Chalgyr's Game Room

Heroine Anthem Zero - PC Review

January 25, 2017Adventure, CGRreview, Heroine Anthem Zero, Metroidvania-ish, pc, platforming, review, WindThunder Studio, Winking Entertainment No comments

Heroine Anthem Zero is a new beginning to an older series that saw its last release back in 2003. Set in a Slavic fantasy world, Wanin and Mormolia start off on a new adventure after heading back to their village as part of those known as the Forest Keepers.

From the store page on steam itself the developers state that "it may not be for the hardcore platform gamer". Having played platformers for the past twenty some odd years I can say that while they may be right, it feels a bit like a deprecated statement as Heroine Anthem Zero is still a great gaming experience in its own right even if it concentrates more heavily on its narrative elements for a good portion of the adventure.

Starting off with gameplay however, it is the weakest link. Taking control of Wanin, it can be a few hours before even getting access to anything new. Walking, running, jumping, wall jumping, wall sliding and flat out hitting things are all available from the very beginning. While these are available from the beginning however, out of the six hours that the adventure can take, you won't see any new weapons or armor for about three and a half to four hours. It isn't that big of an issue as most things short of poison and bosses won't kill you, but you'll want new weapons for the bosses as they are very Hit Point heavy.

Heroine Anthem Zero is titled as an adventure platformer but it does hold onto some Metroidvania aspects that I wished had been explored further. Most of these elements only come out to play hours later at about the same time as the new items. Once these elements do come into play however one can see how much effort was put into the design of the environments. Gameplay wise, as mentioned, is not hard but it is fun as it allows your fingers to stretch out as storytime is now over and it's time to let loose.

So if the gameplay only ramps up at the two-thirds mark of the adventure, what do you do in the meantime? Honestly, a lot of the beginning is simple gameplay and a lot of storytelling. The written dialog is translated and not natively English but it is only enhanced by either the Mandarin or Japanese Voice Overs for the multiple characters that Wanin and Mormolia encounter.

This storytelling is really what makes Heroine Anthem Zero. In a lot of cases it feels like a play along Visual Novel until things ramp up with two visual styles that move the events along. The first of these, in which you will spend most of your time seeing, is the "in-game" graphics that make up the gameplay and the bulk of the in-game cutscenes. When zoomed out this style is nice but it can get a bit pixelated once the camera pans up close.

The second of these styles that is used are gorgeous anime character portraits and full screen artworks that can sometimes scroll for better effect. All the main characters have their own portraits with several different expressions in order to properly support the context of the dialog. Mormolia for example is equipped with both annoyed and pissed off portraits for all the dumb things that Wanin can spew without thinking.

There are others with portraits around town but mostly you'll only see them from the main cast unless you move around and talk to the others that are going about their business. These two visual forms carry the narrative a long way. More often than not the two work together with the in-game sprites moving, shrugging, and using emoticons that match the portraits. Between this and the dialog it makes up for the lighter gameplay near the beginning.

The last piece to bring everything together is the stellar soundtrack that exists throughout the entire adventure. Not only does it sound great and work, but it also has a couple voiced tracks for specific scenes that are used to tell a story alongside the in-game graphics, the portraits, and the full screen artworks. This, if nothing else, eases the fact that it takes two-thirds of the adventure to really get the gameplay started as these bardic scenes had to be the best part of the adventure.

The only issue with the sound is not the sounds or the music themselves, but the audio levels during some of the automatic scenes where you didn't have to hit "A" (using an XB1 controller) to continue. For some reason the volume skyrockets, and if you are wearing headphones, it may hurt your eardrums a little bit as you reach for the volume adjustor.

Unfortunately the adventure is only five or six hours long, more or less depending on the state of "your" adventurous soul to look everywhere. The reason that this is unfortunate is that the "Zero" emphasises that this is an introduction and there is more to come both in terms of playable characters and episodes for the story. It really is over too fast and currently there is no information as to when the rest is to follow. In the meantime however they are working to fix any issues that are flagged which is always great to see from a developer.

Now while it can take a good deal of time in order to get started, Heroine Anthem Zero is a great experience. With an amazing soundtrack that supports a very well written, and translated, story, the marriage of the two create an experience that should not be passed up on because of it's "slow" start.

Game Information

Platform:
PC
Developer(s):
WindThunder Studio
Publisher(s):
Winking Entertainment
Genre(s):
Platforming Metroidvania-ish
Mode(s):
Single Player
Other Platform(s):
N/A

Source:
Provided by Publisher

Article by Pierre-Yves

Sylvio - Xbox One Review

January 24, 2017CGRreview, console, microsoft, MS, review, Stroboskop, Sylvio, XB1, xbox, Xbox One No comments

Sylvio puts an emphasis on atmosphere, creating horror more through storytelling and exploration than a true sense of danger. It is one of those titles that makes great use of sound and as such is best experienced in a dark room with an ideal audio situation (headset or surround sound). When the game is played this way, it is an interesting, creepy experience that horror fans should enjoy despite some of the game's limitations.

Games of January 2017

January 23, 20173ds, console, Games of, January 2017, microsoft, nintendo, nintendo 3ds, pc, playstation, PlayStation 4, PS4, sony, XB1, xbox, Xbox One No comments

I would love to say that "It’s that time again!" but we are a bit later this month. Coming in near the end of the month however isn't all that bad as it hasn't been a heavy one and the important titles? Dragon Quest VIII on the 3DS just released this past friday and the best title of the month? Tales of Berseria comes out tomorrow!

Earlier this month and out now

Criminal Girls: Invite Only - PC

With Criminal Girls 2: Party Favors having released not that long before the end of the year, it's predecesor has made it's way over to the PC like many other of NIS/NISA's titles. Didn't have a Vita and missed out on this Dungeon Crawler? Now's your chance to jump on it!

(PSV Trailer)

Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star - PS4, Vita

The next Fate exeprience has recently released and here's what it's all about:

Automaton is a spiritron computer, which exists on the moon and has the power to grant any wish. All across the spiritron-constructed virtual world, SE.RA.PH., Servants and the Masters who control them fight for the right to be the Moon Cell Automaton's one owner in a ceremonial conflict known as the Holy Grail War.

Now, the Servant Nero Claudius and her Master have won the Holy Grail War and have obtained the universal wishing mechanism, the Holy Grail.

They also obtained the Regalia, a ring that proves their kingship. With it, they rule over their once-enemy Servants and start a new beginning on the moon's new world.

But a new enemy has appeared before them. And this enemy has something that shouldn't exist: another Regalia.

Gravity Rush 2 - PS4

Still searching for clues behind the mystery of her origin, Kat must master three unique gravity attack styles as she takes on a new danger emerges to threaten the fabric of the universe itself.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King - 3DS

Dragon Quest VIII is where I started in the series after renting it for no other reason than playing the Final Fantasy XII demo at the time. Falling in love with both it and the series since then, it's seeing its second re-release with the first being for both the iOS and Android platforms. Best part is that the voice acting is back which was a dissapointment to have seen removed from the mobile versions alongside new features.

Saban's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Mega Battle

Alright. This. This right here is the most naltolgic thing on this month's list. I grew up with the Power Rangers on TV and this Brawler goes all the right back to the beginning with the original five and then adds in the Green and White (DLC) Rangers. Hell the putties make that hilarious noise and I swear it's Rita's original voice as she screams at you!

Tuesday January 24th

Tales of Berseria - PS4

Tales of Berseria - PC January 26th

A good portion of the team are fans of the Tales of series. Nick, Robert, Richard, and myself I know are going to be pretty busy throwing as much time as we can into this latest of the series which also finds itself being a few hundred years prior prequel to Zestiria. Thankfully we've only had to wait two years between releases!

Resident Evil 7 biohazard - PS4, XB1, PC

I have to be one of the biggest chickens on the team when it comes to horror and I can't wait to get my hands on this. Resisdent Evil going back to it's roots from the run and gun that's it's become and I'm excited to possibly be scared to death. <- I will NOT be playing this alone or in the dark!

Yakuza 0 - PS4

The Yakuza series is seeing its newest entry which acts as a prequel to the rest of the series and it's looking good.

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue - PS4

I swear that I'm never actually going to see Kingdom Hearts 3 as the appocalypse has more chances to occur first. 2.8 is putting the last titles into HD while also giving us a brand new experience with Aqua who was one of the three main characters from Birth by Sleep which is one of my favorite PSP games.

Monday January 30th

Disgaea 2 - PC

Like Disgaea before it, Phantom Brave, and Criminal Girls above, Disgaea 2 is seeing a PC release. Join in on Adell and Rozalin's adventure as Adell tries to bring her back to Overlord Zenon, in which he's got a bone to pick with anyways. There's only one problem. He's afraid to be touched by girls!

Tuesday January 31st

Conan Exiles (Early Access) - PC

While it may have been cheesy watching it when I was a bit older, I still enjoyed the original Conan the Barbarian. Set in that same world is an open world survival that will allow you to play either on your own server or with others for both better or worse online. Think ARK Survival Evolved.