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.

The Rise of MOBA’s and the Growth of Competitive PC Gaming

By. BZork

 Every few years, a video game genre takes over the scene and inspires many similar titles to come around and dominate, producing lookalike after lookalike; we saw it with World of Warcraft, and the rise of MMO’s, and as of the 2010s, it seems like MOBAs (Multiplayer-Online-Battle-Arena) have fit the bill as the flavor genre of PC gaming, much to the pleasure of some, and annoyance of others.

With spiritual roots linked to Blizzard RTS Warcraft III's custom game modes, such as Defense of the Ancients (DotA) and Aeon of Strife (AoS), the concept behind the MOBA is a quick-paced, highly competitive team-based strategy game. You assume the role of one of several heroes/champions, and team up with other champions/heroes controlled by four other players. The goal is simple, or appears to be: breach the enemy team’s towers across three lanes, and destroy their Nexus/Ancient/Throne. What makes the genre so enthralling and fun, is the sheer amount of combinations one can make, according to hero choice, form of leveling, items to be purchased and out-of-game options, such as League of Legends’ runes and masteries system. The possibilities run into the thousands when it comes to all possible combinations, and when you add up how certain characters play, you have a recipe for a game that is constantly changing and evolving.

Due to the rise of MOBAs, in particular the genre’s biggest two titles: DoTA 2, produced by Valve, and League of Legends produced by Riot Games, the competitive PC gaming scene has grown significantly in the past three years. What was often thought to be the pointless dream for gaming’s many enthusiasts has become a reality, culminating in the possibility for gamers around the world to live off of earnings from tournaments and often-times live streaming their games for viewers on Twitch.tv, earning six-figures or more. Last year, Valve’s “The International 3” for DoTA 2 became the tournament with the largest prize pool ever, topping off at around $2.8 million dollars, of which it gave $1.4 million to the 1^st place winners, Alliance, a Swedish team of pro-gamers. Whereas the League of Legends Championship sold out the Staples Center in LA.

This is not to say that MOBAs are the solution to gaming’s gripes, seeing as many enthusiasts have several reactions of the genre, ranging from sheer hatred to obsessive fans that literally live-stream for the majority of their day in hopes of making enough money to get by. However, no one can ignore that they have brought a lot of interest, sponsors and a breath of fresh air into the competitive gaming scene, even more still driven by the fact that one need not spend any money at all to get into MOBA’s. Most are free-to-play, with usually low-hardware requirements for computers to run them, as seen in League of Legends’ case. Whether you love ‘em, or hate ‘em, they’ll probably be around for a while (Seeing as World of Warcraft is still going strong after 10 years in the MMO genre. . .), so give them a shot! Puerto Rico has vibrant communities for both of the genre’s mainstays, so it’s worth looking into. Who knows... You might find yourself enthralled by the genre’s charm, or turned away entirely by the skill-curve and the community, there’s only one way to find out!