REVIEW: Ship of Fools on Nintendo Switch

Review by Jon Donnis

From Fika Productions and Team 17 comes Ship of Fools, a two-player couch co-op and online multiplayer roguelite game.

First the story.

"The Great Lighthouse that once protected the Archipelago is broken and a storm of malice and corruption is coming.

Together, you and your ship mates will jump aboard The Stormstrider and make your voyage across the sea. Man the cannons, ready your sails and protect your ship from sea monsters over multiple runs. It's up to you to defend your home from the almighty Aquapocalypse."

After your ship crashes, you find yourself washed up on a beach, after a quick look around, meet the locals, learn the story of the island, and what you are now tasked to do, you will find yourself going on journeys on your boat, each run in unique, and you will have to defend your boat with cannons, as you explore each area. In one player mode you will get an auto cannon on one side of the boat and a manual cannon on the other side, you can pick up and move the cannons around the boat, and you have to manually load them with ammo before using them.

You will also need wood to fix the boat when it is damaged. Enemies will appear on both sides of the boat, so you need to have your wits about you, this is where two player mode really is needed, as it can be tricky keeping up with everything in solo mode, even with the auto cannon.

You will make your way across a map, each block being its own area to beat. You can find lost treasures, collect important artifacts needed to upgrade your boat, stop at islands, and build up your strength. But be careful if your boat sinks, you will wash up at the shore, and you will have lost almost everything you had collected.

There are storms to avoid, or even perhaps head towards. Weird sea creatures to fight, and even fight off creatures who manage to get on your boat, just whack them with a paddle, seems to do the job. Fetch resources using a harpoon, and even rescue people and you are well on your way to saving the world.

The game is designed with replayability in mind, every run is different. You can upgrade yourself and your crew, unlock various items, and add new crewmates to your boat.

You do not need to worry about actually steering the boat, you just move from one area to the next. Maps are randomized each time you play.

Don't forget to visit Halga on the island either, you can give her things you have collected, and she can make magic soup, which in turn will help you on your next run. Basically, will give you a bonus, or upgrade your ship.

The Good

Cute little game, with a high replayability factor, each run is unique and fun, and once you get the hang of things, it quickly becomes addictive. The graphics are of a decent quality, and there is a nice level of humour throughout the game.

The Bad

As a single player game this will struggle to keep you interested. This is a multiplayer game; it just works better in every way with two people playing. Controls can be a bit tricky at first.

Overall

A fun game, that needs two players for you to get the most out of it.

I score Ship of Fools a solid 8/10, a really good little multiplayer couch co-op type game.

Out now on Nintendo Switch at

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Ship-of-Fools-2304790.html

REVIEW: Impaler - PC Steam

Review by Jon Donnis

Impaler is a basic first-person arena shooter. Clearly inspired by games from the 1990s, this game has a small download size, and will play on a PC with a potato for a graphics card.

The concept is a simple one, you can shoot at enemies, you can summon spikes from the ground, you can build barriers, kill all the enemies in a wave, move onto the next wave. Sometimes you will have other tasks to complete, like moving pillars to set positions, and so on.

With "Roguelike" elements, each run is unique. Graphics as mentioned are full on retro, so think 2D monsters moving in a 3D arena. As you progress you can collect different weapons and abilities. The double jump, and stomp is also a great way to take out multiple enemies at once.

The main trick to defeating the enemies, is not so much your firepower, but your movement, keep moving, pick off your targets, collect health bonus, and survive. Pick up gold, which can be used to buy 40+ upgrades, and the more you play, the better you get and further your progress.

Throw in a cool soundtrack, and for the nerds out there, the game engine is a custom-built C + OpenGL engine, so everything looks super smooth.

The Good

Summoning spikes is a cool feature, it allows for some great moves, the graphics are retro, so if you like that kind of thing, then this game does a great job. The sound track is also pretty decent.

The Bad

If you don't like 90s style retro games, then this is not for you.

Overall

A proper little indie game, where someone has put in a lot of care and love into making the game the best it can be.

Developers like this deserve our support, for without them we would have nothing.

