Category: Vita

Timespinner – Symphony of the Alright

If you’ve never heard of indie games and really like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, then boy have I got something for you.

Let’s be honest: There might be a few too many devs releasing 2D platformers with pixel art. That’s just a fact of life. Are some of them uninspired? Sure. Is Timespinner the best one? Nope, but I sure had a pleasant weekend with it.

Timespinner is the closest game to Castlevania’s opus since the incredible Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow back in 2003. That doesn’t mean it’s as good, but it suuuuure feels like either one of those games, and you might even confuse it with one of them if you squint hard enough. You run back and forth between a 2D map filled with monsters and upgrades and ledges just a bit higher than your jump and then double jumps. You know exactly what you’re getting here. Oh, also you can stop time but it’s almost useless and comes into play like three times in the whole game.

The best part of Timespinner is its weapon system. Instead of swords and bows, you’re armed with orbs imbued with magic spells, and then you get even cooler spells from there. In my roughly 6 hours it took me to 100% the game and see all of its endings, I ended up with a good dozen or so different spells, and very few of them were useless or not worth seeing. You’ll start off with a basic projectile, then some swords, then lightning powers, and so on. Maybe only twice did I not at least enjoy experimenting with each ability as I found it, as they all offer some unique functionality or are just plain fun to use. For every orb also comes its equivalent super attack that uses mana, and those’re super neat as well. Once you get the gigantic sword slice ability that wipes anything off the screen, you’ll only feel more and more powerful from there.

Timespinner is a Metroidvania-lite if there ever was one. There’s a lot of stuff that’s worth seeing, but it all feels a bit too slight. One of my biggest issues is how samey and forgettable a bunch of the areas are, and that you’ll even begin to notice identical level layouts by the end. I closed in on the end-game and was waiting for the big reveal, SotN style, that maybe I was only seeing the first half before some big twist. And then I watched the credits.

None of this is to say Timespinner is a bad game. It’s not at all. I recommend playing it if you want to see a handful of new tricks that I somehow hadn’t seen in this well worn territory. Pay your 20 bucks, have a solid 5 or 6 hours with it, and then go play Hollow Knight and wonder if the genre can ever recover from being so soundly put to bed.

October 8, 2018
Game of the Year 2014: #3 – Danganronpa 2

Danganronpa is a series about subverting expectations. It blows your mind just like Phoenix Wright and the Zero Escape series by never letting you know quite as much as you think you do. If you’re into mystery novels filled with dark humor and serious storytelling, it’s hard to find a better balance than in Danganronpa.

This spot could be taken almost as easily by the first Danganronpa game, but for the sake of not having both taking up a spot on this list, I’m highlighting my favorite. The second game has better characters, and a much larger scope of environments and story, but doesn’t make the first game any worse by existing. The first game is still excellent, and the second game smartly steps away from the “kids locked in a building” theme, as to not step on D1‘s toes. Unlike the second Zero Escape game, Danganronpa’s sequel feels (literally, since you’re on a tropical island) like a breath of fresh air.

Both games start with you meeting an interesting cast of high school kids, each with unique personalities. Professional athletes, pop stars, and novelists all come together, build friendships, and then brutally, horrifically murder each other for a chance at freedom. Then they hold a trial, in which the survivors suss out their friend’s executioner, and is put to his or her (ironically themed) death. All because their game master and kidnapper, a masochistic robot teddy bear, told them to.

If you need more of a reason to play Danganronpa, I’m not sure what more you’re looking for.

January 12, 2015
Game of the Year 2014: Best Song

It feels like we’ve been able to say this a lot lately, but this was a great year for game music. Since Hotline Miami 2 didn’t make it’s way out the door, everyone else had to step up their game and make up for it. My favorite game music tends to be upbeat and catchy, so when you’re favorite orchestral scores aren’t mentioned here, you’ll know why.

#3 – Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc – “DANGANRONPA”

The first track you’re introduced to in Danganronpa sets the tone for what’s to come. Vying for Soundtrack of the Forever, Danganronpa uses music like a central character in its stories. The intro song, appropriately titled “DANGANRONPA” hooks you in with a catchy beat, and fades in and out of wistful vocals before the tune ends. That intro beat, wind up, and release in the first 20 seconds strikes all the right musical places, and lands the track a solid spot among the year’s finest. It’s tough to pick just one song from the series though, so go listen to this, this, and this before moving on, your ears are worth it.

