Monthly Archives: May 2019

Chrono Trigger – Between Earth and Sky by Julia Henderson (Music Review)

by Jason Parker (Ragachak)

 

Julia Henderson Between Earth and Sky

Are you guys tired of me talking about just how much of a masterpiece Chrono Trigger and its soundtrack are yet? Well too bad, because I’ve got one more masterpiece to talk about today! Julia Henderson, through the Materia Collective, released a new album last week, entitled “Between Earth and Sky”, a tribute to Chrono Trigger, and all of the memories that game has provided countless fans around the world. It’s a short album, six tracks long, but each one packs an Ayla-sized punch of emotion. Of course, it was incredibly hard to pair this down to my favorite songs, because Julia Henderson is just incredible. I enjoy her work a great deal, so having this in my collection is a true privilege. I highly recommend any fans of beautiful vocal work and the music of Chrono Trigger go pick this up immediately in the links below. I also wanted to give a special shoutout to the smooth jazz of Wings that Cross TIme. That’s definitely a first for me for that track, and I thought it was a very relaxing rendition. All six of these songs are amazing, and the vocals for Memories of Green are well, memorable. But I definitely wanted to focus more on Corridors of Time.

“Chrono Trigger’s soundtrack has personally touched me more than any other, and I know there are many others with similar emotional connections to both the game and Yasunori Mitsuda’s soundtrack,” comments Julia Henderson. “My concept and the reasoning behind the album’s title, Between Earth and Sky, was to highlight the physical, emotional, and metaphysical journey that the characters undertake as they discover the truth about the end of the world, experience the end of time itself, and defeat Lavos. Most importantly, Crono’s friends throughout the game all come from
different eras and lands. Thus, Crono finds a greater common purpose along with the unlikeliest of allies, including a robot, a princess, a frog, and a demon king. This theme echoed my collaborative efforts, as I involved many musicians and non-musicians who all share a love for Chrono Trigger and its music.”

Battle with Magus (Track 2): How could I not include this, once I saw it made the cut? The intro with the haunting chanting and flutes really pulled me in. I thought that was going to be how the entire track went (and I was honestly fine with that), but they hit me with the swerve! The transition into the electric guitar, backed by the singing and the flutes were incredible. In many of the renditions of Battle with Magus I’ve listened to, violins are a popular backdrop instead of the flute, but I like this. Towards the end of the track, when the breakdown hits, there’s a duel between what sounds like a classical guitar and the mighty electric guitar, which in my estimation represents Magus and his dark magic, preparing that infuriating Dark Matter spell. The chanting continues throughout the whole song and really adds a chilling elegy to the background to one of the most important fights in the whole of Chrono Trigger.

World Revolution (Track 6): World Revolution is one of the last major songs of the entire game. This is the song that you hear when you break past the crusty shell of Lavos and get to the meaty interior. If there were any song in this whole game that needed the mighty pounding of drums, this is the one, and it delivers. Julia’s wail of despair in the background behind the trumpets and steady drum broke open a floodgate of memories of my first time doing battle with Lavos. World Revolution has always been a song to me that paired neatly utter despair, with just a sliver of hope. That comes towards the end of the track when you hear that beautiful flute again. It doesn’t last, as those powerful drums beat again. Lavos is one of the mightiest bosses I’ve had the pleasure of fighting and is truly worthy of being the final encounter of Chrono Trigger. The mindless, steady beat matches Lavos’ own emotion. Lavos is not necessarily evil, it’s just a devourer, the death of planets. But this world is one worth fighting for.

Corridors of Time (Track 3): From powerful metal to rhythmic drumming, to something softer, quieter. Corridors of Time is unquestioningly one of the greatest songs in any RPG ever. This is the overworld theme, such as it is, of the Empire of Zeal, the floating kingdom of magic in Chrono Trigger. Instead of chanting and wailing, this song has lyrics backing it, and it felt to me, that it was Schala talking about her younger brother, Janus Zeal. Ultimately, Janus has a dark fate, and she can see it every time she peers at the child and his cat Alfador. Though the two are split apart thanks to Queen Zeal and Lavos, this could also be an allusion to Chrono and Marle/Nadia’s relationship, because even though the two are ripped from each other in two occasions in the game, the other never give up on the person ripped out of time that they were fated to find. It’s really a beautiful song, and I can’t really put it any other way. There’s a great deal of depth to the original song, but Julia adds so much more with her take on this particular track. This album is worth purchasing just for this song alone.

This album was provided by Materia Collective for purposes of this review. It can be found in a variety of storefronts, at this link.

