Phil Villarreal's Blog, page 75
August 3, 2019
"Crystar" Review
"Crystar" applies the linear, single-player JRPG format to a tapestry that hinges on emotions. Your heroine, a high school girl named Rei, returns from a near-death experience with superhuman abilities.
Following a tragic plot twist, Rei descends back to the afterlife in order to rescue a lost soul. In a plotline that seems inspired by the Purgatorio segment of Dante's "The Divine Comedy," you wrestle with loss, anxiety and regret as you work your way through a cavalcade of conflicted spirits attempting to work through their plights as divinity prepares its final judgment.
Struggling through battles with demons inside and out, Rei works her way through the evil forces manipulating her plight. Unraveling the mysteries awaiting her, Rei evolves and develops in unexpected ways.
Developer FuRyu orchestrates the tale with introspective confidence, unpacking layers of psychological insight with minimalist touches. As you fight, you manipulate torment and grief to your advantage, parsing your strategy through the lens of available attacks in order to time your opportunities to seize the greatest advantage.
Throughout the game, the theme set to the forefront is that emotional expression -- even crying -- is a strength rather than a setback. The ability to process and react to adversity with physical manifestations is something of a superpower.
There isn't much out there that compares to "Crystar," which works hard to distinguish itself with its insightful dynamics and paradigm-changing combat system. For JRPG fans looking for something fresh that's dressed in familiar trappings, this is an experience worthy of making your eyes well up with joy.
Publisher provided review code.
August 2, 2019
"Omega Labyrinth Life" Review
A roguelike RPG geared toward a mature audience, "Omega Labyrinth Life" mixes character advancement and iterative challenges with wacky, often uncomfortable romantic scenarios and a seemingly proud lack of maturity.
Set in an "academy of fair maidens," you alternate among characters who pick up where the last one left off. Your attack abilities are related to your bust size, which expands as you advance. It's a concept seemingly geared to 14-year-olds, even though you have to be an adult to purchase the game.
The dressing of the concept could be a significant roadblock for a major portion of the audience, which is a shame because the combat, enemy design and traversal are so tight and well-calibrated. This is a robust and intricate game as well as a wacky excuse to indulge in repressed sexuality.
Each time you take on a dungeon, its room layout, enemies and items change, leading to a different experience each go-round. Combined with the "Animal Crossing"-like ability to rearrange decor, keeps things fresh and invitingly replayable.
Developer Matrix Software knows its stuff, and has crafted a worthwhile experience that succeeds in spite of its art style and writing. Best enjoyed as a oh-no-it-didn't comedic lark, you may be surprised how much fun you wind up having once you let the game sink its hooks in you.
Publisher provided review code.
August 1, 2019
PHIL ON FILM: "Hobbs & Shaw"
For my full review, click here.
PHIL ON FILM: 5 Shows to Binge in August 2019
For the full list, click here.
July 28, 2019
"Zombie Driver: Immortal Edition" Review
When the zombie apocalypse hits, those behind the wheel of zombie-steamrolling vehicles will be king.
That's the premise we're working with in the top-down road rager "Zombie Driver: Immortal Edition" which opens up the road for you to ratchet up highway mayhem. You smash through fences, utility poles and zombie hordes, racking up as much destruction as you can.
Developer EXOR Studios brings to mind the original "Grand Theft Auto" games, as well as its DS spinoff, "Chinatown Wars."
The more chaos you create, the more funds you rack up, which lets you upgrade your vehicle and retool your arsenal to up your destructive capabilities.
Racing, rescue and survival modes vary up the gameplay objectives and give you plenty of reason to keep turning the ignition and slamming on the gas.
Intricately detailed graphics and smooth, slick controls keep the arcadey gem at full throttle. Although the material may be on the shallow side, the varied modes and iterative thrills make up for any shortcomings.
If you're in the mood for a drive as mindless as the undead you're slaughtering, this is one for you.
Publisher provided review code.
July 27, 2019
"Super Mega Baseball 2: Ultimate Edition" Switch Review
The makers of "Super Mega Baseball" franchise don't let their lack of a Major League Baseball license hold them back.
Instead, they see their plight as a freeing mechanism for their over-the-top baseball sim, allowing them to take outrageous liberties with the game, emphasizing fun and spectacle over trifles such as rules, physics and decorum.
The newest release, dubbed "Ultimate Edition," is the latest refinement of a formula conjured with the innovative 2014 original and its riotously superior 2018 sequel. Along with the base game of season and pennant modes filled with fictional slate of wacky-named coed teams, you get all previously released DLC and action that flows in 60 FPS in both handheld and docked modes.
