Unfortunately, due to a recent leg injury, The Rogue Hippo has been frequently bedridden whilst focusing on rehab. Fortunately for you, the loss of my leg is your gain; because it has been a veritable video game renaissance as I have become more and more desperate to pass the time. In just a few short weeks, I’ve managed to complete Ys Origin, Transistor, and Jotun. Should you amputate your leg and play these games too? Let’s find out together.
Ys Origin
- Rogue Hippo’s Review Score: 6.5
- Released: 2006
- Hours to Complete: 25
I hadn’t played a Ys game since Ys III for the SNES so I played this one on a whim to see how the series had changed. Ys Origin is a 3D Action RPG in which you play as Hugo Fact (is that the worst character name ever?) as you battle your way to the top floor of the Devil’s Tower, which is plaguing the land of Ys.
What I Liked: The action was easily the highlight of this game. You’re going to spend most of the game battling a wide variety of creatures that will do their best to damage you, stun you, freeze you, drain you, and flat-out kill you. Your twitch skills better be set to ‘high’ because you’re going to need to approach every set of monsters differently and you’ll have precious seconds to act. You have four different abilities to overcome each gaggle of foes: your standard ranged attack, a shield that temporarily prevents damage, a set a fiery, revolving orbs that damage anything near you, and something like a bomb that detonates a few seconds after you use it.
What I didn’t Like: The main character was so unlikeable that I was certain he was going to become a villain by the end of the game. Hugo Fact is a spoiled youth from the noble House of Fact (yes, that’s what it’s called) who thinks he’s better than everyone, and doesn’t hesitate to let them know it. I hated him virtually every step of the way. He was on a personal quest for power and his “allies” were simply peons that got in his way. I must admit, it’s an interesting move to make your main character abhorrent, and it’s one that I hope I don’t encounter again.
Leveling up was pretty boring. At each level you’d generally gain about +5 Attack and Defense, and some HP. Your four different attack options remained the same throughout the entire game, simply doing more damage as you leveled up. I would’ve liked to gain some additional abilities along the way.
The story didn’t connect with me at all. Actually, I had to Google it for this review because it was so forgettable. It was something along the lines of [insert generic good vs evil story to force the protagonist to climb tower and kill monsters].
The Good
- The action in this Action RPG is top notch
- A wide variety of enemies/bosses that require different tactics to defeat
The Bad
- The main character is a tool
- Character advancement could use some variety instead of simply doing more damage (it’s worth noting that you can replay the game with different characters but once was enough for me)
- Forgettable story
The Verdict
Of the the three games in this review, Ys Origin had the best action of any of them. If you want to challenge your reflexes by rapidly cycling through your abilities as you battle an ever-changing hoard of monsters, you’ll enjoy Ys Origin. If you’re looking for more than that, you might be disappointed.
Transistor
- Rogue Hippo’s Review Score: 8.5
- Released: 2014
- Hours to Complete: 9
I must’ve been in an action RPG mood because after Ys Origin, I decided to give Transistor a try. I really enjoyed Bastion, from the same developer, and I could see the similarities between the games. You begin the game in a city that is gradually being “eaten” by some sort of computer virus called The Process. You don’t have a lot of information other than a narrator that gradually explains things as you fight your way through the ruins of the city.
What I Liked: My absolute favorite part of this game was the customization options that you could create with your abilities. You will eventually get a total of eighteen abilities and you can only have four active at any time. However, after you’ve selected your four active abilities, you can use the remaining abilities to augment them further. For example, you can attach an AOE ability to your ranged attack and now you’ve got a ranged AOE attack; OR you attach an AOE attack to your teleport ability and now you’ll release bursts of explosions every time you teleport. When you take the eighteen different options into account (mind control, de-buffing, ricochet, invisibility, life drain, damage-over-time, just to name a few), you really have a lot of room to explore different combinations and strategies.
Combat was also very rewarding as it allowed you to try out your various concoctions. You have the option to stop time, periodically, and then plan a series of consecutive actions that will go into effect once you resume time. Planning these phases was almost as enjoyable as planning your abilities. Do you mind control the lone mortar, then teleport into the middle of a group of drones and drop a bomb in their midst? Or do you use a clone to distract the group while you pummel the isolated mortar? The beauty is that there are multiple right answers and you can usually play whichever style you prefer.
What I didn’t Like: The story was so vague as to be virtually nonexistent. All you’re really told, for most of the game, is that something bad happened to the city. You finally get some real answers in the last 30 minutes of the game, but there’s still not much there to sink your teeth into after the “big reveal”. I’m a guy who values gameplay over story, and even I felt a bit shorted.
They developers went with a computer programming theme for many of the elements of Transistor. I have enough basic programming knowledge that most of it made sense to me; however I’m not sure that will be true of everybody. In the end, it may not matter that players know why certain things were given certain names, but it’s a possibility.
The Good
- I really enjoyed experimenting with new combinations of abilities
- The ability to freeze combat and plan your next few moves was equally as enjoyable
- Great narration
The Bad
- Lots inside computer programming references
- The story is lacking
The Verdict
Of the three games in this review, Transistor incorporated the most amount of strategy, which is probably why I enjoyed this game more than the others. I think it’s possible to play it solely as an action RPG and simply not use the Timestop() function; but for me, adding innovative strategy elements to an action RPG is what really made this game shine.
Jotun
- Rogue Hippo’s Review Score: 7.0
- Released: 2015
- Hours to Complete: 7
The action trend continues with Jotun; a game about a deceased Viking named Thora who is given a chance to enter Valhalla if she is able to impress the gods by defeating a series of giants (Jotun). To find the giants, Thora must explore five different regions and find the hidden runes in each one; which usually involves solving various puzzles and trying not to die from environmental hazards.
What I liked: I found the art style very appealing. Jotun looks like you’re playing an 80’s Saturday morning cartoon. This may appeal to some and not to others, but being a child of the 80’s, I really enjoyed it. They do a lot of cool camerawork with wide shots as you run across impressive landscapes (for a good example, see the first 10 seconds of the trailer). As such, exploring the different regions was a treat, with the ice lake (pictured below) and Yggdrasil levels being particularly gorgeous.
The immersion in Norse mythology was pretty cool as well. After getting most of my knowledge from the Thor movies, it was interesting to see where a lot of that stuff originated. The narrator speaking Icelandic was also a nice touch. It’s clear that the game developers treated the mythology with respect.
The boss battles were epic. They required the right blend of skill and pattern recognition that I want from an action game. They also grew progressively harder which made you continually up your game, or you wouldn’t be able to progress (I think I died 0/0/0/1/5/16 times as I advanced through the boss battles, just to give you an example). The art style gets another nod here as they looked just like a boss battle from your favorite cartoon:
What I didn’t like: I found the combat to be somewhat lacking at times. First, most of this game is really a puzzle game with very little combat outside of the boss battles. The primary hazards in each region are environmental (lava, lightning, falling boulders, etc.). That’s fine if you’re a puzzle fan, but I would’ve preferred more combat. Second, your combat options are somewhat limited. You begin the game with three options: a fast attack, a slow attack that does more damage, and dodge. You can find various powers that give you temporary boosts (faster movement, healing, larger AOE when attacking) but you only have a few uses of each and they only last about five seconds. As such, you’ll mostly be choosing whether to swing your axe fast or slow.
The Good
- The art and theme were very appealing
- The boss battles were epic
- The immersion in Norse mythology was interesting and informative
The Bad
- Other than the boss fights, there is very little combat
- Your combat moves are pretty limited
The Verdict
Jotun is an odd game to put a label on. It’s equal parts action, puzzle, and work of art. In terms of gameplay, it doesn’t do anything new, or better, for the action/puzzle genre; but it’s dripping with theme and I really enjoyed exploring the world they created. This game is like playing a fairytale… I don’t know how to describe it better than that.
Final Verdict
Each of these games does something well, you just have to know what you’re looking for:
Ys Origin is your choice if you’re looking for the most action.
Transistor is your choice if you’re looking for more strategy.
Jotun is your choice if you’re looking for immersion and theme.
Until Next Time,
Rogue Hippo