Nintendo's battle royale F-Zero 99 has been around the block for a few months now, but it's still seeing steady updates. As of the 1.2.0 update that went live on January 24, F-Zero 99 now includes an easier way to play with friends alongside a little surprise for more dedicated players.

The big feature of this update is the Private Lobby. This feature works exactly the way it sounds; any player who has completed the tutorial can now create or join their own private room right from the main menu. Simply select a game mode, enter a passcode, and you're in.

Your room will auto-populate with CPU players once the countdown timer ends, so you don't actually need 99 people to make this feature work. Heck, if you just want to race by yourself against bots, you can do that here.

But what are the secret tracks in F-Zero 99?

The much more enigmatic addition via this patch is the addition of "secret tracks." So far, it appears that tracks titled "???" will randomly appear as you play online, complete with glitched-looking level icons. The tracks themselves seem to be mash-ups of existing tracks, with similarly mashed-up music to accompany them. Completing one of these will give you the "???" badge.

If you play enough, you should see one of these courses pop up sooner than later. As of writing, we're still learning more about how what each of these easter egg tracks looks like.

Additionally, update 1.2.0 also increases the max level cap to 399 (with numbers over 100 being marked with stars), and a new maximum skill rating of S50. Also, most importantly, the patch notes for this update state that Nintendo has "Fixed issues to make for a more pleasant gaming experience." Thanks for looking out for the pleasantness of my gaming experience, it means a lot!

F-Zero 99 is available now as part of the Nintendo Switch Online service.

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Yoko Taro’s NieR series has been synonymous with live service crossovers since the release of NieR Automata. Everything from Final Fantasy XIV to Final Fantasy Brave Exvius has seen the likes of 2B make an appearance, so it's tragically ironic that NieR’s own live service game, NieR Reincarnation, is closing its doors soon.

An announcement was posted to the official NieR Reincarnation website confirming that the game will officially end service on April 29, 2024. As a small consolation, NieR Reincarnation will continue to receive updates in the interim. In addition to boosting item drop rates and giving out pulls from its gacha every day, the game’s “The People and the World” story arc will see its final chapter on March 28.

It’s NieRly over

I’m not going to say I’m super broken up over NieR Reincarnation ending, but it is a bummer nonetheless. Though this one's developed by the same team that brought us Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis, Reincarnation still set itself apart from the competition with some genuinely interesting storytelling. I played Reincarnation at launch and generally enjoyed the main story, even if the gameplay was underwhelming.

Of course, NieR as a franchise is no stranger to these more transient tales. Anyone who’s tried to track down, say, footage of the NieR stage plays can attest to as much. You can already find the game's story on YouTube, so it's not like this one will be lost forever. Still, it’s a shame that the game itself will fade out of existence.

It’s the inevitable fate of live service games, whether they’re gacha games or otherwise. Only in very rare cases do games like these actually get preserved, such as Mega Man X Dive Offline. NieR Reincarnation has enough quality in its music, visuals, and stories that it could absolutely succeed if it were repurposed out of its gacha foundation it has now. But then again, forcing everyone to lose their save files could be the most NieR thing that Reincarnation could do.

If you want to experience this one before it closes, you have approximately three months until its ends on April 29, 2024.

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If there's one thing that makes Persona games special, it’s their ability to make typically banal moments in RPGs feel enthralling.

Back in August, I had the chance to demo Persona 3 Reload. During that session, I got to check out the game's dungeon crawling and one of the early boss fights, both of which impressed me. But one piece of Persona 3 Reload I didn’t get to test was its social systems, which is arguably what makes a modern Persona game... well, Persona. Turn-based combat is fun and all, but spending time with your virtual friends and eating ramen at night just ties the whole experience together.

Fortunately, this was the exact part of Persona 3 Reload I got to try out at another recent event held by Sega/Atlus. Loading a save file in what seemed to be the early-to-mid game, I had an hour to do basically whatever I wanted in Tatsumi Port Island. The experience was mostly what I expected, which I mean in the most enthusiastic way possible. But it's the stuff I didn't expect that really caught my attention.

Explore the space

Hanging out with the bros

Promote Theurgy

Feeling the time melt away

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Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat (iOS, Android)
Developer: NebulaJoy
Publisher: NebulaJoy
Released: January 10, 2024
MSRP: Free-to-play (with microtransactions)

Even Dante could not fill this dark soul with light

Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat is, on its surface, a mobile game set in Capcom’s acclaimed Devil May Cry universe. However, to call Peak of Combat a Devil May Cry game is like calling Konami’s Pachinko machines the latest installment in Hideo Kojima’s stealth-action franchise. While it’s tempting to call gacha games like this trash based on the genre alone, Peak of Combat is a special kind of trash.

Peak of meaninglessness

Peak of copying

Peak of not being fun-on-the-go

Peak of pressing red dots

Peak of monetization

Peak of misleading advertisements

Peak of greed

Peak of Garbage

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It would be easy to say that Final Fantasy XVI: Echoes of the Fallen is just more Final Fantasy XVI. See, it's so easy, I just said it right there. And that’s about 90% of what you need to know about this DLC.

Granted, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I generally feel grated by DLC that’s kind of slapped haphazardly onto a game without a lot of thought, and that’s not the case with Echoes of the Fallen. Instead, Echoes of the Fallen functions as a neat bonus endgame quest that culminates in the game's closest equivalent to a superboss. I didn’t necessarily find Final Fantasy XVI lacking for content, but I really like how integrated into the game this DLC is. A totally new player wouldn't even know this was content added after the fact if the game didn't announce it!

That said, is Echoes of the Fallen worth paying actual money for? Let’s go over it so you can make that judgment for yourself.

Find the flame

A Long Fall

A drifting tender

Ultimately, your mileage with Echoes of the Fallen will mirror your experience with Final Fantasy XVI. If you got to the end of the game and found yourself wanting more new content, Echoes of the Fallen absolutely delivers that. It doesn’t offer a captivating story, but it does hit some nice highs with its new boss battles. In fact, I’d say its final boss fight is one of my favorite encounters in the entire game.

Beyond that, this DLC pack is just a short and sweet return to Final Fantasy XVI. If you've moved on from the game already, I don’t think Echoes of the Fallen will do much for you. The game fortunately felt complete as-is without this DLC, so this is an extremely elective piece of content. If you consider yourself a fan of Final Fantasy XVI, then you’ll probably enjoy what Echoes of the Fallen offers. It won’t make believers out of anyone else, but in this case, I think that’s perfectly okay. It knows who it’s for and doesn’t necessarily aim higher than that.

Overall, I liked Echoes of the Fallen. It adds a fun endgame dungeon for those looking to extend their stay in Valisthea, and it delivers some challenging new encounters to sink your teeth into. It’s over in just a few hours and doesn’t do much narratively, but it’s a fun ride for what it is. Whether it’s worth the money is up to you, but if you’re looking for more Final Fantasy XVI, this DLC pack certainly delivers. Echoes of the Fallen is not a must-have, but it is worth having.

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To be perfectly honest, sitting down and thinking about my favorite games of 2023 has been a surreal experience. When I look back on my corresponding list I wrote in 2022, I feel like the person who wrote that is a fundamentally different person than who I am today.

At the time, I was still recovering from some rough life experiences and wasn’t playing a lot of new games. My list of candidates was so sparse that I had to include Jimothy Donbleau’s Quest for Game of the Year, which is totally real and not just something I mocked up in RPG Maker. Look, I’ve always had an overwhelming passion for video games. Once upon a time, I was here as a community member of Destructoid talking about my story of playing Final Fantasy II (IV) before I could even read. But it was always something I treated as my hobby and not my work.

The dark side of the industry

Now let’s talk about video games

Timothy Monbleau’s favorite disaster of 2023: The Last of Us on PC

#10: Astlibra Revision

#9: The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails

#8: Final Fantasy VII Remake

#7: Rakuen Deluxe Edition

#6: Blasphemous 2

#5: Super Mario RPG

#4: Terranigma

Anyone who has followed me this year knows I’ve spent a lot of time discussing this nearly 30 year old RPG. I wrote a whole passionate write-up about it back in May, and I even ranked it as one of the top three best SNES games ever made. Given how much I’ve already said about it, I’m going to let you in on my dirty secret that partially influenced why I’m so enthusiastic about it.

This year was the first time I’d ever finished Terranigma.

Don’t get me wrong, I played Terranigma a lot when I was younger. However, given the game’s Europe exclusivity, let’s just say I had a rough time trying to beat it with a keyboard two decades ago. My main motivation for playing it this year is that I wanted to rank Illusion of Gaia on my best SNES games list. However, I needed to see if Quintet’s subsequent game was more worthy of the spot.

I was not prepared for how hard Terranigma’s themes would strike right through my soul. Shortly after I finished the game, my girlfriend called me while she drove home from work. I was doing my best to engage in our usual small talk, but she could tell there was something different about me.

She asked me about it, and I just started bawling, and we spent the rest of our call talking about Terranigma. The ending didn’t even have those big emotional moments that I was expecting it would. But everything Terranigma was about, and everything it had built up to, just sunk in. I was so profoundly sad and so happy to be alive all at the same time, and I couldn’t believe something that powerful was hidden in an SNES game all this time. A week hasn’t gone by since where I haven’t thought about Ark’s journey in one way or another.

I gave myself the rule about prioritizing newer games in my rankings here because Terranigma was, hands down, the game that impacted me the most this year. It’s easily in my top 10 games of all time and stands as a testament to the reasons we create and share art with each other. I’m almost three decades late to the party, but you did it Quintet. You created a masterpiece, and I’ll never, ever forget it.

#3: Final Fantasy XVI

Final Fantasy XVI is somehow both a critical darling and a surprisingly divisive game, and I can understand both sides. I don’t necessarily agree with every take on its gameplay or story I’ve read, but I do get the points of view. Personally, Final Fantasy XVI really resonated with me, and I felt it was the kind of story I needed this year.

As I discussed back when I was ranking Final Fantasy games, the series likes to explore the concept of hope amid hopeless circumstances. And despite how edgy Final Fantasy XVI is, I felt this spirit was intact. This particularly struck me early in Clive’s journey, when he is getting to know his mentor figure Cid. Clive explains his desire for revenge, which makes Cid rather bluntly respond with:

“Fate. You’re content to be its slave then.”

Many RPGs explore the concept of fate, but usually from an external perspective. For example, for the characters in Final Fantasy XIII, their fate of becoming l’Cie is forced on them, and the game’s theme involves breaking free of that fate. But in Final Fantasy XVI, fate is anything that takes our agency away from us. Whether it’s the destruction of your home or a desire for revenge that clouds your judgment, we’re constantly struggling with forces that threaten to take or redirect our freedom.

That depiction of fate has really struck me since it’s something that I struggle with daily. And I’ll venture a guess that many of you have your own "fates" you're battling too. Reframing fate in those terms has, weirdly, been mentally grounding for me. Whenever I feel myself staring too deep into that void, feeling hopeless as the world around us just seems weirder and dumber with each passing day, I try to remember Cid’s words. I don’t want to be a slave to fate. No matter how futile that may seem, it’s something I want to fight against.

I also like the part where Clive gets the big laser beam move and can go pew pew on his enemies. Good game, I hope to have a drink with Ben Starr someday.

#2: Super Mario Bros. Wonder

#1: Octopath Traveler 2

Octopath Traveler 2 is one of those games where I couldn’t even comprehend how special it was until it was over. I went into it expecting more of the original Octopath Traveler, which I liked but did not love (similar to Chris Carter’s take). But if Octopath Traveler was a love letter to golden age SNES/PSX RPGs, Octopath Traveler 2 is a perfect encapsulation of them.

This is, without a doubt, one of the most fun RPG worlds I’ve ever explored. There are secrets and bosses around nearly every corner, rewarding every ounce of curiosity you have. At the same time, it never feels like you’re just cutting through filler content either. Octopath Traveler 2 is immaculately paced, always tantalizing your senses with story objectives and rare treasures to pursue.

Similarly, the game’s combat mechanics offer a wonderful level of depth. Random encounters never gave me that usual feeling of tedium, since I felt consistently engaged in figuring out ways to dispatch foes faster and faster. Octopath Traveler 2 does a fantastic job of offering rich levels of party customization, yet it never bogs the player down with them. I was constantly getting huge “aha!” moments whenever I discovered different synergies with my skills and equipment. This did eventually make the game feel easy, but I also felt like I’d earned it. Even after spending nearly 100 hours with the game, I was fiddling with my team and experimenting with new ideas.

The segmented story has grown on me in retrospect too. While I initially didn’t like how separated each character’s tale was, that structure felt so real to me this year. Our paths often cross with friends and comrades, but ultimately, we’re all the heroes of our own stories. We all have our dreams we’re reaching for, and those goals may create temporary friendships of convenience.

But that’s not to say that those practical relationships can’t become meaningful. It’s human to want to make connections where we can, and we see the characters in Octopath Traveler 2 do that too. Hikari’s mission to lead Ku will naturally diverge from Agnea’s aspiration to become a star. But that doesn’t mean that, for a brief time, they can't share a story together. People often come and go in our lives, and seemingly lifelong friendships may become fleeting over time. But those memories, however temporary, are important. And by the end of Octopath Traveler 2, that’s the sense I got from these eight unlikely, but ultimately relatable allies.

There’s no telling where our paths in life will take us. But if we only look ahead at where we want to be, we might miss the adventure we can have now. And in the case of Octopath Traveler 2, there are few adventures I’ll ever look back on as fondly. Here’s to what 2024 may bring, and may Team Asano rest easy knowing they’ve created such a special, captivating game.

