Morkreddtakes a unique genre of gameplay and makes it bland, even with the looming all-knowing Orb.
I was surprised to see another game come out in the vein of Brothers: a Tale of Two Sons. Where you control two characters, each attached to a different thumbstick on the controller.
It’s something unique and a fun interesting take on gameplay mechanics. Although, I do have some issues with the game. The overall theme makes up where it lacks.
Let’s not anger the Orb, stay in the light, and see if Morkredd is amazing.
Morkredd’s Gameplay
I wasn’t kidding about the Brothers comparison
Morkredd is simple, don’t anger the Orb and safely solve all puzzles thrown at you during the adventure.
So, you hop in thinking that this is going to be easy, well… your hopes are crushed pretty soon after. It is not going to be easy; it’s going to be a chore.
The core gameplay comes down to controlling the guy (Pirate) and girl (Aztec) with each of the controller’s sticks.
The interesting part is that you can change between the two characters at the touch of a button.
When you can change between them at any time then neither of them become important
Now, this may seem helpful, but the truth is that having this completely ruins any connection to the two characters.
Now we have to talk about the Orb, the great Orb that the entire game is centered around.
The Orb lives in its dimension and yes it’s always there; watching
The Orb is the most important aspect of Morkredd.
You live for the Orb, you breathe for the Orb, and you only survive by the Orb’s light via its grace to protect you.
The Orb’s light is the only light source in the entire game and if you step into any darkness then you perish.
The Orb wishes you would stop dying, it’s very temperamental
At 5:00 we can see some of the puzzle elements which are not anything too crazy, but they all involve the Orb in some fashion.
The Orb is just patiently waiting for you to hurry up and solve the puzzle
Between puzzles like this, moving the light around to get through doors, and even taking a boat ride, there is variety within the game. The motivation to do anything comes down to your interest in the overall world.
The biggest issue is that if you run into the darkness you immediately die. The window is so small that you’re fated to face death more than you would like.
Don’t die, the Orb doesn’t like it!
There needs to be some forgiveness to this aspect as the game’s puzzle elements can demand pinpoint precision. This can add up to be a hard endeavor when you’re thinking about how shadows work.
To delve deeper into this aspect: when you’ve failed a puzzle that you know how to solve several times it just becomes busywork.
You know how to solve it, you know what you need to do; the puzzle shouldn’t come down to if you can move your hands crazily within a time constraint. Puzzles are puzzles and I think of puzzles to be mainly for the mind, not spamming with your thumbs.
The Story of the Orb and Its Absolute Greatness
That is a pretty picture the Orb is illuminating for us
Easily one of the best aspects of Morkredd is that the story is told through the environment.
Now, this is a two-way street however, since the story is mainly told through the environment it doesn’t allow for any character development.
At 2:55 of the video, I bring up that I have no idea what is happening within the world of Morkredd.
This is something that doesn’t change until later at 16:55 in the video when we see another person for the first time.
There is a grander story here with the snake, the story mural, and many other various clues, but there is no character to propel what’s happening. Other than the Orb, which honestly has the most character in the game despite it just basically being a flashlight.
To wrap back around to my Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons comparison, the game was able to motivate you simply by gestures and noises. You grew attached to the brothers and felt their ups and downs through the incredible journey.
In Morkredd that is all circumvented in the name of puzzle elements and bland characters who are just a means to an end.
Is Morkredd Amazing?
Even if the characters aren’t fully realized, the Orb is all we need
Morkredd is missing some key aspects that typically make a game style like this so endearing.
But when you look at it as a whole, the style, gameplay and even puzzle elements all work together to make something compelling.
You can’t help but want to know more about the Orb and everything surrounding it.
My real issue is that without any dialog or custom character animations it is hard to become engrossed in the game.
What it all boils down to is just the two shell-like characters on a neverending mission to move the Orb to the next checkpoint.
The fact that you can change the controls on the fly makes the gameplay more confusing, although it does help in the puzzle elements.
In the end, Morkredd is an interesting game with a cool idea. I can say I had fun with it despite some pitfalls that have displeased the Orb!
I was extremely nostalgic replaying Dead Space 2 again, mainly because it reminded me that Electronic Arts (EA) used to make exceedingly good single-player experiences.
