REVIEW: Blast Brigade vs. Evil Legion of Dr. Cread on Nintendo Switch

Review by Jon Donnis

Blast Brigade vs. Evil Legion of Dr. Cread comes from Allods Team Arcade and published by MY.GAMES.

The game is a classic style 2D side scrolling platform game in the style of Metal Slug, for any of you old school gamers.

Inspired by 1980's action films, you find yourself trying to save the world, using an array of weapons and bombs to help you along the way.

The game has its tongue set very firmly in its cheek, and this sets the stage for what is a very fun and action packed game.

You start off watching a cinematic of a plane being blown up, the Pilot and a Scientist grab a parachute and jump, while Jeff is asleep in the back of the plane, Jeff wakes up, grabs his gun and plummets to the island below.

As you explore the island, you will collect coins that will help you upgrade your weapons and abilities, as well as collect grenades, and eventually assemble a team that will help you as you fight the weird and wonderful enemies that the island is full of.

Areas on the island include jungle villages, cliffside prisons, volcanoes, and ancient temples.

I am playing this on a Nintendo Switch Lite, and as is often the problem with the Switch Lite, sometimes the controls can be a bit tricky. The right analog stick is used to aim your weapon, and the right trigger is used to fire, now I have decent sized hands, so can reach both, but even then, hand ache will come in soon. This game definitely works better with a regular controller.

As you play you will eventually have available to you a decent amount of weapons and tools, not just big guns and grenades, when you are first exploring, you will notice areas you can't reach, well later on when you get a grappling hook with one of the characters you add to your team, you can go back and explore those areas and in turn unlock the secrets they hold.

Another part of the game is the ability to upgrade buildings at your base area, this allows you to get better weapons, tools and upgrades, and this really does add an extra element to the game including customizing specific abilities for your character, including faster reload times, magnet to help collect coins, a longer period of invulnerability after you are hit by an enemy, more ammo etc.

Enemies include hybrid monstrosities, giant robots, cyborg ninjas, and other evil minions. Further along into the game, as you assemble your squad, you can switch between them as you play, each character has different abilities and specialities, which is important if you want to explore certain areas.

You start off with "All-American Jeff, and later can channel the deadly rage of Shura, decommission enemies as the cyborg Scotsman Galahad, and help the chakram-wielding Vortex reclaim her island."

The boss fights are quite tough, and will need pattern analysis if you want to beat them, nothing impossible, just needs effort to keep trying until you beat them.

Luckily there is a in game save option whenever you see a hammock, get a quick rest, your grenades are refilled as is your energy. And you can also quickly move between areas once you find the motorbike.

The game should give you at least 20 hours of play, more if you really want to explore every single corner of the island. There are multiple paths, and nearly always a way to go you haven't found yet.

The game is fully voice acted, and full of humour, and is definitely worth your time.

The Good

Stunning cartoon/comic themed graphics, which look incredible. Gameplay is easy to learn, but tough to master, and the boss fights offer a decent challenge.

The Bad

Works better with a proper controller. And some of the humour won't be for everyone.

Overall

A thoroughly good 2D metroidvania adventure.

I score Blast Brigade vs. Evil Legion of Dr. Cread on Nintendo Switch a solid 8.5/10

Add it to your collection now!

Out now on Nintendo Switch

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Blast-Brigade-vs-the-Evil-Legion-of-Dr-Cread-2195976.html

REVIEW: Disney Speedstorm PC - Beta Test

Review by Jon Donnis

I was invited to try the new Disney Speedstorm Closed Beta Test on PC. I kind of wish I wasn't now.

Speedstorm is made by Gameloft, and runs pretty similar in style to other Gameloft games like Asphalt 8 and so on. The basic model of the game is free, but there are lots of micro transactions. But as with the other Gameloft games, you can still play it without paying, but you might be limited to how many times before your energy runs out etc.

At first look you may think this is a Mario Kart style game, but for PC, well get that out of your head. Even though you might drive "Karts", this is very much a Mobile style game.

You play the game on circuits inspired by Disney and Pixar worlds, and you can play with a collection of characters from those franchises. The biggest name of which is Mickey Mouse. And yes, you have to put up with his god-awful voice too.

Some of the levels include the docks from Pirates of the Caribbean's Pirates Island and the wilds of The Jungle Book's Jungle Ruins map.

The game will run in "Seasons" with new content and challenges dropping with each new season release.

