Most Overlooked Current Gen Games - Part Three

The Most Overlooked series of articles is one of the longest series ever seen on SuperPhillip Central. And as long as there are games that don't get the due attention they deserve, then this article series will keep on keepin' on. Today's edition is part three of our look at the games on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One that have slipped through the cracks, being overlooked by the mainstream market for the most part. To check out past editions of Most Overlooked Current Gen Games, look no further than part one and part two.

TrackMania: Turbo (PS4, XB1)

We kick part three of Most Overlooked Current Gen Games with a release from earlier this year, TrackMania: Turbo. The game features the similar arcade-style racing gameplay of past games with over 200 unique tracks to speed through. Turbo's focus is on performing stunts while racing through tracks that generally don't take any longer than a minute to complete. However, getting gold medals on tracks is all about that perfect run. With the ability to play cooperatively with friends or in split screen with up to four players, something that makes it stand out as the first game of its type on both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, as well as create your own tracks, TrackMania: Turbo is a super-charged arcade racer that like a lightning fast race car, many gamers blinked and missed it.

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth (PS4, Vita)

The fifth game in the Digimon Story series, Cyber Sleuth brought the Digimon sub-series to a home console for the very first time, offering a JRPG absolutely drenched with content. While the turn-based battle system doesn't innovate exponentially, and the dungeon design is a tad linear, what Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth does get exceptionally right is being an overall entertaining experience for fans of the Digimon series as well as those who love a traditional RPG with lots of longevity. Seriously, you can enjoy Digimon Story; Cyber Sleuth upwards of 100 hours, and that includes the bonus New Game Plus mode that allows you to keep all of your collected Digimon, money, and more.

Hand of Fate (PS4, XB1, PC)

Card-based gameplay in video games in nothing new. We've seen it in games like Baten Kaitos and Lost Kingdoms, for instance. However, the Defiant Development-crafted Hand of Fate takes card-based gameplay to a new frontier, offering a tabletop card game experience brought to life. Here, the game blends that experience with rogue-like gameplay and action-RPG combat. The ability to customize your own deck is here, allowing you to build unique strategies to fit the given situation at hand (no pun intended) as you go on an adventure to take on 13 different bosses to complete the game. Hand of Fate encourages multiple play-throughs which only further sweetens the proverbial pot. Those looking for a card game unlike any other, be sure to check out the digital delight that is Hand of Fate.

Super Mega Baseball (PS4, PS3, XB1, PC)

With the Major League Baseball season racing towards the finish line, perhaps you're searching for a baseball game to play that is easier to pick up and play than a simulation-style game like MLB; The Show. Now, while Metalhead Software's Super Mega Baseball lacks the licensing of Major League Baseball, what it does offer is arcade baseball goodness that harks back to the glory days when baseball games were easy to pick up a controller and enjoy with buddies or by your lonesome. Nonetheless, don't think that Super Mega Baseball is overly basic. It's not. It delivers the full baseball experience, giving you full control of every player on the field, even allowing the customization of all 216 on the various teams in the game. With Super Mega Baseball, Metalhead Software hit it out of the park.

Kick & Fennick (PS4, XB1, Wii U, Vita)

Kick & Fennick is a touching adventure, starring a boy and a helper robot that he encounters in a mysterious lab setting. Together, the two assist each other through a concrete jungle of skyscrapers and buildings while being pursued by a large robot. Kick & Fennick's way of mobilization is quite unlike any other game. Kick has a special propulsion cannon of sorts that can be used to shoot him at various angles to reach new platforms that he otherwise wouldn't be able to access, as the game provides no basic jump button. The player can shoot Kick into the air, and then launch him a second time in midair. Careful precision movements and timing are required to get through later levels where the hazards are quite challenging to dodge and evade. Full of dozens of well designed levels, beautiful visuals, an innovative gameplay premise, and lots of secrets to unlock, Kick & Fennick is a great game that deserves more attention.

SPC Interviews: Jaywalkers Interactive (Kick & Fennick)

The team at Jaywalkers Interactive isn't a big bunch. In fact, it's just two people, yet they do the work of 10-20 people. That includes doing interviews to places such as SuperPhillip Central. Fresh off of the release of Kick & Fennick, currently a PlayStation Vita exclusive (also available for free for PS+ subscribers), both members of this two-man team took the time out of their hectic work schedules to answer a series of questions by yours truly. From how the studio came into fruition to the process of making Kick & Fennick a PS+ game, this interview ought to give you some more insight into the minds of indie developers.

Since this is an extended interview, check it out after the break.

Kick & Fennick (Vita) Review

We close out this week at SuperPhillip Central with the fourth review of the month. It's for a game that is free for PlayStation Plus subscribers this month, Kick & Fennick. It also just so happens to be a Vita exclusive. Here's my review.

