"Shadow of the Tomb Raider" Review

Publisher:  Square Enix/Crystal Dynamics

Genre:  Action/Adventure

Summary:  In tracking down the nefarious Trinity organization, Lara Croft becomes entangled with apocalyptic Mayan artifacts and the fate of a secret city.

Gameplay:  As usual, Lara makes her way through the jungle ruins with a mix of puzzles and combat.  Despite the option of separate difficulties for puzzles and combat, tomb puzzles nevertheless seem unusually difficult in this game.  To the previous climbing and jumping elements have been added rappelling, diving, crouching, and overhead climbing.

Leveling has been altered once again so that higher levels require more points.  There seem to be fewer and less useful abilities than previous games.  Buying items is more prominent and a major way to get useful items and upgrades.

Stealth is an even greater part of combat; Lara can use mud to hide, various abilities to hide herself or bodies, and generally can pick off her enemies unknowingly.  Instead of just for healing, there are now plants for endurance, focus, and perception as well (which was too complicated and too many buttons for me, frankly.)

Instead of automatically reading (or listening to Lara read) about an artifact, you must choose to look at it in the inventory to do so.  While seemingly minor, this bugs the heck out of me.  Why did they make this change?  Were people mad they were forced to learn about things?

Also, the map feels less useful due to the increase in side quests which are first poorly marked and then seem to disappear at will from the map.

Style:  Each game has been more gorgeous than the last, and the jungles of South America, including green pools, fireworks, and cliff-side views, sometimes make for a beautiful game indeed.  Unfortunately, the game is also very muddy (so much mud!) and dark.  It shows off lighting and detail, I guess, but I must admit I prefer the crisp mountain aesthetics of the previous game.

"Shadow of the Tomb Raider" also brings back some of the gross gory elements "Rise" was thankfully lighter on.  While I expect a little blood and sacrifice from an action/adventure game with some Aztec influence and it's not quite as bad as the infamous first game, it was still a bit more than necessary in some places.

A new notable element is lots of people!  There are towns full of folk chatting, living, and complaining when Lara bumps into them (but not, oddly enough, when she shamelessly steals all their stuff.)  The only weak spot is how many of them have the same faces.

All of the "Tomb Raider" games have had great cinematics and "Shadow" probably has the most and best of them all.  Several times there was no dialogue and I was memorably impressed just by the acting.

Story:  "Shadow of the Tomb Raider" has an interesting, complicated story to tell with some good themes that nicely concludes the Tomb Raider games.  It's a pity it does such a bad job at it.  Oh, the themes and characters manage come through.  Although still surprisingly similar to the previous games, there are some unique twists and lovely thematic elements like Lara's repeated falling into water.  And there are multiple elements and characters that fit the title "Shadow of the Tomb Raider."

But crucial details are badly conveyed.  There are a lot of proper nouns and names that are referenced but not reinforced or further explained.  After hours of wandering around, I'm still not sure how the city of Paititi's politics work or the history of the cult of Kukulkan.

Usually reading documents to delve further into the game's lore would help with this (I love to do this) but these were so scattered and confusing in this game they did not help in figuring out the main plot, much less helping give additional information.

The pacing does not help.  Shadow of the Tomb Raider is organized around hub areas, but the side quests all badly interrupt the flow of the game.  They can't really be done logically afterward (unlike, again, "Rise of the Tomb Raider") and especially make no sense during the game!

Conclusion:  "Shadow of the Tomb Raider", while providing a good story and conclusion to the "Tomb Raider" trilogy, also suffers from some unfortunate gameplay changes and frustrating storytelling.

"Rise of the Tomb Raider" Review

Publisher:  Square Enix/Crystal Dynamics

Genre:  Action/Adventure

Summary:  Lara Croft's investigations into her father's search for a Byzantine prophet's source of immortality take her to Siberia, but the sinister Trinity organization is also on the trail.

Gameplay:  The game is similar to the previous in offering opportunities for exploration and puzzles by jumping and climbing and shooting with timing.  It gradually adds some new twists with swinging, swimming, cutting, and climbing on arrows.

"Rise" is also a bit more free-range than its predecessor, with several larger areas to explore and optional side quests, but also still more constrained narrative sequences (which can be jarring when unexpectedly triggering a transition from the former to the latter.)

Combat is similar, with Lara gradually acquiring more weapons, although there are (eventually) more options for types of ammunition.  Crafting is also a bit different, as there are various materials she collects from the environment or kills to make weapon or inventory modifications.  I enjoyed the greater specificity for the former, but I didn't like having limits on different types of inventory.

Style:  The game is beautiful, offering icy mountains, wandering animals, exploding fire, and gorgeous Greek ruins.  The music enhances the wonder perfectly.

Story:  While building on and referencing the previous game, I don't think "Rise of the Tomb Raider" requires playing "Tomb Raider" to understand.  I found "Rise of the Tomb Raider" more enjoyable than that game, although that may just be due to my liking of snowy landscapes and the Byzantines.

The twists in the game are all fairly predictable, but the characters are still complex and interesting.  The game also occasionally mirrors the previous game to a sometimes weird extent, but the different setting keeps it from feeling too much the same.

The pacing can also feel strange, with the biggest issue being at the end, which feels very rushed; I honestly wondered if there were expository scenes missing.

Conclusion:  "Rise of the Tomb Raider" offers fun exploration, puzzles, and combat in beautiful places while telling an engaging, albeit sometimes predictable and strangely paced, story.

"Rise of the Tomb Raider Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch" DLC Review

Publisher:  Square Enix/Crystal Dynamics

Genre:  Action/Adventure

Summary:  Lara Croft investigates the Wicked Vale of Baba Yaga.

Gameplay:  There are no new gameplay elements but the DLC innovatively uses existing ones, and rewards at the end include upgraded ability options.  The difficulty can be considered a step up, including the last puzzle and the last battle (to its detriment, as it's clearly meant to be an intense action-packed sequence, but the puzzle bits mean it always take me longer to complete.)

Style:  "Baba Yaga" features some neat sights like a new tomb and hallucinogenic nightmares.  The introductory character of Nadia feels miscast.  I realize she's supposed to feel young and helpless, but the overly American accent feels very out of place on a Siberian Remnant and takes me right out of the game.

Story:  The overall story is touching, but with an obvious twist (a common issue with these "Tomb Raider" games, it seems), especially if you read the documents.  It's also a bit hard to figure out how to fit it into the overall "Rise of Tomb Raider" pacing, although at least that is up to player discretion.

Conclusion:  "Baba Yaga:  The Temple of the Witch" is an interesting story with some cool visuals and frustrating gameplay.

"Rise of the Tomb Raider Blood Ties" DLC Review

Publisher:  Square Enix/Crystal Dynamics

Genre:  Adventure

Summary:  In order to prove her ownership of Croft Manor, Lara Croft searches through her parents' memorabilia and reminisces on the past.

Gameplay:  Although the DLC follows the normal format of Lara gradually finding helpful items that help proceed through formerly impassable obstacles, there is no combat and the puzzles are more logic-based.

Style:  Despite being set entirely in Croft Manor, it's in bad shape and it's a stormy night, so "Blood Ties" manages to match the feel of Lara's other tomb raiding.  Occasionally there's a bit of a golden glow as she recalls a memory; these moments are well-timed and do not drag.

Story:  I love backstory and nostalgia, so Lara learning about her parents and remembering the past as she gradually explores the manor is right up my alley.  Solely through short notes and journals characters and feelings are clearly conveyed.  The DLC provides a nice lead-in to "Rise of the Tomb Raider" (I believe it technically takes place after the prologue), offering further explanation and emotion for that game, but tells a nice complete story about the Crofts in itself.  

Conclusion:  While I enjoy the combat of the "Tomb Raider" games, it's nice to relax with an informative look at the Croft family and concentrate on more adventure-style puzzles with "Blood Ties".  The story is excellent and moving and adds to Lara Croft's character.

"Tomb Raider" Review

Publisher:  Square Enix/Crystal Dynamics

Genre:  Action/Adventure

Summary:  After her expedition to a mysterious storm-wreathed Japanese isle is shipwrecked, Lara Croft must survive a murderous cult and find a way to escape.

Gameplay:  Getting around in the game requires having Lara jump, climb, and shoot her way through obstacles.  Sometimes it requires good timing and sometimes it requires some thinking (especially in tombs.)

Lara gradually gains access to more options over the game, and this includes weapons.  Combat includes a good variety of styles with stealth or explosions or otherwise cleverly using the environment often possible.

Weapons can be improved through salvage Lara finds and Lara also has a choice of abilities that she levels up in over the game, although these are somewhat awkwardly tiered.

Style:  The game looks great.  The island has a nice variety of environments, from moody forests to snowy ruins to rusted shipwrecks, but what really impresses is the weather and lighting effects.  Lone lamps sputter in the dark, blazing embers fly away in the wind, and water spatters against the other side of the computer screen (I especially like the last touch.  It lends to the cinematic aspect of the game and also fits the story of a stranded documentary crew--as if this is the film they never got to make.)

It's also very gory.  Many of the settings abound with corpses and blood.  It got so in may places I found it went over the top into silliness.  A light touch would have kept it at horrific.

Story:  Lara's story is very engaging and fun to play, but there are a few problems in the telling.  The first part is that it's missing its first part.  The game begins with the shipwreck and we get flashbacks later to introduce us to the crew, but I found myself wishing there was a prologue to learn a bit more about everybody, especially Lara.  To emphasize her growth into a survivor and explorer, it would help to understand more about what she was like before.

There's also Lara's mutant healing ability.  Not including whatever might happen during in-game combat, throughout the story Lara suffers impalement (which goes without treatment through appalling conditions and then said treatment isn't exactly great), horrible foot injury, and getting knocked unconscious at least three times, in addition to various other cuts and scrapes.  I was half expecting some mystical explanation for how she was still moving.

I realize it's just the action hero cliche of being able to shake everything off, but it clashes with the game's story when Lara is inexperienced and reacts realistically to being wounded at the start.  Likewise, when Lara first kills someone and comments on it, it feels rather bizarre that the armies of men she has to slaughter later don't merit any response.

The plot moves easily through cinematic set-pieces, but I found myself pondering what a more open-world version of the game would be like that allowed for a bit more wandering (Lara does has some freedom of movement within some areas, but that just makes it feel all the more awkward when she goes off to explore a tomb when she's supposed to be rescuing a pilot or whatever.)

All that said, the story and characters are fun, even if nothing is too unpredictable.  I especially like the light parallels between the main villain and Lara.

Conclusion:  "Tomb Raider" is a beautiful and entertaining game.  Despite some oddities in the plot, it tells an engaging story about the growth of the adventurer Lara Croft.

"The Captain's Log" Review

Genre:  Simulation

Summary:  After a botched jump, you must get your spaceship crew the over eighty thousand light years home.

Gameplay:  Home (and its distance away) is always visible.  Bars indicate the levels you have of various resources, and nearby stars are color-coded to indicate which resources they have (but not how much.)  Run out of food and water and people start dying.  Run out of fuel and travel slows to a crawl.  Get enough wormhole material and you can jump large distances.

Occasionally your crew will make improvements (or you will have to choose between two improvements.)  Sometimes you can risk crew lives to get more resources.

Style:  The Captain's Log uses a simple but effective design of spheres for star systems, a line for your course, a simple ship design, lovely music, and text for everything else.

Story:  The titular captain's log provides the story of the journey home.  It's light on much detail, though there's enough to spark the imagination.  I would have liked a little bit more with additional events and variety.

"Pathfinder: Kingmaker" Review

Publisher:  Owlcat Games

Genre:  RPG/Simulation

Summary:  You attempt to settle a mysterious land.

Gameplay:  Gameplay is based on the Pathfinder system, which is similar to Dungeons and Dragons, with a variety of races and classes to choose from and abilities that increase each level.  Combat can be real time (with pause) or set to turn-based, and there are varying levels of automatic.

The game will sometimes have written sections with several choices in responses (which may be limited by character ability or morality.)  These can be surprisingly crucial, and I rather enjoyed them instead of having everything be combat-focused.

Then there's kingdom management, the system for running your land.  You must choose advisors and have them deal with problems and opportunities that crop up, increase their abilities, and give them orders on how to deal with situations they bring you.  You also gradually acquire land and build settlements (and buildings in them) and investigate treaties and similar matters, which will influence your kingdom's statistics.  This all takes time, so balancing it with exploring and other various quests of the game can be challenging, to say nothing of the death spiral that can start when things go wrong.

There are multiple levels of difficulty than can be changed at any time, as well as different options than can be changed to fine-tune your game to suit your tastes, which is much appreciated.

Style:  Although top-down, the game is still gorgeous.  Bright colors abound over a wide variety of landscapes with seasonal weather and excellent lighting.  Little touches like frolicking animals and characters with accurate arms and armor that dance or kneel to pray if not directed to move give a sense of life.  The music is very enjoyable.

Story:  The story "Pathfinder:  Kingmaker" tells greatly depends on your character and the choices they make.  It can be a tale of the power of forgiveness and friendship and of responsibility rewarded.  Or it can be a tale of the horrors of untrammeled power and pride.  I was impressed how the story adjusted to player choice.

The characters are fantastic, as are their quests, and several offer romantic opportunities.  The main story is intriguing and nicely develops from initial mystery to gradual clarity over the game.

The game's greatest weakness is its pacing.  It's all over the place, largely thanks to kingdom management, which takes literal years in-game and hours of actual play.  Often there will be a rush of main story, then hours of kingdom building again.  While I didn't dislike the simulation of building my kingdom, it didn't compare to the actual plot of the game, and the start-stop of waiting for more isn't much fun.

Conclusion:  "Pathfinder:  Kingmaker" tells a wonderful story with wonderful characters with lots of opportunities for player choice.  I just wish it didn't take so long to do it.  All those long stretches of kingdom building really hurt the momentum of the game, but despite that there is much to enjoy.

"Our Personal Space" Review

Publisher:  metasepia games

Genre:  Visual Novel

Summary:  A newly-married couple is part of a new planetary settlement.

Gameplay:  Names can be chosen, but appearances can not be customized.  A couple different jobs can be chosen for the main character and the game will vary a bit based on this.  After a bit of introduction and getting to the planet, the game consists of twenty-five months.  

At the beginning of each month you can choose what skill to focus on, whether to focus on work, and how to spend free time.  This will influence the events of the month (though some are set), although you can choose responses within events as well.  Your choices affect the main character's relationship with her husband, skills, and correspondingly the overall story.

Style:  The character art is a little rough, but the characters are distinct.  Backgrounds are likewise simple but effective.  The music is nice.

Story:  "Our Personal Space" stands out for being a story of marriage instead of beginning romance; a rarity, it feels.  Also rare is the almost relaxed (but still dramatic) tale of the space colony.  There is no horrible alien invasion or murderous rebellion, just the hard work of trying to survive and get along while settling an alien frontier, which is interesting enough.  Add in working through (or not, depending on your choices) a new marriage, and "Our Personal Space" is an intriguing tale indeed.

"Duke Nukem" Review

Publisher:  Apogee

Genre:  Platformer

Summary:  Duke Nukem fights through Dr. Proton's robot hordes.

Gameplay:  Duke can jump and shoot against an interesting variety of obstacles and foes.  New types of both are added as levels increase, as well as a few items that add additional navigational abilities.  Healing and points items are scattered throughout as well.  There are plenty of ways to gain more points if you're nimble or willing to explore.

Style:  Pixels form some nice post-apocalyptic and technological landscapes in picturesque if not necessarily logical backgrounds for Duke Nukem's adventures.  The sound effects are fitting but there is no music.

Story:  The very 80s "action hero fights evil overlord with robots" plot is barebones but serviceable enough.  It is a nice touch how Dr. Proton will show up regularly on screens and personally taunt Duke.

Conclusion:  Although with a basic story and some nonsensical level design, "Duke Nukem" is well made in its action, offering good variety and difficulty over its just-right length.  Of course, I can't really be sure that I am an objective judge, given my nostalgia from playing this game endlessly as a child.  Some levels I think are still ingrained in my mind (no doubt replacing much more useful information.)  Still, I found it held up as fun on replay even now.

"Oxenfree" Review

Publisher:  Night School Studios/Skybound

Genre:  Adventure

Summary:  Alex goes to a local island to spend the night celebrating the end of her junior year of high school with friends and her new stepbrother, but strange anomalies occur.

Gameplay:  A large part of the game is conversation, so much so that I was almost tempted to also classify it as a visual novel.  Alex has a choice of responses, but will also not respond if a choice is not picked quickly enough (or you can deliberately choose not to say anything.)  Depending upon when dialogue is chosen, she'll sometimes interrupt as well, resulting in dialogue that flows very naturally.  The conversation choices, of course, affect the game.

There are also choices in where to go when.  The other gameplay element is interacting with objects and especially adjusting radio signals to accomplish things.

Style:  The game has a beautiful style with rich colors.  Watercolor medievalesque landscapes and stylized cartoons blend together nicely.  The excellent music works hand-in-hand with the sound effects of static, which with other lighting effects is impressively eerie.  All of this works well towards making the game scary without it being gory.

Story:  "Oxenfree" is excellent at characterization and building a suspenseful and emotional story.  There is some ambiguity and uncertainty to some plot elements, which on the one hand could be frustrating, but on the other could be seen as freeing the player to decide.

Although dark and creepy regardless, the richness of the characters and the ability of choice offered by the game keeps it from feeling hopeless like I often fear horror will be.  There is also an interesting element where replays have an in-game reasoning and can be substantially different.

Conclusion:  "Oxenfree" offers a beautiful and fascinating story with great characters.  I'm not a big horror fan personally, but the unique art, story and characters, and many choices make me enjoy "Oxenfree" nevertheless.

"Halloween Otome" Review

Publisher:  Synokoria

Genre:  Visual Novel

Summary:  Emma wins attendance to a famous actor's two-week celebrity masquerade party and attempts to win a contest in a team with three costumed men.

Gameplay:  The gameplay consists of making decisions on what to say and do as well as some puzzles that are part of the contest.  The puzzles can be turned off and only determine if you win the contest and are not necessary for the romance story of the game.

The biggest issue is that to succeed in your chosen romance you need to be a bit psychic (or use saves, or a walkthrough), as you need to know where they are located sometimes to advance the romance.

 

Style:  The backgrounds are nothing special, but do the job of setting the scene.  The characters are designed well to be memorable.

Story:  The characters are all intriguing and distinct and their stories are engaging.  This includes the main character.  Although you can customize her names and choices, she has her own personality.  The possible bad endings to the romances aren't too dire, and the general ending is pleasant.

Conclusion:  "Halloween Otome" offers a some good length fun romantic stories.  It may require some investigation on how to get the best endings, but the game's worst parts are mild bad endings and optional irritating puzzles, so overall it's a positive experience.