Modern Game Weekly - Semispheres
Welcome to Modern Game Weekly, this series will
be focussed on more recent releases and is based around the 0 to Z of
Playstation 1 Games series, with information on what the game is, the gameplay,
story, critical reception and availability of the game. The story section will
not be the entire games story, just a small section to give you an idea of the
plot, spoilers will be kept to a minimum where possible.
The games chosen for this series are at random
from my own ratings database, the database currently contains the majority of
console releases from 2016 to March 2018 with releases from 2015 up to April of
that year also now added as well, with each game rated and ranked. Each game
has their own rating broken down into five different sections.
The first is the numbered ratings, this uses a
scale of 0 to 100 with a total of 10 of these ratings. One of the things that a
part of this rating are critic review scores, these scores come from all
console platforms the game is released on.
So for example Okami HD, which was recently
released on PS4 and Xbox One, as well as previously being released on the PS3,
all three of these releases factor in on the games overall rating. As a result
shoddy ports of a game will seriously hurt the games overall score.
The reviews section takes a total of 12 reviews
for the game if that number are available, both the six best review scores as
well as the six lowest scoring reviews for the game, this covers reviews for
console releases only. Information here will not be full reviews but snippets
that stand out from the reviews.
The Availability section works exactly the same
with a look at how available the game is assuming they are not digital only
releases, with retailers Gamedude, eStarland and Amazon.com, while Retrogames
may feature as older games are added to my database, the site currently only
covers games up to the Xbox 360 and PS3 era.
The game has since received additional
releases, ten days after its first release the game released in Japan for the
Playstation 4. Nintendo Switch users got their hands on the game on the 14th
of September 2017 in the US, with a PS Vita release also coming on October 10th
2017. The Japanese release of the Switch version would come the following month
on the 30th of November 2017.
Prior to making Semispheres Vivid Helix
developed the kids toy building game Kids Toy Workshop a tablet game aimed at
preschool and kindergarten aged kids. Following this the company worked on a
couple of dev tools in Pixel Maker, a pixel art editor for android, and
ReUniter a search asset for the Unity.
Semispheres is a twin stick puzzle game with
some stealth elements the player uses both analogue sticks in order to solve a
puzzle, each of the analogue sticks controls a small ball of light one on each
of the two puzzles that appear on screen.
The left analogue stick will control the ball
of light on the left puzzle, this puzzle will be coloured orange, while the
right stick which controls the right ball of light is colour blue. The simple
aim of the game is to guide the two coloured balls of light. Taking a closer
look at a screenshot it runs your they are in fact jellyfish that you guide
through the puzzle, each of the puzzles are symmetrical with the left, the
orange side identical to the right blue side..
The player is able to pick up a range of
abilities to use on both puzzles in order to progress past these guard orbs.
One of these is by making a soundwave in order to get the guards attention,
when one of these soundwave abilities are used the guard will move away to
investigate the sound, allowing the player to move their orb past the guard.
Another ability is for the blue jelly to make a
portal, this portal appears on the opposite puzzle, the blue or can make them
self visible in order to distract the guards, again allowing the player to
manoeuvre the other orb safely to the exit portal to complete the puzzle. Other
abilities include the ability to warp guards to the other side of the stage,
and a line that allows for easy traversal between two points on the screen.
The game does have a story to it, completing
puzzles in no way provides any context to the story, instead the player is
presented with a storyboard that pops up after the player has completed a
certain number of levels. The story involves a young boy and his robot, as you
complete more and more puzzles more of the story will be unlocked.
The game being on the Playstation means that
the game has trophy support, with a total of 15 trophies in Asian regions while
European and North American countries having 14. For the latter there are 11
bronze, 2 silver, and 1 gold, the game has no platinum trophy in North America
or European regions. The game has a speed run trophy with a 35 minute time
limit.
Starting with the Zero2Zed rating for the game,
Semispheres starts off with a solid opening score with an 85, and overall the
first half of scores remain solid around this point. With the game earning four
80 ratings, with the game not dropping below this in its first half scores.
The second half scores to however take a hit
with the game only peaking at a 70, with the game slowly heading downhill from
here on. While it could have been much worse though, with the game a 65 and a
60 rating. The game did take a significant drop for its final two scores down
to a 57 and as low as a 50 for its final rating.
Critic reviews play a major part in this
scoring system and Semispheres received a handful of good scores for it’s
Playstation release, with the game peaking at an 85 as well as receiving give
80 rated reviews. The Nintendo Switch release also added a couple of 80 rated
reviews to the games tally.
