REVIEW: DRAGON QUEST®XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition

Review by Jon Donnis

I have always been a fan of the Final Fantasy games, but I have never really got into any other Role-Playing Games outside of that franchise, I decided to take a look at Dragon Quest XI. 

(I have been posting some of my gameplay clips on my youtube channel, check them out at https://www.youtube.com/c/TheJonDonnisShow or scroll to the bottom of this review to watch)

34 Years ago, the first Dragon Quest game was released, known as Dragon Warrior in the West, it was a 2D pixel style RPG, fast forward to 2020 and we have a wonderful, sprawling, open world game that takes the whole genre to the next level. Perfect for new players to the genre, I found myself quickly getting immersed into the gameplay, and never at any point feeling overwhelmed, which is often a problem with such games.

A nice touch to this game is the option to play in a 2D pixel style, as well as the glorious 3D mode. Of course, I chose the 3D mode because I am all about the visuals! There is also both English and Japanese audio, not really sure why non-Japanese speaking people would choose Japanese but I am guessing some people might want to authentic feel?

So let's take a look at the plot, the game is set in the world of Erdrea, your Kingdom is invaded and destroyed, your are but an infant and you are found floating in a river by an old man, you are adopted by his family and raised in the village. Once you have grown up, your adopted family tell you the truth about your life, how you came to be with them and so on. You are sent to meet with the King of Heliodor, but he accused you of being evil, and throws you in the dungeon, you meet a thief and the pair of you escape. This is when the story really starts and you start to explore the world. There are missions and side missions to complete. You will fight monsters, you will collect treasure, you will buy and sell goods, upgrade your weapons and armour, as you play you will meet lots of new characters, some will join your party. This game has everything you would expect in an epic RPG style game. Fans of the genre will not be disappointed.

Fighting monsters is done in a typical turn-based manner, you can have a free camera or fixed camera mode when fighting, it doesn't really make a difference to the fight itself, but it does provide a bit of fun during fights. And there is a perfect learning curve too when it comes to the fights.

The Good

This is a big game, and by big, I mean huge. This game easily has 100 hours of gameplay in, there are endless things to do, to enjoy, to collect. This is not a game you will play a few times and then forget about. It is an immersive game that will take preference over all of your other games for quite a while. The graphics are stunning, the soundtrack is moving. The whole game is something special.

The Bad

Nothing really, I struggle to find anything to complain about.

Overall

I really like this game, and I feel like I have only experienced a very small part of it so far.

I score this game 9/10

Review By Jon Donnis

DRAGON QUEST®XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition is out now

Nintendo Switch

https://amzn.to/3nmn0sk

PS4

https://amzn.to/2IDdH8n

Xbox One

https://amzn.to/3oG34Ba

REVIEW: Orwell's Animal Farm on PC (Steam)

Review by Jon Donnis

in 1945 George Orwell released an allegorical novella called Animal Farm, it is often hailed as one of the greatest books of all time.

Written during a time of war, and Stalinism, its basic premise is one of a critique of the rise of Communism. Pretty light stuff for a video game don't you think?

Well, some 75 years later a game has been developed whereby you can take the decisions, make the important choices and basically be part of the revolution.

The game itself is not really a "game" in the classic sense, it is more of a visual novel but with defined journeys and outcomes that you decide.

You are in charge of Manor Farm, and you have a group of various animals, you chose who is listened to, who is ignored, who works what job on the farm and so on, every choice matters. The main purpose is to last 7 years, of course the wrong choices will end up with everything going wrong. Everything is about balance. Keeping everyone happy or at least content.

With the game being released now, I suspect that the game makers think they are pointing out a certain set of issues that exist in 2020, but perhaps inadvertently they are actually exposing what is to come. Either way this is not a kid's game, and I think it would be hard for anyone who has not read the book to take much out of this game.

The Good

The game is very well drawn. And you will replay the game to see the different outcomes.

The Bad

Far too often you will find yourself not really paying attention and instead just clicking through actions to see the different outcomes. So good and bad in that respect.

There isn't really that much to do, you are just making the odd choice and seeing what happens.

Overall

This is a tough one to judge. I understand what the game makers wanted to achieve, and in many ways, they have achieved what they set out to do, the problem is that in many ways it is all a bit dull. The lack of actual game play is a problem here. This is basically a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book, but stripped down to the absolute minimum to fit into a game. I actually think this would work better as a proper book.

I Score the game 4/10

By Jon Donnis

Steam, Humble, GMG and Epic Games Store $9.99 £7.99 €9.99

App Store, Google Play, and Amazon's App Store: $3.99 £3.99 €3.99.

REVIEW: BROK the InvestiGator on PC (Steam)

Review by Jon Donnis

I was asked to take a look at BROK the InvestiGator by my good friends at CowCat Games.

If you have been following my reviews on this site, then you will know I am a fan of the old fashioned point and click adventure games made famous in the 80's and 90's, well for the first time ever (I assume, I have not actually checked), we have a point and click adventure mixed with a Beat'em Up and RPG.

