<![CDATA[A-to-J Connections - Gaming]]>Mon, 20 Jan 2025 20:24:13 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Game Review: Find Room 96]]>Mon, 20 Jan 2025 08:00:00 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/game-review-find-room-96By Al
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Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam)

I've been reviewing a lot of "anomaly games" recently, and I have one more to go before I take a short break on the genre. Whether an actual genre label or not, anomaly games refers to the "spot-the-differences" titles that have come out following the success of The Exit 8. Surprised Hotdog Limited has particularly taken to the genre, and have released several games in that style. I've already reviewed both The Eerie Surroundings and Exit Station 7, and today we're going to be taking a look at Find Room 96. Out now on Steam and the Nintendo Switch, we're going to be reviewing the Switch version here. We've been through this a few times already, so let's dive right in!
Like all games in this genre, Find Room 96 has no real story to speak of. You're trapped in a hotel that seems to be repeating, and you have to find your way out by way of your observation skills. You have no actual actions or attacks at your disposal, you can only walk around and examine your surroundings. Each game starts with you being shown the base version of a floor of the hotel. You'd do well to memorize everything you see, as it is vital to the entire gameplay loop. Once you've committed the floor to memory, you step into an elevator and move onto the next one. Each floor after the first can be an exact copy of the base version, or it can have anomalies. Anomalies are any differences in the current floor versus the base version, and can easily be missed if you're not careful. Once you feel you've made a decision regarding whether or not there are any anomalies on the current floor, you make your way to the elevator that matches your choice. If your observations skills are spot on, or if you're just plain lucky, you'll eventually find the titular room at the end of several floors. There is no fail state in the game, though there is a timer that keeps track of how long it took you to reach the end. Complete Find Room 96 within a set limit and you unlock additional levels to play through. There's nothing really ground-breaking here, but not every game has to break the mold.
I have to admit right off the bat that I had high expectations for this one going in. Something about the empty hotel setting made me think of The Shining, and I was ready for the elevators to be filled with blood. Okay, that's probably expecting a bit too much, but I was definitely hoping that this one would deliver some spooky anomalies. If not that, then maybe we'd get some atmospheric creepiness just based off the setting alone. Unfortunately there's very little of any of that to be found here. Seeing as spotting the anomalies is literally the only thing one does in Find Room 96, I don't want to spoil things by listing them all. Suffice it to say that they are among the most generic I've seen in the genre yet, and are also the most mundane. High expectations or not, I was much let when I realized that just about every anomaly involved a static change. There are no items coming to life here, and there isn't even a person who walks in an endless line either, it's all just spotting items changing size, location, or disappearing/reappearing altogether. I literally lost it when one of the anomalies was a pet food dish outside of one of the doors. I'm not sure if the developers were going something different here, but it seriously felt like they had simply run out of ideas. Also, even though I'm reviewing this one after Exit Station 7, I actually played it before that one. I was ready to throw in my towel with the genre entirely until I moved on to Exit Station 7, and I eventually came back to Find Room 96 to beat it. Thanks to the anomalies being mostly easy to spot, I was able to clear it in about 15 minutes. Then things got interesting.
One thing I like about Surprised Hotdog Limited is that they put several levels into each of their games. Many Exit 8-likes only feature one scenario, and have very little replay value. Admittedly most other games features a more in-depth single setting, but what we get here is arguably more content. In the case of Find Room 96, I found that the bonus content was far more interesting than the base game. Once again, I don't want to reveal too much for the sake of sparing people from spoilers, but the bonus stages actually managed to deliver what the main game didn't. I don't know if I would prefer if the stages were shuffled around, or if the entire game should just be available from startup, but I honestly wonder how many people will have the patience to stick it out through the boring sections to get to the good part. I for one almost missed it. With all that said, I don't want to act like the game ever really delivers much more in the way of gameplay. This is still an anomaly game in the most pure of senses, and it won't do anything to entice new people to the genre. It's also quite short. I was able to fully beat it in a bit over an hour, and I think most players will be able to match my time or beat it. Complaints aside, it's an okay entry in the genre. I just wish it hadn't wasted its setting the way it did.
Price is always where I feel that these smaller indie titles come out on top, and that's pretty much the case with Find Room 96. Even though I feel it's priced just a smidge too high for my liking, I can't really fault it out since it currently sits at a reasonable $4.29. Odd pricing number aside, there are parts of the game I enjoyed. Playing one of these games in a brightly lit environment instantly reminded the most of The Exit 8, and there are still parts of the hotel setting I like. It's not nearly as much of a must-buy as The Eerie Surroundings or Exit Station 7, but it's worth picking up if you're a fan of games like these. If this is your first time hearing of the genre though, you might be better off picking off The Exit 8. Even though I didn't exactly have a great time here, I do look forward to what Surprised Hotdog Limited has coming out in the coming year. I'll definitely be back soon to look at more anomaly games. Until then, see you in the next one!

Check Out Find Room 96 on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/find-room-96-switch/
Story: N/A
Gameplay: C-
Graphics: C
Music/Sound: C
Value: B

Overall: C-

Pros:
+ A unique setting within the Exit 8-like genre.
+ The liminal space setting, and atmospheric sound design, work best in this game over others put out by the same developer.
+ Can be a bit more challenging that other similar games.
+ Not only can you unlock additional levels, but they may be better than the base one.
+ Even though I feel $4.29 is priced a bit too high for my liking, it is low enough that picking it up casually is totally doable.

Cons:
- This is probably the most basic of these types of games I've played yet.
- I don't know if it's just me, but the anomalies feel very half-assed, almost as if the developers were running out of ideas.
- I know that this isn't meant to strictly be a horror-themed game, but there are very little spooky elements this time around.
- Getting through this one might be a bit difficult, if for no other reason than the fact that it's a bit more on the boring side.
- As usual, this type of game will only appeal to a certain type of gamer.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.
#FindRoom96
]]><![CDATA[Game Review: Real Hentai 4]]>Sun, 19 Jan 2025 08:00:00 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/game-review-real-hentai-4By Al
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Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch

It's been a long while since I've reviewed one of "those" games. You know the ones, the ecchi-themed games that flood the Switch eShop, and somehow get away with having "hentai" in their titles. That drought ends today, as we're going to be looking at Real Hentai 4, a game that I don't think is actually the fourth in the series, as there is only other game I can find any info on. That odd mystery aside, I guess it's time to dive in and see if this one is worth your time. We're going to be moving fast, so let's just get to the review already!
I went into Real Hentai 4 not actually expecting there to be anything resembling a story, but I was still a bit hopeful. Going back to the Hitomi series of games developed by the same studio, these types of games sometimes feature plots that are so ridiculous that they make up for anything lacking in terms of gameplay. Sadly there's none of that here, and there actually isn't anything resembling presentation to be found. I was also disappointed to see that there was a step back in terms of gameplay, as they had a decent formula in the game Hentai Girls Panic that I reviewed last year. All that said, I guess I am glad that it ditched the slide puzzle mechanic that some of those games had. That was a formula that has long grown stale. What kind of gameplay can one expect to find here, you ask? Well, Real Hentai 4 is a puzzle game, a literal one. That's right, you have 20 puzzles of varying difficulties, and it's your job to reassemble pictures of scantily clad anime girls so you can bask in their glory in peace. That's it, that's literally the entire game. I do need to get through an actual review of this game though, so let's take a closer look.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't let down by Real Hentai 4's gameplay being so basic, but I was still willing to give it a try nonetheless. Going into this, I knew that putting together a puzzle of more than 10 pieces or so would be a total chore using a console controller, but thankfully some of the wonkiness is taken care of here. Rather than needing to place each piece exactly in designated spot, or make sure it attaches to the ones around it, you simply have to get it to the general area for it to lock into place. This sounds a bit cheaper than it actually is, and worked out fine for the most part. Seeing as actually moving pieces around with the analog stick or D-pad was indeed difficult, I was pleased that the feature was there at all. Other than controls, the game is pretty easy. There's no time limit, no way to make a mistake, and nothing that can be considered a fail state. You simply have to complete the puzzle, and move on to the next one. There's even a greyed out version of the picture you're currently completing placed under the play area for convenience. It really isn't a bad puzzle experience when you get down to it, but is it actually worth playing?

