WEBVTT
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Hello, hello, welcome to a novel console, your podcast that's trying to be weekly, where we talk about books, games, food, and stuff that caught our attention during the week.
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My name is Chris, and with me is Threk.
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I pulled the Threk and burped into the microphone, so that's awesome.
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Um, Threk, how are you today?
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Oh, what fucking year is it?
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Are you you're still doing a podcast?
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I guess I've done like four in a row.
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So wow, you you actually are back.
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No bullshit.
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Right?
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Okay, okay this is amazing.
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Hold up.
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Uh more episodes.
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Uh the first episode back was on the 17th of August, and I asked, We back, yo?
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And then on the 31st of August, I said, I guess we is back, yo.
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So you know.
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Well, I'm I'm I'm glad you're still in touch with the hood, you know.
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Right.
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I mean, that's how a Scooby-Doo-B Scooby, Scooby-Doo rag.
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Uh but yes, I uh see, this is why I missed all this shit, you know, you and me just dicking around.
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This is good stuff.
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Right.
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Oh man, I am sorry for what I did to you for this.
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Um, but yeah, you've done I think we've done worse than this.
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Have we?
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Have we?
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I mean, I mean, I'm still not super high on Asora's Wrath, but you know, maybe I'm just being a harsh little boy about it.
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Yeah, I I that that was a game.
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That was a a game.
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And you hated Halo, like, oh my god.
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Oh yeah.
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Well, yeah, I don't think I hated this as much as I hate Halo.
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So that's no, no, that's saying a lot.
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There's not much to hate.
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If there, you know, but that's not like a compliment.
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Right?
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Well, well, I guess tell our listeners what are what game are we talking about?
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Right.
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So I got review keys for Barbarian Saga the Beastmaster.
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Uh this is an action adventure beat 'em up in the Metroidvania, according to the genres on this list.
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It released officially on September 9th.
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So we're recording on the 10th, so yesterday.
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And uh I got a couple of keys, and just from the point that I got the keys, this has been kind of chaos.
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Uh so let me read a little bit of what it says here, because I did not get any of this while playing the game.
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After after the brief peace that followed the wars of the portals that devastated the country, new winds of war threatened its inhabitants when the new king of Imperia, together with the Sacred T Kingdom, have started a war against non-humans.
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Using the services of one of the last wizards of Arboria, Trest 13, and their generals.
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It is the moment of the prophecy a chosen one will unite men and beasts to bring peace.
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Did you get any of that from playing this game?
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Uh, I didn't pay any attention to the story because it was all in fucking like text boxes that had the quality of a new grounds game.
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I could not shake the whole flash game vibe out of this one, could you?
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No.
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I I was trying I was gonna say it had DeviantArt style look to it.
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Um I it's a game.
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It plays.
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Like man, like and and then when you go to the different areas, it plays that like stock sound effect, you know.
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I don't know what it's called, but you know the one.
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When it like sh first shows the new area for the first time, it makes that like chung sound.
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And it's like, oh, I've heard that before, you know, like in YouTube clickbait stuff.
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But yeah, I mean, in in a like the search action genre or Metrovania, whatever you want to call it, is like search action genre, that's worse than Metroidvania.
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I mean, I don't like the term Metroidvania.
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I'm trying to find a different term for it.
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Just because I I think the name like hinders the genre rather than helps it.
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You know, that's like you have to be related to Metroid or Castlevania, otherwise you can't be classified as that, you know what I mean?
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Okay, but okay, in the same vein, mystery dungeons.
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You know what a mystery dungeon is when you tell somebody mystery dungeon.
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But aren't those just made by one company?
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Uh-uh.
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Okay.
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Um Adrian Odyssey's technically a mystery dungeon.
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Okay.
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Uh Torneco is a mystery dungeon, Pokemon is a mystery dungeon.
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There's a lot of things.
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But you would call those, you would call those dungeon crawlers, though.
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But there's a difference, because if you say dungeon crawler, you'd think like old school Dungeons and Dragons, maybe the earlier Shin Megame or Persona games.
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Yeah.
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You wouldn't think Mystery Dungeon.
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If you say mystery dungeon specifically, people will understand that whenever you move, your enemy moves.
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Yeah.
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I mean, I don't think they're completely different from each other, though.
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Like there are similarities, but you know, like I think if you were, you know.
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But anyways, yeah.
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But anyway, uh the the this this genre of of games, right, has become so saturated in the last like 10-15 years, right?
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And we've gotten like a lot of amazing games out of it, you know, like people go on about the Hollow Knights.
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Um, I'm a big fan of the Ori games.
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Um, you have like um The Mummy Dmastered, which I thought was really good.
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Um Axiom Verge.
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I fucking love Axiom Verge.
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Axiom Verge is great.
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Um Bloodstained, Bloodstained, um Squipwitch, Forbidden Sex Hex.
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I mean, I've heard uh um Yoku's Island Express is really good, Guacamele, um Toki Tori, Guacamele, um, Superland.
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Hell, you could even go to like Batman Arkham Asylum.
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Um I mean, but that was more that was a 3D, but it yeah, but I feel like yeah, but I think Arkham Asylum is probably the best indication of a 3D version of that kind of a game.
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Um, but even like stuff like Superland definitely has those elements, right?
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Um but basically what I'm saying is that this genre has so many incredible games.
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Like we're not shy of like cool games that even do interesting things within it, be it in a a cool world, or has some like new unique mechanics to it, on top of like Metroid and Metroid doing its thing, Castlevania reminding us of their like peak era, and and and is that new Castlevania coming out?
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Is that uh like an ego style, or are they going linear with that?
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Yes, yes.
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I think it's ego.
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Okay, okay, cool.
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So so basically what I'm saying is there's a lot of great games in the genre.
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So what does Barbarian saga the Beastmaster uh catch it uh Saturday mornings on NBC?
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Uh what does it do differently than these other games?
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Um uh nothing.
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Absolutely nothing, not even the premise.
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Like my takeaway from it was it was one of the most bland generic games I've ever played.
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I I am gonna go ahead and just give my score for the game.
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This this game is a six, it does what it wants to do.
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There's nothing else special about it.
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It's it's a game.
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I give it like a four or a three, but to be fair, the code you gave me, for some reason it wasn't the full release.
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Let's talk about the codes.
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Yeah, we should.
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Okay, so they gave because that really hindered my experience.
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They gave me, let me go back, uh they gave me one, two, three, four keys, right?
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They gave me one for Xbox, which I gave you, one for Steam, which I ended up having to use, and another one that was uh say non-denominational, because there's there's really no other way to describe it.
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So I input that one into Steam.
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It's non-binary.
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I mean, so I put it into Steam and it downloaded the demo.
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Okay.
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I don't know why they would give you a key for a demo.
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Demo's free.
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Right, so I I start playing, and I'm like, this is super weird because the demo starts with gameplay, like you start playing off the bat, no introductions, nothing.
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You're like in a place midway through the story, going through a dungeon, and I found it super weird, and I'm like, okay, so maybe the full release, maybe there's some story later on.
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I don't I don't know what's happening.
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So I play, I beat the demo, and it says continue on when the game releases fully.
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I'm like, what the fuck?
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It's something happened, so I deleted it, downloaded it again, tried the code again, same shit.
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So I had to end up using the Steam key that I was gonna give away to listeners.
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And I I finally got the full game, and it no, there's like a little opening, like it tells you a little bit of story, then it eases you in, and and yeah, that that that wasn't a fun time.
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No, yeah, because the Xbox good you gave me for some reason, like everything was fine.
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It but I noticed things were weird when I got to like the saving tree, right?
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And it's like you know, push up to fast travel, push down to rest, or whatever.
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And I would push up to like fast travel just to look at the map, and it never came up until maybe like until like two hours in, like at a further point in the game, I actually got to push up and actually look at the map, which was weird.
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And then when I would do the rest thing, it would just fill my health, and that was it.
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It didn't do anything else.
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But the game was so low, like low everything, you know.
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I just thought, oh, maybe they just forgot the animation or whatever.
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And so I'm still going, and then I get to a spot where the game like it like glitched on me, because I think it was like I paused it, put it into like quick resume, and then came back to it, and then I tried to go to the next screen, and like the screen wouldn't load, or it just looked weird.
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So I'm like, all right, let me just back out and reset.
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And then I did, and then I realized oh, the game hadn't been saving like the entire time.
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And I was like, I was like, I I hadn't fought a boss or anything, but I feel like I was close to a boss.
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Oh you no, no, you're you know, you no, you don't fight your first boss for a long time.
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Like it's it's it's been coming out that you probably will fight like one or two optional bosses before you actually figure out where the first boss is.
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Oh boy.
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Which happened to me, which is it's crazy that that happens.
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Yeah, and and and so because it didn't save, I noped the fuck out.
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I was like, fuck this.
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I don't know, I don't want to play it.
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But then I booted it up and messed around with it before we started recording, and it's like the full version now, so it saves and everything.
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So all that stuff is fixed.
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So I don't know why that code was like not the complete version.
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Like I don't understand, unless it maybe installed an update overnight that I wasn't aware of.
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But I like that was very strange, and so it just basically killed any momentum I had in the game of like actually wanting to give it a try.
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But like what I had played up to during that point to me was just so I guess just like plain.
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You know, like the the environments in the map I didn't think were that interesting.
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The enemies were very sparse, you know, and didn't like have much there.
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Um I mean they're NPCs, but like they don't really they don't have anything interesting to say.
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Like all the like all the story is just like plain text that is like coming through at like a snail's pace.
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It takes forever for shit to go through.
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And like the writing that's there just like didn't really interest me at all.
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Like your sword talks, I guess.
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Like your sword gives you the power to do shit.
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Like it's like it it's like minish cap, but like but not nearly as good as that.
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Um and then like the map was very like what you expect of this type of game, right?
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Like it wasn't that interesting, but it felt like it was very trying to go for like Castlevania with certain designs or certain like level like map design elements, and like even having like the charging horse enemy, like the centaur guy, like that's straight out of the GBA Castlevanias, you know, it's like the exact same thing.
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Um and you know, you have your inventory stuff, like you have like hit points, but it's not an RPG, and so I I feel like they didn't really know what they wanted to make, or like in in in two hours, I felt like the game should have maybe been like, okay, here's the hook.
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Here's a thing that we're doing that's maybe slightly different from everything else.
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They don't they they don't do it for a long time.
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So cause because the the fun about uh fun part about it, the hook is that you can transform into animals, right?
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So like Shantae.
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Kind of.
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So you have the Panther, so you can like air dash, and you have the hedgehog, so you can spin and bounce off of spikes.
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You have the weasel, I would have liked I would have liked the hedgehog.
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The hedgehog parts are great.
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The parts where you have to use the hedgehog power is good platform.
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Is he a really good platform?
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Yes, yeah.
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So you suck me back in.
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You you turn into a weasel and you can go into small spaces.
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I mean, like you get all of the Metroidvania power-ups that you would expect.
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Yeah, but they're animal-based, so that's like the entire hook.
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Um but I wanted to touch on the writing because I know you didn't care for it, but the writing is fucking atrocious.
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It's like I mean, the little bit I read was very like like middle school fan, like like some dude in like seventh grade being like, dude, I'm like writing this like fantasy novel, bro.
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Check it out.
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Mm-hmm.
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There's I wanted to write more interactions, but as I read them, I was like, this is terrible, and it is way too long.
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I am not gonna do this.
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Um there's an interaction early on where you can talk to a guard, and the guard's like, Oh, unless you don't have a pass, you can't pass through here, so go away, abomination.
