Dead End Junction Review

Dead End Junction is an interesting take on the Wild West. Developed by sole member of 773, Hizuma (with help from others) and published by Culture Select for the Western market, Dead End Junction turns out to be a good visual novel. It centres around Josette, a free spirit looking for adventure. She finds it after discovering her father’s past. There is a good story, great characters, a decent soundtrack and an unique art style, but there are some flaws which are hard to ignore.

The visual novel centres around Josette, an orphan living with her uncle in the town of Cow Stone Bell. As with most young protagonists, she is tired with her lifestyle in the small town. Instead, she has a desire for adventure and wants out of the town. That opportunity comes one day during a freak storm. A man in a hooded cloak appears in front a Josette. After telling her uncle, it’s revealed Josette’s father and uncle had From there on, it becomes a story of self discovery, the meaning of friendships and tackling social issues that were prevalent during the Wild West period.

The story is quite slow to start. There was too much exposition delivered in one hit, but the world is thought out quite well. The pacing felt off as well, as it took its time to get to the meat of the story. However, as the story progressed, it did become quite interesting. As Josette discovers the world outside of Cow Stone Bell, the visual novel explores several social issues that were present during the Wild West period, such as relations between settlers and Native Americans. They were presented in a mature and objective light and can easily apply to modern society, allowing the reader/player make up their own mind. With that said, the ending didn’t provide any closure at all and the story got quite repetitive.

As for the characters, they are all well developed and interesting. The reader/player will enjoy Josette. She is the typical free spirit that wants to to go on adventures rather than staying in a small town herding cows. She is also quite brave, but also reckless as she rarely thinks about the situation. She’s quite headstrong as well. Her polar opposite is Flanel Hopefield, daughter of the owner of the biggest ranch in Cow Stone Bell. She is usually shy and reserved, but also more lady like due to her upbringing. The friendship between Josette and Flanel is actually quite special. They are very close to each other, to the point where Flanel doesn’t want Josette to leave. These two characters are the standout in Dead End Junction, but the overall cast is quite good.

The art style is unique but not magnificent. However, it does the job. The characters rarely have exaggerated traits, but that makes it more interesting. The art style lends itself to look like a comic book, right down to the panel look and different dialogue boxes. Ther backgrounds look decent enough. The soundtrack fits with the overall theme of the visual novel and that’s all it needs to do. It’s a decent soundtrack. There are also homages to famous country western songs like “Home On The Range,” which was a nice touch. However, there is no voice acting, which makes it stand out from other visual novels on the market.

Dead End Junction seems like a hit and miss visual novel. Overall, it’s a good visual novel, but it’s plagued with several narrative issues that could’ve taken the novel to further heights. The story is good overall, but it starts off too slow with too much exposition to cover the world. The ending needed closure rather than what was offered. Josette and Flanel are standouts in a cast of good characters, while the art style and soundtrack fits the theme of the novel. Considering the price of the visual novel, it’s worth picking it up for the good story.

Rating: 6/10

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Dead End Junction was provided by publisher Culture Select for the purpose of this review. It is available on Steam for US$8.99.

Dead Rising 4 Impressions – EB Expo 2016

I never played the Dead Rising games, at all. I have heard of them, of course, and know they are post-apocalyptic with hordes of zombies. With that in mind, previewing Dead Rising 4 at the Xbox booth at the 2016 EB Games Expo with only basic knowledge, but no experience playing the game would be a positive and possibly turn someone into a fan. The demo presented was a blast to play with, even if it is a pretty basic zombie hack and slash.

The demos starts off with Frank West staring down a horde of zombies and it’s the best way to describe the demo. In this open world environment, Frank an wield various weapons, be it melee for those close quarter encounters or ranged weapons for mowing down zombies from a distance. As I made my way through the zombie horde, unleashing powerful, area of effect melee attacks once a meter filled kill after kill, I ran towards a firehouse, which is where the story objective is.

The demo itself had a time limit of ten to twelve minutes and we were allowed to either do one of two things. First, players were able to do the story segment and play around with the mission involving a deserted firehouse and trying to find out what happened to them. The other option was to create as much carnage as possible. In fact, the demo tracked the amount of zombies killed during the ten minutes available.

Inside the firehouse, Frank (and the player) discover there are no firemen to be rescued. However, there were a few zombies to kill and they were disposed of efficiently. Sliding down the pole into the garage where teh fire engine would be kept, there were some more zobies to kill. On the wall, however, were the fire fighters, charred and pretty much dead. This brought out the camera mechanic. Throughout the game, Frank will take photos of interesting finds to help him in the story. You can also take selfies if you so incline.

After that, there was a white case near the exit. Opening up gave me access to one of the most ridiculous elements of Dead Rising 4: an exo suit. This futuristic armour allowed Frank to wield heavy melee weapons with ease and cause a whole lot of zombie carnage. Of course, Frank wasn’t invincible and it does have a timer on it, meaning you can’t simple run around in it forever. However, when the suit is on and the heavy weapon comes out, it was satisfying and fun to play the game.

The next point of the story saw Frank travel to a point on the map to fight a bigger lieutenant zombie. While traversing, I did manage to find another exo suit and went into full carnage mode. There were also little points were events will occur, such as saving someone from a horde of zombies. Once there, the lieutenant went down when it was no match for the heavy electric hammer. Afterwards, I was free to bring down more zombies with weapons you will expect and some downright ridiculous, like a crossbow that shoots firecrackers. All in all it was a fun demo. It will definitely be a stress killer once it releases later this year.

Flowers -Le Volume Sur Printemps- Review

If there is one world to describe Flowers -Le volume sur printemps-, it would be beautiful. Developed by Innocent Grey and published by JAST USA, the yuri visual novel tells the story of Suoh Shirahane, an introverted young girl who starts attending Saint Angraecum Academy, an all girls school isolated from society. While there, she becomes good friends with her fellow classmates, but she also discovers a mystery that needs to be solved. The story and characters are likable, the art style is beautiful and the music is excellent. There are, however, a few issues with the translation, but that can be fixed in the future.

The story is centered around Suoh Shirahane, who is quite introverted and shy. She isn’t able to fit into a school due to her personality, but she asks her grandfather if she can attend a school by the name of Saint Angraecum Academy, an all girls boarding school. There, Suoh hopes to make friends and break out of her shell, but, as she finds out, there is more to the school that is isolated in the world. The story is great. The game takes two paths, focusing on Suoh’s friendship with one of two characters. The pacing is great, but it does feel restrictive when there is only two paths to follow. There is also a mystery to solve as part of the plot. While the mystery element to the story was great, how it was paced was poorly executed. It felt like you’ll learn about the clues after the fact rather than before making the decision.

The characters are well developed and fleshed out. Suoh is an interesting character to follow throughout the game. At first, she is shy and reserved, but, as the game progresses, she becomes more open to her fellow classmates. She is also quite emphatic and intelligent. She is very likable and a great protagonist. As for her classmates, there are a few who stand out. The two characters Suoh befriends closely are Rikka Hanabishi and Mayumi Kousaka. Rikka is like the mother hen of the group. She is calm and kind, yet strict when she needs to be. Mayumi, on the other hand, is a social butterfly, the opposite of Suoh’s personality. Despite that, she is also a hard worker when she puts her mind to her task. The rest of the cast are hit and miss, but the main trio of characters are very interesting and like able.

The visual novel really excels in its art design. The artists employed a water coloured art design, similar to Valkyria Chronicles. Each scene leaps off the screen with the beautiful strokes of each character design. They are also quite expressive with the character portraits. With that said, the art design leans towards a low contrast presentation. As such, the night scenes are too bright and takes away from the atmosphere. As for the music, it is as beautiful as the art design. Each piece fits the scene. The voice acting is also quite decent.

Despite the great story, characters, art design and sound design, there are a few flaws with the visual novel. Flowers -Le volume sur printemps- felt unfinished in terms of the story. Although there is some closure contained within this visual novel, it is, in fact, part one of a four part story, so it does feel unfinished by the end. There are also issues with the translation side of things. There are a few errors with the grammar of sentences, such as weird contextual sentences, as well as spelling errors. Also, there was the mystery during the visual novel which was annoying and all over the place.

Flowers -Le volume sur printemps- is a beautiful visual novel. The story is interesting, well paced and well told, the characters are interesting and like able, the art design is beautiful and colourful and the sound design is very enjoyable. With that said, there are issues with the translation, certain parts of the story do get annoying, some characters aren’t interesting and there isn’t proper closure by the time the visual novel ends. This is a great visual novel to check out.

