Giga Geek Magazine was gifted with access to an early build of the game. All of the opinions in this article are for that early version, some things are subject to change as more is developed.
Independent developers never cease to amaze me. Some of my favorite games of all time have come from these smaller studios, which is refreshing in an age of micro-transactions, always online checks, and broken releases. Songbringer comes from humble folks—inspired by the top down days of Legend of Zelda—and is shaping up to be a memorable classic.
Weiss’ pixel skills are impressive. Check out the Nano Sword!
Songbringer is a procedurally generated adventure through mysterious locales, slashing baddies with a nano-sword or tossing a boomerang top hat. Created by a single man with ambition beyond mortals, Nathan Weis is crafting a science fiction love letter to Zelda. Not only is Weis making this one solo, after twenty years or so of being a developer, but he’s also been streaming daily on Twitch. Keeping it simple, Songbringer won’t have A-list actors doing voice overs, or music played by an orchestra; however, that gives it charm.
Primarily, there are two ways to play Songbringer: normal mode will let the hero die to respawn like a normal adventure game, and permanent death mode, which is exactly what it sounds like, turning the whole game into a rogue-like game similar to Binding of Isaac.
Playing around with the build sent to me by Weis, there is a lot to love already. Combat is simple and familiar, using items assigned to buttons and swinging a sword. While combat is essential to survive, there is a heavier focus on exploration. The system generates a fairly large overworld, with areas that require specific items before you can explore.
You can gain harder levitra best prices and fuller erection to participate in lovemaking and enjoy intimate moments with her. The heart is built of mystical black freesia, while levitra samples the base introduces sequoia wood accords, musk and amber. davidfraymusic.com india cheap cialis Garlic – Garlic is a common herb used in kitchens. They fit in order generic levitra the budget of a common man can afford. Dungeons also spawn throughout this strange planet. During my time with Songbringer, I saw the conquering of four dungeons. There weren’t any real puzzles to challenge the sword wielding hero, but there were plenty of enemy types to learn. Demons lower their head and charge with their wicked horns, and little bugs attack in large groups. There are some rooms that have way too many enemies in them, turning the challenge into mashing every item to try and survive.
One of the few criticisms I have for the game is the lack of music. Of course this is bound to come in later builds, but it made the world eerily silent. Overall the sound design is interesting with droning pulses and bit-crushed attack effects, but that lack of music made me realize just how important it is in games like this. Imagine Hyrule Field without that iconic score; it would feel wrong. Once again, the build I played was an early one, so music is probably in the works.
Songbringer is an incredibly ambitious project for a single creator. That alone, the game deserves a large amount of praise. As a game amidst a sea of others, Songbringer does stand out as more than a simple tribute. Its themes and style are excellent and the gameplay is familiar enough to understand in seconds, while building on that framework.
In short, there is a mass amount of potential for this project. I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for future builds and the inevitable release of Songbringer. Beyond that, Weis will be a developer to watch for his creativity and sheer willpower.
To see the game in action, check out my preview below.
Before cutting into the newest spin-off game of the Final Fantasy franchise, let’s take a look at its obvious inspiration, Monster Hunter.
Capcom’s Monster Hunter is about hunting monsters (surprise, surprise) with different weapon types and using pieces of those monsters to make better equipment to in turn kill bigger monsters.
The games are usually set in closed areas, connected together to make themed maps. Its biggest appeals are its brutal difficulty, precise controls with specific functions and monsters with complex animations and behaviors. It’s insanely popular in Japan and has picked up quite a fan base worldwide with its latest titles.
Final Fantasy Explorers takes Monster Hunter formula and adds in the iconic themes and creatures of Final Fantasy. Even though it’s clearly riding on that sort of copycat design, it’s a solid idea, in theory.
In execution, Final Fantasy Explorers is a bland, forgettable experience.
Explorers sets up a fairly interesting premise: Eidolons, powerful beings who usually appear as summons in other games, are running rampant; it’s up to the Explorers to take care of them. To do this, Explorers adopt a class, assign abilities and craft gear. Each class has specific strengths and weaknesses, such as the Black Mage being able to lay out tons of damage with magic, while the Knight can soak up damage and keeping aggression away from other players. The Job System in Explorers is just as fun as it has been in previous Final Fantasy games.
