LitRPG Podcast 237 -   Gamified, Gate Wars: Sprint, Condition Evolution, The Heaven's Boxer

 

LitRPG Podcast 237 -   Gamified, Gate Wars: Sprint, Condition Evolution, The Heaven's Boxer


July 31st, 2020

Hello everyone, welcome to episode 237 of the LitRPG podcast. I’m Ramon Mejia. 

I’m here to bring you the latest LitRPG news, reviews, and author interviews.  We have 4 new reviews just for you.

For the full show notes visit us at: https://litrpgpodcast.com/litrpg-podcast-237

New Releases and Reviews:

Gamified - Book One: Beastmaster (A Fantasy LitRPG) (10:30)

Very likable underdog MC

Score: 7.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Dk993F 

Gate Wars: Sprint: A LitRPG Novella (15:08)

Good progression in arena but less apocalypse feel

Score: 7.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3jOC7JL 

Condition Evolution: A LitRPG / Game-lit Adventure (18:36)

Had potential but didn't work for me

Score: 6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3jMXbjX 

The Heaven's Boxer: Scifi LitRPG - Esports - Mecha Battles (Overdrive Book 1) (26:31)

An underrated Mech battle GameLit story

Score: 7.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/313mxBB 


(Play Music 2)

LitRPG News

Thank you for the Amazing love for THE MECHANICAL CRAFTER - BOOK 2. Thanks to you, the book hit several #1 Categories and went as high as 347 on all Amazon’s rankings for ebooks paid for.q

💥Local Amazon https://geni.us/MechanicalCrafterBk2 💥

Amazon Reader Reviews:

“Love Repair's shananigans” (sic)

“A master crafted sequel”

“An excellent story with a weird vibe”

“I thought book one was really good, but this one is even better”

“Fast paced page turner with interesting characters that you can instantly root for”

“The pacing is tight, action and levity make the read pleasant for long periods of time, and the world building is slow and organic.”

If you have read the story and left a review, thank you. You are amazing and you’ve helped make the novel a success.

If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, The Mechanical Crafter - Book 2 is set in a world where magic and the industrial revolution meet, has lots of crafting, dungeon diving, and is over 500 pages of mechanical man goodness. 



Out Now!


The Ruined Temple: A LitRPG Adventure (Eternal Online Book 2) 

https://amzn.to/3bkGW8w 

Arrow of Justice - A LitRPG Novel: (Book 1 of the Vindication 2.0 LitRPG Universe) 

https://amzn.to/2R8T0lP 

Autumn Infernos: A LitRPG Sci-Fi Adventure (Space Seasons Book 4) 

https://amzn.to/3ezA5dN 

Solomon's Crucible: A LitRPG Apocalypse Begins (Solomon's Crucible Book One)

https://amzn.to/30flqzG 

Light Online Book Four: Defender

https://amzn.to/3hVuqj8 

Teresa: Everybody Loves Large Chests (Vol.5) 

https://amzn.to/39Fiz6a 

Legendary Gamer

https://amzn.to/2BNY76A 

Dungeon Evolved

https://amzn.to/39I9mtB 



New LitRPG Audiobooks

Shadow Sun Rebellion (Shadow Sun - Book 3)

https://amzn.to/39G1LvE 

Resistance - Disgardium, Book 4

https://amzn.to/2XbiWAe 

Autumn Infernos: A LitRPG Sci-Fi Adventure - Space Seasons, Book 4

https://amzn.to/2XeRvpb 

Watcher's Question - Life in Exile, Book 2

https://amzn.to/3jU8O8N 

Sea of Sand - Dragon Heart: Book 4

https://amzn.to/33a4ts2 

Street Cultivation 2

https://amzn.to/316Z4Q3 

Keeper - Light Online, Book 2

https://amzn.to/317R1m9 

Respawn: 18 and Up - Respawn, Book 3

https://amzn.to/3jZKDFQ 

Arcane Kingdom Online: The Siege - Arcane Kingdom Online, Book 5

https://amzn.to/2XeGdBs 

Critical Failures VIII - Caverns and Creatures, Book 8

https://amzn.to/2Xf6H5J 






Upcoming LitRPG:

Corporate Warfare (All Trades Book 3) (Aug. 2nd, 2020)

https://amzn.to/3hQUFaE 

The Hidden Paladin (The World of the Undead Force Book 1): A LitRPG Wuxia Series (Aug. 4th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/309xMcX 

Modern Paladin: A LitRPG Adventure  (Aug. 4th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/30llIDM 

Lord of the Dead (The Eternal Journey Book 2) (Aug. 5th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/2VGvDCq 

The Dungeon Fairy: Two Choices: A Dungeon Core Escapade (The Hapless Dungeon Fairy Book 2)  (Aug. 5th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/3fX7zn0 

DoucheMage: A Glitchworld Original (Aug. 7th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/33a45d4 

War of the Posers (The Bad Guys Book 4) (Aug. 8th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/2yIaGOL 

Life Reset: Conquest (New Era Online Book 5) (Aug. 10th, 2020)

The Way of the Force (The Heavenly Throne Book 2): A LitRPG Wuxia Series (Aug. 11th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/3f8uVoS 


Intellectum [RealRPG series] Book 1 (Aug. 18th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/3e9woeR 

Raider (Olympus Reborn Book 2) (Aug. 21st, 2020)

https://amzn.to/31is6fN 

The Power of Nine: Scifi LitRPG - Esports - Mecha Battles (Overdrive Book 2) (Aug. 20th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/3hScSED 

The SyStem: Multiverse: Book 2 (Aug. 23rd, 2020)

https://amzn.to/3i6zdzd 

War of Gods: Dungeons of Perdition - Book 4 (A LitRPG and GameLit Adventure) (Aug. 24th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/39q7RQY 

Dream Stream Reality: A LitRPG Adventure (Aug. 25th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/2ZhkmuF 

Small Unit Tactics (Volume #1): LitRPG Series (Aug. 27th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/2ypbusf 

Holy War (Disgardium Book #5): LitRPG Series (Sept. 4th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/3eBlyOH 

Dungeon Worlds: A Reborn Online LitRPG Adventure (Sept. 9th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/2MvkU8P 

Stolen Lives: A LitRPG/GameLit Novel (The Underhill Chronicles Book 1)  (Sept. 15th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/3iRoJ7w 

Sovereign (The Gods' Game, Volume IV): A LitRPG novel (Sept. 30th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/2AqLAFn 

Final Odyssey: A LitRPG Journey (Legends Online Book 7)  (Oct. 1st, 2020)

https://amzn.to/32T6yZl 

Dungeon Crawler Carl (Oct. 2nd, 2020)

https://amzn.to/2BDfXZu 


Watcher’s Fate: A LitRPG Saga (Life in Exile Book 3) (Oct. 6th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/3g05cPT 

City of Goblins (In the System Book #1): LitRPG Series (Oct. 7th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/2XyhiJs 

The Otherworld (Underdog Book #4): LitRPG Series (Oct. 26th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/3gU9d9R 

The Fallen God: A LitRPG Adventure (Eternal Online Book 3) (Oct. 27th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/2WQUNPm 

Onto New Releases and Reviews

(Play Music 3)

New Releases and Reviews

(Picture 1)

Gamified - Book One: Beastmaster (A Fantasy LitRPG) 

Ever wish your real-life was more like a video game?

Be careful what you wish for…

Felix thinks he is losing his mind when he starts getting game-like quest notifications on his phone. But then things get really strange when he realizes he is able to level-up in real life.

After gaining the rare Beastmaster class and bonding himself to a particularly bloodthirsty housecat, Felix finds himself in a race against time to defeat his high school nemesis - who may now be a 7-foot tall Ogre with anger issues - and save the world.

When zombies roam the streets and even the squirrels are out for blood, Felix finds out that it’s not that easy when your life becomes…

Gamified.

My Opinion: 507 pages, $4.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited

The author does a bang up job creating a likable underdog you want to root for in just the opening few pages. I really did like the main character (MC) and though the story didn’t go quite where I thought it would it was still entertaining.

The game mechanics will be familiar to anyone that reads LitRPG, though the MCs class, Beastmaster, hasn’t been used much before. There’s also the normal health, mana, XP, Levels, skills, abilities. Though the actual abilities used by the various characters can seem a little wand wavy, as they’re often ‘discovered’ or willed into existence to solve a particular problem, they are well balanced. Nothing is OP on its own, but each ability has a balancing deficit. 

The story starts our fairly slice of life setting up the loser MC who discovers an RPG interface that gives him a bonus to dealing with the bullies, jocks, and mean-girl cheerleaders that plague his existence. It's an interesting way to mix in Real Life RPG stuff into the story. However, by the middle of the story it shifts to the spread of this RPG overlay becoming a serious problem that has to be defeated at its source before it makes the world into a bunch of mindless NPCs. How this happens and what the mysterious threat and the obstacles that need to be overcome is revealed a little slowly, but well. 

Overall, it’s a good story. I liked the early Real Life RPG stuff a bit more than the late story but it was all quite entertaining. The fights have a variety of monsters/enemies, the banter between the eventual team members was good, and there’s a good early development of the MC that made you want to root for him.

Score: 7.6 out of 10

Gamified - Book One: Beastmaster (A Fantasy LitRPG)

https://amzn.to/2Dk993F 


Gate Wars: Sprint: A LitRPG Novella

The Ulterians, alien overlords, have conquered Earth and created the Gates for races to do battle in a battle royale across the galaxy. Will and Rachel have battled across their once prosperous city of Denver only to find an unforgiving new world. They entered the Gates and they were victorious, but at a price. Not ready to pay that price, Will and Rachel must put their lives on the line again and again to earn enough currency to buy their way out of their problem. The only complication is that they have a time limit. They have sixty-eight hours to earn their reward or the chance could be gone forever. Can Rachel and Will sprint to the finish and earn their reprieve, or will their break-neck pace cause them to get careless and lose out on the prize?

My Opinion: 56 pages, $0.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited

This the 2nd novella in the serial series and is as entertaining as the 1st. There are still minor issues with the powers not having well defined limits described. But the powers are used well and there's thought put into how they are advancing. The combat has a variety of opponents, which is good, but doesn't add anything to the plot except as a solution to an artificially created problem. I missed seeing more real world conflict and the advancement of the apocalypse story, though it is setup for the next story. 

Score: 7.3 out of 10

Gate Wars: Sprint: A LitRPG Novella

https://amzn.to/3jOC7JL 


Condition Evolution: A LitRPG / Game-lit Adventure

Having problems coping with life but have nowhere to turn for help?

Why not try a crazy new therapy!

The early research data shows getting thrown into a fantasy land full of mythical creatures to fight for your survival will give you a fresh perspective on your existence.

That’s what Shaun, the ex-roofer, turned couch-potato did, and it’s working a treat!

His objectives? Avoid being eaten, deal with unrequited love, level up as fast as possible and save the Kingdom of Anatoli from an apocalypse.

His rewards? Become a legend in the real world.

My Opinion: 164 pages, $3.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited

The story has a bit of a rushed start with an overweight main character (MC) who has a food addiction going into a year long full immersion MMO to cure him of his issues. It's a bit of a whiny start, but it does get him into the game world fairly quickly. 

I was intrigued by the premise, a VR game designed to help people with addiction. But the story didn't do anything to advance that. It instead becomes a slice of life story where the MC levels, meets another player, fights monsters, and is handed a particular quest.

On the game mechanic side of things are ok. There’s lots of levels, skills, abilities, and power progression. I did like the inventive use of tools as weapons and the skill tree that went with that. But there’s also a level of overpoweredness that felt a little unearned. This is partially because of a big 6 month time jump in the story early on and the way the author had the MC suddenly level to solve a problem. Not too big of an issue, but it made some of the fights feel a little easy.

On the story side of things it felt like the plot shifted a few times. There’s an early premise of the MC going into the VR full immersion to break his addiction to food, but that’s never developed besides stating it’s fixed. The story becomes more slice of life as the MC and another player adventure and get given a quest to fulfill. 

There were some issues that the story had that stopped me from enjoying it. The biggest of which happens about the 30% mark, when the story forces in another addict player who was so irritating I lost any enjoyment of the story and almost put the story down. There were also early issues with stilted dialogue and some minor technical writing issues. But the thing that pushed me very firmly away from good, where the conflicts in the story. They were a bit too simple and were solved with wand wavy spells, convenient allies, or luck, which left me disappointed. The end also had a weird twist that frankly made no sense and destroyed the premise of the story.

Overall, I could see potential in the premise and the fights weren't bad. But the other issues noted just lessened my enjoyment enough that I couldn’t give it a good score.

Score: 6 out of 10

Condition Evolution: A LitRPG / Game-lit Adventure

https://amzn.to/3jMXbjX 


The Heaven's Boxer: Scifi LitRPG - Esports - Mecha Battles (Overdrive Book 1)

Who wouldn't want to pilot giant robots for a living?

The Overdrive Corporation has announced another Selection, the exclusive tryout process for aspiring Fortress Masters. Designing maps for the Mech battling virtual reality RPG is Julian's dream come true, but a brutal defeat against superstar sniper Dynamic has destroyed his confidence.

Hoping to find a stronger machine, Julian enters an immensely challenging map that promises ultra-rare Mech frames.

During the ill-fated mission, he finally learns what it takes to get better. It's not the strength of the machine that matters most - it's the skill of the pilot.

Julian rebuilds his gameplay from the ground up, seeking out the strongest opponents and the most challenging dungeons. He explores the countless aspects of Overdrive that he's inadvertently ignored. Waiting for him is a rematch with the sniper he's never beaten, with a spot in the Selection on the line.

The fifth novel from writer Ryan Tang, a veteran of the esports industry and high school sports coach, The Heaven's Boxer will delight fans of LitRPG, sports stories, and mecha anime.

My Opinion: 303 pages, $2.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited

This is an underrated Mech battle GameLit story with upgradable and customizable mechs. 

The beginning of the novel sets up the series goal of entering a tournament and a bit about a new kind of mech. I was most surprised how little that was developed in this book, considering most of the first 25% was devoted to bringing it up. Instead, the story is a bit more slice of life with the MC training a couple new people while simultaneously realizing his own shortcomings and training to rectify them. I actually liked this shift as it allowed for a more natural explanation of the game mechanics.

One of the few things I didn't like about the story was the first fight at the very start of the novel.  It's not badly written or anything, it was just a little off putting. I think it was because the author tried to introduce the game world, game mechanics, the MC and his flaws all while describing the exhibition fight. While the scene did give a peek at other high end players and the types of mechs in the game world, the fight felt bogged down by the other stuff.

Honestly, I liked the story a lot more once it was past that part and the MC started to train his friend to play the game. It was a much better way to slowly introduce the game mechanics, and describe the various types of mechs. The fights after that 1st one were much better too since they didn’t need explanations that slowed the pacing. 

Outside combat, the story is still interesting. There’s lots of good dialogue between players about tactics, different play styles, and mech build theory. One of the things that makes Mech games so fun. 

There’s no real RPG system but rather parts and weapons with classifications and levels of quality. The mechs increase in power through good piloting and through purchasing, winning, or crafting those more powerful parts and making mechs within the points limits given. There’s plenty of other game stuff, but it leans more towards the strategy of PvE and PvP, build and play style, and player skill. You can tell the author has a passion for mech games and the game stuff is good.

Overall, this is a good story once past that initial first fight. I only wish it had RPG mechanics but anyone that’s played a good mech game will enjoy the story.

Score: 7.4 out of 10

The Heaven's Boxer: Scifi LitRPG - Esports - Mecha Battles (Overdrive Book 1)

https://amzn.to/313mxBB 


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Thanks for hanging out with me today. Until we can hangout again, remember to go read some LitRPG!  

(Music 4)

Music Credits

"Blip Stream" "Mighty Like Us" "Big Shift" "Vivacity"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/