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Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble – Nintendo Switch Review

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Lock and load soldier, it’s time to stand for king and country in Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble on the Nintendo Switch from the team at Area 35.

Tiny Metal is an exciting, isometric styled turn-based strategy game that puts players in control of a commander and their various units on the battlefield. Players can choose from a variety of modes from the fully voiced campaign mode, Single player Skirmish mode and Online Multiplayer mode. Each side gets a commander that has various attribute modifiers that can affect armor, mobility or line of sight but this can also change unit production costs. As with all War Simulation games, players will start the match with a small armed force that depends on settings and mode selected. Moving across the battlefield, players will have to capture cities, factories and other buildings to earn money which allows the construction of further units and resupply of existing units. Tactics play a vital role in Tiny Metal and there are plenty of different mechanics at play to let you find a style that suits you, bonus objectives will also allow players to mix things up and really push themselves to try new play styles.

Those that are familiar with the “Advance Wars” series will instantly recognise the style that Area 35 is trying to replicate but you can tell that they have put in some real passion and made it their own. Character models and illustrations are crammed full of charm, colour and unique personalities that makes Tiny Metal a well crafted and loving homage to a long languished series. The voice over work is fantastic, commanding officers have some great interactions with each other in the Campaign mode and the individual units all have some great personas that make them feel like much more than just pawns on a chessboard. There are also plenty of unlocks from new skirmish maps to music tracks, that are redeemed by spending currency players can earn from each battle.

Tiny Metal is a game that is perfectly suited to the varying play styles of the Nintendo Switch, from short pick up and play battles to long drawn out skirmishes that really get you thinking tactically. Controls feel nice and are well adapted to make use of thumbsticks with the only gripe being an occasionally fiddly cursor locking itself into the movement boundaries rather than being free floating. This is only a minor concern as most of the time players will find themselves rapidly switching between units, traversing the battlefield and issuing orders.

There is also a bit of “Unreal texture pop in” when viewing the campaign mission map but nothing that will spoil players enjoyment of the game.

Don’t let the colourful and cute graphics fool you, Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble is a surprisingly deep turn-based War simulation game packed full of replayability and is a fantastic addition to the switch.

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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: Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Stride PR for this review.

 

 

My Lovely Daughter: Nintendo Switch Review

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Harness the power of alchemy and create terrible homunculi in My Lovely Daughter, the latest title from Game Changer Studio. 

My Lovely Daughter is a strange and twisted affair that is full of confronting themes, centring on child labour, abusive parenting and ignorant societies, and the creators of the game even warn you it is designed to make you feel uncomfortable. You awake in a room with no memories, a soul orb containing your daughters soul and the husk of your daughter decaying slowly in the bed. To restore your daughter’s soul you must create homunculi daughters using alchemy and various ingredients like water, clay, wood and metal. After you have made a daughter, you must infuse them with human characteristics such as sadness, joy, fear and anger by making them work for you in town, learning from the townsfolk and then eventually sacrifice them for your actual daughter’s soul. Sacrificing a homunculi will also give you a higher quality alchemy ingredient than what you started with depending on their current level. This is as twisted as it may sound since you must keep your newly created daughters happy while also exploiting them. 

There is a lot of micro management involved in My Lovely Daughter to get the results you desire for restoring your daughter’s soul. Each daughter will level up the more they work, different emotions suit different tasks in town and eventually special tasks are given to you for them to carry out on top of their normal duties. You also need to keep your homunculi happy, you achieve this by either giving them gifts and treats or by spending time with one of them during your single day back at your house. There is a stark contrast in imagery from your character happily running next to, drinking tea or playing catch with your daughters to then mercilessly killing them for their essence and resources by setting them on fire, letting them drown, decapitating them or one of many other terrible fates. All for the greater good of your character’s actual daughter.

My Lovely Daughter is framed with a sketchy and hand drawn art style that gives it a dark and sinister feel that really sets the tone from the start. The mansion in which you live feels cold and eerie, strange things are seen outside the windows and when you eliminate a homunculi there is a trail of blood left from their room to your daughters room. Apart from the overtly dark themes there is also a lot of subtle references to the themes addressed in both artwork and character interaction, especially as the story starts moving along. Homunculi will become more attached to you and start changing how they talk to and address you, occasionally writing you letters to tell you how they feel. Daughters will also plead with you as you decide to kill them, making the decision even more difficult than just if you have enough essence built up or levels for a better resource.

