Thronebreaker: A Gwent Filled Adventure

I've just freshly finished playing through the campaign in Thronebreaker:  The Witcher Tales and now my brain needs a rest from all that strategizing--phew!  I'm not just talking about the puzzles or the battles...there are so many very difficult decisions to make.  The good news is that I had a blast playing Thronebreaker and would love to hear there are more games like it in the works (I mean...when they're done with CyberPunk 2077 because...that first, of course).

Thronebreaker:  The Witcher Tales tells the story of Queen Meve of Rivia as she faces many challenges to her rule.  She faces treachery from some of her closest, most trusted advisors, a Nilfgaardian invasion, and all the difficulties of trying to regain her rightful place.  This story plays out with a combination of point and click adventuring, Gwent battles, and puzzles.  Throughout that story are many, many choices that could potentially have a serious impact on the outcome...or on the characters themselves.

My first playthrough consisted of completing the main storyline, side battles, and puzzles.  One of the more interesting and challenging aspects of Thronebreaker is the fact that you can choose to skip out on many side battles.  In fact, there are definitely times when skipping side battles could be beneficial--you don't always end up with a positive outcome; even after winning the game of Gwent.  One of the dangers of skipping the side battles is that you could possibly miss out on unlocking new cards to supplement your deck.  Mostly, I fought the majority of them.  The final clock for my playthrough was 59 total hours.

Pros:

+ Familiar, but still unique.  If you played Gwent in The Witcher 3, you will immediately understand how the games/battles work.  In reality, it's much, much more like the online multiplayer card game Gwent--each card/card type has its own unique ability and learning those abilities and how best to counter/utilize them is much of the challenge.  It takes a bit of getting used to (for non-Gwent players), but manages to be both fun and challenging.

Players of The Witcher series will recognize the names, settings, enemies, and characters from the RPG or from the short stories.  There's some comfort in the familiarity, but again, it feels fresh.

+ Gorgeous artwork.  I've always loved the look of the artist designed cards in Gwent and that same artistic flair is obvious throughout the game.  The cards themselves are fabulous--some have static art, while those for special abilities or characters are animated.  The art also puts a new twist on some of the enemies and characters that are already known.

Much of the story is told through still drawings accompanied by voiceover by a narrator.  The drawings are also very, very cool and give the story the perfect punctuation.  I also really liked the maps for each zone--each one had a very medieval feel and illustrations that were pertinent to the story in that specific zone.

Choices, choices.

+ In typical The Witcher style, there are many choices to be made.  These choices are never easy and are generally a lesser of two evils kind of situation.  The choices you make can also have a very serious impact on the story/your deck.  If you choose a path that a character doesn't agree with, they might suddenly leave your party--this means you lose access to a powerful gold card with its valuable ability.  More story-based choices could see losses of valuable resources needed to build up your camp or deck.  I loved the fact that every choice felt impactful and that eventually you get to see how your choices play out.

There are also choices to be made while exploring the map--lesser decisions are scattered around each area and they can impact your troop morale.  Keeping morale high is vital as it directly impacts the power of your units--low morale means that your troops face each battle at lower power.

+ Strategizing/deck building.  There are numerous enemies with differing abilities--various monsters, Nilfgaardians, Scoia'tel...a regular Witcher mish-mash.  Picking cards and strategies to best counter each type is a learning process.  There is much flexibility in planning out your deck and through utilizing resources you can expand the total number of cards you can have.  Part of the fun is figuring out the best way use cards in combination.

+ Easter eggs.  I generally think of The Witcher as a fairly serious series, but there are numerous humorous tidbits scattered throughout the game.  Many of these are tied to other games--there is the powerful relic known as "the stick of truth;" there's the suspicious dwarven inn called "Stone Hearth" where you play a Gwent version of Hearthstone (it will make your brain hurt--but it's silly and fun); and then there's the village of Ravenholm...we don't go there anymore.  I appreciated these goofy moments in an otherwise serious game.

+ Features characters from The Witcher series.  This doesn't necessarily mean that they play a big role, but I liked seeing them and getting insight into their back story.  One of the notable characters is Black Rayla, who players will remember from the original The Witcher game.

+ Meve.  Lately I've really felt positively about the female characters in video games and Meve definitely continues this trend.  She also has an awesome braid (braids are cool--I mean, Kassandra from Assassin's Creed:  Odyssey and Black Rayla also sports a saucy braid-hawk thing--BRAIDS ARE THE NEW BLACK!).  I liked the fact that Meve felt regal and strong, as a queen should, but she also had very human moments that were relatable and added to her personality.  Scars are also cool and Meve earned a particularly nasty one.  She's strong, she's tough, but she can be merciful and understanding.

+ Puzzles!  They are presented as special scenarios with specific cards and outcomes for victory.  Puzzles vary in complexity and rely on knowledge of cards and how to utilize them in each scenario.  Their difficulty ranges from silly match-3 games to more complex combinations and strategies.  They are also completely optional (but you will definitely miss out on resources and possibly cards by skipping them).  *I would like to publicly admit here that I had to look up solutions for several of them (the ghoul/alghoul puzzle, the corpse puzzle, and the Beast puzzle).

+Replayability.  The decision-based nature of the story means that there is much replayability.  I made some extremely dumb decisions and absolutely would like to go back and change them.  There are also multiple difficulty levels.

+ Story.  Thronebreaker has a great choice driven story.  The story takes Meve to several different areas and each presents its own challenges.  The choices you make along them way influence the ending you can get.  There are some big twists along the way (one especially that I didn't see coming).

+Great voice acting.  There are many familiar voices from The Witcher, but all the characters are acted extremely well.  Meve is fabulous.

Cons:

- Performance.  Throughout the game I ran into weirdly hitchy performance--laggy bursts while exploring the map and especially while messing around with deck building in camp.  I was puzzled because there's not a lot of uber-graphics (I can understand the card animations possibly being taxing) when you're just out wandering on the map.  It never officially crashed, but it was really obnoxious, and particularly bad toward the end of the campaign.

- Probably not challenging enough for uber-Gwenters.  (*It seems as though a patch in December adjusted the difficulty--there were many complaints prior to this that the battles were way too easy)  If you're just in it for the Gwent and not the story, it would be best to just save yourself the time and invest in card barrels for Gwent.

-+ No manual saves. (Honestly, this could be a pro or a con depending on how you feel about this particular issue.  I liked that it gave your decisions finality--you couldn't just reload to make a better choice)

-Lingering bugs.  In the same patch that adjusted the difficulty level, they also fixed quite a few bugs (it was quite buggy at release) but there are some that persist.  I ran into one that will mess up your battle/puzzle if you look at your deck--your cards go blank and do a bunch of weird things requiring you to reload and retry.  There wasn't anything devastating or gamebreaking, but again, minor annoyances.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Thronebreaker--the blend of Gwent and story-based elements works well and I think anyone who likes a good story will enjoy playing.  Having read the short stories, I enjoyed the way that Thronebreaker fleshed out the story of Queen Meve and the Battle of the Bridge.  It's nice to see the universe of The Witcher expanded and I really hope that the Tales become multiple stories.

TL:DR

Recommended for:

--Fans of strong storytelling filled with impactful choices

--Fans of The Witcher universe who want a new experience filled with new and familiar characters

--Gamers who enjoy strategy and puzzles

Not Recommended for:

--Uber-Gwent players.  The difficulty has been adjusted, but it's probably too easy for you.

--People hoping for lots of Geralt.  He plays a very minor role in the story, but he's not a main character.

--People hoping for an RPG.

--People who hate puzzles.

  

It's in the Cards

I've played so much Assassin's Creed lately that I've decided it's time to for something that is decidedly different.  Thanks to the Steam Holiday Sale, I picked up a couple of good candidates that I've been waiting to check out--Thronebreaker:  The Witcher Tales and The Banner Saga 3.  I decided to start with Thronebreaker and save myself the pain of making horrible decisions in The Banner Saga 3 for later.

Thronebreaker was a bit of a surprise to me.  I had no idea that CD Projekt was working on another The Witcher game and, as a fan of the series, I was excited to check it out.  Thronebreaker is set in the Witcher universe, but isn't an RPG in the style of the three The Witcher games;  it is a story-based adventure game that is told through the card game Gwent.  You play as Meve, queen of Lyria and Rivia, as she attempts to return home from a trip abroad.  Meve wants to get home, but her travels reveal that all is not well in her kingdom--the land is plagued by bandits and monsters and her son, who is supposed to be ruling in her absence, has obviously not tried to address these issues.  (The story gets much, much more complicated, but I don't want to spoil it)

A view of a city post-battle.

Each area presents itself as a large, medieval style map.  Players guide Meve around the map with simple point and click commands.  Exploring the map reveals resources that can be picked up; these resources are used to improve your camp, to create new cards, or for special optional story-based situations that can also be found on the map.  There are also many different special locations found on the map--puzzle-based challenges that have specific conditions that must be met (you play with a different special deck on each puzzle); special, optional story battles--a scenario is presented and you can choose to battle it out in a special game (usually there are special rules and you play with a set deck, but sometimes there are more standard games); and main storyline quests.

Everyone knows that trolls are friends and should always be helped.

One of the things that I'm really enjoying, and it's something that has always been great in The Witcher series, is the choice-based story.  Each scenario throws you into a unique situation where you are forced to make a decision--and, in true Witcher style, your choices are never clear cut or easy;  all too often it's a "lesser of two evils" thing--the choices you make do have an impact on what happens.  I've been playing Meve as an honorable ruler who strives to do the right thing.  Sometimes doing the right thing doesn't have the positive outcome that you want--rescue a group of peasants and gain a drain on resources; show mercy to a group of conquered enemies and have your troops lose morale (which has an impact on the number of hitpoints your troops/cards have in Gwent battles) because they believe those enemies should be eliminated.

The Gwent battles are more akin to the online, multiplayer Gwent than they are to the Gwent from The Witcher 3.  If you haven't played Gwent, it might take a little while to get used to the differences.  My advice is to take your time and read the abilities on each of your, and the enemy's cards.  The first few conflicts on the map serve as the tutorial and the game does a decent job of walking players through the basics of the game.  Meve/you start with a basic deck, but cards can be gained through solving puzzles and winning optional story battles or through the main storyline.  Players can also make camp at any time and use resources to craft additional cards and alter their deck.

One of the easiest choices to make.  Who leaves a cute dog?

As you progress the storyline, things happen that can alter which cards you have access too.  Just as you're starting to feel confident in your current deck...BOOM, things have changed and you just lost a bunch of cards and gained a whole new set, with completely different abilities.  This change of pace keeps the game challenging and doesn't let you get too comfortable.  Depending on the choices you make, certain characters (who present in Gwent matches as powerful gold cards with special abilities) can choose to stay or leave (which means you lose their card and its abilities).  I was feeling really good about my deck and had a strategy built around a certain character...then that character decided to leave due to disagreeing with choices that I had made; now I'm trying to rebuild my deck and find a new strategy.

Despite the fact that early on in the game my brain kept thinking in Hearthstone mode (I was so confused as to why my cards weren't getting to attack--I don't understand why this happened because I've played way more Gwent than Hearthstone), I'm having so much fun with Thronebreaker.  The story is great, the choices are difficult, and the puzzles and battles can be downright devious (but feel so good to finally solve or win).

*Special note--if you're hoping for some Geralt or that Thronebreaker will be very obviously tied to the RPG's....so far (I've played for 22 hours), those clear cut links are mostly elusive.  The enemies and story elements are very much a part of The Witcher universe.  Meve's story is linked to Geralt's (if you read the books/short stories, you learn that Geralt was actually knighted by Meve as a reward for saving her life during a particularly hairy altercation on a bridge--this is referenced in Blood and Wine when Geralt uses his knightly title to enter into the tournament) and you do actually run into some characters who are a part of the RPG's (one features rather prominently in the early story).

Feeling Godlike in Assassin's Creed: Origins

My sudden desire to join the Assassin's Creed fandom has recently had me spending a large chunk of my gaming time as one of the stabby protagonists from the series.  My most recent assassin action found me playing the role of Bayek of Siwa in Assassin's Creed:  Origins.  I just wrapped up my complete Egyptian adventure (which was very complete--I finished the base game and also the two story DLC's) and am feeling positive about the experience.  I'm just going to come out and say it....in my opinion, Origins is better than Odyssey (I still love you Kassandra!) in many ways.

