Barbarian Saga: The Beastmaster Review (Switch)

Well, it’s been at least five reviews since we’ve looked at a Metroidvania game, so it seems only fitting to give Barbarian Saga a proper look. The game is heavily influenced by the swords and sorcery films of the late 80’s such as Conan the Barbarian and Beastmaster (as your character actually is both a barbarian and a beastmaster). After being forced to fight in a gladiatorial arena you decide to break free and with your demonic soul sucking sword, try to free the realm.

We would love to give you some more details of the plot, but the game is borderline nonsensical due to some poor writing and even worse translation. We often thought that whole sections of dialogue must be missing as characters spoke. This isn’t helped by the amount of text there is. Sometimes showing things is a lot better than reams and reams of text to get through.

The confusion goes for navigation as well as the map only gives you quite basic details with each area somewhat hard to distinguish from the next. There are also no markers or direction points, no way to check the progress of ongoing quests, or even a way to check on the controls for new moves you’ve learned. In a game world this big that is a problem. Even Hollow Knight let you put down marker stones.

The thing that most stands out about the game is how absolutely gorgeous it looks. It has a hand drawn art style and the environments and characters are beautifully illustrated. The cut scenes are equally top draw to look at. Unfortunately, when in motion everything seems blurry and a little undefined. Frequent frame rate drops and juddering also hinder any real ability to enjoy the lavish visuals as they jerk around the screen.

Another let down is that while the game initially seems to let you explore anywhere, you’ll soon find that it is continually funnelling you down a pretty narrow path. A lot of the environment leads you to dead ends without anything of value really being there. Metrodivania games have continually refined and moved away from the idea of pointless wandering in recent times but here there is a lot of level here just for the sake of it. You do get fast travel unlocked from the very beginning at least which is something.

Combat is decent enough. You have a strike and a block and new moves can be learned by finding broken weapons and giving them to the appropriate person. A lot of the new attacks don’t really do too much different though and with the frame rate issues the block can be tricky to initiate properly. Enemies are also varied and interesting to encounter and have a wide range of attacks and patterns. Bosses don’t let the side down either with a challenging yet logical approach to defeating them, the game certainly does some things right.

Overall, Barbarian Saga: The Beast Master has some really nice ideas. The look of the game is beautiful. If it could be updated so that when moving, it doesn’t look like a stop motion movie that would be go a long way to improving things. There is a wider issue with the general level design though and the text translation makes it almost nonsensical. With more time this could have been something a lot better but as it is it’s hard to recommend.

Overall 5/10

Kaboomania Review (Switch)

We are used to seeing retro styled games based on older franchises appear. What is a little less common is for new games made for original hardware to appear on the Switch. There have been a few of course such as Astebros, but they tend to stay in the realm of the Evercade. Kaboomania, is a new Amiga 1200 game with some very clear influences from the Bomberman series.

The aim of the game is clearly to try and recapture the spark that the original Bomberman franchise was known for. There are 4 player local vs battles and even a password system for the single player instead of an auto save. The levels themselves are generally quite a lot bigger than with the Bomberman games as well. It all sounds promising but somewhere along the way it seems to lose the magic.

First, the password system probably sounded like a great nostalgic kick to begin with, but in practice its incredibly annoying. Having to remember to write down or take a screen shot of your pass code every time you play will likely see you losing progress in the single player game. It’s something we have really moved beyond and including a save function as well would have made a lot more sense.

Single player suffers in the same way a lot of the single player campaigns of its inspiration suffer from. Single player Bomberman was never something that held attention for long. While the Bomberman franchise tried to keep mixing things up it never quite got the mix of clearing enemies and puzzles to the level of the multiplayer draw. There was a reason that when the game came out on Xbox Live that it was multiplayer only. Kaboomania suffers much the same fate. You move around a grided maze, clearing blocks, picking up powerups and looking for exit. Aside from the look it’s pretty much identical. However, as the levels are bigger it just becomes a drawn-out experience very quickly. As soon as level ten we were getting bored with it.

Unfortunately, it also has some technical issues. There is a lot of juddering and frame rate dropping. This occurs when bombs go off or when enemies are exploded. In a game this precise it makes things very frustrating at times as you jump around the screen. It also makes levels with a large number of enemies near unplayable at times. It’s something that really needs addressing. There is a powerup that drops a load of bombs all over the map which just results in the game pretty much grinding to a halt. An Amiga 1200 game really should not be stressing the Switch 2 out quite this much.

The other major issue for this is that The Bomberman Collection is also readily available. This is cheaper but when you can go and get a whole bundle of retro games that present a much slicker experience It’s hard to see who will be drawn to this. As a physical disc to be used with the Amiga 1200 this has merit, out in the wider world it really does begin to fall short.

Overall, it’s a shame Kaboomania can’t quite capture the magic of the games it is emulating. Without the technical issues this would be a fun distraction. But with the frame skips and general lack of polish in the movement and controls it just becomes too easy to ignore when there are better options available.

Overall 5/10

CloverPit Review (Switch 2)

Making its jump from Steam, CloverPit arrives with an already established cult following. Promoted as the slot machine version of Balatro, the game is a roguelike built around the core concept of pulling a demonic leaver and trying to make enough money to survive to the next round.

In terms of aesthetic the game is minimalist but effective. You start locked inside a small room. Inside you can see a locked door, the fruit machine, a toilet, bin, a machine to buy charms from and the money machine. There are also a couple of information boards that display the odds of certain symbols showing up and the deal or no deal style phone which rings between rounds.

The aim of each round is to reach a continually increasing set number of coins. Spare coins can be put back into the coin machine to gain interest. You get three turns in each round and early on you’ll realise it’s a careful balance between getting coins and the tickets you need to get charms which alter things like the likelihood of certain symbols showing up or giving rewards for certain combinations.

All this said, the game still comes down to a lot of luck. Using the right charms can change the value of symbols and make things show up more often but if you get a bad run there isn’t much you can really do. This is frustrating as even when you know the way you need to go with a build you can still play every turn as well as is possible and still not get enough coins to get through. It means, unlike games like Balatro, it can become tiring as decision making is nowhere near as deep.

If you reach the end of a round without enough coins the floor gives way and you fall to your death and need to start again from scratch. The only permanent things you can add are when you gain a key to unlock a draw. When draws are unlocked it means items can be placed inside them to give options in late game or even carry certain things over to the next run. At this point you at least get a bit more of an ability to plan ahead.

