First Impressions: Cadence of Hyrule (The Crypt of the Necrodancer feat. the Legend of Zelda)

From the Manufacturer:
Keep the beat as you play as Link or Zelda to explore a randomly generated Hyrule and procedurally generated dungeons. In the latest rhythmic action-adventure from Brace Yourself Games, you can enjoy the gameplay of Crypt of the NecroDancer in the setting of The Legend of Zelda series. As Link—or even as Princess Zelda—you'll explore the randomly generated overworld and procedurally generated dungeons on a quest to save Hyrule. Every beat of each remixed Legend of Zelda tune is a chance to move, attack, defend, and more, so stay one step ahead of each enemy and boss…or face the music.

Pros (So Far):

• The pixel art is crisp, and detailed enough that each enemy type has an individual attack cue
• I like that you can choose to play as either Link or Zelda.  I chose Zelda for my first play-through, though I did play as Link in the demo. 
• As an aside, I'm worried that they won't play appreciably differently, but only time will tell.
• I've enjoyed the music so far, though none of it stands out in my mind as, "essential to the Legend of Zelda musical canon."

Cons and Concerns (So Far):

• The gameplay gets much more of its DNA from Necrodancer than from the Legend of Zelda.  This isn't a bad thing per se, but it is important to mention so that expectations are set appropriately.
• In other words, the game strikes me more as a LoZ skin for Necrodancer than a something entirely new.
• It's not clear to me what parts of the game are randomly generated.  I'm guessing its the dungeons, because the overworld has always been the same from re-spawn to re-spawn. 
• To be clear, I do not think this is necessarily a bad thing.  In particular, I don't think procedural generation is a good fit for every game, especially those that are narratively-driven or that seek to provide a more directed experience.
• I felt the game reported that I, "missed beats," even when I didn't.  This doesn't happen often, and it could have been that I was off.  Then again, I was also able to experiment and get way off the beat (to my own ears), and still be considered on-beat at other times during my play.  Weird.
• NOTE: This has happened less often since I turned off latency adjustment (from 30-ish milliseconds to 0). 
• The story isn't groundbreaking, especially for the LoZ canon.  It's serviceable, but it is safe to assume that this is going to be a standard, "good triumphs over evil hero's journey." 
• The isometric POV means it is sometimes difficult to parse out the structure of multi-level terrain in the game.  This is most prevalent in the overworld, and is rarely a problem in dungeons. 
• The first half of the game was really easy, and it was more-than-possible to defeat enemies and bosses with little to no strategy (especially after acquiring bottles / health potions).

Do I Still Plan To Keep Playing (AKA Final Thoughts For Now)?
This is an easy questions to answer: yes.  I liked Necrodancer in its "vanilla," incarnation, and I like it again with this coat of paint.  I'm curious to see how this version of the game will change / improve the formula.  Failing that, I like the core gameplay enough to spend some time on beating (and possibly mastering) the game.

Link's Awakening (Switch, 2019): Final Review

From the Manufacturer:
Link has washed ashore on a mysterious island with strange and colorful inhabitants. To escape the island, Link must collect magical instruments across the land and awaken the Wind Fish. Explore a re-imagined Koholint Island that’s been faithfully rebuilt in a brand-new art style that will entice fans and newcomers alike. Battle enemies as you conquer numerous dungeons and uncover the hidden secrets of the island.

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Pros:

• The art style is incredibly cute and engaging.  The entire game has a "play set" vibe that drew me in from the start and hasn't let me go.  This is what prompted me to purchase the game, actually. 

• The game's music is great

• There are a number of cameos from other Nintendo properties (like chain chomps), which is neat.

• The moment-to-moment game play is engaging.  I've put a lot of time into this game (approximately 15 hours).

• I never played the original Link's Awakening (for the Game Boy or Game Boy Color), but from what I've seen a number of quality-of-life improvements have been made which I very much appreciate.  This includes better button mapping (by grace of the additional buttons of the Switch), a more cohesively implemented warp system, and auto-saves.

Cons:

• I don't find this to be a con, but the game is not hard on "normal," mode.  I only had one game over my entire play-though, and it was facing the final form of the final boss.  
• For those who want a more challenging experience, there is a "hero" mode where enemies do double damage and don't drop hearts (healing items).

• There are occasional frame-rate issues in both docked and handheld mode.  I noticed it, but it never really bothered me or drastically interfered with game play.  Still, those especially sensitive to losing a few frames will be disappointed. 

• There are still minor annoyances in the moment-to-moment game play that later iterations of Zelda fixed (in my opinion).  In particular, the fact that link's dash does not continue screen to screen (not to mention the long "wind-up" animation), and the use of "magic dust," as a catch all (i.e. I had no idea that it could be used as a torch substitute).  Those familiar with the original games are probably not going to be bothered by these things, but I still found them annoying.

• On a similar note, the "platforming," sections of various dungeons often felt floaty to me.  The platforming never required me to be so precise that it was a problem / caused lots of frustration for me, but it is a stark difference from games like Super Mario Maker 2.
• There was also a boss (minor spoiler ahead: it's the "Armos Knight") that has a wonky hit box that makes him annoying (though not difficult) to defeat.

• Some of the puzzle design is obtuse.  While I can appreciate that the game doesn't "hold my hand," and I've solved most every dungeon without assistance, there have been a few instances where I couldn't figure out what to do next and had to consult a guide.
• The post-credits content is pretty weak.  Collecting sea-shells is a glorified fetch quest, Dampe's dungeon gives mediocre rewards (spoiler: it's rupies / in-game currency, which is not particularly useful by the end-game), and I was able to find all but 3 pieces of heart over the course of a normal play-through.

Final Thoughts:
Though the game shows its age in some ways, and is imperfect in others, it is still a great time.  I've been having a lot of fun!  There's lots of reasons to pick this one up: Legend of Zelda nostalgia, the art style, the music, and of course, the game play.  Though I can level a few minor complaints at the game, it was more than engaging enough to beat (to near 100% completion, I might add).  If you own a Switch, this game is worth a pick-up.

Final Score: 
8.5/10

Link's Awakening (Switch, 2019): A Few Quick Thoughts

From the Manufacturer:
Link has washed ashore on a mysterious island with strange and colorful inhabitants. To escape the island, Link must collect magical instruments across the land and awaken the Wind Fish. Explore a re-imagined Koholint Island that’s been faithfully rebuilt in a brand-new art style that will entice fans and newcomers alike. Battle enemies as you conquer numerous dungeons and uncover the hidden secrets of the island.

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I am not completely done with the game, but since I just sunk a significant amount of time into Link's Awakening (Switch) over the weekend, I figure now is as good a time as any to jot down some thoughts.

Pros (So Far):

• The art style is incredibly cute and engaging.  The entire game has a "play set" vibe that drew me in from the start and hasn't let me go.  This is what prompted me to purchase the game, actually. 

• The music in the game is great

• There are a number of cameos from other Nintendo properties (like chain chomps), which is neat.

• The moment-to-moment game play is fun and engaging; as I said above, I've already put a lot of time into this game.

• I never played the original Link's Awakening (for the Game Boy or Game Boy Color), but from what I've seen a number of quality-of-life improvements have been made which I very much appreciate.  This includes better button mapping (by grace of the additional buttons of the Switch), a more cohesively implemented warp system, and auto-saves.

Cons (So Far):

• I don't find this to be a con, but the game is not particularly hard on "normal," mode.  I've never gotten a game over, despite being a considerable ways into the game.  For those who want a more challenging experience, there is a "hero" mode where enemies do double damage and don't drop hearts (healing items).

• There are occasional frame-rate issues in both docked and handheld mode.  I noticed it, but it never really bothered me or drastically interfered with game play.  Still, those especially sensitive to losing a few frames will be disappointed. 

• There are still minor annoyances in the moment-to-moment game play that later iterations of Zelda fixed (in my opinion).  In particular, the fact that link's dash does not continue screen to screen (not to mention the painfully long "wind-up" animation), and the use of "magic dust," as a catch all (i.e. I had no idea that it could be used as a torch substitute).  Those familiar with the original games are probably not going to be bothered by these things, but I still found them mildly annoying.

• On a similar note, the "platforming," sections of various dungeons often felt floaty to me.  The platforming was never so precise that it was a problem / caused lots of frustration for me, but it is a stark difference from games like Super Mario Maker 2.
• There was also a boss (minor spoiler ahead: it's the "Armos Knight") that has a wonky hit box that makes him especially annoying (though not terribly difficult) to defeat.

• Some of the puzzle design is obtuse.  While I can appreciate that the game doesn't "hold my hand," and I've solved most every dungeon without assistance, there have been a few instances where I just couldn't figure out what to do next and had to consult a guide.

A Few Last Thoughts:
Though the game shows its age in some ways, and is imperfect in others, it is still a great time.  I've been having a lot of fun!  Beyond that, I plan on posting a more complete review once I complete the game in the near future.

"Blush Blush," by Sad Panda Studios (PC)

TL/DR: It's an idle clicker with a coat of furry paint.

Pros:

• It's "free" (i.e. there is no cost to buy the base game but there are a slew of micro-transactions to purchase to speed up your progress)
• The line art is clean and well done
• You can still earn in-game "currency," (e.g. money, heart points, etc) even when you are not playing, which makes the experience less of a slog
• You can create a custom avatar (though this feature isn't well-integrated into the rest of the game, see: "cons"), and all of the guys use gender neutral language.

Cons:

• A lot of assets (and in particular, backgrounds) are re-used repeatedly
• You have the option to customize an avatar, but it doesn't actually appear anywhere but the "avatar" screen
• The personalities / dialogue of the guys ran together for me during the early game
• The end-game (i.e. unlocking and reaching the "highest level" with each character) can be really brutal, and requires a number of "resets," to get a speed boost. In other words, the game artificially pads its run time by making the player start from the beginning. While this may be a trope in clicker games, it's a bit weird in a game where relationship building is the core of the narrative.
• [Nit-pick] I'm assuming the developer had a particular audience in mind with this game, but I wouldn't have minded a few ladies to romance.

Conclusion:
If you like idle clicker games and furry stuff, this may be up your alley. If you are expecting something a bit more in-depth (e.g. a dating sim), you can safely skip this one. PS: If you are looking for for "mature" content, the Steam version doesn't include it. The most you can expect is a shirtless pic (based on what I've seen).

"Serving The Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain," by Danny Goldberg

Serving the Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain by Danny Goldberg is part memoir and part biography.  In particular, it reminded me a lot of Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock, but with a particular focus on the life and times of Kurt Cobain.

Pros:

• The author weaves a compelling narrative about Kurt Cobain, following him from his start in Washington to his on-going impact decades after his suicide.
• I suppose you could list the author's obvious bias in favor of Kurt as a negative, but A) he is upfront about his biases, and B) Goldberg does not claim to give an authoritative, unbiased account. 
• I appreciate the highlighting of Kurt's politics. I was not old enough to grasp them when Nirvana was still around, but now that I am more mature they speak to me. The same goes for Kurt's support of the LGBT community and "genderqueer-ness," (though I wouldn't define the term like Goldberg does).

Cons:

• As with other works in this vein (like "Twilight of the Gods,") it is sometimes hard to differentiate the apocryphal and the factual, especially since much of the narrative happened decades ago.
• This book has a BIG cast of characters. Most come in and out of Kurt's orbit, so it can be hard to keep track of who's who.
• I couldn't help but think, "why now?" regarding this book.  You could argue that the 25th anniversary of Kurt's suicide is reason enough, or that the intervening decades have provided ample evidence of Kurt's lasting influence, but the passage of time has also made memories more fuzzy, information more difficult to locate, and for a gaggle of other books on the subject to be published.
• (Nit-Pick) The "stinger" music at the start and end of the book sound like a bad Nirvana rip-off

Conclusion:
Ultimately, I enjoyed this work.  I'm not sure how much it would add for a super-fan (i.e. someone who had read other biographies like Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana or Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain), but as someone who isn't as well-versed in Kurt's life, this seems like a good place to start.