Cassylvania's Miserable Little Pile of Platinums

[Darling Baphomet]

I've been meaning to pick up Toem! I always associated it with Chicory in my mind - maybe because they're (kinda) both grayscale games that came out close to eachother. 

 

1 hour ago, Cassylvania said:

Oh, I think you're right. I remember them referring to each other as "brothers" at one point, but I guess it was just a biker thing. (Or maybe I'm confusing the game with Ride to Hell: Retribution. ) Either way, yeah. Criminally underrated game.

 

No they definitely did, IIRC it was a frequent thing with them and it was easy to miss that they weren't actual siblings. "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb", and all that.

[Taruta13]

On 12/23/2022 at 11:45 AM, Cassylvania said:

Palace of the Dead, a ridiculous, 35+ hour excursion that would break lesser men.

 

Eorzea called Tactic Ogre, it wants its shtick back.

 

Sorry, had to do it.

 

But yeah, Toem is actually my Grey game for the Kaledioscope, so I will probably platinum it. Played to the first trophy on my old account and really enjoyed the vibe.

Edited December 27, 2022 by Taruta13

[Cassylvania]

On 12/24/2022 at 2:18 AM, Darling Baphomet said:

I've been meaning to pick up Toem! I always associated it with Chicory in my mind - maybe because they're (kinda) both grayscale games that came out close to eachother. 

 

Between the two, I preferred Toem. It was easier on the eyes, performed better, and had an awesome soundtrack. Chicory was a bit of a letdown by comparison.

 

13 hours ago, Taruta13 said:

But yeah, Toem is actually my Grey game for the Kaledioscope, so I will probably platinum it. Played to the first trophy on my old account and really enjoyed the vibe.

 

I'm going to do the event too, but I'll probably throw an added challenge or wrinkle into mine. Like, 90% of the image needs to be that color. Year-long lists give me freedom to do stuff like that.

 

ANYWAY... I was going to continue the awards tonight, but we have to do a review first.

 

Platinum #354 - Last Stop

 

Have you ever played a stupid game late at night, hoping it's going to get better, but it doesn't get better, but you keep playing it anyway? Because the other night, the other night I was playing this game -- I was playing this game called Last Stop, or Lost Stop, or some type of stop, but it was about aliens. I don't know if you know, but aliens are some cool people, are they not? But let me tell you something I found out: a horribly-rendered human model can kill an alien. Did you know that? I never knew that. So I don't want to be an alien anymore. I wanna be a horribly-rendered human model.

 

Yeah, so this game is a bit of a mess. At first glance, it appears very similar to a Telltale game. The biggest difference is that there are three storylines to follow. Each storyline has a separate protagonist and plot. They're all centered in London, though, and there are some side characters that appear in more than one storyline, so it's not like they're completely unrelated. Thematically, they're similar too, but it's not until the final chapter that the game brings them all together.

 

The three storylines are: Paper Dolls, Domestic Affairs, and Stranger Danger. I want to discuss each of these individually before we look at the game as a whole.

 

Paper Dolls actually has two protagonists: John, who is middle-aged office worker with health problems, and Jack, who is a young video game designer. I don't want to spoil the plot, but let's just say you end up playing as both of them. One thing that makes this game unique is that each storyline has a different tone. The tone of Paper Dolls is lighthearted and comedic. The characters react to their situation as if they were in a sitcom.

 

Domestic Affairs, on the other hand, is more like a romantic drama. You play as Meena, who is a high-level field agent working for an intelligence firm. She is trying to juggle work, her family life, and the affair she's having on the side.

 

In Stranger Danger, you play as teenager Donna, who...yeah, I don't really want to spoil this one either, so let's just say she and her friends start investigating a strange man who has been inviting visitors into his home and then making them disappear. This one is more of a sci-fi thriller. I wouldn't call it scary, but it's something along the lines of Oxenfree or Night in the Woods.

 

Now, having three separate storylines with three unique tones is something I'm totally on board with. I actually find it interesting when movies and shows do this too. And it's not a complete tonal shift -- I mean, there is drama in Paper Dolls and Stranger Danger, and there are supernatural elements in all three stories. There kinda has to be in order for the storylines to come together in the end. But what makes it a bit jarring is that the segments where you play as each character are rather short. There are six chapters, and you must play all three storylines in each chapter (in whatever order you want) before you can advance to the next chapter. This is a...bold way to design a game. There's really no reason for the developers to do this because the storylines on not dependent on each other. It's not like you're going to lose context or focus if you advance too far in any one storyline. But there's a bigger problem than that.

 

You know how when you're in school and the teacher asks you to work in a group, but the group is too big and you have to divide into smaller groups, but one group ends up with more talented people than the other two and it makes the other groups look bad? Yeah, that's Paper Dolls. I'm going to guess that anybody who plays this game is going to vastly prefer this story over the other two. It's not to say that Stranger Danger is bad. It's actually probably the most interesting one because you feel like something exciting is going to happen. The problem is you keep waiting and waiting and you get tired of being teased all the time. It's like a monster movie where you don't get to see the monster until there's ten minutes left. By that point, you're just going through the motions until you can get back to Paper Dolls.

 

Domestic Affairs IS bad. "Insufferable" is the word I want to use. Meena is insufferable, her husband and son are insufferable, the guy she is having an affair with is insufferable, and so are her coworkers. I'm not sure how anybody is supposed to enjoy this storyline. There is a bit of a neat gimmick where Meena will sometimes freeze time and "analyze" a situation -- for example, looking at a character's gaze or body language to determine if they're being truthful -- but it's hard to care about a plot when you don't care about the main character. This leads us into the second problem with the game.

 

Your choices...really don't matter. At least, I don't think so. I'm not going to play through the entire game a second time to see, but it seems the game is extremely linear. Much moreso than your standard Telltale game. The writers want Meena to be insufferable. They want Donna to be a brat to her mom and sister. You're usually given the choice between three dialogue options (sometimes the game hilariously makes all three the same, as if they're acknowledging their own shortcomings) or presumably saying nothing at all. I never chose that last option. Instead, I just accepted what I felt the character would say, not what I would say or do in that situation. It's not really a knock on the game or anything, but it does make you appreciate the work that goes into Telltale games.

 

Most of the game is dialogue. There are small sections where you have to walk a few steps or a couple screens. I don't know if this was done to break up the gameplay or to serve as padding, but some of these sections feel pointless. It doesn't help that it's not always clear which direction you're supposed to walk either. There's usually only one way -- again, the game is very linear -- but sometimes the camera angle switches between screens and it can be disorienting to figure out where you are. I almost feel the game would've been better off not having these sections at all. (The one with a song accompanying it was nice, though. Too bad it's the one section you'll probably have to play through multiple times because of the mini-game at the end. More on that later.)

 

The character models are nightmare fuel for young children. I really didn't like them. Even the main characters look like something you'd see in one of those cheap animated films trying to cash in, like Foodfight! or The Little Panda Fighter. Some of the background characters don't even have rendered faces at all. I understand not having a large budget for this game, but I feel more aesthetically-pleasing models could've been used. A lot of indie games that were made by only one or two people have a really nice art style. Again, I point to CrossCode as a game that had a very animated protagonist, despite her not being able to speak at all.

