Hello everyone!
Due to some changes in my work environment, as well as some difficulties in my life at home, I have decided to take a small break from blog writing.
Not quite sure when I'll get back to typing things up for you all.
Hopefully sooner than I think it will be.
As this is my plan, please don't expect any major updates for the next couple of weeks.
Maybe even until the new year.
But we'll see what happens.
Until next time, readers.
Monday, November 16, 2015
Monday, November 9, 2015
Some Updating
Hello, everyone.
Due to a death in the family, things have been a little hectic for me since the 3rd.
To help assuage some of your embitterment, here's a 5e homebrew that brings something from olden days to new light.
SPELLFIRE
As with everything, a work in progress that needs further help to develop.
And yes: I know it is incredibly strong.
I worked with someone who played 1st edition and has read the novels to get this idea to this point.
It's just one feat, but it takes 2 pages due to complexity.
Feel free to use and abuse as you see fit.
ALSO, I will be writing/working on a campaign setting that I got a hankering to write up.
Until next time :)
Due to a death in the family, things have been a little hectic for me since the 3rd.
To help assuage some of your embitterment, here's a 5e homebrew that brings something from olden days to new light.
SPELLFIRE
As with everything, a work in progress that needs further help to develop.
And yes: I know it is incredibly strong.
I worked with someone who played 1st edition and has read the novels to get this idea to this point.
It's just one feat, but it takes 2 pages due to complexity.
Feel free to use and abuse as you see fit.
ALSO, I will be writing/working on a campaign setting that I got a hankering to write up.
Until next time :)
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Tri Force Heroes - A Review
Mornin' all!
Today, I thought I'd do another review for a 3DS game.
This time, the slightly-more-well-heard-of-and-anticipated
"The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes" for the 3DS
First off, I'd like to state that I completely understood that this game was designed for multiplayer and, as someone who can't spend much/any time online gaming, this was probably a dumb purchase in the first place.
However, I've also played almost every Zelda game made to-date. And I didn't want to pass this one up just because of this minor shortcoming.
And so, I began this game.
Which is very much not a standard Zelda game.
For starters, Zelda isn't even involved in the plot - this game has Princess Styla. Not necessarily a bad thing, just different.
Secondly, while you get access to an impressive arsenal of tools, the main focus of the game is the costumes that you can assemble on your journeys to give Link new capabilities. Which is both odd and neat at the same time.
Third, it's a multiplayer Zelda game focused on puzzles more than adventuring. There is no overworld map, and the dungeons are broken into manageable chunks.
The controls are simple enough to understand: Y uses your equipped item (you only get one, sadly), X takes a screenshot for the Miiverse, L/R is dash, A is activate/talk/Totem (in which you stack Links to solve puzzles [order is VERY important when doing this, btw]), B is swing sword.
And that's basically all you need to know there.
Like A Link Between Worlds, this Zelda game made use of the energy meter instead of finite numbers of bombs/arrows/etc. Which meant that exploring was less limited than in previous entries.
AND I WOULD LIKE EVERY ZELDA GAME FROM NOW ON TO USE THE SAME MECHANIC BECAUSE IT IS PURE FREAKING GENIUS.
-ahem-
So, the first thing that I'd like to point out is that there are 8 larger dungeons comprised of 4 smaller dungeons each (and each of those small dungeons contains 4 rooms).
Which means that this game has 32 dungeons in it.
Which sounds like a lot, but isn't all that bad (keep reading for more on this).
Definitely gives you room to run around and play with your friends :D
I played the first dungeon completely in multiplayer and, I must say, it was a blast. I'd never played any Four Swords games due to not being able to meet with that many friends at the same time. But, thanks to the plug-in-group method used in Tri Force Heroes, I was finally able to see how fun multiplayer Zelda games could be.
To help things out, the tappable icons to communicate were not only useful for chat, but tapping them multiple times allowed you to send some of your emotions through the internet. Very well done, Nintendo.
Working together with players from around the world, I was able to plow through some puzzles that were refreshing and inspired in a series that has often been criticized for feeling stale. It was some of the most fun that I've had playing a Zelda game.
