Tag Archives: strategy

Braveland Trilogy Review

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Braveland Trilogy, produced by Tortuga Teams limited is a new, exciting, RPG strategy game. The game follows you and your team of heroes, as you encounter different bandits, monsters, etc. Throughout your journeys, you will recruit and hire different soldiers that you can use to your advantage. The main objective of the game is to make your way through the Braveland Trilogy world, fighting and increasing your power with your army.

Each player’s team is comprised of multiple classes, each with a special set of skills and strengths. My army was comprised of peasants, archers, and thieves, each with a different skill set. Some classes had more range, speed, or power than the other classes. Classes also had a different weakness, keeping the game challenging. For example, the archers were only good at a medium to long-distance, and the closer the enemy got, the weaker the archers became. The peasants were quite powerful up close, but due to their weapons, they were slow and vulnerable to faster enemies. There is also a huge variety in the different types of enemies that a player can face. Ranging from weak archers to magical hammer users, the different enemies keep the game interesting. 

I liked how each of the different sections of the map was themed differently and became progressively more difficult. At the beginning of the map, much of the land was green, bright, and the enemies that I encountered were easy and peaceful. Farther down the map, many of the enemies were much more difficult and the map was darker and dimmer. I really enjoyed the aspect of purchasing certain fighters to grow your army. This aspect made the game feel much more like an actual medieval time simulator. The difficulties that I faced when I played Braveland Trilogy was the coins. I usually did not make enough money or coins to buy back the soldiers that I lost in battle. Little by little, my army began to shrink more and more. Luckily, I was able to find a treasure chest that gave me enough coins to buy back my whole army. The animations and graphics themselves for the games were pretty good. The graphics were bright and fun, and very kid-friendly. The voice lines and speech bubbles reminded me of a comic book, and the action sequences were simple but well executed.

Overall, I enjoyed playing Braveland Trilogy. The gameplay was quite enjoyable, and the graphics were very beautiful. The diversity of your army, as well as your enemies, was very nice, and challenging. All in all, I would award Braveland Trilogy a score of eight out of ten.

-Daniel C.

Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition Game Review

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Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition, developed by Snowhound games and produced by 1C Entertainment, is an exciting and unique RPG tactics game. With the use of card game combat and a beautiful yet simple comic book aesthetic, Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition stands out as a new and upcoming role-playing game. As the player follows their team through outer space, they will explore multiple spacecraft, as well as encounter a large assortment of enemies. Throughout their journey, the player will unlock new abilities for each of their characters and will find new items along the way that will either help or hinder them.

The first thing that I noticed when I started playing Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition was the amazing and stunning graphics! The aesthetics themselves reminded me of an older style comic book, especially with the added speech and action bubbles. During fights between characters, the attention to detail in each sequence was also very impressive and clean. Due to the card game playing style, the game itself seemed to operate at a slower pace. I feel like this fits well with the game because the player was able to take in more information without becoming confused or feeling rushed.

As for the combat itself, I personally enjoyed the fight sequences very much. Each player’s team is comprised of three characters, each with a special set of skills and strengths. On my team, I assigned the Brawler, who did most of the fighting; the Healer, who healed his fellow teammates; and the Technician, who assisted the team in combat by giving him and his teammates power-ups. I like how an individual can customize each of their teams to their specific playstyle. This can keep the game interesting and exciting for everyone. There is also a huge variety in the different types of enemies that a player can face. Ranging from a floating eye to an evil janitor, each enemy has a certain skill and fighting style that the players must counter.

Another interesting aspect of Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition was the energy point system. When the player moves around the spaceship, scans for loot, and battles enemies, a certain amount of energy is consumed. After a while, the player will need to return to their base, or their teams will start to lose their shields, weapons, and life support. This danger makes the player think about each of their choices and strategies.

Overall, I personally really enjoyed Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition. I thought the graphics and looks of the game were fantastic and beautiful, as well as unique. On top of that,  the action sequences were very exciting, and fun to experience. The ability to customize your teams and weapons was a great touch. The diversity of enemies that the player had to face as well as the energy point system was challenging. All in all, I would award Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition a score of nine out of ten.

-Daniel C.

Warhammer Underworlds: Online Review

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When I launched my copy of Warhammer Underworlds: Online, I was surprised to find myself playing a tabletop card game, on my computer. This ambitious, strategy game made and produced by Steel Sky Productions gave me the need to pull out an old board game and play it with my friends. Using cards, characters, dice, magic items, etc. Warhammer Underworlds: Online represents the iconic tabletop RPG game.  The concept is quite simple, use magical characters and powerups to your advantage to get the upper hand on your opponent. But, there are multiple factors that can easily turn the tide of the battle, such as objectives, special moves, and the overall skill of the player.