I am basing my review off of my 101 hour playthrough.  I can't brag that I accomplished 100% of the achievements, but I did complete all locations in the base game and in both DLC packs.  I also did my best to finish all the sidequests and some of the side activities (arena fights, chariot races).  I messed around a bit with Discovery Mode, but I think I've had enough Origins for now.

Pros:

Ancient Egypt shows off its beauty at every turn.

--Ancient Egypt is an amazing setting.  I thought ancient Greece was awesome in Odyssey, but I liked Egypt more.  There was something magical about taking in not one, but two ancient wonders of the world, and the cities with their temples to the various Gods...really, really cool.  Maybe it's my own personal preference; I've always found ancient Egypt to be fascinating, but I just felt more excited by the setting.  I also felt that there was more of an effort made to include details about culture--stories about the Gods, the mummification process, burial rites--that wasn't as present in Odyssey.

Even when I was out adventuring in the rural areas of the map there was quite a bit of variety.  The Nile is bordered by lush farmlands but if you venture into the outer layers of the map, you will find yourself in sprawling deserts with endless miles of shifting sand dunes.  The wildlife if Egypt is also very diverse and running into angry crocodiles, hippos, and lions was a welcome change from the ol' gaming staple wolves.

The desert has its own unique beauty.

I also felt like the size of the map was Goldilocks level just right--not too big, not too small, and just comfortable enough that I wasn't wanting to stab myself in the eyes if I had to clear another identical military base (*cough, Odyssey*),.

--Bayek and Aya.  I liked the fact that you had two main characters (although you spend very little time playing as Aya) and that their storylines branched, but fused together seamlessly in the end.  Bayek is on a mission to hunt down the members of an evil group known as the "Order," (this is your stereotypical Assassin's Creed conspiracy) and most of the focus is on his story in Egypt.  Aya, on the other hand, seems more concerned about the larger political picture in Egypt and has attached herself to the efforts of Cleopatra to regain the throne.  Both are dealing with the death of their son at the hands of the Order in their own way.

--Assassinations that felt meaningful.  Unlike Odyssey that just throws a huge number of cultists at you, Origins takes a streamlined approach.  Each member of the order that you kill includes a storyline that plays out over the course of several chaining missions, and usually there are also sidequests that are tied into the narrative about a specific target.  Every single member of the Order felt like an evil villain who was doing some extremely despicable things.  Killing them felt good (not in a weird, psychopathic kind of way, but in a getting justice/taking evil out of the world way) and I loved the cutscenes that took place in the Duat (a kind of Egyptian limbo between layers of the afterlife) and watching Bayek's rage as he sent each on to their just rewards.

--Tons o' weapons.  You can pick something that fits your specific playstyle--super fast daggers, giant maces, a balanced sword (regular or sickle swords, which do bleeding damage), two-handed axes, long-reaching spears, and stupid scepters (they're dumb and I hate them).  This is accented by a shield for blocking, a bow for ranged combat, and a tool pouch which can include sleep darts, poison darts, or fire bombs (based on the talents you choose).  The legendary weapons have sleek, Egyptian inspired designs and some of them look super cool.

Bayek rides through the countryside on a pretty horsey.

--Enough cosmetic options to choke a hippo.  New outfits for Bayek can be purchased from weavers in cities throughout Egypt and special outfits are rewarded for completing certain events (of course you could also purchase some special theme content packs...ugh).  You can also purchase or earn special mounts (camel or horsey).  I didn't count the total number of outfits or mounts, but let's just say by the end of the game you will need to scroll through them.  If having a character with unique flair is your boat....well, there's a virtual Nile River of items to float it on in Origins.

--Memorable story.  Bayek's quest for vengeance paired with Aya's politically motivated activities makes for a great story.  There are many great moments sprinkled throughout and those moments stick.  One of my biggest gripes about Odyssey is that the story is easily forgotten (partially due to just being weak, but also partially due to the almost overwhelmingly large map).  Plus, there's a tie-in with the establishment of the actual Assassin's Creed and how it came to be that's going to be fun for any fan of the series.

