Nocturnal is a beautiful-looking metroidvania-type game that definitely has gotten my attention. I don’t normally play games in this genre, but when I saw the gameplay, I had to reach out and get myself a copy to review. It has a simple yet beautiful art style that I enjoy and an interesting fire and shadow mechanic that promises to make this a unique experience.
Ardeshir has returned to his home Island Nahran, only to find it afflicted by a mysterious shadowy mist. Use fire he can wield to solve puzzles, fight enemies, and light your way through the darkness. Can you find the cause and heal your home of this strange affliction?
This game seems perfect for those who enjoy the genre. It has a permadeath mode for those who need the extra challenge, and some nifty speed run features like faster transitions, skippable cutscenes, and a pausable timer if that’s more your speed. For everyone else, the gameplay just looks fun.
You can get Nocturnal on PlayStation, Switch, Xbox, and Steam. The game is $19.99 for consoles, and $16.99 for PC. The game doesn’t seem to have been launched on PS5 in NA yet, but I’ve added the European link just in case. There is a 10% discount for the Switch and Steam version if you buy them before June 14th. I’ve already gotten my review copy and will be posting my review sometime next week. Until then, thank you for reading!
Movie Review: 65 (2023)
65 is a solid B movie with sufficient action, story, and cool-looking dinosaurs. It isn’t winning any awards, and it is a bit slow, but it is fine for what it is. If you are curious about watching this movie, throw it on in the background and enjoy the good bits. Adam Driver is transporting groups of people across space to make money for his sickly child. His latest mission is interrupted by an uncharted asteroid system that forces him to make an emergency crash landing on an undiscovered planet. He and a young girl are the ship’s only survivors. Now the two must brave a world full of dinosaurs as they make their way to the only remaining escape pod. Can they make it off this planet? The leads have good enough chemistry to make a movie with very little dialogue work. I do take some issue with the little girls’ problematic representation, but it wasn’t so bad that I had to turn it off. I would have preferred it if they spoke the same language, but the movie handles the language barrier well enough. This movie is dumb. The story is on the generic side, the science is too magical, and there is a fair amount of ex-Machina. There are also some slow bits you could gloss over, but the movie is fine. It’s fun to watch Adam Driver blasting away Dinosaurs, and the relationship the forms between the two leads is cute. It’s not a movie you should be rushing to, but it is an option when you need something in the background that doesn’t require your full attention. I liked it enough to watch it again, and I liked it a whole lot better than After Earth. So throw it on, skip through the slow bits, and enjoy this silly bit of alternate history.
GDC Recap: SteamWorld Build
I got to try out SteamWorld Build at GDC before the title was made public. I am extremely excited about this cute entry into the SteamWorld universe. I love city builders, and with my limited exposure to the title, I already know Build is taking all of my free time. If you are a fan of the genre, go wishlist SteamWorld Build.
Build takes place after the events of Dig 2. The planet is dying, and you must make a final push to escape it. With the help of your citizens, you must gather resources, build your town, and fight off the wildlife that endangers our town. Can you escape before it is too late?
At first glance, Build can seem overwhelming with how much there is to manage. You have to build a city, keep your workers happy, mine resources, and defend your base all at once. The game does a fantastic job at easing the player into its mechanics, and once you get used to them, the management isn’t bad The pacing of this game can be stressful if you aren’t actively planning your moves, but the pacing of the game was rather relaxing. You will have plenty of time to maneuver between your tasks, and the game does a great job of alerting the players about what needs to be done.
There is a story to this game, but it acts more as a tutorial as it guides you through the different mechanics. Each section of the story will have you unlock and repair buildings that will open up more of the game. The main draw of this game will be its sandbox mode, where you will have the freedom to build and establish your base without restrictions. I recommend going through the story to at least get a basic understanding of its fundamentals.
The game is all about managing your base. Your base is split into different levels. At the top, you have a town of your design where you will recruit your workers. Below the town, you will mine for resources and defend against monsters. You will spend most of your time moving between levels to make sure all your worker’s needs are met while advancing your base.
