Layer Section / RayForce / Galactic Attack (Sega Saturn) Review

 Layer Section / RayForce / Galactic Attack (Sega Saturn) Review

Release Date: 1995

Date Played: 1 November 2021

I think this game's claim to fame is that it has three different names.  When it was initially released in the arcades back in 1994, the game was known as RayForce.  For trademark reasons, they had to change the name to Layer Section for the home console port in Japan.  To make matters worse, they had to change it once again to Galactic Attack when the game was published in the West.  I know, I know... that's super confusing.   I didn't even mention that the game is called Gunlock in Europe....     

But moving on.

As I'm writing this review, this game is listed as the 20th best shoot-em-up of all time according to Shmup's Forum.   They are really the definitive source on the subject, so you typically have to take their word as gospel.  Every year, the community votes for their favorites, and this game has been a perennial entry on that list.  Any fan of the genre has to play it, obviously.  Not only that, the game is relatively inexpensive for a Saturn shmup.  In a world where the games can go for several hundred dollars, having such a renowned game that can be obtained for only a fraction of that cost is a real blessing.  So, does the game live up to the hype?

Honestly, I don't think it does.  I have a feeling that the reason this game is so well regarded is that it was simply played by a lot of people due to its lower price and Western release.  As far as I know, it's really the only shmup for the Sega Saturn that was released outside of Japan.  So, in a desert... any drop of water seems delicious. 

You play as the pilot of a spaceship that has to return to Earth to defeat some A.I. that has taken over the planet and is a threat to humanity's existence throughout the galaxy. In order to stop it the CPU, you have to destroy Earth.  Most of the time in a shooting game, you don't really care about the story, but I have to say that having Earth be the backdrop for fighting the enemy where you're the invader is a really unique and novel idea.  I have to give the development kudos for that (even though I'm bummed that I had to destroy my home planet...)

The gameplay is a fairly standard vertical scrolling shooter.  You have a standard shot that can be leveled up by grabbing upgrades that are dropped from red enemies.  The shot does get stronger, but it never get's much wider and you have to be pretty precise with it. If you die, it get's downgraded and believe me, you want to keep it powered up as long as you can.  There are no bombs in this game, so you have to really rely on routing and positioning to succeed. Bullet patterns will force you into corners and the paths of suiciding enemies.  Many times, you can't react to this and your ship has a huge hitbox.  Since there's no bombing in this game, you have to know where these spots are and learn to avoid them as best as you can.  The gimmick of the game (and don't all shooters have to have one?) is basically a ripoff from Xevious.  Enemies exist on 2 layers (hence the name, Layer Section) one in the sky and one below.  Enemies in the sky can be hit with your standard shot but enemies below can only be hit with your missiles.  In front of your ship, is a targeting reticule and as it passes over ground enemies, it will lock-on to them.  You can then press the missile button and your homing shot will take them out.  You can lock onto a few enemies at a time and this will increase your score more than locking onto single enemies.   You can gather upgrades to increase your lock-on targets and this can be quite helpful for taking out large numbers of ground enemies before they fly up to your level.  Bosses will often have sections that can only be hit by your either your shot or your missiles but never both.  It's typically alternating, so learning how to take out the bosses as quickly and efficiently as possible is more important that trying to milk them for score.

The scoring mechanics are really basic and just consist of using maximum targets, killing more enemies, and not getting hit.  Extends are given at 500k and 1mill respectively... but I think that's it.  Once you get the two 1Ups, that's all the help you're going to get.  The game also has a fierce Ranking system.  The better you do, the harder the game gets.  If you're able to get to 500k before the end of the second stage, the game really kicks into high gear and becomes insanely difficult.  Personally, I try to avoid this and keep my score at about 480k going into the 3rd stage.  I really hate "rank" in shmups, and this game is no exception.  You shouldn't be punished for doing well.  Plus, let's say you spend hours learning the ins and outs of the 3rd stage, then you have a really good run on stages 1 and 2 and achieve a great score.  All of a sudden, the game ramps up to a different difficulty level and all of your hard work learning the 3rd stage is thrown out of the window.  Lame.

The graphics are pretty decent but nothing to write home about.  Some of the bosses have some nice art design which helps them out, but much of the levels can get really boring looking and tedious in their environments.  There's some neat set-pieces in the game, but I feel like they are more cinematic features and stand in the way of the gameplay.  Also, the music only has a couple of great spots in it.  A few bars in level 5 and the closing credits are really good, but the rest of the soundtrack is very mediocre and boring. I feel like if this game had an amazing soundtrack, I would have had more enthusiasm putting in more time with it.  The sound effects are nice, but are basically limited to explosions and a few voice samples.

As you can probably tell, I'm not a huge fan of this game.  I'm not saying it's a BAD game, it's just that it feels so...pedestrian.  I don't like the Xevious targeting reticule mechanic.  Since the reticule is a fixed distance from your ship, certain enemies can only be hit from a very specific spot on the screen.  So, of course enemies are designed to shoot at that exact spot and suicide crash into your ship.  I hate having to wait around for the exact opportune time to rush in and sneak in a shot and then bob out of the way of some suiciding ships, and then jetting over to the other side of the screen to catch the next ground unit. There were countless times that I dodged a ship and it flew past me only to blast me with a bullet from behind while I was defenseless. Also, the game has Raiden syndrome where the screen scrolls left and right horizontally as you fly towards the edges.  Often, there's some enemy hanging out right off of the screen and when you go over there, the pop you with one of their bullets before you see it coming. Most of the game is really based around knowing when and where to lock onto ground enemies to take them out before they can fly up to the top layer and unleash some annoying barrage of gunfire.  It leaves little room for error and makes the game more of a memorization task than a reactionary one. If you miss a target, it will often throw off your rhythm and make it very difficult to get back in sync with the flow of the stage.  This usually spells disaster and with your very limited lives, can be demoralizing. 

