I was sent Guardians of Holme for free to review on my site. While I am 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.
Guardians of Holme is a tower defense deck builder available now on PC. Demons and monsters are making their push toward Royal City in their campaign to destroy humanity. The fate of the world falls in the hands of a few skilled artisans. Build traps to stop the attacking forces before they can get to the city. Can you stop them before it is too late?
Players start each run of Guardians of Holme with a randomized deck of traps. This deck is upgraded and expanded throughout the run, and the cards players have access to expand over time. The longer you play, the more diverse your card pool becomes. The goal of the game is to set up traps to prevent the hoards of monsters from destroying the core. This makes for a soothing and relaxing gaming experience, but it can also be a bit repetitive. There are a few features that mitigate the monotony like being able to speed up rounds, the RN, and different heroes you can play, but the loop will always be the same.
I loved Guardians of Holme because it combines two of my favorite genres well. Other than a few reworks, the deck building is solid. The game is cute and relaxing, but the repetitive loop makes it hard to recommend, especially at the price point. I find the repetition soothing, and I enjoy the genre enough to justify the price, but it isn’t going to be for everyone. If you are looking for a relaxing game that isn’t much of a commitment, Guardians of Holme is an option. If you love Tower Defence games and want a cute one to fill your downtime, this is a solid choice.
I was sent Card Detective 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. You can also always buy me coffee.
Card Detectiveis a story-rich deck builder available now on Steam for $3.99. Play as investigative reporter Hazel Gong as she stumbles into one of the biggest mysteries of her career. An accident at a construction site unearths a dead body. The circumstances surrounding the death are a mystery, and it is up to Hazel to solve it. Gather the suspects, ask pressing questions, and figure out who did it in this unique and creative experience.
There is no denying that Card Detective looks good. I am a huge fan of the artwork, an even bigger fan of the comic book-style narrative and its fantastic soundtrack.
Card Detective is a unique deck builder, with gameplay helps it stand out against the rest of the genre. The goal of each encounter is to determine how to extract the truth with a deck of questions you construct throughout the game. Each encounter feels like a puzzle where you have to ask the right questions to get to the truth. There are moments when there is very little guidance or direction, but figuring things out on your own can be satisfying.
My issue with the game is that the story isn’t interesting. There are translation issues that make it an awkward read, and there wasn’t enough substance to hook me. After a couple of interrogations, the game got stale. While I appreciate everything Card Detective tries to do, the game needs better card mechanics and a better story.
Card Detective isn’t the worst way to spend $4. I liked the unique experience it offered and loved the aesthetics, but it didn’t do enough to earn a recommendation. I’m probably going to forget I played it. If you want a unique deck builder you might not finish, check it out on Steam. Otherwise, I would spend my money elsewhere.
The Final Shape releases on June 4th. I was sent a copy to cover the release. I haven’t played in a while, so I’ll be taking time to gear up and get ready for the expansion. With the Giving event and trying to regain my bearings, it’s going to be a busy week. Those of you thinking of hopping onto Destiny make sure you head over to Epic Games and grab the Legacy Collection. The collection is free until December 20 and includes The Witch Queen, Beyond Light, and Shadowkeep DLCs. That should be enough to keep you busy until the summer. If you have Destiny 2 on Steam, the DLC doesn’t carry over. You’ll have to play the Legacy Collection on Epic Games.
I am going to have to keep a calendar. With how much I need to catch up on, it is a bit of a daunting task. At the moment, I am working on collecting the Dawning Event while I go through the bits of the story I haven’t finished, and work on the Season Pass. The Season of the Wish just kicked off which means new rewards and cosmetics, but most importantly, a new raid and weapon. I am nowhere near ready for that yet, but I can still appreciate how cool the Wish Keeper looks.
I mean this bow looks sick, and the effects look like the best time! To obtain the Wish Keeper, Guardian’s must complete the newest Dungeon, Warlord’s Ruin. Guardian’s will travel to the Black Garden and uncover the remains of an ancient Ahamkara. The Raid is up, the bow is live, and there are already a ton of tutorials to get you ready! Go join a fire team and go get that bow!