Even though you'd think story wouldn't be important in a game like this, I can't stress enough how lazy it feels when the developers don't even bother with something as simple as naming the characters found in the pictures. Not only are they all nameless, but they don't even have any sort of original sound or animations attached to them either. There is sound in the game, but it’s a mix of ambient music, and a handful of generic voice clips that did get on my nerves after a while. The music isn't too bad really, but it's just a single track you'll hear from the time you start up the game, right up to when you quit and close it. There's also the fact that the pictures themselves don't lend well to being cut up as puzzles. Most of my time with the game was wasted trying to figure out which solid color piece went where, and I was only able to figure that out by pure chance, or by leaving them until the very end. I guess this can be a problem with actual physical puzzles too, but I have limited experience with those. At the end of the day, the entire game felt rather hollow, and I only completed it because I kept wondering if there was more to it. That, and I of course had to write this review.
Probably the biggest issue I had with Real Hentai 4 had to be the art itself. I don't think I'm speaking out of line when I say that every image here looks to be AI generated. I can't confirm this to be the case of course, but they all have that telltale uncanny valley look and feel to them. This already put a bad taste in my mouth early on, and it wasn't helped by the fact that the game currently carries a $19.99 price tag. That is simply an absurd price for the amount of content you get. I 100% the game in about two hours, and most of that was me having to walk away from it for a bit because the gameplay was starting to wear out its welcome. I'm sure most players will be able to clear it in about an hour, and expecting people to pay more than ten dollars for that is just insulting. I can only assume the high price point is a trick of sorts so it can continually be marked as being on sale for 90% off, but it still feels wrong.
At the end of the day, I really don't have too much to say about Real Hentai 4. You know what you're getting into here, so I don't think any recommendation is truly needed. If you really must have every Switch game with the word "hentai" in it in your collection, then pick this one up, everyone else can safely stay away and not miss anything. This doesn't have the quirky silliness of the Hitomi series, nor the surprisingly fun gameplay found in Hentai Girls Panic, it just exists. It's a puzzle game that (probably) features AI art, and isn't even as raunchy as the title suggests. It's not a horrible game, nor even the worst of this niche of a genre that I've played, it just has nothing really going in its favor. I know I keep saying that I'm going to stop reviewing these types of games, but perhaps this time I've learned my lesson and will stay away from them in the future. I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

Check Out Real Hentai 4 on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/real-hentai-4-switch/
Story: N/A
Gameplay: C
Graphics: C
Music/Sound: C
Value: C

Overall: C

Pros:
+ Manages to pull off puzzle gameplay using a console controller surprisingly well.
+ Doesn't have any sort of fail state, so can be a chill activity for those who like puzzles. (Though they'd obviously need to like scantily clad, vaguely anime-themed, girls as well.)
+ While I wouldn't say the music was particularly good, it did go above the "ten-second loop passing as audio" threshold these kind of games usually feature.

+/- It's another hentai-themed game on the Nintendo Switch, you already know if you were going to get this before you even read the review.
+/- I don't know if this is a pro or a con, but I've seen raunchier content in even the tamest of games. Simply put, this doesn't deliver on the "hentai" in its title.

Cons:
- The core gameplay is rather thin, as is the overall presentation.
- Most players will easily complete the entire game in an hour or two, and there really isn't any reason to keep playing beyond that.
- Though I can't say with 100%, I do believe that this game uses AI art.
- Even though I think its pricing is a scheme to keep it always on sale, its current $19.99 price tag is just ridiculous.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.
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And with this last piece... I'm done!
#RealHentai4
]]><![CDATA[Game Review: Exit Station 7]]>Sun, 19 Jan 2025 08:00:00 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/game-review-exit-station-7By Al
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Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam)

I recently reviewed The Exit 8 VR, and it got me thinking about the current stream of "Exit 8-likes" that have hit the market in its wake. I'd actually played some games in the genre before, but never knew that they were pretty much all emulating The Exit 8. As a matter of fact, one of the ones I played, The Eerie Surroundings, is put out by a developer/publisher that has several other similar games in their catalog. Today we're going to look at Exit Station 7, which is out now on Steam and the Nintendo Switch by way of Surprised Hotdog Limited. I got my hands on the version for the Switch, though I imagine they're both similar to each other. There's really no need for further intro here, so let's dive in!
Exit Station 7 takes place entirely within a subway station, and you're tasked with finding a way out of said station. That's easier said than done of course, since you currently seem to be stuck in an endless loop that takes you back to the exact station you just left. Each game starts with you exploring and examining the base version of the titular station, and you then go on to several more stations via a series of elevators. Each subsequent station might has a very similar look and layout to the base version, but it may have anomalies that set it apart from it. If you spot an anomaly, which is anything different from the base version, you then proceed into the elevator that's marked accordingly. On the other hand, if things look exactly like the base version of the station, you'll instead step into the elevator that says there is no anomaly. This pattern repeats itself for several more stations, and you'll eventually come to the point where a train will whisk you away to the end of the game. There is something of a high score system with a timer, and there are other stages to unlock, but that's it as far as gameplay goes. Sounds simple right? Well, let's look at things a bit closer.
Even though there seems to be a genre forming around these types of games, they're all basically walking simulators at heart. There are no actions for you to perform in Exit Station 7, and you're only real abilities involve moving and looking. The real meat of the game revolves around anomalies, and you'll find quite a few of them here. First off, if you're having trouble with the game, you can actually turn on a help tool that highlights the spots where anomalies will occur in the base version of the station. This tool doesn't highlight the anomalies in subsequent stations, but is a nice addition for those who might be having trouble. I don't want to name too many specific anomalies for fear of spoiling the game, but they often revolve around signage changing, items moving or disappearing altogether, or strange things happening to the man who walks towards you in each station. Some of these can come off as spooky, but there aren't nearly as many horror elements in this game as compared to others in the genre. Making a mistake in spotting an anomaly means you have to restart from the beginning, but you'll probably still be able to beat the game in well under an hour. There is no penalty for taking a long time to complete the game, though the bonus levels are only unlocked if you reach the end within the designated time limit. This all makes for a game experience that is short and to the point, but isn't really bad by any stretch of the term.
While I had a decent amount of fun with this one, I couldn't help but feel that it paled in comparison to the game that so clearly inspired it. I wonder if this game was slapped together over a weekend, because it truly feels very light on content. There doesn't seem to be many anomalies to find here at all, and very few of them are actually interesting in any way. Most often you'll find an additional sign or item, and that just made for a gameplay loop that felt easier than it should've been. It also wasn't as creepy as I was hoping for, though the game does deliver on a setting that feels like it crawled right out of a liminal space creepypasta. One of the biggest disappointments has to be the game assets in general. Though I can't be sure of this, they all look to be generic and/or store-bought. Add to this the sparse ambient soundscape, which is devoid of music, and you get a game that just feels rather thin at times. Also, while this game does offer unlockable bonus stages, they aren't any better than the main one. I actually would've preferred it if more work were put into the core game, rather than giving extra areas to play in that are equally mid-tier. This is by no means a bad game, just not the best game the genre has to offer.
The biggest saving grace for Exit Station 7 has to be its price. I really can't go too hard on this one considering that you can pick it up today for only $2.99. It's actually priced lower than The Eerie Surroundings, which I gave a full recommendation to. Even though my recommendation this time around isn't nearly as strong, I do think it's worth picking up if you're a fan of these types of games. That said, there's nothing special about it, so you'll be fine skipping this one if you aren't. Then again, that low price point means that picking it up on even a whim won't hurt your wallet all that much. That's pretty much all I have to say on this one, though I'll definitely be reviewing more games like this in the future. See you in the next one!

Check Out Exit Station 7 on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/exit-station-7-switch/
Story: N/A
Gameplay: C
Graphics: C
Music/Sound: B-
Value: A

Overall: C+

Pros:
+ A decent take on the formula established by games like The Exit 8.
+ Can be decently spooky and atmospheric for those looking for that kind of thing.
+ The unlockable bonus levels aren't too much different from the base game, but are a nice touch.
+ Its low price means that picking this one up simply on a whim isn't out of the question.