There's no level select or training mode in this game and having to play through the first 4 or 5 stages over and over just to practice one little section of a difficult part is very annoying and time consuming.  There are a total of 7 stages over the course of the game, and I had to replay the first 5 stages so many times that I had them completely memorized and could clear them without ever getting hit long before I was even able to MAKE it to stage 7.  Meaning, I made it through the first 5 stages perfectly, and then died 12 times on stage 6.  That's a real sign of some imbalance in your game.  I'm totally fine with more difficult sections, but you can't put them all at the end of the game and not give the player a way to practice them. You're only given 4 continues, so you better bring all your skills and your patience... and an original Sega Saturn plugged into a CRT television. Because any additional input delay on this game is going to put you in your coffin.   

So, my final thoughts boil down to this: If you're going to force the player to redo the same thing over and over again, you better bring some intriguing gameplay that's both a challenge and fun.  If you can't deliver on that, you need to bring some aesthetics to make up for it.  A massively awesome soundtrack or some fascinating graphics and art design to keep them entertained can help overcome lackluster game design. Unfortunately, this game just doesn't really bring anything other than the challenge.  

I was able to get to the penultimate stage on 1 credit pretty regularly, but the final two stages chewed up my continues.  I wish there was a way to just practice these sections, cause it's desperately needed. In the end, I was able to 3CC the game with a highscore of 1,760,700  which would have put me at about 7th place on Shmup's forums tournament in 2006... so I have that going for me.

Final Status: Beaten

Final Score: 7/10 (Good, but overrated)

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (PS4) Review

 

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (PS4) Review

Date Released: May 24, 2018

Date Played: October 21, 2021

I was so excited when Koji Igarashi, the creator of Castlevania Symphony of the Night, was launching a Kickstarter to fund the spiritual successor to that game.  Afterall, he had made one of my favorite (if not actual favorite) games of all time when his masterpiece came out on the PS1.  So, I decided to fund his campaign (something I'd not done before nor since).  More and more money kept flooding in and I watched as they added stretch goal after stretch goal.  As we all know, the game raised an insane amount of money.   I waited patiently for my copy to come in the mail.  When it arrived, I put it into my PS4 and played it right away.  How did I feel about that game?  Well, I'm not going to tell you.  Because this review isn't even for that game!  It's for an 8-bit prequel that was one of the stretch goals from the crowdfunding campaign.  It can't be any good right?  After all, it's just a little extra game that was tossed in with the main event... right?

Wrong.  Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a full on 8-bit marvel that stands toe to toe with the games that inspired it.  It was obviously heavily influenced by Castlevania III on the NES.  So heavily inspired, in fact, that one review I watched said the game was in danger of copyright infringement. While this is a snarky comment meant to draw a laugh, there's some serious truth in those words. It plays almost exactly like Castlevania III, and that's not a bad thing.  Honestly, if this game had been released on the NES, it would be considered one of the best games for the system and would be a classic that everyone waxes nostalgic about whenever the topic arises.  Not only that, it hangs up there with some of the best retro-inspired indie games of the modern era.  

You play as Zangestsu, a samurai who is tracking a great evil to a mysterious castle. He has a short sword attack and several sub weapons you can collect/switch out by attacking floating lanterns.  These sub-weapons use energy that can be replenished by collecting mana bottles (just like Castlevania) As you clear each of the first 3 stages, you can recruit an new ally to help you.  The first is Miriam.  She is more agile, has a longer reach, and can slide on the ground. Next is Alfred, a wizard who is very weak but has strong sub-weapon attacks.  Finally, Gebel is a vampire who has an awkward attack but can turn into a bat and fly.   All of these characters have their strengths and weaknesses and utilizing them correctly is key to your success.  You can switch between the characters at any time (provided they haven't died) and will typically be using them all in every stage. There are many areas and shortcuts that are only accessible by one character, so keeping them all alive is a big focus of the game.  Learning which sub-weapons are best used in each area is very fun and is more thought out and balanced than the Castlevania games, in my opinon.

The difficulty balance of the game is one of its strongest suits.  From the beginning, you have the choice of Normal mode.  After that you can chose from Veteran or Casual difficulties.  Veteran mode acts much like the Castlevania games on the NES.  You have limited lives and can get extends by collecting the rare 1-UP item, or by scoring more points.  Also, getting hit knocks you back... and anyone who has ever played one of the old NES games will tell you that this will be the main thing that gets you killed.  There's nothing quite like taking a single hit from a medusa head that knocks you back into a pit of instant death.  Luckily, the game has a pretty forgiving checkpoint system.  When one character dies, you go back to the previous checkpoint with the remaining 3 characters to give it another shot.   Once they all are dead, you lose a life.  Surprisingly, this still drops you back at the checkpoint instead of the beginning of the level.   Casual mode is much easier and basically eliminates the "Nintendo Hard" mindset of the game.  You have unlimited lives and knockback is removed. This adds some much needed accessibility to people who don't have those die-hard reflexes developed yet... or perhaps lost a bit of their edge from their childhood.  Personally, I liked Veteran mode the best and would recommend it for anyone's first playthrough.  It's a good challenge, but isn't nearly as difficult as the games that inspired this one.  Luckily, the game has a solution to this.

After finishing the game, you'll unlock other modes that can make the game much more difficult, add new stages, change bosses, and force you to take routs different than your previous runs.  Also, there's nothing that says you HAVE to recruit the other characters.  You're more than welcome to just ignore them... or kill them (a surprise is waiting for you if you do).  Running through all the different permutations of ally recruitment unlocks additional endings and even more modes... and is one of the best features of the game.  You can run through all 8 stages in about an hour, so the game was designed to play again and again.  The levels have a good length and exploring all the different routs you can take is a joy.  It makes those additional playthroughs feel less tedious for sure. Also, the boss fights are pretty great.   They are the most memorable and fun parts of the game and I enjoyed each one its own way.  Yes, this even includes the final boss on the highest difficulty without recruiting any allies (which took me about 10 tries).  Trying to beat each of them using the various characters was a blast.  I can't even remember the last time I enjoyed learning boss patterns this much.

