Morkredd is an atmospheric physics based puzzle title that can be played alone or with one other player via local co-op. By either controlling a pair of characters with each thumb stick or working together with a friend, Morkredd is a unique and interesting experience that showcases the power of both light and darkness in this monochromatic experience.

Unless specified otherwise, this review is written from the perspective of playing alone.

(Not) alone in the dark

Morkredd begins with a man and woman waking to be guided by a flaming orb. Straying from the illuminated radius of the light into the darkness will kill either of the characters. At the conclusion of the prologue, the flaming orb enters a larger orb that must be pushed by the characters, either alone or together.

The rule of staying within the illuminated area remains throughout Morkredd though the darkness can still kill the characters should they be caught in any shadow, even within the orb, that may be cast by the architecture of the environment or even the other character. Great care must be taken whilst pushing the orb forward through each level to progress to avoid one character’s shadow accidentally being cast onto the other.

Progression in Morkredd is simple in theory, navigate the orb until reaching a distinctly new location. There are a total of 6 levels and each is progressively more difficult than the last. As the story progresses new puzzles and mechanics are introduced for the player to solve such as levers, switches and pressure plates. Some of these can be solved by a single character but a lot require both to be doing something either simultaneously or closely after one another.

As with the puzzles, environmental hazards such as unguarded bridges or cliffs for the orb to fall off which results in the pair dying from the absence of light, or enemies that can only be defeated by shadows cast from the characters by strategically moving the orb. The gameplay itself is quite simplistic but it’s the complexity of controlling both characters, the orb and awareness of environmental elements that may cast shadows that makes Morkredd very much a trial and error experience unless absolute attention is given at all times.

The closing moments of the story are very unexpected, resulting in a very different approach to the gameplay that is both fun and frustratingly challenging. The conclusion of the story itself is surprisingly heartfelt in regards to the pair of characters and their determination in getting the orb where it needs to go.

Completing Morkredd alone is significantly more challenging than playing with a friend. The puzzles in particular are a lot easier to solve and greater control of the orb is obviously granted with an additional player. There is no right or wrong way to play Morkredd and players looking for an extra challenge will certainly want to try playing alone.

Black and white

The monochromatic visuals allow the light and darkness to have their own weight, their own power on the screen that feels both safe and dangerous. This balance tells almost as much of a story as the narrative that unfolds and evolves with the gradual complexity of the gameplay and puzzle solving.

A later level offers a fun contrast to the very black and white world the player becomes accustomed to. The world of Morkredd is dark and gritty and the often haunting and ominous score is a beautiful companion to the visual aesthetic.

More-kredd

Morkredd can be completed alone in as little as two hours but how long it takes other players will depend on their ability to solve the puzzles and the extent of trial and error. Playing co-operatively Morkredd can be completed in just over an hour. Regardless of how Morkredd is played, it is an absolute joy.

Striking visuals with fun and challenging puzzles keep it interesting and engaging throughout. A longer experience would have been nicer but the story it manages to tell throughout its short run time is effective nonetheless.

+ Striking visuals

+ Challenging puzzles

+ Co-op support

+ Surprising final act

– A little too short

Games of DAYNE Rating

Developed by: Hyper Games

Published by: Aspyr

Release Date: December 10 2020

Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC

* Morkredd is available with Xbox Game Pass *

– Additional Links –

For more of my reviews, click HERE.

To see this review and other content from my associates at BG4G, click HERE.

The post Morkredd Review first appeared on Games of DAYNE.

Racing in a galaxy far, far away after its original release long, long ago is still a lot of fun

It’s crazy to think that it’s been 21 years since Star Wars: Episode I – Racer initially launched on PC. Later going on to receive ports on now-retro platforms such as the Nintendo 64, Sega DreamCast and Gameboy Colour, it raced onto PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch earlier this year but finally, Star Wars: Episode I – Racer is available on Xbox One.

Offering a small assortment of modes and nearly a dozen locations across 8 planets from the legendary film franchise and its expanded universe, such as Tattooine where the sci-fi motorsport made its grand debut in 1999’s Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, this fan favourite racer has become a classic for a reason.

“If you’re not first, you’re last”

Star Wars: Episode 1 – Racer is a lap based racing title with Tournament, Free Play, Time Attack and a local 2 Player versus modes.

The Tournament mode consists of 25 3 lap races spread across 4 different tournaments in 3 lap. Winning or placing awards the player money, the currency here is referred to as Truguts, and the option to toggle the winnings to a winner takes all setting will only pay out if the player finishes in first place. This awards more Truguts which can be spent to upgrade components for the pod racers, the name of the sci-fi vehicle, increasing their performance in areas such as turning, acceleration and air brakes for example.

Once a component has been upgraded, its stat bonuses apply to all of the playable pods. Carefully selecting which components to upgrade is rarely an issue as the entire game can be completed without purchasing a single upgrade. In my experience using Anakin Skywalker for instance I was able to complete all 3 of the initial 7 race tournaments as well as the 4 bonus tracks for doing so by using his pod at default specs. Replaying races or tackling the other modes is certainly a lot more fun with a fully upgraded pod though and allows for some impressive lap times, the best of which is recorded for every single race. 

Truguts can also be spent on recruiting up to 3 Pit Droids which decrease the time taken to repair pods in game due to damage sustained by environmental or other racer collisions or overheating the turbines by using the boost function in excess.

New pods and their respective pilots are not bought, instead they are earned. A complete roster of 23 pilots are available with majority of them earned by winning certain races. Each pod has its own specs, not unlike other racing titles, and as mentioned any upgrade purchased is automatically applied to all pods, even if they have not yet been unlocked.

Free Play mode is essentially the same as Tournament, offering the same races without the pressure of placement rankings but does not award money.

Time Attack allows the player to select any race and number of laps in an effort to set the most impressive time possible.

2 Player co-op is local only with no online functionality. This is certainly a missed opportunity to friends to compete against each other and see who is the fastest in the galaxy. The race variety here is again the same, affording the same tracks to be played just with an additional player to compete against.

“I’m a pilot you know?”

The track variety is limited to a handful of unique locations. Despite the same locations appearing in later tournaments, these tracks have alternate routes, opening up to be longer, more complex and typically contain more environmental hazards and obstacles for instance. This cleverly increases the track variety without actually requiring more maps. Rocks, the iconic Sandcrawlers and gigantic propellers for example appear more frequently, adding further danger to the race, especially when traveling at greater speed. 

The gameplay itself is simple and similar in most ways to a typical human motorsport game not found in a galaxy far, far away. Accelerating, braking and drifting are of course present and alongside a boost and a repair function to fix the turbines that propel the pod forward, the only feature present that is not intentionally present in a car racing game is the ability to turn the pod on its side in order to fit through tighter gaps and of course, to look cool…

When utilising boost the turbines of the pod gradually overheat, eventually catching fire if the boost is not ceased. Turbine damage is represented by an image of the left and right turbine, broken into the front, centre and rear sections. Any damage sustained will result  it changing from its healthy green status to yellow, orange and ultimately red. Red is bad. Repair the red.

If the turbines catch fire, competent players can also use this to their advantage by aligning their pod with that of a competitor, in turn setting their pod on fire. Quickly repairing the fire afterwards is an effective way to turn the turn the tides of a bad situation. This calculated risk is worth taking and should the players pod explode before it can be repaired, it will simply respawn. Racing as Sebulba can actually trigger the flames as a weapon!

Racing like it’s 1999 

While the resolution has been upscaled, Star Wars: Episode 1 – Racer still looks and feels like a game released in 1999. Due to this being a port as opposed to a remake or remaster there has been no overhaul to the visuals or gameplay. Looking back it was pretty good for its time but it hasn’t aged well near the end of 2020.

The score is incredibly authentic, even drawing upon actual themes from The Phantom Menace including the wildly popular “Duel of the Fates”. While also utilising actual sound effects from the film featuring the first and only on-screen podrace in the Star Wars universe to date, the overall presentation is authentically Star Wars.

“Now THIS is podracing” 

The inclusion of local multiplayer opens up Star Wars: Episode I – Racer to be something the whole family can play, though only two at a time. For those like me that played this as a child themselves it’s exciting to be able to share this experience with my own children as it is a title that can be enjoyed by players of all ages and regardless of their interest in Star Wars.

It’s unique, enjoyable and has enough variety to keep players entertained with a casual race here and there. As Star Wars has always been a family friendly franchise, never more clear than now as a Disney property, Star Wars: Episode 1 – Racer is a nostalgic blast from the past for fans of the original release while also being an enjoyable retro experience for newcomers.

While a few bells and whistles would have been nice to enhancer the experience and fill a little more fitting as a title in 2020, Star Wars: Episode 1 – Racer is an enjoyable and authentic Star Wars experience that has a special kind of staying power, be it nostalgia or its unique take on the racing genre in all of its simplistic glory. 

+ Nostalgic value for players of the original 

+ Authentic Star Wars presentation  

+ Fun and simple gameplay  

– Lack on online multiplayer limits social experience

– A little more polish and upgrade of visuals would have been nice 

Games of DAYNE Rating

Developed by: Aspyr Media

Published by: Aspyr Media

Release Date: October 28 2020

Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC

– Additional links –

For more of my reviews, click HERE.

To see this review and other content from my associates at BG4G, click HERE.

The post Star Wars: Episode 1 – Racer Review first appeared on Games of DAYNE.

*Disclaimer: This review was originally written as a member for One More Game and Xbox Gamer Dad, edited by co-founder Adam Potts and/or founder Matt Brook. This review was written from my perspective with editor input. Click HERE to read this review as originally published on onemoregame.com.au*

It has been 21 long years since Star Wars: Episode I – Racer initially launched on PC, receiving ports to Nintendo 64, Sega DreamCast and Gameboy Colour shortly after, and now finally making its way to PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. Jumping back in to a podracer to relive this nostalgia-laden experience has been a joy.

Featuring nearly a dozen tracks including Tattooine where the sci-fi motorsport first graced our screens in 1999’s Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace film, this cult classic contains a variety of unique characters and pods to race in a simple lap based series of tournaments. A handful of the characters including fan-favourite Sebulba need to be included by winning specific races and these act as essentially the only reward system in the game, with the exception of currency to spend on upgrading the parts and specs of the pods.

Each characters pod has their own stats, typically favouring a particular aspect such as acceleration, turning or cooling. Carefully choosing which parts to upgrade is not much of an issue though as the entire game can be completed without applying a single one. I managed to complete all three of the tournaments, with each containing 7 races, without upgrading anything and using the default character, young Anakin Skywalker. Playing through a second time with a fully upgraded pod was even more fun, allowing for previous personal records on laps and races to be shattered with ease, significantly reducing the overall completion time for each tournament.

The track variety is limited to a handful of unique locations, however when they are revisited in later tournaments, new sections open up and what was once a one minute lap may be extended to up to three minutes simply by presenting alternate routes and obstacles to overcome. This is a clever way to minimise the amount of maps while still offering different experiences each time a track is encountered. The first tournament consists of simply placing in three lap races with minimal environmental obstacles while later adding rocks, large moving Sandcrawler vehicles and rotating fan blades for instance. Later tournaments are significantly less straightforward but remain relatively easy to complete with appropriate care and anticipation upon later laps.

Accelerating, braking and drifting comprise the core mechanics of the racing gameplay while advanced players may enjoy turning their pod sideways to fit through tight spaces for style more than anything else. When utilising boost the player’s turbines of their pod begin to overheat and if they do not release the boost in time, the turbines will catch fire. Any damage sustained to the turbines is indicated by colour on their graphic on the left side of the screen. Green is healthy, yellow is moderately damaged and red is severely damaged, resulting in the increased likelihood of explosion upon impact with something. Using the L2 button, which also extinguishes any fires, repairs the turbines. Competent players can also use the fire to their advantage before repairing by pulling up beside a rival competitor and setting their pod on fire. It’s this layer of control and calculation of risk that makes the rather simple gameplay feel as though it has depth.

The visuals have been enhanced to not feel as outdated and looking back they were pretty good for its time. Complimenting the visual aesthetic of Star Wars is the immaculately appropriate score from The Phantom Menace film and the insanely popular “Duel of the Fates” in particular adds excitement and tension to the races it features in. While also utilising actual sound effects from the film, the overall presentation is authentically Star Wars.

Offering multiplayer races as well opens up the fun for the whole family to enjoy and as Star Wars has always been a family friendly franchise, this game is no different. Young children, teenagers and even us adults who grew up with this game and/or film can enjoy playing this alone or with friends.

It may have taken its time to receive an HD re-release but Star Wars: Episode I – Racer is a competent racing title that may be simplistic but it’s authentic Star Wars presentation give it the ability to remain fun and worthwhile even in 2020. It may not contain as many modes or race types compared to recent racers but nostalgia and fandom of Star Wars is enough to let it hold its own in the genre.

Final Verdict:

+ Nostalgic value for players of the original

+ Authentic Star Wars presentation 

+ Fun and simple gameplay 

– Lack if variety in game mode offerings 

– A little more polish and upgrade of visuals would have been nice

Games of DAYNE Rating

Developed by: Aspyr Media

Published by: Aspyr Media

Release Date: June 23 2020

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC

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