#823 Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution

Posted: 13th June 2014 by Jeroen in Games
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340th played so far

1224098577Genre: Strategy
Platform: Playstation 3/Xbox 360/DS
Year of Release: 2008
Developer: Firaxis Games
Publisher: 2k games

And so we reach the final Civilization game (noooo) we’ll cover for the blog. A slightly odd installment, focused on a console and handheld release, rather than the PC versions that came before.

I’ve played it before in the simpler DS version, but today we’ll be playing the console version of the game, hopefully another one to the end.

Our Thoughts

For a PC gamer, a console port often seems to lose something along the way. Because of the limitations of a controller, controls get simplified, parts of gameplay get cut out and customization gets lost. It works better on some games than others – platformers and FPSes are usually fine, while strategy games and simulations often suffer. RPGs tend to be shuffled to work better – the Mass Effect series provides a good example of this effect, moving towards more of a shooter approach in its second installment.

For the Civilization series, then, the choice was clearly made not to just port an existing game and adjust it. Civilization Revolution instead takes the basic game concepts, takes them apart and makes its own game with it. It’s recognisably Civilization, but plays faster (partially due to a smaller world map), with less flexible rules, but most of the options still there. When playing, it feels so much like the parent series that it takes time to work out what’s missing and what’s different – less worker management, numbers tweaked to speed up play and a reduction in buildings, units, tech and so on.

What’s as nice are the things the game adds in its place. It rewards discovery by giving you bonuses for discovering certain ancient artifacts (including, from one, so many techs that it makes you jump way ahead of others in those stakes). The barbarian tribes have far more of a presence – the camps are actually split into different tribes, leading you to different camps in the same tribe as well as trying to direct your attention to other civilizations.

And the game looks gorgeous. The cities grow in front of you, the world looks interesting and there’s a lot of variation present. The cities have interesting different layouts, representing everything that’s in there, slowly upgrading itself. I think this is the only Civ game where you actually see the wonder being built in the city, on the main map. It makes the game quite a bit nicer.

Final Thoughts

Well, this feels like the end of an era, pun not intended. We are now a hop and a skip over the thirdway mark of this blog (despite being a few years in… wow we will never be done with this blog) and we have finished another major franchise. Sure it isn’t as prolific as the Mario franchise (which we are way behind on at this point in time).

It was a good Civilization game but it still can’t be beaten by Civilization IV which still stands as the best of the franchise in my eyes (and yes I think it’s better than Civilization V)

#953 WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010

Posted: 9th June 2014 by Jeroen in Games
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339th played so farsmackdown-vs-raw-2010-box-artworkGenre: Fighting
Platform: Various
Year of Release: 2009
Developer: Yuke’s
Publisher: THQ

After the release of the list’s second edition, 20 games were removed, with twelve of them unplayed so far. For completeness and because we wanted to try some of them, we decided to still play these twelve, but with shorter or changed write-ups. Today the fourth, and our first ‘annual’ game – WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010

One of the more obvious games to update with a new list are the annual releases of sports franchises, and indeed they have gone (although surprisingly not replaced by later editions). We will cover the likes of FIFA 2010 later, but first we’ve got what is technically a fighting game.

I’ll be honest, I’m in the camp of people who doesn’t really get wrestling – not that I’ve really tried, but both the soap-ish storylines and the fighting (staged and real) just don’t appeal to me. A lot of it just seems over the top anyway. Strangely, I am in the camp that used to really enjoy wrestling computer games as a kid. I would use the create-a-wrestler function to insert Nina Williams into the world of wrestling before KOing Kane by using the Worm. Good times. Good times.

Still, a lot of that is stripped away with a game like this. Sure, there’s the flashy entrances and the game has a pretty big character editor when you’re creating your own wrestler – plenty of options in looks and clothing. It just doesn’t matter once you’re actually in the ring and wrestling (although I suppose it makes for a fun way to fill the time in between). You jump in, you get to perform your wrestling moves (which, because of the above, is not something I really understand as much) and hopefully finish using one of your special moves. Those are one of the concessions to the more showy aspects of this type of wrestling, together with the uses of taunting and some of the insaner modes – such as one that requires you (while wrestling) to climb a ladder and pull a suitcase off. I’m sure it’s based on something real, but to a novice like myself, it seems bizarre.

In the mean time, the game looks good – a lot of time has been spend on the surroundings, including entrances (which I assume are real for these wrestlers) – if a bit functional in places. From the few I recognise, the wrestlers seem to resemble their real life counterparts quite well.

Is it a game I miss from the list? Not exactly, but then again, wrestling isn’t my thing, and if you have no interest in WWE, you miss out on a lot. As an entry in the yearly series however, it’s clear why it should be on there, as a major entry in these series.I suppose that, in the end, it’s difficult for a more ‘definitive’ list like this to fit in works that are temporary by design, with a fairly strict yearly release schedule.

#865 Sins of a Solar Empire

Posted: 5th June 2014 by Jeroen in Games
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338th played so farSins-of-a-Solar-Empire-box-art_lgGenre: Strategy/Simulation
Platform: PC
Year of Release: 2008
Developer: Ironclad Games
Publisher: Stardock

I’ll be honest. There are certain games where, once I realise what they are, I look forward to playing, because I am fairly sure they’ll push the right buttons. Sins of a Solar Empire is a spiritual successor to Galactic Civilizations, a 4X game we enjoyed but that was unfortunately too unstable for us to play for long.

Hopefully, Sins of a Solar Empire will make up for that and give us something else fun to play with.

Our Thoughts

As we started playing, it rather quickly became clear that this wasn’t an update of Galactic Civilizations (that game already taking a lot from Masters of Orion). It has a lot of elements, but it’s focused more on battles, faster gameplay and shorter turnarounds. I would say it seems closer to Rise Of Nations – it’s a similar cut down 4X experience that becomes more of a strategy game than empire building.

At the same time, the game’s economy and expansion is more complex than a real time strategy game such as Warcraft or Command & Conquer, with far more extended research tree and a focus on developing different planets. It’s the type of combination we’ll see coming in Age of Empires as well, on the intermediate scale between immediate battles and the big empire-building games.

Ultimately, it’s a game where you improve planets to support more troops and research further abilities to create the large fleets you need to take out your enemies. This takes place in one solar system (or two or three in the large maps), with specific trade lanes linking planets, asteroids and space debris. You colonize planets one at a time, mining their surroundings for resources and building all sorts of space buildings to expand your fleet, defend your planets, do further research and more.

As much as it is a mix of two different styles, it does work. Not as well as Rise of Nations, but there are enough engaging things going on. The downside is the length of the game. It feels set up for the length of a 4X game, but at a (real time) pace that makes it hard to keep going. Resources are also incredibly limited, with some big limits on what you can build, making it difficult to progress if you don’t plan it exactly right. This especially shows on small maps – good luck finding enough room to build all your research stations! It permeates the game, in a way that felt too limiting.

Combat, at the same time, is as frustrating. It’s incredibly slow – especially as you need large armies, the time it takes for two of them to meet can easily taken ten to fifteen minutes – during which you also need to focus on the rest of your empire. The real time nature is a disadvantage here, as you need to spend time directing your troops (the automated use doesn’t always cut it) but it’s just not interesting enough to hold your interest – ships moving slowly and taking ages destroying each other.

It looks gorgeous though – detailed ship models, nice planet designs and so on. When you’re zoomed in far enough, it looks pretty neat. Unfortunately, though, the complexity of the simulation kicks in again and ruins it. To keep a proper overview, you need to zoom out so you can see most of the system. At this point, the ships become invisible, replaced with an icon (they’re often too dark to really see anyway), which obscures most of what looks nice about it. The scale of this map overview really feels off anyway – there’s no separate worldmap, so you’re constantly zooming in and out to find places. There’s not much context either – because the planets are all separate, they don’t feel like to form some coherent system, you just follow the lines.

Final Thoughts

I’m sure that part of my misgivings about this game come from the different expectations we had for it. Still, even discarding that, it feels like the game is a bit lacking in places. The impressive graphics are nice when you see them, but the scale of the game doesn’t really allow you to do that during regular play. The game feels uncertain how much of it should be empire building and how much should be strategy and battles, which means the joins show and it makes it awkward to play. While, at its basic, a good idea, it feels like it has been pitched wrong. A shame really, because there is something fun in there.

#111 Bubble Bobble

Posted: 1st June 2014 by Jeroen in Games
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337th played so far

BubbleBobble_7870Genre: Platform
Platform: Arcade
Year of Release: 1986
Developer: Taito
Publisher: Taito

A while ago we covered Puzzle Bobble after a trip to Brighton in order to find the elusive game Final Furlong. The fact that we found it in some rather beaten up arcade on the seafront is pretty miraculous.

I got to choose a game to today and I thought I would go for the cute factor and revisit Bub and Bob in their first incarnation.

Our Thoughts

Aside from the first thought that enters my mind (which is a resounding cute) this game is incredibly addictive. The idea behind this game is simple enough, you blow bubbles to disarm your foes and when you pop those bubbles you collect the random treasures left behind; ranging from melons to diamonds depending on on your luck. There’s a nice bit of variation here as well – while you start with some enemies randomly walking around that are easy to outrun and escape from, you later get more complicated enemies, with ghosts running around and firing things at you. Combine that with things like fake bubbles and you get a pretty large variety of levels and challenges.

You are also able to so something surprising… move before your foes are able to. This is something I found by accident but whilst the name of the level flashes on screen at the beginning you are able to move and they are not able to. This actually means you can easily clear the first few levels in under 15 seconds as long as you have good timing, and since this game does time you invisibly you need all the help you can get before the enemies glow red and become a bit psychotic.

Another interesting thing this game did, which neither of us were skilled enough to reach, there are actually multiple endings depending on how well you have done in terms of lives lost and secrets recovered. There are a number of secret rooms within the game that only open up if you go for a number of levels without losing a single life, which is a lot harder than it looks for a cutesy game such as this.

Finally there is the music. It is the typical repeated piece of music that you find in most of these era games because the lack of room for a complex soundtrack (something I have really come to appreciate since starting this blog) but sometimes simple works. A genius on Youtube has created a seamless 10 hour version of the music which now leaves me to find a way to turn it into a ringtone and possibly find myself a miniature version of the dragons.

And had we mentioned yet that it looks adorable? It does.

Final Thoughts

Going into this game, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Its basics were pretty simple – capture enemies, defeat them while avoiding them. The game does a lot more though, and does it a lot nicer, with cute graphics and an earworm as its main theme. It’s a real arcade classic, and the attention to detail in it shows.

#176 Stunt Car Racer

Posted: 28th May 2014 by Jeroen in Games
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336th played so far

Stunt_Car_Racer_CoverartGenre: Driving
Platform: Various
Year of Release: 1989
Developer: Microstyle
Publisher: Microprose/Microplay

Now is the time for us to make another random pick from the slowly shrinking list of games. After a few re-rolls (since we still do not have access to every game on this list) we happen across a racing game from the designer of the incredibly unusual The Sentinel. How the same person came up with these drastically different concepts… I have no clue. Just speaks to his creativity.

Our Thoughts

If I were to describe the feeling of the race tracks in terms of other racing games I would start with a mixture of ‘Rainbow Road’ from Mario Kart and a number of the Micro Machines courses. Every single race track takes place on an elevated race track where a crane is needed to get you up onto the tracks. In a similar fashion to a limited number of racing games you are on a course that is not at all fenced off… so it is really rather easy to fall off at a number of opportunities. This is still a fairly novel concept for a game that has pretty standard (and blocky) looking cars since there are not any real life races where there is such a blatant lack of safety.

If you manage to stay on the track you still have the issues of your car taking damage. These courses are not exactly level so you will find yourself being launched off of jumps and hills and have to taking your acceleration and landing so that you take the minimum damage, no small task when the game (playable here) has somewhat sluggish controls.

The big complaint I have is the graphics. For a game released in 1989 they are pretty appalling. Your opponent is essentially a box on ‘wheels’ and everywhere you drive is pretty monotone. If you compare this to other racing games out at the time such as Power Drift it is pretty startling how bad they are. Then again sacrifices sometimes have to be made in the name of innovation. It feels like the focus was on supporting a lot of platforms – a number of which couldn’t do what the platforms we think of as belonging in 1989 could do.

Small confession: In my younger years, we (me and plenty of friends) loved and were addicted to a game called Stunts, aka 4D Sports Driving. About a year newer than this (and looking decidedly better) it similarly focused on stunt racing, with less jumps and more loops and corkscrews, as well as a track editor. The main reason I mentioned that, however, is that for some reason I keep confusing that game with Stunt Car Racer. To be honest, the newer game feels a few steps above, although I suppose the physics of Stunt Car Racer are more accurate.

Final Thoughts

This game falls firmly in the ‘good concept and core gameplay, but incredibly dated’ category. It doesn’t look that great – when it feels like it should look better – but the game handles amazingly, with a good feel for physics and some interesting courses. It’s also fairly tough – but then again, there’s not necessarily anything wrong with that.

#11 Battlezone

Posted: 24th May 2014 by Jeroen in Games
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335th played so far

BattlezoneArcadeFlyerGenre: Shoot ‘Em Up
Platform: Arcade
Year of Release: 1980
Developer: Atari
Publisher: Atari

In our attempts to also get through the list more or less in order, Battle Zone comes next – and with it a jump to the next decade. From now on, the seventies are (more or less) finished. The eighties are kicked off – almost like the seventies – with an Atari arcade game. This time we’re going for a first person shooter.

Our Thoughts

Probably the most impressive part of the game is its early use of a first person perspective. It’s incredibly simple, with asteroids-style line drawings that allow you to see through the ‘trees’, but it’s impressive all the same. The numbers and perspective all work out, with your opponents gradually increasing in size – more fluently than games did afterwards for several years.

The reason that this game looks like it is years ahead of its time (since we are only talking about a year difference between this and Asteroids) is because it uses a different form of graphics. This is a very early attempt to create a three dimensional environment, something achieved through the use of wire frame models. This when coupled with the first-person perspective would make this a prototype for every first-person shooter that was to follow (seeing how you are viewing the entire game as if through the eyes of the shooter).

In terms of gameplay there is not much extra to highlight over games we have previously played from this era. It is another situation of ‘shoot or be shot at’ but this time you have a (rather poor) turning circle and enemies can spawn anywhere around you which (possibly) makes this game the first major instance of things happening outside of your eye line and having to be cautious enough to watch your back. A huge turning point in gaming if you think about it. What makes this complicated is that you control the two tank threads seperately, accelerating on one or both at ones. Figuring it out took a moment – how to use it a bit longer as you need to figure out how create the best turning circle and move faster.

Now this is by no means a 3D game. It is one of those game that give the illusion of  3D and acts more like a treadmill with you staying in one place and the world around you coming into view. One of the more famous views of this game is the erupting volcano in the distance. There was a long standing rumour that there was a secret to be found if you somehow fight your way towards the volcano, roll up it and venture into the caldera… sadly this is not the case.

Final Thoughts

Battlezone has been ported to numerous platforms and has also had a few remakes. Its influence on current gaming is huge since, chronologically, it is unlike any game that I have played from the years before.

#997: Army of Two: The 40th Day

Posted: 22nd May 2014 by Jeroen in Games
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334th played so far

Army_of_Two_The_40th_DayGenre: Shoot ‘Em Up
Platform: Playstation 3/Playstation Portable/Xbox 360
Year of Release: 2010
Developer: EA Montreal/Buzz Monkey
Publisher: Electronic Arts

After the release of the list’s second edition, 20 games were removed, with twelve of them unplayed so far. For completeness and because we waned to try some of them, we decided to still play these twelve, but with shorter or changed write-ups. Today the third of these – a shorter look at Army of Two

This game is probably the main one that had people saying how the original list was… flawed. And yeah, this game was removed from the list. To be honest, I can totally see why. Earth Defense Force 2017 did the multiplayer as well, if not better. It has similar buying systems, although there are other games with as much customization. Army of Two just feels a tad boilerplate in comparison. (I had never heard of that word before… but I like it!)

We quit after half an hour, partially because this was a removed game, partially because we never managed to get to grips with the control system. Knowing it’s a lower priority game, it just didn’t feel worth more than that.

Skip. Get one of the better games that are still listed instead.

#831 Fallout 3

Posted: 20th May 2014 by Jeroen in Games
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333th played so far

Fallout-3-GOTY_X360_FINALGenre: Action/Role-Playing
Platform: PC/Playstation 3/Xbox 360
Year of Release: 2008
Developer: Bethseda
Publisher: Bethseda

Sometimes, a game comes along that intersects both of our gaming preferences perfectly (or did, as it was already released by the time we met). Me, a hardcore RPG lover who includes Fallout amongst the games he loves, and Peter, leaning more towards the FPS genre with RPG elements. A combination between c0nsole and PC sensibilities that, beyond this, we mostly saw in Mass Effect before.

Peter played it before, while the blog is one of the reasons I hadn’t started yet, meaning that we’ve both been looking forward to playing – and yeah, now we finally can.

