Weekend Gaming Playlist
Time to finish out February the only way we know how – with a weekend gaming playlist of weird and wacky titles! Maybe you’ll find some recommendations you never anticipated? Perhaps you’re the sort of madman who is curious about my opinions about my recently played titles? There’s only one way to find out.
Moonlighter
I’ve been a bit vocal about my feelings regarding this game on Twitter (follow me, please!), as I’ve sunk some more playtime into the title. Moonlighter’s progression system is masked behind its shopkeeping mechanic, which means you won’t be grinding experience points, you’ll be micromanaging an increasingly complicated shop system instead. In order to complicate things, a typical dungeon run will also often consist of chucking some of the materials you’ve gathered simply because of stack limitations and a bizarre curse system that prevents items from being stored in certain areas of your bag. While this method of gating progress may seem novel and satisfying to some, it’s a little convoluted, and as the price for crafting better gear rises, this added step towards getting to the more fascinating part of the game – the combat and dungeon crawling – quickly grows aggravating. I’m what I only assume is halfway through the game, and there’s no end to the amount of money I’ll need to spend in sight. We’ll see if I can tough it out.
Blaster Master Zero
This charming launch title from Inti Creates might be a remake of the classic, but the added features and the developers themselves allow for a myriad of neat new features. For example, the game can be played through in a co-operative mode, and a number of DLC characters were added in post-launch, each touting their own abilities unique to their titles. While I’ve made my way through the base campaign, a hankering for Shantae content has caused me to double back on this lovely metroidvania/action platformer. Don’t miss out on the really nice HD Rumble usage, either!
Unworthy
I purchased this title mainly due to a lack of coverage elsewhere, but screenshots alone should speak volumes about its nature. Unworthy may be labeled as a “platformer with no jumping,” but fans of metroidvania and a certain other ARPG series that is known to have punishing combat will note many of the user interface options and oppressive atmosphere communicated through the gripping grayscale aesthetic alone. I’ll be taking screenshots, sharing info, and posting a review for this title shortly, but I’ll be testing the waters this weekend.
The Caligula Effect: Overdose
Developed by one of my favorite Japanese studios, FuRyu, and published by NIS America, this is my main project at the moment. As a full-length RPG, The Caligula Effect has a complex premise: in the idyllic virtual reality dreamscape Mobius, all inhabitants are eternally bound to cyclically complete their high school life as an escape from the despair and flawed existences they led in real life. However, as the protagonist, you see how this existence has slowly corrupted the denizens of this universe, and you undertake the task of escaping Mobius alongside a group known as The Go Home Club.
With stark and sterile visuals, some fabulous character design, and an insanely complex side quest system that requires relationship management with over 500 (!!!) NPCs scattered throughout Mobius, The Caligula Effect was high on my list of anticipated titles for the first half of 2019. However, there are more than a few technical issues holding back this massive game, which may have been a bit too big for the Switch to handle. Look forward to my final impressions in my review of the title next week.
That’s all I’ve got planned for the weekend, how about you? Please feel free to leave a comment, or ask any questions about the games mentioned above, as the weekend progresses! In the meantime, I’m off to sell some more items and roll into thieves in Moonlighter.
