akai.gikopoi.com

Eastward [Game Review]

2025-01-24T21:44:10-05:00

TL;DR

Certified Indie Gold, and even with its limitations, Eastward evokes retro vibes and gives a thought-provoking story and escape to another world.
This game is a short-play (~20-30 hours) so for those of you that want a long story driven game with lots of content, this is not for you.
I think that I really enjoyed the mini-game Earth Born in this title just as much as Eastward, so in a way I’m reviewing two games here. (I really want Earth Born on my phone or something for when I’m waiting someplace!!)

[Played on a Nintendo Switch Lite]

Eastward was an indie title promoted by Nintendo, and a lot of us playing the Switch in prison were really intrigued by the indie scene we never really got to see flourish out there. Of course, Eastward was a title floating around the prison, and I am so happy I got to play it. A lot of guys that don’t generally go for story-driven titles were really impressed by Eastward’s retro vibes and creative life.

I enjoyed the platformer/Zelda-esque puzzles as well as the clean combat that makes you work for it, but yet there is a fun and intuitive side to things. Switching between the two protagonists at times also reminds me of other titles as well. The awesome thing about Eastward is that before the game really truly starts, you get access to Earth Born, a mini-game accessible in each town through a game console outside a store (usually) that houses a gachapon for collectables/items that can be used in the mini-game. This game is a classic JRPG with some roguelite qualities to it (mainly in the deathloop aspect rather than procedural-generation/random-generation). This game was super fun, and I think I poured in over 20 hours on it so that my Eastward playthrough is a lot longer (45 hours to be exact) than the average player. Earth Born ties into a lot of the story as well, but it really is just begging for you to go back and play it.

Now on to Eastward: it is basically an escape/adventure game, but there is a lot of different paces throughout. This title is not cinematic-led, but rather like classic games it is led by event-editor scenes. Even so, it is really easy to be drawn in and with new technology, there is a recreating “16-bit” new-school retro titles really gives it an edge. I would say the only real gripe I have about this title is that I wish there was more, or at least some new modes to unlock at the end. I think Eastward is a great title for anyone to play, and in a world where games are over 100 hours of play, this humble game lets you just chill and feel like you are a world where gaming can be gaming and not just a vicious, endless escapism.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus [Game Review]

2025-01-18T13:00:03-05:00

TL;DR

This is a step in the right direction for the Pokemon franchise. This game includes just enough Action and RPG to bring fans what they’ve been searching for in a true, contemporary Pokemon RPG.
I was impressed and enjoyed this title, however I did feel like the only issue was that I wish there was more. DLCs would have actually been a great addition to this game, as it has great end-game content and grind to it, but there was just so much more they could have done with this title.
While you don’t need to play any prior Pokemon titles to enjoy this game, I think that having an understanding of Gen IV/Sinnoh can amplify the value of the story in this title.

[Played on a Nintendo Switch Lite]

Pokemon was not my first RPG by far, but it was the game that solidified my love for RPGs. All other RPGs that follow it in my favorites are ones that allow customization of your party and building new strategies for new situations. Pokemon never was the most complicated of RPGs, and as the mainline series progresses, we see a lack of challenge as Game Freak strives to play it safe and not take lots of risks in their design and development of the games. This has made it so that long-time fans of the franchise, and for me being a fan since its inception, really have veered away from the franchise due to heavy disappointment.

I will say with enthusiasm that this was not the case for Pokemon Legends: Arceus. While it was not as extensive in move-sets, without abilities, lacking in weather/terrain mechanics, and other things that simplified the Turn-Based battle system, it was a game that had RPG elements that give what the fans were looking for. It was not open-world, but the open-zone nature of it was just fine. The ability to use different mounts to re-explore areas or reach new parts of the map was a new, contemporary-style development of the earliest travel mechanics Gen I’s HM techniques such as Surf or Fly that gave you the ability to traverse efficiently and adventure places you could not before. Being able to move faster, swim, climb, fly/glide, dig for treasure etc. on each mount gave the game life that made it feel like I was apart of something bigger. (it reminded me of Monster Hunter or the fun of WoW mounts, and that was just something I never thought a Pokemon game would ever implement)

The action mechanics of Arceus included the ability of wild Pokemon to attack your trainer, sneaking around and building different approaches to catch Pokemon without having to battle them, and also boss battles that incorporated action mechanics alongside turn-based battles that are traditional among Pokemon. This game was a step in the right direction, and it was always fun to use different items to incapacitate monsters while you sneak around and then catching them. Gathering items and then crafting your own steampunk-esque Pokeballs and other items made the game/grind very entertaining and worth something.

Among all others, this approach to the Sinnoh region (in this title, as the feudal era and called the Hisui region) gave a lot of life to a previously barren region in its mainline titles. Arceus was given the credit that he deserves as a Mythical Pokemon that created the world of Pokemon. The endgame/post-credits grind to actually get Arceus was also amazing, and it really evoked the old style of Pokemon where the endgame is the real game. Pokemon Legends: Arceus is definitely a title that was amazing and stands strong alone, but makes you wish there was more at the same time.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV [Game Review]

2025-01-15T23:06:48-05:00

TL;DR

A great conclusion to the Cold Steel games and the major story arc of the franchise. Recommended for any JRPG fans. 100+ hour adventure.
I recommend playing Cold Steel III (if you aren’t trying to start all the way from the first title) before playing, as it is highly necessary to understand the story in this title.
This title has some bloat to it when it comes to the RPG/design sensibilities.
The Legend of Heroes titles (also referred as Trails or Kiseki) are all about world-building, so you can play the Cold Steel titles before the other major titles if you prefer.

[Played on a Nintendo Switch Lite]

Anyone who has been following Kiseki for awhile that has not played this title needs to get up to speed and do so. This is everything that fans have been waiting for. This title brings all 3 of the major story arc games (Trails in the Sky trilogy, the two Crossbell [from Zero/to Azure] games, and the tetralogy Cold Steel) together and the story converges as one.

While I do think fans will be very interested in this title, it is definitely not the entry title for Kiseki or even the Cold Steel games. Fans will appreciate old, familiar faces appearing and being playable, yet the newcomer will be lost. Even for a JRPG fan like myself, I was not as immersed as I was in Cold Steel III. The problem with these titles is that there are a lot of skills/crafts/etc that are very redundant. I found that with the correct orbment (sort of like materia in FFVII) set-up that I can be even more destructive to enemies than with the “ultimate” or “best” stuff. It really makes the grind for those items really useless in a way. This title is filled with lots of useless skills, if you know what you are doing.

The minigames in this game are expanded. There is the return of Vantage Masters, and this time around the computer player is a lot more sophisticated. There are more cards available, so there is even more reason to change-up your deck. I had a lot of fun with building decks and tweaking my strategy depending on my opponent. There is the addition of other minigames, such as Pom Pom Party. It is sort of like Doctor Mario. The ability to take a break from talking, running around, hitting up missions, and just the grind in general is really nice.

This title really was enjoyable, and it has more character development and story than the other title. (especially in terms of optional content, bonding scenes, etc) That is great for myself as a fan, but I found that even with all the variety of characters to have in my party that I was not really interested in customization as much as I thought I would. The game does make starting over fun, but early on in there is not much optional content available, making it fairly linear. Once the optional content and world expansion occurs, there’s really at that point not a lot making me want to dive deeper. I felt more obligated than excited to do side content in this case.

Cold Steel IV is a great title nonetheless, but it suffers a bit from the bloated nature that most games are taking up. Content for the sake of content and without any real coherence. There is, however, a part of me that would love to replay this title along with all the other Cold Steel games because the story does have a special place in my heart.

Gikopoi Holiday 2024

2025-01-08T22:11:16-05:00

It is now 2025, but we got to end 2024 on a good note at Gikopoi.

This is just a recap of my fun on Gikopoi for Holidays 2024.

I've been pretty active streaming, especially when #AFK. I usually stream a lot of Nightcore playlists, but I change it up too sometimes with a variety of content.

We had the first annual Gikopoi Christmas Nights of Nightcore event as well. We enjoyed 2 days straight of Nightcore DJing from yours truly. It is such a blessing to be in the modern world and be able to DJ without actually being present. Thank you Gikopoi.