#0: Jimothy Donbleau’s Quest for Game of the Year 2: We’re All Content

That crazy bastard did it again, Jimothy Donbleau wins Game of the Year 2023!!!

The post Timothy Monbleau’s 10 favorite games of 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

Astlibra Revision is one of those “hidden gems” that I was advised to go into as blind as possible. To paraphrase, I was told to trust it would be worth my time to see it through to its conclusion. Now, three weeks and change later, I have finished Astlibra Revision. And while I don’t think that advice was totally necessary, I still don’t know how to begin describing the experience.

For lack of a better option, the best way to understand this game is to understand its creator. Astlibra was developed predominately by one Japanese developer who goes by the name “KEIZO”. From what I’ve gathered, KEIZO is not a professional game designer. So in addition to his full-time job, Astlibra was the passion project he worked on in his free time. In that sense, Astlibra isn’t unlike that one RPG Maker game you might have spent a month tinkering with. Except KEIZO kept working on Astlibra for 15 years, releasing chapters episodically until it was finished.

Of course, as you might expect, the boy’s firm answer to that last question is “no”. And after setting out on a journey that lasts eight years, the boy and his crow become proper monster-slaying grown-ups who finally find other human settlements. And before you know it, the duo quickly get wrapped up in a plot that not only takes them across the world, but time itself.

This mixture of clichés and twists honestly describes Astlibra as a whole. The plot is something I want to discuss later, as there’s a lot to unpack here. But even when it comes to the gameplay, Astlibra proves that you shouldn’t judge a game based on appearances.

But what even is Astlibra?

Despite starting on such a small scale, I can’t stress enough that the combat in Astlibra just keeps growing. With each chapter comes new magic, abilities, and entirely new attacks in your core move set. Even at the point you'd think the game would hit its mechanical peak, it still escalates. This is a good thing, because you’re going to need as many tools as you can get. Before long, you’ll find dungeons with ridiculous amounts of monsters and massive bosses that throw blankets of bullets at a moment’s notice.

That said, the game’s plethora of options quickly turns into a blessing and a curse.

Prepare to grind

If there is one thing I cannot stress enough about Astlibra, it is that it is very much designed for people who enjoy grinding. If you want just about anything in Astlibra, you must work for it. I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing, but it does make the game’s appeal very niche in practice.

For instance, take the game’s equipment. There are a ton of armaments you can equip, each different in terms of range, handling, power, and even elemental affinity. However, all equipment – armor and shields included – comes with skills you can master by earning enough EXP while using them. Some skills are duds, but others are basically essential. These include things like extending your invulnerability period after getting hit or boosting elemental damage. So to get the most of your character, you better like swapping equipment and filling up every bar you see.

However, you also must consider how you get equipment. Every area in the game comes with its own batch of things to buy, but you can’t just use money to get them. You also need a wide variety of monster materials from that respective area, which you almost certainly won't get through standard play. So the rhythm of the game quickly becomes identifying the materials you need, farming them until you’re done, and then repeating the process until you’ve grinded out everything you can in an area.

Make numbers go up

It gets better, though

A story across time

There’s no time like the present

How does Astlibra Revision run on Switch?

Weigh it on the scales

Despite all the game’s rough edges, that constant feeling of surprise ultimately nudged Astlibra into “Great” territory for me. At many points, I felt just as invested in the story on my screen as I was with the story of KEIZO creating it. Watching someone basically learn game design right in front of you is such a surreal experience, especially whenever you abruptly unlock new foundational combat mechanics that I imagine KEIZO just wanted to add on a whim. It’s a game that can, on occasion, be weird and baffling in ways that few commercial games are. But it’s nonetheless overflowing with passion, and I can’t help but feel impressed by that.

Astlibra Revision asks a lot from players upfront. It’s very much built for those who like grindy games, and it’s unpolished in ways that you’d expect from a title created by one person. But if you can enjoy what the game puts on the table, you’ll find an engaging combat system and a captivating, if not occasionally bizarre story. It’s an acquired taste for sure, but for those with the right palate, Astlibra is a one-of-a-kind experience.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Final Fantasy XIV. I’m not going to even try to build suspense for our Best Ongoing Game winner. Destructoid has too many FFXIV sickos for anything else to take the crown, which is fitting given that our own Chris “Eorzea’s Finest” Carter was an early adopter of the now-legendary MMORPG.

This, inadvertently, presents a bit of a conundrum in terms of selecting the “Best Ongoing Game” of any year. Live service games typically demand a lot of time. So it’s difficult – if not impossible – to find anyone who has played every entry enough to make a fair judgment. It’s hard enough playing the biggest single-player games of the year, let alone ones with potentially hundreds of hours of things to grind for. Can we really say Final Fantasy XIV had a better year than, say, Warframe?

But funny enough, that same concern also lends validity to Final Fantasy XIV’s crown. We are limited by time, and there have been plenty of other games this year vying for our interest. To still play and even love Final Fantasy XIV under those conditions is a testament to its quality.

There’s been a lot of discourse this year over the current state of Final Fantasy XIV. Given the insane honeymoon period the game enjoyed during the pandemic that forced Square Enix to stop selling the game for a minute, I do think that was a long time coming.

The nominees for the best ongoing game of 2023

• Fortnite
• Final Fantasy XIV
• Genshin Impact
• Path of Exile
• Warframe
• No Man's Sky
• World of Warcraft Classic

The post Destructoid’s award for Best Ongoing Game of 2023 goes to… appeared first on Destructoid.

2023 brought a lot of classic games back into the fold, but I always knew one certain title would inevitably take the crown for best remake/remaster. Resident Evil 4 rides a fine line of feeling old and new to an impeccable degree, and I’ve got to admit, it’s a heck of a remake.

Resident Evil 4 is one of those games that transcends the legacy of the Resident Evil series itself. Personally, it wasn’t the first Resident Evil game I played, but it was the first one I finished. Its combination of action, RPG elements, and incredible campy dialogue just worked for me. And judging from how I’ve seen others talk about this game for almost 20 years, I’m clearly not alone there. It’s one of those games that frequently comes up in “greatest game of all time” conversations, and at one point in my life, I had it in my personal top 10.

With a legacy like that, the Resident Evil 4 remake had a lot to live up to. Yet despite that, the remake stuck the landing and garnered widespread praise. Capcom smartly decided to root the Resident Evil 4 remake in the original game, but not necessarily replace it. So it is, ultimately, a familiar nostalgic trip for fans of the horror classic. But it’s also very much its own thing, with enough surprises to keep anyone who mastered the original game on their toes.

Resident Evil 4 won by an overwhelming margin, with more than half of all voters choosing it as their pick. That said, we nominated some really good remakes and remasters, and I could see any of our other nominees winning the crown in a lesser year. Star Ocean: The Second Story R and Dead Space were our runners up, which were fantastic in their own ways. Additionally, despite the crowded pool of nominees, every game got at least one vote from our team. Even if Resident Evil 4 wasn’t your favorite game up for the title, your pick was someone’s favorite here.

Despite all the new hit games that came out this year, there were compelling reasons to revisit some classic experiences as well. And while nostalgia can be easily exploited, it’s nice to remember those good times now and then. That said, I CAN’T BELIEVE THEY TOOK OUT THE PART WHERE LEON ASKS SALAZAR “YOUR RIGHT HAND COMES OFF” THAT WAS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE RESIDENT EVIL 4 EXPERIENCE AND –

Ed. note: Timothy originally wrote 5,000 words additional words in this rant, which we have deemed impossible to read since he used no punctuation, and never turned off Caps Lock. We have retained what we believe is the gist of his message.

The nominees for the best remake/remaster of 2023.

• Resident Evil 4
• The Making of Karateka
• Quake II
• Metroid Prime Remastered
• Dead Space
• Star Ocean: The Second Story R
• Super Mario RPG

The post Destructoid’s award for Best Remake/Remaster of 2023 goes to… appeared first on Destructoid.

Let’s get the obvious talking point out of the way: Pokémon Scarlet & Violet are divisive games. Generation IX has caught a lot of heat for its glitches and lack of polish, but despite that, I personally have still had fun with these games. So someone like me should love The Indigo Disk, right?

Let me explain: here at Destructoid, we’ve played hot potato with Pokémon review duties. CJ Andriessen and Eric Van Allen reviewed Pokémon Violet and Scarlet respectively, each arriving at the same “6/10” score. And later, the impeccable Chris Carter took the reins on the first DLC pack, The Teal Mask, who concluded that it wasn’t as good as The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and also gave a 6/10.

We’re not necessarily bound to each other’s scores as an outlet, but sometimes things just line up that way. And for that reason, I really wanted to throw my own take in on Generation IX before we move on to whatever GameFreak has lined up next.

With The Indigo Disk, I expected to give these Pokémon games a day in the sun and maybe even give a slightly more generous score. After all, this second DLC clearly offers more than The Teal Mask did. There’s no way that The Indigo Disk could be worse than The Teal Mask, right?

Well, the good news is that, yes, The Indigo Disk absolutely is the superior DLC pack compared to The Teal Mask. It also fumbles in ways that wound up making me feel the most frustrated I’ve ever been with the Pokémon franchise to date. It turns out even I have my limits.

Prepare for trouble, and make it double

Early in The Indigo Disk, you’ll learn that Blueberry Academy is full of hardcore trainers who prefer double battles. Seeing as how Pokémon's officially sanctioned competitive scene focuses on double battles, I enjoyed seeing the main game prioritize this format.

The Indigo Disk does a good job pitting you against common strategies in high-level play. For example, more than a few trainers will incorporate support Pokémon into their teams, using stat boosting moves or throwing in a Protect to block your incoming damage. Additionally, enemy trainers aren’t afraid to equip impactful held items on their Pokémon. Think you can just nuke every enemy you see with glass cannons like usual? Not if your opponent’s Focus Sash has anything to say about it.

Level the playing field

As our own Chris “Master Trainer” Carter mentioned in his review of The Teal Mask, Pokémon DLC has a leveling issue. And while The Indigo Disk fares better than its predecessor here, it suffers from the same problem. Wild Pokémon are level 60ish, boss battles are level 70ish, and the postgame breaks into level 80ish content.

Unfortunately, the dedicated Pokémon fanbase most interested in DLC most likely has a max level team already. And while battles against the Elite Four fare decently, that’s only a single digit number of battles that stand out. I can understand balancing the DLC in a way that’s accessible to people who didn’t do any postgame grinding. But ideally, the DLC should offer ways to please both crowds.

Throw out the BBQ

Despite the endless quest potential inherent to an open world Pokémon game, Blueberry Quests largely consist of aimlessly walking around, taking pictures of Pokémon, catching a Pokémon of a certain type, and making TMs and sandwiches. One might think these quests will escalate in complexity as you go, but… nope. It is seriously just a rotation of generic open-world busywork that starts repeating almost immediately. And once again, this system is where The Indigo Disk puts all its cards.

Oh yeah, Area Zero

And as far as that core story goes, it… exists. I’m not going to pretend like I expect literary excellence from a Pokémon game. That said, Scarlet & Violet tried this weird thing where it presented generally likable and endearing characters. Nemona, Penny, and especially Arven turned into a great party of friends, and seeing how the final story arc of the base game unfolded made me really want to see more of this world and cast.

So you can understand how disappointed I feel that both DLC packs have little to do with the core games.

Missed opportunities

Pokémon has such a rich foundation that could be taken in so many different directions. What's more, there's clearly a market hungry for that. Take one look at YouTube, and you’ll find challenge runs of classic Pokémon games with millions of views. Fans are eager for creative ways to play Pokémon. So why does the official DLC offer “take a picture of a swimming Pokémon?”

There are so many possibilities to explore with Pokémon, yet The Indigo Disk does precious little to get creative. Imagine if the two DLC packs were combined into one standalone adventure that was balanced around training and leveling the new Pokémon? Or what if the DLC centered around a roguelike experience where you never knew which Pokémon you’d use each run? I’m not saying those are good ideas, but they are ideas. I’d rather see a swing and a miss than the busywork we have now.

It's more Pokemon

I’d understand if, by this point, you think I completely hate The Indigo Disk. But despite all these misgivings, I did have some fun with this DLC. Exploring the new Terarium and catching Pokémon put a smile on my face, and those battles where everything really clicked were fun to play. I do still think Scarlet & Violet are enjoyable, and neither DLC pack necessarily changes that. Heck, if I was feeling generous, I’d say the focus on double battles here is a step in the right direction.

However, at this point, I’m so tired of seeing Pokémon “take a step in the right direction”. As a reminder, this is the highest grossing multimedia franchise in the entire world. Yet this is at least the second generation in a row that’s left me hoping the team will get it right next time. As it is, Pokémon Legends Arceus was a huge “step in the right direction,” but Scarlet & Violet learned precious little from it. DLC like The Indigo Disk could have rounded out the base games in areas they originally lacked in. Instead, it’s just more. An influx of sheer content, as if we’ll forget Pokémon even exists if we don’t have something shoved in front of our faces every year.

In the past, all this stuff might have bothered me less. But Pokémon's longevity has made it one of the main ways I can connect with my younger family members. Seeing even them wonder why Scarlet & Violet perform like they’re hanging by a thread on the Switch over a year later is inexcusable to me. And with how much The Indigo Disk tees up a Generation V remake, I’m honestly dreading how hard Unova will get butchered at this rate. I’d love to be proven wrong, but at this point, I’m not really counting on it

The Indigo Disk is more Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, for better or for worse. If you’re still deep into Generation IX, you’ll at least get mileage out of exploring the new areas and seeing the new Pokémon and TMs. But beyond that, The Indigo Disk neither offers a compelling challenge for longtime fans nor a chill grind for more casual fans. Players can at least take solace in that this second half of the DLC is generally better than the first. But for those frustrated by the rushed yearly cycle of Pokémon games, The Indigo Disk will only reaffirm your misgivings.

