Kill Your Completion 11

[MarkusT1992]

Game #4: Deponia

 

 

I watched a Let's Play of this game when it first released, so it isn't really a new game for me but I forgot most of the stuff so it feels new.

Deponia was developed by Daedalic and got three sequels where the 4th game was made because the people didn't like the end of the 3rd.

 

Deponia is a point and click adventure game. You play as Rufus, a man living in Kuvaq on the planet Deponia. Rufus wants to leave Deponia and go to Elysium. The first thing you do in the game is to prepare everything for your depature. Therefor you collect a lot of items, combine them in your inventory and use them on various object lying around the world. After getting everything done you are ready to leave once and for all. You just need to adjust your canon to hit a ship from the Organnon.

Of yourse everything works and Rufus reaches Elysium, not! At least you are on bord of the ship but only to cause a girl from Elysium to fall off and getting caught to also fall off again.

Back on Deponia you collect many more things while trying to wake up Goal, the elysian girl. Therefor you need to brew an espresso. After doing that Goal wakes up just to punch Rufus in the face before falling unconscious again. And thats where I am right now.

 

Gameplay is like all Point and Click adventures. On the PS4 you can walk using the left stick but I mostly just use the curser to sellect what I want and press to get there. This being a PC game originally I had some problems with the controls. The curser selects whatever is nearest to Rufus, which leads to selecting the wrong things sometimes.

To progress the story you have to solve puzzles to get the items you need. Therefor you have to figure out which items in your inventory can be used on the various objects in the world. Then you have to talk to the different people in Kuvaq to get information or new items to use. At some points you have to play a minigame.

 

Time played: I don't know. maybe 2-3 hours.

Trophies: 5/19

Rating:

[MidnightDragon]

Earned another trophy today. Want my stats to be reflected accurately before I start Mad Dash finally.

 

Updated stats

Games Played: 123

Games Completed: 96

Trophies Earned: 2675

Unearned Trophies: 775

Completion Percentage: 80.16% (-1.44%)

[DamagingRob]

Game #5, Day 1- Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault

 

After some good old procrastinating, I finally started this. But only played one level, and then fell asleep. :/ I don't know if that's the game's fault, though. Haven't been feeling the greatest for the past few days, and woke up too early.. But I digress.

 

So far, it is not at all what I expected. I don't have a lot of experience with Tower Defense games, so I expected something like Defense Grid 2. Where you don't really control anything, but move a cursor around to set up turrets and stuff. Instead, I got some Tower Defense/Classic R&C gameplay hybrid. 

 

You're able to run around, jump, and kill various enemies with Ratchet (or Clank/Qwark). Everything pretty much felt like any other R&C game. Other than having to go to various spots and plant turrets/traps by your base. Easily returned to with various warps spread around the level. Weapons are the same, and level up with use. 

 

Don't think it will take me long to get through, assuming I actually play it longer the next two days. There are only 5 levels. Some stuff is recommended to have a co-op partner, so may not be able to complete it right away. Pretty much all I got for right now. 

 

Time played: Less than an hour.

Trophy progress: 1/23 for 1% and an E rank.

[Arctic Cress]

Game #3 - YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World

Playtime: 5 hours

Trophies: 6/41 (10% - E)

 

YU-NO is a remake of a very old visual novel released back in 1996 for the Japanese PC-98, which was later ported to other platforms. Finally in 2017, it received a full remake and gained enough popularity that it got a new anime release and, of course, a translation released overseas for the first time. There was a fan translation of the Sega Saturn version in 2011, however this is the first official release.

 

The main character is Takuya Arima, a lazy high school student who would rather sleep on the rooftop than actually attend his classes. Two months prior to the start of the story, his dad was killed in a rockfall accident, and he currently lives with his stepmother. One day before summer vacation, Takuya receives a mysterious package in the mail addressed to him seemingly sent by his deceased father containing a strange device and instructions to meet at a certain area in the town. He goes to the area to meet up, and the headmaster of his school as well as his stepmother also show up. The headmaster threatens Takuya with a gun and orders him to give up the device, explaining that the device can be used to view parallel worlds and rewind time. As Takuya was about to give up the device, an earthquake happens and he blacks out. He wakes up in the area, still with the device, and the people who were there that night have no memory of what had happened during that night, except for him...

 

That's basically the first hour and a half of reading, and afterwards you unlock the branching path and can actually use the Reflector device. There are certain branches in the story like most visual novels where you can go to a number of different areas for events, or make a choice between various options. The game will helpfully point out where the next event is supposed to happen if you somehow get lost, which is a nice touch and saves a lot of time. And if there are multiple events, it'll show all the areas where you can go to trigger an event. For things like this, it's a good idea to use the map and put up a Jewel Save so you can quickly return to this choice at a later time after trying one of the routes, so you can try the other areas as well without wasting too much time. You start with only four of these jewels (but can gain more as you explore through) so they should be used carefully.

