Botanicula Review

By UnderBreex

If you know anything about this title, you may wonder why I’m reviewing a game from May 2012. Is the game that good? You guys, knowing me, it is mini-story time!

One of my very good college friends is always recommending me Indie games. Because of her, I'm in love with Indie games lately. The first game she introduced me to was Machinarium (Amanita Design). I also recommend this game. So, I went head over heels for it. The game is very challenging, has beautiful artwork, and a surreal story line. After a while, she introduced me to Botanicula (same developer). She just went and installed it into my computer (no permission asked) and I said that I would play it later that same day. I swear on everything that is holy in the gaming industry, the second I opened that game I couldn't/wouldn't put it down.

This game is about a five friends, tiny tree creatures, who set out for a journey to save the last seed from their home tree that is infested by evil spider-looking parasites. You'll have to use each one of them throughout the game-play according to each puzzle or interaction. Botanicula is a wonderful experience that will please us, combining nature and video games, creating a beautiful and captivating atmosphere that we want to see in more games.  

Puzzles range in challenge from: "Omg this is so cute" to "Where in the *bleep* is that chicken?" No spoilers.  However, this is a point-and-click, delightful, stunning, grabbing hold-of-the-imagination adventure that you will never regret playing. Many games strive to be fun, and Botanicula not only accomplishes this, but also manages to use sound and visuals to stir up emotions; especially in the ending. This is one of the most interactive titles that I've ever laid hands on, even though sometimes puzzles are so easy that they may not even count as a puzzle; just a random interaction. You can also collect some portrait cards that represent some of the surrounding characters that may help or challenge your game-play adventures. You can collect both allies and enemy characters and they are hidden in very random places. You can interact with them as a slideshow from the pause menu.

Just as if the game by itself wasn't enough, Amanita Design delivered an amazing, interactive soundtrack in the mix. The music is vivid, vibrant, and plainly fun, chartering the listener to all and the imaginative. This is one of the most amazing Indie developers and games out in the industry. One of the main reasons of this recommendation and review is because Amanita Design is re-releasing this PC Game on all iOS mobile platforms for $4.99 (out now). The price is a bit unusual for such a small game. However, it is worth every penny. 

            I give it an unusual 10/10.

2048: 24 hours of a mobile game craze

By. Prologue

It always starts because you hear about something new from a friend. You know this person. You like this person. So when they suggest you play a new game, you take the idea into consideration. It seems innocent enough, it being just a game for your phone. Curiosity gets the better of you. The game is even free when you find it on your phone’s app store. Finally, you download it, and it consumes your life!

This friend of mine had given me recommendations before, and it always ended up in me spending too much time on the game. I can’t be happy until I’ve either finished the game, or I’ve won it, or what have you. It doesn’t help that my friend knows me pretty well. He knows my perfectionist tendencies, my love of color coordination, and my passion for deceptively simple games. 

The game 2048 has one goal: making one tile of that exact number. You have 12 spaces where random 2's and 4's appear. The player chooses two adjacent tiles of a similar value to double them. For example, 2+2=4, and then you take the 4 and match it with another 4, hence 4+4=8, and so on. Sure sounds simple, right? But the most addicting games are always the simplest. The goal of the game is doubling the numbers until you reach the sum of 2048. If you love math, this game is for you. If you hate math but are capable of matching tiles of the same number, this game is also for you. But of course, the game is much harder than it looks, and it's very addicting. 

It took me 24 hours to achieve the 2048 tile. I was happy. I was thrilled. I was over the moon! I screamed with the excess of victory. 

Then, the game congratulated me and told me what my new goal was: 4096.

That’s how it goes with the best mobile games. Victory is but a bittersweet aftertaste.

Tiny Death Star Review

 

 By. Lil' Leia 

  Hey guys! Today we're discussing Tiny Death Star! It’s a Star Wars themed game (obviously, you can tell from its name) for your mobile phone in which you help Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine reconstruct their Death Star. You play it out by building civilian levels on top of Imperial levels. The revenue earned by civilians funds the evil plans of the Empire and the Sith. There are 5 types of different civilian levels: residential, food, retail, recreation, and service. Below them, of course, are the Imperial levels.

  When you first download the app, you are assigned missions to start your Death Star, then you set off on your own. Buying levels and stocking inventory consists of using the coins (or Imperial credits), and using the Imperial Bux will accelerate construction or stocking times, summon supply officers to the Imperial levels (to finish stocking weapons and stuff the Empire would use in a war), or convert them to credits. Then the VIP's start to appear, which is a special person that helps you complete a task. One of these are the recruiting officer, which fills up a residential level and the supply officer that helps an Imperial level produce its inventory of rebel secrets. It has an elevator that you use to transport citizens (civilians), but you start out with a really slow elevator, so save up on Imperial Bux to upgrade it. You can also unlock special characters like Luke Skywalker, Leia, Han Solo, Boba Fett, Yoda, Darth Vader, Wicket the Ewok, and many more!

  I was drawn to the game, mainly, because it was Star Wars themed. My dad helped me realize that I was a geek, and helped me learn almost everything in the Star Wars universe, Marvel universe, DC Comics universe, among other geeky interests. I was already interested in everything science and space, so he didn't have to explain how the universe worked. I am a hard-core Star Wars fan, even though my friends are not, they know what Star Wars is and think it's cool. You would think my dad was the one who drew me into the game, but I saw it on the Google Play Store on my phone, downloaded it, and fell in love. I think Tiny Death Star is awesome, cool, and really fun! I already have 76 levels done! The game is free and available on iOS, Android, the Amazon Appstore, and Windows Phone. My Dad and I are hooked on it! 

 

DLaw plays: Brave Frontier (iOS and Android)

By. DLaw

I’m not sure if I’ve found a new addiction, or just another reason to drain my phone’s battery in next to nothing. This little gem is called Brave Frontier, a pretty simple RPG that’s available both on the Apple’s App Store and on Google’s Play Store.

  The game’s story revolves around groups of summoners gathering power to defeat an evil and more powerful one! That sounds so original, right? But don’t worry too much about that. The story isn’t what gets you hooked, it’s the combat and the way the game works that keeps you coming back for more.

You get a team of five heroes, which can be unlocked by using Honor, which are friend points gained by using other players on your team, or by Gems, which are purchased to unlock strong and rare units. Before fighting, you’re presented with the option of selecting either a friend or a random summoner to help you out in battle. 

  The most addicting aspect about the game is the battle system. You tap on a hero’s portrait to attack, and each hero varies how quickly they strike. The point of the game is to quickly eliminate the opposition. If you manage to synch all your attacks at the same time, you create Spark, which is a super strong critical attack that can defeat many bosses with ease. But actually getting Spark is not as simple as it sounds! You either have to practice attacking in synch, or just keep tapping each hero at different rhythms, figuring out how to do the most damage to be the most powerful summoner in the land.

  The game is free and offers a lot of tutorials to help you level up, as well as getting your heroes stronger by making them fuse with weaker units. It also has daily dungeons that help you out in the long run. Overall, the game is just really fun to play, even though there’s no actual player versus player mode.

  I definitely recommend the game. Just don’t blame me if your phone’s battery runs out constantly because you start playing too much. I just can’t get enough!