I score Impaler on PC (Steam) a decent 7/10

Out on 6^th of December on Steam at

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1573090/Impaler/

REVIEW: Mega Man Battle & Fighters - Nintendo Switch

Review by Jon Donnis

Mega Man Battle & Fighters is a straightforward port from the NeoGeo Pocket Color release of Mega Man The Power Battle and Mega Man 2 The Power Fighters.

Basically, this is a simple way to just play the boss fights from the Mega Man 1 - 7 games, you can choose to play as a few different characters from the series including Proto Man, Bass, and Duo. Each have their own styles of fighting and weapons to master.

With 40 boss battles to master, there is enough here for fans of the original series to enjoy. As you beat your opponents you collect their character data and fill up your database.

With all this said, as this is a direct port of a super niche release on the Japanese NeoGeo Pocket Color, in game everything is in Japanese, and the trading functions have been disabled. Although the menu is in Japanese, because the trading function is greyed out, it is easy enough to figure out things enough so that you can play the battles.

This title is definitely one for the fans of the series, and as mentioned is just the boss fights, one after another, so none of the platform stages, just fights. The fights themselves are basic due to the age of the game, but still represent a challenge. The controls are sharp, and the bosses are fun.

You can also choose to play full screen or with a NeoGeo wrap around.

The Good

One for the hardcore Mega Man fans. There is a challenge to be had here, and for a true retro title, this is one for the collection.

The Bad

No multiplayer. Japanese menu may put off some people.

Overall

As long as you know what you are buying beforehand, then this game is a great addition to the collection for all Mega Man hardcore fans.

For casual gamers, this might be a disappointment.

I score Mega Man Battle & Fighters on Nintendo Switch a fair 7/10

Out Now on Nintendo Switch

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/MEGA-MAN-BATTLE-FIGHTERS-2250045.html

REVIEW: Dead Man´s Diary on PC (Steam)

Review by Jon Donnis

Dead Man´s Diary is a simple survival game,

You find yourself in a post apocalyptic world, a crazy man built some nukes, and when his life ended he designed a chain reaction that would cause the worlds Nukes to go off as well.

Some humans were put in bunkers to survive, but with resources running out, you are chosen to leave the bunker to find new resources. You are blindfolded and flown to an unknown location, no way to find your way back to the bunker, you are on your own, with only what you find to help you survive.

Ignoring the glaring holes in the ridiculous storyline, you start the game in the middle of a forest, at night. With just a crappy torch to light the way. With just the voice in your head, and the bare basics, you gotta figure the rest out on your own.

Look how lovely this looks! I never got this far.

As you start walking the game gives you little help, but does give you objectives, and help guide you in what you need and where to go etc.

Follow arrows conveniently painted in the area, and make your way to an industrial site, from there gather tools, screwdriver, lockpick, as well as food items and so on, oh and not forgetting the geiger counter, well this is a post-apocalyptic world, so you need a way to find out if the food or drink you are about to consume is radioactive.

All the while your metrics are going down, so you need to find water to drink, food to eat, iodine tablets to stave off radiation sickness and so on.

Underground car park I guess. No idea as I never got that far.

The first real task you will need to do to progress further into the game and into Day 2, is to build a fire and a campsite. And this is where the game screws up.

You see the problem here is that I could not find enough materials to complete the campsite, so although I had built a fire, I found myself 2 hours into the game and stuck. We are talking 2 hours of searching every corner, or every alley way, every bin, under vehicles. You name it I looked, but I just couldn't find everything I needed. Throw in the fact that the battery on your torch soon runs out, I am now in the dark, so can barely see. Funnily enough you get some light from your geiger counter, so I ended up using that as a very weak torch of sorts. Regardless, the game at this point is a chore.

So, at this point, with major motion sickness hitting me in real life, from going round in circles, and straining to see what was going on, on the screen, I gave up.

The next day I had a revelation. Clearly, I had gotten to the Industrial site way too quick, and I should have searched the forest first, despite the game not telling me to do that in any way, I thought I would try, so I started a brand-new game, and I did just that.

Now, considering that there are a few jump scares in the game, by this point I knew that other than the character thinking he heard a noise in the distance, or a metal pipe rolling, there is not actually anything that will kill me outside of my own health running too low.

