Retro 16-Bit fantasy adventure Aegis Defenders coming to PS4 Winter 2017

 

Developers GUTS Department originally announced their epic 16-bit style fantasy adventure Aegis Defenders for Windows PC and Mac.  However, the small independent games studio located in Los Angeles, CA has revealed that the game is also headed to the PS4 this winter.

 

 

During the winter months, PS4 owners can experience an enchanting tale in a game that blends Metroidvania-style combat with Tower Defense strategy.  Aegis Defenders is modeled after classic games like Final Fantasy, Super Metroid and The Legend of Zelda — for fans of old school adventures.

If for some reason you have never heard of Aegis Defenders, let me fill in the blanks.  This game is the latest title to be published through the recently announced multi-platform funding and creative initiative “Presented by Humble Bundle.”

It is described as a Metroidvania-style action-platformer unlike any other you’ve ever played.  The game features tower defense combat elements, combined with the look, feel and scale of 16-bit era titles like Super Metroid.  Aegis Defenders promises to reignite the magic of the old school adventure genre for a unique blend of gameplay with a rich narrative that the developers hope will make for an instant classic.

Aegis Defenders will feature:

• A Gorgeous 16-bit World: Featuring 16-bit inspired sprite visuals, every detail in the world of Aegis is painstakingly hand-painted as a love letter to an era of games that includes classics such as Final Fantasy, Super Metroid and The Legend of Zelda.
• Tower Defense Inspired Combat: Make use of Bart’s powerful defensive structures and Clu’s arsenal of firearms and traps in a fast-paced, flexible combat system that emphasizes a strong defense.
• Dynamic Character Swapping: Switch between up to four characters at any time to utilize the best passive abilities of inactive characters just as effectively as active characters.
• Cooperative and Tailored Gameplay: With drop-in/drop-out co-op, invite a friend in at any time to play the entire story campaign cooperatively.

 

 

Aegis Defenders will release for Windows PC and Mac in the fall on the Humble Store and Steam, and for PS4 this winter on the PlayStation Store.

 

 

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Light Fall set for PC and Console in 2018

 

One thing we always like to see is an addition to the Platform genre. The games are nearly always fun, colourful and in many cases savagely difficult. Even our classic friends Mario and Crash seem to spend just as much time falling off things than completing their goals. This all being said we’ve received some news about an new title called Light Fall which is set for release in 2018.

Developed by Canadian indie studio Bishop games, Light Fall is a 2D platformer set for release on PC, Mac, Xbox One and Playstation 4 in March of next year.

The game places you in the strange world of Numbra where darkness prevails over light in a truely literal sense. Your task is as simple as it always is: you have to save the inhabitants of this strange place and uncover the mysterious past of this forgotten land. Accompanying you on your journey is your friend (and the narrator) Stryx the Night Owl. You will also meet many other intriguing characters as you journey through areas such as The Lunar Plane, The Marshlands of Sorrow and Viperia’s Forest.

You are aided in your journey through this mysterious world by the Shadow Core. This is a box that appears below your feet on command and can be used to jump on or wall-hop off at will. This essentially makes Light Fall a platformer where you can actually control your own platform.

“Light Fall is the first title that Bishop Games is releasing so we wanted to ensure that the game really stands out from other traditional 2D platformers,” said David Dion-Paquet, Co-founder and President of Bishop Games. “The idea behind Light Fall was to make a platformer where you can control your own platform. This allows players to be creative about how they traverse through the game and provides them with a truly unique gameplay experience.”

For those of you interested in having a peek at this title before launch and lucky enough to be at the event, Light Fall will be showcasing at Gamescom 2017 in Cologne, Germany from August 22nd through 24th. You’ll find Bishop Games in the Canadian Pavillion, Hall 3.2 Stand 8-019G.

The rest of us are just going to have to wait till next March to see what comes of this interesting looking title. It’s excellent to see something different being done with a genre that seems to have begun running out of ideas for gameplay mechanics. The future of the platformer is clearly still very bright and hopefully will remain so for quite some time yet.

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REVIEW/ Sundered (PC)

 

Let me preface this review by saying one thing; I hate rouge-lite games. The completely random generation of game elements feels too often like a lack of effort in game design. This is the main reason why I’ve sunk so much time into Sundered, the newest release from indie studio Thunder Lotus, because I’ve never found a game like it that has included those elements and been so fun at the same time.

 

 

Rather than taking the time to craft interesting levels with worthy challenges, most rogue-lite games rely on RGN so much that gameplay becomes a chore. Oh, you just want to run through a dungeon and not get murdered by clustered enemy spawns or unavoidable traps? Too bad. Better luck in the next 200 respawns. But Sundered strikes a nearly perfect balance between exploration, character progression, story presentation and fast-paced action.

