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Harmoknight: completed!

Posted on 25/04/2025 Written by Xexyz

Harmoknight is best described as a rhythm platformer, although the platforming is basic at best and the rhythms are simple. You have two buttons – a jump, and an attack – and you have to either jump or attack in time with the music’s beat. In most cases it’s sufficient to react in time to seeing the gap or enemy, but on occasion the screen zooms in and reaction times are just too long; it’s at this point that you’ll lose too many lives and have to repeat the level. Each time you repeat you’ll get a bit further (usually), remembering the patterns to hit the buttons in and perfecting timing.

While that’s the core of the game, there are a few sections or levels which differ. Boss battles tend to give you a phrase to repeat, which is very reminiscent of Space Channel 5’s reliance on varying rhythms, while other levels have other characters join to introduce slightly different button requirements – pressing A or X depending on whether there’s an upper or lower enemy, for example. In order to pass a level you generally need to collect enough purple notes – from just running over them, or from hitting enemies exactly in time, or from hitting background objects as you pass them – and this awards you a Royal Note which is used to unlock new parts of the map. It’s possible to get to the end of a level and get a “so so” rating (rather than “good” or “great”), meaning you have to repeat it.

I like rhythm action games. Parappa the Rapper was a favourite at university; I enjoyed Um Jammer Lammy as well, and Vib Ribbon was bought on release day from WH Smiths in Clifton Downs. Space Channel 5 was uniquely stylish, and I still remember Owen when I play it. I’ve enjoyed the various Rhythm Heaven games I’ve played, and Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure, and of course the dance mats and bongos and plastic guitars and the maracas. I wouldn’t say that Harmoknight was the best, but it was very enjoyable. The stages were the right length, the requirements were sufficiently varied, and the game didn’t outstay its welcome. After beating the final boss there were a few bonus levels to complete, plus a new section of the map opened. As well as this, any level which you pass with a “great” rating gives you the option of playing it at a faster speed.

It’s a pretty game with a clear visual identity

The game really benefits from being on the 3DS. The latency between processor and screen is known, and so the timing is spot on. Going back to replay Parappa nowadays is difficult, because of lag between the console and the TV, and the fact that the timing was never quite right in the game to start with. No such problems here – if you know which buttons to press when, you could close your eyes and hit the beat dead on. The fact that I didn’t get perfect scores on every level is my fault, not the game’s.

I’d recommend it, but with the closure of the 3DS eShop there’s now no legal way to get it. Maybe wait for the inevitable rerelease on the Switch 3.

Filed Under: Gaming Diary Tagged With: 3ds, completed

Pokémon Blue: j’ai Mewtwo

Posted on 02/02/2025 Written by Xexyz

After the credits, I loaded my game to find myself back at my house, where my mum offered me a rest, almost as if nothing had happened. The world seemed unchanged, as if my quest had never taken place. Sure, if I went to the gyms I’m sure I’d see my name listed, always below Quillum, but that was just a small detail.

The real prize was elsewhere, in a cave which had previously been blocked by someone warning me that it contained high-level pokémon and it was too dangerous for me to go in. Hah, no more, I’m the champion of the world, don’t you know? There is no pokémon too mighty for me to beat!

I stopped at a pokémon centre, picked up the master ball I’d been saving, and off I went.

Fighting through the cave was tricky. It was a proper maze, with multiple routes which meant that more than once I ended up back where I’d started. Moreover, the enemies in the cave were exclusively random encounters, with no trainers – meaning that when I quit out due to having sustained too much damage, I had to start again when I reentered, with only my knowledge of the route improving. In other dungeons, the trainers were the most difficult opponents, and once you beat them once, they let you past freely. No such grace from wild pokémon. Luckily, Vaporeon’s attacks were highly effective against many of the pokémon I encountered.

I collected a couple of new pokémon as I progressed, generally evolutions of those I have already captured, as well as some higher level monsters I could possibly use as trades in the future. And eventually I found an opponent standing tall on a mound in the deepest part of the cave.

Zapdos was quite excited

The master ball actually made this a little anti-climactic. There was no attack from the level-70 opponent; no desperate juggling of revives and heals. I threw the ball, Mewtwo got in it.

And I think I’m done. There are quite a few pokémon which I could catch but haven’t, but getting those will require lots of grinding (for evolutions) or random luck (in the Safari Zone) and I have other things to be doing. Farewell, Pokémon Blue, it’s been a blast.

Filed Under: Gaming Diary Tagged With: 3ds, Emulation, game boy

Pokémon Blue: completed!

Posted on 24/01/2025 Written by Xexyz

Going South seems to have been the right path, as I came across Cinnabar Island, the location of the seventh gym and also a large science laboratory and ruined house. I spent some time exploring the house, then went to the lab and had my fossil and amber studied and converted into pokémon – Kabuto and Aerodactyl. This gave me a couple of well-needed slots in the pokécentre item storage system, but I’m not sure I’ll actually find space for either of the new pokémon in my main team.

I went to Vermillion City, stopping in at my house on the way, and found that the gym leader had returned. It was Giovanni! Shock, amaze, horror. I am sure that the surprise would have had slightly more impact if I haven’t so easily defeated him twice already, and his pokémon roster was largely unchanged. His ground and rock monsters were defeated easily by Vaporeon and Zapdos, and I took the Earth Badge – completing my trophy cabinet – with little difficulty.

Greater difficulty was to come.

By the time I got Gyrados, I didn’t need it any more.

I went along routes 22 and 23, passing the guardians who checked each of the badges in my possession, until I got to the cave system known as Victory Road. Not a road, and not actually the location of victory. I battled through, with Haunter and Vaporeon doing the majority of the heavy lifting, and managed to manipulate the current in the basement to enable me to find Moltres. Tempted as I was to swap the new bird to my team, I had too much emotional connection with Charizard, and fire types aren’t actually as powerful as you’d expect. I found myself at the end of route 23 in the Indigo Plateau, and I healed up, bought a lot of revives, potions, and heals, and I set off for the Elite Four.

On Pokémon LeafGreen I managed to defeat the Elite Four, after many attempts, only to be foiled by the final battle against my rival. That was the furthest I’d ever managed to get, until I managed to complete Pokémon X. As such I was pretty anxious as I made my way into the first battle arena, and this feeling didn’t disappear since Lorelei proved herself to be a formidable foe with her water and ice monsters taking a lot of strategy to take down. Eventually, however, she fell, and the next three trainers were dispatched with comparative ease. Lance was a little tricky, with his dragon-type pokémon, but Dugtrio in particular dealt a lot of damage in each turn.

And then it was on to the champion; my rival who had beaten me to the position. I have no idea why I named him Quillum, but it mattered not. I was expecting an incredibly difficult battle, but I chose my team well so each opponent took a maximum of two hits before fainting.

I won. I beat Pokémon Blue. I saw the credits roll, I had my team entered in the hall of fame, I saw a very definite final screen before the game reset to the title screen.

Zapdos proved to be the key to victory

Of course, that’s not quite the end. I’ve only caught 70 different pokémon of the 150 available, and even if not all of them are going to be obtainable (since I have no friends with the 3DS games) there’s at least one I have my sights on …

Filed Under: Gaming Diary Tagged With: 3ds, completed, Emulation, game boy

Pokémon Blue: j’ai Articuno et Zapdos

Posted on 20/01/2025 Written by Xexyz

Going South seems to have been the right path, as I came across Cinnabar Island, the location of the seventh gym and also a large science laboratory and ruined house. I spent some time exploring the house, then went to the lab and had my fossil and amber studied and converted into pokémon – Kabuto and Aerodactyl. This gave me a couple of well-needed slots in the pokécentre item storage system, but I’m not sure I’ll actually find space for either of the new pokémon in my main team.

I then tried to head to the gym, only to find out that it was locked and the key wasn’t nearby. It was, in fact, nearby – but in the ruins of the Pokémon Mansion, evidently in an area I hadn’t found. I went exploring again, and almost by coincidence I fell off the edge of one of the upper floors and landed in an area that was otherwise inaccessible. Working through the rest of the mansion – with regular attacks by ponyta and other fiery pokémon – meant that Vaporeon was catching up with Dugtrio as being massively overpowered. I got the key, went to the gym, and Vaporeon killed everything with a mixture of surf and bubblebeam. Seven badges!

The route number to go south of Pallet Town was 21, and usually I would then assume I should be following 22 – which is a route West from Vermillion City. However that route is the path to the Elite Four, and there were parts of the map that I hadn’t explored. In particular, the power plant up in the North East corner; and routes 19 and 20 in the water along the South side. Both of these required a surfing pokémon. I decided to fly1 to Lavender Town first, to visit the power plant.

Unsurprisingly, there were hordes of electric pokémon waiting for me, which would have been scary were it not for Dugtrio, who merrily absorbed attack after attack while digging its way to victory. I collected Raichu here, because my own Pikachu seemed to be taking forever to evolve, as well as a few other electric types. At the end of the power plant I found Zapdos, who took ages to capture; I had to reduce its health slowly using normal attacks, to prevent it fainting, and then I used Weepinbell to send it to sleep to maximise capture chances. Even with a small sliver of health, paralysed and asleep, it still took multiple ultra balls to capture.

From fossilised pokémon to those who can escape even when asleep …

A level 50 Zapdos quickly replaced Pikachu in my party, particularly because it could learn fly and as such overcame one of the key weaknesses of electricity (against ground). At its next level, Zapdos learnt thunder, making it invaluable.

I then flew back down to Cinnabar Island, and set off to the East, with Zapdos and Weepinbell faring well against the water-type enemies. I came to the Seafoam Islands, and thought I needed to battle through the cave to get to the next route. Instead I found Articuno, who again put up a significant resistance to the pokéball before finally being caught. I decided not to add Articuno to my team, however, since it significantly overlapped with Vaporeon, and the quick attacks of the latter were useful for capturing.

Two of the legendary birds caught, then, and I’m not sure where I’ll find Moltres – the obvious place would be around Cinnabar Island, but it’s not there. I think my next stop needs to be the mystery eighth gym leader, in the newly reopened Vermillion City.

  1. This involved swapping one of my team members out to Fearow, who could learn fly, then swapping them back when I got to my destination. ↩︎

Filed Under: Gaming Diary Tagged With: 3ds, Emulation, game boy

Pokémon Blue: settling to a team

Posted on 07/01/2025 Written by Xexyz

I have a feeling I am now at the point where I lost interest in Pokémon Yellow, and I recall feeling a little uncertain when I reached this point in Pokémon LeafGreen. When I last wrote, Pikachu was several levels higher than my other pokémon due to him fighting and defeating every enemy in the caves; I now have a similar problem with Dugtrio whose Dig (and now Earthquake) moves proved invaluable when scaling Pokémon Tower, and fighting the electrical enemies. I have progressed through the underground passages, obtained a silph scope (which allowed me to identify the ghosts in Lavender Town), fought Giovanni – the boss of Team Rocket, routed the inept baddies from Silph Co, woken Snorlax1 with a poké flute and then captured him, and found a mansion containing the programmers of the game.

My team is all around the high 30s, other than Dugtrio who is at 47, and I am having to resist the urge to just use him over and over again. I am fairly settled with a team of Dugtrio, Charizard, Weepingbell, Vaporeon, Haunter and Pikachu – waiting for a couple of them to evolve – but I’m aware that others may come along to replace them at some point.

I am varying the colour scheme I play with to suit my location, the time of day, and the strain on my eyes.

Indeed, I’m not sure where I’m off to now. I have just obtained the SURF and FLY moves, but currently there’s no pokémon in my party who can learn FLY so I’m taking the opportunity to journey by foot and level up my companions some more. There are large areas to the south with oceans which were previously unreachable, so I’m heading home to see my mother and then onwards to the southern islands.

  1. My previous style guide continues. Since I don’t rename my pokémon, one that I have caught and am holding is capitalised as a proper noun. The generic name for that type of pokémon is not capitalised. I caught Snorlax when I woke him up, but then when I woke the second snorlax I was unable to catch it despite the fact I threw multiple balls at him when he was at virtually zero health and also asleep. ↩︎

Filed Under: Gaming Diary Tagged With: 3ds, game boy

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92: You Do Realise You Can Take The Discs Out
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Look, March was a bad month, OK? We didn’t do an episode and we know that made you all sad but it can’t be helped. What’s done is done. Water under the bridge. A delicious chocolate river slurped up by a fat German child while a man in a silly suit watches in glee. We just can’t do anything about it. Except press on with another episode and some lickable wallpaper.

In Episode 92 dem mans deKay, Orrah and the unlikely-y named “Kendrick” have Switch 2 Real Actual Facts to tell you about, the surprise everyone expected release of Oblivion: We Made It Pretty Edition, a new Star Wars game, and one of us has bought a new console. Who and what? You have to listen to find out! While you’re listening, you should also hear words about these games and more!

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