Broomstick League set to soar into Early Access

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Broomstick League set to soar into Early Access

 

Sports games are fun. The problem with this genre, however, is that often to get the most enjoyment out of the game you have to enjoy that sport. There isn’t any point in playing FIFA if you hate football, right? This is where games that either create a new sport or do something clever or interesting with an existing one come into play. A really good example of one of these may well be Broomstick League, set to come to Early Access in the not too distant future.

Some of you lucky lot might have been able to get a bit of a go on this title this weekend. The first playable version of Broomstick League was shown off at Twitchcon over in San Diego. If, like the rest of us (myself included), you don’t get passes to these big events, you’ll need a bit of low-down on what to expect on release.

I think you’ve probably already surmised that Broomstick League is a sports game involving broomsticks, right? You’d be correct. You’ll find yourself splitting into teams and climbing atop your broomsticks in an effort to grab the magic orb, outrun the opposition and score.

You won’t just need skill in flight. As a wizard, you’re also going to be armed with a wand. Having some ability with magic will help you dodge members of the enemy team, defend your goal and make some pretty extraordinary plays. Need that all important position and can’t quite get there? A bit of teleportation via the blink spell might be all you need. You won’t be wanting the opposition having the ball, will you? A well targeted blast spell should solve that for you. This is literally a case of magic for the win.

As you team with your friends, you’ll find that no two matches are the same. This is not only a game of skill. As you soar across massive arenas aiming for that all important goal, a mixture of magic and teamwork will be key to victory. Broomstick League allows for some pretty endless strategies; it’s all about your quick wits and those of your team mates.

To give you a quick run down of what you can expect … matches can be played both locally and online in teams of up to four per side. If you just want to play on your own, 1v1 matches are also available to cater to this. Aside from match customization, you’ll also have character customization and of course a leveling system that will let you track your progress through the league.

Broomstick League looks stunning. I mentioned massive arenas earlier but they are as varied as they are big. One minute you might be battling it out with giant trolls lurking in the background, the next may see you looking for goals while floating on the backs of flying creatures. All of this adding to the feel and finesse of the fun.

Those of you looking for something a bit different may well want to keep an eye out for this title. We don’t have an exact date yet but Broomstick League will be appearing on Steam Early Access in the not so far future, so it’s definitely worth checking out. I’ve also just realized I got through that entire article without pandering to Harry Potter fans or mentioning Quiddich … impressive, eh?

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Sherlock Holmes games being pulled from storefronts despite developer’s pleas

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Sherlock Holmes games being pulled from storefronts despite developer’s pleas

 

Independent developer Frogwares woke to some disheartening news this week as their publishing partner Focus Home Interactive dropped a bombshell on them. Frogwares, the developers of the Sherlock Holmes series of videogames, noticed that several of their games were vanishing from the Playstation and Xbox storefronts. In an official statement from the developer, which has been posted to Twitter, Focus Home Interactive states that “Focus has put in place a policy in accordance with which they will not transfer any title – the content ID or title ID – belonging to any developer which has removed all of their games removed from the Focus catalog.”

So what does this mean? Since Frogwares are an independent developer and not currently working with Focus Home Interactive, this policy says that Focus legally has the rights to the titles of the games despite Frogwares still owning legal rights to the IPs. Frogwares mentions in their statement that before a week ago, this policy was never mentioned or applied in any of their contracts with Focus Home Interactive.

The list of games getting axed under this policy are Sherlock Holmes Versus Jack the Ripper, The Testament of Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes Crimes & Punishments, as well as Magrunner: Dark Pulse. All of these titles are being pulled from Playstation and Xbox storefronts with little to no notice to the developer affected. As of right now, the games are still listed on Steam, but those are potentially being pulled before the end of the month. Frogwares statement also includes that this policy will “threaten [their] future games and the people who develop them.”

Frogwares other title affected by the policy, Magrunner: Dark Pulse

Focus Home Interactive has been a publisher to a lot of great games and this spur of the moment policy sets a devastating precedent for all of their licensees. Just in 2019 so far, Focus Home has published A Plague Tale: Innocence, The Surge 2, World War Z, and Greedfall, all of which were different licensed developers. These shady business dealings could threaten the futures of these franchises as well as other independent developers searching for a publisher. There’s nothing that dissuades business more than a policy that financially ruins a studio should it pursue other ventures. 

As of right now, Focus Home Interactive has not issued a statement in rebuttal of these policies and their removal of the games affected. 

