APC_Australia_Issue_442_June_2017

Bayonetta
Platinum’s ultra stylish
hack’n’slasher is finally
available on PC
PC, PS3, 360, WII U | US$19.99
WWW.PLATINUMGAMES.COM
PC, PS4, XO | $45.95 | WWW.LEGO.COM/EN-AU/WORLDS
Lego Worlds
The sky isn’t the limit, your imagination is.
Creating a virtual
world builder is a
brave move. Not
only does it require
a considerable amount of
technical wizardry and
player dedication, it also
puts you in competition
with Minecraft, one of the
most popular games on
the planet.
On paper, this looks like
just the game to topple the
competition. Lego has the
brand name and reputation
for creating all manner of
wondrous inventions from
its humble blocks. Its
humour-packed adventure
games already have a huge
following, and this latest
instalment offers an
experience even closer to
the spirit of the brand.
Unfortunately, it can’t quite
nail the execution.
Building is at the core of
Lego Worlds, but rather than
being exclusively a content
creation title, Traveller’s
Tales has seen fit to bolster
the crafting experience with
some story elements. After
crash-landing on a strange
planet, your first task is to
collect gold bricks to repair
your damaged rocket. Well,
we say ‘your first task’, but
it’s really the only task, as
the whole game revolves
around exploring different
planets in order to amass
more gold bricks. Gather a
hefty 100 and you’ll earn the
much-coveted title of Master
Builder, with the freedom to
create your very own worlds.
Each level is procedurally
generated but has a distinct
theme. One minute, you’re
going gung-ho in the Wild
West, and the next, you’re
kicking back with some
prehistoric folk or trying not
to toast your toes on a
volcano. As an inevitable
compromise for the level of
freedom they offer, the
levels themselves lack the
aesthetic panache of
previous Lego games such as
Marvel Super Heroes and
Jurassic World. There are no
on-rails or carefully guided
sections here; instead, it’s a
huge sandbox world that
allows you to create
anything that crosses your
mind, but also requires a fair
amount of resources.
Worlds are brimming with
inhabitants in need of aid,
who will reward your
services with valuable items
like bricks, studs (the game’s
equivalent of currency), and
blueprints (for creating new
items). However, the
missions you’re faced with
don’t attempt to expand your
proficiency with the game’s
creation mechanics. Instead,
gameplay outside of the
construction aspect involves
fairly basic tasks, like
gathering pigs for a farmer.
Sometimes, your hunt for
gold bricks is as simple as
searching a chest or fending
off some unsavoury
individual. What buildingfocused
aims there are see
you utilising basic skills to
construct various structures,
like a home for a polar bear
or a tree lodge for an elven
maiden. Even with the vast
differences between worlds
the noticeable repetition and
woeful lack of imagination
when it comes to quests
ensure that tedium is
inevitable. What’s more, Lego
Worlds lacks much of the
charm and humour of its
licensed predecessors.
While it won’t entice many
of fans away from Minecraft,
it does offer a solid
alternative to virtual world
building. Anne-Marie Coyle
Verdict
Offers near-limitless freedom to build,
but fidgety controls and repetition
tarnish this game’s potential.
It took nearly eight years,
but Bayonetta is finally
available to play on PC.
And despite originally
releasing on Xbox 360 and
PlayStation 3 back in 2009,
this is still one of the best
hack-’n’-slash action games
around. And this PC version
is now the best version
you can buy, offering 4K
support and smooth, stable
framerates. This is how you
port a classic. Summing
up the plot seems futile,
because Bayonetta is about
a witch with guns strapped
to her stiletto heels who
can eat angels with her
hair. Things only escalate
from there. Bayonetta offers
one of the best combat
systems around. You have
a basic punch and kick
attack, and they’re used
to execute any of a myriad
of possible combos based
on the weapon you have
equipped. The dodge is
a masterpiece. Bayonetta
is all about flow. The style
and fluidity of the attack
chains is astonishing.
Ultimately, Platinum has
put in the work to create
combat systems that
feel great, but that also
interlock into something
more than the sum of
their parts. When you’re
in the flow, the combat
feels like an extension of
Bayonetta’s character. As a
protagonist, she’s not just
cocky and unflappable, but
looks like she’s having fun
throughout. There are a
couple of quirks to the port,
but, overall, it’s an absolute
joy. Phil Savage
www.apcmag.com 111