 

The voice acting is...decent, I guess. It's a bit off-putting, like the rest of the game, but it serves its purpose. I can't name any character that I particularly loved, but none that I particularly hated either.

 

I realize I'm probably making it seem like I didn't like the game, but I did. I feel like I'm critical where I need to be and in areas that I feel comfortable talking about. The low-budget aesthetics...actually make the game campy, which I feel is something the developers might have been going for. I wish there was less pop-in with the textures and that the gameplay wasn't so janky. There are some mini-games they throw at you, but they're so basic that it's almost like they shouldn't have bothered. This is where a lot of your non-story-based trophies are at. The others are from selecting the right dialogue options. Nothing is hard, except for maybe the bottle-throwing game in Donna's story. You can't miss any throws and I kept overshooting the garbage can. It's easy enough to reload the segment (or use chapter select after you beat the game), but that particular segment has a long walking scene, followed by some dialogue that you have to sit through.

 

I actually enjoyed the stories (except for Meena's -- it would've been better if the husband was having the affair), and the way they all came together was kinda neat. You're given a final choice for each character and I feel I gave all three of them an ending they deserved. I'm actually somewhat interested in going back and seeing what would've happened if I made the opposite choices. In Paper Dolls and Domestic Affairs, I feel there's only one ending that makes sense, but I could see Stranger Danger going either way.

 

Fittingly, this is probably my last platinum for the year, but we still have one more new game to start. I think it's only proper that we go out on a banger.

 

(Oh, and LOL at what I can only imagine is self-referential humor from the devs in Jack's storyline.)

Edited December 28, 2022 by Cassylvania

[AJ_Radio]

On 11/10/2022 at 3:29 PM, Cassylvania said:

Platinum #346 - Angry Video Game Nerd I & II Deluxe

 

I mean, you had to know I was going to play it...

 

Alright, so the AVGN video game is actually 2.5 games in one, if you're going to count the Tower of Torment as a separate (albeit much shorter) game. However, there isn't a huge difference between the games... In the first game, there are three unlockable characters you can play as. In the second game (and the Tower of Torment), you can only play as the Nerd, but there are permanent upgrades you can find that enhance his abilities. He also has a wall jump in the second game, which can make going back to the first game seem kinda limiting... I definitely died a few times thinking I could jump off a wall.

 

Anyway, I'm going to assume you all know who AVGN is, since this is the internet. I'm also probably going to assume you're pretty cool, since you're reading this thread, so you already know that I've been watching him for years now and definitely use him as inspiration for some of my angrier reviews. Strangely enough, this isn't going to be one of them. Yes, the game is "Nintendo hard," but you can play everything on Easy, which drastically reduces the difficulty. Since that's what I did, I can't say how much harder the game would be without it, but it's still not a cake walk. There are lots of enemies, projectiles, hazards, bottomless pits, and death blocks/lasers, which kill the Nerd in one hit. You die, die, die, die, DIE! (the trophy for dying 100 times) is right. I died over 100 times in the first game and 200 times in the second.

 

That said, the levels and the games are rather short. Both games took me under 3 hours, and the Tower of Torment only took 31 minutes. Most levels can be beaten in only a few minutes, and there are lots of checkpoints along the way. If you take your time, you shouldn't have too much of a problem. Most of the level design is there to punish you for rushing.

 

You'll get basically every trophy in the game simply by playing through every level and finding all of the collectibles. Most of the collectibles are easy to find, but some are well-hidden, and others can only be found once you have the right character or upgrade. I don't want to spoil what those characters or upgrades are, but my suggestion is just to play through each level blindly first, and then go back for the collectibles. You'll need to master every level anyway for Totally Perfect Nerd, which is the real platinum breaker here. That trophy requires beating every level and boss in the game without dying. You'll probably get a few of these without even trying, but some stages are downright dickish, which I guess is the point of the game... It's really the insta-death obstacles that you have to watch out for.

 

I'm going to agree with the guide on this one. I'd say about a 4/10 in difficulty. The game does get a bit easier once you've collected the "N-E-R-D" cartridges in every stage, as that unlocks a skin that gives you a permanent upgrade to your weapon across all games. Doesn't make the platforming any easier, but every little bit helps...

 

One of the more fun games I've played this year, so I'll recommend it -- particularly if you're into AVGN or old school games.

AVGN was literally one of the first guys to make it big on the internet in regards to video game review videos. Him and Mike Matei posted their Ghostbusters NES video on YouTube back in April of 2006. Long time ago, different era, different standards. 
 

Personally I don’t much care for the guy anymore, for reasons many long time fans can share with me. I still go back and watch the first three seasons every once in a while. 
 

He made my college days more cheerful.

[Taruta13]

3 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

I'm going to do the event too, but I'll probably throw an added challenge or wrinkle into mine. Like,

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fk8WdUTacAA0oPy?format=jpg&name=large

 

Damn, forgot that this forum rejects images from Twitter.

 

Anyways, I added a challenge which involves Shiny Pokemon. I have to catch a shiny Pokemon which has the same color as the represented game or I can't platinum the game. Yeah, that's insane but I actually caught a shiny red Pokemon(the yarnball tarantula), a shiny greenish Pokemon(Sudowoodo), a shiny pink-white flamingo, and a shiny purple-capped Foongus(mushroom Pokemon with half of its cap as a colored red). All caught on Pokemon Scarlet.

Edited December 28, 2022 by Taruta13

[Cassylvania]

The 4th Annual Best Games Played This Year But Not Necessarily Released This Year Awards (2022)

Biggest Surprise/Disappointment

 

We're going to make @DrBloodmoney proud and be scientific about this. Here's how it's going to work. I'm going to give every game I played this year a rating from 10 (best game ever) to 1 (miserable pile of shit). I'm then going to hop into a time machine, go back to the exact moment before I played each game, and ask my past self to guess where I'll rank them. The game with the biggest jump from then until now will win Biggest Surprise. The game with the biggest fall will win Biggest Disappointment.

 

Now, I obviously can't REALLY hop into a time machine. If I could, I'd never play a bad game again. Instead, I'll just have to eyeball this one, which is really what I was going to do anyway because there's no way in hell I'm going to try to assign a numerical value to every value. I can't even be bothered to do that during my reviews.

 

The important thing to keep in mind is that I'm NOT picking the best or worst games of the year. That's next. Last year, I said Spiritfarer was one of my biggest disappointments, but I still think it was a good game. I just expected a 10/10 and ended up with something closer to a 6 or 7. That gap is larger than something that fell from, say, a 6 to a 4, even though it was a worse game overall. So, this isn't necessarily a praise or a rebuke of these games. They're simply much better or worse than I was expecting.

 

Let's start with the positive one.

