Once again, the central character here is our physically and mentally scarred young heroine, Senua. She struggles with the constant whispering voices of her schizophrenia-like psychosis.

Of course, in Senua’s time, the swirling voices in her head are thought to be spirits that whisper doubts and encouragements; they open paths and give insights as Senua pushes toward her hallucination-laced goals. (The game is designed to be played with headphones in place. And that binaural immersion intensifies the disturbing and disorienting aspects of Senua’s ongoing inner torments.)

Senua’s Saga picks up where the first game left off. The embattled protagonist has allowed herself to be captured by Northmen who keep raiding her lands and enslaving her people. That may seem to be a self-destructive choice, but Senua and her voices know that she is a battle-hardened and raging fighter. And her goal is to allow the slavers to draw her into their fold where she can then gut them from within. She’ll have the chance to find justice for the innocent while also, she believes, atone for her own past sins.

However, Senua’s vengeance-soaked mission isn’t as simple as she hopes. Through the struggles of an Icelandic shipwreck, encounters with mystical hazards of the lands, torrents of bloodthirsty and cannibalistic monsters, and battles with enormous giants, she finds that blood-boiling rage doesn’t solve every problem.

As Senua slashes her way toward a cathartic solution, it becomes clear that monsters are made, not born.

Gameplay is focused on melee combat involving attacks, parries and dodges; exploration through large, graphically defined landscapes; some character interactions; and solving environmental puzzles. This third-person action-adventure game is single-player and it does not require an online connection after the game is installed. There are four levels of difficulty to choose from.

POSITIVE CONTENT

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is photo-realistic in its movement capture and graphic presentation. And between those highly detailed images and the binaural sound immersion (featuring always moving, breathe-in-your-ear voices), the gameplay is incredibly impressive.

In the game’s opening screen, we’re told that psychiatric professionals assisted in its realistic depiction of psychosis. The game therefore gives players insight into how schizophrenia can torment people who suffer from it. And the ongoing story also points to how extreme feelings of grief, loss, rage and guilt can reshape people into monsters they never wanted to be.

“Darkness outside makes darkness inside,” the game tells us.

On the other hand, Senua’s Saga also suggests that people always have choices. Even when dealing with uncommon struggles, you can choose better paths; you can reach for help.

CONTENT CONCERNS

All of the above positives noted, however, potential gamers should also take note that this is an intense and very M-rated game. The incredible graphics can showcase a radiant sunset, but they also make this game’s entrail-spilling gore all that more realistic. Blood spews and spatters at every turn.

Scenes focus on cannibalistic savagery; people are hacked apart and left in piles of dismembered limbs and fly-speckled gunk. Bloody body parts are recrafted into suspended, dripping displays. And feral men gobble the contents of cracked-open skulls. You face screeching, sinewy killers who swing swords, throw axes and spew flames. The game certainly leans into its barbarically gruesome elements with glee.

And this title’s incredible immersion qualities also drag gamers into a very dark and creepy domain of growling, unseen tormentors with a corrupting demonic feel about them. In fact, Senua’s entire Icelandic world feels nightmarish, ready to rip and tear into anything and everyone unfortunate enough to exist there.

GAME SUMMARY

This sequel lives up to the graphics and gameplay expectations of its predecessor. But it also drags gamers through gruesome gore while baring gristle filled teeth.

The post Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II appeared first on Plugged In.

The game starts simply enough with a black-furred, green-eyed kitty napping quite contentedly on the sunshiny ledge of his (or her) owner’s high apartment window. But sleeping on high ledges isn’t always as comfy and safe as you might think; the wrong little shift or stretch can lead to … oops!

The little kitty tumbles from that great height and scrabbles to grab anything—including an unsuspecting crow that’s flying by—to break his rapid descent.

After eventually crashing down in a conveniently placed garbage can, our unnamed feline hero finds itself situated on an unrecognizable terra firma with a simple quest: get home.

To get to that sky-high apartment, however, the lost cat must explore the city and meet other critters. He encounters several cats and dogs; a brainiac tanuki (also known as a Japanese raccoon dog) that’s tinkering with the space-time continuum; a mother duck who needs help with her lost ducklings; that lightly scratched crow; and maybe even a human or two. Each new friend offers up a step-and-fetch quest and, perhaps, a little good advice.

In terms of the game’s mechanics, the going is fairly easy. Our kitty hero can run, jump and pounce, scamper up on ledges, swipe aside houseplants and the like. He chats with others in a surprisingly universal animal language (one critter’s meow is another’s quack). And he navigates obstacles, learns new movements (such as a biiig stretch and a yuck face) and runs about collecting scores of special kitty hats, such as a sunflower cap or a deep-sea diving helmet. (You know, for those cat fans who can’t resist just one more cute thing.)

Ultimately kitty must find four fish meals to gain the proper amount of energy and make the big, scary climb home. This is a single-player-only game that requires an online connection to download.

POSITIVE CONTENT

Cute. Cute. Cute.

Did I mention that this game is cute? Little Kitty, Big City is a very cozy title that focuses on funny cat play and simple quests. It’s certainly suitable for adults and kids alike. (One caveat: Quite a few animal interactions do require the ability to read captions, since meows and barks don’t translate to human very well.)

The overarching narrative, exploration and quests are also easy to nibble at in small cat-snack chunks that don’t demand long stretches of youthful time. Oh, and the kitty hero can pounce on unsuspecting birds in the city. But he’s told by another cat that this is a catch-and-release neighborhood only.

CONTENT CONCERNS

The only drawback here could be that some will find this game a little too cozy and laid back. If, for instance, you wouldn’t even dream of taking time, in the midst of a quest, to let your hero curl up for an oh-so-cute catnap or rub purringly up against a passing human leg, then this might not be the game for you.

GAME SUMMARY

Kitty hijinks and quests are the cozy call of duty with Little Kitty, Big City—with no cat-box mess to worry over.

The post Little Kitty, Big City appeared first on Plugged In.

The action gets up and running in 1853, near the end of Japan’s Edo period—when the power of the fearful Shogunate is beginning to wane. And with that gap, Western influence is slipping into the feudal Japanese way of life. But in spite of the benefits of inflowing trade and advanced weaponry, some factions—such as the Veiled Edge assassin clan—that are pushing back against the Black Ship Westerners.

Gamers play as a male or female samurai-like assassin. This skilled sword-handler initially works with a “Blade Twin” partner until a horrible event appears to kill that trusted comrade. The player’s initial quest is to leave the clan and seek revenge, or at least discover if there’s any chance of their friend’s survival. And as the game proceeds, the assassin comes to realize that his or her choices may actually impact this changing world. 

Through a long-running series of side quests, dialogue choices and sword battles, gamers have the option of supporting the Shogunate or bolstering the efforts of the rebellious opposition. The historically based core story asks players to make decisions that affect the overall timeline and outcome.

For all of that background story, however, it’s the swordfights that keep gamers invested in Rise of the Ronin. Those clashing battles require skill and patience.

Players progressively gain different weapons and combat techniques, and they must switch among those varied elements to best matchup against the skillsets of their foes. Switching combat styles; incorporating items such as throwing stars and a grapple hook; and mastering the games combos in the midst of frantic fights are a must.

Rise of the Ronin lets gamers team up with AI companions in-game and offers multiplayer co-op play with up to two friends. There are no player-versus-player battle options at this point.

POSITIVE CONTENT

This is an open-world game that immerses players in an expansive rendition of feudal Japan and its political struggles. So gamers can glean a bit of history (seen through the lens of a fictional story) and info about real historical figures.

Though Rise of the Ronin’s hero starts as a revenge-seeking assassin, he can choose to help others during the journey. The game also offers easy, normal and difficult settings in case players want to tweak the rather tough combat one way or the other. In-game training is offered (though, frankly, some of the gaming aspects aren’t always well explained).

