Mobile Friday - Ultimate Sackboy - Sackboy's Return to The Runner Genre

For Mobile Friday this week is i tried out Ultimate Sackboy, a game from SAD PUPPY and Exient that's out across Android and iOS. i played this game on my iPhone Pro 14.

Ultimate Sackboy has LittleBigPlanet's Sackboy returning to the Runner Genre is this recently released game. Sakcboy previously was in Run Sackboy! Run!, a game that came out a decade or more ago on PS Vita, iOS, and Android. But let's be clear, Ultimate Sackboy is not a new version of that game.Run Sackboy! Run! was a horizontal runner that suffered from weird difficulty spikes and a lack of level variety. Ultimate Sackboy is a vertical runner that has other features that set's it apart from Run Sackboy! Run! but also from other famous Runner games.

The biggest and first difference you'll notice is that the game is timed based. typically runners let you run until you are stopped, or killed. during this video, your own mistakes can end the run but more often than not it was the level's time limit of 35 seconds that would finish it. i don't know if levels you unlock throughout the game have the same limit, nor do i know if there's an "Endless" style mode that let's you run until you fail. i do think that i had finished the tutorial, but at the end of the video you can see just how much content there is to unlock.

The music in the game doesn't quite live up to the standard set by the LittleBigPlanet titles, especially the first two on PS3, but it's fine. i do like the graphical style. i feel that it moves away from the older style of LittleBigPlanet where levels and things looked made from individual pieces. this newer style feels more cohesive with the world built from things like look like they're from the same place, instead of a hodgepodge of items and styles being put together to create something. in the video i remarked that it felt similar to a Yoshi Wolly World, and thinking about it now even Kirby's Epic Yarn would fit, as it has a very unique art style but also has a world built in that same style so together they seem to work fine. Ultimate Sackboy doesn't appear to have level creation mechanics, so the world itself not looking like it was built in one feels fine and helps it move away from LittleBigPlanet and become it's own thing.

I came away from playing this game with a lot of praise for the designers and only a few small nitpicks. let's start with those as they tend to focus on making the game a little more convenient rather than affecting the gameplay. Most games nowadays have a collect all function when obtaining rewards for completing missions. If you have a notification, it's nice and clear. when you can upgrade something, it's nice and clear too. But if you have both, then it's only the notification that's shown. there's space in the character select section to have a red dot, a green dot, no dots, or both. the game is smartly designed so that the tutorial goes nice and slow, but that it's also a part of the game. another cool thing they do is the level system. in Ultimate Sackboy, you collect items that can help you customise your Sackboy. as you get more items, your level increases. this means that your character level can only go up as you get better gear. this is welcomed as getting gear is relatedly easy.

One thing you'll need to watch out for, and this could determine if this is a game you play out and about over a mobile network, is that there are extra downloads. the base game where you just go and run seems to be all there. but when you do a daily challenge or get a level level, there does seem to be an additional download. at no point was i given the option to delay the download and play a different mode. nor was there any indication as to how much was downloaded.           

Ultimate Sackboy is one i do recommend people give a go. it's a free download and the game feels like it was designed with the player in mind rather than being design to earn the most money from players.  

 

Backlog Conquering - Malicious - From Start to Finish

Welcome to Backlog Conquering.

Today's video the whole game of Malicious. this uses my previous Backlog Conquering videos to create a mostly seamless edit of the game from start to finish. it's my first time doing this and the beginning is a little rough. what was cut were the move tutorials and my many game overs!

Puzzle & Dragons Tuesday - Nintendo Switch Edition - Echidna Cup - 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 The Echidna Cup! (2023/5/8 9:00～2023/5/15 8:59 JST) in Puzzle & Dragons: Nintendo Switch Edition whilst using a GamePad and a docked Nintendo Switch.

This was one of the quickest Cup's i've done so far! whilst it was fun to do well and often get to the boss, and even defeating it once, there were very few people online whilst i was playing it. the gimmick seemed to be getting combos and getting large chains, but it also seemed to be color reliant. this meant some times i would do a lot of damage and others i did less than expected.

This week i played against:

こうま - Rank 16

KIMAMUA - Rank 89

Cloud Monday - Super Stardust Portable - Part 1 - A Little Rough At Times But Playable

Today's Cloud Monday is part 1 of playing Super Stardust Portable on PS4 via the PlayStation Plus Premium Cloud Streaming Service.

