Episode 10: Baba Is You, Guard Duty And Interview With Nathan Hamley

INTRO
Welcome to This Week In Video Games Episode 10, my name is Tom Kershaw and this is a podcast all about the world of video games.
This week we’ll get into Guard Duty first impressions – a new point and click adventure game from Sick Chicken Studios. We’ve also got an interview with the creator Nathan Hamley, so stay tuned for that. We’ll also review Baba Is You and check out all the weekly news including Apple’s new subscription service, Sega releasing a Megadrive Mini, Borderlands 3 finally announced and Nintendo Switch Online is free with Twitch Prime. We’ll also look at the all platform charts and what’s coming up next week. 

If you want to get involved in the show email us on podcast@thisweekinvideogames.com or check out the latest on the website. Send in your questions, comments and video game stories – we’re always interested in hearing from you. We’re also available on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram – so search This Week In Video Games on your favourite platform and join in the conversation.

[END INTRO]

Welcome to the show everyone. I hope you are good and having a good week. I’ve been home this weekend for Mother’s Day and hanging out with family down the beach in Sussex. The weather’s been super nice and the clocks have changed, so we’re leaving winter behind and full steam ahead to summer!

Mention Apple New & Noteworthy in Games & Hobbies – thank fans.
Thank you so much for taking the time to download or stream This Week In Video Games. I really do appreciate every listen we get and you taking the time out to hang out with me each week and talk about video games.

WHAT I’VE BEEN PLAYING 
* Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

*Baba Is You 

* Game of Thrones board game update

Guard Duty First Impressions
Guard Duty is a new point and click adventure game coming to PC this spring. This is a genre of games very close to my heart, having played through games like Day Of The Tentacle, Full Throttle and The Monkey Island series in the 1990’s. These games first taught me about puzzles in games and demonstrated games too could have a long lasting, meaningful story packed full of action and humour.

I was lucky enough to get a preview of Guard Duty this week and have played through the first few hours.

Guard Duty revolves around our hero Tonbert and it’s his job to guard the gates of the castle in Wrinklewood. The game starts with a bang. As players, we’re taken to 2074 and there’s 10 seconds until the end of the world. The start makes you sit up and take notice for sure. We’re then taken back to medieval times and meet our Tonbert.

Tonbert’s approached while guarding the gates by a mysterious stranger. He’s tricked (and perhaps had one-too-many) and lets the stranger in through the gates. We’re then taken to the next morning with Tonbert asleep and he’s locked in his room set up in a tree outside the castle. Unfortunately his uniform’s been stolen and he has to get back his clothes back and find a way out of his locked room.

The game spans across two drastically different time periods – you’re either in the past or the future. Both time periods look beautiful. We spent most of our time in the past and it’s inspired by Terry Pratchett’s Discworld and Simon the Sorcerer. The future looks bleak, dark and like something out of Blade Runner. The contrasting settings are very cool indeed and we’re keen to find out how they join up and where the story takes us.

Guard Duty is a point and click adventure game however it’s streamlined somewhat. We’re provided with contextual clicks – the left mouse button on an object allows you to take an action and the right mouse button allows you to find out more about an item. It’s a great system.

Much of your time will be spent exploring the detailed world, finding clues and solving puzzles. There’s a fantastic amount of comedy threaded throughout the game which keeps you engaged and entertained that compliments the puzzles and exploration.

The player is equipped with The Infinity Pouch. This is your main inventory system. The game keeps track of your to-do list noting down current objectives and goal, so you always know what to do next. Guard Duty also features streamlined inventory and puzzle design. The game feels like a classic mid-90s point and click adventure game but without the complexity of action panels.

The graphics are beautifully hand-crafted pixel art and the world building is great. The pixel art look and feel is true to the era with Guard Duty created in 320×240 resolution and really makes it feel like something from the 90’s.

The audio is equally detailed and you can see the passion the development team have for the genre. There’s over 30 unique pieces and 6000 lines of dialogue in the game.

This all adds up to a wonderfully crafted world that feels unique and immersive – it’s bound to draw you in and keep you coming back for more.
Guard Duty is a charming adventure game and we like what we’ve played so far. The graphics and audio really take me back to the 90’s however the controls have been streamlined to make the game much less hassle. The contextual actions make the game much easier to control so you can focus on the story and not worry too much about your inventory. The puzzles are challenging but engaging and exploring the world feels rewarding.

There’s a nostalgic feel to the game for me, but will welcome in new players to the genre with it’s engaging story and split timeline. I’m looking forward to getting further into the game to find out how the timelines meet and characters interact with each other.

You can clearly see the hard work and passion for games gone into the design and gameplay. It’s come together fantastically well and is bound to provide you hours of entertainment.

Check out the trailer for Guard Duty or find out more about Sick Chicken Studios.

Guard Duty is released on PC via Steam , Mac and Linux this spring. I’ll be back with a full review once the game has been released.

FEATURE
[x] Guard Duty interview with Nathan

Baba Is You Review
Baba Is You is a new puzzle game released by Hepuli. You mostly control Baba, a dog-like sprite around a simple 2D world pushing blocks as you go to solve the puzzle. Other objects on the screen might be trying to block your way, for example a wall or water. Manipulate the rules, get to the flag and congratulations… you’ve beaten the level.

There’s simple coding-like instructions on the screen letting you know the rules. The rules are made up of nouns, conjunctions and verbs and they are combined to create the rules for the board. The rules can be changed by moving the blocks.

For example, ‘Baba is you’ means you control Baba allowing you to move around the screen. ‘Flag is win’ means you have to get to the flag to complete the level. ‘Wall is stop’ means you can’t get through the wall so you will have to change up the instructions. Instructions for Baba and objects can be chained together layering on mind-bending complexity to the puzzles.

