Game on - Hamilton's Great Adventure

Today's game is Hamilton's Great Adventure, made by the people at Fatshark, available on Steam and the Playstation Network.

In a Nutshell
Hamilton's Great Adventure follows a daring explorer as he explores ruins filled with traps, treasure and puzzles. it's not a complicated game to understand, but it does get tricky.

Story
Hamilton's Great Adventure tells the tale of Ernest Hamilton, or rather, Ernest Hamilton tells his tale to his granddaughter. Though superfluous, it is a simple tale of adventure. Hamilton is a world renowned explorer of ruins who is hunting an artifact of considerable power for a machine built by his professor friend. As you complete levels and trot around the globe, you learn more and more about the characters and their story. it's charmingly told and adds flair to the whole affair.

Gameplay
The basic gameplay in Hamilton's Great Adventure is simple, You move Hamilton via the keyboard and control his trusty bird Sidekick Sasha with the mouse. You go through mazes filled with traps, collapsing floors and treasure in the search of the golden key which unlocks the gate at the end. It's a game that is reliant not on your reflexes but on your aptitude to puzzle out mazes, and with the variety of traps peppered throughout the levels, you'll certainly find puzzles that will tickle your brain cells. It starts off rather easy but the later puzzles get rather tricky and the large number of bonus maps will certainly grab you if you enjoy puzzles and mazes.

The game is separated in 4 areas, each with 11 levels, the last one being this game's idea of boss fights (But they're more really just somewhat trickier levels). As you collect treasure throughout the levels, you unlock bonus levels which, as I mentioned before, get really tricky. The main replay value comes from the fact you need to aim for all the treasure to obtain a Gold rank on a level and the scoring mechanics which can help rank you on the leaderboards based on speed or score.

As you defeat the guardians, you'll obtain artifacts which I found rather... useless, sadly. They also use a mechanic that is not quite as great as the rest of the game. To use the artifacts, you need to have Sasha collect magic dust which peppers the landscape, meaning you must click everywhere as you solve puzzles just to use artifacts that are not all that useful unless you want to get a very good time. There is only one artifact you need to use to get past a type of trap, which is a shame. The artifacts could've been better used. That said, it's probably the one flaw i can think of with this game, the poorly implemented artifacts.

All in all, this game is quite fun, it's easy to learn but gets rather tricky as it goes. A level creator would certainly have been a great addition, as it would've allowed a community effort making new levels.

Presentation
The game uses a very nice artstyle for the portraits and illustrations for the story sequences and journal entries. it's sepia-toned and old timey, reminding us of that period where the world was still full of mysteries and ruins. it certainly goes for that Indiana Jones feel with cartoonish glee and succeeds at making the game look unique. Each tile comes in different flavors for each of the different regions you explore and these regions all have their own feel and theme which works well to distinguish them and makes you feel as if you're traveling with Hamilton to the four corners of the Globe. The music is charming and light, and helps with the atmosphere without being particularly noticeable or catchy. It did not really leave an impression on me.

Verdict
Hamilton's Great Adventure is quite a fun and charming puzzle game. if you like mazes and having to think things through, you will probably enjoy Hamilton's Great Adventure. I give it a score of Tricky and Fun. The only real flaws are the poorly implemented artifacts and lack of a level creator.

Game On: Warlock: Master of the Arcane

Today's game is Warlock: Master of the Arcane by the folks over at Ino-Co Plus and published by Paradox interactive. It is available on PC via Steam.

In a Nutshell
In Warlock: Master of the arcane, you play as one of many powerful wizards whose goal is to be the most powerful one in the land. To do so, you need to Explore the land, Expand your empire, Exploit the resources and Exterminate your enemies. Oh, and you have spells and magic and such.

Story
This being a 4X Strategy game, the real story is your own. But, that being said, there is a sort of premise that can be inferred, as this is loosely a sequel to the Majesty games. Basically, there was a period of time called The Troubles during which powerful warlocks vied for power. And that's where you come in and forge ahead. The world is richly detailed, every unit having a colorful story to be found in its information window. it is entirely charming.

