naswinger
Elemental Gearbolt - Japanese Version (Sony PS1) - Full Playthrough
updated
Firstly, the game runs in a resolution of 256x192 which may have been fine on the Sony Playstation where it was also released, but on PC it was just dated. The graphics on PC have a smaller color palette, but they are still much better considering that the Playstation version has terrible macro blocking of the backgrounds as if it was highly jpeg compressed.
Secondly, none of the characters are likeable. Andy is cringeworthy in every cutscene, the amigo aliens in their diapers look dumb as heck and the pink alien is whatever. Even the dog looks weird and isn't adorable at all. The story is lame anyway. I don't understand how he does the dimension travel and how he returns. I guess it's just a dream by Andy dealing with his fear of the dark.
And finally, the controls don't give you the tools to deal with the challenge of the game. It's not very challenging from a design perspective. The puzzles are mostly trivial. Combat is the problem. The fights are very random and the game runs at only 12.5 fps (80ms frame time) which makes it not very responsive. You will die a lot to things not working as you anticipated.
It is very unfortunate that this game didn't turn out better. It has none of the mystery of Another World and none of the movement and story complexity of Flashback. The cutscenes also try to be a Disney level animation and look very mediocre. I cannot recommend the game, but if you do want to check it out on PC, check out github.com/MaximLopez/HeartOfDarkness-SDL for a re-implementation of the Heart of Darkness implementation so you can run it on modern PCs. It's a fork of "Hode", another such engine.
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00:00 - Start & Intro
06:49 - Level 1: Canyon of Death
15:32 - Level 2: Swamplands
21:12 - Level 3: Magic Lake
43:13 - Level 4: Space Island
52:59 - Level 5: Rivers of Fire
1:01:35 - Level 6: Caverns of Doom
1:05:16 - Level 7: Into the Lair
1:22:39 - Level 8: Heart of Darkness
1:42:23 - Ending
1:45:19 - Credits
1:50:00 - 3D Glasses Sequence
You play as either Axel or Ruka. Both have four different weapons at their disposal, but they have different mechanics between the two characters. I chose Ruka because... waifu, but I believe Axel's homing shot is much better because it sticks to enemies instead of flying across the screen looking for targets.
The game has six stages with multiple sub-bosses each, but the last stage is only the final boss. There is a big variety in both graphics as well as mechanics. For example, you have two autoscrolling stages where one is on rollerskates and the other uses a jetpack.
I have not fully understood the story. As far as I can tell, you are looking for Valkiry while your antagonists are looking for it too. It seems, that Valkiry is a gemstone that grants immense power. I mean, the gameplay speaks for itself and it is awesome. The action, the music, the graphics... everything is top notch! There is just a bit of a problem with the difficulty pacing. There are some parts of some stages where you don't get any powerups for a long time. That may have been a deliberate game design decision, but it feels bad. The later bosses are pretty rough until you figure them out and even then the boss fights can go south quickly. You do have infinite continues in the Japanese version, though, but not in the European one.
This was a really good game and I'm glad I found out about it. I highly recommend it and let me know what you think about this game!
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00:00 - Start
01:02 - Stage 1
08:04 - Stage 2
16:44 - Stage 3
24:34 - Stage 4
39:16 - Stage 5
46:38 - Stage 6
51:00 - Ending
51:28 - Credits
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00:00 - Intro
04:56 - Camp Chilli Wa-Wa
28:30 - England
59:30 - Egypt
1:32:04 - Intermezzo in Chilli Wa-Wa
1:43:57 - China
2:05:07 - Bhutan
2:28:37 - India
3:17:45 - Australia
3:36:27 - Finale
3:48:44 - Ending
3:52:17 - Credits
I played the Japanese version of this game because the US version made by Working Design is completely unbalanced. Working Design was notorious for bumping up the difficulty to absurd levels. However, there is a lot of lore in this game and it is more than just a simple railshooter. It's basically an episode of an anime with a complete story arc so I decided to swap the cutscenes and epilogue text with the english version with the magic of video editing. Usually, I like to preserve the original look and feel of a game - and that's also the reason why this is played at the original resolution - but I found it important to understand what is going on.
This is one of the few games where, after playing it, I had to find out all the backstory. Just a quick overview (from shikigaminoshiro.fandom.com/wiki/Elemental_Gearbolt#Story):
The events of the game are framed through the character of Tagami, a mysterious figure who travels to the world in which the game is set many centuries after the main events conclude in order to investigate what caused the world's destruction. Tagami relives the tragedy of the Elemental Gearbolt incident.
Before the Elemental Gearbolt incident, the world was home to two races, Audo and Sulunkan. The Sulunkan, descendants of a fallen magical empire, were oppressed by the Audo. There are secret resistance groups, but none strong enough to challenge the powerful Audo ruling class. Destiny is set in motion when Nell and Seana, the Sugiku (half breed) daughters of a resistance leader, meet Bel Cain, the Sugiku son of the selfish King Jabugal. Nell and Bel Cain promise to meet again, but other circumstances interfere.
Years later, Bel Cain becomes crown prince, full of ambition to end the bitter class struggle. Armed with advanced technology, he starts a campaign of conquest. Meanwhile, Nell and Seana join the Sulunkan resistance, only to be killed. Their bodies are taken back to the capital city as trophies. At the same time, one of Bel Cain's technologies, a Neural Network Computer comprising human brains, malfunctions and initiates a self-destruct sequence. It links powerful weapons known as Holy Guns to Nell and Seana's corpses, re-animating them as Elementals. They have only one purpose - seek and destroy the Network. Nell and Seana, now reanimated as elemental war machines, battle their way through the cathedral in the Opening Act: "Grieving Angel's Descent".
There is also a "Library" in the game that adds even more details to the story. I also added it to this video in case anyone is interested.
Aside from the interesting story, it is an excellent game in all other aspects too. The stage design, graphics and especially the orchestral music are all amazing! I played this in the duckstation emulator and kept the internal resolution at 1x because I found it looked better than the plastic look of high res polygons with low res textures. Speaking of duckstation: the GunCon emulation is weird. The target reticle and the area where you hit only match at the right side of the screen and the further left you aim the bigger the offset becomes. That means I couldn't get all fairies in the last stage because a few gems are almost impossible to hit with this emulation bug.
Anyway, very long description this time. I highly recommend this game! Also, please don't forget to like & subscribe. Thank you!
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00:00 - Intro
01:57 - Title Screen
02:18 - Prelude
03:54 - Opening Scene: Grieving Angel's Descent
08:22 - Scene 2: Enter the Dragon
15:11 - Scene 3: The Crypt of Despair
20:53 - Scene 4: Plains of Regret
27:28 - Scene 5: The Palace Ruins
33:58 - Scene 6: Purposed to Perish
39:20 - Ending
41:18 - Credits
42:18 - Start of Hidden Lore (in Credits)
45:50 - Outtakes (Voice Actor Bloopers)
50:20 - Library (Additional Lore)
Android Assault - The Revenge of Bari-Arm is a fairly standard horizontal shoot 'em up with excellent graphics and a great CD soundtrack. You got four weapon systems that you can pick up which can also be upgraded for more firepower and eventually turn you into a "cyborg" (according to the US manual). If you don't fire, the weapon will charge up as many as three charge meters and fire a powerful blast that lasts as long as it took to charge. All weapon systems have their own special attack of course. The homing shot stands above them all, though. The charge attack is so powerful, it blows up mini bosses with ease and makes short work of stage bosses too. It can bypass armor and focus on a weakspot, but it sometimes tries to attack some other target and does no damage to the boss, though, you can guide it a bit by releasing it near the weakspot.
The game has four difficulty modes: easy, medium, hard and mania. The default is medium and it's too easy, in my opinion, if it wasn't for the last part of stage 7. The miniboss and final boss are way harder than anything else in the game. If that encounter had been more reasonable compared to the rest of the game, it could be really fun to try on mania difficulty.
I'm glad I found this game and gave it a shot. It may not be an all-time classic, but it's easily an A tier game and gets my recommendation.
00:00 - Intro
02:11 - Stage 1 (Ganymede)
05:44 - Stage 2 (Gravity Pagoda)
10:40 - Stage 3 (Zeus Fleet)
15:43 - Stage 4 (Olympus)
19:20 - Stage 5 (Moon Base)
24:13 - Stage 6 (Blue Wind)
29:04 - Stage 7 (Bay Side City)
33:05 - Ending
33:31 - Credits
The goal is to aid a magician undo his mistake which sends you to five different locations around the world plus the mansion as an extra location. The game is quite straight-forward and more aimed at young children, but still got a decent amount of playtime. Overall, thumbs up for The Pink Panther! You can play this using ScummVM on modern systems.
