Here at Zero1gaming, we’ve been trying to deal with our shared addiction to hoarding Steam games, only to leave them untouched and unloved in our libraries. It’s cruel, and it’s wrong. In recompense, a few of us selected a random game to play and discuss from our extensive libraries.

Blackguards

Hi again. My name is Joseph, and I’m a Steam addict.

Honestly, I don’t even remember how Blackguards ended up in my Steam library. Maybe it caught my eye during a sale, or maybe it was part of a Humble Bundle. Who knows.

What I do know, having now played it, is that Blackguards is an entertaining turn-based RPG in the vein of The Banner Saga.

Having broken out of prison, the player character and a party of interesting characters have to travel across the dark and foreboding, completing quests as they go.

The battles are grid-based and require stratagems and skill to complete. It’s not overbearingly difficult, but success relies on staying one step ahead of the clever A.I., who will attempt to outmanoeuvre you at every turn.

The gameplay is fun enough to hook the player, but the story is what’s going to keep me playing after this article has been published. A twisted fantasy story involving false accusations of murder and difficult narrative choices will always get a thumbs up from me.

JBH

The Last Word

My name is Trent and I’m (still) a Steam Addict.

I’m just gonna come out and say it: RPG Maker is a hell of a drug, guys. It’s like a meth lab for game developers. They go into their garage with some artwork, a computer, and a dream and come out with a fully functional game, reeking of energy drinks and Cheetos but otherwise unscathed. And, much like meth, when you use their creation you are sometimes transported to a magical realm with strange and interesting people only to wake up two days later without any pants. Sometimes, however, you find yourself in a world where the walls grow mouths and you are compelled to obey them.

Okay, the metaphor got away from me a little bit there, but my point is that The Last Word is weird. The entire concept is that whoever gets the parting shot in a conversation can force the other person to obey them. The combat system is surprisingly robust for a game made with RPG Maker, with multiple techniques necessary in order to overcome the numerous opponents presented to you. I should mention that these opponents include a house cat and a giant mouth growing out of the wall.

But I regret nothing because it was on sale. Now excuse me while I wait for the Summer Sale to score my next hit.

Trent

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