 

Through the various routes, you can find the other six jewels that are part of the device. I've passed over one on the paths but didn't receive anything, so I guess I need a key item from one of the routes - key items are collected through the story by viewing various events (and there's a trophy tied to each one). Speaking of routes, I started on a red path, I've seen branches off on an orange path, but mainly I've stayed on a pink-colored path which the game informs me is Ayumi's route. I'm not using any guides or Jewel Saves on my first play through, just reading through. Looking at the map I've reached about halfway through the chart itself, and still excited to continue reading.

 

So far, I think the game is a clever take on traditional visual novels (especially at the time it was released), and it looks like games such as the Zero Escape series took some of these ideas to heart with their flowchart approach when looking at the Jewel Save system. As it stands, this visual novel is interesting and will definitely be a game I continue playing through and after this event finishes.

 

Starting completion: 71.83%

Current completion: 71.46%

Difference: -0.37%

Sword & Fairy 6: 6/46 (10% - D)

Super Neptunia RPG: 6/36 (10% - E)

 

Every game so far is 6 trophies obtained and 10% completed. I definitely did not plan that, honestly. Also, with no buffer to deal with, YU-NO becomes the first game in this KYC to actually make a significant dent in my completion, taking it down 0.2%.

 

I'll try to catch up on the upcoming weekend but no promises as I need to finish up Shenmue II because Shenmue III is on my KYC list and playing them out of order would be... confusing, I would think. Regardless, even if I don't catch up now I'll definitely do so around Thanksgiving. On to the next game, then!

[BlackSquirrell1]

Game #5: Day of the Tentacle Remastered

Difficulty: 3/10

Fun Factor 10/10

Hate for the Maniac Mansion Game: 11/10

 

Oh, man, here is the game for me!  Silly, no drama, no MP, with characters I actually like!  So basically, you've got 3 characters (past, present, future) that you are jumping back and forth with using, sending items through a Porta-Potty (oh, excuse me, a Chron O John) to the other characters to use.  You are trying to save the world!  Really gonna need a guide for this one as the puzzles are so logical they are puzzling (pun there folks) and quite a few side actions for the trophy(ies).

 

I hated the Maniac Mansion.  I still do.  The timed part.  The game keeps switching to the cut scene, my character can't seem to pick up the hamster, the time runs out.  And, so, I have to keep starting the game over because I can't seem to find the movable rock in the jail.  Okay, I suck!  But, great game anyway!

 

 

[PerryToxteth]

1 hour ago, BlackSquirrell1 said:

Game #5: Day of the Tentacle Remastered

 

 

 

  I played this game a few KYC's ago. Save yourself the frustration and use a guide, because the puzzles make absolutely no sense. Most point-and-click games have some logic to them, like - I found a locked door, I happen to have a key in my inventory, I should try it on the door. In Day of the Tentacle, they have puzzles like - I have dog poop in my inventory, so of course, I should put it in the windsock! 

 

  Ironically, I also played GoT for a KYC as well, and like you, I had little to no exposure to the books or show. Some kind person on this site explained that some of the peripheral characters in the game are also in the show, but the House with all the main characters you control is not. The story is pretty dire. It's like being in the bottom of a latrine; everytime you feel a glimmer of hope and look up, another round of shit comes raining down on you. And like other Telltale games, it feel like you have choices, but you really don't. I wasn't happy with a decision I made, so I replayed the chapter and no matter what dialogue choices I made, the same outcome happened. Argh!

Good luck! 

[voodoo_eyes]

I've been going back to Torment Tides of Numenara and am at around 10 hours now I think. I have one final area left in the city, before I'll leave for a new area.

 

Looking at the trophy stats for this game is quite interesting actually.

• Almost 25% of the owners didn't even finish the tutorial.
• Close to 50% gave up during the 10-15 minute section between the end of the tutorial and entering the city.
• Nearly 80% didn't finish the 2nd main quest.
• However, 50% of those that finished the 2nd main quest also ended up seeing the game through until the end.

 

Edited November 15, 2019 by voodoo_eyes

[AuroraHistoire]

Legendary Hero Makes the Princess Do All the Work ~ The Princess Guide

 

In The Princess Guide, you play a legendary hero (a slightly customizalbe player character) who has been on a lot of epic adventures and has written a lot of books about it. You don't get to see any of those epic adventures. Instead, you play a terrible tutorial level, get honorably discharge by your commanding officer for asking why during a war you were apart of and take your commanding officer's career advice to become a teacher.

