Wunderling or should I say Vunderling is a squishy low-level video game henchman who looks like a kind of, well, lemon. Apart from the obvious exception that this elliptical fella has arms and legs and a proclivity for bouncing on things.
Swedish game company Retroid has developed an original title that has all the charm of 80’s platform games with a modern zesty twist. This goon can’t stop walking; in fact, there’s a whole host of Mario-esque moves that root this game firmly in my distant childhood.
Built with Unreal Engine 4, Retroid has crafted something that looks like it will appeal to anyone who has a retro love of cute platform games. The scrolling levels are set in the Vegetable Kingdom full of lush, bright colors and weird characters to rudely walk past since Wunderling is unable to stop or change direction.
There’s also a talking carrot, creatively named – The Carrot Man, Princess Pea who appears to be, yes you guessed it, a Pea and a cow that makes a regular appearance; no, I’m not taking any kind of Hallucinogen while writing this – the only thing I’m high on is coffee.
Wunderling’s master is the evil sorceress Kohlrabi, who’s a kind of wild cabbage – are you getting the vegetable references here? This lemony goon has been created to help her control the veggie kingdom as her henchman. Why is there always a power-hungry vegetable that wants world domination.
As you play, you can unlock different moves like “Boost” and “Wall-jump,” which should help you squish those baddies or should I say goodies. There’s also an emphasis on planning ahead since you have to navigate treacherous levels and solve puzzles while on the move. This game looks like it will give you that nostalgic 80’s gameplay with plenty of original content thrown in.
Wunderling will be released in early 2020 for PC and Nintendo Switch.
True innovation is incredibly rare. One can have only so many original ideas, and most people will never even get the opportunity to properly execute their own. The past decade of videogames have been an incredible wealth of fresh ideas and new innovations, from Shadow of Mordor‘s “Nemesis System” to Destiny‘s fresh blending of MMO style mechanics. GTFO is on that level.
GTFO is a new game from 10 Chambers Collective: a nine person operation, many of whom worked on Payday and its sequel. It’s a 4-player co-op first person shooter, with a truckload of horrible monsters that’ll scare the pants right off anyone who steps foot inside the game. In the title, you and three friends will work together to move through a compound, kill enemies, and most importantly, survive. So what makes GTFO unique, you ask? The answer is simple.
The rundown
The rundown is the backbone of this game; understanding it is essential to knowing the game itself. The rundown is essentially your assigned set of missions: once you complete the first, you’ll be transported deeper into the compound for a new, more challenging mission, and then once you complete that, another new, more challenging mission awaits. What makes it unique is it rotates. At various, predetermined times, the entire set of maps and missions will disappear, only to be replaced with a new set. The entire game essentially gets taken down and replaced every time this happens. How often this happens will differ, but at the moment it seems like it could take anywhere from one week to two months.
“Each work order in the Rundown represents an expedition into a different part of the Complex where the environment, the population of monsters, the objective, and other conditions can all be vastly different and offer diverse gaming experiences”, said Simon Viklund, member of 10 Chambers Collective and narrator of the explaining video.
GTFO is marketed towards people who like challenging themselves. The game takes no prisoners, so don’t expect a whole lot of forgiveness when you get deep down in the dirt with the monsters that will now haunt my nightmares for the next month. The game will hopefully be released on Early Access later this year, but before that, the team will run an Early Access Beta test of the game that anyone is able to join by signing up as an Ambassador at www.gtfothegame.com. Once there, the developers are hoping to be able to flesh out the logistics of their concept a little more with some good ol’ fashioned consumer feedback.
Between the coming holidays and the release ofPokemon SwordandShield, Pokemon Gois in a celebratory mood. With this comes new events and developments for trainers worldwide. Already, in celebration of the newest pair of main series games, the Poison and Fairy type Galarian Weezing has begun to appear in four-star raids. Along with this new form of a familiar Pokemon come new clothing options based on the protagonists ofSwordandShield, and based on information from dataminers, these are only the game’s first representatives from the Galar region.
Next up, Niantic has announced that Team Go Rocket will be stepping up its invasion big time on November 24th. From 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM (local time) on Sunday, Team Go Rocket Grunts will take over every single PokeStop in the game. This is presumably meant to help players complete the Special Research mission focused on fighting these villains, but new Field Research will become available for the event, too.