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And the sword says, abomination, you say.
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I wonder what your wife looks like.
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I no, I remember that line.
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Like, there's so many, so many interactions like that throughout the entire game.
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And like the main character just picks up the sword, takes it with him, and is complaining about having like the sentient sword that wants to eat people's hearts, and he's like, Oh, maybe the sword's not that bad, even though it nibbles at my fingers when I'm not looking.
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Like, what the fuck?
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It's not great.
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It's really like if they like if they want to make like, oh, there's a conflict between like the main character and this like sentient being that he has to carry around with him.
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I mean, sure, it's been done before, but again, it's not real it's not even presented well.
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Like, it would be f it would be fine if it's like, oh, you know, no voice acting, we couldn't afford it.
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Like, that's fine, but like then at least make like the story cutscenes or the text boxes like like something interesting, maybe instead of this like black background, like it just looks like like concept art that whoever made this drew there in their notebook paper.
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Like, you know?
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Like it it it it's surprisingly like low effort.
00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:45.279
It's it's not great.
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The art is not great either.
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Like the lack of like the it looks like it was coated in flash.
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It just has that kind of like that kind of smoothed out kind of look to it, you know what I mean?
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It looks more like MS paint to me.
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I could see that, yeah.
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Particularly the main character, like whenever he's on screen and you see him talking, like he has a sword over his shoulder, he shouldered a dagger, and he's got like that stupid fucking smirk on his face.
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Like, this is such 12-year-old drew this during math class while instead of paying attention to fragments.
00:17:19.759 --> 00:17:23.519
And I think they gave him blue hair because they needed something distinguishing about him.
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Like, let's give him blue hair, you know, sure.
00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:28.559
You know, maybe people complain this game's woke or something.
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I don't know.
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But like that's the thing, like who made this thing?
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It says Dormidden Studio, but I'm like, this had to be like this had to be one guy.
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Like, there's no way a team of people worked on this thing.
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Like, no more than like five people.
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You you have it up, you have up who who made it?
00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:58.640
Well, the the on the Steam page it just has like the developer, and then I click it and it just um auto goes to the uh the publisher called Select a Play.
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And and all it says on Steam here is established in 2020, Select a Play works to publish video games with unique identities and features.
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And so they have like a game called Hyper Wired, which actually looks like um like a lot more fucking interesting than the game we played.
00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:21.519
Like it looks like a weird, like like shoot 'em up in a cave or something.
00:18:21.680 --> 00:18:22.079
I don't know.
00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:23.519
It looks actually kind of interesting.
00:18:23.759 --> 00:18:29.599
Um Yeah, and then they have like Morco's regast, rage, and netherworld.
00:18:29.680 --> 00:18:31.200
Like, what the fuck is this shit?
00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:46.640
You know, like they're just making I mean, hey, it's fine that these weird things exist, but it's just none of this is gonna like I'm I'm part of this group on Facebook called Metroid Metroidvania, where people uh the only thing those people play are Metroidvania's.
00:18:46.880 --> 00:18:49.680
And they argue about what games are considered Metroidvaniaus.
00:18:50.079 --> 00:18:51.839
And they are in love with this game.
00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:53.519
They're they're really enjoying it.
00:18:54.319 --> 00:19:02.559
I'm glad they're enjoying it because it's it's I'm not gonna say it's a I don't even want to say competent.
00:19:02.640 --> 00:19:04.880
It's not broken, it's not bad.
00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:07.359
It's just I mean, I played a broken version.
00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:10.640
I mean you did because you played it before it came out.
00:19:10.880 --> 00:19:16.799
But I mean, when you get a review code, the idea is you're getting the finished product before you play it.
00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:19.119
That's sort of the idea.
00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:19.599
Yeah.
00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:20.640
You would hope.
00:19:20.880 --> 00:19:21.839
Yeah, I would hope.
00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:29.680
But like if I go to Steam and click Metroidvania, like I get like um, oh, that like Pee-Pstrello and the Cursed Yo-Yo game.
00:19:29.759 --> 00:19:30.880
That game looks fucking cool.
00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:38.400
Um, I mean, but here I have like Dead Cells, Rain World, Bloodstained, uh, Mio, Memories in Orbit, you know, like like you're not sure.
00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:41.359
I don't know why that can be.
00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:49.759
They even put like Arzette Jewel of Ferramore, and I'm like, that's not really a Metroidvania either, but like, but you have like blasphemous, right?
00:19:49.920 --> 00:19:57.119
Like you have, but I'm sure all those guys have played those games already, so yeah, you know, they're just looking for something new, I guess.
00:19:57.200 --> 00:19:59.039
But I yeah, I don't know.
00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:01.440
I feel like you should have higher standards, you know.
00:20:01.519 --> 00:20:20.079
Like, and I'm not necessarily trying to knock door door meet in at whatever studio, because I have a feeling this is their first project, so very rough around the edges, and it's one of those like, hey, try again, you know, maybe maybe you'll you'll find something that'll that'll work.
00:20:20.799 --> 00:20:22.000
Definitely try again.
00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:27.759
And my biggest issue, the thing that pissed me off the most, is that you start the game, right?
00:20:27.839 --> 00:20:31.680
And I didn't find this out until I looked up other reviews from people.
00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:53.119
Um, as you end the game as strong as you are when you started, you don't level up, you don't get new weapons, your weapon doesn't get stronger, you're doing the same amount of damage the same time, you're taking the same amount of damage from beginning to end, and I fucking hate that.
00:20:53.359 --> 00:21:00.559
Like if I would have known, if I would have known that that was this type of Metroidvania, I would not have requested the key.
00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:06.960
Like, you can't do that, like even Super Metroid makes you feel more powerful, not even in an RPG way.
00:21:07.279 --> 00:21:12.319
Every time you get a a new suit or a new laser, you get stronger.
00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:14.960
Yeah, like that's all really you need to do.
00:21:15.119 --> 00:21:22.000
Like you could like say the sword finds like a weird jewel or something and it infuses it with like a new power.
00:21:22.160 --> 00:21:38.079
Like, like even say in like in in Metroid when you get um you know the ice beam, like it it maybe doesn't necessarily make your your gun stronger, but it gives you the option to like freeze enemies, which gives you a whole new avenue for exploration as well.
00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:59.759
So something I didn't know until again looking up reviews is that you can get like these special abilities, like these boons or curses that you can add to the sword, which as far as I know, they don't add like extra damage or anything, they just give you like abilities, like you can shoot lightning from the sword, or you can shoot a fireball from the sword.
00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:07.200
Or you can have the sword open up and eat whatever enemies in front of it, which that that's pretty fucking cool.
00:22:07.359 --> 00:22:08.720
I can't care about that.
00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:10.079
That's pretty fucking cool.
00:22:10.319 --> 00:22:10.960
Yeah.
00:22:11.519 --> 00:22:16.240
But holy shit, like the game doesn't explain anything to you either.
00:22:16.720 --> 00:22:17.519
No, no.
00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:22.640
Like the the again, it just feels so much like this is a work in progress.
00:22:22.799 --> 00:22:26.799
This doesn't like it doesn't come off to me as a finished product.
00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:29.440
Like there's a severe lack of polish.
00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:33.519
Like, like especially in the menus, the menus just look terrible.
00:22:33.759 --> 00:22:36.880
Like I feel like I could code a better menu in an afternoon.
00:22:37.119 --> 00:22:37.759
Like there's a lot of people.
00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:44.960
Like every time you go you go to a shop to buy like potions and shit, like it just looks terrible.
00:22:48.000 --> 00:23:02.400
Again, I think like even just looking at this trailer on Steam, like there is some potentially unique qualities about the game, but I think for any future projects they're gonna do, they need to lean into the unique stuff like almost right away.
00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:19.440
I mean, I'm not trying to do game design 101, but you need to hook players way earlier than this.
00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:27.839
Because I was thinking if this was like a four to six hour game It's not, it's not, it is fifteen hours long.
00:23:28.240 --> 00:23:29.759
This game should not be fifteen hours.
00:23:29.839 --> 00:23:42.400
If it was half that time, like like if it was trying to evoke like like a Metro Vania you play on like the Game Boy Advance, you know, that's like maybe six-ish hours or whatever, then it's like okay, fine, pass.
00:23:42.480 --> 00:23:52.000
Like just something kind of short and sweet and kind of gives you that that feeling of this genre without too many bells and whistles, like you know, you're in and you're out, fine.
00:23:52.480 --> 00:23:54.240
But I don't know.
00:23:54.559 --> 00:23:58.000
I'm I'm sure there's ambitions here, but they clearly do not meet them.
00:23:58.240 --> 00:24:03.359
You know, I'd like in say a couple years they make another game and we're like, oh, this is way better.
00:24:03.440 --> 00:24:04.880
You've huge improvement.
00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:06.079
Good job, boys.
00:24:06.319 --> 00:24:13.519
But the thing is that there's a foundation here that is solid.
00:24:13.920 --> 00:24:15.839
It's not fun, it's just solid.
00:24:15.920 --> 00:24:22.400
Like it exists, there's a lot to be worked upon and improved on from where they are with this game.
00:24:22.640 --> 00:24:28.799
Yeah, get better animations, get better text boxes, the pacing needs to be a whole lot better.
00:24:29.119 --> 00:24:34.960
A lot of reviewers were complaining about the map be putting markers on the map.
00:24:35.200 --> 00:24:46.240
Apparently, the markers run out, so you can't you need to pick and choose where you're gonna put your markers for the stuff that you need to keep track of uh on the map.
00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:51.200
Um if it's gonna be 15 hours, you the pacing needs to be a whole lot better.
00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:59.440
Because wow, like I didn't get my first power up to like three hours into it.
00:24:59.680 --> 00:25:07.680
And the time, the time on the on the game, the keeping, the timekeeping on the game is completely off.
00:25:07.839 --> 00:25:10.400
It says that I have four hours put into it.
00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:14.000
My Steam says that I have nine hours put into it.
00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:17.519
So wow, yeah, there's a big difference there.
00:25:17.839 --> 00:25:39.039
I mean, right away you get that like that dash ability, and then quickly after that, it's like, oh, you can like magnetize the coins on you, and it's like okay, but I wouldn't necessarily call those upgrades, those are just like abilities, you know, just kind of passive things, but yeah, and and even then it doesn't feel like it helps, it feels like it just makes it manageable, I guess.
00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:40.079
I I I don't know.
00:25:40.160 --> 00:25:40.480
I don't know.
00:25:40.559 --> 00:25:51.920
It's it's not like the dash pisses me off too, because it's not consistent, because you can use it to pass through some enemies and some environmental hazards, but not everything.
00:25:52.319 --> 00:25:56.799
Yes, I I I notice some inconsistencies with the the hit detection on that.
00:25:57.119 --> 00:26:04.640
Yeah, so like if you're gonna let me dash through enemies, let me dash through everything that's gonna hurt me.
00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:05.920
Exactly.
00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:14.400
I don't know, like compare it, like if I'm thinking in my head, if I'm comparing this to say Orion the Blind Forest, right?
00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:18.880
Like that game, when you start, you don't have a lot of abilities, right?
00:26:19.039 --> 00:26:27.839
Like, I mean I've said before with Blind Forest, I feel like that game doesn't really open up until you get the uh the bash where you can like you know bounce off of things in the air.
00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:28.160
Right.
00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:32.880
And then that game really opens up, but it's like halfway through the game until you even get that.
00:26:33.200 --> 00:26:40.559
So I mean it this could be a game that like maybe once you get halfway through it opens up, and then you're like, okay, now here we go.
