Hallo is a 2007 Indian Malayalam comedy thriller film written and directed by the Rafi Mecartin duo. The film stars Mohanlal, Parvathy Melton, Jagathy Sreekumar, Siddique, Ganesh Kumar and Madhu in important roles.The film received positive reviews from critics.

This week’s Re:Port Review features Gary Bailey discussing how the fantastic Salt and Sanctuary is on the Switch while I look at tinyBuild’s Hello Neighbor and Cosmic Star Heroine from Limited Run Games and Zeboyd Games. Salt and SanctuaryGary BaileyOriginally released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and PC platforms and scoredSalt and Sanctuary is a game that deserves to be played. It mixes together elements of Castlevania and Dark Souls, creating a game that is incredibly well designed and is easily as compelling as anything from either of the series that it draws inspiration from. Ska Studios’ game is a side-scrolling action RPG with platform elements, taking place on a mysterious island filled with undead beasties and Lovecraftian nightmares. After washing up on the island, you’ll be forced to survive by battling said beasties and using their salt to make your character stronger and your weapons more deadly.So far, so Souls, right?

It’s true that the gameplay is very similar to FromSoftware’s games, even with a few nods here and there (there’s basically a Bloodborne outfit in there), but the 2D, sidescrolling perspective and the more platformy nature of the gameplay, makes for a more fast-paced experience. You can still dodge-roll and parry, but there’s more to it than being an homage to other titles. The world is surprisingly huge and interconnected, with one particular shortcut heading back from the final area of the game, to one of the earliest places you visit. It’s a long run too, making you realise just how big the island is.I spent most of my time playing Salt & Sanctuary in handheld, where it really shines. It looks sharp and runs at a mostly solid 60 frames-per-second, with only a few dips during more particle-intensive moments, and especially when you beat a boss and the “vanquished” message takes up almost the entire screen.

It’s rarely ever an issue though, as it doesn’t seem to drop below 30fps and it’s only ever for a few seconds at a time. It’s still present when docked too, where it looks a bit blurry but nothing too detrimental. That signature Ska Studios art direction helps to keep things looking darkly beautiful, no matter what.The controls fit the Joy-Cons very well, with the face buttons used for attacking and jumping; the shoulder buttons used for rolling and blocking, as well as item usage and weapon swapping. You can have two sets equipped at a time; I usually go for a sword and board set, with a larger, two-handed weapon as the second set. Everything here is fine for the most part, except for rare moments when a button wouldn’t register, with one example leading to a long fall and a decidedly squishy end.

Luckily this is extremely rare, but no less frustrating when it happens.I had already spent hours and hours and hours playing Salt and Sanctuary on PS4, filling the character slots completely as I tried out different character builds and weapon sets (including transmuted weapons, which is where you use special items such as the ear of a boss, to change a weapon into a more powerful version). I can see the Switch version being the same, especially as I can sit and play anywhere in handheld, loving the exploration and subtle, environmental storytelling. That said, it’s an incredibly dark game, even with the screen’s brightness turned all the way up; maybe playing it outside in the Summer is a bad idea.Be warned however; Salt and Sanctuary is as difficult as its inspiration would suggest. You will die, often and in spectacularly embarrassing ways, but you’ll learn and adapt. You’ll level up and then you’ll overcome its challenges and you will probably love doing so. Because Salt & Sanctuary is a game that deserves to be played.9.5/10 Cosmic Star HeroineOriginally released in 2017 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and PC platforms and scoredOriginally a Kickstarter project, Cosmic Star Heroine from Zeboyd Games debuted on PS4 and Windows before finally make its way to the PS Vita. I reviewed the Vita port and loved it but was hoping it would eventually see a Switch version because it is definitely “perfect for Switch”.

If you’ve been wanting a 16-bit era RPG that feels modern in every aspect, Cosmic Star Heroine is for you. The Switch port offers the best of the PS4 and Vita versions with various improvements.While Cosmic Star Heroine is already brilliant on other platforms, it shines on the Switch for a variety of reasons. On the PlayStation side of things, buying it once nets you both the PS4 and Vita versions but there’s no cross save support so you essentially get two different games. The Switch plays and runs much better than the Vita version and basically nearly matches the PS4 version in both handheld and docked modes.