Each job’s abilities are attained through beating missions, adding plenty of skills to outfit a player. This ability system is one of the few features keeping this entry afloat. Learning rotations of spells, as well as knowing which abilities are effective for each situation is interesting, especially in multiplayer.
The controls, while clunky at times, allow players to have eight abilities equipped at once, cycling through them with the shoulder buttons. The targeting system can get confusing at times, but usually does okay with staying focused on the target.
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Throwing everything you have at a boss and dying just to replenish stamina is a game-breaking strategy. Most bosses will fall to this without any troubles. Don’t worry, most missions are set with fifty minute timers. That’s about nine or ten lives per mission.
Visually, Final Fantasy Explorers has some solid ideas behind it. The Eidolon monsters are wicked, often using unique designs to the established molds of the iconic monsters. Classic Final Fantasy monsters also look pretty cool, but overall the game lacks variety in creatures. The environment is also lacking with no discerning features to make it stand out. It’s made up of bland fields that are far too open, dotted with lame enemies that die in a single hit. Even giving the player monster buddies to recruit in the single player is worthless, as they get in the way of the camera and usually don’t get to see any action anyways.
Even multiplayer can’t save this one. Sharing terrible experiences with friends can be memorable, like watching awful movies for the laughs. Yet, being in a group adds nothing to Explorers. It lacks challenge, good design and variety, all things that make is inspiration, Monster Hunter, great.
To really show Explorers lacks polish, players can wear outfits and wield weapons of classic Final Fantasy characters. Swing Cloud’s Buster Sword, wear Yuna’s short shorts, spend hours grinding for those parts in a sparse field, questioning your existence. I’m surprised this feature wasn’t locked behind a pay wall.
Eleven characters that will hopefully ease the pain of “exploring”
It’s like Square Enix noticed its quickly emptying wallets, saw the popularity of Monster Hunter, and then looked to the ridiculously expensive Final Fantasy XV and thought, “Monster Hunter is selling well, lets make that, but with Chocobos and Bahamut. Brilliant!”
Announced in 2006, still waiting. . .
Final Fantasy Explorers continues the trend of forgettable games and lost opportunity. This game could’ve been a solid multiplayer experience, but just lacks polish. After enduring this, Type-0 and XIII, Final Fantasy XV better be the best game I’ve ever played.
Until then, I’ll keep going through Final Fantasy IX on my Vita. Wake me up when XV comes out, Giga Bytes.
My first official cosplay was in May of 2005 for the premier night of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith in Miami, Florida. I was an all-white Star Wars, Episode 2: Attack of the Clones Clone Trooper. I received the armour kit three months earlier as a gift from the Florida Garrison of the 501st Legion Star Wars Costuming Group as a Thank You Gift for allowing them to be part of my son’s Celebration of Life Ceremony. My son (Christian Richard Stafford), passed away at the age of eight in my arms from Leukaemia, March of 2005. He thought his cancer battle was actually his Jedi Trials as he was a huge fan of everything Star Wars. I fed his belief by being his Jedi Master while he was in the hospital and taught him lessons on sword fighting, meditation and mindfulness. He would never leave his hospital room without first putting on his Jedi robe.
The day after he passed away, I went to the crematorium and dressed him one last time in his Jedi costume and robe so that he would forever be the Jedi he hoped to become. On the night of the premier in Miami, those of us working the event were given the privilege of seeing an advance screening several hours before the general public. At that showing, I went to the concession stand and purchased an order of nachos, a hotdog, and pink lemonade. As I sat in the theatre with the rest of the 501st and Rebel Legion costumers, I placed the food and drink in the seat next to me and in the cup holder separating my seat from the next, I placed a small metal container with a Jedi badge affixed to it that contained my young Padawan. I fulfilled my promise to my son of taking him to see the last Star Wars movie. I have been a costumer ever since, and I do so to honor the memory of my son, Christian. He never got to grow up…SO WHY SHOULD I?!
photo credit: Martin Schiff
Cosplay achievements:
Thanks to cosplay, I have had a long list of achievements. I have been in two major documentaries: “Heart of an Empire” and as part of the Star Wars Blu-Ray Box Collection under Special Features “Star Warriors.” “Star Warriors” documents the 501st costume group and how George Lucas and Lucas Films chose 200 individuals from around the world to represent Star Wars fandom by having us march in the Pasadena Rose Bowl Parade in California. George Lucas was the Grand Marshal and we got to march as Imperial Forces in front of thousands of fans and televised worldwide. I was also selected by Lucas Arts and flown to New York City as part of the 501st to March on Time Square as part of the release of the game Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and the release of Revenge of the Sith on DVD.
My picture made the front page of the New York Times, and we were all on the CBS Morning Show. It was really cool to find out the I was listed on IMDB for my part in the 501st documentary “Heart of an Empire.” I later got internet attention when I started showing up in my now famous King Aquaman leather armoured costume. I had people from all walks of life telling me they had seen me on one website or another, showcasing images of my costuming. The King Aquaman armor was constructed by an uber talented leather worker named Sam Lee from Prince Armory. It took over a year to fully construct based on our combined design.
But one of my biggest achievements was not even an award. Several years ago I was leaving a convention here in Orlando called MegaCon. As I left the show floor and was heading out onto the main concourse, a little old lady stopped me and asked if her husband could have a photo with me. I was dressed in the classic version of Aquaman that included the low cut neckline and the black shorts over the green leggings with the fins on the calves. I quickly obliged and stood next to the frail old man and holding my trident, I did my best hero pose for him. After his wife had taken several pictures with her disposable camera, I began to walk away, and that was when the old man lightly grabbed my arm and told me, “You are exactly as I imagined you would look like.” I thanked him for the compliment and again began to leave and again he stopped me and said, “You are the living embodiment of my imagination.” At this point I again thanked him, but also felt things were getting a little weird.
He saw the puzzled expression behind my smile and asked if I knew who he was. I politely told him that I did not. That is when he told me, “My name is Nick Cardy, I invented Aquaman.” He was on his way to a panel of Golden Age Comic Artists and saw me and had to have a photo of me because I was exactly what he pictured when he first developed Aquaman. So my biggest achievement is being told by the creator of the character that so many people recognize me as, that I am The True Aquaman. To this day I am humbled by that encounter. Nick Cardy passed away a couple years ago and I never got to see the pictures of us together as I did not have a phone on me at the time since Aquaman has no pouches on his belt to hide it in. But it is an amazing memory for me none the less.
Cosplay pet peeve:
Cosplay bullies in any and all forms: body shaming, costume divas that think only they can be a particular character, cosplayers that use false accusations to bully others out of cosplay for their own reasons, cosplayers that act like they are royalty and are better than the rest of us cosplayers and convention goers that disrespect anyone’s cosplay whether it is store bought or handmade and not perfect. We are a community of geeks and nerds that love to express our fandoms with costumes. It’s about having fun and socializing with others who share our mutual fandoms. This is not high school, and we do not need to make this a popularity contest. Respect everyone and their choice of fandoms and the way they choose to represent their love of a character in costume.
What is the piece you are most proud of?
First, I would say my Iron Man costume as it was my first major cosplay costume. It weighs in at 85lbs. and is a total labor of love to wear as it is not comfortable, but it is loved by all the fans who see it. And the one I am best known for now is my King Aquaman armor. From the idea conception to finally wearing it was a year-long wait, but I am very proud of how it turned out and love the feeling I get wearing it and the feeling of being regal I have when I am walking around in it. The old saying, “The suit makes the man,” and in the case of my Aquaman armor, it truly does.
photo credit: Martin Schiff
Who is your dream team to work on a cosplay with?
In the last 10 years, I have gotten to work with so many amazing people that putting together a Dream Team would leave out so many incredibly talented individuals that I absolutely adore. Just to throw out a few names would include Danny and Heather Kelly, Chad Tango, Charles Hass, Brian Parsley, and Chase Law. Some that I would love to get to work with, but have not worked out the logistics yet, include Saraphina Cosplay, RJ Foster, Rebecca McGillicuddy, and Nica Stone to name a few.
What is a typical day in the life of you when working on a cosplay?
This question can be interpreted in two ways: when I am constructing a cosplay and when I am working as a cosplayer at a convention. I’ll answer both. I am a stickler for detail work when I develop a costume, so I try to make sure I have all the right tools and supplies to do the job correctly the first time. If I know something will require snaps added to it, I make sure I have the proper kind of snaps and the snap tool laid out and ready to use. I often work in a large open area on my hardwood floor that I cover with a drop cloth and then use large pieces of thick cardboard to protect the flooring underneath from cuts, dents, scratches and paint or glue drips. When I get started, I usually forget to eat or drink as I get so focused on the task at hand that I will work for hours and lose total track of time. Because of this, I tend to hold off on working on projects till one of my days off.
At conventions, I try to get to the event early so I can meet with the convention promoter and get my table or booth set up as quickly as possible. I then tend to wander around and introduce myself to the vendors and get an idea of what they have, so that if I see something I like, I can try to make a deal for it before the end of the convention. I usually suit up in the costume for the day about 30 minutes before general opening of the doors, so I have time to fix anything that might go wrong and get acclimated to temperature of the convention site. Sometimes they are now well air-conditioned and other times they might have it cracked down really low in anticipation of heavy crowds and lots of warm bodies.
I hardly ever sit or stay behind my table at events as I like to interact with fans and guests who stop by. It’s much easier to do a selfie with a fan while standing next to them then it is to lean across my table and do so. During lulls in the convention traffic, I try to again visit the different vendors, now in costume, so that they get a chance to get photos with me since they are usually not able to venture far from their merchandise or artwork. They really seem to appreciate the thoughtfulness on my part to bring a segment of the convention experience to them. I will chat with people all day long about all aspects of cosplay and particular fandoms while at the show.
But if I see a child who wants to do a photo with me, I will pause any conversation to honor the photo request of a family. I truly enjoy the interaction with the guests and fans alike at conventions. I typically bring my own food to the con and try to eat it as discreetly as possible so as not to have photos show up on the internet with Aquaman stuffing his face with grilled chicken and brown rice. (LOL). Another thing I am very careful to do is always use a stall when I need to use the bathroom as it is not safe with current cell phone cameras to simply do your business in costume and have to worry about photos of it showing up on the web. This is a good practice for any male cosplayer.
Who are your inspirations?
My major inspiration is and will always be my son, Christian. I do all of this for his memory. If I had to honestly trade all that I have done in the cosplay world to have him back…HELL YES, I WOULD! Beyond my son, I would say I am inspired by those cosplayers that truly put themselves out in the community at large for the sake of real charity work. Those that visit hospitals and clinics, those that raise money for charities and those that stand up for those who do not have the strength to do it themselves, such as the anti-bullying cosplayers.
photo credit: Any-Occasion-Photography
What is the current project you are working on?
I actually have several that are in the planning stages. Three new versions of Aquaman are being developed over the next year, an aquatic character suit is being completed in the next six months. The Force Awakens version of the X-Wing pilot costume and a couple other surprises are being sketched out.
What is your dream project?
This is a hard one as the King Aquaman was such a massive undertaking and overall successful project. I would really like to have another Iron Man costume that if as close to movie accurate as possible with electronic moving parts and sound system that allows me to sound like Ironman. I’m keeping my eyes out for someone talented enough to build the version I would ultimately want to have and wear.
photo credit: Ernesto-Javier
If you could pick anyone to act as your mentor, who would it be?
As a mentor, I would really appreciate having Scott Fensterer. He is an incredibly talented artist, prop builder and make-up artist. Learning a tenth of what he knows would be incredible. He was one of the last five competitors on this seasons Syfy Channel show Face/Off. Not only is he a talented artist, he is an amazing man all the way around and I truly look up to all he has to offer as a great human being.
How has the industry changed since you first started?
The cosplay community when I first started over ten years ago, was much more fandom loving based. Unfortunately, due to the mass media glamorization of the cosplay community—with reality shows and major coverage of the cosplayers at events like San Diego Comic Con and New York Comic Con—the community has been inundated with people seeing the prospect of being at conventions as the new cool place to been seen at. This has led to a large increase in shaming and cosplay bullying by individuals who are not truly in the community for the love of the fandoms they represent, but rather to be seen as cool because they are in a costume from the current popular craze in the media. This has me defining the community in two factions. My personal definition of a Cosplayer is: a person who dons a costume and does their best to represent the character in both actions and knowledge like an actor taking on the role. A Costumer: is a person who wears a costume because they simply like the character, but are not trying to become the character. Like a sports fan wearing a jersey of their favorite team, but obviously not being an athlete. Some would argue that a costumer is someone who makes their own costumes, but I prefer to call them costume designers. We are all allowed to use our own vernacular. It is highly useful for young super viagra online men, who smoke, to stop now. Today, buy Kamagra via online is known as one of get viagra cheap robertrobb.com the best medication. Internal sexual provocation is must to experience best result of this capsule can be enjoyed for 36 hours and due to this medicine is cheap viagra india addressed as weekend tablet. Getting this male impotence drug over the web assists ED patients to save their efforts to seek the drug at levitra viagra online the local drugstores.
The mass media has made conventions big business for a lot of promoters, but the spirit of the fandom driven events has suffered for it as it is now much more a mass market event to sell products and less and less about fans coming together to enjoy their mutual love of different sci-fi and fantasy genres.
photo credit: Martin Schiff
Fun time:
Who is your favorite comic book character?
Easy…Aquaman!
Who is your favorite author (books)?
Jules Verne, a man way ahead of his time.
What is your favorite movie?
Original Star Wars and Princess Bride. Both are great hero stories.
What is your favorite band/music artist?
Tough one as my musical tastes truly are all over the place. Nine Inch Nials and Florence and the Machine are a couple of my picks.
What is a quirk you have (like dipping fries into chocolate Sunday)?
I tend to eat all of one thing on my plate before I move to something else.
photo credit: Martin Schiff
Pick-
Day or night
Day, I love the feeling of sunlight on my face.
Star trek or star wars
I like Star Trek, but I am a child of Star Wars and it will always be my favorite.
Coffee or tea
Definenty tea. I love a kettle of Moroccan Mint Green Tea every day.
Summer or winter
Summer, I cannot stand going days without seeing the blue skies and sunshine.
Cats or dogs
DOGS! I love love love dogs. I tend to be an alpha male to them.
Batman or Superman
I prefer to throw those options out for a third, Aquaman. (LOL)
Movies or a book
I love all kinds of movies, but a book always beats a movie, but I can get through more movies due to time constraints.
Pizza or Burgers
Pizza for cheat days, and a good burger (Five Guys) when I have weight training days.
AfterShokz, has taken bone conduction technology—originally developed for military and law enforcement use—and made it available to everyone. Known for its unconventional, open-ear headphone design, AfterShokz has taken this design and applied it to Gamez: wireless, Bluetooth headphones for PC, Mac and mobile gamers. Open-ear headphones do not sit inside the ear like earbuds or sit on top of the ear, instead they rest in front of the ear, “transmitting sound through the cheekbones to the inner ears via mini vibrations, which bypasses the eardrums completely.” This design allows users to enjoy their music or game without losing any awareness of their surroundings. So, if you’re trying to beat the last level while in a crowded living room or you want to listen to your music while hanging out with a group of friends, Gamez are perfect for those types of situations.
AfterShokz Gamez Headphones
What makes Gamez different from AfterShokz’s other products is that they are acoustically specific for gaming. They are “the only Bluetooth(R) stereo headphones that create an immersive stereo environment without tuning out the world.”
I am a huge fan of earbuds, so when I first heard about AfterShokz I was skeptical. How good will the sound/music be if it’s sitting on the outside of my ear? Will it fit right? Isn’t being able to hear my surroundings the exact opposite of what headphones are supposed to be used for? Surprisingly, I was blown away by theses headphones. Gamez may have shown me a new and more ear-friendly way to get the same experience I have with earbuds.
The fit is odd at first. Not only do the headphones rest outside of the ears, but they also curve around the neck. This structure hinders me from bending my neck backwards without pushing the headphones out of place. However, lying down with them on is not an issue. I can even lie down on my side, which can be super uncomfortable with regular headphones. I did get a slight headache the first time I wore them, but it lasted only a few minutes once I got used to the placement. I’m sure that has something to do with the vibrations from the sound. For people with smaller heads, like myself, included in the package is a rubber, adjustable tension band that you snap into the headset, making the fit a little more snug. Once I was used to wearing them, I kept them on for about three to four hours straight, with no problems. Really comfortable and lightweight headphones.
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I have a loud family who likes to talk over the already loud TV. I could still sit in the living room with them and comfortably listen to my music while doing some work on the computer. The loud background noise is not distracting at all, and I can still interact with people without missing a beat. AfterShokz is able to balance surrounding noise and the sound from their headphones, allowing users to enjoy both at the same time.
Using the headphones is simple and uncomplicated. The buttons can be accessed easily and pairing is quick. Just slip them on as quick as any other headphones. Exercising is not an issue, either; these things will not budge.
I wouldn’t recommend open-ear headphones for every situation. Because these are open-ear headphones, sound doesn’t travel directly into your ear, which means, any people around you will also be able to hear noise from your headphones. If you plan on going to the library, a quiet coffee shop or have to take a train ride, I’d say take your regular headphones instead—unless you don’t care about bothering others.
I can’t wait to see how far AfterShokz can take this technology. Could their headphones take over the market and become the norm? I hope AfterShokz’s next task will be to create headphones for console gamers.
Until then, you can purchase a pair of Gamez for $99.95, or peruse AfterShokz for more techy goodies.
This year looks to be a competitive year in the multiplayer space. The past few years have shown the rise of E-Sports centered on MOBAs, creating some of the most exciting and memorable moments in gaming history. Looking to cash in on this action, or looking to innovate, many large gaming companies have invested in pursuing character-based, multiplayer experiences. What has resulted is many, many games, most of which are in testing phases and are almost ready for launch. While there may be too many to note in one article, I’ll be attempting to catalog the newest fad in game design.
Paragon – Release date to be announced
Paragon comes from Epic Games, the team behind the Xbox giant Gears of War. Even with limited footage, Paragon looks like Gears if each character had special powers in a MOBA setting. Gameplay looks awesome and the characters carry that detail expected from the studio. Beta tests will roll out early this year and hopefully Giga will get a chance to try it first had. Either way, given Epic’s resume in the multiplayer space, Paragon is a game to watch.
Battleborn – May 3rd, 2016
Created by Gearbox Software, Battleborn looks to be bringing its chaotic style to the MOBA market. The art style is stylized using similar character designs to its hit Borderlands franchise, but with more accentuated limbs and body types. Characters range from a fungal ninja to a penguin in a mech suit to provide a hilarious spin to gameplay. Battleborn looks to be a game with tons of variety in characters, but will its final version be able to stay afloat in the market? We’ll find out in May.
Overwatch – June 21st, 2016
Sporting a visual style comparable to a Pixar film, Blizzard‘s Overwatch has recently seen positive praise in closed beta. While that same beta is currently taking a break for improvements, it should be returning early this year with a full release coming in June. Blizzard’s excellent design creates a fun blast-fest with each character teeming with personality. As of yet, this game doesn’t sport the MOBA-style gameplay as the games I mentioned earlier, but it does have some solid modes that are familiar to anyone who’s played Team Fortress 2. Blizzard’s track record and knack for continued support could make Overwatch a must play, not just for this year, but for years to come.
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Paladins is a game from one of my favorite studios, Hi-Rez the same team behind Smite, an awesome MOBA with mythological characters. Its newest project, Paladins, seeks to shake up the arena FPS genre with its card system. While I’ve already went in depth with Paladins, its important to note that its being made by a much smaller studio by comparison. That said, Paladins is shaping up to be an awesome game, as its updated frequently with help by its players. Even in its early stages, there is tons of potential in this one.
Final Thoughts
What is there to take from this movement in game design? Following major success, many game companies try their hand in similar styles. It’s nothing new for the industry. When Street Fighter 2 became insanely popular, there were tons of fighting games to come out soon after like TMNT: Tournament Fighters and King of Fighters. That’s just a small example as it’s happened several times over each generation of video games.
Taking a step back and looking at this similarity in the market is a bit disconcerting and comical. Yet, these games need to be made to explore the genre. Who knows which of the games above will truly blow its players out of the water? Each explore similar concepts in different ways. It’s a necessary part of the evolution of gaming as a whole.
What’s important is that even if these games succeed or fail, gamers win. These shooters could release to a trumpet of praise, standing on their own merit and creating awesome experiences and communities. Each of these character-based games, while similar, will provide another world for gamers to explore.
Nothing is wrong with more worlds to visit, but all of them seem to have a blue sky.