Achieving the gold needed for a round has the player set a new and higher coin target to reach. After a while you will also activate the ‘666’ numbers, which, if they come on the slot machine will see you lose all gained coins for the round. Of course, this can also be changed with charms to turn the so called ‘curse’ on its head. Between rounds the ominous phone also rings. Answering it allows you to pick from three further upgrades. Sometimes though you’ll get a cursed call which, if you can ignore, will grant greater upgrades later.

There is also a small DLC available at launch. The Unholy Fusion add on allows for players to forge various charms together to create new effects. However, it’s not available until you unlock all the draws in the game (which requires four completions). It’s both very cheap to purchase and also fairly non-essential unless you have really rung everything else out of the game.

Overall, CloverPit is an interesting game. It starts out a bit confusing then you’ll start to work out how you are meant to play it. However, if you don’t start seeing success in yuir runs due to the luck element it’s hard to see players sticking with it as long term as over rogue style games. What’s here works pretty well, it just feels a bit light weight at times and may leave you looking for something with more depth.

Overall 7/10

Skautfold: Moonless Knight Review (Switch)

We’ll admit to not being aware of the Skautfold series. Apparently, there are a ton of games out there set in this interconnected indie world across a range of genres. What drew us to Moonless Knight was the notion of a top-down action Metroidvania set in alternate ancient Japan featuring demons and samurai’s. It certainly sounded like something different, and it claims to have a unique battle system as well. 

Stylistically, Moonless Knight sets the tone really well. The eerie, cursed environment comes across strongly with some suitably spooky music and mist drifting across the place. The ancient Japanese setting is also handled well enough with the thing looking not a million miles away from Rocky and Pocky if the colour palette had been toned down. If anything, there is a bit too much detail at times and some of textures don’t blend together in the best way. A slightly cleaner design approach would probably have benefited everyone. 

The story goes that you have been sent to retrieve and ancient relic from the emperor’s castle. Upon arriving you find that a luna cult has taken over and now there are cosmic barriers keeping the rest of the soldiers getting in to win the castle back. As such you must head the resistance from within your hiding place in the castle grounds and keep the emperor hidden.

Combat is certainly unique, but we didn’t find it something that ever really clicked or became enjoyable. There are ways to avoid and block attacks, and of course doing so with split second timing creates bonus effects. There are also a ton of different weapons to get hold of and upgrade. But it always felt too sluggish, I do wonder if it would have been better almost as an auto striker kind of game as you have a strength bar which effectively acts as a timer to say when you initiate an attack. It’s also quite difficult to tell if you are making contact with the enemy when striking and keeping an eye on the various armour, strength and damage bars meant we never were never really sure who was winning a battle until someone keeled over. 

When you die you return to the main base with any money you’ve found and are free to go out and explore again. While in the base there are a lot of different characters to talk to get advice or fill in sections of the back story. Unfortunately, this has some of the most frustrating text skipping controls we’ve come across. We read quite quickly but the option when in dialogue is either to let it run at its slow pace or skip the sentence completely. You can go back and then check the conversation log, but would it have been so difficult just to make text appear a full sentence at a time? This, perhaps more than anything else, really took us out of the game experience. 

Overall, Skautfold: Moonless Knight is an interesting idea and if you do end up gelling with the combat then its certainly intriguing and interesting enough to take up a considerable amount of your time. We just found it a bit too slow and clunky though. There’s certainly something good in here but there were too many rough edges for us to really get into it. 

Overall 5/10

R-Type Dimension III Review (Switch)

It’s been a mixed bag to be an R-Type fan other the last few years. Dimension EX was a strong remix of the original two games but then R-Type Final 2 was a considerable letdown. It leaves fans stuck between wanting remakes of their favourite games and still holding out hope that something new will appear. We should say that we are deliberately reviewing this late. With this review coming after the second major patch for the game and after the developers vowed to address some of the many issues raised by fans.

R-Type Dimensions III takes the Super Nintendo game R-Type III: The Third Lightning and rebuilds it from scratch with new graphics. This is of course where all the controversy started. In rebuilding the game and adding the 3D graphics the hit boxes and enemy behaviour has been changed so much that an already crushingly difficult game was made ever tougher.

We always find it an odd choice for developers to rebuild games like shoot’em ups from scratch like this. It runs the risk of alienating previous fans as things have been changed in terms of the flow and is unlikely to attract new fans as they will want to experience the original. It’s even more bizarre in a sense as you can change the graphics back to the 2D pixel style of the original, except of course it isn’t. The game does look great though, in that respect you can’t fault the visual upgrade.

Where it gets a bit confusing is with things like the lack of quality-of-life features or other things you tend to associate with these sorts of releases. This may have redesigned assets from the ground up but in some sense, it would probably have been better to but an HD filter over the original and add in the usual rewind and save features. At least that would have kept the gameplay the same and probably avoided a lot of fan unrest. It’s certainly an argument for having the original game available on any of these remakes and upgrades in the future. What is here is an ‘infinite’ mode where no matter how many times you die you just keep going but there should be some middle ground between complete death and invincibility.

The game itself was always a tough one, and never the finest R-Type cut. It is the first in the series to allow players a small amount of customisation in the form of being able to pick from three different force units, each with their own attack styles. The level design is also strong enough to be worth revisiting, be warned though, it really throws you straight in at the deep end and new players will probably struggle to get off the first level for a significant amount of time.

In terms of the version we now have there have certainly been improvements. The hit boxes do seem a bit better now and the game certainly runs at a crazy speed and incredibly smoothly. The 3D graphics are still be a bit too busy at times though and it can be difficult to tell what is in the foreground or background and what is something that needs to be avoided.

Overall, it’s clear that the intentions with R Type Dimensions 3 were good, and the continued support by the development team to try and fix the issues is to be commended. That said, we still would have preferred to have access to the original game as it was. To not have access to that in some way just seems like a huge oversight. As it is, the game looks great but there are still some frustrating issues that stops it reaching the greatness of other games in the series.

Overall 6/10

City Hunter Review (Switch)

For many out there you probably have never heard of the City Hunter Manga. We first became aware of it via the Hong Kong movie featuring Jackie Chan. Even after this though we didn’t realise there was a host of other City Hunter material available and we certainly had no idea that there was an obscure Japanese game released on the PC Engine. Now, like many an obscure retro game before it, it is being brought to a wider audience with a slightly new coat of paint.

