<\/p>\r\n","post_title":"Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris Review","post_excerpt":"The next installation set of DLC","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"assassins-creed-valhalla-the-siege-of-paris-review","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-09-04 15:46:56","post_modified_gmt":"2023-09-04 14:46:56","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=206744","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":206668,"post_author":"11","post_date":"2021-08-04 15:31:12","post_date_gmt":"2021-08-04 14:31:12","post_content":"

Developer:\u00a0<\/strong>Acid Nerve<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Platforms:<\/strong> PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X (Reviewed) and Series S<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Genre:<\/strong> Action, Adventure, RPG<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Publisher:\u00a0<\/strong>Devolver Digital<\/span><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

Death's Door follows the trial and tribulations of a soul reaper, crow, as you progress through a series of puzzle-filled and action-packed levels. You play as a crow who has a job to get souls from creatures you encounter. Your job soon becomes a massive adventure.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

As the crow reaper, you have assigned missions where you must collect the souls. The game starts in a sombre mood in a world lacking colour apart from the bright red sword you carry. However, before you know it the levels are filled with colours and you roam a plush world. The game does a fantastic job to tread between sombreness and being upbeat too.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

The game starts with minimal instructions. I enjoyed this as it allows the player to explore and get used to the game. However, before you can do that, you have your first boss battle which turns into a hack and slash. You use the trusty bright red sword to kill the swathes of enemies that you encounter. The game shifts from dungeons that are a mix of hack and slash to dungeons full of puzzles. The game manages to make both gameplay elements enjoyable and challenging. Each level, puzzle and enemy get progressively more difficult, the instructions and assistance are kept to a minimum so it's up to the player to figure out the nuances of the game. While this seems subtle, it makes the game much richer, and the gameplay experience is gripping. I found it difficult to stop playing the game once I started.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The bosses are amazing; there is a real sense of accomplishment when you beat them. The bosses are a strange combination of weird, funny, and just plain odd. They are wonderfully rendered and full of detail.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

I have to say I love the interconnected nature of each level. This gives a real feel that you are in a singular world and this helps to tie story elements too. Puzzles and unreachable sections become open as you progress through the game. The game does challenge the player to figure out what is available to do throughout the game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The story is left purposely vague, and you will gather small morsels of information as you progress through levels and bosses. This helps to build up suspense, intrigue and tension. Each level helps to uncover more detail and builds the story into something of interest. The story has a mix of twists and turns with a beautiful soundtrack that helps to hammer the underlying theme.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

The NPCs and your interactions act as the humour in the game and provide light-heartedness to the sombreness in the game, they also help drive the narration of the game too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

As this game is an indie game, there aren't any voice-overs. This is the only thing I think is missing for me, but the gameplay and story make up for it.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

Death's Door combines a wonderful action-based game with a whole host of puzzles to solve. It has a brilliant mix of hack and slash, a beautifully crafted world that is intriguing and a joy to explore. Every aspect of the game has been designed impeccably, every small element including level design should be applauded. It's a wonderful game that excels in all elements: gameplay, story, music score and fun. I thoroughly enjoyed the game from start to end, I just found the game design and gameplay refreshing and such a joy.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Overall:\u00a0<\/strong>9\/10<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n","post_title":"Death's Door Review","post_excerpt":"Trial and tribulations of a soul reaper","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"deaths-door-review","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-09-04 15:48:59","post_modified_gmt":"2023-09-04 14:48:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=206668","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":206593,"post_author":"11","post_date":"2021-07-16 16:06:42","post_date_gmt":"2021-07-16 15:06:42","post_content":"

Developer:<\/strong>\u00a0HitGrab<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Platform:<\/strong>\u00a0Windows PC (Steam)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Genre:<\/strong>\u00a0Action, Adventure<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Publisher:<\/strong> HitGrab<\/span><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

Clan O\u2019Conall and the Crown of the Stag is an indie action platformer from HitGrab Inc. The game is in the finalists of the Nordic Discovery contest. As the title of the name game suggests, it's based on Celtic mythology and uses it for the setting of the game.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The game is presented using a classical art-style animation, it does remind of some Disney animation. It is reminiscent of many side-scrolling platforms in terms of visuals. It's a genre that has found a footing in indie games after being a mainstay on 8 and 16-bit consoles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

