Tag Archives: turn based

Lord Ambermaze: Prologue – A Glimpse at a Promising RPG

November 23, 2024 josechurape Leave a comment

I received the Lord Ambermaze: Prologue from Keymailer. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, this will be my honest review. I understand that this is only a demo, so I will try to be a bit more lenient with my impressions.

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What is Lord Ambermaze: Prologue?

The prologue is a demo version of the upcoming turn-based RPG, Lord Ambermaze. The demo is available for download on Steam, but don’t forget to wishlist the full version while you’re at it.

A young adventurer tells the tale of his grand adventure through a deep and perilous dungeon. Listen as he braves the dark, fights its monsters, avoids its traps, and claims all its treasure. What stories will the deep reveal for him? What mysteries has he conquered? You are going to play to find out.

Gameplay

The demo takes players through a small tutorial and has them encounter a boss unique to the demo. Players use these limited tools to fight monsters and solve puzzles. To progress through the dungeon, players must clear each room of all its monsters through some very creative combat.

Players and monsters take their turn at the same time. Players have one action per turn where they can move, attack, or use an item. Players need to move efficiently through the room, killing monsters, disabling any traps, and collecting all the treasure. Do not let the cute aesthetic of this game fool you, there is a decent amount of challenge between these pixels. Finding a way to maneuver efficiently through the room without wasting the character’s limited resources can be challenging if you aren’t paying attention. Memorizing patterns and planning an efficient route is key to success.

Impressions

I will need to try the full game for a full review, but I am impressed with what I got to try. The demo offers about an hour of gameplay, and it has me interested in seeing more. The story is fine. I like the framed narrative style of narration, but it isn’t anything special. What hooked me is the gameplay.

Each room is like a puzzle that needs to be solved. Each room offered a good amount of challenge to be engaging without being frustrating. I do wish there was a way to reset a room. You can run out of items like bombs to blow away obstacles and be stuck in a room. The only solution is to kill yourself, but it would be easier if there were a button to reset and take the penalty.

Lord Ambermaze: Prologue is a cute and solid introduction to this creative RPG, and I can’t wait to see more. I love the art, the music is great, and the gameplay is fun. I’ll be trying to get my hands on a full version to review. Until then, make sure you check out the demo on Steam, and don’t forget to add the full version to your Wishlist!

video game reviews

Highwater: The Quirky Little Satire That Could

March 15, 2024 josechurape Leave a comment

I want to give a huge shoutout to Fanny2pac for buying me coffee! Your support means so much to me. I need my caffeine to function and every little bit counts. I hope you continue to enjoy my content, and I’ll do my best to make sure is good! Thank you so much!

I was sent Highwater 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 of the game. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, and share this with your friends. Make sure you follow the socials, and you can always buy me coffee!

What is Highwater?

Highwater is an action turn-based RPG out now for on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, PC via Steam and Epic Games, and on Netflix Games for Android and IOS devices.

A great flood has changed the course of human history. Society now exists on the few remaining high rises that peak over its endless oceans. For a time, survivors adjusted to this new normal. A new society birthed from the old, and those who fill it do what they can to survive.

But with each passing day, the situation grows dire. Hostility between the fragmented factions grows as the food and resources grow scarce. There are rumors of a rocket to Mars. Rumors of an elite controlling the narrative. Travel as Nikos and his companions over flooded terrain and uncover the truth. Can you find a better life behind the fortified walls that surround Alphaville, or is this endless suffering the hopeless conclusion of Highwater?

Gameplay

Maps will have items or special terrain that a player can interact with to gain a tactical advantage. For example, a player can pick up a rock to throw, knock an enemy into a hole, or run into them with a shopping cart. This gives players the unique freedom to solve a combat in creative and fun ways.

Highwater also has an exploration mechanic where players move through the flooded world to collect items and lore. Exploration is built on a railroad, but that doesn’t make exploration any less fun.

Thoughts

I loved Highwater. I am a huge fan of the art style, the tone was the perfect kind of quirky, and the gameplay is phenomenal. Most importatly, Highwater has one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard all year. If you enjoy Indie music, you need to play this game. I’ll leave you with a taste to get you hyped for this title.

I enjoyed the story and collecting all the bits of lore around the world. Some of the social commentary is a bit on the nose, but it is solid satire. Keep in mind that the story is short, but you’ll get $20 worth of fun.

Gameplay is simple when you compare it to other games in the genre. This could be because they needed to dumb it down so it could be played on mobile devices, or because they wanted to focus on the narrative. Either way, combat and exploration make for a relaxing and enjoyable experience.

If you’re looking for a game that isn’t a huge commitment and fun, check out Highwater. It’s a solid and unique experience that you should check out at least once, even if you have to wait for a sale.

You can pick up Highwater on Xbox, Playstation, Switch, and PC via Steam and Epic Games for $19.99. It is currently on sale on Xbox, Switch, Steam and Epic Games for $15.99 until March 21st. If you have Netflix, you can play it for free on your Android and IOS devices.

video game reviews

The Book of Warriors: A Cute Little Roguelike for $8

February 14, 2024 josechurape Leave a comment

I was sent The Book of Warriors 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.

What is The Book of Warriors

The Book of Warriors is a cute little fantasy roguelike RPG out now for PC. Lead your party through the dungeon as you search for power, treasure, and fame. How much of the dungeon can you clear before your adventure ends?

Gameplay

You start each run by choosing a hero. There are nine different classes, each with unique abilities. Your run won’t end if you lose your initial hero. You then make your way through your dungeon, clearing procedurally generated rooms, unlocking upgrades, and recruiting heroes to your party. Upgrades, loot, and heroes you recruit are random, but occasionally you can choose the type of upgrade you can unlock. For the most part, the RNG is fair, but there are runs I lost because I was unlucky.

To clear a room, you either need to clear the room of enemies or lose your heroes. Maps will have hazards or cover that offer buffs and debuffs. Although not all the maps are fun, it does give combat enough complexity to keep things engaging.

Combat is simple. Heroes can move and perform one action per turn. The type of action changes as the characters level. The game feels a bit like a mobile game, but it is fine for the casual experience that it represents.

Like most games in this genre, the game is a little grindy, especially at later levels. You do unlock permanent upgrades the more you play, but enemies at later levels do feel like damage sponges. This is only a problem when you’re stuck on a bad run.

Thoughts

I enjoyed The Book of Warriors. The art is cute and the gameplay is relaxing. I enjoyed it for the change of pace that it offered, but I don’t see it being my main roguelike. While I appreciate the simplicity, the grind gets old after a while. You’ll get $8 worth of fun from this game, but it isn’t replacing anything in your current library. I would pick this up if you want a break from your current rotation but don’t want a massive commitment. If you enjoy tactical RPGs, or simply want to get into a new one, this is a solid option. You can pick up The Book of Warriors on Steam now for $7.99. It is currently on sale for $5.59 for the next 48 hours of writing this.

video game reviews

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

October 4, 2023 josechurape Leave a comment

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.

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You should try the Songs of Silence Beta

September 19, 2023 josechurape Leave a comment

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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.