REVIEW: Pascal's Wager: Definitive Edition on Nintendo Switch

Review by Jon Donnis

It has been a while since I have played a good action RPG, so when Pascal's Wager: Definitive Edition came across my desk, I just had to check it out.

Set in a world of "dark fantasy", you step into the shoes of Couriers, as they "discover the tale behind the mysterious Dark Mist."

"Centuries ago, the sun sank into the sea, leading to the Dark Mist enveloping the lands. At the same time, great, towering beings began to appear. These were the Colossus. They brought light to the areas surrounding them and in turn, humanity found its last and only refuge.

Thousands of years after the Colossi appeared, a mysterious illness beset these creatures of the light and they began to fall...

Following the trail of the falling Colossi, Terrence the Courier and his companions embark on an arduous journey. They will encounter figures benevolent and evil, seal or witness their fate, and unveil the truth behind the dark world."

Now you know the story, how does the game play, you will eventually get to control and hopefully master 5 different characters, each character has their own unique abilities and fighting styles. Now although I like a good Action RPG, I am also not the most skilled of gamers in this genre, luckily there is a casual mode available, that makes everything a bit easier, and allows the player a bit more freedom, and that is something I need. With that said, the game is still challenging in the casual mode, but there is a harder mode for the more experienced Action RPG gamer.

As mentioned, you take on the role of the Couriers, they have to find out the truth behind what has caused the land of Solas to fall into darkness once again. What happened to the giant Colossi that brough safety and light to people.

As you play you will see plenty of familiar sights if you have played this kind of game before, Altars to rest and replenish your energy as well as save your gameplay, your character will have a light and heavy attack, on the Switch these are performed by pressing the right trigger buttons, you can dodge attacks, block and so on. You also have a stamina bar that you need to keep an eye on, luckily in Casual Mode it doesn't run out too quick.

Enemies are your usual weird looking creatures, and combat is as you would expect, you can even creep up on enemies and get that first shot in. And as you progress you can buy throwing knives and other projectile weapons, to help you hit that slightly out of range enemy.

As well as your stamina, you also have a rage and a sanity meter, as you attack enemies you rage meter gets charged, and as that gets powered up it allows you to make bigger hits, now the Sanity meter, that is a whole different thing, as you fight and beat opponents you sanity meter will start to empty, eventually it will reach "abnormal" stage and finally "lunatic" stage. At abnormal you will see auras around the enemy, this will also power up your enemies and adjust their attack patterns, so you need to keep an eye on your sanity levels, and make sure to drink potions to keep it in the safe level. In the boss fights however sanity level drops faster, so you really need to be on top of your game, but Luckly when fighting bosses like this they will drop extra items, so it has its benefits too.

There are also the usual skill points for levelling up the characters, a skill tree to upgrade across 4 different branches, which might change up how much you can carry, give you new attacks and so on.

Throw in craft-able items which you can then equip which give you various advantages, the usual side quests and extra boss fights and there is plenty to keep you busy.

As mentioned, you will eventually add extra characters to your group, which you can switch between when not in a fight, or if your character dies in a fight you will automatically take control over another of the group. The different characters have different weapons and attack styles. All different and fun to master.

The story is told through people you meet, diaries you will pick up, as well as conversations with your group.

The game plays very well on a Nintendo Switch Lite, the controls are pretty easy to pick up, the in-game menu for selecting items, equipping things etc can be a bit tricky to get used to at first, but soon enough you will be getting everything the way you want.

The levels are easy to navigate, and you won't find yourself getting lost either.

As this is the Definitive Edition, you get the DLC from the PC release thrown in, the most important one being the Obsession Challenge mode, which is basically a fight against the bosses you find in the game, while starting in Lunatic mode from the start, as well as character clothing and a new area to play.

The Good

A good story, easy to learn, a fun game to play even on the small screen.

The Bad

The levels might seem a bit too linear for the more hardcore Action RPG gamer, but I found them fine.

Overall

Pascal's Wager: Definitive Edition on Nintendo Switch is a fun game to play, many hours of gameplay, that never gets tedious, I enjoyed playing it and highly recommend it.

I score Pascal's Wager: Definitive Edition on Nintendo Switch a solid 8.5/10

Out Now on Nintendo Switch

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Pascal-s-Wager-Definitive-Edition-2235351.html

REVIEW: Race Me Now - PC (Steam)

Review by Jon Donnis

With the tagline "Race Fast, Race others, Race Me Now!" we have a release from a solo game developer, Werys Game Studio. Any time a solo developer manages to get a game to final release, it is something that should be applauded, as often a lot more than just time goes into such projects, a lot of care and love for the game too.

Let's take a look at the synopsis.

"Race sneaky opponents in beautiful surroundings. Races are fast and ruthless, other drivers will try to push you out of the road to take your place. Will you be able to push them out first? Will you be able to beat them all? Will you become the champion?"

There are 40 cars to unlock, which is a pretty decent amount, and 4 separate car categories.

There are 4 tracks that feature in the game, and although that might not seem a lot, it is a fair start, and I hope in future updates the developer will release more.

As you can see from the screengrabs, the game features a very retro look, but plays like any modern game, the graphics are very smooth, and gameplay is fun. With different difficulty settings, the game does offer up quite a challenge, especially if you are an achievement collector.

The Good

A fun little game from a solo developer, and despite the lack of tracks, it is an impressive achievement, and one we should applaud.

A good selection of cars as well is quite impressive.

The Bad

We have to be honest and fair, and the fact there are only 4 tracks is a big downer, but as I mentioned, hopefully the developer will release more in the future.

Overall

Perhaps a little pricey for what it is, but there is a fun racing game here, and if it means supporting independent developers, sometimes we should be prepared to pay. 

I score Race Me Now on PC (Steam) a fair but honest 7/10. Give us more tracks and I can up that score!

Out now on Steam

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1588700/Race_me_now/

REVIEW: Robby's Adventure on Nintendo Switch

Review by Jon Donnis

Are rage inducing side scrolling platformers your thing? If you answered yes, then Robby's Adventure might be the game for you.

Robby came to earth from another planet, a young boy found him in a field and made friends with him. But one day Robby was broken, so the boy's parents gave Robby to a factory to fix it, but the factory manager quickly realised that Robby was more than just a regular toy, so decided to keep Robby so he could research him with the hope being he could clone the alien robot.

And that is where our game starts.

Robby finds himself in a box in the factory, he realises that his only hope is to fix himself so he can return home.

Gameplay revolves around traversing levels, looking for parts that you can use to fix yourself. But things are never as easy as they sound.

At the start of this review I noted that this was a rage inducing platform game, and when I say that I really mean it.

Now whether that rage is induced on purpose by the developers, whether it is a biproduct of a game they made, it really doesn't matter. This is a very very tough game. Controls are super tough to master, and even then pinpoint accuracy is needed, and because of the tough controls, this is where the rage will hit you.

The graphics are a bit basic, but perfectly fine for what it is. As mentioned controls are a bit tough to get used to, but that is part of the pull of the game, you know what you need to do, you know how to do it, but to then actually do it, is pretty damn tough.

A decent amount of levels, which when completed can be replayed whenever you like.

The Good

Well laid out levels, with lots to collect, and replayability factor is strong to try and collect everything.

The Bad

One of the toughest 2D side scrolling platformers I have ever played, controls are just so hard to master, everything from needing to run a bit before being able to make a jump, then finding yourself stuck in areas where you cant get a run up, this level of dificulty will put off casual gamers.

Overall

At £1.79 on Nintendo Switch if you don't like the game, you haven't lost much money, so if you want to add another title to your switch, and you like a super challenging platformer, then why not give this a go.

I score Robby's Adventure on Nintendo Switch a rage inducing 7/10

Released on 30^th August 2022

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Robby-s-Adventure-2257907.html

REVIEW: Train Valley: Console Edition - On PC and Consoles

Review by Jon Donnis

Although Train Valley has been available on PC for quite a while, the developers have finally released the game on consoles.

The concept is simple. You play on a single screen map and start with a couple of train stations. (You can zoom in and out). The problem is that there is no track. That is your job, connect the Stations, so that the trains can travel from one point to another. But of course, things aren't that easy. For a start you have a strict budget, and you have to pay taxes every in-game year.

When laying tracks across empty areas, they cost just $1000 per piece of track laid, but if there is a tree in the way then the cost doubles, oh and if there is a house in the way that price goes up. The bigger the obstacle the more it costs, so the clever builder will avoid obstacles. And that creates it's own set of problems.

As you play the game and time passes, more train stations will appear. Everything is colour coded, and it needs to be, because now trains will need to go to specific stations, so you not only need to make sure the tracks are laid correctly, but you also have to control switches.

Luckily you can choose when and which train leaves which station, but the longer you wait, the less money you will make from the journey completing, and wait too long, and the train will just set off.

Throw in AI controlled super trains, which will cross your paths, as well as my favourite, random planes bombing your tracks in the Germany level, and you have quite the challenge in front of you if you wish to complete a level.

The levels themselves are done as part of a book, each page represents a different country and time period. As you complete a level you will be rewarded stamps in your book, and if you complete the added level challenges you will get more stamps. Challenges usually include setting off an additional number of trains, extra to those set by the level. Avoiding crashes, completing the level without pausing, making sure no trains arrive at the wrong station and so on.

And to complete a "season" you will also have to play a final level with no challenges as such other than to survive without going bankrupt, as more stations and trains appear over time.

The 5 "seasons" include, Europe (1830–1980), America (1840–1960), USSR (1880–1980), Japan (1900–2020) and Germany (1830-2020).

While playing these "seasons" they will feature real life events like the Gold Rush of 1849, the construction of the Florida Overseas Railroad, World War II, the Cold War, the launch of the first manned space flight Vostok 1, the fall of the Berlin Wall etc.

There are different modes you can play, mainly story mode and sandbox mode. 

For train fans there are over 30 different trains to see, from early steam-powered locomotives to modern high-speed trains, as well as 18 different kinds of "car" from old-time passenger cars to hoppers and cisterns and to military-use tank and gun platforms.

I am not a big train fan, but this is a great game. It has a simple concept, is super easy to get into and learn, and surprisingly addictive, especially the need to complete the objectives on a level and got those valuable 3 stamps.

Now I have played the PC version, so I can't comment on the console releases, but I am assured they are direct ports and even include the bonus Germany DLC from the PC version.

The Good

Simple, addictive gameplay that got me hooked pretty quickly. Don't be fooled by the simple graphics either, this is a deep game that will grab your attention and refuse to let go.

The Bad

Give me more levels! Is it a bad thing to want more of the same? I think there is more "juice" to have in the original Train Valley release.

Overall

I really am surprised how much I enjoyed this game. It just delivers on what it promises. Which is so rare these days. 

An almost perfect simple arcade style Train game. I really can't say more than that.

I score Train Valley a near perfect 9/10. It only misses out on the 10 because I completed the game, and want more!

Out now on PC and Consoles

Xbox - https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/train-valley-console-edition/9n2k5fd2mg9d

Playstation - https://store.playstation.com/en-qa/concept/10004754

Nintendo Switch - https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/train-valley-console-edition-switch/

REVIEW: Lost in Play on Nintendo Switch

Review by Jon Donnis

Lost in Play is one of those games you know you are going to love, even after only playing it for 10 minutes. And that is exactly how I felt after a short time after loading it up on my Nintendo Switch Lite.

Similar in style to classic point and click games, this uses a slightly different type of interface to interact with onscreen objects than just pointing and clicking, playing more like an interactive 2D cartoon, you play as a brother and sister Toto and Gal, as they explore their dreams, befriend magical creatures, and of course solve lots of puzzles along the way.

This game is based on the imagination of children, something that as adults we lose, but can still remember those crazy adventures we had as kids, when we didn't have computer games or endless screens to look at, instead we had to use our imagination.

"Between reality and fantasy, the siblings explore the enchanted forest of a horned beast, start a rebellion in a goblin village, and help a team of frogs free a sword from a stone."

On the Switch version of the game, as you approach objects an onscreen icon will alert you to if you can interact with it. You will need to pick things up, add to your inventory, and if needed they will automatically combine to help you further your progress. So, although it looks very much like a point and click game, the interface is simplified, which makes interaction easier, but the game itself still needs you to work out the solutions to puzzles. Luckily there is a handy visual hint you can activate if you get stuck.

As well as the general puzzles that help you progress through an area, there are also mini games, and stand-alone on-screen puzzles that need to be solved. These can range from simple sliding puzzles, to picture puzzles, as well as all manner of mini games and challenges. There is a lot of variety with the puzzles, and you will never feel as if you are doing the same thing over and over.

"Challenge a pirate seagull to a game of clicking crabs, serve magical tea to a royal toad, and collect pieces to build a flying machine."

I am a fan of point and click games, but one of my frustrations with such games is when you do get stuck, you are endlessly clicking everywhere on the screen trying to find something you have missed, going backwards and forwards from location to location, or if you need to combine items but you are not sure which, so you just play trial and error until you get it right. Lost in Play eliminates all of these frustrations, without taking anything away from the gameplay or the experience. And this is something that will please many gamers, especially the casual gamer. I wonder if the hardcore point and click gamers will dislike the simplified system?

The Good

This is a really good game, the 2D animated cartoon like graphics are beautiful, everything plays really smoothly, the puzzles have a good learning curve, and at no point did I want to throw my Switch at the wall. This is a really well-made game, with well thought out puzzles.

The Bad

Humour is child based, so for those looking for something with more of an edge, you might be disappointed.

Overall

A really lovely little game that will entertain people of all ages. I am so glad I was asked to review this game; it truly is a gem.

I score Lost in Play a near perfect 9.5/10

Out now on Nintendo Switch

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Lost-in-Play-2245945.html