 

You start the game by picking which Princess you want to train. You have 4 options but your choice doesn't matter too much because you'll train the others later. Liliartie, honestly my favorite, is a very loud rambunctious idiot who eats a lot. Big Smoke's Order is a light snack for her. She also shouts a lot. Her voice woke up and started my cat. Victoria is the lazy prodigy who leads the mages guild and is trying to take over the world. You're forced to give her piggy back rides because she hates walking. I'm currently wondering if she wears a eye patch because she lost an eye or if it has something to do with her magic power. Monomaria is the Princess with a minigun. Alpana is part dragon. She is the leader of a religion that is all about spreading peace and love to everybody.

 

The gameplay is moving around a map until you run into a enemy. Then you navigate a dungeon while fighting enemies in glorious 2.5D. You assume direct control over your Princess of choice and mash the attack button until you win. You also have 6 soldiers that follow you around Earthbound style. They can have a powerful attack that stuns enemies but it has limited number of uses. Your soldiers can also die and you will need hire new ones if they die. The legendary hero teacher lady (player character) can either praise or scold during battle. When you do either, the princess will receive buffs, usually get healed and will probably learn something. Your limited to using your praise/scold power 3 times per dungeon. There also traps (called relics) in dungeons that will try harm you but you take them over and use them against enemies.

 

You don't gain experience points in this game. You level up by teaching the princess things. You unlock things to teach the Princess by doing almost anything and then you equip whatever you want to teach in a menu somewhere. Most things are taught by praising or scolding the princess in story events and battle. A few are things require preforming certain actions to learn. After you learn something, you have to comeback to base and actually learn the things and then the princess' stats might increase. There is also a limit to the amount of things that the princess can learn at once and I don't understand how that system works.

 

I should mention that you can play as the legendary hero teacher player character in battle. There were a few battles I was required to play as 'myself' but 99% of the time it's optional. The princess' are stronger because you can't scold/praise yourself and are more fun to play. Well, Veronica isn't very fun to play because all you do is shoot magic before anything can hit you.      

                    

My first experience with this game was awful. The combat tutorial just told me all the buttons that did stuff but never explained any of it. The plot at that point didn't make sense and was hard to follow. My major issue is that all characters bounce up and down when they talk. A big bounce when they start, it's a bunch of small fast bounces while they talk, finished with a big bounce at the end. They did that so you wouldn't notice that they didn't try to lip-sync at all. I saved my game after an hour and just quit. I had such a bad time that my body didn't feel good. I felt good after lying down for 3 hours and playing some Steins;Gate. 

 

I gave The Princess Guide another try because I still needed 2 hours for this event. Fortunately, the game got better or bouncy characters are like boats and VR; you stop getting sick after your body gets use to it. I still feel a little sick when I focus on the characters bounce and Alpana definitely the worse offender with her wings and tail. I did choose her at the start of game, so it was her fault I had such a bad experience. Once I got away from Alpana, the the story made more sense and was really funny.

 

Fudge, this is long. I want to mention the trophy list real quick. The highest rarity a trophy has at the moment is 30.27%. The game wasn't very difficult in my experience. I did die a few times but death is a minor inconvenience at worst. Most trophies are earned in the end-game and the few that are not, are well into the story. I finished the story once and I only have 4 trophies. Honestly, the game is okay. I understand why only 14 people so far have 100%.

 

The Princess Guide would be a great Vita title and I would prefer the Vita version. The Vita port is Japanese only and buying it would go against my no-stacking policy. I could use remote-play to play the game on Vita. I used the feature with NekoPara, a visual novel, and the game was borderline unplayable. Also, my next game is Nekopara Vol.2. That game is going to be a challenge.

Aurora              

 

[Mesopithecus]

On 11/14/2019 at 10:58 AM, voodoo_eyes said:

I've been going back to Torment Tides of Numenara and am at around 10 hours now I think. I have one final area left in the city, before I'll leave for a new area.

 

Looking at the trophy stats for this game is quite interesting actually.

• Almost 25% of the owners didn't even finish the tutorial.
• Close to 50% gave up during the 10-15 minute section between the end of the tutorial and entering the city.
• Nearly 80% didn't finish the 2nd main quest.
• However, 50% of those that finished the 2nd main quest also ended up seeing the game through until the end.

 

 

Interesting stats, I did wonder why it was so rare - I have my eyes on that and PoE to play on PSNow, so your review gives me a better idea of what to expect

[BlackSquirrell1]

@voodoo_eyes Is it possible to add another game to my list?  

 

Cat Quest

[voodoo_eyes]

1 hour ago, BlackSquirrell1 said:

@voodoo_eyes Is it possible to add another game to my list?  

 

Cat Quest

 

From what I've noticed, you had picked 5 games with 6 days attributed to each. You only ended up doing the 1st game that way. and then just introduced games one after another. The idea is that you get the X amount of days to play the 1 game, if you're done or finished you're not supposed to start the next one earlier. You've now introduced all the games from your list while we're still halway through the event. You could've done a 2 in1 with some of the shorter games, like I did with Ghost Blade + Elea, and add a few more games from the start.