Gameplay
In this game, you start at the very beginning, generating an entire set of worlds, plural, inhabited by monsters, kingdoms and a few extremely powerful, if a bit maniacal wizards. Each game is unique, which is always a selling point for the genre, and helps make the game especially addictive. The game feature 3 races, Humans, the Undead and the Beastmen. Your race only decides what your capital city will be, as you can easily capture cities from other races and gain access, in that city, to their units and buildings, which includes the settlers that allow you to start more of the race's cities. Additionally, multiple resources allow you to gain  access to a new type of unit, from donkey knights to minotaurs.

Of course, the world of Ardania is not without peril. The world is peppered liberally with neutral cities and monster lairs, which generate a steady stream of hostile creatures until you move one of your units over it and claim a bounty. You also will receive quests throughout the game, asking you to build certain buildings or deal with threats that range from rival cities to elite troops aligned with one of Ardania's many Gods. On top of all that, you have multiple worlds. Indeed, throughout the land are gates leading to other worlds, usually filled with powerful creatures and a source of trouble as those often get through the gate and into Ardania, the main world.

As you grow your empire, you research spells, and are given a set of 5 randomly generated spells. Each spell you research gets replaced by a new spell, which means there is no traditional "tech tree" in this game and you very well may learn spells in a different order each time. It's not a particularly great way to handle research, but it does mean every game truly is different, since you can't really predict which spells you'll have access to. Spells each have a cost in Mana, and a casting time, which adds a strategic edge to casting spells, as you often need to choose whether you cast a few quick spells or monopolize a few turns to cast a big, powerful one.

A weak point in the game is the Diplomacy, which is reduced to asking for tribute in Gold or Mana, declaring war, non-aggression or Alliances. You can't trade resources, units, cities or spells, which would certainly add a degree of diplomatic flair to the game. Another missing feature is Multiplayer, which is kind of a shame, this would probably be quite fun with friends, playing by e-mail, perhaps. It might be an antiquated idea, but this kind of game is always fun with friends.

A detail that personally annoyed me a bit was how you use the left click to select and move and the right click to deselect and get more information. Sometimes it leads to mis-clicking and it would be nice if you could change it. There are also a few bugs, such as towns being sometimes un-renameable on some turns and saves being un-nameable on others. It's a bit weird and it does show a bit of a lack of polish.

Still, this is a game that plays rather well, is quite addictive and has quite a nice number of units to play with. If this is the sort of thing that you like, you'll probably find something you like here, alongside a few interesting new twists in the spellcasting and multiple worlds.

Presentation
The game looks rather nice. The environments are lush and varied, from deserts, to forests, to plains to tundras. The models have a nice style to them and fit well on the backdrop of the game. Each unit has a few colorful voice clips which identify the units as well as add a bit of flair and personality to them. The music doesn't get in the way, but isn't particularly noticeable. Then again, this sort of game works better with unobtrusive ambient music over music that's too grandiose.

All in all, the presentation fits the gameplay and gives the game a lot of personality, from the unit's stories to their voice clips.

Verdict
Warlock: Master of the Arcane is an interesting game that adds a few new and interesting twists to an old genre, and does it with a lot of flair and personality. It ends up being very addictive, monopolizing hours where you tell yourself "just one more turn" over and over again. it might be rough around the edges at some places, but overall, it is an Addictively Fun Game. I'd recommend it to anyone who has a Strategy itch to scratch and would like to inject more magic in their 4X games.

Game on: RUSH

Today, we're looking at RUSH, another Two Tribes game, available on Steam.

In a Nutshell

Rush is a puzzle game in which you guide colored blocks to colored goals using signs, conveyor belts and walls while avoiding collisions.

Story

There's no story to this game. Just 3 tiers of levels you can tackle in pretty much any order.

