Review: Fez

Fez
Developer: polytron
Platforms: X-Box 360

In a Nutshell:

2D platformer in a 3D world.

Story:

You're Gomez a 2D creature in a seemingly 2D world until one day a third dimension is revealed you. Unfortunately in the process the hexahedron is shattered into bits and you must find them all scattered throughout the world.

The hexahedron is apparently a god and there was a race of people who spoke cube, and all kinds other weird crap add to the mystery of what the actual story and history of Fez is.

Game Play:

Game play in Fez at first seems to be simple platforming puzzles solved using the rotation mechanic to get to the next platform or area and reach the next piece of the hexahedron. The world is split up into small areas and walking through doors moves you to the next area. An area is cleared when it appears gold on the world map, indicating there is nothing else to be found. The game is non-linear, so you can travel in whatever path you so choose in your search for the bits of the hexahedron. It all seemed so simple and basic.

This is just the first half of the game though, as what seemed to be a simple quest turns into a game of deciphering an alphabet and numbering system, finding hidden messages, and inputting codes to reveal the secret anti-cubes. There is where Fez either hooks or alienates players. Older gamers who remember the feeling of difficult secrets and writing down personal notes or maps to keep track of their progress will experience nostalgia when this aspect of the game comes into play. Those who aren't interested in cracking codes and solving mysteries will likely become very frustrated and put this game down. It all depends on if you are interested in solving all the mysteries of the hexahedron.

Sound:

Fez's soundtrack really shines. Composed of low-fi bleeps and blips to mimic the feel of the graphics all the sound fits like a glove. Ever jump, every cube gained, every soundtrack for each level screams old school. It brought back memories of old games to me. The music gives a very tranquil feel to the game, giving off a feeling peace and calm. This is good because the frustration of solving some of the more obtuse problems would probably put most people in a fit of rage.

Bottom Line:

DAMN YOU BLACK MONOLITH!

Review: Asura's Wrath

Asura's Wrath
Developer: CyberConnect2
Platforms: X-Box 360, PS3

In a Nutshell:

The story of a very angry man, with lots of screaming and explosions.

Story:

Asura is a very angry demigod. He has a wife and a daughter. An assassination plot against the emperor causes him to be framed, his wife murdered and his daughter kidnapped. Those responsible attempt to kill him as well, but his thirst for vengeance will not allow him to die. Now he uses his all his rage to take revenge on those who betrayed him and save his daughter.

In general this is a very basic story with a few deeper points like why Asura is so angry, a slight sense of good in Asura as he watches the actions of his peers, and the betrayal and redemption of his best friend and brother in law. It's nothing new, but it's presented very well and you sympathize with both Asura's anger and Yasha's doubt.

Game Play:

This is where Asura's Wrath stumbles in my opinion. Let me put this out there, I don't think Asura's Wrath is intended to be a video game. It's an interactive piece of multimedia, more like if you took an anime and put video game elements into it. Game play is broken down into episodes, with opening credits, commercial break splash screens and even a too be continued at the end of each stage. It's like watching an anime. The game play is broken down into one of 3 sequences, an on rails shooter much like Panzer Dragoon, a beat-em up like God of War, and then a quick time event sequence. In each of these you're trying to build up the meter so you can unleash your burst move and progress the story. You're ranked on how well you do battle and how well your time your button presses with the quick time events. It's unique and it's not something most gamers expect. As a video game Asura's Wrath is lacking, it could be fleshed out much more in terms of the beat-em up stages, more enemies, the ability to explore and find power ups or upgrade your moves. It all feels very short, and if that was intended I am not entirely too sure.

Sound:

The sound in Asura's Wrath is great. The voice acting is top-notch, none of the lines sound cheesy and the rage in Asura's voice is believable. You are also given the option for the Japanese voices but I never used it because the English voice acting never got to the level where I couldn't stand it anymore. The music is just as strong, with each piece giving a sense of epicness to the story, as well as a feeling of mystery and wonder. Very fitting for a game about a battle between gods, revenge, and a giant galactic sized Buddha. Overall it sounded like a very well done anime production.

Bottom Line:

Angry demi-god punches galactic-sized Buddha in the face.

Review: To the Moon

To the Moon

Developer: Freebird Games
Platforms: PC

In at nutshell: 

Adventure/Visual Novel game with a well written story and a great soundtrack.

Story:

The story premise of To the Moon is that you're a company that can grant any wish to a dying person, simply by altering their memories and changing how they think they've lived their lives. The catch is that when the process is complete they will die. The plot is centered around the patient Johnny, whose wish is to go to the moon. He doesn't know why he wants to do this, but you set out to fulfill his wish by traveling through his memories backwards to get to his childhood and set the events in motion.

The story of To the Moon is definitely one of it's strong points. You really get into it and you want to learn all about the events that happen in Johnny's life. The finale is a bit of a shocker, but some parts of the plot are a tad predictable. It's difficult to get into the details of the plot in-depth without spoiling too much, so I'll say that the main reason you want to keep playing and finish this game is because of the story.

Game play:

The actual game play segments of To the Moon are very basic. In each memory you're given the task of finding 5 objects that are keys to unlocking the memento that will allow you to make the next memory jump. These objects are easy to find since the mouse cursor will change into a magnifying glass on mouse over. Once you unlock the memento you then solve a simple picture puzzle to "prepare" the object to be used to make the jump. The number of moves you make is tracked and the minimum number of moves is shown, but it's not necessary to complete the puzzle in the allotted number of moves. The game play serves mostly as a means to move to the next plot element and it takes a backseat to the narrative. 

Sound:

Music is definitely the other strong aspect of To the Moon. The piano pieces all fit perfectly with the mood of the game and enhance the story. Playing through the game I found the music evoking emotion from me with the right timing in terms of what was happening in the story. Laura Shigihara of Plants vs Zombies fame also lends her vocal talents to a few of the pieces as well, strengthening an already impressive score. Sound effects were fitting and helped with immersion as well, especially the hum of the machinery used to alter the memories.

Bottom Line:

Play this for the story.