While at London Toy Fair 2020 Neil was lucky enough to spend some time with Sarah Frame, Brand Manager for Scalextric who kindly talked us through some of the most exciting new products coming from this classic brand.
NOTE: Sadly we experienced an audio issue with our usually trusty microphone setup in this video. Our apologises to Sarah that she didn't get to experience the might of our Singstar mics...
Join Tom as he plays through Sisters Royale, a great fun Shoot 'Em Up from industry veterans, AlfaSystem and published by Chorus Worldwide.
Check them out on twitter: https://twitter.com/ChorusWorld
A REVIEW BY TOM PARRY
First things first, Sisters Royale is fun. With that out of the way, why else would you be interested in playing this vertically scrolling Shoot ’Em Up?
At its core Sisters Royale is a fairly generic ‘Bullet-Hell’ shooter, however it is by no means bland, with its colourful visuals and cast of characters that are easy on the eye.
The gameplay mechanics work well too, you can choose from one of 5 characters (6 with the optional DLC) who each have a unique ranged projectile attack as well as an additional attack, usually geared towards a close quarters offensive. You also have access to bombs, which your character can store a total of 5 of at a time, once unleashed they can wipe out everything on screen. What’s especially nice is that all the characters attacks are different enough to encourage multiple playthroughs, adding some variety to the game.
The game also features story-elements, unique to each character that are told through the medium of text, accompanied by an illustration of the character speaking. Although I’m usually not of fan of this type of story-telling, the conversations between stages are relatively short and unobtrusive for those who just want to get stuck into the gameplay, also they’re completely skippable with just a button press, I only wish all games would give the player this option.
The game itself is relatively short, although offers plenty of challenge, especially for those who aren’t too experienced with the genre, such as myself. Playing on ‘Normal’ mode I used a total of 15 continues to get through the game’s 5 stages. If you play like I do and die constantly throughout, it’s very handy to have unlimited continues, relieving the kind of frustration that could potentially result in rage-quitting.
If you happen to be a master of this genre however I imagine you might be able to breeze through the game with ease on the default difficulty but perhaps the game’s ‘Hard’ mode may be enough to keep hardcore players challenged. After all, while I thought the game’s hitbox (safe area around the character) was a generous size, due to little in the way of audible or visual clues telling you you’re losing health, I quickly realised that this was not the case and it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your Life bar on the left of the screen as the enemies are most likely chipping away at it without you realising. In short, it’s probably a very difficult game when you’re trying to complete it without using continues.
All in all, Sisters Royale is a fun and colourful game with very solid gameplay, if not particularly varied (each stage basically follows the same routine). If you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll probably not find much new here but if you’re a casual player like myself this is an accessible way to get into the over-crowed ‘Bullet-Hell’ genre and have a bit of fun for half an hour or so and if you really want to challenge yourself , you can try completing it without using any continues…good luck!
- Tom
PROS: Solid Gameplay, Very Accessible, Colourful Visuals
CONS: Short, Lack of variety in Level Design
SISTERS ROYALE IS DEVELOPED BY ALFA SYSTEM AND PUBLISHED BY CHORUS WORLDWIDE AND IS AVAILABLE NOW AS A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD PS4 (£11.49) AND SWITCH (£11.69) AND WAS PROVIDED BY BROWN BETTY PR FOR REVIEW.
Join Tom as he checks out the latest retro controller to go wireless, the Official SEGA Saturn Bluetooth controller!
A brand new Star Trek Mission Crate has just beamed in from no where! Join Bruno as he unboxes this very welcome surprise from Loot Crate!
Join Neil as he stops by the Ravensburger stand while at London Toy Fair 2020 to speak with Sara Jane about a wonderful little board game based on that movie with the shark, you know the one...JAWS!
Find out more here.
‘London, UK – January 16, 2020 – Chorus Worldwide and Alfa System are pleased to announce the release of Sisters Royale, a vertical scrolling shoot ‘em up rooted in the style of classic title, ‘Castle of Shikigami’. Originally released in Japan on Nintendo Switch last year, Sisters Royale arrives globally on January 30 on Nintendo eShop and PlayStation Store.’
Join Bruno as he takes a look at 'Toys that Time Forgot - Volume 2' , a comprehensive document of toys based on some of the biggest franchises of the time that didn't quite make it into production.
For more info on the the book you can check out it's Kickstarter page:
Tom's Gaming World is still exists! Join Tom as he gives an update on the current status of the series, which due to moving residence has fallen off the radar for some time. Hopefully Tom will be back soon but for now, please enjoy this update.
In a shocking turn of events, Bruno has received another Loot Crate DX, quite unexpectedly! Join him as he unboxes another recycled box of 'delights'...
Nom Nom Apocalypse, the top-down roguelite shooter set in a post-apocalyptic city plagued by mutant food monstrosities.
Where do I sign up!
First servings will be on PC, Feb 13th with seconds coming to Xbox One and Switch late 2020.
Follow the games progress on twitter or why not view it’s website for even more details.
Hello all! After another extended hiatus, Tom Plays is back! Join Tom as he attempts to get to grips with the Resident Evil 2 Remake for PS4. On previous occasions he's struggled to overcome the relentless zombie onslaught but watch as he slowly but surely starts making some progress in this brutal survival horror masterpiece!
You may have heard of Limited Run Games, they do exactly what you'd expect, which is to release limited runs of video games, usually ones that don't normally get a physical release.
Tom has secured two of their more recent releases, firstly Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid for Switch, which he has previously enjoyed on PS4 and Star Wars Racer Revenge, which again he's played a fair bit of on PS4.
Why then, you may ask, would Tom need to own these two games physically...it's a good question...is it good enough to say it's because he really likes them?
Also, in the case of Power Rangers, it's a lovely release with some extras, such as a manual! Sadly though Racer Revenge doesn't get quite the same treatment...
Both these games are sold out now sadly but you can check out the limited Run website to see what other games are on their release schedule:
https://limitedrungames.com
Bookbound Brigade, the side-scrolling action platformer starring legendary characters from history and literature from Intragames and Digital Tales, begins chapter one on 30 Jan., releasing on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Steam for Windows PC.
Early Morning Studio brings their mobile classic RPG hit, Vampire's Fall: Origins, to Steam. The fully remastered version for PC includes enhanced graphics, sound, better balancing and full controller support.
More Vampire goodness can be found on the game’s official Steam page.
Obversion is an indie first-person puzzle game from developer Adrian Marple (Marplebot). A former Google developer, Adrian's debut title echoes his passions for philosophy, geometry, and thought-provoking puzzles.
You can follow Obversion over on its Twitter page and also find out more information about the game.
Obversion is scheduled to release on Steam on January 28, 2020.
Join Tom as he tries to get a little further in Shenmue 3 only to be told his Kung-Fu skills aren't up to scratch...it's off to the Dojo to for some training...then to the shop for food...oh not enough money? Time to chop some logs, pick some herbs...rinse and repeat. Oh, it's time for bed...better luck tomorrow then!
