REVIEW: Remote Life on Nintendo Switch

Review by Jon Donnis

Remote Life is a side scrolling, 2D shooter, now as someone who grew up on R-Type, I have played countless shooters over the years, so how does Remote Life match up? Let's find out.

You find yourself taking on bio-mechanical type creatures which do in fact look quite similar to some of the aliens in R-Type, you play in a space setting as Pilot John Leone, your job is to save humanity, apparently single handedly, which doesn't seem very fair, but that is where we are.

You will have to complete 16 missions, and to do that you will need skill, guile and a nice collection of weapons (over 18 apparently).

The first big difference you will notice between this game and others of the genre is the twin stick control method. At first this will feel strange as classically in side scrolling shooters, you pretty much fire straight ahead, or straight behind, depending on the weapon you have. But in Remote Life you have directional control over where you fire. This can help you take out the enemy from all angles.

You have access to three main weapons that you can switch between, as well as an extra support weapon. As you progress through the levels you will collect power ups which will increase the ability of your weapons until you use them up. The main idea being that you save the upgraded weapons for when you will need them, whether that be larger enemies or even the boss fight. You can also pick up drones which will stay close to you and fire at the enemy, but they only last for ten seconds which seems a bit pointless. There is also no scoring system, no high scores etc, the only point of the game is to beat the levels.

There are some nice differences between levels, which help break up the regular style of gameplay, escort missions are one example. So there is more here than just nonstop 2D shooting.

Now time for a reality check, this game is tough, like really tough. And unfortunately, some of the game mechanics don't really help. The twin stick system is really hard to get used to, and never feels quite as accurate as it should, and with your ship being very weak, a couple of mistakes and you are dead. I played the game on a Nintendo Switch Lite, and even with my big hands, trying to control both sticks as well as the firing button and change weapon button, it left my hand aching pretty quick, now I did find a solution, I happen to have a spare wireless Switch controller, which you can connect to a switch lite, and the game did play much better on that, but obviously using a separate controller on a switch lite, makes the whole thing seem a bit silly.

There are also some issues with the visual elements of the game, the graphics are very good, everything is super detailed, the problem is that too much means it is hard to see enemy bullets as well as differentiate between background and foreground obstacles. You can however disable some graphical elements in the menu which does help a bit. 

Also, when using the menu, it becomes clear very quick that this game is a port from the PC version, as you have a cursor of sorts on screen that you move about to select the options. And this just feels weird on a handheld console.

The Good

Super challenging game, with fantastic high-resolution graphics, and when you consider this game comes from a solo developer, it is pretty impressive. There are plenty of weapons, which all are different and it is satisfying destroying a boss while you swap between your 3 main weapons.

The Bad

The game is a little too hard at times, and could do with a bit more work to improve some elements of the game. This is a PC port, and I think it is clearly suited to PC gaming.

Overall

The game has its problems, but it also has some strong points, and if you want a challenge from within the shoot 'em up genre, then this is one to look at.

I score Remote Life on Nintendo Switch a generous 7/10

Out Now on Nintendo Switch for £11.99

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/REMOTE-LIFE-2213524.html

REVIEW: Pretty Girls Escape on PC (Steam)

Review by Jon Donnis

Followers of the site will know that I have reviewed a fair few of the "Pretty Girls" franchise releases, and I am glad to say I have another release to talk about today. This is the 16^th Pretty Girls title. And as with all of the Pretty Girls releases the format is a simple one, take a classic game, give it a fresh coat of paint, a few new gameplay options, and add Japanese anime style girls to the product. It is a simple format that seems to work almost every time. And I always seem to find myself scoring these games quite highly, so will Pretty Girls Escape keep a strong run of good games going? Read on to find out.

The game itself is a simple block falling puzzle game. The aim is to eliminate blocks of the same colour, (you can click on 2 or more blocks to make them disappear) and as you eliminate the blocks, a larger character block will drop. Get the character block to the bottom of the playable area, and to an exit.

Each of the 8 character has 6 levels, and as you beat the levels, you unlock costumes for the characters, which you can then turn into wallpaper for your computer. You can change costumes of the characters, set the background, have multiple characters in the scene and you can even change facial expressions. The characters all have their own personalities and are voiced by Japanese actresses.

