Tag: 8/10

Dive Deep into the Mystery with Dredge (Review)

~ Gareth Ellis ~ Leave a comment

Dredge, released in March 2023, is available on multiple platforms, including PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. It’s also a part of the June PlayStation Plus games that are available now. This indie gem combines the serene activity of fishing with a captivating mystery lurking beneath the waters. It’s one of those games that sneaks up on you, pulling you in with its relaxing gameplay, only to surprise you with its eerie undertones.

Gameplay:
At its core, Dredge is a fishing game, but it’s far from your typical catch-and-release simulator. The mechanics are simple yet engaging, making it easy to get lost in the rhythm of casting lines and reeling in a variety of fish. There’s a satisfying progression system that keeps you hooked (pun intended) as you upgrade your boat and equipment to venture into deeper, more treacherous waters.

Imagine starting with a modest fishing boat, barely seaworthy, and gradually transforming it into a well-equipped vessel capable of withstanding the darkest depths. Each upgrade feels earned, pushing you to explore further and face new challenges. The act of fishing itself is enjoyable, with different species requiring varying techniques and patience, adding a layer of strategy to your expeditions.

Graphics and Sound:
Visually, the game is a treat. The art style strikes a perfect balance between charming and unsettling, with picturesque coastal towns and ominous, foggy waters. Picture a quaint fishing village at dawn, with pastel hues reflecting off calm seas, juxtaposed with eerie, shadowy waters as night falls, teeming with unknown threats. The attention to detail in the environments makes every location feel distinct and immersive.

The soundtrack complements the visuals beautifully, with soothing melodies that give way to more sinister tones as night falls. It’s a dynamic score that enhances the mood, whether you’re enjoying a peaceful day of fishing or nervously navigating the waters after dark. The sound design adds layers to the atmosphere, with the creaking of your boat and the distant cries of unseen creatures keeping you on edge.

Story and Atmosphere:
Where Dredge truly shines is in its atmosphere. The game starts off innocently enough, but there’s a persistent sense of unease that grows as you uncover more about the world and its inhabitants. The narrative is subtly woven into the gameplay, with cryptic messages and strange occurrences that hint at something much darker beneath the surface.

You might be fishing peacefully, only to haul up an old, mysterious artefact that sets off a chain of unsettling events. The characters you meet along the way, each with their own secrets and agendas, add depth to the story. The sense of mystery, with nods to the works of H.P. Lovecraft, keeps you invested, urging you to keep fishing and exploring to uncover the full story.

What Could Be Better:
While Dredge is undeniably engaging, it does have its limitations. The repetitiveness of the fishing mechanics might not appeal to everyone, and some players might find the pacing a bit slow. Additionally, the story, while intriguing, could benefit from a bit more depth and clearer resolution.

Imagine a few more twists and turns in the narrative or additional side quests that delve deeper into the lore. These elements could elevate the experience from great to exceptional. The game’s deliberate pace might test the patience of those seeking constant action, but it’s a deliberate choice that contributes to the overall mood.

Final Thoughts:
Dredge is a delightful blend of relaxation and mystery, making it a unique addition to the indie game scene. It’s perfect for those who enjoy exploring and uncovering secrets at their own pace. While it may not be for everyone, its charm and eerie atmosphere are more than enough to warrant an 8/10. If you’re looking for a game that offers a serene yet haunting experience, Dredge is definitely worth a try.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Review)

~ Gareth Ellis ~ Leave a comment

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an action-adventure game released in September 2021 for PlayStation 4, Playstation 5 and PC.

In the game, you control Kena, a young spirit guide travelling to a sacred mountain shrine. Throughout the game, she collects little fuzzy spirit companions called Rot, who help her solve puzzles and traverse the environment. In order to be allowed to have safe passage to the shrine, a masked spirit tells her that she must help several trapped spirits throughout the land.