Clan O'Conall makes great use of Celtic mythology which helps set the scene for the entire game. If you have played any old-school platformers or indie platformers, the mechanics and gameplay are familiar. Levels consist of worlds where you have to navigate platform sections, puzzles whilst switching through the three playable characters. Each character has skills and attributes to navigate different aspects of levels. The player has to use their skills to solve and progress through levels towards the bosses. There is a satisfying feeling to progressing through each level and a sense of accomplishment. The game is enjoyable as it mixes action and puzzles seamlessly throughout. It has the joyous feel of playing a well-crafted platform action game.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Controls are super simple and responsive, you feel in total control and the learning curve is low. The game is forgiving in terms of navigating the platforming sections.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

The graphics whilst simple are polished and bring the game to life, it's simply clean and suits the game to a tee. Each environment has its look and feels with different creatures to battle as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Each of the three characters has a levelling up system where you can build the character into whichever playstyle suits you. The character levelling is straightforward and isn't in-depth as an RPG.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

Clan O\u2019Conall and the Crown of the Stag delivers a fantastic vibrant action platformer that looks great. The gameplay is solid and is easy to pick up and get stuck into. Celtic mythology helps to give a backdrop to each level and ties the story. During the game, players will have to swap between three characters to navigate enjoyable levels. Each level has a great mix of platforming, action and puzzle gameplay. It's a fantastic fun platformer that I loved playing.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Overall:<\/strong>\u00a08\/10<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n","post_title":"Clan O\u2019Conall and the Crown of the Stag Review","post_excerpt":"Action platformer","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"clan-oconall-and-the-crown-of-the-stag-review","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-09-04 15:49:34","post_modified_gmt":"2023-09-04 14:49:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=206593","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":206418,"post_author":"11","post_date":"2021-06-16 20:17:56","post_date_gmt":"2021-06-16 19:17:56","post_content":"\r\n

Developer:\u00a0<\/strong>Artdink<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Platforms: <\/strong>Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 (Reviewed)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Genre: <\/strong>Action, RPG\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0ININ Games\/STUDIOARTDINK<\/span><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is the wonderfully updated version of the same game that was released for the Sega Megadrive in 1994. It's updated for modern generation consoles while keeping the gameplay and general charm of the game intact. It is a throwback to old school RPG action games from the early 90s.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is an action-adventure RPG that remains faithful to the original title but has spruced up graphics and brings it into the modern console generation. While the graphics don't match the levels of AAA titles, it does a great job of making them fit for this generation of gamer. At its heart, it is a platformer with RPG elements thrown in, you navigate numerous dungeons, solve puzzles and extract information from multiple characters in each environment. It follows the classic platformer game mechanics of collecting coins, kills enemies, dodges pitfalls, traps and progresses to more complex levels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

The level design of action elements, platformer sections and puzzles are densely packed into each area which consists of a lot of dungeons. The platform and puzzle mechanics are the standouts for me, they have managed to replicate the original but improve them as well. The controls are responsive and you always feel in total control.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Each dungeon and environment has been rendered using a mix of 2D and 3D animation which gives the levels and dungeons a bigger sense of scale. Asha and Pepelogoo, her companion, are vivid with the use of bright colours to bring their personalities to life. The use of vivid colours brings each area and dungeon to life too. Levels have multiple planes and you navigate them to find power-ups or items required to further your quest. The characters are rendered in a wonderful cartoon style that is thematically present throughout the game. The diverse areas and the cartoony graphics give this game a real modern look and feel which sets the stage for compelling gameplay.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is a wonderful recreation of the classic action RPG game released back in 1994. The developers have done a fantastic job of upgrading it and improving the controls to make it more responsive. The use of modern generation graphics breathes new life into this excellent platformer. Even if you haven't played the original, there is plenty here for newcomers. If you are familiar or semi-familiar with the original, this version is a wonderful upgrade and a way to relive the nostalgic era of classic platformers. The game is bright, lots of fun and challenging in many ways. It was sheer joy to play a game that wonderfully updated the original game and revisited this old school platform RPG game from the 90s.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