The Nintendo Switch version of the game, with
not a huge number of reviews for the game dropped as down to an above average
60 for the lowest scoring critic review. The Playstation 4 version did not fall
too far below this with the lowest review score received for this version being
a 50, with the game overall only falling below the 60 rating on two occasions.
Grading wise the games first half grades were pretty solid with the game peaking with a B+. Following on from this peak the game was very consistent for the next four grading, with the game earning a B grade for each of them.
The second half grading’s however did hurt the
games overall performance, with the game receiving a C+ grade at its best,
along with a C and C- grade. The final two grades however fell into the D range
with a D+ and D grade received. Overall the game rates at an average of a 70.7,
this converts to an average grading of a C+ for Semispheres.
On to the first critic review which is an 85
rated review from Playstation Universe, with the reviewer finding something
delightfully fresh about Semispheres with the reviewer finding the game takes
obvious puzzle types and twists them in new and inventive ways.
The reviewer was pleasantly surprised by
Semispheres, with the game getting the reviewers attention early on, with the
reviewer becoming more impressed the deeper they got into the game. The
reviewer praised the blend of familiar puzzle concepts with clever and
inventive mechanics is superbly handled.
The reviewer also praised the way anything new
was introduced to the player, with it being forgiving and informative, without
being insultingly patronising. Concluding the reviewer had the following to say
about Semispheres. Semispheres is a smart, relaxing and challenge puzzler that
brings fresh ideas to the genre, Semispheres is a superb puzzles.
DarkStation are next up with their Nintendo
Switch reviewer in which they rated Semispheres at a good 80, with the reviewer
calling the game a really cool puzzle game, that can be played solo, though the
reviewer imagines that played with a partner it would be even more fun.
The reviewer found the control scheme of using
both Joycons one for each of the controllable jellyfish makes it
extraordinarily easy for two people to work together. The reviewer found the
game to be easy to pick up but challenging enough to make you feel a sense of
achievement. Concluding the reviewer said. Semispheres is a great and relaxing
way to spend an afternoon.
Playstation Official Magazine UK are next up,
this being a Magazine only reviewer very little information is available. The
review blurb from the magazine reads as follows. The great thing about Semispheres
is its difficulty curve. The reviewer rated the game at a 80, with the reviewer
coming in April 2017s issue on page 95.
Back to the Switch for the next review and an
80 rated reviewer from Cubed3 with the reviewer finding that the lack of quantity
is more than made up for with the quality on offer. The reviewer did find that
it is entirely possible to get through the game in only a few short hours, but
a reasonably high skill threshold and thought provoking design ensure the
experience remains memorable from start to finish.
The reviewer also praised the use of the
Joycons for multiplayer, with the reviewer calling it incredibly natural and
comfortable. For that alone the reviewer found the Switch port to be the
definitive version of the game.
PSNStores are next up with another 80 rated
review, the reviewer praised the way new abilities were introduced to the game,
with the reviewer also appreciating the discovery of new abilities on your own
rather than tutorials telling you everything. The reviewer found the games
story easy enough to follow along, with the story existing within the game
without taking away or adding much to the game as a whole.
One thing the reviewer did note when going back
to record game footage the game had automatically cleared all progress once the
game was complete, while the reviewer did not find it a huge deal, they did
find it a strange design decision either way. Concluding though the reviewer
had the following to say. The said Semispheres is creative, unique, and a
really enjoyable few hours of puzzle solving.
Next up is God is a Geek who also rated the
game at a good 80, with the reviewer finding that controlling both orbs can be
tricky and occasionally you can get confused with what you are doing, however
the reviewer found that the game eases you in and allows you to take as much
time as you need.
The reviewer also praised the games music,
calling it soothing, they also found the games visuals to be simple, but
entrancing, with the on-screen vibrations almost hypnotic. The reviewer found
the game to be inspired by portal, with not just the colours but the portal
aspects and the respect the game shows to the players intelligence, with the
reviewer finding the game remains challenging but never to the point where you
are struggling for hours on end with one puzzle.
Concluding the reviewer said. If you are
looking for something to take you away, challenge you, and provide you with a
peaceful hour or two at the same time, Semispheres is the perfect game for you.
They continued by saying. It’s smart, serene and has some great puzzle designs,
along with a sweet story that unfolds after every five puzzles or so. The music
is glorious, and the design is effect in its minimalism, providing a nice
surprise for even the greatest puzzle solvers.
