Aggelos is a 16-bit style adventure RPG game developed by ‘Storybird Games‘ and published by ‘PQube Limited‘ and ‘Look At My Games‘. Aggelos is said to be coming out the 12th of June on Xbox One and PS4 but already out on Nintendo Switch and PC. This game clearly has a particular target audience in mind. Let’s take a look.
In the world of Aggelos there’s a huge battle going on. Basically the battle takes place in a peaceful kingdom called Lumen. Beings from another dimension has shown up and are invading Lumen. So off course the hero must set out and defeat this evil threat. As you can see, the story is simple and traditional. Everything about this game is suppose to be about the old gaming days. From one look you could tell this was 16-bit styled. That’s what Aggelos is all about.
In Aggelos, players must find magical elements in order to save the world from total destruction. This won’t be easy as the levels and how the game plays should remind some players of Metroid and even Castlevania. You will go past multipolemplaces that you can’t initially explore due to a lack of certain abilities and upgrades. Players will to take note of certain places and what’s required before revisiting.
Now Lumen isn’t some simple plain place. Players will end up traversing and exploring seas, caves, forests and even temples… ancient temples. We do hope that these different locations show clear diversities amongst them. From the types of enemies, to the types of secrets to the types of hazards. It may be a 16-bit styled game but it’s the year 2019 so we expect up to date type stuff implemented into this game. No excuses.
Now there’s the main quests that you follow concerning the Aggelos story but there’s also basically side quests which come in the form of tasks and job offered to you by the citizens of Lumen. So it’s sort of safe to say that there’s almost always something to do. We just hope that the rewards are actually worth it.
Now concerning the enemies there is certainly a variety. Expect fishes, turtle like things, scorpions, little dragons, flying creatures, and much more. There are also large bosses in Aggelos. We have seen a large squid creature, humanoid flying bird, a armoured armadillo thing, large dragon and more. It definitely has old gaming style written all over it. This will off course instantly appeal to some gamers straight away.
We checked out some gameplay and it does look like an old 16-bit old game but not exactly giving of the same feeling though. You can obtain magical abilities and some powerful high-level attacks. There’s also a chaining system where chaining these abilities you can destroy entire screens worth of enemies in seconds. There’s quite a bit to this game. Sort of deep.
Overall Aggelos looks like a fun game. I’s simple but sort of deep and pretty much accomplishes what it sets out to do. The graphics are good for it’s style and the sounds like an old game for sure. The developers ‘Storybird Games’ did a good job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker will have to see what becomes of Aggelos. Now Aggelos may have 16-bit style but it looks lame when compared to the style of… the ‘Earth Walk!’
OVIVO is a action adventure game developed by ‘IzHard’. It is said to be coming out the 3rd of July 2019 on the Xbox One and according to the official website, Nintendo Switch and PS4. Now this game is said to be quite deep, have a story and can be confusing to some. Let’s take a look.
OVIVO has also been described as a metaphorical game. A game filled with messages and illusions. Now from that alone, we can tell that OVIVO won’t be simple and will confuse some players. One of those games where the fanbase have different theories concerning certain things and meanings. Is OVIVO trying to share a message, warning or lesson with gamers?
The world of OVIVO everything is either black or white. The black and white exist and work together. They keep replacing each other and moving around to main balance or something like that. Basically you control what basically looks like an apple. It’c called OVO and is created from the black and white of this world. OVO has the ability to switch between black and white in order to move through black or white surfaces and areas. So yes, focus is required here as you” need to know timing and what colour is needed at what time.
Now you must make your way through this metaphoric world which won’t be easy as there are some dangers floating around. There are various dangers. There are also symbols in this world too that the player must collect. You will get answer from these symbols as they help reveal the story of this strange world. The developers have hinted that there may be different ways to interpret what’s actually going on.
So yeah this game definitely reminds us of a legendary game that also is based on colours and requires switching between them to traverse and face dangers. The answer is… Outland. Outland mastered this game mechanic but was more action focused. OVIVO is giving a more puzzle approach. We just hope that OVIVO pulls of what it’s trying to do well.
We checked out some gameplay and it’s very simple really. Just move through the black or white and change your colour when needed. Traverse the area and do some thinking. We do like that black dragon though. It was homing in on you, clearly intimidating and shows that there are other beings in this world that will show no mercy. It’s a simple casual like game that you just play bit by bit when you have like 30 minutes available. Looks like it will serve it’s purpose.
