Volume #0002, October 2020
The Slums are hell, but heck, at least one-third of Mario holds up
Hell: It Looks Beautiful
By AJ Eide
Hades reviewed!
Developed and Published by Supergiant Games
Available now on Ninendo Switch and PC
Reviewed on Nintendo Switch
Hellooooo Hades! There is no denying that Hades is hot. Despite being set in the underworld, with a bit of thought and maybe just owning a pair of eyes, the source of this heat is clearly coming from more than just fire and brimstone. What is that burning in my loins?
Hades is a rogue-like dungeon crawler created by Supergiant Games. Known for their voice acting and color palettes (in games like Pyre and Bastion), Hades fits right into the Supergiant family and is arguably their best developed game to date. You play as Zagreus, the prince of the underworld who is trying to, in a sense, “run away from home.” A.K.A. escape from Hell. But what makes Hades so hot?
Taking it all in before the next run - screenshot captured by AJ Eide
Hades’ art style is FIRE, literally and figuratively. Hell, it looks beautiful. The color palette is as unrelenting as the hordes of enemies you’ll face; they must have invented colors just for this game. Roy G. Biv is rolling in his grave, the details are eye-popping. I had to throw my Switch on the dock just to experience it on the big screen. Let me tell you this, Zagreus looks good wearing 1080p and his friends do, too. To steal a quote from Co-Host Chris, “Zagreus is sexy.” Well, Chris, so is the game play.
Combat can really get heated, especially in Asphodel - screenshot captured by AJ Eide
Despite the undulating urges of sexuality oozing from every character in this game—sans Charon (unless you’re into that sort of thing)—the gameplay matches every bit of awe from the art style. Every run feels different. Death at times feels like a reward since when you reincarnate at home you get to upgrade and talk with everyone hanging around (don’t forget to pet best boy Cerberus!). As you make your way through the ever-changing labyrinth of Hades, every death feels like a chance to rest and socialize. Upon every failure you are respawned from the Pool of Styx in the house of Hades and are greeted by the lovely and charming Hypnos (the god of sleep). Right away we are getting a sense of the humor at play here. They literally have the god of sleep in charge of checking people into the front door. Could there be a worse lookout?
I would be remiss to not mention the voice acting and writing in this game. Every character has personality and one can’t help but love our antihero. The back-and-forth between Zagreus and his father (Hades, the god himself) brings me back. Dad, I’m just trying to go out with friends, give me a break. (Thanks, Pops, for being a little nicer than Hades while I was growing up.) I get it Zagreus.
Can’t you even look at me, dad? - screenshot captured by AJ Eide
Overall, Hades is a fantastic game. I highly recommend it to all players. It has worked its way into my heart and, as of now, my top 5 games of 2020. Whether you are into rogue-like games or not, you will find enough story beats to keep you interested. The fact that you get to keep your upgrades forever makes this a game for everybody (except maybe the kiddos; it is rated teen). It has a god mode for those who want to play on easy and holds plenty of challenge for those who seek it. I cannot recommend this game enough. It has warmed more than just my heart. Hades is a hell of a game.
They Are What We Thought They Were
By Jon Swanson
Super Mario 3D All-Stars doesn’t live up to its legacy.
Nintendo has a long history of re-releasing games with little or no improvements at higher-than-expected prices. The most recent example is the much anticipated Super Mario 3D All-Stars and, sadly, it’s not much of an exception. This collection gave Nintendo the opportunity to truly remaster a classic in Super Mario 64, redeem a disappointment in Super Mario Sunshine and update Super Mario Galaxy.
I’ll start by mentioning the most meaningless feature on this collection: the soundtracks for each game. These are presented in the game menu much like you would select an album from Spotify or Apple Music. While the music is fantastic I’m not one of “those people” who frequently listens to game soundtracks...on my Switch...with plug-in headphones. If you are one of those people you may find this feature handy.
Blocky boy, blocky aspect ratio - screenshot care of Nintendo’s website
Super Mario 64, while still a classic, is far outdated. Nintendo presents this game ostensibly in its original format. The 4x3 aspect ratio combined with the all-too-obvious polygons and non-existent textures will only inspire joy to the most nostalgic of fans. This is sincerely a disappointment especially when considering what we saw a small group of die-hards could pull off on PC earlier this year. Nintendo certainly has the resources to give this game what it deserves and simply chose not to do so.