Cons:
- Like all walking simulators, there really isn't much actual gameplay here.
- Though I've found enjoyment in this style of game, I can see how others would find it boring and/or repetitive.
- Graphics and sound are both a letdown.
- I just wish it was a bit more on the spooky side of things.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.
#ExitStation7
]]><![CDATA[Game Review: 911: Prey]]>Sat, 18 Jan 2025 08:00:00 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/game-review-911-preyBy Al
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Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam)

I'm not sure if escape rooms are as popular as they were a few years ago, but it's always surprised me that there doesn't seem to be many video game representations of those types of experiences. I guess one can say that many survival horror titles, or even adventure games really, have elements of them, but that's not really what I think of when I think "escape room". 911: Prey is a horror-themed game that probably comes the closest to what I'd expect a game like that to be, but one has to wonder if it manages to meet those expectations. I guess we'll have to play it to find out! Currently available on the Nintendo Switch, PC, and even mobile devices, we're going to be taking a look at the Switch version today. Let's dive in!
911: Prey places you into the shoes of a kidnapped teenager who is at the mercy of a cannibalistic killer who wears a pig mask. There is a bit more backstory to the character you play as, which is mainly told on the title screen via a file and a 911 recording, but that's really all you need to know to get into the swing of things. You are currently trapped in a cage in the dining room of a cabin in the woods, and you probably don't have long before you're on the dinner menu. Thankfully it doesn't take you long to free yourself from the cage, but escaping the cabin itself is a bigger obstacle. Your only way out seems to be the large window in the room you're currently located in, but breaking it silently and safely are your new biggest concerns as you don't want to find yourself immediately recaptured. From here you carefully traverse the house and find items that will help in your escape, hoping to do so quickly. You'll encounter some locked doors, rooms that look like they were ripped right out of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and even the killer himself, but your only real goal here is to escape. You have no way to defend yourself beyond simply hiding, and absolutely no forms of attack. It's all pretty simple really, and that's where the problems of the game begin to show themselves.
I actually find it somewhat hard writing a full review for this game, as it is very small in scale. You only have a few rooms available to explore, and I believe that there is only one true solution to the game. There is a reference to "multiple endings" in the eShop description, but I can only assume that this refers to the various game over scenarios you can encounter if you're not careful. That's another thing too. There is something of a life system here, where you can die three times before you have to completely restart. The thing is, I managed to beat the game my first time through without dying once, and only discovered the lives system when I was messing around with the game to see if I had somehow missed anything in my first playthrough. It's odd that parts of the game can sometimes feel more complicated than they need to, when most of the game is truly as simple as can be. I'm sort of getting ahead of myself though, so let me back up and explain how 911: Prey is actually played.

The only actions available to you in 911: Prey are movement, ducking, and picking up and using items. You have a limited inventory, but it's rare that you'll find that you can't pick something up. You also have the ability to put items back that you don't need, or have already used. Many items seem to be red herrings, and the only items you ever have to truly worry about finding are keys. Speaking of red herrings, there are several locked doors that you never actually get to open in-game. I personally found this to be very frustrating, and I mention it now only in hopes of saving future players the same headaches I got trying to get them open. Besides exploration, there is a hide-and-seek element to the game. Every so often the killer, who I guess is named Frank of all things, will decide to check on you. A counter then appears, and you have to get back to your cage as quickly as possible. Getting back to the cage in time isn't enough though, as you also have to make sure you close any doors or cabinets you may have opened. The last point is very important, as the killer will check if anything is changed before leaving. You can also be caught by the killer the old fashioned way, as in by being seen accidentally, and you can also trigger an instant countdown if you do something during your explorations that makes too much noise. There are a couple more advanced puzzles in the game, but most are just the "use item on thing to advance" type. It'll most likely take the average player about 30-45 minutes to beat the game their first time through, and you can easily clear it in 10-15 minutes once you've figured out the solution.
I'll admit that I had some fun with the game, but it did leave me wondering where all the content went. Unused areas aside, there are also several items that have either no use, or seem to exist only to confuse the player. Most of these are harmless distractions, but I couldn't help but feel that they represented puzzles that the developers either left unfinished, or just cut out entirely. Missing content aside, the game isn't actually all that hard either. There are times when RNG is so on your side, you'll be able to clear the game without the killer coming down to check on you even once. What about the horror? Well, there isn't much of that either. The atmosphere is very hit or miss, the voice acting isn't all that great, and the entire game seems to be made from stock assets. I'm not claiming that the game uses the latter per se, but that's just the vibe it gives off. At the end of the day, 911: Prey just feels very incomplete. While researching the game I learned that it has a prequel of sorts called 911: Cannibal. This game weirdly enough makes use of rooms and items left out of this one, so the two sort of make up a complete whole from what I understand. The next obvious question is why isn't that other game included here? It might not have fixed all the problems, but it at least would've made it so that the game didn't feel so unfinished.
I'm not really one to hate a game just for its brevity, but 911: Prey really takes the cake in terms of how much content it offers. I went in rather slow, taking screenshots and trying out different things, and still beat the game in well under an hour. I then messed around a bit, and found that I could beat the game very quickly now that I knew what to do. As a matter of fact, I also discovered that this game has a decently active speedrunning scene. My earlier estimate of 10-15 minutes might be a bit generous actually, as I've seen people online beat it in less than five. I really don't know what else to say, there isn't a lot of content here, and there is absolutely no reason at all to play it once you clear it. This wouldn't be so bad if the game were priced accordingly. At five dollars or less, I'd say that it might be worth picking up for the casual player, but it currently sits with a price tag of $9.99. This just blows my mind, and really leaves me at a loss for words. Adding insult to injury, I think the game is available on mobile devices for free.
Before I give my final thoughts, I do have to admit that 911: Prey mostly succeeded in pulling off what I was expecting as far an escape room video game goes. It's not a bad take on those types of experiences, but it's also not a very good one either. It's short, it's not very original, and it doesn't even nail down the horror very well. It also comes at a price that I feel is quite a bit too high. There are honestly very few redeeming factors here, and I don't think I can give it any sort of recommendation. Pick it up if you absolutely must, but at least wait until it goes on sale if you can't hold back. Other than that, there are plenty of other games worth your time and money. I guess I'll just have to keep looking for that true horror-themed escape room experience... See you in the next one.

Check Out 911: Prey on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/911-prey-switch/
Story: C
Gameplay: C-
Graphics: C
Music/Sound: C
Value: C-

Overall: C-

Pros:
+ Manages to replicate parts of the escape room experience decently enough, and includes some hide-and-seek horror elements too.
+ The title screen presentation, with its 911 call log and file, are examples of great presentation.
+ The core elements of hiding from a killer who checks on you randomly is good at its heart.
+ Due to the overall short nature of the game, it's perfect for speedrunning.

+/- I think you can play this game for free on mobile devices.

Cons:
- Not exactly deep or difficult, most players will clear it in well under an hour.
- The eShop description promises a branching story and multiple endings, but the game doesn't really have either.
- Locked rooms you can never visit, and items that have no in-game use, give one the impression that there is a lot of cut content.
- Beyond beating a time, there isn't any reason to play the game again once you complete it.
- At $9.99, the game feels quite overpriced.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.
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My thoughts exactly...
#911Prey
]]><![CDATA[Game Review: Skelethrone: The Chronicles of Ericona]]>Fri, 17 Jan 2025 08:00:00 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/game-review-skelethrone-the-chronicles-of-ericonaBy Al
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Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PC

When I heard that there was a retro-inspired game in the works that combined Metroidvania and soulslike elements in a dark fantasy setting, I just knew that I had to play it. To that end, I followed the development of Skelethrone: The Chronicles of Ericona (Which I'm going to refer to simply as "Skelethrone" from now on.) for about a year, and I counted down the days to when it finally received a full release. That wait is over, and it's available now on the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. We're going to be taking a look at the Steam version today, and find out if the game was everything I hoped it would be. Considering how long I had to wait for this moment to finally arrive, I think I can be forgiven for cutting the intro short. Let's dive right into this one!
Our tale begins with a skeletal figure returning to the world of the living following what must've been an epic battle. Epic or not, the battle clearly ended years ago, and our hero has to arm himself with the broken gear of other fallen warriors. We don't know it yet, but our bony boy is none other than Derek Ericona, a lord who once faced off against the overly ambitious Queen Aurora. This effort obviously proved to be futile, and ended in his death. Though revenge becomes the driving force of this story, our skeletal warrior must first figure out who he is. After traversing the land he comes across those who remember the war, those who betrayed him in the past, and those who have done him wrong but are still alive. Unfortunately for Ericona, few are able to understand the words of a skeleton. The plot moves rather slow, but it's a shockingly dark tale that isn't afraid to deal with death openly and frequently. Slow or not, Skelethrone's plot is probably the single best aspect of the game. I just wish the opening of the game gave new players more details about the world itself. Actually, one of the strangest things about the release of Skelethrone is that it had an entire prequel game that told the story of the war that ultimately took Ericona's life. Skelethrone: The Prey is that prequel game, and it's available for free on Steam. Perhaps due to being a free game, it didn't make its way to consoles. Playing it isn't completely necessary, but it reveals so much of the plot and setting that I'm shocked it wasn't somehow incorporated into the main game once it was released. I have to assume that there was a reason for this, but it made me feel that console gamers, and those simply unaware of the prequel's existence, were only getting half of the story. I'm getting ahead of the review here, but advice is to play that prequel first. With that out of the way, let's move on to discussing gameplay.
Skelethrone is a Metroidvania game, but it also has plenty of RPG elements. Our skeleton hero gains experience with every kill, and that experience is used to level up. This level up mechanic doesn't increase stats across the board though, instead you pick and choose which stats get a slight boost. These stat improvements are more important than you probably think as they not only allow you to become more powerful over time, but they also affect what type of equipment you can use. Each subsequent level requires more experience to attain, so it may be a while until you're able to adjust your stats again if you made a bad choice. You don't have to worry too much about placing points into stats that later turn out to be unimportant though, as there is also a mechanic that allows you to reset your levels if you mess up badly, or if you simply want to give another build a try. That said, it's best to have a set idea in your head, and simply work towards it. Besides the level up system, there's also a skill tree that provides even bigger stat increases, as well as additional skills. This is used more infrequently though. And just because I know I'll forget to mention it elsewhere in the review, I can't stress enough how challenging of a game Skelethrone actually is. You'll have your hands full even on the standard difficulty setting, and only the hardcore will find the harder difficulties at all palatable. Thankfully there are easier settings you can choose at the start of the game, and these still allow you to experience the full game.
Our bony friend can run, jump, attack, and dodge by default, and he gains plenty of additional skills and abilities as the game progresses. The first new ability you'll gain is the double jump, and this simple addition is arguably the most important one in the entire game. It may not look like it on the surface, but Skelethrone has plenty tricky platforming sections. This is a Metroidvania that decided to throw Mario gameplay into the mix too, but with death having far greater consequences. The way the game handles death is clearly inspired by the Souls games, as it can set your progress back quite a bit if you're not careful. Dying in any capacity causes you to lose all the experience you've collected up to that point, and it's placed into an "essence" that sits near the spot where you died. You have one chance and one chance only to get said essence back, and if you die again you can consider it gone forever. This wouldn't be so bad if you only had to worry about dying from an enemy or a boss, but there are plenty of other ways to die too. Not only does Skelethrone feature instant death pits and traps, but it has fall damage as well. If you take a leap of faith and miscalculate your landing, you'll be making that run back for you essence while also attempting a platforming section from hell. Dying also spawns you at the nearest save/check point. These are placed rather generously around the world, but you can still be unlucky enough to find you spawned several rooms back from where your essence was left. Considering that enemies respawn when you leave a room, and factoring in that you may be in a slightly weakened state, the stakes suddenly skyrocket. Most of this in eliminated in the easier difficulty settings, but it's something you'll have to deal with frequently no matter what.
Combat is the other place where Skelethrone resembles the Souls series, though it pulls it off in a more simplified way. Most similar to that series I keep mentioning, is the way that dodging is handled. Not only are you able to dodge just about every attack, but you'll need to if you want to last more than a couple of encounters. Dodging while moving forward causes you to roll, and dodging while standing has you leap backwards to safety. The latter move can also be coupled with a counter-attack, and it's one of the most important abilities to master if you want to be successful at combat. Depending on what weapon you have placed in your secondary slot, you might also be able to deflect some attacks. Equipping a shield allows you to block attacks outright, and a parry can be performed if you block at the exact time an attack is unleashed. Combined with standard attacks, you have a surprisingly deep system that uses the simplest of mechanics. Dodging, attacks, and even unleashing special skills all have cooldowns, with the ones pertaining to skills being the longest. You can also drink a limited number of potions to heal yourself, or use an item that teleports you to safety. These last two have the added risk of taking seconds to pull off, but they are invaluable in keeping you alive. There's plenty more to get into as far as combat and enemy types are concerned, but I guess something has to be left for players to discover on their own.
Exploration is the name of the game in a Metroidvania title, and Skelethrone is no different. You start out in a battlefield full of bodies, and go through all the sub-area tropes that you'd expect find in a game like this. There are forests, swamps, dungeons, castles, and more to explore, with each of them having their own unique enemies. Most areas have a boss or two that you'll have to take out in order to progress, with these usually allowing for further progression once they are defeated. Enemies aren't the only threat, as there are plenty of environmental dangers to worry about as well. These can be the most serious too, as some can kill you instantly. Save points are scattered throughout each area, and you eventually gain the ability to teleport between them. Besides this, you also can open up shortcuts that allow you to skip some of the tediousness involved with revisiting already explored areas. Speaking of which, the game also provides you with a map. Helpful as it may be, I found myself wishing that it were more detailed. Several modern Metroidvania games help out the player by marking paths currently closed to you, or show you hints as to where your next destination is, but Skelethrone pretty much leaves you to your own devices. Lastly, there are town areas to visit as well, and several NPCs who drop bits of lore, hand out quests of all types, or who may simply be blocking your path.
Visually, Skelethrone mixes hand-drawn visuals and retro styled graphics into something truly unique. Everything is presented in pixelated glory, and that extends to things like the gore and nudity found in-game. This is a game that earns its M rating, and it looks great doing it. Despite the fact that may look like a long-lost PSOne game, there are still plenty of modern touches that'll remind you that you're playing a game released in 2024. Those touches include things like impressive backgrounds that are packed full of small details, and large and imposing bosses that feel epic in scope. There are several more too, but I guess I'll leave them for you to discover on your own. Though you'll encounter plenty of enemy types throughout the game, some of their designs can be a bit hit or miss when compared to each other. I'm not sure if it was due to the sole developer being more inspired when creating certain enemies over others, but there were several that feel like they never moved beyond the sketching stage. Thankfully there aren't too many that fall into that category, but it can be distracting when the visuals suddenly look a bit too homebrew for their own good. Small negatives aside, Skelethrone is a beautifully dark game, and it oozes a gothic atmosphere that most horror games wish they could achieve. The dark and foreboding energy of the underground areas is sharply contrasted by bright outdoors ones. Rather than feel like complete opposites, they instead come off feeling like two sides of the same coin. This is a world in turmoil, and the visual style reflects that perfectly.

If there is one disappointing aspect of Skelethrone, it would have to be its sound design. It all begins with the soundtrack, which sadly isn't very good. I'm not saying that the music is bad by any means, but it feels like it's barely there half the time. I guess one could call the soundtrack "atmospheric", but that belittles games that manage to pull of that style perfectly. I had a hard time not only finding things I liked about the soundtrack, but also simply hearing it as well. It's mixed slightly lower than you'd expect, and the surprisingly calm nature of much of the music allows it to simply come and go without drawing attention to itself. It may add something to the general melancholic mood, but I'm not convinced that was done on purpose. If that weren't bad enough, the game doesn't feature any voice acting at all. Admittedly I wasn't expecting an indie title like this to be fully voiced, but the lack of a vocal track only accentuates how quiet everything is. There's a strange silence that hangs over much of the game, with only the sound effects ever truly giving the world life. I guess there are a few moments where the soundtrack suddenly kick starts into life, but those kind of moments are unfortunately not very common. I can toss a positive the game's way considering that the sound effects themselves are well done, but I was hoping for so much more considering how great the presentation is otherwise.
Depending on how often you die, and how well you're able to recall locations you previously weren't able to clear, you can beat Skelethrone in about 4-8 hours. That wide estimate also allows for how thorough you wish to be, as well as how powered up of a character you're going for. It's a game full of options, and I'm here for that sort of thing. Not only can you tailor aspects of the gameplay experience to your style of play, but there are plenty of secrets and optional questlines to keep an eye out for. There's even alternate endings if you can stomach an entirely new playtrough. That's not even going into things like trying out the game on a harder difficulty. There's lots of content here, and it's all available for an extremely reasonable $14.99. This might not be the most polished Metroidvania out there, but it is among the most unique. That price makes picking it up casually a lot easier, and that's good as this is a game worth playing.
Even though I can think of a few negatives, and despite the fact that I somehow managed to uncover a couple progression-blocking bugs, I still have to give Skelethrone: The Chronicles of Ericona a full recommendation. Fans of soulslike games, the Metroidvania genre, or Action RPGs in general, will find something to enjoy here. It has a story that is sure to draw you in and keep you invested, and gameplay that you can tweak to your liking. More casual players might be frustrated by the wonky gameplay and hit or miss presentation, but there's still enough here to keep the experience on the mostly positive side. Give it a chance if you're so inclined, and you just might be surprised by what the game delivers. Oh, and be sure to play that prequel game! See you in the next one!

Check Out Skelethrone: The Chronicles of Ericona on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2139840/Skelethrone_The_Chronicles_of_Ericona/
Story: A-
Gameplay: B
Graphics: A-
Music/Sound: B-
Value: A

Overall: B+

Pros:
+ A cool mix of Metroidvania style gameplay, with soulslike mechanics.
+ Though the story is delivered slowly throughout the game, it's one of the best aspects of the entire experience.
+ Graphics are somehow both retro and modern, and the melancholic nature of the game's world is executed perfectly.
+ Difficulty options allow more casual players to still experience the game, while still offering an intense challenge for those who seek it.
+ Different character builds make the game highly replayable, and there are even multiple endings.
+ Feels like a steal at just $14.99.

+/- Be sure to pick up the free prequel game Skelethrone: The Prey if you want to get the full story!

Cons:
- Some of the monster designs feel rather inspired, and certain background elements can be hard to make out.
- Can be brutally hard at times on the default difficulty setting.
- The overall sound design is rather weak. Not only is the soundtrack lacking, but there is no voice acting at all. This makes for a very quiet experience.
- It can be easy to get lost unless you take notes yourself, and I encountered several progression-blocking bugs during my time with the game.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.
#Skelethrone
]]><![CDATA[Game Review: Rivenaar's Grove]]>Thu, 16 Jan 2025 08:00:00 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/game-review-rivenaars-groveBy Al
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Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, XBox One, XBox Series, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC (Steam)

It looks like the New Year is starting with a look at several smaller titles, and I'm all for it. Rivenaar's Grove is a sliding puzzle game that features a medieval farm aesthetic that probably promises more than it delivers. It's out now on just about every major platform by way of publisher EastAsiaSoft, and we're going to be taking a look at the version released on the Nintendo Switch. This is going to be a quick one, so let's dive right in.
Even though Rivenaar's Grove has a very specific name attached to it, it doesn't have any sort of story to be found in-game. Is Rivenaar the person you're playing as, or just the name of the playing area? If those answers are in the game, I never found them. Not only is the title never really explained, but the setting isn't either. I guess it really doesn't matter at the end of the day, but it did come off like a missed opportunity to enhance the game's presentation. What does matter though, is that you play as an apprentice farmer who must collect all the crops for an old man who occasionally explains the game's simple mechanics. There are no actions like running or jumping to worry about here, you can only move in four directions, and you move all the way to the end of one direction until something stops you. In essence, this game plays like the ice sliding puzzles found in some Action RPGs, or the tile sliding puzzles from the old school Pokémon games. Moving allows you to collect any crops that are in your way, and you clear a level by gathering every plant and/or vegetable on the field. It sounds simple enough, and that's because it truly is, but there are a few things that keep things interesting.
Rivenaar's Grove's levels start off rather easy enough, and the only way to truly fail them is by leaving crops unclaimed that you're only able to gather from your starting position. Things quickly get a bit more difficult though, and that aforementioned old man is always there to let you know of the changes. Later levels include spikes that come in and out of the ground that kill you instantly if you touch them, and portals that send you to a different part of the current stage. The retractable spikes require a bit of timing on the part of the player, and the portals open up new ways to essentially turn your character around in ways you'd not be able to do via sliding. Getting hit by a spike restarts a level, and you can also restart with a button press if you've locked yourself into an impossible situation. Even though things may seem difficult at times, there are multiple solutions to most levels, and you don't have a time or move limit in the main game to worry about. Actually, the main game felt pretty easy overall, and I was able to beat it in a single sitting. Clearing the game requires you to go through 50 levels, with the difficulty varying between them. This might seem like things are a bit light on content, but there's still a bit more to discuss.
Though the game only has 50 levels to complete, you actually have three modes in which to take them on. The normal mode has no limit on time and the amount of moves you can make, while the other two gameplay modes restrict both of those. The timed mode is arguably just as easy as the normal one, though the limited moves mode is where the true challenge lies. Even though there are still multiple ways to clear most levels, it's far easier to trap yourself in an unwinnable scenario. I say "unwinnable", but quitting and resetting the puzzle is a very easy process. Seeing as the base game can be rather easy at times, these other modes are a fun way to change up the established formula. That said, I was also able to clear them without much fuss too, since I figured most of the solutions while playing through the main mode. These modes mainly exist for completionists, and I couldn't help but feel that they could've all been included in one central mode that made up the main game.

All told, I was able to 100% Rivenaar's Grove in a bit over an hour. I might have been able to do so more quickly if I didn't choose to complete the other modes too, and there are some players that might have a bit more trouble at things than I did. No matter how you look at it though, this is a rather short game. The fast-paced nature of the gameplay, and the fast movements of the player character in general, mean that most levels are over in a minute or two at the very most. Even harder levels only require a reset or two at best, and those are near instantaneous. That said, I did have fun with the game, and I really dug its aesthetic. It doesn't offer much in the audio department, but the visuals have that cozy farming vibe that felt right at home on the Nintendo Switch. It also comes with a very low $4.99 price tag, so I can't find it in my heart to complain very much.
While I don't think I'll ever pick up Rivenaar's Grove again, nor give it much thought after writing this review, it's not a bad puzzle game. If you're a fan of maze type puzzle games, but want some slide puzzle action to go with it, then this is the game for you. It's also cheap enough that one can pick up on simply a whim, and short enough that it can be cleared in one single marathon session. While I doubt that it's going to be anyone's favorite game of the year, it's not a bad way to start out 2025. On that note, I'll see you in the next one!

Check Out Rivenaar's Grove on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/rivenaars-grove-switch/
Story: N/A
Gameplay: B
Graphics: B
Music/Sound: B-
Value: B

Overall: B

Pros:
+ A fun puzzle game that is quick and easy to get into.
+ Features a cute and cozy farming aesthetic that did a good job of drawing me in.
+ Though the core game is rather easy, the extra gameplay modes do offer some decent challenges.
+ At just $4.99, picking this one up on a casual whim won't hit one's wallet very hard.

Cons:
- The game only really has 50 levels, and there isn't much reason to keep playing once you've beaten them all.
- Even though I had an enjoyable time with it, this isn't a very memorable game.
- Some sort of story, even if it was just a screen or two, would've done wonders for this game's presentation.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.
]]><![CDATA[Game Review: Pocket Puzzle]]>Wed, 15 Jan 2025 08:00:00 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/game-review-pocket-puzzleBy Al
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Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, XBox One, XBox Series, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5

I often find that reviewing puzzle games serves as a nice break to the normal gaming routine, as they typically provide challenge and fun in a way that doesn't overstay its welcome. There are of course plenty of games that go completely against the picture I just painted, but I'm always optimistic that they will fall into that very specific trope when I boot them up. Today we're going to be looking at Pocket Puzzle, a game that's currently available on just about every major platform. It's a puzzle game that sees you assemble a pocket gaming console, and we're going to be taking a look at it on the Nintendo Switch. There's really no need for any further intro, so let's dive right in!
Pocket Puzzle has a deceptively simple premise: You have a series of conveyor belt panels that have to be placed in such a way that they eventually move several pieces along a limited space until they come together to assemble a handheld gaming console. Said gaming console resembles a classic Game Boy, and usually is broken into three pieces. These pieces are the bottom case, a set of inner workings, and the top case. These three pieces all have to land at the destination tile in the correct order if you want to clear the level. If any of the pieces fail to make it to the destination tile, manage to get there out of order, or crash into each other along the way, you're sent back a few steps to figure out a different solution. There are 50 levels in total to clear in this game, with 20 of them being optional bonus levels. The difficulty increases as you progress through each puzzle, with new elements being thrown in here and there as well. It's a puzzle system that takes a bit of figuring out, but is surprisingly easy to understand after only a few minutes. It's by no means easy, though the challenge always feels fair and doable. Most important of all, it definitely is fulfilling everything I want out of a puzzle game, so let's see if that holds up as we look at things a bit closer.
Each level of Pocket Puzzle begins with the handheld console pieces separated onto their own tiles, and their starting movements indicated by an arrow. You have a limited number of conveyor belt pieces to place down, and you also have a limited area in order to place them into. You don't have to worry about messing up a placement, as you can simply pick up any tile besides the main ones. The direction of each tile is also something you can change, and you simply have to click on it again to change the direction it goes. You'll often find that puzzles seem easy until you factor in the timing needed to get each piece to the destination correction. Each puzzle square moves along the conveyor belts one space at a time, and you have to factor that in when placing them onto the grid. This means that some pieces, like the top piece of the case, might have to go through a seemingly needlessly longer path so that they end up in the right position at the end. This sort of out-the-box thinking is further expanded when the levels start including switches. Switches will either activate stuck conveyor belt squares, or switch the direction of already placed tile. These switches have to be hit by other moving pieces, sometimes more than one time in a single puzzle, and this obviously further complicates placement. This may sound like things are getting a bit too complicated, but rest assured that the game manages to keep that in check.
One of my favorite aspects of Pocket Puzzle's gameplay loop is the fact that you don't have to completely restart a puzzle if you fail. I mentioned earlier that things can be a bit on the complicated at times, but it's hard to feel overwhelmed when the game is so generous with sending you back when you fail in solving a puzzle. There is really no down time between failing a puzzle and trying again. You're able to run the pieces through your current configuration of conveyor belts at any time to see how things are progressing, and are able to make small changes at pretty much any time other than when the puzzle pieces themselves are moving. It makes getting back into things feel very smooth, and means that frustration is kept to a minimum since you're able to adjust issues with your layouts without having to start from scratch. The puzzles themselves can still be mind-bendingly challenging, but Pocket Puzzle doesn't force you to repeat early steps each time you fail. I can't think of too many puzzle games that let you just jump back into things as quickly as this one does, and I'm sure I'll find it hard to play others that aren't as generous now that this one has spoiled me.

