QCF: WrestleQuest

sn't it weird how, like Video Games, Pro-Wrestling has had its ups and downs within the Pop Culture Zeitgeist? It's just one of those deals where varying degrees of social stigmas through different generations had just held it back from reaching actual relevance within the mainstream consciousness like it's arguably achieved in today's entertainment climate, and that's because it's so much more than just a "sport" to enjoy. Imagine, for example, a Quarterback running a standard play in a Football game, and the moment they shouted "Hike," they suddenly ran backward toward their own endzone, spiked the ball down to the turf, and then viciously ripped their jersey off only to reveal the other team's jersey underneath it—this is the kind of energy you can expect out of Professional Wrestling. There's no other athletic competition out there like it.

It's a spectacle that's translated very well into the Video Game format, so much so that Wrestling Games are their own little subgenre to play from. Still, it's nearly always a case where developers adapt the rules and conventions of Pro Wrestling into a video game instead of it being the other way around.

Developer Mega Cat Studios pondered that challenge with a JRPG-inspired Turn-based Adventure named WrestleQuest, a colorful fantasy take on the world of Toys and their dreams to make it big in the squared circle. At the core of the concept, any premise can be made into a 16 Bit styled RPG if you have the right systems in place, but WrestleQuest doesn't settle for that and instead delivers one of the finest examples of Ludonarrative Consistency that I have ever experienced. I'm not kidding when I say it's easily one of the best Pro Wrestling games ever released in generations. 

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QCF: Undead Darlings ~no cure for love~ (Switch)

Never judge a book by its cover; in this case never judge an RPG by its visual novel elements. I initially did not think I would play through this release from Sekai Games and Mr. Tired Media due to the bland and uninspired spin on breaking the fourth wall and using anime tropes with negative results.  However, after grinding out multiple hours of Undead Darlings ~no cure for love~ on the Switch and surpassing all the brutal objectives laid out in the zombie apocalypse I can say that the combat and challenging gameplay shows enough promise to make the title something worth checking into.

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QCF: Conquest of Elysium 3

onquest of Elysium 3 is an old school turn based strategy game. Swedish developer, Illwinter Design Group, released the game back in 2012 with many small updates and tweaks since. Versions have been created for windows, linux, mac, and most recently android.

At the start of the game, you can tinker around with the map editor or jump right in with a randomly generated world. Similarly, you can take some time to explore the 17 different character classes or get going with a randomly selected one. You really are left up to your own devices here. Blindly play and learn as you go or devote some reading time to a wiki/forum to familiarize yourself with all the ins and outs.

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QCF: Transistor

ast year’s PAX East left me with an overwhelming anticipation that I never thought could still manifest itself within this old jaded jerk of a player; it quickly seeded itself into a plantation of hope that gradually grew with every day it’s release date approached closer. I left the Supergiant Games booth with a tear in my eye, knowing that this day would come, when I would be able to reach full circle with their sophomore effort—Transistor.

Granted, the expectations for Transistor may have been tempered with heavy prospects, considering that it rides the coat tails of its famous older-brother Bastion, but the journey of Red and her unlikely ally doesn’t exist to simply prove that lightning can strike twice.

No, what makes Transistor so special is the message it carries; is a message that incredible narrative experiences can be achieved in video games no matter the shape, size, or budget, but more importantly—only done so because it is a video game.

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