Overall OVIVO looks like a good game fr what it is. The graphics look very good and the level designs are varied and interesting. Nicely made. The mechanics seem to work smoothly. No obvious visible errors from what we have seen. The developers ‘IzHard’ have done a good job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker will have to see what the gaming community thinks of it. Now OVIVO may have harmony between black and white but what has unmatched harmony is… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Sea of Solitude is a new adventure game developed by ‘jo-mei games‘ and published by ‘Electronic Arts‘. Sea of Solitude is coming out the 5th of July 2019 on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. This gamer is said to have a strange world with strange rules. Trust us. Let’s take a look.
The story in Sea of Solitude is not so simple. Players following around a girl called Kay. She is struggling with loneliness. That can sound very normal but in the world of Sea of Solitude loneliness can turn people into monsters. That’s right. So that explains why she looks like a monster right now. Is this all symbolic? Is this not really happening? It’s a whole big world to explore.
You will explore a flooded city in multiple ways. Sea of Solitude gives options. There’s a boat, more like a speed boat which is perfect for going across the waters fast and easy. You will have to get out on foot, run, climb and traverse the area. Lastly you can swim in the water yourself and dive under to explore the rest of the flooded city. There can be something under there… and there is.
Clearly, you aren’t alone in the sea of solitude. There are other monsters and we mean real monsters. There’s one that is swimming around in the sea, a large eel shaped creature that is fast and big mouthed. This monster makes you not want to go into the water. Seriously you won’t stand a chance against that thing in the water. There’s another big monster that’s basically a giant raven that also doesn’t look that friendly but as mean looking as the sea creature. There’s another that reminds us of the Shadow of Vincent from Catherine. A giant woman who looks like she was submerged in water. Creepy. There’s more too.
Literally this suppose to be some sort of emotional journey or something. The city we believe is suppose to represent her mind or something. We don’t believe she actually is turning into a monster. The water levels and flooded city changes as you progress. This will effect the level itself and new places should come accessible. The fact that the city is flooded is a bit symbolic too. Her mind is troubled and the struggle with loneliness is effecting everything else in her life like how the flood effects everything else of the city. Connected? We think so. So expect to get some feels over Sea of Solitude. You could say that the Sea of Solitude is quite ‘deep’. See what we did there?
We checked out some Sea of Solitude gameplay. It’s sort of what we thought it would be but creepier. A lot of exploration, a big threat looming in the distance and hanging around, keeping players worried and wondering when the encounter with that danger will happen. You can’t be too afraid of monsters as players will need to face them. Not only to progress but also learn more about Kay and what’s going on. There’s a number of creepy/scary stuff so prepare yourself for all of that. There’s the hands reaching up from the waters giving off a river styx, the hands of the damned type feel. The shadow people watching you as you walk through an area. Lots going on and we like that players will have to get a bit brave to search underwater and certain places where you see or remember danger.
Overall Sea of Solitude does seem like another mystery, emotional exploration game but not as explorational like Shape of the World, Beyond Blue and Abzu. There is some horror aspects here for some players too. We like what we see so far. We definitely like creative stuff and does make us wonder about some stuff. The graphics are looking good too. The developers ‘jo-mei games’ have done a very good job so far. We at X35 Earthwalker want to see some good stuff concerning this game. Now Sea of Solitude might be deep but what’s way deeper is… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Darkwood is a survival horror adventure game developed by ‘Acid Wizard Studio‘ and published by ‘Crunching Koalas‘. Its is coming out May 17th on the Xbox One, May 16th on Nintendo Switch and May 14th on PS4. It’s already out on PC but we don’t care. Now Darkwood is said to be quite the serious experience. Let’s take a look.
In Darkwood, players will have to explore, travel and survive in the unforgiving world of Darkwood. There is danger everywhere and survival isn’t guaranteed. The game basically starts with a doctor. He keeps going on and on about how this forest (that we are in) has trapped everyone and that the exits are gone. He also mentions how he failed to get rid of a certain plague. This doctor will stop at nothing to escape this place. Even if it means kidnapping a person and torturing them for information concerning the exit. Things are quite dark as you can see already. Oh and no, you cannot just simply chop down al the trees. They grow back faster than you can chop them all down.