00:26:40.960 --> 00:26:44.960
But like, I mean, even with Ori, it shouldn't get away with that.
00:26:45.039 --> 00:26:49.599
But you know, that game is so gorgeous, it kind of gets away with it just by being such a pretty game to look at.
00:26:49.839 --> 00:26:55.519
But then they did the sequel, Will of the Wisps, which is so much better and is such a fucking amazing video game.
00:26:56.079 --> 00:26:57.759
I still need to play that at some point.
00:26:58.400 --> 00:26:58.880
It's on the list.
00:26:59.200 --> 00:27:11.920
Will of the Wisps is so good because it gives you all of the great abilities from Blind Forest like right off the bat, and then expands upon them and builds the world around the best parts of Blind Forest.
00:27:12.160 --> 00:27:14.480
So it's it's a much better game.
00:27:14.640 --> 00:27:20.319
I s the story isn't as good, but the map and the gameplay I think are a huge improvement.
00:27:20.720 --> 00:27:21.519
Interesting.
00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:23.759
So yeah, fun, fun ass game.
00:27:23.920 --> 00:27:27.200
But this unfortunately does not fall under fun ass games.
00:27:27.519 --> 00:27:35.519
Oh, I I got I got to the point where I was about to quit the game, was it like yesterday, the day before, the day before, so I didn't play yesterday.
00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:51.519
Um there is an area, it's like an airship, and it has a bunch of electrified fields that you can't touch, otherwise you will uh fall and and die or have to start over.
00:27:52.480 --> 00:28:03.200
And the timing where that comes in for you to go through is so it's such a terrible place to put it in.
00:28:03.359 --> 00:28:12.960
Because it's it was like four or five hours in is when I got to that place, and I only had the dash.
00:28:13.119 --> 00:28:16.880
I don't think I actually I think that's where you get the hedgehog.
00:28:17.680 --> 00:28:19.279
You get one ability there.
00:28:19.519 --> 00:28:26.880
Um and it it's like such an elemental ability that you need to keep exploring the rest of the map.
00:28:27.359 --> 00:28:30.559
And that to me was like this is this is just annoying.
00:28:30.640 --> 00:28:36.720
It's not fun, it's not impossible, but it's it's just fucking annoying.
00:28:37.200 --> 00:29:00.240
Because you have enemies shooting at you, trying to hit you, you have walls with electricity that if you touch them, you fall all the way down to the floor, and then you have to start from the last solid piece of ground that you touch, which also isn't consistent because I fell at one point, and instead of putting me where I started, it put me where I had to exit the level, the the the the stage.
00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:05.759
So it it's it's annoying, it's just annoying.
00:29:05.839 --> 00:29:13.839
It's not it's a bad place to put that kind of let challenge increase in the game.
00:29:14.160 --> 00:29:19.119
Yeah, and and there and there's so few like just like items and like stuff to do.
00:29:19.200 --> 00:29:30.480
Like you'll run through decent chunks of the game and there's just nothing there, you know, like no enemies to fight, no consumables or anything, and like other consumables are another thing.
00:29:30.559 --> 00:29:36.880
You basically need to just spend all the money that you get on potions, and you get only five potions at a time.
00:29:37.119 --> 00:29:46.319
Yeah, and and like I mean, you occasionally find little bits of like health flying around when you kill certain enemies, but it doesn't give you that much, anyways.
00:29:46.559 --> 00:30:07.519
And so, yeah, there were points where I was just running around with like no health, trying to get to like, you know, the nearest tree or whatever, and and some enemies are because it tries to do have like a block, but the way they describe it in the tutorial, it's almost like a game where it's like, oh, you just hold block and you're fine, but no, it's like it's kind of yeah, it's timing.
00:30:07.599 --> 00:30:12.880
You have to like tap it in time, like that one guy who's like throwing the boomerangs or whatever, you have to time it.
00:30:12.960 --> 00:30:15.599
If you do, you don't take any damage, you know.
00:30:15.839 --> 00:30:23.200
But it would have been nice if the game was like, you know, make sure you time enemies' attacks with the block instead of just saying, hold down B to block.
00:30:23.440 --> 00:30:34.079
It's like, well, if we're gonna do the I wouldn't necessarily call it Dark Souls, but if you're gonna like make it to where I can't just hold down block and just not take any damage, you need to tell me.
00:30:34.319 --> 00:30:38.079
You know, don't give me the idea that I can hold it down and be fine, because you can't.
00:30:38.160 --> 00:30:41.119
If you hold it, you block and then you're just back to normal.
00:30:41.440 --> 00:30:43.039
It lasts for a second.
00:30:43.440 --> 00:30:44.079
Yep.
00:30:46.000 --> 00:30:49.759
I I know I wanted to talk about something else, but I completely forgot.
00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:52.720
Um, I am gonna say I did like the music.
00:30:52.799 --> 00:31:01.599
I feel like the the the music that's not like ambience is pretty good, like the theme during the opening cutscene.
00:31:01.759 --> 00:31:02.319
I love it.
00:31:02.400 --> 00:31:03.359
It's great.
00:31:05.359 --> 00:31:14.319
I I I find it super weird that you're a barbarian, but there's also like a time traveler from another dimension that has like an iPhone or something.
00:31:14.480 --> 00:31:15.920
I don't think you got to that part.
00:31:17.200 --> 00:31:22.480
Um there's like vampires and zombies that all just like hang out.
00:31:22.559 --> 00:31:26.319
There's like onion people, people are fucking made out of out of onions.
00:31:26.640 --> 00:31:30.880
Um, but there's also like rats that I like the idea.
00:31:31.440 --> 00:31:33.920
It's so it's so weird, like it's so jarring.
00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:44.079
Like, I'm thinking I'm gonna go on a barbarian adventure, you know, with guilds and like all this shit, but no, it's it's just strange and weird.
00:31:45.519 --> 00:31:52.480
It yeah, it just whatever ambitions they had for the game, it clearly doesn't meet those, you know.
00:31:52.960 --> 00:31:54.400
Oh, I remember what I was gonna say.
00:31:54.720 --> 00:31:55.920
Yeah, go for it.
00:31:56.960 --> 00:32:05.839
Because the only thing you get from enemies when you fight them is money, or maybe a slight little health or or mana.
00:32:06.240 --> 00:32:12.640
Yeah, I I got to the point before I gave up that I I wasn't just I just wasn't gonna fight anything.
00:32:12.720 --> 00:32:14.319
I was just gonna dash through everything.
00:32:14.559 --> 00:32:17.839
Because it's not they don't give you an incentive to fight anything.
00:32:18.079 --> 00:32:23.839
In Castlevania, you fight enemies, you get experience points, you level up.
00:32:24.079 --> 00:32:24.559
Yeah, you level up.
00:32:24.640 --> 00:32:25.359
Yeah, it's an RPG.
00:32:25.599 --> 00:32:32.799
In Metroid, you in Metroid, you kill the aliens or the monsters or whatever, you get resources.
00:32:33.119 --> 00:32:42.240
You get health or missiles or whatever you need, and usually Samus is a bit weak, so like you kind of need like that constant flow of health, right?
00:32:42.400 --> 00:32:44.319
Because otherwise you'll take a way too much damage.
00:32:44.480 --> 00:32:48.480
You can't you can't really tank hits in a Metroid except for maybe Super Metroid.
00:32:49.039 --> 00:32:49.440
Right.
00:32:49.599 --> 00:32:59.759
So so this game, like, there's there's no reason for you to fight, just dash through everything, keep going, and eventually you'll see the credits if you have the patience for it.
00:33:00.160 --> 00:33:04.160
I I do not have 15 hours of patience for this thing, especially when I got game.
00:33:04.319 --> 00:33:06.400
I got fucking games to play.
00:33:06.880 --> 00:33:07.519
Right.
00:33:07.839 --> 00:33:11.839
So like I put I put uh what's it called?
00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:14.720
Um uh fuck, what's it called?
00:33:14.880 --> 00:33:20.079
Uh Chain of Memories on hold for this game.
00:33:20.799 --> 00:33:24.880
I I am almost like you know my opinion on Chain of Memories.
00:33:24.960 --> 00:33:26.160
I would rather play that again.
00:33:26.400 --> 00:33:36.319
I'm almost done with the Riku campaign of Chain of Memories, and I s I swear I have I'm having a much better time with Chain of Memories than I did with this game.
00:33:36.559 --> 00:33:48.160
And you know, when this game flows, when it's it gets into those grooves like when you have the hedgehog power up and you're doing platforming and fighting enemies in the air and platforming at the same time, that's fun.
00:33:48.559 --> 00:33:51.680
When it doesn't do that, it's it's okay.
00:33:52.799 --> 00:33:57.119
Then maybe their next one should be you're just the hedgehog and you're doing hedgehogs.
00:33:57.200 --> 00:33:58.799
Right, just like there you go.
00:33:59.200 --> 00:34:03.279
License out Sonic, give him a sword, and give him air combat.
00:34:03.519 --> 00:34:06.160
I mean, we know what happened last time he had a sword.
00:34:06.960 --> 00:34:08.000
It didn't work out too well.
00:34:08.400 --> 00:34:12.320
But he shadow developed an addiction to Latinas back then.
00:34:13.599 --> 00:34:18.880
Which is weird because I didn't know that there were Latinas in in Arturian Times England.
00:34:19.119 --> 00:34:20.400
Yeah, why not?
00:34:21.119 --> 00:34:23.360
I mean the Spanish Inquisition, you know?
00:34:25.039 --> 00:34:26.559
Spanish from Spain.
00:34:28.800 --> 00:34:30.159
Those are not Latinas.
00:34:30.639 --> 00:34:31.199
No, no.
00:34:31.360 --> 00:34:33.280
Well, they have to start somewhere, I guess.
00:34:35.519 --> 00:34:39.280
But honestly, it and I don't think it's a bad game.
00:34:39.519 --> 00:34:49.039
It's a boring game, which yeah, I I I think because it's an indie game that is at most being made by like three people.
00:34:49.440 --> 00:34:52.239
I I I don't want to be like too mean to it.
00:34:52.480 --> 00:34:54.639
Because it I mean, I wouldn't be shocked.
00:34:54.719 --> 00:34:59.039
This could be like three college kids, you know, just trying to make something, right?
00:34:59.280 --> 00:35:08.800
And and for that, it's you know, like if you guys are listening, you know, or I'm not trying to discourage you, like like keep working at it, okay?
00:35:08.880 --> 00:35:16.079
There's definitely kinks that need to be ironed out, like a lot, but I think if you're willing to put in that time, you'll get there.
00:35:16.239 --> 00:35:16.719
You will.
00:35:16.880 --> 00:35:18.159
You just kind of have to go through it.
00:35:18.239 --> 00:35:24.159
But yeah, for this, like, uh, I don't know, like a I can't give it higher than the four.
00:35:24.239 --> 00:35:24.639
I can't.
00:35:24.719 --> 00:35:27.840
I can't give it five because it doesn't feel like a five to me.
00:35:28.079 --> 00:35:38.960
You know, I I did play, I played a whole lot more than you did, and I think it's a six is fair because it's not bad, but it's also not fun.
00:35:39.440 --> 00:35:44.239
Um I mean if the game saved for me, I maybe I would have seen some of that stuff because I would have kept going.
00:35:44.400 --> 00:35:48.960
But I I got I got I got discouraged by losing all of my friends.
00:35:50.800 --> 00:35:52.639
I hope you understand.