The city of Memphis is filled with landmarks.

--Photo mode.  Snapping up gorgeous shots of Egypt is easy with the in-game photo editing tool.  At the press of a button the game pauses, and you can position the camera exactly where you want it.  From there, you can choose a variety of different photo settings to customize your image.  I'm a dork for photo mode.

--Side activities.  There are two different arenas that feature tiered fights against various foes.  After you've complete three of the tiered fights you earn the right to face off against a "boss" type of enemy.  The "boss" fights vary from fairly easy to more difficult.  If slaying hordes of baddies isn't your thing, there's also the hippodrome where you can participate in Ben-Hur style chariot races.  There are several different races to complete and each has a specific theme and challenge.  Once you've completed all the basic arena fights or chariot races there are "elite" options for overachievers (there is actually an achievement for completing all the arena fights including the elite ones).

--Discovery Mode.  As a lover of history, I thought it was great that they added in a special mode that is dedicated to helping people learn about locations and culture in ancient Egypt.  There are numerous tours that players can take where they move through guided checkpoints that include narration and images of the real-life items that inspired parts of the game.  There's also some insight into the game development aspect and some unique facts about what was chosen and why.  If you're interested in the history behind the game or the decisions that went into the development, discovery mode offers up some additional content.

Cons:
--Combat can feel unresponsive.  I can't exactly put my finger on why it happens, but there are certain times during combat where you absolutely cannot dodge.  I think that it is tied to the animated sequences of attacks--some enemies have powerful attacks (their weapon will glow, which signals that the attack is unblockable) that they can unleash.  If your character gets hit by this attack (which is usually a series of motions and attacks), you are sort of stuck in the animation sequence.  Mashing the dodge button to avoid getting hit by the second, or third part of the attack isn't even possible--you just have to hope that you have enough health to survive getting walloped a few times.  It's extremely annoying and was the source of much obscenity yelling on my part.  This is one area where I would say Odyssey has improved--dodging is much more fluid and I didn't feel as powerless during combat.

The other combat related complaint I have is related to blocking.  I found blocking with the shield to be utterly useless.  You have to press shift to put Bayek into "defensive stance" and sort of time the block right.  It felt awkward and I never really figured it out.  When you combine the need to block and dodge it gets especially hairy.  Mostly I tried to dodge and hoped for the best.  There's a good chance that you will be frustrated by parts of the combat in Origins.

I just want to pet them!

--No dog or cat petting.  I want to pet them and you took that away from me after Black Flag.  I'm still bitter.  Why put cute dogs and cats into a game if you can't pet them?  Revolt!

Other than the janky dodging issue with combat, I found that I enjoyed Origins.  The story is definitely much better than in Odyssey and ancient Egypt is a fabulous place to explore.  I would recommend Origins to someone who is new to Assassin's Creed because I think it's the blueprint for the more RPG-oriented direction that the series seems to be taking.

If you're wondering about the DLC, I would recommend picking it up (if you enjoyed the base game).  The Hidden Ones focuses on the early days of the Assassin's order and follows Bayek as he works with a small cell to overcome a set of problems that plague a new region.  There are some cool items, including a new armor set for Bayek that has more of the traditional AC feeling.  The Pharoah's Curse adds a large new zone and has a solid story--dead pharoahs are rising from the grave to attack people throughout ancient Thebes.  The goal is to find out what's causing the curse and put a stop to it.  I really liked the stories in both DLC packs.

