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 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.

Pepper has a grinder, and she knows how to use it.

And all of this young woman’s digging and grinding finesse is on display in a creative, swashbuckling, side-scrolling platformer appropriately called Pepper Grinder.

This inventive little 2-D pixel art game kicks off with a simple premise: Pepper’s ship has run aground on the coastline of a strange island. While she lays unconscious on the shore, a pink-haired pirate and her goblin-like minions steal her treasure of jewels. But upon waking and giving chase, Pepper falls and finds herself stranded in a seemingly inescapable rocky gorge.

Fortunately for the beleaguered captain, however, she finds an odd, gas-engine mechanical grinder/drill that’s about as big as she is. And when Pepper fires it up, it burrows into the gorge’s soft rock, dragging her along in its wake.

She’ll need to use this chugging, motorized device to navigate patches of dirt, volcanic magma, ice, water and poisonous marsh in the rocky terrain around her. And if that wasn’t enough of a challenge, she’ll fight foes, beat big bosses and work to find and reclaim her stolen treasure.

The core game mechanic here is, of course, steering Pepper’s conical grinder that she uses to dig through various substances and leap from level to level.

That device can also power up other gadgets Pepper finds along the way. She can, for instance, slip the grinder into a gun-like adapter to blast at obstacles and foes; she can use it to crank a bridge to a higher level; she can rocket herself forward with a grinder-powered cannon. The grinder can even power up an ice-skimming snowmobile or a building-ramming robot.

After mastering the basics, players have to figure out the sometimes very complicated platforming challenges and environmental puzzles set before them. Along the way, they also collect jewels embedded in the ground and dig up special coins. Those coins can be exchanged for cosmetic add-ons (hair color changes, capes and outfits) or used to unlock extra levels of play.

Pepper Grinder is a single-player-only game. And you don’t need an online connection to play it.

POSITIVE CONTENT

This game’s level design is clever and colorful. Gamers are guided forward by a glittering trail of gems imbedded in diggable areas. And its pixel art feels cartoonishly retro, making for an eye-catching experience.

Pepper Grinder is also very fluid and fun, demanding just the right combination of boosted speed, grapple-hook grabs and strategically timed jumps.

Since Pepper’s challenges are presented in a series of relatively short levels, play can be limited to five-to-ten-minute chunks if so desired.

CONTENT CONCERNS

All of the above said, however, some areas can be frustratingly difficult at times. Those head-scratching challenges can result in Pepper falling to her doom—sometimes into deadly lava. (There’s no mess or blood and the 2-D pixel character reappears for another attempt.)

And Pepper must deal with more than just challenging jumps and digs. Large insects and goblin critters come at Pepper, sometimes in a flooding rush. These creatures can come carrying guns and flamethrowers, and some wear protective armor. One large skeletal boss strikes with high-powered laser beams. And many times, the onrushing crowds or boss battles can feel intense and frenetic.

When Pepper strikes with her grinder or zaps a critter with a gun, the attacker instantly changes into a skull and bones that crumble away. Pepper also encounters explosive landmines and flamethrowing turrets that she must maneuver around if she hopes to survive.

(I played on the Nintendo Switch. But the game is also offered on PC. And if played with a keyboard and no thumbsticks, I can only imagine that the fast-paced game play would be very difficult.)

GAME SUMMARY

Pepper and her grinder offer gamers some tasty side-scrolling play that’s fun, fluid and never too spicy.

The post Pepper Grinder 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.

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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.

Every once in a while, a game comes along that mixes new ideas with fun elements from the past to create something unexpected. Something a little different. The new 3-D platformer Penny’s Big Breakaway fits that bill.

Like many a ‘90s 3-D platformer, Penny’s story is fairly silly and (ironically) one-dimensional. Penny happens to be an average nobody with some pretty good yo-yo skills. One day she happens upon a flyer advertising a big talent tryout. But this isn’t just any audition: This one happens to be for King Eddie’s famous gala, a prime showcase indeed. And it just so happens that Penny has come upon a “cosmic string” that makes her yo-yo twirling pretty super-duper.

The problem is, when Penny steps up for her tryout, that string also makes her yo-yo sentient—and the toy decides to jump on the king and, well, shred all his clothes except for his heart-covered boxers. Next thing you know, Penny is a felon running for her life. And the red-faced King Eddie sends all his penguin minions out to find her and lock her away for, oh, 10,000 years. So Penny must use her powered up yo-yo to traverse time and space, along with many, many platforms, to prove her innocence.

