iPhone Friday - Dicero! - Good Art, Easy To Pick Up And Play, But Poor Tutorial And Maybe Too Simple

For this week's iPhone Friday i tried Dicero! from HABBY on my iPhone14Pro. 

Dicero! is a recent release on the Japanese App Store, but since it came out i've seen many adverts for the game, especially when it comes to adverts in other free to play mobile games. A lot of shovelware games have had similar advertising pushes so i came into this not really sure what to expect. the App store page has screenshots, but they're less useful than the adverts i had previously seen.

Unfortunately, Dicero! starts off with a bad first impression as it downloads data without warning, without permission, and it never says what it downloaded. it's not a big download, but it is there. 

The game starts right away. there's no opening cinematic, there's no story, it's straight to gameplay. there is a tutorial that tells us what to do, but it doesn't really explain the why. before you know it, the tutorial is over and i found there to be many things left unexplained. the gameplay from this first hour is simple enough and with some reading and experimenting it's not too difficult to work things out. but again, it's the first impression that the game's stumbling with in a market where the really good games focus on the tutorial and explaining things. for example, there was a powerup using a term i hadn't read before. it would've been great to have a gif showing what it actually does so i could make a better informed decision about using it.

What i really liked about Dicero! was the artstyle. the characters and enemies looked fantastic and there were small animations everywhere. the boss monsters really stood out. graphically it maybe somewhat simple but it is really nice to look at. the general background music is also nice. the track that plays during most of the gameplay effortlessly loops without me noticing. but when it came to the boss music, it was very energetic and appropriate but it was also really noticeable when it looped.

Throughout the video, i kept on coming up with ways to enhance the gameplay. what i played was easy to understand, but there didn't seem to be much depth or strategy to it. Dicero! is very much a pick up and play game but it also came across as one where you don't really need to think much about what's happening.

On the whole, i did enjoy playing Dicero! there are good aspects of the game but there are maybe more average aspects of it. it may not make the best first impression, but if you play a couple of levels you'll get the hang of it and it seems fine for most people. being able to play the game with one hand makes it a fine choice for commuters and with things being as simple as they are it would help pass the time quickly.

Version 1.0.1 Played

Demo Play Thursday - Etrange Overlord DEMO On PS4

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the PlayStation4  version of Etrange Overlord, from developers Gemdrops.

The PSN Store page for this demo doesn't have a lot of information and it has no screenshots. all i knew going in to this was that the save file would carry over to the retail version of the game, which the demo itself never said, and that there was some sort of musical aspect to this game.

Etrange Overlord starts with our death and with all things considered we seem to handle it well. we awaken in hell and it becomes clear quickly that the residents of hell should be the ones scared of me, not the other way round. this opening sequence acts as the game's battle tutorial and whilst it's light on information, it's not the only time we see this tutorial as more aspects of the game's battle systems open up as we play.

What struck me early on is how good the game looks. you may hear in the video that this demo was pushing my PS4 quite hard. all the enemies and characters we come across are vibrantly colored and whilst they may not have fine detail, they do look great. the art style used in this game throughout is nice. a good compromise was reached letting this game look as well as it does whilst also performing as well.

The biggest issue i had was that it was never clear when the game was saving. i admit i got the manual save wrong at the end of the demo, but up to then the only time i could say for sure i knew that game had saved was when i changed some options at the start of the demo.

the biggest, and pleasant, surprise goes to the game's musical aspect. at no point was i expecting the characters to burst out into song. what's impressive is that it fits well in to the game itself. it was surprising, but once i got over that, by the end of the demo i was looking forward to these little bursts of song. another aspect of the game's story telling that i enjoyed was the banter between our main character and some of the demons. they're not afraid to talk behind our main character's back, and she's not afraid to remind them who's the boss and that she can hear them. that sort of comedy wasn't over played and i feel like it worked well.

From the start of the demo, it suggests playing it on Sweets Mode, which makes the combat easier so the focus moves to the story telling. i'd suggest leaving this on as the combat, but the end of the demo, was starting to get a little difficult. the combat systems are good. i enjoyed how combat bonuses appeared and how they can help us. But what i wasn't expecting was when the game had a Capture An Area battle situation. our team had to battle to gain and hold parts of the battle world to win the fight. it was refreshing and i do wonder what other twists are instore later in the game.

