PG

Xbox One, PS4

For Australians of a certain age group, Cheez TV was an institution, a gateway to anime like Dragon Ball Z when accessing such titles was practically impossible, especially for those of us living in rural areas on dial-up internet connections. For myself and my brothers, we would tape each episode for viewing that same afternoon, lest we miss the school bus. As with many shounen anime, whatever hits you at the right age seems to stick – contemporaries like Naruto and One Piece never grabbed me in the same way, and hold no nostalgic sway. When the opportunity arose to review Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, a game that seemed poised to deliver the exact kind of DBZ meets GTA fever dream my 14-year-old brain fantasised about amongst friends, I jumped at the chance.

The main draw for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is its retelling of the DBZ storyline, from the Saiyan Saga all the way through to Buu which would otherwise clock in at almost 300 episodes of television. This aspect of the game is a boon given narrative and audiovisual presentation are the strongest elements of DBZ:K, each story beat, character appearance and musical cue or sound effect like an arrow through my nostalgic heart. Akira Toriyama’s designs are rendered exquisitely and the faithfulness to the anime series is beyond reproach, allowing players to feel like they’re exploring the version of Earth that DBZ presents. The attention to detail is quite impressive, with a number of in-jokes and references to earlier series Dragon Ball rewarding die-hard fans for their devotion. However, while the aesthetic side of the game is truly wonderful, what developer CyberConnect2 and publisher Bandai Namco delivered is in many ways exactly what I wanted when I was 14 – now 20 years too late. While the cel-shaded visuals and anime authentic audio go a long way to endearing the player to the experience, the fact of the matter is that many of the mechanics and systems feel incredibly dated, built around an ‘open-world’ design that feels plucked straight from the PS2 era and shoehorned into a current generation game.

Playtime spent in DBZ: K falls roughly into one of two categories: traversal and battle. If I’m not flying around the map looking for items or moving towards the next mission, I’m battling enemies scattered about the place or destroying enemy bases. Despite touting side-quests and other activities like hunting, fishing and cooking to keep players occupied while they revisit the adventures of Goku and friends, these often resolve as little more than glorified QTE’s, fetch quests or simply more battles. As the story progresses, a wider range of activities become available; car races, battles with high level foes, searching for the Dragon Balls, all of which are exciting the first few times and eventually resolve into rinse and repeat padding that too many open world games seem filled with for the sake of a ‘playtime’ quote on a box. The issue is that none of it is particularly entertaining or rewarding, especially compared to the pull of the main storyline and its stylistic battles which, while engaging, will likely disappoint those looking for a deep combat system following fighting focused titles like Dragon Ball FighterZ.

Battles in DBZ: K are often spectacular to watch, capturing the intensity of the series as well as the literal explosiveness of strikes, blocks and special moves albeit with a lack of finesse that can be occasionally frustrating to play. While simple, the controls and the way characters move doesn’t always feel consistent, most notable when flying which can often feel awkward thanks to the default control scheme which can’t be remapped. The combat system is deceptively simple and is really a brawler at heart, focused on short combinations followed up by skill attacks while dodging enemy attack patterns. Bizarrely, the flow of combat is often interrupted by the use of special attacks which take a moment to register and execute, sticking out like a sore thumb compared to every other facet of the fighting system which otherwise runs together smoothly. Very quickly the combat in DBZ: K becomes second nature, with only the most challenging of foes requiring some good old ‘lean forward focus’, while the ability to use healing items mid-fight ensures the majority of encounters are a breeze. One small frustration is that fights that were canonically lost by a character in the series don’t end as such, simply stopping at a predetermined point before a cutscene kicks in showing the subsequent ass whooping they received. While it’s possible to engage in many fights around the map, it appears as though the Experience Points received are somewhat scaled and over levelling a character requires grinding that few would commit to. The levelling system and story progress are both tied to the skill system – while most skills are tied to character levels, many require story progress to be made before they can be acquired. These are purchased with Z Orbs, a currency which comes in different colours, each corresponding to different characters. For example, Goku needs red Z Orbs to unlock his skills while Gohan requires blue Z orbs. The cost for each ability or attack starts out small but quickly balloons into large amounts, ensuring that completionists will be frequently in battle or roaming old areas on the map to gain the required amounts. Others attacks require fighting specific battles at a Training Ground before unlocking at a cost of D Medals, another currency obtained through battle, questing or exploration. Believe me when I say this is not as complex or confusing as it sounds, but may cause some to scratch their head given the frugal amount of in-game tutorialising around many of these systems, another of which is the Community Board.