 

 

Forager Sells 150K Copies and Reveals Year Roadmap

Forager Roadmap

Forager is an adorable 2D open world game inspired by other farming/crafting titles like Stardew Valley, Terraria, and Zelda. It’s done incredibly well and has been well-received on Steam, and we couldn’t be happier. Players gather, craft, collect and manage resources in this incredibly cute world. Today, Humble Bundle and Mariano Cavallero revealed the roadmap for content coming this year, from May’s new game modes, weather effects, and improved options menu, all the way to Winter 2019/2020, where co-op, new lands and items will come into play.

Forager is Humble Bundle’s fifth game to reach over 100k sales for their publishing division. “We’re very happy for the success of Forager, HopFrog has put their heart and soul into this game and to see it payoff has been incredible to watch.” says Connor Bridgeman, Publishing Brand Manager at Humble Bundle. “Humble Bundle has enjoyed a lot of success on the publishing side and it’s due to our passionate developer partners. We can’t wait to expand the program.”

“I am completely overwhelmed by Forager‘s positive reaction!” says Mariano Cavallero, creator of Forager. “I always thought my silly little crafting game could be something special, it’s so wholesome and exciting that players around the world seem to agree!”

“There are a lot of new content and features coming to the game in the near future that I am VERY excited about! Things like massive content updates, Mod Support and Multiplayer which are only possible thanks to the amazing support of gamers worldwide!”

Deck of Ashes – Early Access Preview

by Jason Parker (Ragachak)

Deck of Ashes Review - 1

Nothin’, not even children’s trading cards are free.

Deckbuilders definitely seem to be en vogue again, and that’s without a doubt a great thing. Deckbuilders come with all the cards you need to play the game without having to buy booster packs. Deck of Ashes just has players hunting down the cards, playthrough by playthrough, slowly building a collection. When you die to an enemy encounter (and it’s going to happen), you start over, as does your collection. Depending on how many Points you earned through that playthrough, you can unlock passive traits, new card recipes, and things of that nature. So playing over and over will still provide new challenges and ways to grow. This game is still in Early Access, so there is still a lot of room to grow and change as time goes on. I will say that despite my years of deckbuilding and CCG experience, this game is brutal. Even with varying degrees of difficulty, this game is pretty difficult. I appreciate that though – roguelikes are no fun if they’re easy!

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I’ve heard of people getting through Martyr on one or two playthroughs. I am not the one though.

There are four degrees of difficulty to choose from. Wanderer is the easiest; on that difficulty, you respawn at your Camp when you die, and you have more health. This mode lets you learn about the cards without any risk, so it’s a great way to learn deck builds and combos. Next came Raider, which offers more health than normal, and death resets the chapter, instead of the whole game. You can also still perform the Ressurection Rite to evade death. Adventurer is the mode I played on, where you have a normal amount of health, you start at the beginning of the game when you die, and you can perform a Resurrection Ritual at your camp to avoid death. Martyr is a step above that; you cannot perform the Ritual, and the game is even harder still. I think I’ll stick to Adventurer if it’s all the same. At least I’m building a collection of potential cards, and just have to unlock their use in each playthrough.

Deck of Ashes Review - 3

At the end of battle, thankfully, you can restore some of your cards/hp with rest points.

Right now there’s only one character to use: Lucia the Eternal Flame, who is, as her name suggests, a Pyromancer. Sly the Black is coming soon, and I imagine he’ll take advantage of more of the stealth, poison, and sneaky cards I see the enemies use. The game takes place on a series of maps, with your Camp located in the center. The paths branch off to various tiles that do anything from Random Events (Question Marks), Resources (Circles with a mining pick), Chests (require x amount of keys to open), or Battles (Swords). There’s also a meter in the top middle of the screen, and when it gets to the end, you must go back to camp and prep for the battle with the Lord of that map. It’s typically something hideous, awful, with tons of HP and powerful cards to battle you back with.

Deck of Ashes Review 5

Just look at the damage numbers I can drop on this boss.

