@RogerRoger That’s a wonderful retrospection of Abzu. I’m so glad (and relieved, since I had talked it up a little) that you enjoyed it and were able to connect with the game. Your summary is right on point with what the game is intended to be, I think. Very well-written approach to giving your thoughts and impressions, yet shrouding the experience in mystery for those who’ve yet to play it. Awesome!
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Oh great! Nice write up on Legacy of Kain too! We got two quality reviews back-to-back!
I think you nailed it there about the game probably suffering mostly from its era of development. It’s one of a few games I’d be curious to see a remake of. Good job!
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@RogerRoger
ABZU does seem like it'd be quite worthwhile - once I get off my arse and actually play some more!
@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
Great write up. I've no intention of playing SR again. Your review very much confirms the lurking boot of reality stomping nostalgia!
I'll be interested in your review of the sequels if you play them. I never did.
PSN: KALofKRYPTON (so you can see how often I don't play anything!)
Twitter: @KALofKRYPTON (at your own risk, I don't care if you're offended)
"Fate: Protects fools, little children, and ships named Enterprise." - Cmdr William T. Riker
I'd totally be up for a remake of Soul Reaver @Th3solution! But not a MediEvil/Crash/Spyro one that's basically a remaster... A proper full blown remake.
It's apparently in some Square-Enix inititive but no developer has come up with a good idea
I'll definitely try at least 1 more in the series @KALofKRYPTON... especially as Soul Reaver 2 can be picked up for £2!
Previously known as Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
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"You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life. Sometimes all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of"
@RogerRoger
Probably a big if at the minute - I do really want to get back on the horse with Deathwing - then I can come back and bore everyone with lore and screenshots!
PSN: KALofKRYPTON (so you can see how often I don't play anything!)
Twitter: @KALofKRYPTON (at your own risk, I don't care if you're offended)
"Fate: Protects fools, little children, and ships named Enterprise." - Cmdr William T. Riker
@JohnnyShoulder I played it on Gamepass and I feel like I ought to support the devs so may buy again on Switch when it gets a release!
@RogerRoger Thinking about it, I have played Bioshock differently to see all the endings though I hated doing it - killing all the children was just too traumatic for me. Maybe that put me off...
Now I may be an idiot, but there's one thing I am not sir, and that sir, is an idiot
Considering it's only £3.99 or so @RogerRoger as a PS3 classic I'd definitely consider it worth a punt, even if you end up a bit disheartened by the end of it after the great first few hours like me
I'd be very interested to hear what you think, especially after playing it yourself and seeing if you agree or not at what's underneath those spoiler tags
Previously known as Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
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"You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life. Sometimes all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of"
I put off my planned review for another, shorter one, because its scope is growing beyond what I had anticipated, lol.
@Rudy_Manchego I had mixed feeling on Oxenfree. It sounds like Afterparty is a bit of a disappointing follow-up to that game RE: the lack of branches in the narrative web.
I will say, though: alcohol and its consumption changing dialogue options sort of reminds me of VA-11 Hall-A. Also, the bar setting. VA-11 Hall-A isn't precisely set in hell, but its merciless, corporatist cyberpunk setting might feel like it to certain segments of the population.
@RogerRoger Yeah, despite not liking (to put it nicely) Abzu, I'd agree the music and sound design in general were pretty good. That was also a strength of the very similar Journey.
Sounds like you enjoyed your time with it!
@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Nice. This is one of those games I saw on the shelf in video/game stores for years (god, I can remember video stores in my childhood; I AM getting old!), but never got around to actually trying it. It's a shame to hear that the story and gameplay aren't really up to snuff considering how ahead of its time it sounds in terms of the voice acting (it took at least two more generations before good video game voice acting became the norm, really), graphics, and load times (particularly impressive on PS1, which felt like it had painful load times for EVERYTHING).
Currently Playing: Fields of Mistria (PC); Cookie Clicker (PC); Metaphor: ReFantazio (PC); Overboard! (PC)
It's quite interesting as I just read up about it's pc release which was about three months after it came out on PS1 and a number of those reviews back in the day derided it for being a "ported PS1 game" in terms of Soul Reaver's graphics @Ralizah ... some things never change
I assume on GoG or Steam it's fairly cheap just like the PS3 classic version.
When I got it last week on my US PSN it was in a sale for $3.59 (or $1.19 if you had plus) compared to the normal tag of $5.99. Certainly a worthwhile price for the sales... Not sure about $5.99 though...
Only problem now is The Legend Of Dragoon is back into my possession once again (Which I mainly had got the $10 gift card for) and I'm severely tempted to side step the Witcher 3 and Dark Souls 2 again... 😂
Previously known as Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
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"You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life. Sometimes all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of"
I admittedly assumed it was £3.99 like most of the ps1 games in the ps3 classics in the uk store that aren't the higher £7.99 (which are usually the Final Fantasy/RPG games) 😅
@RogerRoger I've not played RiME, but I was under the impression it was more of a puzzle-platformer.
Journey, like I said, is not to my liking, but it's certainly better than Abzu, if only because I didn't have to keep R2 squeezed down for 4 hours. Also, you can sort of communicate in chirps with other players. It's an interesting idea, and the music is fantastic, so you'll probably like it.
I'm no star wars aficionado but I am a Souls one. Not sure I agree with Th3solution's initial beer analogy in the Fallen Order thread but...
It's the final battle and I've just been killed for the sixth time... I'm frustrated, I'm angry
... I've definitely been there! 😅
It's a shame the game has not only broken you with the gameplay, but unintentionally belittled you for it too.
That's one thing about the Souls games in them having only the one difficulty level. Not to mention the npc summons or friends and strangers whom you can journey with an-
Well I'm getting off point there.
Even though this wasn't the game you're looking for, It's good that it's seemingly got all the lore right and actually trying something different with the franchise that has perhaps not only stagnanted but been underutilised in EA's hands for far too long.
It was a good read and it's unfortunate it didn't hit all the right buttons for you...
...Oh and the Second Sister character looks pretty cool!
@RogerRoger Nice review. I've avoided the main thread as I'll probably get the game at some point but I'm glad to hear it really is a great game!
I have to admit to lowering the difficulty for the final Valkyrie in GoW as it was the lat thing I had to do and I'd come within a whisker of doing it so many times. I didn't want to leave the game with my final memory being the frustration of not beating her.
@RogerRoger I don’t know what I’m more impressed by — the fact that you beat the game in a matter of a few days, the fact that you have managed to come out of your first Souls-like intact, or that you wrote this wonderful review so quickly. It’s all so very impressive. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it (and your several mini impressions on the game’s thread).
Reading your review, I think I’m going to love this game. I’m certain to play it. Nevertheless, believe it or not, I’m still torn between getting this first or Death Stranding. Both games have so many superlatives being dropped. And honestly I’m enjoying my current games I’m playing from my backlog sufficiently that I think I’m going to hold for a little while.
But Fallen Order appears to have been all we’d hoped for and more. I’m so happy to have a good single player Star Wars game to look forward to.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
But there's nothing to be sorry to hear, because weirdly this is simultaneously one of the greatest Star Wars game I've ever experienced, and one of the most punishing, unfair and brutal gaming experiences of my life.
Well I'd strike out unfair (at least I would now)... But otherwise... sounds like what's becoming my catchphrase regarding this game @RogerRoger of "sounds like a Souls game" In particular my time with my first Demon's Souls.
As I said in the chit-chat thread a few weeks back when it briefly became Dark Souls anonymous I spent an entire christmas break with over 50 hours of playtime, ditching one character and trying again with another build (I tried five different characters) before the game finally resonated with me
Trust me all us souls players know those initial lows... Only difference was we couldn't switch difficulties like you can in this! 😅
The fact that this is blended with something like Uncharted for those set pieces and there is of course that Star wars coat of paint does make it sound like a uniquer experience then it could've possibly been...
Here's hoping when you play it again not only is Kashyyyk not bugging up so much but you enjoy it a whole bunch more!
Level of Completion: 100%. All trophies unlocked and all collectibles obtained. It's on Switch, so no Platinum trophy or anything to show off, but I do have these screenshots!
Synopsis: A wolf monster, disguised as a human princess, leads a local prince she accidentally blinded through a dangerous forest to a witch's cabin in order to have his vision restored. But the prince doesn't realize that his mysterious benefactor is the selfsame monster that robbed him of his vision in the first place.
Genre: Puzzle-platformer
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- ART AND MUSIC: The presentation, while undoubtedly low-budget, is a highlight of this title. The game's expressive character sprites and cohesive art design makes it a game that's constantly fun to look at. Forest backgrounds, while not terribly varied, are atmospheric and sometimes creepy. The muted colors work well in this respect. The character designs are cute, but not obscenely so: their chibi-esque stature doesn't detract from their dramatic presence in the story. The effect of the art is also heightened by a short but excellent score that really highlights the emotional highs and lows of the journey.
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- STORY: The story here is concise and basic, not unlike one you'd encounter in a fairy tale. Yet, like any decent fairy tale, there are a plethora of themes that resonate universally: self-doubt, the search for one's place in life, the centrality of memory to emotional life and personal identity, the immutable differences that divide us from one-another, questioning the most basic assumptions about our existence, and the need for unconditional acceptance and love from those we care most about.
Complimenting the fairy tale-esque nature of the plot is the way it's conveyed to the player. Dialogue, character thoughts, and plot activity are all narrated in story book fashion by an omniscient third-person narrator, with charming illustrations that have a sketch-like quality to them. The effect, then, is not unlike having a parental figure read a bedtime story to you as a child.
The cast is limited. Aside from some monsters and disposable humans in the background, the only three characters in this game are the Wolf/Princess, the Prince, and the Witch. And the Witch is more of a plot device than anything, and only shows up near the beginning and the end of the game. So the entire focus is on the eponymous duo. It's a genuine pleasure to watch their relationship evolve throughout, especially when it examines the changing attitudes and moral struggles of the "Princess," who is entirely unused to the needs and habits of actual human beings (there's a charming scene where she discovers that, to her shock, humans don't just go out and consume the raw flesh of animals they've butchered; to the Princess, who is actually a wolf, eating raw meat is just second-nature, part of her automatic and unquestioning relationship to the universe around her). It's an interesting twist on the Beauty and the Beast concept. There's also a Disney's Little Mermaid element here: the reason the Wolf and the Prince meet in the first place is because of the Wolf's beautiful singing voice, which the Prince would travel to the forest every night to admire, not knowing she's a monster. She accidentally blinds him by trying to cover his eyes so that he can't see her for the beast she is when he tries to find her one evening, and, like Ariel in The Little Mermaid, she sacrifices her most precious possession, her singing voice, in order to assume a humanoid form and escort the Prince to the Witch. Unlike Ariel, though, she isn't really seeking to woo a man or break free from the trappings of her childhood. Rather, she's on a quest motivated by love and guilt.
One complaint, though: given the fact that the actual story is limited to a relatively minor amount of narrated dialogue, it would have been great to have this narration in English. I'm sure the Japanese voiceover is fine, but when someone's telling you a story, you want to actually understand the words you're hearing. It's a small thing, and would have improved the presentation fairly dramatically.
There's a lot of self-doubt in the Wolf's heart; could the Prince ever learn to accept her for who she truly is?
The game's tone is one that mixes somberness and an almost childlike whimsy to often great effect.
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- GAMEPLAY: While everything else is positive, the downside of the game is found in its gameplay. It's actually not a bad game , but the very basic nature of the gameplay fails to live up to the excellence found in the rest of the product. The entire game is one escort quest. The main character can switch between Wolf form, which she'll need to do to clear certain obstacles and keep enemies from mutilating the helpless Prince, and Princess form, where she'll be able to grab hold of his hand and lead him forward in the level. The Prince himself is little more than an accessory used to activate switches most of the time (which makes sense, considering he's totally unable to navigate by himself), although, over the course of the game, you'll unlock the ability to tell him to walk a certain distance on his own and have him carry certain light objects that are needed for some of the puzzles.
The puzzles themselves are primarily of the environmental form, with you having to figure out how to get the Prince through certain tricky obstacles without enemies or the environment killing him. And he will die a lot, as falls of more than a few feet tend to be fatal, and there's a LOT of jumping around in this game. You also have riddles of varying quality, though. They tend to be either incredibly basic, to the point where they might not even be there, or occasionally inscrutable to the point where you have no idea how to even tackle them.
Levels are clumped together in themed environments, with each one individually taking no more than a few minutes to navigate. There really isn't much in the way of variation between these areas, though, and the gameplay is samey throughout, despite the addition of a few mechanics here and there. Moreover, it never feels like you're really being challenged with a series of increasingly complex levels. It's easy to go on mental autopilot as you navigate these simple challenges, waiting for the next story segment to show up.
Controls, while not terrible, don't fare especially well, either. The Wolf should be a thrilling character to control, but she just feels sort of... clunky to maneuver.
I should also mention that, even for its diminutive $19.99 price tag ($29.99 if you buy it physically, lol), the game has little to offer in the way of unique content. It probably took me between 3 - 4 hours to complete the game, and then another 2 or 3 to complete all of the trophies and side content. So, best case scenario, you're looking at 7 hours of playtime. It's a charming story, but there's just not that much to this game.
I love how the Prince and Princess both smile when they're holding hands. It's such an adorable touch.
If you allow the Prince to die somehow, the Princess will sob in grief for a moment before you're restarted to the last checkpoint.
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- Conclusion: The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince is a cute, charming fairy tale with a lovely style of presentation but little in the way of substantive gameplay content, challenge, or longevity.
A good visual metaphor for the lovely couple's relationship
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- Verdict: 7/10 (subtract a point if you're not a sap like me and don't tear up by the end)
@RogerRoger Physical Switch games seem to be $29.99 minimum, which, I guess, is attributable to whatever production costs are associated with putting the game on a physical cartridge. Some companies put extra swag in the boxes, though, which minimizes the irritation produced by the Cartridge Tax a bit, I guess.
Thankfully, I borrowed it from a friend!
I'm usually a "gameplay first" sort of person, but this one did too much right for me to knock it any more than I already did. I would have if the gameplay was aggressively bland, but it's just... acceptable, alright, OK. The fantastic art design and emotional narrative make up for it a bit, I think.
RE: Fallen Order - Sorry the difficulty balancing proved too lopsided for you. The game sounds... fun, though. I think I'll probably jump on it when it drops in price a bit. This might sound a bit inane, but, when you're exploring different environments, do you have some sort of map to reference so that you don't get lost?
Also, how accessible would you say this game is to someone who is only a very casual Star Wars fan and only really cares about the original trilogy? Is the lore stuff that would go over my head?
Great write-up. I love how authentically your experience with a game carries over to your written impressions.
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