If you make a mistake, or you disconnect the ‘is you’ in the game you can go back and try again. If you really get stuck you can restart the level. The game can be tricky to describe through writing, so here’s a clip that explains the game perfectly.

There’s over 200 levels in the game and the puzzles move from simple tutorial levels to complex levels fairly rapidly. Sometimes the solution is so delightfully simple, it’s all a matter of trying things out. However the later you progress in the game the puzzles get pretty tough and the game can feel a little frustrating.

Baba Is You is a fun, innovative title and great on the Nintendo Switch as you can tackle levels on a commute or when you have a little time on the move. As you move through the later levels the earlier satisfaction does stand a side a little as the layers of rules build up.

As the game is only approx £11 (or $15) I would recommend picking up this interesting little puzzle game. There’s more than a few wow-moments in here when you manipulate the environment in surprising ways.
Baba Is You is available on Nintendo eShop and PC via Steam and was released on March 13th 2019.

Final Score    76

Let me know what you think of Baba Is You on podcast@thisweekinvideogames.com

NEWS

Sega Megadrive Mini Coming September

Sega unveil their own Megadrive mini to be released this September.
Sega have announced the Megadrive (or Genesis for our North American chums) mini and it’s coming out this September. It’ll release alongside 40 games including:

• Sonic The Hedgehog
• Echo The Dolphin
• Castlevania: Bloodlines
• ToeJam & Earl
• Altered Beast
• Gunstar Heroes
• Shining Force
• Dr Robotnik’s Mean Machine

The console comes with 2 wired pads, USB power adaptor, power cable and HDMI cable. Sega made the announcement on Twitter
Check out the full details on on thisweekinvideogames.com and search megadrive. The mini console aims to release on September 19th 2019 worldwide.

Tidal Basin Coming To The Division 2 April 5

World Tier 5 is coming soon with Tidal Basin.
The roadmap for The Division 2 has been updated with an important milestone added. On April 5th a new stronghold will open up to players in the endgame with players taking on the dangerous Black Tusk faction.
Tidal Basin is the first update for The Division 2’s endgame and is coming for all players on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
Check out our impressions of The Division 2.

Borderlands 3 Announced at PAX East 

Gearbox have unveiled Borderlands 3 coming soon.
Gearbox has released a trailer for the game showing nearly 4 mins of the game including a ton of characters and weapons. We return to Pandora for the third instalment of the long-awaited Borderlands series.
Gearbox teased the trailer release the day before and you can check out the full trailer on thisweekinvideogames.com and search borderlands 3.

Target Races Available In Red Dead Online

Rockstar have added Target Races in Red Dead Online.
Target Races have been added to Red Dead Redemption 2 as of today in the latest update from Rockstar. Shoot targets, pass checkpoints while on horseback and race to the finish in this new mode for Red Dead Online.
You start out with a bow and arrow but can pick up new items along the way. As well as weapons you can pick up items to boost your horse’s stamina and extend the sprint time. Weapons include pistols and shotguns with limited ammo. If your lagging behind your opponent then you can get into their slipstream for a boost (Mario Kart style). PlayStation 4 players get early access to Open Target Races, where you compete in an open space to take out all targets then race to the finish.
Red Dead Online is also handing out 20% boost on all XP earning activities at the moment which includes Target Race, Free Roam Missions and Hideouts.
There’s much more planned for Red Dead Online in the Spring, check out the full details here.

No Man’s Sky VR Update

No Man’s Sky are going to be adding support for VR in their latest update to the game called ‘Beyond’. The VR support in Beyond is an exciting new chapter for the game. You can check out Sean Murray’s full interview with Sony where he goes into detail as to what VR means for the game.
Beyond comes in three parts – Online Multiplayer, VR support and a yet to be discussed feature. Check out the trailer from the recent State of Play – Sony’s new video update to fans.
Beyond is scheduled for release Summer 2019.

Nintendo Switch Online Free With Twitch Prime

Twitch have announced if you have a Twitch Prime account one of the benefits includes 12 months free Nintendo Switch Online access. The first 3 months can be claimed right away, then after 60 days the remaining 9 months become available. This means access to a great library of NES games including The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros, Double Dragon, Kirby’s Adventure and Excitebike. Also online play and other Twitch Prime benefits.
Check out the recent announcements for additions to the NES library including Kid Icarus and Super Mario Bros 2.
Check out more on thisweekinvideogames.com and search twitch prime. 

CHARTS

1. SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE (NEW)
2. TOM CLANCY’S THE DIVISION 2 (1)
3. FIFA 19    (4)
4. GRAND THEFT AUTO V (3)
5. RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 (2)
6. MARIO KART 8 DELUXE    (7)
7. THE LEGO MOVIE 2 VIDEOGAME (5)
8. FORZA HORIZON 4    (12)
9. FAR CRY NEW DAWN (8)
10. NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. U DELUXE    (10)

COMING UP NEXT WEEK
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid (US) [PS4] – April 2
Dance of Death: Du Lac & Fey [PC] – April 5
Super Dragon Ball Heroes World Mission [PC, Switch] – April 5

OUTRO

That’s it for This Week In Video Games today. Don’t forget to get in touch about anything you’ve heard on the show today and if you like what you hear – subscribe and leave us a nice review on iTunes – it really helps us get the word out about the podcast. 

Coming up next week we have EGX Rezzed – I’ll be there on Saturday afternoon talking to as many developers as I can.  

We’re always looking for input on the show too  so contact us on podcast@thisweekinvideogames.com or get in touch via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Search This Week in Video Games everywhere, and get involved. I hope you have a great week, we’ll get together again to chat about video games next weekend. Until then see ya soon.