Articles NewsChicory: A Colorful Tale Launches KickstarterAugust 16, 2019Features / NewsFrom the creators of Wandersong and Celeste comes Chicory, a new and adorable “painting adventure game about trying to be somebody!” Formerly known on Twitter as Drawdog, the game began attracting buzz when tweets featuring a cute black and white dog painting began popping up back in January 2019. Little else was known about the game for a few months other than that it was, in fact, going to be a game. More recently, the Twitter account has posted songs that will be featured in the game, as well as small snippets of gameplay. Finally, on August 2, Drawdog tweeted that “Something very big is coming…on AUGUST 15TH!” with more mysterious hints and clips being tweeted as the day approached. Finally, at 1 PM EST on August 15th, Drawdog changed its display name to Chicory: A Colorful Tale and announced a Kickstarter to fund the game’s development, a Steam page, and an official community Discord server. ??? VERY EXCITED to introduce CHICORY: A COLORFUL TALE… a painting adventure game about trying to be somebody ??? Support us on KICKSTARTER starting today!!!https://t.co/IfKmXR6kTx pic.twitter.com/yBtLp9OvgT — Chicory: A Colorful Tale NOW ON KICKSTARTER! (@chicory) August 15, 2019 The Kickstarter gives more information about the game itself. Chicory: A Colorful Tale is described as an adventure game, where the player will use “the power of art to explore, solve puzzles, help your animal friends and restore color to the world.” You are Pizza, a dog that you can style, color, and gender as you see fit, and whose style is described as “doing my best.” The open world of the Picnic Province is yours to explore and color, but there’s an evil darkness creeping around the edges. This darkness is absorbing the world’s color and has already absorbed Chicory, the protector and former wielder of The Brush, the artifact that can color the world. Pizza is not only Chicory’s number one fan, but the new wielder after her disappearance, and you must work to save the Picnic Province and Chicory herself from the darkness. Exploring the world and coloring unlocks new painting abilities and gives the player access to new characters with quests and troubles of their own. The creators promise side quests galore and rewards for dedicated players who like to “poke into every nook and cranny.” A fairly large amount of gameplay videos are available on both the game’s Twitter and the Kickstarter. They have also released a preview album of the soundtrack on Bandcamp, composed by Lena Raine of Celeste and Guild Wars 2 fame, among others. Progress on the game, according to the Kickstarter, has been steady and ongoing for a while now, with plenty of hours of game ready to play. The creators have turned to Kickstarter in order to make Chicory as full and wonderful as they can, while allowing the many people who are working hard on it to be adequately compensated. More about their plans can be found on the Kickstarter, along with a progress report of what has already been accomplished by the team. As of the morning of August 16th, the day after the launch, the Kickstarter is fully funded, with 29 days still left to go in the campaign. The rewards include discounted copies of the game, an art book, a backer exclusive pin, and in-game cameos. Check back for further updates as this game continues to develop!... Nintendo Instructs Customer Support to Offer Free Joy-Con Repair, According to Internal MemoJuly 24, 2019NewsMassive outcry over drift issues prompted the company’s response Public discussion of Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons “drifting”, or registering false analog stick movement, reached a head following a report from Kotaku highlighting how prevalent the hardware issue really was. Today, Vice Games said they acquired internal memos from a source within Nintendo that advised customer service to begin offering repair service to controllers at no cost. According to Vice, the important new lines remove the step where customers needed to provide purchase documentation to be eligible for free repairs: “Customers will no longer be requested to provide proof of purchase for Joy-Con repairs,” the internal customer service details say. “Additionally it is not necessary to confirm warranty status. If a customer requests a refund for a previously paid Joy-Con repair confirm the prior repair and then issue a refund.” This is a big change for owners, like the author of this piece, whose Joy-Cons performed admirably while the one-year purchase warranty was in effect. For many, the drift issue only cropped up recently or after more than a year of ownership. That meant paying to ship the controllers and have Nintendo repair them, a costly service that could render the console useless until they returned. Prior to the memo acquired by Vice, Kotaku further reported on a response from Nintendo earlier this week. A representative from the company told them Nintendo was “aware of recent reports that some Joy-Con controllers are not responding correctly.” They urged customers to visit the Nintendo Switch support website, which lists a number of steps to follow when experiencing Joy-Con drifting, such as updating or recalibrating the controllers. Public response following recent reporting reached such a state that a law firm has filed a class-action lawsuit against Nintendo on the 22nd, which may have been a motivating factor in the company providing repairs to customers for free, regardless of proof of purchase. This is the second issue to hobble Joy-Con controllers. Shortly after the launch of the console in 2017, players noticed the left Joy-Con would desync from the console. Then, as now, a rash of homemade fixes and tutorials spread across the internet, asking people to crack open the $80 piece of hardware to fiddle with its delicate construction. Autosave has reached out to Nintendo for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication. ... Another Pokémon Mobile Game in the Works Between The Pokémon Company and TencentJuly 24, 2019NewsDetails are slim, but this could be a huge deal for Chinese fans The Pokémon Company is collaborating with Tencent to develop a game using the globally popular pocket monster franchise, according to an official blog post from the Chinese company on social media platform Weibo. Tencent TiMi Studio Group will be handling the majority of development, with support and guidance from The Pokémon Company. The posts did not include a title or speculative release date for any project currently in development. Instead, the two companies announced their partnership. Given Tencent’s heavy investment in massive mobile games like PUBG Mobile, Arena of Valor and the recent Call of Duty adaptation, it’s fair to assume the fruit of this joining to be geared towards mobile devices. China’s gaming market skews towards smartphones instead of consoles, and Tencent’s latest investments have attempted to find the same success beyond their country’s borders. Pokémon’s instant name recognition and strong brand presence could be their biggest chance at success, yet. This is just the latest in a growing spate of mobile game announcements from The Pokémon Company. The ARG-focused Pokémon Go from Niantic continues to keep a large player base dedicated, and the reportedly gacha-style Pokémon Masters is coming this summer from Japanese mobile studio DeNA. The sky’s the limit as to what genre this newest title will take would is coming this summer-be trainers. The Pokémon Company is allowing its mobile partners creative and structural freedom beyond what fans have come to expect from main series entries. Be sure to keep checking Autosave for updates as they happen. ... Nintendo Announces New Switch Model with Longer Battery LifeJuly 17, 2019NewsAn extra two hours of juice in the tank for the same price as the original Nintendo provided information on their Japanese site this morning about an updated version of the original Switch that includes a more powerful battery. Due in September (in Japan, at least), this model will retain virtually every other feature of the Switch already sitting in your home, from the blue and red Joy-Cons to the flimsy little kickstand in the back. The website claims the new battery will provide Switch players with between 4.5 to 9 hours of undocked battery life. Playing Breath of the Wild, their benchmark for more graphically demanding software, shortens that battery life to 5.5 hours. Still, it’s a marked improvement over the original Switch first released in March 2017. Currently, you can expect between 2.5 to 6.5 hours of portable gaming, with roughly three hours of power if you take Hyrule with you on the go. Nintendo’s updated battery seems to add a solid two hours to battery life expectancy across the board, nearly doubling current capabilities. Compared to the upcoming Switch Lite, the newer Switch will take back the prize for longest lasting battery. If you’re someone who likes to play games away from the living room, you won’t have to sacrifice additional features to extend your outdoor sessions. The console will come in the classic color combinations, with dark grey or blue/red Joy-Con combinations. There’s also a Dragon Quest XI special edition that will include the improved battery. It’s suggested retail price is the same as the currently available Nintendo Switch.... Nintendo’s New Switch Lite Trades Special Features for Portability and PriceJuly 10, 2019NewsLighter, leaner, and rocking an actual d-pad Rumors of a cheaper follow-up to the ultra-popular Switch console seems to have been true, as Nintendo announced the Switch Lite this morning. Priced at $199.99, it drops both the ability to dock with your TV and detach the Joy Cons, but the bargain means a better gaming-on-the-go experience. Releasing Sept. 20, The Switch Lite will be slightly smaller and lighter than its older sibling in every way. This apparently garners it an extra 30 minutes of battery life, according to Nintendo. The console will be available in three new colors: yellow, grey, and turquoise. Intentionally designed for players who prefer gaming away from the couch, the Switch Lite will not be able to connect to a TV, whether through a Switch dock or a more conventional input method like HDMI. In fact, the console will ship without either the dock, a kickstand or an included HDMI cable. You will be able to connect other controllers to the Switch Lite wirelessly, but charging those extra peripherals is on you. Nintendo recommends their Joy-Con Charging Grip, of course. As for games, all handheld compatible entries in the Switch catalog will be playable on the Switch Lite. Pokemon fans will be delighted to know a special edition of the Switch Lite featuring Sword and Shield’s front-of-box legendaries will be dropping just ahead of the games, on November 8. The light gray console boasts cyan and magenta buttons on its face and dynamic illustrations of both Zacian and Zamazenta on the back. It will cost $199.99, the same as the stock Nintendo Switch Lite. In an interview with CNet, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser commented on whether the launch of a new Switch meant players would be able to transfer data between consoles. “Yes, you will have the ability to transfer between devices, your gameplay experiences,” Bowser told CNet. “More to come on there, but that is the intention.” There is no word if Nintendo is also developing a Switch model more powerful than the current offering, but the Switch Lite will at least fill a niche like the 2DS did during the last handheld console generation. ... New Sword and Shield Trailer Introduces New Monsters, Leaders and Version ExclusivesJuly 8, 2019Features / NewsWhat if Pokémon big… but also different? The Official Pokémon Website released another trailer full of information as we inch ever closer to the November release of Pokémon Sword and Shield. We caught a peek at some new potential friends, learned about an additional wrinkle in the Dynamax ability, and saw the first glimpse at version exclusivity in Generation 8. We knew from E3 footage that the adorable, static-generating Corgi Yamper existed, but they received a bit of the spotlight this morning. Like many dogs, Yamper chases after pretty much anything that moves, be it balls, other Pokémon or even vehicles. Yours might even retrieve a thrown Pokéball that failed to catch! The rock-type Rolycoly may look like an electric unicycle you piloted through a muddy ditch, but the hunk of coal happily scoots through caves and mines on its own. I’m betting it makes a handy source of food for Duraludon, the steel/dragon Pokémon. Lightweight despite its composition, this angular beastie apparently rumbles on the regular for territory with Tyranitar. The final new Pokémon, Alcremie, is a pastry chef’s dream. The fairy-type doesn’t just use their mousse to subdue foes: apparently, it’s the pinnacle of sweet baking ingredients. Anyone who ingests it suddenly feels like doing nothing but relaxing. So, just like any time I over indulge on dessert. But Alcremie hides a secret ability that only certain Pokémon in the Galar region express. We’ve seen our companions grow to gargantuan sizes in battle using Dynamax, but trainers might be lucky enough to catch one who changes form when harnessing the Galar Region’s signature power. It’s called Gigantimax, and it bestows all of the same battle bonuses with a little something extra. Gigantimaxed Pokémon take on a new form and gain a special G-move. It’s not clear yet who all can tap into this potential or how you will be able to tell when hunting the wilds. Version exclusives have been a key feature in the Pokémon series since the beginning, and Sword and Shield continue the tradition with some past dragon types. Those who buy Pokémon Sword will have access to Deino and Jangmo-o, while Pokémon Shield owners can capture Larvitar and Goomy. But now prospective players will have to consider gym leader exclusivity in the version purchase (unless you throw down cash for both). The fighting-type leader Bea will only show up in Sword and displays a stoic adherence to martial arts. Also, she’s shredded. Her counterpart is the shy and reclusive ghost-type leader Allister, who hides his face behind his mask and likes to hang out in cemeteries (probably listening to mid-2000s My Chemical Romance). Two other new faces showed up in the trailer, though their role in the story is unclear. Chairman Rose cuts a dapper figure with his trendy haircut and weirdly intricate tie knot. Oleana, who looks extremely done with someone’s bullshit, is ostensibly involved in Galar’s gym structure. Perhaps she keeps Rose from buying too many Teslas or something. That’s all for this round of information. As always, keep checking Autosave for more Pokémon updates in the future! Sword and Shield will release for Nintendo Switch on November 15. ... Pokémon Producer Directly Responds to National Dex Outcry in Sword and ShieldJune 29, 2019NewsThey won’t change anything for the upcoming games but want fans to hold out hope for the future Pokemon’s E3 appearance was somewhat marred by the news that the National Dex feature would not be returning to Sword and Shield, angering fans who want to catch ‘em all in the Galar region. The Pokémon Company has refrained from addressing any concerns until longtime producer Junichi Masuda published a statement on the official website Friday. According to Masuda, he and the team have been reading the reactions, choosing to read things like the #bringbacknationaldex hashtag and “lazy dev” insults as “your love and passion for Pokémon.” The meat of the blog post addresses their reasoning: “Just like all of you, we are passionate about Pokémon and each and every one of them is very important to us. After so many years of developing the Pokémon video games, this was a very difficult decision for me. I’d like to make one thing clear: even if a specific Pokémon is not available in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, that does not mean it will not appear in future games.” Masuda and other Gamefreak developers have previously stated in interviews that the decision to limit the number of Pokémon was one of necessity: updating animations and the world to fully realize the power of the Switch console meant balancing new and returning features. We recently detailed how the scope of Pokémon games, with ballooning numbers of catchable companions coupled with ever more sophisticated models, would inevitably force Gamefreak’s hand. While Masuda’s comments may not stem all of the contentious conversation from fans, it acknowledges the legitimate disappointment many felt when they realized their longtime friends might not be able to join them for new adventures. Galar’s Pokédex hasn’t been fully revealed, but with 807 possible Pokémon, it’s anyone’s guess who will be returning in Sword and Shield. What’s clear is that Gamefreak will likely return to the feature, or something like it, in future instalments. ... Pokémon Masters Wants You to Make Friends With More Than Just PokémonJune 27, 2019NewsReleasing this summer, team up with iconic characters to once again prove you’re the very best The Pokémon Company and DeNA took to a Direct-style presentation to provide some small details about their upcoming mobile game, Pokémon Masters. Along with announcing a release date sometime in Summer 2019, producer Yu Sasaki outlined the world and gameplay of this newest pocket monsters pocket experience. The idea for Pokémon Masters apparently started with a sentiment expressed by longtime designer Ken Sugimori. He wanted to create a game where players were encouraged to befriend trainers as much as Pokémon. The team must have taken it to heart because Masters is all about meeting familiar faces and creating teams who can lead you to victory. Brock, Misty and Erica from the Kanto Region were prominently featured, but we also recognized trainers (heroes and villains) from throughout the series’ history. The game takes place on the “artificial island” of Pasio, though what artificial means in this context isn’t yet clear. Was the island man-made, or is it fabricated from artificial materials? Regardless, the island is hosting a competition the requires teams of three trainers to collect badges as proof of their skill before entering a grand championship. Team composition marks a major divergence from past games. Each trainer, including the player character, will only have one partner Pokémon. These are called sync pairs in the game. You will battle and befriend gym leaders, rivals, friends and other notable characters from past games, with the chance to add them to your roster. How that works and who all will be available wasn’t part of today’s presentation. Battle mechanics is another major change in Masters. Instead of PP, moves use a resource that builds in real time during battle. The more powerful the attack, the more of that resource is required, providing a tactical layer beyond the typical rock-paper-scissors type matchup. Additionally, trainers have the honor of using support moves during battle, like buffing Pokémon or restoring the HP via healing moves. Sync moves, with gratuitous names like Thunder of Newfound Passion, likely take the place of Z-moves, Mega Evolution and other generation-specific battle features. Sasaki stated during the presentation that Pokémon Masters is their attempt to broaden the appeal of Pokémon. The simplified battle system and rumoured gacha-style method for unlocking trainers are key components of that desire. Nothing in the promotional material showed implementation of premium currency or an energy/stamina gauge that limits sustained play. But we will have to wait and see when Pokémon Masters drops on mobile devices sometime this summer.... An Itch.io Bundle and Storewide Sale Helps You Save on Summer GamingJune 22, 2019NewsSix excellent indie titles heralds big markdowns on games across the platform If E3 left you exhausted with AAA-studio designs and desires, Itch.io is offering a spoonful of indie medicine in the form of their Summer Selects Bundle. Six fantastic games from studios not named Ubisoft or EA or Microsoft can be yours for $9. The marketplace for very independent games (which you should definitely pay more attention to) is also running a general summer sale, with steep discounts on games across their platform. The bundle is only available for six more days, but you can browse the other offerings until July 1. While I’ve only played Paratopic and EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER — both of which I’d recommend in a heartbeat — popular opinion makes this small collection seem a real winner. Between the flagship offering and the general sale on other titles, you can stay occupied all summer without dropping big money on a blockbuster release. Arguably the most well-known game in the Bundle, SUPERHOT holds tight to its popularity more than three years after initial release. Time ticks forward only when you move in this starkly colored, sharp-as-a-knifepoint FPS, which creates moments of thrilling and ridiculous gunkata gameplay. If you STILL haven’t experienced one of the most unique experiences in recent development, now’s your chance. This is honestly the first I’ve heard of BFF or Die, but the addition of a cooperative game will never go unappreciated, especially when described as “white knuckle friendship challenges”. Explore dark places, avoid mummies and get up to some assorted shenanigans with a friend or three. Because sometimes you want to play something *other* than Jackbox games for a change. What if you were a frog, but also a detective, and then also stranded on a mysterious and haunted island? Gee, does this bundle have the perfect game for you. Developer Grace Bruxner is known for her adorable and endearing characters, many of whom you’ll meet and help with the help of your very on brand magnifying glass. Beating up fascists never goes out of fashion, and doing so while encased in full-body mech armor comprised of charnel parts only improves the experience. This episodic visual novel from Heather Flowers has managed to stay popular on Itch since it initially released, and for good reason: it’s one of the best examples of queer, apolcalyptic naxi-punching interactive storytelling out there. I’ve previously written about the unsettling and unforgettable Paratopic here before, so arguing why it makes this bundle more necessary is easy. Equal parts lo-fi horror and slow-burn thriller, ArbitraryMetric’s first game swings from David Lynch-esque stilted reality to the grimiest ‘90s horror aesthetic. It’s about an hour and change, so turn down the lights and prepare for one of 2018’s best experiences. If you follow the same kind of wonderful indie game folks online I do, you’ve likely heard mention of Cube Escape: Paradox several times and always meant to check it out. None of us have an excuse to let Rusty Lake’s escape room game/film slip through our fingers, this time. It’s two pieces of weird, dimension-bending art in one bundle. A deal within a deal! The Summer Selects Bundle is available for purchase through Itch.io until June 28, but you have until July 1 to decide which games from the larger sale will end up in your library. Why not leave the season passes, lootboxes, and games-as-service titles to collect some dust this summer and instead kick back with some indie games?... Global Online Conference Gamedev World Streams Free All Weekend with More Than 30 Guest SpeakersJune 21, 2019NewsTrading convention halls for internet tubes brings developers together across languages and borders Conventions that focus on marketing games to players exist in abundance, while developer-focused meetups on the same scale are limited to GDC. Rami Ismael, half of development duo Vlambeer, wants to change that with Gamedev.world, a streaming-only conference starting today and runs through June 23 in several languages. Among the more than 30 scheduled speakers are Conrad Roset, the creative director of Gris, talking about his process, Osama Hussein of Sumo Digital discussing Arabic language in games, artist Gabby DaRienzo on overcoming creative blocks, and more. The breadth of topics covered during throughout the weekend range from managing life as a parent while developing games, to finding publishers beyond your local environment, to lessons learned from the quest log in the recently released Pathologic 2. Ismail and his partners first announced Gamedev.world back in January of this year, promising all talks would be streamed, or at least closed-captioned and translated, into Arabic, Simplified Chinese, English, French, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. This allows speakers to use their native language without losing any of the audience. It’s also completely free of charge, combating one of the most common complaints that events like GDC are prohibitively expensive for smaller devs when accounting for tickets, travel, time off, etc. Factors that affect international devs, such as fraught borders and language barriers, don’t matter when all of the content lives online. Game development is a beautiful thing for everyone, and this free-to-watch event is a way I'm trying to give back for all the beautiful stories & lessons learned from people who can't get visas, people I don't share a language with, people who make games despite everything. — Rami Ismail (@tha_rami) June 21, 2019 In addition to a constant, 3-day livestream, venues around the world are hosting watch events for the duration of Gamedev World. Check the website for a list of venues (relatively) near you, or visit the livestream for new speakers, new topics, and new perspectives throughout the weekend. ... FeaturesChicory: A Colorful Tale Launches KickstarterAugust 16, 2019Features / NewsFrom the creators of Wandersong and Celeste comes Chicory, a new and adorable “painting adventure game about trying to be somebody!” Formerly known on Twitter as Drawdog, the game began attracting buzz when tweets featuring a cute black and white dog painting began popping up back in January 2019. Little else was known about the game for a few months other than that it was, in fact, going to be a game. More recently, the Twitter account has posted songs that will be featured in the game, as well as small snippets of gameplay. Finally, on August 2, Drawdog tweeted that “Something very big is coming…on AUGUST 15TH!” with more mysterious hints and clips being tweeted as the day approached. Finally, at 1 PM EST on August 15th, Drawdog changed its display name to Chicory: A Colorful Tale and announced a Kickstarter to fund the game’s development, a Steam page, and an official community Discord server. ??? VERY EXCITED to introduce CHICORY: A COLORFUL TALE… a painting adventure game about trying to be somebody ??? Support us on KICKSTARTER starting today!!!https://t.co/IfKmXR6kTx pic.twitter.com/yBtLp9OvgT — Chicory: A Colorful Tale NOW ON KICKSTARTER! (@chicory) August 15, 2019 The Kickstarter gives more information about the game itself. Chicory: A Colorful Tale is described as an adventure game, where the player will use “the power of art to explore, solve puzzles, help your animal friends and restore color to the world.” You are Pizza, a dog that you can style, color, and gender as you see fit, and whose style is described as “doing my best.” The open world of the Picnic Province is yours to explore and color, but there’s an evil darkness creeping around the edges. This darkness is absorbing the world’s color and has already absorbed Chicory, the protector and former wielder of The Brush, the artifact that can color the world. Pizza is not only Chicory’s number one fan, but the new wielder after her disappearance, and you must work to save the Picnic Province and Chicory herself from the darkness. Exploring the world and coloring unlocks new painting abilities and gives the player access to new characters with quests and troubles of their own. The creators promise side quests galore and rewards for dedicated players who like to “poke into every nook and cranny.” A fairly large amount of gameplay videos are available on both the game’s Twitter and the Kickstarter. They have also released a preview album of the soundtrack on Bandcamp, composed by Lena Raine of Celeste and Guild Wars 2 fame, among others. Progress on the game, according to the Kickstarter, has been steady and ongoing for a while now, with plenty of hours of game ready to play. The creators have turned to Kickstarter in order to make Chicory as full and wonderful as they can, while allowing the many people who are working hard on it to be adequately compensated. More about their plans can be found on the Kickstarter, along with a progress report of what has already been accomplished by the team. As of the morning of August 16th, the day after the launch, the Kickstarter is fully funded, with 29 days still left to go in the campaign. The rewards include discounted copies of the game, an art book, a backer exclusive pin, and in-game cameos. Check back for further updates as this game continues to develop!... New Sword and Shield Trailer Introduces New Monsters, Leaders and Version ExclusivesJuly 8, 2019Features / NewsWhat if Pokémon big… but also different? The Official Pokémon Website released another trailer full of information as we inch ever closer to the November release of Pokémon Sword and Shield. We caught a peek at some new potential friends, learned about an additional wrinkle in the Dynamax ability, and saw the first glimpse at version exclusivity in Generation 8. We knew from E3 footage that the adorable, static-generating Corgi Yamper existed, but they received a bit of the spotlight this morning. Like many dogs, Yamper chases after pretty much anything that moves, be it balls, other Pokémon or even vehicles. Yours might even retrieve a thrown Pokéball that failed to catch! The rock-type Rolycoly may look like an electric unicycle you piloted through a muddy ditch, but the hunk