Vengeance (Pt. 4)

Vengeance (Pt. 4)

Vengeance smiled as she took hold of the stone. Distantly, Renee could feel the gem, oddly warm to the touch. The longer Vengeance held the stone, the hotter it became, until the water was boiling around it, reddening the flesh of her hand. Renee felt the prickle of distant pain, which throbbed in her mind.

Vengeance’s voice filled her mind.

Do you feel that, Renee?

The pain was beginning to fill Renee’s mind, “Yes.”

That is everything that matters.

“Pain?”

No, the cause of your pain. That is fury, taken material form.

“Whose?”

Vengeance chuckled. You are wiser than I thought. This is the fury of a seraph.

Renee was puzzled, “A seraph?”

Ah, you do not know of them…

A flash of light filled Renee’s world and suddenly she stood inside a large stone chamber. She could still sense the water, still feel it pressing down on her, yet her mind was here, in the chamber. A figure approached from the far side of the chamber. He towered above her, standing almost twice her height. He was as wide in the shoulders as her reach, fingertip to fingertip. His skin was so tanned that it was almost golden, and he wore a shining silver breastplate. Flowing white and red robes hung from his shoulders, and a short white kilt left most of his well-muscled legs visible. Tall white boots rose almost to his knees, and were doubled over at the top to reveal a velvet lining. Glowing white eyes glared down at Renee from behind long blonde hair. He spoke, his voice rumbled deep and shook the chamber, “Why are you here?”

Renee stumbled back, unable to speak.

Massive white wings exploded from the man’s robes, reaching across the chamber, the wingtips touching the great grey columns that supported the domed roof. The glowed softly, as though filled with some inner power. He raised his hand and a flaming sword appeared in it.

Rene screamed in terror. She felt a tug at the back of her mind and the chamber and the man faded away, and her vision was once again filled with rotting wood and dark water.

Renee was still filled with panic, “What was that?’

A seraph. One of the most powerful beings to ever exist. Servants of the Fallen Empire of Erelisia.

“How did they die?”

One of their brothers, more powerful than them, cast them down when the empire fell. He hunted them mercilessly, and destroyed them all. The one you saw was Primaris, the first to rise and the last to fall.

“Is this his fury?”

Vengeance chuckled again, No, unfortunately not. This is the fury of Octavius, the first one hunted down. He fell in Kormouth, but his remains were put on this great ship to be taken south. Alas, she laughed, the ship was destroyed in a horrific storm.

Renee sensed a hint of smugness in Vengeance’s tone. She decided not to question it, instead asking, “What will you use it for?”

Be patient, child, and you shall see.

“I am not a child,” snarled Renee, “You have taken everything from me, you can at least tell me this.”

Vengeance seemed to pause for thought, and then said, I think not. You still owe me much for the life of your love.

Renee could think of nothing to say, so remained silent as Vengeance pocketed the gem and then stepped out of the cabin. To Renee she seemed filled with new vigour. Vengeance looked up and kicked off from the wreck of the ship, speeding towards the surface. The water rushed by, and the silvery scales of fish flashed by. 

Renee couldn’t help but wonder what Doran was doing.

Vengeance (Pt. 3)

Vengeance (Pt. 3)

Vengeance strode through the depths, unhindered by the weight of freezing water pressing down on her. Trapped within, Renee gazed out through what were once her eyes. The seafloor, to her surprise, was not the gently rippling bed of sand that she had expected. It was like being trapped in some watery hell: great protrusions of dark stone thrust up from the every shifting sands of the seafloor, which was covered in plants, small creatures, and the detritus of seafaring. Corroded weapons, smashed crates, and pots lay about the husks of lost vessels. All this, Renee saw with only the faint plink plonk of the seawater pressing against what once were her ears.

No longer could Renee feel her body. She tried to reach out and move a hand, but felt nothing and got no reaction. All that was left to her was sight and sound.

Suddenly she felt Vengeance’s presence. The being’s voice filled Renee’s universe, blocking her vision somehow. Don’t try and fight me, child. You are better with me than without. I am a gift that you do not yet recognise as such.

“Why?” demanded Renee. “You came to me, imprisoned me in my own mind. You drove away the only man I ever loved – “

Love? Such an insipid, fleeting emotion. Just as you take hold of it escapes your grasp. It serves only to fuel anger, and sadness. Grief is but weakness manifest. But anger, ahhh, that is an emotion that has worth. Nothing drives one like anger, rage is a fuel unlike any other. Your anger called to me, and your grief invited me in. I paid my passage though…

“Paid your passage?!” screamed Renee. “How?”

I gave you back your love, I healed his wounds and put breath back in his body.

“And drove him from me!”

I paid my passage.

Renee raged against Vengeance, screaming and crying, but the being made no reply, but simply kept striding forward through the debris of the sea floor. Renee noticed that Vengeance was looking this way and that, as though searching for something. If she strained, she could just sense they rage filled presence within her that was Vengeance. The tried to envisage Vengeance in the hope that creating some sort of analogue would allow her to get close to the being. To her amazement, a pinprick of blue light filled her mind’s eye, and she moved towards it.

As she approached the light it grew in size. She felt energy pouring out from it, crashing against her in waves. Each wave drained her a little, as though the rage that Vengeance exuded somehow ate away at her. She pressed on, struggling through the waves, until she heard something.

It must be here. It has to be. It cannot be gone. It could not have been found. WHERE IS IT?

Renee froze, and imagined holding her breath. She watched on as Vengeance continued its search, repeating its tirade like a mantra. Then, all of sudden, Vengeance halted and looked up.

What Renee had thought was simply a large rock in the distance loomed large before her. It towered over her and all else on the seafloor. A few fish swam about it, flashing like dust motes in the dim light of the depths. Slowly, Vengeance advanced on the mass before them. As the distance closed, Renee saw planking, and realised this was the wreck of some ancient ship. The portion before her looked to be the bow, and based on its size, was easily ten times larger than any vessel she had ever seen or even heard of. Its bowsprit was so high above her that it faded into the blue of the water, like the spire of a tower reaching into the clouds.

The waves pouring from Vengeance changed. They ceased to weaken Renee. Puzzled, Renee reached out to touch them and felt a tingling sensation. Joy?

The waves grew stronger as they approached the sunken ship. Reaching the base, Vengeance kicked off from the seafloor, and unhindered by the wait of the dress that her vessel war, swam quickly up the bow of the ship. Renee felt ill as the ship’s planking blurred towards her and the pressures on her former body changed. ‘Odd,’ she thought, ‘Why can I feel that?’

Vengeance slowed, and Renee saw her hands reached and grab hold of the ancient railings of the ship. With a tug Vengeance hauled them over it and onto the deck. Slowly, deliberately, Vengeance strode along the deck. As her vision ceased blurring, Renee realised that the deck was not horizontal; the ship’s bow rose vertically from the sea bed. It was eerie, moving in this way. The ship’s mast was still mostly intact, though its spars were shattered and the rigging drifted like a ghostly web in the water.

Renee felt Vengeance’s joy subsiding, and the rage return, and withdrew ever so slightly to avoid being weakened further. She stayed just close enough to still hear Vengeance’s tirade. After passing the shattered bases of two more masts, they came to the door of what looked to be a cabin. Vengence lashed out, shattering the rotten, sodden wood. Light exploded from within the cabin, dazzling Renee.

Slowly she became accustomed to light and found that Vengeance had entered the cabin. Jammed behind a table that had fallen against the wall of the cabin when the ship sank, was a skeleton. The bones were covered in black slime, but the occasional patch of white bone glimmered eerily in the water. Tatters of clothing clung to the skeleton, moving gently in the currents. Its hands were clasped to its breast, and inside them it held a pale gem that had been adorned with delicate gold filigree.

Triumphant, Vengeance reached out and tore the gem away, the force scattering the bones.

Vengeance (Pt. 2)

Vengeance (Pt. 2)

Storms ravaged the promontory, grey skies swirling in turmoil. The pebble beach was strewn with all manner of debris: timber, line, tackle, crates, bodies – living and dead – and shattered sections of ship. By some miracle of the currents the prow of the Tempest had run aground on the northern side of the promontory, the winged goddess that served as her figurehead raising her fist, perhaps in despairing rage, at the tumultuous sky. The same oddity of the currents had seen fit dump the prow of the Acdrenc Stefna, still wreathed in its gilding, on its side on the south beach of the promontory. The gold glinted sullenly in the grey light, and was stained with the blood of seamen.

Atop the promontory stood a lone figure, her skirts flapping around her in the gale. Her hair was tied back, but the ponytail flew freely in the wind. She cast about with her eyes, seeking what she knew must be upon the shore. At last she saw it, a glimmer of gold and a green jacket. Crying out in grief, she made her way hurriedly to the scree that cascaded to the shore. Her bare feet slipped and slithered on the wet stones as she made her way down, often falling and crawling, but never slowing. To her it seemed to take an age to reach the shore line, but finally she was by Doran’s side.

She closed the locket in his hand, which matched the one about her neck, and cradled his head in her lap. She bent over him, smoothing his matted hair, and brushing away the sand and grit that caked his ruined body. She wept then, her tears mingling with the rain.

Slowly though, her grief was replaced by something red and raw, a primal rage that filled her belly and heart and made her whole body ache as though something within her sought release. She screamed, her face to the sky, her hands still cradling the head of her beloved. Her scream went on, passing from rage to something more. Lightning flashed, and the pebbles around her began to shake, some rising from the ground. The sea leapt up, but no water fell upon her or Doran. It washed away all else but them and the prow of the Tempest. As suddenly as it started, her scream stopped, and she slumped over her beloved’s body.

She did not notice his wounds heal, nor his leg reset itself. She did not feel him begin to breathe, nor see his eyes open. She did feel his hand on her face, and his kiss on her brow. She looked down at him, her eyes awash with tears. She murmured his name, and he smiled slightly. Then, he looked harder at her and he paled, struggling and trying to pull away.

“My love, what is the matter?” she asked.

“Your eyes,” croaked Doran, “They are not your own.”

Renee rose from the pebble beach and made her way over to a nearby rock pull. There was little daylight at all in this storm, yet when she looked in the pool she saw clearly what had so shocked her beloved. Her eyes, normally hazel, shone with an inner fire, a cold vortex of blue light.

She raised her eyes to her face, touching her cheeks. Despite the weather, they were hot to the touch. She closed her eyes, and felt the power that had filled her still dwelling deep within. It was hidden, and seemed shut away. She probed at it as one might probe at a sore tooth, gingerly and almost unwillingly. The power responded, growing and filling her mind with noise, heat, and rage. The rage was like a ball of hot lead that surged within her breast. She could feel herself shaking as the rage seemed to take root in her heart.

She turned to Doran and said in a voice that was not her own, “I have granted you a second life. Use it well, and begone from my sight.”

Doran, confused and afraid, turned tail and ran, tripping repeatedly as he made his way up the scree of the promontory.

Deep within the recesses of her own mind, Renee battled with the being controlling her. She managed to find her voice, “Who are you?”

“Vengeance,” came the reply.

“What are you?”

“Vengeance.”

“Why are you here?”

“You called for me. Your grief and rage brought me into this world. Your body, so rent with grief, was a vessel which offered me sanctuary.”

Renee sank to her knees, sobbing, “Please, let me be.”

Vengeance filled her breast with greater heat as she replied, “No, now that I have come I see that there is much work for me.”

From the promontory, Doran watched as the woman who was once his beloved walked across the shore and into the ocean, steam rising around her as she walked deeper and deeper. He watched until she had vanished beneath the waves, then fled.

A New Story: Vengeance

For the first time in three months, I bring to you a work of fiction, rather than something about gaming. I wrote this piece at the request of a friend, and it has resulted in me starting a series of short pieces.

Vengeance (Pt. 1)

The ship rocked as the ballista bolt slammed into the bow. Water sprayed up and washed the deck as the prow slammed into the banking waves. The attacking craft was barely visible off the starboard bow, but Captain Doran knew only one vessel that had that range. The Acdrenc Stefna, an elven frigate captained by Councillor Aldrid Shorthelm of Illeth Moran. What that ship was doing so far south, Doran wasn’t sure. But it meant trouble. Big trouble.

He called down from the helm, “Mr James, how are we struck?”

Mr James, a burly man with a heavy jaw, shouted back, “Barely a scratch, cap’n, just stuck in the planks is all. Nary a drop of brine shall bother us!”

“Good,” roared the captain, “Then would you care to tell me why our ballistae aren't loaded?”

“On it, cap’n!”

“Damn right you are man, the Tempest shan't be leaving without giving a good account of herself!”

As the next Elven bolt screamed by, skimming across the water on the port-side as is bounced like a skimmed rock before disappearing in a shower of foam, the Captain patted the ship’s wheel and murmured, “Hear that girl? You are going to show those elves how we do business in the Kormouth Navy.”

The sky was clear, though the sea was becoming increasingly rough. The Tempest crested another wave and tipped forwards. Doran, a veteran sailor of some twenty years, gaped in shock as he looked down into a green trough almost one hundred feet deep. He roared at the top of his lungs, ‘Grab a hold of something boys!” and himself took a firm hold of the wheel.

The timbers of the ship creaked in an eerie moment of silence, before gravity caught up with the ship. Then, like a plummeting bird, the Tempest plunged into the trough, her timbers protesting audibly at the immense force her prow was under. The ship struck the bottom of the trough in a cascade of foam and water, and more than a few whoops and screams from the sailors.

Drenched and glowering, Mr James appeared next to his captain and growled, “The sea ain't got no business being like this on a clear day such as it is.”

“Aye, Mr James, you’re right. There is a witch aboard the Acdrenc Stefna, no mistake. Tell your boys to fire as soon as they get a sight on the bitch, and go and wake Baldric.” Mr James saluted and hurried down from the helm, bellowing orders and then disappearing below decks.

Seeing a way to get closer to the Elven vessel without being spotted Doran spun the wheel, turning the vessel north, and used the wind funnelling along the trough to send her racing along the green depths. As the Tempest sped along, he gazed up at the greeny-blue walls of water that flanked his ship. No nature could explain such a thing, only magic tampering with the order of things.

He saw something dark moving along the bank to his starboard and his jaw dropped.

The Acdrenc Stefna exploded from the crest of the wave and soared overhead. The gilded carvings that ran the length of the sleek Elven ship shimmered and glistened as water cascaded from them. The four triangular sails, all pale blue and trimmed in gold, were stretched taught, and seemed to haul the vessel through the air.

There was a loud boom as the ship slammed into the other bank of water, falling short of its mark. Instead of leaping the trough like a salmon in a stream, as was surely intended, the Elven ship crashed into the bank of water about twenty feet too low. Doran grinned mirthlessly as the Elves screamed. He lifted the gold locket about his neck and kissed it, and then yelled his order, “Straight into her underbelly boys, she’s like a pig to slaughter!"

His men set to with ruthless efficiency, aiming their ballistae high and firing without any further encouragement. The sound of shattering and rending timbers made Doran whince, but he held his gaze as the Elven vessel fell back, sliding backwards down into the trough. He laughed as the Acdrenc Stefna’s rudder snapped from the force.

His laughter died in his throat, however, as the force of the waters spun the Stefna about and sent her racing towards the Tempest. Doran yelled for his men to hold on tight, and saw Mr James reappear with Baldric.

