Iconoclasts review and impressions

At first glance, Iconoclasts might look like another pixel art styled game, but style is one of the many things that bring its charm. From the very start, there is something endearing about the game. It’s easily seen and felt throughout.

You play as Robin and occasionally some of the other characters that grace the games presence. Robin is the game’s displaced, silent protagonist who has just recently lost her father and lives in a dystopian like world where things are heavily controlled, particularly the building and repairing of technology. One substance, ivory, has been powering most of the worlds technology and is nearly depleted.

Many things are at play in Iconoclasts, story elements bob and weave, coming in and out of the picture at the right moments, emerging at pivotal times and revealing themselves in just the right way. Dialog and cutscenes play out in text, sometimes emoted for extra emphasis. And believe it or not, you get a real good sense for each of the characters, feeling their purpose and motivations. They don’t feel fake or tacked on. The story is one of the best parts of Iconoclasts.

Controlling Robin is easy, fluid and simple. Most movements and attacks work as expected. Because of the that, the puzzles never feel difficult, but a treat to figure out. Like any Metroidvania inspired platformer, you can expect the check boxes to be met and completed within the boundaries of the game’s own merits.

As mentioned above, the graphics style don’t always do the game justice, but the more you play it the more it grows on you along with the game’s soundtrack. From the characters expressions to the animations to the level design… the more you play it, the more you realize it was all meant to be.

Iconoclasts has a decently long play length, but can be mastered, if you’re up for that. It also doesn’t feel that difficult, but that can also be changed if you feel the need to. Boss fights are fair, creative and are actually a big highlight. Collectibles are scattered throughout the world and are useful to an extent, but once you find a loadout that works for you, you probably won’t be needing to craft with them too often.

I never felt bored with Iconoclasts, frustrated or angry. I had genuine, honest fun through my entire playthrough and always wanted to see what would come next for Robin and her companions. Just remember that as you play this that one guy, Joakin Sandberg, pretty much did all of this.

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Impressions: Black Mesa (PC Mod)

If you’ve been following the Black Mesa PC mod development (a recreation of the original Half-Life using current Source Engine technology) then you might know that version 1.0 was finally released. It’s been a while since I’ve dug my toes into into HL1 but, refreshing my memories with this lets me take in the experience once again. Let me state that the mod isn’t done by any Valve staff but, by a long list of talented volunteers. So far I am having a great time with this and haven’t had any gripes.

Take a look at what the team has done with the upgrade …

https://i0.wp.com/wiki.blackmesasource.com/images//thumb/8/80/HalfLife_dam.jpg/686px-HalfLife_dam.jpg
Before
https://i0.wp.com/wiki.blackmesasource.com/images//c/c9/Map_st6.jpg
After

Gameplay wise, I can’t detect much of a change, it’s still Half-Life. The Source engine definitely has a lot to do with the changes so if you’ve played Half-Life 2 you’ll be able to tell it’s different. The graphics and sound are the biggest noticeable changes and one of the reasons I think the mod will attract fans and curious newcomers. The Black Mesa development team have taken their time to remake HL1 and things are very polished. The sound effects have been updated as well as a new soundtrack which can be downloaded for free as well here.

I don’t like to review games or products per se but, I will give my opinion on things once I think I have fully grasped the concept. I might post again giving my full impressions on the mod once I have completed it. In the mean time, I cannot give enough praise for this project being completed and I urge anybody with a capable PC to indulge in this as well as any other installments in the Half-Life franchise.