Like many action games of the time, City Hunter is a side scrolling mix of shooting and platforming. It has heavy arcade roots but is set out over three chapters. You can choose any chapter you wish but in all honesty they all play very similarly. You move left and right, enemies continually generate and you can also move up and down stairs or go through doors into new rooms. Some rooms will have quest items or people in to talk to. There are some slight variations where sometimes you have to avoid traps but on the whole, you are walking, shooting and looking at identical looking doors.

There are a few additions to the package but nothing that really makes it a must own. Theres a nicely presented representation of the original PC Engine box and a juke box. There are a few filter options and you can also play the original version of the game as well a the more refined one. It is a bit lite overall though and while all these things are nice to have it nots going to make the game essential unless you are already a fan.

Overall, this is going to have a very niche appeal when it comes to players deciding if it’s worth adding to their Switch library. For someone out there I’m sure this will be the easy access to an obscure Japanese game on an obscure console that they have been looking for. For the rest of us though there just isn’t enough here to really warrant the purchase. The game was never that amazing to begin with and this is just a slightly shinier version of that same average game.

Overall 5/10

Constance Review (Switch 2)

It was only a matter of time before some of the more interesting games that were bundled on Evercade cartridges started to find their way to other systems. And Biomechanical Toy is certainly one of those. A fairly obscure arcade release, it never received a home computer version, so this really is one for gamers looking to experience a little piece of cult arcade history.

In terms of how the game plays, the Amiga influence is very clear to see. It has the graphical look of all those weird Amiga platformers and also the slightly lose controls that tended to be the characteristic of any of these games not released on consoles. The levels are all set in a surreal sort of theme park/circus and your goal is simply to get to the end of each, blasting as much as you can.

In general, the game plays well. The main character is responsive and the weapons have a good weight to them. The levels are tough but its not as unfair as most arcade games of the time. It certainly seems like at some point there was an idea of porting this to home systems in terms of how it plays as there is a fairness and sort of balance to it. It’s still pretty tough though, just not in that way that most arcade games are designed to suck up all your money.

In terms of extra content there is n’t anything revolutionary here. You get the usual selection of filters and borders and some quality of life features such as being able to save and also rewind. The rewind is always useful as it stops the need for the constsnt reloading you would otherwise have to do. There is also a gallery included and you can listen to the games soundtrack via a jukebox mode. Some more info about tis development would have been welcomed as its so obscure but there’s enough here to peak the interest for a little while.

Overall, Biomechanical is a fun release and one that sits alongside some of the other weird and wonderful cult games nicely. We are always happy to see these more obscure games brought back into the light and the fact it’s a pretty decent one just makes it all the better. The usual reservations will apply for anyone who struggles with these older games but retro game fans and fans of arcades will love it.

Overall 7/10

Biomechanical Toy Review (Switch)

It was only a matter of time before some of the more interesting games that were bundled on Evercade cartridges started to find their way to other systems. And Biomechanical Toy is certainly one of those. A fairly obscure arcade release, it never received a home computer version, so this really is one for gamers looking to experience a little piece of cult arcade history.

In terms of how the game plays, the Amiga influence is very clear to see. It has the graphical look of all those weird Amiga platformers and also the slightly lose controls that tended to be the characteristic of any of these games not released on consoles. The levels are all set in a surreal sort of theme park/circus and your goal is simply to get to the end of each, blasting as much as you can.

In general, the game plays well. The main character is responsive and the weapons have a good weight to them. The levels are tough but its not as unfair as most arcade games of the time. It certainly seems like at some point there was an idea of porting this to home systems in terms of how it plays as there is a fairness and sort of balance to it. It’s still pretty tough though, just not in that way that most arcade games are designed to suck up all your money.

In terms of extra content there isn’t anything revolutionary here. You get the usual selection of filters and borders and some quality of life features such as being able to save and also rewind. The rewind is always useful as it stops the need for the constant reloading you would otherwise have to do. There is also a gallery included and you can listen to the games soundtrack via a jukebox mode. Some more info about tis development would have been welcomed as its so obscure but there’s enough here to peak the interest for a little while.

Overall, Biomechanical is a fun release and one that sits alongside some of the other weird and wonderful cult games nicely. We are always happy to see these more obscure games brought back into the light and the fact it’s a pretty decent one just makes it all the better. The usual reservations will apply for anyone who struggles with these older games but retro game fans and fans of arcades will love it.

Overall 7/10

Bluey’s Quest for the Golden Pen

The original Bluey game worked pretty well at recreating one of the cartoon episodes in the form of a game, as well as throwing a lot of familiar moments and easter eggs into the mix. It was, in effect and interactive narrative with some mini games that did what it set out to. Quest for the Golden Pen veers more into traditional game territory, taking Bluey into a top-down adventure setting. It has a physical release as well which is nice to see after Sony’s recent announcement.

The story behind this is that players are exploring the world that Bluey and Bingo are drawing while a story is being told around a kitchen table. It’s an attempt to capture the imagination of the characters in a more tangible form. What this looks like in practice is a sort of Zelda-lite game where players wander around the different areas on everlasting fetch and item hunting quests.

There are different lands such as the starting meadow and the forest and each area has something to find such as sweets or goose food which requires a certain amount to be obtained before giving it to whichever characters wants it and then progressing on to the next. There are a host of puzzles to overcome along the way, nothing too taxing of course as this is primarily a kids game. Bluey also has access to a magic want which can be used to zap things. There isn’t really any combat here though and the characters don’t have health bars. The emphasis is very much on exploring and wandering around.

As well as the main things you are looking for there are also lots of other objects such as lady bugs and stones to find. If you don’t like fetch quests this really isn’t for you. Some levels have over two hundred items to pick up so be warned. Puzzles are mainly around things such as switches moving or hitting certain points with Bluey’s wand. Its simple stuff but there is a charm to the aesthetic and its certainly not a game that’s going to stress you. Despite its kid orientated nature though we did find that sometimes we could have used with a bit more guidance on where we were meant to go. You do get a map but its often unclear how you actually finish a level.

As you progress a few more items become available to use such as the birdie glider that lets you floar around and between each level you get a fun cut scene in the cartoon style explaining the set up for the next area. It certainly has some charm to it and the presentation is strong throughout. All that said, it really could use a bit more excitement at times as the environments aren’t interactive enough to make endless wandering fun in its own right.

