Hades II Review (Switch)

Supergiant Games have a reputation for creating games which are nothing less than amazing, and most of the time highly original and unique to boot. Bastion remains a masterpiece of isometric action adventure, Transistor a stylish mix up of turn based and hack and slash and Pyre is just nuts in about every way. The one thing they haven’t done until now is produce a sequel, I mean where can you go when you’ve already perfected what you are trying to achieve which each title?

So, it’s brave decision to not only make a sequel, but a sequel to one of the most highly regarded indie games of all time in Hades. It’s a good thing then that they have done it right.

Hades II, thankfully doesn’t stray away from the ancient Greek roots of the original. While that story focused on a son trying to escape the depths of hell (and the grasp of his father), Here we have a female lead, Melinoë the princess of the Underworld, trying to defend her home against Chronos the Titan of time. There are a host of new characters here for the studio to play with and each is beautifully written- if you wish to really dive into the law and setting.

Of course, the real heart of the original Hades was the Rogue-like structure and the flexibility of the combat. In this regard not much has changed in terms of the scope. This is still a Rogue game where each run is designed to have you gather resources for permanent upgrades which in turn allow for players to get ever so slightly closer to their goal on the next run. If anything, there are perhaps too many resources to manage here. There are seemingly endless things to change and upgrade and numerous currencies and trinkets to collect and trade for other currencies and trinkets, which in turn can be used to invoke spells, create new areas in the hub world or upgrade your character, weapons and several hundred other things. It really did take a good few hours for us to start to get to grips with everything that was going on.

In terms of your arsenal, you start out with one weapon and unlock other options as you progress. Each of these react differently with the various attacks you have. Players can perform and chain basic attacks, perform a ‘cast’ which creates a ring on the floor which can be used to halt or entrap enemies (among many other things). Special attacks can be initiated by holding the attack button down, and there’s a range of close combat moves as well. You can also pick up a ‘hex’ attack which needs to be charged in each location and has its own development path as well. If you are going to master all this, it’s really going to take a while and for those of you that thought Transistor was complex you are in for a shock. Oh, and you have a dash/dodge as well.

At the outset Hades II is quite a tough proposition. Our first few runs didn’t really yield much progression at all. But as these things go, you slowly start to break the back of the first area and suddenly more options open out to you. The game does seem tougher than the first one though with the second level being a real baptism of fire on the first few runs. But while you may be beginning to get frustrated at not getting past a rock band made of Sirens, the game has something else up its sleeve. You see, the hub world is the crossroads and, initially, you can only descend into the depths. But after casting a particular spell at the cauldron it removes the ward on the stairs that go up as well.

From that point you can continue to forge your way down to Hades or alternatively head to the surface and make for Mount Olympus. This initially comes with a curse which drains your heath, but once you have cleared that the surface world provides a very different approach to the game.

While the downward dungeons remain much in the same format as the original game, the surface world mixes things up a fair bit. The first area for instance, is set in a city of interconnecting rooms. Here you can roam the central areas and decide which door you are going to go through in whatever order you wish. After besting a Cyclops, you are sent to the docks where instead of changing rooms you decide which direction to steer the ships. These surface realms are much larger and wider and require some consideration in approach if you have been used to the cramped caves of the subterranean route. It provides some much-needed flexibility and variety if one location is causing you a lot of issues.

Overall, Hades II is as good as its predecessor in its own ways. It takes a slightly different approach but retains the soul of the core concept and develops it well. It doesn’t make the original game obsolete as it feels different enough while also being strong enough in its own right for both new players and those familiar with the original to dive right in.  

Overall 9/10

Goodboy Galaxy Review (Evercade)

So called homebrew titles have come on leaps and bounds in the last few years. Now, we have reached a place where developers can create titles for older consoles and have them fit perfectly into the indie marketplace. Indeed, we think it’s only a matter of time before one of the big developers decides to dive into the world of retro consoles with a fully-fledged retro release.

We’ve covered an ever-growing number of these games including, Micro Mages, Alwa’s Awakening and Witch N’ Wiz, as well as some of the compilation which have made their way to Evercade, who could forget the excellent Tanzer after all? The latest of these to reach our door is Goodboy Galaxy, a platform exploration game for the GBA.

The plot is simple and follows a space dog called maxwell as he fly’s around various planets solving quests and making friends. It’s all one large collectathon, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun. Each character you meet along the way will require help in some way (normally finding things) and will then give you their friend card upon completion. Some also give you other items as well to further aid your exploration and allow you to get deeper into galaxy.

Goodboy Galaxy is not a Metroidvania game though, thanks to the well-placed gates around each planet. Maxwell can jump, has a shield which will absorb damage and has a blaster. However, when you pass through one of the gates on each level something will be disabled. This could mean losing your jump, meaning you must think creatively about switches or platforms, or losing you weapon or shield meaning you are much less protected. It’s a gimmick that lasts throughout the game and allows a series of short but interesting puzzle platform sections to be thrust on the player. There are of course ways of getting around these to reveal secrets as well.

It's good then that Maxwell handles excellently. You must get used to the game as it has its own mechanics such as the firing pace of the weapon and the jump working slightly different than how you would expect, but once you’ve played it for a while it all becomes second nature. It’s cleverly done and shows real thought has been put into how players are expected to traverse around the worlds.

