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52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

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dhaabi:
06. Cube Escape: Paradox || PC || 01.16.24



With ten games currently available within the Cube Escape sub-series of games which is set within the larger Rusty Lake universe, I've finally completed them all. Knowing this beforehand, part of me also felt that Cube Escape: Paradox was to offer some finality to the narrative, but I don't think that's the case.

Playing as Dale, you wake up in a small room, trapped by its locked door. He becomes quickly aware that things aren't right, and he knows there's more to his involvement with Laura's death than simply being the detective investigating but doesn't understand how or why. Looking for clues to escape, Dale reads an advert for Rusty Lake where it reads how it's "a place to empty the mind," which allows visitors to "reflect on the past, the present and the future." With that understanding, Dale does explore these moments in time, alongside an additional empty time, a sort of limbo, for the lack of a better term.

Something crucial to mention is how the game is divided into two gameplay chapters and a live-action film adaptation. This cross-media presentation is apparent at the game's menu menu, as it's possible to experience the three in any order. Stated by the developers, there is no structure as to where the game or film should be experienced first, but I opted for what felt like the most logical path, being chapter 1, chapter 2, and the short film. Even within the game itself, though, elements of the film are incorporated into puzzle elements and story, which was achieved effectively at a high quality. Both the film's footage and still photography were utilized, bringing a unique change to the unchanged visual style across the dozen games leading up to Paradox.

Throughout the game, puzzle design has the player gaining certain information, applying it to one of four environments, and repeating that process to reach the end result. It's a fun loop that varies slightly from most games, with the only other game adopting this specific setup being Seasons, the first game in the series. Pen-and-paper was again helpful, and the game regularly has the player discovering one element to the puzzle with one set of items, than using that element toward another puzzle. At times, puzzles become lengthy yet manageable and still fun to solve.

During chapter 1, I didn't use a guide at all. There were a few moments where I was tempted, but I kept dwelling on the puzzle at-hand a little longer to finally deduce the answer. However, as for chapter 2, I found it to be more obtuse for a sizable part of it. There seemed to be a clear spike in puzzle difficulty between the two chapters, but perhaps that's to be expected. That said, as I finished the first chapter, it honestly felt like it could have been a game all on its own with the amount of content it offers, so knowing that a follow-up chapter was still left was great.

Since it's part of the game experience, I will comment on the included short film. Made by the series creators, the film adds an appreciated visual element to the game. While it doesn't offer anything unique such as directly interacting with puzzle elements or the gameplay itself, that there is a condensed and slightly altered form to the story is welcomed. Even more than the games, the film features a shockingly high degree of quality and polish, as acting, screenplay, set design, and editing are much higher than I think anyone was expecting to be.

Finishing chapter 2, an ending is implied, or possibly confirmed, through the final events which show. As with most plot points in the series, what is and isn't is difficult to differentiate. There are still four games remaining in the series for me to experience, but I'm not sure how they connect with everything so far. In all honesty, the series is probably long from being over, which I'm perfectly fine with. It's also worth noting that, since the Rusty Lake franchise is still actively being developed for, additional Cube Escape games could be made. Once the remaining games have been completed and I'm then left with nothing else to play, I'll only be left waiting to see.

vivigamer:
02. Star Ocean: Till the End of Time (PS4 on PS5) - 18/01/2024
This is a really big deal for me as I have never beaten this game before due to rage quitting time and time again! The problem is late-game, enemies start to attack your MP & if you reach 0 MP your character dies... I still hate the concept! But I told myself I need to do this once & for all after being fresh off beat S.O. Second Story R.

So, how was it? Very good! Overall i like the story, I know there is much controversy to a few of the narrative points in this game but I like where it goes. I found the story engaging from start to finish and really valued the games decent production value (For the time).

Combat was a mixed bag, I already mentioned the MP snag but I also had a lot of problem with hit detection - Say if an enemy is getting back from being knocked on the ground it will be invulnerable until it reaches its upright stance. The game also has a bonus bar which you build up from attacking enemies & get bonuses like 300% EXP or 200% Money but sadly once hit can shattered the perk which is infuriating!

The game has one of the most convoluted set of customisation mechanics I've ever seen. In summary you need to recruit NPC's by gathering items for them. Once you have done so they will appear in one of your workshops, there you can form a team to work on Alchemy or Crafting or Cooking etc. BUT you can't even figure out what they're going to make, you have to cycle through a set of cost figures and hope it is what you want - or look up a guide. The game requires very precise combinations to which I had to often look online to figure out for a lot of this - Honestly, I feel like I have been studying a degree with the complexity of all these systems. It's something you have to figure out too or late-game enemies will trash you up!

One thing I have noticed about Star Ocean in general is it's 1-dimensional villains. They often don't get much attention thoughtful the story and the villain in this game was very underwhelming. That said, I did find the cast of characters charming and they're involvement into the on-going narrative relevant - Apart from 1, who I read up you can get earlier but I got him later without a choice and his story didn't make much sense.

The games dungeon areas are very maze like and frustrating. A guide is needed for most of them as it is really easy to get lost. The game also introduces features like breakable walls too so there is a lot going on. I like the games art direction and enjoyed the variety of locations.

