Indivisible | An RPG And Metroidvania Hybrid Of Colorful Proportions

From Lab Zero Games, the creators of Skullgirls, comes an RPG hybrid about a rambunctious teenage girl named Ajna who finds herself as a part of a haunting mystery that one day comes calling. Training under the tutelage of her father Indr, the village elder, she learns the ways of combat. All while wondering who her father really is, and why her mother died when she was younger. As fate would have it a ruler of a certain kingdom sends his lieutenant to destroy the disobedient population of the Ashwat village shortly after one of Ajna's training sessions. The very village where Ajna, and her father live. In his murderous rampage Dhar, the lieutenant sent to plunder, kills Ajna's father leaving her with a lot more unanswered questions, and a fight that she will thankfully not have to face alone. Utilizing a mysterious undiscovered power activated in the heat of battle Ajna captures certain people of interest including Dhar, and has them fighting on her side as she makes her way to face off against the man who had her father killed. It's with this interchangeable army of individuals, and assisting acquaintances that Ajna will be able to see her mission through to the end. That, and some abilities she gains along the way through her journey of discovery, and maturity.

Bloodstained PR Statement (UPDATE)

After posting my review, and heading to my email to give the PR the news it appears there were some acknowledged issues with frame rate within certain parts of the game. Apparently I haven't encountered those areas yet. That having been said the PR has reassured those who bought the game that patches will be released to address each area's frame rate issues. They ask for your patience. Seeing Koji's dedication to the game already I don't doubt he'll iron out the kinks. Whether or not you want to wait for those patches will be up to you though. Again, I'll say that from what I've played it was smooth, but if the PR thinks that these claims are founded in reality then they must be. Me not having completed the game could be the very reason I missed these slowdown moments. Still, from a base standpoint (issues aside), I feel the game has the potential to be a buy worthy product. Maybe not right now, but I have faith that they'll patch the game as promised. There's a lot at stake not to.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (NS)

Today, the day of launch, I've seen gamers/reviewers hate on this port of the game saying it's bad. That it's got lag or frame rate issues. I've also seen gamers excited to get their hands on the game project they backed, as well as buy it fresh from the store. I'm sure some of you reading this now are wondering, with there being mixed reception, whether or not Koji Igarashi's vision for the game plays out the same on the Nintendo Switch as it does on the PlayStation 4 version of "Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night". The simple answer is, "Yes". With patch 1.02 applied the game plays smoothly from what I've experienced, specifically in handheld mode. As far as visuals go it's a bit darker than the PS4 version, but graphically in sync with that version. It is an improvement upon the previously hated rendering, and though I feel Koji, and his team could have gone a different route with the visual aesthetics it's still good enough for the indie project it is. I think the team did good enough to keep intact the visual art style we Castlevania fans grew up with, and though it takes on a 2.5D design it is a competent return to formula. One that is a mixture of a couple of different Castlevania experiences.

Assetto Corsa (PS4)

Let's talk about racing games for a moment. The racing game genre has had it's ups, and downs over the years. It's had it's highs, and lows within the realm of popularity and sales for various reasons. In it's high times gamers got to revel in the glory of the sub-genre known as simulators while playing games like "Gran Turismo". A series which mostly hit the nail on the head when it came to realism, and plentiful in-game offerings. On the flip side of the same coin we have had arcade style racers like 'Project Gotham Racing', and "Super Mario Kart" which offered a different take on the racing genre, but in a manner relevant to a more casual crowd. For the most part racing games have fallen into one of a handful of sub-categories including that of simulators, arcade racers, and even indie racers. Each of which has appealed to a different type of gamer demographic. As a gamer myself I have enjoyed games like 'Gran Turismo', and 'Project Gotham Racing', but never really invested a lot of time into said games. I'm not what you'd call a racing fan, and only found enjoyment when the races weren't so true to life that I found myself stumbling along trying to grasp an understanding of pro circuit driving. I feel that while games like 'Gran Turismo' are attractive they are geared towards a very faithful audience. An audience that understands the fundamentals of racing, and the basics of driving. An audience who appreciates such technology, and science. None of which I'm really accustom to.

HAWKEN + Founder's Bundle (PS4)

I have wanted to play this game for so long. I took notice of it when it came out on the PC years back, and was completely crushed when I figured out it was going to be a PC exclusive at that time. Seeing it come out as a free-to-play game on the PS4 this year though was exciting for me. In saying that I realize some of you may be questioning the choice of the developer to adapt the F2P console model, but from what I've experienced, and seen it is a quality game where the paid for content does not detract from the experience at all. Sure you'll be without the bobbles, and finer customization options if you choose not to pay for the paid in-game currency, but you can still unlock the mechs, and still enjoy them in their entirety without the superficial add-ons. Gameplay is definitely king in this situation, and it really shows. One thing the game has going for it beyond all the offered extras is it's post-apocalyptic environmental design. That, and a well thought out mech design. The developer doesn't get too deep with the mech play, but instead makes it easy to manage so that players can enjoy multiplayer modes like team death match without hassle. Being an online only multiplayer experience it certainly compliments "HAWKEN", and in more ways than one.

Rekoil:Liberator (XBLA)

When it comes to video game development there are some things you should do, and other things that you should definitely not do. Among things that you should not do is clone a gaming experience. It's a bad practice all the way around, and always results in ridicule in some form, or fashion. Secondly you should not try to push something on to the gamer that is not up to the standards of the tier of game formats that you are releasing the game on. Revamping an indie clone with better visuals, and slapping in some online features is definitely not the way to go. As much as I hate to do so I'm going to have to breakdown what Plastic Piranha's & 5o5Games' arena shooter has to offer, and deliver the bad news on what I experienced as I did my playthrough of the game. I cannot, and will not sugarcoat something bad. I just hope the PR, and developer don't take it personally. Perhaps something can be learned from the following critique, and can benefit all those involved as well as all those looking to buy the game.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (XBLA)

Never in my history as a gamer have I had the privilege to play through a game that was so emotionally thought provoking as this one was. Both 'Josef Fares (A Swedish Film Director)', and the creative team at 'Starbreeze Studios' have put together a grand fairytale that transcends cultures, and language barriers of all kinds. Using love, and it's powerful nature as the main theme the development team behind this mature fairytale of sorts takes you on a visually breathtaking journey like none other you have ever seen before. You'll get to follow along as you guide two brothers who have suffered the terrible loss of their mother, and are in the process of losing yet another loved one. Their journey to find a cure for their ailing father will ultimately take them, and you to various locations of splendor, and even to nightmarish havens where the worst of dreams are realized. As you journey alongside them you'll discover that it is the brothers' undying love for one another that drives them to go against all odds, and will hopefully gain the cure that could ultimately save the life of their father. During your epic adventure with the two brothers your heart will no doubt be ripped asunder with sorrow, and tears may even be shed on their behalf, but in the end you will find reassurance as they both did that love is eternal and will never fade away.

Terraria (PSN)

Most of you reading this review have likely already played the PC version of "Terraria". I unfortunately was never able to sample the supposed greatness that it offered though due to the lack of a proper PC graphics card. After finding out about the console release about 2 weeks ago I decided it was time for me to see exactly what the hype was all about. I wanted to know why it received such high ratings across the board. Before I get started with my review though It's probably best that you know that I've always sucked at Minecraft inspired games. I've never been able to adapt to the complex menu systems, or building options that are made available in those types of game titles. With that being said though I do understand the mechanics well enough to explain them.

JAM Live Music Arcade (XBLA): "A Deeply Involved DJ Arcade Game"

When it comes down to the various forms of entertainment that the world has to offer I find that music ranks as my most favorite. If you ever follow me on Twitter you've likely seen me tweet links to many different music videos, and music tracks. The fact of the matter is I'm a guy who enjoys nearly all kinds of music. Whether it is classic music like Beethoven, or more hardcore music like Rammstein I find myself constantly immersed in the many different genres that make up the music industry. With that being said I never really got into video games that were based on music. It's just not something that I could see myself getting into. Regardless of that fact I recently got myself involved in the unique genre of games for review purposes. I ended up getting a request from my PR (Reverb Labs/Publishing) earlier this month to do a review on "505 Games" music based game which is appropriately titled "Jam Live Music Arcade". At first I was a little hesitant, because I know most music games tend to require the use of music based controllers. Unfortunately I do not have such a controller. When the PR told me ' Jam Live Music Arcade' was playable with a standard controller I thought maybe this game would be something I could actually do, and enjoy. I took the PR up on his offer, and set out to review a game genre I have never taken on here at "OtakuDante's Gaming Inferno".

Wrecked: Revenge Revisited (XBLA): "4 Player Racing Combat"

I would normally use this introductory paragraph to tell you about how I managed to get the game in question for review, or something along those lines. This time I'm going to do things a little differently though. To begin with I'd like to thank '505 games' for allowing me to do a review on 'Wrecked: Revenge Revisited'. Thank you so much! This is the first time I believe that I've contacted '505 Games' about a review request, and I was definitely glad to see that they were willing to give me a chance. I know I've mentioned this before, but the success of a reviewer greatly depends on those who support him/her. Whether you're reviewing DVDs, or video games the same rule always applies. If you don't have a decent following of supporters, or developers/publishers that are willing to give you a shot at proving yourself then you will ultimately fail. That's why I'm thankful for gaming companies like '505 Games' who are willing to give smaller review sites such as my own a chance. Now that I have all of that squared away I will present to you my review of 'Wrecked: Revenge Revisited'!