Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 168

The Inherent Silliness of Classic Survival Horror

The Inherent Silliness of Classic Survival Horror - Samantha Lienhard

Classic survival horror can be terrifying, tense, and brilliant.

It also can be very silly.

Silent Hill is probably one of the best examples of this bizarre contrast. While the series is steeped in dark imagery and psychological horror, its puzzles get a little weird. The supernatural elements explain some of them–if the world of the first Silent Hill is influenced by Alessa’s mind, for example, it makes sense that things significant to her will unlock doors–but even outside of the symbolic riddles, things are strange.

Just try to imagine one of Silent Hill 2‘s notoriously weird puzzles from a real-world perspective, rather than the context of a video game. As you’re exploring an apartment building, you happen to find a package of canned juice. Why on Earth would you pick it up, carry it upstairs, and toss it into the garbage chute? I mean, it’s great that doing so knocks an item you need for a puzzle down into the street… but why would you think to do that???

This is a can of light bulbs.
A CAN of LIGHT BULBS.

The sheer number of broken doors in Silent Hill have led to running jokes in the fandom about the town’s desperate need for a locksmith, and of course, Silent Hill 2 believes light bulbs come in a can.

Classic Resident Evil, meanwhile, doesn’t descend to the same levels of weirdness, but it doesn’t have the supernatural angle to justify its puzzles, either. Hand-waving it by saying the designer was insane only goes so far. Just think about the amount of work the average citizen of Raccoon City–or worse, a servant in the Spencer Mansion–has to do to get from one place to another.

I have a slight reference to this in my horror/comedy novella The Accidental Zombie, when George draws on his video game knowledge to deal with a zombie apocalypse and suggests they should have been picking up random objects in case they need them to unlock doors.

I also hope to one day write a parody about some poor businessman who can’t get into his office each morning until he finds a specific book, uses the medallion inside to open a closet where he’ll find the key to the basement, goes to the basement and solves a riddle…

More recent survival horror games, like Alien: Isolation (which I’m close to finishing at last) have attempted a more realistic approach to survival horror mechanics with more environmental puzzles–upgrading a plasma torch to get through different types of doors, for example.

Now, I love Alien: Isolation and its approach to survival horror. It’s fantastic. But still… there’s something to be said for those older, sillier puzzles.

What are some of your favorite bits of absurdity from the survival horror genre?

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The Time of Contempt: War, Politics, and the Wild Hunt

The Time of Contempt: War, Politics, and the Wild Hunt - Samantha Lienhard

Our mad quest to catch up on the entire Witcher saga before The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt comes out in May has brought us to The Time of Contempt, the second full novel in the Witcher Saga. The previous book, Blood of Elves, set the stage for Ciri’s story, which properly began in the short story collection Sword of Destiny.

(Although Sword of Destiny is currently available in English only as a fan translation, an official English version is coming out and can be pre-ordered now.)

When I reviewed Blood of Elves, my only criticism was that it didn’t feel like a complete story, just the setup for a larger plot. I’m happy to say The Time of Contempt does not suffer that problem.

The plot threads the previous book introduced are expanded upon, and it still sets the stage for future events, but its central plot feels more focused. While The Time of Contempt works toward the overarching saga with hints of prophecy and the Wild Hunt (we’ll get back to that in a minute), it concentrates on the political machinations and conflicts that are immediate threats, such as the growing power of the sinister empire Nilfgaard. It also feels much more balanced between its protagonists. While Ciri remains at the core, Geralt has a strong role in the story as well.

As in the previous Witcher books, this one brings together action, believable character interactions, a grim world, and sporadic moments of humor to craft an enjoyable narrative. Whether Geralt’s growing sarcasm at a dinner party full of spies or a truly unsettling scene with a character suffering dehydration, The Time of Contempt drew me into the story and didn’t let me go. It also has a few notable plot twists which I won’t spoil here.

One of my favorite parts was the brief introduction of the Wild Hunt. Previously, all I really knew about the Wild Hunt came from previews of The Witcher 3.

What are these guys?
Other than “terrifying”?

Now, in folklore, the “Wild Hunt” is basically a group of spectral huntsmen galloping through the sky. It’s considered a sign of bad luck. The song “Ghost Riders in the Sky” is a reference to the Wild Hunt. The Great Hunt and the Heroes of the Horn in the Wheel of Time series may also be a reference, especially since the hunters in the Wild Hunt are often said to be gods or heroes, such as Woden or King Arthur. Of course, sometimes the Wild Hunt is depicted as evil, too.