What we can do now is have you pick either 4 games and give each 4 days or pick 5 and dedicate 3 days to each. I really don't want people to start drip-feeding 1 game at a time though, so just adding the one won't do, sorry.

 

 

@Mesopithecus IPersonally I think PoE is the better game, but it also has more technical issues.

 

 

Edited November 15, 2019 by voodoo_eyes

[Lorajet]

2 hours ago, BlackSquirrell1 said:

@voodoo_eyes Is it possible to add another game to my list?  

 

Cat Quest

Just wanted to say congrats on the progress you did on your games this month!  

[DamagingRob]

Game #5, Final Review- Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault

 

Well, didn't kill my completion with this one. Really not much to say, that I didn't already say on Day 1. I didn't find it that bad. It was much better than All 4 One, which is the only R&C game I haven't finished. It is woefully short, though. Not sure why it even needed a full list with a Plat, 'cause that just made them add some dumb trophies to make you replay the five short levels multiple times, and waste 2+ hours of your time using your hoverboots/gliding off of a tall tower.. 

 

You get more and more types of things you can build at your base, to kill or slow enemies down as you progress. Different types of turrets (fire, ice, and giant missiles), traps that trigger when the enemies walk on them (groovitron ones will have them frozen in place and dancing, while another will turn them into harmless bunny rabbits), and walls that they'll have to break down to get into your base. In one level, there's a protect mission, and a boss fight at the very end of the game. 

 

Other than the tower defense stuff, it feels like any other R&C game. Though your weapons are somewhat randomized, with you always starting with none. And then getting to pick and choose from a few at each weapon disposal thing. But it's fairly easy, so this wasn't really a hindrance. 

 

I was able to do the online completely solo, thanks to owning a Vita. Without that or another PS3, you may need to find a boosting partner for the Ranked Match trophy. Online is most certainly dead. And for the 3 levels to beat the dev times on, I ended up doing 1, 3, and 5. I was going to do 1, 2, and 5 since they're the shortest, but I didn't quite make it on the second level. And got it on the third, while just trying to beat the normal time. Just get some maxed out buzzsaw blades, and you don't really need anything else. 

 

Story is paper thin, with some fan of Quark being the villain. And graphically, this one looked more like it was on a budget compared to the other PS3 games. Or I'm just used to PS4 graphics, I don't know. Probably another . Fun while it lasted, but not something I'll likely play again. 

 

Time played: 10 hours is what the guide says, so I'll guess that.

Trophy progress: 23/23 for 100% and an S rank.

Completion Percentage: 92.06% (-0.54%)

[MarkusT1992]

Game #5: The Swapper

 

 

The Swapper is best described as a puzzle platformer with the focus on the puzzle part.

The game is set in a space station hovering above a planet. You are one of the last person left on that station. The story is mostly told through logs you find throughout the game.

The station you are on has the objective to collect material found at this distant location. They found some mysterious rocks, which are a kind of creature called the Watchers. Those rocks comunicate through telepathy. Their minds seem to be connected by a giant Watcher shaped like a head. Throughtout the game you will find some of those Watchers and can "hear" their thoughts.

I won't spoil the end of the story, even though it's not the main aspect of the game.

 

More important in such games is the gameplay. The person you controll has some kind of gadget which lets you creata clones of yourselfe. You can create up to 4 clones so that there are a total of 5 yous on screen. All of those clones are controlled at the same time. When you touch one of them they disappear and are a part of you again. The second main mechanic is that you can take controll of each clone. Storywise it's transfering your soul to another body. With those two mechanics you have to solve puzzles to get cores/power cells, which you need to progress through the station. To make the puzzles more complicated you have two restriction. There's a blue light and a red light in those puzzle rooms. Blue means you can''t creat a clone at that position and through red light you can't swap. Sometimes the light is purple which combines both restrictions. The goal in each room is to get to the core with the clone you're controlling.

Later on in the game you can reverse gravity at some places by walking in white glittering stuff.

 

The game isn't that long. Depending on your puzzle solving abillities you can finish the game in 1-2 hours. However you won't get a trophy that way. All trophies are tied to hidden collectables, which are just more logs. Basically you can finish the game without getting a single trophy. You also can get every trophy without finishing the game.

I used a guide to know in which rooms the trophies are and I recommend it. I just looked a pictures so I still had to figure out how to get there.

 

For me the game was nothing special. Most puzzles are managable with some thinking but I had to look up some of the later ones. The story is ok I guess. Nobody expects a great story from a puzzle game but it helped to set the mood.

