Train Valley: Console Edition Review

Train Valley: Console Edition is a railroad puzzle building game developed by FLAZM and published by BlitWork Games. 

The game has five worlds each featuring six unique locations like the United States, France, Japan, Netherlands, and more. It also contains a classic and a sandbox mode. In the classic mode, the player is given three mission objectives such as spend a certain amount of money to build the railroads, make sure the trains arrive at specific stations, and earn a certain amount of money. These missions can get really challenging as players progress because there will be extra trains and stations to keep track.

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With that said, a lot of things can go wrong which adds a layer of spiciness to this game. For instance, players are responsible for manually switching junctions; failing to properly switch the route can lead to trains colliding with one another. These collisions can be very costly; the player not only loses revenue, it also costs them a lot more money to rebuild the tracks. Additionally, there are penalties for almost every mistake a player makes in this game. Since there is no “undo” button, players can lose money if they mistakenly place a railroad track on the wrong spot. It costs $1000 to place a railroad track on each tile and it goes up as you place more tracks, if you make the mistake by placing it on the wrong tile, the only way to “fix it” this is using the bulldoze feature to remove the track which gives you back $100 from the $1000+ you’ve spent. In this mode, players would want to avoid making a lot of mistakes, because it can be very unforgiving. 

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The more mistakes they make, the more time it will take to complete the tasks which can result in loss of profits that can ultimately lead to bankruptcy which they have to restart the level. The sandbox mode is similar to the classic mode. It has the same locations, but this mode is more relaxed since there are restrictions or penalties involved. For example, it doesn’t cost players anything to create or delete tracks and they are not taxed in this mode, which gives them more time to really try things out here. Basically, it’s a “free play” mode where players can take their time to get creative with building tracks and make mistakes without punishments. 

The designers of this game tried to incorporate different landscape to accommodate each location.  For example, the locations in Japan they not only added snow, they also included cheery blossom trees, the Tokyo tower, Japanese castle among other things. The key details in making locations authentic to the real deal is something that stood out to me. As for the sound/music, I felt that it was a little repetitive, they could have used different tunes for each location. 

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I think the controls of this game could be better. It was quite a challenge placing tracks on each tile correctly using R3, it can get slippery. This caused me spend more time than I should trying to place the tracks on the right spots. Selecting the switches was also a pain, the cursor did not move as smoothly as I would hope. It took me a lot of practice and patience to get used to the controls. 

I give Train Valley: Console Edition a solid 7 out of 10. While the controls can be a learning curve at first, once you get used to it the game can be very fun. I just wish there were a variety of tunes to go with each location.

A code of the game was proved to me by the publishers of this game for review purposes only. Train Valley: Console Edition is available on PS4, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and Steam.

Arkan: The dog adventurer Review

Arkan: The Dog Adventurer is a platformer with a mix of arkanoid, which is a block breaker arcade game from 1986. This game was developed by Madao Studio, and published by Sometimes You. It features around 60 levels and three locations to walk through, players will be jumping, moving around, hitting the ball, smashing bricks, attacking enemies, and dodging enemies in this super fun and enjoyable game. This game also features old school retro graphics and music.

The game features three difficulty mode that players can choose from; from easy, normal, to hardcore; which will change how the enemies will interact with players in the game rather than changing the levels in the game. I would recommend players to start on the easy mode to learn the ropes.

In order to progress in the game, players will have to defeat all enemies in each level while hitting the yellow ball to break each brick or barrier to get to the enemy; which may sound easy at first, but it is not, because the enemies will be throwing all kind of counter attacks at player, therefore, players will need to dodge those attacks.

The game also gets harder and harder as you progress, which keeps the game challenging and interesting for the most part. As you progress in the game, you gain new abilities to that can be helpful as it becomes more difficult. Another note is, if you die in the game, you will have to start all over again; so you want to pay close attention to your health gauge to see how many more hits you can take.

The ball that you are hitting to break the blocks and eventually defeat the enemies, gets stronger as progress, however, when it misses, it loses force, and the ball gets weaker; you want to try to aim the ball towards the blocks and the enemies. In addition, when you advance in the game, you will gain abilities beyond jumping and double jumping, such as teleportation and slowing down of time.

There are 180 stars to collect in the game. You earn stars for each game completed, and it is with these stars that you get the ability to open up new stages, so it is very important to earn as many stars as you can to make this possible.

What stood out to me is that, each level features different kinds of enemies and a different scenery. Overall, I’ll give this game a 7 out of 10 because I found it to be a little repetitive. Even though it offers great variety in enemies, scenery, and abilities, at the end of the day, the gameplay wasn’t that much different in each stage. I did the teleportation ability in the game, as it made it easier to play it when it became challenging, it’s just not a 10 in my opinion.

A code of the game was provided to me by the developer for review purposes only. Arkan: The Dog Adventurer is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch platform.

Escape from Life Inc. Review

Escape from Life Inc. is a 2D puzzle platformer adventure game focusing on teamwork between the three animals. This game was created by a 15 year old kid from Sweden as a personal project. Moreover, developer PowerBurger and Sometimes You helped develop and publish the game. This game features three animals: a fish, an eagle, and a reindeer with different abilities and unique personalities. There are five different chapters with advancing gameplay, exploration, many puzzles, boss battles, and a very fun adventure with co-op option.

The storyline centers around three animals that found each other in an alien lab after they were abducted and taken there along with other animals for experiments known as the Life Inc. lab. The goal is to rescue animals and escape the lab by working together. You will be playing as three different animals and switching in between to use their different and unique abilities and personalities to solve puzzles and to advance in the game. This will allow you to solve different puzzles that require certain abilities like flying, jumping, swimming, breaking barriers and etc.

For instance, Bob, The fish, has been given legs by the aliens, can walk around on land, jump, and swim. The reindeer, Rick, can use its antlers to destroy crates, walls, and other things that get in their way, and he can jump as well. While Ern, the eagle, can fly which allows the players to survey the area and decide which animal is fit to solve the puzzle. Figuring out which animals to use in the right order is essential to completing the game. The controls are fairly simple in this game. For example, in the PS5 console, players can press the L1 button to switch animals, and they can also command the animals to follow along by pressing the Triangle buttom. The puzzles start out as easy, but as you go on playing, they become more and more intricate, which can be quite challenging, so if you like a challenge I’d suggest trying this game. The graphics are fun and colorful. Simple and yet very detailed. The sounds are very fitting to the graphics. 

This game offers a mix of platformer, humor, and puzzles; which is very fun. Overall, it was a fun game to play and it got quite challenging as I went along. Although I enjoyed the game, I found it a little grindy at times since I had to repeat the same boss battles due to it being a bit difficult to pass. I will give this game an 8 out of 10 because I loved the simplicity of the graphics, the storyline, and the fun characters.

A copy of the game was given to me by the publishers for review purposes only. Escape from Life Inc. is out and available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch platforms.

Coral Sea Keycap Review

I recently made the decision to transition from Apple to PC (although I do not have anything build yet due to PC component supply shortage from retailers due to COVID-19). I started looking at keyboard components – I learned that you can upgrade your keyboard by changing keycap designs. Being into Japanese culture, I found this Coral Sea keycap design really cool and something that fits what the design I plan to build for my PC.

I bought these keycaps from a Chinese retailer in China via AliExpress for roughly $25 with tax. The process was easy, the seller is communicated with me and provided tracking, however, it took nearly a month for the produce to arrive here in the United States.

The keycap comes with a keycap puller which is very helpful if this is your first time upgrading your keyboard with new keycaps. Now, diving into the keycap details, the dye sublimation contains Japanese themes, for example the ESC keycap has the rising sun which symbolizes the Japanese flag, the space bar contains something similar with a whale and waves which is somewhat reminiscent the Japanese artwork called The Great Wave off Kanagawa, I found these details to be really neat. In the description of the item it claims to be PBT sublimation which means the designs won’t wear out, I have been using my keyboard on my iMac for about 3 weeks since its arrival and so far so good.

The only disappointment I have is that the legends are not see through, so if you have a RGB keyboard like myself these would not shine through the letters.

Overall, I give these keycap a solid 7/10. I love the colors and the aesthetic of it, I wish it would shine through the legends.

This keycap can be found here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001166532484.html?spm=a2g0s.12269583.0.0.bb503187rY5IcJ for $29.

My Aunt is a Witch PS4 review

My aunt is a witch is a visual novel point and click game full of adventures, quests, and puzzles in a magical world where you can become an apprentice to a witch. It is developed by Sometimes You, and published by Sometimes You. 

It tells the story of Thomas, a boy with a difficult life because his father marries a woman who cannot stand him. So he visits his aunt Alice, who, as it turns out, is a witch! So he becomes her apprentice and learns to make potions. 

When Thomas arrives at his aunt’s house and finds out she is a real witch, he also is introduced to her cat who was once his aunt’s lover, but has now been transformed into a talking cat. His aunt is looking for an apprentice and Thomas just happens to be at the right place at the right time for it. 

This is a point and click game adventure game with some puzzles to solve, so the gameplay is a bit limited. You will, though, enjoy many beautiful graphics and visuals, and very nice sounds in the game. Most of the time, you will spend your time reading dialogue between the characters in the game, moving through different locations, solving the occasional puzzle, doing some item search quests, and some quick time events as with most point and click games. This game does not stand out from other point and click visual novels when it comes to gameplay.

The characters are very well designed and animated in the game.

What stands out about this game is the colorful and very beautiful art style. It really makes the story a lot more appealing and engaging. You will find yourself staring at the beautiful graphics as the story goes on. The soundtrack also complements the game very well, it fits the mood of the game, and it makes the game so much more engaging to play. The music definitely pulls you right into the game’s world of magic.
I think that the game was really good when it comes to the storyline, the gameplay, the graphics, and the soundtrack; the only thing that I felt should have been improved is that the characters could have benefited from voice acting. 

Because the story is so engaging, it kept me wanting to find out what the end would be, so if you would like to know more, then I’d recommend this game for you. 

Overall, it was a fun point and click adventure game with wonderful graphics and an amazing soundtrack to go with it. I will give it an 8 out of 10 because I felt that voice acting would have made it more appealing.

My Aunt is a Witch is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PS VITA platform. A code of the game was given to me by the publishers for review purposes only.

TGJOR Wireless Switch Joystick Review

I recently got a Nintendo switch as an early xmas gift from my sister. I have watched video reports that the official joy-cons that comes with the console usually have a 6 month life if you play a lot, so that was something I was worried about. I was given the opportunity to test a third-party wireless controller for the switch by @TGJOR_official.

The controller comes in a very simple packaging with not a lot of protection or description of the product; it includes a manual and a usb-c charging cable.

The first impression I have is that the controller design is translucent, and it looks similar to the PS4 DualShock controller, the difference is the length of the analog thumb joystick – the switch controller thumb joystick is slightly longer than the ps4 controller. When I first tried the controller, I could feel the height differences, it was a little uncomfortable at first. However, if I were to compare this controller’s joysticks with Nintendo’s joy-con; I would say that the joysticks in this controller are build to last, it did not feel fragile, and it looks like it could last longer than 6 months. In addition, the joysticks are very responsive and smooth. The buttons of this controllers looks sturdy as well, my only issue of the design is that the D-Pad is a little too sturdy for my taste.

One feature that I like about this controller is that it is also sturdy for your hands, TGJOR added this soft plastic material that gives players a very sturdy and comfortable grip when holding the controller.

I played Animal Crossing while testing this controller. The rumble of this controller is quite strong and I am very pleased with it. For instance, when I catch a fish on Animal Crossing the controller vibration felt stronger than the official joy-con.

Since the box did not include details about this controller, I had to look up on amazon about the battery life. It claims to have about 10-hour battery life. However, I have been using longer than 10 hours and I did not have to charge it yet.

This is a wireless controller with built-in Bluetooth for connectivity. I did not have a hard time connecting it to the console, the instructions are in the manual and very straightforward. The only complaint I have is that the controller disconnect from the Switch console when you idle for 5 minutes or so, I was playing Animal Crossing, but I had to step out to wash the dishes, when I came back, the controller disconnected from the console. I re-tested this issue by idling a few times, and every time it would disconnect the controller from the console. It takes you back to the controller “Change Grip/Order” screen, so you have to reconnect your controller again.

Another concern I have is that I was not able to use the controller right away on the second day of testing. I thought I could just press the Home button to wake up my switch console and start playing, but that was not the case – I had to use the joy-cons that came with the console to wake up the switch and I had to re-connect this controller again. Therefore, it does not look like it records the controller in the system forever, it seems like you have to keep re-connecting the controller in order to use it.

Overall, I give this controller a 4 out 5 stars. Despite the minor issues I had with it, I am really pleased with the built quality, and the affordability of this controller. This controller cost a fraction of the official Nintendo controller, although, it may not be as perfect as the official controller. It does work as intended. If you are a new switch owner like myself, I would definitely suggest picking up a budget controller.

This controller retails for $24.99 on Amazon and it is currently on sale for $21.99

Warsaw Review

Warsaw is a challenging turn-based RPG game developed by Pixelated Milk and Crunching Koalas, and published by gaming company and Crunching Koalas. It takes place in the war-torn city of Warsaw, Poland during World War 2 in the year 1944.

Due to the fact that this game depicts actual facts from world war 2, you won’t be saving Poland and liberating its people; your objective in this game is survival. You will have 63 days to survive the war. As the population count goes down each day, you will be completing different missions to stay alive. 

The game features an accurate city layout of Warsaw. It also features a tactical combat system that allows for nonlinear gameplay. You will be playing as the members of the resistance who are standing up to the occupied forces. The resistance enlists men, women, soldiers, and civilians, each with unique abilities. 

You will start the game at your home base where you will pick the right recruits to go with you on missions on the streets of Warsaw, and where you will pick missions to go on. It’s at your home base that you can switch out your gear and barter for new weapons for your inventory.

You will pick a group of people to go and complete objectives and missions on the streets of Warsaw while you also fight against the German soldiers that will get in your way. You will be rotating between members to attack German soldiers, and when one of your members gets killed in battle, they are killed forever, and there is no coming back, so you will need to recruit new members, which will require resources.

Sometimes it’s best to avoid combat as your health is not replenished once the combat is over and you don’t want your members to be killed.
The graphics are very nice and the colors very well fitting for the environments. The sounds are also very fitted to the situations in the game. The only thing I didn’t like about this game is that it won’t allow you to store all the loot you want, it’s limited, so if you pick up more items than it fits in the inventory, you will have to leave some things behind, which is not ideal.

Overall, it was a very challenging game, and there is a lot to learn when playing this game, I will give this a 7 out of 10 because I felt that they could have improved the inventory so that it would be unlimited; also I felt like they could have made the game easier to play, meaning they could have simplified things so that we don’t have to spend as much time learning to play the game. At first I felt like it was a bit too complicated, and I almost gave up learning it, so that could be improved.

Inertial Drift Review

Inertial Drift is an indie arcade drift racing video game developed by Level 91 Entertainment and published by PQube Limited.

The game offers unique twin drift controls, in which the left stick is used for steering, and the right stick is used for drifting; it also offers individual cars with different mechanics, so you will have to learn to master each car differently; it features 20 different tracks single player mode, and multiplayer modes. It also offers different gameplay modes, which include arcade mode, challenge mode, story mode, grand prix mode, split screen mode, and online mode. The biggest difference between this drifting racing game and others, is that in other drifting games, as you drive and the car drifts, you continue to drive as you normally would drive; but in Inertial Drift, as you start to drift, you control your drift with the right stick as you drive with the left stick, and the main focus of this game is drifting.

Four cars are unlocked in the beginning of the game, but they are all different to manage and drive with, which makes playing the game different each time you pick a different car to drive. There are 16 cars in this game, and most of them need to be unlocked.

In time battle mode, you race by yourself down the track to get your best score. In ghost mode, which you can either choose to run against your ghost or another ghost recorded, you try to race against a ghost. You can also race against a competitor, which is only one other car, though these modes don’t appear to be that much different, as you cannot collide with any other cars; you simply may drift into another car like a ghost would go through a wall without affecting anything. 

In the score mode, you gain points by drifting, though that can be up for debate as I wasn’t really sure what was causing me to earn the points. The way I drifted? How I drifted and didn’t hit a wall? I am really not sure what the points were for as they don’t tell you. 

In the story mode, there are many characters that will give you advice on how to race, like a tutorial, and you complete missions. In the grand prix mode, you race against different opponents, and you get many retries; if you win, you will unlock new cars. 

I’m new to drift race games; this game was fun for a while until it gets repetitive. I only wish that they would add more opponents instead of just one opponent to race against. It would have added more fun to it and it would have been more competitive. I think that most of the fun comes from learning to drive a new car, and managing that car on the road, since each car is different.

The graphics of this game are really nice and cool. It has a 90s vibe to it, and the colors are amazing together. The sounds also work really well with the graphics and the game overall. 

Overall, I will give this game a 7 out of 10 because I loved the amazing graphics, and the sounds, but it lacked a little bit of competitiveness from having more cars racing in each race. 

A code of the game was provide for review purposes only. Inertial Drift is out now and available on Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Steam platform.

Swordbreaker the Game Review

Swordbreaker the Game is an interactive visual novel type of a game that requires a lot of reading; developed by Du Cats Games Studios and published by Sometimes You.

The game features over 300 paths that you can take in this game, and over 140 ways to die. It’s a game in which you progress by making choices that lead into the next scene which depends on each choice made in the previous scene.

Swordbreaker is the nickname of the hero in this story. He was at a tavern when two men at a different table were arguing about something. Then, suddenly the villain stabbed the other man, and the Swordbreaker approached the man that was stabbed. The man that was stabbed grabbed onto the Swordbreaker, and just before his last breath, he handed him a scroll. Swordbreaker looked at the scroll later on while at a rented room, and finds out that it is a map with a castle. He was broke and needed money, so he set out into a new adventure to find a treasure inside the castle; and that’s how the story begins.

You will arrive in front of a castle, and your adventure begins as you choose your first move. 

You get only 3 lives in the game, so you have to make wise choices that will prevent you from being killed. If you lose all your lives, the game takes you back to the main menu where you will have the chance to play again making either new choices or following the same path that led you to be killed. After losing one life, you will be taken back to the previous scene so that you can make a different choice, but if you lose all three, you will need to restart the game. It also tell you about your choices and what that means for you. For example, making certain choices can deem you a hero or a killer; so that you can either choose to make different choices or to continue making similar choices in the next game.

In some places in the castle, you may find items that will enable you to have additional choices in the game and the ability to use those items to your advantage.

The game also features a map of the castle that shows you all the different scenes, and you can zoom into the map to look at which scenes you’ve unlocked and which ones you’ve yet to unlock. 

When I played, I was killed many times, but I liked being able to make different choices to see what would happen next and to explore the game’s different paths. I think this is a very good game because it offers many different paths and there is so much to see.

The graphics were amazingly stunning and beautiful and well done, and the sounds were very fitting to each scene.

Overall, I will give this game a 9 out of 10 because I love the unpredictability of the outcome and it kept me wanting to keep playing even when I made the wrong choices and lost all my lives, I’d still want to restart and continue playing. There were many choices to be made, a lot to see in the game, which I found to be unique. Most games only offer one way to make it through, but this game offers many ways, and different endings too! The only thing I didn’t like about the game was that we only get 3 lives, and when we lose all three, we have to start a new game, which is a bummer since we have to replay all the same scenes again in the game.

A code of the game was given by the publisher for review purposes only. Swordbreaker the Game is out now and available on Steam, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

Party Hard 2 is a serial killer game developed by Pinokl Games, Kverta, and Hologryph; and published by TinyBuild Games. It’s a sequel following the original Party Hard game, which was in 2D graphics, whereas this game is in 3D graphics. Featuring 16 levels with devious traps, insane objectives, a few boss fights; and awesome 3D graphics; this game offers a lot of fun.

The story revolves around the main character who just wants to get some sleep, but he has his frustrations that eventually drive him to want to kill everyone, he just had enough! Your objectives in the game include killing everyone at parties, finding objects, killing specific people, and performing other tasks; and there are a variety of creative ways to accomplish your tasks which makes the game really fun. 

Each level offers a different party scene and different objectives. The game can be quite difficult to play because the objectives are not that easy to accomplish in this game, so you will fail at times. Local co-op is also available, and can make the game a little easier as you can team up to accomplish different tasks and objectives together. The game doesn’t offer any online multiplayer features, or tutorials; you will mostly be learning as you go along. Though there are a few tips here and there that show up to help you.

There are a lot of options as to what you can do in this game, which is really cool and makes the game really fun. I’ve often found myself wondering if I could perform certain actions, and then I found out that I could, and that’s really cool. For example, set off explosives causing party goers to panic and run out of the venue then use a car to run them over. The game is very open and offers variety ways to kill the party goers. 

There are 16 levels to this game, and even though they start small, they get very big as you play along and also more complex, and there are many ways to approach each level to complete your objectives. It can get very complicated.

Unfortunately, your inventory can only consist of four items at a time, and one of the items is a knife which is there by default and you can’t get rid of it. You will also be able to craft about 10-12 items to use in your objectives. It usually shows up on the billboard what you can craft and how to craft it. The basic way to kill is to use the knife, but you still have to do it strategically as if you aren’t able to kill the other characters, they will call the police on you, and you could have to restart the game or level.

One of the things I liked most about this game is it’s stealth element; I’ve played other games with this element in it, and I love it. What I didn’t really like were the boss fights, which were much harder than I believe it needed to be. 

The main character in the game is very slow, and once he is caught by the police, he can’t run, so you might as well just restart the game and try as much as possible to avoid being caught as that restarts the whole thing anyway. But once you clear up levels, you’ll unlock new characters with better stats and abilities.

What I loved about this game: it’s filled with different ways to murder people and make your way around the map; the 3D graphics were really cool and easy on the eyes; its stealth features, and the fun storyline.

What I did not like about this game: It can be too difficult to pass each level, sometimes I’ve found myself playing one level way too many times, which makes it repetitive; the boss fights could have been easier or they could have taken that away from the game to make it more playable. I wish they had different levels of difficulty to choose from so that we can gain more experience playing and then we can choose to make it more difficult.

Overall, Party Hard 2 still a fun game despite the lack of online features. It still very different from many games I’ve played. I loved the graphics and the sounds. 
I will give this game an 8 out of 10 because I loved mostly everything about it except for how difficult sometimes it was to play alone since I don’t have anyone in the house to join in the local co-op.

A review voucher for this game was provided by the publishers for review purposes only!

Party Hard 2 is available on STEAM, Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch for $19.99.