It probably will take a skilled puzzle game player about 2-3 hours to completely clear Pocket Puzzle, with others maybe needing an extra hour or two depending on skill level. Thanks to the way the game instantly respawns you, you can often complete even the most challenging puzzles through simple trial and error if you have the patience to do so. There are 30 main puzzles that come one after another in the main game, and 20 bonus ones you can play from the options menu. These bonus puzzles are basically harder versions of some of the main ones, and feature the same board layout with different stage elements. The amount of content you get here isn't exactly staggering, but I feel it's more than worth its current asking price of $5.99. It all comes together in a package that is far from a polished AAA experience, but more than delivers on the smaller-scale, indie side of things.
If you're a fan of puzzle games, then you owe it to yourself to pick up Pocket Puzzle. It’s fun and unique gameplay is sure to charm you as much as it did me, and its visual design and music are a treat as well. It's not going to shake the world of gaming, nor stay in your rotation for very long, but it is more than worth the afternoon or two of fun it is sure to provide. Grab it on whatever platform you can, and thank me later. See you in the next one!

Check Out Pocket Puzzle on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/pocket-puzzle-switch/
Story: N/A
Gameplay: A
Graphics: A
Music/Sound: A
Value: A

Overall: A

Pros:
+ A fun puzzle game that has the cute premise of assembling a very Game Boy-esque handheld console.
+ While the menus are a bit bare, the visuals and music make for some great presentation overall.
+ Provides the right balance of challenge and fun. It can't be overstated how cool it is that you're able to just jump back into the puzzle if you fail.
+ The bonus puzzles offer a nice bit of extra content for those who finish the core puzzles.
+ This game is a total steal at $5.99.

Cons:
- The menus and button choices do seem a bit odd at first, but it's nothing you won't get used to.
- At just 50 puzzles total, there isn't exactly a ton of content here. I also don't think many (any?) of them have multiple solutions.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.
#PocketPuzzle
]]><![CDATA[You'll Remember This: A Lacuna - A Sci-Fi Noir Adventure Review]]>Wed, 15 Jan 2025 06:58:33 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/youll-remember-this-a-lacuna-a-sci-fi-noir-adventure-reviewBy Al
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Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, XBox One, XBox Series, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC (Steam)

Lacuna: A Sci-Fi Noir Adventure (referred to only as "Lacuna" after this) is a unique take on the adventure game genre that comes to us by way of DigiTales Interactive. It's available on all major consoles and PC and features a storyline that is reminiscent of detective noir story, but set in a world that immediately conjures up comparisons to Blade Runner. As you can probably see from the screenshots, it also has a pixel-based artstyle. These various elements come together in a game that is definitely unique, but we're here to talk about whether it's actually good too. Enough talk though, there are crimes to solve, and mysteries to uncover. Let's dive into it!
Lacuna opens on the planet of Drovia in a new colony that is set up by a religious faction known as the Saviants. Before you can get too settled into this world, it abruptly comes crashing down around you, literally. The game then opens up again forty years later on the planet of Ghara. You're placed into the shoes of one Neil Conrad, agent of the CDI. He is a man who is dedicated to his job, takes his vow to protect the public seriously, and also has a strained relationship with his ex and his daughter who he doesn't spend much time with. He is currently tasked with protecting an important diplomatic mission from Drovia to Ghara. This mission is important for economic reasons, but also comes amid talk of Drovia seeking independence from Ghara. This means that war just over the horizon if this mission goes sour. Unfortunately Minister Banny, the man that the CDI is tasked to protect, is assassinated not long after his arrival and a conspiracy quickly reveals itself. A terrorist organization quickly takes credit for the assassination, promises another attack in 48 hours, and Neil and the CDI must work around the clock to uncover what exactly is going on. What they discover spans decades, multiple planetary factions, and might still lead to war between Ghara and Drovia, but first we have to find that assassin. It's a tough job, and Neil is probably going to need a cigarette or two to keep his nerves in order.
Gameplay in Lacuna reminds me a lot of the TellTale Games take on the adventure genre. By this I mean that inventory management is minimal, almost automatic, and you're not really allowed to progress in the story until you complete the section you're currently in. Similarly to TTG games you can also make several dialogue and gameplay choices that have that "They will remember that..." sense of gravity to them. Unlike TTG games though, those type moments actually do carry some weight to them, but we'll get to that later. You control Neil Conrad with the D-pad, and you can walk, run, open an investigation menu, talk, and open your cell phone. You'll be talking the most, with dialogue sometimes happening automatically when you enter a specific area, or having to be initiated by you. Opening the investigation menu shows all the available items/areas that can be interacted with. These are color coded in a way that indicates if you've already checked them or if they have more to reveal. Sometimes it’s necessary to return to an item or point of interest after you've talked to a character. Similarly, some dialogue options are only opened up after you've amassed enough clues to give something worth discussing. You close out each investigative section by filling out Sheets. Sheets, and the clues you'll need to gather to solve them, can be found from your cell phone menu. Sheets basically have multiple choice options for all the important aspects of the case/event you are trying to solve, and you can submit these with the wrong information if you're not careful. Submitting a Sheet with the wrong answers can affect the rest of the game, but since the options are multiple choice you can probably do a bit of educated guessing if the clues have you stumped. While I get that writing in answers yourself to the Sheet would take us back to the old text parsers of games like Zork, I did find it weird that the available options in the Sheets sometimes revealed upcoming plot twists before they happened. Now, there's more we can talk about when it comes to investigation, but let's cover some other aspects of the game so you have the full picture of what Lacuna has to offer.
Most of Lacuna has a very laid-back feel to it. Neil travels exclusively by train, enters some of the most picturesque areas of the planet imaginable, and even stops for a cigarette break from time to time. You can even start/finish most days by visiting your ex, and by petting/feeding your pet iguana Horace. You can even read the latest news stories by downloading them to your phone via local kiosks, and go through emails that range from important in-game notifications to junk mail involving firmware updates to your cybernetic enhancements. The way Lacuna lays out the world is interesting too, everything is flat, sort of in a Sim Tower sort of way, where you can only go left-to-right, and up-and-down, in a flat world. This means that areas can sometimes feel rather small, and strangely connected, but it does keep things simple and fast-moving. You'd think this wouldn't leave the game open to exploration, but there are a lot of things you can miss if you're not observant. News stories can be completely ignored, optional scenes can be missed if you're not aware of them, and you can even miss out on clues during investigative sections if you fail to pick the right dialogue options, or if you simply conduct your searches in the wrong order. There's a lot of small touches that ensure that no two playthroughs are quite the same, even if you pick most of the same options throughout. While I would've loved to explore the game's world more freely, I understand that this would've broken the timeline the game sets forth. It speeds you through everything in a very movie-esque fashion, and I guess it would be weird if you just went out for a stroll when interplanetary war hangs in the balance.
There are some gameplay elements in Lacuna that kept me from totally loving it. The biggest of these is the save system. There is no way to save in Lacuna, and it only happens atomically at key points. This usually happens after a big decision, or after an in-game chapter, but it means that there is no way to save scum a better outcome to investigations. It also means that you'll have to replay the game in its entirety if you want to see how else the story could've played out. It's the latter point that bothered me the most as I didn't really want to give the game a full run just to see the other way different choices could've affected the ending. I ultimately gave the game a second playthrough anyway, but I quickly realized other quality of life features, such as a chapter select or dialogue skip options, aren't there either. There were many in-game choices that I wished I could've redone, and it's not even the "do this or that" easy ones I'm talking about. Some decisions seem railroaded, like I was forced between doing one of two things I didn't want to do, and only picked what I did since the option was on a timer. There are also times when it looks like the game is giving you more than one option, only to have you forced to accept the "real" after you cycle through the others and see that they do nothing but loop the conversation. This breaks the immersion a bit, and made it so I didn't feel as I had as much control over the events as I first thought I did. Also, I noticed that the game randomly didn't save after some big moments in the game, so I did go back to a previous save to redo at least one section. This inconsistency to the gameplay just felt odd.
I mentioned earlier that you could get yourself locked into situations and endings depending on what you choose to do in the game, so let's talk about that a bit. Most dialogue options are timed, and that means you have only a few seconds to get in your response. These dialogue choices can get you more clues, or keep you from ever being able to get certain bits of information. Other times you have actions to complete just as fast. Do you shoot an armed suspect, or try to reason with them? You only have moments to decide and these things do change what happens in the next chapter. Submitting Sheets with incorrect information is important too as it could mean that you never actually solve any of the crimes you're investigating. This already can be pretty nerve-wracking, but can give you an outright headache when you remember that you can't easily revert back to an old save if things go in a direction you didn't mean to. That said, it does feel refreshing to play a game where your choices have actual weight to them. I compared the game to the TellTale series of adventure titles, but it's almost a disservice to have done that. It's almost a meme to talk about how those games give you only the illusion of choice, but still lead you to a very much already predetermined ending. In Lacuna your choices can cost people their freedom, their livelihoods, and even their lives. The stakes are high here, and the game never lets you forget that.