I lamented the long load times on the Vita and this version has no trouble getting you into the action super quickly. I only had a few minor framerate dips during certain non gameplay scenes on the Switch. The only real issue is that there’s a weird audio glitch in the opening which I’ve been told is being fixed around release. The actual gameplay is still awesome and well worth your time.

While it could’ve used some nice HD Rumble support during combat like Octopath Traveler, it does support the Switch native video capture to share those awesome cutscenes and combat moments.Overall, Cosmic Star Heroine on the Switch is the definitive version of the game. While I would’ve hoped for things like touch support to progress dialogue text, I can safely recommend this to anyone looking for a great RPG to play on the Switch.

The soundtrack is still stupendous and Cosmic Star Heroine is in my top RPGs to play on the Nintendo Switch. I look forward to buying a physical copy of it later this year from Limited Run Games who are publishing and ported this to the Switch.9.5/10 Hello NeighborOriginally released on Xbox One and PC platforms before releasing simultaneously on Nintendo Switch, PS4, and iOSWhile most people probably discovered Hello Neighbor through YouTube playthroughs, I actually found out about it through retail listings because it is the rare indie game to have an Xbox One physical release and skip other consoles (at the time). The art style and premise have always been interesting but the end result is a mixed bag of ideas and poor visuals on the Switch.Hello Neighbor is a survival stealth horror esque experience spread across 3 acts and a finale. It reminds me of Alien Isolation to some extent with the Neighbor here adapting to your moves with AI behaviour that learns. You aim to get into the basement of said neighbour’s house to uncover the secrets lurking within after an unnerving opening. Initially it is a lot of fun if you enjoy games that give you sandboxes to screw around and try things out but the experience soon becomes pretty tedious and you see how many of the smart ideas don’t gel together and feel poorly thought out overall.The Switch port’s only redeeming factor is the performance. It isn’t as bad as the iOS version and is quite smooth overall.

There are a few instances of hitching here and there but things aren’t terrible. Visually, it looks really poor. The art style is nice and that still shines but it definitely feels unpolished. Since this has an iOS port, I expected some use of the Touch Screen but despite the higher price (most expensive version across all platforms), the Switch version just feels like a downport overall with nothing of value.

If you want to play this at home, you’re better off getting it on PS4 and if you want to play it on the go, check out the mobile version where you can play the first full act for free.Overall the Switch port has almost everything going wrong with poor visuals, a higher price point than the other platforms, and poor use of Switch specific features. In its current state, you’re better off either buying it on another platform if you must have it, or skip it altogether. I hope the developers can either improve the visuals through patches or work on4/10.

Hello! is a 2017 Indian Telugu-language romanticaction thriller film, produced by Nagarjuna Akkineni under his Annapurna Studios banner, and written and directed by Vikram K Kumar. The film lead rolls star Akhil Akkineni and Kalyani Priyadarshan. The music is composed by Anup Rubens. The film was released on 22 December 2017.hh

Plot[edit]

Seenu, an orphaned street urchin, has a friend named Junnu, whose family moves frequently because of her father's job. The day she leaves, Junnu gives her phone number to Seenu written on a hundred rupee note, but a thief steals that note. While chasing the thief, Seenu is hit by a car driven by Sarojini (Ramya Krishnan) and her husband Prakash (Jagapathi Babu). They later adopt Seenu after taking him to the hospital as Sarojini promised the lord that if the boy survived she would do something good for him.

After fourteen years, Seenu (whose name is changed to Avinash) / (Akhil Akkineni) along with Junnu (whose name is changed to Priya) / (Kalyani) are both living affluent lifestyles but are not happy without each other. He finally discovers her whereabouts on a whim by hearing a tune they created during childhood while on a wrong call. The caller says the location is a music fest, but a street thug steals his phone. So, he sets out to get it back in order to reconcile with Junnu.

A flashbacks reveal Seenu/Avinash's journey with Sarojini and Prakash as a happy family. Junnu/Priya is sad in Delhi thinking about Seenu and learns that her father is being transferred to the States. Before leaving for the United States, she thinks of finding Seenu in Hydrabad and attending her close friend's wedding. While picking up his mother at the airport, Avinash sees Priya but does not recognize her. Later Priya and Avinash meet again as Priya is distributing 100 rupees to poor children. They meet at the wedding but Priya, reminded of young Seenu, runs away. Avinash follows her and accidentally breaks her bangle which was very dear to her and she is heartbroken.

