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Written by Dustin Murphy

Pros:
+A mass amount of new traps to use
+Laegrinna and Velguirie’s stories run together quite well as if it was written all at once
+Massive improvements in regards to game crashes and frame rate dips (Vita version)
+Cross-Save between Deception IV: Blood Ties and Deception IV: Nightmare Princess saves time
+Laegrinna’s story can be run through as a story and by completing missions side by side

Cons:
–Unlocks can be extremely difficult for new players to get in on
–Laegrinna’s abilities have to fully be unlocked by completing challenges during missions, same with traps.
–Cross-Save between Vita’s Blood Ties to PS4’s Nightmare Princess didn’t work, requiring a full game restart.

Traps, traps, traps.. That is the ongoing theme when it comes to when playing the two “Princesses” of the Devil himself. Welcome in Laegrinna, the Nightmare Princess who has been asleep in the background while Velguirie, the daughter of the Devil, has been running around and claiming soles in the absence of her ‘sister’ in the original installment of the game. Their common goal? Collect 12 artifacts that will help bring the Devil back so that he may bring Hell to Earth.

With the release of Nightmare Princess, Deception IV has been vastly expanded so that Laegrinna may enter the scene, but fortunately in a very good way since the addition of her story and her 100 missions does not feel like a tacked on DLC, but instead a game that was carefully crafted from the get-go. The upside? If you have never played the series, this one is the one to go for, and it’s well worth the time spent if you are wanting to see how creative as well as devious you are. For those whom are inexperienced to the franchise, it’s time for you to take a peek under the hood before your curiosity gets the best of you. For all intents and purposes of the game, this title will require a lot of pausing, plotting, and even checking where to place your choice of 4-5 traps out of the twelve possible to carry on your character, here you will be choosing an elaborate bit of scheming in order to figure out what the best combination that can be used.

Since some of these traps will synergize together, it is a good idea to look into what each of them does and how they work together to give bonus effects. This can include traps such as the rake to make enemies stagger into a swinging axe trap before they are launched backwards and only to find they soon will have a boulder falling on top of them in order to crush their armor or even humiliate them when possible. The upside to this? It is hilarious, it is gut busting, and it is overly satisfying to see an enemy running after you only to get kicked back into a bear trap where they will find an arrow with a plunger attached to it before they are pulled backwards into their ultimate demise.

With that being the gist of the game, Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess is an all-new SKU, as stated before, it features 100 new quests, a new story, and even the original story for Deception IV: Blood Ties, which will set players on hours upon hours of torture filled fun. With the game also comes the new “Studio” mode where players will find themselves having insane amounts of fun while creating their own scenarios with characters they have unlocked through Velguirie’s campaign. With this version having released, it’s no surprise that many would wonder if it’s worth the while, if Velguirie is simply a tacked on portion of the game where they will find themselves slamming their head into a wall with a bit of dismay and broken promises. Fear not, the answer is no, and Tecmo Koei ensured that this would not be the case. This is backed up by both Velguirie and Laegrinna encountering each other, but also seemingly familiar enemies, and even some special guests from the original stories cast.

Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess (PS3, PS4 [reviewed], Vita)
Developer: Tecmo Koei
Publisher: Tecmo Koei
Price: 49.99 USD (PS4) | 39.99 USD (Vita)
Released: Now Available

During the course of the game players will find themselves doing several important things outside of setting up skillfully placed traps in order to meet special requirements in order to unlock everything in each map, but also in order to accomplish several goals. Players will need to adjust to Velguirie’s skillset, which is not going to include ninja like combo’s, but instead requires defensive measures. These defensive measures include things such as kicking enemies back into traps or simply to stop them, dashing away in order to keep from getting hit or trip a stage trap, or even using the stage to your advantage. While these sound like they would be massive game changers, the truth is they are not, and they require the player to be aware of all their surroundings so that Veluigire herself doesn’t fall trap to those sneaking trap placements within each level. While players do get to have a rather large selection of traps including water pans, rakes, arrow traps, swinging axes, swinging hammer, boulders, pumpkin’s, horse mounts that will wrack an enemy into senselessness and even a rather deadly toilet with a bidet in it. This means possibilities are limitless, so is your creativeness, which leaves everything completely up for you to do.