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Door Kickers: Action Squad limited edition physical copies available for pre-order

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Door Kickers: Action Squad limited edition physical copies available for pre-order

 

There are an abundance of upsides to the digital storefronts that are becoming more and more prevalent in gaming. The convenience of purchasing the hottest new release from your couch is something that would have blown gamers minds 20 years ago. Some things just can’t be replaced though; like the crisp snap of opening a brand new game case, reading the manual cover to cover, or even just inserting the brand new disk/cartridge into the console. In a partnership with Strictly Limited Games, the award winning Door Kickers: Action Squad is releasing limited physical copies for the Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch; available for pre-order on September 29th.

The original Door Kickers was a tactical top-down strategy game based on plausible SWAT firefights. Door Kickers: Action Squad, however, reels back the tactics and ramps up the arcade fun as a pixelated 2D side scroller. In Action Squad, players are given 6 different characters with varying gameplay types and over 40 pieces of gear to outfit them with in order to kick down doors and rescue the hostages of Nowhere City. Door Kickers: Action Squad boasts online and couch co-op, over 80 non-linear steps to kick doors, and over 20 different enemy types to meet upon kicking of said door.

Strictly Limited Games is releasing 1,500 physical copies for the PS4 and 2,500 copies for the Nintendo Switch, priced at 24.99€(approx. $27.33USD) and 29.99€(approx. $32.80USD), respectively. In addition to those, Strictly Limited is also manufacturing a collector’s edition featuring a hardcover case, hardcover art book, the soundtrack CD, as well as a sticker and poster. There will be 700 collector’s editions on PS4 and 1,500 on Nintendo Switch, priced at 44.99€(approx. $49.21USD) and 49.99€(approx. $54.68USD), respectively.

These limited physical copies can be pre-ordered at the Strictly Limited Games official store on September 29th. If the concept of Door Kickers: Action Squad has piqued your interest, but you are fine with a digital copy, the game will be available on PSN, Xbox Live, and the Nintendo eShop later in October. If Door Kickers is really calling your name and you have to have it now, Action Squad is available on Steam. 

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REVIEW // Vambrace: Cold Soul

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REVIEW // Vambrace: Cold Soul

 

Standing out in the Switch eShop is incredibly difficult if you’re a small indie developer. Even beyond the lackluster navigation of the platform, there are so many similar games fighting for attention. I did not find Vambrace on the eShop; I learned about it when I was asked to write this review. I expected nothing, and I was pleasantly surprised. But would I pick this game out of the ocean that is the eShop? I doubt it.

 

I would call Vambrace an RPG, even though it doesn’t follow a lot of the general conventions of the genre. Outside of navigating towns, it actually plays from a side scrolling perspective, with the characters taking up a large portion of the screen. I found it rather disorienting, especially as someone who usually zooms things way out, but I was able to reach a relative ease eventually. Combat is turn-based, which I found surprising given the perspective, and the combat system is pretty typical of the genre. There’s nothing to write home about here, though that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it.

The hand drawn visuals are absolutely Vambrace‘s greatest strength. There’s a gritty sort of edge to the graphics, fitting with the game’s setting. These sorts of graphics are fortunately becoming more and more popular, which I appreciate, but it doesn’t take away from the artistry on display here. Because the character sprites are so big, a ton of detail has gone into them. The style isn’t quite realistic, and the designs of the equipment are really cool.

Whether the plot and setting impress just as much depends completely on what you’re looking for. The set up is nothing special: our hero has something left to her by her dead father which allows her to enter an area that had been sealed in ice due to a previous major event, and she wants to uncover its mysteries. You’ve heard this before. But I can tell that a fair bit of world building has gone into this, and if you dive deep enough, the game teases a lot to be discovered.

I liked Vambrace more than I expected. Its artistry and writing were enough to keep me going for a while, even if the story itself was nothing special. For the right kind of person, it’s a great game. If you like discovering lore and turn based combat, Vambrace might be the hidden gem you’re looking for. But if you’re expecting an action affair or a unique story, you best look somewhere else.

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Chikara Wrestling launches their first licensed game on October 8th

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Chikara Wrestling launches their first licensed game on October 8th

 

Ever since the demise of WCW, the wrestling genre of videogaming has been primarily dominated by the juggernaut that is WWE. While their efforts may be finding success, the fact of the matter is wrestling fans are left with one brand when it comes to gaming. Professional wrestling is a grand, personality driven event that demands varied and unique approaches and the best way to experience it is through the scopes of multiple brands, so it would stand to reason the largest brands should extend into the gaming field. On October 8th, independent wrestling sensation Chikara enters the ring to an entirely new market with the release of their first ever licensed game, Chikara: Action Arcade Wrestling.

Pairing up with independent developer VICO Game Studio, Chikara: Action Arcade Wrestling is aiming to bring back the fast paced and over-the-top action of 90’s arcade style wrestling games. Taking clear inspiration from hits such as 1998’s WWF War Zone and WCW/nWo Revenge, Chikara is taking a more simplistic 2 button approach to the theatrical slams and high impact hits. This provides both a retro throwback for fans that yearn for the earlier days of wrestling titles and a low barrier of entry for new fans that may have not played many games before.

Fans of the Chikara brand will be happy to see the roster of over 30 official wrestlers, complete with their signature move sets and likenesses. Chikara Pro Wrestling stars like Fire Ant, Solo Darling, Hallowicked, and Dasher Hatfield all make an appearance in Chikara: Action Arcade Wrestling. These superstars will be available to compete in over 25 game modes including one on one, tag team, three-way and four-way matches, 4-10 person elimination matches, tornado tag, battle royal, and king of trios tournaments all featuring online capabilities.

Say you’re not content with the roster. Well, Chikara has you covered on that front with the Wrestle Factory Creation Suite. With this Suite of tools you can create your ultimate wrestler using body morphing, texture uploads, face mapping, move set assignments, and physics based accessories. The Wrestle Factory Creation Suite is looking to provide a level of creativity in a wrestling creator that hasn’t been seen before and you can download it right now, before the game launches on October 8th, by visiting the Steam page. Get your wrestler geared up and ready for the fight.

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Atlas sets sail on the Xbox One with PC crossplay on October 8th

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Atlas sets sail on the Xbox One with PC crossplay on October 8th

Ahoy matey’s, are ye ready for a swashbucklin’ adventure on the seven seas? Arrr ye ready to plunder booty, never shower, and get severe cases of scurvy? Probably doesn’t sound too appealing, but fear not! Grapeshot Games is taking aim at the Xbox One and launching the most ambitious pirate life simulator this scurvy seadog has ever seen with their game Atlas.

ATLAS XBOX CROSSPLAY LAUNCH

We're thrilled to officially announce the date!Get out onto the high seas with ATLAS' Xbox Crossplay launch October 8th.

Posted by ATLAS – The Game on Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Atlas is an MMO first-person fantasy pirate adventure game that is created by Grapeshot Games, which was founded by Jeremy Stieglitz and Jesse Rapczak; two creators of the hit dinosaur based survival game Ark: Survival Evolved. In Atlas players will build their crew in a world containing up to 40,000 other pirates, customize their own ships in their fleet, hunt down lost treasures, fight other bands of pirates for control of said treasure, or even do battle with mythological sea creatures.

If the sound of an MMO doesn’t match your tastes, but you still want to live in this grand scale pirate world, there are single player and private session modes. There exists a separate PvE in Atlas for players that don’t want to be hassled by their fellow pirates, but instead want to take the fight to the AI controlled enemies of the world. This gives even the most isolated rogue the chance to sail the seas and feel the salty ocean air on their eye patch. 

Late in 2018 Atlas launched into Steam Early Access, providing critical updates as time went on. The Xbox One version of Atlas will launch day one with PC crossplay on October 8th. The Xbox version of the game will also have mouse and keyboard support to better ensure that the console and PC players are on a more even footing. The new development roadmap of Atlas also will ensure that content updates on both PC and Xbox are pushed at the same time to keep both crowds on the same page. If you play on PC you can check out the Steam page or if you want to read up more on the game you can check out their official website.

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Solasta: Crown of the Magister receives official licensing of Dungeons & Dragons SRD 5.1

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Solasta: Crown of the Magister receives official licensing of Dungeons & Dragons SRD 5.1

 

Way, way back in 2018 I covered the creation of a brand new videogame development studio called Tactical Adventures, founded by Mathieu Girard. The vision of this studio was to take the limitless feeling of creativity that tabletop RPGs give players and translate that to the digital space. One successful Kickstarter campaign and a pre-alpha demo later and it’s safe to say that Girard and the Tactical Adventures team are realizing that vision as their upcoming debut title, Solasta: Crown of the Magister, has officially gained the Dungeons & Dragons SRD 5.1 license.

Solasta is an upcoming CRPG that is heavily inspired by the concepts of Dungeons & Dragons, which will only become stronger as they have the legal rights to use the official rule set. In Solasta, players have a wide variety of options available to fully make use of the 3D world. The maps can tactically be traversed by climbing walls, flying, teleporting, tunneling, or just making use of a nice collapsible floor. Movement around the map really takes into account vertical play and the combat effectiveness of the differing levels.