 

Now, there are a few games that immediately come to mind. Fittingly, they all won an award for Best Character this year. I heard Days Gone was a mediocre game. I really liked it. I thought I wouldn't like Demon Slayer because it's a fighting game. I liked it. I...thought I would really like CrossCode, I didn't at first, and then I did. I guess CrossCode could win both of these awards, but I'm only rating it pre-play to post-play, which means the game basically ended up where I expected.

 

Lost Words, Carto, and Figment are tempting. The thing with those games is...well, I knew they were special going in. I do a lot of research with my games beforehand, so it's hard to be surprised. That's especially true with shorter titles, because I feel a 5-10 hour game really needs to justify a $10+ purchase.

 

Team Sonic Racing is tempting here too. I was expecting (maybe even hoping for) an absolute disaster, but it was a competent racer. Same for Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl... It's hard NOT to give this award to that just because I was expecting a 2/10 and it ended up being...well, OK. Maybe it wasn't THAT big of a jump from where I was expecting. But I have a hard time rating those games because they're from genres that I just don't play. Even the top tier Mario Kart and Smash titles would only be a 6 or 7 on my scale, and that's just because I'm not into them. I'll still play them every Christmas with my family, but I wouldn't care if they stopped making either of those series altogether. Given the amount of time I put into those games annually (and Nintendo's refusal to ever drop their prices), they're arguably some of the lowest value games I play.

 

This one...might come as a surprise. (Isn't that the point?)

 

 Biggest Surprise

 

Yeah, so... I don't think I had any games make a huge jump from what I was expecting, but this was probably a +3 or +4. I expected something that would be a simple time waster and it was actually one of the most fun games I played this year, believe it or not. I think I've been brushing this one under the rug so much during this ceremony because it's not really a 2022 game for me. I did most of it last year, as I recall. But the game actually picks up in fun and difficulty when you've cleared the mine once and are working through some of the post-game content. It's a lot like Slay the Spire, where every run feels unique because of the large number of relics and synergies you can find along the way. Honestly, if it wasn't for Going Under being a bit of a disappointment (not enough to win the next award), I probably would've tried more roguelikes this year. I could use more games like this in my backlog.

 

When we talk about disappointments, I have a much easier time deciding.

 

Biggest Disappointment

 

This is this year's Spiritfarer. I get why it's liked. It's a disappointment to me because my expectations were so high, because I knew this had the potential to be a 10/10 game. I've heard some people call this one of the best games they've ever played. I...think that, conceptually, it's a good idea for a game. I like being able to explore. It's nice to have games that don't hold your hand the whole time. This game is essentially a puzzle that you could piece together quickly if you go to the right places at the right time, or it could be something that occupies your time for days or weeks. I don't really like games that waste my time, and I feel too much of Outer Wilds is contradictory. It's relaxed, but it's rushed. It's large, but it's small. It's deep, but it's shallow. There were no "A-ha!" moments when I solved a puzzle or realized how certain pieces of this universe fit together. Much of it was basic stuff, like...well, wait for the sand to fill in this area or wait for the ice planet to get closer to the sun. There was a lot of waiting.

 

When you die, which you'll do often, you spawn back at the same point every time. That means the first...I dunno, 2-4 minutes of every run is the same. You run to the elevator, wait to go up, run to your ship, put on your spacesuit, launch into space, and fly to your destination. Wouldn't be so bad, except that's about 10-20% of your entire run, which is a sizable portion of gameplay.

 

The trophies just add to the frustration.

 

I don't know what I'd rate this game, but it's a far cry from a 10/10 to me.

 

I know your biggest disappointment is probably seeing this game on the list.

Edited December 29, 2022 by Cassylvania

[DrBloodmoney]

[Cassylvania]

The 4th Annual Best Games Played This Year But Not Necessarily Released This Year Awards (2022)

Game of the Year

 

As the chorus of boos from the last award rain down, we'll quickly shift gears to GOTY.

 

Third place is probably the hardest award for me to give. Why? Because I essentially have to determine which two games are going to take the top spot (not necessarily the order) and every game that's not going to make the list. That's basically like having to rank every single game with this pick. No pressure or anything.

 

I'm probably not going to discuss these games too much. If it's a good game, I'm probably going to reference it a lot in this thread. If it's a bad game, even moreso. I'm also noticing it's hard to write more about a game when I've already given it a full review. Is there really much more to say about a game like, I dunno, Last Stop? Probably.

 

At any rate, let's look at some of the shittier titles this year.

 

The way I'm doing this, I simply went through all 60 games and highlighted the ones that I thought might make the list in either red (bad) or green (good). Very Christmas-y. I can tell you right now that I highlighted six games in red and eight games in green. I'm tempted to just list them all here so that you know which ones will end up getting Honorable Mentions, but that might also spoil the surprise. After all, there are a few games I highlighted that I don't think I've even mentioned in these awards up until now. It's the reason I don't have a Gameplay award -- it's essentially the same as GOTY to me.

 

So, I guess all that's left is for me to pick out the two worst games of the year from this list and then keep them a secret from you. That's...not too hard this time, actually. There are definitely two that jump out at me. The bigger decision is deciding which of the remaining games deserves the #3 spot.

 

Worst Game of the Year (3rd Place)

 

I realize I can't mention the other games without revealing their placement on my list, but this game was atrocious. I struggle to think of something nice to say about this game other than, "The story was weird enough to keep me entertained" or "I guess Chelka is a decent character." And that's partially because this game has a "2" after the title. I expect more of the same or something better when I review a sequel. Unfortunately, that's not usually the case, and that's especially disappointing here because the original wasn't all that great either. But the first game was at least something bizarre. I'll always give a game that piques my interest some credit. And the sequel did more of the same, with some really outlandish characters and dialogue. The situations that happen in this game are stomach-churning at times, which for some reason I don't mind, but so are the graphics and gameplay. That's less forgivable.

 

The color palette is putrid. I think I mentioned that in my review. The characters are bad or cringeworthy. Voice acting ranges from mildly entertaining to where's-the-mute-button, with the majority of characters skewing towards the latter end of the spectrum. Combat is tedious and boring. Everything is copypasta, including the level design and enemy models. You've seen just about everything this game has to offer in the first few hours, but it drags on for another 40+. And unlike the original, where I felt the relationship between Metallia and the Hundred Knight carried the game, the central cast just isn't good enough.

 

I'm putting this game here because everything below it at least has some redeeming factors. Chelka is probably the only reason this isn't claiming the #1 spot.

 

Best Game of the Year (3rd Place)

 

Way back in January, I started playing this and I said to myself, "I really hope I don't forget this when I do my GOTY awards." I did not. This was easily one of my favorite games in 2022 and might have even taken the #2 spot if I had played it a little more recently. I think there's a good argument that January games get even more screwed over than December games when it comes to these awards.

 

Obviously, I love Metroidvanias. It's kinda in my name. But this game is up there with Hollow Knight to me, in terms of presentation, combat, and exploration. When my biggest complaint about a game is its subtitle, you know I've stumbled upon something good.

 

Strongly, strongly recommend this game if it's still in your backlog. I wish the PSNP guide didn't list this as a 7/10 difficulty because I know that's going to put some people off. It's not that hard. It's challenging, but I actually found Going Under and UnderMine to be harder games overall. Just a really great game and unfortunately one that I don't think has gotten enough coverage from me and the rest of the gaming community. I can't speak for everybody else, but I can do my part in making sure it doesn't get ignored any longer in these awards.

 

This game deserves a sequel much more than TWatHK...

Edited December 29, 2022 by Cassylvania

[Darling Baphomet]

On 12/27/2022 at 5:18 PM, Cassylvania said:

Between the two, I preferred Toem. It was easier on the eyes, performed better, and had an awesome soundtrack. Chicory was a bit of a letdown by comparison.

 

Yeah, I think Toem made a smart choice in focusing on a tight, focused game experience. It's not a super high budget game and it certainly doesn't have tons of content, but what is there is fantastic and very polished. It's probably one of the best games I've played this year, in fact - while it would easily lose out to most other games in terms of content, or meaningful story, it's just... a perfect, bite sized adventure that didn't leave me with anything to complain about.

 

I'll have to bump up the Last Stop on my list based on your placement of it. It's also interesting you didn't like the Outer Wilds that much - I guess I'm pretty good at managing my expectations since I rarely hype games up too much, but I thought the Outer Wilds was one of the best games I've ever played.

[Cassylvania]

13 hours ago, Darling Baphomet said:

I'll have to bump up the Last Stop on my list based on your placement of it. It's also interesting you didn't like the Outer Wilds that much - I guess I'm pretty good at managing my expectations since I rarely hype games up too much, but I thought the Outer Wilds was one of the best games I've ever played.

 

I can see why people would like Outer Wilds. It's probably one of the better games I played this year. I just expected it to top the list and it probably ended up being somewhere in the top 20 or 25. Inevitably, Biggest Disappointment will almost always go to some game that a lot of people would rank 10/10, as it's not like I'm going to go out of my way to play a game that I think will be average or subpar.

 

I can only imagine what people would think if I gave that award to Ys VIII...

 

The 4th Annual Best Games Played This Year But Not Necessarily Released This Year Awards (2022)

Game of the Year

 

Well, today's entries should be a lot easier. I already know my top two picks for GOTY. I just have to decide which one I like (and hate) more.

 

Worst Game of the Year (2nd Place)

 

There are some games that fill me with rage. No, not when I play them. When I think about them. There is no reason for this game to exist. It essentially plays like a mobile game, where every level has three difficulties. How do you play? You go through every level on the easiest difficulty until your ships are outmatched, then go back to the first level and play through every level on medium difficulty until your ships are outmatched, and then you either go back to where you left off on the easiest difficulty or you go back to the first level and play through every level on hard. There is nothing "tactical" about this game (but there is something "steaming"). It's a bare bones grid, where you and your opponent take turns firing at each other until one side loses all their ships. But the battle is pretty much decided before you even begin. Either you have enough upgrades to win or you're going to have to go back and grind for money or find an easier level. Combine this with a boring story, static dialogue, and forgettable characters (OK, the dog is kinda cute) and you have one of the most unappealing games I played this year.

 

At least TWatHK was quirky.

 

Best Game of the Year (2nd Place)

 

Finally, a game worthy of a sequel. LN2 was every bit as good as the first, which also won second place in my GOTY for 2019. (I actually had to go back and check because I thought for sure it won first. Forgot that was the same year I played King's Quest.)

 

Anyway, it looks great, the atmosphere is amazing, and hey, the characters don't have any spoken dialogue. Strange how they're still able to tell a compelling story.

 

One of the biggest improvements of this game over the original was the trophy list. Not only is there a platinum this time (which I made my 300th milestone), but you don't have to worry about a no death speedrun. Not sure why that existed in the first place...

 

I don't know what else to say. I'm a simple person. I know what I like. There's just one game I liked a little more...

[DrBloodmoney]

1 hour ago, Cassylvania said:

 

I can see why people would like Outer Wilds. It's probably one of the better games I played this year. I just expected it to top the list and it probably ended up being somewhere in the top 20 or 25. Inevitably, Biggest Disappointment will almost always go to some game that a lot of people would rank 10/10, as it's not like I'm going to go out of my way to play a game that I think will be average or subpar.

 

So.... while I can't endorse Outer Wilds as a disappointment, I will say this...

...I might kind of know what you mean - or at least, where that disappointment might comes from?

 

 

I might be way off - so forgive me if you think this is bollocks! - but...

 

...So, I do think Outer Wilds is one of the best experiences ever made in the video game medium.

 

I also think it's an odd one to judge though, when stacked against other games - because as much as I think it's a phenomenal piece of work, an important furthering of the medium, and just a blisteringly original and awesome thing... and that it's an experience that could only work as a videogame... the reasons it is phenomenal are not necessarily because of any of the traditional elements of videogames.

 

It is - IMO - a phenomenal puzzle, an incredible mystery, an epic novel, a soulful movie, and a brilliant interactive fiction...

...all wrapped in a good videogame, not necessarily a great one...  at least, if judged by the traditional metrics of videogames.

 

I was moved by the game constantly - and more so by the ending than I have by virtually any other game - but the way in which I was moved, and the reasons for it, weren't because the game excelled at being a traditional game - it's because it did things with the medium that were novel and interesting and told it's unique story and vision, and happened to use videogame tropes to do so.

 

So I can totally imagine a world where someone gets told "This is one of the best games ever!!1!!" - then plays it expecting a perfect example of a traditional game, and to feel it on the same terms as a traditional game, and be disappointed...

...because all the ways in which I think it does eclipse most other videogames, are on terms that are different than the ones most of those other games are even trying to excel within.

 

The feeling I got when finishing Outer Wilds, was far, far closer to the feelings I've had when closing an amazing book that has changed my perspective, or touched me in a unique or interesting way, than the feelings I usually get when seeing credits on a blisteringly good game.

 

The feeling of beating Elden Ring, (a game I also adore,) for example, was nothing like the feeling of seeing the end of Outer Wilds. They are both great feelings, and both capped experiences I value greatly, but they aren't the same. If I'm honest, they weren't even really similar.

 

 

I sometimes wonder if there should almost be a new category games upon which certain games are ranked - something like "best novel use of the medium" or something. 

It's something where games like Outer Wilds, or IMO The Witness, or even maybe Life is Strange, or Inscryption would live - games where the game is good, but the thing that sets them apart isn't that they are amazing examples of the established ideals of videogames, but rather, than are demonstrating new avenues of experience that only videogames can do... but that are not beholden, or applicably judged against, the existing standards upon which they are built.

 

 

Sorry - that went long ? - just was thinking about it, and figured your nice write ups and awards deserved more than a glib gif! ?

 

[Rally-Vincent---]

The weird thing is - Cassy and me have 46 games in common (disregarding any that might not be listed due to EU/NA having seperate trophy lists), so about 20% of my games, and yet I hardly think "we have the same taste in games". Not to mention that from this year's list (4), most of them got the thumbs down.

[Cassylvania]

18 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said:

I sometimes wonder if there should almost be a new category games upon which certain games are ranked - something like "best novel use of the medium" or something. 

It's something where games like Outer Wilds, or IMO The Witness, or even maybe Life is Strange, or Inscryption would live - games where the game is good, but the thing that sets them apart isn't that they are amazing examples of the established ideals of videogames, but rather, than are demonstrating new avenues of experience that only videogames can do... but that are not beholden, or applicably judged against, the existing standards upon which they are built.

 

Everything you said is a fair point. And I find it interesting you mentioned those games in particular because The Witness at least was one that I kept wanting to compare to Outer Wilds, and its the pretentious nature of those games (and Life is Strange) that kept me from liking them as much as I probably should. I'm not sure why I consider The Witness to be a good game, when I spent most of it being frustrated and feeling like the game was mocking me the entire time. I'm not sure why I like Life is Strange either, when the characters and situations would normally make me rage. If anything, I would think I'd put Outer Wilds over BOTH of those games, as it was the least insulting and the most enjoyable to explore. It's very likely a timing thing, where I was more forgiving or had different tastes five or six years ago. Probably one of the reasons I've been avoiding LiS2.

 

You also have to understand that I'm just not into space exploration or sci-fi in general.

 

16 minutes ago, Rally-Vincent--- said:

The weird thing is - Cassy and me have 46 games in common (disregarding any that might not be listed due to EU/NA having seperate trophy lists), so about 20% of my games, and yet I hardly think "we have the same taste in games". Not to mention that from this year's list (4), most of them got the thumbs down.

 

I don't think anybody has the same tastes as me. I mean, my two favorite genres are hardcore strategy and cozy sims. That doesn't even make sense. In a weird way, though, I find comfort in strategy games and try to min/max my profits in cozy games. That's probably why I gravitate towards the Atelier series so much. I like that a game can be both relaxing and stressful at the same time.

 

That's why I expected Outer Wilds to be something amazing. And it was good. It just wasn't for me.

 

As for...well, I don't know what other games you're referring to, but I assume it's an action RPG... I'm probably harsher on those games than I should be just because I've played so many. You'll notice I've barely mentioned any of the platformers during my awards (e.g. Kaze, Bloodstained: CotM 2, SpongeBob, Marsupilami), despite that being another top genre for me. In fact, I insulted the only strategy games I played this year (Steam Tactics, Othercide, Tactics Ogre: Reborn) and had very few positive things to say about the cozy games (Story of Seasons: FotM, Ryza 2, Sophie 2), outside of my reviews. The main reason for this is not that I didn't like the games, but because I'll always judge a game more harshly when I'm more familiar with the genre.

 

I realize how you'd probably get a skewed view of my interests.

[Cassylvania]

The 4th Annual Best Games Played This Year But Not Necessarily Released This Year Awards (2022)

Game of the Year

 

As we bid farewell to 2022, let's take one final look back at the best and worst this year had to offer. Starting, of course, with the trashiest of all trash.

 

Worst Game of the Year (1st Place)

 

I've said before that the worst thing a game can be is boring. Well, if that was true, Steam Tactics would've earned this spot. Last year, I said the worst thing a game can be is nauseating, which is why Deiland clinched it. How about a game that's boring, nauseating, AND makes your fingers hurt? This R2 button simulator is the whole package. Some of its badness is intentional -- after all, it's supposed to be a homage to terrible monster movies -- but it does little to make itself stand out. I felt like I was playing a tech demo because you can "experience" most of the game within the first couple of hours. The rest is swimming around and doing the same thing over and over (mostly eating other fish to stay alive). The collectibles are tedious, the combat is atrocious, and the narrator really got on my nerves after a while. I guess the graphics were OK and the controls were decent for an underwater game, but it doesn't save this from being a slog to play through. Even the story, which I kinda liked because of how cheesy it was, didn't hold up until the end. This was basically a movie that I wanted to shut off midway through, but I couldn't because I'm a completionist, yadda yadda.

 

I know you were expecting me to take one last shot at Erica here, but at least the first playthrough of her game was fine. It's not her fault the developers decided to make you play through the game six times. Playing through any game six times can't be healthy. She still gets a dishonorable mention.

 

Dishonorable mentions: Bubsy: Paws on Fire, Erica, N.E.R.O

 

Best Game of the Year (1st Place)

 

I said yesterday that my tastes are a bit of a contradiction. Well, so it is this game. How can you take something cute and make it twisted? CotL is one part rogue-like and one part life sim, most similar to Animal Crossing. The rogue-like elements are fun and probably what most people are going to praise, but I really liked the base-building and strategy. It never felt overly complicated. Being able to name your followers (either after your friends or famous politicians, like I did) and give them commands, such as farming, gathering resources, or worshipping you is a wet dream of mine. Having to balance that with feeding them and providing them a safe haven is a fair compromise. Just an extremely fun experience overall that was unfortunately plagued early on by bugs on release day. It got to the point where I actually let the game sit for a few weeks until the developers released a patch. Still didn't affect its ranking.

 

Are you surprised that none of my top 3 games won a single other award this year? I kinda am. I mean, I knew CotL was going to take the #1 spot the whole time (you probably did too), but I couldn't find anywhere else to plug it in. Just goes to show you once again that I think gameplay is king.

 

Check out my honorable mentions below, and I'll see you all in 2023.

 

Honorable mentions: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2, Creaks, CrossCode, Figment, Lost Words: Beyond the Page

Edited December 31, 2022 by Cassylvania

[Taruta13]

On 12/28/2022 at 9:29 PM, Cassylvania said:

I know your biggest disappointment is probably seeing this game on the list.

Nah, I am not interested in that game. A nice solid review.

 

For me, the biggest surprise was Dark Cloud 2. I thought I'd hate it because of all the medals but it turned out that only a few medals were hard to get, mainly the ones involving using items to kill monsters as you don't get to buy elemental stones and even the strongest bombs do chip damage to enemies in the final dungeon. But after learning a trick involving one monster transformation's explosion technique being counted as an item, I could knock out all of the early item only challenges with exploding my bomb monster and save my bombs and stones for the final dungeons as you tend to need them as the monsters there are HP sponges. The last trophy, surprisingly, was Finny Frenzy, the fish race, as my fish had to get to 90 in all of its important stats which took forever because you can only feed a fish every five minutes. The game is an ancient relic, but it's fun if you like action RPGs. Just be prepared to grind for 100% Medals.

 

The biggest disappointment I had, for myself, was deciding to add Sakura Succubus VI to the cabinet. I did it for Platinum #69 because of an immature meme and I regret it as I had to do two versions because it had a stack. That's the only turd stain on my account.

 

Oh wait, what game did I set my expectations too high for? (thinks) Namely Persona 5 Royal for the PS5. I was expecting something more but realized that they wouldn't change the formula. The disappointment was them adding in the DLC for free. The very first time I played this game, I didn't use Izanagi-no-Ohmygawd to cheese fights and I enjoyed building an Alice and Cait Sith with max stats to do massive physical and magical damage and spanning Die For Me on mobs. I am going to be scared to play Persona 3 Portable when it gets trophy support because that game is hardcore. I played 100% social links on it and that took forever.

 

Thankfully, I am not ever going to reset my account so I am finally through playing Persona 5 Royal forever. Let it rest, please.

[Taruta13]

On 12/30/2022 at 10:24 AM, Cassylvania said:

I consider The Witness to be a good game, when I spent most of it being frustrated and feeling like the game was mocking me the entire time. I'm not sure why I like Life is Strange either, when the characters and situations would normally make me rage.

Having played both of these games in older accounts, I understand fully. I failed to platinum The Witness because I couldn't complete the final challenge. It's not a bad challenge, but it's a timed one and I don't like being timed when solving random puzzles. I'm just not fast enough to solve 20 line-drawing puzzles in only 5 minutes(the time that both songs on the reel play). As for Life is Strange, I did platinum that game on an older account, but I will never play it again after what I experienced in the unskippable cutscenes. It's not hard at all, but I felt so miserable and my heart broke seeing what Max had to go through(I chose the first ending because I could not in good conscience do the other ending, which is why I hate all games like this, like Detroit Become Human) really hurt my soul. I can't go through that again, especially now that I am middle-aged and my life is spiraling into the twilight years.

 

I do not hate those games, but I can't honestly touch them again. Those games are not for me, and that's okay.

1 hour ago, Cassylvania said:

Playing through any game six times can't be healthy.

Yeah, which is why Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories for the PLAYSTATION 3 is an ultra rare platinum and I never intend to play it again. You have to play the same stories on all three difficulties, three of Sora's Story and three of Reverse/Rebirth(aka Riku's Story). I don't know why they didn't stack them in the first place instead of having it stack in the PS4 version. ?

[Cassylvania]

On 12/31/2022 at 0:33 PM, Taruta13 said:

Having played both of these games in older accounts, I understand fully. I failed to platinum The Witness because I couldn't complete the final challenge. It's not a bad challenge, but it's a timed one and I don't like being timed when solving random puzzles. I'm just not fast enough to solve 20 line-drawing puzzles in only 5 minutes(the time that both songs on the reel play). As for Life is Strange, I did platinum that game on an older account, but I will never play it again after what I experienced in the unskippable cutscenes. It's not hard at all, but I felt so miserable and my heart broke seeing what Max had to go through(I chose the first ending because I could not in good conscience do the other ending, which is why I hate all games like this, like Detroit Become Human) really hurt my soul. I can't go through that again, especially now that I am middle-aged and my life is spiraling into the twilight years.

 

Well, that's a cheery thought. One of my biggest concerns of gaming is knowing someday I'm going to be physically unable to play. I've always wondered when and where it'll start. Will it be the action games? RPGs? Will my mind go first and I'll no longer be able to solve puzzle games? Or will I just simply lose my patience with old age?

 

My one comfort is knowing that I'll always find happiness in cozy games, which should be accessible for as long as I'm able to hold a controller.

 

Let's...discuss something a bit more uplifting. How about a plat review?

 

Platinum #355 - Lost in Random

 

A little birdie told me this was the "Cassiest game to ever Cass," so I had to try it out.

 

Picking up on the theme from last year, Lost in Random has you on a mission to save your sister. You play as nine-year-old Even, and your sister's name is... *sigh* Odd. You can probably already tell what kind of game this is going to be. Anyway, straight from the pages of The Hunger Games or The Lottery, you're born into a world that fuckin' hates you. On your twelfth birthday, a dice (I know it's technically called a "die" because it's singular, but this game uses the plural version and I will too because it sounds better) is rolled and that determines where you will live out the rest of your days. The scum of the world live in Onecroft, while the lucky few get to live in Sixtopia with the Queen, who is the keeper of the dice. The other lands are Two-Town, Threedom, Fourburg, and Fivetropolis.

 

Naturally, you're the scum of the world. On your sister's twelfth birthday, she rolls a six and is taken away by the Queen. This whole lottery system really seems to like taking children away from their families. As you probably expect, you begin the game in Onecroft and progress through the world numerically to rescue Odd.

 

I actually like the story. I'm not sure how original it is, but it has a very Alice in Wonderland feel, with every character being wacky and every land more or less represented by their number. For example, most of the characters in Two-Town have split personalities, there are three siblings at war in Threedom, etc. From a lore perspective, I'm not sure how much this makes sense, but I guess it works as a fever dream. You also have the character of the Narrator, who...well, narrates your adventure...and Dicey, who serves as your mostly silent (?) companion throughout your journey. (Yeah, I don't really get this part. They make it clear that Dicey can't speak English, but Even is somehow able to understand him. This creates a weird disassociation for the player because it's like you're only privy to one side of a conversation. Cute when it's something simple like, "You're right, Dicey! We have to keep going," but jarring when Dicey reveals some deeper truth about the world.)

 

Unfortunately, this is where the positive things I can say about the game end. Let's discuss the actual gameplay.

 

The majority of the game is somewhat similar. You go to each land, complete side quests for the townspeople if you want, and basically just try to advance the plot. Along the way, you will have to fight waves of enemies. The combat system is a mixed bag. Even has a slingshot with unlimited ammo, but it doesn't do any damage. Instead, enemies have blue crystals that you shoot, which drop gems, which you can collect to be able to draw cards from your deck. You can draw up to a maximum of five cards. In order to play a card, you have to roll Dicey, which determines how determines how many cards you can play. Each card has a play value, so sometimes you can play all your cards, while other times you have to be selective.

 

I realize that's confusing, so let me explain how it works in practice. You have five cards in your hand. Let's say the point values are 0, 0, 1, 1, and 2. Early in the game, Dicey only has a few pips, so you might not be able to roll a number above a 2. If you roll a 2, you can play either your 2-value card (and both 0-value) or both 1-value cards (and both 0-value). You don't have to play every card and you do have the option of holding a card or two if you want to save it for a later hand. Once you go through the whole deck, they're shuffled again anyway, so it's not like you're ever going to run out of attacks.

 

Now, there are different types of cards too. Some cards do damage directly, while others put hazards on the field, increase your defense, or restore your health. You can have up to 15 cards in your deck and there are a lot more than that in the game, so there's some customization there. But you're probably already seeing what the problem is. It's RNG, which is admittedly what the game is going for, but also one of the worst game mechanics out there. There's RNG in what cards you're going to draw and RNG on what number you're going to roll. If you roll a low number or get a bad hand of cards, you basically just wasted your time and have to keep hitting enemies with your damageless slingshot to get another chance. This leads to some really tedious combat sections, where it can take upwards of five minutes to clear just a few enemies. Time freezes while you're selecting which cards to play, so I guess that helps if you want to reposition Even or selectively place hazards.

 

Of course, there are ways to increase the odds in your favor. One would be to put better cards in your deck. Lance of Four was my favorite, but the bow is nice too. The other is to switch the difficulty to Easy. I suggest the latter because it'll save you time in the long run. It's not like the game is all that hard anyway. Controls are kinda janky.

 

There isn't much more to the gameplay. There's no platforming or puzzles to solve. I guess there are technically puzzles, but it's about as complex as standing on a switch and telling Dicey to stand on another switch so you can open a door. Keep your eye out for collectibles, though, because there's no chapter select and the game plays a cruel trick on you by making later sections of the game turn linear all of the sudden. I fortunately made a backup save before Fivetropolis, but I could've had to do a full second playthrough because I missed something.

 

I guess the last two things I need to talk about are the graphics and voice acting. VA is fine, I guess. Even is good, the Narrator is really good, and most of the side characters are decent enough. The graphics, though... Maybe it's an acquired taste, but everything looks dirty and ugly. This makes sense in Onecroft, since...you know, it's supposed to be like the sewers of society...but I didn't notice much of a change as you advance towards the higher class areas (with the exception of Sixtopia, that was at least different). This makes it less appealing to look at than something like, say, Alice: Madness Returns, which had unique areas and level design. 

 

I want to like this game because it has some interesting ideas and the world-building is there. There's surprisingly good writing and a fair amount of memorable characters. You can tell this was a passion project, which makes me want to give it the benefit of the doubt, but I can't get over some of the fundamental gameplay flaws. Maybe a larger studio could've done more with it.

Edited January 4, 2023 by Cassylvania

[Taruta13]

Oh, that dice rolling game? I didn't know much about that other than what the trailer gave, but it seems that this is a very painful game to play if you hate RNG. Me, my life is basically a randomizer.

 

Anyways, I see you are doing Switch Force. After playing the collab in the Shantae Half-Genie Hero DLC, I can say that the mechanics are an acquired taste and lots of reflex mastery. I wish you luck.

[Cassylvania]

On 1/4/2023 at 9:55 PM, Taruta13 said:

Oh, that dice rolling game? I didn't know much about that other than what the trailer gave, but it seems that this is a very painful game to play if you hate RNG. Me, my life is basically a randomizer.

 

Eh, the RNG isn't that bad. You can add cards that, for example, increase your dice roll, lower the cost of all cards in your hand, or allow you to draw another card. You can also use multiples of the same card, so you're very likely to end up having and being able to use the card you want on each roll. The annoying thing is collecting enough gems to be able to roll, because you can't do any damage during that time unless you have a card in effect. All the cards vanish after a set amount of time or usage. Probably should've mentioned that in the review.

 

On 1/4/2023 at 9:55 PM, Taruta13 said:

Anyways, I see you are doing Switch Force. After playing the collab in the Shantae Half-Genie Hero DLC, I can say that the mechanics are an acquired taste and lots of reflex mastery. I wish you luck.

 

 

I think we found the type of game that I'll be unable to play physically first...

 

Oh, well. I was able to get all the trophies on the first game in the collection.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Cassylvania

[Cassylvania]

So, I've been thinking about what "theme" I want to do this year. Last year, I decided to start a new game every week. (I actually ended up doing two a few times, and even got a couple three game weeks in there.) I thought maybe I could try the reverse and finish one game every week, but that's really not much different...and somehow feels more stressful.

 

Then I got to thinking about what I regretted most about 2022. It's really the lack of games in my favorite genres. I played...one farming game? One survival? A couple rogue-likes, a couple Metroidvanias... I got a lot of action games and puzzle games in there, but overall it was kinda disappointing.

 

For 2023, I think I'm going to try to complete the collection of "games like games I like". What I'll do is pick a few games that I really like and try to complete a handful of games that are very similar. I originally thought maybe I'd do a genre theme, but it's hard sometimes to draw a line. I'm playing Tropico 6 right now and it's like...is this a strategy game or a sim? I'm going to put it under sim in the OP because that's where the previous game in the series went, but it certainly feels more like a strategy game than something like Story of Seasons. Similarly, Slay the Spire is obviously one of my favorite games ever, but is it a strategy game or a rogue-like? Is Cult of the Lamb a rogue-like or a sim? Is Shantae an action platformer or a Metroidvania? Is Erica even a game? These are the questions that keep me up at night.

 

At any rate, I definitely want to delve back into farming games, survival games, and Metroidvanias. We could do some Souls-likes and rogue-likes, but they tend to be longer and more difficult. Beyond that... I'm not really sure. Puzzle games, platformers, and RPGs are a dime a dozen. I don't really need to "get back in" to those. And tactical, turn-based games... I mean, I'm always willing to give those games a shot, but I'd be lying if I said I was looking forward to any of them. I've been very disappointed by the ones that try to copy the XCOM formula.

 

I'm willing to play a few bad games this year, but I'd like to limit it to those genres. (The first three anyway.) I'd like to be the first person to play every farming game and survival game on the console. It's a bit depressing to think I've probably already played most of the good ones, but maybe there's another hidden gem or two out there.

 

So, this would be the time of the year to throw your suggestions into the ring. I know nobody plays farming games except me, so I don't expect any suggestions there. For survival games, I have: Aground, Ark: Survival Evolved (should I bother?), Don't Starve Together, Green Hell, Stranded Sails, Subnautica: Below Zero, and Windbound already bought and downloaded. There are also some deck-builder games I was looking at, like Neoverse, Nowhere Prophet, and One Step From Eden. And...well, Ryza 3 comes out next month, but I thought we'd give Blue Reflection a go. There's probably something I'd like in there.

 

Anyway, that's what you have to look forward to in this thread in 2023! Back to nature. Ha... ha, ha...

[HelixNebula_x]

3 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

At any rate, I definitely want to delve back into farming games, survival games, and Metroidvanias. We could do some Souls-likes and rogue-likes, but they tend to be longer and more difficult. Beyond that... I'm not really sure. Puzzle games, platformers, and RPGs are a dime a dozen. I don't really need to "get back in" to those. And tactical, turn-based games... I mean, I'm always willing to give those games a shot, but I'd be lying if I said I was looking forward to any of them. I've been very disappointed by the ones that try to copy the XCOM formula.

 

Re: The XCOM formula, I just started Marvel's Midnight Suns the other day which is by Firaxis, and I've been really enjoying it so far. It's kind of a mix between a deck builder and turn-based tactics, as well as having friendship / team building mechanics between the missions so it might be up your street. I think a lot of it comes down to whether you like Marvel or not though sadly.

[Taruta13]

On 1/12/2023 at 1:26 AM, Cassylvania said:

Is Shantae an action platformer or a Metroidvania?

 

Depends on the game. Risky's Revenge and Seven Sirens are definitely Metroidvanias because the action is all one major open world with several isolated dungeons, but Pirate's Curse and Half-Genie Hero are action-platformers with Scuttle Town as the hub and each island or area as its own platforming level. This is what makes genre such a lost cause - many game franchises dip their fingers in many soups. For example, the most popular franchise of all, Pokemon, has dipped into way too many pots: The main games are strictly RPG... except for Scarlet and Violet which is open-world. But that takes from Legends: Arceus which is something akin to Metal Gear Solid with stealth and action, and then there is the Mystery Dungeon series which is a rogue-like, Trozei which is a puzzle game, the Pokemon Snap which are G-rated rail shooters, etc, etc, ad nauseum.

 

Some games are hybrids: Many games like Borderlands are adding RPG elements into their games and there is always the big debate about what the (bleep) The Legend of Zelda series is. The first game was top-down adventure as was Link to the Past, but Zelda II had RPG elements... and so on.

 

The moral of the story: Examine the game's majority of elements and base genre on that. Even though Borderlands has RPG elements in it, I'd classify is as an FPS because that's what the majority of its mechanics are.

 

If you're looking for card games, I would recommend Inscryption unless you played it and I didn't check. I saw someone speed run that game and it looked very creepy. It's basically like Heartstone in a way.

Edited January 17, 2023 by Taruta13

[Cassylvania]

On 1/12/2023 at 5:37 AM, HelixNebula_x said:

Re: The XCOM formula, I just started Marvel's Midnight Suns the other day which is by Firaxis, and I've been really enjoying it so far. It's kind of a mix between a deck builder and turn-based tactics, as well as having friendship / team building mechanics between the missions so it might be up your street. I think a lot of it comes down to whether you like Marvel or not though sadly.

 

Looks pretty good. I'm going to wait for a sale, but I'll play it.

 

On 1/17/2023 at 10:33 AM, Taruta13 said:

If you're looking for card games, I would recommend Inscryption unless you played it and I didn't check. I saw someone speed run that game and it looked very creepy. It's basically like Heartstone in a way.

 

People keep suggesting that game to me... Guess I'll have to add it too.

 

Anyway, my streak of starting a new game every week died last Sunday, alongside the Vikings' season. That didn't stop me from starting -- and finishing -- something new this week.

 

Platinum #356 - Hundred Days: Winemaking Simulator

 

I know it sounds like a survival game, but it's actually a relaxing card game about wine-making. Probably the only one ever made.

 

There isn't much to this game. That's the problem about reviewing these obscure titles. I'd have to explain the mechanics of the game, but I have the platinum and I'm not even entirely sure I understand them. I'll do my best, though.

 

So, the entire game takes place on a small grid. Each day (or turn), you receive cards that fit like Tetris pieces on that grid. You can play as many or as few cards as you want, so long as there is room on the grid. When you're ready, you can manually end the day (or turn) and repeat the process. This is apparently how wine is made. Now, of course, it's much more complicated than that. There's a whole process that wine has to go through. There's planting, trimming, harvesting, crushing, fermenting, pressing, aging, and so on. Each of these activities is represented by a card and takes a certain number of days. Each month has five days and there are four seasons. This COULD be extremely complicated, but fortunately the game only gives you the cards that are valid to play each day, so it's not like you have to shuffle through a whole deck or keep a notebook by your side. You're also not timed and the music is relaxing, so you never feel rushed. The real strategy here is figuring out what upgrades you want and when you want to purchase them, because it's pretty easy to fall into the hole early on and be unable to progress.

 

There are lots of branching upgrades in this game. You have three buildings on your vineyard that each serve a purpose: a winery, tool shed, and warehouse. The winery is where you keep your tanks, presses, barrels, and machines. You can buy multiple of these (probably necessary if you're going to grow multiple crops) or upgrade to better ones. The tool shed is where you keep your tractors, trailers, and workshops. A tractor, for example, will speed up the time it takes to harvest, but it might also break down and need repaired. That repair also takes the place of a card. The warehouse is where you keep your wine. You can also open various stores, such as a shop for automating your sales (very useful), a tasting room, guided tour, etc. Each of these does something, but they also cost a certain amount of upkeep per turn. Each of these buildings also has their own grid, so you'll need to upgrade them if you want to make more room.

 

There's also a branching tech tree, where you can increase the size of your vineyard or unlock new things for your buildings or abilities, such as new grape varieties or ways to prune your crops.

 

So, if it's not obvious, this is an economy-based game. You make wine to sell wine to make money to make more wine. I don't have any real tips other than to start slow. Focus on making a single good wine, build an economy based on that, and then gradually work towards your upgrades. I was rarely making more than two wines at a time because there just isn't enough space on the board. I also didn't bother with some of the more advanced stuff on the tech tree, such as employees or terracing. They're probably useful. I found a couple board increases, an aging barrel, and a few shop upgrades were enough to complete the entire game.

 

Now, there are three parts to the game. There's the Story Mode, Challenge Mode, and Endless Mode (which you'll be doing for trophy cleanup). The Story Mode is...um, well... I beat it in a single sitting. It's basically a 3 hour tutorial. You play as a girl named Emma (never shown on screen) who gives up her boring office job to work on what I'm going to assume is her grandfather's vineyard. That's usually the plot of these games. Anyway, that's where you want to start because the game will explain basically everything you need to know. The writing, for as little as there is, actually isn't bad. I didn't care about any of the characters, but I also read all the dialogue, so that's something.

 

The bulk of the game -- and the platinum-breaker, if there is one -- is Challenge Mode. You need to complete six challenges and some of the later ones are tricky, until you figure out a way to break the economy. For me, again, it was usually about building a steady income first and then slowly expanding. Your basic Barbera and Chardonney wines are enough to be profitable. In the event you need to make a high-quality something else, I found it best to build up those two first and then purchase a new terroir (or uproot one of the existing ones) once you have the money to spare.

 

But you'll figure out the mechanics if you play. What you want to know is if this is a good game.

 

It's OK. I don't think it's a difficult game. Once you know what you're doing, you'll always succeed, even if RNG tries to screw you over. My biggest complaint is the UI and controls. They seem to be at war with each other constantly. You can tell this was meant to be a mobile game because the controller will simply refuse to obey some of your commands. There are certain menus where I couldn't get the screen to scroll, which tells me they didn't even playtest this game on console. There are also some screen glitches and, oh yeah, my Story Mode campaign save got corrupted. Not a big deal since I had already finished it, but I expect better from a game this simplistic. (It doesn't help that the game is already too menu-heavy.)

 

Can't recommend this one unless the devs patch their game, but I'd like to see more games that focus on a single aspect of farming. Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin did a fantastic job of showcasing the entire process that goes into making rice, in addition to being a quality title. This game did the first part very well, I thought -- I don't know, I'm not a wine connoisseur -- but didn't do enough to qualify as a "game" to me.

 

I'm going to need something stronger than wine when I watch the Vikings next season.

Edited January 24, 2023 by Cassylvania

[Taruta13]

What the hell is the duck doing as a platinum icon for a game about wine-making?

 

As for me, not to toot my horn but I finally platinumed LEGO Star Wars The Skywalker Saga... for the PS5. I platted the PS4 version a week ago and it two over two months from start to finish. I did the PS5 version a bit different, getting all of the free play exploriation as I could between chapters, which let me get the best upgrades for every role before six movies(I did them this time in the order of the movie releases, with the original trilogy first, than the prequel triad and finally the last three movies.) I think i was just playing those titles to delay the inevitable cleanup of all the RPGs I have to platinum this year, including a Kingdom Hearts title.

[Rally-Vincent---]

15 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

People keep suggesting that game to me... Guess I'll have to add it too.

 

I'd prefer this over Nowhere Prophet. Nowhere Prophet was all right, Inscryption an experience.