Overall, It’s nice to see the effort has been put into creating a game around the Bluey license. Much like the first game, kids that like the cartoon should enjoy this. It is also good to the see that something else has been tried in terms of the game genre. However, it just isn’t that fun wandering around all the time. There is the makings of a really good adventure game here but even for kids this is just a bit basic.

Overall 6/10

Psyvariar 3 Review (Switch 2)

The Psyvariar franchise has been around for some time. The first time we encountered it was via the PS2 version where it was a fun, if not top tier shoot’em up with good potential for high scores. There was a sequel and then Psvariar Delta in 2018 which acted as a sort of remix/compilation, but this is the first new game in the franchise proper for a very long time.

In terms of presentation this is what you come to expect from your standard post 2010’s vertical scrolling shooter. The ship sits at the bottom of the screen, flies over 3D environment scaling below, avoids bullets and shoots things. The twist with Psyvariar though has always been about really pushing your hit box as close as you can in order to powerup and maximise you score. You must get the enemy bullets to skim you which continually boosts the bonus the pot. You can also spin you ship which makes it a bit slower but helps with the hit box and also changes the intensity of your own bullets.

Speaking of those 3D environments, Psyvariar 3 looks beautiful beneath the chaos. A lot of care an attention has gone into making the stages look as stunning as possible. Unfortunately, this is also a bit of a problem. The environments are so busy and fully constructed that it can be very difficult to judge incoming fire, enemy ships and even what is and isn’t an actual obstacle. This would be a major problem if it wasn’t for the fact you can go into the settings and change the brightness. Doing so helped to resolve the problem and it at least allows for the individual player to find something they are comfortable with.

The game contains a good amount of content for players to get stuck into. There are seven characters to choose from (including Cotton from that series as a guest), Arcade mode, Arrange mode (which allows upgrading to make the game easier), Caravan, Endless and Mission Modes (49 short challenges). It plays out over seven pretty large stages as well with the expected spectacular boss battles at the end of each. It’s a nice package for fans who really take to the game as there is always something to go to when you want to change things up a bit. It’s certainly not just a quick arcade style port. It also runs buttery smooth, even in handheld mode, something essential for games in this genre.

If there is a downside it's that the overall design aesthetic does seem a bit bland. If you think about the iconic games from the genre there will be bosses, ships and levels that instantly spring to mind. Who could forget pretty much all of Ikaruga for instance? But here, though everything works well, nothing really stands out to that degree. As a result this isn’t as essential as games like Radiant Silver Gun or some of Caves output. Instead, it becomes as must play for those that are really into the genre.

Overall, Psyvariar 3 is a well put together shoot’em up with a gimmick that makes it unique and keeps it separate from others in the genre. However, it’s not up there with the real top tier shoot'em ups. If you are into these types of games you’ll get a lot out of this. But we suspect most players will have a list of a fair few games to buy before they reach this.

Overall 7/10

Citzen Sleeper 2 Review (Switch 2)

 

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

Super Scram Kitty Review (Switch)

 

After wooing us with the wonderfully named Floating Cloud God Saves the Pilgrims and The 2D Adventures of Rotating Octopus Character the mad cap humour of Dakko Dakko (now Kumogami) studios returned with the then Wii U exclusive Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails. Many years have passed and despite a quick return on the PSN Scram Kitty has been mostly silent until now, arriving in a remixed form and looking better than ever.

The plot is mad and sends us back to the 16-bit days of lunatic ideas. Basically, your cat sends you a message from the international space station saying super intelligent mice have taken over and you need to get up there and rescue all the cats and take it back from them. What this amounts to is jumping on your spinner and blasting, leaping and spinning your way around some top down puzzle/platform levels.

The puzzle elements are based around shooting switches, finding different weapons to destroy obstacles and simply working out how to make jumps to different rails. It’s nothing massively complex but when combined with the past paced gameplay and onslaught of enemies it’s more than enough to deal with.

The game draws a lot of influence from previous game Rotating Octopus but there are a ton of new ideas going on here. Working out the movement is key to success and your character controls in a fairly unique way. Your spinner is magnetic and attaches to any rail. You can move along the rails under your own steam but the only way you can reach another rail is to jump to it. What this means is that you need to use the rails carefully to get the right angles to jump and fire.

You will be attacked by various types of mice on your adventure and making sure you can actually hit them with your variety of weapons forms part of the crux of the game. Your character only fires directly in front of themselves so if you are on a side rail and they are coming at you from below you need to jump to a rail facing towards them in order to hit the pesky vermin. It starts out tricky but you soon get the hang of how it all works, and it adds to the puzzle elements of certain levels. 

The goal of each level is to rescue four cats and reach the exit door. You can just find the exit if you want but you’ll need cats to unlock levels as you go so replaying earlier stages is vital to progression. The four cats each have their own characteristics to be found. The lazy cat just sits by the exit and the lucky cat requires all the lucky pennies to be found in a level before appearing. The black cat requires a super tough mouse to be destroyed before it will come out and finally the scaredy cat, when picked up, will run off to somewhere else on the station and requires chasing around and capturing in a strict time limit.

Scram Kitty is a tough game and you’ll need both patience and perseverance to get through. You have an energy bar but once it’s gone you’ll have to start the level again from scratch. This includes finding cats, coins and weapons again or taking down the big bad mouse commanders. The levels are fairly compact but the amount of skill required from the player means dying near the end of a stage can be exasperating. 

The main problem with Scram Kitty from the Wii U version has now been removed. On The Wii U proverbial Scram would appear on screen to give advice. When this happened he pretty much took up the entire screen and this led to a number of deaths and missed jumps as we simply couldn’t see what was going on. Scram no longer does this. While this means you don’t get the advice it also makes for a much smoother experience overall.

Overall, Scram Kitty is still an excellent game. There’s a lot of invention and originality on show in terms of the games mechanics and we certainly haven’t played anything like this for years and there’s nothing else like it on the eshop. It says a lot that even now, this is a pretty essential purchase for anyone who wants an old school challenge mixed with some clever design.

Overall 8/10

 

Gobliiins Collection Review (Switch)

There’s obviously been a breakthrough in home computer emulation recently as we are getting more and more MS-DOS and Amiga games released for modern systems. While games like Turrican and the upcoming Apidya may be the obvious go to games for release we are pleased to see the often-overlooked Gobliiins franchise put together in a solid package.

