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Vostok Inc (Switch): COMPLETED!

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Apparently, it was more than FIVE YEARS AGO that I last played and completed this. That’s not possible. The Switch itself is only 18 months old, right?

Well, Toby off of the ugvm Podcast mentioned he’d started playing it recently, and that reminded me what a great game it was, and so here we are.

I won’t go into all the details of the game itself because I did that last time. What I will say, however, is that on this playthrough I struggled to get started. You see, there’s no main menu on the start screen, so you just go straight into your last save. Which was from five years ago, on level 51, with the game completed. It took a while to find the setting to New Game+ it (which only carries over your achievements) – they’re in the options if you’ve arrived here via Google struggling to find it yourself – but then I was away.

This time, I didn’t finish it until I was well into the 70s in terms of level. And had more money than it seemed practical to spend. Not sure how that happened.

70: When the Duolingo Owl Comes For You At Midnight

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Another episode already? Who thought that would be a good idea?

In this episode, deKay, Kendrick and Toby put their lips to their microphones and aurally kiss them with such delicious topics as Starfield being exclusive to Microsoft-related Gaming Platforms, Call of Duty on the Switch, Counterstrike 2 (already? Only seems like weeks since the last one), the Evercade EXP and! Startling observations from and/or about these actual video games! It’s like we almost know what we’re doing.

  • Animal Crossing (with some BIG NEWS)
  • Ori and the Blind Forest
  • Metroid Fusion
  • Vostok Inc
  • Pikmin Bloom
  • The C64 Mini
  • Procession to Calvary
  • Like a Dragon: Ishin

Plus other stuff like what we normally do. Listen, yes?

(Direct link here)

Intro music credits: Rainbows and Unicorns, by Garth Knight from Vostok Inc.

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 @ugvmpodcast on the Twittors, and https://mas.to/@ugvmpodcast on the Mastodons.

Bionic Commando (Evercade): COMPLETED!

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I’m pretty sure I’ve only ever played the NES version of this before, and my understanding is that it’s very different. Perhaps you can even jump in that? You can’t in this, the original arcade version, in any case. (EDIT: You can’t jump in the NES version either. Curious.)

So, as I’m finding with these Capcom arcade games on the Evercade EXP, Bionic Commando is another money-eater. There’s no way in hell you’re supposed to be able to finish this without dying more times than numbers exist for – you just have to keep feeding it (virtual) coins. Well, after the first level or so anyway, as until then it’s probably possible.

The gameplay is a bit hit and miss. You can’t jump, so can only traverse by shooting out your bionic arm to grapple platforms and then pull yourself up or over. Problem is, baddies keep getting in the way. And some of the gaps are almost impossible to get into the right place for. And the responsiveness and collision detection appear to be all over the place. But just keep those e-10p pieces coming and eventually you’ll get to the end, like I did.

Not a great game, it has to be said. Was it ever?

Kirby’s Dream Land 2 (Switch): COMPLETED!

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After completing the first Kirby’s Dream Land (again) recently, Nintendo were kind enough to put the sequel up on their Switch Online service for me to play. And oh my did they add a lot to the game.

In Kirby’s Dream Land 2, Kirby now has his trademark enemy ability duplication capabilities, but there’s also an overworld, way more levels, and three “animal friends” for Kirby to ride. A fish, a hamster and an owl, who have their own abilities – the owl can fly, the hamster can (of course) walk on ice without slipping, and so on. On top of that, though, they too take on the powers of enemies in varying ways. It means there’s much, much more to the game than the original, which is great.

It’s still very, very easy though. As in, I didn’t die once. Not that it really matters. And I didn’t access all the secret areas (many of which require you gaining a friend or power from another level first), which would add some difficulty. Fun though.

Ori and the Blind Forest (Switch): COMPLETED!

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You’d think I’d have hopped on this earlier, what with it being a Metroidvania and having a great reputation and stuff, but for some reason it took until I saw it for about £6 on the Switch eShop before I bought it.

And oh boy is it pretty. Sure, so it’s a 2.5D game and not the next Call of Duty, but it’s still very impressive for a Switch game. The lighting and colouring effects are amazing, and there are a few areas where your surroundings change if you carry a certain item and the effect is very clever. It sounds just as good too.

The story is probably deep and meaningful but to be honest I got confused as to whether the tree, who might be your parent, was good or bad. Because it seemed to destroy the forest but then also wanted you to repair it? I dunno. It doesn’t matter.

The gameplay reminded me a lot of Guacamelee, mainly because of the tricky platforming. There are a number of sections where you have to perform perfect sequences of moves with precise timing, which Guacamelee threw at you a lot. The combat, however, is completely different as your little spark wisp thing acts like a short-range homing missile, so you don’t need to aim or get especially close to fight.

The combat sections are also incredibly easy, whereas although obviously doable, the “chase” platforming sections are quite the opposite. It makes the game feel a bit imbalanced, but not damagingly so. The exploration and gaining new abilities to explore further is the core fun of Ori, like all good Metroidvanias, and it nails that perfectly with some unique powers (like the sort of grapple move) and lots to find.

Being a Microsoft game, it was really odd to sign in with my Xbox account, on my Switch, and gain Xbox achievements as I played. Of course, it doesn’t change the game at all, it just felt weird. Like when Sega started making Nintendo games.

Anyway, with that completed I just need to wait for the sequel to drop in price…