Ash of Gods - Looking like someone is not enough

This review is based on the release version of the game. Since then AurumDust have shipped many patches and updates.

In March 2018 under the hands of the studio AurumDust came out the game Ash of Gods: Redemption. The title both attracted me and worried me, because it reminded me of Banner Saga. Ash of Gods is mildly said inspired by Banner Saga and in the following text I will do something that I avoid usually and that is to heavily compare two titles. Is Ash of Gods imitating Banner Saga, is it better, is it worse? All these questions will be answered in the following text.

But first - what makes Banner Saga the awesome game it is (opinion me, as always)? Two separate reviews are written on the topic, but in short what make Banner Saga so good are it's hand drawn gorgeous world, it's captivating narrative with tense story, realistic situations, hard, meaningful decisions and real, breathing characters. The battles in the game are challenging, the game has polished, deep mechanics, vast roster of warriors and a bunch of viable play styles.

The above mentioned characteristics will also be the ones I will use for the comparison with Ash of Gods.

Visuals and Sound

Ash of Gods has its faults and I will talk about them in a little, but how it looks is not one of them. In it's looks Ash of Gods greatly remind me of Banner Saga with it's hand-drawn style. The difference is that unlike Banner Saga, Ash of Gods take place in a more medieval setting. In battle characters have nice fluid animations when attacking or using skills. For some reason though everyone while fighting calmly stride around the battlefield and when stricken their knees buckle. I clearly understand that animations are one of the things that gives the feeling that your attack is doing something, but  when everyone react the same way...it does not work so well.

The sound is in general good although you can hear it bug off when some skills are used in certain situations. For example AoE sword skills used on less than the maximum targets. The music is good but unimpressive without much value for immersion. 

Stories and Characters

 This is where Ash of Gods fails and it fails hard. The story idea is decent, but the characters feel flat, the dialogues are awkward. The game tries to set up dark, gritty atmosphere, but it manages just a bit of a tense situations where few action heroes through a lot of swearing and killing manage to get stuff done. Even one of the main characters feel weird as his lines are contradictive and make him feel like two different people. I know that the original script is written in Russian and all this might be because of a poor translation, but this does not change the facts...it makes it even worse. 

Also the choices you make do not feel as important. Stuff depend on what you do, but first the resolutions of your actions are long time after making the decisions, second they do not feel as impactful. Banner Saga will kill off characters of importance if you are not careful.

Traveling and Battles

After I talked about the worst in Ash of Gods, let me tell you about the best. Biggest flaw of Banner Saga is its linearity. You do not have a choice where to go, you just follow the story. In Ash of Gods you have few choices, mainly what way to go on the map toward your goal. These choices while minor still breed in some fresh air as they bring different events and some replayability of the game ( If you can get past the horrible dialogues and boring characters.). Sadly all the traveling is done on the map alone and there are no gorgeous views to enjoy while wondering what crisis the game will hit you with. When you arrive somewhere you can choose between places in the area which to "explore". Again, very similar to Banner Saga where instead of places to visit, you had people to talk with.

But I said I will talk about the best and this is far from the beast. The best are the battles.

The battle is turn based, where your chosen before the fight warriors fight against the enemy. So far nothing new, right? What makes it different are two main mechanics - power cards(or whatever is called in the game) and that you can choose with whom to act when it is your turn. The power cards are exactly what they sound like - every turn you can play one of limited number of cards. They are either buffs or harmful for the enemy effects. During your playthrough you will be able to find, craft and buy more cards. The really interesting mechanic is the second one - you choose who to use when it is your turn. Of course when you play with some one you cannot use them until you take turn with everyone else from your squad, but what this does is gives you immense freedom during battle, you decide how and when your men and women will act. You need your archers you got them, you need your melee to intercept someone, great, done. The mechanic feels great and it was the sole reason I enjoyed the combats in the game so much. Other than that the units have two stats - health and magic and both can be attacked. To use skills you will need to pay either with magic or health, but if you do not have magic you take double damage to your health. The characters have good, variable pools of skills including stances which give enough freedom how to and for what to use your fighters. Speaking about them, in the course of the game you will be able to level your guys, improve their abilities and equip them with items. From the whole game this is probably the best part even if it has its flaws like the speed and how everybody walk calmly around and the animations when someone is struck.

Conclusion

As much as I do not want to say it, Ash of Gods is a copy of Banner Saga which lacks most things that make Banner Saga the great game it is. It almost seem like AurumDust have made a checklist for their game but first of all have not polished each peace of the game and second they have missed to make the separate things from the checklist to work well with one another. 

Where to find:

Official site
GoG

Steam

Banner Saga 2 - The Epic continues

After what felt to me like an eternity Banner Saga 2 is out at last. The continuation of the epoch is in our hands! If these two sentences does not say it clearly enough to you - I loved Banner Saga it easily became one of my favorite games. Stoic did great job with the first part and now I am here to see together with you have they managed to keep the level with the second game.

!!!CONTAIN SPOILERS ABOUT THE ENDING OF THE FIRST GAME!!!!

First of all I think I should warn you that if you are about to rush to get the game because I praised the first part WAIT! Get Banner Saga first because in the second game you will get only a short recap which will remind you what have happened IF YOU HAVE PLAYED THE FIRST PART. If you have not you will be able to play the game no problems, but you will have no idea what is happening and sorry if you are here only for the battles but the story of Banner Saga is like 70% of the game. If you have already finished the first part you can load your save and it will transfer all characters, skills and artifacts and you will be able to continue playing with whoever have survived the first game with you.

Now that this is out of the way lets talk about the second part itself.

The second game picks the story from where its predecessor left it and it continues your epic desperate journey towards the human capital Arberrang. In this matter I can not complain Banner Saga 2 has absolutely the same spirit and feeling as the first one. Long desperate marches with dredge at your heels all the time. No food, low morale, unexpected let's be honest in 90% of the time ill events waiting for you after each turn, the world literally falling apart around you, not to mention the giant serpent looming over the horizon reminding you that your time is almost at hand. Your only choice will be to try and do the best you can to survive!

In this part you will lead two parties again. One led by the living member of Rook's family(depending on your choice at the end of the first part) and the Ravens, mercenary group led by the last varl berserk Bolverk. Both story lines are interesting and different I followed them with great interest, especially the story of Bolverk which will little by little plant ideas in your head until in the end reveal the answers of many questions. At the same time "Rook's group" will have a lot more difficulties with traitors in their caravan, bandits, lack of food, barbaric tribes and warbands of the newly introduced in this part race of the Horseborn. Not the mention the constant strain because of the lost sibling and self blame.

Something new that impacts the game more than the Horseborn as you might not even use them, is the possibility for your characters to learn second ability which gives the battles a little more diversity and gives you more control upon the battlefield. Also now for every maxed stat of a character he can learn unique for this stat passive ability depending on the role you have in mind for this character. For example a character may have the chance to deal critical damage or the chance to avoid str damage. If you decide to use the Horseborn though they will fit perfectly in group focused around hit and run, striking from distance and so on.

Another trademark of Banner Saga without a doubt is its artstyle. The beautiful art which grabbed the hearts of so many fans is present here too bringing the feeling that you are part of great Norse myth. Saying that though the whole game creates this feeling. Stoic has done amazing job in creating authentic atmosphere.

I have not tell you much about the battles as they are mainly the same. The battlefields are now always according to the terrain where you encountered the enemy. The additional skills bring new possibilities during battle as I already mentioned, also there are few new enemy units which will make it harder for you as some of them are really nasty. If I should nitpick the battles suffer from the same problem they did in the first part - they are 2D and sometimes you will have hard time judging distances, clicking enemies also terrain will sometimes obscure your vision.

Conclusion

We reached this part again. The hardest sometimes, but not this time, because Stoic has done their job amazingly well again! A lot of words are unnecessary really, if you have played the first part and have enjoyed it there is nothing to think about it, get this its great continuation of a great start. I personally enjoyed it a lot and now a new eternity begins waiting for the third and last game of the saga.

Where to find:

My review of the first game

Official site

Steam

Banner Saga - came for the fight stayed for the story

Few things first:

• This is my opinion on Stoic's game.
• The review will be in two languages - bulgarian and english, in this order.
• This is review, I have finished the game, so I kinda know what I'm talking about.

 


 Чух за Banner Saga преди около година, за първи път и си казах "О, интересно походови битки..." и забравих за нея. Преди около месец обаче един от множеството канали в YouTube ме подсети за нея и реших да я пробвам, ето какво открих.

   

      Играли ли сте книги-игри? Да? Добре, харесвате ли ги? Да? Чудесно! Продължавайте да четете тогава. В Banner Saga ще взимате много решения в стил "книга-игра", които ще имат голямо значение за бъдещето на героите ви. От решенията ви ще зависят животи, кой ви е враг, кой приятел, с какви единици ще разполагате в битките и много други. С две думи решенията ви ще са разликата между живота и смъртта за много от персонажите в играта.   

           Но за какво се разказва в играта все пак - в един сумрачен, студен, вдъхновен от скандинавските епоси свят, в който боговете са мъртви, слънцето никога не залязва, а е спряло някъде преди залез, живеят три раси - хората, варл (рогати гиганти) и дредж.

Последните са лошите и успешно са победени от съюза на хората и варл. Сега гигантите и хората живеят в крехък мир. Но дредж отново са тук и варл и хората трябва да бягат или да се бият за оцеляването си, защото враговете избиват всичко що се движи и не е дредж. Вашите герои трябва да оцелеят, не да победят, а да оцелеят, защото на пръв поглед нямат шанс срещу Врагът. А новото нападение е може би дори началото на Краят.

      В процесът на игра научавате повече за героите си, а те са добре измислени, със собствен характер и ценности, различни един от друг. Разкриват се и много интересни истини за героите от Войната, за дредж, защо те са нападнали отново хората и варл и много други. Историята наистина много ми хареса, следях я с удоволствие и огроомен интерес. Но скандинавската митология ми е стара слабост, така че това имаше своята роля за  насладата ми от историята.

            Още в началото играта стоварва в ръцете ви съдбите на група важни варл и група селяни от погранично село, което е нападнато от дредж. В началото двете групи са отделни сюжетни линии, но по някое време се срещат и до края остават заедно. Което е ок, предполагам, на мен лично щеше да ми хареса, ако си бяха останали разделени или се бяха срещнали за малко.

      Сега малко за механиките на играта - ще срещнете доста различни герои и всяка дума, която си казвате с тях или всяко действие, което ги накарате да извършат ще е от значение в бъдеще. И двете групи пътуват почти постоянно от град в град, мъчейки се да оцелеят. Когато пътуват вие ще виждате керван с огромно, прекрасно знаме развяващо се над него, а главните герои – вървящи най - отпред. Знамето си има своя собствена символика, но нея ще я разберете, след като изиграете играта. ;) Докато пътувате ще минават дни и за да изхранвате керванът си, ще се нуждаете от провизии, които ще си купувате от градовете, които посещавате. По пътя си ще ви се случват всякакви неща –  ще ви нападат дредж и разбойници, ще спасявате други пътници, ще взимате или ще гоните хора от кервана си и всякакви други.

   
     Но освен много приказки, вие ще водите и доста битки, които определено ще ви предложат предизвикателство. За всяка битка ще можете да си избирате няколко персонажа от всички, които сте привлекли на своя страна, да вземат участие в боя. Той от своя страна, както вече споменах, протича на ходове. Играта предлага доста добро разнообразие от различни класове бойци, с полезни и разнообразни умения. В групата си вие ще имате копиеносци, стрелци с лък, войни, щитоносци и много други. Интересно е, че различни герои, които са един клас, имат различни умения, които съвпадат с уменията им като герои, а не като клас.

      Механиката на боя е малко объркваща в началото. Всяка единица има два показателя - сила и защита, ако защитата е по - висока от силата на атакуващия, то той не нанася никакво поражение, но има и специален вид атака, която нанася поражение на защитата само. И така трябва да се опитвате да сваляте както защитата, така и силата на противника си, защото той дори и да има малко защита, с много сила все още ще ви нанася голямо поражение. Тук влизат в действие уменията на войните ви и докато в началото ще печелите битки и без тях, то към края на играта ще трябва да сте се научили да ги използвате максимално ефективно, защото иначе нямате шанс.

     След всяка битка (както и след някои събития и решения, които взимате) ще печелите слава, която е ресурса ви в играта и се използва да си купувате провизии (странно е, да) и да развивате героите си. Когато всеки герой направи определен брой убийства ще вдига ниво и ако имате нужната слава, то ще можете да му увеличите показателите. От нивото на героя ви зависи колко силни предмети може да носи, но предметите не са много и наистина силни ще намерите чак към края на играта.

    

     Заключение  

    The Banner Saga е добра комбинация между RPG,  походова стратегия и книга-игра, с чудесна история, вдъхновена от скандинавската митология, добри герои и много приятен стил на графиката, която, ако харесвате всички тези неща, ще ви омагьоса и ще я изиграете на един дъх! Освен това краят крещи, че ще има втора част, която вече е потвърдена от Stoic, така че очакваме я с нетърпение. Както казах привлече ме походовата битка, изиграх я заради интересната история.

Официален сайт
The Banner Saga Steam

I heard about Banner Saga a year ago or so and my first thought was “Oh, turn-based fights!” and I forgot about it until a month ago when one of the many YouTube channels reminded me of it. So I decided to try it, see what I found.

Have you played “choose your own adventure”? Yes? Cool, did you like it? Yes? Great, keep reading then.

In Banner Saga you will make many important decisions in “choose your own adventure” style and they will matter a lot. They will be decisive for the future of your characters. Only your actions will decide who will be you friend and who will be your foe.

But what is the story of the game, you may ask? In a dark, gloomy world, inspired heavily by Norse mythology, the gods are dead and the sun have stopped, spreading nothing but twilight. In it live the humans, the varl (horned giants) and the dredge (bad guys).

The bad guys have been defeated once by the allied forces of the first two and now the humans and the giants live in fragile peace. But the Dredge have returned and varl and humans alike struggle for their survival, because victory against The Enemy doesn’t seem possible. And this massive invasion may be even The End of all.

During your play you will learn more about your characters and you will see them developing in front of your eyes. And they’re well made, having characters, different from each other. You will also learn many truths about the past war, its heroes and why The Dredge have returned. The story really got me, but I’ve been interested in Norse mythology for years and that was may be some part of the reason to enjoy the game so much.

In the very start you will have to manage two groups of characters – some important varls and group of villagers who run from the invading dredge. The two story lines go parallel with each other, but at some point connect and become one whole, which is ok I guess, though I may have liked it more if they have stayed separated or have met  just for short time.

Now, when you know what happens in this dark, cold world, let’s talk for the mechanics of the game – you will meet a lot of characters and every word you say to them or any action you make them do will have huge impact on the future. Both groups travel from town to town all the time, trying to survive and while you travel you’ll need provisions which you can buy from towns. While you travel your group turns into caravan with great banner waving above it and the main characters leading it. The banner itself have specific symbolic meaning, but you will learn what when you play the game. ;). While you travel all kind of things will happen to your caravan – you will be attacked by thugs, dredge, you help other travelers, take or drive out people from your caravan and many more.

But you will not only talk a lot during the game, you will also fight a lot, which definitely will provide challenge. For every battle, you will be able to choose who to take part, from all the characters that you have on your side. As I already said, the battle is turn-based and the game gives you good amount of different classes with useful abilities for your fights. You will command spearmen, archers, defenders, warriors and others. It’s interesting that some characters which are the same class have different abilities depending on their background and not on their class.

 

The core mechanic of the battle system is little confusing in the beginning. Every unit has two main stats – strength and defense. If your defense is higher than the strength of the attacking enemy unit you will take no damage, but the unit may also do a special attack damaging enemy’s defense. So you have to keep low both enemies’ defense and strength. Here comes in action characters’ skills and while in the beginning you will win fights without them, you will have to master them in the end or will stand no chance.

After every battle (and after some events and decisions you make) you get renown which is your resource in the game and you will use it to level up your characters and to buy supplies (yes it’s a little strange). Every time when a hero does certain number of kills, he will level up and if you have the needed renown, you will be able to raise his stats. There are few items in the game for your characters and their level decides which artifacts they can wear.

Conclusion 

The Banner Saga is great combination of RPG, turn-based strategy and “choose your own adventure”, with greatly presented story, inspired by Norse mythology and nice hand drawn art-style, so if you like all those things try it – it will enchant you and you will finish it in one play! Also Stoic has confirmed that there will be a second part, so we’re waiting. 

Official site
The Banner Saga Steam

Banner Saga 3 - Краят на един епос

Неизбежно e и за това предупреждавам от рано - това ревю съдържа спойлери за всички три игри от поредицата Banner Saga.

През януари 2014 от едно неизвестно студио, наречено Stoic излезе игра, която бързо привлече много фенове под знамето си. Това беше първата, от каквото се оказа трилогия, Banner Saga. За щастие на феновете, играта беше успех и две години по-късно я последва втора част, кръстена простичко Banner Saga 2. И след още две години, през лятото на 2018 излезе и последната част на това което за мнозина вече се беше превърнало в една от най-епичните истории, в които са участвали. 

За никой не е тайна, че аз съм голям фен на поредицата и няма извинение, което да ви опрости грешката, че не знаете за какво става дума в играта. Въпреки това, ще приема, че не всички са имали късмета да се срещнат с Banner Saga и ще ви разкажа накратко за поредицата, преди да преминем към подробности за третата част.

Всички три игри се развиват в силно вдъхновен от викингската митология, невероятно изрисуван, свят. В този свят боговете са мъртви и слънцето е спряло. Тегне вечен здрач. Светът е населен от хора, варл(рогати гиганти), конеродени(horseborn), които са практически кентаври и дредж(dredge) - същества облечени в каменни брони, които някога хората и варл побеждават и изтласкват в най-затънтените кътчета на света. По време на първата игра дредж се завръщат за както изглежда, масирана инвазия и вие влизате в ролята на Руук, който заедно с дъщеря си Алете и варла Айвър, повежда хората от своето село в опит да надбягат заплахата. В краят на първата част сте изправени пред избора дали Руук или Алете да стрелят с магическа стрела, която е единственото нещо което може да убие безсмъртния дредж Белоулър. Който стреля по Белоулър умира и във втората част водач на кервана е оцелелият от двамата. И докато историята варира малко, то решенията и развитието на героите варират силно в зависимост от това дали Руук или Алете водят кервана. 

Във втората игра научавате, че дредж не нападат хората и варл, а бягат от нещо и това е Тъмнината, която поглъща света. На сцената се появява и огромна змия, която започва да разрушава света (ако в главата ви изниква асоциация с Йормунгандр, то не е случайно). Във втората част се появява и нова раса, с която имате шанс да играете - легендарните конеродени. Banner Saga 2 е доста по-драматична от първата, с множество обрати и разкрития за героите и дредж. На краят на играта една част остават да защитават столицата на хората, докато малък отряд воден от двама Валка(човешки магьосници, практически) се отправя към източникът на всички проблеми. 

И докато героите и историята претърпяват шеметни промени, особено ако използвате сейвовете си от едно в две, то от гледна точка на механики двете игри са еднакви. През по-голяма част от играта вие менажирате керван, като се грижите хората да са щастливи и да имат провизии. Нивото на тези два фактора влияят и на това какви евенти ви се случват докато пътувате по картата. Когато не пътувате, то на вас ще се пада спорната чест, като водачи на кервана да решавате различни спорове и проблеми между членовете на групата ви. Какво избирате често може да е определящо дали някой няма да умре, да ви напусне или дори да се опита да ви забие нож в гърба. 

Когато не се мъчите(и имам предвид мъчите, в буквалният смисъл на думата) да запазите хората в кервана си да не се хванат за гърлата, то вие ще се биете с преследващите ви по петите дредж. Битките и в двете игри са походови, като преди битка имате шанс да си изберете кого да вземете в битка. Ако някой от героите ви падне в боят, то той най-често е ранен просто и му трябват няколко дни да се възстанови напълно. Ранените герои могат да бъдат използвани в бой, но техните статистики са намалени, което ги прави по-слаби. В играта има множество класове, които различните герои могат да бъдат. Всеки клас със свои собствени умения и показатели. Това дава много голяма възможност за най-разнообразни композиции и стратегии, които да използвате в бой.

Битките в играта се въртят около една много проста, но елегантна механика, която е и основополагаща за цялата система за бой. Това са бронята и силата на героите/противниците ви. Силата на дадена единица определя колко поражение единицата нанася, но в същото време е и животът, който тази единица има. Бронята от друга страна директно намаля количеството поражение, което някой прави. Пример: Ако някой с 8 сила удари някой с 6 броня, то той без да използва Воля(Will, което е една от статистиките на героите, но за нея след малко) ще му направи 2 поражение, защото 8-6=2. За да се справите с бронята на някого, то вие можете и да ударите нея, вместо силата му. Изборът кой показател да намалите е много важен и е разликата между това дали ще победите или не. Не е невъзможно герой с малко броня, но много сила да извършее през вашите хора, ако не успеете да му намалите силата навреме. И не само, че не е невъзможно, а дори има такъв клас варл - Warhawk, който е този, който има за цел да влезе в мелето накрая и да довърши всички с няколко добре прицелени удара. Обратното също е напълно възможно. Герой с малко сила, но много броня да се окаже препъни камъчето, когато големите ви момчета са умрели, а другите нямат достатъчно сила за да му свалят ефективно нито силата, нито бронята. 

И така, след като ви поприпомних, доста по-надълго, отколкото ми се искаше, какво представлява Banner Saga, да поговорим малко за третата част. Поразказах ви за историята на предишните две, но за третата ще кажа само, че отговаря на почти всички, ако не и на всички въпроси, които изникват по време на предишните две. Краят е епичен, като равнището е невероятно, смисъл разпалвате подземно слънце наново, не знам как да ви го кажа по друг начин. Краищата са пет, като почти всеки е в някаква степен лош и добър. 

Но по какво се отличава третата игра от поредицата, от своите предшественици? Ами по срамно малко всъщност. Системата за взимане на решения е същата и докато всяко от тях е все така тежко, то това не е нищо ново. Втората най-важна част от играта - битките, са същите в голяма степен, като остават и много от проблемите, които пречат на системата да блесне изцяло. Особено статичната камера, която е причината, както елементи от терена да пречат, така и участници в битката, правейки избора на цели за героите ви доста досадна понякога. Това което внася малко свежест са трите дреджа, които ще имате шанса да убедите да дойдат с вас. Да, точно така, най-накрая имаме шанса да си поиграем и с лошите. Ако пожелаете, вие ще имате възможността да вземете един Stonesinger, един Hurler и един Stoneguard(Освен ако не сте били част от кикстартъра или сте pre-order-нали играта. Тогава получавате още един Stoneguard.). О, да! Най-накрая ще можете да дадете на дредж от тяхното горчиво лекарство! И тримата са полезни и много силни, като са подходящи за различни конфигурации. За жалост няма как и тримата да са част от една и съща конфигурация, тъй като Stoneguard-а се присъединява към другата група, а не към тази в която са първите двама. 

Но колкото и да са готини дреджовете, то са далеч от достатъчни за да раздвижат играта достатъчно. За това и от Stoic са направили две други промени. За една от групите герои е премахнат Рогът, който ви позволява да давате допълнително Воля за да подсилвате атаките и уменията на героите и е заменен от Жезелът на Айвин, който ви позволява да използвате умение подобно на неговата верижна гръмотевица. И втората промяна е, че за определени битки ще имате таймер от ходове, които ако изтекат и не сте победили, за противниците ви ще дойдат подкрепления. Ако успеете да победите в даденото ви време, то ще имате шанс да изберете нови воини, които да заменят падналите в боя и да продължите да се биете с нова вълна от врагове, като освен очевидната награда от повече Renown, то получавате и бонус шанс да спечелите хубави предмети за героите си. Само дето много малко предмети са по-ценни от това да имате здрави герои, които да заместят ранените в бой. Рискът е много по-голям от наградата и аз честно казано за цялото изиграване на играта не мисля, че съм го правил повече от веднъж. С други думи и тези две промени са далеч от достатъчни за да се почувства играта различна.

Заключение

Третата част от сагата носи нова, дългоочаквана раса, с която може да се играе - дредж. Отговаря на множество въпроси в историята и завършва абсолютно епично. Въпреки убежденията от Stoic, че четвърта игра няма да има, то краят определено оставя повече от достатъчно място за такава. За жалост в третата част единственото развиващо се е историята. Всички останали механики са същите, дори и битките, където имаше голяма нужда от оправяне на проблеми като статичната камера и дървеният интерфейс, който изисква прекалено много кликания. Не ме разбирайте погрешно, както казах и в началото аз съм огромен фен на играта и Banner Saga 3 ми хареса не по-малко от предишните, защото решенията в нея не са без значение, дори напротив; битките не са по-малко предизвикателни и изискват познаване както на противниците, така и на своите; историята е страхотна и те държи на ръба през цялото време... Просто тайничко се надявах Stoic да са изчистили малките петна по иначе толкова добрата си поредица. Ако сте фенове, определено трябва да изиграете и тази част, ще ви хареса със сигурност. Само не се надявайте на много нови неща. 

Къде да намерите:

GoG

Steam

Top 10 Reviewed Games for 2016

Traditionally it is time for the Top 10 Reviewed Games for this year. This is the way I do Top 10 Games here on the blog. As you are aware now is the time everybody makes Top Tens and because I like watching such lists I decided to make one myself. Last year was the first time and after its big success, one of the most read articles on the blog for long time after posting it I am here to show the Top 10 for this year. A bit busier year a lot of things happened which got in the way of writing for the blog. The biggest and most important(aside from personal things) my friend Tyr from the NerdsBaloney channel invited me to be his co-host for the nerdy Something Podcast and in general to help him make content for the channel(You can check it here. The channel is only in Bulgarian, sorry). You will not believe how time consuming is this =D Because of it and other reasons this year I managed to write only 28 reviews for you guys, which is 5 less from last year, but hey it is still a good number for a blog ran by one guy, right?.

Several important clarifications before going to the list. This is Top 10 REVIEWED games here on this blog for 2016. Thought that making Top 10 of games I played is pointless as not all are presented here on the blog and you will not be able to check all the games I talk about. Not seeing a title here does not mean I have not liked it or I thing it is worse than those in the list, it means I have not reviewed it. That cleared, onward to the number 10!

Number 10

Surprisingly for many people number 10 is OwlBoy. No, hey, drop that stone! Don't...hey! That was rude, throwing stones at people!

Seriously though, the game had great success and I am glad for it as it was clearly made with a lot of effort, clear idea what they wanted to make and how. For those of you which somehow missed the game this is a platformer where you play with the mute owl Otus who together with his friends has no idea about the great adventure they got themselves into. Two things impressed me most in this game - the characters and the visuals. OwlBoy has one of the best characters I have seen in a game from this genre. Each one is unique and you see how they develop together with the story. Visually the game is stunning, I have never seen such detailed pixel art! Must try of you like platformers. Why only number 10? The game felt too long for me and had certain annoying long segments which almost stopped me from finishing it.

Full review you can find here

Number 9 

Number 9 is another game which blew a lot of people away, including me. I am talking about Inside. This is an adventure game which will tell you amazing and terribly dark story without uttering a word. As a gameplay it will remind you of Limbo and that is understandable as it is made by the same people. Inside is an upgrade of Limbo in every way you can think of. If you liked Limbo Inside is for you. If you have not played Limbo but like good adventure games, grim stories and dark atmosphere Inside has something for you. Why number 9? Not sure actually I just felt deep inside(he!) that I enjoyed the other games on the list more.

You can find my Quick Opinion on it here

Number 8

I count number 8 as a small personal win as I not only made someone who dislike turn based games to play it, but he also liked it so much that he finished it before me! If you watch the podcast I mentioned at the beginning you might have guessed it already. Yes, this is Steamworld: Heist.  The best and easiest explanation what Steamworld is to say it is a 2D X-Com in a Wild West themed sci-fi setting. Does that make sense? I do not know, but it is true. You are the robot captain of a pirate ship doing your thing and all, but suddenly new player appears and he quickly starts to take over your territory which can not be allowed, so you take out to remove this bad guy. Then the plot thickens and everything turns out to be a lot more complicated then it looks. Gameplay wise the game is excellent, Image&Form Games has converted the formula of such games as X-Com and Massive Chalice perfectly in 2D adding to them what is needed so the game is not crippled by its 2D nature. The fights will happen mainly in multi-leveled space ships where with careful decisions, smart usage of cover and careful calculation of bullet trajectory you will have to defeat your enemies and complete your objectives. The skill shots feel great and seeing your enemies crumble into pieces only makes it better. The game also comes with character skills system, classes, a bunch of items to equip your pirates with and a lot of booty ready for the taking.

Full review you can find here

Number 7

Number 7 is a game which took me by surprise. I had no expectations for it and tried it out of pure curiosity. It blew me away! The game I am talking about is Epistory Typing Chronicles. For shock of everybody this is exactly what you think it is - a typing game. An RPG typing game. Yes. 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 have 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 and those fights will be hard if you are not good at typing strange words quickly. But what captured me mostly in the game is the genuine fairy-tale feeling of the game and how elegantly it leads you through the story. It is truly a game for book lovers.

Full review you can find here

Number 6

Almost in the middle of the list is number 6 - The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. That is right, the classic choose your own adventure got its own digital version, which is amazing! From a fighting fantasy book it is turned into full tabletop game from the caliber of Decent or even DnD. Your character has a figurine, your enemies has too. The whole mountain is built and you wander in its endless corridors looking for a way to get to the top where you will meet the mysterious but dangerous master of the Mountain. The game offer several characters each with its own background story which will have impact on the options you get in the game and the way characters will react to you. Speaking about options - as in every choose your own adventure, here too you will have to be careful what you do as careless words or actions can quickly lead to your death. TWoFM also has interesting battle system and even the ability to save at checkpoints so you will not have to restart the whole thing when you die...and you will die. Especially when  you play for the first time.

In short great addition to the digital choose your own adventures and if you like me love them you should try the game.

Full review you can find here

We are half way there, from here on we start the top of the top!

Number 5

Right in the middle of the list is a game which if does not make you feel badass, then nothing will. I am talking about SuperHot, the "turn-based" shooter, although this term is not entirely correct for the game. SuperHot works in very interesting and simple way - when you move, everything else moves, when you are still, time stops. Why does it feel badass? Because this will allow you to dodge bullets, catch swords in the air and cut enemies down before they react and every other badass move you can think of. Aside from making you feel like an action hero SuperHot also has interesting, a bit grim story, told in original way, unique aesthetic and will make you use your head if you want to succeed in these later levels. Great, unique game which you should try if you seek something new to play.

Full review you can find here

Number 4

This Number 4 took me by total surprise and left me without words at the end. I am talking about Oxenfree. Oxenfree is a teenage horror movie game(huh?) about a group of teenagers on a deserted island, ghosts, struggling with time loops and a great mystery. Oxenfree is one messed up game. Seriously, this innocently looking indie title will scare the...brain out of your skull. I was amazed how this game which does not have any mechanics basically, other than walking and talking can first capture me so much and second scare me and at the same time make me want to continue and see what will happen. The game in it is nature is an adventure game which is moved by what you say to the other characters. Only words is the difference between life and death, although in Oxenfree you will never be sure when someone is death or not...play iiiiit.

Full review you can find here

Number 3

Okay, this is kind of cheating as the game is still in beta phase, but come on now, you know how betas go these days, it may remain in beta for years. Yes, I am talking about Gwent, the CCG game from The Witcher III which CD Projekt RED made into stand alone game and which took the hearts of fans immediately. In Gwent unlike in other games inspired by Magic: The Gathering(or Hearthstone if you prefer, although Hearthstone does not offer anything really new) you will play for points. Each card you play give you points and might have an ability which will, in most cases, allow you to manipulate your score or the score of your opponent. The game is played in best of three and each round ends when both players pass. What makes Gwent interesting is how strategic is because of the reduced amount of card draw and the fact that it is played across multiple rounds. Really, really fresh breeze in the genre, I enjoy it immensely and am really interested in what way the game will go.

Full review you can find here.

Number 2 

Number 2 is Tyranny! Yes, shocking, I know, a lot of people expected it to be number one, but I must say the difference between this number 2 and number one which you will see in a minute is veeeery little. This one is not number one may be only because I was more invested in number one. May be if Tyranny was continuation of Pillars of Eternity it would have been number one.
What can I say about Tyranny? Great game, amazing world, interesting story, great mechanics, meaningful choices. Whatever I say it will not be enough, it is a game which is ten times better when played. It has everything you will expect from a good RPG, not to mention one made by Obsidian which brought to us Pillars of Eternity. Just go and read the full review here or even better go and play the game, its like 20 hours long.

Full review you can find here.

And now

After all these amazing games

Which is number one?

Which is the top of the top?

It iiiis...

Banner Saga 2

If you remember, Banner Saga was not in the list last year and the reason is very simple - it is not from 2015, it actually came in 2014.
Now we can discuss eternally which game is better. We can nitpick at Number 1 and 2 for a whole day and still not decide which is better objectively. But as I said above Tyranny and Banner Saga are practically equal here and very little stopped Tyranny from being my Number 1 for 2016. But enough of this. Let's talk about the winner.
Banner Saga 2 is the continuation of the Norse inspired saga which started with the first game and here we continue to follow the struggle of the main characters who try to save the world, their loved ones and in the end themselves. Banner Saga has a choose your own adventure like structured story where your decisions decide everything related to the course of the game. You will have to decide things varying from simple clashes between desperate villagers through distributing food supply to making tactical decisions how to position your armies. But be careful as often the smaller decisions which seem like concerning 2-3 people will have huge impact so you will have to always be on guard and think will doing something looking like a good deed be seen as a good deed from your peers.
In this second part you will also find everything you loved from the first - the great palette of characters, the amazing hand drawn pictures, story filled with twists and surprises, the plot truly thickens in this second part of the Saga. Of course here are also the challenging turn-based battles which also have stepped up in this part and will offer you new challenges including a whole new race to play with and against - the Horse born.
Truly Banner Saga 2 is mainly more of the same, but I loved the first part so much that this second one was really hard to be beaten for the first place in this Top 10. Playing the first part is almost a must as this one does not explain in details what has happened in the first game.

Full review you can find here 



But wait..do not go yet! I have honorable mentions for you and some games which look interesting but I still have not tried or have not played enough.

ICEY, Silence: Whispered World 2 and Shantae are games which grabed my interest, but I almost have not played and is hard to say would have they found place in the list. So...try them if you want.

Honorable mentions for this year are Sunless Sea: Zubmariner, Shadow Tactics and Salt & Sanctuary.
Zubmariner is not in the list not only because is not reviewed but mainly because it is an expansion of last's year Number 5 - Sunless Sea. It adds a ton of content to the game and I played a good amount of it. A must play if you enjoy the dark underzee.
Shadow Tactics is here and Number X only because its not reviewed, I just did not manage to play enough of it. Great game in the style of Commandos, but in feudal Japan instead. Have great time with the game so far. Expect the review next year.
Ah...Salt & Sanctuary...I have the same mixed feeling toward this game as I have for Dark Souls. For those of you who are unaware S&S is basically 2D Dark Souls with few mechanics changed here and there, but the idea is the same. The game is great with its own unique atmosphere and challenges, if you have the nerve to play Dark Souls but have already beaten all three and BloodBorne you can try this. Here is the full review.

And that is. Thank you all for reading the blog, I am very happy you enjoy it. It would not have been what it is without you. We are also going steady upwards for which I am even happier and hope to continue this way. Here one day before New Year I wish you all the best and will see you next year for more reviews.  Thank you!

Last year's Top 10 Reviewed games

Hand of Fate - EN

  Do you want to know what your future is? What Fate have stored in for you? Do you want to have full control over your future? If the answer is "yes" then be let me give you an advice - be careful what you wish to be part of your future.

Hand of Fate is unique combination of RPG, CCG, Rouguelike and even choose-your-own adventure game, developed by Defiant. The game is still in beta testing, but you can become part of it via Early Access on Steam.

Becuase the game is still not finished many things about its story are unclear. What is known though is that you are playing agains The Dealer and the bet is your life.

Your Fate is at your Hands...almost

If you want to defeat The Dealer, first you will have to go trough his servants. This will happen with the help of two decks - Items and Encounters. In those two you will put anything that you want to happen and any items that you will need. After you're ready with building your  decks The Dealer will shuffel the Encounters and put random number of them, in random form on the table in front of you with your figure at the start. Now you have to go trough all the cards and reach the boss at the final floor. 

There are twelve bosses, separated in four suits - Dust, Plague, Bones and Scales. Each suit have a Jack, a Queen and a King. Every one of them with his own set of skills and tricks.

Now you're probably thinking "Ok, I'll just build the harmless Encounter deck possible, so I can get easily to the Boss" and you're absolutly able to that, the only drawback being a snarky comment from The Dealer, but he will mock you all the time and honestly this is part of his charm. Of course you can make an extra hard challenging deck if you're confident in yourself...and you'll be mocked again.

But now even if you build the safest deck there is still way to die before reaching the boss and its rather embarasing one for an adventurer - starvation. Every move costs you food, once the food is gone, it costs you life, once your life is at zero....

But let's return to the cards, afteral all they're around 90% of the game. During your adventures you will gather various items both common and magical - freezing blades, enraging armors, shileds like inpenetrable walls and many more, but more interesting to me are the Encounters. 

There are all kinds of them - bandit ambushes, saving pincesses, flying with giant birds, traversing deadly mazes, delivery quests and many, many more. At the beggining you will start wiht few cards, but when you beat Encounters and Bosses they will unlock new cards for you. Here is the place to say that some Encounters have more than one way to be beaten and being alive at the end is not always enough.

"I have wepons and you mentioned bandits and stuff, how does the action happen if all are just cards?" Well, very simply actually, when there is a fight ahead or you reach some of the rare shops, the table is changed with fully 3D enviorment in which you will get provisions or battle your enemies. The battle system is very familiar to that in Batman Arkham Series, I believe you are all familiar with it and there is no need to go in details here.

Personal Opinion

Love it, love it, love it! Amazing, original game! It mixes so many game styles together and does it so well. Not to mention that you can play it in so many different ways. Because the game board is basically modular the board will be always different and there are so many different cards to encounter!Also the art on the cards, so good, it gives great tarot feel to the whole thing. If you're fans of RPGs and/or board games you should try it. 

For me personally together with Banner Saga this is one of the most original games this year. Absolute favourite of mine! Try it and you will thank me!

P.S. I also think that it can be easily converted into board game for one or two people. I'll like to see that.

Links:

Offical website

Steam

Hand of Fate

Обичате ли да знаете какво ви очаква? Иска ли ви се да можете да изградите бъдещето си изцяло по ваше желание? Да? Тогава само един съвет - внимавайте какво си пожелавате да има в него.

Hand of Fate е невероятна комбинация от игра с карти, RPG, Rougelike и книга-игра. Разработва се от  Defiant Development, но за сега е в бета фаза, в която вие можете да вземете участие чрез Early Acces програмата на Steam. 

Тъй като играта все още не е завършена много неща от историята й са неясни. Но това, което е известно е, че вие играете срещу Раздавача и трябва да победите него и слугите му за да се измъкнете живи.

Съдбата ви е във ваши ръце...или почти.

Това става, като от две тестета вие си изберете предметите, които искате да ви се паднат, както и "сблъсъците". След като си изберете тези неща, Раздавача ги размесва и нарежда "сблъсъците" на масата пред вас, а предметите остават настрана, като вариант за евентуална награда, ако се справяте добре. Да, точно така, въпреки че вие сте си избрали всичко, то нямате никаква гаранция кога и къде ще го получите. Надявам се да харесвате rougelike. 

Наредените пред вас, с гърба нагоре карти, ще представляват етажите или нивата, които ще трябва да преминете, за да стигнете до един от дванадесетимата Лоши, всеки от които със собствен уникален антураж и умения. Самите лоши са разделени в четири бои - Прах, Череп, Болест и Люспи. Всяка боя си има по трима Лоши - Вале, Дама и Поп.

Но да се върнем на етажите построени от сблъсъците, които сте си избрали преди това, тъй като те са много голяма част от геймплея. 

Преди началото на всяко ниво Раздавача ще нарежда пред вас "сблъсъците" по случайно избран начин, а вашата цел ще е да стигнете до края на всяко ниво и да преминете на следващото. Това за жалост(или щастие, зависи от гледната точна) няма да е толкова лесно, тъй като няма ще искате да обиколите, колкото се може повече карти преди да минете на следващото ниво, за да се сдобиете с колкото се може повече предмети, злато и храна. Но за всяка карта на която стъпвате запасите ви ще намаляват, а щом веднъж храната ви свърши, то ще започнете да плащате с живота си. А когато той свърши... 

"Сблъсъците" са невероятно разнообразни - от хора, които ще искат да пренесете ценна пратка от единия град до другия или елфическата девицата, която винаги ще ви помогне безвъзмездно, до гигантски птици, които ще ви носят в небето и смъртоносни лабиринти, на чийто край има несметни съкровища. 

Всеки път, когато стъпите върху някоя карта, то най - често ще започвате някакъв диалог и ще ви се дават варианти, от които да си изберете. Бъдете внимателни, от всеки избор може да зависи живота ви.

Но освен да си говорите с различни герои, то на вас доста често ще ви се налага и да се биете. Когато се стигне до това, то сцената ще се сменя и в напълно 3D обстановка вие ще се изправите срещу противниците си. Бойната система е напълно взаимствана от Arkham, така че няма да се впускам в подробности за нея.

Ако успешно спечелите някои от "сблъсъците"(и това често ще означава повече от това да останете живи), то те ще ви отключват нови карти, които ще можете да добавяте към тестетата си. Като, когато победите всеки от Лошите, то той ще ви отключва нови карти със сигурност.

След като победите всички от дадена боя, то вие, както и противниците ви ще получавате различни подобрения - повече живот, по - добра стартова екипировка, нови умения и така нататък.

Лично мнение

Ако харесвате настолни игри и RPG, няма какво въобще да се замисляте, Hand of Fate със сигурност ще ви хареса. Но има и много други причини, поради които да я пробвате. Като например това, че нивата ви винаги ще са различни, постоянно ще отключвате нови и нови карти, които само ще добавят към възможността за преиграване. Имате възможност да си направите каквото искате тесте. Може да е пълно с битки или пък да е напълно мирно и спокойно. Ако си направите някоя от тези две крайности ще получите хаплив коментар от Раздавача, но какво толкова, той ще се заяжда с вас през цялото време и това му е чара.

Аз лично се влюбих в Hand of Fate. В нейната оригиналност и сполучливо смесване на толкова много жанрове, както и възможността да я преиграваш отново и отново, без да ти омръзне. Заедно с Banner Saga това със сигурност е една от най - интересните и оригинални игри, които играх тази година, препоръчвам ви я!

П.С. Мисля, че много лесно може да бъде трансферирана в настолна игра за един или двама, в която единият ще е играча, а другия играча. Аз лично бих я играл!

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