The quirk of the games is that the number of I’s in the games title will tell you how many characters you will be controlling at once. The first game has three (Gobliiins), and then in a no doubt intentional move Gobliins 2 has two and then Goblins 3 has one. Game developers, eh?

There are five games here included, starting in 1991 and moving through to the 2023 revival. The sixth game is not here as we suspect that will get a separate release later. The complete soundtrack is also included and an excellent mini-series style documentary and gallery. It’s always nice to see game collections handled well and this had a lot of attention put into it.

The games themselves follow the standard point and click adventure template. Most of the time though you are restricted within a single scene, so the levels play out more like independent puzzles than a bigger, overarching world to wander around. This has the bonus of removing a lot of back tracking and carting around a ton of useless items with you everywhere you go. The games do play around with this as you go through the series but there is a general minimalist approach to aimless wandering.

Generally, the characters share an inventory and health bar. The characters also have different skills for the player to sue. This is most evident with the three goblins in the first game where one can pick up and use objects, one can punch things and the other casts spells. While there is a health bar, you can save the levels and ‘death’ just means a restart of the particular scene. As the levels are so compact this isn’t generally a massive issue.

Controls on the Switch has a virtual cursor on the screen that can be moved around via the left analogue stick. Other buttons are then used to shift through character selection and items. There are no touch screen controls which is a shame, but everything works well. You can also highlight interactive sections of each stage with one of the shoulder buttons. This really helps, especially with the earlier games as it can be hard to tell what’s an object and what is just background art.

All the games are good fun though. The 3D Goliiins 4 isn’t the best, but then every point and click game seems to have a misguided 3D entry in its series somewhere. The other four though are good enough across the board. The games never troubled the absolute pinnacles of the genre but they have left a legacy which as lasted over fifteen years which generally doesn’t happen if your games are awful.

Overall, the Gobliiins collection is a healthy dose of nostalgia done correctly. The first game is one we have a particular soft spot for and it’s an enjoyable series to work your way through. Its yet another slightly obscure retro game that we are more than happy to see again.

Overall 7/10

Soccer Kid Collection Review (Switch)

 

Once Soccer Kid appeared as the headline for one of the Evercade collections it was only a matter of time before it made its way onto the Switch. A semi successful attempt at creating a new mascot, the character that started on the Amiga went on to grace a host of platforms from the SNES to the Atari Jaguar and Playstation. What is a little disappointing is that only two versions of the game are included here.

What you have here is the most controllable version of the game – the Super Nintendo one, and the one with the all the cut scenes – the MS DOS version. So while that makes sense to some degree it begs the question of why call this a collection when so many other platforms have been overlooked?

That said, the little dude certainly has something of a cult following and it’s easy to see why. This can’t hide its Amiga platformer roots with the loose feeling controls, but the main gimmick helps to keep it above its peers. We are of course talking about the football that Soccer Kid uses as his main way of dispatching enemies. Control of it can be a little tricky to begin with but once you’ve worked out how the momentum of it works it’s a satisfying experience belting it at the many caricatured people that inhabit the levels.

While there are only two versions of the games here it doesn’t mean they have skimped on the general features. All the usual quality of life features such as rewind and saving are included along with screen filters and borders. You can even activate various cheat codes. There is a decent gallery as well with instruction manuals and materials from the other versions of the game not included. It’s actually far more than most of these collections have.

While the game plays a bit lose it is fun. There are a few frustrations like too many leaps of faith and not being able to properly look up or down. This seems like a minor thing until you release that if you really want to finish the game properly you are going to have to search for football cards that let you try and reclaim a piece of the missing world cup. Think of the chaos emeralds in Sonic and you aren’t too far off.

Overall, Soccer Kid is a fun game that we are glad getting some attention again. It’s release around the World Cup was somewhat inevitable and we really do love it when games a little more obscure are given the time to be ported. It’s not perfect by any means but there’s fun to be had here for those willing to master the controls.

Overall 6/10

Sektori Review (Switch 2)

While the landscape is currently filled with Metroidvanias and indie rogue-likes there was a time when twitch shooters were all the rage. Driven in part by the return to high score culture brought about by various online services, games like Mutant Storm and, most prominently, Geometry Wars developed a huge following. 

Sektori is a game heavily drawing on the Geometry Wars ethos and it does it so well that you might just start to forget about the shape-based blaster for a while. It does have serious pedigree behind it though as the developer used to work for the company responsible for Resogun. 

This is clearly a love letter to Bizarre Creations pinnacle game though, and the identity runs through it so strongly that changing a few shapes around would easily make this a direct sequel. As such, this is a crazy twin stick shooter that relies on its pumping techno soundtrack to keep adrenaline high. Too start with you are tied into the campaign mode, but other modes become available the more you play. 

The basic gameplay will be familiar to most. You control a ship, moving with one stick while blasting with the other. You can pick up power ups which move rewards up a scale, and you can then cash in on the one you want with speed ups being low down and things like shields and level wide strikes higher up. You must collect little triangles to fill you powerup meter (a mechanic used to multiply the score multiplier in Geometry Wars), and if you touch anything you die. You also only have one life so make sure to make it count. 

There is a unique trick in here as well with the player being able to do a sort of charging forward manoeuvre which creates a small explosion around where you end up. If this is down with the player landing on a particular icon it creates a much bigger explosion which can take out a host of enemies.

As you progress through the campaign the level will shift and change shape, creating barriers which raise from the floor. There are also boss fights with creations that take up most of the screen even early on. Your standard enemies are a host of neon shapes that form into things that dart towards you, move along fixed rails or turn into swirling snakes. This may well sound very familiar, the one Geometry Wars mechanic that isn’t here though is the black hole which does help create a little separation. 

Once you have played the campaign for a while you’ll start unlocking challenge modes. These are more score attack minded pursuits and seem to be the developer’s favourite modes from Geometry Wars 2. As you achieve a D rank score in each more challenges open up. These include things like gate mode where your weapons are disabled and you must destroy enemies by moving between exploding gates, Charge Mode where you only have the charge move and things like a boss rush and classic score attack modes. There’s certainly a lot here for players to get the most out of if they connect with the game. And it all works beautifully. 