The post Review: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: The Indigo Disk appeared first on Destructoid.

There’s a certain "ick" that comes with the term “live service game.” It immediately conjures up images of soulless, microtransaction-filled cash grabs that many would rather not remember, let alone honor. Fortunately, the best titles in this field are (usually) exceptions to this norm.

When done right, a good live service game is like a second home. Ideally, these games are hubs where you can party up with friends and enjoy new content and features at a steady pace. If the presence of microtransactions and paywalls are kept in check, these titles can offer unforgettable experiences. Of course, I imagine some of you will argue that certain picks below don’t meet that bar. But that’s why we’re here to choose which ongoing game is the best of the best. After all, why should you invest your time in anything less than that?

Here's our list of nominees.

Fortnite

First up, we have Fortnite. And I know, I know, there’s a good chance you have a strong opinion on this game one way or another. That said, there’s no denying that Fortnite has become a cornerstone of gaming that continues to offer substantial updates every season. Just this past month alone, we saw the inclusion of experiences like LEGO Fortnite and Rocket Racing that continue to expand Fortnite into new genres. Sometimes these new modes are pretty fun too! You don’t have to love it, but there’s certainly nothing else like it on the market.

Final Fantasy XIV

Coming up next is Final Fantasy XIV, and you do have to love it. That’s what the community behind gaming’s best free trial has told me, anyway. I kid, of course; Destructoid is full of Final Fantasy XIV nerds, myself included. This year has been unique for the game following the release of the explosive Endwalker expansion. The lack of a core story to wrap up let the subsequent patch storyline follow its own unique narrative, and we’ve seen the developers experiment with new types of content like the Criterion Dungeons. We’ve passed the 10-year anniversary of A Realm Reborn (AKA when Final Fantasy XIV really started), so it will be interesting to see how the game will grow heading into Dawntrail.

Genshin Impact

Shifting to what is technically a mobile game, let’s talk about Genshin Impact. HoYoverse has generally continued the game’s usual trajectory this year. That is to say, we saw a steady stream of updates alongside new characters, with some quality-of-life improvements thrown into the mix here and there. The main story continues to grow, as the launch of Version 4.0 of the game saw the addition of the new Fontaine region. There are certainly grievances to be had about Genshin Impact's monetization and time-limited content. But for those who can at least tolerate those aspects of the game, not many other titles can compete with this free-to-play open world adventure.

Path of Exile

Path of Exile has also kept its gears grinding this year. In fact, like Final Fantasy XIV, Path of Exile celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2023. It’s honestly surreal that Path of Exile was originally hailed as an alternative to Diablo 3 at launch, and today fans continue to pitch it as an alternative to Diablo 4. On one hand, we’re a year away from the closed beta for Path of Exile 2, which will (hopefully) serve as a fresh starting point for new players. On the other hand, the original game is still going strong here, with new updates and leagues that continue to add new twists to the game. Even if I’ve only ever dipped my toes into this one, I’m very curious to see what 2024 brings.

Warframe

Speaking of games originally released in 2013, Warframe has had an exciting year too. Back in April, The Duviri Paradox debuted in the multiplayer space ninja shooter sim. And regardless of your feelings on that expansion, we saw other tantalizing quality-of-life additions like the inclusion of cross-save. Heck, by the time you read this, the game’s Whispers in the Wells update should be out too. Warframe is one of those games that just keeps growing and growing, and it has been wild to see how far it’s come. I personally have my eyes on Soulframe, but that’s neither here nor there.

No Man's Sky

Did someone say “famous redemption arcs in gaming?” No? Well I’m going to pretend you did, because No Man’s Sky is next on our list. I’m sure you’re well familiar with how No Man’s Sky originally launched in a rough state, only to see update after update that has taken this space exploration adventure to heights no one ever originally expected. 2023 was a surprisingly robust year for the game in particular, as we saw the Fractal, Interceptor, and Singularity Expedition updates hit the game. Despite the announcement of Hello Games’ upcoming Light No Fire, No Man’s Sky doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. It’s certainly come a long way since it was announced in… 2013? Another 10-year anniversary? Was that just the year for better-than-average live service games?

World of Warcraft Classic

Last but maybe not least, we have World of Warcraft Classic. Yes, once upon a time, World of Warcraft Classic was a fun nostalgia trip that convinced many lapsed players to return to the long running MMORPG. But now, with the Cataclysm expansion soon hitting the game with player feedback in mind, Classic has become its own entity. Notably, this year has closed out with the Season of Discovery, which reworks older content and focuses on a level 25 endgame. It’s an interesting pivot for World of Warcraft Classic, and it goes to show that you can never know what to expect from a live service game. For better or for worse.

The nominees for the best ongoing game of 2023

• Fortnite
• Final Fantasy XIV
• Genshin Impact
• Path of Exile
• Warframe
• No Man's Sky
• World of Warcraft Classic

The post Nominees for Destructoid’s Best Ongoing Game of 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. We hold the games we played in our younger years dear to our hearts, which the gaming industry can often exploit for a quick buck. Fortunately, we saw some truly incredible remakes in 2023 that actually do justice to their source material.

The distinction between a “remake” and “remaster” became especially blurred in 2023. In some cases, we saw some really comprehensive remakes. These titles reimagined the games they're based on from the ground up, adding so much new stuff that even longtime fans had no idea what to expect. Conversely, we saw some remakes that felt more like very pretty remasters. These were games that worked overtime to feel as much like the original titles as possible, often focusing on visuals and music over sweeping gameplay changes.

And, of course, we saw many games that sat somewhere between those two extremes. Which approach should a remake take? Who knows! It’s all subjective, at the end of the day. But for better or for worse, we’re here to see which one takes the top slot in Destructoid’s own popularity contest, so let’s see the nominees.

Resident Evil 4

Kicking off our list is the big one of 2023: Resident Evil 4. Leon “SmallSoda” Kennedy’s tale of survival and horror has seen rerelease after rerelease after rerelease since its original launch in 2005. Even I found myself asking “is this remake even necessary?” with how well the original title holds up. But, once I played the game myself, I became a believer. While I'll always adore the camp of the original title, Capcom’s new take on Resident Evil 4 put a lot on the table for both veterans and newcomers to dig into. It might not do much for you if you didn’t love the original, but Resident Evil 4’s mix of fresh and familiar seems to have resonated with gamers this year.

The Making of Karateka

In a complete change of pace, our following nominee is The Making of Karateka. Despite my snark about nostalgia above, this is one of the most exciting takes on a remake I’ve seen. Basically, take Jordan Mechner’s classic fighting game and GIF-inspiration Karateka, include a ton of behind-the-scenes footage and prototypes of the game, and slap a proper remade version of the game on top. The result is functionally an interactive documentary that our local retro enthusiast Zoey “Kick It With A Tasty Groove” Handley strongly recommends. Check it out if this one slipped under your radar.

Quake II

Next on our list is Quake II. And… look, I’m not going to pretend I grew up playing shooters like Quake II. I probably should have, but that’s neither here nor there. What I can tell you is that NightDive Studios has been knocking it out of the park with remasters this year. Even middling games like Turok III have gotten more love from the studio than many publishers give to their most memorable titles. And in the case of Quake II, NightDive went in and compiled expansions, restored cut content, and even improved the AI. You can read more about it in Zoey “Not A Boomer” Handley’s full review.

Metroid Prime Remastered

Metroid Prime Remastered. Oh, sorry, did you want some heads-up or introduction for this nominee? Nintendo stealth dropped this one back in February, so I felt it appropriate to just plop it on here too. Despite years-long rumors that we’d see a Switch port of the Metroid Prime Trilogy collection, Metroid Prime Remastered doesn’t disappoint. The visuals have received a surprisingly comprehensive overhaul, and you can choose to play the game with a control scheme that doesn't feel decades old. The fact that this launched at $39.99 helped its case too. Also, Metroid Prime is a really good game! Not to sound like a broken record, but our own Zoey “Prime Rib” Handley reviewed this as well.

Dead Space

Okay, so forgive me in how I’m going to talk about our next contender: Dead Space. The PS3/Xbox 360 version of the game came out a few years before I got into horror, and this year’s remake totally passed me by. Destructoid Senior Editor Eric “Celery Man” Van Allen did review it though, and he found that the sci-fi horror classic still holds up today. It sounds like EA Motive did justice to Visceral Games’ original work.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R

Now, you know what I can talk about? Star Ocean: The Second Story R, our next nominee. I went my whole life with barely a person to talk about any Star Ocean game with, so it’s been nice to wax poetic about The Second Story with Destructoid’s Chris “Don’t Spell My Name With A K” Carter and Andrea “Have I Been Given A Funny Nickname Yet” Shearon. And for this crowd of Star Ocean nerds, The Second Story R sure did deliver. This is such an ambitious remake of the best game in the Star Ocean series. It retains what made the original game so special while adding a plethora of new minigames and mechanics to entertain longtime fans. In fact, Andrea “Now With Two Nicknames” Shearon gave this remake high marks in her review.

Super Mario RPG

And rounding out our list, we finally come to something I reviewed: Super Mario RPG. Folks, at this point I don’t know what to tell you. Super Mario RPG is a stone-cold classic title, and it’s been such a treat to revisit it with this remake. It does add its own twists to the SNES adventure, but for the most part, you’re playing this remake for the revamped visuals and the spectacular music. It’s a great remake of a fantastic game, and I personally rank it in the top 5 of games I played this year. I’m so happy to finally talk about something I reviewed here. It’s a good game!

The nominees for the best remake/remaster of 2023.

• Resident Evil 4
• The Making of Karateka
• Quake II
• Metroid Prime Remastered
• Dead Space
• Star Ocean: The Second Story R
• Super Mario RPG

The post Nominees for Destructoid’s Best Remake/Remaster of 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

In one of the most substantial updates to the Nintendo Switch’s N64 library, Nintendo has announced three new games are available now as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack service. Man, how did this one slip me by until now?

Oh, right, this news broke during The Game Awards.

Well, even if you’re feeling tired from a marathon of game trailers and celebrity appearances, these classic games are still well worth checking out. Also, the trailer for the update features more than a few seconds of gameplay from each game, unlike most of what we saw during The Game Awards. Oh, did I just say that out loud!

Let's talk about these new old games

Harvest Moon 64 is next on the list, which I have zero attachment to whatsoever. Even with the rise of cozy and farming games, the genre just never clicked with me. That said, I do recognize that Harvest Moon 64 is a significant entry in the series and remains a fan favorite. With how much love Stardew Valley has (rightfully) gotten, it’s been great seeing classic Harvest Moon become available once again. I hope farming sim fans get a kick out of this one.

Here's to more N64 games

Overall, it’s nice to see a collection of games like this hit the Nintendo Switch Online service. Typically, Nintendo takes a drip feed approach. Either you’ll see one game at a time or a collection of left-field picks. But regardless of how these three games in particular have aged, they’re all significant pillars of the N64 library. They’re well worth having on hand.

Additionally, it’s not like we’re out of significant N64 games to add to the service either. Off the top of my head, Mischief Makers, Body Harvest, Ogre Battle 64, and the Bomberman games would all serve as notable additions to the N64 library. And that’s not getting into the rest of Rare’s classics or ports like Mega Man 64. I’m personally more of a Game Boy Advance guy myself, but it’s been fun seeing which retro games will get a second wind on the Switch. Hopefully we can still enjoy all these titles on whatever Nintendo’s next system is.

The Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack update is available now.

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It's been a long night of The Game Awards. Many trailers have been shown for upcoming games, but only one can be the final trailer. Capcom has taken that honor this year by revealing the newest installment in the Monster Hunter series, Monster Hunter Wilds.

As has been a recurring theme during this event, we didn't exactly see a ton of raw gameplay in this trailer. We do, however, see a lot of monsters. Also, some sick mount acrobatics are shown off. And before we know it, a title card is thrown on screen. Clearly this is a teaser just to let us all know this game exists, since that projected date of 2025 is still a ways off from now. Feel free to speculate based on the footage we were shown.

After the trailer, Geoff Keighley brought Monster Hunter series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto to the stage. Despite acknowledging that the game is dated for 2025, Keighley asked Tsujimoto when we might expect to play Monster Hunter Wilds. As one might expect, the answer for when we'll play this video game coming out in 2025 is "2025." However, Tsujimoto clarified that we should expect to learn more about the title during the Summer of 2024.

Monster Hunter Wilds will release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam. This is notable, as the game's predecessor, Monster Hunter Rise, was originally a Nintendo Switch title. The platforms shown indicate that Wilds will be closer in spirit to Monster Hunter World, which will be roughly seven years old by the time Wilds comes out.

I'm interested to see if games like Monster Hunter Rise on the Switch and Monster Hunter Now on mobile devices drives winds up attracting new audiences to Monster Hunter Wilds once it releases. It's certainly made me pay more attention to the series, so we'll have to see if this strategy pays off when Monster Hunter Wilds debuts two years from now.

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Need a new co-op heist game to fill the void that Payday 3 may or may not have left in your heart? Developer 10 Chambers may have your back, as their latest project Den of Wolves was unveiled during The Game Awards 2023.

I'm gonna be upfront, I don't know what to say about this trailer. It doesn't really show heist gameplay, so... I'm just going to take 10 Chambers' word that that's the genre of the game. They certainly talk about heists, that's for sure. Something interesting does seem to be going on, and it does apparently involve blowing up a safe. The creator of Payday: The Heist, Payday 2, and GTFO is behind this, so, yeah, that checks out. If you'd like to make more sense of this footage than me, than by all means.

This reveal came on the heels of the Final Chapter update for GTFO. Those who are interested in that title can try it out for free on December 10.

Meanwhile, no release date for Den of Wolves has been shown at this time. However, if you're interested in learning more about this sci-fi co-op heist shooter, you can follow the game on Steam.

The post Den of Wolves is a new heist game from the creator of Payday and GTFO appeared first on Destructoid.

Life is Strange is one of those series that always caught my eye. However, after a certain point, I felt overwhelmed by all the games I'd need to play to catch up. Fortunately, the team at Don't Nod has me covered, because they're teeing up a whole new universe in the upcoming Lost Record: Bloom & Rage.

At first glance, it certainly looks like a new Life is Strange game. It shows some teenagers rocking out, running through the woods, and something involving a burning building. You know, typical teenage stuff. However, there's some sort of void, and afterwards, a cut to the future. What, exactly, happened here, and why does our one character at the end look pretty shaken by it? That's for us to presumably find out.

That mystery will hopefully be solved when Lost Record: Bloom & Rage comes out in late 2024. We don't have a lot to work with here, but it has sparked my curiosity at any rate. We'll update this post as we learn more about this adventure.

The post Life is Strange developers unveil a new world in Lost Record: Bloom & Rage appeared first on Destructoid.

There have been some cool things revealed at the 2023 Game Awards. As you might have seen, I've written about some of them. But I'm here to tell you all that a new game in the Mana series has been revealed, and it practically made me jump out of my chair.

Visions of Mana is a brand new entry in the Mana series, which to this point has mostly survived off remakes and a failed gacha game. This new game, from the little we've seen so far, looks like everything I'd want in a new Mana game. There's some flashy Action-RPG combat, a world full of whimsy and magic, and what looks like a variety of spells courtesy of some familiars. It's all huge Secret of Mana vibes and I am here for it.

While the Mana series has struggled in the past, I can't help but have high hopes for this one. Some may remember that Secret of Mana was one of my picks for the best SNES games ever, and I'd love to see this series get a modern twist on that classic charm I loved so much in my younger years. Anything can happen, of course. We only have a small trailer to analyze, after all. But my fingers are very crossed for this one.

Visions of Mana will release in 2024. Stay tuned as we learn more about Visions of Mana.

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As nice as the usual salvo of remakes and sequels is, it's nice to see acclaimed developers take on new worlds every now and then. To fill this niche, Moon Studios, the creators of the acclaimed Ori series, has revealed a new ARPG called No Rest for the Wicked.

We can see some vague cinematics at the start, setting the stage for a somber story. However, once the gameplay kicks in, we get a glimpse of an ARPG-style perspective of our protagonist running through some scenery and fighting enemies. It's hard to get a feel for the combat here, but it sure looks cool. The variety of weapon types shown makes me think that players will have a few different playstyles to choose from here.

In a press release received after the show, we got to learn a few more details about No Rest for the Wicked. Moon Studios promises an "animation-driven, direct, and tactile," combat system, which will emphasize "skill and timing" instead of the usual lull of loot-driven ARPGs. Additionally, the game's setting on the island of Isola Sacra will let players experience "verticality in a way that is unmatched in other ARPGs."

Fortunately, true to other games in the ARPG genre, No Rest for the Wicked will support four player co-op as well. Players can enjoy the campaign with friends, even if those friends just wander off and have their own adventures during your session.

"We have been dreaming of being able to contribute to the ARPG genre that we all grew up with and love," said Moon Studios' Creative Director Thomas Mahler. "We are excited to reveal our own take on what we’ve always envisioned as the core canons of the ARPG genre, while taking the next steps to reimagine the elements we consider ripe for innovation.”

No Rest for the Wicked will enter Early Access on Steam "during [the publisher] Take-Two's Fiscal Year 2024." Sometime after that, the game will launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. In the meantime, we'll about this game on March 1, 2024 as part of Moon Studios' Wicked Inside digital showcase.

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Good news if you own God of War: Ragnarok; you're getting new content to play whether you like it or not. During the 2023 Game Awards show, a new DLC pack called Valhalla was announced, and it comes with the hefty price tag of "free."

The trailer, as many video game trailers are, doesn't tell us a lot about the new content. We see Kratos on a boat, he spends a few seconds opening a door, and then some enemies get stabbed and slammed. After the trailer, Game Awards host Geoff Keighley called the pack "an adventure that blends God of War: Ragnarok's combat with elements inspired by the roguelike genre."

Fortunately, the PlayStation Blog has some supplemental information to help us make sense of what Valhalla offers. This DLC will serve as an epilogue to Ragnarok's story, and that roguelike structure is what you'd expect. Death in Valhalla will bring you back to the area's entrance, but with defeat comes upgrades that change Kratos' abilities and affect Valhalla itself. Of course, Valhalla itself will offer perks and power-ups that are only good for one run too. Pretty standard stuff, really!

Victory in Valhalla will unlock cosmetic rewards for Kratos. Additionally, you can choose from five different difficulty levels each run, with harder settings yielding greater rewards. If you feel so inclined, you can opt to play Valhalla right away without finishing Ragnarok itself. However, since the story serves as an epilogue to the main game, you may not want to go this route.

Speaking on the decision to make the DLC free, Keighley went on to say "the team at Santa Monica Studio are fans of their fans, and are offering this DLC, God of War: Ragnarok: Valhalla, as a gift to the community." Thanks Santa Monica Studio! I guess we can all see what this DLC offers soon enough.

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We're only a couple minutes into The Game Awards, and the World Premieres are already coming. Kicking off the show, a remake of 2013's Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons was announced.

The trailer is certainly in the "teaser" territory more than anything. We see some prettier versions of locations from the original game, as well as some gameplay featuring the titular brothers. Honestly, it's been so long since I've even seen the original game that I can't really compare much from memory. The single player co-op game certainly made waves a decade ago, so we'll have to see if the remake has the same impact.

That said, my joke about Brothers being a "single player co-op game" may be outdated this time around. This remake will let players enjoy the game with a friend, which makes sense given the themes here. Should you play this one with your brother? I'll leave that up to you.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons: Remake (is that really the title?) will launch on February 28, 2024 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

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Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: The Indigo Disk is nearly here, and with it will (presumably) come the end of Pokemon’s 9^th generation. That said, judging from the final trailer for the DLC that launched today, it appears Game Freak is hoping to end these contentious games with a bang.

There’s a lot to unpack in this four minute long trailer. It opens by returning to Area Zero, the namesake of the DLC bundle and the highlight of the core games. But rather than get into any plot details of what this abyss of Paradox Pokemon contains, we instead get a montage showing both returning gym leaders and new faces alike. Additionally, the trailer shows a lot of legendary Pokemon from previous generations. Like a lot. We got the legendary birds. We got the legendary dogs/cats/gerbils. There are even some horses. Just a whole group of world-ending animals.

Here comes the BBQ

Beyond these teases, the trailer shows off The Indigo Disk's new systems. The big headliner here is the Blueberry Quests system, which the game abbreviates to “BBQs”. I swear I’m not making that up. The official Pokemon Scarlet & Violet website clarifies that BBQs are a Battle Pass-style quest system that rewards a unique currency called BP.

With BP, you can buy new things at your school’s store and cafeteria. You can even customize the Academy a bit with them. There are also some group quests that you can do with friends, which should hopefully reinvigorate the underutilized Union Circle system. It looks you'll need BP to encounter those aforementioned legendary Pokemon too, so I hope you're hungry for BBQs.

Control Pokemon with the Synchro Machine

We also see a bit of the new Synchro Machine in action, which lets players play as their Pokemon. That’s right, you can now achieve your dream of a Pokemon game in which Lechonk is the main character. I don’t want to hype this feature too much, since we don’t know much about this system just yet. You can indeed fight other Pokemon and play with friends in this form, but we still don’t know if this is just a gimmick feature or not.

I think kids will love this, though. I hope the Synchro Machine is at least polished enough to make my niece smile.

You can fly in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet now

The wrap things up, we see the final major feature of The Indigo Disk: flight. In the base games, Koraidon and Miraidon could eventually glide, but you could only stay airborne for so long. However, exploring the world of The Indigo Disk will unlock full-on flight, letting you see Paldea in a new light. The trailer specifically shows a flying minigame that tasks players with soaring through rings, clearly an homage to the legendary classic Superman 64.

I do have to say that flying makes me a bit nervous. I mean, airplanes do make me nervous, but I’m talking in-game. Pokemon Scarlet & Violet aren’t… uh… very technically sound, so I don’t know how useful this feature is with the current state of the game’s draw distance. Also, after players figured out how to go to space in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, flying just doesn’t excite me as much as it might have. I’ll certainly reserve judgement for the final product though.

A more promising DLC than the first pack.

Overall, it looks like The Indigo Disk is shaping up to be a decent final chapter for Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. I was underwhelmed by The Teal Mask, which was a sentiment shared by our own Chris “Daft Punk” Carter in his review. However, The Indigo Disk already looks way more interesting than what its predecessor offered. This is probably why they bundled the two packs together, much like the approach Sword & Shield took.

I’ve learned to be more skeptical than not when it comes to Pokemon these days, especially with the ridiculously rapid release cycle these games are caught in. But I can’t say I haven’t had fun with Pokemon Scarlet & Violet either, numerous warts and all. Here’s hoping for a triumphant conclusion for Generation 9, and hopefully a more sound start for Generation 10 when it’s inevitably announced.

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: The Indigo Disk launches on December 14. In the meantime, you can grab an array of new event Pokemon today to celebrate the DLC’s launch.

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It’s been a wild ride following Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, rife with ups and downs. But with the Indigo Disk DLC around the corner, it appears Game Freak is hyping up the end of Generation 9. Fittingly, trainers can grab Dialga and Palkia in this month's next Tera Raid event.

As many Pokemon fans know, Dialga and Palkia are the cover legendary Pokemon for Pokemon Diamond & Pearl. Perhaps newer fans know these monsters from the more recent Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, but we don’t talk about those games. Either way, these are proper legendary monsters with crazy stats and powerful moves, so they’re well worth grabbing.

Defeat Dialga and Palkia in Tera Raid battles to catch them

Fortunately, you shouldn’t need an optimal team to take on these monsters. Dialga and Palkia will appear as 5-Star encounters, a far cry from the challenging 7-Star events. These will certainly still be tough battles, but as long as you know how to max your monster's stats, you should do okay. They’ll also appear with the Dragon Tera Type, so you’ll want to use attacks that at least inflict neutral damage. Fairy-Type Pokemon seem like the obvious answer, but Dialga’s Steel-Type attacks may knock you right out, so be careful.

Pokemon Scarlet players can face Dialga, while Violet players will encounter Palkia. Of course, by helping friends out or searching for online Tera Raids, you can still catch both monsters regardless of which version you play. However, note that you can only catch one of each monster per save file, so your six Dialga dream team will have to remain out of reach for now.

The event will go live today at 4:00pm PST / 7:00pm EST. It will run until December 21 at 3:59pm PST / 6:59pm EST.

Here are the Mystery Gift codes for Darkrai and shiny Lucario

For those less inclined to work for legendary monsters, you can grab the Generation 4 mythical monster Darkrai right now simply by opening your game. Follow the usual steps to claim a mystery gift and select the "Get with Code/Password" option. From there, enter the code NEWM00N1SC0M1NG​​.

That’s “New Moon Is Coming” with zeroes and ones replacing the Os and Is. That’s just a quirk of how entering codes work, you can’t actually use Os or Is when you input codes. This will net you a level 50 Darkrai that knows Dark Pulse, Shadow Ball, Hypnosis, and Dream Eater. Not a terribly exciting moveset, but certainly handy if you happen to be playing the main game before the DLC launches. Darkrai will be available until December 21.

Additionally, you can grab a shiny Lucario by entering the code SH1NYBUDDY. Funny enough, Lucario is actually a lot stronger than Darkrai out of the box! It starts at level 75 and knows Flash Cannon, Aura Sphere, Bullet Punch, and Ice Punch. Not a bad moveset for someone who needs help preparing for the new DLC! Of course, the big appeal is that Lucario is rocking that Yellow and Blue shiny color variant. If you’re a shiny hunter or just don’t have Lucario yet, this is a good pickup. You can get Lucario until January 3.

Game Freak has also revealed that a free Master Ball will be available as a mystery gift when the DLC The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero Part 2: The Indigo Disk launches on December 14^th. The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC bundle is available now in the Nintendo Switch eShop.

The post You can get Dialga, Palkia, and Darkrai in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet today appeared first on Destructoid.

With the end of 2023 just around the corner, I feel confident in saying that Monster Hunter Now is one of my biggest surprises of the year. It’s easily Niantic’s best game since Pokemon GO, and with the game’s first major update on the horizon, it’s looking like the title will stay relevant heading into 2024.

For those just tuning in, Monster Hunter Now is a GPS driven augmented-reality game based on Capcom’s Monster Hunter series. While this seems like an odd pitch, it’s an entertaining concept that stays remarkably true to its source material. Though the combat naturally makes concessions to play smoothly on touch screens, Niantic’s take on the formula does appear to have resonated with players since launch.

Four new monsters

During my hands-on time, I was given access to a test account with paintballs spanning the four new monsters in Fulminations in the Frost. The new beasts are Zinogre, Banbaro, Barioth, and Radobaan. Niantic also confirmed that we’ll see Cortos and Wulg as new small monsters. Even if those last two just exist as more fodder to charge my special gauge, I’ll appreciate the variety nonetheless.

