Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition (Xbox One, 2015)

Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition
Developed by [bracket]games
Published by Digerati Distribution
Released for Xbox One (11/27/2015)
Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4/Switch/Vita

Originally released for PC & Mac in August 2014, Three Fourths Home was developed by [bracket]games. In late 2015, the game would a receive a release with added content called the Extended Edition for PlayStation 4, Vita and Xbox One. Three Fourths Home is a visual novel where you'll have to make dialogue choices to progress the story. Since the story is really all there is to Three Fourths Home, I found it near impossible to write this review without some degree of spoilers in it. I won't ruin everything, but just wanted to give a heads up if you don't wish to know, as I'll delve into the ending of the main story briefly in this review.

Three Fourths Home features a very minimal graphical presentation, with everything colored in black, white and grey. The objects are simple but discernible and the visual display only takes up a small portion of the top part of the screen with the bottom section reserved for text. The main story has you playing as a young woman named Kelly, who is driving home in a rainstorm while speaking to her mother on the phone. You'll have to hold the right trigger to drive and releasing it will stop the car and conversation, so it's a way of pausing the game. You can also press the Y button to toggle the radio if everything is too quiet for you.

Kelly's conversation revolves around how long she's been away from home, had a recent fallout with her partner (lover or friend is never really specified) and various problems at home with the family. The story is only presented in text and while it is well written, spoken dialogue would have helped the game feel a bit more engaging. Three Fourths Home will consist of talking with various family members over the phone while driving and occasionally selecting from a few dialogue choices, with the scenery changing up occasionally as you cruise. The ending of the story leads you to believe tragedy has struck at home, as there have been storm sirens going off warning of tornado activity while you were on the phone.

There's a bit of stuff to do post-main game, giving Three Fourths Home a little replay value. The main story will take around an hour to complete and afterwards you'll unlock the epilogue. In the epilogue you're in a snowstorm, waiting at a bus stop, with the choice to either call mom or just wait for the bus. If you call mom, you get to go through a lengthy conversation with dialogue choices. This conversation is a bit more harsh than the one in the main story and Kelly really spills her guts to her mother here. You can walk to the right while having the conversation, but you're not required to keep moving like in the main story. After you've completed the epilogue and main story, there are a few extras you can view. Kelly's brother, Ben, who reads you one of his stories in the main game, has some additional stories that you can read through. You can also view Kelly's photo project, which was a college assignment that is mentioned in the epilogue. Last but not least, you can also listen to the radio which will play the game's soundtrack.

Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition isn't a bad game, but it will certainly not appeal to everyone. There's not much gameplay to speak of, other than holding the right trigger while reading and selecting dialogue decisions. The visual presentation is very minimal and there are no recorded voices, so you'll have to do quite a bit of reading, though the entire game with the main story and epilogue shouldn't take any longer than 2 hours. Due to the shortness of the game, I'd recommend picking it up sale if you're interested, as the game is a bit light on content for the $9.99 asking price. Overall, Three Fourths Home isn't bad for what it is, just be aware there's not much for graphics and gameplay, but the game does come through in the story department. If you can relate to feeling distant from those closest to you, this one might hit close to home.

Final Verdict: Three Fourths Home is a visual novel with a minimalist graphical style where you drive home while having a phone conversation with several family members. If you like these types of games, this one's not bad but it is a bit short so I'd advise grabbing it on a sale.

Purchase Links:
Buy Three Fourths Home - Microsoft Store

Related Links:
Digerati Distribution - Official Site
Three Fourths Home - Metacritic
Three Fourths Home - GameFAQs
Three Fourths Home - True Achievements
Three Fourths Home Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements

Glass Masquerade (Xbox One, 2019)

Glass Masquerade
Developed by Onyx Lute/Stage Clear Studios
Published by Digerati Distribution
Released for Xbox One (2/8/2019)
Also on Mac/PC/PS4/Switch

Originally released in November 2016 for PC & Mac, Glass Masquerade made its way to home consoles with releases for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in February 2019.
Glass Masquerade is pretty much exactly what it claims to be: a relaxing puzzle game. The game consists of 25 different jigsaw-style puzzles, but rather than standard pieces you'll be reassembling shards of glass to form a stained-glass image.