I really enjoyed trying out this demo for Etrange Overlord. i never finished it so if you enjoyed what you see, i'd recommend trying the demo for yourself or just get the game. there's nothing here, in the demo at least, that comes across as hardcore. i think it's a decent introduction into RPG's for those who are a little older. i think some of the game's humour might be wasted on kids. 

Backlog Conquering - ToeJam & Earl On PS3 - Part 5

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.

Our new game is the PS3 version of ToeJam & Earl. this version came out in 2012 as part of the Sega Vintage Collection and was developed by M2. Prior to this playthrough, i hadn't played ToeJam & Earl before but on Mega Drive i had played ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron. 

Part 4 ended with me dying and realising that i hadn't saved since i reached the previous level. that meant the first thing i had to do in this video was to, once again, complete the stage and take the elevator up. thankfully, this didn't take too long. i got the ship part and found the elevator up in just a few minutes. Stage 16 went even easier, especially considering it killed me in the last part, with the elevator going up being found quickly. But 17 took around 20 minutes to finish. i had some of the worst luck with enemy placement and random exits. i made an attempt at 18 in this part but once again i didn't have any luck so called it a day.

Check out the previous parts:

Part 1 - https://youtu.be/AA7N46YYLbQ

Part 2 - https://youtu.be/CdzaIAn3lfs

Part 3 - https://youtu.be/ew7qQ5r4Yjc

Part 4 - https://youtu.be/EtidNAjMpSU

Cloud Monday - Wall-E - Pt2 - It's Fine And Not Too Difficult With Local Multiplayer Mini Games

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 2 of playing the PS4 version of Wall-E via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

In Part 1, it was clear to see that these PS2 emulated games on PS4 and PS5 are a great fit for cloud streaming because you can press the Options button at any point and save. this is true for the PS1 and PSP emulated games, too. so with Wall-E is becomes more of a question if the game is worth playing or not.

For me, someone who is a fan of the movie, i'm going to say yes. the interactions Wall-E has with things it finds are just as endearing as they were back when i saw the movie in the cinema. when we met Eve for the first time it was a nice feeling. the game doesn't follow the movie's plot strictly, the start of the game works great as a tutorial for not only controlling Wall-E but also in how the game is built. but as soon as that lazer light appeared i was excited for the stories to converge somewhat.

The HD upscale helps with the graphics. they're not fantastic, but the upscale helps make them look clear and vibrant. the controls are perhaps the weakest aspect of the game. there are moments where they feel too sensitive and moments when they don't. i wonder if this is a result of the emulation, like the game used to run at 30fps on PS2 but now it runs at 60fps and the controls are also doubly sped up. that's just a guess but if you know please put it in the comments.

For me, Wall-E is a fine game to stream from the cloud. but for others, i think that it might be closer to a "Maybe". But these are my thoughts and that tips it into the "Yes" category.

iPhone Friday - Astro Defenders : Capt.Couch - A Simple Yet Fun Wave Based Tower Defense Style Game

For this week's iPhone Friday i tried Astro Defenders : Capt.Couch from PLAYHARD STUDIO on my iPhone 14 Pro. 

I downloaded this game a while ago and it's been constantly updated ever since, so it does seem like the developers are supporting the game. the screenshots on the app store page seemed very accurate as to what the game is.

Astro Defenders : Capt.Couch is mix of tower defense, wave based shooting, merging, and idle. the game starts with a tutorial that takes things nice and slow. by the end of it i felt i had grasped how to play it. the tutorial is also extends to the game's home screen. but it's here that it falters. the game play mechanics are covered when they're unlocked, but the rest of the icons on the home screen seem to be ignored.

The game is free to play and there don't seem to be adverts inbetween stages. but it does have an energy mechanic. it costs 10 per stage you play. but what i really liked was how clear the game makes the recharge time. it says when the next charge is ready and when it's fully charged, each with their own countdown.

