Everyone Is Out Playing Sims 4, Getting Ready For Destiny... And I'm Just Sitting Here Playing Hatoful Boyfriend (A Review)

Written By: Tyler
Platform Played On: PC

Visual novel games aren't something I'm entirely sold on most of the time. I'd rather just read a comic book more often than not, which I know means I miss out on some really good examples of the genre. If a visual novel offers me a lot of choices and I feel like I'm truly impacting the story, then it's fine. If I'm just sitting here clicking to read, that's more of a chore than anything.

Hatoful Boyfriend is a visual novel that has gotten a lot of attention since its original release in 2011, and even more now in its 2014 remake, because of its premise: You are a human girl in a school full of pigeons and you try to date them. Originally I thought you were pigeons dating pigeons, but no, the game has to make you question your own sexuality by slowly revealing your hidden desire to date birds.

I'm not different than a lot of other people. I know a weird concept is enough to draw me in. I'll buy into the hype, I'll eagerly anticipate something that's different than other things you see. That's the kind of person I am. I'm not entirely sure if I expected to like Hatoful Boyfriend or not, but it didn't really end up grabbing my attention when I finally sat down to play it.

Ignore the fact that you're dating pigeons and it becomes just like other dating sims. You make choices to try to date the pigeon that you've decided you like. This may or may not succeed. There are stats to manage like Wisdom, Vitality and Charisma but it's pretty unimportant and is more of an illusion to gameplay rather than truly being gameplay. I know it affects the game in a very miniscule way, but don't spend much time really thinking about that.

Hatoful Boyfriend consists mostly of putting you in places and making you decide what the best course of action is. Your choices do impact the game somewhat, and there are multiple endings to uncover, but was the plot really interesting enough to indulge in it numerous times?

That's the thing about Hatoful Boyfriend: Its narrative is deeper and more rich than one might think when looking at the game. The stock photos of birds and amateurish art work do a lot to try to hide the darker themes behind the cutesy visual style. This is not just a game about dating pigeons, after all.

You have to play through the game a bunch of times in order to unlock the true story. You may notice, even if you only play through once, that some things are odd and out of place, such as destroyed buildings or the fact you're a human (the only human by the way) and you live in a cave. Maybe you chalk these up to just being silly elements in a silly Japanese game, but they aren't, and once you unlock the final branch of the storyline, the game will clear up these issues and it becomes more intriguing than just being an adorable pigeon dating simulator that may or may not make you feel comfortable with your beastiality.

I also secretly want to be a girl so this game satisfies me.

I can give props to a game that takes a concept and then completely changes it around and gives us something we didn't expect. The plot does get more interesting and does show some good writing, and the parody leads into a legit complex plot about the school you're going to.

But if you're like me, then getting to the point that the plot unloads itself onto you is more of a chore than anything. It's simply not that much fun to play. You spend most of your time watching, and since you're expected to cover all the branching storylines, you end up slogging through it just to get to the good stuff. Why could they not just give us a way to unlock the story without doing this? It's lazy and and it's a poor excuse to force us to put more hours into the game than we might want to. Though I said above that you have choices, it's more superficial than a game like The Witcher 2 where your choices have impact... you do have choices but you have to end up making certain choices in order to progress in the game, ultimately. If I don't feel like I have real control in a game like this, it's simply not amusing to play.

It's not that Hatoful Boyfriend is terrible, it just seems more like a game you could get the same amount out of by simply reading a detailed plot synopsis on Wikipedia or something. I give respect for setting it up like a dating sim and then ripping the carpet out from underneath us to showcase something more expansive, but it's not a fun game. Defenders of the genre may take offense to that, but there are really good examples of this type of game out there.


Rating: 4/10
Verdict:  Has a plot that is darker and deeper than you may originally think, but it isn't an entertaining Visual Novel to play.

This Week In Games, July 20 - 26, 2014

Written By: Tyler

Welcome to another edition of "This Week In Games," a weekly feature where I discuss the finer points of wine. We'll get right down to it, but I have to make a few quick points as I do every week.

I don't include every game that is being released that week. I go down some of the more interesting ones and give a quick rundown on them. I don't always put Early Access games, but sometimes I do, and I try to limit it to games that are seeing their first retail release, though I will sometimes put ports. I try not to put games that were released on PC and then released on places like Steam later because Steam and PC are the same thing... but occasionally I will if I don't realize that a game was already released before. The release dates are also for North America because that's where I live. Sorry to those who live in other parts of the world.


July 20

Nothing! Enjoy the day of rest and relaxation.



July 21

Shadow Blade: Reload

Coming Out For: PC
Genre: Platformer
Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEkfFaEPuCA

This is an early access game, so because of that, you shouldn't expect a full game. It's also an enhanced version of Shadow Blade. However, it looks really cool. Since it's a 2D side-scrolling platformer where you play as a ninja, it should be a lot of fun. The mechanics look solid, and they're going to try to implement a level editor, local co-op and a variety of other features.



July 22

Ollie Ollie

Coming Out For: PC
Genre: Runner/Sport/Platformer
Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuJczWSgfCU

Ollie Ollie is a 2D runner where you are on a skateboard and you have to perform fancy tricks while not landing on your face. It was a Vita-exclusive so I never got to play it. Since it's coming out for PC this week, I may give it a try. It looks simplistic but I suppose the beauty of a game like this is that it is simplistic looking. It does look like it's going to be a bit of a challenge, though, so it should make for a good time.



July 23

Unrest

Coming Out For: PC
Genre: Adventure/RPG
Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hajqi1C13LE

Set in Ancient India, we are going to be given a setting that we don't often see. You play as four different characters, and the idea of Unrest is choice, apparently. Much like a game like Planescape: Torment, the developers say that you can go the entire game without fighting anybody if you're smart. If you do fight, it may have consequences that won't help you. Battles will be few and far between. If your character dies, the game continues on. The obvious concern here is that the choices you make won't be balanced or logical, but that's something we won't know until we play it. As it stands now, Unrest looks like a pretty decent romp through an uncommon setting.




The Wizard

Coming Out For: PC
Genre: Strategy/RPG
Gameplay: http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-wizard-teaser-trailer/2300-6420154/

First of all, the teaser trailer that I linked above is very funny. Secondly, The Wizard is about a Wizard without a face and the Thief who stole his face. At the very least, it's a unique storyline. The gameplay involves you chasing him down through dungeons, not unlike a Roguelike, where you can upgrade your spells. It looks like the game is going to have a sense of humour, and if the trailer is any indication then it'll do it well. I don't think the game will having mindblowing gameplay, but it looks like it'll be an entertaining 16-bit adventure. Let's get our attractiveness back!



July 24

Gods Will Be Watching

I believe this is an image from the version that was at Ludum Dare, but it's still a cool pic and the game looks similar.

Coming Out For: PC
Genre: Adventure
Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QliEVf1ZSzU

Here we go; this is the game of the week for me. Sporting a retro look (like many indie games), Gods Will Be Watching is a point-and-click adventure game but with a huge twist. It's not about solving puzzles in the way that we are accustomed to in the genre, so instead the game aims to place you in intense situations where you have to make choices on the fly and your decisions will affect the outcome of the world surrounding you. I'm ridiculously excited for this game and I hope that it makes me feel as uncomfortable as it's supposed to.



July 25

The Fifth Day

Coming Out For: PC
Genre: Survival/Action/FPS
Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG80z5EmkIU

This is an early access game. In The Fifth Day, you are a robot and you have to survive to the Fifth Day. At first I thought it was just another DayZ and Rust and I was going to rant about how we have so many games like this in Alpha that it's ridiculous. It does resemble those games in some way but the focus here is more on playing by yourself or with your friends in order to just survive a few days. You build stuff, hack AI from "the old world," and kill enemies. I may give it a spin. I'm not that excited for it but it seems relatively polished already and since the concept is more focused/less huge than games that are similar it may actually come out someday!


Wii Sports Club

Coming Out For: Wii U

Genre: Sports
Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gklSuWQFXk

Wii Sports Club is getting its full retail release on July 25th. The game consists of HD remakes of the games from the original Wii Sports, with an online component added. I'm of a mixed mind concerning this. On one hand, Wii Sports was a great game to package with the original Wii when it came out, but on the other hand, I feel like time has passed this by. It could hit huge with casual gamers, but I don't even feel like the Wii U is the system for it. Yes, you can hook up your Wiimotes and play it, but I think they should have focused on something else. There's no doubt it'd still be fun because the original was fun, but I won't be picking it up.



July 26

There's nothing going on today either. Go out and have fun!



This week was heavy for PC releases, but there are some interesting picks here. Did I miss a game that you're looking forward to? Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter @ArtBathednCrime.

2014 Kicks Off With A Walk Through The Desert With a Shotgun With No Name - A Tandoor Review

Written By: Tyler Selig

Your guess is as good as mine.

                I was planning on giving the blog a rest for a little bit, but a new Jake Clover game came out so I eagerly went and downloaded it here: http://gamejolt.com/games/adventure/tandoor/20755

                I figured, why not throw out a quick review of it? So here it is.

Rating: 3.5/10

Verdict: Jake Clover is an incredibly talented guy and he’s one of my favourite indie developers but I can’t recommend Tandoor because there just isn’t a lot here outside of some interesting design choices and some possible deeper meanings.

               

                As I stated in the Verdict above, I am a big Jake Clover fan. He releases a bunch of games, and pretty much all of them that I’ve played have been at least an 8 out of 10. Nuign Specter is a Top 100 Game of All Time for me. Unfortunately, every artist craps out a turd, so to speak. So it’s with that I move onto my review, my first 2014 game and also my first disappointment.

                If you haven’t played any of his games, they tend to be weird, symbolic and weird. Did I mention weird? I group him in with other developers who are creating their own path, such as cactus and Jack King-Spooner. He has an art style that seems sloppy but really isn’t, as it’s got its own twisted beauty that perfectly fits the universes that he creates. Most of his games are a little light on game play but a lot of these short indie games are. It’s his powerful vision that drives everything forward and it’s almost always a joy to experience.

                Tandoor follows his own formula. You can expect to see some weird shaped creatures (including the one you play as), and there is a simplistic but effective world built here. Birds fly through the air, and there are these big blue things in the distance looming over everything. The game is light on music but the lonely wind blows and you realize that you are mostly alone.

You drive up to a desert, get out of your car, go into a building and pick up a shotgun. From there you travel into said desert, killing distorted enemies and what I can only assume are humans. The idea of “stop, get a boomstick, go into the vast desert and become a murderous psycho” is one that appeals to me. I’m not sure what that says about me. Actually I do, I just can’t admit to it because I’ll get thrown in jail.

The gameplay is apparently endless, if you go by what Clover says himself. I’m not one to put an artist in a box… in fact, seeing as how I’m going to eventually write, I try very hard to look at author intent over everything. It’s why I may be more forgiving than others in a lot of cases. However, with Tandoor, I feel the endless desert was just a bad idea. I walked around for a bit and then when I read that it was endless I just quit. I had no purpose. You can usually look forward to seeing how Clover is going to finish everything off, but I feel the lack of climax hurts the game. With that said, I can never begin to say I understand everything that he is trying to do, and the infinite nature of the desert could very well be a statement within itself. Even as I write this, I want to be more forgiving because I sit here thinking of possible metaphors. However, despite that and the fact that you can go first-person and shoot things, it doesn’t save Tandoor from feeling a little more pointless than his other games.

                I originally gave this game a 2 out of 10, but I knocked it up a bit because there are design choices I admire, and they’re simple. Like Nuign Specter, your gun is loud and unnerving. I absolutely love how abrupt and earth shattering it is, like you know, an instrument of destruction that can drastically alter a life should be. Like I said above, I like the atmosphere that Tandoor creates. Then the other reason I knocked it up to a 3.5 is because I’m a sucker for challenging and odd symbolism, in which Tandoor may have.

                In the end though, I feel this is a misstep for a developer who I greatly admire. But hey, check it out since it's free, and maybe I'm an ignorant ass who "misses the point." Try it for yourself, and support talent.