amphibious_ReViews

Space Invaders holds legendary status on gaming history. This beloved arcade title paved the way for one of my  favorite space shooters , and the aliens are legendary in both their designs and there ever faster approach. That's already enough to secure a legacy. However, I've found that I'm just not very good at it, and my incompetence puts a slightly sour taste in my mouth. I appreciate the unique strategy involved in using cover to your advantage, but I found that instead of helping protect me, the shields acted sort of like funnels for every opposing missile. This led my play sessions to end pretty quickly. I also never really felt engaged enough to take the time to improve. I hold no ill-feelings towards Space Invaders . The game is well made, and it deserves it's legendary status. However, it just doesn't seem like the game for me when I have so many other options. The game is available for Android here (as of 8/26/20):  https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta

Combining the tried-and-true mechanics of the prolific "match-3" style puzzle game (remixed with tumble-y physics) and Disney's recognizable characters make the original Tsum Tsum title into LINE's greatest gaming hit. Targeted towards casual mobile-gamers, this plushie-themed puzzle game asks players to clear as many little Disney characters as they can within a 60-second timer. In order to keep things exciting, events introduce limited-time gameplay gimmicks and rare collectibles. Although I wouldn't consider myself much of a "match-3" lover, I have recently been getting more into the mobile gaming space, as life gets busier. As I love Disney , Tsum Tsum was almost a no-brainer to at least try. I found the gameplay loop to get a little repetitive, but only after amassing quite a collection of Tsums and playing through multiple events. For the time that I was playing, I would definitely say I was hooked. Tsum Tsum offered me a unique take on a genre

I wouldn't consider Ultra Moon  my favorite game in the  Pokémon  series, as I enjoyed a select few titles even more, but it was definitely the most exciting structurally. After the series seemed to get itself stuck in a rut, gyms were replaced with island challenges and everything became a bit more interesting. I felt like the focus wasn't just on making my team stronger, as the island challenges often revolved around strategy and deeper-thinking as well. All of the mainline Pokémon games up until this point were almost identical in structure. Following the mantra, "if it isn't broken, don't fix it," since the mid-1990s. The seventh generation of  Pokémon  games didn't change the formula so much that it felt like a different series, but it shook things up enough that I finally felt like I was experiencing something fresh and new again. This dichotomy was illustrated perfectly through the newly introduced "Alolan Forms" of  Pokémon  found in th

Nintendo 's mascot has a long history of success, and although Super Mario Bros.  is not his first outing, it may be the most famous. Although some of the design choices in this game are relics of an era past, it holds up incredibly well compared to many of it's peers. Certain aspects of this NES classic ensured that it would hold up for decades, and they are still helping it now. The different mechanics in the game were introduced thoughtfully, allowing players a chance to learn and grow organically during their time in the Mushroom Kingdom. The physics offered an atypical degree of realism to elements like running, jumping, and swimming that often wasn't present in platformers up to that point. Even the music was expertly crafted to match the gameplay and remains easily recognizable. I anticipate that just about everyone who plays games has played this at least once, but if not, it's an almost necessary lesson in quality game design. The game is available for 3DS  her

Final Fantasy IV  is absolutely the perfect follow-up to the original trilogy. It improved upon the story-building of the third , the character-swapping of the second , all while maintaining the charm and motifs present since the first . It faltered a bit in that it felt incredibly linear, limiting opportunities for exploration and discovery. However, that linearity also almost completely removed the need to grind for levels, and I would consider that a worthy trade-off. When it comes to the Final Fantasy  series, I have the tendency to play until about the halfway point, lose interest for a while, and then come back to beat the game with the same vigor that I started with. It's not the most ideal way to play a game, but it stops me from being to burnt out by repetitive mechanics. However, FFIV was the first in the series to keep my attention the whole way through! I credit the story for my engagement. The game is broken down into segments that almost feel like levels, introducin

After the Rusty Lake  series had thoroughly hooked me with its first two titles, I had to find out what was next. To my surprise, it was a Cube Escape  game based around Vincent Van Gogh. The gameplay that I was expecting was all present, and everything was just as eerie as before, but it felt almost world-breaking to make Van Gogh the protagonist instead of further developing the unique  Rusty Lake  world. I enjoyed the return of motifs from the series up to this point, and the puzzles were on par with the previous titles, but I never felt myself getting as excited with the game's contribution to its world the was I did with the other titles. Because of that, I think Arles  was worth playing my first time through the Rusty Lake  games, but I don't think that I will be revisiting it. The game can be played online here (as of 7/19/20):  http://www.rustylake.com/room-escape-games/cube-escape-arles.html The game is available for Android here (as of 7/19/20):  https://pla

Evoland  is a delightful, gimmicky, tongue-in-cheek exploration into the history of RPGs and adventure games. For those familiar, the  Gameboy / SNES / Playstation  reminiscent journey will undoubtedly bring a smile to your face. My time with Evoland  was spent on my phone, where it felt surprisingly at home. I imagine it is just as fun on PC and consoles, as it imitates multiple console experiences, but I found that picking it up to play for my short down-times was a pretty enjoyable approach. As a fan of The Legend of Zelda  and Final Fantasy , this game was right up my alley, and anything I say about its gameplay mechanics would essentially just be a comparison to those two franchises, so I won't go down that road. Simply put, if you enjoy classic RPGs and adventure games, you will enjoy Evoland . It's a short game, so it won't pull you away from bigger name games for too long, but it is absolutely a joy to play. The game can be purchased for Android here (as o