Players will primarily control a character known as the stranger. Now Darkwood should remind some players of a certain game because of a certain in game mechanic. Minecraft. Why? Simply because during the day is the best time to explore the world and off course scavenge and find supplies. At night time it isn’t safe to go outside. Players must stay in doors and defend themselves and their hideout. Also like Minecraft, players will need to find the resources, lots of crafting, upgrading through a workbench and combat. There are different biomes too for players to explore and each one will have different supplies too. Use a stove to cook certain things too and believe us when we say the cooking is important as players can also get different skills that way.
So defending yourself is more than just a swinging a diamond sword. Players in Darkwood need to come up with strategies. You can lay traps and make sure they are good ones that can actually slow down or even stop whatever comes for you. Barricade those doors and the windows too because danger isn’t always just a dude with a knife you know. Some things in the woods are scarier and more dangerous than that. Ever seen a wolf standing on two feet with a long trench coat? Well we have and it’s not good at keep it’s saliva under control. No, we won’t explain more. It’s up to you if you want to trust a wolf man or not.
Now the game doesn’t end if you fail to survive the night but do your best to survive because there is something to gain, just as there is something close for dying. What you gain for surviving is reputation with the trader. Allowing you to get more expensive and new items. Now if you die, then you wake up in the morning without any bonuses at all. Worse, if you die while out during the day then you lose half of your inventory. Don’t worry though as you have a chance to get it back. Your lost stuff will be marked on the map, so you can collect it later. That’s just the easy mode though. If you play in the harder difficulties then expect worse consequences like losing lives and even permanent death.
It’s also one of those games where your decisions, actions and reactions shapes the storyline. It effects even the other characters in the game will get affected and their actions are different too. It’s all about progression though. There are multiple chapters to Darkwood and as you get further, the map changes too. The story here isn’t that simple at allemande players will need to think and take things into account during the whole duration of Darkwood.
We checked out some Darkwood gameplay and it’s not what we thought it would be. It’s not like Minecraft and certainly isn’t for children. The sounds are very well done. You can hear the footsteps, stepping on grass, the rain, noises in the woods, lightning strikes and more all for setting the atmosphere and getting players nervous. The visuals are good too. The woods, shadows are very well done but the characters themselves aren’t as good. The lighting is the best, especially when it comes to your flashlight, just don’t get scared of your own shadow. That’s right. Bet you forgot this is also a horror game. Things can be waiting in the dark for you… remember that. We like that you have to stay on guard and keep your eyes open pretty much always. The different characters and item management allows for multiple ways of doing things and getting different results. It’s top down so you may need to get closer to something to check it out and when you find a certain item, you have to decide if you’ll need it or not.. Check out gameplay for yourself to understand more.
Overall Darkwood seems like something that gamers will try for themselves and many will get really scared from playing. We checked this out and it’s gameplay was quite different. Darkwood is a interesting game but once again it’s a limited game audience type. It doesn’t seem like many gamers would get into this but the ones who do will run a mile with it. The developers ‘Acid wizard Studio’ did good job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker will just have to see how this goes with others. Now Darkwood might have some dangers in the night but those cannot scare… the ‘earth Walk!’
Outer Wilds is a new open world adventure game developed by ‘Mobius Digital‘ and published by ‘Annapurna pictures‘. Outer Wilds is said to be coming out 2019 on the Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PC. This game is said to have a big mystery at the heart of it. Let’s take a look.
Outer Wilds is definitely different from your average game. The story in Outer Wilds is that players are the newest member of Outer Wilds Ventures, which is a space program. It’s goal is all about searching for answers concerning this strange and unique solar system. What’s going on? Basically the solar system you are in is stuck in a 20 minute time loop. Basically every 20 minutes a star explodes and everything starts again, including you. Strange right? Can the loop be stopped?
This is the big mystery in Outer Wilds. What’s going on here? Players will need to explore everywhere. Go into ancient ruins and find what else but secrets and lore concerning lost civilisations and it’s up to players to draw their own conclusions about what’s going on. The planets aren’t normal or typical, as each one has something dangerous going on.
Each time the solar system in Outer Wilds resets players will have different opportunities to learn more, find more and reach even the farthest reaches within the game. The developers said that their goal was “to give players the experience of being an astronaut exploring a new and unusual frontier.” So this experience better be out of this world right? See what we did there? Whatever… your the one who’s still reading this blog.
The planets, in Outer Wilds, are loaded with many locations and secrets. Some are off course hidden and they change as time passes. For example you could find a planet but as you are exploring it, it’s surface crumbles. Another example presented was an underground city but you have limited time to explore as it will get covered and swallowed up by sand. So time is crucial. Players will need to use skill and determination to find the secrets as they are all guarded by natural disasters and natural hazards like tornadoes, lava, explosions and even shifting land and grounds.
