Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector Review (Switch)

The first Citizen Sleep was a resounding success, with its space styled cyber punk aesthetic and the mixture of rich storytelling and board game and RPG elements. In fact, it garnered a dedicated following and even had a card game version appearing. It’s not a massive surprise then to see a second game in the series.

There is no direct link to the story of the first game here. Continuity wise it is set a little later in the time period, but new players won’t feel left out if they start here first. To add to this, your character is a malfunctioning android who has no memory of anything either so it’s very much about discovering the world for the first time.

There are a handful of classes to choose from, and you can also upgrade skills and buffs as you get points from completing various missions and objectives. These then add modifiers to your dice or allow you do things like create rerolls or fix them should they become damaged.

The premise is simple, at the start of each cycle (or day) , you get a number of dice that are randomly generated with which to carry out actions. The higher the number of the dice mixed with your affinity for carrying out certain type of task will decide if you are likely to be successful at it. Once, you have used all your dice you can end the cycle and start again with a fresh set.

Of course, things are never that easy and there is normally some kind of cycle timer counting down to a major story event that you need to be aware of. Time is very much essential so resetting a day just because you have bad dice is never really an option. On top of this you need food and need to think about damage caused by stress to your body. There really are a whole host of things keeping you on the edge of anxiety and always watching the clock.

You’ll spend much of your time investigating around space stations or out on salvage operations. The interface is simple, pick the location to move to and then the options of what you can do will show up when you get there. There are options to work or find food, as well as hunt for clues or interact with the population. When you are off the station for salvage missions you need to also think about fuel and the amount of supplies you have with you. These missions are normally perilous as the hulks you try and get salvage from tend to breach and fall apart, just in case you needed yet another time clock to think about.

The initial goal is simply to stay one step ahead of the people chasing you. After that the mystery deepens and you’ll also encounter new characters and crew with their own skills and agendas to deal with. The human interaction element is key to the games philosophy as you will live or die by your network of crew. In this respect it’s important to think about how you are interacting as you’ll want as many options as possible as you venture on your space road trip.

Overall, Citizen Sleep 2 is a beautifully thought out and refined experience. It’s certainly tough but can be progressed through with careful thinking (and there are easier difficulty settings as well). It’s quite unique in its approach to the genre and still manages to stand out from the crowd. If you are looking for an immersive sci-fi adventure with a twist, then this comes highly recommended.

Overall 8/10

Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade Review (Switch)

We reviewed Hades what feels like a lifetime ago now and remarkably few games of its type have appeared since. We were expecting a wave like the ever-enduring Metroidvania’s but it never came. Maybe that’s because Hades pretty much perfected the formulae or maybe it’s just taken some time for companies to catch on.

Yash: Legends of the Demon Blade does follow the Hades template; all be it in a slightly gentler way than its source material. It changes the ancient Greek setting for that of Japanese mythology, which is presented in some beautifully drawn and constructed environments. This game is certainly big on the looks department.

That isn’t to say there isn’t depth here. The rogue elements are very much in play. There are numerous long-term and short-term buffs and bonuses that can be acquired by defeating enemies or bought at vendors. The range of these is vast and covers simple things such as health boosts to bonuses relating to stacking attacks and general speed and agility. There’s also an element here of quick first time upgrades that soon become much more expensive when looking to expand them further.

Away from upgrades to your character you can also unlock and upgrade a host of different swords. Again, these range from focusing on light or heavy attacks to those that require certain elements to function. There are no weak weapons so it’s all down to personal preference and two can be taken with you on any run. Once within the game temporary buffs can be applied as well, meaning there are a host of combinations you can play around with.

Combat is simple to grasp, with light and heavy attacks, a charge attack and the ability to dodge, parry and counter. These simple commands can be combined and manipulated into something much more devastating though so don’t be fooled into thinking this is a standard hack and slash affair. There is nuance here and you’ll need to get to know what swords work for you if you are going to progress past the first few areas.

One thing that is unusual in this genre is that the levels aren’t randomly generated. Each run sets you against the same environments and enemies with he same bosses at the end. There is only one exit out of each arena type level so things can get repetitive after repeated plays. That said, the longer you play and stronger you become and the quicker you slice through the earlier rounds, and we found we got further we each play through.

The bosses are big and colourful as well and varied in their style. You start out taking on a giant crab, but before long all manor of crazy demons are turning up with each behaving in a unique way. The boss battles really are a highlight and allow you to show off your skills without seemingly being unfair or insurmountable.