The story returns to the present after Avinash retrieves his phone back from the phone mafia. He learns that Junnu is at the Hyderabad Music Festival. At the festival, he meets Priya, who is still upset about the fight they had at her friend's sangeet/wedding. They forgive each other, and Avinash gifts her a new bangle and wishes her all the best for her new life. Searching for Junnu, he goes to a music stall and starts playing the same tune they created during childhood. Junnu, hearing the song, desperately runs searching for him but cannot find him.

Avinash finds the hundred rupee note with Junnu's phone number on it, and dials the number repeatedly, but Junnu/Priya cuts the call repeatedly as she is also calling searching for the tune player's location in the fest. She finally picks up the call, speaks with him, but Avinash's mobile runs out of battery. He now knows that Junnu is also in the music festival.

He visits the music stall again where Junnu had played earlier and plays one final time. Hearing the tune, Priya/Junnu runs around looking for the player.

Stunned by seeing Junnu with a desperate look, Avinash murmurs, identifying Junnu followed by sign of her saying yes, and they both embrace each other in love.

Cast[edit]

• Akhil Akkineni as Avinash / Seenu
• Kalyani Priyadarshan as Priya / Junnu
• Jagapati Babu as Prakash
• Ramya Krishna as Sarojini
• Ajay as Rishi
• Satya Krishnan as Priya's Mother
• Anish Kuruvilla as Priya's Father
• Vennela Kishore as Friend in Song and bridegroom for Priya's friend
• Posani Krishna Murali as Police Officer
• Mikhail Gandhi as young Seenu
• Myrah Dandekar as young Junnu
• Nivedhithaa Sathish as Priya's friend
• Praveen as Taxi driver
• Krishnudu as Pani Puri seller
• Raghu Master as musical instruments seller (cameo)

Soundtrack[edit]

Music composed by Anup Rubens. Music released on ADITYA Music Company. The audio function was held at Vishakapatam on 7 December 2017.^[1] The film is Anup Rubens's 50th film.^[2]

All lyrics are written by Prashanth Ingole.

Release[edit]

The film was released worldwide on 22 December 2017. It was later dubbed into Hindi under the title Taqdeer (English: Destiny) and premiered on Star Gold on 23 June 2018. Also dubbed into malayalam with the same title in 2019.^[3]

Marketing[edit]

The first look poster was released on 22 August 2017 and also the title was revealed as Hello.^[4][5] The teaser was released on 16 November 2017.^[6]Full auto glock. The theatrical trailer was released on 1 December 2017. The audio was released on 7 December 2017.

Reception[edit]

The film grossed ₹25.05 crore worldwide in four days, with a distributors share of ₹14.38 crore. The collections from Telugu states Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in four days were ₹15.75 crore, with a share of ₹10.1 crore. In the full run, the film collected a share of 17cr to 20cr share approx.^[7]

Accolades[edit]

Filmfare Awards South

• Won - Best Female Debut - Kalyani Priyadarshan
• Nominated - Best Music Director - Anoop Rubens
• Nominated - Best Playback Singer – Male - Armaan Malik - 'Hello'

SIIMA Awards

• Won - Best Debut Actress - Kalyani Priyadarshan
• Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - Armaan Malik - 'Hello'

References[edit]

1. ^'Hello (Audio Launch)'. Bollywood Life.
2. ^'Hello (Anup completes 50 films)'. Telugu 360.
3. ^'Taqdeer Full Movie, Watch Taqdeer Film on Hotstar'. Hotstar. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
4. ^Khameshwari, A. (22 August 2017). 'Watch: Akhil Akkineni shares first look of Hello, Prabhas, Rana Daggubati and others promote the film'. The Indian Express. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
5. ^'Akhil's title is now official: It's 'Hello' - Telugu News'. IndiaGlitz.com. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
6. ^'Hello teaser: Akhil Akkineni tells a story about a boy trying to find his soulmate'. hindustantimes.com. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
7. ^'Hello 4 Days Collections Report'. The Hans India. 26 December 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2018.

External links[edit]

• Album in Hindi on Soundcloud
• Hello on Movietalk
• Hello on IMDb