Overall, Sektori is a stunning game. It looks and sounds amazing and plays incredibly well. While we can all wish for some kind of Geometry Wars collection or sequel this really is the next best thing. It’s so successful at what it does that in some ways it has really surpassed those games. Comparisons may be inevitable but the brilliance on display here means it is worth considering as something far more than just a love letter to an iconic franchise. 

Overall 9/10

Space Hulk Ascension (Warhammer Classics) Review (PC)

A year after the first release this new version of Space Hulk looked to build on the foundations of the first game and bring the digital version of the franchise close to the realms of a turn based strategy game rather than a recreation of a table top board game and as such a host of new features have been implemented.

The maps for three new campaigns have now been designed from scratch and players get the choice of leading one of three Space Marine chapters into the decaying hulks. You can pick from the Ultra Marines, Blood Angels and Space Wolves with each chapter having a few different specialisms and skills.

As you progress through the campaigns your marines now level up and begin to gain access to different weapons and equipment. This gives a bit more of a tie to your marines and helps to differentiate them. Starting out with a basic Storm Bolter and Power Fist Combo you’ll soon have access to a range of weaponry which makes your load outs much more flexible. The Genestealer side of things has also been worked on with numerous variants now stalking the narrow corridors of the ships.

The game certainly seems a lot less clunky as well and turns have a better fluidity to them. Though hulking marines are never going to be zipping about the place it certainly moves along at a better pace than the original game and you never quite feel safe. Of course, you shouldn’t feel safe because this is a very difficult game. Even as an experienced player of the board game we found even getting though the initial missions difficult and one of two mistakes can easily end your mission.

That wouldn’t be so bad but there are two major issues which can stop the game being as fun and tactical as it should be. One is the lack of a tactical map which is perhaps the most crucial. The layout of levels is revealed as you explore the ship which is something that probably sounded like a good idea at the time. In reality, in this type of game you need to be able to work out well in advance where you need to place you Terminators. As they have such limited movement thinking up flexible tactics on the fly really isn’t a worthwhile option and wandering into a room only to find it contains a host of entry points for the enemy just doesn’t cut it.

The other issue is the general murk of the levels. It can be very hard to pick out basic features on the ships such as doors and air vents. The amount of times a Genestealer took out one of our marines from a space we didn’t even know about was infuriating and is something that really needs to be looked at. You can change the gamma levels to brighten things up but when you are looking at a dark map from almost a bird’s eye view it’s still very difficult to pick some things out. The command wheels on your Terminators are also very small. 

Overall, the game has certainly developed from the original but it has done some very good things while also introducing some bad things. We like the skill progression, the use of different chapters and the new maps. But we really could do without the murky levels and the fog of war which stops tight tactical planning - which in a game as tough as this is really needed.

Overall 7/10

The three Space Hulk DLC'sa re also included and can be read about in more detail here -

Imperial Fist DLC 

Salamanders DLC

Dark Angel DLC

Saint Slayer: Spear of Sacrilege Review (Switch)

One day Konami might get the hint that we need Castlevania games to come out a bit more often. At least we have Belmont’s Curse nearly upon us. During those long periods of drought, it seems indie developers have taken it upon themselves to try and fill the void. We have covered a fair few here and Saint Slayer in the next in line.

It’s curious that side scrolling, linear, Castlevania likes always stick to the 8-bit pixel look. You would think someone would take on the 16-bit era at some point. Saint Slayer is another that looks a lot like the first three NES Castlevania games. It follows a standard linear level structure and even has a little between level map just in case you still didn’t get the inspiration.

Luckily, it plays a bit less clunky than the 8-bit Castlevania games though. You are limited to the usual jump, attack and special attack options, but there are also a few Metroidvania elements thrown in as skills which you can acquire, such as a slide which is vital for taking you under traps at certain points. There’s also a little bit of a Duck Tales inspiration with our hero able to use his spear to pogo around on spikes.

That isn’t to say the game is easy though. It’s pretty damn tough, especially if you have no experience with the rhythm and flow of these types of things. If you are happily playing on your NES or Master System though, you’ll have a much better time of it.

The loose plot follows a farmer in seventeenth century Europe who needs to fight through twenty-one levels to stop a mad priest from stealing relics and summoning all sorts of gothic horrors. It has a weird tone which moves between wacky dialogue (and one scene where a donkey knocks you off a cliff), to straight up horror with starving prisoners, bodies hanging from the ceiling and rotten meat which makes you sick if eaten.

You can collect orbs which act as the in-game currency which can then be spent at the travelling merchant. Interestingly the orbs stay with you through multiple playthroughs. This means you could potentially farm them on the easier settings and then use them when moving up the difficulties. It adds a light consideration about if you should restart the game after death or use the various passwords to continue your progress – minus any upgrades of course.

Level design is generally strong, and bosses are well structured in the ‘learn the attack pattern’ kind of way. An early fight with a monster riding a donkey is a bit silly and frustrating as you must keep dropping boxes on its head, but most others work well. Some levels are too long though. Level eleven is set in a prison and after your hundredth death it really does begin to look samey and bland. Generally, though the layouts and look are varied.

Overall, Saint Slayer: Spear of Sacrilege does pretty much what it sets out to do. It’s a huge homage to a NES styled Castlevania game in that its mostly successful. The biggest thing though about pretty much all of these is they are never quite at the level of the games they are influenced by. While this is a fun diversion, it won’t keep you away from proper Dracula slaying for too long.

Overall 7/10

Nine Sols Review (Switch 2)

Nine Sols came out a while ago but with the release of the physical version it seemed the perfect time to take another look at it. A 2D action platformer at heart it has some light Metroidvania elements and some of the most beautiful hand drawn graphics we’ve seen on the Switch. It attempts to merge Taoism with cyber punk, merging eastern philosophy with sci-fi.

It’s a complicated story to unravel but basically follows the idea that a virus wiped out an alien race, but they somehow managed to store their consciousness in a virtual reality system. If that’s not weird enough, to power the system innocent beings need to be sacrificed to it so their brains can be harvested for power. Or something like that.

Players control Yi, a sort of cybernetic creature that decides he doesn’t want his human friend to be sacrificed and sets out looking for the Nine Sols to defeat and harvest so that he can gain the codes to the Eternal Central Cauldron. Basically, you jump around beautiful levels and hit stuff with your sword, occasionally upgrading to a new skill and taking on awesome boss fights.

