After the massive undertaking that was my Cutting Corners Mini-Series, it’s great to be back on my dream project once more. Welcome to Stiles’ Series Synopsis of Final Fantasy, where I dissect each game in the series in turn, analyzing both the game as a stand-alone product and on its place in the series.
This time I take a look at Final Fantasy III, the game that remained the missing link in the series longer than any other. How do I feel it holds up? You will just hace to watch to find out!
Today we sit down with Gerald Ligot, Creative Director of The Misfits! This third-person arena shooter places emphasis on teamwork by cutting out the fancy exo-suits and zero gravity and bringing us back to our roots. Relying on advantages from cover as well as various weapon pick-ups and more, The Misfits is going to feature several game modes as well as 8 unique maps. Utilizing cell shading similar to a comic book and a “dog eat dog world” this arena based Player vs. Player (PvP) shooter is going to take the teamwork and communication to new realms!
SGR – With a market becoming heavily saturated with first/third person shooters, what is going to make The Misfits stand out among the crowd? What elements of this title are going to draw your targeted audience?
SGR – Featuring several different weapon pickups, game modes as well as 8 different maps at launch time, The Misfits is holding nothing back it seems. What various weaponry and map scenery can players expect to see within this title?
Ligot – We are a small studio of 5 trying to make a very big game and a studio from scratch. We can’t afford to hold anything back. We want to succeed as a studio and we are hoping The Misfits will be the start of many titles for us. We have more environments and weapons planned for this game which we hope to add as downloadable content in the future. It’s difficult when we have such a skeleton crew. So far we are getting some great feedback from our community on the direction we are taking.
SGR – How are the different themed arena maps going to be structured to help promote multiple routes and encourage players to explore all the various areas? Will there be any defining elements to the maps?
Ligot – Our level design is unique per each map with multiple critical paths, secondary and tertiary paths. We are also planning on additional player mechanics that will allow the players to quickly navigate through windows, climb, ramp jump and slide under objects quickly. We are also planning to have environmental interaction in the future.
Ligot – Our goal with the game modes was to have a variety team-oriented modes with a few traditional game modes like Team DeathM. This way players can quickly transition from whatever game they are playing currently. We are focusing on multi-team objective game modes as well to keep our players excited and coming back for more. In addition, we ask our players during our weekly play test sessions for feedback. This helps to ensure a fun game and it also helps us engage with our community.
SGR – Offering 3 different classes (Heavy, Mid and Light) and game mechanics ranging from cover base shooting to destructive environments, just how chaotic can players expect The Misfits to become? How much of a difference with the Day/Night cycle make?
Ligot – This chaos is real! Just playing our alpha with the mechanics we currently have, combined with our 10v10 or 5v5v5v5 game modes makes for very chaotic matches. We also have objective modes that focus that chaos to specific locations and encourage team play and strategy to win matches.
The Day/Night cycle only adds to the ambiance in real-time. You may play better when you can see all the environment in the daytime, but how will you fair at night?
SGR – Do you have any future plans for DLC or updates with The Misfits? Can we expect to see any new exciting developments from PIGDOG GAMES somewhere down the line?
Ligot – Yes, we will be releasing downloadable content packs in the future. These different Packs will contain skins, new characters and more! We have other projects in different genres we’d like to publish, not just shooters.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PigDog_Games
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/pigdogreviewsgames
Below is a Developer update on The Misfits!
I can’t believe it, they made a good one. I mean really good. Arguably one of the best RPGs on the SNES good, and it never officially left Japan… Screw you Square!
Continue reading Stiles’ Series Synopsis | Seiken Densetsu 3
Today, we sit down with Robert Anderson of Devil’s Peek Games and talk about their game titled Orb. This 2D single-player puzzle encourages Players to push thought and precision to greater heights while being amplified by an electrifying soundtrack. Offering more than what meets the eye, Orb provides many captivating game modes as well as several other factors mentioned during our sit down together. So with our further delay, let’s dive into the Puzzleverse and find out what makes Orb one of a kind!
SGR – Featuring over 140 different puzzles that intertwine different elements, Orb is certainly coming out the gate swinging! With this being your first title’ released from Devil’s Peek Games, what experiences did you have developing it and working on it until this point in time
Anderson – This my friend is truly a question with a thousand different answers 
For me personally every goal that I have set and reached has been an experience – however to date I will say that the biggest experience that I have had and will still have the pleasure of being able to enjoy is that of interacting and engaging with some of the most creative and intelligent individuals that walk the planet. Writing a game solo is most certainly not something I’d recommend (especially if you have a day job!), however, I personally believe that should you do so – you will be forever changed as an individual. You will learn things about yourself that you never knew were there or were possible – you will also experience breaking points, disappointment, long nights of grunt and frustration – and take it from me – the lack of sleep is not conducive to progress! It sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? But in reality, it truly is! I mean, part of being a human is to embrace emotion! You feel alive again, and If you make a good game, and you really put your heart and your dreams into it – you will no doubt experience the highest of highs when you start to realize that what you have created is actually something that other people would like to play.
SGR – What is the story behind Orb? What inspired you to utilize this idea in a 2D puzzle?
Anderson – So Orb is actually a black hole flare trapped inside an alternate dimension by the name of the Puzzleverse. Here Orb must seek all 12 fragments of his shattered galaxy, unite them in the center, and unlock the 13th constellation – revealing Orbs hardest and most challenging puzzles yet, as well as Ophicius. Orb is on a mission to claim back his rightful place in the stars, and in so doing will become the biggest and brightest star in the sky.
SGR – With an immersive soundtrack and pulsating visuals, how will Orb compete with other Puzzle based games? How will the different abilities and upgrades affect the Player’s experience?
Anderson – While the immersive soundtrack and pulsating visuals make the game extremely attractive – the core of the game is based on the elements and the unlocks – featuring over 20 at the moment. Given that the game is poised to get really really challenging, these elements are introduced slowly to the player, ensuring they have a firm grasp on its concept before moving on. To build upon the elements, there are also abilities which change the puzzlescape somewhat – presenting solutions to puzzles that were not there before the unlock. Then there are the wormholes – as a means of travel from one constellation of puzzles to another. Here you have to ensure that you have unlocked and built Orb up to be strong enough to defeat the wormholes. By solving the more complicated, but not required puzzles you will be rewarded with upgrades and abilities which will make your life a little easier in the wormhole.
SGR – With so many puzzles ranging from simple to complex, can you explain the different game types and challenges present? What are some of the differences Player’s can expect within the 13 different constellations within the game?
Anderson – The way you play the game will be entirely up to your personality – if you are someone who strives for perfection, you’ll want to complete the puzzles in as few moves as possible. For those that like to win, you’ll pick the game up and turn the puzzles into a speed runner (with leaderboards). If you like to think deeply then head a little further out of the Puzzleverse for the really complicated puzzles. Don’t want to think? Sit and zone out while getting lost in the background to some really awesome tunes. Each constellation will bring in an additional set of puzzle elements to master – most of the elements will build onto and interact with the other elements in the game. Furthermore, there is a core mechanic which the player is not introduced to in the alpha – and that is the color realm mechanic. You see essentially Orb is made of light, and he can diffuse into other colored realms – in so doing you will then have the ability to view paths and puzzle elements only visible under that light spectrum. There are 8 realms in total (red, green, blue, purple, yellow, aqua, white and black). The alpha takes place in the white realm, while the blue realm will be introduced in the second constellation. Once you have reached the 9th constellation you will have collected all three primary color swap orbs, presenting you with the ability to phase between the realms at will. Another awesome mechanic, which is introduced in the alpha is x-ray vision – allowing you to not only observe the powerlines of the Puzzleverse, but also UV light which will be essential to see to be able to solve a few of the puzzles. Then we can expect to see subtractive lasers (which also enhance on the color swap mechanic), as well as (at the moment) 4 different classes of enemies – excluding the basic turrets. The “spotter”, a purple enemy which moves on a set path and will shoot at you if you are caught in its path is introduced in the alpha and is located on the level called “The Turret”.
SGR – In a future patch update, you note the ability to complete puzzles with a friend or attempt different challenges together. What different elements and abilities do you foresee having to add in addition to this feature? How do you feel the co-op experience will feel compared to the single player?
Anderson – Yes indeed there is a co-op core in the game however that will only be focused upon and released post version 1. I believe the co-op play will definitely bring a couple more elements to the table, however as it stands the current set of puzzle elements are well compatible and suitable for co-op play. As for the challenges, there will be PvP races (with the possibility of setting the end goal, being it playing race, catch or fetch etc). I believe the co-op experience will feel just as good, if not better than the single player – and should leave both players with a sense of accomplishment after completing a complicated puzzle or challenge together.
Orb was developed by Devil’s Peek Games and is currently running a Greenlight campaign on Steam! Please feel free to visit and vote your opinion at this link here! Stay tuned for Super Game Reviews’ “Indie Game Spotlight” on this title when it releases!
So, this game is considered a classic and a masterpiece huh? Oh god, I can already see the lynch mob planning their attack…
It is finally complete. Almost two hours of in-depth analysis, dissecting Final Fantasy XV from every angle I could think of. This video, in particular, ties up all the loose ends with the gameplay, and covers the connections between Kingsglaive, Brotherhood, and the game itself.
If this is the first video you’ve seen from this series, I highly suggest you begin by watching Parts 1, 2, and 3, as all of these videos build on one another.
Welcome to the first official entry of Stiles’ Series Synopsis, where I will be reviewing and analyzing the games that kicked off the Mana series. What a mixed bag these games turned out to be.
Continue reading Stiles’ Series Synopsis | Sword of Mana/Final Fantasy Adventure
Super Game Reviews 