QTE Gamers

Thursday, October 3, 2024

Demo Play Thursday - Metaphor: ReFantazio - Prologue Demo On PS4

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the PlayStation 4 version of Metaphor: ReFantazio - Prologue Demo from Atlus.

Going into this demo, i didn't know anything about the game. i had somehow missed previous trailers and news about it. so other than it being an RPG, i didn't know what to expect. So i went in with no real expectations, it was all up to the demo to showcase itself.

And it did a fantastic job at that. the demo appears to be the first few hours of the game, tho it admits there are some changes from the retail game. The demo is quite open about it being a demo and that the aim is to showcase many aspects of the game. it's also clear that our save from this demo can be carried over into the final retail version.

one of the cooler features of this demo is the difficulty choice. if your focus is story, then choose that mode. the demo makes it clear that you won't die from battles. the other difficulty levels revolve around how difficult the battle aspect of the game becomes. i did this demo on normal and after this hour and a half i'd say it's probably fine to keep it at Easy and focus more on the story. the fights are fine, but they don't add much to the game beyond the style the game already oozes.

This game has soo much style and design i would argue that perhaps it has too much. there were a few moments where there was a load for some flashy stylish thing that only lasted a few seconds before there was another load back into the gameplay. On a PS5 where load times may not even exist this may work better, but on PS4 it felt more like a waste of time.

For me, the biggest shock was how poor i thought the story telling was for most of this video. but this could be explained due to Atlus cutting some story elements from the demo. But the story bounces from the present to the past, from one group to another, and often there was very little linking anything that was happening together. it took about an hour for all groups to be tied into the story together and for things to start feeling more harmonious. But once it got going i really got into it and enjoyed it

I would recommend the Prologue demo for Metaphor: ReFantazio. beyond the main story that's told, we get glimpses of something entirely different teased as the game asks for our name like we were another part of it's story, rather than us controlling characters. Having many difficulties makes it approachable to a wide audience, and there seems to be a lot here to play.

On PS4 i'd say that it plays great. there are some cutbacks that are noticeable but they don't really affect gameplay. for example, the main city we're in at the start looks big and interesting, but there aren't as many people around as you'd expect. the loading was better than i expected and the game uses a very short walking anime to help cover the loading of a new area of the city, so it feels like this PS4 version itself got attention rather than it being a straight port from PS5.

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Backlog Conquering - Poison Control On PS4 - Part 1 - The First Two "Belles' Hells"

Welcome to Backlog Conquering. This is a series were i play a game from my backlog that i may or may not have played before. the goal isn't necessarily to finish the game, the goal is to play it. that way, i can have an opinion about it.

Poison Control is a surprise pick for a series that focuses on Backlogs. it came out in 2021 so it's one of the more recent games i've bought. But the thing is i don't remember buying it, so i don't know why i have it. it's not a PlayStation Plus game so my Backlog Conquering series is the perfect place to try it as whilst it's not an old game, it's still in the backlog.

Sunday, September 29, 2024

Switch Funday - Star Wars: Hunters - 10 Season 3 Ranked Games

This weekend is the first weekend of Season 3 in Star Wars Hunters. I've been playing the Switch version of this game. For Online Saturday i tried out the Matchup Clash game mode and played 10 games, winning 4, https://youtu.be/mM-AylzecFI. For Today i played 10 games in the ranked game mode and my team mates and i were able to win 6 of them.

Unfortunately, there were two failed multiplayer matches. i showed the first one as it happened right at the beginning of the video, but there was another before the second match. what's frustrating about it is how long it can take for the game to sort itself out and get back to the home screen. the example i included was one of the faster examples of this.

Saturday, September 28, 2024

Online Saturday - Star Wars: Hunters - 10 Games From The New Season 3

For this weekend's Online Saturday video i played the recently released Season 3 in Star Wars: Hunters on Switch, from developers NaturalMotion Games and Zynga.

Mobile Friday - Power Rangers Mighty Force - It's Fine, But Lacks Charm And The Grind Hit Hard

For Mobile Friday this week is i tried out Power Rangers Mighty Force, from East Side Games , on my #iPhone 14 Pro.

