Korgan (Xbox One, 2018)

Korgan
Developed/Published by Codestalkers
Released for Xbox One (4/27/2018)

Korgan was released for the Xbox One in April 2018 and was developed by Codestalkers, a one-man operation out of Barcelona, Spain. Though a one man operation, reading about the dev on the Codestalkers official site states that the single dev only does programming and outsources all other apsects of the game. Korgan marks the developers first release on a console, with all previous efforts being released for Android devices. Korgan is an episodic dungeon crawler that allows you to download the prologue for free and that's what I'll be looking at for this review, so without further ado let's go crawling some dungeons and see if it's worth the time...

There's not much story to Korgan, just explore those dungeons and complete the various quests and secondary objectives, fight a boss at the end then move onto the next where you'll do the same. A somewhat original design feature allows you to switch between 3 character classes on the fly. There's a mage, hunter and warrior, with the first two focusing on ranged attacks and the warrior is the melee specialist. The 2 projectile-based characters are far better than the warrior, so the only time you'll likely switch to him is when there are the few enemies that can only be damaged with melee attacks. You'll frequently encounter traps, which can be disabled by any class, but unless you use the hunter to disarm them you'll take some damage. The mage has the ability to launch ice attacks that can freeze enemies, so each class has situations you'll want to use them even if it is only temporary.

Each character has a light and special attack and every so often will build up a special attack that can cause massive damage. The attack system works okay, but feels archaic the way you have to face your enemy in order to attack, especially with the mage who launches fireballs. It seems stupid she can't fire behind her as she backs off and if the developer would have implemented twin-stick controls, the combat would've been instantly better. Instead you have this awkward style of attack where you have to strike, backtrack a bit, strike and rinse and repeat. In addition to looking stupid, it quickly grows stale and if the combat isn't any good in a dungeon crawler that's a bit of a problem. You'll warm up to it eventually and the game is playable, mostly thanks to the mage's ability to freeze the enemies, but it's far from good. As you go about killing enemies and opening chests, you'll unlock better gear and items to equip to boost your stats. There's also a level up system that allows you to upgrade certain perks for you characters, with skill points being shared between all 3 characters.

The prologue gives you 3 levels: dungeon, ruins and grassy fields. Each level features a decent-size layout and a map can be accessed at any time, which will mark all but a few of the secondary objectives. The graphics in the game are actually not bad, featuring a good use of colors and a smooth framerate, though everything looks a bit basic and generic. The characters you play as don't look bad, but again suffer from just being generic and having no back-story to generate any interest in them. The control scheme works good enough, though for some reason the same button is used to pick up loot and switch characters, which seems unnecessary when the triggers are unused.

Korgan was released where you could play the opening prologue chapter for free and additional episodes would be released periodically. Only 1 additional episode was ever released and seeing as this game was released back in 2018, I think it's safe to say that there's not going to be a 2nd episode. There are a few obvious reasons why this never made it past the first episode, the main one being the fact that all 1000 gamerscore can be unlocked in an hour or two by playing the prologue. So the developer didn't bother to add any additional achievements for the 1st episode, which really hurts because this thing is retailing for $20!

Korgan is not a bad game, it ran fine and played decent for what it was, which is a generic dungeon crawler that's held back by forgettable enemy/level design and lackluster combat. The character switching mechanic is interesting and had some potential, but outside of a few scenarios I found little reason to use anyone besides the mage, so the characters needed some more balancing to make them more useful all around. As it is, Korgan is going to appeal only to achievement hunters thanks to it's easy and quick gamerscore completion. On the plus side, at least the game won't take up too much of your time.

Final Verdict: Korgan is a dungeon crawler with the prologue chapter available for free. While the ability to switch characters on the fly is neat, the combat, graphics and design leave much to be desired. Achievement hunters will enjoy the easy free gamerscore, but all others I'd advise you to steer clear.

Related Links:
Get Korgan - Microsoft Store
Dungeon Crawlers - Xbox Overview
Codestalkers - Official Site
Korgan - Metacritic
Korgan - GameFAQs
Korgan - True Achievements
Korgan Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements

Tracks: The Train Set Game (Xbox One, 2019)

Tracks: The Train Set Game
Developed by Whoop Group
Published by Excalibur Games
Released for Xbox One (11/14/2019)
Also on PC

Tracks: The Train Set Game, developed by Whoop Group, is one of those games that's exactly what it says it is. Released for both PC and the Xbox One in November 2019, Tracks is a sandbox game where you construct wooden tracks which you can then drive the train on. It's a simple premise but Tracks does offer you quite a bit to do when it comes to track building.

Tracks: The Train Set Game features some clean visuals, featuring detailed maps with well-rendered objects and environments. The sound design is minimal, with some calm piano music in the background that suits the laid-back gameplay quite well. The menus are simple and easy to navigate, rounding out an overall nice presentation. The options menu allows you to choose between 4K at 30 FPS or 1080 at 60 FPS, which is always a nice option to have. There are a variety of different "levels" to select from as your background. These include blank white/black rooms, modern apartment day/night and bedroom day/night. The bedroom and apartment levels have various objects scattered about like beds, shelves and couches. These objects can all be built on or around with your track, so if you want to build a ramp up onto the table you can. The levels all look nice and add some good variety.

After selecting your room type, you have 2 options: free play and passenger mode. Free play mode allows you let your imagination go wild and build what you want, within the confines of the game of course. Placing tracks where you want is easy and intuitive, which will be explained in a brief tutorial the first time you play. The game will let you place an impressive amount of track and objects, just load up the included sample roller coaster track for a good example of this. You can also place tracks that branch off and while driving the train, holding in a direction will allow you to choose which way to steer. Pieces of track can be removed and this can even be done while the train is traversing the track, which will send the train flying off the track. There's quite a bit of fun to be had within the free play section.

There's a ton of different scenery to add in, featuring a vast array of buildings, decorations, trees, cars, passengers, signs, active elements and construction items. The active items are stuff that can be interacted with, such as fireworks or boxes that can be knocked over as you pass through them. Construction items include stuff like corkscrew tracks, tunnels and track supports. There's a category to change the terrain type as well. It's impressive how much stuff there is to choose from in here and it really gives you a lot to work with if you want to go all in your creations. There are additional options for choosing the train texture and the scenery, giving you many ways to customize things to your liking.

Passenger mode tasks you with locating groups of passengers and getting them to the station. This will require you to place a platform near the passengers, build the tracks up to the platform to the station and then drive then train. Occasionally a set of passengers will have a time limit or a request, tasking you to make the train jump 5 times before arriving at the station. Passenger mode is a nice little diversion, but all of the levels can be cleared in around 20 minutes, so it's not likely to be something you'll keep coming back to.

Tracks: The Train Set Game ran smooth and I didn't encounter any technical issues while playing, though there is some strange lack of clipping when the tracks passes through certain objects, but it's definitely best to just not build directly into objects. I preferred building in the clear rooms most of the time anyways so it wasn't really an issue. Tracks features an incredibly easy set of achievements that can be unlocked in under an hours time if you want.

Tracks: The Train Set Game allows you save your tracks, but unfortunately there's no way to share tracks with others. I would have enjoyed seeing what kind of crazy stuff people have cooked up. As it is, Tracks: The Train Set Game is a laid-back and enjoyable train-track builder.  Outside of the passenger mode, there's no real objective other to build and have fun, but there's nothing wrong with that sometimes. While achievement hunters will be drawn to it for another easy completion, there's enough to Tracks: The Train Set Game that you can really sink some serious time into it, if you fancy building wooden toy train tracks that is. As of April 2020, Tracks is currently featured on Game Pass and is the type of game that fits great for that service. Recommended, but wait for a sale or play it on Game Pass (if it's still there).

Final Verdict: Tracks: The Train Set Game is a relaxing toy train track builder that provides quite a bit of stuff to build with, allowing you to let your imagination run wild. Recommended if you're the creative type, but due to the high initial price wait for a sale.

Purchase Links:
Buy Tracks: The Train Set Game - Microsoft Store
Game Pass - Microsoft Store

Related Links:
Excalibur Games - Official Site
Tracks: The Train Set Game - Metacritic
Tracks: The Train Set Game - GameFAQs
Tracks: The Train Set Game - True Achievements
Tracks: The Train Set Game Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements

Awesome Pea (Xbox One, 2019)

Awesome Pea
Developed by PigeonDev
Ported & Published by Sometimes You
Released for Xbox One (3/1/2019)
Also on PC/PS4/Switch/Vita

Awesome Pea, developed by PigeonDev, is a 2D platformer that was originally released for PC in September 2018, while the Xbox One version was published by Sometimes You in March 2019. Awesome Pea attempts to capitalize on the nostalgia craze, featuring retro-inspired graphics that mimic the look of the Game Boy with it's limited yellow-green color palette. There's been no shortage of retro-throwback titles or 2D platformers over the years, so without further ado let's look at Awesome Pea and see if it's worth taking the money and time to download and play...

In Awesome Pea, you take control of the little blob-looking thing that I'd guess is supposed to be the titular pea. The pea looks quite reminiscent of the main character Jerry from Game Freak's Jerry Boy (or Smart Ball in the US). You move the pea with the analog stick or d-pad and use the A button to jump. You also have a double-jump. That's it to the controls in Awesome Pea. While simple, they work well enough and the platforming feels good for the most part.

Awesome Pea features an overworld map featuring 4 worlds with 30 stages between them, unlocking the next as you complete each one. There's a couple different types of themes for the stages which you'll see repeat with different layouts as you progress. The backgrounds are detailed enough when taking the game's limited color palette into consideration. The music and sound effects are retro-themed in order to complement the graphics, and while nothing stands out too much they're not bad either. The limited color palette makes the game a bit ugly though and I frequently found myself wanting to play only a few levels at a time as the drab palette makes it uninteresting to look at for long periods of time. That's not to say that the game is terrible, it's an above average effort, just that the lack of colors and repetitive stage designs makes it hard to bear for long periods of time.

Each stage has a set of collectibles in the form of coins and gems, with an achievement to be unlocked for gathering all of them on every stage. This helps add at least a small amount of replay value, which is good because Awesome Pea is a short game. The first time you boot the game up, both of the featured "effects" are turned on, which are actually just filters. The tube-effect warps the corners of the screen to emulate and old computer or television monitor. The CRT-effect adds some overall transparent fuzziness and a bit of a warped picture down towards the lower portion of the screen. This looks more like viewing a worn-out VHS tape or watching a channel with bad reception than your standard CRT picture. We'll delve a bit more into these filters when we get into the gripes here shortly. Awesome Pea features music and sound that feel appropriate to the graphic style, and while they suit the game well enough there's not enough music tracks and the overall sound design is unremarkable.

