Yoshi’s Crafted World

In the console wars of the nineties, Sega was putting up quite a fight against Nintendo. It was only in 1994 that Nintendo fought back by releasing titles like Donkey Kong Country that pushed the limits of what’s possible with the Super Nintendo’s 16-Bit chip.

The delightful Yoshi’s Island is a game which broke all conventions of presentation by pulling you into a hand-drawn realm of crayon and pencil.

Fast-forward to today and we have Yoshi’s Crafted World, and it’s got the same feel as its predecessor, with a unique world of its own. While the story is threadbare, Yoshi’s Crafted World is a wonderful game, with more of the same mechanics over a more three-dimensional plane.

What’s it about?

While I thoroughly enjoyed my game, it was playing with my 6-year-old daughter which made the game special. Yoshi’s Crafted World has a stripped-down mode for children and it has a more advanced mode for those who want the full platforming experience, which Nintendo is famous for perfecting.

How does it play?

While the game is nowhere near as fun as Super Mario Odyssey, it still gets its core platforming right. The first few jaunts into the realm filled with cardboard, cut colourful pieces of paper and paths which unravel in beautiful quilled designs. It melds with Nintendo’s crafty plans of late, with their Labo construction kits. The world is filled with wonderful soft lighting and cute characters.

From a platformer’s perspective, the game has the same mechanics as Yoshi’s Island. Swallow enemies and pop them out as eggs, which you can now aim and throw in a 3D environment — even though you are constrained to a 2D platform — with a few paths into the background and foreground. While the effect is engaging at first, there’s a lot of missing variety which would have been welcome.

Should you get it?

If you’re looking for a game for you or your child to play, or to play along with your child, Yoshi’s Crafted World is fun and will make you both squeal in delight.

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT

Released originally in 2015 on arcades and then on consoles in 2018, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is a fighting game with pedigree. You ought to have a recipe for a masterpiece featuring all the heroes and villains from Square Enix’s ultra successful Final Fantasy games, all thrown into a fighting game made by veterans Team Ninja.

While Dissidia has done decently over the years, it still hasn’t met the lofty expectations its pedigree would suggest.

What’s it about?

Square Enix is known for their convoluted storylines, but Dissidia takes a simpler route while setting the stage in an alternate dimension, where two gods war against each other, using champions of cosmos and chaos to fight for this world to remain alive. However, there is a bigger evil afoot — one that is the cause of this endless cycle of good versus evil.

How does it play?

Taking a page out of the class system of Final Fantasy games as well as that of Overwatch, the diverse characters are broken up into Assassins, Vanguards, Specialists and Marksmen — all with their own abilities that are true to that character. Matches are set up in three versus three, with you controlling one of the characters, while the others are controlled by the AI.

While the battle system takes time getting used to, it’s the mobility that is superb in the game, as you and your characters zip around the large battlefield, shooting forth all sorts of magical attacks. You have to build up your ‘Brave meter’ with brave attacks, after which you can unleash several HP depleting attacks on your drained enemy. All the while, the screen is filled with flashy effects and large numbers. There is a story mode, but it’s a bit of a bother getting into. The game is finest when you’re playing versus someone. Pick fan favourites like Cloud Strife, Tidus, and Squall and set up a battle of your dreams.

Should you get it?

If you like the concept of fighting that Dissidia NT has to offer, and you’re a big Final Fantasy fan, then it’s worth it. If not, you can always try the F2P version first, as Dissidia is sort of an acquired taste. Also, a lot of users seem to be complaining about net-code problems too, so trying before buying is recommended.

The writer is a tech and gaming enthusiast who hopes to one day finish his sci-fi novel