Wordsmith's Anvil

  Image Courtesy of Yellow Brick Games It's difficult in this day and age to come up with something that's going to stand the test of time. Not every game that releases is going to be the next The Last of Us or Baldur's Gate 3 , and it can be tough for developers to find that niche that they can use to set themselves apart. Eternal Strands is one of those games that tries to do it all and then some, but struggles to stick the landing a bit.     Eternal Strands was developed by Yellow Brick Games, an indie company headed by four veterans of the gaming industry with credentials ranging from Bioware's Mass Effect and Dragon Age titles to Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed series. As such, it has some pretty solid bones with which to build a foundation upon. I was eager to see what these industry veterans had come up with in a brand new IP, and for the most part I got what I was looking for.     Yellow Brick Games's debut title utilizes a mix of different elements to co...

  Image courtesy of Rabbit & Bear I've been on an RPG kick for... okay, it's probably not much of a "kick" if it's lasted more than 25 years. However, the tactical RPG thing has been a more recent development for me. I never really thought that I would be into concocting strategies whilst trying to unwind and relax after a day of work, but I guess some of these games scratch an itch I wasn't aware of.     Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes  is a game developed by Rabbit & Bear after a successful Kickstarter they began several years ago. The late director was one of the key figures in the Suikoden series, and Eiyuden is regarded by many as a spiritual successor to that franchise. They raised a couple million dollars in the process of this Kickstarter, enough to warrant them making a prequel spin-off entitled Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising which stars three of the side characters from the main game. I played Rising for free when it was available on PS Extra a...

Image courtesy of Lancarse & Square Enix I think one of the greatest pieces of advice that I ever received for my writing was "Show, don't tell." It sounds cliche, and maybe it is, but it's cliche for a reason. You want to paint a picture in your readers' minds without giving your story in the form of a journalistic report. That's the hope, anyway. Diofield 's directors didn't get the memo.     Diofield Chronicle is about a couple of friends who find themselves embroiled in a small nations struggle to keep its independence against an encroaching empire. We've heard all this before, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Nowadays every story has been told already in some form or another, so it's going to be impossible to get past anything's derivative nature. You just have to roll with the idea that maybe this rebel alliance's fight against the empire is unique in its own way. And it is, for the most part.     The main character...

Image courtesy of Ocean Drive Studio, Inc. When I start these reviews I usually have a certain score already in mind. I have a litany of reasons as to why a game scored in a certain category of mine and therefore why it just fell a little short of whatever tier(s) are above that. For Lost Eidolons , I had intended on giving it a 7/10 originally. That's nothing to scoff at in my book, as I literally even label my 7s as "Great" games. However, as I started to think more about it and the different avenues that Ocean Drive took in Lost Eidolons 's creation... I began to question that 7.     For those who have no idea what kind of game this is, Lost Eidolons is a tactical turn-based RPG in a medieval-fantasy setting. You play as Eden, a mercenary of sorts from a podunk fishing village, who gets swept up into a rebellion after a daring rescue turns into a noble's murder. While the initial actions weren't the most honorable, no one in Eden's crew is really all th...

Image courtesy of Edward Moran “Millions for defence, but not one cent for tribute.” Robert Goodloe Harper How to Begin I recently read that a warrior’s path is two-fold. There is the aspect that should be apparent, that of the sword. Another piece is just as important, but lies dormant in most. This is the path involving the pen. I’m old now, so the way of the sword isn’t exactly my go-to. That being said, I can readily look back on the things I’ve done in my life and see where they went wrong. Or perhaps where they went less right than I’d hoped for. When I read this old samurai’s teachings, I’m not entirely sure of what he meant by the way of the pen. It’s said he was a great calligrapher, so maybe he was just referring to artistry. They also say he was a lover of knowledge and a forever student. Perhaps the pen simply meant to continue research. Whatever he meant by it, I’m going to take it as my cue to jot down my story before old age steals the critical details from my mind. How ...

  Image courtesy of Atlus & Vanillaware "What game are you playing?"    The sweat begins to bead upon my brow. My throat gets taut. It shouldn't be a difficult question to answer and yet... here we are.    This is one of those moments where it's tough to reply with a straight face. Especially when the one asking the question is one of your old Marine buddies. Ultimately, I decide to go for it. Double-down, too. Act as if this is the most normal and masculine answer that could even be given. Who needs Ghost Recon when you have Unicorn Overlord ?   " Unicorn Overlord . It's actually pretty badass, bro." The Good First off, let's just put it out there that Unicorn Overlord  is not some lame game that I'm doubling down on to justify playing something with such a ridiculous sounding name. It truly is incredible. But to fully grasp that you'll need a bit of a background.   The game starts off with a revolution where the main cha...