Mobile Friday: Apple Arcade - Shovel Knight Dig - The First 40 Minutes

This tenth, video in the new Mobile Friday: Apple Arcade series is on Shovel Knight Dig. I Played this as part of my Mobile Friday: Apple Arcade series, but it's out on other platforms such as the Nintendo Switch. 

We're coming to the end of the Apple Arcade series and i'm glad i got to try out this game before it ended. i had played Shovel Knight on the 3DS, i even backed it on Kickstarter back in the day. but i hadn't played any of the other games released around Shovel Knight so i was very curious as to how this game would play and what it's about.

I'll be honest that ultimatly, i didn't enjoy playing it that much. i found the on screen controls to not be well placed. this meant that the first part of the video was difficult to control. coupled with the game's difficulty being somewhat high meant i found it hard to get into it. i enjoyed my time outside of the hole, talking to the random characters that appeared and even stumbling upon a grave.

When i switched to the controller, it was easier to control the character but it didn't make the game any easier. each time i went down the hole, the level would change and sometimes it felt much harder than other times. If i thought that from the begining it was difficult, i wonder how i would've managed with the later parts of the game.

It does look good and the music is great, too. it's well worth trying. but i don't think it's the best one of these games, nor do i think it works well as an introduction to them. Games such as Steamworld Dig and Super Motherload have a better difficulty curve and some tutorial moments. 

Puzzle & Dragons Tuesday - Nintendo Switch Edition - Valentine Cup 1 - Achievement Run

Welcome to Puzzle & Dragons Tuesday! Sit back and either watch me play through, with no commentary, the cup or leave it running in the background as BGM!

I play and earn all the achievements from TheValentine Cup 1! (   ) in Puzzle & Dragons: Nintendo Switch Edition whilst using a GamePad and a docked Nintendo Switch.

This was fun because i was up against soo many players throughout this video. And it wasn't just one person dominating either. there was a vareity of winners and players in the top 3. so whilst this is one of my longer videos, it was maybe one of the most fun i've had. I did get a couple of wins near the end as i was up against fewer players but for the most part i was in the top 3.

let me know in the comments how this week's Cup was for you.

Cloud Monday - Grip - Part 2 - A Better Cloud Gaming Experience

Today's Cloud Monday is part 2 with Grip. For all Cloud Monday games, they get played twice to get a better idea about the streaming experience. 

In last weeks part 1, https://youtu.be/PdKk6qEhDrI, it was a mostly fine gaming experience. the main issue i saw whilst playing the game was the amount of macroblocking. for the most part it was in the background and not in my immediate view. so noticeable but not too distracting. however there was a moment where it did get in the way of my gaming experience leading to an issue where it was difficult to make out the course.

In today's part 2, i didn't have that issue. as per normal, part 2 is recorded at a different time and i found today's experience be better. there were instances of macroblocking and a couple of screen tears, but this was far less than last week. i'd argue that the game's own limitations were getting in the way more than playing it via PlayStation Plus Premium.

Racing was still fun, if not somewhat weird and unique. but i found the battle mode to be somewhat lacking and across both the racing and battle modes, the games pop in was far more distracting than the macroblocking. I only have a PlayStation 4 so i can't answer whether things improve with a PlayStation 4 Pro or a PlayStation 5. maybe you can let me know in the comments.

Switch Funday - Pokémon Puzzle League - Becoming The Champion

Welcome to Switch Funday!

Last week i played GoldenEye 007, https://youtu.be/tHaZuV7rAJo, for the first time. I hadn't really used the N64 app from Nintendo Switch Online and there were numerous games i had heard of but never played before. So starting this week, i'm going to try out some games in the App. the first of which is going to be Pokémon Puzzle League.

I had heard of this game, but i knew nothing more than that. i don't recall hearing YouTubers talking about it or seeing it in Pokémon game tier lists. Other than the Pokémon Pinball games, i haven't really played much of the side games. it was obvious that this was going to be a puzzle game, but i didn't know what style of game it would be.