of coal happily scoots through caves and mines on its own. I’m betting it makes a handy source of food for Duraludon, the steel/dragon Pokémon. Lightweight despite its composition, this angular beastie apparently rumbles on the regular for territory with Tyranitar. The final new Pokémon, Alcremie, is a pastry chef’s dream. The fairy-type doesn’t just use their mousse to subdue foes: apparently, it’s the pinnacle of sweet baking ingredients. Anyone who ingests it suddenly feels like doing nothing but relaxing. So, just like any time I over indulge on dessert. But Alcremie hides a secret ability that only certain Pokémon in the Galar region express. We’ve seen our companions grow to gargantuan sizes in battle using Dynamax, but trainers might be lucky enough to catch one who changes form when harnessing the Galar Region’s signature power. It’s called Gigantimax, and it bestows all of the same battle bonuses with a little something extra. Gigantimaxed Pokémon take on a new form and gain a special G-move. It’s not clear yet who all can tap into this potential or how you will be able to tell when hunting the wilds. Version exclusives have been a key feature in the Pokémon series since the beginning, and Sword and Shield continue the tradition with some past dragon types. Those who buy Pokémon Sword will have access to Deino and Jangmo-o, while Pokémon Shield owners can capture Larvitar and Goomy. But now prospective players will have to consider gym leader exclusivity in the version purchase (unless you throw down cash for both). The fighting-type leader Bea will only show up in Sword and displays a stoic adherence to martial arts. Also, she’s shredded. Her counterpart is the shy and reclusive ghost-type leader Allister, who hides his face behind his mask and likes to hang out in cemeteries (probably listening to mid-2000s My Chemical Romance). Two other new faces showed up in the trailer, though their role in the story is unclear. Chairman Rose cuts a dapper figure with his trendy haircut and weirdly intricate tie knot. Oleana, who looks extremely done with someone’s bullshit, is ostensibly involved in Galar’s gym structure. Perhaps she keeps Rose from buying too many Teslas or something. That’s all for this round of information. As always, keep checking Autosave for more Pokémon updates in the future! Sword and Shield will release for Nintendo Switch on November 15. ... Animation Design Video Lends Context to Pokémon Sword and Shield National Dex OutcryJune 18, 2019FeaturesWith the creature count nearing four digits, the pressure had to be vented somewhere. Nintendo’s E3 Direct and subsequent Treehouse footage was supposed to delight and excite Pokémon fans as they looked forward to November’s release of Sword and Shield, the eighth generation entry in the catch ‘em all franchise. But that tagline, “Gotta catch ‘em all”, helped ignite a furor when Gamefreak announced the National Dex would not be returning. Fans were, in short, irate. They began bombarding the official Nintendo Twitter account with calls to boycott the game, threats to refund pre-orders, and cries to rally around the #bringbacknationaldex hashtag. Nintendo’s YouTube videos containing E3 footage of anything Pokémon related received a flood of downvotes and negative comments. Worst among the immediate, er, “feedback” was repeated attacks on developers, who were called “lazy” for not including the feature. The National Dex has long been part of Pokémon’s endgame content. New entries restricted the available roster of Pokémon that trainers could catch, allowing Gamefreak to tailor the experience and balance progression. After players reached the pinnacle of battle prowess, often by beating the Elite Four and being crowned champion, the National Dex was unlocked. This filled the world with new breeds of pocket monsters, giving players reason to explore anew. More importantly, for some, it also allowed beloved companions from old games to finally transfer over. Losing that capability is understandably upsetting. Developing emotional attachments to the creatures on your team is something Gamefreak has tweaked and refined over the years. At the same time, the series has a fraught history with allowing players to transfer those partners as technology advances. For many, this latest decision seems like another immutable break that will leave friends on the wrong side of a digital divide. While it remains to be seen if Gamefreak will provide an eventual solution to the National Dex problem, it benefits conversations to know a bit more about the hows and whys of design decisions. Enter Dan Floyd, a digital artist, game developer and YouTuber who runs the channel New Frame Plus. A month ago, Dan published a video titled “How Has Pokémon’s Battle Animation Evolved?” wherein he provided an annotated tour through the series’ history of changes. Interesting in its own right, Dan’s video reframes the decision not to include the National Dex as an inevitable event, and perhaps even an immediately necessary one. ”If you put a 3D Pokémon in front of us, we are going to expect to see that Pokémon move like an actual, living creature,” Dan said in the video. “That’s 720 Pokémon needing full suites of animation. With this many Pokémon on the roster, every single animation addition is going to have enormous production consequences.” The 2013 jump to 3D, as Dan described, marked a major new era for Pokémon games. Gamefreak invested heavily in an increased staff as they created a library of robust animation for every existing Pokémon. “Each of these games would bring a new round of minor adjustments to the fidelity and shading style on the Pokémons digital models,” Dan said. “But if you look at their animations, you might notice that a lot of them are looking pretty familiar. And that is because they are largely unchanged.” By frontloading work on the X&Y games, future games likely benefited from resources (read: work hours and employee energy) being invested in bringing to life the world outside of battles. Character customization, NPC interactions and the design of the world has seen marked improvement throughout recent entries thanks to reuse of that library of animations created in 2013. But that solution couldn’t last forever. Eventually, technology would improve to a point where the 2013 animations would feel a little dusty. In an interview with USG, longtime producer Junichi Masuda said the move to Switch allowed the team to focus on “much higher fidelity with higher quality animations.” The time to reevaluate their work investment felt right. “I suspect we are seeing them pivot to a new long-term franchise production strategy here,” Dan said in an email to Autosave. “Until now, every new Pokémon game’s production has been weighed down by the sheer size of the National Dex. You always want to make each new game feel exciting and new, but figuring out ways to iterate and expand upon your animation systems becomes a nightmare when every single addition or change requires 800+ new animations.” The choice not to add the National Dex to Sword and Shield was likely made to balance the time needed to complete new and experimental features, like the teased Dynamax and open world. It shouldn’t be discounted that, as Dan puts it, “the Pokémon series is a cascading scope explosion”, and every new entry raises the bar for animators a bit higher. Eventually, something had to give. “I think this change was an inevitability,” Dan said. “At a certain point, you have to decrease scope on one of those axes; either you stop adding new pokémon/features/animations (which makes it harder to get people excited about a new game), or you don’t ever update old animations (which slowly makes your games feel more dated and stale), or you just stop putting every single Pokémon in every single game.” For his money, Dan said the choice to cut the National Dex was likely the right one. He does sympathize with those players who won’t be able to bring their treasured partners along for adventures in the Galar region. But his advice is to reframe Gamefreak’s decision as safeguarding their ability to be creative in future entries. It would be a surprise to him if the National Dex didn’t return in the franchise’s near future. As discussions continue over changes to features, remember that no design choices are arbitrarily made. Dan’s video is a reminder that studios learn from their past and are constantly evaluating how their decisions will shape a game’s future.... Nintendo Announces Breath of the Wild Sequel, Shows First Look at Animal Crossing, Announces Two New Smash Fighters, and MoreJune 11, 2019Features / NewsThank you again to everyone who kept busting out the summoning circles; your work was invaluable Nintendo didn’t waste a moment of their 40-ish minute E3 Direct (unless you count the obligatory Bowser joke), and they dished up every fan ask short of a localization of Mother 3 or Reggie cameo. A sequel to Breath of the Wild is in development, the next Animal Crossing gets named and delayed, and two new Smash Bros. fighters will enter the fray before the end of 2019. Let’s hop in to the details! The arguably biggest news was held until Nintendo infamous “One More Thing” timeslot. Breath of the Wild, the critically and popularly acclaimed open world reimagining of the Zelda franchise has a sequel in development. The short teaser showed Zelda and Link traversing some ruins beneath Hyrule castle, eventually discovering a mummified… something imprisoned by an arm-shaped artifact. The figure breaks loose, likely precipitating the events of the game. Is this the body of Ganon, whose evil essence we banished in the first game? The series is built upon the cycle of these three characters continually clashing, so much so that it was hard coded upon the world in Skyward Sword. Without a release date, we will have to just wait and see how the upcoming sequel adapts the Legend. Our resident Animal Crossing expert, Rebecca, couldn’t help herself and already wrote about the announced next entry into the coziest franchise around. You can read all about Animal Crossing: New Horizons here. Bad news: the game was delayed until March 20, 2020. Proving the Smash community can wish anything into existence Nintendo announced not one, but TWO new DLC fighters coming in 2019. First, The Hero from the Dragon Quest series will appear sometime during the summer. Sporting his sword and Shield from Echoes of an Elusive Age (with a definitive edition is coming soon to Switch), The Hero plays similarly to Link and the other sword-swingers in Smash Bros. Prefer a different hero? Lucky you! The Hero’s look can be switched between four different models depending on your favorite game from one of the oldest JRPG series around. Their ultimate calls on the collective power over every past Hero for one devastating column of energy. The second announced fighter is actually two in one! That’s right: they actually, for real, seriously added the bear-and-bird duo of Banjo-Kazooie to the game. Take control of the platforming collectathoners this fall, swinging that iconic blue backpack and pecking your way to victory. Expect plenty of other Bottles-taught maneuvers to round out their moveset. Their final smash calls upon the aid of the tiny but mighty Jinjos to dish up some hurt that would certainly make Grunty’s backside wince. Luigi’s Mansion 3 puts players back into the shoes of the younger, more anxious Mario Brother for another ghastly adventure, this time set in a haunted hotel. Professor E. Gadd has hooked Luigi up with a new invention, the Poltergust G-00, that is equipped with some handy new capabilities. The most notable is the ability to create a green slime copy of our hero, known as Gooigi. Gooigi opens up the possibility for complex exploration and puzzle solving, but he can also be controlled by a second player in the game’s cooperative mode. Additionally, Luigi’s Mansion 3 sports local and online multiplayer game modes like ghost bashing, toad rescuing and more. Luigi’s Mansion 3 is coming sometime in 2019, but Nintendo did not provide a specific release date during today’s Direct. Further Highlights A tie-in game for Netflix’s Dark Crystal prequel, Age of Resistance, is being developed by BonusXP and En Masse Entertainment. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics looks and plays a lot like Final Fantasy tactics, just with Skeksis and Gelflings on the tiled board. It’s set to arrive on August 30. The remake of Link’s Awakening provided a first look at a new feature that will allow players to build their own dungeons room-by-room, later running through them to collect awards. It isn’t clear how players will unlock these modular pieces, but the addition helps flesh out the modern take on a Zelda classic. Link’s Awakening comes to Switch on Sept. 22. A complete edition of Witcher 3 is coming to Switch in 2019. It will include all of the DLC and addition CDPR has made to the game since it’s release in 2015. Will the lower graphical fidelity compared to other consoles be a deal breaker or a compromise for bringing this acclaimed action RPG title to a new audience? A remake to the 1995 rail shooter Panzer Dragoon premiered in a first-look trailer. It’s not clear yet how closely it will stick to the original game, but the visual overhaul provided quite an impression. No release date is available at this time. Travis Touchdown, the anime and wrestling loving protagonist of Suda51’s No More Heroes series returns for a third entry in 2020. We saw Travis don a suit of mech armor and flying into battle against… well, we aren’t quite sure right now. If previous entries are any indication, it’ll be wacky and more than a little parodic. Pokémon Sword and Shield got the briefest of mentions during the Direct, but Nintendo did show off the Water Gym leader, Nessa. She will be the opponent during the E3 demo, showing off the new generation’s battle tactic, Dynamax. Also, the Pokéball Plus released for Pokémon Let’s Go will be partly compatible with Sword and Shield. You can’t use it as a controller, but carry a partner with you in the peripheral and something good might happen, according to Nintendo. Mario, Sonic, and all of their related coterie are back again to duke it out at the Olympics. A new entry in the crossover sports game series is coming soon in commemoration of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, featuring new events and old classics. No release date is known, yet. Other tidbits: Fire Emblem: Three House release on July 26 Collection of Mana is available on the Switch eshop today, bundling a number of classic RPGs: Trials of Mana (Seiken Densetsu 3), Final Fantasy Adventure, and Secret of Mana. Resident Evil 5 and 6 are coming to Switch the fall, rounding out the series of horror games already available Contra Rogue Corps is a new entry in the Contra series, and it has a Panda with a gatling gun. What more do you need? It’s out Sept. 24 Mech shooter Daemon X Machina announced a release date of Sept. 13 Paradox and Romero games announced a strategy game set in the ‘20s era of gangsters called Empire of Sin. It’s coming to Switch in the spring of 2020.... Just some screenshots of Keanu Reeves at #XboxE3June 9, 2019FeaturesWe all love Keanu Reeves. Some of us have loved Keanu our whole lives, even when many others made faces when we said he was one of our favorite actors. (Lauren from middle school, I’m looking at you.) But anyway, Keanu is celebrating a career renaissance at present, and what better way to prolong his time in the spotlight than to join a highly anticipated* game release? Yes, Johnny Mnemonic himself joins the cast of Cyberpunk 2077 as an as-yet-unnamed character who presumably encounters the player character at one (or more than one!) point during the game. To celebrate the extra #blessings of a Keanu Reeves encounter, here’s a series of screenshots from him on stage at Microsoft’s E3 presentation. No, really. That’s it. Just some screenshots. Why? Why not? There you have it. A series of screenshots of Keanu Reeves. Tell your friends, or your family, or no one at all. And happy Bill and Ted Day! *I am not at all anticipating Cyberpunk 2077, for reasons that are my own.... Have we found the perfect Pokémon in Wooloo?June 6, 2019Features / NewsA first look at one of the newest entries in the Pokédex As arguably the best new Pokémon, Wooloo has already captured the hearts of many. From its fuzzy wool that looks like a cloud on a warm summer’s day, to its heart-shaped nose you can’t help but want to boop, Wooloo is perfect. Wooloo stands at two feet tall, and only weighs 13.2lbs. At that size, it’s perfect for hugging. But don’t hug too hard, because at the first sign of danger, Wooloo will roll away like a tumbleweed in high wind. Do you know what would be great? An entire team of Wooloo. In fact, I wish I could have Wooloo as a starter, so I could be ensured 100% Wooloo game saturation. I reached out to the official Pokémon Twitter account for comment, but did not receive a response by publication. Wooloo is cute, and looks very soft. It’s also just a sheep with some braids and bangs, but I’ve never heard anyone say they hated sheep. Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield will be released on Switch November 15, 2019.... Pokémon Sword and Shield Promises Open World, Cooperative Multiplayer and Very Big ‘MonsJune 5, 2019Features / NewsThey gave the dog a sword (and shield) Continuing to ignore the fact the E3 is days away, Gamefreak delivered another bevy of information about the upcoming Pokémon Sword and Shield. We were introduced to the main cast of characters, a few new Pokémon, and this generation’s signature mechanic: Dynamax. Additionally, the games will release worldwide on November 15, 2019. Let’s jump into the details. New Pokémon While we are already familiar with the three starter Pokémon of the Galar region, today’s Direct offered a first look at five new Pokémon in the series’ eighth generation. Wooloo, an extremely fluffy sheep, is prized in a certain town for the wool it grows, which is used to produce a variety of products. It looks hand-designed for plushes and offers some steep competition to Mareep for cuddliest Pokémon. Gossifleur, and its evolution Eldegoss, are designed around healing flowers and herbs. Both evolutionary stages produce or promote health and growth in all living things. The stages of a flower are a common motif across generations, and Galar is no different. Drednaw is a gnarly, snapping turtle looking dude who apparently sports a bad attitude, making it difficult to train for all but the most experienced trainers. I’ll never turn down another turtle Pokémon, especially one with a nice color palette and chip on its shoulder. Corviknight is a big jackdaw with armor. If that’s not enough to sell you on this gallant bird, it also ferries you to any town you have previously visited, acting as a fast travel system for easy egress from anywhere in Galar’s massive outdoors. It just looks so proud of itself. Finally, we have our first look at this series’ pair of legendary Pokémon: Zacien and Zamazenta. Both of these noble wolves are equipped with, you guessed it, a sword and a shield respectively. In the video shown at the end of the Direct, it seems a larger threat will force these two warrior pups to combine their prowess. New Characters As always, your adventure through the game will put you in contact with a host of new characters, ranging from your ever-present rival to the Champion of the league. In Galar’s case, they’re directly related. Leon, the undefeated and super-popular champion, is a suave trainer with the confidence to wear a flowing cape with shorts and the natural charisma to actually pull it off. He will be your ultimate opponent along the path to becoming the Champion yourself. His younger brother Hop starts his journey on the same day as you and looks to fill the well-worn shoes of rivals past. Expect lots of talk about motivation and determination as you alternatively clash and cooperate throughout the story. On the helpful side of things, Professor Magnolia fills another of the series’ roles as the wise instigator of your quest. While she leans on a cane, I wouldn’t be surprised if her seemingly frail frame belies an acerbic wit. Her granddaughter, Sophia, will likely act as her proxy abroad. Both of them study the Dynamax phenomenon, Sword and Shield’s new battle mechanic. Speaking of… New Mechanics Have you ever looked at your Pokémon and thought, “What if big?” Well, Sword and Shield apparently heard you and delivers an answer in the form of Dynamax, a new phenomenon akin to Z-moves and mega evolution. When used in battle, Dynamaxed Pokémon balloon to staggering heights for three moves, boosting their power and modifying your moveset. Expect it to be a key component to gym battles throughout the Galar region. The most interesting use of this new feature is Max Raid battles, seen as thin columns of red light in the games’ overworld. Approach these, and you can team up with three other players to battle an extremely powerful Dynamaxed Pokémon. These cooperative battles will apparently be some of the toughest in the game and will require solid teamwork if you stand a chance at victory. While the concept seems at first blush like a feature adapted from Pokémon Go, we will have to wait for more detailed information. The aforementioned overworld is another big departure from previous entries in the series. The Wild Area in between cities and populated areas will allow trainers to encounter a constantly shifting variety of Pokémon. They will roam the overworld much like they did in last year’s Pokémon Let’s Go games. Which ones you can encounter will depend on the weather and time of day, so expect some diligent exploration if you endeavor to collect them all. To help with exploration in this massive area, Sword and Shield is adopting an open world camera system that puts control in the player’s hands, another first for the main series. While today’s Direct offered a lot to consider, there’s still plenty of time between now and the game’s November 15 release date for more information. Be sure to continue checking Autosave as our coverage of Pokémon Sword and Shield continues.... The Ending of Dragon’s Dogma is Good Because it’s Such a BummerMay 30, 2019FeaturesYou’ll understand if you truly love your Pawn (cw: suicide mention) I recently finished Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, a 2019 Nintendo Switch port of a 2013 game that I, along with countless others, totally missed the first time around. It’s excellent and engaging, despite the six years of age weighing on it. But rather than review the totality of my experience, I want to discuss the “good ending” and the wonderfully complicated feelings it gave me. The Endings **Big ol’ meaty spoilers for the main story of Dragon’s Dogma ahead** You would think a climactic, multi-part battle with an apocalyptic wyrm would be a fitting final boss for a game called Dragon’s Dogma, but my quest through the land of Gransys took a weird and existential turn after reclaiming my stolen heart from the beast. In his final moments, the dragon tells me that nobody except me can decide my future, and in turn the future of all humanity. Before the credits roll, part of the largest city in the game collapses into a gigantic sinkhole that turns out to be a portal to God. Yeah, I was surprised, too. Delving these new depths revealed the overarching cosmology of the game: you, as the Arisen, were an individual blessed (or cursed) with the willpower to challenge the keeper of the cosmos. The dragon’s duty was to find these nascent heroes and set their feet on a path to confrontation between the two. They are the gatekeepers turning away pretenders and posers at the door to the Big House in the Sky. But victory against the dragon was only the first test. Enter that big hole in Gran Soren, the main hub of Dragon’s Dogma. The Everfall, as it’s called, was the spoke upon which the entire world turned. It’s a recursive gyre of tunnels and chambers filled both with monsters and Pawns. The latter are a different flavor of humans that the game tells you reside in a place between realities and do not want in the same way we do. They are vessels whose only real drive is to serve the Arisen in all things and help them along their journey. Mine was named Podrick, and he shot a bow real good. I loved him dearly. At the bottom (top?) of the Everfall was a being known as the Seneschal. They were the true final boss who might as well be god for all their power and influence. They spoke of how humans, pawns and every other living thing were the same in their empty uselessness. Life and death lose their gravitas when you can wield either without check. They challenged the Arisen to combat, which turned out to be yet another test of worthiness. At this final conclusion, the Seneschal offers their power to the player, revealing that they, too, were once Arisen: they walked the same path and overcame the same challenges. But they are tired and eager to pass the mantle onto to somebody else. Now, the game can end in several ways depending on the player’s choice here, as well as how they fare in combat against the Seneschal. But Dragon’s Dogma intends for the Arisen to use the blatantly named Godsbane to off the ruler of creation and sit in their big ol’ chair. So, that’s what I did. I returned to the fishing village where my adventure began, the sky painted blue and everything back to a relative peace. I was invisible and could not interact with anything, except to kill people with my omnipotent power. This was, to be honest, a nightmare. Podrick, the Pawn who had followed me into a burning mountain, to the depths of some hell and then to the crown of all creation was nowhere to be seen. The stones used to summon him were gone. My ability to travel the countryside was revoked. I felt like a prisoner, and so I returned to the big chair, took up the Godsbane and promptly buried it in my own chest. Podrick and my corpse plummeted through a corona of light that spit us both into the waters outside that fishing village. In a final act of desperation, he reached out and yelled, “MASTER!” before hitting the water. Though I never washed ashore, Podrick did. Except, now he inhabited a body indistinguishable from my own and spoke with my voice. Mercedes, a soldier with whom I had developed a relationship, pulled him (me?) up out of the sand and together they walked away from the ocean’s edge. Roll the actual, final credits. Pawns, Humans and Definitions Phew, still with me? Let’s unpack some information about pawns. They are supposed to be these immortal companions that exist outside of normal time and space, beckoning to the call of Arisens and aiding them along the eternally repeating cycle of Heroes killing Gods. But the game keeps providing examples of couplings who broke from the cosmic mold. The witch, Sofiah, was an Arisen who sacrificed her life to impart humanity to her Pawn, Selene. By the time you meet her, the young girl is beginning to piece together some semblance of a personality, perhaps realized when she tells you that she desires to leave the woods and live in your village. The Dragonforged and his Pawn, The Fool, have spent centuries together aiding fellow Arisens along their journey to defeat the Dragon. In that time, The Fool’s appearance altered to resemble his master, and he remarks that all Pawns who live long enough undergo the same change. We as players are left to wonder about the categorical difference between Pawns and humans. If the former can, given enough time and care, become the latter, should that be treated as a natural order interrupted by the ever-repeating cycle of deicide? It feels icky to buy into an entire race existing solely for the benefit of player instruction and growth. And perhaps Dragon’s Dogma feels the same way. I couldn’t help but impart so much humanity in Podrick. He learned about the world around him and shared that knowledge with me whenever possible. He warned me of dangers, asked questions about the people we met and the places we visited. Though NPCs and the game’s lore kept insisting that Pawns were not humans and did not act as we do, Podrick became a fully realized person in my eyes. The whole pawn system seems to challenge its own description, which is honestly a very Dragon’s Dogma move. Why else give the player the ultimate power fantasy of becoming god and then pull back the curtain to reveal how empty and meaningless such a goal truly was? As I walked unbidden and invisible through the game’s world, I longed for the moments where Podrick and I went toe to toe with a group of hobgoblins in the dead of night, desperately clinging to life amid a oppressive canopy of trees. I recalled bittersweet memories of equipping him with a jaunty jester’s hat that inexplicably remained the best headgear for him throughout the entire damn game. I don’t want to give Dragon’s Dogma too much credit, as it is still a weirdly melodramatic fantasy game where hitting mythical beasts in satisfying ways is the main selling point. But it managed to codify player investment into the mythology of its world and provided questions about humanity and what it means to live a worthy life. When I drove that sword through my chest, all I wanted was more time with Podrick the Pawn. And while I didn’t make it back to that beach in the end, I’m glad he did. He was more real and human than any other character in the game, and he deserved a life unshackled from my predestined bullshit.... Buying a House in Breath of the WildMay 17, 2019FeaturesI, like many of of my generation, dream of simple things. Plentiful food, fulfilling friendships and perhaps even owning property. Many video games allow us to live out these fantasies; simulated worlds filling in for the dying hunk of rock we all desperately inhabit. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild offers us the opportunity to escape into a fanciful land full of magic, monsters and high adventure. Most engagingly of all, it gives us the chance to do what many adults between the ages of 22-37 can only dream of: buying a condemned building at ridiculous markup from a shady businessman with discriminatory hiring practises. #Blessed! The building in question is a two story open-plan construction, located in a scenic location at the edge of historic Hateno village. It’s ideally situated only a few minutes walk to the centre of town and all the local amenities, including East Wind General Store and the Ventest Clothing Boutique. Although in need of a few renovations, it has a suite of original period features and a generous garden attached. In short…it’s a dilapidated shack on the edge of town. When you first reach the property, it is in the process of being slowly demolished by the staff of Bolson’s Construction. The workers seem pretty happy and well compensated in their jobs, although when you ask about the possibility of employment, they tell you that their boss only employs people whose names end in the syllable ‘-son’. Hyrule doesn’t appear to have much in the way of prejudice, which only makes this clear breach of workplace discrimination policy all the more shocking. Apparently it makes the team ‘work together more effectively’. Yet again, a hardworking and aspirational young person is denied access to employment due to a toxic and exclusive workplace culture. After making some inquiries with Bolson himself, an individual who’s best described as if Alan Sugar got really into voguing, you’re told that you can take advantage of a great opportunity to buy this property for the low low price of 50,000 rupees. A diamond, the most expensive jewel you can find and sell in the game, is worth 500 rupees. The best way to obtain diamonds is from Zora’s Domain, trading 10 luminous stones for a single diamond. So to buy the house outright, you’d need 100 diamonds, which requires the possession of 1000 luminous stones. Not really a viable option. But Bolson is a generous benefactor, and offers you an alternative. You can pay 3,000 rupees and provide Bolson with 30 wooden bundles. Wood is not particularly expensive, but it is worth noting that Bolson probably needs this raw material to make more homes, which he can presumably sell for more money. Also, the house in question is scheduled for demolition, so Bolson is selling to you at a big markup. Unfortunately, as property is at a premium in the scenic Hateno coast, if we want somewhere to lie down that isn’t just a temporary space rented at a prohibitive recurring cost, we have to play ball. Notably, Bolson mentions that the wood bundles in the more affordable deal are less about the value of the items, and more about proving that you’re sufficiently committed to this house purchase. It also requires that you go chop down trees. The plants in Hyrule do seem to regenerate, but it’s still an almost wanton destruction of the landscape in exchange for a comparatively paltry reward. Much like a traditional deposit for a house, the money required is less about a proportionate investment and more about established capital leveraging power over individuals attempting to raise their social standing. Prior to the events of Breath of the Wild, Link was mortally wounded in a climactic battle with the forces of Calamity Ganon and had to be put into suspended animation to recover. If he had only had the foresight to invest his savings before he was almost killed by spider-machines, he might have accrued enough interest on awakening from his coma 100 years later to actually afford the home outright. And that’s assuming the stability and relative growth of the market through that time, which is actually quite unlikely given that the Hylians’ main currency seems to be the exchange of favours. In a lot of ways, this is symptomatic of trying to get onto the property ladder in this gig economy. Link ends up undertaking a whole slew of quests to afford the house, most of which end up costing more than they pay. The most profitable enterprise tends to be Shrine Quests, where following a prompt from an NPC leads you to one of the game’s underground mini-dungeons, which often contain highly valuable treasure. On the front end, however, such a journey often requires you to obtain food, supplies, weapons (which break), special items, rare ingredients…we could go on. It’s a pain, but sometimes there’s no avoiding crafting a special dish to get some irascible townsperson to calm down and give you whatever it was you came to ask them for. Money isn’t usually a concern in BotW, and Link is fine living paycheck to paycheck. But it’s amazing how the stress builds once you need to start saving. So, once you scrape together enough funds and desecrate the sanctity of nature sufficiently to appease the cruel and fickle will of Bolson, you can purchase the house. He’s even kind enough to throw in a free weapon rack! Wow, that will look great next to… absolutely no other furniture. Because although you’re now the proud owner of a slightly derelict structure, furniture and other decorations come at a premium. You’re offered a slight incentive to customise your new domicile with a discount on your first purchase. I, foolishly assuming that the inside of the house would have basic amenities like a kitchen and a front door, opted to spend my discounted first option on flowerbeds. On the plus side, they look delightful. On the downside, I still have to sleep in the hotel. But, as I stand in my empty living space, marveling at the blank walls and the total absence of anything approaching a basic amenity, I know that I’ve made it. Like Link, I hope to be mortgage free by the time I’m 117. Maybe 110, if I’m lucky.... The Konami Code and What Came After Part 3: Cheat Codes, New and OldMay 15, 2019FeaturesSince the invention of the Konami Code, cheat codes have permeated console and computer games alike. Existing as an effortless way to change your gameplay experience, cheat codes can do anything from altering your character’s appearance to giving you unlimited ammo or immunity. There are hundreds of cheat codes that have existed over the years, and I’ve picked just a few of my favorites to highlight here to demonstrate the scope of what cheat codes are capable of. Console Cheat Codes Staying true to the Konami Code, most console cheats give players items or stat boosts that will help them win the game more quickly and easily. Others, however, are just for fun, adding an extra element of hilarity to what might otherwise be a very serious or intense game. My favorite game series of all time is the Spyro the Dragon trilogy, so I know their cheat codes like the back of my hand. They also have perhaps the best mix of helpful and aesthetic cheat codes in any games that I’ve encountered. The most essential of their helpful cheat codes is the 99 Lives Cheat. It does exactly what it says on the tin–entering a code during the pause menu gives Spyro 99 lives. When you’re stuck fighting Gnasty Gnorc or you just need a safety net as you soar over a wide chasm, this cheat really comes in handy. And when you inevitably run out, just pause the game and enter the cheat again, as many times as you need to finally defeat Ripto. Speaking of Ripto, if you need an extra hot boost at any point when playing Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage, just enter a cheat code in the pause menu to activate Spyro’s Superflame breath. Unfortunately, this cheat code does come with some stipulations; it can only be activated once you collect all 10,000 gems and all 64 orbs in the game. But hey, not everything can be that easy, right?Spyro’s cheat codes really shine in their aesthetic warping codes. Do you want Spyro to have an extremely large head? There’s a cheat code for that. Slap a pair of sunglasses on him, give him tiny wings, and even change the color of his scales, all with a few simple button presses in the pause menu. One of the better practical cheat codes I’ve found is one for the NES Super Mario Bros. game. Normally, when you run out of lives in this Mario game, it’s game over for real; you’re sent back to the very beginning of the game no matter where you are in any of its 8 worlds. The way around this is incredibly easy: after dying and returning to the main menu, hold down the A and Start buttons, and you’ll return to the first level of the last world you were in. Informing my mom of this code earned me a surprised and frustrated scream, so apparently it was never that well advertised when the game first came out in 1985. If anyone still has an NES out there, you’re welcome. I’ve saved the best for last. The strangest and most hilarious cheat code perhaps in existence comes from International Superstar Soccer on the SNES, Mega Drive and PlayStation. This one required you to play with a friend, or at least have two controllers. In the title screen, enter a code using the second controller, and all of the officials in the game turn into dogs. Dogs! Officiating a soccer game! Truly, video games and cheat codes were the best inventions ever, of all time. Cheating Hardware There was another pretty great invention that came about right around when video games were hitting their stride in popular culture. The Game Genie was originally conceived in 1990 for the NES, and was then adapted for the SNES, Game Boy and SEGA Genesis. The Genie was inserted in the game cartridge slot, between the console and the cartridge. It was sold with a booklet of codes for a variety of different games, and these were entered in the menu that popped up on the Genie. As more games were released, some gaming magazines created paid subscription services that released new codes every quarter. Game Genie codes worked like most other cheat codes at the time. They made the player more powerful, gifting them with unlimited ammunition, invulnerability, and even allowing them to skip entire levels. Other codes unlocked hidden features that were scrapped and rendered unreachable by developers. Players eventually began to experiment with the Genie to create their own codes by inputting random sequences in the hopes that one would work. There were some major drawbacks to this, as messing randomly with the Game Genie could cause corrupted save data or freeze the game. Plus, every code tried had to be written down, as there was no way to check codes after they were input. This methodical madness did work a few times, and the randomly discovered codes could then be further modified to find other, more useful hidden codes. The Game Genie worked, and worked well, which is exactly why Nintendo had to step in and take legal action against it. Nintendo was vehemently against use of the Genie with their games, but ultimately lost the court case against Codemasters (the company behind the Genie) because the courts ruled that using it did not result in a work that was derivative from the original produced by the game company. SEGA, on the other hand, fully endorsed the Game Genie, so long as it didn’t work with games that had save features. Its success, as well as the constantly developing and improving world of video game consoles, called for a second Game Genie. The Game Genie 2 was much more powerful, and was designed to work with the SNES. It allowed players to find cheat codes on their own more easily, to selectively activate cheats during gameplay, and automatically save their game and restore high scores into the memory of the Genie itself. Ultimately, a prototype of the Genie 2 was completed but never brought to market, and is now owned by Richard Aplin, one of the original creators of the first Genie. Computer Cheat Codes As console games and their cheat codes were evolving, computer games had to keep up. Computer cheat codes developed similarly to console cheats, in that they were often left in by developers after playtesting. Some codes were more purposeful, specifically placed to give players a much needed boost. The cheat codes featured in the Sims games are probably the best examples of purposeful cheat codes and the most widely known. The EA site for the Sims has an explicit “How to Cheat” page, with instructions on how to bring up the Cheat Console and a list of the available cheat codes. They even state on the page, “Cheating is a big part of the game…it’s even something we kinda, sorta, actually encourage.” The Sims games already boast a high level of freedom in terms of character creation and the actions that can be performed in the game. Their cheat codes give players the chance to push the boundaries of what the game can do, or just make their lives easier. Next to the Konami Code, the Sims’ “motherlode” cheat code is one of the best known cheat codes that exists. No one I know has played the Sims and not used this code. After pulling up the Cheat Console, just enter the word “motherlode” and 50,000 simoleons (the game’s currency) will appear. The best part is that there’s no limit to how many times you can use this code. Max out your money right at the beginning of the game and the sky’s the limit when making your Sim’s dream house. If you can’t find the furniture or other items you really need to complete your new home, there’s even a code to unlock all items, and another to reveal seasonal or limited editions items that shouldn’t be available. The original Call of Duty on the PC also has an in-game cheat command console, though the available cheat codes are slightly limited. There are codes to automatically give you any weapon available in the game, as well as codes that allow the player to select the map they wish to play on. Of course, cheat codes don’t stop at just unlocking items. There are cheat codes that make the player more powerful, even going so far as to make the player an unkillable, unstoppable machine. I’m talking, of course, about DOOM’s famed God Mode cheat code. Entering the code makes the player invincible. Sure, maybe that takes the fun out of the game, but when you’re on your second or third playthrough and just trying to get all of the items you missed, or exploring the world, it’s nice to not have to worry about dying every few minutes. These All Sound Great. What Happened? Computer cheat codes have likely fallen away in most games (other than the Sims) due to the rise of computer hacking and fan made game mods. When you can get right into the details of a game, why use limited cheat codes that can only change a few things in your gaming experience? With some knowledge of code and a bit of imagination, you can alter the very fundamentals of the game itself and change everything and anything. As for console games, the reason for their cheat codes’ disappearance is more deeply rooted in the types of games that have risen to popularity over the years and the benefits and perks that developers give to players. There’s no need to search for cheat codes when the game will give players a serious penalty for doing so, or when better weapons and gear can be gained with a click of a button and a small fee. In the next part of the series, we’ll really explore what might have cause cheat codes to fall from power, and what players and developers alike have created to replace them.... Reviews‘Don’t Wake the Night’ Leads to a Choice But is About So Much MoreJune 5, 2019ReviewsThis is a game of messy, but powerful, interpersonal connections Community can be a fraught thing. Whether by choice or by circumstance, we are surrounded by people who provide comfort, affirmation, and even love. But what happens when that emotional intimacy opens us to harm from within the group? How does a community cope with the fallout of actions, or inactions, that reverberate far beyond the immediate? This is the foundation for Brujeria At Werk’s latest game, “Don’t Wake the Night”, which is now available on Itch.io. Developed by a self-described “art collective of cursed artists looking to make the next wicked thing”, this short point-and-click adventure positions players as a spirit summoned to cast judgment on a group of witches. What are you judging, exactly? That’s information you must deduce by listening to the eight individuals anxiously gathered at the ritual site. Though influence over their world is limited, you can shake branches and tip over items that send the witches scurrying into pairs to quietly discuss their predicament. These short vignettes are all the evidence you will have to make your decision. Context? Sorry, spirits from another world aren’t privy to convenient flashbacks or expository dumps. It’s immediately clear something big pushed a wedge into this group. Every conversation either references this event or the effect it reckoned on their small community. One witch, Gardener, grumbles over hugging it out and whether that would solve everything. Another, Guardian, stalwartly assures everyone that things will turn out okay — even if she must do it herself. You are obviously not the only ghost haunting the grove this night. Though I won’t spoil anything critical here, one conspicuously missing member, Whisperer, stands at the center of this mystery. Each of the witches enjoy a different relationship with her, ranging from concerned affection to accusatory resentment. Navigating these feelings is key to uncovering an incident that began an entire year ago and led to this night’s pivotal decision. The subtle narrative work done via the interactions between the witches is one of Don’t Wake the Night’s strengths. Characters don’t just blithely reveal their backstory and place within the community’s role-based structure. Most of that detail comes from understanding their power dynamics, references and moods. Additionally, the game does not gate progress, meaning players can access the conversations in any order. The start of your approach matters less than the attention you pay while the evening unfolds. Eventually, conversation dries up and you must face the decision. If you are like me, this moment will make you feel a surge of panic as you think, “I don’t know! There wasn’t enough information!” But I believe that’s the whole point. *** *Content warning for brief mention of alcoholism and abuse* The witches in the ritual grove remind me of my own family, a many-branched thing without much geographical distance between us. This makes holidays and reunions a crowded affair. My family also loves to ignore or compartmentalize legitimate issues between members, content to swallow the bile and smile until the evening is done, dislodging the words on the car ride home. This makes holidays and reunions toxic and stressful, a minefield of trauma with well-worn paths around live charges. This doesn’t mean cases of abuse, neglect, alcoholism and manipulation don’t affect them. It’s just someone else’s problem to be handled within that nuclear unit. If they wanted help, after all, they’d ask us. The witches in Don’t Wake the Night remind me of my family in their deft negotiation of obvious trauma. There’s a real and realistic horror in recognizing one character’s anxiety was most likely caused by extreme codependency with another, or that the leaders of this community have done unspeakable things in the name of the greater peace and are absolutely willing to do so again. As the night stretches long, the player doesn’t become less sure of who is to blame so much as unsure where to begin assigning it. Under the smiles and concern and talk of hugging it out is a seething mire of guilt, blame, resentment and worry without an obvious source. Even the absent Whisperer has a chance to voice her discontent with her family, though she, too, questions her motivations. In the end, the choice doesn’t matter as much as the process. These witches did what my family never has and perhaps never will: confronted the trauma threatening to rend their community apart. They hoped exhuming the spirit of that fateful misdeed would provide peace, closure, or at least a beginning to healing. The player, in their one action, embodies the witches’ will to take part in a painful yet necessary process. Under this lens, their individual personalities read as reactions: Healer is unsure this will help anything; Collector is too caught up in a crush to care; Watcher struggles to understand what is going on because other members have warped her perspective. After finishing Don’t Wake the Night three times (choosing each of its three endings) I still am not sure what choice left the community better than I found it. Was that even my purpose? If you’ve played Santo Aveiro-Ojeda’s other games, namely 1870: Cyberpunk Forever, this lingering feeling of unease is familiar. They excel at subverting player expectations regarding a broad and pervasive settler-colonial mindset. We will never have enough information to fully understand Don’t Wake the Night’s characters, their troubled history, or the tenuous future following the spirit’s judgment. We shouldn’t assume such intimate knowledge our prerogative. Brujeria at Werk isn’t trying to create something that slots neatly into our expectations of games. Instead, the invite us to kindly set aside that baggage for an hour to experience a story of imperfect people told imperfectly—on purpose.... Google Earth Promotes Netflix Carmen Sandiego By Turning The Workday Browser Into A GumshoeMarch 13, 2019News / ReviewsNot just for looking at those cats in the ruins, anymore! Thanks to a fortuitous tweet in my morning feed, I discovered a small treat being delivered to the world via everyone’s favorite data collection giant, Google.com. At the bottom of the main search page, you will notice a single sentence with an embedded link: “Where on Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego?” And, folks, it is exactly what you think it is. After loading Google Earth, favorite timewaster choice of distinguished users like my dad, a splash screen for the game pops up featuring the Carmen Sandiego from the recently rebooted Netflix adaptation. She’s mysterious, clad all in red, and apparently she’s stolen the crown jewels of England! You track Carmen by visiting three iconic locations in each city, gathering clues from tourists and passersby who managed to sneak a glimpse of the infamous interloper. Conveniently, everyone provides information that pertains to her next destination, like what currency she exchanged for, the flag on the plane she took, or even name-dropping famous locations. Once you feel confident in your selection, catch a plane to one of several metropolitan centers to see if you can continue the trail, ultimately closing the gap between you and Carmen. It’s not a long game: I finished in the space of ten minutes, which included time exploring cities beyond the three landmarks of note. But I think that’s the point. How often do any of us (besides my dad) load up Google Earth and take a virtual spin around our 3D-mapped globe. I’m sure someone was thrilled when that Roman cat went viral for a spell, but the Carmen Sandiego game is interactive and a fun accompaniment to the morning’s cup of coffee. With only one predetermined route thus far, don’t expect much in the way of replayability. Also, for a game whose goal has always been hiding education and geography in a dramatic cartoon coating, there’s precious little information about the places you visit. If Google continues to promote the Netflix show with another caper, I hope they offer players a chance to be more than glorified tourists with a detective’s badge. ... Donut County is Best Enjoyed with a Grain of SaltMarch 11, 2019ReviewsAnd can we talk about cheering for apologies? A Hole Lotta Fun Donut County is a wonderful three-hour experience made all the better when played on the Switch (duh). But you owe it to yourself to learn about its fraught development, as well as what it means to qualify your enjoyment of media. From Ben Esposito (What Remains of Edith Finch) and published by Annapurna, Donut County first released in August 2018 for most systems, finally making it to the Switch and XBox One in December. It had already enjoyed years of good press as an indie darling when showcased at E3, Pax conventions and in several publications. It was exceedingly cute, seemed like some sort of potshot at gentrification, and had a lazy raccoon who worked at a donut shop glibly texting you. The meat of the game’s narrative takes place 999 feet below the town, in a cave festooned with bits and pieces of the homes above. Instead of delivering fried treats to townsfolk who submitted an online order to the town’s Donut County franchise, BK the raccoon unleashed ever widening holes that swallowed grass, pots, chairs, cars, and even people. His friend and fellow employee, Mira, tries to pull the scales off BK’s eyes by prompting townsfolk to relay the tragic events following their donut craving. Players take control of the holes in these flashbacks. Swallowing items expands the width of your hole, allowing you to progress up the physical scale of consumable commodities until a home or business or park is wiped clean to the foundations. In terms of gameplay, these light puzzles don’t offer much in the way of difficulty. Without a failstate, you can simply traverse the space, trying to finagle a lawn chair, lamppost, or rogue chicken into the black depths for as long as necessary. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable. On the contrary, Donut County levels play more like miniature simulations, allowing you to goof around with the physics and interact with the space at your own leisure. There is no score, time limit, or objectives putting constraints on your enjoyment. Want to putz around the national park and scare chickens with a snake sticking out of your hole? Donut County is happy to oblige. The color of both the world and characters of the game are another high point. Every townsfolk, from the hygiene-deficient cat chef to the conspiracy theorist possum, ooze charm in their design and interaction. As the story plays out, you learn about their own personal lives via the disruption caused by the hole infestation. Some of them are friends, lovers, sheltered shut-ins or bossy fence peekers. It provides a real sense of place to the levels you’ve been gleefully gobbling up. What homes and locales you do eventually destroy are quaint and unique to their inhabitants. The Potters live near rocky mesas in a muted palette of browns and reds, their home tailored to an artist’s lifestyle. Coco the crocodile lives in a literal tin can, his lawn decked in cheap but comfortable lounge furniture. In the peripheries of these levels are signs of encroaching change and gentrification: multi-level apartment/business combos, a stretch of highway cutting across natural landscapes, the deserted older part of town gone to seed as residents move closer to the commercial district. Much has already been written about the game as metaphor in Esposito’s home in Los Angeles, so I won’t rehash that here. Suffice it to say Donut County has a largely disparaging view of throwing out a town’s character and personality for the comfort of the late capitalist, tech-driven future. My one nitpick is how late Donut County decides to throw a spin on its core mechanic. By the time you earn a new toy, the game is near the conclusion of its roughly three-hour span, so players have few opportunities to enjoy it. I’d have liked to see more execution on the game’s main verb but not at the expense of artificially inflating the plot and dragging out the experience. Pitfalls and Appropriation Dig into the history of Donut County’s development, and you’ll come across the name “Kachina”. This was an early prototype around 2012 that, according to Esposito, borrowed heavily from “Hopi folklore”. Totem poles, teepees, and the carved figurines from which the game derived its names can be seen in screenshots and videos. Soon after, he was sent a response from Debbie Reese, a Nambe Pueblo Indian woman who runs the American Indian in Children’s Literature website. Reese professed disappointment in the crass and thoughtless inclusion of grossly generalized Native iconography (teepees and totem poles have no significance to the Hopi) and the damage the game would do to efforts to educate others about Native peoples across the country. A post mortem article on Rock, Paper, Shotgun reported that Esposito was initially angry at her letter and set out to “prove her wrong” by creating a game as authentic to Hopi culture and religious beliefs as possible. Let me take this moment to clearly state something: this was a bad, bad move. Whenever a piece of art messily appropriates imagery and ideas from a marginalized group and they call it out, the correct response is never to double down in an effort to vindicate oneself and stick it to the aggrieved party. The resulting game was, by all accounts, an ugly mess. Esposito eventually realized the totality of his error, apologized, and started over yet again on the prototype that would eventually become 2018’s Donut County. Reese, upon seeing the progress of the game in March 2015, penned a response to her initial letter that praised Esposito for the progress made and how transparent he was about his emotions and actions. She linked to a “Failure Workshop” he presented at the 2015 GDC Indie Game Summit, wherein he chronicled a series of bad decisions that resulted in personal awareness, growth and humility. Much of the games press around Esposito and Donut County either expressed their own praise of his turnaround, or did not mention it at all. I don’t relay these events so that you can cast judgment on Esposito. And please do not attack him on social media or in public; I never, ever condone that. But Donut County is an interesting and recent case of the public praising apologia. It is good when someone learns from their mistakes and takes the opportunity to grow beyond them. It’s how any of us become better humans and develop empathy. We should be careful, though, not to place too much significance on that act of public self-flagellation. For one, bad-faith actors like politicians and celebrities often make shows of their apologies when scandal goes public. It’s a common PR tactic that distracts from the original incident via emotional misdirection. For the record, I do not think this was Esposito’s intentions. His GDC video and interviews since frame his ordeal as a teachable moment other creators benefiting from privilege could stand to learn. But what often happens, as it did here, is that the media coverage and public attention leaves out the hurt and outrage of the aggrieved, post-apology. The articles I read simply state that Donut County’s developer spoke to members of the Hopi people and made the startling realization that they, too, had feelings that could be hurt. The Hopi, and indigenous people at large, were thus removed from the conversation. We consulted their wisdom and knowledge and thanked them for their time. Now, back to the real story. It was patronizing at best and showed we often care more for the rehabilitation of people who transgress against minorities than any restitution. Perhaps it’s performative wokeness or our (read: white majority) own guilt projected on someone left in the cultural lurch, but we can’t and shouldn’t wait for the too-kind letters from someone like Dr. Reese to show us where and how and when we should be offended for the benefit of others. Fix the shit at home, first, people. Be careful, too, if your solution is to parrot takes from marginalized critics. Their lived experience is much different from yours, and appropriating emotions without understanding why is as dismissive as pushing them out of the conversation. This is partly why I did not cover the problematic themes and imagery still present in the game. I am not equipped to tackle the subject and do it justice, but I implore you to seek out those who are and read their words. I enjoyed my time with Donut County, not in spite of its fraught development, but in conversation with it. Questions about why elements stuck around or whether the concept deserved to be salvaged at all couldn’t be swallowed by that dang hole. I would not judge anyone who said this game was blighted earth and should have been scrapped. I also don’t judge anyone who spends three quiet, restful hours with it and comes away loving the game. It is up to each of us as individuals to reconcile our personal enjoyment of media. I can only hope that I prompted questions of your own.... Snap Impressions: WarGrooveFebruary 12, 2019Features / ReviewsA new game that has both a figurative and literal dog in the strategy genre fight WarGroove is the newest Indie game from Chucklefish, a developer/publisher that can’t help but keep churning out hits. The strategy gameplay will immediately satisfy fans who, like me, sat hunched over their GBAs micromanaging tiny orange sprites. But wild difficulty spikes and somewhat inscrutable UI elements might confound old-hat COs and green recruits alike. You could be forgiven for saying WarGroove looked like fantasy Advanced Wars, with a splash of Fire Emblem. It’s a largely true statement, albeit one ignorant of the wide belief that Fire Emblem killed the Wars series after 2008’s Days of Ruin on the Nintendo DS. Still, you gotta call ‘em like you see ‘em. The new Switch strategy title lifts the gameplay nearly wholesale from the Wars series. The result is undeniably fun and will almost make you forget the decade without a decent entry in this little sub-genre. The fantasy aesthetic is right up my alley. Give me dragons and alchemists over bombers and helicopters any day of the week. Plus, the main cast of commanders ooze personality and charm. The ostensible protagonist, Queen Mercia, is a young warrior wielding a giant blade and a bigger heart. Her nemeses include frosty vampires, a hot-headed Frankenstein-esque berserker, and the skull-wearing, necromantic despot of the frozen wastes. Counted among her allies are secretive (and carnivorous) plant people, a boy genius piloting a mechanical golem, and Caesar, a battle-pup and goodest boy in the whole dang world. The kingdoms she encounters are monocultures in that way games without much narrative rope tend to have, but plot in Wargroove is largely a vehicle for the challenging scenarios. If you’re new, let’s break down the basics: you command units on a top-down map and are tasked with various objectives, ranging from traversing safely to the other side to complete annihilation of your enemy. Along the way, you will capture villages and barracks, which produce currency and units respectively. The coin produced by the villages is spent on units, but villages cannot protect themselves from enemy attacks and must rely on those units for protection. That’s the macro-level of each game. The more finite, nitty-gritty layer involves manipulating the terrain and unit types (both have wide variations) to your advantage in order to gain the upper hand against your foe. It’s a lot of number crunching and postulating that will become second nature as you try to conquer the more difficult meat of the game. And boy, does it get difficult. Perhaps the fifteen year interim has dulled my skills, but I found the game’s difficulty curve stupefying, if not actually demoralizing. Some missions would introduce a new type of unit, affording you some slack as you played around with your new toy. But the very next would throw you off the tricycle and into a charnel house where the tiniest mistake meant crushing defeat. One of the largest departures WarGroove takes from its predecessors is how it fields your commander alongside other units. Where previously your choice gave you access to a unique super-skill, commanders in WarGroove can attack, defend and deploy special moves called Grooves against your foes. They’re beefier than anything but the most expensive units and can really turn the tide of battle in your favor. But, they also have health and can be killed. These are named characters with importance to the game’s overarching plot, and their continued survival is a win/lose condition. You can choose to hold them off the front lines, but the game seems to be balanced around their power, so the scales will tip if you are precious with your leader. Losing a map 20-30 minutes in feels really, really bad. It doesn’t take much; park your commander one square inside the attack range of an archer or forget about that trebuchet towards the bottom, and you might face the defeat screen mere turns away from winning a mission. This might not be such a negative to lobby against the game if it didn’t play like an elaborate puzzle or chess match. Terrain and production facilities are predetermined, and while the enemy AI adapts really well to shifting strategies, a crafty player can outmaneuver them the same way every time. Bad calls with other units might mean losing a key defensive position or resource; a setback for sure, but you have time to recover and learn from your mistake. Lose your commander and it’s game over. You’re back to the beginning with no actionable knowledge gained. That’s what gets me, I think. Mistakes in games should be teachable moments. Show a player they made a bad call and then provide the space to immediately try again, using their hard-won insight to progress beyond this particular hurdle. Instead, WarGroove makes you invest another half-hour returning to the spot of your possible misclick just to see if things go better this time. I’m certainly not garbage at tactics games, but restarting a main story mission six times out of pure spite is not how you want people engaging with your game. There is so much to love in WarGroove, from the gorgeous and bright art style to the memorable cast of characters on both sides of the conflict. The sprites bounce up and down on wonderful cartoon aesthetic maps, and the soundtrack won’t hardly wear your patience as you try the same map for the sixth time. While Caesar the Dog’s missions are among the most difficult, they also showcase unique play styles that diverge in super interesting ways from anything in the main campaign. Chucklefish has already assuaged a common complaint that information is obscured behind an often inscrutable UI by announcing a series of fixes and updates aimed at clarifying information. I just worry that the game’s spikes in difficulty will turn off players otherwise interested in what this brand of strategy can provide. Have I mentioned all of the alternate modes? Not content with simply playing like Advance Wars, WarGroove contains editing tools allowing the creation of maps, missions and full-on campaigns. You can share these creations online and download the work of other players from within the game. Additionally, there’s a puzzle mode that offers special pre-set challenges, like defeating all enemies on the map in one turn. Both of these are welcome and filling side dishes to the main course. WarGroove scratches an itch I hadn’t indulged since sitting in the back of a church van on the way to Main Event, my GBA linked with four of my friends in what probably looked like a weird techno-ritual. I hope the mountainous challenge of some maps doesn’t dissuade too many from enjoying a richly colored experience sure to delight returning fans and the newly interested.... You Should Play Octopath Traveler…Today!July 3, 2018ReviewsThe free demo of Square Enix’s new JRPG is available on the Switch right now, and our reporter Chase found lots to love in the first 3 hours. Octopath Traveler is a new RPG coming to the Switch by way of Square Enix, in collaboration with Acquire. You can experience what’s promised to be a lengthy, character-driven campaign in just two weeks, on July 13. Or… …you can download the demo and start playing immediately! Now, you might hold the rational opinion that demos, while great for sorting out your feelings on a game before purchasing, are for sampling, only. You’ll be starting over with a new file once you purchase the full game. Don’t waste your time. And normally, you would be right. But Octopath Traveler allows players the rare opportunity to transfer over any progress accrued in the demo to one file on the retail version of the game. This gives you a legitimate reason to download it immediately for the low, low price of zero real monies. As the name would imply, you can begin Octopath Traveler in one of eight ways, each corresponding to a potential party member. These prologues are character unique and also serve as tutorials, teaching you the basics of interaction, combat and the special Path Actions they possess. This is the first of Octopath Traveler’s unique characteristics. The eight main party characters each possess a tool for interacting with the world around them, fitting thematically with their backstory and persona. For example, Cyrus the Scholar can Scrutinize people and things, granting him insight into events he wasn’t around to witness firsthand. In the demo, Scrutinize gathered clues for an investigation, and I can see it being used to uncover well-hidden sidequests and optional content. On the other hand, Olberic the warrior can Challenge NPCs to combat, which strikes me as a fairly static and barefaced ability. Other path actions allow you to recruit NPCs to aid you in combat, each with various strengths and weapon skills. Hopefully, the game will provide opportunities to reward players for cunning use. Depending on the character you choose at the beginning of the game, your experience might be drastically different. I started with Olberic, once in charge of protecting a king but who now lives out a quiet existence in a small hillside village – some fantasy as heck stuff. Throughout the demo, the old warrior regarded the circumstances of his disgrace with sadness while also protecting the townsfolk from smalltime brigands. In another playthrough I was Tressa, the daughter of a merchant family looking to prove herself after meeting a charismatic trader with a gorgeous boat. Her head was full of big dreams, and her heart is full of adventure. I was immediately enamored with her prologue and Path Action, which allows you to trade with a wide variety of NPCs for items you might not find otherwise. But not all of the prologues were winners. Primrose was a dancer who witnessed the murder of her father and now searches restlessly for the three tattooed man who perpetrated the act. Except, she’s accepted a job as a “dancer” in a dirty town for a dirtier master. Her prologue was paved throughout with constant reminders the people in her life treat her like garbage. At a particularly low point she is being assaulted and coerced by her master, and Prim thinks to herself that she can bear anything except letting those who murdered her father get away. Yuck. Hopefully, her story takes a more positive and balanced tack in the full release. Even though my mileage varied on the characters, the combat was refreshingly engaging. More complicated than simply whittling down a health bar, encounters in Octopath involve a careful dance of breaking an enemy’s shield and exploiting their weakness. Shields can vary in strength depending on the enemy, and once broken you get a single turn to unleash hell before they recuperate. Teammates help with this – diversifying your available weapons and magics make sure someone is poised to blow up the armor chink everyone else opened up. But there’s one more wrinkle: Boosts. If your character used a regular attack on their turn, they will gain a charge of power called a Boost. These stack several times and can be spent to power up any attack or spell by a maximum of four magnitudes. Want to pierce a large baddy with a spear strike? Boost it, baby. Scourge the earth with a multi-target firestorm? Boost! Heal your party from nigh mortal wounds? You guessed it: Boost. You won’t gain a charge on the turn you used a boosted attack, so make sure to plan smart. Beyond everything else, Octopath Traveler looks gorgeous. The developers describe it as having an “HD-2D” aesthetic, but I see it more as a pop-up book decorated with lovingly crafted 16-bit artwork. Buildings and trees dot a 3D landscape like papercraft dioramas while stunning light effects play off rippling waters and moody skies. The visuals make traveling about both towns and the overworld a constant delight. I’ll have more complete thoughts once the game is released on July 13, but you will be hard pressed to find a better 3-hour free experience on the Switch right now. Even if you aren’t normally a JRPG fan, Octopath Traveler’s novel approach to visuals and storytelling might just win you over.... How RBI Baseball 17 Ruined My LifeJune 5, 2018Features / ReviewsRBI Baseball 17 is Randy Johnson, and I am the bird. A few days ago, I was gripped – no, seized – by an unflinching desire. It was powerful, it was overbearing, and it led me to spend £26 (roughly $35) on the Switch eShop. This desire was to play some baseball. Little did I know that this innocent craving would lead me on a journey far more intense than I had ever expected. I had to find a new baseball game to scratch this inexplicable itch, and so my search began. It was a pretty short search, because my immediate thought for any game right now is “is it available on the Switch?” And so, a quick dip into the Switch eShop revealed to me RBI Baseball 17, bathed in radiant light and calling to me in a way that I simply couldn’t resist. So I bought it. Little did I know how much my life was about to change. I’m an English person, born and raised in the UK. The UK doesn’t do baseball, it does cricket – an interminably slow and methodical game in which huge hits are often discouraged and traditional matches last up to five days and can still end in a draw. I do, of course, love cricket because it’s a stupid and ridiculous sport – but baseball has always had an allure. It’s fast-paced, it’s hugely popular, and snacks are mandatory. The thing is that because the UK doesn’t do baseball, I know not one goddamn thing about it. My understanding of the rules of baseball are this: person pitches ball, other person attempts to hit ball very far, people then run. I don’t know how long an inning is, or what RBI even stands for. Turns out that this is a pretty big problem if you want to play RBI Baseball. RBI Baseball is a series which first appeared back in the ’80s, and friends of mine have very fond memories of playing it on their chunky grey Nintendo consoles of the day. It disappeared for years, to be revived recently as the official MLBPA baseball game, overseen by people who actually work in the baseball industry. This is great if you want realism and accuracy, and the game has been applauded for the efforts it goes to in getting small details correct. However, as a pick up and play experience, it’s… baffling. The first thing that happened when I started up RBI Baseball 17 was that it asked me if I wanted to update my roster. Good of the developers to keep the available players up to date, and I did download the update despite each name being as incomprehensible to me as a Lovecraftian horror. I didn’t know any of these people, what they do, how good they are or how badly one might wish to yell abuse at them from the stands. Not me, of course, I’d never do that – the UK doesn’t do baseball. Once the updated roster had been downloaded I was offered an opportunity to customise it – a further experience in bewildering futility to someone as clueless as me. Each screen has an absurd number of statistics that you can use to judge a player and a roster – or could, if they mean anything at all to you. My next choice was to choose my favourite team. An array of incredible names are available, including the familiar Cubs and the unknown-to-me-but-doubtlessly-huge Orioles. I opted for the Pirates, simply because it was the coolest name on the list. At this point, eager to escape the utterly awful menu music, I ploughed into my first game – a “full 25 / 9 innings” game, which means literally nothing to me. My first opponents were the Cleveland Indians, and reader? They absolutely destroyed me. You see, RBI Baseball 17 has no tutorial. It offers little on-screen hints (press B to swing!), but there’s absolutely no indication about, you know, when to do that. This led to me seeing this a lot: Eventually I sort of got into the swing (har har), and even managed to get myself one whole run on the scoreboard, when it switched me to pitching. I guess that that’s how baseball works? Maybe this is what an inning is? I was absolutely none the wiser, but I ran with it and actually managed to get one of the other team out. I had barely got the cork out of the champagne when this happened: It would appear that RBI Baseball 17 for the Switch is a very, very buggy game. This crash was a very small part of the issues that I experienced – the screenshot that serves as the header image for this article is one that I shared directly from my Switch, using the Gallery’s text function to draw a big red arrow to the fielder that had decided to try and make a break for it and escape the stadium, or the game, or reality itself, completely ignoring all of my attempts to steer him back to the field. While I respected his bid for freedom and his slightly alarming resistance to control, it did mean that the match had to be abandoned as it was entirely unplayable. So far, not so good. Despite the crashes and the bugs, I still really wanted to play baseball – not, I think, an unfeasible request. The thing is that I was still completely mystified by all of the names and the numbers and the acronyms. J. Jay has an AB of 347. What does this mean? Obviously it has a meaning to a true baseball fan, one who studied the bat while I was busy collecting rings on Mobius. It seemed that there was nothing for it. In order to truly enjoy this game, I would have to walk the path that was in front of me. I would have to become a baseball fan. Luckily, the excellent name of the (Pittsburgh, I have learned) Pirates means I already have a favourite team to support. Doing a little research I discovered that they haven’t won a title since 1992, and they haven’t won a World Series since 1979. They finished last season in fourth place of their division – out of five. Luckily, I’m all in favour of the underdog, so it was decided – I’m now a Pittsburgh Pirates fan. Luckily for me, the new baseball season started on March 29th, shortly after I first sat down to write this article. In order to get ready for this, I knew I was going to have to dip into some baseball lore. I dipped into the ultimate source of knowledge – Wikipedia – and found that there are articles specifically about a single team’s baseball season. I present to you the 2017 Pittsburgh Pirates season, in which: one of their infielders was found guilty of driving under the influence and missed the whole season, they lost their opening day match 5-3, and one of their outfielders was suspended for testing postive for performance-enhancing nandrolone. Clearly I had chosen well. Upon telling a friend that I had selected the Pirates as my team of choice, they congratulated me on picking “the losingest team in sports history”. The main difficulty with getting in to any sport is the terminology. Start watching a random game of a sport you don’t understand and you’ll be baffled by words casually thrown around by commentators – in cricket, for example, the bowler can throw a googly down to offside leg, and if the batsman is unlucky he’ll be caught at third man. Maybe he’s going to be more casual because he’s a nightwatchman, and perhaps the crease is a little dry. None of these words mean anything to you if you’re not into cricket, and so here I was attempting to understand the lingo of baseball. What does RBI even mean? I decided to crowdsource a little help, namely by going to Autosave’s very own Charles Wheeler: British fan of American Football. Just how, exactly, is one to get past the initial wall of exclusive jargon? I had hoped that the conversation would be a little more helpful, although it did lead to us both learning of the existence of the dog sport Flyball, which has improved both of our lives to no end. If someone were to make a videogame of that and put it on the Switch I would buy it in a heartbeat, because I make poor decisions. And so, dear reader, you meet me here at a turning point. A simple whim to play a baseball game has led to two things. Firstly, I am now a die-hard fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates and will follow their progress this season with deep interest. I’m deadly serious about this, and I invite you to check in with me on Twitter if you’d like to know how I’m doing. Secondly, if I’m being honest it sounds like they’re having a pretty rough time of it and I’m determined to get good at RBI Baseball purely so I can lead the Pirates to victory in a wholesome, drug-free way. Of course, it does rely on the game not crashing or bugging out on me, which really is a perfect metaphor for how the Pirates do in real life. Ah well. RBI Baseball 18 came out recently. Maybe I’ll give that a try… Since writing this article, further attempts to play the game have been stymied by it crashing literally every time. Caveat Emptor.... Pokémon Quest is a Treat, Hands Down or Hands OffJune 1, 2018News / ReviewsOnce more, the world has Pokémania thanks to The Pokémon 2018 Video Game Press Conference. The surprise release of Pokémon Quest was something we just couldn’t miss out on. Pokémon Quest, which debuted May 29th alongside the announcement of the two Pokémon Let’s Go! versions due this November, offers Switch owners an engaging adventure that doesn’t require much attention to enjoy. What it lacks in the core game’s systems-driven combat is made up in charm and a surprisingly effective hands-off approach to progression. Small parts of the game feel needlessly obscure, but players with an open mind will find a (free!) experience to tide them over until November. The game opens on the enigmatic and colorful Tumblestone Island without much preamble: you are following tales of an ancient civilization that left behind unspoiled riches just waiting to be uncovered. As your humble little boat docks, your Silph Co. brand drone flits across a cubic voxel landscape to surveil things. It passes idyllic green plains full of frolicking monsters recognizable as Pokémon, even with their cubic proportions, before malfunctioning. A clean wipe of its data prompts the beginning of the game’s tutorial, which has you befriend one of five Pokémon – the original generation’s three starters, plus Pikachu and Eevee – before exploring the island’s immediate surroundings on foot. This is where fans will begin noticing differences between Quest and main entries to the Pokémon franchise. The monsters on Tumblestone Island do not need to be battled and subsequently capture in balls. Instead, you befriend them without much fuss. Your first friend is soon joined by two others drawn to your base camp by the aroma of sizzling soup in a huge cast iron pot. Yes, catching new Pokémon in quest requires you to first cook a meal that appeals to the particular taste buds of the island’s wild denizens. Once fed, your initial team blazes a trail through First Steppe, the aptly-named introductory zone. Exploration is automatic, requiring no direction from the player. Your friends seek out and attack targets on their own, but you can choose when to deploy any of the special attacks or when a temporary retreat, called Scatter, might help you avoid a devastating blow from the enemy. Initially, I scoffed at the button that would further automate the game by allowing my team to even use their attacks at their own discretion. It removed my ability to call shots or dodge attacks and felt like removing the only part of the game I was actually playing. But experience made a fool of me because Quest, I think, functions as a neat bridge for between strategy and idle gameplay. Exploration comprises half of Quest’s core loop, where you venture into the wilderness to defeat foes to collect natural goodies and Power Stones, which are vital to the other half of the game. In between treks, you are given the chance to kit out your team with any of the stones you have collected, which boost their two stats: Power and Hit Points. As you progress your Pokémon will unlock additional slots, and the game will reward you with more powerful stones. Thus the loop closes: Exploration gives you experience and stones, which you then equip to allow your team to overcome harder challenges for ever better gear. It’s simple, but effective. By removing the micromanagement of HP and move sets, swapping during battle, and the other intricate systems that comprise the main series’ combat, Quest allows players to enjoy the game without devoting too much of their attention to it. This makes it the perfect transit game, as each stage takes perhaps five to seven minutes to complete. I played it while preparing a delicious Enchilada One Pot dinner for my partner and me, watching my fledgling squad of adventurers tear through a pack of rowdy Rattatas while I caramelized onions. Collecting the cooking materials and stones took only a couple of taps; with a few more touches of the screen they were out again, and I was back to heating water for the noodles. To be sure, this won’t appeal to everyone. I’ve already read plenty of complaints online that Quest is basically a phone game ported to the Switch. And that is…not entirely false? A mobile version was indeed announced in late June so that players need not even bring their Switch with them to enjoy traipsing around the bright environs of Tumblestone. But I contend that criticism is actually a selling point thrown into the wrong light. Why want it to be anything more than a game you can “play” while your hands are busy folding laundry or petting your cats? The game does borrow monetary microtransactions from the mobile gaming market in the form of PM Tickets, which are used to speed up the timer on the soup pot as well as purchasing decorations and larger boxes for both Pokémon and Power Stones. Additionally, players can purchase Expedition Packs in one of four varieties: regular, Great, Ultra, and a 3-pack bundle. Included in each are decorations, certain Pokémon with unique moves, an extra cooking pot, and a bonus to both your battery and the number of daily bonus PM tickets you earn at the shop. It should be noted that players have access to all Pokémon and content in the game for free. The Expedition Packs just help speed along your progression. I have enjoyed my experience with Quest, despite minor quibbles. Of all the systems that are thoroughly explained in the tutorial, cooking recipes are left for you to suss out on your own by burning through your early reserve of ingredients, hoping for something other than Mulligan Stew. Trees, stone mounds, and other terrain crumbles when attacked, but doesn’t offer any real tactical advantage to you or your foes. Is it a cute choice or a vestigial part of what was once a more robust arena design? Finally, the game can feel needlessly grind-heavy if you’re giving it your undivided attention. I breezed through the first two areas, only to hit a wall that forced me back to the training yard. Expect to repeat lower-power areas, if only to level up your team and allow the timer on your stews to wind down. But for every mark against it, Pokémon Quest excels in selling a vibrant and world full of actual creatures. Back at camp all of your friends frolic in the open grass, cavorting children at a playground. I saw my Ponyta hitching a Pidgey-back ride from the hapless bird, while later on my Wartortle, Charmander, and shiny Growlithe stunted into a three-Mon tower. Oh, yeah: apparently there are shiny Pokémon! The Switch has proven to be a wonderful console for providing all manner of game experiences, from sprawling RPGs to platforming masterpieces to weird indie gems. Why not add an ostensibly free, mostly idle game full of Pokémon that are weirdly reminiscent of tiered wedding cakes? Developer: Game Freak Publisher: Nintendo Date of release: May 29, 2018 (Mobile release late June) Platforms: Nintendo Switch (Mobile later)...