Since you're going to be playing through the game several times, the stages better be pretty entertaining.... and for the most part, they are.  You start in a town before catching a train, then travel through a clock tower, take a ride on a rickety ship, before arriving at the castle sewers, and finally working your way to the tip top to face off against Gremory, the final boss.  Of the 8 stages, some feel a lot stronger than others.  The first stage, in particular, has fantastic sprite work and a lot of cool parallax scrolling.  Towards the middle of the game, things tend to blur together and the stage design can get a little repetitive. This never lasts too long and the rest of the level design is more than good enough to make up for it. The game looks fantastic for an 8-bit game.  It's certainly not something that could be put on the NES for real, but it almost seems like it could. There are effects, death animations, and enough sprites on the screen to cause your NES to burst into flames if it tried to run this game, but it does perfectly capture the way playing one of those old games felt. This hits me right in the nostalgia and brings me back to those days of my childhood sitting in front of the TV with my friends and passing the controller back and forth while trying to make just a little more progress.  

These games are known for their music, and Curse of the Moon comes pretty hard and packs a lot of heat in this category.  It's not quite as memorable as some of the Castlevania music from the past, but it's close. There's some catchy melodies and rocking beats that range from baroque to metal.  It's what you would expect to hear and checks all the boxes you could ever want for a game like this.   It would certainly hold its own with the best of the best soundtracks from the chip-tune era.  

Technically, the game ran great.  I saw no flicker or slowdown like you would expect from an 8-bit game.  There were no crashes, patches, frame-drops, or any other technical problems while I played.  I mean... this isn't exactly pushing the system too hard.  Still, there are a lot of ways the development team could have dropped the ball on this one, but they didn't

So, what's my final conclusion?  This is a great game.  If you're a fan of those side-scrolling staples from 30 years ago, this is a must play.  Even if you've never played one of them in your life, this is a great starting point to jump in and give one a try.  The fact that this is a supplemental bonus to a larger game is even more impressive.  I'm so glad that this game got a retail release.  I want to go back and play it again before too long.  And, let me tell you, that's a strong statement considering I just beat the game 8 times in a row over the last 10 days.  I was able to unlock every trophy in the game... and I never got bored doing so.

Final Status: Completed (unlocked everything and finished all modes)

Final Score: 9/10 (Amazing)

Kholat (PS4) Review

 Kholat (PS4) Review

Release Date: March 8, 2016

Date Played: October 11, 2021

Up next on Horror Month 2021 is Kholat. Developed by Polish Developer IMGN.PRO. I added this one to my wish list after I saw Radical Reggie recommend it on a pickups video he did.  It sat on my wishlist for a good long while until it finally went on sale in the UK for $16.49 with free shipping.  I imported it and it sat on the shelf for a couple of years before being randomly selected to play.

You play as an investigator who is following the steps of the 10 Russian hikers that went missing during the Dyatlov Pass Incident in 1959.  It's a true story where their camp was destroyed and they cut their way out of their tent only to be discovered dead in their underwear many yards away.  They had cuts on their bodies and appeared to have the daylights scared out of them.  Many mysteries surround the case and a lot of them are still unanswered to this day.  There are plenty of supernatural and Earthly explanations theorized over the last decades and the story continues to fascinate a lot of people. Just reading the Wikipedia article of this strange event is fascinating and seems like the perfect setting for a horror game. I would consider myself to have a mild interest about the situation and was excited to try the game.  

From the title screen you're welcomed by magnificent music in the form of sparse piano accompanied by swelling strings and wistful female singling. It really evokes a sense of melancholy and uneasiness. It's truly spectacular and couldn't fit the game any better. The rest of the music in the game is also great and is used very well.  It is often playing and is the real star of the show.  On top of this is narration by none other than Sean Bean.  He of course performs wonderfully as do the other voice actors that were used to narrate the game.  

As for the game itself, it's a horror based exploration game.  It's kind of in that walking simulator genre, but is actually based more on an orienteering mechanic.  You're given a map, compass, and several sets of coordinates and are supposed to go investigate the 10 locations the hikers visited before that great tragedy befell them.  You can't see your location on the map and have to orient yourself from the clues you find and your surroundings.  Now, I'm just going to come right out and say it, I absolutely hate navigating around in this game.  I know how to use a map and a compass, but you normally don't have to use those in mountain passes that act more like mazes than open areas.  The vast majority of the time you'll be lost with no way to discover where you are until you randomly stumble onto one of the 10 locations or find a clue that will put a new marker on your map. The new pinpoints on your map are there to serve as markers to help you locate where you actually are, but often times they didn't seem to appear on the map in a location that resembled my surroundings.  For example, there was one clue on the right side of a long road.  When it appeared on the map, the icon was to the left of the road and set back a distance. This made me feel like I was going the wrong direction, so I turned around to retrace my steps.  It was only after 5 or so minuets of going back the way I came before I realized that I needed to turn back around and heat the other way.  These clues not only "help" with locating yourself on the map, but they also help fill in the story and are quite often voice narrated. Like I said, these performances are often really good.  The clues range from spiritual philosophy, supernatural explanations, and journal entries that help flesh out the whole situation. It does help build an atmosphere that is somewhat intriguing.  Adding to that intrigue is the gigantic world of Kholat.  It's snowy, mountainous, and forested. It can be quite beautiful, but it's so full of valleys and jagged peaks that it impedes your view of your surroundings and gives the game a very claustrophobic feel that isn't very welcome.  This works against the game in terms of immersion and the stupid orienteering mechanic.  There are also really short draw distances in the game.  So, even if you go up to a vantage point to try to plan your next move, you can't see anything in the distance.  

There are orange supernatural spirits in various locations on the map, and if you run into one of them you're done for.  You die and go back to the last new clue or location you discovered.  Sometimes this will set you back 30 seconds, other times it can set you back 30 minutes.  Often times, you'll just come around a corner and run smack into one of the orange spirits and have no time to react.  Or, an orange fog will come spilling down the side of the mountain and you have to outrun it.  It's all frustrating and feels cheap. When you die, you're greeted with a load screen that lasts about a minute before you can jump back in.  This makes these accidental deaths all the more irritating and rage inducing. I know these orange spirits (and the other supernatural events in the game) are supposed to add to the scariness, but it never really gets there.  They just feel like more of a hinderance to your progression rather than being the main mechanic of the game itself. I feel like the game should be about you escaping from the monsters that killed those hikers rather than it being about waiting for the monsters to get out of your way so you can go read more journal entries.