 

Time played: 2-3 hours

Trophies: 10/10

Rating:

[voodoo_eyes]

Game #5 - Yomawari: Midnight Shadows - Review

 

 

Time played: almost 9 hours on the dot

Trophies earned: 23/34

 

 

Alright, so I beat the game and only have collectibles and some misc stuff to do for the plat. Now where to begin with this one...

 

Visually it's great and not as dark as the first game. It also switches between being isometric and .2.5D I guess. I don't think the predecessor did that. It also doesn't feel like it was necessary to implement that to be honest. The monsters are fantastical and some are creepy. The story is alright, but a bit too similar to the first game. Once again it's about two girls, but this time you end up switching back and forth between them a number of times. There are a few new additions like charms and objects to use. Neither of witch are game-changing though.

 

Now the gameplay was my major gripe in the first game, and unfortunately I must say it still is my major issue with one as well. Essentially nothing was improved. You still don't see items on the ground unless you shine a flashlight on it. You will see a question mark that somewhere in the general direction is an item, but that is very inaccurate. There is still the dreaded stamin system. This one refills at a relatively fast pace, until you cross paths with a monster. Then it drains quickly and recharges really slowly until you're out of range of the monster. It's a bad sustem, and it is only less bad in this one because it has way less enemies ganging up on you. For the most part it's way easier to bypass the enmies in this game than in Night Alone. Only in scripted segmented sections it becomes stressful dealing with the enemie. The hitboxes are another issue that seems to be off at times. I've died countless times while I did not get in contact with an enemy.

 

Not going to lie, I'm a tad disappointed with this one, as I was hoping for it to be better than the first game. Turns out it's equally just a .

 

 

I'll probably retyrn to it during the weekend just to plat it, as that shouldn't take too long.

[voodoo_eyes]

Game #6 - State of Mind - Preview

 

 

Developer: Daedalic Entertainment

Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment

Genre: Adventure

Price: 39,99 /physical version is usually half that)

 

 

The only game series I've played by this developer is the Deponia one. I played all four of them, but unfortunately their quality gradually deteriorated. The first one being by far the best, second and third being alright and the final one just feels pointless. I recently also played a game they published, which was Intruders: Hide & Seek, which was a subpar and overpriced horror game.

 

State of Mind is one of their latest titles I'm not sure, if it's also a point-and-click gamelike the Deponia games. I'm always down for those types of games, as I tend to enjoy them for the most part. It might be a more narative driven adventure, which is set in a distopian future. Well, here's to hoping that it'll be interesting.

 

[Kevvik]

OK, I'm going to do a little catch up but it's been a real crummy week in RL so not as much happened as should have...

 

Game #4: Shenmue

 

Initial/Day 3 Impressions

Time played: maybe 2 hrs

 

Shenmue looks like it sets up to be a bit of action-adventure but ultimately so far, seems to be more adventure style with, presumably, action elements.  This is a remaster of an old game which is probably why it feels so derivative.  You play Ryu, the son of a martial artist who gets murdered in his dojo right in front of you by a creepy guy in a robe who is looking for a mirror.  The dad gives up the location when his son's life is threatened, then bad guy kills the dad.  Ryu vows revenge (no really?) because otherwise there wouldn't be a game.  Third person view with tanky controls allows you to move through small town environments to try to figure out how to find the guy who killed your dad.  Since there was a dragon on the robe, you assume he is Chinese so you wander around asking people how to find Chinese people in town.  Seriously?

 

I haven't moved the story very far but I did a bunch of side stuff on the way.  You can also practice your martial arts moves in certain areas which raised proficiency bars when you look at your stats for your moves.  I haven't actually used anything in combat yet though as the first time I got into a fight, what I got was QTEs and no use of my martial arts moves.  Again, seriously?

 

This game hasn't impressed me much so far.  The plot is thin at best and the conversations are almost painful.  I know this is a well thought-of game but so far, I don't see it.

 

Trophies earned: 11/29, 25% for D rank

Score so far: 3/10

 

Game #5: One More Dungeon

 

Initial/Day 3 Impressions

Time played: 1.5 hrs

 

Game 5 was supposed to be Child of Light but I was layed up in bed so yesterday, I started this on Vita just so I had a Game 5 played during the window.  Mistake.  This is a 1st person free-moving dungeon crawler that I didn't realize had been put out by Ratalaika.  While I played Inksplosion and could appreciate it for what it was, I had been hoping for better here.  I didn't get it.  You run around a dungeon with a melee weapon and a staff but combat feels clunky at the best of times and is less than impressive.  I think I battled more effectively in old 80s RPGs when I had to type in the word attack.  Crappy graphics don't bother me as long as the gameplay is good but it's not.  Deaths can come before you even realize an enemy is there (love ranged attacks from distance when the graphics disguise their presence).  You have little health, no shield and I poke my sword out like an arthritic.  My granddad used his index finger to better effect than this.  Deaths frequently feel cheaper than the production values of this game.  It's also rogue-like so death sends you back to the beginning.  The Vita has an exploit that allows you to use the game's autosave at the start of the dungeon if you exit the game and restart when you die instead of retrying or returning to the main menu.  Half that startup time is on the Ratalaika company image.  Apparently this exploit does not work in the PS4 version but I won't know because I won't be trying it.

