REVIEW: Doodle God: Evolution - Xbox One

Review by Jon Donnis

Doodle God: Evolution is a tile matching game, you start off by combining 4 elements, air, water, fire and earth, as you combine them you create new elements, you combine those with each other and so on. Thats the game.

There are different puzzles and modes which have you trying to get to a certain evolutionary outcome by combining tiles in specific ways, there is also Doodle Farm, where you have to create animals.

I am not sure what else to say, this is a tile matching game, there is no real intelligence to it, some things that you match make no sense when you consider what they create, for example water + glass = ice. There are some nice animations, as you create things they appear on a globe. It is all very pretty.

This is a mobile game that they have put on consoles and it just does not work.

Console games you want to play for more than a few minutes, mobile games are designed often so you play for a few minutes and then come back to the next time you have a few minutes to kill.

The Good

The graphics are pretty

The Bad

This is not a game you will spend any time on, even the gamer points are not working for me.

Summary

This is a tile matching game, if you enjoy such games and are happy to spend time sat in front of your TV trying to endlessly match tiles, then this is the game for you, but for me, I just found nothing in it. Sorry, this is a mobile game not a console game. 1/10

Review by Jon Donnis

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Available for purchase on the PlayStation/Xbox stores (priced £10/€10/$10), Doodle God: Evolution offers an improved version of the much-loved puzzler Doodle God bundled with Doodle Farm too!

Gorgeous High-Speed SHMUP Puzzler Galacide Coming to Consoles

Fun-loving independent game development studio, Puny Human, has announced that their genre-mashing SHMUP-Puzzler Galacide releases on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on October 23! Currently enjoying a "positive" rating on Steam, Galacide takes the tight controls and speed of a SHMUP game and combines it with a match-3 puzzle system. Players journey across the galaxy battling hordes of enemy ships while simultaneously using their puzzle-solving skills to tunnel through the ever-advancing Bitwall.

It's up to you to stop the Alien invasion! Galacide requires players to walk a fine line between maneuvering through legions of enemy spacecraft and using their puzzle-cracking ability to keep the increasing mass of deadly alien technology at bay. Players must pair quick-moving skill to dodge attacks and eliminate enemies, with wits to solve puzzles, or suffer the deadly Bitwall! Bad guys will drop pieces of coloured scrap that players can fire at the Bitwall to match 4 or more same-coloured blocks and to create a path to advance through. A precise mix of speed, skill, and good old fashioned quick-thinking is the key to success and the safety of the galaxy!

Galacide comes equipped with a bevy of different game modes sure to please even the most particular of gamers. Jump into some solo-action with the Campaign mode to discover the source of the invasion and shoot your way to the finish line, or grab some buddies and team-up with 4-player local co-op. Once you've saved the universe and mastered the skills, try out the Endless Play mode and see how long you can last. For those pacifists out there, Puny Human has also kindly provided a violence-free Puzzle Mode, allowing players to relax their trigger fingers and focus on the brainier side of things.

 

Key Features:  

*Shoot Ships, Solve Puzzles: Engage in blistering SHMUP-style action, blasting enemies and dodging incoming fire, while using clever tactics to tunnel through the encroaching Bitwall

*Four Classes of Ship: Choose from the balanced Mining Ship, the tough-as-nails Freighter, the speedy, experimental Phase Ship, or the ferociously powerful Military Ship

*Never Tell Me the Odds: Employ lightning-fast reflexes to safely guide your vessel through a variety of sci-fi locales, including asteroid fields, planets, mining depots, and junkyards

*Go it Alone or Bring the Squad: Galacide features several solo modes, like Campaign, Endless Play, and Puzzle Play, or players can grab a few friends and enjoy 4 Player Co-op

*Galacide is currently available on Steam and is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on October 23.

Open the doors to the Nightmare Realm as Crown Trick launches today

Team17 and NExT Studios have today launched adventure RPG roguelike, Crown Trick, for PC and Nintendo Switch™, in which players join protagonist Elle on a perilous journey through the procedurally-generated dungeons of the Nightmare Realm. Featuring an eye-catching, hand-painted visual style, Crown Trick introduces a unique turn-based, synchronous mechanic where foes and traps only move when Elle does. Strategic thinking is key to overcoming and escaping the dangerous labyrinthine dungeon of the Nightmare Realm.

A clear strategy is key to successfully overcoming the Nightmare Realm, whether exploring its many rooms and corridors, or fighting some of the 100 monsters that players may encounter on their deadly run. Crown Trick’s synchronous gameplay means players have the choice to stop and assess the situation at any time, setting the dungeon in motion only when they move. Players can also use skills, Familiars, and weapons, and combine them in a multitude of ways for devastating results, while the procedurally generated dungeons ensure each run is unique and engaging.