00:35:53.760 --> 00:35:59.440
So, yeah, that's uh Barbarian Saga the Beastmaster.
00:35:59.599 --> 00:36:05.199
Um, I have let me see, a PlayStation key for the game.
00:36:05.280 --> 00:36:08.239
So if you want it, just send me an email at a novel console.
00:36:08.400 --> 00:36:10.159
And I still have an email.
00:36:10.480 --> 00:36:14.400
Uh not an email, I have a key for Isle of Reverie for the PlayStation as well.
00:36:14.559 --> 00:36:17.519
So just see that game sounds a lot better.
00:36:17.760 --> 00:36:19.840
Oh, Isle of Reveries is is great.
00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:22.159
It's just difficult.
00:36:22.239 --> 00:36:29.119
It's it's thinky difficult, like puzzle solvy difficult, not I probably like that too.
00:36:29.199 --> 00:36:30.000
God damn it.
00:36:30.320 --> 00:36:35.360
Burger Champ took the last key, so I mean I mean, looking at this, this looks like a burger.
00:36:35.679 --> 00:36:37.679
This looks like a Game Boy RP.
00:36:37.920 --> 00:36:39.599
This looks like Mina the Hollower.
00:36:40.239 --> 00:36:43.119
It's uh Link to the Past, basically.
00:36:43.360 --> 00:36:43.840
Yeah.
00:36:44.320 --> 00:36:51.360
It reminds me of Mina, because I've you know I played that when that came out this year, and I was one of the few people who didn't really care for it overall.
00:36:51.599 --> 00:36:52.719
Yeah, but I bought it.
00:36:52.800 --> 00:36:54.320
I'm probably not gonna play it anytime soon.
00:36:54.400 --> 00:37:00.880
So I mean, Mina Mina's the definition of it's not a bad game, but I think it's too much.
00:37:01.039 --> 00:37:05.599
Like they put a little bit too much in the game, and it kind of got so what's the original Hollow Knight?
00:37:05.840 --> 00:37:09.039
I didn't I never finished Hollow Knight because when I first tried it, I didn't like it.
00:37:09.199 --> 00:37:09.599
I didn't like it.
00:37:09.840 --> 00:37:17.280
I want to try it again, but I got to the boss rush at the end because it's it's this Hollow Knight is Mega Man.
00:37:17.360 --> 00:37:18.400
I mean, not not Hollow Knight.
00:37:18.480 --> 00:37:19.920
Uh Shovel Knight is Mega Man.
00:37:20.000 --> 00:37:20.639
Um yeah.
00:37:20.719 --> 00:37:21.599
I thought Shovel Knight is.
00:37:22.880 --> 00:37:29.519
You get a uh a boss rush at the end, and yeah, I gave up at that.
00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:31.360
I wasn't gonna put my deck into it.
00:37:31.599 --> 00:37:32.400
No, I beat Shovel Knight.
00:37:32.480 --> 00:37:33.599
I thought Shovel Knight was awesome.
00:37:33.840 --> 00:37:36.239
Oh no, I was talking about Shovel Knight, not Hollow Knight.
00:37:36.480 --> 00:37:37.679
Fucking okay.
00:37:38.079 --> 00:37:39.360
Shovel Knight I really liked.
00:37:39.440 --> 00:37:40.719
Hollow Knight I never finished.
00:37:40.880 --> 00:37:43.119
I I played a bit of it and just didn't vibe to it.
00:37:43.199 --> 00:37:50.800
I want to try it again because you know I I'm willing to give that game a second chance, but maybe someday I'll I'll get into that too.
00:37:50.960 --> 00:37:57.199
So yeah, um anything that you want to plug before we wrap up?
00:37:57.519 --> 00:38:01.679
Uh well for those who who may not know me, I'd be shocked.
00:38:01.920 --> 00:38:15.440
Um I am the co-host of the 3DO experience, where me and uh my buddy Bill talk about the the history of the 3DO, covering the entire library, you know, the console, and even talking about the Army Man games, which is uh a fun time.
00:38:15.599 --> 00:38:27.440
Um and also I have a solo show called Thrack Ops, where I've been going through every game in the Call of Duty series and reviewing mainly the campaign, but you know, touching on multiplayer and other modes where it's necessary.
00:38:27.599 --> 00:38:33.840
Uh Chris was on for infinite warfare, so you can go listen to that if you want some some fun sci-fi bullshit.
00:38:34.159 --> 00:38:38.719
Um at the time of recording, the most recent episode was Modern Warfare 2019.
00:38:38.800 --> 00:38:41.519
So, you know, I'm I'm finally into the 2020s now.
00:38:41.679 --> 00:38:48.639
So hopefully I'll be done with this by the end of the year so I can take a break and play some uh uh Japanese bullshit.
00:38:50.079 --> 00:38:52.480
What Japanese bullshit are you looking to play?
00:38:52.800 --> 00:38:55.679
Uh uh probably Persona 3 reload.
00:38:56.239 --> 00:38:57.840
Oh, that is so good.
00:38:58.400 --> 00:39:12.320
It's really good, but I I again with any like RPG or bigger game, I'm like, I can't play this because I gotta focus on COD, and by the time I'm done, like you know the ending to that game.
00:39:12.400 --> 00:39:15.039
It's it's uh it's one of the best endings of all time.
00:39:15.360 --> 00:39:16.159
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:39:16.320 --> 00:39:17.039
It's so good.
00:39:17.280 --> 00:39:22.000
Yeah, but I I I have a lot of other games I want to talk, but that'll be that'll be a next year.
00:39:22.239 --> 00:39:24.480
Next year is just gonna be me playing games for fun.
00:39:24.639 --> 00:39:25.199
Crazy.
00:39:25.679 --> 00:39:26.960
No more Call of Duty.
00:39:27.199 --> 00:39:29.199
Call of Duty dies this year.
00:39:29.519 --> 00:39:40.559
Well, my well, my plan is to take 2027 off, and then when we hit 2028, I'll then review the one that came out late that year, and then maybe start talking about the spin-offs that I missed.
00:39:40.719 --> 00:39:45.199
Because there are a few, but you know, that won't take as much effort.
00:39:45.760 --> 00:39:46.079
No.
00:39:46.400 --> 00:39:51.440
So if you want to hear about Call of Duty on the end gauge, just wait till 2028.
00:39:52.480 --> 00:39:54.000
That's gonna be fun.
00:39:57.280 --> 00:40:00.400
So uh yeah, that was uh what's it called?
00:40:00.559 --> 00:40:04.880
Beastmaster, no uh Barbarian saga the Beastmaster.
00:40:05.360 --> 00:40:07.199
Terrible name, by the way.
00:40:07.760 --> 00:40:11.599
Uh it feels like there's more games that we're not playing or something.
00:40:11.920 --> 00:40:13.920
It feels like a He-Man ripoff.
00:40:15.119 --> 00:40:18.719
It kind of is, except for the heart-eating sword.
00:40:19.760 --> 00:40:22.960
I mean, if He-Man had a heart-eating sword, I think it'd be even better.
00:40:23.920 --> 00:40:24.480
Maybe.
00:40:30.719 --> 00:40:32.880
I feel like it'd be more homorotic.
00:40:37.599 --> 00:40:39.119
I'm going to eat you.
00:40:43.519 --> 00:40:45.840
I mean, that's just the new Metroid game.
00:40:48.320 --> 00:40:50.400
Yeah, uh again, my name is Chris.
00:40:50.719 --> 00:40:52.559
I have consoles and stuff.
00:40:52.639 --> 00:40:55.920
If you have any video games or anything you want to sell, let me know.
00:40:56.079 --> 00:41:00.000
Uh, shoot me an email at consoleandstuff at gmail.com.
00:41:00.159 --> 00:41:01.199
We'll work something out.
00:41:01.440 --> 00:41:03.119
Thrak has sold me a bunch of stuff.
00:41:03.280 --> 00:41:06.800
I'm always looking, especially if it's Nintendo or handheld.
00:41:06.880 --> 00:41:09.679
So uh yeah, I guess that's it for this week's episode.
00:41:09.760 --> 00:41:11.679
Do you want to say goodbye to everyone, Thrack?
00:41:12.719 --> 00:41:14.559
Uh goodbye, everyone, Thrack.
00:41:15.039 --> 00:41:16.960
Goodbye, everyone, Thrak.
00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:30.800
Hello, hello, welcome to a novel console, your podcast that's trying to be weekly, where we talk about books, games, food, and stuff that caught our attention during the week.
00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:35.200
My name is Chris, and with me is Threk.
00:00:35.280 --> 00:00:38.560
I pulled the Threk and burped into the microphone, so that's awesome.
00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:40.640
Um, Threk, how are you today?
00:00:40.960 --> 00:00:42.479
Oh, what fucking year is it?
00:00:42.560 --> 00:00:44.320
Are you you're still doing a podcast?
00:00:44.560 --> 00:00:46.960
I guess I've done like four in a row.
00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:49.840
So wow, you you actually are back.
00:00:50.079 --> 00:00:51.200
No bullshit.
00:00:51.439 --> 00:00:51.759
Right?
00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:53.679
Okay, okay this is amazing.
00:00:53.920 --> 00:00:54.719
Hold up.
00:00:55.200 --> 00:00:57.840
Uh more episodes.
00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:04.159
Uh the first episode back was on the 17th of August, and I asked, We back, yo?
00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:09.040
And then on the 31st of August, I said, I guess we is back, yo.
00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:11.599
So you know.
00:01:12.400 --> 00:01:15.519
Well, I'm I'm I'm glad you're still in touch with the hood, you know.
00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:16.159
Right.
00:01:16.319 --> 00:01:22.480
I mean, that's how a Scooby-Doo-B Scooby, Scooby-Doo rag.
00:01:26.239 --> 00:01:33.680
Uh but yes, I uh see, this is why I missed all this shit, you know, you and me just dicking around.
00:01:33.840 --> 00:01:34.719
This is good stuff.
00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:35.920
Right.
00:01:36.239 --> 00:01:39.439
Oh man, I am sorry for what I did to you for this.
00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:44.480
Um, but yeah, you've done I think we've done worse than this.
00:01:45.519 --> 00:01:46.319
Have we?
00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:47.040
Have we?
00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:53.359
I mean, I mean, I'm still not super high on Asora's Wrath, but you know, maybe I'm just being a harsh little boy about it.
00:01:53.680 --> 00:01:55.599
Yeah, I I that that was a game.
00:01:55.760 --> 00:01:57.040
That was a a game.
00:01:57.280 --> 00:01:59.920
And you hated Halo, like, oh my god.
00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:00.719
Oh yeah.
00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:05.040
Well, yeah, I don't think I hated this as much as I hate Halo.
00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:07.840
So that's no, no, that's saying a lot.
00:02:08.080 --> 00:02:09.840
There's not much to hate.
00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:14.159
If there, you know, but that's not like a compliment.
00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:16.240
Right?
00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:20.800
Well, well, I guess tell our listeners what are what game are we talking about?
00:02:21.039 --> 00:02:21.360
Right.
00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:26.960
So I got review keys for Barbarian Saga the Beastmaster.
00:02:27.360 --> 00:02:34.080
Uh this is an action adventure beat 'em up in the Metroidvania, according to the genres on this list.
00:02:34.159 --> 00:02:37.759
It released officially on September 9th.
00:02:37.919 --> 00:02:41.199
So we're recording on the 10th, so yesterday.
00:02:41.520 --> 00:02:48.240
And uh I got a couple of keys, and just from the point that I got the keys, this has been kind of chaos.