Our Thoughts

It can be tricky to critique a game you’ve just been enjoying. Yeah, the reason we were playing it was partially so we could get an entry written, but when playing it was a run that I was planning on playing to the end.

Sure, it’s not entirely the original Fallout – the 3D engine with first person or over the shoulder perspective makes for a big change, as does the shooter real time combat system. VATS brings it closer, but you can’t use it as often. It’s a mix of Bethseda’s Elder Scrolls engine (or at least engine style) and Fallout‘s system and world.

It’s that latter part that makes the game better. Morrowind‘s world could often seem bland, with most of the conversation repeated and most NPCs seeming indistinct – only a few topics for the quest NPCs and such would really be that different. With Fallout 3, they’ve followed the lead of that series, with less conversable, but far more memorable NPCs, with a bit more humour and a lot more personality. These are people you can really form an opinion about.

The setting itself is one I enjoy thoroughly anyway. There is something amazing about anything set in a post-apocalyptic world, and the 50s aesthetic mixes a retro feel and thinking about the world (especially in pre-war communication) with a griminess that somehow suits the colour scheme, creating desolate wastelands with an occasional wonder. There are some beautiful vistas, but always with the sadness of what used to be there. A bit like Journey I suppose, except with more roving super mutants. When you arrive at the Oasis, located on the northern side of the map, suddenly you witness a lush wasteland which is so much of a contrast to the decaying surrounding that you find yourself so happy to be there.

Story… well, I only played this for about ten hours so far. There is one where you try to find your father, but I’ve not been able to go beyond that. There’s just too much to do. On a normal playthrough you find yourself face-to-face with cannibals, ‘vampires’, ghouls and some pretty hefty super-mutants. On a longer more exploratory playthrough you will see so much more such as a talking tree and a really messed up radioactive altar to…God knows what religion.

As said, the game continues to use most of Fallout‘s old SPECIAL system. It has been tweaked in places – a few skills merge, no more traits, things like that – but it’s essentially still there. It’s less visible in combat, where the shooter mechanics obscure at least part of the use of stats, but beyond that everything still feels about the same. Probably the biggest change are perks – you go from one every three levels to one per level. It changes their balance somewhat (depending on your preferences), but does make gaining a level more exciting, as there’s always something new to pick. It doesn’t feel like a bad change.

Prior to starting this blog I had already finished my playthrough for Fallout 3 with my awesome back-up team of Dogmeat and Fawkes the Benevolent Super Mutant so this gave me a chance to continue on thanks to the purchase of the Game of the Year edition. Since then I have become re-hooked on this game in with my quest to uncover the remaining 9 Bobbleheads and have not even started on the new material outside of new level-up perks (such as the aptly named ‘Puppies!’ perk). This game is vast, games have since featured bigger maps and better graphics but none I have played have yet left me with the feeling of limitless exploration that Fallout 3 has. And yes I have played Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Final Thoughts

Despite the number in the title, Fallout 3 isn’t a straight sequel to the earlier games – the combat and perspective changes and difference in writing make that clear, with Fallout New Vegas seemingly approximating the latter better. On its own though, or taken slightly more as a spin-off, the game stands well on its own, with a lot of varied options for different types of roleplaying and good combat enhanced by VATS.

#191 Super Mario Bros. 3

Posted: 16th May 2014 by Jeroen in Games
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332nd played so far

Super_Mario_Bros._3_coverartGenre: Platform
Platform: NES
Year of Release: 1990
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo

So we’re back now to what is unambiguously the third (platform) Mario game. Released nearer to the end of the lifetime of the NES, it became one of the best-selling games ever – the highest grossing non-bundled game in fact – in part due to its inclusion in a rather crappy movie (the Wizard), but also due to its quality.

And yes, I’ve finished it in the past.

Our Thoughts

As with previous Mario games, the third has formed my early gaming life, and possibly to a larger extent than the previous one. The colourful environments, large, different worlds and variety of mechanisms was daunting, and while it clearly derived from the earlier games, it was such a big step up. I remember, partially inspired by this game, sitting at home with sheets of paper on which I was designing Mario worlds and levels.

This really is a testament to the variety in the game. While the original mostly changed the background colours and used design elements to create some variety, the levels gain their own variety and different styles here. Sure, a lot of blocks remain the same or similar, but switching the grassy background for a pyramid and putting in yellow blocks makes a bigger difference. The levels in each world also feel more unified, with the visuals being similar in each, with a curve in learning new mechanics and each with their own theme. Rather than just including more challenges, it’s as much about the experiences of the different levels.

