by Simple GameReviews | May 17, 2019 | PS4, Steam, Xbox
Fade to Silence from Black Forest Games
An open-world survival game with some RPG elements, a hint of base building, and resource management.
It is set in a post-apocalyptic winter. Snow and ice cover the landscape.
You have to deal with starvation, hypothermia, monsters, and the weather. From tornados to blizzards, it all takes a toll on you and can become deadly fast.
The in-game resources are used for crafting and upgrades. You have access to a simple crafting system from the get-go. As you progress and upgrade your camp, more advanced crafting becomes available.
You are able to find and rescue followers in various locations around the map. You will also have followers that will randomly show up at your base/camp and you have the option to have them join the camp or send them on their way. The followers help by maintaining the camp’s resources, building structures, and they can join you on your missions but they also consume resources from the camp. If a co-op buddy joins your game, they will play as one of the followers.
Combat is limited as you only have a few weapons to choose from (melee and ranged). You also only have a light or heavy attack with each melee weapon and can parry or block with them if you time it correctly.
The weapons and armor can be upgraded by crafting a higher level version. These higher level versions unlock as you upgrade your camp and gain access to more advanced crafting.
The environmental and set graphics are great but the facial animations could use some work. The audio is good as well and fits the atmosphere.
The game has a bunch of bugs. Your followers can get stuck in areas, they can freeze to death by not coming into the shelter to warm up, and there are collision issues when riding on the dog sled. They can knock you off and make you have to replace the sled which slows down your travel or escape and sometimes gets you killed in the process. The developers are working on fixing several issues and a patch has been promised. But there’s no word yet on when it will be dropping.
The story is interesting but a little vague in its telling. It’s largely told through visions or flashbacks and you see them seemingly randomly while resting at camp.
The game is slow at first due to the resource management burden and starts feeling like a chore. Once you start getting followers to join you in helping with the little things and gain the dog sled which lets you travel around the map at a decent pace, the whole thing becomes a lot more enjoyable and feels less like a chore and more like the game it’s supposed to be.
Overall the game has an interesting concept, the execution leaves a little to be desired and could’ve benefited from more time in development and/or testing. Even with its issues and bugs, I still find myself going back and playing it more. I’m looking forward to the update.
by Simple GameReviews | May 16, 2019 | Indie, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox
Ascendance from ONEVISION GAMES
A colorful First Person 3D Platformer.
The art style is a minimalistic, low poly with very colorful platforms and backgrounds. The audio is calming, relaxing, and adds to the atmosphere.
The gameplay is simple. You traverse the three levels by running and jumping from a stationary platform to collect orbs around the level. Once an orb is collected it reveals more of the level. While moving around the levels you will be using jump pads to access higher areas or platforms. Some will drop when you touch them which keeps you on your toes. Once you collect all of the orbs you are granted access to the next level. All three of the levels have collectible presents that can be found in hidden places around the maps (around corners or behind objects).
Each of the three levels is unique; not only visually but with new mechanics added to the mix which add a nice bit of variety.
The controls are simple as you use the thumbsticks to move and look around, and just two buttons are used for the rest; one for running and one for jumping.
What little bit of story the game has is told by finding Crystals around the levels. When you approach them, text will appear on the screen with the next installment of the narrative.
I encountered an issue with parts of the map not loading/rendering after hitting an orb/checkpoint and exiting the game then reloading the level at a later time. This was game breaking as it was not possible to complete the level and progress further in the game without the map rendered correctly and it was ultimately necessary to delete all saves both local and in the cloud and start the game over from the beginning.
I reached out to the developers to let them know about the issue. They responded that a patch is in development to address it but is not ready for release at the time of this writing.
Overall the game is fun, simple, relaxing and enjoyable but just a little short. More levels, mechanics, and a timed mode is planned with future updates.
by Simple GameReviews | May 7, 2019 | Indie, Xbox
Jack N’ Jill DX from Ratalaika Games S.L.
A 2D platformer, controlled by a single button. You are able to play as Jack or Jill and need to get through the level to the other character all while navigating the environmental obstacles, avoiding hazards, collecting coins and temporary power ups, bouncing off walls, and squishing enemies by jumping on them.
It has simple grey-scale monochrome color, pixel artstyle, and a chiptune soundtrack that reminds me of the old NES Games.
It has simple yet fun mini-games that you unlock by completing Worlds but that cost coins to access. You can purchase Hats and different color schemes for your screen using tickets that can only be earned in the mini-games. The game has no narrative at all.
Overall the game is fun. The levels are short and can be completed in about a minute or less. I also enjoyed the variety added by the mini-games and the way that the later worlds become more challenging.
by Simple GameReviews | May 3, 2019 | Indie, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox
Daggerhood from Ratalaika Games S.L.
A Pixel art, side-scrolling, platformer. During the level you will be collecting treasures and fairies before they disappear, killing enemies and trying to complete the level under the levels par time. The faster you complete the level the higher chance you have to earn a 3 star rating.
You traverse the levels by jumping, double jumping, wall jumping, and by throwing a magic dagger to teleport to the location the dagger was thrown. During the later stages temporary power ups are required to complete the levels; from a hammer to break blocks to a feather that gives you a floating ability for a few seconds, shields to keep you from taking damage, and gravity reversing magic bean.
The game has little to no story outside of the intro cinematic.
The audio is simple and fits the art style but has issues where is cuts outs at times.
Daggerhood is fun to play and becomes challenging during the later stages due to adding more difficult traps, more enemies, and narrower areas to platform and maneuver between.