Gameplay

In each RUSH level, you are given a field with starting differently colored block spawning points and matching goal areas. Using a variety of tiles, ranging from direction-changing arrows, conveyor belts, splits, stop signs, the occasional portal and the geometry of the levels, you have to guide the blocks to their goals. This game's puzzles are all about logic, planning and some trial and error to see how certain configurations work. The main threats to your success are collisions between blocks and, as levels get trickier, it becomes more complicated to mesh the various streams of blocks. To help you, however, a robust hint system is included that can either tell you if the tiles you placed are right or wrong or tell where tiles have to go and whether those you placed are right. It also runs a tally of the number of hints you used for a level. Of course, it never is as exciting to solve a level if you needed to use hints the whole way through. The game features 66 main levels (6 tutorials, 20 easy levels, 20 medium levels and 20 hard levels) as well as 15 extra levels if you join the RUSH group on Steam and 5 extremely challenging levels associated to the Portal 2 ARG. The difficulty curves nicely and some levels are very challenging, which makes them all the better when you successfully solve them. Of course, abusing the hints will rob you of such a feeling of accomplishment.

Presentation

RUSH looks very nice, it goes for a very colorful and shiny style where everything is made from cubes and tiles and it manages to look very good. There is, however, no real variety to i, once you've seen the first level, you've seen more or less all of them. Though I must say, the individual levels all look distinctive enough and fit very well in the aesthetic, but the lack of themes or variations make this game look a bit boring after a while. The music is catchy enough, but it, too, lacks a bit of variety at times.

Verdict

If you're looking for a fun puzzle game where logic, planning and trial and error meet a cubical, angular, colorful and shiny world, you will without a doubt enjoy RUSH quite a lot. For what it is, RUSH is a Nice and challenging title. It's not extraordinary, but it's competent and fun, especially for a low price point of $4.99.

Game On: Toki Tori

Today's game is Toki Tori, developed by Two Tribes, available on Steam, Android, iOS, Wiiware and originally on Game Boy Color.

In a Nutshell

Toki Tori is a puzzle game in which you must explore various maze-like levels and collect eggs using a limited stockpile of tools such as bridges and blocks.

Story

There is absolutely no story in this game. It's not particularly missed either, since this is a simple puzzle game.

Gameplay

Toki tori is not a very complex game to describe. Each level puts you in a little maze-like area with platforms, ledges, hazards and ladders. You have a limited number of tools which include bridges, blocks as well as more exotic ones such as teleportation, moving small block walls and weapons such as a freeze ray. You have to navigate the levels, avoid hazards and try to collect all the eggs. In case you mess up, which will happen very often, you have a handy rewind feature, much like in Braid, which allows you to avoid mistakes without restarting the entire level every time. The game is separated in 4 worlds, each with a theme, 12 normal levels, 7 hard levels and a handful of extra levels for those who join the Toki Tori Steam Group. The levels are varied, but the difficulty goes up rather quickly and, i must confess, i needed hints to complete many levels around the latter half of the game. Of course, if you want mental conundrums that need you to plan how to traverse a maze using limited resources, you don't want it to be too easy. The game mechanics themselves are good, and the inclusion of a level editor is a nice touch.

Presentation

The game has a very cute style that hides a deceptively complex game with some devilish puzzles. Everything is colorful and there are some nice little touches that differentiate each world. From the forest to an old castle to the sewers to underwater, you don't have a massive amount of diversity but the worlds don't really overstep their welcome. The music is nice, light and catchy, always appropriate with the background. However, the game's ending rap is kind of atrocious.

Verdict

Toki Tori is a delightful little game, perfect for anyone who wants some puzzle solving and maze navigating. If you're up to the task, you will find an entertaining puzzler in Toki Tori. it's not a great game, but, for what it is, is as good as it needs to be.

Game On: Borderlands

Today's game is Borderlands, developed by Gearbox, Available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

In a Nutshell

There's a story people know on planet Pandora, the story of the Vault, which countless people are searching for. Alone or in a group, you must find the vault and the riches therein, fighting alien creatures, psychotic raiders and completing quests along the way in this FPS-RPG hybrid.

Story

The story is not the focus of the experience. That being said, it's adequate for the game. The plot is simplistic with only a couple plot twists around the end. Most of the story is relayed through text that comes with quests or through some audio messages relayed through the ECHO system. The characters are not developed at all, but they're nice. They're flat, sure, but the hint of personality they possess is endearing most of the time. This is certainly what's best for the experience, though, as this is mostly a co-op multiplayer FPS experience.