Speaking of running, it's mapped to the the R3 button in this game; which is idiotic.  Not only that, you have to continually hold it down to keep running.  This is such a terrible gameplay flaw that I can't overstate it.  After about 20 seconds of this, you'll have a hand cramp.  Hell, an hour after I stopped playing (as I'm currently writing this review) my hand is STILL sore from it.  This HUGE oversite is made even more grievous by the fact that there are unused L1 and R1 buttons on the controller.  Why couldn't the developers map it to one of the unused buttons, or at least give us a chance to rebind what the buttons do in the game? I know this doesn't seem like such a big deal, but trust me, when you play this game it's all you can think about.   You want to run so badly because you walk so slowly and everything is so damn boring that you just need to get a move on.  This button mapping gets directly in the way of you eking out what little enjoyment there is to be had in this game.

On the technical side, the sound design and score are outstanding (as mentioned earlier).  The graphics aren't great and have an early Xbox 360 feel to them.  I also encountered a fair amount of framerate drops that really took me out of the game.  These would often occur when you were near one of the 10 locations you're trying to discover.  These are usually accompanied by some sort of set piece to ratchet up the tension.  Unfortunately, when this happens and the framerate drops it basically gives you a heads up that something big is happening and spoils the surprise.  You can tell that the developers are pretty new to the game.  It's not uncommon for your first game to be a little rough around the edges, and this one certainly fits that description.  But, I can't fathom why they thought the orienteering mechanic would be something people would enjoy doing.  Walking simulators have a bad enough reputation as it is.  I'm guessing they didn't know how to tell the story they wanted to and relied on the walking simulator format as a vehicle to make it into a game.  Then, they added the navigation aspect to try to add some more "gameplay" to spice up the experience.  Sadly, this backfired, in my opinion and it ended up being a hindrance rather than a strength.

My final thoughts on the game are obviously very negative.  Other than the music and sound design I didn't enjoy this game at all.  The orienteering game mechanic isn't fun and makes playing the game a chore.  Piled on top of that is the fact that it's literally painful in your hand to run in this game.  It just makes the time you spent wondering aimlessly around the map all that more frustrating.  The setting is really cool, but they don't do enough with the awesome material they've selected and instead just focus on random bits of lore to add to the generally creepy vibe rather than construct a real story.  As I've mentioned before, I have a gaming sin called, "Esoteric Bullshit" where you have to wander around trying to figure out what you're supposed to do.  It's probably my biggest pet peeve in gaming and Kholat is a game built around that pet peeve.  You're always lost and can't even find your location most of the time and it just makes your time in their world feel like there's no urgency or direction.  I hated it.  I know the game got mixed reviews (mostly leaning negative), but I never though it would be this bad.  

I couldn't bring myself to finish the game and after 3 or so hours...  and with an aching hand I threw in the towel and decided to move onto something more worth my time. 

Final Status: Played for several hours... and quit.

Final Score: 3/10 (Bad)

The Inpatient (PSVR) Review

 The Inpatient (PSVR) Review

Date Released: January 23, 2018

Date Played: October 10th, 2021

Continuing on with Horror Month 2021, we've come the "In Patient," a VR horror game from the developer Supergiant Games.  They are most known for the PS4 cult classic Until Dawn. Personally, I am a huge fan of Until Dawn and loved it when I played it for Horror Month 2016.  Then, last year, I played the spinoff game Until Dawn: Rush of Blood which was a horror based rail shooter/carnival shooter set in the Until Dawn world.  And let me tell you, that game was great as well.  So, I was excited to try The Inpatient.  It was another game set in the same universe and was supposed to be a sort of prequel to the first game in the series. I grabbed it very cheaply not long after it came out and put it on this shelf with the rest of the collection until it was randomly selected for me to play.  So, were my expectations met? I won't beat around the bush.  The Inpatient is terrible and barely constitutes being a game at all. 

You play as some character locked up in the Blackwood Sanitarium who is suffering from amnesia.  The game takes place in the 1950s and fills in the story of the origin of the monsters in Until Dawn.  As you learn in the first game, (spoilers ahead!) some miners got trapped in a cave in and had to resort to cannibalism to survive.  This caused them to become cursed.  When they are rescued, they are all committed to the Blackwood Sanitarium to recover. Eventually, the curse takes over and they all become monsters and kill everyone in the sanitarium and continue to hunt on the mountain that serves as the setting for Until Dawn. You basically act as a passive witness to all the events going on with the monsters taking over the sanitarium.  Although, most of these events are just sounds in the distance and not very much is really shown.  

Gameplay really only consists of attempting to walk around with the game's terrible controls while people talk about what's going on and why everyone is dying.  Most of your time is spent in your room talking to your cell mate or following people around as they move through the enormous environments.  There's little to no gameplay other than finding and collecting memory fragments that spark flashbacks of how you came to be in the facility.  If I had to describe the style of the game, I would say it's like a Choose Your Own Adventure book.  Often you will be presented with different dialog choices that can affect the outcome of the game.  There are several endings and a generic cast of characters that can be saved/killed through your actions.  It rehashes the Butterfly Effect mechanic from the first game and builds up how important your choices are.  But, since the experience is so miserable, mustering up the energy to care about these choices is the hardest task you'll have to perform while playing this game. Even though the whole game is only about 2 hours long, it overstays its welcome and was a total chore to finish.  I guess you're supposed to play through the game several times to try to pick all the different paths and save/kill everyone... but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  The last 30% of the game is just following people around while they open and close doors on the way to the other side of the sanitarium.  It's extremely boring, and knowing that there's really no danger kills all sense of tension and fear in the game. Also, since I played the first game, I basically knew what was going to happen.  It's slightly creepy, but other than the occasional cheap jump scare it's not scary at all.  Most of these jump scares you can see coming from a mile away, so even that aspect was a let down.

Whatever choices I made led me to becoming cursed myself and I had to abandon my plans to escape to help other people off the mountain.  It was very anticlimactic.  There's a post credit scene the reveals that you become the monster that set the events of Until Dawn into motion 60 years later.  I guess that's a little interesting, but not enough to save this game from all of its other flaws.