Dead Space 2 is no exception; released in the hay-day and still holding up all these years later.
There were some stumbles in the following years after its release, but lately, it looks like they are coming back around with games like Jedi Fallen Order for example.
Jumpscare got me good, we’re gonna need a bigger gun
Dead Space 2 is my personal favorite in the series, it enhances and perfects everything we all knew and loved from its predecessor.
I am so glad to have replayed it on the Xbox Series X, as it feels like a recent release with the graphics and crazy fast loading.
(If you’re curious about the Xbox Series X be sure to check out the unboxing I did! If you want, you can also read all about my first thoughts on the console by clicking here!)
It’s like playing an entirely new game. It has been so long since I last played so I forgot a lot, which made it so much more fun to revisit.
You can read the sign in crisp clear wording and Isaac’s helmet is incredibly well lit
Getting right into the action, we get ambushed by some Necromorphs after leaving the small safe room I was hunkered in.
What ensues is a crazy fast shooting spree of taking out the Necromorphs that want Issac dead.
Using the trusty Plasma Cutter we can cut off their limbs and blow up a few in the process. The name of the game is to dismember the Necromorphs to stop them from attacking.
Cutting off their head doesn’t do much of anything; you need to take out their arms and legs to bring them to a full stop. Even then they will find some way to crawl towards you; their only goal is to kill you. Your only goal is to survive and press onward.
After an ambush like that I needed a few seconds to compose myself
After taking a breather we pick up all the drops and move forward into zero gravity.
Zero Gravity and You
You have to manage everything in the game, in real-time while being at risk of attack at any moment
The thing that made the Dead Space series so unique is that you cannot pause the game to change your loadout.
There is a pause screen (which I open far too often because of wrong button presses), but you can only change game settings.
Accessing your inventory, audio/text logs, and making weapon changes must be done in real-time.
No saving face and preparing while the game is frozen; you have to manage all this smack-dab in the action.
Oh no! If I’m not careful, I’m going to float away!
The zero gravity aspect of the Dead Space series was also another standout and super fun to float around in.
It is used in some very creative ways throughout the game, but since this is the first introduction it is fairly basic.
We float over to a door to gather some supplies like a Power Node, which you use to upgrade weapons and Isaac’s suits.
Next, we float around to open a giant fan with some fun body bags floating around. Gathering all my courage, we hop into the windy fan and struggle to burst through.
MUST USE ALL THE THRUSTERS
We land and can call this a successful trip through zero gravity.
Darkness, My Only Friend
The lighting is so good that every inch of darkness is beyond creepy
From intense to just plain creepy, the lights go out and we are stuck trudging through the darkness with only the light of the Plasma Cutter.
We get attacked but take down the enemy without much effort.
Grabbing a nearby power block we pick it up with Kinesis and plug it back in to relight our path.
Wait Isaac let’s talk about this, nooooooooooooooooooooo
One of the most satisfying parts of the game is The Stomp. It has a weight that feels good and everything squishes under Isaacs’s boot.
You need to utilize this to get the drops from defeated Necromorphs and you can do so without wasting ammo. It can also be an attack, but it is not very helpful when you’re being swarmed.
We run into a door that can only be opened by using a Power Node. The key is to always have at least one power node on hand to open these doors. That way you are never stumped and locked out.
From schematics to money, and everything in between, these doors are the most important part of the game in terms of keeping Isaac fully equipped.
I like the save station direction because it’s green. I’m a simple person
You get directions that help guide you to save stations, the next objective, the store, and even the bench to upgrade your gear. Again, it is all in realtime, so even in this aspect, one is never truly safe.
Gathering up the supplies, we take the elevator up to our next objective.
Losing Our Minds in the Apartments
Walking into the apartment complex, we see that there are candles and Necromorphs everywhere trying to put a stop to us moving forward
We take down a number of them and start to notice the look and feel of the room. Almost like this is a place of worship.
Walking into a super creepy room, we see Isaac struggle with the loss of his wife: Nicole Brennan.
The entirety of the first Dead Space was all about trying to find Nicole while its sequel is about coming to terms with losing her on the Ishimura.