I got to face each monster a couple times, and, honestly, I don’t have a lot to say about them. That’s actually a good thing in my book. These are all fierce looking baddies on the larger side, so they’re closer in feel to late-game monsters like Diablos instead of, say, Great Jagras. However, their attack patterns don’t necessarily resemble anything in the game right now, aside from a few circular tail swipes we see monsters like Paolumu use. While I did my best to dodge between strikes, I did get smacked more times than I’d like to admit.

Two new weapons

Conversely, I do feel comfortable giving firm feelings on the two new weapon types: Lance and Dual Blades. I used them exclusively across all the battles I tried, and I felt I got a pretty good feel for how each played.

Lance appears to be a weapon best suited for players looking for a real tanky playstyle. It’s slow, with quite a bit of reach for a melee weapon, but your mobility really falls with it equipped. Movement and dodging become very brief sidesteps, so closing the distance on far-away monsters can be a real challenge. That said, it did look more defensive than the game’s Sword and Shield, so I imagine Lance would be a great fit for multiplayer parties. For example, you could use it to get safely in a monster’s face to stun it and break its head while your friends hack away at the legs and tail.

Other changes to come as well

The new weapons and monsters were obviously the main draw, but the update will come with a few other adjustments as well. One thing I noticed as I poked around the menus is that weapons were more clearly sorted by type. While the game already kind of does this, having clear sections that say “Hammer” or “Bow” cuts down on clutter. Some weapon rebalancing was teased as well, which should reward melee players a bit more. The Dual Blades felt pretty powerful during my testing period, so I do wonder if that was in part due to the balancing changes.

Niantic also teased at least one other feature that will offer “an exciting new hunting experience.” We’ll learn more about this as we get closer to the update’s launch. That said, based on this small morsel of information, I do appreciate that we’re seeing more added to the game beyond new weapons and monsters. I’m personally hopeful that a “new hunting experience” may make playing multiplayer easier. I’m still trying to rope friends and family into playing this game with me, so I have my fingers crossed.

I have some reservations, but I like what I see

Aside from the item cap point, my one main reservation about Fulminations in the Frost is that I don’t know if any of this content is time limited or not. Niantic is calling this update a “season,” which typically refers to limited time content in free-to-play games. FOMO is something that really gets to me, and one of the things I’ve liked about Monster Hunter Now is that it generally hasn’t encouraged obsessive play.

As it is, I haven’t exactly loved that monsters like Black Diablos only appear for very limited windows. Additionally, the drop rate for rare materials is still really low, which I hope gets addressed in one way or another. But either way, Monster Hunter Now works well as a slow burn, so I hope I can enjoy this new content at my own pace. I reached out to Niantic for comment, but I have yet to receive a response as of writing.

Despite that concern, I’m overall very pleased with how Fulminations in the Frost looks so far. Getting a handful of monsters and new weapons and potentially a new game mode is honestly way more substantial than I thought we’d see at this point in the game’s life, and I can only hope this is the precedent for all the game’s future major updates. If Niantic can consistently release updates of this size every few months, Monster Hunter Now will essentially double its current content within a year’s time. 

Everything I demoed felt solid, so here’s hoping that any future updates will retain that level of passion moving forward. And even if the game stumbles, at least I’ll have my Dual Blades with me to keep me entertained.

Monster Hunter Now: Fulminations in the Frost will launch on December 7^th.

The post Hands-on: Monster Hunter Now: Fulminations in the Frost builds a foundation for the future appeared first on Destructoid.

Based on what we've seen so far, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth looks similar to Final Fantasy 7 Remake. However, it also appears to hide subtle refinements underneath the surface that may make it a substantially different experience. And according to game director Naoki Hamaguchi, it seems this vibe is, indeed, by design.

Last month, I had the opportunity to play Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth for myself. While I gave my honest thoughts about what I saw during that demo, the experience left me deeply curious about Rebirth's adherence to the original formula and what pieces would deviate. Fortunately, I didn't have to leave every curiosity unfulfilled, and I was provided the opportunity to email a few questions directly to the game's development team, which Hamaguchi himself kindly answered.

Below, you'll find our full exchange, which includes insight into how the game will approach both its evolved combat system as well as its new story. Also, there's a line about Zack that I can't get out of my head. Enjoy!

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This has an impact on the battle system and the entire game experience in the field, so even if elements appear similar to the previous game, they have been adjusted, expanded, and are therefore not the same. Rather than forcing the game to be carried over and creating discrepancies in the gameplay experience for each player, we decided that it would be better for all users to be able to enjoy the game in the same state, which would result in a new and fresh experience for everyone. Of course, we’ve heard a wide range of opinions and feedback from users, but we’ve also put tremendous effort into creating an experience that will satisfy many fans, and hope those decisions will be received well.

Although turn-based strategy certainly still has its appeal, I believe that this trend of high-end games pursuing more realistic, real-time control functionality will not change in the future.

For the current title, we’ve given more latitude to action-based strategies and designed the game to allow a variety of playstyles. From there, further suggestions were made by the battle director, Endo. Following his suggestions, large adjustments were made to existing characters, and the changes made to Aerith were a result of this process.

With Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, players will get to explore more open-ended fields and pursue optional objectives. How did you decide on what kinds of sidequests to include in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth?

Final Fantasy VII has a history of surprising players. For example, I can still remember first seeing that there was an entire world outside Midgar when I first played Final Fantasy VII on PlayStation. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy VII Remake took a new direction with its story that gave new meaning to the word “Remake.” Is there an aspect of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth that you hope similarly surprises fans? No spoilers, of course!

The FINAL FANTASY VII remake project titles, including FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, were developed with two ideas in mind, in terms of their core appeal. The first is re-creating what could not be expressed in the original FFVII, using modern techniques to make the audience aware of things they previously didn’t notice, therefore providing an element of fresh surprise. In the demo, the personality of young Cloud during the Nibelheim flashback was received incredibly well by fans and media alike, and similar to that, we've put in a lot of care to re-create certain scenes with increased realism, which allows for additional layers of discovery without changing the fundamental experience of those scenes.

The second are the deviations from the original game. Overall, we wanted the player to follow the familiarity of how this game progresses in the same way as the original, while still picking up on subtle differences in certain details, which are meant to keep the player on the edge of their seats, speculating what those deviations might mean for the story’s climax. In the previous title, the Whispers played this narrative role, whereas this time around, Zack also joins in. He will certainly entertain and wrangle the player in the best way possible.

Both of these two elements are scattered all throughout FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, and will surely provide many surprises for fans.

What would you like to say to fans looking forward to the release of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth?

After a four-year wait, we are proud to present to you FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, which has evolved even further from the previous title with its explorative world map, enhanced battle system with synergistic attacks, and storytelling that keeps you guessing as to what will happen next. The game will be released Feb. 29, and we look forward to seeing it in the hands of many people.

Once again, thank you for your time!

As Hamaguchi said himself, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launches on PlayStation 5 on February 29.

The post Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director talks action combat and getting wrangled by Zack appeared first on Destructoid.

The debate over how long video games should be has raged since the 90s at least. I’ve certainly dipped my toes into this conversation before, including here on Destructoid. But for the recent release of Super Mario RPG, those asking “how long is it” may need a slightly more nuanced answer than usual.

For those just tuning in, the remake of the Super Nintendo classic Super Mario RPG is here. For my part, I absolutely loved reviewing the game. I do think there were missed opportunities with the remake. However, I remain confident in saying that everyone, in one way or another, should experience this adventure. It’s also a $60 remake of a 27-year-old game, and it doesn’t boast the longest run time.

Depending on where you look, you'll maybe see the claim that Super Mario RPG takes 12 hours to complete. And while you certainly can finish the game in 12 hours, I’d hesitate to say that's how long you'll spend with Super Mario RPG. I’ll unpack this by sharing my experience.

How long is the Super Mario RPG remake?

I talked about this in my review, but I think a more dedicated breakdown is in order.

By the time I reached the end of the credits, my playtime was 14 hours and 45 minutes. I played the original quite a bit in my youth, but it had been a decade since my last playthrough. For this reason, I didn't exactly remember each and every secret. I had to spend a bit of time looking for hidden chests and chasing down optional quests. I also talked to every NPC and looked for potential easter eggs. This included returning to Vista Hill every now and then, just so I could see if there was any new dialogue as my party grew.

I did, generally, try to skip most enemy encounters. This kept me from getting overleveled, which led to nicely-tuned boss fights. That said, I did have Mallow scan as many enemies as I could find with the Thought Peek skill. You better believe I want to read every single foe’s thoughts.

Though my playtime was a bit above the 11 or 12 hours that has been cited, I still fell quite a bit below the alleged SNES runtime of 17.5 hours. This could be because the remake is easier than the original game. I’d have to play the two side-by-side to really compare them and see what the difference is. However, I'd say the reduction is at least as much a result of how the remake streamlines the game. Again, as I cited in my review, there’s very little time spent on menus here. Additionally, battle transitions do seem to be a bit faster on average. The original game was already pretty light on filler, but the remake cuts the downtime even further.

But how long does the extra content in Super Mario RPG take to complete?

This is another area where the "length" conversation gets tricky. I’m going to remain spoiler-free with this topic, but as another recap, Super Mario RPG does feature some boss rematches. Like I said in my review, this feature wasn’t as comprehensive as I think it could have been. However, these encounters do add some teeth to the experience, so I do think they warrant some discussion as well.

I didn’t time how long I spent with these encounters, but I estimate they took around 1.5 hours. Part of what makes this estimate tricky is that, for the sake of exploring some of the mechanics at this stage, I did level-grind my party just to see how hard certain things could hit. I don’t think anyone has to grind to beat these encounters unless you just feel safer with more stats. I also spent some time replaying battles to get the strategies down pat. Someone who looks up a guide or already has the game’s best equipment might have an easier time.

However, even if you complete these rematches, you can still find things to do in the game. It’s just a bit weird since this is an area of content that’s closer to achievement hunting than anything. There’s stuff from the original game you can uncover, like trying to find items such as the Star Egg. Also, there are some remake-specific things you can chase down if you’re committed. This mostly consists of tasks like filling out the Monster List or going for better scores on some of the minigames.

I don’t necessarily think many people will get that into the weeds with the game. You aren’t exactly missing out by not seeing and doing every single possible thing the game offers. But, that is what I did, and it did push me to roughly 20 hours played all said and done. I’m happy with my time spent, but as always, your mileage may vary.

Is the Super Mario RPG remake worth $60?

So, with all that said, we arrive at the $60 question: is Super Mario RPG worth all sixty of those dollars?

The thing is, there’s not really a great methodology for factoring price into a game’s quality. Some people have more time than money, while others have more money than time. Some may straight-up prefer their games to be short. For me, how much game I’m getting per dollar kind of depends on the quality of the experience. There are titles that have more filler than something like Super Mario Wonder, but maybe those games serve a different purpose. For example, a long RPG might burn me out if I play it for several hours at once, but it may be something I enjoy returning to in short bursts. In those cases, I think the longer runtime can benefit, since I can treat it like a bedtime story to enjoy for weeks on end.

However, I think the unique thing about Super Mario RPG is that it isn’t a slow-burn RPG. The first weekend I had it, I played it for a good 10 hours and didn’t feel sick of it at all. That flow of charming dialogue, inventive dungeon design, and phenomenal music puts it closer to Super Mario Wonder in my mind than something like Octopath Traveler 2. Maybe that’s not what RPG fans in particular value most, but I do think that experience is part of why Super Mario RPG still commands so much admiration.

But Super Mario RPG is a remake of an SNES game, right?

Well, yeah, I can’t argue with facts. Despite my gripes about what this remake could have added, I do think it’s a comprehensive effort. It certainly doesn’t feel like corners were cut, especially when it comes to that delightful soundtrack.

Could Super Mario RPG have been sold at a lower price? Maybe. Obviously, a less expensive game is more accessible to more people, especially for anyone struggling just to make their bills every month. I also don’t know how much this remake cost to make, either. Nintendo didn’t include that information with the embargo guidelines.

The weird thing with remakes is that, if you never played the original game, then this functionally is a new experience. And while some may find ways to get their hands on the SNES original these days, it’s not like that cartridge is readily available. So for this audience, knocking it for being a remake is kind of an immaterial thing. Heck, some younger gamers may see it on the eShop without ever having seen a Super Nintendo!

But, if you do have that SNES cartridge on standby… then yeah, this remake may be a harder sell. Look, what the remake adds to the core game is very nice. That said, the main appeal of the package is just how good Super Mario RPG is at its core. Some extra features may not justify $60 for you, and that’s fine! I sort of feel like anyone familiar with the original probably knows how eager they are to jump into the remake. But at least for the time being, it’s not like this version of Super Mario RPG is going anywhere anytime soon. You can always choose to pick it up down the line.

It's worth the money if you want the experience

Ultimately, I wrote this big ol’ post because, based on my experience, I don’t think Super Mario RPG is a game that everyone will just crush within 12 hours. However, even if you extend your time into the 15-20 hour range, it is still short by RPG standards. The thing is, even if there are other games that are as good per minute and take twice as long to finish, I don’t think that’s a point against Super Mario RPG. It’s just a different experience, and there's room for long and short games on the market.

To give an analogy, sometimes I’ll treat myself with bubble tea. It's an expensive beverage, so I probably could get a gallon of juice from my local grocery store for the same price. Surely, that’s a better value if we’re talking price-per-sip. But not every decision I make in life needs to be the most economical one possible. Sometimes I’m happy to spend that cash on a treat I’ll really enjoy every now and then. Would I make that financial decision every time? Of course not. But the experience is worth paying a premium to me.

For those who are not great with metaphors, Super Mario RPG is the bubble tea. It is very good, and I am happy to have given it that nine out of ten score. At the same time, maybe not all of you need to purchase it on day one, and that is totally okay. I do hope that everyone can enjoy this game as much as I did. But if you’re still on the fence about picking it up, maybe wait a week or two and see how you feel about it after the hype has died down. You don't have to take my word or anyone else's on whether you're going to love a game. I promise you won't hurt my feelings.

In short, I highly recommend the Super Mario RPG remake. However, it may not be for you depending on what you want in an RPG and how you feel about the original game, and that is perfectly okay. Even if you skip it, I promise I can still be your friend. Maybe a friend that will nudge you to play Super Mario RPG, but a friend nonetheless.

The post Let’s talk about game length and whether Super Mario RPG is worth $60 appeared first on Destructoid.

Super Mario RPG is Super Mario RPG. It was an instant classic when it came out on the Super Nintendo in 1996, and it’s still a classic in 2023. That’s the review. Leave your comments down below.

Oh, you’re still here. That’s understandable. After all, I don’t think you needed me to tell you that Super Mario RPG is a fun game. This unique collaboration between Nintendo and Squaresoft garnered a devoted following almost immediately upon release, and that passion from its fans endures to this day. While this is technically the origin point that led to the Paper Mario and the Mario & Luigi series, Super Mario RPG remains one of the wackiest and most surreal games the mustached plumber has ever starred in. Quite frankly, it's a miracle we’re even seeing this game again at all.

When I previewed the game and noted that it was a mostly faithful remake, I saw quite a few mixed reactions. For some, a remake should be the original game preserved with modern graphics and updated music. For others, a remake should be a transformative experience that expands upon the source material. Does Super Mario RPG achieve either of these objectives? And perhaps more importantly, did Super Mario RPG need to change to appeal to a modern audience?

As good as Super Mario RPG is, the answers to both questions are surprisingly complicated. Not necessarily in bad ways, though.

Super Mario RPG (Switch)
Developer: ArtePiazza
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: November 17, 2023
MSRP: $59.99

Fungah! Foiled again!

For those totally unfamiliar with Super Mario RPG, our story begins with a tale as old as time. Bowser has kidnapped Princess Peach, and it’s up to Mario to save her. Even in the Super Mario RPG universe, Mario’s reputation precedes him. So, naturally, he speedruns his mission and whacks Bowser in record time. However, rather than cut to a happily-ever-after, a huge sword crashes into Bowser’s Castle, separating Mario and Princess Peach once again.

A new foe enters the scene, and it’s up to Mario to both find the missing princess and discover why these weapon-based enemies have invaded both the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond.

Mario games don’t typically focus on storytelling, and Super Mario RPG isn’t exactly Shakespeare with its twists and turns. That said, Super Mario RPG remains, to this day, one of the best stories set in the Mario universe. The world and its inhabitants are vibrant, with funny dialogue that always got a smile out of me. Yet the story sequences move on quickly, so it never feels bogged down by cutscenes.

I get the sense that Super Mario RPG was written specifically for people who don’t typically like RPGs. Its story beats are exceedingly simple, and the text can say everything it needs with a handful of words. Yet within that space, there's so much life and tongue-in-cheek dialogue, which makes the package work so well. It feels like proper comedy, not just an RPG with some funny lines, and I love that vibe so much.

Lots of people use something called a “door” to go in and out of their houses

Additionally, this most recent playthrough of Super Mario RPG made me realize how much I love the characters in this game. Mallow and Geno are, of course, charming and lovable in their own ways. But Super Mario RPG is the rare Mario game in which I actually think Mario is the star of the show.

Like many '90s RPG heroes, he's a silent protagonist, but he’s so expressive in ways we typically don’t see even today. Mario recaps story events through elaborate charades, and he often reacts to wacky enemies or situations with slapstick humor that looks straight out of Looney Tunes. On a few occasions, we even see the usually cheery plumber lose his cool, and honestly, watching Mallow keep Mario from throwing hands is funnier today than it was in 1996.

At this point, it's a running joke that if you have a group of friends playing something like Mario Kart, almost no one will actually play as Mario. He’s often treated as a blank slate, with the entirety of his personality coming from Charles Martinet’s incredible voice work. But Super Mario RPG does such a good job characterizing Mario that I’m sad this didn’t become his canon personality. He’s an endearing little ball of chaos, emotive in a way rarely seen by modern Mario.

Super Mario RPG obviously isn’t the only game in the Mushroom Kingdom to get creative with its world and characters. But as one of the first Mario games to take a story-focused approach, it’s amazing just how well Squaresoft and Nintendo nailed it on the first try.

Mario! The chain! Aim for the chain!

The writing isn’t the only part of Super Mario RPG that has aged well. Even exploring towns still feels great, thanks in part to the focus on Mario’s most defining characteristic: jumping. Small platforming challenges and secrets are everywhere, adding extra spice to the more mundane parts of RPGs. See a treasure chest that’s out of reach in a shop? Well, do some snooping, and you may find a few hidden boxes. Climb to the top, and there's a chimney that drops you in just the right spot. These types of small puzzles are everywhere, and they’re always fun to uncover.

That philosophy extends to the game’s dungeon design (if you can call the enemy-laden areas in the game “dungeons”). Super Mario RPG loves its gimmicks and twists, making each challenge distinct from the last. In one minute, you’ll try to catch a bandit before they escape; in the next, you’ll tackle some light puzzle-solving. Then, before you know it, you're floating down a river playing a minigame.

It’s the type of ingenuity you’d see in a Nintendo platformer like Super Mario Wonder, except in an RPG setting. Even the smaller gimmicks, like finding a star in a treasure chest that lets you instantly defeat enemies, adds so much energy to the experience. Despite finishing this game several times in my youth, I stayed curious and excited throughout the journey. This kind of design was wildly creative back in the SNES days, and even today, Super Mario RPG feels fresh.

Now, let’s chat about the remake

So, yes, Super Mario RPG has aged quite well. But what does the remake add to the experience?

Well, let’s start with the obvious. Super Mario RPG has a visual overhaul on the Nintendo Switch, and it’s… pretty good! The art remains faithful to the original, with added environmental details where the SNES game just kind of had blank space. The decision to make Mario look so small in this version honestly added to my delight, too. Combine design with his over-the-top characterization, and that makes this Mario a strong contender for my favorite incarnation of the plumber yet.

That said, Super Mario RPG doesn’t exactly stun or wow with its aesthetics. It gets the job done, don’t get me wrong. It just doesn't often aim much higher than that. It's not really a bad thing, but in context, Super Mario RPG was one of the SNES' more distinct and impressive-looking games. That specific appeal is lost here, and I imagine some purists may prefer the original game for that reason.

The same can’t be said about the music, which absolutely went above and beyond here. Back in the day, Super Mario RPG's soundtrack never stuck with me like other games of the era did. But these arrangements of Yoko Shimomura’s tracks sing, adding enough flourishes to enhance and honor Mario's old tunes. For example, the extended battle theme includes a couple of key changes preventing the original theme from repeating too soon. I found myself stopping at several points just to listen to the music, despite my feelings regarding the original soundtrack.

There was a track or two that didn’t quite stick the landing. But overall, even if visuals aren’t a showstopper, I’d absolutely recommend playing this remake for the new music.

The name’s Nello...PUNCHINELLO!

So those are the aesthetics, but what about the gameplay?

At its core, Super Mario RPG plays the same as it always did; turn-based battles with timed button presses for attacks and defenses. However, we now have quite a few quality-of-life features that make the experience much smoother. Items and recovery magic have quick menus that you can access with a button press, making party upkeep a breeze. Additionally, inventory management drops the collective, total item cap and pivots to limiting how much of each item you can hold. Item restrictions could be a hassle in the original game, but it's a non-issue in the remake.

Combat is where we see the most substantial changes. The big additions here are chain bonuses that grow with every perfectly timed block or attack and Triple Moves that function like Final Fantasy-style Limit Breaks. However, there are a few other added touches here too. The game will now announce which enemy attacks can or can’t be blocked, and your perfectly timed attacks will now inflict a little splash damage on all enemies. Additionally, a couple of neat new systems come into play once you get your fourth party member.

Out of an overabundance of caution, I won’t elaborate on that last point. But I will say that, of all the changes to the game, the integration of your whole party is my favorite. In the SNES version, I defaulted to a party of Mario, Geno, and Peach and never strayed from that. However, this go-around, I felt encouraged to swap out party members regularly, adding some welcomed variety. Even Bowser, who I almost always benched, actually saw some use in my run. It's a more dynamic iteration on the classic combat, leaning more into the RPG side of Super Mario RPG.

Crying? But that's what people do when they're...sad!!

That said, I can’t say that the entirety of the new battle mechanics changed that much about the game. The new systems are intriguing enough in isolation, but the moment-to-moment gameplay didn't necessarily feel much different than its SNES counterpart. Stuff like the chain bonus didn’t alter how I played, and even the extra splash damage wasn’t usually enough to alter my tactics.

That said, the battle music does get more upbeat if you maintain that combo. So, in a way, the mechanic did provide an added incentive to time attacks just right. Yet again, Yoko Shimomura’s soundtrack comes in clutch.

The subdued impact of these mechanics probably comes from the fact that the Super Mario RPG remake is kind of easy. To be clear, it’s not terribly easy. The original game wasn’t necessarily known for its blistering difficulty, and the remake can put up a fight at times. But as long as you got your timing on your button presses right, there's less pressure to min-max your actual battle tactics. This ultimately made me wish the game featured an optional harder difficulty for those who are well familiar with the original.

I do appreciate that you can select an easier difficulty from the outset. Super Mario RPG is honestly one of the best games for anyone who wants to get into turn-based RPGs, and the remake retains that quality. But this is one respect where this remake may have stopped just a step too short. I think something as simple as a hard mode could have made the game a bit more transformative for longtime fans, but I wouldn’t rank this omission as a dealbreaker.

I am matter... I am antimatter...

So maybe the remake is only mildly transformative with its gameplay, but what about all-new content? Nintendo previously teased boss rematches, and while I appreciated some encounters, not all of these new fights are winners. However, the ones that worked really dug into the game's mechanics. This is where Mario RPG gets some real bite, which I think longtime fans will enjoy. One of these rematches, in particular, really stands out, too. Don't worry, you'll know it when you see it.

That said, without veering into spoiler territory, the boss rematches aren’t quite as comprehensive as they could be. While I was initially fascinated by uncovering “new” encounters, they were over too soon, and before I knew it I had cleared everything. My total playtime, with the rematches, was still under 20 hours all said and done. To be clear, Super Mario RPG goes light on filler. By no means do I think its shorter runtime is a bad thing, especially since most RPGs drag on for 40 hours or more. But if you’re a longtime fan only interested in new content, you might feel a bit disappointed.

There are a few odds and ends you can chase down to max out your save file. Basically, a few medals and trinkets for those who like to 100% a game for completion's sake. But, again, the remake stops itself just short of giving players captivating reasons to stick around after clearing its beefier rematches. Super Mario RPG still has plenty of secrets tucked away, little things like feeding a Yoshi handfuls of Yoshi Cookies for rare items. But I still wish more was done to explore everything Super Mario RPG's world has to offer.

It’s honestly to the game’s credit that I was still searching for reasons to keep playing despite the lack of rewards for my efforts. Yet, when I think about remakes like Pokemon Heart Gold & Soul Silver that both preserve and expand on the source material, I can’t help but wish that’s what was done here.

Like the moon over the day, my genius and brawn are lost on these fools

At the end of the day, Super Mario RPG juggles its duty to serve as a classic tribute and modernized experience well. However, your mileage will depend on what you want out of it. Judged strictly as a remake, this is a firmly good-to-great effort. The visual upgrades are nice, and the music is phenomenal. Meanwhile, the added content and gameplay elements may not be substantially transformative, but do offer more than something like the Link’s Awakening remake. It’s not nearly as comprehensive as, say, the recent Star Ocean: The Second Story R, but this RPG maintains all of the appeal of the original.

However, if we judge the game as a whole, Super Mario RPG remains an utterly delightful time full of energy and personality. The writing, level design, and even the world aged so well that it didn’t need many changes to modernize it. Sure, there are a few balance issues, and some of the platforming can be trickier than it needs to be. But from the moment I picked it up, I still didn’t want to put it down. It’s all the charm of a golden age Squaresoft RPG combined with the sheer joy of a top-shelf Nintendo game, so it’s no wonder this one remains so fiercely beloved. There’s still nothing quite like it, and I’m thrilled to see it return for a brand new audience to fall in love with.

Super Mario RPG is an all-time classic game that both RPG lovers and Mario fans alike owe it to themselves to play. This Switch remake brilliantly preserves the spirit of the original SNES game, with some great quality-of-life enhancements and a phenomenally redone soundtrack. Longtime fans looking for a more transformative remake may feel disappointed, but when the core game itself has aged this well, it doesn’t suffer in the ways a lesser title would. If you’ve never played Super Mario RPG, or if you simply want an excuse to revisit it, this remake is for you.

The post Review: Super Mario RPG (Switch) appeared first on Destructoid.

Last July, I reported that the once-lost GBA game Shantae Advance would launch on the Game Boy Advance in 2024. While this was a neat revival, many at the time wondered if we might also see this title on platforms that aren't more than a decade old. Thankfully, we have an answer now.

