Review Category: Games

Miniature skirmish games get quite the bad rep.  Mostly this is to do with set-up; games that involve strategic combat mostly need loads of models, scenery, dice and patience. Which is ironic as the mother of all strategy games, Chess, has none of that.  Though of course, Chess doesn’t have laser cannons. Robot Royale breaks the mould by being a simple tactical strategy game with a simple set-up and laser guns. The premise is this: you’re battling robots in some sort of arena. Think Robot Wars meets the arena scene in Flash Gordon and you’ve got the idea. The board is made out of various 4×4 square tiles that are then laid out into a larger 4×4 grid made up of those tiles.

As the robots spawn onto the arena, they can rotate a tile. Each tile has walls printed on them, and these walls are thick enough to block line of sight. If your robot can see another robot, it shoots them.  This causes the robot to re-spawn. Do this three times before anyone else and you win. It’s one of those games where you need to think way ahead and look at the board constantly. It’s for up to four players, and every move matters, so you’re always engaged. Or to put it another way – it’s a tactical line-of-sight game with a moving, constantly changing arena floor and cool looking robots.  It’s incredibly simple and that’s the appeal. They are no dice involved. You don’t have to worry about if the model is painted or what it’s equipped with (though the robot models we saw looked lovely). It’s an absurdly straight forward game that takes about 3 minutes to learn and then the rest of your life to master.

It’s currently crowd-funding, and if the game gets enough interest they’ll ‘stretch goal’ some expansions including some random elements. We like the game the way it is, but we’d be intrigued by the chaos element should it arrive. Remember that our rating is based on a preview copy of the game, so the final project may turn out a bit different. The core premise is a lot of fun, however. You can find out more by backing the Kickstarter here. Hurry though, it ends funding on July 5th.

Omega Strike is another entry into the growing 2D retro-inspired Metroidvania catalogue, a genre that has been growing in popularity over the last 12 months thanks to sterling releases like Hollow Knight, Axiom Verge and Ori and the Blind Forest. But where does developer Woblyware’s effort lie in the grand scheme of things?

Kicking off with the story, where we find the evil Doctor Omega plotting to take over the world with his dastardly army of henchmen. Three heroes (that’s you – yes, all of them) team up to take him down, by travelling through a variety of environments, learning new abilities and generally kicking ass throughout a roughly 5-6 hour adventure. It might not be the most imaginative plot in the world, but it fits its purpose neatly enough and is generally well-written enough to keep things moving at a brisk pace.

Players control three different characters who can all be switched between at any time. Each one is useful in different situations, and while it’s likely that you’ll quickly decide on a favourite and stick to them as often as possible, all of them are fun to control in their own unique ways. Fans will notice nods to several movies and games throughout their time with Omega Strike, with overall tone containing elements of Commando, Metal Slug, a bit of Contra, and maybe a dash of something or other from Marvel’s comic book universe.

Omega Strike‘s world is more straightforward and easy to get to grips with than many other similar titles, helping to make it a more palatable experience for any less hardcore players. That’s not to say anyone more familiar will be underwhelmed though, as the action is pretty relentless and gets fairly tricky in places. There’s very little risk of getting truly lost (one aspect in which some Metroidvanias can fall down slightly), and the cartoony visuals and 80s action-themed chiptune soundtrack combined with the witty writing and endearing characters make this a game that any fan of the genre should definitely look into picking up.

OMEGA STRIKE / DEVELOPER: WOBLYWARE / PUBLISHER: DIGERATI / PLATFORM: PC, PLAYSTATION 4, XBOX ONE (REVIEWED) / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

For those who grew up in the ‘80s, it’s odd to think of that decade of having its own distinctive style.  But that distinctive and simple style is nowadays immediately recognisable to many; not just the faded VHS and faux-neon look, but a simpler, scrappy style common amongst fringe magazines and books. Rapid fire adventure game Escape the Dark Castle taps into this retro vibe to create something that feels as if it could have been 1985’s hot new thing.

The game is elegant in its simplicity. First, you pick a character – a Miller, a Cook, a Smith, etc. You’ve been imprisoned in the Dark Castle and you’re trying to escape. Each character has a bespoke dice and this reflects their strengths. The Smith does well in physical challenges so has lots of fist icons on their die. The Tailor isn’t that strong but is smarter and their die reflects this and so on.

Each round you draw a card called a ‘chapter’. You read out the encounter and roll dice to pass the test. Typically, this is a fight, but not always. You work together to defeat the encounter and move on, until you face ‘a boss monster’. Aesthetically, the whole thing looks great. A jet black box with a line art illustrations that look like they’ve come screaming out of some dark abyss of 1980’s style gothic fantasy. Big chunky dice.  All the monsters are ghosts, demons, skeletons; proper old school nightmare fuel, the sort of thing aged moral guardians would make a fuss about. Cracking stuff.  It’s quick to play as well, taking around 20 minutes to complete.

Escape the Dark Castle is a fun team game with a solid narrative and a proper look and feel. It’s so retro we can imagine the Stranger Things kids playing it, but that just makes us love it even more. Like all good games of this sort, it generates fun stories amongst players. For example, when playtesting we ran into an encounter that lead to some particularly hilarious mental images where one of our heroes kept foul of traps. In-jokes where swiftly formed; it’s that sort of game.

While the game is out now, you also may be interested to know that the expansions, as well as bespoke editions of the game, are currently on Kickstarter until July 2nd 2018. Find out more here.

ESCAPE THE DARK CASTLE / DESIGNERS: ALEX CRISPIN, THOMAS PIKE, JAMES SHELTON / ARTIST: ALEX CRISPIN / PUBLISHER: THEMEBORNE LTD / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Iro Hero is one of those games that doesn’t shy away from its influences, to the point where you could almost consider it a homage. In this case, the inspiration is Treasure’s 2001 classic Ikaruga, one of the greatest shoot ’em ups of all time. It’s certainly a great place to start, but does Iro Hero live up to Ikaruga‘s brilliance?

The main selling point of Iro Hero is its use of a polarity system, where your ship can change between red and blue. All enemies are also either red or blue, and players need to change polarity to either destroy ships of the opposite colour or absorb bullets of the same colour to build up a powerful special attack. The controls are simple to get the hang of, with polarity changed by a quick tap on either trigger, plus a single autofire button and one more for your special, as well as a third attack – if you make it that far – which can clear the screen with a single shot.

The game starts off deceptively easily, but quickly gets chaotic. There are ten different enemy ships, but the developers programmed over 100 different behaviours so it becomes a guessing game as to what each ship will do. You might have just destroyed a dozen or so enemies flying in a straight line, but the next wave of identical ships could decide to chase you around the screen instead – bad news, considering your own craft isn’t the fastest or most manoeuvrable.

Your ship can sustain a bit of damage before being blown up, but the lack of a health bar means there’s no way of knowing when you’re on your last legs. You get three lives, with chance to earn/buy extras, but when you run out it’s game over. No continues, no saves, just right back to the start of the game. Even after close to ten hours we’re nowhere near making it to the end, and we can only imagine what insanity might lie ahead in the later half of the game’s nine levels.

Iro Hero isn’t even close to being a bad game. It looks great, the soundtrack is close to amazing with its arcadey almost anime theme-like rocking sci-fi tunes, the controls are nicely responsive, and overall it’s a decent enough addition to the Switch’s shmup catalogue. The difficulty might prove too much for many players though, and for a few extra pennies you’re likely able to find something a lot more well-rounded and substantial.

IRO HERO / DEVELOPER: ARTAX GAMES / PUBLISHER: ARTAX GAMES / RELEASE DATE: TBC

It would be impossible for the Star Wars Legion game to exist without the existence of the humble Imperial Stormtrooper. An essential part of the Star Wars universe (and an ever-present sight at pretty much any geek convention ever), the Stormtrooper is as much a well-known figure as Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker.

Of course, for those who play the bad guys in Fantasy Flight Games’ Star Wars Legion wargame, these guys are pretty much your basic cannon fodder. The Stormtroopers Unit Expansion set adds seven Stormtrooper models to your collection. The models are in a fixed pose but you have enough options to make them interesting. They aren’t made of the usual sort of miniatures plastic (this stuff is more durable), and they will (mostly) clip together for priming and prep if you plan on painting them, but glue will be needed eventually.

Painting them is pretty easy; these things are white and black. Even if you’re utterly hamfisted they drybrush easily, are detailed enough to look pretty but not so detailed that they take ages to paint. Of course, your mileage may vary depending on your skill, but they are certainly unchallenging to do.

Though the models are familiar to anyone who’s picked up the Star Wars Legion Starter set, the set does come with some changes. The box has cards that allow you to equip your guys with Grappling Hooks, which means they don’t suffer movement penalties for clambering. The card art is accidentally hilarious; we think it’s meant to depict Stormtroopers in some sort of SWAT team style assault, but it looks more like they’re in a very deadly circus. Still, the ability to move around complex 3D terrain is well worth the three points, especially if you have an ‘Ewok Villae’ style set-up. The box also has cards for Impact Grenades, which are a game changer in terms of dealing with armour. Pricey at five points, but handy if you’re fielding an army made of mostly ground troops.

If you’re getting into the game, it’s likely you’ll end up with a lot of these guys. We are hoping for some more poses in the future, and if you’ve got the core set these pieces hold no surprises, but for short little Stormtroopers, they’re a lot of fun and are certainly the best wargaming Stormtroopers we’ve ever seen, far surpassing the attempts of previous games companies.

The excellently-named Roq Epimetheos is part of the crew from the Songbringer – a group of intergalactic hard-partying funsters who scavenge the planets by day and party by night. After a bolt of lightning throws Roq to the nearby planet surface, he wakes up to find something mysterious is going on…

Songbringer very much takes its cues from early-era Legend of Zelda, specifically A Link to the Past, which is a pretty fine title to base any game around, if you ask us. While it might be a rather well-trodden path at this point, Songbringer changes things up by catapulting players into an ever-changing psychedelic sci-fi universe filled with all kinds of secrets and dangers. The art style is particularly pleasing, consisting of large blocky pixels mixed with some fancy lighting effects, reminiscent of what the ZX Spectrum might have looked like if it was made in 2018. A minimal soundtrack of bleeps and hums suits the overall theme and ties everything together perfectly. As far as presentation goes, Songbringer totally nails all the notes that it appears to be aiming for.

The overworld map of each playthrough is generated by a seed – whatever word or random series of letters players type in at the beginning of the game. While the story remains the same, the locations of shops, dungeons, and other characters will be different every time. While one would assume this would encourage experimentation with the seed mechanic, it’s unfortunate that the environment doesn’t really seem to change too much. With millions of potential seeds available, you might expect all kinds of different terrain, obstacles, enemies, colours and so on, but it’s generally all grass, rocks and water.

The planet of Ekzera contains ten dungeons with items to be found and bosses to take down. Dungeon items are generally needed in order to progress through the game, but there are often other ways around if you think you might have reached a dead end. Certain items can be combined together, but these combinations are permanent so it’s worth holding on until you’re certain that you really want that ice sword. If you decide you don’t like it, you’re stuck with it right until the end. Although you always have the option to try something else in a different playthrough, of course.

The Switch edition contains all of the DLC that was previously released on PC and consoles, including a combat trial, an additional dungeon, and extra items. It’s a massively enjoyable adventure, but we found we’d beaten the final boss 3 hours into our second run, and beyond trying out a few extra seeds for review purposes there hasn’t been much to draw us back in. Songbringer still provides a wonderfully memorable experience though, definitely worthy of further investigation.

SONGBRINGER / DEVELOPER: WIZARD FU GAMES / PUBLISHER: DOUBLE ELEVEN / PLATFORM: PC, PLAYSTATION 4, SWITCH (REVIEWED), XBOX ONE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Runner 3 is, as you might expect, the third Runner game which itself is part of the wider 1980s-themed BIT.TRIP series that first appeared back in 2009. Central character Commander Video returns for this instalment, which expands on previous Runner games by adding new mechanics, vehicles, and a huge array of unlockables, side missions, and bonus levels.

Your main task is to guide Commander Video to the end of each level. He runs along the screen automatically, with players only needing to guide his actions. We say “only”, but it’s a lot more difficult than it sounds. Things start simply enough with a single jump button, but the game quickly adds all manner of additional moves that need to be timed to perfection if the Commander is going to make it to the end of each level. Crashing or falling sends you back to the start of the course unless you’ve reached the midway checkpoint, but levels can be pretty long so there’s a high chance you’ll find yourself being set further back than you might like.

Each level contains 100 gold bars that can be collected during your run. These aren’t necessary for progressing through the game, but they can be spent on costumes for your character and offer a nice layer of challenge. Completing a course unlocks an alternate route through the level, where 100 more gold bars and 25 additional gems can be obtained. These in turn can be spent on opening some ridiculously difficult bonus levels, as well as additional characters including the game’s narrator Charles Martinet (the voice of Mario himself).

Each of the three themed worlds in Runner 3 are beautifully designed, with some really quite surreal backgrounds based on food, spooks and machines. It’s difficult to take it all in while you’re concentrating on the action, but the colourful graphics, wacky characters and memorable music make watching someone else play almost as enjoyable as doing it yourself (insert Kenneth Williams jpeg here).

Runner 3 demands precision, and it’s unfortunate that the controls can occasionally feel a little on the fussy side – you’ll swear you nailed that double jump, only to crash into a wall of plummet to your death. Our other slight issue was that hazards can appear so quickly that courses often end up being an exercise in repetition, memorising each section until you’re able to time every single move to perfection, which takes away a little from the test of skill and reflexes that we were expecting.

Tricky, weird, slightly unpredictable but overall enjoyable, there might be a couple of less desirable issues but ultimately Runner 3 has a lot to offer, particularly with its pick up and play aspect which lends itself perfectly to the Switch. Home console versions are supposedly in the works, so definitely one to keep an eye out for.

RUNNER 3 / DEVELOPER: CHOICE PROVISIONS / PUBLISHER: NICALIS / PLATFORM: PC, SWITCH / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

A dark figure stalks a woman amid the misty streets of London. As she enters a back alley, he strikes, snapping her neck and draining her blood. It’s a moment repeated a thousand times over, but Vampyr asks two important questions: What led to this point, and how will this affect the vampire himself?

The story of Vampyr follows the First World War, with Doctor Jonathan Reid returning from the frontlines as a different man. As he has recently been turned into a vampire, Reid struggles to both uphold his Hippocratic Oath to cure an ongoing plague and satiate his thirst for blood.

Vampyr’s greatest strength stems from how it treats the character of Reid and the choices the player must make. As your powers are specifically bolstered by the blood of the innocent you cannot rely on drinking from sinners to gain strength, and every person you slay has their own social network of figures. Kill one person, and it will deeply affect the others, both on a grand and small scale. Sometimes what is best for you is not best for London, as what appears to be criminals at first are among the few keeping the city afloat in its time of need. To more effectively hunt your prey, you need to research them in detail, and yet what you find might put you off from actually ending them.

The game’s brilliance is that there is no inherent difficulty setting, and everything is decided purely by player choice. As the rewards for missions are so minuscule, the only way to truly grow in power is to drink blood, and yet you are given every reason to be repulsed by such an act. Whether or not you can stomach truly avoiding it is down to the player. It could have easily failed due to any number of ways, but the way in which the city is written to focus on how individuals create a larger society helps it to carry these ideas. This is all without mentioning that, killing off the wrong person or allowing a district to fall into chaos can immediately lock off any number of quests. It’s one of the few games beyond Witcher 3 where you are constantly being pulled toward one side or another, and there really is no easy answer.

