Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 99

Shadows of Adam is a Short, Fun JRPG Throwback

Over the weekend, I finished playing Shadows of Adam, an indie RPG I backed on Kickstarter.

It’s one of those games intended to feel like a throwback to classic JRPGs, and in a lot of ways, this one really does.

Shadows of Adam follows a boy named Kellan and a girl named Asrael who leave the small town of Adam in search of Kellan’s missing father when a dark power begins to stir. It’s a turn-based RPG with a few twists, such as a percentage-based AP system that is partly restored each round. Enemies appear on the field, and some of the battles can get fairly tough.

I’ve played a few of these JRPG-inspired games now, and Shadows of Adam is definitely one of the better ones. It has some of the heart and soul they often seem to lack. The soundtrack was also pretty catchy.

Now, the story was fairly simple and its nods to classic JRPGs might have gone a bit too far with one obviously-Kefka-inspired villain, but the plot was enjoyable enough and kept me interested. I cared about the main characters, and it took the time to give each of them backstory and make me want to care.

(And I have to admit, while Kefka’s influence on Malvil was blatant enough to take me by surprise, he did make me laugh.)

Shadows of Adam is a short game. I finished it in just under 16 hours, and that’s on the longer end. Most of that was fairly linear plot progression, which I found stronger than when it did open up near the end for a few side quests. Despite the fast pace, it felt complete and I enjoyed it.

We briefly discussed Shadows of Adam last month when the developers announced two new games, and now that I’ve finished it, I’m more interested than ever in seeing how their next games turn out.

Here’s hoping it retains or even improves on the classic JRPG feel of Shadows of Adam.

Shadows of Adam is available on Steam and recently saw a Switch release as well. If you’ve played it, what are your thoughts? How do you think it stacks up against similar indie games?

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My Introduction to Fire Emblem Through Sacred Stones

About three weeks ago, I asked for opinions on whether I should play Fire Emblem: Three Houses and mentioned that I’d tried Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones.

My main takeaway after that post was that since I already had Sacred Stones (through the 3DS Ambassador Program), I might as well give it a longer try before buying a new Fire Emblem game.

So I did.

Yesterday, I finished Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones and found it to be an enjoyable, if sometimes harrowing, experience.

Two misconceptions I had about the series stood out to me right away. First, there was a lot more story than I expected. Somehow I thought Sacred Stones would be mainly battles with some brief scenes to set them up, and while that was the game’s structure, those scenes between battles were longer and more numerous than I thought they’d be.

Second, I had the impression Fire Emblem was fairly realistic, maybe with fantasy trappings like mages but focused on more grounded, political conflicts. Sacred Stones threw that out the window by giving me demons and monsters alongside human enemies.

So to put these two things together, while the story of Sacred Stones never blew me away, it felt much more like my sort of thing than I thought it would be. And although I was terrible at getting support conversations, I did enjoy the character interactions I got to see.

I haven’t played a lot of strategy RPGs, so I had some trouble with it, but I got better as I went on. Early on, I thought I might accept deaths… but instead I ended up restarting the battle if I lost any characters.

This made some battles pretty tedious. Although I enjoyed it overall, there were times when I’d be near the end of a battle only to have someone die and realize I needed to start the entire battle over from the beginning, and I’d be tired of trying the same battle after a few attempts. I know it’s my own fault since I decided I needed to save every unit, but I couldn’t help wishing for a way to save partway through the battle or even an “undo” button.

Still, the tension this introduced to combat made the relief so much sweeter whenever a character narrowly escaped death.

Partway through the game, the story splits into two different routes. I only played one of them, but maybe someday I’ll return and play the second. For now, I’m happy I played Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones and took this first step into the Fire Emblem series.

Have you played Sacred Stones? If you aren’t a 3DS Ambassador and don’t want to track down the original GBA release, it’s also available from the Wii U eShop. Let me know your thoughts on Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones in the comments!

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Game Freak’s Town Might Be Called Little Town Hero

Remember Town, the upcoming turn-based RPG from Game Freak?

Town was announced during the September 2018 Nintendo Direct, and even though it’s theoretically coming out this year, we’ve barely seen anything about it.