The character models in the game don't look great and have a strong uncanny valley look to them.  On top of that, the voice actors aren't very strong... of course, they're really weren't given much to work with. I feel like the developers want you to have some sort of emotional attachment to these characters so you care about them enough to try to save them, but they are so hollow and their dialog is so superficial and brief that everyone ends up feeling like an extra in a low budget movie.  Half of the characters you encounter only have a handful of dialog at most and most of that boils down to cliched lines like, "Did you hear that!?" or, "What to you think happened here?!?" Just listening to these NPCs prattle back and forth is exhausting. On a positive note, the setting of the sanitarium can be really nice sometimes.  This is especially true when you enter large open areas, point your flashlight up towards the ceiling, and really get to take in your surroundings and feel the massiveness of the sanitarium.  Unfortunately, all you ever do is just walk through them at a very leisurely pace. It's the most immersive aspect of the game and should have been explore more by the developers.  As for the technical aspects, I didn't have any crashes or other issues other than some slight motion sickness at the beginning of the game (during a segment while you're being pushed in the wheelchair).

Honestly, this game is quite bad and is more of an interactive experience rather than a game.  The story is bland and executed poorly, the game controls are abysmal, and most of the time with the game is just passive where you stand around and watch characters have dialog. The whole package feels like a total cash grab from Supergiant Games and I'm disappointed in their choice to release this game.  I wonder if they were contractually obligated to make a handful of VR games and they pretty much just shoved this one out into the shovelware bin.  With all of the heart, great writing, and energy put into the two other games I've played that they developed, there must be some sort of outside event that caused this trainwreck of a game to be released. 

I bought this game not long after it came out and I paid $8.15 for it... In my opinion, that's too much money... and coming from someone who has paid stupid premiums for terrible games that are "rare," that's a bold statement.  In the end, I can't recommend this game to anyone.  It's a terrible game and not even a good VR experience.  Stay away from this one.

Final Status: Beaten

Final Score: 3/10 (Terrible)

Yomawari: Night Alone (Switch) Review:

 Yomawari: Night Alone (Switch) Review:

Date Released: October 26, 2018 (Switch Rerelease)

Date Played: October 7th, 2021

This game was originally released for the Playstation Vita back in October of 2016.  I remember hearing the game was pretty well received by both the critics and the general public so it was quickly put on my radar... but wasn't exactly the highest priority.  After all, I'm not the biggest fan of handheld gaming and wasn't really into collecting too hard for the Vita.  When they sequel to this game was released with a PS4 port, I knew I wanted to play it; but of course, I had to play the original first.  Unfortunately, I just never came across it and let it slowly move down my priority list.  After a couple of years, I was super excited to learn the game was being re-released on the Nintendo Switch with both games on the same cartridge.  I'm in!  Sign me up.  I ordered a copy from Amazon.   I patiently awaited the day for it to arrive.  When it got here, I was dismayed to learn that the package had been crushed and the game case was destroyed.   So, I returned it and requested another.  Unfortunately, Amazon had already sold through their stock and could only issue a refund.   I checked online and everywhere was sold out.   So, I waited, and waited, and waited... until the game was going for over $130.  That's totally insane.  The only other time I've ever seen a game go into the 3-digit mark after only a year was Xenoblade Chronicles on the Wii.  So lame.  

It didn't look like Nippon Ichi Software was going to do another print of the game either.  I was about ready to just pony up the cash and grab it when I found a copy on Ebay that was missing the manual.   I was able to snag it for $85 (shipping and tax brought it up to $96.65).  I wasn't happy... but at least I had it.

So for the 2021 annual horror month, this game was selected and I was ready to find out if my investment was worth it.  I popped in the game and dove right in.  Honestly, it didn't take me very long to develop a first impression.  The game is very simple in terms of both story and gameplay, but has a unique aesthetic that I feel helps it stand out.   Now, I know you're asking yourself, "So, was the game worth the $100 you spent?"  Truthfully, no.  Not in terms of the experience I had while playing through the game.  Perhaps it will be worth it in terms of a monetary investment, but that's not something I typically think about too much.   Let me just say that I hope the sequel to the game that is also on the cartridge helps with the buyer's remorse.   

You play as a very young girl who is 4-7 years old.  After a surprise tragedy at the beginning of the game (and the most shocking part of the game, by the way) your sister heads out into the town to help.  It isn't long until your sister becomes lost and it's totally up to you to find her.  The art style is presented in a very cutesy children's book way that is very endearing and makes the game stand out from the pack.  You view everything from an isometric angle that only serves to add to the already unique visuals.  The game itself is actually survival horror... surprisingly.  You wander around a traditional Japanese town while searching various locales.  You'll visit the school, Shinto shrines, lots of both the vacant and parking variety, a factory, the forest, an incinerator, street after street of housing, and many more places you might expect to see.  It feels like it's a real town and is the real star of the game.  As you explore, there are copious amounts of Japanese spirits that impede your way. These can be crying girls (a la The Ring), black spirits, huge tentacle monsters, ghost dogs, corpses hanging from a noose, and a plethora of other grotesque and thought provoking horrors.  As you get closer to these spirits, your character's heartbeat will increase and your only recourse is to sneak by or run.  That's right, there's no combat in this game.  Sneak, run, or hide.  Those are your only options. Luckily, you are equipped with a flashlight that will reveal the location of the marauding spirits when you shine the light on them.  This does help the gameplay and adds a bit of strategy (this is especially true for the enemies that are attracted to light) but it leaves the whole experience feeling more like a stealth game than survival horror.  There are way too many enemies scattered all over the map and you're in a constant state of anxiety.  Many times these spirits polka dot the area and you have to find the best rout between them.  You have a stamina gauge that allows you to run for a short distance before it depletes, but if you're in the vicinity of a spirit, it depletes almost instantly.  With the overabundance of the spirits roaming around, managing this gauge becomes the real focus of gameplay.  When an enemy catches you, death is instant.  The fully black screen splattered with blood lingers for a few seconds and then drops you back at your last checkpoint. You'll be seeing the screen often... quite often.  Death is inevitable. Even though there are a lot of checkpoints and dying never sets you too far back, a lot of the sneaking sections are very frustrating with their tight tolerances for sneaking by, running, or finding a hiding spot.  This forces a lot of sections of the game to be an exercise in trial and error.  On more than a couple of occasions I became highly irritated to the point of yelling out swearwords and wanting to slam down my controller.  For a game that's only 5 hours long, that's too often. 

There is a little bit of resource management like you would expect in this style of game.  You collect stones, candles, fish, coins, matches, and a few other trinkets that can be used.  Unfortunately, most of these are extremely limited in their usefulness and are only used a couple of times during the entire game.  The game could have used some more items to play around with to add some variety to the whole situation.  Scattered around the town are little shrines called Jizo statues.  If you offer a coin to one of them, it will act as a quick save spot and also a teleport location to fast travel around the town. Obviously, these are invaluable and are a key focus of the game. Many sighs of relief were made when I saw one of these appear on my screen. The other key items of the game are basically just keys and other items that allow you to access areas previously closed off to you.  Unlike most survival horror games, you don't really solve any puzzles to get these key items.  Most are just lying on the ground or tucked away in some corner.  Exploration is the name of the game of Yomawari. You find a locked gate, explore the area a little, find a key, unlock the gate, and then move on. There are a few minor puzzles that involve pulling a switch to empty a pool and another where you have to jump between two realities to avoid enemies, but other than those the only real puzzle elements are puzzling out how to sneak past enemies. 

As mentioned before, the presentation of the game is quite good.  There is very little music in the game and I honestly only remember hearing any music during the final credits.  This gives the game a very isolated feel and certainly helps it live up to it's name, "A Night Alone."  The sound design is very good and there are certainly a good amount of loud and shocking sounds to give you a little jolt. I encountered no bugs or issues while playing and the play control was spot on.  The little girl walks pretty slowly, but I think that actually helps the game more than it hinders it.  After all, do you want a 5 year old that can outrun every spirit that's after her?  That doesn't sound very scary.

There you have it.  Yomawari is a brief survival horror-lite game with a cute and appealing aesthetic. The story is rooted in a very interesting Shinto/Japanese folklore setting that helps it stand out from the crowd and keeps things fresh.  The gameplay is very basic and never really improved or changed during my time with the game.  I really liked exploring the city, but the overabundance of enemies never really made me feel like I was free to just enjoy my surroundings and soak in the world the developers created.  Maybe if you were able to eliminate enemies instead of just avoiding them, then I would have enjoyed my time with the game a little more. The game isn't really scary, but it's almost always tense and a bit unsettling. I'm looking forward to playing the sequel.  Hopefully, they decide to add a little bit more nuance to the gameplay.

 Also, the ending.  Boy, was that... eye popping.  

Final Status: Beaten

Final Score: 7/10 (Good)

Death Stranding (PS4) Review

Death Stranding (PS4) Review

Date Released: November 8, 2019

Date Played: September 25,2021

I honestly think there was more hype and curiosity surrounding this game than any other game that I have ever experienced... or at least remember experiencing.  After Hideo Kojima, the legendary writer and director of this game, left Konami, no one was sure what his next project would be.  After all, he had been with Konami for decades and was basically synonymous with the brand. When it was later announced that Sony was going to snag him, I think everyone's curiosity was piqued.  What would he do now that he didn't have his beloved Metal Gear franchise to use as his writing outlet?  Whatever became of all the planning that he had done with acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro for the new Silent Hill game that was supposed to star Norman Reedus?  No one knew.  

It wasn't as long as anyone expected until he announced his next game would be titled Death Stranding.  Yes, Guillermo del Toro and Norman Reedus would still be involved, but no one had the foggiest idea of what sort of game it would be.  There were rumors of the game being a survival horror game like Silent Hills or that it would be a stealth action game like Metal Gear.  I even heard some people who felt the game was going to be an MMORPG.  Then, the first trailer dropped... and so did everyone's jaw.  We saw a naked Norman Reedus with a baby inside of him that gives him a thumbs up.  We saw Mads Mikkelsen with black tar pouring out of his eyes.  We saw bodies hovering above a gray-tinged beach.   Everyone had questions.  As each new trailer came out people seemed to get more and more confused.  It was just scene after scene of the most nonsensical craziness you could ever imagine. Disturbing images and bizarre concepts were in abundance.  When asked what the gameplay was like, Hideo Kojima gave tacit responses like, "it's a game about connections."  What?!?   The internet was ablaze with fan theory after fan theory about what this game would actually turn out to be.  At this point, I abandoned the media about the game and went dark.  I didn't want some hairbrained idea to accidentally spoil that game for me.  I would get to it... eventually like I always do.  Be it weeks, months, or years... this was something I wanted to experience unspoiled.

When that game finally released, I of course didn't pick it up.  I knew that it would sell like crazy and I could buy it for a song later down the road.  In the meantime, I read some spoiler free reviews, and damn was there some division among the gaming community.  I heard people say the game was terrible and was nothing more than a glorified walking simulator and it was like a 2/10.  I heard others call it a paradigm shift in gaming and that it was an undeniable masterpiece that was a 10/10.  Wow... now I couldn't wait to have my chance to play it.  That chance came right at the height of the Delta Variant outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.  It was randomly selected for me to play and I figured this would be an great time to dive in.   Little did I know that this game would be the most fitting game you could ever play while being a shut-in.  

So, what kind of game is Death Stranding?  Well, as Kojima himself said, "it's a game about connections."  And honestly, that statement is very apt when talking about the theme of the game.  The gameplay itself is actually a 3rd person open-world adventure game, but there's so much more to it than that. Without hesitation, I'll just come right out and say it; Hideo Kojima has crafted one of the most interesting worlds I've ever experienced in any sort of media. That goes for TV shows, books, movies, anything.  It's completely unique, intriguing, tragic, and enjoyable in the most melancholy sense.  There's really nothing like it.  The sheer amount of thought and mindfulness that went into crafting this world is astounding and is more than enough to make up for any slight shortcomings in the gameplay or lulls in action that the peanut gallery of the internet are so adamant about pointing out. There is no other way that this story could be told outside of a video game.  To be there... experiencing this world and the plight of the main character really immerses you in the whole experience.  You're invested and you care what's going on, but more so it feels like you are really a part of this world.  I'm thankful to have been a part of it.

