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Worldless review | PC

27/11/2023

 
worldless-review-pass-the-controller

One of our favourites from EGX 2022 is finally out and ready to be put through its paces, gather round as we give you the lowdown on Noname Studios’ Worldless.
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by James
Michael Parry

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​@james_parry

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Developer: Noname
Studios
Publisher: Coatsink,
Thunderful
Platforms: PC, Xbox
PlayStation,
Nintendo Switch
Players: 1
SO, WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?
Imagine a turn-based platform adventure game with a wireframe-inspired visual style and you’re already close to the audio visual experience that is Worldless. From the word go the style of the game has you hooked, with it’s clean design choices and soothing ambient music.

IS IT SOME SORT OF WORD GAME?
While an uninformed search could lead you to a similarly named clone of a popular word game, here the emphasis is an interface which doesn’t involve text, besides the speech of an NPC. It immediately adds a sense of something polished and well thought-out from the word go.

WHAT DO YOU DO IN GAMEPLAY?
The platforming sections are fairly straightforward. You quickly acquire an air dash and a combination of it and a standard jump lead to some simple challenges, where it goes up a notch is when the environment starts to get more complex, with switches, manually triggered platforms and pendulums propelling you about the level.

The other main element is the turn-based combat, which includes a real-time element to the actual strikes and blocks depending on the turn you’re on. Like the platforming, it looks simple on the surface, with either physical or magic attacks being dished out or blocked against. Fairly quickly though, elements are added in, leading to strengths and weaknesses to bear in mind, and the experience acts on a bit of a risk/reward thanks to one mechanic which adds another dimension to encounters – absorption.
worldless-review-pass-the-controller
ALRIGHT, WE'LL BITE, WHAT'S ABSORPTION?
While defeating enemies is all well and good, the ultimate test in combat is to weaken and then absorb the essence of your foes. While you can get away with just winning encounters, really to gain physical or magical skill points in serious numbers, you’ll need to squeeze them out of your enemies.
​
To do this, you need to hold your own in combat long enough to fill a meter, and then trigger a timed series of button presses to complete the move. The trick is that the weaker the enemy, the more prompts will be revealed. If you try to take a shortcut, you’ll be presented with prompts obscured by question marks and have to try your luck.

Fortunately, the presses you do get right do count for the next time around, so you can come back and complete the sequence rather than starting from scratch.
​

It feels somewhat similar to Pokémon’s traditional catching system, but without the random element of unfairness when that Squirtle you thought was in the bag manages to run away.
worldless-review-pass-the-controller
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT?
This is always a hard question to answer, as it’s so subjective. That said, the balance between frantic button presses and really working out the optimum timing of counters to protect your shields and give you a fighting chance in harder battles takes a while to get the hang of.

There’s the odd boss too, usually larger and testing your skills so far to the limit, as you might expect, but there’s no sense of an uneasy difficulty spike.

What is encouraging is that a failure in any face-off doesn’t mean all is lost – you can go again with everything reset, no questions asked.

Any battle where you didn’t absorb the enemy also remains on the level for you to revisit later, perhaps when you’ve picked up a few skills.
worldless-review-pass-the-controller
ANYTHING YOU WEREN'T A FAN OF?
The map and skill trees, while very much in keeping with the style of the rest of the game, could be a little easier to follow.

Otherwise your mileage will vary depending on how much patience you have for roguelike trial and improvement when it comes to the combat, and the platforming side is solid without really breaking the mould or really making you sit up out of your chair.
worldless-review-pass-the-controller
FINAL THOUGHTS?
Worldless is a beautiful, challenging journey which has some very clever design layered on top of a solid, fun game.

Depending on your mood, you might find slogging away for long sessions a bit of a grind, but the satisfaction when you get the hang of an enemy and steal their power is huge.

Definitely not one to discount as “just another indie game”.

9/10
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Star Wars: Jedi Survivor review | PS5

8/7/2023

 
Cal and BD-1 face off against a Dark Trooper and Stormtroopers

It’s time to save the galaxy once again, as our favourite ginger Jedi, Cal Kestis, and trusty droid companion, BD-1, return, after five years since beginning their fight against the Empire in Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, to face their greatest challenge yet.
James Michael Parry
by James Michael Parry

Blue Twitter bird logo

​@james_parry

Star Wars Jedi Survivor key art featuring Cal and BD-1
Developer: Respawn
Publisher: EA
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Players: 1

In Survivor, we pick up with a more world-weary Cal, lamenting his lack of progress in his rebellion. Despite countless missions, he doesn’t feel like he’s making a difference, and seems ready to throw in the towel - or whatever Jedi throw in…

As we join the action, a mission on Coruscant doesn’t go well for Cal and his crew, and we find ourselves at the top of the Empire’s most wanted list.

Things start off familiar enough, with a more linear starting mission showing new players the ropes, or remind veterans what not-on-earth is going on, before setting us on our path to discover a future for the Jedi order, rooted in the forgotten past.

Like before, you can use your trusty ship the Mantis to explore different worlds, but how much you can explore has been expanded, with different locations having a lot more secrets and different areas to delve into.

The world which has the most expansive area by far is Koboh, where you’ll make your home base of sorts, and catch up with former Mantis pilot Greez, as well as collecting a whole host of fun characters, some of which have skills you can make use of on your quest.
Cal faces off with a lightsaber against a former Jedi
While the landscape is even more sprawling than before, fortunately, there are mounts to help you navigate around and discover different secrets, as well as more (perhaps a few too many) shortcuts to connect the world together, as well as being able to use the meditation save areas as fast travel points.