I'm familiar with the recent games that East Side Games have released, i checked out Star Trek Lower Decks, https://youtu.be/5rA9Fb4SVhI, and have personally played their Doctor Who game. both of these are idle games based around an established franchise so going into Power Rangers Mighty Force i had a basic idea of how the idle part of the game would work. what got me interested is something they showed in the app store, the fighting.

the start of the game gets across the story premise and tutorial with both being told mostly fine. i'm familiar with the early Power Rangers and i found the Rita Repulsa in this game isn't quite the Rita i remember. but other than that, in this first hour the story we get mostly works. it does feel like they're trying really hard, maybe a little too hard this early on, introducing the idle mechanic.

Having played two of their recent releases, i was a little disappointed that East Side Games hadn't done much to differentiate this from them. It's the same idea in a new skin and the battle mechanic doesn't do enough to make this feel unique. The battle mechanic feels too bare bones and isn't explained as well as other aspects of the game. in this video i talk about how i have to remember how each character attacks as the game doesn't tell me. Plus, there are traits introduced that can help in fights and i've already got to the point where it's asking for characters with traits and i don't have them.

What also comes across as somewhat lazy is the music. apart from the odd guitar riff, it doesn't feel like any Power Rangers i've seen in the past. it's possible this music style is relevant to newer versions, then if that's the case why isn't there a large selection of musical styles for each era of Power Rangers.

Ultimately, Power Rangers Mighty Force isn't a bad game but i would only go so far as to say that it's Fine at best. the basics are solid but there's not much more than that. it treats the Power Rangers Fine, but doesn't seem to go over and above with it. for example, as someone who's only familiar with the earlier stuff, i wanted the game to celebrate the other eras with something like a Wiki or just simply saying on the character screen which show they're from. Power Rangers Mighty Force doesn't do anything to reinvent the genre and feels a little old nowadays. but if you're a Power Rangers fan it's a fine Idle Game.

Version 1.0.0 Played.

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Demo Play Thursday - Reynatis On Switch

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the Nintendo Switch game Reynatis, from the developers Natsume Atari and FuRyu.

Going in, i didn't know what to expect from Reynatis. But i know of Natsume Atari and FuRyu so i was expecting an RPG. the icon art for this game is really cool and even on Switch i was expecting something vibrant. i can say that after playing this demo, Reynatis is this and much more.

The demo itself is well designed. it's from the start of the game but it's been changed slightly because it's a demo and it lets us know this. but other than not being able to go to some areas i never really felt like i was playing something lesser. at the end of the demo, it also details that our saves will be used in the final game and unlock bonuses for us and then makes us save before it goes to the main menu. A lot of care and attention went into this demo and it showed. this is one of the better demos i've played this year.

It also highlights the start of the game and how good it is. in the hour i played, the demo introduced a lot of the gameplay mechanics, the story concepts, the main characters, possible twists in the story, and also left a few things unanswered, some hooks that'll keep us playing.

The tutorial at the start is good as well. it takes us through the basics of gameplay. what helps is how responsive the controls are in the game. i might argue that the controls are a little too responsive as a couple of times during battles i felt the camera couldn't quite keep up. the combat is in the style of Devil May Cry in how you attack and the rating you get afterwards. there are clear bonuses for getting high ratings, tho it's not always obvious what you need to do to achieve a 3 star rating.

The only other knock against Reynatis from this first hour with it is that it felt like there were too many mechanics. aside from the mechanics for combat and the overworld using witch powers or not, which i consider to be essential to the game, there was a stress mechanic and social mechanic introduced that never really got to be used in this demo so felt unessential and superfluous.

Overall, i had a great time with the demo for Reynatis and i feel that it does well at showing the game. Playing the demo got me interested in the story and having now played it i'm comfortable with how it plays and controls. i would recommend this demo to anyone looking for an action RPG or someone looking for some fun with combat, much like Devil May Cry. i may suggest waiting for some reviews just in-case the rest of the game falls apart of gets weighed down by the mechanics, but it's well worth wish listing.