Isle Delfino, now in widescreen - screenshot care of Nintendo’s website
Next comes Super Mario Sunshine. Despite it’s slightly negative reputation this was the title I was most excited to play as I had never experienced it before. My excitement turned to dismay after only a few hours of play. While Nintendo did update the aspect ratio and polished the graphics a tad they decided to leave the wonky camera and drab gameplay. Consistently I would misjudge a jump or accidentally flip backwards and have to start a mundane platform puzzle again. Much like Sisyphus, I felt I was joylessly completing a task only to have a similar, equally tedious job in pursuit of my next star.
Galaxy is the star of the show - screenshot care of Nintendo’s website
Then, like the White Knight swooping in to rescue the Princess, we have Super Mario Galaxy. This game alone might be enough to justify the $60 price tag. The performance on Switch is out of this world (pun totally intended). It looks like the only title that’s been given the care and attention to be updated to match the beauty of Super Mario Odyssey. While in hand-held mode your motion controls are swapped for touch controls for a mostly-seamless transition. If you’ve never played it before you owe it to yourself to do so before this collection disappears at the end of March 2021.
Final Fantasy VII Remake - LTTPS4 Review
The NBA Finals Game 7 of video games.
By Chris Stern
Developed and Published by Square Enix
Available on PlayStation 4
Spoilers for Final Fantasy VII and its Remake
Growing up, Final Fantasy VII meant more to me than most video games. My first glimpse of Final Fantasy VII (and Final Fantasy altogether) happened during a second-grade school day. My pal Luis pulled the game’s double-sized jewel case out of his bookbag and showed off the whopping three PlayStation discs it took up. I could not take my eyes off the artwork in the manual. I paged through it for the remainder of the school day, even as I waited in the line to walk out of the classroom. Tetsuya Nomoura’s character portraits decorating the dense instruction manual quickly Inception-ed their way into my childhood imagination. I became fixated on Red XIII, Yuffie, and Cait Sith. A month of copycat doodles appeared on the margins of every piece of homework and notebook.
Before I even had the opportunity to play the game, my mind danced with the possibilities of the cool dude with a gun-arm and the blond boy with the biggest sword I’d ever seen. Once my neighbor Bob got his hands on a copy, I would sit fixated on the screen as he journeyed across the overworld, uncovered the mysteries of Cosmo Canyon, and solved the hidden haunted house to recruit Vincent to his party.
Barret is about to unleash hell on someone - screenshot care of Square Enix website
Eventually, I would start my own playthrough using his copy of the game and my own memory card. As a very blond boy who desperately wanted to wield a giant sword, I naturally had to play through the video game where the blond boy wields a stupidly big sword.
Bob and I actually talked, out-loud, multiple times, about how we wondered if gameplay could ever look as good as the CG cutscenes in the game. Much of Final Fantasy VII’s impact was the promise its cutting-edge graphics held for the future of video games. A promise that felt far away and almost impossible. Final Fantasy VII started the series down a path of increasing cinematic aspirations, amplifying the visual spectacle and use of CG cutscenes with each additional Roman numeral. VII Remake successfully achieves the original’s vision of seamless transitions between cutscenes and gameplay. No more need for powerful childhood imaginations to paper over the gaps.
The reimagined combat system rewards patience and in-depth understanding in a way that the old Active Time Battle system could not. Very few RPG combat systems allow me to enter a flow-state and Remake had me feeling like a force of nature when things really clicked in place. The Stagger System, Limits, Summons, and new ATB Meter management make major fights into thrilling juggling acts. The upgrade paths and special abilities of each weapon have distinct benefits. Instead of tossing off each weapon to the nearest vendor when you find the next one in a chest, each weapon provides a glimpse at a possible character-build. The limited number of weapons stayed viable through the whole game, and my choice of which to use depended on the situation I faced or playstyle that felt right.
Choosing the best sword for the job - screenshot care of Square Enix website
Reflecting on Final Fantasy VII, many of my favorite characters don’t make an appearance in the expanded Midgar madness that is VII Remake. Cait Sith briefly appears in a cutscene with almost no context, and while Wutai is talked about in NPC banter and villainous plotting, there is no Yuffie to be seen. Final Fantasy VII stuck with me because the cast of characters expanded to include ninjas, talking cats, cool old spaceship captains, and modern vampires of the city.
Counterintuitively, VII Remake works by paring the party down to four core characters but also expanding on the very human members of Barret’s struggling Avalanche cell. Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge ground the cause of the ecoterrorists and make the stakes tangible. The chapters of the game that stuck with me the most weren’t the beat-for-beat recreation of the bombing missions or the Nemoura-as-hell twist ending. Instead, the game’s slow-paced moments felt the most vital. Going on extended dates with Tifa and Aerith exploring Sectors 7 and 5 and fulfilling side quests gave me the time to marinate in the world of FFVII.
Gaining the trust of the orphans and getting permission to enter their secret hideout, getting lost in the sinful excess of Wall Market, and unraveling the mystery of the Angel of the Slums all helped flesh out the hazy corners of the original game’s world. Midgar feels like an inhabited place, and each Sector’s respective Slum has its own unique footprint. This game feels alive at its best moments, and the meandering pace gave me time to savor all the detailed people, places, and relationships. I am in love with Aerith. I want to live in Aerith’s house and tend that enormous garden with her.
Eden-esque, no? - screenshot care of Square Enix website
For a game as operatic as FFVII—I mean, just listen to “One Winged Angel”—Remake’s best narrative moment was the newly added mission to the topside with Jessie, Wedge, and Biggs. Exploring the safety of Sector 7’s factory town on the Plate justifies Midgar’s general population’s allegiance to Shinra, and grounds Jessie’s purpose with Avalanche in her family roots. Cloud—and the player—learn that Jessie’s dad suffers from Mako poisoning that he contracted while working on a reactor. He was able to provide a middle-class life for his family at the expense of his own health, safety, and wellbeing. Health, safety, and wellbeing that the Shinra Electric Power Company, Construction Company, and Security Company (read privatized corporate police force) sell to all their citizens for the low, low price of the literal soul of the earth. All of this works to infer character motivation for Jessie—the absolute star of the start of the game—to join the ecoterrorists of Avalanche in order to tear down the apparatus that has put her father in a hospital bed.
Jessie became my favorite character! - screenshot care of Square Enix website
Frankly, Sephiroth randomly showing up at the end of the game and the stakes rising to “fight against Fate-incarnate” felt unnecessary when rescuing Aerith from Shinra HQ already felt triumphant. It also feels like a complete non sequitur. The Whispers trying to keep you on track with the fated outcome of the original story does seed this finale throughout the game, but this ending definitely felt like Nomoura cranking his Kingdom Hearts-y impulses to the max. That said, Remake’s ending creates a blank slate for remixing and reinterpretation. The idea that future entries in the VII Remake series will tell new tales sparks excitement in me in ways that the initial promise of a beat-for-beat recreation simply did not.
I do feel suspicious that Aerith knows more than she lets on to the rest of the team. The cliffhanger ending would make more sense if it definitively answered the question that rattled around in my brain for 5 months until I finally finished Remake for myself. As soon as the semi-spoiler of “the ending of the game is different than you’d think” became a part of the discourse, my hypothesis became that the game would end with a subversion of the World’s Most Famous Video Game Death Scene. In reality, the game subverted my expectations by ending as the party escapes Midgar for the great unknown—leaving the question of that murder hanging unanswered.
Final Fantasy VII Remake is the NBA Finals Game Seven of video games. A team at its absolute peak left everything on the court—art, music, combat design, worldbuilding, characterization, fan service, and a conspiratorial abundance of the lucky number seven. Final Fantasy famously got its name from being Squaresoft’s last ditch effort to find success. Remake reignites this all-in ethos, adopting the Double Stuffed Oreo approach to generosity and decadence. The game’s ending instilled an equal amount of frustration and hopeful mystery in me. Feeling uncertain, hopeful, and anticipatory at the end of this experience definitely shook me out of my disinterest in the recent entries of the series. I still hope I get to play as the Ninja and the Vampire in part two, but the open road of possibility looks pretty inviting, too.