Cult of the Lamb

Cult of the Lamb is a cutesy horror game. Now one might ask how those two things could correlate with one another but let me explain. Cult of the Lamb is a rouge-like game where you play as a cute little lamb who is brutally beheaded by the 4 leaders of a religious cult called the "Old Faith." This triggers an event where your lamb is resurrected by a demon called "The One Who Waits." Now just that little intro is enough to capture people's attention but continue reading if you want to know why people stay playing this amazing indie title.

 Graphics

Now like previously mentioned. This game has a very cutesy art style. The graphics are bouncy and colorful. The characters besides the big bosses are all drawn at a weird mix of a front and side angle. Bosses are all seen from a front angle which is a fun contrast between the two. 

Background graphics are detailed and unique to each area. Not only in just the main area but also in the different lands of the faith. Each boss has their own unique area.

Leshy's area is lush green with red flowers. This is my favorite due to its bright colors and easy-to-see enemies.

Heket's land is what I would call a red swamp with tall grass and a watery wetland.

Kallamar's area is underwater. It has seaweed and small octopuses swimming around.

Finally Shamura. Shamura's land is full of spiders and webs. This is the darkest of the 4 lands which for blind people like me, can make it a bit hard to see what's going on.

Sound Design

The sound design in this game is pretty good but nothing to rave about. The music is made for the game and fits well but it was not something that I immediately focused on in the game. 

The talking of the different creatures was the only thing that did stand out to me. It sounded like they had people speak random noises and gibberish into a microphone which is fun and unique. Especially for the character Sozo. It's crazy how they were able to capture the personalities of these characters with only noises. 

Gameplay

This game is a rouge-like bird's-eye view game. The main part of this game is the building and grinding to create and maintain your cult and followers. You gather followers through crusades and use the supplies you or your followers gather to build a community. 

You also gather devotion to help level up your cult and loyalty to level up followers. If you have the Sinners DLC, you can gather sin to level up your church and unlock new aspects and characteristics of your character.

There is a lot to do in this game so it will easily give you hours of entertaining gameplay.

Story

The story of this game is both upfront and hidden. Now while as of right now I have not unlocked all the hidden lore, I can explain the overarching plot.

In this game, the original leaders of the Old Faith are prophesied to be killed by a heretic to release The One Who Waits. The leaders and The One Who Waits are all siblings and the 4 main leaders, Leshy, Heket, Kallamer, and Shamura are the ones who locked up The One Who Waits to control him from taking over everything. 

However here is the catch. When they kill the lamb, they are sent to The One Who Waits as he is the god of death. He makes a deal to bring the lamb back if they create a cult in his name and kill the original leaders. 

Throughout this, the lamb learns that The One Who Waits is named Narinder who betrayed the Old Faith and was locked away but eventually, all of the leaders will fall to the Lamb's blade.

At the end of the game, the lamb is given the choice to bow and die at the hands of Narinder or fight back and take his place as the God of Death. If you choose to die, the game will just end. If you choose to fight, it will trigger a final boss fight that will ultimately unlock Narinder as an immortal follower of your cult and a unique tunic.

If you have the Heretic DLC, you can go back and battle the original leaders of the Old Faith again and unlock them as followers. They are not immortal but you can always resserect them if you miss them too much.

Special/Unique Features

I think what makes this game special/unique is just its mixture of a cutesy art style with darker themes like creating a cult. Now most of the features of the game can be found in other games but the developers have done an amazing job at taking these features and fitting them to the overall game they wanted to create.

The main special feature of this game was definitely the Twitch integration. The integration adds an extension that allows viewers to join a raffle to be part of your cult and also vote on special events to happen during the game. Allowing my viewers on Twitch to actually join my cult and make decisions that would affect my gameplay was lots of fun and super engaging. This game quickly became a fan favorite.

Is this a good game for bad gamers?

Yes. This was one of those games I enjoyed playing a lot. While there were definitely moments, when I died and got frustrated, it never felt impossible. Not to mention the grinding aspect of this game is straightforward and very rewarding.

Little Nightmares II Review

 

Little Nightmares is an indie horror game made by Tarsier Studios and released on February 10 2021. that revolves around children running for their lives in different environments. The adults all are deformed and murderous. 