If i had to point to an issue it's the placement of your troops on the stage. before a wave starts, you're able to freely move your units, call new ones, and change your team. but moving them was tricky. when i record these videos i have the game playing on TV, via the HDMI out i record from, as well as my phone's screen and it was from this i realized i was having trouble moving characters. because of how zoomed out the camera is when moving them, i couldn't see the shadow under the characters so for a while i wasn't able to place them exactly where i wanted. in the end, i switched to watching the game play on tv so i could place the characters more accurately. i wonder if it's possible for the developers to zoom in the camera whilst you're moving characters around so it's easier place them exactly where you want.

From the time i played Astro Defenders : Capt.Couch, i think it's a great introduction to this style of game. i think the tutorial makes it easy for newcomers whilst the merge mechanics offer something new for more experienced players. i hadn't unlocked everything by the time i was finished so there's a good few hours of content at the very least. i'd recommend giving it a go.

Version 1.1.13 Played

Backlog Conquering - ToeJam & Earl On PS3 - Part 4

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.

Our new game is the PS3 version of ToeJam & Earl. this version came out in 2012 as part of the Sega Vintage Collection and was developed by M2. Prior to this playthrough, i hadn't played ToeJam & Earl before but on Mega Drive i had played ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron. 

i lasted around 4 minutes into playing Part 4 before i had to reload the save. i'm grateful that this feature is here as ToeJam & Earl continues to be a tough game. i don't know if there's an element of randomness about the game or if everything was specifically placed there by the developers. for example, i would get stuck dancing, hit by a cherub arrow, all the while trying to doge the mole. another example would be the tomato firing ducks being placed in areas where there isn't much space to avoid them. By saving and reloading i am making progress and getting ship pieces, but there are times when it feels like i have little or no luck.

Check out the previous parts:

Part 1 - https://youtu.be/AA7N46YYLbQ

Part 2 - https://youtu.be/CdzaIAn3lfs

Part 3 - https://youtu.be/ew7qQ5r4Yjc

Cloud Monday - Wall-E - Fairly Average Gameplay But You Can Save Any Time With PS2 On PS4

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 1 of playing the PS4 version of Wall-E via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

Wall-E is one of my favorite Pixar movies. i knew that there were video games, but i never looked to see what they were about. all these years later, Wall-E is now on the PSN store as a PS2 game emulated on #PS4. i was curious as to what kinda game this actually was and so far i enjoyed it much more than i did when i checked out Ratatouille.

With it being soo many years since i last watched Wall-E, things like the music seemed unfamiliar. there's a chance it's the same music in the movie but i don't remember it. The music didn't seem to match what was happening on screen, like they focused on the music being from a supermarket to fit the theme of the game/movie but not what was actually happening in the game. Though i did like that there was a button devoted to playing your own music. i accidently triggered it a few times and it was always nice to hear.

As a PS2 game, it was always going to look a little rough. the cutscenes, for example, don't appear to be full screen nor a particularly high resolution. the game itself is upscaled but not to 1080p on PS4. playing the game is a much more enjoyable experience than watching a cutscene as i think the graphics and art style hold up fairly well. the game, so far at least, is somewhat zoomed in to Wall-E so he's big and easy to see and so are the areas we've played in.

Controlling Wall-E isn't too difficult. there's a fantastic section at the start that uses a maintenance check to go through the game's tutorial. i really appreciate it when games are able to incorporate the tutorial into their story. going from tutorial to the games first level was a surprise as we're having to run away. the tutorial is nice and slow but suddenly the action ramps up and before we know it it's over and things have calmed down. it took me by surprise but it was fun.

I look forward to Part 2 where, hopefully, Wall-E will get to do more different things and perhaps we'll get to see EVE or even get to space. but so far, streaming Wall-E seems like a good way to play it.

Demo Play Thursday - Ariana and the Elder Codex DEMO On Switch

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the Nintendo Switch version of Ariana and the Elder Codex, from developers Hyde, Compile Heart, and Idea Factory.

I didn't know anything about this demo going into it, but after playing it there's still more about the game i want to know. the demo shows one area not quite from the start of the game in what i assume to be a way to avoid story spoilers. but after playing it, i feel like we're not given enough information about the game's story and some of the game's mechanics. if this is a demo trying to sell itself to us, it falls short when it comes to the game's story.

