Weekly Recap: Sifu, Asterigos, and Prodeus

Welcome to our weekly Friday recap of all the games our host Sebastion Mauldin has reviewed for us this week!

Here is your one stop shop for our favorite, and not so favorite, games that we think should, or shouldn’t be in your backlog list.

In today’s episode, we will recap Sifu, Asterigos, and Prodeus. You will hear a real take on these three games that will sure to have you reviving your backlog list.

Tune in to hear this and more!

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This episode was post produced by Podcast Boutique https://podcastboutique.com/

What's up, and welcome to the Single Player Experience,

the podcast that helps single player gamers manage their video game backlog.

I'm your host, Sebastian Malden, and my main quest is to help you manage your

ever growing video game backlog by letting you know which single player games are

worth your time and money so that you can have the best single player experience.

This episode is a single player experience weekly.

This is where I batched together all the video games that were talked

about during the week into one episode that you can get every single Friday.

Now let's start the show.

You know when you get hungry and you don't wanna deal with the hassle of sitting

down at a restaurant, you just want something fast and inexpensive to eat.

So you go through a drive-through.

I've done this tons of times, probably more times than I care to.

. But anyways, you grab something that tastes good, get you fool.

But you know, there are higher quality experiences out there.

The Creme de la CREs, the five star restaurant, so to speak.

Well, video games have that too.

Something that satisfies you but isn't a five-star restaurant experience.

Well, the game I'm gonna talk about today is a lot like going through a

drive-through, and I don't mean that disrespectfully, it's a good game.

It's a game that gives a high value at a very modest and inexpensive price.

So let's talk about this game.

Have you ever wondered what kind of game you get if you fuse, fable,

immoral, Phoenix Rising and Dark Souls?

Probably not.

But in case you have, just know that you get a game called

Ergos Curse of the Stars.

Ergos is a Greek and RU and fantasy based R P G by Acme Game Studio.

In this game, you play as.

Who's a young warrior who seeks to rescue her father after his platoon goes missing.

In order to get information on her, missing people, she must help the Ephesian

people break a curse as she strives to solve the mystery behind the curse.

She learns more about the history of the people she's trying to help, the

mission her father was sent to do, and she discovers who she really.

The story is a big plus for this game.

I'm a sucker for world building and lore, and this game provides them in abundance.

The main story is straightforward, but it's engaging.

You can also explore additional dialogue, options, notes, and

side quests to get more background behind the overall narrative.

So let's talk about the gameplay.

In this game, you're given six different weapons right at the start of the

game, whereas a lot of games make you choose a class and stick with it.

The cool thing about Ergos is that you can swap weapons out anytime you want to.

Each weapon has its own pros and cons and allows the player to lean towards

a play style that works for them or works best in certain situations.

Similar to the Souls Games, you have a health bar and a stamina

bar to manage while fighting.

It kind of keeps you on your feet.

And if you are familiar with that trope from Demonn Souls, dark

Souls, or any Souls game, then you already know what's up here.

The players are also given a massive skill tree with tons of different

ways that you can upgrade Hilda's abilities and your weapon skills.

I leaned towards the sword and shield myself and the magic staff.

The magic staff allows you to use spells and take out your

opponents from a distance.

The sword and Shield, on the other hand, gave me a nice blend

of offense and defense blocks.

Perrys and Dodgers become necessary because the enemies don't hold back.

That brings me to the game's di.

While it's not as tough as the soul's games, it's fairly challenging.

Don't let the game's art style fool you.

Your enemies are out for blood and won't hesitate to kill you.

However, as long as you continue to upgrade your character, you

should overcome all obstacles placed in front of you.

The combat is serviceable, but isn't really enough to stand out or feel

memorable, and it's not bad, but the problem is it's not really great either.

It's just kind of.

That seems to be a theme with this game because you get a similar

feeling with the art style.

There are moments where the game looks really good, I'm talking

about really, really good.

It comes out of the gate with some impressive visual moments.

The main character, Hilda and the monsters that you fight are

detailed and presented very well.

For example, Hilda has a really solid visual cut scene that happens when

you die and get revived, and then there are moments where the game

looks absolutely rough and dated.

. There are moments where this game kind of feels like it belongs

in that 360 or PS three era.

To make matters worse, it also has some texture mapping issues.

It's a shame because there are some really solid moments that this game has visually,

but I really wish the game could have been consistent with this visual presentation.

Another flaw, and one of the worst aspects of the game is this exploration.

I'm not friendly with you.

It's really.

The city has tons of pathways for you to explore, yet there isn't a

usable map to help you navigate.

While there are some landmarks that stand out, a lot of the game looks similar, so

as a result, I spent way too much time trying to figure out where to go next.

The exploration and the lack of a map is a major pain point of this game.

Overall, ergos Curse of the Stars feels unique, fun, yet middle of the road.

The game has solid highs like the lore in the unique ways.

It uses familiar tropes, yet it has big lows like the exploration

and its lack of visual consistency.

This game is a fun time, but.

Unfortunately, it's not a memorable one.

Despite that though, I do think there are some people who are

really, and I'm talking about really gonna enjoy this game.

I really wanna shout out that this is a very solid first

game from Acme Game Studio.

So let's talk about the people I'd recommend this game to.

I'd recommend a stereo ghosts to cameras who want a different style of souls games.

If you are into those souls type games and this game is gonna be right up your alley,

I'd also recommend it to people who like the Fable Games and like Immortal Phoenix

Rising, because this game has a lot of similar tropes to those games as well.

If you're that type of gamer that I just described, then I definitely

think you should check this one out.

This game is cheap and it's one that will give you hours and hours of playtime.

I swiftly dodged to the right and unloaded a round right into the demonn.

The demon's blood splattered everywhere.

I stepped over its body while quickly reloading my shotgun.

I shot two nearby demons and began to reload again.

Move, kill, reload, and shoot.

This cycle is something that I've become well accustomed to.

What you see in this world, sticking and moving is the only way you stay alive.

If you stop.

If you make one mistake, the waves of demons will take you down.

You are humanity's last line of defense.

You are the last hope, so you do what you do best.

You take the fights and the enemy.

If you run outta ammo with one gun, you switch to another and you finish the job.

Hill has come to earth to survive.

You have to move, kill, reload, and shoot.

It's a tough job, but thankfully I'm damn good at doing it.

So this story sums up the experience of the game that I'm

gonna recommend to you today.

I know it sounds like doom, but it's not.

However, this game is a love letter to the Retro Doom games.

Let's dive into why you should check this one out.

Have you ever won to play a game that has.

20 sixteens doom and doom, eternals gameplay, but with the retro,

low resolution, poly art style, if you have prodius, is the game

you're absolutely looking for.

Prodius is a indie first pressure shooter that was developed

by a bounding box software.

In Proteus, you are cyborg and one of the last remaining humans, you're given the

task to take down demons in front of you.

And boy, do you ever, if you have an appetite for gory and

bombastic violence, then this F Ps is an all you can eat buffet.

So let's talk about the gameplay.

If you play doom, then you understand exactly how this game plays for those un.

You're giving guns and placed in a fast-paced war zone where it's good to

have the mantra shoe first or dot first.

For the most part, Perilla does everything it sets out to do exceptionally well.

While I would've liked some more enemy types, the ones we face off

against are very well designed.

The developers made it to where enemies could be splattered, dismembered, and

each possess multi death animation.

Those details, add a level of immersion and really help

prevent the game from Finley.

Repetitive in shooter games is often essential for the game to feel right.

There's a art to making that gunplay feel right, you know what I mean?

The kickback, the responsiveness, the sound and impact all has

to feel right in a shooter.

Thank.

This game nails each of those aspects.

Every gun feels good to play with, and no gun really feels like a du.

I also want to give a shout to the way you quickly reload every single weapon

in the game, and that leads me to the overall plus of the game, the swift

kinetic movements and the way this game always makes you feel fast yet.

You're completely in control.

Everything comes at a fast pace, but the game does a masterful job of

making you feel like you can always turn the tide of every single battle.

Another thing I wanna shout out is the atmosphere and the level of designs.

They are absolutely top notch, even though this game clearly

has that nineties retro filter.

It still looks very detailed with realistic lighting and particle effects.

I love how many secrets there are packed in every single level.

It gives you something to really look for when you aren't mowing down enemies.

I will warn you though, every level in this game, every

single level is absolutely huge.

It's very reminiscent of the lengthy levels in Halo Combat evolved.

For some of you that might sound daunting, but the action and the

exploration keeps the levels from feeling overstuffed and bloated.

Another plus of the game is the solid level editor on pc.

You can dive right into creating levels for others to enjoy, and on

consoles you can download and check out those community made levels.

It's not at the end surface level creation suite either.

If you can dream it, it's likely that you can create it with the

tools that you're given here.

Here are the flaws that I found in this game.

First was the lack of direction the game provides.

It's very, and I mean, very easy to get lost.

That's impressive considering this game has a map.

It has a map included, but yet it's still easy to get lost in this game.

The problem lies in the fact that said, map is challenging to read.

It's not the biggest issue.

Don't get me wrong.

It's not the biggest issue in the world, but it's one that

plagued me, nevertheless.

Another negative I had with the game was the thin narrative.

I get it.

You don't play these types of boomer shooters for the story.

No.

No one picks up this game and like, I think I'm about to have a bomb ass story.

No one says that, but it would've been nice to still have a story

centric reason to invest in the action that's happening on the screen.

I get it.

It's not the type of genre, but I would've still liked to seen a

little effort put into the story.

Overall, Perilla is a wildly fun time.

It's a true love letter to retro shooters, and it's also a

well-designed modern shooter game.

There are tons of replay value here due to the game's insanely detailed

and robust level crafting system.

I kid you not, this game is so good that you wouldn't have guessed that this was a.

Proud funded project seriously for Diaz is one of the best shooters in 2022.

This is definitely a game fans of the genre should have in their collection.

In this show, we practice the 10 games backlog rule.

In this practice, you log down 10 games, those games are gonna

be your video game backlog.

To be as productive as you possibly can be.

We recommend that you only play three games at one time.

One single player narrative game, one game that's gonna be

your chill and relaxed game.

And another game that's going to be your palate cleanser game, which is a game

that you play when you're not in the mood for your other narrative games.

When you complete or get tired of one game, it leaves the backlog list.

Then you decide which new game is added to the list, and which game on the list

advances to your act of three games.

So where should Padillas fit in your video game backlog?

This is a rare game that I think could fit in any of the three primary slots.

You can play this game as your primary focus and mo

through it in about a weekend.

However, you can also play it when you want to just chill and relax.

Or when you need a pallet cleanser game to play when you don't want to

play something that's narrative heavy.

Either way in any of the slides you want to play at Perilla is a damn good time.

I picked up the broomstick and stomped sharply down at the

end, breaking off the mop part.

I walked up to the group of six that I have grown to know.

Oh, so well.

I've been fighting these six for about two years now.

So far I haven't managed to beat them and they killed me

every single time I've tried.

I know what you're asking.

How am I here to face them if they've already killed me?

I have a magic talisman that resurrects me every time I died handy, right?

Well, there's a catch.

Every time I die.

I age one year.

Sure, I get older and magically stronger, but as with life, my health

diminishes a little bit as well.

It's a double edged sword, but one that's been useful against my enemies.

Speaking of which, my enemies in this room don't seem to know that I'm here yet.

I run up to the closest one and wind back.

My MAs shift staff and swing it cracks loudly against his skull

and he slumps down instantly.

Well, they know I'm here now and the fight is officially on.

Thankfully, I've trained for this for years as a al artist.

The next two closest guys make it to me at the exact same time.

Both swinging wild right hooks.

I brought up my staff to block the strike from the first guy on the left.

I intentionally take the strike from the one on the right.

The strike to the jaw is a small price to pay because the momentum of

his punch provides me with a opening.

I kick down with the same strike that broke the end of my staff.

The loud snap lets me know that I broke his ankle.

Yeah, he's out of the fight.

The guy on the left is stunned.

The delay cost.

I twirled my staff quickly and sweeped the legs out from underneath him.

As soon as he hit the ground, I brought my staff down hard across his chest.

It's not enough to end the fight with him, but my sidekick to his face

is he lies very still afterwards.

The three remaining enemies just observed while all this was happening.

The first two, the two in the front both had an average build, but the one in the

back was a massive man, and he looked like he missed his calling as a sumo wrestler.

He's the one him right there.

He's the one who killed me.

The last two times I faced this group, seeing what happened

to their other friends.

It must have made them cautious because instead of rushing in, like they're

fallen friends, they each pick up a bottle from the table and walk slowly up.

To me, they encircle me.

Normally, I wait for an opponent to go on the offensive.

I'm usually a defensive mind of Stryker, but not this.

This time I'm going on the offensive.

I used the stick as a launching point and propelled myself into the biggest one.

We fall back into the table behind them.

I recover quickly and roll to my feet.

The other two rush in at the same time, bottles raised above their heads.

I blocked both strikes with each of my arms.

I quickly head, but the nearest guy unleash a quick combo of

open palm strikes to the other.

He blocks.

One managed to slip in and breaks his nose.

He recalls back and puts his hands up to his nose to assess the damage.

Bad mistake.

I capitalize in the opening and kick him right in his open ribs.

He slumps down and doesn't move.

I turn around to see my final opponents, both from their feet staring at

me with a burning look of hatred.

Perhaps a little bit of fear as.

The smaller one pushes the big guy towards me and says, you take him.

The massive man charges towards me with his two tree trunk like

arms raised above his head.

Last time I foolishly tried to block the same attack and wound up with

both of my shoulders dislocated.

This time I decided to strike before his clubbing arms came down.

I punched upwards right into his.

He went down hard holding his throat.

I must have crushed this windpipe because he started wheezing.

Yay, yay.

I looked down on him and kicked him right in the head.

It might be excessive, but I need to make sure that he stays out of the fight.

I look up at the last guy, he's hauling the ass right outta the

door that I used to enter the room.

I'll let him go.

After all, I'm only after the guy behind the door that these guys

were guarding in the first place.

That's who I'm really after.

I woke up to those doors determined, this is what I've been training for, what I've

been dying for, literally in this case, behind these doors is one of the six

men responsible for killing my sensei.

My.

I bottled down my excitement and steal my nerves for the fight ahead.

I open the door ready to get my revenge.

So everyone, this is a story about my experience with the

early level from the game that I'm gonna recommend to you today.

This game is called Sifu.

So what is Sifu and who is it for?

Sifu is a Roguelike action Beat 'em up game by the French studio.

Slow clap.

You play as the child of the martial arts school's seafood.

After seeing your father get brutally murdered, you set out on a quest for.

Let's talk about the gameplay in the arts day of this game.

In seafood, you use light and heavy attacks, blocks, dodgers and PERS

to take the fight to your opponents.

This game features a combo system very similar to fighting

games in a lot of ways.

You could pick and choose the combos that you like to use against your

opponents and when you want to use them.

It's a cool feature that allows you to kind of customize a

fighting style that suits.

. However, for people who aren't really big into fighting games, trying to execute

the combos can seem very overwhelming.

To say the least overwhelming can be a pretty heavy theme of this

game because unlike other games where the goons politely wait for

their turn to attack you, these guys don't play by the same rules.

They will actively try to use their numbers to their advantage.

To level the playing field, though the game gives you the ability to use

weapons and maneuver around obstacles can kind of divide and conquer them.

Seafood is kind of like a thinking man's fighting game because you

have to use the environments and your combos to your advantage.

One of the dopest things about this game is that it oozes styles and charisma.

Every level has its own flavor and own unique vibe.

I never, and I mean, never seen anything quite like the levels in

Sifu, and I'm not exaggerating.

It's truly special the way the game uses color and shadows, and it's really cool

art style to make you feel like you're playing a modern day martial arts.

One flaw about this game is that I don't think it's very accessible to gamers

who don't typically play fighting games.

The game is so combo focused and based that if you're not used to

playing fighting games, then this is a very, very steep learning curve.

Another flaw is the game's complex ways of unlocking said combos and moves.

The method and the systems in place to unlock combos and moves seemed

like they could have been more streamlined and more gamer focused.

It really feels like these systems are in place to kind of pad the game out and

make the game longer than it needs to be.

Speaking of the flaws of this game, there are also times when I felt like in

addition to fighting the enemies on the screen, I was also fighting the camera.

It's not the worst camera in the world, don't get me wrong.

It's not like some of the bad cameras that we got during the PS two or

like the early PS three era games.

No, it's not quite that egregious, but there are times when I'm in a groove

with combos and someone off the screen hits me and kind of breaks everything up.

Occasionally.

This led to me.

It doesn't happen all the time, but it's enough that it's a

frustration, to be honest.

So overall, seafood is a lot like martial arts.

It requires dedication, practice, learning, and

discipline to play this game.

Many will be put off by the game's steep learning curve and difficulty

because let's be honest, even though less punishing student mode, which

is the game's easy mode will be a challenge to those who don't normally

play any games of this genre, both of the fighting genre, where you have to

input combos and the beat 'em up genre.

So if you're a stranger to both of those, just know if you play

seafood, you're in for a rough haul.

You are gonna have to learn to get good.

This game encourages you to get good.

. If you're willing to accept that and willing to kind of put in some work

into mastering a game and really learning the nuances and the combos and

the ins and outs of the environment, then this game is perfect for those

who want that kind of challenge.

If you're looking for a game that's more akin to the combat system and the AUM

games, or you wanna pick 'em and play type of game, kind of like something that has

easy controls, this shit ain't for you.

This is not gonna be for the week.

Even the easy mode, like I was saying earlier, is going to be a challenge.

All in all seafood is a wonderful blend of martial arts movies of the past,

modern art and challenging gameplay.

It's not for everyone, and I stress that really this game is not gonna

be for everyone, and it has its flaws, but this game is a must play.

If you're a fan of fighting games or if you're a fan of beat them up

games, definitely check this game out.

So those are the video game recommendations of the week that

you should consider adding to your video game backlog list.

If you want me or my community of gamers to give you feedback on your

backlog list, then join us in the single player experience Discord server.

Once you're in, feel free to share your backlog list or talk

about good single player game experiences that you've had lately.

The link to join the free single player experience Discord

server is in the show notes.

This has been the Single Player Experience weekly recap episode where

I break down every single game that was talked about during the week.

And come see you every single Friday, and I hope to catch you next Friday

for the next week's recap episode.

Thank you so much for listening, and I'll catch you in the next one.