The story and its characters may be cute and fairly pedestrian, but the gameplay is where this title shines. And it all centers on tons of acrobatic platform jumping and oodles of yo-yo skills. In fact, Penny can’t really do much more than jog about and hop on her own. But her yo-yo can help her dash; sail down ziplines; somersault around; grab grapplehook points from anywhere (including the air itself); spin about like an enemy-bashing whirlybird; and more. Penny can even ride the careening spinning disks to get from here to there.

The unique control system takes a bit of getting used to. On my console controller I had to use a combination of stick, trigger and button mashes to command the yo-yo through its offensive strikes and grapple-dash-leap moves. But with a bit of practice (and a few errant dashes off elevated ledges), the rhythms become more intuitive. And with time, gamers will learn to cross seemingly impassible open spaces with strung-together yo-yo moves. 

Along with all the 3-D platforming, hazard avoidance and the bopping of onrushing small enemies, Penny also careens into a series of big boss battles, including a yo-yoing fight with a puppet version of herself.

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

POSITIVE CONTENT

Penny’s Big Breakaway is a very active, colorful and kid-friendly game. It’s visually similar to past Mario and Sonic titles. Not only are the visuals fun and pleasing, but the soundtrack is enjoyable, too, harkening back (at least to this gamer) to Dreamcast favorites of years gone by.

As mentioned, gamers will find a fairly steep game mechanics learning curve. But if they need help, hitting the pause menu can refresh their memory on possible moves. There are lots of collectables to be found and to extra levels to reveal.

CONTENT CONCERNS

You won’t find any visual or verbal content issues. But the platforming areas and boss fights can be difficult. Younger gamers may even need some help from an adult. The constant onrush of tiny penguins can feel frustrating, too, as you’re learning to master the yo-yo controls.

Like other 3-D platformers, it can initially seem a bit difficult to properly judge the right leaping distance from one moving platform to another. But again, over time your brain and timing adjust.

GAME SUMMARY

Penny’s Big Breakaway mixes old school 3-D platforming with some very fun game mechanics and challenges. It’s designed for the yo-yo in all of us.

The post Penny’s Big Breakaway appeared first on Plugged In.

We’ve seen over a dozen Prince of Persia games since the title’s early beginnings way back in 1989, when it was a side-scrolling amusement built for the Apple II computer. The franchise has evolved plenty since then, and you might remember Prince of Persia as an open-world adventure or even something closer to a hack-and-slash actioner.

But Ubisoft’s new Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown harkens back to earlier builds and gives fans a well-constructed, side-scrolling platformer packed with battles, complicated acrobatics and puzzles.

The Lost Crown assigns gamers the role of a muscular, mop-haired warrior named Sargon, a member of the Persian kingdom’s elite “Immortal” force. After fighting off a neighboring realm’s blood-thirsty army, the seven Immortals are sent to rescue a kidnapped crown prince. But for some reason, that important royal was snatched up by Sargon’s own mentor and taken to a temple called Mount Qaf.

When Sargon and crew arrive at Mount Qaf, they discover that time and space are twisted out of shape: What seems like an hour to them ages someone else 30 years. Bizarre mythical creatures, powerful gods and even doppelgangers of themselves can be encountered and battled in the mysteriously distorted passageways, hidden chambers and foul dungeons. And Sargon is called upon to unravel the sprawling shrine’s secrets before the prince—and perhaps Persia itself—meet a dire end.

As mentioned above, this game’s action focuses on combat, environmental puzzle-solving and tightly-timed acrobatic platforming moves. In fact, in the game’s early hours, Sargon won’t have the skills to best the challenges before him or fully explore the gigantic hidden map. His early combat is also kept fairly simple—comprised of rather basic, repetitive strikes on easy foes.

With time and experience, however, players’ skill sets grow based on the effort they invest. The quests gamers take on and the items they discover, for instance, give Sargon improved jump, dash and special time-based abilities.

Even then it won’t be an easy trek: The platforming challenges often require stringed-together combinations of dash-jump-shoot-leap-slide-swing movements that must be memorized and performed to perfection before passage is allowed. Likewise, the big-boss battles become extremely difficult: Players will need to  seek out, learn and master an expanded arsenal of attack and defense moves to steer clear of a deadly ending.

It’s important to note that this game requires a Ubisoft account and an internet connection for play. And this is a single-player-only game, with no multiplayer or co-op options.

POSITIVE CONTENT

In light of the fact that the gaming challenges become extremely difficult at times, The Lost Crown offers gamers a variety of difficulty settings to choose from and even an option to “custom-design” their play. (For instance, those who hate platforming but love extremely tough combat can adjust play to their liking.)

That said, the game is well balanced, and though the challenges can get tough, they’re also pretty exciting as Sargon (and, by extension, the player) pulls off impressive acrobatic and death-defying feats.

The Lost Crown also offers some interesting additions that make play more inviting. A collected “Memory Shard,” for instance, allows gamers the option of taking a picture of a point of interest and attach it to their map, giving them a reminder of someplace they will want to revisit for a quest or treasure. …

CONTENT CONCERNS

… The necessity, however, to constantly backtrack in the game can become agitating at times, especially in light of the fact that there are very limited options to fast travel around the expansive, trap-filled map. The game also focuses on a lot of deadliness. There’s only light blood spatter (The Lost Crown is rated T) but Sargon dies over and over as his challenges intensify. And each revisited area is repopulated with characters who attack with blades and launched projectiles.

This world also is packed with mythological beasties, gods, goddesses and powers. We see sword slashes and impalements along with flashy special attacks and finishing moves as Sargon gives battle to fellow Immortals; massive multi-eyed gods; undead warriors; mythological creatures such as the Jahandor (a creature with the body of a lion, the face of a man and the tail of a scorpion); and he vies for godly powers and a spiritual energy source called Athra.

Sargon and other Immortals go shirtless to showcase their ripped torsos. We also encounter some female characters who draw attention to their muscular, but femininely curved forms. And there’s a bit of language in the mix in the form of a use or two of the words “d–n” and “a–.”

The central story swirls around vile betrayal and past and present murders, both perpetrated for the sake of gaining great power.

GAME SUMMARY

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a game of muscular heroics, tightly timed acrobatics, hacking combat and environmental puzzle solving, all locked into a side-scrolling structure. Pretty good stuff if you can navigate the light bloodiness and exotic spirituality of it all.

The post Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown appeared first on Plugged In.

Things begin when your character—which you construct from a variety of body shapes, sizes and skin tones—makes his or her way to a lovely tropical island to start a new life. And it just so happens that this lush place is in need of someone just like you.

The community has suffered from some natural and corporate disasters as of late. There are odd tentacled growths and dark corruptions here and there. And on top of that, a grasping oil corporation is attempting to turn Coral Island’s Starlet Town into an oil-drilling base—already causing an oil spill that devastated the local vacation-focused economy.

It’s your job to initially revitalize a dilapidated little farm. It’s littered with rocks, old trees and trash. The farm requires a lot of elbow grease and time to set it right. And while you start that digging and farming process, you’ll also begin reinforcing the local economy, start cleaning up the island, and revitalizing the tourist trade.

Of course, you’ll need to do more than just grow vegetables and sell them at the market. You also collect minerals and fight monsters in multi-level mines. You’ll clean the island and the surrounding waters of plastic and trash; go deep sea diving and exploring; build and upgrade your house; collect resources for crafting; and deal with the island’s mysterious (and not-so-mysterious) environmental corruptions. Along the way, you can also choose to make friends, or even romance, many of the very attractive island residents. 

Coral Island can be played in single player mode, with the option to play in one of two multiplayer modes: online multiplayer and local split-screen co-op. The game can support up to four players.

POSITIVE CONTENT

The island and character graphics are very pretty and appealing. And the game, while often grinding, is easy to slip into and enjoy as you build your farm, better your community and clean up the environment around you.

The optional relationship building side of the game isn’t necessarily deep or complicated, but the characters you meet all have their own backstories. And if given time, they can not only blossom into friendships, but into romance, marriage and raising a family.

CONTENT CONCERNS

Those potential romantic relationships can be male and female or same sex. We see the characters kissing. Since this is an island community, many of the male and female NPCs show up in swimsuits and bikinis that display their toned forms. There are muscular mermen and mermaids in the mix as well.

And as those mentioned mer-people would imply, the game also crosses over into mystical and fantastic realms.

Part of the island’s corruption stems from a foul spiritual influence in the land. To set things aright, players must locate sacred trees and mystic tablets and make offerings of crops and other items to a goddess at a local temple. This nature-focused goddess unlocks our “third eye” so that we can read the strange old language on those stone tablets and other signs.

Players also discover and interact with mystical giants, monsters and other mythical figures. Down in mines and caverns, players encounter and battle monsters that range from blobs and flying skulls to large green ogres. (There’s nothing overly violent or bloody.)

The local tavern offers adult beverages to its patrons, and they (and we) can take part in a new drink taste test (though there are no apparent inebriating effects). There also is what appears to be a chicken fight set up during a local animal festival. (We don’t see the chickens battle.)

GAME SUMMARY

Coral Island is a laidback, fun and lightly grinding diversion for those who enjoy immersing themselves in a tropical farming sim community. But parents of younger fans should note that it’s not all kids’ play.  

The post Coral Island appeared first on Plugged In.

In the 42 years since a little mustachioed Italian plumber first jumped into an arcade game screen, there have been roughly, oh, a gazillion video games featuring Mario and his crew. In fact, the recent Super Mario Maker 2 opened the door for gamers themselves to create and share their hand-crafted Mario challenges, some of those being almost painfully difficult to conquer.

So instead of trying to outshine all that with Super Mario Bros. Wonder, gamemakers have harkened back to the classics—creating Nintendo’s first new side-scrolling platformer in more than a decade. And then they layered on a whole new set of rules and wild ideas.

The game starts out as the Mushroom Kingdom gang is invited to a party over at the neighboring Flower Kingdom. And of course, Bowser crashes the soiree. But instead of snatching up Princess Peach and running for the nearest fortified castle, the fire-breathing baddy grabs a magical Wonder Flower and turns himself into an evil castle surrounded by six swirling Cloud Piranhas. He then settles in the center of the Flower Kingdom map and begins gathering magical power while his minions corrupt the land.

The panicked caterpillar Prince Florian asks Mario to lend his heroic help to set things right.

Gamers can then play as any of 12 different characters in Mario’s crew, including the likes of Mario, Luigi, Peach and Yoshi. The goal is to clear baddies from chaos-filled platform areas and castles; gather powerful Wonder seeds and flowers; and eventually free the seven adjoining regions of the Flower Kingdom from Bowser’s magical grip.

That all sounds fairly familiar, so what new twists are in the mix?

Well, you still stomp on Goombas and collect lots of coins, but there are new power-ups in the mix. Along with the standard Fire Flower and Power Mushroom, an Elephant power-up doubles your size and adds a trunk-swinging gush of water to your protagonist’s abilities. Another new power-up gives Mario a drill hat with which he can dig into secreted away areas. And a Bubble power-up lets Mario’s attacks float up and hit enemies at a distance, or sub in as quick-use platforms.

New Wonder Badges can also be found, collected and worn. This broad collection of boosting badges fall into three categories—Action, Boost and Expert—and give your character special active or passive abilities. Applying the right badge—rewarding you with everything from special wall jump abilities to invisibility to a safety bounce that lets you bounce back from a fall—can help a great deal in the midst of a very difficult level.

There are new quirky enemies in the mix as well, and the ability to jump back into the background of a multilayered level. Wonder’s levels are shaken and stirred a bit, too. Some test your character’s speed as you race a swift opponent. Some plop you in an empty room with the task of exploring for hidden contents. And some are battle-focused, forcing you to quickly take out groups of enemies.

One of my favorite new additions is the little talking flowers that you encounter throughout the lands. While other characters talk in gibberish with English subtitles, these flowers greet you with English verbal encouragements, level clues and requests as you go. And if you get particularly tired of their messages, you can also switch things up and have them speak in one of 15 different languages, such as Japanese or French.

Gamers can also have up to three friends (local or online) join them in the platforming romps. And special game-return abilities even allow you tag-back-in where other online players have fallen and pick up your play from their place in the level. (Online connection, however, is not a necessity for play.)

POSITIVE CONTENT

Wonder is quite delightful to play through and look at, even on a small screen. The characters are colorful and vibrant. And the game allows parents to play along with younger players and help them through difficult sections. …

CONTENT CONCERNS

… That said, this game can get pretty difficult in later levels. And you can’t change the difficulty level in the game menu as you can with some games. The levels are each given a number of stars (one to five) to signify how difficult they are. And as kid-friendly as the game is as a whole, some challenges are pretty tough.

Besides the jumping, running and sliding action of the platform play, there is quite a bit of enemy thumping and battle in the gaming mix. Cartoony enemies can have sharp chomping teeth and claws or shoot flames and blasts. Etc.

