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I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES 1N IT!!!1 (Steam Deck): COMPLETED!

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Once upon a time, in a different era, this game was a viral hit on the Xbox Live Arcade Indie Games service. It was that platform within a platform that let pretty much anyone publish games for the Xbox 360 and sell them for peanuts.

Well, I recently discovered it still exists – for free on Steam! And here we are, after I’ve completed it.

In some way, IMAGWZII is a precursor to the modern phenomenon of “survivors” games. It has a lot in common with twin-stick shooters like Geometry Wars or Smash TV, but it feels “primitive” in the same way Vampire Survivors et al do, what with the graphic style and rough edges. And, of course, it has the REALLY LOUD and VERY BAD theme tune that sings over the top of all the shooting, which is the main reason the game went viral in the first place, I’m sure.

Fear for your eyes when this bit gets going.

Completing it was a surprise, as I don’t think I ever did on the Xbox and, actually, I thought it was the sort of game that just went on forever, but apparently not!

Golden Sun (Switch): COMPLETED!

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Many years ago, so long ago that my Gaming Diary didn’t even exist, I played Golden Sun on my Game Boy Advance. It was great. At least, I remember it being great, but I remember very little about the actual events in the game. I recall the catastrophe at the start, and the village you’re in, and that your friend goes missing and it turns out later on he’s working with (under duress) the bad guys. I remember there was a lighthouse. And I remember the djinn – sort of like little dragons – you can find and add to your character to buff your stats, give you new moves, and unleash on baddies. Mainly I remember them because they were in Shining The Holy Ark on the Sega Saturn though, not that they were in Golden Sun.

With very little remembered of the game, it was almost like playing an entirely new Camelot RPG just with the odd sensation that it was all a bit familiar. But being able to replay a great RPG, especially one from the likes of Camelot (who were the late 90s/early 2000s kings of the genre) without knowing everything is a Fine Thing Indeed.

Off I went then, with my guy Isaac and his chums, through the usual overworlds and dungeons and towns and, yes, lighthouses (there are two, or three, sort of) fighting random battles and watching the numbers go up as a charming story unfolds.

Being a GBA game with really detailed 32 bit sprite graphics (with loads of Mode-7 type backgrounds and maps), it looks amazing on a tiny handheld screen but blown up to fifty imperial inches it feels really messy. Older games, like those on the SNES and earlier, seem to come out OK at that size, probably due to less cluttered backgrounds and more obvious sprite edge definition, but here there are too many colours and too few pixels and it becomes hard to see what things are. Until, for some reason, it doesn’t. I struggled for a while, trying the (limited) screen rendering options, but got used to it and actually, it’s fine.

I don’t remember how hard the game was when I played it before, but I found it very easy this time through. Well, in terms of the actual fights and so on, anyway. Perhaps it’s because I did plenty of levelling up, or maybe I was just cautious, or I completed most of the side quests or something. The final boss battle was a walkover. What was difficult, however, was knowing what to do next. Even chatting to everyone in the towns (as is de rigour for JRPGs) didn’t always make it clear where I was supposed to go next, at least in terms of direction. I was nudged towards a new town or dungeon via the dialogue, but very rarely was it made clear where I might find such a place, so much wandering ensued. Perhaps another reason why I levelled up a lot, I suppose.

What I’d also forgotten about the game is how it ends. Because, well, it sort of doesn’t. You beat the boss, there’s an event, and then it’s straight into the sequel to actually finish off the story. Only two of the four lighthouses the game tells you need to be (or shouldn’t be, depending who you ask) lighting are in Golden Sun. A bit of an anti-climax and seemingly hurried end, if you were not aware of the follow-up title, Golden Sun: The Lost Age. Which, luckily, appeared on the Switch Game Boy Advance service at the same time as Golden Sun. Phew, eh?

Interaction Isn’t Explicit (PS5): COMPLETED!

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This game is both a game, and not a game. And also, but mainly, an exploration of games and game mechanics. In some ways, it’s a bit like a serious version of something like The Beginner’s Guide, presented in the form of a third person action game through the lens of a university project about video game interactivity.

The goal is just to get to the end, but the purpose is to explain to the player how there are different types of interaction (like, explicit and not-explicit) in games and how these affect both the style of game and the gameplay mechanics therein. It directly references how these are used in other games, like Elden Ring or Assassin’s Creed, and presents the same functions only via different methods. For example, a platformer where you can jump wherever you want, or an action game (like The Last of Us) where you can only do so where the game dictates you can. Similarly, it shows how button prompts can work on-screen, or other techniques of telling you what to do without actually telling you with a big “PRESS THIS” arrow.

There’s obviously some game here, shooting things in the head and scrambling over stuff, but they’re there to explain, by use of example, what the writer’s point is rather than as a direct game. I’d never played a lecture before, but that’s what it felt like.

An interesting curio, especially if you’re into the reasons behind game development choices rather than the hows or technical stuff. There’s also some nice use of the feedback and rumble effects of the PS5 controller. It’s free too, and very short, so you’ve no excuse not to “play” it.

Interaction Isn’t Explicit (PS5): COMPLETED!

Posted on Written by

This game is both a game, and not a game. And also, but mainly, an exploration of games and game mechanics. In some ways, it’s a bit like a serious version of something like The Beginner’s Guide, presented in the form of a third person action game through the lens of a university project about video game interactivity.

The goal is just to get to the end, but the purpose is to explain to the player how there are different types of interaction (like, explicit and not-explicit) in games and how these affect both the style of game and the gameplay mechanics therein. It directly references how these are used in other games, like Elden Ring or Assassin’s Creed, and presents the same functions only via different methods. For example, a platformer where you can jump wherever you want, or an action game (like The Last of Us) where you can only do so where the game dictates you can. Similarly, it shows how button prompts can work on-screen, or other techniques of telling you what to do without actually telling you with a big “PRESS THIS” arrow.

There’s obviously some game here, shooting things in the head and scrambling over stuff, but they’re there to explain, by use of example, what the writer’s point is rather than as a direct game. I’d never played a lecture before, but that’s what it felt like.

An interesting curio, especially if you’re into the reasons behind game development choices rather than the hows or technical stuff. There’s also some nice use of the feedback and rumble effects of the PS5 controller. It’s free too, and very short, so you’ve no excuse not to “play” it.

Detective Pikachu Returns (Switch): COMPLETED!

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It’s been a long time coming, what with the original game coming in at the end of the Nintendo 3DS’ viable life, and it now being the twilight hours of the Nintendo Switch, but finally it was released and, having given it to my daughter to play first, the time eventually came for me to finish the story that cliffhangered on the previous game.

Now, I may be misremembering the first game, but I’m pretty sure this one is somewhat simplified in comparison. It’s shorter, easier, and your hand is held constantly through the entire story. You don’t really have much say in how the investigations progress, and the puzzles are not only straightforward but you’re constantly told how to actually complete them. It all feels like the interaction is somewhat superficial, and really it’s not much more than a visual novel. It’s certainly less than a “point and click” adventure.

It’s also pretty bland graphically. There aren’t many locations, and they’re pretty plain in appearance. Voice acting is variable, with most characters being text-only but the odd one that isn’t comes across as amateur. Aside from the good detective himself, of course.

Thankfully, the story is more than enough to draw you in and keep you connected. The first game ended without a resolution to the big questions – where is Tim’s dad, and why can Pikachu talk? In the intervening years, there’s been a film which loosely followed the plot of the game but did end on an answer – with Tim’s dad actually being Pikachu, of a sort, thanks to Mewtwo’s actions. The game actually addresses this outcome directly, as it is mentioned that “they made a film about Tim and Pikachu’s adventures”, but “they made up the ending”, or words to that effect. Is the ending the same here? Well, that’s a spoiler.

The events that lead to the end mainly involve a load of Pokémon going rogue, which seems a bit like the “R incident” from the 3DS original but is actually more targeted and related to where Tim’s dad is. You’ve the theft of a gem to solve, the rescue of an archaeologist from some ruins, and even deal with Pikachu getting “arrested” for a crime he didn’t commit. Towards the end, Pikachu starts remembering things that aren’t things he could possibly remember. Unless… well, spoiler again.

In summary, it’s a low tech game which exists to wrap up the cliffhanger from the first game, but really shouldn’t have taken nearly six years to make nor is it worth playing on its own. There’s nothing terrible here, it’s just a bit disappointing that after all this time, all we’re getting is what feels like a cheap C-team product.