REVIEW: Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Dry Twice on PC Steam (Out Now)

Review by Jon Donnis

It feels like only yesterday that I was reviewing Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Don't Dry on XBOX ONE, but that was actually last month. Well before I knew it I got offered the chance to review the sequel that is out now on PC (Steam) Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Dry Twice. 

Before I start I will assume you have played Leisure Suit Larry games before, either back in the day (30 years ago) or the more recent incarnations. If not, this is a point and click adventure, you have to solve puzzles, question people, travel around, and all the while enjoy the adult humour of a classic franchise.

Now considering I enjoyed the first game on Xbox, and now I am playing on PC I can comment on which style of play I prefer, console with a controller or mouse and keyboard, and I can happily announce that it is better with a mouse. Sorry console gamers, but point and click games just work better with a mouse and keyboard.

In the first game Larry was trying to collect a high enough "Timber" score to get with his dream woman Faith, in this game Faith has gone missing, Larry is stranded in Cancum, Faith is somewhere in the Kalau'a archipelago and Larry is now using his self made raft to travel between locations as he tries to find his perfect woman. 

One big improvement over the first game is that we have a little diary that keeps track of what you have done and what is needed to do, this helps massively. Gone is the Timber app, but now you have a Blueprint app. The blueprint app is a great addition to the game, for example before you can really travel anywhere you need to build a raft, the blueprint app shows you what you need, and then as you collect things you enter them into the app and if they will do the job then you will create the raft, you will also need to create other things too, a specialist cocktail for example.

Much like the previous game, you have a button to press that will show you everything you can interact with, the rest is upto you, the game can be quite tricky at times, but there are plenty of videos online to help you if you get stuck. The humour is adult, Larry despite looking for his perfect woman Faith, will still try to sleep with every woman he meets.

With over 50 new hand drawn locations to discover and interact with, plenty of old faces as well as new ones to meet, and plenty of riddles and quests to complete, there is plenty to keep you busy for a long time. My advice is always try to figure things out for yourself, never go straight to the walk throughs etc, as they only spoil things and should only be used as a last resort.

The Good

Beautiful hand drawn graphics, excellent and funny adult humour, and fun, if tricky puzzles.

The Bad

If you are a fan of point and click adventures and Leisure Suit Larry, then there is no bad.

Overall

I was a fan of the original games from the 1980's, I thought that Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Don't Dry was worthy of a 8/10, and I think this game is better than the previous one, as such I score Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Dry Twice an 8½/10

Review by Jon Donnis

Published by Assemble Entertainment and developed by Crazybunch, Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Dry Twice is now available on Windows PC and Mac via Steam and GOG for £30.99.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1373430

Heartfelt Metroidvania Reina & Jericho Will Fight for Love on Switch, PC in Q2 2021

Reina & Jericho, the touching metroidvania from Reclamation Games following a woman's time bending journey to save the love of her life, will break hearts and tantalize minds on Steam for Windows PC and Nintendo Switch in Q2 2021.

Driven by revenge, love, and loss, Reina emerges from the ruins of a crumbling nation to rescue Jericho. Without power, status, or money, Reina must challenge a dangerous despot seeking to secure his reign of terror with a coveted ancient artifact that manipulates cause and effect. Jericho's life is on the line, and Reina must fight her way through a mysterious fortress where she will face her greatest fears over and over again.

Fight for the future as Reina and Jericho's young heroine, then double back to the past to right any wrongs. Gather new power-ups that synergize with one another to enhance Reina's fighting ability, and unravel the traps laid out against Reina to create the perfect chain of cause and effect. Slice through enemies as Reina faces off against bosses wielding supernatural artifacts and the well-armed henchmen of a failing state.

Multiple endings leave Jericho's fate in the player's hands. Through Reina's regret and rage, evaluate what paths lead to dead ends before revisiting the past to start another. Unravel the mystery of Jericho's disappearance, learn who to trust along the way, and discover who can be saved and who must die for Jericho to be saved.

Three ways to adventure provide endless replayability as Reina and Jericho features a gripping Story Mode, a specialized Speedrun mode, and a built-in Randomizer option that scrambles rooms, items and beyond to create a unique adventure every time. An emotive soundtrack featuring touching live recordings paints the painful tale of Reina and Jericho, highlighted by stylized environments, intense gameplay, and a story that transcends time.

"Metroidvania games are among my favorites, and I'm taking my chance to add my contribution to the genre," said Dave Wightman, Reclamation Games Founder and CEO. "Powerful stories will always be king for me, and that's what I'm seeking to do here. We want to create an intense, action-packed platformer that never forgets its narrative and centers that element."

