Apocalipsis: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

Apocalipsis: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

Developed by Klabater

Published by Punch Punk Games

Released for Xbox One (9/6/2019)

Also on PC/PS4

 

Apocalipsis: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (could you have possibly made a longer title?) was released for the Xbox One in early September 2019. Brought to us by Poland-based developer and publisher Klabater, this version of Apocalipsis contains the bonus "One Night in the Woods" episode that was released as DLC for the original PC release. Featuring visuals inspired by 15th century engravings, Apocalipsis is a point & click adventure featuring several dark themes including heartbreak, redemption and the end of the world as we know it...

The story in Apocalipsis is heavily inspired by Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy and starts off showing our character, a young man named Harry, grieving as his girlfriend has been hung after being accused of witchcraft. Harry is desperate to bring his love back and will do whatever it takes to accomplish this. It won't take but a screen or two in before you realize that Harry is prepared to make a deal with the devil in order to be reunited with his lost love. Those offended by dark and occult imagery will probably want to avoid this game, as it obviously delves heavily into this subject matter.

Wailing Heights (Xbox One, 2018)

Wailing Heights

Developed/Published by Outsider Games

Released for Xbox One (8/15/2018)

Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4

 

 

Wailing Heights is the first and only release for the Xbox One from Northern Ireland-based developer Outsider Games. It's a point & click game with an interesting premise that has you playing as a ghost who can "body-hop" to take control of other characters in the world. Featuring some detailed high-definition illustrations that looked like they popped right off a comic book, Wailing Heights certainly possesses some promise. Let's get right into it and find out if it's as cool as it sounds...

In Wailing Heights, you take control of the soul of Francis Finklestein, who was once the manager of a famous rock band from Great Britain called the Deadbeats. You've recently perished and the afterworld is a strange place by the name of Wailing Heights. There are no regular people in Wailing Heights, which is inhabited by a bunch of monsters. These aren't your regular scary monsters though, instead you'll meet hipster vampires, vegan werewolves and soulful zombies. Finklestein is a ghost himself, which explains his ability to hop into the bodies of other citizens.  The main objective as you go about exploring Wailing Heights is to find each member of the Deadbeats band and bring them together for a reunion show.

King's Heir: Rise to the Throne (Xbox One, 2018)

King's Heir: Rise to the Throne

Developed by Cordelia Games

Published by Artifex Mundi

Released for Xbox One (12/14/2018)

Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4/Switch

 

King's Heir: Rise to the Throne was developed by Cordelia Games, the same ones who brought us Path of Sin: Greed, which I found enjoyable enough to check out their earlier effort. This game was previously released as Kingmaker: Rise to the Throne and for some reason the later ports of the game had the title changed to King's Heir: Rise to the Throne. Both names are equally forgettable and I couldn't figure out why the title had to be changed, but they're both the same game so it really doesn't matter in the long run. Enough about the title, let's look at King's Heir and see how it plays...

King's Heir is exactly what you'd expect from Artifex Mundi if you've played any of their other releases: a mixture of the point & click and hidden object genres. The story involves a prince who fell in love with and married a poor girl, which the king did not approve of at all. The king sends the prince off to battle and plans to drive the poor girl away while he's out, which backfires when the prince is killed in battle. The prince's wife later died after delivering their baby, which has now gone missing. You take control of a royal knight who must try to find the missing heir, help them regain the crown and take over the throne. It's a cool setup, but unfortunately the characters and dialogue just aren't all that interesting and I found myself really struggling to care about the plot. While the story is a bit of a letdown, it was at least sufficient enough to provide reason to continue forward to the next puzzle. 

 

Path of Sin: Greed (Xbox One, 2019)

Path of Sin: Greed

Developed by Cordelia Games

Published by Artifex Mundi

Released for Xbox One (8/23/2019)

Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4/Switch

 

Path of Sin: Greed will mark my first experience delving into the Artifex Mundi series of games. I've been intrigued by their releases for a while and picked this one up on sale a while back. This is far from the first release from the publisher, but we've got to start somewhere and this just happens to be their first title I got my hands on. Hidden object games are a niche genre and it's nice to see publisher Artifex Mundi not only giving the genre some love, but also porting these games over to a wide range of platforms so more people can play them. Without further ado, let's delve into Path of Sin: Greed and see if it's worth your time...

Right off the bat, the first thing that struck me with Path of Sin was the excellent artwork. The illustrations are incredibly vibrant and the attention to detail really shines through in high-definition. While there is a limited amount of animation, there is enough so that the environments and people don't feel like static images. The sound design, like the animation, is used sparsely but does a good job bringing the illustrations to life. The music isn't anything you're going to want to bump in the car, but it does a good job adding to the suspense at times and at other times conveys a mystery mood. Overall, the developers have done an excellent job on the overall presentation.

 

Demetrios - The BIG Cynical Adventure (Xbox One, 2017)

Demetrios - The BIG Cynical Adventure
Developed by Fabrice Breton
Published by COWCAT
Released for Xbox One (8/2/2017)
Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4/Switch/Vita

Demetrios - The BIG Cynical Adventure was funded via Kickstarter and developed using the Game Maker Studio engine. Coded by a single French developer and published by COWCAT, Demetrios is an interesting blend of both the point 'n click and visual novel genres. There are tons of things to interact with and puzzles to solve, but at the same time there are thousands of lines of dialog to read. With the subtitle of the BIG Cynical Adventure, the game lives up to its name featuring some really wacky dialog that will make it hard to keep a straight face while playing.

