07-25-2019, 05:34 PM
The Weekender: Eye of the Beholder 2 Edition
<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/the-weekender-eye-of-the-beholder-2-edition.jpg" width="820" height="1491" title="" alt="" /></div><div><p>So I’ve been trying out <em>The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot</em> past couple of weeks. <strong>Fun Fact:</strong> This game originally launched in 2015 on PC as some weird blend of loot-tastic action/RPG and a <em>Dungeon Master</em> type deal as players built their own Castles/Dungeons for players to raid for said loot. It didn’t last that long, closing down shy of two years after launch. In January 2017 it came back on mobile, soft launched in only a few territories. Whatever they were testing seems to have worked because it released world-wide in full the other week. </p>
<p>The problem is, it’s now just one Red Hot™ Free-to-Play gacha mess. Energy gating how long you can play in one go, chests that you can unlock by spending keys, which can be bought for money. Hey, want to double the loot you got from this chest? Watch an add! Can’t be bothered to play? From Level-5 there’s an ‘Auto’ mod, and you can even buy ‘Instant Win’ tickets that by-pass playing levels out entirely. I mean <strong>look</strong> at this non-sense:</p>
<p><img class="leftAlone" title src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/the-weekender-eye-of-the-beholder-2-edition.jpg" alt="epic loot" width="820" height="1491"></p>
<p>The worst thing is, they’ve gotten rid of the Castle building elements, which I personally think was the most interesting part about it, but what do I know? Here I am, playing it anyway… It’s an incredibly pretty game. Like, I <strong>really</strong> dig the production values that have gone into designing the character models and levels and I’m not going to lie, I’ve taken more-than-appropriate satisfaction from putting different pieces of bad-ass gear to my dude. </p>
<p><strong>Tl;dr – </strong>Don’t play <em>Might Quest for Epic Loot, </em>you will probably end up hating yourself (while looking like a baws).</p>
<p>Meanwhile, in the world of mobile gaming… </p>
<h2>Out Now</h2>
<h3>Beholder 2 (<a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/beholder2/id1424921366?mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS Universal</a>) – <em>Full review coming soon!</em></h3>
<p>If this had already been announced, I must have missed the memo as I was not expecting to see <em>Beholder 2</em> on the release docket this week. <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-beholder/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">We reviewed the first game back in 2017</a> and while it had some interesting ideas in terms of the choices and trade-offs, it was too easy to succumb to ‘efficiency’ rather than trying to deal with morality. <em>Beholder 2</em> seems to be a rather expanded affair, with your character a fully-fledged member of the Ministry of Security. You must work your way up the career ladder, spying on your co-workers and praising the leader at every turn. It’s only on iOS at the moment but the first game made it do Android eventually, so it’s hopefully just a matter of time.</p>
<iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='654' height='368' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/VxeSZ-M8ThU?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;'></iframe>
<h3>Fluxx Digital (<a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fluxx/id561319376?ls=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS Universal</a>) – Re-Review Coming soon!</h3>
<p>This is technically a ‘re-release’ rather than a new release, but <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/articles/playdek-fluxx-digital-ios-android/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">you’ll remember the other week</a> we reported that Playdek has decided to revive their digital adaptation of <em>Fluxx</em> from the dead. Originally released in 2012, it was lost in the Appocalypse a couple of years ago – now it’s back! This is a card game for 2-4 players where the rules and objectives can change at any moment. It’s chaotic and pretty unique, as card games goes.</p>
<p>We do have a review buried in the site archives, but it hasn’t aged well so I’ve got Michael on the case to re-review it for us, so watch this space. Also note – if you bought the game originally between 2012 – 2017, so long as you still have access to the iTunes account you bought it on, you’ll be able to re-download it on your modern iOS devices without have to re-purchase the game. The originally release was never on Android as far as we know, and we don’t know if there are plans to bring it to Google Play anytime soon.</p>
<p><img class="leftAlone" title src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/the-weekender-eye-of-the-beholder-2-edition-1.jpg" alt="Fluxx ios" width="744" height="502"></p>