That’s doing the combat system a disservice though. Yes, you can bash stuff with your sword but there are also a lot more nuanced things you can also do. An early example of this is the deflection mechanic. If you successfully deflect an enemy blow, you can then dart past them, attach a bomb to them, charge it and then explode it. As you progress, you’ll gain more skills such as a dash, double jump and the ability to send a little robot out to get into places you can’t otherwise reach, a mechanic normally used for shutting down security systems and opening doors.

There’s also a cool grappling hook mechanic which lets you swing around the place, and you can of course wall jump and even run up certain surfaces. There’s certainly no shortage of ways to get around the beautifully stunning locations. It’s a good thing the game looks so great as well as it’s also pretty damn tough. Even early on enemies pack a punch so you’ll need to get to grips with the combat system quickly. If you die, you’ll need to go back and find your body to retrieve any lost experience as well.

Experience is important as there are various skill trees you can expand upon to boost your health and other stats. And in the style of Hollow Knight, you can equip talismans which add other changes and skills as well. When you get a good build together it’s certainly rewarding to go cutting through the enemies and at times, when it’s all flowing together perfectly you will feel like a complete bad ass.

Overall, Nine Sols is a really a very beautiful looking Souls game in terms of its approach to combat. Fans of Hollow Knight or any of the Sekiro games will soon feel at home, despite the bright colours and tech filled levels. It’s certainly rare to find a game with this much depth and such a clear design vision. It won’t be for everyone, but everyone should try it.

Overall 8/10

Warhammer Classics Round up (Steam)

Recently, a load of Warhammer games have been picked up and republished on Steam. We will be covering some in more detail in coming weeks. But here is a round up of one of the bundles that is available currently. It’s worth noting that almost of all of these are complete packages that include any DLC or extra content released.

Space Hulk and Space Hulk: Ascension

We have covered both Space Hulk and Ascension before a good few years ago. The first Space Hulk game does a pretty good job of recreating the board game experience. As a result, though it can feel slow and clunky in places. Ascension adds a bit more into the mix with the ability to level up your characters and having maps created from scratch. Both games are incredibly tough, but fans of the original game or Warhammer 40,000 are well served here. Just don’t expect anything too pacey.

Warhammer: Dark Omen and Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat

Our first experience of both these games was with their release on the first PlayStation. You would have hoped that using a mouse would have brought a better control scheme, but they are extremely clunky with a very small window to view the actual battlefield from, as most of the screen is filled with the user interface. Yes, instead of using the mouse you must control the game with different on screen buttons. These were clearly developed with the console ports in mind. If you can get into them, they are tough and engrossing, but we really struggled and found the games far too frustrating to stay with for long. Still, if you want to take on hordes of Skaven or the Undead it certainly has some scale to it.

Warhammer: Mark of Chaos

Finally, proper mouse controls come to Warhammer. Many see this as the sort of precursor to Total Warhammer. It’s like the Lord of the Rings strategy games in terms of it using smaller groups of characters and telling its own story. There are campaigns from the Empire and Chaos sides with the DLC adding the Orcs and Goblins. Further races such as Dark Elves and Skaven can be played in multiplayer. It’s certainly not perfect but it’s a game we fought our way through on the Xbox 360 and loved, and naturally it plays a whole lot better here. It’s a lot of fun with a solid campaign and a decent enough multiplayer mode. A good progression from Shadow of the Horned Rat and Dark Omen and though it’s lost a bit in terms of looks it plays perfectly fine still. 

Final Liberation

This is the PC attempt at getting Warhammer 40K Epic into game form. The controls are pretty good and it’s easy to identify your troops and move them around. There is also a ton of units and things you can do with them. It is crazily tough though. Taking on the first mission on the easiest setting we found our Marines always missed their shots, while simple groups of Orks managed to destroy heavily armoured vehicles. Once you get the hang of it though it’s an engaging game that certainly deserves a second life.

Warhammer 40,000 Chaos Gate

Note, this is the older version of the game. The Games Workshop attempt at UFO: Enemy Unknown. Build your squad, equip them and then send them into different missions to take down imperial cultists and demons. It works well and there are a ton of customisations and weapon options available for tackling levels in different ways. You can even use terminator marines and other specialist categories like apothecaries and tech marines. It looks dated but plays well. It’s worth playing for fans and we can see people losing a good few hours of their lives to it.

Warhammer 40,000 Fire Warrior

Looked upon as a disappointment on release, Fire Warrior is a perfectly ok FPS game. Now the hype has died down it certainly has it charm (although it was certainly never going to be a Halo killer). You play as a lone Tau warrior trying to fight off the Space Marines and forces of Chaos. It plays well, has some impressive set pieces and runs at a decent pace. It certainly is never going to be a stone cold classic, but fans of the theme and genre will find a lot to like here.

Warhammer 40,000 Rites of War

It seems there is no genre or template untouched by Warhammer. While Chaos Gate took on the Enemy Unknown template, Rites of War goes down the turn based hexagonal grid route and draws inspiration from Panzer General. The game has players taking control of the Eldar as they first fight, then unite with imperial forces to fend off a Tyranid Hive fleet.

Like a lot of these games, it’s a mix of good and bad. The classic mechanics are addictive and work well but missions are overly repetitive and pestered by small annoyances. Enemies have a habit of running away and healing before you can finish them off and characters can only carry a single object, so if you get to the end of a mission with no troops left to pick up that vital artefact you can’t complete the mission. And no, you can’t drop other objects already picked up. All that said, the core of the game is good. If you are looking for something that’s a bit more of a slow burn approach to Warhammer, then this is well worth a look.

Man O’War Corsair

Corsair is pretty much the definition of being an overlooked gem, if it was an indie game at least. It’s certainly the Games Workshop game which had the most potential if it had continued to be updated. It’s basically a rip-roaring pirate adventure set in the Warhammer world. Not only can you fire on other ships at range but also board them and let crews fight it out on deck.

There’s certainly a lot to like but the game is unpolished and messy. A lot of the ports look the same, sea monsters descend into predictable attack patterns and while naval combat is fun, when you get up close it looks tired and feels clunky. If you are forgiving though there’s a lot of ambition here to admire.

There are a host of other games falling under the Warhammer Classics banner as well such as Blood Bowl 1 and 2 and Talisman. It’s great to see them all being given a second chance on Steam and we will certainly be looking to cover more 

Space Hulk (Warhammer Classics) Review (PC)

Space Hulk started life as a table top board game where heavily armoured Terminator marines from the Warhammer 40,000 universe, pitted themselves against the multi-clawed Genestealers aboard massive drifting freighters known as ‘Hulks’. The tight corridors meant it turned into a battle of the strong and slow versus the quick and deadly. 