Finally, just like last year, December’s Community Day will be something special. Rather than focusing on one Pokemon, there will be increased spawns of every Pokemon that has had a Community Day in the past year. That means Totodile, Swinub, Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip, Ralts, Slakoth, Trapinch, Bagon, Turtwig, and Chimchar will all have an increased spawn rate, with shiny versions available for all of them. And that’s just the start! Last year’s Community Day Pokemon will also be available from raids and eggs, and all Pokemon from both years will have access to their Community Day-exclusive moves. Beyond even that, trainers will receive 2× Catch Stardust, 2× Catch XP, and 1/2 Egg Hatch Distance. You’ll have much more time to take all of this in than usual, as Community Day will cover both Saturday, December 14th, and Sunday, December 15th, from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM (local time). The extra bonuses (2x Catch Stardust, etc.) will only be available between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM, though.
That’s a lot to take in, so make sure you’re prepared. The unfortunate thing about these big events happening in November and December is that it’s already too cold to spend extended amounts of time outside playing in much of the world, including here in Chicago. But freezing temperatures didn’t stop me from hunting down Groudon until my fingers were completely numb last year, so hopefully I’ll see you out there. In the meantime, keep an eye out for my review ofSwordandShield, which should be ready soon.
This turn-based videogame gets down n’ dirty with the dust dealing drug lord Pablo Escobar; with brutal real-time combat and strategy campaigns that’ll put you in the heart of the Medellin Cartel. You can work for the DEA or choose to side with the Narcos and help fund the drug empire, so go ahead and Stick on ‘ya 80’s tash and cow-boy boots; oh and your aviator sunglasses. Okay, it’s not Miami Vice, there are no silk shirts in this game; only a gritty videogame that’ll fulfill your desire to bust a cap into some badass gangsters.
This game looks like it has Xcom’s combat mechanics and uses a turn-based system that is solid and responsive. When you choose a side you can play as the DEA agent Murphy working in Colombia or help build the Cartel’s narcotics empire under El Patrón. Curve Digital and their sister company Kulu have lovingly recreated the characters from the Netflix series into a tactical combat strategy game that looks satisfyingly brutal. If you enjoy putting someone down with a shotgun – metaphorically speaking, then this game looks like it will scratch that itch.
Choose your location and play as one of the gun-toting Narcos on the corrupt streets of Medellin or in the sun-dappled jungles of Columbia. The locations look well realized with compelling backdrops of the city. There are also various other characters from the series that make an appearance, all with class-specific roles, perks and skills options. Hopefully, this game can stand on its own two feet and not need the popular Netflix series to prop it up. However, anything that reminds me of Xcom can’t be too bad. All in all plenty of criminal activity to keep your trigger fingers active. Narcos: Rise of the Cartels is available on console and PC now.
Devs have to be really careful about using comedy in games. There are so many cases out there where a game is supposed to be funny but the devs seem to have forgotten what audience they’re aiming at. Low-brow toilet humour might be funny for the kids (and me), but may not appeal to a lot of adult players. Vice-versa, a game full of witticisms and cleverly worded in-jokes is great for an adult audience but will go totally over some kids’ heads. The title I’m talking about today may just be striking that ever so elusive chord that will chime with both camps. It’s called DRAW CHILLY and it’s just appeared on our Switch and PC screens.
DRAW CHILLY is a spin off of the Grim Reaper simulator, PEACE DEATH, a popular title from the folk over at AZAMATIKA. Instead of playing as Death, this time around you’ll be taking the role of Vladimir and his rather unfortunate band of engineers. Your purpose? To raise an entire city from the pits of hell. Sound interesting? Yeah, my thoughts exactly.
In your fairly monumental task you’ll face evil monkeys and Grim Reaper pet cats, among many other-worldly foes. Your ultimate goal is to deliver bosses who have wound up in purgatory by mistake into the hands of the reapers so they can be put in hell where they belong.
Does all this sound confusing? Well, Vladimir doesn’t have any real idea what’s going on either so you’re not on your own. On the up-side you have some help among the chaos from the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse who will grant you some pretty nifty abilities.
