The Pop-Culture E-Zine
By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.
This month, at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, the trailer for a new Star Wars game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, was released to a room full of diehard Star Wars fans. The two-minute trailer for the Electronic Arts game gave fans an intriguing story preview and stunning action-packed visuals.
I grew up playing Star Wars games. The Empire Strikes Back for Super Nintendo is still one of my favorite video games. It’s also one of the hardest. I played a little of it recently and I was reminded of how difficult each level was.
Jedi: Fallen Order had a great trailer, but there was little gameplay shown. It takes more than a good trailer to get Star Wars fans excited for a new game. The last few Star War games haven’t been stellar outings. I enjoyed Star Wars Battlefront II, but it felt like it wasn’t the game that was advertised. Star Wars in gaming is like a sleeping giant; with the right creative team and the vast universe at their disposal, something really special could be produced any year.
Star Wars games have always had excellent trailers, but most of the games haven’t lived up to their stellar previews. Jedi: Fallen Order looks like a fugitive story where the protagonist is running from the Empire. That’s a cool, original set-up. The story takes place after Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, when Order 66 was initiated. It’s like a superhero origin story where the hero has to hide their powers. In Jedi: Fallen Order, the main character’s powers are The Force. The trailer shows a new Star Wars location; that gives me hope that it’ll be entertaining. However, Jedi: Fallen Order won’t have multiplayer.
The EA game will be released around the same time as the new Disney+ series The Mandalorian. Will the Star Wars faithful be more hyped to play Jedi: Fallen Order or watch The Mandalorian if the entire series drops? Fans can do both, but my main focus will be seeing what Jon Favreau does with a Star Wars bounty hunter series. For many fans, the game will be put on hold if they can stream all of The Mandalorian.
Jedi: Fallen Order, which will be released on November 15, looks like it has great potential. Star Wars needs a game that knocks it out of the park.
A new console has been announced and it looks very intriguing!
The Evercade is a brand new handheld console with unique multi-game retro cartridges from leading games publishers and console platforms. The first publisher to jump onboard, Atari, will be bringing 20 of their classic game carts from their 2600 and 7800 back catalogue. We are are eagerly awaiting news on future publishers.
Little is known at this stage about the Evercade, but the few bits and pieces of information has definitely piqued our interest, like:
The Evercade is one retro playing console we will keep an eye on and let you know more details as they come to hand.
Soaring majestically through the trees and onto the Nintendo Switch is Feather, The latest game from Samurai Punk Game Studios.
After a real tough week, I grabbed the switch, put my feet up and started playing Feather. Best described as a relaxing bird simulator, Feather was possibly the best choice for a Friday afternoon wind down game. Starting a new game puts you in control of a bird and displays the game’s simple controls, from there it’s totally up to you. Whether you choose to soar through the clouds or dart between trees in the forest, there is an entire island for you to explore. There are no threats to stop you or put on the pressure, Feather is a “Make your own fun” kind of game and sometimes that’s what everyone needs.
Feather uses a simplified graphic style and does so extremely effectively. The game looks gorgeous, with interesting terrain and scenery spread across every corner of the island. There are subtle hints of previous civilisation, from overgrown ruins to half submerged pipes and these touches add some nice mystery to the general feel of the island. Accompanying the visuals is a beautiful sound track that is also very relaxing. Throughout the world of Feather there are rings with ripples inside them that will change the current track playing and if you prefer one to another, just head back and reactivate it. The songs are usually contextual to the environment that the ring is in and finding each of these is a nice little side goal.
Pushing the game beyond just flying through the air, I found some nice little details that are easy to miss at first glance. Swooping along the ground will kick up dust and the controller vibrates, giving you a real sense of speed and hitting water will actually cause you to dive underwater like real birds of prey do. Flying into leaves or clouds will leave a satisfying puff of debris in your wake and there is even a portal that takes you to the highest point so you can skydive towards the island. The passive online mode is also a nice touch, I found myself chasing other players through trees and criss-crossing paths before breaking off and continuing on my adventure.
Feather may not seem very in depth, lacking missions, objectives or goals but that is the purpose here, it is a beautifully elegant and simple game. If you are looking for something relaxing to take your mind off things, Feather is a wonderful experience.
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Mat Panek
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.
Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch
Disclosure: Feather [Nintendo Switch] was kindly provided by Samurai Punk for this review.
Nighty night, but don’t let the floor bite! Sleepwalk your way through Back to Bed, a dreamy puzzle game that has just arrived to the Nintendo Switch.
Back to Bed is a game that perfectly looks and feels like a bizarre dreamscape, from flying bowler hats to eyes of every shape and size watching you from walls, windows and inside oysters. You must guide Bob, through levels of increasing difficulty, back to bed using a small impish creature with Bob’s face. Using only objects found in the dreams, such as apples and fish, you nudge the sleepwalking Bob through his bedroom door and into the safety of his bed’s embrace.
Like all good puzzle games, controls are kept simple and precise. Often puzzles involve figuring out the safest route for Bob through the dream world, other times there is real timing required as you move objects in to and out of Bob’s way. Bob always walks straight forward and will turn clockwise when bumping into an object. New mechanics are introduced slowly as you progress and each is accompanied by a wonderfully vague reverse modulated voice instructing that “The clock turns Bob-wise” or “The Dog is not your friend”. Completing all the levels lets you unlock the “Nightmare” mode which requires you to not only solve the level but to also make Bob grab a key to unlock the bedroom door along the way. Falling off the world edge or being hit by an enemy will cause you to lose the key and reset which means there is some real challenge to this mode.
Back to Bed’s art style is fantastic, combining Escher aesthetics in the level designs with Dali-esque and other surrealist art styles to make a fantastical and sometimes unsettling dreamscape for Bob to wander. Between groups of levels there are images of Bob and his imp’s progress done in a similar dream style with words incorporated into the images in various ways. Back to Bed has a wonderfully distinct and almost storybook charm to it.
So grab the Switch, tuck yourself in and prepare for some not so sweet dreams, Back to Bed is a puzzle game you certainly shouldn’t miss.
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Mat Panek
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.
Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch
Disclosure: Back To Bed [Nintendo Switch] was kindly provided by 2Awesome Studio for this review.
Looks like another major video games player has realised that there is money to be made out of nostalgia!
The latest company to join the fray is Capcom with their Capcom Home Arcade – a plug and play arcade twin-stick system containing 16 classic titles from the golden age of arcade gaming. The system will be powered via a micro USB, it will be Wi-Fi enabled and will plug into any of the newfangled TVs via HDMI.
The Capcom Home Arcade is slated to be released on October 25 this year at a price of €229.99, which is about $360.00 based on the current exchange rate. That is some big bikkies to fork out for such a contraption, but having Final Fight, Ghouls’n Ghosts and Giga Wing on tap, we may be swayed.
What do you think of the Capcom Home Arcade? Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook to let us know.
source: Capcom Europe
Time to get stuck in a loop with Mars Underground, a groundhog day style adventure game from Moloch Media on the PC.
It’s Mars’ first day at a new school in a new town, except it’s always his first day since he keeps reliving the same day over and over. In Mars Underground you progress by exploring, gaining knowledge and exploiting that information daily to unravel the reasons why you are stuck in this time loop. Each cycle begins the same way with your alarm going off and Mars struggling to get out of bed, where you go from there is entirely up to you and dependant on what you have discovered to that point. Skip school and go to the movies to see “One Banana, Two Banana” or try and get into the local cool nightclub. At the end of each day you must take your medication, fall asleep and start again.
There is a very Earthbound look to Mars Underground which suits the style of exploration and discovery perfectly, other effects are layered with this to reinforce that unsettling feeling that is ever present. Sound design matches these visuals with chiptune styled effects and music, eerie soundscapes add to the ever claustrophobic nature present in the narrative. It’s not all doom and gloom though, ominous threats such as men in black, the military, Aliens and shady hooded figures are equally balanced with some good humour.
Every choice you make will lead you down another path but this can sometimes lead to the same burn out some will suffer with classic point and click adventure games. Solutions can be so obvious that you might completely glaze over them and others are so obtuse you might not approach them in the exact way needed to succeed. Missed a specific time period that event takes place? Take your pills and try again. Mars Underground definitely captures the sense of repetition one would feel reliving the same day over and over but it can begin to feel a bit much at times.
If complex and intriguing time travel stories are your thing though, Mars Underground is a wonderfully unique adventure that has so many hidden layers for players to find.
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Mat Panek
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.
Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch
Disclosure: Mars Underground [Steam] was kindly provided by Moloch Media for this review.
A real life Pac-Man escape maze? Yep, you have read that right!
The peeps at Pac Maze have created the ultimate nostalgic Pac-Man inspired escape maze in Melbourne for one day at a secret location within 15 minutes from the CBD!
This immersive activation will bring a huge maze with the chance for players to lose themselves in a pixelated world, running, dodging ghosts and grabbing fruit to be the ultimate winner. Inside the maze, players will need to complete a coded pac puzzle along with collecting fruit. The first to complete the puzzle and collect all the fruit will be crowned the ultimate winner. If a player gets caught by a ghost they will lose a life – lose 3 lives and you’re out! Now that is old school rules.
Once players escape the Pac Maze they can kick on in the 80’s themed pixel room, which will include the OG Pac-Man game and a DJ who will be belting out the classics to wind the clock back.
Sounds fun! For full event details and ticketing, go here.
PS: We hope this isn’t the same mob that ran the much maligned Mario Kart (IRL event) in the CBD.
Delve into a world of alchemy and mystery in Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists: Ateliers of the New World, the latest title in the long running Ateliers series by Koei Tecmo.
The game starts as Nelke, a young and eager noble woman, and her ever faithful maid Misty arrive in the small town of Westwald. The two have made their way there after hearing rumours that an ancient sage relic of immense power, the Granzweit Tree, is possibly in the region. Nelke’s father agreeing to support her on this quest only if she becomes governor of the town and proves herself to be a worthy leader. You must help Nelke turn this sleepy village into the bustling city of commerce her father desires, all while making new friends, meeting challenges and exploring the surrounding countryside.
Being personally unfamiliar with the world of Ateliers and it’s 20 year history of titles, Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists’ story felt a little daunting at first but all the characters introduced are also unknown to Nelke and their introductions reflect this. The game gives subtle backstories where needed through bits of dialog and character interaction. Characters are out of place and in some cases out of time, fans will no doubt love the return of series famous alchemists and newcomers will enjoy being introduced to the varied cast.
There are 3 main areas of gameplay in Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists, being broken down into turns and each turn involves weekdays and holidays with various actions for each. Weekdays include town management such as construction of various buildings or facilities, commissioning alchemy and working on town requests. Holidays on the other hand give you a chance to visit and develop relationships with towns folk, as well as a chance to explore the region, finding materials or battle monsters.
There is a lot going on in Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists, micromanagement is key to success as you need to assign tasks to alchemists and store owners constantly, depending on production demands and town needs. Tasks such as gathering specific materials or defeating certain monsters will often challenge you and keep the game from feeling stagnant. The battle system is refined yet simple with an option for semi and full auto attack modes, this means low powered enemies will be dealt with rather quickly, keeping the game’s pace moving steadily forward. That being said, there is a lot to take in very quickly between the various mechanics and sub-systems and this might put off some players.
One real stand out attribute in Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists is the anime graphic styling. The game has a beautiful aesthetic overall making it feel bright and cheerful. Most of the character interactions are told by visual novel interface with Japanese voice overs for the cast. Fans of anime and the Ateliers series will really appreciate these visual stylings and especially the gorgeous full animation sequences.
Overall, Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists is a beautiful and in depth title with a lot on offer between the multiple systems at play. Some may find it a bit too complex but others will happily spend dozens of hours making Westwald their perfect home away from home.
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Mat Panek
Retromancer – Collector, repairer & fan of retro games & tech. Atari to Amiga, Nintendo to Sega! LD, Zip, Beta and a proud dad! One half of the TiredParents on Twitch.
Follow Mat on Twitter and Twitch
Disclosure: Nelke and the Legendary Alchemists [Nintendo Switch] was kindly provided by Turn Left Distribution for this review.
Jersey Jack Pinball (JJP) has unveiled their latest and possibly their greatest pinball machine, the Pat Lawlor designed, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!
The unveiling took place earlier today (April 13 – Australian time) at the 2019 Midwest Gaming Classic in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in front of a jam packed crowd and streamed live to tens of thousands around the world via the awesome Buffalo Pinball team.
This pinball masterpiece was designed by the legendary Pat Lawlor, designer of Dialed In!, Twilight Zone, and over a dozen other classic games, including the best-selling pinball machine in history, The Addams Family. With this kind of pedigree, we always knew that JJP would not disappoint with a Willy Wonka pinball machine.
All three models of the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory™ pinball machines include:
Gameplay features four multiballs, collecting Wonka Bars™, spelling Scrumdiddlyumptious™, touring Wonka’s Factory™, and a host of other goodies to lead you down the chocolate river to three wizard modes, including Pure Imagination™. Scenes and dialogue from the original 1971 film directed by Mel Stuart, starring Gene Wilder are showcased bringing this exciting theme to life. This pinball machine is the epitome of the old pinball adage, ‘a world under glass’.
The Australian (AU$) pricing for all three models is as follows:
From first impressions, Willy Wonka looks terrific and seems to have all the hallmarks of becoming a pinball masterpiece. We honestly can’t wait to enter this pinball world of pure imagination with Jersey Jack Pinball’s Willy Wonka and the The Chocolate Factory!
image source: Jersey Jack Pinball
