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It is officially a new year (and a new instalment of Video Game of the Month!) The start of that awkward phase where writing ‘2022’ just feels a little bit wrong. It has been an interesting couple of years as of late, that is for sure. Will we ever be free from the madness that plagues us? Who knows. Was ‘plagues’ a poor choice of words for that comment? Probably. I am but a humble gamer, and thankfully, no matter what is going on in the wider world, us gamers can always rely on that luxurious ‘beep’ as our chosen console boots up.
Does an Xbox or Switch even beep? I have no idea, I only own Sony consoles, but I try my hardest to be inclusive at least.
Well, enough of this guy rambling on, let's take a dive into what games our team here at Zatu have been spending the new year with.
Zelda Breath of the Wild – John Hunt
Christmas brought a Switch to the household. Suffice to say there was much joy to be had over the festive season.
There was one game to rule them all and that was Zelda, Breath of the Wild. Now I am a bit of a Zelda heretic: I know it has a long gaming tradition and being pretty long in the tooth myself, I have dabbled with previous iterations on a range of past platforms. They have been fine but I have never been bitten by the bug or terribly drawn in by the mythos.
But I had to try BoTW – it has topped so many top 10s in the past few years it seemed crazy not to. And it really has really blown me away. The visuals are stunning. Both the anime-esque graphics with their soft tones are brimming with character and the landscape design is breath-taking in its scope and grandeur. The plot has the expected JRPG charm and I am finding myself sucked into it more than previously – strong characters and well-choreographed cut scenes build engagement and atmosphere.
I have been impressed with the truly open world which gives you the freedom to roam, explore, get lost and feel fully immersed. Part of this is the level of interactivity built into the gameplay mechanics as myriad combinations of items, powers and environmental objects provide for some rewarding outcomes from the compelling experimentation. And I enjoy the challenge of combat which springs from the controls, combos, and the range of critters with their individual attacks and idiosyncrasies.
Finally, I have found an open-world game that I find genuinely compelling and one in which exploring provides relaxation and curiosity. I have really yet to scratch the surface but it keeps drawing me back for more and more. BoTW deserved all the plaudits it has received and is going to be a companion that will stay the course. Outstanding!
Riders Republic – Sophie Jones
As a long-term SSX Tricky fan I was excited for what Riders Republic offered; snowboarding, cycling, flying, and more. As Christmas loomed, I made sure it was on my list and thankfully it ended up in my stocking! Flash forward to January and I am flying dangerously close to mountains and almost ready to throw my controller through the TV.
Riders Republic is a competitive game where you try to win races or trick circuits. You can play solo and compete against player ghosts or you can take part in online events. The game also has a loose story where you listen to a hipster chef telling you how to become the best rider out there. The story won’t keep you entertained but it does provide a nice introduction to the various game modes.
Even though the game is one thrilling playground, I did find myself logging on to simply explore the map. There is something special about flying to the top of a snowy mountain, equipping a snowboard, and hoping for the best on your way down. It’s ridiculous fun. Which surprised me! Wandering around Riders Republic with no intended goal can be as fun as taking part in races.
I’ve had plenty of fun taking part in all Riders Republic has to offer but it’s not without its frustrating quirks. The loading times on PS4 are insane. Even opening the map has its own loading time! Races can be rage-inducing as your rider faceplants the floor for hitting…well… absolutely nothing. Customisation is limited thanks to grinding objectives or in-game purchases. And due to its online nature, the game is sometimes unavailable.
Despite its many issues, I will be hitting the slopes sometime soon. Although my TV may not survive as the rage quit energy, is rife when playing Riders Republic.
Deep Rock Galactic – Seb Hawden
Now and again, a little gem comes along on PlayStation Plus that takes me, my boys and friends by storm. I had not heard of Deep Rock Galactic before it was released on the service. I will be honest, we have not put it down since. It's like Minecraft mixed with Starship Troopers and you can get drunk, mine for ore and shoot beasties in the face. What more could you possibly want?
Deep Rock Galactic can be played solo but it shines in multiplayer. Its premise is simple but every mission I have played with other players has been humorous, entertaining, and rewarding. You and your team of bearded compadres set off into procedurally generated caverns and have to accomplish various tasks. From mining certain materials, repairing equipment, building mining pipes, and even just killing big bosses, there is a lot of pleasure to be had underground.
Real entertainment comes from exploration, working together to achieve your goals and how the games four classes gel when investigating. You have to move from cavern to cavern, climbing with zip lines, creating platforms, and drilling through dirt to find what is required to succeed. All the time fending off hordes of weird insects and monsters. Signalling to each other, working together and all the random camaraderie is amazingly delightful.
After achieving your goals, you have to run back to your dropship within a few tense minutes, while being hunted by a cavern-load of bloodthirsty enemies. It's taut, it's exciting and sometimes you get horribly lost trying to get back. The end of every mission is so uneasy and as a team, it's splendid working together to get back in one piece. Especially when various things happen to make that difficult. For example, three of the four players are in the dropship and your son dies miles back in the caverns. Of course, we have to go back for him. There’s only one minute left, the cavern is full of monsters but we leave no dwarves behind. Rock and stone!
Minecraft – Matthew Thomasson
Blocks, procedurally generated 3d world and open sandbox game, Minecraft has been out for over 10 years now. I am only just taking an interest. Minecraft is available on multiple platforms, Steam, Switch, Android, and Apple. It features multiple game modes such as survival, creative and hardcore. I have been spending way too much time playing this than I care to admit.
There is no real story in Minecraft. You start off on a procedurally generated 3d world that may be populated with mountains, lakes, oceans, trees, animals, and a whole host of other biomes. The game is very sandbox in its nature and you can pretty much do what you want. Depending on the mode you play you will need to eat and fight monsters that come out at night. You can mine, craft, build, grow crops and breed animals. Minecraft has a very addictive gameplay loop. Everything you do gets your resources which allow you to craft or build something else.
Both me and my son have started playing this and we are having a great time. He is playing in creative mode and is building some wild and wonderful structures. I am playing survival mode which is a bit more challenging but still very fun. The internet is full of hints, tips, and wikis for the best places to mine, the best crops to grow and every kind of tutorial that you can think of. You can create some fantastic looking buildings.
There is something about Minecraft that keeps pulling me back in. It is a relaxing game in which you can do pretty much what you want all surrounding 3d blocks. It is fun, it is addictive and it is a game that I have been enjoying just wandering around and exploring. I am currently trying to build a mansion that uses around 59k blocks. I am going to be mining for a while I think.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon – Dan Hilton
Yakuza was always a bit of an enigma for me when I was younger. It seemed to be a popular game but it took a while to get to. When I was finally convinced to try one, I think it was the third or fourth in the series. My friend convinced me that each game was different (quite clearly he hadn’t played them himself) and I was thrown into a world and story I had absolutely no bearing on. I quickly traded the game in and bought the latest Soul Calibur game instead. Fast forward a handful of years and I am now a little more clued up on the series. I have only played the two Kiwamii editions of the first game and second game so far but I enjoyed my time with them immensely.
Like a Dragon was not a purchase for me because I enjoyed the Kiwamii games, however. It was a purchase I made purely on the merits of Like a Dragon itself. The story and characters are far removed from that of the main series, and it had its own unique take on the RPG formula. I seem to have said this a lot in my content lately but turn-based combat doesn’t usually speak to me. Usually. If a game has an interesting enough premise, unique ideas, and story that you want to play out, then that is enough to push me past the turn-based elements that detract for me. I believe this game pulls that off. It is such a novel idea, having a turn-based RPG set in a modern time. It is almost a wonder it hasn’t happened already.
You have no idea the smiles this game has given me from putting a modern spin on classic RPG roles and classes. For example, the mage of the group is a homeless man who’s magic abilities follow an ilk of throwing seeds on an enemy to summon a flock of pigeons, using fire magic by swilling alcohol and spraying it through a lighter. The glass tank takes damage whilst attacking because their attacks get stuck in an opponent, and they give you a smack whilst you are stuck there; the tank is a security guard role that uses a riot shield to absorb attacks. All these little modern twists are what sells me on this game.
I love games that mess with the codes and conventions (a little term I picked up recently from my Game Design course) of game genres. Yakuza: Like a Dragon is sure to put a smile on your face if you are looking for something a little bit different.
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And there you are, another handful of games that we think are worth checking out for one way or another. There has been a nice mix this month of newer games, classic games, and modern mega hits. There should definitely be something here this month to sate anyone’s gaming thirst.
Stay tuned for next month’s entries, where I myself, will 100% be talking about how much I have been drooling over Dying Light 2 and of course… drumroll please… finally… after all these years…all the waiting… all the longing…ELDEN RING! If you do not see any posts from me in the future, it is simply because I have got so excited that my heart has given out on me.
Happy gaming!