Key Visual - Christmas Nights of Nightcore 2024

(Key Visual stamp of approval from Archduke, except oppai too much I guess. Noted, will work on that..)

This is maybe unrelated to Holiday celebrations, but there is now an Akai/wizard hat Giko available for play on Gikopoi now!

So, what are you waiting for? Let's play Gikopoi today!!

(This blog post provided as my dues for using server space for my ramblings, and due to a binding contract of Love and Friendship to Archduke)

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III [Game Review]

2025-01-08T22:03:09-05:00

TL;DR

This title is definitely a cinematic/story JRPG that stands on its own feet. If you are looking for a 100+ hour exciting, yet somewhat grindy, adventure (with replay value), then look no further and try this title out.
Game played in Nightmare difficulty setting with only one playthrough.
This title is 3 of 4 titles in the Cold Steel titles, and it is the first chapter of the second phase of the Cold Steel story. There is a movie/summary section in the game that can get you up to speed, if you prefer to skip the first two titles. (although I recommend playing the whole tetralogy)
The Legend of Heroes titles (also referred as Trails or Kiseki) are all about world-building, so you can play the Cold Steel titles before the other major titles if you prefer.

[Played on a Nintendo Switch Lite]

Having played other Kiseki titles, it was absolutely paramount that I continue Rean Schwarzer’s adventures in the Cold Steel titles, and also be able to see the culmination of other regions’ stories come together as one. This title does not necessarily conclude anything or bring it all together, but it does set it up so that the next game (Cold Steel IV) can fulfill that.

Putting aside the massive world-building that Kiseki does, this title is an amazing JRPG experience that has lots of optional content that you want to do before the deadlines are over. There is a bit of life simulation tasks in this title, but they bring you into combat or into situations that are exciting. So while there is Persona-vibes with a calendar, there is no divide really between simulation and dungeon crawling. You will have a lot of cut-scenes, reading and talking to do in this title, however.

The game does have great turn-based battles and tactics. The systems are a bit reminiscent of materia from Final Fantasy VII, but it does add some new things to the conversation. Setting up your team to lack delay and be set up next in line for fighting is a very big part of building strategy in these games. (especially in the more difficult settings) There are a few ways to break the system in this game, which is a bit disappointing for someone who enjoys systems that require deep strategies and also changing it up. I can’t help but break the game if I know how to. Especially since it isn’t cheating, it is just utilizing the best strategy available.

I love that this title has optional boss fights that are super invigorating and exciting. Games that have exciting side content that isn’t overly demanding or boring make a really big impact. This is not an open-world game, but it really does allow you to feel free to explore. There is a lot of purpose in the narratives and story-telling, and you really feel like you are immersed in the world. There is obviously a grindy trend to this game, as it is a JRPG. It just comes with the territory. I can’t help but be inspired to keep the grind going with all my cute, cool and sexy costumes for the characters though. Beside if you get bored of the grind, you can also play a mini-game/card game “Vantage Masters” with friends/NPCs. I’m definitely an avid player of JRPGs, but the Kiseki games really suck you in and the story telling is very engrossing. If you enjoy this story, you will want to definitely play the other titles to figure out the other pieces of the puzzle in this story. The game comes equip with a whole section of movies that can get you up to speed with the Cold Steel story-line.

If you are looking for the most tactically-demanding title or anything super different in a JRPG, you won’t find that here. You will, however, find a great story and a world full of mystery that begs you to unravel it. As long as you find value in that, you will really be hooked on Kiseki for sure.

Metroid Dread [Game Review]

2025-01-08T22:02:43-05:00

TL;DR

This game is not a long play. Most players it took around 15-25 hours to complete this title.
If you are looking for a true homage to Metroidvania and going on an adventure, read my article on Hollow Knight and maybe that will be convincing enough to embark on your next Metroidvania game.
Seasoned or non-seasoned Metroidvania players will have minimal to no trouble clearing this game.
If you don’t like games that are more graphics than they are anything else, definitely skip this title for sure.

[Played on a Nintendo Switch Lite]

Last review, I commented briefly about Metroid Dread. I likened this title to eating a fun-sized candy. That is not to diminish the amount of excitement I did have in this title, but to merely state that this game was fun treat yet it makes you really wish you had something larger in scale of the same variety. Essentially, Metroid Dread is all the polish that a contemporary title needs, yet lacks the substance that gives us something new to talk about.

This title is essentially classic Metroidvania, and you can expect to get lots of new upgrades to your suit and have to navigate around new biomes and terrains, and of course the backtracking and working around typical platformer obstacles. The main issue with this title is that there is a lack of variety of exploration, and the game plays super linear for a newer title. You do not go on your own adventure in this one, and there is no optional/bonus content to enjoy. Having some challenging bosses to the side or some fun objectives to do are a nice mold breaker when you are bored with the main story content of a game. (If you are looking for a Metroidvania title that gives you this joy and adds a lot of original content value, then I recommend reading my article on Hollow Knight.)

I did enjoy the overall graphics and cinematic play of this game, and the cinematic-led battle mechanics were a nice touch. I can’t help but say that this was the distraction that was delivered to make your forget that you are only playing a 15-25 hour game. (depending on your skill level with platformers and/or Metroidvania) The final boss is enjoyable enough though, and it would be nice to continue the narrative that Dread carries on in the story. However, if I wanted to enjoy a good story only I would be looking for a light novel series or manga. In the world of games, we want an interactive experience (which includes a good story and world) and Dread did not deliver the interactivity that I would’ve loved to have with in such a fantastic world that Metroid really lays out.

Hopefully one day we will possibly see a good Metroid title that stays true to the Metroidvania platformer style. It seems like Nintendo is more interested in remastering and exploring the Prime titles, which are very good, but this deprives those of us that want a 2d platforming experience with the Metroid games. Unfortunately, the direction that most Nintendo games suffer from is that they are moving away from what makes them a fantastic, integral experience in favor of massively, successively producing titles and giving the masses a title that they can easily beat, or perhaps can sit on their backlog for the ends of time.

Hollow Knight [Game Review]

2024-12-25T18:35:51-05:00

TL;DR

Certified that this is game is pure indie gold, and this game is a must play.
Metroidvania fans, noobs, and haters should all try this game, it is worth the work and the play.
There is still a lot I'd love to (re-)explore in this game, and perhaps will do a post where I revisit this title.

[Played on a Nintendo Switch Lite]

Metroidvania titles are dime a dozen these days. With the lack of new Castlevania titles being released and the newest Metroid title (Metroid Dread, not counting the Metroid Prime remaster as a new title) being a small-scale game that is reminiscent of eating fun-size candy (or some other quick treat), it really makes a fan like me of metroidvania crave something new and exciting. Hollow Knight was exactly what I was looking for, but more.

Hollow Knight has a really unique weapon and equip system, that makes for lots of different approaches to Bossing in a metroidvania title. This game is full of exciting biomes and scenery, as well as a riveting piano soundtrack that literally made me just sit there and close my eyes and just listen to the ambience for awhile. I really enjoyed the playful yet serious nature of Hollownest. The voice acting is spot-on and just makes me feel comfortable in this dark, confusing world I had to piece together. I never had Boss fights make me bust into laughter yet have to get real serious in a quick second as to not would be the cause of imminent death.

For metroidvania, this title can be forgiving, but doesn't remove the challenges that you'd expect in a platformer of a high caliber. I enjoyed the fact that this game for the most part lets you go on your own adventure, and does not hold your hand at all. The maps are nice, easy to read, helpful, and worth the purchase when you get to a new biome. The game embodies all the great things of both Metroid and Castlevania.

Gameplay is very smooth for this title, and it is a very clean game. I never felt like there was any real bugs or glitches, or encountered anything that felt like it just didn't belong. I never felt like any boss had any cheap advantages or that I could only beat something with one approach. Hollow Knight is not limiting, and it is also not going to cheat you out of a win against a Boss. There is no gimmicks or games, yet it is a game and it makes you want more. Team Cherry was very careful in releasing this title, and they had good design planning and sensibilities when it came to making a complete game. There is a lot of optional content just waiting for you to explore. The story is definitely not exactly approachable, but you can piece it together and find your own meanings to different things. You do definitely feel immersed in that world once you got the audio on. It is just so hard to put down at times. There is a good amount of puzzles and figuring things out, and that makes the game exciting for someone like me. This game is everything I wanted out of a metroidvania title, and is just perfect for me. I enjoy the characters, the story, and the world of Hollownest. We are still waiting on a sequel to this title, and it is definitely exciting to see that there is more left to such an awesome concept and world.

Anyone that is new to metroidvania should definitely give this a try. If you don't like metroidvania, still give it a try. And if you LOVE metroidvania, but have not played Hollow Knight, you need to play this game.

Stardew Valley 1.5.4 [Game Review]

2024-12-23T10:45:33-05:00

TL;DR

Certified that this is game is pure indie gold, and this game is a must play.
This version is the author's first play of stardew valley, so there will be no comparisons of 1.5 and the initial build and/or older versions.
Please be aware Stardew Valley 1.6 is out, and there is a possibility I may revisit and review this game's updated versions

[Played on a Nintendo Switch Lite]

For years, I would read in magazines about Stardew Valley. Solo developer ConcernedApe is truly an inspiration to any game developer or anyone that is set out to make something, go through with it, and actually finish it. There is a lot love put into this title.

I have experience with the former Harvest Moon (now Story of Seasons) titles (such as the N64 title, Friends of Mineral Town and A Wonderful Life), played Rune Factory 4 (complete) & 5, and other farming sim games. This game not only is inspired and takes from these games, but it amplifies the formula to new levels. I like how the day clock is a lot faster than other farming games, challenging me to really coordinate what I need to do for the day. I really enjoy the new school retro 16-bit that this title evokes. When I first started playing, I was more interested in the characters and town life, and got into fishing and mining more so than farming. I took my time with everything, and tried just about everything. As I was incarcerated while playing this game, I did not have wiki access, so I had to figure out a lot of the game myself.

I like the use of the hotbar for equips/items usage, the creative and challenging fishing game to catch fish, the minigames at the Stardrop Saloon, and just the overall culture of Pelican Town and Stardew Valley. This game is a farming sim at its core, so if you are not interested in that style of game or you've tried Harvest Moon and do not like it, then perhaps it might not be for you. However, as said above this game sets the bar pretty high for those titles, so maybe it would be worth giving a shot even if you don't like the farming sim genre. There is a lot of mysterious imbued in the story still, and the world that the Valley is in is definitely one that I am interested in exploring. ConcernedApe has more games left in him, and I personally think that these games will expand on this world that he desires to create. (See Haunted Chocolatier.)

Having put well over 250 hours into this title, I got a lot out of this game. There is definitely still more I could do to have fun customizing my farm and my island house. I spent a lot of time making Starfruit wine and utilizing the whole cellar floor to age what I can and then just sell the rest. It was fun to try new things in this game, mess around with crafting, see what comes out a preserve jar, and just the overall experience of trying to 100% this game was fun and it really makes you want it. This title is easily driving and will definitely pull you in if you give it a chance. There is going to be more playthroughs of Stardew for me, as it is updated overtime as well as a very vibrant and active modding community. And yet it seems that even though there are a lot of great mods, this game is just perfect even without them, however anything to change it up is appreciated so that's where mods do come in. My love for it will probably drive me into the modding direction for some time before I decide to do another vanilla playthrough again. Although from the looks of it, the new additions to Stardew could keep me busy for another 250+ hours.

Stardew Valley is not a game full of redundancies in its design. It has a lot of different approaches for success, yet has no disappointments when it comes to the challenge that games need to present. Everything goes together and is intricately connected. This is how games are meant to be. In an era where games are not trying to be games, this one stands on its feet and decides it wants to be a game. That is the real beauty of The Valley.

My Journey in The Valley is long from over.

Support ConcernedApe and buy this game.

2

2024-12-22T22:08:10-05:00

Just a small update. This site is no longer generated using the Hugo software. This site, however, is now generated by its own software Gikoru. You can feel free to use it, change code, make it your own. It is just another project that was able to keep me stimulated and to knock the rust off for my python. The code is a bit messy anyway, or at least could use condensing. So, feel free to critique and clean as you see fit.

I've got some other projects in the works anyways. Prison Game Reviews are being written out of my notebook, where they were originally wrote. I do revise them or correct spelling/grammar when necessary. Of course, adding icons and images to the review are also usually part of the process of transferring from physical to digital. I have a lot of chronicled works and notes that I have to transfer besides the Prison Game Reviews.

Anyway, you can follow this site on a feed reader of your choice as it is atom-ized now.

Later.

Pokemon Shield + Pokemon Shield Expansion Pass [Game review]

2024-12-08T21:33:19-05:00

TL;DR

I loved this game so much, that I have over 1500 hours played.
Note: it is my opinion that this game is best played with the Expansion pass, to get the full experience.
This game was my first Switch game, played while I was incarcerated
This game was played from beginning with DLCs loaded

[Played on a Nintendo Switch Lite]

I have been a Pokemon fan since its inception in North America. My first Pokemon video game was Pokemon Blue on GBC. It is fitting that my first game on the Nintendo Switch would be a Pokemon title. Ownership of a console/handheld was not something I had the privilege/right (this dichotomy would keep us busy for awhile) as someone incarcerated. I had access to a variety of cellmate’s Plug&Play versions of systems (Atari, Sega Genesis, others), XBOX 360 (limited hours), and PS4 (limited hours), but being able to play a current system in a prison was a very big deal for a lot of us.

I purchased the Pokemon Shield game cartridge with the Expansion Pass included. It was well-worth the 90 USD spent, as I spent over 1500 hours playing this game. Even with the new Gen 9 titles Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (which will be reviewed soon), I still found myself going back to this game. Most of these hours spent were shiny hunting, but a lot of the time was also spent in the Battle Tower and making Pokemon teams specialized for competitive battling. There is a lot of content included in these games, if you get the Expansion Pass. Without the Expansion Pass, I find that the Gen 8 base-game is very lacking, especially in endgame content.

Gen 8’s location is based on the United Kingdom, and I liked a lot of what they did to keep us entertained with a lot of the pop culture references. However, I did find that the story in Gen 8 is lacking in real stakes. Team Yell is a nice ode to the British Punk Rock scene, but there is an overall lack of drive in the story. The story mostly just emphasizes the Gym Challenge, which has always been a big part of the games in the mainline Pokemon games. However, without a clear villain or obstacle, this made the story very linear in nature. The end of the story is where a lot of the twists occur, and it is a nice way to incorporate the Box Legendaries for sure. This is where the DLC content comes in. It does add a nice break from the monotony in the Galar region. That being said, Galar is a very beautiful location and I did enjoy the variety of biomes and had a deep appreciation for the Wild Area.

I really enjoyed the Galarian versions of Slowpoke, Slowbro, and Slowking, which you only have access to at the Isle of Armour location provided by the Expansion Pass. I also really liked the Max Raid dungeon battles in the Crown Tundra, where you can catch lots of old legendary Pokemon as well as other fan favorites along the way. Gen 8 did a good job with the characters (including rivals like Hop or Marnie), and I do like the playful nature of rivalry that is pushed now in the series. (and there is still a little taste of the bitter/elitist rival from the earlier titles) Morpeko was also a really good addition, as this Generation’s Pikachu-like, cute little hamster with two different forms (Peckish and Hangry) it rotates between.

Even with all the gripes about Pokemon’s mainline series being a bit more streamlined and just plain easy to play through, I am always so interested and love to see the new Pocket Monsters. There’s always something to look forward with a new Gen of Pokemon, whether the games are a hit or not. The real stars of the show are the monsters and the trainers. Pokemon is always going to be about the player and their story, and my story in the Pokemon world isn’t over yet.

1

2024-11-25T01:26:49-05:00

Hello, this is AKAINES blog for reflections/meditations, game development, AKAINES soundworks and music production, video game talks/reviews, Jailhouse cooking and recipes, and whatever else it needs to be. That is all for now.