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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Isklander Trilogy: The Mermaid\u2019s Tongue & The Kindling Hour Review","post_excerpt":"Online alternate reality game","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-isklander-trilogy-the-mermaids-tongue-the-kindling-hour-review","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-10-08 02:04:52","post_modified_gmt":"2022-10-08 01:04:52","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=206817","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":206206,"post_author":"11","post_date":"2021-04-30 12:24:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-30 11:24:47","post_content":"\r\n
Developer:<\/strong>\u00a0Housemarque<\/span><\/p>\r\nPlatform: <\/strong>PS5
<\/span><\/p>\r\nGenre:<\/strong>\u00a0Action, Roguelike, Horror<\/span><\/p>\r\nPublisher:<\/strong> Sony Interactive Entertainment<\/span><\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n
Returnal<\/span> is the next generation sci-fi based roguelike 3D person shooter from\u00a0Housemarque\u00a0<\/em>that is exclusive to PS5. While this intro tries to summarise the game in a short sentence it doesn't do this game the justice it deserves. The game thematically lies somewhere between sci-fi, mystery and some horror elements this is due to the Alien-esque nature of encounters with the enemies. The gameplay is a roguelike as you die a lot and lose the majority of your perks apart from a few permanent items as well. The game covers a lot of genres of game and themes too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\nYou are Selene who has crashed landed on Atropos (an alien planet) where you are searching for a broadcast signal and this is all you know and this is how the story is set up. From the initial frame, the impressive cinematics and the crash land help to set up the story and mystery of the game. Very little is given away which creates a level of intrigue and mystery, this is all set in the beautiful dark and wonderful of Atropos. The design and layout do give off Alien vibes throughout the game. As the game is a roguelike where you will die a lot, more story elements and your understanding of the world grows with every cycle (loop) of the game.<\/span><\/p>\r\nIt's difficult to pinpoint and place the game in one genre but the game has elements of Hades, a bullet hell shooter, Doom, Metroid Prime and the Hades comparison comes from the roguelike nature as well as some well-crafted storytelling wherein each cycle more is revealed. Doom in terms of the fast-paced shooter elements but 3rd person. The bullet hell feels of the enemies you encounter and just the manic nature of the enemies you encounter. There are lots of platforming elements too and an amount of discovery at each level.<\/span><\/p>\r\n![\"returnal1\"](\"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/returnal1.jpeg\")
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The levels are procedurally generated so each run will have a varied gaming experience and a novel feel, also each run will have a slightly different difficulty level too depending on what power-ups are available.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\nThe power-up system is varied due to various upgrades and collectable items. Straight-up power-ups that have a positive effect include weapon upgrades, health upgrades and efficiency upgrades. You can fabricate and make other upgrades too. Then you have malignant upgrades\/power-ups that can have positive as well as negative effects, the negative effects can be removed by completing specific tasks or you may be lucky and avoid the negative malignant effect. The game has a multitude of effects and events that will vary each run and which can make the run easier or tougher as well. There is a huge emphasis on risk and reward throughout the choices you make. That's why I'd also classify that the difficulty varies depending on your run, upgrades available and the procedural levels that are updated.<\/span><\/p>\r\nEach loop\/cycle whereby you die and come back act as a learning and help to introduce into other devices in the game such as collectable items, upgrades and power-ups. It will take several deaths in the game before you start the whole power-up systems as well as the collectables available and their power. Every inevitable death allows you to progress further in the story but also allows you to start with more permanent power-ups. The game does a great job of walking you through each element and its potential effect. I enjoyed that you learned more and more things as you progressed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n![\"returnal2\"](\"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/returnal2.jpeg\")
<\/p>\r\n
The game starts in this dark rain-sodden forest where very little is known, the detailed environments add the dark atmospheric vibes. Even though the levels are procedurally generated there is a good mix of items to collect and platform elements amongst the all-out shooter action. The game uses some clever narrative technique including the use of 1st person view for story elements and that you pick up voice messages from yourself all over Atropos. You are primarily in 3rd person view which gives you a broad view of each area and heightens the gameplay elements. Each voice note adds a little more detail of what is going in the world and helps the drive.<\/span><\/p>\r\nThe world reminds me a lot of the film Prometheus with a clear Alien vibe throughout the whole game. While I wouldn't classify the game as a horror it does give that sense in large parts of the game as enemies spawn out of nothingness. Even though each level isn't huge, the art style and level design give the game a huge sense of scale and the huge world that exists. The game melds level design, Alien themes and this dark atmospheric tone which gives the sense you are a small survivor in a huge vicious world.<\/span><\/p>\r\nA lush map that helps to guide you from level (\"room\") to level provides a navigation mechanism and helps you to find upgrades and power-ups whilst giving a sense of direction. The map allows you to plot a path for gaining the most buffs and power-ups or you can bypass them and head more directly to a boss.<\/span><\/p>\r\n![\"returnal3\"](\"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/returnal3.jpeg\")
<\/p>\r\n
The dual sense and haptic feedback are integrated seamlessly into Returnal. Every feature of the dual sense has been considered in the design and gameplay elements. The first thing that hit was the haptic feedback, the gentle vibrations that mimic rain and the use of sound to further engross you into the world of Atropos. Dualsense gives feedback such as the ground you are treading on, rainfall and tremors from enemies. It's all these little things that add to the whole sense of game immersion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\nThe L2 trigger serves as two buttons where pressing until halfway gives a zoomed fire whereas pushing past the tension point gives the L2 button an alternate fire. Again the haptic feedback provides a system whereby you feel more immersed in the game and these small but clever uses of the controller are enjoyable and make sense. The dual sense gives a real tactile feel to the game and what is going.<\/span><\/p>\r\n3D audio is the other buzzword and the game promotes amazing sound effects and soundtrack. I own just regular headphones but the world seems more alive when I play with headphones, I could hear every element of the world from the weather, enemies and my footsteps. The audio and soundtrack are superb.<\/span><\/p>\r\n![\"returnal5\"](\"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/returnal5.jpeg\")
<\/p>\r\n
The main game mode is the rogue-like one player shooter whereby you have to kill every enemy to reach a boss to progress to the next biome. There are two other modes available, online mode and challenges.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\nThe online mode is more along the lines that you can avenge or take the gear of other fallen Selenes in your world, this is illustrated by a corpse of Selene that you will find with the Gamertag of the fallen Selene.<\/span><\/p>\r\nChallenges are like an arcade run where you have to achieve certain goals and you will be placed on a leaderboard to gain ultimate grabbing rights.<\/span><\/p>\r\nWhile I have only spent a few hours playing on the day 1 patch, the day 1 patch improves navigation and identifies exits to each room in the game. This improves the visual aids to the user which is noticeable in the first level. There are some texture improvements on both Selene and enemies you encounter too, the colours on the enemies are more vivid. The majority of the day 1 patches are extra visual polish on the game. The game does seem to run smoother however this is only a slight tweak and the difference isn't massive compared to the 20 hours plus I played on the pre-day 1 patch version. Day 1 patch mainly is adding extra polish to a stunning game.<\/span><\/p>\r\n![\"returnal4\"](\"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/returnal4.jpeg\")
<\/p>\r\n
The game is quite challenging and can be unforgiving at times if I'm being honest, the learning curve is steep and I would classify the game as hard. It does become easier as you progress through every run and learn more about the powerups and shortcuts that are available. If you are used to bullet shooter or roguelike games, then you may find the difficulty level to your taste, the difficulty doesn't detract from the experience but enhances the overall gameplay and longevity of the game.<\/span><\/p>\r\nI have to say from the first run through the game to my last run-through, I found myself in awe of different elements of the game. I was struck by the intro, the crash landing and just seeing this world, the cinematics is superb and it felt movie-like. The use of the dual sense and haptic feedback just made the whole experience more immersive, sound effects, and noises, while these may seem small, the whole Returnal experience was enhanced. The use of the story narrative where you piece a little bit more with each run adds a whole lot of mystery and intrigue. Finding voice messages from different versions of Selene dotted throughout the world makes the narrative even more powerful and a bit of mind bend. The gameplay has a mix of action, shooter and platformer with some puzzles thrown in for good measure. Big huge scary monsters are rendered and look amazing. The boss fights are big and epic. The game has lots of variety and requires several run-throughs before you gain a thorough understanding of all the gameplay mechanics and what is possible. It's a game that has all the elements above but is great fun too, the pace is spot on, there is variety in how you play. The game is challenging, you will come back for more. Each game mechanic, each game design and each decision by developers all enhance the game and make it even more impactful. It's a superb hell of a ride.<\/span><\/p>\r\nOverall:\u00a0<\/strong>9\/10<\/span><\/p>","post_title":"Returnal Review","post_excerpt":"Sci-fi based roguelike","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"returnal-review","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-09-04 15:53:46","post_modified_gmt":"2023-09-04 14:53:46","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=206206","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":205874,"post_author":"11","post_date":"2021-01-15 17:00:05","post_date_gmt":"2021-01-15 17:00:05","post_content":"Developer:<\/strong> Bungie<\/span>\r\n\r\nPlatforms:<\/strong> PC, PS4, PS5 (Reviewed), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S<\/span>\r\n\r\nGenre:<\/strong> Action, Adventure<\/span>\r\n\r\nPublisher:<\/strong> Bungie<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nDestiny 2 is the multiplayer first-person shooter from Bungie, the follow up too much-lauded Destiny. Beyond Light is the latest expansion pack in the series.<\/span>\r\n\r\n![\"destiny2_1\"](\"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/destiny2_1.jpeg\")
\r\n\r\nDestiny 2 is a superb first-person shooter, the game mechanics, shooting and platform elements are slick. It feels and plays very smoothly. It's one of my favourite shooters, it has a mix of a good campaign mode with an immersive online mode. The Beyond Light expansion takes place on a series of new planets that you play through the campaign online modes. The levels and worlds have superb textures and maps. It is slick from the first moment. Destiny integrates the world and multiplayer seamlessly. The maps act as both places to engage in multiplayer activities and online sessions too, it's one hud for all. The action and sci-fi elements are superb, there is a huge range of guns, maps and online events. It makes great use of the next-gen consoles to give an amazing view of these imaginary worlds. Aliens and monsters are well rendered and detailed. The combination of rich level design, simple game mechanics and a fun shooter make this a joy to play. There is nothing groundbreaking, it's more refinement on the existing. I think expectations need to be set, that is just further improvements on Destiny 2 and not a remake.<\/span>\r\n\r\n![\"destiny2_2\"](\"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/destiny2_2.jpeg\")
\r\n\r\nThere are downsides to the game though, there is a grind to unlock other worlds by repeating the same events over and over again. The campaign is solid but is short. I'm a huge fan of the campaign modes in first-person shooters and a richer, longer story is always more enjoyable. The story, voice acting is done well and the game flows well.<\/span>\r\n\r\nBeyond Light expansion: Xbox Series X and PS5 support 4K 60 FPS gameplay while the Xbox Series S supports 1080p at 60 FPS. The PVP mode allows for 120 FPS on the newer consoles. Cross-play is available in each console family. This does bring a sense of next-gen performance and gaming to the new consoles. It looks fantastic and I had a consistent frame per second while playing. This is a pretty big deal that effectively widens your range of vision and it's never been offered in Destiny 2 on consoles before.<\/span>\r\n\r\n![\"destiny2_3\"](\"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/destiny2_3.jpeg\")
\r\n\r\nDestiny 2: Beyond Light breathes more life into a fantastic shooter, the next-gen consoles provide an excellent platform and provide solid performance while playing. The campaign is short and I found myself wanting more though. Mechanics are simple, the learning curve is fairly low and there is a ton of customisations available in the game too. It's one for the shooter fans.<\/span>\r\n\r\nOverall:<\/strong> 7\/10<\/span>","post_title":"Destiny 2: Beyond Light Review","post_excerpt":"Multiplayer first-person shooter","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"destiny-2-beyond-light-review","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-09-04 15:59:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-09-04 14:59:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=205874","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":21},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_22"};
<\/p>\r\n","post_title":"Battlefield 2042 Review","post_excerpt":"Epic online warfare","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"battlefield-2042-review","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-09-04 15:31:28","post_modified_gmt":"2023-09-04 14:31:28","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=207204","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":207168,"post_author":"11","post_date":"2021-11-04 16:07:54","post_date_gmt":"2021-11-04 16:07:54","post_content":"Developer:<\/strong> Ubisoft Annecy<\/span>\r\n\r\nPlatforms:<\/strong> PC, PS4, PS5 (Reviewed), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S<\/span>\r\n\r\nGenre:<\/strong> Sports \/ Competitive<\/span>\r\n\r\nPublisher:<\/strong> Ubisoft<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nThe Riders Republic is an open-world multiplayer sports game from Ubisoft that contains sports such: as dirt biking, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, wingsuit and jetpack wingsuit. It's an extreme sports game that is geared; towards massively multiplayer online play.<\/span>\r\n\r\n![\"ridersrepublic1\"](\"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/ridersrepublic1.jpg\")
\r\n\r\nIt's hard to illustrate the entirety of this, huge game but it's an extreme sport adrenaline rush that takes you biking down steep mountains, skiing and snowboarding lush snow-capped mountains to using your wingsuit to fly through canyons and all the other terrains in this game. It's an extreme sports game from the comfort of your couch.The game introduction gives you a taste of each; different sport, and you are, thrown into the deep end. One minute you are biking down a canyon before grabbing a jetpack to reach a snowy peak where you snowboard down the piste. It's all a bit crazy but lots of fun.<\/span>\r\n\r\nGraphically and visually, the game is stunning, the terrain is detailed, and the action-packed game has you on a journey in these vast locations. It has that; Ubisoft polish - menu, map, character, and game type looks superb and detailed. The map is this huge; events are dotted all over the place. Events help you earn stars to unlock more game types and upgrades. At times I found the sheer number of things on the map overbearing. It was hard to discern what were events and online players. It's chaotic at times but, I assume that's what they are going for; I suppose chaotic and extreme sports go hand in hand.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n![\"ridersrepublic2\"](\"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/ridersrepublic2.jpg\")
\r\n\r\nEach game type (biking, snowing, skiing, wingsuit jetpack and wingsuit gliding) has its quirks and controls, which you will adapt to. I loved the wingsuit jetpack as it's something I haven't played in a sports game. It gives a wholly unique experience in this wonderfully crafted world. Primarily each game type is race-based where you aim to become the winner, which they have mixed things up by incorporating stunt-based competitions too. There is a star progression mode where you unlock more events as you complete more races\/event types. The game has a huge variety of gameplay plus it's incorporated with a massively online experience too.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nLike any modern sports game, there is a huge and wide variety of music that acts as a soundtrack to the gameplay. It's an impressive list of music that again illustrates how much thought has been put into giving the game the right vibe and feel.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n![\"ridersrepublic3\"](\"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/ridersrepublic3.jpg\")
\r\n\r\nThe game is slick from the first second you play it. The game has a clean user experience whilst maintaining a decent amount of information amongst the several game types. It's packed with lots of events and is lots of fun. If you need an adrenaline-based sports game with superb graphics; and a huge online element, this is right up your street.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nOnline gameplay can handle more than 50 players; there are online leaderboards and cups. There are 6x6 team PvP matchups.<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe game runs at 4K 60 FPS on next-gen consoles and can support more than 50 players.<\/span>\r\n\r\nOverall:\u00a0<\/strong>7.5\/10<\/span>","post_title":"Riders Republic Review","post_excerpt":"Open-world multiplayer sports game","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"riders-republic-review","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-09-04 15:41:24","post_modified_gmt":"2023-09-04 14:41:24","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=207168","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":206817,"post_author":"2","post_date":"2021-08-25 17:29:42","post_date_gmt":"2021-08-25 16:29:42","post_content":"The ComicBuzz gaming team and I finally got our chance to get our hands on the final two parts of The Isklander trilogy from Swamp Motel. We did already; review the first part of the Islander trilogy, just in case you want to check out that review.<\/span><\/p>\nThe Isklander trilogy is a team-based online alternate reality game part puzzle, interactive movie, escape room and scavenger hunt. You and your team have a limited time to solve several multimedia riddles in a limited time.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"isklander1\"](\"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/isklander1.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
The second part of The Isklander trilogy is called The Mermaid\u2019s Tongue, and the third part is called The Kindling Hour. I do not want to give away any spoilers, so I do not really want to talk about the story. All I want to say is that the subsequent parts of the trilogy; continue the story set-up in the first part-Plymouth Point. Plymouth Point is a mystery that involving a person named Ivy Isklander. I think: the less you know about the plot of any mystery game going into it, the better the experience is. I believe this is true for The Isklander trilogy.<\/span><\/p>\nI have already mentioned that this is a team-game, for up to six people. You and your team must use your skills to solve the puzzles that arise. The set-up involves you; meeting several characters in the form of a live-action scene and, the rest is up to you and your team. The rest of the game involves you and your team; getting into a spider web of multimedia unknowns as you race against time to solve the puzzles before the time is up.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"isklander3\"](\"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/isklander3.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
To play the game, all you need is a web browser: PC or laptop, cam, mic. I do recommend a pen, paper and some form of headphones and some quiet time. I have to say I really enjoyed the game as a whole; I found the story more intriguing as it went along, the puzzles also got more complex. For me, the live-action scenes pulled me into the plot. It felt very engaging. I enjoyed the acting. For me, it really added to the overall atmosphere of the game. I have to say that I thought the second and third parts seemed a bit short to me. The reason parts two and three felt short; could be that I was having too much fun or maybe due to my team just being so good at puzzle solving.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"isklander2\"](\"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/isklander2.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
The Isklander trilogy was the first time that I experienced this type of team-based online alternate reality game. I had a blast. I can see why some companies would use this type of game for a team-building exercise. It is a very different experience from your PC\/console gaming.<\/span><\/p>\nI would recommend this game for anyone who likes puzzles games and has several friends to get together with and enjoy themselves. The game is unique, something I think gamers should experience. I look forward to seeing what Swamp Motel can do in the future with this medium. I would say that the ComicBuzz gaming team would love to experience it.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Isklander Trilogy: The Mermaid\u2019s Tongue & The Kindling Hour Review","post_excerpt":"Online alternate reality game","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-isklander-trilogy-the-mermaids-tongue-the-kindling-hour-review","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-10-08 02:04:52","post_modified_gmt":"2022-10-08 01:04:52","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=206817","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":206206,"post_author":"11","post_date":"2021-04-30 12:24:47","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-30 11:24:47","post_content":"\r\n
Developer:<\/strong>\u00a0Housemarque<\/span><\/p>\r\nPlatform: <\/strong>PS5
<\/span><\/p>\r\nGenre:<\/strong>\u00a0Action, Roguelike, Horror<\/span><\/p>\r\nPublisher:<\/strong> Sony Interactive Entertainment<\/span><\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n
Returnal<\/span> is the next generation sci-fi based roguelike 3D person shooter from\u00a0Housemarque\u00a0<\/em>that is exclusive to PS5. While this intro tries to summarise the game in a short sentence it doesn't do this game the justice it deserves. The game thematically lies somewhere between sci-fi, mystery and some horror elements this is due to the Alien-esque nature of encounters with the enemies. The gameplay is a roguelike as you die a lot and lose the majority of your perks apart from a few permanent items as well. The game covers a lot of genres of game and themes too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\nYou are Selene who has crashed landed on Atropos (an alien planet) where you are searching for a broadcast signal and this is all you know and this is how the story is set up. From the initial frame, the impressive cinematics and the crash land help to set up the story and mystery of the game. Very little is given away which creates a level of intrigue and mystery, this is all set in the beautiful dark and wonderful of Atropos. The design and layout do give off Alien vibes throughout the game. As the game is a roguelike where you will die a lot, more story elements and your understanding of the world grows with every cycle (loop) of the game.<\/span><\/p>\r\nIt's difficult to pinpoint and place the game in one genre but the game has elements of Hades, a bullet hell shooter, Doom, Metroid Prime and the Hades comparison comes from the roguelike nature as well as some well-crafted storytelling wherein each cycle more is revealed. Doom in terms of the fast-paced shooter elements but 3rd person. The bullet hell feels of the enemies you encounter and just the manic nature of the enemies you encounter. There are lots of platforming elements too and an amount of discovery at each level.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/p>\r\n
The levels are procedurally generated so each run will have a varied gaming experience and a novel feel, also each run will have a slightly different difficulty level too depending on what power-ups are available.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\nThe power-up system is varied due to various upgrades and collectable items. Straight-up power-ups that have a positive effect include weapon upgrades, health upgrades and efficiency upgrades. You can fabricate and make other upgrades too. Then you have malignant upgrades\/power-ups that can have positive as well as negative effects, the negative effects can be removed by completing specific tasks or you may be lucky and avoid the negative malignant effect. The game has a multitude of effects and events that will vary each run and which can make the run easier or tougher as well. There is a huge emphasis on risk and reward throughout the choices you make. That's why I'd also classify that the difficulty varies depending on your run, upgrades available and the procedural levels that are updated.<\/span><\/p>\r\nEach loop\/cycle whereby you die and come back act as a learning and help to introduce into other devices in the game such as collectable items, upgrades and power-ups. It will take several deaths in the game before you start the whole power-up systems as well as the collectables available and their power. Every inevitable death allows you to progress further in the story but also allows you to start with more permanent power-ups. The game does a great job of walking you through each element and its potential effect. I enjoyed that you learned more and more things as you progressed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/p>\r\n
The game starts in this dark rain-sodden forest where very little is known, the detailed environments add the dark atmospheric vibes. Even though the levels are procedurally generated there is a good mix of items to collect and platform elements amongst the all-out shooter action. The game uses some clever narrative technique including the use of 1st person view for story elements and that you pick up voice messages from yourself all over Atropos. You are primarily in 3rd person view which gives you a broad view of each area and heightens the gameplay elements. Each voice note adds a little more detail of what is going in the world and helps the drive.<\/span><\/p>\r\nThe world reminds me a lot of the film Prometheus with a clear Alien vibe throughout the whole game. While I wouldn't classify the game as a horror it does give that sense in large parts of the game as enemies spawn out of nothingness. Even though each level isn't huge, the art style and level design give the game a huge sense of scale and the huge world that exists. The game melds level design, Alien themes and this dark atmospheric tone which gives the sense you are a small survivor in a huge vicious world.<\/span><\/p>\r\nA lush map that helps to guide you from level (\"room\") to level provides a navigation mechanism and helps you to find upgrades and power-ups whilst giving a sense of direction. The map allows you to plot a path for gaining the most buffs and power-ups or you can bypass them and head more directly to a boss.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/p>\r\n
The dual sense and haptic feedback are integrated seamlessly into Returnal. Every feature of the dual sense has been considered in the design and gameplay elements. The first thing that hit was the haptic feedback, the gentle vibrations that mimic rain and the use of sound to further engross you into the world of Atropos. Dualsense gives feedback such as the ground you are treading on, rainfall and tremors from enemies. It's all these little things that add to the whole sense of game immersion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\nThe L2 trigger serves as two buttons where pressing until halfway gives a zoomed fire whereas pushing past the tension point gives the L2 button an alternate fire. Again the haptic feedback provides a system whereby you feel more immersed in the game and these small but clever uses of the controller are enjoyable and make sense. The dual sense gives a real tactile feel to the game and what is going.<\/span><\/p>\r\n3D audio is the other buzzword and the game promotes amazing sound effects and soundtrack. I own just regular headphones but the world seems more alive when I play with headphones, I could hear every element of the world from the weather, enemies and my footsteps. The audio and soundtrack are superb.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/p>\r\n
The main game mode is the rogue-like one player shooter whereby you have to kill every enemy to reach a boss to progress to the next biome. There are two other modes available, online mode and challenges.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\nThe online mode is more along the lines that you can avenge or take the gear of other fallen Selenes in your world, this is illustrated by a corpse of Selene that you will find with the Gamertag of the fallen Selene.<\/span><\/p>\r\nChallenges are like an arcade run where you have to achieve certain goals and you will be placed on a leaderboard to gain ultimate grabbing rights.<\/span><\/p>\r\nWhile I have only spent a few hours playing on the day 1 patch, the day 1 patch improves navigation and identifies exits to each room in the game. This improves the visual aids to the user which is noticeable in the first level. There are some texture improvements on both Selene and enemies you encounter too, the colours on the enemies are more vivid. The majority of the day 1 patches are extra visual polish on the game. The game does seem to run smoother however this is only a slight tweak and the difference isn't massive compared to the 20 hours plus I played on the pre-day 1 patch version. Day 1 patch mainly is adding extra polish to a stunning game.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/p>\r\n
The game is quite challenging and can be unforgiving at times if I'm being honest, the learning curve is steep and I would classify the game as hard. It does become easier as you progress through every run and learn more about the powerups and shortcuts that are available. If you are used to bullet shooter or roguelike games, then you may find the difficulty level to your taste, the difficulty doesn't detract from the experience but enhances the overall gameplay and longevity of the game.<\/span><\/p>\r\nI have to say from the first run through the game to my last run-through, I found myself in awe of different elements of the game. I was struck by the intro, the crash landing and just seeing this world, the cinematics is superb and it felt movie-like. The use of the dual sense and haptic feedback just made the whole experience more immersive, sound effects, and noises, while these may seem small, the whole Returnal experience was enhanced. The use of the story narrative where you piece a little bit more with each run adds a whole lot of mystery and intrigue. Finding voice messages from different versions of Selene dotted throughout the world makes the narrative even more powerful and a bit of mind bend. The gameplay has a mix of action, shooter and platformer with some puzzles thrown in for good measure. Big huge scary monsters are rendered and look amazing. The boss fights are big and epic. The game has lots of variety and requires several run-throughs before you gain a thorough understanding of all the gameplay mechanics and what is possible. It's a game that has all the elements above but is great fun too, the pace is spot on, there is variety in how you play. The game is challenging, you will come back for more. Each game mechanic, each game design and each decision by developers all enhance the game and make it even more impactful. It's a superb hell of a ride.<\/span><\/p>\r\nOverall:\u00a0<\/strong>9\/10<\/span><\/p>","post_title":"Returnal Review","post_excerpt":"Sci-fi based roguelike","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"returnal-review","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-09-04 15:53:46","post_modified_gmt":"2023-09-04 14:53:46","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=206206","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":205874,"post_author":"11","post_date":"2021-01-15 17:00:05","post_date_gmt":"2021-01-15 17:00:05","post_content":"Developer:<\/strong> Bungie<\/span>\r\n\r\nPlatforms:<\/strong> PC, PS4, PS5 (Reviewed), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S<\/span>\r\n\r\nGenre:<\/strong> Action, Adventure<\/span>\r\n\r\nPublisher:<\/strong> Bungie<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nDestiny 2 is the multiplayer first-person shooter from Bungie, the follow up too much-lauded Destiny. Beyond Light is the latest expansion pack in the series.<\/span>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nDestiny 2 is a superb first-person shooter, the game mechanics, shooting and platform elements are slick. It feels and plays very smoothly. It's one of my favourite shooters, it has a mix of a good campaign mode with an immersive online mode. The Beyond Light expansion takes place on a series of new planets that you play through the campaign online modes. The levels and worlds have superb textures and maps. It is slick from the first moment. Destiny integrates the world and multiplayer seamlessly. The maps act as both places to engage in multiplayer activities and online sessions too, it's one hud for all. The action and sci-fi elements are superb, there is a huge range of guns, maps and online events. It makes great use of the next-gen consoles to give an amazing view of these imaginary worlds. Aliens and monsters are well rendered and detailed. The combination of rich level design, simple game mechanics and a fun shooter make this a joy to play. There is nothing groundbreaking, it's more refinement on the existing. I think expectations need to be set, that is just further improvements on Destiny 2 and not a remake.<\/span>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThere are downsides to the game though, there is a grind to unlock other worlds by repeating the same events over and over again. The campaign is solid but is short. I'm a huge fan of the campaign modes in first-person shooters and a richer, longer story is always more enjoyable. The story, voice acting is done well and the game flows well.<\/span>\r\n\r\nBeyond Light expansion: Xbox Series X and PS5 support 4K 60 FPS gameplay while the Xbox Series S supports 1080p at 60 FPS. The PVP mode allows for 120 FPS on the newer consoles. Cross-play is available in each console family. This does bring a sense of next-gen performance and gaming to the new consoles. It looks fantastic and I had a consistent frame per second while playing. This is a pretty big deal that effectively widens your range of vision and it's never been offered in Destiny 2 on consoles before.<\/span>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nDestiny 2: Beyond Light breathes more life into a fantastic shooter, the next-gen consoles provide an excellent platform and provide solid performance while playing. The campaign is short and I found myself wanting more though. Mechanics are simple, the learning curve is fairly low and there is a ton of customisations available in the game too. It's one for the shooter fans.<\/span>\r\n\r\nOverall:<\/strong> 7\/10<\/span>","post_title":"Destiny 2: Beyond Light Review","post_excerpt":"Multiplayer first-person shooter","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"destiny-2-beyond-light-review","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-09-04 15:59:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-09-04 14:59:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=205874","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":21},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_22"};