The gameplay itself is similar to its predecessor, though perhaps with even more of a reliance on climbing around than before - though thankfully you do retain the upgraded climbing speed from the latter part of Fallen Order from the get go.
Cal continues to be both relatable and charming, but it's the adorable BD-1 who is still the true star of the show...
If puzzles, and clambering about, aren’t your bag though, you might find the experience a bit choppy, as encounters generally feel more intermittent than before. Though when you do get into a battle, especially with some of the larger creatures and sub-bosses, you’ll be glad there are a handful of new lightsaber stances to use, two of which you can equip at a time, which help keep combat fresh and dynamic throughout.

The Star Wars universe is built on its characters, and Cal continues to be both relatable and charming. While he doesn’t have the same, intense inner struggle we saw in the previous game, we can all relate to working hard and feeling as though we’re getting nowhere. But it's the adorable BD-1 who is still the true star of the show, of course, and you can even customise him in all sorts of ways this time around.​
Cal with his ship The Mantis showing off the dual-wielding stance
Sad news elsewhere in customisation is that the amount of poncho available for Cal himself are limited, though customisation overall has had a complete tune up. Since it is third-person, you do get a chance to see Cal’s threads in all their glory, and the character animation is fluid – especially when swapping between different saber stances.

Skill upgrades return, with a few different trees to explore, and one for every stance, so you can really double-down on being the biggest badass possible with the claymore-style, crossguard lightsaber.

On top of that are perks, which take up a different amount of slots depending on their power, and act as passive buffs for Cal, allowing for even more customisation to your specific playstyle.
Cal and Merrin
The background characters are good fun as well. Our personal favourite was an aggressively Scottish able seaman called Skoova Stev, who you’ll find in various parts of the overworld searching for rare fish species, which you can then see in the aquarium back at home base.

The actual act of finding the fish is fairly mundane, as you’ll usually just stumble across him, but on each encounter he’ll reveal a little more of a long, rambling story, as well as just generally having a bit of fun with you. These sort of characters are totally ridiculous and yet 100% Star Wars.

The feel of this series, both the first game and Survivor, has always been very true to the franchise and it’s definitely one of its strengths. Joining Cal feels more meaningful because of how naturally he fits into this galaxy, and you feel like you’re making a difference, as the scale of the story is kept under control and not tied too closely to any big moments.​
BD-1 loves the camera
Whether the destination outshines the journey doesn’t really matter here, as the adventure you’re on is exciting and compelling, delivering exactly what’s promised in the most authentic feeling of being a Jedi for anyone outside the theme parks’ Galaxy’s Edge experiences.

Hopefully we haven’t seen the last of Cal and BD-1, and this is a chapter well worth Force jumping into.

Pros
  • Great characters and a fun new chapter in a compelling story
  • That feeling of becoming a real Jedi really shines
  • Some great set pieces, fun locations and new characters

Cons
  • A little too reliant on traversal and puzzles in places
  • Repetitive if you stray from the central story and occasionally sparse if you don’t
  • Less focused and in places less effective than its predecessor

8/10
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Planet of Lana review | Xbox Series X|S

6/6/2023

 
Lana jumping through the village following her sister Ilo - Planet of Lana

There’s nothing simple about making video games, which is why when a game comes along which goes out of its way to create an experience based on a few simple principles which really works, it’s worth sitting up and taking note, and Planet of Lana is that game.
James Michael Parry
by James Michael Parry

Blue Twitter bird logo

​@james_parry

A minimalist journey about Lana and her cat (…monster…space…thing) Mui, the game sees our adventurers on a quest to find Lana's kidnapped sister and perhaps work out what’s happening to her quiet fishing town, as robots rain from the sky.

A largely 2.5D experience, you’ll control Lana, and direct Mui, through a series of platforming puzzles, often separated by long stretches of exploration where the story gradually unfolds around you. There’s a similarity in visual design to Journey here, as well as clear influences from the likes of Limbo, Inside and Little Nightmares, but with more optimistic than sinister undertones.

The dialogue is minimal, mostly limited to Lana shouting “Mui” and a few nonsense phrases to indicate commands to your four-legged friend. Its tone and atmosphere all comes from the sound design and stark, straightforward look, which in places even takes on a monotone, high contrast feel.

At times the breaks between the action feel a little too long, though there’s no denying they are great opportunities for environmental storytelling. One section where you cross a sparse desert area and see huge machines walking over you really puts your small, vulnerable protagonist in perspective amid an alien uprising, and later a QTE chase section packs in thrills and tension in the best way, but in other moments the repeated level design drags the pace of the experience down and makes the game feel longer than it is.
Lana and Mui surrounded by giant robots - Planet of Lana
The story plays out in just over three hours, with a few new abilities unlocked along the way, and a constant is the beautiful soundtrack. The score is almost hypnotic, with its calming influence bringing the expansive world to life as a peaceful utopia, punctuated by creeping strings as the threat of danger from the robots on the hunt for Lana, which will not hesitate to take her out on the spot.
Planet of Lana is a beautiful journey which transports you to a peaceful, and tense, other world which is fun and satisfying to explore...
Controlling the character lacks precision in parts, making pulling of complex manoeuvres challenging, though if you feel like you have to do something particularly intricate, you’re probably overthinking it. It’s when you know what to do, but the intentional lag between button press and action catches you out, that the frustration starts to build.
Lana and Mui on some rocks - Planet of Lana
Fortunately, there weren’t any moments where we felt really stuck on a puzzle, thanks to a forgivable but challenging difficulty level, and solving them was consistently satisfying.

