Opening with a village engulfed in flames, the corpses of its inhabitants lay strewn throughout as a lone Viking fights through its destroyers to find their loved one dying. Given a special necklace that once belonged to the gods, the nameless player takes on their loved one’s dying wish to save their people in the side-scrolling epic, Song of Iron.

With axes, swords, shields, a bow, and godly abilities to assist the player on their quest for vengeance, Song of Iron is a stunning experience brought to life by solo developer, Joe Winters. Visually beautiful and aided by an epic, harrowing score, the experience is memorable and enjoyable, a quest befitting of a Viking hell bent on painting their path with the blood of those who stand against him.

The first thing to note is that it’s impossible to talk about or experience Song of Iron without immediately being drawn to the beautiful visuals. The world this game takes place in wonderfully realises riverbeds, caverns, snow-capped mountains, lush fields, and ravines that are so striking and atmospherically consuming. Each new area draws the player into the dark and gritty tone of the story, playfully animating it with gorgeous lighting and reflective water that adds layers of depth to the authenticity of the experience.

A sense of loneliness is atmospherically present at all times, while the world never feels empty, the narrative journey of the nameless protagonist, which can be either male or female, truly feels like it is one versus all, them against the world. The visuals take the first steps in setting up the tone of the world, the story, and the tension the player is always surrounded by.

The gameplay is cleverly simplistic. Melee and ranged attacks are complimented by a shield block and dive roll system to easily navigate the enemies and the battlefield. Melee attacks can be charged to inflict additional damage and break shields, the bow and arrow is great at clearing enemies at a distance and the axe throw is a lot of fun to play with. It all comes together to create a simple and accessible experience that is only faulted by poor controller mapping. With no option to set the buttons to the player’s preferred layout, it doesn’t feel as seamless as it could.

A handful of story related upgrades are introduced that add elemental effects to the gameplay such as the ability to ignite the melee weapon and turn it into a burning tool of destruction, summon electricity to shock the enemies and even summon the axes after it has been thrown, not unlike the legendary Thor. These are very fun to play with and add a mythical layer to the otherwise grounded experience.

Aside from cutting through the competent variety of enemies, which includes the likes of typical warriors, trolls and giants, platforming and light environmental puzzle solving is peppered throughout the approximately three-to-four-hour adventure. Climbing short ledges and vine walls, jumping gaps, and crouching through low areas doesn’t feel like a chore, nor does the moving of large boxes to climb in order to reach higher plateaus.

One thing that Song of Iron nails is its understanding that less is more. From the gameplay, platforming, puzzles and even its story, the journey seamlessly transitions from combat to traversal while pushing forward with the rather loose, premise-only story.

The story itself is well set-up though aside from interactions with the Norse god of thunder it doesn’t really evolve in a meaningful way. As far as the ending goes, it feels like one of those situations that players will either love or hate. I personally didn’t feel like it fit the world and the established narrative but at the same time, it was undeniably interesting. Whether that translates to a satisfying conclusion is something I will leave prospective players to decide.

Throughout the entire adventure the ominous, epic, and haunting score accompany the player and instil a sense of war, adventure, and authentic Norse atmosphere. It was distracting at times, in the best of ways, to feel overwhelmed by the impact the score had on the tone of the game. There is little more to say than it was masterfully thought out and executed.

Song of Iron is one hell of an adventure. It tells an interesting story, delivers a fun and simple gameplay experience, and is presented with visual flair and a ridiculously epic score to set the tone of a Viking epic. Despite the 50/50 ending and questionable control mapping it is genuinely difficult to fault Song of Iron and the effort made by the solo developer behind it.

The post Song of Iron Review first appeared on Games of DAYNE.

Providence Oaks is a beautiful, scenic, sleepy town that Meredith Weiss once called home in Lake. Returning to the town she grew up in for two weeks to fill in for her father, Meredith trades in her IT hat to don the blue attire of the Providence Oaks postal service. Delivering mail on her daily rounds introduces her to some of the quirky townsfolk and reacquaints her with faces from her past and those close to her parents.

Doing daily delivery rounds, completing optional side missions given from some of the mail recipients and taking in the sights of the charming Providence Oaks leads to a rather relaxing story set in 1986 that is full of charm and decisions to make. These decisions can affect Meredith’s friendships and relationships as well as determining which of the alternate endings will play out.

Stepping into the postal shoes of her father, Meredith’s days are laid out with multiple deliveries to make of both letters and parcels, some of which will lead into scenes with the recipients, giving the player control of Meredith’s responses and, in some cases, the decision of whether to accept the optional side missions they propose.

The main storyline simply requires Meredith to complete her daily deliveries Monday to Friday and spend her nights at home either reading or watching TV. As for the weekends, Meredith has often made plans to meet up with characters depending on the choices of the player that pass the time with deeper character moments and interactions.

The gameplay tasks players with driving the mail van around Providence Oaks and delivering letters into the recipients’ mailbox or leaving parcels on their doorsteps. Some mail recipients answer the door and these lead to somewhat lengthy character interactions that typically serve as the introduction to a longer lasting arc that involves optional side missions or character moments for the player to accept or decline.

A diverse range of characters including a lumberjack, a fisherman, an elderly cat lady and teenage mechanic make for some entertaining story beats that are worth taking the time to explore.

When delivering the mail, the player is able to drive around Providence Oaks and can utilise a map to see all of the locations of the deliveries. Once discovered, some locations can be fast traveled between while others can be selected with auto-pilot to have the game drive the player automatically to the destination.

Upon arriving at the destination, the player can simply approach the mailbox and interact with it to deliver a letter, or if it is a parcel that is to be delivered, the player must open the back of the van and select the appropriate parcel as per the address attached. The address the player is currently at can be seen at all times next to the mini-map on-screen, alleviating any possibility of selecting the wrong parcel to deliver.

As a narrative adventure driven by the player’s decisions, Lake can be rather mellow and quiet if the player declines invitations to spend time with the locals she crosses path or it can be a little more adventurous and heartfelt should the decision be made to make some plans.

This freedom lets players take their experience with Lake into their own hands, allowing them to simply complete the main story in as little as 3 or 4 hours while offering a playthrough of closer to 5 or 6 for players that choose to take on all optional side missions and invitations to spend time with the characters Meredith meets along the way.

With three possible endings, Lake offers a little replayability though a strategically placed manual save allows the player to witness all three with a simple save reload.

The folks of Providence Oaks all have varying dramas to draw Meredith into that allow their relationship to grow in certain directions with interaction. These are a nice addition to pad out the experience and add depth to the characters that would otherwise just be named NPCs. The variety of relationships Meredith is able to strike up include romantic possibilities that are fun to see play out and the implications of decisions play out just as memorably.

Despite being on a break from her regular IT duties in the city, Meredith is often called by her boss, Steve, filling her in on what she’s missing out on and occasionally asking for some work to be done which can be accepted or declined at the player’s discretion. This further adds to the short-term experience the player seeks to find within Lake but also has potential implications on a particular ending.

Unfortunately, Lake is not without its technical issues. On countless occasions my attempts to interact with the van, parcels in the back of the van or characters, went unregistered, requiring several button presses to register. When using auto-pilot the van would often appear inside a building and become stuck or drive in an endless loop with the inability to exit auto-pilot as per the button prompt.

Reloading to an earlier checkpoint or sometimes quitting and restarting the game were required on occasion to allow me to progress. These issues aren’t game breaking but they do break the immersion of an otherwise endearing experience.

In addition to the cast of characters that enlighten Meredith’s brief stint in Providence Oaks, a stunning and beautifully realised art design adds layers to the experience, almost bringing the environment into the category of a character.

The charming country outskirts, sleepy suburban cul-de-sacs, and woods that surround the beautiful titular lake are brought to life at various times of the day, allowing for some striking storms and sunrises for example that help Providence Oaks feel alive. Accompanied by a beautiful score that adds to the serenity of the playfully charming environment, Lake hits all the right notes with its sound design.

Lake is short, sweet and surprisingly relaxing, offering a scenic tour of the gorgeous Providence Oaks while affording the player the luxury of controlling Meredith’s free time, relationships and ultimate direction in life with the various choices to be made throughout the experience. There is a wholesome feel to the simplicity and charm of Lake and the stories it has to tell but the fact that these can be directly influenced by the player, and in multiple ways, the overall experience feels personal.

+ Simplistic gameplay allows story to shine

+ Relaxing pace

+ Character development and relationships

+ Decisions that matter

+ Charming visuals

+ Beautiful score

– Control issues

– Little replayability, despite multiple endings

Developed by: Gamious

Published by: Whitethorn Digital

Release Date: September 1 2021

Platforms: Xbox One/Series X|S and PC

* A digital code was kindly provided by the Publisher for the purpose of this review *

– Additional Links –

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The post Lake Review first appeared on Games of DAYNE.

Twelve Minutes is an interactive thriller with a star-studded cast trapped in an intriguing time-loop mechanic. A husband finds himself trapped in a repeating twelve-minute time loop that restarts regardless if he lives or dies. Unable to escape it, the player must guide him to uncover new clues, conversations, and information regarding the background of his wife and himself, retaining this information with every ‘loop’.

A thrilling narrative throws twists at every turn and its most shocking revelation is kept until the end, one that is certain to have people talking about it for a long time. Whether you enjoy it or not, Twelve Minutes is an experience you will remember.

It’s important to note right off the bat that the gameplay in Twelve Minutes takes place in twelve-minute loops in real time. In that window players must interact with things within the living room/kitchen open area, bathroom, bedroom, and closet to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the happily married couple. These rooms never change. The objects and points of interest that can be interacted with never change. Everything the player will need is here already and not only does that make future playthroughs significantly faster, it also speeds up the progression with each loop that passes.

There were wild numbers of 6-8 hours thrown around in the media for a playthrough but my first at launch took less than two hours to complete the game and all but one of the missable endings. Having replayed the game dozens of times in search of one last missing ending, a player that knows what they’re doing can be done in just over an hour but first-time players that are logically minded and take note of the significance of the dialogue will likely sit around the two-hour mark.

The idea of each loop is to learn a pivotal piece of information that can be used in future loops to uncover additional vital clues. With a little over a dozen interactable objects and new dialogue opening when new things are discovered the search area, for lack of a better term, is very small. Failing to pay attention to dialogue however could send a player mad searching for things they don’t have the answer too. I cannot stress enough how important it is to take note of dialogue from the three core characters in Twelve Minutes – husband, the wife, and the cop. The story can start out in a familiar fashion but can take wild and unexpected turns based on things like dialogue had in previous loops that can change the characters’ moods and reactions for instance.

