A hat in time is better than Mario Odyssey

   Let me prefix this by saying that I did enjoy Mario Odyssey, but the hype train pulled up to the station and I bought a ticket, I guess that's what you get for believing other peoples opinions (even though that's what this is).

   So, I've said several (million) times that I'm was/ am a Sega kid so I have a negative bias against Mario, Probably unjustly, but that's what got beaten in to my brain as a kid (unaided by the fact that all games media has a massive bias towards Nintendo for reasons I don't understand). There was a while though, during the DS/ Wii era where I thought I might change my mind, and that's where I'll begin. New super Marios bros. DS was was the first Mario game I played to the entirety and it was fantastic, and even though that is a 2d platformer whereas 'A hat in time' is 3d, there is a reason for bringing this up, the reason being New super Mario Bros led me to playing the DS port of Mario 64 (that and the general good word). Now, even though this was several years old when I got to it, I have to admit it is a fantastic game, and clearly a game that 'a hat in time' takes a great deal of inspiration from. That game pushed me on to buying Mario Galaxy and that is a true all time great, a much more linear game than mario 64 but the game play was totally spot on and a real fresh take on 3D platforming. I missed its Super Mario galaxy bro (number 2) as I had traded in my Wii by its time of release, what with all the shovel wear released on Wii and the end of my university 'adventure' (y'know, constant drinking) meant that the group playing of Wii sports/ play dropped off and it became fairly pointless (also I was skint re. the whole university thing). Skipping past the underrated New super Mario bros Wii U (which was a small improvement on the DS game several years late) I picked up the once again underrated Mario 3D world (for some unbelievable reason people said the Wii U was crap, but there was that plastic tablet...), which was a very good 3d platformer, but more traditional than galaxy, and as thus somewhat of a let down for me personally, after Galaxy was so damn good. Ironically I then finally picked up Mario galaxy 2 with the Wii U's backwards compatibility (looking at you playstation and your lack of it (how am I finally supposed to play 'a crack in time' now I know how good ratchet and clank is you jerks? (I could dust off the ps3, but that seems like a very small amount of effort that I can't be bothered to put in, it's already in a box!) you jerks)). So, Mario galaxy 2, again I was let down, it had been many years since I had played Galaxy 1, and at the time it really resonated with me, but having played 3D world. the gameplay and graphics in galaxy 2 seemed a little out of date, and the game felt exactly the same as the first. And then there was Mario odyssey...

   I was waiting with baited breath for this game, as I was a hat in time since I heard of it, but which would be better I asked myself. Having read the title you know my opinion already. Odyssey is an interesting game, several small worlds each filled with tiny little bits of gameplay to get moons to move on to the next stage. now these little chunks are largely very good, but this isn't really what I'm looking for, I like larger travelling levels with more of a challenge whereas just to play through the main game of Mario Odyssey was way too easy, granted there is a supposed fantastic post game, in which i dabbled, but after the mushroom kingdom flashback to 64 I found largely unrewarding and just more of the same over again. I have likely mentioned before at my general dislike of playing games over again or to death unless I find them truly special (see Sonic mania, Horizon and indeed, a hat in time). Again, I'm being negative, but I am generally a negative outlook kind of person, I did like Mario Odyssey, but it didn't live up to the hype for me, at all. were it not a Mario game and instead some new IP and less hype, I might have enjoyed it more, but high expectations are a dangerous thing. This segways in to a hat in time nicely.

   A hat in time had me interested, it looked good, and I heard good things as it was released on PC a month or so before consoles, and word of mouth was good, but after Zelda and Mario I began to learn my lesson (kinda, but it was largely due to a new IP with a relatively inexperienced studio (I think, my 2 minute investigation was inconclusive) that this could be different).
   This game is a spiritual successor to Mario 64, a hand full of worlds with a handful of quests in each, but unlike Odyssey these are real challenges. Large platforming sections are abound, there are interesting puzzles and a large variation on the missions that are part of the game. From straight up platforming to stealth, to murder mystery investigation to races and large scale puzzles and long boss battles, there is something for everyone, and mostly all in depth. Best of all are the secret colourless areas you can find which are the ultimate challenge of your skill.
   To appear unbiased I will give some negative elements. Mostly it's the graphics, this game looks like it would be more at home on a 360/ PS3 than modern day consoles which is a shame. Secondly I was somewhat worried about the hat changing concept of the game, thinking there would be millions of pauses to change hat, and even though this doesn't happen as much as I worriedly expected it can still get annoying at times.
    Those minor gripes aside this is quite probably my favourite 3D platformer of all time, better than Mario 64 as it has clearly taken inspiration from it and modernised it, better that Mario Odyssey, netter than this years nostalgia fest that was the Crash N'Sane trilogy and yes, even better than the 3D sections in Sonic Generations. (BTW, I'm not counting Ratchet and Clank as a 3D platformer, my blog, my rules). Play this game.

   Clearly no need for a 'you may also like' part as I just listed them all in that last paragraph. Game of the year up nest and spoilers, A Hat in time is nominated.

Bubsy: The Woolies strike back

   Let me spin you a yarn. Coming off the back of quickly finishing South Park: the fractured but whole and Mario Odyssey I finally went in and traded my old ps4 in that I had been holding in to since buying a pro several months ago what with my laziness. Anyway, I took that in (and a few games) to Game (the shop chain), and instead of walking out with a bunch of cash to spend on my upcoming weekend away (as planned) I walked out with Wolfenstein, Assassins Creed, Evil within and Shadow of war. Which to choose first was the question, I know Sonic Forces is out on the 7th November and what with it being me every other game goes on pause for a new Sonic game. I needed to pick something fairly short then, so obviously I chose to pay £25 to purchase Bubsy: The woolies strike back.
   So, who is Bubsy? Bubsy was a 2D mascot platformer from the 16 bit era appearing on Snes, Jaguar (which had it's own exclusive Bubsy game, nice) and most importantly Mega Drive. I played a lot of Bubsy 1 and some of 2, and they were okay, but as a kid when I only had a handful of games so for many years I would play games over and over again, and Bubsy 1 was one of these games. As a mascot he's not exactly Sonic (or Mario I Guess), hell, he's not even earthworm Jim, more of a Gex or James pond kinda guy, so it's easy to see why few people would have heard of him. Obviously, with my lifelong love of Megadrive, and the whole bizarre nature of a game being released in a long since forgotten series 21 years after it's last instalment, (which was Bubsy 3D, which itself is known to be one of the worst video games of all time (never played it but looks pretty awful)) I was always going to buy this, no question. But then I saw the price, was shocked, then bought it anyway (what am I like?).

   So, the actual game. Good god it looks bad, 2.5D, urgh, I get that real pixel work is expensive but at this price maybe they should've made an effort because it instantly made me think of Mighty number 9, not a comparison anyway wants. As for how it plays, well, Bubsy was never a great game, and unfortunately there is no difference here, don't get me wrong, it's not the worst game ever made but it's average at best. Trying to be positive now they've introduced an interesting idea on a platformer that I have never come across before where they give you a set amount of lives at the start of each level (9, cause he's a cat (Did i mention that yet? That was where the yarn joke at the start came from)) rather than carrying lives level to level. This is an interesting idea but not implemented well, because there's too many lives. Some of the levels towards the end of the game are quite difficult (what with their insta-death sections (that being a part of a level that will kill you that the only way you would know it's coming is by dying to it already (or dumb luck) that appears in varying amounts in platforms depending on how well designed they are)) but due to being given a large quantity of lives you can brute force your way through these levels fairly easily.
   They also have an interesting idea on bosses where the damage dealt to the boss carries over even after you've died (until you've lost all 9 lives anyway) which is great for me because it makes them easier and as I say nearly every time, I hate bosses. For a player who isn't so easily frustated as me this would no doubt make it way too easy to defeat them. that said, I still struggled a lot of the second boss (yet got through the last one on the first time of asking). A final issue, this game took me approximately 3 hours to complete, maybe less, and half hour of that was being stuck on the second boss, sure there are collectables but I have no interest in getting them (maybe if it had a platinum trophy (still probably not)) and this game was £25! twenty five pounds!
   In many ways it's somewhat unfair to judge a game on its price, but right now on PSN for £25 or less you could get the likes of Resident Evil 7, Fallout 4, Dying Light and my personal 2016 game of the year Doom, which is £9.49! Bubsy is a below average 2D platformer that could only appeal to the likes of me who has an undeserved attachment to the game from 20+ years ago, because it's certainly not going to get good reviews (if it even gets any beyond some guy with 500 youtube subscribers) or word of mouth. If it was less than a tenner then maybe I could forgive it as a half hearted attempt to bring a long forgotten franchise back, mainly for the lolz, but for £25, no.
 
I guess if you like this game you could also play mighty number 9, but just play Sonic Mania (£16) instead.

Pyre

   I have talked before about how much I enjoyed Bastion and Transistor (I think). Pyre is the third game by 'Super Giant' (the developer of these games) and this is the best one yet. They've only gone and invented their own sport and mixed it with a fantasy RPG. This is not a mix I thought I'd ever see, or would work (if you made this on Game Dev Tycoon it would be crap) but it does, oh it does.

  Firstly, this game isn't Rocket League, which is the first thing I'd be thinking about a video game invented sport (or maybe Mutant league football), it's not a speed fest (although that can come in handy from time to time), it takes thought to play the game, especially s you're only in control of one player at a time. Essentially it boils down to 2 teams of 3 players trying to get a ball in to a Pyre (geddit, like the name of the game). All characters have different abilities and you can choose any mix. I don't want to go in to the rules of the game now, there's a lot to take in, although it's slowly spooned in over time so you never get overwhelmed, and ultimately the sport is fairly easy to understand, but describing all the nuances will take a lot of time, and dull text (though you could argue this is all dull text).
   The actual story in here is based on your character and a group of rogues (not affiliated to the X men) being sent to purgatory for various crimes and having to win games of this sport to return them to the surface world. Over time you meet more characters to add to your party while also losing some characters as you send them off to the world above, just make sure you don't send your star player off at the start because you'll be without them the rest of the game (Jodoriel was my star player (I didn't send her off early though, I'm not an idiot)). The story is deeper than this but that will enter spoiler territory, suffice to say there are multiple endings depending on how many of your squad you rescue and your decision at the end.
   As usual, there's no such thing as a perfect game, and some elements of this story can drag. A lot of the plot is repeated over and over, really drilled in to your head like you're at an internment camp for repetitive storytelling. Some characters really aren't that interesting and the majority of the rival teams don't come across as menacingly as the game seems to want them to.

   Lets talk music though, and just like Sonic Mania before (although Pyre came out a few weeks before that did, but this is the order I'm writing them in) the music is fantastic. Different enemy teams have different songs when you meet them. fitting to their characters as well as other area music like the shop or inside the wagon (what a great time it's been for video game music as of late between these two, Crash and Arms). Music talk moves fairly smoothly on to artistic talk (I recon) and this game looks fantastic. The design of the characters in the still cut scenes is fantastic and the look of the sport is very good as well, with an array of different looking fields in which the games take place, from fiery pits and muddy swamps to gothic sports stadiums and beyond, it looks flippin' great.
   This game truly is special and can stand alongside, and arguably above Transistor and Bastion, this developer keeps getting better and better, I can't wait to see what they do next, but for now, the stars have aligned to create a fantastic game.

Sonic Mania

   It's been a while since a post here, but if one game was ever going to bring me back, this is it, plus I want to catch up again and I've got another idea for a different blog, a more structured and interesting one that's not jut some rambling nonsense like this. Rambling nonsense is the way this is going though and is the way it shall remain, for better or worse, in particular for this post there will be assumed in depth Sonic knowledge that no one I know has except for myself (but other people will have), so best of luck.

   After looking forward to this game it is finally here and it didn't surprise me that I completed it in one sitting (there was a 30 minute dinner break in there), an ode to a 16 bit Sonic where the speedster made his name, before flikies (unbelievably not a real word) island began a downward spiral ultimately resulting in making out with a human woman and turning it to a (sigh) werehog (plus shadow had a game where he had a gun and there was a kinect racing game but they're spin offs (what next, Blaze P.I,? (that's right, multiple brackets are back))) . I've spoke before of how I like Sonic generations, and even though there's been a slump since it seems at least 2/3 of the upcoming Sonic Forces will be along the same vain, so hopes are up on that. I'm not here to talk about Sonic forces though, or the Sonic list I promised and never deliveredupon (kinda seemed like no one but me would care and hence a waste of my time (though argument could be made that all my blog posts are)), I'm here to talk about Sonic Mania, and how great it is.
   Sonic Mania sees the return of some classic zones (with a few surprising choices) that are remixed in to something semi knew, but not in a bad way at all, parts touch the nostalgia bone in my body (though I need several for this insane year (can't wait for them Woolies to strike back), and it was already tickled by Crash) while also offering new challenges, and tunes. Speaking of music, this is one of the best sounding games I've ever heard, probably last challenged by Saints row 4 (btw, what is volition doing with Agents of Mayhem instead of Saints Row 5, seriously?) and that had actual songs in it, this is created music specifically for this game. That great music passes on even better to the new levels which have all new music, yet sound in the same style as any of the classics, and most of these new levels are great too, Studiopilis and the second act of Mirage Saloon are particular stand outs (the latter of which which may be the best sonic act, ever). Bosses are good too (and you know my views on them), not too hard but still a challenge, apart from Oil Oceans', which annoyed me.
   Many new ideas are in there too, as well as old ones, it could be seen as they threw every gimmick from every one of the Megadrive games, and some new ones at a wall and waited to see what stuck, and very nearly all of them did, praise must be given to the developers who were made up of Sonic fans and fan game creators, not even touched by Sonic team, which is for the best in this day and age.

   This is not a totally perfect game though, no game is, the penultimate level reminds me of  Metroplos zone from Sonic 2, my second least favourite Sonic level from the originals (labyrinth being the worst, obviously). I found this one to be full of traps that are unavoidable where you don't know what's coming, although to be fair this always comes up towards the end of every 2D platformer every made, not that it makes this right. I also wasn't keen on the final zone, not for the difficulty but for the length, I ended up being timed out on both acts, which seems to be Casino night and Carnival night zones both mixed in to one, yet somehow longer than both combined (if you ignore the fact that as a child I couldn't figure out how to do that that up and down spinning platform bit on Carnival night zone as I thought you had to jump on it rather than just hold up and down (jeez, the amount of time outs I got from that). That zone in particular being where the gimmicks just cross the line of going too far.
   I don't want to linger on the negatives though, so let's get in to the reference fest that is Sonic Mania, made by fans, for fans. The games is full of references to the main 2D sonic games, beyond just the levels, with the best of all coming from the Sonic CD level Starlight speedway, that's right, time travelling returns, and even the odd choice of sounds from that game turn up. (speaking of Sonic CD, what a shame that until The Sonic gems collection (back on PS2) this game was restricted to the Mega CD (and roms you thief's (definitely not how I first played it...)) so was criminally underplayed, bu at least it wasn't stuck on the 32X like Knuckles chatoix, a game I still haven't played and isn't even referenced in Mania (I think, the chaotix team certainly don't appear (see Sonic the comic/ Sonic heroes as to how I know who they are (I've lost the amount of brackets I've opened now so this should cover it)))). There is also an appearance of famed 'Sonic the fighters' characters Bean, Bark and Fang (though to be fair the latter did appear in the game gear only Sonic chaos sequel, Sonic triple trouble (yes, I've played (and completed) it, pretty decent tbh)). There's also a reference to the reference to Sonic from Deus Ex. The best one of all though I don't want to mention, as it was one of my favourite video game surprises of all time (and no, it's not a Sonic Spinball reference, fortunately).

   So there you have it, for any Sonic fan back from the 16 bit era, this game is for you, and any fan of 2D platformers should get a kick out of this. Can't really do a 'you may also like' thing in here, 'cause the answers are obvious (also Freedom planet, the best Sonic fan game, of which one of the creators worked on Sonic Mania (I think, I'm sure I heard that somewhere a while ago)).

   I want to start writing more blog posts now, I need to catch up on what I've missed and Pyre definitely deserves it's own post (though no one will read it, indies don't get much traffic). I also want to start my new idea for another blog soon, but I'm not setting a date for that.

Zelda and Mass Effect

   So many big games this year, it's insane, especially as last year was quite pants. Even when it feels like there's a gap coming up now, there isn't really, like how Prey came out Friday. I wish Bethesda would remove their stupid policy of not sending out review copies of games until release day so the reviews are out late. I'm semi (ha) interested in Prey and had a weekend of so might've played it, but as I'm not pre-convinced (definitely a word) I've gave it a miss and will now likely not buy it for some time, potentially second hand now if I ever do, so Bethesda lost out on my money.
   Speaking of missing out on my money, I was quite interested in Injustice 2, the DC fighting game based on and made by the Mortal Kombat guys. However, they have announced DLC before the game is released... If you're not going to release a completed game then don't charge full price. People went nuts at Deus Ex last year for the game being portioned out in to 'pay to play' sections so the whole game didn't come out like the developers wanted because the publishers were dicks, but it seems no one cares about the same thing happening now. Well, fuck this game now, I'll spend my money on something more worth while, like biscuits. In my eyes they've made a fatal(ity) error. Rant over
   Anyway, I'm here to talk about Mass Effect and Zelda, though not in great detail, everything in the world has already been said, but I'll add a few of my own thoughts now.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

   Well, I already put my kinect away, so no more videos recorded by me, no great loss there. Until another game come out where you can play as a middle aged man dress as Cammy then why bother?
   So, one of the best things that Zelda did for me was take so long that I didn't get to starting Mass Effect until the patch came out so I never had any issues with crazy facial animations and monster faces that people had early on so that is a non factor to me.
   As I have said many, many times third person shooters really aren't my bag, I enjoyed the Mass Effect series in the past (especially 2, the best one) because it had such a good story, and the game play was good enough in short bursts, but 3 took it in a bad direction where it was nearly all shooting. This game reminds me more of 3 in that sense but it seems to me that the game play has improved. I find it immeasurably better than other games of this genre like Uncharted and Gears of War which I get bored of after 10 minutes, this had enough variety with teamwork included that I enjoyed it. I'm not saying that I prefer playing these parts more that a good FPS or platformer, it certainly isn't that good, but it's solid. Until you come across yet another orb dude of course.
   The main story here is good, overall. It's a good story set away from, and yet simultaneously to (sort of) the original trilogy, although the actual script isn't the best. Most of the loyalty missions are good although there wasn't any Zaeed-esque questionable choices that stopped me from hundred percenting no. 2 cause my Shepard wasn't a total dick. Millions of little side quests are available to varying degrees of fun and tonnes of missions related to building up planets to let the colonies live on.
   The biggest issue I have with the game is travelling, so many of the missions involve travelling to different planets (with their long loading times) or around the Nexus (the new version of the Citadel) that the game can become so tedious. you can play a mission for 10-15 minutes of just travelling between loading screens to have a conversation with a dude before going somewhere else for another and so on. I worry that this is done intentionally to break up some of the monotony of shooting as that's what I suspect, but there has to be a better way to do it (not that I know what that idea is). There are also mining, developing, multiplayer parts to help you upgrade your abilities, weapons, armour and so on but I finished it easily after barely dipping my toe nail in to any of this.
   So, in summation I feel there has been some harsh criticism of this game but also kind of fair. It's enjoyable but if it wasn't a Mass effect game I'd likely have never touched it. If you're a Mass effect fan give it a play in the (very) unlikely event you haven't already, don't believe the hate. If not I guess it depends how much you like a game that gives you a million things to do that can last hundreds of hours if you so desire.

The Legend of Zelda the Breath of the Wild

   I am not a Zelda fan. The only main Zelda game I played was the early Wii game Twilight Princess, which I didn't think much of. As mentioned so many times I was a Sega kid to such of an extent in fact that I didn't realise that a Sega kid kid was really a thing until I got to uni when I met people who actually had nostalgia for old Nintendo.  I am not sure I played any Nintendo console before that outside of not getting how to play Goldeneye with the one thumb stick and giving up quickly.
   What I am getting to there is that I'm not one of these Zelda lovers who decided this was the greatest game of all time before it even came out, that said I'm also not a hater just to be contrarian. This is a very good game. The world is incredible, full to the brim with things to see, so and find. The varieties of areas are amazing and it looks fantastic, including the spectacular draw distance. The puzzles are fantastic too, many of the shrines are very good and can make you feel like a smarty pants when you figure it out, and this goes multiple times over for the Divine beasts. The combat is fine as well, very simple, but effective and I didn't hate the bosses, somehow.
   Not so good is all the different things to pick up, and no I'm not talking Korok seeds that actually do something. I mean all the bones and plants and such things you pick up, I know they all have a use with cooking and crafting but the only ingredient I ever needed to actually use was fire lizards for that volcanoey area of the map. Of course the breakable weapons are a whole ridiculous thing of their own.
   A quick summary then is that this is a must play, despite that most people wont have a way to play it 'cause it's impossible to get your hands on a Switch and who actually owns a WiiU (except for me)? This is another game that could last you hundreds of hours if you want it to, but in my opinion, Horizon is the better game this year due to it's far superior gameplay, and as far as the world goes, Witcher 3 is better. Those 2 are, in my opinion, pretty great games to be compared to though. Just remember Nintendo fan boys, being able to climb every wall alone does not the greatest game of all time make (does that make sense).
 
   Two more things. 1. Telltale's 'Tales from the Borderlands' is free on PS plus this month, a game I've nearly bought several times as so many people seem say how it is if not the second best (after walking dead) telltale game then maybe the actual best because it is so 'hilarious'. Well, I played the first episode and it isn't, people are idiots. 2.  Why is Puyo puyo Tetris £10 more on the Switch than on PS4 and why is it only physical on ps4? I guess Sega are a mean scheme machine or that Nintendo are feeding us an Avalanche of shit...

 

   No time to explain is very good too (as seen above). A platformer where you control the jumps with a big laser beam, which is also your weapon. Has loads of references to other games too, which obviously I appreciate. 

Snake Pass

It's 10 O'clock on Friday night, what better to do than right a blog about a child's video game, drink a box of Perry, listen to Alanis Morrisette and pour peanuts directly in to my mouth? (none is the answer).

   I say 'childs' game but that is a bit harsh, it's more of a throwback. The game is made in the style of a 3D mascot platformer (think Crash, Banjo, Bubsy 3D) in so much as it is a colourful game just aiming to have fun (ignoring the fact that the first Crash was ridiculously hard (and crap)). There is no platforming though, snakes cannot kick, punch, chop or block, so how does it work? You gotta believe! Obviously that's not the answer, actually, as a snake you have to crawl up bamboo shoots (as pictured above) and other objects to get around, there are no enemies (apart from the environment), except your own ability! Good job because otherwise what you gonna do, when they come?
   On each level there are 3 colourful orbs you must collect to advance to the next level as well as a bunch of other collectables along the way, and it can be really hard to get these, but you can, you just gotta believe. Practise makes perfect in this game (which can be said for any game really), at first getting over one tiny gap can be a major issue, but as you get a handle on the grip function you'll advance much further, while of course mixing in suicidal jumps that the developers probably wouldn't want the player to do, but why leave the option in? you gotta believe that people will take advantage of it.
   As an aside, they have some of the best named achievements/ trophies I've ever seen (well, 2 anyway), one named 'snakes on a plain' hence me not being able to make a joke on that, and then one one you may think more like to come from the mouth of Hal Emmerich. No Penis jokes though, shame.
   Point is, this is really good. A fantastic zone out game while you're listening to music or whatever. It's not as hard as people make it out to be and it doesn't outstay it's welcome. It's on everything, even Switch! You should play it, you gotta believe me.

Parappa the rapper remastered just came out btw.

Night in the Woods

   After spending dozens of hours on Horizon, probably 10 or so on Ghost Recon Wildlands in a co op play through and then at least a dozen (probably more) on Zelda (yes, I got a Switch and breath of the wild, more on that another time) I needed something to break up the ridiculous lengths of games going on. So I went for night in the Woods. Of course, this doesn't stop the fact that Mass effect has been sitting unopened on a shelf for a week and now Persona 5 reviews are out and apparently it's amazing. Jeez. At least Yooka-Laylee isn't out for 2 weeks... Just a short one today to crank it out before heading back to Hyrule (that's where Zelda is set btw).

   Much like Oxenfree this is a 2D story based game where a bunch of youths try to make sense of a crazy situation and even though it does have many things in common with Oxenfree, it is quite different. For one, it takes place over a whole 'fall' (that's autumn for us normal people), which means it advances at a slower pace and really helps character building, which really is the games strong point. The 4 main characters of Mae (the person you play as), Gregg, Angus and Bae are fantastically designed characters with loads of personality put in to them, which is impressive from a game with text only speech and no real facial animations. Side characters add to the main plot but it really is all about these four and how you communicate with them and who you spend time with to build relationships and get more out of these characters.
   Unlike Oxenfree again there is gameplay in here too, albeit it occasional. There are puzzle platform dream sequences and a way to explore the town by jumping around power lines to find mini games and back story on the town, who wouldn't want to increase the towns rat problem by feeding them stolen pretzels? Light bulb rounders is also a thing (yes rounders). There is a whole extra game on your computer as well, it's not just for instant messaging and making a shark dance, there's a passable top down dungeon crawler in there. What a Bizarre place to put it...
   Not everything is as good as Oxenfree in this game. Despite how much better the build is for the main story, the actual reveal and ending are pretty bad. Not only does the twist come out of nowhere but the characters are happy to let the horrors of what has happened to them wash away like water off of Howards' back. This strange turn of events totally goes against their characters and leaves a sour taste in the mouth after an extremely interesting set up. This is not to say the game is not worth playing, it's very good up to that point, just be prepared to be let down. Oh,  One last point, the characters are all anthropomorphic animals, but then there's real animals as well. Odd.