“Whatcha Playin’, Pixels?” – April 2024
10 min read
A monthly roundup of games enjoyed by the writers of The Pixels
April showers bring May flowers, so the saying goes. Fortunately, that maxim applies here at The Pixels as there’s been a shower of content all throughout the month! First up, Red reviews Felix the Cat for the Nintendo Switch – an obscure NES title starring an equally obscure cartoon character given a new lease on life thanks to Limited Run Games. Following that, Maggie M reviewed Botany Manor, a short, casual indie featuring escape room mechanics. Speaking of indies, Tiger Castle wrote a review of Cult of the Lamb, the darling title that took the world by storm a few years back.
Next, our very own Bizarro brings us a deep dive into World of Tanks! Frequent readers of this column will recall his adventures with the game, so it’s well worth your time to see his overall thoughts on it! Rounding up this month are three more reviews. First is Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master (a personal favourite of mine) by newcomer, Bibbz. Secondly, Kudzu, a game that pulls inspiration from Link’s Awakening and other classic adventures, by Matt Lotti. Finally, another write up from Maggie M, coming in at the very end of the month with a review of the cozy farm sim, Cornucopia.
And lest I forget, there’s more Gamelogica happening! Episode 0007 talks about Ghostbusters and the mythological and modern history of ghost hunting. Finally, for fans of the venerable Chrono Trigger (which I finished this month – check out my entry below!), a brand new fandub of the legendary game is on the way! Titled Green Dream, our very own Red Mage joins a cast of top-tier talent that promises to show the story of Chrono Trigger in a brand new light.
On top of all of this, our writers are still on the grind! Let’s check out what they’ve been up to this month.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, considering my past couple entries here, Ultima adventures continue! This month it was Ultima VI: The False Prophet followed by Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire. I’ve gone on record saying that while U4 is my personal favorite, I consider U6 to be the peak of the series, and replaying it this month confirmed it all the more. First third is decent if slow, middle third is an enjoyable romp, and the last third is so satisfying. One of my favorite plots of the series, and indeed one of the more unique ones I’ve seen in games. A well-woven tale with thematic threads in nigh all facets of the game. Glad I took the time to revisit it!
Savage Empire was also an enjoyable replay – I’ve had a soft spot for its “lost world” vibe ever since I first tried the game, and its manual is amusing brilliance – but it too confirmed something I felt the last time I played it, in that it comes across more like an adventure game built on an RPG engine rather than an RPG proper, in no small part due to the fact that only a handful of possible party members actually have the potential to develop any over the course of the game (my main character didn’t gain a single level, for instance, starting at near-max to begin with). Still, it’s an interesting take on an otherwise familiar formula for the series – though there’s an even better example of it coming, that I’ll hopefully get through next month!
Well as my recent critique mentions, I’ve been playing World of Tanks (console version) with my dad and brother a lot lately! I’m currently very happy with my newly acquired T72AV (earned with very, very little micro transactions, blowing up baddies all over the place and avoiding those cursed TOW missiles!
But that’s not all! I’ve also finally been able to make a Baldurs Gate 3 character I like. And my Amazonian Githyanki barbarian lady is leading the party to great success. Having just thoroughly smashed up a goblin camp! It’s a fantastic game, just a shame it took me so long to get into it!
Finally I watched the Fallout series and, despite my willpower to not join the masses, ended up restarting the only game in the series I never completed, the 4th one! Sadly there is Preston Garvey to deal with, and not enough Walton Goggins, but it’s still pretty fun I guess!
Exams have all my time right now, but once that’s over next month I’ll be diving back into competitive Pokémon and going to NAIC in June. Once things finally calm down some after that, I’ll find something new to pick up and review for you all.
Just finished Unicorn Overlord. What. A. Game. If you like TRPG’s and like Atlus’ friendship systems, this game will keep you going for 90+ hours.
Factorio. It’s such a relaxing game. The monotony of automating systems and tinkering with puzzles to make them .5% more efficient. Or something like that. I’m not very good, but I don’t care. Love it.
Lies of P. After finishing Unicorn Overlord, I’ve been looking for something a bit more dark and gritty to sink my teeth into. Something that will make me rage quit, which I totally didn’t do this last weekend fighting the Black Rabbit Brotherhood.
Lastly, a bit more of Indie. Cultic. A survival boomer shooter. Haven’t delved too far into this one yet, but seemingly unlike most boomer shooters with individual levels. This one is one long continuous session, with twists in each map and minimal amounts of ammo set in each area. Incredibly fun. Creepy setting and a very atmospheric experience that I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone that enjoys the genre.
As opposed to March, April gave me plenty of opportunities to finish some games.
Firstly, I platinumed Forspoken. Gasp! Honestly speaking, aside from the negativity surrounding the title, I had a really great time with it. There’s something soothing about traversing the empty and quiet lands of Athia using a plethora of magic parkour techniques. Playing Forspoken has been helpful during this busy and crazy season I’m in right now. I’ll drum up some words about the game as soon as I finish the Remake critique. Which will be any moment now.
Next, I finished Chrono Trigger, which is the first time I went through the whole game from scratch in ten or so years. It’s still as powerful and impactful as ever. Chrono Trigger is a stark reminder that though we can’t change our past (unless we have a Gate Key or an Epoch), we can always influence our future through the choices we make.
Continuing on the RPG route, I burned through Final Fantasy III Pixel Remaster (completed in record time thanks to boosts) and started (and finished) the first of the big three SNES FF’s: Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster. I have a big soft spot for IV, as it’s a title my brother and I played together when it was re-released in Final Fantasy Chronicles. On completion, I conclude that the remaster delivered in spades! THE MUSIC, ohmagosh, it’s so good! And even with boosts, it’s still as challenging as the original! I had to grind like crazy to finish off Zeromus, he’s so cheap! I mean, back-to-back Big Bangs and Black Holes with the occasional Bio and Flare thrown in for good measure, Jeez Louise. I can’t wait to tackle V and VI. But first, I should really finish up Final Fantasy Tactics on my Vita.
And as of this moment, I’ve now started Final Fantasy XVI. I know reception towards its more DMC-esque gameplay has been mixed, but weirdly enough, I’m very engaged with the story so far.
Honestly, the next few write ups will be about me playing Final Fantasy stuff from now until the middle of summer, haha.
April has been a super busy month for me, having my birthday (Editor’s Note: Happy belated birthday!), some family birthdays, and other events. Add on the last stages of planning a large trip for next month, and there wasn’t a whole lot of room for games. Still, I managed to find time for a few things. Here on The Pixels, I worked through two reviews for Botany Manor and Cornucopia, my favorite genre of chill indie games. I also scratched the itch for a good roguelike with Luck Be a Landlord, which provided me with a simple challenge I found hard to put down. “One more spin” long into the nights. Finally, I sat down with Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective for the DS and man, I get it. I get the hype. The story is wild, the gameplay is clever, the sprites are incredible, and Missile is the goodest boy. Highly recommend it.
As I have started a new chapter of life living in Eugene, Oregon, it has been difficult to hit the games as hard as I once did. With that said, I received a decent sign-on bonus with my new job, and one of my first purchases was a brand spankin’ new PlayStation 5 for the family! Both my son and daughter are big into playing games, so I agree to purchase them one game each for them to enjoy. (No offense to Astro’s Playground, but it’s not the strongest built-in title for a next gen console.)
My oldest, Justin, is a sucker for games with a strong legacy, so he chose the Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5 anthology set. Though I myself am not a Kingdom Hearts fan, I can see how this collection would be essential for any fan of the franchise. With remastered versions of several games, including KH 1 and 2, my son is experiencing these titles for the first time in HD goodness!
My daughter is more of the eclectic soul, so she chose to have Undertale as her first PS5 title. She is not concerned so much with graphics as much as she is concerned about fun and meme-ry. With that said, she is very caught up on the lore and is into all the fan theories people have concerning this game. I’m glad that she is developing her own tastes for unique titles, even if I don’t personally understand their appeal.
I couldn’t leave myself out, of course. Looking through the vast library of PS exclusives, there is one game that stood out to me due to not only its lukewarm reception, but just because it is such a unique take on a classic franchise. I pulled the trigger and bought Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, less from desire and more out of curiosity. Despite my initial low expectations for this game, I can honestly say that I am loving the ride! The souls-like gameplay does not detract from the narrative depth, and it has enough subversion to justify its place among the pantheon of FF titles. I just have to be careful not to obsess over CHAOS! I don’t want to end up like Jack.
This month, I’d like to highlight a much-maligned title that, while far from perfect, is nowhere near as putrid as online discussion would have you believe. Like many of us, I’ve fond memories of the Capcom Aliens vs. Predator beat ‘em up in the arcade. It’s a fantastic brawler that includes everything you’d want in a franchise fusion. My younger self was excited to discover an Alien vs. Predator game for the SNES. The system’s got some stellar arcade ports of other genre classics like Turtles in Time, King of Dragons, and Knights of the Round. Surely an AvP port would punch-in just as strongly. But alas, Aliens vs. Predator on the SNES is not a home version of the Capcom classic.
Though still a beat ‘em up, the SNES Aliens vs. Predator pales in comparison to the arcade cabinet. You only play as a single Predator Warrior. No Predator Hunter or human characters. And while your shoulder cannon is always equipped, its power level leaves much to be desired. Couple that with repetitive gameplay, an easy trap for games of the genre to fall into, and you can see where some of the scorn comes from. But only some.
Is the SNES Aliens vs Predator great? No, not hardly. But it does get far more disdain than it deserves. Though the levels can be bland at times, you still get big Xenomorph bosses to contend with, and a half-decent soundtrack. Controls are responsive. The sprite work is serviceable. Weapon pickups are copious, adding a bit of spice to the gameplay. I’m not here to sing the game’s praises, as it’s an average-at-best title, but the bones are solid and it gets far more flack than it deserves. Much of the venom comes from a comparison to the arcade version, which this never sought to replicate. That’s why I wanted to put a spotlight on an otherwise-unremarkable game. Folks set a high bar before even hitting Start.
Games deserve to be judged on their own merits rather than the expectations we impose on them. Go in without the Capcom-expectations, and the SNES Aliens vs. Predator is an okay time.
And so ends April. What have you been playing recently? What did you finish? And what’s next on your backlog? Let us know in the comments below.
Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you all again next month! Same Pixel Time! Same Pixel Channel!
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 Bluesky as @GameswCoffee, and Instagram as @games_with_coffee. He streams on Twitch, also as GamesWithCoffee.