Overall, Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade is a really nice surprise. The Japanese folklore setting lends itself perfectly to this type of game and it looks beautiful most of the time. The action is fast and slick and even the story is passable. It comes highly recommended to both hack and slash fans and those looking for more Hades style action that’s unique enough not to feel like a copy.

Overall 8/10

Sonokuni Review (Switch)

Every now and then you get something that appears out of the blue with little fan fare or hype that proves interesting enough to take a deeper look. A top down biopunk and Japanese mythology based, Hotline Miami, inspired indie game certainly fits the bill.

The Hotline Miami inspiration is obvious in terms of the games look and style. You enter buildings and move through the levels room by room in a series of sort of mini arena sequences. Each room contains a set series of enemies that all need to be approached in different ways to defeat them. This adds a sort of puzzle element as well as there’s normally only one way to get through without dying.

What is helpful is that if a certain enemy kills you too many times, then a video will pop up at your death showing how to deal with them. In terms of your arsenal, you have a spin attack, a deflection shield and the ability to slow down time for brief periods. Some enemies need shots deflected back at them, some need to be hit directly, while others may need to be dodged first or hit within a certain time. Knowing which order to do things is the key as one hit and you die and will need to repeat the room from scratch. The auto save is pretty good though, so you’ll be instantly back in the action without much time passing.

The biggest issue with the game though is the absolute crushing difficulty. Hotline Miami at least allowed some fluidity in how you could take enemies out. The closed arena nature of the rooms here really means it is a case of learning the pattern of each one and then making sure to execute it perfectly. And it does have to be perfect or else you will die and have to start again. This means if you do get stuck in a particular place it can soon start to get repetitive and frustrating quickly.

Some levels have boss fights as well. These tend to end up more like bullet hell shooter sequences where you must alternate between dodging attacks and deflecting and reflecting different colour bullets at the enemy. These are well handled and general walk the line well between challenging and fun.

There’s a good attempt at story telling and lore building as well. There are some great looking comic book style sequences and between levels you can explore a 2D village which acts as a small hub area. Here you can talk to other characters before heading off to the next level for more destruction.

Overall, Sonokuni is a fun attempt at trying to bring something a touch different to the Switch. It’s going to appeal to gamers who want games based on lightning fast reflexes and quick thinking. If the controls and pacing were tightened a little it would be an addictive masterpiece. As it is its good fun but veers more towards frustration than that ‘one more go’ ethos just a little too often.

Overall 7/10

Rendering Ranger Rewind Review (Switch)

The last few months have seen an increase in companies taking obscure retro games, giving them a lick of paint and then re-releasing them back into the world. As a result, we’ve had games that were never likely to appear on the Nintendo Switch Online Service brought back into the light. Rendering Ranger, one of the rarest and most expensive Super Nintendo games is the latest of these and another welcome addition.

Rendering Ranger is a side scrolling platform shooter similar in some ways to Super Contra. It’s not up there in terms of the legendary status but the general running, gunning and jumping are within the same area. There are also certain levels which move into a horizontal shooter where you pilot a ship. There’s also a basic powerup system where your weapons improve through pick ups but that’s about it. It was a simpler time.

Graphically, the game ties into the dystopian sci-fi aesthetic of the time in pretty standard fashion. There’s some cool enemy design and the game runs at about a million miles an hour as well so everything comes together in a slick and fun way. The action is intense and unrelenting, but the controls can be a little lose compared to other games which can lead to frustrating deaths. The game world does seem a bit cramped as well.

The levels themselves are also a little long and often have some repeated elements that verge on outstaying their welcome. There’s only so many times you want to go through the same loop of enemies and obstacles after all. Boss fights are well judged though with them being challenging without them falling into the realms of bullet sponges or being seemingly unfair.

Luckily, there are a fair few quality of life elements added to ease the old school difficulty. You can save and load at any point and there is also a rewind function. The game is fairly forgiving as well so all these combined mean players not used to older games should have a good chance of settling in and having a good time.

If you do die there is also a password system in place so you should be able to keep making progress. There are also a whole host of filter, screen size and border options to play around with and even the unreleased, European, version of the game has been included under the Targa title along with a music player and some museum options.

Overall, Rendering Ranger Rewind does an excellent job of presenting the very best version of the game and giving players the best chance of engaging and enjoying it. The game itself is just below the level of the cast iron classics of the time but is a fast paced and thoroughly enjoyable experience for retro game fans. We can also never get annoyed by companies spending the time to bring these more difficult to get hold of games to a wider audience.

Overall 7/10