I talked about Outerplane in a previous post sharing my excitement for the new turn-based gotcha game coming to us from our friends at Smilegate. The game has some great art, fantastic voice acting, and some phenomenal animations. I won’t repeat too many of my initial thoughts, so make sure you go read my original post if you’d like to know more.
Outerplane has officially had its global launch, available now in more than 170 countries for IOS and Android devices. New players are guaranteed 80 hero pulls. Those who complete the Start Dash and Guide quest events are guaranteed a three-star hero for each event.
To commemorate the event, the Outerplane team has released special coupons to redeem for in-game gifts. Use the codes:
PLAYOUTERPLANE1 for 500 Ether
PLAYOUTERPLANE2 for 120 Stamina + 20 Cake Slice
I am excited for this game because I am always looking for a gotcha game to fill the void Dragalia Lost left behind. This game looks very promising. I will be testing it out and be back with my first impressions once I get a bit deeper into the game. Until then, it doesn’t hurt to go start your journey now. You can download Outerplane free on the Google Play store and App Store today!
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Game Review: Lightracer Spark
I was sent Lightracer Spark as a review code. I am very grateful for the opportunity, but I will keep my review honest.
Lightracer Spark is a sci-fi visual novel with light RTS elements. You play as an amender from an advanced alien cavillation on a mission to save the universe from collapsing. To do so, you must travel to developing planets and help with their evolution. You manipulate governments, stabilize economies, or eliminate anything stunting the growth of a civilization. But be wary of your choices. A single mistake could be the difference between the birth of an advanced civilization and the destruction of another. Can you bring enough planets into the modern era before it is too late?
If you like sci-fi novels, Lightracer Spark has an interesting narrative that is worth looking into. Only the first chapter of the story is playable, but there are two more chapters planned as free DLC for future releases. This game has some fantastic flavor. I love the idea of playing this god-like creature with the power to control the flow of a civilization, but the story has a few grammatical issues that are hard to overlook. Not enough to ruin the experience, but they are noticeable.
At each planet, you are given a set of issues you need to fix. It can be anything from bringing peace to a war-torn country to helping discover new technology. How you approach solutions to these problems are limited by resources gained or gather in the game. You can use your resources for things like raising armies or on buildings that grant bonuses. I felt this part of the game was a bit too slow. There is a way to speed things up, but I was never confident enough to mess with it. If you are good at RTS games, you will enjoy the pacing and gameplay a lot better.
As far as RTS games go, Lightracer Spark is fairly manageable. The tutorial does a fantastic job of slowly introducing players to the game’s mechanics without it feeling like a tutorial. The tutorial felt like an immersive conversation with an AI, and I appreciated the touch. My only complaint is that I felt like I was taught mechanics that never came up again, but that could be due to user error.
So is it worth it? Lightracer Spark is a niche game, but that isn’t a bad thing. If you like sci-fi and don’t mind the light RTS elements, you should at least look into it. The story is solid, and the flavor is well-designed. It isn’t a bad game, but you do need to enjoy this type of gameplay loop. It’s a lot of reading and waiting on timers. For those interested, you can grab your copy on Steam for 12.99. It’s not a bad price for what you get.
GrimGrimoire OnceMore
I’ve noticed that Nintendo has been trying very hard to bring classic titles to a modern audience. I for one am in full support and am excited for what is to come. These aren’t just simple ports, at least they don’t promise to be. These seem to be full-on remasters with updated graphics and improved gameplay. I hope this will be the norm for the rest of the Switch’s lifespan.
The first remastered game I want to bring to your attention is GrimGrimoire OnceMore. This is a fantasy real-time strategy game. Play as Lillet as she enters her first year at Magic Academy and learn from the different schools of magic. Use the magic you learn to summon minions and cast powerful spells to defend the school from disaster. Can you save the school before it is too late?
The art looks great, the story seems interesting, and it is promising fantastic world-building. The game looks to play like a tower defense game. I may not be good at the genre, but it is one of my favorite genres. Whether it is the custom games from Warcraft 3 or Orcs Must Die, I’ve spent more hours than I’d care to admit obsessing over ways to stop the hordes. GrimGrimoire OnceMore is looking to be a very relaxing experience that I will probably pick up at launch to see how good the world-building is.