Each stained-glass puzzle in Glass Masquerade represents a country and with 25 different levels there's a decent variety when it comes to the themes. The puzzle for Britain features Sherlock Holmes, Germany has a knight on horseback, Sweden features Vikings and China has a dragon just to name a few. The artwork is cool on each one and they look like they could be legit stained-glass pieces. There's a sense of discovery as you slowly unveil each image piece by piece.

The gameplay and controls are simple: select a piece from either side of the screen and drag it to where it should be in the puzzle area, using the A button to select and drop pieces. If the piece is aligned where it belongs in the puzzle (or at least close proximity) then it will drop into place, otherwise it will drop back over to the side, where you can grab it and try again or go for another piece. Each puzzle starts off by giving you a few corner pieces, giving you a base to start from. You can back out of a puzzle at anytime with the B button and the game will save your progress, allowing you to pick right back up where you left off next time you play.

While the control scheme is nice and simple, moving the puzzle pieces can feel a bit clunky. There's a bit of a delay to the piece movement and if you move a piece too far it will overshoot to the other side of the screen. It's not as bad as it sounds and while it was a bit annoying at first I warmed up to the controls rather quick. Smoother controls would definitely have been nice, but once you get used to the movement sensitivity the controls work fine.

Other than the slight control issue, I had a hard time finding much to complain about with Glass Masquerade. Those who enjoy jigsaw puzzles or relaxing puzzle games in general will find something to like in Glass Masquerade. It's fun while it lasts but it's a bit on the short side, so you may want to hold off for a sale before making a purchase.

Final Verdict: Glass Masquerade is a jigsaw-puzzler where you work to piece together stained-glass pictures. It's simple and a bit on the short side, but if you enjoy jigsaw or chill puzzle games you'll likely enjoy this one.

Related Links:
Buy Glass Masquerade - Microsoft Store
Buy Indie Puzzle Bundle Vol. 1 - Microsoft Store
Buy Indie Darling Bundle Vol. 4 - Microsoft Store
Onyx Lute - Official Site
Digerati Distribution - Official Site
Glass Masquerade - GameFAQs
Glass Masquerade - True Achievements
Glass Masquerade - Xbox Achievements

Omega Strike (Xbox One, 2018)

Omega Strike
Developed by Woblyware
Published by Digerati Distribution
Released for Xbox One (6/2018)
Also on PC/PS4/Switch

Omega Strike combines a 2D run 'n gun/platformer with Metroidvania style gameplay. Despite having a somewhat generic name making it easy to overlook, Omega Strike is a competent Metroidvania that fans of the genre might want to dip into. Presented in old-school pixel art graphics, you'll blast your way through five large areas while unlocking new abilities along the way. As you gain new abilities you'll be able to explore areas you previously couldn't access.

Omega Strike features the standard plot of a bad dude, Dr. Omega, who threatens to dominate the world under his reign of terror. It's up to our three heroes Sarge, Bear and Dex to put an end to Dr. Omega's evil plans. At the start of Omega Strike you'll only have control of Sarge, but as you progress you'll unlock two additional characters you can switch between on the fly, each with different abilities that you'll unlock as you play. Sarge packs an assault rifle and has the ability to shoot through certain blocks and roll. Dex wields a shotgun and can double jump and dash. The third character, Bear, packs a grenade launcher and the ability to push heavy blocks. Characters can be switched instantly with a press of the Y button and you'll find yourself switching between them quite frequently as you encounter different scenarios throughout the game. It's a neat concept and works well enough, though Sarge and Dex are easily much more effective than Bear. Bear was primarily effective for enemies below you since his grenade launcher has an arc to it, but you'll encounter these scenarios far less frequently than enemies in front of or above you which are better handled by Dex or Sarge. Once you unlock Dex's double jump ability, you'll likely only switch to the other characters when required and then go right back to Dex due to his enhanced mobility.

There are five total stages to explore in Omega Strike. There's a decent variety between the stages, which will take you through mines, the desert, a scrapyard, the mountains and the woods. While five stages might sound quite short, the maps are large in size and will take a while to explore. You'll find yourself returning to previous areas quite frequently as you unlock new abilities and are able to access areas you couldn't before. The fifth and final stage, the Omega Citadel, is an air fortress in the sky that can only be unlocked after defeating all previous bosses on the first four stages.

There are collectibles scattered about in the form of medkits, treasure chests and lifecubes. The medkits will be added to your inventory when collected, which can be used from the item screen anytime you need to restore some health. The treasure chests add some extra money which you can spend on upgrades or items at a merchant. The lifecubes will be added to your inventory and can be exchanged at the military base. Four life cubes will grant you one additional block on your life meter. Some of these are well hidden, so you'll definitely pass some of them up on accident. Enemies respawn every time you enter a new screen, so you'll find yourself blasting through the same screens several times in a playthrough as you backtrack to access new areas.

Graphically, Omega Strike presents the 2D action with pixel-art that looks like something straight out of the 32-bit era. The pixel art is simple but packs more than enough detail to convey what the sprite is supposed to be. Backgrounds are also quite detailed with several scrolling layers adding a nice sense of depth. There's a decent variety to the stages, with each feeling different than the last. There's also quite a nice variety of enemies to dispatch and the game does a good job ramping up the difficulty of the enemies as you progress. Each map has its own theme music, all of which are solid and a few are quite memorable. The songs for Emerald Woods, Scrapyard and Omega Citadel definitely stand out as personal favorites. The sound effects are simple and to the point. Nothing sounds too obnoxious and I never got tired of hearing the sounds of the game, though much of this is due to the excellent soundtrack. In regards to the music, every time I heard the theme song for Emerald Woods this song from the Gradius 3 OST would pop into my head. Do you notice the similarities as well or am I imagining things? Control-wise, Omega Strike features a simple control layout that works well and really leaves nothing to complain about.

I didn't find much to gripe about during my time with Omega Strike, though there are a few aspects that could've been improved. I wound up purchasing all of the upgrades roughly about halfway through the game, which left me nothing else to spend my money on besides food and the teleporter device (which warps you back to the military base). Another shop later in the game with a few more items to buy would have went a long way. While the map works fine for what it is, having some kind of way to place markers or indicate where you want to return later would have been great. As it is, you'll end up doing a lot of useless backtracking to figure out where you're supposed to go (unless of course you use these maps), but this has been a common issue with many Metroidvania games in the past and kinda comes with the genre sometimes. There's also the character balance issue I talked about earlier, with Dex and his double-jump ability making him far more enjoyable to use than the other two characters.

During my playthrough of Omega Strike, I unlocked 100% of the achievements in a little under 7 hours. Having obtained the game on the cheap in an Indie Bundle sale, I felt like I got more than my money's worth but I might feel different had I paid full price for the game, so you may want to wait and catch it on a sale. While a bit on the short side, I found myself wanting more when it was all said and done which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Omega Strike is far from perfect, but it's a fun little Metroidvania game that won't take up too much of your time.

Final Verdict: Omega Strike is a Metroidvania with elements of a 2D run 'n gunner and platformer. While a bit easy and short in length, there's still some fun to be had here. Grab it when it's on sale if you dig Metroidvania games.

Related Links:
Buy Omega Force - Microsoft Store
Buy Indie Darling Bundle Vol 3 - Microsoft Store
Omega Strike Item Maps - Xbox Overview
Omega Strike - GameFAQs
Woblyware - Official Site
Digerati Distribution - Official Site
Omega Strike - True Achievements

DreamBreak (Xbox One, 2017)

DreamBreak
Developed by Aist
Published by Digerati Distribution
Released for Xbox One (9/2017)
Also on PC/PS4/Mac

DreamBreak is a cinematic platformer sporting retro pixel-art, similar in vein to old classics like Another World and Flashback. DreamBreak is set in post-Cold War USSR in some type of Orwellian universe and has the player taking control of Eugene. Eugene is a janitor who finds himself accused of a murder in Soviet Russia and must find a way to avoid being apprehended, at least I'm pretty sure that's what was going on.