Heading to the other end of the review scale we
find a 70 rated review from Nintendo Life, with the reviewer finding
Semispheres to be a wonderful puzzle game with some incredibly clever level
designs, that will leave you stumped at times, a trick but enjoyable twin stick
system, and a beautifully designed world with pleasing visuals and sound.
The reviewer did however have a couple of
issues with the game, the games length being one, with the reviewer finding the
game can be completed in under three hours, so it isn’t a bargain for the
asking price. The review also felt a slight sense of repetition start to sink
in and make you want to have a break, this was only a minor issue for the
reviewer.
Heading back to the PS4 version we find a 65
rated review from Vandal, with the reviewer finding the game to be simple but
not and easy game. The reviewer finding that if you are looking for a
challenging puzzle game make sure you have a look at this one. The reviewer did
however find the game fell short in the content and modes department.
Staying with the PS4 version we have
PSX-Sense.nl who rated the game at an above average 60, with the reviewer
finding Vivid Helix’s attempt to breath fresh air to the puzzle genre
ultimately fails to convince, due to the games lack of content and severe lack
of challenge.
For the next reviewer we head back to the
Switch version of the game, and the 60 rated review which comes form the
Portuguese site FNintendo. The reviewer finding that Semispheres is a game that
can be looked at from many views. It features an overall relaxing atmosphere
and allows players to enjoy them for a while before fading out. The reviewer
however found the Semispheres does not stand up to a major challenge and falls
behind when its about pushing forwards, the reviewer finding that this may feel
like a shortcoming for some gamers.
The penultimate review comes from Video Chums
and we see the game fall into the average scoring range for the first time,
with this publication rating the game at a 57. The reviewer found Semispheres
to be a clever blend of stealth and polarity based puzzles, but the reviewer
found the content on offer to be severely lacking. With the reviewer finding
that you may have an enjoyable time playing Semispheres, but that enjoyment
won’t last much longer than about an hour.
The final review comes again from DarkStation
who also had the highest rated Switch reviewer for the game, this time they
have the lowest rated review for the game for the PS4 version. The reviewer
commented on the control scheme and had this been the first time they had seen
it, they would likely have glowing words to say about it.
However the reviewer found that since Brothers
it is much mode difficult for them to recommend, unlike Brothers, Semispheres
does little to show what interesting things can be done with the control
scheme, with the reviewer overall finding the to be an inoffensive game, with
it not being a bad game in the moment, but for the reviewer the game does
nothing to make itself memorable.
This is the part of Modern
Game Weekly where is visit four online retailers and
see what the availability of the title is, and what price you would be looking
at if you wanted to pick this title up, the sites that I will be using for this
are Amazon.com, eStarland.com, retrogames.co.uk for older generation titles and
Gamedude.com I know the last one is very location specific, but from a podcast
I listen to, I’ve heard they have a huge stock of games, Ebay has now been
dropped unless the game is unavailable at other retailers.
With this being a digital only release the usual stores of Gamedude, Retrogames.co.uk, eStarland.com and Amazon.com are of no use. So we will be heading to the PSN Store, and the Nintendo eShop for the game prices, the PS Vita and Steam prices will also be included.
Starting with the
Nintendo eShop we find Semispheres listed for $9.99 if you are buying the game
in the United States. If you are accessing the store from the UK you will be
looking at £8.99, converting the US price into Pounds coverts to just £7.06. Elsewhere
if you are looking to buy the game in France it will cost you €9,99, while in
South Africa the game will set you back R129.95
Next up is the PSNStore where if you are in the UK the game will set you back £7.99, the same
price as the PS Vita version of the game, in the United States the game will
cost you $9.99, and like in the UK it is the same price as the PS Vita version
of the game
The game is also
available on Steam priced at £6.99 in the UK, there is also a bundle on offer
which is the game plus the games soundtrack for £10.01, this is currently on
offer with 15% off the price. The sound track can also be purchased separately
for £4.79. (Update since writing this the game has gone on an even better off in the UK, with the game now priced at £3.49 with the bundle now priced at £7.04
If accessing the
Steam store from the United States the prices will be $4.99 for the game on its
own, this is currently on sale with 50% off the price which is usually $9.99. The
bundle is also on offer priced at $9.33 with 42% off the usual price of $15.98.
The soundtrack on its own can be purchased for $5.99.
If accessing the
store from a country in the Euro zone the game will cost you €4,99, this is
currently on offer with 50% off the usual price of €9.99. The bundle has the
same 42% off offer on it with the price down to €9.33 from €15.98, while the
soundtrack is available for €5.99.
Written by
P J Gibbon
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