Off course players will need the right equipment to handle such planets and explorations. In Outer Wilds, players will have access to their spaceship which is for the planetary travelling and also a jetpack which will give the extra needed mobility while traversing the area. Scouting and knowing the land is key so you have a surveyor probe to do that for you. You can also take pictures but please refrain from taking selfies. Lastly use a device called the signal scope which allows players to track down signals that are sound based. There’s lots of stuff some get to it and use them wisely.
We checked out some Outer Wilds gameplay and it’s mostly what we expected. It’s like another exploration game with main focus being on the mystery that needs to be solved. The environmental dangers are cool and being in space adds to the atmosphere. We noticed that there are no enemies which is strange since you explore multiple planets. So no combat which we think should have been added. Graphics from what we have seen so far look very good and the sounds are good too. We like how the planets vary from each other and the different natural hazards going on around you. We are curious as to how the secrets and lore is revealed to the player.
Overall Outer Wilds looks like it’s going to be a good exploration game. Nothing entirely new and exciting but definitely good for the genre that it is. There’s always a fan base for these types of games and Outer Wilds does bring quite a lot to gamers. The most interesting is the 20 minutes reset. The developers ‘Mobius Digital’ has done a good job with this game. We at X3 Earthwalker look forward to seeing a bit more of what Outer Wilds has to offer. Now Outer Wilds may reset every 20 minutes but even that has no effect on… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Bum Simulator is a new adventure simulation game developed by ‘Ragged Games‘. Bum Simulator is said to be coming out this year 2019 on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Now there isn’t any fun in being a bum, hobo, homeless whatever you call it. So gamers will have to see what this simulation offers. Let’s take a look.
In Bum Simulator players take control of a… well… a bum, a homeless guy, a hobo. You are down in life for whatever reason. There are hints that suggest someone or some people are responsible for why you are in this mess though. You literally start from the bottom. Wandering the streets, begging for money, interacting with people, well that’s if they actually want anything to do with you. Things start off rough indeed.
So whats the aim of Bum Simulator? You don’t just be a bum forever. There’s actual options. You can aim to get a job, start over again and make a honest living. Or accept that you are homeless and adapt to the situation making your own home in the streets, gather food and make the best of your situation. Or become a legend, messing with police and have many fear you. Or even go after the very people who got you into this mess in the first place. There’s actually quite a bit to do.
Move around the streets and find drinks and food. Bum Simulator has some grub around. Of course be careful as some stuff might be harmful. Sure you are desperate but life is still important. Just because this liquid is in a Coco-Cola bottle doesn’t mean it’s cola. There may be a burger bun lying around so you know… dinner time. Search dumpsters and piles in a hope of finding anything cool or useful. Like we said, just because life is hard don’t just sit there and complain, get up and do something. Honestly when you are a bum, what do you really have to lose.
If you find or salvage anything good, cool or of interest then you can take it to the pawn shop and get some cash for it. Hey, just because you are a stinking bum doesn’t mean your money is worthless. You can find maybe a sculptor for example and it’s worth £50 or $50. Cash that in and go buy a meal. Find a shopping trolley and use that to easily transport your goods. Gather materials like cardboard boxes or pieces of cardboard in order to build a shelter. The building system sort of reminds us of Sims, with everything highlighted green. Then get some zinc to reinforce that shelter and prevent rain from getting in and soaking you.
There are people around in Bum Simulator so you my want to try interacting with them. Ask money or help from a nicely suited dude walking past or socialise with other bums. There could be strength in numbers. Decide how you react to people also. You can behave better than them or even get vulgar which isn’t good but what do you care… you bum! Form allies, strike fear, give the police some trouble it’s all up to you. Just think about what you are aiming for and do what you can get to there efficiently.
We checked out some gameplay and it’s what we thought it would be. An actual homeless game that has progression, options and goals to achieve. Obviously games like this aren’t suppose to be taken seriously. Just for laughs and trying crazy things. We like the amount of mechanics in Bum Simulator from the interactions, to building, top finding and selling at a pawn shop, to decorating your home or shelter and the goals you can aim for. There also some strange abilities too like drinking a certain drink allows for a force blast attack thing. Strange right?
Overall Bum Simulator looks like a silly but good game. Rag doll mechanics, power up drinks, combat, evading police, progressing and building up. There’s actually quite a bit going on in this game. The best part is that it’s an actual homeless game where you start from the bottom and actually can aim for something. The developers ‘Ragged Games’ have done a good job with this game and we at X35 Earthwalker we know that many will enjoy this. Now Bum Simulator may have some silly fun but nothing is more fun than… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Projection: First Light is a new action adventure game developed by ‘Shadowplay studios, Sweaty chair and Blowfish studios‘. Projection: First Light is said to be coming out this year (2019) on Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Mac and PC. Now this game does have a very cool mechanic. Let’s take a look.
In Projection: First Light, players control a girl called Greta. This girl is living in a strange world. Basically it’s a shadow puppet world. Greta is on a journey of “self-enlightenment”. She will travel through different cultures and explore them. The places named are: Indonesia, China, Turkey, Greece and England (19th century). Now these places are very different from each other allowing for level variety and creativity. Off course this shadow puppet world is mythological. So don’t get all historian on the game.
Now Greta will not be completely alone in Projection: First Light. Within each culture she will be assisted by heroes who have been described as legendary. How they will assist you? Not clear right now. They could be a guidance who show up to give help and tips. They could maybe grant a special ability for that culture at the time etc. We have had a bit of fun trying to think who these ‘legendary’ heroes could be.
Projection: First Light introduces players to the main mechanic of the game early. Near the start of her journey, Greta receives the ability to control and manipulate a source of light. Players can use this ability to therefore effect shadows. In Projection: First Light, shadows are platforms and walls. So by moving and shifting this source of light, you can lengthen and even move shadows to allow you to jump across or interact with other things. You can use your ability to also solve puzzles or ruin them and even deal with shadow enemies.
We checked out some gameplay of Projection: First Light and off course many gamers will instantly think about Limbo. Again, another simple game with simple controls, limited colours and travelling in one direction mostly. The graphics are very good for what it is and the sounds are also very good having sound tracks made with antique instruments. At the end of the day it’s another game like Limbo. Meaning most gamers should know what to expect round about. We currently aren’t impressed.
Overall Projection: First Light so far seems like a good game and familiar. We saw giant beings that definitely come of as hostile. Bosses tend to raise the bar of interest for us but it isn’t enough. The developers ‘Shadowplay studios’ and others did a good job. From a game development point of view they did a good job but we will need to see more in order to get us interested. We at X35 Earthwalker have played Limbo and it’s one of those things we play once and we get what it’s about and we are now done with it. Project: First Light will need something more. Now Project: First Light may have light manipulation but even with that power it’s still too weak against… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Anthem was released and many gamers had their eyes on it. Almost everyone heard about Anthem and there was some hype for it. Some were already salty because of what they think about Electronic Arts. We at X35 Earthwalker aren’t childish about these things. We look at the game that that’s it. We have checked out what some of these reviewers have to say about Anthem and so far a good number of them didn’t give a good review at all. Some like Angry Joe and others aren’t even that good at it and it shows. Check out what we think of it so far. We say “so far” as we haven’t completed the game yet or anything like that. Also this isn’t a full review as there is literally so much to say.
Anthem can be played both single player and multiplayer. How we see to do it is that when it’s a story based mission, as in it forwards the story, we tend to play it solo but when it’s agent missions and others we then decide if we want others there or not. Now we do prefer single player overall because we get to do things at our own pace, explore around that corner if we want to and even get stylish when facing enemies. You can’t really do that in multiplayer. In multiplayer you have players who just want to complete the mission as fast as possible and so they zoom from objective to objective flying everywhere. If they reach the next area you have around 24 seconds to get there also or you’ll be teleported there. So it’s a rush. This doesn’t mean multiplayer isn’t fun. In multiplayer we have come across some playful and friendly gamers. If we throw a flare, they all do. In fact we once had a flare party where everyone was emoting and tossing flares everywhere. In multiplayer, there enemies don’t stand a chance. You feel powerful. Plus we have to admit that some levels, especially bosses are very difficult to beat alone and off course a team makes a difference.
Now when do you get to play with others? The answer is whenever you want. Every time you go on an expedition you have the option as to whether to play with other or private. What they shouldn’t have done is keep presenting a warning or reminder that Anthem is better experienced with others and if you are sure you want to play private. Yes we are sure, that’s why we selected private and not public. It’s annoying that every time they have to ask you. It’s like they want us to doubt our choices. Just stop please. Other from that, the system works fine. You choose public and they find a team. The levels of your team mates are questionable but not a big deal at all. It’s minor.
We tried three of the four Javelins: Ranger, Storm, Colossus (haven’t tried yet) and Interceptor. These four play very different from each other. Rangers are fighting like actual soldiers using mainly their guns and equipment as backup. Storm normally stay at long range and use elemental based attacks like lightning, ice, fire and even wind. The Interceptor is all about getting fast, do quick damage and then get back out just as fast. The colossus wants to get up in the enemies face and use some melee action while tanking some damage. When you play each one, it does feel different but the principle is still the same as in, don’t die, take cover to recover shields etc. Your strategy and style of play changes with each Javelin type and that’s a good thing.
The enemies are quite similar to each other in some areas. The main enemies are: Scars, Dominion and Outlaws. They have foot soldiers, elite versions of those soldiers, unique units and even a shielded unit. The three main enemy groups are different when it comes to their unique units. The Scars have a big flame throwing unit that uses a big physical shield to completely negate all frontal damage. It’s weakness is it’s fuel tanks. The Dominion have a large animal like thing that has a cannon on his back which is really fast. There are even more enemies too including the wildlife. An Ursix is a giant beast that throws rocks, charges and smashes you with brute force. There are more enemies to but some are passive and will not bother you at all, only until you scare or disturb them.
We haven’t completed the main story yet but so far we do understand what’s happening. The shapers, shaper relics, anthem of creation, what the dominion wants, cataclysms etc. You can learn a whole lot more through the items that have information and lore like scrolls and books found in fort tarsus or certain identified areas in the main world that give the the background story and more. There is a lot of information to find and they do explain quite a lot. Some not good critics like PC Gamer complained that the story was complicated and confusing. We didn’t find it confusing, they were obviously rushing through the game to complete it to give their review. Take your time and you will see that it’s not that confusing at all. It’s a fictional game with fictional rules. So see it from Anthem’s universe perspective.
The characters are interesting. Haluk is straight forward to us and he needs to stay cool at all times and not just on the battlefield. Owen is quite easily understood and his actions can make sense but not justified. Faye its quite realistic, she’s one of those people who’s so into their field of study or interest that people forget she has hobbies like radio series. Matthias is the brilliant but reckless type and the whole manifold incident made him even better. The other characters just add to the social flavour. You can speak to them from time to time and they clearly have their own views, focuses in life and stories. There are other characters that you can speak to and you get to decide how you respond to questions and situations. In one of them we convinced Amal, the bartender, to always do the right thing and be honest. We also couldn’t deceive the old woman (Marelda we think) by letting her think we are her dead son. What she needs is the truth, gentle but straight up truth. We truly helped her in the end. Yes, it has been said that no matter what you choose, the outcome isn’t effected by much but these conversations do test the player themselves, their morality and what they think. Nice touch.
Now let’s talk a bit about what we don’t like. We don’t like that you can’t really decide what you can craft. From the earlier parts of Anthem we happened to find a harvestable source during a mission (we played in private) and it released a crazy amount of masterwork ember. We had a lot of crafting material but couldn’t craft anything great. We later learned that you need to collect and then upgrade blue prints by completing certain weapon challenges. That wasn’t made clear to us. It should have been spelt out to players.
Another issue is that moment in the story where you needed to enter four special tombs and those tombs can only be accessed by those who are worthy. You are worthy by completing specific challenges. Now what’s the problem? The challenges can take quite a while especially if you haven’t started anyone of them while you are playing missions. This whole section feels like a wall. Until you complete the challenges you cannot progress. We were fortunate to have only three more challenges remaining: melee kill a certain amount of enemies, complete world quests and find 15 chests (15 we think). It took quite a bit but not that long but we know other players had to spend a long time on it which isn’t fun. If they made it so that getting into the temples unlocks you weapons, upgrades, blue prints, techniques or whatever then it would be better and feel like rewards, instead of making that the actual main mission. We weren’t happy about this part at all.
A small sized complaint is that we can’t feel that much of a difference when we equip gear that increases our armour and shields. We even crafted a couple of stuff and really increased both armour and shields but enemies seem to kill us at pretty much the same speed (we always play on hard difficulty). Maybe when we get much better gear we can feel the difference.
Another issue is that the story could have included more encounters with the different groups like the regulators and how messing with them could have consequences. The outlaws could have their own branch of missions along with the scars; giving players the opportunity to know more about them and their whole system. There’s opportunities in there and we want to see Anthem take advantage more of what they have in their universe.
One more issue is the items drops you get for beating certain enemies. X35 Earthwalker, the legendary soldier himself, literally earlier today in free play mode defeated an Ursix and got two epic items from it but later X35 fought a War Titan and beat it solo and the reward was a rare and uncommon. The war titan was stronger, had way more health, can do way more damage and took five times longer to beat but the drops were inferior. That needs to be fixed as that’s clearly not right. By the way we will show that fight against the war titan in a video in good time.
Now some critics were complaining about the characters and the conversations you have with them. Let’s be real, the characters do what they need to do. They said the characters just stand around. Well what do you want? You want the characters running around in a route in fort tarsus so players have to chase them down just to get a mission or talk. Some really slammed Anthem for not having big story effected consequences based on your responses to some characters. This isn’t that kind of game (what’s wrong with these reviewers). Anthem isn’t about meeting clans, persuading them to join your cause and them lead an army and if you anger clans then they become enemies. It’s just conversations to keep things fresh, different and these conversations are interesting. People go through different things and it’s good to talk to others. Others slammed Anthem for having repetitive missions. We don’t find them repetitive. The developers can’t keep adding in completely different gaming mechanics all the time, there needs to be some sort of formula. Rescue and protect missions are not fun at all. There are limits on games especially those that are open world, RPG with world events and stuff to come. It can’t go on forever that’s why DLC have to come in bringing new stories and adventures. It’s sad that reviewers and critics don’t understand this. Like we said, ignore the critics and reviewers and certainly you tubers like angry Joe who just hop on the hate train to get views. Do your own research check out some gameplay and if you like what you see, try it for yourself.
Now another thing that’s good is the Javelin customisation at least in terms of the colours. You can change the colour of each limb separately. It gets better. You can decide what shade of the colour, the fabric, patterns and even the texture. Players who have some level of creativity will go to work with these options and we still haven’t seen a javelin that’s just like ours. Even better we haven’t see one that looks like ours. What we don’t like is how long it takes to get different helmets and javelin body parts. Keep doing missions to get coins and then rely on those. Or you could buy shards but we aren’t doing that.
Overall we are really enjoying Anthem. The option to play with others is easy and just as easy to play alone. The Anthem world looks very nice and it does make you want to explore. Little things like how flying in rain helps your thrusters and reduce overheating while going in water or waterfalls completely cools you off, extending the amount of time you fly for. The weapon types definitely feel different. The pistols don’t feel like the scout rifles. The LMGs don’t feel like the assault rifles either. We like how much of a battle it is to take down a titan and when you finally do, it feels like an achievement because of how strong they are as enemies. The rabbits and other wild life creatures are cool. You can walk up to them, chill with them and even follow them around. The world definitely feels alive. Anthem has way more positives than negatives. Don’t forget that we haven’t gotten to the end of the story yet and we still have more to see.
Now what’s our current verdict? Anthem is currently 8/10. We recommend it to other players. It’s negatives especially the challenges to enter tombs does hold the game back as it makes certain things annoying. There is so much more we can say about the game but we want to leave it here for now. Now many have a lot to say about Anthem but there’s way more to say about… the ‘Earth Walk!’
A Plague Tale: Innocence is a new action adventure game developed by ‘Asobo Studio‘ and published by ‘Focus Home Interactive‘. A Plague Tale: Innocence will be coming out the 14th of May on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC. No normal person likes plagues but this game has it. Let’s take a look.
In A Plague Tale: Innocence, players are in France but don’t get carried away, this isn’t a holiday. This is France in the year 1349. The game has called it the darkest hours in history. The plague is just causing all kinds of problems in France. The disease has destroyed and ruined villages and many lives. Players control 15 year old Amicia and her five year old brother Hugo. They will face some real bad times through this story.
Now let’s look at the characters so far in A Plague Tale: Innocence. Amicia is even though only 15 years old is described as a strong woman, independent and physical. We also learn that she has been trained to hunt by her father. Those skills will come in handy. Her brother Hugo is a different story though. Hugo is described as a frail child. Also doesn’t help that he’s five years old. He suffered from an unknown disease. Thanks to the disease he was kept locked up for most of his childhood and has very little contact with his big sister. He’s a smart kid though and both siblings must work together to survive.
Things get worse though, in A Plague Tale: Innocence, as the Inquisition is after them for reasons we don’t know. These knights are dangerous and will seek to harm you if found. They are also capturing young children which let’s us know that Amicia and Hugo aren’t the only ones left. Off course the soldiers of the inquisition are too much for the siblings to handle straight up. It is advised that clever thinking and being strategic is the way to beat them. So yes, stealth is a part of this game too. Sneaking around, crunching and avoiding being seen are essential.
Wait… you thought the knights of the inquisition were bad? It gets worse. Remember that plague? Well let’s just say the rats are connected to it. They are a deadly horde of vermin that can’t be stopped. They devour and eat everything in their path without mercy or even thinking about it. You have even less chance against the rats then you do with the knights. Run from them, get somewhere where they can’t reach you. They do have one weakness though. Fire. The light from the flames keep the evil rats at bay. Remember this when playing A Plague Tale: Innocence.
We checked out some A Plague Tale: Innocence gameplay and we quite like what we see so far. The graphics for the demo are good. The sounds are very good too, giving quite the detail. The knights don’t look scary except their leader. The rats definitely look dirty indeed. Their eyes light up in the dark when you use a torch. Eventually the player will find and work together with other children, orphans to be exact. Amicia can use her equipment and wit to knock torches or lamps out of the hands of certain knights allowing the rats to eat them alive. Pretty cool.
Overall A Plague Tale: Innocence looks like a good game. We do wonder how much of a balance is there between knight and rat encounters. The rats clearly seem like the main factor. Also there is quite a bit going on in this game and mysteries for the players to figure out. We will have to see more in the future. The developers ‘Asobo studio’ did a good job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker will keep an eye out for A Plague Tale: Innocence. Now A Plague Tale: Innocence may have dangerous rats but those rats can’t do a thing against… the ‘Earth Walk!’
One Piece: World Seeker is a new action adventure anime game developed by ‘Ganbarion‘ and published by ‘Bandai Namco Entertainment‘. It is coming out the 15th of March 2019 on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC. A game based on a anime as popular as One Piece is going to have lots of expectations from fans. Let’s take a look.
In One Piece: World Seeker players take control of Luffy, the captain of the straw hat pirates. So playing from Luffy’s point of view in a new big adventure is what’s going on. You are in a big expansive world full of different areas and some structures. For example players can reach and explore beaches, plains, castles and cities. So it’s all about exploration so players need to spend time doing that.
Luffy can easily get around by stretching his ams and then swing, like Spider-Man. Our question is what is Luffy’s top speed when he does his arm swinging. In One Piece: World Seeker, Luffy isn’t alone as the whole star hat crew is here too. Franky, Brook, Sanji, Zoro, Chopper, Nami and Robin are ready for action.
What would a One Piece game be without battles and fights? Good thing we won’t have to find out as there are many battles and fights to be had in One Piece: World Seekers. Use the signature and famous rubber rubber attacks to smash your foes around. For some enemies you can aim to target certain parts of attacks. You can even upgrade Luffy too. This makes sense as when you watch the One Piece anime you get to see Luffy improve, get stronger, learn new techniques and even forms.
Eventually you can use haki to increase hitting power and be able to defend against devil fruit users and even hit logia users. Eventually players will be using second gear for increased strength and speed, third gear for large mega attacks. We have seen Gear four, bounce man form to be exact. Now if you watched the anime you would know that gear four is not something to take lightly, unless you are an emperor like Big Mom who can shut it down with one elbow. Either way being able to use Gear four is a big deal.
Now concerning the enemies in One Piece: World Seeker there are some obvious clues. You can see the Marine signs around the place. Off course the enemies will be marines. We have seen vice admiral smoker, some strong marines and even Admiral Akainu is here too. We hope to see more types of enemies though. For example will there be rival pirate crews or famous ones like warlords in this world? We hope so. For example will they be wandering around or appear based on the story progression.
We checked out some One Piece: World Seeker. It does look like how we would imagine. The way Luffy traverses the world is very good. The combat is what we expected, sort of like a beat em up game style. We don’t know if there are any difficulty levels. The game doesn’t look difficult right now. The enemies see quite easy to deal with. We hope that changes. Off course it will be different when you actually play the game.
Overall One Piece: World Seeker, looks good for a One Piece anime game but doesn’t impress us. We definitely like the forms and progression of Luffy’s powers. The graphics are very good and definitely have a anime feel to it. Either way the developers ‘Ganbarion’ did a good job with this game but it hasn’t impressed us. We at X35 Earthwalker aren’t looking forward to this game. Now One Piece: World Seeker may have the whole straw hat crew but even the whole crew doesn’t stand a chance against… the ‘Earth Walk!’