You don't even have to be a fan of pixel-based graphics to find the visuals in Lacuna stunning. Everything looks great, moves smoothly, never hiccups, and has several little touches that only the most observant of players will ever notice. Backgrounds have several layers to them, flying cars fill the foreground and background, and the world just feels very alive at all times. I was also impressed by the lighting in general. Much of the game takes place at night, and that means darkness, but things never felt drab in Lacuna. Street lights, neon ceiling lights, and even the flash from your lighter had a very cinematic look and feel to them. I mentioned the animations earlier, but those are probably the best I've ever seen in this graphic style. Walk and run animations look almost motion captured, and things like Neil drawing his gun have a weight to them that I didn't think was possible given the limitations pixel graphics sometimes have. All these positives, and believe me there's more that I could list, just add to the overall feeling that the few gripes I mentioned earlier are all the more unfortunate considering how great Lacuna is otherwise. The visuals could've been near perfect, but those little hiccups set it back just enough that it's like looking at a flawed masterpiece.
I have to admit that I loved everything that has to do with sound in Lacuna. The mainly piano driven music was great and really added to the mood of the game. I'd be lying if I said that the music was particularly memorable in terms of having a favorite song or theme, but it WAS memorable in that it felt like I was watching an old noir detective movie that featured a random jazz pianist playing in a bar our main character was drinking or smoking a cigarette at. It all just comes together perfectly, and I didn't hear a single piece of music that felt out of place. Going back to that film noir aesthetic, we only have one voice in the game, and that's from Neil himself. I'm not sure how the other languages compare, but the performance from Neil's English voice actor is spot on. He nails the hard-boiled detective vibe perfectly. He sounds grizzled, tired, and worn down by the many decisions he has to make. It's rare that I feel a voice performance truly captures a character, but I felt that here. I'm actually very impressed since I don't think this is a voice actor I've ever heard in anything else, and I feel that he should definitely get more work if he has the ability to pull off a performance of this caliber. If you were hoping for the game to be fully voiced though... well, you're out of luck. That said, I didn't really mind that all we get is Neil's narration as it helped to break up some of the game's more dramatic sections. It was as if the game was constantly reflecting on itself, and you had to sort out how you felt about the decisions you've made so far. All around great stuff really.
I'm not exactly sure if I somehow got the "good" ending my first time through the game, but I managed to successfully uncover all the in-game mysteries through submitting completely correct sheets each time. I can't help but wonder if playing "badly" would've gotten me different results, and there were some aspects of even this playthrough that I wasn't totally satisfied with. I'll probably give this game another go one day to see some of the other outcomes, but the save system makes it feel like it'll be a bit more of a chore than it needs to be. That said, it goes without saying that there is a lot of replayability here. Even if you're not totally looking for a new ending, replaying some sections knowing some of the game's big reveals is worth it alone. When I briefly restarted the game after my first playthrough, I found that the entire Prologue chapter made a lot more sense within the greater context of the game. Once again I wish that I could easily alternate between different saves, but giving this one at least two playthroughs is probably something of a requirement. Each playthrough will take you about 5-6 hours, depending on how long it takes you to examine and interpret some of the crazier detailed clues. Considering the game is currently priced at $19.99, I think it's priced about right for those who might be casually interested but unsure if they should pick it up.
I can't get enough of Lacuna, in fact I wish that there was more to it. If you're a fan of adventure games, of hard-boiled noir mysteries, or of cyberpunk sci-fi stories in general, there is something for you to enjoy here. It takes the TellTale Games concept of your choices affecting the gameplay, but pull it off so well that it actually affects the gameplay. It's such a refreshing experience that you should stop reading now and go grab it on whatever platform you can. I for one will be keeping an eye on DigiTales Interactive in the hopes that they eventually follow up Lacuna with something just as good. If and when that happens, I'll definitely be reviewing that too.

Check Out Lacuna - A Sci-Fi Noir Adventure on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1364100/Lacuna__A_SciFi_Noir_Adventure/
Story: A-
Gameplay: B
Graphics: A-
Music/Sound: A
Value: B

Overall: A-

Pros:
+ A unique take on the adventure game genre.
+ The pixel graphics and environments are very detailed and have very smooth animations.
+ A great piano jazz soundtrack, and a monologuing narrator, adds to the film noir atmosphere.
+ Each decision made has an effect on how the game pans out.
+ Lots of replayability to both uncover other aspects of the story, and to see the different ways the game can end.

Cons:
- The strict autosave system can be a bit frustrating at times.
- While the game does wrap itself up neatly by the end, it sort of rushes towards the conclusion in the second half.
- Some of the in-game decisions are railroaded, and not as open as others.
- At just about 5-6 hours, the game is a rather short experience.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.
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#Lacuna
]]><![CDATA[Game Review: The Legend of Cyber Cowboy]]>Sat, 11 Jan 2025 08:00:00 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/game-review-the-legend-of-cyber-cowboyBy Al
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Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, XBox, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC (Steam)

I've been a casual fan of twin-stick shooters for most of my life. Though I'm not old enough to have played it in its heyday, I got my start with Robotron 2084 in my youth, and have played several more, across several platforms, since then. With this in mind, it's no surprise that I was excited to learn about the impending release of The Legend of Cyber Cowboy. It's not only a twin-stick shooter, but it's one that featured a cyberpunk-like Wild West setting, and had a very neat visual style to boot. It's out now on just about every major platform by way of EastAsiaSoft, and we're going to be taking a look at it today on the Nintendo Switch. There's really no need for further intro, so let's dive in!
I don't think that The Legend of Cyber Cowboy has any sort of story to it, and I can say confidently that you won't find one in-game. The main character, the enemies, and the bosses all go unnamed, and that's a shame since the setting is part of what drew me to it in the first place. I know one can say that story is secondary to a game like this, but it really couldn't have been all that hard to include something. Since there's no story, all that matters in this game is the action. You're the titular Cyber Cowboy, and you have to take out waves of robotic enemies in a series of rooms that will eventually culminate in a fight with a giant robotic boss. Each run of the game will be slightly different than the one before too, since the room layouts will be randomized. The Cyber Cowboy has a life bar, a base gun with unlimited ammo, and a dodge that gets its energy from a separate meter on the side of the screen. You only have one life to complete a stage, and dying means you have to go back to the beginning of the stage you're currently on. Each stage is made up of several rooms containing random groupings of enemies, a shop where you can buy more powerful guns, and a boss room. There are no powerups beyond coins that enemies drop, and these are what you spend in the shop to get the aforementioned more powerful weapons. It's not a bad setup all things considered, but there are some parts of the game that I felt kept it from being the great game I imagined before its release.

There's no easy way to say it, The Legend of Cyber Cowboy is a very difficult game. It's not very casual friendly, as that difficulty seems to mainly stem from uneven balance and game design. First off, it's very hard to not constantly take damage in-game. Dodging seems iffy at best, stage elements like tables and chairs do provide some cover but are limited and also block your attacks, and enemy bullets often feel too fast to be able to properly dodge even if the dodging worked. Toss in the fact that I never once found ammo or life pickups during my time with the game, and that the extra purchasable weapons barely seem to even up the odds, and you have a game that I can't say I had very much fun playing. I've played tough twin-stick shooters before, but this one just feels unfair. I really can't put it into words since it's something that has to be experienced to be understood, but I bet that most players will feel that their deaths came far too cheaply. Still, most players will be able to get through the basic waves of enemies easily enough despite the game's many issues, but things somehow manage to go even more off the rails during boss fights.
Each boss fight comes with the realization that the game is suddenly a bullet hell shooter, but one in where you can never accurately dodge what's being thrown at you. Bullets will come in never-ending patterns, and getting to a safe zone will often prove to be an impossible task. The slow start to your dodge, and the general giant hitbox the Cyber Cowboy has, means that there's pretty much no way to avoid all damage. There's also no cover to be had in boss stages, and you have to solely rely on the dodge mechanic that I've complained about several times already. Making matters worse, bosses all have insanely large life bars. I'm not ashamed to admit that it took me probably a dozen tries just to beat the first one, and it made me not want to do go through the same effort for the second. As I said earlier, dying means an instant game over, so you can't even get back into the boss battle quickly if you feel you just barely lost the first time around. It makes for a very frustrating experience, and one that kept me from liking the game as much as I hoped I would.

It may seem that much of my criticism for The Legend of Cyber Cowboy comes from feelings of disappointment, and that's due to how much I liked the game before I played it. That might sound like an odd sentiment to have, but it just looks and sounds so good. The graphics are simple and limited, but they also emulate a 16-bit console look to perfection. The character and enemy designs are all great too, and the game looks as amazing in action as it does in screenshots. The music isn't bad either. It's not the easy home run the graphics are, but there isn't a bad track in the bunch. As a matter of fact, some of the music is pretty memorable, and feels almost wasted on a game with gameplay as bad as this one has. If it sounds like this review is just one long list of disappoints, that's because it is. I had such high hopes for this game before it came out, and it ended up being mediocre at best.
There really isn't a lot more to say about The Legend of Cyber Cowboy. It's a short game, it's not very good, and I don't see myself picking it up ever again once I'm done with this review. It's not even that it's purely bad, it's just very forgettable, and not actually good in any way beyond its audio and visuals. If you really must play every twin-stick shooter out there, then you might have fun with this one; it's only $4.99 after all. If you're not that hardcore twin-stick shooter fan, then you're better off simply skipping this one. On that note, I'll see you in the next one.

Check Out The Legend of Cyber Cowboy on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/the-legend-of-cyber-cowboy-switch/
Story: N/A (Shocking!)
Gameplay: C
Graphics: A
Music/Sound: B+
Value: B

Overall: B-

Pros:
+ A fun twin-stick shooter that has features randomized elements.
+ Graphics and art style are both amazing, the 16-bit aesthetic is alive and well here.
+ Has an awesome soundtrack that's full of catchy tunes.
+ The premise of a cyberpunk-esque Wild West is still a really cool concept.
+ At just $4.99, picking this one up won't break the bank.

Cons:
- This is a very difficult game, with death leading to a complete restart of the current stage. Pretty much for the hardcore twin-stick shooter fans only.
- Feels very unbalanced at times. Player weapons are underpowered, enemy bullets are too fast, and the dodge mechanic rarely seems to function correctly.
- There is no story to be found here at all. The main character has no name, nor do any of the enemies or bosses.
- While not a totally bad game, it's not a good one either.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.
]]><![CDATA[Game Review: The Exit 8 VR]]>Fri, 10 Jan 2025 08:00:00 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/gaming/game-review-the-exit-8-vrBy Manuel
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Players: 1
Platforms: Meta Quest

I'm not really sure if I have to give The Exit 8 a long introduction, as its original release on PC and consoles created quite the stir within certain gaming circles. It quickly became one of those games Let's Players would have over-the-top reactions to, causing them to rake in millions of views. Suffice to say it was very successful considering the scope of the game, and there are now several games that mimic its style. I've ever reviewed a couple for A-to-J before I learned about this game's existence. Though the PC and Switch versions came early on, we're going to be taking a look at the VR version (Conveniently titled The Exit 8 VR.) that arrived on the Meta Quest last summer. This is going to be a quick one, so let's get into the review already!
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The Exit 8 VR has a very simple premise: You're in a Japanese subway station, and you have to traverse your way through a series of corridors until you find the titular Exit 8. There is only one other person in the station with you, and only a few items to break up the otherwise barren walls. Finding your way through such a simple set of corridors sounds simple enough, but these hallways you're in will loop endlessly if you're not careful. Each corridor can either lead you to the next one in line, or take you all the way back to the beginning. The only way to know if one will take you the correct way is to carefully observe your surroundings, and make sure that everything is exactly like the very first corridor you visited upon entering. If any one thing is wrong, you have to turn around and head back the way you came. This action, if correct, doesn't bring back to the previous hallway, it instead moves you forward. If you're wrong though, usually as a result of being overly cautious, you'll find yourself at the beginning after all. This is such a simple setup that I basically was able to explain the entire game in just a few sentences, but it really is so much more than just this. Yes you can beat it in well under an hour, but it's more about the overall experience than the sum of its parts.
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I guess if I had to place The Exit 8 VR into a genre, I'd lump it in with walking simulators. It's beyond that simple style of game, but that is the easiest description I can think of. Your only action is movement, and you can't interact with the world around you at all. There's no status bars or inventory screens here, this is pretty much as bare bones as you can get. You are able to look around the environment, and run if you need to, but this isn't a game that features much in the way of actual gameplay. As I said earlier, your goal is to examine the current corridor you're in, and check for any anomalies. These can be things like the posters on the walls changing, the lone man walking towards you acting in different way, a door that was closed before suddenly being opened, a light flickering that didn't before, and so on. Some changes are far more subtle than the ones I just mentioned, and others still are quite a bit more intense. It can be very easy to overlook something as trivial as the tile pattern shifting a bit, but you'll have to notice such things if you don't want to have to constantly restart the game. Then again, this isn't really a game that invites a lot of replayability, so perhaps getting to experience all the anomalies for oneself is the true goal.
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Even though I wouldn't classify The Exit 8 VR as a horror title, there are a lot of horror elements within it. The general vibes of the near-empty station reminds one of a liminal space, and the sparse sounds create a surprisingly spooky atmosphere that doesn't need music to enhance it. Also, while some of the anomalies revolve around mundane changes, a lot of them are a quite a bit creepier. Sometimes you'll see blood dripping from the wall, mysterious hands coming from an open door, or even creepypasta-level imagery from the posters on the wall. The worst of these, or best depending how you choose to think of them, are the ones that also act as an instant fail state. I don't want to spoil some of the best moments of the game within this review, but suffice it to say that you will sometimes find yourself running for your life. The scares come in all sorts of ways too, and aren't all of the jump scare variety. There were several "WTF" moments when I noticed a creepy shift in a poster, or something small like that, and the simplicity of that level of scare is hard to put into words. Not only that, but this is a game that feels made for VR. I have never played the console versions, but I imagine that the impact of the game is far reduced when you don't have things right in your face. It's not just that the game is perfect for VR, I also am of the mind that VR also needs experiences like what this game offers.
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I can easily heap plenty of praise onto The Exit 8 VR, but I do have to admit that it has some drawbacks. First off is the fact that this is the first game where I experienced VR motion sickness. I used to think that I was immune to such things, but this game had me feeling dizzy after only about 30 minutes of playing. I think it had a lot to do with how intensely I was staring at everything in-game, and the occasional quick movement of the game's camera that came when I decided to run to the next corridor. That's the thing too, the controls here take a bit of getting used to. It's hard to explain them outside of playing the game yourself, but it almost feels like it you're confined to tank controls, and can only look around freely once you come to a full stop. That doesn't quite describe it right, but it does capture some of the wonkiness you're likely to experience your first time through. It's not game-breaking by any means, but does dampen an otherwise great game.

The other, more obvious, downside to the game would have to be its longevity and replayability. Even though there are dozens of anomalies to witness, plenty of which I'm sure I never saw in my several playthroughs, once you get to Exit 8, there really isn't anything else for you to do. There's no expanded universe to this game, nor is there much reason to replay it outside of wanting to relive the experience. This is a problem with all the Exit 8-likes that have popped up since this game's release, but at the very least you'll be playing the original if you choose to pick this one up. I do have to say that The Exit 8 VR is saved by its price point. Coming in at a very reasonable $6.99, I don't think anyone can say that they're overpaying for the amount of content they're going to get. Not only that, but it seems to go on sale fairly often.
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Even though The Exit 8 VR has issues when it comes to controls and overall replayability, this is a game that I think every Meta Quest owner must play. It really is an experience like no other, and the games that have tried to emulate it don't do it justice in the least. I do wish that there was some sort of lore or story to go along with it, but I can't fault it for what it does deliver since it's so good. In short, pick it up now, and thank me later. With all that out of the way, maybe I'll look into the sequel... or maybe that live action movie that will be coming out later this year... Who knows...? Anyway, see you in the next one!

Check Out The Exit 8 VR on Meta VR:
https://www.meta.com/experiences/the-exit-8-vr/7683906495049890/
Story: N/A
Gameplay: B+
Graphics: A
Music/Sound: A
Value: A

Overall: A

Pros:
+ A fun gameplay experience that feels like a title perfect for VR platforms.
+ The horror elements are truly spot on. It's been a while since a game has creeped me out as much as this one did.
+ Even though the sound design and graphics are rather sparse, they perfectly enhance the game's atmosphere.
+ A must-buy for Meta Quest owners. It's a steal at just $6.99.

Cons:
- The controls take a bit of getting used to and don't always feel as tight as they could.
- There isn't a lot of replayability beyond wanting to go through the game again.
- The lack of background lore, or any story at all, detracts from the overall presentation.
- This might just be a me thing, but I experienced VR motion sickness for the very first time while playing this. Maybe move slower than I did while playing.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.
#Exit8VR
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