<p>Also released this week of note was <em>Cosmic Frontline AR</em>, <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/cosmic-frontline-ar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">which we reviewed yesterday</a> (it’s not very good, unfortunately) and <a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/healers-quest-pocket-wand/id1438098941?mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Healer’s Quest: Pocket Wand</em></a> (<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.healersquestgame.healersquest" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>), which at first glance is a strategy RPG in the style of <em>Final Fantasy</em>, except it’s also got comedic themes woven into its DNA. It seems a little generic on paper, but we’re wondering if the light-hearted presentation makes it stand out.</p>
<p>Finally, for the more aesthetic among you, the developers behind 2013’s iconic <em>Journey</em> have released a new game this week. <a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/sky-children-of-the-light/id1462117269?mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Sky: Children of the Light</em></a> is a free exploration/adventure game where you can fly around, explore and go on adventures with other players.</p>
<h2>Updates</h2>
<p>A few update of note this week, so let’s run through them…</p>
<h3>Chess Rush</h3>
<p>Tencent’s version of <em>Auto Chess</em> received an update this week, which along with the usual tweaking of pieces and new rewards/content drops, also included a co-op mode. I’ve yet to test it out, but it sounds intriguing.</p>
<h3>Santorini</h3>
<p>The digital version of <em>Santorini</em> has had a few updates since launch. Two this week fixed a few bugs as well adding in an easy share feature for private matches, along with a discount for God of the Week promos. If you’re wondering, our review will be dropping on Monday – sorry for the delay!</p>
<h3>Harry Potter: Wizards Unite</h3>
<p>The first official patch since the end of June, this week’s update offers a few quality of life teaks, such as making the Exstimulo potions a bit more effective, and showing how much Spell Energy you have left in more obvious places. You can also change your code name in the settings, if you want, but only once.</p>
<h3>Star Traders: Frontiers</h3>
<p>In this week’s episode of the <em>Star Traders: Frontiers Update Show</em>, the latest update adds a new ship, new salvage, replaces the Pirate template as well as a few others goodies that keep this game ticking.</p>
<h2>Sales</h2>
<p>On the sales front, here’s what we’ve got:</p>
<p><em>Seen anything else you liked? Played any of the above? Let us know in the comments!</em></p>
</div>
<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/the-weekender-eye-of-the-beholder-2-edition.jpg" width="820" height="1491" title="" alt="" /></div><div><p>So I’ve been trying out <em>The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot</em> past couple of weeks. <strong>Fun Fact:</strong> This game originally launched in 2015 on PC as some weird blend of loot-tastic action/RPG and a <em>Dungeon Master</em> type deal as players built their own Castles/Dungeons for players to raid for said loot. It didn’t last that long, closing down shy of two years after launch. In January 2017 it came back on mobile, soft launched in only a few territories. Whatever they were testing seems to have worked because it released world-wide in full the other week. </p>
<p>The problem is, it’s now just one Red Hot™ Free-to-Play gacha mess. Energy gating how long you can play in one go, chests that you can unlock by spending keys, which can be bought for money. Hey, want to double the loot you got from this chest? Watch an add! Can’t be bothered to play? From Level-5 there’s an ‘Auto’ mod, and you can even buy ‘Instant Win’ tickets that by-pass playing levels out entirely. I mean <strong>look</strong> at this non-sense:</p>
<p><img class="leftAlone" title src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/the-weekender-eye-of-the-beholder-2-edition.jpg" alt="epic loot" width="820" height="1491"></p>
<p>The worst thing is, they’ve gotten rid of the Castle building elements, which I personally think was the most interesting part about it, but what do I know? Here I am, playing it anyway… It’s an incredibly pretty game. Like, I <strong>really</strong> dig the production values that have gone into designing the character models and levels and I’m not going to lie, I’ve taken more-than-appropriate satisfaction from putting different pieces of bad-ass gear to my dude. </p>
<p><strong>Tl;dr – </strong>Don’t play <em>Might Quest for Epic Loot, </em>you will probably end up hating yourself (while looking like a baws).</p>
<p>Meanwhile, in the world of mobile gaming… </p>
<h2>Out Now</h2>
<h3>Beholder 2 (<a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/beholder2/id1424921366?mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS Universal</a>) – <em>Full review coming soon!</em></h3>
<p>If this had already been announced, I must have missed the memo as I was not expecting to see <em>Beholder 2</em> on the release docket this week. <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/review-beholder/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">We reviewed the first game back in 2017</a> and while it had some interesting ideas in terms of the choices and trade-offs, it was too easy to succumb to ‘efficiency’ rather than trying to deal with morality. <em>Beholder 2</em> seems to be a rather expanded affair, with your character a fully-fledged member of the Ministry of Security. You must work your way up the career ladder, spying on your co-workers and praising the leader at every turn. It’s only on iOS at the moment but the first game made it do Android eventually, so it’s hopefully just a matter of time.</p>
<iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='654' height='368' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/VxeSZ-M8ThU?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;'></iframe>
<h3>Fluxx Digital (<a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fluxx/id561319376?ls=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iOS Universal</a>) – Re-Review Coming soon!</h3>
<p>This is technically a ‘re-release’ rather than a new release, but <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/articles/playdek-fluxx-digital-ios-android/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">you’ll remember the other week</a> we reported that Playdek has decided to revive their digital adaptation of <em>Fluxx</em> from the dead. Originally released in 2012, it was lost in the Appocalypse a couple of years ago – now it’s back! This is a card game for 2-4 players where the rules and objectives can change at any moment. It’s chaotic and pretty unique, as card games goes.</p>
<p>We do have a review buried in the site archives, but it hasn’t aged well so I’ve got Michael on the case to re-review it for us, so watch this space. Also note – if you bought the game originally between 2012 – 2017, so long as you still have access to the iTunes account you bought it on, you’ll be able to re-download it on your modern iOS devices without have to re-purchase the game. The originally release was never on Android as far as we know, and we don’t know if there are plans to bring it to Google Play anytime soon.</p>
<p><img class="leftAlone" title src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/the-weekender-eye-of-the-beholder-2-edition-1.jpg" alt="Fluxx ios" width="744" height="502"></p>
<p>Also released this week of note was <em>Cosmic Frontline AR</em>, <a href="https://www.pockettactics.com/reviews/cosmic-frontline-ar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">which we reviewed yesterday</a> (it’s not very good, unfortunately) and <a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/healers-quest-pocket-wand/id1438098941?mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Healer’s Quest: Pocket Wand</em></a> (<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.healersquestgame.healersquest" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Android</a>), which at first glance is a strategy RPG in the style of <em>Final Fantasy</em>, except it’s also got comedic themes woven into its DNA. It seems a little generic on paper, but we’re wondering if the light-hearted presentation makes it stand out.</p>
<p>Finally, for the more aesthetic among you, the developers behind 2013’s iconic <em>Journey</em> have released a new game this week. <a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/sky-children-of-the-light/id1462117269?mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Sky: Children of the Light</em></a> is a free exploration/adventure game where you can fly around, explore and go on adventures with other players.</p>
<h2>Updates</h2>
<p>A few update of note this week, so let’s run through them…</p>
<h3>Chess Rush</h3>
<p>Tencent’s version of <em>Auto Chess</em> received an update this week, which along with the usual tweaking of pieces and new rewards/content drops, also included a co-op mode. I’ve yet to test it out, but it sounds intriguing.</p>
<h3>Santorini</h3>
<p>The digital version of <em>Santorini</em> has had a few updates since launch. Two this week fixed a few bugs as well adding in an easy share feature for private matches, along with a discount for God of the Week promos. If you’re wondering, our review will be dropping on Monday – sorry for the delay!</p>
<h3>Harry Potter: Wizards Unite</h3>
<p>The first official patch since the end of June, this week’s update offers a few quality of life teaks, such as making the Exstimulo potions a bit more effective, and showing how much Spell Energy you have left in more obvious places. You can also change your code name in the settings, if you want, but only once.</p>
<h3>Star Traders: Frontiers</h3>
<p>In this week’s episode of the <em>Star Traders: Frontiers Update Show</em>, the latest update adds a new ship, new salvage, replaces the Pirate template as well as a few others goodies that keep this game ticking.</p>
<h2>Sales</h2>
<p>On the sales front, here’s what we’ve got:</p>
<p><em>Seen anything else you liked? Played any of the above? Let us know in the comments!</em></p>
</div>