In a platformer like Awesome Pea, it's important to be able to control your character with accuracy. I'm glad to report that the controls here, while far from perfect, work well enough with regards to the challenges laid out by the developers. It feels like there's a slight lag between the moment you press the jump button and when the pea on-screen reacts to it, but it's not game-breaking and is something you'll adjust to if you stick with the game. Awesome Pea has a double-jump that's easy to use and adjusting in mid-air works well. You can control the pea with either the analog stick or the d-pad.

Most of the levels themselves are quite standard and not too challenging, just jump over the obstacles while collecting the coins and gems. There is one particular stage type that stood out as more annoying than the others, which are the stages where you're descending downwards while the ball projectiles are coming up from below and the sides. These stages are far more difficult than the others and will no doubt be the main source of frustration for those trying to 100% the game. They're do-able, just a major pain in the butt.

Other gripes include a questionable player hit-box, where it feels like I clearly jumped over the spike or projectile but somehow still got hit. The included CRT filter not only makes no sense for a game trying to replicate something from the Game Boy, but it also obstructs the view of some coins or gems located on the sides of the screen, thus it handicaps the gameplay. The other included screen distortion effect also makes no sense on a Game Boy game either and is a rather pointless inclusion.  If you intend to play Awesome Pea, my first recommendation is to go into the options and turn the filter and distortion effects off.

While Awesome Pea delivers a serviceable 2D-platforming experience, when you reach the final stage it feels anti-climactic and the game just sort of ends. With a lack of boss battles or any type of confrontation at all, the game feels a bit hollow when compared to other efforts in this genre. A little bit of action mixed with the platforming might have went a ways to make the game a bit more fun, but as it stands Awesome Pea is a middle of the road 2D-platformer with a relatively easy set of achievements to obtain. It's not bad, but it really doesn't do much to stand out.

Final Verdict: Awesome Pea is a basic 2D-platformer with decent controls and relatively easy achievements, but the game feels a bit underwhelming in the long run due to the lack of any boss fights and unmemorable level design. You get what you pay for with this one.

Related Links:
Buy Awesome Pea - Microsoft Store
PigeonDev - Twitter
Sometimes You - Official Site
Awesome Pea - GameFAQs
Awesome Pea - True Achievements
Awesome Pea - Xbox Achievements

Coffin Dodgers (Xbox One, 2016)

Coffin Dodgers
Developed by Milky Tea Studios
Published by Wales Interactive Ltd.
Released for Xbox One (5/6/2016)
Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4/Switch

Coffin Dodgers was developed by UK-based Milky Tea Studios and was released for the Xbox One in May 2016. Coffin Dodgers features a bunch of senior citizens racing on their mobility scooters. The retirement village residents are in a competition hosted by Death and the winner gets to keep their soul. It's definitely a quirky concept with some potential, so let's delve in and see how it plays...

The story in Coffin Dodgers involves 7 residents of a retirement village, racing it out against the Grim Reaper and each other and the winner gets to keep their soul. The single-player mode involves 13 races which are separated into 4 themes. The themes are the village, town, farm and graveyard, with the final race against the Grim Reaper taking place on a track that mixes all 4 themes together. The themes themselves aren't particularly imaginative and none of them are very memorable, though they do at least function okay as far as tracks go. There are a few cool parts, like one of the town tracks that has the street blown out and you'll drive down onto the subway tracks, but these moments are few and far between. While most kart racers will have you race for the standard 3 laps, this game has you run 4 laps, which was likely a result of the tracks feeling too short. The characters look decent, sporting a cartoon look in sync with the rest of the game, but like the tracks none of them are particularly memorable except for the Grim Reaper. While Coffin Dodgers features an interesting story, the graphics and track designs lean more toward mediocrity than being good.

Coffin Dodgers is a budget kart racer, this will become evident quickly when you see the simple nature of the graphics. The characters and environments and made up of blocky polygons that look like something that could've been on the original Xbox. While the graphics are simple, the game has a cartoon-like style to it and the bright colors help complete the look. The characters themselves look decent enough, but the whole presentation comes down a bit in the audio department. The music feels like it could've come straight out of a Tim Burton movie and, while not bad and it does fit the theme of the game well, it felt like there was a lack of variety to the soundtrack as a whole. There's not much going on in the sound fx department, with just the sound of mobile scooters, a few odd collision sounds, weapon noises and ambient sounds of crickets chirping. The characters really could've used some dialogue to help add some personality, because the races tend to feel a bit quiet and uneventful.