Crown Trick key features:

Engaging strategic gameplay: Monsters and traps move only when the player moves; carefully thought out strategies are key to escaping the labyrinthine dungeon

Fight how you want: Create and develop a unique combat style with 40+ active skills, 60+ passive abilities, 30+ usable items, and 170+ special relics, all of which create different ways to cut through enemy encounters

Learn from enemies: Gather elite ‘Familiar’ skills by overcoming enemies ready to unleash on others deeper in the dungeon

Different dungeons every time: The procedurally generated maze ensures players have unique experiences every time they enter the Nightmare Realm.

REVIEW: Double Pug Switch on PC (Steam)

Review by Jon Donnis

Double Pug Switch may very well be the hardest game I have ever played. As the official blurb for this game states "prepare to fail".

This is a side scrolling 2D precision platformer. And your character is a Pug called Otis. The general story is that there was an accident in your owner's (The Professor) lab, and you and a cat called Whiskers have been sucked into an alternative dimension. Your job is to find Whiskers and save him, mainly from himself.

So as I mentioned earlier this is a precision platformer, and as such you only control two aspects of your character, when he jumps and when he swaps to another dimension. This means that as soon as a level starts your pug is running, and as he runs you have to make sure he jumps to avoid obstacles or else he dies, but sometimes there is no where to go, so you press another button and you change to a slightly different dimension whereby some platforms exist in both dimensions but some only exist in one or the other. 

I know it sounds a bit confusing but it really isn't. You only have to worry about pressing two buttons. And as I said earlier, prepare to fail. You will die a lot. In fact that is in many ways part of the game, the action is so fast that sometimes you need to die a few times, just so you learn the timing to get past the level. And all the while you will be trying to pick up gold coins.

And just when you think you get the hang of things you will pick up a jump boost that hurtles you up high and far, or perhaps a speed up boost making everything even harder, and just when things couldn't get any crazier, you will pick up a miniaturization boost and suddenly you are teeny tiny.

There are 4 different "universes" with 8 levels in each one, as you play you collect coins that allow you to buy hats for your Pug. There are 40 different hats to unlock.

And of course you will end up having to try to get past Whiskers in the "boss battles".

The Good

The graphics are cute, the controls are simple, this is one of those games you can just pick up and play, and where as you may have spent an hour stuck on a level the day before, you will pick it up and pass the same level first time. It's one of those types of games.

The Bad

Not sure if it can be classed as a bad thing when it is part of the game, but this game is tough, and it is frustrating, but with that does come a feeling of accomplishment when you finally pass a level.

Summary

A nice little, simple, clean platformer, that will make you pull your hair out in frustration, but you will keep coming back over and over to try to beat it.

I score this game 8/10

Out on all formats on 22nd October.

SQUARE ENIX LAUNCHES KINGDOM HEARTS MELODY OF MEMORY PLAYABLE DEMO TODAY

 Square Enix Ltd., and Disney today announced the launch of a demo for the upcoming rhythm action game, KINGDOM HEARTS Melody of Memory, an all-new riff on the wildly popular KINGDOM HEARTS series that has sold more than 33 million units worldwide. The demo, which challenges players to battle through six tracks alongside Sora, Donald and Goofy, gives players a taste of what's to come when KINGDOM HEARTS Melody of Memory releases on November 13. The demo can be downloaded from the Nintendo eShop, PlayStation®Store and Microsoft Store.

In the full version of KINGDOM HEARTS Melody of Memory, players will battle to the rhythm of the game's soundtrack on their own or with friends as they collect and master over 140 songs from the Kingdom Hearts series, including favorites like "Destiny Islands," "Hand in Hand," "Working Together" and more from the game's legendary composer Yoko Shimomura. Players will experience the magic of musical exploration by traversing through beautiful worlds and embarking on rhythm-fueled battles to defeat tough bosses as they strive to achieve top ranks.  

Players of the Nintendo Switch™ version can also enjoy a Free-for-All battle mode with up to seven other players via local play. Through three different play styles, gamers of all ages can choose their level of challenge depending on whether they want to enjoy the songs and adventure without complicated controls or showcase their skills with complex combos to put on the ultimate performance. This celebration of music and adventure marks the KINGDOM HEARTS series' first appearance on the Nintendo Switch.

KINGDOM HEARTS Melody of Memory will launch for the Nintendo Switch™ system, the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One family of devices, including Xbox One X, on November 13, 2020. Pre-orders are available now from the SQUARE ENIX store, the Nintendo eShop, PlayStation®Store, Microsoft Store and other select retailers. Those who purchase for the PlayStation®4 system from the PlayStation®Store for a limited time by December 31st, 2020 will also receive the KINGDOM HEARTS Melody of Memory theme.