Gameplay

The game is rather straightforward. You find quests, either to advance the story or merely to get more loot, experience and money, shoot your way through them and then turn them in to get your reward. This is, at it's core, a western action RPG. Enemies drop a variety of randomly generated guns, money and ammunition, upon leveling up, you spend skill points in your character's 3 skill trees, complete quests, compare equipment and so on. it's actually quite a robust RPG in that regard. There are several gun types, ranging from pistols to rocket launchers and including some rather rare alien weaponry. Additionally, you can customize your grenades, ranging from regular ones to teleporting ones or Transfusion grenades which hurt the enemy and siphon their health back into you. Shields allow you to customize your main means of defense and class mods allow you to further customize your character by boosting some skills and adding utilities such as regenerating ammo for the entire party or making you more accurate with a certain type of gun.

Each of the 4 classes, Soldier, Hunter, Siren and Berserker has a special skill, 3 skill trees and some affinity for some types of guns. For example, the soldier specializes in assault rifles and shotguns and can deploy an automated turret gun. This succeeds in giving each of the classes their own feel and, since each gun type has it's own skill, ultimately your own playstyle is going to allow you to build a character up to your liking, getting bonuses with guns you use more often. Enemies come in many varieties, be they alien creatures of human antagonists. Though a lot look very much like palette swaps, they each have their special abilities and can come in "badass" varieties that are tougher but also more rewarding to kill.

The areas you explore have a nice variety, ranging from large, open areas to more confined, linear spaces, including some indoor areas. Quests each have a recommended level for them, and there is some scaling happening behind the scenes as each enemy has its own level. higher level enemies are harder to kill and hit you harder, but also drop better loot, more money and more experience. Chests are strewn upon liberally, containing ammunition, money or sometimes weapons and equipment. The vehicle handles well and, though there are only two turret types, the fact it has more than one turret type is something commendable. The main problem with it is that it sometimes takes way too much damage from collisions with enemies and its turrets begin to be rather weak at some point in the game which removes the utility of having a turret.

There are, however, some flaws. For one, the difficulty is a bit uneven at times, with some areas being quite a lot more challenging than the areas before. The vast majority of the equipment you'll find won't compare favorably and will serve no other purpose than to temporarily clog up your inventory until you find a shop to sell it, though that may be endemic to this type of loot-driven RPG. At one point in the game, I found a gun that was not particularly rare according to the color code, but simply so good it was better than every other gun of its type for a long stretch of the game.

Presentation

The game uses cel-shading to achieve a distinctive look and succeeds rather well. The game, though not particularly pretty manages to look extremely nice through stylization. The character design is distinctive and has a certain low-fi aesthetic to it, as it sells the idea that this is a backwards world that has been abandoned by all but the more adventurous, if not the poorest. there is a sort of quiet misery to be found in the characters, stuck on this planet where Mad Max style raiders outnumber honest citizens almost 3 to 1. The gun designs are rather cool and distinctive, adding a lot of variety to it. Each corporation has its own style and specification. For randomly generated guns, they look rather nice and not samey at all. Creature design is also very inspired, helping drive the point that this is a hostile world, not a garden world. Each important character also gets a very fun little scene and title card in a cool poster style. It's slick and it really helps the game look and feel distinctive. The music is mostly ambient and muted, but it works well to enhance the experience. The game also has two pieces that are more stated for the intro and for the credits and they are rather fantastic songs. All in all, the presentation really shines with this game.

Verdict

If you're looking for a fun co-op experience, a distinctive FPS or a lootfest RPG, look no further, this game succeeds at all three goals. This is a Very Fun Game and a Very Fun Co-Op Experience. Do not miss it, it is that good! With a slick presentation, spot on mechanics and tons of potential hours of fun, this is just a great game.

Game On: Assassin's Creed 2

Today's game is Assassin's Creed II, developed by Ubisoft, available on PC, XBox 360 and PS3.

In a Nutshell
Desmond is once again thrust into the life of an ancestor through genetic memory and the mysterious Animus device. As Ezio Auditore da Firenze, he must unlock the secrets of Renaissance Italy, assassinate Templars and learn more about the true history of the world.