In battle those foes are jumped on or hit with jets of water, fireballs, bubbles, tossed shells or other projectiles. But when defeated, they are considered knocked out, not killed. There’s no mess or blood. And when a player falls off a ledge or is hit, they either get smaller or are knocked out and sent back to an earlier section of the level. Online players can revive a fallen friend.

Online play, however, can only happen via a monthly Nintendo subscription.

GAME SUMMARY

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a creative and joyously bouncing blast. But don’t come in expecting an easy bop. Parents with younger players should be ready to sharpen up their own helpful moves if they want to best that bang-bamming Bowser.

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The Mortal Kombat franchise first splattered the scene some 30 years ago and quickly became known for its trademark carnival of slaughterous violence. And the game, which began as a popular arcade console title and moved into home console play, has drawn millions of fans and spawned everything from movie adaptations to novels to card games.

However, even the longest running series eventually demands a reboot. And Mortal Kombat 1, the 12th official game in the main series, is that story start-over.

Riffing on an element we’ve seen in superhero franchises these days, MK 1 gets its fresh start by blending together the idea of time manipulation and the multiverse. The central “Kampaign” mode plays out like a four-hour-plus movie. And it also acts as something of a tutorial that gives new players a chance to experience the different move sets of the key characters.

Storywise, fire god Liu Kang has defeated an elder god named Kronika and used her all-powerful hourglass to create a new timeline for the universe (including both Earthrealm and Outworld), rebuilding it in a new and “better” form. Then he puts that immense Keeper of Time power aside and hands Earthrealm’s protection over to an artificial construct named Geras.

The rebooted timeline has sent a number of longtime Mortal Kombat characters in unexpected directions. But even though the great villain Shang Tsung has been recreated as a lowly con artist, and other powerful figures are living more peaceful lives as farmers and townspeople, there’s still someone manipulating from behind the multiverse in evil ways. And chaos is on the rise.

That motivates Liu Kang to pull together the now peacefully living heroes to battle this evil. And, of course, that involves another Mortal Kombat tournament and scores of fierce fights. 

The game consists of several different modes of play besides the above-mentioned story mode. Invasions mode, for example, allows you to embark on a quest across the realms, competing in fights, multi-phase boss battles, survival trials and test-your-might encounters.

Towers mode is a single-player, arcade-style approach to a series of increasingly difficult challenges that let players climb the ranks against evermore powerful opponents. The Tournament mode allows you to compete against local and online friends and even set up your own tournament. And then there’s a Learning mode that walks you through ever-important tutorials and practice sessions.

There’s also a new feature to MK 1 called Kameo Fighters. After selecting your champion, you choose a secondary character to back you up. This unlockable roster of secondary characters feature distinct moves that shield you from incoming attacks, attack your opponent, or disrupt the flow of battle.

A Kameo character named Sareena, for instance, can appear in both human and demon form and has a variety of attacks, including leaping on a foe and sinking her teeth into his neck.

POSITIVE CONTENT

Besides its gory destruction, MK 1 is also known for its tight gameplay and fluid fight mechanics. This is one of those games that offers players the potential of button-mashing simplicity or intricate, skill-testing, attack choices and combos. And the story lore is quite intricate for each of the main battlers.

The newest Mortal Kombat also takes advantage of the latest consoles’ horsepower and offers players crisp and realistic graphics …

CONTENT CONCERNS

… but of course, those graphics give this game a heightened grisly realism. There’s lots of splattering blood in the course of the bashing, hacking and slashing martial-arts fights. Characters use huge hammers, swords, fireballs, lightning zaps, claws, teeth and every other imagined means to tear at their foes. (We see x-ray visuals of shattered bones and burst internal organs.) But on top of that, Mortal Kombat 1 glories in its finishing moves that literally butcher combatants in bombastic ways.

Limbs are sawn and ripped off; blades are driven into eyes and fleshy organs; skeletal structures and bloody organs are yanked from their fleshy cover; fighters are quite literally torn open, crushed, beheaded and pureed in gushing, screaming, horrendous ways. It really is quite hard to describe the butchery without seeing how gleefully the game practices its bloodbath art.

Besides the wince-worthy carnage, MK 1 also spews forth foul language from time to time, featuring f- and s-words, “a–hole” and crude misuses of God’s name. And some female characters display skin. The above-mentioned Sareena, for instance is nearly naked in her horned and red-skinned demon form.

GAME SUMMARY

There are fighting games and then there’s Mortal Kombat. You may find other titles with large fight move sets and deep lore, but you won’t find anything quite as gruesome as MK 1.

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