My favorite thing about this game is the art. The steampunk western aesthetic is adorable. I love the art in the SteamWorld games, and the translation from 2D to 3D art was done beautifully. The art for this game was done by the same people that did the costumes for Little Big Planet, and they did a fantastic job. I spent most of my session admiring all the little details that went into the design. The world reminds me a lot of the Ork aesthetic in 40k where everything is made from recycled metal, except here it’s cute. I loved watching the little robots complete their chores or interact with buildings. The small details make me see the passion there is for this game and have me excited to see a finished product.
I didn’t get to play SteamWorld Build enough to have a fleshed-out opinion, but I am very excited by what I experienced. If you like city builders or are looking to get into one, Build is worth looking into. The game will be available on all consoles and PC. Go try out the demo on Steam or Epic Games. There is no release date yet, but you can wishlist it on Steam, Epic Games, GOG, and Playstation.
Shoutout to the devs that took the time to show me the game and answer all my questions. Keep up the good work!
Make sure you join the official SteamWorld Build Discord server to stay up-to-date on all the news. It is a very active server that occasionally has giveaways. You can also follow them on Twitter
Games to Look Into: Wayfinder (2023)
I got into the Wayfinder closed beta over the weekend, but I can’t speak on the experience because of the NDA that went with it. The NDA is a reasonable tradeoff since the game isn’t finished yet. It would be unfair to judge it as it is. I appreciate that they opened the beta the way they did because it allows them to get meaningful feedback from members of their potential community. Now that the beta is done, I hope I get into the next one.
Wayfinder is an action MMO that you should keep on your radar if you are in the market for a new MMO. Instead of creating your character and choosing your class, you have to unlock characters as you do in games like Warframe. While I am a bit bummed I won’t get to create my character, it isn’t a deal breaker. I love the art style, and the characters available on the release are cooler than anything I would come up with. Each character seems to have its own combat style which can keep the game refreshing over time. I can’t speak on the gameplay yet because the game isn’t out, but it does look interesting. I hope that the characters aren’t locked behind predatory Gotcha or pay-to-win mechanics.
Wayfinder is planned for early access in Spring 2023 so make sure you keep checking the official site for news. You can wishlist Wayfinder on Steam, Epic Games Store, and PlayStation. The game will be free to play, so you have nothing to lose.
Diablo IV Developer Livestream Recap
The Diablo 4 developers just did an update livestream and it wasn’t too informative. The biggest takeaway from the stream is that we got dates for the Beta later this month. If you have preordered the game at any level, you will be able to play during the early access beta on March 17 from 7 am pst to March 20 at noon pst. Players will only get to play the barbarian, rogue, and sorcerer classes. For everyone who wishes to try the game before buying the game, the open beta is on the following weekend, March 24, 7 am pst – March 27, 12 pm pst. The open beta will give players access to all playable characters. The beta will be on PC and console with preloads available closer to launch. If you have a friend, Diablo 4 has couch co-op so long as both players have a Battlenet account.
It is important to note that while your progress in the early access beta carries over to the open beta, your progress will not carry over to full release. This restriction is because the first season will start shortly after the launch, and the developers wanted everyone to have the same advantages. There will be a few achievements that will carry over to full release. You can earn a couple of titles by playing through the game, which will also be available at launch, and a cute cosmetic you can only get from maxing out a character during the beta.
The max level for the beta is 25, and you will be allowed to create ten characters. Make sure you take as much time as you need with the character creation because your character will be featured in the cinematics. The beta will also have four world boss events. Make sure you check the schedule and location on the game’s socials or blog so you can participate. World bosses are 12-player events that do not need a party to enjoy. You should be able to participate so long as you are at the appropriate level. I like that Diablo 4 will have more of an MMO feel than 3. As you unlock more towns and strongholds, you will start seeing people running around the map like in Diablo Immortal, but hopefully with fewer predatory microtransactions.
