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Alan Wake Remastered review | PS5

13/10/2021

 
Alan faces three Taken at Bright Falls Deerfest
There are few gaming protagonists with a more intriguing first outing than Alan Wake. Remedy Entertainment are now well-known for their love of narrative and willingness to experiment with sequencing and structure, thanks to more recent games like Quantum Break and Control. Back in the mid-2000s, however, they only had the first two May Payne titles and Death Race under their belt, a lot of ideas and an eagerness to do something original.
James Michael Parry

by James Michael Parry

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​@james_parry

Alan Wake box art
Developer: Remedy Entertainment, D3T
Publisher: Epic Games
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Players: 1

Thanks to a publishing deal with Microsoft, Alan Wake released exclusively on Xbox 360 in 2010, before coming to PC a couple of years later. The launch of this remaster presents PlayStation fans with their first opportunity to explore Bright Falls as the troubled, titular writer - fortunately, it holds up well.

Coming to the game having already enjoyed those later Remedy titles, things do feel a little rough and ready. The character control isn’t very smooth, particularly when you need Alan to jump across gaps or perform any sort of fine movements. Fortunately, the central gameplay is fairly straightforward – point your torch (“flashlight”) at a dark, shadowy being until the darkness burns away and they’re ready to receive a few gunshots.

The introductory section does well in teaching the mechanics, though, as somewhat of a survival horror experience, the difficulty can be fairly punishing even on easy mode. This tutorial sequence also serves as a primer to the surrealistic setting on which Wake’s psyche has an impact.

Bright Falls is an escape for Mr. Wake, it turns out, as the famous author has been trying to write another best-seller for two years without success. Wake’s wife, Alice, whose fear of the dark is telegraphed as an important plot point very early on, tries to get him in the writing mood by bringing a typewriter along. This leads to an argument, and things start to get very dark from there.

While progressing through the story, you’ll find hints in the form of manuscript pages which foreshadow events that either just happened or are still to come. This makes gathering what are essentially collectables more meaningful, since they can give you a tactical advantage when you get into a situation with prior knowledge.
Alan Wake broods in the darkness
Remedy knows how to reward players who pay close attention, and the live-action Night Springs TV show, which heavily borrows from the format and style of The Twilight Zone, also hints at upcoming plot elements. 

In fact, the presentation overall carries an episodic format; there are quick credits sequences and “previously on” recaps as you progress. Looking back, it’s clear to see how the multimedia stylings of Quantum Break came about. Disappointingly, though, the prequel live-action miniseries Bright Falls isn’t included in this remaster.
​
Darkness is an ever-present companion in the narrative, with various story beats necessitating that Wake be out in the woods, alone, at night. It gives the game an isolated feeling similar to early examples of survival horror (compounded by slightly awkward character controls).
Alan faces off against a digger
Whether or not the game is for you depends on how exciting untangling a supernatural mystery sounds.
Additional weapons and light sources gradually become available, which help to mix up the gameplay and more efficiently eliminate harder enemy types. While this is all well and good, the unfolding narrative intrigue is the real draw. Whether or not the game is for you depends on how exciting untangling a supernatural mystery sounds. The game puts its case forward early on, telling you what you’re letting yourself in for and sticking to its guns.

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In terms of the remaster itself, the visuals and particularly how it uses light – which is especially important here – are noticeably improved by Remastered developers D3T. The official comparison trailer makes it clear that the original was already punching above its weight, but now it looks sharper and plays smoother than ever thanks to 4K at 60 FPS performance on PS5, Xbox Series X and PC.
Alan Wake takes on three Taken with a flashlight
The ominous atmosphere and presentation goes a long way to immediately bring you into the story. Narratively the game can be hammy and far-fetched at times, though it’s absolutely aware of what it is; it’s easy to recommend to any fan of Remedy that hasn’t played Alan Wake before.

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For returning players, besides the inclusion of the hit-and-miss DLC you may not have played, there’s not anything new or particularly different to bring you back. Since the experience was designed to remain faithful to the original release, however, that’s not a huge surprise. It might even be a positive for purists looking to relive an old favourite in search of nostalgia.

With the spooky season officially upon us, you could do far worse than picking up Alan Wake Remastered and discovering an action-adventure classic. Now’s the perfect time to book a trip to the surreal town of Bright Falls.

Pros

  • Intriguing story and good characterisation
  • Updated visuals, with impressive lighting and shadows
  • Discover ties to the world of Control

Cons
​
  • Movement and animations can feel awkward
  • Occasional performance drops and texture pop-in
  • Not much is new for returning players

9/10​
0 Comments

PHOGS! review | Xbox One X

2/12/2020

 
PHOGS! get hot under the collar

Sometimes you need a video game to inject some joy into your life, and that applies especially in 2020. Enter PHOGS!, the charming puzzle game about exploring with a double-headed dog in search of bone-shaped treats.

James Michael Parry
by James Michael Parry

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​@james_parry

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Developer: Coatsink and Bit Loom Games
Publisher: Coatsink
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox X|S, PS4, PS5, PC, Switch
Players: 1-2

The game at first glance seems simplistic, but behind it's bright colours and basic control scheme lies a delightful, engaging experience for all ages. Beyond colour, the aesthetic has a cartoonish, almost cel-shaded style. Its early, food-orientated levels channel greats like Overcooked and Mario Odyssey’s Luncheon Kingdom, before transitioning to a more subdued presentation for the nighttime stages.

Exploring with the PHOGS themselves is fairly linear. While you’ll need to keep an eye out to find all of the collectable bones in each level, tackling each challenge required to move on to the next area is straightforward. Visual tells seamlessly teach you how to complete the various tasks, plus there’s some fun environmental storytelling, making the experience particularly accessible to younger or first-time players.

There’s an emphasis on savoring the experience here too; there are no time limits, no scores and no real penalty for falling off the edge of a level, which keeps stress and frustration to a minimum. There’s a unique approach to the control scheme as well, as you’re asked whether you want to use one or two controllers to play. In the case of the former, buttons are separated in such a way that you can play quite happily after some initial adjustment.

Though PHOGS! isn’t too demanding overall, there’s still an element of challenge to achieving 100% completion on each level. That said, you aren’t overwhelmed by a huge number of collectables - instead, finding them will require observation and persistence to track down. Testing the physics is also intuitive, with only the odd moment where you’re thrown around unexpectedly.

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Your reward for scouring the levels is the ability to spend your bones on a modest variety of hats. Unfortunately, even unlocking everything leaves plenty of bones leftover, and the hats themselves often look better in the customisation room than they do in the flesh. With customisation at the forefront in titles like Fall Guys and the Worms series, this inclusion feels a little under-developed, but nonetheless welcome in the absence of microtransactions.
PHOGS! have fun in the sleep world
PHOGS! is easy to pick up and play and the gradual introduction of different challenges and mechanics is steady, drawing you in and having you eager to lap up just one more level.
The PHOGS (a merging of the words physics and dogs, as seen within the gameplay) exude character as you move them around. If you lazily control a single head at a time, for example, you’ll see the trailing head quickly drop off to sleep. That same level of characterisation extends to the NPCs as well, with our particular favourite being an octopus chef who's increasingly pleased with how his mountaintop soup is turning out, thanks to your help.

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The game’s music has enthusiasm and beaming positivity to match, but at times relies too heavily on a short, repeated phrase that can start to grate. Fortunately each level has a new tune, meaning such earworms are fairly short-lived.
PHOGS! have a snooze on the beach after lots of exploring
PHOGS! is an experience we’ve been hearing about for a long time, and it's a pleasure to finally have our paws on it. The sheer delight at successfully getting Red and Blue to the friendly patchwork-style snake which safeguards the end of each level can’t be overstated. It’s easy to pick up and play and the gradual introduction of different challenges and mechanics is steady, drawing you in and having you eager to lap up just one more level.

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Coming into the festive season, a family PHOGS! session sounds far more appealing than a six-hour argument over Monopoly. It’s also just as fun to watch as it is to play, for any technologically-opposed family members. Coatsink and Bit Loom Games have taken a simple concept and really nailed it. If you’re in the mood for some gaming joy this Christmas, PHOGS! undoubtedly fits the bill.

​Pros

  • Adorable artstyle and characterisation
  • Accessible to all ages and skill levels
  • Hard to resist grabbing all of the collectibles 

Cons
​
  • Music can grate at times
  • Customisation options are underwhelming
  • Controls can occasionally feel a little floaty and imprecise

9/10
0 Comments

Star Wars Pinball | Nintendo Switch | Review

14/9/2019

 
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Pinball machines are few and far between these days. You might find a dusty old one in your local pub, but it’s very unlikely you’ll stumble across the crème de la crème like a Star Wars-themed table.

James Michael Parry

​by James
Michael
Parry

@james_parry on Twitter

​@james_parry

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Developer: Zen Studios
Publisher: Koch Media
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Players: 1-4

Fortunately, thanks to the power of the Nintendo Switch, you can now carry 19 of those along with you in Star Wars Pinball. At first glance you might be tempted to make a snap judgement – either that the tables are going to feel samey quickly, or that the sheer number alone is overwhelming and you don't know where to start.

The game eases you in gently with its Career mode though, which has you take on each table in turn with a different imposed limit, whether that's time or pinballs or distance travelled. You don't need to be a pro to make progress here either, even just paddle flapping away you'll find the points wracking up, but to really get to the big bonuses – and more importantly experience the more visually interesting features of each table – you may want to refer to the table guide, which will take you through the various special missions and skillshots which can be played with on any given setup.

If linear isn't really your speed, you can also tackle the tables in any order with a standard three-ball setup, complete with the usual score challenges to boot. After a bit of flipping, you'll find you've picked up some holocron shards which can then be used to unlock force powers, giving you buffs and abilities used to tip the odds in your favour and help to reach even higher scores.

​​There are online leaderboards and a metagame within them which pits the light against the dark side of the Force for... well, it's not immediately clear what for. Of course, if you're on the go out in the middle of nowhere you might feel a bit more isolated. Never fear, as befriending fellow passengers on public transport has never been easier with hotseat multiplayer letting you take turns and challenge one another for the mantle of top scorer.
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The level of detail and visual polish the game has to offer is only really shown off on a big screen however, if only because so much of the detail is otherwise packed into a small space. Even with a range of camera options (which annoyingly don't seem to remember your preference between stages), you can't get the full effect in handheld move.

One particularly neat feature is that you can encourage the screen to turn 90-degrees in either direction, meaning in tabletop mode (presumably with some makeshift stand option) or handheld portrait with an adapter, you can enjoy a more comfortable oblong, bird's eye view of proceedings.​

The highlight of the experience, and where Zen Studios really flex their creative muscles, is the scene mode, which has six scenes or characters showcased in micro-fights or challenges spread across the board, where your actions might cause blaster fire to be deflected or a door to be unlocked. The fun of reliving those iconic moments is a genuine thrill, even for a fan with more rewatches of the original trilogy than they might like to admit…
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There's longevity here (unless you really, really aren't a fan of pinball), and plenty of nooks and crannies to explore within every table. You'll even stumble across the odd minigame, where you'll navigate an asteroid field or go toe-to-toe with Darth Vader in a lightsaber duel, and playing around with familiar characters (albeit with less familiar voice acting) is a delight.

Pinball is here, and the Force is with it.

Pros

  • A vast array of tables from all across the galaxy
  • Inventive ideas and even lesser films are spun in interesting new ways
  • Gorgeous visuals, slick presentation and solid performance

Cons
​
  • Slightly hammy voice work in places
  • Camera can be uncooperative
  • Force feedback is lacklustre

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.
0 Comments

A Plague Tale: Innocence | Xbox One | Review

14/5/2019

 
A Plague Tale: Innocence | Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC (Steam) | Review - Pass the Controller

Ever since previewing the game on PC back in March, we’ve been itching to rejoin Amicia and Hugo De Rune, the noble siblings orphaned and destitute in A Plague Tale’s opening chapters. After replaying those harrowing first hours on Xbox One X, we picked up where we left off on the journey to cure five-year-old Hugo’s undiagnosed illness.

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by Sam Sant

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@SlamShotSam


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Developer: Asobo
Studio

Publisher: Focus Home
Interactive

Platforms: Xbox
​One, PS4, PC (Steam)
Players: 1
Controlling young Amicia, you’ll take Hugo by the hand and guide him through medieval France during the Hundred Years’ War, a time where the cultish Inquisition rose to prominence as much of the civilian population succumbed to deadly plague. It’s a grim setting which pervasively oozes death, disease and famine as you navigate mostly linear levels contained by invisible walls.

Whilst there are more elegant ways to guide the player, that’s not entirely a bad thing, since narrative-driven solo experiences are a breed currently facing their own plague of sorts. With its defined structure and gameplay pillars, which are consistently switched out, iterated on and reintroduced to keep a largely excellent pacing, A Plague Tale feels like one of those games from the “good ol’ days” we all like to reminisce about.

Asobo Studio and Focus Home Interactive tell a complete and uncompromised story here, which gradually builds and builds towards an almighty crescendo. Imagine Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons meets Resident Evil 4 for a sense of the tone, which might sound like an odd combination, but trust us – it works. A Plague Tale is one of the few more recent titles which has compelled us to keep playing through sheer intrigue as to what happens next, more akin to a good book or TV show than most games.

In spite of all the eventual craziness, empathetic relationships between family and friends are at the narrative’s very core. This helps to nip any resentment which might stem from the fact that, in many ways, A Plague Tale can be distilled down to an escort mission in the bud. It doesn’t feel like one, though, as Hugo and the additional young companions you encounter are all incredibly likeable characters, thanks to their unique practical gameplay contributions and the considered writing and delivery behind them.

It’s effective stuff, as evidenced by the fact we can forgive the cumbersome issues resulting from their presence. We’ve had character models duplicate, folks walk into walls and fall so far behind or run off so far ahead that their dialogue was inaudible, but most often it’s a simple case of clumsily stumbling over one another (figuratively speaking) in confined spaces.
A complete and uncompromised story, which gradually builds and builds towards an almighty crescendo.
You’re at least afforded a degree of control in telling your ‘main’ companion at any given time to wait, preventing them from getting in the way or meeting any misfortune during combat; unless you leave poor Hugo for too long, that is, in which case he’ll panic and unwittingly attract Inquisition guards.

Rats are too numerous to fight head-on, so when we say combat it pertains to humans, who take no issue with running Amicia through with a sword and snatching up her younger brother. You can dodge incoming attacks to open up a counter window, though most often it won’t come to that since encounters are incredibly easy with a few early upgrades under your belt. There aren’t multiple difficulty settings, either, which makes toggling the incredibly generous aim-assist and HUD off the only ways to inject some challenge.

Ms. De Rune’s weapon of choice - the humble sling - at least unleashes projectiles with a satisfying thwip. As well as slinging rocks, you’ll routinely need to craft and chuck alchemical concoctions to turn the tides in your favour, for example corroding an armoured helmet in order to expose the wearer’s dome for a lethal headshot. Alternatively, you could take a more indirect approach, maybe breaking a lantern as means to ring the delicious dinner bell on an all-you-can-eat rat buffet.

Should you need to conserve resources (which we always had in abundance), it’s also possible to opt out of the murder game for the most part. More likely to have you playing pacifist are the instances where your actions are questioned by the impressionable young cast, which, in the absence of a concrete morality system, serve to make you think.

Following a guilt trip, it’s time to engage with the familiar stealth systems. Checkpoints are pretty frequent, so you’ll most often just need to memorise set enemy patrol patterns in digestible chunks, maybe throwing a few odds and ends to manufacture helpful distractions along the way. Getting spotted can result in an instant fail state, necessitating some trial and error to discern the best routes, probably to the frustration of some. There’s no real cause for concern though, since you can get away with basically sitting in an enemy's back pocket while crouched.
There’s no sneaking past rats, on the other hand, who’s beady red eyes can number in the on-screen thousands. These black-furred vermin tirelessly scuttle over one another in their endeavour to escape light, so you’ll often need to utilise makeshift torches to cut a path through them and between more substantial stationary light sources. In the later stages you’ll need to use advanced alchemy and your sling to set and extinguish specific fires from afar, herding and trapping them to facilitate your safe passage.

These lite light puzzles feel rewarding, despite the fact that you'll never really need to pause for thought, rather tackle them instinctively. As the rodents grow to become more aggressive, however, some set piece moments require you to switch off your brain and run for it; here the evocative original soundtrack is perhaps at its best, accelerating from sombre to breakneck as the orchestral string section frantically work up a sweat, inducing absolute panic in the player.

Much like the soundscape, A Plague Tale’s visuals are diverse and affecting, reveling in displaying the gnawed and gnarled reality of widespread death through a liberal littering of ravaged corpses. You’ll wade through human and porcine viscera, as well as slimy rat nests that almost reek right through the screen. It’s unpleasant, but outstandingly so, with exquisite lighting and textures telling a story which justifies the lengthy load times.
Much like the soundscape, A Plague Tale’s visuals are diverse and affecting.
Thankfully, the same is true at the other end of the spectrum, where A Plague Tale’s changing locations and weather effects can segue tone at a moment’s notice. These effective shifts don’t just mirror the current mood, but reiterate the wider theme of perseverance, and emphasise the extreme ways in which the sheltered De Rune children experience the world outside their estate for the first time. Rarely is a game’s presentation this meticulously considered, making it a real shame when character models and animations don’t meet the high bar now and then.

Their first original project following a history of ports, A Plague Tale: Innocence has put developer Asobo Studio on the map and almost certainly secured their creative future. Aided by Focus Home Interactive, Asobo have crafted a memorably melancholic adventure with a life-affirming side of joy.

Pros

  • Amicia and Hugo are a lovable leading duo, as are the extended cast
  • Page-turner of a story; you’ll want to play the next chapter to see what happens next
  • Meticulous, evocative environments and orchestral score
  • Rats are a unique enemy, giving rise to engaging puzzles and set pieces
  • Linear, single-player title without microtransactions(!)

Cons

  • Friendly AI quirks can be really distracting
  • So too can all of the invisible walls
  • Combat and stealth sections are competent, but lack challenge and excitement

8/10


If you fancy playing A Plague Tale: Innocence, be sure to enter our giveaway before 23:59 on Friday 17 May 2019 for a chance to win an Xbox One copy.
0 Comments

Heaven's Vault | PS4 | Review

25/4/2019

 
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As my GCSE German teacher would tell you, I’ve never been particularly blessed with languages. How is it then, that Heaven’s Vault has stuck with me from the first play - back at Rezzed in 2018 - right through until now? More importantly, has that initial promise spawned the Oscar Wilde of video games, or, much worse (but definitely funnier), Danny Dyer?

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by Rob Holt
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@acousticmagic

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Developer: Inkle
Publisher: 
Inkle
Platforms: PC, PS4
​Players: 1
Heaven’s Vault casts you in the role of Aliya, an archaeologist with an intriguing past, a love for destroying robots, and a taste for discovery. From the very first moments of the game there’s intrigue aplenty: Aliya’s one-time saviour and now-time mentor tasks you with finding her lost associate, a fellow by the name of Renba. It’s from this simple quest that the game opens up, branches out, and, ultimately, thoroughly entertains.

Now that you know the basic premise, how does the game actually play? Well, you’ll find yourself flitting between third-person adventuring and point-and-clicking, conversing with multiple dialogue options, language deciphering, and... sky sailing on your noble steed. We’ll break them all down individually, of course, but what we can say for sure is this that each element comprising Heaven’s Vault is so well executed, you’ll be hard pressed to pick a favourite.

Point-and-click adventure sections form the backbone of the game, and depending on personal preference (or time constraints) you can indulge in as much, or as little, detective work as you like. We were so taken by the gameworld and story that we spent as much time as possible in each area, gathering every morsel of information available, to not only aid our discovery of what happened to Renba, but to understand as much as we could about the ancient language and characters at the center of the game.

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These sequences are also where you’ll start to see the true beauty of the world which developer Inkle has created. One moment you might find yourself on the Zelda-infused farming moon of Maersi, a location flourishing with lush green grass, endless trickling water, pigs and not-so-friendly citizens. The next you’ll be on a barren, rocky moon, being blown away by sandstorms. Ten minutes later, the bustling, definitely-influenced-by-Marrakech alleys and markets of Elboreth. Then there’s the Garden Palace, a level so thoroughly, stunningly beautiful you can’t help but sit back and just admire it.
Like many games before it, Heaven’s Vault utilises an excellent conversation system that not only affects how people interact with you, but what you learn about the settings, story and lore. We’re sure many would site the Mass Effect series here, but since the Brighton branch of PTC (that’s me) has never played any of them, it feels rather more like the ghost of Shenmue. How will you behave around a particularly aggressive slave master, for example? Will you try and sympathise, or downright scold them for their line of work, thus potentially closing off a line of questioning and information? These choices even change the course of your relationship with robot sidekick Six, who bloody loves a good natter.

Discovery and decoding of an ancient language is one of the main parts of the game that we found so compelling back at Rezzed 2018, so it’s wonderful to see it fully realised in the final product. This is where a thirst for adventure really helps, too: interact with everything you can, as often Aliya will remark about inscriptions or glyphs on certain items, and it’s here where the fun begins. If an inscription is split into four parts, let’s say, you’ll be given a potential selection of words to fill in each of the blanks, based on what you’ve previously tried or discovered. This charming element of trial and error further strengthened our desire to explore.

​
What was all that lark about sky sailing, then? Imagine a blend of Panzer Dragoon and The Wind Waker and you’ll have a decent idea of what to expect, as you pilot the good ship Nightingale along vast rivers in the clouds, to destinations new and old, all the while having one eye out for ruins and wreckages to plunder. The tranquil mood, pastel hues and sublime strings and pianos stave off any potential frustration at the amount of time it can take to get between places in the game, but those of you without patience will be happy to hear that a fast travel option is currently being patched in.
Heaven’s Vault never fails to leave you in awe, in a way only a few games really do.
We’re not sure why you’d want to skip over absorbing more of such a resplendent and alluring game, though. From the dark outlines and subtle colours of the exquisite hand-drawn 2D characters, to the fully 3D, lush environments of the Nebula, Heaven’s Vault never fails to leave you in awe, in a way only a few games really do (here’s looking at you, Breath of the Wild). It’s largely these lavish, luxuriant locales that spur you on to visit as much of the world as possible.

​There’s just so much to love about the game, honestly. Sure, it isn’t completely flawless (the lack of music in many of the cutscenes seems odd, especially considering how good the soundtrack is), but the blend of adventuring, sky sailing, story and language are pretty close to perfect. The wealth of choices mean it’s ripe for multiple replays, too, so you’re really getting your money’s worth.
Whether it’s the small touches such as story recaps every time you start a play session, or the big ones listed above, Heaven’s Vault manages to tap into that truly wondrous, almost childlike sense of discovery brought on by experiencing something for the first time. If it sounds like your speed, make sure you don’t miss out on this glorious, glorious experience.

Pros
​
  • Absolutely stunning visuals
  • Fantastically blends point-and-click adventure with other genres
  • Deep lore, story and characters
  • Sublime audio all around
  • Encourages you to do it your way, lending the game replay value

Cons
​

  • Jarring sections where the gorgeous audio vanishes
  • Lengthy travel times may bore some (though there’s a fix incoming)

9/10
0 Comments

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.

Picture





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
0 Comments

11-11: Memories Retold | Xbox One | Review

7/11/2018

 
11-11: Memories Retold - Kurt

Everyone has their own feelings about war. Whether it’s something that feels close to home or distant, it’s undoubtedly an emotional and evocative subject. Coinciding with the centenary of the end of World War 1, 11-11: Memories Retold brings a different perspective to a conflict which changed the world forever.
James Michael Parry

​by James
Michael
​Parry

Twitter - @james_parry

​@james_parry

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Developer: Aardman Digital, DigixArt
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, PC
Players​: 1

Gaming’s nuanced insight into war has often been limited to whether the explosions in the latest Battlefield or Call of Duty are more explodey, so to come into a game where the fighting itself is very much in the background is beyond refreshing. 11-11 is a game that changes your pre-programmed gamer mindset, because it isn’t a game in which you ‘win’.

Instead, story is absolutely critical, with publisher Bandai Namco and co-developers Aardman Digital and DigixArt bringing in the writing talents of Iain Sharkey and Stephen Long - famed for their mind-bending, but always thoughtful work on Derren Brown’s specials - to create characters we actually care about.

Kurt (brought to life by Homeland, The Lives of Others and Bridge of Spies actor Sebastian Koch) is a German zeppelin engineer drawn into the war when his son, Max, goes missing. Meanwhile, Harry (voiced by Elijah Wood) is a Canadian photographer who’s only trying to impress his would-be girlfriend Julia when he signs up to be one of the Allies’ official photographers.

Your time is split equally between the two perspectives, letting you get to know more about each character mostly through framed voice overs. While influencing narrative outcomes isn’t a major focus of the game - in fact, events largely happen around you without input - you do make a mark on the story through the pictures you choose to take (which cannily turn up in cutscenes later on) as Harry and what you decide to put in letters home penned by Kurt.
Gameplay is light here, with only the occasional puzzle or slightly wonky stealth section to vary the pacing, but to suddenly thrust you into some sort of shooting gallery would take away the power of what 11-11 is trying to do.

At times you also take charge of a pigeon or cat, which Harry and Kurt have picked up along their journeys respectively. This can offer a few additional gameplay twists and opportunities for unique storytelling moments, but largely they feel fairly token and don’t reach their full potential.​

When you venture out into No Man’s Land as either animal, which you’ll do frequently, there’s a far lesser sense of danger considering both sides deem them to be harmless. Neither army is portrayed as right or wrong, and there’s no glorifying the situation; in fact, the soldiers themselves are more alike than any rhetoric or propaganda from the time would have you believe.

​
Undoubtedly the first things that’ll strike you when loading up the game is the astonishing visual style, which makes use of a technique known as ‘painterly’ to have scenes appear as if they’re being redrawn by thousands of brush strokes as you move. There’s a feeling of walking through beautiful impressionist landscapes as you explore, offering up breathtaking scenes amid the undeniable horrors of the war itself.

​In less skilled hands this could have come off as a cheap Photoshop effect, but this collaboration between Aardman Digital (who, contrary to popular belief, work with more than just clay) and DigixArt creates a sublime combination of technical prowess and artistic flair. They’ve crafted a truly unique style which impressively manages to adapt to a variety of locations and climates throughout the game’s course.

11-11: Memories Retold - Harry
While the effect does attract attention, it may prove to be an acquired taste as the industry races towards photorealism. The visual fidelity of the assets themselves, when you look past the effect, is fairly low, which can give a somewhat dated feel at times, particularly to characters in cutscenes.

It’s not too big of an issue, however, when the elements surrounding that mostly nail remaining historically accurate and respectful of true events, whilst balancing that with the sort of nonsense which makes a game a game, like successfully navigating a homemade hot air balloon over No Man’s Land at night, for example.


11-11’s soundtrack also succeeds in feeling appropriate without sounding generic, as composer Olivier Deriviere, responsible for music on titles like Alone in the Dark, Remember Me and Vampyr, uses a choir’s chorus to echo across the battlefield, creating a chilling and sombre mood.​​
The execution is exceptional and the end product is, quite unironically, a very memorable experience.
11-11: Memories Retold - tree
11-11: Memories Retold - poppies
The strongest feeling which shines through as you play though, is pride, as every element of the game is carefully pieced together to create a tribute to those who valiantly fought and sadly lost their lives.

It’s unfortunate that the odd technical mishap occasionally creeps in to spoil the immersion, but compared to a narrative journey from, say, the Telltale stable, 11-11 more than competes with the best in the adventure genre.

If you’re looking for a history lesson, you won’t find it here. While Memories Retold uses the war as its setting, it’s more about the relationship between Harry and Kurt and how it develops over those last two years of conflict. Fortunately, the execution is exceptional and the end product is, quite unironically, a very memorable experience.

Pros

  • Visually unique, to an impressive degree
  • Memorable, often interactive & compelling story
  • Gameplay is suitably simple & accessible

Cons

  • Bugs can quickly break the illusion
  • Animal sections are fairly forgettable
  • May prove too much of an acquired taste for some

9/10
0 Comments

Downward Spiral: Horus Station | PS VR | Review

26/9/2018

 
Downward Spiral: Horus Station PlayStation VR review - Pass the Controller

Upstart developer 3rd Eye Studios have an incredible pedigree, its staff owning credits on a long list of classic films and games, so it should come as no surprise that Downward Spiral: Horus Station effectively channels sci-fi cinema - specifically the likes of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Solaris - whilst also crafting a mechanically engaging interactive thriller.

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by Sam Sant

Picture

@SlamShotSam


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Developer: 3rd Eye
Studios

Publisher: 3rd Eye
Studios

​Platforms: PS VR,
Oculus Rift, HTC Vive 

​Players: 1 - 8
Made with what the team call a “narrative-first” design philosophy, players are offered no express context when they’re first unleashed on the titular space station. Boasting a familiar retro 70s aesthetic, the richly detailed hull interiors soon reveal Horus to be derelict and its crew members dead. There are no cutscenes or dialogue here, and a very sparing use of in-game text, leaving the environments to evoke a thick and unnerving atmosphere.

Further to that, limited access to in-game maps and a complete lack of objective markers ensures you’ll need to scour areas and pick up on subtle path finding tells that’ve been integrated throughout. Clever touches communicate with the player via universally understandable game design “language”, narrowing sprawling areas to relatively linear paths in such a way that keeps them intellectually gratifying to navigate.

Driven by an enticingly understated ambient soundtrack - from HIM frontman Ville Valo, no less - Downward Spiral continues to stroke players’ intellect with mysterious cutaways to interpret and decipher. Within the realms of reality, while a range of light puzzles never pose significant roadblocks, you’ll be taxed by a creeping paranoia resultant of the station’s mechanical groans and seeming technological independence that make it seem as though the inanimate is out to get you.

Provided you’ve chosen to play with combat encounters enabled, it may well be, as what are presumed to be malfunctioning drones attack and leave you with no choice but to weaponize a suite of repair tools. It’s very Dead Space indeed, though where Isaac Clarke carries a real heft, the unnamed protagonist of Downward Spiral is quite literally weightless.
Downward Spiral: Horus Station effectively channels sci-fi cinema, whilst also crafting a mechanically engaging interactive thriller.
The entire game takes place in zero gravity, which, to allay your immediate fears, isn’t the least bit nauseating in VR. It does take a bit of getting used to, but you always retain the same upright orientation and, as such, you’re never subject to that hopeless feeling of not knowing where’s up and what’s down. Once you’ve gotten to grips with pushing off of scenery to float around, you’ll acquire a grappling hook - which has a smooth, gradual reel to keep things comfortable - and a gun that’ll boost you onwards by expelling a charged shot of hot air.

Now that you’ve properly wrapped your brain around the revised laws of physics, it shouldn’t be long before you learn to string these initially disparate tools together into one seamless combo. There’s almost a balletic element of performance to it, which, had Marvel’s Spider-Man not just launched, we’d have said made it the best movement system we’ve seen for a while.

In similar fashion, the gunplay (toolplay?) takes a little while to really flourish, but as a steady stream of new toys come to comprise a complete arsenal, you’re actively encouraged to swap them in and out to counter the introduction of bigger and badder enemy types. We’d definitely recommend leaving the combat feature turned on, especially considering you don’t lose progress when you die.

Having a few battle scars won’t go amiss if you’re looking to play multiplayer, either. The campaign can be played in co-op, but if you want to venture into the PvP Deathmatch and/or PvE Horde modes, you’ll have to give up your pacifist ways. You’ll also very likely have to bring friends, as finding success with the barren matchmaking is unlikely.

Bar a few jarring frame drops, which are admittedly a cardinal sin in VR, playing Downward Spiral with a headset and a pair of Move controllers is a pretty great experience. That’s a big caveat for those without the proper equipment, however, as it’s also playable on a television and with the DualShock 4. Should you be required to play the game in one of those ways, it‘s an immediate no go.
Perhaps it’s a symptom of having explored Horus Station both ways, but, by comparison to VR, it’s incredibly drab to play on a flat screen. While that’s inherent to a degree, having lost a dimension in the transition, also losing the intuitive and tactile motion controls is a final nail in the coffin. Downward Spiral is a game quite literally designed around reaching out and pulling yourself into its world, which makes a stand-in button press both cumbersome and unsatisfying. It also negates the scope for creating memorable little asides, like instinctively grabbing a dart and launching it at a nearby board, only to find it hanging at the exact point you let it go - duh!

It’s swell having options and all, though when they harm the experience for anybody playing in the optimal fashion, it’s questionable as to whether they’re justified. The game doesn’t auto-detect when it should boot in VR mode, which means you’ll need to use a DualShock to activate it from the main menu, as Move inputs aren’t tracked in TV mode; we can easily live with that minor inconvenience, but a not-insignificant annoyance stems directly from it. If that standard controller is then disconnected, the game will pause and throw an error up, even when you’re actively using the Move controllers instead, meaning you’ll need to remove yourself from the atmosphere Downward Spiral so painstakingly works to preserve in order to reconnect a pad you aren’t even using at regular intervals.

Hopefully that’s something that can be hotfixed, as, when equipped with the right kit, we otherwise thoroughly enjoyed floating around the dark and mysterious halls of Horus Station. Unique movement, satisfying tools and an enthralling location sadly aren’t enough to salvage the experience for anyone without the PlayStation Move controllers and VR headset that are compulsory to a good time.

Pros

  • Unique & satisfying movement mechanics
  • Engaging shootouts with a variety of weapons & enemies
  • Effective environmental storytelling
  • Subtly guides you without holding your hand
  • Supremely immersive in VR with two Move controllers...

Cons

  • … Massively less so when played with a DualShock , be that in VR or even more so on a TV
  • Have to keep a DualShock connected, even when not using it
  • Occasional dropped frames stick out like a sore thumb in VR

7/10
0 Comments

The Council - Episode 4: Burning Bridges | Xbox One | Review

25/9/2018

 
The Council - Episode 4: Burning Bridges Xbox One review - Pass the Controller

Burning Bridges, the penultimate episode in the debut season of The Council, arrives at a tumultuous time for narrative-driven adventure games. Telltale, a company synonymous with popularising the genre and its incremental release format, are in the midst of a heartbreaking majority closure that’ll see many of the studio’s ongoing projects never reach their conclusion. This has, understandably, sewn doubt amongst the community as to whether investing in episodic games ahead of their completion is a good idea. In a case of bad timing, where developer Big Bad Wolf could have lain claim to the mantle with this latest release, it instead fuels the flames with their sloppiest technical work yet.

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by Sam Sant

Picture

@SlamShotSam


Picture
Developer: Big Bad Wolf
Publisher: Focus Home
Interactive

​Platforms: Xbox One,
​PS4, PC

​Players: 1
Picking right back up where things left off in Episode 3, there’s once again the potential to very literally wear the consequence of your actions, should you have reached the suboptimal conclusion. Having undergone a blatant physical change, protagonist Louis should face constant difficult questions, really hammering home your failure, but, whilst he admittedly does on occasion, just as many characters pay the fact no attention. This isn’t out of politeness, instead only serving to make it transparent that they’d have delivered the same lines either way.

These narrative inconsistencies are forgivable to a point, but a worsened technical execution is hard to overlook. Performance across previous episodes already wasn’t great - clunky controls, choppy frame rate, bad animation, missing lip-sync, questionable scripting and delivery - but those not-insignificant issues are now compounded by further errors. The visual model for a sarcophagus was clearly open, yet dialogue referred to it as being closed, even requiring effort points to be spent on “opening” and further interacting with it, while at different stages throughout the episode characters became stuck in T-poses and couldn’t be interacted with as a result. On a personal level, as a completionist, perhaps most annoying of all was the achievement for hitting level 15 failing to unlock.

Still, as a game squarely focused around its story, none of this is reason for a complete write off. Gameplay is simply a means to an end here, and the fact that we pondered what might happen next after stepping away to go about the day is testament to the fact that Burning Bridges succeeds in embedding its narrative hooks. Mostly, at least.

“Aha!” moments start to bring things full circle as we approach the finale, now fully committing to the occult where the the previous episodes gradually began to lean in. Each outlandish revelation injects a hit of adrenaline and the result is a faster, often more engaging pacing without as many filler moments. Unfortunately, this does backfire in one pivotal scene that caps off the second of three chapters. The segment in question had the scope to be intensely raw and emotional, dramatically concluding an arc between Louis and the two characters to which we’re the closest, but instead falls flat due to feeling monumentally rushed. Things could likely have played out very differently, so your mileage may vary, but nonetheless all outcomes should at least feel whole.
Each outlandish revelation injects a hit of adrenaline and the result is a faster, often more engaging pacing without as many filler moments.
A replay to see what might have been may be in order, so it’s a good job that feels justified now more than ever as The Council loosens the buttons on its ruffled collar to have a little more fun. Less po-faced politics doesn’t mean that diplomacy is out of the window, however, rather that it’s now waged on an even grander and more bizarre stage than merely influencing world events.

Previously we’ve said that the series’ micro choices prove more affecting than macro-scale decisions, but here that sentiment is flipped on its head. Many character decisions are arbitrarily black and white - good or bad - and underbaked this time around, whereas choosing how best to govern humanity, through equal moral greys that hold a mirror to modern society, is perplexing.
The Council - Episode 4: Burning Bridges Xbox One review - Pass the Controller
The Council - Episode 4: Burning Bridges Xbox One review - Pass the Controller
Throw in an elaborate new location and a couple of exciting abilities that’ll help to decipher even the most secretive guests, for a cost, and it’s commendable that Big Bad Wolf aren’t afraid to mix things up a bit at this late stage. The team of former Ubisoft developers also settle on a nice middle ground when it comes to puzzle design, having historically either spoon-fed answers or left players a little in the lurch, here uniformly making them taxing whilst allowing for a degree of circumvention through sleuthing or the smart investment of effort points/use of consumables.

​
With an abundance of problems both old and new, Burning Bridges is an undeniably messy experience. If you’re a purely mechanics-focused gamer, there’s absolutely naught but a veiny, enraged brow in store, but, that being said, you probably don’t fall into that camp if you’ve made it this far. Anyone that can forgive the many foibles in favour of being spun an intriguing yarn should still apply; we’re certainly eager to see how things conclude when the finale (fingers crossed) launches later this year.

Pros

  • Finally lets loose & goes a bit bonkers
  • Moves at a fair clip, nixing filler
  • Makes you care about events outside the manor
  • New abilities are rejuvenating
  • Gathers loose ends in preparation to tie them off

Cons

  • Significant scenes can play out with a squib
  • Established relationships fall by the wayside as priorities shift
  • Significant technical issues

6/10
0 Comments
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