I’ve been playing What Lies In the Multiverse , a fun 2D indie puzzle-platformer. It’s the usual fare of box-pushing, switch-throwing and door-opening. The puzzles themselves are good, if not usually too complex, but the central conceit of the game is that you can instantly travel between the base universe and an adjacent universe with different pathways and mechanics and they do a good job of coming up with some cool ways to utilize it. Not a big fan of the poison world you can only stay in for a few seconds, but the one where gravity is reversed and you have to do a bunch of upside-down platforming (and flying through the air) is fun.
Multiverse has more of a focus on story than a lot of puzzle games. You play a nameless kid who accidently discovers how to travel between worlds and is taken under the guidance of the roguish Everett while you try to escape Zenith agents. The game is done in an old-school 8-bit style, complete with text boxes and squidgy sounds for “voices”. The characters are a bit over-the-top, but the game has a good sense of humor and I’m curious to see if they’re building to a reveal of who the kid really is like I think they are.
I also found out there’s a rhythm game secretly tucked away in the main square… what the hell?? I could have been having fun with this when getting bored with Turf Wars this whole time. Why isn’t it indicated more?
Also I’m greatly enjoying Salmon Run. Tried it out recently and I love it’s PvE format. Way more fun than main PvP Turf Wars where most of the time I just keep getting killed by the enemy team.
it feels like the first run through is a tutorial for all your moves. you unlock one with each level you complete. with just the basic moves the game feels pretty good, but it feels fucking great once you’ve unlocked a few, especially parry. however, it is worth noting that i don’t think it will feel ‘complete’ until i’ve got every move unlocked and go back through.
even though i haven’t quite got my head around all the combat options i’ve unlocked so far, even just the first ten or so i have, i can see glimpses of my future ‘flow’. honestly, it’s such a meaty and intuitive little combat system. every punch and kick emanates out of the screen. you feel every single one. really impressed. the gunplay in particular feels fantastic. being able to quickly snap between that and melee is glorious and it feels so deadly.
soundtrack is cracking too.
gotta say though, getting a few bugs. enemies are dying immediately upon spawning in the playground; some text is cut off in menus; copy errors; and though i died during the oil rig explosion, the level completed regardless.
long and the short of it: if you like a good brawler or combat system, you’re willing to invest the time to unlock your full kit, and you’re happy going over the same short 40+ levels to experiment and improve, you’ll love this shit.
I’ve just finished Assassins Creed 2 for the first time, I’m definitely a late comer but here are my thoughts:
The world itself was beautiful, the atmosphere of Venice, Florence, even the smaller towns like Monteriggoni and San Gimigano were consitently amazing to experience. Coming off of the back of AC1, it was very refreshing after spending a good deal of time in the endlessly grey and grim Crusade in the Holy Land.
My first impressions of Ezio are positive, I like the development of his character over the ~25 years the game takes place, despite it feeling a little rough in some parts. I’m excited to see where they take his character in Brotherhood and Revelations. I’m also a massive fan of the way Altair has been brought back. The Story takes some wild turns I didnt expect, though the gameplay loop got really repetitive after maybe 15 hours, when I was finished it took me 35 hours
The combat is fine, I did end up cheesing most encounters with counter attacks, the parkour system is an improvement over AC1, but the massive increase in size and verticality make this a more frustrating experience, which I’ve heard is improved in future games.
All in all, it’s a solid game for sure, and one that I can finally cross off my list after years of reccomendations
I’ve been picking at Cult of the Lamb recently. Fun hybrid of Animal Crossing and Dungeon Crawling. I recommend it for the devil worshipping cutesy critters.
Hands down the perfect AC game. Great characters, good writing and a plot that wasn’t as convoluted as future games in the series. Multiple locations to explore, one in which you can invest your dosh in order to rebuild. It also has one of the most memorable soundtracks in the franchise.
I can easily pick this along with AC1 and the other two from the Ezio trilogy and replay them from start to finish without feeling burned out like I get with future installments.
I’m about 10 hours into Soul Hackers 2. It’s good, but it isn’t really gripping me to be honest, and judging from the Megaten Youtubers and others, I think most others seem quite lukewarm towards it. Nothing bad or wrong with the game, it just feels a bit slow and doesn’t really do anything exceptional. Hoping it starts to pick up a bit more further down the line.
Does feel overshadowed by Shin Megami Tensei V only coming out 9 months ago and Persona 5 Royal about to get re-released for all platforms very soon.
That Splatoon 3 Splatfest Demo was fun. Forgot to post about it. The soundtrack to this one is just as funky as the last! Now with a more rock-influence (not featured in this song, it’s just a bop)