I'm a big fan of shooters and this one is a bit unconventional. You play as two anime girls. The blue haired one can be switched to shoot left or right while the blonde one can only shoot to the right. Also, only the blonde one can be damaged. What makes it really confusing, though, is that they don't move at the same speed. I keep looking at the blue anime because it's the more prominent sprite and the blonde one is already a lot further away and gets hit because I didn't pay attention to the correct character. Oh, and if you get squished by getting stuck on a wall while auto-scrolling, you lose all your hp and game over. You do have continues though.
It is not an easy game so this gets quite frustrating in my opinion. This is the main reason I didn't want to spend the whole afternoon recording a good run on a higher difficulty. I just wanted to experience the game, and it does deliver, but it doesn't have deep enough scoring mechanics to motivate truly learning the game. When you beat the game, the score caps out at 999999 anyway.
So, yes, the game is absolutely worth playing and a lot of fun! The backgrounds look amazing and are, in my opinion, some of the best on the system. Music and controls are good too and the characters are funny. Maybe I should also check out the first game, Trouble Shooter. Let me know in the comments if you want to see a playthrough of that game!
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00:00 - Start
00:12 - Intro
01:25 - Game Start
02:07 - Stage 1
06:38 - Stage 2
12:13 - Stage 3
19:00 - Stage 4
25:45 - Stage 5
31:52 - Stage 6
39:38 - Stage 7
46:24 - Stage 8
50:14 - Stage 9
53:13 - Ending
54:22 - Credits
The sequel, The 11th Hour, is still on my backlog and I didn't solve that yet. There was also an attempt to crowdfund a third game, but that failed quite spectacularly. I remember that campaign was quite the shitshow and the guy who set it up mocked someone for only pledging one dollar. They tried it on another site and that campaign failed too. I don't know the circumstances, but at some point the rights holders gave their OK for this fan project.
I have to say, it's really well done. You can tell that these people were fans of the original games. They kept the atmosphere and style of puzzles and the acting is just as cheesy as it needs to be for a true sequel. There is even a bit too much story and too many cutscenes, but it works. It tells an interesting story. Most puzzles are much easier than in the previous games, most notably the 11th hour, but are challenging enough to keep you busy for a few days. There are two storylines, one for Dr. Richmond and one for his patient, Tad, who has a direct connection to whatever happened at Stauf's mansion.
The game is not pre-rendered anymore. It's made in the Unity engine and you can move in 3D. It looks pretty good and especially since it doesn't look perfectly designed, it gains some charm. There is also a map and you can warp directly to specific rooms if you want to. I recommend this game if you are into this type of adventure games. There need to be more FMV adventure games these days.
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00:00 - Intro
08:50 - Start Gameplay (Dr. Richmond)
13:57 - Puzzle (Connect Lightbulb)
18:10 - Puzzle (Running Stickfigure. Tad's File)
25:50 - Puzzle (Wonderworld Window)
35:30 - Puzzle (Piano)
51:00 - Puzzle (Graveyard, Skeleton Fingers)
55:35 - Puzzle (Cake)
1:00:15 - Puzzle (Fireplace)
1:06:52 - Puzzle (Scales)
1:12:10 - Puzzle (Clock)
1:15:20 - Puzzle (Typewriter)
1:20:57 - Puzzle (Picross)
1:30:52 - Puzzle (Bathtub)
1:36:30 - Attic (Richmond)
1:41:20 - Puzzle (Bloody Door)
1:49:10 - Finale (Richmond)
1:51:30 - Good Ending (Richmond)
1:52:30 - Credits
1:58:30 - Bad Ending (Richmond)
2:01:00 - Start Gameplay (Tad)
2:02:08 - Puzzle (Letters)
2:09:22 - Puzzle (Dollhouse)
2:18:52 - Puzzle (Rooks)
2:31:40 - Puzzle (Spider)
2:36:20 - Puzzle (Maze)
2:54:26 - Puzzle (Sarcophagus)
3:04:30 - Puzzle (Chandelier, Light Rays)
3:11:15 - Puzzle (Heart)
3:18:20 - Puzzle (Stack Coins)
3:22:25 - Puzzle (Queens)
3:29:55 - Puzzle (Cards, Carpet)
3:34:20 - Puzzle (Dollar Bills)
3:42:32 - Puzzle (Pipe Organ)
3:47:38 - Puzzle (Dollhouse, Hexagons)
3:49:55 - Finale (Tad)
3:52:20 - Bad Ending (Tad)
3:54:42 - Bad Ending 2 (Tad)
3:57:16 - Bad Ending 3 (Tad)
4:00:01 - Secret Ending
4:00:54 - Two Names I Missed
It is very unfortunate that the PC port was plagued, as are so many, by performance problems and also by resident evil fans who can't comprehend that there are other ways to make such a game. I need to play the original now and see what that one is about. The game ran fine for me on an RTX 3080 after all the shader compilation stuttering was over.
In any case, there isn't much I didn't like and it was worth the 53 Euros at release even though I usually avoid paying full price. Check it out if you are interested in lovecraftian horror!
04:22 - Chapter 1
42:37 - Chapter 2
2:24:17 - Chapter 3
3:22:40 - Chapter 4
5:05:18 - Chapter 5
5:23:55 - Normal Ending (Emily)
5:32:36 - Normal Ending (Carnby)
5:34:36 - Bad Ending (Emily)
5:36:58 - Bad Ending (Carnby)
5:40:18 - Good Ending
5:43:00 - Cutscene "Consider ending it all"
5:44:25 - All lagniappes lore
Warning: lots of flashing colors in the intro and the game can give you motion sickness!
00:00 - Start
02:00 - Mission 1 (Soviet Consulate)
39:25 - Mission 2 (Ikayaki Alley)
1:19:03 - Mission 3 (Kai Tak Resorts)
2:12:05 - Mission 4 (Bachelor Pad)
00:00 - Intro
00:40 - World 1
08:31 - World 2
14:31 - World 3
25:06 - World 4
00:00 - 1: Theme
01:54 - 2: Inception
04:03 - 3: Chaos
06:11 - 4: The Chosen
08:18 - 5: Crystal Cave
10:23 - 6: Inception II
12:31 - 7: Temple
14:33 - 8: Skybike
17:30 - 9: Interior
20:00 - 10: Temple
22:11 - 11: Generations
24:18 - 12: Skybike 2
26:49 - 13: Modern Barbarian
28:57 - 14: Zephyr
31:04 - 15: The Manor
33:09 - 16: Dark Fulfillment
35:25 - 17: Theme
That's all the reason we need to set out and re-claim the other part of the crystal. It's a 2.5D action game that somewhat reminds me of Golden Axe. The pre-rendered graphics don't look that dated in my opinion. Somehow it fits the game well and feels like a lost He-Man spinoff from the 80s. By the way, the music is bombastic! It's epic, but not over the top.
The stages are also varied with lots of different backgrounds for each stage in the four worlds. In each of the worlds there is also a 3D hoverbike level. I believe this is based on the show. The execution of these levels is not good though. You don't lose a life if you die in these bonus stages, but you also don't gain a lot. You can fire missiles, but they use crystals which you want to preserve for the 2.5D stages and there are even fewer health pickups in the 3D stages.
There is just one major gripe I have with the game: The difficulty of this game is nuts in many spots and there is even a hard mode! No continue, no checkpoints within the level and way too few health drops. It's very arcadey with a matching punishing difficulty, but not in a way that motivates you to get better. It's usually just an overwhelming clusterfuck of things attacking you at once with not enough health pickups to compensate. It's a shame because it could have been a much more fun game with better balancing.
I still recommend this game, but don't punish yourself with it. If the difficulty is not for you, just lower it to easy or use the invincibility cheat that you can find on the internet. I think it's worth seeing the game.
00:00 - Start / Intro
02:40 - Crystal Mine (Stage 1-1)
07:10 - Ursa (Stage 1-2)
07:48 - Mountain Top (Stage 1-3)
13:00 - Mountain Run (Stage 1-4)
15:14 - Crystal Cave (Stage 1-5)
18:14 - Dagger (Boss)
20:00 - Araculan Temple (Stage 2-1)
25:51 - Araculan Assault (Stage 2-2)
28:01 - Mudu (Stage 2-3)
32:24 - Deeper Temple (Stage 2-4)
36:13 - Aracula (Boss)
38:07 - Simiania (Stage 3-1)
45:03 - Simian Strafe (Stage 3-2)
46:53 - Gorgon Airship (Stage 3-3)
50:54 - Gorgon Tunnels (Stage 3-4)
54:25 - Shriek (Boss)
56:43 - Luminicity (Stage 4-1)
1:00:49 - Darkcity (Stage 4-2)
1:06:01 - Dark Infiltration (Stage 4-3)
1:06:48 - Baron's Manor (Stage 4-4)
1:09:55 - Boss Rush
1:13:03 - Baron Dark (Boss)
1:15:53 - Ending
1:16:06 - Credits
What's the story? According to Wikipedia, Wendy opens her aunt's treasure chest and releases magical stones that change gravity of a floating castle that subsequently crashes to the ground. I couldn't find a pdf of the manual, unfortunately, to find out about the lore and it's not explained well in-game.
The graphics are very impressive for the GBC, nice and colorful with smooth scrolling. It's not a challenging game, but it's perfect for little kids. There is even a password after each stage. Audio is fine, but not very memorable. The controls are great and you can easily switch your orientation even in tight situations. Speaking of orientation... The main mechanic is that she can flip gravity for herself and certain enemies in the stage. This lets her walk on the ceiling and drop upwards with reversed gravity so you can solve the platforming challenges.
It's not a masterpiece, but definitely a cute little platformer worth spending an hour on and gets my recommendation.
00:00 - Start / Intro
00:50 - Stage 1-1
01:52 - Stage 1-2
04:15 - Stage 1-3
08:00 - Bonus 1
09:09 - Stage 2-1
11:03 - Stage 2-2
15:56 - Stage 2-3
19:57 - Bonus 2
21:04 - Stage 3-1
24:02 - Stage 3-2
26:47 - Stage 3-3
31:04 - Bonus 3
32:11 - Stage 4-1
35:19 - Stage 4-2
44:41 - Stage 4-3
49:41 - Boss
54:52 - Ending
55:28 - Credits
56:48 - GBA Exclusive ?-1
59:20 - GBA Exclusive ?-2
1:04:49 - GBA Exclusive ?-3
I only knew the Game Boy version of this game which was also really fun, but when I saw that there was one for the NES, I had to try it out. It is a simple platformer with very good graphics and music. The difficulty can spike a bit in some places like in the elevator stage, the egypt boss or the final boss rush. Basically, you have to prepare a strategy for these road blocks in order to beat this game, but when you got one, it is not very hard. The only thing I really didn't like was the bonus stages. You get coins from enemies by shooting them with the charged shot and you can use them in bonus games. All of them are gambling mini games and none of them are interesting or fun.
Maybe I should record the Game Boy version too! :-)
00:00 - Start
00:33 - Intro
00:54 - Stage 1
06:24 - Stage 2
10:41 - Stage 3
15:17 - Stage 4
20:03 - Stage 5
26:22 - Stage 6
30:44 - Stage 7
35:27 - Stage 8
40:47 - Stage 9
46:04 - Ending
46:39 - Credits
The game's color palette looks more like a SNES game than one from Sega's 16-bit console. It's colorful and not repetitive. Also, the sound and music is mostly very good. Controls are good as well. The game is just a bit short and fairly easy. Nevertheless, it's a very fun platformer that gets better after the first two stages.
00:00 - Start
00:45 - Intro
02:23 - Duckburg 1
03:33 - Mexico 1
06:22 - Duckburg 2
06:55 - Mexico 2
13:04 - Duckburg 3
18:54 - Transilvania
28:27 - Maharajah
32:59 - Egypt
38:58 - South Pole 1
40:34 - Viking Ship
45:24 - South Pole 2
51:04 - Hideout
1:00:44 - The Island
1:09:11 - Ending
00:00 - Start
00:31 - Stage 1
02:58 - Stage 2
04:05 - Stage 3
05:35 - Stage 4
08:25 - Stage 5
11:26 - Stage 6
13:22 - Stage 7
15:58 - Stage 8
18:00 - Stage 9
20:13 - Stage 10
27:08 - Stage 11
29:40 - Stage 12
31:58 - Ending
34:40 - Credits
00:00 - Title
00:22 - Story Intro
01:27 - Stage 1 (Santa's Hallway)
03:19 - Stage 2 (Let it Snow)
04:04 - Stage 3 (Ice Cave)
06:58 - Stage 4 (Blue Magic)
09:34 - Stage 5 (The Evil Snowman)
11:26 - Stage 6 (Over England)
12:53 - Stage 7 (Before the Flood)
14:30 - Stage 8 (Wood Factory)
18:13 - Stage 9 (Magic Cave)
21:15 - Stage 10 (Steel Factory)
24:46 - Stage 11 (The Timekeeper)
25:46 - Stage 12 (Over Russia)
27:11 - Stage 13 (Winter Waters)
29:30 - Stage 14 (Steel Elevators)
34:12 - Stage 15 (Gift Wrapping)
37:22 - Stage 16 (Magic Bubbles)
40:38 - Stage 17 (Louse the Mouse)
48:42 - Stage 18 (Over Japan)
50:09 - Stage 19 (North Pole)
50:47 - Stage 20 (Deep Down)
53:40 - Stage 21 (Busy Basement)
56:15 - Stage 22 (Santa's House)
1:00:46 - Stage 23 (Over U.S.A)
1:02:11 - Stage 24 (Mr Weather)
1:02:51 - Ending
1:03:13 - Credits
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos is a 3D platforming game and it was a popular genre back in the era of the original Playstation. You play as Croc, a... crocodile who needs to save the Gobbos who were captured by Baron Dante. Why? Who knows. Youtuber JoshStrifeHayes was quite pedantic about the story and the character traits like Croc's backpack, but with 3D platformers in particular, I just don't care about the story. To me, they don't feel as a proper world, but stages are only a container for platforming challenges. After all, the stages are all just very simple layouts made with a low polygon count.
Our character has tank controls, but I never found this to be a problem. He can stomp on enemies or swipe his tail at them. You collect gems throughout the level that work like Sonic's rings such that you cannot die if you still have at least one gem. Colored gems will open a special area that contains the last of six Gobbos you can find in each stage. Find them in each stage and you will unlock special stages, two in each of the four main worlds. Find the puzzle pieces in each of them for a final world. There are also ten more or less well hidden secret areas in the regular stages. So, while Croc is a simple game made for young children, there is a lot to find.
The graphics are fine and still hold up well today. The version I'm playing here is based on the "definitive edition" which is a fan made update that you can find on the internet. At some point, the developers made the engine open source so people made sure it ran well on modern systems. This particular version I got was also modded to include the soundtrack from the Playstation release. I used that soundtrack in my playthrough since I read somewhere that it had more tracks and better quality. I hope that was true - I didn't verify and have no nostalgia for a particular game version so I'm not sure. The music is very catching and upbeat so it's definitely worth listening to.
As you may know, I'm a completionist so obviously I wanted to find all gems, all gobbos, play all stages and find all hidden areas. However, as said, you lose all gems if you get hit. To me it didn't feel like I collected all gems if I can't get them to the end of the stage. After all, what's the point of picking one up if you lose them. It felt meaningless. So I came up with the extra challenge to keep all gems to the end! It's essentially a hitless run of Croc and some stages were absolutely brutal with this limitation. At least you can save after each stage to make it a segmented run.
I hope you enjoy. Please don't forget to like & subscribe. Thank you!
00:00 - Intro
01:57 - Title Screen
World 1 (Mountain Zone)
02:27 - Stage 1-1
06:26 - Stage 1-2
10:52 - Stage 1-3
17:35 - Stage 1-B1
19:56 - Stage 1-S1
26:37 - Stage 1-4
30:20 - Stage 1-5
35:27 - Stage 1-6
39:33 - Stage 1-B2
43:28 - Stage 1-S2
World 2 (Arctic Zone)
46:47 - Stage 2-1
51:50 - Stage 2-2
58:08 - Stage 2-3
1:03:11 - Stage 2-B1
1:05:50 - Stage 2-S1
1:09:10 - Stage 2-4
1:15:54 - Stage 2-5
1:21:35 - Stage 2-6
1:29:16 - Stage 2-B2
1:33:24 - Stage 2-S2
World 3 (Desert Zone)
1:43:15 - Stage 3-1
1:51:27 - Stage 3-2
2:01:56 - Stage 3-3
2:12:48 - Stage 3-B1
2:15:14 - Stage 3-S1
2:18:38 - Stage 3-4
2:28:59 - Stage 3-5
2:37:49 - Stage 3-6
2:48:20 - Stage 3-B2
2:50:44 - Stage 3-S2
World 4 (Castle Zone)
2:54:35 - Stage 4-1
3:03:06 - Stage 4-2
3:08:54 - Stage 4-3
3:15:01 - Stage 4-B1
3:17:27 - Stage 4-S1
3:22:20 - Stage 4-4
3:29:14 - Stage 4-5
3:39:51 - Stage 4-6
3:46:14 - Stage 4-B2
3:48:57 - Ending 1 (not 100%)
3:52:06 - Stage 4-S2
3:53:55 - Jigsaw Cutscene
World 5 (Crystal Island)
3:54:37 - Stage 5-1
3:58:32 - Stage 5-2
4:02:18 - Stage 5-3
4:06:59 - Stage 5-4
4:10:05 - Stage 5-B
4:10:55 - Ending 2 (100%)
4:13:02 - Showcase of Entire World Map
You are on a quest through eight stages which are maze-like, but are traversed mostly linearly since you need to go through most doors anyway, but there are lots of hidden treasures and secrets to be found. This game is a treat for a completionist like me who loves to explore! Many fantasy walls were hidden too well for me though so I looked at a map to find the rest and compile it into this completionist run that shows everything in the game including the warp zone.
The game feels very arcadey in a good way. The graphics are pretty good and varied. Sound and music are fine too with some memorable tunes. They suit the fantasy world well. The controls work great too. I didn't encounter any glitches or weird behavior with the controls. You also have access to some items that you can activate at any time, most notably the healing and barrier potions. You find lots of them throughout the game and can buy a few more in the shop after each stage. If you search for extra potions and keep yourself well stocked, the game is well balanced and even on the easier side. The only minor complaint one could bring forward is the fact that most bosses are not very impressive. I guess there was just not enough memory on the cartridge.
This is definitely a hidden gem and well worth playing.
00:00 - Start
00:40 - Intro
00:59 - Stage 1
08:52 - Stage 2
23:33 - Stage 3
31:58 - Stage 4
52:19 - Stage 5
1:00:12 - Stage 6
1:19:58 - Stage 7
1:33:51 - Stage 8
1:42:53 - Ending & Credits
1:45:55 - Secret (Warp Zone)
The graphics are top tier for the SNES and the music is good even though it's a bit weird. It creates the right mood though. The only big problem with this game are the controls and the enemy patterns. Enemies are too unpredictable. Some trap placement is insane too. You absolutely need to plan each part of the stage. The game only uses TWO buttons so the controls are convoluted like on the Amiga. The SNES has SIX buttons! Use them! Why is there no "run" button? Double dash is terrible! I think Nosferatu is an above average game, but could have been so much better...
00:00 - Start
02:03 - Stage 1
09:17 - Stage 2
18:15 - Stage 3
29:44 - Stage 4
35:57 - Stage 5
48:38 - Stage 6
1:02:04 - Ending
So, what is this? In my opinion it is a cinematic thriller. You need the right expectations to enjoy this game because if you play it like an adventure, first-person shooter or survival horror game, you may hate it. Why? Because there is very little to explore and there is nothing to interact with except for a few switches. Oh, and combat is also terrible, but the game makes up for it in atmosphere and story-telling, also the environmental kind of storytelling which is my favorite. This is why I suggest you play the game as if it was a movie where you move the plot forward as fast as possible. This is what I did for this playthrough. Firstly, in order to keep it under 12 hours so it's one video for youtube and secondly so it is watchable despite its length.
You are Alan Wake, a bestseller author who is suffering from writer's block and hasn't written anything in two years. Alan and his wife Alice visit a small town named Bright Springs in the Northwest of the US for a vacation to recharge his batteries, pun intended. Of course, things go wrong and you tumble into a story that is very confusing for the first three episodes (out of six), but then it starts to make sense and becomes quite interesting. The thing is that, most likely, you will miss a lot of the story on the first playthrough. You will have a general idea of what happened, but the more subtle hints in the environment and dialogues will not get noticed. Even on my third exposition to the game when watching the playthrough, I notice new things. There are also two episodes that were added as DLC which continue the story. They are ok, but I find it questionable if the story really had to be continued after the original ending. It does add a better understanding of what is going on, but it doesn't resolve anything in addition to the original ending.
Graphics and sound still hold up and the voice acting as well as the character animations during dialogues are excellent. Barry Wheeler, Alan's agent, is just such a funny guy and everyone else fits really well too. Controls are fine, but the combat is mega boring. I applaud them for trying something interesting, but combat just doesn't have enough variety. You have very few weapons and in order to kill anything, you need to shine light on it to remove their darkness armor or shroud.
There is also a spinoff game named "American Nightmare" which is much more action focused, but I haven't played it. To my knowledge, it doesn't really add to the story of the original. And there is a proper sequel about to be released (based on the time of this upload). Supposedly, it's more survival horror oriented, but it's going to be an EPIC store exclusive for some time so that's a "nope" from me.
So, even though the video is almost 11 hours long, I think the story is worth experiencing. Just consider it a very long movie. :-)
00:00 - Start
00:08 - Episode 1 (Nightmare)
1:02:36 - Episode 2 (Taken)
2:16:24 - Episode 3 (Ransom)
3:57:28 - Episode 4 (The Truth)
5:35:03 - Episode 5 (The Clicker)
7:14:16 - Episode 6 (Departure)
8:31:40 - Special 1 / Ep. 7 (The Signal)
9:35:52 - Special 2 / Ep. 8 (The Writer)
This is where I am not a fan of this game. The weapons SUCK. They are all awful. If you get hit, you lose the current weapon for the entire stage or until you die. The problem is that most of the time, one weapon is much preferred in the current situation over the others. If you lose it, you are likely dead. There are no weapon upgrades and you can't restore a weapon once you lost it until you die or finish the stage. None of the weapons has any punch and you have to evade many enemies instead of blowing them up because you just don't have the proper firepower.
Still, Axelay is a decent shooter that everyone should check out, but the gameplay is very, very mediocre in my opinion.
00:00 - Start
00:17 - Intro
01:58 - Stage 1
06:12 - Stage 2
12:05 - Stage 3
16:44 - Stage 4
22:44 - Stage 5
26:58 - Stage 6
36:06 - Ending
I made this because the story is spread over many cutscenes, briefings, debriefings and environmental storytelling. Since the game is also very long, it is hard to follow who is where at what time and why.
I hope this is useful for someone.
Enemy 1: Playthrough on Original/Hard Difficulty: youtube.com/watch?v=C4ebB05JmQU
Enemy 1: Lore & Timeline: youtube.com/watch?v=_dJ_XD9I4QI
Enemy 2: Playthrough on Original Difficulty: youtube.com/watch?v=_Mo6ACE_I7k
The story is a direct continuation of Enemy 1 and doesn't hold back with its ambition. It comes with many new graphics and new enemies, but re-uses the music. That is not a problem, though, because the music was awesome to begin with. However, you can tell that this game is not from the 90s. The gameplay feels much more refined and heavily influenced by current day game design. The original release of Enemy: Tempest of Violence had many, many areas where you had to learn a stage to absolute precision in order to remain within the time and ammo constraints as well as simply not dying. It was truly punishing by today's standards, but also masterfully crafted with a bit of insanity sprinkled in.
The sequel is more streamlined. There are plenty of resources, you never run out of time and there is never a situation where absolute perfection in controlling your character is required. It is a charming game in its own right and a worthy sequel to the original masterpiece that hardly anyone knows and appears on no "top games for the Amiga" lists. Maybe, we will one day get Enemy 3: Rampage of the Stemmos.
Chapters
0:00 Start
0:29 Title Screen
0:56 Stage 1 (Briefing)
3:35 Stage 1 (Gameplay)
8:26 Stage 2 (Briefing)
10:12 Stage 2 (Gameplay)
19:31 Stage 3 (Briefing)
21:31 Stage 3 (Gameplay)
28:53 Stage 4 (Briefing)
32:17 Stage 4 (Gameplay)
39:29 Stage 5 (Briefing)
41:27 Stage 5 (Gameplay)
50:16 Stage 6 (Briefing)
52:39 Stage 6 (Gameplay)
1:06:38 Stage 7 (Briefing)
1:08:28 Stage 7 (Gameplay)
1:26:51 Stage 8 (Briefing)
1:28:39 Stage 8 (Gameplay)
1:48:36 Stage 9 (Briefing)
1:49:53 Stage 9 (Gameplay)
1:57:59 Stage 10 (Briefing)
2:00:10 Stage 10 (Gameplay)
2:08:38 Stage 11 (Briefing)
2:11:04 Stage 11 (Gameplay)
2:21:46 Stage 12 (Briefing)
2:23:41 Stage 12 (Gameplay)
2:34:21 Stage 13 (Briefing)
2:37:03 Stage 13 (Gameplay)
2:50:49 Stage 14 (Briefing)
2:52:43 Stage 14 (Gameplay)
3:05:37 Stage 15 (Briefing)
3:08:22 Stage 15 (Gameplay)
3:20:22 Stage 16 (Briefing)
3:23:37 Stage 16 (Gameplay)
3:39:19 Stage 17 (Briefing)
3:41:44 Stage 17 (Gameplay)
3:54:42 Stage 18 (Briefing)
3:56:37 Stage 18 (Gameplay)
4:03:34 Stage 19 (Briefing)
4:06:22 Stage 19 (Gameplay)
4:17:52 Stage 20 (Briefing)
4:19:38 Stage 20 (Gameplay)
4:31:51 Stage 21 (Briefing)
4:32:59 Stage 21 (Gameplay)
4:43:55 Stage 22 (Briefing)
4:46:43 Stage 22 (Gameplay)
5:01:44 Stage 23 (Briefing)
5:03:20 Stage 23 (Gameplay)
5:09:53 Stage 24 (Briefing)
5:12:22 Stage 24 (Gameplay)
5:34:05 Stage 25 (Briefing)
5:36:59 Stage 25 (Gameplay)
5:54:11 Stage 26 (Briefing)
5:55:42 Stage 26 (Gameplay)
6:07:56 Stage 27 (Briefing)
6:10:13 Stage 27 (Gameplay)
6:22:32 Stage 28 (Briefing)
6:26:41 Stage 28 (Gameplay)
6:50:51 Ending & Aftermath
6:54:31 Stage 29 (Briefing)
6:56:28 Stage 29 (Gameplay)
6:57:38 Stage 30 (Briefing)
6:58:57 Stage 30 (Gameplay)
The game is a bit controversial with mixed reviews on steam, but that is mostly due to bugs, crashes and the shaky cam as well as Dark Souls purists disliking it. I have not encountered a single crash during regular gameplay on Windows 10. I tried to add a section in the video where all lore audio notes are played back in their proper order for better context, but interacting with that would always crash the game within seconds. The PhysX implementation named "Nvidia Turbulence" adds particle and maybe other effects, but I disabled it for the playthrough since the framerate can drop below 60 fps even on my RTX 3080 in some areas. The bugs I encountered were all very minor, but I agree, the shaky cam is truly awful and it can't be disabled.
As for gameplay, I lack the reference to other similar games, especially Dark Souls itself, but I found this game surprisingly good! The controls are really good. The only problem is that you start the warrior class with full heavy armor which gives you a heavy (i.e. slow) roll. They should have balanced the weight of the starter heavy gear such that it stays within medium roll encumberance and later armor sets can have proper weight. That is easily fixed by removing some armor until you can spec some endurance, but the first impression is that it handles not very well. Bosses are a bit simple, but can be learned quickly even for complete souls-like newcomers like me. It took maybe two hours until it clicked and I became skillful in handling my character, progressing the game and understanding the mechanics.
The other aspects of the game are well executed too. I think the area and difficulty progression is good. The gear upgrades make sense too, but the weapons are not that well balanced. For example, the attack speed stat makes no sense. Why is it rated in percent? Percent of what? What is the base 100%? The actual speed is all over the place, doesn't matter what it shows, you need to swing it to see. The damage stat is absolute too and not damage per second. Nevertheless, you will find your preferred weapon type quickly. Some people seem to like great axes and great swords, I prefer the attack pattern and speed of the polesword. So, overall, the weapon selection works and the rune system to upgrade your gear is ok too, even though you can ignore it on a normal run. There is NG+ and NG++, but not really any extra content except a few audio logs that only exist in NG+.
Graphics, audio, voice acting, character models... are all totally fine! The game is from 2014 and it doesn't look that bad in 2023. I can't complain about the story too. It makes sense, it's not cringe or dumb, the main character is likable and the other NPCs are not annoying.
Is the game worth your time? Absolutely! It may not be the pinnacle of souls-like gaming and I can't even judge that, but fun can be extracted from more than just the top entries of a genre. I had a lot of fun with it and maybe it was a good example of babby's first souls-like to get me into that genre. The sequel is definitely on my radar, but for now, I need to keep digging through the backlog!
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00:00 - Start
00:25 - Intro
02:27 - Game Start - Keystone Monastery
09:13 - Boss: First Warden
21:07 - Outside Keystone
46:52 - Boss: Commander
1:27:28 - Boss: Worshipper
1:35:48 - The Rhogar Temple
2:30:10 - Boss: Infiltrator
2:47:47 - Catacombs
3:14:18 - Boss: Champion
3:32:30 - Keystone Citadel
3:58:06 - Boss: Beast
4:45:21 - The Rogar Temple (Return)
5:00:19 - Altar Ruins
5:10:55 - The Chamber of Lies
5:20:35 - Boss: Guardian
6:43:40 - Boss: Annihilator
6:51:43 - Adyr
7:05:24 - Boss: Lost Brothers
7:38:09 - Boss: Judge
7:40:18 - Ending
7:43:00 - Credits
The graphics are great. Nice scenery and very moody color palette! The stages alternate between the usual beat 'em up belt scroller perspective and an actual 2D view. It's weird, but doesn't hurt the game. It certainly wasn't necessary though. There is also a driving section which is not as good as on the Sega CD. The audio is top, nothing to complain.
Overall, it is a good game, certainly A tier in my opinion. Personally, I like this more than Final Fight just because of the setting. Generally, I'm not much of a beat 'em up fan so complex combos and such fly over my head. It just needs to look and feel good. My only complaint would be that some bosses are a bit overtuned, but it demands you learn the mechanics and use a few extra lives to beat them.
04:24 - Scene 1 (Ambush In Gotham Plaza)
10:50 - Scene 2 (Battle In The Streets Of Gotham City)
21:06 - Scene 3 (On The Prowl)
25:23 - Scene 4 (The Penguin's Trap)
30:47 - Scene 5 (To The Batmobile)
34:43 - Scene 6 (Circus Train)
41:01 - Scene 7 (The Penguin's Lair)
The game also shows history of mayonnaise and other educational features. It was never released outside of Japan, but my sister, who recorded this playthrough, provided some translations and explanations via closed captions (subtitles). If you have found something she missed feel free to post a comment!
00:00 - Introduction
05:04 - Monkey's Memo
21:11 - Old Lady Reversi & Broom
25:34 - Penguin's Memo
39:22 - Magic Lamp
41:40 - Elephant's Memo
53:10 - Ending
58:04 - Easter Egg
The game has lots of interesting graphical effects and the stages have much variety. I think the stage design is too linear and the stages are too short, but the graphics probably used up all the cartridge space on the SNES and Genesis / Mega Drive. The music is fine and fit the style of the respective cartoon. Some stages are quite difficult, though, but the respawns are very generous so overall it's not that hard of a game. Still worth playing in my opinion.
00:00 - Start
00:12 - Stage 1 (Steamboat Willie)
04:02 - Stage 2 (The Mad Doctor)
13:11 - Stage 3 (Moose Hunters)
16:21 - Stage 4 (The Lonesome Ghosts)
23:23 - Stage 5 (Mickey and the Beanstalk)
28:30 - Bonus (The Band Concert)
29:51 - Stage 5 (Continued)
33:47 - Stage 6 (The Prince and the Pauper)
55:55 - Ending
It is a fun little platformer with a bit of a cinematic focus with the cutscenes since it's based on a movie. There is really not that much to say about this game. The graphics are nice, but there is some slowdown here and there. The music is fine too, but not outstanding. This version has Abu, the monkey, though so that's a plus! It is also not that hard since you get so many lives, the stages are short and some even have checkpoints. I think the Mega Drive / Genesis version is the better game, but this one is fine too. Maybe I'll record the other games as well if there is interest.
00:00 - Start
02:35 - Stage 1
10:52 - Stage 2
16:30 - Stage 3
20:50 - Stage 4
27:54 - Stage 5
36:49 - Bonus Stage
39:20 - Stage 6
47:48 - Stage 7
50:17 - Ending
53:35 - Fancy Credits
56:53 - Normal Credits
1:00:13 - Easter Egg
For my playthroughs, I like to experience the most original version possible that is also the most "complete". It's arbitrary and some tradeoffs are often necessary. I bought the "Enhanced Edition" which runs in the KEX Engine. It didn't look right, I hated the graphics. The textures are blurry and look smeared and it ran badly on my pc. At least opengl worked without screen flickering. Then I opened the classic version of the game that you get too. It's... magnificent! It looks so beautiful! Beautiful pixels! The lighting is made with the pixelation in mind and it looks awesome.
However, and that's where "arbitrary" comes into play with the "original" vs. "most complete" question. The original game has no mouse look. It's not an action game, but actually a simulation of Citadel Station. You have complex positioning options such as leaning around corners and it's all done with the keyboard. Mouse look was a thing at the time, they just did not add it. There is a patch to add mouse look, but I read it does not work with the enhanced edition, so I didn't try. For this playthrough, I used Shockolate. It's a source port of the original engine that tries to be as faithful to the original, but also has mouse look. So, not entirely "vanilla", but still plain like chocolate. It's not fully stable, though. I crashed a few times, but it beats the awful KEX engine.
You are a hacker who gets caught trying to hack the systems of the TriOptimum Corporation. You get offered a deal to help one of their directors with whatever they are up to. True to his word, you get the reward and the record of your crime gets scrubbed. You wake up on Citadel Station, a space station in orbit of Saturn, from a healing coma after getting your implant installed. Then it's up to you to find out what happened and how to stop what is going on.
Some of the mechanics sure are dated compared to modern action games, but it's not comparable. It's full of environmental storytelling and while the levels scream 90s map design, the levels do make some sense and you need to move between levels frequently to access new areas and get certain items to be used elsewhere. Since it's the spiritual successor to "Ultima Underworld" and based on the same engine, it's a bit of a dungeon crawler with first person action and a few roleplaying elements with gear upgrades.
The story is really interesting and while I have played many difficult and elaborate games, this is certainly among the very few that I would call "oppressive". The atmosphere is dense, every moment is dangerous and initially you are quite underpowered. At the middle of the game, it turns around and becomes much easier. You can also enter "cyberspace" and accomplish certain side objectives there. It's certainly the worst aspect of the game. The idea is interesting, especially for its time, but the execution is really bad.
The graphics hold up well, I think, especially in the classic engine. As said, I don't like the KEX engine at all and I can't make it look like the true original in that port. However, KEX is a good and easy way to experience the original game so give it a shot. You need the game asset files anyway for Shockolate. The audio is also well done, but there is no "3d" audio in such an early 3d game so you hear enemies through walls at full volume just because you are physically close to them. The voices though... The voice acting and recording is so good! It adds so much to the game.
It's an excellent game from the to-the-point intro that shows some really efficient storytelling to the very end. If I had to criticize one thing it would be the AI. The enemies are extremely dumb and have trouble dealing with corners. Anyway, I hope the remake will be good!
00:00 - Intro
Laser Mission
02:28 - Level 1 (Medical)
59:40 - Level 2 (Research)
1:45:37 - Level R (Reactor)
2:00:44 - Level 2
Virus Mission
2:06:40 - Level 2
2:08:03 - Level 3 (Maintenance)
2:13:30 - Level 4 (Storage)
2:56:37 - Level 3
2:57:10 - Level 6 (Executive)
4:04:04 - Level 3
4:31:45 - Level 6
Antenna Mission
4:39:48 - Level 6
4:41:58 - Level 7 (Engineering)
Reactor Mission
5:25:55 - Level 7
5:29:13 - Level 6
5:30:03 - Level 3
5:30:36 - Level 5 (Flight Deck)
5:59:12 - Level 3
5:59:54 - Level R
6:12:45 - Level 3
6:15:29 - Level 5
Bridge Mission
6:25:24 - Level 5
6:27:37 - Level 3
6:27:57 - Level 6
6:28:25 - Level 7
6:30:59 - Level 8 (Security)
7:04:22 - Level 9 (Bridge)
7:34:03 - Ending
7:35:10 - Credits
7:37:02 - Laser Mission Fail
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Speaking of graphics... They are amazing. So many little details, a large variety even within a theme of levels, beautiful color palette, good animations. The atmosphere is Flashback on steroids. The music is also very good. You have a large variety of weapons to pick up even though I think there are too many so they lose meaning to me because many are essentially the same. Exploration is rewarded too. The stages are not that large, but you can find some hidden things here and there.
The game is difficult! I chose to play it on normal difficulty for this playthrough because, honestly, it's difficult enough. Not so much the stages, but the bosses can be a roadblock. In badass difficulty you do the whole stage on three hitpoints. Beating the game on this mode is a project that will keep you busy for weeks or even months because you need to truly master every stage and boss. Luckily, the game saves after each stage. A 1CC in badass mode would be absurd, but I'm sure someone can pull it off.
Overall, very much recommended!
--
00:00 - Intro
The Hoodlum Dolls
01:28 - Briefing
03:37 - Stage 1-1 (Sweet Angel)
08:26 - Stage 1-2 (Sid Handsome)
14:44 - Stage 1-3 (Bad Boy Bob)
20:39 - Stage 1-4 (Psychonaught)
27:49 - Stage 1-5 (Troy Lawman)
The Misconducts
36:10 - Briefing
37:51 - Stage 2-1 (TNT Randy)
44:34 - Stage 2-2 (Nadja Drago)
51:43 - Stage 2-3 (Hard-Knock Murdoch)
58:38 - Stage 2-4 (Teddy Taxman)
1:06:07 - Stage 2-5 (Unholy Goalie)
The Heatseekers
1:15:21 - Briefing
1:17:11 - Stage 3-1 (Dean Dandy)
1:24:42 - Stage 3-2 (Suki the Sniper)
1:32:04 - Stage 3-3 (The Overseer)
1:43:07 - Stage 3-4 (Sonny Rooster)
1:49:32 - Stage 3-5 (Ringo Road Rage)
The No. 1 Suspects
2:03:12 - Briefing
2:05:02 - Stage 4-1 (The Dudson Twins)
2:14:11 - Stage 4-2 (Marlo The Mutant)
2:21:43 - Stage 4-3 (Grandmaster Yuudai)
2:31:27 - Stage 4-4 (Cyra Rhodes)
2:39:31 - Stage 4-5 (The Shogun)
2:56:23 - Ending
2:58:58 - Credits
As James said in his episode, this is a competent shooter. Good graphics, stage and boss design is fine, good music. It's not a top tier shmup because it's not refined enough in my opinion in terms of weapon loadouts, boss mechanics and stage design. You can also aim your upper and lower weapon platforms at an angle and equip different weapons in these slots depending on what part of your ship touches the upgrade. Interesting system and the angle of your weapon can be useful in many places.
Overall, it's a good package though. I read that this was an easy game, but I found several parts quite difficult. If you die, you might as well reset the game because you get overwhelmed over and over and weapon upgrades are not that common. Especially with the Jupiter boss, your pea shooter will not do much.
There is also "mania" difficulty and I just could not be bothered to find strategies for that. It's unfair and overwhelming. For example in stage two, normal difficulty has one piston before the boss that tries to crush you. Mania has three and I found it frustratingly difficult to time this encounter. And it gets harder from there, see Jupiter boss. I read that there is also a very hard mode that you can enable with a button combination like a cheat code. I noped out of this experience and did not try that one.
00:00 - Start
00:23 - Story Intro
03:58 - Title Screen
04:10 - Anime Intro
05:53 - Stage 1 (Cilius)
09:09 - Stage 2 (Cilius Moon Weapons Factory)
12:21 - Stage 3 (Artificial Sun)
14:29 - Stage 4 (Cruise Ship "Microcosm P-1")
17:43 - Stage 5 (A Station on Pluto)
20:13 - Stage 6 (Moon Amalthea - Jupiter V)
23:19 - Stage 7 (Erf)
26:26 - Ending
26:46 - Credits
It is quite strange. It has so many interesting ideas and great artwork, but overall it feels like a budget Actraiser or Castlevania. With more time, as always, this could have been so much better. It was still very interesting to see and learn. The game can be difficult in some places, but is very predictable. There are also two endings.
00:00 - Start
00:26 - Stage 1
01:50 - Stage 2
06:28 - Stage 3
13:26 - Stage 4
17:20 - Stage 5
21:21 - Stage 6
28:12 - Stage 7
The game is fairly average in all aspects. The graphics are ok, sometimes good, but mostly look like pre-rendered pixel vomit. The music is pretty good, overall, but the sound effects are horrible. Ear piercing bird chirps, droning frog sounds, random donkey kong sounds... and Greendog makes no sounds at all. It's weird. The sound engine in general craps itself frequently during the pedalcopter levels.
Overall, i'm not disappointed. It's a competent game that can be fun. Just the last stage which is another skating level is stupidly hard. I approve of this meme. Well done, Greendog! Fortunately, though, there was never a sequel as alluded to in the ending sequence.
00:00 - Start
00:13 - Intro
02:27 - Title Screen
02:49 - Stage 1-1 (Grenada)
07:01 - Stage 1-2 (Grenada Ruins)
12:04 - Stage 2-1 (Mustique)
15:20 - Stage 2-2 (Mustique Ruins)
17:01 - Stage 3-1 (Curacao)
20:48 - Stage 3-2 (Curacao Ruins)
27:16 - Stage 4-1a (Jamaica)
28:33 - Stage 4-1b (Jamaica Subway)
35:09 - Stage 4-2 (Jamaica Ruins)
36:54 - Stage 5-1 (Saba)
40:20 - Stage 5-2 (Saba Ruins)
46:05 - Stage 6-1 (St. Vincent)
50:45 - Stage 6-2 (St. Vincent Ruins)
53:40 - Ending
54:53 - Credits
In this point & click adventure, you play as a nameless person who doesn't remember his past. You have been captured for unknown reasons and try to escape and find out about your past and what is going on in this crazy world. You cannot die so there is no rush to accomplish things. The puzzles are also not very difficult. The game is more about the visual experience and the lore. Graphics and music are excellent.
You are confronted with a few moral choices for a good and a bad ending. The choices are obvious so there is no hidden list of actions to see these endings. The playtime for a first completionist playthrough is about four hours so its length is fine, especially since it's not a full price game. There are also many language options. A sequel is in development and seems to have been delayed by over two years at the time of the upload of this video. I will definitely get the sequel too.
00:00 - Start
00:14 - Intro
02:35 - Good Playthrough
2:20:10 - Good Ending
2:23:32 - Good Credits
2:27:20 - Bad Choices
2:39:21 - Bad Ending
2:42:24 - Bad Credits
2:45:06 - Mixed Rat Choice
2:45:35 - One Bad Choice Ending
2:47:18 - Generic Credits
The game doesn't feel as short at all while playing even though it is just half an hour if you don't die. The game can be fairly difficult if you don't plan ahead, mostly because you lose so much health by punching random things like doors or crates. I think this is a really dumb mechanic. You only have one life, but you can contine from the start of the current chapter. There are three episodes with two chapters each, so six stages. There are also two endings.
00:00 - Start
00:32 - Intro
01:00 - Stage 1
05:42 - Stage 2
10:52 - Stage 3
17:45 - Stage 4
22:20 - Stage 5
27:39 - Stage 6
34:12 - Good Ending
36:53 - Bad Ending
37:33 - Special Airplane Attack
37:42 - Easter Egg
The game was released on the Sega Genesis and PC as well as the Super Nintendo. The first two versions are very similar with the PC version being upgraded to CD audio music. You can find these versions on GOG and Steam, but I can't tell how good these versions are. The SNES port was significantly reworked. The graphics are less gritty and more cartoony, but overall more detailed. The audio is changed too. I did not play the Genesis versions I can't tell which is the ultimate version. I believe there exists a Game Boy port too.
Why is this obvious Donald Duck not actually Donald Duck? Apparently, Disney did not want to associate their intellectual property with a duck that wields a gun and the generally dark tone of the game (for a kids game anyway). I think the game lost a lot of name recognition and therefore sales and who is Maui Mallard anyway. It's a dumb name.
But how does the game play? I think it is very well done. The graphics are great especially if you have the ability to show scanlines. I know some people hate them for some reason, but that's how it used to be and was supposed to be played because that's what CRT displays and TVs showed. Scanlines add so much depth and extra detail to the pixelart, it's astonishing! The stages are well designed and fun too. The music is great as well. Generally, it's an easy game to complete, but pretty difficult to 100% because some loot is very well hidden and in the autoscrolling stages you need to avoid the checkpoints and re-play sections until you got all loot before you continue.
The game has some big problems in my opinion: The jerky left and right scrolling if you turn your character around. The screen sometimes snaps back and forth so quickly that it becomes disorienting. The Genesis version does not have that. Also, the duck plays like a duck. The controls are sometimes not precise. A bit floaty and it sometimes also has too much inertia. I think it has to do with the smooth animations that need to play out before other input is accepted, but maybe it has a different reason. The collision detection is also often really bad, but it's never game breaking.
I think it is still a good game and recommended to play. Not top tier at all, but solid. I just wish it was actual Donald Duck.
00:00 - Start
00:43 - Level 1 (Mojo Mansion)
18:46 - Level 2 (The Ninja Training Grounds)
38:24 - Level 3 (Muddrake Mayhem)
51:20 - Level 4 (Sacrifice of Maui)
1:05:32 - Level 5 (The Test of Duckhood)
1:25:06 - Level 6 (The Flying Duckman)
1:44:09 - Level 7 (The Realm of the Dead)
2:02:06 - Level 8 (The Mojo Stronghold)
The short version of the story is that there was a kingdom of the just and benevolent King Lorelei. A long time ago, some evil named Gyra showed up, but he and his followers were banished below the city. Now, Gyra has been freed and King Lorelei was captured by someone who turns out to be your brother (in the intro, so no spoiler). You set out to make things right again.
Elemental Master is somewhat different for a shmup. You're not in any vehicle - you're on foot and in a medieval fantasy setting. This means you can also get stuck on things in the environment or get damaged by environmental hazards like lava. You can select the order of the first four stages which also give you an additional weapon type. These weapons have unlimited energy and can be charged up for a super attack.
Overall, I think the game lacks the complexity of other shmups with advanced scoring features. The graphics and music are top tier and the stage design is well done. It's just missing something, I think, but it could also be that it's just that I don't like the overhead walking aspect that much. It's a fine game and I sure would have loved to play it back then at higher difficulty settings.
00:00 - Start
00:35 - Intro
02:40 - Stage 1 (Fire)
05:38 - Stage 2 (Wind)
08:28 - Stage 3 (Earth)
11:24 - Stage 4 (Water)
14:24 - Stage 5 (Clauss)
19:25 - Stage 6 (Salome)
22:15 - Stage 7 (Roki)
28:57 - Ending
The Sega CD version is the only port with CD audio and it sounds amazing. It also has voiced characters. Unfortunately, they replaced the regular pixel cutscenes with CG videos. They do look dated, but somehow, at least for me, they add some cyberpunk feeling. Some kind of retro future if that makes sense.
You are Conrad. You lost your memory and crashed on Saturn's moon, Titan. The game has seven stages and three difficulties. You get a password for each stage. If you die without using a save point, you get reset to the beginning of the area keeping your items and score when you entered. I did die a lot. The game is quite punishing, but as is normal with cinematic platformers, every screen is a little puzzle to solve in order to survive the whole game. I played on normal difficulty and the game is generous with energy refills if you took the time to find a strategy for the individual encounters.
Overall, it's not exactly my type of game, same with Another world, but it's good and interesting. Without the music, like with Another World, I would not like this at all. I wish the Anniversary Edition had the CD audio...
00:00 - Start
00:10 - Intro
02:43 - Stage 1 - Titan Jungle
20:11 - Stage 2 - New Washington
1:05:52 - Stage 3 - Death Tower
1:28:39 - Stage 4 - Earth
1:47:51 - Stage 5 - Earth Base
1:57:36 - Stage 6 - Alien Homeworld 1
2:10:41 - Stage 7 - Alien Homeworld 2
2:31:43 - Ending
The game is short and the gameplay often consists of trial and error as well as precise timing. Dragon's Lair was the inspiration for this game after all. If you die, you get reset to a checkpoint. I've died many more times than is shown in this playthrough, but since you restart from a fixed checkpoint, I just cut out the other failed attempts to save everyone some time. The environmental storytelling is great though. This game have been on my backlog for a long time and it was worth playing it.
The "sequel", Heart of the Alien, was only released on the Sega CD. Its style is a bit different to the original and the game is not as good, but I included it in this playthrough for completion. The gameplay is much less refined than that of the original and overall pretty average, but it concludes the story of our human protagonist.
00:00 - Start
00:12 - Out of this World - Intro
02:45 - Out of this World - Game
25:03 - Out of this World - End
25:51 - Heart of the Alien - Intro
29:52 - Heart of the Alien - Game
48:01 - Heart of the Alien - End
The game was only released in Japan and a prototype of Targa for PAL regions exists, but it crashes in the first stage so I could not record a proper comparison video. You switch between on-foot stages like Contra or Turrican and proper shmup stages and you encounter many bosses. I'm not sure what part is better or if there are good synergies with alternating the gameplay. It certainly is a unique game and not just for the impressive graphics.
This recording was in normal difficulty. There is also hard difficulty and I would have been interested in mastering that mode, but the game is not well balanced. It suffers from Gradius syndrome. If you die, your current weapon gets powered down to basic strength. You have other weapons, but they may not be ideal for the situation you are in and you also lose your options in the shmup sections. The game is generous with power ups, but until you get refilled, you might lose one or two more lives. And stage 8... is dumb.
00:00 - Start
00:24 - Stage 1
05:16 - Stage 2
11:22 - Stage 3
16:19 - Stage 4
24:03 - Stage 5
35:02 - Stage 6
42:06 - Stage 7
47:59 - Stage 8
59:45 - Stage 9
1:09:35 - Ending
You are Isaac Clarke, an engineer, on the way to the USG Ishimura, a spaceship that is not responding anymore. You are part of a team to check on the status of the Ishimura. Quickly, everything turns from bad to worse as you find out what happened and try to save your girlfriend who worked on that ship.
Why not impossible difficulty? Hard mode is too easy and impossible mode is too tedious. It was a tough choice. I was already getting close to the maximum video length on youtube and the viewing experience is more interesting with faster paced gameplay. Monsters take the same damage, but are much better at dodging and item and money drops are much more scarce.
Chapters
0:00 - Start
0:52 - Chapter 1
40:05 - Chapter 2
1:24:52 - Chapter 3
2:13:19 - Chapter 4
2:57:44 - Chapter 5
3:26:29 - Chapter 6
4:30:29 - Chapter 7
5:21:55 - Chapter 8
5:49:24 - Chapter 9
6:26:39- Chapter 10
7:23:14 - Chapter 11
7:57:56 - Chapter 12
8:45:43 - Ending
8:54:24 - Hidden Intro (Contains Spoilers)
8:55:54 - Scary Physics Bug
8:56:40 - Easter Egg
0:00 Start
0:28 Intro
6:24 Gorrister (Chapter 1)
50:17 Ellen (Chapter 2)
01:33:37 Benny (Chapter 3)
02:11:19 Nimdok (Chapter 4)
02:47:09 Ted (Chapter 5)
03:38:51 Brainscape (Finale)
04:16:58 Best Ending (Ellen speaking)
04:19:58 Credits
04:20:39 Best Ending (Nimdok speaking)
04:20:57 Best Ending (Gorrister speaking)
04:21:09 Best Ending (Benny speaking)
04:21:20 Best Ending (Ted speaking)
04:21:33 Bad Ending (Ellen gives up Totem of Entropy)
04:23:14 Bad Ending (Nimdok)
04:24:47 Bad Ending (Gorrister disabling only the Ego)
04:25:47 Bad Ending (Benny)
04:26:43 Bad Ending (Ted)
04:27:37 Fail Ending (Ellen)
04:28:43 Fail Ending (Nimdok)
04:29:09 Fail Ending (Gorrister)
04:29:26 Fail Ending (Benny)
04:29:43 Fail Ending (Ted)
04:30:02 Ellen killed by lying Ego
04:30:32 Aspect Wake/Deactivate Voice Lines (Gorrister)
04:30:49 Aspect Wake/Deactivate Voice Lines (Nimdok)
04:31:05 Aspect Wake/Deactivate Voice Lines (Benny)
04:31:15 Aspect Wake/Deactivate Voice Lines (Ted)
04:30:27 Aspect Wake/Deactivate Voice Lines (Ellen)
04:31:37 Aspect Interactions with wrong Totems
04:32:41 Give Totem of Entropy to Surgat
04:33:25 Ted betrays Ellen by giving Surgat her soul
04:34:47 Benny threatens the Elder
The stage numbers (and the romanization) are taken from the manual so they are a bit out of order.
0:00 Start
0:17 Round 1 - Higo (肥後)
1:22 Round 2 - Chikuzen (筑前)
4:26 Round 4 - Iyo (伊予)
7:35 Round 5 - Tosa (土佐)
8:53 Round 4 - Iyo (伊予) (other exit)
9:10 Round 3 - Nagato (長門)
11:39 Round 6 - Izumo (出雲)
13:27 Round 9 - Kaga (加賀)
17:37 Round 7 - Settu (摂津)
18:21 Round 8 - Yamato (大和)
20:30 Round 10 - Iga (伊賀)
23:58 Round 11 - Owari (尾張)
25:13 Round 13 - Suruga (駿河)
28:24 Round 12 - Echyu (越中)
29:05 Round 14 - Echigo (越後)
30:57 Round 15 - Mito (水戸)
34:19 Round 16 - Edo (江戸)
38:16 Ending Cutscene
I made this because the story is spread over many cutscenes, briefings, debriefings and environmental storytelling. Since the game is also very long, it is hard to follow who is where at what time and why. Even I, who played this game extensively and watched the playthrough several times while editing and annotating, had a hard time to remember what actually happened.
I hope this is useful for someone. A proper playthrough of another game is in the works so stay tuned and subscribe for more videos! Thanks!
I'm relaunching my channel with this masterpiece on the Amiga! This is the original and really hard version of the game as it launched in 1997. The difficulty is not that bad, but the game is very punishing. You need to conquer every single screen because there is always a puzzle or lots of enemies around. There are also a few bugs related to despawning of allies. Apparently, these and the difficulty are fixed in the "Easyplay Version". I prefer to experience the developer's original version though so this is what I recorded here. Enemy 2 will be coming soon as well once I recorded a playthrough. I think the story, the characters as well as the graphics and especially the music are amazing. I do have to admit, though, that grinding this game was indeed painful and frustrating.
Please like and subscribe for more videos! Thank you!
You can download the game and the soundtrack from the developer's website at https://www.auralis.ch/cms-anachronia-en/18.php. You can download the original difficulty at archive.org/details/enemy-tempest-of-violence-original
Chapters
0:00 Start
0:40 Intro Sequence
6:48 Title Screen
7:10 Stage 1 (Briefing)
9:48 Stage 1 (Gameplay)
15:34 Stage 2 (Briefing)
16:37 Stage 2 (Gameplay)
30:15 Stage 3 (Briefing)
32:30 Stage 3 (Gameplay)
42:59 Stage 4 (Briefing)
45:00 Stage 4 (Gameplay)
57:10 Stage 5 (Briefing)
59:09 Stage 5 (Gameplay)
1:06:59 Stage 6 (Briefing)
1:08:55 Stage 6 (Gameplay)
1:17:51 Stage 7 (Briefing)
1:19:07 Stage 7 (Gameplay)
1:28:05 Stage 8 (Briefing)
1:29:43 Stage 8 (Gameplay)
1:41:04 Stage 9 (Briefing)
1:43:08 Stage 9 (Gameplay)
1:57:32 Stage 10 (Briefing)
1:59:36 Stage 10 (Gameplay)
2:10:55 Stage 11 (Briefing)
2:12:58 Stage 11 (Gameplay)
2:29:03 Stage 12 (Briefing)
2:32:00 Stage 12 (Gameplay)
2:59:43 Stage 13 (Briefing)
3:02:17 Stage 13 (Gameplay)
3:23:31 Stage 14 (Briefing)
3:26:14 Stage 14 (Gameplay)
3:42:36 Stage 15 (Briefing)
3:44:32 Stage 15 (Gameplay)
3:54:25 Stage 16 (Briefing)
3:56:40 Stage 16 (Gameplay)
4:11:19 Stage 17 (Briefing)
4:13:08 Stage 17 (Gameplay)
4:21:45 Stage 18 (Briefing)
4:23:20 Stage 18 (Gameplay)
4:36:11 Stage 19 (Briefing)
4:38:41 Stage 19 (Gameplay)
4:55:34 Stage 20 (Briefing)
4:58:27 Stage 20 (Gameplay)
5:12:21 Stage 21 (Briefing)
5:18:44 Stage 21 (Gameplay)
5:30:05 Stage 22 (Briefing)
5:32:06 Stage 22 (Gameplay)
5:46:55 Stage 23 (Briefing)
5:48:49 Stage 23 (Gameplay)
6:01:12 Stage 24 (Briefing)
6:03:27 Stage 24 (Gameplay)
6:21:05 Stage 25 (Briefing)
6:24:00 Stage 25 (Gameplay)
6:42:30 Stage 26 (Briefing)
6:44:44 Stage 26 (Gameplay)
6:51:22 Stage 27 (Briefing)
6:53:03 Stage 27 (Gameplay)
7:13:41 Stage 28 (Briefing)
7:16:42 Stage 28 (Gameplay)
7:21:36 Stage 29 (Briefing)
7:23:10 Stage 29 (Gameplay)
7:46:20 Stage 30 (Briefing)
7:47:31 Stage 30 (Gameplay)
8:06:36 Stage 31 (Briefing)
8:08:40 Stage 31 (Gameplay)
8:28:26 Stage 32 (Briefing)
8:30:34 Stage 32 (Gameplay)
8:44:11 Stage 33 (Briefing)
8:49:07 Stage 33 (Gameplay)
9:03:24 Stage 34 (Briefing)
9:05:52 Stage 34 (Gameplay)
9:24:50 Stage 34 (Debriefing)
Xel'lotath gameplay (green): http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=otgowhMZIAQ#t=4024
Pious Augustus is watching you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=otgowhMZIAQ#t=4597