Announced during today's Indie World Showcase, Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution will also launch on Nintendo Switch next year. Based on the footage shown, it appears to be a mostly faithful port of the upcoming GBA title. This even extends to the multiplayer Battle Mode, which players can play locally in this version. That said, the character portraits do flex the better-than-GBA resolution, more closely resembling what we saw in Shantae and the Pirate's Curse.

After the presentation, developer WayForward went on to clarify that Shantae Advance will also appear on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. Additionally, we got confirmation that those character portraits will still be in the Gameboy Advance version of the game, just not in HD like the trailer shows.

We still don't know exactly when Shantae Advance will arrive in 2024. But we'll certainly keep our eyes peeled as we learn more about these unearthed games.

The post Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution launches on modern consoles in 2024 appeared first on Destructoid.

Back when Nintendo announced that Super Mario RPG would return this year, I actually gasped. For years, I assumed this unique collaboration with SquareSoft was lost to time. But lest you believe that announcement was actually a fever dream, I can tell you that it is, indeed, real.

Ahead of Super Mario RPG’s launch on November 17, I got to play this new twist on an old classic. Based on this experience, much of this remake felt the same as the SNES classic it’s based on. Yet despite only featuring a few small tweaks to the original game, what I played was remarkably fresh, even by modern standards.

Just the way you remember

From the first moments of the game, I felt an overwhelming wave of nostalgia wash over me. Sure, that opening cutscene where Bowser kidnaps Peach remains faithful to the original. But even the smaller touches are retained to a tee. For example, seeing Mario walk up to the door of Bowser’s castle, pause, and then run in place before dashing in like a classic cartoon character made me vividly remember when I was seven years old in my childhood room, watching the exact same moment play out.

Are there differences? Sure, there are a few new shots thrown in here to show off the enhanced 3D graphics. However, most moments played out at least closely to how I remembered them. I don’t think being this faithful is necessarily good or bad, but I was impressed by the attention to detail nonetheless.

Granted, it’s been long enough since I last played Super Mario RPG that I had to rebuild my muscle memory. For those just tuning in, combat in Super Mario RPG is mostly turn based. Similar to the Paper Mario games that followed, the strength of your attacks and defenses involve timing button presses right at the point of impact (with potentially more complex prompts when you use special skills). For this reason, I used the opening battles leading up to the first encounter against Bowser to test if I could still time Mario’s punch attacks just right. Spoilers, I couldn’t.

I actually needed to play the game’s combat tutorial to relearn how to time attacks again. Fortunately, with a bit of practice, I did get my groove back. All of this is to say that, so far, combat doesn't appear to be simpler than it was.

It's the little things

After I got my bearings and made my way through the game's first levels, I started noticing subtle differences. The original SNES game was already pretty streamlined. At least, it was in terms of raw RPG elements, especially compared to contemporaries like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest. And while this iteration of Super Mario RPG doesn’t appear to simplify its systems, it does get you in and out of its menus at lightning speed. Using items or healing spells is a total breeze, and even inventory management was basically a non-issue.

If you’re new to Super Mario RPG, you’ll likely think nothing of these changes. But I imagine those familiar with the classic will warmly welcome these tweaks.

That’s not to say that the only alterations are quality of life related. There are also cute visual touches that, while seemingly small at a glance, added a lot to my experience. Mario and his companions now have fun little idle animations while they wait for their turn in battle, which appropriately reflect their personalities. For example, you might see Mario take a couple practice swings while he waits for his turn. And perhaps most importantly, the new level up screen has gotten a total rework. Your party now takes to a stage, performing an adorable dance for whoever had the honor of passing that next EXP threshold.

I have to confess that I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of time on this screen just looking at Mario work it before I inevitably decided which stats to upgrade. Something about his especially short-looking model in this remake makes Mario as a character so much more endearing than usual. Keep on dancing, king.

Prepare for battle

Where the game appears to make the most substantial changes, however, is in its battle system. As previously reported, players can now enjoy a few extra bonuses whenever they pull off those timed button presses. Pulling off successful attacks or defenses builds a chain bonus, granting extra effects the longer you maintain it. I didn’t notice this making the game much easier, necessarily. But it's certainly nice to see how many button presses in a row you timed perfectly.

The other obvious difference comes from what the game calls Triple Moves. For all intents and purposes, you can think of these like Limit Breaks in Final Fantasy 7. You’ll charge up the Triple Move meter to attack and defend, and once it’s full, you can trigger a new ability. Typically, the ability involves your party working together in some fashion. However, I was surprised to see Triple Moves usable as simply a "Gauge Move" before recruiting a team of three. It’s a small thing, but I like that you can play with the new toys the remake offers right away.

Much like everything else, these mechanics blend well with what was already in Super Mario RPG. They’re integrated into the core experience rather seamlessly, and they don’t override the battle system in any way. I’d say combat on the whole skews more toward the familiar side, but I do like seeing fresh elements added to the mix.

We'll all learn more soon

Overall, I feel very curious about how the rest of the game will pan out. It’s admittedly been years since I last played Super Mario RPG, so I can’t give a play-by-play of what’s new and what’s the same down to the detail. That’s something I’m sure the fans will go over, and I think I’ll enjoy reading people analyze this remake as much as anyone.

It’s too early to draw any kind of conclusion about Super Mario RPG. However, having just recently played the superb Super Mario Bros. Wonder, I’ve spent a lot of time revisiting childhood memories with Nintendo's charming mascot. I never thought I’d get another 2D Mario game on the level of Super Mario World, but here I am, reliving those highs in full force. And now, only a month later, I can play a classic RPG that I never thought would hit modern consoles. I love 3D Mario games like Odyssey and Galaxy, but the NES and SNES are where I fell in love with our moustached friend. Those were my games, and I'm happy to see these kinds of experiences returning for those who missed those console generations.

But even if others don’t warm to these '90s Mario throwbacks, I’m certainly here for the ride, wherever it may take. Because as far as my 16-bit loving heart is concerned, it's been a great year to be a Mario fan.

Super Mario RPG will launch on November 17 for the Nintendo Switch.

The post Preview: Super Mario RPG is a faithful remake with subtle improvements appeared first on Destructoid.

I sincerely don’t envy the position Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is in.

The middle entry of a trilogy is always a precarious thing. On one hand, it lacks the opening act to introduce the cast and get players excited for the story. At the same time, middle entries also can’t culminate in the story’s ultimate climax. Combine that with being part of a remake of one of the most beloved RPGs of all time, and you have a game that really needs to come prepared to impress. After all, Final Fantasy 7 Remake already indulged us in seeing Cloud and friends in glorious HD. Can Rebirth leave a lasting impression after that novelty has worn off?

In search of an answer to this question, I attended an event hosted by Square Enix to play some of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth for myself. This demo took me through two distinct sections of the game, which showcased Rebirth’s story-focused moments as well as its semi-open-world. For the most part, much of what I saw can be summed up as “it's more Final Fantasy 7 Remake.”

However, it’s what I didn’t see that interested me the most in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

Adventures with a safer Sephiroth

The first section of the demo had me control Cloud and – gasp – Sephiroth on the mountain path leading to the Nibel Reactor. This is, of course, part of the original game’s flashback sequence explaining the Nibelheim Incident. I don’t know if the full game will start here, but it works shocking well as its own introduction. The mountain paths and caves all had explainers for basic mechanics in case it’s been a while since you played Remake, but it didn’t linger too long on its tutorials.

The big selling point of this whole sequence is, of course, playing as Sephiroth. And in truth, this was probably my favorite part of playing Rebirth. In the original Final Fantasy 7, the game drives home Sephiroth’s power by making him comically overpowered. I love how classic Final Fantasy used gameplay to tell stories, but I can’t say this was thrilling to play. Conversely, Rebirth puts Sephiroth and Cloud on more equal footing at this stage, with both being capable of dispatching the monsters in front of you.

Rather than pumping up raw numbers, Rebirth instead sells players on Sephiroth’s sheer power with his playstyle. And that playstyle is “I don’t have any complex mechanics, I just wreck enemies.” He’s just a powerful guy with a big ol’ sword who can use skills that will inflict impressive damage, no matter what you pick. I like this approach since it drives home that Sephiroth is just effortlessly strong, regardless of his opponents. He genuinely feels mighty on his own, rather than just more powerful than the enemies around him.

Promote Synergy Abilities

This sequence also introduced me to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s new Synergy Abilities. For those just tuning in, Synergy Abilities are vaguely like Chrono Trigger's Double Techs. Whenever you use a character’s ATB gauge, you charge a secondary meter. When two characters reach a certain threshold of their respective meters, they can trigger a Synergy Ability together.

While these can inflict serious damage, Synergy Abilities primarily revolve around stat buffs from what I saw. For example, a couple Synergy Abilities involved making spells cost 0 MP for an extended period. I could immediately tell that these moves were way too powerful to ignore, so switching between characters to build their respective ATB gauges became essential. This also gave me a reason to not use Sephiroth exclusively, which was probably a good call.

I did enjoy how Synergy Abilities shake up the gameplay, but I am worried they might become the most important part of combat. I mean, I like having more tools in my combat toolbox. But if all paths lead to building up my Synergy Abilities because they’re just that powerful, then they’re stop feeling like cool new options and instead come off as something that I’m forced to juggle.

When I poked through the menus in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, I did notice that there were many more Materia slots to go around. Even at this relatively early stage of the game, characters could already equip more than ten pieces of Materia each. Additionally, you can find Materia that consolidates two distinct spell sets from Remake, such as a Materia that grants both Fire and Lightning spells. There might be some captivating potential in building around Synergy Abilities, which I would love to test out. Unfortunately, these more RPG-y parts of the game were locked out from the demo.

Out on the open world

The first demo section ended on a satisfying note, with a lot of little nods that I’m sure longtime Final Fantasy 7 fanatics will pick up on immediately. Sephiroth calls Cloud “Puppy” at least once, which made an overly enthusiastic part of me want to jump up and go “I know what that means!” However, I soon found myself in the second section of the demo, which sees the party in the open area outside of Junon. This is where the game showcases its more open-world inspired elements.

Right off the bat, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth hit me with several mechanics that one would immediately think of when they hear “open-world.” I could ride my chocobo mount, pick up materials off the ground as I walked by them, and chase down optional battles to engage in. In the demo, those random materials could only go into crafting consumable items. The big thing here is the Cushion, which Cloud must use if he wants to rest on shoddy looking benches. Honestly, I can relate. My butt deserves only the best too.

It was neat to see Rebirth open up a bit, especially with how predominately linear Remake was. But, honestly, the Cushion did concern me. It seemed like the type of thing that didn’t really need to be in the game, but existed so you had something to grind in this open space. I mean, Remake had benches with no need for cushions, and to be fair, those are here too. But again, I don’t want to come down too hard on this because of the nature of the demo. I’m sort of ambivalent to crafting systems in general, so as long as there’s interesting stuff in the full game to chase, I’ll be happy.

Intel-ligent battles

That said, it was the Combat Assignment fights that made me a bit worried about Rebirth. These optional battles pit your party against set groups of monsters, but each come with three optional intel objectives to fulfill. You can beat these battles without clearing all the objectives, but the game really seemed to discourage that. Basically ever failed attempt involved some voice clip along the lines of “maybe try that again.”

Most of the objectives here were straightforward. Stuff like “defeat the enemies in under three minutes” needs no explanation and works fine. On the other hand, some objectives grated on me with how rigid they felt. In one case, an optional objective involved evading an enemy using a certain attack. However, I had no context as to what “evade” meant. Simply not getting hit didn’t count, and my attempts to Perfect Dodge by rolling away at the last second didn’t work either. Maybe the full game explains evasion timing better, but this just wound up frustrating me to the point of making me give up.

Similarly, an objective in the encounter I faced right after involved interrupting an enemy when it starts casting a specific attack. Using the Assess skill reveals that you can interrupt it by inflicting enough damage during the casting period, except the enemy incessantly pushes party members away during this window of vulnerability. Again, I tried beating this objective several times and couldn’t clear that damage threshold. I also tried timing my strikes so I could stagger the enemy during casting or just flat out kill it, but neither of those tactics counted towards completion.

I wound up just abandoning these optional objectives since I really didn’t have fun trying to chase them down. Plus I had other things I wanted to do in this demo.

Action vs. RPG

The weird thing about my experience is that I saw a game that I really wanted to play here, but just didn’t have the opportunity to. Even during the battle I described above, I noticed that those enemies pushing my party away had a Lightning weakness. I immediately thought “If I could just equip Aerith with Lightning Materia, I bet I could complete this objective easily.” Alas, Aerith didn’t have any Lightning magic, and I couldn’t do that menu management myself.

The boss battle at the end of this section of the demo left me with similar feelings. Playing Rebirth as strictly an action game, I felt somewhat lukewarm about the experience. There were certain attacks I had to use guard against, certain phases where I had to use certain moves, and mechanics where I had to use specific characters. It all came together like a game that wanted to escalate the difficulty by becoming much more rigid, instead of giving me the freedom to play how I want.

Yet I couldn’t stop thinking about all those Materia slots my characters have that I couldn’t play with. And how, again, you can find Materia that consolidates existing magic to give you room to try out new toys. Even after my demo time, I talked with a representative about different tactics the full game might allow. For example, I could possibly make Cloud a dedicated tank to give other party members more freedom to hit bosses without worrying about dodging or blocking. That sounds like a blast to me, but it was outside the scope of what I could try here. And that could be the key that seriously enriches Rebirth's combat.

The rebirth of Final Fantasy 7

In the end, I was left with some conflicting feelings about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. It did come with some notable changes to what Final Fantasy 7 Remake offered. For example, Aerith had stronger attack options as well as some neat evasion tricks. But overall, it mostly felt like more Final Fantasy 7 Remake with a few additions I could take or leave. I honestly wouldn’t recommend replaying Remake leading up to Rebirth, since I think you’d burn yourself out with how similar they are.

However, all those RPG elements on the periphery of my experience have stuck with me. How will the game build up Sephiroth and work with plot threads that longtime fans are familiar with? What kinds of things might I craft in that open world once I can dive deep into that character building? And again, what new possibilities might arise with the new Materia in the game? The sheer implication of new toys makes me eager to try the game for myself.

So all in all, I’m still absolutely keeping my eyes peeled for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. I mean I would anyway, simply because I like Final Fantasy. But if what I both did and did not see comes together in a satisfying way, Rebirth could absolutely be something special. Otherwise, it’s just more Final Fantasy 7 Remake with a few extra systems, and that isn’t a terrible outcome either.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launches on PlayStation 5 on February 29.

The post Hands-on: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has action, but teases just as much RPG appeared first on Destructoid.

I can’t remember the last time I was as upset with a game as I am with Sonic Superstars.

I don’t talk about this enough, but growing up, I was a bit of a Sonic kid. There was a time when I considered Sonic 3 & Knuckles one of the greatest games of all time, and I’ve continued to appreciate it as time goes on. That title wasn’t just great because of its finely tuned platforming mixed with breakneck speed. It also offered memorable levels, amazing music, unique characters that offered replay incentive, and a story with twists and turns told without words.

Sonic games, at their best, are legendary. And when Sonic Mania came out back in 2017, the potential for another golden age of 2D Sonic games seemed tantalizingly real.

That brings us to Sonic Superstars, which has the key ingredients for a fantastic Sonic game. It has clean and charming visuals, some stellar music, and new innovations like Emerald Powers and four-player co-op. In fact, when I played a demo of it a few months ago, I actually really liked it! That slice of the game was wacky multiplayer fun, with levels that featured a lot of neat gimmicks. I’ve looked forward to playing Sonic Superstars since, and by the time I sat down with my controller in my hands, I was really in the mood for some good old classic Sonic.

This is not good old classic Sonic.

Sonic Superstars (PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 [Reviewed], Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S)
Developer: Sonic Team, Arzest Corporation
Publisher: Sega
Released: October 17, 2023
MSRP: $59.99

Get a load of this

Sonic Superstars starts off well enough. The animated intro introduces our core cast of characters as well as our villains: Eggman, Fang, and what appears to be some robot. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy are all playable from the outset, and they all control just how longtime fans would expect them to. The one slight exception is Amy, who sports her Sonic CD look and has a handy double jump. Sonic Superstars wants to evoke the Genesis Sonic games, and on a very superficial level, it succeeds.

Much fuss is often made about the physics of Sonic games, and Superstars feels basically right in this regard. Playing on my PS5, I couldn’t directly compare it with something like Mania. But movement felt at least roughly the way it should. Gimmicks like flying around as Tails felt familiar, so my muscle memory from the Genesis days was intact. It does seem like the game borrows its core physics from Mania, with its slight changes like Knuckles having a small delay when he falls on the ground. But with how good Mania was, I'm perfectly okay with this.

Even in its first level, Superstars leaves a generally strong impression. Listening to upbeat music while spin dashing through loop-the-loops felt great. That rhythm of slow platforming building up to those moments of sheer speed gave me that classic Sonic rush. Unfortunately, shortly after this, the cracks began to show all over Superstars’ design.

You’re not good enough to be my fake

Level design in Sonic Superstars is a persistent issue. Some believe Sonic games are about speed, but going fast and racking up rings is generally a reward. Those adrenaline rushes motivate you to brave trickier paths or tackle tough platforming challenges just to get to that next roller coaster. Meanwhile, in Sonic Superstars, I quickly found that the last thing I ever wanted to do was go fast.

I don’t mean through those scripted, speedy sections. Those were usually fine. But for much of the game, I found that maintaining even moderate speed consistently resulted in getting hit by something offscreen. Enemies and obstacles often appear in front of you without giving you enough time to react to them, resulting in cheap hits even when you think you’re in a safe section. Sonic Superstars is not a hard game; it’s just easy to get hit.

Superstars exasperates this issue with a few of its level-specific gimmicks as well. For example, in the jungle level, you'll grind down vines at high speeds. Great idea, except you can't enter your ball form, making you susceptible to any surprise enemies that pop up. In another level, a persistent countdown in the background will instantly kill you unless you hit switches throughout the level. So it's basically the mechanic of finding bubbles when you're underwater, except the distribution of those switches is really inconsistent. Even when you know the optimal path to go, juggling this mechanic doesn't really add anything other than another excuse to reset your progress.

Many levels just feel off, with uninspired gimmicks that seem like desperate attempts to make each level feel distinct. In fact, even some of those tightly scripted speedy sections spilled me right into spikes or obstacles. In classic Sonic games, I could eventually get into a sort of flow state where I was just engrossed in the level design and platforming. But with Superstars, I felt like the game always snapped me out of any groove I was on the verge of entering.

Chaos Control

Of course, Sonic Superstars has two new tools that should, in theory, counteract some of these rough edges. The first is the Emerald Powers, which you can earn whenever you find the hidden bonus stages in each zone.

I do quite like these in concept, honestly! Whenever you acquire one, you can equip a power using the right thumbstick and activate it with the press of a button. You can use each power once, and powers replenish whenever you hit a checkpoint. Some of these can be useful. For example, the power shown in the opening cinematic that makes several clones of your character rush across the screen works as a serviceable screen clear. The bullet power, which lets you repeatedly dash in any direction (including through the air), also has decent use cases.

However, in practice, many powers add functionally nothing. On screen prompts will inform you to, say, use the water power that lets you swim up waterfalls. Outside that context, that power might as well not even exist. Another power lets players reveal secret rings and platforms that wouldn’t appear otherwise. So, obviously, unless the game tells me to use it, I’d have no idea where to use this power since it reveals things I can’t see.

I wound up only rarely using Emerald Powers outside of those prompts. They’re nice in the situations you can make them work. But in general, this feels like a feature that solely exists to put something on the back of the box. I did use them occasionally during boss battles, but don’t worry, I’ll get to that can of worms later.

And we all did it together

Sonic Superstars' other major innovation is its inclusion of four-player co-op. Now, in my first impressions, I said that co-op in a 2D Sonic game is a fundamentally broken prospect. Superstars adds useful systems to make co-op play work, so it's certainly better than multiplayer Sonic 2 or 3. For example, a player left behind can instantly warp back to the location of whoever is further ahead. Unfortunately, despite my great first impressions of the demo, co-op play is impossible to recommend in the full game.

To test the multiplayer, I once again enlisted my girlfriend, who is somehow not sick of playing every platformer I want to review. Given that I’m at least a moderate Sonic fan and she’s only played the Genesis titles a few times as a kid, our results were mixed. She often felt frustrated by how easily she could get left behind, and she eventually had a hard time tracking where she was on the screen. When you try to play Superstars with people of varying skill levels, the multiplayer really falls off.

As she put it to me after our session, “I wouldn’t not play Sonic Superstars, but I wouldn’t offer to play it either.” Unfortunately, even if she wanted to continue our session, we would have run into some major issues.

Actually, it’s not really multiplayer

I originally planned to write about how Sonic Superstars works as a sort of pizza and beer (or soda for the kids) co-op game. You know, the type of chaos simulator where you and a friend can laugh off the rough edges and just enjoy some good company. Except Superstars quickly proves itself to be deliberately hostile towards its own multiplayer experience.

First of all, after you complete the campaign in Sonic Superstars, you can unlock a few extras to lengthen your total playtime. However, any and all gameplay you unlock after the fact is solo only. Additionally, even within the main campaign, you’ll be forced into single player levels regardless of whether or not you’re playing multiplayer. For a game that markets itself as a multiplayer experience, this is straight-up unacceptable. Anything good I could have said about Superstars as a co-op experience is nullified when so much content locks out your friend(s).

As it is, the game is vanishingly short if you play just the main campaign. My run, which involved collecting all the Chaos Emeralds, took me about six hours. I don't typically complain about how long a game is, but I can’t imagine dropping $59.99 on a game to play with friends just to get this little out of it. Could you replay it with different characters? Sure, I guess. But one playthrough may be enough for most, because it’s time to dive into the big problem with Sonic Superstars.

This game of tag is boring

The boss encounters in Sonic Superstars are straight-up unforgivable.

Many can argue whether boss encounters in classic Sonic games are good or not. For me, even in the most uncharitable of readings, bosses at least felt like quick skirmishes. Most don’t take that long, and even the more infamous bosses have memorable qualities. For example, is it cheap and unfair that the final boss of Sonic 2 can kill you in one hit? Yes. But the imposing music, the view from space, and the designs of Metal Sonic and the Death Egg Robot make for a tense climax. Additionally, once you "solve" the fight, you can clear both phases in about five minutes or so.

Conversely, Sonic Superstars bosses feature some of the most aggravating designs I’ve seen in a modern platformer. You’ll almost always start off in some kind of dodge phase, in which you have no ability to inflict damage. The boss will reveal some kind of vulnerability, you hit it, and then back to the dodge phase. Those dodge phases are consistently way too long, and generally just repeat the exact same mechanics until the boss is on its last legs. While some bosses provide a secondary moment of vulnerability, even perfect play makes these encounters drag to ridiculous degrees.

Now, you may think that doesn’t sound that bad. I mean, bosses in platformers typically go down in about three hits when they’re designed like this. Surely, they wouldn’t need double that amount of hits to go down, right? No sane development team would design bosses like that you’d need to hit six times, right?

Well, I’ve bamboozled you, because bosses in Sonic Superstars can take seven or eight hits to go down. Even the most mundane boss can take upwards of five minutes to finish, and you’ll find them at the end of almost every act.

You’re not the boss of me

To make matters worse, Sonic Superstars has one of the worst boss themes I've ever heard in a Sonic game. It sounds like a 10-second intro to a longer song that never got completed, so instead of finishing it, they added a key change to hide that it's looping over and over again. On the plus side, I found a glitch that actually stops the boss music from playing. I took advantage of this at every opportunity.

While I tried to just deal with the boss encounters, they actually got worse the longer I played. Once I had a hang of the game’s weird level design, I started to cruise through each Act quicker and quicker. But for the bosses, there's precious little you can do to speed them along. I realized that, in many cases, I was spending more time with the bosses than with the levels themselves.

Even the final boss of the regular campaign was so long and tedious that I practically screamed at my screen “Okay, I get it!” A moment that should have been exciting and climactic was instead something I just wanted to end. Meanwhile, a final boss in a mode that unlocks after the campaign was similarly repetitive, except it uses one-hit kill moves to reset you to the start of the ten-minute encounter. I typically like to clear these kinds of challenges just as a point of pride. But Superstars had already so thoroughly drained my patience that I just put down my controller and said "I'm good."

I can best describe Sonic Superstars as a game that at no point wants to offer an engaging challenge. Instead, it simply tries to make the player get hit or lose a life. It’s a type of difficulty I’d compare to dodging lightning 200 times in the Thunder Plains in Final Fantasy X. Instead of offering an interesting obstacle to overcome, it consumes so much time that the tension comes from the thought of repeating that agonizing gameplay again. It’s like the developers looked at that final boss of Sonic 2 and ignored everything aside from “kill player in one hit.”

Can't hold on much longer

The most deeply frustrating part of Sonic Superstars is that it does have moments of brilliance. Aside from the awful boss theme, several tracks in Sonic Superstars are genuinely fantastic. Additionally, individual levels can be really fun to play. Pinball Carnival and Cyber Station are generally great levels, with the latter having... well, one phase of a decent boss encounter. In certain moments, you can see the great game that Sonic Superstars could have been. That said, nine times out of ten, the game only ever feels this good when it’s borrowing tropes and ideas directly from past Sonic games.

The thought crossed my mind that Sonic Superstars feels like a Sonic fangame. But to say that would be an insult to the dedicated fanbase that has crafted absolutely excellent Sonic games through sheer love for the franchise alone. Sonic Mania proved that there are people who get Sonic. They understand what makes these games fun, what problems the games may have, and how to rekindle the magic that made 2D Sonic so amazing. By comparison, Sonic Superstars feels like something an AI would spit out if you told it to make a Sonic game. All of the bits and pieces are there, but it lacks the heart and passion that the classics had.

Frankly, Sonic Superstars feels like the first draft of a game that still needs a lot of fine-tuning. If you're a devoted Sonic fan, you may play Superstars and appreciate it for those occasional highs. If that is you, know that I have no hard feelings about you or your gaming tastes. My frustration lies solely with the fact that a 2D Sonic the Hedgehog game shouldn't stumble over itself like this. If anything, the moments I still managed to enjoy Superstars reinforced just how solid the Sonic formula is. Superstars just doesn’t cut it, and it’s hard to see so much potential squandered so carelessly.

Sonic Superstars is a game that understands the broad strokes of 16-bit Sonic games, but not any of the finer details. The new ideas it brings to the table are undercooked, and its multiplayer component is too poorly utilized to recommend. There are undoubtedly moments of genius here when everything lines up just right. But any goodwill I had for the game was ruined by the tedious, arduous boss battles. If you’re a Sonic fan who has thoroughly mastered the classics, you may find some entertainment here. But you deserve so much better than this.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Sonic Superstars appeared first on Destructoid.