Somebody Saved the World

I've spent a bit of time playing through my most recent Steam sale purchase, Nobody Saves the World, and I've managed to save the world.  Shocking, I know!  Now it's time to report on the experience for the benefit of others who are hoping to also do their part to save a fictional world in a video game.

What is it?

Nobody Saves the World  is an open-ish world ARPG-lite type of game.  The story follows a mysterious character (who takes the form of a blobby, humanoid figure with no defining features) who wakes up in a garden shed only to find that they don't remember anything about who they are (amnesia is a classic) and that the world is currently being afflicted by some kind of arch-baddy called "the calamity."  As Nobody, you must join forces with a cast of goofy characters to unlock your own identity and in the process, defeat the calamity.

The gameplay is in an ARPG style but features the ability to change "forms" mostly at will.  Each form has its own special set of abilities and fighting style.  Part of the game involves exploring the map and discovering new locations, quests, challenges, and dungeons.  The other part is, of course, following the main storyline.

How long does a playthrough last?

I finished the entire thing in 30 hours.  It can definitely be finished much faster--I (stupidly) decided to grind out an achievement and that tacked on a good chunk of extra time.  Playtime is dependent on how much time and effort you want to dedicate to completing side content.

Slug form is one of my favorites.

Pros:

+ Ran like a charm and has low specs.  It would run on a potato!  Plus, I bought it for $9.99 on sale, so it can be found for a nice, low price.

+ Goofy sense of humor that brings a lightness to the game.  It's silly without being stupid.

+ SO MANY FORMS!  The most unique aspect of the game is the fact that you unlock forms and can (mostly) switch them at almost any time.  Forms range from the more traditional--the melee-heavy guard or the ranged-arrow flinging ranger--to the whacky; horse and slug forms come immediately to mind.  Each form has its own playstyle that is fun to experiment with and figure out.  Aspects of exploration and gameplay lean on switching forms--narrow passages can only be navigated by small forms (rat or slug); water can be navigated in turtle or mermaid form (you'll get a kick out of mermaid form--it's more Barnum & Bailey than The Little Mermaid).  Finding a favorite is part of the fun.

+ Tons of customization.  Besides being able to swap forms, you can also swap out abilities between classes.  Yes, you can be a horse that also fires arrows (does it make sense?  No, but who cares!).  You can also equip up to four passive abilities that can be shared between forms.  It's a bit mind-numbing, but allows for experimentation to find the best build for a situation or just for blasting baddies.

+ Co-op play.  I'm pretty sure it's only local, but Nobody would be a great game to play with kids.  The gameplay is easy to pick up and the game is very G/PG-rating-esque.

+ Optional side content.  The base game offers up the "impossible dungeon" which is a procedurally generated timed challenge.  It's one of those "complete X levels" type of deals. It's very challenging--I only made it to the 9th level (and there are 18 total!).  The major perk of completing the challenge is unlocking another form...dinosaur form!  There are also side quests and optional dungeons to complete, so there's plenty to do.

+ Music nicely complements the gameplay.  It's no Guacamelee, but it's not bad.

+ A large map to explore with hidden nooks and crannies.  Gotta find all those mana fairies!

Cons:

- Controller recommended (and honestly, I was glad because all the clicking with a mouse in ARPG-style games gives me carpal tunnel).  If you're not a fan of ye olde controller, you can play with mouse and keyboard, but the game STRONGLY advises a controller.  (Amazon Basics XBOX 360 controller!)

- Dungeons feel pretty same-y.  There are some unique bosses in the dungeons that are part of the main storyline, but the rest of them have basically the same vibe.  They're procedurally generated, so they are different every time you go in, but I think they could've made them a bit more interesting and unique.  I expected more boss fights.

- This might seem a bit flaky since I listed the many forms as a PRO, but they're also a bit of a CON.  There's a ranking system attached to forms and levelling up the skills in a form unlocks new abilities and upgrades to your abilities.  I would barely settle into a form before I unlocked a new one and then felt like I should switch over to level up the new form.  The switching is kind of fun, but at the same time, it's hard to fully get a grasp on one form before you feel like you should switch to a different one.  

- The main story is pretty meh.  

Recommendation:

Nobody Saves the World isn't as good as Guacamelee, but the gameplay did keep me entertained.  It's not a hardcore ARPG, so if you're looking for something that's ARPG-lite or a fun co-op game to play with a kid/partner, it would be a good choice.  Buy it on sale though (I paid $10 and it seems to go on sale frequently).