To explain the story, themes, and skillfully crafted world in this short review would be impossible.  I googled, "Death Stranding story explained" and discovered many video essays about the story of this game and they clocked in between 25 minutes all the way to 2+hours.  I watched one of the 25 minute videos and it was just a lightning fast recount of the story that only hit on the most superficial levels.  Needless to say, I won't be diving in here; nor would I want to.  Anyone who reads this should experience the game for themselves.  But, I'll do my best to whet your appetite and hopefully that will be enough to entice you.

You play as Sam Porter Bridges (played by Norman Reedus).  You live in a world where a terrible and cataclysmic event called the Death Stranding has occurred.  Something happened that caused the world of the dead and the world of this living to be connected and this is wreaking havoc.  People realized that when they die, they go to a sort of purgatory called The Beach.  It's here that they can wade out into the water to travel to the afterlife. There are a few select people who have the ability to return from the Beach to the world of the living and they have completely broken apart the fundamentals of the way people have viewed death. They have also learned that beings called BTs (beached things) can travel from the afterlife over to the world of the living.  When someone dies, a proverbial clock starts ticking and if you don't incinerate the body in a remote location before to long, a BT will appear from it.  These BTs are manifested as monsters and if they consume the spirit of the body before you can dispose of it, it will cause a Void Out which is basically like a nuclear bomb being dropped on the location.  So, if anyone dies for any reason, it's literally a ticking-time bomb to get rid of them. In addition to this, all of the rain in the world has become something called Time Fall.  This causes everything (including humans) to age extremely rapidly if it touches their skin.  Not only that, BTs seem to roam around whenever the Time Fall occurs.  Because of all of this, the world has basically ended.  The few people left alive are completely isolated around the country in these bunkers without any contact. Everyone is afraid to go outside and they don't want to be around anyone else.  In order to survive and receive the supplies they need, delivery people have to brave the harsh and hostile world to take them the items and equipment that they request.  Our main character, Sam, is one such person.  You quickly learn that the remaining government of that is still intact wants to tie all of the remaining cities and bunkers together into a Chiral Network (a fancier internet) in order to link everyone back together and try to save humanity.  So our hero, Sam, is charged with traveling across the country to do this.

So, there you go, that's the most basic premise I can give about the story to the game.  But don't let that put you off if it.  The real magic of this game lies in all of the details, lore, and sophisticated components of this whole system.  Everything is tied together in the most amazing way... and as you travel across the country connecting with people and unraveling this this Death Stranding mystery, things just get more and more fascinating.  I can't stress this enough, there's really nothing out there like this world.  Every little nagging loophole or question I had was eventually answered and it turned this "idea" into a fully fledged reality.  What an imagination Hideo Kojima has... 

As for the gameplay, you really just deliver equipment from one person to the next. Most of your time is spent walking and trying to find paths across the desolate countryside. There are mechanics around balancing as you try to traverse the rocky terrain, there's some minor combat for avoiding looters, there's a fair amount of stealth for avoiding BTs, and there's even a few shootouts and gunplay for dealing with bosses. All of these are done well and are usually really fun.  There's even an online component where you can leave items like ropes and ladders scattered around the map to assist other players in the world with their traversal and they can to likewise for you.  It's a really nice touch and makes you feel like you're not entirely alone out there. There were more than a handful of times I was struggling to reach my destination and if it weren't for a little friendly help from a stranger, I might not have made it.  It's also nice to know that I may have helped do the same for someone else. But... in the end, this is mostly a game about traveling and unraveling the world Hideo Kojima has crafted.  I can totally see how people who are more used to high-octane shooters would find this game boring.  Or how someone could just "not get it."  I, personally, totally get it and never once found it boring.  Just taking in the beautiful and sad scenery kept me interested.  On those long treks across the mossy and stony wilderness, music will often kick in and add another layer to the sadness and beauty of this world all while pushing you to take just a few more steps or to finish that last delivery. Just this simple touch almost brought me to tears several times and it's such a nice reprieve after a tense section with a BT or an emotional cutscene. These little heart-soothing moments sprinkled into the overwhelming melancholy of this world are really the brightness that this lonely experience needed.  

As for the technical side.  The graphics, art design, character models, textures, and lighting are all magnificent.  It's probably the best looking game I've ever seen on the PS4.  The sound design is expertly crafted all the way from the ambient noise, to the mixing, to the music selected for the game.  This music is often very relaxed and introspective indie rock and it suits the game perfectly.  As mentioned above, it will often just start playing while you're walking from one distant location to the next.  Every time this happened, it lifted my spirits and put a smile on my face.  I loved it.  The actors that Hideo Kojima selected for this game were casted amazingly.  I liked every single character and felt emotionally invested in them.  The performances were some of the best I've ever seen in any game and the long cutscenes that Kojima is so well known for never once felt like they detracted from the game. I can't even imagine how this game could have been casted or performed any better. A game that is so subtle and nuanced in its gameplay needs the same from the execution of its acting and storytelling.  Death Stranding wholeheartedly succeeds on every level.  The only negative critique I can make about this game is that its pacing does begin to drag slightly around the half-way point.  There's about a 10 hour stretch there that feels like it could use a bit of a pick-me-up.  Luckily, the game finishes very strongly and almost makes up for the slight dip.  Still, I was never really put off from wanting to play the game and looked forward to each new session with it.

As others have said, this game isn't really "fun" in the traditional sense.  It's very rarely high energy, but it's quite often very tense when you're dealing with the BTs or sneaking across looter territory. It's not going to have you jumping out of your seat with fists pumped into the air after after destroying your opponent, but it fills a void that is lacking in media in this day and age.  Everything is so action based, loud, and in your face that it's difficult to find a somber and thought provoking idea that can truly succeed.  I'm amazed that this game was ever made and I can't wait to see what Kojima does next. This game is nearly perfect but could have used just a touch more variance in the gameplay to help with some of the tedium and frustrations with crossing the terrain again and again.  In the end, playing a game about connecting people who are shut-ins in an apocalyptic world really resounded with me in a time where our actual world feels like we're all isolated shut-ins in a world being ravaged by a pandemic.  There's a time and place for everything, and now is the perfect time for this game.