I was sent Loot River forfree to review. 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.
Loot River is a unique roguelike that combines the bleak and unforgiving grind of a Dark Souls game with Tetris. Players must fight through endless and dangerous catacombs where they fight monsters, find treasure, and defeat bosses. With the power of the Relic, players can move the ground to travel through its darkness, solve puzzles, and manipulate enemies. Can you find the end before you meet yours?
The game does a fantastic job of blending the two genres to create a unique and memorable experience. The souls-like elements are simple but unforgiving. The Tetris part creates the game’s unique movement and adds dimension to the combat. The combat is simple but with enough strategy to make it engaging.
Players start each run with a simple weapon and have access to a basic attack, thrust, parry, and dodge. You can move your character, but you can also move the platform you’re standing on independently. You must use a combination of these actions to defeat your enemies and clear each level. These elements come together to create Loot River’s creative combat system.
Throughout a run, you will pick up weapons and gear. This gear is randomly generated, and you lose it when you die. I felt like the RNG was fair enough, but some runs were easier than others. You can also find and buy permanent upgrades to make runs easier. The more you play, the more upgrades you’ll have access to.
Like most games in the genre, Loot River’s gameplay is repetitive. The RNG and procedurally generated levels help mitigate some of the monotony, but you’re still repeating the same actions. I find comfort in the repetition, but it isn’t going to be for everyone. There is also a leaderboard and level editor coming on December 19 with the PlayStation release.
My favorite aspect of the game is the aesthetic. I love the minimalistic pixel art, and the soundtrack is amazing. Most importantly, the game is fun. If you’re looking for a new roguelike to fill some time, check out Loot River. The game is $25, which I find a little high, but the devs continue to release updates so take that as you will. I’d wait for a sale personally.
Loot River is available nowon Xbox and Steam for $24.99. It’s free if you have Game Pass.
I was sent Headbangers Rhythm Royal 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. You can also always buy me coffee.
Headbangers Rhythm Royal is a quirky rhythm game out on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and Steam. Play as stylish pigeons just groovin’ and trying to have a good time. Compete against people around the world in a series of rhythm-based party games. Do you have what it takes to be the grooviest pigeon in town?
There is no denying that Headbangers Rhythm Royal is a cute game. It has a fun art style, cute characters, and a solid soundtrack. When you get past the charm, you are left with a game that isn’t worth $20.
Headbangers Rhythm Royal promises this massive party game experience that pits 30 people against each other in quirky and fun mini-games. The game fills the game with bots if not enough humans queue up. Most of the games you play will be full of bots, except for the few humans grinding for accessories. A lobby full of humans wouldn’t have made this game any more fun, but it would make the stakes real. Most of the time you’ll make it to the top 5 unless you’re unlucky and get a room with six or more people. This game isn’t dead, but it desperately needs more people.
Games are split into four randomly selected mini-games. Half of the round’s population is eliminated based on performance. Once you get into a game, you might get trapped in a minigame you hate. Not all of the games are fun, but that is to be expected from the genre. I wish there were a way to vote for a game, but the amount of bots would complicate this system. Nothing is worse than being stuck in a boring mini-game, waiting for it to be over, only to be trapped in something worse. There are a few delightful and fun games, but not enough for $20.
Headbangers Rhythm Royal is a cute party game that you’ll play until the novelty wears off. It’s not bad, but it isn’t worth $20 either. You can pick it up on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and Steam, but I’d wait for it to go on sale.
The Stuttgart Regionals were this weekend and provided a good look into how Paradox Rift is shaping the meta. I’ve been having a lot of fun with some of the new decks, and am very excited about the direction in which the meta is going. I’ll be going over the top five decks from the tournament, and leave links to the singles for those who want them.
