Trial by Viking is a stage-based platformer that has players jumping, throwing axes, and trying to find all of the sun stones in each stage. Upgrade abilities to tackle monsters from Norse myth, all with the goal of stopping Loki.
When the synopsis of Trial By Viking hit my inbox, I’ll admit that I was excited. After coming off the heels of Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse a few months ago and Axiom Verge after that, I was hungry for more Metroidvania style games. Trial By Viking is described to have Metroidvania elements in its marketing and store page, however this couldn’t be farther from the truth.
You got tactics in my platformer! I’ve always had a fondness for turn based strategy games. From Civilization games to Final Fantasy Tactics to Tabletop RPGs they have always found a way to draw me in. So I was very pleasantly surprised to find that this game was a turn based strategy game, though it looks like a 2D platformer. Throw in some Angry Birds or Worms Armageddon and you have Steamworld ...[Read More]
She’s the original Fly Girl of In Living Color — Game Boy Color, that is. Shantae, our favorite purple-haired, gold-bangled half-genie hero first made her debut in 2002. Despite the fact that the Game Boy Advanced was released in 2001, Shantae’s debut adventured conjured a cult following. Whipping forward eight years, Shantae cast a spell on DSi with Risky’s Revenge, which ...[Read More]
Your day starts out like any other: another long, boring and seemingly endless day at the hard hat testing company. The hours stretch on and on across a figurative distance so great that only a literal mathematician could compute them. Each unending stretch of hours is punctuated only by the cranial blunt force trauma you willingly endure for a meager salary. Finally, a whistle’s shrill tone...[Read More]
Our scene opens on a majestic fortress, perched on a tower that seems to reach impossible heights above the leafy canopy of trees. It stands as stoic sentiment to the lush and fertile land below it, and the materials and design lead us, the viewers, to believe that it is an ancestral home and that whatever family inhabits it has done so for countless generations. Inside, the family gathered around...[Read More]
One thing I’ve never really been shy talking about is how old I am. Being 32 years young means I am older than the average gamer, but also too young to remember when home video game systems were really getting off their feet. The first console my family owned was a Nintendo Entertainment System, but that doesn’t mean the charms of its predecessor’s games are lost on me. I do have...[Read More]
The winter freeze is sticking around MUCH longer than we’d like it to. It is this time of year that I spend the most time thinking about a magical tropical getaway. Unfortunately, tropical islands are filled with terrible things: mosquitoes, smoke monsters, sea food and those itchy coconut bras that never seem to fit me right. Imagine hitting the beach with your favorite electronic book read...[Read More]
Even now, I can still remember the first time I played Super Mario Bros. I have vivid recollections of my first time playing Sonic the Hedgehog. I will never forget my first experience with Prince of Persia. Earthworm Jim, Aladdin, and, for nostalgic reasons specific to my own life, Yo! Noid all made indelible impressions on me that will be with me until time starts erasing all of my memories. I h...[Read More]
Prey 2 is not Prey. It became clear at the Bethesda E3 Prey 2 screening that the portal and gravity mechanics that made up most of the core gameplay of Prey were not returning for the sequel. Instead, we’re given an open world, mission based sandbox shooter. In this spiritual sequel, you are no longer the hunted, like you were in Prey. Prey 2 presents a more empowered character, putting you ...[Read More]
I remember when Outland was announced at last year’s PAX. I instantly fell in love with both the visual feel of the game and the game’s expected polarity-platforming mechanics; I believe my exact phrasing was, “Unfortunately, Outland is not due out until next year, so I can’t make sweet, sweet gamer love to it quite yet.” Well, it is now the aforementioned “next year,...[Read More]
If you were paying attention last week (and if you weren’t, what the hell?), you already know how excited I am for this week’s Steam release of Cloning Clyde. NinjaBee Games has released some rather interesting titles across multiple systems, so I anticipated the chance to play another of their games on my chosen platform. This simple yet complex side-scroller really caught my eye, a...[Read More]