CONTENT CONCERNS

Gamers do quite a bit of adventuring here, but this is primarily a very violent combat game. Players use swords, spears, knives, grapplehooks, throwing stars, pistols, and flamethrowers to battle their enemies in abundantly bloody fights. They can also slip silently behind a foe to knife them in the back. Gory gushing, decapitations and dismemberments are all common.   

In-game characters drink saké, and some get drunk. The dialogue contains uses of the s-word and “b–tard.” And while there’s nothing overtly sexual in the story—other than some lustful gazing at a pretty geisha—players can adjust the underwear-clad breast size of their avatars in the initial character-customization menu.

GAME SUMMARY

Hacking and slashing is the major, uh, point of this actioner. And it’s an exceedingly gushing point indeed.

The post Rise of the Ronin appeared first on Plugged In.

But while gamers may rave about its innovations, Stellar Blade tells a fairly well-worn future sci-fi story.

When the game starts out, our Earth is something of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Mankind hasn’t totally disappeared from the planet’s surface, but most humans have long-since zipped off to a colony in space. And the remnants left behind are dealing with horrible, mutated monstrosities, called Naytiba, that generally look like mixed masses of limbs, muscle, sharp extremities, and grotesquely bulbous flesh. 

Gamers play as Eve, a member of the 7^th Airborne Squad that’s sent down to take action against that Naytiba scourge. Most of Eve’s female warrior companions were killed during the explosive space drop, so she teams up with a tech-focused male pilot named Adam and an Airborne engineer named Lily to fulfill the planet’s needs and battle its dangers.

Along with a wide variety of quests that benefit the last human city of Xion, Eve also sets off to seek out four massive Alpha Naytibas and slash out their heart-like hypercores. These combined cores could well open the door to a resolution of the Neytiba problem. Along the way, Eve also finds out what really happened to Earth and its inhabitants: She uncovers a secret, long-ago war that no one remembers, and she discovers what created those dreadful monsters to begin with. 

There’s platforming action here combined with exploration, but Stellar Blade’s fast, dynamic, Soulslike combat is what fills up most of this 20- to 30-hour game’s playtime. And that brutal battling is pretty complicated.

This is a very defense-driven battler. Massive enemies launch long, powerful, combo-peppered attacks that can only be dealt with through perfectly timed parries and dodges. Every parry you land deducts a point from the enemy’s “balance” number. And once that balance is broken, then Eve can deliver some killing blows.

Attacks that can’t be parried come fast and furious, too. And that’s where gamers must quickly note the game’s flashes of color that telegraph which kind of unblockable attack is aimed at them, before making the proper dodge move to expose an enemy’s weak points. Then there are special attacks that Eve can layer on from there. So, the whole combat process becomes a complex series of split-second, button-mashing choices and bombastic, dance-like moves.

Stellar Blade is a single player game.And while you can technically play the game without an internet connection (if you have the hardcopy disc version of the game), it will repeatedly ask that gamers connect online for downloads and updates.

POSITIVE CONTENT

If you’re drawn to the challenge of a game filled with well-designed but punishing combat and split-second timing, Stellar Blade offers a lot of tight, daunting conflicts.

As mentioned above, this game is also very appealing graphically. The visuals are detailed and present a very AI-like sense of polish.

CONTENT CONCERNS

That said, some of the third-person, flipping and jumping female characters are also designed to grab and hold the “male gaze” throughout the game. Eve, for instance has over 70 different generally sensual outfits that players can discover or create.

The outfits range from panty-peaking schoolgirl-like attire to mini-skirt-garter-stocking-and-crop-top getups to skintight, latex-like unisuits. One suit looks nearly transparent but for a few small patches of cover. And each outfit is designed to not only showcase each female character’s curves, but also spotlight the game’s very noticeable breast-and-backside jiggle physics.

On the other end of the spectrum, the polished graphics also highlight the horrific-looking Naytibas and the bloody gore that splatters throughout battle. Eve uses blades, a gun-like drone, a laser blaster and explosions to rip away at the beasties. And the sliced-open, artery-gushing, gutted and dismembered result is consistently messy.

Game dialogue also sports uses of the s-word and words such as “d–n,” “d–mit” and “h—.” God’s name is misused.

GAME SUMMARY

Stellar Blade offers challenging combat and impressive graphics. But those polished plusses come packing some not-so-stellar negatives, too.

The post Stellar Blade appeared first on Plugged In.

Believe it or not, the cartoon-cute Another Crab’s Treasure is a Soulslike game in its little crabby heart. But it’s a Soulslike with a twist.

The game tells the story of Kril, a tiny hermit crab more than happy to live his tiny life on a sun-washed and wave-splashed rock. But then a government shark swoops in, demanding back taxes that Kril had no idea he owed. Before he can protest, the gilled government guy swims off with Kril’s cracked shell.

So, Kril has no other option but to jump into the salty depths and try and get what little he had back. In the course of his journey, he meets the denizens of the ocean, and they open his eyes to just how tough the plights of this tide-tumbled world are.

The ocean economy is based on trash that drifts down and clogs up the seabed. And Kril will have to scrape up quite a load of microplastics and other junky wealth if he hopes to regain his true treasure—his shell home—once again.

But Kril also has to deal with the fact that all that dropped gunk is poisoning that underwater, driving its inhabitants to wanton death-dealing and destruction.

To protect Kril, gamers arm him with a tarnished fork; find the best protective shell for any given situation (in the form of an old soda can, a moldy banana peel, a discarded shot glass and the like). So armed and armored, gamers plumb the depths and platform their way through multileveled coral reefs and rocky formations; take on quests from fishy citizens and powerful royals; and face off against all the angry crabs, lobsters, seahorses and, well, anything that can swim Kril’s way.

While on that path, it’s all about upgrading Kril from a hapless bit of moving chum to a barnacled battler to be feared. And, of course, helping the crab reclaim his little cracked shell.

This is a single player game that doesn’t require an internet connection. There is no multiplayer option.

POSITIVE CONTENT

While many Soulslike games are centered on dark and dour fantasy tales, Another Crab’s Treasure keeps things much lighter with lots of ocean-depths humor and tongue-in-cheek winks. And Kril stays positive (for the most part) as he trudges forward through a generally colorful and appealing world.

Don’t be fooled though. This game may look cute and sweet, but it’s difficult!

But the game, as Soulslike as it is, hides a small twist that can make the going a little easier. In the settings section, gamers can dial back the difficulty a bit by boosting Kril’s chosen shell durability, reducing the damage he takes, lowering enemy health, and the like. Gamers even have the option to give Kril a gun. (Of course, that carries its own issues since it turns this T-rated game from a crab-with-a-fork-battler to a shooter.)

Another Crab’s Treasure definitely promotes the idea that we humans should recognize the potential harm of dumping our trash in the oceans. “One thing no creature can afford is complacency,” the story narration tells us.

CONTENT CONCERNS

Again, parents looking at the game’s adorable artwork need to keep in mind that its not an easy game to play. After the first few battles, the difficulty ratches up steeply. While Kril can don 60-plus pieces of trash for a bit of bash protection, players must learn various blocking, dodging and parrying maneuvers if they have any hope of proceeding.

Those battles aren’t bloody, but characters can cry out in pain. Kril can fall, screaming, off high ledges. Some poisoned characters vomit up black gunk in the midst of battle. One chosen shell gets Kril drunk, reducing his reaction time but boosting his attack. The trash scattered across the ocean floor is littered with cigarette butts and liquor bottles.

The in-game language can be off putting, too. (Some of it is spoken aloud, other times printed out.) It can range from deep-sea winks of “holy crab,” “Codspeed” and “Well, boil me slowly,” to uses of the s-word, “d–n,” and “codd–mit!” One angry cry appears to be a stand-in for the f-word, too.

There’s lying and deception in the story mix.

GAME SUMMARY

Another Crab’s Treasure has a cheery look, salt-water humor and gameplay that will appeal to some. But it’s not exactly smooth sailing.

The post Another Crab’s Treasure appeared first on Plugged In.

The game takes place in a spaceship at the bottom of an alien planet’s ocean. At some point in good old Earth’s timeline, humanity comes to the decision that existence here is not sustainable. Be it because of an environmental crisis, political upheaval, or whatever, Earth sends a representative gaggle of people to another planet to keep mankind alive.

Some 250 years later, the self-sustaining space vessel, Fedora 1, crash-lands on a water-covered world and sinks to its ocean floor. Problem is, they’re stuck. Oh, and they receive a message from back home that good old Earth is A-OK now. The folks that stayed behind worked the worrisome problems out. (Good luck, Fedora 1!)

Gamers play as Harold Halibut, a hapless handyman/lab assistant who trundles about the huge spaceship fulfilling simple tasks, working through mini-game challenges and talking to the ship’s inhabitants. Harold’s shipbound neighbors have reconciled themselves to life as it is, but Harold and the ship’s lead scientist, Jeanne Mareaux, strive for more.

Are they really just trapped in this ark-like ship, Harold wonders? Or is there a way to repair things and go to a drier place? And for that matter, are they all alone? Or is there more life down here than they suspect?

Ultimately, gamers move Harold through his story as he begins to ask existential (and sometimes surreal) questions about life and choice, and what constitutes happiness or success.

This is a single-player game that doesn’t require an online connection.

POSITIVE CONTENT

There’s a handcrafted beauty and detail about Harold Halibut that Claymation fans will definitely appreciate. The game can at times feel like you’re reaching into a wonderfully crafted doll house to play out Harold’s story. And that story can be very introspective and thoughtful.

This game also lets gamers move forward at their own laid-back pace. There’s no all-consuming or driving objective to the story that will suck away someone’s time. Play has a very casual feel about it.

CONTENT CONCERNS

That said, Harold Halibut sometimes feels so ploddingly casual that gamers may lose interest. Conversations can become diatribes at times. And the story’s humor is so dry that it can almost make you wonder if it’s actually humor at all (ala the above-mentioned Wes Anderson-like feel).

In that vein, characters can give off a very passive-aggressive attitude toward fix-it guy Harold. Language in those conversations includes the words “d–ned” and “d–mit.”

GAME SUMMARY

“Quirky” is a word that readily comes to mind while playing the Claymation-like Harold Halibut. That sense is so prominent that younger players may be left scratching their heads. But for the right sort of gamer, fix-it man Harold totes some charming tools in his character-driven toolbelt.

The post Harold Halibut appeared first on Plugged In.

The word “shadow” in the title is an important clue to what players will do as they delve into the game’s story.

Players take on the third-person role of a woman named Ayana, a member of the Ereban race. These people have the amazing ability to manipulate matter within darkness and thereby become one with the shadows.

I say “people,” but the fact is, Ayana has never met another Ereban. She may be the last of her kind.

That’s what helps draw her to an incredibly influential power company called Helios. This massive corporation claims to be the end-all-be-all to energy needs in the galaxy. And it promises Ayana access to its vast stores of knowledge about her people if she simply joins in their noble cause as an agent of positive change.

Once Ayana gets involved, however, things immediately feel a little sketchy. And she is soon snatched up by the company’s robots to be used for some mysterious purpose. But just before really bad things happen, she’s helped by a gaggle of rebels that break her free and …  want to use her abilities for their cause.

Ayana isn’t exactly sure who to trust. But she knows one thing: Helios has info about the disappearance of the Ereban. That evil corporation might even be the cause. And if she wants to uncover the truth, Ayana will need to traverse the facilities, temples and ruins controlled by Helios; aid the rebels; and dig up the facts, piece by piece.

As mentioned, gameplay in Shadow Legacy is focused on stealth. Ayana can merge with any shadowed space (much like ink-diving in the game Splatoon) and glide along the ground, up walls and through blocked areas. Players can only merge with shadows for a limited time, but it can be expanded as the game progresses. Any hint of light, however, will cause Ayana to pop suddenly into view.

Although Ayana can slip up behind the Helios robotic and human forces and stab them in the backs, she is pretty much defenseless and instantly eliminated if caught in the open.

The game rewards players for making the stealthy, pacifist choice with no death-dealing. But if they choose a more assassin-focused tack, they gain shadow-crawling bonuses while facing significant consequences when dealing with other humans.

This is a single player game that doesn’t require an internet connection.

POSITIVE CONTENT

It’s easy to call Ereban: Shadow Legacy an indie gem. It’s a great-looking title with strong elements of play for those who enjoy stealth and puzzle strategy mixed with a dash of platforming.

The game takes Ayana through a series of levels and chapters, but it uses an open-area design that gives players plenty of choices of how to get from one goal to another. Gamers can pursue lots of side quests and gather collectables that reward Ayana with ability upgrades. (Ability upgrades include such things as blinding a foe temporarily, hiding a fallen foe, setting a decoy image, etc.)

Each chapter is also graded—with deductions for time expended, number of kills and the like—and that prompts players to replay a section and shoot for a better score and stealthy performance.

CONTENT CONCERNS

Ayana is asked to not kill any human foes. But she can still stab them in the back if she needs (or wants) to. (Robots spurt a black oil and humans splash a bit of blood.) The foes, however, have no compunctions about their deadly actions. They shoot lasers at the young woman and consistently mean her harm. If she’s caught, the large robots lift her by the head and give her a laser zap to the face. (Ayana then goes back to give the area another try.)

Trusted characters also make choices to lie and deceive as the story unfolds.

Game controls are fairly easy to slip into, but maneuvering through moving shadows and the like can feel a bit tricky at first for younger players. There’s a bit of coarse language in the fully voiced action, including uses of the s-word, “d–mit,” “h—hole,” and misuses of God’s name.

GAME SUMMARY

This T-rated indie gem isn’t perfect, but it’s filled with lots of shadow-slipping fun.

The post Ereban: Shadow Legacy appeared first on Plugged In.

Over the years, Nintendo and its game-making partners have done yeoman’s work to keep each of the many, many Mario games from feeling like cookie-cutter copies of one another. And they’ve done a great job. Princess Peach: Showtime! is an exemplary example. This game’s protagonist princess hits her mark with bravado and charm.

Things start off when one of Princess Peach’s mushroom Toad pals shows her a poster for the upcoming Sparkle Theater productions. It looks so enchanting that the princess and Toad soon fly off in hopes of seeing a fun show together. But upon arriving at this Vegas-like, oversized playhouse, Peach discovers that something foul is afoot.

A villain named Madame Grape—and her crew the Sour Bunch—have made an unexpected entrance to steal the show, imprisoned the star performers and redirected everything in Grape’s own foul image.

It’s time for Peach to step out of her typical duties as loyal royal sidekick and take on the roles of heroic leading lady characters. Literally! With the help of Stella, the theater’s sparkle spirit guardian, Peach slips into a variety of different costumes, assumes that character’s abilities and then jumps into each performance with dramatic gusto. She’ll need to best all of the backstage baddies, free the captive actors, and make sure that the show will go on!

Gameplay wise, Princess Peach: Showtime! blends a variety of different gaming genres. When Peach performs as any of 10 different character parts, the style of gaming fits the role.

For example, Swordfighter Peach leaps into swordplay battles; Detective Peach uses her sleuthing skills to uncover clues; Cowgirl Peach jumps up on horseback and lassos baddies through a side-scrolling train set.

Princess Peach: Showtime! is a single-player-only game and it does not require an online connection. (Oh, and players never need to break a leg.)

POSITIVE CONTENT

In this reviewer’s humble opinion, Princess Peach is a much more approachable and endearing protagonist than a couple mustachioed plumbers I know. And her game is filled with appealing variety. The game doesn’t dive deeply into its different genres, but some of the performance stages feel like they could be expanded to become whole games of their own.  

On top of that, this game feels geared for younger players. There’s lots of color. And Peach’s leading lady heroics abound while always maintaining the sweet charm that the character is known for.

In short, Princess Peach: Showtime! spotlights gaming novelty and helpful niceness—elements that parents will appreciate.

CONTENT CONCERNS

There isn’t much to worry over. Players will direct Peach to deliver sword slashes, kung fu kicks and a few explosives on her puppet-like foes. But it never feels harsh or cruel. (Some of the villains blast at Peach with lasers and the like.)

Princess Peach: Showtime! may be a little disappointing for adult gamers who want a more challenging hill to climb, but it works well for younger Peach fans.

That said, I should note that the game sometimes requires timed jumps or attacks that could get a little difficult and/or frustrating for smaller players. They may require a little adult help to navigate.

GAME SUMMARY

Hollywood starlets step aside. Princess Peach is ready for her closeup, and her game is ready for its own spotlight. Cue the sweeping musical score.

The post Princess Peach: Showtime! appeared first on Plugged In.

Tove Jansson was a Finnish author, novelist, painter and illustrator who created a series of children’s books in the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s. They focus on little troll/cow characters called Moomins. And if you’ve never heard of the artist’s work, well, Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley gives you a laid back, cozy introduction to that world.

The game focuses on a human adventurer named Snufkin who bids farewell to his pal Moomintroll as late autumn draws nigh. Moomins hibernate for the wintery months, of course, so Snufkin ventures on and promises to stop back again in the spring.

But wait! When Snufkin gets back to Moominvalley, there are changes everywhere. There are gated parks scattered about now. Signs are posted, warning people not to eat, smoke, walk, camp, and even sniff in certain areas. And human police officers are assigned the duty of keeping the various parks orderly and trimmed.

Oh, and Moomintroll has disappeared!

As Snufkin, gamers set out to uproot signs and topple statues; outfox the guards and the rogue Moomin Park Ranger; and return the overly trimmed and paved parks back to their naturally green and bushy state. Snufkin and all of the Moomin residents believe that the valley is much prettier when it’s free and growing. Snufkin’s efforts wouldn’t be complete, however, until he could also find out the whereabouts of his good friend.

Gameplay-wise, Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley combines platforming challenges with simple puzzles and smiling nods to the joys of nature, represented through Jansson’s distinctive art style. As the title would suggest, Snufkin must find and use a harmonica and other instruments in his puzzle solutions. And the game offers scores of easy-to-obtain quests over a fairly large mapped out area.

Melody of Moominvalley is a single player game that doesn’t require an internet connection.

POSITIVE CONTENT

This game talks of friendship and helping others. And it’s overall challenge to restore harmony and balance to nature is also an encouragement for young players to keep our world healthy and green.

And in a gaming age packed with photorealistic, 100-hour, run-and-gun, grinding adventures, this little title is as relaxed as a video game can be. There are no battles. The puzzles are fairly easy to suss out. And even younger players will be able to navigate the appealing environs without much difficulty.

CONTENT CONCERNS

There are some lightly perilous moments in the mix (such as getting caught in a forest fire and attempting to hide and sneak past park guards). But if they caught, gamers simply retreat to an earlier point to give the challenge another try.

There are some potentially threatening creatures in the story mix. But they either show themselves to be helpful or retreat when gamers use the right musical instrument. A park sign represents a smoking pipe.

GAME SUMMARY

Sometimes young players just want to snuggle up with a cozy game and a blanket. And Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley has got them covered.

The post Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley appeared first on Plugged In.

In 2020, gamemaker Square Enix decided to begin the process of modernizing that single-player role-playing-game classic into something with real-time gameplay mechanics, some story changes and polished 3-D graphics. But instead of a single title to represent the original FF fav, they decided to create a three-game trilogy.

The 2020 installment, Final Fantasy VII Remake, covers the initial portion of the original game in the neon-lit city of Midgar, and the newly released Final Fantasy VII Rebirth picks up the embellished story from there.

What is that story? Oh, it’s a doozy. Not to mention, something rather difficult to wrap one’s brain around and explain. In a way, it’s a story about a story that already happened in some other dimension. Or perhaps its more of a multiverse tale with many different realities that are all running at the same time.

No matter how you see it, it’s clear that the game covers pivotal moments of the original narrative involving a world called The Planet; a power source called the Lifestream, that flows in and around The Planet; and a group of eclectic heroes battling against a company that’s attempting to weaponize that power source. The stakes? No less than either the salvation or the destruction of the world.

Those powered-up heroes—some who have weapons replacing missing limbs, some who have an extra boost of Lifestream in their bodies, etc.—are led by a mercenary named Cloud Strife and his childhood friend Tifa Lockhart. (Those two are an almost item.) These good guys also battle against a sorta-hero-turned-crazy-villain named Sephiroth who was given incredible power by being injected with a piece of an ancient 2,000-year-old entity that looks like a naked woman in a large glass container.

If you know nothing about Final Fantasy, then those bare-bones basics of the narrative probably don’t make much sense. But that’s the kind of dense and broadly narrated, multi-dimensional story this is.

Rebirth is a large and incredibly expansive RPG that’s divided into segmented world sections. And over the game’s 90-to-100 hours of play, gamers are called upon to explore; follow objectives; climb towers; battle monsters; talk with many characters and creatures; play through a large number of minigames (such as deck-building card games and combat-strategy simulators); cast spells; and cross swords with enemies and big bosses.

Rebirth can be played with or without an internet connection (DLCs and extra content require one). The game is single-player only, but it offers access to nine playable characters, each with their own unique playstyle (ie: Cloud’s fast-paced sword swipes, Tifa’s martial-arts fighting skills and teammate Aerith’s potent spells and character buffs.)

POSITIVE CONTENT

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is very impressive to look at and play. The story quests are well laid out and the game mechanics are relatively easy to pick up. It’s fantasy landscapes and the hero’s sacrificial actions are highlights.

The Yu-Gi-Oh-like deck-building minigame is excellent, and could almost be a separate game all its own. Players might find some of the other minigames—such as being part of an interactive onstage play or racing Ostrich-like creatures called Chocobo—to be quite entertaining as well.

One improvement of Rebirth over its original centers on combat. Players take control of a party of characters that can be freely switched between for more expansive play. …

CONTENT CONCERNS

… That said, you’ll find quite a lot of frenetic melee and spell-casting combat in the game’s action. Explosions, gun blasts, plumes of flame, sword and staff slashes, spinning blades and impalements and screams of pain are all part of the mix. It’s not a gory spectacle, but there are splashes of blood. And characters die.

Language can get a little heated at times as well with uses of s-words, and other crudities such as “d–mit,” “a–hole,” “pr-ck” and “h—.”

We also find a bit of sensual content here, too, including some obvious sexual tension between Cloud and Tifa. The two kiss. And some female characters (including Tifa) bare midriffs and cleavage in outfits and bikinis that the camera takes time to leer at. Some characters smoke and drink, and players can go to a bar and get drunk.

The story contains plenty of spirituality, too. It’s all fantasy focused, but the game states that the spirits of the dead are what make up The Planet’s Lifestream—part of an exotic spiritual backstory that explains many of the powers, beasts and entities we meet. The central villain, Sephiroth keeps growing more powerful in an attempt to ascend to godhood.  

GAME SUMMARY

Final Fantasy fans will likely cheer all the ways that this Rebirth updates and embellishes the story and play of the 1997 original. But younger, unfamiliar players could easily be left scratching their heads over the dense, lightly problematic, and difficult-to-follow story.

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