Reina & Jericho will be available on Nintendo Switch and Steam for Windows PC for $19.99 in Q2 2021. It will support English language text.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1157800/Reina_and_Jericho/

Die by the Blade Kickstarter Campaign Storms Through the First Week

Publisher Grindstone and developers Triple Hill Interactive and Toko Midori today announced that the Kickstarter campaign for the highly anticipated one-hit-kill sword fighting game Die by the Blade hit over 50% of its funding milestone in 5 days.  

The Kickstarter campaign is an important part of the Die by the Blade journey as it aims to engage with fans and build an active community to support the ongoing development of this exciting project.

To celebrate this important milestone, the team has released a short gameplay trailer to give fans a taste of the tense gameplay experience they can expect when the game launches next year.

There are many pledge levels with fantastic game inspired rewards available where fans can get involved, become backers and in turn help shape the future of this highly anticipated, spiritual successor to some of the best classic sword fighting games ever released.

The money raised through Kickstarter will be used to expand on the current gameplay experience with higher quality animations using motion capture technology, expand the character roster and add in even more weapons. If the campaign hits the stretch goals, then additional exciting content could be added like ranged weapons and different combat styles.

Support Indie game makers!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grindstone/die-by-the-blade?ref=discovery

Monster Sanctuary to break free from Early Access and land on PC and consoles on 8th December

Team17 and Moi Rai Games have today announced that monster taming, Metroidvania, role-playing game, Monster Sanctuary, is exiting Steam Early Access and will launch on PC on 8th December. The game will also launch simultaneously that day on PlayStation® 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch™. As the youngest heir of an ancient bloodline of Monster Keepers, players set out to follow in their ancestors' footsteps, all the while unpicking a mystery that threatens the long-standing peace between humans and monsters.

During its year in Early Access, Monster Sanctuary has expanded with a series of significant updates that broaden its fantastical world, such as the introduction of player vs player gameplay, and new areas to explore: the volcanic Magma Chamber, the claustrophobic Underworld, and the mechanical Mystical Workshop. Each has expanded on the menagerie of monsters available for players to track down and tame, and added new gameplay opportunities to explore.

The full launch of Monster Sanctuary in December will introduce further content for players to experience as they embark on their epic adventure, including the Abandoned Tower as an entirely new game area, as well as an additional secret area. 14 new monsters will also be joining the roster, alongside optional endgame Champions; Ultimate abilities for monsters above level 40; unique equipment; and further balancing changes.

 

Key Features:

*Overcome and collect beasts: Creatures great and small are available to collect and battle, and can be upgraded via deep skill trees

*Become the best Monster Keeper: A mysterious force threatens the peace between monsters and humans, and players will unravel these secrets through the story

*Battle in tactical 3v3 combat: Player rosters of monsters can fight AI or other players in a turn-based 3v3 system, using elemental attacks and combos to devastating effect

*Discover a deep Metroidvania world: From the depths of the Underworld to the heights of the Snowy Peaks, there is plenty to explore, and hidden areas to uncover using monster skills

*Items and gear aplenty: Players will find a plethora of useful items on their journey, which may even open new avenues of navigation.

REVIEW: Two Parsecs From Earth on Xbox One

Review by Jon Donnis

You play as Robot Z3-L1, catchy name right! You have crash landed on a planet called Dimidium, you are injured, and you need to find a way to fix your space ship so you can go home. As soon as you start you will realise that this game is beautifully drawn, absolutely stunning, you will also quickly realise that this game has been made by people with a sense of humour, you will learn this as soon as you try to jump, or die, or anything. 

As you explore your surroundings straight away you will find out that everything wants to kill you, and you are going to need to be very precise in how you play.

The first time you play you will slowly be able to learn abilities, but you are given a choice each time, meaning that to explore different areas and experience different abilities you will have to start the game again in the future and make different choices, for example early on you will need to choose between a double jump ability or a dash ability. The dash ability will enable you to reach areas that the double jump can't reach and vice versa. This is a really interesting idea and I found myself creating a new game in a different file, just so I could experience both from the get go. Basically this means there are 8 ways to finish the game depending on the choice of abilities you make.

There is also a great sound track that also adapts to your choices as you play.

The Good

Stunning graphics, great soundtrack and a nice little unique game play gimmick, and you will need to complete the game a fair few times if you want those all important Achievements.

The Bad

The game is tough, probably tougher than it needs to be, but I guess that is part of the challenge.

Summary

A fun 2D platformer, with a nice gimmick that really does work.

I score this game a solid 7/10

Two Parsecs From Earth is out now and priced for 7.99 $ / € for all platforms.

Review by Jon Donnis