This year was less polarizing than last. I spent a lot of 2017 coming to terms with some of my long-time favorite franchises going off in directions I wasn’t particularly interested in. Most releases in 2018 pleasantly surprised me.

I won’t separate between the good and bad this time, so hopefully it will provide more rounded thoughts.

Inti Creates – The Masters of Flow

I’m typically skeptical of developers even if they have a proven track record. However Inti Creates is becoming one of the few I feel I can put my faith in.

Between my previous experiences with the Azure Striker Gunvolt series and Mighty No.9, I’ve found that Inti Creates does an amazing job of integrating mechanics into a flow of movement. Every action is built with the player’s forward momentum in mind, creating characters who feel effortless as well as satisfying to control.

This year they not only matched my greatest expectations, but exceeded them with Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. This small downloadable spin-off should have only been a nostalgia piece for Casltevania III fans. Instead, it builds on the foundation of a nearly 30-year-old game. It expands the party system’s flexibility in a way where each character compliments another rather than simply existing as an alternate playstyle.

Even still it goes beyond simply being a beefed up retro throwback. Sacrificing your companions transforms the game into something completely different. It’s a weird hybrid of the slow and deliberate Castlevania gameplay together with a fast-paced action platformer. Without losing its identity, it re-defines the playstyle as well as how you navigate each screen. In no way did I ever think they would try to re-invent the classic formula in this release. Yet they did on top of everything else.

It’s a nostalgia piece, an evolution, and something entirely new all at once.

I’m definitely looking forward to checking out their next title, Dragon Marked for Death.

Related Content:
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon – More than an Addendum
Azure Striker Gunvolt – It’s all for Speed
Mighty No. 9 Video Review

Two Sides of Valkyria

Early this year I talked about how Valkyria Revolution was weird in a way that I loved. My biggest concern going into Valkyria Chronicles 4 was that the return to the standard format would bore me.

I haven’t beaten VC4, though so far it’s been the perfect opposite of Valkyria Revolution. While Revolution was a drastic departure as well as re-imagining of the mechanics, VC4 is a superb implementation of the original gameplay with new variety in mission design. Every main level has a distinct objective or twist built around the story – creating much stronger ties to the central narrative. Admittedly it’s been a decade since I played the original Valkyria Chronicles, so maybe this was also true there. At least compared to the last two localized releases, it’s a huge improvement over their excessive use of “kill everyone and capture everything”.

In the end, I always like the weird outings in a series more than anything. But Valkyria Chronicles 4 together with Revolution strike the perfect balance between each other. I just wish Revolution wasn’t such a flop, so the concept could have possibly further developed.

Related Content:
Valkyria Revolution – Making the Best of a Bad Situation
Quick Play Stream – Valkyria Chronicles 4

More Monster Hunting, Not Monster Hunter

I really enjoy monster hunting games, or more accurately co-op action RPGs in general. This year I hit the full spectrum between being disappointed and blown away.

Monster Hunter World was a complete dud for me. As someone who dumped over a hundred hours into Tri, the supposed roll back of the combat mechanics found in Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate was a disappointment. I couldn’t commit to something that mechanically felt so similar to an experience I had already put so much time into. On the flip side, Toukiden 2 re-defined my standards for the genre with a strong central plot, lovable characters, faster combat system, in addition to a unique take on the destruction of body parts. It clearly doesn’t have MHW’s budget. Nevertheless, it’s a great mix of polish and new mechanics.

Somewhere in-between is Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet, although it’s more of a loot driven shooter. I mentioned last year that I was excited yet fearful of what it would become. In some ways it surpassed my expectations, while in others it failed. It successfully created a unique evasion system based off the series’ Bullet Line mechanic in addition to featuring an extensive character customization system. What I like the most is that it has actual dungeons which I feel like have been slowly disappearing in the genre in favor of enclosed arena fights.

That being said, the multiplayer from what I have played is overly simple. It pits players against bosses from the story and that’s about it. Even if you wanted to make this a purely single player affair, there’s a significant gap in content post story unless you pay the extra cash for DLC. The Sword Art Online series doesn’t seem shy about re-exploring the same settings and concepts, so I would love to see something more fully featured in the future.

I’m really hopeful that the success of Monster Hunter World will drive more developers to explore this space. God Eater 3 looks fine, but I also love seeing new twists on the formula. Assuming nothing else is announced though, I think Soul Sacrifice may be the next one I explore. I’m half tempted to import Frontier Gate, but that’s probably a terrible idea.

Related Content:
Quick Play Stream – Toukiden 2
Quick Play Stream – Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet

Loving What You Don’t Understand

In the last half-decade I started importing a lot of Japanese games. Typically playing story-focused titles without English voice acting is a big no-no. On the other hand, if it’s inexpensive, I’m willing to try just about anything.

I’ve gotten cocky after accidentally stumbling into a few that I really liked, but most of the time it doesn’t really work out. Nevertheless, between Blue Breaker Burst 2, Scum of the Brave and Team Innocent, I’m learning that being able to see along with hear what’s happening is key to enjoying these titles.

Context-specific character animation as well as voice acting is important for following the plot and vibe of conversations. You definitely aren’t getting the full story, but you are able to enjoy and take in something you normally wouldn’t be able to without studying the language.

I took some Japanese classes in the past and would love to keep learning. That being said, I do think there’s something valuable in hunting for games that can be enjoyed with little to no knowledge of the language.

Related Content:
Scum of the Brave – A Japanese Language Visual Novel You Can Kind of Enjoy
Never-Ending Backlog: Blue Breaker Burst 2
Team Innocent Video Review

Interesting is Not Always Enough

I have a high tolerance for bad design. If a game has something really interesting, cool or unique, I’m usually all in. The implementation doesn’t have to be amazing as long as I can appreciate what does work. However even my iron gut can’t get over a poor execution in Lost Dimension.

It’s an SRPG built around the idea that your party has been infiltrated by traitors. As the mind-reading protagonist, you need to fight alongside different team members to hear their thoughts and try to determine who will turn on the group.

I loved the first five hours or so. It shows a ton of promise. The concept is heavily built into the strategy of who you bring into encounters. You’ll start to notice a trend, though.

Every time you need to check for a new traitor, your party members all put their votes towards a single person. That person was the traitor every single time. Who turns on you is random on each playthrough, so there is the chance it was all just dumb luck. But I doubt it as a friend of mine had the same experience.

It threw the best mechanics out the window to the point that they might as well have not existed. Maybe they were scared you would get frustrated after making a wrong decision. But without this element, it’s just a sub-par strategy RPG.

I will say, the character development is some of the most interesting I’ve seen in awhile. Everyone basically hates each other at the start. Yet even at the conclusion of each member’s story, no one fully comes to terms. They all have their own beliefs and feelings that the main character often disagrees with. Still, friendships bud between them.

Related Content:
Lost Dimension Stream Archive

2019

The increased video content is probably going to drive me to focusing on retro games. My push last year to play more modern releases was an interesting exercise as I tried to create an article for each title. I re-read a lot of them recently, but they were kind of dull.

I’m not going to bar myself from talking about new releases. I pretty much just do what I want. In January alone, I’m excited to play Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes and Dragon Marked for Death. However I won’t bend my back too hard if I feel my thoughts about them have little value.

Get ready for a weird amount of Konami related videos soon. Also, this year… for real… Mighty No. 9 video. It’s basically done.