Phil Villarreal's Blog, page 102

"HackyZack" Review

With shades of "N+" and "Super Meat Boy," "HackyZack" is a single-room puzzle-platformer extravaganza that starts off simply before piling on stiff challenge as you advance.

It takes finely honed critical thinking, quick reflexes and a well-calibrated sense of timing to keep advancing. Many puzzlers disguise the one way to advance with window dressing, but the "HackyZack" dev team opts for a more open approach, providing multiple paths to victory.

As you orchestrate your hero's jumping skills through the increasingly complex levels, you generate a feel for the way you prefer tackling obstacles. Expect to have to re-evaluate your strategies regularly. On-the-fly adjustments help you adapt to the more agonizing challenges, thrusting you onward to take on the next task.

While Goal Mode focuses on the traditional find-the-exit objective, Target Mode has you seek out and destroy diamonds planted in various spots on the map.

No matter which mode you take on, you can appreciate the minimalist graphics, easygoing soundtrack and creative design. While suitable for all ages, "HackyZack" will cause hassles for the most seasoned puzzle gamers.
Publisher provided review code.

"Shenmue" and "Shenmue II" Review

With fans of the watershed 1999 and 2001 Dreamcast gems gearing up for next year's release of a long dream-of sequel, remastered versions of the first two "Shenmue" game
s have been released. A precursor series of interactive narratives that paved the way for the likes of "L.A. Noire" and "Heavy Rain," "The Shenmue" titles opened up the realm of possibilities for sandbox titles.

Standard-def TVs of the era did games like "Shenmue" major favors by blurring some of the gaudy, crude detail of the visuals. Also harmed by the march of technology, crystal-clear audio of the horrendously-dubbed voice acting performances hit with all the more of a thud than they would in tinny audio of yesteryear.

Geared to allow its saga to breathe amid a methodical flow, the games have you explore wide areas of largely nothing as you meander toward the next cutscene. The stories, which are more rich, nuanced and mature than that of most other games of the era, are what carry "Shenmue" through its slowdowns and bottlenecks.

Realism, for all its advantages and disadvantages, is so central to the makeup of "Shenmue" that it is more or less a character on its own. You have the freedom to roam listlessly, lose track of your objectives and take part in mundane, everyday tasks. Somewhere amid the meta repetition you could possibly find your gaming zen.

For the most part, the "Shenmue" remasters will appeal only to fans of the originals with a rose-tinted rear-view mirror. Laborious and stiff, the controls and design stand as much in your way of advancement as any external enemies.

The "Shenmue" games deserve their position as landmarks of innovation in the evolution of gaming. That said, they are best appreciated at a distance rather than up close, and by sweetened memory rather than reality's bitter sting.

More fun remember than they were to play, the "Shenmue" games look better than they did before, but retain their anachronistic charms, awaiting for masochists to tread their paths.
Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: "The Happytime Murders"

For my written review, click here.

"Yakuza Kiwami 2" Review

Over the past few years, Sega has demonstrated an uncanny ability to produce sweeping, open-world sagas under the "Yakuza" banner with impressive regularity. Part of the reason for the prolific release schedule is the regular inclusion of remakes.

Like "Yakuza Kiwami," which dropped in 2016 and was a remake of the original PS2 game "Yakuza" (2005), the "Kuwami" sequel is a redux of the PS2's "Yakuza 2" (2006). Rebuilt from the ground up to treat the story from the original as though it were a new game using the "Yakuza 6: The Song of Life" engine, the remake lifts the original well past the trappings of the PS2 original.

Not only are myriad quality-of-life updates in place -- gone are the days of tedious memory card save points -- but countless details of the production have also improved several degrees. From combat, to the menu system, the visuals, sound and story pacing, "Yakuza Kiwami 2" lifts the source material to heights it could never approached on the original hardware.

The Golf Bingo, Virtual-On and Cabaret minigames flesh out the open world as you work your way through the seedy underworld. You shape your character's personality along with his skills and attributes. The side touches round out the character and make you feel as though you're inhabiting a genuine person rather than an archetype.

Adjustments to the main story integrate the beloved Goro Majima character more directly into the mix, making the dagger-wielding thug a playable character. Following Majima through various developments, he fits into the franchise's first two games more naturally.

A story told with depth and passion, the mob opera that "Yakuza Kiwami 2" sings a haunting and resonant song of antiheroes jockeying ruthlessly for power, money and influence. By returning to its roots, the series continues to thrive as it ages.

Publisher provided review code.

"Kero Blaster" Review

"Kero Blaster" is yet another Switch game that thrives on a bizarre retro feel, mixing a Metroidvania explore-and-conquer style with Zelda-style icons and "Blaster Master"-like combat. An 80s-flavored casserole of nostalgic gaming delights, the wacky vision bubbles with vibrant life.

Pixel's follow-up to the beloved "Cave Story" may not have set the world on fire when it was released last year, but it manages to charm and disarm by marking out its  own distinctive path. The side-scrolling shooter delivers ample challenge amid its ludicrous thrills. The setting, a world of anthropomorphic animals who whine about work, is head-shakingly relatable.

Starting off with poor weaponry, you die often, get sent to the hospital and re-emerge with revitalized gusto, equipped with more funds to deck yourself out with a more effective arsenal. As you inch your way through the game, you relish the opportunity to size up your mistakes, reload and come back for more.

An odd duck that embraces its quirks with open eyes and arms, "Kero Blaster" delivers as many smiles as it does deaths. And it deals a heck of a lot of deaths.

Publisher provided review code.

"Guacamelee! 2" Review

Five years after "Guacamelee!" dropped, shaking up the indie world with its colorful battles and rollicking humor amid its Mexican culture-tinged backdrop, the sequel comes along.

