talesfromthebacklog

[talesfromthebacklog]

Are you looking to click with a new game and want something genuinely different?

I am always hunting for new titles to reinvigorate that click I feel with video games. Not all video games will click but when they do they can be something truly special. I wanted to go over some of my favorite games I’ve played in recent years that are available on current gen consoles. I’m not covering anyone upcoming, these are titles you can pick up today. Cheaply at that. Several of which are on sale on Steam right now as of writing this.

So. Enough chit chat. Lets’s start with an easy one:

Paradise Killer:

PC Switch PS4/PS5 Xbox

I just finished this one and am in the middle of writing my review on it. Painfully stylish with a killer vaporwave soundtrack this game oozes aesthetic. Kaizen Game Works understood the hauntology assignment and took it to the MAX. You are an investigator trying to solve an immortal god-like council’s murder in a dystopian society. You’ve returned to this gorgeous open world parasite paradise from your exile of 3 million days (about 8219 years)! If you’ve played Outer Wilds this is among that same vein. (And I will caution you, while not hard, the game relies on you wanting to just explore. It will provide hints but it won’t hold your hand.)

This is an Ace Attorney-esqe collectathon mixed with open world and exploration. There is no combat. Both the writing and the world are spectacular. Don’t deny yourself something this wonderful, because it is.

This has quickly risen among my gaming ranks as a favorite and it hits to being as close of a favorite as my number 2 suggestion…

Outer Wilds:

PC Switch PS4/PS5 Xbox

This is perhaps one of my favorite games of all time. I wanted to talk about this second because Outer Wilds has received more of the notoriety it deserves in recent times and I wanted PK to get the main spotlight. Don’t get it twisted though If it wasn’t for UpIsNotJump’s video (<— Spoilers) I would have never realized what I was missing. And I still think a lot of people don’t understand what they’re missing too. It is an absolute masterpiece. And seeing it getting released physically again is a god send. I want people to play this game. (And it’s DLC Echoes of The Eye)

No combat. You are a scientist exploring your local solar system in your spaceship in an open “universe” instead of an open world. The sun explodes every 22 minutes which sends your memories back in time. Again, I will caution you that the game relies on you wanting to explore. It will not direct you.

Eastward:

PC Switch Xbox

Too much exploring. Let’s reel it back with Eastward. A Zelda-like where you control an older man and a little girl with psychic powers in a post apocalyptic world. If you’re looking for those fun pixel games that pack that quirky feel this is it. A bit existential, a great sense of humor, and fantastic writing are all part of the Eastward package. (You startin’ to see a theme here? Ha ha)

All while boasting a seriously killer pixel soundtrack. The original Iron Carbine trailer for the Nintendo Direct had an immediate impact on me as a gamer. I knew this was a game I would fall in love with. Sometimes you just know when something is special. This game is beautifully pixelated and packed with lovingly crafted content. Puzzles are the right amount of challenging and there is so much fun side stuff to do. Including a Dragon Quest-esqe game inside the game! It also received DLC via Eastward Octopia! Which I also love.

Moon: A Remix RPG

PC Switch PS4/PS5

I do play games with combat. I swear. Several of these games just don’t have it! (Ha!) This will perhaps be the hardest game to sell to you on this list. I have a soft spot for quirky games like this, but know that this was a PS1 Japanese exclusive game in the 90s. And it sure acts like it. Slow to start, weak tutorial, and doesn’t provide a ton of direction. This game was ported into English for the first time in 2020 and I love it. It is a trial and error experience though.

This cult classic is one of the games that inspired Undertale and when you play it becomes wildly apparent. I dare say it reminds me more of Undertale than its other main inspiration Earthbound. You are a little boy that’s been fallen into his video game and you have to save the souls of monsters the hero has killed using love. (Sound familiar?)

Light hearted and weird this game also has a great sense of humor as it pokes at classic RPG tropes. And that slow intro comes into play providing a unique perspective as you journey through the game befriending people. It won’t be for everyone, I would research this one before sinking the… $18.99 on the purchase. But I think it is worth experiencing if you love Undertale.

I think I’ve yakked enough. If folks like the post I’ll follow up with a part two with a little more genre variety! I wanted to the first post to include my top favorites. So. I hope there’s something in there that invigorates you the way these games did for me.

#Moon A Remix RPG #MOON #Eastward #Paradise Killer #Outer Wilds #game recommendations #games #video games #nintendo #nintendo switch #gaming #gamer #indie game #playstation #xbox #microsoft #Undertale #playstation 5 #playstation 4 #indie games #indie #video game recommendations #video game review #video game #vaporwave

[talesfromthebacklog]

Tales From The Frontlog: Princess Peach Showtime.

7/10

Princess Peach Showtime is good. It’s a game I’m willing to bet will be overlooked in the sea of Mario titles that exist on the Switch. It’ll probably be even a bit pricey down the line. The smaller weird titles like this tend to do that.

The best way to describe this game is that it’s a game about a being magical girl who uses various transformations to help people. When you look hard enough almost all the tropes are there and that alone makes this worth a pickup. Because games that are so blatantly like that are rare.

But you really feel like it’s missing something that could’ve made it truly special. Which is weird because it does offer a very complete experience. I guess the best way to put it is it has trouble feeling like a “Mario” world title. And not because Mario is missing. Give me some credit.

I had a fantastic time playing, but we’re about the dissect what I think Princess Peach Showtime is missing.

Firstly I want to get aesthetic out of the way. Partially because there were a lot arguments online if Peach was “fem” enough. Which was peak stupidity. Peach is the fem of fems. It was insane this was even an argument. Also these outfits rocked.

But more importantly her game really lacked that Mario pop. Peach is fun, the premise is great, but you really could swap out Peach for a different magical girl and the premise/world still work. Peach just sells better. And she’s cute. Just look at her.

And I’m not complaining about the absence of most of the Mario cast. Characters as individuals should be able to shine on their own. Peach being the only main cast member used was a great decision. But you don’t feel like you’re in that high fantasy Mario environment. Even when away from the Mushroom Kingdom mario still has a very specific look to it.

Mario is high fantasy in its own way. I wanted to see that better reflected in Princess Peach Showtime. Every once in a while you do see glimpses, specifically in a Paper Mario way. Where the backgrounds are obviously set dressing, the horses have strings, some thorns were cardboard cut out, etc.

I think they needed to lean into this more. In a way I think the environment needed to be less immersive. I get that “there’s evil magic” but I think it should’ve looked a bit more hokey like real plays. Also put some people in the audience watching Peach rescue people. Have curtains close at the end of levels instead of it fading to white and then closing. You’re closing the curtain. You don’t need the fade to white. They’re small details that would’ve gone a long way to really increase the look. Maybe even bring some of the lighting in as part of the platforming where you’re running on the equipment and then reenter on a stage over.

It might be a useless complaint. I think this might’ve been more of a quick budget title for Nintendo at the end of a console life cycle, but don’t quote me on that.

There’s small aesthetic nitpicks I have too.