Gameplay in Demetrios, as previously stated, is a mixture of the point 'n click and visual novel genres. Consisting of 6 chapters, you'll be given a few different locations in each chapter to explore. There are lots of people and objects to interact with along your journey. While engaging in a conversation with another person there are typically several dialogue options to select from. Like most point 'n click games, some of the puzzles can be real head scratchers, but there is a sense of satisfaction once you figure them out. For players going in blind, you can expect to get a solid 10-15 hours out of Demetrios before it's over, which is a good length for a game of this nature. Even those playing through the game with a guide can expect to blow around 8-10 hours, so if there's one thing you can't hold against the game it's being too short as this is a decent length for a point & click/visual novel game.

Batman: The Telltale Series (Xbox 360/One, 2016)

Batman: The Telltale Series
Developed by Telltale Games
Released for Xbox 360/Xbox One (9/2016)
Also on iOS/Mac/PC/PS3/PS4/Switch

Batman: The Telltale Series is one of many licensed franchises that were given the Telltale Games treatment. The game takes many liberties with the Batman universe and while fans of the comics will recognize many of the characters, many of the backstories are quite different than you might be accustomed to. Though to be honest I haven't really followed Batman comics since the early to mid-'90s, so I could be wrong here but it is quite the contrast to the Batman and company that I knew as a youngin. I can see this being an issue with purists, but if you look at it as like an Elseworlds style spin-off there is some enjoyment to be had from Batman: The Telltale Series.

There are going to be some spoilers in the following paragraph as we'll be discussing some basic details of the story, so if you don't want any of the plot revealed you might want to skip ahead to the next paragraph. The first big shocker drops when you find out that your now-deceased father, Thomas Wayne, was involved in some shady business and was a criminal. Oswald Cobblepot, aka the Penguin, was a childhood-friend of Bruce's in this strange version of Gotham City. Other classic characters you'll encounter include Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Two-Face and the Joker. The character actors all do a great job with the voice acting, as has been the standard with Telltale Games in the past. The story is the game's strong suit and I'll leave it up to you if you wish to look into further spoilers, but I will say there are lots of unexpected twists that will leave you scratching your head and wanting to see what the next chapter holds.

Life is Strange 2 (Xbox One, 2018)

Life is Strange 2
Developed by DONTNOD Entertainment
Published by Square Enix
Released for Xbox One (9/27/2018)
Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4

It took a little while, with a prequel and a demo coming out in the years between the first game and this one, but in 2018 DONTNOD Entertainment finally gave us a direct sequel to the original game in Life is Strange 2. The game was released episodically just like the previous entries in the series. There were a total of 5 episodes, with the first one released on September 27, 2018 and the final episode on December 3, 2019. All of the other episodes were of course released between those dates.

It took well over a year for the complete game to release, which is way too long for such a story-driven game. DONTNOD Entertainment has revealed that their next title will release with all episodes available from day one, which will hopefully become a standard practice for the company going forth. The release dates were far too spread apart, making it difficult to clearly recall previous events with so much time lapsing between episodes. While it took over a year for the final episode to release, Life is Strange 2 ended up as a well-polished product, so the developers should be commended for taking the time needed and not rushing out an unfinished product like some of Telltale's later efforts.

Agatha Christie - The ABC Murders (Xbox One, 2016)

Agatha Christie - The ABC Murders
Developed by Artefacts Studio
Published by Microids
Released for Xbox One (2/23/2016)
Also on Android/iOS/Linux/Mac/PC/PS4

Agatha Christie was a prolific author who specialized in crime novels, writing over 60 different books that spanned from the 1920s all the way into the '70s. The ABC Murders was but one of many crime novels she wrote and was originally released way back in 1936. One of her more well-known works, the ABC Murders was adapted into several forms of media over the years, including several video games based on her works. Before an Agatha Christie title ever made it home consoles, there were quite a few adaptations of her works on the PC from DreamCatcher Interactive, so if you're interested in Christie you might want to look into those. The first Agatha Christie title to release on a system other than the PC was the 2009 release for the Nintendo DS that shares the same title as this version, but they are very different games. The DS game is presented more like a visual-novel while the Xbox One game takes the point & click adventure approach. So without further ado let's take a look at Agatha Christie - The ABC Murders for the Xbox One and see how it fares...

The story begins with our detective being informed of a murder in Andover, the beginning of the alphabet-themed kills: the victim's names and the location they are killed both correspond to the alphabet and the killer intends to go down all of the letters. While attempting to solve the mystery you'll investigate murder scenes, interrogate suspects and witnesses on the scene, solve puzzles and use deduction in order to find answers. You'll control the renowned detective Hercule Poirot, who will often be assisted by his helping hand, Captain Arthur Hastings. It may sound like the game checks all the boxes for a great detective adventure, but there issues with the gameplay that drag it down.

The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit (Xbox One, 2018)

The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit
Developed by DONTNOD Entertainment
Published by Square Enix
Released for Xbox One (6/26/2018)
Also on PC/PS4

Released as a demo for Life is Strange 2, the Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit released in late June 2018. The game follows a 9-year-old boy, who has a crazy imagination and escapes to a fantasy version of reality where he becomes his superhero alter ego: Captain Spirit. Since this is classified as a free demo, there are no achievements or gamerscore to unlock, which unfortunately many will skip over this one. Let's take a look and see if the Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is worth the download...

A playthrough of the Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is only going to eat up an hour or two of your time, so there's not much to lose going into this. The game puts you in the shoes of Chris, a young boy with a hyperactive imagination, who creates a superhero alter ego by the name of Captain Spirit. Chris is an only-child that lives with his father and they are both struggling in the aftermath of losing Chris's mother in a tragic hit-and-run accident. Chris's father has turned to alcohol to cope with his loss and during the course of the game he drinks himself to sleep while watching a sports game. Captain Spirit basically entails the adventures of Chris while he does some chores around the place, using his vivid imagination to make these mundane tasks seem exciting.

