Rift of the NecroDancer is a rhythm game developed by Brace Yourself Games. It originally came out on PC in Feburary, but then got a Switch port a month later, which I played. It's a sequel of sorts to the Rhythm/Roguelike mash-up, Crypt of the NecroDancer, but without the Roguelike stuff.
Cadence is going on yet another attempt to reach the depths of the Crypt, when she finds a purple slime, not the colour you see there normally. Upon whacking it with her trusty shovel, it opens up a rift that transports her to a strange world.
One that is completely like modern life.
But there are more rifts opening up, and hordes of monsters are spilling through. It's up to Cadence, with her new previously-a-shovel guitar to use sick beats to drive them back and find a way back to her own world.
The majority of this game plays similarly to Guitar Hero, but with better music. And also instead of notes, you have to hit enemies. That's the main difference. Enemies don't just move towards you in a straight pattern, they each have a different way of moving. Slimes move 1 space per beat and don't deviate, so they're the easiest to deal with. However, bats need to be hit twice, and after the first hit, they shift to the lane they're looking at. And they only get more complex from there, especially when floor traps start coming into play.
The challenge comes from learning the enemy patterns and reacting to them accordingly. This is a lot harder then it sounds!
Almost every song has a Shopkeeper variant, BTW. Which is just wonderful!
There's also some alternative styles of Rhythm games, such as some minigames that heavily resemble Rhythm Paradise, and Boss Battles, which draw inspiration from Punch-Out of all things. There is a decent amount to do here for the price. There's even a mode that randomises the enemy layout.
The music is excellent, well, it bloody well should be, being a rhythm game. But if you're at all familiar with the music style in Crypt, you should know what to expect. The visuals are really great too, very bouncy.
If you like rhythm games, get this game. It's already a contender for GotY for me.
Eh, I prefer the first game's box
Suikoden II is the sequel to Suikoden (I know, I was shocked too). It's a turn-based RPG developed by Konami that originally released on the PlayStation in 2000. Apart from a PC release in China 3 years later, and a Japan-only PSP version, there has been no other re-releases. Until the HD Remaster that recently released on all modern platforms. I played that version, on the Switch.
This game takes place 3 years after the first Suikoden. The game follows Riou, a member of the Youth Brigade in the Highland Army. Treachery is afoot, as said Youth Brigade is effectively wiped out by the same army they're part of. You see, certain people are looking to use that to spark a war between Highland and the neighbouring City States of Jowston.
Riou and his best friend, Jowy, escape the self-inflicted massacre, and find themselves the newest owners of the Bright Shield Rune, and the Black Sword Rune, two halves of one of the 27 True Runes. This leads them on a journey to find the current 108 Stars of Destiny to help them stop Highland from spreading warfare across the continent.
The plot is noticably more complex then the first game. It's quite impressive for the era it's from. I've seen more complex plots in RPG's, and I did see some of the twists coming, but it was still very enjoyable.
Bugger! I left the GBA at home...
The game plays pretty much the same as the first game. What the sequel does is make that gameplay far more streamlined and less clunky. The dungeons are a load more interesting, the economy doesn't force you to rely on exploiting a gambling minigame to make money (Good thing too, they nerfed the payouts there), and the Rune system is a lot more flexible and fun to experiment with. It all makes for a vastly better RPG.
One of the things that are immediately obvious after playing the first game, is the increase in production values. Whether that comes to an increase in budget or having the experience of making an RPG in the bag is something I can't determine, but I'd bet it's both. Characters have actual idle animations in fights, there are far fewer palette swap party members, more intricate attack animations, and throughout the game, they are far more lively. The spritework is some of the best I've seen from a PS1 game. The HD remaster maintains those lovely sprites, and the redone backgrounds look great. Again, not on the levels of stuff like Octopath Traveler, but absolutely rock solid.
Not to mention, the wide range of minigames you can play, there are even parts where you're dropped into a Fire Emblem-esque Strategy RPG battle. It's all very varied.
The whack-a-mole game can go screw itself, though.
And here I thought Yoshi's Final Smash was a Melee reference...
I cracked up when that above image first happened, it was in the penultimate dungeon, and it caught me completely off guard!
It still falls victim to PS1 RPG trappings, you're gonna need a guide if you plan on recruiting the 108 Stars of Destiny and seeing the best ending. And while the inventory system is far easier to manage then the first game, there's still room for improvement there. It's a product of it's time, so you're gonna have to go into this with that in mind.
But all in all, this is one of the finest RPG's the PS1 has to offer. It is trivially easy to see why this became such a cult classic. The battle system is excellent, the music is wonderful, the characters are fun, and the plot is intriguing, and quite unique for a game released on the cusp of the millenium. Loved every second!
@Julius is totally right. Suikoden II is a must play for any turn-based RPG fan.
Anyway, enough about that. TREMBLE IN FEAR, @Jonnas, YOUR SANDWICH ARMAGEDDON IS NIGH!