If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. If you want to buy any Pokemon TCG product, likeParadox Riftor the upcoming Paldean Fates, get it over at TCG Player using my affiliate links.
1. Lost Zard
Lost Box continues to be a strong contender, and I can see why. I have a lot of fun running the variants, and its general consistency makes it a solid choice for any occasion. Congratulations to Christian Fontenot for winning it all with his Radiant Charizard variant.
I’ve been using a variation of Maraidon ex on the ladder and have been enjoying it. The deck is quick, easy to learn, and forgiving of mistakes. If you are looking for an archetype to get you started in the competitive scene, this is a great place to start. Congratulations to Simon Tschan for taking it to 2nd!
Not much more to say, Lost Box variants are consistent, and LostTina keeps showing up on top even with Jirachi in the format. Congratulations to Alberto Conti for third place!
Energy (13) 4 Jet Energy PAL 190 4 Psychic Energy 5 3 Grass Energy 1 2 Water Energy 3
4. Lost Moon
Lost Box got a bit of flavor with Roaring Moon. I’ve been meaning to get around to using Roaring Moon, and this might be the way I do it. I am curious to see how Roaring Moon’s role in the format shifts with the meta. Congratulations to Kristian Hodas for making the top four!
Energy (10) 5 Darkness Energy 7 2 Lightning Energy 4 2 Grass Energy 1 1 Gift Energy LOR 171
5. Double Turbo Mew
Last but not least we have Double Turbo Mew. I love this archetype because it was the first competitive deck I ever put together. It is so much fun to play. There are a few counters in the format, but a good pilot can always overcome all the counters in the format. I played a different flavor of this deck, but it remains a spicy contender in the meta. Congratulations to Ethan Wilde for making the top five!
I received Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader for free to review for my site. 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 or the rest of my content, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.
Rogue Trader is the cRPG you should be playing right now. As the newly appointed Rogue Trader for the Imperium, you must brave the uncharted reaches of space, face its terrifying dangers, and make that money in the process. Face off against heretics, fight off bloodthirsty Xenos, and make the choices that will determine your future. Do you have what it takes to survive the grim-dark horrors of the 40k universe?
Owlcat Games has done it again by creating another game you want in your collection. If you enjoy Tabletop Roleplaying games but need that fix off the table, you can’t go wrong with any of the Owlcat Game titles. I love their Pathfinder games, but Rogue Trader has easily become one of my favorites. I love the flavor of the 40K universe, and I prefer the combat system in Rogue Trader.
Rogue Trader is an amazing-looking game. Warhammer fans will appreciate the amount of effort put into creating such an authentic experience. New fans will be left wanting more. The story is a nice dive into a fantastic universe, and I struggled to pull myself away. Everything from the dialogue, the music, and the gore all worked together to create an atmosphere you’d expect from a game set in the 40k universe.
The gameplay is where Rogue Trader earns its love and reputation. I love playing TTRPGs, and this game provides the perfect substitute outside my weekly sessions. I love that there are failable skill checks and social interactions. I even love that my attacks can fail. The randomness of the dice rolls makes everything more exciting. Most of all, I enjoyed that I could roleplay my character how I wanted. Want to take charge and treat everyone like the lowly scum they are? Want to be an overzealous devoted follower of the Emperor? The choice is in your hands and the choices you make matter. With the amount of customization and choices available, this game has a good amount of replay value.
The combat is my favorite part of this game. I don’t normally like strategy games, but Rogue Trader does it right. I played on normal difficulty and found it perfect for my skill level, but you can get as hard-core as you want. The mechanics are easy to learn, and combat is engaging enough without becoming complicated. But mostly, I enjoyed watching enemies explode.
My only complaint about the game is that some objectives are hard to see. To avoid this, press the tab to highlight all clickable items on the map. This was never a deal breaker, but it is a cruel reminder that I am getting old.
I loved everything about Warhammer 40000: Rogue Trader. If you are looking for a new game, check out Rogue Trader. You don’t need to be a Warhammer fan to enjoy this game. The story is pretty straightforward, and the game translates any words you might not know in an easy and convenient format. The only downside is that you’ll want to know more about the universe, but there are a lot of great videos on YouTube to help fill the gaps. Keep in mind that there is a bit of reading and random chance involved if that matters to you. Otherwise, Rogue Trader is a fantastic 40k RPG. You can pick up your copy for $49.99 on Xbox, PlayStation and PC via Steam, GoG, and Epic Games.
I know this is late, but work has been crazy. Make sure you always support the original. If you enjoy this project, please leave me a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. Thank you for reading!
Satsuki’s call sounded serious. Yulin rushes out of the Ryusenji’s lab and makes her way back to the station. The station is a plain glass building with the department’s logo displayed on one side. The words Denrin Police Station are printed clearly over the entrance. There is an eerie calmness that hangs over the station as her boot heels echo off the concrete steps.
Once through the glass doors, Yulin is greeted by the cacophony of chaos that fills the building. Alarms blare around her as she pushes her way through the hurried officers. They stop to greet her respectfully before returning to their panic.
Satsuki hurries to meet her in the middle of it all. She dresses in her casually altered uniform and smiles as she joins the captain’s hurried steps. “Nice of you to join us Captain,” she says playfully.
“What’s going on?” Yulin asks as they enter her office. Only a few cabinets and a big wooden desk fill the office. On her desk, there are a few neat stacks of paperwork and a computer that waits idly. She makes her way to her seat as the door closes behind them. The sounds of the chaos outside become muffled behind the small fogged glass that decorates the door.
“We’re picking up a large-scale Code Cracker activity in the Wall Slums.” Satsuki stands attentively in front of the captain’s desk. She holds onto a tablet.
“How large? “
“Maybe 200 or so.”
“Have they made contact? What do they want? Who’s leading them?”
“I’ll give you a guess,” Satsuki says as she hands her the tablet. Yulin plays the video that had been sitting idle on the screen. The words “Sons of Chaos” appear briefly as the video cuts to a chorus singing.
“I should have known…Fucking Tartarus…” Yulin grumbles. She watches as hundreds of Digimon storm through the slums. One figure catches her eye. “Dorumon?” Yulin gasps.
“We’re headed to the depths!” Tartarus’ voice carries through the madness.
“Dammit Kosuke…” Her voice trails off as she becomes lost in the video. Yulin jolts up suddenly as she is hit with a sudden realization. “They’re going for the Gateway!”
Satsuki nods her head. “It’s a mad dash to the center of the slums. Most of them are bots running simple commands, but there are a few high ranking crackers in the mix to make things…interesteing.”
Yulin slams her fist on her desk and shouts “Dumbass!”
The sudden outburst shakes Satsuki. “I’m sorr..,”
Yulin raises her hand to cut her off. “Not you. Its these dumbass Code Crackers! They’re messing with things they don’t understand.” Yulin becomes visibly frustrated. “Do we have a recon team on the ground?”
“Of course! “I’ll bring them up now.” Satsuki taps a few commands on the tablet. A virtual monitor appears behind her and begins playing footage of the wall slums. “Seasldramon, this is HQ, what’s your status?”
“Copy that. This is Seals leader. It’s a warzone out here. The Code Crackers are clashing with the Gatekeepers.”
“Can you confirm this is a SoC attack?”
“No confirmed SoC units present, but it seems that Slum Digimon are also on the move.”
“What?” Yulin takes a closer look at the footage. She can make out groups of Digimon that Code Crackers hardly use rushing the Gateway.
Yulin raises her Digimon Linker and taps on the screen. “You seeing this Ryudamon?”
Ryudamon’s hologram suddenly appears in the space next to Yulin. “Indeed,” it responds as it watches the video.
“Are they being coerced?” Yulin asks.
“Not all of them. Some of them are helping the humans out of their own accord. Some of those Digimon just want to go home to the other side. There are also Digimon that respect Dorumon and see it as their leader. It wouldn’t be hard for them to rally the slums for their cause.”
Yulin’s eyes widen as she listens to the explanation. “Dammit!” she grumbles as she switches to the emergency channel.
“We have reason to believe that the Sons of Chaos are inciting this attack on the Gateway under the orders of their leader, Tartarus. They are planning to crack the Gateway and gain access to the depths. This will cause irreparable damage to the Digital World should they succeed. We must do everything in our power to stop this attack and bring them to justice. All officers, prepare for immediate dispatch. Equipment type D!”
“Ooo, the new stuff!” A mischievous grin creeps up Sastuki’s face.
“All A Rank units and above, mindlink prior to departure. All Cargodramon, even those in maintaince are to be deployed.” Yulin turns to a giddy-looking Satsuki. “That includes you Satsuki.”
Satsuki stands tall and salutes. “Copy that!” she replies as she hurries out of the office to her desk.
“If anyone sees Tararus out there, contact me immediately. Do not engage!” Yulin sits back at her desk. “You can’t win Kosuke,” she mutters to herself as she engages her Mindlink.
The mountain of debris and junk data that looms over the center of the Wall Slum had become a warzone. Hordes of cyborg-type Digimon flood towards the center, fighting off the swarms of Gatekeepers. The air fills with smoke and explosions. Laughter and playful banter escape from amongst the chaos. To most of the Code Crackers in the Frey, this was just a game.
Hight above the battlefield, in the skeleton of an old rotting building, Marvin watches with a grin. “Magnificent,” he as the glow of explosions lit up the sky.
Dorumon walks up next to Marvin. “Wall Slum mobilization is higher than anticipated.”
“It’s all thanks to Loogamon,” Tartarus replies as he admires the scenes below.
“Can you hear me Eiji? Loogamon?”
“Tartarus?”
“You did good kid. Where are you now?”
“Were still on the subway.”
“We’re almost at the last stop. We’ll take off running from there,” Loogamon adds.
“Move quickly. We have to keep this momentum for this to work.”
“Understood.” Eiji replies.
“Just so you know, the 9th District Digimon will quit when they feel like it.” Loogamon warns.
“That’s fair. We can’t control them all, but there should be enough to get the job done,” Tartarus replies.
“It’s getting hard to hear..chat.”
“Leave your admin channel open. I’ll be in touch,” Koske commands as he ends the call.
“Sir! We have a problem!” A panicked voice reaches through the radio.
“What is it?”
“The DigiPolice!” the voice shouts. A squad of Cargodramon suddenly appear over the concrete horizon of the Wall Slum. “They’re here!”
Character design/illustration illustrator: malo
“It’s about time,” Kosuke says as he watches the incoming Cargodramon. He pets Dorumon on its head. “Thank you for everything.”
“Hm?” Dorumon asks, his eyes glued to the battlefield.
“This is it Dorumon. Are you ready?”
Dorumon nods and points at the Cargodramon. “They’re looking for something.”
I was sent Age of Wonders: Planetfallfor free to review for my site. 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. You can also always buy me coffee.
Age of Wonders: Planetfall is the best way to get into the resource management genre. The game has cool art, fantastic flavor, and it is easy to pick up. Explore the remains of the Star Unions as you seek dominance over the other factions. Challenge your friends in what will be a memorable game of exploration and conquest.
Players choose from one of the six factions and begin their journey through the different planets. Each planet has new adventures and challenges, but what you gain from them will determine your place in the universe. The game is pretty easy to learn. I recommend you check out the tutorial by Rahdo on YouTube to get started.
How to Play
The Sample Size
I am the only person in my family who plays board games, but I have been slowly convincing people to play with me. My wife doesn’t like anything more complicated than Uno and refused to play Planetfall when she saw all the pieces laid out. My sister is a bit more tolerant. She agreed to play but wasn’t as enthusiastic as me and her boyfriend, even though she ended up winning. Her boyfriend is always ready to play board games.