Ariana and the Elder Codex DEMO doesn't run perfectly on Switch. in the game's options, i had the option for the game to prioritise frame rate or resolution so i picked frame rate. but there were many moments in this demo where the framerate dropped a lot. if you tried it with the focus on resolution, it would be interesting to know if you had even greater issues with framerate than i did.

Other than the game's music, there's a lot to like with the demo. i appreciated that it's honest from the start that the save won't carry over to the retail release and that things may be different in the retail release. whilst we only get one segment to play through, it's about an hours worth of content. but it doesn't take place from the very start of the game so there were some gameplay mechanics not explained. but for the most part, enough was explained clearly for us to enjoy the demo. 

I found the combat to be satisfying. it's pretty fluid and i found it easy to pull off different attacks. what's cool about this combat is how you can stagger the enemies with repeated hits of magic and when you defeat an enemy with magic they explode. this explosion can then stagger or defeat near by enemies in a cool looking combo system.

It felt like the area we got to play in has more secrets than i found, but because of the type of demo this is, there's no indication whether we would be able to go back and explore the level later in the game to get a 100% or if we only get one chance at it. it's just another example of how the game didn't quite sell to use the potential or the possibilities of Ariana and the Elder Codex DEMO.

I did enjoy playing this demo and if you're interested in Ariana and the Elder Codex DEMO it would be worth playing. but i don't think it's going to answer all the questions you'd have about the game. it would be worth checking out written or video reviews to get a better sense of what you'd get. at the very least, it does look nice on Switch. i just worry that performance wise, people should look at getting Ariana and the Elder Codex on Switch 2.

Cloud Monday - Final Fantasy VII: Remake - Part 2 - Great To Stream From The Cloud

This week's new Cloud Monday video is part 2 of playing the PS4 version of Final Fantasy VII: Remake via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.

In Part 1, the streaming experience wasn't great. it frequently disconnected me. but, the game let me save manually so it wasn't a problem in that part and i slowly made progress towards the first boss of the game.

In this part, the first thing i had to do was deal with this boss. it's a long fight. there were moments of macro blocking and there was a warning about the connection. whilst the issues didn't get in the way of the gameplay, it did lessen the spectacle of it.

that's the main issue with Final Fantasy VII: Remake. streaming the game isn't an issue with how easy it is to save and how frequently the game auto saves. but streaming it seemed to lessen the spectacle. the music had occasional issues, the graphics did too. so if this is the first time you've played the game it might be best to download and install the game to ensure the most optimum playing experience. 

Part 1 - https://youtu.be/060PqqvE7YY

Switch Funday - Tetris 99 - 52nd Maximus Cup - Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2

There is a Maximus Cup this weekend in Tetris 99 on Nintendo Switch. The 52nd Maximus Cup is for the Wii games Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2. By getting 100 points, you can unlock it all.

Whilst i wasn't able to get my first win in Tetris 99, i did manage to get close to the top 10. i felt quite rusty and there were a few mistakes. Even though Tetris 99 had been updated, it did seem like there was a bug with the "Watch Out" warning at the bottom of the screen sticking around for longer than it should.

iPhone Friday - MOCHI-O - Defending The World With Your Hamster Monster In This Fun Rail Shooter

For this week's iPhone Friday i tried MOCHI-O from zxima on my iPhone 14 Pro. 

I had previously played Flat Machine, https://youtu.be/Hob5TyE_BWE, and really enjoyed it so i was looking forward to trying something new from these developers. the app store page did make it look like the game was going to be very busy so i was also curious how the game would handle things when it got chaotic.

The answer to that question came immediately as when you start the game you're thrown into the action. it took a second or two to understand what to do, i would've liked it to pause, highlight what was being said in the bottom left, then the top right, and then started the action. but ultimately, the game takes over fairly quickly as we're not as yet playing as our character. from this bit we're introduced to our monster Hamster weapon and that's it.

Our character comes in and things are slower and much more manageable. we're introduced to the characters better and what our goal is. the menus are mostly clear to understand and so is how the upgrade mechanics work. but i didn't realise that the upgrade menu was scrollable, so perhaps that needs to be made a bit clearer. but other than that, the game looks great and even among the chaos things are still legible, with things like health big and clear in the top left, and the danger zone clearly labeled.

the gameplay and what you have to do is simple, but the controls may take a bit to get used to. thankfully, you're able to replay levels if you make a mistake or go back to them when Mochi-o is leveled up and has more weapons and abilities. this is a rail shooter game. we can move left to right and our goal is to aim a reticle at the enemies and Mochi-o will attack that space. when you defeat an enemy, or use an enemy's explosion to take out other enemies, sunflower seeds will be dropped. you need to take time out of shooting to suck these seeds up. regular black and white ones give Mochi-o experience and when it has enough you're able to pick from 3 upgrades. picking up the pink ones help level up Mochi-o back at base. and there are other items dropped you can suck up like money, health, and blueprints. each run i did were different lengths of time and had variations of enemies to defeat.

I really enjoyed my time playing MOCHI-O. it doesn't take itself too serious and yet built an interesting world. it looks great, sounds good, and the English translation seems fine. i would recommend this game, it's one of the best free to play mobile games i've played this year so far!

Version 1.43 Played

Demo Play Thursday - Rubato DEMO On Switch

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the Nintendo Switch version of Rubato, from developer dconn.

going into this demo, i wasn't sure what to expect. the eShop page seemed to make it out to be a platformer where we have to collect stuff to rebuild the solar system. turns out, that's what we actually have to do. perhaps the eShop page revealed a little too much about the game as i was expecting something to happen at the start and instead we're shown something weird and i don't what it's for. that unknown aspect of the story, like there's something deeper or even a second story happening, was felt throughout this demo and i could only guess where things were going to go.

It took some time to get used to how this game plays. the jumping especially is an aspect of this game where i don't think i fully adjusted to it in this demo. i always seem to go further than expected and have less control than expected. another aspect that i struggled to adapt to was the tongue mechanic. i had full control of the tongue but my brain kept thinking that it would automatically face in the direction of the character whereas it didn't move unless i moved it. the rocket launcher i got later also did this but it was as expected whereas the tongue wasn't.

so the controls take sometime to get used to and the story is a little weird, but playing it went quite well. the stages are vast and the story seems to explain why we're able to play the same level again but with a new ability. having a rocket launcher really opened up new areas for us to go, but as i showed during the mid point i was able to take a projectile and carry it to a section and blow it up and get in. i can see how there's a lot of replayability in a level and the with the game's collecting nature it could be fun to go and explore these locations.

But it wasn't until much later that i found where the map is. the game has a good tutorial that's incorporated fairly well into the game's story but it never told me to press +. other than that, i found the tutorial and first area i was in to be appropriate for newcomers. the boss at the end took a bit if time and i liked how it smartly didn't do the trope of 3 hits and it's down. there is a message from the developers after the boss battle but no where does it say whether the save file from the demo will carry over to the final game.

Overall, it's a decent demo taken from the start of the game. using it a practice before getting the main game might be a smart way to play it. there are options to customise the difficulty and this demo offers the perfect place to practice and find what works for you before you decide to spend money on the game.

Backlog Conquering - ToeJam & Earl On PS3 - Part 3

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.

Our new game is the PS3 version of ToeJam & Earl. this version came out in 2012 as part of the Sega Vintage Collection and was developed by M2. Prior to this playthrough, i hadn't played ToeJam & Earl before but on Mega Drive i had played ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron. 

Part 3 was tougher than i thought it would be. i just couldn't get past the 8th stage! i'd get there and end up getting knocked down, over and over again! i was having some bad luck with the enemies as well, especially with the bees, they'd chase me down and even knocked me off a stage. so in this part, not much progress was made but i did get another piece of my ship!

Check out the previous parts:

Part 1 - https://youtu.be/AA7N46YYLbQ

Part 2 - https://youtu.be/CdzaIAn3lfs

Stories on Tuesday - Fatal Twelve - Week 6

The new Stories on Tuesday game is the PlayStation 4 Disc version of Fatal Twelve from Sekai Project and aiueoKompany.

Week 5 was the longest part so far, but what happened in this week's video might be the most surprising and most significant so far. the week focuses on the school's culture festival, Yu, and at the end we had the IX talk for the first time. But it's what happened at the festival that completely caught me off guard. i'm not going to spoil it, but the next week is going to be very interesting.

Part 1 - https://youtu.be/U-1z9NQScOI

Part 2 - https://youtu.be/4to_h0qQNJk

Part 3 - https://youtu.be/DABu5Oz2hJY

Part 4 - https://youtu.be/-OUI3w1-jag

Part 5 - https://youtu.be/T_FASp7VQzQ

Demo Play Thursday - Bubblegum Galaxy DEMO On Switch

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the Nintendo Switch version of Bubblegum Galaxy, from developer Smarto Club and publisher Astrolabe Games.

At the time of playing this demo, it looks like it might've been removed from the eShop, or at the very least it wasn't easy to find. the game itself is also out now. But i did find that the eShop page for this game to be quite revealing as to what the game is. to me, it came across something like a Katamari game, and with the unique art style i was genuinely looking forward to trying this demo.

Even though the eShop page spoils a little of the story, it was still told well. i enjoyed how they used the game's tutorial to tell the start of the story. playing through the demo, i got the feeling that there maybe more of a serious story behind the nice art. you'll have to let me know in the comments if there was or not.

I didn't find the tutorial to be as comprehensive as i wanted it to be. it explained the basics well, telling us about them, letting us use them, then having a video highlighting it, but there were other aspects of the gameplay that i didn't fully understand and had to guess. even now, after i've finished the demo, i'm still not sure how the game's score multiplier works or how i think i managed to turn the color of one plate into another.

the social aspect of the game seemed fine. each of the characters we met were very different and each had their own customised booth. though the way one of them talked to us did seem to be a little racist. it would be interesting to see a little bit more of this social aspect of the game as in the demo, the focus seemed to be more on the tutorial. but what was there was interesting.

as a demo, i think Bubblegum Galaxy is one of the better one's i've tried. it was clear when we started that the save file doesn't carry over into the retail game. this simple message is soo rare and yet soo important. i would say that the demo was also clear what was in it by calling the section of planets we made the demo section. we got a good bit of story, characters, tutorials, as well as a story hook at the end with the introduction of the managers. 

Demo Play Thursday - Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf DEMO On PS4

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the PlayStation 4 version of Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf, from developers Wishfully Studios.

I hadn't heard of this series before so i hadn't played it. with it being a sequel, there's always the concern that you need to have played the first game to fully understand what's going on. but with this demo, that's not important as the developers have given us somewhat of a unique demo, or at the very least a style of demo i have rarely come across.

In the Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf DEMO, instead of spending a lot of time at a specific point in the game, we're treated to 5 segments from the game. the first four focus more on the game's puzzle platforming mechanics and are set outside but the final one has us using that knowledge and more in an indoor setting.

i thought it looked great and the music was nice too. the puzzle platforming wasn't too hard to work out either. often, things of interest are slightly highlighted by light. what also helps is that the section you're in is often small so there aren't too many factors to worry about. but as this demo isn't from the start of the game, there were a couple of times where it took a bit of time to work out what to do. i have to imagine those who played the first game and those who start this game from the beginning will have a greater understanding as to what both characters can do. as i didn't, there was a fair bit of trial and error and process of elimination. for me, it wasn't troublesome as the game has a very quick restart and very generous check pointing. but i wonder if an easy difficulty could be introduced that would offer more hints as to how to interact with the world. for example, i didn't realise my companion could use their powers and become/take over other animals but a prompt, perhaps shown as a memory, would've helped a lot.

I did enjoy my time playing Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf. the difficulty felt right and the characters and world were interesting. the demo ended with a trailer showing much more of the game. but i do come away with little to no idea what the game's story is all about but i don't think that detracts from the experience. i'd recommend trying this demo if you're interested in the game.

Backlog Conquering - ToeJam & Earl On PS3 - Part 2

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.