Overall I packed a good 70+ hours into the game, there is post game content to dabble with which I may consider if the crafting isn't too much of a time sink. I've beat all S.O. games but The Last Hope now. Time is tight before Final Fantasy VII Rebirth though and I want to replay FF7R beforehand. But despite the problems I had with this game it does offer that true sense of adventure which I love from the genre and I had a lot of fun with it.

realpoketendonl:
2. Sonic Mania [Switch]

So I've wanted to finish this game for a while, but what pushed me over the edge was my bff giving me this huge Sonic plush, which I love.



So I took the game back on, and turned out I was on the final zone of my first playthrough, so I could finish it relatively quickly. I know I'm far from done: I didn't even get all the Chaos Emeralds to unlock the true ending. But I played through it once and got credits, so I'mma count it. Also because I'm not sure how quickly I'll jump back in.
It's odd. I like Sonic and his friends a lot as characters. I really enjoy things like Sonic Prime and the second live-action movie. I enjoy the character designs, interactions, all that. But I often just can't seem to get into the games, especially the classic style ones. I can acknowledge all that's good about this game, but it just never clicked for me. Even towards the end I was a little puzzled on what I was doing. I don't know whether there's too much going on for me or whether I can't keep up or whatever, but I dunno. Happy for everyone who loves it, I can acknowledge it's good, but personally, I don't think I'll be picking it up again soon.

dhaabi:
07. Omaze || Playdate || 01.16.24



Before first loading Omaze to begin playing, I had absolutely no idea what kind of genre the game would be. Its image among the system's library really gives no hints, so I was naturally curious.

As it turns out, Omaze is a logic puzzle game, although it has a elements of of action incorporated into it. In short, you as the player control a dot moving from one circle to the next, hoping to reach your end goal. However, this is obviously easier said than done, as each circle has its own obstacles to overcome in quick succession. While its complexities never become too involved or convoluted, the challenges presented and puzzle designs do gradually increase. Once again, I was pleased with the crank controls.

With that said, the two most basic controls are using the crank to rotate either clockwise or counterclockwise in addition to using the B button to manually cycle through one circle to the next. Along the way, there are openings which form the general pathway, so aligning to those connections will be needed to reach a stage's end goal. That said, I found some stages to offer more than one path to the end, which allows players to decide which sort of obstacles they want to overcome. Of course, obstacles are varied and require different reactionary outputs, so players will naturally opt for one path over another, depending on what is easiest for them.

In time, additional obstacle types are introduced. They range from self-rotating circles to enemy dots which rotate toward the player-controlled dot. Of course, when failing to overcome an obstacle, it results in a stage fail. On their own, puzzle elements are generally simple to overcome, but they will stack together to present a more challenging gameplay experience. Because of this, some moments involving auto-rotation paired with another other obstacle requires focused thinking and quick reactions involving both A and B buttons and the crank. At times, it is very much a challenge because there is little time to react with the player needing to move from button-pressing to crank-rotating. Even when not stacked together in one single circle, the series of obstacles before the player may feature numerous types, one after another, which is evident from the attached screenshot where seven unique obstacles are present.

Because of the screen's size limitations, the playing field can only support fifteen circles to traverse through, so stages are short. However, this isn't a criticism, as stages become tricky to execute as-needed in the moment. As I briefly mentioned before, Omaze is very much a reactionary game which will often require many repeated attempts. Near the beginning, I thought I had reached the game's end after only a short twenty stages. Fortunately, though, there are actually around sixty, as I initially overlooked the game's stage hub screen. Overall, I considered there to be a good balance of difficulty, as an area's first few stages introduce a new obstacle, with the latter ones being more challenging as multiple obstacles are layered. Something I'll also briefly mention is that there's even one puzzle obstacle which requires the crank to be mounted back into the system's crevice, which I found unique and unexpected. Also, what stood out to me the most is the atypical approach to how the system must be held. Instead of the left hand resting on the D-pad, it instead rests on the right side's face buttons while the right hand controls the crank. With the limited amount of system options to work with, I found Omaze to utilize just about everything it could in designing obstacles.

Being one of several of Playdate's pick-up-and-play type games that anyone can boot up with even just a few seconds to spare, Omaze was surprisingly a fun logic game with an emphasis on in-the-moment action. It isn't a game which warrants another playthrough, but it's a fun experience, nonetheless.

bikingjahuty:
9. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F (PS3)

I'm a fairly big fan of rhythm games and I've had a long standing interest in the Hatsune Miku series of games. I've played Project Diva F before, but aside from playing it for about 30 minutes or so at a time, I never actually beat it. I've also played some version of it in the arcade as well. But I decided to go all the way and unlock every song in the game (at least on Normal mode) and see if this is a series I could get even deeper into.


Your mileage will vary considerably with this game depending on how much you are into Miku and the whole Vocaloid series. I appreciate Hatsune Miku for how Japanese the whole thing is, but as for the music and the whole persona surrounding Miku, I'm not a big fan for the most part. Still, this game has some very catchy tunes, and the gameplay for the most part does a good job at making this a fun, engaging rhythm game. My biggest gripe is some of the songs are bad at keeping a beat consistent with the button prompts required to get a passing score on each song. My other issue is sometimes the button press prompts are very hard to see or track with all the action and other animations occurring in the background during gameplay. But overall, this isn't a huge deal for the most part. Project Diva F also had a crazy amount of unlockables, ranging from songs, outfits for the various Vocaloids, and even food you can feed them. It's wild. I can't say Project Diva F is one of the best Rhythm games I've ever played, but it's still a fun time and a series I'm certainly going to play more of at some point. (1/20/24) [34/50]

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