The puzzles the player must solve by connecting information or using objects on other things are clever but not overly complicated. For example, if something needs unscrewed, a knife, spoon or even a key are logical tools to try. Once a particular puzzle has been solved it’s likely to be used again in future loops. While this may sound repetitive, given the brief length of the thrilling story it is all over before that has a chance to settle in. As for repeated dialogue, that can be fast forwarded once heard for the first time. For a game focused on reliving the same twelve minutes over and over it does a fine job of evading the monotony of repetition.

Brought to life by James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley and Willem Dafoe, the unnamed husband, wife, and cop respectively deliver solid performances, as could be expected by performers of their calibre. Twelve Minutes throws these three characters in a wild combination of situations that allow incredible emotional range in their performances that encompass romance, fear, excitement, and shock. Without these top shelf performances, the nameless characters could easily have buckled under the weight of their narrative arcs and leave the player to witness forgettable characters in unforgettable situations.

A point and click title with this level of production quality is a first, with Twelve Minutes utilising an extremely simplistic set of gameplay mechanics in an almost claustrophobic explorable area that manages to stand out. For such a small game it tells a big story, with deep characters, clever twists and turns and a shocking revelation that stay with the player long after the credits have rolled. With multiple endings to experience that are influenced by the player’s decisions, interactions and dialogue at key moments, the replay value is incredible. And as additional playthroughs will only take an hour before being able to set up these new endings, it’s short enough to replay several times without tedium setting in.

Twelve Minutes is an incredible experience. A simple genre, a complex mystery and excellent production value all come together much like its layered narrative to provide an emotional impact on a level that I personally haven’t witnessed in a video game. As I’ve mentioned, love it or hate it, you will remember Twelve Minutes.

+ Top notch cast and voice acting

+ Incredibly layered mystery

+ Deep and ever-evolving narrative

+ Fun time loop mechanic

+ Beautiful score

+ Perfect length

– Controls a little clunky and unresponsive at times

+/- Shock value of the ending

Without spoiling the ending, the nature of it is without doubt intended for shock value. Regardless of whether the player picks up on clues along the way, seeing it unfold is memorable for the right or wrong reasons as per the player’s interpretation and feelings towards it.

Developed by: Luis Antonio

Published by: Annapurna Interactive

Release Date: August 19 2021

Platforms: Xbox One/Series X|S and PC

* Twelve Minutes is available in Xbox Game Pass *

 * Players looking to unlock all of the Achievements can find my 100% walkthrough made for Achievement Land HERE. This will get you all of the Achievements in less than 2 hours *

– Additional Links –

For more of my reviews, click HERE.

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

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The post Twelve Minutes Review first appeared on Games of DAYNE.

The long-awaited arrival of the Wakandan king and his kingdom have finally arrived in the War for Wakanda expansion in Marvel’s Avengers. Black Panther takes centre stage in the largest single content drop since the launch of Marvel’s Avengers last September (review HERE).

New enemy types, two new villains in the form of Ulysses Klaw and Crossbones, a stunning new biome set in the futuristic, hidden African city of Wakanda and Black Panther himself offer enough variety to reinvigorate the game and steer away from the repetition of the locations exhausted by players for nearly a year. Packed with dozens of outfits, unique gameplay, and his own skill tree to master, Black Panther goes a long way in ensuring the players embrace Wakanda… forever.

Black Panther is introduced in an exciting opening mission that sees Ulysses Klaw laying siege to the Wakandan capital with his own special forces, a varied and challenging new assortment of enemies that bring new offensive and defensive abilities that require a little more strategy than simply button mashing.

Klaw wants Wakanda’s vibranium, aware his black-market variant isn’t worth as much as the real deal, and has aligned with the emergent villain of the Marvel’s Avengers campaign, Monica Rappaccini, to bring war to Wakanda. Accompanied by Brock Rumlow, better known as Crossbones, the duo provides an exciting challenge for the Avengers including an epic boss battle against both of them at the end of the disappointingly short main mission chain of the expansion.

As with Kate Bishop’s Operation: Taking AIM (review HERE) and Hawkeye’s Operation: Future Imperfect (review HERE), Black Panther’s War for Wakanda main mission chain takes just a scratch over an hour and a half. The story it tells in that brief window is excellent however, showcasing the sibling relationship of Black Panther’s King T’Challa and Shuri, the loyalty of his commander Okoye and connection to his people he swears to protect. The relationships of T’Challa, including with his nemesis Klaw, are the backbone of the story and are wonderfully fleshed out considering the criminally short runtime.

Luckily, the fun doesn’t stop with the main mission chain and the handful of missions that comprise it. Black Panther has his own iconic mission chain to complete which awards players an awesome regal attire for T’Challa and there are plenty of other war zone missions to tackle solo or with up to three other players in co-op. Thanks to a recent update to Marvel’s Avengers, gone are the days where a Strike Team of up to four players could only have one of a given character, now a whole team of Black Panthers can take the fight to Klaw so everyone can enjoy the exciting new gameplay of the Wakandan icon.

Black Panther feels incredibly unique, his swift and furious clawed melee combat is a blast to experiment with, combining his ranged dagger attacks and making the most of his vibranium infused heroic abilities to unleash punishment in an exciting fresh fashion.

The heroic abilities can be upgraded to unlock some awesome variants such as the summoning of two Wakandan warrior spirits to the fight, accompanying the giant spirit Panther that lays waste to all foes in its forward trajectory while also providing an impressive buff to Panther himself for a limited duration.

Very surprisingly, combat isn’t the only strong suit for Black Panther with his traversal game being just as exciting. Joining Captain America as the only other current hero that can double jump and wall run, Black Panther puts his own spin on these with his style and the scraping of the rock face by his vibranium claws as he crosses them.

Developer Crystal Dynamics have managed to flex their muscle in the ancient ruins department by creating some stunning caverns and platforming sequences that are reminiscent of their iconic work on the rebooted Tomb Raider trilogy. New and challenging environmental puzzles that would be suitable for Lara Croft herself have been introduced for T’Challa to master and the genuine head scratching a few of them are likely to cause are a much-needed breath of fresh air to those already in place in the base game.

The entire biome of Wakanda feels so exciting and different, brought to life in such stunning detail that it genuinely feels like its own game. Loaded with ruins, new building types, a complete makeover for every interactive object such as loot chests, health canisters and containers that house resources all have a Wakandan flavour that feels authentic to the region they inhabit.

The new Wakandan outpost is no exception. By far the most visually impressive and meticulously detailed outpost to date, Wakanda’s is full of Black Panther’s army that salute him as he walks past, the most intelligent minds of the city working on the hyper-futuristic technology on display in every room and includes the ritual chambers of his spiritual elders. The detail is incredible, and the immersion is unlike anything else established in Marvel’s Avengers so far.

Unfortunately for players bored of the base game’s primary antagonistic force, A.I.M.bots are back too, bringing the same android enemy variants players have defeated thousands of times. Their return undermines the unique haven and fresh concepts that Wakanda otherwise delivers spectacularly. One of the new enemy types introduced are small, medium, and large sized spider bots that unfortunately aren’t what players are looking for.

Androids and robotic enemy types have overwhelmed Marvel’s Avengers enemy offering since the beginning so it’s a genuine shame to see another variant added. To further drive home the point of “here is something new but also kind of the same” is a large mech that is pretty much the same as the large dreadbots from the main game. The method to defeating it is slightly different, but the similarities can’t be ignored. Attacking red points on the feet that reveal further weak points and when they do have been triggered a final device is exposed and ready to be destroyed to reduce the giant mech to scrap.

It’s such a shame to see slightly different versions of the key repetitive enemies we already have. The inclusion of A.I.M.bots, the introduction of the spider droids and the slightly-different-but-still-too-similar-to-dreadbots F.U.S.E. mech enemies are the weakest link in War for Wakanda. Unsurprisingly, everything else works so well because it’s new and fresh.

Wakanda is so beautiful to take in, by far offering the most striking landscapes to explore and the stunning attention to detail in the caverns and ruins adorned with Panther statues and symbolic imagery of the Wakandan’s is simply breathtaking. The tribal score and bits infusion of upbeat and energetic modern music are epic and add layers of tension to each enemy and boss encounter.

War for Wakanda is exactly what Marvel’s Avengers needed. Bringing the most exciting and enjoyable new hero into the fold with Black Panther, introducing a visual marvel of an outpost an incredibly fresh new biome, this is what players have been asking for. New characters, new locations, and new ideas and with the exception of the tiring A.I.M. inclusion, War for Wakanda hits the spot.

+ BLACK. PANTHER.

+ Wakanda as a biome

+ Great story

 – A.I.M.bots and rehashed ideas

 – Main mission story is far too short

Developed by: Crystal Dynamics

Published by: Square Enix

Release Date: August 17 2021

Platforms: Xbox One/Series X|S, PlayStation 4/5 and PC

* The War for Wakanda expansion, and ALL additional heroes are available at no additional cost on all platforms *

– Additional Links –

For more of my reviews, click HERE.

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

For this and additional reviews, latest news, trailers and more from the rest of the team at Xbox Gamer Dad and One More Game, click HERE.

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All digital photography was captured in-game on Xbox Series X by Games of DAYNE

The post Marvel’s Avengers: War for Wakanda (Expansion) Review first appeared on Games of DAYNE.

Augmented with implants at birth, the inhabitants of the cyberpunk world that serves as the setting of Foreclosed are essentially corporate property. Playing as Evan Kapnos, the company that owns his identity has been foreclosed, and in just a few short hours his identity will belong to the state.

The blend of third person shooting and stealth with hack-based puzzles mashed with a comic book art design will take the player on a two-to-three-hour thrill ride as Kapnos fights to save himself.

The story is surprisingly interesting, layered with tension and revelations befitting of a thriller film. Corporate espionage, shady deals and manipulation keep the pacing tense and constantly evolve the narrative in a new direction. By taking place in a cyberpunk setting Foreclosed can capitalise on sci-fi concepts such as augmentation, telekinetic abilities and shield generation that create some dynamic gameplay experiences in the combat encounters as well as general progression and exploration.

Crouching to avoid enemy detection allows the player to sneak within close proximity of enemy, of which they can see as red silhouettes through walls and perform stealth takedowns by overloading their implants.

If stealth isn’t the preferred playstyle, then going in loud, guns blazing is an option but tacky aim mechanics make this more complicated than it needs to be and the bullet sponge enemies can take a ridiculous amount of shots before dying, even headshots aren’t guaranteed to get the kill in a single shot. Unlimited ammo and no need to reload compensate for the technical issues however and allow the shootouts to continue unhindered.

With story progression the player can unlock telekinetic abilities to lift enemies and suspend them in the air, slam them into the ground or to pick up objects in the environment and launch them at their targets. The combination of shooting, telekinetic abilities and stealth keep options open for the player in the combat situations and the freedom to alternate between offensive styles keeps the combat interesting throughout the largely wave based affairs.

The player can explore the environments in search of devices that award XP by filling a wifi-like signal to track them down and interact with them. As the player levels up by earning XP from killing enemies, hacking things, and finding these pick-ups, XP turns into upgrade points which can be used to unlock new abilities, shield generation, methods to overload enemy implants and an assortment of weapon upgrades such as bullets that can pierce armour or turn the semi-auto pistol into a submachine gun. Using any ability takes a toll on the player’s implant and if it overloads the player will be temporarily stunned by the body rattling headache that accompanies it. These moments leave the player vulnerable so care must be taken when using any augment abilities to not overdo it.

Light puzzle solving is required at intervals that tasks the player with activating consoles, controlling container cranes to create bridges, and hacking panels to open doors for example, simple yet a welcome addition to the otherwise room-clearing shootout affair.

By adopting a comic art design developer Antab Studio have opened the floodgates to have fun with panel-like cinematics and layered gameplay windows that feel genuinely look and feel like a playable comic at times. This does however lead to some frustrating directional issues when it isn’t always clear where the player is when there are multiple panels to look at or when the free control of the camera is restricted, and the player can only walk forward or sideways. Some transitions from cinematics to gameplay and vice versa aren’t always clear which also creates some control frustration.

An ominous, tense and thrilling score keep the atmosphere urgent and unexpected, rounding out the overall thriller film vibes established by the stunning cinematic structure. Foreclosed oozes suspense in its presentation in a way that often overshadowed the gameplay.

Foreclosed is a surprisingly solid experience that is layered visually, thematically and within the confines of its simplistic but varied gameplay. The cool comic presentation is fun, and the thrilling atmosphere and score keeps things tense as the web of lies and manipulation-laden narrative unfolds for Kapnos as he fights to save his identity.

+ Amazing comic presentation

+ Tense atmosphere and score

+ Varied gameplay

+ Interesting story

– Gunplay isn’t great

– No replay value

– Camera issues

Developed by: Antab Studio

Published by: Merge Games

Release Date: August 12 2021

Platforms: Xbox One/Series X|S, PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch and PC

– Additional Links –

For more of my reviews, click HERE.

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

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The post Foreclosed Review first appeared on Games of DAYNE.

Developed and published by Paper Cult the cartoonishly violent Bloodroots is a wild beat ’em up ride that follows the player, as Mr. Wolf, embarking on a murderous rampage with an interesting drip-fed story that does its best to ‘justify’ it.

Death is simply one hit away, for the player and their enemies, and with a wide array of weapons and seemingly harmless objects like vegetables to be used as life-ending tools of insta-destruction, the rampage is a blast. Full of platforming elements and area clearance objectives, Bloodroots is pretty bloody good.

Three acts comprised of five missions and a boss battle are the format of Bloodroots‘ story, showing Mr. Wolf’s pursuit of the three bosses he seeks to destroy. A revenge story is the perfect set-up to justify the wild and wacky arsenal of weapons at the players disposal. Swords, axes, tables, carrots, fireworks and chain guns are just a very, very small example of the arsenal that can be used to take down every enemy in a single strike. Experimentation with these is a lot of fun and encourages the sampling of every single new object encountered.

To make things even more fun, as each level is broken into areas that need cleared before being able to progress, the final kill in an area results in a cinematic execution that is only as ridiculous as the weapon in hand. These are amusing, violent and over the top, really selling the tone of Bloodroots that Paper Cult have wonderfully established.

Each act takes place in a unique location and each mission inside the act is set in it’s own little section, preventing a sense of familiarity or repetition in the environment from setting in. The environments are beautiful designed, gorgeous landscapes to be painted over with the blood of the enemies. Every enemy defeated leaves a splashing trail of blood that makes for some lusciously red terrain. The playful art design may have a childish and cartoonish charm but the trail of destruction left behind by the player is certainly not an experience to be viewed by children.

Missions are scored based on the likes of number of enemies killed, the time taken to complete it, number of deaths and whether a secret wolf hidden in each mission has been discovered or not. Completing certain missions with scores also awards a unique hat that can be equipped, essentially a skin, that provides perks or abilities.

In between each mission the player is returned to a campsite which acts as the hub world. Here they are able to switch their current hat, talk to the ghosts at the campfire, select missions to replay or continue the adventure. Let’s talk about them ghosts. As the player exacts revenge on each boss they return to the campfire area and can be talked to. It’s a fun concept that works well in the grander scheme of the story.

The levels are cleverly designed and full of environmental hazards such as fire, spikes, moving objects and of course dozens of enemies that want to insta-kill the player. Some levels favour verticality and have cannons or jumping pads to reach higher plateaus, adding a welcome variety to the visual design and typical traversal which consists of jumping or using certain weapons such as swords to dash across wide gaps.

The boss battles are fun and epic, throwing various smaller enemies at the player to keep things chaotic. It is important to mention that if the player is struggling to survive with the one-hit kill situation they can toggle an Invincible Mode to allow the game to be enjoyed for the story and experience without the difficulty. Additionally, the player can also toggle an area clear, both that and the Invincible Mode can be found in Options, to instantly clear the area of all enemies and allow progression. While some will view this as cheating, I think it is smart to accept these features as accessibility tools for casual players that want to experience Bloodroots without the pressures of perfect runs.

