We’re checking out Sea Horizon, Zapling Bygone and The Valiant today – three titles that first appeared on PC and are now out on (additional) console systems.
Sea Horizon review (PS4)
Sea Horizon sets sail once again in the realm of deckbuilding roguelites now that it’s been brought to new systems by Eastasiasoft after initially being developed by 45 Studio. This charming and addictive turn-based RPG invites players on a perilous journey of survival and high adventure across the captivatingly diverse landscapes of the fictional land of Myrihin. The game’s blend of deck management (which has a double meaning here), dice rolling, and resource management provides an enticing challenge for those seeking an immersive, strategy-rich experience.
The adventure commences with players choosing from a variety of distinct characters, each with their own backstory and motivations. The journey then unfolds on a hexagon-style grid, where players strategically navigate their party through obstacles, events, and enemy encounters. Managing resources, especially the hunger meter, becomes increasingly important as long distances consume precious food, adding an element of risk and careful planning to every move.
Things become especially interesting in combat, as Sea Horizon implements dice rolling mechanics rather than traditional card-based battles. Each character’s combat prowess is represented by a deck of cards, and as players progress and gain experience, they unlock new cards and equipment. Here’s where the game stands out – equipment has a dice rating, affecting the number and type of dice rolled, and consequently, the energy required to utilize cards. The interplay between the cards, equipment, and dice symbols makes for an intricate and rewarding combat experience that takes a while to learn but gets consistently better over time.
The game introduces players to different character archetypes through solo narratives, allowing them to master various playstyles and combat tactics. The adventure mode offers consequence-free learning opportunities, enabling players to reload their journey after a failed battle, tweak their build, and take on the challenge anew. Completing these narratives unlocks new characters and transfers them to the dungeon and exploration modes. In the dungeon mode, players face escalating challenges with a party of their choice, while exploration mode offers an open-ended, survival-focused experience, emphasizing teamwork and experimentation.
Sea Horizon shines with its tabletop-inspired aesthetics, with visuals that come to life through fluid and lively animations. The art style may be simplistic, but it successfully sets the stage for diverse fantasy monsters and unique playable characters, ranging from humans to feline beings. The game’s music and sound effects help evoke a sense of exploration and danger, enhancing the immersive experience.
Sea Horizon emerges as a delightfully engaging deckbuilding roguelite that was influenced by tabletop game mechanics. Its polished gameplay, diverse character roster, and commendable feedback loop of unlockables keep players invested. If you’re seeking a challenging and unique deckbuilding adventure, Sea Horizon is certainly worth embarking upon. Prepare to chart your course through uncharted depths and rise to become a legend in the perilous realm of Myrihin, for one of Eastasiasoft’s best ports so far.
Zapling Bygone review (PS4)
Zapling Bygone, developed by 9FingerGames and published on consoles by JanduSoft, presents players with a different and dark kind of Metroidvania experience. In this game, you assume the role of an alien hive-mind creature who wants to murder a bunch of bosses to steal their abilities by wearing their skulls. Sounds off beat enough, right? And it also sets the stage for a rather unique gameplay experience.
The game’s main hook revolves around obtaining various abilities by killing bosses and absorbing their power through their skulls. Each ability allows you to traverse the world in new and exciting ways while providing valuable assistance in your battles against enemies. Whether it’s climbing on walls, swinging with a robot claw-head, or firing devastating laser beams, the range of skills is vast and engaging. Zapling Bygone’s mechanics might be familiar, but they’re used in such a way that the narrative stays intriguing, with bosses and abilities all tying into the game’s worldbuilding.
A large part of Zapling Bygone’s gameplay revolves around traversing a vast, interconnected world where each biome presents its own enemies, bosses, and a rich backstory. With six diverse biomes, with names like Ratqueen Gardens and Grimtown, there’s a sense of constantly getting rewarded in the narrative sense by progressing – something that’s further accentuated by the inclusion of comic strip panels, which players unlock by wearing the skulls of defeated foes. These shed light on major events in the lives of the enemies you encounter, and the game’s narrative explores themes of destruction, consciousness, and the consequences of alien viruses.
The game’s pixelated art style manages to create a grim and eerie atmosphere that perfectly complements the dark tone of the game. The animations are smooth, especially for the main character, and the bosses are well designed and present a challenging yet rewarding experience. Regular enemies can feel a tad uninspired by comparison, but at least the audio contributes nicely to the game’s atmosphere.
With smooth and responsive controls and lots of lore and gameplay mechanics to unlock, Zapling Bygone is a challenging yet rewarding Metroidvania title. While it may not be groundbreaking in its genre, experienced players seeking a new challenge will find plenty to enjoy. Zapling Bygone’s art style and rich world make it a more than worthwhile experience.
The Valiant review (PS5)
The Valiant, published by THQ Nordic and developed by KITE Games, makes its console debut with a solid port that brings its medieval warfare and narrative-driven gameplay to Xbox and PlayStation platforms a few months after we reviewed the game on PC. Set in the 13th century, the game follows the tale of Theoderich von Akenburg, a former crusader disillusioned by the horrors of war. However, events from 15 years ago resurface when he and his former comrade, Ulrich von Grevel, stumbled upon a piece of an ancient artifact called the Staf of Aaron. With Ulrich now seeking the remaining pieces to reassemble the staff, Theoderich takes it upon himself to find them first and prevent the world from falling into chaos and evil.
The game offers a well-developed and engrossing campaign with 16 missions set across Europe and the Middle East. Players will lead squads of troops in traditional real-time strategy fashion, engaging in battles with swordsmen, archers, mounted knights, and more. Each mission presents clear objectives and diverse challenges, from all-out assaults to escort missions. Throughout the journey, Theoderich will encounter other warriors who join his cause, adding depth to the story and forming unique bonds with fellow warriors. In terms of gameplay, The Valiant allows players to select hero teams and supporting teams, each with their own skill trees, passive and active abilities, and a variety of weapons and armor to loot and equip. This customization aspect adds depth and tactics to the game, enabling players to build diverse hero builds.
On the console, The Valiant’s control scheme translates well, and combat remains enjoyable. The DualSense 5 controller proves to be a suitable tool for directing troops and activating special abilities. However, at times, the controls may feel slightly unresponsive, causing troops to behave erratically until commands are repeated.
The visuals and audio of The Valiant on consoles are satisfactory but lack some polish. The environments and animations are decent, but character models and certain details could have been better refined and look a little better on PC. Despite these minor graphical issues, the overall presentation delivers an immersive medieval atmosphere.
The Valiant’s strengths lie in its engaging campaign, accessible gameplay, and the interplay between hero units and squads, and all of that translates well to consoles. The narrative-driven approach sets it apart from other RTS titles, offering a well-conceived storyline that combines historical elements with fantasy elements. While the game does not reinvent the genre, it still manages to be an enjoyable and unique option for console players seeking a medieval warfare RTS experience. A bit of a rare treat in terms of its genre on consoles, The Valiant proves to be a solid and captivating RTS title. Its accessible gameplay and engaging campaign make it a worthwhile choice for console-based fans of medieval warfare and real-time strategy games.
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