Welcome to a wonderous all-action show, the likes of which has never been seen before!
BALAN WONDERWORLD is a wondrous action platformer game themed around the Balan Theatre. Led by the enigmatic maestro named Balan, the stars of the show Emma and Leo will use special abilities from a multitude of characterful costumes as they adventure in the bizarre and imaginary land of Wonderworld. Here memories and vistas from the real world mix with the things that people hold dear.
Twelve different tales await our stars in the Wonderworld, each with their own unique quirks. They will explore all corners of these labyrinthine stages, filled with a myriad of tricks and traps, to get to the heart of each story.
Wonderworld exists in people's hearts and imagination
The setting for this tale is the fantastic, bizarre land of Wonderworld; a place where people's happy and positive memories mix with their restless worries and negativity.
Leo and Emma are led into Wonderworld by the mysterious clown Balan and set off on a journey to find what is important to them.
Before they can return to the real world, they must first restore the lost balance in their hearts...
Over 80 different costumes open up all the action you could want!
The stars of the show can use powers from the inhabitants of Wonderworld by wearing their colourful costumes, with over 80 different ones to try on!
Bash your enemies, walk in the air, freeze time or manipulate all kinds of objects... the possibilities are endless when you pick up a new costume.
Two Legendary Creators Reunite!
Come one, come all and enjoy the pinnacle of Square Enix storytelling in an all-action world of wonder created by the legendary Naka Yuji.
For the first time in 20 years Naka Yuji and Oshima Naoto join forces forming the BALAN COMPANY team; founded around, bringing together action game development, video and music production professionals from both inside and outside of the company.
Shout out to Coconut Island Games for supplying a copy of Rhythm Fighter for our review. Now that I've gotten that out of the way... let's check out this award-winning indie game!
Rhythm Fighter is just that... a Roguelike game that challenges you to move to the rhythm while taking on baddies, obtain power-ups, etc. all while staying on the beat.
Gameplay:The gameplay in Rhythm Fighter is... interesting. Everything is according to the beat, from moving from section to section in an area... dashing, attacking, performing special attacks, taking on bosses, etc. It's all on beat, the only thing that has no need for rhythm is when you pick up items like health, weapons, and powerups. Before I go on... check out some gameplay:
As you see, Rhythm Fighter places your selected fighter into a random location with randomized levels. Currently, you have a total of 6 locations... with their own set themes. One is more like a cityscape, another is like a European museum, two with an Asian theme, an Egyptian theme, and a space-based final location.
One thing I appreciate about the game... is the simple controls, I can't stress the importance of having controls that you don't have to wrestle with so that you can focus on the gameplay. The on-screen buttons led me to believe that this game was initially for mobile... but they may work for tablets if they actually function (the game isn't on Google Play from what I see). The buttons don't get in the way and definitely work for the game on console... because you have that constant reminder of what your items are and you may need a reminder that you can't jump.
The controls are simple, but... you can find yourself getting lost in the moment and forgetting to move on beat. If you miss the beat altogether, you will find yourself unable to move/evade attacks, etc. So try to bob your head or something... in order to get in sync with the beat so that you can be more effective in the field.
You have a variety of enemies to take on overall, though they're definitely repetitive in each location... aside from the boss. So hopefully the team considers creating new locations moving forward.
Fun Factor: The fun factor in this game is based on you... and how much you enjoy rhythm games. Moving to the rhythm can get a bit taxing for some gamers because some gamers just don't desire to move to a beat in order to perform basic skills like moving forward or fighting to move forward, fight, and to evade.
Just keep that in mind, but at the same time... you never know how you may ultimately feel about different genres unless you give them a try. There are other rhythm games that involve tapping, holding... and just moving to the beat in different ways. In this game, rather than moving on a track awaiting upcoming blocks, circles, lines, and etceteras... there is 2D beat-em-up action involved.
Replay Value: Believe it or not, this game is chock full of replay value. You know that you're going to set locations that deliver similar experiences, but you don't know what the layout of the map will be... and what items you will obtain from one playthrough to the next.
If I could give this game one con when it comes to the rhythm game genre, is that it lacks the music library that other titles have. Perhaps the price justifies that, but hopefully, there will be updates that deliver more. At the same time, I won't give it that con, because it's not really a standard rhythm game where you take on a track... it's a 2D beat 'em up to a beat... hybrid. Before you write the game off for the lack of a music library, I'm happy to say that you're able to kick butt to your own music library!
You have the basic game with the various locations mentioned above, as well as Daily Challenges that place a specific character into the rhythmic world.
You have 6 characters to choose from for now, but there are pods for 2 more characters. The characters I currently have access to are:
DJ Daxx... the number 1 DJ on Beatara for 8 years and counting. His active skill is Sonic Boom +, which deals' DMG to surrounding enemies and pushes them back. Your actions in the next 5 beats will be marked as perfect.
Spice Lee... a chef with an appetite for spice, who becomes stronger the more he eats. His active skill is Ghost Pepper, which increases ATK by 10% of Current HP for 10 beats.
Agent Jackal... a mysterious secret agent with powerful teleportation and explosive abilities. This character reminds me of Snake from Metal Gear Solid. His active skill allows him to rush forward and perform a strike and then dash back to the original spot with an attack.
Kid Cubbs... is a mischievous kid with incredible endurance and intelligence. I think this character was inspired by the Cub Scouts. His active skill is the slingshot, which allows you to fire an orb of energy that explodes and deals DMG.
