Steamin’ Hot Coffee: Mutant Mudds Deluxe, Enslaved, Contrast, and More

Steamin’ Hot Coffee with the Caffeinated Gamer is a weekly series (every Friday) dedicated to gaming on Steam. Each week I choose random games to talk about, which are usually titles that have recently released. Also, with all the deals that Steam has going on, I’ll select a favorite game or two from either the weeklong deals, midweek deals, or weekend deals. All these deals are still available on Friday, so it’s the ideal time to discuss the sales. If I’m playing it on Steam, I’ll more than likely be talking about it here!

Make sure to check back every Friday for new coverage that includes screenshots, videos, and live streams to Twitch. I’ll even preview upcoming releases and will give away games every week for current and old releases. Make sure to keep an eye out for that!

Now let’s get to the good stuff!

New This Week: Mutant Mudds Deluxe

Here we go again! Mutant Mudds Deluxe has found its way to Steam. This is a game I originally fell in love with on the Nintendo 3DS and then once again on the Nintendo Wii U. I’ve played and reviewed this game twice now, and now I have a third article on the game. Guess what? It’s worth it!

Since I’ve played through this game multiple times now, I feel as if I am breezing through it this time around on Steam. I’m enjoying the play just as much as the first time as its platforming gameplay is something that all gamers can cherish. The level design is what makes it really stand out, though. However, here I am jumping my way through the stages with ease, only to be quickly reminded that this game most certainly does take a swing towards the difficult side.

I thought I had played it so much that I was the best player ever and could deal with whatever it throws my way, again. Nope! Once again I am reminded about how timing is everything in certain areas and that if players miss their window they’ll be starting over again. We can all wait to time things perfectly, but waiting isn’t always an option when one of the enemies drops a bomb at the player’s exact location. It’s why I love this game, though. It has fantastic platforming with challenge components that makes it incredibly fun, no matter how many times played.

By the way, one of the best features with the Steam version is that it has achievements! That’s right! I love achievements! Ok, so it doesn’t change anything, but it’s fun for those who like unlocking them.

Anyone who hasn’t experienced Mutant Mudds should definitely consider purchasing this lovely title which is a welcomed addition to the Steam store. Get on it, folks, and start shootin’ some mudds!

Now Playing: Enslaved: Odyssey to the West – Premium Edition

Here’s a title that originally released in 2010 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles, a game that I knew nothing about. It wasn’t long into the opening that I found myself very intrigued by it as it features a mix of fun combat and platforming. It’s easy to get caught up in the action and the adventure that this title offers, except its best asset happens to be the characters and their interaction with one another. This interaction is usually entertaining but also feels real in some moments.

Tripitaka – aka Trip – is a younger girl who puts a slave headband on Monkey – the lead guy – so that he has to obey her every word. When certain situations take place (to avoid spoilers), it puts Monkey in a rough spot and Trip feels bad about it and apologizes. She’s innocent, scared, and trying to survive, and forcing Monkey to obey her was the only choice she had to possibly stay alive in this world. I really bought in to the characters right away and that’s the main reason why I’ve already fallen in love with this title.

The combat is a lot of fun and creates for some unique situations where it’s not always about hacking and slashing at enemy robots. It becomes more and players need to take advantage of both characters abilities in order to progress. There are a number of turrets, for example, that shoot on sight so players can’t simply run up to them. What they need to do is select Trip to have her distract the enemy while sneaking up on them with Monkey.

Besides those small moments of strategy, it also has a good amount of platforming too. Players can’t just keep moving in a level, making big jumps and getting past difficult obstacles, as Trip can’t get past a lot of zones. Players need to use Monkey to toss her across large gaps or up to a higher platform for her to either send a ladder down or to meet up with him at another location. I really enjoy the gameplay outside of a few moments of camera frustrations. Besides that, this is another lovely looking game that gamers should look into.

Random Gaming: Renegade Ops

Wow! Here is a dual stick shooter that I originally played on the Xbox 360. It went on sale a month ago and I decided to pick it up on Steam. It still has its rather long missions, but the action and gameplay is incredibly fun. I also don’t remember the game looking as good as I’ve been beyond impressed with the entire visual presentation of the game. The lighting is great and everything else is very sharp looking. This is definitely a fun shooter to experience, especially if it goes on sale again. I had even more fun this time around playing through the game with a friend. Online co-op makes it a winner!

I have two copies of the game to give away. Leave a comment below with your Steam ID for a chance to win a copy.

Now Playing: Contrast

Here’s a game that’s intriguing on the outside but a complete mess on the inside. For the most part, to begin, I enjoy the gameplay and some of the puzzle elements. I absolutely love the concept of switching between a 2D shadow and a 3D world to navigate. It also comes with a nice art style and interesting setting for the game to take place in. There’s no doubt that this game looks and sounds like something of quality when talking about it.

Once players jump into the gameplay is when they’ll notice that it’s not the most polished game out there. I’ve encountered a few glitches that weren’t really problematic. However, I did come across one that forced me to restart. Players are able to perform a dash move, and I happened to do this dash move when trying to get out from a shadow and ended up reversing the camera and controls. I couldn’t see my character because I was looking “outside the map”, though I could tell when I was moving. I couldn’t morph back into the 3D world and was forced to restart.

Some of Contrast’s puzzles can be a bit irritating as well, especially when players don’t morph in time to complete the right jump. I had one situation where I needed to morph back into the 3D world to land on an inner platform and I continued to keep missing the jump and falling. It’s not a part of the play that’s supposed to be challenging, yet a somewhat broken gameplay and control system ended up hurting in this section.

I still come across moments in Contrast that I enjoy where it uses the 2D and 3D gameplay just right. It can be very interesting and fun, but they most certainly need to spend some time polishing this game up. If they can fix some of the bugs and make the gameplay a bit more fluid, this is a title I would be interested in returning too.

Remember to check back next week for more Steamin’ Hot Coffee with the Caffeinated Gamer!