From the sounds of it, it seems simple and it is...kind of. Throughout the game, you are given squads with a bit of a personality. These little vikings are lead by a main unit with his own portrait. Besides that and a few voice effects for the squads to distinguish them, that is all you get in terms of personality. As for the story and lore, there is none...well unless you made one up yourself. As you move along the map and reach each location, you arrive on small to large islands. Some of them having different terrain and weather which have slight affects on gameplay. However at no point do you come across any bit of lore or plot. Now, if that was the intention by the game's developers, Plausible Concept, to have no plot then I suppose they succeed in that regard. The lack of any kind of lore does hurt as this game would have benefit from it. The art style is both cute and brutal at the same time. From the menus and all their interesting details to the designs of the units and environments, the team at Plausible Concept deserve top marks for that. The music itself is not so memorable but effective in some places. As you defend an island and are surround by all sides, listening to the eerie chants and drones is a nice touch of dread as you push back the horde. In terms of game-play, it is where Bad North is at its best. The concept of defending the islands you visit from swarms of invaders and doing the whole process again until you reach the last island is exciting and hardly grows tiresome. Controlling each unit is simple enough but figuring out what each one works best for the given situation can take a while to get used to. All the skills and items are a blast to mess around with. However no matter how well equip you are for combat, it all goes down the drain with weak strategies. After the Jotunn update, which fix a lot of bugs that I ran across with and added some nice content to boot, I am much more pleased with how it turned out.
Sometimes you want a short story to pass the time rather than sinking into a much larger story. That is where Dear Esther comes in. Within Dear Esther, the player explores a seamlessly abandoned island while a narrator reads letters about his wife. As you progress throughout the island, the narrator reveals more details about his wife as well as the island itself. The first thing that will jump out at you while you play is the level of detail and wonderful environments presented. The game has some of the best looking caves you will ever see in a video game. The music is both calming and unnerving at the same time. Some sections of the game are down right creepy due to the score. The voice acting, although by just one person, is top notch and helps give the island a voice. The plot itself is wonderfully told through the narration as well as the level design. Although the way the game ends could have been done better. As for gameplay, all you do is walk and listen, that is it. The narrative presented would have worked best if there were more gameplay to it. For example by adding puzzle elements or interactions with objects would have helped. As it is, Once the game is beaten, there is not much left to do afterwards. If you start a new game, some lines are changed as well as the levels to present the narrative in a different light. After completing a chapter, you can go back and listen to the developer's commentary to the game. Listening to this really helps you understand some of the thought process behind the game, even if some of them tend to go on a bit too long for what they need to explain. The game can be beat in about 2 hours and a half or even shorter if you rush through it. If you take your time to explore and listen to the commentaries, the game length would be around 5 hours or so. Overall, I do recommend this game and at least it should be experienced once. Not at full price though, wait until its on sale for 50% or more off.
is an interesting but mediocre tribute to the works of Philip K. Dick and his life. In Californium, you play as a struggling writer who goes on an unstable journey through different realities. Meanwhile tormented by an almost omnipotent narrator as the player come to terms with the oddities around them. The plot and presentation is by far the best aspect of the game. The art style adds a lot of charm and detail to the world. The voice acting is great and a pleasant to listen too. The music is also great which helps set the tone for each of the environments. As for the plot itself, the narrative presents itself in almost a short story fashion as it goes through the chapters(levels). Each chapter brings forth its own genre and tone. As the plot progresses, it goes into wild and perplexing directions. In terms of gameplay, this is where the enjoyment ends. Gameplay-wise, its an exploration game a.k.a walking simulator. The main actions at play is walking and listening to characters to trigger events to push the narrative forward and sometimes solve reality warping puzzles. These puzzles are neat at first but get tiresome towards the end of the game. They are a nice addition to the game but they could have been done much better. That is basically all you do within the game. Game length took me about three hours and a half to complete but it can be done in a shorter time. During gameplay, voices sometimes cut out and sections of levels became block off forcing a restart to bypass those problems. This was most noticeable during the last section of the game. Even the credits were glitched out. Overall if you are a fan of PKD, which the game is fill up with references to his works and or enjoy first person exploration games, give it a try. However if not, the game is not for you.
If you ever wanted an underwater version of Journey, then you found the right game. In ABZÛ, you play as a diver exploring an underwater world full of life and wonder as well as hidden secrets deep below. As you explore the vast ocean further, you uncover a mystery under the sea. The plot itself is simple and fits the theme of the game. The game's presentation is by far the highlight of the game. the art style in how it depicts the ocean and its many denizens is a sight to behold. The number of fish on scene can be intense and yet joyful. Plus the AI for the fish adds so much to the charm of exploring the ocean. The way the fish chase you as you perform actions in the game is just charming. You really feel that they are real animals and not just code for the game. Also to note is the seller score composed beautifully for the game. In terms of gameplay, its a pretty short and liner affair. There are moments where you can relax and explore an area for a bit but there is not much to do. The only actions you can do in the game is swim and interact with objects and aquatic life. Only one section of the game I found it to be a challenge but its over in a flash. The game can be beat in about 2 hours and a half, maybe more if you take your time and explore. Once you finished the game, there is not much to go back to unless you want to get the collectables. Overall, I do recommend this game but not at full price. wait till its on sale for 5 dollars or less.
A classic series in the realm of gaming back in the 90s as well as today! Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside is the first game in the collection. Pajama Sam's journey into the Land of Darkness to find and capture Darkness is by far the best. It has a great sense of imagination and mystery to keep the player on their toes as they explore. Meeting fun characters, solving puzzles, and playing games along the way. Pajama Sam 2: Thunder and Lightning Aren't so Frightening is the second game in the collection. Pajama Sam travels to World Wide Weather to confront Thunder and Lightning is a solid but mundane follow-up to the first. In that the main plot of the story has Sam fixing a mess that he created. Due to this, it lacks the mystery that made the first so good. Sam feels more of a handyman than a superhero in this game. Regardless, it still contains fun characters and puzzles to solve. As well as a fun board game you can play at any time. Pajama Sam's Lost & Found is the last game on offer in this volume and its the weakest. Not that its bad, it offer some fun little mini games. However these never hold my interest as the other games in this collection. Not only that but the other Junior Arcades from Humongous are more fun to play. Overall, I say this is a solid pack for everyone to play. All three games have insanely replay value in that they change the layout and outcomes with each play through. Its a must have for any fan of adventure and puzzle games.