I’m sure I could go on all day about folklore and different references to the Wild Hunt, so let’s get back to the Witcher saga’s Wild Hunt. Early on in The Time of Contempt it’s mentioned that the Wild Hunt has been seen, and then we get to see them for ourselves as Ciri flees through a storm filled with specters from her past–and the specters of the Wild Hunt.

The vague, ghastly shapes of riders become visible in the ribbon sliding across the sky. As they come closer and closer, they can be seen ever more clearly. Buffalo horns and ragged crests sway on their helmets, and cadaverous masks show white beneath them. The riders sit on horses’ skeletons, cloaked in ragged caparisons. A fierce gale howls among the willows, blades of lightning slash the black sky. The wind moans louder and louder. No, it’s not the wind. It’s ghostly singing.

The ghastly cavalcade turns and hurtles straight at her. The hooves of the spectral horses stir up the glow of the will ‘o the wisps suspended above the swamps. At the head of the cavalcade gallops the King of the Wild Hunt. A rusty helmet sways above his skull-like face, its gaping eye sockets burning with a livid flame. A ragged cloak flutters. A necklace, empty as an old peapod, rattles against the rusty cuirass, a necklace which, it is said, once contained precious stones, which fell out during the frenzied chase across teh heavens. And became stars…

It isn’t true! It doesn’t exist! It’s a nightmare, a phantom, an illusion! I’m only imagining this!

The King of the Wild Hunt spurs on his skeleton steed and erupts in wild, horrifying laughter.

O, Child of the Elder Blood! You belong to us! You are ours! Join our procession, join our hunt! We will race, race unto the very end, unto eternity, unto the very end of existence! You are ours, starry-eyed daughter of chaos! Join us; learn the joy of the hunt! You are ours. You are one of us! Your place is among us!

‘No!’ she cries. ‘Be gone! You are corpses!’

The King of the Wild Hunt laughs, the rotten teeth snapping above his rusted gorget. The skull’s eye sockets glitter lividly.

Yes, we are corpses. But you are death.”

You know, somehow I don’t think that’s Woden or King Arthur.

What a passage! As soon as I reached that, I couldn’t wait to learn more about the Wild Hunt–and just what’s up with Ciri, our mysterious child of prophecy.

That little tease is the Wild Hunt’s only real presence in The Time of Contempt, but that’s a good thing. If I’d read the book when it first came out, instead of after learning about the third game, I wouldn’t have realized the Wild Hunt’s significance. It serves as a tiny hint of stranger things on the horizon, and I think it works very well.

As for Ciri, we get some definite answers about here in this book, but I won’t spoil them for you. Let’s just say… things are going to get interesting.

The Time of Contempt is an excellent continuation of the Witcher saga, and a stronger novel than its predecessor. If you’re interested in Geralt, Ciri, the Witcher story in general, or just dark fantasy, give it a read.

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Yo-kai Watch Localization Officially Confirmed

Yo-kai Watch Localization Officially Confirmed - Samantha Lienhard

Didn’t I already write about this?

Back in February, I was thrilled to see Level-5 announce that the Pokémon-esque franchise Yokai Watch would be making its way West, but the wording left some slight room for doubt. The announcement mentioned video games, but didn’t specifically reference the existing Yokai Watch for the 3DS.

As of yesterday, the impending release of the game has become official, and it looks like the translation “Yo-kai Watch” is now official, as well.

Yo-kai Watch, which came out in 2013 in Japan, has already received multiple sequels and spin-offs in addition to the rest of the franchise. As far as we know, it is the first game that is coming to the West in 2016, and its success will probably determine whether or not we get the others. However, some people believe we are getting the newly announced Yo-kai Watch 3, rebranded as Yo-kai Watch for the West. I’ll let you know if this is clarified.

Since it’s an RPG about a boy who captures monsters and uses them to battle other monsters, it’s hard not to draw comparisons to Pokémon. However, people who have played the Japanese versions say the similarities are not as strong as they appear on the surface, particularly when it comes to gameplay.

As for the creatures themselves, while I usually describe yokai as monsters from Japanese folklore, the press release defines them as:

They are not ghosts, monsters or creatures. Yo-kai are, quite simply, Yo-kai. They cannot be seen by the human eye, but they are everywhere. Whether born from the soul of a deceased human, or an everyday object discovering its higher purpose, their personalities are distinctly humanlike.