An example of a few of them are.

 - KANON

 Kanon is an innocent and positive-thinking girl with a calm and gentle demeanor. She is a hardworking person who focuses on her goals.

 - YUKI

 Yuki is energetic, lively, and easy to get along with. She is active and has a good sense of humor, but at the same time, is a troublemaker.

 - RIN

 Serious, cool and dignified. Once she makes up her mind, she will not it.

There is no nudity, no sex, just classic "Bishoujo characters", which you will see in Japanese Manga and Anime.

Of course, if the game was as easy as I just described, you would beat it pretty quickly, however each character's set of levels is harder than the previous one. 

You will soon realise that just getting your character block to the bottom of the playable area is not enough, there is also something of a tilt option, where you press left or right and all blocks will move to one side or another. You will need to use this ability very tactically, you see as you play, the game throws in some obstacles, there might be bombs you need to avoid, or unmovable blocks, blocks that need to be broken, and then the craftiest gameplay mechanic of them all, you might need to also move little key blocks, to unlock the exit area for the characters, this all has to be done in a certain order, so you don't get stuck.

As well as the character stages and levels, there is also a challenge mode with 20 stages to beat, difficulty increasing as you go.

The Good

Zoo Corporation have once again taken a simple game concept and improved it, made it look great and added some depth to what is a simple game. I have never known a franchise to continually get the games right, especially a franchise where each game is a different type of game to the previous one. I am a fan of puzzle games, and although the game starts off pretty easy and you will fly through the first few stages, once the "gimmick blocks" are introduced, the game takes on a real level of tactics. Time really does fly as you play.

The Bad

I can't really think of anything, as a simple block falling puzzle game it works very well.

Overall

Zoo Corporation have done it again, another perfectly created puzzle game, a competitive price point of about £5, with a launch date discount too.

If you are a puzzle fan this is what we like to call a "no brainer", you should buy this game.

I score Pretty Girls Escape an excellent 9/10

Language: Japanese / English / Chinese / Spanish

Release Date: June 2, 2022 (Pacific Standard Time)

Price: 4.99 dollars

Player: Single player

Steam compatible functions: Achievements / Cloud / Ranking

Buy on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1997300/

REVIEW: Red Wings: American Aces on Nintendo Switch

Review by Jon Donnis

Red Wings: American Aces is set in World War 1, and from the moment you start the game you can tell a lot of care has been put into making the game look rather special. 

The game itself is centred around 3D dogfighting, you control a WW1 aircraft, and in pure arcade style you need to take out the enemy. 

There are 3 main modes, Online, Local and Campaign.

Online mode will have you fighting against others (maximum of 9) in pure dogfighting action, Last Man Standing, Score Battle, or Time Battle. You can even pick teams and battle against other teams online.

Local mode has you doing the same as Online mode, but against one other opponent, that being against another human player, or a CPU controlled opponent. 

Now as much fun as those two modes are, they are very much for the long-term interest of the game. But in the short term you need a challenge and this is where the campaign mode comes in. 30 missions to complete, each mission has certain aims. Maybe as simple as taking out a few waves of enemies, or it might be more specific like destroying hidden airships while fighting off the enemy trying to protect them. Bombing runs are fun, as well as the classic game of flying through hoops, (in this game you fly through a hope to refuel).

As you progress through the Campaign you can upgrade your pilot skills through a Skill Tree, as well as improve your special abilities.

For example, if an enemy is charging head on, a carefully timed barrel roll is perfect for not only avoiding their bullets but also destroying them if you make contact. You can also tag an enemy and get friendlies to attack on your command, as well as the quick U-turn manoeuvre.

As you complete each level you aware awarded stars depending on how successful you were and these are what you spend on the skills tree.

With 15 different planes to eventually unlock and use, there is plenty of choice as you progress.

The levels themselves all have different backgrounds and features, including thunderstorms and sandstorms, each creating their own problems for you.

The plane controls are pretty simple, speed up, slow down, barrel roll, quick turn, it all feels very natural, and you always feel very much in control.