 

This game sucks.  I might come back to it here and there to try to get trophies but that's only because I ultimately care about my Completion Rate and a few golds here and there might offset the experience.  How lame am I?

 

Trophies earned: 4/16, 20% for D rank

Score: 1/10

 

Completion Rate: 83.89% (-0.74% for the event), CR has been buffed a bit by the Neptunia game I'm playing in the background

 

Next up: Game #6: Child of Light

 

I have heard so many good things about this.  I can really use it after the last two games.

[Arctic Cress]

Game #4 - Crystar

Time played: 3 hours

Trophies: 14/51 (20% - D)

 

Crystar is an action RPG from a little-known indie Japanese developer known as Gemdrops Inc., who previously worked on a Spice and Wolf title and another game called Headbutt Factory, both games that use a VR headset. Never heard of them before playing this.

 

Anyway, Crystar has you playing as Rei Hatada, who finds herself in Purgatory one day with her younger sister, Mirai. After being attacked by a monster in purgatory, Rei's determination to protect her sister awakens a Guardian in herself, but she is unable to control this power and accidentally kills her sister instead. Two demons, named after Mephistopheles, make a deal with Rei; become an Executor and destroy the monsters inhabiting Purgatory, and the two will revive Rei's sister. Rei accepts the contract with the two demons and begins working on Ordeals with them.

 

The game is a basic hybrid of a dungeon crawler and an action RPG - enemies are visible on the map and you can choose to fight or run past them, though some areas need all the monsters defeated in the area before allowing you to pass. Treasure chests come in two different forms - one form are opened regularly and do not respawn in future runs, and one must be destroyed by attacks but do respawn. You can use skills by pressing + one of the face buttons, similar to the Ys series (which is one of the games the director was inspired by). The button increases the tear gauge by spending MP, which is also increased by killing enemies. Filling the gauge allows you to awaken the Guardian and have it aid you in battle, and also allows you to use a special attack to do a large amount of damage, which I've used to easily unlock the trophy for defeating five enemies at once.

 

Rei levels up by defeating enemies, but her equipment is a little different. More powerful enemies called Revenants are colored red in battle, and will drop a Torment upon defeat. After completing a stage, these can be taken back into Rei's room and can be made into different equipment depending on the strength of the enemy itself. These can be further upgraded by fusing the items together with other materials found in dungeons, increasing their stats and giving them boosts of their own, such as giving an armor piece a skill that makes Rei immune to paralysis.

 

So far, I've only had the chance to play as Rei through Chapter 1. The official site and interview with the developer says there are four playable characters, and while one is definitely obvious going to be playable perhaps even in the next mission, I don't believe I've seen either of the other two, so that's something to look out for.

 

Anyway, the story so far is pretty interesting and the gameplay is good enough to continue with this in the future. The real bright point in the game, obviously, is that you can pet your dog and get trophies for doing so. She's a good girl.

 

Starting completion: 71.83%

Current completion: 71.30%

Difference: -0.53%

Sword & Fairy 6: 6/46 (10% - D)

Super Neptunia RPG: 6/36 (10% - E)

YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World: 6/41 (10% - E)

 

This time, I doubled the % of trophies collected! A very different story compared to the other three games I played.

You may notice that I'm at 8,998 trophies and I am going to try and pop a platinum for 9,000 before continuing with KYC. Hopefully this doesn't take too long - next game will be either Bloodstained or Team Sonic Racing, whichever I feel like playing more.

[DamagingRob]

Game #6, Day 1 2- Tales of Zestiria

 

In this one, you play as a boy named Sorey. It begins with him and his friend, Mikleo, exploring some ancient ruins. Which eventually collapse underneath their feet, and they fall through into the dungeon below. Inside, they find a girl who somehow ended up there. Sorey insists on bringing her back to their village, much to Mikleo's displeasure. And when they arrive, you get an idea of why..

 

Everyone in the village is a Seraph, so the only person the girl can actually see is Sorey. Sorey is a human who was raised there, so he has the unique ability to see them. The Seraphs don't take too kindly to outsiders, either. And the leader tells Sorey she must leave right away. But he convinces the old man to let her stay until she is prepared to make the trip back to where she came from. 