We haven’t actually mentioned yet what genre DRAW CHILLY falls into. It’s a brawler. You and your band of engineers will become stronger by upgrading your city. How do you do this? You collect chickens (obviously) and convert them into energy through non-violent means.
All good brawlers need spectacular moves and DRAW CHILLY has a good sized list of its own. These include the ability to summon a giant pink worm to slow down your enemies before clobbering them with a massive wrench. This is just one of several combinations that will be at your disposal.
If this sort of mayhem is what gets your blood pumping, DRAW CHILLY is available now for both Switch and Steam, for us PC owning souls. If a bit of comedy violence is what you’re looking for, this might just be the game for you.
Ron Perlman led game is rootin’, tootin’ and shootin’ its way into 2020.
A new twin-stick shooter has been announced at X019. West Of Dead takes place in the town of Purgatory, the wildest and darkest corner of the Wild West. A place where sin and damnation are handed out in equal measure. Gunsmoke and darkness and a bit of witchcraft permeate the atmosphere.
Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Sons Of Anarchy actor) leads the story as William Mason, a dead man awakened with only the memory of a figure in black. Nobody said dying would be easy, and his very existence sets of a chain of events that has truly mythic consequences.
West Of Dead throws players into Purgatory and tests your skills as you shoot and dodge your way through town, taking names and cracking skulls. The game introduces tactical cover usage into your armory, but will your soul survive the journey?
Ahoy! Ahoy! Ahoy! Okay, now with that out of the way…
Let’s talk pirates.
We all love pirates, sure. They’re smelly, rude, and greedy, but there’s something there a lot of people respond to. A life on the open sea, away from the complications of the world around us is a constant fantasy that many people dream of. Pirate games are few and far between, and games that focus on nautical combat are even fewer. If you’ve always dreamed of being a captain on the high seas, strategically placing crew members and cannons in order to ensure victory, Of Ships & Scoundrels is the fantasy fulfillment you’ve been waiting for.
So, what is the game, exactly? Here’s what you need to know, matey (sorry, not sorry). The game is a ship combat and turn-based strategy game set from the top down perspective, in which you must think quickly in order to win the day. The game also offers procedurally generated maps and quests in order to keep the experience fresh. It includes things like day/night cycles and a bounty of customization and upgrading options. If that wasn’t enough, there’s also a multiplayer mode in which you and up to three friends can play together, either locally or online.
The game is currently available in early access on steam, with the developers stating: “We have been developing ‘Of Ships & Scoundrels’ for quite some time now, and we feel that it’s time to get it out in the open, collect valuable feedback from the community and see if our concepts work and if and where they can be improved.”
Of Ships & Scoundrels is available for only $12.74 on Steam until November 21. Wait, what? That’s it? Now, who do I talk to about exchanging my money out of doubloons? All I have are doubloons.
In my humble opinion, we don’t value collecting like we used to. Now that we’ve moved into a largely digital age, we don’t place as much emphasis on having things as we should. Don’t get me wrong, we all have collections, but these are no longer things that we can have and hold, they’re invisible until we flick on our screens. Personally, I’m pretty old school when it comes to collecting and I have quite an extensive library of games, not in a list through Steam sitting neatly on the shelf next to me. With this being said, it’s always nice to see a new or even existing title get a physical release and this is the case with Alvastia Chronicles, the game we’ll be discussing today.
Alvastia Chronicles by Kemco has been made available as a physical package via the folks over at Limited Run Games. It’s landing for PS4 at the standard price of $29.99. RPG lovers out there may well want this one in their collection as it actually sounds rather good.
Alvastia Chronicles centers around the characters of Elmia, a priestess, and her brother and protector, Alan. Having found the man responsible for your parents’ deaths ten years prior to the beginning of the tale, you set out to avenge them and stem the tide of monsters flooding into the upper world and thus restore peace to Alvastia.
To succeed in your mission, you will find yourself in need of an army. This will be comprised of a diverse group of champions all with the same goals as your own. With this being said, you will be able to collect more than 100 companions as you travel and use them to create parties of up to 13 playable characters at a time. To survive your ordeal, you’ll need several elite teams to take on the toughest foes out there.
Interestingly, this isn’t just a game about you placing your favorite companions together in the hopes of victory. As you go, you’ll unlock bonds which will give your champions bonuses such as additional attack or exp. This means that certain character combinations will work better than others. Aside from this, you’ll also gain team skills which will allow you to level the battlefield with powerful combos called burst strikes.
Alvastia Chronicles will give you the unlocks and upgrades found in many RPGs, but in addition to your usual quests, you will also have a battle arena to utilize. This sort of thing is great for longevity and just adds to the level of choice the game is giving you, which can only be a good thing.
If you fancy adding a new RPG to the list of favorites lining your shelves, you know exactly what to do. Get your copy and get playing.
Magic: The Gathering is a complicated game; not many people will say otherwise. Some of the most common struggles for people just starting out are things like the myriad of rules, the vast card selection, and that sweet sweet color pie. Understanding the game fully can take time, but Magic: Arena has not only become a great way for long time players to enjoy Magic in their free time, but it is also fantastic for newcomers just learning the ropes. For some context, I’ve been playing Magic for almost ten(!) years, investing a ton of money, time, and very limited brain power along the way. Sometimes learning it all at once can be overwhelming; where do you begin? What should you focus on first? All these questions and more are common. I’m here to help.
1. Play the whole tutorial
Whether you played the game in your youth and are just coming back to it, or you’re completely fresh, never having touched a little brown card, the tutorial is for you. Tutorials are infamous for being long, boring slogs that are frequently the only thing standing between the player and a good ol’ time shootin’ stuff. That isn’t quite the case here. While yes, the tutorial is a little long compared to other games, it’s entirely necessary. The game of Magic requires patience, and in order for you to truly understand the systems at play, Arena invokes that in the player right from the beginning. It’s surprisingly detailed, and is a wonderful way for new players to learn the game, so please, play the whole thing.
Magic is a game that’s split into five unique colors, known as the color pie. The colors are White, Green, Blue, Red, and Black. In general, every single color plays very differently, and, aside from some crossovers I’ll get to in a minute, wants to win in its own unique ways. I highly recommend playing a deck that is just one color to start, and maybe trying out every single color individually in order to really get a feel for how each one operates. Arena is very good for this, as it almost immediately hands the player one premade deck in each color that are each perfect for introductions. So, you know what they are, but how do they differ? Please, indulge me for a moment and let me tell you.
White
Basic land: Plains
Primary traits: Honor, loyalty, order
Primary creature types: Human, spirit, cat
Giant creature type: Angel
Primary strategies: Small soldiers in big numbers, defense and life gain, using holy power to banish enemies and empower allies
Who would like this color: People who like strength in numbers and enjoy bolstering their own defenses through things like healing and holy strength, people who like playing Paladins or Clerics.
Primary strategies: Control the opponent by countering spells and sending cards back to the opponent’s hand, emptying the opponent’s library for an alternate way to win, using artifacts to empower yourself to destroy your opponent with the modern world
Who would like this color: People who enjoy out-thinking their enemies and dominating through their power strategy, people who like playing Rogues or Wizards
Allied colors: Black and White
Enemy colors: Red and Green
Black
Basic land: Swamp
Primary traits: Power, decay, necromancy
Primary creature types: Zombie, skeleton, vampire
Giant creature type: Demon
Primary strategies: Destroy the opponent’s creatures with direct kill spells, resurrect your own creatures from the graveyard endlessly, bring forth powerful spells and creatures by sacrificing something of your own
Who would like this color: People who enjoy the darker side of magic and want to feel unstoppable, people who enjoy playing Necromancers or Undead
Allied colors: Red and Blue
Enemy colors: Green and White
Red
Basic land: Mountain
Primary traits: Chaos, emotion, impulse
Primary creature types: Goblin, elemental, devil
Giant creature type: Dragon
Primary strategies: Attack the opponent quickly with small but fast creatures, fire off quick damage spells to finish off your opponent with ease, summon massive dragons to fight on your behalf
Who would like this color: People who enjoy aggressive tactics and don’t like waiting for their enemy to get the drop on them, people who like playing Barbarians or Pyromancers
Allied colors: Green and Black
Enemy colors: Blue and White
Green
Basic land: Forest
Primary traits: Nature, strength, instinct
Primary creature types: Beast, elf, wolf
Giant creature type: Hydra
Primary strategies: Overpower your enemy with pure strength, use elves to achieve victory for the tribe, use the power of earth itself to gain extra resources and create big things faster
Who would like this color: People who like animals and nature, and prefer winning by beating their opponent with a sledgehammer rather than a knife; people who enjoy playing Druids or Warriors
Allied colors: White and Red
Enemy colors: Blue and Black
3. Mix and match colors
Okay, so now that you know what the individual colors do, it’s time to try and mix it up a little bit. Each single color has a wide variety of strategies you can pull off with them, but when you put two or even three together you get a very specialized deck. Every color has strengths and weaknesses, and some colors share the same strengths and can cover the others’ weaknesses, making certain pairings work consistently. Every color has what’s called “allied” colors and “enemy” colors; this refers to the natural strength of the pairing, with allies being naturally better together. This doesn’t at all mean you can’t pair enemy colors together, but with the natural strategies of the colors working against each other, it can be hard at times. Take Red and Black for example; they are both incredibly fast colors, and are frequently in the mood to directly hurt the opponent with little regard for their own health, making the pairing an aggressive match made in heaven. On the flip side of that, take Red and Blue; they both have a natural tension fueled through the basic strategies in which they want to win. Where both colors thrive, however, is with spells, Instants and Sorceries, to be specific. Both colors use a lot of them, and so when pairing that together, using it to your advantage is key and tends to make for some devastating effects. Arena also gives the player some great premade dual colored decks to use, so I definitely recommend trying those out to really get a feel for how the colors interact.
4. Read what’s craftable
This one is relatively simple, but just take a look at what you don’t have. Wildcards are incredibly useful things, as they allow you to make the exact card you’ve been looking for after opening 5 packs with it being nowhere to be found (looking at you, Gruul Spellbreaker). Knowing what you don’t have means knowing what you’re working toward, and taking a look at the things you want can give you motivation to play more and can allow you to start thinking about the deck you want to play.
5. Build a deck around a strategy
Again, this one might be a little simple, but it still needs to be said: good decks aren’t just piles of good cards with little cohesion with one another (well, most good decks anyway; Jund is the biggest exception). There are a number of ways to build good decks, but the easiest one is simply asking the question “how do I win?” It’s about understanding how your deck will beat your opponent’s, and building with cards that work towards that strategy. If you’re playing mono-Green creatures, for example, you probably want to win by overpowering your opponents with big giant monsters. In this situation, maybe a card that makes two 1/1 tokens would not be ideal for what you’re trying to do, but you could instead replace that card with a creature that generates mana, allowing you to get your big things out earlier. Another strong way to build a deck is around a specific card. Maybe you have a card that is so good or just so unique that you want to build an entire deck based on making this card work its best. You could even see a good combo of two cards, and decide that you want to build the deck around using this combo as effectively as possible, for example:
Easy to pull off combo from the latest set, Throne of Eldraine
Also, I should say the best way to build decks is to keep your deck size to minimum; no 75 card decks, folks. The reason for this is simple: you want as few variables as possible in what you’re going to draw on any given turn; it’s important to keep a tight strategy.
6. Check out the events
Magic: Arena has a number of wonderful events that range from “can you win 6 games with your favorite deck” to drafts which, while super fun, you have to use gems for (which is real money). There are also a lot of events that use unique formats like Pauper, which only allows commons, and Brawl, which can’t be summed up in one sentence. The events can give you a fresher look into Magic, while also allowing you to flex your creative muscle a little bit by building unusual decks. The nicest thing about the events is you can potentially win packs, cosmetics, or even gems, so there is some real incentive in going all in.
7. Look at other decks online
This is called “netdecking”, and it basically means you look at the super good player’s decks to see what they’re doing. You don’t have to copy them completely; in fact, I recommend you don’t, as building your own deck gives you a little more attachment to it. What I do recommend is that you look at their cards for maybe a little… inspiration. “Oh, a lot of these decks are using Gilded Goose, I didn’t realize that card was so good,” my friend recently said, still refusing to admit he was wrong when he said it wasn’t going to be a good card. It’s a useful tool that can also help with general deck construction, as well as sideboard help, which we all need. One very good website to use is MtgGoldfish, which compiles all the recent tournament results and allows you to take a peak at the decks that did well!
I really hope this helps you get into Magic: Arena, which has become the premier way to enjoy the game of Magic on your own time. Arena is free to play, with no real advantage to a player who spends money. Though, if you’re not so patient, you can always spend those phat stacks and get yourself some packs. Throne of Eldraine, Magics newest, fairy tale themed set, just came out last month to rousing success. The next set is the return to their Greek Mythology themed plane, Theros, so now is a great time to stack up cards and coins before that releases in early 2020.
Fans of run-and-gun classics such as Contra and Gunstar Heroes: This one is for you!
Star Titan – a premium, side-scrolling run-and-gun game built from the ground up for touchscreens – is launching Thursday November 14th.
Inspired by classic mecha anime from the ‘80s and ‘90s in both gameplay and story, Star Titan makes two distinct mechs available to players at launch: The lean-and-mean killing machine, Phoenix, and the sturdy, larger-than-life Behemoth.
Phoenix can fly, is light on its feet – and moves FAST. Behemoth, a hulking figure towering above all other Titans, can take and deal damage like nobody’s business!
Star Titan features polished 2.5D visuals, multi-level combat, 4 entirely distinct levels with bullets flying everywhere, an energetic original soundtrack by David Rose, and menacing enemies – such as Anubis, the Interceptor, and the Lava Boss (a.k.a. “The Beast”).
Perform well, and you’ll earn credits to upgrade your Titan roster with enhanced health and damage output – and unlock several alternate skins. Weapons such as Behemoth’s machine gun, cannon, and laser – and Phoenix’s SMG, homing, and spread shot – are available on each level, as well.
In the not so distant future, humanity has charted most of the galaxy with the aid of an alien species – the Muranians. A human military organization – the Terran Conglomerate – seeks to rule over all other races, spreading propaganda while ruthlessly attacking Muranian colonies. Subjugating former allies and slaughtering millions in their path, the Terran Conglomerate put everything at risk.
Unable to ignore these atrocities, top human scientists and former military personnel begin smuggling Muranian refugees to a distant planet where they use their skills to build giant war machines to combat this injustice – and reclaim the galaxy in the name of peace.
These majestic machines are known as the Titans.
Star Titan will be available on iOS and Android a week from now – Thursday, November 14 – for $1.99. You can watch the trailer below:
Animal lovers among you will be interested to learn of a new adventure coming to PC and console very soon. Lost Ember is due for release November 22nd and it has to be said this game looks absolutely stunning.
Lost Ember is a third person exploration adventure. You will be taking the role of a wolf with the ability to inhabit all manner of creatures and will be accompanied by your spirit guide and narrator of this story. Together through the eyes of various other animals you will witness how the human civilizations of your wild land were lost.
You will be able to explore land, sea and air as you possess any creature you come across and experience the world from a whole new perspective. You can soar through canyon valleys as a parrot, scamper through tall grass as a wombat, explore shimmering lakes as a fish, and more.
Your adventure will lead you through changing terrain, from rain forest canopies to barren deserts. As you explore, a tale of loyalty, despair and betrayal will unfold before you as echoes of the lost Yanrana culture come to life in a lush wilderness devoid of man.
“Creating Lost Ember has been an incredible journey for us,” said Mooneye Studios CEO and programmer Tobias Graff. “We wanted to show the world something that would capture the imagination of players of all ages and nationalities, without relying on violence, microtransactions or competitive play. Something pure, simple, and wondrous. After more than five long years, Lost Ember is the culmination of that dream.”
It’s always nice to see devs moving away from the accepted norms and doing something a wee bit different. Adventure game fans who aren’t just looking for a new medium to kill things on and fans of a well-written plot alike should find interest here. If Lost Ember sounds like something you’d like to get involved in, you’ll be able to purchase it at £25.99 ($29.99) for Xbox One, PS4, on Steam or from GOG in just a few weeks’ time.
A little neon archeologist bouncing around the ocean of Bahlam? Yep, that’s exactly who I was when setting off to discover and uncover the underground ruins of said South Pacific Ocean city of Bahlam – sunken city, home of the Old Gods & the Wozan. At the start of the adventure things do look and feel a little mundane. While it all looks a little different and, yes, it does feel a little different, there’s an odd sense of familiarity that twangs at the strings of repetition. However, the strings quickly break and the true play reality forcefully becomes apparent. Mark the repetition off as nostalgia, as OUTBUDDIES does everything our lil’ 18-bit Metroidvania hearts desire…with quite a bit more thrown in that our hearts didn’t even realize they were longing for.
How so?
Much of the repetitive nostalgia is thwarted in the initial stages of play. You’re guided towards the varied controls and their uses with a series of play-tests that help you understand/action each instruction. These instructions come from interactions with your bubble-mate, or ‘supernatural Buddy-unit’ [same-same], as you progress further and further along. So, the game that starts off appearing much like your run-of-the-mill left-to-right, jump and dash adventure, subtly reassures you that there’s much more at play here.
Back it up a little
Before getting too ahead of things, there’s a need to talk about what the game does visually and audibly. For a good quality chunk, it’s the audio and visual elements that reign in traditional esthetics of traditional Metro’s. All block colored, vibrant and pixel-art and 2D, with the screen jolting about with you as you start to explore. For me, the audio chugged a large portion of what maintained my focus. The beats are there, but subtle and relaxing. It may be a bit misguided to focus on audio as a motivator for gameplay, but it really does place you in a kind of trance-meditative keep pressing forward, mood? Anyway, I really enjoyed the audio. The visuals amp up as you progress further too, with clever visual placement of artifacts and scenery that can confuse your sense of direction.
Direction is another aspect to word about. There is none. Not in terms of moving direct from point A to point B. The layout boasts some fantastic opportunities for exploration, which is great to experience; especially the moment you realize that advancement is non-linear, and how large and vast the landscape. There are even manners in which to open a “new” section through your various abilities. So, trial and error then becomes a tool in your arsenal for getting around the place.
Back it up a little more…
So, you start off with your lil’ bubble-mate and you, Nikolay Bernstein, marine biologist / maritime adventurer, fella. You start exploring about, moving about, bobbling about? in what seems to be the obvious direction. Along the way you pickup new controls or skills that advance throughout the games progression. Your bubble-mate helps you with this, often signalling at the beginning of your adventure with new ways you can interact. As you progress, so do your skills, abilities, and ways for interacting with bubble-mate. You learn quickly enough that bubble-mate is one of your best assets. You can manipulate bubble-mate to help with your surroundings, as bubble-mate is very good at manipulating surroundings, hacking stuff, scanning for the things, and using telekinesis to give you a lil help-glimpse. I found bubble-mate to be one of the games greatest and most intriguing elements.
Some gameplay
Moving through the varied landscapes often faces you with different challenges. Some are puzzler sections to figure out – or not figure out – or figure out after a long time of just staring blankly at the screen [more on this shortly]. Other sections you’ll have landscaping issues to contend with, fix or resolve, and then there’s also the bosses. The big bosses are so fun! For lack of more detail. The little guys that get in your way, that are splattered around the landscape, they become more fun once you get your pew-pew gun. But the big guys are where it’s at. Obviously, some are trickier than others, but it’s a nice break in the other puzzle/progression aspects of the game. The big one-eyed lookin guy was a favourite. He lunges forward his long grabby arm at random times that caught me off guard. But I found the strategic jumping about, shooting, and then the final pew-pew to his lunging eyeball really satisfying. The bosses, for me, were just fun. Sure, you’ve probably played many before that were similar, but weren’t they fun to pew-pew too?
Tricky, tricky, tricky
Yep, the puzzles, at times, were tricky. Perhaps, too tricky? Not sure what that says of the game itself or just of my inability to grasp the concept of figuring out. With no real sense of linear direction, I did manage to get a little confused once or twice, on what direction to actually take. I’d also clicked too fast at one point and missed an aspect that held me up. But, that just led me to the OUTBUDDIES community. It seems that not only the games developer, Julian Laufer, is passionate about the community, but also it’s members; some backers of the original Kickstarter. So, with a few OUTer-game-clicks, it didn’t take long to get back on track.
Overall, there’s little I can say about OUTBUDDIES besides, play it. I found all elements of this game only encouraged immersion and the want to progress further ahead. There’s no fear of boredom, because you wont get bored, you’ll just have fun playing a really great game. OUTBUDDIESis available now on Steam.
This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.