The Game
This box is going to look great on any shelf. Fans of the video game will appreciate the art a lot more. I don’t usually keep my boxes because I don’t have space for them, but I’m willing to make an exception. The board and design are cool and easy to read. The cards and their flavor are fantastic. Even if you haven’t played the video game, you’ll appreciate how cool the art is. The pips are wood, which I prefer to plastic.
Impressions
Age of Wonders: Planetfall is a fantastic introduction to the resource management genre. It has enough moving parts to keep things interesting without becoming overwhelming. The setup was fast and easy, and we started almost instantly. I like to explain the rules as we play, but it didn’t take long for everyone to get settled and work towards strategies.
One of the biggest mistakes I made during my session was ignoring the flavor. It wasn’t until I explained to the table that we were landing on planets and taking over different objectives that they started to get into it. I was amazed at how quickly the conversation turned from being focused on the points to being focused on fighting a certain unit or discovering this landmark because that’s what their commander would do.
My sister ended up winning, and we were left wanting a rematch. She says she wasn’t trying, but I think deep down she knew what she was doing. We loved the game for its change of pace, ease of play, and flavor. It is going to be a hard sell for people who don’t like board games, but everyone, it makes for a nice change of pace from Monopoly. For my table, Age of Wonders: Planetfall is as complicated as we’ll get, and I don’t mind it. The gameplay offers enough room for strategy, but with options to keep it casual to fit our current level of experience. I’ll continue working on bringing more complicated games to our sessions.
If you looking for a new sci-fi game, resource management game, or simply love the video game, I recommend you go pick up Age of Wonders: Planetfall. You can pick up your copy from the official Arcane Wonders store for $44.99, or cheaper at Miniature Market ($31.99)
I was sent the board game GAP for free to review. 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 like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.
GAP is a quick 2-6 player card game that is easy to learn and teach from our friends over at Arcane Wonders. The goal is to be the first person to get 15/30/70 points by matching the colors on the card. The point goal depends on how of a game you want to play.
The best way to learn the game is through the tutorial video on the official Arcane Wonders’ Youtube.
How To Play
In summary, you have a deck of four colored cards. The goal is to collect the most of a single color. You collect cards based on the numbers on the card you put down. For example if I put down a yellow 9:
You would only pick up the numbers written on the corner, with the biggest taking priority. In this case, you would pick up all the 9s from the middle. If none of these numbers are in the middle, the 9 is added to the pile, and nothing gets added to yours. You repeat this until everyone runs out of cards and tally the scores.
The Game
The game comes in a palm-sized compact box with one multi-color deck. The colors are easily distinguishable, and the shine looks beautiful. The cards do feel a little flimsy and are a little hard to shuffle. While they look nice on the table, I am not confident in their longevity, especially if you play with kids. I recommend using card sleeves.
Sample Size
I am the only one in my family that likes board games. My family agreed to help me with my review but were reluctant. My wife doesn’t like board games, and she’ll check out if it starts to get more complicated than Uno. My sister is a little more accepting, but she also has her limits. Her boyfriend is always down to play anything.
Impressions
What I loved most about this game is how easy it is to get started. The rules are easy to teach, and the game is easy to understand once you get started. Halfway through our first game, everyone at the table was working on a strategy. By the second game, everyone knew what they were working towards. As simple as this game is, the randomness makes it engaging. My sister had a round where she was consistently working on a stack of blues when one turn forced her to pick up other colors.
Games of GAP only go for about ten minutes, depending on the type of game to play. Ten minutes is perfect, especially if you have people at your table who don’t like board games. Longer games at my table aren’t really an option, so I found this a blessing.
I loved it, and I am happy my family loved it too. If you’re looking for a game to play with your non-gamer buddies, GAP is a fantastic choice. It takes seconds to learn, and it’s fun enough to keep people engaged. GAP goes for $14.99. You can pick GAP up at the official Arcane Wonders’ store or online retailers like Knoble Knight Games.
