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Inspector Waffles (Steam Deck): COMPLETED!

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Yes, I’ve played all the Inspector Waffles games in the wrong order. Somehow they’re in neither release order, nor – as one is a prequel – in chronological order. After Chance’s Lucky Escape on the Playdate last year, and Inspector Waffles Early Days more recently on the Evercade, I was on the lookout for a cheap copy of the original. At least, I think it’s the original? Whatever, here it is.

And it was great. Quite light on difficult puzzles, but humourous and smart and all the things a good point-and-click adventure game needs to be. I liked how all the cases were linked, and although the twist (and therefore, the reveal of the main “how”) was a bit silly, it didn’t detract. Now, are there more Waffles incoming any time soon?

Inspector Waffles (Steam Deck): COMPLETED!

Posted on Written by

Yes, I’ve played all the Inspector Waffles games in the wrong order. Somehow they’re in neither release order, nor – as one is a prequel – in chronological order. After Chance’s Lucky Escape on the Playdate last year, and Inspector Waffles Early Days more recently on the Evercade, I was on the lookout for a cheap copy of the original. At least, I think it’s the original? Whatever, here it is.

And it was great. Quite light on difficult puzzles, but humourous and smart and all the things a good point-and-click adventure game needs to be. I liked how all the cases were linked, and although the twist (and therefore, the reveal of the main “how”) was a bit silly, it didn’t detract. Now, are there more Waffles incoming any time soon?

Justice League: Cosmic Chaos (Steam Deck): COMPLETED!

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Why yes, I am seven years old. Because that’s clearly the age the game is aimed at. But you know what? It may be simplistic and childish, but it was good, actually, so stop judging me. It’s not like it’s Paw Patrol or anything.

What it actually is, is a bit like all those Lego games, only without the building and smashing. Or the Lego. So maybe not like Lego games. It does feel like those Lego games though, with similar combat and character swapping and the same sort of humour and cute versions of superheroes. Here, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman have to stop Mr Mxyzptlk from turning the city into a fishy hellhole after he decides to make himself mayor. The rest of the Justice League, literally referred to by the Big Three as “The B Team” have been facejacked by no-mark DC villain Starro, who himself is mainly there as muscle for Mzyzptlk. So, off you go, mainly in the sewers because obviously, rescuing them all.

There’s nothing complex here, just button mashing to punch and kick everyone. You have a few moves like a batarang or laser eyes which have cooldowns to prevent spamming them, but mostly it’s fisticuffs and dodge-rolls. There are a few platforming bits, and the odd puzzle or button-activating exercise, and some “collect X of Y to progress”, but nothing a seven year old, or an old man like me, should find problematic.

Enjoyable and mindless, which is fine really, isn’t it? I also liked all the niche DC superhero lore references, like minor events and characters from the comics and stuff. And Booster Gold being a tool, as is right and proper.

Momodora: Moonlit Farewell (Switch): COMPLETED!

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A while back I played an earlier game in the Momodora series and liked it enough to stick this, the (at time of typing) latest game, on my wishlist. I do like a good Metroidvania and, as it turns out, Moonlit Farewell is a good Metroidvania.

It is, of course, more of the same, but much more polished and impressive with some huge bosses and great animation. If Reverie Under the Moonlight was Super Metroid, this is Symphony of the Night.

The basic plot is to find out who rung a bell which has unleashed demons, but along the way other forces get involved and there are gods and monsters and characters from previous games who make an appearance. As a Metroidvania, it mostly plays out in the standard explore-til-you-can’t-explore-no-more way, getting new abilities (most of which are pretty standard for the genre, like a wall jump and “don’t die in heat item” and “break through specific walls” type powers) to open up other areas. You also have a number of “slots” with which to add buffs, like being able to heal quicker or hit a bit harder or use less magic, but I didn’t see a need for most of those I unlocked.

I found it really easy for some reason. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it, but literally only two bosses gave me any trouble and that was only because I hadn’t figured out either their “tell” or their weak point. All the exploring and incidental fighting was pretty simple but still fun. I was starting to get a bit annoyed with the amount of back-tracking but thankfully fast travel points are introduced eventually.

Moonlit Farewell doesn’t do any particularly special with the formula, nor does any feature stand out, but that doesn’t mean I don’t recommend it – it’s a perfectly solid, well made game. It just isn’t all that different to others of this type.

Hades II (Switch 2): COMPLETED!

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Remember that other Hades II? The one with turtles in it? That was a great game, wasn’t it? I bought that because it was so much like Hades and there wasn’t really any other Hades-likes around that had good reviews. Oh, except for actual Hades II. Which I finally got round to buying.

Set a number of years after the first game, after Hades himself stopped being a Bad Dad And Husband and Zagreus brought the family back together, Hades II stars new addition to the family – Melinoë. She’s Zagreus’ younger sister, born after the first game and squirrelled away by Hecate, a witch in Hades’ employ, for her own protection when Hades’ own dad Chronos escapes from his prison and enacts revenge on his family.

Hecate has been training Melinoë for years, and the time has come for her to journey (repeatedly) back to Tartarus, defeat Grandad, retake the House of Hades and free everyone. And it plays just like the original game, really. Each run, you might progress a bit further, unlock something new, or gain enough of certain resources to enable permanent upgrades. Or luck might not be on your side and you fail horribly.

You see, like Hades and Teenage Mutant Hades Turtles, you get frequent temporary (for the duration of the run, or for a set number of rooms) upgrades and boons, but they’re generally random. You can stack the cards in your favour a little, to make it more likely certain upgrades will come your way, but it’s very possible you’ll end up with rubbish, a wealth of coin but not power, or several boons which don’t really work well together. But that doesn’t matter! Every failed run nets you something, so there’s always a sense of improving, even when you don’t.

Different to the first Hades is a choice – a few hours in, at least – of two paths. It turns out you’re actually needed to fight the war on two fronts, both on the way to Chronos, but also Mount Olympus is in jeopardy because Chronos has unleashed Typhon on the Gods, and he’s a bit big and nasty. That means you’ve two routes, with different levels, baddies, stories and goals, but the plot of the game explains why you need to do both. And complete both. Multiple times.

Other than that, and some tweaks to how certain rooms “work”, Hades II is “just” more Hades. The slick fighting and the massively varied builds you can create are well crafted. The seemingly endless, and rarely-repeated dialogue between you, your friends, foes, Gods and even mumbling to yourself, is incredible – as it was in the original game. Every character is well fleshed out and the voice acting is fantastic.

So, don’t expect anything too radically different if you’ve played Hades, but if you enjoyed that even just a little bit, Hades II is up your street. It certainly was up mine and I loved it from start to end.