Rating: 7/10

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Flowers -Le volume sur printemps- was published by JAST USA, who provided a Steam key for the purpose of this review. Flowers -Le volume sur printemps- is now available on Steam and JAST USA’s website.

Anima: Gate of Memories Review (PlayStation 4)

Anima: Gate of Memories is a Kickstarter project based on the Spanish tabletop RPG Anima: Beyond Fantasy developed by Anima Project. In this action RPG, players control two characters; the Bearer and Ergo, as they attempt to retrieve an artifact known as the Byblos. Despite the ambitions of the development team and their passion to deliver the best product they can, Anima Gate of Memories turns out to be a mediocre experience. While the lore of the world, combined with the decent graphics and sound, turns out to be very creative and combat is surprisingly well thought out, the game suffers from frustrating platforming, a uncooperative camera, a dull narrative and uninteresting characters.

In Anima: Gate of Memories, two members of a society called Nathaniel are tasked to find the artifact Byblos and to kill the Messengers. These Messengers are dark beings invading the world of Gaia, which is the world the tabletop RPG is set in. A very simple premise found in most, if not all, fantasy stories, but one that can lead to an interesting journey. Sadly, this journey is anything but interesting. It all comes down to the two playable characters: the Bearer of Calamity, a young girl with magical abilities, and Ergo, a creature of sorts trapped in a book carried by the Bearer. The Bearer is boring and uninteresting, there’s nothing noteworthy about her other than special magical ability. Ergo is worse due to his obnoxious personality and the awful dialogue. The writing is horrendous, especially with Ergo’s flirting and self-centered dialogue. They’re two of the worse written characters found in any form of media.

Unlike the story and their protagonists, the combat system is quite fun. Both characters use a set of melee and ranged magical attacks in a combo heavy system, where the characters can combine the melee and range attacks. There is also the ability to launch enemies in the air and continue to string attacks, opening up another set of moves. Of course, things can get quite tedious, but the switching of characters, while not completely smooth, can change things up a bit. Since both have their own health bars, switching becomes very useful during boss battles. Combat is further deepened with the skill tree. Like all RPGs, killing enemies earn experience points. When enough is earned, the characters level up and earn skill points, which can then be used to increase their combat potency. There are other games with better skill trees, but this particular one isn’t too bad. It, however, needed to be different between the two so both can be different in combat. There are also weapons and artifacts to collect, which further strengthens the characters. However, don’t expect them to wield said weapons as there is no visual representation on the two characters. This could have been a budget issue, but it could have opened up some versatility in the combat system.

It’s too bad, then, that other parts of the gameplay experience turns out to be quite frustrating. This criticism is mainly aimed at the platforming sections of the game and, as it turns out, it’s quite an important element of the game. In a 3D world where jumping is required, the camera needs to be spot on. In Anima: Gate of Memories, the developers got this wrong. When lining up for a jump, most often than not the player will fight the camera just to make it. Expect to fall down holes quite often. Fortunately, it isn’t too punishing, as you’ll lose only some health and given another chance to make the jump. The issue is that the camera is too close to the player character and there isn’t complete control over it. The puzzles in the game, while not a breeze, aren’t too difficult either. Some puzzles required you to look at Memory Fragments to solve them, which was a neat idea. However, some of the environmental puzzles are quite difficult due to that pesky camera. There’s one in particular that is quite challenging that involves a lot of wall spikes.

There’s also the world of Gaia to speak about because there are truly some wonderful visuals to speak of. When they came to structures like castles, they were very inspiring, despite the dated graphics. But they were few and far between as most of the world were repetitive open plains and poorly lit dungeons, that you’ll be visiting a lot as there is no fast travel mechanic. Backtracking is quite common throughout, so you’ll be rushing through these areas just to speed up the game. As for the sound department, the soundtrack was decent enough, although, like the rest of the game, it felt like the composer’s own expectations weren’t met. At least it wasn’t bad, like the awful voice acting. The voice acting is cringe worthy and ear splitting. It felt like they were in the recording studio for one day and only did one take of every line in the game.

It’s quite heartbreaking to see a creative project like Anima: Gate of Memories fail to match the passion and love put in by the team at Anima Project, but, at the end of the day, passion and love doesn’t make a great game. The promise shown in the execution is hindered by frustrating platforming and camera controls, despite the great combat system. The story seems so basic and cliche and the characters are not interesting, especially Ergo, who is very cringe worthy. The only aspects of note are the elements of the world and the lore presented in Anima as well as the audio and visual aspects. Otherwise, it is just another promising project executed poorly.

Rating: 6/10

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Anima: Gate of Memories was developed by Anima Project and published by Badland Games. This review was based on the PlayStation 4 version provided by QV Software in Australia for the purpose of this review. Before this review, I did not know about Anima: Beyond Fantasy, the tabletop RPG the game is based on. Anima: Gate of Memories is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC at retail and digital download. 

GAMING PR: How Hello Games’ artists conceived No Man’s Sky infinite universe

If you’re interested in the art style and the artists behind it for No Man’s Sky, then the video below is definitely for you. Come check it out.

 

It is undeniable that No Man’s Sky is one of the most anticipated coming to PlayStation 4. This space adventure survival game boasts 18 quintillion planets, where players are free to roam and explore uncharted solar systems, discover new forms of life and encounter spectacular sights in galaxies where no two worlds are alike.

Hello Games, the indie studio behind this groundbreaking game has released a video explaining the art behind No Man’s Sky, and introduces the artists who created its distinct, beautiful and unworldly style. The team discusses how complex visual algorithms and procedural generation were used to expand the universe of No Man’s Sky resulting in a game of endless possibilities and unique creations.

Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky is set to awaken the quintessential aspects of our human nature – the desire for discovery and progress, powered by relentless curiosity.

 

 

Kindred Spirits On The Roof Review (Adult Content Warning)

Kindred Spirits on the Roof was quite the surprise. Developed by Liar-soft and published in English by MangaGamer, Kindred Spirits on the Roof tells the story of two female ghosts who died without experiencing sex for the first time, mainly because they died at different times. With the help of a student, the trio bring together various women in order for the two ghosts to learn how two women have sex. Despite the premise, the story happens to be great, The characters are interesting, the art style is nice and the music is enjoyable. However, it does have a few issues.

The visual novel revolves around Toomi Yuna, a second year student at Kokonotsuboshi Girls’ Academy of Commerce. During lunch time on the roof, Yuna encounters two ghosts, Enoki Sachi and Nagatami Megumi. These two ghosts happen to be in love with each other, but are left in the mortal world because they haven’t experienced physical love. The kindred spirits in question ask Yuna to help them achieve such a feat by fostering love around the school so they can gain an insight on how two girls make love. Yuna is at first reluctant, but she does eventually agree, becoming a “yuri cupid” of sorts.

So the premise sounds like it comes from a pornographic film. However, the manner the subject is tackled is anything but. The story follows Yuna’s efforts to bring together some very unique and different couples. It’s handled, though, with such maturity. Sex isn’t used as a vehicle for the plot, but it is the end goal. However, it’s the gradual building of a relationship between the different pairings that becomes the focus. They’re well written emotional rollercoasters filled with a realistic depiction of a developing relationship. Unfortunately, the player is only there for the ride. There will be points of the game where there will be a choice available, but it effects very little. In fact, it was a little disappointing not to at least control the direction of the narrative, a choice given in other visual novels. The stories all offer different points of view, including the main scenario. This was a nice touch as it provided different perspectives during one of the narratives throughout the game.

Like the story, the characters are well done. Yuna is great as the main character during this building of a yuritopia at school, as described as Sachi. She has the personality traits of a loner but she does have a couple of friends. As the story progresses, she begins to change, opening up a little bit more. Outside of that, she does have a caring nature, since she does decide to help the ghosts achieve their ultimate goal. The two ghosts, Sachi and Megumi, are polar opposites, but it’s said polar opposites often attract each other. Sachi is calm, mature, assertive and focused while Megumi is energetic, exerts jealously and care free. The chemistry between the three main characters is actually quite strong, despite some hurdles between Megumi and Yuna. As for the different couples, they’re hit and miss. Some of them were a joy to watch their relationships while others could have been written better.

When the game’s premise is about two female ghosts who want to make love to each other, so to learn, they get a student to play cupid for other women, there is going to be scenes of an adult nature. Yes, there are nude scenes in the visual novel. However, these aren’t explicit or gratitutious in nature.In fact, they all serve a purpose and that is to bring everything together. All of the couple’s narratives are built towards having sex, but the sex scenes are done in a mature manner. Also, they’re not full on sex scenes. Only breasts are actually shown, no genitalia.

The art style is quite nice. The background art and scenes look very nice. They’re detailed and colourful, reflecting the nature of the story. The character models are well detailed as well. It was a nice touch giving them different expressions. As for the music, there is around a dozen tracks, not including the opening and closing themes. While they’re great tracks, because there is a limited amount of tracks to choose from, some tracks seem inappropriate to play. It’s nice, though, that there is an option to listen to the soundtrack when the player is on the planner screen. There is a voice track as well, but it doesn’t cover the whole game, only certain scenes. It’s disappointing as it should be all voiced or none at all. With what was available, it was decent enough. With that said, there were some performance issues. At times, the text would stutter as it scrolled across the screen, not smoothly as it should be. After resetting the game, it goes back to normal.

All in all, Kindred Spirits On The Roof was quite the surprise. Being a male, there is a sense that males are not the expected target audience. But this visual novel can be enjoyed by everyone. The story is great, some of the characters are well written, the art style is beautiful and the music is enjoyable. Of course, it’s a little disappointing to see a lack of choice in the game and there was some performance issues, but it’s an excellent visual novel that’s worth recommending.

Rating: 8/10

GAMING PR: NO MAN’S SKY RELEASE DATE CONFIRMED: 22 JUNE 2016

No Man’s Sky has a release date and a special edition. See all the info below.

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Players will officially be able to start exploring the virtually infinite universe of No Man’s Sky when it releases in Australia on the 22nd June, 2016!

Pre-orders are available on physical editions (Blu-ray) from major electronic retailers from today for RRP$99.95.

In No Man’s Sky, players journey from the farthest depths of space to answer the call of an irresistible mystery at the centre of the galaxy. Plot your course through a living, breathing universe on an unprecedented scale and discover new worlds from a possible 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 unique planets. Uncover new species, gather precious resources and forever mark your celestial realms on the galactic map for other cosmonauts to visit.

Leading developer Sean Murray from Hello Games has been working with Dave Gibbons (co-creator of Watchmen and Kingsman), James Swallow (Mass Effect, Star Wars, Deus Ex writer) and famous sci-fi book cover artist Angus McKie, to create a one of a kind comic book on the game. This artistic story shares some No Man’s Sky’s key moments and will be available in the No Man’s Sky Limited Edition Collection. The Limited Edition also includes a unique artwork of the Atlas, and a dynamic theme by Mr Div (well-known 3D visual artist and creator of the No Man’s Sky logo). The No Man’s Sky Limited Edition Collection will be available for RRP$114.95.

For further information on No Man’s Sky please visit https://www.playstation.com/games/no-mans-sky-ps4/

 

No One But You Review

Sometimes, it’s great to sit down and play a game or experience a visual novel in short bursts and No One But You, developed by new studio Unwonted Studios, is a very enjoyable visual novel with an interesting story and twists and turns worth knowing about. It stars Hideaki, a high school student moving back to his childhood hometown. The visual novel is quite a solid experience. It’s characters is interesting, the art work is nice to look at and the soundtrack is nice to hear. Of course, expect some bugs that should be patched up as soon as possible. Aside of that, it was a pleasant surprise to see a story with a focus on romance be a very solid experience.

The story of No One But You centres around a high school student by the name of Hideaki, who is returning to his childhood home of Okutama after spending time away. He lives with his mother, with his father no where to be around. While on his way to his new school, Hideaki encounters a fellow student by the name of Chinatsu. He also meets more students, such as Megumi, an eccentric member of the student council who hugs Hideaki on his first day, Yui, an emotionally distant member of the class who often skips class, Shiro, who plays guitar and is Hideaki’s neighbour, and Ryo, the self-appointed best friend who can be annoying but has a good heart. It follows Hideaki school year and a search for lost memories, which he lost in an accident all those years ago.

Hideaki’s story takes multiple paths when it comes to the supporting cast. There are five character arcs and each should take aaround three hours to complete. While the plot is practically the same before focusing on one of Hideaki’s friends, with small branches littered throughout, it becomes more interesting once Hideaki focuses on one of his fellow friends. They follow a standard two ending branch, usually one good and one bad ending. While the good endings achieve their goal in resolving the tension between Hideaki and the person he pursues, the bad endings, and some of the character specific storylines themselves, really take a very dark tone. It’s a little shocking to see dark themes explored in a visual novel which has a lighter tone in the beginning and in the middle of the story. Themes one can think of is in these branching storylines and it makes the visual novel all the more interesting.

All of the characters are also quite interesting in their own right. Hideaki is a great character to follow around. He is sarcastic at times, but he’s also quite funny and has a good heart, putting his friends and family before himself. As he learns more about his friends, he starts unravelling parts of his past before the accident, since he can’t remember everything before it. More often than not he is helping his friends getting over their own demons as well as reflecting upon his own, including some shocking ones that no one will see unless they play through all of the character arcs. As for the supporting cast, they all seem to be introduced as a certain stereotype, which is off putting. However, as the story itself divulges and it branches out of one of the character arcs, said character is explored and flesh out a lot more, revealing any hidden demons they may have. They are further explored in a way where they are more believable as human beings and not some stock fictional character.

The artwork is quite good. The images are clean, crisp and full of life. The character designs are well done. I like that each character has a certain appearance to distinguish from one another. They all have different features, such as colourful hair or the way they wear their school uniform. The CG scenes are also well drawn and bring the characters to life. As for the background artwork, they are decently done. Some of outdoor scenes, especially seeing the bridge and stream at night, were well done, but a few indoor scenes could have been better. The soundtrack is decent. The tunes provide the most appropriate mood for the scene. They are enjoyable to hear. The game doesn’t have voice acting and it’s a shame. It would have really added to the overall experience.

With all that said, the version available isn’t the complete version of the game. There is a planned patch which will make the game more of an adult visual novel. But this patch, which was noted to be available a week after release, has yet to appear on the site. Now, MangaGamer has provided an update and they have yet to receive the patch for download, which means the content hasn’t been fully developed yet. The patch should also fix up the technical bugs in the game. After trialling both the MangaGamer and Steam versions, the MangaGamer version did have a game crashing bug in Yui’s after story, forcing me to restart the game. A similar bug, which tries to find a line of dialogue but can’t, also appeared in the arc before the split. The Steam version runs fine. The calendar also needs to be fixed up and it recycles only the three summer months, despite clearly transitioning to the new school year, so it should be autumn. Also, the Auto button did not work properly in both copies of the game. As for the unlocked content, despite travelling down as far as I can with the arcs, certain after story points didn’t light up, even though I finished it, or the second half was still locked, which didn’t make sense. These do need to be fixed up as soon as possible.

No one But You is a very enjoyable story that can be experienced in short bursts, but you’ll come back to again and again. The characters are very believable and enjoyable to explore, the art style is nice and the soundtrack is decent. The plot itself is quite good, which enough mystery to keep the player interested, right up to the end of one of the character arcs. They do get dark, which was quite surprising seeing the tone was much lighter earlier in the visual novel. It does have quite a few bugs that need to be fixed and there is more content that should have been in the release, but overall, No One But You was a fun visual novel to experience.

 

Rating: 7/10

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No One But You was developed by Unwonted Studios and published by Sekai Project and MangaGamer. MangaGamer provided us with a code for the purpose of this review. It is now available on MangaGamer (which comes with a Steam key in addition to their version) for US$14.95. It is also available on Steam. A patch of the game, which includes additional scenes, including love scenes, will be available at a later date.

Gahkthun of the Golden Lightning Review [Adult Content Warning]

There are times where, after a long day at work, the only thought flooding your mind is to sit down in a nice chair, grab the controller (or keyboard and mouse) and just enjoy some video gaming R&R. Sometimes, a visual novel is all it takes to wind you down. In order to experience such a feeling, there must be a compelling story, with interesting characters and excellent dialogue and writing. Beautiful visuals and an inspiring soundtrack are also a must. For Gakhthun of the Golden Lightning, written by Sakurai Hikaru, developed by Lair Soft and published in English by MangaGamer, it seems it’s a big mash up of great moments mixed in with dull and boring moments. The writing was absolutely repetitive and uninteresting at times, but the characters can bring life to the story. The narrative is cliché and boring, but also had moments of greatness. It’s hard to absolutely love or hate this visual novel.

So, what is this visual novel about? Gahkthun takes place in a alternative 20^th century Europe as steam power rapidly developed in the 19^th century, creating a more steampunk inspired world. It follows students at the Marseille Offshore Academia, which is off the coastline of France, near the city of Marseille. At first, the story focuses on Neon, a first year student still amazed with the floating island. She studies by day and works by night at a restaurant in one of the shadier parts of the academy. One night, the restaurant owner fires her from her job, only to be bought for 30 silver coins by a new student, Nikola Tesla. This is the same Nikola Tesla who developed AC inducted motors and radio. From that day he bought Neon, Neon becomes Tesla’s assistant. The visual novels then follows the several students and their link to the mysterious Bell of Gahkthun.

The idea itself is interesting and intriguing. It’s a steampunk world with an altered history to our own. Bringing one one of the most brillant scientists/inventors of the late 19^th and early 20^th century adds more intrigue into the story, considering his past is quite secretive. However, the writing is hit and miss. After doing some research on Hikaru Sakurai, it seems she has written a fair few visual novels. Without knowing her style, though, it’s hard to compare with her other work. With that said, her writing does capture the characters very well and there were time it was great. There’s a bit of maturity in the script, too. It wasn’t over the top made the narrative realistic and believable. But the repetitive nature of the style eventually wears off and it becomes hard to focus on what should be a great story. It get tiring and tedious and it almost makes you lose interest in the story and its characters.

It’s a bummer, because the characters are actually great to follow. The pairing of Neon and Nikola happens to be a good one. Their chemistry shows when they interact with each other and it all comes down to the great characterisation of the two. Tesla comes off as cold and distant, but in reality he has a kind heart and want to protect Neon. Neon herself is high spirited, evident in the life she lives. As Tesla’s assistant, she isn’t afraid to speak up against Tesla’s rude remarks, often changing her pitch in the process. Even the romance that builds between the two (all the signs point to one early on) is a slow, realistic build, complement by their personalities. The supporting cast are also a joy to follow. However, thanks to the hit and miss writing, following these characters may be more of a chore rather than a great experience.

In a strange move, it also focuses on characters that appear for one chapter and that’s it. It gives them some time to develop, but it feels wasted as they are not heard from ever again. It happens often, in fact. What’s worse is that they follow the same pattern: character is introduced, has problem, Tesla solves it, character disappears. It interjects into the plot unnecessary and distorts the flow of the narrative. It doesn’t work at all. Instead of focusing on some nobody that doesn’t appear in the visual novel after their chapter, the writer should have expanded on the already established cast of students introduced at the beginning. Izumi and Albert, Neo’s closest friends, should have had more time to further flesh out their characters.

Then there are the action scenes. This is another disappointment in Gahkthun. All of the action scenes focus on Tesla and it’s pretty noticable where these scenes will go as soon as you witness Tesla in action in his first fight. The problem with the actions scenes is a lack of tension and suspence. Like the chapters, they have a pattern: Tesla gets beat up, Tesla powers up, Tesla wins. Again, there is no sense of danger for Tesla. No matter what happens, all he needs to do is activate one of his lightning attacks and he wins. It’s like playing the game on the easiest difficulty and your character is already at the highest level with all abilities at their maximum potential. It isn’t fun because there’s no challenge. Tesla receives no real challenge throughout the game. The only exception is the final boss, but the rest of the battles left a bad taste in your mouth.

The art style is certainly a joy to view. The world is set in reflects on the nature of steam powered technology. Everything is harsh and gritty, just like the Industrial Revolution itself. Because of the singular setting, locations will often repeat. In stark contrast, the characters are bright and vivid. They’re also drawn with a certain softness to them. This is also present during the H-scenes in the game. Speaking of the H-scenes, they actually fit into the narrative of the story. They helped develop character and emotion, rather than having a sex scene for the sake of one. It was handled in a classy and mature way. The music is decent enough, but not memorable. It does its job, however, on creating the atmosphere of the scene.

Overall, Gahkthun of the Golden Lightning is a very mixed bag. There are parts of pure wonder, suspense and joy, but these are balanced out by moments of dread and boredom. The writing has a lot to do with it. It’s sometimes great and it’s sometimes dull. Some of the characters are great to follow and you’ll develop a fondness for them, but then there are some you’ll never care about and want to skip their chapter or scene. The action scenes needed to be better and some chapters should have been cut or replaced. It’s definitely a visual novel that I can recommend to the hardcore fans or fans of Sakurai’s style, but maybe give it a miss if you’re more of an occasional player of visual novels.

Rating: 6/10

Gahkthun of the Golden Lightning was provided to us by publisher of the English translation MangaGamer for the purpose of this review. The visual novel is now available for US$44.95 on MangaGamer’s website.

Gauntlet: Slayer Edition Review (PlayStation 4)

There is a rich history in the Gauntlet series. Starting way back in 1985 on the Nintendo Entertainment System, it’s a staple in hack and slash arcade gaming. Last year, Arrowhead Game Studios released an updated version/reimagining in 2014 for the PC. Now, the game has been re-released with new content and tweaks to the core gameplay, known as Gauntlet: Slayer Edition. Released for the PlayStation 4 and a free update for PC players, it’s a fun game for a group of friends or even solo, but the solo experience seems to have a small handicap attached to it.

The core of last year’s release on PC is still the same and you can read a more in-depth analysis in a review of the original PC release. The game focuses on four warriors stuck in Gauntlet, a labyrinth by the wizard Morak. The adventurer must gather the treasure within, including a sword which will release Morak from the Gauntlet. The story is just there to give some sense of direction for the player. Players go through the different floors and battling various monsters to collect gold to upgrade the four characters. The four adventurers are all unique, offering different combat strategies. It does change up the gameplay a little, but not to the point where the game plays differently.

There are two new modes available for play in addition to the campaign in the Slayer Edition. The first is known as Endless Mode. As the name suggests, Endless Mode is run of infinite dungeons and monsters to rake up the gold. The only way for this mode to end is if the player or players, depending if this is group play or not, to die. Each floor offers a chance to buy items and spells at the end, changing up the gameplay for every floor. This is the game’s horde mode and it can be fun in bursts. However, unless one is skilled in playing alone, tackling the mode alone can be a bit of a hassle. There’s also the daily Colosseum challenges, also offering more gold and new clothing options for all the characters. They’re a decent distraction from the main game and offer a chance to upgrade the different characters through a different avenue.

The issue Gauntlet suffers is the heavy repetition in the gameplay mechanics. The game soon fell into familiar territory. Despite giving each characters unique abilities, going through the different floors all felt formulaic. Defeat enemies, gather gold, upgrade the characters when it is possible and repeat. It doesn’t feel like there is any real strategy to it. More often than not, while playing as the Valkyrie, for example, it boiled down to swinging the sword and using her unique abilities, throwing her shield like Captain America. That’s how every level was tackled. There needed to be an opportunity to offer more strategies to tackle the game.

Of course, the game is first and foremost meant to be played with friends, whether it is with a few friends on the couch or over the net with complete strangers. So it’s disappointing to see that, while it can be played with one person, it does feel like there is a handicap to solo players. There was a missed opportunity to provide computer allies for solo players to provide the full experience of playing in a party. Expect to die a lot as well, as even on normal difficulty, it can get a little difficult. It’s not because of excellent AI but a number’s game. It gets more difficult when playing solo, as swarms can get too much.

The level design is dreary and dull. While it does fit the purpose of the story since the adventurers are trapped in a labyrinth, they felt lifeless. The actual layouts are quite basic, but that’s expected. The art design is decent enough, but don’t expect anything on a high level. The soundtrack is forgettable, but it’s nothing but white noise when one plays the game. Every character is voiced and it’s hit and miss. With the focus on the co-op arcade gameplay, it’s no surprise these areas of the game aren’t up to a high standard.

Gauntlet: Slayer Editions adds to the original release on PC last year. As someone who played it for the first time with this version, it still needed to be a little bit more polished. It’s not recommended to play Gauntlet solo because there is a slight handicap. However, playing with others makes it a better experience. Of course, the game is focused on mulitplayer gameplay. The grind to make the characters better adds to the frustration, but the different avenues to obtain more gold does alleviate some of the frustration. The game is quite fun with others, but the solo experience could have been better.

Rating: 7/10

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Gauntlet: Slayer Edition is now available on Playstation 4 on the Playstation Store, which is the version the review is based on. It is also available on PC via a free update to the original game. A review code was provided by publisher WB Games Australia for the purpose of this review. The reviewer focused on the single player experience due to no PlayStation Plus subscription and no one to join in on local co-op play.