Anime Indo Blog

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

PixelJunk Monsters 2 [Game Review]

Rob "NualphaJPN" B.

Take your tower building skills to the next level in a uniquely crafted and visually stunning world.

Game Info

System: PlayStation 4

Publisher: Spike Chunsoft

Developer: Q Games Ltd.

Release Date: May 25, 2018

PixelJunk Monsters 2 Announcement Trailer (PS4/Steam/Nintendo Switch)

The Tower Defense genre over the years has seen its fair share of hits and misses when it comes to not only presentation, but gameplay aesthetic as well. Notable classics like Plants vs. Zombies really helped to accentuate just how much fun tower building can be, once all the pieces are sewn together and you see your hard work pay off beautifully. Other very popular titles are Orcs Must Die! 2 and, of course, Clash of Clans, both of which helped to take the genre to an entirely new level of depth and strategy in order to keep gameplay compelling and rewarding. So this brings us to PixelJunk Monsters 2, the follow up to the original which comes with various visual and gameplay improvements that make this game a treat for any Tower Defense fan. PixelJunk Monsters 2 takes place in a unique world where you star as the Tiki Man, who must protect the village and chibi from incoming monsters that try to bring devastation to the area. It’s up to you to become the eyes and ears of Tiki Man, as you strategically build and place defense towers in order to defeat the waves of enemies that continuously try to bombard you.

PixelJunk Monsters 2 takes a unique spin on the genre by allowing players to choose between a third person view, or the classic top down view, with both perspectives adding their own unique gameplay twists throughout your time playing. The approach is simple but having the right execution is imperative in order to survive and accumulate enough points to gather better tools, but also greater rewards as the levels get gradually harder.

PixelJunk Monsters 2 continues where the original left off, providing a much cleaner framerate, more tools to your disposal and more challenges that will have you desperately trying to aim for a perfect score. While it certainly will not be an easy feat, the gameplay is what truly sets PixelJunk Monsters 2 apart from any other Tower Defense game on the market, simply due to its visual aesthetic that takes inspiration from stop motion animation and combines it with the more modern technology. You can tackle the game on your own and test your tower defense prowess, or you can venture online and play the game with others for more fun. Whatever direction you choose is entirely your prerogative, but in the end, PixelJunk Monsters 2 serves up a dish that’s flavorful and provides just enough to keep you feeling satisfied.

There’s no over the top features or wild special effects, it’s simply tower defense at its finest and if you’re able to overcome the many obstacles in front of you, this game can truly bring happiness to your heart. Of course, there will be moments of sheer frustration, as the game tests your limits, but what’s a tower defense game without some heart wrenching moments to keep you coming back for more. Expect a lot of thinking and trial and error as you play through, which could be seen as a good thing or bad thing depending on your perspective. You are essentially thrown into a world where you need to improvise on the fly and by doing so, annoying instances will confront you along the way. So keep that in mind if you’re new to the genre and are looking to test the waters to see whether it’s the right fit for you. Now, grab those Tiki Masks and kick some monster arse!

Most tower defense titles don’t really come with a compelling story or riveting narrative to keep you engaged, and that can be said with PixelJunk Monsters 2. Tiki Man is the primary focus as he’s the character you’ll be in control of, racing around each level trying to build as many weapons as possible to prevent catastrophe from happening. Your main objective is to protect the Chibi, 20 of them to be exact, and by doing so, you’ll be able to achieve rewards the more you save. The waves start off fairly straightforward which really act as an in game tutorial or “warm-up” for players, before really engaging in the more laborious tasks that lie ahead. Using the top down view, you’ll be able to traverse around the world, looking for spots with trees in order to start building.

This view is incredibly useful since it provides a much better perspective on what’s currently happening around you, but more importantly, it helps you to better understand enemy routes so you can strategically keep them out for as long as possible. Easier said than done, of course, but it certainly helps to know where enemies spawn from, so that as you gradually level up your items and waves become even larger, having a base ideas of where they come from will be of great welfare for you. Speaking of rewards, if you’re able to successfully keep every single Chibi alive at the end of the waves, you’ll earn special rainbow blocks which provide you with a surprise that we’ll let you experience.

That is, if you’re able to actually keep all 20 Chibi alive during crunch time, which admittedly, we tried and failed, but that’s the beauty of playing. While the game can be a taxing ordeal, on the contrary, it’s that very taxing feeling that starts to feel euphoric once you actually pull off your objective in flying colors. This will come with repeating stages again to really get a feel for things, buying and upgrading along with memorizing areas which give you the most results in terms of your tower building.

Going briefly into the third person perspective that we mentioned earlier, it’s actually a unique feature to PixelJunk Monsters 2 that adds a new element of gameplay in a tower defense universe. Traversing the world in this perspective turns the game into an entirely new experience which almost feels like you’re playing an adventure game. You race around the world with Tiki Man and witness as enemies take hits from the towers you’ve built, and seeing bits and pieces flying around you in 3D fashion. It’s a glorious addition to the game that allows you to play through it in such a way that’s not only joyous in its own right, but gives players a chance to see things from Tiki Man’s perspective.

PixelJunk Monsters 2 is a wonderful title for anyone looking for an entry point into the genre, and is very challenging title for anyone familiar with tower defense mechanics. In spite of that though, the game can at times be so overtly difficult especially in the higher difficulties, where keeping those Chibi alive can really generate a lot of stress. Now, of course, games aren’t meant to create that sort of feeling and obviously it wasn’t the intention of the development team, but it certainly can have you feeling overwhelmed when you aren’t ready for what’s ahead. Perhaps the best advice we can give is practice, practice, practice. Continue to create new strategies every time and try not to exert too much of your focus on one particular area of the map, but spread your tactics out enough to maintain a strong defense. Use all of your rewards and various buffs to your advantage, and dress up your Tiki Man just for the hell of it because it’s fun to do so!

PixelJunk Monsters 2 is definitely worth the purchase if tower defense titles are of interest to you, but also newcomers to the genre will find its challenge to be worthwhile once you dabble more with its features. For its affordable price point on the PlayStation 4 ($14.99), it’s certainly not going to strangle your wallet in any way, so pick it up and give it a shot! Be sure to follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest gaming news, and of course follow us on Twitch to know when we go live with your favorite titles!

As always, for all things sweet, with news straight from Japan, be sure to keep it locked here on Honey’s Anime.

Editor/Writer

Author: Rob "NualphaJPN" B.

A passionate fan of gaming, writing, journalism, anime, and philosophy. I"ve lived in Japan for many years and consider this place to be my permanent home. I love to travel around Japan and learn about the history and culture! Leave a comment if you enjoy my articles and watch me play on twitch.tv/honeysgaming ! Take care!

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Hen – 22 (END)

「さくらの透明なカード」 (Sakura no Toumeina Kaado)
“Sakura’s Clear Cards”

That was such an awkward place to end things — but considering that the source for Clear Card Hen is still on-going, I guess this wasn’t the worst place to leave things for a potential sequel.

Final Impressions

Boy, after years of not watching anything Cardcaptor related, it was a real treat to see a new adaptation finally making its way to our desktop and television screens. Pacing problems aside (which we’ll dive into in a little), the power of nostalgia combined with a solid IP is nothing to scoff at. I don’t know about you, but there’s something powerful about seeing characters that we grew up with getting a chance to continue their story. Between Kero-chan doing his thing to new character Akiho appearing to round things out for the non-magical characters, there was a nice mix between old and new that helped Clear Card Hen stand out on its own.

That said, I must say that the story for this sequel was something that I had some problems with. At its core, it wasn’t bad per se. It had all the elements of what one would expect from a Cardcaptor show except the execution of some of those elements felt a little lackluster. The biggest of which being the pacing and episode after episode of things happening, but nothing really pushing the plot forward. Because as much as this is as how about Sakura capturing Cards, the true meat of the show comes from the story (and mysteries) that are constantly moving and changing amongst the set pieces of capturing cards. That said, I suppose there isn’t much you can do when the source material isn’t finished and making an anime- original ending isn’t really an option. Luckily, as with all shows, the open-ended ending of the second-cour leaves it wide open for another season to swoop on in and continue right where things left off.

Backtracking to our characters, I don’t think there’s much to say here except it was a treat to see everyone. With the timeline ever-so-slightly ahead of where the original left off, you didn’t have to subvert your expectations too much since everyone involved did age a bit. And if anything, everyone had “aged” just enough to make it feel like the events of the original were way in the past.

Overall, I don’t think there’s much to say about the show as a whole at this point. As a sequel to an insanely successful and popular show, I think it did the series justice by staying on topic and giving fans both new and old exactly what they were promised — Sakura being a Card Captor. And as I said earlier, with the way things ended, it’d be very easy for another season to pick up right where things left off once there’s enough material to do so. Maybe then we can have a nice analysis on more specific parts of the show once there’s some material to actually talk about!

In any case, thank you to everyone who has been able to keep up with the post! I know that this show wasn’t the easiest to tackle (especially if you didn’t have nostalgia amping up all the slower moments), but hopefully another season in the future will wrap things all up and make it all worth it. Anyways, be sure to keep an eye out for our upcoming Season Preview and I’ll catch you guys later!

Persona 5 the Animation – 10

「I Want to See Justice with My Own Eye」

As the road to the third palace is being paved, Episode 10 keeps in the best and the worst of this arc’s beginning while also smoothing over some of its transitions. Since Akechi has appeared earlier as a patron in Leblanc, it comes off as far more natural for Akechi to single out Ren or be particularly focused on him and his friends instead of having him be gravitated towards him because that’s what fate dictates. We still get the infamous “pancakes” line from Akechi so they definitely didn’t skip a beat there, though they did help to blend in new details to give future events foreshadowing like introducing Togo Hifumi in-person as a celebrity invited to the TV station or having Kawakami scold Mishima for getting too close to Employee Only sections of the building. It all helps to set the tone for the rest of the game as Akechi keeps Ren and his friends within his cross hairs.

Also in hot-pursuit of our Phantom Thieves is the true star of the episode, Nijima Makoto. Although much of the more exciting aspects of Makoto’s growth look like they’ll be coming up in an episode or two from now, 10 marks where her resolve to stay on the rails of authority starts to waver. While she begins stalking Ren with only a large manga magazine as her line of defense, she finds herself on the opposite end of justice by having to be pitted against the Phantom Thieves. Her own definition of justice is challenged as the principal keeps pushing for her to find out who they are, yet, as she blackmails the Phantom Thieves into hunting down the mafia boss that’s been targeting students from Shujin Academy, she also finds herself at odds by having to align herself with the same authority that fought to protect Kamoshida and stamp out a movement that could potentially take down more abhorrent members of society. Ann’s pushback against Makoto as the head of the student council left impotent in the face of Kamoshida’s corruption helps kickstart the building resentment for authority that would eventually cause Makoto to find her own justice away from the powers that be that tell her to stay in line or else.

This episode also introduced us to Shinjuku, the red light district where Ren finds out the identity of mafia boss Junya Kaneshiro. They retained some of the best aspects of the area like the beginning of Ohya’s confidant, the introduction of her favorite bar’s owner Lala Escargot, and the debut of Mifune Chihaya, whose new VA Terui Haruka takes on the impossible role of filling in for the late and great Matsuki Miyu. She does a decent job, but this particular arc has the distinction of having lost the seiyuu for Chihaya and Kaneshiro, so it is a detail that sticks out after playing through with the Japanese voices.

However, the largest issue with the episode is what they didn’t leave out though with its worst characters, the two flamboyantly gay men of Shinjuku, making their appearance. Their existence is solely to be laughed at as they aim to take Ryuji out for a hot night out against his will. While they made sure Ren didn’t make light of Ryuji’s assault, they didn’t shy away from making it worse with off-screen smooching sound effects or having them tackle him to the ground. Not only is it a dramatic set-back to have a comic molestation scene in light of how serious Ann and Shiho’s sexual harassment was at the hands of Kamoshida in comparison to Ryuji getting assaulted by two burly gay men, but it does a disservice to the narrative itself by taking a story about fighting back against an unjust society when its only gay characters are comical molesters brought into the story twice for laughs. In the same franchise that has Kurosu Jun and the ambiguously bi Tatsumi Kanji, it is the hugest step backwards imaginable. And Lala is nonetheless an engaging character who has fun banter with Ohya and treats Ren fairly, so it’s less of a problem with the game’s opinion of LGBT people or drag, and more an issue with the reasoning behind the need to have a comical scene involving predatory gay men. Honestly, the game and the anime would have been better off excluding the characters because the outdated humor of gay sexual predators was really unneeded, and goes against much of what makes Persona 5 such a great game.

But outside of that, it was still an enjoyable episode with much of the important details retained and thankfully shortened for better cohesion. As an example, it made far more sense for the show to cut to Makoto showing Ren’s friends the evidence of them blurting out their activities as the Phantom Thieves right after her argument with Ann. It cuts to the chase and also cuts Ryuji some slack when, in the game, the complaints of his loose lips are tied mostly to the phone call he made to Ren right when Makoto showed him the recording where Ryuji left the incriminating message of wanting to meet up at the Phantom Thieves hideout for Phantom Thieves such as themselves. The same thing can be said about Akechi’s on-air interview and Ohya giving Ren information in exchange for starting her confidant as it helps to condense the need for information overload while naturally blending the extra details into scenes where they would fit.

Kingdom Hearts III Game"s Trailer Previews World Based on Frozen

Square Enix"s PS4, Xbox One game slated for January release

Square Enix unveiled a new trailer for its Kingdom Hearts III game during Microsoft"s E3 2018 press conference on Sunday. The trailer reveals that the game will have a world based on Disney"s Frozen film.

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Square Enix will release the game on January 25 in Japan for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and on January 29 in the West. The game was previously planned for a release this year.

Square Enix first announced Kingdom Hearts III in 2013. Confirmed worlds include Big Hero 6, Toy Story, Tangled, Monsters, Inc., and the returning Olympus Coliseum world. Hikaru Utada returns to perform the game"s theme song "Don"t Think Twice" (the song in Japanese is titled "Chikai" or "Oath").

Game director Tetsuya Nomura has noted that the game will have another playable character besides Sora. Nomura has also said that developers are focusing on the PS4 and Xbox One releases before a possible release for the Nintendo Switch, adding that after the PS4 and Xbox One versions have shipped, "maybe we can start thinking about other possibilities.”

Source: Kingdom Hearts official YouTube channel

Dark Souls" FromSoftware Reveals Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Game

Stealth action game set in Japan"s Sengoku era ships for PS4, Xbox One, PC in 2019

FromSoftware revealed its new game, titled Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, during Microsoft"s E3 2018 press conference on Sunday. The game will ship for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam in 2019. Activision is publishing the game.

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FromSoftware teased the new game last December.

Activision describes the game:

Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, and published by Activision, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a third-person, action-adventure game with RPG elements. The single-player game puts players in the protagonist role of a hard-hearted warrior whose mission is to rescue his master, a young lord who is the descendant of an ancient bloodline, and exact revenge on his arch nemesis. Set in the re-imagined world of late 1500s Sengoku Japan; a brutal, bloody period of constant life-and-death conflict, in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice you are the “one-armed wolf,” a disgraced and disfigured warrior rescued from the brink of death.

In the game, players come face-to-face with larger than life foes; unleash an arsenal of deadly prosthetic tools and powerful ninja abilities to blend stealth, vertical traversal, and visceral head-to-head combat in a bloody confrontation.

Take revenge. Restore your honor. Kill Ingeniously.

FromSoftware is best known for its Demon"s Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne action games, as well as its Armored Core mecha action game. The company released its latest game, Dark Souls III, in Japan for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in March 2016, and then in North America and Europe for PS4, Xbox One, and PC in April 2016.

Source: Microsoft"s E3 2018 press conference

Anime Music Weekly Ranking Chart [Best Ranking]

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ELZA Weekly Anime Music Chart [06/04/2018]

What You Need to Know:

Welcome to the weekly anime music chart from Honey"s Anime! This chart showcases all of the top selling singles weekly related to anime and games.

Lat week saw BOOTLEG rally again to push to the top of the chart while pushing down previus week"s #1 Izanaware Traveler to second place. Splatoon 2 OST managed to hold on to its position while Idolm@ster and LiSA fell down.