Severed (PS Vita) Review

Awhile ago, Severed was a free Playstation Plus game.  I downloaded it, but finally got the chance to boot it up and try it out recently.  I played a bit of Guacamelee, and figured the game would be kind of like that.  It isn't.  Had I remembered their previous game Mutant Blobs Attack!, I probably should have realized they can make different kinds of games.

Combat is very reliant on the touchscreen.  You use it to slash enemies, and it will do so in the direction and length of you finger swipes on the screen.  Most enemies require you to attack certain directions and angles to actually hit them.  To avoid damage, you have to parry the enemies' attacks.  This is probably the hardest part of combat.  The timing and angle have to be very precise, and even more so for charged parries.  Most enemies are open after being parried, and you will have to learn when you can attack.  Thankfully most of them have big enough openings that you can go ham on the slashes to rack up the damage.  Going ham on them is fun.

At first I didn't really like the combat.  Figuring out how to block, when to attack, getting the timing down, and accurately hitting the severs took a bit.  After about 20 minutes, I felt much more comfortable, and did much better in fights.  That isn't to say they were easy.  Some were, but fights against multiple enemies can be a crap shoot.  Usually you have to figure out which enemy to take out first, or which spell to use, and how to fight each enemy for it all to fall in to place.  Since the game autosaves so often, you can quickly return to the last fight and try it again.  Later in the game, you can fight in the clouds.  These have a time limit, which is really just there to be annoying.  It makes one fight notoriously hard.

When not fighting, you will be moving around the different areas of the game in first person.  The d-pad or face buttons (for left handed people, I presume) will walk you forward or turn you either direction as you make your way through the different rooms.  There is some light puzzle solving, mostly consisting of finding the right levels to open doors, and sometimes running through them before they close.  There are plenty of secrets to find, like health and magic upgrades.  Some of them are obscenely well hidden (stupid levers).  There's no teleport option, so you are stuck walking everywhere.  It's kind of a pain when you are searching for the last few collectibles.  However, the game still isn't very long.  It easily clocks in under 10 hours, even if you find everything and get the platinum trophy.  If you exclusively use a guide, it would be even shorter, but isn't necessary until getting the last few items.

At the start, I didn't like Severed, but at the end, I thought it was a pretty fun game (except that crazy hard fight for one of the mementos).  It has a unique style, creepy enemies, and won't take you very long to complete it.  It's definitely worth trying if you got it from Playstation Plus, but I don't know if it's worth the default price.  I would recommend picking it up on sale, though.


The Good:
Unique game that gets fun once the combat clicks.

The Bad:
Combat is very unforgiving until it does, and even then there are a few very hard fights.

The SaHD:
The story is either too mysterious for its own good, or happens exactly as it appears.

(Severed was obtained as part of the Playstation Plus program)

Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse (PS3) Review

Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse is the modern remake of an old Sega Genesis platforming game.  It was recently added to Playstation Plus, so I thought I'd check it out.  The 3D graphics ended up pretty good, and the environments are pretty cool.  My favorites were the one where a small Mickey Mouse was running in a toy-inspired world and the world that was an ancient ruin (even though it involved swimming).  The only real problem I have with the visual package was that sometimes it was hard to tell what was a platform and what was just decoration.  It wasn't a big deal, but it was something I felt worth mentioning.

After the opening scene where Minnie gets kidnapped, you start in a castle hub-world, which allows access to the other levels when they are unlocked.  To open up the final part to the last boss, you need to collect seven rainbow gems.  While at first you would think that each world will contain one gem, this is not the case.  The first three do contain one each, but the next two worlds have two gems each.  Moving through most levels is pretty straightforward.  You usually run to the right, and jump to platforms (or over pits) and make your way to the exit.  There are lots of things to add interest, like floating platforms, swimming sections and even some parts that require you to run through quickly.  Enemies are usually dispatched by jumping on them, but Mickey can also pick up items that can be thrown.  Ammo is limited, but usually easy to come by and there was only one or two levels where I actually ran out.  After two levels, you will fight the boss of the area, which rewards you with a gem.

Overall, the game isn't that hard.  I only died twice during the first five worlds (getting all the gems).  The final boss was the hardest part of the game, since there are no checkpoints and the fight takes a few minutes to complete.  Other levels have numerous checkpoints, so you aren't set back far if you do fall into a pit or die.  Bosses are the most difficult part of the game, but a little old-school pattern recognition will help greatly.  Playing would have gone smoother, but the jump didn't always seem responsive.  It was also annoying to make midair adjustments when jumping.  Also, since it's effectively a 2D game, you are probably better off using the d-pad instead of the analog stick.

Probably the biggest weakness of the game is the length.  It took me about 2-3 hours to make it through the main game and beat the final boss.  The real game extender is the collectibles.  You can unlock extra costumes for Mickey, and some cool concept artwork for the castle hub.  This requires getting all the gems in a level, as well as hidden collectibles.  Getting some of them is annoying, since they are really well hidden, or at the end of a secret part of the level.  Finding a guide to them is advised, unless you are exceptionally good at finding stuff.  I'm really good and thorough at getting collectibles and other hidden things, and I couldn't find several cards and carrots in Castle of Illusion.  The trophies are also very straightforward.  Beating the game and getting all the collectibles are all that's required to get every one.  There is no platinum, if that matters to you.

Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse was pretty enjoyable.  It wasn't very hard, but the game is short, as I completed the main game in an afternoon.  Searching out all the collectibles will extend the time, and is really the only reason to replay the game.  If you are a fan of platformers, or Mickey Mouse, you should get enjoyment out of the game, even if it is short lived.  I'd recommend picking it up while it's on Playstation Plus, or if on sale for very cheap.