The Community Board system is an interesting one, giving players bonuses to certain skills or increasing stat percentages by placing Soul Emblems – tokens representing a character – on a board. Soul Emblems are obtained after significant interactions with a character, whether it be via a main story mission or side quest, with each character predisposed towards one or more of the seven communities. By giving gift items to a Soul Emblem, they can have their community stat raised up to a maximum of 25, while some maximums are as low as 3 for boards they shouldn’t really be placed on. Putting strong fighters like Goku and Vegeta on the Z Warriors Community Board give boosts to Attack and Ki, while Master Roshi and Yamcha, better suited to the Adult Community Board, increase item sell prices and drop rates. Certain combinations of characters on a board will also trigger bonuses, a reward for fans who revere the canonical relationships and events between them. This is an interesting diversion but doesn’t have a massive impact on play until later stages of the game when Soul Emblems have been maxed out with gifts and each Community Board is giving out the highest bonus levels.

At its core, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot feels like a game brimming with promise but hampered by time and budgetary limitations. While many of the foundational elements of a great new subseries are present, there simply isn’t enough cohesion between them to result in a top-tier title and the aged nature of its open-world means that it can’t stand alongside many of its contemporaries in the genre. As a Dragon Ball Z game, it’s an easy recommendation to fans of the series who would like a time-effective way to relive it, provided they focus on the story missions alone and can forgive or forego some of the creakier parts of the open world. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, and while I remain critical of some of the choices made in development, my rose-tinted scouter definitely helped smooth out some of the rough edges, so I find it difficult to recommend as an entry point to Dragon Ball Z itself. I think CyberConnect2 is on to something here, and I hope they are given the time and budget necessary to deliver a sequel that fulfils the promise Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot shows.

Xbox One Review code for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot was kindly supplied by publisher Bandai Namco. 

Stephen del Prado

It was whilst toiling away in the bowels of the now mythical Australian Gamer forums that Stephen del Prados attempts at writing were recognised by then up-and-coming Matt ‘Hewso’ Hewson as “not terrible”. Since then Stephen has contributed to such sites as The Age’s now defunct Screen Play, the recently retired Black Panel and currently serves under Editor-in-Chief Hewso for Player2.net.au, at least until the pattern of decline obvious in his previous engagements is picked up by Hewso and he is exiled from games journalism forever

Following on from Player 2’s PAX AUS 2019 Podcast, wherein I discussed some of my favourite titles from the show floor, I wanted to spend some more time discussing Shop Drifter, the supermarket trolley themed endless runner from developer Will Mesilane. As a huge fan of the genre, I was intrigued by what Will had put together and was keen to find out when I could expect a full version. I quickly organised a Skype interview with him and what resulted is a 26-minute audio interview in which we discuss his working history, development processes and what he has in store for the planned mid-2020 launch of Shop Drifter. 

Direct Download (Right click, Save as)

Will runs Studio Zero, an independent studio based out of Melbourne, Australia. Their first release, Harvest, is available on the App Store.

Stephen del Prado

It was whilst toiling away in the bowels of the now mythical Australian Gamer forums that Stephen del Prados attempts at writing were recognised by then up-and-coming Matt ‘Hewso’ Hewson as “not terrible”. Since then Stephen has contributed to such sites as The Age’s now defunct Screen Play, the recently retired Black Panel and currently serves under Editor-in-Chief Hewso for Player2.net.au, at least until the pattern of decline obvious in his previous engagements is picked up by Hewso and he is exiled from games journalism forever

PC

Itching to get your hands on AO Tennis 2 ahead of it’s release in January? While the full experience is still a few weeks away, BIGBEN and Big Ant Studios have announced the launch of AO Tennis 2 PC Tools on Steam. This free app will allow users to create custom players, logos and clothing ahead of the full release of AO Tennis 2 and make sure they’re ready to jump straight into matches on launch day.

Furthermore, anything made on the app will be accessible to the entire AO Tennis 2 community from launch regardless of platform, meaning that even those planning to pick the game up on console can get their custom content ready for launch ahead of time. To top this off, all custom content created in the original AO Tennis will be usable in AO Tennis 2 on release.

Despite the first title launching to a somewhat rocky reception, post launch support saw it shape up fairly well and that level of care looks to have carried forward into the sequel. AO Tennis 2 was developed with assistance from Tennis Australia and will introduce a new narrative-based career mode to allow players to take their custom-created tennis stars to the No. 1 position, as well as select from popular tennis superstars like Rafael Nadal, Ash Barty, Angélique Kerber and many more. The wide range of customisable options in the game should ensure that players can do their part to build the community around the game and keep themselves busy until AO Tennis 3. 

AO Tennis 2 is planned to release for PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch on the 9^th of January.

Stephen del Prado

It was whilst toiling away in the bowels of the now mythical Australian Gamer forums that Stephen del Prados attempts at writing were recognised by then up-and-coming Matt ‘Hewso’ Hewson as “not terrible”. Since then Stephen has contributed to such sites as The Age’s now defunct Screen Play, the recently retired Black Panel and currently serves under Editor-in-Chief Hewso for Player2.net.au, at least until the pattern of decline obvious in his previous engagements is picked up by Hewso and he is exiled from games journalism forever

Steam Early Access

It’s no secret that we here at Player2 are big fans of Super Spin Digital’s innovative rhythm title Spin Rhythm XD – from early appearances at PAX to Early Access launch in October, it’s been fantastic to see this Aussie Indie receive the acclaim it deserves. The latest addition to the Early Access is an always online competitive multiplayer mode dubbed SpinFM, a ‘live radio’ providing the beats to players versing one another around the globe. A lack of a fail state in this mode means that even new players shouldn’t be shy about giving it a go, as missed notes and failed multipliers will simply result in a lower score. There’s no word whether SpinFM will make it to the Switch version as of yet, but I’d expect more news in early-mid 2020 closer to the planned launch on that platform.