I have actually played the PSP version more recently than any other version of Super Stardust, so choosing to play the PS4 version of the PSP game was a bit of a guilty pleasure. i really enjoy the series and was always impressed with what they pulled off on PSP. I didn't go into this PS4 version thinking that everything would be fine. Every version of this game is known for particles and those are typically what streaming services can struggle with.

But i don't think they were an issue. Macroblocking seemed to be the biggest issue i came across. and much like with the recent Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom videos, this games relatively simple art style made it very noticeable when it happened.

i wouldn't say there were any issues with the controls, which is great in a game like this. it was very playable. but the macroblocking and, whilst often very brief, unknown strange happenings did make things a little distracting. it could be that because i'm familiar with the game, i was able to focus more on the game and ignore the minor stuff happening to the stream.

Switch Funday - Splatoon 3 - Zelda's May Splatfest - 15 Tricolor Battles!

Welcome to Switch Funday!

This weekend is the Zelda Splatfest so today i'm back with Splatoon 3 to take part of the Tricolor mode. if your unfamiliar with this mode, it pits all 3 teams against each other. there's always a team of 4 with the other two being teams of 2. those teams of s have to try and work together to beat the team of 4.

I got in 15 games today and thankfully there were less connection issues than in yesterday's Splatfest video, https://youtu.be/a3nPOvWj58s, tho my controller did die in the 14th match! i felt that today's matches were also far closer and more competitive than yesterday. my teammates and i got in 6 wins out of the 15 matches, far more than yesterday.

Online Saturday - Splatoon 3 - Zelda's May Splatfest - 13 Games, 4 Wins!

Welcome to Online Saturday.

It's a Splatfest weekend so today's video is on the Zelda Splatfest in Splatoon 3.

The firs thing i should mention is that this video is more edited than usual. due to a combination of disconnections, wind, and deliveries (or banging on my door due to win), this video ballooned to over an hour and 15 minutes and became somewhat disjointed. so there'll be times when my weapon changes or i comment about the disconnections. Going forward, i may try this more edited format in tomorrow's Tri Color video.

As for the Splatfest, well i didn't get many wins. what i noticed was that there wasn't just one team dominating. Normally, i get a feel as to which team is doing better than the others. but today, it felt like both other teams were coming out strong. throughout the video you'll see i'm up against teams who are taking this much more seriously than i am by looking at the pins they've attached or the weapons they're using. i wonder if the theme, The Legend of Zelda, has brought a more serious gamer to the Splatfest rather than something a little less serious like April's Monster Splatfest.

Mobile Friday - Disney Mirrorverse - The First 50 Minutes

Mobile Friday this week is Disney Mirrorverse, a game on iOS and Android that's been out for nearly a year now.

I've seen this game been advertised in other games i play as well as seeing it in the app store. But, with it being free to play and Disney, i didn't really give it much of a chance and that's on me for judging it before playing it.

So i played it and this video shows the first 50 minutes, or so, of the game. and i'll be honest, i was pleasantly surprised. one of the bigger things i took away from my time with the game is how polished it felt and how much it respected the player as a gamer rather than as something to extract money from.

one of the first things the game does is set out why everything is as it is, and they use a Mirror Universe. it's simple and they throw in some Disney Magic to add to the effect. it holds your hand in telling you what to do, maybe a little quick for some players, but for the most part i'd say it works well. tho, the first enemies do feel like they take a few hits to kill. throughout the first 10 levels of the game, Chapter 1, the game continues to help teach you how to play. 

The game also guides you at the home screen, again teaching you what things do, where things are, and how to do things. i do appreciate this approach. it's something that makes me, as a gamer, feel like the game is thinking about what i need rather than treating me as a cash resource first for what the game needs.

It was a satisfying first hour with fun gameplay. nothing too complicated, but just enough story and characters to keep my interest and to keep me going along. the game does use an energy system to gate how much/how long you can play, but in the time i spent with it i never came close to not having enough as i kept on leveling up and earning more as well as being able to carry more.

I'd definitely say give it a try. there were no extra downloads after installing it and whilst it did get my phone warm, that could be due to trying out a "beta" 60 fps mode. feel free to talk in the chat if your phones get warm without that mode.