Recent reviews by Archaic_Visionär

There are very few games that I have 100%'d. There are even fewer games that I WANT to 100%.
Gris, in everything that it is, from the visuals, to the story, and music, was one of those games that I HAD to 100%. It is an absolute MUST for gamers who love a game with incredible music, story, and just overall fun.
As I write this review I'm listening to the soundtrack and I am remembering every last second of Gris, as it left that much of an impact on me.
If you are even the slightest bit interested in Gris, don't even question another second. Buy it, Play it. It'll be worth it. I promise you.

This game definitely feels very Legend of Zelda inspired and is a combination of both fun and challenging.
I've enjoyed playing this game and I am honestly looking forward to the next game! :D

I go: Build
Shark go: NYOM!

Beat Souls is definitely a very fun rhythm game with much to offer and will definitely help you get better as long as you practice both Normal and Hard Stages several times over, you'll eventually be able to master what the game has to offer, but even when you think you've mastered it all, the Infinite Hell Mode will keep you coming back for more and really push your skills to the test!

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this game for the cute and colorful graphics, characters, the catchy music, and the variety in stages that are offered to the player!

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw has definitely become one of my favorite games to play both on and off stream as I love the concept of choosing to be a pirate or be good and cooperative. I love the idea of being able to 3D Print out my ships that I've custom painted, and I enjoy just flying around space and destroy bad guys left and right while transporting goods to sell!
I strongly suggest checking out this game :D!

The cake is a lie.
10/10 would eat again!

Created by: WPXGAMES

What is Xotic?
Xotic is a hybrid arcade-style FPS with vividly luminous graphics and addictive game play mechanics. Eliminate the Orb’s life-sucking presence as you blast enemies, and detonate chain-reactions in a race against the clock, all while discovering secrets, collecting power ups and upgrading your skills. Xotic is an indie throwback made for modern gamers in search of originality. Hone your reflexes and develop a combat strategy that will place you at the top of the global leader board. Are you up to the Xotic challenge?


Intro Cinematic to the game Xotic, and first impressions: I really enjoyed the way WXP created the intro to this game, the cinematic. While not a lot of animation, it has a lot of beautiful graphics that help tell the story, along with the narration from the robotic voice. Right off the bat, the sound of the narrator was a bit odd, it felt as if it might not be understandable, but it was very clear in every word spoken.
The voice, rising and lowering in tone, sounding ever so strange to this brand new game, became familiar as the story unfolded about the story of the “Orb” that longed to have a physical body. I question, though, the very creation of the Orb, its origins, and its intelligence. It seems rather odd that the story starts off talking about how there is an Orb that is taking over the universe, planet by planet, but with no explanation as to how the Orb came to be, and why it possesses the capability to think and want.


The default controls start your sensitivity level at 50%, and it took some adjusting to find out, for me personally, that 90% was just right so that turning didn’t feel too slow, or too fast. As one hundred percent felt uncontrollable.

Playing through the first level, the tutorial, I felt the game really explained a lot regarding the point system, and an explanation of each item. I’m referring to the scab plants, the vase, power ups, and aerial collectibles. I, however, did not feel that the game explained well enough how to climb to greater heights to shoot, and collect, other items.

Another thing that the tutorial could have explained are the Champions that you face. I found out, the hard way, that Champions are like mini bosses in the game, that are tougher to kill, and do they more damage than regular enemies.


Playing through my first bonus round, I really got to feel a lot more of the controls and how they functioned, and a bit of the moving around while jumping. Overall, it’s really becoming pretty fun, though jumping and moving mid-air is a small feat in and of itself. It’s beneficial to get a good feel of where you want to jump, and what you wish to collect, so careful planning in some of your
maneuvers is a good idea!


Continuing on through the next levels, the game picks up in difficulty, challenging the player to really use strategic shooting, dodging, and making use of their secondary weapons, if they have one. The Champions become tougher, and throwing in machine gun-like enemies makes it even more crucial to watch where you’re standing, and to take cover in order to regenerate health if needed!

I’ve finally mastered the art of climbing higher into the air using a combination of jumping + Tab, to put the small nearly invisible shields below me, to creating platforms at just the right time for hitting those extra bonus points, and even dodging enemy attack!

The action in Xotic is very fast-paced, the music calming, even in a tough situation when things are difficult. I’m truly having a lot of fun, and enjoying using experience points to unlock new skills, increase my characters attributes, and kicking some serious ass!


OVERALL SCORE: 8/10

Sound: 8/10 The music and sound effects are really great in this game, but I don’t care too much for the narrator’s voice.

Controls: 9/10 Playing through the game, everything is relatively easy to control. Aiming is great once you have sensitivity set properly, but when it comes to mid-air control and direction, this is where things just don’t feel as smooth. It’s as if you’re trying to jump while in space, with no gravity or sense of control regarding your direction.

Graphics: 8/10 The graphics in this game are beautiful, and make me feel as if the environments in the game are really alive. But this also creates a sense of confusion among all the objects your shooting. It’s hard to see the small mountains that release the bugs that explode on you, the machine gun enemies sometimes blend in with the surrounding environment, and the look of the enemies and your own character isn’t the best, but there’s nothing to really ruin the experience that I’ve had with the game.

Final Thoughts:
Xotic is a really fun, fast paced, action RPG First Person Shooter, with beautiful graphics, lovely music, and an intuitive design on combat and collecting items while constantly improving score.

The game is definitely built for the competitive player who thrives to have the highest score.
For 9.99 on Steam, Xotic is worth buying and playing through the entire game!
About WXP GamesWXP Games is a small independent team of dedicated developers located in Seattle, Washington. WXP is committed to creating unique new games outside the traditional developer/publisher model.

SKULLGIRLS
Developed by:
Reverge Labs
Lab Zero Games
Review by:
Aaron Matthew Holmes

Skullgirls, a 2D fighter game developed by Reverge Labs, Lab Zero Games, and published by: Autumn Games, Konami, Marvelous AQL (PC), and CyberFront (Japan), was originally released in April 2012 for the Playstation Network and Xbox Live. The game has recently rereleased on Windows and STEAM systems this year.
The game, in a fantasy setting, takes place in the 1940’s post-war America.
Skullgirls features 14 characters, one non-playable (Marie), and 5 DLC characters.
Skullgirls allows the player to experience single-player and multiplayer battles, however, single player allows the player to view each characters story as they progress through battle after battle.

For the review of Skullgirls, I’ve played through the game with one of the most iconic characters in the game, or at least, one that I’ve seen cosplayed numerous times at conventions; Ms. Fortune.
I can’t necessarily avoid spoilers as the game has been out at least a year at this point, so feel free to continue reading past this point, or skip to the end for my overall review/rating of the game.

Skull-Girls-2

Playing through Skullgirls, and selecting one the character Ms. Fortune, it’s immediately seen just how quickly this game is violent, yet comedic at the same time (see above image). Ms. Fortune attempts to intervene with a creepy guy hitting on an innocent waitress, only to be beheaded, however, there is some fort of magic that allows her to control both her body and head even while detached to then attack and beat the crap out of the man.
Skull-Girls-3

As the storyline continues, Ms. Fortune finds a strong opponent, known as a “Skullgirl” who possesses strong powers, strong enough that they could grant wishes (at least from my first playthrough and understanding).

Skull-Girls-4

After the battle, Ms. Fortune is presented the opportunity to take control of the same power as the Skullgirl to grant her any wish, but decidedly doesn’t use the, obviously evil, power for that. She decides to continue life as she has.

Skull-Girls-5

I’ll definitely be playing this game, in single player only, with the other characters to see how the other stories turn out and to see what kind of twists there are within each. The developers of this game have found a good balance of storytelling and comedy with this fighting game, and it’s definitely changed my thoughts, positively, on fighting games, if only for this game.

Audio: 4/5
Well used audio, several variations for attacks, hitting, and being hit.
Soundtrack is lively and fits with the battles and story scenes.
Only thing that’s missing is well-done voice acting to finish this off for a perfect 5.

Story: 4/5
The stories vary from character to character, and are humorous throughout the game.
The game does, however, throw you into matches with different characters without explaining why you’re fighting them, or how you encountered them. The game does this with specific battles only it seems.

Controls: 3.5 -> 4.5
My rating on the controls is based off the fact that I’m not a master at fighting games, in fact, I’m a “button masher” who just gets lucky when playing these types of games. The game does offer a tutorial system for battling, but when you need to memorize what key on your keyboard or gamepad matches the in-game ‘key terminology’, it becomes confusing and a game of “let’s see what this button does!”.
The controls are much more suited for those who are familiar with the fighter genre and can master combos, skills, and moves with the different characters.

Graphics: 5/5
The graphics in this game are beautiful and well designed, especially when it comes down to the characters themselves. The cutscene artwork, level artwork, and overall graphic design of the game is not inconsistent in any way shape or form, and a great use of the talents of the artists who worked tirelessly on this game.

Overall Score: 4.5/5
This game, while definitely suited toward the Fighter-Game audience, can be played by those with little or no experience, so long as the difficulty is set low enough, and provides a humorous yet enjoyable experience for those who give it a try.

I tried a demo of this game at P.A.X. this year. There is NOTHING better than stomping around as a T-Rex munching on people :D!!!