The New Classics Sessions: Switch, Session 6

 

Ender Lilies – Quietus of the Knight: Although the box art and the notion of ELQK being an ARPG really piqued my interest, I balked at the thought of purchasing it for quite some time. I was afraid the platforming aspect would prove irritating, and the dark-ish aesthetics depressing; but those reservations were shattered during a visit at my favourite video game store, when I spotted ELQK and succumbed to its lure. And guess what? I was a million times right to do so. ELQK’s atmosphere is properly unique, and quite amazing: “depressing” doesn’t do justice to that mix of melancholy, delicateness, menace and broodiness. The physics are stellar beyond belief, with the heroine moving in an impossibly graceful yet deadly precise way. The graphics are splendid, with a lovely parallax effect and a striking contrast between the heroine’s white, glowing sprite and the layered darkness of the décor. Do I love that game? Ooooh yes I do, folks! 

 

 

Harvestella: It looks really darn pretty, that I must admit; and the character design is right up my alley. Alas, combat is too slow and clunky for my taste; and the farming simulation drags on too much to keep me focused. There is a subtle difference between contemplative and boring; and this game crosses the boundary into the latter as far as I’m concerned.

 

 

Bloodstained – Ritual of the Night: There is not much missing here, honestly. I like everything about that game, from the badass MC to the atmosphere, without forgetting the Metroidvania element; but alas, the controls are just a bit too unprecise for me, and the physics just a bit too slippery. I suck so much at Platformers that I simply need perfect controls and physics — not only to enjoy myself, but also to be able to play the darn game at all. 

 

 

Tasomachi – Behind the Twilight: Here’s another weird Japanese indie developed and published by entities no one ever heard of — not that it’s a bad thing at all, mind ya. That being said, Tasomachi suffers from the blurriest graphics this side of a cold sea fog, as well as from very approximative hitbox management. There seems to be no gameplay apart from wandering around while collecting items to reach the next zone — rinse and repeat. But it so happens that I love Tasomachi’s atmosphere to pieces; so much so that I actually bought it based on gameplay pictures alone, without even bothering to check the type of gameplay. Guess that means any gameplay could do, right? Well, it turns out that Tasomachi’s controls and physics are just tight enough for my taste, which makes wandering around a real delight. Happy retinas, happy fingers: I don’t need more to welcome a game in The Collection!  

 

 

Sonic Frontiers: This game seems to have a lot to offer, if the reviews are to be believed. But alas, I couldn’t even sneak a peek at all that goodness, because the darn game halted my progression and forced me to replay its first level, until I racked up a number of arbitrary goals. Sonic FRONTIERS indeed, ha-ha-ha! You know I just hate when a game plays coy or hard-to-get, and makes me jump through hoops to gain the very right to play it; and so, SF has to go. 

 

Dark Souls Remastered: So, we have slow movement and clunky controls, paired with deadly foes that somehow seem much faster than us — despite operating in the same world, and presumably experiencing the same physics as our MC. Some call this a thrilling challenge, and more power to them; I call that fake difficulty, and to the pawn shop DSR goes. 

 

 

Bayonetta 3: After my immediate crush on the second entry, I assumed the third would pass with flying colours; alas, it’s not so simple. First, I’m really not fond of the gloomy apocalyptic setting; secondly, the ‘transforming into demons’ gimmick makes combat too fussy for my taste. I could get used to all this, mind you; but I actually don’t need to, nor do I want to. 

 

 

BlazBlue – Cross Tag Battle: Flashy characters, great physics, smooth and not-too-technical combat, many ways to play, and a neat crossover element to boot; I really don’t need more to welcome a fighting game into The Collection!

 

The New Classics Sessions: Switch, Session 5

 

Omega Labyrinth Life: I knew I’d love that one before even playing it. I mean, a Roguelite with bright colours, cute characters designs, lovely tiny dungeons and a healthy dose of hilarious fan-service? My jam exactly! 

 

 

Brigandine – The Legend of Runersia: This is not a brand-new IP, but a sequel to an obscure 1998 PSX game; and it’s also a game I shouldn’t want to play at all, because it’s an SRPG. And yet, something prompted me to give it a try — that ‘something’ being: a) the gorgeous character art, and b) the honeycomb-shaped battlefields. I kinda liked the little I played; and although I still have reservations, I definitely wanna see — and play — more of Brigandine.

 

Prinny Presents NIS Classic – Volume 1: Namely, we’re dealing with Phantom Brave and Soul Nomad, two PSP RPGs. Not just mere RPGs, mind you: SRPGs. Very clunky, old-fashioned, molasses-like SRPGs. I don’t think I need to explain why that duo won’t join The Collection.  

 

 

RPG Maker MV: The Switch Lite screen is a bit too tiny for that kind of RPG builder, which would feel more at home on a big fat TV screen. On top of that, controls are sometimes unresponsive, and the gameplay isn’t intuitive at all. I would have loved to design my own dream budget RPG, but it won’t be on that particular builder. 

 

 

Eastward: The art style instantly rubbed my retinas the wrong way, and the indolent and unfocused start only increased my aversion towards that game. It’s just not meant to be in The Collection, period.  

 

 

Digimon Survive: Heresy! I was fooled! Okay, I wasn’t: it’s actually my fault for not doing my homework, and for assuming (wrongly) that every Digimon game sported classic turn-based fighting like Hacker’s Memory. I didn’t think the anime’s knack for reinventing itself would extend to the games; and thus I didn’t expect Survive to be an SRPG. Now, do I wanna play an SRPG just for Digimon’s sake? No, I don’t. 

 

Sayonara Wild Hearts: Even the most hardcore, masochistic gamer needs at least one casual game to unwind; and well, SWH is now my official casual game. It’s easy and relaxing — and gorgeous, flashy and dreamy to boot. And a full run is roughly one-hour long — pure perfection!

 

 

Touken Ranbu Warriors: It’s absolutely gorgeous, and it boasts perfect physics and splendid fighting animations. Why, of course it deserves a spot in The Collection! One can never own too many great Hack’n’Slashes, especially when one is little me. 

 

 

Airoheart: An open homage to 16-bit Final Fantasy and Legend of Zelda had to catch my eye; however, the uber-slow gameplay — from the walking speed to the non-tweakable text slowness — failed to catch my fancy — and my thumbs.

 

 

The Legend of Zero – Trails from Zero: The first of the Legend of Zero Switch remakes to hit the shelves, and a seriously stellar start that gives me great hopes for the next entries. TFZ boasts lush revamped graphics that still manage to retain the original PSP charm, a smooth tactical fighting system with tweakable speed, a rich and complex game world and a story full of intrigue and high stakes. Last but not least, TFZ offers a blessing called High Speed Mode. As the name implies, activating that function makes the whole game run on steroids, with everything being considerably sped up — running, combat, dialogues, you name it. Thanks a million for that, Nihon Falcom!