Gnosia: The Review

 

「Nō’sē-ă」-  the faculty of perceiving and recognizing.

Let’s imagine the following. Say that there are a group of individuals on a spaceship. But… something is off. Your crew is always on edge. Why is that…? That’s because at least one of them does not belong in the crew, and is an imposter. The imposter is harmless… right? Wrong. These are former humans, infected with an alien presence. Their goal? Killing humans. These former humans will try to hide their identity, manipulate and sabotage the lives of those on the ship. To prevent this, the crew must hold meetings and diplomatically vote off the one they think is fake.

So who and what are we talking about? Some of you may think Among Us, but not really. It’s Gnosia, a visual RPG novel originally released on the PS Vita in 2019. Recently, however, it has made its way onto the Nintendo Switch. It has a lot of wonderful features, from a diverse cast to beautiful artwork. Though the premise may seem simple, it actually is deceptively dark and deep.

Ad astra per aspera.

The story starts off immediately after finishing character creation. Before you know it, you’re in a meeting deciding the fate of the crew. You have no memories of anything before this and have very little information to go on. However, you’re told that you have to make a decision and to do it quickly. You have to decide on who seems the most suspicious, then send them off to deep sleep. There’s a little bit of RNG in your decision-making. Depending on how it plays out you may end up being put down quickly. As a result, Gnosia escapes their fate, free to kill. It is only when you die or survive that first round, you find out you are in a murder mystery and are stuck in a time loop. Thankfully you’re not alone. Setsu, another crew member, is also stuck in this sci-fi groundhog day with you.

Let’s talk about the gameplay! Before you start off, you’ll be given a chance to name your character, assign gender/non binary, and add a set of points into any of the following: Charisma, Intuition, Logic, Charm, Performance and Stealth. When levelling any of these up, you have the chance to unlock actions that can help you to survive. Each “loop” is a game, and depending on how it plays out it can be short or long. The Gnosia changes from person to person each loop. In your first few loops, you will find that more roles are mentioned. You have crew members that are Doctors, Engineers and Guardian Angels. There are enemy roles too. In addition to Gnosia, there are AC Followers, and a “bug” that can destroy the world.

A tantalizing social “Werewolf” turned single-player graphical adventure game.

Once you get through your first few loops, you will meet Yuriko. She’s kind of the person who finishes your “tutorial loops” run. Now, you will also be held under suspicion by your crew. Once you play through more runs, you will obtain EXP and unlock various interactions to progress the story. You’ll also eventually unlock a mode where you can choose the conditions of the murder mystery and choose your role.The one thing I felt could have done a little better was the music. There could have been more variety in my opinion. There were a couple of moments where I turned down the audio and used my own music. Sadly there were moments where the OST felt a little too repetitive. Asides from this small caveat, there’s nothing else I’ve had issues with.

I absolutely adore this game for all that it is. Though the concept may sound really similar to Among Us, they couldn’t be more different from one another. The story hooked me. They don’t give you everything right away. However, you get the gist of what happens through small drips of information scattered through each run. It was fun changing roles between the human and Gnosia sides, and getting to learn about the different roles each person has. And nothing stayed the same either. There’s an insane amount of replay value in this title, as well as cute and memorable characters! Definitely grab and play Gnosia if you have the chance, you won’t regret it!

You can purchase and play Gnosia on the Nintendo Switch.

Yakuza Kiwami 2: The Review

 

War will consume the East and the West. 

Welcome back, to the wonderful world of Yakuza! Today we will review and discuss Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku’s Yakuza Kiwami 2. Chronologically speaking, it’s the 3rd title in the series, and is also a remake of the PS2 version! This remake came out in December 2017, 11 years after its original PS2 debut! For those uninitiated to the series, please check out my previous review here on Yakuza 0, and also give that title a chance! The developers have once again outdone themselves by giving fans more of that sweet sweet action-adventure experience in the strange and dark world of the Yakuza.

The story is set in the familiar streets of Kamurocho and Sōtenbori, fictional districts recreated from Tokyo’s Kabukichō and Osaka’s Dōtonbori. Kiwami 2 is set in 2006, and it’s a year after the events of Kiwami 1. It follows the now already established Kiryuu Kazuma. He’s now a 4th Tojo Clan Chairman and Dragon of Dojima. Once again, he finds himself in the middle of a sticky situation. This time, however, Kiryuu receives a request for help from his former group, the Tojo Clan, to keep relationships with the western group, the Omi Alliance. He must also find a new 5th chairman for the Tojo Clan since the previous had been murdered. As he ventures into unchartered territory, Kiryuu encounters various rivals and runs into a Korean syndicate working from within the shadows.

The wheels are already spinning.

Let’s touch on the gameplay, shall we? For starters, I felt that the UI from start to finish is really clean and easy to understand. Yakuza Kiwami 2 is the third game that uses the new Dragon Engine and the gameplay felt really fluid. It’s really addictive to be able to explore the open world and interact with side quests, enemies, and mini-games. It does not operate that much differently from Yakuza 0. One notable difference though is the stat building. Rather than Yakuza 0’s “invest in stats with cold hard cash”, you gain experience points to feed into your stats. It can either be through engaging in various activities or filling Kiryuu up with food. Therefore, you can spend these points to buy Kiryu new moves, enhance stats and even acquire the ability to obtain more experience points or money.

And with that said, let’s discuss graphics. The new Dragon Engine’s refined and better than ever, and now much better than the PS2’s predecessor. Additionally, I was keeping a steady 60fps on an Asus Nitro Gaming Laptop running a GPU of 1050, with medium settings all around. At times I did notice a couple of dips in the fps. This only happened when I entered a couple of particular areas in Kamurocho. I often notice in that area that there are more NPC’s and stuff happening in that area.

There’s that smile…

One of the many things I love about the series is the music. With talented composers such as Hidenori Shoji, it’s hard to go wrong. The OST was a real treat to listen to! Moreover, each track matched up well with the scene shown. I never once felt that the OST didn’t match with the main or sub-story. If anything, I felt pumped whenever I played and the OST helped with this.

I felt that the overall story is one of the best in the series. We have an intimidating and memorable villain, and it still remains the case even after, uh, his pant thief episode on Yakuza 0’s substory. I had so much fun playing Kiwami 2, and will be coming back again to play it. Due to there being so much to do, the replay value will be more than worth the money you put into the game. Don’t be afraid about the numbering next to the Yakuza title! I can assure you that the game will help bring you up to the speed of the events in no time at all. If you like action JRPGs, Japanese games, and so on, give this title a chance!

You can play Yakuza Kiwami 2 on PC (Steam).

You can also buy it on Xbox, and the Playstation Store (PS4).

Alpaca All-Stars: The Review

 

No more crying on the field after a tackle?! It’s an Alpacalypse!

Ladies and gentlemen, Alpaca lovers, fans of wacky physics-based party games and soccer/football alike, today, I bring you… Alpaca Ball: Allstars. Firstly, let’s look at this title! I bet most of you (like myself) will wonder how the developers came up with the title and overall concept. Origin stories for things like this are always a fun read after all! Alpaca Ball: Allstars first came to be in October 2020, with Salt Castle Studio, Leoful, and Badland Publishing being responsible for this (not that it’s a bad thing mind you!). The game promises you, yes you, a chance to fight your way to the top and win the cup, in a kind of Rocket League style. Because really, it doesn’t matter if you use absurd or chaotic means to do so. So stick that fluffy neck of yours out, and assert dominance against your enemies on the field.

As part and parcel with your typical party games, the title offers a solo (career) campaign or a co-op (versus) mode of up to 8 players for you and your friends. In addition, there’s a little interesting story to be had here with the solo campaign. In other words, you are a small-timer Alpaca, looking to enter into the big soccer/football league. With the support of your family, friends, and your fluffy neck, you charge your way across various matches to try and grab the soccer/football cup!

Can’t use your feet? No prob-llama! Use your head!

