Games Beaten 2020

[PartridgeSenpai]

Partridge Senpai's 2020 Beaten Games:
Previously: 2016 2017 2018 2019
* indicates a repeat

1. Invisigun Reloaded (Switch)
2. Human: Fall Flat (Switch)
3. Shantae: The Pirate's Curse (3DS)
4. Darksiders: Warmastered Edition (PC)
5. Splatterhouse (PS3) *
6. 3D Dot Game Heroes (PS3)
7. Tokyo Jungle (PS3)
8. Pictobits (DSiWare)
9. Puzzle Quest: The Legend Reborn (Switch)
10. WarioWare Gold (3DS)
11. Disaster: Day of Crisis (Wii)
12. Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition (Xbone)
13. Sleeping Dogs: Nightmare in North Point (Xbone)
14. Sleeping Dogs: Year of the Snake (Xbone)
15. Dynamite Headdy (Genesis) *
16. Shovel Knight: King of Cards (3DS)
17. Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope (3DS) *
18. Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows (Switch) *
19. Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment (Switch) *

20. Shovel Knight: Showdown (Switch)

I had completely forgotten that this game even existed, but when I bought Shovel Knight on Switch, I was very pleasantly reminded that that also meant that I was getting the Smash Bros-style platform fighter that was released at the same time at King of Cards (but only included in console versions of the game). This was the final stretch goal that the original kickstarter campaign reached, and at the time (wayyyyy back in 2013) I remember being really excited that even though every character in the Order of No Quarter wouldn't be getting their own game, they'd at least all be playable. The game doesn't record your time spent in the Showdown game mode like it does with the individual campaigns, so I'm not sure exactly how much time I spent in it, but my guess is around 10-13 hours to unlock all the characters and stages.

Shovel Knight: Showdown is a platform fighter bundled in with the Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove game. The narrative conceit is that, near the end of Specter of Torment, when Specter Knight is off to fight the Enchantress, his friends who also work in the Tower of Fate want to help him out. Hoping that Specter Knight will never have to fight the Enchantress in the first place, they heavily modify the Magic Mirror (which Specter Knight uses to teleport around to each of his stages) to attempt to use it to trap the Enchantress within it. This, of course, goes horribly wrong, and instead ends up trapping all of the main cast (and then some) inside this pocket dimension inside the mirror when it shatters and explodes. It's a narrative that's really just a framing device as an excuse for the fighting game, and it more than does its job.

The bits of writing that are more interesting are how each of the characters has a story mode. There's a 4-player multiplayer mode where you can play with friends or against CPUs in a ton of game modes (and you can have another 4 CPUs for an 8-player match), but there's also a story mode that is a lot like the Classic mode in Smash Bros. You go along 8 stages + a target breaking bonus stage (which you do need to win to progress past, it's not optional like in Smash Bros) + a final boss to win each. On stage 3, the chosen character will bump into their rival, and then this rival is fought at the end. Each character has their own rival, and this rival is usually who you unlock when you beat the current story mode. It's only little bits of banter at their first and second meetings, but it's really fun to see smaller characters like Treasure Knight (a new favorite of mine <3) or Propeller Knight get some more time to shine in the spotlight.

In total, the game has 20 playable characters (12 of whom are locked to begin with) and 29 playable stages (around 20 of which are locked to begin with, iirc). There are honestly way more characters than I ever expected there to be, and I just kept being surprised that I was STILL unlocking more of them. The main good guys and the Order of No Quarter are playable, of course, but then all the wanderers around the map, a couple normal enemies, and even an extra character who isn't even a fightable character in the base games are included. They play really differently from each other as well, which is nice considering there are generally only a few button commands for each fighter. The stages are all quite different from each other as well, and offer a really good variety of obstacles and hazards.

In a really cool move, Yacht Club Games published their own simple cheat codes online before the game even came out to unlock all the content. Even cooler, there's one to permanently unlock everything immediately, and another one that does it only temporarily (in case you just wanted to play it first with a friend and then unlock everything properly yourself later). It's an absolutely brilliant way to structure the unlockables in a fighting game (especially one that is ostensibly a party game, given that this game doesn't even haven an online mode) that I really with more games would take on as a feature. There are challenges to unlock everything, but alternatively you can also just play a bunch of multiplayer, and you'll slowly unlock more stuff as you do that too.

The game itself is similar to Smash Bros, but not quite. There are two base game modes: stock mode and gem mode. Stock mode is just "fight until the last person standing", but gem mode is about collecting gems that appear around the stages trying to reach the necessary target you need (first to 5, first to 13, etc). There are tons of variations on these as well, mixes and spins with different focuses on the types of usable items that appear in each stage and such, and there's even a setting in the multiplayer mode that has the game just pick randomly from the included modes (a little more than 20). It makes for a really fun experience, and I really enjoyed the more the time I messed around in just the random mode by myself.

The game's balancing, is... unbalanced but deliberate. This definitely feels more like a party game than a dedicated EVO-focused fighting game, and characters feel like they play how their in-game variations would be able to fight. It's not quite Guardian Heroes, but at the same time there are some very clear ability gaps between different characters. I found most characters have pretty good equal-levels of broken-ness compared to one another, but some are clearly far worse, particularly those with worse mobility. Not all characters have a double jump (or extra jump-equivalent), which makes them far harder to play as. Ironically, even though it's his game, Shovel Knight is one of the characters I found hardest to play as as he lacks any kind of extra jumping other than his pogo-ing ability. Compared that to the Enchantress, who can hover/fly for a really long time and has several extra jumps, and there's a pretty clear disparity in mobility depending on the match-up you're looking at. There's also a fairly big move disparity between characters at times as well, with characters like Mr. Hat having basically two whole move sets since he can swap hats for a melee-focused or range-focused move set.

Again, it's really silly fun since it fits into how the characters play in the actual game, but it can make certain story modes far harder than others. I imagine, if you were to get very very good, certain characters would rise even above those who seem very good and some (like the Enchantress) would end up being far worse since their attacks are so easy to telegraph and parry, but the single-player experience is quite varied as you come to grips with just how each character plays.

Verdict: Recommended. It's hardly a super deep or complex fighting game, but Shovel Knight: Showdown is a great thing to pass the time as a little party game or even by yourself if you just want some casual platform fighting. The way it plays takes a bit of getting used to if you're more used to something like Smash Bros Ultimate, but it has a really mind-blowing amount of content given that this is a free update that was just a kickstarter stretch goal. They didn't need to go nearly this above and beyond for this game, and I have to give it props for just how well it succeeds in doing what it's doing, even if it's far from perfect as a stand-alone product. As an addition to the Treasure Trove, it's an excellent experience.

[REPO Man]

QUBE for PS4. If you love games like Portal and Magrunner, check out this first-person puzzle game.

[Flake]

January
Shovel Knight: King of Cards (Switch)
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls (Switch)
Super Metroid (Switch)

February
Megaman X (Switch)
Nekketsu Highschool Dodgeball Club (Switch)
Super Dodgeball (Switch)

March

Garou: Mark of the Wolves (SNK Pro Stick)
Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS)

Garou: Mark of the Wolves really is a fantastic fighter and having finally spent some time on it, I definitely understand why it is so often called 'SNK's Street Fighter III'. The frames of animation just melt into one another - it is astounding that hardware launched in 1990 to run games like Art of Fighting or the original Fatal Fury was capable of doing Garou. I really like the game's attempt at a fairly epic story though, in typical SNK style, it is all but impossible to track what is going on or why anything really matters. Maybe that's a fighting game problem in general.

I'd also like to say some nice things about the Neo Geo Arcade Stick Pro. I'd been playing the Hamster ACA release on Switch but I was stuck on the last couple bosses. My Neo Geo Arcade Stick Pro came in yesterday and I really can't say enough nice things about it. The build quality is outstanding and feels right at home with my other Hori HRAP sticks. Unlike Hori, it has a nice rounded design to it - no sharp edges to dig into your palms. Buttons and stick are nice and clicky with no mushiness.

The emulation of the Neo Geo games is top notch. Games load quickly and the default 'soft' filter does a great job of cleaning up the sprites for my HD TV. Each title comes with 4 save-state spots and unlike with Hamster ACA releases, it is not convoluted to jump into the menu and load or save a game. This is massively important to me since I love Neo Geo games as much as I suck at them and I have no shame in doing what it takes to finish a run.

Each title appears to be the AES release of the software. There is an easily accessible menu for each game that has options like practice, difficulty, etc. No dip-switch options like free-play that I've found so far - I'm pretty sure there's no 'coin feeding' in these games so the save state option becomes even nicer. All in all, I highly recommend the Arcade Stick Pro for people who like Neo Geo Fighting Games. It's a super niche offering but for those who want what it has, it is the best.

Fire Emblem: Awakening was a re-play for me, of sorts. I first played through this game back in 2013. I lovingly crafted my team, developed my units with every conceivable skill, reset the moment a unit died (despite choosing not to play casual mode), and ultimately turned it into such a chore that I was more relieved than happy when I beat the game. And then I got laid off from my job the next morning, but that's a different story.

This time I did a mostly honest run. Classic mode, normal difficulty, and if a unit died, they died. This drastically changed the game for the better. If I played too long in one run and my brain got lazy, I really felt it when I realized I'd exposed a weak unit too much and they were lost. And a LOT of them were lost. Lissa, Tharja, Nowi, Fredrick, Virion, Kellam, Gregor, Laurent, and Noir all bit the dust. This had some unexpected impact on my playthrough as it forced me to A) Focus on what I was doing more and B) Use characters that I usually wouldn't use because me 'team' was set. Laurant and Noir actually made it to the second to the last battle and were pretty important to me (until I sacrificed them to save another character) and I would never have used them if other units hadn't already died. So the late joining cast members didn't feel superfluous or annoying to manage - they were actually necessary.

[BoneSnapDeez]

So that SNK Pro Stick is actually like a plug & play with built-in games? Interesting -- I never would have guessed. Better than the Neo Geo X?

1. ACA NeoGeo: Cyber-Lip (Switch eShop)
2. Pengo (Atari 2600)
3. Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii)
4. Knights of Xentar (PC)
5. Hoshi o Sagashite... (Mark III)
6. Dead Zone (Famicom Disk System)
7. Samurai Sword (Famicom Disk System)
8. High School! Kimengumi (Mark III)
9. Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom (NES)
10. Sindbad Mystery (SG-1000)
11. Steins;Gate (Vita)
12. Champion Boxing (SG-1000)
13. Squidlit (Switch eShop)
14. Skyblazer (SNES)
15. Tokyo Dark: Remembrance (Switch eShop)

Skyblazer

In years past, discussions around Skyblazer seemed to always focus on two elements: 1) that the game was a buried "hidden gem" and 2) it was one of those delightfully cheap SNES titles. Today, neither statement rings completely true, as both the popularity and price of this one have raised steadily. However, one thing remains unchanged: Skyblazer is extremely good.

This is one of those action-platformers with big chunky sprites and gorgeous pixel art, right in line with ActRaiser and Mega Man X. In the United States, Skyblazer was published by Sony Imagesoft. Yes, a Sony game on Nintendo -- one David Jaffe is even credited as a tester. Actual development was handled by the Japanese studio Ukiyotei, who dropped Skyblazer right between two of their licensed titles (Hook and Spawn). Skyblazer is one of those (very) rare video games to feature Hinduism as a central theme. As the story of the game goes, the hero Garuda is seeking out Asura, Lord of War, who has kidnapped the deity Vishnu. Aiding Garuda in his quest is the creator god Brahma. Oh wait -- that's the plot of the Japanese version. In America, the story has been wiped of all religious references, with everyone now granted a more generic fantasy name (the protagonist now literally called "Sky"). That said, the surprisingly text-heavy Americanized story is still pretty entertaining.

Thankfully, the Hindu motif is retained in many of the stage designs. Sky finds himself journeying through many a temple; winding archaic architecture dotted with statues of elephants and other Eastern touches. There are also the requisite "outside" stages: forests, mountains, and so forth. The game makes great use of transparencies, as Sky weaves in and out of suspended waterfalls, navigates underwater corridors, and trudges through dense foliage. The accompanying music is both appropriate and excellent, with a clear Indian influence, making heavy use of digitized strings (sitar?) and showcasing some ingenious percussion. It's a shame some of these tracks weren't just a touch longer; there's a whole bunch of "quick loopers" here.

Stages (seventeen of them) are accessed via a world map. Some are technically skippable, which is ill-advised as completing each one grants Sky an additional special ability (plus, ya know, the game's too fun to be purposefully bypassing things). Sky is quite the agile fellow, and the controls are impeccable. He has his standard punch, which becomes a kick if he's airborne. Sky can duck and crawl, and it's also possible to cling to walls and climb vertically. The wall "stickiness" is automatic, which is occasionally annoying as it's not always welcome. Spells consume MP, which can be replenished by collecting bottles dropped by slain foes. Most magic is of the offensive variety, various types of projectile attacks, though there's also a healing spell and one obtained late-game that temporarily transforms Sky into a flying phoenix. The sound effects emitted by cast spells are rather charming, and Sky himself never seems to shut up, uttering a perpetual string of grunts and groans alongside every executed move (even jumping!).

The developers weren't content to simply include a cluster of "left-to-right" stages. The majority scroll vertically and horizontally, with branching paths and hidden item caches. There are some truly intriguing hazards to encounter along the way. For instance, one stage contains invincible enemies ensconced in ice cubes that must be slowly chipped away to make progress. There's a perpetually looping "lost woods" with only one true exit to uncover. Some stages break the platformer mold altogether, like the autoscrolling flying segments and Mode 7 bonus rounds. Unfortunately, the more experimental stages feel as if they could have used a bit more polish. Those aforementioned Mode 7 bonus rounds, for example, feature some truly bad hit detection which makes it hard to collect items and properly dodge hazards. There are two specific stages -- the underwater temple and waterfall laden bottomless pit -- I've never been able complete properly; instead I've found it necessary to cheese the game by abusing a certain magical ability that forcibly propels Sky forward. Otherwise, it's far too easy to get caught in the currents that lead to instant demise. Most stages conclude with a boss battle. These are fantastic (though some are admittedly cribbed from other games). There's a massive rolling ball insect(?) that gets larger each time it's hit: first it can be cleared with jumps, until it can't -- whereupon Sky must switch to ducking in the arena's corner. There's a wall-mounted face that flings platforms at Sky in an attempt to crush him against the screen's edge, though said platforms can also be used to launch counterattacks. The game throws in the classic "boss rush" towards the end, though a fully powered-up Sky won't break a sweat.

And, really, this is on the easier side as far as platformers go. It's actually possible to farm for one-ups and jewels (which grant an extra life per 100 collected), as they respawn as rooms and exited and reentered. Early (and easier) stages can also be revisited, though the "room" trick is more efficient. Passwords are doled out frequently, symbols laid out on a grid in the classic Mega Man fashion. Make no mistake though, most experienced players can roll through this one in a single sitting. All told, this is quite the stellar action-platformer. It doesn't do anything particularly radical, but it's a straightforward solidly-built breezy playthrough, and sometimes that's all I (or anyone) wants or needs. As far as those random one-off platformers of old go, this is most certainly one of the better examples.

Oh, and those symbols used in the password grid of this Sony-published game: a square, a triangle, an X, an O. How prophetic.

Tokyo Dark: Remembrance

Tokyo Dark: Remembrance for the Nintendo Switch is an "enhanced" version of the original Tokyo Dark, which arrived on the PC in 2017. This is one of those Kickstarter funded releases, and was developed by Cherrymochi, an international team based out of Japan.

The player takes on the role of Ito Ayami, a female detective in (you guessed it) Tokyo. Her partner, Tanaka Kazuki, has suddenly gone missing, and leads are slim. In a throwback to classic Japanese mystery adventures (think Portopia), Ito is tasked with exploring various districts of Tokyo, collecting clues, and interrogating residents. The story takes a dive into the supernatural rather quickly, as Ito continuously stumbles across mysterious red markings that appear to be purposely laid to indicate a path. She uncovers a scandal centered around a promising and talented (and dead?) young Japanese idol, comes into possession of a cursed mask linked to ancient folklore, and much more. All the while, Ito must keep her wits, and resist the temptation to fall under the spell of duress and insanity.

The game showcases a rather intriguing fusion of genres. Though ostensibly a "point-and-click" that descriptor tells only half the story. Detective Ito walks (or runs) along a horizontal 2D plane, like the hero of a platforming game. Objects that can be manipulated -- or people willing to speak -- are highlighted as they enter the screen. Generally the player is given several options. For instance, one can simply look at an object or elect to manipulate it. During the dialogue sequences, the game switches to a visual novel display, with an portrait of Ito gracing the screen's bottom-left corner and her conversation partner on the right. Typically, there are various branching dialogue trees available, with differing questions and comments leading to varying outcomes. A world map is used to navigate around Tokyo, and while the game rewards some exploration it's still decidedly linear. Only one or two city districts will be available at a given time, depending on the player's progression into the game, and items (and people) that aren't currently relevant become unselectable.

Atmosphere is the strong point of Tokyo Dark. Each district of Tokyo is competently illustrated while also presented in an unflattering light: perpetually dark, dank, and dreary. The backgrounds are excellent: ramshackle ramen joints give way to garish Yakuza nightclub hangouts. Off the beaten path Ito finds a Shinto shrine housing unsettling secrets, a labyrinthe forest, a sewer that may or may not contain living beings. The creepiness is punctuated by an incredibly distinct soundtrack: crawling industrial tunes layered with all sorts of bizarre effects and voice samples. There are jump scares, sparingly initiated and effective, though the apprehension that builds before these is even more intense.

As for Ito herself, she's a great protagonist. Tough, determined, and ever sympathetic. Her design is pretty slick too, and the game boasts some gorgeous (but all too infrequent) anime cutscenes whenever Ito transitions from one critically intense moment to the next. All of her sleuthing begins to wear down on Ito, fraying her wits and mental well-being. This is where the game's "S.P.I.N. system" comes into play. This tracks the four main "statistics" of Ito's psyche: sanity, professionalism, investigation, and neurosis. These stats are raised and lowered based on choices made in-game. Oftentimes, there's a trade-off: for instance, breaking protocol to assault a suspect will undoubtedly lower professionalism but is sure to gain some investigation points. S.P.I.N. levels alter how certain characters react to Ito, what choices become available, and ultimately what ending is achieved. If the pendulum swings too far in one direction (like if sanity drops to critical levels) Ito runs the risk of having a complete breakdown. All told, it's a clever system that forces the player to think about the ramifications of every action. To up the intensity further, the game features but one save slot and devilishly autosaves after every move (PTSD flashbacks to Wizardry), so any choice made during a single playthrough is set in stone.

There are, unfortunately, some issues with Tokyo Dark that are hard to overlook. While the overall atmosphere is taut and gripping, much of the actual writing is questionable. As the story treads deeper into supernatural waters it becomes less coherent. Eventually it feels as if a string of arbitrarily weird "stuff" is happening in tandem, and the player is expected to just roll with it. The vagaries of the plot begin to make Ito's journey feel consequence-free as well, which clashes heavily with the S.P.I.N. system mechanic and rigid saving. Does anyone actually "die" in the world of Tokyo Dark or can all be resurrected? How much of all this is just a dream or hallucination? Who knows! For every question answered ten more are asked. Players are encouraged to complete the game repeatedly, to seek all endings (and presumably answers). And there is indeed a New Game+ that allows for more traditional saves. That said, many endings feel inconsequential, and the tale lacks a true satisfying resolution. Another big issue: there are very few interesting characters (save for Ito). A great many NPCs are completely stale, spouting off the most listless of comments. Furthermore, the character designs (again, except for Ito...) are strikingly shoddy. The NPC artwork exudes this cheap copy-and-paste vibe, lacking in depth and texture. It feels like a Western artist's early attempt at drawing manga.

In summation, this is truly a mixed bag. Tokyo Dark is certainly quite the experiment, just not a wholly successful one. Overall, I do like the game and would recommend it. But with one caveat: a single five-hour playthrough is more than enough.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Nice reviews, Bone. I’ve owned Skyblazer for years, but I e never really given it a chance. Speaking of your reviews....

.....

1. Her Story (iOS)
2. Elminage Original (3DS)
3. Legend of Grimrock (iOS)
4. Silent Bomber (PS1)
5. Crash Bandicoot (PS1)
6. Bust-a-Move 2 Arcade Edition (PS1)
7. Transformers Cybertron Adventures (Wii)
8. Squidlit (Switch)

Squidlit is an extremely short, extremely easy game that I picked up based on Bone’s excellent review a few pages back and beat in about 30 minutes without dying. Even at $2, this is a questionable value, BUT...aesthetically, the game is the closest approximation I’ve seen to an actual Gameboy game in years, looking and sounding like one of the system’s more impressive titles (e.g., Kirby’s Dream Land, Noobow, etc.). Accordingly, and despite its short length, I really enjoyed it, and I think my children will like it too. (If you are interested more details on the game, I refer you to Bone’s review a few pages back.)

Squidlit was made by a two-person team, and I am excited to see what, if anything, they’ll do next. The team clearly knows how to design a fun game and interesting levels, and I’d love to see them make a game with similar aesthetics, but more challenging and about five to ten times longer.

[BoneSnapDeez]

My daughter's playing it now and enjoys it. Good game for kids.

I died twice...... at the book boss.

[prfsnl_gmr]

My daughter's playing it now and enjoys it. Good game for kids.

I died twice...... at the book boss.

That was a really well-designed boss, BTW. It took me a while to figure it out, and it shows that the developer has some talent.

[Ack]

I looked up a trailer based on you guys talking about Squidlit. It seems like a really cute game. I kind of want to play it now.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Just do it. It's a cheap one-sitting game.

[Markies]

Markies' Games Beat List Of 2020!
*Denotes Replay For Completion*

1. Pikmin 2 (GCN)
2. Banjo-Tooie (N64)
3. Contra: Hard Corps (GEN)
4. Super Baseball Simulator 1,000 (SNES)
5. Chip 'N Dale Rescue Rangers 2 (NES)
6. Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection (PS2)
***7. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PS2)***



I completed Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories on the Sony Playstation 2 this evening!

It amazes me that they were able to put this entire game on a small PSP Disc. Annoying bikes and game stuttering aside, the game is a giant GTA game on a handheld. Granted, it is a step down from San Andreas, but if you compare this to GTAIII, it is astounding. I don't find the story as intriguing as you basically run missions for the Don the entire game, but I love how they added on to one of my favorite games. Still a fantastic GTA experience, even on a smaller scale.