A Short Review of Shadowgate Classic

Imagine, if you will, a simpler time in gaming. A time dominated by simpler games. In this time, one game stood above the rest in the PC gaming scene, and that game was called Shadowgate. A groundbreaking point and click adventure game widely considered to be among the best of the genre. Twelve years later, Shadowgate returned as Shadowgate Classic on the Game Boy Color. And now, 16 years after that, I'm here to share that game with you.

Shadowgate Classic was entirely new to me. I didn't know much about it, and I didn't look up any info before purchasing a copy, as I prefer to go into my reviews blindly whenever it's possible. I only look up information on the game once I'm well into it. So I was honestly surprised to discover that I was playing a point and click adventure game once I started my quest.

Set in the vast fortress of Shadowgate, your role is to explore the castle and find a way to stop the evil Warlock from summoning a behemoth. You will start with nothing, but as you play you will collect many items that will aid you on your quest. There is no real combat, no stats, no movement. Just a single image with the choices to move to another location, use an item, open a box or door, examine your surroundings, etc. If something dangerous appears, you must either figure out which item can be used to overcome it, or retreat and look for another solution to the problem. Once you've found the items you need to defeat the warlock, you must search him out and then poof! It's the end of the game. Pretty simple right? Well not necessarily.

Like any good point and click, SC is centered around experimentation and death. Lots and lots of death. Any choice you make could instantly kill you. Much like a choose-your-own-adventure book, there's usually no intuitive way to tell what choice will lead to success, what will lead to failure, and what will lead to your tragic demise. Fortunately, saving is easy to do at any time, and the game will also automatically kick you back to the last screen you were at if you die, so forgetting to save for a while isn't a huge deal. 

As for the graphics, it has to be said; SC looks outdated. Even compared to other GBC games, the interactive illustrations could be a lot better. Of course, as a straight port of a 1987 Macintosh game, one can only expect so much, but I think it's fair to say that while it has a distinctive look, Shadowgate Classic hasn't aged all that well graphically. The illustrations have that weird 70s-80s pulp fantasy novel feel to them, which isn't a look I'd describe as timeless. 

So now to the real question: Is it worth playing? Well, yes... IF you're a patient person who likes experimentation and puzzling things out. If not, well, let's just say it didn't take me long to turn to a guide to help me finish, as I didn't have the patience to sit through hours of testing various items and options. However, I did appreciate the history behind the game. I felt like I was exploring gaming history as I explored the castle Shadowgate, and that alone made the experience worth it for me. If you're interested in trying it out, it's less than $2 on Amazon right now, so you don't have much to lose. 

Game Boy RPG Series: Magi-Nation

I play a lot of handheld games, and I love RPGs. I've made it my mission to play and review every RPG released in the USA for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color consoles. My goal is to be able to experience these games and enlighten my fellow handheld collectors on their strengths and weaknesses. These games will be played in the order I find and acquire them. If you have any suggestions for games I should be on the lookout for, let me know.

Magi-Nation

Hooooo boy. Magi-Nation. Where to start? After trying to finish this game for a month now, I have developed a love-hate relationship with it. The creativity, charm, and effort that went into it has wowed me. The rushed execution and some head-scratching design decisions had me grinding my teeth in frustration. 

Let's start with a little background. Magi-Nation started out in 2000 as a trading card game called Magi-Nation Duel. Set up as a kind of cross between the Pokemon and Magic the Gathering games, MND developed a small following until it's last expansion came out near the end of 2002. In 2001, when the publisher, Interactive Imagination, was pushing the franchise the hardest, they published Magi-Nation for the Game Boy Color.

Despite being essentially a promotional title to push the franchise, Magi-Nation comes across as a labor of love in many ways. Magi-Nation has some of the most detailed pixel art I have ever seen on the Game Boy Color. The battle system is unique. The music pushes the technical limits of the Game Boy's sound processing. The writing is clever and engaging. Put it all together and it gives the distinct impression that the developers had a genuine love for the product they were creating.

Set in the fantasy world of the Moonlands, Magi-Nation follows human teenager Tony Jones as he falls into the magical world and has to find his way home. Along the way, Tony can summon various monsters known as dream creatures using magical rings he can forge in the various regions of the Moonlands. While Magi-Nation was created and developed in the US, the game is very much a JRPG made by fans of the genre. On top of following typical JRPG logic and mechanics, MN also indulges in a bit of deconstruction of the genre, which I found pretty amusing. There are in-jokes scattered around the dialogue and the flavor text when examining items throughout the game. It all adds up to a charming experience that feels unique. There aren't many other games like this.