The look of the game is classic Gameboy Advance platformer. Bold colours and large cartoon like sprites are the order of the day and you can’t help but smile at the heavy nostalgia and generally joyful vibe. It fits the style of game perfectly, as does the character design which effectively takes animals and objects and puts bigger eyes and jackets on them. Each planet also sticks with the bright feel, while also being distinctive from each other to keep the overall look from becoming too samey.

Overall, Goodboy Galaxy is a fun game that would have easily found an audience if released during the original GBA years of handheld dominance. It’s like finding a hidden gem for the system and hopefully it will find a much larger place when it releases on modern consoles (Goodboy Galaxy is also currently available on the Evercade). There’s a lot of fresh ideas here and if you are looking for something new that seems like something old then this is an excellent place to start.

Overall 8/10

Glover (Evercade Review)

For a good few years now PQube has been tracking down and acquiring the rights to many cult hits and underappreciated gems across a host of retro platforms. The latest acquisition to be given a new lease of life is Glover, more specifically the N64 version of the game. The game also, impressively, has been released on the Evercade as part of the Piko 4 collection. And it works well, even on the original handheld.

Glover follows the model of the standard 3D platformers of the day. You have fairly large, open levels to explore, lots of collectibles and a slightly frustrating camera to fight with. The game has been given a slight graphical overhaul which makes it look good enough on modern displays. The general blur vision of the N64 is long gone, so at least eye strain is kept to a minimum. This does of course make the levels look a bit empty and brown but then that’s just a sign of times.

The controls have been mapped well to the Evercade though and the game doesn’t feel particularly awkward.  This is handy as the game is complex to navigate as you are controlling a giant glove moving a ball around. There is a save state function which is most welcome and something even the Switch version hasn't got. 

A lot of the platforming and puzzles require you to get the ball to various places by batting it, bouncing it or walking on top of it. All these things require practice to get right and early on you’ll likely be frustrated as you watch your ball role away for the hundredth time. When you get used to it though, it allows for a far more original take on the genre than many other games.

Aside from the ball physics, the other main gimmick is that you can switch around what type of ball you are using. You start with a standard beach ball, but you’ll soon get others made of materials that break on impact or that can traverse certain terrains. You’ll need to work things out quickly though because every time a ball bursts you’ll lose a life, and you only have five which seem to degenerate quickly.

Overall, Glover is a perfect example of an interesting but flawed game. The concept is clever and original, but you’ll need to put time into mastering how everything works in order to really appreciate what the game has to offer. It certainly has a charm and if you stick with it, it becomes a rewarding and fun experience. A quick save would have really helped though.

Overall 6/10

Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition Review (Switch)

Puzzle Quest first became popular when a host of match three style games were the go-to for mobile users. We first played it on the Xbox 360 and at the time it proved to be a decent distraction which successfully merged a simple but addictive puzzle mechanic with elements of the RPG genre. All these years later the series is still going and now we have this seemingly complete edition, backed with all the additions and extras added over the years.

The concept is simple, the interface of the game follows the template of a retro style RPG, something that reminded us of adventure games on the Amiga for a reason we can’t quite place. After picking from a preset host of characters that fall into the classic fantasy moulds of thieves, wizards and warriors, you move around a map going to locations of interest such as towns and castles. Here, you can find quests and information and visit shops to buy items and weapons to increase your stats.

Quests generally involve taking on a number of enemies in turn, sometimes with a boss monster at the end. These start out as things such as sewer rats and skeletons but quickly move on to more threatening members of the classic fantasy menagerie. All encounters are handled in the same way which is in the form of a match three battle. You are presented with a grid containing a host of shapes and colours. All of which do different things when matched. Three colours, when matched fill up bars which can be used for different types of special and magic attacks. Matching skulls inflicts damage on your opponent, while you can also get experience points and host of other bonuses.

The key is to balance attacking your opponent with making sure that you don’t leave yourself open. You also need to keep an eye on the potential to match four or more of a shape or colour as this allows you to take another turn. Matching is simply done by swapping a shape or colour from its current position with an adjacent one. It starts out simply but quickly develops into something with far more depth. Even early on the game moves quickly away from its basic format and introduces all sort of bonuses and special symbols. It’s often easy to find yourself in serious trouble even with middling opponents if you let your guard down so players will always have to be thinking a few steps ahead.

There are a host of spells and skills which can be utilised as well, and the effects are wide ranging and varied enough to have a major impact if used properly. It’s easy to amass many skills which do everything from causing more damage to destroying a certain colour or shape on the game field.

Despite its initial casual nature, it’s amazing how much of a time sink the game becomes. It may have casual roots, but we found hour after hour drifting by on occasion, and it certainly has that one more go appeal to it. The combination of the RPG elements and simple but addictive mechanics make this a difficult game to pull away from once you get into its zone.

Overall, Puzzle Quest remains a solid fusion between two different genres. It has enough depth to keep you playing for long periods but is also perfect for on the go play on the Switch. It comes to life in handheld mode and is packed with content that means when it sucks you in, you’ll be with it for hours. All the mechanics work well and there’s even concessions for colour blind players with use of both colours and shapes. If you haven’t played the game in any of its version so far this is a great place to start.

Overall 8/10