Like what the fuck is this? And they do this with the green and blue dresses too where they add this clashing purple. I’m not going to sit here and tell you she looks hideous. She doesn’t, but let us have a dress that is completely blue! And they don’t match the shoe color to any of the dresses fyi. Those stay her traditional red. I know that’s a nitpick, like a really small one, but it still… bothers me. I understand why they put it there. I just don’t care. Purple and yellow? And so lazily executed? Hmpf.

And she obviously looks better when everything matches to some degree. Look at that! Why did they restrict the color palette on the dress options so much. I get that pink is her color but… come on. The costumes are allowed to break the mold but the dresses aren’t?

Also just missed opportunity for some simple easter egg dresses. Especially since some of those challenges are tedious as all get out. I did all that to earn this ⬇️ and not something genuinely cool. Fucking ick. It’s not bad looking but not worth doing a frustrating to control challenge for. I’m not even asking for new dress models. But let us put her in a Daisy dress or something. I don’t know.

And the levels… are always fun on a first play through. But if you’re playing without a guide as a completionist you’ll need to run through them more than once because it is easy to miss stuff. And it can be more time consuming than it’s worth. And when you’re on a fourth attempt that shit gets old quick.

Don’t get it twisted though: this game is short, sweet, and regularly mixes up the gameplay to keep gamer’s on their toes. There are no costumes or game mechanics that overstay their welcome. Whenever I walked into a new stage I was uncertain what I would be walking into and the costumes are all equally fun in different ways. They do a good job balancing out the adventure and recreation costumes too. So you get a break from faster paced action by baking instead. Smart. My favorite is you get a magical girl transformation for each new costume you get and only for the first time you get it.

The transformations are fun. Plain and simple.

From a gameplay perspective I don’t actually have that many complaints. It’s not complicated by any means, nor is it hard. But it’s not meant to be those things. Princess Peach Showtime is just a fun cozy game getaway. Maybe even something you play in between other games.

Then there’s Madame Grape. I get what they were going for. They wanted a fruit villain because they have a “fruit” protagonist. (I think there is an homage to Dionysus as well.) But it’s just very eh. I don’t know how to fix that to make it less eh. I think it’s a core design problem. Additionally Madame Grape, despite being mentioned throughout the entire story, isn’t very important. She is a vessel for the plot to exist. Which isn’t inherently a bad thing, a lot of Nintendo villains fill this role, but she also has no iconic qualities to her either. She’s just kind’ve this purple blob that shows up from time to time. I do like that Nintendo didn’t use Bowser though. It keeps the game female centric. So that’s cool.

I can’t get over how she needs to look more grape themed. I know Peach doesn’t necessarily have Peach themes but like… you could’ve told me she was the fucking plum queen and I would’ve believed you. But I’m nitpicking again.

Stella the helper is… nothing. She exists as the vessel to make Peach a magical girl. Stella is the magical girl pet/wand/narrator for the adventure. She’s not bad. She’s just nothing.

The other NPCs (both friend and foe) fall into that Nintendo hole of being the same cardboard cutout person in different costumes over and over too. (At least they had different costumes…) Which is to be expected at this point, they’re just “not Toads”. And I know not every game can have a Mario Odyssey budget but I feel like we needed more visual variety within the NPC cast. Though this is an old ass complaint folks have had about Mario titles for a while so I’m not going to dwell on it too much.

Also while “stars” make sense the little “not toads” should’ve been fruit themed too. That way you could at least swap out multiple colors and call them different “fruits” if you wanted to be lazy about it.

I guess that’s the issue with the game in general. The only real character that has any semblance of personality is Peach. Everything and everyone else is just set dressing so Peach can perform for the player. it makes sense but it leaves the world feeling empty. And I’m not asking for lore. This is not that kind of game. I think I just want more substance. Which is hard to do when you’re boiling down tropes into a 3 act structure for each costume.

And I have a lot of nitpicks here. Almost like I dislike the game. Which was not the case at all. I had a grand time. The costumes are fun, it’s fun to play all the way through, and the levels in the game itself also doesn’t overstay its welcome. At max you’re looking at a 12 hour experience if you’re a completionist.

Under ten if you just want to play it.

Visually the game is beautiful. The music was nothing to write home about.

But. I think because it’s a short experience I’m disappointed it didn’t push itself harder to be high aesthetic. Games that are both genuinely good and girly are hard to find. Often “feminine focused” games like this just fucking suck. You can tell Nintendo cared about this project.

But I think to be an 8 or 9 experience it needed to push its visuals a bit harder.

#princess peach #peach #princess toadstool #mario #mario bros #super mario bros #super mario #princess peach showtime #peach showtime #nintendo switch #nintendo #tales from the frontlog #magical girl #magical girls #video game review #game review #game reviews

[talesfromthebacklog]

Hell. Yes. I love being wrong. That’s all I have to say about that!

#persona #persona 3 reload #persona series #shin megami tensei #shin megami tensei persona #SMT #THE ANSWER #Episode Aigis #Persona 3 FES

[talesfromthebacklog]

Tales From The Frontlog: Piczle Cross Story of Seasons

Rating: Sure if you like Picross. They’re all the same shit.

“Yup. That’s Picross.” ~ Tales From The Backlog

Nintendo Eshop Link: Click Here

#what am I REALLY supposed to say? #The 3D models are ugly as hell. and the game plays great. That’s it. It’s Picross. #Picross #piczle cross: story of seasons #Piczle Cross #story of seasons #nintendo #nintendo switch #tales from the backlog #gaming #tftb #video games #gamer #cozy games #puzzle games

[talesfromthebacklog]

Tales From The Frontlog: Persona 3: Reload

10/10

It’s titles like Persona that make me go: “God damn, anime is so fucking cool.”

These are people who KNEW what they were doing when working on this remake. My only previous experience with Persona 3 was with Persona 3 Portable. And it shouldn’t be shocking that while good it didn’t have the same impact as Reload did. (Though I did still pick up P3P on Switch through Limited Run! As that was likely the cheapest we would ever see it.)

Reload completely blows P3P out of the park and has asserted itself as my favorite Persona game. (Persona 4 being my previous first favorite.). I completely destroyed this game and am sad the experience is over. (Had to get done quick so I could play Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on release!)

Persona 3: Reload is elegant, mature, wickedly stylish, and very sad. I love well written sad things. I’ve heard people call this title edgy, but that edge is what defines and makes this Persona so great. If not the best. You know what they say. The third time’s the charm! And Persona is an experience, for anyone who loves JRPGS, that people should have at least once.

Join me as I talk about Persona 3: Reload. A story of a teen named Makoto. Who just transferred to Tatsumi Port Island and awakened a powerful force by shooting himself in the head.

Persona 3 Reload is painfully stylish and cool. It’s gotten a lot of upgrades including a new voice cast. Which I think does a better job sounding more natural. Especially Bebe. The old crew did a phenominal job but I just like new performances better.

Also the amount of voice acting we got. Wow. Practically the whole thing has voice acting. Even all the social links. I think that might be a first, but don’t quote me on that.

