Survival RPG 2: The lost temple

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Greetings mechanics and tinkerers!

Today the castles of brass guard: Survival RPG 2: The lost temple

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Welcome to the second in the line of Survival RPG games. Already this game has a more refined feel to it and gets a slightly bit more indepth as you continue on this line of games. This game has made several improvements to the main engine, even though the gameplay is mostly unchanged. 

You are greeted with this screen. When you continue a game, the new button changes to show the percentages of the game you have completed. The graphics of the tiles have been improved but the U has not changed any.

Again you can choose between one of the charachters in this game. When you start this game, it continues off from where you left off in the first game with a small recap. You once again start over with nothing. There is no continuation over from the first game like Mass Effect.

The first major change is that you will find yourself faced with a new Quests engine. Here it gives you a place that keeps track of what you need to find. So far these are a lot of fetch quests for you to do because like every RPG, you have to do everything yourself. You have to complete these manditory quests to unlock componets you need to start crafting things. In this game you can not make anything until you do some of these quests. Once you get along the quest line you are allowed to finally expore around outside of the village. When you complete a quest, it turns green, letting you know that you have to turn it in. If you click on the I, you get details of what the quest wants you to gather or do.

Here is a quick over-view of the main village you start with and the unchanged hud. In the top left the notecard holds all the quests you have active. The green check mark shows that you completed a quest in the list.

The crafting system has not changed other than you have to rely on villagers for a bit before you can craft anything of your own. I forgot to mention on the last blog, but when you craft an item and no longer need to make anymore the item is tagged as Maxed and moves to the bottom of the list. This is a nice feature to let you know you no longer need that item ever again. The game is very linerar and there isn't much room to deviate from this almost on rail games.

All your tools are here. They never break and you always have them. This game adds in a lot of new items to explore and find. 

Same old equipment screen. Once again everything autoequips to the best item and you get stuck with many outdated pieces of equipment as you advance through the game.

You get access to some of the same foods and you will see a lot of new ones on here. You can change your equipped food by long-pressing the button above the hand button to change your food. 

The last tab is the items tab. The same old mix of new and old items. You seem to have an infinte amount of storage space here. I have yet to reach any caps on the common collectable materials like vines or rocks.

Lastly is the map. This map is slightly bigger and the way this area is set up, I think there are multiple maps to this game. There's a lot more to explore but everything is a lot more clear in what kind of direction to go in. This game also uses terrain sprites to block your path in various places until you can got around them later.

Overall:

 5 of 5 cogs.

The second part of this game has a lot of improvements over the first. There is a little more to do in this game as there is a lot of new items to find and use. The game still feels very short as 

Story:

 3 of 5 cogs.

This game has a lot more story to it compared to the first one which wasn't much at all. This game has proper chapter breaks and feels like a fuller game now.

Amount of ads:

 lots.

There is still a lot of forced videos ads along with the optional ads for premium currency. They pop up a lot more often every time you move into a doorway or cave opeing.

Accurate Advertising?:

💯% 

As far as I can tell everything is accurate. The game is still as straight forward as the first and the shreenshots that are posted on Google play and the game's Facebook page are all true screenshots.

Graphics:

 4 of 5 cogs.

The graphics are a little better in this game except the GUI needs something to make it less plain.

Gameplay:

 5 of 5 cogs.

Similar gameplay as the first. You can clear these games in just a couple of sittings or less if you devote time to the small grind to collect all those parts for the expanding recipe list you unlock.The knowledge you gain from the first game allows you to progress even faster through this second part.

Free play:

💯%

You can play this game for free without the need to spend money. There is another shop tab with microtransations like the first game. I just ignored the shopping cart button this whole game so far.

Fun factor:

😎 fun tropical retreat.

Over all, fast and simple game. Doesn't offer much replay value though, other than 3 different parts you play through, and reset every time to nothing.

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Survival RPG: Lost Treasure Adventure Retro 2d

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Greetings mechanics and tinkerers!

You find Survival RPG: lost treasure (part 1) floating on some driftwood.

Today I bring you a three part game. The first part throws your character into a deserted island and you have to collect everything around you to advance up a tech tree. I plan to review the next two parts in following blog posts. The game is classified as and RPG but there are no level-up components in this game. This is purely a top-down adventure title.