You play the part of an InvestiGator, (The G is capitalised due to the character being an Alligator), you live in a world where the humans are gone, and replaced by animals, you have the privileged class and the not so privileged class. You live with the son (Graf) of your deceased wife, and you are just trying to make your way in this new world. As with all point and click adventures, you will examine a scene, pick things up, try to solve the various puzzles that come your way, but here is the big twist, your character is an ex-boxer, and as such with a click of one button, you can use your fists to help you in your travels, that might entail you beating up some bad guys harassing a friend, or destroying a panel to open a door. Either way it is a nice addition to a genre that has seen pretty much everything before.

As you play and meet new people you will have various missions and side missions to complete, puzzles to complete, some you will need to use your brains, others you might just need to beat up, the story will change depending on your choices you make, giving your different endings depending on those choices.

The Prologue which is out now gives you full access to the first chapter of the game, there will be 6 in total.

The Good

This is a well-crafted game, fantastically drawn characters, full voice acting, the puzzles are just what you would expect in such a game, and the beat em up elements are fun and really do give a tired genre a kick up the ass.

The Bad

None really, this is a fun well-made game.

Overall

The Prologue is free, so download it, play it, and I am sure if you are a fan of point and click adventure games, then you will enjoy it.

I score BROK the InvestiGator a solid 8/10

Review by Jon Donnis

The "Prologue" is available NOW on Steam and GOG : https://store.steampowered.com/app/1318790

Release date

Free prologue : December 2nd

Kickstarter : January 5th

Full game : Winter 2021 (PC), 2022 (consoles)

Platforms

PC (Steam, GOG, itch.io)

PS4™

PS5™

Xbox One

Xbox Series X|S

Nintendo Switch

Fahrenheit: 15th Anniversary Edition to Release in Early 2021

Madrid, Spain – 7th December 2020. 

Meridiem Games has contacted us to let us know that the release of Fahrenheit: 15th Anniversary Edition for PlayStation®4 will be delayed due to last minute manufacturing reasons. Although no new date has been set, the team has said that it confident for a Q1 2021 release. So hopefully in the first three months of 2021 we will get a release.

Fahrenheit: 15th Anniversary Edition will include a specially created case and sleeve, a sticker set, high quality printed artbook and a thank-you letter written by the team at Quantic Dream. This boxed edition will retail for £24.99 / €29.99 and is available to pre-order at Amazon at the following link - https://amzn.to/3glY01H

"Fahrenheit is a story driven interactive drama played in both first and third person perspectives. New York City is stunned by a series of brutal slayings that all follow the same pattern: ordinary people possessed by a supernatural force causing them to commit murder. The story follows Lucas Kane who finds himself hunted by police detectives Carla Valenti and Tyler Miles after fleeing the scene of one such murder with no memory of what happened. What follows, is a thrilling, story driven adventure where your choices have a direct effect on how the story unfolds."

For more information on Meridiem Games please visit the official site at www.meridiem-games.com

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night – Out Now for iOS and Android

Today, NetEase Games and ArtPlay are launching the mobile version of the successful gothic Metroidvania Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night on iOS and Android. The game will be available in North America, Europe, Japan, Korea, SEA and South America for $9.99 / £9.99 on the App Store and $9.99 / £8.99 on the Google Play Store.

Aspiring demon-slayers can take fate into their own hands-on their mobile devices, starting today. The game is fully localized in Japanese, English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese and offers the beloved gameplay of the original console and PC versions of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, including a gigantic map to explore and over 120 unique mobs and bosses to vanquish. With no compromises on visual quality or gameplay fidelity, an overhauled UI and redesigned shard icons, the mobile version also includes the console version's DLC for no extra cost. This makes Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night for iOS and Android the definitive edition of the game - available on the go.

To celebrate the games´ release on mobile devices, Koji Igarashi has a special video message for fans of the game:

 

Koji Igarashi said of the collaboration with NetEase Games, "We are very pleased to collaborate with NetEase Games as our co-developer and publishing partner of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Mobile Version. As a global publisher with many years of successful experience, we believe NetEase Games is fully capable of delivering the charm of Bloodstained onto mobile devices and bringing the excitement of battle and exploration to mobile gamers."

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night features a 2.5D-map, that has been perfectly adapted to be explored on mobile devices, as well as the familiar shard buff system from the console and PC version. In addition to a reworked UI and redesigned shard icons, the mobile version of the Metroidvania includes a new achievement system through which Players can check their in-game progress and challenge each other. A special surprise awaits those who unlock them all. For better usability, an Ultimate Ability Shortcut Key with unique icons and a Suit Shortcut Key have been added.

Among many highlights that will make fans feel right at home while playing the game, the mobile versions also include the original Gothic music score and original voice actors from the game, like Ami Koshimizu (Miriam) and Shusaku Shirakawa (Gebel). In a future update, the mobile version of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night will get a new playable character, a boss rush mode, a speedrun mode and much more.

The new unlockable playable character is named "Zangetsu" and is available for players who have finished the story with a good ending. He fights with a Katana and can use MP to trigger a furious special attack with his blade. Furthermore, the all-new Randomizer Mode offers unending variety with each new playthrough, with missions, map areas, shop locations, mob spawn points, key item spawn points, and more.

For more information about this exciting collaboration, visit the official website

 

Official Website

https://www.bloodstainedrotn.com