After the first complete dungeon, I decided to play the game in solo mode.
And, while doable, swapping dopples is more of a chore than anything.
Unless you use the games unique (and awesome) Totem feature, moving each dopple individually could take a long bit of time out of your day.
Not to mention, some puzzles simply could not be done using dopples. You'd think that Nintendo would have thought of this, but there are points in the game where you simply have to skip a section of a dungeon using faeries. Which, of course, means less reward at the end of the dungeon :/
Kind of a slip-up, in my opinion.
Speaking of faeries, I discovered around the third dungeon that I could beat the entire game and get its complete story in less than 1 hour.
By skipping around using faeries.
Once you finish the first room of any dungeon, you can spend your three faeries to skip right to the treasure room.
No muss, no fuss.
And, oddly, no boss fights (you can skip them just like everything else).
Did I miss out on anything doing this? In terms of story, no, but I'm sure that I missed at least one really nifty puzzle along the way. Oh well :/
So, if you can beat the actual story mode in about an hour, what else is there to do in the game?
If you are a completionist, you can go back through the dungeons, complete the Tri Force Challenges, gather materials, and build costumes that you'd missed.
Or, if you just wanna beat up things, you can enter the arena with two other Links and compete for the top spot (which nets you some Rupees and a costume material).
But, if you don't want to be that thorough (like me), there isn't really anything to do after you defeat The Lady and save Princess Styla.
Which is kind of a bummer.
If I'd beaten the game in one sitting, I could have turned it back in the same day that I bought it. But, overall, it was a pleasant Zelda experience with some welcome shake-ups to a familiar formula :)
Final verdict: 4/5
Visual - 5/5: great graphics inspired by A Link Between Worlds and the game ran smooth as butter :D
Audio - 5/5: everything that I've come to expect from a Zelda game in my many years of playing that series
Replayability - 3/5: with an arena mode and a plethora of costumes to unlock, there's a lot to do after you beat the game, though only if you are a major completionist
Controls - 4/5: in multiplayer, the controls are just swell, but in solo play, having to swap dopples sometimes resulted in puzzles that could not be solved :/
Story - 3/5: the game has a story, but it is brief and very much not a standard Zelda game (Hytopia? Princess Styla? cursed dress? 32 mini dungeons?)
So, there you have it - the newest Zelda game reviewed by yours truly.
Until next time, my read-folk :)
Today, I thought I'd do another review for a 3DS game.
This time, the slightly-more-well-heard-of-and-anticipated
"The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes" for the 3DS
First off, I'd like to state that I completely understood that this game was designed for multiplayer and, as someone who can't spend much/any time online gaming, this was probably a dumb purchase in the first place.
However, I've also played almost every Zelda game made to-date. And I didn't want to pass this one up just because of this minor shortcoming.
And so, I began this game.
Which is very much not a standard Zelda game.
For starters, Zelda isn't even involved in the plot - this game has Princess Styla. Not necessarily a bad thing, just different.
Secondly, while you get access to an impressive arsenal of tools, the main focus of the game is the costumes that you can assemble on your journeys to give Link new capabilities. Which is both odd and neat at the same time.
Third, it's a multiplayer Zelda game focused on puzzles more than adventuring. There is no overworld map, and the dungeons are broken into manageable chunks.
The controls are simple enough to understand: Y uses your equipped item (you only get one, sadly), X takes a screenshot for the Miiverse, L/R is dash, A is activate/talk/Totem (in which you stack Links to solve puzzles [order is VERY important when doing this, btw]), B is swing sword.
And that's basically all you need to know there.
Like A Link Between Worlds, this Zelda game made use of the energy meter instead of finite numbers of bombs/arrows/etc. Which meant that exploring was less limited than in previous entries.
AND I WOULD LIKE EVERY ZELDA GAME FROM NOW ON TO USE THE SAME MECHANIC BECAUSE IT IS PURE FREAKING GENIUS.
-ahem-
So, the first thing that I'd like to point out is that there are 8 larger dungeons comprised of 4 smaller dungeons each (and each of those small dungeons contains 4 rooms).
Which means that this game has 32 dungeons in it.
Which sounds like a lot, but isn't all that bad (keep reading for more on this).
Definitely gives you room to run around and play with your friends :D
I played the first dungeon completely in multiplayer and, I must say, it was a blast. I'd never played any Four Swords games due to not being able to meet with that many friends at the same time. But, thanks to the plug-in-group method used in Tri Force Heroes, I was finally able to see how fun multiplayer Zelda games could be.
To help things out, the tappable icons to communicate were not only useful for chat, but tapping them multiple times allowed you to send some of your emotions through the internet. Very well done, Nintendo.
Working together with players from around the world, I was able to plow through some puzzles that were refreshing and inspired in a series that has often been criticized for feeling stale. It was some of the most fun that I've had playing a Zelda game.
After the first complete dungeon, I decided to play the game in solo mode.
And, while doable, swapping dopples is more of a chore than anything.
Unless you use the games unique (and awesome) Totem feature, moving each dopple individually could take a long bit of time out of your day.
Not to mention, some puzzles simply could not be done using dopples. You'd think that Nintendo would have thought of this, but there are points in the game where you simply have to skip a section of a dungeon using faeries. Which, of course, means less reward at the end of the dungeon :/
Kind of a slip-up, in my opinion.
Speaking of faeries, I discovered around the third dungeon that I could beat the entire game and get its complete story in less than 1 hour.
By skipping around using faeries.
Once you finish the first room of any dungeon, you can spend your three faeries to skip right to the treasure room.
No muss, no fuss.
And, oddly, no boss fights (you can skip them just like everything else).
Did I miss out on anything doing this? In terms of story, no, but I'm sure that I missed at least one really nifty puzzle along the way. Oh well :/
So, if you can beat the actual story mode in about an hour, what else is there to do in the game?
If you are a completionist, you can go back through the dungeons, complete the Tri Force Challenges, gather materials, and build costumes that you'd missed.
Or, if you just wanna beat up things, you can enter the arena with two other Links and compete for the top spot (which nets you some Rupees and a costume material).
But, if you don't want to be that thorough (like me), there isn't really anything to do after you defeat The Lady and save Princess Styla.
Which is kind of a bummer.
If I'd beaten the game in one sitting, I could have turned it back in the same day that I bought it. But, overall, it was a pleasant Zelda experience with some welcome shake-ups to a familiar formula :)
Final verdict: 4/5
Visual - 5/5: great graphics inspired by A Link Between Worlds and the game ran smooth as butter :D
Audio - 5/5: everything that I've come to expect from a Zelda game in my many years of playing that series
Replayability - 3/5: with an arena mode and a plethora of costumes to unlock, there's a lot to do after you beat the game, though only if you are a major completionist
Controls - 4/5: in multiplayer, the controls are just swell, but in solo play, having to swap dopples sometimes resulted in puzzles that could not be solved :/
Story - 3/5: the game has a story, but it is brief and very much not a standard Zelda game (Hytopia? Princess Styla? cursed dress? 32 mini dungeons?)
So, there you have it - the newest Zelda game reviewed by yours truly.
Until next time, my read-folk :)
Monday, November 2, 2015
Final Nail in the Coffin: End of an Era
As of yesterday, I made the executive decision to shelf the 5e Praerus game for the time being.
The actual final nail was Rellon's truck breaking down on the freeway.
At this point, transportation to and from gaming has become an issue for everyone.
So, sadly, we won't be sharing in the adventures of that hapless crew again for some time.
We might pick it back up down the road, but we're not sure if or when that will happen.
And, because things were left at kind of a cliffhanger in regards to who or what stole the prophecy, I've decided to write up an actual "conclusion" for everyone to read.
It is highly rail-roaded and done purely as a work of fiction.
Should have that up sometime this week.
Not sure how much homebrew work I will be doing this week.
Might take some time to work on my novels again...
At any rate, until next time, my fellow gamers :)
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