There wasn’t too much else to the stream. The rest of the stream focuses on how to play Diablo 4. Unless you’ve never played an RPG, the livestream isn’t worth your time.
I will be playing the open beta because I love Diablo, but $70 to preorder isn’t in my budget at the moment. I am a bit upset that a game this expensive also has a $10 season pass. While the season passes won’t affect gameplay, I don’t want to pay $70+ to play a game and an additional $40 a year to look cool. Season passes seem to be the norm now. What can be done?
Game Review: Theatrhythm Final Bar Line
So I got Theatrhythm Final Bar Line because I wanted something that would tide me over while I waited for Digimon World: New Order to release. It looked like a cute rhythm game, and the gameplay didn’t seem too involved. Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is a Final Fantasy-themed rhythm game that you can play on the PlayStation or Nintendo Switch. If you are a fan of the series, you will probably enjoy this game more than I do. It isn’t a bad game, I just didn’t appreciate it as much as I could if I had that nostalgic connection this is aimed towards.
For the most part, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is a solid rhythmic game. The mechanics are easy to grasp, the animations are cute, and there is a lot of content to unlock. My issue with this game is the music choice. I haven’t played any Final Fantasy games except for a bit of the MMOs. While I didn’t hate the music, it isn’t what I want in a rhythm game. I wish I could use my music like I can with Melody’s Escape because I loved watching my little party fight monsters. I needed something more upbeat and catchy for my enjoyment. I didn’t hate the game. I had fun playing through the songs, but it isn’t something I could play for too long without losing interest.
If you want a cute and chill rhythm game and love Final Fantasy, this is a great title to pick up. Otherwise, I would wait for a sale. You can get your copy for the Nintendo Switch of PlayStation today. If you want to try it before you buy, go check out the demo!
Sea of Stars Demo
The Sea of Stars demo is out on the eShop, so I decided to give it a try. I love the pixel art, and I am always in the market for a new RPG. The demo is only available on the Nintendo Switch, but the game will also release on Steam and PlayStation on August 29, 2023. If you are interested in the game and have a Switch, I recommend downloading the demo.
The demo does a fantastic job of giving players a sense of the combat mechanics and dungeons featured in Sea of Stars. The demo lets you control the three featured characters as you make your way through an abandoned wizard’s tower. It was such a beautiful setting, and I am curious to see what they do with the rest of the world.
One thing to note right off the bat, this game does not waste time on a tutorial level. You will be thrown into the story and left to figure things out. I highly recommend you read the help guide included in the main menu because there are mechanics introduced in this game that aren’t intuitive. I hate having to sit through tutorials, and I am happy with this choice. The guide is pretty comprehensive and easy to follow.
The puzzles in the demo were very manageable. I found the experience quite relaxing. The game might be more difficult at release, but I will be here for it either way. Combat is where this game truly shines. I have never played an RPG where the combat was this engaging. Instead of waiting for your turn, you can press buttons to either buff your attacks or defense. If you get the timing right, the small boost you get from this mechanic makes a nice difference. You can play this game like every other RPG, but I recommend you do the extra work to keep things interesting.
My favorite part of Sea of Stars is the way in which they handle magic. Each spell has an extra step that determines how much damage you do. For example, there is a spell where you cast a boomerang that you can keep bouncing between enemies by pressing the A button. Timing is crucial for this spell. Missing the timing on the return means the boomerang doesn’t bounce, and you do less damage. Any mana you expend casting spells you can earn back performing basic attacks. I loved that I didn’t have to horde potions in spells for the end of the dungeon.
The demo ends with a fun boss battle. It didn’t feel like the usual slog against a damage sponge because I was so focused on the buff/debuff mechanics. The fight was difficult enough to keep me engaged without feeling like a slog fest. Please make sure you save at the save points! When you die, you restart at your last save. I lost a lot of progress.
I’ll reserve my judgment for the story because there wasn’t much of it in the demo. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style, but it is too early to know for sure. There is also no voice acting, and I didn’t really care for the music. That said, I am looking forward to this game’s release! Make sure you mark your calendars for August! In the meantime, go check out the demo.