Then there’s the art direction, which has been somewhat of a hot topic, but I like the new art assets better. The original artwork has an undeniable charm but the new stuff has this great polish.

Though I dare say the older art better lends to the “creepy” tone of the game. The traditionally beautiful anime faces do take away from that a little.

And this new look isn’t just the art assets and sprites, it goes as far as the menu.

I don’t say this often, but that’s hot. That menu is everything. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so strongly about a menu. I would fight a stranger in the parking lot if they told me this menu looked bad. It is so slick and sleek. It hurts because of how good this looks.

This? This gives me math folder vibes. I think this was why I was so much more drawn to Persona 4 in the first place.

Well. Not because of the menu. The menu is functional and doesn’t look awful by any stretch of the imagination. We all know that fully functional is a high bar for developers to reach nowadays.

But each Persona, from 1 - 5 and now to Reload, was a step into stronger art direction. Each Persona contributed something new artistically to get it to its current state of intense stylization. Persona 3 Reload is simply a culmination of all these steps forward. It makes me feel bad for not touching the main Shin Megani Tensei series at all. Because I don’t get to see the artistic history from it that could have contributed to Persona. I’m aware I’m missing out and need to correct that! Ha!

TLDR: Persona 3: Reload is so ✨PRETTY✨.

Then there’s the gameplay. Persona ranks among my favorite JRPGs because it has so much side stuff to do. Persona at its core is two different kinds of games. A life sim and a JRPG. If you get bored with one half you can go hang out in the other. Excellent. Brilliant. Love it. Persona is a great ADHD person game. It also gives the game a nice contrast between the light and dark elements. A narrative rest, so to speak. Also the difficulty modes. I’m not afraid to say I prefer normal mode. Some grinding is fine but I hate excessive grinding in games. I feel it overshadows the game. Though without some grind you just have a glorified visual novel. It’s all about balance and personal taste I suppose. But I’m of the belief that grinding doesn’t make a game hard. It makes it time consuming which makes it look like the game is hard. But this is not the same thing! Persona just… GETS that I don’t want to grind for that long.

I love JRPGs, but I tend to run hot and cold with them. I think a lot of them do really suffer from being too samey in their initial presentation. The style and identity the Persona series has is 100% what kept me playing after a friend lent me his Vita to play. He insisted upon it as he handed me Persona 4 Golden.

He was right. Persona was awesome. Persona 3 Reload makes me feel those same feelings when I had that initial introduction to the franchise. I do feel genuinely wowed by this title. Which I don’t feel often in gaming. My favorite part about it is it is set in the modern era. Swords and dragons are nice, but different time periods come with different ideologies, cultures, and challenges. Persona takes the “familiar” and uses that premise to flip your world upside down. And that each one goes with a different aesthetic.

God I hope they remake or rerelease 1 or 2. Or both.

Anyway.

Persona 3 additionally is just so… sad. Persona 4 has those sad moments too but I just feel those main and side stories hit harder in Persona 3. The ending is a sad gut punch. I love it. Like any great visual novel character interactions and story can make or break the experience. And Persona 3 only managed to sharpen those interactions with the newer voice acting and the retranslated script. The whole feel is a lot less awkward.

Then there’s the music. If you didn’t watch the intro I posted in the beginning, do yourself a favor and do so as you read please.

Oh? You’ve heard the song before? Are you saying you don’t want to listen to this jazzy and funky soundtrack again? Heresey I say!

Oh? You don’t want to scroll back up? No problem fam. I’m gonna post the full track here.

And the whole soundtrack is this good. This is just a taste. Ugh. It’s so good. It is both energizing and soothing. I ask you to listen purely because my words can’t do it justice.

I am recognizing what a mistake it was not to play the full console version and what a crime it is that they ported P3P over Persona 3 itself. It had an anime too, did it not? Like a movie or something?

Let’s not start with the FES mess. They’ve basically said it’s not being included even as DLC. I’m just going to play it separately, and by the good grace of god you don’t have to play the whole game over to play “The Answer” arc. (Which I’ll post an update on that when I do that. Someday.)

I can take or leave the female protagonist. I want a female protagonist, but in P3P she was always kind of an empty husk that you knew wasn’t the “real” main character. I don’t mind games where I play a character instead of myself. But I feel they could do a new unique perspective if they switched it up for Persona 6. Especially since they are nailing down some of the problematic elements of the series.

I’m aware that they’ve changed a lot from the original Persona 3 to Reload. But to be frank my memory has just never been that long lasting or great. I can genuinely come back to most games after a certain amount of time and it’s like playing it brand new over again. A blessing and a curse. But I can remember Tartarus being a bigger pain in the ass than it is now. Tartarus also seems notably more varied in design as you climb. I feel like I am having a distinctly better time than the first time. (I may have to play a brief stint in portable to see if this is true.)

Side note: The Dark Hour as a concept in itself is a topic I want to cover in its own post at some point. This isn’t unique to Reload which isn’t why I’m not talking about a lot of elements like this (Because remake reviews should be more about what is improved) but it was still a genius way to fit in an alternate world.

At the end of the day, and right before the dark hour, Persona 3: Reload had no excuse to fail. The bones of the beast itself were so good. As long as you left it to simmer and caramelize this remake always destined to be great. It takes elements and tricks that made later titles great and Atlus applied all their learned skills here.

It’s stuff the Persona, and SMT, community already loved. And for good reason. It was already a compelling experience and it’s one I’m really glad I came back to. Playing it this way really changed how I felt about the game as a whole. Even without the extra content I’m going to say this is THE WAY to play Persona 3 from here on out. We’ll see if I feel that way after playing Persona 3: FES. But don’t expect to see that critique any time soon.

#Persona 3 #Persona #Persona 3 Reload #persona series #shin megami tensei #SMT #Shin Megami Tensei Persona #Persona 3 Portable #PlayStation 5 #tales from the backlog #gaming #tftb #video games #video game review #video game #visual novel #JRPG #jrpg games #JRPGS

[talesfromthebacklog]

Tales From The Backlog: Luna’s Fishing Garden

6/10

This one is a short but sweet experience. It’s the Stardew Valley fishing mini-game with some very light management sim maintenance. Not good at fishing mini-games? It basically has an easy mode so don’t sweat it.

I got it on the Nintendo Switch shop for $7.99.

But also as of writing this it is 33% off on Steam at $5.35.

You play as a girl that got swept up in a storm and trapped in the spirit realm. You set up a garden and help local spirits so you can leave. That’s it. It’s not one I would actively recommend, but if you were on the fence about buying it I’d tell you to pick it up. The experience lasted maybe 2-3 hours. Which is about what I expected. And I’m okay with short cozy game experiences. I appreciate a game that knows what it is and doesn’t overstay its welcome.

The pixel graphics are really well done. The sprites are all very detailed and cute. Nothing else stands out as something to write home about. There’s more to do like fishing, planting, harvesting plants, and mini side quests. But that’s it. I liked that you could catalogue everything you grew and caught.

It’s a great little game but not one I would go “you have to play this”. But if you’re gonna spend the $8 to $5… I don’t think you’ll be disappointed either.

#Luna’s Fishing Garden #Lunas Fishing Garden #nintendo #nintendo switch #video game review #video games #video game #games #gaming #tales from the backlog #tftb #gamer #indie game #cozy games #steam games #steam #Youtube

[talesfromthebacklog]

Our lord and savior Shadow The Hedgehog.

#sonic #sonic the hedgehog #shadow #shadow the hedgehog #jesus christ #*rubs temples* jesus christ. #sega

[talesfromthebacklog]

Tales From The Backlog: Cattails

7/10

In the simplest way I can put this: It’s Stardew Valley but with cats!

With. CATS.

At least that’s how I saw it initially described. And it’s a pretty accurate description for what it is. It was also $3 on sale with a newly released sequel. Which I view sequels as a potential indicator of quality. Not necessarily high quality but played enough where developers thought: “Yeah. More than one. People might like that.”

And I do. I do like this game a lot. It deserved an expanded sequel. It’s a life sim RPG where you are a cat abandoned on the side of the road by your owner and you are taken in by other local cats into a cat colony. It’s cute. I like this game SO MUCH. The sequel looks even better!!!

My cat’s name is Butter. Let’s talk about it!

I like cozy games. But cats aren’t really my thing? I like them. I like petting them and all that junk. But cats are like horses. The people who like cats are REALLY into cats. Just like horse people. You know? Meaning: Cat games aren’t my thing. Horse games are.

I don’t even remember how I stumbled across this game. I think it was blind luck because nothing about the art or the name denotes what kind of experience it will be other than cat.

Hence why I didn’t use it as the opener pic. The art is cute though. Though on Switch this same art is really pixelated when it was used as the title screen. And not in an intentional way. It comes across like it was blown up too big on the screen.

And I play in handheld mode 90% of the time. Not a complaint, just an observation.

Regardless of how I ran into the game, what was in this $3 package?

A pretty great experience actually. Simple. Cute. It had more content than I expected it to. It is not an empty experience.

Like Stardew Valley there are various familiar elements:

There’s the cat shrine, which is like the community center. You bring various specific goods to unlock things. In this case it unlocks little puzzles to work on throughout the map which also reward you. While not finished this is a breeze to get through.

There’s the town bulletin board in which you complete quests to earn special currency to get special items.

There are marriage candidates. You can get married to another cat. I can’t decide between Krampy and Alisa. Very different vibes.

Yes you can have kittens and they can look like a mix between the player character and your spouse. Ridiculous. I LOVE THAT. This is the gameplay I want to see!

I’m pretty satisfied with the writing of the NPCs. Not the most top tier but a lot of these style of games get overly childish dialogue. Cattails does not suffer from this problem. Thank lord. It doesn’t need to be mature but like… I don’t want to be able to hear you pronounce the word frog with a w just by looking at the text. You know?

Fwog.

The map is almost completely open world. You have to earn your way into little sub areas, but in majority you can do what you want to do and see what you want to see. The game actively rewards you for checking nooks and crannies. The game doesn’t hold your hand and direct you too much though. The game lightly nudges you in the right direction when you follow the main story. Some mechanics aren’t explained well, like the cat colony control thing (I’ll go into this more in a bit). The game is gracious enough to have a short mechanics tutorial though. I love short basic bread and butter tutorials. Some folks like this kind of stuff, some don’t. Just know that out the gate.

Then there’s the mole mines. You dig for treasure and sell it to the moles for special currency to get special items. There’s no crafting element though.

And with no crafting there is no chests, storage, etc. but this is balanced well. Prey is abundant (you will die if you don’t eat) and you aren’t crafting so storage is entirely unnecessary.

There are seasonal festivals with mini games and special prizes. Those are cute.

Then there are the differences. Starting with no farming. Kind of a special rarity. A lot of the cozy game genre leans on farming pretty hard. Maybe almost too much so despite how much I love it. At least in this first game. The second game had screenshots that had farming (Not a complaint.). This game largely depends on you hunting and foraging. It’s cute and different. I like that. The hunting is actually pretty fun too. Weather and season affects your hunting. You have to tie yourself and stalk prey.

On top of the hunting there is very light combat. This is either in the mines or against other randomly named cats in the over world (and the cat names do NOT disappoint). You get to choose which out of three colonies you join. From here on out you are in a constant territorial dispute. On your map screen you can see which areas of the map are dominated, or in the process of domination, by your colony and other colonies. There are two territorial disputes a day to help you sway favor in these zones.

And of course cats from your colony are there to help you! The only, thankfully abusable, downside is that the number of cats generated to both help and attack you are random. But if the numbers aren’t in your favor you can just literally exit and come back until they are.

Combat itself is basic. There are skills and items you can get that do small things to help (like poisoning your claws with local plants? Brutal! I love it). But while basic it is still entertaining to be in little cat wars.

Especially since it also allows for other “towns” to exist. Which a lot of these types of games really lack. There’s something appealing to me about needing to travel to a separate community as a player. I feel like it makes the world seem bigger.

Which you must earn your way in by offering gifts to these communities. It’s basic but I’m hoping by the time I finish and play the second game they will have expanded on it because it’s super fun to see your colony dominating the area. I didn’t expect this game to hit like it did.

It also has an experience point mechanic. Completing pretty much any activity successfully will net you experience points. Hunting, fighting, mining, etc. You then spend those points to raise your skills which can unlock additional special abilities. Again. Basic but in an extremely functional way. Basic isn’t always bad.

There is better cat customization once you enter the game but you gotta earn it. Which feels fair. There is nothing that is painfully out of reach. I do wish there was a baby bit of house customization but I get why it’s not there. It’s literally not needed.

…But it would be cool to have a cat tree in the house or upgrades to make it visually more appealing. That kind of stuff. I’m hoping the sequel expanded on this too.

The art style in majority is… alright. Except for Krampy. That plague doctor mask is so… good. It’s looks so silly. I kind of wish they leaned on that kind of style more? It’s good but could use a stronger sense of visual identity. Which they definitely provided for the sequel. The assets and general world look a lot more lived in and full.

There’s also small things missing that aren’t a big deal breaker but I want to see in the future. Like a relationship chart in the menu. There’s no dedicated map button. The mini map is largely useless. The game emphasizes you have to take care of yourself and I wish there were one or two more survival elements to keep the player on their toes, especially since the current survival mechanics are almost too manageable.

I like that sleeping doesn’t heal you. You need to either find meds or get healed at the doctor. And both are in plenty supply. You’re never hurting that bad where it’s not easy to get healed.

You’ll notice I haven’t mentioned much about the story. Mostly because the story isn’t terribly remarkable. You gotta get the world back in balance by finishing the community center cat shrine. That’s the story. It doesn’t need to be deep though. Let’s be real. That’s not why you’d play the game. You’re playing for cat and gameplay. It does that job fine.

Overall, I wasn’t expecting this solid of an experience. If it had a physical I’d be apt to recommend it to the folks who are more inclined to like these kind of titles. I would say likely out of the two you can probably skip the first game and just head right for the second for that expanded experience.

But also the first game was $3 when I bought it. Hard to beat that price point when you’re trying a new game out for the first time.

By the looks of it I can expect an even stronger experience from the sequel. Which I’ll get to.

…Eventually.

……Someday.

#stardew valley #cozy game #cozy games #cattails #tales from the backlog #nintendo switch #nintendo #gaming #tftb #video games #gamer #indie game #steam #steam games #cattails game #Furry? #cats #cat #cat game

[talesfromthebacklog]

Tales From The Backlog: The Indigo Disk DLC

8/10 (Though if glitches bug you I’d wait on this DLC)

I’ve largely been playing DLC on games I’ve already played this month. Does DLC count as a backlog item? I think so.

Indigo Disk is part two of the hidden treasure of Area Zero story. However. The most important part of this DLC is that ME AND MY PRECIOUS BABY BOY FINALLY MATCH. LOOK AT MY SON. We’re twinsies. And I mean that unironically.

His name is Endymion. I named him after Sailor Moon. I bred him myself and his stats are immaculate. He’s my special boy.

Oh? The DLC? Like the gameplay part?

Without getting into spoilers (The story is a continuation of the story of Kitakami.) the gameplay is largely more of what we’ve already gotten. Along with a few new features like synchronization (Basically you get to explore as your Pokemon. Which is AMAZING.)

I have mixed feelings about the story. It’s… okay. Some of it feels like an after thought and tacked on. Carmine is back though. She’s my friend. I like her.

Indigo Disk does have a lot of elements I love though. Harder battles, more Pokemon, lots of double battles, new character customization options, a new elite four that was actually somewhat tough, etc.

I love the terrarium and how you can expand it by getting special points to spend. The separate regions are cool. The terrarium of Blueberry Academy is underwater. I mention this because I find it boring that they put an LCD screen “sky” instead of the ocean as the sky box. The game doesn’t need another excuse to lag but boy howdy is that lame as hell.

I adore Pokemon Violet. I think it is an amazing game that has been hindered by a game company rushing it. It’s the best Pokemon I’ve played ever. But it is not above criticism.

Indigo Disk is a symptom of a larger problem. Like the rest of Scarlet and Violet it should come as no surprise that this update is… janky. Pop in, glitches, more of the usual. A lot of it is ignorable to me but it still comes across as lower quality than a project this big should’ve been.

I have already 100%ed both the main game and teal mask, and I’m disappointed to say I have yet to complete Indigo Disk due to bugs. Such as legendaries having shit stats upon battling. While I don’t battle competitively I do still care about my Pokemon having quality stats. I’d go over more of the glitches but it’s the same complaints has had since launch.

I am sad not all Pokemon are available for the game. Galarian Ponyta and Paras are some of my favorite Pokemon. That’s not necessarily the game’s fault. I’m of the opinion that Pokemon shouldn’t have to have their entire catalog for every single game. I think making people mix it up makes things interesting. It does not change my disappointment however. Ha!

Mechanically it’s a great piece of DLC. There’s tons to explore and do. But once again the game holds itself back from being something truly special. I hope Pokemon continues the open world route (Which I think they will if you look at Scarlet and Violet’s sales numbers) and take some more time to let their material cook.

#pokemon #scarlet #violet #pokemon scarlet #pokemon violet #pokemon scarlet and violet #nintendo #nintendo switch #tales from the backlog #tftb #gaming #video games

[talesfromthebacklog]

Game store highlight: The most IMMACULATE complete NES box came to visit

I get to see a lot of cool stuff, but perfection like this doesn’t come in every day.

This is the cleanest most beautifully conditioned Nintendo Entertainment System I’ve ever seen. While it is open it looked like it was pulled off of a store shelf yesterday.

We ended up passing on it (As we couldn’t offer the amount the customer should get. And we encouraged them to sell privately. Because pieces like this are RARE.)

No scratches, no crinkles, no damage. It had the original styrofoam which was also minty.

When you say that your console is perfection when you come into a game store, this is what we expect to see. That was the definition of perfection.

#nintendo #nintendo entertainment system #nes #game store #video games #gaming #gamer #mint #retro games #retro #retro gaming

[talesfromthebacklog]

Tales From The Backlog: The Fashion Dreamer Fantasy Fair update

4/10

Fashion Dreamer had a much needed update. Many quality of life features that should have been in the game at LAUNCH are now only being instituted. (No favorite items list on launch? Pfft.) It’s also is having its first event. It was… very okay. The new stuff is cute but the fact some stuff wasn’t a permanent recipe to earn was wildly irritating. Especially since the “event” is so dry. It’s so bare minimum.

I would say calling it an event is an… interesting word choice for something so blase. It almost reminds me of a mobile game in that fashion. Fashion Dreamer is basically going to eke out the things it was supposed to have much like Animal Crossing did. 🙄

Also a side note getting a million followers in game is a HASSLE. This is not something that would happen during natural play at ALL.

I started at 90k in-game followers (This was with 30 HOURS of gameplay.). In order to get to a million in a reasonable time frame (which is REQUIRED for certain dress unlocks.) I had to take roughly a THOUSAND screenshots. Because you get roughly a thousand followers per picture and far less followers when you do lookits.

So for a couple hours I went back and forth between two muses (in game models you can dress up) taking selfies with them. So I got there. But no player would play like this. Ever. It’s annoying. I know you want folks playing for a long time, but to put this into perspective: If no one cheated, I guarantee most folks playing wouldn’t have the dress that the current even is CENTERED around. That’s a problem!

Don’t even get me started on the scarcity of rare items in the gacha machine. This is not a freemium title. Why are you making false scarcity instead of making a BETTER GAME? Love Nikki does dress Pokemon so much better than Fashion Dreamer does.

I like this game. A lot. But it’s not a title I would actively recommend for others.

They can’t all be winners.

#Fashion Dreamer #Style Savvy #nintendo switch #nintendo

[talesfromthebacklog]

Adding to The Backlog: Christmas Sale Pickups.

This is the time of year I pick up the most titles (which I then work on for the rest of the year.). And why not? Everything is on sale! I actually budget for this time of year.

It’s “Tales From The Backlog” not “We buy nothing until I finish the backlog”. The backlog will never be finished.

So let’s go over what I got! Links for everything will provided. As I find people are more likely to engage if the work was already done for them. Me included. This is not necessarily a suggestion list. If you want to see if any of these games are actually any good follow my blog. But I do think it’s interesting to show people what kind of gamer you are, the games you’re attracted to, their difficulty level.

A gamer’s library says a lot about a gamer, in my opinion.

For Playstation 5:

Goodbye Volcano High:

TLDR: I put this one first because if you don’t see any of the other games on my pickup list, I AT LEAST want you to consider this one. This was the only Playstation title I picked up on sale (It is also on Steam). This is pre(historic)-apocalyptic coming of age visual novel with killer animation and music. I’m surprised I don’t see folks talk about this one more. It’s maybe the most stunning looking visual novel to come out this year. (At least at a glance)

Which is a hefty claim considering titles like Jack Jeanne and Virche Evermore: Error Salvation dropped this year. I can’t WAIT to play this one.

For Nintendo Switch:

Roots of Pacha:

I came back around to this one. It looks like Stardew Valley but with cavemen. You don’t see cavemen touched on a lot anymore so it seems different and interesting.

Wylde Flowers:

This is one see that keeps popping up in conversations and videos as a great cozy game. It’s supposed to be really good. I’m honest enough to admit that it being on the Apple app store as well as Switch makes me REALLY skeptical. But I’ve seen enough gameplay where I’m willing to take a chance.

Coromon:

I enjoy Pokemon-like titles. I don’t think we get enough of them. I love Pokemon. And you’ll be seeing my update on how I feel about Scarlet/Violet’s last piece of DLC the Indigo Disc here pretty soon.

However Pokemon is so domineering on the market that a lot of these smaller collector games get unnoticed. This seems to be a very unapologetic Pokemon-clone much like Monster Crown. Which is fine by me.

Nexomon + Nexomon: Extinction bundle:

Another very obvious Pokemon clone. But it’s obviously prettier than its Coromon counterpart. (Kinda wish the names were more unique.) I have nothing new to say here.

Monster Sanctuary:

Pokemon… but it’s a Metroidvania. $3.99. I swear the theme wasn’t intentional they just all popped up on sale at decent prices.

2021 Moon Escape:

This is from the same people who did Traumatarium. I did a review on that one a few months back. It’s on sale for $2.49. And this ISN’T my cheapest pickup for this year. The gameplay reminds me of Zelda or Star Tropics. But I don’t know much about it other than what the trailer already shows us. But also it was $2.49. It’s okay with me if it’s just okay. Not all games have to be 10/10.

Mythic Ocean:

I have a soft spot for ocean games. Even the more spooky ones like Subnautica or Dredge still have this serene element to them. Mythic Ocean is no different. You apparently help a pantheon of gods find themselves. Which in turn those choices shape the world around you. Sounds simple, short, and cute. It looked a bit explorable too? We’ll see. I’m unsure about that part. It’s on sale for $1.99. And this was my cheapest pickup this season.

For Steam:

Sonic Forces: Overclocked (Steam version REQUIRED for this)

I have, in no uncertain terms. Have played this game. I 100%ed it even. I like the game. Played better but I still like it.

HOWEVER. I haven’t played Sonic Forces Overclocked. Which requires the PC version of Sonic Forces!

This is a FAN MADE incredible mod that blows the original game out of the water apparently. This is, perhaps, my most high priority game purchase of the YEAR. And it’s only $10 to buy Forces right now. This is literally a no brainer.

Slay The Princess:

I felt like videos on this one sprung up seemingly overnight on Youtube. I watched someone play the demo and it was an awesome looking game. A horror visual novel about saving a princess is a neat little premise. This one was barely on sale, but I see myself playing this one soon because of the hype. The full voice acting is great.

Magical Diary: Wolf Hall

The original visual novel Magical Diary: Horse Hall was a game a friend showed me back in high school. Pretty innocent and cute. When this dropped in 2020 I was surprised the game got a sequel at all. The thing I remember most about Horse Hall was that there was a route where you could date Professor Snape. That wasn’t his name but… it might as well have been.

#sonic forces overclocked #magical diary #magical diary wolf hall #monster sanctuary #nexomon #nexomon extinction #coromon #wylde flowers #goodbye volcano high #roots of pacha #2021 Moon Escape #Mythic Ocean #sonic forces #visual novel #pokemon #gaming #gamer #steam #steam sale #nintendo #nintendo switch #PlayStation

[talesfromthebacklog]

A rambling thought: I’m a gaming Antiques Roadshow person 😂

Well. Vintage at least. (I believe to be considered antique an item has to be at least 100 years old?)

I work at a popular small business retro game shop. We cover everything from Atari 2600 to PlayStation 5 to everything in between. We get more of the casual crowds in for the Christmas season and I realized something.

I’m the equivalent of an Antiques Roadshow person for video games. I can look at pretty much any given product and: determine its value, rough time period, compatibility, authenticity, how it was used, how to care for it, history about the product, etc, and have an encyclopedic knowledge on most of our products. (I’ll admit I’m weaker with Pre-85 and Neogeo. But there are niches in Antiques Roadshow too.)

I basically do that for a living all day long. Especially during the Christmas season when I have to explain a lot of this stuff to people.

I’m not implying I’m unique or special per se. A lot of folks in gaming can do that. It’s just an interesting correlation is all. As I also walk a lot of people through why their stuff is or is not valuable. It’s always the folk that think they don’t have valuable stuff that have absolute gems hidden away. Crazy shit too.

Cool customer: “Yeah I just kept literally every box, manual, and game from my childhood snes collection. No biggie. They’re just boxes. So you’ll what, give me $20 for the lot?.”

Me: “…Sir I’m offering $2000.”

Cool Customer:

On the flip side It’s always the folk with the crusty dusty nasty ass consoles that are 100% convinced their literal trash is valuable that fight me on the value of their stuff.

One time a lady tried to argue with me that her Wii was in “perfect” condition.

It screamed. The Wii was literally screaming when I turned it on (among other problems). The whole store from end to end heard it. We did not accept the Wii. She did not take us up on our offer to e-recycle it for free. She said she’d be able to sell it somewhere else.

Fine with me. It’s the best kind of problem to have, not mine.

#antiques roadshow #video games #gaming #nintendo #nintendo switch #tales from the backlog #tftb #playstation #xbox #retro gaming #retro games #vintage games #gaming retail

[talesfromthebacklog]

Tales From The Backlog: Super Mario Bros Wonder

9/10

ALRIGHT. I LIED. The fomo got me after I saw the singing piranha plants OKAY?

And to be honest, I picked it up on (employee) discount after a bit thinking I wouldn’t get to it as soon as I did. But I’ve been knock out drag out sick since Sunday before Thanksgiving and platformers are traditionally my feel good sick games. I was sick two weeks in a ROW WITH TWO DIFFERENT ILLNESSES. (Neither of which were COVID shockingly.)

BACK TO BACK.

I couldn’t even taste vinegar that well. VINEGAR. I debated on just writing fanfiction and skipping this week too but weirdly I found inspiration in Wonder and Rayman Legends. Both types of platformers I am not historically drawn to.

BUT TODAY IS ABOUT MARIO.

I mean this in no uncertain terms, Mario Wonder is THE BEST 2D Mario experience to date. Hands down. No questions asked. I will die on that hill. I feel like Nintendo has really made it a priority to try and knock their mainline Switch titles out of the ballpark and they keep landing the hits.

Now I think Nintendo always has decent quality titles. At their core they’re almost always built well, functional, and decently fun. But the opinion that their 2D “New” Super Mario franchise was getting old, repeated, and stale is not a new one. I think Mario Wonder really encompasses how I feel about the Switch in general. As always Nintendo has stuff they can improve on, but it is clear they really are pushing to make the games truly special this generation.

WiiU (which the short lifespan is partially to blame for this) is so… empty of personality in comparison to the Switch library even at launch. Like the indie and niche selections? Don’t even get me STARTED.

The WiiU sank so the Switch could fly.

But this isn’t a review of the Switch. It’s a review of Mario Wonder. If you can’t tell I really love it. And this is a legit opinion. I’m not in the paid corporate pockets of IGN or Nintendo. No. The game really is just that solid.

Firstly Mario Wonder has so much personality. I dare say it has old Paper Mario levels of personality. It has a small selection of power ups, but it makes up for this in satisfying level design and… general amusement.

Those singing piranha plants are a really great example. As that is what made me crawl over and go “fine”. I don’t buy 2D Mario’s on launch. I just don’t like them enough. But I think it’s such a good example as to what the game is like as a whole. Mario Wonder is constantly finding new ways to be entertaining and enjoys doing so.

It even starts off with a “bit”. You choose your character and for the intro you walk to the kingdom through a stage as your selected character. The other unselected characters? They’re all here too walking to the kingdom! We were all walking together! Everyone was accounted for! It was so cute and a great introduction to the experience.

On top of standard levels there are all sorts of hidden areas, secret exits, alternate routes, challenges, and collectibles that pay off.

And listen. I know the series is called the MARIO series, but seeing multiple female characters to play as that weren’t locked behind easy mode or late game is amazing. I still distinctly remember being a child myself and us girls fighting over who got to be the ONE GIRL in any of the older Marios.

And then we’d fight about who got Yoshi. Because if we couldn’t be pretty we wanted to be cute.

Anyway most of the time I played Luigi. Now that I’m older and have refined taste Luigi is my favorite.

…But I still pick Peach or Rosalina preferentially! Sorry buddy I like being the pink one and I’m healing my childhood hurt! I DESERVED A TURN TO BE THE PRINCESS BETHANY!

Whatever. I was annoying anyway. They had to eliminate pink carpet squares from a preschool because I was so territorial about having them to myself. So don’t feel bad for me.

Anyway.

Mario Wonder is also a departure from the “New” Super Marios Bros style. Which is… thank god. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that style looks bad. It doesn’t.

But it does look like nothing, especially in comparison to the more stylish pieces they’ve been putting out as of late. Mario Wonder exudes style from start to finish. We are finally in an era where it’s okay for cartoons to look like cartoons again. Sorry if you like the older style, but its blankness was always a turn off for me. That doesn’t make the games inherently bad though. They’re… solid Marios. Just not solid… interesting Marios.

Stylistically I do like it when companies like SEGA dip their toes into “realism” like with Sonic. (Sonic gets to have both. They’re clearly not as consistent as Mario but they have both styles to satisfy all tastes. Though Sonic could use some stronger stylization too. We’re getting there.).

But Mario… is so unique in concept and aesthetic that when they stray from the more intense stylization, I think it’s a disservice. Sonic is unique too! But Mario almost reminds me of Alice in Wonderland. That is another franchise that demands strong aesthetics for its weird choices and suffers without them. Mario is weird in every sense and I think it IS very much like Alice in Wonderland in terms of style and story. I see very strong parallels. Mario is a weird fantasy story. Wonder especially seems to really take note of this stylistically.

And I’m not suggesting “New” Super Mario Bros is realistic per se… but I wouldn’t call it stylized in the same way Wonder or even Odyssey is. It’s cookie cutter and easy to produce. Which I do get, I don’t necessarily dink companies for that. But it’s still obvious that effort on this level produced results.

The color choices of Mario Wonder are also… wow. This game is just an amazing glow up. Can you tell I think the game is pretty? The backgrounds, the colors, the models. I love how we’re exploring a different kingdom which allows for even more environmental diversity.

Then there’s the levels themselves.

Again. I like 2D Marios, but normally I solidly enjoy his 3D endeavors more. (This is not unique to Mario. I feel this way about Sonic as well. So I’m not blaming Mario for player preference).

Mario Wonder is a big exception. Mario Wonder hits all the sweet spots in my brain and takes a lot of the stuff I liked about 3D World and enhanced it. The collectibles to unlock standees is cute. I like that the seeds lock progression because most areas don’t require a lot. (Well. I’m 100%ing each level so I’ve not actually run into an area that told me I didn’t have enough)

Most of the levels have two faces to them which has so many benefits! For example when I mess up the flag pole, if I simply skip the wonder flower for certain levels it physically shortens the level so I can try again. This can also provide alternate exits which net you additional seeds.

The effects the wonder flower have on each level can also be wildly unpredictable. I don’t always know what challenge or activity I am walking in to and I think this was an awesome tactic to keep players on their toes.

For those who like challenge there are more challenging levels available. I don’t often ‘struggle’ in Mario games as an adult but there were a few stages that required real skill to get through and 100%.

Right off the bat there are lots of little explorable avenues clearly off the intended path on the map. I like the player autonomy in that and I like finding weird little nooks. You also get rewarded for this by getting extra seeds, special areas, and badges.

Oh yeah. Badges. This was a weird idea to see pop up outside of Paper Mario, but honestly about time? This was another choice I liked a LOT. Special abilities used to be adhered to certain characters (Hence Peach being treated as easy mode). Now you can apply a badge with special abilities onto any character! And there are lots of badges and abilities. Levels will even have side areas and challenges that require the use of certain badges. Of course some levels are clearly geared to support certain badges as well. And you can change them out darn near at any time. Badges are great. I love swapping them out and problem solving. While most are just functional; some badges are just small rewards throughout a level. I like those too.

The only thing I really can’t commentate on is multi-player. It supports local multiplayer which I’m sure is solid.

I know some people are split on how they feel about the talking flower. I like it. That’s it. Also the caterpillar prince sitting on your shoulder as you run around is dumb cute. He wears the little badge you’re using and you can see it in the levels.

The weird online multiplayer shadow thing I haven’t tried (which is what those standees are even for). I may try that this week and amend the post to include my thoughts on that.

I think the inclusion of an almost brand new set of power-ups was a strong choice. It’s a new kingdom with new activities. It’s okay to be different! (As long as it’s good). The costumes for the power-ups are killer on all of the characters. I like pink Bubble Mario. He makes me happy! I’m rocking that as my Nintendo Avatar right now! 🤣

Overall Wonder is so solid! We can’t keep it in stock at the small game store I work at! When I go to look physically at other big stores I’m not seeing them in stock there often either. Along with Mario RPG, we can’t keep that in stock either.

It’s crazy how on point the new Mario voice actor is. Makes me wonder if they searched for new voice actors during auditions for the movie as a cover. (Initially, not after they announced Chris Pratt as Mario) They managed to keep it under wraps somehow. Cause how else would you hide Mario voice auditions? That’s speculation though. I do need to rewatch the movie to see if they out any Wonder easter eggs in. Probably not.

