“Whatcha Playin’, Pixels?” – #007
10 min read
A weekly roundup of games enjoyed by the writers of The Pixels
Can you believe it’s been five years since the release of both the Nintendo Switch and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild? Happy birthday, both to the little hybrid that could and to the game that continues to stir discussion even today! Also, happy birthday to the PlayStation 2, still the most successful video game home console and home to quite a few fantastic hits!
Here’s what our writers have been up to this week…
I put the final nail in the coffin of Smithy’s plans this week and finally rolled credits on Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. First time playing it, and I had a good time. I see why people like it so much, it’s aged very well. Not a perfect game, the platforming is a nightmare, but the world is vibrant and full of people that it’s sad we’ve never seen again. There are probably people who will say I played it wrong since I didn’t use Geno or Mallow and loaded Peach up with all the “Don’t hurt the princess” gear, but if you give me the option for an invulnerable character in an RPG, by god, I’m going to take it. And sorry, folks, but Bowser > puppet and cloud (though Mallow IS quite adorable, if very very dumb.)
Aside from that, I’ve spent most of the last week playing demos from the Steam Next Fest, trying out a whole bunch of things and extending my wishlist further than I’d like. I did chuck a few things off after I tried them and just didn’t click, but I definitely added more.
My top 5 demos to keep an eye on:
- Small Saga – Absolutely gorgeous isometric RPG, very modern Redwall vibes. Some of the best pixel art I’ve ever seen.
- Beacon Pines – A choose-your-own-adventure type story where the paths available to you change as you find and use different words to complete sentences. Fantastic art and unique gameplay style, with not-so-subtle hints towards a very dark story.
- Tinykin – A mix of Paper Mario and Pikmin, explore a tiny world with tiny friends, helping local bugs solve their human-sized problems.
- Lumbearjack – You are a bear, you have an axe, the company polluting your woods is your enemy. A simple game with some clever visuals and mechanics and old-school eco-edutainment vibes.
- Lost in Play – An adorable wordless point and click adventure of two siblings and their imaginations…and probably some actual magic and maybe getting lost in a magic world. I was charmed before the opening credits were over.
These weren’t the only good ones I tried, but they were easily the best. I love Next Fests, they’re great ways to find and try out the many indies coming down the pipe. My wallet, however, would disagree.
Over the past couple of evenings, I’ve been able to spend a couple of hours with one of my most eagerly awaited titles of this year: Shadow Warrior 3. Thankfully, after what I considered to be a slight misstep in making the previous game into a Borderlands-esque looter-shooter, Flying Wild Hog has brought our hero Lo Wang right back full-circle to what he does best. Fast-paced first-person shooting action is the aim of the game here, sprinkled with quirky one-liners and the series’ trademark humour. In addition, a new grappling-hook mechanic – and a 2016 Doom-style combat system rewarding melee attacks and “gore kills” – make this a real frenzied spectacle to behold and an absolute joy to play. In short, it’s exactly what I was hoping for from a brand new game in the Shadow Warrior series, and a clear return to form.
I’ve also made a start on Elden Ring: another game I have been highly anticipating. I’ve not explored too far into it yet, but I feel that to sum it up as “Open-world Breath of the Wild” would be doing it a massive disservice. It’s a Dark Souls game in all but name, but the open-world aspect of it adds a whole new dimension and makes a purposeful stride forward for the series, and even the “Soulsborne” sub-genre. I’ve barely scratched the surface of what it has to offer so chances are I’ll be reporting back next week with further thoughts, but I’ll leave you with a concise first impression from my From Software obsessed best friend: “It’s like Dark Souls III… but… better!” High praise indeed!
As well as forging on with Mass Effect 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 I have also spent some time with Wreckfest, which is like Destruction Derby punched its way out of the PS1 era, got together with GRID and had a beautiful child! There’s nothing more fun than chasing down cars with a school bus and smooshing them all up!
I also picked up Octopath Traveler, after being totally shamed on MAGE CAST I just had to give it another try and, yes, I remembered that you have to grind a bit in these games!
With all the talk surrounding the recent release of Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster, I had the strongest urge to play a Final Fantasy game. To that end, I started playing the original Final Fantasy through my NES Classic. It’s definitely hard as nails and looks rough around the edges, but it’s still enjoyable to play. I’ve never completed the original NES version of the game (even though I’ve beaten the remakes and remasters, save for the newest Pixel Remaster versions), so I’m eager to take on the challenge! Also, here’s the daily reminder to Square Enix to port the Pixel Remaster games to consoles!
Sunday, I enjoyed a session of Sonic 3 & Knuckles for the Sega Genesis. This time around, I played the game as Knuckles. While he’s neither as fast nor jumps as high as Sonic, Knuckles’ rock-breaking and gliding abilities allow the familiar levels in the game to feel new, since there are paths only the echidna can take. I managed to get the seven Chaos Emeralds (with the last one being excessively troublesome), and I’m looking forward to collecting the Super Emeralds this coming Sunday.
