Vertical Drop Hero's HD

If you are a fan of the all wonderful Rogue Legacy, than you will enjoy Vertical Drop Heros. They are pretty much the same game. The main role of the game is to choose between 3 choices of hero with varying different abilities, and fight an army of monsters to get gold, which you can use for upgrades to health, money, and strength for future heros after this one has died. And trust me, this hero will die. a lot!

The main differences is that while Rogue Legacy is a lot like Castlevania, Vertical Drop Heros doesn't have different rooms. On the bottom of every map is a main boss. Defeat it and it will open the door to a portal that will take you to the top of the next map. Each map getting increasingly difficult, but filled with better rewards.

You get to keep all of your money when you die, so make sure to use it sparingly. Because that money is going to be the difference between life and death. Obtaining green crystals will even allow you to skip a level, which has you miss out on valuable money, but allows you to go straight to the larger rewards and harder enemies for more of a challenge.

One of the most promising features of this game is it's multiplayer function, in where you can play this game with a friend.either online, or split screen. Which is one thing I would have liked out of Rogue Legacy. Which makes this game kinda like Mercenary Kings as well.

I recommend this game to all people who like games like Castlevania and Rogue Legacy.

Lucy's Latest Addiction: Ys: Origins

Hiya all! Lucy here for another addiction update! Ys: Origins. I bought this game a few days ago, and thus far, I have beaten it. This has been my latest addiction! it's definitely a hack and slash, and I feel like beating myself up for not buying this game or many others in the Ys series sooner, as these games are fun as all fuck.

Now to start off, you can either pick between two characters, Yunica Tovah or Hugo Fact. Both of whom are pretty fun, Hugo is a ranged magic user, and Yunica is a fast axe wielder. To start off I went with Yunica, which is, to date, the only character I beat the game with. I won't ruin any of the story-plot, but it is all pretty personal to the main character. But the three storlines are not interchangeable, it is as if all three happened in parallel universes. Which makes sense, but if Yunicas story is true, neither Hugos or Toals storyline is, and the same with the other two. Makes the game interesting enough.

The game is a hack-and-slash, meaning that you have one button for attack, another for skills, one for jumping, and the last for Boost. it's all fairly typical of hack and slash games like Devil-may-cry and Zenonia. You attack demons, and kill them for experience and SP, which you can trade in for equipment boosts and the like. You also find Cleria Ore to strengthen your weapons, and find new equipment as you go.

The leveling system is odd, as it is REALLY hard to get past level 50 in the game. The higher your level is, the lower the amount of experience you receive from the same monsters, which makes leveling really difficult as time goes on, even with the games built in 2x experience boost during battle. Also, the power system is also really jumpy. If you cannot beat a boss at level 50, chances are, you can cream them at level 51. The power boost between levels 50 and 51, or 28 and 29, etc, are so huge that it'd shock you. Some monsters I could only do 1 damage to. I got a Cleria power-up for my weapon, I was able to do 27-40 damage, and that is only a 5 point strength boost.

I think I beat the last boss at level 51, I can no longer check that because the moron who is me accidentally saved over it when I unlocked Toal as a playable character, but as evidence that i did in fact beat the game:

Toal, bitches!

But I totally suggest to anybody to check out this game. I have barely been able to put it down, like, literally. Thus far I have clocked in at 18 hours of gameplay, and going. A couple of those hours has been me playing as Hugo and Toal.

You can buy this game off of Steam for about 20$, and it's a pretty good price for the fun you'll receive. I definitely recommend this game

EDIT:

I totally forgot, there is one more piece of evidence that I beat the game:

Achievements :-3

EvilQuest

Lucy here, back again for another gaming review. This time we got a very cheap game (like, 2 dollars on Steam) for all to enjoy.

This game kinda reminds me of Ys, but I have heard it is also like a game called Crystalis that I never played.

The graphics kinda... well. They could use some work. Even according to Ys these graphics are bad. The cutscenes by comparison are 50 times worse. I have seen better artistry from children on DA. The dialog and story? The suck turd. But that aside, the gameplay is pretty fun. You run around pressing X to attack enemies, Square for magic spells, Start for the Menu, and Triangle for item usage.

The dialog is one of those things that makes you want to puke. The obvious "I'm a bad guy, time to burn down a village and kill people at random" idiocy. It would be better if he started off as good and turned evil as the game progressed. Maybe he was forced to kill someone, and then he liked it, and then he burned down a village, or something like that. Some kind of trauma in his life to trigger his evilness. But all I see is the Cliche' evil psychopath who yells at people and kicks drunk guys and then kills said drunk people for puking on his shoes.

This game could have been a lot better when it comes to storyline and dialog. But sadly, it isn't. But for what it's worth (2 dollars) it isn't bad.

The Videogame Battle System Trinity

From my experiences in videogames, there are 3 different kinds of battle systems. There may be more, and if you want to correct me, that is what the comments section is for. But I can basically round up all the gaming battle systems into one of three catigories:

• Turn-based
• Tactical, or
• Hack-and-slash

I'll start off with my favorite. Hack-and-slash! I love games in where you can charge right into a battle and deal massive damage. Also, jumping, running, slashing, shooting, etc makes these kinds of games highly action packed, and makes them incredibly fun and adrenaline pumping. Games like Zelda, Castlevania, and Devil-May-Cry, fit into this category. I love these games because you are constantly in movement, you don't just sit there and wait for the next move. There is always somewhere to go, and some enemy to try new maneuvers on. 

I guess the downside to this is that if you blindly just hack and slash without any method, you could just kill yourself numerous times and make you want to toss the controller away. 

Next is Turn-based, this is a system I was raised on. Final Fantasy, Atelier Iris, and Breath of Fire, all incorporate a turn-based battle system. It is be highly repetitive after awhile, to the point where you just press the same button over and over to beat the battle quicker. Once you have gone into 1 battle, you have basically been in them all, but the wide array on badguys and skills are what keeps you pushing through the game. Not a bad system in my opinion, but not for people who enjoy more active gaming. 

Now to the greatest demise in gaming (in my opinion), the Tactical Combat System. Any Advance War-esque game where you can only proceed in combat via a select number of squares, is just frustrating for me to play. Games like Eternal Poison, Agarest War Zero, Phantom Brave, etc, fall into this category. The fact that I have to spend the first 4 turns just getting to the enemy in the battle field automatically turns me away from this battle style. 

It's very slow, very repetitive, and usually comes with the most idiotic of battle rules (Eternal Poison gives you a game over if you run out of MP, other games give you a certain number of turns to finish the battle before game over). It's like they tried to make a board game and turn it into a videogame, and I think that is dumb. It may just be my bias, but I really don't see a redeeming factor in tactical battle systems. It's good for for certain people who enjoy them, but it has gotten to the point where I just start refusing to play games outright if they have this battle system.

But that is just my opinion, I am sure there are people out there who enjoy it, and I'd like to hear reasons why down in the comments section.

FAQ

What about FPS's and Fighting games?

FPS games like Call of Duty, fighting games like Skull Girls and Mortal Combat, and other games which require high amounts of action falls into the Hack-and-Slash category. The weapon of choice may be different, but the result and way it goes about is still the same. (Basically any game where one can button mash could be considered a hack-and-slash)

Top 6 Free-to-Play Hack-and-Slash Android Games

I feel like the Hack-and-Slash Queen. I actually have two different Android products. One Tablet, and a Kindle Fire, which feels better as a controller. Some games are only available on one Android device, but not the other, I never understood that. I am still playing new games on these two devices, but of my main choices, here are my Top 6.

These are free games for the androids, but they are also pretty well made. The catch? In-game advertisements and/or real money in-game purchases. You can ignore the ads and merchandise, but they make the game better if you want to fork over money for it. Seeing as I am very cheap, I don't fork over money for games. So you can get a good gameplay just by playing these games as they are.

Castle of Shadows - This game is a lot like Castlevania, just... meh. It's free. It's fun, but it's meh. The translation is completely terrible! But the platforming and hack and slash notions of the game are extremely fun.

Zenonia 1-5 - Friggen epic storyline and hack-and-slash awesomeness. The graphics just get more and more awesome as the newer games come out. I really like this game because you can just run around and button tap enemies until they die. You can take quests for extra money and experience, it's a lot like a typical cross between Zelda and Castlevania.

Inotia 1-4 - This game series is also a lot like Zenonia. A LOT like Zenonia. But it does not take away from the feel of the gameplay. Still lots of adrenaline rush goodness.

Destinia - A lot like Zenonia, just... with a different name. This game could easily have been labeled Zenonia and I wouldn't have an issue with it. You just take quests for extra money/experience, but mainly, you are fulfilling a storyline in which you are a cliche' powerful character who was once the apprentice of the main evil character. Very fun though.

Third Blade - This game a little different, kinda like Maximum Carnage fro the SNES. You just go from stage to stage and hack and slash at the monsters, then the boss. No real storyline, or anything. Just hack and slash.

Devil Ninja 2 - You start off running. You have to jump to avoid pits and hack and slash enemies like a Mofo. You have bosses and everything, and have to collect as many points as possible. But you're an epic ninja with a sword and slicey-dicey skills.

If any of these games are compatible with your android device, download and start playing! I think they are pretty fun, especially if you are into Hack and Slash games.

Vladis Story: Abyssal City Review

This game is a lot like a cross between Zenonia and Castlevania. Which makes it fun as hell. Yeah, it looks like a good android app game, but this game is actually on Steam, and you can play it with a real life controller! It's a sidescrolling platformer.

The story of this game is that you are in a wreck when fighting the boss, and you then fall under, landing in a different village. You now have to find your teammates, and reassemble. You do this by earning the trust of a village, and running around and slicing random enemies.

The voice acting for this game, or shall I say, his grunts, are kinda.... Well, they stand out. They sound like they were recorded from far away on a cheap microphone. But... that isn't inherently bad. and does seem to play into the game somehow. There is something about that different, not-clean cut audio that makes the game's environment... better.

One thing does make this game grate on my nerves though. Ice Enemies. Uggghhh! Those buggers freeze you, over, and over, and you just want to rip them apart! They are as frustrating as the Medusa Heads in Castlevania. GAAAHH!!! Thankfully, you get potions that heal you halfway when you die and refill at save points.

No matter what character you play as, the main storyline doesn't really change. Just the speech. They should have made a separate story for each character.

This game as a hack-and-slash seems pretty awesome. It's challenging. It's graphics look fine. It's leveling system seems fair. The monsters can be a pain but are not too much. In fact, many enemies are too easy. The bosses are a challenge without being too much of a challenge. Altogether this game is pretty fun to play.

Mini Quest: First Thoughts

This game is kinda like Zenonia... if you puked it out. The gameplay is awkward, and the controls are hard to grasp. But that aside, it's... meh.

You are just tossed into this world, and everything is happening way too fast. The first monster you fight is a wolf inside this guys basement, why are you here? Why are you at a blind man's house? Why do you want to be a Mini? Fuck it, these questions will never be answered.

When you get a quest, usually the person who gives it to you is highly vague and you have to look at the menu and find out what the hell you are supposed to be doing all by yourself. You get potions, and a random assortment of armor. So far, you only get 3 skills in the entire game, the last one is so far not even out yet. So this game is in development, so I guess they'll fix the bugs... sometime... this game has been out since 2011 and people are still complaining about the lack of updates.

The characters you meet have very uninspired names. I mean, I know this game is free, but still, Porto the portal wizard? Really? At least he got a name, the rest are called names like "Angry Hermit."

This game isn't terrible, but it certainly did not deserve the 4/5 star rating it got, I'd give it a 2/5 star rating at best.

Blade Kitten: First Thoughts

I played the demo version of this, so idk how much holds true to the full game. But here goes:

The characters are pretty bland. You get the Neko girl who is looking for adventure. The thieving blond accented girl who is your rival, and then there is the odd-colored warlock looking girl who I assume is the antagonist. Then there are all the weak guards who are trained to atack and defend, but suck at it compared to a cat-girl with a floating sword.

The battle style can be a little more exciting. The enemies dying in one hit is really boring, at least in games like Jak and Daxter, the enemies take some skill to defeat. You need to skill at all to defeat these enemies. You don't even defeat them in a stylish format either, like you do in Dust an Elysian Tail.

The game is easy, you can climb and attach to walls like Spiderman, wall jump, double jump, infinity shield yourself, dash, and attack at long distance. So The games main protagonist is OP right from the start. It makes traveling through the levels a breeze. Just mash the X button a million times. You don't even need to know where you are going, you'll get there eventually.

About to die? No worries, you have infinite lives, and there is a checkpoint every two minutes, you know, because you obviously are too stupid to play the game correctly. I guess even the game thinks it's made for girls, and thus, has to be overly easy and idiotic. All you really have to do is walk, jump, and slice. You don't even have to stop.

That game in and of itself is pretty fun. Well... I had fun. It's not as fun as it's counterparts, Dust and Elysian Tail, or even Mark of the Ninja. But it wasn't half bad.

I'd recommend you try this game out for yourselves, which you can do, for free!

Castle of Darkness

This game is... well...

You tried...

This game revolves around a man who is somewhy trying to find this Castle of Darkness and defeat the queen. The storyline sucks, and the English... the English is no proper.

The hack and slash aspect of the game is fun, and there are many good things about it. If your HP is below 30%, your potions automatically heal you. You can travel back to other levels and train. You can level up your weapons and sell extras.

But the worst part about this game, is that you NEED internet access to play and to save. I never completed this game because I got so tired of replaying portions because the save feature sucks.

So while this game is fun as a hack and slash, and pretty well made in terms of graphics, the best I can give it is a 4 out of 10 because of all the irks. But hey, it's free for the android or tablet, so you should try it out for yourself.