Category: PS4

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Game Ramblings #84 – Unravel Two

More Info from EA

  • Genre: Puzzle/Platformer
  • Platform: PS4
  • Also Available On: Origin, Xbox One, Switch

TL;DR

  • Mechanically fantastic puzzle platformer that works just as well in single player or co-op
  • Not as big an emotional impact as the first game, but is mechanically far better as a game

It’s worth noting that I pretty much did a marathon of both the Unravel games in a few sittings. Where the first game was a solid puzzle platformer with a fantastic emotional arc straight out of Journey, the second was a much more laid back affair. However, it added a few mechanics that made it a much more solid game experience and added on a great implementation for couch co-op, so I decided that this one was the one I would ramble about. Really though, both are absolutely worth playing.

Most of the core mechanics of the game are present in this one screenshot, so it’s a good place to start.

Unravel is entirely a game about yarn, it’s the core visual feature of the main characters, it represents the binding of the two background story characters, and it’s the core limitation that keeps the players from being separated throughout the game. Like the first game, it’s also the big core physics piece that allows most of the puzzles in the game to work. Where the first game gave you limited yarn between checkpoints, this game gives you limited yarn between the two characters, which is also why this game works so well whether in single player or co-op.

The big physics mechanic that you gain with the yarn is swinging. You can hook up to points in the world and swing from them. Like the screenshot above, you can also create points by wrapping your yarn around objects that block the yarn. However, the swinging in the sequel feels a bit less physically realistic, and the game is much better off for it. The first game was generally alright for swinging, but there were a number of points where it definitely felt like I was battling the physics engine for just the right swing. In the sequel, swings feel much more set on perfect arcs (although they definitely massage this visually), so my swings and especially my jump releases were far more accurate. This move away from super physics realism also extended to some core movement. Running was distinctly faster and jumps were more rigid, giving the game a much more distinctly typical platformer feel in practice. It was definitely to the benefit of the game for them to go this direction.

The yarn can also be used just to hang, and like the screenshot above this can be used for other sorts of maneuvering. Since the two characters are independent, one can hang and move around on the rope while the second player physically swings them along. It’s a clever use of the typical platformer moving rope mechanic in a way that the player has significantly more control over the result. Done in co-op, it also means that the two players work together in a way that gives great instant feedback to what they’re doing.

The other big game mechanic added for the sequel is wall jumping. It may sound weird for something so simple, but this tremendously improved the pace of the game. The first game had a lot of sections where there wasn’t really a whole lot going on between puzzles. By simply adding wall jumps, the design toolbox was allowed to expand in a way that encouraged more simply fun platforming set pieces between puzzle areas, so the overall fun factor of the entire game improved as a result.

Puzzles definitely require both players to be doing something, which really makes co-op work well.

It’s also worth noting how literal the Two in the game title is. The entire game is playable in single player where the player switches between the two characters, or in co-op where each character is controlled separately. This co-op extends to the entire game, and the puzzles really take advantage of this. The screenshot above is a pretty simple example, where the players take turns distracting the bird to move to the end of the puzzle. However, these extend to areas where the co-op players activate weights to move set pieces around, to puzzles where the players have to heavily use the yarn rope physics to swing themselves to the right spots and help each other up, and more. This is as good of a couch co-op experience as I’ve ever seen in a platformer, and unlike New Super Mario Bros U, this is definitely designed to make co-op fun instead of frustrating.

I can’t leave this without mentioning the visuals – this game looks fantastic throughout.

The two Unravel games are pretty damn special. The first is an emotional gut punch that follows a similar arc to Journey, and in doing so gives a really strong puzzle/platformer game. The second makes the game mechanically far better, and at the same time adds one of the best platformer co-op experiences I’ve ever seen. This is on top of great visuals, great audio, and a phenomenal soundtrack backing it all up. These two games have been pretty easy to miss, especially on PC where they’re relegated to Origin, but it’s absolutely worth putting in the effort to seek these out, especially the sequel.

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Game Ramblings #82 – Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition

More Info from Bandai Namco

  • Genre: JRPG
  • Platform: PS4
  • Also Available On: Xbox One, Switch, Windows
  • Originally Released On: Xbox 360, PS3 (Japan only)

TL;DR

  • Roughly decade old Tales of title remastered for current generation, first time seeing expanded PS3 content in North America
  • Game that has aged well despite some of the improvements to the overall Tales of gameplay since its release

I had the weirdest lack of memory about the second half of this game as I was playing it, as if I hadn’t ever gotten that far in the original release. This is despite me basically finishing all Tales of titles since Symphonia. From playing it this time, I knew it wasn’t because I didn’t enjoy the game – the combat in this entry is probably what I’d consider the best representation of the more classic side-scrolling Tales of combat. I also know it wasn’t because of a difficulty spike as I never really had a point where I felt like the difficulty curve was anything but correct. At the end of the day I never did figure that out and I never hooked up my 360 to figure out how far I had originally gotten, but in my 50 or so hours with this game, I came away knowing that this still holds up as a fantastic RPG worth playing.

Combat is still the main focus here to no surprise.

Combat in Vesperia is about as close as I could point to this series’ classic combat style still playable on a modern platform. Games after this added new elements that really played with the system – Graces removed TP and added a bunch of side stepping, Xillia played around a lot more with a 3D battle space, Berseria played around with swapping characters in real time while pushing further into 3D. Basically, Vesperia pretty closely represents the end result of years of them iterating on a 2D system, and it is still a thrill to play.

The main focus here is still some really fun and fast paced combos consisting of basic attacks and special attacks. Where this game really pushed things is in the use of gear skills. Some armor, and nearly all weapons have skills that can be earned over time. Once earned, the character permanently unlocks the skill as a toggleable item. These can range from passive stat boosts to attack replacements. The real fun ones for combat end up being the combo modifiers.

These can extend your combo, make parts of your combos different elements, make parts of your combo scale better and more. It basically becomes an involved metagame in trying to build out your attack combo in a way that best suits your style in order to maximize both damage, and in many ways maximize the amount of time you can stun lock your opponents. After all, more stuns equals less damage taken equals better chance at winning. The balance here is incredibly rewarding when you find the skill setup that best meets your style, and gives a lot of flexibility to the player in fighting specifically how they want.

Get used to these guys, you’ll be spending all your time with them.

That’s not to say that all parts of the combat system have aged incredibly well, but they’re in ways that are sadly familiar to Tales of players. The AI in general can basically be depended on to do the worst thing possible, even if you tweak their AI setup. In the end my best course of action was usually keeping one person on full time healing, and not allow them to attack, thereby keeping them out of danger and having to focus on healing only themselves. The other AI generally had their best result in using ONLY basic attacks, or they’d sometimes stand around just waiting to use skills. I’d much rather them be doing basic attacks to stun the enemies, and allow me to run around doing larger damage under my own control. The stun locks also work both ways, with some of the later bosses being basically stun lock management and a setup where I spent more time free running avoiding attacks, then doing poke damage when possible instead of actively being in combat. In a lot of points bosses can basically stun lock you 100->0 if you get hit with the wrong thing and your AI partners don’t interrupt the chain.

Visually the game has held up well, with a few more modern enhancements keeping this one up to speed despite its age.

The rest of the experience is unsurprising. Visually, the anime style that the Tales of series has always used has aged really well. The resolution bump on the new consoles has helped out a bit, and some light use of depth of field and similar screen effects has given this a bit more modern flair. The story is a bit take it or leave it, with the usual amount of incoming apocalypse melodrama typical of the series. However, the characters are generally likable and the banter between them is a lot of fun. This one also has pretty solid voice acting, and the entire set of skits has also gained the voice acting done for the PS3 Japan release. Overall, this one really didn’t need to do much to still hold up, but the little pieces done to remaster the title keep it up to modern expectations for the series.

I guess my end recommendation here is basically to play this, especially if you’ve liked any of the Tales of games on modern consoles. The battle system would be a bit different than those, but still has great flow despite its often 2D nature. The gear skills in particular are a customization wrinkle that I wish more games in general would take advantage of. The rest of the experience is typical of Tales of games, and that should frame whether or not you think you’d like it. However, even having played it before, I still put the 50 hours in to finish it again so that should give the best kind of idea of how much I think this is worth playing.

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Game Ramblings #81 – Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown

More Info from Bandai Namco

  • Genre: Arcade Flight Sim
  • Platform: PS4
  • Also Available On: Xbox One, Windows

TL;DR

  • Really entertaining arcade flight sim with solid combat mechanics
  • Gorgeous visuals that are a huge step up since the last main entry
  • Expansive skill tree / equipment tree gives a bit more variety and depth to the game’s upgrade path

It’s been too long.

Seriously though, Ace Combat 6 came out in 2007. There was a PS3 spinoff, some really weird free to play stuff, and a decent PSP title, but nothing in the main line for over a decade. I’ve always really loved this series, and from where I’m sitting writing this I can see the PS2 entries lined up, so I had every digit crossed hoping this game was going to be a great return to form for the series. I’m happy to report that it more than lives up to the quality of the series’ past.


That tweet does more than about anything I can do to explain how gorgeous and exciting it is to simply fly around in Ace 7. The controls are as fluid as they’ve ever been. It simply feels easy to fly around, which is really nice because it allows you to focus on everything else going on. This being an Unreal Engine 4 title though, it comes with some real nice bells and whistles. Diving into clouds is simply breathtaking. Water hits your camera, your vision goes away, and it really feels like you might just get lost. Dive into a thunderstorm like I did up there and you’re in for even more fun surprises if you manage to get hit by lightning.

Combat is still largely what it has been in past titles. Deck out your planes in an assortment of missiles and bombs. If it’s a sea-based mission, maybe setup some air-to-ship weaponry. If you’re diving around through canyons, maybe use some seeking bombs for ground targets. The ease of controls just make it all super accessible. Flying is on your stick, throttle is on your shoulders, and weapons are all on your face buttons. This leaves you always on the right buttons when in a dog fight, and boy do those deliver.

It’s not always going to be small planes you’re up against. There’s definitely larger things to destroy.

This game is a relatively modern take on combat, and weaves a story around the transition between pilot-based combat and drone-based combat, along with the implications of this if the drones are able to operate independently on their own. This leaves a lot of room for drone movement to lean well into the fantastic, and give you dog fights that are well outside the norm. While you’re weaving and bobbing, the drones are sometimes literally running circles around you. The fights become a lot more opportunistic in the past for when you can actually launch missiles or machine gun fire that have a chance to hit, but this all feels pretty fair. There’s still a lot of skill in managing to avoid being attacked, particularly since there’s a lot more room for the drones to come in behind you quickly, and you have to be a lot more on the ball for activating your attacks in really small windows of time to get hit your target. Overall while it felt very familiar, it was definitely a new experience in a lot of ways having to be so quick to react.

The aircraft tree is your new way to buy planes and upgrades, and it’s pretty significant.

It’s also worth mentioning how much I enjoyed the equipment upgrade path that Ace 7 brought in. Past games have always had the ability to buy new planes, but this one goes full RPG and brings in a skill tree. The various branches of the tree have planes and weapons in them, but they also have upgrade tokens that can be purchased. At plane loadout time, these tokens can then be added to your plane via a point-cap system to modify the plane to your liking. Want tighter yaw to really push through turns? Lean into maneuverability upgrades. Frustrated by how slow some of the special weapons reload? Lean into upgrades that improve reload speed. Because they’re point capped, you can’t necessarily build some uber broken plane, but this whole system provides a really nice way to just generally get upgrades as well as provide some nice customization to your planes if you really find one that you like.

Flying is fun right from the start, and it’s never looked better for the series.

Realistically this game isn’t for everyone. End of the day it’s a game about flying and shooting, so it’s gonna hit a limited market. However, it’s the kind of pure joyous action that I always get a kick out of, and never really understood why more games like it weren’t available. Having been 12 years since the last main entry, I’m glad that Ace Combat is finally getting another chance to shine because this is a damn good entry in the series, and finally one that pretty much everyone will have access to play.