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Densetsu no Stafi 2 (Switch): COMPLETED!

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See, I told you I was going to play them all. Soon after finishing Stafi 1, it was on to Stafi 2, which takes place directly following the events of the first game.

Somehow, Stafi has lost all his skills so they have to be re-obtained, so really it’s a re-tread of the first game only with different levels. And more levels – seemingly a lot more levels. And different bosses. And some new gimmicks. OK, so not really a re-tread. It does all seem very familiar and asset reuse-y though, which would explain how it originally came out less than a year after Stafi 1.

Still fun, despite the lack of anything properly new though.

Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: there’s been an explosion!

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Having completed Nico’s prologue, I moved into more familiar territory. It is many years since I’ve played Broken Sword, but I remembered most of the story and puzzles in the first section – the way the clown looked with the accordion, the annoying policeman Moue, the workman who had seemingly missed the huge explosion a few metres away from his hole. I made my way to the sewer, where I remember searching for ages in the Playstation version before seeing the tiny red dot of the red nose.

In this version, interactive points are highlighted, which makes all the difference.

Woven throughout the first hour or so of the game are more elements of Nico’s story, with her revisiting the quayside and Imelda Carchon, but the main focus remains on George. Maybe it’s years of experience and cynicism, but the story now seems very unrealistic – travelling between countries at the drop of a hat, particularly as an American; finding very specific villages in the middle of nowhere; a very limited number of people to actually talk to. And Nico, who (from George’s point of view) is always just sitting in her apartment, waiting for him to drop by.

Travelling to Ireland uncovered many stereotypes, and a goat which I remembered to be a pain to pass, but which I seemed to fluke my way past within a minute. I found a gem which had been dropped through the pub’s cellar grate. I paired this up with a tripod that Nico had stolen from the museum, and then found (again seemingly accidentally) where to place these, after an awkwardly-scripted meeting between world leaders in a sewer, which then revealed the next location.

So, I’m off to Syria.

86: Roblox Social Engineering and Other Pursuits

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A new challenger approaches! In this special episode of the ugvm podcast, Hazel and Toby discuss Roblox’s Berry Avenue, the perfect hangout spot when you’re tired of reality and just want to vibe with some oblong people. They’ve both been playing Dress to Impress, where fashion isn’t just about looking good—it’s about winning. And if you’ve ever dreamed of leading a clan of fierce felines, Warrior Cats is your gateway into living that fuzzy warrior life without the scratches.

But it’s not all about Roblox. Hazel takes us on a trip through the indie gem Flock, where you can finally live out your dream of flapping around with birds and tooting on a secret whistle. Also included are some mobile games that might provide you with the necessary dopamine to get through the episode.

  • Berry Avenue
  • Dress to Impress
  • Warrior Cats
  • Goat Simulator
  • Geometry Dash
  • Subway Surfers
  • Fill the Fridge

(Direct link here)

Intro music credits: Everyday Goat from Goat Simulator

Don’t forget, if you want to contact us with questions or comments for or about the show, you can email podcast@ugvm.org.uk or publicly shame us https://mas.to/@ugvmpodcast on the Mastodons.

Moving Out 2 (PS5): COMPLETED!

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Looking for a co-op game to play with my daughter (and mourning the lack of yearly, or even twice-yearly Lego games), I stumbled across this on PS++++++++ (or however many plusses I have). We’d enjoyed the first game a while back so why not?

It’s more of the same, really. You have to pick up and carry (or throw) furniture from houses to your truck, sometimes you have to do the reverse, and other times you’ve weird requirements like chucking certain things in portals or catching farm animals. All against the clock, and frequently with doors that are one-way, platforms that move, drones, and things that need to be broken (or not broken) in order to progress. With a multidimensional rift you have to sew back up with the help of some IT gnomes or something. Obviously.

There are plenty of silly moments that made us laugh, and it’s all very stupid in all the right ways. Much like the first game. Oh, and toilets. Of course there are toilets. There’s a whole level where you have to collect them. A++ would play again.

Twilight Survivors (Switch): COMPLETED!

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As you can guess from the name of the game, and how most games in this genre contain the word “survivors”, yes, Twilight Survivors is indeed a Vampire Survivors style game. By this, I mean you are swamped by hordes of enemies in wave after wave, collecting experience point pickups to level up, and each time you do you can choose from a random selection of new weapons or weapon improvements.

Hopefully this randomness is favourable enough to kit you out with all the blades, guns, magic and speed with which to survive a set amount of time, beat the boss, and complete the level without being overwhelmed. It’s a tale as old as time.

I’ve played a few of these games now and even the rubbish ones (of which there are a lot) are still mostly enjoyable. What Twilight brings to the table unlike the others I’ve had a go on is graphics. For no-doubt genuine reasons, Vampire Survivors and others mostly have little pixel art sprites with not much in the way of animation. Maybe so they can have 2387547825378 of them on screen at once. Maybe because they can be borrowed from other games. Whatever the reason, Twilight Survivors does graphics better with bigger, prettier, and better animated characters and foes.

Does it make a difference? Not really. It’s still just really good fun. Levels are generally shorter than Vampire (usually 15-20 minutes instead of 30), there’s less “secret lore” to find, and the game is structured more traditionally with worlds and levels and bosses, but it plays really well and I loved it. Maybe not as much as Vampire Survivors, but still – a lot.