Now, however, it seems like it might have a name, since Town was only the working title. As reported by Japanese Nintendo, Game Freak applied for a trademark for the title “Little Town Hero.”

That’s most likely Town, so maybe this means new information about the game will be coming soon.

Meanwhile, people displeased with the direction of Pokémon Sword and Shield are railing against Little Town Hero, saying Pokémon died for it. While Little Town Hero does have good graphics, I think that’s going a bit far… and I really doubt the claims that Pokémon Sword and Shield will sell poorly as a result.

Here’s hoping we see more of Little Town Hero soon. What do you think? Will we learn more about it in the near future? Is it still due out in 2019? Does it deserve the hate it’s getting from Pokémon fans? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Team Yell, New Rivals, and Other Pokémon Sword/Shield News

Since the last couple of posts were reviews, we never got a chance to talk about Wednesday’s Pokémon Sword and Shield news.

It wasn’t a video presentation like we thought it might be, just a new trailer. Like I predicted, it revealed new Pokémon, some new characters, and the new team.

Let’s talk about the Pokémon first. Like Sun and Moon, Sword and Shield will also have special regional forms. The trailer revealed Galarian Weezing, Galarian Zigzagoon and Linoone, and most interestingly, an evolution of Galarian Linoone called Obstagoon.

I believe this is the first time a Pokémon has gotten an evolution exclusive to a regional variant.

They also revealed a new Pokémon called Morpeko, which changes forms between Fully Belly Mode and Hangry Mode, which changes its ability from Electric to Dark.

Moving on to the new characters, the rest of the trailer focused on two rivals and the enemy team.

While a rival named Hop was already revealed earlier, this trailer added Bede and Marnie. Bede is another boy hoping to take on the Gym Challenge after being endorsed by Chairman Rose. His official description claims he also has “other objectives,” and he certainly looks like he’ll break free from the friendly rival character type recent Pokémon games have liked so much.

Meanwhile, there’s Marnie, and while it’s not entirely clear what sort of rival she’ll be yet (or who endorsed her), she’s connected to the newly-introduced Team Yell.

That’s right. “Team Yell.”

Team Yell is basically a group of obsessive sports fans who want Marnie to win at all costs. They carry vuvuzelas and Marnie-print towels (that’s not creepy at all) and do their best to sabotage Marnie’s opponents.

They don’t seem as evil as past teams, but they certainly fit the atmosphere of the Galar region, where the Gym Challenge is basically a huge sporting event. Besides, I still believe Chairman Rose and Oleana are the true villains of the more serious plot that will probably arise.

Finally, although it isn’t featured in the English trailer, Sword and Shield will have a new feature called Poké Jobs, where you send your Pokémon to help with jobs and gain experience and items. These are handled through the “Rotomi” in Pokémon Centers, which also handles boxes and Loto-ID. Here’s hoping it won’t be as annoying as Sun/Moon’s Rotom Dex.

What did you think of the latest Pokémon Sword and Shield details? How do you feel about the new characters and Team Yell? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Dancing Through a Smaller World in Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

Last week, I finally played Shantae: Half-Genie Hero.

It took me a long time to get around to playing it, mainly because I lost some of my enthusiasm after learning it had changed the gameplay formula.

As you might remember, I enjoyed Shantae: Risky’s Revenge for its Metroidvania exploration and almost Zelda-like dungeons, and I loved Shantae & the Pirate’s Curse even more because of its humor and stronger story.

Pirate’s Curse was one of the best games I played in 2017, and despite my claim that I wouldn’t re-buy the Switch version, I have a physical Switch copy now.

But while Pirate’s Curse retained its exploration-driven focus despite being split across multiple islands, Half-Genie Hero feels much more segmented.

In Half-Genie Hero, you visit several worlds more like in a traditional 2D platformer, complete with finishing the level when you reach the end instead of being able to travel through it freely (although you can leave whenever you want). Gaining new transformations and upgrades does let you overcome obstacles, but instead of opening up entire new areas, it’s usually just a room with an upgrade or collectible.

The world feels much smaller as a result, and while I don’t mind backtracking to unlock new things, here it felt like I was retreading the same levels over and over again.

As for the story, it barely exists. Your reasons for visiting the levels are a series of unrelated events loosely connected through Mimic building a new machine. Finding parts for his invention is the closest Half-Genie Hero gets to having an overarching plot, which was disappointing compared to the previous games and especially Pirate’s Curse.

Of the three Shantae games I’ve played, Half-Genie Hero is definitely the weakest. However, it still has charming moments and a fantastic soundtrack. I can’t say I disliked it – I ended the game with 97% item completion – but I’m in no hurry to get the DLC.

Here’s hoping Shantae 5, about which we still know very little, will be closer in style to the previous games.

Have you played Shantae: Half-Genie Hero? What did you think of it? What are your hopes for Shantae 5? Let me know in the comments.

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Exploring the Haunted Mansion of Silver Chains

Last week, I was sent a review copy of Silver Chains, a horror game that came out yesterday on Steam.

Silver Chains follows a man named Peter who finds himself trapped in a strange mansion after crashing his car outside.

He quickly realizes the mansion is haunted, and begins searching for a way to escape.

The game is surprisingly linear early on, but once you get a few areas opened up and have access to all three floors, it allows for a bit more exploration. I liked the design of the mansion, because even though it has multiple floors, staircases are located conveniently enough that I never felt like I had to do a lot of running around to get where I wanted to go.

Now, there’s technically a monster you have no choice but to hide from. I say “technically” because it feels unnecessary. The monster’s appearances are scripted, and you’re almost always right next to a wardrobe to hide in.

Click for Silver Chains spoilersIf there’s one thing the monster helps with, it’s preparing the player for a more legitimate chase that happens at the end (although that section has its own problems, as you end up literally running in circles around the attic to avoid danger), but since the two are mechanically different, I don’t think it quite works.

Silver Chains also has jump scares, but it keeps them just sporadic enough to be effective, with the help of its great horror atmosphere.

Since you start out with most of the mansion being locked, yes, there are puzzles to solve to proceed. They’re fairly simple, although a few suffer from poor instructions. It also introduces an interesting feature partway through where you can use a special monocle to see supernatural hints, doors that don’t otherwise appear, etc.

The one thing I disliked about the gameplay was that you can’t manually save. Instead, you have to rely on auto-saves, and while you might think a game with only auto-saves would save after every key point, it doesn’t. There were multiple occasions where I took a break and came back to find I needed to do some puzzles over again.

As you explore, you’ll also find diary entries that help you piece together what happened in the past.

Silver Chains doesn’t have a groundbreaking story, but although it was predictable, at least it avoided the typical setup of the protagonist confronting a dark secret about his own past guilt, which has become so common in horror games I was pleasantly surprised that this one didn’t go there. The story did leave some questions, though, and a few more details would have gone a long way toward clearing things up.

Near the end of the game, it once again switches to a more linear progression, with even a few occasions where Peter simply falls unconscious and wakes up where the plot needs him to be. Some of this can be explained due to the supernatural forces at work, but I preferred the more exploration-driven style of the middle.

The whole thing only takes about four hours, which is both good and bad. On one hand, that’s a really short game. On the other hand, I feel the game’s formula would have outstayed its welcome if it lasted much longer.

In short, Silver Chains struggles at times, but it’s a decent horror game if you’re looking for something short and spooky.

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More Pokémon Sword and Shield News Coming on Wednesday

The Pokémon Company has announced that new information about Pokémon Sword and Shield will be announced this Wednesday

It’s not clear if this will be another Pokémon Direct or something similar, or if they’ll just be releasing information as usual.

Since they’ve specifically announced a date and time, August 7 at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET, it seems more likely that it will be a video presentation.

(Who knows, though? Announcing announcements is popular, so maybe they just want to make sure everyone knows when the new information will be out.)

Many fans are hoping they will reverse their decision to not have the National Dex in Sword and Shield, but that doesn’t seem very likely. I expect they’ll continue as they have been, and reveal some new Pokémon and characters. Even though I think the true villains have already been shown, I wouldn’t be surprised if they reveal this generation’s evil team.

Are you looking forward to the new Pokémon Sword and Shield news on August 7, or do you think they’ve already revealed enough ahead of the game’s launch?

