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Archives for August 2021

Game Review Dreamscaper

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I am at a loss for words as far as what is going on in Dreamscaper, but this is one of those games that presumably takes place in your mind. I mentioned in my Fracter review that games based on mental health could be a great new genre of video games. Dreamscaper is definitely an interesting offering, as it tries to create an interesting premise for a game as dreams and reality merge together.

I found it odd that in order to play the game, the tutorial shows you what to do while playing a game. It is an interesting way to learn how to move and attack, and from there, you enter into this weird dreamscape the appears to be an ordinary neighborhood.

So what is going on? It looks like something like a dungeon crawler, with the goal being to open up new areas. There are all kinds of attacks that you can use, not to mention a storyline for the main character that you play, Cassidy.

Cassidy is stuck in a world where she builds relationships in the real world and can unlock a map there. Then in the dream world, you go through a dungeon, even facing bosses there. These bosses represent a lot of real-world feelings like isolation, fear, negativity, and much more.

You can learn more about Dreamscaper here, and purchase it for the Switch and on Steam.

Game Review WishSpring 3: Re:Fine The Story of Eirudy

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I have to admit that I never heard of WishSpring 1 or 2, and I have to admit that this game was a bit of a challenge to me. This is one of those games where everything it tells you to do in the first fifteen minutes is a kind of tutorial, and I am still confused as what I am doing.

I don’t really see WishSpring 3: Re:Fine The Story of Eirudy as an open world RPG, as there are definite things that the game does not want me to do certain times. It also does those turn-based battles that I really don’t like to see in any game.

It looks like I am some nameless witch, and I am going through this small area around my cottage essentially killing monsters and gathering items. You know, fantasy game stuff. There is apparently some kind of plot going on here, as you meet a boy named Adrian who names you Eirudy.

There is also this aspect where you can increase your magic with training, and you can also bring dolls to life. This training takes 5 days to do, and I have no idea if there is some time limit on this, or anything.

Now, I only have a certain amount of time that I can give to any game that I am reviewing, but judging by the map that I can look at, there is a lot that can be explored.

You can get WishSpring 3: Re:Fine The Story of Eirudy for the Switch for about $39.99 on the Nintendo eShop, and it looks like it will be worth your money as there is a lot of stuff to do here.

Game Review: Where The Heart Leads

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I’m going to just get this out of the way and say that Where The Heart Leads is one of the most unique video games that I have ever played. Does this make it good, oh yes. Does it make it great? I would also say yes.

When it comes to games, we often know what to expect. If we play a Mario game, then we are going to be jumping and platforms. If we play a Zelda game, there will be swords, monsters, and dungeons. I could go on with this, but even with the newer games, there is this “it’s all been done before feeling” about it.

With Where the Heart Leads, I wasn’t certain what to expect. I was enamored by the screenshots which showed a kind of surrealistic RPG, which is a great genre of game to play. I thought there would be some puzzle-solving of some type, and I really was prepared for the challenge.

What I didn’t expect was that I would be playing the great American novel. In Where the Heart Leads, you play Whit Anderson, a man who comes from a small town in the middle of Nowhere, U.S.A. The game proper begins as there is a strange sinkhole disaster, which causes you (Whit) to descend into the abysmal hole to seek out your dog. Your family lowers you into the giant hole via bathtub, and yes, this is very, very strange.

Then suddenly, the game goes all normal as the game suddenly turns into Whit’s life. It starts out showing what Whit was like as a teenager, and what type of childhood he has. The landscape is very odd, and it seems deliberately unfinished, as if he’s living in some fragment of reality with bottomless pit edges that he cannot fall off. Whit can interact with people, but they appear as this silver silhouettes, like ghosts.

This feels like one of these games where an action that you do will affect some gameplay down the line. The issue is that I don’t know if some seemingly minor choice can truly affect everything in the gameplay later. I honestly don’t know where to begin looking to see how far the story branches, but I am guessing that it is a lot.

Within this game, Whit is trying to help his small town prosper, but not try selling out doing it. He is trying to spend time with his wife and kids, but not sacrifice his career goals. In short, the game really is about life itself, and like life, there is really no score or perceivably any bigger goal than doing as much good as one can.

I think the best word that I can use to describe this game is “tender”, as you really are living the life of this one character. I know very few games that have achieved this level of cathartic quality, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more games like this.

Where the Heart Is is available for $24.99 on the PS4 and PS5 for about $24.99 and you can see more information about it here. I would say that it is very much worth its price and more.

Fracter Game Review for the Nintendo Switch

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Sometimes it is the simplistic games that can really rock and rule my world. In the case of Fracter, a game that wants to really emphasis the conflict of darkness and light, it is as simple as it is complex.

The game, which I have previewed here with a demonstration video below, is one that doesn’t seem to have a very deep backstory. From what it looks like, you are in someone’s mind, perhaps your own, and you are doing a series of challenges to get to the next level. This is just an estimation on my part, as the official statement is “a veiled young hero who has set out on a perilous quest to dispel the darkness within”.

I played this game on the Switch, and you can see how puzzled I was at the beginning. Part of it is using the side buttons on these levers, but it took me a while to realize that is what I was supposed to do.

Honestly, this really intrigues me, as I believe that issues of mental health being represented in games could be an entirely new genre of its own. Perhaps this is my own personal bias, but a game where a character is trying to free themselves from the dark places in their mind is very appealing to me.

This is one of those games where you are pulling a lot of levers and switches, and in this case, you are turning on the lights to activate triggers which will eventually open doors.

Of course, what would any game be without its share of opponents? Fracter has them, and they are these kind of zombie-like creatures that will rush you and take you over, but they can be beaten with the power of light. Seriously, you can make these light walls which will destroy these creepy guys like a bug zapper.

This is one of those games that requires black and white with a minimal soundtrack. It really works as an indie game, but it seems pretentious with its talk about overpowering darkness and such.

Still, I recommend it, as it is a fun one if you like the puzzle types. It is available for the Nintendo Switch eShop now for $6.99.