Freedom Planet 2 is a 2D Platformer developed by GalaxyTrail that released on the PC in 2022, before getting console ports in 2024. I played the Switch version.
Lilac (Who still looks nothing like a dragon) gets her house completely totalled by a rampaging robot! I'm gonna assume insurance is not a thing on her home planet of Avalice, because she decides to exact extreme and harsh justice upon it in retribution. Lilac, along with her friends, Carol the cat, and Milla the dog, alongside new playable character, Neera the panda, soon find that nefarious robots are running havoc all over the planet.
Which doesn't bode well, because the villain of the first game, Lord Brevon, got away at the end of that game. So Lilac and friends go to investigate. Is Brevon to blame? Or is something else lurking out-of-sight? And will Jonnas enjoy bread encased meals ever again?
Before I get started, I want to remind you of my less-then-stellar time with the original Freedom Planet. It's why I didn't buy this game at launch. To put it shortly, the game had promising movement to it, and the levels were fun, but it was let down by the numerous boss battles that constantly spiked the difficulty to absurd levels. It was very cheap, and kinda ruined the game for me.
Now, it has been almost 9 years since I played the original game, but I think I enjoyed the plot in this one more. It still has that Saturday Morning Cartoon vibe to it, but it does it very well, and I did get some legit laughs out of it. It's helped by the exemplary voice acting, and it not taking itself quite as seriously as the first outing.
Seriously, that game had some proper tone whiplash issues. The sequel handles it a lot better. It still has it's serious moments, but it's not nearly as jarring.
My stomach hurt a bit after that from laughing too hard.
Also, shout out to the guy who voiced Serpentine, that is a guy who is having fun with his role. I never got sick of his manic laugh.
Much like the first Freedom Planet, this game is heavily inspired by the Mega Drive Sonic games. I played as Lilac, who fills the "Speed" character slot, much like Sonic. Unlike Sonic, she isn't eclipsed by everyone else because she has actual options to reach high places, whether that be her floaty Dragon Cyclone, or Dragon Boost, which sends her hurtling forward or diagonally at ridiculously high speed.
One thing that I prefer to Sonic games is that the majority of enemies don't actually hurt you if you merely touch them, you have to actually be hit by an attack to take damage, so no careening into unavoidable damage just because you want to go fast. There's also effectively no instant death traps, at least I never fell into any in my playthrough.
But these are all things I praised the original game for, let's talk about the bosses.
Taken on their own, I'd say they're about as difficult as the first game. And yet, that's not dreadful.
You see, there are two key changes with this game that make boss fights far more reasonable.
The first is the equippable charms, and potions. Throughout the game, you can find and purchase a variety of these, and you can use them to modify the difficulty. For example, the two I used the most was one that added a damage over time effect to my attacks, and one that lenghtened the invincibilty you get whenever you take damage. Potions work in a similar way except you can stack a single one up to 5 times for a more potent effect, or mix and match for multiple, but less potent effects.
This allows you to modulate the difficulty to your liking. However, if you use a charm that makes the game easier, you get less currency and a lower rank at the end of levels. On the flipside, using no charm, or even using one that makes the game harder will get you a better rank.
Potions can be used without hurting your rank, BTW. So use them however you like.
Trippy...
This is such an elegant way of keeping bosses difficult, but removing the frustration the original game had. The sequel doesn't lower the skill ceiling, but it does lower the skill floor, making it far more accessible.
And that's not even all, because there's also a new "Guard" ability. It effectively acts like the air dodge from Smash Bros, except you can also use it on the ground. This means that even if you find yourself in a situation where you can't get away from an attack, you can use that to go through it. Assuming you time it right.
And that's not to mention that the game gives you a visual warning if there's an attack coming from off-screen, so no cheap shots as well.
The visuals are interesting, most of the characters have had their designs changed, and it's a lot nicer looking, and far more consistent. I remember Jonnas mentioning that a fan did all of the character redesigns, as well as any new ones, for this game for free, and I think he did a fantastic job, even if the dragons still look nothing like dragons. It really helps give this game an identity seperate from it's Sonic fangame roots. And the excellent sprite work really helps to sell that even more. The music feels more professional as well, just higher quality all around, and quite catchy to boot. Volume balancing for voices is a lot better too, I didn't have to strain to hear any characters this time.
As you can probably tell, I'm not actually done yet, still stuff for me to collect. Not to mention that there are three other characters to play as. I'll be working on getting all the things now, but I'll save the other characters for the future.
So yes, Jonnas, this sequel fixes all my issues I had with the first game, and I'm very glad you made me aware of that. This is a game that any old-school Sonic fan should play, and you can eat your sandwiches in peace.
That said, you're right. Only one reptile character. Worst game ever.
You need to watch me play F-Zero. Because that just gets me killed more often then not. If I can even bloody catch them in the first place..png)
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