Aside from an initial loading sequence that calls to mind the frustration of batters calling time out, unnecessary manager visits to the mound and procrastinating pitchers checking the runner at first, this is the same free-flowing game of augmented baseball that has rocked the indie sports game scene for the last half-decade.
Online play is also here, even though it's questionable whether the Switch community will be active enough to make games easily available around the clock. Probably the more useful multiplayer feature is single JoyCon support, which lets gamers play the field either cooperative or competitively without the need to spring for additional controllers or Switches.
As fitting an addition to the Switch lineup as an ace pitcher is to a contender's rotation at the trade deadline, "Super Mega Baseball 2: Ultimate Edition" wields a big stick and yells loudly. It's now officially baseball season on Nintendo's latest console.
Developer Metalhead Software
Publisher provided review code.
July 26, 2019
"Pawarumi" Review
"Pawarumi" takes the bullet hell shmup concept and blows it out into screen-filling chaos.
Your Chukaru ship can toggle among different weapons, each with a distinct paradigm that's best suited to a particular type of swarm you're facing off against.
It takes a nimble eye to know which weapon is best equipped to help you live another few seconds before the looming threat of swift, violent demolition once again pins you to the back of your seat.
After a successful 2018 run on PC, Developer Manufacture 43 delivers its wacky shooter to consoles with boisterous aplomb. crafting a vigorous cavalcade of barely controlled chaos that may have the tendency to send gamers throwing up their hands in frustration.
The difficulty level is harsh and unforgiving from the get-go, and continually manages to throw increasingly crueller twists at the poor Chukaru.
While the enemy designs are creative and bold, precision is often sacrificed in favor of keeping things weird. You'll be excused if you need to tap out via the pause button frequently, just to shake off the dizziness and frayed nerves that the action induces in you.
The thrills in "Pawarumi" lean on the simplistic side, but there's no arguing with its ability to conjure a blistering arcade-style fever that will no doubt masochistic shooter fans crawling back for more.
Publisher provided review code.
July 25, 2019
PHIL ON FILM: "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"
For my written review, click here.
"Date a Live: Rio Reincarnation" Review
Rich in culture and fan service, "Date a Live: Rio Reincarnation" is a well-written and visually stunning visual novel set with minimal gameplay and maximum storytelling.
The loopy story is wild yet somehow relatable. You see the world through the eyes of Shido, an earnest young man blessed and cursed with the ability to seal powers of spirits. To accomplish that task, he completes a series of social experiences, which tend to be PG-13 versions of "dates."
You gently guide the story by making romantic choices. Despite the romantic aspect, there's little that's steamy about the encounters. The emphasis is placed on the dramatic and whimsical aspects of the interactions, with the writing geared toward the middle and high school levels.
Despite the youth focus, there's a disarming nature to the storytelling rhythm. One of the best ways to enjoy the game is to save yourself the constant button-tapping and place the game on auto mode by tapping the touchpad to engage autoplay mode, which pauses when you need to prompt personal choices.
Bolstered with loads of extras that expand the play time, as well as alternate paths that make the storylines replayable, "Date a Live: Rio Reincarnation" is also a bounty for trophy hounds, who can rack up loads of trinkets with minimal effort. The light, relaxing experience is a welcome break from the usual gaming grind.
The adaptation of the Japanese light novel series
Publisher provided review code.
July 23, 2019
"Hunt: Showdown" Review
Blending survival horror with battle royale principles, "Hunt: Showdown" drops 10 players into a "Deliverance"-like setting, separated into two-person teams attempting to unearth and slay a target.
The fastest and smartest team isn't necessarily the winner. Once the kill is made, the game shifts into a wild free-for-all in which the other teams all turn against the others in an all-out manhunt to stop them from turning in the bounty.
Developer Crytek takes a novel premise and stretches out into an engaging and gripping spectacle, crafting a violently-shifting dynamic that keeps raising the stakes while giving every player a reason to continue to scrap.
The visuals and sound lend themselves to the haunting and often terrifying sense of place. With weapony rustic and hard to come by, hand-to-hand combat rises to the forefront. Battles are awkward and lumbering, which adds to the sense of grueling reality. Kills aren't effortless breezes as they are in many other shooters, and the need to get your hands dirty and expose yourself to bloodshed ups the intensity factor.
If a critical mass of a community manages to line up behind "Hunt: Showdown," the game has the goods to take off as the next viral multiplayer phenomenon. Much of that responsibility will fall on the heads of the dev team, which will need to curate the experience to keep it growing and developing. No matter what the future holds, it's exciting to see the game make such an impressive start in the hunt for sustainable success.
Publisher provided review code.