00:02:49.360 --> 00:02:58.240
Uh so let me read a little bit of what it says here, because I did not get any of this while playing the game.
00:02:58.479 --> 00:03:14.879
After after the brief peace that followed the wars of the portals that devastated the country, new winds of war threatened its inhabitants when the new king of Imperia, together with the Sacred T Kingdom, have started a war against non-humans.
00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:22.080
Using the services of one of the last wizards of Arboria, Trest 13, and their generals.
00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:28.400
It is the moment of the prophecy a chosen one will unite men and beasts to bring peace.
00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:30.879
Did you get any of that from playing this game?
00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:40.080
Uh, I didn't pay any attention to the story because it was all in fucking like text boxes that had the quality of a new grounds game.
00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:45.360
I could not shake the whole flash game vibe out of this one, could you?
00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:46.319
No.
00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:54.639
I I was trying I was gonna say it had DeviantArt style look to it.
00:03:55.520 --> 00:04:01.520
Um I it's a game.
00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:02.800
It plays.
00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:10.879
Like man, like and and then when you go to the different areas, it plays that like stock sound effect, you know.
00:04:10.960 --> 00:04:13.280
I don't know what it's called, but you know the one.
00:04:13.680 --> 00:04:18.480
When it like sh first shows the new area for the first time, it makes that like chung sound.
00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:23.120
And it's like, oh, I've heard that before, you know, like in YouTube clickbait stuff.
00:04:23.439 --> 00:04:33.759
But yeah, I mean, in in a like the search action genre or Metrovania, whatever you want to call it, is like search action genre, that's worse than Metroidvania.
00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:36.000
I mean, I don't like the term Metroidvania.
00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:38.240
I'm trying to find a different term for it.
00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:45.439
Just because I I think the name like hinders the genre rather than helps it.
00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:53.120
You know, that's like you have to be related to Metroid or Castlevania, otherwise you can't be classified as that, you know what I mean?
00:04:53.519 --> 00:04:58.480
Okay, but okay, in the same vein, mystery dungeons.
00:04:59.360 --> 00:05:03.680
You know what a mystery dungeon is when you tell somebody mystery dungeon.
00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:06.800
But aren't those just made by one company?
00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:07.519
Uh-uh.
00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:08.240
Okay.
00:05:08.720 --> 00:05:11.839
Um Adrian Odyssey's technically a mystery dungeon.
00:05:12.079 --> 00:05:12.319
Okay.
00:05:12.480 --> 00:05:15.759
Uh Torneco is a mystery dungeon, Pokemon is a mystery dungeon.
00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:16.240
There's a lot of things.
00:05:16.399 --> 00:05:19.600
But you would call those, you would call those dungeon crawlers, though.
00:05:20.480 --> 00:05:30.959
But there's a difference, because if you say dungeon crawler, you'd think like old school Dungeons and Dragons, maybe the earlier Shin Megame or Persona games.
00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:31.360
Yeah.
00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:34.000
You wouldn't think Mystery Dungeon.
00:05:34.160 --> 00:05:39.519
If you say mystery dungeon specifically, people will understand that whenever you move, your enemy moves.
00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:40.000
Yeah.
00:05:40.160 --> 00:05:43.360
I mean, I don't think they're completely different from each other, though.
00:05:43.439 --> 00:05:47.439
Like there are similarities, but you know, like I think if you were, you know.
00:05:47.519 --> 00:05:48.319
But anyways, yeah.
00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:58.720
But anyway, uh the the this this genre of of games, right, has become so saturated in the last like 10-15 years, right?
00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:05.120
And we've gotten like a lot of amazing games out of it, you know, like people go on about the Hollow Knights.
00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:07.680
Um, I'm a big fan of the Ori games.
00:06:07.839 --> 00:06:12.319
Um, you have like um The Mummy Dmastered, which I thought was really good.
00:06:12.480 --> 00:06:14.240
Um Axiom Verge.
00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:15.519
I fucking love Axiom Verge.
00:06:15.680 --> 00:06:16.959
Axiom Verge is great.
00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:23.920
Um Bloodstained, Bloodstained, um Squipwitch, Forbidden Sex Hex.
00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:34.240
I mean, I've heard uh um Yoku's Island Express is really good, Guacamele, um Toki Tori, Guacamele, um, Superland.
00:06:34.560 --> 00:06:37.519
Hell, you could even go to like Batman Arkham Asylum.
00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:49.839
Um I mean, but that was more that was a 3D, but it yeah, but I feel like yeah, but I think Arkham Asylum is probably the best indication of a 3D version of that kind of a game.
00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:53.920
Um, but even like stuff like Superland definitely has those elements, right?
00:06:54.079 --> 00:06:58.000
Um but basically what I'm saying is that this genre has so many incredible games.
00:06:58.079 --> 00:07:16.800
Like we're not shy of like cool games that even do interesting things within it, be it in a a cool world, or has some like new unique mechanics to it, on top of like Metroid and Metroid doing its thing, Castlevania reminding us of their like peak era, and and and is that new Castlevania coming out?
00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:20.160
Is that uh like an ego style, or are they going linear with that?
00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:21.120
Yes, yes.
00:07:21.360 --> 00:07:22.319
I think it's ego.
00:07:22.879 --> 00:07:23.920
Okay, okay, cool.
00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:28.720
So so basically what I'm saying is there's a lot of great games in the genre.
00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:34.720
So what does Barbarian saga the Beastmaster uh catch it uh Saturday mornings on NBC?
00:07:34.800 --> 00:07:38.800
Uh what does it do differently than these other games?
00:07:38.959 --> 00:07:40.879
Um uh nothing.
00:07:41.519 --> 00:07:44.560
Absolutely nothing, not even the premise.
00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:52.800
Like my takeaway from it was it was one of the most bland generic games I've ever played.
00:07:53.759 --> 00:07:56.959
I I am gonna go ahead and just give my score for the game.
00:07:57.040 --> 00:08:00.800
This this game is a six, it does what it wants to do.
00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:02.879
There's nothing else special about it.
00:08:03.199 --> 00:08:04.399
It's it's a game.
00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:11.920
I give it like a four or a three, but to be fair, the code you gave me, for some reason it wasn't the full release.
00:08:12.319 --> 00:08:13.839
Let's talk about the codes.
00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:15.360
Yeah, we should.
00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:19.600
Okay, so they gave because that really hindered my experience.
00:08:19.920 --> 00:08:29.519
They gave me, let me go back, uh they gave me one, two, three, four keys, right?
00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:45.679
They gave me one for Xbox, which I gave you, one for Steam, which I ended up having to use, and another one that was uh say non-denominational, because there's there's really no other way to describe it.
00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:47.759
So I input that one into Steam.
00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:49.279
It's non-binary.
00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:56.320
I mean, so I put it into Steam and it downloaded the demo.
00:08:56.960 --> 00:08:57.279
Okay.
00:08:59.440 --> 00:09:01.679
I don't know why they would give you a key for a demo.
00:09:01.919 --> 00:09:02.799
Demo's free.
00:09:03.360 --> 00:09:14.799
Right, so I I start playing, and I'm like, this is super weird because the demo starts with gameplay, like you start playing off the bat, no introductions, nothing.
00:09:14.960 --> 00:09:29.759
You're like in a place midway through the story, going through a dungeon, and I found it super weird, and I'm like, okay, so maybe the full release, maybe there's some story later on.
00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:31.840
I don't I don't know what's happening.
00:09:32.080 --> 00:09:36.960
So I play, I beat the demo, and it says continue on when the game releases fully.
00:09:37.120 --> 00:09:39.039
I'm like, what the fuck?
00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:46.399
It's something happened, so I deleted it, downloaded it again, tried the code again, same shit.
00:09:46.639 --> 00:09:51.759
So I had to end up using the Steam key that I was gonna give away to listeners.
00:09:52.639 --> 00:10:08.799
And I I finally got the full game, and it no, there's like a little opening, like it tells you a little bit of story, then it eases you in, and and yeah, that that that wasn't a fun time.
00:10:09.360 --> 00:10:14.639
No, yeah, because the Xbox good you gave me for some reason, like everything was fine.
00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:20.159
It but I noticed things were weird when I got to like the saving tree, right?
00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:24.159
And it's like you know, push up to fast travel, push down to rest, or whatever.
00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:38.399
And I would push up to like fast travel just to look at the map, and it never came up until maybe like until like two hours in, like at a further point in the game, I actually got to push up and actually look at the map, which was weird.
00:10:38.559 --> 00:10:42.320
And then when I would do the rest thing, it would just fill my health, and that was it.
00:10:42.480 --> 00:10:43.759
It didn't do anything else.
00:10:43.919 --> 00:10:48.559
But the game was so low, like low everything, you know.
00:10:48.639 --> 00:10:52.000
I just thought, oh, maybe they just forgot the animation or whatever.
00:10:52.240 --> 00:11:07.519
And so I'm still going, and then I get to a spot where the game like it like glitched on me, because I think it was like I paused it, put it into like quick resume, and then came back to it, and then I tried to go to the next screen, and like the screen wouldn't load, or it just looked weird.
00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:10.080
So I'm like, all right, let me just back out and reset.
00:11:10.240 --> 00:11:15.600
And then I did, and then I realized oh, the game hadn't been saving like the entire time.
00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:20.879
And I was like, I was like, I I hadn't fought a boss or anything, but I feel like I was close to a boss.
00:11:21.039 --> 00:11:26.399
Oh you no, no, you're you know, you no, you don't fight your first boss for a long time.
00:11:26.879 --> 00:11:38.320
Like it's it's it's been coming out that you probably will fight like one or two optional bosses before you actually figure out where the first boss is.
00:11:38.879 --> 00:11:39.440
Oh boy.
00:11:39.759 --> 00:11:43.120
Which happened to me, which is it's crazy that that happens.
00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:47.120
Yeah, and and and so because it didn't save, I noped the fuck out.
00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:48.159
I was like, fuck this.
00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:49.600
I don't know, I don't want to play it.
00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:56.320
But then I booted it up and messed around with it before we started recording, and it's like the full version now, so it saves and everything.
00:11:56.399 --> 00:11:57.840
So all that stuff is fixed.
00:11:58.000 --> 00:12:02.159
So I don't know why that code was like not the complete version.
00:12:02.320 --> 00:12:06.720
Like I don't understand, unless it maybe installed an update overnight that I wasn't aware of.
00:12:06.960 --> 00:12:15.759
But I like that was very strange, and so it just basically killed any momentum I had in the game of like actually wanting to give it a try.
00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:22.480
But like what I had played up to during that point to me was just so I guess just like plain.
00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:27.759
You know, like the the environments in the map I didn't think were that interesting.
00:12:27.919 --> 00:12:32.720
The enemies were very sparse, you know, and didn't like have much there.
00:12:33.120 --> 00:12:38.559
Um I mean they're NPCs, but like they don't really they don't have anything interesting to say.
00:12:38.799 --> 00:12:45.679
Like all the like all the story is just like plain text that is like coming through at like a snail's pace.
00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:48.159
It takes forever for shit to go through.
00:12:48.480 --> 00:12:51.759
And like the writing that's there just like didn't really interest me at all.
00:12:51.840 --> 00:12:53.440
Like your sword talks, I guess.
00:12:53.679 --> 00:12:55.679
Like your sword gives you the power to do shit.
00:12:55.759 --> 00:13:00.799
Like it's like it it's like minish cap, but like but not nearly as good as that.
00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:08.000
Um and then like the map was very like what you expect of this type of game, right?
