Space Pilgrim: Episode 1 Alpha Centauri

Space Pilgrim is a series made with RPG Maker that got my attention on Steam with the low price tag. This old school RPG has some problem solving, a good story with some twists and turns, & left me ready to continue with the rest of the series.

The series was a steal for the price that it was on sale for, and remains very low even when not on sale. If you still love the classic RPG style this Sci Fi type game delivers with a charming story and a few laughs and unexpected turns.

Obviously, there is nothing cutting edge or advanced about it. What you see is what you get. A short, simple game without too much difficulty whatsoever. If you are lookin for some push back or a game with a lot of depth, probably give this one a pass for the time being.

Basically you can tell by looking at the above art style if this game is for you. If these types of games are up your alley and you are looking to kick back with a good story and not much of a challenge for a few hours, give Space Pilgrim a try.

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Trine: Enchanted Edition

Ok let me start by saying any criticism aside, that I straight up loved this game and look forward to playing the next 2. However there are some pros and cons to the beautiful Trine: Enchanted Edition. As just mentioned this games design and beauty is what immediately drew me in and is what compelled me to buy the trilogy on steam and give it a run.

Trine is a platformer that uses three main characters who you are able to swap between to complete different tasks in the level. The Mage who can summon different items that become very useful, the Thief who is the archer of the group, & the Warrior who can take on foes face to face.

The flaws in Trine are minimal but almost all have to do with AI. The enemies wander into their own demise quite often, which doesn't take you out of the game experience quite as much as when the bosses stomp right off the cliff. This usually happens when he is chasing you and your character falls off the cliff as well, but when you swap characters or respawn the boss is still gone which leads to some overly simplistic battles.

The story in Trine is kind of throw away, and serves more as a loading screen filler than anything. For this kind of game though that is actually a pretty good fit & did not leave me wanting more narrative. There is a narrator who explains the heroes plight and what they are about to delve into before each level.

So as you can imagine, the enemies and bosses killing themselves of can make for some pretty easy levels. I flew through the regular levels with relatively no problem, but when you come to the last level prepare to strap yourself in for a doozy. No matter how far you get, unless you reach the one check point at the very top, you will be sent straight back to the beginning over and over. This type of push back on the last level always endears a game to me I think the completion of a game should be a challenge and in that area Trine delivers.

My experience with the first of the Trine trilogy most definitely has me looking forward to the other two, & with the company partnering with GameStop for publishing on a new project, now is a good time to dig into the games if you haven't already.

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Star Wars: KOTOR

In honor of "May The 4th Be With You" day, I am doing a review in homage to Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. It is available now on so many platforms that there is no excuse for not having played this classic RPG.

They even have this game on iOS now, which if you would have predicted to me years in the past, I would have laughed manically in your face. I have not played KOTOR on iPhone, but I have played the first 2 Dragon Quests & a Bards Tale on iOS and thoroughly enjoyed them so a great port of this seems likely.

I finished KOTOR for the first time a year ago on my honeymoon or shortly thereafter on Steam (sorry babe 😜). I was revisiting it because I had played but not finished years earlier on XBOX. It has all the elements I've ever wanted out of a Star Wars game and does a great job capturing multiple worlds in the Universe and exploring some great stories within the mythos.

My wife and I just finished re-watching all of the Star Wars movies a couple of weeks ago, & if you haven't played KOTOR, maybe this game should be your way to celebrate "May The 4th Be With You".

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Lifeline

Lifeline explores uncharted territory for mobile games by taking an interactive story aspect and meshing it with features on your phone that make you feel connected to the story in a way that no other game has before it.

It's critics may say it is nothing but a "choose your own adventure story", but it's emersive style and great storytelling make Lifeline much more than that. Taylor is the astronaut who you will find yourself worrying about as you go about your daily routine, and I can remember more than one time waiting and waiting while dreading that I had made the wrong choice for the young space traveler.

I was relieved after leading Taylor to an untimely end to know that I could restart from the beginning and fast forward past waiting times that I had already experienced. You are also able to just rewind to a certain decision you made and just restart it from there if you don't want to see what other small decisions might have held. All in all I think Lifeline set a precedent for games that I can not wait to play on mobile, & am excited to see what further innovations in this genre may hold in the future.

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Shadow Complex

I downloaded Shadow Complex as a free game with XBOX Live Gold, for a moment I was taken aback that it was a side scrolling shooter type game (not usually my favorite style), but once I dove into it I was very pleasantly surprised. Shadow Complex made me a believer in this style of game and already has me downloading other games of the genre on steam and scoping out ones already out and coming soon.

The guys at Chair made great use of the space in each section, with a very clever map that requires your full puzzle solving brain. Now I may have called this a side scroller, but don't be confused. You climb up through air vents go down to the basement, swim in the water, & shoot people on any side of your character.

This game was extremely innovative in the way it used the left to right (& up to down) format. After getting past my initial fear of the style of game, I was hooked. I stayed up until 5 O clock on a Saturday night because I simply had to beat this game 😄.

Shadow Complex Remastered is now out on multiple platforms, and I highly recommend anyone to give it a play and possibly open your eyes to a whole new style of game if you're anything like me.

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Hearthstone (Lovecraftian Cards)

I'd like to start by saying I loved Hearthstone before this update, but I am a straight up Lovecraft geek, so the new "Old Gods" cards are right up my alley.

I avidly support those who support the work of H.P. Lovecraft and felt compelled to make a post about the new cards. If you haven't been playing (I have only been for a short time now) but are a huge Lovecraft fan like myself, then now is the time to jump right in.

Hearthstone pretty much clicked with me right away, even though I haven't played a real card game since Pokemon in my childhood. The tutorial does a great job of letting you understand the mechanics and although it can be grueling at times once in competitive online play, I find myself drawn to it sometimes nightly. 

The new format has changed to make each month a new season and you receive rewards for each month of play. It's a great time to go ahead and see what all the fuss is about with Hearthstone for multiple reasons, and with the all new non-Euclidean horrors of the "Old Gods" packs, Blizzard has made the deal that much sweeter for players of this highly addictive and easy to learn card game. 

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Child of Light

From start to finish this is one of the most artistic and beautiful experiences out there. Ubisoft alleviates some of the evil corporate image they have become so known for in past years while releasing a product that is something completely apart from the rest of the crowd. This game will tug at your heart strings and keep you mesmerized with an amazing soundtrack and an art direction completely of its own. 

The poetic rhyming style of speech was a wise choice and always felt as if it completely belonged in the setting of the game. I appreciate that I am able to play it in front of my child, but it is not by any means a game that feels too childish to enjoy. With an almost JRPG style combat system, that allows you swap between characters always keeping two on the battlefield against up to three enemies, I never found myself tiring of the fights that lead you along in your journey.

 There is a crafting system for "Occuli" that you gain through discovery and battle, in which you merge the different types together creating various types of upgrades for your characters attacks & defenses. The boss fights present more of a challenge than I had initially anticipated, which was very welcome and satisfying. I was also glad to see that when finished with the story you can still go through Lemuria to finish up the side quests which you did not find the time to. The controls are a great fit on both controller & mouse & keyboard which make this truly an adventure to behold. For more reviews & video game news make sure to follow this blog & follow on instagram & twitter @SublimeReviews