Kena is a game that Alex first noticed and told me about; although I liked the sound of it and couldn’t deny it looked like it would be a good game, I still wasn’t sold on it, but I ended up buying it for Alex at Christmas, and it wasn’t long before we were both well into the game. The design of the game was excellent, the environments were beautiful, and the levels were well designed. Unlike some games in a similar vein, the puzzles weren’t too complicated, and you could tell it was probably designed for the lower age groups of players, but that’s not to say that adults can’t find something to love in it. One thing that I think everyone will love, I know Alex and I do, are the Rots. The Rots are small fuzzy black creatures that follow you around the game and are used to perform certain actions like opening doors or moving objects and within battles performing certain attacks. The little buggers are so cute and lovable, and the fact that you can buy them all sorts of hatsꟷyes, hatsꟷthat don’t do anything of real value, they just make the Rots even cuter. The hats range from elf hats to pumpkin tops, mushrooms and various masks, and they add to the charm of the game.

The gameplay mechanics are quite simple and easy to grasp, so there’s no time spent frustratingly trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Even if you put the game down and come back a few days later, it’s easy to pick back up where you left off. The puzzles aren’t of a high level of difficulty either, and most involve getting your Rots to do something like moving rocks to deflect the magic from your cane or pots to stand on to reach higher levels. But this simplicity isn’t a bad thing; in a way, it’s a breath of fresh air to have a game that’s too overly complicated and makes you want to angrily throw your controller at the screen.

The characters are well crafted, and besides, the high quality of voice acting allows you to be further immersed into a world where you’re surrounded by spirits, good and bad.

The combat at times is a bit clunky and difficult to control; the camera spins around in a way that means you can’t see what’s going on. Although it’s easily rectified, it can be a bit annoying. But with the assistance of your little Rot dudes, the foes can be defeated

There is a lot in this game to love; even I, who isn’t the biggest fan of 3D platformers, which this game is at a base level, enjoyed this game. It’s not a long game, so if you have a couple of decent game sessions, you’ll probably finish it quite quickly, but there is quite a bit to do other than the main story, such as collecting “spirit mail” this is mail that you have to deliver to the home in the town it’s meant for and therefore allowing more spirits to rest. You can also try to find all the flower shrines, cursed chests and Rot hats; this alone will take you a few hours.

I wasn’t sure about this game, to begin with, but I’m glad that I gave it a chance, and although there could have been a little bit more to it, it’s still a fun game and well deserves a rating of 8/10. I would recommend this to anyone, and I’m sure if you’ve got kids, they would love it too.

Addition:

For the trophy hunters out there, most of the trophies are easy to obtain; they’re either from completing sections of the story, collecting all of something, e.g. Rot hats, or performing certain moves or attacks within battles. The one that is the killer is finishing the game on “master” difficulty. Some of the battles are hard when playing it on the normal setting, but on master, they feel almost impossible at times. But, if you keep chipping away at it, you’ll get it done.

Watch Dogs Legion (Review and Trophy Guide)

~ Gareth Ellis ~ 1 Comment

Watch Dogs Legion is an action-adventure game that was released in October 2020 for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It was released in November of that year for the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

In the game, you recruit citizens of London to the hacker syndicate DeadSec as the group tries to clear its name after being framed for multiple terrorist bombings around the city.

The game consists of stealth, hacking, driving and shooting your way through this mission. Unlike the previous entries in the Watch Dogs series, there isn’t a single main protagonist. Instead, you recruit members from all around the city and take direct control of them. Each character has their own traits that aid you in traversing London. These skills include but are not limited to; doing extra damage with weapons, lowering arrest times of characters, increasing hacking speed, taking less damage, or even coming with their own custom vehicle; for example, the spy character comes with a spy car which is fully fitted with missiles and a cloaking device. You can switch characters at any time (unless you’re in a restricted area or in combat) to make use of their unique skills. In order to recruit a new member to DeadSec, you have to complete a task for them to prove that you’re on their side.

Watch Dogs Legion is a game that I was excited to play. I thoroughly enjoyed the previous two games in the series and was looking forward to the new mechanics and setting – if not only so I could drive on the correct side of the road for once. Unfortunately, as with so many games, it fell a bit by the wayside, and I only recently picked up a copy.

From the very beginning, I was immersed in the new world and the London within. Although some of the mechanics differ, the game does feel very familiar, and although it’s been a while since I’ve played a Watch Dogs game, I quickly got back into the habit of hacking and stealth.

The story is pretty decent, once again, DeadSec is being painted as the enemy, and they have to clear their name; this time, it’s because a series of bombs have been set off around the city. As members of DeadSec, you have to fight your way right to the top of the conspiracy and clear your name. You do this by completing missions and tasks that will ultimately liberate sections of London until the entire city is free – well, I say free, you still have to confront gangs and private military contractors. You also need to take out several key targets like the head of the gang that thinks they run London, the man at the top of the PMCs that also think that and a woman who creates AI.

The missions, well, as always, with games like this, they can get pretty repetitive. Mainly it’s; go here, hack this, escape or go here, kill these, escape. However, when using the multiple different skills that characters have alongside the many different gadgets at your disposal, there are several ways in which you can complete a mission. For example, you could go in guns blazing and shoot everyone you see to reach your target, or you could stealthily send in your spiderbot to do the hard work for you.

The characters themselves don’t really have that much personality. Occasionally they will chip in their with a humorous comment, but most of the humanity and humour comes from the AI that DeadSec uses named Bagley.

The one issue that lets the game down is the sheer amount of bugs that are present. I’ve had characters randomly move from one spot to another, be unable to enter or exit vehicles, combat targets that get stuck in or on top of walls, invisible walls that I’ve hit when driving, plus what annoyed me the most, bugged trophies.

You should know by now that I love a good trophy hunt, and I figured I might as well go for the platinum in this game. However, I ran into problems with certain ones. Mainly drinking (or getting pissed) in every pub and playing darts at every location. I found that the trophies didn’t pop if I went through and did these as I played. I had to take some time to take a single character around to each one in turn, and only then did it unlock. If you’re going to try this, I recommend that you do the same. Any of the trophies that involved taking part in activities was the same. I even had one completed trophy pop after the game crashed and restarted.

The issues with the game didn’t stop me from enjoying it, and they weren’t as prevalent as, say, the ones in Cyberpunk 2077.

If you’re a fan of the previous Watch Dogs games, then Legion will be a game that you’ll enjoy as I did. But if you’re new to the series, it won’t be too difficult to jump into this one; there are no direct links to the previous games other than the fact that you’re playing as DeadSec.

I’m going to give this one an 8/10; it has its issues but is overall an enjoyable game.

Below is a little assistance with some of the more challenging trophies;

Meta Gaming:

This trophy requires you to recruit a video game designer. It can be a pain to find one of these, but I’ve highlight on the map below where I found mine. It may take a while for one to pop up, but if you hang around for long enough and scan enough people, one will appear.

You Don’t See Me:

For this trophy, you need to rack up a five star wanted level and then escape using the human statue emote.

First, you need to find a character that has the required statue emote. I don’t know where these appear more often, but I found mine in Southwark. I found her pretty early on, so I can’t remember exactly where, but I’ve seen them pop up regularly in other places, too, especially around shops or entertainment venues.

Once you have this character, switch to them and start shooting. I used the stun pistol and grenade launcher and just shot civilians until Albion turned up, then move to those as my targets. I found it best to try to get headshots on them; this seems to increase the stars much quicker than body shots. I had the cloak ability equipped, so when my health was critical, I popped that and waited for my health to return before carrying on. Once I hit five stars, I popped the cloak again to escape and gain a bit of ground on my pursuers. Once out of the line of sight, use the statue emote. The wanted gauge should go blue, and once it’s gone, the trophy should pop. I will say, though, that you need to make sure you’re out of sight entirely from Albion and any drones that might be around. If you’re not, they will just continue to find and shoot you.

Zombies Everywhere! – State of Decay 2 (Review)

~ Gareth Ellis ~ 3 Comments

State of Decay 2 is an open-world zombie survival game. It’s the sequel to State of Decay (No kidding, eh?) by Undead Labs and it was released in May 2018 for XBox One. It’s also had a rerelease for Xbox Series X/S in December 2020.

State of Decay was a game that looked interesting from the get go and was definitely something I wanted to play. I bought the first game after finding it on the XBox store at a cheap price and thought, “Why the hell not?” I was hooked from the start. So when a sequel was announced, I knew that I had to play it. It wasn’t a game that I left for a while, I pre-ordered it as I wanted to play it as soon as I could.