Along with the arcade gameplay, there is a story to tell, and WW1 is a serious story, everything is told truthfully, with little sugar coating. You could argue that such a serious story takes away from what is a fun arcade game, however I felt that if you want to deal with a serious subject you have to be serious in telling that story.

The Good

This game really fits well on a Nintendo Switch Lite, which is what I played it on. I have played Red Wings on PC, but on a handheld console I just think the whole experience feels more fun. Everything looks great, and just the feeling or taking down an enemy in a hail of bullets never gets old.

The Bad

Nothing really, the game delivers on what it says it will.

Overall

I really enjoyed playing Red Wings: American Aces, it is a good old fashioned arcade shooter, but with modern graphics.

A fun experience that I can recommend to people of all ages.

I score Red Wings: American Aces a solid 8/10

Out now on Steam and Nintendo Switch

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Red-Wings-American-Aces-2186122.html

REVIEW: Tony and Clyde on PS4

Review by Jon Donnis

"Tony and Clyde" is a simple shooter, you play as either Tony or Clyde, who the game loves to tell you are not simple thugs from the streets but also not highly trained criminals or professionals.

The game is played through chapters, as you play you will learn about Tony and Clyde, who they are what they want, all told through the various hand drawn 2D cutscenes. Basically, they are small time crooks wanting to make it big.

The gameplay itself is from a third perspective top-down viewpoint. You control your characters movement with the left stick, and the direction of fire with the right stick. Frustratingly the bumper button controls the firing and the trigger button controls the changing of weapons. Why they did it this way round is anyone's guess. It is called the TRIGGER button for a reason! Aiming is a bit hit and miss, so you will want to pay attention to your loadout and which weapons you have. Since the aiming is a bit rough, I went for weapons that had large magazines, so that I could spray the area with bullets before the slow process of reloading. 

You can use the dodge button, which will roll you out of the way, and while dodging, you are invulnerable, so you will find yourself doing this a lot if you get caught off guard and surrounded.

Since the viewpoint is fixed, you will often find enemies firing at you off camera, so as you play, you will need to learn the levels and where people are, and plot your route carefully. You can try to avoid the enemies, but they will just keep coming after you, so you might as well take them all out, get close enough to an enemy and you can execute them with a knife shot, but you might want to avoid doing this, as for some bizarre reasons every time you execute someone in this manner, the game goes into slow motion, which just feels like horrible lag, and with enemies approaching, you will find yourself getting frustrated as opposed to what I assume the idea is of giving you more time.

Each chapter finishes with a boss fight, the usual routine here, super tough, takes a lot of bullets. The problem is that if you take a couple of shots, you are dead, and have to restart at the last checkpoint.

Some objects on the levels can be shot at, and then explode, taking out anyone nearby, time this right and you can take out a decent number of enemies, time it wrong and you will take yourself out.

There aren't any collectables, or secrets, the only thing you unlock will be weapons. And you do this by killing the "juice man" which is literally someone dressed in a juice carton costume, I assume this is slang for a loan shark.

The Good

Once you get used to the gameplay, and the fact you will die a lot, there is a lot of fun to be had.

The Bad

The game does get quite repetitive, and there isn't much strategy to be had while playing, Just shoot and kill and hope for the best. And that strange slow motion, lag thing after knifing people is just bizarre.

Overall

Perhaps a little expensive for what it is at £8, but this is a fun game, despite its frustrations.

I score Tony and Clyde on PS4 a safe 6/10

Out now on PS4 - https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/product/EP3116-CUSA19433_00-TONYECLYDEEUROPE/

MINI REVIEW: Hovercars 3077 Underground Racing on PC (Steam)

 

Make sure to follow me on Twitter where I often post mini reviews.

#REVIEW #Hovercars3077 Underground Racing PC

Flying cars, weapons & apocalyptic tracks!

Good:
Nice graphics & a genuine feel of speed as you play.
Bad:
Awkward controls & you'll crash a lot, with no forgiveness.

Score 6/10 - Out Now #IndieGame #GameDev #IndieDev #IndieGameDev pic.twitter.com/iaSO9GZBvM

— 🍊 The Jon Donnis Show www.jondonnis.com (@JonDonnisShow) May 24, 2022