The surprise factor may be gone, but the flavor is still just as strong. What "Guacamelee! 2" lacks in innovation it makes up for by outpunching and jump-kicking the predecessor. The sequel manages to one-up the original with splashier set-pieces, a more cohesive story, slicker pacing and an evolved control system that fulfills the original vision.

The game's ambition is obvious from the opening minutes, in which you review the previous plot with a mini boss rush that familiarizes you with the controls, playstyle and flash of what's already happened and what is to come.

Once again, you play as a luchador set out to redeem the soul of his lost love, slugging it out with undead and mythological enemies, interacting with quirky townsfolk and scrounging for bonuses, unlockables and upgrades.

It's surprising how fresh "Guacamelee! 2" manages to feel while innovating so little. Somehow, the past half-decade hasn't brought many imitators, as though developers were sheepish to try and replicate the panache of a game with such intimidating and distinctive flair.

Every bit the sequel superfans have been clamoring for, "Guacamelee! 2" is a vibrant, engrossing romp that goes heavy on the hot sauce and bursts with color and imagination. The sequel to one of the treasures of 2013 is one of the highlights of 2018.
Publisher provided review code.

"Flipping Death" Review

If "The Sixth Sense" were adapted into a funky, side-scrolling game with a touch of the intriguing but bungled premise of "Murdered: Soul Suspect," the best-case result would be something close to "Flipping Death."

Death has taken a vacation, letting you toggle between the worlds of the living and dead at will. You solve puzzles by swapping the realms, solving the problems of those in both planes of existence by retrieving insight and taking action on the other.

After your character has died, you get the unique opportunity to investigate the reasons you were dispatched from the land of the living. Along the way, you act as something of a ghost whisperer, allowing tormented spirits to attain the peace they desire.

A fascinating gothic art syle, accompanied with an energetic soundtrack, help bring the game to life. "Flipping Death" is packed with intriguing puzzles to chew on and an involving story that hooks you from the start. The game is a macabre delight that puts the "switch" into the Switch.
Publisher provided review code.

"Manual Samuel" Review

"Manual Samuel" is so intent on being quirky and surprising that it almost slips into the doldrums of predictability.

The premise is unsurprisingly odd. A trust fund baby who has taken his wealth and position for granted but is knocking on death's door after a car accident, Samuel is given a one-day challenge worthy of Instagram. If he can make it through a full day while controlling every part of his body manually, he'll get another shot at life.

On paper, it might seem fascinating to try to control a character's every function -- down to breathing and blinking -- with button presses, but in execution, the challenge is much more tedious than fascinating. Making Samuel do even the most basic tasks is an arduous chore, which is sort of the point. As a a result, "Manual Samuel" is all or nothing. Either you dig the setup and want to see it through, or you tire of it almost immediately and would rather delete the game than forge on.

Released two years ago on PS4, the game now comes to the Switch, where it has a better chance of catching on with an audience more accepting of its rough patches. If you're intrigued by the setup, you may want to give it a shot. Everyone else can just move along.
Publisher provided review code.

Book Report: "Shoeless Joe"

Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the grand scheme of baseball media history, Kinsella's novel boils down to a promising but sometimes frustrating rough draft for a masterwork of a film. Writer/director Phil Alden Robinson's adaptation is a water-into-wine creation of divinely inspired brilliance akin to Ray Kinsella's carving of a time-traveling ghostly baseball field out of Iowa corn stalks.

Robinson pruned away intriguing but extraneous characters, honed B+ monologues into A+ rainmakers, and lopped off the gratuitous down-home metaphors Kinsella crams into every other line as though he were writing his book by Midwestern-fried Mad Lib.

The lone way the book has one up on the movie is its bold inclusion of a then-living J.D. Salinger as a main character, rather than the movie's understandable cop-out at making its recluse author fictional. At least that choice allowed the casting of the legendary James Earl Jones in probably his finest performance of his career.

Kinsella's book also dazzles for the way it drips with obscure baseball knowledge. In pre-internet days, Kinsella made himself into a walking Baseball Reference, and it's doubtful a book was ever penned by a man who loved the game more.

I could have done without the late-book speech by one of the characters excised by the film that comes off as lunatic ranting rather than the baseball scripture-drawn homily that Jones enunciates in the movie. I was also put off by the way Ray buys a gun and uses it in his "kidnapping" of Salinger. For a protagonists already well on the verge of insanity, the move made it tougher to cheer him on as he followed his Joan of Arc-like vision to parts unknown.

I admire the book, but I truly love the movie it became. That's the difference between goodness and greatness. Between W.P. Kinslla and J.D. Salinger. Between Moonlight Graham and Shoeless Joe.


View all my reviews

"The Amazing Shinsengumi: Heroes in Love" Review

The Switch has proven to be a go-to destination for visual novels, particularly the few that come along with romantic themes. "The Amazing Shinsengumi: Heroes in Love" falls squarely into the latter category, telling a choice-based saga of love-influenced political power plays in 19th century Japan.

Released two years ago on smartphones and Steam, the game takes a new life on the Switch, which gives the story's visuals and words more space to breathe than on mobile devices.

You play as a woman who juggles potential romances with several political and militaristic power players who tangle, team up and bicker as they seek to keep the realm safe.

Elegant dialogue and richly detailed narratives and character shading help breathe life into the methodical affair. Your character is a cypher you can infuse with your own personality and predilections, shaping the story as you see fit.

While a bit slow and dense for some tastes, those with patience and a fascination for the material will enjoy what "Heroes in Love" has to offer. Its riches are well worth exploring for those intrigued by the premise.
Publisher provided review code.