VIDEO GAME: Vampire Survivors (2022)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Vampire Survivors Year: 2022 Rating: T Time Played: 30+ hours For the few months I had Apple Arcade on my phone, I got to try out some games that I had occasionally heard about but never had the time to sit down and play. Vampire Survivors felt like a game inspired by the Castlevania aesthetic but with roguelike and shoot-em-up (or shmup) elements that had me regularly coming back to play it. And since it was on my phone, I could easily get a round of Vampire Survivors in when just waiting around for something. Be careful: this is addictive. As with most roguelikes, Vampire Survivors progression depends on gathering a specific currency that is used to upgrade various stats. From health and armor to speed and attack, slowly unlocking the full potential of these characters helped to give me the edge to progress to each successive stage. Then I unlocked the "garlic" weapon. Having found the best weapon for my play style (i.e., where...
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VIDEO GAME: Prune (2015)

by benmweilertNo Comments
PruneYear: 2015Rating: ETime Played: ~4 hours When I picked up a few months of Apple Arcade for free, I downloaded a handful of games to play on my phone. Prune was one that looked soothing, like Monument Valley. It also looked short, which I could appreciate. Once I got into it, I wished it was perhaps even a little shorter. The concept was solid, but the way it was executed on the touchscreen of my phone made me wanting more control over different aspects. If I wanted to play longer and complete the rest of the secret levels, I could...I just didn't want to. The objective of Prune is to let a tree grow until it flowers. This requires trimming off branches and limbs as it grows, allowing it to get around corners and eventually find life-giving sunlight to bloom. The almost random way these trees would grow was one of my frustrations with the game. I had to re-start so many...
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