Life is Strange: Before the Storm (Xbox One, 2017)

Life is Strange: Before the Storm
Developed by Deck Nine Games
Published by Square Enix
Released for Xbox One (8/21/2017)
Also on Android/Linux/Mac/PC/PS4

Life is Strange: Before the Storm is a prequel to Life is Strange (2016) and was handled by a different studio called Deck Nine Games. Before the Storm consists of three main episodes, with a fourth bonus episode that's included in the deluxe edition but can also be purchased as DLC. The 1st episode was released in late August 2017 and the final bonus episode hit the store in early March 2018, so it took roughly 7 months for all of the content to release. All of the achievements and gamerscore can be unlocked through the initial three chapters, so the bonus chapter feels like a bit of an afterthought and unessential, though if you're a fan of the first game it's still worth a look.

The voice acting in Before the Storm is well done, very much in tune with the quality of the first game. While the voice acting itself is delivered excellent, there is a reverb to much of it that makes it sound as if it was recorded in the bathroom or something. Presentation-wise, the game looks pretty much the same as it did in Life is Strange and while the Unreal Engine 3 was getting a bit old at this point, the visuals still look nice. The menus are easy to navigate, text is easy-to-read and the characters that do a good job conveying emotion at times.

Armikrog (Xbox One, 2016)

Armikrog
Developed by Pencil Test Studios
Published by Versus Evil
Released for Xbox One (8/23/2016)
Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4/WiiU

Armikrog was developed by Pencil Test Studios and released in August 2016, funded by a successful kickstarter campaign. Armikrog is the third entry in the Neverhood series, with the original game titled the Neverhood being released for PC back in October 1996. The Neverhood was ported to the PlayStation in April 1998, but was only released in Japan for that platform. The sequel, titled SkullMonkeys, was released exclusively for the PlayStation in January 1998, this time receiving a release in all territories. There was actually a third Japan-only release featuring the Neverhood characters released in November 1999, but it's an air-hockey game and was not developed by the original creators, therefore is rarely mentioned in the Neverhood franchise. Enough history, let's talk about the Xbox One release of Armikrog....

The Neverhood series remained dormant for quite some time, until September 2015 when Armikrog was released for the PC, Mac and Linux. The PlayStation 4, WiiU and Xbox One ports would arrive a bit later in August 2016. Armikrog is considered more of a spiritual successor than a sequel and was the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign, raising almost a million dollars in order to fund the venture.

Armikrog is a point and click adventure with graphics consisting entirely of clay-molded objects that utilize stop-motion animation.The game starts off with our main character, Tommynaut, crash landing his ship on a planet called Spiro 5. On this planet you'll explore a mysterious fortress, where you find a baby named P that you must protect along the journey. Tommynaut will be accompanied by his dog, Beak-Beak, who you can switch to and control at any point and you'll need to utilize him to access tunnels that are too large for Tommynaut to enter.

The gameplay in Armikrog is simple; you move a cursor around the screen and click to move or interact with whatever object you're highlighting. There are no inventory menus to mess with, since items you collect will automatically be used when you select the correct object. While the gameplay is basic, the game delivers a strange and interesting world and the portions of the game you spend exploring are one of the game's high points.

There are several different puzzles throughout the game and some of these are a bit challenging compared to the rest of the game. Particularly, there are several slider puzzles where you have to rearrange tiles between four slots that can be a major pain in the butt without looking up a solution. The game features an option where the cursor will snap to objects in the environment that you can interact with, which is incredibly handy during the exploration sections of the game but can be a real pain when you're trying to solve the puzzles. Due to this, it's recommended to turn this off when you enter into the puzzles, which can be easily toggled from the pause menu in-game.

Armikrog looks great in general, but there is a contrast between the video quality when comparing the cut-scenes to the gameplay screens. The cut-scenes have a noticeable decrease in resolution when compared to the gameplay sections. This stood out right from the beginning and is a bit disappointing, especially after reading the developers released a hi-res texture pack for the PC version that vastly improves the quality of these. Why not make this an Xbox One X enhanced title and release a patch for console users? The Xbox One port was never even mentioned on the Kickstarter page, so I suppose this port was more of an afterthought.

I was a bit shocked when I saw the almost million dollar budget that went into Armikrog, but when I saw the voice talents it helped make a little sense out where a good chunk of that coin went. Featuring the likes of Michael J. Nelson (Mystery Science Theater 3000) as main character Tommynaut, Rob Paulsen (Animaniacs, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) as Beak-Beak and Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) as the villain just to name a few, Armikrog features a rather impressive list of voice talent, especially considering that there's really not all that much dialogue in the game.

Armikrog is only going to appeal to a small portion of folks that enjoy point & click adventures, so if you're not into the genre this one isn't going to convert you. It's easy to recommend the game just for the excellent clay-animation and it's fun while it lasts, but beware that this game is incredibly short. There are also a few slider puzzles that were a bit annoying, but other than that it's a solid but short point & click. It's worth a play, but you might want to wait for a sale before snagging it up.

Final Verdict: Armikrog is a short point 'n click adventure featuring a unique clay-animation art-style. Fans of the genre or the Neverhood games might find something to like, but due to the shortness you may want to wait for a discount.

Related Links:
Buy Armikrog - Microsoft Store
Pencil Test Studios - Official Site
Versus Evil - Official Site
Armikrog - Kickstarter
Armikrog - Metacritic
Armikrog - GameFAQs
Armikrog - True Achievements
Armikrog Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements

Bulb Boy (Xbox One, 2017)

Bulb Boy
Developed/Published by Bulbware
Released for Xbox One (10/6/2017)
Also on iOS/Mac/PC/PS4/Switch
File Size: 2.44 GB

Developed by Poland-based developer Bulbware (the same guys who would later collaborate with popular YouTuber Pewdiepie for a game called Poopdie for iOS/Android), Bulb Boy is a weird point 'n click adventure style game that was first released for PC and Macintosh back in late October 2015. In July 2016 the game was ported to iOS compatible devices, July 2017 the Switch, October 2017 the Xbox One and finally the PlayStation 4 in March 2018. Bulb Boy is a strange game, taking you through a nightmarish world in the shoes of the titular character, who indeed has a bulb for a head.

The story is simple but provides a nice set-up for the craziness that follows. Bulb Boy wakes up from a terrible nightmare, only to discover that some sort of evil presence has taken over the bulb-house. Bulb Boy's family has mysteriously vanished and there are some strange monsters lurking in the shadows. It's up to Bulb Boy to muster up the courage and save everything he loves.

Bulb Boy is definitely not going to be for everyone, even if you are a fan of point 'n click adventures, as the game features lots of toilet humor. In one of the standout sequences of the game, Bulb Boy has just digested a giant headless chicken and takes a literal monster dump, as after he's done a giant snake-like turd emerges from the toilet. Fans of games like the Binding of Isaac and South Park: The Stick of Truth will likely enjoy the twisted humor of Bulb Boy.

Bulb Boy is presented with a simple graphic-style that consists of various shades of green, except when Bulb Boy meets his demise, which causes the screen to turn red. While the graphics are simple, the environments are loaded with lots of nice little details and you can see quite a bit of effort went into the various animations. There's lots of cool nostalgia-throwbacks, such as a Power Glove lying on the living room floor or Masters of the Universe action figures in the sandbox. The music matches up well with the disturbing scenery and the sound effects help add to the grotesqueness, with lots of nasty sloshing noises used appropriately.

The gameplay in Bulb Boy is more or less your standard fare for a point 'n click style game, involving some exploration and puzzle-solving to see your way through to the end. There are a couple of spots in the game where you'll need to use your reflexes, but it's not too demanding on that front. The puzzles aren't too difficult, as the areas tend to be quite small and the item you'll need to interact with is always close by, though they will inevitably require a bit of trial and error.  The trial and error never becomes too frustrating due to generous checkpoints that get you back to where you were quickly.

Bulb Boy allows you to control your character directly and the movements are nice and responsive. Overall the game's control scheme is nice and simple; A button interacts with objects, B button backs out of the exam screen and the inventory is accessed using RB & LB. Once an inventory item is selected, you simply hit the A button to use that on whatever object is highlighted. There's a sequence where you control both the kid and the dog at the same time, one with each stick. This is a cool segment and I definitely wouldn't have minded another scenario or two involving the duo.

I enjoyed my time with Bulb Boy, though it's a rather short experience and, as already stated, it won't be for everybody due to some of the disgusting imagery, lots of it involving sphincters and feces. Throughout my playthrough of Bulb Boy, I unlocked all of the achievements in under 5 hours and didn't run into any crashes/glitches in the process. If you're a fan of the strange and bizarre, you may want to look into Bulb Boy. It retails for the fair asking price of $8.99, so while the game is quite short at least you don't have to break the bank to get it.

Final Verdict: While a short game, Bulb Boy will provide a few hours of fun for those who enjoy some toilet humor and bizarre imagery in their point 'n click adventures.

Related Links:
Buy Bulb Boy - Microsoft Store
Point & Click Games - Xbox Overview
Bulbware - Official Site
Bulb Boy - GameFAQs
Bulb Boy - True Achievements
Bulb Boy - Xbox Achievements

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series - A New Frontier (Xbox One, 2017)

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series - A New Frontier
Developed by Telltale Games
Published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Released for Xbox One (5/30/2017)
Also on Android/iOS/PC/PS4/Switch

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series - A New Frontier (jeez what a long title!) is Telltale's follow-up to their successful Walking Dead games. It had been awhile since Telltale returned to the main storyline, as the previous release the Walking Dead: Michonne was an off-shoot and completely unrelated to the characters from the first 2 seasons. At the time of the game's release in February 2017, it had been 4 years since we followed the adventures of Clementine. Let's take a look at A New Frontier and see how it fares...

Like the previous two installments in the series, A New Frontier is composed of 5 episodes released individually. The first 2 episodes dropped on December 20, 2016. While it was uncommon for Telltale to release 2 episodes simultaneously, we'd have to wait all the way up until March 28, 2017 before the episode 3 would see a release. This was due to Telltale staff taking a holiday break and likely also because of work overload due to other projects being worked on simultaneously. Telltale was able to get things back on track and would release the following two episodes in a more timely manner. Episode 4 dropped on April 25, 2017 and the final episode on May 30, 2017.

It should go without saying that there will be some spoilers in the remainder of this review, but I'll do my best not to ruin everything if you decide to try it out for yourself. If you're coming into A New Frontier blind, be prepared for a bit of immediate disappointment as you discover that Clementine is not one of the central characters in the story. This time around we follow a young man named Javier (Javi for short), who is travelling with his brother and family. David (Javi's brother) is accompanied by his wife, Kate, and their two children Gabe and Mariana. This is the main crew and of course shortly into the story you'll encounter Clementine, who is out there surviving on her own. These are the characters you'll see the most throughout the game, but there is also a group of survivors that call themselves the New Frontier that play quite a role in the story (obviously since the game is named after them!).

Every so often, the story will fill in some of the gaps between this game and the previous two with flashbacks. There's stuff between Javier and his family while some of them try to explain how and where Clementine's been all this time. While I personally didn't care much for Javier (we'll get into that shortly), the Clementine bits were some of the more memorable  and among the best in the game. Unfortunately, Clementine's appearances are occasional and I always found it a bit disappointing how many times she'd disappear from the group. The overall story is about what you'd expect from a Walking Dead title at this point, which mostly involves a crazy bunch of survivors trying to take out the righteous group. It's not terrible, but it definitely has a "been-there, done-that" type of feeling to it. It's also considerably shorter than the previous two entries, which means it spends less time establishing the characters and getting you to really care about them.

While A New Frontier is a decent entry into the Walking Dead games, in the story department it lacks the punch of the first two titles (especially the first one). It's great to have Clementine back in the mix, but it sucks that she's not one of the main characters and on top of that the group we spend most of the game following really aren't all that likable. Our main protagonist, Javier, is trying to cheat with his brother's wife which makes him feel scummy and hard to really care for. Honestly, this episode would've been for the better if they would have kept Clementine as the main character. Perhaps Clementine and the story of her acceptance and ejection from the New Frontier group would have made for a more riveting story. It definitely would have given the story in this game some more weight if they at least had a chapter showing Clementine's past with the New Frontier, but instead we are just treated to a few brief flashbacks.

Presentation-wise, A New Frontier is about the same as previous Telltale entries. The graphics have been cleaned up a bit and the game does feel like it runs a bit smoother than previous entries. Similar to other Telltale releases at the time, the interactivity has taken a step down from the earlier games, which means there are fewer instances where you get to actually walk around and explore. There are occasional action sequences that play out as quick-time events, where failure will usually end in death and a restart from a nearby checkpoint. Upon completing an episode, there were percentages to show you how many people made each decision. When I played this in 2019, the servers had shut down and this feature was no longer working, which is a bummer as I always enjoyed seeing what the majority of people chose to do in these games.

As far as your old saves go, there's an option to import a previous save which, in theory, would allow you to pick up your game regardless of what device or console you played the previous games on. This requires you to sign in to the Telltale servers, which likely went down when the company closed their doors. Forgive me, but I didn't feel like going through the hassle of setting up an account and trying it for the sake of this review. My saves carried over problem-free, but this is no surprise since I played all of these on the Xbox One. Initially there was a "story builder" page on the Telltale website that would allow you to setup which choices were made in the previous games. Once you'd made all of your decisions on the website they'd be uploaded into a cloud server and could then be imported into the game. Unfortunately, this is another feature that seems to have died after the Telltale shutdown.

If you've already invested the time into the previous installments of Telltale's Walking Dead games, then I'd say A New Frontier is worth a go. Just beware of the aforementioned issues and try to grab the game on sale or even better, play it while it's available on Game Pass. It's not really the follow-up that most of us wanted, but given the state of Telltale Games office around the time of its release it's cool that we got anything at all. Thankfully they didn't mess up the well-liked Clementine character, but at the same time they really didn't do a whole lot with her either. Here's to hoping that the fourth entry into the series does her character a bit more justice.

A New Frontier was slated to also release on the previous generation consoles, both for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but was cancelled shortly before release. With the game being cancelled so close to the release date, it's easy to assume the game was more than likely in a finished state or close to it. Perhaps it suffered from the same unoptimization issues as Batman on the Xbox 360 or maybe Telltale just felt it was time to move away from the previous generations. The Xbox 360 marketplace was a ghost town when it came to new releases by February 2017, so this is likely part of the reason.

Final Verdict: A decent entry into the Walking Dead series, A New Frontier brings back the welcome sight of Clementine. Unfortunately, she's only a side character and the rest of the cast aren't near as interesting or memorable. Still worth a play but I'd advise you to wait for a sale.

Purchase Links:
Buy Walking Dead: A New Frontier - Microsoft Store
Buy Walking Dead: The Definitive Series - Microsoft Store
Search Walking Dead: A New Frontier (Disc) - eBay

Related Links:
Telltale Games - Xbox Overview
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - GameFAQs
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - Wikipedia
A New Frontier Cancelled for PS3 & Xbox 360 - Hardcore Gamer

The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Miniseries (Xbox 360/One, 2016)

The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Miniseries
Developed by Telltale Games & Skybound Games
Published by Telltale Games
Released for Xbox 360 (2/2016) & Xbox One (4/2016)
Also on iOS/Mac/PC/PS3/PS4

The Walking Dead: Michonne is Telltale Games third entry into the Walking Dead series of games. If you've played any of  the previous entries you have a decent idea of what to expect, though none of the recurring characters are featured in this game and instead the story focuses on Michonne on her quest for survival.

The main character, Michonne, is constantly haunted by hallucinations of her two missing daughters. She was away from them when the zombie outbreak started and has been unable to locate them in order to find out if they survived or not. Every now and then you'll enter a flashback sequence where you'll try to help them before snapping back to reality. While Michonne is searching for survivors in the first episode, she is captured by another group of survivors with bad intentions. This theme of good-natured survivors being captured by evil survivors is starting to feel a bit played out when it comes to the zombie apocalypse stuff and it's beginning to feel like we've seen it a hundred times (which we likely have). Even with that said, Michonne is a badass character and I had no problem playing through the game to see what would happen to her next, though there aren't as many surprises in this Walking Dead as there were in previous entries. The remainder of the cast aren't bad, but you don't get enough time with any of them to become that invested in them.

The Walking Dead: Michonne is called a Telltale Miniseries for good reason: the game has only 3 episodes and will only last about 3-4 hours before you've finished the story. As usual in Telltale Games, you'll have a few choices to make along the way that make a few scenes play out slightly different. Like other Telltale Games, the story is mostly the same no matter what you choose so it really ends up being more of an illusion of choice than really having much impact. You can definitely sense that Telltale was spread a little thin at this point due to taking on too many projects and they didn't put the same TLC into this game as the first two.

Though not as good as the first two games, if you enjoyed those entries you'll likely enjoy your brief time with the Walking Dead: Michonne. During my playthrough of the Xbox One version, I didn't experience any of the issues I'd run into with previous Telltale Games (crashing, frame dips, etc.). It's good for a quick playthrough, maybe even a second, but you're not going to get more than a few hours out of the game. If you're cool with a short point 'n click style game, give Michonne a try. It's a bit hard to recommend it at the full MSRP, so I'd suggest waiting for a sale. Unlike the first two Walking Dead games from Telltalle, the Michonne Miniseries has yet to receive a physical release.

Final Verdict: The Walking Dead: Michonne is a short but fun zombie survival point 'n click game. Though it doesn't feature any of the characters from the original games, the gameplay will appeal to those who enjoyed previous Telltale releases.

Related Links:
Buy The Walking Dead: Michonne for Xbox One - Microsoft Store
Buy The Walking Dead: Michonne for Xbox 360 - Xbox Marketplace
Telltale Games - Xbox Overview
The Walking Dead: Michonne - GameFAQs 
The Walking Dead: Michonne - True Achievements
The Walking Dead: Michonne Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements

Life is Strange (Xbox 360/One, 2015/16)

Life is Strange
Developed by DONTNOD Entertainment
Published by Square Enix
Released for Xbox 360 (10/2015) & Xbox One (1/2016)
Also on Android/iOS/Linux/Mac/PC/PS3/PS4

Life is Strange is a point 'n click style adventure game originally released for the Xbox 360 in October 2015 and in January 2016 the game received a port to the Xbox One. The gameplay is similar to the Telltale Games titles, but rather than using an already existing license the developers have created the characters and story specifically for this game.

The game is broken up into five episodes, with each episode initially being released around two months apart. As is the case with games of this nature, it tends to work out best to wait for the entire story to be released before digging in since it can really suck waiting months to see what happens next. While the first episode was released in January 2015 for the Xbox 360, the final episode wasn't put up for download until October 2015. That's way too much time for a game of this nature, but luckily the end product turned out well and doesn't feel rushed. By the time Life is Strange received a release for the Xbox One, all episodes had already been released so the game was released in its complete form right from the start.

The story has the player take control of Max, an 18-year old attending Blackwell University who loves photography. Max discovers early in the story that she has the ability to turn back time and has to put it use quick. She witnesses one of her old childhood friends, Chloe, being shot and killed in the bathroom. Using her newfound powers, Max is able to go back in time and change the outcome of the event. As the story unravels, Max and Chloe get a chance to catch up and try to unravel the mysterious happenings at Arcadia Bay. The pacing of the story is very well done, giving Max several interesting scenarios to manipulate time and multiple outcomes as the result of your decisions. Each episode also does a great job ending on a cliffhanger and keeping the player anxious to come back and see what happens next. The story also deals with a lot of issues that will hit home for many players including bullying, friendships and loss of loved ones.

The cast of characters are excellent, offering a nice diversity and the writing/voice-acting makes them all believable. The characters are memorable as is the setting of Arcadia Bay and Blackwell University. Gameplay consists mostly of walking around, examining things and talking to people. Occasionally Max's time manipulation powers will come into play, allowing you to rewind time using the left trigger. There's a good balance between playing and watching, and it feels a bit more interactive than your average point 'n click from Telltale Games. The controls are simple and work effectively, making the game easily accessible to players of all types.

Rather than your standard collectibles, each chapter in Life is Strange features ten objects that you can take photos of. Once a photo is taken, it can be viewed in Max's journal which can be accessed by hitting the back button. It's an original take on collectibles and it was fun trying to find them all. If you miss any of them while playing, there's a handy chapter select available from the main menu to make it easy to hop back in to find them.

While Life is Strange is an excellent point and click adventure, no game is without its faults. The game crashed on me twice while playing on the Xbox One, but luckily both instances occurred at the main title screen so I didn't lose any story progress. The only other thing I found worth complaining about is that the lip-sync seems a bit off at times. One sequence had Max speaking with no mouth movement, making the whole scene look a bit silly. The lip-sync isn't a frequent problem as I only noticed it in a couple of scenes and most players likely won't even notice or care.

In closing, Life is Strange is up there as one of the best point and click adventures I've played in recent years. The characters and story are interesting enough to keep the majority of players invested until the end. If you enjoy a good point 'n click adventure or are intrigued by time travel, make sure you give Life is Strange a play. Try to go in as blind as possible though, as spoilers can really hamper the impact of the events that happen within the game. The game was released in physical format for the Xbox One and is available digitally on both the Xbox One and the Xbox 360.

Final Verdict: Life is Strange is an excellent point 'n click adventure, featuring a main character with the ability to manipulate time, an interesting cast of characters and a well-delivered story. Point 'n click fans should definitely give this one a play.

Related Links:
Buy Life is Strange for Xbox One - Microsoft Store
Buy Life is Strange for Xbox 360 - Xbox Marketplace
Search Life is Strange on Xbox One - eBay

Related Links:
DONTNOD Entertainment - Official Site
Square Enix - Official Site
Life is Strange - GameFAQs
Life is Strange Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
Life is Strange - True Achievements 

The Walking Dead: Season Two (Xbox 360/One, 2014)

The Walking Dead: Season Two
Developed by Telltale Games
Released for XBLA/Xbox One (10/2014)
Also on Android/iOS/Mac/PC/PS3/PS4/Vita

The Walking Dead: Season Two continues shortly after where the original game left off. You'll be following Clementine as she struggles to survive in the midst of a giant zombie outbreak. The game looks and plays largely the same as the first game, featuring a mixture of point & click, dialogue and quick-time event segments. Much like with any Telltale Games title, the mostly story-driven gameplay won't be for everyone, but those who enjoyed the first game will definitely find something to like with this second installment.

The voice-work is top-notch and one thing that remains consistent among Telltale Games. Even if the written dialogue isn't always the best, the actors do a very convincing job delivering their lines. The sound design is decent but feels a bit lacking in some areas, but the excellent voice acting makes this easy to overlook. The music does a good job of adding some mood while usually staying in the background, but does a good job conveying emotion especially in the more dramatic moments.

The following paragraph will feature spoilers, so if you haven't played the game yet and wish to do so you may want to skip ahead. Story-wise, the second season installment is a solid follow-up to the original game, though not quite as good for a few reasons. Personally I didn't find the cast of characters as good as the original, but I mostly chalk this up to the absence of Lee. Running into Kenny shortly into the game was quite emotional, despite the fact I didn't even particularly like the guy in the first game. Shortly after uniting with Kenny he brings up Lee and even though it'd been at least half a year since I'd played the original title I found myself tearing up instantly. That right there goes to show how they did a great job establishing Lee as a stand-up dude that was easily likable in the original release. I didn't really get that kind of feeling from any of the characters this time around unfortunately. I feel like I could have liked some of the characters introduced here, but nobody is really given enough development to really get the player to care. Kenny is a bit war-torn by previous events and it only gets worse as you continue through the story, so you'll end up fearing him more than you will liking him.

As with most titles released from Telltale Games, the game is linear and though you are able to make some decisions throughout, the end result is usually the same. What's here is enjoyable if you like cinematic point 'n click games, though once you've completed the game there won't be much as far as replayability. It's worth a play but I'd advise waiting for a sale or searching for a cheap physical copy since you likely won't get a whole lot of play time out of it. Though with Telltale Games recent shutdown, it's only a matter of time before the license of this game causes it to be removed from the marketplace, so if you want a digital copy you may want to go ahead and get it while you can.

The Walking Dead: Season Two was originally released in late 2013 for Android and iOS devices. On October 14, 2014 the title was put out for XBLA and PSN. Just a week later on October 21 the game would receive a release for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game is more or less the same on the 360 as it is on the One, with the One version running a bit smoother, looking a bit sharper and loading a bit faster. The Walking Dead titles are easily among Telltale Games best work and one of their more stable games as well. I didn't run into any freezing or glitches and it's clear that a bit more time and effort went into this series than many Telltale games that would follow.

Final Verdict: The Walking Dead: Season Two is a worthy follow-up to the original. Fans of the first game will find something to like here.

Purchase Links:
Buy Walking Dead: Season Two (Xbox One Digital) - Microsoft Store
Buy Walking Dead: Season Two (Xbox 360 Digital) - Xbox Marketplace
Search Walking Dead: Season Two (Xbox One Disc) - eBay
Search Walking Dead: Season Two (Xbox 360 Disc) - eBay

Related Links:
Telltale Games - Xbox Overview
Point & Click Adventures - Xbox Overview
Telltale Games - Official Site
The Walking Dead: Season Two - Metacritic
The Walking Dead: Season Two on Xbox 360 - GameFAQs
The Walking Dead: Season Two on Xbox One - GameFAQs
The Walking Dead: Season Two Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
The Walking Dead: Season Two - True Achievements

Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter (Xbox One, 2016)

Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter
Developed by Frogwares
Published by Bigben Interactive
Released for Xbox One (10/2016)
Also on PC/PS4

Sherlock Holmes and video games have quite the history, going all the way back to the early '80's. Developer Frogwares have been pumping out Sherlock games for the PC since 2002, as well as being the developer responsible for all the Sherlock games released for Xbox consoles. This is my first experience with any of the Sherlock games, but seeing that Frogwares are veterans at these games I'm hoping for an enjoyable experience.

The Devil's Daughter is setup somewhat similarly to the Telltale Games, but instead of episodes the game is broken up into 5 cases. Each of the cases are unrelated to one another, though they do contain characters and story elements that carry over into the main story. Cases involve the type of stuff you'd expect from a detective game, such as revenge, betrayal and there's even some supernatural stuff thrown in for good measure.

Sherlock Holmes is a good-looking game featuring detailed environments and decent character models, though the frame-rate fluctuates quite a bit especially during some of the action sequences. The graphics should look good, because the loading screens are abundant and feel like they take an eternity! Each time you have to fast travel somewhere, which will occur frequently, you're greeted to a lengthy loading screen while watching Sherlock sitting in his wagon en route to your destination. As one could imagine, this gets old incredibly fast and made getting through a case in a single setting impossible for me.

There is a decent amount of variety found within Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter with several different game-types mashed into one title. Certain mini-game style events work much better than others, but the game is definitely at its best when you're actually doing detective work. Fortunately there is quite a bit of this found throughout the game, though at times the required actions to progress the story can be a bit vague. If you'd like to minimize some frustrations with the game, there are some great guides written on the game which I'll provide links to down below.

Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter is a game with many ups and downs. The detective segments are usually enjoyable and rewarding to figure out, but some of the minigame and other sequences bring the game down a bit. The excessive and lengthy loading screens also hamper the fun. If you're a patient person who enjoys either detective or point & click adventures then you may want to give it a go, but I'd say it's an easy miss for anybody else. There's a small niche audience who this game will appeal to.

Final Verdict: Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter is an above-average point and click style game that will appeal to those who enjoy detective action.

Purchase Links:
Buy Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter (Digital) - Microsoft Store
Search for Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter (Disc) - eBay

Related Links:
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter - GameFAQs 
Frogwares - Official Site
Bigben Interactive - Official Site
Devil's Daughter Walkthrough - True Achievements
Devil's Daughter Walkthrough - Game Pressure
Devil's Daughter Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
Devil's Daughter Achievements - True Achievements

The Little Acre (Xbox One, 2016)

The Little Acre
Developed by Pewter Games
Published by Curve Digital
Released for Xbox One (12/2016)
Also on iOS/Linux/Mac/PC/PS4

The Little Acre is a point & click style adventure game with some very nice looking HD artwork. It looks very much like an old-school cartoon from before the CGI takeover. The game packs a ton of charm and offers some fun puzzles though it is very short in length.

As already stated, the graphics in the Little Acre look like an old-school cartoon featuring a style I'd compare to something from Disney or Don Bluth back in the day, but presented in HD glory. The voice acting and music are both very well executed and compliment the visuals nicely. As for the game's puzzles, some of the solutions here are a bit odd but there's nothing you can't figure out with a little messing around. The controls are simple and responsive, making it easy to interact with stuff and your inventory. The game switches up between characters quite a bit, but their fates are intertwined and it will come together by the end of the game. The story is a bit strange and involves teleporting to another dimension, but I'll leave the details out of this review as I don't want to spoil the game for those who might go on to play it.

The biggest issue I can see most having with the Little Acre is that it ends too fast. The game has an achievement for completing the game in less than an hour so this should be a clear indicator of just how short this title is. If you go about playing the game on your own with no guide you can expect anywhere between 2-5 hours of gameplay. Personally I didn't find short length of the game to be an issue as I got it dirt cheap but I can see those who paid full price perhaps feeling a bit burned. While more would have been nice what is here plays well and I enjoyed my time with the game. I did run into one part of the game where the sprites had some minor clipping issues, but other than that the game ran smooth. If you're a big point 'n click adventure game fan I recommend giving the Little Acre a look. I hope we see more from Pewter Games in the future, I'd really like to see some more games done with this style of animation.

Final Verdict: The Little Acre is a short but sweet point 'n click adventure game. The graphics are pretty, the characters are likable and game oozes with charm. Recommended for fans of the genre, but you may want to wait for a sale price due to the game's short length..

Related Links:
The Little Acre - Microsoft Store
The Little Acre - GameFAQs
Pewter Games Studios - Official Website

8-Bit Adventure Anthology: Volume One (Xbox One, 2017)

8-Bit Adventure Anthology: Volume One
Developed by Abstraction Games
Original Games by Icom Simulations/Kemco
Released for Xbox One (10/2017)
Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4

8-Bit Adventure Anthology: Volume One features the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) versions of three different point & click adventure classics: Déjà Vu, Uninvited and Shadowgate. These were all originally developed by ICOM Simulations and released for the Macintosh in the '80's. Kemco Seika would later port these titles over to the Famicom/NES, and these ports are the versions offered here in this collection. The games are all presented in their 8-bit glory, pretty much exactly how you would have played them on your NES back in the day.

When you first boot the game up you'll be greeted with some nice chiptune music and a menu where you'll choose which game you'd like to play. There is also a settings menu which allows to use a few different filters and adjust the volume. The available display options are CRT, old TV, terminal and black/white filters. Saving and loading your games are done within each title, giving you the option to come back later and resume from where you left off (this was still a pretty rare feature back in those days).

Gameplay-wise, all three titles in 8-Bit Adventure Anthology play similarly and feature the same user interface. On the bottom of the screen you have a list of commands, the upper left shows the current location and the upper right shows your inventory. While these games obviously play most intuitively with a mouse, Kemco Seika did a commendable job setting everything up for a controller, especially considering how long ago these were released. The cursor movement still feels a bit clunky, but there aren't really any quick reactions required that make it much of an issue. The analog stick moves the cursor quickly while the d-pad is slow making it easy to line up your pointer. I found the analog stick difficult to use and the d-pad, while slow, definitely made everything a bit easier. There are also some shortcut commands new to this version, making it easy to quickly open doors and move without having to access the open and move commands at the bottom of the screen.

Déjà Vu begins with your character awakening in a toilet stall with blood on his hands and complete amnesia. The story will slowly unravel as you explore the environment around you. There's some excellent chiptune music, which is important as you will hear the same handful of songs repeatedly throughout your time with the game. There's not much for sound effects except for a few here and there, but the music does a good job of setting the mood. There's a good variety of locations to explore and lots of items/people to interact with. The game is a bit easier than the other two featured in the compilation, but is still quite challenging if not resorting to a guide or walkthrough. The game is also a bit more grounded in reality than the other two games and I feel is a good entry point for somebody who wants to check out these style of games.

Uninvited has your character start out in a crashed car with his sister missing. Now it's up to you to explore the area and find out what happened to her. The game features some unsettling music and some genuinely creepy moments. Some of the puzzles here are a bit tough and I don't think I'd ever have figured some of these without a guide. There's quite a bit to see and do in this one and I always enjoyed figuring out what the next gruesome way to die would be. The game deals a lot with the supernatural, and your character will even learn spells he can cast in the game! This one's a good time and there are some gruesome deaths you can get yourself into.

Shadowgate is the third and final title included in the anthology, and this is another one that's really tough to crack without a guide of some sort. I remember thinking this game was impossible as a youth when I only had access to a few hints in an issue of Nintendo Power. Now playing through it with a guide makes it feasible, but it's pretty insane the amount of stuff the developers assumed the player would be able to figure out. One unique feature to Shadowgate is the fact that you have to carry around a lit torch and if at any point the torch goes out you die. It sounds much worse than it actually is, since there are ample torches available for pickup and even if you die you can just continue from the previous screen with a freshly lit torch. This is yet another solid port from Kemco and probably the hardest, most involved of the three.

These point 'n click titles were a niche genre back when these originally came out (especially on the NES) and still remain as such to this day. I think most people can tell pretty quick if they're going to have the patience for these types of games. These being such text-heavy games also require the use of your imagination quite a bit and I know that's something many people just don't want to mess with these days. However, if you're the type that enjoys a good retro point 'n click adventure you definitely want to get this one! I'm interested to see if they intend to release a volume two of this anthology, and wonder what could be included? Deja Vu 2 was ported to the Game Boy Color later on down the road, so I suppose that's a possibility.

Final Verdict: If you're looking for some 8-Bit point 'n click adventure style retro gaming goodness, 8-Bit Adventure Anthology Volume One should fill that void.

Related Links:
Buy 8-Bit Adventure Anthology - Microsoft Store
8-Bit Adventure Anthology - GameFAQs
Abstraction Games - Official Site
8-Bit Adventure Anthology Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements