What I've Been Playing Vol. 55

UnMetal (PS5)

Sneak around in a familiar, but hilarious adventure.

 Unmetal is an indie that's obviously inspired by the MSX Metal Gear games. In it, you play as Jesse Fox, a man detained for a "crime he did not commit" as he must escape the X-army military compound while narrating the events that follows. It's a light-hearted story as Jesse is an unreliable narrator, often exaggerating events to include made-up monsters, deadly tentacles, and naming every guard he comes across "Mike". I ended up thoroughly enjoying the narrative as it was unpredictable and humorous. 

 Unmetal is a 2D stealth game where you control Jesse as you sneak around guards to proceed and at times neutralize them by knocking them out or shooting them-- then instantly heal them as Jesse is no assassin (by his admission). The game's nine levels were solid as most had a gimmick to face like security cameras, flying drones, and monsters that offered a challenge. Bosses were plenty and follow a specific pattern that you need to exploit as they're gonna be tough to beat. None really had an impact, but they were still rewarding to defeat. 

 There were annoying bits like sneaking around dogs that can instantly kill you, a submarine segment where you must carefully maneuver it or its health bar will get depleted by the slightest contact, and the catacombs where you must navigate a long trek of corridors while killing fast-moving ghosts.

 The retro graphics boast more pixels over its inspirations as levels and characters were brimming with detail. Voicework was surprisingly great for an indie and the soundtrack packed tracks that blended well with the game's tone. Overall, Unmetal was a fantastic time that's loaded with lots of witty jokes and solid stealth gameplay. 

Strider (PS5)

Slash and destroy everything in your way.

 

 Strider was the reboot to Capcom's 1989 classic, Strider, that released back in 2014. I originally played the game back in the day and thought to give it a replay. You play as Strider Hiryu, who is tasked with infiltrating Kazakh City, the domain of evil tyrant, Grandmaster Meio and kill him. Between him and his objective are an array of Meio's loyal servants and army that are all planning on stopping Hiryu's quest. 

 Strider is a 2D action-metroidvania where control Hiryu as he explores around the industrial city. Movement was fast and fluid as Hiryu's pretty acrobatic, making traversal all the more smooth. You're often tasked with completing objectives and unlocking nee abilities for Hiryu such as a double jump, kunai, and new cypher attacks like a panther and eagle that destroy enemies. Levels often have room with upgrades that increase the amounts of kunai you can shoot, as well as your health and energy meters. 

 Like any Metroidvania, you'll need specific power ups to unlock blocked doors to progress, which means backtracking to early zones to block secrets as well, tons of boss fights and they were alright. Most will boil down to either mindlessly spamming attacks till their dead or carefully memorize their patterns and wack them.

 The visuals looked average, even during its time as models and backgrounds were static and lacked much variety. Aside from Hiryu's design, the character models look low-quality and their lips don't move when speaking. The performance on PS5 was smooth with no noticeable issues whatsoever. The voicework was sadly generic, though fortunately the soundtrack was a nice listen. Strider was a great time overall and one that sadly doesn't get all the attention.

Ys: The Oath in Felghana (PC)

The thrill-seeking duo are back again!

 Ys: The Oath in Felghana is a remake of Nihon Falcom's 1989 RPG, Ys III: Wanderers from Ys, released in 2005 for the PS2. Famed adventurer Adol Christin is back and he's exploring the Felghana region, that's home to his loyal companion, Dogi. Things aren't as pleasant as they seem when monsters suddenly appear in the land. Now it's up to Adol and Dogi to unmask the mystery behind the strange occurrence and battle the forces threatening Felghana. 

 The Oath in Felghana follows-up on the foundations set-up by Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim, as you control Adol as he navigates through 3D environments. Not much has changed as it's still a fast action-RPG where you're battling monsters, exploring levels, and fighting tough bosses. The region's Raval ore is used to upgrade Adol's gear and levels packed secret treasures that contain new equipment and gems that increase Adol's magic attacks. 

 The level variety was good as you'll be exploring the likes of an old ruins, underground lava cave, icy mountain, and a gigantic clock tower. The levels themselves were okay, as I found myself mostly being interested in the new enemy variety and treasures to look out for. The game took me around 10 hours to beat at level 51 with replay-value being in chasing the higher difficulties. 

 Felghana remains unchanged from Ys VI as it continues the 3D engine with environments and models looking familiar. They've held up decently but their age are already showing. The art-style was good and gameplay ran well at a mostly stable 60fps. The voicework was surprisingly great with standout performances being Chester and Dogi. The soundtrack was good with lots of rock-based tracks to fit the fast-paced action. 

 Ys: The Oath in Felghana was another neat game in the Ys series that genre fans will enjoy. It's a bit old-school when it comes to the difficulty of the bosses and platforming--- also you can't pause the game during bosses for some reason. Still, if you can get past that, then you're in one great ride.

Injustice: Gods Among Us (PS5)

DC's best fight amongst each other.

 Injustice: Gods Among Us is a fighting game from Mortal Kombat developer, NetherRealm Studios, that released all the way back in 2013. I remember being super excited for it at the time since I loved the studio's 2011 reboot of MK and oddly ended up getting on my Wii U, of all consoles. It's a 2.5D fighter where you play as DC most famous superheroes as they duke it out among each other in a wide variety of stages. The campaign was the main draw as Superman becomes a tyrant after Joker tricked him into killing Lois and their unborn child. Now, a ruthless dictator, it's up to Batman and his resistance to fight Superman's forces. It was pretty engaging though my only complaint was that it was short since things ended when it was really getting good. 

 Injustice was a lot of fun as well with you choosing from sizeable roster of characters and perform some wild-- but not bloody-- finishers that will destroy your opponents. Each fight has two rounds and the transitions were seamless as characters have two life bars, so the match won't be interrupted. The stages were pretty cool-looking and standouts include Metropolis and Fortress of Solitude. Moreover, the stages offered a great deal of interactivity as you get to use objects in the backgrounds to attack your opponents, which comes handy in tougher fights. 

 The finishers were amazing to look at and some impressive ones included Doomsday, Flash, and Superman's. I didn't like the gimmicky mini-games between fights as they serve no purpose but to act as shallow distractions. 

 Graphics haven't aged well a decade later, especially when compared to its sequel. Still, I enjoyed some of the character designs like Flash and Superman's. It ran decently on PS5, though it tends to stutter a lot during cut-scenes. The voicework was top-notch as expected and so was the soundtrack. In short, Injustice: Gods Among Us was a fun fighting game that still was nice to replay years later.