I have no idea what’s going on, but we’re all losing our minds
This was a pretty tame one out of all the moments like these scattered throughout the game. They get more and more violent as the game progresses.
Moving forward, we cross a walkway and take down another Necromorph that jumps through a door for a super cheesy jumpscare.
We move onto the next section of apartments and take a breath by saving our progress.
Entering a giant room, several Necromorphs try to take us out, including a new breed that flies and creates new Necromorphs–which is as exciting as it sounds!
Thanks to the version that Game Pass provides, I did start with one of the best suits in the game. It has lots of health and defense so it is not too much trouble taking them all down.
After grabbing some supplies, it’s time to go to Church.
The Church of Unitology
Ahhh yes, very informative and inviting
Entering the church, we are immediately greeted by several audio recordings that will give us more backstory into why this place was created.
I don’t have time to listen to them so I beeline right through this hallway. Which does not go too well as a ship outside breaks the windows and starts firing at me from every direction.
Showing us the oxygen levels, again, I have an endgame suit equipped so it’s no big deal to survive this obstacle.
Dodging the gunfire, we run through the room and close the airlock to regain our oxygen.
We get a bit of advice over the intercom and enter this area’s safe room with a bench, store, and save station.
The bench is the hub or upgrading everything from suits to weapons
Opening up the bench we take inventory of everything that needs to be upgraded by using the Power Nodes collected from our journey.
I decide to add a capacity for the ammo of the Plasma Cutter and then jump into the store to purchase some health kits using credits.
I sell some conductors, which are used to get you more money, make a quick save, and we are on our way!
Nolan Stross reaches out and we learn that he is slowly losing his mind.
That is the face of someone keeping their cool
After a quick chat, we stomp some bodies for some items and climb the stairs to go further into the Church of Unitology.
Entering a giant library forces us to take down a few more Necromorphs but run into some trouble with some very clingy ones.
The more A’s you get the more likely you are to not die
If a Necromorph attaches to you then you have to smash the “A” button to get them off. Failure in doing so results in Isaac’s death.
Smashing the A button to victory, we kill all the Necromorphs and take an elevator ride that was well earned.
Cutting a fuse provides a fast way to get back to the safe area, but we’re looking to press onward not go backward.
If you’ve played Dead Space 2 you know that you don’t break this glass
A small room with a scenic view is before us and we discover that we need to open up a locked door. It brings us to a room to the right and power it back up.
The door moves fast but that’s no problem since we have stasis.
We get ambushed and I decide to smash the window and blow everything out of the airlock.
Yep, I just shot the window and nearly got blown out into SPACE!
Thankfully, I hit the emergency close button and survived, close call though.
Going through the door, Nicole comes back to haunt us over the monitor, showing just how insane Isaac is becoming.
We hop through an air vent–which is the game’s way of showing your moving into a new area–and then immediately have Nicole trying to gouge our eyes out.
JUST KEEP PRESSING “A” TO SAVE OUR EYEBALLS!
Nicole may be strong but our ability to smash “A” prevails! We discover that Isaac was just trying to put a screwdriver into his eye.
I personally never understand why Isaac takes off his helmet… ever, but you know, his call and all that.
Surviving the Ambush in the Cathedral
This section starts by entering into a big Cathedral with an elevator that takes us to a small room.
The worst enemy so far faces us. This thing can destroy a no-death run and make you lose hours of progress.
I take a minute to rave about the Xbox Series X, lighting, and graphics. How could I not? For as old as it is, it looks phenomenal and adds to the experience.
The door ahead gets destroyed and the worst Necromorphs come out to play.
The Stalkers are exactly what they sound like, they creep around and then run right at you to try and take you down.
The only defense is to cut down their legs or get them while hiding and hunting you.
OH GOD GO AWAY
I get overwhelmed very fast and die, forcing me to try again with hopefully a better tactic in place.
I compose myself and dive right back in and save my medium health kit in hopes of surviving this ordeal.
Taking it slow and steady, I can take them down one by one until the room is cleared. We can hack the elevator to get the hell outta here. The hacking is really simple and I’m glad for that.
Turn the dial until blue, then confirm. Simple, easy, and elegant
You move the left stick around until it turns blue and then press “A” to confirm, do that three times and you’re in business.
