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Video Game: Little Witch Nobeta

Little Witch Nobeta is a bit of a souls like game where you play a witch who can’t seem to recall what she’s supposed to be doing, but is guided through a castle by a talking cat while discovering different types of “spells” to help her through the various enemies she encounters.

I really enjoyed the game at first, but it’s become a game that I’ve been touch and go with. My initial impression was it was very charming and reminiscent of Dark Souls, and after about three hours into the game I started feeling like I was shooting a gun in the form of a wand while the gameplay felt repetitive fairly quickly.

You have two main attacks, and a special that is determined by the element you have active (and you can switch very quickly). You find the different elements throughout the castle when stumbling upon floating crystals to destroy, with the only way to destroy them being with that element.

The first main attack is a ranged wand attack that changes with your active element, but feels like you’re actually shooting a gun. Arcane is like a pistol, ice is like a machine gun, fire is like a shotgun, etc. The second main attack is a staff attack that can be bolstered by charging your special, which is cool. And the special is charged over time, which can be shortened by selecting different attributes as you level.

Don’t get me wrong, the game is still charming and I believe worth the $9.99 it currently costs on Steam, however that charm isn’t motivating me to play it through for long periods at a time. While the initial hour or two felt very wizardy to me, that feeling started to fade pretty quickly. It did get very good reviews in other places, so it might be something each person connects with differently. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Game: 3/5

Wizardry: 3/5

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Kickstarter: Wizards and Relics Review (They sent me a demo!)

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Hearthstone: What I’m Playing [Skeleton Mage]

I’ve played Hearthstone on and off for years, occasionally making the grind to Legend when I find a deck that I really enjoy. This season, I’ve been casually playing one of the most fun decks I’ve piloted: Skeleton Mage. I’ve tried a few different versions, but I’m at a 68% win rate over 25 games with the current list (you can find the code at the bottom of this post).

As you can see it’s very strong into most decks, but has its issues with Ramp/Celestial Druid. Ramp/Celestial Druid is tough because it’s able to control mana supply by generating mana crystals faster than you and resetting the game with Celestial Alignment, while constantly presenting or eliminating threats. Once they get to 13 mana crystals they will usually have enough infusions on Sire Denathrius to steal the game following a Brann Bronzebeard. The main way to stop this is playing Theotar, the Mad Duke and stealing their Denathrius, but they have their own Theotar to steal it back.

The other matches feel pretty good, and are usually a nice back-and-forth, feeling like you’re a dueling mage. The last time I remember a Hearthstone deck feeling like that was the recent Combo Mage renditions, but it’s been a while prior to it.

Skeleton Mage has various paths toward winning, but gets its name from being able to generate Volatile Skeletons through value plays like Nightcloak Sanctum, Cold Case, and Deathborne. If you find yourself in the late game after having gone down this path of skeleton generation, Kel’Thuzad, The Inevitable becomes a favorable win condition. I will say, however, this tends to be a less reliable strategy unless it comes naturally, usually because for Kel’Thuzad to be a strong win condition, they had to removed a significant amount of skeletons since Kel’Thuzad ressurects them. If this happened, it usually means your opponent has either controlled the board or is another mage trading skeletons with you with their own Deathbornes.

Another way to utilize your skeletons is as infusions for Sire Denathrius. A fun combo you can use late game is to play Kael’Thas Sinstrider, which allows every third minion to cost 0, followed by Brann Bronzebeard, ending with Sire Denathrius. Brann will cause Denathrius to trigger, which typically solidifies the game at that point. He’s also not the only one who can close the game for you with this line of play; ending with a Kel’Thuzard or Mordresh Fire Eye will also mean closing the game, usually.

Here is the code to upload into your collection if you’d like to try it. Each card feels like it has a specific purpose and fits into the deck, but I’d prioritize keeping Wildfire, Arcane Intellect, Nightcloak Sanctum, Magister Dawngrasp, and Sire Denathrius in your opening hand. Just be mindful that a well-timed Theotar can disrupt your entire game if you commit to a particular path too early.

### Skeleton Mage # Class: Mage # Format: Standard # Year of the Hydra # # 2x (0) Flurry (Rank 1) # 2x (1) Shivering Sorceress # 1x (1) Sir Finley, Sea Guide # 2x (1) Wildfire # 2x (2) Amplified Snowflurry # 2x (2) Solid Alibi # 2x (3) Arcane Intellect # 1x (3) Brann Bronzebeard # 2x (3) Frostweave Dungeoneer # 2x (3) Nightcloak Sanctum # 1x (3) Prince Renathal # 2x (3) Treasure Guard # 1x (4) Blademaster Okani # 2x (4) Cold Case # 1x (4) Commander Sivara # 2x (4) Multicaster # 2x (4) Reckless Apprentice # 1x (4) Theotar, the Mad Duke # 1x (4) Varden Dawngrasp # 2x (6) Blizzard # 2x (6) Deathborne # 1x (6) Kael'thas Sinstrider # 1x (7) Magister Dawngrasp # 1x (8) Kel'Thuzad, the Inevitable # 1x (8) Mordresh Fire Eye # 1x (10) Sire Denathrius # AAECAY0WDNjsA53uA6CKBOWwBMeyBOnQBJjUBLjZBKneBLrkBJfvBL7wBA7U6gPS7APT7APW7AOogQSfkgShkgT8ngSHtwTx0wTK3gTb3gT67ASEkwUA # # To use this deck, copy it to your clipboard and create a new deck in Hearthstone

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Book Review: Mage of No Renown (Tales of Terralor #1) by Kel Kade

I’m a big fan of King’s Dark Tidings, so when I heard that Kel Kade released a prequel that focuses on Wesson, one of the only mages in the series, I was super psyched.

Without giving too much of both series away, Mage of No Renown tells Wesson’s story from a young age. Wesson is an incredibly powerful mage with a vast amount of “destructive vimara” (vimara is essentially the magic system in this world), and right off the bat in King’s Dark Tidings he makes it very clear that he doesn’t like using it. In fact, he’d rather be a healer despite being a great candidate for a battle mage. In Mage of No Renown we learn more about the psychology of Wesson and why he’s more inclined toward one path, rather than the other.

The book moved quickly and I was left wanting more. Kel Kade said he should have the next book in the King’s Dark Tidings series finished by the end of the year, and I hope Wesson is a major focal point!

Rating: 4/5

Wizardry: 4/5