Tag Archives: progression

Essentials, Shmups, SNK

SNK Essentials: Alpha Mission

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SNK is primarily known for its fighting games these days, but in its earlier years it was known for a number of solid (and influential) shoot ’em ups.

While Alpha Mission (also known as ASO: Armored Scrum Object in Japan) isn’t the company’s first shoot ’em up by any means, it is an important one and forms the first in a loose “trilogy” of titles that we’ll explore over the course of the next few articles.

Drawing inspiration from Western RPGs, of all things, this is a fun but challenging vertically scrolling shoot ’em up that any fan of the genre owes it to themselves to become intimately acquainted with.

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Atelier Arland Trilogy, New Game Plus, Videos

New Game Plus: Replicating Ancient Tool – Atelier Rorona DX #5

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Get out your ancient tool, boys and girls, because Rorolina Frixell is most certainly going to replicate it good and proper!

Yes, in today’s episode of New Game Plus, in which we are presently enjoying a second playthrough of Atelier Rorona DX on Nintendo Switch, we take on the poor overworked girl’s third assignment, which is somewhat vague on the specifics but nonetheless proves not to be too much of a problem for her.

Hit the jump to see how we got on today!

Continue reading New Game Plus: Replicating Ancient Tool – Atelier Rorona DX #5 →

Delving Into..., Dynasty Warriors

Delving into Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition – #4

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All right. Let’s talk about mechanics — some of them, at least.

So far, as previously noted in the last three parts of this series, I’ve been primarily exploring the Story mode in Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition for Nintendo Switch, and that is still the case — though I have now at least dipped my toes into Ambition Mode. More on that another day though.

During the Story mode, you have the opportunity to get a feel for a variety of characters and get started on progression. So let’s take a look at how all that works.

Continue reading Delving into Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition – #4 →

Videos, Warriors Wednesday

Warriors Wednesday: The Mail Must Get Through – Warriors Orochi #20

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Warriors Orochi is definitely getting easier the further I go through it.

Today’s mission is done and dusted in under 20 minutes — including the obligatory “upgrade and fusion” time before we actually get into the hackin’ and a-slashin’. This is keeping things fun and interesting, however; the sense of “power creep” is very satisfying indeed, and I’m looking forward to seeing how powerful my warriors are by the time I get to the final story campaigns!

For now, hit the jump to see how remarkably smoothly today’s rescue mission went.

Continue reading Warriors Wednesday: The Mail Must Get Through – Warriors Orochi #20 →

Videos, Warriors Wednesday

Warriors Wednesday: The God of War’s Windmill Blade – Warriors Orochi #13

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We’re nearly there! On the Samurai Warriors campaign, that is.

Yes, it’s the penultimate mission of the first phase of our Warriors Orochi playthrough, meaning that next time around we get to wail on ol’ snake boy himself for the first time.

After a bit of off-camera unlocking of passive abilities, things are going pretty well for the crew. Hit the jump to see how today’s mission went.

Continue reading Warriors Wednesday: The God of War’s Windmill Blade – Warriors Orochi #13 →

Delving Into..., Musou, Warriors Orochi

Delving into Musou: Warriors Orochi

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Regular readers will know that, for a little while now, I’ve been posting videos of my experiences with Warriors Orochi. So I figured it was probably time I wrote about it!

This realisation comes at a good time, as although I’m a significant distance away from beating the game — and I would actually like to try and “beat” it, at least in terms of completing all the missions on Normal once — I feel like I’ve learned quite a bit about how the game as a whole works.

It turns out that despite its apparently simple structure, Warriors Orochi has a formidably addictive metagame. So let’s look into where this game’s long-term appeal comes from.

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Dragalia Lost

Dragalia Lost: Trick or Treasure

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Hot on the heels of Loyalty’s Requiem, Nintendo and Cygames’ newest mobile title finds itself in the midst of another special event — this time in celebration of Halloween.

So far this is very much in keeping with Cygames’ previous way of doing things in titles like Granblue Fantasy, and indeed a common approach with free-to-play mobile games in general. It certainly keeps things interesting and lively!

Let’s take a closer look at the event, what it involves and why you might want to engage with it.

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Dragalia Lost, Mobage

Dragalia Lost: Making a Solid Start

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So, you decided to give Dragalia Lost a go. A free-to-play mobile game from Nintendo can’t be that scary, can it?

Well, if you’ve never given a game like this a shot before, there’s a surprising amount of depth to the overall affair that might not be immediately apparent. Dragalia Lost does a better job than most at introducing new progression mechanics gradually, but it can still be a little daunting if you’re a newcomer!

With that in mind, I present a selection of advice for those new to the game — particularly if you’re new to free-to-play mobile gacha RPGs in general.

Continue reading Dragalia Lost: Making a Solid Start →

Cover Games, Evenicle

Evenicle: Fightin’ Waifus

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cropped-evenicle-header-2828638This article is one chapter of a multi-part Cover Game feature!
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We took a look at an overview of how Evenicle works as a game back when I shared my first impressions of the game, but it’s time to delve a bit deeper.

Much like AliceSoft’s other games, Evenicle is an RPG in which its narrative and mechanical elements are intertwined rather nicely, giving the whole experience a pleasant feeling of coherence. The party members you gather over the course of the game feel like people rather than collections of stats and abilities — but there’s some interesting mechanical depth there for those who care to explore such things.

Let’s dive in, then.

MILD NSFW WARNING

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Cover Games, Hyrule Warriors

Hyrule Warriors: The Real Game Starts Here

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cropped-header2-4026370This article is one chapter of a multi-part Cover Game feature!
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You know how dedicated MMO players say that the game is “just beginning” when you reach the level cap? Hyrule Warriors is a bit like that in some respects; completing the main story mode is far from the end of the game.

In fact, one might argue that the “endgame” of Hyrule Warriors, if you choose to look at it in that way, is in fact the most substantial meat of the package. Eschewing the narrative focus of the main story mode in favour of a non-linear, mechanics-centric experience that is all about just having fun as you see fit, this part of the game will keep you busy for a long, long time.

And, moreover, it will do this not by forcing you to grind the same things over and over again, but instead by offering you a huge variety of different, highly replayable challenges that each put their own fascinating twists on the core mechanics of the game.

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