The first thing that I noticed when I launched the game was the wide variety of warriors you could unlock. There were a large number of factions and warriors. There are three starter decks, each from a different faction. The humans, otherwise known as Steelheart’s champions. The monsters, known as Magore’s fiends. And finally, the skeletons, or the sepulchral guard. Each faction had a certain amount of warriors that did a certain amount of damage. Each faction had its own set of skills and objectives the player needed to complete. The player can also make their own army and faction, depending on what the player unlocks. You can also assign different skills and objectives to each of your armies.

As for gameplay, the producers really pulled it off. The graphics are quite good, and the animations of each character are very well done. The player can move around the board and change the camera angle, and it feels likey you are playing star wars hologram chess. The attacks are based on dice, and depending on which player roles a higher number,  the attack will either be successful or not. In each match, the player is trying to capture and complete objectives, which will give them objective points. Whoever has the most points at the end of the game is the winner. In between each attack, players from both sides can use power-up cards that can aid them in battle. Some examples are boosts in damage, speed, etc. This is a great addition, due to it letting each side a fair chance of winning.

I did have some problems with the game. When I first launched Warhammer Underworlds: Online, there was no tutorial or instructions on how to play. I had to find the tutorial options, which was not hard but still was slightly confusing. I realize this game is still in early access, but there was no sound at all. At first, I thought my PC was acting up, but other games had sound. I then went into settings and realized the soundbar was turned down low, so I put it to max volume. The game still did not have sound, and I think this is a major problem since music and sound effects add a lot to a game. As for multiplayer, I could not find an online game, but I am sure that is because it is in early access, and online game issues s will not be a thing. Other than that, I found Warhammer Underworlds: Online to be a really enjoyable strategy game. I think playing with friends and challenging each other to a duel could be really exciting, and I can not wait to see where this game goes.

-Daniel C.

Spaceland Review

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Spaceland, produced by Tortuga Team, is a dynamic strategy game. It follows the old school tactical game genre which requires skill as well as planning. The story follows a team of desperate fighters that have crash-landed on a mysterious planet. You need to help these heroes fight their way through dangerous monsters and enemies to help them discover the secrets of the perplexing world. The game has multiple types of enemies, objectives, weapons, and heroes. Each hero can help out the team in different ways.  You can mix and match different heroes with each other to make the most powerful and optimal teams for each mission.

The actual game itself is very simple. Your team is assigned a certain mission, and once you complete that mission you go onto the next quest. Each of these missions does not take too long, and you are usually trying to complete an objective such as rescuing a soldier or destroying a monster. The controls for the game are also quite simple. There are a certain amount of moves that each hero has, as well as a certain amount of ammo and health. Throughout the missions, you can move your character across the game grid. After you use a certain amount of moves, the enemies have a chance to move around the board and attack you. This forces players to tactfully move around the map, watching the different opponents and their movements. The graphics of Spaceland are also quite simple but are very clean. They are both cartoonish and futuristic, giving off a chill, relaxed, vibe.

On top of different objectives and controls, there is also a wide variety of heroes that you can unlock. You can unlock heroes throughout the 28 missions in the game. Each of these heroes has special abilities such as grenades, automatic rifles, etc. These special powers are quite valuable during different missions. The broad assortment of heroes also brings a large range of weaponry to the game. Snipers, shotguns, assault rifles, are just a few examples of the collection in the weapon inventory. Each weapon also has a different rate of fire, damage, range, etc. This diversity can lead to a great amount of customization and creativity in tactics as well as teams.

Overall, I enjoyed Spaceland made by the Tortuga Team. The simple but yet classic tactic game really was nostalgic for me, especially since I played a lot of those games when I was younger. There were some improvements that could be added to enhance the game. When you first start the game, there is no option to adjust the screen stretch of the game, so the game did not fully fit my TV screen, not allowing me to see what was at the bottom of the screen. Also, there was not a tutorial at the beginning of the game, but that was ok because of the simple and easy controls. The final adjustment I would make is to add a multiplayer option of some sort. I found that some of the missions were somewhat repetitive, so the game could become boring at some point. Besides those few minor improvements, I really enjoyed Spaceland and would rate it a 9/10.

-Daniel C.

International Games Week: Chess

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In the spirit of International Games Week, I had the unique pleasure to teach two young boys how to play the wonderful and challenging game of chess. Young though these kids are, they picked up the basic points of the game surprisingly quickly and were soon playing against each other with no need for my hints or conjectures on their next move. I was glad to see that the game was still exciting in these young boys’ minds, for I do not know many children nowadays who are still interested in playing board games. It was also nice to see how the game of chess was able to give us some bonding time as they listened and questioned me on the finer points of the game.

These kids are my church youth-group leader’s children, and he was quite thankful that I taught them to play because he himself did not know. Chess is a game assigned to the smart kids and perhaps even the ones who do not fit in with the rest of the crowd; but as time goes on, it is quite a useful game to know how to play and one that one can continue to play for the rest of one’s life. Though I am no master at chess, I love to be able to sit down with someone and be able to have a silent battle with them trying to strategize, develop tactics, and anticipate their next move while also able to teach others how to play.

-Kyle H