According to the official website, this version promises a myriad of improvements to the gameplay, and art, and it will even come with new features. As nostalgic as I am for the classic era of gaming, I can’t help but be grateful for the quality of life changes that come with the modern age.
The game is set to release for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 on April 4, 2023. You can preorder your copy today! (Amazon Affiliate Links)
The Collectors Edition is also up for Preorder
Preorder from the official NIS store (Switch)
SpellForce Conquest of Eo First Impressions
I want to note that this game was sent to me as a review code. I am very grateful for the opportunity, but I will not let it sway my opinion.
This weekend I got to Beta test SpellForce Conquest of Eo. This post will be less of a review and more of my first impressions since the game isn’t out yet. Spellforce is a real-time strategy game with RPG elements. You take control of a magic user with unique skills to raise an army and complete quests. Build a formattable mage’s tower and face off against the parrels of EO. This game plays like a Civilization game, but one that follows a story. I only got to play 140 turns of this game, but I got a solid sense of what it is about.
If you are a fan of RTS games, I think you will enjoy this more than I did. This game had way too much going on for my taste. Although a lot of the mechanics are simple, keeping on top of the tasks proved too difficult for me. I kept getting overwhelmed by enemy units. You can always change the difficulty if things get too hard. The game has a simple base-building mechanic where you can hire units, research magic, and do crafting. The crafting varies depending on what type of magic user you choose to use.
The game lets you choose from three different magic users: an alchemist, a necromancer, and an artificer. This choice affects the type of crafting you can do and some of the choices you can make. There are even cases where you can skip combat based on your class abilities. The alchemist lets you brew potions that you can use to support your troops, the necromancer lets you raise ghouls from your fallen subjects, and the artificer lets you craft items that give your units different powers. I felt that this was more flavor than tangible mechanics since all the units played the same.
Combat is what you expect from a turn-based game. You control your units and try to kill your enemy without suffering casualties. Units will level after combat, but any units you lose will be lost permanently. Play smart or lose everything. The game does offer a neat feature to skip combat, eliminating a lot of the grind. I recommend you use this only on easy matchups or risk needlessly losing units to RNG.
The RPG elements are fine, but I got a limited experience in the beta. I only got to play through one mission, and it was fine enough but nothing too exciting. I did like that you are presented with choices you could fail, like in a choose your own adventure game, but I didn’t think the choices mattered too much. The choices I encountered allowed me to skip combat, gain a unit, or snag some loot. It didn’t affect the main story progression.
Most of the gameplay exists on this open map where your units can move freely over. There are wandering mobs, hidden treasures, and bases that you can uncover as you travel. The game offers a questline that you need to complete along with your other tasks. I found that the challenge of this game comes from managing all these tasks, and I am not very good at macro-managing.
My only complaint with this game is that the movement is clunky. Choosing movement, selecting attacks and anything in the open world is cumbersome. I would waste turns because a unit would move where it shouldn’t have. Other than that, everything else I got to try was interesting, and I am sure there is an audience for it.
This game looks promising if you like the genre. If you don’t, maybe hold off. It does feel very niche at the moment and unless they can have an amazing story, I believe it will stay niche. You can wishlist it on Steam and it is planned to release sometime in 2023.
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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!
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Game Review: The Valiant
I was sent The Valiant as a review code. While I am grateful for the opportunity, I will not let this sway my opinions about the game. This will be an honest review of my experience.
The Valiant is a real time strategy game where you control a group of Templars as they try to save the world from an ancient evil. It is available now on both Steam and Epic Games.
I liked this game at first. The graphics are good, the music is solid, and the mechanics were manageable. Unfortunately, my experience with this game grew staler the deeper I got into the story. The missions got repetitive, the fights got annoying, and the story isn’t great. The story isn’t bad, but it isn’t anything exciting. The more I played, the harder it was to convince myself to keep playing. It is a shame that the story isn’t better because the voice acting is fantastic. I didn’t play multiplayer, but I doubt it would have saved the experience for me.
The gameplay isn’t great. It could do with a bit of polish. The mechanics were fine at first and very manageable for my skill level. There are skill trees, random drops, and some macro management that adds some depth to the game without being overwhelming. Unfortunately, there isn’t much variety in the missions and it gets a bit tedious. My biggest issue with the gameplay is with the pathing. The pathing in this game is a pain. I lost a few missions because my units would get stuck trying to find a path while the enemy slowly slaughtered them. This makes some of the missions unnecessarily hard because there is no way to replenish your troops. This would have been fine if the game didn’t get boring.