The main base of the game remains the same as the first game, in that you control survivors of a zombie apocalypse and you have to build a settlement by scavenging items from nearby locations. As with the first game, the fear of imminent death is constantly with you as if one of your characters dies, that’s it, they ain’t coming back. There is no manual save or load. Your actions really do matter.

The game takes place away from Trumbull Valley (the location of the first game) and allows you to pick from four different locations to settle. Each location has it’s ups and downs. For example, one may be heavily built up and put you in an area with a tonne of locations to easily scavenge, and another will put you in a sparser location with bigger areas of empty space.

The mechanics to SoD2 are pretty similar to the first game but with a few notable differences.

First the similarities;

  • You control one characters at a time and can enlist one other to follow.
  • You spend your time scavenging for resources to build your community.
  • There are zombies to fight. A lot of zombies. That range from normal ones, to ferals (fast and grabby), juggernauts (big and smashy), bloaters (fat and explody), screamers (thin and noisy)
  • You have free reign over the open-world map.
  • You can add survivors you find in the world to your community. Each character has different skills that will help you survive and upgrade your base.
  • You can establish outposts (a location separate to your main settlement that allows you to drop off/pick-up items)
  • Zombies are attracted by noise.
  • If a character dies, they die (just like real life.)
  • Infestations in buildings occur and you have to wipe them out to make the area a bit safer.

The differences;

  • When you set up an outpost you’re no longer able to set traps around it.
  • You can no longer board up the windows in houses your looting.
  • There are now a new type of zombie – blood plague zombies. These will infect you with a virus that if left untreated will eventually kill your character.
  • Along with the blood plague zombies there are what’s called “Plague Hearts.” These are kind of nests in certain buildings that you have to destroy in order to complete the game’s story. These locations are similar to the infestations, but they will be full of (and attract more) blood plague zombies.
  • You can no longer assign other characters to loot locations while your controlled characters are doing whatever you’re making them do.
  • There’s now a “Stuck” radio call that you can use if you end up stuck or trapped in a certain place (this would happen a lot in the first game and it was hard to get your character out, so this was a welcome addition.)
  • You now need to manually fuel and repair your vehicles – in the first game they would repair overnight if placed at your base and the fuel was infinite. This adds a whole new level to the game and makes you think about your journeys more carefully.. 

Some of the things that were in the first game but not the second I kind of miss – like the getting your other characters working while you’re out. That was really useful for gathering things quicker. But there’s nothing that lets the game down. It just takes a bit of getting used to the changes.

But with the good, there’s of course, the bad.

This game can be glitchy as f!ck. The first game was pretty glitchy but you could forgive it as it was made by a small studio that seemed to be just starting out. But this game at times is ridiculous. You can go a while without anything happening and then your vehicle will hit invisible rocks, or flip for no reason, your characters might fall through the floor or get stuck in between more invisible rocks, or the game might just crash when saving meaning you have to close it completely and restart it. So far in the many hours that we’ve played this game, there haven’t been any game breaking bugs. Even the game crash allows you to restart the game in the same place as it died. If nothing else, the bugs are mildly irritating.

I’ve lost count of how many hours we’ve played and how many times we’ve played through the game. It’s just a game that no matter how many times you play it, it’s always a challenge because you don’t know what’s going to be thrown at you next.

State of Decay 2 also has a number or DLCs that have been added – for free – to the base game allowing you to play without any extra costs. I think this is a great addition, especially these days when some DLCs cost as much as the main game and only give you an extra hour of play time. I’ll go into more detail about the Heartland DLC – that sees your return to Trumbull Valley– in next week’s blog because it’s a game in itself.

I’ll leave this review with my rating. This game has it’s issues, but overall it’s a really enjoyable game. I feel like I can’t give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ because it is very glitchy. I’m going to change my rating system to a larger scale because I think this game deserves to be higher on the scale. I’m going to give it 8/10. It’s a solid game, with it’s issues. I just hope the third game – which is currently in development – adds to the story and irons out some of the bugs. I’d recommend it to anyone that enjoys zombies or looting and pillaging.