Game Review: Fashion Police Squad
I was sent Fashion Police Squad as a review code. While I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to review this game, I am not letting this sway my opinion. This will be my honest review of the game.
Fashion Police Squad is a retro FPS Doom clone with a silly quirk. It is available on all major platforms and PC. This review will be on the PC version. You play as Sargent Des who suddenly finds himself in a city with an abnormal boom in fashion crimes. It is up to you to fight these crimes and get to the bottom of what is behind this sudden wave.
The writing in this game is fine. It is full of fashion-related puns, and at least some will make you laugh. I got a good chuckle out of this game and appreciate the developers’ commitment to the bit. The plot has a predictable mystery, but you aren’t playing this game for its deep storytelling.
This game is a mostly more polished retro fps full of inventive weapons and hilarious enemies. Each enemy comes with a specific weakness that requires you to constantly switch between your equipment. This mechanic gives the game a welcomed level of difficulty. I played on the normal difficulty and thought the game was challenging enough, but you can always raise it if you find it too easy. I found that even on normal difficulty, I had to plan out my moves and be aware of enemy positioning or else be overwhelmed.
That said, the game isn’t perfect yet. I found instances where I could confuse the NPCs and get them stuck in loops that made them easy to kill. There were also a few performance issues, especially in instances with many enemies, where the game would stutter; or frames would drop after each kill. The performance issues never made the game unplayable, but they are noticeable when it happens.
I had a lot of fun with this game. I love retro FPS games and found this to be a delightful little take on the genre. The humor was a vibe that I was all about, although I will admit some of the slang did go over my head. The art is really cool, and their attention to detail is admirable. Most importantly, this game is fun. It is definitely worth the $20. The game is on sale for $17 until February 16 on the Xbox, PC, and Switch.
You can grab your copy of Fashion Police Squad on the Nintendo Switch, Playstation, Xbox, and Steam.
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For whatever reason, WordPress isn’t letting me post my gameplay video so here is a great one by ContraNetwork
The Pathless
I just watched the trailer for The Pathless, and I thought I would share it with you. The Pathless is an action-adventure game available on all major consoles, PC, and IOS devices. Take control of a hunter and her eagle as you travel through a magical land, riding it of darkness with the help of your archery and acrobatic skills. This game might be worth looking into if you are in the market for a faster-paced platformer. I don’t think I will be picking it up because I have a few games lined up for review, but the art looks interesting, and the gameplay seems solid. It doesn’t seem too bad for $40.
You can get your copy for Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, Steam, and IOS. This game is included in your apple arcade subscription if you have one. It is mostly available in digital format, but I was able to find a physical copy for the PS5 that is a bit cheaper at $21.95 through my affiliate link.
NintendoGalaxy put out a nice video showcasing the gameplay on the Nintendo Switch that is worth checking out if you are interested in the the game.
Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless
Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless was just announced, and I am interested in keeping up with my newfound interest in strategy games. I haven’t played any of the games in this series either, but I have always heard good things. The game looks adorable and the little gameplay I saw looks manageable for my skill level. This SRPG is promising a bunch of new features like a Hell Mode, an auto-battle feature, and online ranked play for those competitive folks out there. I will be watching for more news and gameplay.
The game is set to release in the fall of 2023 on the Nintendo Switch, Steam, and PlayStation. As of writing this, you can only preorder the different collection bundles and plushies directly from the NIS store, and the swag looks pretty neat if you are a fan of the series.
Limited Edition with Plush Set
Nintendo Switch Bundle $158.99 USD
PlayStation 4 Bundle $158.99 USD
PlayStation 5 Bundle $158.99 USD
Limited Edition Without the Plush Set
Nintendo Switch Bundle $99.99 USD
PlayStation 4 Bundle $99.99 USD
PlayStation 5 Bundle $99.99 USD
Just The Plushies
“Netherworld Warriors” Acrylic Print $299.99
