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8-Bit Bastards #2
8-Bit Bastards: Level Two
Sean and the Bastards have entered the Bitrealm, and so far it hasn’t been all 1-Ups and treasure. They’ve tracked Pliny down to a castle in the mountains to the north, and they’ll need every bit of their skills, honed while playing some of the first and greatest video games, to survive its depths.
But it won’t be easy. The castle soon takes its toll, separating the party and pitting them against some of the most dangerous creatures they’ve faced yet—creatures that may not be what they seem. Something has been tormenting the souls of Afterall, transforming them into shadows of their former selves. And with every twist and turn the castle throws at them, that something is getting closer.
Add in a devious AI, a skeleton who’s watched too much TV, and more retro gaming goodness than you can shake a joystick at, and you have Eight-Bit Bastards: Level Two.
Praise for Eight-Bit Bastards: Level One:
"One of the most gamelike LitRPG stories that I've read in a long time..."
"This is by far one of the best LitRPGs I have read. It's funny, old school, and the writing is smooth."
"More Ready Player One than Ready Player One" - Amazon Reviews
But it won’t be easy. The castle soon takes its toll, separating the party and pitting them against some of the most dangerous creatures they’ve faced yet—creatures that may not be what they seem. Something has been tormenting the souls of Afterall, transforming them into shadows of their former selves. And with every twist and turn the castle throws at them, that something is getting closer.
Add in a devious AI, a skeleton who’s watched too much TV, and more retro gaming goodness than you can shake a joystick at, and you have Eight-Bit Bastards: Level Two.
Praise for Eight-Bit Bastards: Level One:
"One of the most gamelike LitRPG stories that I've read in a long time..."
"This is by far one of the best LitRPGs I have read. It's funny, old school, and the writing is smooth."
"More Ready Player One than Ready Player One" - Amazon Reviews
222 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 10, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 25, 2020
A fun listen in line with the first book.
September 8, 2019
The sequel to the previous book, LEVEL TWO gives us a lot of the answers I was hoping for from the previous volume. We discover who was responsible for the virtual world, who is paying for it, and how it is being maintained. Indeed, it is a major plot point that the immortality enjoyed by our player characters comes at a cost they were unaware of. We also get some more development of the main characters as they struggle to try to survive a castle with an absurd amount of puzzles.
There's a larger insidious plot at work, which I almost didn't think was necessary, but the book was a breeze to read through that I finished in a day. I didn't much care for Pliny and kind of think they make a terrible Maguffin but the other characters made up for it.
4.5/5
There's a larger insidious plot at work, which I almost didn't think was necessary, but the book was a breeze to read through that I finished in a day. I didn't much care for Pliny and kind of think they make a terrible Maguffin but the other characters made up for it.
4.5/5
January 13, 2020
This review is based on combined level 1 and 2 but rings true for just 2 as well
I received a copy of this audio book for an honest review and I’m glad I did, this is a fun read for any retro gamers out there looking to get their Geek on. The book follows a group of folks (the 8-bit bastards) as they move their exitance within Afterall, where there consciousnesses have been store and allowed them to live forever in a virtual world allowing them to live in different types of computer games. For this quest they’ve gone to the 8 bit realm where the likes of Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt reign supreme. The story follows the group as they move through the vitual world, slaying NPCs and leveling up moving towards the main boss. The book is well written and the characters are interesting and I kept wanting to listen wondering what would happen next. It reminds me a lot of the Magic 2.0 or Caverns and Creatures series (with a little less humor). Since I can’t do half start (which this is a solid 4.5 star book) I really debated on if this was a 4 or 5 star book but ended up on 4 stars due to the fact that it ended with a bit of a cliff hanger which is one of my pet peves, so I’m not sure what will happen to the group. I feel like there was a chance to bring this part of the story to a close and leave the listener wanting more. That being said I hope level 3+ aren’t too far away as I’m ready to dive even further into this wonderful world.
