VIDEO GAME: Cat Quest (2017)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Cat QuestYear: 2017Rating: E10+Time Played: 542 minutes / 9.03 hours As I continue to find games to play with my children, I was glad to come across Cat Quest for its simplicity and cat themed aesthetic. While there wasn't anything to write home about for the role playing game (RPG) mechanics, I thought having the entire game take place on the over-world map (with small dungeons to explore) was a neat idea. And even if this game's combat was a little too frenetic for my kids to play it, they enjoyed watching the story unfold. The mark of a good RPG in my book is how much grinding is required to advance the plot. Cat Quest avoids some of this by having frequent quests available that provide money (for upgrades of magic and/or weapons) and experience. Of course, there's still a lot of wandering around checking quest boards for missions that can be accomplished at the character's current level. Even so, when...
Read More

VIDEO GAME: Castlevania – Circle of the Moon (2001)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Castlevania: Circle of the MoonYear: 2001Rating: TTime Played: 555 minutes / 9.25 hours It's a little odd how I really like to play Metroidvanias, but I never played one of the "vania" games that helped cement this genre of games. Fortunately, I finally found the time to start one and chose Castlevania: Circle of the Moon. Now that I've experienced this side of the genre, I can say that I totally get it. There's something about the way this game is structured that made it enjoyable to play. The one thing that I think I like from this side of the Metroidvania coin is how it is slightly more geared toward a Role Playing Game style of action game. Aside from the abilities that make a Metroidvania the "locked door" quest that it is, the RPG elements allowed me to upgrade my gear as I found new items. It also meant that if a boss was too hard, I could just grind...
Read More

VIDEO GAME: Loop Hero (2021)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Loop HeroYear: 2021Rating: TTime Played: 2,842 minutes / 47.37 hours While it seems like every third game these days is a Roguelike, I have occasionally come across a few like Loop Hero, which successfully makes the iterative gameplay loop fun. As a metanarrative on the larger Role Playing Game structure, Loop Hero is strangely fun for a game that automatically fights every battle for you. After all, everyone knows the best part of an RPG is finding better gear and trying to determine which one provides better stats for their character. This is Loop Hero in a nutshell. Perhaps it's the combination of Roguelike, Deck Builder, and RPG genres that makes this game stand out. With each round, the player character walks around a randomly generated path. By playing cards obtained through battle, the landscape can change to help (or hinder) the hero. If the hero can survive long enough, a challenging boss appears. It's sometimes a gamble to obtain more materials...
Read More

VIDEO GAME: Golden Sun (2001)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Golden Sun Year: 2001 Rating: E Time Played: ~22 hours After the initial rise in popularity of Role-Playing Games (RPGs) in the 1990s, there was a bit of a lull in the genre. Square had established itself with hits like the Final Fantasy series and Chrono Trigger, and Game Freak had slightly reinvented the genre with Pokémon. With some of the “golden era” games from this genre coming from the Super Nintendo, it made sense to see the next notable RPG come in the form of Golden Sun on the similarly powerful Game Boy Advance. Using some tropes of the genre, Golden Sun felt original in its combat and class structure. The introduction of the Djinn mechanic made Golden Sun a blast to play. As pseudo-onetime spells, the Djinn were fun to find in the Overworld and powerful to use in battle. I wasn’t necessarily a fan of how they’d randomly seem to change the class of the characters. The elemental mixtures sometimes made it...
Read More