Sundered places you in the hands of Eshe, a strange wanderer – and certified badass, as far as I’m concerned – thrust into even stranger circumstances. After an ominous intro, you’re set free to explore a massive, ruined world, filled to the brim with gorgeous deserted vistas, menacing machines and monstrous eldritch horrors. Thunder Lotus set a high bar in terms of visual prowess with the studio’s first title, Jotun, and Sundered does not disappoint. The hand-drawn graphics and fluid animations are absolutely gorgeous and provide for some truly breathtaking moments in both scale and detail. The darker tone of the story is immediately apparent through the art and sound design; especially when you die and are sucked through the void by horrific black tentacles (and you will definitely die a lot).

 

 

Your main goal is to collect Elder Shards for a sinister talking crystal while trying to figure out why you’re here, what happened to the world, and how to survive. Sundered‘s main mode of exploration is platforming, which feels tight and responsive from the start. The game map is sectioned off by establishing key checkpoints, like boss lairs or shortcuts similar to a traditional Metroidvania, while peppering in randomly generated segments of levels between.

This eliminates the biggest problem I have with rouge-lite exploration while enhancing their benefits. The player has clear, fixed goals on the map, meaning they only have to worry about navigating the random segments. It also fixes the boring feeling of backtracking that plagues a lot of Metroidvania games because the enemy spawns and set pieces are always different.

 

 

As you find more abandoned tech from the Valkyrie society, moving around the varied terrain of the world becomes even easier, cranking the speed up a notch. I found myself deftly wall-jumping and air dashing through even the most tricky environments. Keyboard controls feel just as good as using a controller, which is a huge plus. Mastering the game’s movement is key to surviving against the hordes of monsters thrown your way, and I really do mean hordes.

The game does a great job of naturally teaching you when to run, when to fight and when to call it quits, thanks in part to some great environmental sound cues. I know that submitting to death doesn’t sound like great game play, but I never felt that it cheapened the experience because it never halted progression. Unlike other Rogue-lite games, all of your experience from killing monsters and bashing open treasure chests is kept upon death, along with any Perk orbs that can be used to enhance Eshe. There are a ton of different ways to optimize Eshe based on your play style. I personally preferred mashing up monsters at close range with a nice chunky health bar and lots of armor.

 

 

I won’t spoil any elements of the story because part of the game’s wonder is discovering it as you explore, but it feels sinister and engaging. It also offers even more replayability with multiple endings. The boss fights also offer some incredibly memorable moments, so you’ll have to dig into this one on your own. My only gripe despite all my praise for this game is with the variety of enemies. The enemy designs are horrific and awesome, but there were several instances I explored an area expecting to see new monsters lurking in the shadows only to find the same baddies with more health and a different color scheme.

Thunder Lotus’ second title is sure to be a sleeper hit this year. I hope it gains more than just a cult following. If you’re a fan of tight platforming, fun combat, fantastic art design or anything related to H.P. Lovecraft, do not let Sundered pass you by.

 

 

 

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

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Hands on with Cattails, a cat simulator RPG

 

If you have never stepped foot into a comic book or gaming convention, I strongly urge you to do so. Last month I was blessed with a press pass to the Indianapolis based Indy Pop Con, where I had a chance to check out tons of cool art, books, celebrity panels, and most importantly, indie video games. One of my favorites from the convention won my heart with the very first words the creator said to me: “Do you like cats?”

Cattails is a passion project of Lead Programmer Tyler Thompson, who has already successfully ran a Kickstarter campaign to bring his game closer to the mainstream release he has set his sights on. Cattails was described to me by the creator himself as a cat-based life simulator, much in the same vein as Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon. The player creates their cat avatar which they use to discover new lands, stalk mice, engage in intense cat fights, and even find kitty love in a cat town with a dynamic social system.  However, Cattails does enough to stand apart from contemporaries such as Stardew Valley.

When I sat down with Cattails I was instantly charmed. The handcrafted soundtrack accompanied the playful curiosity one would foster stepping into the fluffy paws of a feline. The world was absolutely gigantic and you’re given free reign pretty quickly. Playing into the curiosity of a cat, I immediately attempted to find the edge of the world. It felt like I was tearing through the map for a solid 10 minutes, but ultimately I was selfishly hogging the Cattail booth for too long and had to give up the edge of the world quest. Cattails perfectly delivered the feeling of being a tiny creature in a huge world.

After I was satisfied with a good bit of exploration I tried out the dynamic social system, naturally, by killing a mouse and giving it to the first cat I saw. As someone whose cat has dropped a dead rodent at his feet, I can tell you that it’s not a fun time. However, the cats in my village praised me as a hero for slaying the tiny beast and looked upon me with avarice for my accomplishments.