 

So, a couple of days pass, Sorey helps her hunt some wild boar and gather what she needs for the journey, and then she leaves. But right after, another intruder is sensed by the old man in wherever this place is (heaven?). This time, it's not a human. At least not anymore.. It kind of resembles a vampire, and eats one of the Seraph. Turns out it's a Hellion, which is what a human becomes when evil overflows in them or something. 

 

Sorey and Mikleo lay the smackdown on him, and he runs off when all the other Seraph arrive. But not before saying something about finding the "main course.." It occurs to Sorey he must be talking about the girl, who he seemed to have a lot in common with, and is probably smitten with. So, he sneaks out in the middle of the night to go after her. But not without Mikleo showing up, and saying he's coming too. An angel that can't be seen by humans will be a powerful ally, indeed. 

 

More crazy stuff happens upon reaching the human world, Hellions are all over the place but only you and Mikleo can see them, you find out the girl is a princess, a number of people may want her dead, and Sorey becomes some hero of prophecy by pulling a sword like he's King Arthur. *breathes* And this all happens in the first couple of hours. Crazy. I'm really liking the story and characters early on, though. That opening was also fricking sweet.

 

Gameplay is somewhat different from past Tales of games, but still feels pretty familiar. Enemies show up on the map, and getting touched by them throws you into a battle. I'm not quite sure how everything works, 'cause this is one of those games with a million tutorial messages.. But you are able to move around and attack the enemies. Doesn't seem like you have a magic bar, but a blue bar drains with each attack. Refills automatically over time. And then you can sidestep and block attacks. 

 

Equipment is kinda weird, too. You'll get the same equipment numerous times, but it can have different stats or special skills attached to it. So you have to go into your menu and compare them, to see which one is best. I kinda wish they'd just keep this stuff simple. Go to shop, buy weapon with highest stats, and done.. 

 

There are 3 difficulty levels, which can be changed at any time. I'm playing on Normal for now, which doesn't seem too bad despite not knowing what I'm really doing. I did die to the vampire boss the second time you face him, but had Mikleo revive me with a Life Bottle. No Game Overs yet. 

 

Anyways, I don't know what else to say. I do hope I continue to enjoy it as much as I have so far, though. Kinda felt like this one got some mixed reception, so I was worried I might not like it. Not the case, up to this point. 

 

Time played: Bit over 2 hours.

Trophy progress: 2/56 for 3% and an E rank. 

 

[AuroraHistoire]

Nekopara, could you stop? I don't want anyone to associate me with you. ~ Nekopara Vol. 2

 

Nekopara is a visual novel series. It's the type of visual novel were you could set the game on 'auto' and the whole game would play itself and unlock all the trophies. I actually read most of it. When the game was being boring, uninteresting or doing things I can't mention in polite company, I did my best to ignore the game until it stopped.

 

Alright, the plot. There is this Kashou Minazuki guy with a dream. Kashou wants to live on his own and run a pastry shop. It was going well until Chocola and Vanilla used the old cardboard box trick to sneak onto the moving truck. Kashou wants them gone until he realizes his dashing good looks and slightly less generic insert yourself male protagonist personality wasn't going to get him very many male customers. He decides to gives Chocola and Vanilla jobs and let them live in the spare room he has in the apartment above the shop he rents. Cocola & Vanilla are catgirls (catgirls are a normal thing in this universe); catgirls are treated as pets so he doesn't have to pay them either. Cocola and Vanilla technically belong to his little sister, Shigure, but she is okay with Kashou having them because Cocola & Vanilla like him. The game has a lot of plot that happens but at the end of Vol. 1, Shigure and her 4 other cat girls work at Kashou's pastry shop. Oh, I've been talking about the first game so far. It's a little bonus, don't say I never do anything nice.

 

Vol. 2 is about 2 of Shigure's other catgirls, Coconut and Azuki. The other two catgirls are named Cinnamon and Maple. We don't talk about Cinnamon. Maple barely gets any screen time. Coconut is my second favorite character (Kashou is number 1) and Azuki is alright. Coconut and Azuki fight a lot. It's bad for a pastry shop to constantly have cats fights happening. Coconut is constantly breaking everything and messing everything up. Azuki doesn't like being called short. The story is about Coconut overcoming her weakness and becoming a better catgirl. Azuki also learns to not be as mean. Well, thats chapters 1-4. Aside from a few bizarre moments I wish I could forget about, chapters 1-4 are very good. The rest of story, can be explained in one quote. 

 

"Master's starting a harem. Maximum perv. Lecher. Catwomanizer." - Vanilla (Nekopara Vol.2)

 

Half of the main plot isn't very good. Fortunately, there is the bonus story. The bonus story's gimmick is that it takes place when the catgirls are kittens. Only Cocola, Vanilla and Coconut appear to be kittens. Azuki and Maple look slightly different and wear a different outfit. I liked the bonus story, most of the bonus story.

