I was really, really impressed by this game. I thought the last Blackwell game really showed Wadjet Eye's growth, and this one hit for me as well. Very interesting backdrop - full of supernatural oddness in a NYC setting. I really liked the team members, too. I especially thought Mandana was cool, the half-human, half-djinn. Her voice actress nailed the part. Most of the folks did, honestly, it's all really well done. Speaking of teammates, it does the Maniac Mansion thing where you can choose two for each mission. I made sure to try them all, but you'd obviously need to play through again to experience the differing dialogue and solutions to puzzles. I wouldn't say any of them are particularly difficult - very little moon logic here - but I did get occasionally stuck and the few times I looked it was an absolute "derp" moment. So I don't feel bad about it. But I think the story is the main draw over the puzzling. I definitely recommend this one to adventure-heads. It really hit the spot for its 12-hour runtime. It didn't even feel that long, because I was fully engrossed in the game. 9/10.
The Messenger has exceeded my every expectation. I wasn't sold at first, but bought it after seeing a lot of positive review buzz. I'm so glad I did. You play the role of the titular Messenger, a ninja from a clan that prepares for the day when the Demon King returns. Well, that happens right off the bat, but you're bailed out by the Western Hero, and given a scroll to deliver. And with that, you're off. The early hours of the game are strictly linear. You can poke around a little bit for more time shards, the currency of the game, but for the most part it sticks to ninja action. The controls feel spot on. If you've played Ninja Gaiden, then there's some of that feel, but you're limited even less than Ryu Hayabusa; you'll get a wingsuit and grappling hook, and also have the ability to air-jump after striking an object or enemy. You can stay suspended for quite some time if you play things right, and many of the platforming challenges revolve around these unique abilities. All of this is presented in something resembling an 8-bit game, although sometimes it feels slightly higher fidelity than that. The soundtrack uses actual NES chiptune music, adding an air of authenticity. It also helps that it rocks. This all changes, however, several hours into the game. You will leap forward in time to the 16-bit era. That NES soundtrack shifts to Sega Genesis-style FM synthesis, and should absolutely be listened to on something with some bass. The composer did a great job of making tunes work in both styles. The gameplay also shifts gears, and becomes more exploratory. You won't find many movement upgrades at this point, though; most of your items will be quest-related, either in old areas or in new ones once you unlock paths. Switching eras comprises much of the puzzling. I really only had a few gripes about limited teleportation and a brutal segment near the end, but all in all, this is a fantastic retro homage as well as just a great game. Highly recommended.
So, having finally purchased this game, I was fully ready to take on what I was told would be a brutal challenge. See, the game employs a system in which your faceless soldier, if greeted with death, is turned into a zombie. The next soldier you use must fight this zombie to reclaim all of the upgrades you have collected. This is certainly an interesting mechanic... but I never saw it. If you don't die, you'll never engage this mechanic and the difficulty is quite sane. There are moments where you may get close to death (the pop-up sarcophagi in particular are tough to react to effectively), but as long as you manage your health and occasionally stop to top off ammo as well, you should be okay. This leaves the rest of the gameplay, which is an absolute blast. It cribs heavily from Super Metroid; even the dash mechanic works similarly here. You may look like a military dude, but really, it has to be Samus Aran under the armor. If you're going to crib, though, crib from the best. Exploring is fun, and seeing the sights really just brings home the next point... ...about how gorgeous the pixel art is. This is sort of top-tier artwork you might have hoped to see from the best 32-bit sprite-based games of yesteryear. The gameplay might be Metroid, but the graphical patina is pure Castlevania, and it works wonderfully. To top off the package, the soundtrack by Monomer fits the action perfectly, and is worth listening to even outside of the game. A haunting sort of synthwave and chiptune mix is on tap here, and while WayForward often likes to tap Jake Kaufman for their soundtracks (see Bloodrayne Betrayal), Monomer was absolutely the right man for the job here. Perhaps my only real quibble with the game is that bosses don't feel terribly challenging overall. If you explore enough, they shouldn't pose a huge threat. That, and the game is short; I finished in 4.5 hours. Still, Metroid fans will easily get their money's worth.
Yeah, Iconoclasts turned out quite well. Good on Mr. Sandberg to get this puppy out after seven years. For folks that might not know, Joakim Sandberg is the sole creator of this game. He's worked on other games for WayForward before, like Contra 4 and Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, as an animator. He's got some serious skills, because the game is gorgeous. Really, the nuts and bolts gameplay (ohoho, see what I did there) consist of using your various weapons and wrench to progress through areas, somewhat Metroidvania-style. The game feels more akin to something like Monster World, though, in that while there is some poking around for treasures, you're not constantly mining for upgrades like Metroid or sitting there leveling up and getting new equipment all the time like Castlevania. Many rooms present puzzles, not unlike Zelda's dungeons, just presented within a 2D platformer context. Figuring out where to go, and how to get there, is where the fun is. And again, man, does this game look good. Combat feels excellent as well, with some really slick bosses that require a lot more than just blasting away. Make no mistake, there IS blasting, but you also have to suss out weak points, making them often puzzles as well. The treasures you do unearth are used to craft upgrades. They are somewhat useful, but not necessary to beat the game. This did not bother me. Without spoiling the story, it is presented very well, with mysteries unraveling through the game. One quibble, though, is that the game can get DARK at times. The game sports a bouncy art style, but there's some seriously messed up stuff. There's also a bit of an anti-religious element to the game, but it makes sense in context and isn't too overbearing. Overall, this might be one of the best puzzle platformers to come out in recent memory. It ascends to the heights of Owlboy's presentation, but also happens to be a lot more fun to play. Highly recommended.