Final Status: Beaten

Final Score 9/10 (almost a masterpiece)

 
 

Hidden Mysteries: Titanic (Wii) Review

 

Hidden Mysteries: Titanic (Wii) Review

Date Released: November 3, 2009

Date Played: September 20, 2021

You know those budget PC games that are tucked away in the back of the electronics section at Walmart?  This is one of those.  Actually, it's worse.  It's a PORT of one of those. You think to yourself, "who the hell buys these games?!?  There's like 50 mahjong and sudoku games and they've all been sitting here for a decade.  What even is a Hidden Mystery game?"   Well, let me illuminate you.  Firstly, this the the bottom of the barrel of the Wii shovel-ware game genre.   Like usual, I picked this one up at a yard sale for less than 25 cents.  It looked so terrible that I was just going to flip it on Ebay, but it was going for so little money that it wasn't even worth my time and I would probably LOSE money by attempting to sell it.  So, I added it to the collection.  Needless to say, I wasn't exactly enthusiastic when this one was randomly selected for me to play.  I figured I would give it a few minutes of my time and then move on to something else...  

You play as Margaret Ashley, a newly wed girl who has married above her station and become a wealthy socialite.  She and her pretentious husband have decided to set sail on the maiden voyage of the Titanic.  You're quickly thrown into the turmoil of trying to board the luxury liner all while being introduced to a colorful cast of characters.  These include friendly porters, an irritating Cockney child, your husband's valet, and even your own estranged mother who is attempting to talk some reason into you and bring you from your newly acquired "high-horse" back down into the folds of the lower class.  Once you're on the ship you're tasked with solving various puzzles, helping people sort out their problems, dealing with your irritatingly spoiled and inept husband, navigating secret passage ways, mixing cocktails, robbing Egyptian sarcophagi, and other various tasks that range from the banal to the extraordinary.  Finally, (spoiler alert!!!) you have to help everyone escape from the sinking Titanic before getting on the life boat yourself.  What a twist...  We all know how the story goes, so much like the movie, you're just sort of along for the ride and to witness what goes on in such a profound situation as this.

All of this is presented with static screens with dialog boxes. We all know how much I hate this sort of game presentation. I hate it so much, in fact, that it's slowly becoming one of my gaming sins.  Show me what is happening, don't tell me!  I guess I should be more understanding.  This game was, after all, made on a budget that could barely feed a family of four at Red Lobster.  Fortunately, most of the text is fully voice acted.  Margaret is performed pretty well as are most of the characters.  There are a few standout bad actors with their terrible accents (looking at you Cockney kid) that can get rather grating on your ear before too long.  Luckily, most of this is kept to a minimum.  The artwork, while not very impressive does look good enough for an ultra extreme budget title.  These storytelling devices are split into 20 chapters that are each bookended by a cheap looking CGI cut-scene of the Titanic sailing around on and/or sinking in the Atlantic Ocean.  This is all accompanied by a pretty decent score that fits the game well.  Do let me note that the music for the title screen of this game is, for a better lack of description, shocking.  It's fully orchestrated and sounds like something that would be playing during a gruesome murder scene in a horror movie.  To say that it's way to emotionally heavy and over the top is an understatement.  Without a doubt, it is the most sinister and foreboding piece of music I have ever heard for a title screen in a video game.  Hell, it may take the trophy for most menacing video game music of all time.   You should really check it out if you haven't heard it.  But even with the over-the-top intro music, the game is presented well enough for what it is.

As for the gameplay... well... it's ripped right out of a budget PC game just like you'd imagine.  You use the Wiimote to move a cursor around the static screens you encounter.  Hovering over an object or location will cause little gold stars to appear which signifies that you can interact with it.  You gather clues, items, and information that you use to solve puzzles as you explore room to room in adventure game style. After figuring out all of the puzzles in the area, you get to move on.  Luckily, all of the chapters are self contained so you don't have to worry about missing something or having to carry a key item with you to the next chapter in order to progress. This prevents the soft-lock that happens so often in adventure games where you don't flat out lose, you just can't continue anymore and spend tons of time wondering around while impossibly trying to progress. Just like most adventure games, the puzzles can be every esoteric and nonsensical.  Many times, I relied on trying every object on every other object until something worked (a classic mainstay and familiar technique for my adventure gaming career).  The game graciously gives you a hint icon that you can use at any time if you get stuck.  This happened quite often for me and I didn't really feel to bad about using the hint helper because the puzzles were so often eye-rollingly obtuse.  Occasionally, you'll be tasked with doing some sort of Wii motion control filler stuff like turning a crank, unwinding a spool, or flipping a switch.  This, like usual, involves the player repeatedly fumbling around with the Wiimote until it works.  Once again, these luckily don't happen very often.   In addition to these sections, you'll also be thrown into these "find 10 hidden objects in the picture" minigames.  I guess this is the hallmark of the Hidden Mysteries franchise.  Since I assume this game is a member of that illustrious and hallowed fellowship of gaming it's no wonder that a bunch of these are interjected into every single chapter of the game.  Quite often the hidden objects are so blatantly obvious that they might as well be printed on the back of a kid's menu at Denny's.  Other times, the items are so well hidden, that you're forced to just click nonstop as you slowly comb every inch of the screen with the cursor.  I don't really feel that these parts of the game really belong... but what are you going to do?  It IS a hidden mystery game after all.

So, after spending 6 weeks playing this game (I had to move to a new house when I was about 2 hours from the end) what's my final verdict?  Honestly, the game isn't that bad and a I had an enjoyable time with it.  The characters are engaging, the puzzles can be fun, the story has some interesting ideas and new takes on the cliché Titanic narrative.  It's nothing remarkable, but it's certainly a decently fun time and absolutely worth the 25 cents I paid for it. You can finish it in a couple of sittings if you have the patience for adventure games.   I was pleasantly surprised with this one and played it all the way to the end credits.  Then, I finished the secret chapter you unlock for beating the game.

Final Score: 6/10 (Better than it should be).

Final Status: Beaten (also finished secret unlockable chapter).