To coincide with this update, Super Spin Digital have also added five new tracks to Spin Rhythm XD, bringing the total track count to 23. The new tracks include:

• ‘Coming Too’ by Melbourne DJ FarfetchD (feat. Elysium and Nutmeg)
• ‘I See Lite’ by Kitty
• ‘Métropole’, the title track of Anomalie’s debut EP
• ‘Showdown,’ by F.O.O.L.’, a Monstercat classic
• ‘Believe’ by Teminitedubstep/saxophone fusion

if you’re a fan of rhythm games in general, you owe it to yourself to check out Spin Rhythm XD. While I’m excited for the upcoming Switch version next year, the unique input system means using a standard mouse or a MIDI device like a CD-J turntable provides an experience unlike any other rhythm title I’ver played before.

Spin Rhythm XD is currently available on Steam Early Access and is expected to release for Nintendo Switch in 2020.

Stephen del Prado

It was whilst toiling away in the bowels of the now mythical Australian Gamer forums that Stephen del Prados attempts at writing were recognised by then up-and-coming Matt ‘Hewso’ Hewson as “not terrible”. Since then Stephen has contributed to such sites as The Age’s now defunct Screen Play, the recently retired Black Panel and currently serves under Editor-in-Chief Hewso for Player2.net.au, at least until the pattern of decline obvious in his previous engagements is picked up by Hewso and he is exiled from games journalism forever

Apologies in advance to Player2 readers but this article is not focused on the newly released Falcom JPRG Trails of Cold Steel III which launched in Australia on October 29th. Instead, I’m plugging away at its direct predecessor which has been atop my pile of shame for over 3 years now, firstly as a PS3 and Vita title before shifting to the PS4 earlier this year in ‘remastered’ form. Although I made it a few hours ‘Cross-playing’ between the PS3 and Vita versions, many other titles and a lack of free time saw it fall off my radar for quite a while.

Whilst I’d preordered a physical a copy of Trails of Cold Steel III, I was also fortunate enough to receive a review code from US publisher NISA, whose email brought me both elation and formed a pit at the bottom of my stomach as I faced the impossible task of completing Trails of Cold Steel II in an extremely short amount of time, one which I’ve failed miserably. With 40 hours done and at least another 10 to go, it’s safe to say that my ToCS3 coverage will take a little longer to surface. Aside from NISA PR, nobody is more disappointed about this than me, given how much I’ve raved on about the ToCS series over the years to anybody who will listen (and those who are too polite to tell me to bugger off).

However, in lieu of a review for now I felt it necessary to make it clear for those who have not jumped aboard the ToCS train yet that Trails of Cold Steel III is both the latest entry in the series for the west and – much like Yakuza 0 was – a sort of jumping in point, despite the prominent ‘3’ in the title. Solely developed for the PlayStation 4, not only does ToCS3 receive a graphical and performance boost over previous titles, it also summarises the events of the 120+ hours that the first two games would otherwise demand of players. There is an argument to be made that by missing the first two Cold Steel games, as well as its predecessor the Trails in the Sky triolgy and Japan only duology Zero no Kiseki and Ao no Kiseki that newcomers won’t appreciate the events of ToCS3 as much, which is certainly a reasonable viewpoint. However, not experiencing the series at all would be a far worse outcome in my mind, especially as NISA is going so far as to give Australia a physical release for this version, which didn’t happen for the Vita version of ToCS2 or either of the remastered releases.

Furthermore, a generous ToCS3 demo is available to download for PlayStation 4 which features the Prologue chapter and will carry over save data to the full release, alongside all the required reading to catch up anybody diving in for the first time. With over 100 hours invested between the first two titles, while it’s too late for me to skip ahead, JRPG fans who are increasingly feeling a lack of free time might be best served to take this route or risk missing out on one of the most enjoyable JRPG series I’ve played this generation.

Stephen del Prado

It was whilst toiling away in the bowels of the now mythical Australian Gamer forums that Stephen del Prados attempts at writing were recognised by then up-and-coming Matt ‘Hewso’ Hewson as “not terrible”. Since then Stephen has contributed to such sites as The Age’s now defunct Screen Play, the recently retired Black Panel and currently serves under Editor-in-Chief Hewso for Player2.net.au, at least until the pattern of decline obvious in his previous engagements is picked up by Hewso and he is exiled from games journalism forever

Switch (Reviewed), Mobile, PC

Originally a 2016 PAX AUS Indie Showcase winner, 100 Stones Interactive’s touch-based mystery adventure/puzzler The Eyes of Ara has made its Nintendo Switch debut this week exclusively through the eShop. As with many indie games made in recent years, appearing on the Switch allows a newer audience to easily find titles which are often at the mercy of both a crowded Steam Marketplace and its oft confusing algorithms.