Cattails took a silly premise on paper, “Cat RPG”, and instead opted for a route that was beautifully sincere; I didn’t feel like Cattails played up the cat angle for the meme of it like some other titles do. The game I played was absolutely relaxing; a slice-of-life simulator that happened to star cats in a role we haven’t really seen them in before.

Cattails has a soft release date of December 2017 on PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam. However, the game features full controller support and the creator wasn’t striking out the possibility of a console port sometime in the future.

You can check out the official website here, and the Steam page here.

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REVIEW / Cat Quest (PC)

 

Cat Quest is a game hellbent on reminding us all that the medieval era wasn’t about knights and swords and magic – it was about cats who are knights who use swords and magic. Cat Quest is a new game by Gentlebros Games, who have previously released only one other game – Slashy Hero – on Android and iOS. Our feline open-world RPG is available on both Steam and iOS. When I first wrote about Cat Quest, I honestly had really low expectations because it really, really looked like a standard mobile game that would no doubt be absolutely bursting at the seams with microtransactions. Despite having never actually delved into mobile gaming, by virtue of both disinterest and not having a good enough phone until recently, I have a pretty strong bias against them. Part of that is due to the aforementioned microtransactions, and the other part is just that it doesn’t feel “real.” I don’t doubt for a second that some of the more in-depth mobile games may have proper storylines, good character development, and excellent gameplay, but for now whenever I think of mobile gaming my mind still leaps to Angry Birds, Candy Crush, and Pokemon Go.

 

 

However, now that I’m done effectively slapping mobile gaming as a whole in the face, I have to say I was ultimately surprised by how much I enjoyed Cat Quest. The game starts with you (a cat) and your sister (also a cat) struggling through a storm on a boat. A white, evil cat named Drakoth then shows up out of nowhere and steals your sister! When you wash up on the shore, you team up with a little fairy spirit thing called Spirry to get stronger and rescue the only family member you have left. Along the way, you meet a squadron of identical NPC towncats, a few shopkeepers and mages, royal cats, dragons, and more. Every now and then you meet up with Drakoth and he gives you his villain spiel, you tumble, and then he disappears away until the next plot point.

While Cat Quest’s storyline is pretty streamlined, it doesn’t take long to open up and give you lots of quests to complete. Completing quests nets you items, money, and experience, as well as follow-up quests which often follow the same storyline. Cat Quest also offers you the freedom to wander the (seriously huge) world map as you see fit, ducking into caves to clear them of loot, bounding through trees, and beating down the constantly respawning enemies for their sweet, sweet EXP orbs and cash. You can spend your cash on new gear or on upgrading your magic spells. Players can also visit special mage hideouts to learn new spells (e.g. fireballs, lightning).

 

 

Honestly, there’s not much more to Cat Quest than that, and that’s actually perfectly okay. The visuals and music are actually really nice for a mobile/cheap PC game. The world map is beautiful and full of color and crisply drawn topography,  while the music definitely reminds me of old-style RPGs and platformers. The music doesn’t change up a lot, but they’re not the kind of tunes that you easily get sick of. Rather, they settle comfortably into the background as you go about your enemy-bashing.

While the towncats are all completely identical, even if they’re part of a sidequest line, they’re all super cute. I really like the way all of the characters, NPC or otherwise, look like they’ve been delicately colored in with pencil. I also really like all of the outfits you can kit (hehe) out your character in, and the range you can choose from (Mage-based, Ranger-based, Knight-based). You can also pick and choose non-matching items without significant penalties.

 

 

It’s fun scooting around the field watching the Gumby-esque way that your cat moves. It’s also fun watching him bluntly tumble onto his side to nap/save in the towns. Battle happens in the field, where you can choose to smack your enemies with your weapon, or fling magic at them. MP gets used with each spell, but is regained via physically striking the enemy. Enemies drop experience orbs and money, which you can use for the reasons I mentioned above. Quests and field locations (e.g. caves) have individual levels. If your cat is level 8 and a cave or quest is level 10, you’re gonna have a bad time. They even mark quests above your level with a worrisome skull until you’ve reached the right level.

So, how’d I like Cat Quest? Well, it was actually really fun. I spent an evening or two thoroughly enjoying springing around the field, collecting experience and money (which, by the way, feels very satisfying), smacking things with my axe or balls of fire. The storyline is really basic and the cat puns are actually quite atrocious, even by pun standards. I honestly can’t stand Spirry and would have been happier if they were left out of the game all together, but clearly someone has to talk for the mute protagonist, so here we are. Playing Cat Quest left me feeling relaxed, satisfied, and happy. If Final Fantasy-style RPGs are a three course meal, Cat Quest is a tasty handful of crisps: it doesn’t offer a lot of content, but it’s satisfying all the same.

