Waltorious Writes About Games – Game-related ramblings.

Scratching That Itch: The Rainsdowne Players

On May 5, 2023

This is the one hundred sixty-first entry in the Scratching That Itch series, wherein I randomly select and write about one of the 1741 games and game-related things included in the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. The Bundle raised $8,149,829.66 split evenly between the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and Community Bail Fund, but don’t worry if you missed it. There are plenty of ways you can help support the vital cause of racial justice; try here for a start. Lastly, as always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

The curtains have opened on our one hundred sixty-first random selection from the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality, and the audience waits expectantly for the performance to begin. It’s The Rainsdowne Players, by Steve O’Gorman, and its tagline in the bundle reads:

A creativity-driven RPG about a rundown theatre and pleasing its unruly clie…

That’s right, folks: it’s time for some local theatre.

Tales Of Illyria: Destinies Sets Players Free To Travel Its Roads

By Waltorious

On April 12, 2023

In Uncategorized

As always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

Longtime readers may remember that I was a big fan of the mobile game Tales of Illyria: Fallen Knight and its sequel, Tales of Illyria: Beyond The Iron Wall. At long last, I have played the third and most recent title in the series, Tales of Illyria: Destinies. Like its predecessors, it combines a traditional fantasy role-playing game — complete with leveling and skills, equipment, and tactical combat — with the logistics of travel, inspired heavily by The Oregon Trail. As I’ve written before, this combination works way better than I thought it would, and makes for a compelling whole. With Destinies, however, the focus shifts from a story-driven linear adventure to an open world game, where players travel the lengths of Illyria to seek their fortune. Once again, this works surprisingly well.

It’s Unclear Whether Baba Is Actually You

By Waltorious

On March 21, 2023

In Uncategorized

As always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

I’d been meaning to play Baba Is You, by Hempuli, for a while. The premise is excellent: a sokoban-style puzzle game, navigated one square at a time from a top-down viewpoint, but instead of just pushing boxes around you can push around the rules of the game. Rules like “Baba Is You” or “Flag Is Win” are spelled out with blocks within the level, and pushing those blocks around can break those rules or create new ones. Make “Flag Is You”, for example, and start moving the flag around instead of Baba. Things like that. I’d heard the game is really clever and really difficult, asking players to manipulate rules in devious ways that seem to break entire levels in order to proceed, but I thought I’d be able to handle it. I’ve played through Corrypt, after all. The metaphorical outside-the-box thinking I’d need to excel at Baba Is You should come easily.

How wrong I was.

Scratching That Itch: Cell Tune

By Waltorious

On March 7, 2023

In Uncategorized

This is the one hundred sixtieth entry in the Scratching That Itch series, wherein I randomly select and write about one of the 1741 games and game-related things included in the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. The Bundle raised $8,149,829.66 split evenly between the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and Community Bail Fund, but don’t worry if you missed it. There are plenty of ways you can help support the vital cause of racial justice; try here for a start. Lastly, as always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

Our one hundred sixtieth random selection from the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality is replicating itself while consuming all other organisms in its path. It’s Cell Tune, by Niklas Rievald, and its tagline in the bundle reads:

A life simulation game where you design creatures on a microscopic level an…

That’s right, it’s time to create some life!

Scratching That Itch: RPG Town Tileset

By Waltorious

On March 3, 2023

In Uncategorized

This is the one hundred fifty-ninth entry in the Scratching That Itch series, wherein I randomly select and write about one of the 1741 games and game-related things included in the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. The Bundle raised $8,149,829.66 split evenly between the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and Community Bail Fund, but don’t worry if you missed it. There are plenty of ways you can help support the vital cause of racial justice; try here for a start. Lastly, as always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

Our one hundred fifty-ninth random selection from the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality is rearranging itself into a bunch of different buildings. It’s RPG Town Tileset, by Ultimate_End, and its tagline in the bundle reads:

32×32 Tileset for RPG

Succinct and to the point.

History Lessons: Zillion

By Waltorious

On February 28, 2023

In Uncategorized

Other History Lessons posts can be found here. If you’re looking specifically for console games, those are here. As always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

My detour back to 1987 continues. I’ve completely failed to be chronological in this series, because I keep expanding the scope and adding more games to my list, but the nominal timeline should be in late 1988, following on from Sega’s SpellCaster. But then I decided to go back and play a few of the early metroidvania games that I’d missed, starting with The Goonies II, then Rygar, and now Zillion, developed by Sega for their Master System console. I’d never heard of Zillion before, but my research turned up someone describing it as “Sega’s answer to Metroid“. Given that Phantasy Star could be described as “Sega’s answer to Dragon Quest“, and I was hugely impressed with Phantasy Star when I played it for this series, I found myself quite excited to play Zillion.

Scratching That Itch: Tessa’s Ark: Chapter 1

By Waltorious

On February 21, 2023

In Uncategorized

This is the one hundred fifty-eighth entry in the Scratching That Itch series, wherein I randomly select and write about one of the 1741 games and game-related things included in the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. The Bundle raised $8,149,829.66 split evenly between the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and Community Bail Fund, but don’t worry if you missed it. There are plenty of ways you can help support the vital cause of racial justice; try here for a start. Lastly, as always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

Our one hundred fifty-eighth random selection from the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality has sent a faint pulse through our circuit. It’s Tessa’s Ark: Chapter 1 by Neutron Dust, and its tagline in the bundle reads:

A Sci-Fi Puzzle/RPG game set in a future where human only exist in a mainfr…

Look out, Bezier. Here’s another game about humans living inside computers.

History Lessons: Rygar

By Waltorious

On February 15, 2023

In Uncategorized

Other History Lessons posts can be found here. If you’re looking specifically for console games, those are here. As always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

For those just tuning in, I’m taking a detour from the nominal timeline of this series. I say “nominal” because I’ve completely failed to be chronological so far. While I started out focused on early console role-playing games, this quickly expanded to include action role-playing hybrids, and now early Metroidvania games (including Metroid and Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest themselves). Having learned about some more early titles that experimented with this nonlinear open world platformer style, I’ve gone back to play a few. That means that of the 24 games I’ve covered so far, Rygar is actually the 9th in order of Japanese release date. It arrived in April 1987, almost exactly one month after The Goonies II, which I wrote about last time. It only took three months to get a US release, however, meaning it actually made it to the States about four months ahead of The Goonies II.

Scratching That Itch: Barrel Roll

By Waltorious

On February 11, 2023

In Uncategorized

This is the one hundred fifty-seventh entry in the Scratching That Itch series, wherein I randomly select and write about one of the 1741 games and game-related things included in the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. The Bundle raised $8,149,829.66 split evenly between the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and Community Bail Fund, but don’t worry if you missed it. There are plenty of ways you can help support the vital cause of racial justice; try here for a start. Lastly, as always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

Our one hundred fifty-seventh random selection from the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality in spinning uncontrollably. It’s Barrel Roll, by mattlawr, and its tagline in the bundle reads:

Fly back home with damaged wings

That’s… surprisingly poetic.

Scratching That Itch: Nigel

By Waltorious

On February 7, 2023

In Uncategorized

This is the one hundred fifty-sixth entry in the Scratching That Itch series, wherein I randomly select and write about one of the 1741 games and game-related things included in the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. The Bundle raised $8,149,829.66 split evenly between the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and Community Bail Fund, but don’t worry if you missed it. There are plenty of ways you can help support the vital cause of racial justice; try here for a start. Lastly, as always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

Our one hundred fifty-sixth random selection from the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality is in love with a painted rock. It’s Nigel, by Nolski, and its tagline in the bundle reads:

Single player, bird game, puzzle experience

I will experience this puzzle.