We take the elevator up and get out of this truly terrible room.
Running back to the safe room we can take a breath and compile our thoughts to call this an episode!
Is Dead Space 2 Amazing?
Dead Space 2 is the best in the series and It was so much fun to replay
Dead Space 2 is a look at survival horror done right; it is atmospheric and truly creepy.
It holds up all these years later and I remember when I originally played it I had to unlock everything and play through it every which way.
I did the no death run, I unlocked all the gear, and it is awesome to remember that and relive the horror.
The Xbox Series X is the best way to play this classic game and it looks and feels like it could come out today with no issues.
Horror games should look to Dead Space 2 as an example of doing survival horror right.
Haven is a visual novel mixed with some awesome gameplay, but the key is Yu and Kays’ relationship.
Their relationship throughout the game feels real and not manufactured on overly-done tropes. Genuine, compelling, and simply adorable are how I would describe them.
They go through their fair share of ups and downs as you watch like a fly on the wall, helping to make some decisions with them along the way.
This is one of the most ambitious visual novels I’ve ever played and the amount of character it has is staggering.
Grab a seat and become the awkward third wheel as we dine on some appledews!
Meeting Yu and Kay
We’re gonna celebrate, oh yeah!
Haven is a really good looking game on the Xbox Series X.
(If you’re curious about the Xbox Series X, I unboxed the console a while back! Be sure to check it out! Otherwise, you can read all about my first thoughts on the console by clicking here!)
The lighting, character models, and the visual novel elements all play nicely together and wrap the entire thing in a complete package that I really cannot get enough of.
This game is rated M for a reason and it’s not about the violence
Before we drop-in, it is worth noting that Haven deals with some heavy relationship elements.
The game is all about Yu and Kays’ relationship and the struggles that come with it, outside of the fact that they’re being hunted; which we will get to.
Haven does not shy away from these characters showing their affection towards each other and even bringing their spouts of arguing to the forefront. It is refreshing to see a relationship feel so real; mixed with the good and the bad.
Don't miss out on Haven!
I am really enjoying this game and the relationship between Yu and Kay is just incredibly charming!
If you haven't played it yet be sure to give it a try it's a heartwarming adventure. pic.twitter.com/AB6uXqD2fR
The first thing we do is celebrate, which gives us a look into the visual novel aspect of the game.
After kicking back a nice drink, we join Yu and Kay in stargazing and a bit of discussion.
One thing I appreciate is that the characters don’t swear. They make up their unique curses which is a fun and quirky element.
In this instance, we get the word “Bloot” which is just an all-purpose swear that I will now be adding to my vocab.
We discover that the planet we are on is called Source and we get our first decision.
Confidence plays a part in the visual novel aspect, I just have no idea what that part is
Choosing the option allows Kay to gain confidence and be more open to Yu. This then tells Yu to join Kay in his chair and continue to stare into space as they begin to discuss everything more openly.
The thing to take note of is just how good the voice acting in Haven is. It is amazing and gives the entire game an air of realism. It all flows and melds to make it feel alive–just wonderful!
After a nice heart to heart, we end the scene and get some upgrades that help with the gameplay aspect outside the Nest.
New attacks! Alright!
Some new single attacks and a max HP upgrade works for me.
We continue onward with another little chat on science talk that just goes way over my head. Kay and Yu are smarter than I could ever hope to be.
Ahh yes, science and the like. Understand all this.
Before we hop out of the Nest, we take a quick nap until daytime. Kay had other plans and decided to stay up a bit for some research.
Yu pretends to listen but she has to go to the bathroom, so Kay explains how we can use rust to our advantage as Yu rushes off to the bathroom.
It is now daytime. We synthesize a health kit, heal up to have more HP, eat so we’re full and ready to go outside the Nest! Honestly, the same routine I have before I leave.
Flowing around the world
It’s all about the proper gardening technique when surviving on Source.
Kay is tending to his garden so we can grow food right outside the Nest. A great attribute since we don’t have to go far.
With that, we are in the core of the game where you fly around; doing so by using and collecting Flow. Flow is what is used to clear rust and get around within Haven’s world on Source.
The cool thing is that you can play as Yu and Kay at your leisure. This allows you to switch between them on the fly and play who you want vs. the game choosing for you.
You can walk around but are very slow, so just kick on some Flow and you’re off to the races!
I show off the map, pet Oink, and get flowing.
Oink is adorable and deserves all the scratchies!
We move to the next Islet and it’s worth noting that the Islets are really small and it is a pain with how many loading screens are in this game.
You move between Islets a lot but there is a fair share of loading screens while you are out adventuring. It can kill the momentum of the gameplay, but at least the loading screens are adorable.
My favorite part of the game is when Yu and Kay randomly hold hands while flowing
We move onto the next Islet towards our glow and do some sick flips on the flow.
Yu and Kay holding hands is the kind of gameplay I live for!
One thing to take note of is that as you move through the world is that Yu and Kay will randomly talk to each other. This could be about anything, from the weather to the current situation they’re in, or even just about the Islet they are on. It’s cool and makes them feel alive. I appreciate that.
We gather some Appledews and move forward.
Let me take a moment to explain Flow. There are blue trails on the map that you fly over and it refills your flow tank. This allows you to hover around more, as well as stop enemies from attacking you.
Yeah, that’s a lot of rust. Time to get flowing!
We run into some rust–the red stuff all over the ground.
The goal is to pick up the rust on every islet, this will allow the islet to be cleaned. Once cleaned, you can go to that islet using the fast travel system on a giant bird thing, which is rad.
After clearing a bit of rust, we run into a fight with some rust-covered enemies.
The combat is fun yet simple enough to not be a major roadblock and ruin our flow
The basic gist is that you hold down a direction on the control sticks of the controller for different attacks and shielding.
Different attacks affect the enemies differently and it is worth mixing moves up to find the best combination for the specific enemy.
For this first fight, we merge our duo blast to out the enemy on the right nice and easy, then attack the other enemy until they’re down.
My favorite part of Haven is the loading screens!
There’s a ton of them featuring Yu and Kay and they’re all so good!
Once the enemies are downed we can use Pacify by holding up on the stick to cleanse them of rust and end the fight!
Now that they are nice and clean, we give them a good ole scratch and then flow onwards on a flow trail up, up, and away.
We enter a building that houses a drone charging station and discusses how we’re going to handle things.
Finding new buildings is awesome and one of the core parts of the game
It turns out that we handle this poorly and accidentally phone home back to the Apiary.
Yu and Kay are scared of this fact and we decide to get out of the area knowing that the MatchMaker may be sending for us.
After some sweet drifts, a few quick fights, and complaining about walking around (which is fair, walking sucks) we move onto the next rust-covered Islet.
Blooting Boss Fight
Holding hands isn’t enough to deal with what we are about to endure. We run into our first boss fight of the game.
This boss is rough and nearly caused me to lose both Yu and Kay, which would be a major bloot.
It is a tough battle that takes everything you’ve learned and puts your skills to the test to ensure you know how the systems work.
I learn very slowly how to properly block. It takes a lot of brainpower I just don’t have at this moment.
It’s times like this that I need to sit back and focus on the game at hand
It takes me far too long to figure out that you’re supposed to use Yu or Kay one at a time to shield one another. Once that clicks with me I’m able to make some headway in the fight.
The combat is almost like a rhythm game where you wait for the opening and attack. My brain just refuses to find that rhythm, resulting in me stumbling my way around and nearly dying twice.
By some miracle, everything does eventually click and I can take the boss down in a semblance of victory!
I’m very depressed that I can’t scratch the boss, but it’s time to enter the building we just fought so hard for.
I learn a new power where you can charge up the flow into a flow burst and blast open the door.
Wow, I’m a third wheel in this scenario. AWKWARD
Going into the building, Yu and Kay discuss the building interior and all the fancy machines within. But determined to not leave empty-handed, we grab an Extender Nozzle for the Nest. Let’s make a beeline back and install it!
Upgrading the Nest
We install the new Extender Nozzle and get access to a new part of the ship to use for upgrades and building.
This opens up a whole new crafting section to the game.
Would you look at all that rust!
We craft a balm that allows us to heal amid combat and a tonic to increase the speed of our characters.