Story
The story mostly follows Desmond's ancestor Ezio this time around, with only a very limited number of sequences set in the present day. Ezio's tale is all about untangling a labyrinthine web of Templar deceit and conspiracy, ultimately ending with a plot by one to obtain more power. The characters are rather interesting, Ezio goes through a few character arcs, the supporting cast is a bit more uneven, with some being well developed and interesting while others kind of melting in the background. The villains aren't as developed as they were in the original Assassin's Creed due to the post-assassination limbo sequences being shortened significantly.There are a lot more characters, though, but it's still disappointing that only few have any sort of motivation beyond "He's a Templar" or "He's a friend of Ezio". To supplement the story, you have access to a database describing characters you meet and their place in history. It's an interesting feature and it helps you remember who a character is, and learn more about their life, but it's a poor substitute to proper character development.

The plot itself makes sense, starting with a conspiracy that affects Ezio building up to a bigger conspiracy by Templars to achieve their nefarious goals. Intermingled with the main plot is a series of optional vignettes and scattered data that can be accessed by finding glowing glyphs hidden on certain buildings. This allows you to piece more and more of the Templar's plans throughout history and are actually quite interesting. it's a shame that they're optional, though, because they're a quite novel, puzzle-based form of plot development. In the end, it can hold up, but the story suffered a bit compared to the first game in the series.

Gameplay
The gameplay has improved immensely since the original Assassin's Creed, while keeping the basics. It's still all about moving fast from point A to point B, either in the streets or on the rooftops, avoiding guards, blending in with the populace, assassinating people and participating in sword fights. The mission structure is also much improved. Unlike the original Assassin's Creed, you no longer gather intel on a target by doing 3 out of 5 missions in any order and then getting on with the main assassination. Instead, you follow a mostly linear line of missions while free to partake in the many optional side missions. A new feature is money, which allows you to purchase weapons, armor, ammunition and medicine as well as hire groups to help you distract or fight your enemies or merely help you blend in and hide. The climbing and free-running feel amazing, giving you a real sense of speed as you run, leap and climb your way. The effect is especially fun when chased by guards who witnessed an assassination. Sadly, it is not perfect, with a few moments where you might climb or jump in the wrong direction because you're, say, too close to a wall or near a gap. It's especially annoying when you die because of it, which will happen a few times during hectic chases.

A great feature is the freedom you're given to complete most missions.  Barring a few specific objectives, you're usually given a vague objective and several ways to achieve it. Thanks to a robust system with high profile and low profile action and a number of new assassination moves such as air assassination or assassination from hiding spots, you have a large number of tools at your disposal for every situation. The main problem is the game usually falls a bit flat whenever it restricts your options. It's interesting to be forced to assassinate a target without being detected, but a mission in particular sticks in my mind as being particularly hard even though there is no real reason why you can't be seen, and to not be seen, you need to go through the mission in basically only one way. Still in general, you're given a lot of freedom to complete your objectives. The game ultimately lacks a bit of the structure the first one had due to its more linear mission progression, but by giving you so much more freedom, it balances out very nicely.

Presentation
The presentation is a bit uneven in this game. On one hand, you have rather gorgeous cities that seem alive, plenty of nice character designs and very good animations. On the other hand, clothes very often have clipping errors and the models look odd, if sometimes ugly up close. The lip synching looks really odd at times, which is a shame since the game looks pretty damn good. I also noticed a lot of weird graphical glitches on the PC version, grass seemingly growing as you approach it, low-res foliage shrinking and high res foliage growing as you approach trees, it was certainly pretty jarring at times. Then again, the animations are really, really great, while free-running or sword fighting, it really looks great and alive. It's just a shame that it's marred by glitches and models that don't always hold up when seen up close.

The music is very effective at driving up the tension while racing through Florence or while fighting a group of enemies, otherwise being mostly atmospheric noises you expect to hear in a city. The audio design is very good, really making the cities seem alive and bustling. The voice acting is also very good, though one may wonder why the characters still have accents when their words are supposedly translated. The audio is, indeed, very good in this game.

Verdict
On the whole, a Very entertaining game that feels alive and manages to improve greatly on the gameplay of it's predecessor, though it sacrificed some of the narrative elements in the process. Though marred by some visual glitches, it is very much a pretty game and one that should not be missed!

