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[Art] Totem (May 14, 2020)

https://www.deviantart.com/taichinakamura/art/Totem-May-14-2020-843283766

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[Art] Ida (May 14, 2020)

https://www.deviantart.com/taichinakamura/art/Ida-May-14-2020-843283246

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[Update] My Abrupt Hiatus

So after almost three weeks of inactivity I felt it was right to make a status update. Something happened the day after I uploaded my Forgotten Shores review. Because of it, I don’t have my phone; where all of my footage of Ida’s Dream. I thought I’d have my phone back by now, but nope.

After that, some other stuff in my personal life and I ended up losing interest in gaming. So no new progress in Ys II. At this point I’m doing better, so maybe I’ll get back into gaming soon. I’ll probably have to replay Ida’s Dream to get that information back in my head and such. I’m not mad about it.

I wasn’t really to make an update post so soon, but here I am. I doubt this will be my last one. I’m planning on uploading my Monument Valley fan art tomorrow, so stay tuned for that~

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[Review] Monument Valley: Forgotten Shores (Android, 2014)

Rating: 8/10 Monument Valley: Forgotten Shores is one of two expansions for Monument Valley, a mobile puzzle game from 2014. What is the thieving princess up to this time? To be honest I’m not really sure. Seeing as how Ida is still a human, I guess this takes place during the main game. It’s never fully stated, but the main game isn’t know for being plot heavy either. I think I might have liked Forgotten Shores more than the main game. Forgotten Shores didn’t really have a plot like the main game, aside from one mention of the main game’s quest. Other than that, everything is conveyed through visuals, something I feel like should have happened in the main game. Like the main game, Ida is restoring the sacred geometry. Along the way you face new puzzles for each level, her friend Totem, and a crow who steals Ida’s hat. The new puzzles were fun to learn. One thing I didn’t mention in my first review is that controlling the mechanisms are kind of clunky. It’s annoying at times, but it didn’t piss me off too much.

Pros: + Creative puzzles + Great for casual gamers + Visual storytelling Cons: - Finicky controls Final Thoughts: Forgotten Shores was pretty fun for me and I liked it more than the main game, though that isn’t saying much. The puzzles were fun and didn’t really get too challenging, and learning new mechanics on each level was fun for me as well. Just like the main game, I don’t really have much to talk about the game other than gameplay and the story. Which even then isn’t a lot. Do I recommend Forgotten Shores? Yes. I wish the main game was more like this, or they could have made Forgotten Shores a little bit longer. I didn’t play much of the second game, so I’m not sure if it’s any longer. I found a game similar to Monument Valley called Echochrome. I like the concept of Monument Valley, and I wonder if Echochrome did it better eight years prior. I’ll try to release my review of Ida’s Dream tomorrow, if not Friday. Also because of “reasons” I had to pause my playthrough of Final Fantasy II for the time being, and I started Ys II.

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[Review] Monument Valley (Android, 2014)

Rating: 7/10 This was an unexpected playthrough. Monument Valley was nowhere in my backlog. So why did I suddenly play this? Because the sequel was on sale for free! I played Monument Valley 2 for a few minutes and realized that that I should probably get the first game. A month and some change later and here I am. Monument Valley is an extremely short game; only having ten levels and coming to an hour and a half on HLTB. Don’t let that make you think this is an easy game… well it kind of is. Monument Valley is a puzzle game that utilizes the gimmick of optical illusions. The puzzles were pretty easy, for the most part. I didn’t really have a problem until the last two levels, and even then it was a matter of noticing the illusion. There is a plot, albeit cryptic. It’s very loose and I didn’t understand it until I used Google. As of writing this, I don’t remember the main character’s name… Ida is a “thieving princess” who stole the sacred geometry. Since the sacred geometry is gone, Ida must return it and break a curse put on her people. Or at least that’s what I could make sense of from a forum post.

Pros: + The puzzle design was interesting + The scenery was really pretty + The soundtrack was ambient and each mechanism makes a sound Cons: - There could have been a tutorial - A hint option would have been nice - The puzzles aren’t very difficult Final Thoughts: Overall Monument Valley was an okay game. There wasn’t anything too captivating to me, and honestly it was kind of boring once you figured out what to do. It might just be a me thing. Do I recommend Monument Valley? Not really. It was an okay experience, but there isn’t really anything that stands out. If it interests you and you have $3.99 to spare, play it, but don’t expect too much from it. Honestly just play FEZ instead. Because of my completionist impulses, I’m going to play the two expansions. I’m almost done with Forgotten Shores, so I might have another review tomorrow~

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[Review] Ys I Chronicles (PSP, 2009)

Rating: 9.5/10 The Ys series of games is probably one that you’ve never heard of. Made by Nihon Falcom, the same company behind the The Legend of Heroes games. Ys I & II Chronicles is a remake compilation of the first two Ys games, originally made for the PC Engine in 1989. Due to it being a compilation, I will be reviewing Ys I and Ys II separately. After Adol Christin, the main protagonist of the Ys series, sails to the island of Esteria, his boat gets destroyed and he washes up on the beach of Barbado. A “Stormwall” appeared recently and monsters spawned from it, terrorizing the island. So in regular video game fashion, it’s up to us (Adol) to save the day! You get a weapon from Barbado’s militia and your adventure begins. Combat in Ys I is interesting, to say the least. To quote the box, it has “unique motionless combat”, which is true. Allow me to elaborate. Adol attacks by ramming into the enemies. If you attack an enemy head-on, Adol loses a little bit of health. There are ways to hit them without losing health, but to be honest it’s kind of random that you will. I’ve seen fans refer to the mechanic as “bumper cars” and it’s not far off. The main objective of the game is to collect the six Books of Ys. The books are hidden inside labyrinth-like dungeons. They aren’t too hard to navigate through, except for some parts in Darm Tower. Each dungeon has a boss protecting the books, and they were pretty fun. Challenging, but fun. In the first dungeon, you find an amnesiac girl named Feena. She may or may not have a bigger role in the story. This isn’t me being sarcastic, I really don’t know yet.

Pros:

+ A light, but good story + A truly amazing soundtrack + Unique combat + Challenging bosses Cons: - The bumping mechanic can frequently backfire and you’ll lose a lot of health Final Thoughts: Ys I was a very great game to me. I really loved the characters, and everything was paced pretty well. Honestly your biggest enemy is the bumping mechanic, as you’ll be close to dying a lot. I guess Falcom knew this, so they implemented armors and rings to diminish the damage you take a little bit. Like Golden Sun, this is part of a duology, but unlike Golden Sun, Ys I is somewhat standalone. You even save the day and complete your quest in this half. Would I recommend Ys I? Definitely! Since my only complaint is the bumper cars mechanic, but that has its workaround and isn’t too bad. I’m going to play Final Fantasy II for little while before playing Ys II, but I really can’t wait to jump into this game’s sequel.

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[Review] Golden Sun (GBA, 2001)

Rating: 8.5/10 Golden Sun is a game that just instantly captivates you when it boots with its extravagant music. If that isn’t enough, you start the game during a horrible disaster, that just makes you want to learn more about it. I’m not sure about you, but that just piques my interest. You start off in the village of Vale, the magical hometown of our mute protagonist, Isaac, along with his childhood friends, Garet and Jenna. Vale is engulfed in a storm; tossing boulders everywhere and destroying things left and right. Isaac and Garet must get to safety. After a lot of walking, you find a boy who is about to drown, so you must find help for him. You fail, the boy dies, you randomly find the main antagonists, they beat you up– Cue intro!! Usually I try to avoid major spoilers, but all of that is in the first few minutes of the game. After that comes Golden Sun’s biggest flaw: no one shuts up… Usually that doesn’t bother me as long as it adds to the plot. Which in the beginning it does, but there’s just so much text that pads out the game. For example: after the accident, there’s a scene full of exposition, which is good for the beginning of the game, but it’s during a scene where you’re fixing the roof, that just drags on. There’s lots of choice prompts that don’t really matter. In the beginning I chose no to most of the prompts, before I started to realize that it didn’t really matter. There’s also a lot of oddly worded text, that doesn’t bother me much since it gave me a lot to laugh at. One of my favorite things about Golden Sun is how it’s kind of in an episodic format. Plot points and info dumps remind me of something like Avatar: The Last Airbender. Speaking of that show, each town has a lot of diversity. From how buildings are made, to how towns in different regions have different words for things like psynergy. I do wish that there was a form of fast travel. Shin Megami Tensei has elevators and terminals, Final Fantasy has the airship, while in Golden Sun you have no form of teleportation.

Pros: + Great story + Amazing soundtrack + Fun combat + Semi-3D sprites Cons: - Constant info dumping - No fast travel - Low enemy encounter rate in the beginning - Choices don’t matter Final Thoughts: Golden Sun has a simple save the world plot, but has a lot of characters and side plots along the way. Even though there are those problems, I didn’t really get angry at any point. Close to the end, I kind of stopped paying a lot of attention to what people said… I’m not really sure if I want to recommend this game. I liked it, but I also tolerated the problems. Then there’s also the fact that this is the first part of a duology, with the second game being The Lost Age. This kind of made the ending feel awkward for me since you didn’t really save the day. Until I play the second half/game, my recommendation is a “maybe”. If you want a fun RPG for the Game Boy Advance, this will suit your fancy, as long as the cons don’t scare you. Hopefully after playing The Lost Age, I can give a real recommendation for Golden Sun.

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[Review] Shadow of Destiny (PSP, 2009)

Rating: 9.5/10 If you couldn’t tell from my Monster House (and to an extent TWEWY) review, I really enjoy playing obscure games. Some of my top favorite games aren’t AAA titles like Mario and Uncharted and instead are games like Jet Set Radio and Rule of Rose. Shadow of Destiny is definitely one of those favorites. Shadow of Destiny follows Eike, a guy with a last name I can’t pronounce, who dies… Literally in the first cut scene… But he’s okay. He gets a mysterious device, the Z-Pad, by a character named Homunculus. The Z-Pad allows Eike to travel through time in order to change his fate, and possibly the fate of others… From that, you can figure out that this game is a time-traveling murder mystery, similar to Ghost Trick. To be honest, there isn’t really a lot I can say about Shadow of Destiny without spoiling major plot points. The story heavily involves alchemy, and you frequently go to the 1500s, where you lose someone during your first trip…Whoops. It’s important to note that the places you travel to have a connection to Eike and his death. One thing to point out is that there isn’t much aside from getting from Point A to Point B. Unlike Ghost Trick, there’s no puzzles, or even some sort of combat. It’s almost like a walking simulator, and your only enemy is time itself. It’s truly centered around the story. As someone who doesn’t really like walking simulators, I feel like there could have been some kind of puzzle placed here and there. Then again, I really did like the story, and there’s eight possible endings you can get.

Pros: + A rich story + Multiple endings and replay value + Side quests Cons: - There’s not much of a challenge Final Thoughts: Shadow of Destiny is a fantastic PS2/PSP title that has an interesting story for its time and even holds up now. For someone who isn’t very fond of walking simulators, I really enjoyed this for the story and the plot twists kept me playing. I played the PSP version, which is pretty much a full port of the PS2 game with a few altered/added things, like the acting. It goes unsaid, but I highly recommend this game. There’s another game by Shadow of Destiny’s writer, called Time Hollow. I can’t wait to play that, as I hope that it’s as good as Shadow of Destiny.

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[Review] The World Ends With You (NDS, 2007)

Rating: 9/10 The World Ends With You is a game that’s been in my radar for years. I never owned a DS, but back in 2015/2016 I finally played it due to emulation. I never did get far or finished it back then, so my heart has been aching to return to this unique DS title. Now I have an ordered backlog and neat little blog to give my thoughts on. Now it’s 2020, TWEWY has been ported to mobile devices, and the Nintendo Switch, but there’s something compelling to me about the original gameplay. The two screen mechanic is just interesting and more unique than what Square did with the other versions. TWEWY is an RPG that takes place in Japan’s Shibuya ward. Quite an interesting setting. The real Shibuya is full of trends and youth culture, which actually makes it into the game. The plot is centered around an introvert protagonist, Neku Sakuraba, as he is thrown into the Reaper’s Game without any memories of his past. The Reaper’s Game involves completing daily missions; usually in a “do X or face erasure” format. The player must have have a partner in order to survive. The game spans to three weeks, in each there’s a new partner. Week 1 has Shiki, Week 2 has Joshua, and Week 3 has Beat. The main enemies in the game are Noise, creatures that are summoned by the Reapers. As I said before, the gameplay utilizes the DS’ two screens. In battle, you use the bottom screen to control Neku, and the top screen to control your partner. Neku uses pins to fight. The pins are used with taps, drags, etc on the touchscreen, while the D-pad (or face buttons if you’re a lefty) controls the partner. This involves a lot of multitasking, which can be tedious at times. There’s an auto mode for the partner, and the AI is pretty good.

Pros: + The characters are creative and unique + The soundtrack is amazing and memorable + Tin Pin is fun, but isn’t mandatory + Good partner AI Cons: - The plot can be predictable at times - Lots of customization that no one would really use Final Thoughts: TWEWY is full of creativity and care from the developers. TWEWY isn’t without it’s flaws. If you’re like me, you probably wouldn’t shop very often. Because of this, certain items can be lost. I actually had to Google how to get the last two pin slots. This is less of a flaw and more of a complaint, but the final boss is practically impossible to defeat if you don’t have the right pins. If you reach the final boss like I did, got your ass handed to you several times, and decide to change your loadout, you have to go a few battles back. Please beat the boss on easy. Even with those problems, it was a great game and I highly recommend it. The characters definitely stood out to me. For example, I saw a lot of myself in Neku. Please give this game a try if you can. As biased as it might sound, please play the DS version. I wasn’t a fan of the mobile version, and I can’t speak for the Switch version, but play the game like it was intended, if possible.

[retrogamereaper]

[Review] Shovel Knight: King of Cards (PS Vita, 2019)

Rating: 10/10 I’ve done it! I have beaten all of the Shovel Knight games! Oh my was it ever fun. King of Cards is the fourth, and final expansion to Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, and like the other expansions, I loved it! Yacht Club truly ended the series off with a bang with this one. King of Cards is about King Knight’s journey to defeat the judges of the Joustus card game, in order to be the eponymous King of Cards. A fairly simple premise like the other campaigns, that will soon introduce us to a colorful cast of characters. So much happened throughout the course of the story that I ended up forgetting this was prequel. Because of that, the ending really caught me off guard. King Knight plays similar to Wario from the Wario Land games. This means that his main attack is bashing into enemies. The levels are fairly short, but that’s mostly because the map is more like Super Mario Bros. 3 (lots of Mario influence in this one, huh?) where there’s different world to venture through. Four in this game, to be exact. The heart of the game lies in Joustus. As a card game fan, this really appealed to me. It’s a basic, yet challenging card game, but I know this might not be of interest to everyone. I guess Yacht Club had this in mind since playing Joustus isn’t even needed in order to progress through the game other than the tutorial part.

Pros: + A silly, yet tragic plot + More content than the other campaigns + Fun new mechanics + Joustus cheats Cons: - Joustus isn’t for everyone’s fancy, luckily it’s optional Final Thoughts: King of Cards is definitely my favorite campaign out of the four. It had so much content to keep me interested. Much like Shovel of Hope, the plot doesn’t really pick up until you near the end of the game. Like I mentioned before: I forgot this was a prequel. I probably had more of a connection with this cast than any of the ones from the previous games. Another bonus I forgot to mention is that you can purchase cheats for Joustus. The gem steal cheat became my trump card. So is Shovel Knight: King of Cards worth playing? ABSOLUTELY!! As of now, this is the best game I played all year, with Monster House and Shin Megami Tensei coming close. For anyone wondering, my favorite Shovel Knight games are King of Cards -> Specter of Torment -> Shovel of Hope -> Plague of Shadows

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[Review] Shin Megami Tensei (SNES, 1992)

