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[“Alone he wandered the shivering decks”]

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TalkBack / Candleman (Switch) Review

« on: November 21, 2019, 01:33:36 PM »

“Alone he wandered the shivering decks”

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/52233/candleman-switch-review

Candleman is a platforming game based on a ship in need of some maintenance and on the surrounding land mass. It has been ported to basically every possible platform and has held up across the board, and it’s performance on the Switch is no exception. The Switch has all the capabilities needed to run the game perfectly in both the docked and handheld state with no change to graphics or framerate (at least as far as I could tell).

   In Candleman, you play as a small candle with legs that decides it wants to do something more than just stay complacent. The candle must make its way through the environment on a grand quest to bring light to other candles and reach a lighthouse, where it believes it will find the peace and comfort it was missing. Along the way there are puzzles and hazards that can take out the candle in a single hit, knocking it down from its ten possible lives all the way to nothing.

   The puzzles in Candleman are based around simple platforming and activating different mechanisms around the environment. You are only allowed to keep the candle lit for ten seconds before it burns out, finishing your life, and causing you to restart at a checkpoint. Because of this, a large portion of the game is played in near pitch black, as the challenge is in finding where you are supposed to go without burning out. While not always very logical, the environment that you traverse as you play is very well crafted and elegant, from the droll ship with its chains and exposed piping, to vibrant flowers that respond to the light on the candles head. The world reacts to the players actions in a unique and beautiful way.

   Candleman ends up having a poetic touch to it as well. There is a somber soundtrack that always matches the mood of each level, crescendoing to a more upbeat and joyous melody as you make your way further through the game. Along with this, each level is accompanied by a line of a poem chronicling the adventure, with a second line being revealed at the end of the level if you light every optional candle.

   Overall, Candleman is a wonderful experience for anyone who enjoys platform games or just great artwork, even in a simpler form. It is a cute and inspirational game that is easy to pick up and play through a section as needed, or binge it all in one sitting.

[A disaster indeed.]

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TalkBack / A Duel Hand Disaster: Trackher (Switch) Review

« on: September 12, 2019, 02:06:10 PM »

A disaster indeed.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/51698/a-duel-hand-disaster-trackher-switch-review

A Duel Hand Disaster is an indie game made by Ask an Enemy Studios. It is a split-screen shooter designed to be played both alone or with a friend. It features a very simple concept, collect points and do not die. However with very little explanation as to how to complete the objectives, it can become rather tedious to the point of being almost insulting at times. This coupled with the fact that the insinuated story is never really explained makes it hard to follow.

   While there is not really a story since it is in essence, an arcade game, there is an element of story behind the gameplay that the creators tried to use to make it, at best, introspective. The title Trackher apparently refers to some person who will die if you do not perform well. Along with that, every time a new game starts, the phrase “your score is meaningless unless you exist” comes across the screen, and the phrase “fission mailed” comes across the screen if you die before it rearranges itself to say “mission failed” This may be a reference to Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty but there does not seem to be a reason to include it.

   At the start of any level, there is a ship on the left and right side of the screen. The right ship’s job is to collect parts and materials to earn points, while the left ships job is to shoot enemy ships and stop them before they can pass over into the right screen. The parts collected are the primary objective as you have to find a certain amount before evacuation is possible. The materials are used for a point multiplier, as well as the way you recharge the left ships batteries and use certain abilities.

   The game does not explain almost any of this to the player unless you figure out where to look. With a minimal menu screen that can be hard to navigate as the prompts are not always clear, finding the tutorials to learn the rules can be a challenge in itself. If you can manage to find and watch all the tutorials from the main menu, you will stand a chance at surviving. Though not a very high chance at first.

   With the ability to survive a level comes it’s own set of objectives. Unless you are capable of a high amount of multitasking, the game will still be very difficult. The longer you press on in single sitting, the more enemies and obstacles will spawn on both sides. Along with this there is a wall of fire that closes in every four minutes and will kill you if you do not know how to push it back.

   The game does get repetitive fast, but has a solid techno/rock sound track which does lend itself to the gameplay, allowing you to zone out and play it whenever you feel the need to. The soundtrack might be the most enjoyable part as it ramps up and slows down depending on how much is happening on the screen at any time, allowing your level of concern to move as well.

   Overall this game is not very enjoyable for long stretches, but is at least playable after an adjustment period. For the price of $9.99 that it is marked on the Nintendo eShop, I personally would not suggest it, but if it is ever on sale or if you feel that it is exactly the type of game you would like, it is not the worst way to spend your money.

[It has an exploding pogo stick.]

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TalkBack / Super Mutant Alien Assault (Switch) Review

« on: August 12, 2019, 04:42:41 AM »

It has an exploding pogo stick.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/51350/super-mutant-alien-assault-switch-review

“Super Mutant Alien Assault” is a rogue-lite style 2D side scrolling shooter based on a large space station. The levels are centered around several different types of objectives such as annihilating all other enemies, moving containers from one point to another, and just surviving until the level finishes. While these objectives are enjoyable and simple, especially for an easy game, the repetition can get tedious after playing for more than a few hours.

When starting the game, you are forced to play on Normal difficulty, but more options become available as you beat challenges. Starting on World one level one, you scroll across a single screen collecting weapons and grenades as you complete each objective. While completing the task at hand, aliens will come in from multiple entry-points to try and kill you. There is a wide variety of different aliens with all sorts of different abilities and, as you play through, a green pulse of light comes across the screen every few seconds. When it shows up, the aliens become more powerful, to the point that some will actually evolve into larger, more dangerous versions of themselves so it is best to take them out as quickly as possible, or get really good at evading and kill them all at the end.

The game has a variety of weapons ranging from handguns, to laser swords, to a pogo stick that explodes when it lands on enemies. These allow for some interesting and unique kill opportunities, although they can be hard to plan out since the weapon drops are randomized. With the right weapon equipped though they can be a life saver against mobs and certain bosses. It also features an original soundtrack worth turning the volume to full on. The soundtrack utilizes an original electronic and dubstep blend to create music that always seems to fit the fast paced gameplay.

Not much time is required to get through the levels since each level only takes a few minutes to complete and there are not many. The replayability comes from the difficulty spike with each new world, and the fact that there are plenty of items and abilities that can be unlocked and adjusted for each new run through. Along with this the co-op aspect makes it a very enjoyable game to spend an hour or two playing with friends.