At last, it is time to explore the gameplay! The premise of the game will always remain the same as your typical soccer/football game. Which is, of course, to score more goals than your opponent(s). There’s the option to duke it out 1 v 1 all the way to 4 v 4 play. You’d be please to know the game does in fact offer a remote play function. This way, it’ll allow friends who do not own the game to join in on the fun. The control scheme is pretty simple too, and each button serves a function for you to ram and smash your way into opponents, and nab that ball off them! The movement however does seem a little clumsy and messy, but one shouldn’t expect too much cohesiveness from a game operating with ragdoll mechanics. The chaos after all is part of the fun!

Time to talk about the graphics and boy is it adorable. Hmm… to describe the Alpacas bashing into things, it’s kind of like watching a jiggly pudding. Or watching something really fluffy bounce off things. It’s very satisfying to watch. There’s a great variety of designs in the 10 arenas, and a vibrant-looking map and UI interface to match with it. The characters also have a range of designs too, however, I would have liked to have seen more wacky and wild designs. In saying that though… I enjoyed what I was seeing, from the colorful, cutesy cartoon look the game has to offer, to the ragdoll mechanics that provided some hilarious distorted images during gameplay.

An Alpaca a day keeps the ball in play.

Now, about that soundtrack, I’ve been listening to. For starters, I wholeheartedly enjoyed the music that came from the start-up menu. I felt that the music was appropriate and it definitely put me in that competitive soccer/football mood. The developers did an excellent job at preserving the South-American theme of the game. They were also able to keep the music very light, festive, and carnival-like.

All in all, I had a blast playing Alpaca Ball: Allstars, and I think others will too. It gave me a similar kind of fun vibe to playing titles such as Untitled Goose Game, Gang Beasts, Party Animals, Fall Guys, and Among Us. While I felt there could have been some more content and updates, it makes up for it by being what it is. That is, a fun, charming, and wild arcade party game! Is it worth the price tag? …I think once some more content and updates are added in there, yes.

You can purchase Alpaca Ball: Allstars on the Nintendo Switch.

You can also purchase it for the PC (Steam) Playstation, Xbox and more.

Call of the Sea: The Review

 

The sea… it calls to me.

Today, let’s discuss a rather fascinating title, set in the year 1938. It’s a puzzle/mystery escape room (well, island) game from developers Out Of The Blue and Raw Fury. For those of you who like Lovecraft, “Call Of The Sea” contains some hints of this throughout the story. You are Nora Everhart, a woman with a mysterious illness that shows itself on your skin. Your husband, Harry Everhart, has gone missing in the South Pacific. Soon, you receive a clue in the form of a letter, and it’s from Harry himself! But… where did he go? Furthermore, why didn’t he tell you anything? Determined to find out what happened, you set out on a journey to find your significant other.

For those who are curious, there are 6 chapters in total, and for the average gameplay, it would take roughly 5-6 hours to complete. When I initially started playing Call of The Sea, I was happy to see that they provided players the option of using either full controller support or the trusty keyboard. Additionally, there are various options in settings that can optimize your gameplay. Walking into this island felt magical, and I was in awe with the attention to detail on the scenery and puzzles throughout each chapter. Collecting clues for the puzzles were a blast, and finding out what happened to Harry’s crew added to the tense feeling that there’s more to Nora’s illness than meets the eye.

“Dear old pal…”

I did, however, keep experiencing motion sickness. This was even after tweaking the settings a number of times. I felt it was a combination of the color scheme, the 30fps frame lock, and the motion blur. When I searched the internet to see if this was a common issue, I was surprised to find out that many like myself were also experiencing this. It would take about half an hour to an hour before I started feeling sick during gameplay. I feel bad for saying this, but I felt miserable whenever the motion sickness triggered mid-gameplay.

The environment and graphics are truly captivating in this title. The art style is stunning, and so are the graphics. Each location could make a good desktop screenshot! Each section traversed feels more like a feast to the eyes than say, something tolerable. There were a few moments when your character, Nora, would speak and it would not match with the imagery at all, but that was pretty rare.

“It all started with an illness…”

Call Of The Sea has a wonderful and diverse mix in regards to the music. It’s a beautiful mix of romance, adventure, melancholy, and adventure. I feel that the soundtrack truly helps with setting the mood of the game. Especially while you are transported to the ominous unnamed island.

And now, for the verdict. I think that Call of the Sea is a beautiful game. It is jam-packed with puzzles, mesmerizing sceneries, and a captivating storyline. There was one small issue for me though. The motion sickness. It ruined part of the magic for me, as I had to take frequent breaks throughout the playthrough. I normally never get sick like this while playing games. Is it a good value for money? I think so if you are a completionist! I believe that it’s replayable only due to the two possible endings. There’s not much replayability after that.

You can play Call Of The Sea on PC: Steam.

You can also play it on Xbox series X, S and One.

Haven: The Review

 

Escape to a lost planet with your significant other.

For a healthy relationship to work, support is essential. No matter how crazy things may become, the support of your partner will always help keep you strong. Haven is an affectionate, sci-fi adventure, 3rd party co-op RPG, and survivalist game. Developed by The Game Bakers in 2020, it recently made its way onto Nintendo Switch. The game focuses equally on exploration and romance between an unlikely couple, for both the good times and the bad. It’s got the gameplay of Persona and Journey, and the graphics of No-Man’s Sky and Gravity Rush. All games I’ve adored in the past. So! Strap on your anti-gravity boots, grab some grub and take a seat as we discuss “Haven”.

Somewhere…. among the infinite stars, lies a safe, beautiful yet uninhabited pastel-colored planet called “Source”. After crashing their spacecraft (lovingly called “Nest”) on the source, the couple starts living out their days on the Source together. Though it is a gorgeous location, it’s also a dangerous area. Hostile wildlife is often found roaming between floaty mountains, and won’t take kindly to visitors. In saying this though, the Source is a safe “haven” for Yu and Kay. Both are lovebird escapees from an oppressive society called the “Apiary”. The “Apiary” is an interplanetary organization that dictated the lives of many individuals including their own. They do this through “matchmaking” individuals based on statistics rather than feelings.

There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.

With “Haven” you can play as either of the lovers, Yu or Kay. You’ll also have the ability to switch out interchangeably between the two as you explore the world together. Together, you will gather food to eat, materials for building your “Nest”, and purify beasties corrupted by “rust”. Picking the expedition leader requires no more than pressing a simple button, something which pleased me greatly. Unlike Death Stranding, you’re not subjected to hours and hours of walking. Instead, the couple have equipped some snazzy anti-gravity boots. With these, you can float quickly to various locations, and collect this blue line of energy called “flow”. You can also use this “flow” energy to surf and fly to various locations on the little “islets” across the planet while hunting down resources.

Fighting mechanics are great, intuitive, and fun to get used to. It’s easy to get a feeling of satisfaction as you co-ordinate attacks between both lovers. Choose to defend yourself, blast, impact (either solo or together) or purify the beasties that come your way. You can spend a long day’s work harvesting veggies or swabbing rust. After, the couple can partake in small tasks at their Nest. Their love blossoms not with huge grandiose actions, but with the little things they do daily. For example, if Kay cooks spicy food, something Yu adores, they’ll get experience points as a result of making each other happy.

To love at all is to be vulnerable.

The graphics in this game are simply stunning. The color palette of the planet and the immediate surroundings are aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. The soundtrack is also fascinating in its own way, and very soothing. There are interesting undertones as you go from safe areas to areas with hostile creatures nearby.

So with that, let’s talk about the verdict. Is it worth giving Haven a chance? For me, the answer is an unequivocal yes. I had a wonderful experience playing this on the Nintendo Switch both by myself and with my partner in crime. Not only is it a good value for money, but you can feel the love that the developers put into this project as a whole. There’s enough content to keep you and your significant other busy, and it has a beautifully immersive story.

You can purchase and experience Haven on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Playstation Store & XBox Store