Baldric, and lean man of middling years and a grey mane of hair, took one look at the oncoming ship and raised a hand. Despite the shriek of straining timbers, and the roar of the sea, his voice carried through it all as he cried out:

FERIT VIS, PROTEGAT VAS NOSTRUM!

Blue energy exploded from his hand, steaming towards the Stefna. As it struck, it tore away the gilding and the planking as though it was so much chaff in the wind. There was a high-pitched cry of rage from the other ship, and a flash of red.

There was a thump so intense that Doran fell to his knees, clutching at his ringing ears. He looked up in time to see a flash of white light where the red and blue energies met, and then felt the explosion.

*

The waves washed up torn canvas, netting, and planking onto the pebbled beach. Occasionally, the shattered body of an elf or a man would join the beached flotsam and jetsam. One of these bodies, clad in a torn green uniform with a captain’s epaulettes on the shoulders, groaned and moved.

Doran could feel his life ebbing away, feel a numb hotness where a shattered spar had torn through him, and a sharper pain where his leg had been smashed. He reached into his jacket and pulled out his locket.

The locket itself was a simple golden affair, elliptical in shape. Elegant filigree, worn now by years of being opened and closed, hinted at letters that were now too far worn to be legible. Fumbling, Doran managed to open the locket, and gazed at the painting within. It was a portrait of an elegant woman, with long brown hair. The hair was pulled back behind one ear, showing to greater advantage her long, slender neck and the ruby earrings that she wore. She appeared to gaze out of the picture, cheeky green eyes twinkling, and her lips parted in a smile filled with radiant joy.

Doran smiled as he slipped away, and murmured a name, “Renee.”

Stay tuned for the next instalment of Vengeance.

Sagrannus Gaming: RimWorld (Alpha 12)

Reviewing a game that is not yet out of alpha/beta is a difficult thing to do, to say the least. As others, such as Jim Sterling, have pointed out, as soon as you begin asking for money for a product, that product is open for critique. This, I certainly do agree with. However, the problem is that games in alpha or beta are not necessarily representative of the final product, and as they are ‘works-in-progress’ they cannot be critiqued in such a certain manner.

Naturally, I am not saying this out of context for the sake of putting words on the page. Not at all. I am saying this because today I am going to talk about a game that is still in alpha. Because of the caveats raised above, I shall write this in the same format as my other reviews, but shall not give the game a review score.

Again, not finished product. Alpha. Me write good.

RimWorld (Alpha 12)

Developer: Ludeon Studios and Tynan Sylvester
Publisher: Ludeon Studios and Tynan Sylvester
Genre: Story Generator
Released: Not yet, bucko.

From the word go, RimWorld is different. Described by its developer as a ‘Story Generator’, not a ‘competitive strategy game.’ So, what does one compare it with? The developer explains the game in the following way:

‘RimWorld follows three survivors from a crashed space liner as they build a colony on a frontier world at the rim of known space. Inspired by the space western vibe of Firefly, the deep simulation of Dwarf Fortress, and the epic scale of Dune and Warhammer 40,000.’

Just from that, I was intrigued. So many wonderful themes and ideas jammed together? That could result in one of two things: Either a mess, or a masterpiece. RimWorld, at present, certainly seems destined to be the latter. The premise is interesting, and well thought out, and the execution – even still in Alpha – is fantastic.

Gameplay

RimWorld is primarily mouse-driven, with hot keys assisting. The gameplay seems complex at first glance, but is intuitive and relatively straight-forward.

Your landing site, m'lord?

First of all, the player must create a world, determining its size. Then, they must pick where on the planet their colonists will crash land, as well as specifying how large said area will be. With a number of biomes – desert, arid scrubland, temperate, tropical, boreal, tundra, and ice shelf – to choose from there is plenty of choice available as all the biomes have different climates, growing seasons, and rainfalls. This choice is further augmented by the four terrain types: flat, small hills, large hills, and mountainous. Lots of choices, and lots of replayability. The player is also required to choose their difficulty setting, and 1 of 3 AI types, each of which result in a different ‘story’ (ultimately this determines the frequency and severity of random events). Once all of that is done, the player must choose – through random rolls – three colonists. The player must assess the health, age, skills, and traits of their colonists, trying to produce a team that is likely to survive, and be less susceptible to mental breakdowns (or more, if the player has a masochistic streak). The story telling really starts here, with 3 protagonists who come with interesting backstories and personality traits.

Like a nanny, but with scarier bedtime stories.

The player can control the passage of time, pausing it should they need to stack up some instructions for multiple colonists.  A bar across the bottom of the screen gives easy access to any menu you desire, which all pop up in simple windows.

Most players will be using the Architect menu most, as it is from there that you give all the building orders to your colonists, set storage areas, growing areas, and restricted zones. The player is expected to plan out the shelter, power grids, food supplies, security, and sundries for their colonists. From the Architect menu, they can do all of that. While there are a few items that are in tabs that you might not expect, it is relatively logical.  

Choose your party.

While you can leave it automated, to get the most out of your colonists, you can set what activities each colonist prioritises – using your nous, or lack thereof, to determine who will do what best. Thankfully tooltips are here to help, showing you how good each colonist should be at each given task. A further elements is passion: colonists are passionate about different things, and so ultimately you want colonists doing things they are passionate about, as they will be happier and more willing to do those things, and will also increase their skill level in that area faster than people who don’t care about what they are doing. While you can tell a colonist to do something immediately, they do operate semi-autonomously, basing their actions on how you arranged their priorities. Don’t boss them round too often, it isn’t good for their mood. The priority system is a fantastic element of the gameplay, and one I can barely applaud enough.

Random events, which are part of the ‘story’, will take up a lot of your time. Even so early in development, these events are many and varied. From toxic fallouts that trap you inside your base to manhunting boomalopes or raiding pirates, the variety keeps you guessing, and stops you from falling into a routine. You can’t step away from this game, or it will punish you for not paying attention. At times, often when you are unprepared, a series of consecutive raids can leave your colonists wounded and your base in tatters. More than once, I have lost half my colonists to hypothermia after a nasty raid knocked out my power generation. But this, as Ludeon Studios say, is all part of the story. Even a playthrough that ends in cannibalism and starvation has a great story, ultimately limited only by your imagination.

Welcome, my friends, to Hell.

There are a number of ways to grow your colony. Wanderers can join, you can offer sanctuary to people fleeing pirates or angry tribes, you can buy slaves from pirates, or you can capture people (friend or foe) passing through your territory and try to turn them. All options are viable, though some may have negative impacts on your relationship with your neighbours.

Should people be wounded, they can be treated in your hospital (if you bothered to build one), and should limbs or organ need replacement, you can have your medical personnel perform operations to give people prosthetics (whether a bionic eye, or a wooden peg-leg). Naturally, if you are an unsavoury sort, you can harvest the organs of prisoners to sell on the black market. I often found myself tossing up whether to wait and hope that an infection is survived, or whether I should amputate the limb. I love the medical system, as it really is great.

Shelter first, luxury later.

For a lot of the game, survival is your main concern and is often reduced to living day by day. This makes the game exciting, and makes success all the more rewarding. The end-goal at present is to build a ship to escape the planet, but honestly I had so much fun building large bases and researching new things for my colony, I didn’t want to leave…

The gameplay, even now, is solid, engaging, and entertaining. Things that aren’t around at present that I wouldn’t be surprised to see are: water management (slightly nervous, this could make it really hard), colonists having children, vehicles, multi-storey structures, nuclear power.

Graphics

Charming, clear, and people with no legs.

Despite its simplicity, the look of RimWorld is great. Everything is clearly defined, and the little, legless people that glide around the world are actually quite charming. The different biomes look markedly different, which is nice. Perhaps most outstanding is that despite this ‘simplicity’, a lot of work has clearly gone into the design of every single visual asset, and it shows: this game is a looker, and has a unique aesthetic at that.

Sound

The sound effect are great, and seem to accurately match the activities they are assigned to. One feature I love is that if a weapon is being fired off-screen, it sounds muffled and distant. While it is a small detail, it adds to the immersive nature of RimWorld’s sound production. The music is charming, and does not intrude. That said, it is well written, and its often calm melodies juxtapose poignantly with the at times depressing setting and events. There is a nice western twang to it all as well, tying back to the aforementioned Firefly inspiration (also, to me, a little of the StarCraft Universe. More can’t really be said, the music is good, as are the sound effect. Naturally, there is no voice acting.

Re(Playability)

Helpful prompts, info, and events abound.

Is RimWorld playable? Yes, very much so. As I covered in the Gameplay section, even in this early stage, RimWorld is intuitive and well set out, allowing players to dive in. Further, there are handy prompts and in-game tutorial texts that help guide the player in the beginning, making sure they have everything they need to survive.
On the replayability front, things are even better. With the diverse biomes, terrains, 3 AIs and 5 difficulty settings, from the outset the cast replayability is obvious. From there, you need to acknowledge that no two games are the same – the maps are randomly generated, (most) players will take a different set of colonists at the start, and different people will join the colony. Crops might fail, and other random events will change how you play. This game doesn’t want you to have a routine, it doesn’t want you to have a method, and I love that.

Conclusion

As I said at the offset, reviewing/critiquing a game in Alpha is hard – fraught with caveats. However, even at its current stage (Alpha 12), RimWorld feels more expansive, more fun, and better polished than a lot of games that are ‘complete’, even some AAA titles. As I have said before, I love to see games made by developers who love what they do, and are passionate about their vision. It’s challenging, and you will fail many, many times, but the charm and the storytelling of RimWorld will win you over, and you will lose many hours to it, but won’t regret even a second of it.

I will be watching the continued development of RimWorld with significant interest, and be reporting to you about it whenever I can.

You can get RimWorld here: http://rimworldgame.com/

It's a beautiful world...

Sagrannus Gaming: Android Top 5

Well, here we go for a little jaunt down a path that I have not yet trodden. I am going to look at mobile games (gasp), specifically games on Android. Worse still, it will be a Top 5 list. A few guidelines for how I am doing this. All of the games featured are available on the Google Play Store, and I will list their US Price. Naturally, these are my Top 5, based on how much I have played them over the last few months. So let us start at number 5…

No images: Still good.