 

Nekopara has amazing animation for a visual novel. It's so good that you wish it was in other games. Nekopara does have a tiny bit of 100% optional gameplay. You can give your 5 catgirls and Shigure head pats. They will make cat sounds if you decide to do that. There is zero reason to do this but you can.

 

This was the game I the least looking forward to playing. It wasn't so bad but writing about a game you shouldn't mention in most conversations was definitely a challenge. I just hope this wasn't a complete dumpster fire. Also long as I'm not infamous for playing Nekopara, I'll consider it a success. 

[Edunstar84]

@DamagingRob - Re: Tales of Zestiria - I'm one of the gamers that didn't like Zestiria (preferred Berseria), but the best part for me was the "sword in the stone" moment.

[DamagingRob]

19 minutes ago, Edunstar84 said:

@DamagingRob - Re: Tales of Zestiria - I'm one of the gamers that didn't like Zestiria (preferred Berseria), but the best part for me was the "sword in the stone" moment.

That seems to be the consensus, from what I've seen and heard. At least if it does go downhill from here, I can finally buy and play Berseria after. 

[SixyLove]

Update

Cosmic Star Heroine

Playtime: 6 hours

Trophies Earned: 11/34 17%

 

I have played this game for 6 plus hours and it has been very good. Cosmic Star Heroine has the most unique RPG combat system I've ever seen. It's a bit complicated, so forgive me if I miss anything. Each character can have up to 7 abilities plus defense. Once you use an ability, you can't use it again until you defend. You will learn new abilities as you level up but you can only equip 7. Abilities are attacks, buffs, healing etc. You also have items that are shared between all party members, but individual items can only be used once per battle. Items are not consumed. There is a third that has power abilities that can only be used once per battle, that are determined by equipment and a certain stat. There is also a gameplay mechanic called hyper mode, where every certain number of turn your abilities are a lot stronger. You also gain style points while you battle. If your HP reaches zero and you have 50 style points (I think the style point amount changes based on difficulty) you HP gets negative and you enter desperation mode. You can heal to get out of it or your next ability will do crazy damage. Also, a character will be knocked out after they take their turn in desperation mode.

 

The combat in this game has forced me to play it differently then other RPGs. You're fully healed after every fight and there is no MP/mana system. I actually use status conditions regularly because not every enemy is immune to all of them. Every fight takes strategy to win and they usually last a while.

 

The story in this game moves very fast. I've only played for 6 hours and I've already saved a city from terrorists, did a secret mission as a secret agent, betray the secret organize I worked for because they turned out to be evil, fought the law and won, solved the rock, paper, scissors puzzle, fought a giant mech, took control of that mech to fight a giant monster that randomly appeared, joined the freedom fighters at their secret base, the secret base get's attacked 5 minutes after I show up, we take over the bad guys space ship and I have the feeling this game is turning into Mass Effect. The jokes in this game are great and I stood in front of a door for 5 real life minutes because I thought the game was doing the Earthbound thing were you had to stand in front for two minutes to progress.

 

The graphics remind of Super Nintendo RPGs. I like the music in the game so far. Overall, Cosmic Star Heroine is a great game. 

 

 

 

[voodoo_eyes]

Game #6 - State of Mind - Review

 

 

Time played: a bit over 9h

Tropheis earned: 24/35

 

 

Managed to get through another game from start to finish. It turned out to be a very basic adventure game with no point-and-click elements. There are the odd puzzles, and there's an inventory, but no combining of items.

 

This will probably be a short review, as this game is pretty much all story and what isn't story is filler or mini games. The setting is that of a distopian future and the protagonist wakes up from a car accident and finds his family missing with only an android there to greet him (who he hates). That's all I can say without spoiling anything.

 

What I will talk about is the gameplay. It's not great... very floaty controls, and a lot of walking forth beween locations. Well, at least you can run everywhere... You'll talk with a few people throughout the adventure and get to pick dialogue options, that don't seem to have an impact on the game. Only the choice you make at hte very end actually affects your ending. There are very few locations to visit/explore, so there isn't all that much variety. You will end up playing as various characters though and can eventually switch between some of them. A mechanic that is only relevant for about 10 minutes near the end of the game.

 

The pacing is unfortunately way off, and the game overstays it's welcome by a good 3 hours. Several minigames just feel tacked on, and have no depth to them at all. The aesthetic wasn't really my jam either. While the game looks fine for the most part,all the characters have edgy textures to their body. I can't fathom why they went with this design choice. The story is probably the best bit, even though it's fairly predictable. Have seen similar in better games though, so yeah.

 

This one is a very generous .

Edited November 19, 2019 by voodoo_eyes

[MidnightDragon]

My next review will be a day or two late. Things have been busy and chaotic. My next game comes out Friday, so no harm, no foul.

Edited November 19, 2019 by MidnightDragon