The Warlock of Firetop Mountain - Some things never get old

I remember at some point in my childhood how I read choose your own adventure books and fail at them all the time. I was not able to finish even one. I mean successfully. At some point later I have forgotten about them ( As it happens with a lot of things.) until few years ago when mainly with the help of Sorcery by Steve Jackson(not to be mistaken with the designer of Munchkin) my interest in the genre was revived to such extends that I even tried to write two stories - one is still unfinished, the second was not liked by the publisher, but enough about me. Today I will tell you about my adventures in the Firetop Mountain which is also created by Steve Jackson (and Ian Livingstone). And no I am not starting to review books on the blog, Firetop has received its own digital port much in the spirit of Sorcery.

 In this adventure you will brave the Firetop Mountain at the top of which powerful Warlock resides. Based on the character you choose at the start your mission in the mountain will be different but it will involve some interaction with the Warlock for sure.

Once Upon a time there was a Warlock...

TWoFM tells the story in the same original way Sorcery did - by small snippets of text which chain together after each of your choices. This time you also have a figurine of your character which wanders around while exploring the vast dungeons of the mountain. Essentially it is a tabletop RPG now. 

After I finished both Sorcery books I have given it to Mr. Jackson that he is a good writer and for this story he have worked with Ian Livingstone. That said there a lot of ways to ruin a good story when you make it into a game, this is not an example of one thankfully as the visual style and mechanics only complement the feeling of a tabletop game.

When you start the game you will have to choose between several characters which not only have different stats and abilities but also have their own distinctive backstory which will affect many of the encounters you have in your adventure. For example you might recognize a famous adventurer who has been locked in the mountain for long time and he will give you useful information or you might even find fans of yours among the goblins and orcs guarding the dungeon. Or you might smack the old men and kill all the greenskins...it all depends on who you are. The character you choose will also determine the objective you have. Giving such unique choices based on the character choice gives the game great amount of replayability ( as it did not have enough by the lone fact that it is a choose your own adventure )

Swords and Grids

There are more than few series in the choose your adventure genre and The Warlock of Firetop Mountain is proud representative of Fighting Fantasy therefore as the name suggests, there is a good amount of fighting in the game and I was curious how it is done and was half expecting the same "powerbluff" system as in Sorcery and I was kind of correct on the bluffing part. This time fights take place on a grid and each turn you and your enemies choose one action when both are done actions resolve simultaneously. 

Tin Man Games have called it GridBluff system, but it is a lot like the action programming mechanic in board games. The name of the mechanic does not matter that much actually and what is important is that it makes the battles really strategic and often puts you in situations where you will think more than few minutes on what to do on your turn. Also with the ascension of the mountain you will encounter harder and harder enemies with intricate battle mechanics related to them. Giant statues will smash everything in front of them, stone palms will come to life and grab you from few squares distance and stone statues will push each other around making standing in front of them deadly. 

Conclusion

If you have gotten this far you are probably already downloading the game. I mean Fighting Fantasy, Steve Jackson, Ian Livingstone, choose your own adventure, Tin Man Games...there is hardly a better combination you can wish for if you are a fan of tabletop and/or adventure books? But even if you are (still) not a fan but have wondered will you like such books the digital version of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain is good place to start as it has all the charms of the books and at the same time it comes powered up by digital technology which only adds to the experience and immersion. But the game has something to offer even to the experienced gamers as this version adds new characters, enemies and areas to explore. Must try!

Where to find:

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain

Steam

Humble Bundle

Tin Man Games

Epistory Typing Chronicles - The keyboard is mightier than the sword

Through the long years of gaming I have tried various genres of games. Some I have played more, some less. Some have become my favourite and some I almost have not played. Typing games is one of the later. I have played few and while I can say that they have some educational value I saw little value in them as a gamer. This changed after I played Epistory Typing Chronicles.

Made by Fishing Cactus Epistory is a game about a fox riding muse which has to do her job and inspire a writer. Thematic enough you start on a blank page and as it happens often with books whole new world opens little by little before you. While you explore you will see different objects which will have words above them and you will need to type those words if you want to interact with these objects. Objects will vary from wood trunks to treasure chests and even enemies. Oh yes you will fight here, but more about that later.

The game looks amazing with its "origami-like" art style, charming characters and interesting, open for interpretation story. And while this together with its "book" theme grabbed me as I am a proud bookw(y)orm what impressed me is how the guys from Fishing Cactus combined the charming look and theme with few things from other genres(this seems to be THE THING now) to attract broader public, but at the same time kept the focus of the game on the words.

The first of those things are the simple RPG mechanics. The first part is there - you are (role)playing a muse, the second part is character development. Through the game you will learn new skills which will allow you to type easier, to run faster, to sense objects of interest, to burn words(do not tell the dwarves, they will throw you in jail.) and more.

The second is the battle system. You will encounter many enemies in the depths of the writer's mind and you will have to defend yourself. Some will be simple, one word small fries which you will easily type out. But others will be huge never-heard-before three words monsters and you will have to use your whole typing skills acquired in the chats to beat them before they reach you. Because even single touch is enough to kill the muse of a writer. At the end of each zone you will have to survive few waves of enemies, which will come at you from all sides.

I mentioned that they focus on the words and you might wonder what exactly I meant. Let me explain. In Epistory you will type...a lot. This is a game about typing. But you will not have to type "trunk" every time you see a trunk. You will type something wood related. This goes for everything you interact with. This game will expand your vocabulary. Also in the game there will be barred areas and you will not be able to understand the language of the words for those barriers until you travel to certain other places where you will literally learn new "language" so you can read the words you need to progress.

Conclusion

Epistory Typing Chronicles is an interesting pick up on a genre in which we rarely see something new. But here instead of only typing you will explore interesting and mystical, beautiful world filled with treasures, monsters and puzzles. You will learn new "languages", learn new real words and explore one charming and beautiful world. As every typing game this one also will try to teach you something new, but at the same time borrows some mechanics from RPG games which makes it only more interesting. Great game! Niche and not for everybody, but a real hidden gem. 

Where to find:

Official site

Steam

Fishing Cactus

Quick Opinion - Eisenhorn: XENOS; Reigns; Inside; Mandagon

Because you read it before I decided to do it again. This is a post in which I will write short reviews of the games mentioned in the title. The point of this is to tell you about more games in shorter time, because I do not have the time to write about all of them or some of them are too short and there is not much to say about. Writing for a game in this format does not mean the game is bad or I did not like it. SPOILER: One of these games even may be in the TOP REVIEWED GAMES for this year so yeah... Let us begin:

Eisenhorn: XENOS

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS MY OPINION ABOUT THE PC VERSION

As you may already guessed the first title is set in the grimdark universe of Warhammer 40 000. Unlike most 40k games here you are not commanding a great army or squad of marines but instead you take on the role of Gregor Eisinhorn. Young Inquisitor at the time of the game Eisenhorn finds himself  knee deep in a conspiracy which endangers the Emperium so as every loyal subject of the Emperor he jumps head first into it trying to get to its roots and punish all the heretics who stand there. 

The world of Warhammer is rich and vast setting in which you have a lot of freedom but you should also be careful as it has very zealous community and if you screw up your game you will be destroyed by them. Sadly the case with Eisenhorn is exactly this. The game has only one strong side and it’s the story but that is probably because the game is made following the newly published book having the same title. But even this is hardly doing any good to the game as it is literally on rails and you have no saying in what is happening. Everything else is basic and hardly capable of grabbing your interest for long. The battle system is taken from the Arkham games but you barely will do anything else than chop people with your sword and roll aside from time to time. For a game set in universe where everything is massive and glorious Eisenhorn looks a bit dull as when it is ported to PC someone has forgotten to upgrade its graphics. It looks aged, like it’s made in 2005. The voice-acting is generic, animations are low quality, the battle and stealth systems are generic and basic at best. It is just another bad port sadly...as it could have been amazing game. Better go and read the book.

Official Site

Steam

Reigns

I have not reviewed mobile games in really long time, but this is mainly because I have not found anything really worth mentioning( Yeah, yeah there was Clash Royal but I did not managed to get into it for some reason). Until recently when Reigns came out. It easily was crowned as a hit and conquered everyone who played it. The simple and clean design combined with the hidden depth of the game easily made it a must try if you are wondering what new to get on your phone for those long trips to work.
In Reigns you are a king who wants to rule for as long as he can. To achieve this you should carefully balance between the four forces - nobles(money), church, army and the people. Any of this may lead to your end or you yourself may find it...in the dungeon for example. As the King you will have to cope with all kind of questions and requests from your subjects, advisors and enemies. You will go on crusades, meet the Devil, marry, have affairs, wage war...and everything else you can think of. All that you will do only by swiping left or right when presented with a choice. But when you die this is not the end. If you have ruled well you will leave something for the Kings after you, with time you will also meet new characters which will unlock new cards and make even harder for you to survive for long. In this game...your decisions really matter.

Official site

Steam

Google Play

iTunes Store

Inside

Have you played Limbo? Did you like it? But didn't you feel there is something missing, that it still can be better? If the answer to all those questions is "yes" then this is the game for you.

Inside is the straight upgrade of Limbo. In every aspect. It looks better, the story is better, it is more creepy, more intriguing, better atmosphere. It is the next logical step in the genre, after Limbo.

If somehow you have missed all the noise around Inside and you have not played Limbo (where do you live?!) then let me explain. Inside is atmospheric adventure game where you are boy who witnesses strange experiments with animals and human bodies. Why you are there, what experiments, who, how you got there - all those are questions to which you will find answers while progressing through the game, but you should be observent as the story is passively told to you in the background while you are solving jump and logical puzzles.

But this game is not for the faint of heart as you will often get shot down, eaten by dogs, electrocuted to death or fall to your end. Death is waiting behind every corner.

Very creepy and grim game, but excellently done!

Official site

Steam

Mandagon

And last for a finish I want to present you this little platformer called Mandagon. It’s a little adventure of a little stone totem. Inspired by Tibetan theology and philosophy the game tries to show you what means to make a true sacrifice. In it you are in Limbo (or Barbo if you prefer the Tibetan term) but to learn what and why brought you there you will have to ascend the mountain. Mandagon is small but surprisingly atmospheric game with some interesting philosophical ideas. A little adventure made with a lot of love by the small studio Blind Sky. I recommend it to you as it is short, but amazing!

Official site

Steam


That's it! Four games and my quick opinion about them. Sorry for the short post but time is something I did not have in last few days. Should return to normal reviews for the next time. 

Elder Scrolls: Legends - Bethesda gives it a try too

This review should have been done last week and I even said publicly in the Something podcast that I will write it for last week. Problem is that I really struggled with this review. What to say, how to make it useful on what to accent. After all it is just another digital CCG, but then again when I played it I felt it is worth it to tell you about it so...In the end I decided to just do the same I did with some of the previous CCG reviews which I did. I will keep it short and accent on the things which make it different. As in previous reviews games for comparison will be Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering. Here we go...

As you can guess from the title this is Bethesda's card game and it takes place in the Elder Scrolls universe. I was not overly excited when I heard about it as I am not really a fan of Elder Scrolls, but my love for CCG games prevailed and I subscribed for the beta. I will kind of spoil the review but after I played it I actually like it and think it is really good and interesting CCG. 

First ESL have tutorial merged with an interesting and well done, for a CCG, story which will give you not only cards but few whole decks and bunch of crystals to craft cards with if you so desire. In other words - really great way to learn and start the game is to play the story. Always a nice thing to have.

The core gameplay differs from other CCGs too. You still play on board against your opponent (being player or AI) but here the board is separated in two lanes and each can have certain passive effects which affect it. For example most of the times left lane will be normal, while the right will be Shadow lane, in which every minion played cannot be target by another creature for one turn. In the solo campaign you will see other effects too. The two lanes really change things and you will have to constantly think where what to play, to focus one or to try and play on both etc. It takes some time to get used to it, but it makes the game deeper and more strategic. This deep and strategic gameplay gives a more of a Magic feeling to the game. You know I heavier card game. To some degree the rich lore which can be felt from the story and even from the cards contribute also for this "Magic" feeling.

Another interesting innovation is that ESL has two Arena modes - one solo and one versus other players. This again shows some deep understanding of how card games work and how hard is to learn when you start. The solo arena costs the same as the other variant, but you play against AIs which become more and more powerful the more wins you get. In the end you fight a boss AI at the end of the Arena. 

Elder Scrolls: Legends use the same class system as Hearthstone, but here they are races instead. By playing different races you unlock different cards depending on the colours this race use mainly. The big difference is that some cards (marked with green arrow in the top right corner) you can level up when you level up. When you level a card you will get two possible choices and will have to choose one. The differences can range from stats to abilities. Getting one of the two variances of a card does not stop you from getting the other from packs so you can end up with both variants.

And last but by all means not least is probably the most unique mechanic Legends has and that is the runes. When you fight around the portrait of your character you will see blue runes. For every 5 health which you lose one rune breaks and you draw a card. Affected by this are two types of cards - ones which tells if a rune was broken this game somethings happens and the more interesting ones are the ones having the keyword "Prophecy". If you draw a "Prophecy" card from broken rune you may play it immediately for zero mana. 

Speaking about keywords something else which made me feel like playing Magic are the amount of keywords and subtypes. Every race from Elder Scrolls is present in the game and then some more like beasts and certain animals. This opens the possibilities for a lot of decks built around those subtypes and new keywords. 

And while on the subject of deckbuilding there are some things which should be mentioned. ESL's decks are bigger than those in Hearthstone - they can go as far as 70 cards. Also they can contain two colours of cards (should I even mention Magic here?). The colours determine to some degree the style of play the cards tend to be. For example red are aggressive and purple are more control oriented etc. 

Conclusion

I went in a bit more details than I intended but that is why conclusions exist. Elder Scrolls: Legends is a sibling of Magic: The Gathering for players who look for something faster and more casual but at the same time caring the same feeling and depth which MTG have. At the same time it brings a lot of new things to the table as well as some improved mechanics which have stood the test of time. You will find everything you like in a CCG and then some more. Try it, it is free and at the time of this review it should be already in open beta.

  

Where to find:

Official site

I am Setsuna - What sacrifices are made for this revival attempt

This is going to be one strange review...because the obvious thing to do with Setsuna is to compare it to other JRPGs. And if you do that it’s really easy from there. The problem is I almost haven not played any other JRPGs and those I have played - I did for very short time therefore comparison is not possible. But if you are not new to this blog I believe you are used to it as this is not the first such case. Anyway...

Created by Tokyo RPG Factory and published by Square Enix I am Setsuna is a game trying to revive the JRPGs while at the same time using modern technology to bring great experience to the player. This is what it tries to do...

In the game you...no, you are not playing as Setsuna...you are a mercenary - Endir (or any name you choose for him) who is hired by mysterious person to kill a girl which is about to be sacrificed. Why someone will want to kill someone else who is about to die anyway? Well that I leave to you to learn. The whole story is filled with a lot of feelings - past regrets, sorrow, happiness and new hope...may be even too much feelings. Despite that the story is rather good it has few interesting twists and puts some moral questions up. There is also a nice pallet of characters both the ones joining your party and NPCs you will meet around the world. There is also a good bit of character development. Sadly although you are present with dialogue options it almost does not matter what you will say especially in important situations. There is only one right answer and if your choice is "wrong" someone of the characters will literally correct you. This was the first disappointment for me. I can only imagine how much better the story would be if your choices mattered.

Another thing that impressed me from the start of the game is how cute it looks. Both characters and enemies are really cutsy and funny. At the same time the game looks great. With a lot of small details which add to the already beautifully drawn scenery. Together with this also goes great soundtrack which you will quickly find yourself humming while playing.

And before someone say that I am trying to distract you with the beauty of the game, because the gameplay is bad, let us take a look at the game mechanics. And oh my does this game have mechanics?!

As in every JRPG you will gather a party of characters, equip them with items, manage inventory etc. You know, RPG stuff. Usually here I will also include improving skills or something along those lines, but in Setsuna this is a bit more complex. Skills are called Tech and for Tech you need Spritnite which you will buy with the different materials you collect from enemies. When members of the party have certain Techs they can trigger combos and unleash devastating attacks. Additionally there is something called Flux which improves the Techs in various ways. But even if you do not have special combos with the skills of your party you can always use Momentum which also triggers bonus effects based on the skills with which you use it.

Something which I have not seen in other turn based games is how the characters behave during the fight. What I mean is for example the fact that enemies will randomly wander around the battlefield while their ATB fills up this way surrounding party members and ruining AoE attacks. The same goes for your party also. Sometimes after an attack someone may remain among the enemies also certain moves like backstabs will separate characters from the others. This together with the ATB bars brings very interesting dynamic to the fights. Setsuna is supposed to be inspired by Chrono Triger and to some of you this may be familiar but as I said I am not well versed in this genre.

Other than that the game offers some pretty standard things like cooking recipes, Overwolrd map, airship to travel around, hard bossfights and nasty save system. The game does not use auto-save and honestly as someone who gets caried away in games I am not sure which is worse - this or only auto saves. And because this is not enough you can save only on special places which thankfully are always close to important fights. You can also save in the Overworld map.

Mentioning the Overwolrd map there is almost nothing to explore on it. This was my second disappointment.

Conclusion

I am Setsuna is a JRPG with great looks, interesting story and polished mechanics which tries to revive a genre loved by many. To me this is the first JRPG which made me play it for so long.  And while I understand this might be because I do not compare it to others from the genre I think it is a good game on its own and its worth it if you are fan of the genre. Also it is not very long as people report it is around 20-25 hours. There were some things which I did not like - the meaningless dialogue options and the lack of places to explore. Which sadly give this feeling of a rushed game. Which is a contradiction to some degree as the game works well and looks like a finished product in every other area. 

Where to find:

Official Site

Steam Store

Steamworld: Heist - Welcome to the Wild Wild Galaxy

Have you played Steamworld: Dig by Image & Form Games? I have not, but I played their latest creation which it seems to be taking place in the same universe. Yes, I am talking about Steamworld: Heist.

In distant future our Galaxy is inhabited by robots driven by steam. Among those one pirate stands out - Captain Piper! You will take control over her and her crew as they fight their way through evil invaders made from the scraps of other robots, and trying to take over the pirating in this part of the Universe.

That is pretty much the story of the game. Of course it develops a little with playing the game. You will learn why Piper has become pirate and such, but the story is not anything impressive and it will not be the reason for which you will pick this game. The reason you will pick Steamworld and not leave it for days to come is the gameplay. Oh yes!

When I talked to a friend about the game I compared it to X-COM but it’s actually a lot more like a mix between Worms and X-COM. You have a team of robots and you fight against other robots in tactical turn based battles. During the fight you will have to take in account the diversion of the shots, surrounding floors, covers, types of enemies, weapons you use etc. The X-COM resemblance comes from the different robot classes, cover system, special abilities, skill shots, equipment system...oh and your base of operation and ship where all your robots are stationed. The difference here is that you manually aim each shot which allow you to perform amazing skillshots and ricochets. The best part? All this is really simple and easy to grasp, but at the same time immensely fun. If I have to go into more details - the game consists of galaxy map ridden with mission spots, beating one unlocks you the next one. Each mission takes place at the enemy ship and you have certain objectives which you should complete. They can vary but are mostly loot the ship, save someone or kill/destroy something. When you complete the objectives you will have to go to the evacuation point where when your whole team gathers the mission will be counted for complete. There is no other way to win a mission. If someone dies in mission but you complete it he/she will not get experience but you will be able to use them next time. If you lose a mission it will cost you water which is the main currency in the game. From the enemy ships you can loot water, weapons, bombs, med kits and of course hats. The last are just for visuals but believe me or not you will find yourself risking whole missions just to get that one hat which you do not own. Speaking about visuals...

This is something else which together with the excellent gameplay and music will not let you leave the game. Steamworld is somehow at the same time both futuristic and retro with its black and white intro and everything being steam powered, but sentient robots ruling the Galaxy. The game is also surprisingly atmospheric for such light title. The robots are really steampunky and each one of them has its own unique visuals and character. I was surprised how much out of their way they have gone to make all those characters being unique, with background story and all.  But its great because it adds a lot to the game giving it this feeling of finished and well-polished product.

Sadly as much as I want to say that this is a perfectly executed game there are some flaws, the biggest probably being the variety of missions. More specifically the objectives which are too repetitive and even when the battles are fun the whole thing become a bit boring when you have to do the same thing again and again. The work around this (in case you really want to finish the game and like me have grown attached to Piper and her crew) is to play it in short sessions this way not burning yourself. 

Other than that I cannot say the game has any serious flaws. Image and Form Games have had very clean idea what they wanted to create and they have succeeded. Steamworld is light, fun turn based shooter implementing in itself ideas from classics like X-COM and Worms, so if you like these two you will love Steamworld Heist.

Where to find:

Official site

Steam

Chronicles: Runescape Legends - The first look is deceiving

First, before everything else I want to say that my experience with Runescape is around 2 hours so there will be no comparison to characters from there, lore, places from the game etc.

Card Collecting games are seeing huge resurgence and that is no secret for anyone. Hearthstone is still huge, not to mention how many more came after it. Some of them good, some bad, but that's how always it is. After Hearthstone though every CCG was proclaimed to be clone of Blizzard's hit. When information came that Chronicles: Runescape Legends which is Runescape's CCG is going to be released the same was said for it too and to be honest it looked like one. But oh my how wrong we were, because this has very little to do with Hearthstone or any other card game.

In Chronicles you and your opponent go through five levels, on which you fight monsters, buy items, get money. There are two important things to mention - first you do not fight the same monsters so this is not co-operative game. Second you choose what monsters to fight and when by playing them from your hand. Yes, that's right! Essentially you are building the encounters on each floor or level by playing cards from your hand. As I mentioned cards are not only monsters they can be helpers, or weapons, healing items, money or even spells.

Basically your idea is to build your character by increasing his attack and armour for which you will need money from helpers and monsters. And at the same time if opportunity presents itself to weaken or even kill your opponent. The moment one of you is dead the match is over. If after the end of the last floor both of you are alive you fight until there is only one. Battles with both monsters and opponent happen the same way - you just smack each other and the tougher guy wins. Despite this there is good variety of tactics based on the character you are playing. Some will gain armour quickly and win by simply being tough as nails and by beating you to a pulp with their massive plates of armour. Others will collect money with ease and will buy items quickly, another will shower you with spells and so on you got the idea. The classes feel different, each with their own weaknesses and strengths. Each being able to be played aggressively or not depending on your preferences. You can go for the kill when you duel or you can try the cruel way and kill your opponent during the encounters, by playing different spells and monsters which allow you to strike the enemy. 

Chronicles will offer you 3 main ways to play which are the same as in any other CCG - Ladder, Dungeoneering (draft/Arena) and Singleplay. Also there are a lot of daily task to do when you log in so if you do not like to just climb the ladder you will have things to do. Boosters are sold for both real and in-game currency and also you will be rewarded cards and boosters when completing daily quests.

Visually the game will remind you of Runescape. The battles are bit clunky looking as the characters (Legends) are made like figures. This is something I hope they change at some point as it will make the game a bit more enjoyable to watch by the ones who are playing it. Although I must say that this gives the game this boardgame feel. Interesting idea is to make you see across the board the character of your opponent in humanlike size sitting against you and watching the game and even mimicking and reacting to things that happen. This also helps to recreate the feeling that you are sitting against someone and playing a boardgame. Chronicles is a lot more like a dungeon crawl mixed with card collecting and deckbuilding than a cardgame.

Conclusion

Chronicles: RuneScape Legends is one more game which is blending genres together but the difference is that this time two tabletop game are mixed - boardgame and CCG, making something unique and interesting. The greatest thing for me is that you do not need to know anything for RuneScape if you want to play the game and enjoy it. It also offers something unique to all fans of CCGs. Another thing which I noticed is that because you play your cards for your benefit somehow it feels that card collection size does not matter as much and starting decks feel more competitive capable than in other similar games. That said do not expect to reach the top of the ladder but you will have easier start once you grasp the game. 

Where to find:

Official Site

Jagex Games

RuneScape