The game controls great. The movement is easy to pick, medium level of difficulty to master and versatile as hell. The game is reminiscent of Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Zelda 2, Shovel Knight and Rogue Legacy. It sure does not reinvent gaming but is such a solid game through and through. I do not think you can go wrong with this one as even full priced it is well worth it!
This is a whole new campaign and I am glad about it. I really prefer standalones to content adding expansions. This campaign is less imaginative than the previous, the shorter length and less characters give less possibilities for the interactions. I really did not like the cast as much as Old North's as well. Level design was really not great and level progression/battle system were really not great at all as well. That being said it really is not that bad. If you liked Old North you would definitely like to play this one and know more of the world and the people. However, it does not really do all that much with all the resources it re-uses and leaves a lot for one to demand.
It will be up to you to decide. The campaign is short and sweet. I like the fact they did not go overboard with the length. The characters were awesome, one of them is one of the best put and written characters I have played in an RPG - Cammile. The storyline and world are very grounded compared to your usual fantasy and the representation of later medieval/renaissance life are pretty good compared to most of the other games. The magic in this world has it place and the world feels fully realized which I always treasure. Dungeons are short and this is good because they do not offer anything groundbreaking in terms of puzzles and battles. The lack of a hook in dungeon design does not really feel all that bad in the end. They work, just are not something you will remember after a while. That being said and fully realizing that this is a small studio doing a medium scale project, I would have liked more variety in different people's campaigns even for the sake of single playthrough time. I feel there was a lot of potential for the game to make people to want and replay it six times just to know the characters and context better and just to see more and different interactions with them. I feel it has what it needs in terms of quality of writting to provoke that. However, (and I have not played it multiple times myself) I heard that the only difference between campaigns are a few cutscenes. This is really not enough. Overall Pros: - good overall plot - awesome characters and dialogues - balanced level progression, no need for any grind Overall Cons: - super long intro - not enough variety between campaigns - some mechanics are telegraphed poorly (what you should sell, when you would need to upgrade, not a great log)
If you do not mind games that are open about the inspiration they drew from other games than Cosmic Star Heroine might be unable to disappoint you. Its story is fine, it is pretty involved although it does not take itself too seriously. The spritework is great. Level design is not perfect but the battle system might as well be the best one I have ever experienced. A total 5/5 for me.
I have been playing Shovel Knight a lot lately. I think I played over 400 hours and I love it. It is my favourite game already and I consider it to be the ultimate platformer. It has a bunch of campaigns that play super different from eachother. The heroes a cool, the narrative is sweet but light enough, the aestethics suit me perfectly - each and every sprite feel like it has soul on their own. The mechanics which are arguably the most important thing in a platformer are pinpoint accurate. Even the water level is damn fun...it may as well be one of my most favourite in the game. But to be honest I do not see how I will get tired of this game. Even after so much playing I still can boot the game and go beat a campaign pretty much every day. If you have never played a platformer - pick up Shovel Knight! If you do not like platformers - pick up Shovel Knight, you may as well be surprised! If you like platformers - I guess you have already picked up Shovel Knight anyway... If you...oh, God damn it, just play the game!
I was never the RTS kind of guy even in their heyday but Tzar was one of my two favourites. I spent hundreds of hours playing it. Awesome game!