Our new game is the PS3 version of ToeJam & Earl. this version came out in 2012 as part of the Sega Vintage Collection and was developed by M2. Prior to this playthrough, i hadn't played ToeJam & Earl before but on Mega Drive i had played ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron. 

Part 1 was mostly me learning what the game is. i knew that it was different to ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron, i just didn't know how. after that video, i understand better what it is i need to do and how to play it. So in Part 2 i set out to find all my spaceship parts. i made quicker progress this time and still found new power-ups. I'm also saving more during this playthrough. i haven't edited that out of this video so let me know in the comments if you'd prefer that i cut when i save in future parts.

Check out the previous parts:

Part 1 - https://youtu.be/AA7N46YYLbQ

iPhone Friday - Claw Quest: Roguelike RPG - Solid And Fun Crane Gameplay But A Little Buggy

For this week's iPhone Friday i tried Claw Quest: Roguelike RPG from Hexpion on my iPhone 14 Pro. 

I had seen adverts for games with a crane mechanic for a few weeks now. it's an idea i hadn't thought of before and i was genuinely curious about it. the games i had seen didn't look like the originator of the idea and were just copies or spam. i think Claw Quest: Roguelike RPG might be the first game to have had the crane mechanic but if i'm wrong please say so in the comments, and i'm a little unsure if this game came out this year or right at the end of 2025.

The game starts with a decent tutorial but like many games i've played recently it ends a little too soon whilst new things are still appearing. it's possible it'll come back when new features are unlocked. it's also possible that the game crashing might've caused the tutorial to end but i doubt that.

Whilst the music and sound effects are fine at best, i was surprised by how much i enjoyed the game play mechanics. there is actual strategy to the gameplay. Claw Quest: Roguelike RPG is smart by showing what the enemy is going to do on their turn. because of this, we know what items we should focus on trying to obtain. when the enemies are going to focus on shields, we can focus on picking up weapons or healing ourself. when the enemies are going to attack us, we need to focus on picking up shields. what i found fun, though i can understand if you find it frustrating, is that there's a little unpredictability with the claw as to how many items it'll pick up, will it hold, or will we have some crazy luck.

Version 1.1.2 Played

Demo Play Thursday - Back to the Dawn DEMO On Switch

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the Nintendo Switch version of Back to the Dawn, from developers Metal Head Games.

Back to the Dawn is a style of RPG that i'm not familiar with so it having a demo is welcomed. going into this demo, i didn't know what the expect other than that it would take place in a prison and that there's some sort of "relationship" mechanic.

i'll admit that i came away from this demo not wanting to go and get the game. in this long video, essentially one day had passed. the pace was very slow and whilst i had no issues with the setting of the game, the things we had to do seemed a little boring. i also felt that there was little guidance,. for me, someone who has little to no experience of this style of RPG, i would've welcomed as much help and hints as possible. with no way to change the difficulty, i feel that Back to the Dawn isn't best for new comers. i don't know how much longer this demo was, nor do i know if this demo had cut any story from the start of the game. very little information is given that this is actually a demo. a final example of how the game could do better with messaging is the options. there is a color blind toggle but no information or examples on what the changes are.

the art and the music were great. i would've liked a little more animation from the characters though. it did feel like stuff was happening but the characters weren't animating it. an example in the hospital is that on screen it says one character is using the intercom to talk to us, but looking at them it looks like they're doing nothing. the same applies to when characters talk, it didn't look like their in-game models were actually talking. there's such a high level of detail in the characters and art style that meant that this was more noticeable than expected.

Backlog Conquering - ToeJam & Earl On PS3 - Part 1

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.

Our new game, now that Anthem is finished, is the PS3 version of ToeJam & Earl. this version came out in 2012 as part of the Sega Vintage Collection and was developed by M2. I have not played ToeJam & Earl before but on Mega Drive i have played ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron. Going in to this, i knew that the two games were different, i just didn't know how different they actually were.

So this part is mostly me exploring what ToeJam & Earl is. i try out all the buttons, make mistakes and learn from them. i mostly worked out what to do and how to play it. unfortunately, i did die but i hope to take everything i learned in this part and make a proper go of it from Part 2.