The final trailer for El Paso, Elsewherejust dropped, and I can’t wait for the release. The trailer is epic, and I recommend you check it out even if you have no intention of buying the game. El Paso, Elsewhere is a quirky retro shooter where players hunt hordes of vampires, werewolves, and other demons. The voice acting sounds great, the story and gameplay seem fun, and I am excited to hear what they put on the soundtrack. El Paso, Nightmare, the game before this, had an amazing soundtrack.
El Paso, Nightmareis a lot of fun. I’ve reviewed Nightmare in a previous post, make sure you check it out if you want more details. The game is a lot of fun, and worth the $4.99. If you are looking for a casual game and enjoyed the retro era of gaming, go get El Paso, Nightmare.
El Paso, Elsewhere releases on Xbox and Steam on September 26. No price has been announced yet, but make sure you wishlist it! If you enjoy these updates, make sure you like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends.
Terra Memoria is a cozy turn-based RPG coming to Steam, Xbox, PS5, and Switch. This cute RPG mixes a beautifully drawn 3D world with cute 2D pixel art characters and I am here for it. It definitely gives me some Octopath Traveller vibes, but Terra Memoria seems a bit more whimsical. Terra Memoria puts its emphasis on exploration and adventure as a group of friends travel across Terra in search of a solution for the crystal shortage. What makes this game unique is its building mechanic. Players can use this mechanic to create objects, solve puzzles, and create their own village. If is anything like Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley, I’m never getting anything done.
If you are looking for a new RPG that might be a bit more on the casual side, you should give this a look. No release date has been set yet, but you can at least wishlist it on Steam.
I’m working on getting a review code for this, so stay tuned for the full review when it’s out. Until then, It might be time to finally start up Octopath Traveller II.
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I just saw the trailer for El Paso, Elsewhere, and I can’t help but feel excited. I’ve played the previous title, El Paso, Nightmare, and loved every minute of it. Make sure you check out my full review.
El Paso, Nightmareis a fun little Doom clone that you should pick up if you want something fun that isn’t a huge commitment. Battle against endless waves of monsters and demons as you make your way through a nightmare of a labyrinth. My only complaint is that it can feel a little repetitive, but it earns its $5 price tag.
El Paso Elsewhereis bringing a story to this delightful indie title, and I am here for it. The trailer gives off some fun Noir vibes, and the new bullet time mechanics look like a blast. It looks like Blade meets The Matrix, and that seems like a good time. If this game is anything like its predecessor, El Paso, Nowhere is going to be a fun quirky game with a fantastic soundtrack. I’ll be following its development closely and will do my best to play it as soon as it becomes available.
El Paso Elsewhere comes out sometime this fall on PC and Xbox. A demo is available on Steam if you want to try it first. Don’t forget to add it to your wishlist, and make sure you try out El Paso, Nightmare while you’re at it!
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I was sent Fort Solis as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let it sway my opinions about the game. This will be my honest review.
Jack Leary is an engineer on Mars on the final days of his tour when he receives a distress signal from a nearby mining camp. What starts as a simple check-in quickly turns into the longest night of his life. There is something strange happening within the walls of Fort Solis. Can Jack survive long enough to find out what?
Fort Solis felt more like a visual novel or interactive fiction than a video game. Players have some freedom with their investigation of the base, but the experience is somewhat rail-roaded. There are some variations in the narrative based on the choices players make through the quick time events, but you’re essentially walking from checkpoint to checkpoint and collecting clues in between.
I had no issues with this style of narrative because it felt like I was watching a solid sci-fi series with no filler. The atmosphere is properly creepy, the music is fantastic, and the voice acting is phenomenal. The game may not be scary, but it does enough to keep the story engaging. Fort Solis does a fantastic job at creating a creepy isolated experience as you stumble through the darkness, piecing the mystery together. The mystery is fine, but I think I failed a bit too many quick time events to get the full story.
A lot of the narrative exists through dialogue and logs you find throughout the base. A lot of the game is tied to exploration, so keep that in mind when considering buying this title. The logs and clues were well implemented, making Fort Solis one of the few games where I went out of my way to collect as much of the story as I could because of how invested I became. I didn’t uncover everything sadly, but I was left with enough mystery for at least another playthrough.
There are multiple endings, and the endings are influenced by the choices players make throughout the game. It is easy to start passively enjoying the narrative and fail a quick time event. I recommend you stay alert if you want to avoid a bad ending. That said, the game is short enough where you can easily see other endings. If you do the bare minimum to get through the checkpoints, it should take players no more than 4 hours to clear the game. I took my time to get lost in the world because I was enjoying my time through the base. There is also a ending credit scene you should look out for.
I enjoyed Fort Solis. The game has a well-designed narrative, amazing voice actors, and a great sound track. This is a great game if you enjoy thrilling sci-fi and don’t mind interactive fiction. That said, I think $25 is a little too much for what you get. I recommend you pick it up when it goes on sale unless you can’t really can’t wait. This is a game you should at least play once for the unique experience it provides.
You can pick up Fort Solis for the PS5 ($29.99), Mac (39.99), PC via Steam and Epic Games (24.99). Steam and Epic Games currently have it on sale for $22.49 until August 29.
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I was sent Arcadegeddon as a review code. 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.
Arcadegeddon is the quirky, hyperactive looter-shooter that should have been released as a free-to-play game. The game runs great, the art is unique, and the music is great, but the game is boring. Once you get past the novelty of the colorful chaos, the game feels empty. There is a story, but it isn’t very well written.
A mega-corporation is taking over gaming, and a lone arcade stands in its way for total domination. The owner asks for your help, but the fight against the corporate machine won’t be easy. Earn the trust of the local gaming gangs and make gaming fun again.
The gameplay loop is a little too simple for this game to be charging money. You dive into the dungeon, fight the swarms of enemies, complete any objectives, and move on to the next floor to do it again. The goal is to get to the highest level possible without dying, and there is even a leaderboard for further incentive. You start each run with simple weapons and find stronger ones throughout the level. The guns are fun and unique, but there is always the chance that the RNG will make your runs miserable. There are daily missions, special quests, and gang quests that you can complete throughout the run to unlock new perks, weapons, and cosmetics. I didn’t find much incentive to keep playing after the first few runs.
You can play Arcadegeddon solo or with other people. The solo experience stops being fun, and I never had any luck with the matchmaking. The game supports crossplay, but I’ve seen comments complaining about it not working properly. I didn’t see an update and couldn’t test it, so keep that in mind before you make the purchase.
I can see this game being fun with friends, but I still think $15 is too big of an ask. The game isn’t bad, but I would rather play something like Wayfinder or Destiny 2 instead. Unless there is a major update to the gameplay loop or a healthy influx of enthusiastic players, I don’t see a real reason to buy into this game just yet. There really isn’t much more I can say about this game because as flashy as it is, it wasn’t very impressive. You can pick it up on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC via Steam and Epic Games, but I wouldn’t go rushing to buy it.
I was very fortunate to get to review Nocturnal Earlier this year. Nocturnal is a beautiful and unique platformer for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation that might be worth looking into even if you don’t enjoy the genre. I had a lot of fun with this game and recommend it to those interested. Go check out the full review if you want to get the full opinion.
Well, Nocturnal just got its first major update, and I felt the need to share the news. The new update brings with it some much-needed quality-of-life changes, a new enemy, and new story bits to play through. The update introduces a new performance mode that opens up the game to lower-spec computers, which I always love to see. I remember the days when my toaster could barely run anything, it’s nice to see when companies care about their players.
There are also some nice updates to the level and UI design and improved combat feedback for both players and bosses. The game has been released, but it is nice to see the devs are still passionate to make the game better for their customers. It is even nicer that this update isn’t locked behind paid DLC.
I recommend you look into this game if you are in the market for something new. It looks like there are still plans for future updates. It is currently on sale on Steam for $11.89 (normally 16.99) until August 7th. PlayStation also has it on sale for $14.99 (normally $19.99) until August 16th. Sorry Xbox mains, you have to pay the full $19.99 for now.
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I was sent Krzyżacy – The Knights of the Cross as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review.
Krzyżacy – The Knights of the Cross is a pixel art deck builder based on a book of the same name. Unfortunately, the English localization is bad. I stopped reading the story early on because the effort isn’t worth it. The source material might be worth reading, but this adaptation isn’t. With only gameplay left, there wasn’t much reason for me to keep playing once the novelty wore off. Krzyżacy – The Knights of the Cross becomes a boring grind with cute pixel art, but you can find a better game elsewhere.
Like most deck builders, you start the game with a basic deck and slowly build a stronger one as you progress through the campaign. What makes this deck builder unique is that you can recruit units to help you in battles. These units will perform actions based on the combination of cards you play during a turn. This creates an interesting dynamic where you are trying to create combos from your hand that synergizes with your companions. The problem I have with this system is that if you don’t meet the basic requirements for an action, the unit sits idle. This game is not forgiving when it comes to the action economy, and wasted turns result in more unnecessary grind.
I recommend you look up guides or build toward a two-color deck early on to make sure you play efficiently. The amount of gold and xp you earn and the global healing you can do is limited. These limits are standard in the genre. The problem is that you can get stuck in the campaign if you haven’t been using your gold wisely. Most deck builders let you easily redo the run, but Krzyżacy forces you to sit through the cut scenes and restart from zero. This is great if you are good at these games and love the strategy, but bad for the casual players. There are global perks you can earn by playing the game that alleviate some of this grind, but it stops being worth the trouble. The game is short enough that the reset isn’t a huge issue, but I couldn’t find the motivation for a second one.
Don’t get me wrong. I like that this game offers difficult choices to its players and rewards efficiency, but I wish the story was better and it was easier to reset the run. I kept hitting a point where I didn’t have money to buy companions, cards, or heals, and my deck wasn’t strong enough to get through the story, and I couldn’t justify going through the grind.
If you are looking for a fun deck builder, there are better options. The art is cool and it introduces interesting mechanics, but as is, this game isn’t worth buying into. The localization of the story isn’t good, and the gameplay isn’t fun enough to justify the price. You can get it on Steam for $14.99, but I suggest you hold off for a sale or some major updates.
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If you’ve been following my blog since the beginning or have seen the recent state of my blog, it is no secret that I love card games. I’ve spent way too much money on trading cards and am always looking for a new deck builder to add to my collection. The latest to catch my eye is a little game called Krzyżacy – The Knights of the Cross, coming to Steam on July 20, 2023.
Play as a knight who must help his people defeat the Teutonic Knights. The game is based on an award-winning story of the same name that covers the conflict between the Polish-Lithuanian people and the Teutonic Knights in the 15th century. I haven’t read the book, but I hope that means the story is good. I also hope the game is an accurate adaptation because I love learning about history.
As the knight, you travel the real collecting companions to fight with you and cards to make your deck stronger. There are 30 characters you can collect and level, and the freedom to build a deck that fits your playstyle. The combat looks like a strait forward deck builder but with a story and some RPG elements that might help it stand out against the genre. The game has seven chapters, 200 side quests, and a roguelite mode for hours of gameplay. That probably means this game is going to take me forever to complete.
1 / 50
What excites me most about this game is the art style. I love pixel art, and the design for Krzyżacy – The Knights of the Cross is amazing! The sprites are cute, the characters are cool, and the animation looks fun. There is a bit of fan service, but I don’t mind it. I’ve seen a lot worse, and the characters are too cool for it to matter.
I just received my review code for this game, and am super excited to try it out. I haven’t started the game, but I am also under embargo so I won’t be able to share my thoughts on the game just yet. I’ll get my review out as soon as I am able, so make sure you’re subscribed. Until then, make sure you add Krzyżacy – The Knights of the Cross to your wishlist.
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Revita is an interesting-looking twin-shooter roguelike that I just came across. It has a cool art style, a fantastic soundtrack, and fun-looking gameplay. If you are looking for a game with a solid retro arcade feel, you might want to consider looking into Revita.
Play as a nameless child who has lost all their memories. Fight your way through procedurally generated floors and mobs of monsters to piece together the mystery of what has been lost. What secrets lie within the walls of this ominous tower? You will have to play to find out.
The art in this game looks so good. I love pixel art and adore this renaissance of pixel art games we are going through. I hope Revita can be included in that because it’s such a pretty game. The soundtrack is what mostly sells it for me because it is phenomenal. I am listening to it now, and I recommend you do the same so that you can also get hyped for this game. I am pretty sure the score alone has convinced me to pick this game up for myself.
Aesthetics aside, the game looks fun to play. It promises nearly unlimited builds, unique runs, and lots of customization so that you can play the game how you want. You will have access to settings that make the game as casual or hard-core as you want, such as adjustable aim assist, speed, and enemy visibility. The platforming is where I might have an issue with this game because I am not good at it, but it looks fun enough that I am willing to set prejudices aside. The combat looks easy enough to learn, but hard enough to keep the game engaging. It is hard to know how good the game will be from the trailer alone, but I will be picking it up for the Switch and getting that review out as soon as I can. Stay tuned for that.
You can pick up Revita now for the Switch, PlayStation, and PC for $16.99. Nintendo has it on sale for $13.59 until July 26. Pre-orders for the deluxe edition of the game are also available if you want the poster, an acrylic standee, and some extra swag for €34.99. The deluxe edition is expected to release later this year, but no date has been announced yet.
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I was sent Backpack Heroas a review code, and while I am grateful for the opportunity, I will not let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review of the game.
Backpack Hero is a charming little inventory roguelike that deserves a lot more attention. It has a cute art style, a nice soundtrack, and fun gameplay. This game is a lot more fun than an early-access game has the right to be. If you are looking for a chill game that will challenge you, get Backpack Hero.
Dive through procedurally generated dungeons as you fight enemies, find treasure, and manage your inventory. Space in your bag is limited, so choose carefully. How will you brave the unknown? Will you use magic? Poison? Swords? Ninja stars? The choice is yours! (and RNGesus’)
Players start with limited inventory space and gain more as their character levels. Dungeons are full of monsters, treasure, and random events that award players loot to shuffle around. Weapons, items, armor, and potions have unique skills that can interact with each other based on their placement in the backpack. Inventory management is almost like a deck builder as you work towards specific builds by collecting certain items.
As deceptively simple as this game appears, I spent a lot of time theory crafting and optimizing my build only to have my run ended by an enemy or ability I didn’t plan for. Losing was never a frustrating experience in Backpack Hero. I understood my shortcomings and planned for a better run. There are special challenges you can run if the normal game because too easy, but I mostly played in normal because I enjoyed the chill yet challenging vibe that came with it.
What I liked most about this game is how different every run felt. I never had the same build, even when I started building toward a familiar one. There was always something dumb and alluring I wanted to try. It didn’t always work out, but I had a lot of fun exploring and testing my options. The combat is a little simple. It is turn-based, and what you can do is limited by action points. You spend your action points by casting spells, attacking with weapons, or blocking with shields. I never felt like combat got stale because my strategy was constantly changing. Some runs were more fun than others, but such is life with RNGesus.
Inventory management is the most important mechanic in Backpack Hero. If you’ve played any MMO or RPG, you’ve become too familiar with the concept. I used to joke that most of my playtime on Guild Wars 2 was spent in my inventory. In Backpack Hero, you will consistently make difficult choices as you arrange and rearrange your bag. What you choose to keep in your bag affects how you play each round, so make sure you choose carefully. There are vendors and special events that will give you access to random and sometimes cool items, a smith that will upgrade your gear, and cursed items that will mess up your whole strategy. I spent a lot of time theory-crafting the perfect build and had a blast doing it, even if I never got impressively far. There are probably guides out there for the most optimal run, but I recommend you fail a couple of times on your own first.
If you have been considering getting this game or looking for a new game to get into, Backpack Hero is worth every penny. It is a cute casual game with enough kick to it to keep you entertained for hours. You can buy Backpack Hero on Steam for $16.99. Now would be a great time to pick it up because it is 20% off ($13.59) until the 13th.