The world of MN is distinctive and colorful. You can practically feel the heat when exploring the volcanic Cald, or a chill coming on when finding your way through the musty dampness of the Underneath. The graphics are nothing short of impressive. Magi-Nation almost looks like a GBA title. Each dream creature is well-detailed too, although I sometimes found myself wishing that some of the creatures had starker contrast in the color palette, as it was hard to see all the detail in the designs when placed over a black background.

Another standout feature of MN is the combat system. Loosely based on the card game, MN's system centers around a single stat called energy. Energy acts as HP and a sort of fuel. Tony uses his energy to summon dream creatures and cast spells, but faints if he runs out, leading to a game over. Being attacked will also drain Tony's energy. The amount of energy used to summon a dream creature will act as that creature's energy supply as well, essentially transferring Tony's energy into the creature. Using any special attacks will drain the creature's energy just like Tony's. And at the end of the battle, any remaining energy from the summoned creatures will transfer back to Tony. This energy system, while not the most complicated, was fun and once again served to make the experience of playing Magi-Nation into something distinctive and memorable.

With all the praise I've given this game so far, you may be wondering just why my opening paragraph was less enthusiastic. It has to be said, the idealized portrait I've so far painted of Magi-Nation is far from complete. As charming as it can be at times, Magi-Nation has some serious flaws. Let's start with the environments I mentioned earlier; they suffer from what I like to call pointless meandering. They are just too big, each one filled with multiple branching pathways leading to nowhere. Then there's the battle system. Each menu has a loading animation you have to wait through. It takes time for creatures to appear, for attacks to carry through, and there is no way to modify the text speed. This glaring omission is a perfect example of the frustration that can come from playing for long periods. It seems like the developers spent all their effort making a pretty game and forgot to take very basic things into account.

This leads to me to what I think is the biggest flaw of MN: The save points. There aren't any. The only way to save is in a town with an inn, or in the overworld. Stuck in a big dungeon and your break's over at work? Tough shit. Almost at the final boss and not sure if you're gonna pull it off? Hope you ran outside and saved before going back in. How, in 2001, a portable RPG was put to market with no way to save at your leisure is beyond me. I would have finished this game in a much shorter span if someone had taken the time to implement this most basic of features. But unfortunately I simply could not sit down and spend any time playing it unless I knew I would have at least 30 minutes to play, as there was no way to know that I'd be able to accomplish anything in a shorter amount of time without losing that progress.

I think Magi-Nation would have been better as a home console game. In fact, I think the developers approached the design of Magi Nation by imitating their favorite home console RPGs (although even those had save points). The long, winding passages, the long periods of time necessary to accomplish anything, it all seems to point to a game that one would expect to set aside longer periods of time to play. And that is not, in my opinion, ideal for a portable platform. Every successful portable game I've played has been designed around short play sessions. In fact, that's one of the main reasons why I enjoy portables so much. They're very addictive due to the nature of playing in short bursts.

So would I recommend Magi-Nation? Yes. In fact, now that I've finally completed it, I'm playing through it again in the new game + mode, bit by bit. The flaws are manageable if you're aware of them and plan your playtimes accordingly. It's frustrating because I think MN could have been so much more than it was. More thorough playtesting, and more considerate design could have led to a lasting RPG franchise instead of an interesting one-off RPG now forgotten by everyone but us Game Boy collectors.

Game Boy RPG Series: The Final Fantasy Legend

I play a lot of handheld games, and I love RPGs. I've made it my mission to play and review every RPG released in the USA for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color consoles. My goal is to be able to experience these games and enlighten my fellow handheld collectors on their strengths and weaknesses. These games will be played in the order I find and acquire them. If you have any suggestions for games I should be on the lookout for, let me know.

The Final Fantasy Legend

The Final Fantasy Legend, (or Makai Toushi SaGa in the Japanese release) is the first RPG ever released for the Game Boy, so I thought it would be appropriate to start my project from here.

The age of this title is quickly apparent. On startup, the first thing that I noticed was how simple everything is. You go straight to the menu screen, no extended intro, no cinematics. Your options are to start or continue. Once you get started on a new file, you can choose one of eight different characters- a male or female human, a male or female mutant (Called Espers in the Japan release, and in this review from now on) and a choice of different monsters. Once the game begins you can recruit three other characters to join your party almost immediately, for a total of four characters. 

One of the things that took me by surprise when playing was the leveling system. Namely, there wasn't one. Humans gain stats by buying and consuming items that boost strength, agility, and HP. Espers gain stats randomly by battling. Monsters transform into stronger or weaker monsters by eating the bodies of their fallen foes, a charmingly grisly mechanic I appreciated as a concept, although in practice this system was unintuitive and I ended up having to use a guide to figure out how to work it properly. Overall I'd rate the stat gain elements of FFL as a strength. It may be complicated, but I enjoyed optimizing my characters according to their strengths and weaknesses. and I liked the experience even if I wouldn't want it in every game. Some games thrive on simpler leveling mechanics, but since this is a game designed to be played in short bursts, I think a system like this added more to look forward to between play sessions. 

The story of FFL is very simple. Four heroes climb an ancient tower that leads to other worlds in a quest for immortality. Each world the tower leads to has a short scenario to play through before the heroes move on, almost like episodes of a TV show. Unfortunately, the translation is atrocious. This game was made before Squaresoft had a dedicated translation team and boy does it show. I had serious trouble figuring out where to go or what was going on at times. Towards the second half of the game things do improve a bit, but in the beginning everything is very vague and I was left to figure out what to do by trial and error.

The graphics and aesthetic in FFL are serviceable, if nothing special. Everything looks pretty flat, and the icons and graphics in the overworld make the game looks like a map rather than a real world to explore. The battles resemble the ones in Dragon Warrior/Quest for the NES, using a first person view. With a color range of four shades of gray, even palette swapping similar monsters is a no go. At least the towns and caves have more detail and look more alive. On the other hand, The music is much stronger. A small assortment of simple but catchy melodies by Nobuo Uematsu of Final Fantasy fame added to the experience and stayed in my head well after I was done playing. 

FFL was designed with portability in mind. Saving is easy, quick, and can be done at any time. Dialogue is short and there's no extended dialogue or cutscenes. Battles are over quickly. Even tough boss battles are won or lost in short order. I honestly feel I can't emphasize the portable-focused design of FFL enough. I don't think I've ever played an RPG that I could get such a consistently satisfying experience from in such short intervals. I found myself sneaking a couple minutes here and there when normally I don't bother playing RPGs if I don't have at least 20-30 minutes to spare. That being said, FFL is not an easy game. Once I hit the halfway point, the enemies attacked in much greater numbers, and I had to travel longer distances without being able to heal and while managing a very limited inventory. Instead of just forcing me to level up in order to continue, FFL instead asked me to think ahead before setting out for the next area and plan accordingly.

If you're looking for a finely polished portable RPG experience, FFL may not be for you. It's rough around the edges, and the developers were clearly in uncharted territory when they designed this game. However, I think despite the flaws, FFL is unique and charming, with challenging gameplay and a clear eye towards convenient portability. FFL has had undeniable influence on portable gaming. Satoshi Tajiri of Pokemon said FFL opened his eyes to the fact that the Game Boy could be used for more than just simple action games. It's a classic that will probably still be remembered for years to come.

Fairune 3DS Review

Have you ever just found yourself just poking around on the eShop, Steam, or app store, looking for something new and interesting to try? This is something I do pretty frequently. I love finding something I know nothing about and taking it for a spin. This time, while on the 3DS eShop, I came across Skipmore's Fairune; A "retro-style puzzle ARPG," according to the eShop description. It sounded right up my alley, and the price was right, so I bit. And now, I present to you, iliekgaemz's blind review of Fairune.

The first thing you'll notice about this game are the graphics, which are adorably rendered in a style best described as "classic Gameboy Color." Love it or hate it, the retro art style makes up a big part of the aesthetic of the game. Everything from the monsters, to the items, to the sound effects and music, bring back memories of curling up on the couch playing my Gameboy. Personally I love games like this, but I know some of you won't be able to look past it.

Fairune throws you into the action very quickly. All you have to do to begin the game is find your sword, and you'll be be on your way, usually in a minute or less. The combat is a very simple affair. Bump into a monster, and it dies, you take a bit of damage, and gain a bit of XP. If you bump into a monster that's too weak, you don't take any damage and don't gain any XP. If you hit one that's too strong, you won't hurt it at all, and you'll take a lot of damage. This mechanic is what turns the combat into a part of exploring the world, as some areas will simply be inaccessible due to impassable monsters until your level is high enough. It's a simple way to keep the player on track without being overtly intrusive, and I appreciated it.

Throughout the game, you'll be searching for various items to unlock new areas and lead you to your ultimate goal of defeating your nemesis known as The Scourge. The game gives very little direction on what to do or where to go, instead leaving it to the player to figure everything out. In this case it works very well. The world of Fairune is small and simple, and there are usually only one or two places the player can go at any given time, which makes searching the world for new areas to access or items to use a rewarding activity for the most part, rather than a frustrating one. There were, however, a couple items that were hidden rather unintuitively, and I ended up having to use a guide to find them.

With all your items ready to go and all areas ready to explore, you're ready to open the final dungeon and face the Scourge.  The boss fight is worth mentioning in this review, as the gameplay is very different from anything else in the game. SEMI-SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE FINAL BOSS BATTLE STOP READING HERE You'll be dodging the Scourge's attacks while firing off your own in a top-down vertical 2D shooter level. Whether or not you enjoy this is going to depend purely on how much you like this style of level, but it's quite a transition from everything you've done before, and it may be frustrating for you. END SPOILER ALERT.

So is this game worth buying? Well, beating the game takes only a couple hours, and it is a bit repetitive. If you don't find exploring and leveling fun in and of itself, this game probably isn't for you. Also, like I mentioned earlier, there are a couple places you may get stuck due to unintuitive level design. On the flip side there are some completion challenges and hidden items to find after completing the game, and the gameplay, while simple, is fun and engaging. At $2.99, I think Fairune is just the right amount of game for the price. I recommend this game to anyone looking for a quick RPG nostalgia fix that isn't too demanding or complicated. It's perfect for gaming on the go.

EDIT

u/BananaProne and u/Kingfang on Reddit have pointed out that you can download this game on iOS and Android for free if you're interested in trying before buying. I went ahead and downloaded it on my Nexus 5 just to check out if there's any differences. The game is largely similar, although the mobile versions seem to lack any background music, and using the touchscreen d-pad is quite frustrating. For me, that's reason enough to pay for the 3DS version, but I also forgot to mention in the review that the final dungeon of the game is actually a 3DS exclusive. Go ahead and check the game out on mobile, but if you like it, I recommend getting it on 3DS. It's a better experience, and if I had only played this game on mobile, I probably wouldn't have liked it much.

This Year in Video Games - 2014

I gotta say, this has been a great year for Nintendo. As the year comes to a close, I've seen lots of articles talking about the comeback Nintendo made this year. It makes me feel good to be a Nintendo fan (Not that it ever feels bad, but sometimes it seems like the rest of the gaming world forgot we exist). But with the solid library of Wii U and 3DS titles that came out this year, it's hard to argue against Nintendo. Not to mention the rock solid E3 presentation I can still remember now.

In any case, I present to you, in no particular order, iliekgaemz' year in gaming, 2014!

• Bravely Default

Essentially an old-school Final Fantasy game, Bravely Default charmed the shit out of me with it's music, art style, and immersive gameplay. The tinker-friendly job system encouraged players to do their best to come up with game-breaking stat combinations, while the battle system tied everything together. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel with yet another timing-action-active-super-battle system,  Bravely Default stuck to a traditional turn-based system with an intriguing twist; allowing players to take multiple turns at once by borrowing against future turns. I loved this game and you should too.

• Hyrule Warriors

Koei Tecmo's Hyrule Warriors caught a lot of us by surprise this year.  The Legend of Fanservice really took on the trappings of the Zelda franchise well. One of my most distinct memories is when we first opened started up the game. The first 10 minutes of gameplay were drowned out by my wife screaming in excitement while slashing wildly at enemies. We had tons of fun taking on the missions, unlocking the characters, and running through the story. A fantastic addition to any Zelda fan's library. 

• Pokemon Battle Trozei

Battle Trozei was a neat little puzzle game for the 3DS. Slide the different Pokemon faces around to match them up, and try to chain combos together in order to catch Pokemon. All Pokemon available in the main games can be caught in this one. It's a very straightforward arcade puzzle game. If you like puzzle games, you'll love Pokemon Battle Trozei, if not, well...

• Armillo

Armillo was kind of overshadowed this year. I think if it hadn't been released only a week after Shovel Knight, more people would have noticed. It's a simple action game. Roll around the maze, collect powerups, defeat the bad guys (by rolling into them). The intuitive, fast-paced gameplay and exciting soundtrack won me over, along with anyone else I convinced to try it out. Check this game out, especially since it's currently on sale on the eShop.

• Mario Kart 8

One of the most anticipated games of the year for me, Mario Kart 8 didn't disappoint at all. Not much needs to be said about this game. Either you've been living under a rock for the past 20 years or you know what Mario Kart is. Going into it, I swore that no Mario Kart would ever replace Mario Kart 64 as my favorite. I was wrong. Mario Kart 8 is the best Mario Kart ever.

• Fantasy Life

The first time I saw Fantasy Life during Nintendo's E3 presentation. I was intrigued. This looked like a great game to play alone and with friends. I'm always looking out for games I can play with my wife, as we both like to play games, but we don't usually have the same preferences. This is a game anyone can enjoy. We each have 80 hours into our games and are still going strong.

• Master Reboot

I grabbed this game pretty late in the year, and I'm glad I did. Master Reboot is an adventure/horror game by Wales Interactive. The biggest selling point of this game is the atmosphere. This game oooooozes atmosphere. The graphics, while simple, have a great aesthetic that can best be described as eerie. Weird noises and shifting shadows at intermittent intervals add to the suspense. I get paranoid every time I play, I feel like I'm being watched. This game is also currently on sale on the eShop, so get it while it's hot.

• Smash Bros Wii U/3DS

I do have both of these. We were originally going to stick to the Wii U version, but a sale at Target and the temptation of the limited edition soundtrack offer won us over. These are both great games, with tons and tons of extras and unlockables to keep you playing match after match. Smash is one of those games everyone needs to have, just to keep in the house when friends come over. A true classic.

• Another World: Out of this World Edition

This game is a re-release of a 1991 release. Another World is a classic trial-and-error adventure game. Make your way through the chapters by jumping, shooting, and climbing. Do the wrong action or move at the wrong time and you're dead instantly. The tension of exploring the alien environments with death waiting at every turn is what turns this game into a real adventure. One little extra I really appreciated was the option to switch back and forth between the 1991 graphics and the smoothed-out modern ones. It doesn't sound like much but it added to the fun. This game still holds up after 23 years.

• Pokemon Alpha Sapphire

I love Pokemon. I've played every generation, starting with the original. Gen VI was in many ways a dream come true, as even back in Gen I we would talk about how cool a 3D Pokemon would be. As a remake of Ruby and Sapphire, ORAS went back and redid the entire game from the ground up and it is wonderful. If I'm being honest, I still prefer the Gameboy originals, something about those sprite-based graphics really get the nostalgia machine going, but in a perfect world, I would own both. I guess I live in a perfect world then.

• Weapon Shop de Omasse

From the same studio that brought us Fantasy Life comes Weapon Shop de Omasse, a rhythm game with an emphasis on character interactions and time management. You play as Yuhan, an apprentice weaponsmith as he creates various weapons to rent out to RPG heroes to aid them in their adventures. It's a charming title, and the dialogue is superb. This is a very text-heavy game though, take that as you will.

• Fairune

Circle Entertainment's Fairune just came out towards the end of this month. It's a short RPG style game. Combat is pretty much automatic. Run into an enemy, you either get bounced back or it dies. You take a bit of damage, gain a bit of experience, and move on to the next one. This is largely a puzzle solving experience. Trying to figure out how to find the items necessary to unlock the areas and complete the game is where the joy of this game lies. With simple graphics and only a couple hours of gameplay, I'd say this game is limited, but at $2.99 I think it's just right.

As Nintendo fans we have a lot to look forward to in 2015, with games like Zelda U, Starfox U, and Xenoblade X on the way. I'd love to hear what games you played in 2014, feel free to leave a comment below. Thanks everyone for reading, and enjoy the new year!

Nintendo eShop Review - Weapon Shop de Omasse

With the holidays come gifts, and for me, gifts mean Nintendo eShop credits. For the most part, my friends all know I love games, and they all know I love Nintendo. With some fresh eShop credit burning a whole in my virtual pocket, it was time for some new games, and with the current sale on games by Level 5, I decided to check out Weapon Shop de Omasse.


My introduction to the game studio known as Level 5 came with Fantasy Life, the recent action-RPG for the 3DS. One of the things I loved about the game was the writing. For a generic RPG story, I thought the dialogue in Fantasy Life was very clever. When I heard that WSdO also had an emphasis on clever writing (It was even written by a Japanese comedian), that sealed the deal for me.

WSdO's dialogue really is what sets this game apart. Each interaction with a customer is set up like a live sitcom. Customers enter with applause, and dialogue is punctuated with laughter, cheers, or boos. It sounds irritating, but it really isn't. The character interactions set the whole experience off and make what would otherwise be a mundane rhythm game into something memorable. While the customers are out on quests,  you can check the "Grindcast," which is basically a medieval Twitter. Customers will leave status updates as their quests progress, and this adds a lot to the gameplay. Watching the personalities of the customers change as they adopt their "online persona" is a cheeky reference to how most of us approach social media, and another clever addition that adds to the charm of the game.

As a whole the WSdO experience is one of time management. Juggling different orders and ensuring your shop has a wide variety of weapons in stock for any of the random customers who come in is a large part of the game. While attempting to forge new weapons, polish returned weapons, check the Grindcast, and order materials, the days counting down the approach of the Dark Lord seem to slip away. This game is very addictive. Despite taking about 10 hours to complete the main story mode, I completed most of it in one sitting. I just couldn't tear myself away from my 3DS. I just had to forge one more weapon, complete one more order, or unlock one more level.

In between cinematics, the gameplay is fairly simple. Each customer has an ideal weapon suited to both their preferences and the quest they are setting out to complete. As an apprentice blacksmith at the local weapon shop, it's your job to figure out what that weapon is and make it for your customer. The weapon forging minigame is a basic rhythm game. Time your hammer strikes with the beats of the music, and try to take as long as possible to do so. The more hammer strikes you use to make your weapon, the better your resulting weapon will be. As you're actually running a rental shop, it's very important to send your customers out with the right weapon, or you may never get it back. I've heard this game described as repetitive, and to be honest, it is. However, I'm a huge weapons nerd, so it didn't get old for me. Forging and lovingly polishing dozens of broadswords, falchions, morning stars, rapiers, and daggers was tons of fun, and I couldn't wait to rank up to see what new weapons I'd unlock.

So would I recommend this game? Maybe. Once the game is finished, an infinite mode is unlocked which allows you to forge weapons to beat an increasingly powerful nemesis. I plan to replay the main story mode once more to see if I can do better, but I have to admit this game may not be for everyone. There's a ton of dialogue, and the forging can be really frustrating at times. However, the game is a steal right now at $2.99US on the eShop. If you like weapons and good writing, I guarantee it's worth the price.

Game Night Episode 1- The eShop Price Drop Special

Game Night posts are based around the rare times when I get three or more games at the same time and I get some time to try each one. Since my excited mind, giddy over getting new games I've been looking forward to playing, is unlikely to allow me to sit down and play these games in depth, I'll be posting my impressions based on the first 20 minutes to an hour of play. You'll also notice some randomly attributed quotes by each review. I've also collected quotes from friends after asking them to try the games out for a couple minutes.

Today's Game Night post is based on three indie games I've had my eye on- Another World 20th Anniversary Edition, Armillo, and Master Reboot. With the recent Nintendo eShop sale on these games, and some recently gifted eShop credits, it was the perfect time to grab them. I'm really excited to share the experience I had with each of these games, so let's jump right in.

1- Another World 20th Anniversary Edition

"Everything in this world can kill you" -Trevor
"What the hell is that, a chupacabra?" -Christian

Another World was the first to complete, so I loaded it up as the other two titles finished downloading. My first impressions were of fascination and frustration in equal measure. As I watched the introduction load and the music begin, my mind started getting pulled into the unique art style and atmosphere. Unfortunately, my mind didn't stay there. This game has a few minor flaws that can jar you right out of the experience if you're not expecting them. First off, this game only supports the Wii U Gamepad for control inputs. There is no option to switch to the Wii U Pro Controller to play the game. Now, I love the Gamepad, and the option to play the game off-TV is a blessing, but for an immersive experience, nothing tops playing on the TV with the lights off and given the option, that's what I prefer. I would feel differently if there were added options that used the Gamepad's features, but there aren't any. So whenever I am playing it, I am now forced to either play on the Gamepad screen, or play on the TV with a glowing light under my face. I got used to it, but I shouldn't have to. Also, the controls are imprecise. Tapping the D-pad or control stick moves your character one vaguely defined step left or right. Tapping B sends your character into a vaguely defined jump over low (very low) obstacles. However, once I got used to the controls, I really started enjoying myself and wondering what was going to happen next. Like any true adventure game, Another World uses trial and error style gameplay. Hop here, shoot here at just the right time, climb here, and you get to the next chapter. Deviate from that script and you die. I died several times just trying to figure out how to get past some basic obstacles. You might think this is a complaint about the game but it's not. The tension resulting from knowing that one could die at a moment's notice are what allows this game to transform it's simple puzzle mechanics into something that truly feels like an adventure. I recommend this game for anyone who thinks they would enjoy an otherworldly adventure experience with little or no direction as to what to do next. 

2- Armillo - Fuzzy Wuzzy Games

"He's a space armadillo that is basically Sonic." -Nani
"Kind of reminds me of, like, Sonic" -Christian

To summarize Armillo is, as my lovely wife put it, a "space armadillo" who rolls around maze-like planets, dodging obstacles and enemies on a quest to rescue his brother and save the universe from evil robots. Armillo is kind of an obstacle-course action game, and, despite the repeated comparisons to Sonic the Hedgehog, is really closer to Super Monkey Ball than anything else (Thanks Trevor for the apt comparison). Armillo shoots forward from boost pads, rolls along tracks or bounces around like a pinball. The levels are fun and intuitive, and I never had trouble figuring out what to do. Playing on Normal difficulty was definitely challenging for me, although admittedly I'm not very good at action games, and I had a few game over screens as I attempted to beat the first few levels. However, at no point did I feel the game was unfair or artificially difficult. I knew exactly where I had screwed up, and knew exactly what to do next time (Even if it took a few tries to actually do it). The music is another great part of this game. Instead of going with the usual bouncy melodies normally found in these sorts of action games with cute animal characters, Fuzzy Wuzzy Games went with an intense techno score that pulls the action aspect to the forefront. Good thing too, as this game takes lots of concentration. This is a great example of a polished, creative, indie title, and it's something I'll be playing again and again, both by myself and to show off to friends. Unfortunately, Armillo came out only a week after the Hype Juggernaut that was Shovel Knight and I think a lot of people missed it as a result. Check this game out if you get a chance.

3- Master Reboot -Wales Interactive

"That's pleasant; an axe" -Trevor
"I don't want to find out what happens" -Christian

As I started up Master Reboot for the first time, I could already tell I was about to see something unique. So far, I haven't been disappointed as this game is definitely making an impression. It hasn't helped that I watched the trailer on the eShop, which featured doll-like girls with glowing eyes lifelessly stalking the player. The art of this game takes a very simple approach, with flat textures and simple shapes, giving the environments a sterile, alien aesthetic that I found very off-putting. Areas are small and keep the player from wandering off, and I began to find them claustrophobic, I felt as if I was being pulled along, no matter how much I wanted to put off moving to the next area and finding out what might be waiting for me. I also had a very distinct sense of being watched throughout the short time I spent with the game. Basic noises, like a crow cawing in the background, began to put me on edge. I think this is a great example of what a small studio can do using well-applied aesthetics. Simply being pulled along from area to area without any clue as to what will happen next is truly an unnerving experience. I am really enjoying this game and I'm looking forward to uncovering more of the mystery. I would recommend Master Reboot to anyone who prefers atmosphere over jump scares and gore.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this first Game Night. My writing skills are really rusty, so any feedback, positive or negative, is appreciated. If you liked what I wrote, tune in next time for a more in-depth review, as I take on Circle-Entertainment's Fairune. Thanks to Trevor, Christian, and of course my lovely wife Nani for testing these games out and allowing me to steal their precious words, and thank you for reading! See you next time.