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вторник, 28 юли 2015 г.

Guild of Dungeoneering - Rhymes with potential




As you have probably noticed I play a good amount of board and card games too. That's why when I saw Guild of Dungeoneering I was instantly interested in it.

The game came out on 14th if July 2015, its done by a small indie studio called Gambrinous. GoD is a turn-based dungeon crawl mixed with a roguelite and a card game. But there is a twist, instead of controlling a character you build the dungeon around him.



Founding of the Guild


The game takes place in a world where it seems there are guilds that make money out of...dungeoneering.
 You're ex member of one such guild, The Ivory Guild, but you're thrown out because they find you...incompetent. You of course don't think so and to get your revenge create a Guild of your own. The Guild of Dungeoneering. Now you're ready to show those smarty pants who is incompetent!



Crawlin' n Buildin'


The game consists of two parts - expanding your Guild and going into Dungeons. When you pass Dungeons, new ones will be unlocked for you. Every action from building to fighting is done with cards.

Every Dungeon consists of several runs - first few with random objectives and one to kill the local Boss. You start at a dungeon tile and few more with monsters on them are also revealed. Your tile is not connected to the others though and you will have to connect them by playing dungeon cards from your hand. Easy right? But it will not be enough, because you don't control the dungeoneer and he takes whatever road he wants. You will have to fight for his attention by playing monsters and treasures in adjacent rooms...and even then he will be too stubborn and run right into the Boss that is like 4 levels above him...

Usually when you fight a Boss there will be some conditions to the fight. For example the giant Mimic that blames you for looting her grandparents will chase you around the Dungeon and you will be forced to fight her if she catches you. I'm sure you know what follows if this happens too early. Other example is on of the Demon Bosses who will give you 12 turns before attacking you...because he is taking a bath.



That's why is essential to play monsters in the way of your dungeoneer who always starts at level one and with his basic battle cards. Fighting the monsters allow you tо level up. Every time you ding you will get a choice of three items, each of which giving you new(better) cards.

During a fight you will draw three Battle cards and then will play one of them per turn. Your opponent will also play one. The general idea of the fight is to outplay him. The cards you play include options like lifeleech, quick attacks, attacks that force the enemy to discard, unblockabale attacks, attacks that deal 2.3 or even more damage if you get the right combo and more. Of corse you can also defend and because there are two types of damage, there are two kinds of block - against magic and against physical.



Your enemy will play similar cards and you will have to react in the best way to his card. As you see the battle system is very simple. Two things bring more depth to it. The perks of your characters and the monsters. For example if the Bruiser fully blocks an attack the enemy takes damage or some enemies have fury and will deal more damage or will deal one damage to you and themselves etc. The other thing is the very unintiative but original in my opinion skill system that is not explained in any way. When you equip items they have skills like swift, growth, fire etc. When you equip more cards with the same skills you get better cards from this "skill class". During a dungeon run you might acquire new perks for one battle, they can be both positive or negative. This happens when you drink from the fountains found in some rooms.



After the end of each run(good or bad) you will get some gold, when you collect enough you will be able to expand your Guild. You have three general choices when expanding - unlocking new class, blessings or new more rare items. With every tier the upgrades become more expensive. The game have around ten unlockable classes, a lot of items and few rather helpful blessings.

One of the things that made good impression to me is the fact that the game can not  really lock you from progressing as you will always get gold from your runs and will be able to get new items and classes. Slowly, but still. Truly the game can be unfair, its a card drafting game, but you won't be out of luck forever, right?




Is it or is it not?


This is the question I asked myself when I saw the graphic style of Guild of Dungeoneering. Is the game pretty or is it not? Everything in the game looks like hand drawn but in a way that looks like doodles. All characters are easily distictive, their outlook change when you equip items on them, the rooms of the Guild are detailed. But does it look good? I personally can't decide. Although I know one thing - its thematic, it fits the silly story and humour of the game at 100%.



But let me tell you about the one thing that for sure I know I liked - the sound of the game.  Guild of Dungeoneering is probably the game with the best Menu music I have ever played. The opening song is fun and well sang in a tavern style by few bards. And this is not the only place where you wll enjoy the art of the bards. After every run depending on how successful it is you will hear another bard reciting short poems about your performance...unlike his collegues he will not always succeed with the rhymes.


Conclusion

Guild of Dungeoneering is a card dungeon crawl game with some rouguelite elements. In it you take the role of a guildmaster who after being kicked from his previous guild have decided to make his own and prove his worth. In the game you will run Dungeons from which you will make money and expand your Guild, unlocking new items, classes and blessings.

The interesting thing about the game is that you're not controlling directly the dungeoneer, but instead you're luring him in the way you want him to go by playing treasures and monsters. He will of course not always go where you want him to...
Now you might be thinking "roguelite, dungeon crawl...are the levels randomly generated?" They are not, but...BUT you are the one who is building them and every time different cards are given to you, so they are not always the same definitely. 

As in every dungeon crawl you will fight a lot. When you engage in battle you and your opponent will draw and play attack and deffense cards until one of you dies...or both of you which will happen often because cards resolve simultaneously.  Monsters and different characters also have a lot of perks which add some depth to the fights.



Guild of Dungeoneering have very...peculiar art style which in my opinion you will either accept or it will put you off the game. The whole game looks like drawn in doodles, truly detailed doodles, but... Me? I'm still not sure what to think about the art of the game. Its fitting no doubt, I mean GoD is not a game that takes itself seriously so what more appropriate than doodles.

What also fit the game and I love is the music! It is amazing, especially the main menu song which is sang by a group of bards. Also not to forget their colleague who will recite short poems after every dungeon run you make. He is bad at rhyming, but...come now are you better?

Guild of Dungeoneering sadly have few flaws. Biggest of which is probably the fact that the game rather quickly becomes repetitive. You make a run, collect money, expand, make a new run and then repeat. For some people another flaw of the game for sure will be the sketchy art style and the RNG nature of the card drafting mechanics of the game.

But if you are like me and enjoy to see card/board games mechanics well implemented in computer games, then give it a try. I personally will wait and see what Gambrinous will do to expand the potential of the game before returning to it.

Links:

петък, 10 юли 2015 г.

Assassin's Creed Chronicles China - Тайно се опитва да е нещо ново



Наскоро, когато ви разказах за новото творение на Klei - Invisible Inc, аз споменах Mark of the Ninja. Днес не просто ще спомена отново тази чудесна стелт игра, а и активно ще сравнявам с нея играта за която съм решил да ви разкажа. След тези думи предполагам, че и без заглавието щяхте да се досетите, че става дума за новото допълнение към Assassin's Creed франчайза - Chronicles China.

Играта излезе на пазара на 22 април 2015 година. Разработена е (разбира се) от Ubisoft, 2.5D е и използва новият Unreal 3 енджин. В играта вие влизате в ролята на младата убийца Шао Джун, която чрез потайност и хитрост ще трябва да отмъсти за своето Братство.




Тук, преди да преминем към история, механики и други интересни неща, искам да кажа, че аз никога не съм играл Assassin's Creed игрите и за това няма да разглеждам Хроники, като допълнение към сериите, а само като стелт игра.



Историята


Годината е 1520, Азия. Китайското Братство е унищожено от група Тамплиери наричащи се Осемте Тигъра. Вие сте последният асасин от това братство и след като преминавата тренировка под ръководството на легендарния Ецио Аудиторе, се завръщате за да отмъстите за смъртта на братята и сестрите си. И ако е възможно да възстановите Китайският клон до предишната му слава. Първата стъпка от плана ви е да се оставите да ви заловят...



Геймплей и Механики


Ако сте играли Mark of the Ninja тук ще се почувствате в свой води. Chronicles използва много механики наподобяващи тези от творението на Klei. Във всяка мисия вие ще имате две задачи, една главна и една втопостепенна, която може и да не изпълнявате, но ако я изпълните, то тя ще ви даде бонус точки, с които да ъпгрейдвате Шао. На всяко ниво ще има по няколко чекпойнта и след всеки от тях ще получавате кратко резюме на представянето ви до сега. Като начин на игра ще имате избор между два стила на игра - агресивен и стелт.

Сигурен съм, че повечето от вас се досещат какво представляват двата стила, но нека все пак ви кажа малко повече за тях. Ако изберете първия, то ще се насладите на една доста прилична бойна система, която ще ви позволи да блокирате удари, да избягвате стрели и да изпълнявате други акробатични номера, с които да победите противниците си, ако сте достатъчно бързи.... Тези ви умения ще ви позволяват лесно да се справите с двама или дори трима пазачи. Не трябва да забравяте обаче, че вие все пак сте убиец, не войн и да не прекалявате с открития бой, защото в началото на играта два удара ще бъдат достатъчни за да ви убият, а противниците ви няма да ви оставят много място за грешки. Като най-опасното им оръжие ще бъде може би възможността им да викат подкрепления, с чиято помощ лесно ще обръщат боевете в своя полза. А малко по-късно в играта пазачите ще започнат да носят щитове и арбалети, които ще ви затрудняват още повече.




Ако изберете вторият вариант, ще имате удоволствието да влезете в ролята на смъртоносна сянка, която с всяко свое появяване ще взима по някого със себе си. Този вариант е вероятно малко по-труден от предишния, но ще ви дава и повече точки. Освен това малко неща могат да се сравняват с чувството да преминете цяло ниво без да ви видят или дори без да убиете някого. Доста е ясно кой начин на игра ми допадна повече, но определено и двата си имат прииумещества. Избирайки стелт варианта не ви спира от убиване на врагове стига това да става тайно и без никой да разбере. Основните механики, които тук ще използвате в този случай са...взаимствани както споменах от Mark of the Ninja. Вие ще се криете в тъмни врати, храсти, зад завеси и бали със сено. От укритията си ще можете лесно да се справяте с противниците си, без те да имат шанс да реагират. Не забравяйте да криете телата, защото иначе бързо ще се изправите срещу усърдно оглеждащи се пазачи, вместо мързеливо разкарващи се такива. Подобно на пазачите, които ще почнат да носят щитове и арбалети, така и докато се промъквате ще се сблъскате с лаещи кучета и шумни птици, както и издайнически скърцащ под.

Или можете просто да действате според ситуацията и да комбинирате двата стила, които предложих в горните два абзаца. Какъвто и начин на игра обаче да изберете, то ще има боеве, които ще ви вкарат в открит бой без значение дали го искате или не.



"She's got the looks..."


Не! Не Шао Джун! Тя постоянно е с качулка, как да разбере човек? Играта имам предвид. Ubisoft са избрали за играта много интересен стил на анимация, който изглежда като нарисуван с четка. Това, което наистина ме впечатли, че не само кът сцените са направени в този стил, а цялата игра. Също така стила идеално пасва на мястото, където се развива играта. Буквално чувате как азиатската обстановка прави "клик" със стила на анимация. А в кът сцените можете да видите същият този стил разгърнат в пълния му блясък, придаващ на героите мистицизъм и тайнственост. Можем само да се надяваме, че постъпят по същия начин и с другите две игри от мини сериите Chronicles. 




Освен добре изглеждаща Assassin's Creed Chronicles China и звучи добре, с приличен саундтрак и ефекти, също така и всички герои са дублирани, дори и пазачите. Озвучаването на играта няма да ви завладее, но определено не е лошо.



Заключение


Assassin's Creed Chronicles China е 2,5D стелт игра, разработена и публикувана от Ubisoft. В нея вие поемате ролята на Шао Джун, която след като е обучена от Ецио Аудиторе, се завръща за да отмъсти за унищожението на Китайското Братство и ако им шанса, да го възстанови.

Като механики играта взаимства много от Mark of the Ninja, но също предлага и уникален визуален стил, напомнящ на рисунка с четка и бои, които много добре пасва на обстановката и историята.
Chronicles стимулира играчите да са потайни и да елиминират противниците си бързо и без следи. Това не значи обаче, че ако ви забележат, то вие сте обречени. Напротив, като някой който е преминал обучение за асасин и то от Ецио Аудиторе, вие  с лекота можете да се справите с двама и дори трима противници, залагайки на рефлексите си, които ще ви позволят с лекота да блокирате атаките на враговете си и дори да избягвате стрелите им. Не се увличайте обаче, защото пазачите често ще викат подкрепления и четирима, петима пазачи бързо ще се справят с вас, особено в началото, когато два удара са достатъчни да ви убият. Всичко това комбинирано създава една игра, която ще ви кара често да зареждате последния си запис за да опитате да постигнете максималния резултат за всяко ниво.

Малко по-субективно погледнато обаче...

Chronicles China не е лоша игра и ще ви предложи сносен стелт екшън, комбиниран с прилична бойна система, която ще ви позволи да запазите живота си, когато пазачите ви спипат. Историята на играта вероятно ще ви е интересна, ако сте фенове на поредицата...

На мен лично играта ми напомни на Prince of Persia игра, с различна тематика. Не казвам, че това е лошо, аз съм фен на поредицата, но може да е лошо за тези от вас, които искат да имат чувството, че играят AC игра.



Но...винаги има "но" някъде тук...

Първото, което ми направи лошо впечатление са изключително високопарните реплики на Шао Джун, които я карат да звучи наперено вместо студено и спокойно, както би трябвало да звучи някой, който чувства че контролира положението.

Второто нещо, което нямам обяснение защо са направили е факта, че когато двама пазачи си говорят, то те не виждат какво става около тях. Можете буквално да скочите над главите им, да се приземите точно зад един от тях и спокойно да се отдалечите. Те няма да реагират въобще. Това е механика на играта, нарочно направена по този начин! 

И може би най-големият проблем, който имах с играта бяха скучните нива. Имаше такива, които си приличат, само са със сменени скинове и цветове Повечето просто бяха еднообразни - няколко етажа по които се качвате или слизате, подскачайки или катерейки се, убивате пазачите, изпълнявате целта си и продължавате към следващото. Което е чиста загуба на чудесния визуален стил, който Ubisoft са избрали за играта. Да не говорим, че не могат да се мерят с други игри от жанра, които предлагат доста по-разнообразни нива.

Заключение! Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China e прилична стелт игра, чиято история може да ви заинтересува, ако сте фенове на франчайза, но ако сте някой като мен, който никога не е играл Assassin's Creed играта може и да не оправдае очакванията ви.

Линкове:


Assassin's Creed Chronicles China - Sneaky it tries something new




Recently I told you about Klei's new creation Invisible Inc and there I mentioned Mark of the Ninja. Today I will not just mention this amazing stealth game but will actively compare today's chosen with it. After saying this I'm sure even without the title you would have guessed that I'm here to tell you more about the newest part of the Assassins's Creed franchise - Chronicles China.

The game came out in 22th of April 2015. It's made by(of course) Ubisoft, its 2.5D and it uses the Unreal 3 engine. In it you will take the role of Shao Jun a female assassin who by using stealth and skill will have to avenge her Brotherhood.




Now before getting to the story, mechanics and other interesting things I must say that I never played any Assassin's Creed games and because of this I will not talk about Chronicles China as a Assassin's Creed game instead I will look at it more as a stealth game.


The Story


 The year is 1520, Asia. The Chinese Brotherhood is destroyed by the Templar group The Eight Tigers.  You're the last assassin from the Chinese Brotherhood which after being trained by the legendary Ezio Auditore returns back to his homeland to avenge the death of her brothers and recover if possible the former glory of the Chinese branch. The first step of your bold plan is to let yourself get caught...



Gameplay and Mechanics



If you have played Mark of the Ninja you will feel at home here. Chronicles China uses many mechanics similar to the ones in Klei's game. In every mission you will have main and optional secondary objective. Completing the secondary is not mandatory but it gives you bonus points and you need them to unlock new things for Shao. On every level there will be several checkpoints where you will receive sum up of your performance so far. Generally you will have choice of two ways of play style - aggressive and stealth. 

If you choose the first one you will have the chance to see a pretty good battle system. Our female avenger will dodge arrows, parry attacks and roll over your enemies if you are quick enough... That said you after all are an assassin and a bit fragile, in the beginning of the game two hits will be enough to kill you and Guards will give you no quarter. They will even call backups to cut your road of escape. Choosing this style of play will give you a bit less points, but with good reflexes you will find yourself cutting through two or three Guards with satisfying finesse and skill, giving you the feel that you really are fighter supreme. Just don't let it get to you; five or six Guards will make short work of you. And a bit later in the game they will even carry crossbows and shields making your job even harder.



If you choose the second option you will enjoy being just a deadly shadow, appearing and disappearing every time taking someone with herself. This option is may be a bit harder, but there is nothing like the feeling of passing a whole level without killing anyone and never been seen. Not to mention that this is the more rewarding play style. Yes, I found being stealthy a lot more enjoyable and satisfying, but this of course is highly subjective. Choosing stealth does not mean you will be sanctioned for kills, no in fact kills done without being seen doesn't decrease your score. The main mechanics here is hiding in background dark doorways, bushes, curtains and bales of hay and the ability to quickly dash between hiding places. This will painfully remind you of Mark of the Ninja if you have played it. Also don't forget to hide the bodies or you will quickly find the Guards thoroughly looking for you instead of lazily patrolling around. Similar to the Guards with shields and the ones with crossbows noisy birds and dogs will hinder your silent walk...also don't forget that wood creaks sometimes.

Or you can just act according to the situation and mix the two styles. But regardless of your choice there will be boss fights which will force you to fight your enemies face to face without a chance to take them out by surprise. 


"She's got the looks..."


No, not Shao Jun you....guys! She is hooded all the time, how can I know? I'm talking about the game. Ubisoft have chosen very interesting brush inspired art style. And it’s not limited only to the cut-scenes, the whole game is made in it. The style is very fitting to the Chinese/Asian setting of the game and it truly shines in the cut-scenes where it gives everything very mystic look and feel. We can only hope that they will do the same with the two other games from this spin off series and will pick distinctive styles for them too.



Other than nice looks, Chronicles China has decent soundtrack, effects and all characters are voiced, even the Guards. The sound and music will not make you lose your mind but it is not unpleasant either.


Conclusion


Assassin's Creed Chronicles China is a 2.5D stealth game made and published by Ubisoft. In it you take the role of the ambitious young assassin Shao Jun which after being trained by Ezio Auditore is back to her homeland and strives to avenge the destroyed Chinese Brotherhood and if possible to restore it.

As mechanics the game takes a lot of inspiration from Klei's hit Mark of the Ninja, but also it offers unique paint brush inspired art style and setting. Chronicles greatly rewards stealth  but you will be far from defenseless if got seen. Being highly trained assassin you will easily block attacks and dodge arrows, demonstrating your superiority over your clumsy enemies. Just don't forget that you're not as tough as they are and that there is a lot of them. All this builds up for interesting and challenging game where you will reload saves repeatedly while trying to maximize your score and unlock new upgrades for your assassin.

That said let me give you some personal thoughts on it. 

Chronicles China is not a bad stealth game and it will not only offer you good stealth action but it also has a diverse battle system which will allow you to hold your ground against the guards if found. The story of the game though may get your interest only if you're fan of the series.

To me it felt a lot more like a Prince of Persia game. Personally for me that is not a bad thing as I'm fan of the series, but it might be for those of you who are looking for AC experience.




But the really bad things about it were...

First negative for me were the cheesy lines of Shao Jun which instead of cold, calm and content make her sounds cocky and overconfident. 

Something else is the fact that when Guards talk with each other they will not see you even if you jump over their heads and land right next to them. From there you can calmly walk away without even trying to sneak. What makes it worse is that it is deliberately made this way. It doesn't make any sense.

And may be the biggest problem I had with Chronicles China is the fact that the levels are too similar, changing only skins and backgrounds in most cases. But most of them were just boring set of platforms where you climb or decent, complete your objective and go to the next level. They lack the variability of...other titles.

Final conclusion! Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is a decent at best stealth game that may interest fans of the franchise, but if you're someone like me who has never played Assassin's Creed games this game may not live up to your expectations.

Links:

Official site

Steam