Superhot

By: Robert Murphy

What if I told you that the world you are experiencing isn't real. That your mind is trap inside of a prison that you can feel, taste or touch and that the world is holding you back. Okay, it's not as crazy as all that but with each mind bending level of Superhot it felt as though you were stumbling further down the rabbit hole of some grand conspiracy involving a hidden game with a simple premise. Time moves when you move. 

Each level of the game plays out like some sort of action movie where players must perform insane actions in order to take out massive amounts of enemies in what appears to be mere minutes for them but it could be an eternity for you. You aren't sure why these faceless red men are continuously trying to harm you, you are only told that you should not be in this game in the first place. Also you're super hot apparently, as the end of each level rejoices in telling you. Anyways, the one thing that you do have in common with your red faced enemies is that one hit equals in your unfortunate end and the level resetting back to where you began. This means whatever method you use or they use to kill are extremely effective and it ranges from hitting, kicking, slashing and shooting until they shatter into little red triangles all over the place.

It's a rush to say the least as certain levels feature massive amounts of room and venues for players to take out their enemies, where others require quick thinking and careful maneuvering in order to succeed. While your character is not moving the screen is basically in a state of pure frozen silence as you assess the situation at hand. Bullets will inch their way closer and enemies will come in ready to do battle but just like Neo in The Matrix, you can see it all coming. Skillfully making it through levels in this manner makes it feel all the more satisfying as well and even more so with the variety of different ways the enemies can be played around with or the fun little additions the game has going for it as well.

Punching enemies backward into an oncoming train, throwing a katana and shish kabobing two enemies together or slicing bullets in half as they manage to get too close. It's crazy but it makes you think of the many different ways a given situation can be handled with the tools at your disposal. Superhot itself wouldn't give you this impression at first though as the game gives off a very minimalistic presence to it. Not much is devoted to super detailed graphics or insanely lifelike environments and there doesn't need to be for this simple idea presented here. Bad guys are red, weapons are black and everything else is an off white color. It's basic and it works as each level truly only boils down to moment to moment encounters and replayed over again at the end like a highlight real of your awesomeness.

Later levels keep things interesting by adding in more items to the equation. Better armaments like assault rifles make blazing away bullets a bit of a challenge as the burst fire will send three jutting out at a time and so with one quick side step you can be taking out multiple enemies instantly. But the biggest among these changes is the ability to body snatch enemies later on in the game. As you learn to free your mind from it's perceptions of your body you can begin to take over others and make former enemies your friends. It's a clever mechanic and plays into the games mind bending story quite well.

Underneath all the slow motion antics there is a meta-layered story taking place between each level that tries to shake players perceptions on reality. Is this really a game? Is this reality? Is my body holding me back? Is my mind in a prison waiting to be released? All this fourth wall stuff comes to mind as the story progresses, hitting myself in the head was one of the highlights as the computer system attempting to free me berated and reveled at the sheer stupidity. The home menu screen is a mind warping experience in itself too, appearing as an old school DOS system it features layers after layers of hidden software and engines to find for yourself. It also gives players the allusion of control in the game, taking away your ability to write a response in the chat or call for help, even making you dance around like a caged rat even at one point. It may be an idea that has been done before but in many ways Superhot makes it it's own. 

While it is an incredible thrill to play, Superhot does suffer from some replay factors as I beat the games main storymode within a few hours and short of a few other challenge modes there wasn't a real drive to relive the experience over again. That being said, I did revel in the experience as it happened bit by bit, flashing before my eyes in a haze of gun shots and flying fists. It was like a drug I couldn't get enough of and that drug had me shouting "SUPER HOT" from the top of my lungs, not giving a crap about who heard me. 

Good:

- Very unique idea for the games main drive, time moving as you do

- Challenging situations

- Blowing away enemies into tiny bits is a blast

Bad:

- Story is interesting but has been done already

- Lack of replay value

Scully Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Ori and the Blind Forest

By: Robert Murphy

Ori and the Blind Forest plunges you into a world of deep color and design right from the get go. It's styling was something that immediately caught my eye when I saw the very first screenshots for the title back in 2014 and I eagerly awaited it's release. Players take on the role of Ori, a tiny spiritual being who during a terrible storm is separated from her home and ends up in the hands of a friendly being named Naru, you're far from home and lost in this immense forest world but safe with your new friend and foster parent. Of course, a game like this is bound to hit you with the feels even after you have been separated from your home, the forest you live in starts to die. Food runs low and in a last stitch effort, your new adoptive mother gives her last to save your life. Now you set out to find out what happened to the forest, to find out where you come from and hopefully make things right for your world again.

Saving the world would be a big task for anyone but I would think it would be especially hard for little Ori. In this massive world, you appear to be so small by comparison to everything around you, trees tower over you and even walking through the dark and eerie forest looks like a daunting task. The game is a 2D platformer but creates a spectacular 3D effect by layering different levels of the world together, one point you could be walking along and have vines appear in the foreground with creatures walking around on them while little Ori runs along in the background. It's a wonderful effect to the gameplay that makes things not feel so flat on the screen. Add to this the fact that the world of Ori is just so darn pretty to look at, everything on screen pops with a delightful array of colors and design. At first though you may not see what I am talking about due to the forest being dark and miserable as it slowly starts to die. But, as you progress in the story you will be bringing back three key elements to the nature of the world, after I returned the water to it's natural clear state for instance, the forest sprang to life. The water and all the woods became bright and colorful and it will leave a lasting impression with you. 

As you progress in the game, you will face many different puzzles and challenges. Ori plays a lot like Guacamelee where you won't be able to access different areas of the map without a certain skill or ability. Ori will come across random tree like statues throughout the story, these were beings just like you who have now passed on. Approaching these statues gives you a new skill that that being was particularly skillful at such as wall climbing, double jumping, ground pounding and many others. My particular favorite was the interesting dash move, this ability can be activated when you're near an enemy projectile or any enemy and allows you to slingshot that particular object and propel yourself forward. This comes in handy with some of the more difficult climbing challenges or reaching areas you couldn't before. You can also direct yourself wherever you choose, an arrow prompt shows you which way you will be going and you can even send enemies attacks back at them with it. It's a deadly move and after I received the ability I was soaring around the screen like a bat out of hell and chaining it together with all my other abilities.

As for the combat, things are fairly straight forward. The first being you come into contact with is a little fairy type ball that made me cringe at first due to it's resemblance to another, more annoying little ball creature from the Zelda series. It does pop in to talk every so often but it has relevant things to say and won't pester you with pointless information. The creature is also your main source of attack throughout the story, it will fire itself toward enemies like a barrage of tiny missiles and take down most of the games simple enemies. It can also be upgraded, along with Ori's other abilities, through skill orbs and energy taken from defeated enemies. Upgrading is straight forward and gives you great little perks such as a triple jump or the ability to breathe underwater which comes in handy. 

Just make sure you're careful with these abilities and follow the path you're set on. It doesn't happen entirely too often but you can end up sending Ori to a place that she was not meant to go yet on the map. There are all sorts of different paths and avenues to follow in the story and you really are not set on any particular one or restricted to go a certain way once you start opening up the map. This is because there are puzzle you may have come across that you couldn't do at the time and need to back track and due later on. It's something that I've loved to do in video games before, finding that secret path I couldn't find earlier or getting through a tricky puzzle with my new abilities. It's a kind of "screw you" mentality where you can be smug about how you can now beat anything the game has in store for you. But, as I said, just be careful because I found myself entering an area I wasn't ready for yet and had to turn around. You will be able to pick up on the difficulty of a particular zone and turn around in this case most likely though.

Perhaps the most interesting feature for Ori and the Blind Forest is it's saving function. I mentioned earlier that you receive skill orbs from defeated enemies, well you also receive a blue energy source that you use for saving your game and a few other aspect. Any safe location that you will find yourself in can be used as a save point, you can save before a difficult puzzle and do it over and over again till you get it right. I thought this was a wonderful feature as it skips over pointless cut scenes or infuriating save points that set you insanely far back that I've come across in puzzle games before. It is a double edged sword though as you must remember to save often to avoid dying and being sent so far back that you want to throw your controller. This happened to me on a few occasions where I was too cocky and ended up dying, not remembering where my last save file was. There are moments where the game does save itself too, mainly after completing story events but you will hopefully not rely on this. Also, you have to replenish and recharge your blue meter in order to save so watch out for how you use it or you will end up in hot water. 

All in all, Ori and the Blind Forest takes the platforming style and makes it fun again with it's beautiful design layout, story and abilities. I never would have expected this charming game to end up being so difficult at points but I hardly had time to notice with the pleasant music and environments moving me along. It did not stop me from raging from time to time over the fact that I didn't save but that was my own fault ultimately and I can't fault the game for my lack of saving. With so many spectacular features to it, the game is definitely a must for any platforming fan to try out.

Good:

- A wonderful story

- Huge and beautiful worlds to explore

- Abilities are all fun and make you wonder what the next will bring

Bad:

- Some very difficult dungeons

Scully Rating: 8.9 out of 10

The Maze Runner

By: Robert Murphy

Heading off to the movies this past week I was excited to find out more about one movie in particular and that was The Maze Runner. This movie adaptation to best selling book by James Dashner plays out like something from The Lord of the Flies where a group of young boys have found themselves lost in the middle of a giant maze with no memory of what had happened to them before. Having not read the book I wasn't quite sure whether it hits the nail on the head but I can say that about most of the movie adaptations to come out over the past few years. Never the less I took a swing at the movie and here is what I have to say.

As I said the movie follows a group of young boys who are mostly in there late teen years and they have all found themselves trapped, surrounded on all four sides by walls and an ever changing maze beyond them. Things seem to be going along well for them all given the circumstances but this all changes when Thomas (Dylan O'Brian) appears with a shipment of supplies through an elevator coming out of the ground. This sounds stranger than it is but this is how all of these boys arrived here, month after month, a new boy and supplies would come from this strange underground elevator. Rather than question this though the boys are really more concerned with trying to survive day by day, that is until Thomas arrives. For some reason Thomas just can't let things be and as soon as he arrives everything changes and his curiosity may be a bit of a double edged sword.

I did find it a bit strange during the film at the reason behind why none of the boys have found their way out of the maze quite yet and when the big reveal is their lack of curiosity, I almost fell over in disbelief. The fact that none of the other boys before Thomas made any strives over the many years they'd been there to do some of the things he does just doesn't seem likely and of all things that there was only one boy smart enough to do them. The other side of the mystery as well though seemed to be a little bit off as boy after boy came from the unknown elevator. Later on it is revealed that humanity has done this in a last drastic attempt to save the world. It seems testing young children like this comes up often like this when the world is on the line but in The Maze Runner, I'm not quite sure what that reason would be even by the end of the movie. 

The giant maze itself is an interesting feature, it is ever changing in a unique pattern but after time the boys have figured most of it out. This again brings to me the question how no one else but Thomas couldn't put this obvious puzzle together. Supposedly fear is what defines these boys as the maze is home to some fearsome creatures that are referred to as Grievers. These horrifying creatures are a mix of an organism and machinery and posses a dangerous poison that has killed off a few of the boys before Thomas arrived. This also brings up the question of why whoever is doing this would be so extreme to these children and if they have the ability to make these freakish creatures then what is it all really for. 

In the end I think that The Maze Runner leaves a lot of questions that I would like to see answered. It's not that I have found fault with the ideas that are presented but obviously there is plenty more story yet to be told by the end of the film. The whole thing was honestly intriguing enough for me to want to see the next part of the series and hopefully the final third movie to come after but I just wish there were far more going on right now. Every one of the boys though are spot on actors and I deeply enjoyed their performances, Will Poulter (Meet the Millers) as Gally and Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Game of Thrones) as Newt being among my favorites. 

Good:

- Intriguing story that got me wrapped up in the who, what and why of it all

- Some great performances from all the boys, well known and not so well known to myself

- I'm ready for the next part already

Bad:

- A little bit more going on in this first part would have been nice

- Not really certain that if humanity can make a giant maze and robotic creatures that they need to be doing this sort of thing to kids

- The fact that years have gone by and only one kid was smart enough to figure out these puzzles seemed unlikely to me

Scully Rating: 6.0 out of 10 

Max: The Curse of Brotherhood

By: Robert Murphy

It has been awhile since I have taken up an adventure style puzzle game like this but with Max: The Curse of Brotherhood it makes me wish there were so many more of this style of game. Not since Limbo have I played something like this although this is far less bleak and dark and more something you'd want your kids to play for something fun to do. You play the role of Max, a young red headed boy who comes home from school one day to his annoying little brother (been there) who is playing with his toys and Max wishes for nothing more than to be alone. Going to the internet for a solution as we all do in today's world, he finds a spell that in turn opens a portal and gets his brother kidnapped. Immediately regretting his decision he jumps after his brother and now must travel through this new world he finds himself in to save his brother. 

Now you are not much of the hero type when the game first starts out, you're a young kid who doesn't want to risk getting in trouble for getting your brother sucked into another dimension. You appear quite small in this world and the first couple of platforming challenges you face are really easy but things get more difficult as you go on. After jumping your way through the first few platforms, you meet a mysterious elderly woman who tells you the tale of this land you find yourself in and she in turn will help you defeat the evil lord Mustacho who wants to use your brothers youth to become young again and continue ruling the land. This elderly woman possess the soul of your mighty weapon....a marker, this marker allows you to control various elements in the game such as creating earth pillars, creating vines to swing on, creating solid branches, controlling a gush of water, basically you become the Avatar when you have this thing. But all these abilities come gradually over time as you progress through the treacherous environments that you have to find your way through with your wits. 

All the puzzles in the game are fairly easy even when you get to the later levels, it involves a bit of trial an error though when you get to angling things like the water and end up falling to your death. The main drawback to the whole thing though isn't performing the puzzle over again or figuring it out, it comes from our main character Max. Since you don't possess many jaw dropping abilities as the young kid you are, you suffer from limitations like the inability to double jump or make it that tinniest fraction closer to grabbing that edge you missed. Things also get a little more challenging when Max will appear to glide and slide across a surface making you panic jump to your death, it's an issue with the game itself and when you're playing a puzzle game where any mistake can cost you, it can get a little irritating. 

The fun really kicked in more for me later on when I gained control of all my markers abilities, like I said before I felt like a real life Avatar with my ability to control all these elements. Solving puzzles was just so much more fun when I had all these abilities under my belt, water spouts are particularly fun as you create your own water slide in a sense and send Max on a ride through the air to a jungle vine. This also comes up when you have to do the puzzle you are presented with in a certain way to get to a hidden goodie, the game comes with amulet pieces to collect and eye stalks to sever that are used by Mustacho to spy on you. Often you'll have to take the puzzle in another direction to reach these hidden gems and then remember the correct way you set up your path before. This brings up the other issue I had with the game and that's the timing and quick time events you will encounter along the way when it really becomes a challenge to take your marker out in time to preform the action the game wants you to do. It happens every once and awhile but when you have to sit through a whole cut scene time and time again it got on my nerves. 

In closing, I enjoyed what Max: The Curse of Brotherhood had to offer with it's bright and colorful puzzle solving game play. It made me think back to playing Limbo as I said before and I'm glad to see this type of game make it's way to the Xbox One early on. Issues do arise though that can make the game play a little bit of a challenge when you involuntarily slide across a platform that cause you to freak out and fall to your death. Quick time events and timing issue are also a bit of a problem for the game and when you're trying to solve a puzzle over and over again do to you missing that split second time constraint, you'll be frustrated. 

Good:

- Cute and fun environments that fit the story

- Controlling all these elements with the flick of your marker was really quite fun

Bad:

- Timing and quick time event issues

- Some control issues with your character Max

- Max himself can bring fault onto himself by not being all he should be, whimply missing jumps and ledges

Scully Rating: 6.0 out of 10