The game has very simple art and a map. You move around with the virtual keys on the screen. Everything uses a single action like a very old Nes style video game. You an tap on each of the different menus to access your inventory or cratfint menus. This game also has extra 'heart containors' that you can pick up very similar to the first Legend of Zelda game for Nes.

The button with a stick holds every collectable items you can pick up. You can click on the I beside an item to gain some information about it. These hints do not offer too much in the way of how some things area used.

When you click on the fish, you see a list of all the foods you can eat to heal. The I besides the food tells you how much health each food restores. In this game, there appears to be only 4 different types of food.

When you click on the shovel, you get a list of all the tools you have available. Once you create something like an ax, it will always be on you and never breaks. This menu is one you will never really look at again once you play the game.

When you click on the anvil, you reach the crafting menu. As you gather materials you unlock new recipes. There is no direct information that tells you how to get new recipes as they just happen based on any materials you collect. The best way is to collect everything you can just to unlock new things. You will travel back and forth to several places and you have to memorize locations of different items because you will need a tool to reach most things you find. Additionally, you can use gems to buy the missing ingredients to a craft recipy. You can earn more by watching optional ads.

The game has a map. The map is not very large to begin with and it appears you can beat this game in one or two sittings if you explore everything and think about what tool is used where.

When you click on the shirt button, you get a list of all the equipment you have crafted. Everytime you craft something it automatically becomes useable. When you craft a sword it goes here and your 'use' button that looks like a hand will change to the usable tool or weapon. If you say create a better sword, it over-rides the current equipped one to the best one despite holding both swords.

Overall:

 4 of 5 cogs.

The game is very simple and has the feeling of so many old video games from the 80s. Everything is touch based and responds mostly well. The graphics are very simplistic and could use a bit more shadow details.

Story:

 3 of 5 cogs.

There is a very simple story in this game. As you progress there has not been anymore story revealed as you progress along. I have yet to finish this game so I do not know if more story presents it's self as you progress on.

Amount of ads:

 Lots

Everytime you transition to a new room you are forced to watch a full screen video ad that disrupts the play of the game. You have to wait 5 seconds before you can skip these. It makes it very difficulty to explore new places. You can also watch optional Ads for premium currency or there is an option to pay to remove ads.

Accurate Advertising?:

💯%

The Google Play screenshots are accurate to the game and don't hide anything. There is not too much going on visually here.

Graphics:

 3 of 5 cogs.

Very average pixel art sprites. The later games seem to have better graphics based on the screenshots. There is a lot that could be improve graphically in this game.

Gameplay:

 4 of 5 cogs.

Simple and clean gameplay. There is not much to do and it is very limited but it is good for a quick single run-through.

Free play:

💯%

The game is completely easy to play for free. There are some premium powerups you can buy with real money and not the premium currency so there is no way to earn those ingame. This game is very much designed as a F2P game with many ads that slow down the gameplay when you enter a cave.

Fun factor:

👸 Fun for a time.

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League of Legends: Wild Rift

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Greetings mechanics and tinkerers!

The steam towers point ahead twoards: League of Legend: Wild Rift

Riot has done it again. I used to be an avid League of Legends player on PC when I had access to good internet. LoL Wild Rift is a moba that is based on the PC version of the game. This game is not cross-platformer. The base account is cross-platform enabled but you have to start fresh on this game. This version of the game makes it a lot easier for everyone to experience what LoL is. Warning: This game will take up over 4 gigs of space if not more as they add more detail.

We are currently in Season 2 at the time of this blog. Playing through the first 10 levels will get you about half of the current roster of characters. Some you chose, some are random. You will also earn a couple premium skins also randomly chosen, and you get to choose one of any from a small list. This game has only half of the total number of champions in at this time. There is a notice that content will be added all through April and May. I will go over some of the stuff you will find among the menus but I will not go in-depth over the main gameplay because there is far too many things to explain in what a moba is.

You profile gives you some base statistics of the most used champions on your account. As you can see I started with Ahri which is a Mage Assassin. She is one of the most popular and nearly a mascot for the game at this point. Most of the original set of champions are available to play along with a handful of newer champions as well.

The second tab under your profile is match history. The most recent games are able to be viewed and you can even rewatch them! The system is mostly stable but there may be some server issues of signing you out and you have to sign back in. 