No kart racer would be complete without weapon pickups on the track and of course Coffin Dodgers follows this trend. There's your standard boost powerup, an EMP that shocks and slows down anybody near you when activated, oil you can throw behind you to slip up opponents, a shield that blocks incoming projectiles, rockets that home in on targets and an uzi. Some of the powerups are more effective than others, but overall the pickups roster is decent but uninspired. Every character also has a default melee attack they can use at any point, allowing you to swing when close to an opponent Road Rash style. It'll take several hits, but you can eventually drop them if you land enough blows. You can also hold the attack button and charge it up, unleashing a super blow that will knock an enemy off their scooter in a single hit if landed. There's some mildly amusing ragdoll physics when the racers fall off their scooters

Between races, you can access an upgrade screen, which allows you to upgrade various aspects of your scooter. It's mostly the type of stuff you'd expect, like better handling, speed and acceleration but there's also upgrades for your melee attack, pickups and paint options. Each category can be upgraded 3 times and can be purchased using credits earned from racing. The first upgrade for the pickups allows you to carry 2 pickups, the second will let you swap between pickups and the third will lock the pickups, allowing you to keep them when hit where you'd normally lose them. The upgrade system is nice, but when the game is as easy as Coffin Dodgers these upgrades are far from necessary.

In addition to the story mode, the main menu offers a few additional modes. There's quick race where you can select a single track to race on, time trial and an open world option. The open world has 2 modes, explore which allows you to drive around the tracks at your leisure (not sure why you'd want to) and crazy granddad mode which tasks you to retrieve and deliver items within a given time. The open world modes were a nice gesture from the developers, but outside of getting the single achievement affiliated with crazy granddad mode I doubt anybody is going to spend much time in these modes. Coffin Dodgers offers up local split-screen multiplayer for 2-4 players. There are only 2 modes: explore and race. Playing with friends always helps the enjoyment factor on these types of games, but it's a bit of a bummer there's no online multiplayer support.

Now we get to the part of the review where I get to really delve into what I didn't like and Coffin Dodgers gives you a lot to talk about in the department. The gameplay is simple to a fault, even for a kart racer. You can simply hold down the accelerator the entire race since your mobility scooter turns sharp enough that you never have to let it go. This makes for a very boring racing game and it really could have done with a drift system at the very least. The weapons pickups are unbalanced since the EMT that shocks everybody in proximity is easily the best pickup while the uzi borders on being completely worthless (and seems to pop-up more frequently than other powerups). After starting a race in single player mode, you can't restart the race, so if you mess up the game forces you to finish that particular race or exit out to the menu. It's not a huge deal, but a big oversight from the developers and gives you a good idea how much testing/tuning didn't go into this game. Despite the game having 4 different themes for the tracks, the levels overall feel too similar and as a result none of them really stand out. The sound design could've helped add some excitement, but it's about as generic as it could be. At the main menu, it's easy to accidentally select new campaign instead of continue campaign and the game doesn't ask for confirmation, making it easy to erase your progress if you're not careful.

Coffin Dodgers is a budget kart racer that has a cool concept but is lacking in execution. The cons outweigh the pros and there's not much reason to play this game when there are better alternatives available in the same genre. Those looking for some easy achievements may get something out of this one, but even then I'd still recommend waiting for a sale due to how quick you'll be done with it.

Final Verdict: Coffin Dodgers is a budget kart racer with an interesting, quirky concept of old folks racing against the Grim Reaper to retain their souls, but the game is lacking in execution with uninspired track design and a lack of any challenge.

Related Links:
Buy Coffin Dodgers - Microsoft Store
Milky Tea Studios - Official Site
Wales Interactive Ltd. - Official Site
Coffin Dodgers - Metacritic
Coffin Dodgers - GameFAQs
Coffin Dodgers - True Achievements

Rememoried (Xbox One, 2017)

Rememoried
Developed by Vladimir Kudelka
Published by Hangonit Studio
Released for Xbox One (12/6/2017)
Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4

Rememoried is about as psychedelic as they come, with gameplay being a combination of a walking sim and abstract puzzle. The concept is that you are roaming within a virtual place where memories change to dreams and forgetting becomes a mechanism you'll have to use to solve the puzzles. The forgetting mechanic occurs by looking away and when turning back around things will be a bit different. Taking place from a first-person perspective, you'll use this technique to solve many of the game's platform-like puzzles.

There are 20 chapters in Rememoried, and if a guide is used while playing the game can easily be completed in under an hour. Even without a guide, the game will not likely last beyond 2 hours, but the short length is not necessarily a reason to dismiss this one. If you want a simulation of some kind of crazy psychedelic trip, this game is going to be of interest to you. While the visuals are mostly in black and white, the developer has done a fantastic job creating surreal landscapes and some of the levels are a real sight to behold. One standout level has you standing within a kaleidoscope, using the analog sticks to move about and rotate the image. I can't say I recall ever having experienced something like that in a game before.

The puzzles in Rememoried have a decent variety to them, with some definitely more challenging than others but overall they are rather easy to figure out and they heavily utilize the "forget" mechaninc. The controls use only the sticks for navigation and RB for jumping which all work well enough. The music isn't overbearing, but does a good job supplementing the surreal visuals you'll see. There's some narration that goes on as you play, but to be honest I was so wrapped up in the visuals I hardly even noticed the dialogue let alone paid attention to it. Those looking for some easy gamerscore and achievements will find something to like in Rememoried, as this is yet another one of those super-quick and easy completions. Rememoried is worth a look if you're into the psychedelic, but due to the incredibly short length I'd reccommend waiting for a sale before picking it up. The game has a tendency to induce motion sickness in those prone to it, so if that's you I'd advise staying away from this one.

Final Verdict: If you're looking for one of the most trippy and psychedelic games on the Xbox One, Rememoried definitely ranks high on that list. A surreal walking sim with puzzles that can be completed in only an hour or two, so wait for a sale first before picking it up.

Related Links:
Buy Rememoried - Microsoft Store
Vladimir Kudelka Interview - Keen Gamer
Rememoried - Metacritic
Rememoried - GameFAQs
Rememoried - True Achievements
Rememoried Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements

One Leaves (Xbox One, 2019)

One Leaves
Developed by Wahoo Studios
Published by Oath Inc
Released for Xbox One (2/28/2019)

One Leaves is an anti-tobacco game sponsored by the non-profit organization Oath Inc and developed by Wahoo Studios. The game was released for Xbox One in February 2019 and is a free download. It's rare to see a free game that's not riddled with micro-transactions and when I saw this in the store, I thought it was some sort of horror game. It should go without saying that I was disappointed when I found it what it was, but I've already gone so far as to download and play it so I might as well post a review for it too.

Upon booting up One Leaves for the first time, you're greeted with that box that asks for permissions (click here for more on that). Once you start the game proper, you find yourself in a room with 3 other kids, each of you behind their own fence. An announcer speaks over the intercom, informing you that only 1 of you will leave while the others are doomed to stay. After the mysterious voice tells you to begin, a door opens up and the race begins. The objective is to simply make it through each area as quick as possible. It's all supposed to be some sort of metaphor for smokers, where some stat said that 1 of 4 smokers successfully quit.

There are 3 levels to complete, starting out at the school, then to the hospital and ending up with the sewers. There are red wires on the floor, with one that leads to the exit and any others will lead to that level's objective. The school level requires you to escape from a maze of bookshelves in the library and make it through a never-ending hallway. Both sound much cooler than they are in play and the hallway can easily be completed using a glitch in the doorway. The hospital level starts off with a switch puzzle that grants you a flashlight, but if you turn the brightness up a few notches the flashlight is irrelevant. After this you will enter the morgue, where there are 4 drawers where the bodies are stored. 1 of these 4 contains a path to the room which has the switch that opens the exit while the other 3 lead you to another part of the hospital, where you'll have to re-enter the morgue and guess again. This is randomized each playthrough, so you'll never know which one the switch could be hiding behind.

The 3rd and final level in One Leaves takes place in the sewers. This level is more like a giant maze, with lots of 2-ways that split off with one end leading nowhere. This is by far the most confusing level, but with that there's still not much to it. Make it through the maze by following the exit signs and if you've completed the game fast enough then you are the one to escape. If you took too long it shows the smokers lounge, stating that you're doomed to stay there forever.

The levels are detailed and grimy-looking but the use of the graphics engine is just not very good, with lots of half-assed lighting and textures up close look awful.. I was quite surprised when I saw this ran on the Unreal engine and was released in 2019; it's easily among the worst looking games I've seen on the engine. That said there are some rather grotesque things to see, including some charred, coughing lungs in the hospital and all kinds of nasty teeth in the walls of the sewers. It's the kind of stuff that wouldn't feel out of place in a Silent Hill game, unfortunately the game fancies itself as more of a race than horror experience so these nasty areas are just sort of there to make you not want to smoke. Personally I think the message would have been more effective if they just dropped the racing thing altogether and made it a straight-up horror game depicting the struggles of addiction and consequences of smoking. I'm sure with this being a free title, the developers were certainly limited in time and resources which definitely shows in the finished product.

The only reason I could see anybody delving into One Leaves are those looking for easy gamerscore. While the price tag is free and it is easy, it's going to cost you around 5-6 hours of your time. A single run of the game takes around 10 minutes, but the achievement to play through the game 20 times will really test your patience, as can be seen from that particular achievements completion ratio of 0.66% (as of April 2020 at least), which is super-low for a free game with easy achievements.

One Leaves had an admirable message to convey as there's doubt smoking is bad and children should be made aware of that. That message got lost somewhere in the process of creating this game and rather than an anti-smoking game it feels more like a Z-grade horror effort. The other children are only seen briefly running around in upcoming passages, but once you round the corner they're mysteriously gone. Being unable to actually see who you''re racing against makes it a bit hard to determine if you're actually in the lead, making this a race in the loosest sense of the word. After playing One Leaves, you'll probably want to light up a stogie just in defiance of how stupid the whole thing is. If you want a good laugh, check out some of the user reviews in the Microsoft Store.

Final Verdict: One Leaves ties to convey an anti-tobacco message and while it has few creepy areas to see, the whole thing is ultimately a waste of your time. Those looking for free gamerscore only need apply, but even with that beware this game will cost you 4-6 hours of your life to complete.

Related Links:
Get One Leaves - Microsoft Store
Wahoo Studios - Official Site
Oath Inc - Official Site
One Leaves - Metacritic
One Leaves - GameFAQs
One Leaves - True Achievements
One Leaves Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements

Toybox Turbos (Xbox 360, 2014)

Toybox Turbos
Developed/Published by Codemasters
Released for Xbox 360 (11/14/2014)
Also on PC/PS3
Backwards Compatible on Xbox One

Toybox Turbos comes to us from Codemasters and is the spiritual successor to the classic Micro Machines series. Released in November 2014, this is one of those titles that would have been an XBLA release, but Microsoft stopped using that label around the time the Xbox One came out. Toybox Turbos contains 1000 gamerscore available like most retail titles, as opposed to the 200 or 400 points the old XBLA titles were allotted. Toybox Turbos certainly looks nice, featuring colorful cartoon-like graphics that fit the toy theme perfectly, but let's delve in and see how the gameplay fares.

Toybox Turbos offers up a decent-sized single-player campaign, featuring 7 cups, each of which feature several different types of events. Each cup also uses its own set of cars, which is a good way to make sure the player tries out many of the various vehicles. There are 35 vehicles to collect, with most of them requiring coins that you'll unlock after completing events. The final car in each cup can only be unlocked by defeating the boss in an elimination race, which will be the final event for that cup. The elimination races will be familiar to those who remember the Micro Machines games, where each player starts off with 4 points. When one player overtakes another, the winner gains a point while the loser goes minus one. The 1st one to fill the meter wins the event and in the instance that it drags on too long, it goes into playoff mode where the loser no longer gets points deducted, giving a decent chance for a comeback.

Adam's Venture: Origins (Xbox One, 2016)

Adam's Venture: Origins
Developed by Vertigo Interactive
Published by SOEDESCO
Released for Xbox One (4/1/2016)
Also on PC/PS4/Switch

Adam's Venture is a third-person puzzle/adventure series that originally started on PC back in 2009. There was a trilogy of games released for PC between 2009 to 2012, which were eventually ported to the PlayStation 3 in 2014 as Adam's Venture Chronicles. In 2016, we received Adam's Venture: Origins, which released for all of the big systems this time around. Initially I thought Origins was a prequel to Chronicles, but after watching CGR Undertow's review of Chronicles it looks like it might just be a remake, as I saw several parts in the video that also occurred within Origins, just with a slightly better presentation. Having never played the original games, it's all a bit confusing and I had a bit of trouble finding info on these titles as they just don't seem to be that popular. Let's delve into Adam's Venture: Origins and see if there's a reason not many are talking about this series...

Adam's Venture: Origins takes place in 1920's and you take control of Adam Venture, one of the cheesiest names I believe I've ever encountered. You have set forth on a journey to discover the secret of Eden. In addition to the cliched action hero, you also have the stereotypical attractive companion, who goes by the name of Evelyn. As you explore ancient ruins, you'll be tasked with solving several puzzles along the way while unraveling the mystery. There's also some sort of evil corporation that wants in on the action and plans to use whatever knowledge is gained for bad intentions. The game is chock full of tropes, but the writing is so self-aware of how dumb it is that it can actually be amusing at times. The story actually isn't bad and helps provide the player with some incentive to push along to see what happens next.

Gameplay involves exploring and solving puzzles, with the occasional stealth section thrown in. The exploring aspect is actually not bad, with the ability to run, jump and use a grappling hook with the X button. There are certain spots you can use your hook, which will be designated by an X symbol that pops up when you're within grappling range. These mostly involve swinging from one point to the next, but at some points you'll have to use the hook to pull down bridges or activate levers. Since you can only use the grappling hook on designated spots, it works much better than I initially expected. Navigation works well for the most part, with the ability to climb up ledges and shimmy across at certain points. It's all stuff you've seen in other games and while it's been done better, it's at least functional here. Sometimes the game is really picky where you stand when trying to climb up ledges, but other than that I didn't run into any issues.

Along the way you'll encounter several puzzles and the game does a decent job providing a variety between them. None of the puzzles are too taxing and this can either be a good or bad thing. If you're a puzzle vet, it'll probably be easy to the point of boring but for more novice players it'll be refreshing to be able to complete one of these types of games without consulting a guide. The game stumbles a bit when it comes to the stealth sections, of which there are two in the game. These feel half-baked, allowing to run right behind guards so long as the enemy doesn't flash their light in your general direction. It really fails to give any kind of impression that you're actually sneaking around.

Adam's Venture: Origins can actually look quite impressive at times, featuring a mostly smooth frame rate, detailed environments and good use of colors but unfortunately there are several issues when it comes to the graphics. Throughout my play of the game, I encountered numerous graphic artifacts, strange lack of clipping with many objects and tons of highly noticeable graphic pop-in. The voice acting is also pretty bad, but it wasn't as glaring of an issue as the graphical problems. The Adam's Venture games feature a Christian theme in them, but this one never came across as preachy and other than a few Biblical themes, completely forgot this was a Christian game while playing it.

Adam's Venture: Origins certainly isn't a good game, but it's not entirely bad either. The exploration and some of the puzzles were actually fun, but the graphics issues and stealth segments bring the overall experience down a few notches. There's a decent game hiding somewhere in here if the developers could clean up the visuals and make the stealth sections a bit more enjoyable. If a Tomb Raider game without guns sounds like your thing, give Adam's Venture: Origins a shot, but I'd advise to wait for a sale because this one is by no means worth the suggested retail price.

Final Verdict: Adam's Venture: Origins has some enjoyable exploration and puzzle segments, but the numerous graphical issues and subpar stealth segments drag it down a bit.

