Ratatan

 Back in my College days I used to play this Rhythm game called Patapon on my PSP which was a very unique yet fun game which you get to command an army of Eyeball like creatures through beating rhythm of a Drum. The original Patapon series ran for up to 3 Titles on PSP which I only managed to finish the 1st game and played halfway on the 2nd one. Regardless the Original Patapon series left me a lingering fond memory with its unique package of experience and after a decade of inactivity, the former Dev team of the Patapon series made an appearance and recently revealed Patapon's Spiritual successor called Ratatan!

 Managed to be successfully funded in Kickstarter, Ratatan will be planned for Modern Consoles and PC release. No release schedule being promised so far but perhaps we will expect some news from Ratatan in 2024. From the first glance, Ratatan is more vibrant version of Patapon with more vivid 2D Sprites and Background and I would expect the core gameplay would be the same with Patapon, But what is notable is that the music direction of Ratatan would appear to diverge from Patapon's original tribal music nevertheless we could expect cameos from Patapon series would make appearance considering the Green Trex Dodonga had shown up from the current trailer. While I personally think Patapon's minimalistic approach on presentation that can still deliver a very pleasant gaming experience is one of the series main selling point, I am willing to wait and see whether Ratatan would be able to deliver just like its spiritual predecessor did and more than willing to get a physical copy for Switch. If anyone still interested to back Ratatan project, the Kickstarter Funding which can be accessed here is still open until 1st September 2023.

Odallus

 One of my older switch game that I finally cleared from my backlog and it is truly a bang for the buck metroidvania game. Odallus is a lite metroidvania game that tries to incorporate some of the best elements from Classicvania and Igavania. This game is basically a metroidvania with Rondo of Blood stage structure, 6 main stages along with many secrets where the main protagonist basically cleaves away the sinister force of evil in order to save his son like Simon Belmont. 

 As a Metroidmania game, Odallus leans more on classicvania platformer aspect with light RPG elements sprinkled on it for the maximum retro experience. The story is as barebone as it gets since Odallus focus all out on action part. In terms of difficulty the dev made it just right for casual gamer albeit with some insane difficulty spike at the endgame. For those hardcore gamer, they can always seek extra challenge from no upgrade run and it will be goddamn hard without some patience. The Final Boss is one of the harder metroidvania out there if you don't resort the cheese strats since you will fight him in 3 phases with no breaks. As for me I rely on Axe Charge Sub for the 1st phase, Torch Charge Sub for 2nd Phase and then Torch+Spear Charge sub for the final form. The 2nd phase is easily the most troublesome one if you try to fight the boss the normal way. Overall I managed to clock 5 hours for Odallus which would have cut in half if not for 100% completion. If you are classic metroidvania fan like myself, I strongly recommend to grab this game whenever it is on bargain on eshop. 

Hollow Knight Nendoroid 2195 The Knight

 From one of the best modern Metroidvania game, Hollow Knight at long last joining Nendoroid lineup with the main protagonist The Knight heading into the fray along with Hornet! Scheduled for November 2023 release, Nendoroid Knight will be sold for 6400 Yen Price Tag.

 In Hollow Knight, The Knight is a silent main protagonist who wander to once great Bug Kingdom of Hallownest to confront whatever that causes the blight that lay ruin upon the kingdom. Equipped with  small yet trusty nailsword, The Knight will undergo a great journey facing many adversaries for its quest. Hollow Knight is one of the top tier Metroidvania out there because it is one of the successful game that incorporates the best part of Dark Soul's Dark Fantasy element into its game and not many able to achieve this feat. The Knight's Nendoroid sculpt and accessories appears rather simple but I think the articulation could be better than typical Nendoroids. I will definitely get the Hollow Knight and will look forward to Dead Cell Nendoroid too to make my Metroidvania set collection more merrier.

February 2023 Loot

  I think this month is one of my most active period over past few years, and to close it off here is my haul for February 2023. Another big catch since my long due 52Toys and Goodsmile preorder finally arrived. Fistly got myself some Rozen Maiden Pop Up Parade as my way to get back in touch with this series and also some Genshin Acrylics which are quite cheap for the character rarity. Obviously the biggest catch of this loot is The Gattai Guren Lagann which is definitely the right choice for me over CCS Toys option. I am not really into FGO anymore since I am already very fed up with the game but i will still support the series a little bit even though i think Typemoon deserve to be bankrupt for making FGO so stagnant. Lastly I am happy that my Nendoroid Skadi finally arrive and I don't think even think that Slyhe soyboy is willing to buy this one.

Dead Cells Castlevania Crossover DLC announced!

 I don't know if i need this but this is a very pleasant surprise indeed! Dead Cells, a successful indie metroidvania game had their Devs recently announced Castlevania DLC slated for Q1 2023. I never expected Konami is this generous, but this is certainly a blessing for Igavania fans like myself because Bloodstained are just not sufficient enough to scratch that classic metroidvania itch.

 A brief introduction for Dead Cells, this game is one of the Metroidvania game that incorporated Roguelike genre successfully where gains from each playthrough will always benefit your initial position. I have played the GOTY version sometime ago and managed to complete one playthrough and the contents of this game can keep you entertained for hundreds of hours.

As for the Castlevania crossover, I will be really looking forward to the DLC which apparently will be sold for 10 USD. The DLC content will include new Biomes, Weapons and Character skin including the iconic Alucard and Richter Belmont. As long as this Dead Cell Castlevania DLC able to satisfy the Gothic Horror Adventure need of the Igavania fans, the future of Dead Cells Devs will be even brighter. To be honest as much as I hate Konami for the blunders by their Execs over a decade, it seems there are someone competent has been taking in charge for past few years as Konami have been making some good strategical moves for their past Popular IPs like Castlevania and Suikoden.

Shovel Knight Nendoroid 1929 Shovel Knight

 

 From one of the widely acclaimed Indie Metroidvania, GSC at last managed to release Nendoroid Shovel Knight! Nendoroid Shovel Knight is scheduled for February 2023 release schedule with 8000 Yen which is slightly pricy maybe due to higher licensing cost demanded from Yacht Club publisher.

 Shovel Knight is a big deal in Indie scene because it is a homage to a classic retro platformer in particular Megaman and Duck Tales and it is one of the few that succeed to surpass the classic titles. As the titular Hero, Shovel Knight went against hordes of Witch's minions and her 8 Knights in order to save his companion and lover, Shield Knight. Shovel Knight incorporated plenty of mechanics from the classic Old school games which make the fans of genre felt right at home including hellish platformer at some segments of the game. But the greatest strength of this Indie gem is the soundtrack list which will make you feel nostalgic if you was a kid in 16-bit era. If you haven't play Shovel Knight, do yourself a favor and play this gem of Indie game, the best value would be the Treasure Trove version as you get to play some of the 8 Knights which had their own powerup.

Personally i wish Hollow Knight will follow up since its odds are quite good with Shovel Knight making appearance but i think Shovel Knight's Rival Black Knight had a good shot too even some of the 8 Knights like Specter Knight