The third tab shows you a more detailed list of your top 3 played champions. This is a repeat of information and I do not see the point of needing to see it again.

Tab 4 is all your stats. It shows you the awards you got, your win rate and a compilation of how you play. It just gives you an idea of the kind of actions you take during a game and you can use this to focus on say gold farming. You can change from this graph to bargraphs that explain which icon is which.

Achievements are things that you will stumble into as you play. They give you points that can earn you rewards.

Under the store page you can buy champions you do not have using the blue bits you collect or using the premium currency. The premium currency can not be earned in this game and is used to only buy cosmetics things. I will go into detail of those later. These cosmetics do not impact actual gameplay in anyway and can be 100% skipped.

The major cosmetic is Skins. These can only be bought with real money. Most skins cost an average of $10 USD. Some of the premium project skins are in this game and do cost more, but no where near as much as the PC version. 

The next tab has items. Thses are emotes and a few different things you can display to others as you battle. I do not know how to access emotes during gameplay yet. Everyone gets 1 free emote and there appears to be chests you can earn that give you free ones.

The last tab is for stances. These are alternate stances you can display when your champion is picked. There is the default one and one extra one that can only be bought through the Poro store.

This is the example of your loadout. You only get a total of 3 to choose from and you can customize them. This makes your gameplay easier as your list is displayed in order at the shop. They appear in the exact order you have them listed. Runes give you small permanent buffs during battle and the spells are skill based abilities that can heal you or get you out of danger once ever few minutes.

The leaderboards display the top players of the server. You can check different categories based on champion type or role.

This is your inventory. Here you can gain temporary buffs or chests that contain random champions. You will check here often before you reach level 10. Once you reach level 10 you can start playing ranked battles.

You have daily missions that net you extra blue bits to unlock champions and a few extra items as well.

You can choose from a couple of game modes. Right now ARAM is a mode that is being tested and was only available for a short time. You get a random champion and you have to build carefully as this mode is team fight practice. 

This is an overview of the map. This map is one stage behind the current PC map and not quite as big. For those that play on the PC, the current map has an extra alcove along the middle outside walls. This screenshot is from a hint menu. Everytime you die in game you get an exclamation point on the screen. Clicking on it takes you here and you get some random tips that help you play better.

 

A quick view of what it looks like to choose a champion. I think this list moves around based on how often you play a champion. You can choose by role type and there may be a way to tailor this list but I have not figured that out yet.

If you win you get this victory screen and a different displays for being defeated. It shows you the level you gain and any blue bits you earn. The winning team gains more experience than the losing side.

Lastly is the overview of how everyone did. You can view other stats for the battle with the different buttons. I opted out of showing you any screenshots from gameplay as it's very hard to do safely during combat. The game takes a lot of focus and planning. 

Overall:

 5 of 5 cogs.

This is a very solid port of the PC version with room to grow. There are a few technical issues that do not really impact the gameplay, and there are a few things that could be improve still. Overall this game works well as long as you have a good connection.

Story:

0 of 5 cogs.

The game its self has no direct story, but each character does have a story that isn't expanded on here. You have to look at the game lore from other sources to get any story beyond the very short paragraphs you get.

Amount of ads:

None!

There truly is no ads in this game what so ever.

Accurate Advertising?:

💯%

Riot is pretty straight forward with their advertising. This game has the backing of the fame of the PC version. 

Graphics:

 5 of 5 cogs.

This game is very highly detailed 3d art. There was no detail missed in the art department. The game runs so well for having this much 3d graphics in it. Aside from the size, this game shows how much mobile games have advanced.

Gameplay:

 5 of 5 cogs.

The gameplay is so smooth compared to other mobile games I've played in the past. The controls are very smooth and are mostly natural. Sometimes certina abilities do not work as intended or seemingly to. Sometimes there is some glitches with playing wards or some 'circular' skills but other than that it is well on the way to be a great game.

Free play:

💯%

You can easily play this game without buying anything at all.

Fun factor:

Excelent.

There is so much to experience as each batter is unique. You can learn just one champion or master all roles. It's best to try out everyone once before settling in to any chaimpions as a main.

Thank You for reading my blog. Please consider donating to the tip jar as these are tough times and every bit helps. You can follow by email or via follow on desktop websites. f you enjoy these reviews please show others this blog by retweeting or liking my posts on social media.

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