At its core My lovely Daughter is a deep management style game with themes that are very oppressive and may put some people off but that really is the whole point. A great game that is worth your time but not for the overly kind or faint of heart.

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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: My Lovely Daughter [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Toge Productions for this review.

 

 

KILL la KILL – IF: Nintendo Switch Review

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Prepare to battle it out in Kill La Kill IF the latest from A+ Games that transforms the popular anime into a Cell shaded 3D fighter that packs a punch.

Kill La Kill IF is a fast, arena based fighter that certainly doesn’t hold anything back, in fact it also doesn’t even leave much to the imagination. Those that are familiar with the Anime or Manga will know exactly what I am talking about but players that don’t know might be in for a slight shock. The Story of Kill La Kill IF revolves around an academy that specialises in fighting and students are ranked from No-Star to Three Star. The most skilled fighters receive “Goku Uniforms” that gives the wearer superhuman strength and abilities, these uniforms are unique for each wearer but often are quite revealing. The story follows various characters in their struggle and is a story offshoot that is written and supervised by the anime’s head writer. Apart from the main story mode there is a versus mode and a handful of challenge modes that are good fun for new or experienced players to hone their skills.

The fighting system in Kill La Kill IF feels very tight and focuses very heavily on combos and special attacks. Guard breaks or quick side steps are quite often required to avoid an enemy’s barrage of attacks and turn the tide of the battle in your favour. Charging up a power meter will allow you to carry out a variety of special attacks and having at least 50% of it full will allow you to carry out a “Valor Burst” either defensively or offensively. This can also lead to a “Bloody Valor” which is a rock/paper/scissor scene that will allow your Valor level to increase by 1 up to a maximum of 3 if the attacker succeeds. Reaching level 3 lets you carry out a “SEN-I-SOSHITSU secret art” attack, which is a devastating and round ending move that is always impressive to behold.

The visuals in Kill La Kill IF are great, the game engine looks beautiful even on the switch in handheld mode. There is always so much going on visually that it’s hard to believe it looks as good as it does and there are times when the cell shading is so effective that the cutscenes almost feel like you are watching the anime. One thing that might put off those not familiar with the series is the amount of fan service present, which is very in your face. Female characters often have extremely skimpy outfits and there are multiple occasions when characters, both male and female, are reduced to underwear. Fans will enjoy the fact that there is a plethora of things to unlock in the gallery mode, Voice library and sound test by spending the GP you earn when playing through the games various modes.

Overall Kill La Kill IF is a fun fighting game with lots of replayability that is obviously taking a very fan-centric approach that will either convert you to the cause or might completely put you off the franchise. Certainly worth a look for those that are unsure but want to try a fun and flashy fighting game.

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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: KILL la KILL – IF [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Strangely Compelling PR for this review.

 

 

Masquerada: Songs and Shadows – Nintendo Switch Review

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Don your mask and delve into a world of intrigue, mystery and magic in Masquerada: Songs and Shadows from Witching Hour Studios.

Set in a country beset by civil war, where masquerade masks grant their wearers incredible powers, Masquerada is an interesting and deep isometric tactical RPG. You assume the role of Cicero, an Ispettore (inspector) brought back from exile to track down an important official, a researcher that has gone missing. Masquerada is set in a fantastical Venetian world where threats are presented from not only the rival faction, known as “The Mask Runners,” but also from the magical creatures known as Fey. 

The prologue acts as a tutorial, setting up the backstory of the world and also giving a nice quick rundown on the games battle mechanics. Pausing the action just as it starts or at any time in battles, gives some real interesting tactical options in Masquerada, this allows the player to set up flanking positions, change fighting stance and time attacks or buffs. There is also an emphasis on elemental tags that allow extra damage to be dealt to enemies by tagging an enemy or group with one attack and carrying out specific follow up moves. Character’s skills and powers can be assigned and upgraded for offence or defence depending on play style and different masks will give different Elemental powers, bonuses and skills.

The story is a wonderfully written and fully voiced experience, full of political intrigue, lore, mystery and in fighting between the various factions of the Citte Della Ombre, meaning that Masquerada’s world is as interesting as it is complex. There are numerous codex entries that give extra back story to the world and it’s characters for those ready to dive deep but enough is explained throughout the story that nothing seems confusing. For those looking to just take in the story, there is also an easier story mode that tones down difficulty but will still give you the thrill of the fights and tactics.

Masquerada: Songs and Shadows has some great tactical gameplay in an incredibly rich and vibrant world that may put off some with it’s slow burning story but those that love well written mystery and political intrigue will really appreciate all it has to offer. 

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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: Masquerada: Songs and Shadows [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Stride PR for this review.

 

 

VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action – Nintendo Switch Review

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It’s time to mix drinks and change lives in VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action now available on the Nintendo Switch from Sukeban Games.

VA-11 HALL-A is a super stylish bartending sim set in the Cyberpunk styled Glitch City, a city with a whole lot of secrets and unique citizens for you to discover. From the comfort of a bar countertop you play as Jill, one of two employees at the BTC bar designated VA-11 HALL-A. There you mix drinks and make conversation with a large cast of clientele that can range from grumpy publishers, rescue force workers, adult industry workers and hired mercenaries. Some clients will request specific drinks while others will give you vague instructions on what drink they may feel like which can add to the challenge and will change the dialogue depending on how they are served. Looking through the drink recipes and mixing up various cocktails and beverages is easy to understand and fun to do if not a little repetitive at times. At the end of the day Jill will get paid depending on how well she does serving people, while there are no real high stakes, Jill still has bills to pay and needs to be met that help her concentrate at work.

There is some real retro future style in VA-11 HALL-A that mimics PC-98 adventure and visual novel games while feeling set in a cyberpunk like future similar to Blade Runner, Snatcher and Bubblegum Crisis. Glitch city feels full of tension and unrest, hearing rumours and news about what’s happening around you really makes you feel like you really are a part of the world but not a hero that’s called to action. There is a jukebox in the bar that allows you to choose a number of chiptune and vaporwave inspired tracks to play throughout your shift and help set the mood.

VA-11 HALL-A is full of little Easter eggs and references to both popular culture and other games but overall it’s the story that really drives it along. Getting to know the characters, their lives, their stories and their feelings is what makes VA-11 HALL-A so compelling and will require multiple playthroughs to uncover everything. Certain dialogue options are hidden quite cleverly behind different drink choices, some of which must be bought from the store and others that are hidden recipes. It’s easy to tell that a lot of care has gone into making each of these characters as interesting as the last and the allusion to early anime with it’s female heavy cast is quite apparent but never overbearing.

So grab a drink, get comfortable and get ready for some Cyberpunk Bartending Action with VA-11 HALL-A. A fantastic story driven title that’s perfect for on the couch or on the go.

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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: VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by Stride PR for Ysbryd Games for this review.

 

 

Byte Driver – Review

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Get radical and blast down the endless highway in Byte Driver, the latest game from Vector Hat.

Feeling like a long lost arcade cabinet from the early 80’s, Byte Driver is an interesting mix of games like Outrun, Night Driver and Spyhunter. As you make your way through the courses energy slowly depletes, hitting an object or obstacle will drain a larger percentage and hitting zero means game over. As you drive along you can hack opponents stealing energy or earning upgrades like improved vehicle stats, weapons or other consumables for your vehicle. Progressing through levels means harder enemies with more defensive and offensive skills will be there to oppose you in your pursuit of high scores.

Byte Driver definitely has some cool retro styling, looking like an old vector drawn game with screen shake and glitches being thrown in for good measure. There is also a monochrome mode for those that really want to embrace that real vector drawn feeling. The soundtrack is  fantastic and suits the style perfectly, filling sound and vision with pure 80s aesthetic that really gets you into the feel of the game. Being high score driven means that at low level play, Byte Driver is perfect for hot seat score comps with friends while high level play can be fought for with online leaderboards.

Byte Driver succeeds in evoking retro game feel and charm but, much like it’s early arcade peers, there isn’t much else to the game beyond 5 difficulty levels and high scores. Challenge does ramp up nicely as you progress and it can get real tough towards the end but with practice it’s easy to shoot for those high scores. The addition of a “low Stress” mode is nice for people to come to terms with the mechanics and allows you to play without the energy meter falling to zero for some more casual play.

There is a lot of fun to be had here and fans of classic arcade games will likely enjoy what Byte Driver has to offer, a well made and fantastic looking indie title.

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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: Byte Driver was kindly provided by Vector Hat for this review.

 

 

Katana Zero – Steam Review

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Hack and slash your way through countless enemies in Katana Zero, the latest game from Askiisoft.

Having originally been refused classification for sale in Australia, Katana Zero is a super stylish and fast paced action platformer that has you slicing through rooms of enemies in ever complex scenarios. As you play through each area you must eliminate or sneak past enemies depending on your exact mission. Enemies are easily dispatched with a swift slice of your blade but you are equally vulnerable and this is where the major gameplay mechanics come into play. Instant death is balanced with being able to slow time, deflect bullets and throw objects at enemies, meaning you are always looking for more efficient and creative ways to dispatch your foes. Feeling a lot like groundhog day, if you happen to get killed the level rewinds back to the start of the area and you must try again. At the end of an area the “tape” is played back for you to watch your Kurosawa style handy work at full speed.

Oozing with style and flair, Katana Zero never fails to impress with visual and audio design.

Each level feels diverse and lived in, giving the city of New Mecca a real gritty and neo-noir feel. Thrown in is some retro cool neon and VCR inspired overlays to really top off that dark future feel the game is going for. The soundtrack is full of a variety of electronica that really nails the vibe of each level, tracks can vary from subtle to full tempo while others really get that heavy grime bass treatment.

Katana Zero is all about brutal but stylish action, feeling at times like an action filled anime it’s hard not to love it. As the plot thickens and answers make way for more questions the action really starts to heat up, leading to some very intense and complex levels. Some real serious issues like war crimes and PTSD play an import part of the plot, meaning that the story is just as intense as the levels. The ending does leave you wanting for more but there is more than enough game already there for you to enjoy. For the player that isn’t used to this kind of precision and repetition, later levels can get increasingly frustrating but not impossible. Players that crave this kind of pixel perfect movement and timing though will find it both incredibly rewarding and satisfying.

Available on Steam and the Nintendo Switch, Katana Zero is Blade Runner with samurai blades, a game full of fantastic style and super solid gameplay that makes it a must play title.

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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: Katana Zero [Steam] was kindly provided by Power Up PR for this review.

 

 

Renzo Racer – Steam Review

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Zooming its way onto Steam is Renzo Racer, a fast and frantic kart racer with a lot of personality. 

Who doesn’t love a good cart racer game from time to time, especially with friends! Renzo Racer is, as one would expect, a fairly cookie cutter style racing game. Choose from one of 16 different racers and around 20 tracks and prove your racing prowess against friends or the computer. Characters are full of charm and personality and the tracks are all interesting and diverse but the racing itself is a mixed bag. There are plenty of obstacles and hazards thrown into the tracks which add to the fun but weird AI can be a hassle when playing alone.

The physics model feels very realistic which is a little strange for a kart racing game and because of this everything feels a bit mismatched. While it does feel like a deliberate choice for the game it will throw off players thinking of a traditional kart racer. There is no easy way to slide into corners which means a more realistic driving approach needs to be taken and proper apex turns are required. Another issue is the barriers which are properly modelled not just invisible walls. Hitting a barrier at speed can cause your racer to flip or get stuck, leaving you spinning tyres for a few seconds until you eventually reset. Characters and tracks are unlocked very slowly by placing first in single race or Grand Prix modes, while a slow drip of content is nice only one character and track is available from the start.

It’s not all negatives though, the physics model definitely adds to the experience and getting used to it can reveal some nice tricks. Placing the bomb item down as a person is right behind you will give you a nice impromptu boost forwards and hitting a ramp just right can have you soar right over the competition. The character designs are all well done and it’s easy to start picking favourites depending on the kart shape and stats. There is a real charm to the whole feel of the game but it is often easy to see where other kart games have influenced Renzo Racer in its style. 

A good game to try with a few friends for a good laugh as you knock each other about but single player can be a bit frustrating from time to time. From the wacky cast to the cute tracks, Renzo Racer is a game that definitely stands out from other Kart clone racers but not always in the best way.

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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: Renzo Racer [Steam] was kindly provided by EnsenaSoft for this review.

 

 

She Remembered Caterpillars – Nintendo Switch Review

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Delve into the strange and cryptic world of She Remembered Caterpillars, a new puzzle game from Jumpsuit Entertainment. 

She Remembered Caterpillars is an interesting puzzle game where it is your goal to move various little fungi creatures through a level so that each ends up resting on an exit tile. Adding to the complexity of these puzzles is the shape if the creatures casing, hard to explain but visually easy to understand. Different obstacles, activated bridges and restricting gates will allow or prevent movement depending on the specific shape of the fungi. Various mechanics are added slowly over the course of the game, leading to some real brain bending puzzles that feel very satisfying to complete.

Rather than being told overtly, there is a narrative of love and loss interwoven between the puzzles in little text segments between puzzles. Often times it is only a brief conversation between characters but other times it can be small stories that explain the state of the world overall. There is a nice mysterious feel to what exactly the story has to do with the game you are playing but it all feels very symbiotic. The drip feed of story elements has a very moreish appeal to it and I often found myself playing entire chapters when initially only planning to play a level or two.

There is a pleasing aesthetic to the microbe and fungus style in She Remembered Caterpillars that works real well with the puzzles. Backgrounds are generally subdued and all of the important puzzle elements are quite bright and vibrant, this really helps you to identify exactly what is going on at all times. The soundtrack is quite mellow and this results in a very chilled out feel to the game which can help when puzzles start to get taxing.

She Remembered Caterpillars is a wonderful puzzle game with funky visuals and a surprisingly deep story. There is a real hidden depth in this title that is sure to win many over.

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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: She Remembered Caterpillars [Nintendo Switch] was kindly provided by Stride PR for this review.

 

 

Weedcraft Inc. – PC Game Review

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Time to trade green for green in Weedcraft Inc., the latest title from Vile Monarch.

A game about growing and selling weed? I know what you are thinking but Weedcraft Inc. manages to turn a touchy subject for some, into a seriously fun business management game. You start off in one of two scenarios, the default scenario being that you are a pair of brothers that just lost their father. One brother has experience with business, the other with growing plants in their father’s basement. In the other scenario you are an ex-con that is fresh out from jail, this is labelled as the harder of the two. From here you grow product, harvest and sell at a local market, sounds pretty simple but there is a lot of depth to Weedcraft Inc. that is very enjoyable.

Growing the product itself acts a lot like a clicker style game, you choose your weed strain, soil type and begin to grow your plant. Soil type, soil chemical composition and growing conditions will affect your harvests yields and quality of the final product. As the plant grows you need to water and trim it to promote best growth, this allows the plant to grow faster. Time can also be sped up or slowed down to suit your playing style and helpers can be hired as the game progresses to help tend the crop. Expanding your operations will start to draw attention from not only rival dealers but also from the local police, who kindly hint you at first to make things a little less obvious. Rival dealers can be strong armed out of a spot or just dealt with by delivering higher quality product at a better price. As for the Authorities, multiple fronts can be purchased such as tea rooms and pizza shops to hide your activities.

Weedcraft Inc. manages to address the serious social and political sides of growing Cannabis. Apart from the illegal and humble beginnings of your venture, it’s possible to move onto medical production and eventually push for legalisation by befriending senators and pushing for reform. Dialogue is well written and avoids any real cheesy characters you would expect to find in a game on this subject. It is obvious that a lot of care and dedication has been put into striking a balance between serious business sim and weed subculture. Weedcraft Inc. has a very nice hand drawn artistic style and a mellow soundtrack, both of which create a nice aesthetic that suits the overall feel of the game perfectly. Menus are easy to navigate and it’s always simple to tell exactly what is going on.

No matter how you feel on the subject it is a well made and interesting business sim with lots of hidden depth. From illegal dealing to thriving business empire, Weedcraft Inc. is a game that will certainly end up growing on you.

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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: Weedcraft Inc. [Steam] was kindly provided by Power Up PR for this review.