I received a copy of this audio book for an honest review and I’m glad I did, this is a fun read for any retro gamers out there looking to get their Geek on. The book follows a group of folks (the 8-bit bastards) as they move their exitance within Afterall, where there consciousnesses have been store and allowed them to live forever in a virtual world allowing them to live in different types of computer games. For this quest they’ve gone to the 8 bit realm where the likes of Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt reign supreme. The story follows the group as they move through the vitual world, slaying NPCs and leveling up moving towards the main boss. The book is well written and the characters are interesting and I kept wanting to listen wondering what would happen next. It reminds me a lot of the Magic 2.0 or Caverns and Creatures series (with a little less humor). Since I can’t do half start (which this is a solid 4.5 star book) I really debated on if this was a 4 or 5 star book but ended up on 4 stars due to the fact that it ended with a bit of a cliff hanger which is one of my pet peves, so I’m not sure what will happen to the group. I feel like there was a chance to bring this part of the story to a close and leave the listener wanting more. That being said I hope level 3+ aren’t too far away as I’m ready to dive even further into this wonderful world.
July 16, 2020
*This book was given to me by the author at my request, and I provided this voluntary, unbiased review.*
4.9/5
This was totally AWESOME! So it wasnt the traditional LitRPG, but it definitely qualifies. I enjoyed every minute of it. The storyline is pretty unique for the genre, the characters are like-able (or unlike-able), the setting is something I can imagine happening in the future, and most of all: I was laughing and enjoying myself through the whole thing. The narrator was perfect for the read and I enjoyed the performance.
Highly recommended!
4.9/5
This was totally AWESOME! So it wasnt the traditional LitRPG, but it definitely qualifies. I enjoyed every minute of it. The storyline is pretty unique for the genre, the characters are like-able (or unlike-able), the setting is something I can imagine happening in the future, and most of all: I was laughing and enjoying myself through the whole thing. The narrator was perfect for the read and I enjoyed the performance.
Highly recommended!
January 26, 2023
DNF: 20%
This is not LitRPG. The characters do not seem to gain new loot, stats or abilities. And if they do, they certainly do not use them. I, unfortunately, listened the audiobook....and holy cow was it bad. Did this guy hire his buddy from his game club or something to read this? Seriously, one of the charters can't decide if he has an pseudo Irish, Scottish, or Asian accent (Yes, the same character). I have no idea what the plot was; it was just so convoluted with all the characters arguing about why they all look like "cubes"....this one was a total slog.
This is not LitRPG. The characters do not seem to gain new loot, stats or abilities. And if they do, they certainly do not use them. I, unfortunately, listened the audiobook....and holy cow was it bad. Did this guy hire his buddy from his game club or something to read this? Seriously, one of the charters can't decide if he has an pseudo Irish, Scottish, or Asian accent (Yes, the same character). I have no idea what the plot was; it was just so convoluted with all the characters arguing about why they all look like "cubes"....this one was a total slog.
January 22, 2020
Friends become enemies in this book. Like the first it is divided into levels instead of chapters.
The party finds Pliny but realize their quest has just begun. A bigger baddie is revealed.
Again loved the narration
The party finds Pliny but realize their quest has just begun. A bigger baddie is revealed.
Again loved the narration
July 15, 2019
Book two
Mistakes: I found three in this novella.
Plot: Trapped in a castle. There is a short story at the end that is about one boney character.
Characters: We see changes in the main male characters.
6/10
Update: The author went back and fixed the errors in this story. My review rating has been changed accordingly.
Mistakes: I found three in this novella.
Plot: Trapped in a castle. There is a short story at the end that is about one boney character.
Characters: We see changes in the main male characters.
6/10
Update: The author went back and fixed the errors in this story. My review rating has been changed accordingly.
July 16, 2019
Bitrealm blues
Not quite as campy as book one. Hard to have an adventure without risk. Still level two is a great read. Pretty short. I loved all the retro game references.
Not quite as campy as book one. Hard to have an adventure without risk. Still level two is a great read. Pretty short. I loved all the retro game references.
August 9, 2019
The characters felt 8-bit themselves and it was hard to relate to them.
Very Respectfully,
Shea
Very Respectfully,
Shea
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews