This is a really fun take on the Where's Waldo series that's fun for the whole family. The art style is fantastic and it offers just enough challenge to keep you interested. Well worth the price.
I was a bit hesitant to guy this game at first because the developers have dropped the ball on the last several releases of Stronghold, but I have to admit that they did a great job. It's actually kind of cool to play in the Asian countries as it managed to mix up the gameplay a bit. The combat is fun and they added a lot of new features and abilities. So far I only have three complaints. #1. I wish I had the ability to zoom out more on the map, because the view is too close. It feels like I'm talking to a close talker for hours on end. You can deal with it, but you'd prefer a bit of distance. #2. I do like the idea of capturing the warlords to use as a part of your own kingdom, but I wish I had the ability to turn off that feature, especially in skirmish mode. #3. There aren't enough maps to chose from in skirmish mode. I don't know why, but there's only about 10-12 maps to choose from. It would be nice a better variety.
This game is one of the best rogue like games that I've played in a long time. It's actually very similar to games like Rogue Legacy and even has some similarities to Enter The Gungeon. The controls are some of the best that I've ever experience in a platformer. It immediately feels tight and intuitive and you can't help feeling powerful from the very start of the game. You can tell that the developers put a lot of thought into the control scheme because you never really feel cheated when you die. Keep in mind that I've only played it for about an hour so far, but I absolutely love what I've seen so far.
I have been looking forward to playing this game for quite a while, but once I had the chance to play it I couldn't help feeling disappointed. I honestly don't know what this game is trying to accomplish. It has an aesthetic similar to Link To The Past, but it plays nothing like that game. It did nothing to pull me into the gameplay, and the controls felt very clunky and unintuitive. For some bizarre reason the menu screen makes you use the analogue stick to configure the options, which made for a really bad first impression (it's hard to explain what I mean by that, but trust me ... it's just bad). Feel free to pick this up on a sale and have a go at it, but I ended up deleting the game from my library after only a few minutes of gameplay.
I've actually been waiting for this game to release for quite a while, and now that I've played it for several hours, I can safely say that it's okay. It starts out a bit frustrating, but keeps a steady pace the the next several levels. The bosses are pretty enjoyable and range from challenging to rage inducing. I cam currently stuck on a boss that I've literally tried to beat more than 20 times (I had to walk away for the sake of my controller remaining intact). Overall the game is very enjoyable and plays similarly to other platformers like Mega Man, Shovel Knight, Metroid and Castlevania. Keep in mind that this is NOT a Metroidvania, but rather a platformer. It does borrow elements from various other games in this genre but it still manages to stay original in it's own right. It's definitely worth picking up for the price.
This game looked very promising from what I saw in the trailer, however, we experienced a few issues after we decided to purchase the game. First of all, the game looks very charming, and appears to have a very nice story and pixel-art style, but it they didn't quite perfect the menu styles and font choices. It doesn't look like they put a lot of thought into the little things, which add up rather quickly. We also had a major issue with the game in regards to a blurry/screentearing effect whenever the main character was walking. Now that I've played the game I can actually spot this problem in the trailer, but it feels so much worse during gameplay. Never in my life have I felt nauseous while playing a 2D game, but this one made me want to hurl.
Littlewood has proven itself to be a very original game, and is often compared to titles like Stardew Valley. However, I would say that the game is actually rather unique. If I were to compare the game to anything, I would say that it's a perfect combination between Stardew Valley, Forager and Moonlighter. You spend your days rebuilding an entire town, selling your items, and you even have the ability to customize nearly every house in the village to suit every character's individual personality. The only thing that takes away from the game is some of the dialogue. Having the ability to make it known from the beginning of the game that your character is male or female and straight or gay would be ideal. I'm not trying to make this a political/social issue here, but (in my opinion) a lot of the dialogue comes across as inappropriate when talking to certain characters. I made the mistake of complimenting one of the male characters in the game, and now this character is romantically interested in me. I realize that it's just a game, and normally I wouldn't care if the developers want to give you the ability to pick any character you want as a romantic partner, but sometimes this programming decision comes across poorly if it's not done right. This is one of those times.
I have been waiting 8 long years to play this game, and I can safely say that it did not disappoint! You can immediately tell that the developers put their heart and soul into this game, and it clearly has a lot of potential to become the best game in the franchise. There are only a few minor issues that I've been having with the game so far, so I'll do my best to summarize these problems. #1. The viewing angles on the map aren't quite perfected. I rather enjoyed how the original Mount and Blade used the mouse to turn the map in a left/right when you moved it to the edge of the screen, but this version requires you to right click while you turn the mouse, which isn't great. #2. I think the viewing angles also cause a bit of an issue during battles as well. Combat on the ground is just as good as the original games, but it's a bit lacking on horseback. I find it much more difficult to attack enemies on horseback, but perhaps this will change as my character levels up. #3. I miss the simplicity from past games in the series. I applaud the developers for upgrading the leveling system and adding so many new features, but I can't help thinking that less is more. I'm trying to take it slow, but it feels like I'm not quite understanding all of the new features. That being said, there's no way that I could rate this game less than 5 stars. It has far too much potential to be any lower, and I look forward to see how the game develops over the coming years!