As with similar arcade racers, you accelerate with the right trigger on a gamepad, and break/drift with the left trigger. You have a boost button for when your meter fills up, giving you a short boost of speed, you have a jump/trick button, which allows you to jump your vehicle, or if flying off a ramp can let you do a barrel roll. You can also collect offensive and defensive weapons, drop a mine, fire a weapon, short teleport forwards and a shield are the ones that come to mind so far.

The levels each have set challenges to complete, come first, use a full boost 3 times, do a trick, the usual stuff. The levels start easy and as they get harder, you will need to upgrade your vehicle to stay competitive, you do this through collecting "Shards" during normal races.

Now let's get down to business. The Closed Beta Testing has been something of a disaster, the vast majority of people are unable to even start the game, I also struggled, but then tried a few compatibility tricks, (run in Windows 8 Mode, with Admin privileges on, restart PC) and that seemed to help to get the game to run. Very long load times, a buggy interface that crashes often, so don't try exploring the menus too much. The races themselves are ok, when it is running, it all looks great, but often things freeze for a half a second before starting again. 

It truly seems insane to me that they would push out this game for Closed Beta Testing when it should still be in internal alpha testing. Surely the developers aren't learning anything they wouldn't know if they just played the game themselves for 5 minutes.

Disney also has been having a terrible time recently PR wise. With multiple employees being arrested and charged with sex crimes against children, their opposition to an anti-grooming bill, which comes as no surprise considering who they employ, and the fact they are about to lose a lot of powers in Florida with the park there. So the fact that their name, logo and characters are associated to this game is damaging to not only Gameloft, but this poor start is damaging to Disney too.

The only saving grace is that the game when it is ready will be free, it will be available on all formats, and it will run smooth by the time it gets a console release, since they are much stricter on releases than Steam.

The Good

It is a free arcade racer, with recognisable characters from your favourite Disney films.

The Bad

At its base it is an Asphalt 8 clone, that is no where near as good as said game, oh and it has Mickey Mouse in it, who I hate.

Overall

Terrible start. Should never have left internal Alpha testing, and has pissed off a lot of people excited to play a PC based Kart racing game.

I score Disney Speedstorm an unplayable 2/10. (The 2 is purely if you can get the game running, the tracks do look nice)

REVIEW: Vesper: Zero Light Edition on Nintendo Switch

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

Vesper: Zero Light Edition is a side scrolling 2D platformer, first thought really was that it reminded me of Abe's Oddysee.

You play as an android called Seven, (Not quite Borg, but they could have used a different name perhaps). Seven is lost on a weird planet and you start with no powers, weapons, or really any way to defeat enemies, so at first you will need to use stealth to get past your enemies, luckily you will eventually get hold of the "Drive Gun", a weapon that can absorb light, create darkness and control minds, so at least now you have a chance. You use the gun in a few different ways, you can absorb light which then creates a dark spot which you can hide in, to avoid enemies. Then you can use that absorbed light and transfer it into machines which will allow you to open doors/portals, or activate traps etc. 

The levels themselves act as a puzzle to solve, which when you get the drive gun, the game turns from stealth to action, and then that is the main way to solve said puzzles.

Along the way you will collect documents (logs) that will reveal the truth behind the "Vesper Protocol". (nothing to do with the moped scooters as far as I can tell.)

I mentioned Abe's Oddysee at the start for a reason, that reason being the controls. Abe was a very deliberate game, very precise. Now this game tries to be like that, but the controls are just not very responsive. This is massively important when you are in a sequence of trying to escape an enemy or activate a platform etc.

 

The Drive Gun, which is controlled by the right stick, also lacks a feeling of intuitiveness. And when you know what you want to do, and the sequence should be pretty simple, you are forced to stop, get the aim right, and it just takes something away from the gameplay.

Although there are gameplay issues, one thing there is no issue with is the graphics, everything looks incredible, the backgrounds, the characters, everything is of a very high standard. The soundtrack although understated, comes in at the perfect moment, and really helps create the atmosphere that is needed in a game like this.

The main problem with the game is its length, you will complete it pretty quicky, and although a second playthrough is worth it, the frustration of some of the gameplay elements may put you off. Not to mention that some of the levels are tedious, in part due to the pacing issues I mentioned earlier.

The Good

The graphics, the atmosphere, everything looks and sounds incredible.

The Bad

Poor controls and bad pacing spoils what could have been a much better game, could future updates/patches fix these issues?

Overall

Short game that will attract 2D Platform/Puzzle fans, poor controls hurt the game, but there is still a decent game here, but you might want to play in short bursts, or you will finish it way too quick.

I score Vesper: Zero Light Edition a fair 6/10

Out Now on Nintendo Switch

https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/vesper-zero-light-edition-switch/

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Vesper-Zero-Light-Edition-2204437.html

REVIEW: Souldiers on PS5

Review by Jon Donnis

Souldiers is a 2D side scrolling adventure platform game.

The game starts off with a nice cartoon intro, and once you start the game proper you choose a class for your hero.

"Unleash the fury of your sword with the Scout, summon the wrath of elements with the Caster, or rain down arrows on your foes with the Archer."

The game will instantly remind you of some of the classic SNES games, both in looks and sounds.

The story is as follows

"While out fighting for the glory of their kingdom, you and your fellow soldiers are whisked away to Terragaya, a mystical land on the fringes of the afterlife. Your task is to locate the Guardian and move on to the next world. The hitch? You and your compatriots never actually died."

The complete your goals you will need to "slash, parry and dodge" through enemy after enemy, explore, and talk to other characters, and as you go you will be able to upgrade your skills and improve your equipment. You can dodge with rolls, and block your enemy, as well as jump out of the way too. All pretty standard combat stuff.

The fighting itself is decent, and the learning curve is just on the right side of tough.

Of the three classes you can choose from the Scout is the most intuitive, the Caster and the Archer class just seem a bit harder to get used to.

The graphics as you may have guessed is retro 2D pixel art. Everything looks as it should, and everything moves nice and smooth.

Boss fights are challenging, and you may find yourself taking multiple attempts to learn the patterns so you can finally overcome them.

The in-game map is excellent and will really help you keep track of everything from the save points, to points of interest, locked doors, chests and so on, this is important as you will need to backtrack often. There are RPG elements in the game, but they are not as important as you might expect, grinding is kept to a minimum, your character will improve as they pass levels too.

The Good

Beautiful animated pixel art, easy to pick up and play, and a fair learning curve.

The Bad

I hate backtracking in a game, some would say it is part of the genre, but I just want to get on with it and keep heading forward. The sounds etc are all very retro, and I turned the sound off to be brutally honest as the beeps and noise of scrolling text, which was very FF7 like, just started to annoy me.

Overall

A simple, fun 2D pixel platform adventure game.

Won't break any records, but also is a fine addition to your collection.

I score Souldiers on PS5 a fair 7/10

Out Now on PS5

https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP1309-PPSA07348_00-SOULDIERS0000000

NEWS: - Ashland Dossier - Out Now on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox

Ashland Dossier is an espionage thriller packed with elements of turn-based stealth tactics and role-play adventure. Use your cunning, agility, and wit to finish off the Nazi plague for good this time. Ahead of you lies a deadly confrontation as the enemy threatens to drive the world into the depth of dreadful and pointless war once again.

After WWII, numerous Nazis managed to slip through the cracks and escape overseas. Like rats, they scattered around the world to hide in shadows believing that the long arm of justice will never reach them. However, this is one fatal delusion.

In the late 1950s, a private investigative organization has been formed. INCU (International Nazi Crime Unit) has only one specific goal in mind: to find such criminals and get them back for a fair trial.

You will assume the role of an officer that is looking for a group of the rottenest scoundrels. In the past, all of them committed extremely heinous crimes which are still left unpunished. Your goal is to find their trail, gather all the possible evidence, and finally bring them to justice.

Easier said than done, though. There is another new force that has just appeared out of nowhere – "Ashland". Unfortunately, these people will stop at nothing in their decisive effort to help runaway Nazis...

Key Features

Tense operations that include pinpointing, following, and extracting a suspect.

Rich lore and backstory of the unfolding events.

Scrupulous analysing of intel, evidence, and witnesses' testimonies.

Two playable timelines: 1960-1964 and 1941-1945.

Unique characters, unexpected plot twists, multiple endings.

A deep and realistic look into the truthful dreads of WWII.

Out Now on the following formats

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1174680/Ashland_Dossier/

https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP1564-CUSA32572_00-CLABS0ASD2022031

https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/ashland-dossier/9nbrncg3fx2c

https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/ashland-dossier-switch/