Those Sweet Deals

I spent my gaming time this week doing a bit more advancing in Against the Storm.  I'm officially in the "prestige" levels--ooh la la, the elite!  Things get a bit different when you hit prestige--you start off at level 0 and can advance to the next level once you've successfully completed a settlement.  Each new level throws a new set of difficulties at you--a longer storm season (by 100%....yuck), greater reputation requirements, and others that I haven't discovered yet.  I played through P3 and decided to take a break to check out my one purchase from the recent Steam Spring Sale.  Although it was tempting to take the plunge into Diablo IV, I decided that I didn't want to spend $35.  Instead, I opted for the indie ARPG-like Nobody Saves the World.

Nobody Saves the World is made by the developers of the fabulous Guacamelee (which I greatly enjoyed, even though I sort of suck at it).  I've spend a few hours tooling around with it and I've mostly enjoyed what I've played so far.  There's the same goofy sense of humor that was present in Guacamelee and a number of different "forms" to play.  Rather than having "classes" like in other ARPG style games, you can change forms--and some of the forms are wild!  You have your more traditional forms--the warrior/knight-like guard or the bow & arrow ranged attacks of the ranger; but you also can turn into a horse, a slug, or a very hideous mermaid.  Each form has its own unique playstyle and abilities and one of the best parts of the mechanics is that you can combine passive and active abilities from other classes.  I can be a slug that also fires arrows!  It's fantastic!

It's spring break here in real life, and I plan to spend some quality time with Nobody Saves the World.  I haven't quite mastered quickly switching forms and still feel awkward with some of the forms.  Slug form has weirdly become one of my favorites--its playstyle involves an ability to quickly sprint away, leaving behind a giant layer of slime that slows enemies while you fire damaging tears from a distance (and the slug has an awesome crit bonus for status effected enemies).

Happy spring (and spring break if you're lucky enough to be having it) to everyone!  

It Finally Happened!

That's right, I finally did it!  After two failed attempts at the closing the gold seal in Against the Storm, I finally managed to get the lil' mofo done.  (*If you have no idea what I'm talking about, I would refer you to the following--my review of the game Against the Storm and multiple running entries about my life goal of completing the gold seal--all are past entries of this very blog, so scrolleth forth) It was a moment of great triumph...and then the soul crushing reality of that "what now?" feeling.  For now, bask in the glory of my screenshot of the moment I managed to finish the final task to close the seal.

My moment of triumph!

If you haven't done it yet, I would highly recommend grabbing Against the Storm in the current Spring Sale on Steam (it's currently $19.49 which is a great price for a solid game).  Now I've got to figure out what's next in my gaming journey.  Do I try to go for the prestige 5 goal and the next seal in Against the Storm?  Honestly, I think I need a little break from it, so I think I'll shelve that one for now.  Since there is currently a sale on and I get paid in a few days, I've been eyeballing some of the deals.

Do I finally grab the Phantom Liberty DLC for CyberPunk 2077?  I have yet to play it and heard mostly positive things about it.  I'm not sure the $4 price cut is enough for my cheap self though and I generally like to play the big RPG's in one go over the summer.

Another game that I haven't given much thought to is Diablo IV which is currently 50% off ($35).  I played a bit of Diablo III back when it was cool (enough to give myself some light carpal tunnel).  I'm not the type of competitive/hardcore player who grinds out seasonal stuff or would drop any cash on microtransactions, but I do enjoy the utter deluge of loot and messing around with the different classes.  It's mildly tempting.

For now, I think I'm content to simply sit back and relax with some current titles in my library.  I'll save my sale purchases for the summer when I have more time to play.  If you're feeling in the market for a new game, do check out the Spring Sale on Steam.

Being an Utter Failure

Not to drone on about my obsession with conquering the gold seal in Against the Storm, but it has become a life goal for me.  Firstly, I'm shocked that I'm even playing on an upper difficulty level and it makes me feel kind of good, so I've kept hammering away.  Secondly, I've got to give the developers some kudos because it has kept me playing despite the fact that I've basically hit a wall.

Twice now I've made it to the seal--a task that requires you to attain enough seal fragments before you can attempt to close it.  This means playing through multiple settlements, so it takes a chunk of time.  The first time, I was SOOOOO close!  Closing a seal has multiple steps, first you have to actually locate it.  Each glade you open has a weird little beacon that points in the direction of the seal.  Then, it's just a matter of having your woodcutters start hacking away at the forest in that direction until you find it.  In reality, finding it is easy.  Once you've found it, then you have to go through the multi-stage process of closing it.  There are 4 different stages that revolve around accomplishing specific tasks--usually these tasks are built around trade, exploration, or reputation.  The first set is pretty easy to satisfy--generally one of the options is to find and either open or return to the citadel three abandoned caches.  Usually I will have already found them by the time I am at the seal, so it's just a matter of sending scouts to complete the task.  The round two tasks are more difficult--you have three options; build up your trade reputation with three different settlements (by selling them goods through trade routes--honestly, this one isn't too bad); gain reputation through resolve (a bit difficult, especially early on); or gain reputation through completing glade events.  The trade route one is probably the best of your three choices here.  I barely remember the round three tasks, but I know that one of them involves having a certain amount of amber and if you've chosen to trade, you should have enough amber to pick it.  The round 4 tasks are a real doozy....one involves getting the resolve of all three species in your camp to the max; one involves using a ton of rainwater and burning a bunch of blightrot cysts; and the other involves quickly completing two forbidden glade events.

That stupid gold seal is just taunting me!

Besides completing the tasks to close the seal, you also have to contend with the normal storm season, the hostility level debuffs, AND a rotating series of plagues.  These plagues throw another layer of difficulty on top of everything--some of them aren't too bad, but there are a few that suck.  My least favorite plague (I think it's "plague of darkness") extends the storm season by 100% and makes it so you can't sacrifice any fuel.  Generally, I lose a bunch of villagers and build up impatience.  Another particularly brutal one requires you to discover two dangerous or forbidden glades before the end of storm season or else three villagers will die.

I was within a hairs breadth of winning one one seal--I made it to the fourth set of tasks and I generally opt for the one that requires you to burn through 600 rainwater and burn 35 blightrot cysts.  Stupidly, I hadn't been using my rainwater and I just had too much impatience built up to survive through multiple cycles.  (*It's worth noting that the tasks to complete a seal do not change, they are the same every time, so be conscious of that)  Just last night I failed again...but in a much faster and much sadder fashion.  This time I was done in by a bad combination of storm disasters--namely one that dropped two blightrot cysts on my camp for every villager who left.  Pair this one with that stupid plague of darkness and you have a slow moving disaster on your hands.  I had built up so many blightrot cysts that my villagers just couldn't keep up, my hearth got corrupted (which made things even worse because then it kills even more villagers...and adds more blightrot cysts)...so yeah, it was basically an absolute disaster.

Am I going to stop?  Absolutely not!  I am determined to close the gold seal.  It's a bit like banging my head against a wall, but I'm enjoying the challenge.  Wish me luck.

News of the Week

Sadly, I don't have much personal gaming news to report this week.  I'm still deeply mired in my bonkers desire to "git gud" at Against the Storm.  I was within a hairs breadth of conquering the gold seal and then managed to fail like a dumb-dumb (at viceroy level you absolutely need to be utilizing rainwater and I stupidly thought I could pull it off without it).  I've been gradually working my way back and swearing that I won't make the same mistakes (spoiler--I probably will!).  Anyway, there has been some noteworthy gaming news this week to ponder.

Notable New Releases

One of my favorite simulation games, PowerWash Simulator, dropped a new Warhammer 40k themed content pack.  I'm only vaguely familiar with the Warhammer 40k franchise--I know that it's a space-themed deal with humans and orcs...and that's about the extent of my knowledge.  I just love me some powerwashing, so there's a good chance I'll grab it at some point despite the fact I have virtually 0 knowledge of the related content.  The reviews for the DLC are mixed with many people stating that they are disappointed because it's all vehicles and there aren't any rooms/buildings.  Here's the trailer for those who might be curious:

If you're feeling a desire for those strong nostalgia vibes, a remaster of 1995's Star Wars: Dark Forces came out this week.  It was hailed as a pretty good Star Wars  game in its day and the remaster currently has "very positive" reviews.  Some of the reviews do point out that there are some issues with the remaster and that the $30 price tag seems a bit steep.  It might be worth waiting for a sale on this one.

Layoffs continue

EA announced this week that it will be laying off 5% of its workforce and cancelling an upcoming Star Wars game (apparently one that was in early development).  This is just the latest in a chain of layoffs in the gaming industry as many other big names have also made cuts to staff.  Apparently they're hoping to focus on their own titles and move away from work on "licensed IP."  I guess that if you're a fan of all those Star Wars games that you'll have to content yourself with the current offerings. (Here's a short article about the layoffs: EA to Lay off Around 670 Workers)

I'm going to be continuing my mad march toward that dang gold seal in Against the Storm this week and hope that everyone else has a great time pursuing their gaming dreams (be they mad or on a more sane level).  Game on!