiving. I died a lot because I was careless and cocky. If you die, you restart from your last save. You need to be constantly saving or risk losing items.
One thing to note about the gameplay is that it is a grind. If you don’t like grindy games, this probably isn’t for you. The grind isn’t bad, but it is repetitive. You will be fighting the same monsters in the same locations until you are strong enough to move to the next area and do it all over again with a different set of monsters. I didn’t mind this grind, but it is something to keep in mind.
I loved the aesthetics of this game. I love the 2D pixel art of the world. It was very cute to see how my little fox warrior changed as I geared him over time. I never got to enjoy the NES era of gaming, so I was very excited to see that this game has a retro filter to emulate the experience.
So what do I think? For the price, I think it is a solid experience. If you don’t mind this game being a grind and in its early stages, I would say support it. It is only 13 bucks. Otherwise, I would wait til it is further refined. Some missions aren’t available yet, so you are currently only getting a fraction of the experience. This isn’t something that I mind much because this is a game I will be coming back to.
Of Blades and Tails is a game that you throw on when you just want to chill and not have to be too invested in story and mechanics. There is some min-maxing you can do for those of you that like that style of gameplay, but I am not smart enough to speak on that. As a filthy casual, I never felt the need to min-max. At the very least, you should consider adding it to your watch list.