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...