Playing Every Game in the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality
PEGBRJE: ‘Book of Eos’ and ‘Garrison Gauntlet’
Kickin’ it old school.
Book of Eos is a turn-based 2D RPG created by testzero, a solo indie developer based in the United States. Originally built within a month as a challenge to himself, this game centres around the traditional JRPG tropes of setting off on an adventure to save the realm. The only major difference is that instead of being a generic hero, the player is a band of monsters wondering how they got themselves into this mess.
Jumping in to the lands of monsters and men is our little friend Ozymandias, a small imp living in a valley of mountains outside of the monster town of Detritville. Upon discovering a strange book that he cannot read and feels strangely attached to, he sets out on an adventure to get it translated. This means the old-fashioned style of overworlds is back, with regions and dungeons littering the world to delve in to.
Travelling can get lonely but Ozy does not seem to mind. He doesn’t stop three other monsters from joining the party though, and lending their unique abilities to ensure that the journey goes smoothly. The important aspect of each monster is these unique abilities that can be viewed as puzzle solving solutions, such as the orc’s ability to destroy rocks due to his immense strength. The farther the game goes, the more puzzles will appear that will require every one of the player’s party members to solve, from sliding across regions to uncovering switches that alter entire rooms.
While combat is the traditional JRPG format of turnbased attacks and specials, the limited resources and clever mechanics can make even the simplest of encounters lethal. I have not played many games in this style of hardcore JRPG so I do not have a frame of reference, but know that even random encounters can kill an unexpecting group of monsters if they are not careful. Gaining any edge is imperative to winning. Learning everything possible about all of the other monsters and enemies is a great way to prolong the journey.
This leads in to the main draw of Book of Eos; the story telling. While admittedly cliched — it was made in a month, cut it some slack — the narrative twist of being a monster helps breathe new life in to the game. There are loads of NPCs that can be discovered to learn more about the world, while also gaining knowledge on how best to approach a possible scenario that may not have happened yet. Rather than telling the player upfront, there is the need to explore and find hints and references to uncover a solution. The world operates without Ozy and the rest of the monsters, and it feels that way as the humans go about their lives wondering who these hooded strangers are.
It won’t be for everyone and it probably won’t change your mind on JRPGs, but Book of Eos has the right combination of old school mechanics and clever writing to keep fans of the genre excited for what could happen next. You’ll be treated to an expansive world full of monsters and mortals alike, with an advertised 8–10 hours of exploration. That is considered a ‘small’ RPG by some, but that’s still a fantastic amount of game to discover.
Garrison Gauntlet is an old school action platformer created by Ryan Silberman, a game developer of remakes, freeware and original titles. This is one of those originals and follows a curious robot who somehow breaks free of their programming to rebel against their creator Garrison. Now knowing how tyrannical their former leader was, it is up to them to destroy all of Garrison’s plans and take out everything that could assist him.
Players will jump over bullets and firing their own as they progress through this 2D platformer, hoping to take on the final location at the end. There are three levels to choose from before even starting, as Garrison Gauntlet wants players to be able to decide which region they want to play through first. The difference is mostly aesthetic, with enemies and terrain looking different while being in unique layouts. It is up to the player to find which region is easiest, but ultimately will need to conquer all three in order to face Garrison himself.
In the levels, the enemies will stop at nothing to destroy the little robot either by running at them with their bodies or firing constantly. Since the robot can only jump and shoot, players will need to time their shots correctly in order to dodge the bullets and still land hits on the weak spots. Damage can only be healed at checkpoint locations, and even those do not fully heal our friend. The farther the player gets the more likely to be stuck in an loop of not having enough health to continue. Of course, this just means that players need to not get hit, but that can take quite a few attempts to iron out, especially since there are no lives. Death means returning to the last checkpoint.
If you manage to get through all of the levels and reach Garrison, you’ll be up against your former master and finally able to take him out. It’s a simple conclusion, but Garrison Gauntlet is more about the fun of reliving those memories of older-style games that require perfect execution and reactions to win. It may not be my cup of tea, but I know there are many of you out there that adore this genre. Give this little game a whirl and see if it is as fun as it looks.
