What I've Been Playing Vol. 26

Journey (PS4)

Mysterious and eye-catching.

 An indie game that made news years ago for its mysterious atmosphere, Journey starts out cryptic with you controlling a drifter as you navigate through a desert with the goal of reaching a glowing mountain. Along the way, you'll explore the game's world as you learn what became of it by interacting with various ruins and watching cutscenes. Journey's light on the gameplay since you're mainly jumping around platforms to get to the next place, so it's a walking game basically. That said, the game has some beautiful spectacles as the visuals are flashy with the soundtrack complementing some of the grand moments. It's really short at 2 hours long. Not what I would call memorable but at least it was somewhat worth the hype everyone was talking about back in the day.

Mighty No. 9 (PS4)

A mighty meh.

 Possibly the biggest letdown in recent memory, Mighty No. 9 wasn't the Mega Man successor many hyped it out to be. Messy Kickstarter history aside, I was curious about the game ever since its less than stellar release and thought that I'd give it a chance when it's on sale. Thankfully, the game was free on PS+ a while back so it was mostly sitting in my backlog, until now. When a virus turns every robot in the U.S. berserk, it's up to android mighty number 9 or "Beck" to save the day along with his sibling mighty numbers. 

 The game has you controlling Beck as you dash and shoot your way through enemies. A unique mechanic is that Beck can absorb enemies when they get stunned and restores a bit of health and weapon power. There are over 8 mighty numbers to track in their levels and Mega Man fashion, each has their own weakness to a specific weapon, similar to rock, paper, scissors. The levels were decently paced though some enemy placements and instakill hazards can seriously ruin the fun by killing you instantly out of nowhere, especially with some levels lacking checkpoints. Sure it's a challenge, but not when you die from a BS instakill laser that you're sure that dashed past. That and most of the weapons felt useless outside of a stage and you'll mainly stick to the main ones like the grenade launcher, blade, and ice beam. 

 The presentation is average with bland-looking visuals and an equally average soundtrack. Mighty No. 9 took around 4 and a half hours to beat, with replay-value being decent with a boss rush and challenge modes being available. All in all, the game was generic at best and it's cheap nowadays if you're looking for a Mega Man-like experience.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PS4)

A unique and investing
adventure.

 I finally got around to playing Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons after years of telling myself that I'll eventually check it out. It follows the tale of two brothers on a journey to find a cure for their sick father. An emotional tale, you'll be bonding with the two brothers throughout the game as they constantly try to avoid danger and help many strangers along the way-- with the ending was a real downer. It's a puzzle-platformer as you'll control both brothers simultaneously as you jump between ledges, row boats, run, and so on. It sounds easy on paper but its actually tricky to pull-off, with you having to carefully time your inputs. The game's world was interesting too as the levels were varied so you won't be bored of seeing the same scenery. However, I felt that it would have benefited from an online mode as it looks like a fun multiplayer game and the added challenge would've made the game even more entertaining. 

 Visually, the game is good-looking though nothing gorgeous. Some animations felt stiff and would end abruptly at times, which caught my attention. The soundtrack and gibberish voices of the brothers were a neat touch and gave the game a certain amount of charm. Overall it took me around 4 hours, with little in replay-value. Brothers doesn't overstay its welcome and was among the more memorable indies I've played in a while.