Lego Star Wars is pure nostalgia for me. As a kid, I was obsessed with the Star Wars franchise, but since the movies were deemed too intense for little ol’ me, playing Lego Star Wars at friends’ houses was my way of experiencing the galaxy far, far away on a TV screen. I distinctly remember staying up “way too late” (it was probably only 1 am or so) working through episode one in co-op with my friend, trying to grind out levels and money to unlock cool villains like Darth Maul and, eventually, General Grievous. Back in those days, the two trilogies of films actually got released as separate games, before eventually being united in Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. Fifteen years and three additional films later, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a game that would have made kid-Olivia’s head explode. It’s not just the sheer breadth of content on offer, but the presence of “open world” areas allowing free-range exploration of various iconic locales. Hell, knowing when to stop and write this review has been difficult to judge, as the game’s wealth of collectibles give it a certain magnetism that keeps bringing me back, even after completing all nine episodes. That said, 61 hours of playtime at time of writing is certainly nothing to sneeze at, so let’s see how The Skywalker Saga shakes out.
Tag: Platformer
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Review
It was a weird experience going from DmC: Devil May Cry to Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. Despite both games being developed by Ninja Theory, Enslaved is a noticeably rougher affair, with less refined gameplay mechanisms and presentation. With Enslaved being 3 years DmC’s senior this does make sense, but it was nonetheless jarring going from fast, free-flowing combos to clunky, plodding fights that had me wondering if my controller was experiencing input lag. Perhaps it was Capcom’s heavy involvement that allowed DmC to become a diamond in the rough, but that level of polish certainly didn’t make it to Enslaved. Whatever the reasoning, Enslaved sets out with grand goals, but it unfortunately flops in nearly every regard.
INSIDE Review
Following up on the success of their game LIMBO, developer Playdead released INSIDE, another game in the surprisingly extensive genre of, “small child tries to make their way through a big, scary world”. A relatively straightforward puzzle platformer at its core, what makes INSIDE stand out is its gradual descent into horror. As Jacob Geller points out in his excellent video essay “Fear of Depths”, this descent is not just metaphorical, but literal; geographically impossible as it may be, the game constantly sees you travelling down, deeper and deeper, with things getting more twisted as you proceed.
Flat Heroes Review
Deja vu is a sentiment I often find cropping up around games like Flat Heroes. Much as I love minimalistic art styles, there are only so many times I can play as a monochromatic quadrilateral before starting to wonder if maybe I should be asking for more. After all, appealing as I find flat-shaded shapes, others may see the aesthetic as little more than laziness on the part of the game’s art team. And with all the titles out there that do similar things with better art, it can be tough to justify the existence of another game like Flat Heroes.
Light Fall Review
Challenging games are a pain to review, and not just for the obvious reasons. Sure, it can be difficult (and often frustrating) to throw yourself against the same obstacle repeatedly, solely because you want to see as much of a game as possible before reviewing it. What I find to be far more stressful, however, is when that challenge becomes insurmountable. With the recent controversies surrounding games like Cuphead, the notion of saying that a game is “unfairly difficult” is frequently regarded as taboo. It’s not that the game is hard; it’s just that you need to “git gud”.
Crazy Dreamz: Best Of Review
Imagine if Nintendo released a compilation of the best user-created levels from Super Mario Maker as a standalone package; that’s basically Crazy Dreamz: Best Of, except it replaces all the Mario assets with magical cats and other fantasy-themed critters. What’s most interesting is the monetization model: 50% of the profits go to the creators whose levels made it into the game. Not only that, but each level spotlights its creator at the start and end, giving players the option to send monetary tips to their favourite builders. It’s a rather heartwarming collaboration between developers and players, and one which I’d love to see more games explore. However, can the creativity of an entire fanbase produce an inspired, diverse set of game levels to experience?
de Blob 2 Review
“I’m sorry, what?”
That was my first reaction upon receiving a press email about de Blob 2’s release on current-gen consoles. The inaugural title was a Wii exclusive which – while attention-grabbing to my 13-year-old mind at the time – ended up becoming little more than another bargain basement platformer in the Wii’s sea of them. Hell, I was pleasantly surprised when it got a multiplatform sequel in 2011. Yet when not a peep was heard about the franchise afterwards (following publisher THQ’s closure in 2013), I had pretty much accepted that it was all over for Blob and friends.
Mulaka Review
Myths and legends are frequently the basis for elements of games, be it their plotline, characters, setting, or some mix. However, these are usually components cherry-picked from a larger narrative, serving less as a means of introducing the audience to the original piece, and more as scaffolding to support the world created by the developers. In contrast, nearly every element of Mulaka feels like it was designed to honour and bring attention to the traditions and culture of the Tarahumara people. Yet rather than being little more than an elaborate Wikipedia page, Mulaka sucks you in with its vibrant world, and does everything it can to keep your attention until after the credits have finished rolling.
A Hat in Time Review – Stuck in the past, but in all the right ways
“This feels a lot like Super Mario Galaxy,” was one of my first thoughts upon starting Gears for Breakfast’s Kickstarter success story A Hat in Time. The resemblance only grew stronger as the game progressed, with everything from the art style and game mechanics to the music cues and animations harkening back to Mario’s outer space excursions. Not content to be a simple retread of familiar territory, though, A Hat in Time manages to bring in new ideas while doing an admirable job of measuring up to its acclaimed influences.
OVIVO Review (GameSpew)
From its opening moments, OVIVO gave me a sense of déjà vu.
After getting briefly stuck, I learned that pressing the space bar caused my character to flip to the other side of the floor, turning what was once empty space into a new plane to slide along. Immediately, a slew of “yin-yang platformer” flash games came to mind, and I was worried that OVIVO would end up feeling like a generic clone of a tired (though still enjoyable) concept. Thankfully, it revealed itself to be a pleasant, bite-sized game that uses clever mechanics and clean visuals to create a thoroughly compelling experience.
Olive's Game Garden 