Game on: Mass Effect

Today's game is 2007's Mass Effect, made by Bioware, available on Xbox 360 and PC.

In a Nutshell

In 2183, war was beginning. As Commander Shepard, it is up to you to explore the galaxy, right wrongs, meet interesting people and shoot down a ton of bellicose robots for the good of the galaxy.

Story

the story of Mass effect is nothing particularly special. The plot has its twists here and there, but is rather simple and a bit flat. The plot is reminiscent of pulpy sci-fi, which, if you enjoy, you'll probably enjoy a lot here. It's not that the plot is bad, but it's not terribly interesting or innovative. The way the story is told hinges greatly on characters, which gives you plenty of occasions to stamp your choices and direct parts of the plot where you want it to go. The storytelling lacks a bit of depth, though, rarely hinting, always telling or telling you to read about it later. There isn't a lot left to guess or interpret, it's all very clear-cut which I found a bit shallow.

The large amount of in-game documentation helps understand the world immensely and certainly hints at a complex world, but it doesn't do it that competently, learning about the religion of a species through a document isn't the same as learning of it through dialog or, even better, through exploration of a well designed area. This is a definite flaw, not much of the world is really hinted through the areas or demeanor, most of what you'll learn about the world of Mass Effect, you'll read about it in the Codex rather than infer. it's not, in itself, a bad practice, but learning about a world as you explore it is always more fulfilling than learning by reading about an aspect of it.

If the story has it's high point, however, it's the characters. The main characters all have their arcs, their worries, they are well-rounded and interesting. Each of the party members have occasions where they'll tell you more about themselves, their culture, their background, their own stories are usually quite interesting. The crew is sympathetic, flawed, they're all very human, which makes some choices quite dramatic throughout the story. All in all, this redeems some of the flaws of the story and certainly makes this aspect more than merely adequate.

Gameplay

Mass Effect mixes RPG elements with Shooter mechanics rather well. The controls are tight, the shooting feels right and the removal of an ammo system is something I personally applaud. During fights, the ability to pause the action to survey the area and use abilities is a good addition which adds a certain tactical edge that would be missing otherwise. It's simple to survey the situation and use the special ability you need to, or tell a teammate to target a specific enemy or seek cover elsewhere. The AI is decent enough, enemies seek cover, try to shoot from it whenever they can, snipers are often parts of fights and are well-positioned, some enemies will try to charge you, mostly zombie-like enemies but also some that are very resistant to damage. Your teammates are competent, keeping a good eye out, reacting to enemies getting close, using their abilities when they feel they need to. Sadly, while behind cover, it is sometimes a bit hard to pop out and aim or shoot at enemies that went around the cover or come at you from behind.

Outside of combat, you get to manage your squad's abilities and equipment, using RPG style point-buy, letting you buy upgrades to your abilities as you level up. One of the biggest flaws in the game is the inventory system, which has a 150 item limit, but no way to properly sort the equipment. It's much harder than it needs to be to find a specific mod for a gun or body armor due to the absence of any sorting. On top of that, you end up with a very large amount of guns and armors that are often completely useless. Each manufacturer has different statistical priorities, but only a handful of models are of any use, they're often much better in every regard than the other models.

While exploring, you will be on foot or on a vehicle, the Mako. The Mako is much maligned, described often as hard to control, but I found that you get used to it rather quickly, and it is quite an agile vehicle, capable of driving on almost vertical walls and even jumping, which makes it actually quite handy for dodging large, slow-moving anti-vehicle shots. You can also explore the galaxy, hopping from star system to star system, finding planets to survey, hoping to find minerals or artifacts and planets to actually explore, where you'll find quests, enemies, artifacts or minerals. There is a lot to explore in this game, which certainly lengthens the game's life.

Speaking of quests and sidequests, you get a lot of options in terms of how to tackle quests. Tracking how "by-the-book" or not you are, you gain Paragon or Renegade points for most of your choices. It's not a very deep system, and it really only means there's two storylines, one in which Shepard is a heroic righteous soldier and one in which he is an underhanded one who gets things done, collateral damage be damned. Still, that does give you a lot of occasions to feel like you are changing the story.