Rating: 8.5/10 My original plan was to play all of the Megami Tensei games in order of release but… I quit playing Kyūyaku Megami Tensei, a remake/compilation of Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei 1 and 2. The lack of a consistent plot and overall narrative threw me off, since all it really was was a “get from Point A to Point B” quest. So after spending a lot of time in that game, I decided to move on to the first mainline entry to the series, Shin Megami Tensei. I really enjoyed Shin Megami Tensei. I was almost instantly captivated by the opening dream sequence, and what came after made me quite invested. It all seemed like a fun and normal RPG until the apocalypse happened… For those who didn’t know, Shin Megami Tensei is a post-apocalyptic RPG. That much I knew going in, but since I went in blind, I had no idea that the alignments existed. The alignment mechanics are definitely where the plot shines. Due to the apocalyptic setting, the plot becomes a commentary on what we would do in this situation. Some will cling on to religion for stability and hope of a brighter future, others will cower, and others will pave the way for their own destiny through the use of freewill. Because of the person I am, I went with the Neutral Route. This meta-commentary is implemented so well by the developers at Atlus. Pros: + The plot + The cast + Demon negotiation Cons: - Enemy encounter rate - Lazy demon designs later on - Limited inventory space - Repetitive music Final Thoughts: As a whole, Shin Megami Tensei was pretty good, but it isn’t without its flaws. The encounter rate was awful at times. It annoyed me so much that if I was on my way to a Terminal, I would teleport to it. A lot of the time you will be wandering aimlessly without an idea of where to go. I really loved the demon designs, but toward the end of the game, demons were nothing more than color swaps. Don’t get me wrong, the music was great. My only gripe is the lack of variation between tracks. After awhile, I felt like I was listening to the same two tracks over and over again. Lastly, the inventory… The inventory itself wasn’t bad, but I ended up getting a lot of items. It wasn’t really bad until it stopped me from getting story items. Although the outdated mechanics were a problem, they aren’t a factor in my rating. So do I recommend Shin Megami Tensei? Yes, but it’s quite the challenge. If you think you’re up for it, go ahead, but honestly I feel as though it should be played for the plot.

[retrogamereaper]

[Review] Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment (PS Vita, 2017)

Rating: 10/10 Once again, I don’t know how to talk about this campaign without sucking Yacht Club’s dick. Specter of Torment was a very pleasurable experience for me over the past week. Specter of Torment is a prequel to the base game (and Plague of Shadows to an extent) and it does that job well. So much so that I actually recommend playing this before Shovel of Hope. This goes unsaid, but Specter of Torment has new mechanics and supporting characters. Playing as Specter Knight was a blast with his Ninja Gaiden-esque controls. The whole soundtrack was redone with a Castlevania-like feel. The levels are completely new, and even the bosses have new moves.

Pros: + Virtually everything is redone to make anew experience for the player Cons: - Specter Knight’s health goes down fairly easily - The gameplay is linear Final Thoughts: Out of the three Shovel Knight games I’ve played so far, I really enjoyed Specter of Torment the most! The story didn’t really pick up until the first flashback level. Yes, you even get to play through flashbacks. One of my favorite parts of the game was the shop. Whenever you purchase a new curios, there’s a level made to teach you how to use the selected item. I don’t have many things that I hated about the game. The only thing I “hated” was Specter Knight’s poor defense. It really wasn’t a problem until the final boss. So do I recommend this game? Hell yeah! If you haven’t played any of the Shovel Knight games, definitely play Specter of Torment first.

[retrogamereaper]

[Review] Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows (PS Vita, 2015)

Rating: 9.5/10 What can I really say about Plague of Shadows that hasn't already been said in my Shovel of Hope review? Shovel Knight is already a well made indie title, and this expansion is no exception. Plague of Shadows is pretty much the base game with a new story, new mechanics, and of course, you play as the devious eponymous villain.