I don’t know how true to folklore Yo-kai Watch is, but if you’re interested in learning more about mythical yokai before the game launches in 2016, look up Matthew Meyer’s The Night Parade of 100 Demons: a Field Guide to Japanese Yokai, a 224-page illustrated guide to yokai. It’s been invaluable to my writing.

And for my own, darker take on yokai, check out “Rokurokubi”, a yokai-themed horror story published by Wicked Words Quarterly. (I’m sure Yo-kai Watch has a much more lighthearted approach.)

This has been a great time for localization news. Here’s hoping Ace Attorney is next!

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Fatal Frame V Localization Confirmed!

Fatal Frame V Localization Confirmed! - Samantha Lienhard

By now you’ve probably heard the good news, but just in case you haven’t, last week’s Nintendo Direct confirmed the upcoming localization of Fatal Frame V.

Fatal Frame V: Oracle of the Sodden Raven (first translated as The Black Haired Shrine Maiden) is one of the games I was really hoping to hear news about. While I haven’t played the previous Fatal Frame games yet, I’ve started the first one (and played Spirit Camera) and I’ve always thought Fatal Frame’s camera-centric combat is a perfect fit for the Wii U, because of the GamePad.

It’s been out in Japan since September, and some fans started to lose hope of ever hearing a localization announcement. Now the West is getting Fatal Frame V! This proves we should never give up. Not on Fatal Frame, not on Dai Gyakuten Saiban, and not even on Gyakuten Kenji 2. (The Nintendo Direct also confirmed that DS games are finally coming to the Wii U virtual console, so our chances of getting GK2 look better than ever!)

Now, what would be really cool would be if Nintendo packaged the previously Japan-only Fatal Frame IV with Oracle of the Sodden Raven, similar to how Bayonetta was included with Bayonetta 2… but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. For now, we fans of Fatal Frame and survival horror in general should do everything we can to support this game and show we want to see more like it!

Fatal Frame V: Oracle of the Sodden Raven doesn’t have a Western release date yet, but I’ll let you know when it does.

Fatal Frame… Yokai Watch… Fantasy Life… Several of my localization hopes have been fulfilled. Is it almost Ace Attorney Investigations 2’s time to shine?

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Nintendo Direct April 1 at 3 PM PT/6 PM ET

Nintendo Direct April 1 at 3 PM PT/6 PM ET - Samantha Lienhard

It may be April Fool’s Day, but Nintendo has promised the Nintendo Direct tonight is no joke! It will start at 6 PM Eastern Time (3 PM Eastern Time) and cover 3DS and Wii U games. A Nintendo Treehouse stream of an upcoming game will follow.

The time leading up to a new Nintendo Direct is always filled with hopes and predictions, some more plausible than others. For example, I’d be overjoyed if this was the day they finally announced Ace Attorney Investigations 2 localization, but it’s pretty unlikely. On the other hand, maybe we could get an announcement for Fatal Frame V.

Personally, I hope to hear localization news about Dai Gyakuten Saiban. The last few days have revealed a wealth of new information, including new scans from Famitsu, some brief gameplay footage, and the reveal of the sinister new prosecutor.

Why are the prosecutors always so cool?

I’m even more excited for that game than ever. It has a Japanese release day now, so why not announce it for the West as well?

Leaving behind the realm of personal hopes and dreams, I expect this Nintendo Direct to show more from Splatoon and possibly Devil’s Third, among other games from E3.

And of course, I always go into an event like this hoping for many, many surprises!

Let me know what you’re hoping to see in this Nintendo Direct, and don’t forget to tune in at 6 PM. With any luck, I’ll be able to embed the stream here like I did for the Dai Gyakuten Saiban stream, but if not, we can all watch it on the official site together.

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Among the Sleep: Horror from a Child’s Eyes

Among the Sleep: Horror from a Child’s Eyes - Samantha Lienhard

One of the many video games I’ve backed is Among the Sleep, a survival horror game from the perspective of a two-year-old. With a premise like that, how could I not be interested? The finished game came out last May, and I finally played it.

Among the Sleep is the sort of atmospheric horror game that blurs the line between reality and imagination. How much of what you see is real? Is it just a nightmare? These questions tossed me into a twisted world, an unsettling dreamscape composed of bits and pieces of the real world.