Presentation

The game looks rather good, considering it came out in late 2007. It still holds up today, though some textures on models looked blurry during close-ups. Still, most models look quite good and there are a lot of nice little details on them. The creature designs are pretty good, succeeding at making aliens look alien, especially races like the pressure-suit wearing Volus or the luminescent hovering Hanar. Most planets were rather barren, but offered  impressive vistas thanks to great skyboxes, with the main plot mission planets being absolutely great, covered with lush details. An interesting detail is the film grain effect that manages to tie everything in and make the game look very cinematic.

The music is nicely composed, enhancing dramatic scenes, intensifying action scenes, doing everything good music needs to, and there's not much more to say about the score. It's good, it's fittingly grandiose, it's an all-around nice score.

Verdict

Mass Effect manages to bridge the gap between two very different genres and manages to do it very well. With solid gameplay, great characters, and a very nice presentation to tie it all into a nice package. It has its flaws, but it an all-around great game. If by now, you still haven't played it, I strongly suggest you pick up a copy for your platform of choice and do yourself a favor, you deserve it.

Game On: Wizorb

Today's game is Wizorb by the folks at Tribute. it is available on Steam and Xbox 360.

In a Nutshell

You are Master Cyrus the wizard in this retro breakout-style game. Using magic powers and your wand, you must break through 5 worlds of bricks, blocks and beasts to save the kingdom.

Story

The story is exceedingly simple and harkens to a simpler era. Simply put, the kingdom has been destroyed by an evil spell and it is up to you to save it. That's pretty much it. of course, this being a retro game that mixes breakout gameplay with light RPG themes, the lack of a grandiose story is not a particularly large flaw. What little there is is charming enough to hold your attention and remind you of simpler days.

Gameplay

This is a rather basic breakout clone with a twist. on top of having a paddle and ball, you also have five magic spells at your disposal: a block-breaking fireball, a trajectory-altering gust of wind, a powerful all-breaking magma ball, a useful ball control spell and a teleportation spell when all else fails. your use of the spells is rationed by your magic meter. You need to use the magic wisely as your meter runs out rather quickly and refills can be hard to come by. One of the major flaws of this game is that a large number of levels have just a few bricks that are very hard to hit properly and you'll often find yourself almost fruitlessly batting the ball as the frustration grows and the ball misses the targets narrowly. Another aspect of the game is the RPG trappings it has. A good portion of the blocks you break will release coins or gems, which you can collect with the paddle and spend in shops or donate to villagers to allow them to repair their houses and businesses. it's simple but it adds a lot of charm and variety, even though most buildings are completely useless. The power-ups you can buy can help out in the game, but i must confess i did not use them very much. All in all, solid gameplay if a bit annoying at times.

Presentation

This game uses a very nice, very charming retro art style. Bright palettes and crisp pixel art is what you'll find here and, if that's something you like, you will surely enjoy the way the game is presented. The music is also reminiscent of the 8 to 16-bit era of video games and has fitting tracks for the various worlds you explore. This is a game that attempts to emulate an era of video games and it succeeds very well, perhaps better than other retro titles. It just looks right to me.

Verdict

Wizorb is a fun retro game that, while not revolutionary, puts a charming spin on an old classic. If you like breakout-style games, you will want to buy Wizorb. I give this game a score of Charmingly Fun with a caveat that it certainly made me a bit frustrated a time. Then again, I am not a fan of breakout games. The art style certainly kept me charmed long enough to enjoy this game to the end.

Game On: Journey

Today's (belated) game review is of Journey, exclusively on the PSN.

In a Nutshell

You are in a desert. There is a mountain with a light shining on top. You must cross the desert to reach it, and learn the history of your kind as you do.

Story

The story is told entirely without words, entirely through landscape, murals and voiceless visions at the end of the various legs of your journey. As the title suggests, the real story is your own, and it cannot be described in words, it's a very personal story, in a way. How much or how little you learn about the history of the people who lived in the desert is up to you, as there are many murals to be found in the vestiges of the civilization. I'll keep it vague, but the story is beautifully told without a single spoken word.

