The Essential Companion of Heroic Adventurers
Last week I shared my first impressions of Dark Deity, a recently released indie title available on Steam that appeals to fans of classic Fire Emblem titles from the GBA era. I expected that my progress in the game would be slow - I had it downloaded on the computer that my partner and I... Continue Reading →
I sometimes wonder if it is fair to continuously compare indie titles to series from AAA studios. Does Chucklefish ever tire of hearing that Wargroove is "medieval Advance Wars?" Would the minds behind Bug Fables prefer if their game wasn't constantly mentioned in the same breath as Paper Mario? These games are not just cheap... Continue Reading →
When I first saw advertisements for the original Bravely Default, I was so excited to get my hands on a traditional JRPG from the company behind the classic Final Fantasy titles. Final Fantasy had lost its way in my mind and Squeenix's last attempt at something more traditional (Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light)... Continue Reading →
Final Fantasy VII is a game that for many was a genre-defining experience. So many people were awakened to the possibilities of JRPGs when it was released. The scale of the story combined with the series' first foray into 3D, the love that people felt for the cast, and the spite for the game's villain... Continue Reading →
In November the crossover title Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity released on the Nintendo Switch. It was a game which blended the lore and characters of Breath of the Wild with the 1-vs-1000 gameplay of the Dynasty Warriors franchise. While I wasn't impressed with the storytelling in Age of Calamity, the mechanics redefined my expectations... Continue Reading →
There isn't necessarily anything new or groundbreaking about the combat but all of the elements from familiar titles come together to make a complex system with lots of factors to weigh together that really get you thinking.
When I wrote that article and described my ideal farming sim as "Harvest Moon but Depressed," I never imagined that a day would come when I would play the game that scratched that itch. Yet in 2020's (after)life sim Spiritfarer, I found the melancholy I sought - plus a little hope to go along with it.
Spiritfarer is not just a life sim or farming sim - it is a platformer, and the satisfaction of movement that comes from that genre adds so much to what Spiritfarer accomplishes.
Age of Calamity fails to deliver on its promise of telling the story of the events that lead up to Breath of the Wild, but if you know that going in there's still a pretty fun game to be found underneath.
I don't think anyone out there has been proselytizing Hades as the perfect game; rather, it simply seems clear that what works about the game is so strong that the issues are easy to bear.