I’ve noticed that survival horror games have an odd tendency to use particularly beautiful environments, and Among the Sleep is no exception. Several of its locations had a striking, haunting beauty.

I spent the first hour or so suspecting the strange happenings and warped locations were just the child’s frightened interpretation of the world. This, combined with the initial jump scares, led me to believe there was no real danger, making the game creepy rather than scary.

Then a monster killed me.

Much like when I played Master Reboot, I learned the hard way that the monsters stalking this nightmare world were legitimate threats. Suddenly the game was a lot scarier. This tension remained throughout the rest of the game, and I couldn’t look at those “harmless” jump scares the same way again.

Even so, Among the Sleep never reaches the heights of terror as a game like Amnesia or Alien: Isolation does. It’s a short game, only 2-3 hours long, and forgiving checkpoints keep the tension from escalating too high. Most of the puzzles are simple, and only a few areas achieve the maze-like nature common to survival horror. However, the psychological elements give it an unsettling tone that lingers after the overt scares.

I would compare its storytelling to that of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. The more you play, the more you realize the game blends real-world fears with its nightmarish monsters, and that is Among the Sleep’s greatest strength.

If you’re interested in an atmospheric psychological horror game and don’t mind a shorter, simpler approach to survival horror tropes, take a look at Among the Sleep. And if you’ve already played it, share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

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“Massive Surprises” to Celebrate Tales’ 20th Anniversary

“Massive Surprises” to Celebrate Tales’ 20th Anniversary - Samantha Lienhard

2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the Tales series, which began in 1995 with Tales of Phantasia in Japan. Bandai Namco’s 20th Anniversary celebration includes the release of Tales of Zestiria, my most anticipated game this year.

Tales of Zestiria came out in Japan on January 22, and it’s due out in the West sometime this summer. It is considered a tribute to the series’ history and described as a return to Tales’ roots.

I’m still a newcomer to the Tales series. Watching the Tales anniversary video made my video game backlog cry out in pain.

So far, Tales of Xillia is the only game in the series I’ve completed. I loved it so much I decided to play the rest of the series, starting with Tales of Symphonia.

Tales of Symphonia is shaping up to be my favorite game.

Ever.

So, newbie or not, Tales news gets me pretty excited. But in addition to the impending release of Tales of Zestiria, Bandai Namco promised “massive surprises” to celebrate the anniversary with.

Massive surprises? What could they be? My hopes range from the plausible (Western release of a previously unlocalized title or a new compilation) to the highly unlikely (here is your Symphonia prequel!), but as long as they aren’t Japan-exclusive, I’m excited to learn more about these “massive” Tales surprises.

What do you hope they are?

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The Letter is Like Slender Without Slenderman

The Letter is Like Slender Without Slenderman - Samantha Lienhard

In July 2014, a Wii U game called The Letter appeared in the Nintendo eShop. This horror game received terrible reviews, but also gathered a few fans who defend it as a worthy atmospheric experience.

Since The Letter was pretty cheap and I’ve enjoyed “bad” survival horror games in the past, I was willing to take a chance on it. I set it aside for a while, in part because my Wii U wasn’t hooked up to my TV.

Last week, when I learned an update gave it off-TV support, I finally played it.

Well, I started it. I have to admit, I didn’t finish it, even though it’s only a couple of hours long. Maybe it gets better later on, but I didn’t have the patience to find out.

People have described The Letter in various ways, often calling it a “walking simulator” like Dear Esther, although it does have some gameplay. Here’s how I’d describe it:

You might be familiar with the free survival horror game Slender. It has a simple premise. You must walk through the spooky forest and find the scattered pages, while avoiding death at the hands of Slenderman.

Now imagine that concept without Slenderman.

The Letter dropped me into a creepy environment with the directive to find scattered letters and objects in order to advance. Even by survival horror standards, I’d hesitate to call these puzzles, since it was largely just “find all the things.” It felt spooky at first, but after I wandered around looking for the random objects I needed to collect, I just got bored.

I’ve since looked up the story, and I don’t feel I missed anything great. Disagree? Let me know in the comments.

Survival horror is a niche genre, and I’m all in favor of developers taking risks with it. The Letter wants to be a creepy, mysterious game, and that’s great–except it didn’t work. If you’re looking for atmospheric horror on your Wii U, check out Master Reboot instead.