Little Nightmares is heavily inspired by movies such as Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. It takes place in another world almost a post-apocalyptic world. 

Graphics

Little Nightmares as a series has always been the best at creating an eerie and unsettling atmosphere. The world-building has always been a highlight of the game series and the 2nd game did it even better than the previous two games. 

My favorite section of the game is definitely the school. This was an area highlighted by many other game reviewers, YouTubers, and the gaming community in general. This section is the 2nd one you interact with but I feel it is so perfect that it outshines any other area of the game. The minute you enter the school it feels as if everything changes. I remember being terrified. The dark lighting and contrast between Mono and the surroundings were beautiful. I felt completely immersed in the game.

 The only complaint I have is that since the game is a 3D sidescroller, sometimes the depth perception is wack. It can be hard to tell where exactly you are. This was an issue I noticed when fighting the students in the school, and if you have seen the clip of me running from the tall man, I made this complaint known.

Sound Design

Sound design is something most people don't pay attention to but Little Nightmares brings attention to it. With the lack of dialogue, the game relies on music and sound to get across emotion in scenes and gameplay. 

They did a phenomenal job at this. I still will occasionally listen to the soundtrack just for fun. My favorite scene was definitely when Mono first found Six. The transition into Six's theme was gorgeous. Six's theme will forever be my favorite theme in gaming in general. I will often catch myself humming it. I just hope some don't think I am a crazy person. 

Gameplay

For me, the gameplay wasn't anything new. I loved that the game was a side-scroller but I found in some areas it kinda did itself dirty. When some things are timed-based, it made it difficult to get past certain sections of the game. If you ran into an object or wall, it messed up the timing so you would end up dying. It made the game more difficult than it needed to be. I shouldn't be dying in the same area 17 times when I know exactly what I am supposed to be doing. I like a challenge but sometimes, it's just bad design. Overall, the gameplay was fine but needed work in the time-based sections of the game.

Story

Now one thing you need to know is that Little Nightmares as a series is not open with its story. They focus more on providing an experience than telling the story outright. This makes room for lots of theories. All of the games are connected but it is hard to explain the overall story because it does not explain it.

For the 2nd game, you follow a little boy named Mono and a little girl named Six as they are being hunted down by various adults. All that is outright shown in the game that we know is that they seem to be only children in this world and that the adults are being controlled by something making them murderous. 

But I would never leave you hanging so here are some links to some channels that explain the story and theory perfectly.

Superhorrorbro

Terrico

Special/Unique Features

One special feature of the game revolves around the hats Mono wears. He is known for the paper bag he wears on his head but different hats are hidden throughout the game that you can change into.

The best special feature is in the form of the glitch children. These are shadows of children that are glitchy. Mono will walk up to them and absorb them. All of them seem to be in areas where other children have died. If you find all of the glitch children, you will unlock the secret ending revolving around Six.

Is this a good game for bad gamers?

I would say this is a 50/50 game. If you can handle some frustration then sure! It is difficult so if you like casual games then no. I was able to complete the game without much issue so I'm sure most would be okay to play the game.

The Elder Scrolls Series Introduction

Most people who know me, know of my #1 special interest and hyperfixation on The Elder Scrolls (TES) Franchise. I was originally introduced to the franchise by Elder Scrolls V Skyrim. This being one of the most popular games in the series and a pretty easy introduction to RPG games, it is no surprise I latched onto the game the minute it was released, on November 11, 2011.  This idea is one of the sole reasons I started this blog to begin with and I am super excited to see where this will go.

This specific post is just an introduction to the series I will be creating. It won't be a super long post but I will be breaking down what to expect from this series and what my plans are. So, now without further ado, let's go ahead and get started.

Let's start by listing every single TES game that I know of. The majority of these games and their DLCs can be found on steam or Bethesda's website. Pricing for each game is different. but on average expect around USD 30. More popular games like Skyrim will be more expensive. Here is the link for those interested.

Bethesda Elder Scrolls Website

TES Steam Website

The Elder Scrolls: Arena

The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall

Elder Scrolls Legend: BattleSpire

The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

The Elder Scrolls Travels: Stormhold, Dawnstar, Shadowkey

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The Elder Scrolls Online

The Elder Scrolls: Legends

The Elder Scrolls: Blades

What to expect from this blog series.

One thing I would like to make note of is in this blog series, I will most likely not be reviewing every single TES game and its DLCs. I will start with the bigger games and work down the list, most likely starting with Skyrim then Oblivion, and so forth. When we explore the lore of these games, the less popular ones will be referenced but as of right now, I do not have specific plans to do game reviews on them.

You can expect solid game reviews on, Arena, Daggerfall, Redguard, Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, and Skyrim SE, and all of the DLCs I can get ahold of for these games. Like traditional reviews, we will cover my 5 basic points: graphics, sound design, gameplay, story, and special/unique features. I will also be covering the lore of the TES world and hidden features and references in the games.

When should I expect posts for this series?

I would like to ideally upload to the blog once a week for this series or at least biweekly. Of course, if I review a different game a certain week, the series may be postponed to the next week or you will be blessed with two posts. Of course, there are certain TES games I have not had a chance to play, so those games will take longer to upload. The in-betweens will be filled with lore posts and stuff like that. Don't worry though, you will get your Elder Scrolls fill.

Final Thoughts.

I know this particular post wasn't super fun or interesting but I wanted to release a full introduction to the series before bombarding you will a bunch of information with no warning. As of right now, I will be beginning my first game review of the series which of course will be Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I hope you guys look forward to it as much as I do

-Vin Cosmos

Pokemon Violet/Scarlet

Overview

Pokemon has entertained and delighted audiences of all ages for decades now. Many new and old fans are now getting to experience a brand new way of the very well-known pokemon video game series. Both Pokemon Violet and Scarlet are being offered on the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite for roughly $50-$60 USD. 

Both Violet and Scarlet take place in the Paldea Region. The region is influenced heavily by Spanish countries throughout the language and music players can experience in the game. Unlike past pokemon games, this one allows players to experience 3 paths: Victory Road, Starfall Road, and Titan Road. The game is open world and has over 100 new pokemon and over 300 old pokemon to fill out the Pokedex. Each path can be completed in whatever order the player sees fit but all 3 paths must be fulfilled before the ending of the game is complete.

In my experience of the game, I noticed many good and bad things. Game Freak worked hard to push out a game with brand-new features and some ultimately flopped while others soared to new heights. We will break down the game and its features into five categories: graphics, sound, gameplay, story, and unique and special features.

Graphics

Pokemon Violet has some of the best graphics for pokemon games but I also feel it is severely lacking compared to other Nintendo Games. The newer Mario games such as Mario Party Superstar has better-quality graphics. This may be because the game was rushed out to meet a deadline or the fact that the game developers just didn’t care enough to make them slightly better in areas. I will say certain pokemon battle moves are chef’s kiss.

Game Freak did make amazing character designs for the gym leaders. I personally loved Larry, Iono, and Tulip. I feel all of the gym leaders and characters were done amazingly. I will say, I personally did not like Penny’s character design with the two-toned hair. (I can say that because I have two-toned hair).

One area that Game Freak struggles with is some of the newer pokemon designs. The starter evolutions and the two “legendary” pokemon are unique but the everyday other pokemon are not. I found myself gravitating back to old pokemon as someone who designs their team based on looks more than stats.

Sound Design

Now for sound, I do not have much to say. The sound is about the same for everyone pokemon game, often keeping a tradition on how the music in certain areas such as pokemon stops is done and I have no complaints.

I will say battle music is outstanding. I personally had to pause and just listen when my first gym leader terastallize her pokemon. The subtle inspiration from the Spanish cultures in the music was perfect and immersed me so much into the new world of the Paldea Region.

Gameplay

This is the area I have the most to say. Gameplay in this specific game is 50/50. The fact that I knew the bugs in this game were bad before I bought it says a lot. Also seeing a floating psyduck in the middle of a town is so unimmersive. 

I loved the open world/nonlinear aspect of the game as the open world is one of my favorite subgenres of games but maybe we could have a few more loading screens in towns if it helped with the lagging issue. In every town I entered no matter how big or small, I was always experiencing laggy and robotic-like NPCs. Speaking of loading screens, why specifically are the Team Star loading screens after battling the bosses 10x longer than other loading screens in the game?

Battling in the game is so much fun though. I do not know if the game levels the area you go to based on which area you go to first but I always felt I was at the right gym at the right moment, even when I jumped around the map. Battles were not easy but were not hard either. I had to strategize and practice type matching well to win, but for players who do not like to do that, I feel they would be able to beat the game as well.

Overall, I feel this game was rushed out and because of that, players will always experience bugs and performance issues but overall will not take away too much from the gameplay experience.

Story

The story for Pokemon Violet and Scarlet was perfect for a pokemon game. It fit well within the world and was easy to follow. From a story standpoint outside of the franchise, it was cliche and predictable. This is easily forgiven since it's literally a pokemon game. Now I will do my best not to spoil but I will say, if you think something is happening, it most likely is.

I will say the final story point was amazing. I was sucked in even with the cliche tendencies and was invested in the story. (SPOILER WARNING) I did enjoy the fact that our ‘Legendary” pokemon are just normal pokemon from the future. It brings a new twist on how I viewed legendary pokemon.

Special/Unique Features

Finally, let's talk about some special and unique features of this game. First, I enjoyed the idea of tera pokemon. I loved the crowns the pokemon got and how pretty they looked, but from a gameplay standpoint, it was a little too much like mega pokemon.

Being able to take any of the 3 paths at any point in whatever order was also a nice touch. As an Elder Scrolls fan, I very much enjoyed the semi-control of what my character was doing at a given time. The paths all meeting up at the end to face the final story point was also perfect. I absolutely love when things are connected.

One unique feature I found super cool was the raids on tera pokemon. Being able to battle alone or with other players against a semi-boss pokemon was amazing and added to the gameplay experience, even more so when all the main paths are complete.

Final Thoughts

Pokemon Violet and Scarlet are fantastic, unique games like no other pokemon game of its type. The game lacks in some areas but not enough to take away from the gameplay experience. I believe all types of gamers will thoroughly enjoy this game, even if they are new to Pokemon or gaming. This is easily a game you could play in just a few sittings and have a great time. 

Do I think this game is good for a bad gamer?

Yes. This game is just challenging enough for anyone at any skill level to enjoy the game without being too easy. It is not frustrating even in the harder parts of the game and is super fun to invest yourself in. Overall I give this game a solid 8/10.

Who Am I

 Hi! My name is Vin Cosmos also known as Vexievin. I am a small twitch streamer and youtuber who is working hard to establish myself in content creation. I decided to create this blog as an outlet for myself. As of recently I have found myself at a standstill in my life of not knowing where to go next. I struggle with making plans for myself as I have always wanted to do everything. I figured though, writing is my number one hobby and video games is my second. So as some would say, "do what you are good at."

I also had the idea of creating a space for new, inexperienced, or just straight up "bad gamers" to have a space to discuss and find games that would work for them. I am not a good gamer, often finding certain games to take me longer to complete and hyper fixating on games that are considered "easier" in today's gaming community. I find it difficult to find games that I enjoy but also find challenging in a way that works for me. 

So in this blog, I have two main goals. Find and reviews games for people who struggle to find games they enjoy, and create a safe space for us so called, "bad gamers." While I will not be limiting myself to just those two topics and will allow myself to explore other areas of the gaming world, that will be my main focus for this specific blog.

Now! Some may have questions about my so called qualifications for this type of blog so I am gonna list some fun facts about me that you may be curious about.

I am a Libra.

I am 23 years old.

I go by she/her pronouns but don't really mind what people refer to me as.

I have been making dedicated content for about 3 years now.

I have 11 tattoos, 4 of them are based around content I enjoy such as, Little Nightmares, MCYTS, Disney's Luca, and My hero Academia. I recently got a skyrim tattoo.

As of 2023 January 4th I have 2,103.8 hours on Skyrim on my PC alone.

The Elder Scrolls Franchise is my #1 special interest. I will most likely make dedicated posts to the lore of Elder Scrolls. 

I own a Minecraft server called The Keepers SMP.

I have watched video game youtubers such as, CoryxKenshin, Jacksepticeye, and Markplier since I was in middle school.

My favorite genre of video games is indie horror games. Puppet Combo games being my favorite.

I think that's all the facts I can think about myself at the moment but I am sure as time goes you will learn all about me. I'm super excited for this blog and can't wait to see how this goes.