Publisher: Dragonfly Studios
Genre: Visual Novel
Summary: Thanks to a resemblance to their recently deceased leader April, you have a chance to join a legendary team of adventurers.
Gameplay: Gameplay consists of a few choices.
Style: The artistic style is an exaggerated, colorful anime design, with some super-deformed instances in inserts. The music is good.
Story: "April Was a Fool" is really, depending on which option you choose near the beginning, five different stories, each exploring a different member of the team, but all showing these heroes' dysfunction. These various dysfunctions can be surprisingly dark.
Conclusion: While I enjoyed the complexity of the characters, which came across well despite the shortness of the game, I found the serious topics discussed clashed with the artistic style. I realize the contrast is probably intentional, but it just didn't work for me, especially given my general dislike of the style regardless. It was worth playing "April Was a Fool" but I couldn't help wishing for different visuals.
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Sunday, March 3, 2019
"The Blackwell Convergence" Review
Publisher: Wadjet Eye Games
Genre: Adventure
Summary: Rosangela and her ghostly guide Joey investigate deaths that seem to be connected to a mysterious ghost.
Gameplay: As with the previous Blackwell game, puzzles often involve switching to Joey to make use of incorporeal ghostly skills. There is still much investigating and asking questions, plus email hacking via finding passwords. It can be a bit annoying trying to pick or type the exact right question.
Style: The style is much the same standard adventure-game graphics and blues-music. Some scanning backgrounds during the beginning and ending sequences and rain effects during parts add a little extra.
Story: I greatly enjoyed the story back in "Blackwell Unbound" so it was a pleasant surprise to see elements of it revisited here. The hints of the mysteries of the Blackwell setting are the game's greatest strength, but they are only touched on in this game. The other elements of the story provide some interesting New York City history, but suffer for randomness in connection and pacing.
Conclusion: "The Blackwell Convergence" works well as a continuation in the Blackwell series. Investment in the characters and setting helps cover the occasional irritating puzzle.
Genre: Adventure
Summary: Rosangela and her ghostly guide Joey investigate deaths that seem to be connected to a mysterious ghost.
Gameplay: As with the previous Blackwell game, puzzles often involve switching to Joey to make use of incorporeal ghostly skills. There is still much investigating and asking questions, plus email hacking via finding passwords. It can be a bit annoying trying to pick or type the exact right question.
Style: The style is much the same standard adventure-game graphics and blues-music. Some scanning backgrounds during the beginning and ending sequences and rain effects during parts add a little extra.
Story: I greatly enjoyed the story back in "Blackwell Unbound" so it was a pleasant surprise to see elements of it revisited here. The hints of the mysteries of the Blackwell setting are the game's greatest strength, but they are only touched on in this game. The other elements of the story provide some interesting New York City history, but suffer for randomness in connection and pacing.
Conclusion: "The Blackwell Convergence" works well as a continuation in the Blackwell series. Investment in the characters and setting helps cover the occasional irritating puzzle.
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
"The Crossroads" Review
Publisher: Seriphinite Games
Website: https://seraphinite.itch.io/the-crossroads
Genre: Visual Novel
Summary: While looking after a peaceful mansion, a woman gets to know the two handsome staff.
Gameplay: Gameplay consists of making decisions. There are a nice variety.
Style: The main character's name, hair, eyes, and skin tone are customizable. The backgrounds project the peaceful setting. Occasional inserts are used sparingly but well. The music is mostly peaceful as well, but there are a few awkward cues.
Story: The Crossroads is a very relaxed romance. There's not a lot of background to the characters and the information behind the supernatural element to the story is extremely thin and very shakily explained.
Conclusion: The Crossroads doesn't inspire strong feelings, but offers some choices and low-stress romance.
Website: https://seraphinite.itch.io/the-crossroads
Genre: Visual Novel
Summary: While looking after a peaceful mansion, a woman gets to know the two handsome staff.
Gameplay: Gameplay consists of making decisions. There are a nice variety.
Style: The main character's name, hair, eyes, and skin tone are customizable. The backgrounds project the peaceful setting. Occasional inserts are used sparingly but well. The music is mostly peaceful as well, but there are a few awkward cues.
Story: The Crossroads is a very relaxed romance. There's not a lot of background to the characters and the information behind the supernatural element to the story is extremely thin and very shakily explained.
Conclusion: The Crossroads doesn't inspire strong feelings, but offers some choices and low-stress romance.
Sunday, December 30, 2018
"The Shadows That Run Alongside Our Car" Review
Publisher: Lox Rain
Website: https://loxrain.itch.io/shadows
Genre: Visual Novel
Summary: After the zombie apocalypse, two strangers share a car ride and discuss things.
Gameplay: The main choice is which of the two characters to view the conversation from, but there are other options in responses.
Style: The view is mostly a singular shot of the car and its inhabitants with some inserts. The change in colors as night approaches is well done. The music is atmospheric as well.
Story: "Shadows" nicely covers the meandering and awkward nature of conversation and the differences in its two perspectives. Don't expect it touch upon any deep detail about this universe or these characters. Don't expect a resolution, either. There's only conversation here.
Conclusion: There's not much to "The Shadows That Run Alongside Our Car." Like the title, the game sometimes is too pretentious for its own good. But enjoyed as a quick, thoughtful conversation with a dark air it's not bad.
Website: https://loxrain.itch.io/shadows
Genre: Visual Novel
Summary: After the zombie apocalypse, two strangers share a car ride and discuss things.
Gameplay: The main choice is which of the two characters to view the conversation from, but there are other options in responses.
Style: The view is mostly a singular shot of the car and its inhabitants with some inserts. The change in colors as night approaches is well done. The music is atmospheric as well.
Story: "Shadows" nicely covers the meandering and awkward nature of conversation and the differences in its two perspectives. Don't expect it touch upon any deep detail about this universe or these characters. Don't expect a resolution, either. There's only conversation here.
Conclusion: There's not much to "The Shadows That Run Alongside Our Car." Like the title, the game sometimes is too pretentious for its own good. But enjoyed as a quick, thoughtful conversation with a dark air it's not bad.
Monday, November 19, 2018
"Conquests of Camelot: The Search for the Grail" Review
Publisher: Sierra
Genre: Adventure
Summary: To heal Camelot, King Arthur must find the Holy Grail.
Gameplay: The puzzles in the game are more often knowledge than inventory-based (although there are some of the latter as well.) They range from straightforward to frustratingly obscure. There are also various arcade sequences involving timing as King Arthur fights foes.
Style: These are EGA graphics at their finest. The scenery is colorful and varied. The screen is bordered, which besides offering a nice setting changes per scene to subtly set the tone. The music is memorable as well. Even the text-based parser has a nice touch (you as King Arthur are talking to Merlin.)
Story: The magical Britain of the game is not so unusual for Camelot stories, although the mix of myths perhaps is. I am, however, unable to remember any grail stories that actually go to Jerusalem, especially in the fifth century A.D. It all makes for a strange mishmash at times (most quests that start with a prayer to Christ don't end with a talk with Aphrodite) but it's interesting at the very least.
The story does excel at conveying the tone of knightly virtue needed for hunting the grail and, in its end, the melancholy of Camelot's ultimate fate.
Conclusion: Despite some iffy puzzles and old-school awkwardness, "Conquests of Camelot" offers a beautiful game and some truly emotional moments.
Genre: Adventure
Summary: To heal Camelot, King Arthur must find the Holy Grail.
Gameplay: The puzzles in the game are more often knowledge than inventory-based (although there are some of the latter as well.) They range from straightforward to frustratingly obscure. There are also various arcade sequences involving timing as King Arthur fights foes.
Style: These are EGA graphics at their finest. The scenery is colorful and varied. The screen is bordered, which besides offering a nice setting changes per scene to subtly set the tone. The music is memorable as well. Even the text-based parser has a nice touch (you as King Arthur are talking to Merlin.)
Story: The magical Britain of the game is not so unusual for Camelot stories, although the mix of myths perhaps is. I am, however, unable to remember any grail stories that actually go to Jerusalem, especially in the fifth century A.D. It all makes for a strange mishmash at times (most quests that start with a prayer to Christ don't end with a talk with Aphrodite) but it's interesting at the very least.
The story does excel at conveying the tone of knightly virtue needed for hunting the grail and, in its end, the melancholy of Camelot's ultimate fate.
Conclusion: Despite some iffy puzzles and old-school awkwardness, "Conquests of Camelot" offers a beautiful game and some truly emotional moments.
Monday, October 8, 2018
"Dragon Age: Origins Witch Hunt" DLC Review
Publisher: Bioware
Genre: RPG
Summary: The Warden decides to hunt down their former companion Morrigan.
Gameplay: Gameplay is the same as in the main game or the expansion Awakenings if you have it. There is one major unique enemy.
Style: All of the environments are from the main game or the expansion or previous DLCs, albeit in a wide-ranging and unexpected mix.
Story: As the last of the Origins DLC, Witch Hunt was once hoped to offer Dragon Age II clues; instead it's now known it points more towards Dragon Age: Inquisition. Rather, the impact of the DLC will understandably depend upon the strength of your character's feelings towards Morrigan (I don't often play it because many of my Wardens wouldn't feel strongly enough to try to find her.)
The ending is abrupt and the DLC before that short. The reuse of the environments is obvious, but the use of lore to connect them is interesting, and it's nice that your character has the chance to comment if they've been there before, or haven't, for that matter.
The two new NPCs are richly realized and memorable (especially in such a short amount of time) and have plenty of conversations with each other and your dog.
Conclusion: Witch Hunt is brief and doesn't offer much, but little bits of lore and fun characters mean I never regret playing it.
Genre: RPG
Summary: The Warden decides to hunt down their former companion Morrigan.
Gameplay: Gameplay is the same as in the main game or the expansion Awakenings if you have it. There is one major unique enemy.
Style: All of the environments are from the main game or the expansion or previous DLCs, albeit in a wide-ranging and unexpected mix.
Story: As the last of the Origins DLC, Witch Hunt was once hoped to offer Dragon Age II clues; instead it's now known it points more towards Dragon Age: Inquisition. Rather, the impact of the DLC will understandably depend upon the strength of your character's feelings towards Morrigan (I don't often play it because many of my Wardens wouldn't feel strongly enough to try to find her.)
The ending is abrupt and the DLC before that short. The reuse of the environments is obvious, but the use of lore to connect them is interesting, and it's nice that your character has the chance to comment if they've been there before, or haven't, for that matter.
The two new NPCs are richly realized and memorable (especially in such a short amount of time) and have plenty of conversations with each other and your dog.
Conclusion: Witch Hunt is brief and doesn't offer much, but little bits of lore and fun characters mean I never regret playing it.
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
"Ishara: Bane of the Seas" Review
Genre: Visual Novel
Summary: Years after her disgrace, Ishara returns to her family to steal her boat and becomes entangled in her sister's wedding.
Gameplay: An early decisions influences whether the story will follow Ishara's journey with her sister or her sister's fiance. There is a sole later decision. There is also an optional turn-based combat system with multiple battle abilities for different characters.
Style: The art aids the story and characterization, as does the good music. There are also nice sound effects and quips during combat, although the latter seem a bit strange when there is no other spoken dialogue.
Story: Given the lack of decisions, there's not a lot of variety in the story, but the story that is there is very engaging with empathetic characters and exciting action. Not a lot of backstory is given upfront, and certain details can only be learned in one path or the other. This is a bit intriguing, but also somewhat frustrating.
Conclusion: Although lacking in options, Ishara offers fun combat and an entertaining story.
Summary: Years after her disgrace, Ishara returns to her family to steal her boat and becomes entangled in her sister's wedding.
Gameplay: An early decisions influences whether the story will follow Ishara's journey with her sister or her sister's fiance. There is a sole later decision. There is also an optional turn-based combat system with multiple battle abilities for different characters.
Style: The art aids the story and characterization, as does the good music. There are also nice sound effects and quips during combat, although the latter seem a bit strange when there is no other spoken dialogue.
Story: Given the lack of decisions, there's not a lot of variety in the story, but the story that is there is very engaging with empathetic characters and exciting action. Not a lot of backstory is given upfront, and certain details can only be learned in one path or the other. This is a bit intriguing, but also somewhat frustrating.
Conclusion: Although lacking in options, Ishara offers fun combat and an entertaining story.
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