I don’t think this game is anything special, but I also don’t think this is a bad game. There is an audience for this game, but they might have to wait till it goes on sale. If you are a veteran of the genre, you will be disappointed. Stick to the classics. If you are new to the genre, this is a solid introduction, but know that there are greener pastures. For the price, you can do better. But for those interested, you can check them out on Steam and the Epic Game store.
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Game Review: Warpips
I was sent Warpips as a review code, and while I am grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let that sway my opinion. This will be an honest review of the game.
Warpips is a real-time strategy game that is similar to the mobile game Clash Royale. The game is available on pc and all major consoles. I played this game on the Nintendo Switch, so this review will be based on that experience.
Warpips is a 2D, card-based strategy game. You choose from a myriad of pips and traps to use against an oncoming enemy hoard. To win, you must destroy the enemy base before they destroy yours. This game has three game modes: Conquest, Quick Battle, and Endless. Conquest takes you through a campaign through different countries as you try to free them of their oil. Quick Battle is a random mode with three difficulties: Easy, Challenging, and Hard. You are given a random deck of pips and traps and try to defeat an enemy on a random map. Endless mode has you surviving an endless assault as you try to beat your previous high score.
The gameplay is very simple. You summon your pips and watch them fight against the enemy hoard. You can summon air strikes, use tools, and set up traps to help your pips secure their victory. In conquest mode, you can purchase additional cards and upgrades with the currency you earn while playing. There is some RNG, but I always thought it was fair.
Don’t let this game’s cuteness deceive you, you will need to be strategic with your choices. I played on easy and still found enough of a challenge to keep me engaged. If I wasn’t paying attention or was too conservative with my choices, I was easily overwhelmed by the enemy AI. I suggest playing this game on the harder difficulties for a more fulfilling experience.
This game ran smoothly most of the time, but I did notice the occasional stutter. The game would freeze for a second before resuming. It never crashed on me or affected my game, but it is something to keep in mind. I didn’t notice much of a difference between docked and handheld mode, but I preferred handheld mode because of its versatility.
The gameplay is a bit repetitive, but it might be a symptom of having it on the easiest difficulty. I played on higher difficulties, but I was never smart enough to get by. This game is deceptively unforgiving. Most of the game however is the same, and you find yourself constantly waiting for cooldowns.
I liked this game a lot, and I’d recommend it if it were cheaper. I am not a huge RTS fan, but this was a manageable game for my skill level. I thought the pixel art was a fantastic choice, and it definitely made losing sting less. The music is pretty fantastic as well. I recommend playing with the sound out, at least for the first hour or so. Warpips is a game you pick up when you want to chill but still need a challenge. This is a game where you don’t need to be too invested in a story or mechanics, but you will need to be strategic. I personally wouldn’t spend $20 on it and would wait for a sale, but I can see this being worth it to someone who really loves the genre.
Check it out on Steam, Nintendo, Xbox, and Playstation.
Timemelters: First Impressions
I got sent the Timemelters demo as a review code, and although I am grateful for the opportunity, I will not let it sway my opinions. Since this is a demo, this will be less of a review and more of my first impressions. You can download the demo on Steam today, and I recommend you try it out.
Timemelters is a first-person tower defense-like game that I had a lot of fun with. It reminds me of the Orcs Must Die! series but with fewer traps. In Timemelters, you control a single character and run around a large map setting traps, killing mobs, and turning back time. There is a bit of strategy involved in this game, but it shouldn’t be a problem for most people. I am not very smart, but I managed to brute force myself through eventually.
This game is incredibly polished for being made by such a small team of three developers. It runs smoothly, looks beautiful, and is a lot of fun. The concept is simple, but the range of abilities and the pacing of the mobs kept the game fast-paced and exciting.
I can’t speak on the story because the demo doesn’t explore it too much, nor can I speak on the diversity of the missions. The demo offers a great tutorial and a few missions that provide a fantastic taste of what it has in store. I never felt lost or overwhelmed by the information and was only limited by my skill level,
The game fully launches on Steam on October 12th. This game deserves a lot of love. I am vastly impressed by how much this team of three was able to accomplish. If you like tower defense games with some RTS elements, give this game a try. The demo is free, and it is available on Steam!
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