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The Witcher Adventure Game: Accessible to Newcomers

The Witcher Adventure Game: Accessible to Newcomers - Samantha Lienhard

To some of you, that headline might look familiar. Didn’t I recommend The Witcher Adventure Game as a good holiday gift? Haven’t I had it listed among my reviews for months?

I reviewed The Witcher Adventure Game as a freelance writer for JBG News… which has since disappeared. As a result, trying to follow the old links currently results in an error. (I’m going to edit them all, but if you find any broken links lying around that I missed, let me know!)

So, let’s talk again about The Witcher Adventure Game.

When I played and reviews this game, I was a complete newcomer to the Witcher series. I hadn’t even read The Last Wish yet. I’m not a big player of board games, either. Therefore, I asked questions like:

Can you play The Witcher Adventure Game if you’re unfamiliar with the Witcher series?
Can you play The Witcher Adventure Game if you’re unfamiliar with board games?

As a result, I cautioned readers not to come to my review looking for comparisons to other board games or details on how it fits into the Witcher lore.

If you’re new, however, I can say the Witcher Adventure Game is accessible.

From a lore perspective, this is easy to see. It has no story of its own and only references to places and characters from the Witcher universe. From a gameplay perspective, you might not see it as accessible at first. The tutorial is confusing–although there’s a more in-depth tutorial I only found later, which cleared up my lingering confusion about a few points–and when you start playing it seems like a thousand things are happening at once.

The best way to learn The Witcher Adventure Game is to play it. You might be overwhelmed at first, but the mechanics slowly become clear. You can take a look at my first playthrough to watch my clueless muddling become more and more confident the longer the game goes on.

As you can see, game sessions tend to be rather lengthy, so make sure you have a solid block of time if you plan to play online with other people. A patch added an auto-save feature for single-player games, so if you’re playing against the AI, you no longer have to do it in a single sitting.

Some players find it to be a mean game, as it sometimes seems impossible to do anything without something horrible happening to you. It can be challenging, but once you learn the strengths of each character, you can use strategy to avoid the worst fates and come out victorious.

Now, all of my comments have been based on the digital video game version, sold by GOG.com and Steam. The Witcher Adventure Game also comes as a physical board game, if you prefer to have a real copy on the table in front of you.

Let me know your thoughts on the Witcher Adventure Game, and if you caught my review in its original form, don’t worry–I’ve got fresh reviews lined up for the rest of the week.

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Rare Asks About N64 Games

Rare Asks About N64 Games - Samantha Lienhard

In addition to all the 3D platformers inspired by classic games like Banjo-Kazooie, from A Hat in Time to Clive ‘N’ Wrench to Playtonic’s spiritual successor, rumors have been in the air for a while now that Microsoft and Rare are working on a real Banjo-Kazooie game… whether “Banjo-Threeie” or something else.

These rumors were aided last October, when Microsoft’s Phil Spencer said in an interview that Microsoft had some fan-favorite games in the works. This came in response to the following list of games requested by fans (for games that already have sequels, I assume fans are hoping for a new entry in the series):

Halo Wars 2
Alan Wake 2
MechAssault
Conker 3
Blinx the Time Sweeper
Fusion Frenzy
Banjo-Kazooie
Kameo 2
High Heat Baseball
Otogi
Knights of the Old Republic
Shenmue

Spencer said, “There are a couple of games on that list that we’re doing some work on.” Later in the interview, he expressed his admiration for Rare, which also served to fuel hopes that a Rare sequel was in development.

Well, it’s not Conker.

Conker’s arrival in Project Spark led to some debate over whether this meant he was getting a true game of his own, or if this was it. Spencer cleared up the matter:

@FlashAttack3 Yes.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) March 20, 2015

So what about Rare?

@LordDCS Rare is building something else, Spark community is creative, I'm looking forward to seeing what they build with the Conker assets.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) March 20, 2015

Rare is working on something, although what that something is, we don’t know. And that brings us back to our original topic: Nintendo 64 classics.

On its community site, Rare is conducting a poll asking fans what their favorite Nintendo 64 Rare games are. Right now, Banjo-Kazooie and Conker’s Bad Fur Day are leagues ahead of everyone else. Head on over to cast your vote–you can probably guess what mine was.

Does this mean Rare is working on a game from that list? Probably not. But it sure can’t hurt to let the company know which of its games you like the most.

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