00:13:08.080 --> 00:13:27.919
Like it wasn't that interesting, but it felt like it was very trying to go for like Castlevania with certain designs or certain like level like map design elements, and like even having like the charging horse enemy, like the centaur guy, like that's straight out of the GBA Castlevanias, you know, it's like the exact same thing.
00:13:28.159 --> 00:13:47.600
Um and you know, you have your inventory stuff, like you have like hit points, but it's not an RPG, and so I I feel like they didn't really know what they wanted to make, or like in in in two hours, I felt like the game should have maybe been like, okay, here's the hook.
00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:50.320
Here's a thing that we're doing that's maybe slightly different from everything else.
00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:52.960
They don't they they don't do it for a long time.
00:13:53.120 --> 00:14:02.000
So cause because the the fun about uh fun part about it, the hook is that you can transform into animals, right?
00:14:02.320 --> 00:14:03.840
So like Shantae.
00:14:04.399 --> 00:14:04.960
Kind of.
00:14:05.039 --> 00:14:12.320
So you have the Panther, so you can like air dash, and you have the hedgehog, so you can spin and bounce off of spikes.
00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:15.679
You have the weasel, I would have liked I would have liked the hedgehog.
00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:17.440
The hedgehog parts are great.
00:14:17.600 --> 00:14:20.159
The parts where you have to use the hedgehog power is good platform.
00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:22.480
Is he a really good platform?
00:14:22.639 --> 00:14:24.159
Yes, yeah.
00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:27.519
So you suck me back in.
00:14:27.919 --> 00:14:32.639
You you turn into a weasel and you can go into small spaces.
00:14:32.799 --> 00:14:37.679
I mean, like you get all of the Metroidvania power-ups that you would expect.
00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:41.679
Yeah, but they're animal-based, so that's like the entire hook.
00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:49.200
Um but I wanted to touch on the writing because I know you didn't care for it, but the writing is fucking atrocious.
00:14:49.360 --> 00:15:00.320
It's like I mean, the little bit I read was very like like middle school fan, like like some dude in like seventh grade being like, dude, I'm like writing this like fantasy novel, bro.
00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:01.279
Check it out.
00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:02.080
Mm-hmm.
00:15:02.879 --> 00:15:09.919
There's I wanted to write more interactions, but as I read them, I was like, this is terrible, and it is way too long.
00:15:10.080 --> 00:15:12.399
I am not gonna do this.
00:15:12.720 --> 00:15:23.519
Um there's an interaction early on where you can talk to a guard, and the guard's like, Oh, unless you don't have a pass, you can't pass through here, so go away, abomination.
00:15:23.759 --> 00:15:26.720
And the sword says, abomination, you say.
00:15:26.879 --> 00:15:28.879
I wonder what your wife looks like.
00:15:30.559 --> 00:15:33.039
I no, I remember that line.
00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:39.360
Like, there's so many, so many interactions like that throughout the entire game.
00:15:40.399 --> 00:15:56.480
And like the main character just picks up the sword, takes it with him, and is complaining about having like the sentient sword that wants to eat people's hearts, and he's like, Oh, maybe the sword's not that bad, even though it nibbles at my fingers when I'm not looking.
00:15:56.720 --> 00:15:59.679
Like, what the fuck?
00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:01.039
It's not great.
00:16:01.120 --> 00:16:09.759
It's really like if they like if they want to make like, oh, there's a conflict between like the main character and this like sentient being that he has to carry around with him.
00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:15.759
I mean, sure, it's been done before, but again, it's not real it's not even presented well.
00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:20.639
Like, it would be f it would be fine if it's like, oh, you know, no voice acting, we couldn't afford it.
00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:35.840
Like, that's fine, but like then at least make like the story cutscenes or the text boxes like like something interesting, maybe instead of this like black background, like it just looks like like concept art that whoever made this drew there in their notebook paper.
00:16:36.080 --> 00:16:36.799
Like, you know?
00:16:37.279 --> 00:16:41.600
Like it it it it's surprisingly like low effort.
00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:45.279
It's it's not great.
00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:46.720
The art is not great either.
00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:50.799
Like the lack of like the it looks like it was coated in flash.
00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:57.200
It just has that kind of like that kind of smoothed out kind of look to it, you know what I mean?
00:16:57.440 --> 00:16:59.519
It looks more like MS paint to me.
00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:01.519
I could see that, yeah.
00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:13.359
Particularly the main character, like whenever he's on screen and you see him talking, like he has a sword over his shoulder, he shouldered a dagger, and he's got like that stupid fucking smirk on his face.
00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:19.519
Like, this is such 12-year-old drew this during math class while instead of paying attention to fragments.
00:17:19.759 --> 00:17:23.519
And I think they gave him blue hair because they needed something distinguishing about him.
00:17:23.680 --> 00:17:26.000
Like, let's give him blue hair, you know, sure.
00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:28.559
You know, maybe people complain this game's woke or something.
00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:29.279
I don't know.
00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:32.319
But like that's the thing, like who made this thing?
00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:38.720
It says Dormidden Studio, but I'm like, this had to be like this had to be one guy.
00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:41.519
Like, there's no way a team of people worked on this thing.
00:17:42.079 --> 00:17:44.240
Like, no more than like five people.
00:17:45.599 --> 00:17:48.480
You you have it up, you have up who who made it?
00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:58.640
Well, the the on the Steam page it just has like the developer, and then I click it and it just um auto goes to the uh the publisher called Select a Play.
00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:07.119
And and all it says on Steam here is established in 2020, Select a Play works to publish video games with unique identities and features.
00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:16.640
And so they have like a game called Hyper Wired, which actually looks like um like a lot more fucking interesting than the game we played.
00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:21.519
Like it looks like a weird, like like shoot 'em up in a cave or something.
00:18:21.680 --> 00:18:22.079
I don't know.
00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:23.519
It looks actually kind of interesting.
00:18:23.759 --> 00:18:29.599
Um Yeah, and then they have like Morco's regast, rage, and netherworld.
00:18:29.680 --> 00:18:31.200
Like, what the fuck is this shit?
00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:46.640
You know, like they're just making I mean, hey, it's fine that these weird things exist, but it's just none of this is gonna like I'm I'm part of this group on Facebook called Metroid Metroidvania, where people uh the only thing those people play are Metroidvania's.
00:18:46.880 --> 00:18:49.680
And they argue about what games are considered Metroidvaniaus.
00:18:50.079 --> 00:18:51.839
And they are in love with this game.
00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:53.519
They're they're really enjoying it.
00:18:54.319 --> 00:19:02.559
I'm glad they're enjoying it because it's it's I'm not gonna say it's a I don't even want to say competent.
00:19:02.640 --> 00:19:04.880
It's not broken, it's not bad.
00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:07.359
It's just I mean, I played a broken version.
00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:10.640
I mean you did because you played it before it came out.
00:19:10.880 --> 00:19:16.799
But I mean, when you get a review code, the idea is you're getting the finished product before you play it.
00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:19.119
That's sort of the idea.
00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:19.599
Yeah.
00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:20.640
You would hope.
00:19:20.880 --> 00:19:21.839
Yeah, I would hope.
00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:29.680
But like if I go to Steam and click Metroidvania, like I get like um, oh, that like Pee-Pstrello and the Cursed Yo-Yo game.
00:19:29.759 --> 00:19:30.880
That game looks fucking cool.
00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:38.400
Um, I mean, but here I have like Dead Cells, Rain World, Bloodstained, uh, Mio, Memories in Orbit, you know, like like you're not sure.
00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:41.359
I don't know why that can be.
00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:49.759
They even put like Arzette Jewel of Ferramore, and I'm like, that's not really a Metroidvania either, but like, but you have like blasphemous, right?
00:19:49.920 --> 00:19:57.119
Like you have, but I'm sure all those guys have played those games already, so yeah, you know, they're just looking for something new, I guess.
00:19:57.200 --> 00:19:59.039
But I yeah, I don't know.
00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:01.440
I feel like you should have higher standards, you know.
00:20:01.519 --> 00:20:20.079
Like, and I'm not necessarily trying to knock door door meet in at whatever studio, because I have a feeling this is their first project, so very rough around the edges, and it's one of those like, hey, try again, you know, maybe maybe you'll you'll find something that'll that'll work.
00:20:20.799 --> 00:20:22.000
Definitely try again.
00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:27.759
And my biggest issue, the thing that pissed me off the most, is that you start the game, right?
00:20:27.839 --> 00:20:31.680
And I didn't find this out until I looked up other reviews from people.
00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:53.119
Um, as you end the game as strong as you are when you started, you don't level up, you don't get new weapons, your weapon doesn't get stronger, you're doing the same amount of damage the same time, you're taking the same amount of damage from beginning to end, and I fucking hate that.
00:20:53.359 --> 00:21:00.559
Like if I would have known, if I would have known that that was this type of Metroidvania, I would not have requested the key.
00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:06.960
Like, you can't do that, like even Super Metroid makes you feel more powerful, not even in an RPG way.
00:21:07.279 --> 00:21:12.319
Every time you get a a new suit or a new laser, you get stronger.
00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:14.960
Yeah, like that's all really you need to do.
00:21:15.119 --> 00:21:22.000
Like you could like say the sword finds like a weird jewel or something and it infuses it with like a new power.
00:21:22.160 --> 00:21:38.079
Like, like even say in like in in Metroid when you get um you know the ice beam, like it it maybe doesn't necessarily make your your gun stronger, but it gives you the option to like freeze enemies, which gives you a whole new avenue for exploration as well.
00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:59.759
So something I didn't know until again looking up reviews is that you can get like these special abilities, like these boons or curses that you can add to the sword, which as far as I know, they don't add like extra damage or anything, they just give you like abilities, like you can shoot lightning from the sword, or you can shoot a fireball from the sword.
00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:07.200
Or you can have the sword open up and eat whatever enemies in front of it, which that that's pretty fucking cool.
00:22:07.359 --> 00:22:08.720
I can't care about that.
00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:10.079
That's pretty fucking cool.
00:22:10.319 --> 00:22:10.960
Yeah.
00:22:11.519 --> 00:22:16.240
But holy shit, like the game doesn't explain anything to you either.
00:22:16.720 --> 00:22:17.519
No, no.
00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:22.640
Like the the again, it just feels so much like this is a work in progress.
00:22:22.799 --> 00:22:26.799
This doesn't like it doesn't come off to me as a finished product.
00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:29.440
Like there's a severe lack of polish.
00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:33.519
Like, like especially in the menus, the menus just look terrible.
00:22:33.759 --> 00:22:36.880
Like I feel like I could code a better menu in an afternoon.
00:22:37.119 --> 00:22:37.759
Like there's a lot of people.
00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:44.960
Like every time you go you go to a shop to buy like potions and shit, like it just looks terrible.
00:22:48.000 --> 00:23:02.400
Again, I think like even just looking at this trailer on Steam, like there is some potentially unique qualities about the game, but I think for any future projects they're gonna do, they need to lean into the unique stuff like almost right away.
00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:19.440
I mean, I'm not trying to do game design 101, but you need to hook players way earlier than this.
00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:27.839
Because I was thinking if this was like a four to six hour game It's not, it's not, it is fifteen hours long.
00:23:28.240 --> 00:23:29.759
This game should not be fifteen hours.
00:23:29.839 --> 00:23:42.400
If it was half that time, like like if it was trying to evoke like like a Metro Vania you play on like the Game Boy Advance, you know, that's like maybe six-ish hours or whatever, then it's like okay, fine, pass.
00:23:42.480 --> 00:23:52.000
Like just something kind of short and sweet and kind of gives you that that feeling of this genre without too many bells and whistles, like you know, you're in and you're out, fine.
00:23:52.480 --> 00:23:54.240
But I don't know.
00:23:54.559 --> 00:23:58.000
I'm I'm sure there's ambitions here, but they clearly do not meet them.
00:23:58.240 --> 00:24:03.359
You know, I'd like in say a couple years they make another game and we're like, oh, this is way better.
00:24:03.440 --> 00:24:04.880
You've huge improvement.
00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:06.079
Good job, boys.
00:24:06.319 --> 00:24:13.519
But the thing is that there's a foundation here that is solid.
00:24:13.920 --> 00:24:15.839
It's not fun, it's just solid.
00:24:15.920 --> 00:24:22.400
Like it exists, there's a lot to be worked upon and improved on from where they are with this game.
00:24:22.640 --> 00:24:28.799
Yeah, get better animations, get better text boxes, the pacing needs to be a whole lot better.
00:24:29.119 --> 00:24:34.960
A lot of reviewers were complaining about the map be putting markers on the map.
00:24:35.200 --> 00:24:46.240
Apparently, the markers run out, so you can't you need to pick and choose where you're gonna put your markers for the stuff that you need to keep track of uh on the map.
00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:51.200
Um if it's gonna be 15 hours, you the pacing needs to be a whole lot better.
00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:59.440
Because wow, like I didn't get my first power up to like three hours into it.
00:24:59.680 --> 00:25:07.680
And the time, the time on the on the game, the keeping, the timekeeping on the game is completely off.
00:25:07.839 --> 00:25:10.400
It says that I have four hours put into it.
00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:14.000
My Steam says that I have nine hours put into it.
00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:17.519
So wow, yeah, there's a big difference there.
00:25:17.839 --> 00:25:39.039
I mean, right away you get that like that dash ability, and then quickly after that, it's like, oh, you can like magnetize the coins on you, and it's like okay, but I wouldn't necessarily call those upgrades, those are just like abilities, you know, just kind of passive things, but yeah, and and even then it doesn't feel like it helps, it feels like it just makes it manageable, I guess.
00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:40.079
I I I don't know.
00:25:40.160 --> 00:25:40.480
I don't know.
00:25:40.559 --> 00:25:51.920
It's it's not like the dash pisses me off too, because it's not consistent, because you can use it to pass through some enemies and some environmental hazards, but not everything.
00:25:52.319 --> 00:25:56.799
Yes, I I I notice some inconsistencies with the the hit detection on that.
00:25:57.119 --> 00:26:04.640
Yeah, so like if you're gonna let me dash through enemies, let me dash through everything that's gonna hurt me.
00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:05.920
Exactly.
00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:14.400
I don't know, like compare it, like if I'm thinking in my head, if I'm comparing this to say Orion the Blind Forest, right?
00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:18.880
Like that game, when you start, you don't have a lot of abilities, right?
00:26:19.039 --> 00:26:27.839
Like, I mean I've said before with Blind Forest, I feel like that game doesn't really open up until you get the uh the bash where you can like you know bounce off of things in the air.
00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:28.160
Right.
00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:32.880
And then that game really opens up, but it's like halfway through the game until you even get that.
00:26:33.200 --> 00:26:40.559
So I mean it this could be a game that like maybe once you get halfway through it opens up, and then you're like, okay, now here we go.
00:26:40.960 --> 00:26:44.960
But like, I mean, even with Ori, it shouldn't get away with that.
00:26:45.039 --> 00:26:49.599
But you know, that game is so gorgeous, it kind of gets away with it just by being such a pretty game to look at.
00:26:49.839 --> 00:26:55.519
But then they did the sequel, Will of the Wisps, which is so much better and is such a fucking amazing video game.
00:26:56.079 --> 00:26:57.759
I still need to play that at some point.
00:26:58.400 --> 00:26:58.880
It's on the list.
00:26:59.200 --> 00:27:11.920
Will of the Wisps is so good because it gives you all of the great abilities from Blind Forest like right off the bat, and then expands upon them and builds the world around the best parts of Blind Forest.
00:27:12.160 --> 00:27:14.480
So it's it's a much better game.
00:27:14.640 --> 00:27:20.319
I s the story isn't as good, but the map and the gameplay I think are a huge improvement.
00:27:20.720 --> 00:27:21.519
Interesting.
00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:23.759
So yeah, fun, fun ass game.
00:27:23.920 --> 00:27:27.200
But this unfortunately does not fall under fun ass games.
00:27:27.519 --> 00:27:35.519
Oh, I I got I got to the point where I was about to quit the game, was it like yesterday, the day before, the day before, so I didn't play yesterday.
00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:51.519
Um there is an area, it's like an airship, and it has a bunch of electrified fields that you can't touch, otherwise you will uh fall and and die or have to start over.
00:27:52.480 --> 00:28:03.200
And the timing where that comes in for you to go through is so it's such a terrible place to put it in.
00:28:03.359 --> 00:28:12.960
Because it's it was like four or five hours in is when I got to that place, and I only had the dash.
00:28:13.119 --> 00:28:16.880
I don't think I actually I think that's where you get the hedgehog.
00:28:17.680 --> 00:28:19.279
You get one ability there.
00:28:19.519 --> 00:28:26.880
Um and it it's like such an elemental ability that you need to keep exploring the rest of the map.
00:28:27.359 --> 00:28:30.559
And that to me was like this is this is just annoying.
00:28:30.640 --> 00:28:36.720
It's not fun, it's not impossible, but it's it's just fucking annoying.
00:28:37.200 --> 00:29:00.240
Because you have enemies shooting at you, trying to hit you, you have walls with electricity that if you touch them, you fall all the way down to the floor, and then you have to start from the last solid piece of ground that you touch, which also isn't consistent because I fell at one point, and instead of putting me where I started, it put me where I had to exit the level, the the the the stage.
00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:05.759
So it it's it's annoying, it's just annoying.
00:29:05.839 --> 00:29:13.839
It's not it's a bad place to put that kind of let challenge increase in the game.
00:29:14.160 --> 00:29:19.119
Yeah, and and there and there's so few like just like items and like stuff to do.
00:29:19.200 --> 00:29:30.480
Like you'll run through decent chunks of the game and there's just nothing there, you know, like no enemies to fight, no consumables or anything, and like other consumables are another thing.
00:29:30.559 --> 00:29:36.880
You basically need to just spend all the money that you get on potions, and you get only five potions at a time.
00:29:37.119 --> 00:29:46.319
Yeah, and and like I mean, you occasionally find little bits of like health flying around when you kill certain enemies, but it doesn't give you that much, anyways.
00:29:46.559 --> 00:30:07.519
And so, yeah, there were points where I was just running around with like no health, trying to get to like, you know, the nearest tree or whatever, and and some enemies are because it tries to do have like a block, but the way they describe it in the tutorial, it's almost like a game where it's like, oh, you just hold block and you're fine, but no, it's like it's kind of yeah, it's timing.
00:30:07.599 --> 00:30:12.880
You have to like tap it in time, like that one guy who's like throwing the boomerangs or whatever, you have to time it.
00:30:12.960 --> 00:30:15.599
If you do, you don't take any damage, you know.
00:30:15.839 --> 00:30:23.200
But it would have been nice if the game was like, you know, make sure you time enemies' attacks with the block instead of just saying, hold down B to block.
00:30:23.440 --> 00:30:34.079
It's like, well, if we're gonna do the I wouldn't necessarily call it Dark Souls, but if you're gonna like make it to where I can't just hold down block and just not take any damage, you need to tell me.
00:30:34.319 --> 00:30:38.079
You know, don't give me the idea that I can hold it down and be fine, because you can't.
00:30:38.160 --> 00:30:41.119
If you hold it, you block and then you're just back to normal.
00:30:41.440 --> 00:30:43.039
It lasts for a second.
00:30:43.440 --> 00:30:44.079
Yep.
00:30:46.000 --> 00:30:49.759
I I know I wanted to talk about something else, but I completely forgot.
00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:52.720
Um, I am gonna say I did like the music.
00:30:52.799 --> 00:31:01.599
I feel like the the the music that's not like ambience is pretty good, like the theme during the opening cutscene.
00:31:01.759 --> 00:31:02.319
I love it.
00:31:02.400 --> 00:31:03.359
It's great.
00:31:05.359 --> 00:31:14.319
I I I find it super weird that you're a barbarian, but there's also like a time traveler from another dimension that has like an iPhone or something.
00:31:14.480 --> 00:31:15.920
I don't think you got to that part.
00:31:17.200 --> 00:31:22.480
Um there's like vampires and zombies that all just like hang out.
00:31:22.559 --> 00:31:26.319
There's like onion people, people are fucking made out of out of onions.
00:31:26.640 --> 00:31:30.880
Um, but there's also like rats that I like the idea.
00:31:31.440 --> 00:31:33.920
It's so it's so weird, like it's so jarring.
00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:44.079
Like, I'm thinking I'm gonna go on a barbarian adventure, you know, with guilds and like all this shit, but no, it's it's just strange and weird.
00:31:45.519 --> 00:31:52.480
It yeah, it just whatever ambitions they had for the game, it clearly doesn't meet those, you know.
00:31:52.960 --> 00:31:54.400
Oh, I remember what I was gonna say.
00:31:54.720 --> 00:31:55.920
Yeah, go for it.
00:31:56.960 --> 00:32:05.839
Because the only thing you get from enemies when you fight them is money, or maybe a slight little health or or mana.
00:32:06.240 --> 00:32:12.640
Yeah, I I got to the point before I gave up that I I wasn't just I just wasn't gonna fight anything.
00:32:12.720 --> 00:32:14.319
I was just gonna dash through everything.
00:32:14.559 --> 00:32:17.839
Because it's not they don't give you an incentive to fight anything.
00:32:18.079 --> 00:32:23.839
In Castlevania, you fight enemies, you get experience points, you level up.
00:32:24.079 --> 00:32:24.559
Yeah, you level up.
00:32:24.640 --> 00:32:25.359
Yeah, it's an RPG.
00:32:25.599 --> 00:32:32.799
In Metroid, you in Metroid, you kill the aliens or the monsters or whatever, you get resources.
00:32:33.119 --> 00:32:42.240
You get health or missiles or whatever you need, and usually Samus is a bit weak, so like you kind of need like that constant flow of health, right?
00:32:42.400 --> 00:32:44.319
Because otherwise you'll take a way too much damage.
00:32:44.480 --> 00:32:48.480
You can't you can't really tank hits in a Metroid except for maybe Super Metroid.
00:32:49.039 --> 00:32:49.440
Right.
00:32:49.599 --> 00:32:59.759
So so this game, like, there's there's no reason for you to fight, just dash through everything, keep going, and eventually you'll see the credits if you have the patience for it.
00:33:00.160 --> 00:33:04.160
I I do not have 15 hours of patience for this thing, especially when I got game.
00:33:04.319 --> 00:33:06.400
I got fucking games to play.
00:33:06.880 --> 00:33:07.519
Right.
00:33:07.839 --> 00:33:11.839
So like I put I put uh what's it called?
00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:14.720
Um uh fuck, what's it called?
00:33:14.880 --> 00:33:20.079
Uh Chain of Memories on hold for this game.
00:33:20.799 --> 00:33:24.880
I I am almost like you know my opinion on Chain of Memories.
00:33:24.960 --> 00:33:26.160
I would rather play that again.
00:33:26.400 --> 00:33:36.319
I'm almost done with the Riku campaign of Chain of Memories, and I s I swear I have I'm having a much better time with Chain of Memories than I did with this game.
00:33:36.559 --> 00:33:48.160
And you know, when this game flows, when it's it gets into those grooves like when you have the hedgehog power up and you're doing platforming and fighting enemies in the air and platforming at the same time, that's fun.
00:33:48.559 --> 00:33:51.680
When it doesn't do that, it's it's okay.
00:33:52.799 --> 00:33:57.119
Then maybe their next one should be you're just the hedgehog and you're doing hedgehogs.
00:33:57.200 --> 00:33:58.799
Right, just like there you go.
00:33:59.200 --> 00:34:03.279
License out Sonic, give him a sword, and give him air combat.
00:34:03.519 --> 00:34:06.160
I mean, we know what happened last time he had a sword.
00:34:06.960 --> 00:34:08.000
It didn't work out too well.
00:34:08.400 --> 00:34:12.320
But he shadow developed an addiction to Latinas back then.
00:34:13.599 --> 00:34:18.880
Which is weird because I didn't know that there were Latinas in in Arturian Times England.
00:34:19.119 --> 00:34:20.400
Yeah, why not?
00:34:21.119 --> 00:34:23.360
I mean the Spanish Inquisition, you know?
00:34:25.039 --> 00:34:26.559
Spanish from Spain.
00:34:28.800 --> 00:34:30.159
Those are not Latinas.
00:34:30.639 --> 00:34:31.199
No, no.
00:34:31.360 --> 00:34:33.280
Well, they have to start somewhere, I guess.
00:34:35.519 --> 00:34:39.280
But honestly, it and I don't think it's a bad game.
00:34:39.519 --> 00:34:49.039
It's a boring game, which yeah, I I I think because it's an indie game that is at most being made by like three people.
00:34:49.440 --> 00:34:52.239
I I I don't want to be like too mean to it.
00:34:52.480 --> 00:34:54.639
Because it I mean, I wouldn't be shocked.
00:34:54.719 --> 00:34:59.039
This could be like three college kids, you know, just trying to make something, right?
00:34:59.280 --> 00:35:08.800
And and for that, it's you know, like if you guys are listening, you know, or I'm not trying to discourage you, like like keep working at it, okay?
00:35:08.880 --> 00:35:16.079
There's definitely kinks that need to be ironed out, like a lot, but I think if you're willing to put in that time, you'll get there.
00:35:16.239 --> 00:35:16.719
You will.
00:35:16.880 --> 00:35:18.159
You just kind of have to go through it.
00:35:18.239 --> 00:35:24.159
But yeah, for this, like, uh, I don't know, like a I can't give it higher than the four.
00:35:24.239 --> 00:35:24.639
I can't.
00:35:24.719 --> 00:35:27.840
I can't give it five because it doesn't feel like a five to me.
00:35:28.079 --> 00:35:38.960
You know, I I did play, I played a whole lot more than you did, and I think it's a six is fair because it's not bad, but it's also not fun.
00:35:39.440 --> 00:35:44.239
Um I mean if the game saved for me, I maybe I would have seen some of that stuff because I would have kept going.
00:35:44.400 --> 00:35:48.960
But I I got I got I got discouraged by losing all of my friends.
00:35:50.800 --> 00:35:52.639
I hope you understand.
00:35:53.760 --> 00:35:59.440
So, yeah, that's uh Barbarian Saga the Beastmaster.
00:35:59.599 --> 00:36:05.199
Um, I have let me see, a PlayStation key for the game.
00:36:05.280 --> 00:36:08.239
So if you want it, just send me an email at a novel console.
00:36:08.400 --> 00:36:10.159
And I still have an email.
00:36:10.480 --> 00:36:14.400
Uh not an email, I have a key for Isle of Reverie for the PlayStation as well.
00:36:14.559 --> 00:36:17.519
So just see that game sounds a lot better.
00:36:17.760 --> 00:36:19.840
Oh, Isle of Reveries is is great.
00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:22.159
It's just difficult.
00:36:22.239 --> 00:36:29.119
It's it's thinky difficult, like puzzle solvy difficult, not I probably like that too.
00:36:29.199 --> 00:36:30.000
God damn it.
00:36:30.320 --> 00:36:35.360
Burger Champ took the last key, so I mean I mean, looking at this, this looks like a burger.
00:36:35.679 --> 00:36:37.679
This looks like a Game Boy RP.
00:36:37.920 --> 00:36:39.599
This looks like Mina the Hollower.
00:36:40.239 --> 00:36:43.119
It's uh Link to the Past, basically.
00:36:43.360 --> 00:36:43.840
Yeah.
00:36:44.320 --> 00:36:51.360
It reminds me of Mina, because I've you know I played that when that came out this year, and I was one of the few people who didn't really care for it overall.
00:36:51.599 --> 00:36:52.719
Yeah, but I bought it.
00:36:52.800 --> 00:36:54.320
I'm probably not gonna play it anytime soon.
00:36:54.400 --> 00:37:00.880
So I mean, Mina Mina's the definition of it's not a bad game, but I think it's too much.
00:37:01.039 --> 00:37:05.599
Like they put a little bit too much in the game, and it kind of got so what's the original Hollow Knight?
00:37:05.840 --> 00:37:09.039
I didn't I never finished Hollow Knight because when I first tried it, I didn't like it.
00:37:09.199 --> 00:37:09.599
I didn't like it.
00:37:09.840 --> 00:37:17.280
I want to try it again, but I got to the boss rush at the end because it's it's this Hollow Knight is Mega Man.
00:37:17.360 --> 00:37:18.400
I mean, not not Hollow Knight.
00:37:18.480 --> 00:37:19.920
Uh Shovel Knight is Mega Man.
00:37:20.000 --> 00:37:20.639
Um yeah.
00:37:20.719 --> 00:37:21.599
I thought Shovel Knight is.
00:37:22.880 --> 00:37:29.519
You get a uh a boss rush at the end, and yeah, I gave up at that.
00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:31.360
I wasn't gonna put my deck into it.
00:37:31.599 --> 00:37:32.400
No, I beat Shovel Knight.
00:37:32.480 --> 00:37:33.599
I thought Shovel Knight was awesome.
00:37:33.840 --> 00:37:36.239
Oh no, I was talking about Shovel Knight, not Hollow Knight.
00:37:36.480 --> 00:37:37.679
Fucking okay.
00:37:38.079 --> 00:37:39.360
Shovel Knight I really liked.
00:37:39.440 --> 00:37:40.719
Hollow Knight I never finished.
00:37:40.880 --> 00:37:43.119
I I played a bit of it and just didn't vibe to it.
00:37:43.199 --> 00:37:50.800
I want to try it again because you know I I'm willing to give that game a second chance, but maybe someday I'll I'll get into that too.
00:37:50.960 --> 00:37:57.199
So yeah, um anything that you want to plug before we wrap up?
00:37:57.519 --> 00:38:01.679
Uh well for those who who may not know me, I'd be shocked.
00:38:01.920 --> 00:38:15.440
Um I am the co-host of the 3DO experience, where me and uh my buddy Bill talk about the the history of the 3DO, covering the entire library, you know, the console, and even talking about the Army Man games, which is uh a fun time.
00:38:15.599 --> 00:38:27.440
Um and also I have a solo show called Thrack Ops, where I've been going through every game in the Call of Duty series and reviewing mainly the campaign, but you know, touching on multiplayer and other modes where it's necessary.
00:38:27.599 --> 00:38:33.840
Uh Chris was on for infinite warfare, so you can go listen to that if you want some some fun sci-fi bullshit.
00:38:34.159 --> 00:38:38.719
Um at the time of recording, the most recent episode was Modern Warfare 2019.
00:38:38.800 --> 00:38:41.519
So, you know, I'm I'm finally into the 2020s now.
00:38:41.679 --> 00:38:48.639
So hopefully I'll be done with this by the end of the year so I can take a break and play some uh uh Japanese bullshit.
00:38:50.079 --> 00:38:52.480
What Japanese bullshit are you looking to play?
00:38:52.800 --> 00:38:55.679
Uh uh probably Persona 3 reload.
00:38:56.239 --> 00:38:57.840
Oh, that is so good.
00:38:58.400 --> 00:39:12.320
It's really good, but I I again with any like RPG or bigger game, I'm like, I can't play this because I gotta focus on COD, and by the time I'm done, like you know the ending to that game.
00:39:12.400 --> 00:39:15.039
It's it's uh it's one of the best endings of all time.
00:39:15.360 --> 00:39:16.159
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:39:16.320 --> 00:39:17.039
It's so good.
00:39:17.280 --> 00:39:22.000
Yeah, but I I I have a lot of other games I want to talk, but that'll be that'll be a next year.
00:39:22.239 --> 00:39:24.480
Next year is just gonna be me playing games for fun.
00:39:24.639 --> 00:39:25.199
Crazy.
00:39:25.679 --> 00:39:26.960
No more Call of Duty.
00:39:27.199 --> 00:39:29.199
Call of Duty dies this year.
00:39:29.519 --> 00:39:40.559
Well, my well, my plan is to take 2027 off, and then when we hit 2028, I'll then review the one that came out late that year, and then maybe start talking about the spin-offs that I missed.
00:39:40.719 --> 00:39:45.199
Because there are a few, but you know, that won't take as much effort.
00:39:45.760 --> 00:39:46.079
No.
00:39:46.400 --> 00:39:51.440
So if you want to hear about Call of Duty on the end gauge, just wait till 2028.
00:39:52.480 --> 00:39:54.000
That's gonna be fun.
00:39:57.280 --> 00:40:00.400
So uh yeah, that was uh what's it called?
00:40:00.559 --> 00:40:04.880
Beastmaster, no uh Barbarian saga the Beastmaster.
00:40:05.360 --> 00:40:07.199
Terrible name, by the way.
00:40:07.760 --> 00:40:11.599
Uh it feels like there's more games that we're not playing or something.
00:40:11.920 --> 00:40:13.920
It feels like a He-Man ripoff.
00:40:15.119 --> 00:40:18.719
It kind of is, except for the heart-eating sword.
00:40:19.760 --> 00:40:22.960
I mean, if He-Man had a heart-eating sword, I think it'd be even better.
00:40:23.920 --> 00:40:24.480
Maybe.
00:40:30.719 --> 00:40:32.880
I feel like it'd be more homorotic.
00:40:37.599 --> 00:40:39.119
I'm going to eat you.
00:40:43.519 --> 00:40:45.840
I mean, that's just the new Metroid game.
00:40:48.320 --> 00:40:50.400
Yeah, uh again, my name is Chris.
00:40:50.719 --> 00:40:52.559
I have consoles and stuff.
00:40:52.639 --> 00:40:55.920
If you have any video games or anything you want to sell, let me know.
00:40:56.079 --> 00:41:00.000
Uh, shoot me an email at consoleandstuff at gmail.com.
00:41:00.159 --> 00:41:01.199
We'll work something out.
00:41:01.440 --> 00:41:03.119
Thrak has sold me a bunch of stuff.
00:41:03.280 --> 00:41:06.800
I'm always looking, especially if it's Nintendo or handheld.
00:41:06.880 --> 00:41:09.679
So uh yeah, I guess that's it for this week's episode.
00:41:09.760 --> 00:41:11.679
Do you want to say goodbye to everyone, Thrack?
00:41:12.719 --> 00:41:14.559
Uh goodbye, everyone, Thrack.
00:41:15.039 --> 00:41:16.960
Goodbye, everyone, Thrak.
