Yearly Archives: 2017

Last Day of June Review

By Jaime Skelton (MissyS), Editor-in-Chief

What lengths would you go to in order to save the one you loved? I have never been so unfortunate to directly face this question in my life, though I have pondered it in the many “what-if” scenarios that play through my head on restless nights. And while I feel strongly that I would be willing to do anything in the right circumstances, I also accept that there is also a factor of inevitability we all must accept in the course of our lives.

But what if there wasn’t? Last Day of June, a puzzle adventure game by developer Ovosonico (publisher 505 Games), offers a story in which the player explores the depth of this question in a richly artistic way. Featuring the artistic talents of director Massimo Guarini, musician Steven Wilson, and writer/animator Jess Cope, Last Day of June offers a wordless narrative on the nature of love, death, and acceptance.

Last Day of June Review - On The Docks This is where your story begins.

The story puts players in control of Carl, a man who has suffered the loss of his beloved June in a tragic accident. Awaking one dark night alone, Carl shifts into his wheelchair and makes his way to the kitchen to make a meal, only to find that a mysterious light and presence has appeared, giving life to the paintings in June’s abandoned studio and bringing memories alive in ethereal forms in the cold night outside.

Last Day of June Review - Memories RenewedPaintings become portals to the past.

Soon, Carl discovers that he can use these paintings to enter the lives of a few of his neighbors on the fateful day of the accident: a young boy, a close friend, a sport hunter, and an elderly man. These sequences allow the player to take control of these other town members, at first seeing what actions led to the accident before taking the opportunity to change these events in an effort to save June from death.

Last Day of June Review - Turn Back TimeThe clock will roll back as much as it takes.

The scenario plays out like a melancholy Groundhog Day, as players must puzzle out what actions to take in order to earn a new outcome. As more characters become available, players must switch between each timeline, even using the actions of the characters to help make new areas accessible for each other. There is a lot of trial and error, and a lot of repetition, in this gameplay. My heart became numb to the accident as I watched it play out over and over, and while many of the cutscenes are skipped or shortened in repeat character playthroughs, there were times I simply wanted to tell the game “just play this outcome.” And as the game offers no guidance, there were a few times I needed an outside hint to help me figure out what I could do to change events in certain timelines.

Last Day of June Review - Event SequenceA card sequence shows which choices each character has currently made.

During Last Day of June, players can also find memories of the characters, small blue spheres which unlock photographs of their past. Each character, outside of Carl and June, has five memories which come to illuminate their character, giving them a greater sense of place in the events of that day. While each of these mini-stories is shallow, it is enough to give empathy and understanding to the characters who have no verbal dialogue.

The controls of the game are simple, primarily focused on moving and interacting with a button when prompts indicate the character can take action. Both keyboard/mouse and controller options are available, though I feel the game is better experienced through a controller due to its more fluid movement controls.

Last Day of June Review - Moving Day MemorySome things go full circle.

The story’s ending is predictable, hints slowly revealing a greater truth behind the events unravelled – and yet it retains an emotional impact that will still have you grabbing for tissues as the end credits play. In fact, I had barely calmed my tears when the “true ending,” which plays post-credits, had me bawling again. It’s an ending which carries a message of acceptance and continuity.

Last Day of June Review - Whats In the BoxAnd still I wonder – what’s in the box?

Although Last Day of June is more than a “walking simulator,” I have to remark that it is one of the most gorgeous video game experiences I have encountered. The art style is as if someone breathed life into an impressionist painting, and although the lack of eyes on the characters may give a “creepy” vibe from a distance, they also force the player to focus more intensely on the non-verbal communication and action. Though some have criticized the choice to have no voice acting or written dialogue, I applaud it: by doing so, Last Day of June strips away the nuances of language and culture to focus more closely on a relatable human experience.

Last Day of June Review - Moonlight MemoriesMemories last forever.

Last Day of June is available on Steam for $19.99, and takes approximately two to three hours to complete. Players looking for more action or gameplay will be turned off by the price and short play time. For those who appreciate cinematic gaming experiences, Last Day of June is an essential purchase. While it falls short of being a masterpiece, due to a predictable plot and repetitive gameplay sequences, it still stands as one of the most emotional and beautiful titles available, a testament that video games are art.

Final Rating: 4/5

Note: A game key was provided for review purposes.

Raiden V: Director’s Cut Review

by Jason Parker (Ragachak)

Raiden V - Guns for Situations

Bring the right bullet for the job.

I have a love-hate relationship with Bullet Hells. I really love to hate them. They make me cross in a way I don’t feel comfortable writing down, for fear I scare children, and sensitive readers flail their arms and run in a blend of horror/disgust. But Raiden as a franchise always caught my eye. It combined the bullet hell style of dodging lasers and bullets with a jet that can dump just as many bullets onto the screen. This is terrific, but somehow makes the games even harder! Now you have to wonder to yourself, “Is that my bullet or theirs?” but fortunately yours almost always look different. But the last Raiden title I played was Raiden Trad/Raiden Densetsu in the Arcade/SNES. I spent so many damn quarters on it down by the beach with several of my friends each and every summer. So when I saw a newer one was lurking and I had somehow missed it, I jumped on the chance!

Raiden V - PEW PEW

PEW PEW TIME TO DIE!

Raiden V: Director’s Cut is a port from console and has the benefit of added stages that were not on the regular Raiden V. There are branching paths, and it has a health bar.  Well, a “shield system”, but instead of “one hit and you die”, you have a shield system before you crash and burn. When you do continue, you keep your powerups, which is another fantastic, wonderful idea that some people might think makes the game too easy. There’s a traditional mode and a boss run and it has two players … offline. Come on, this is a vertical shooter! Two players would be incredibly easy! That aside, it’s a blast to play, and though it seems to lack some of the difficulty of its predecessors for a few reasons, it’s incredibly fun and addictive.

Raiden V - Bullet Choice

You have choices. Don’t squander them.

You have three ships, the Azuma from Japan, the Moulin Rouge from France, and the Spirit of Dragon from America. Each ship has its own stats, in the Attack/Armor/Speed categories. Pick whichever suits you! From there you pick your weapon for the ship. There are gems that drop in stages, that change from Red/Blue/Purple. They correspond to the colors of the weapons you selected in the start. The Red/Orange selections are bullets (Wide Vulcan, Swing Vulcan, Moving Vulcan), the Blue are lasers (Lightning Laser, Charge Laser, Reflect Laser) and the Purple are Plasma (Bend Plasma, Catch Plasma, and Homing Plasma). If you keep collecting the same color, it levels up and does more fancy things, and it tracks the level (so if you swap to a different gun for some reason or another, you can go back to your level 8 Plasma, unless you want level 4 Vulcan). Personally, my favorite is the Homing Plasma, and my least favorite is the Reflect Laser. It puts out a gem that you shoot at that reflects the beam in a series of shots. It’s frustrating to use, but it has its uses, as does all of them. Though my favorite is Homing Plasma, it’s also dangerous in that it can only hit so many things at once and will no doubt put you in danger.

Raiden V -Blue Laser

Everything has a use!

But you also have a “Cheer Meter” that fills from killing enemies/collecting items on the map, and when its full you can hit Square to summon an ally that helps you fight! It also cancels all the enemy bulelts on the screen and boosts your sub-weapon. They appear to be other people who play the game because on the Game Over screen, you can see who cheered you on. There are also Bombs that obliterate everything on the screen (except Bosses, but still hurts them) and you start with three but can collect more. The missions are pretty straight-forward, but depending on how you perform (enemies left alive, damage taken I presume) you can lock other stages, side missions and such. Though speaking of difficulty, you have the following: Practice, Very Easy, Easy, Normal, Hard, Very Hard. In “Practice”, the enemies don’t fire, so you can learn patterns of ships, how the game works and get a feel for the controls. Personally, I only play on Very Hard, after trying Normal. Normal was no fun at all. I blazed through stages without taking a hit. But Very Hard? That’s exciting. The bullets shoot faster, so decision-making and precision dodging matter so much more. Not to mention there are 30 stages total to unlock and conquer, and that’s without Boss Rush! There’s plenty of replayability and challenge for even the most hardened bullet hell fan.

Spirit of BULLET HELL: 4/5

Raiden V - Stages

Plenty of stage options to unlock!

Honestly, the only thing holding this back is being able to change the color of your ship and to feature online co-op. The dialogue between the characters is great (it’s also the first Raiden game to feature a voice cast), it stays true to the vertical-scrolling bullet hell that the franchise is famous for, it’s fast, frenetic and you appear to have unlimited continues. The stages are gorgeous, and the constant glow of various lasers, bombs and explosions keeps you locked on the screen at all times. You definitely should keep an eye on the dialogue on the right side of the screen too, when you have downtime; it tells you how you’re doing, and I think it has something to do with unlocking stages. The alternate stages also appear to have different bullet patterns, making it one more thing to keep track of. There are tiny things I don’t get, like why the little gold items don’t always come to me when a group of them are together. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. Having unlimited continues almost seems to make the game too easy, but the challenge of the fights makes up for that. If there’s a limit, I haven’t found it. I play a few stages, then put it down and come back. But it’s got difficulty settings for everyone, to get used to how the game plays and then gradually go up, or if you’re like me, and want to truly experience the horrors of war, you jump right into Very Hard and do your best! I don’t like that you can only have one save slot, but you do have a stage select, so that’s a positive. And this would be fantastic for couch co-op. As a long-time fan of this series, I’m very happy with the results. It feels like R-Type and Raiden in one lovely, convenient place.