You start off with 8 cards in your deck, though you can purchase more card recipes from the Merchant at your base camp (center of the map). Cards are bought with gold, and crafted with Ash. Ash is acquired from winning fights, occasionally from events, and from Ash Storms, if you can get to the Ash Urn in time. Ash Storms randomly happen between turns on the map and last for three turns total. A turn passes when you walk from one spot to the next on the map. The Ash Master in your camp can renew your cards once a day, and perform the Ritual to bring yourself back to life and cheat death. It’s a little on the pricey side in terms of gold, but no risk, no reward! This camp is key to your success and the only real safe spot on the map. Each of the members of your camp (Ash Master, Blacksmith, Herbalist, Merchant) can be upgraded, using resources that are mined from the map. When you hit a circle tile, a mining pick will pop up on it, and you can mine resources. The further out you go, the darker the combat/event/resource tiles get, which is also an indicator of how dangerous they are. The further out, the greater the danger. But you can teleport back to camp, and there are also portals to use that can teleport you around, once you unlock them.

Deck of Ashes Review 6

There are plenty of good (and bad) things to come from events.

Whether you engage a Battle Tile or get Ambushed on another tile, combat works the same way. The side with the highest Speed goes first, and thankfully, you can see what each creature is going to do before they do it. Their card is revealed to you, and it can be hovered over for more info. One of the things I’m not as wild about is that you draw two cards a turn. When you have 8 cards starting, it doesn’t take long for you to run out of cards to draw. At the end of your turn, you can also return up to 3 cards to your deck, and draw that many more back. This is borderline useless at the start of the game, but once you have a sizable deck, this can really turn the tide of battle. When you can’t draw more, you receive a card that recycles 5 cards from your discard pile back into your deck for 20 HP. This is a mechanic called “Strain”, and there are other cards that are built around the concept of paying life for effects. The player receives 5 Mana a turn, and this regenerates every turn.

Deck of Ashes Review - 4

In the beginning, you can drop maybe 14 or so damage on a good turn. Battles can really be a slog. That 5 hp monster was just a summoned minion.

I’m not exceptionally upset about the low amount of mana, but I wouldn’t mind having an option to increase it. The part that is a pretty major turn-off right now is the length of the fights. Even the level 1 enemies take several turns to kill, and in that time period, you could be crippled and unable to come back after a few fights. Every 24 hours in game you can get new products at your camp and can refresh your cards, but that means surviving that long. Even one enemy on its own feels like it takes forever to do battle with, and there are plenty of them that summon minions, or create minions when they die, heal, or drop constant DOT damage on you. The longer a battle takes, the more often you have to recycle cards into your deck, and creating a cycle of having to go back to town, waste resources on healing, or avoid exploring out of fear of death – especially in the early going. This could probably see a little fine-tuning. That said, I do like the character dynamics, I like the actual battle mechanics, and the concept of recycling cards with a cost, but I think with as much RNG as this game has, it can feel very deflating.

Deck of Ashes REview 7

You really have to consider carefully what you use your resources on (or when to trade at the merchant for more of another resource).

Deck of Ashes created an interesting, but frustrating, dynamic for me with recycling cards in exchange for life. In my first playthrough, I managed to get through a few chapters of the game with relative ease, but after chapter 1, I started coming across a new type of card that enemy characters insert into your deck – Diseases. These ailments are presented as cards that are shuffled into your deck. You can cast them, which has a negative effect on you, and it puts them in your Ash Pile. Alternatively, you can just keep shuffling them back into your deck. The only way to get rid of these is to have a card that dispels a random illness from your deck or to cure them by upgrading your Camp Healer. This requires quite a few resources, so I found myself fighting less, and farming resources more. This left me with a weaker deck, but at least I could protect myself from those ailment cards. In later parts of chapters 2 and 3, having so many of those ailments in my Ash Pile turned to be profitable – I had a card that dealt damage according to how many cards were in my Ash Pile! So at that point, I had 30+ cards in my Ash Pile, thanks to the Ash Master. He can (for a price) turn some of your cards to Ash, including these Diseases. They still can come back with the Ash Ritual or when you renew your deck though. There are cards that deal bonus effects every turn when they’re in your Ash Pile, so it is helpful to at least consider that, especially if you have no discard engine.

 

Deck of Ashes Review - 8

Take your time, there’s no rush. It’s only the end of the world.

The Story Thus Far: 3/5 (Good)

I enjoy the story Deck of Ashes tells. I won’t spoil it, but Lucia as a character does have some depth, and this, coupled with the grimdark aesthetic, gives a lot on offer. I like the designs of the enemy demons/undead you fight, as well as the actual card art. Everything in this game stands out nicely, and though the Epilogue is not playable yet, I’m glad it’s set aside, away from the main story so players should have access to it when they please. The Prologue was treated as a Tutorial and did a solid job of teaching the game’s mechanics and base keywords for cards. The whole presentation of this game, in general, is very well done, and the atmosphere is created in a way that I truly appreciate. Deck of Ashes is a pretty dark tale, and they hooked me early on. I wonder how the other character is going to play, and how their tale will intertwine with Lucia’s.

Deck of Ashes Review - 9

You get rewarded on how well you did, at least.

Honestly, I think Deck of Ashes offers a lot for fans of games like Slay the Spire, especially for the price of 15 bucks. It has plenty of replay value and several different ways to build your decks. The game has more than enough challenge and is certainly a new take for me, in the deckbuilder genre. I’m looking forward to seeing how it grows during Early Access. I can only imagine/hope they will add more cards, and adjust combat a little to feel less frustrating, but overall it was a lot of fun. I do wish battles didn’t drag on for quite as long as they do though. Every playthrough, you get a little better. As the card library and the game itself grows, I think this could be a truly enjoyable deckbuilder/roguelike.

Note: A game key was given for purposes of this review.

Deck of Ashes Image Gallery

Yakuza Kiwami 2 PC Review (Steam)

by Jason Parker (Ragachak)

Yakuza Kiwami 2 PC Review

Well, if this is how you guys want to finish your story…

Since I haven’t told you this in a while – play Yakuza. Play. Yakuza. It’s such a phenomenal series, and Yakuza Kiwami 2 may be my favorite of the franchise so far. It would have been Yakuza 6, but that annoying baby crying made me want to scream, and then throw my controller into the ocean (since the bawling came through my PS4 controller and not my headphones). So, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is officially on Steam, and with it comes the East vs. West War, as the Dragon of Kansai, decides there doesn’t need to be more than one Dragon in Japan. One of them has to go, and it’s sure not going to be Kiryu, who admittedly doesn’t really care about the title in the first place. All of the action, the excitement, the gorgeous cinematics, and the fun (but sometimes infuriating) mini-games are ported from the Playstation 4 to the PC as Yakuza 2’s remake hits PC. But how does it all come together?

Yakuza Kiwami 2 PC Review 2

Wait, this isn’t Kiryu. Who is this jerk?!

Visually the game is perfection. It looks absolutely beautiful on the PC, just like it did on PS4. It might even look better than the Playstation edition, thanks to the power of my PC. However, I am a little disappointed. One of the things I’ve harped about in every single Yakuza release has come back to haunt me yet again here on Steam: It doesn’t save my Display Settings! All I want is for the game to default in Borderless Window because I alt-tab/move to the other monitor a lot for this game. There’s a lot of stuff to know, and to need to search for (especially when running the Cabaret), and having the game pause every single time I even think of looking at the other monitor is really frustrating. Please patch this, SEGA. I implore, plead and beg – this is the worst feature of Yakuza on PC. There aren’t too many things that I have to harp about – but no matter how much I love Yakuza Kiwami 2, I found a few. One minor complaint is that it does not use PS4 control notifications with a PS4 controller. No matter what, I see the Xbox One buttons. It’s not a big deal, but it can be distracting.

Yakuza Kiwami 2 PC Review - 3

Cabaret running is one of my favorite mini-games.

But one of the things that are just wonderful about this game is how it continues to do so much with small areas. You have two towns to visit, Sotenbori and Kamurocho. Both towns feel distinctly different, and both offer so much to do with every square inch of the city. Personally, I like Sotenbori more, because it’s the home of Club Four Shine, the Cabaret that Kiryu inevitably winds up running, much like Goro Majima does in a previous Yakuza title. Speaking of which, Kiwami 2’s exclusive Majima Mode is back! There are some people that don’t think it fits or makes sense, but it’s a beautiful story that gives more depth to the Mad Dog of Shimano, and I’m glad it’s in the game. I do wish it were longer, or that it was tied into the actual game rather than shunted off to the side. Regardless, I enjoyed it, and if you don’t want to play it, you definitely don’t have to.

Yakuza Kiwami 2 PC Review - 4

Fights can happen anywhere – the steps of a club, in a convenience store, you name it.

Another sound point to pick up Yakuza Kiwami 2 is the price. It’s about 20 bucks, and it comes with the DLC for both the Cabaret Club and the Clan Creator, giving new characters to make both of these modes a little easier. Honestly, the two Club Girls don’t make the modes too much easier, just a bit of something extra for Love/Party people in the nightlife. However, the overwhelming amount of characters you gain for the Clan Creator mode practically trivializes it. Though, receiving awesome New Japan Pro Wrestling characters squad was a nice touch. Other than that, the DLC gives a couple of cool weapons for Kiryu, that can help you in a tight spot. I don’t really use weapons often, other than passing Bicycles, Trash Cans, and Baseball bats, but they can’t hurt!

Play. More. Yakuza: 4.5/5:

Yakuza Kiwami PC Review - 5

It’s the little things, like the real-life places. SUSHI. ZANMAI.

This is a brilliant port of Yakuza Kiwami 2. This engine has some minor graphical issues, mostly restricted to clothes being occasionally weird and ragdoll physics, but it’s not something I’ve seen a whole lot of in my personal playthrough. It’s a terrific game with a fun story, though the ending did make me scream in first confusion, then delight. The change of having side-stories found via an unlockable skill instead of an equippable item was a huge change and one that I was overwhelmed by seeing that. In previous games, you had to wait potentially to Chapter 5 or 6 to find the Side-Story Finder, so you wind up having to search for them on the Internet.

Now I can just open my map, run to where the action is, and engage in the silly, occasionally somber side stories that this franchise is famous for. There are thugs to beat up, skills to unlock, a wealth of stories to explore, and delicious foods to eat. If you should want even more knowledge about what Yakuza Kiwami 2 offers, here’s my review of the PC port. Plus, if you missed out on the previous games, but want to know the story, Kiwami 2 offers up some backstory during the tutorial. It only costs around 20-30 bucks (physical release, at least), but it’s worth so much more. There’s so much to love about the Yakuza franchise. From its accurate depictions of the era and places it takes place in, the frenetic, furious combat, and the memorable story/characters, if you’ve been slacking and not playing Yakuza, fix it! It’s not too late!

A code was given for purposes of this review.

Closers Bai Release Giveaway

We’ve partnered with Closers to celebrate the release of their new character, Bai, with a special giveaway!

In Closers, players become an elite agent of UNION, an organization dedicated to dealing with the threat of interdimensional aliens spilling through a series of mysterious portals that have appeared throughout New Seoul. Each character’s unique personality and combat style allows players to chart their own path through a complex, branching narrative, upgrading their skills and weapons along the way, and unlocking amazing new powers in a quest to vanquish a gargantuan interdimensional threat.

Read our special coverage over Bai here!


The Closers Rogue Agents Celebration Box Contains:

  • 1 Gold Koi / Opal Yukata Full Set Bundle
  • 1 Elite Status Voucher (1-Day)
  • 1 Ti-85 Pilot Washing Machine (chance item)

How to Redeem Your Code:

  1. If you don’t already have one, sign up for an En Masse account at https://account.enmasse.com/closers/sign-up
  2. Download the En Masse launcher at http://closers.enmasse.com/download
  3. Install and run the launcher and sign in with your En Masse account.
  4. Select the Closers tab and click on the “Redeem a Code” button.
  5. Enter your code and click the “Submit” button.

Note: Unfortunately ad blockers may interfere with our site. If you have any issues claiming a key, please disable them and try again.

MU Legend Gates of Glory Giveaway

We’ve partnered with Webzen to celebrate the launch of Mu Legend‘s latest expansion, Gates of Glory, with a special giveaway!

MU Legend is the highly popular action MMO and follow-up to MU Online. It features fluid and stunning hack ‘n’ slash combat, content that caters to both solo and party play, and a deep and intriguing world that will satisfy new players and fans alike. Players can choose from 6 distinct classes – Dark Lord, Whisperer, Blader, War Mage, Spellbinder and Black Phantom – and engage in the endless battle between the world of MU and Pandemonium. MU Legend offers spectacular visuals that can run on lower-end systems and boasts detailed art design with stunning effects.


Your Code includes:

  • Guardian of Balance (Blue) Chest (7 Days) x1
  • Wings of Balance (Blue) (7 Days) x1
  • 7-Day Platinum Service Ticket x1
  • Time Traveling Pet Box x1
  • Talisman Lucky Box x3
  • Growth Potion x3

How to redeem your code:

  1. Go to http://www.webzen.com/Coupon.
  2. Log in with your account.
  3. Select your server and character and enter the coupon code (without hyphens).
  4. Click “redeem coupon code”.

If you are new to WEBZEN, please see the following:

  1. Create a webzen.com account.
  2. Go to http://www.webzen.com/ to download your game client and install it.
  3. Choose a server.
  4. Create a new character.

Note:

  • Redeemable until June 11, 2019: make sure to use the coupon before the expiration date
  • Coupon codes can only be used with an existing WEBZEN account
  • Coupon codes are limited to one use per account unless stated otherwise

Note: Unfortunately ad blockers may interfere with our site. If you have any issues claiming a key, please disable them and try again.