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Capcom is Testing a New Resident Evil Game

We might not know what’s next for the Resident Evil series just yet, but whatever it is, it’s in-development and ready for testing.

Members of the Resident Evil Ambassador Program in Japan have received emails asking them to test an in-development game on September 8 or 9.

In addition to being part of the program, testers must have played past Resident Evil games.

So it’s clear Capcom is working on something in the series, but what could it be? Resident Evil 8? Another remake? A new spin-off?

Personally, I’m leaning toward RE3make, but who knows? With any luck, testing in early September means it won’t be long before this game is officially announced.

What do you think the next Resident Evil game is?

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The Next RPG From Zeboyd Games is Cthulhu Saves Christmas

After teasing their new game for a little while now, Zeboyd Games has officially announced a new turn-based RPG called Cthulhu Saves Christmas.

Cthulhu Saves Christmas follows Cthulhu and his allies (Belsnickel, the Snow Maiden, and Baba Yaga-chan) on a quest to saved Santa Claus from evil Christmas figures such as Krampus.

While it’s a turn-based RPG like their previous games, it will also have life sim aspects to build your “R’lyehtionships.”

I’m conflicted about this game right now. On one hand, it’s a successor to Cthulhu Saves the World, which I loved. On the other hand, I ended up somewhat disappointed in their most recent game, Cosmic Star Heroine, despite all my hype leading up to it.

Since Cthulhu Saves Christmas is another parody, I’m hopeful it will have the humor and entertainment of their earlier games. Theoretically, having life sim segments should help prevent the characters from feeling bland, too.

For now, I’ll be keeping my eye on it. What do you think of Cthulhu Saves Christmas?

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The Alliance Alive is a Heartfelt Throwback to Classic JRPGs

On the weekend, I finished playing The Alliance Alive.

I’m surprised I never blogged about this game beyond a passing reference, because when I played The Alliance Alive’s 3DS demo, I loved it and immediately knew I wanted the game.

The developers previously made Legend of Legacy, a turn-based RPG that lost my interest when I learned it has virtually no story. Then came The Alliance Alive, which was essentially billed as “Legend of Legacy, but with a story this time.”

Indeed, while the story in The Alliance Alive isn’t groundbreaking, it’s a full plot with a large cast of enjoyable characters. Set in a world that has been divided into multiple realms by the Great Barrier, a construct put in place by the Daemons who rule over humans, it follows several groups of characters whose paths eventually converge and set them on a quest to unite the realms.

(Although I didn’t mention The Alliance Alive when I learned about Quartet, this is another example of that style.)

Some of the character development is a little rushed, but I loved the characters and their interactions. There are a lot of little moments that helped bring them to life, and it really seems like the developers wanted The Alliance Alive to feel like a classic JRPG.

Pacing in general is a bit odd, with quick, short chapters that only occasionally slow down.

However, when you want a break from the fast plot progression, there is plenty of reason to explore. The Alliance Alive is filled with secrets and optional challenges, as well as one of my favorite things: character recruitment. After a certain point, you’re able to recruit NPCs to join the alliance, in a system that reminded me of recruiting characters in Suikoden.

(This might be due to the scenario writer being Yoshitaka Murayama, who also worked on the Suikoden series.)

Gameplay is a bit unusual. It’s a turn-based JRPG, yes, but instead of leveling up in a traditional fashion, your attacks level up as you use them and unlock new skills as you fight. I like this, because it ends up somewhat tailored to your gameplay style (even if the unlocks have at least some degree of randomness). There are a lot of little odd design decisions, but overall it’s really fun.

Aside from my comment about the pacing, the only thing I disliked about the game is that the dungeons got less interesting as they went on.

Early dungeons have puzzles, something I miss in JRPGs. Later dungeons, however, are more content to throw a bunch of powerful enemies at you so you can either challenge yourself by fighting them or try to avoid them. I wish there were more dungeons like the earlier ones.

But that’s a minor quibble about an otherwise great game, and if the developers make another story-focused JRPG, I’ll be there day one.

If you like classic turn-based JRPGs, I highly recommend The Alliance Alive for the 3DS or its upcoming HD remaster for the Switch, PS4, and Steam.

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