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Survival Kids Review

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Survival games never really tend to be my thing. There’s just not a whole lot to them gameplay wise and of course it can also be pretty rough to get any momentum going because of how realistic the game is going for. Give me a fun arcade style any day. With that I can really be having a lot of fun and it could be like a collecting type of game. Certainly a big improvement over this one with how narrow the whole thing is. Ah well, at least I can say I’ve played the game now.

You start off with a big accident and then the main character makes it to an island. He must now try and survive until help can arrive but he has literally nothing. So you now have to scrounge around for wood, food, drinks, a backpack, and many other items. There are also many wild animals out there which would be all too willing to make a nice meal out of you. So this kid is in a really tough spot but he’s not someone to be underestimated. Where there is a will, there is a way.

First off the graphics are definitely nothing special. This is an older game so I get it but it’s just not the most impressive looking title. I do enjoy the overworld though which reminds you of Pokemon in a good way. I appreciated that and it’s not like you’ll get lost or anything like that. The items all look clear on the hub world after all. This is about where the positives start to vanish though. I’m generally not a fan of survival games and this one is really just no different. It takes forever to do anything and it feels like you’re trapped in a cycle. As with most things, I understand the appeal of it but it definitely doesn’t work for me. I don’t want to just be running around trying to grab things for as long as I can. I want to get to the point where the game is really fun.

You’re left to your own devices immediately with a ton of menu screens that take forever to get through. For starters I grabbed a backpack to put things in but then it fills up almost immediately. I merged different items and got advanced items like a baseball set but what am I gonna do with that? Your top danger will immediately be the fact that you need to eat and drink at regular intervals or you will die. I found a water container but couldn’t find any actual water. So once my character got real hungry it was over. There was just nothing I could do at that point and so I lost. It turned into a bit of a spiral of doom for me with no way back.

I did grab some food but all of it was spoiled like the raw meat or not safe to eat like the clams. Why are clams not safe to eat? I know I don’t eat them in real life but I figured that technically they would be safe. I suppose I underestimated exactly what happens with those clams. I also wouldn’t say it was a whole lot of fun to fight the various animals running around. They were all just minding their business after all and weren’t trying to cause any trouble. Why did I have to take them out of the running so decisively? Maybe surviving at this price was just too much.

The only time a survival game works is admittedly on the mobile where you are matching fruits and that unlocks resources to help you stay alive. The gameplay should be kept separate from the survival gimmick and then you actually have a chance at a high quality game. A survival title mixing in the gameplay and everything just seems like a recipe for disaster in my opinion. Maybe one day there will be a survival game that I have a lot of fun with but it definitely wasn’t this one. It’s not a game I can ever see myself going back to.

Overall, Survival Kids is really not for me. It could be worse but it could also have been way better. At no point while playing the game did I feel like I was having a blast. It’s all too limited and while it feels like the kind of game that would quickly start to get more and more fun as it went on, I need a quality beginning to really get me invested. Without that, it just feels like I’m basically stuck. Give me a quality platformer or something like that any day.

Overall 3/10

Gradius: The Interstellar Assault Review

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Gradius definitely looked like a fun game right from the jump but I was still surprised to see that it had a bit of a real storyline going for it. We got actual little cutscenes between levels and a real ending. So I was impressed there and it helps make up for how short the game is. There are only 6 levels here after all, although the game is exceptionally difficult so it will feel like a lot more than that at different points.

The main story sees you fighting off a powerful alien invasion. These creatures have the advantage in sheer numbers as well as technology. You will be using a lone plane to try and take them all down. The game is a 2D shooter where you can gain new weapons and abilities as you go through the levels. It won’t be easy without a doubt but you will certainly be able to help even the playing field this way. The key is to make sure you don’t grab the wrong weapon because it overwrites the one you had on previously. Some weapons can be combined though. As you gain item boxes, you see which slot is highlighted and pressing the A button will give you that ability. The letter stands for each one, L for Laser for example. So choose your abilities carefully and you should be all set.

Personally my favorite combination was the laser blasts with the shield and rocket. It covers your front pretty well and the shield also buys you a little time. The lasers seem to do a little less damage than the spread shot machine gun but I liked the speed. So you will need to find the right combination that works for you and then the rest will really come into place. Additionally, it’s fair to say that you need fast reaction times here. Most of the bosses revolve around you hitting the weak point but that’s the area where it rapid fires all of the attacks from. So if you don’t watch out then you’re gonna be in trouble.

The graphics are definitely more on the old school side. They’re not terrible or anything but they won’t be standing out. When you recommend this game to someone, you’re probably not going to be talking about the graphics. At least I doubt that you will. Instead it will come down to the soundtrack. That part’s okay but nothing too memorable either so maybe instead just focus on the gameplay. It’s a simple but effective game with how it controls. It’s easy to pick up but difficult to master.

There isn’t really any replay value to be found here so you should keep that in mind. Of course if you’re playing it on the Switch Online then that is more of a non factor since you won’t have to pay anything extra to check this one out. Instead you can just dive in and enjoy it. As long as the game is fun, it helps to override the length to an extent. It’s still not going to make a name for itself as one of the top NES titles or anything like that but I would say it is still good enough in the end.

Overall, Gradius is a good game. It’s not really anything to write home about but at the same time I give it points for just being a fun title. No real gimmicks or desperate attempts to try something new. Instead it settles for just being a fun space shooter. Perhaps that is a result of the game being fairly old so this was still new territory or the devs were just that confident. Either way it is a title that has withstood the test of time and I can really recommend it to any gamer.

Overall 6/10

God Eater: Resurrection Review

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This was my first God Eater title and I can definitely tell you that the length lives up to the reputation. I was playing this one for well over 50 hours and the game is quite difficult. If you’re looking for a big challenge and a lot of replay value then this is the game for you. Even after conquering it, there were plenty of extra levels left to complete. That’s how meaty this game is.

The general plot takes us to a world where monsters continually attack and do their best to crush humanity. These monsters can really show up out of nowhere and most humans are extinct at this point. We protect a final hub where scientists are trying to find a way out of this situation. There is a project ongoing that will supposedly allow humans to leave in safety but there are a lot of secrets about this project. Is it really for our own good? Well, time is ticking since the monsters are progressively getting stronger and stronger. One thing’s for sure, this is humanity’s final stand.

You play as a cadet who just joined the group and you get to see him quickly rise up the ranks. He is one of the super rare new types so he is able to command a powerful god eater weapon. Basically these are weapons which utilize parts of Aragami (The monsters) to eat the other monsters. You rise up the ranks as you clear missions and also begin learning new ways to use the sword. By the end of the adventure you are one of the highest ranking people around.

This version of God Eater basically brings 3 whole story modes within it. The final length of the story is 100 missions. Each mission can range in some from 3 minutes to around 20. You do have a timer of 30-40 minutes total but odds are if you haven’t won within 20 minutes, you’re probably dead. It’s not a game where it is easy or even practical to stall until the end. Aside from the 100 story missions, you’ve got another 100+ bonus missions. Even though they are “bonus” missions, you can expect that you will be playing through a whole lot of them. It’s not really much of an option because they will let you get the materials that you need to boost up your weapons and defense.

Without good weapons, you aren’t winning. Better weapons means better attack power and your shield controls your overall defense. If it’s too low then even taking one hit will one-shot your entire health bar. For the final boss that was happening to me quite a lot until I finally got a better shield. You can learn abilities that help to counter this like still having 1 health point left but it’s not something that you want to ever have to rely on. So better equipment is pretty much a must and since resources are scarce, be very careful which ones you level up. There are 4 elements, Blizzard, Fire, Spark, and Divine.

You will need all of them at one point or another so you want to level up 4 weapons minimum. Then you have slashers, crushers, and piercers. They come into play with each element and now you have a tough dilemma because you can’t feasibly maintain 12 different weapons. So pick your poison as they say. It will catch up with you at some point and that’s when you really find out just how skilled you are. Just how good are your fundamentals here? If they’re not good enough then you will definitely be in trouble.

Generally I would say the gameplay is that of a 3D brawler. You have your gun and your physical sword and you just swing away at your opponent. While using your blade you can also block with your shield. Blocking is incredibly handy because some shields like the tower shield will completely nullify damage. It’s incredibly handy and it’s just tough to get out of the habit of dodge rolling away from attacks. There is no invincibility in rolling here so that means trying to dodge that way is incredibly dangerous.

I didn’t really get the hang of this til near the end. So get into the habit as soon as possible. When using your gun, you are unable to block so you have to be careful or you can be caught in a bit of a death loop. Between that and my guns not dealing much damage, I mainly just used a blade during the game. I know most say that the gun is actually the best weapon to have but I just couldn’t get the hang of it. There’s a whole bullet game within the game on deigning guns and I was not particularly good at that.

Meanwhile you can customize your god eater on how it absorbs parts from your opponent. It’s a pretty important part of the game so you should spend some time here. I definitely focused on the quick dash which I found to be the most helpful. There are a ton of parts to buy and abilities to learn so just try not to get overwhelmed. There are hundreds and hundreds of options but of course they are not all equal. So just find the ones that you really like and ignore the rest. If you start losing a lot, then switch things up.

The game has a ton of variety so while you will get stuck, you will always have options to get around it. That’s why you absolutely need to do a lot of trial runs and figure out what it is exactly that you want to do. Once you have that in mind and a preferred fighting style, it all gets easier. If the sheer repetition gets to you, maybe just take some breaks. 50+ hours is a lot of time after all and the game’s got a fairly low amount of different enemies to fight. You’re mainly fighting the same 10 enemies in different recolors the whole time. There are also only around 5 level environments so the layout will look similar there too.

I do have to admit that this part felt a little lazy but the title is mostly concerned with getting you sheer amounts of levels to conquer. I suppose I can’t slam that too much. The graphics look pretty good for the game. It’s far from top end quality however there are 1-2 fully animated moments in the game which is cool. There is also an extended CG fight in one of the last cutscenes which was really cool. As always, a big benefit to a long game like this is the fact that you really get attached to the characters. That adds to the impact of the story and so overall there is definitely a lot of fun to be had here. Also seeing the credits 3 different times was intense.

Naturally there is a ton of replay value with all of the extra levels and weapons to obtain. It’s definitely a game that you will end up sticking with for quite a long while. You’ll probably continue to improve the more you play as well since you will start to notice enemy attack patterns and also be able to react quicker on your side as well. Never stop adapting and improving as you play the game. That is how you really get the long term victory and also clear levels a bit quicker. Every few minutes you save in a level really counts.

Overall, This was a pretty fun game. Definitely a long title that feels like it has a bit of padding at times but it was still fun. It’s clear that a whole lot of effort was put into this one. It is far from being any kind of cash-in. I’m sure developing the game took a really long time too. I’m interested in seeing how the sequel does. I would say a good story makes or breaks your enthusiasm with the title. If it’s anything like the first game then I’m sure we are in a good spot. If you like fighting monsters then you should definitely check this one out.

Overall 7/10