Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (Nintendo Switch) | Review

Title: Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
Platform: PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, PC, Nintendo Switch
Reviewed On: Nintendo Switch
Developer: Nihon Falcom
Publisher: NIS America

Copy Provided By: Bought it with my own money!

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana

“Yeah, I Am AWESOME!”

 

If you’re wondering where I have been since my last article, this game is the sole culprit. Never since Xenoblade Chronicles X has a game grabbed my attention so thoroughly and kept me hooked from start to end over nearly 50 hours of playtime.

First I would be remiss to not mention the soundtrack. As I have been told is normal for Falcom titles, this game nails a mix of sombre, energetic, rock and orchestra at just the right moments. Such variety keeps the game from feeling stale and helps push it’s identity as an adventure first and foremost.

Below are two examples of this varied soundtrack: The Theme of Dana, and the theme for the first area of the game proper.

 

Story of Ys VIII?

In terms of plot, Ys VIII is relatively simple. What you get is a very personal story, around a group of castaways on an island simply trying to survive and escape, before the greater mystery unveils itself and the two segue into each other very well. The star of the show isn’t the overarching plot lines, which do keep you guessing, but the Castaway Village.

Every character in your party of 6, or any of the people you rescue, and wholly unique. Some are snobbish aristocrats. Some are military men with a more artistic side. One is an insufferable artist. This clashing of characters and ultimate teamwork is incredibly satisfying to watch as almost everyone accepts that they are kindred spirits despite their backgrounds.

You spend a lot of time learning about them, via the timed side quests you get, and gifts you can hand to them. This raises their approval, which improves how you do in the Raid defense missions and Hunting missions. Maxing out Approval nets you a fully voiced heart to heart conversation with the character in question too, revealing more about the small but varied cast.

Of course, raising approval, taking part in raids and hunts all raises the main character, Adol Christin’s, “Reputation”. With a high enough reputation stat by end game, you earn the best ending and bonus content.

Some typos do litter the story.

Sometimes the text in Ys VIII can be a funny read though. But this is rare.

How Is The Gameplay?

Ys VIII is an Action RPG. You use Y to switch between your active party members at any time, which is handy for enemies that require a certain weapon type.

This kind of dynamic means you will never be short on health, and battles can be quick or slow depending on the volume of enemies and how you approach them. Using charged attacks lets you use Special Skills, which level up independently of characters and have various effects such as counters, ranged attacks, Area of Effects and more. 4 can be assigned and swapped out at any time, just like party members.

Bosses are also a highlight, a range of impressive beasts to take on that all require different strategies.

Bosses in this game can be imposing.

Bosses in Ys VIII can range from small to gargantuan.

Combat is incredibly fluid and frantic, and with status effects and plenty of customisation the game never feels stale, in even in the more restricted Dungeons, where you want to craft meals and bring medicine to help along.

Characters also have gear to equip. These impact stats via one body piece and one arm piece, with two accessories. Further, the Switch release comes with all included DLC costumes for some visual variety.

 

Progression?

Adventure Gear is an excellent feature that assists in what is a Metroidvania style structure. Each area connects to another by either immovable blockade that requires rescuing castaways, or Adventure Gear that is found as you progress such as a Double Jump.

These always come right as you start to feel restricted, and exploring previous areas leads to more items, gear and Castaways. This constant loop of exploring, reward and crafting items, weapons and more, leads to a very satisfying experience.

Of course, side quests are aplenty and do run on a time limit, so a complaint is that you can potentially miss them. Same with raids, that attack Castaway Village periodically, diverting from your current task, though you can fast travel. Side Quests and Raids are essential to the best ending of course.

Ys VIII never stops giving you things to do.

There is always something new to do and see.

 

What About The Post Game?

 

Ys VIII has a surprisingly length post game. There are several super bosses and one very, very, VERY large dungeon to clear that nets you plenty of gear, including a reward of party size adjustment and adding different weapon types to a single character.

All this can then be carried over the New Game Plus, and there is even a Time Attack mode. Plus, plenty of Raids and Hunts come up at the end of the game as well. You won’t be left wanting with this title.

Even completing the map gets you rewards for every 10% so simply walking around is a reward in of itself. This is a game that gives you what you need when you need it and lets you make your own path, and rewards you.

 

Any Negatives?

 

To be frank, this game isn’t the most impressive, being a Vita title originally. This is evident in some shapes and objects, as well as texture work. Passable, but it does look better in handheld mode. The game also did crash once or twice, but that doesn’t detract from my experience due to very frequent autosaves.

The fact you can miss quests is perhaps the biggest gameplay flaw. But, with frequent trips that you make to the Village anyway, you likely won’t miss them if you are diligent!

I suppose there are the odd graphical quirks as well. Some are incredibly hard to replicate, so the frequency is uncertain, but it never detracted from the experience.

Sometimes the game...acts strange.

Feeling okay there Hummel?

This is my final takeaway from this game. The odd quirks and errors in text are by no means a detraction from the game. The gameplay is exceptionally solid, the game is rewarding, and most of all Ys VIII never slows down. There is always somewhere new to see.

 

To Conclude?

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is an entry in a franchise I am ashamed to say didn’t catch my eye until Nintendo shoved it in my face earlier this year. I see this sentiment from a lot of people in all honesty, so the new light should push the series to new heights. It absolutely deserves it.

Ys VIII on Switch, for all it’s technical snags and weird text, is excellent. Simply an outstanding Action RPG well worth your time playing and enjoying.

I don’t say this lightly, but Ys VIII is my favourite game of 2018 thus far. That surely speaks for itself.

 

Thanks for reading, and if you like, you can check out other articles on the site! Sorry I vanished because of this game… but exciting things are to come. See you all later and Happy Gaming!

2017 In Gaming: A Look Back Over 12 Months

2017 has been a bit of wild ride, from new systems, new franchises, a lot of old franchises, incredible highs and some very deep lows.

 

If you were to really take away one from this year in gaming, it’s that new hardware came and really impressed the world.

Where the PS4 Pro was a relatively safe (And some would argue lacklustre) refresh of the PS4, the Xbox One X stormed ahead and probably could just be considered a new generation of hardware of its own. This machine has proven itself to be a real powerhouse, and a lot of people were doubting it, both in part to the Xbox One having lower sales than the PS4, but by no means bad, we should stress, and its high price leading to a question: Who is it for? For the enthusiast it has taken the crowd by surprise.

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Also of note is the Nintendo Switch, a machine so many were down prior to launch, and coming off the back of the Wii U and 2016 had many wondering if Nintendo had a place in the market anymore, including its own software partners. While it had a quieter start, demand was high from the off, and only grew. The real story is how over 10 months the perspective changed from doom and gloom, to “Oh it’s only early success, itll fall off”, to “Itll be dead by Xmas”, to a quieter rumbling of things still left to improve. If that isn’t a turn around, who knows what is.

The 3DS also had a hot year with many in-demand games and its end of life revision in the New 2DS XL being released. The little handheld has some time left in the sun, but no more than a year or two.

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The PS4 had a quieter year, if only because business as usual isn’t noteworthy. 70 million units out in the world now, 4 years in, that’s pretty good. PSVR also hit 2 million despite a lack of compelling software because…price cuts I suppose, but the VR competition is lagging behind, and the market shows a chance of stalling without further innovation and software.

Overall then, hardware wise, it has been a fantastic year with every company really on top of their hardware game.

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On to software then, the success stories really come from Sony and Nintendo, with Sony opting to front load its year with first party releases and major third-party titles before dropping off and letting the maligned GT Sport and third party deals flood the latter half of the year. Additionally, press events like Paris Games Week and E3 left a lot to be desired. People can only see the same game so many times without a release date.

Nintendo maintained a steady stream of games for both systems throughout the year. Critical and commercial darlings flooded their hardware and third parties developer some strong showings for once, despite a lack of desire to do so early on. Furthermore, gamers proved receptive to the software, with titles like Splatoon 2, Breath of the Wild, and Super Mario Odyssey setting records for their respective franchises.

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Microsoft once again limped along on third-party offerings, but majority of sales were on PS4. Furthermore the cancellation of exclusives like Scalebound and closure of notable studios left the future in question, as well as delaying what few exclusives were planned to next year. Maybe it will pick up then.

The indie scene proved to be on fire with once again the Nintendo Switch dominating the stories there with very high indie sales. Steam fell behind in this regard and Sony seemingly lost interest, but the quality on display this year has been unmistakable.

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Third parties as well proved a force to be reckoned with. If we ignore EA, as Mass Effect was a mess and their later games proved less than welcome with bad business decisions. Games like Nier, Nioh, Sonic Mania, Wolfenstein 2, Assassins Creed Origins, Mario + Rabbids, all proved surprise hits. Sure there were duds like Sonic Forces, but third parties not only showed renewed passion in their work, but renewed creativity.

Interestingly 2017 saw huge backlash against micro-transactions and lootboxes in gaming, as companies attempt to push them harder and harder into the core structure of games. This perhaps will be evidenced next year if more games opt to do this, and maybe this indicates a boom in the indie scene. Certainly “AA” games like Hellblade have shown they have a place, and companies like Square Enix have renewed interest in mid-range titles.

 

2017 will likely go down as a highlight year for the renewal of an industry that seemed to be struggling with staying fresh. Many companies came back from the brink and brought their A Game, and while there were some very loud duds from some, and some fresh controversy, it doesn’t drown out that regardless of what platform you choose, you had a fine year.

Except maybe Steam. I can’t see wading through that as fine. Seriously, sort that out Valve.

 

You’ll need to forgive me about this being a shorter piece. There isn’t much to say for this year beyond “It was really good”. Barring the issues around lootboxes later in the year and EA being EA…it’s been a fine year all around! So until next time, Happy Gaming!

Behind The Game Update: 2/12/2017

Alright guys, forgive me for being quiet this past week, it’s been rough.

 

But now we have some future plans!

 

So, the next full “Behind The Game Article” will be Metroid Prime. I want to take apart the pre-release of that game especially, as it was a very interesting time both from the gamer and developer standpoints.

 

Secondly, our next main review will be Metroid Prime. I just really want to 100% the game for the first time and I’ve been in the mood to sink my teeth into it. I may review a few smaller games before then, but the next big review is indeed Metroid Prime.

 

As for upcoming articles, regarding what Take Two just said about doing all digital confirms my suspicions regarding what I said about them in a previous article, and EA just keeps digging, so be sure I’ll update or write new articles in due course.

 

Outside of any other articles I really want to write, I suppose the next one would be dissecting Steam. I have some bones to pick their. After that, we will see.

 

So thanks for your patience guys, I will keep you guys posted over on Twitter (Link above) and as always, Happy Gaming!

Review: Sonic Forces

Title: Sonic Forces
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
Reviewed On: PlayStation 4
Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: SEGA

Copy Provided By: Bought it with my own money!

 

 

Sonic Forces is an interesting game. On its own merits, you can see ideas that would work excellently if given time to develop, and gameplay that in the past has been spot on. It’s a winning idea really. So why does this game strike the average feeling so half heartedly?

So first, some positives. This game looks great. Vibrant, colourful, and runs smoothly. Audio wise, some of the tunes I could do without, namely for the “Classic” levels, but a lot are top-notch unique tracks, some with vocals that really suit a stage. Even the overuse of synth isn’t a detriment, as the music is composed around the instruments.

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Now if we are being honest, this is a game of three parts. Each has its merits and drawbacks but before any of that, let’s talk story.

Story wise, this game is a mess. There are ideas started, that are never finished. There are points that are brought up and then dropped. There are huge opportunities that are simply in the game as marketing tools. The returning 4 villains for instance are nothing more than cut-scene fodder, and any plot point with them is dropped as important while the story shifts to another thread. Chaos and Shadow aren’t even fought, instead being dealt with in cinematics, and Chaos…Chaos just is. This creature shows up for 2 scenes and vanishes. There was potential here, and it raises the question: How often did this game end up being rewritten?

The main plot, or rather the one that actually ends up being followed through, is nothing special. The tone of the story is fine, albeit sometimes taking itself a little too seriously. The main villain of the game “Infinite” is enjoyable, though the resolution to the whole plot is rather empty. Infinite just disappears after being bested, you get your final boss and…hooray we won. That’s another point against the story. Like a lot of this game, it feels unfinished.

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The game is broken up into 30 main stages, including boss fights, with numerous extra and secret stages unlocked via progression or collecting Red Star Rings. Red Star Rings are 5 per level and are fairly simple to get. Nothing more than an alternate pathway or a little tricky platforming to get. Collecting all 5 unlocks 5 numbered rings that you must collect in sequence. Doing that unlocks 5 silver rings that you must collect in a short time. This is true for every stage. Unfortunately, outside of Red Star Rings, you get nothing for doing this in-game.

Missions are also a thing, both daily and regular, and it amounts to no more than busy work, such as maxing out rank on each avatar species, stomping a certain number of enemies, clear each stage fast enough, use each weapon enough, so on so forth. You get nothing for this either.

So with all this fluff, all you get for beating missions is items for your avatar. There is a huge assortment of items to select from, so you will be spoilt for choice in the end, though seeing the game list your unlocks after every mission gets tiresome fast. The avatar creator itself is simple to use and the creativity possible, while not incredible by any stretch, is a fun novel experiment.

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The gameplay for the avatar is also novel. You take your character (With their own native secondary ability such as a double jump or pulling in items when near, species dependant) and run in a shifting 2D/3D space just like Modern Sonic. The grapple hook is used automatically most times, though some are down to the player, and the avatar can use it to homing attack enemies, albeit this is fairly slow.

The character also has Wispons. These are unlimited use weapons you equip before each stage. Drill for instance, lets you dash forward and destroy any enemies. Void swallows enemies and objects in a generous radius. Hover acts like a shotgun that can launch enemies into each other, also with generous range. These are pretty simple though novel ideas, albeit enemies don’t pose much of a threat anyway.

Additionally, Wisps can be used with their corresponding weapon. You can only use say, Red Burst, with the Burst Wispon, and so on. These are used mainly for navigation and are limited in use, such as air jumps, flight, creating platforms, and travelling through lines of rings.

The avatar system is a good idea, but could have been fleshed out more.

 

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Modern Sonic returns to the Boost gameplay of past games (Minus a Drift feature for some reason) and largely it works the same. Destroy enemies or White Wisp capsules to fill a boost gauge and go to town. There is also a double jump feature but it’s very limited in helping you given its minimal height.

These levels typically have the most thought put into them, as high-speed platforming can quickly transition to a race or grinding sequence thrill ride. Additional paths are strewn throughout the levels for those observant, though they are often brief.  The only downside is when boosting, the ability to turn is reduced exponentially, something a Drift feature would have alleviated. Expect to find yourself hugging the sides of paths a lot.

Both the Avatar and Modern Sonic however, share a similar issue regarding 2D and jumping. The distance you can travel in the air feels inconsistent, and during my time with the avatar I noted moments where he would gain maximum speed immediately after landing from a jump, resulting in death. It’s sloppy to be sure, with inconsistency being its biggest flaw. This remains true in the few tag team stages as well, where you control both Sonic and the Avatar, except the stages are designed to use either or.

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Finally, is Classic Sonic, a character I didn’t mention in the plot summary, as this chubby little fella has absolutely no reason to be here. To be frank, the game may be better without him.

So, during the obligatory “pinball” themed stage for the little guy, I felt forced momentum. This is where the game completely changes and locks your momentum, so you only ever travel a set distance after interacting with say, a bumper, or flipper. This made those sections, particularly awkward, but more so is how this applies to jumps.

Not only does Classic Sonic have the same momentum issue regarding speed and jumping distance as the other characters, his jump is cancelled out by hitting enemies or boxes. Bounce on an enemy, your momentum ends, and that gap just ahead of you wont be cleared, in fact you’ll fall right in. It feels very stiff and unnatural.

Similar, Classic Sonic feels heavy when running or jumping regardless, with acceleration only occurring when curled into a ball, and even then, it’s sluggish. The Drop Dash returns from Sonic Mania and does, thankfully, work exactly as expected. However, it also seems subject to the unusual weight of Classic Sonic, so don’t expect to fly up gentle slopes with it.

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Regarding level design, this game is again leaving an unfinished impression. Stages are exceptionally short for any character ranging from less than a minute to 2.5 at most. Classic Sonic has the worst with very flat, blocky, almost rudimentary stage layouts. Modern Sonic has it better, with brief alternate paths, but a lot of straight lines with enemies in the way simply to continue boosting ahead. That feels mindless. The avatar has many alternate paths for Wisps to take, but again, it’s short.

Where a level has great aesthetics (Egg Gate) or ends just as it seems to start (Aqua Road) it is undoubtedly frustrating. The levels being short means as you get into the rhythm of a stage, it ends. Some levels could have honestly been condensed into bigger stages, but for some reason they weren’t, possible with the aim of spreading the characters out.

Additionally, level aesthetics are once again borrowed. The returning Green Hill and Chemical Plant, while pretty, leave little to be desired, and the returning Death Egg, while nice, is also predictably dull (With the exception again of Egg Gate). The new aesthetics such as the City, Metropolis, Mystic Jungle and the final zone range from very well conceived to pretty generic. This variety is again compounded by how short the stages are, so no one lasts long enough to leave any impression.

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Finally, we come to boss battles. This is also a mixed bag, with once again, reuse of ideas from past games (Or even this game towards the end!). Not battling Chaos or Shadow leaves a lot to be desired, as the battle with Zavok, while interesting, occurs early in the game, and the battle with Metal Sonic, and the Egg Dragoon, are both reused later in the game for different bosses.

Additionally, the two initial battles with Infinite are fantastic. Unique with nice mechanics based around his powers keeps you on your toes as you endeavour to counter attack. More of this would have been greatly appreciated.

None is especially difficult, however. A lack of lives in the game removes any real threat, though some can provide challenge by making your avatar wield less advantageous weapons for their battles.

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Also of note is the free Episode Shadow DLC. While cool to control our favourite black hedgehog once again, he does play exactly like Modern Sonic after all, his levels (All 3 of them) amount to little more than remixed existing stages. A nice touch is the ability to play as Shadow in Modern Sonic’s stages, so for Shadow fans, this is a win.

Plot wise though, it gives a little back story on Infinite in the run up to the main game. It’s the most consistent part of the story, at least, but again, entirely skippable if you don’t care.

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Sonic Forces is by no means a bad game. It’s sadly also not going to blow your socks off. It’s an uninteresting, safe romp, with a mix-match story and ideas, held together by 3 gameplay styles, that with more time and depth added (Or just longer levels, who knows) could have been pretty good. Sadly, that isn’t the case as the game feels unfinished, as though content was cut, with moments where quite clearly something has been removed.

Overall, if you are a Sonic fan, sure, pick it up. If you are looking for a 3D platformer, you could do worse, but you can also do better. Sonic Forces is ultimately a forgettable experience.

 

 

As always if you enjoyed this review give it a share, let me know what you think of the game, and I’ll see you all next time! Happy Gaming!

BTG Update: Our Review Policy

So this is going to be an update while we finish Sonic Forces because yes, we still aren’t done: Thank the delays to the DLC distribution for EU players with physical copies on PS4 (I’m not joking).

 

Anyway, the first thing you’ll notice (Because no one reads the actual text, just scrolls down) is that we don’t give scores here. No matter the scale, there are too many games, and it doesn’t feel appropriate assigning numbers to qualitative views on a product. There would have to be constant rescoring as more games are added to prevent inconsistency over time. Plus, that 4 point scale has really killed the full range of numbers anyway!

 

Secondly, comparisons. Remember the joke “The Dark Souls of X”? Yeah, we wont do that. We review the thing you put money down for, including any free DLC (This is why Sonic Forces is taking so long). If there is a contemporary or game in the same franchise does something better, it’ll be a footnote at most: A direct comparison like that tells you, the reader, more about the other game than the thing actually being reviewed. If there is enough demand then we can include comparisons.

 

Third, we review games that have been 100% completed. This allows us to give a verdict on the entire experience, and the review will endeavour to cover every aspect of the game, including collectibles, barring spoilers for newer games. This gives us the full range of content to cover, and a complete look at the entire experience. This does mean some reviews will take a bit longer than other places, but in the name of being thorough, it’s what we prefer.

 

Finally, we wont consider marketing or hype, or promises, or expectations, when reviewing a game. That’s not part of the product you pay for. Fr our coverage of the hype behind a game, expectations on them, marketing etc., that is where our Behind The Game articles come in.

 

With that said, sorry that Sonic Forces is taking forever, it won’t be more than a few days now. Thanks for reading, give this a share, leave your thoughts below, and Happy Gaming!

Review: Sonic Mania

Title: Sonic Mania

Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch

Reviewed On: Nintendo Switch

Developer: Christian Whitehead, Headcannon, Pagoda West

Publisher: SEGA

Copy Provided By: Bought it with my own money!

 

Sonic Mania is a fantastic game: A showing of true potential and design skills, held back from true greatness by technical and development choices.

 

Sonic Mania is a simple game. It asks nothing more than you enjoy 2D classic pixel Sonic with all its physics based platforming and speed. For a game attempting to relive and reinvigorate this branch of the franchise, it’s truly a great game.

The problem is it most certainly “Relives” a lot. But more on that later.

 

Whether you control Sonic, Tails, or Knuckles, it’s like jumping in to old games. All are fast, Sonic has a new Drop Dash for quick burst of speed and is a great way to keep flow going. Tails can fly, and even carry Sonic or Knuckles without a second player being present, and Knuckles can glide and has a slightly lower jump height, and can climb walls. It’s all as you knew it. You can even unlock the Super Peel-Out from Sonic CD or the Insta Shield from Sonic 3, but you can only use one of Sonic’s 3 abilities at a time.

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Before a patch however, there was an issue: To do any of them secondary abilities of any character, you had to press Jump in the air. This is also how you transform into your Super forms. In mid air, or if you need to glide with Knuckles as is often mandatory, prepare to fall to your death. A patch did recently fix this, and many other issues, by adding a dedicated separate button combination to transform.

The game sees you chase Dr Robotnik all through…time and space I guess (Sonic Forces complicates how much of this game is real by trying to explain a core element) as he and his newly upgraded Hard Boiled Heavies play a game of keep away with the Phantom Ruby: A mystical stone that can warp reality. This leads to the Heavies being upgraded and Robotnik gaining control of Little Planet again, from Sonic CD.

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The Ruby is also how you get from zone to zone…though…not all zones have transitions between them. Some simply fade to black and you are back on a zone that was seen on Angel Island…after just being in a zone that’s on Little Planet. The inconsistency with continuity is jarring especially as the game, seemingly at random, decides whether or not to fade to black: As if they couldn’t explain the zones being in the game half the time.

With the zones themselves though, they all maintain the high speed, many different routes to take, goodies sprinkled all over approach that past 2D Sonic games also did. Find a giant ring in a zone and go to one of the Special Stages, and win a Chaos Emerald. These are fun little chase sequences and a fresh idea: Collect rings to extend your timer, and spheres to go faster and catch the UFO, though by the time you reach the final one the truth is you’ll find them rather easy.

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If you have 25 Rings and hit a checkpoint though, prepare to play one of over 30 Blue Sphere mini-games, returning from Sonic 3. These are far too long to be mere checkpoint mini-games that you’ll have the chance of doing multiple times per act, and frankly they are a bit boring. But they are they, if you want to flesh out that Extras Menu with goodies.

Back to the zones though, while the level design itself is top notch, the bosses can range from great call backs with new twists, great new ideas, or sadly, straight up repeated ideas. Part way through the game the bosses seem to start reusing a lot of past game ideas, without sprinkling in anything new. It’s as though the bosses range from great to seen it before. It’s a little disappointing, especially with how long some of them can potentially take.

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The zones themselves though, are actually my main point of contention for this game. The phrase “Missed Potential” will be used a lot on this site I feel, but here it goes. 4 of the 12 zones are totally new ideas and environments we have never seen in past games. 8 are stages returning from Sonic 1, 2, 3 and CD. After seeing the sheer brilliance of the 4 new stages and how unique and fun they are, it’s such a shame to see the game fall back on old ideas.  One or two old zones would have been fine, but this is a majority, and it does bog down the experience. The game very much does “Relive” the past.

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Visually the game is fantastic. Bright and colourful, wonderfully smooth and detailed, this is what a great 2D sprite based Sonic game can look like. Audibly as well, the game has a fantastic jazzy feel throughout, and it does scream Classic era Sonic. I couldn’t fault that aspect of the game at all.

Sadly though, the game even after patching is prone to some rather funny glitches and softlocks, though most have been removed at the time of this review, some persist. Some scripted events also fail to play out, and has happened a few times over a good 50 hours of play time.

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To be fair, this game is still an absolute blast to play, except when the occasional glitch rears it’s head. The gameplay is fun and very re-playable, even if the bosses are at times drawn out or unimaginative, and the zones, while screaming of missed potential, are still a treat to play. I can highly recommend this game to anyone interested: Just don’t expect the Sonic 4 you always wanted. It’s close, but it’s not nearly new enough.

If you are getting this game, I do highly recommend the Switch version. From what is seen it only missed Trophy/Achievement support, and the game looks just as good undocked as it does docked – I personally can’t imagine playing it any other way, though any version is fantastic – It’s all the same game after all!

 

As always, if you liked this review or have your own opinions, leave a comment down below about Sonic Mania – And share this with your friends and on social media – and as always: Happy Gaming!

Behind The Game Update – 7/11/17

Hey let’s have an update why not?

 

So, as you guys know I was expecting to review Sonic Forces (PS4) by Friday. As the game has yet to arrive (Thanks Amazon) that is now looking like Monday at the latest.

In the meantime, I will be putting up a new review on Thursday 9th November and as usual Behind The Game will go up on Saturday.

For Wednesday I have a piece about Capcom planned, and for Friday an article on industry layoffs (Which more have just been revealed at Telltale Games actually).

 

So with that, Happy Gaming, and I will have a fresh article here tomorrow for you guys!

Review: Super Mario Odyssey

Title: Super Mario Odyssey

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Developer: Nintendo

Publisher: Nintendo

Copy Provided By: Bought it with my own money!

Super Mario Odyssey is a fantastic game, with few problems, and is simply a joy to play.

And frankly, isn’t that the best recommendation a game can have? The latest 3D Mario adventure returns to a more “sandbox” style with open areas to explore, challenges in each hidden away in separate little areas, with other objectives strewn about for good measure. That is also very clearly selling this adventure short.

To say it has returned to the sandbox 3D roots of Mario is true, but it took the idea and ran with it, introducing so many new ideas at every turn that amazingly don’t clash horribly and form a cohesive experience. Every kingdom you visit is its own quirky world, some big and some small, with its own unique denizens and culture, and of course, challenges.

The main objective: Power Moons to power your Hat Ship, The Odyssey, and rescue Princess Peach and new character Tiara, from Bowser, along with your new companion: Cappy. Cappy is a great addition, capturing enemies as a form of power-ups, giving you situational abilities to collect Moons and explore for other secrets, hidden areas and find Regional Purple Currency.

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Purple Coins are plentiful, either 50 or 100 to a kingdom and they are…optional. Actually a lot of this game is. Purple Coins can only be spent in their respective kingdom for costumes and souvenirs. Regular coins can be spent anywhere on other costumes, Power Moons (Multiple ones post-game!) and extra hit points.

Power Moons however, are for progression. While a few are locked until you beat the final boss for when you return to the world later (And even then a load more are unlocked at that time too, so that checklist you see isn’t the whole story!), most Moons can be found right away. Go explore. Some areas are locked until you beat the main “Story Quest” for the world, and then things open up. This is great, as it shows you around the kingdom and the environment before fully opening up and letting you run wild, and even then, a lot of Moons are still available right away!

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This game is constantly rewarding you, for looking, searching, even collecting coins.  From beating just simple objectives there are over 850 Moons to collect, and you only need 500 to unlock every kingdom, less to beat the game. A lot of this game is entirely optional, and for most players even the mission based objectives will be enough. But if it isn’t, you can max out your Moon counter for a final secret reward at 999 Moons, which you need to grind coins to buy multiple of.

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Frankly that is tedious and the reward is in no way worth it, unless you are absolutely a completionist. But that’s okay. Say for instance there are some Power Moons that are just too tough for you to get, you can always just buy a Power Moon to cover for it. That’s entirely an option. The game is incredibly accessible and while the sheer volume of Moons may dilute the experience into mindless collecting, and difficulty and obscurity of some collectibles almost necessitate guides, the game still rewards you regardless of what you do, and even through tedium, or difficulty, the game is designed to push you onwards.

Amazingly, the game isn’t too difficult. It has moments, mostly after the final boss and a few select mini games, but the game is comfortable. The only part I admit I didn’t like, was the start, where the Sand Kingdom (Seen below) is very early in-game and does feel overwhelming, too sparse and open for so early in the game. Thankfully, missing Purple Coins can be found by scanning any Bowser amiibo, and every amiibo gives you little rewards. Plus, nothing is locked behind amiibo, so those extra costumes you want can just be picked up at a moments notice once unlocked and ready to buy with coins.

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Looping back like a hat throw back to Cappy: What a joy this little guy is. He is such a great addition to the game for both aerial mobility and jumps, combat, exploration, everything, and such a welcome addition. The only downside is some moves via motion controls don’t work quite as well using regular controls or, for instance, in handheld mode, and a few straight up refuse to work using motion controls, but they are never mandatory. Everything can be done with a press of a button should you wish, save for the occasional shaking of a Joy-Con for a captured enemy.

Speaking of “Cap-turing”, this is such a great mechanic for both exploration and combat, with 52 different creatures and even objects to control and utilise in your quest of simply exploring. None of them feel out-of-place in their respective worlds, and each adds something different: Impressive for such a large roster.

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And this would be a mistake to not mention Mario himself. What an absolute dream to control with fluid movement, acrobatics, momentum and more. Playing a game in a 3D space has never felt so fun and joyous just from the HD Rumble through the controls from landing from a jump, or the feedback from an attack or getting hit, or riding a motor scooter. The game makes it feel fun to play, either through immersive technology inherent to the console itself, or just the pure feeling of play.

Visually, what a beauty, both docked and undocked! Stunning sprawling vistas, snowstorm flooded caves, dense forgotten jungles, ominous stormy towers, and a whole range of art styles that may seem odd, but mix so well into a fully comprehensive look at Mario’s World, in a way that one kingdom feels out-of-place being just a fly away from Peach’s Castle. So many of these worlds are so far from “Standard Mario” that it defies belief that creativity can run rampant even 30+ years after his introduction.

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Audio is also a stunning highlight, with a post game option to play whatever tune you want at any time, being a standout feature. Each world is captured perfectly by audio and the jazzy vocal tunes don’t feel out-of-place. Every kingdom has its own distinct style and while some areas (Particularly a large open desert) generally lack music, the ambient noise is still wonderful.

Even every little attention to detail is wonderfully crafted and a labour of love for what could just be a footnote from a promotional material for a past game, represented musically or visually here. It’s such a wondrous thing how all the other Mario games can seemingly connect so effortlessly together, like something on this scale was always planned, showering years of characters and themes into one big package to sugar coat something almost entirely new.

Super Mario Odyssey is pure bliss from start to finish, and while that start may be coarse and a little rough around easing you into the adventure, the rest of the story is just the tip of the iceberg for an unforgettable adventure around the globe. Any gripes I have are simply minor at best, as this is a title you definitely want to pick up for your Nintendo Switch – And we can only hope the next adventure is as grand as this.