Pros: + A new playing style + There's a few new songs exclusively for this campaign Cons: - Plague Knight's mechanics definitely takes some getting used to - There isn't a lot of new content Final Thoughts: Like I said before, there isn't much to talk about that hasn't been said before. It had a lot of interesting ideas that I liked, but I honestly wish it did more. Being underneath the first village is one of those ideas and I really wish there was more to do aside from shop and talk to a few people. Yes, I know Shovel of Hope was similar, but at least there were more people and even a minigame you could play. Another neat idea was having Plague Knight's story happen concurrently to Shovel Knight's. Aside from a few battles, all you do is say "hi" to Shovel Knight. It's fair since you never interacted with Plague Knight aside from two battles, but I wish you could do something to meddle with the blue hero from afar. So do I recommend Plague of Shadows? Definitely! Even though I have a few gripes, it was still a fun game. Give it a try if you're a completionist or even just want to get more from Yacht Club's flagship indie title.

[retrogamereaper]

[Art] B-Rabbit Doll (May 18, 2019)

My favorite pixel art work. I love Pandora Hearts and really wanted to make one of the characters. Enjoy~

https://www.deviantart.com/taichinakamura/art/B-Rabbit-Doll-May-18-2019-798311414

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[Art] Shovel Knight (February 17, 2020)

https://www.deviantart.com/taichinakamura/art/Shovel-Knight-February-17-2020-830814779

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[Review] Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope (PS Vita, 2014)

Rating: 10/10 This was "technically" my second time playing Shovel Knight and I enjoyed it like I did back in 2017. The only reason I didn't beat the game three years ago was because life got in the way. There's just so much about this game to love! From the NES-style graphics, level design, to just having the right amount of tedium to be difficult, but fair. Like most NES games, it has a simple story, but who needs a complex story for a platformer? The plot isn't worth caring about until the last three levels in my opinion, but that's due to a twist. Also if you play a PSN version of the game, you get to battle Kratos from God of War. Defeating him earns you some great armor that's kind of hard to explain what it does if you haven't played a God of War game. Pros: + Amazing sprites + The level design is incredible and is very reminiscent of a title from the 8-bit era + Loots of hidden goodies and even a Yacht Club logo Easter egg + The soundtrack is fantastic! Cons: - Some areas can be difficult if you're going for 100% completion, like I did Final Thoughts: Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope is a gem nevertheless, but I couldn't have expected anything less from former WayForward members. I knew about this game when it was still being crowdfunded and I still regret not backing this game. There aren't many things to complain about with this game. Enemy hitboxes and even Shovel Knight's own hitbox are perfect, the game is never messy or ugly, and the writing is good. Even the NPCs are creative. If you couldn't tell, I highly recommend playing Shovel Knight by any means necessary! Even if you aren't a retro gamer like I am, I'm sure you'll have fun playing Shovel Knight. I will be playing all three expansions for the game, so stay tuned for those reviews.

[retrogamereaper]

[Review] Monster House (GBA, 2006)

Rating: 8.5/10 I really enjoyed the movie and this game a lot (big thanks to Dongled for letting me know this existed <3)! I spend a good week or so playing it and I fell in love with it immediately. It plays like Sweet Home (minus the RPG elements), The Legend of Zelda, and Resident Evil (which was originally going to be a remake of Sweet Home); which might not sound like a combination anyone has ever thought of, but developers Artificial Mind & Movement (now Behaviour Interactive) made it work. The soundtrack gives away this really eerie vibe like the one in the film, the sprites are very well made, and the lighting really fits the survival horror theme, which is a bit surprising for the Game Boy Advance. Pros: + Neat sprites for both the main characters and enemies + A gloomy, but good soundtrack + Puzzles that take a lot of thought + Hidden goodies that are rewarding to find Cons: - Enemy hitboxes are bit of a problem (the candles) - Stairs and elevators are not marked on the map - There aren't a lot of save rooms on each floor, so make sure to use them often for a respawn point and to refill your water (wasn't a problem for me, but it isn't for every gamer) Final Thoughts: Monster House is a perfect game for fans of the Game Boy Advance and survival horror fans alike. It isn't without its flaws (those damned candles!) and I would have given it a 9 or a 10 on my rating scale, but they're so minor that the game stays at 8.5. Closer to a 9, but not far from an 8. Would I recommend Monster House? YES! If you think it interests you, definitely give it a try, if you can. I hope my mini-review persuaded you a little. And definitely watch Dongled's review if you want a more in-depth review and gameplay.