If you’re looking for a strong AAA title this is it. I think I’m out of nice things to say and I have to prep for my birthday tomorrow! (I’ll be 30.)

So! Take it easy! And don’t get sick this season like I did.

#Super Mario Bros #Super Mario #Mario #Luigi #Peach #Princess Peach #Daisy #Princess Daisy #yoshi #toad #nabbit #toadette #princess toadstool #super mario bros wonder #Mario Wonder #mario bros #nintendo #nintendo switch

[talesfromthebacklog]

Side post: Anime Convention Haul!

I went to Kumoricon this weekend! Got some really neat autographs from some really awesome people!

Had Karen Strassman (Rouge) sign my copy of Sonic Generations. And Brandon McInnis (Count St. Germain from the anime) for my copy of Code Realize! The gold Brandon used to sign it was literally perfect.

And finally I had my volume 1 copy of the manga My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom signed by the anime voice actor Jeannie Tirado. She even drew a little doom flag for me! So cool!

So I had an awesome con day.

And also horses. I just really love horses.

There was also a giant Doujinshi booth. I did pick some up but I’m going to leave my Doujinshi taste to be a mystery. 😜

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic #rouge the bat #code realize #code realize guardian of rebirth #Count St Germain #Karen Strassman #Brandon McInnis #Jeannie Tirado #my life as a villainess #my life as a villainess all routes lead to doom #anime #manga #video games #kumoricon #rouge #anime convention #sonic generations #sega #VN #Visual Novel

[talesfromthebacklog]

Tales is busy this week! Going to anime convention! See you next week for a new review!

[talesfromthebacklog]

Tales From The Backlog: Dredge

8/10

Dredge is a rare breed. It is a subtle Lovecraftian open world horror that one could almost dare say is a cozy game. I love it when genres come together and make beautiful weird things.

🎣 Horror fishing. What a weird mix! But at the same time, it’s not. There’s been stories throughout all of human history of mysterious watery horrors and fisherman. It’s one of the oldest kinds of story we have. And yet it’s pretty rare in gaming to see.

The only other game like it that I can even think of is Fishing Vacation. (Also on my backlog…)

I have a complicated relationship with horror games. I love horror movies but at the same time video games become too personal. I’ve gotten better as I got older but like… some titles are still too intense for me. I get too real life stressed out.

I normally play horror like PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo or Until Dawn. As they provide less intense experiences. I feel like characters are being attacked. Not me.

With all that being said I had reservations on picking up this horror title. Starting a new horror franchise is like doing a trust fall. As I fall I have to hope the experience isn’t too spicy for me. And ocean horror in particular can be the most TERRIFYING of the lot. There’s no ground or sky in the water. An enemy can occupy any portion of the space at any moment. The rules of movement are different on the ocean, especially when you don’t belong there.

I can’t play Subnautica with creature aggression on. I can’t.

Thankfully Dredge has a very subdued horror experience. It’s spooky not necessarily scary. Which is perfect.

Dredge has so many elements that make for a good spooky fishing story.

Mysterious ocean? ✅

Mutant fish? ✅

Old people who’ve seen everything? ✅

BIG FISH WITH BIG TEETH? ✅

People randomly going insane? ✅

It’s all here baby. And I love it.

You start the game having lost your old boat and washed up in the town of Greater Marrow. The mayor is kind enough to supply you with a new boat and you venture out onto the sea and encounter increasingly worse Lovecraftian horrors.

The fishing is simple, but really fun. Mutant fish are probably the most satisfying to catch. They sell for more money and have a low drop rate in comparison to their normal counterparts. Getting one is like getting an onion ring in your fries. 🍟 So good!

They’re designed well too. I love how some of them are cute and some are GROSS:

Like look at this precious boy. I actually think that’s very cute. The face and the hooked nose are adorable. It looks like a lock pick. Love it. (Too bad takings these out of the water instantly kills them!)

And then there’s this guy:

Now that’s just an old fashioned nasty boy! Love it.

Dredge as a whole is a really pretty game with a lot of diverse locations to visit. My favorite visual in the game is that no matter where you’re at on the open ocean you can always see the lighthouse in the middle of the map. Even at night. It’s eerie and comforting.

Dialogue can be hit or miss with these smaller titles, but in Dredge you are invested in the world and the people you talk to. The game is just plain interesting, people speak cryptically but are honest generally. You get the sense that things weren’t always like the way it is now. Weird or bad things happen to people and you’re not quite sure why. And you want to know! On top of the solid fishing that’s what keeps you going in Dredge.

Dredge is technically an open world experience. There are quests, people to visit, and straight out the gate you could go explore the high seas!

But it really is better to stay home and fish for a few days. The game is… decent at explaining itself. Most things were covered with exception for how sanity works. A little bit more flavor text would’ve been nice. I had to google sanity and what triggers it (other than just being out at night).

Though I suppose horror is also about learning these things on the fly. If it prepped you for the scares that’d be missing the point, huh?

There are… enemies. But running into one is more like, “God DAMNIT my boat! 😡 ” And less “HOLY SHIT WHAT IS THAT? 😱”

Not a complaint. Even the enemies ruining your boat isn’t that annoying. Most of the time, your boat being damaged is your fault for not being careful or managing your sanity. So when you lose fish from being damaged you go “Why did I do that?”. I like it when the game is built well enough for mistakes to be obviously the player’s fault. The boat controls well and it upgrades over time so you know when you’re venturing out a little too far from town to be safe.

Though the enemies can be dastardly. My favorite one I’m not going to tell you about. Because if you play Dredge I want it to catch you off guard like it did for me.

Also you get powers as you find relics for a collector. So that’s rad.

The one thing I don’t like, but I get it, is the paranoia rocks that show up when your sanity lowers. Especially when an enemy is going after you. That’s messed up man. But also hilarious.

But it’s only hilarious when it happens to you. Not me. 😂

The only spoiler I want to give away, because I was lucky enough to be told this early myself: Don’t talk to the hooded cultists until you are ready. They uh… die if you don’t do the missions on time and apparently have the best stat books in the game. The stat books are awesome in general. And it gives you an excuse to talk to everyone multiple times.

You can also find research parts to unlock new equipment for your boat. And of course the boat is upgradable with old shipwreck parts you can find around the area. The game is called Dredge after all, not Fishing. You are given a Dredge machine to fish up relics, treasures, and boat parts. Upgrading and getting new equipment is well spaced out and satisfying. Money is easy to obtain as long as you have the right equipment and know the right spots. But I don’t feel like I have money in too much excess either which is awesome. The upgrades requiring parts you have to dredge up really help pace the game.

Other than that, Dredge is a simple short experience. The story is mysterious, sad, and often bittersweet. Dredge is largely a story about overcoming tragedy and pushing forward to do the healthy thing for yourself (and others). To not allow the continued suffering.

I have a soft spot for titles like this. Dredge really is wildly unique in the sea of gaming. That’s not a knock against other games, but when I see something this different it makes me want to support it! You know?

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