5^th – Godville
Developer: Godville Games Limited
Price: Free (In-app purchases)

With a mature rating, this casual game is an interesting one. Billed as a game that requires no player input, Godville is something of a text based adventure – just one that you observe more than play. You might think that this would be boring, but it really isn’t. You can interact with your hero, punishing them or rewarding them, and even give them instructions (they may not do what they are

told, be warned). There is plenty of humour in the writing, and you really can leave the hero to wander for months at a time without any input from you. An amusing little sojourn from the usual, involvement heavy, wallet hunting dreck that you can find on mobile platforms.

A beautiful village.

4^th – Dungeon Village
Developer: Kairosoft Co., Ltd
Price: $4.99

In essence, like most Kairosoft games, Dungeon Village is a

management game. You manage a small fantasy town, aiming to grow it into the most successfully dungeoneering village around. You play host to heroes (many of whom, this being Kairosoft, are parodies of celebrities and fantasy heroes) who go adventuring. You can organise dungeon runs, and give ‘gifts’ to the heroes, which they then use in their quests. Should heroes be sufficiently impressed by your little town, they will seek to move in. This game is a bundle of fun, and a good example of how fun Kairosoft games are.

All the sushi trains.

3^rd – The Sushi Spinnery
Developer: Kairosoft Co., Ltd
Price: $4.99

Ever wondered what it would be like to run a Sushi shop? No? Well, regardless, you can now find out with yet another Kairosoft management game. As always, the art of Kairosoft is great, with that pixelated charm that makes one long for early Final Fantasy games. Key to the enjoyment of The Sushi Spinnery is the option to develop your own Sushi dishes, and to enter them in competitions. This, along with good pacing, makes the game extremely fun, especially when you win awards for Cheeseburger sushi…

Design you pyramid like the Pharoahs of old.

2^nd – The Pyraplex
Developer: Kairosoft Co., Ltd
Price: $4.99

Okay, so there is a trend here. I like management games, I think they work really well on mobile. I also like the way Kairosoft do things, [1] The Pyraplex is a twist on the tower building management game, and on the surface very similar to their game Mega Mall Story. However, you have crafting stations, the need to gather resources, house staff, and trade with neighbours. This adds significant depth. As well as adopting the Combo system from MMS and renaming them as Power Spots, The Pyraplex introduces a clever building element; every year, your pyramid is judged for how pyramidy it is, adding an extra challenge to the game. Possibly one of the deeper Kairsoft games, I strongly recommend it to anyone who loves management games, and for some reasons hasn’t got this yet.

and I like not have pay-to-win setups. Most Kairosoft games have an up-front price, and that is it.

1^st – Fiz: Brewery Management Game
Developer: Bit By Bit Studios
Price: $2.99 

Baby's first brewery.

Beer and management! What could possibly go wrong with such a combo?
Very little, as it turns out. With a fun narrative, and great gameplay, Fiz sucked me in from the start. The challenge of running a micro-brewery, and crafting beers to suit various challenges, and keep your small company afloat is surprisingly fun. The gameplay is well taught in the tutorial, and

relatively intuitive. The art style is charming, and reminiscent of old SNES and Gameboy games. Also, unlike many management games, it is quite challenging, which only serves to make the game even better. For its price, it is an absolute steal.

Notable Absences

I am sure that people expected Fallout Shelter to appear here. It isn’t here for two very good reasons. Firstly, I haven’t played it on Android, only on iOS. Secondly, I don’t like it that much; it doesn’t really go anywhere, and there is no narrative.
Other Kairosoft games certainly could have been here, notably Game Dev Story, Anime Studio Story, and Pocket Clothier. But this is a Top 5, and they didn’t quite make it, but are still worth a look. I hope this Top 5 has been interesting.

Sagrannus

---

[1] There are a few that do have various in-app purchases. Not only does that count against them, but they also tended to be the lesser Kairosoft games anyway.

Sagrannus Gaming: Armello

***Disclaimer – The PC review copy of the featured game was provided by/on behalf of the developer at no cost to the reviewer***
You can see my video on Armello here.

The self-imposed media blackout is over, I can finally see what other people thought. I wonder whether they agree with me. I wonder whether they agree that yet another Australian Indie Game Developer has hit the nail on the head. In fact, this latest nail-head-hitting developer has produced such a cracker of a game, I am tempted to introduce an actual rating system![1]

What am I talking about? Read on and find out…

Armello

Developer: League of Geeks
Publisher: League of Geeks
Genre: Adventure RPG Strategy thing (Interactive Digital Board Game)
Released: September 1, 2015

Now, I want to preface this review with the fact that to me, there is no ‘perfect game.’ Armello does indeed have some flaws, and I will definitely talk about them here  However, much like the flaws of Hand of Fate (y’know, by that other Aussie developer), they are mild niggles made even milder by the spectacular whole that they are part of. One of the resounding impressions one gets when playing Armello is that this is a polished product – one that has been developed with love and care – not something that has been stamped out to make a quick buck. This is something I always look for in a game, and rarely find, to be honest. However, Armello hits the spot for me, in more ways than one.