Looking at the box and title, i thought it could be a Columns style game but i was wrong. it was a style of puzzle game that was familiar and yet new. i found it hard to describe throughout the video, i'd often bring up Meteos but in hindsight that's not the game i was thinking of. a quick look at the Giant Bomb website, https://www.giantbomb.com/tetris-attack/3030-13130/similar-games/, lists a few games i've played like Arkedo Series - 02 SWAP!, https://youtube.com/shorts/UnWo0yeSEcA, Poker Smash, and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, so it could be any one of those ... if not something else!

As for Pokémon Puzzle League, it's a fine game. but i got bored fairly early on. the nostalgia was a big drive to keep on playing and trying out the other modes. A highlight was the 3D mode. i felt that this offered an interesting challenge and twist on the somewhat boring gameplay the 2D board offered. i don't think it'll be a game i'll go back to. i'm glad i gave it a go and tried something new. but it was just lacking something. i feel like the hour i played was more than enough. back when this game out, this would've been a great rental game for a weekend or maybe a game to try and get your parents to play with. 

Online Saturday - Splatoon 3 - February's Salmon Run Gear

Welcome to Online Saturday

This Saturday I'm back playing Splatoon 3. The focus of this video is to firstly, get February's exclusive item, and to vote for the upcoming Splatfest.

As normal, my aim is to get two copies of this month's exclusive item and then keep the better of the two. the second one i earned was better than the first, but it only had two unknown pins rather than three. So there's a chance i'll play it again to try and get a better one. 

The other goal was to vote for the upcoming Splatfest. this month's Splatfest is what is the best type of chocolate, Dark, Milk, or White. I voted for Milk, coming from England as i do, it's what i grew up with and like the most. White would be second. i'd rather have pink as third as i really don't like dark.

There's a fun bit in the video where my controller dies. i'm unable to find a suitable USB cable quick enough and due to inactivity i'm disconnected from the game. Other than that, it's a fairly typical Salmon Run session for me. once again i'm unable to defeat the giant Salmon, but it was nice to face it as it had been a while. Salmon run is tough! 

Mobile Friday: Apple Arcade - What The Golf - The First 45 Minutes

This ninth, video in the new Mobile Friday: Apple Arcade series is on What The Golf. This is an exclusive game on Apple Arcade from Triband.

I decided to continue the Apple Arcade series for another couple of weeks. this was one game i was still interested in trying. i had heard some things about it, mostly that it was more than a golf game, so when things started happening i was excited.

Controlling it using my fingers was fine, but when i switched to a bluetooth controller i first tried using the triggers. when i saw they controlled the power i didn't try the other buttons until later. This means that for a little while, i complain about the triggers being too sensitive. it's not that much of a problem, but when i try out other buttons and find the A button controls the power level slower, the game once again becomes easy to play.

There's not too much to say about the music in the game other than it doesn't get in the way. Loading is also quick and unobtrusive. the only thing i found confusing about the game was how the menu system worked. when you click it, the first thing that pops up is a shortcut system and then it's the game menu. i can't help but think it doesn't work well and strangely becomes the most difficult and unintuitive part of the whole gaming experience with What The Golf.

This isn't a graphical show piece compared to some other games we've played in this series, but it could be the most pick up and play game. So it's more like Jetpack Joyride 2, https://youtu.be/zDsT94VQs-0, in that respect rather than a game that's closer to a console experience like Fantasian, https://youtu.be/RV_P04gnnKI.

Backlog Conquering - Pyre - Part 8 - The Rites Restart

Welcome to Backlog Conquering.

Today's video is part 8, of playing Pyre on PlayStation 4.

In part 7, https://youtu.be/eskzF0QYvGE, we said goodbye to Hedwyn as he was liberated back to the Commonwealth. This video shows the aftermath, and is maybe one of the slower videos in this series.

There is more lore revealed in this video than maybe in the previous 7 combined! we get soo many pages for the Book of Rites, too. some of the game's mechanics also change, like being given a choice of which Rite to take on. There's also a fun upgrade for our Wagon.

But, story wise, whilst it's interesting learning more about the world, it isn't fun knowing that we have to do the same thing over and over again. There will be a part 9, but i am a little concerned as to how the story will progress from now on.