Outwitting the enemies requires both patience, persistence and, crucially, the ability to not fly into a blind panic, choose chaos and try to run past everything. More often than not, there’s really only one way to get past a situation, which means that, besides a few collectable shrines, there’s not a lot of replayability here.

There is a great one-and-done, charming experience here, which – while more common in the indie space – is still hard to come by and definitely endearing. Lana’s determination and optimism comes through with just a few words, as does the emotion of how important her connections to other characters are to her.
Lana and Mui travelling through the wasteland - Planet of Lana
Planet of Lana is a beautiful journey which transports you to a peaceful, and tense, other world which is fun and satisfying to explore. While it could have been too one-note, the diversity in the locations and the gradual development in the game experience pulls you through.

The gaps between gameplay sections do occasionally feel as though they are padding for time, but, largely, the mechanics, including the dream sequences which flash you back to the beginning of the game, all come together to create a cohesive and satisfying experience.

Developers Wishfully have done a great job in making this game feel polished and complete, delivering a thoughtful, well-executed platforming experience that is well worth the time.

Pros
  • Beautiful visual and musical design creates a captivating world
  • Charming characters with a genuine connection
  • Effective and satisfying platforming with simplicity done well

Cons
  • Walking sections between levels can drag
  • Controls can lack precision in places
  • Simplicity may not be enough variety for some

9/10
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Ultimate Chicken Horse Mini-review | PC

13/3/2023

 
A raccoon jumping under a waterfall

It's been seven years since the animal party game Ultimate Chicken Horse came out, and now after numerous new content over the years, there’s a fresh "Shellebration" update, so we thought it was time to take it for a quickie.
James Michael Parry
by James Michael Parry

Blue Twitter bird logo

​@james_parry

Ultimate Chicken Horse box, a chicken with a crossbow and a horse jumping
Developer: Cleaver Endeavour Games
Publisher: Cleaver Endeavor Games
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Players: 2-4

So this game definitely sounds familiar?

You're right! In the time-honoured tradition of gaming milestones the development team at Cleaver Endeavour Games have decided to mark the game's seventh birthday with a free update.

The game itself remains its tried and tested self, but there's a brand new level, character, outfits and more to explore.

What's the game actually like then?

The aim of the game is to get from the start to…stay with us on this…the goal. It’s really as simple as it sounds, the characters start in one area and have to end up in another, but getting there will be anything but simple.

You’ll place one item on the level at the beginning of each round which can either help you get across, or is a trap to hinder the other players. Of course, if you’re not careful, you’ll fall fowl of it too.

Speaking of fowl, where do the chicken and horse come in?

Your characters to choose from are a selection of charming animals which, while they don’t have special abilities, will make various noises as you inevitably die. The designs are really cute and you feel terrible for letting them down, instantly.

There are currently a whopping 12 characters to choose from, including a cheeky monkey and a snake on a skateboard, so there’s something for everyone.

Plus, up to four players can play locally or online at the same time for maximum carnage.​
An animated GIF of animals jumping of a metro train

How’s that new level you mentioned?

The latest addition to the very impressive levels roster, which sits at an impressive 19, is The Metro, which includes the hazard of a train occasionally whistling through to electrocute you horribly.

The rest of levels all have their own memorable elements or challenging quirks too, including The Waterfall, which has you clamber from behind the waterfall itself around a ledge anti-clockwise, creating a particularly nasty choke point where all sorts of mayhem can, and will, occur.
Animals on a cartoony farm and a red flag

Was there anything you didn’t like about it?

To begin with, if you jump straight into a multiplayer game without having played before, it can be a little challenging to work out exactly how it all works.

Fortunately after even a single round, and certainly by the time the first game is over, everyone will have the hang of it – or may have stormed off in frustration.

When we played this time, fond memories of the time we spent with it way back when came flooding back.

There’s the odd bit of visual lag here and there for other players’ movement, but nothing that ever affects the game.
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You’d say the game, and the Shellebration update, are worth checking out?

Given that the update is free, and all the new content can be unlocked in-game, it already seems like a no-brainer, but more than that the game is great fun to play and stands the test of time, giving bags of replayability.

If you still need any convincing though, here’s a reminder of just how absolutely terrible Sam and I are at the game in our now five-year-old Let’s Play:
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LEGO Bricktales review | PS5

18/10/2022

 
LEGO character exploring a beach with a monkey and a bird

LEGO can be quite personal. You might have childhood memories of putting together a new set at Christmas or fighting over different bricks with your siblings, but previous titles based around those little plastic blocks haven’t really challenged your imagination as far as creating things with LEGO goes.
James Michael Parry

​by James Michael Parry

Blue Twitter bird logo

​@james_parry

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Developer: ClockStone
Publisher: Thunderful
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC, Mac, Linux
Players: 1

LEGO Bricktales changes all that by wrapping a story around a series of building challenges, where you’re given specific bricks to throw together to solve a problem, like making a bridge to get you character from one side of a river to another, and then your completed structure appears in the world – exactly as you designed it – in the world.

The story itself is simple, in a twee sort of way, and the team at ClockStone manage to pull it off by keeping their tongue firmly planted in cheek with the written dialogue, which certainly raised a smile or two.

Your character, blessed with magnificent afro hair, visits their grandfather to find the amusement park he runs has fallen into disrepair, and you’ll need to jump into a series of themed worlds and complete challenges to fix it.

Beginning in a Jungle, but branching out to City, Medievil and Desert among others, there’s plenty of variety in the relatively straightforward locations, separated out into each large, isometrically presented brick world.

​​It's a cool look, but quickly becomes a bit fiddly, since you can’t move the camera around to get a better view, as you climb ladders and wander around cliff edges. In the challenges too, the camera can add to the challenge, since it can be hard to keep everything in view at the same time, with your selection of pieces laid out on the ground besides the build area. Getting below your in-progress model can be particularly tricky.
Build screen showing a yellow part of a plane or car in LEGO bricks
It's surprising that the building sections have their issues, given ClockStone's history with both Portal and The Walking Dead Bridge Simulators, but clearly LEGO is a more intricate beast.

This leads us onto one of the most obtrusive issues, the controls. While the game has been released for consoles as well as PC, it seems clear the development had a PC-first mindset, as a glance at the controls menu and even some of the interface still has keyboard prompts rather than buttons. Of course, this could be a fairly easy fix in a future update.​
...it still feels like there's something missing here. Perhaps an over-the-top protagonist like Chase McCain was in LEGO City Undercover...
The result is that actually building the LEGO models is time-consuming and often wrought with imprecise movements as you struggle to line up bricks.

This ups the difficulty without meaning to, potentially putting the game out of reach for some younger players, at least those without mum, dad, or an unusually cooperative sibling with them to pitch in now and again.
Spooky underground cave with a ghost and the player character
Other than that the experience is quite relaxed. The music can get a little repetitive at times, but has themes tied to each area which match the happy-go-lucky vibe.

From a visual design point of view, the digitised bricks are familiar, with a little more true-to-life aesthetic than you might be used to from the Travellers Tales LEGO series, or even LEGO Worlds, and the character animation has inspiration from the stop-motion effect in The LEGO Movie.

There are only a few things to point to which really stand out as not quite right, it still feels like there's something missing here. Perhaps an over-the-top character like Chase McCain was in LEGO City Undercover, or more depth to the narrative.
Mostly, it feels like a game which isn't quite sure if it's for kids or big kids, and while the construction system it's based on has had over 70 years to perfect the balance between its various audiences – and famously spent a fair amount of time getting it wrong at various points – it's no surprise it's a challenge.

Overall, there's a lot of fun stuff in here, and the package is more than the sum of its tiny plastic brick-shaped parts, but if you come looking for a serious cerebral challenge, you might find yourself wanting more often than not, until you're faced with the prospect of building something more intricate like a fire escape.

If you embrace the quirky humour and complete the build challenges in the spirit they are intended, you're in for a fun time.

Pros
  • The best digital LEGO construction we've seen
  • Fun humour in a cute and playful package
  • Keeps it simple and effective…
​
Cons
  • …but seems too simple for big kids and too tricky for youngsters
  • Could do with a more compelling protagonist
  • Doesn't make you feel like a Master Builder

8/10​
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Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order | Review | Xbox One

27/11/2019

 
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order | Review | Xbox One - Pass the Controller

Force fever is running high once again with the triple threat of a new Star Wars film - Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker - Disney+ series The Mandalorian and video game Jedi: Fallen Order all occupying the zeitgeist at the same time.

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 by James
 Michael
 Parry


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@James_Parry

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Developer: Respawn Entertainment
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Players: 1

Despite feeling a little like overload, if you're at all inclined to visit a galaxy far, far away then Fallen Order will grip you from the get go. The game’s visual design and music in particular immediately succeed in pulling you deeply into George Lucas’ beloved world.

Cal Kestis, played by Gotham's Cameron Monaghan, is a fairly typical, plucky and sarcastic Star Wars protagonist. He’s joined (just as Battlefront 2's Iden Versio was) by a helpful companion droid, model number BD-1. As you might expect, the pair quickly form a bond and as the game progresses little BD gains helpful new tricks such as the ability to hack (or "splice") locks and robotic enemies alike.

Coming from the developers of Titanfall, and, more recently, Apex Legends, we came into the game expecting to discover that Respawn Entertainment’s trademark hyper-mobile movement was possible out of the gate. Instead, players are eased into utilising Cal's full suite of Jedi powers slowly as he rediscovering them throughout the story.

Set after Order 66 was enacted in Revenge of the Sith, the Jedi Order has largely been eradicated, with Cal's former master amongst those lost. He's been keeping a low profile, working in a starship scrapyard and not tapping into the Force, until the events of the narrative (ahem) force his hand. 

Controlling Cal is a weightier affair than franchise fans might be accustomed to from the comparatively arcade-y Force Unleashed series or the hero sections in the Battlefront series. Not being able to wall run at first seems odd when there are clearly telegraphed locations littering levels, but thankfully this is a skill you quickly remember from your early training as a child (with careful use of a flashback). Still, it's obligatory element like this which appear the most game-y, considering the polished and cinematic presentation as a whole.
Your lightsaber can be a brutal weapon, particularly when it comes to performing finishing manoeuvres, which you'd expect from the samurai sword the concept was originally based on. It feels surprisingly personal too, by the simple notion of letting you heavily customise your saber with collectibles found strewn about the game's various worlds, alongside the existing cosmetic microtransactions and pre-order bonuses. Before long, the offering will almost certainly be expanded to include tantalising new DLC linked to The Rise of Skywalker.

Exploring multiple worlds is the name of the game - and seemingly the flavour of the autumn after The Outer Worlds - thanks to friendly transport ship the Mantis, which you can also customise to an extent. Traversing around is a mix of platforming and climbing which borrows from titles like Tomb Raider and Breath of the Wild, but it's the collective library of FromSoftware that Fallen Order pulls its strongest influences from.

Falling in battle sees you respawn at a designated checkpoint that’s never too far away, with these meditation spots being equivalent to bonfires. You can upgrade skills there, while also replenishing your health and healing items at the cost of reviving lesser enemies. Should one of them kill you, you'll need to return to the perpetrator and land a single hit to retrieve the experience gained since earning your last skillpoint.

You'll know danger is around the corner when grumbling strings start to creep in, helping to build a sense of tension whenever enemies attack – often from blindspots as you move through doorways.
After the initial tutorial level, which is fairly cinematic and exposition heavy in its attempt to introduce a lot of mechanics, you'll find the game opens up and lets you explore. It’s possible to wander into locations where the difficulty spikes or you don’t have the necessary equipment to explore, which is an indication to turn tail and come back later. It can feel odd to do so, since we’ve been conditioned to see gaming Jedi as unstoppable, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with shifting expectations.

Having only been a youngster when the order fell, Cal isn't a master; not to mention it's been a while since he flurried a lightsaber around on a daily basis. You can knock the difficulty down at any time, however, dialling back enemy aggression and damage while giving you a wider window to parry attacks.

Fallen Order challenges you to discover the Force, just as Cal is rediscovering it, and on that front it definitely succeeds. Combat is satisfying and has the bite of challenge a lot of fans will have been looking for, and the setting is a delicious meal of sci-fi Star Wars goodness. Where it hits a few stumbling blocks are mostly technical issues and things which remind you that this is, after all, a game. Texture and enemy pop-in is fairly common, performance can occasionally slow down, and minute-long load times can really kill your momentum after being defeated in battle.

Still, for those who’ve been waiting for EA to do something really special with the Star Wars licence, Jedi: Fallen Order is exactly that.

Pros

  • Gorgeous presentation and world-building
  • Lightsaber feels like a dangerous weapon, rather than a toy sword
  • Has the signature excitement and wonder associated with Star Wars 

Cons

  • Technical stutters stop the game in its tracks, even on Xbox One X
  • No setting to bridge Jedi Knight (Normal) and slightly patronising Story Mode
  • Making the camera play ball, even when locked on in combat, can be tricky

9/10
0 Comments

Etherborn | Xbox One | Review

18/7/2019

 
Etherborn | Xbox One | Review - Pass the Controller

Three months ago we previewed Etherborn and opined that the indie debut from Altered Matter - helped to fruition by FoxNext and investors on crowdfunding platform Fig - looked set to impress when the full game landed. Now it’s here; an excellent puzzle-platformer which ignores the laws of gravity, requiring you to throw out conventional logic in order to wrap your head (and featureless in-game avatar) around its brain-teasing levels.

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by Sam Sant

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@SlamShotSam


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Developer: Altered
Matter

Publisher: Altered
Matter

Platforms: Xbox
​One, PS4, Switch, PC
​(Steam)

Players: 1
The voiceless, translucent humanoid you control is born - ethereally so - into a visually immaculate, minimalist world where truly 3D stages are suspended against colourful backdrops of nothingness. As you come to appreciate the elegant visuals, inspired by 20-21st century art, the sultry tone of a disembodied female voice beckons you. Seeking its source is the only way to discover your purpose.

Since there aren’t any hints or HUD element to speak of, getting there is a learning experience, and that’s no bad thing - you’ll more firmly grasp Etherborn’s genius mechanics when you parse them for yourself. Through experimentation and some early deaths, players learn that the effects of gravity apply perpendicular to the surface they’re currently standing on, demolishing the concept of any ‘correct’ global orientation.

With this new perspective in mind, you learn to read environments differently in both obvious and subtle ways, like watching for smooth corner transitions to allow for switching gravity’s axis by walking across shear surfaces, or recognising that you’ll need to snake all the way around a level to reach a location right in front of you. Uniquely, stages must be approached as structures which you manipulate yourself over, under and around.

Etherborn isn’t a game where puzzles are a brief aside that mostly serve to control pacing, rather it is in itself one large-scale problem to solve. With so many modern games simply handing out answers, it can be frustrating when an outlier refuses to stroke your ego, but Altered Matter nip that potential problem in the bud by having every asset project serenity and almost hypnotise the player into a meditative state of calm.

The relaxed mindset it encourages - further helped along by the fact that there are no distracting collectibles or secondary objectives to consider - allows you to ignore any inhibitions and try the sorts of unconventional solutions years of gaming have likely conditioned you to assume won't work - only, in this instance, they more often than not do.
Etherborn isn’t a game where puzzles are a brief aside that mostly serve to control pacing, rather it is in itself one large-scale problem to solve.
Based on our early look at Etherborn, which we now know featured quite a large portion of the game, we wondered aloud how it might evolve in terms of its structure. There are only two additional stages in the final product, both built around the same concept of using light orbs tucked away within them to transform the landscape and allow for your passage. Much the same then, but not disparagingly so, since aesthetic diversity partners with a greater focus on platforming elements and more sprawling real estate to keep things engaging right to the end.

So engaging as to warrant an immediate second playthrough, in fact. Game + mode takes place across the same suite of levels, but the light orbs within them are now deviously concealed from view. This is the first time you’ll really need to manipulate the camera, which closely tracks your movements on an initial playthrough in order to help guide you, whereas in Game + those viewpoints are utilised to mask solutions instead. Again, it’s hard to protest it being unfair that something is hidden off-screen when at the same time you’re serenaded by Etherborn’s gorgeous, equilibrium-maintaining soundtrack.
Our preview also left us with an impression of the game’s story we deemed “vague and introspect”, based essentially on its first half. Having now seen it through, the narrative is largely open to interpretation, but does a good job of getting its abstract concepts across. Our take? A sombre and gleeful exploration of the eternal struggles of the human mind. Fitting, as the game being an effective form of meditation means it also doubles as mental medication.

Etherborn is poignant and not precisely like any other game, perhaps feeling closest to Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s focused body of work (Rez, Child of Eden, Tetris Effect) in the flow state it so easily elicits. It’s a thoroughly lovely, meditative experience that’ll have you sink deep into your seat and slow your breathing while exploring the 3D environments in all of their dimensions. It’s outstandingly clever and effortlessly spellbinding, despite the work it no doubt took the talented team at Altered Matter to get there.

Pros

  • Ingenious level and integrated puzzle design
  • Gorgeously minimalistic art
  • Warm, soothing soundtrack and voice acting
  • Beneficial to mental health and acuity
  • Game + is a good means of extending longevity...

Cons

  • … Yet it’s still over all too quickly

9/10


For more on Etherborn, check out our interview with the game's Creative Director, Samuel Cohen.
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Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night | Xbox One | Review

2/7/2019

 
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night | Xbox One | Review - Pass the Controller

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a triumph. Crowdfunded to the tune of more than $5.5 million at the height of the Kickstarter craze, many of its peers released to lukewarm critical and commercial reception, but Koji Igarashi and company took the extra time to produce something truly special.

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by Sam Sant

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@SlamShotSam


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Developer: ArtPlay
Publisher: 505 Games
Platforms: Xbox
​One, PS4, Switch, PC
​(Steam)

Players: 1
After Konami made it transparent they weren’t interested in reviving the legendary Castlevania franchise, series pioneer Igarashi took the proverbial ball and ran with it. Having secured his funding goal more than eleven times over, he assembled a team and began work on the Castlevania: Symphony of the Night spiritual successor that the people wanted and Konami refused to make. Seemingly very little changed in the transition, as Bloodstained is essentially a Castlevania game in all but name.

As you might expect, Ritual of the Night is a traditional metroidvania - also dubbed an ‘Igavania’ in honour of Igarashi - which builds on last year’s more linear retro prequel, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. You play as Miriam, one of that game’s optionally recruitable protagonists, now intricately realised in 3D as she sets out to rid the world of demons summoned by a dark ritual.

Miriam is a Shardbinder, one of the last two remaining humans capable of harnessing demonic power; these powers manifest in-game as a wide variety of active and passive abilities, now capable of being turned against the denizens of Hell. By building up an arsenal, you’ll be able to deeper infiltrate the gothic castle at the core of Bloodstained and ultimately defeat the other, vampiric Shardbinder that uses his powers for evil. Sounds kinda familiar, huh?

It boils down very simply, but there’s a surprising level of focus placed on the narrative here, which is fleshed out with plenty of cutscenes and hammy dialogue exchanges (in your choice of English or Japanese) between the main cast. Throw in some text-based lore and the story manages to reach the realms of mild intrigue, which is actually somewhat of a compliment, considering the genre.
Igavania? More like egovania, amirite? ... Seriously though, Igarashi (above) is one of the greats!
​Gameplay has always been the bread and butter of metroidvania games, and Ritual of the Night certainly doesn’t disappoint on that front. Largely it’s very familiar in that you travel an enormous, satisfyingly interconnected map collecting new abilities - such as the power to fire yourself through narrow gaps like a ricocheting bullet - which in turn grant access to new areas. The well-established gameplay loop is incredibly moreish when executed in exacting fashion, as it is here, almost defying you to leave any small segment of the map unexplored.

From torchlit castle halls to moonlit cathedral towers, to dank sewers and myriad exotic locales beyond, a wide range of seemingly disparate areas are convincingly tied together by a unified aesthetic and intelligent, looping shortcuts. You’ll get to know the world of Bloodstained quite intimately as you backtrack to solve puzzles you’ve since discovered the answers to, or to reach designated save and fast travel rooms, which never becomes a chore.

That’s thanks not just to the exquisite 2.5D level design, but the tight platforming and deep combat systems you’ll engage with along the way. Miriam can acquire and equip outfits and weapons throughout her journey, the former of which offer various stat boosts and aesthetic changes when items are worn on the head, while the latter can completely change how the game plays.