We get a little explanation of how to use it in combat and I decide to wrap things up with a little cooking to prepare for the next outing.
But before we leave, we have to get that sweet workout in. Making sure Kay has enough weight for a sweet burn, we throw MattCam on top of his back.
You tell’em, Kay! One-handed ain’t got nothing this two-handed goodness.
We get in that sick pump and can wrap this up. Nothing better than calling it an episode on a high note!
Is Haven Amazing?
Haven is a very special Visual Novel that has the characters at the heart of the experience
Haven is a game that I went in with no expectations, no idea of the gameplay, or any background information. I was completely blind.
It managed to impress me time and time again as I played more and more. The gameplay and the Visual Novel aspect truly enraptured me.
Yu and Kay are two incredible characters that manage to lift an entire story in the early stages of the plot all by themselves.
They feel like old friends to any player; not created to fit some constructive narrative. I believe that shows in their custom dialog out in the field.
Haven is a game that fires on all fronts and is nothing less of a blast to play.
Be sure to strap on your hover boots and follow the flow, you won’t be disappointed!
Let’s grab a good book and meet some crazy characters on a wild adventure!
An introduction to Yooka Laylee
The duos charm is what sells everything
The first thing that strikes me is the visual and gameplay quality of Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair on the Xbox Series X.
I unboxed the Xbox Series X a while back! Be sure to check it out if you want my first take on the console. Otherwise read all about it by clicking here!
My first initial feel of the game after a handful of levels was that it was just a run of the mill side-scrolling platformer.
However, that all changed when the game introduced the frozen berry.
This is something I’ve never seen a game do; the basic idea is that you can change the level from the world map.
Well I sure hope that I thaw out real soon because this is too cold!
By throwing the frozen berry on the level, you change the level to a frozen variation–an interesting way to handle replay value.
Essentially there are two levels wrapped into one since you can use the overworld to change them up for more of a challenge.
It’s clever and a unique take on gameplay. I’m surprised I haven’t seen any other games take on this idea.
All These Frantic Fountains Are Now Frozen
I only have a few at the start, but you eventually get a ton of multipliers to mix and match!
The level starts by taking a look at the multipliers you can attach to modify the game.
These are cool because you can either make the game harder or easier depending on your skill level.
However, if you make it easier you earn fewer quills while making it harder reaps higher quill rewards.
It’s all about how you want to engage with the game and system. It is a nice addition that makes you consider your options before diving into the level.
I decided to have Laylee stay around longer if I take damage to not lose coins if I die. Yes… I did die a lot. Thanks for asking.
I just like to be frozen
The name of the game for this level is to try not to become an icicle; essentially our top priority as we scroll to the goal.
It’s cool (bah-dum-tss) that the entire level has now taken on a frozen variation; staying close to the same level as before, just frozen over with different paths, new challenges, and some tough platforming.
I start by going the wrong way but we recuperate and grab the first T.W.I.T coin of the level–keep that in your mind for a bit because I’ll touch on it later on.
Jumping up frozen water jets, grabbing quills, and some good solid platforming is the bread and butter of Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair.
I run into a roadblock which makes me think that maybe a double jump skill will be coming our way soon. I believe that mechanic will inflate the replay value.
Moving forward we ring a bell and gather more quills, finding some hidden secrets in the walls that are nicely hidden as well.
Sometimes you gotta look around your surroundings to find the hidden goodies
The quills are currency to purchase those multipliers that can change the game up, it’s a nice risk-reward style of gameplay.
Taking damage in Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair is just like Yoshi’s Island where Baby Mario would float around and you have to catch him in time, except Laylee is in Mario’s shoes… err? Diaper?
We run into a T.W.I.T coin I can’t reach again and then take a fun ice ramp down to the end of the level.
Saving the bees shatter the MattCam, hmm interesting
At the end of the level review, we save Waspinson and gather 2 of the 5 T.W.I.T coins with a total of 169 quills!
All in all, a pretty good job for a fun alternate level!
Running Around the OverWorld
The overall goal of Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair is to beat the impossible lair. Go figure, right?
The game does something pretty clever where you can beat the game right from the start. However, you have to have the skills to do it, which I do not possess.
