The Essential Companion of Heroic Adventurers
With a lovable cast and a tone that skillfully moves from lighthearted fun to the frightening consequences of shoving down our most difficult emotions, Ikenfell conveys a compelling narrative that establishes a believable magical world.
An hour or more in, I was worried that Ikenfell's combat was going to be too simple for my personal preferences, but once the game feels confident that you get the basic concepts it begins to ramp up the complexity in meaningful ways.
I expected to try out Pioneers of Olive Town and play another game that was clearly outclassed by Stardew Valley. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by a game that doesn't quite surpass what other farming sims are bringing to the table but at least catches up to them.
Voice of Cards attempts to capture the magic of tabletops, but feels like a flash game in its simplicity, both mechanically and narratively.
I am happy to announce that I, Ian, the executive producer, creative director, head writer, lead artist, and social media manager of the gaming blog Adventure Rules - the Essential Companion of Heroic Adventurers - will be participating once again in the Content™ that is the Nintendo Direct phenomenon.
I experienced my first crush in middle school. The subject of my affections was a girl who sat next to me in band class. She was a real catch, let me tell you. She met my incredibly high standards immediately. One, she was cute. Two, she talked to me. I was smitten and I had... Continue Reading →
This year, I find myself fascinated with a different sort of question: what could Nintendo announce at E3 that would make me shut off my computer and think about my life choices?
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 →
Mastering systems is a major piece of the appeal of video games for me. I love it when I can dig into the mechanics of a title and develop a deep understanding for the possibilities, experimenting with different ideas to discover the most effective combinations of tools to succeed at the game. In games like... Continue Reading →
I've grown to love this cast a lot over the last few years and I am delighted to have had the opportunity to spend another game with them.