Each of the 5 worlds has a unique boss challenge. Replaying the levels trying to get all 5 treasures, the fairy, and earn 3 stars can become addicting.
by Simple GameReviews | Apr 26, 2019 | Indie, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox
Super Weekend Mode from Pixelteriyaki
An interesting looking game with very simple and clean controls. Most of the game is played with just 2-3 buttons. Bumpers control left and right shiny shooty shuttle positions and another button fires both simultaneously. There is also and auto-fire option that I highly recommend.
Your goal is to destroy the boss before you get killed. You destroy the boss by shooting it with one of your two shiny shooty shuttles. While trying to shoot the boss you also need to dodge insta-death falling skulls, bump off the dust bunnies, and catch all the hearts. Missing a bunny or heart will shrink the field of battle and bring you closer to being crushed. Catching a bunny will cause insta-death like a skull.
The game nails the retro feel with the colorful pixel artstyle. The 8-bit soundtrack and effects all capture that old school feeling.
You can select which outfit your princess will wear. The outfit you pick determines which bonus you’re awarded after beating a boss. The bonuses could be more lives, more speed, or a barrier for your shiny shooty shuttles that lets you take one hit before insta-death. You can’t change your outfit mid game so choose wisely.
The game is fast paced, simple, fun, and easy to pick up and play.
by Simple GameReviews | Apr 25, 2019 | Indie, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Steam, Xbox
Crashbots from Sometimes You
An Auto-runner were you make your way through the levels as a robot collecting stars and coins, finding power to keep your robot alive, and picking up robot parts to build/unlock another robot.
As the robot you can jump, slide, and shoot. Each action consumes energy as does taking damage.
There are traps all over the levels to damage you. Some can trigger chain reactions causing you to get hit more than once. Once your power is depleted you die.
You need to collect the stars scattered on the levels to gain access to the other worlds.
You also collect coins by finding them during the race and by earning them by completing challenges during the levels. They are used to upgrade your robot to reduce the amount of energy consumed per movement or reduce energy drained by damage taken.
It has 2 modes; a World mode and an Endless mode. The endless mode allows you to keep playing and trying to increase your distance.
The controls need some work as they aren’t always responsive and can end up getting you damaged or dead and become very frustrating.
The artstyle is clean, simple, and colorful.
The audio could use some work as it seems to use the same music on every level.
I found the game to be good in short sessions but too frustrating to play for longer periods. If the controls were better it would’ve been more fun and less aggravating.
by Simple GameReviews | Apr 17, 2019 | Xbox
Vaporum from Fatbot Games
Single player, First Person, Steampunk style, grid-based, RPG, dungeon crawler.
You start at the base of a tower in an Exoskeleton Rig and work your way up to the top, floor by floor. Each level of the tower and has its own challenges, puzzles, secrets, and enemies. As you advance through the game and gain xp by killing enemies you get to level up your Rig with different powers and abilities.
You gain your weapons, ammo, and abilities by looting while exploring the maps and killing the enemies. Each floor introduces new enemy types and variations of previously known enemy types scaling the difficulty up as you progress and become stronger yourself.
The puzzles are challenging and sometimes frustrating and become very satisfying to solve.
The controls are good but have a few issues that take a little bit of time to get used to. The atmosphere and audio are great and really capture that Steampunk feel.
Overall, the game is both frustrating and enjoyable. You may want to use a guide to help with the secrets and puzzles.
by Simple GameReviews | Apr 10, 2019 | Indie, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox
Metagal from Retro Revolution
16-bit sidescrolling platformer with a Megaman feel. You make your way thru the levels as a female cyborg traversing platforms, hitting a sporadic check point or 2, defeating enemies, and end up in a boss battle. Once you defeat the boss you gain their powers/weapons and use them against the other enemies and bosses.
The controls and mechanics are simple and they work as intended, the soundtrack fits nicely and adds to the enjoyment of the game. The story/campaign is a little short but has level time and letter rank which adds replayability to the levels as you can compete with yourself to beat your best score. The levels have their own unique environments and are nicely designed.
by Simple GameReviews | Apr 10, 2019 | PS4, Windows, Xbox
Generation Zero from Avalanche Studios
An open world FPS set in a 1980’s Sweden that’s ruled by robots. You explore the world looting cars, trucks, backpacks, toolboxes, houses, and all types of building looking for items and weapons to help you survive and fight the robots. The story is told through reading notes and listening to recording on answering machines.
It has a decent amount of character customization right off the bat as well as a lot of clothing items to make your character look the way you want; some even provide perks. It has a hint of an RPG element with skill trees to unlock and help level up your play style.
The controls are decent and the atmosphere is great as you explore the Swedish Countryside and everything that comes with it.The game does have some bugs from getting stuck in/under the map as well as quest items sometimes being missing. The navigation system needs work as well as there were mission objectives with no indication of where to find them.
The online co-op is a game changer taking the player from defensively avoiding the robots to proactively hunting them down. The co-op option is needed when coming up to the larger robots on the more difficult later stages.
by Simple GameReviews | Apr 4, 2019 | Nintendo Switch, PS4, Windows, Xbox
Hell Warders from Anti Gravity Game Studios
Classic Tower Defense game mixed with some RPG elements and a hint of dungeon crawler feel for aesthetics. You play as 1 of 3 Heroes to place your defenses, level up, and aide in fighting off the waves of enemies. Each of the Heroes plays a little differently; from the weapons they wield to the powers they have. Most maps start out pretty easy before the game ramps up along with periodic spikes in difficulty. The game provides a decent variety of defensive units that you unlock during the story/levels. It has boss battles and supports up to 4 player online co-op which you’ll need to take advantage of if you want to get 5 stars on the later levels.