The boxed retail version of Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World comes exclusively with the original Monster World IV published by ININ Games. So you can relive the glory days of the original.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The digital version of Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World can be purchased from the Nintendo and Sony stores and is published by STUDIOARTDINK.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Overall:\u00a0<\/strong>7.5\/10<\/span><\/p>\r\n","post_title":"Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World Review","post_excerpt":"Updated for modern generation ","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"wonder-boy-asha-in-monster-world-review","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-09-04 15:50:34","post_modified_gmt":"2023-09-04 14:50:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=206418","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":206411,"post_author":"11","post_date":"2021-06-14 19:29:01","post_date_gmt":"2021-06-14 18:29:01","post_content":"

Developer:<\/strong>\u00a0Capricia Productions<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Platform:<\/strong>\u00a0Windows PC (Steam)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Genre:\u00a0<\/strong> Action<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Publisher:\u00a0<\/strong>All in! Games\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

Of Bird and Cage pitches itself as a story-driven music game that aptly describes the game. The game follows the protagonist Gitta Barbot and her life of misery, trauma and survival through this horrible world. The game is a first player adventure game with quick-time events all using the metal soundtrack to tell the story and ultimately becomes integrated into all game events.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The game is a first-person adventure game with the majority of the gameplay elements being in the first person; however parts of the storytelling are from a 3rd person view. The game consists of sandboxed areas where you are given cues on what to do, the majority of these game events require you to solve a puzzle, collect items or fight your way out. The pace of the game which is aided by the soundtrack can be fairly quick and you find yourself in a rush to complete the level your time runs out. To break up the gameplay, you will have quick-time events appear throughout the narrative. I found the puzzle elements that were timed to be quick and the controls are clunky too which made them feel even trickier than they should have.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

The graphics could be better, it felt like a last generation game, the environments and characters model were all just a bit off.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

However, despite this, the soundtrack and story which are intertwined are the real stars of the game.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The metal soundtrack composed by Arnold Nesis consists of artists like Ron \"Bumblefoot\" Thal (ex-Guns N\u2019 Roses), Rob van der Loo (Epica), Ruud Jolie (Within Temptation), Casey Grillo (ex-Kamelot), Rocky Gray (ex-Evanescence), Mike Lepond (Symphony X), Danny Worsnop (Asking Alexandria), Tina Guo and Snowy Shaw (ex-King Diamond, ex-Therion).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

The characters are voiced by Kobra Paige (Kobra and the Lotus), Danny Worsnop (Asking Alexandria), and Davidavi 'Vidi' Dolev (Gunned Down Horses). This is where the game's strength is and it's the musical offering. The game does turn into a musical pretty quickly. Levels and the amount of time you have to complete puzzles are dictated by musical interludes. I'm not a huge fan of musicals so I found the musical elements a bit over the top for me. The soundtrack is amazing though. However, the soundtrack doesn't save the game, it doesn't manage to gloss over the clunky gameplay and parts of the story which are odd and wholly unbelievable story elements.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

Of Bird and Cage starts with a deep dark story of a young woman and her trauma throughout her life. It was a lot darker than I thought it would be. The metal soundtrack adds a lot of depth to the story and helps to paint the story. The game does take a turn and becomes like a musical fairly quick though. I'm not a huge musical fan. I found the quick-time events and general gameplay a bit clunky. The visuals lacked the refinement and polish that the gameplay also did. Parts of the story are just bizarre but the ideas are good but just not executed as they could have been. The soundtrack is the real superb element of the game that helps drive the game. Ultimately better gameplay elements and visuals would have improved the game.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Overall:\u00a0<\/strong>5\/10<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n","post_title":"Of Bird and Cage Review","post_excerpt":"Story-driven music game","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"of-bird-and-cage-review","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-09-04 15:51:07","post_modified_gmt":"2023-09-04 14:51:07","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=206411","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":11},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_22"};

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