Depending on preference you might opt for the greater range of a whip or a spear, the close-quarters finesse of a dagger, the balance of a one-handed sword, or the brute force of a laboured greataxe swing. That’s not to mention firearms and their different ammo types. Every harebrained enemy - be it a frog, a dragon, or a scissor-handed marionette straight outta Devil May Cry - has their share of quantifiable strengths and weaknesses, so it makes sense to switch things up on the regular. If you can master enemy attack patterns and Miriam’s graceful backstep dodge, as well as the necessary timing and spacing for your favourite weapons, hostile encounters become akin to dance.
An undisputed retro classic made modern, without sacrificing an ounce of appeal or introducing current industry ailments.
Combat has incredible nuance for those who seek to discover it, be that in hidden techniques for specific weapons, attack hit boxes that extend behind and/or directly above your person dependant on the animation, or the realisation that a weapon might be doubly efficient when used while crouched. A small complaint would be that once you do grow proficient, due to normal difficulty being the only option available on an initial playthrough, bosses especially go from an engaging challenge to a complete cakewalk. That and the game's technical performance can take a big hit when your screen-filling, death-dealing prowess matches theirs.

​
If you’re all about preserving the challenge, limiting your selection of Shards would be a good start. These crystallised forms of demon power randomly drop from enemies and tend to either grant access to one of their abilities or allow you to summon the relevant beast to fight alongside you temporarily. You can equip quite a few at once and they’re more often than not very potent, theoretically balanced out by limiting their use with a mana resource, but, unlike health, mana automatically regenerates over time so there’s little reason not to make liberal use of them. 

​Familiars are ever-present AI helpers that don’t consume mana, even auto-levelling alongside the leading lady, whilst elsewhere upgrades are carried out via a vendor at a peaceful hub location. Here you can buy/sell and cook/craft using materials most often discovered in chests, dropped by defeated enemies, or gifted as rewards for completing optional side quests.
With Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding also releasing in 2019, we wonder if Konami are feeling ashamed of their words and deeds...
Somewhat uncharacteristically, we’ve been loving the grind to gather ingredients, cook and consume all of the game’s recipes in order to claim their permanent stat increases, perhaps because it’s a simple pleasure to spend time in the Bloodstained universe. Another uncharacteristic find, at least for me personally, is the appreciation of quite an anime visual style; I’m coming around to the character models, but the colourful backdrops evoking the game’s stained glass motif I universally adore! More predictable is our love of the orchestral soundtrack, looping and grandiose in its modern interpretation of catchy retro classics.

In fact, that sums Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night up pretty well - an undisputed retro classic made modern, without sacrificing an ounce of appeal or introducing current industry ailments in the process. There’s a lot of game here, and it’s so compelling in its mechanics and audiovisuals that you’ll want to drain every last drop from the experience like a vampire affixed to its succulent neck.

Pros

  • Castlevania is (basically) back
  • Lavishly interconnected environments to discover and explore
  • Vast array of tools and enemies imbue combat with a similar sense of discovery
  • Beautiful overall presentation
  • Crowdfunded project that took the time to give backers exactly what they pledged towards 

Cons

  • Frame drops during busier moments, even on Xbox One X
  • First playthrough is limited to normal difficulty
  • Characters and story are just half decent for the screen time they’re given

9/10
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Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom | Nintendo Switch | Review

14/12/2018

 
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom | Nintendo Switch | Review - Pass the Controller

Spiritual successor to the classic Wonder Boy games, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is a strikingly gorgeous, achingly nostalgic adventure that gets better and better the more you play.

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by Sam Sant

Picture

@SlamShotSam


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Developer: The
Game Atelier
Publisher: FDG
Entertainment
​Platforms: Switch, Xbox
One, PS4, PC
​Players: 1
The story is simple: after your drunken uncle turns Monster World’s colourful cast of characters into anthropomorphic creatures, including blue-haired protagonist Jin, it falls to the player to venture out and restore equilibrium. There’s little more to it than that, which is fine, and, coupled with the text-based delivery, it evokes an intendedly retro feel.

That brand of pitch-perfect nostalgia extends into most aspects of the game - the hand-drawn, 2D art style that’s layered for 3D effect; the rockin’, homage-paying soundtrack; the simple, tried-and-true core platforming tenants - resulting in a reimagining that feels like a faithfully slicker, sharper version of its forefathers.

Cursed Kingdom by no means relies on that to get by though, constantly evolving as new areas and gameplay elements are introduced on the regular. Being the titular Monster Boy, Jin can (eventually) transform into a range of animals, each boasting their own fitting suite of abilities and loving, bespoke animations.

From a porcine punch-packing pig, capable of sniffing out secrets and casting spells, to a frog with a knack for aquatics and a grappling hook-like tongue, to a venom-spewing, wall-crawling, small-space-navigating snake, and beyond, each animal form greatly impacts how the game plays.

Whether a specific character is required to solve a platforming section or puzzle, or they’re just better suited to a certain combat encounter, you’ll very often be switching them out and it’s here, when you come to combine their powers in increasingly inventive ways, that Monster Boy flourishes.

What’s more, those select animal forms that are capable of equipping armour and weaponry present even further opportunity to mix things up, courtesy of an interchangeable and upgradeable arsenal collected or purchased throughout the course of Jin’s lengthy adventure. Decking yourself out in the best gear available helps you rise to meet a challenging, but fair, difficulty curve at the hands of persistent baddies, hectic boss battles, precision platforming, and the odd head-scratching conundrum.
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is a strikingly gorgeous, achingly nostalgic adventure that gets better and better the more you play.
Some items come with associated abilities - like boots that enable a double jump manoeuvre - often granting access to new areas, or at the very least previously inaccessible nooks within explored locales. Monster World is pretty huge, so the detailed, screen-by-screen map that’s awash with hints pointing towards as-yet-undiscovered secrets is a real boon for completionists.

Fortunately, the game’s setting is as varied as it is vast, encompassing idyllic, bustling hub towns through dark, labyrinthine sewers. Not just visually diverse, areas also require different tactics to traverse, making each feel doubly distinct and effectively staving off any potential fatigue resulting from what’s, ultimately, quite a familiar overarching structure.
In basest terms, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is another retro platformer, but, given time, it blossoms into something altogether more complex and enthralling. The fact that the folks at FDG Entertainment and The Game Atelier managed to pull that off while remaining staunchly true to their ‘80s inspiration, Wonder Boy, results in a masterfully-executed game that fans of retro platformers and modern metroidvanias alike will adore.

Pros

  • Faithfully modernises the classic Wonder Boy series
  • Regularly introduces new areas & mechanics, making it hard to put down
  • Play as a range of characters, each being distinct & equally playable
  • Absolutely vivacious visuals
  • Overall quality & breadth justify a comparatively high price point

Cons

  • Barebones story (though you probably weren’t expecting otherwise)

9/10
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Spyro Reignited Trilogy | Xbox One | Review

26/11/2018

 
Spyro-Reignited-Trilogy

Hot on the heels of their Crash Bandicoot reboot, Toys For Bob and Activision are back with another slice of 90’s nostalgia in the form of Spyro Reignited Trilogy, an upgraded collection of the first three titles to star the diminutive purple dragon, lovingly restored for a new generation.

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 by Liam
​ Andrews


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​@liam_andrews5

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Developer: Toys For Bob
Publisher: Activision
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC 
Players: 1

Even if you’re too young to remember these games in their original forms, or just happen to have grown up in a household where Mario was the undisputed king of platformers, a quick search shows just how much of a stellar job the team at Toys For Bob have done bringing Spyro into the modern era.

​Blocky graphics and blurry textures have been polished and smoothed to a standard fit for today's consoles, while more refined animations breath new life into characters, particularly in the first game, where Spyro’s fellow dragons now boast unique personality traits to help set them apart from one another. The only downsides to this are an occasional dropped frame and a sometimes tricky camera (an element you didn’t previously have manual control over), though neither are intrusive enough to spoil the experience.

It’s also worth noting at this point that Reignited doesn’t give you the option of enabling subtitles. While this won’t be a deal breaker for most players, for some they’re a real necessity. Although the trio of games don’t lean heavily on their narratives, it seems odd that such a basic feature would be overlooked, especially considering how many of the first game’s tips are tricks are handed out through short vignettes every time you rescue a dragon. Hopefully it’s something that’ll be remedied in a future patch.

Despite the drastic visual overhaul, there’s much here that’ll feel instantly familiar to veterans of the series, with core gameplay and level designs that remain true to the source material. Map layouts are the same, and Spyro can use his signature jump, glide, charge and flame abilities just as he did in the past.
There are still gems galore to hoover up across the hub worlds and their many colourful offshoots, and old hands and newcomers alike will be glad to hear that the relatively rudimentary gameplay still holds up, even if enemies - particularly bosses - do seem absurdly easy by today’s standards.

​All three games feature a healthy mix of biomes, from sandy deserts and treetop villages to the obligatory water levels, but it’s the sequels, Ripto’s Rage! and Year of the Dragon, that outshine the first thanks to the addition of non-dragon NPCs which imbue worlds with extra character. Year of the Dragon even sees you take control of Sypro’s sidekicks now and then, including a jetpacking penguin with shoulder-mounted rocket launchers, which is just about as fun as it sounds.

Along with bonus levels – including our personal favourites that see you flying through obstacles and taking out enemies within a time limit – these moments help to stop monotony from creeping in as you progress through the collection. There’s also the added challenge of collecting skill points, which are acquired through completing specific tasks on certain levels, be it taking out enemies with particular attacks, reaching a hidden area or taking no damage during a boss fight.
Reuniting with Spyro provided a welcome and nostalgic distraction from modern life.
They add another layer of depth, especially for the completionists out there, but the concept art offered as a reward for their completion is a bit underwhelming. We’d have been much more motivated to hunt down all of the numerous challenges if there was a sweeter bonus up for grabs, like maybe a means to switch between the original and remastered visuals. As it is, the only throwback to the original games’ design is the option to play with the old-school soundtrack (composed by The Police drummer Stewart Copeland) enabled, which doesn’t actually sound all that different from the updated one.

Although the Reignited Trilogy may appear basic compared to many of today’s offerings - you won’t find any branching skill trees or a particularly engaging storyline here - the colourful, cheery nature of the games kept pulling us back in for more. On the whole, reuniting with Spyro provided a welcome and nostalgic distraction from modern life, reminding us of a simpler time when penny sweets and six o'clock double headers of The Simpsons were the norm.

Pros
​
  • Simple, satisfying gameplay
  • Beautifully remastered visuals
  • Characters have a lot more personality
  • Switching between the three games is easy

​Cons
​
  • Occasional dropped frames
  • Boss fights are underwhelming
  • No comparison tool to showcase the visual leap
  • No subtitles

7/10
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