This also extends to powerups. While the original fireballs were useful, still an awesome classic, it was just a pallette change. Although the game smooths it out here, the other powerups added look more impressive. The frog suit is such a funny thing when you first get it that you have to try it, even if it doesn’t do much in most levels. Hammer throwing is awesome, even with the aiming actions. But the biggest thing added is flying.

As much as pipes and different directions add some versatility and remove some linearity from the levels, being able to take off with a run and fly through the level adds far more. Your bursts are short enough that you can’t avoid all challenge by it, but it makes levels easier, as well as leading to more secrets. The first level already encourages this – just after your first change to get a feather, the powerup that gives you a raccoon’s tail and allows you to fly, there’s a long open stretch that invites you to run and fly, leading to a miniature coin heaven.

Last, there’s the wonderful cast. The cast of enemies, of course, in this game. All the enemies from the first game returns, improved to fit in with the rest of the game. But then it adds variations on them – goombas gain wings, buzzy beetles fall down from ceilings and more. More interesting is the cast of new monsters, with the new bosses – Bowser’s seven kids – being the most interesting. The seven colourful bosses attack with different patterns, creating interesting new threats that go a step beyond the hammer-grabbing of the first game.

The game seems a bit easier than earlier installments – although that might be experience – but even so the later levels become enough of a challenge anyway that they require many goes to finish. It’s, again, pitched just right, inviting repeated tries if you fail. You need to avoid the warp whistles though – as inviting as they are, the sudden jump in difficulty is surprising, even as you just want to give the later levels a try.

Final Thoughts

Although it’s hard to compare now, Super Mario Bros. 3 feels like a pinnacle of NES gaming, one of the best platformers of the time and even now the example people seem to look to imitate in more modern remakes. The New Super Mario Bros series seems especially inspired by it, taking as much from Super Mario World – but arguably that is just as much a sequel thing.

#965: Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor

Posted: 12th May 2014 by Jeroen in Games
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331th played so far

Spider_-The-Secret-of-Bryce-ManorGenre: Action
Platform: iPhone
Year of Release: 2009
Developer: Tiger Style
Publisher: Tiger Style

Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor has been on our list of games to write about for a while now. Within weeks of getting an iPad and getting the iOS games, Peter had started playing it – and playing it a lot. Today, then, is mostly about writing down what we’ve seen before, now I’ve had a chance to play as well.

Our Thoughts

My initial association when I saw Spider was that of Qix, which in my mind had taken on a spider-related connection to explain what’s going on. And the basic idea – fencing off parts of the playing field, in this case with webs, is there. Here, your goal is to use your webs to catch bugs (partially by chasing after them) and eating them for nourishments – allowing you to create more webs and to help you stay alive. Getting enough of them allows you to advance to the next level.

The different bugs, each with their own tactics on how to catch them – some just fly into your web, others need to be chased or even caught by yourself before you have them. It adds a fair amount of strategy to the game – do you go for the easy catches, even if it means racing around the level, or do you go for the harder ones that can at least be done fairly quickly. Of course, grabbing all of them is marked as well, so you’ll want to consider that.

Several of the levels you travel through also include their own additional interactions, from surfaces too shiny to web to to switches that change the level, lights that attract moths and beehives with more bees to catch. Even so, the environments are impressive, with large hand-painted rooms of the titular manor that you make your webs in. While it’s never explicitly asked, you wonder who lived in the house, what they did and why it seems abandoned.  It’s an environment where you expect cobwebs, and it’s clear why you’d make them.

Many different theories have emerged as to what actually happened in the Bryce Manor. As a human playing the role of a spider completely webbing up a house we are going to make some form of human connection where a spider is unable to.There are a number of clues which hint at the fate of the family (as well as a fairly obvious ‘hint’ at one person’s fate… spoilers) which makes this all the more intriguing with its glowing clocks and the repeating time of 9:00.

Final Thoughts

The game is surprisingly deep for most comparable iOS games. As much as the gameplay is simple and straight forward, the amount it plays around with it is quite major. Further, the background elements – both graphically and in the story the game tells – are amazing and add to the game. You’re exploring just as much, but at the same time you know you’re just a spider. You’re there, but you don’t really care. You’re just the observer as you try to feed.

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