With a great aesthetic, a solid soundtrack, intuitive gameplay, fun concepts, and charm by the bucketload, Armello is a game I am happy to recommend to anyone from the most casual of gamers all the way through to the hardcore. Note that I am reviewing the PC copy of Armello.

So, let’s get into the nitty-gritty.

Plot

Welcome to Armello

The King has gone mad, corrupted by ‘the Rot.’ One way or another the problem must be resolved. Regardless of the method of fixing, you take on the role of a member of one of the four clans that are part of the Kingdom of Armello. Your task is to, through a variety of means, secure the throne of Armello. So far, so standard. 

And it really would be so standard as a plot, if it weren’t for two things. Firstly, sorry I forgot to mention this earlier, everyone is an animal. There are eight characters to choose from, two from each of the four clans – Wolf, Bear, Rat, and Rabbit respectively – one of either gender. This, for me, brought back memories of a childhood spent reading Redwall novels by Brian Jacques. Others have suggested (presumably because of the darker themes) that it is like Game of Thrones with animals. To my relief, I didn’t make that particular connection. The second thing that rocks the boat is the gameplay…

Gameplay

Wander through a beautiful world.

I am sure others have asked this but: What is with Australians and card games?

Cards take a key role in Armello, but a different role to that of Hand of Fate. Cards are used as part of the turn-based gameplay, allowing you to buff yourself, gain new equipment and allies, or set traps for and cast spells on your enemies. There are 6 factions within every match: Four contenders for the throne, the King and his Guards, and the Bane – a nasty creature spawned of the Rot. This ensures that every turn involves some action. With this many factions, and the relatively small map, the game is already set to be quite exciting. Factor in the variability of the cards – which can really shake up gameplay - and quests for all the contenders for the throne, and every turn keeps you guessing.[2]

You can play both single player and multiplayer (up to 4) modes, and both are fun. Single player pits you against the AI, which does a reasonable enough job of challenging you. However, the game plays a little bit more slowly, and as you are unable to fast forward the AI turns it can become tedious.[3]

Become the Kingslayer.

However, the multiplayer matches are significantly better, with both a faster pace of play and the added bonus of human unpredictability thrown into the mix. I had fun in single player, but in multiplayer I had a blast. Better still, if it is just you and one friend, the AI can fill the other 2 free slots more than satisfactorily. This is a game that plays best with friends, especially if you are playing within earshot – it is nice to hear someone else screaming loud curses at their misfortune. My one whinge in regards to multiplayer is that even when playing a private match with friends, there is a 30 second countdown, during which everyone must choose their characters and starting equipment. A moment of indecision often leaves you ill-prepared. I get the timer for matches with random player, but with friends it would be nice to have more time.

There is a random event at the start of every day – there is a day/night cycle - wherein the player with the highest Prestige score – Prestige being earned by defeating enemies and completing quests – serves as counsel to the King, and is forced to choose between two generally unsavoury options to inflict upon the entire game world. This is a great feature, as it forces players to choose the lesser of two evils…or not, should the path of cruelty appeal to you.

Choose your hero, and their gear.

As you play you unlock starting bonus gear, which can have a dramatic effect on the way the early game plays.

In regards to in-game equipment and companions, all of which come on cards, you have three slots for gear and three for companions. Further, with the exception of a few special cards, all cards have a use cost. Items, traps, and companions all cost coins, and spells cost magic. All pretty straight forward and intuitive. The Rot shakes up the economy a little, as it has both negative and positive effects. If you have any Rot, you take damage in the morning but get damage bonuses in some fights. If you have so much Rot that you are Corrupted by it, you gain health for every kill, but will die instantly if you step into a magic stone circle.

Speaking of which, the game map is made up on a hex grid. While it is a set size and shape and has the clan bases in each corner and the palace and grounds in the centre, all the other tiles (which include various terrain types as well as settlements, dungeons, and stone circles) are randomly placed at the start of each game. This makes for a nice bit of variation, but after 6+ hours of gameplay, possibly not enough. As you might expect, the different terrain types impact upon movement speeds, and give you various buffs/debuffs when you occupy them – standard, but well executed.

Sometimes, no one wins.

Now, the combat. Oh yes, the combat. It is good – I won’t give it to you blow by blow, as I will demonstrate it in a video – it is great. It is a (fairly) standard attack vs. defence combat system that uses dice rolls to work out the combatants attack and defence. This simple system is very well augmented, however, by the inclusion of the companions, gear, and (of course) the cards. This spices up what could have been a simply functional combat system, and makes it something that is entertaining and keeps the player on edge.

This, of course, leads to one of the biggest points about Armello. It really is like a board game, with plenty relying on chance. This is a strong point for the game. From the cards to the dice rolls the element of chance keeps the adrenaline pumping even after hours of play. Better still, unlike some games that use ‘chance’, Armello gives the impression that everything really is random, and that your good or bad fortune are not contrived or moderated in any way. This, I think, is key to enjoying the game. Even when your luck goes south, you (usually) take it in a light-hearted way. After all, next turn you might get that great armour, or complete your quest, or roll really well.

Expect to do a lot of reading in this game. There is no voice acting, with everything being delivered via text. That said, all the text in Armello is excellently written, and even when in the mood for some pedantry I could find no errors, grammatical or otherwise. The writing is gripping, and keeps up with the pace of the game.