In true Dungeons & Dragons style, Solasta is structured around an adventuring team. Players will choose their team’s races, classes, backgrounds, and roll their stats to build a perfect party for their playstyle. Together, this band of adventurers will utilize the light to not only guide their path, but to utilize as a weapon against the forces of dark. With a name like Solasta, it would be crazy to think sunlight didn’t play a massive factor. 

Solasta is still in the development phase, with the loosest of release windows I’ve ever seen with the planned release of “when it’s ready!” However, if you’re interested in getting a taste of what Tactical Adventures is offering, there’s a one hour demo available by visiting the Steam page. If that demo got you on board for this style of CRPG, the Solasta Kickstarter for the project is still running until October 3rd with some cool pledge incentives like a vinyl of the game’s OST or polyhedral dice with character sheets. If the Kickstarter ends before you can get to it, you can always follow the game’s progress at Tactical Adventures’ official website.

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Star Wars Battlefront 2 adds co-op and PvE in latest update

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Star Wars Battlefront 2 adds co-op and PvE in latest update

 

2 years after release, Star Wars Battlefront 2 is receiving its largest update which will include a new map, new modes, new skins, and the Clone Commando. On September 25th, the Cooperation Update will bring a litany of new features to EA’s Star Wars based FPS. DICE’s main focus with this update will be toward PVE experiences bringing friends together to fight in the Clone Wars era.

First and foremost, the new modes being added to this game are absolutely going to make a huge impact. Instant Action mode makes its triumphant return; a mode where the player is dropped into an offline large scale combat against AI opponents to take control points on the map. The new Co-op mode allows you to form a squad of 3 other players to fight an AI team for control over map objectives. Both modes will be deployed onto Clone Wars maps with heroes and troopers to match.

These PVE scenarios and modes give more gameplay options to fans of Star Wars that may not enjoy highly competitive multiplayer. These modes will allow a fan to explore the maps and see one of the more graphically impressive videogame representations of the Star Wars franchise. All of this while not having to worry about a seasoned enemy player blowing them away in a hailstorm of blaster fire.

General Kenobi!

Also coming to Star Wars Battlefront 2 is the map Felucia. More keen eyed observers will notice this planet as the site where Aayla Secura’s troops Order 66’d her in Revenge of the Sith. Felucia had also made an appearance during Anakin and Ahsoka’s adventures in the Clone Wars tv show. It’s more of a deep cut for a map, but the site offers plenty of tactical options such as enter-able huts, exploding poisonous fungi, and even a Sarlaac pit of all things.

Key art from the new map shows the vibrant, swampy terrain

The Clone Commando enters the fray in this upcoming update. The Clone Commando was, of course, a clone of the legendary bounty hunter Jango Fett. The Clones in Battlefront 2 come equipped with a repeating blaster, a wrist mounted repulser for shockwave attacks, and a battle boost that restores health as damage is dealt to enemies. Basically the Clone Commando is the perfect fighting machine and it’s up to the player to erase the legacy of Clone/Storm Trooper bad accuracy and go blast some fools.

Star Wars Battlefront 2’s new Cooperation Update is live on September 25th with promises for even more content later on this year to tie in to the release of The Rise of Skywalker. The new movie paired with these massive content updates, as well as the upcoming Jedi: Fallen Order, are proving that 2019 is an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan. More details about the Cooperation Update can be found at the Battlefront official website here.

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Song of Horror manifests this Halloween

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Song of Horror manifests this Halloween

 

As I’m sure I’ve made abundently clear in the past, horror games are not my thing. I don’t like jump scares and I quite like not needing to have several pairs of clean underwear at the ready when I go into a new game. I can, however, see the appeal this genre has to many other people and therefore have no issues telling you lovely lot when something new and creepy is due to hit our screens. In this case we’re talking about Song of Horror, and we’ll be seeing its first two episodes this Halloween.

Song of Horror is a game that’s been five years in the making. The project came to life when the game’s creators left college and were trying to figure out what to do next. Five years is a long time and the concept first fathomed back then has evolved into something truly terrifying.

The first thing to note is the characters, each of whom has a unique set of attributes to make them stand out from each other. You won’t find any copy/paste PCs in this game. Equally if not more importantly The Presence, the game’s antagonist, has not only grown more frightening over time but also smarter. It learns and adapts to each player’s behavior, scaring and threatening them through various unique events.

Fear is something that’s been lovingly nurtured and crafted in Song of Horror. There are various ways this has been executed. One of the more simple sounding of these (though certainly not simple to execute) comes down to the camera. Camera angles have been very carefully thought out with cameras being set across the five scenarios players will face to maximize atmosphere and therefore breed terror.

This game plays with two very important factors. As I’ve mentioned, you have a smart AI which recognizes the pace and rhythm of the player’s movements. This isn’t a game of pre-loaded scares or well crafted cut-scenes. Something unpleasant could happen to you anywhere on the map at any time. With events being real-time, the fear they cause will be real-time, too.

The other thing Song of Horror plays with is permadeath. This isn’t a game of lives. You can’t just die, jump back to the nearest save point, and try not to get eaten again. Dead is dead. With this being said, if you lose your character, you lose them for good, making your actions all the more important.

I think it best to let some of this come from the horse’s mouth. “We wanted the player to feel defenceless and we wanted to play with permadeath,” says Protocol Games. Players won’t have weapons in Song of Horror and will have to defend themselves from The Presence using nothing but their wits. As for the permadeath, the idea was to “tell a story with a main character and a bunch of supporting characters that could shape that story. We love the idea of having characters instead of lives so, when a character dies you lose him or her forever.“

Interestingly, when you die you won’t go back to the start. Your next character will pick up from where their fallen comrade left off. This means that the world is being shaped not only by your actions on your current play but also those of your previous ones.

We haven’t mentioned anything really about the game itself. You’ll take the role of one of thirteen unique characters. You’ll then explore uniquely frightening locations in an attempt to find clues and solve fiendish puzzles as you investigate a series of unexplained disappearances.

This looks like really compelling stuff. If you want to find new ways of experiencing horror this might well be a brilliant way to go. Nothing here is canned and the fear will be real. The question is can you survive? You can find out on Halloween when episodes 1 and 2 hit Steam. If you’re enjoying yourselves enough to see all five planned episodes, the other three will appear in December, January, and March, respectively.

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REVIEW / Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise (PS4)

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REVIEW / Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise (PS4)

 

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to infiltrate an enemy spy’s secret hideout to catch her and put her to justice. This is the premise of Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise, a game by Yak & Co that originally came out a few years ago as a mobile game. It won several awards including Apple’s Best of 2015 and the 2016 Australian Game Developer Awards Game of the Year. With such accomplishments, it’s a no-brainer why Yak & Co would port the game over to the major consoles as well as Steam.

 

 

Originally released as a five-episode game when it came out for mobiles, Agent A is an escape-room type of puzzle game where you play as Agent A himself tasked by his boss to track down an enemy spy named Ruby La Rouge. While doing reconnaissance, he witnesses Ruby take down his boss by causing an explosion on the cruise ship his boss is on. Bent on revenge, he follows her to her house with a postmodern architecture design. What he doesn’t realize is that this is actually Ruby’s lair filled with traps and secrets.

Essentially, in Agent A, you will be progressing through the game by going into each room, revealing things to unlock (or break) by finding the right type of item or puzzles to complete. The puzzles aren’t too terribly hard (and to be candid, for a three-year-old game, there are comprehensive walkthroughs online if you’re struggling). Some do involve paying attention to details, but the game prompts you to do so with Agent A’s dialogue (e.g., “This is an unusual pattern yada yada yada.”) when you interact with them.

 

 

The craziness of Agent A is navigating through the rooms. In the first chapter, you probably will encounter around 15 rooms/scenes. All of those rooms will always have something that you have to do in order to progress the story, and that usually involves obtaining something from another room. Traversing through 15 or so areas isn’t too bad; I guess it’s a staple of these type of escape-room puzzle games. I just felt like I had to backtrack a lot when I obtained something and trying to figure out where this something belongs in these rooms. Expect this is in all five chapters, by the way.

Agent A is a short game. You can complete the game in about five hours (two to three if you’re following a guide and trying for that gold trophy and platinum). Sadly, the game’s replayability value isn’t too great. Starting a new game changing some puzzles a little bit (e.g., a different code or a different pattern to remember), and that’s basically it.

 

 

In all, Agent A is a solid puzzle game. Especially if you’re into escape room types of puzzle. However, with its really low replayability value and being essentially a three-year-old game, I would definitely wait for the game to go on sale for the PS4 before going out to buy it. If you can’t wait, just buy it for your phone or tablet; that’s probably the price I would wait for it to go on sale before I would buy it for the console version.

 

 

 

This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.

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REVIEW / Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland (PS4)

Review / Interstellar Space Genesis (PC)

The Tiny Bang Story is headed for the Switch

Atomicrops is ready to bloom