About Me: I write about video games and horror-related items. Also, I wear a hat.

Cloning done right

I'm playing through the indie A-RPG Salt and Sanctuary for an upcoming review. For those who don't know about it, it's a 2D blend of From Software's Souls games and Metroid. It copies the former all but to a T, utilizing just about every element and feature found in the last few Dark Souls entries. The games both have a ridiculous number of similarities.

I know, straight ripoffs can come off as lazy. Just look at The Wonderful End of the World (an indie Katamari ape). However, I think Ska Studios' devotion to recreating the Souls experience in 2D is not only spot on, but commendable. I mean, even tiny details like scaling, stamina costs and balance are done perfectly like the game's source material.

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Doom vs. Zombeer

DOOM (PS4):
It only features a few subtle references.

Example: If you fall into the molten fire in the foundry, you'll quickly die and sink. The last we see of our hero is one of this hands jutting from the immolated soup, giving us one last thumbs up. Yep, it's a well-played head nod to Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Why this references works:
It's subtle and unexpected, plus it fits with DOOM's violent theme.


Zombeer (PC):
Spams the living crap out of random pop culture references, as if the developers were desperately seeking approval.

Example: While crawling around in the ventilation ducts on the roof, you come across a Skyrim-ish dragon. The creature speaks in a peculiar language and flies away, never to be seen again.

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Lots of beaten games

Since my last post, I've completed a fair number of games. I figured I'd just give quick highlights on these before moving on:

• Vessel (PC)- Powered my way through the last stage and took out the final boss. I also completed the final puzzle, though I decided to look up a walkthrough at that point because I was ready to be done with the game. It turned out to be simpler than I first realized.
  
• Insanity's Blade (PC)- Tore through the game's short campaign in a couple of sittings. I probably would've been done with it sooner, but time constraints prevented a swift finishing. I eventually went back and nabbed the remaining secret weapons while I was at it, pushing my completion percentage to 100.

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Ugh, I'm apathetic towards these...

I've written three reviews over the last week or so, and all of them are getting that mediocre 3/5 rating from me:

The Howler
Operation C
NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits

If there's one thing I can't stand, it's trying write a review for an average game that doesn't come off as a bare write-up. Over the weekend, I hoped to quell this issue by playing through Kraven Manor, as I had heard it was an actually well done first-person horror game. Honestly, I'm not entirely impressed with it. Its antagonists are creepy, but its puzzles are ho-hum. So it's official, then. I've hit a middling slump. Hopefully, my next review will break the cycle.

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A demonic cult, chupacabra, zombies and faceburster aliens.

Last Shift (2014)

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***SPOILERS***

I just finished Slain! on PC. I don't like the game, but you'll be able to read more on that when I publish my review.

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PERSONA!!!

I've been very productive since my last progress post. In particular, I've been trying to polish off Vessel, since I've been at that game off and on for a few months now (my Steam library shows that I've put 6 hours into it). I finally got through the factory stage and I'm about a third of the way through the orchard. That place allows you to harvest and use fruit juices instead of just water, which can attract certain automatons (who will throw switches and such along the way, thereby unlocking doors).

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