Space Hulk had been adapted in video game form before this in two titles that tried to merge action with semi-turn based gameplay. Now we have a new version of the game which takes a different approach and tries to replicate the board game in a much more precise and faithful way.

At this point I feel it's fair to share with you all that we are pretty well acquainted with the board game and we like it a lot. It’s important to bring this up as it’s likely to have a fairly large bearing on if you are going to like this. It’s clear the developers had a specific target audience in mind and there are few concessions to people expecting something similar to the last couple of PC games. It's also almost fifteen years old now. 

Space Hulk is turn based and relies on dice rolls to carry out actions. At the start of each turn you can move your terminators and set them to guard or go into over watch to scan for enemy movement. At the end of the turn the Genestealers then do the same. Firing weapons and close combat is carried out on the role of dice which means that there is a certain random element to it. This can be frustrating when you are one dice roll away from the success or failure but sound strategy and careful planning does tend to weigh the odds in your favour.

You are going to have to plan you moves carefully as the terminators only have four action points and even turning to face a certain direction requires the use of them. The game is also pretty tough and on the normal setting it took a number of attempts to even get through the second tutorial level. A single mistake of movement can spell disaster in a mission stretching into an hour of more in length so it is advised to save often.

As such, the game plays out more like a slow and thoughtful game of chess than an all guns blazing space shooter, but it certainly draws you in. The presentation is basic and the first thing you’ll likely do is head to the menu to turn off the shoulder cameras and death animations. Your next step will be to set movement to the fastest setting or you’ll be playing this until the rapture. 

However, once you’ve got that simple top down/isometric view, the sound of the engines and the cries of victory or defeat coming from your marines it all starts to click and draw you in. It feels claustrophobic and dangerous and the fact a wrong move is so costly certainly adds buckets of tension and atmosphere. A cry of "Bolter Jammed" has never caused such terror.

The levels are mainly based on the original games maps and as such it brings a wonderful authenticity for anyone not wanting to pay the huge sum of money required to find a decent condition version of the table top game. There are a few weapons and tricks taken from the Deathwing and Genestealer expansions but we would have liked to see a bit more of this added to give some variety as the game progressed.

Multiplayer is also here and there is a hot seat option to allow players to take turns on the same device. It’s a little unwieldy for the Genestealer player but it does work once you get the hang of it. Weirdly, you have to play through the main campaign to unlock levels in multiplayer which is something the game could really have done without. It’s not as gratifying as it should be, which is a shame as this is one of the key features that should make the game a must have title.

What we have is an authentic Space Hulk table top experience with some rough presentation brought to life digitally. Many may be disappointed, but fans of the board game will find this really draws you in. Yes, there could be more options and it could look better but it’s solid and enjoyable and a highly competent strategy title. The rule set is also solid and if you want to recreate some table top fun or take on one tough turn based strategy then this is the game for you. Those looking for fast paced action should look to something else to get their kicks.

Overall 7/10

Blue Prince Review (Switch)

It’s unusual for us to come across something unique, we’ve been around a while and played a lot of games. Blue Prince, combines a number of different elements to achieve that, mixing parts from visual novels, rogue likes, puzzle games and a good helping of a big old mystery.

The story goes that you have inherited the estate of your uncle. Or at least you will do if you can do something that no one else has – find the elusive room 46. But far from being a simple mystery you need to do this with the knowledge that at the end of every day all the rooms in the mansion will reset. There is a lot of lore in here as well about the games setting and why everything is so mysterious, but we’ll let players figure that out as it is drip fed through the various books and letters that you find along the way.

There are a lot of different elements to balance as you go about your investigation. The most pressing of these is the number of steps you have. Each room you enter knocks one step off your total of fifty. Once you run out the day ends and the rooms reset. As well as these you need to manage gems, keys and coins. Keys open locked doors and chests, gems are needed to draft certain rooms and coins can be used to purchase various things along the way. All these need to be found in the various rooms along with other items such as a magnifying glass, hammer or shovel.

Players have a blueprint which acts as a grid with which to draft their rooms. The initial sort of goal is to reach the ante chamber which is nine squares up at the top. It’s not a simple of that of course as you will soon find out. When you open a door, you are presented with three rooms which you can draw. Some may require gems to draft, and all will have different exit doors or other special features. You’ll soon learn as well that there are different colours for the rooms which denote different things.

Red rooms for instance, normally have some kind of negative effect such reducing your steps or removing your ability to see what you are drafting. Green rooms in contrast normally contain dig spot or other goodies. There are also bedrooms to help you restore some of your steps, hallways and shops of various kinds where you can get items, keys or food.

Away from these rooms there are rooms with specific puzzles or special qualities. The security room allow for the manipulation of cameras and security doors, while working out the boiler puzzle will then allow you to pump power through the house. There are also rooms like the lab and the observatory which can give you permanent upgrades. Gradually, as you progress, you’ll learn what it the most important to you and unlock a few permanent upgrades and areas along the way.

For what is effectively a game where you wander around and solve the occasional puzzles it’s remarkable how engaging the game is. The balancing of all the elements and trying not to put yourself into a dead end with you Tetris style rooms works very well. Add in the uncovering of the law and the gradual realisation of how different rooms work means you always feel like something new is happening each playthrough.

There are a few issues to think about though. The most pressing of these is the constant reliance on colour with the puzzles. If you have any form of colour blindness you are going to really struggle with this. There’s several puzzles which use six or seven colours of similar shades and sometime we had no idea what we were even looking at. We did get round it with a guide but otherwise we would have had no idea what was going on.

Also, you can get a number of runs were not that much seems to progress. The game could do with giving you a bit more in terms of keeping the progression loop going and give a bit more in terms of rewards when you solve a puzzle you’ve been working on for days. The biggest issue though is that a lot comes down to luck. You can stack the deck in your favour but sometimes you simply won’t get the room you need drafted for what you are trying to do in that run. All that said, we did keep going back again and again to it.

Overall, Blue Prince is a refreshing, interesting and original game. All the individual elements may be small, but when they are brought together it has created a high quality adventure game that will keep you curious and wanting to venture back in for one more go. It’s not perfect but its about as close to as we have seen for a fair while.

Overall 8/10