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video game reviews

Enshrouded Early Access is a Solid Survival Sandbox Experience

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I was sent Enshrouded to review for free to 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. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee. 

What is Enshrouded?

Enshrouded is a sandbox survival game out now in Steam early access. The game supports single and multiplayer gameplay, but I like to play my survival games alone. This review will be on the solo experience only, but hosting and joining a game isn’t difficult. I recommend joining the official discord for news, tips, and to find new friends.

I got to play the demo for Steam’s Next Fest earlier this year and enjoyed it. If you are looking for a new survival game to sink some time into, Enshrouded is a solid choice, but know that the game is a little rough because it is still in development.

Players wake up in a world in a depressing state of destitution. The Shroud plagues the land. Bloodthirsty monsters and marauders roam its hills. The only sense of civilization you’ll find is the one you create with your own two hands. How far can your determination take you? Can you rid the world of its blight, or are you merely prolonging complete demise?

Impressions

The game is still in early access, so I’ll try not to review it too harshly. The game runs well, but there is some noticeable roughness. Monsters get stuck, frames drop, and artifacts sometimes don’t render correctly. None of the issues are game-breaking, but they are noticeable. 

The game itself is fun, and a solid title to add to your collection. There is a good amount to do without it ever feeling overwhelming. I like that there is a quest line that guides players through the fundamentals. You will eventually need to reference a guide for farming locations and recipes, but the solo experience is pretty beginner-friendly. I went without a guide and while I do see the benefits of having a guide, it never felt like I was locked out of content for lacking one. 

Aside from a few kinks, combat feels good. There are a good amount of weapons to help players have the adventure they want. I was a huge fan of fighting with magic, but I didn’t mind when I was forced to switch to my secondary. The boss fights in this game was perfect for my skill level, and beating them was satisfying. 

What I liked most about this game is how much there is to do. If I wanted to relax, I could farm or build my base. If I wanted to fight, I could find shrowded zones and kill monsters. If I got stuck, I could follow the quest line. Most importantly, the game is fun. I love that I can sit back and enjoy the game at my own pace.

If you’re thinking of getting Enshrouded, do it. Aside from a bit of early access roughness, it is a solid survival sandbox. It looks good, feels good, and sounds good. I’ll be coming back to it from time to time, and reviewing it again when it comes out of early access. Stay tuned for that. Until then, you can pick it up on Steam for $29.99, or at the very least, add it to your Wishlist. 

video game reviews

Terra Alia: The Language RPG That Almost Could

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I was sent Terra Alia for 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, follow, and share this with your friends. If you’re looking for accessories for your VR headset, like magnetic prescription lenses or a high-quality charging cable, get it at ZyberVR. Use discount code CHURAPE for 15% off. You can also always buy me coffee. 

Terra Alia is a VR RPG game for the Meta Quest that teaches players a new language. The game supports 10 languages: English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Brazilian Portuguese. Players are put into a world full of magic, but the only way to use it is to learn a new language. 

There is a story to this game, but it doesn’t feel important. At least it didn’t hook me enough to care. The main draw to this game is the grind to learn a new language. The game does this through exploration, puzzles, and combat. 

I felt like exploration was the main loop for this game. Players pick up new vocabulary and phrases through exploration. To pick up a new word, you point at the word, listen to the translation, and pronounce it properly. The game offers a prerecorded pronunciation and uses the Quest’s mic to check yours. Players use the words and phrases they learn to solve puzzles, beat challenges, and cast spells. 

For the most part, the prerecordings are fine when it comes to single words, but they fall off when it comes to prerecordings. The recordings of some of the phrases were incoherent, and I found myself stuck because I couldn’t hear the pronunciation. Challenges are a pain because you can’t repeat the pronunciation of phrases. You can listen to single vocabulary words all you want, but you only get a quick shot at phrases. This made learning phrases difficult, and the challenges annoying to complete.

Combat in this game is where this game could have stood out more, but it falls flat after the novelty wears off. After a couple of battles, I found myself actively avoiding them because they felt like a chore. To cast a spell, players have to translate a word to their chosen language within the time limit. The system gives players a word like a dog and two options, and players must pronounce the correct word properly. It’s a fine system, especially with this kind of RPG, but nothing exciting. It also doesn’t always work which is a bit frustrating.

Terra Alia is good at teaching players new words in a different language, but don’t expect to become fluent. I found that the repetitive grind helped me pick up new words quickly, and I rarely needed to look up a resource. Unfortunately, once the novelty wore off, I didn’t find much reason to play. If you have young kids, this is a solid came to throw them into. It has a cute cartoonish style, the loop is simple and easy to follow, and it’s a nice intro to a new language. Anyone more hardcore about RPGs will find the experience lacking. It is a cool idea and I hope they can make it better, but in its current state, I can’t recommend it. 

You can pick up Terra Alia for the Meta Quest for $19.99. 

video game reviews

Tevi: The cute metroidvania game that almost could

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I was sent Tevi as a review code. 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, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

Tevi is a cute bullet hell Metroidvania releasing on Steam later today, but you can try out the demo in the meantime. You play as Tevi as she fights her way through intricate dungeons in search of ancient tech.

If nothing else, Tevi will be one of the cutest games you’ll play this year. I am a huge fan of the art and ethics, but the story didn’t do enough to hook me. I found the story a bit generic as it spent more time hitting certain anime tropes than developing an interesting story. There is voice acting, which is nice, but it is much more efficient to read through the cut scenes. If you aren’t already skipping them.

The main draw to this game should be the gameplay. The game runs great, and the gameplay has a retro vibe that I enjoyed until the novelty wore off. The game starts to feel repetitive after a bit, even when new bosses and skills are introduced to shake things up. I like how the game slowly introduces new combos and abilities as you progress through the game. It makes progression feel more fluid and manageable.

Combat is simple, but it has its charm. After memorizing enemy patterns, this turns into your traditional Metroidvania with the occasional boss to mix things up. Bosses are unique in flavor and strategy, and they never felt unwinnable. I played the game on Normal difficulty and found it too easy, but the game offers an easy way to change the difficulty in game when you need to. 

Honestly, I am somewhat in the middle when it comes to Tevi. While I enjoyed the casual retro vibe, the pacing of the combat, and the cute aesthetic, this isn’t a game I can spend too much time on. I certainly wouldn’t finish the game if I bought it with my own money. The problem with Tevi is that if you don’t care about the aesthetic, there are simply better options. Even then, I would wait for a sale and play something like Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune if you want to play some good Waifuvania, or Nocturnal for something more serious. Don’t get me wrong, the game isn’t bad, but you have better options.

You can pick up Tevi on Steam later today. There is also a physical collectors edition available for $106.39 on the official website. 

The Collectors edition includes:

  • Original Soundtrack SteelBook x1 (4 discs with a total of 72 tracks)
  • Enamel Pin x1
  • Art Board (Shikishi) x1
  • Astral Gear Wireless Charger x1
  • Commemorative Number Card x1
  • Collecter Box x1
video game reviews

Howl: The Beautiful folktale strategy puzzle game you need

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I was sent Howl as a review code. 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 these reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

Howl is a turn-based strategy game you can pick up now on Switch and Steam, and PlayStation, Xbox, and Epic Games on January 23rd.

A strange disease spreads through the land, turning anyone who hears it into a violent beast. It is now up to one lone girl to brave the dangers of this new world and find the cure. Fight monsters, save survivors, and forge your destiny. Do you have what it takes?

Howl is such a beautiful game with a unique concept. I am a huge fan of the living ink art style. It reminds me of old Germanic folktales and makes for such a magnificent vibe. It has beautifully voice-acted narration, a phenomenal score, and some neat animations. I recommend you at least check out the demos to appreciate how pretty this game is.

Most importantly, Howl is a fun game with unique gameplay that would make an excellent addition to your library. While Howl does have unique strategy elements, the game feels like a puzzle. 

Each stage has a limited number of turns, actions, and resources you can use to clear the stage and collect all of the loot. Each stage awards players with nodes of light or skulls that players will need to level up the prophet. These upgrades unlock or power up new spells and give you more turns per action. You’ll need these upgrades to 100% clear some stages. 

The action economy is what makes this game unique. Where other strategy games separate hero and enemy actions, Howl combines them. Players have a set number of actions they can perform per turn. They can move a space, attack with an arrow, or use magic. Enemies perform their actions in reaction to a player’s. Players need to queue up all available actions in a turn while guessing how the enemy will react, turning this game into a puzzle. Players must manage their resources efficiently while guessing or memorizing enemy patterns effectively. There is an assist mode that lets you see enemy movements, but it is much more satisfying to solve correctly on your own. 

I loved Howl because of how unique and manageable it is. If you are looking for a beautiful casual experience with enough of a challenge, this game belongs in your library. It looks cool, sounds great, and the gameplay is fun. You can pick up Howl on Switch and Steam today, or wait till January 23rd to get it on PlayStation, Xbox., or Epic Games. There is a demo available for Steam, Switch, and Xbox.

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Folktale Strategy game Howl out now on PC and Switch

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Howl is the game from this month’s Indie World Showcase that I was most excited about. The art style is beautiful, the hook is interesting, and the gameplay seems fun. The game is out now on Steam and Switch fpr $14.99, and will release on Xbox, PlayStation, and Epic Games on January 23rd. I was going to pick this game up regardless, but I was fortunate enough to have been sent a copy for review. I’ll be posting my full impressions soon, so stay tuned for that. 

Howl is a uniquely stylized strategy game with a lovely classic folktale vibe. You play as a deaf girl who must brave the world’s dangers in search of a cure for a disease that ravages humanity. The disease is turning everyone who hears into beasts, and she is the only one who is immune to its effects. She must now fight the beasts that hunt her, save any remaining survivors, and become the hero fate needs her to be. 

Howl isn’t your traditional turn-based strategy game. It plays like a puzzle where you must predict enemy moves and use resources efficiently. Howl seems like a nice change in pace from the norm, and I am here for it. Definitely check it out if you want to add something unique to your library. 

You can pick up Howl now on Switch and Steam, or wishlist on PlayStation, Xbox, and Epic Games. There is a demo available for Steam, Switch, and Xbox.

If you enjoy these updates, make sure you leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee. 

video game reviews

Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society, its cute and fun, but not for everyone

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I was sent Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society as a review code. I am very grateful for this opportunity because this game has been on my Wishlist since it was announced for the Switch. That said, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review of the game.

Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society is a retro-feeling dungeon crawler available now for the PlayStation, Switch, and PC via Steam. Eureka has been hired by Madame Marta to search the mysterious Labyrinth of Galleria for the nine mysterious Curios d’art. With the help of puppet warriors, you must delve into the labyrinth and uncover its secrets. What will your adventure hold?

This game is cute, but it feels unfinished. The deeper I got into the game, the harder it was to finish. The story was fine, but the gameplay loop started to feel repetitive. I enjoyed this game in small bursts. The exploration and combat were soothing, and I enjoyed the story. The problem is that there wasn’t enough to keep me engaged. Labyrinth of Galleria isn’t a bad game. I enjoyed it, but it doesn’t do enough to be worth $50. If you like retro dungeon crawlers and don’t mind how heavily it falls onto anime tropes, the game is fine. It has a pleasing art style, terrific voice actors, and a solid story. If you don’t, maybe wait for a good sale.

The gameplay loop is simple. You move through the dungeon in a first-person view one square at a time, and fight monsters with dolls you collect. Combat runs like a traditional RPG and unlocks new dolls and abilities the deeper you get into the game.

The problem I have with this game lies with the gameplay. The game is fun until the grind gets stale. There are settings you can mess with to make the grind manageable, but it got harder to keep playing the longer I sat with it. This is a game that is tricky to recommend because of how niche it is. 

You can pick up Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society for PlayStation, Switch, and Steam for $49.99. Steam currently has it on sale for $39.99 for their NIS publisher sale, but unless you like retro dungeon crawlers, there are better titles you can look at. The sale ends on October 16th.

video game reviews

Disgaea 7, the cute anime game you are going to want to play at least once!

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I was sent Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless to review a little after my previous post. I’ve been excited about this title since the first announcement and was planning on buying it regardless. I am very fortunate to get the chance to review it for my site, but I won’t let this sway my opinions on the game. This will be my honest review of the game. If you’ve been enjoying my reviews, make sure you like, comment, subscribe, and share this with your friends. 

Disgaea 7 is a quirky and unique JRPG for PlayStation, Steam, and Nintendo Switch. This review is based on the Steam version. 

This is a cute game with stunning visuals, a fantastic soundtrack, and fun gameplay. Do not let how cute this game looks fool you. This game is difficult if you don’t take it seriously. I found the stages appropriately challenging and the mechanics engaging. I played the game on Easy, which was appropriate for my skill level. Although I never found the stages impossible or frustrating, it was easy to wipe if I wasn’t playing strategically. If you’ve never played a strategy game, it has terrific tutorials to get you started.

The story is a little on the silly side, with a general cheesiness I found charming. It has a cast of tremendous actors that make the cut scenes such a delight to sit through. I can see this being a niche game due to its tone, but the gameplay is fun enough that it won’t matter. The story is self-contained enough to exist on its own. While you won’t need to play any of the other games in the series to enjoy Disgaea 7, you are going to. 

Aside from the combat, what I love most about this game is how much you can do at the base. Between stages, you get access to all these shops where you recruit new heroes, learn new skills, buy items, vote for buffs, and do other administrative stuff to prepare for the next stage. As goofy as this game looks, I spent a lot of time planning things through, and I loved every minute of it. 

Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless releases in North America on October 3rd on PlayStation, Steam, and Switch for $59.99. If it’s not yet on your wishlist, it should be. 

video game reviews

Hellsweeper VR was okay, but I could have been playing something better

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I was sent Hellsweeper VR as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let this sway my opinions. This will be an honest review of the game. If you enjoy my reviews, don’t forget to like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. 

Hellsweeper VR is a roguelike hack-and-slash game for Steam, Quest, and PlayStation VR. You play as a dammed soul trying to repent for your sins. You are tasked with spending your afterlife hunting down demons until your depth is paid, earning your passage to heaven. 

The game has cool flavor and a solid concept, but Hellsweeper is a bit too simple for its own good. Once the novelty of the experience wears off, the game becomes repetitive and boring. You dive into the dungeon and try to get as far as possible before dying and starting over. You start with simple weapons or magic and find upgrades throughout your run or you can buy them in between them. Combat feels clunky, and it grows stale after a while. You have options on how you fight the forces of hell, but I always felt the guns were the best way to go about it. The game tries to shake things up by having you complete different missions during each run, but not all of them are fun. By the end of my first run, there wasn’t any real reason to keep playing. 

The game isn’t bad, but there are better games you can play. Hellsweeper VR isn’t worth the $29.99 it asks for, and even at a discount, your money is better spent elsewhere.  

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Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless is out for the Switch, and its pretty cute

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The Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless demo for the Nintendo Switch has been out for a few days, but I finally got to play it. I loved every minute of this demo. The art is cute, the voice acting is fantastic, and the gameplay is engaging. I haven’t played any of the Disgaea games before, and I am regretting my life’s decisions. Disgaea is a cute and quirky strategy RPG coming to PlayStation, Steam, and the Nintendo Switch on October 3rd in the US, the 6th in Europe, and the 13th in Australia.

A tyrant rules the Netherworld of Hinomoto. Its once proud warrior people now live under the Hinomoto Code of Destruction. It is up to two unlikely friends to join forces and bring back the Bushido code that was once the staple of this proud civilization. 

You don’t need to have played any of the other games in the series to enjoy the demo, but you are going to want to. The demo does a fantastic job of walking players through the different mechanics and setting up the story as its own entity. I’ve been excited about Disgaea 7 since it was first announced. This is definitely going to be in my cart at launch. If you are a fan of the series or want some extra swag, you might want to check out the special collector’s edition available at the NIS online store. There are two different sets, one with plushies ($159) and one without ($99.99). I’ll leave the details below. You can buy the plushies separately.

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Without Plushies ($99.99)

  • Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless Limited Edition
  • “The Art of War” Hardcover Art Book
  • “Songs of Honor” 2-Disc Original Soundtrack
  • Steelbook
  • Mini Byoubu Art Display
  • “Netherworld Warriors” Yunomi Tea Cup
  • Collector’s Box

With Plushies ($159)

  • Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless Limited Edition
  • “The Art of War” Hardcover Art Book
  • “Songs of Honor” 2-Disc Original Soundtrack
  • Steelbook
  • Mini Byoubu Art Display
  • “Netherworld Warriors” Yunomi Tea Cup
  • Collector’s Box
  • Lil’ Fuji Plush
  • Lil’ Pirilika Plush
gaming news

Tarisland Beta coming this November!

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I have been watching the Gamescom coverage a bit passively, but one title that has stood out and has gotten me excited is Tarisland. Tarisland is an MMORPG coming to PC and Mobile devices soon. No date has been announced yet, but there is a beta coming in November. I’ll be making an announcement as soon as I know more, but you can either sign up for updates on the official website or join the official Discord. 

The art style looks heavily inspired by World of Warcraft, which I kind of like. The gameplay I’ve seen seems fine, but it is too early to tell if it will be any good. The game will feature seven classes: Ranger, Paladin, Warrior, Mage, Priest, Bard, and Barbarian Fighter. Each class offers two distinct styles styles of gameplay. 

Barbarian Fighter

Mage

Priest

Paladin

There is some character customization, but it is limited to things like hair style and color. I would have preferred to play set characters like in Genshin Impact instead if the characters were cooler, but I think the goal is to allow customization through cosmetics. I can only hope the price tag for cosmetics isn’t too high because these characters will need cosmetics.

The game will have dungeons, raids, and pvp like in a traditional MMO, but it isn’t going to be pay to win according to the publishers. I will have to take them to task, but I appreciate the sentiment. The game will balance players through seasons where players will start at the same power level and will have the same opportunities as they level up. I assume there will be a battle pass, but they have said no power level will be tied to the cash shop so it might just be cosmetics.

I hope this game isn’t a terrible grind because what I’ve seen so far has me interested. I am always looking for an MMO to get into, and a game I can play anywhere is always a plus. I’ll probably roll a Bard or Priest because I love to support, but I’ve been enjoying the DPS life lately. I’ll be trying to get into this beta, and will be posting updates as I receive them. I just hope Tarisland can be the one that fills the void!