A Kernel of Truth From developer Ephemera Games and publisher Whitehorn Games comes Kernel Hearts, a 3D action-RPG with both roguelike and exploration elements. While the game takes some big swings in the narrative and soundtrack departments, ultimately a shallow combat system, poorly implemented roguelike systems both in and out of attempts, and severe issues of difficulty and repetition hold the game back quite a bit. Players start as Fernet, a member of the M.A.H.O.U unit, a group of four android-magical girls who are tasked with exploring the Tower of Babel, a massive structure that is suffocating the planet by releasing a massive amount of ash. The other three members, Spika, Laika, and Dolce, are unlocked as the player progresses through the story and completes certain conditions. As Fernet and co. progress through the Tower, they fight angels and demons alike and uncover more and more of the world’s mysteries, including the identity of God and the reason ash has been falling all over the world. Unfortunately, much of the game’s narrative feels a bit too trope-heavy to be at all memorable. Fernet and the rest of the M.A.H.O.U unit are perhaps the biggest victims of this. Each of them is defined by one character trait, such as Dolce being the smug beauty or Laika being the grizzled veteran. Fernet gets it a little better because she is the character the game uses for most story events, so the side characters who can be spoken with outside of battle help develop her a bit more, but she still essentially boils down to being The Protagonist at the end of the day. [caption id="attachment_202749" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Some side characters have bond stories that flesh out the lore.[/caption] That said, the narrative setup of a post-apocalypse brought on by a biblical structure is already extremely interesting, and the way the game explores how the magical girls came into being and how it interacts with the appearance of the Tower of Babel is nicely woven. By the time the credits roll, from a narrative perspective, players can expect to at least be satisfied, if not interested in playing more to uncover more lore. The presentation props up the narrative quite a bit. The game’s graphical style is beautiful, with every area having a unique color palette and architecture while still feeling cohesive. The cel-shaded anime aesthetic does wonders for smoothing over some rough-looking animations as well. The soundtrack is the true standout here, though. The ethereal sounds do an amazing job adding emotion to a story that desperately needs it, and the boss themes are appropriately intense while still staying on theme. It’s the gameplay where Kernel Hearts stumbles quite a bit in some key areas. Being a 3D action-RPG roguelike, the game has most of what players might expect in its combat system. Light attacks, heavy attacks, double jumps, perfect dodges, and more are present here and fully functional and well-implemented. Players begin their journey up the Tower of Babel, run around and level up, maybe fight a boss or two, and repeat until they beat the game or get killed, at which point they're kicked back to start over again. The problems arise quickly when the roguelike elements enter the mix. Put simply, despite being in a genre that is supposed to create variety out of receiving different rewards for fulfilling different conditions, Kernel Hearts is severely lacking in variety. Players will encounter the same enemy types, the same bosses, and the same areas every single time without fail. Furthermore, the rewards for leveling up or clearing trials scattered throughout the different areas are painfully lacking in variety and, at times, effectiveness. Even the special moves that players can get access to from leveling up can feel weaker than using normal combos at times, even after upgrading them. [caption id="attachment_161592" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Archangel Gabriel will try to kill you in this game.[/caption] Encountering the same areas during every single run is another nail in this game’s coffin, unfortunately. Each area has a gimmick of sorts, such as the opening area being massive but having catapults that can launch players across the map, or the second area having entrances where players can go underground to explore. Unfortunately, while the locations of certain landmarks are often randomized within each area, there simply isn’t enough variety to make progressing through the areas feel like more of a chore than an enjoyable gameplay loop. Adding to the pile of problems is the game’s difficulty, specifically the balancing. The player is on a time limit while exploring each floor of the Tower of Babel, meaning they are in a crunch to run around and get as many upgrades as possible before progressing. The vast majority of ways to obtain upgrades are by killing enemies, as can be expected in an action RPG. However, as early as the second floor, enemy health starts to skyrocket and player damage does not scale accordingly, meaning the game stops being about fun combos and becomes more about surviving against damage sponges and doing the most efficient thing every single time in order to make the most out of the time limit. [caption id="attachment_202750" align="aligncenter" width="640"] At least the verticality in some areas can be fun.[/caption] These problems make the game’s easier Story difficulty an attractive option, which unfortunately has its own problems. Story difficulty swings the balance all the way in the other direction. Enemies have far less health, and the time limit in each floor is significantly increased, meaning not only can players get rewards more easily, but they have even more time to do so and can easily roll credits without much resistance. This leaves Kernel Hearts in a rough place, where Story mode is far, far too easy for its own good, but Normal mode feels less like a balanced challenge and more of a repetitive slog. Kernel Hearts is one of those games that feels brimming with untapped potential. Difficulty balancing and system tweaking are all things that, while they can certainly cripple the experience, can also be iterated on over time, which makes the promise of future updates encouraging. Unfortunately, despite a decent narrative and an excellent soundtrack, Kernel Hearts in its current state is difficult to recommend. Disclosure: This review is based on a free copy of the game provided by the publisher. The post Kernel Hearts Review appeared first on RPGamer.

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Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith and Caddo Parish Sheriff Henry Whitehorn pledged continued cooperation with the Gator task force, citing recent narcotics and firearm seizures and promising dedicated deputies and investigators.

Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr. and the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office announce with profound sadness the sudden passing of Captain David Latron Robinson, who died on September 29, 2026.

Caddo Parish Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr. has issued a new policy for inmate transport.

Caddo Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr. said he would "not minimize what occurred, and I will not ask this community to accept 'this is just how it has always been done' as an answer."

Tre’veon Jackson, the inmate who escaped from a Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy while being transported from Oschner/ LSU Health Shreveport, has been captured in Texas, according to Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr.

Tre’veon Jackson, the inmate who escaped from a Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy while being transported from Oschner/ LSU Health Shreveport, has been captured in Texas, according to Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr.

Caddo Parish Sheriff Henry Whitehorn announced immediate policy changes to how victims’ families are notified after an escaped murder suspect fled custody outside an area hospital.

In this post, we introduce a sample application that helps you answer that question for AWS Elemental Inference. The sample is a deployable video clipping portal for live sports. You run it in your own AWS account, point it at your own content, and see how automated highlight detection, smart cropping, and smart subtitles behave end to end. We walk through the customer problem, the architecture, the capabilities it demonstrates, and how to deploy it.