So, for an hour I searched every inch of the forest, and yes, I found items I needed, I found batteries for my torch, I found paper, fabric, metal rods and so on.

By the time I reached the industrial site, I suddenly felt extra prepared and ahead of the game. And then I spent another hour, built my fire, searched all the places I had previously, but with a familiarity that helped.

And I cant, find enough items to build the camp site. Yep, I had wasted another 2 hours for nothing.

I turned the game off in disgust and that is the last I will ever play it.

I will not look for any of the walkthroughs which I am sure will appear soon, I am not going to contact the developers. I give up.

I gave this game my time, and a lot of time at that, and it let me down. It also made me feel quite sick. Like being sat in the back of a car when you are a kid, and you end up having to vomit at the side of the road. The motion sickness this game creates is terrible.

The controls are tough to get used to, for some reason you have to tap A on a controller twice to jump. Not once, but Twice. The menu system is overly complicated, and you have to disable the torch every time you want to use the geiger counter, which you need to use if you want to pick up canned food or water. Beyond frustrating that apparently your character can't use two hands at once.

The Good

The game on a visual aspect, from what you can see on Day One, looks great, the sound effects are decent, and the first time you play, it does a good job building up tension.

The Bad

Terrible design, terrible level layout, literally made me ill playing the game.

Overall

I am angry with myself for giving this game so much of my time, because I was so desperate to just get to Day Two and see the game in the light.

And if the only way for me to proceed is to watch someone else play, and then copy their movements, then what is the point.

Perhaps the most frustrating game I have ever played in my life. What an utter waste of my time and effort.

I score Dead Man´s Diary a 0/10.

REVIEW: Lunistice on Nintendo Switch

Review by Jon Donnis

Lunistice is a new linear 3D platformer, in the style of classic 32-bit games.

You play as Hana the Tanuki (a Japanese raccoon dog), as she takes an adventure through her own dreams.

Each "world" is a different dreamscape, with a few levels to each, the final destination being that of The Moon, to uncover the secret of "The Lunistice".

To complete a level, reach the end point as soon as possible, the faster the time, the higher the score. (Maximum being a S Rank). But you can also collect various items along the way if you wish to get a 100% rating. The main things you will collect are little paper origami animals. You will see at the top of your screen how many are in the level to collect. Although each level is linear, there are side routes to take if you want to collect everything. Some of these routes will require precision jumps and movement, or else you may fall to your death, luckily each level has checkpoints and you will respawn there if necessary.

Enemies appear often, and to kill them you can perform a spin move. You can also use this move to jump a little bit farther after the obligatory double jump move.

The first few levels are pretty standard 3D platforming, but as you progress and get to play on different worlds, you will encounter water slides, balloons to jump on and pop, water bubbles to help you move larger distances and so on.

The various worlds are all different to each other and have their own challenges. The gameplay is super smooth, and is as good as anything that has ever come out from the big multimillion dollar companies.

With any 3D platformer, the main two issues will always be control of the character, and how precise it is, and the camera angle. I found the precision movements of the main character when it came to jumps etc to be of a very high quality. The camera which is controlled mainly from the right stick, also is easy to move. And although you will come across the odd moment when you miss a ledge, or the camera doesn't quite go where you want it, these are rare moments. So, I can happily say that this game passed the two highest rated issues with such games, with flying colours.

The game itself is relatively short, which is a shame, but if you want to truly get 100% completion on a level, then that will take some time.

The Good

Excellent retro looking graphics that look great on the Switch Lite. Gameplay is of the highest quality. The sound track, the sound effects, everything is very good.

The Bad

Give me more! Not enough worlds and levels!

Overall

Really good 3D platformers that are also affordable are quite rare. Lunistice on Nintendo Switch is a rare success. An excellent game from top to bottom. 

If you like 3D platformers, regardless of your age, this should be on your "Must Buy" list.

I score Lunistice on Nintendo Switch a 9.5/10

Out now on Nintendo Switch

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Lunistice-2299264.html

and PC (Steam)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1701800/Lunistice/