Tasked with investigating a mysterious radio broadcast from an ageing castle, players will uncover the fate that befell its previous inhabitants through environmental exploration and puzzle solving utilising objects, clues and information scattered across a number of locations. The Eyes of Ara wears its Myst inspirations proudly and successfully captures some of the same feelings I had many (many) years ago when playing that title. Offering both touch screen and Joy-Con Motion Control movement options, The Eyes of Ara comes to the Switch with solid performance and a visual style that varies in the level of detail as some assets seem to have had more care taken with them than others. However it’s hard to find too much fault given the small size of the team that put it together, especially as the art and sound combine to create a particularly lonely atmosphere which suits both the setting and narrative.

Split across a handful of chapters, I really appreciate how The Eyes of Ara approaches its story, slowly peeling back layers and urging players to engage with the many written materials to be discovered, not all of which seem to come from reliable narrators or a singular perspective. While the standard adventure/puzzle mechanics are here – different items or clues to solve particular puzzles becoming available at varying intervals – most areas are kept relatively insulated from one another and locations and interactive items are locked off once they have exhausted their usefulness, ensuring that I didn’t waste large amounts of time on any section I was finding difficult. None of the puzzles are overly obtuse and solutions generally become clear once the information at the players disposal has been adequately pondered, however much younger players may require some assistance in parts. I played primarily in handheld mode while travelling and found the touch screen interface generally worked well but would sometimes struggle if I attempted to move too quickly, which only occurred when I had finally pieced together a solution I had been mulling over and wanted to push forward as fast as possible.

The Switch has become the preferred platform for many to engage with independent games outside of the PC environment and The Eyes of Ara is a solid addition for any player using the system for this purpose. With a compelling mix of gameplay and narrative, it doesn’t overstay its welcome and I found it a perfect game to play across a few sessions during a number of flights I was taking as part of an overseas holiday. If Myst makes you misty-eyed or a change of pace from action heavy titles sounds appealing, then The Eyes of Ara has what you’re looking for.

Stephen del Prado

It was whilst toiling away in the bowels of the now mythical Australian Gamer forums that Stephen del Prados attempts at writing were recognised by then up-and-coming Matt ‘Hewso’ Hewson as “not terrible”. Since then Stephen has contributed to such sites as The Age’s now defunct Screen Play, the recently retired Black Panel and currently serves under Editor-in-Chief Hewso for Player2.net.au, at least until the pattern of decline obvious in his previous engagements is picked up by Hewso and he is exiled from games journalism forever

Stephen del Prado: I’ve been extremely sceptical of Square Enix’s plans for this remaster, unsure as to how they could possibly translate FFVII into an action-JRPG that would hold up to scrutiny in 2020. While my doubts remain in regards to the post-Midgar sections of the game, the demo of Final Fantasy VII: Remastered certainly showed the promise of this initial entry.

Taking place during the introduction wherein Cloud and Barret set a charge on the Sector 1 Mako reactor only to be interrupted by the first boss enemy, Guard Scorpion, what was originally a set of two to three pre-rendered backgrounds has been heavily fleshed out into a much larger fully 3D area which gives a much better sense of the scope and scale that Shinra were operating on with these reactors, whilst also allowing me to more fully comprehend just how much work is needed to mould FFVII into something that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Dragon Quest XI S or Final Fantasy XV – recent entries to the genre that have raised expectations in a number of areas.

The overhauled battle system is an interesting mixture of real-time attacking and menu-based combat, with time slowing whenever I switched between Cloud and Barrett or needed to select abilities, spells and items for either. It’s undoubtedly a much more frenetic pace of play which makes combat feel extremely dynamic, even more so given that battles now take place in the third dimension with flying enemies movie out of melee range, necessitating frequent character switching to take advantage of Barret’s long-range capabilities. I was unable to try out the promised ‘Classic Mode’ which utilises the original turn-based combat system but would urge anyone to give the new system a try before defaulting to the purely menu-based combat.

The boss battle with Guard Scorpion was greatly enhanced in a number of ways, as opening and mid-fight cinematics capture how it felt to play that sequence in 1997 using the technology of current platforms. More phases to the battle and an expansion of abilities and attacks for all parties involved meant that I couldn’t just spam Thunder spells and defend when its tail was raised – these changes are a welcome addition as a way to keep the experience fresh even for those of us who have played Final Fantasy VII many times previously.

While some of the textures were a bit of a mixed bag and there were a smattering of frame rate drops, there’s no doubt in my mind that SE will have many of these issues and more ironed out before launch next March. Perhaps the greatest thing Final Fantasy VII Remastered does is give players of the original a visual and audio experience that matches the one we felt initially, playing on now-ancient PSX technology that at the time seemed incredible. Furthermore, it will hopefully invoke those same feelings for a younger generation of gamers who probably scratch their heads at the idea that a set of squat, poorly proportioned characters upon low-res pre-rendered backgrounds were once the height of gaming wonder.

To the developers currently wrapping up Final Fantasy VII Remastered, I tip my hat – and say good luck in attempting to complete the same monumental task on all post-Midgar content any time soon. The cynic in me wonders if it will happen at all, given Square-Enix are now touting this as a ‘standalone’ title rather than a ‘Part One’.

Paul James: Stephen was sceptical, whereas the enthusiasm couldn’t be stripped from me if you’d tried, and let’s be honest, Square-Enix really did try to sap the enthusiasm from me with the tumultuous development of Final Fantasy VII Remake, but since it’s re-introduction in recent years, and the blowout that has come in the last few months, any slight uneasiness had been rapidly rushing away. E3 was when the excitement hit fever-pitch and we’re not even talking about a remake of the best Final Fantasy game here (that title, of course, belongs to IX). Being able to pick up a controller and play Remake with my own two hands, and gaze upon it with my own two eyes is truly something to behold, and PAX AUS 2019 has given me all I need to know; that Square-Enix is primed to hit this one out of the park.

A remake of Final Fantasy VII carries so much baggage. From the immense popularity of the game itself to the fact that we’d seen teases of a remake more than a decade ago when the Final Fantasy VII PS3 Tech Demo emerged. At that time I could not have possibly imagined the game being anything other than a traditional turn-based RPG, but then, as the franchise has evolved, largely beginning with XII and continuing through XIII and most recently XV, I’ve come to realise that the old way, as much as I love it, can live on, even if it’s obscured somewhat with a fresh coat of paint.

The iconic Bombing Mission was the perfect way to kick off the game initially, and it still holds up now. The Reactor still looks the part even though it has been overhauled in a number of different ways. We don’t see the entire journey in, no Biggs or Wedge here, but we jump in close to the end of the mission and it’s immediately obvious how the change of perspective makes the Reactor feel so much more impressive. By and large, the same beats are hit as they were in the original game, but you can see much more, there are more little surprises to find in different corners and the traversal is slick.

The combat is equally so, from tackling the smaller goons to the Guard Scorpion at demos end, it was a pleasure to delve into the cut and thrust of the combat. Final Fantasy VII Remake is, at face value, an action game now, but that traditional JRPG approach seeps in if you wish to do anything more than simply flash your sword. You can obviously slow things right down if you wish, but it doesn’t take long to quickly learn how to navigate the basic menu to access magic or limit breaks, to toggle character or even use a restorative item. This take on Final Fantasy VII will get newcomers through the door, but will still provide the depth that traditionalists are looking for. Kingdom Hearts is perhaps the most obvious parallel here.

Like Stephen alluded to earlier, there’s a lot to like about this remake, and the bar for the remainder of the game, however, it is ultimately distributed, has now been set incredibly high. I just have to wonder how that development and distribution will take shape, will it be via DLC, will ‘Part 1’ finally be slapped on the box? What will the overworld go on to look like, and given the new perspective of the world players are given, how will that impact our navigation of the world? There are so many things I want to know and learn about this game, so Square-Enix, don’t make us wait another decade for Part 2!

Stephen del Prado

It was whilst toiling away in the bowels of the now mythical Australian Gamer forums that Stephen del Prados attempts at writing were recognised by then up-and-coming Matt ‘Hewso’ Hewson as “not terrible”. Since then Stephen has contributed to such sites as The Age’s now defunct Screen Play, the recently retired Black Panel and currently serves under Editor-in-Chief Hewso for Player2.net.au, at least until the pattern of decline obvious in his previous engagements is picked up by Hewso and he is exiled from games journalism forever

PAX AUS Indie Showcase 2019 – Wayward Strand

Ghost Pattern

PC – Steam, Mac, iOS, Android

From gorgeous concept art by Matthew Dobrich to a vibrant Wes Anderson-esque pastel infused colour palette, Wayward Strand is a visually striking title, aided aurally by a soothing acoustic score. This comforting aesthetic makes sense when considering its setting, an airborne hospital floating gently above the coast of the Bunurong people’s traditional lands in 1970’s Victoria. Where this sort of location might typically conjure images of sadness and pain in an audience, what I’ve seen thus far of Wayward Strand instead filled me with the same kind of optimism that air travel, specifically dirigibles, inspired in futurist artists in the early 20th century.

Wayward Strand follows Casey Beaumaris, a 14-year-old girl making her first trip to the hospital. Over the course of three days, she is able to explore the ship as she sees fit while the inhabitants go about their routines regardless of player interaction. With such an intriguing premise, it is only fitting that Wayward Strand was awarded a place in the PAX AUS 2019 Indie Showcase. Player 2 spoke to developers Jason Bakker and Maize Wallin to find out more about this exciting title.