The Obligatory GOTY 2018 Post

Since 2019 has rolled around (Happy New Year!), it's now time to reflect on the year in gaming that was 2018.  I didn't play many brand new titles, and there are definitely a few that came out this year that I'm waiting to go on sale (The Return of the Obra Dinn and Shadow of the Tomb Raider), but there were a couple of standouts that come directly to mind--Assassin's Creed:  Odyssey and Two Point Hospital gave me many enjoyable hours of gameplay.  (My full reviews for boh games--Assassin's Creed: Odyssey Review and Two Point Hospital Review)

Runner-up:  Two Point Hospital
In the summer of 2018 the news I had been waiting for since 1997 (not really, but we can pretend) finally popped up--someone was doing a remake of one of my absolute favorite games!  For many, many years Theme Hospital was my go-to game when I didn't have the money for anything new or there just wasn't anything else that I wanted to play,  Theme Hospital offered up a blend of somewhat crass, goofy humor and legitimate management skills all in in the strange world of hospital administration.  I cautiously held my breath that its 2018 reiteration would be able to encompass that same sense of humor and enthralling, but still enjoyable style of gameplay.

Two Point Hospital offers up management with a humorous twist.

Upon booting up Two Point Hospital, it was obvious that the developers had worked hard to make a game that was inspired by the classic Theme Hospital but was unique.  Designing and managing hospitals feels much the same, but much, much improved.  Each level presents a different hospital with a specific set of challenges and also offers the ability for personalization--dog paintings everywhere (that's how you should do it)!  The massive roster of new diseases in Two Point kept me chuckling throughout the game--naked patients strolling through the hospital with the Emperor Complex or weirdly pixelated blobs for unfortunate souls suffering from 8-Bitten.

One of the things that I like best about Two Point Hospital is the ability for players to choose how they play each level.  There is a star rating system that requires that specific goals be met to move up to the next rank.  In order to advance the story, players simply have to manage each hospital to a one-star level.  The other possibility is that players can choose to continue playing the same hospital and face new, more challenging sets of goals.  Each hospital can be raised to a three-star level and there are special rewards for each improvement in star rating.

Sure, there's definitely some nostalgia in my love for Two Point Hospital, but I think that any gamer could find something to enjoy.  The management aspect is challenging but is still fun and there's a goofy sense of humor that prevails throughout the game.  I would encourage anyone who wants a lighthearted, funny management game to pick it up....stat!

My GOTY 2018:  Assassin's Creed:  Odyssey

Even the countryside is breathtakingly beautiful in Odyssey.

Strangely, my first ever foray into the long-running Assassin's Creed series was the ancient Greek themed Odyssey.  I knew of the series but took it as a console staple that probably wasn't worthy of the attention of PC gamers.  Honestly, I probably wouldn't have picked it up if I hadn't have received it as part of a free game bundle that came with my graphics card upgrade.  It's here that I will reiterate that I was completely wrong; Assassin's Creed:  Odyssey is a great game and I had 143 fun (*mostly!) hours exploring ancient Greece.  Playing Odyssey made me a fan of the AC series and now I'm working my way (with mixed success) through the various games.

The thing that awes me the most about Odyssey is the massive world filled with fictional realizations of historical locations.  I could easily hop my character on a horse or boat and marvel at wandering around the Parthenon or stand beneath the towering statue of Zeus at Olympia.  Way too often I found myself smiling like an idiot at a stunning fictional world.  It says something that a game managed to evoke that reaction.  Plus, you can't deny that Ubisoft strives to make beautiful, captivating worlds.  They are constantly drawing you to high vantage points so they can draw your attention to the world around you.

Kassandra is one of my *new* favorite characters.

Besides gushing about the beautiful world, I also enjoyed playing as Kassandra--one of your possible character choices (something new to the series).  Kassandra was everything I wanted in a female character and is extremely well-acted.  As a female gamer, I think it's encouraging to see more characters like Kassandra who are well-written and who are clearly trying to break old-school stereotypes of what female characters in video games should be.

I'm in no way trying to say that Odyssey is perfect--it's definitely not on the level of The Witcher 3, and there are improvements needed.  I loved the world, but it's just too big--to the point where many tasks and locations get repetitive.  There were aspects of the world and story that were novel at first, but turned out to be completely pointless (nation power and conquest battles, I'm looking at you!).  I think the game could be improved by more focus on creating memorable storylines and exciting, chaining missions.  The combat can also feel oddly unresponsive at times.  Having played an older game in the series (Black Flag) it's obvious that AC is changing to become more RPG-like, and I'm excited about this fact.

I hope everyone out there played some memorable games in 2018 and that the games of 2019 bring us even more to play and love.