Gameplay

The gameplay is very simple. You move around, you can jump and the length of time you can stay aloft depends on the length of your scarf. if you explore, you will find orbs that lengthen your scarf and, as such, allow you to jumpt farther and explore more. You can also shout, which can activate some mechanism and is your sole means of communication with any companion you find throughout your journey. The core of the game is exploration of the locales to find murals or glyphs, or simply to solve the puzzle of the area you're in to advance to the next. Various objects in the game can be interacted with in some ways, so as to help you explore. The gameplay here takes a backseat to the experience, strangely enough, and it works very well.

Presentation

This game is nothing short of beautiful. It looks extremely nice, the omnipresent sand looks incredibly real, the use of lighting to change the mood of a scene is spectacular, the ambient sounds and music are well crafted and fitting. This game certainly is well presented, allowing you to really take in the experience and get into the journey. You will genuinely feel a sense of wonder as you explore the exquisitely crafted ruins. There is not much to say, this is simply beautiful and it must be seen and experienced to be believed.

Verdict

This is an amazing game.Though short, the fact that a journey can be completed in a single sitting only helps make the experience better. The sheer breadth you can explore, the sense of wonder you feel as you find hidden nooks hiding a mural, the feeling you get when you see another person in the desert and interact with them, solving puzzles... It's all a marvelous experience that should charm and inspire awe to anyone. Still, it may be wonderfully crafted, at $15 it is a bit costly. I give this game a Marvelous and amazing rating, it's a must get, though you may want to wait for a sale to get it if the price point turns you off. This is  a short game, after all.

Game On: Rock of Ages

Today's offering is Rock of Ages, by Ace Team, available on Steam, the PlayStation Network and XBox Live Arcade.

In a Nutshell
Sisyphus is tired to pushing his boulder up his mountain and decides to escape Hades with and and squash historical characters with it.Build defenses against your opponent's assaults and evade their attempts to defend themselves as you control the boulder's descent to their fortress.

Story
The story is quite simple, Sisyphus, the greek character cursed to push a boulder up a steep hill only for it to fall down the other side decides to escape Hades using his boulder and then starts attacking various historical figures and characters in several eras. That's the extent of the plot, but each level starts with a charming vignette in a style reminiscent of Monty Python where we are introduced to the various characters which range from Leonidas to Plague to Napoleon, including the zombified corpses of Aristotle and Plato. it's very tongue in cheek, very entertaining and very charmingly told.

Gameplay
The game is evenly separated in two phases. First, the building phase, where you place defenses ranging from static towers to barrels of TNT, flying spotters to mammoths that stop and push away the enemy boulder. Secondly, once your boulder has been carved, you can enter the rolling phase in which you roll down the hill towards the enemy castle, dodging or destroying their defenses and picking up as much speed as possible to do as much damage to the doors between your boulder and your enemy. Now, this balance of tower defense and racing genres works out very well, allowing you to succeed through a combination of strategy and reflexes. You get a nice variety of possible strategies for every map, and the map themselves are all rather interesting to hurtle through, with each map hiding 3 golden keys for you to find and collect. Additionally, certain areas end with a Boss, changing the dynamic entirely in order to challenge your reflexes and platforming prowess rather than your strategic thinking. The bosses are all rather charming and interesting, offering something new to the game.Lastly, the game does also contain a few multiplayer modes, but I did not try them at length.

Presentation
The game is rather gorgeous. Separated in eras, the game gives a distinct feel and art style to show the passage of time. Starting form antiquity with artwork reminiscent of ancient Greek vases to a more realistic art style from the Napoleonic era, it really succeeds at giving a nice variety of themes. The music is also very fitting,and helps you to immerse yourself in the era and in the action. A lot of the world looks like paper cutouts, which is reminiscent of Monty Python animated shorts and it works very well. All in all, this game has top notch presentation. in fact, the presentation may be the high point of this game, above and beyond the gameplay.

Verdict
Rock of Ages is a very original game melding two genres that seemed as far as possible from one another. It succeeds at merging racing and tower defense wonderfully and ties it all up with a great flourish of charm, wit and art history. This game manages to obtain a score of gorgeously funny and while it might not offer the deepest of experiences, it offers a thoroughly fresh one.