DreamBreak is a nice looking game, sporting some simple yet detailed sprite art. It definitely looks like something that could have come out for PC in the early '90's. The animation is excellent, with characters moving about fluidly, a staple of the cinematic platform genre. There's a few annoying sounds when destroying some of the robots, but for the most part the sound design is unobtrusive and above average. The music fits the tone of game well. Overall, DreamBreak does a good job in the presentation department.

The character controls might seem a bit clunky to those unfamiliar with these cinematic platformer games, but once you get a feel for the grid style movement of the character it's quite easy to get where you need to go. Holding the LB or RB buttons will cause the player to run while using the triggers and holding a direction will leap. The leap is a long jump, very reminiscent of Prince of Persia.  Holding up near a ledge allows you to climb up. The A button will interact with objects and enter doors. It's a simple control scheme and works well enough.

When you approach an enemy your character will draw his gun, at which point you can fire using RB and engage your shields with LB. This is where we arrive at one of DreamBreak's most glaring issues: the gun battles aren't the slightest bit engaging. You can literally just hold LB and RB during each gun segment and never take a single lick of damage the entire game. Discharging your firearm at your enemy should be an exciting event, but instead in DreamBreak it's reduced to just holding down the shoulder buttons. The game would have greatly benefited from a better combat system, something like the cover system like Blackthorne had or something of that nature.

DreamBreak consists mostly of exploring and getting into the occasional gunfight, but there are also several other game-types mixed in. There's an arcade that can be played, which is a wild west showdown game that unfortunately plays exactly like the gun encounters in the game. There's also a hoverbike game where you see how long you can cruise along on your bike without hitting anything. Another segment has you riding in a taxi being attacked by flying robots. You'll have to hack the robots before they take down your car. Several areas will have you doing the pipe puzzles where you'll need to arrange pipes in order to get water to flow in a certain direction, similar to Pipe Dream. The pipe puzzles were enjoyable, but I didn't really find much notable about any of the other game types. They're mostly forgettable and even a bit annoying. The taxi segment where you have to hack the robots is far more difficult than anything else the game throws at you and it's right near the start of the game! I found myself looking forward to getting back to the core style of gameplay rather than wanting to play the other game-styles on offer.

The world the developers created in DreamBreak is interesting to explore for the most part but there are some issues regarding the story. There's some kind of crazy story delivered through a few dialogue segments about a computer AI going nuts or something like that. It's all a bit convoluted and I found myself more confused than anything by the end of the game. There are at least three different endings to be seen, though two of them end with the same result. It's hard to have much attachment to any of the characters when the game is over so fast. DreamBreak will likely only last you maybe two hours and outside of the multiple endings there's not much to bring you back for another playthrough. The endings can all be viewed quickly by simply reloading your last checkpoint.

While DreamBreak looks good and controls decently enough, the lackluster minigames, boring gunfights, short length and confusing story add up to a game that had some solid potential but ends up missing the mark by a bit. Cinematic platformer fans will likely get a bit of fun out of it, as will achievement hunters looking to add an easy completion to their gamertag. All others I'd recommend checking out the originals that inspired this game first, such as Another World and Flashback. If you do end up getting DreamBreak, I'd definitely suggest waiting for a sale considering you're only getting a few hours out of it.

Final Verdict: DreamBreak is a good-looking throwback to cinematic platformers but the short length, boring gunfights and lame minigames hold it back from being as good as it could have been. Only hardcore cinematic platformer fans and achievement hunters will find much to like here.

Related Links:
Buy DreamBreak - Microsoft Store
Buy Digerati Made in USSR Bundle - Microsoft Store
DreamBreak - GameFAQs
Digerati Distribution - Official Site
DreamBreak - True Achievements
DreamBreak Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements