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CloseLegend of Dragoon
Miranda was pretty quick to achieve Dragoon Level 4. This leaves out Haschel, Meru, and Kongol. I derped around in the Death Frontier for a bit longer before moving onto Ulara.
After the scenes there, the game warps me to the Home of Gigantos, which is pretty early-game area from where my party is at. From there, one is supposed to go to Fletz and request to board the Queen Fury to sail to Rouge. Not going to lie, a small part of me kinda wants to go back to the Death Frontier to putz a bit more. I decide against that, though, and push forward.
At Rouge, the party learns of the magical city ofZeal Aglis. This is a bit of a teleport maze. However, the party gets through it to acquire the Psyche Bomb X, the fruit of uncounted millennia of research. Of course, Zeig isn't going to stand for this, and manipulates the Last Kracken to attack the seal on the Signet Sphere that it was supposed to guard. The party vanquishes the thing, but, the seal was broken. There's still two other seals before the Virage of Destruction is released, so, the party can only press forward in hopes to beat Zeig to the punch in regards to those seals.
Xenosaga Episode 3
Started this up in the middle of last week. Pretty much just got to Fifth Jerusalem last week, but not much further than that.
This week, I started with the Consolidated Advanced Technology Testing Grounds, and introduced toFei Abel. KOS-MOS is unavailable in the dungeon portion, as getting her back is the point of going there, but, the other party-members become available here.
The floating landmass follows, and is the first Gear-based dungeon in the game. The abandoned temple that follows is filled with Gnosis enemies for chaos to consume with his Special Attack. However, the game knocks KOS-MOS out of the picture again. If memory recalls, she doesn't come back until until the end of Disk 1. Either way, I'm somewhat inclined to rush the Milta chapter just so I can get back KOS-MOS as soon as possible.
Miranda was pretty quick to achieve Dragoon Level 4. This leaves out Haschel, Meru, and Kongol. I derped around in the Death Frontier for a bit longer before moving onto Ulara.
After the scenes there, the game warps me to the Home of Gigantos, which is pretty early-game area from where my party is at. From there, one is supposed to go to Fletz and request to board the Queen Fury to sail to Rouge. Not going to lie, a small part of me kinda wants to go back to the Death Frontier to putz a bit more. I decide against that, though, and push forward.
At Rouge, the party learns of the magical city of
Xenosaga Episode 3
Started this up in the middle of last week. Pretty much just got to Fifth Jerusalem last week, but not much further than that.
This week, I started with the Consolidated Advanced Technology Testing Grounds, and introduced to
The floating landmass follows, and is the first Gear-based dungeon in the game. The abandoned temple that follows is filled with Gnosis enemies for chaos to consume with his Special Attack. However, the game knocks KOS-MOS out of the picture again. If memory recalls, she doesn't come back until until the end of Disk 1. Either way, I'm somewhat inclined to rush the Milta chapter just so I can get back KOS-MOS as soon as possible.
So, I have played something over 30 different games in 2021 and I would like to return to some of them (Prince of Persia, Quadrilateral Cowboy, Stellaris) in next two weeks before making an end of the year list. I would also like to play Soma Union and The Disrupted Monarchs this month. Is there any other RM game from this year I shouldn't miss? I noticed some games in misao threads, but nothing really jumped out at me.
I'm putting this down, because that's the plan and there's a reasonable chance It won't happen.
I'm putting this down, because that's the plan and there's a reasonable chance It won't happen.
Darken
3952
In-between packing up to move and actually moving. I got Xbox Game Pass (now called PC Game Pass) for a dollar just to play Halo Infinite non-stop and I ain't even a Halo fanboy (last time I played Halo was in 2001). Given my tendency to bounce off of games nonstop (as you do) I decided to just try out a bunch of games and stop playing if they don't hook me whatsoever, because hey, it was only a dollar.
Bug Fables
I thought this would be the biggest bang for a dollar here but this game is ROUGH. The UX trouble I had getting my playstation controller setup to even corespond to the buttons displayed on the screen was a NIGHTMARE and I gave up and just manually set the buttons to what I think the game wants me to set the buttons too (and used the keyboard to confirm because the buttons dont update til you confirm the button layout... makes sense). After all of that it feels like a very underpolished unity game, the assets just have a very "first pass" feel to it all and I guess it's the only way a game like this could even come out in this day and age. The battles are decently balanced but there's something bothering me about the experience, I guess polish does count for something.
Sable
I really like this game, it shares a common niche with A Short Hike by being an open world game for people who don't want to commit to open world games (or even hate them). It does feel under-polished in terms of controls but not in the visuals. It has a climbing system similar to BOTW's but it's exactly the jankiness you'd expect from a small Unity team attempting it. A lot of the interactions feel like a compromise for a much simpler yet brisk game about taking it easy as there is no combat. I have beaten BOTW but find the combat harrowing to go through as I break my 1000th weapon and deal with its resource management. So Sable is a nice value proposition answer to that. I will probably continue this game.
Monster Train
I've been on the lookout for something that could potentially replace Slay the Spire (spoilers: nothing will). This game is pretty alright and scratches the one more time itch, but I think the game has a lot more added complexity and doesn't quite get the balance that Spire expertly got right. I feel like it's a bit harder to grasp what each benefit or non-benefit will lead to and the onboarding process a little thick. There's a lot of weird difference between fighting enemies and bosses and idk, I don't feel like I'm pressed to keep optimizing each hand. This game also feels way too iphoney for my taste aesthetics wise.
Library Of Ruina
I believe this a korean deckbuilderish/VN game with a slightly off but sensible localization. I say sensible but like, the concepts this game explores is highly abstract so I don't know who's fault it is that I'm so overwhelmed by the information dump this game gives you. You're this guy who works for a library who introduces guests to the books? But like not actually because this means actually fighting them and storing them into books I think? It's prefaced with a lot of VN dialogue and exposition yet none of it really gets to me and I'm just unable to convey what this game even is. It at least has an anime intro.
Nowhere Prophet
Also a deckbuilder but completely and utterly different from the Spire kind. It's more about placing units as cards and using effect cards to turn the tide in your favor. One thing I don't really like is that both you and the enemy's life points are super exposed unless theres a unit with a taunt ability. So it's a much looser Yu-Gi-Oh where you have to think long term if it's worth keeping an enemy unit alive to score easier. This might be a dealbreaker for me but overall I think this is the most competent deckbuilderish game I've played on here.
Neoverse and Tainted Grail: Conquest
Both of these games have way higher graphic budgets as the above but way past the budget you'd need for a card game. I suspect it's bigger teams noticing the Slay the Spire trend and pivoting their clunky unreal engine to make a simple turn based thing that takes zero advantages from the heightened graphics. I guess if you wanted to wander around on a fully 3D overworld map in between duels or stare at an anime girls buttocks while assessing cards there might be a market. But a lot of the moment to moments is just, spamming cards and hoping for the best. I get a lot of "Is that good?" thoughts whenever I read about a new card or benefit very early on in the game which is probably a bad sign.
After trying out all of these games it only makes me appreciate StS even more even if there are some neat ideas here and there. Halo Infinite and Sable are probably the only games I'll be sticking with. I also have to get back to FF7 Remake but I've just moved and don't feel like setting up the PS4 just yet.
Bug Fables
I thought this would be the biggest bang for a dollar here but this game is ROUGH. The UX trouble I had getting my playstation controller setup to even corespond to the buttons displayed on the screen was a NIGHTMARE and I gave up and just manually set the buttons to what I think the game wants me to set the buttons too (and used the keyboard to confirm because the buttons dont update til you confirm the button layout... makes sense). After all of that it feels like a very underpolished unity game, the assets just have a very "first pass" feel to it all and I guess it's the only way a game like this could even come out in this day and age. The battles are decently balanced but there's something bothering me about the experience, I guess polish does count for something.
Sable
I really like this game, it shares a common niche with A Short Hike by being an open world game for people who don't want to commit to open world games (or even hate them). It does feel under-polished in terms of controls but not in the visuals. It has a climbing system similar to BOTW's but it's exactly the jankiness you'd expect from a small Unity team attempting it. A lot of the interactions feel like a compromise for a much simpler yet brisk game about taking it easy as there is no combat. I have beaten BOTW but find the combat harrowing to go through as I break my 1000th weapon and deal with its resource management. So Sable is a nice value proposition answer to that. I will probably continue this game.
Monster Train
I've been on the lookout for something that could potentially replace Slay the Spire (spoilers: nothing will). This game is pretty alright and scratches the one more time itch, but I think the game has a lot more added complexity and doesn't quite get the balance that Spire expertly got right. I feel like it's a bit harder to grasp what each benefit or non-benefit will lead to and the onboarding process a little thick. There's a lot of weird difference between fighting enemies and bosses and idk, I don't feel like I'm pressed to keep optimizing each hand. This game also feels way too iphoney for my taste aesthetics wise.
Library Of Ruina
I believe this a korean deckbuilderish/VN game with a slightly off but sensible localization. I say sensible but like, the concepts this game explores is highly abstract so I don't know who's fault it is that I'm so overwhelmed by the information dump this game gives you. You're this guy who works for a library who introduces guests to the books? But like not actually because this means actually fighting them and storing them into books I think? It's prefaced with a lot of VN dialogue and exposition yet none of it really gets to me and I'm just unable to convey what this game even is. It at least has an anime intro.
Nowhere Prophet
Also a deckbuilder but completely and utterly different from the Spire kind. It's more about placing units as cards and using effect cards to turn the tide in your favor. One thing I don't really like is that both you and the enemy's life points are super exposed unless theres a unit with a taunt ability. So it's a much looser Yu-Gi-Oh where you have to think long term if it's worth keeping an enemy unit alive to score easier. This might be a dealbreaker for me but overall I think this is the most competent deckbuilderish game I've played on here.
Neoverse and Tainted Grail: Conquest
Both of these games have way higher graphic budgets as the above but way past the budget you'd need for a card game. I suspect it's bigger teams noticing the Slay the Spire trend and pivoting their clunky unreal engine to make a simple turn based thing that takes zero advantages from the heightened graphics. I guess if you wanted to wander around on a fully 3D overworld map in between duels or stare at an anime girls buttocks while assessing cards there might be a market. But a lot of the moment to moments is just, spamming cards and hoping for the best. I get a lot of "Is that good?" thoughts whenever I read about a new card or benefit very early on in the game which is probably a bad sign.
After trying out all of these games it only makes me appreciate StS even more even if there are some neat ideas here and there. Halo Infinite and Sable are probably the only games I'll be sticking with. I also have to get back to FF7 Remake but I've just moved and don't feel like setting up the PS4 just yet.
Legend of Dragoon
A teleport to the Law city of Zenebatos became open for use. This is the location of another Signet Sphere, so, there is a sense of urgency.
I ignore that sense entirely, and return to the Death Frontier for a bit. Haschel had already achieved Dragoon Level 4 during my time in Aglis, and Meru achieved it during this run. As I type, only Kongol hasn't achieved it, but, how long it will be until he does is entirely unknown.
I'm not sure if I care enough to achieve Dragoon Level 5 with each character, considering how far into the game I'm at, and how little there is (probably) left to play. Dart had already achieved it, I don't remember when anymore. Being constantly forced in the party was certainly a factor!
Xenosaga Episode 3
After going through the forest and church is the Dabre Mine. The boss fight at the end of the Dabre Mine isMaria Mia and Seibzehn Leupold. The Elsa lies just after the boss, and is not really worse for the wear.
The problem of how to get back may be one thing, but, the gears have lost their Vessels of Anima, and refuse to function as they should. Shion gets it in her head to scout in the city, and her reconnaissance was fairly valuable. The plan becomes to infiltrate Labyrinthos to steal the Vessels of Anima that are there, and, hopefully, be able to use them to get out of this place before Milta's catastrophe plays out in full.
A teleport to the Law city of Zenebatos became open for use. This is the location of another Signet Sphere, so, there is a sense of urgency.
I ignore that sense entirely, and return to the Death Frontier for a bit. Haschel had already achieved Dragoon Level 4 during my time in Aglis, and Meru achieved it during this run. As I type, only Kongol hasn't achieved it, but, how long it will be until he does is entirely unknown.
I'm not sure if I care enough to achieve Dragoon Level 5 with each character, considering how far into the game I'm at, and how little there is (probably) left to play. Dart had already achieved it, I don't remember when anymore. Being constantly forced in the party was certainly a factor!
Xenosaga Episode 3
After going through the forest and church is the Dabre Mine. The boss fight at the end of the Dabre Mine is
The problem of how to get back may be one thing, but, the gears have lost their Vessels of Anima, and refuse to function as they should. Shion gets it in her head to scout in the city, and her reconnaissance was fairly valuable. The plan becomes to infiltrate Labyrinthos to steal the Vessels of Anima that are there, and, hopefully, be able to use them to get out of this place before Milta's catastrophe plays out in full.
Legend of Dragoon
As a law city, Zenebatos has a particular order in which things need to be done. There are two aritcles of law that we wish to amend. One is article #659, which basically states that non-winglies are to be sent to jail when caught. The other is article #703, which states that non-winglies are not to be given access to the Signet Sphere.
The party wants to amend article #659 first to make the process of amending article #703 a slightly less annoying task than it already is. Of course, the Signet Sphere has already been destroyed by the time the party got there, with Zieg gloating over them before making for the Dead City Mayfill, where the last Signet Sphere lies.
Of course, I don't go directly there. I was somewhat concerned the Kongol had yet to achieve Dragoon level 4, and I wanted that to happen before moving too much further. I considered using Cheat Engine to find where the game stores the cumulative SP for characters to use for their Dragoon levels without too much success.
However, there is an item usable in combat that grants an ally 100 SP, which helped things along for the party in general. I haven't been keeping track of how long I've been putzing in the Death Frontier, but, as I type, it's now Kongol that's left out from Dragoon Level 5, thanks to Spirit Potion spam. It was probably several hours, but, more accurate than that, I cannot say.
Xenosaga Episode 3
Labyrinthos lives up to it's name, with the run-about that the party goes through to be able to access the Vessels of Anima. During the escape, an intercepted communications drives Shion to get out of her gear in an attempt to rescue her mom, while the others are left to deal withWeltall Omega Universitas.
Of course, Shion is kidnapped, and the party's plan to rescue her involves using the backdrop of the infamous Miltian Conflict to their advantage.
While saving Shion pretty much goes off without too many hitches, it's not simply a matter of escaping Labyrinthos. Even if Shion was not asked by her father to protect the young child version of her, I think she would be inclined to do so anyway. This means going to the church for the cut-scene there, and a boss fight against Virgil.
After Virgil has his last goodbye, the party turns their attention back to protecting child-Shion. The child is under extreme duress, and given the events, it's fairly safe to say that adult-Shion's emotional state hangs in the balance as well. Rather than trying to escort the poor kid home, or, frankly, any place that would get her away from immediate danger (the Elsa?) they take her through a path underground, heading toward the room containing Shion's mother.
As a law city, Zenebatos has a particular order in which things need to be done. There are two aritcles of law that we wish to amend. One is article #659, which basically states that non-winglies are to be sent to jail when caught. The other is article #703, which states that non-winglies are not to be given access to the Signet Sphere.
The party wants to amend article #659 first to make the process of amending article #703 a slightly less annoying task than it already is. Of course, the Signet Sphere has already been destroyed by the time the party got there, with Zieg gloating over them before making for the Dead City Mayfill, where the last Signet Sphere lies.
Of course, I don't go directly there. I was somewhat concerned the Kongol had yet to achieve Dragoon level 4, and I wanted that to happen before moving too much further. I considered using Cheat Engine to find where the game stores the cumulative SP for characters to use for their Dragoon levels without too much success.
However, there is an item usable in combat that grants an ally 100 SP, which helped things along for the party in general. I haven't been keeping track of how long I've been putzing in the Death Frontier, but, as I type, it's now Kongol that's left out from Dragoon Level 5, thanks to Spirit Potion spam. It was probably several hours, but, more accurate than that, I cannot say.
Xenosaga Episode 3
Labyrinthos lives up to it's name, with the run-about that the party goes through to be able to access the Vessels of Anima. During the escape, an intercepted communications drives Shion to get out of her gear in an attempt to rescue her mom, while the others are left to deal with
Of course, Shion is kidnapped, and the party's plan to rescue her involves using the backdrop of the infamous Miltian Conflict to their advantage.
While saving Shion pretty much goes off without too many hitches, it's not simply a matter of escaping Labyrinthos. Even if Shion was not asked by her father to protect the young child version of her, I think she would be inclined to do so anyway. This means going to the church for the cut-scene there, and a boss fight against Virgil.
After Virgil has his last goodbye, the party turns their attention back to protecting child-Shion. The child is under extreme duress, and given the events, it's fairly safe to say that adult-Shion's emotional state hangs in the balance as well. Rather than trying to escort the poor kid home, or, frankly, any place that would get her away from immediate danger (the Elsa?) they take her through a path underground, heading toward the room containing Shion's mother.
December::..
1. Echo Beach
I can't even call this a pleasant surprise, I expected the game to be my kind of thing. Still, the execution is better than I expected it and puzzles are really crunchy. I also learned few things as I was searching for solutions on web. The game itself has a very sentimental feeling. Basically, you're helping an oppressive system to arrest the good guys and if you want to continue, you have no choice to sabotage it. The game is also about the system, which leaves no space for hobbies in pursuit of more productivity (capitalism, baby). I'm glad I played it.
Play it for free here.
2. Iris and the Giant
This is charming game in many ways but after four (unsuccessful) runs, it left me hungry for something chunkier. Basically, the game is a roguelike deckbuilder with some light rpg elements. If you can count passive boosts as rpg elements. The puzzle is quite satisfying as you are trying to kill three rows of monsters with your cards and survive and I like it the most in special "mind challenge" optional arenas. The thing is that your hand management feels too reliant on chance and there often isn't really space for strategy and getting better at the game, especially because regular cards don't go back to your deck and get burnt instead. Running out of cards means game over. Also, the two layers of story don't work for me. I feel like the part about a girl using this imaginary demons to overcome her real life problems could have been done way better.
3. Galak-Z
This is a fun twin stick shooter, but I'm in no mood for mastering its controls on keyboard. The gameplay feels satisfying with things exploding well otherwise. I might return to this if I get my hands on a controller.
4. Cat Quest
Cat Quest is a trully charming game. I think my only complain is that it relies on its kitty gimmick too much sometimes and that makes the world less interesting. But outside of that I love all of the choices the devs went with. The game is heavily focused on side quests and dungeon clearing and both movement and fighting feels satisfying. Ways to improve your character are light and slightly automated but them being streamlined fits the bite sized nature of the game. One thing I absolutely adore is the map. Scale-wise it's somewhere between a regular map and a world map, it might remind you of maps from old Fire Emblem games methink. Good stuff.
1. Echo Beach
I can't even call this a pleasant surprise, I expected the game to be my kind of thing. Still, the execution is better than I expected it and puzzles are really crunchy. I also learned few things as I was searching for solutions on web. The game itself has a very sentimental feeling. Basically, you're helping an oppressive system to arrest the good guys and if you want to continue, you have no choice to sabotage it. The game is also about the system, which leaves no space for hobbies in pursuit of more productivity (capitalism, baby). I'm glad I played it.
Play it for free here.
2. Iris and the Giant
This is charming game in many ways but after four (unsuccessful) runs, it left me hungry for something chunkier. Basically, the game is a roguelike deckbuilder with some light rpg elements. If you can count passive boosts as rpg elements. The puzzle is quite satisfying as you are trying to kill three rows of monsters with your cards and survive and I like it the most in special "mind challenge" optional arenas. The thing is that your hand management feels too reliant on chance and there often isn't really space for strategy and getting better at the game, especially because regular cards don't go back to your deck and get burnt instead. Running out of cards means game over. Also, the two layers of story don't work for me. I feel like the part about a girl using this imaginary demons to overcome her real life problems could have been done way better.
3. Galak-Z
This is a fun twin stick shooter, but I'm in no mood for mastering its controls on keyboard. The gameplay feels satisfying with things exploding well otherwise. I might return to this if I get my hands on a controller.
4. Cat Quest
Cat Quest is a trully charming game. I think my only complain is that it relies on its kitty gimmick too much sometimes and that makes the world less interesting. But outside of that I love all of the choices the devs went with. The game is heavily focused on side quests and dungeon clearing and both movement and fighting feels satisfying. Ways to improve your character are light and slightly automated but them being streamlined fits the bite sized nature of the game. One thing I absolutely adore is the map. Scale-wise it's somewhere between a regular map and a world map, it might remind you of maps from old Fire Emblem games methink. Good stuff.
Obtained a few things for Christmas that I've been hacking slowly away at. What they are, and their status is thus.
Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends
This I once owned on PS4 before trading the disk for other game(s) to GameStop back in the day. Maybe it's because I've consumed quite a bit of Three Kingdoms related media, but, I'm getting a lot more of out this game than before. I almost want to reinstall 8 Empires, and play those games along side each other, but, that might be a little much!
I was able to complete the historical Wei campaign, and are a three or four stages into the Shu campaign.
Bloodstained - Ritual of the Night
Another game I originally owned on PS4. The game was tough, but, I could see it's greatness. However, I won't lie. I got this game on PC for the possibility of using Cheat Engine to either reduce the amount of grind, or eliminate it entirely. So sue me.
I haven't actually tried anything yet, and it behooves me to back up my save file before trying anything, but, I feel I'm still quite a ways before I make any attempts at fiddling.
Hades
This is a pretty fun rouge-like, and this story of a guy wanting to get to the surface to meet his mother is kinda intriguing. Particularly since his mother is supposed to be Persephone. Like, in the back of my head, Persephone moving between Hades and Demeter is the Greek myth-reasoning for the changing of seasons, if my memory recalls correctly. When she's with her mother, it's spring and summer, as her mother is gladdened by her presence. When they are not with each other, her mother becomes depressed, and it's autumn and winter.
Either way, I barely managed to beat the first of the three Furies, Megaera. I maybe got in four rooms of Asphodel before dying in that run.
Star Shift Origins
Obtained over the Steam winter sale, partially in gratitude to kiyasu's generosity in the Secret Santa thread, and partially out of curiosity.
This is an interesting title that mixes a lot of things together to make a cohesive whole. I don't want to say too much more, as a review might be forthcoming, and would go into more detail there. It's been forever since I've written one, though, and I feel out of practice!
I don't know if I have the wherewithal to do a gaming diary thread next year, but, I hope those who participated, and those who followed along, were entertained!
Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends
This I once owned on PS4 before trading the disk for other game(s) to GameStop back in the day. Maybe it's because I've consumed quite a bit of Three Kingdoms related media, but, I'm getting a lot more of out this game than before. I almost want to reinstall 8 Empires, and play those games along side each other, but, that might be a little much!
I was able to complete the historical Wei campaign, and are a three or four stages into the Shu campaign.
Bloodstained - Ritual of the Night
Another game I originally owned on PS4. The game was tough, but, I could see it's greatness. However, I won't lie. I got this game on PC for the possibility of using Cheat Engine to either reduce the amount of grind, or eliminate it entirely. So sue me.
I haven't actually tried anything yet, and it behooves me to back up my save file before trying anything, but, I feel I'm still quite a ways before I make any attempts at fiddling.
Hades
This is a pretty fun rouge-like, and this story of a guy wanting to get to the surface to meet his mother is kinda intriguing. Particularly since his mother is supposed to be Persephone. Like, in the back of my head, Persephone moving between Hades and Demeter is the Greek myth-reasoning for the changing of seasons, if my memory recalls correctly. When she's with her mother, it's spring and summer, as her mother is gladdened by her presence. When they are not with each other, her mother becomes depressed, and it's autumn and winter.
Either way, I barely managed to beat the first of the three Furies, Megaera. I maybe got in four rooms of Asphodel before dying in that run.
Star Shift Origins
Obtained over the Steam winter sale, partially in gratitude to kiyasu's generosity in the Secret Santa thread, and partially out of curiosity.
This is an interesting title that mixes a lot of things together to make a cohesive whole. I don't want to say too much more, as a review might be forthcoming, and would go into more detail there. It's been forever since I've written one, though, and I feel out of practice!
I don't know if I have the wherewithal to do a gaming diary thread next year, but, I hope those who participated, and those who followed along, were entertained!