#2 – Bayonetta 2: “Moon River”

While the main theme “Tomorrow is Mine” isn’t as catchy or memorably as the original game’s “Fly Me To The Moon”, the re-imagining of “Moon River” brings back that personality in style. Poppy renditions of 1960’s classics seem to find a good home in the chaotic world of Bayonetta, and “Moon River” sits easily as favorite track from either game. Singer Keely Bumford‘s vocals overflow with Bayonetta‘s pep and sass, and the beat provides the rhythm of the chaos unfolding onscreen. If Bayonetta 3 ever gets made, I hope they can find a way to outdo themselves once again.

#1 – Shovel Knight: “High Above the Land (The Flying Machine)”

Propeller Man’s stage is the best level in Shovel Knight, largely because of this song. The entire Shovel Knight soundtrack is among the best video games have seen in years, but this one song along with the stage it’s on made me respect Shovel Knight even more than I already did. After bouncing through the sky on a ship flying past the setting sun, all while listening to this song, I knew Shovel Knight was a classic. The song hits every note of the upbeat Mega Man music formula, but goes beyond simple rocking beats while communicating a range of emotions in a span of less than two minutes. Shovel Knight‘s composer, Jake Kaufman, is a musical genius, deserving the top spot in 2014’s year of great tunes.

Honorable Mentions:

Hearthstone: “Two Rogues One Mark”

An impressive song in another of the year’s great soundtracks. I’ve probably heard it a few hundred times in the past year, and still enjoy it every time. Other than the title theme, this is the song I think of when remembering Hearthstone.

Dark Souls 2: “Majula”

Returning to Majula is the beginning and end of every new adventure in Dark Souls 2. Majula is your home. You’ll come back here again and again, and you’ll miss it when you’re gone. It’s the one place where you’re almost entirely safe from harm, and this track lulls you into bliss before your next inevitable, dark journey. The simple chimes are some of the only welcoming sounds you’ll hear in this overwhelmingly unwelcoming world.

January 5, 2015
Weekly Update 11/08/2014: Call of Duty, Finishing Bayonetta 2, and Isaac’s Return

Games still keep coming fast, and the next few weeks will continue to be just as busy with Assassin’s Creed, Dragon Age, Far Cry 4, and too much more to remember. I’ve been picking favorites out of the bunch of new releases, and still always coming back to Hearthstone and Fantasy Life. I’ve actually finished some games for once, which is a relief when you’re trying to get hands on with everything.

(more…)

November 8, 2014
Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Review – Tropical Trouble

If for some reason you aren’t familiar with Danganronpa by this point, you should absolutely go play the first game. It’s a great murder mystery visual novel, where a group of “Ultimate” (talented) high-schoolers are forced to kill each other to escape a locked building. Go read my review of the first game if you’re interested, and then start playing it. If you like exciting stories, murder mysteries, or great characters, I’d absolutely say it’s worth getting a Vita for. As soon as you finish it, make sure you watch the hilarious (spoiler-filled!) Abridged Series.

Now that you’re fully versed in Danganronpa thus far, let’s talk about what makes the second game even better. (more…)

September 18, 2014
Games of the Month – June 2014

So how about that Shovel Knight? Thankfully, June wasn’t a totally dry month other than our favorite Shoveler, but it sure came pretty close. I played way fewer games this month than usual, and hopefully I can dig up a bigger selection sometime this month. But, yeah, Shovel Knight is really good everybody.

Shovel Knight

It’s Shovel Knight. I’ve said more than enough about why I love the game in my review, so I’ll keep this brief. It’s an excellent platformer that feels like it jumped straight out of the late 80’s. Shovel Knight is as smart as it is cute and funny, and brings back really fond memories of blasting through robot masters and whipping walls to find secret chickens. It’s nice to have some of that back, if only briefly.

1001 Spikes

Another blast from the past, 1001 Spikes goes out of its way to be difficult. There are traps spread through each of it’s numerous levels, and your job is to somehow navigate past all of them, Indiana Jones style. You’ll die, again and again, (maybe even 1001 times) but you’ll keep coming back. Each trap has a logic behind it, and it laughs in your face as it destroys you as you run to the exit. If you’re up for some more old school action, with a few cameos from platformer heroes of yore, 1001 Spikes is the second best retro inspired indie platformer of the month. Who would have thought?

Level 2: The Virus Master

And now for something completely different. Have you ever played a music video? Maybe. But was it metal? Not like The Virus Master. It’s a shoot-em-up set to metal, and characters even animate to the music. It’s half watching some really cool stuff happen on-screen, and half trying your best to make sure it all explodes. You’ll play through it again and again to reach the highest score and the hidden level, but it’s so satisfying you won’t mind at all.

Honorable Mentions:

Coming Out Simulator 2014

Just play this.

July 10, 2014