While not undertaking the Nightmare Princesses story, you’ll be able to go into the Studio mode where you will get to let your inner demon out a bit more. This includes creating your own arena’s, placing your own enemies, and even sharing them in order for other players to see if they are just as cunning as you. Want characters that look like something out of World of Warcraft or Power Rangers? Well enjoy. Same with characters that feel like they are from various comics. While crafting scenarios can be fun, Nightmare Princess is a version of the game that wants you to dive through the list of a hundred missions, Laegrinna is another character hidden around the corner for you to enjoy incase you have not, and this is something that will need to be done if you plan on collecting every trap possible for the duration of the game.

Since our review for Deception IV: Blood Ties vanished with our old website, it’s time to touch up on why this one is rather important, and even just as crafty as its successor. Note though that you’ll be shelling out between 30-50 USD for The Nightmare Princess if you haven’t already. Deception IV as you know is a trap game, this means cunning is important as well as knowledge of your enemies, which can be obtained by the games mechanic known as the “Devil Eye”. With the sisters, fans will get to undertake the use of this feature, which enables fans to see weaknesses, strengths, and information about the enemy they are going up against. This includes both bosses, the Princesses, and the likes. Here fans will also have a chance to obtain ideas about what is best suitable for them in each of their encounters. This is highly recommended when moving from room to room, but also from encounter to encounter since some stages have more than one to two enemies. Sometimes three or four can be encountered depending upon the mission itself, this mostly occurs with Laegrinna and her ‘sister’ Velguirie, among the other three princesses within the game that are coloured yellow, blue, and red in order to match the schools of traps that can be accessed.

The question at hand? When will a yellow story-arch be available for those who wish to enjoy such a game to its fullest. Till then this might be the game for you if you have the mind for games that require plotting, precision, pausing, and preparing between each mission to fulfill certain tasks as they become available. As for as story goes? Are you willing to pay the 30 or 50 USD to continue playing? That is one of those questions that is hard to answer unless you are into games of this style; if you are? The answer is yes.

Our review is based upon a pre-release of the version before it came out, but also a post-release version of the game. The PlayStation 4 version of the game was provided to us by the games publisher. For information about our ethics policy please click here.

 Final Score: 6 out of 10

About the Writer:

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over onTwitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

Join the Blast Away the Game Review Community on Facebook or Google+
Written by Dustin Murphy

Pros:
+Short matches that are well paced for players of all ages
+Team-work is capable of being done even without a form of communication
+Buttery smooth frame rate at 1080p that is highlighted by an enjoyable soundtrack
+Ranks cap out at 20 and do not feature a “Prestige” option
+Character customizations are fun and rather enjoyable

Cons:
–Limited maps based upon daily map rotation
–Some content is locked behind the Inkling amiibo’s, which causes real world money spending
–Lack of multiplayer control such as exiting a lobby while in queue is problematic

It’s hard to break the dullness that has become the online shooter genre, a dullness that is congested with Battlefield, Call of Duty, and other online shooters. However, there is one little ray of light that has managed to shine a bright light from within the darkness and because of this little gem I picked it up, played it, and found myself entranced by the games charming ways. Welcome to Splatoon, a game that will set people loose in a world where fragging other players is not at the forefront like it is with hyper-realistic titles such as Battlefield and Call of Duty. In this charming game we are introduced to a race of creatures that players will take on the role of known as Inklings. Like any species, the Inklings come in both male and female genders, which is something players will be introduced to when creating their character.

Once a character is created and the first story mission completed there is quite a bit of fun to be had due to the sheer creativity behind this title. Be it through the multiplayer mode called Turf War where or through the ranked modes called Tower Control and Splat Zones. Unlike most shooters, Splatoon does not emphasize on shooting other players, but instead of taking over territory by inking as possible. While doing so players will notice several things that can be done including splatting each other in order to temporarily remove each other from the linking combat. Unfortunately there is one trend that can be noticed when players aren’t wandering through Inkopolis. Like any of the modes, Tower Control is the fun one where players will find themselves fighting over a singular tower that will move towards the enemy base as long as they have control over it. By splatting it with their teams ink color, they will find themselves able to hide and maneuver easily around it when they aren’t being pelted by enemies while maneuvering across the map.

Platform(s): Nintedo Wii U
Publisher: Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development
Developer: Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development
Cost: 59.99 USD (Game), amiibo’s 12.99 to 29.99 USD (not required)
Release Date: Now Available

In Splat Zones teams fight for specified zones on each map in order to hold down the map and collect the points needed in order to win. As players fight for each of these zones, they will find their team gaining points over time as the match begins to wind get underway. Outside of that players will find many of the skills they learned in the basic game mode such as controlling territories, splatting enemies, and ultimately showing who has the better teamwork mechanics in this voice chatless title. When looking away from the franchises that have helped define the genre that Splatoon is apart of, it’s easy to forget that this game is part of a genre that has been filled with visceral images, realism, or war like scenarios that it simply steps back, takes the focus away from killing, I mean splatting each other, and becomes a game that focuses on its main concept as well as gimmick that makes the game friendly, but also quite enjoyable: territory control also known as tug-o-war. Thanks to the Wii U’s Gamepad there are a few simple mechanics we’ve become so accustomed to that at times they’d almost feel like a hinderance versus a tactical advantage like calling out where enemies are using voice chat. While I’m one that has found away from the common piece of gaming programming, I’ve found myself rather happy with the lack of voice chat due to the modern day of virulent foul language that has begun to plague gaming, name calling, and trash talk. While it would be nice to be able to call out where my team mates are, Nintendo has inventively done away with this thanks to the games constant splashing of opposing color’s flying across the screen in glorified brightness.

Much like many other games, the online lobbies are filled with eight players in total, which sets four players against four in an oddly setup matchmaking system that won’t let players back out once they have officially queued up. This works out in a difficult manners as players will find themselves in a platforming minigame where they are jumping as an inkling in order to keep from falling off the map as it goes up on them. Much like other shooter titles, players are unable to see what their enemies are using or even change their very own loadout. The only way you can change it? Head back to Inkopolis once your lobby is over or you’ve managed to somehow exit the game without pulling the plug on your Wii U.

While the design choice is understandable, it’s frustrating to see that Nintendo cut a few extra corners to make sure the game works, which is a bit dumbfounding for that matter. The unfortunate side to both of these design choices? You can’t even see what you’re about to go up against until it’s too late. For example? Imagine going into a lobby where three out of your four teammates are running around with ink rollers while you are the only ranged person with a 52 Gal or a Aerospray MG. Either way? Your team is in trouble unless one of them has a Kraken they can call forth and deliver a hefty blow against the opposing forces. This would be one example of the many possible where equipment pre-set loadouts would have been nice in Nintendo’s ultimate design choice of the game. After all, even Call of Duty does this and has been for a while. Come on Nintendo, it’s 2015.

When stepping away from Nintendo’s addicting multiplayer and its minor frustrations, players are left with two options – unfortunately both are almost identical. Players have the choices of going through the solo campaign where players can take the battle to their opposing enemies the Octarians and rescue The Great Zapfish or they can take on the challenges of the game by simply grabbing a inkling boy, inkling girl, or simply a Inkling Squid amiibo, going through specially modified missions only to hash it out once more with the Octarians while using specialized weapons for each mission. Doing this they will unlock bonus coins, special costumes, and even some nice little weapons along the way, but the question coming down the rail will be expected – is this worth the buy since the game is 59.99 USD and 34.99 for the triple pack of amiibo’s? The long story short is that it completely comes down to the buyer, but the game itself alone is an enjoyable experience that gamers of all ages will enjoy endlessly in the upcoming years.

Our review is based upon the released and currently up-to-date version of the game we as a company have purchased. For information about our ethics policy please click here.

 Final Score: 7 out of 10

About the Writer:

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over onTwitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.