Features

Taken for a Quickie | AereA

27/8/2017

Join us in taking Soedesco’s musical-themed RPG, AereA, down into the orchestra pit for a rhythmic quickie.

by Rob
Holt

@acousticmagic

Developer: Triangle Studios
Publisher: Soedesco
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, PC
Players: 1 - 4

Musical-themed RPG? What’s that all about?

AereA is a game in the vein of Diablo; you explore a world split into three separate islands, searching for nine primordial instruments stolen from Great Maestro Guido’s famous concert hall. You’ll face off against bosses based around these instruments throughout your adventure, at which point it’s hard not to feel pure joy - the bagpipes bug in particular is genius!

Is the gameplay purely Diablo-esque, or can I expect Guitar Hero-style rhythm sections or something?

The former. A fairly standard two button interface handles combat for the most part - one button pertaining to attack and the other to defence - although you’ll only bother to employ any defensive tactics in the aforementioned boss encounters, as most of the standard enemies you meet are on the weak side. There’s also basic puzzle solving and loot to collect, as you might expect.

How’s the audiovisual presentation?

It’s a little rough, if we’re being honest. The retro-inspired visuals are framed with an isometric camera angle that’s great for gaining an overview of the action, but it doesn’t help to mask the somewhat ugly graphics.

The music for the most part is decent, but, much like the visuals, the retro keyboard sounds come across as a bit cheap in places. While the orchestral tones of the great concert hall are beautiful, for a game based around music, AereA could definitely stand to see some improvement in the audio department.

Any other concerns or complaints?

In spite of the presentation niggles, like many games before it, AereA doesn’t require lifelike graphics to be fun to play. The single player option can get a little repetitive, but get a friend to join you on the sofa (there’s no online co-op) and you’ve got an entertaining little number.

With all that in mind, does it come recommended?

It doesn’t take Mozart or Beethoven to see/hear that AereA isn’t an all-time classic, but don’t let that dissuade you if you’re a fan of isometric action RPGs, as you’ll definitely find something to enjoy here.

AereA is available now on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

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Taken for a Quickie | Oh...Sir! The Insult Simulator

22/8/2017

Oh...Sir! is the latest in a line of comedic simulation games, but is this joke one-note, or does it have legs? Join Sam for a quick one and let’s find out.

by Sam
Sant

@SlamShotSam

Developer: Vile
Monarch
Publisher: Vile
Monarch
Platforms: Xbox
One, PS4, PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android
Players: 1 - 2

Oh...Sam, what exactly is an “insult simulator”?

A virtual mudslinging match in which you and an opponent take turns selecting words and phrases from a shared board, carefully crafting the most dastardly insult possible to damage your opposition’s pride in proportion to the cut of your jib. The first person to have their ego fully deflated is the loser.

Doesn’t sound like there’s much to it, you Northern yokel. (See?)

There’s actually a decent amount of tactical depth. As you’re both drawing from the same board and can see the insults you’re respectively concocting, you can steal components that your adversary needs - a subject or a connective, for example - though you do each have a small personal hand of random words/phrases to fall back on.

When picking you’ll also want to claim elements that pertain to your chosen character’s insecurities to defend against them, while aiming to stop the competition doing the same so that you can plunge a knife into theirs. Add in the ellipsis that lets you carry an insult over to the next round in order to create a monster (though you do risk losing it if you’re hit with a rude jab in the interim, which will cause you to fumble) and the ability to create combos by implementing the same subjects into consecutive insults - while being mindful to defend against these tactics as well - and there’s a lot to consider on each turn.

Your mum loves a Northern accent, by the way.

Touché. The golden question: Is it actually funny?

Due to the random element it varies wildly; sometimes you’ll be presented absolute gold, while others you’ll just have to make an absurd statement that doesn't really mean anything. The answer to the question also depends on your taste in comedy, and potentially your location, as it’s all very well-natured and British. It coaxed a few chuckles and plenty of smiles out of me.

Is that enough for a recommendation?

When you consider the tiny asking price of £2.39, yes, it is. Oh...Sir! can occasionally be frustratingly particular in ruling what is and isn’t proper grammar or sentence structure (I just writed this, I think you’ll find I know my stuff, game...), but otherwise it’s a thoughtful and funny little package that can be enjoyed solo or competitively against players both online and locally.

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Taken for a Quickie | AereA

Taken for a Quickie | Oh...Sir! The Insult Simulator

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