 

 

At less than $20 on Steam, and with none of the microtransactions that plague similar titles, Cat Quest is well worth your time and money; pay once and you get all the cats, feline puns, and fun gameplay you could ask for. You could absolutely knock it out in a weekend, and I think it’d be perfect if you have a mid-length flight or commute and wanted something low effort but enjoyable to while away the time. If Final Fantasy-style RPGs are a three course meal, Cat Quest is a tasty handful of crisps: it doesn’t offer a lot of content story-wise, but it’s satisfying all the same.

 

 

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REVIEW / Akiba’s Beat (PS4)

 

What do you think of when I say the words Japanese RPG? Is it funky themes, fantastic plot grounded in slight realism, and a metric ton of dialog? If so, you are a creepy good guesser and you would be correct. Akiba’s Beat hits all the right notes when it comes to gameplay, falling somewhere in between the controls of a Tales and a Persona game. While you don’t have direct control of all your teammates you can give them instructions or change to them in order to control them one at a time.

 

 

 

Asahi Tachbana is a NEET that lives in the neon colored city of Akihabara. Completely set in his slacker ways, Asahi has decided to live out the rest of his days watching anime and playing video games. That is until the mysterious girl Saki Hoshino pulls him into a groundhog day scenario with him reliving the same Sunday over and over again. This is where the game picks up with you diving into “Delusions”, dungeons made by people desires, and beating the final boss in order to free the world and that person from their own selfish desires.

One of the first things you will notice, besides the striking similarity to Persona 5, is that Akiba’s Beat has a lot of dialog in it. Like a lot of dialog in it. On one hand, you never feel like you don’t understand a character’s motives or where the story is going next. On the other hand, sometimes it takes forever for you to get back to the meat of the actual game. Luckily Acquire, the game developer, added in an auto-conversation button that goes through the text without you having to hit accept over and over again. This makes the long winded conversations manageable.

 

 

The story in Akiba’s Beat isn’t bad, it has been done over and over again, however. The characters are cookie cutouts. Slacker main character. Strict best friend. Talking creature with a sassy attitude. All of these things have been done time and time again. Characters also stick pretty hard to their roles with the slacker always commenting on how he would rather be slacking. This makes the avalanche of text that more predictable.

Combat involves you controlling Asahi throughout several Delusion dungeons. Monsters roam the Delusion’s freely and when you run into one you are moved to a battle screen. If a monster runs into your back they get first hit and if you manage to strike a monster before they can run into you then you get first hit. When you are in the actual battle you have a limited number of moves you can do. For instance, you can do four normal attacks before you have to dodge until your actions come back. You can buy items that give you more actions as the game progresses. This take on combat should sound familiar if you have ever played a Tales game (Abyss, Berseria, etc). Once you have done enough damage you can use an Imagine Field in order to do longer combos.

 

 

However, the biggest drawback of this game has to be the over repetitive voice acting. The game has a notification voice acting for everything you do. The problem is that this notification doesn’t just play the first time you walk past a store, see a save point, or encounter a monster, it plays every time. By the end of the experience, you will want to strangle the little creature sidekick as he will spend the entire game stating the obvious.

Akiba’s Beat is an ok RPG. However, in a world of Persona 5, The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, and Tales of Berseria they ‘re just isn’t any good reason to waste time on this one.

 

 

 

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

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Cat Sorter VR is revealed for the Vive

 

Right … it’s time to paws and read this interesting little tail (yes expect puns) about a new game that’s soon to be released on the HTC Vive called Cat Sorter VR.

Pawmigo games have revealed their game will be launched August 29th and will be coming to Steam and Vive Port for the HTC Vive. Cat Sorter VR is aimed at all ages and airs on the side of light hearted fun. In this game your aim is to find, fix and re-build imperfect cats with the ultimate goal of creating the perfect litter.

“Cat Sorter VR is unlike any cat game with simple pick-up-and-play mechanics,” said Spencer Stuard, Pawmigo game designer and formerly of Nightschool Studio (creators of the award winning OXENFREE videogame.) “We are delighted to give cat lovers attending CatCon the opportunity to be the very first to experience the fresh gameplay and light-hearted humor of Cat Sorter VR.”

As previously mentioned, the first playable hands-on demo of the game will indeed be appearing at CatCon 2017 at the Pasadena Convention Centre in Pasadena CA this weekend. If you can get there and want to get your claws into the game early you’ll find it and some of the folk from Pawmigo Games at booth #905.

Cat Sorter VR can be played alone or in a group. For those of you wanting to see the fur fly the game allows for party gameplay. This will see you and your friends competing for high scores and bragging rights with regards to who is the most purrfect cat sorter.

This is definitely going to be a game for cat lovers, or anyone who just fancies a bit of a laugh, really. If you want to add this to the litter of titles you already own for your Vive then August 29th is going to be the day to do it.

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