The whole "Kick" and caboodle   

The following is no advertisement-- just some deserved praise for Sony's PlayStation Plus initiative. It has been a fantastic deal for gamers. Not only is there the ability to back up game saves to the cloud, but each month a flurry of releases are given to subscribers. The majority of these titles are ones that are of high quality, and such a game on the PS+ docket this month is an unconventional platformer called Kick & Finnick. It's such an interesting and quality release that I recommend it even if you have to pay for it for those who aren't PlayStation Plus subscribers. Read on to find out why.

Kick & Fennick starts out with a boy, presumably named Kick, as there is no dialogue to speak of in the game, waking up from inside a pod of sorts. He moves through a derelict facility and ends up meeting a robot also presumably named Fennick. The two hit it off almost immediately, and Kick offers to find his new robotic buddy a new light bulb for the end of its tail. What follows is over forty unique levels spread out among five chapters.

The beginning of a beautiful friendship...

The game is an atypical platformer in that there is no jump button in Kick & Fennick. Instead, within the first level of the game, Kick acquires a special long-barreled gun that he uses to launch himself to higher and further away locations with the weapon's recoil. He can use the recoil to launch himself twice before he has to hit solid ground where the gun will recharge itself instantly. Aiming the gun is done by holding the right analog stick or using the touch screen. The former is the better and more comfortable method, I found.

Jumping isn't useless-- it's just impossible
without the aid of Kick's special gun.

When the gun is aimed, time will temporarily slow down. This is fantastic and extremely necessary for when you're flying in midair and need to make a shift in direction. Many platforming and midair challenges require you to shoot the gun and launch Kick one way and then slow time down, aim the weapon a different angle, and launch our hero a different way. This mechanic lends itself to some very difficult trials for Kick and his gun. Launching himself up in the air and then using the recoil to shoot himself to the right, between two hazardous electrical currents, unscathed is but one of the many challenges Kick and players will have to confront. It only gets more crazy, more fun, and more difficult later on when momentum and the trajectories of Kick's shots are given greater importance.

Between the electrical currents, enemies, and
pits, no one said Kick's journey would be an easy one.

Each time Kick falls into a bottomless pit, gets squashed between two hard surfaces, or finds himself electrified, his pal Fennick is there to bail him out, transporting him to solid ground. However, each time Fennick rescues Kick, a portion of an energy gauge goes down. If it empties completely, you have to start over from the beginning of a given level all over again. Fortunately, Kick can collect Powernodes (the game has no use for a space between "power" and "node") to refill Fennick's energy gauge, allowing you a safety net for future failed jumps and botched aims of Kick's gun.

Getting hit by an enemy (such as one of these)
 also causes the energy gauge to decrease.

Each level in the game has fifty Powernodes which are spread out, sprinkled, and hidden all over for the player to collect. This is purely optional, but in doing so, not only are you extended the longevity of the game, but many Powernodes require skillful play to reach them. It makes the game even more challenging than it already is to find and secure every Powernode in each level and survive.

These Powernodes might be small,
but they definitely are handy, too.

In addition to the fifty Powernodes, each level possesses a Special Gear that is usually placed in a very well hidden area. Regularly seeking out and collecting these unlocks new color schemes for Kick's outfit. Again, like the Powernodes, finding and acquiring these adds replay value, forces you to fully explore levels, and also puts you into more challenging predicaments that you otherwise might miss out on by not searching for them.

These sentry drones must be proud
ganging up on a little boy.

That isn't to say that Kick & Fennick is a game that is a breeze to beat even if you don't go off the beaten path. While the game generally gives a steady difficulty curve, there are some levels that feature obstacles and platforming challenges that come out of nowhere and hit the player hard. This can create some frustration, but these jumps in difficulty are few and far in between, thankfully.

Kick & Fennick's presentation is quite solid. Kick is an endearing character and a lot of that comes from his appealing 3D model. Environments are highly detailed, though some more variety would have been appreciated. A lot of levels take place in and on dilapidated buildings and cityscapes with just the time of day being different. The loading times aren't too bad, but they add up when you miss out on a Powernode and wish to retry the level. Since there is no "restart level" function in the pause menu, you have to back out to the main menu, costing 20-30 seconds of your time each occurrence. In addition to that issue, I have also had Kick & Fennick freeze when loading a level, and also the game simply crashed once while playing.

Later levels throw in bounce pads
and teleportation portals.

Overall, Kick & Fennick is an innovative 2D platformer with a great hook, brilliant level design, and loads of secrets. It's a nice game to just play one or two levels, or just sit down and play an entire chapter. The gun and recoil mechanic is fantastic, offering a fresh take on a tried and true genre. Some levels may become overly frustrating-- especially on the hard difficulty--  and there are some problematic jumps in difficulty here and there, but all in all, Kick & Fennick is an affordable and well-worth-it jump and run.... or is it launch and run? While I figure this question out, you go ahead and download this gem of a PlayStation Vita exclusive.

[SPC Says: B]

Review copy provided by Jaywalkers Interactive.