If I had any big criticisms, it was that both I and my fellow tester found that while there was some variation in the maps thanks to the random arrangement of the tiles, it needs more. Perhaps different sized maps, or more diverse tile types would make this better. The other niggle is that the each game’s length is governed by the lifespan of the King, which gradually ticks down over time. While you can lengthen it a little in game, there is nothing in the pre-game settings to allow you to set up longer or shorter games. Hopefully this gets added later, because the desire for longer matches was definitely there when we were testing the game.

The navigation of the screen was at time troublesome on our two test machines. Edge scrolling was iffy at best, with only the left and top sides of the screen detecting mouse pressure at all. WASD navigation was a little better, and click and drag better again, but none of it was consistent or smooth.

The options menu isn’t completely up to snuff either, with little beyond overall visual quality and the resolution customisable. I like my options to be many and varied.

Speaking of graphics…

Graphics

Armello is a looker, no doubt about that. The art style is possibly one of the most cohesive and charming I have seen in an Indie game to date. With bold colours blended with subtle designs, this game is so pretty that I struggled to believe I was playing a $20 Indie game. If the card art had been static, I would have praised it until I was blue in the face. But it wasn’t.

It was better than that…

Collect all the (beautiful) cards.

All the card artwork in the game is animated beautifully. Taking excellent artwork and imbuing it with even more life is another example of the dedication to a polished product on the part of the developer. It is little things like this that make a good game great.  All of the art in the game is spectacular.[4]

The animations are fluid and stylish, and nothing really disappoints. Both I and my fellow tester did note, however, that the fog after effects are not quite right, and left both of us feeling like there was something wrong with our eyes on two separate systems.

As I mentioned before, the limited options menu is a bit of a letdown, as being able to switch off that particular feature would have been good.

I will discuss the graphics in greater detail in my Armello video.

No voiceover? No worries.

  Audio

 Armello’s soundtrack is great. Much like Hand of Fate, the music was always just right, setting the mood perfectly. It matched the action of the game, and never intruded unpleasantly. I am certainly not disappointed that you get the soundtrack with the game.

The other audio elements are of equally high calibre, delivered in a clean and crisp manner. They are not overly flashy or excessive, but are pleasing to the ear, and do not detract from the experience.

As mentioned earlier, Armello does not feature voice acting, but this in no way detracts from the experience.

(Re)Playability

Unpleasant choices abound.

The GUI of Armello, and likewise all the gameplay, is logical and intuitive, making it easy to get into. This is something that indie games often struggle with, but the team at League of Geeks have made an extremely playable game, that didn’t give me even a moment’s paws.[5] The Prologue, which serves as a tutorial, is very well thought out, and covers everything new players need to know, while also telling a good story and thus preventing the tutorial from being boring. It is so well written, in fact, that it leaves you itching to dive into the game. Top marks for that!

While the individual matches are short, this game has plenty of replayable. The chance factor

certainly shakes things up, and once you factor in the 8 different characters, all of their different starting gear, the 4 different victory conditions, and the life extending advantages of solid multiplayer, I can’t see this game getting old any time. Due to the nature of the gameplay, Armello is a game you can come back to time and time again, whether you are looking to round off some more achievements, or just looking to wind down with some friends after a long day.

The charm of Armello only adds even further to the replayability.

Pros	Cons
·         Great art style and animations – very polished	·         Minimalist options menu that is lacking is some areas
·         Very playable, with intuitive interfaces	·         Map navigation is dodgy at best
·         Solid audio work, with a great soundtrack	·         Cannot customise level size or game length
·         Well written, if simple, story	·         Fog effects made my eyes feel funny
·         Inviting aesthetic	·         Aggravated my ‘one-more-turn syndrome’
·         Engaging, adrenaline pumping gameplay	·         Where is the white weasel/stoat/ferret from the launch trailer?
·         You can be a rabbit in a suit of armour!

There are some things we would like to see added to Armello. More characters would be fantastic, probably with more cards to boot. Certainly more control of game length, and the addition of different maps and tiles would be welcome. Beyond that, there isn’t really much more that you can ask for.

Well, except for the white weasel/stoat/ferret from the launch trailer.

Ye gads! A proper tutorial and prologue.

Conclusion

I feel I have said too much already, but I shall say a little more.

Armello is a simple little game that bowls you over with its charm and polish, and sucks you in with a solid story and some brilliant gameplay. The game offers plenty of variation and makes you curse the gods of chance (in a good way). While there are some rough edges, you have to look quite hard for them, and they never detract from the overall impression: that of a game delivered with all the love and dedication one wishes every developer put into their games.

This is a great showing from a new developer, and we can only hope there are more great games to come.

Sagrannus Rating – 8.5/10 (Strongly recommended)

***Disclaimer – The PC review copy of the featured game was provided by/on behalf of the developer at no cost to the reviewer***

---

[1] And change my format a little.

[2] In a good way.

[3] I know in my case the phrase “Hurry up, I want another go!” was screamed a few times…

[4] And, if you hold your cursor over a card, you can see who created the art too! Praise where praise is deserved. Good stuff!

[5] Yes, that was deliberate.