Purchase Links:
Buy Adam's Venture: Origins (Digital) - Microsoft Store
Buy Adam's Venture: Origins (Disc) - eBay

Related Links:
SOEDESCO - Official Site
Adam's Venture: Origins - Metacritic
Adam's Venture: Origins - GameFAQs
Adam's Venture: Origins - True Achievements
Adam's Venture: Origins Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements

Desert Child (Xbox One, 2018)

Desert Child
Developed by Oscar Brittain
Published by Akupara Games
Released for Xbox One (12/12/2018)
Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4/Switch

Desert Child was made by a single developer by the name of Oscar Brittain and released for the Xbox One in December 2018. The gameplay in Desert Child involves racing on hoverbikes and exploring the town area in between races. The races play out from a 2D perspective, where your weapon can be fired with the trigger and boost with the A button. Scattered across the race course are TV sets and shooting some of these will restore your boost meter (which will also build up over time) while others will drop money to pick up. In addition to the TV sets, there are also various obstacles scattered across the tracks which will slow you down and cause to damage to your bike when hit. There's a handful or so different locations for the races, but the difference is mostly cosmetic and they tend to feel the same regardless of the location. You'll only face off against one opponent at a time and upon completing a race you'll get a grade for your performance with a bigger bonus for getting a higher grade.

During a race, shooting at your opponent will slow them down, but you'll want to be a bit conservative with your ammo as it is limited. Boosting through TV sets rather than shooting them will grant a little extra ammo, but when you've completely run out a supply vehicle will show up at the bottom of the screen. Boosting into this vehicle will replenish your ammunition. There are a couple different weapon types to choose from and this can be changed at anytime between races. The races are decent but start to feel a bit repetitive rather quick, so the game is best enjoyed in quick sessions so as to not get bored. My biggest complaint in regards to the racing aspect is the way that the hoverbikes just sort of go through each other, rather than having a nice collision sound and smashing into the opponent.

The first chapter in Desert Child starts off on Earth, with just a few shops to navigate in between races. There's a shop where you can sell power cells (awarded for winning races), one where you can purchase food and another where you can repair the damage on your bike. While on Earth you'll also meet a mysterious blonde-haired lady, who tells you about going to race on Mars.

After you get a few races under your belt, the game moves onto the second chapter on Mars. The races are basically exactly the same, but the town you can explore between races is much larger, composed of several screens that are inter-connected. There's a lot to see and do, including food shops, a record store, bank, pizza parlor, bean market, nightlife district and more. There are a few various jobs you can take on to earn some extra cash, like bounty hunting and pizza delivery. The town is detailed and exploring it is cool at first, but the slow movement speed of your character will inevitably start to make these sequences feel tedious before long. You'll quickly learn the few key locations to hit between races to avoid unnecessary walking, which will usually be somewhere to grab some food and/or fix your bike and then engage in a race or activity to earn money. You'll also want to put your spare money in the bank as the interest will add up over time.

Desert Child can be completed once you win the grand prix, which will require you to save up $10,000 in order to enter. Once you have the cash, you sign up for the tournament at the billboard. The tournament is setup into brackets and you'll have to win 3 different races. If you fail to finish first you'll have to pay up the entry free again, but it's not that big of a deal since you'll earn quite a bit of money from the tournament even if you lose. The tournament races are basically the same as the previous races you've encountered, but with some added difficulty. I regularly kicked the computer's butt on the average races, but once I got to the tournament I started losing in the 2nd or 3rd round. After doing a quick look on the True Achievement forums, a player suggested to just simply let the controller sit there for all of the races and you'll somehow win. Putting this to the test, I can confirm that this does indeed work. This is either an oversight from the developer or just some kind of secret way to win, but regardless I feel no shame for using the exploit as I was getting pretty burnt out on the game by that point. Upon finishing the grand prix, you'll get a brief ending and then you're granted the option to start a new game +. Other than starting it up to get the associated achievement for doing so, I can't really see many players going in for seconds on this game.

There were 3 chapters, the 1st on Earth, the 2nd on Mars and then the 3rd starts when you purchase entry to the grand prix. The game is a bit lopsided, with chapter 2 taking up the majority of the game. It really feels like there could have been a few more chapters and maybe some different areas to explore, but perhaps the developer just didn't have the time or motivation to add anything else. While you can do a little customizing on your bike by adding parts, the ability to purchase new bikes would have been nice. Desert Child is a fun game, especially at the beginning, but you'll quickly see everything it has to offer, making it feel a bit repetitive as you keep playing. It's definitely a case of style over substance; the game does excel in the visuals and soundtrack department, feeling like something Adult Swim would have published. Desert Child's a bit of a mixed bag, but if you don't mind the game's repetitive nature there's some fun to be had here.

Final Verdict: Desert Child is simple, short and repetitive, but packs a lot of style and an awesome soundtrack. Worth picking up on a sale if you can overlook the flaws and dig the pixelized presentation.

Related Links:
Buy Desert Child - Microsoft Store
Oscar Brittain - Official Site
Akupara Games - Official Site 
Desert Child - Metacritic
Desert Child - GameFAQs
Desert Child - True Achievements
Desert Child - Xbox Achievements

Fractured Minds (Xbox One, 2019)

Fractured Minds
Developed by Emily Mitchell
Published by Wired Productions
Released for Xbox One (11/14/2019)
Also on Mac/PC/PS4/Switch

Official description from Microsoft Store:

Fractured Minds is an immersive artistic short game, exploring anxiety and mental health issues.

Winner of the BAFTA Young Game Designers Award, Fractured Minds is a game created by Emily Mitchell, then 17-years-old, with the hope of aiding understanding and awareness of mental illness.

Embark on a  journey through the human psyche and experience six atmospheric and thought-provoking chapters, each symbolising a different aspect or challenge associated with mental health issues; from isolation to anxiety, with everyday situations being distorted beyond recognition.

Raw, emotive and earnest, Fractured Minds demonstrates that video games are capable of communicating vital messages in imaginative ways. It is a game that seeks to encourage empathy and champion support for the millions living with mental health issues.

Wired Productions is proud to support Safe In Our World, a gaming industry charity striving for mental health awareness. 80% of the proceeds will help fund Emily's career as well as future initiatives from Safe In Our World.

Xbox Overview Review:

Fractured Minds is a short game; one that you'll likely finish in under an hour. The $1.99 price point should be taken into account but to be honest I didn't mind the short length. The game's 6 chapters each provide a decent amount of variety and while the graphics are simple, they look nice enough. Each stage has a sort of puzzle you'll need to figure out in order to progress, but the solution is never too difficult after a little exploration. No two puzzles are alike; one stage will have you in a bedroom searching through drawers filled with keys trying to find the single right key, while another will take you out to the city streets where you trying to match symbols on the backs of strangers. Each puzzle serves as a way to open the door to the next area, showing how difficult something as simple as opening a door can be to one with anxiety.

One has to admire the fact that this is an award-winning indie title from a 17-year-old. Emily Mitchell, the game's creator, suffers from severe anxiety and wanted to express this affliction in video game form. While she created it under the influence of anxiety, the scenarios are general enough that those suffering from other illnesses will be able to relate as well. Fractured Minds is short, but conveys a powerful message and is well worth a look, especially for the super-cheap asking price. The game also contains a ridiculously easy achievement set that can be unlocked in under an hour, so achievement hunters will find something to like here as well.

Final Verdict: Fractured Minds is a short walking sim that tries to demonstrate what it's like living with anxiety and other mental illnesses. A very reasonable price point and a profound message make this one easy to recommend, and as a plus there's easy gamerscore too.

Related Links:
Buy Fractured Minds - Microsoft Store
Walking Simulators - Xbox Overview
Interview with Emily Mitchell - IGN
Safe in Our World - Official Site
Wired Productions - Official Site
Fractured Minds - Metacritic
Fractured Minds - GameFAQs
Fractured Minds - True Achievements

Fearful Symmetry & the Cursed Prince (Xbox One, 2017)

Fearful Symmetry & the Cursed Prince
Developed by Gamera Interactive
Published by SOEDESCO
Released for Xbox One (12/12/2017)
Also on PC

Fearful Symmetry & the Cursed Prince comes from Italy-based developer Gamera Interactive and was released for the Xbox One in December 2017. Fearful Symmetry is a puzzle game where you control multiple characters at the same time, with each being in different dimensions. When you move one, the other character moves as well, but in the opposite direction. Controlling both characters, you'll have to navigate them through treacherous puzzles filled with traps.

Fearful Symmetry is presented with pixel-art, looking like something between 16-bit and 32-bit graphics. Puzzles are viewed from an overhead perspective with the entire puzzle visible on-screen. The sound design is quite minimal as there's no music during the levels, just the ambience of the forest with birds chirping.  There are also key sound effects, such as when traps are activated or your character dies. The quiet nature of the game had me often listening to something else while playing. Overall, the retro graphics look nice but the sound design is a bit lacking, making the presentation a bit of a mixed bag.

The main story in Fearful Symmetry features 25 levels and 3 characters that you'll have to run through each level in order to get the true ending. The story involves each of the characters having their own reason for seeking out the legendary Symmetry Scrolls. You'll only start with the basic character named Hero, but the other characters you'll unlock come with a special ability. Nulan, the 2nd character you'll unlock can use her sorceress powers to burn any bushes or enemies in adjacent tiles. The 3rd character, Haim, has the ability to warp ahead one space, allowing him to dash over traps and obstacles. The levels are slightly tweaked for the characters with skills, setting up ways for you to utilize your new powers. As you play through the story mode levels, you'll unlock bonus levels that you can access at any point from the main menu. There are a total of 10 bonus levels and these are easily the most challenging puzzles you'll encounter in the game.

Fearful Symmetry will probably last you somewhere between 5-10 hours, much less if you end up using a walkthrough for assistance. Considering the game's $5 asking price, you'll easily get your money's worth out of this one and I've also seen it go on sale for something like $1 several times as well. If you're a fan of logic puzzles, give Fearful Symmetry a look. There's a free trial for the game, so if you're on the fence give that a shot first.

Final Verdict: Fearful Symmetry is a challenging puzzle game where you control 2 characters simultaneously moving in opposite directions on opposing screens. Recommended for fans of logic puzzles.

Related Links:
Buy Fearful Symmetry & The Cursed Prince - Microsoft Store
Gamera Interactive - Official Site
SOEDESCO - Official Site
Fearful Symmetry & The Cursed Prince - Metacritic
Fearful Symmetry & The Cursed Prince - GameFAQs
Fearful Symmetry & The Cursed Prince -True Achievements
Fearful Symmetry & The Cursed Prince Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements