Ascending a Tower of Heaven

And now it is time for something completely different; but boy, do I just love finding awesome things on the internet! Recently I found a flash game called Tower of Heaven. It is challenging platformer game, but it is very short and has a simple story to follow it. In addition to being a simple game with a simple narrative, the music is great! I am a fan of video game soundtracks and the songs in Tower of Heaven are some of the best (chiptune) music I have ever heard. (They are probably the best chiptune only songs I have heard.)

To Set the mood here is my favorite song from the game.

Now, I don't want to spoil any story details because I'd like for you all to try playing this game, or at least to check it out if you find it too difficult and not worth your time. However, what made this game unique to me was its plot device to justify the increasing difficulty of its levels. In the game, you are assigned new laws to follow as you run through each level, and breaking those laws results in divine wrath. Overcoming these challenges made it much more satisfying to complete the game, especially with the story's touching ending.

What I find very appealing about this flash game is the quality of its craft. I actually found this game when I stumbled upon a "demake" of Super Smash Bros. called Super Smash Land. The purpose was to make a "Gameboy version/port of Super Smash Bros.", and watching the promotional video for that game actually made me believe that Tower of Heaven was some obscure Game Boy release that only a small fan base would have remembered, since a level was added to Super Smash Land that carried over elements from the original flash game. 

But as it turns out, Tower of Heaven is only a couple of years old. The game can be played on Newgrounds and is available for download (for free) on the creator's website. The music is made by Flashygoodness. If you are a fan of good catchy video game music, flashgames, or platformer games, then this should be worth your time to look into. As I've said, it's a challenging game but it's short and possible to beat. And, remember to follow each of the Commandments... I mean, the Laws!

Card Review + Card Combo: Arcana Force 0 - The Fool / Arcana 0 Swap

Here is a quick post to get some posting momentum started again. Here is a rather interesting card I'd like to talk about. The reason I'm deciding to do a card review AND a card combo in the same post is because both would be very short for posts on their own. .I obtained a long while back. Arcana Force Cards are and Archetype of Fairy Cards with two different effects for each of them, a good one and a bad one (to the player using them). The effect is

THE CARD
So let's examine this strange card. Arcana Force 0 - The Fool is a, LIGHT Attributed, Level 1 Fairy-Type Effect Monster with 0 ATK and 0 DEF. Since this card is so weak, what makes it so great? The answer is in its Effect(s). Initially, Arcana Force 0 is immune to battle, no matter what battle position it is in. But here's the catch, once The Fool is in Face-up Attack Position it cannot switch itself into Defense Position.

But, wouldn't that make itself more dangerous? Precisely, but this is where the Card Combo kicks in to make great use of this odd card; but first, you must know of 0's other effect(s).

Arcana Force is an archetype of cards that are based off of luck: Whenever a monster is SUMMONED (this detail is important for the combo) their effects force you to flip a coin. The result of the coin flip determine which Card effect the monster will use. With one being positive (Coin lands on Heads), and the other being negative (Coin lands on Tails), Arcana Force 0 - The Fool almost breaks the rules by inverting its own mechanic.

THE COMBO
To utilize the Arcana 0 Swap, you must SET (Play it into Face-down Defense Position) Arcana Force 0. You must wait for your opponent to attack your set monster. If they try attacking it, you will not need to worry unless your opponent's monster has special abilities such as Piercing Damage or Monster Card destroying Effects. This next part is when things become most confusing. When your Set Arcana Force 0 is attacked, it will FLIP into Face-up Defense position, but it technically WAS NOT SUMMONED; therefore, a coin flip will not be needed. (Remember, The Fool has a really nasty negative effect. By Setting this Monster Card and waiting for your Opponent to attack it you are removing the gamble of being burdened with a dangerous hole in your defenses.) Another thing to remember is how the card's Effect is written. The card clearly says that "This card cannot be changed to Defense Position." If you notice the keyword here, Arcana Force 0 was never CHANGED INTO Defense Position, so there will be no complication with the rulings right now.


Now that you have your Face-up Arcana Force 0 set up, you just need a card called Creature Swap. Creature Swap is a Spell Card that forces you and your Opponent to choose one of your own Monsters and switch control of them. In addition to switching Monsters, the swapped Monster Cards cannot change their battle positions for the remainder of the turn; so make sure to activate this card only when your Opponent Controls only Attack Position Monsters. Before Activating Creature Swap, change your Arcana Force - 0 into Face-up Attack Position. Switch 0 over to your Opponent.

The goal of this card is to create a hole into your Opponent's Defenses. When you trade the Arcana Monster over to your Opponent, you now have a significantly weak target to aim at. In addition, the card cannot be destroyed by battle, so all of your Monsters can attack it on the same turn. The only draw backs are that this combo may take some time to use, and can easily be stopped if your Opponent is stocked on Spell and Trap Cards. The other side effect of this combo is that you give your opponent another Monster Card that they can sacrifice for a more effective cause without compromise.

Both of these cards are available as Common Rarity cards and are easy to obtain. (Arcana Force 0 - The Fool is only found in The Light of Destruction Booster Pack, but Creature Swap can be obtained from many Decks.) In my experience, it is a fun combo to use and as long as it works it can interest even the one you are dueling.