So, to make the impossible lair more possible you go through all these levels saving bees that act as shields to help you survive.
They act as a source of protection to give you extra hits throughout, which you are going to need to survive.
The bee queen gives us access to a scorch berry to allow us to turn the level back to normal.
If you’ve played Banjo Kazooie you’re going to feel right at home with Yooka Laylee
After a short comparison to Banjo Kazooie, which Yooka Laylee inspiration wears on its sleeve, we head right into a bonus stage.
A snake salesman that wears pants, freaking genius
Nothing fancy in this bonus, just take out all the enemies! Once they are all down, Pagie opens up the next section of the map.
We run into a water berry that can be used to water the flowers scattered around so we can make our way forward.
A snake salesman that wears pants, freaking genius
Opening up the next section. we run into Trowzer and easily one of the best jokes in the game.
Trowzer uses pay-walls to gate off parts of the overworld, which you need T.W.I.T coins to open the world.
They are worth collecting so you can open more pay-walls and get more levels.
We can now move forward to the next level to dodge some sawblades!
Saw Blades for Day
To start, we go through a big green door and gather some of the quills inside.
Grabbing a shell, we break through some boxes to grab a key and unlock the door to progress.
The sawblades in this level are killer and tough to traverse as we go room to room by dodging appropriately.
Crashing through doors and taking down baddies is the name of the game in this round.
Taking a secret way, we secure the first T.W.I.T coin and continue the efforts of dodging saw blades.
The gameplay is a bit floaty as Yooka tends to slide a bit, although the controls are really good.
Yooka doesn’t stop on a dime but rather slides to a stop, which takes a bit to get used to.
We run into a bomb that has various uses but you want to throw it at a crab within the level to get the T.W.I.T coin it is protecting.
AHHHHHHHHH IM ON FIRE
After a close call with a saw blade, we make it to the next door to move forward.
Then we hit some platforming that forces us to go up through the level collecting quills along the way.
A bit further and we rescue Willicomb Pugh, the next bee to add to our ever-growing shield to help get through the impossible lair!
Let’s take a quick trip back to the overworld and call this an episode.
Vendi and the Menus of Wonder
This menu is the hub to pretty much the entire collectathon
A quick trip to Vendi showcases how you purchase Vendi. I quickly discover that you do this all through a menu.
So Vendi just exists but can’t help you, so you go into the menu and can change up your multipliers, check achievements, see all the bees you’ve gotten (each with a unique bio), and change settings.
Games back in the day used to have all of the Achievements laid out in the game’s menu and I appreciate that it is in Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair.
Is Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair Amazing?
Hunter Armada Giving Final Gameplay Thoughts on Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair
Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a solid platformer in an age where there are not that many anymore.
It goes above and beyond with its unique take on changing levels with a super fun cast of characters.
Everything feels alive and the world creates an ambiance that it is lived in as you explore every corner and collect anything you can get your hands on.
I enjoy that if you’re good enough you can beat the game within the first ten minutes. I find it to be a really interesting take.
I had a fantastic time with Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair and if you’re interested, I can’t recommend it enough!
The parkour gameplay is very unique and makes you feel like you’re running top speed through a city that wants you dead.
But thankfully Faith is the best runner in the business. It’s just a shame that I’m at the wheel because I’m bad at this game. But don’t let that ever deter you from playing a game! One does not have to be the best to enjoy something. Plus, if you play enough you are only destined to get better!
Running headfirst into the sewers we immediately get chased and shot at by the police. Thanks to my running skills, I manage to get a hidden collectible, immediately forget how to climb a wall and die.
A simple vent should not give anyone this much trouble
On try number two, I fall from a height that is just too high and die on impact.
Thankfully, the third time’s the charm and we get through the sewer into a nice blue building that gives us safety.
Turning a value, we attempt to jump into a vent but fail and fall to another death.
A simple vent should not give anyone this much trouble
This leads to a point where I can 100% say that this game was made back in 2008.
It feels like a game from back then, for better or worse. We have come a long way since Mirror’s Edge was released and experiencing it in this replay is a great showcase of that.
Games nowadays tend to hold your hand a lot more while not letting you make mistakes. Mirror’s Edge doesn’t have too much of that. You learn things the hard way here.
It’s all about how you control Faith and then having to play to the game’s whim.
As stated, there is no hand-holding; you have the controls and the obstacles make it happen.
I finally get into the vent and we run out of a giant red door into the next part of the level.
Man Mirror’s Edge holds up just looks fantastic wish it played better but it’s fun to play through again!
To playthrough Mirror’s Edge you just look for the red and run towards it
Coming into a big open area, we run-up to descend into the sewers.
Dodging gunfire, we wall run down deeper while also doing some sweet jumps. This is another spot where I unfortunately miscalculate and fall to my death.
We shake it off and slide down a pipe, which Faith fails to grab, causing another death.
I quickly realize I am not good at this game and the title takes on a whole new meaning
But finally, we manage to make it to the bottom and go through a door by hitting a nearby button.
Going through the door, we enter a nice green room and wall climb up to hit a button and press onwards.
Green is the best color obviously
A larger section brings us to ladders that need climbing and snipers that need dodging. Luckily we can climb our way to safety and the other side.
One thing I did want to point out is that after playing a lot of older games on the Xbox Series X, I discovered that it is the best way to experience aged games such as this one.
It feels like this is the way games were meant to be played, with HDR, super-fast loading, and a silky smooth frame-rate. Though, I’m sure I will be saying that twenty years in the future with whatever newly discovered technologies are implemented.
You really can’t complain about playing anything on the Xbox Series X. It’s like having a super-powerful PC with a great selection of games.
As I was mainly a console gamer growing up, it is a true joy to experience these older games at their best.
Getting back to it, we climb a bunch of ladders and continue to dodge snipers.
OH NO I’M IN DANGER
The cool thing about Mirror’s Edge is that you can choose to use a gun or not.
You can play through the entire game without shooting one bullet. Though, the last level is a real pain with this route, however.
But in my opinion, Faith would never use a firearm so I am a nonlethal player all the way.
We take down the sniper and get Faith safely through the rest of the sewer. It takes a few stumbles to move forward but we eventually get there.
Mirrors Edge holds up and was a ton of fun to revisit and play through!
My favorite part was just taking in the cityscape had so much fun taking pics and doing parkour! pic.twitter.com/DI4YgsjFMP
We enter a big room where you need to jump over a large gap.
While desperately trying to wall run over the gap, I take a minute to explain the sequel to Mirror’s Edge, which is Mirror’s Edge Catalyst.
I think that Mirror’s Edge Catalyst is fine but not as good as the original
The sequel did not take full advantage of what made the original so great. They just kind of shoved the first game into an open world.
The problem was that there was nothing to do in that open-world other than run from point to point. For an open world to work, it needs to have substance within that keeps the player interested. Such as Korok Puzzles and discovering shrines in Breath of the Wild.
Once I manage to get over the water gap after a death or two, it is now time to move upward and out of the sewer into the City of Glass rooftops.
City of Glass Big Ending Chase
The police are right on top of Faith and immediately open fire.
Using runner vision, I discover a door and make a mad dash to the safety it provides. But first I take down a few cops standing in my path and barrel through the door.
An elevator brings us to the top where we start a fun chase sequence.
The mystery man is on Faith’s bad side and it’s up to us to take him down via the city rooftops and acrobatics.
WAIT, stop I need to catch you!
We start running, rolling, and ziplining through the city’s rooftops in a high-speed chase.
After jumping across many rooftops, we manage to catch up, but he takes an elevator that we have to follow.
He makes a jump from the rooftop we arrived at and breaks the way across, ending the high-speed chase.
This is where I die a lot, like… a lot-a lot in a constant succession before I finally throw in the towel and decide to call this an episode.
Is Mirror’s Edge Amazing?
Mirror’s Edge has its flaws but it’s still amazing
Mirror’s Edge is a unique parkour game that is extremely fun no matter how much it may show its age.
It is a really fun game that holds up and is worthy of a playthrough for anyone that has Game Pass.
I enjoyed playing through it again all these years later, after not having played it on the Xbox 360 all those years ago.
Mirror’s Edge holds up in the fun department and no other game does parkour quite like it. I highly recommend it!
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