Believe it or not, there was once a time when RPGs didn't need an intricate dialectic and morality structure to be considered good. Back in the day we had simple combat systems, goofy story lines, and 8-bit bloops for a soundtrack -- and we loved it. Big Fish Games has decided to offer up their best attempt to bring that unmistakable classic vibe in a new release with Sylia - Act 1. Does it manage to go retro, or does it just need to go away?
Tales of Terror: Crimson Dawn starts with a clichéd storyline and lacks any variety thereafter to make the experience stand out. Your brother has been kidnapped, and as the loving sister, you'll need to track him down in a seemingly deserted mansion, stop a cult from taking over the world, and make your way through an alternate plane (within mirrors) before your brother is lost forever.
No fictional character has embedded himself in our culture as deeply as Sherlock Holmes. His name is as recognizable as Hamlet's or Johnny Appleseed's, and his adventures are as well-known as any Greek myth. He is the archetypal detective.
Who knew being a spaceship captain was so hard!? If you're a spaceship captain, don't answer that. For those looking to find out, there's a surefire way to learn about the perils of manning an interstellar rig: by downloading FTL: Faster Than Light. Like going into space, it's an experience that proves just as spectacular as it is painfully difficult. Also, if you make one wrong move, you die.
Gravity, as we all know, keeps us held firmly to the surface of our lovely planet Earth. But imagine if gravity's effect was dependent upon color: a deep red hue may hold your feet to the ground, but turning blue could launch you toward the ceiling; going green could see you flung to the left or right, and if you turn purple, well, then you're really in trouble. That's the premise in Colour Bind, a brilliantly torturous 2D puzzle-platformer that will have you bouncing off walls and spinning around in circles.
Fiction books, cartoons, and even video games have taken liberties with Viking history, and that's putting it mildly. When we think of Vikings, we tend to think of a (tall) Tolkien-esque dwarf with an affinity for water instead of rock. If you want to learn more about legitimate Viking history, you should consult your local library. But first you should suspend belief long enough to play through Northern Tale, a strategy/time management game that puts you in charge of a few horned warriors.
Through the previous games in the Margrave franchise, we've helped Edwina Margrave search for answers about her family's past. In this latest installment, however, we're focused solely on the present, as Edwina must embark on a rescue mission to save the love of her life before he's lost in a town that appears only once every 300 years. Along the way, you'll meet lots of interesting characters and explore a slew of lovely environments, but the game still isn't without its problems.
In case you haven't noticed, a touch screen interface is pretty different from a physical controller. Shocking stuff, I know. But many companies have chosen to ignore that detail and shoehorn their console games onto a mobile platform they're not suited for. When this happens, it's ultimately the players who lose. Ubisoft made that mistake in the past with Rayman 2, but they swiftly dodged it with Rayman Jungle Run, a game that both understands and embraces the limitations of touch screens.