I’ve been playing Songs of Silence since the beta went live. Sign-ups are still open, and I suggest you try it for yourself. The game offers an interesting and unique experience that I am excited for. I recommend you join the official Discord if you want to stay up to date on all the news. I’ve also written about Songs of Silence in a previous post, so make sure you read that as well. I won’t be reviewing the game this time around because it isn’t finished yet. This will be an update based on my impressions of the beta.
Songs of Silence combines the deck builder and strategy genre and creates something I can see myself being addicted to. The game combines two of my favorite concepts and plays them against a fantastic soundtrack. It is still rough, and that roughness does create some frustration, but once I got the hang of the mechanics, it became hard to step away.
The game has a similar action economy to games like CIV. Each turn you earn your income, move your units, plan your attacks, and expand your empire. The story mode can switch up this flow based on the scenario, but the loop remains the same. What makes the game unique are the heroes that run your squad. Each hero has special abilities based on the cards you collect throughout your campaign. As your hero levels, you gain access to new cards or you can level existing abilities. The abilities you play are on a timer, so use them wisely! The size of your squad and hand are based on your hero’s level. I had a lot of fun learning the strengths and limitations of each unit and hero. I am sure there is an optimal way to build each hero and their squad, but I always went with what was fun.
The game offers you a lot of choices. You can choose where to move your character, what mobs to attack, what villages to annex or pillage, and what units to recruit. The only control over the combat you have is where your units start in the formation and when you use your abilities. It may sound a little passive, but you can easily lose a deceive battle if you aren’t playing smart or paying attention.
The beta includes a story and scrimmage mode. The story isn’t finished yet, but there was enough of it to get me curious. I spent most of my time in the scrimmage mode, and the scrimmage mode becomes addicting once you get the hang of it. There isn’t enough content available for me to no-life this game, but I can see it getting there. I will say that the RNG involved in scrimmage mode can be frustrating, but it never became a deal breaker.
If you haven’t done so already, sign up for the beta and add it to your wishlist. Songs of Silence is an interesting concept that you should try at least once. It has beautiful art, a fantastic soundtrack, and fun mechanics. It is still a little rough, but the devs are working hard to make it better.
I picked up Revita and thought it was cute and fun, but is it worth it?
I picked up Revita for the Nintendo Switch because I was in the market for a casual game that didn’t require much commitment. The game features cute art, a fantastic soundtrack, and promised gameplay that seemed manageable with my current skill level. Revita delivered on most of my expectations. The game is a fun casual journey through a cute world that I will continue to pick up.
Revita is a unique twin-stick shooter roguelite with procedural dungeons. There is a story, but it serves more as flavor rather than creates the game’s identity.
The gameplay loop for Revita is simple. You start each run with a set amount of life and fight through the floors of enemies until you either clear the tower or die and start again. Each floor is randomly generated, making each attempt feel unique. The RNG isn’t always fair, but you can easily and quickly restart without losing your progress.
What makes this game unique is that it uses life as a currency. You can trade life for randomly generated upgrades at shrines or stores to give your character an edge against the monsters and bosses. There aren’t many chances to regenerate life. Life in Revita is a precious resource and the source of many difficult decisions. How much life will you be willing to sacrifice for power?
Revita is a game where you will die a lot by design. As you play the game and collect resources that you can use to buy permanent upgrades that make future runs easier. This game has a grind, but it doesn’t feel soul-crushing. The gameplay is a bit repetitive, but I found the repetition relaxing. That said, this isn’t a game I can main or no life because the loop gets stale after a while. This is a game you pick up in quick bouts when you don’t have enough time to game or are just looking for a quick and fun distraction.
I had a lot of fun with Revita. The art is great, the soundtrack is amazing, and the gameplay is solid. While I don’t necessarily regret my purchase, $17 is a bit too much for this game. Unless you know you are going to love this game and will be putting hundreds of hours into it, I would wait for it to go on sale. You can pick up Revita on Switch and Steam for $16.99. It is currently on sale on Steam for $11.04 until August 7th.
Don’t forget to check out the soundtrack!
Game Review: Drop – System Breach
I was given Drop – System Breach as a review code. I am grateful for the opportunity, but I will not let it sway my opinions. This will be an honest review of the game.
Drop is a fast-paced hacker simulator for PC that you should consider if you like these types of puzzle games. In a city full of hackers, you must prove your worth. Take odd jobs, join a faction, and test your hacking skills. Do you have what it takes to be the best?
I had to uninstall this game because of how addicted I became to the gameplay. I understand it may not be for everyone, but there is something in its simple gameplay loop that I couldn’t get enough of.
I love the aesthetic of this game. The graphics aren’t high-end, but they are appropriate for the game. It looks like something you would see in a movie or tv show about hacking.
The gameplay loop is simple. You log into a network of computers and start unlocking the network of nodes until you complete the objectives. You will install viruses, steal data, or do anything else a hacker will do. But you will not be without resistance. Systems will have alarms, viruses, and other defenses to obstruct you. The trick to this game is to efficiently manage your resources while you finish the objectives to maximize your profits. The deeper you get into this game, the more you have to mitigate. This game appears simple, but it gets intense.
There is a story, but it isn’t important. There are also factions, but like the story, they only exist to add flavor. If you miss any text, you aren’t missing out on anything important. I read all the messages, and while I appreciate the flavor it added, I noticed a lot of syntax errors. It won’t ruin the game, but it is hard to overlook.
So should you buy this game? It depends. I enjoyed the game way more than I should have, but it is repetitive. The puzzles feel different because the system’s defenses are always different, but the loop will always be the same. If you don’t like the repetitive loop that is common in roguelikes, you won’t like this game. If you don’t mind the reputation, this game is fantastic. The aesthetic is cool, the gameplay is fun, and the soundtrack is fantastic. You can buy Drop – System Breach for $9.99 on Steam. I think it’s worth the money.
Wildfrost
Wildfrost is a cute new deck builder coming to the Switch and PC on April 12, 2023. Use the power of your cards to face off against the dangers Wildfrost has to offer to save your friends. Do you have what it takes to end this eternal winter?
I love card games and deck builders so this will be a must-buy for me. The art is super cute and the gameplay looks interesting. If you can’t wait for the 12th, there is a demo for the switch you can try. I might check out the demo later if I can, but I will definitely be adding this game to my collection. Pre-order it today on the Nintendo Switch or Steam.