Stephen del Prado:  What was the initial seed that Wayward Strand sprouted from? While Sleep No More, The Last Express and Building Stories are mentioned as inspiration, I’m interested to hear from where the idea of a such a specific time period and combination of realistic elements in a semi-fantastical setting emerged?

Jason Bakker: Wayward Strand‘s setting came out of a desire for the team to explore a time in Australia that we have a connection to through our parents and families, but we didn’t experience ourselves. It’s a time and place that has possibly never been explored in games – this gives us an opportunity to share within the games medium a vibe of how this time and place was. Further, many of our characters are elderly, in the 1970s. These characters are around the same age as our great-grand-parents would have been, and would have had such fundamentally different experiences and perspectives to us, having lived through two world wars, seen the spread of electricity, the introduction of the automobile, radio and television. It’s a fascinating perspective to explore and try to capture within a narrative game.

Maize Wallin: There aren’t enough games set in Australia, let alone ones that allow us to hear from characters like this.

SDP: With a complex web of storylines intersecting in real-time, what challenges has the team faced in ensuring that players will feel satisfied with their time guiding Casey through the hospital? Would you go so far as to say Wayward Strand is ripe for multiple playthroughs to get the full experience?

Maize Wallin: One of the main difficulties of trying to nail this kind of experience, has been the pacing. The voiceover is a really important part of experiencing our game, and we don’t want the dialogue to be something you can easily click through and ignore. But, at the same time we know that a section of our audience (whether for taste or access reasons) will read the dialogue fast and want to move on. We think we’ve struck a good balance of engaging dialogue and conversation, where Casey’s interactions are satisfying but also make sense for a 14-year-old in the elderly ward of a hospital.

Wayward Strand is certainly ripe for many playthroughs. The way Wayward Strand allows you to build relationships with people you speak to, means that you do need to express care for people for them to open up. There isn’t enough time in a day for Casey to get to know everyone.

Jason Bakker: The balance we are trying to strike is that we want a single play-through to feel like a full experience, in which your choices of where to be, who to talk to, and which threads to follow, create your unique window into the various simultaneous stories. A key tenet of our design philosophy is to be respectful of the player’s time – so while you can play Wayward Strand again to dig further into a particular character’s story or motivations or just to find out more of the things that go on during Casey’s time aboard the ship, I don’t think it should be necessary to do so.

SDP: Given the number of characters created for Wayward Strand, have yourself or the team injected personal stories or interests to flesh out the world you’ve created together?

Jason Bakker: That process basically describes the development of Wayward Strand’s characters and their stories – they were initially defined and influenced by our memories and our personal stories.

Maize Wallin: The way we as a team have worked on this game, has made it inevitable. We really value concentrating on what each member of the team finds exciting for them, and expressive of who they are.

At the same time, the fact that Wayward Strand is set in Australia has meant that we’ve had a responsibility to include more perspectives than just the teams. We’ve worked with the Bunurong Land Council – Wayward Strand is set on Bunurong land – and the Wonthaggi Historical Society nearby. Goldie’s mum worked as a nurse at the time, so we’ve consulted several times with her. We’ve also consulted on representations of chronic health conditions in games, and we’ve researched what the trans queer experience would have been in the setting too. The game is rich with so many people’s stories.

SDP: How far has Wayward Strand progressed since the Freeplay Parallels Showcase in 2017? Oftentimes a lot of the work done behind the scenes isn’t necessarily obvious to the end user, so it’s always interesting to hear the perspective of those doing the work rather than simply comparing screenshots.

Jason Bakker: It has definitely progressed a ton! Even at the time, we were moving towards a more theatrical depiction of the life aboard the ship, and since then we’ve gone through multiple further iterations, in our attempt to better organising the various threads and character storylines in the most interesting way for the player. From our perspective now, the version of the game we showed at Parallels was as useful in defining what we were aiming for, as it was in determining what Wayward Strand wasn’t really about.

SDP: How confident was the team feeling when submitting for the Indie Showcase? Obviously, it’s a great benefit in terms of exposure and also recognition of the efforts you’ve all been putting in – what was the reaction when you discovered that Wayward Strand was selected as a winning entry?

Maize Wallin: We’ve worked on it for such a long time (three years!) that it is hard to know what to think of Wayward Strand. It’s a wonderful reminder when we get some external feedback like being selected for the PAX Indie Showcase. We’ve also had amazing feedback from our teaser trailer which we released in the last couple of weeks. It’s something that helps us keep going, and gives us a boost to know we’re going in the right direction.

SDP: Wayward Strand has been supported by Film Victoria since 2016 which is often cited as being critical to the development of many fantastic Australian indie titles. What more would you like to see done to further independent game development in this country?

Jason Bakker: Film Victoria has been incredible for us so far – we can honestly say that Wayward Strand wouldn’t exist as it is without Film Victoria’s continuous support. I would love to see organisations such as Film Victoria be given far more resources to fund a wider range of projects and teams – at the moment it feels like they do an incredible job with the resources that they have, but these resources are necessarily spread very thin over various teams and projects. Having a wider range of options for funding for games, particularly small games and artistic, interactive works from emerging creators, would be a wonderful first step.

SDP: At this point Wayward Strand has a 2020 release date – are you able to reveal a more specific time frame? Also, because it’s basically an obligatory question at this point, are there any plans for a Switch release?

Jason Bakker: We can’t reveal a more specific time-frame as yet; we are still seeking funding for the final production cycle, and the release timing is dependent on when we procure this funding and the requirements of the funding.

Maize Wallin: We’d LOVE to be on Switch. But yeah, we can’t get more specific about our release date just yet.

Two free titles, tied to the universe of Wayward Strand and designed to flesh out aspects of the world Ghost Pattern are creating, are available to play for free online through the following links:

Wayward Hand

Sabotage in Stormy Skies

Stephen del Prado

It was whilst toiling away in the bowels of the now mythical Australian Gamer forums that Stephen del Prados attempts at writing were recognised by then up-and-coming Matt ‘Hewso’ Hewson as “not terrible”. Since then Stephen has contributed to such sites as The Age’s now defunct Screen Play, the recently retired Black Panel and currently serves under Editor-in-Chief Hewso for Player2.net.au, at least until the pattern of decline obvious in his previous engagements is picked up by Hewso and he is exiled from games journalism forever

PAX AUS Indie Showcase 2019 – Death Hall

Thomas Janson/Gareth Wiecko

iOS

Developer Thomas Janson has the honour of winning a spot in the PAX AUS Indie Showcase twice now – first for his challenging iOS title Wave Wave in 2014 and now for his slightly mellower action-platformer Death Hall, also for iOS. Player2 writer Stephen del Prado caught up with Thomas to ask about the development of Death Hall and his second appearance in the Indie Showcase. 

Stephen del Prado: Thanks for agreeing to the interview Thomas – it’s been a few years since we covered Wave Wave back in 2014. How long after finishing up with it did the concept of Death Hall come to you?

Thomas Janson: After finishing Wave Wave in 2014 I worked on a heap of bad prototypes in my spare time, while looking to break into the animation industry. Eventually I started working on promising little platforming game in 2016. At the time I wanted to work on a small and achievable project. However, once I decided that I was going to see the game’s development through to the end, I figured I was in no rush and I was enjoying the process, especially the animation side of things, so I went with the flow and built the game into what it is today.

SDP: Were there any particular industry trends or other titles that inspired you before or during its design process?

TJ: Not particularly. If I make a game in the future that I’m serious about becoming successful, I might put my ear to the ground and do some more research on genres and style. I do look around to see what’s popular and what people are enjoying in the current moment, but when I work on my own games I like to find an idea that I’d like to explore and make my own, and run with it. I don’t think Death Hall fits perfectly into the endless runner, rogue-like, or one-hit-kill game genres that have had megahits like Tiny Wings or Geometry Dash. I built a core mechanic of being chased non-stop by a monster through a series of levels, and designed the health system, jump system and enemies around that. I think to follow industry trends I would have to swing towards making the game easier, or harder. Death Hall sits somewhere in the middle, offering a very solid challenge but not completely ridiculous, so I think it has a strange no-mans-land niche appeal rather than a bullseye appeal, if that makes sense.

SDP: What was the collaboration process like between you and Gareth?

TJ: Gareth was absolutely awesome! He’s a very talented, passionate musician and I’m lucky to have met him. We collaborated for 6 months on 7 main tracks and a slew of other ambient pieces to beautifully fill out the game’s atmosphere. When we started together I was trying so hard to sound knowing and professional, but my understanding of music broke down, and I would offer feedback like “Can you make this bit louder? Oh, and also make this clang here more obvious!” Haha. It was super fun though because in the end I was able to leverage my understanding of mood, rhythm, and the overall creative process (as an animator), to work with Gareth so he could totally bring the game to life. I was so excited when we settled on the first few tracks and I dropped them into the game. Hearing the music working with the game for the first time was immensely satisfying.

SDP: How does it feel to be appearing in the Indie Showcase as a returning winner? Is it just as thrilling the second time around?

TJ: To be selected as part of indie showcase is amazing, and to be a returning winner is just a little bit nuts! Seriously, it’s thrilling, except this time around I know what to expect, so instead of being super nervous I’m super excited.

SDP: Both Wave Wave and Death Hall have demonstrated how deft you are at creating engaging titles that make excellent use of a touch interface. Do you have plans to focus on other platforms in the future or is this an area you have a preference for?

TJ: Thank you! I try put a lot of effort into the controls of my games. Bad controls can easily ruin a game. I’ve only made iOS games up until now because it is an accessible platform and is conducive to smaller game projects (even though it took 3 years to develop Death Hall…). I have a small iOS game in the works, which is sort of a decompression exercise after Death Hall, to fulfil my self-promise that I will make a simple, easy game. So far it’s going well. Beyond that, I have a very special game I’m itching to work on, which would be a PC/Console game. I’ve started to learn Unity so I can build a prototype, and then I’ll start pitching to publishers when the time comes.

SDP: Death Hall has had a very positive reception from many outlets – has this translated to sales? What would you say the challenges are for titles like Death Hall to stand out in the crowded mobile marketplace?

TJ: I’m really happy with the reception Death Hall had on release. Good press certainly translates to sales after launch, but I think the overall honeypot for premium mobile games is very small. I haven’t made back development costs yet, but several months after releasing the game I’m still getting 2-6 downloads each day which is totally awesome!

I think the greatest challenge of game development at the moment, particularly mobile game development, is publishing. There are so many developers and so many games it boggles the mind. Having a strong publisher to take care of a game’s online presence, marketing, and launch is vital. Going forward, if I keep making games, I’ll definitely be looking to form a relationship with a good publisher.

I approached a couple of indie publishers with Death Hall, but it wasn’t to be. I realised I’d have to go solo, so I did the best I could with what I had. It seems that with premium mobile games, publishers are looking for the next Apple award winning game, or nothing. Honestly, I think they’re onto something.

SDP: Do you think the fact that Death Hall is already available for purchase gives it an advantage at events like PAX AUS? 

TJ: There may be some players with familiarity and a point of entry with Death Hall, but I suspect that exhibiting at PAX works best for console and PC games that have not been released, and are trying to drum up interest and support. Death Hall is a mobile game (very different market) that has been available for several months and has passed it peak sales period, so exhibiting the game for me is more about showing players a good time than trying to sell units.

SDP: What can attendees look forward to at the Death Hall Indie Showcase booth? 

TJ: I’ll have 2 devices running Death Hall, ready to challenge anyone who dares try and beat the first level!

SDP: Thanks so much for your time Thomas, I just have one final question before we wrap up – any tips or advice for Death Hall players like myself who are getting stuck early on?

TJ: My pro-tip is to never stop moving, and jump on lots of enemies!

Stephen del Prado

It was whilst toiling away in the bowels of the now mythical Australian Gamer forums that Stephen del Prados attempts at writing were recognised by then up-and-coming Matt ‘Hewso’ Hewson as “not terrible”. Since then Stephen has contributed to such sites as The Age’s now defunct Screen Play, the recently retired Black Panel and currently serves under Editor-in-Chief Hewso for Player2.net.au, at least until the pattern of decline obvious in his previous engagements is picked up by Hewso and he is exiled from games journalism forever

Spin Rhythm is a title I’ve been following the development of for a few years now. First grabbing my attention during PAXAUS 2017, it was great to participate in an open beta a year later that coincided with an updated presence at PAXAUS 2018. Now just before PAXAUS 2019, developer Super Spin Digital (formerly Super Entertainment) have announced that Spin Rhythm XD will be launching in a Steam Early Access form on October 22nd, with a Nintendo Switch version coming sometime in 2020.

The Steam Early Access version will be launching with 15 tracks from a range of artists such as Nitro Fun, Hyper Potions, Tokyo Machine, Tristam, Pegboard Nerds and Panda Eyes. In order to facilitate an expanding tracklist in the future, Super Spin Digital are working with record label Monstercat, who have also provided tracks for Beat Saber and Rocket League, with the intent to host a wider variety of genres. While 15 tracks may seem like a low number initially, having spent some time on the iOS beta version as well as SSD’s demo setup (which includes a CD-J controller), I’m confident rhythm aficionados will find plenty to sink their teeth into thanks to a range of difficulty levels and hand-crafted note charts.

The Switch version of Spin Rhythm XD will arrive at the same time as the 1.0 release of the PC version which will feature 30+ tracks and includes a range of control options including touch screen, Joy-Cons and motion controls. While there has been no mention of it yet, ‘tate mode’ for the Switch – where the screen is rotated vertically – seems like a solid option akin to the mobile implementation I experienced during the iOS beta period. Personally, I can’t wait to get my hands on Spin Rhythm XD and see how much has changed in a years time. Based on these screenshots alone, the menu has been radically overhauled while the in-game interface has been further streamlined for a smoother experience. While I’ll have to wait to get some hands-on time with the Switch port, Spin Rhythm XD will no doubt further cement the Switch as the best handheld system for rhythm titles since the original PSP, which is no small order. Check out the trailer below and head to the official website for more info.

Stephen del Prado

It was whilst toiling away in the bowels of the now mythical Australian Gamer forums that Stephen del Prados attempts at writing were recognised by then up-and-coming Matt ‘Hewso’ Hewson as “not terrible”. Since then Stephen has contributed to such sites as The Age’s now defunct Screen Play, the recently retired Black Panel and currently serves under Editor-in-Chief Hewso for Player2.net.au, at least until the pattern of decline obvious in his previous engagements is picked up by Hewso and he is exiled from games journalism forever