Tag: platformer

Game Recommendation: FEZ

Published by gerardo medina on 4th March 2021

Introduction

If you’re looking for that next great game to add to your collection, then FEZ is just what the doctor ordered. What is FEZ? Is it a 2D platformer? Is it a 3D puzzle game? What if I told you that it is both? That’s right my fellow gamers, you have just come across a gem of a game. A game that is both 2D and 3D (and available on PS4 and Steam).

Graphics & Gameplay

FEZ is a fully pixelated game that makes beautiful 3D levels. The 2D portion of this game comes in the form of a 2D platformer. What makes this game 3D is that when you rotate the environment (which I will explain later) you can clearly see that each level is in fact 3D, but only being viewed from one angle of four at a time.

fez — *Sometimes you need to look at things from a fresh perspective.*

So what do you do in FEZ? The goal in this game is to collect yellow cubes that have been scattered across the land. To do this you need to explore and solve puzzles. The cool thing about this game is how both the 2D and 3D are used together. You start off with a 2D view of each level as a platformer. What makes it cool is the variety of obstacles that this game throws at you.

Bounce pads, disintegrating floors, and invisible platforms are just a few traps that you will encounter. But in order to collect every cube you will have to use the power of the third dimension. In the beginning of the game you are given the power to travel in between the second and third dimension and rotate the level. It is your job to use this power to explore every nook and cranny. Using this power will let you reach different areas of the level you couldn’t reach before.

Tips & Tricks

FEZ is a game of many secrets and collectibles. Solving puzzles will sometimes give you an anti-cube. Anti-cubes are blue and harder to find than the yellow cubes. Also one thing that you will like about this game is that if you fall from a high platform and die you will respawn in the same spot right before you fell. So don’t be afraid to explore high areas.

Another thing is that the more yellow cubes you find the more levels you will unlock. In this game you will either find yellow cubes or yellow cube shards. Collecting eight yellow cube shards will combine to make one whole yellow cube. Lastly, in the opening sequence of the game it may seem like the game has glitched. Don’t worry though, it’s all part of the game.

fez — *“Mysterious Cubes” could have been a good alternate title for this game.*

Conclusion

I really loved playing FEZ. It was a very unique gameplay experience. The fact that this game is both 2D and 3D makes it that much better. I mentioned in the beginning that this game is a gem and I really meant it. There is really no other game out there like it. You can buy FEZ on the PlayStation store for 13 dollars or on steam for 10 dollars. Although I haven’t played FEZ on Steam, I would recommend playing it on the PS4, because in my opinion you’ll have better control over the main character using a controller. Well, now I’m off to play the next game to recommend…

Recommended Game – Battle Chef Brigade Deluxe

Published by Greyson Ditzler on 20th August 2020

Introduction

Battle Chef Brigade Deluxe is a highly unique cooking game. It was originally released for Nintendo Switch and PC in 2017 as just Battle Chef Brigade. Before eventually being expanded on into its current version with several new modes and the added title of Deluxe. It remains to this day one of the most unique indie games that I’ve ever played. It’s unfortunate that more people haven’t heard about it. I suppose that’s the benefit of writing for a site like Polyspice. I get a chance to recommend a neat little side dish like this.

Battle Chef Brigade Deluxe is – in the simplest of terms – a combination of a side-scrolling beat-em-up, platforming, cooking, and match-three gameplay elements. It might sound intimidating or like too much to handle. But I can assure you that it plays like a dream. Once you get used to the controls, you’ll be eagerly slicing and dicing your way through fantastical beast galore in order to assemble gorgeous looking gourmet meals.

I barely even care that that egg yolk is also an eyeball, that looks delicious.

You play as Mina, a small-town cook working at her family restaurant who runs away from it all to accept an attempt to join the Battle Chef Brigade. Most of the plat after that is twists and turns that I’d rather not spoil here. But it’s a largely light affair. The story smartly never compromises the gameplay and keeps it safe with cooking challenge after cooking challenge. Making sure to take the time to characterize your opponents in the time between the matches. While also allowing the difficulty to gently curve upwards at a reasonable pace.

Gameplay

In the average battle, you have several judges who want certain flavors emphasized in the dish you serve to them. And each ingredient that you collect from different enemies has different levels of three different types of flavor. All with their own set color. You mix the ingredients into the meal as necessary in order to match the general flavor profile the judge wants. And the rest of the details are up to you.

The dev team really wanted to make a cooking game that encouraged creativity, rather than forced you to strictly follow recipes as many other games do. Battle Chef Brigade shines once you realize that you can basically just do what you want. And as long as you do it well, you’ll succeed. Even if you fail a cooking challenge, most of them are only a few minutes long. As so retrying steals little time from you. And every failure teaches you a little more about how to play the game more optimally.

The meat is a little tough... — The meat is a little tough…

Elements

There are multiple elements and items added to the gameplay the course of the story that builds on the established mechanics quite well and added at a reasonable pace so that the gameplay doesn’t get too repetitive. Things like fragile ingredients and removing bones from meat, all-natural things for a chef to consider that makes the experience that little bit more skill-testing and immersive.

What also helps the gameplay expand from it’s already solid core concept is the simple but strong customization system. Different types of cookware, spices, and stat-changing gear can be equipped between matches in order to sway the odds in your favor or alter the playstyle more to your liking. It’s a system that provides depth to whatever you decide you want your playstyle to be without being too alienating with it’s depth.

The gear customization screen has more combos than an old fashioned diner.

Graphics and Content

Then of course there’s the aesthetic of the game. Battle Chef Brigade Deluxe was inspired by the works of developer Vanillaware, such as Odin Sphere and Muramasa: The Demon Blade. This all shows in both the fantastical setting and beat-em-up elements, as well as the graphics. The visuals are all hand-drawn with an anime-inspired look loaded with both bright and soft colors and loads of memorable and diverse character designs. The animation itself might be rather minimal, but it’s mostly forgivable due to how expressive the art is by itself, held up additionally by the fantastic voice acting and solid soundtrack.

For $20 on all platforms Battle Chef Brigade Deluxe also offers a solid amount of content. On top of the roughly 12 hour long story mode, there’s also a local multiplayer mode, daily challenges with online leaderboards, free play mode, a mode similar to “Break the Targets” from the Super Smash Bros. series. It’s a great big buffet of a game with a one time fee, which is the best type of game and buffet.

Conclusion

There is not much that Battle Chef Brigade Deluxe does that I can criticize. The story could have been a bit more fleshed out in certain places, and some additional animations and characters to play as would be nice. But aside from that there is a lot here to love. It is a serious value for money, addictively fun, and still now wholly unique among both puzzle and cooking games.

Playing a game like Battle Chef Brigade is like taking a break from your favorite restaurants that you normally order from to try out a weird new food-truck. Perhaps it isn’t as familiar to you as your other typical meals. But sometimes it’s good to try new things and experiment because you might find something new to love. Battle Chef Brigade Deluxe is available now for PC, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.

What are you waiting for? Strap on an apron! Vive La Brigade!

Greyson is an aspiring author and YouTuber with dozens of consoles and hundreds of gaming hours under his belt. He’s always looking for something new to play, and is always happy to share it with other people. He also likes the Shantae games, like, a lot.

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Recommended Game-Total Party Kill

Published by gerardo medina on 17th December 2019

Are you looking for a challenge? Something that is satisfying? Total Party Kill just might be the game your looking for. This game is a puzzle platformer where the goal is to reach the door. Sounds simple enough right? Well if you factor in the three warriors you control and the obstacles that stand in your way, you might start to think differently.

Total Party Kill is a unique game. You control a party of three warriors each with a different ability. The archer shoots arrows, the wizard shoots balls of ice, and the swordsman swings his sword. What makes this game so unique is how you use these abilities. You see instead of working together like a normal party of warriors, its everyone for himself. For example, if the door is a little out of reach, shoot an arrow at a party member to stick them to a wall. Now you can use him as a step to reach the door. Is a spiked wall keeping you from pressing a switch? Swing your sword and knock a party member through the wall and into the switch. A pit of spikes in your way? Freeze a party member and use him as a platform. You get the picture.

The graphics in this game. I would compare them to a gameboy color game. You know…pixelated but still makes for a nice looking game. As for the controls they are pretty straight forward. See through on screen buttons that let you move left and right, jump, switch between warriors and use your ability. All of which responds well to your touch. Sometimes the controls are a little too sensitive though making you move more then you wanted to move. Another annoying thing is when the same music plays on repeat. which some players may like since the music sounds alot like a sonic level.

This is a challenging game. it really makes you use your brain and think ahead. The higher the level the harder the puzzles become. Forcing you to try and figure out which combination of abilities works well with the current situation. Sometimes the game may even give you only two out of the three warriors to use. Or you may find that the warriors have been seperated. Want more of a challenge? This game also has a Time Attack Mode where you play the game as fast as you can and try to beat your best time.

I must repeat this. This is a CHALLENGING game! If you want a cute easy game to play then this game is not for you. But if you like puzzles and retro looking games (because lets face it. Who doesnt like a good retro game) then welcome home! This game will have you glued to the screen. When you beat one level it feels so satisfying that you wont want to stop playing. Its that addicting. Gamer Tip: If your stuck on a level it is best to walk away from the game for a while and clear your head. Also thinking ahead while trying to solve a puzzle works to. But at the end of the day its really about trial and error due to the fact that you have an infinite amount of tries to solve a puzzle. I love this game and i know you will too. This is a free mobile game that is available to download from the google play store.