While Vampyr is obviously constrained by some notable graphical limitations, most of these are hidden away behind the stylised depiction of London’s streets. However, the studio’s obviously limited budget, unfortunately, hinders the game in other ways. Chief among these is the combat system, which is both clunky and unintuitive. It follows the familiar Arkham Asylum inspired series of dodges, strikes and kicks, but it lacks that same elegance. At the best of times it’s flawed, and in the worst of moments its constantly getting you killed due to unintuitive feedback. It’s a definite sticking point, as the bulk of most missions follow you smacking in the heads of vampire thralls.

Yet what truly hampers it is the choice of dialogue and extremely hit-or-miss voice acting. While the narrative and character profiles have been expertly handled, far too many lines lack subtlety or read as if they are a High School student’s first stab at handling drama. Sometimes an actor is good enough to still make it work, but in other cases, poor deliveries can sink entire scenes. If you don’t believe this then please know that “What is glass but tortured sand?” is not only a line in this game but one delivered with total sincerity.

No one will deny that Vampyr deftly handles its subject matter with an attention to detail rarely seen even in AAA games. However, there is such a steep divide between these strengths and its failings, that it holds back the game from true greatness. While many fans will draw Vampire: The Masquerade comparisons, they really are two of a kind. Both deeply flawed but thoroughly engaging nevertheless. If you’re a fan of Gothic horror or wish for a vampire game which forces you to do more than regard humans as Happy Meals on legs, give this a look.

VAMPYR / DEVELOPER: DONTNOD ENTERTAINMENT / PUBLISHER: FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE / PLATFORM: PC, PLAYSTATION 4, XBOX ONE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Sega Genesis Classics should have been an easy thing to release. All it needed was to repackage its 16-bit success stories, put them on a single disc and release them into the world. By all accounts, it was an easy task, but Sega screwed things up so badly that you would be forgiven for thinking the company hates money. Or, at least, its dedicated fans.

The core of the game is absolutely fine, as it re-releases a multitude of fan favourites from past decades, from Golden Axe to Phantasy Star II and the Streets of Rage series. While you have the odd surprise (with Sword of Vermillion being the big one) it’s a good overall collection which should keep you engaged for hours at a time. More importantly, it even opened up support for ROM hacks on Steam and full workshop integration.

On the surface, it’s all fine and dandy, until you start to notice oddities surrounding the games. The biggest one among these is how poorly optimised many of the games are. The more active titles suffer from subtle but constant stuttering, and characters can end up randomly teleporting from place to place with no prompts. This is so abrupt that the game effectively jump-cuts enemies onto the screen, and controller inputs can lag by seconds at a time in many cases. Often your character will react to your action moments after you have given the order to do anything.

Even without that, there are already better versions of each game already on the market. Each of them lacks the fine-tuning to make them function effectively on most machines or the custom options found on the Sega 3D Classics Collection. Even the attempt to include multiplayer not only lacks local play, but online options suffer from an astonishingly poor netcode and a matchmaking system which offers you no feedback on other players. The system of selecting games is put down to a random dice-roll of ones you have specifically not selected as uninterested, and if one player rejects the choice made, you are forced to start the whole matchmaking process over again. Simply put – Nothing has been done to fully warrant this new and fully priced re-release, and the few new additions make the experience significantly worse.

Sega Genesis Classics is easily one of the worst re-releases we have seen since the Silent Hill HD Collection. There is no excuse for work this shoddy, and you can easily find a free emulator of these games outperforming this collection. There is absolutely no reason for you to ever buy this game in its current state.

SEGA GENESIS CLASSICS / DEVELOPER & PUBLISHER: SEGA / PLATFORM: PC, PLAYSTATION 4, XBOX ONE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW