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Cat Survivors (Switch): COMPLETED!

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There was a ridiculous bundle deal on the Switch eShop last week where you could get 21 games for 89p. Of course, they’re not going to be good games, are they? In fact, I already had several of them from a similar bundle last year so knew the quality I was going to be getting.

That said, they’re not all shovelware. So much of the eShop is full of terrible games that are clones of “real” games and have similar names in order to trick you like “Battlefields: Duty of Call” or “GTA: Car Theft Hero” or whatever. They are Bad Games and you Must Not Buy Them. No, these ones are from what I assume is a Spanish publisher called Game Nacional and the main reason they’re not great is because they’re just unpolished or a bit lacking rather than scams.

Turns out, then, that although it’s a bit wonky and generic, Cat Survivors is a playable enough Survivors-like. You’re a cat and automatically attack and, well, you already know how to play these games. Sure, other games do this better, but – apart from sometimes getting so overpowered it’s impossible to die – Cat Survivors is perfectly fine. And for 89/21p, you can’t complain too much.

SteamWorld Heist II (Switch): COMPLETED!

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It may have taken a while for me to finally get round to playing SteamWorld Heist II, but when it – and all the other SteamWorld games – were reduced in a massive eShop sale I was reminded it was the only SW game I hadn’t completed. And now, it isn’t.

Like the first game, it’s a 2D, side-on, turn based strategy game. In that respect it’s more of the same as the original, and I’ll leave it to you, the reader, to figure out what that means in terms of gameplay as the internet surely can provide. What I will talk about instead, is just how good and well balanced it all is.

Each character in your party can have different classes, weapons and skills (and you can switch between missions as to what, if you like, and “borrow” skills from other classes with the right items as well) so your team is incredibly customisable. Sometimes, it’s good to have a few short-range but powerful weapons, other times sniping with accuracy from a distance. Or maybe being able to move further, or move twice, in a turn is helpful. There’s tradeoffs between sniping being great from a log way off but you waste a turn reloading, or big explody weapons dealing lots of damage to several clustered enemies, but it’s a bit hard to aim and can damage you, or your cover. There’s a lot to think about! As characters level up you get to choose more skills too.

It’s also really addictive. Most missions are probably only 15-20 minutes long, so the urge to do just one more mission is strong. Or, you missed out some (probably unnecessary) loot in a level, so you replay it just to make sure you’ve collected everything. Or, you boat around the overworld seeking things to destroy for other bonuses and see another thing to get, explore, or beat on the map somewhere. There’s always one more thing to do.

Oh yes, the boat. You see, you have a submarine to traverse the world, and as you progress you can upgrade it with better firepower or more oxygen for underwater boating. The seas are full of enemies that need to be run from, or defeated, for fun and profit.

There’s a lot to the game but the real pull isn’t the excellent gameplay, it’s the (as always) perfectly crafted SteamWorld, er, world. The humour, the silly robot characters, the puns, and the references to other games in the series. Plus the excellent gameplay, of course.

Moss Book II (Quest): COMPLETED!

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I don’t know why it took me so long after completing the first Moss game to get into the second one, especially since I bought it almost immediately after reaching the end of Moss Book I. Maybe other games came along. Maybe dealing with charging and updating and wearing the VR headset was just hassle. Maybe I forgot. Who knows.

Anyway, it’s here and done now. And of my, what an experience. Book II follows on directly from the first game and is, really, more of the same. Beautiful little dioramas of action and puzzles with a cute mouse and her sword (and, later, deadly frisbees and a massive hammer). Objects you directly manipulate, creatures you can fight, or, in some cases, use to fight on your behalf.

Somehow, it’s even more beautiful than the first game. Especially when you bear in mind that I’m playing this on a Quest 2 which is the VR equivalent of a Citroen 2CV. Some of the areas are just incredible, and being in VR you can look around and even behind things with never gets old or fails to impress. There’s a massive boss later on – a blacksmith with a hammer – where the graphics and scale and VR-ness all combine to give quite the experience.

Adding additional weapons, some of which are needed for puzzles (like a dash power or a massive hammer blow), as well as some extra gimmicks like portals and walk-on-walls type gravity flipped areas mix up the formula from Book I too. There’s also a few scary and distressing sections (nothing too strong, though) which add heart to the cute.

I think I said before that I’m not a big fan of VR, but Moss (both books) makes it difficult to maintain that stance. It’s not what you’d expect from a VR game, at least, not what I would, but I’d happily play more games like this.

The Sword of Stone (Evercade): COMPLETED!

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Searching for this online is a pain because Google thinks you’re talking about the animated film “The Sword in the Stone”, which this Game Gear game, hidden in the Evercade’s firmware, has nothing to do with. Instead of being related to that, the game is essentially a visual novel, albeit one that plays out more like an RPG.

You pick one of three characters, and then have a quest given to you. The world you all inhabit is, well, here’s the blurb:

The world of Mindevil is in danger! Begin a journey as one of the three heroes in order to put an end to the conflict between the four kingdoms. Complete all 7 chapters revealing a complex story with many branches and save the world… with a twist at the end!

So your quest plays out differently depending on which character you choose. You’re initially limited to different areas of the map each, as you have different skills that allow you to fight different types of monster blocking each route. Once you complete it with one character, you’re encouraged to do it with the other two, and you’ll see how their stories link. After completing all three, three further quests are possible by making different choices eventually unlocking a final quest where all three characters work together.

I found it a little frustrating to play, with lots of repetition and backtracking, and so much repeated dialogue it really slowed down progression. If you can get past that, though, there’s a decent little game here with some really clever gating and interwoven storylines.

Metal Slug 2 (Evercade): COMPLETED!

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Another SNK cartridge (actually, two) arrived for the Evercade and since my daughter and I enjoyed playing the first Metal Slug in co-op recently, we did the same with the sequel.

Naturally, it’s more of the same. Only now you can ride camels as well as tanks, and after a few levels it becomes clear that Definitely Not Any Real Middle Eastern Military Dictator is in cahoots with actual aliens.

It still has the slowdown issues of the first game, but it’s silly fun regardless.