Bloodroots is suspiciously enjoyable with its ridiculous arsenal of ‘weapons’, cool execution animations, beautiful art design and fun platforming. The ability to revisit previously completed missions and unlock all of the hats and their associated perks adds some replayability. Playing the story legitimately took just over three hours but with the accessibility-friendly Invincible Mode it can be completed in a little over an hour. As this title is a part of Xbox Game Pass I highly recommend checking it out. It’s a bloody treat.

+ Beautiful visuals

+ Cartoonish violence

+ Ridiculous weapon variety

+ Accessibility options (Invicibility and area clearing)

+ Challenging insta-kill dynamic

 – Too short

 – Ending is a little predictable

Developed by: Paper Cult

Published by: Paper Cult

Release Date: July 15 2021

Platforms: Xbox One/Series X|S, PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch and PC – Bloodroots is available in Xbox Game Pass

– Additional Links –

For more of my reviews, click HERE.

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

For this and additional reviews, latest news, trailers and more from the rest of the team at Xbox Gamer Dad and One More Game, click HERE.

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All digital photography was captured in-game on Xbox Series X by Games of DAYNE

The post Bloodroots Review first appeared on Games of DAYNE.

Whether you’ve watched the show or not chances are you’ve heard of Doctor Who. Spanning decades of television, movies and almost every type of medium possible, Doctor Who has rarely made an appearance in video games on console, primarily featuring in mobile or small-scale PC titles but for the first time on Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, fans will be excited to see the arrival of Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins.

Presented in the format of a mystery, essentially visual novel title, the experience unfolds through a phone. Browsing its contents for messages, pictures and clues, the player must find out what happened to a pair of amateur investigators who set out to rescue the titular doctor who has found himself trapped in the past.

Playing an unnamed character that happens across a lost phone, the player must use the phone to learn what happened to its previous owner. It isn’t long before contact is established with military organisation UNIT operative Petronella Osgood, serving as a guide for the player to unravel the mystery. Regular guidance is provided by Osgood and conversations with her occur in the form of selection from a list of responses.

Seemingly regardless of the choices chosen the conversation steers the player in the direction they need to go in order to advance the story. Primary objectives are noting important information, piecing together damaged data fragments and getting information out of other characters. The story can be completed in as little as an hour depending on the depth of optional exploration of the contents of the phone and alternate endings add a little replayability for those curious to see how other decisions pan out.

Reading text messages, emails and studying photos comprise the bulk of the experience which is nestled with easter eggs that fans of the Doctor Who universe will appreciate more than a complete outsider with no knowledge of the franchise such as myself. The phone itself is pretty easy to navigate due to its realistic design featuring the likes of time stamps, layout and general accessibility that a genuine phone possesses.

One aspect of the experience that fails to feel justified is the inclusion of a handful of jump scares, a term I use extremely loosely. These are very poor, cheesy and undermine the experience. Unless these are an actual part of the Doctor Who television series, in which case they may be appropriate, they have no business in The Lonely Assassins and undermine the serious tone established by the rest of the game.

Characters from the Doctor Who universe that make an appearance are portrayed by their actual actors which is an excellent touch and adds depth to the immersion of this experience for fans while also giving newcomers a taste of what the television experience may be like.

The telling of the story through a mobile phone is surprisingly effective thanks to the authentic Doctor Who experience afforded by the actual actors, layered details of the fan-favourite universe and impressive production quality. Fans of the series are certainly going to find more reasons to enjoy the experience than those that know nothing, with The Lonely Assassins feeling like little more than a well-presented visual novel that still manages to tell an interesting story, despite lack of prior knowledge in regards to who is who if you’ll excuse the pun.

+ Actual actors from the series

+ Hidden Easter eggs for fans

+ Interesting story, regardless of awareness of Doctor Who media

 – Very short, little replayability for non-fans

 – Phone presentation wears thin early

Developed by: Kaigan Games

Published by: Maze Theory

Release Date: August 12 2021

Platforms: Xbox One/Series X|S, PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch and PC

– Additional Links –

For more of my reviews, click HERE.

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

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The post Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins Review first appeared on Games of DAYNE.

Godfall received some pretty mixed reviews when it originally launched alongside the PlayStation 5 in November but after a handful of updates, it started to be received the way it deserved. With the Fire and Darkness expansion that arrived with the PlayStation 4 launch of Godfall, my review of which can be found HERE, it seems to be unanimous that Godfall is where it should have been nearly a year ago. Adding a new realm to explore, new challenges and new gear – including the Cursed tier, Fire and Darkness has brought Godfall to heights as epic as its premise.

The expansion wastes little time in introducing a menacing new antagonist in the form of Moirax, a dark and towering monster that introduces himself by draining the life force of the Seventh Sanctum, leaving the player’s character Orin alone and dispatched with the wave of his hand. Four new story missions and five hunt missions encompass the new narrative and it feels as epic and grand in scope as the base game, providing a satisfying yet brief expansion that meaningfully enhances the overarching world of Godfall.

The new Fire realm is hauntingly stunning, peppering the dark, dull and ashy landscape with vibrant blue flames that truly add an ominous feel to the fiery domain. Continuing the trend of each realm having unique enemy designs and variants, Fire and Darkness feels unique and fresh, offering fun and new varieties to the environment, enemies and combat encounters. Considering this realm is also the largest one to date it had a lot to live up to but luckily, Fire and Darkness manages to fill the landscape with beautiful visuals and meaningful content that prevent a feeling of emptiness from creeping in.

Each of the twelve Valorplates each received several new skin variants to unlock by fulfilling certain requirements. These are merely cosmetics that offer coloured variants but they are worth the effort to unlock with the fun themes they each represent while also adding a much needed reason to continue the endgame grind.

It is worth mentioning that on the day Fire and Darkness launched, as well as the PlayStation 4 version of Godfall, players were also treated to the free Lightbringer update as well. This introduced the titular Lightbringer game mode, designed with co-op in mind, tasking players with defeating the Heart of Darkness freeing portions of the Sanctum’s light while defatting waves of enemies. It’s a blast in co-op and offers countless hours of a fun to the endgame loop and grind for better gear.

The new Cursed-tier items can be earned which require cleansing by completing associated challenges, a further enticement to players looking for more bang for their buck. A level cap increase from 30 to 50 seemed steep originally but considering the combined content from Fire and Darkness and the Lightbringer update, as well as the new gear and loot associated with them, Godfall has so much to offer than it did in November that is worth investing in.

Godfall feels more like a complete package that offers dozens of hours of new content with Fire and Darkness and the Lightbringer update, enough to entice new players and managing to recapture the attention of existing players that wanted that little bit more to justify returning. It’s fun, its dark and twisted and most importantly it feels rewarding with its wealth of new loot and customisation offerings.

+ Stunning new Fire realm

+ New Valorplate skins

+ Menacing antagonist and dark story

+ New endgame content

– Surprising lack of new Valorplates

– Familiar gameplay with the exception of Lightbringer mode

Developed by: Counterplay Games

Published by: Gearbox Publishing

Release Date: August 10 2021

Platforms: PlayStation 4/5 and PC

– Additional Links –

For more of my reviews, click HERE.

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

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The post Godfall – Fire and Darkness Expansion Review first appeared on Games of DAYNE.

Originally planned as the final story expansion prior to the announcement of second year content for Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, The Siege of Paris adds the French location and a few new ideas but essentially feels like more of the same.

Continuing the heavily political narrative themes of the base game and the previous expansion, Eivor is enlisted by a pair of foreigners to travel to their homeland and help bring down the Mad King, Charles the Fat.

It is impossible to ignore the visual similarities 9th century France has with the English territory that comprises the bulk of Valhalla’s experience. Lacking the same visual punch and unique qualities that Ireland presented in the previous expansion, Wrath of the Druids, Valhalla’s France looks like more of the same. Considering it plays essentially the same and provides a story that treads the same political waters, The Siege of Paris struggles to feel unique and like a meaningful addition to the ever-expanding experience.

My review of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla can be found HERE.

Having spent nearly eight hours tackling the story it was hard to feel satisfied in the sense it had essentially been told countless times throughout the core Valhalla experience. The format of wandering between new locations completing fetch quests, escorting characters and typical go here and kill this guy becomes all too familiar almost immediately.

The implications of the teases Catholic Church infiltration and radicalisation by cultists was interesting but ultimately wound up being a mystery unsolved. At least with Wrath of the Druids the cultist sub-plot was interesting and fleshed out rather than teased and possibly abandoned though it can’t be ruled out this arc won’t be returned to with the newly announced second year of content.

My review of the Wrath of the Druids expansion for Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla can be found HERE.

With combat all but perfected with Valhalla the addition of a new and deadly weapon is certainly welcome. The large, double-handed scythe makes for a fun toy to dismantle the opposing forces and has some satisfying animations and executions. Its ridiculous size becomes normal after a few combat encounters and the fact that it’s nearly twice the size of Eivor is certainly comical at first.

Adding to the weird and wonderful additions of the world of Assassin’s Creed, as has become standard for the franchise, and especially with Valhalla, a new and completely ridiculous mount is available. A bear. With horses, giant wolves, a lynx, a lion and now a bear to choose from, the wacky side of Assassin’s Creed makes the dull moments of constant back and forth more enjoyable while being able to ride these crazy mounts.

The singular most interesting concept introduced in The Siege of Paris is the rat swarms that accompany the plague. Dwelling primarily in the sewers or beneath buildings these swarms of rats will relentlessly attack and damage the player. They can’t be damaged or killed themselves, but they can be attacked and forced to retreat into grates in the ground. When the rats have retreated an object needs to be pulled over the top of it to prevent them re-emerging. There is always a conveniently placed object within the environment to be dragged to do so. An interesting idea fails to feel meaningfully executed due to their sporadic appearances, annoying pursuit of the player when they are encountered and monotonous means of repelling them.

Perhaps one of the strongest deviations to the norm in The Siege of Paris are the Infiltration missions. Essentially repurposed from the Black Box missions in the also French-based Assassin’s Creed: Unity, these missions provided a handful of possible ways to reach the target or infiltrate their hideout and present unique ways to assassinate them cinematically rather than simply approaching them and driving a hidden blade through their throat.

These made Assassin’s Creed feel like Assassin’s Creed again since the gradual evolution to the state of the game today. It was a welcome addition and one that should definitely be revisited in the future of the franchise to satisfy the strategic assassin impulses that haven’t felt the same in nearly a decade.

Visually impressive as always and while the locations look amazing, they don’t feel different enough to feel justified. Some solid voice work is provided for some of the new characters, King Charles the Fat in particular adds a layer to the tyrannical rule he imposes that is interesting to see brought to life.

The Siege of Paris feels more like the same Valhalla experience we had at launch in contrast to the excellently diverse and different feel brought to players with Ireland in the Wrath of the Druids expansion. The prospect of more content to come to Valhalla is one that both excites me and has me concerned if it is just going to be more of the same across the board. Fans of the series and Valhalla will likely be happy with new content regardless but as one of those players myself, the novelty is beginning to wear off.

+ Infiltration missions are a welcome addition

+ Scythe and bear mount are fun

– France doesn’t look or feel different enough to England

– Story still stuck treading overly familiar political territory

– Rat swarm idea fails to realise its potential

– More of the same overall

Developed by: Ubisoft

Published by: Ubisoft

Release Date: August 12 2021

Platforms: Xbox One/Series X|S, PlayStation 4/5 and PC

* A digital code of the Ultimate Edition was kindly provided by the Publisher *

– Additional Links –

For more of my reviews, click HERE.

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

For this and additional reviews, latest news, trailers and more from the rest of the team at Xbox Gamer Dad and One More Game, click HERE.

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The post Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla – The Siege of Paris Review first appeared on Games of DAYNE.

Morris Lupton was once the curator of Shelmerston Museum, passing away in 2019 at 62 years old. Despite being dead, Morris embarks on one last adventure in I am Dead to prevent a not-so-dormant volcano from destroying the island that is home to the museum, his past and its inhabitants.

Light puzzle solving is required to uncover the memories of other ghosts, find their mementos and complete optional riddles in this puzzle/treasure hunt adventure animated with charming visuals and a relaxing score.

Immediately, I am Dead paints two pictures, excuse the pun. One is that it features gorgeous painting-like visuals and the other is that its protagonist is, as mentioned, dead.

Discovering the afterlife in fact exists Morris is soon reunited with the spirit of his departed dog, Sparky. Guided by his spectral canine companion, Morris needs to convince a fellow ghost to take on the role of the island’s spirit to stop the eruption.

To do so Morris needs to learn what he can about the ghost that occupies each of the six levels by interacting with characters connected to their past. Each of the six levels are in unique locations and can be panned around, zoomed in and out of and feature a wealth of items and characters that can be interacted with. Unable to physically interact with the world however, Morris does so by ‘slicing’. Slicing allows Morris to hone in on an object with impeccable detail and even see inside them. Slicing can be done to objects but also aspects of the environment. For instance, a building or a tent can be sliced to see what or who resides inside and often this is where key characters or object interactions are.

Each level has five memories and five mementos to discover. Interacting with specific characters will uncover the memory and the memento will be in that same area that corresponds with the memory in the form of an object that may be visible or might need sliced to find it hidden within something else.

Memories are text-based monologues that accompany images that are distorted and must be solved by rotating them with the triggers until reaching the sweet spot which can be felt by controller vibration. Aligning the image perfectly will complete that portion of the memory and unlock a new piece of dialogue before a new image must be aligned. This repeats a few times until the memory is complete.

From here the nearby memento must be discovered which is visually identified in the top left of the screen after completing the memory. Simply searching in the immediate area, slicing objects of necessary to find and unlock it.

Only by completing all five memories and finding all five mementos is the level ready to be completed which, in line with the rest of the game, is quirky, unusual, and interesting. Morris can summon Sparky, who becomes controllable by the player, to float around the location and bark at grey spirit essence, turning yellow when collected and take them to the ghost to reanimate them and allow them to commune with Morris.

Aside from the primary objectives tied to memories and mementos, each level has a list of riddles that need to be completed. Somewhere on each level there is point that serves as the starting point where a riddle can be selected, an object that needs found is shown on screen and the player must race to its location as fast as possible to complete the challenge.

The other optional objective is to collect Grenkins, island spirits that are released when specific objects are found, sliced, and matched up to a pattern. Sparky notifies the player when these are nearby. These are completely optional and are a fun complimentary feature to flesh out the game a little more.

Stunning visual playgrounds that host the memory/memento treasure hunts of each level are so vibrant and lively, a fun contrast to the very dead yet playable Morris. Some of the animations are goofy in a fun way, particularly Sparky. For a title so static and focused on its imagery I am Dead manages to feel so animated. A relaxing score and charming sound design round out a rather soothing presentation that relieves the tension most puzzle-based titles tend to create.

I am Dead tells an intriguing story, on an interesting island full of quirky characters. The message it conveys is effectively told through its presentation, fun puzzles. clever memories and mementos. Coming in at around an hour and a half to two hours for players familiar with puzzle titles I am Dead feels like an appropriate length while causal players won’t be too far behind as the puzzles are basic and only minimal trouble should be encountered looking for mementos when considering they are always immediately nearby.

+ Beautiful art design

+ Soothing score

+ Cool memory/mementos concept

+ Interesting story

– Limited replayability

– Voiced characters would add to their depth

Developed by: Hollow Ponds

Published by: Annapurna Interactive

Release Date: August 9 2021

Platforms: Xbox One/Series X|S, PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch and PC

* A digital code was kindly provided by the Publisher for the purpose of this review *

– Additional Links –

For more of my reviews, click HERE.

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

For this and additional reviews, latest news, trailers and more from the rest of the team at Xbox Gamer Dad and One More Game, click HERE.

To see all the latest news and reviews from the team at Game News Aus, including this review, click HERE.

Don’t forget to also follow Games of DAYNE on: Twitter, Facebook and YouTube!

All digital photography was captured in-game on Xbox Series X by Games of DAYNE

The post I am Dead Review first appeared on Games of DAYNE.