I am Mrboldlyblue. A gamer, a reader, a writer, an artist and all around nerd at heart. I am passionate about all these things and would love to share these things with you. What better way then with a blog.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrBoldlyBlue
Facebook: https://facebook.com/thisdudesclubhouse/
Blog: https://thisdudesclubhouse.blogspot.com/

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Recommended Game – Super Cat Bros.

Published by gerardo medina on 26th November 2019

Is it me or are there a lot of mobile cat games out there. I’m not a big cat fan myself but that didn’t stop me from playing Super Cat Bros. This game is like a mix of super mario and cats. Why? Well first of all its a platformer. When you play this game it looks like a super mario game(the cartoony ones not the pixel kind).From the level design to the map. It looks similar. Second of all…well…instead of playing as mario you play as a cat. Which is probably why the creators of this game named it Super Cat Bros…Duh!

This may look like a mario game but its gameplay sets it apart. For one thing you can’t jump whenever you feel like it. You can only jump by running off a platform. Also the only way to kill monsters is by using items you can get by spending your hard earned coins. Lastly there are many different cats to unlock. Each of which have a unique ability that will help you pass an area and collect bells which will unlock more levels. For example there is a blue cat that has the ability to swim pass water currents which is useful for entering secret areas of certain levels. Unlock the orange cat and you gain the ability to headbutt and break blocks. All of these things make this game challenging especially when your trying to collect all of the hidden bells, cats, and keys.

The controls for this game are pretty simple and easy to use. Tap or hold down your finger on the left side of the screen to move or run to your left and do the same on the right side to move or run to your right. To climb all you have to do is walk towards elevated ground and you’ll automatically climb upwards. You can even do a wall jump by pressing on the screen in the opposite direction of where your climbing. Its that simple! There are no transparent on screen buttons, like in other platformer mobile games, where you have to press correctly.

The story for this game is pretty straight foreword. A group of cats are flying across the ocean in a hot air balloon when a couple of monkeys on a near by island decide to fire a cannon ball at the hot air balloon. The cats plummet towards the island and are separated. Your job is to reunite with your cat buddies. And so the adventure begins!

I really enjoyed playing this game. The levels are cool and fun. Sometimes a bit on the easy side(if you go straight from point A to point B. Collecting all the bells and cats makes it more fun because it makes it more harder). Even though this game looks like a Mario game, there is alot that sets it apart. Which the creators obviously did on purpose. This mobile game is worth the download. I strongly recommend this game. Its free in the google play store.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrBoldlyBlue
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Blog: https://thisdudesclubhouse.blogspot.com/

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Recommended Game – Slayin’

Recommended Game – Slayin’

Published by Sean L. Akins on 29th May 2019

If you’re like me and have been playing video games for the better part of the past 25 years, mobile games are a hard sell. Which is why a game like Slayin’ is so good. Released by FDG Entertainment, Slayin’ is a game built around touchscreen controls. You have a button that moves left, moves right, and an action button that is determinant on the class you’re playing. It’s also built around a retro visual and audio aesthetic, which is something that’ll appeal to players like me who enjoy retro games.

Graphics

Graphically, Slayin’ looks like it came straight out of the 1990s; it looks like something you’d have seen on the Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis back in the day, but in a good way. It fits the aesthetic of the game and feels right for what you’re doing. All the effects in the game are bright and colorful, and all the interface borders are a great representation of what they’re trying to show; the dragon one is my favorite, and it makes the dragon look appropriately terrifying.

Sound

The music is appropriately epic for a game where the end goal is to slay a dragon, and it’s appropriately sad when you die. And, like the graphics, it feels like it came off an old console, but in a good way; everything sounds like it came from an older console game, and the game is better for it.

Gameplay

Slayin’ also offers multiple characters to unlock, starting with the basic knight, the powerful mage, the roguish knave, the not so good archer, the amusing tamer, and the ninja, which I have yet to unlock due to how much that class costs in-game points. Each class brings something different to the gameplay; the knight brings in armor and bigger and faster weapons than the other classes, while the knave moves the fastest and can collect gold for upgrades fastest due to his high luck stat.

Ads and in game purchases

Free mobile game live or die depending on their ad policy, and I’m happy to say that Slayin’ does it right; an ad at the startup, and ad if you choose to revive during the gameplay, and maybe an ad when you go from the results screen to the startup menu.

And in no way are you required to buy anything with real money to do well here. The currency for Slayin’ is gold, which buys upgrades during the gameplay to make your fight against the hordes of monsters easier, and fame, which you use to buy other classes, interfaces, background music and more. And while you CAN use real money to buy fame, you’re not required to, as all buying fame will do is help you unlock things faster; you gain no advantage in gameplay from buying anything with real money.

Final Analysis

But the important thing to remember is that Slayin’ is fun. I’ve personally logged hundreds of hours trying to unlock all the characters, background music tracks and interface borders, and I still haven’t gotten to the dragon yet. Check Slayin’ out on the Google Play and Apple store. You won’t regret it!

Check out my full review of Slayin’, and check me out on twitter.