On my morning streams, I finally completed the lengthy Couple’s Mask sidequest in Majora’s Mask. I’ll be honest; as tedious as it was to wait for events in this sidequest to activate, it was also fun experiencing the story between Anju and Kafei. It again reminded me that by fleshing out NPC side stories and tying them to the events within the game, the world within that game becomes more believable and compelling. It’s no wonder that people return to play Majora’s Mask – it’s not only a great game, but it also has an incredibly deep and rich world within it. I also explored the Ikana Valley area, picked up the Mirror Shield and obtained the Elegy of Emptiness. Now, I’m prepared to take on the Stone Temple!
Finally, I’ve switched things up this week on my Switch (hah!) and continued churning through end-game content on Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. What’s neat about the end game stuff is that you get the opportunity to fight previous bosses at higher levels than when you originally faced them! It provides a welcome challenge and each fight grants awesome rewards! I’m also working away at the DLC content. I’m hoping to hit Super Saiyan God real soon with Goku and Vegeta and I can’t wait to test that form out!
This week I’ve put in some time playing Super Robot Wars 30. I’m going to change to hard difficulty to see how that goes because I feel like Super Robot Wars 30 is a bit easy. Almost too easy, as I don’t think there are many challenges involved at normal difficulty, so I’m going to give hard mode a shot. Not too much else to say other than that this game has been off and on for me but I’m having fun with it.
I’ve also been putting hours back into Tales of Arise as well. I got some new party members, which I’m absolutely loving to use in combat. I’m also just now making use of the strategy options. There’s a mechanic called Cure Points (CP) which I’m not a big fan of since if you run out you can no longer use healing arts. It’s the most annoying mechanic in the game arguably and the items to recover 30% of CP are a bit expensive (though you find a couple in the wild too). For boss fights, I’ve changed my strategy to using an item to heal rather than using resurrection because one resurrection using arts (when you are low on CP) is more expensive than using a Life Bottle. Otherwise, I’m really enjoying the game so far. The story has had some surprising (and dark) moments so far and I am eager to continue.
I’m Back! After having had a nice vacation, I’m back on my usual gaming habits. While I did pick up Elden Ring on launch day, I feel like there’s already enough discourse on the game so I will refrain from it for now. I didn’t get to play much else, but while on the road I did get to spend a few hours on a game I almost abandoned a few months back: The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles!
This game is only the second Ace Attorney game I’ve played but it’s a series I already adore. Then why did I almost abandon it, you ask? Well, this particular title seems to move a bit slower than the previous one I played and I’m not sure how I feel about it yet. The dialogue is long-winded and although I know where certain story beats are headed, all the characters seem to be very slow about catching on to what’s going on. The visuals make up for it as the facial expressions, exaggerated animations, and wacky dialogue always bring a smile to my face. I just wish that the gameplay itself was a bit more captivating. When the game asks you to make a choice, the correct answer is usually either too obvious or too obtuse. If you’re looking to get into the series, I’d say the Ace Attorney Trilogy is the way to go. I already have it installed and ready to go, whenever I decide to put The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles down.
I did it. I completed Paper Mario. After wanting to play it for many, many years, I have finally done so. I don’t want to say too much, as I am currently writing a full critique for it, but I will say it was fun. I was right to have wanted to play it for so long. It isn’t flawless, but what game is? Anyway, hopefully, you will look forward to my review in the near future.
Speaking of games I waited too long to play… I have had an itch, mostly in the back of my mind, to play a Spider-Man game for many months now. While I have multiple to choose from, I decided to finally swing into Marvel’s Spider-Man for the PS4. So, far, it’s pretty much what I expected, and what I wanted. Swinging around feels great, and stopping random crimes brings back the nostalgia of the Spidey games I played a lot in college. It looks really good too. The story is progressing a little fast and with a lot of missions that are just ‘go here and talk to this person’. There is plenty of side mission stuff to keep me busy and entertained though.
I finished a game this week! Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition, got what I perceived to be the bad ending, likely because I didn’t 100% it. I loved the game but I had this nagging feeling that I’d played the game before. Because I really had. It’s a reskin of a format of a game you’ve seen elsewhere many times although the music, comedy, and combat go a long way toward making it feel less like an over-ripe avocado.
I’m nearing the end of a campaign as Grand Cathay in Total War: Warhammer 3, which for some reason I’m not enjoying as much as Warhammer 2. Performance and graphics seem a bit iffy and upon launch, there really aren’t a ton of available factions to play as. Ah well, I’m sure it’ll improve over time with more content being added.
I also started Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster, which is beautiful, though some of the changes made are strange, and I finally decided upon which of the Elden Ring jobs I would continue the game with. I tried out several of them and wound up disliking pure melee and pure magic classes, so I went with both. Prisoner, it is! Excited to dig into this game and get my first modern From Soft experience in full. There will be no rage quitting, just regular quitting.
~Red
Don’t forget to let us know what you’ve been playing this week!
Ryan Cheddi – our friendly, neighbourhood caffeine addict – is a man of many talents: an engineer, a gaming historian, a fiction writer and a streamer. He is also a self-avowed Sonic the Hedgehog fan. You can check out his cool beans at his site – Games with Coffee – or find him on Twitter as @GameswCoffee, and Instagram as @games_with_coffee. He streams on Twitch, also as GamesWithCoffee.
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