About the Game (From the Steam Store Page)
Tom Vasel's (of Dice Tower fame) Game of the Year, 2010
Yomi is a fighting game in card form. Learn your character, practice combos, and read the opponent's tendencies. 10 characters to choose from, plus 10 more expansion characters available for purchase inside the app.
Yomi captures the mindgames from fighting games such as Street Fighter, and was created by the lead designer of Street Fighter HD Remix, who was also a long-time fighting game tournament player. Yomi itself is a strategy card game that has held up to many years of tournaments. Start practicing now!
Previous Playtime
0 hours
What Was I Thinking When I Bought This
It's a funny story. A reader was going to buy this game for me in the most recent Steam Sale, but couldn't because the regional price differences were such that he could not send it as a gift (I guess to prevent complex international money-laundering schemes using Steam games as an intermediary). Nonetheless, I was so touched by the gesture I bought it myself, just so the world will not be deprived of my insightful commentary. Also, Yomi was on my wishlist anyways because I like card games and have a very low threshold for what goes on my wishlist (I kind of see adding things to my wishlist as being like methadone for my shopping addiction), so it wasn't any kind of hardship.
Expectations and Prior Experience
I have no idea what to expect from this game, but I do know that I've yet to play a card game I didn't like. The biggest obstacle I anticipate is the need for repetition. There's only 10 decks, which means 90 possible 1v1 match-ups (or 100, if mirror matches are allowed). So unless the matches take 12 to 13 minutes each, I'm going to be repeating at least some of them before this is all said and done.
It's probably nothing to worry about, though. I could play a card game in my sleep.
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Stronghold Crusader - 20/20 hours
Wow, that was a rough day. The reason for me doing a single post after such a long delay is that I played for 14 hours out of the last 24. I had been procrastinating for 3 or 4 days and I knew that if I waited even one more, I'd have exceeded my target goal of a 6-day average per game. Petty and weird, I know, but I'm on a quest here, and I'm taking it very seriously.
Nonetheless, playing the bulk of the game in a single day was probably a mistake. It's not so much that the game was bad or unfun, but rather that I had to force myself to be interested. And that is surprisingly fatiguing, mentally.
I'm not sure why it should be, though. What I did was sit on the couch, cue up some of my favorite shows on Hulu, and play a series of Free Build maps while binge-watching Cutthroat Kitchen and Bob's Burgers. It doesn't make sense that something I could easily do without effort - watch television - should suddenly become an exhausting ordeal just because I happened to be playing an adequate, but not especially compelling castle building video game at the same time.
Part of it could be my divided attention. I never did like splitting my focus between multiple tasks at once. Except I don't think that can be it, because Free Build mode barely required my attention at all. Oh, you definitely have to make certain strategic decisions that will contribute to the growth of your settlement, but unless you find yourself in a spiraling food deficit, there's basically no way you can go wrong. You could just walk away from the PC and things would continue along their current trends indefinitely.
The most likely explanation is that I was playing the game like a city-builder, and it's simply not well optimized for that. So there was never anything particularly bad, but over time, a lot of little frustrations built up. Like the fact that you cannot build anything if one of your people would be underneath it - meaning that in order to expand your infrastructure in a heavily-trafficked area, you've got to hover your cursor over the location and hope that it clears up for the split second you need to click the button. Or the fact that you can't directly control your lumberjacks, which means clearing the land for expansion relies more or less entirely on luck.
Still, I liked the feeling of getting a large settlement up and running. I imagine that once upon a time, having all those hundreds of characters moving back and forth on their regular errands would have crashed my computer, but that's the advantage of playing a game 16 years after it was released. I enjoyed watching my people scurry back and forth, even if their activities were largely pointless. In the end, I don't regret marathoning the bulk of the game in a single day, because I was able to meet my arbitrary, self-imposed benchmark . . .
And isn't that what this blog is all about?
Nonetheless, playing the bulk of the game in a single day was probably a mistake. It's not so much that the game was bad or unfun, but rather that I had to force myself to be interested. And that is surprisingly fatiguing, mentally.
I'm not sure why it should be, though. What I did was sit on the couch, cue up some of my favorite shows on Hulu, and play a series of Free Build maps while binge-watching Cutthroat Kitchen and Bob's Burgers. It doesn't make sense that something I could easily do without effort - watch television - should suddenly become an exhausting ordeal just because I happened to be playing an adequate, but not especially compelling castle building video game at the same time.
Part of it could be my divided attention. I never did like splitting my focus between multiple tasks at once. Except I don't think that can be it, because Free Build mode barely required my attention at all. Oh, you definitely have to make certain strategic decisions that will contribute to the growth of your settlement, but unless you find yourself in a spiraling food deficit, there's basically no way you can go wrong. You could just walk away from the PC and things would continue along their current trends indefinitely.
The most likely explanation is that I was playing the game like a city-builder, and it's simply not well optimized for that. So there was never anything particularly bad, but over time, a lot of little frustrations built up. Like the fact that you cannot build anything if one of your people would be underneath it - meaning that in order to expand your infrastructure in a heavily-trafficked area, you've got to hover your cursor over the location and hope that it clears up for the split second you need to click the button. Or the fact that you can't directly control your lumberjacks, which means clearing the land for expansion relies more or less entirely on luck.
Still, I liked the feeling of getting a large settlement up and running. I imagine that once upon a time, having all those hundreds of characters moving back and forth on their regular errands would have crashed my computer, but that's the advantage of playing a game 16 years after it was released. I enjoyed watching my people scurry back and forth, even if their activities were largely pointless. In the end, I don't regret marathoning the bulk of the game in a single day, because I was able to meet my arbitrary, self-imposed benchmark . . .
And isn't that what this blog is all about?
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Stronghold Crusader HD - 3/20 hours
This game is just a reskin of Stronghold with a middle-eastern flair. As such, I have nothing to say about it that I didn't already say about the original game. I'll probably have some commentary on the nature of crusades, but only if the story in the campaigns starts to deal with religious themes.
I guess I like the reskin, though. The sandstone-colored wall have a cleaner, more elegant look, and the hovels look more like permanent houses than the straw huts from the first game. I always felt bad about building such crappy houses for my people, though I soothed my conscience by reminding myself that the individual citizens were not simulated down to that level. Hovels affect your population cap, but your workers don't return to them once they are built.
My biggest obstacle going forward is definitely my petulance at having to play the exact same game twice in one month. I didn't hate the first game, but I was relieved to put it behind me. If I weren't trying to hit a deadline I'd just take it slow and casual, but forcing myself to concentrate over my own resentment is going to be a problem.
I guess I like the reskin, though. The sandstone-colored wall have a cleaner, more elegant look, and the hovels look more like permanent houses than the straw huts from the first game. I always felt bad about building such crappy houses for my people, though I soothed my conscience by reminding myself that the individual citizens were not simulated down to that level. Hovels affect your population cap, but your workers don't return to them once they are built.
My biggest obstacle going forward is definitely my petulance at having to play the exact same game twice in one month. I didn't hate the first game, but I was relieved to put it behind me. If I weren't trying to hit a deadline I'd just take it slow and casual, but forcing myself to concentrate over my own resentment is going to be a problem.
Friday, January 12, 2018
Dust: An Elysian Tail - 20/20 hours
"Tough" mode proved not to be very tough at all. Sure, the bosses were a little trickier, but that just meant I had to use my healing items instead of hoarding them. The generic enemies you encounter elsewhere in the level were no problem whatsoever. They did more damage, but I was long-practiced in not getting hit. They had higher hp and defenses, but that just meant that I could build up my combo meter to even greater heights. I probably should have started my first game in "hardcore" (maximum) difficulty. Maybe that would have been frustrating, but the pattern so far is that this game has gotten easier the more I played it, so I expect it would have evened out at some point or another.
I wouldn't call any of this a complaint, though. Sometimes it's nice to just kick back with an easy game and tear through it like an angry god. I probably wouldn't want to do it all the time, but seeing as how it's the complete opposite of Stronghold, it was a welcome change of pace.
I don't know if I'll ever play this game again. It's not an open world. There's not a lot left for me to explore. The craft system was kind of a joke (materials are so abundant in shops that it really just feels like a shop with extra steps). But the combat grew on me, and there was something ridiculously fun about using your air dash move and Fidget's projectiles to rack up a triple-digit combo score. I think, though, that if I being honest, Kingdoms of Amalur fills the same niche and has the advantage of being much larger besides.
Dust: An Elysian Tail was one of my better gaming experiences (that pun notwithstanding), but it definitely feels like a one and done to me. Maybe if the skill ceiling were higher, but that's just speculation. In any event, I realize now that I should have bought more colorful platforming-action games and fewer RTSs. So that's not nothing.
I wouldn't call any of this a complaint, though. Sometimes it's nice to just kick back with an easy game and tear through it like an angry god. I probably wouldn't want to do it all the time, but seeing as how it's the complete opposite of Stronghold, it was a welcome change of pace.
I don't know if I'll ever play this game again. It's not an open world. There's not a lot left for me to explore. The craft system was kind of a joke (materials are so abundant in shops that it really just feels like a shop with extra steps). But the combat grew on me, and there was something ridiculously fun about using your air dash move and Fidget's projectiles to rack up a triple-digit combo score. I think, though, that if I being honest, Kingdoms of Amalur fills the same niche and has the advantage of being much larger besides.
Dust: An Elysian Tail was one of my better gaming experiences (that pun notwithstanding), but it definitely feels like a one and done to me. Maybe if the skill ceiling were higher, but that's just speculation. In any event, I realize now that I should have bought more colorful platforming-action games and fewer RTSs. So that's not nothing.
Dust: An Elysian Tail - 16/20 hours
My guess about the nature of Dust's true identity was in the ballpark, but the real answer turned out to be so weird that I'm going to forgive myself for not seeing it coming. I thought that he would turn out to be Cassius, the assassin, somehow brainwashed with magic to remove all his evil memories and become redeemed by fighting against his former allies. What actually happened is that Cassius was killed and his dead body was reanimated with not one, but two bound souls those of Cassius and his final victim, Jin. This composite being became Dust. The sorcerer who made him wanted a champion with Cassius's deadliness and Jin's compassion. The reason that he had no memories is that he was born just before the start of the game.
I'm not sure how I feel about this twist. On the one hand, it avoids the cliche (while still being close enough that the narrative has almost all of the expected beats, even right up to the end). On the other hand, thematically it has less of an impact. Dust's actions don't represent Cassius coming to terms with and repudiating his wicked deeds (and it's impossible to say what they represent about Jin because that character was only introduced in the game's last hour). Nor is there any sort of arc about the meaning of redemption or the nature of forgiveness. Dust is a hero because that's what he's always been. That was what he was created to be.
And yet, the villain thinks Dust is Cassius come back from the dead. Even up to the final battle, he acts as if he's talking to his old friend. That's probably the weirdest part of the game. General Gaius is a ruthless genocidal maniac, dedicated to purging the Moonblood race from the face of the earth, but his primary motivation when dealing with the hero is sentimentality. He's always talking about his friend, Cassius, and it is clear from the vocal performance that he's genuinely concerned. He loves this sociopathic assassin and is thrilled by the possibility that he's come back from the dead. When they meet and it appears that Cassius has been brainwashed by his enemies, Gaius does everything in his power to reach out to him and remind him of their shared bond.
It is note for note the exact same story you'd get if he were a kindly, heroic general and he were talking to a previously virtuous knight who had been corrupted by necromancy. It was bizarre, but I kind of liked it.
I'm sure I've pointed out in the past that the main problem with video game evil (and, indeed, evil in a lot of fiction, generally) is that too often villains' only interest is committing evil. They might have a sympathetic backstory, like maybe they're murdering every elf they can because an elf once killed their brother or something, but even so, they rarely have interests or relationships outside their terrible villainous urge. A Sith falls to the dark side and then can be manipulated into attacking their friends and siding with the enemy they've been fighting the whole time. Or a Machiavellian vizier is always thinking about his various schemes and never about, say, gardening.
It's understandable from a creative standpoint - you want to be economical with your narrative, not waste a lot of time establishing that the serial killer also loves his pet cat, unless you're trying to be deliberately ironic with the juxtaposition, but it does make villains seem one-dimensional at times. Which is why Gaius is so startling. As near as I can tell, there is no irony in his concern. He doesn't want Cassius back as an unstoppable weapon. He doesn't fondly reminisce over all the various genocidal atrocities they used to commit together. He just sounds vaguely worried, and at times hopeful, over the rumors that his friend might still be alive.
It's like he's perfectly compartmentalized his life. He has a job to do - hunting down and slaughtering every member of a targeted race - which he does with ruthless efficiency, and then he also has his personal life, where he's a caring, patient man who is willing to extend near-limitless compassion to the people important to him. I'm not sure how realistic that is (though I suspect that it's depressingly so) and I'm not sure if the game is trying to make a philosophical point, but I can tell you that it's not very effective. You hear a lot about General Gaius's terrible deeds from his victims, but whenever you see him, he's just kind of this hapless guy. In the end, he extends you a great deal more reasonableness than you entirely deserve (from his perspective, obviously). His eventual death feels less like a triumph than just another random thing that happens.
Overall, the story was serviceable. I'll probably skip over it when I play the game again on hard mode, but I didn't feel like it was an imposition my first time through. Besides, I've only got four hours to go, so I'll have to stop partway through either way. This next attempt will be purely for the challenge.
I'm not sure how I feel about this twist. On the one hand, it avoids the cliche (while still being close enough that the narrative has almost all of the expected beats, even right up to the end). On the other hand, thematically it has less of an impact. Dust's actions don't represent Cassius coming to terms with and repudiating his wicked deeds (and it's impossible to say what they represent about Jin because that character was only introduced in the game's last hour). Nor is there any sort of arc about the meaning of redemption or the nature of forgiveness. Dust is a hero because that's what he's always been. That was what he was created to be.
And yet, the villain thinks Dust is Cassius come back from the dead. Even up to the final battle, he acts as if he's talking to his old friend. That's probably the weirdest part of the game. General Gaius is a ruthless genocidal maniac, dedicated to purging the Moonblood race from the face of the earth, but his primary motivation when dealing with the hero is sentimentality. He's always talking about his friend, Cassius, and it is clear from the vocal performance that he's genuinely concerned. He loves this sociopathic assassin and is thrilled by the possibility that he's come back from the dead. When they meet and it appears that Cassius has been brainwashed by his enemies, Gaius does everything in his power to reach out to him and remind him of their shared bond.
It is note for note the exact same story you'd get if he were a kindly, heroic general and he were talking to a previously virtuous knight who had been corrupted by necromancy. It was bizarre, but I kind of liked it.
I'm sure I've pointed out in the past that the main problem with video game evil (and, indeed, evil in a lot of fiction, generally) is that too often villains' only interest is committing evil. They might have a sympathetic backstory, like maybe they're murdering every elf they can because an elf once killed their brother or something, but even so, they rarely have interests or relationships outside their terrible villainous urge. A Sith falls to the dark side and then can be manipulated into attacking their friends and siding with the enemy they've been fighting the whole time. Or a Machiavellian vizier is always thinking about his various schemes and never about, say, gardening.
It's understandable from a creative standpoint - you want to be economical with your narrative, not waste a lot of time establishing that the serial killer also loves his pet cat, unless you're trying to be deliberately ironic with the juxtaposition, but it does make villains seem one-dimensional at times. Which is why Gaius is so startling. As near as I can tell, there is no irony in his concern. He doesn't want Cassius back as an unstoppable weapon. He doesn't fondly reminisce over all the various genocidal atrocities they used to commit together. He just sounds vaguely worried, and at times hopeful, over the rumors that his friend might still be alive.
It's like he's perfectly compartmentalized his life. He has a job to do - hunting down and slaughtering every member of a targeted race - which he does with ruthless efficiency, and then he also has his personal life, where he's a caring, patient man who is willing to extend near-limitless compassion to the people important to him. I'm not sure how realistic that is (though I suspect that it's depressingly so) and I'm not sure if the game is trying to make a philosophical point, but I can tell you that it's not very effective. You hear a lot about General Gaius's terrible deeds from his victims, but whenever you see him, he's just kind of this hapless guy. In the end, he extends you a great deal more reasonableness than you entirely deserve (from his perspective, obviously). His eventual death feels less like a triumph than just another random thing that happens.
Overall, the story was serviceable. I'll probably skip over it when I play the game again on hard mode, but I didn't feel like it was an imposition my first time through. Besides, I've only got four hours to go, so I'll have to stop partway through either way. This next attempt will be purely for the challenge.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Dust: An Elysian Tail - 6/20 hours
Six hours in and I've only found one new movement ability (out of at least 3 obstacle types that I've noticed). This is not a great track record. It means that I have to backtrack to areas I haven't seen in 4-5 hours, and will have to backtrack to areas I haven't seen in 6 hours or more. At some point, it strains the limits of my memory. I'll get the new powers and then I'll be forced to think "do I need to back to this area or to that area?" My plan right now is just to wait and get them all and then go back to the beginning and search every level one-by-one.
The combat in the game is decent, but not very challenging. I've managed to get through so far by thoughtless button-mashing, and I don't think that's going to change. There's a chance that there might be a difficulty spike at some point in the future, but so far the trend has been that the game's been getting easier as time goes on.
The story is pretty boiler-plate so far. The hero, Dust, woke up with amnesia and a magical talking sword, Ahrah. The sword explained to him that he could regain his memories by going on a quest to aid the land. Also, the sword's guardian, a flying cat creature called Fidget, decides to tag along as your fourth-wall breaking comic relief. Over the course of your adventures, you learn that pre-amnesia Dust was associated with some pretty shady characters and though it hasn't been revealed just yet, I'm willing to bet that this whole ordeal is actually meant to redeem him from his previous wicked deeds.
It may not be the most innovative thing in the world, but the presentation is top notch and I'm finding myself invested in he fate of the characters despite myself. I think the next fourteen hours are going to go just fine.
The combat in the game is decent, but not very challenging. I've managed to get through so far by thoughtless button-mashing, and I don't think that's going to change. There's a chance that there might be a difficulty spike at some point in the future, but so far the trend has been that the game's been getting easier as time goes on.
The story is pretty boiler-plate so far. The hero, Dust, woke up with amnesia and a magical talking sword, Ahrah. The sword explained to him that he could regain his memories by going on a quest to aid the land. Also, the sword's guardian, a flying cat creature called Fidget, decides to tag along as your fourth-wall breaking comic relief. Over the course of your adventures, you learn that pre-amnesia Dust was associated with some pretty shady characters and though it hasn't been revealed just yet, I'm willing to bet that this whole ordeal is actually meant to redeem him from his previous wicked deeds.
It may not be the most innovative thing in the world, but the presentation is top notch and I'm finding myself invested in he fate of the characters despite myself. I think the next fourteen hours are going to go just fine.
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
Dust: An Elysian Tail - 2/20 hours
I just noticed that the game's title is Dust: An Elysian Tail. Not "tale," like a story that you tell (perhaps in video game form), but "tail" as in the back part of an animal . . .
Don't do this. If you're thinking of writing a story about animals, or anthropomorphic animals, or animal-shaped robots or whatever - don't do this. It's a lame pun and it's confusing. What does it even mean? At some point in this game, I'd better wind up using my character's tail to resolve a major plot point. Otherwise, it's a played out joke that wasn't funny the first time.
Now that I've got that off my chest, I actually really like this game. It's bright and colorful, and, frankly, the screenshots don't do it justice. It is indeed just like playing a cartoon. All the NPCs have a unique and memorable character design and the voice acting is both skilled and distinct. I have absolutely no complaints about its presentation.
The gameplay, I'm going to reserve judgement on. So far, it's serviceable, but I'll need some more time to see how it evolves. If it's going to follow the classic Metroid pattern of having certain areas of the early maps closed off until you get new abilities so you can backtrack later and explore new areas, then I'm going to have to see if the progression of abilities and rewards is satisfying enough to justify it.
I'm feeling pretty good about it, though. I like the characters. I enjoy brawling with hordes of enemies, even if it's a bit button-mashy, and rpg progression is always welcome. The story is simple (and just a little cliche) so far, but at least it has the virtue of me being able to follow it.
Don't do this. If you're thinking of writing a story about animals, or anthropomorphic animals, or animal-shaped robots or whatever - don't do this. It's a lame pun and it's confusing. What does it even mean? At some point in this game, I'd better wind up using my character's tail to resolve a major plot point. Otherwise, it's a played out joke that wasn't funny the first time.
Now that I've got that off my chest, I actually really like this game. It's bright and colorful, and, frankly, the screenshots don't do it justice. It is indeed just like playing a cartoon. All the NPCs have a unique and memorable character design and the voice acting is both skilled and distinct. I have absolutely no complaints about its presentation.
The gameplay, I'm going to reserve judgement on. So far, it's serviceable, but I'll need some more time to see how it evolves. If it's going to follow the classic Metroid pattern of having certain areas of the early maps closed off until you get new abilities so you can backtrack later and explore new areas, then I'm going to have to see if the progression of abilities and rewards is satisfying enough to justify it.
I'm feeling pretty good about it, though. I like the characters. I enjoy brawling with hordes of enemies, even if it's a bit button-mashy, and rpg progression is always welcome. The story is simple (and just a little cliche) so far, but at least it has the virtue of me being able to follow it.
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