Owlboy is a lush, gorgeous free-flight platformer. Seriously, the presentation is phenomenal. The amount of polish from a graphical, audio, and story perspective rivals full studios' work. Coming from a team this small, the game is an absolute joy to behold. Unfortunately, the gameplay isn't quite as amazing as the presentation. The free flight is a lot of fun, but it never feels like you unearth anything of major import; generally exploration off the beaten path just nets you more Buccanary coins. In addition, the dual-stick combat never feels like it really clicks. It's a little slow and non-threatening, making it a bit uninteresting compared to the rest of the package. In short, the game is comprised of a very real, believable world; the core gameplay itself, though, rarely rises above "adequate". If you're looking for content voyeurism, this is a fantastic game to behold, just don't expect to be wowed by the minute-to-minute play. Really, the comparison I like to trot out is to Solatorobo: Red the Hunter on Nintendo DS. That game also sported excellent presentation and a fantastically realized world, but squanders it on gameplay that is too shallow to carry it through. Owlboy isn't quite so egregious, but I really, really hope that we get another game in this world with some gameplay improvements, because a sequel with some more interesting gameplay would be fantastic. Elsewhere, I rated this a 7.5, and I don't want to round down, so 4/5 stars it is. It may click for you more than it did for me. Kudos to the dev team for sticking to their guns and getting this out; it provides a good foundation for hopefully good things to come.
Broforce is a campy send-up of many of the action movies of the '80s and '90s, with a healthy dollop of American patriotism on top that straddles the line between awesome and sly jabs at the same. The biggest attraction is the number of action movie stars you can recruit into your Broforce. If you can think of it, it's likely in here. So as not to give away some of the surprise, you start as "Rambro", and go from there, picking up characters that stand in for Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris, and even a few women like Ripley from the Alien movies. With "bro" in the name, of course. Each of the "bros" has different capabilities, from their speed, to how their shots behave, to even their melee and special moves. Playing around with each new one you rescue is probably the most fun in the game. The game itself is actually not what you'd expect. It's certainly frenetic, but it's not quite a Contra-style run-and-gun. See, each bro is very, very easy to kill, and you'll need to save more of them through each stage. And stages are packed with all sorts of hazards that will kill you... or your enemy. In fact, things are so destructible that the game actually feels like what you might get if you combined Contra and Worms (without the multi-directional fire, sadly). It's certainly unique, and much of the challenge hinges on finding efficient routes through the stage, and using the environment to wreak havoc on your enemy. Your bros are also rather tiny. It makes packing in detail on them tough, but at the same time, it maximizes the screen area for destructibility. And destroy you will; enemies will be gorily dismembered in many, many ways. It's a fairly puerile sense of humor, but it works for this game. Overall, it's a solid game, just don't expect a straight run-and-gun. It's more a puzzle-shooter, something that requires you to slow down and think a little bit to really be effective and reach the end. Give it a shot if that sounds appealing!
You really can't throw a stick without hitting Metroid-styled indie games these days. This, of course, is a good thing. Odallus falls into this camp, with some differences. It's more akin to Dracula X with the alternate stage paths, and Metroid with the permanent upgrades. The ever-classic Demon's Crest is a good example as well. While taking the role of Haggis, you'll come across the usual abilities: double-jump, float, dash, and so forth. This makes it necessary to revisit previously completed stages to suss out all their secrets. Some are quite the bit tricky to find. Combat takes a bit to get used to. Your initial sword swing is pretty fast, but there's a significant recovery period after, which leaves you open to attacks. Combat in the early going, in particular, can be fast and brutal. If you can track down the health and armor upgrades, things get easier, but they never get too simple. Haggis controls well, for the most part, although some of the physics don't feel completely right, much like JoyMasher's previous title, Oniken. Still, it's nothing that really gets in the way of enjoying the game. Levels are pretty varied, although fielding so many underwater areas is a bold move. It lends to the atmosphere of exploration, but your movement rate is pretty slow there. The graphics are quite excellent, with good spritework and a feel that approximates the NES, although the larger sprites and multiple layers of parallax scrolling will have you thinking TurboGrafx-16 instead. The soundtrack is solid, as well. The plot is pretty dark, but it's really not overly important to this type of game, much like NES games of the time. It's the exploration and upgrading that proves addictive. There are a few slick-looking cutscenes along the way, done in the style of Ninja Gaiden, and they are much appreciated. Really, if you're looking for a solid, NES-style action-platformer, it's hard to go wrong with Odallus.