Lookout Lynx... is a security guard with an incredible sense of duty, immense strength, a short temper, and poor hearing. He becomes enraged after taking DMG. His active skill is... a spin that rapidly attacks nearby enemies. The benefit of this skill is that it increases Res DMG for the first 2 beats. DMG taken will increase DMG dealt by this skill.
Courier Pengu... is a selfless full-dad and a part-time courier, he takes joy from high flying. His active skill is the flying dash, which allows him to fly forward to deal DMG to enemies and knock them into the air.
Now that you know the current roster of fighters... that leaves one question, where are... the ladies?! Hopefully the last 2 pods will have female protagonists to switch things up..
You also have other things like the Laboratory... which allows you to use tech to unlock various things like:
Coin Vaccum 1... which increases coin and beat energy by 10%. By the way, any skill that helps you gain more tech and coin to buy various things like more skills... those are the things I'd recommend unlocking ASAP. Granted you have to make your way down in order to unlock certain skills like that, obtain them before others in that section.
Automat Hacker II... is also a good one, which reduces the price of items at the automat by 20%.
There are a total of 22 to unlock, including the radiation pod... which I really want. It recovers 100% HP upon reviving and increases Res DMG by 90% for 20 beats... because revivals don't fill you up (they just prevent you from staying down for the count).
On top of that, you also have a slew of Achievements, which include unlockable characters. You have 26 unlockable rewards that require a certain amount of trophies, and... in the section next to it are the achievements that allow you to gain the trophies to unlock those rewards. Some of these keep a tally based on the number of times you do something (i.e. buy 100 items from the automat), others like the baby steps objective that requires you to collect 10,000 coins total).
On top of that... you have even more replay value via the special training. You can take on the different vegetables, beat commanders (mini-bosses), you can try out 25 different weapons, 31 tactical items... that give you a strong attack (like the Hadoken Bracers), and 99 beat cards that give you different abilities (i.e. Rhythm Shell that gives you invincibility when you land perfect... it lasts 1 beat so stay on perfect beat and you should be good).
Automat... gives you access to certain beat cards for tech points. I really didn't use this that often, but it gives me access to specific beat cards if I desire to have them before my fighter takes the flush.
Price: Pricewise, Rhythm Fighter flows nicely at $14.99. I can't argue with the price, it delivers a solid experience with plenty of replay value and leaves the door open for you to brawl to your own tunes.
Once I get through the easy mode of Muse Dash, I'm cranking up the difficulty setting.
Have a great Monday... and may it extend to the rest of the week. Mask up, keep the drama at a minimum, and game on! If you want more information on how to increase the good vibes in your life, check out the latest episode of the Blu + You Podcast below!
I'm sure some of you remember Trials of Mana well, I would watch one of my cousins play it on Super Famicom. I played a little but I watched it a lot, so this game brings back memories. It was called Seiken Densetsu 3. I remember taking my girlfriend to my cousin's house to hang out and he would be playing Trials of Mana, and my Aunt had cases of Yoohoo and I think Tahitian Treat. Dude, she is the aunt with all the badass retro tees you can't find anymore. She's the cool Aunt but you can't say that stuff openly.
I don't know how I got into talking about my Aunt, but the full-3D Trials of Mana remake is the version that passed one million shipments and digital sales worldwide. To commemorate all those sales, the team released a brand-new illustration for fans to celebrate. My cousin thinks it's pretty (bleeping) awesome.
Originally released in Japan as Seiken Densetsu 3 in 1995, Trials of Mana is a full, high-definition remake of the third entry in the classic Mana series. The game immerses players in an unforgettable adventure filled with exciting gameplay, memorable heroes and villains. Players will craft varying experiences by selecting a party of three from six unique protagonists as they embark on the adventure of a lifetime, upgrading their characters’ classes into more powerful forms, learning over 300 different abilities, and discovering a world of secrets and mysteries to explore. Additionally, after finishing the game, players can discover an exciting new playable chapter not found in the original release, in which they can unlock brand-new classes, and challenge a powerful new threat.
Patch 1.1.0 was also recently released for Trials of Mana in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the original game, featuring a number of game content updates and additions for players, such as a new “No Future” difficulty mode, additional New Game Plus options and more.
Take a trip to an exotic island paradise for a steamy new adventure in this long-awaited sequel to the popular dating sim/puzzle game hybrid, HuniePop!
Story Summary An era of darkness and destruction draws near as an ancient evil of limitless lechery, the Nymphojinn, will soon be awoken by a cosmic super-period of unspeakable PMS. Reunite with Kyu, your old love fairy sidekick, and travel to the island of Inna De Poona to develop your double dating prowess and overcome the insatiable lust of the demonic pair.
Feature List
A blend of old friends and fresh faces make up a twelve character cast, each with their own unique personality, problems and preferences!
Double dates encourage you to split your time and attention between two girls with an all new "Stamina" system!
Revamped gameplay systems create a stronger connection between the "Sim" and "Puzzle" portions of the game!
Loads of new date gifts to give with a wide variety of strategic effects, and plenty of old ones too!
A brand new "Baggage" system that introduces new twists and challenges as you progress on your dates!
Explore the exotic island of Inna De Poona with over twenty touristic tropical locations to visit!
A sweeping soundtrack inspired by a mix of seaside styles including Hawaiian, Caribbean and classic American surf rock!
Thousands of lines of fully voice acted dialog with multiple interactions between compatible pairs of girls!
Unlock new outfits, hairstyles, and sexy CG scenes as you date your way to the top of Mount Nymphojaro!
