Like most of you, I’m stuck at home for the time being. And you know what that means: more time for the ViveStream! Or at least, that was the idea; I recorded an episode last week, and it didn’t work out. The good news is, though, that I’m finally ready to bring you a game I’ve been planning on trying for a long time. Boneworks is a game that puts physics above everything else; in the length of this video, I never even get past the early tutorial stuff. But, fortunately, that stuff is fun and interesting too. Give it a watch below, and please feel free to leave a comment if there’s a Vive game you want me to try.
I think I’ve made it abundantly clear in the past that I don’t like horror games. I think I need to rephrase this slightly, though. What I don’t like is jump-scares. I play games to relax not have heart failure. I don’t have an issue with horror themes or games with a horror setting. Darkest Dungeon I absolutely loved; The Legacy of Kain franchise does horror very well too without the need for generating physical fear. With this in mind I was really interested to read about Dread Nautical. Here we have a horror title, but it’s turn based. If this is a game I can play and still have clean underwear at the end of it I’m totally there.
Zen Studios have announced that Dread Nautical will be coming to your console screens April 29th. For those of you wondering which ones, basically all of them; PS4, Xbox One and Switch are all getting iterations. You’ll also see it pop up on the Epic Games store if you’re a PC gamer using that platform.
Dread Nautical is a turn based, tactical RPG with roguelike elements. Mysterious, supernatural forces have overwhelmed the luxury cruise liner known as “The Hope” with malevolent monstrosities bent on wiping out any unsuspecting guests that get in their way.
After selecting one of four unique characters, players with traverse 20 randomly generated decks of the ship. As they travel they will have to search for food and other supplies. On your journey you will encounter 11 other colourful survivors. Whether these characters choose to join the fight will depend on your skills at social interaction. It will take smart planning with regard to who you take, how they attack and the skills you level up if you are to end your vacation alive.
The release of Dread Nautical to consoles and PC speaks to Zen Studios’ pursuit of developing a broad range of well-polished games to redefine our studio as more than just Pinball Wizards. We’re proud of everything we’ve brought to the pinball space, but are ready to take on new challenges in the broader gaming space.More importantly, we are incredibly excited to allow our dev teams the freedom to create games they want to play, including titles in the turn-based RPG genre like Operencia: The Stolen Sun and CastleStorm II.
Mel Kirk, Vice President of Publishing
This seems like it might have more of a board game feel to it with a nice eerie aesthetic. This proves my point very nicely about using horror tropes and settings without going full-blown fright-fest. For those of you out there that love a good tactical romp Dread Nautical sounds like a bit of a no-brainer.
If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Developer Sabotage has announced Sea of Stars; a retro-inspired RPG that serves as a prequel to their hit title The Messenger. The game appears to be a throwback to 90’s SNES RPGs with a turn-based combat system in the vein of Chrono Trigger and an art style similar to that of Secret of Mana.
The developers state that the “game focuses on engaging combat and unrestrained exploration, featuring freedom of movement seldom seen in this genre.” Sabotage also boasts a number of features including six playable characters, an engaging story, grind-free progression, strategic battles, and an enthralling universe. As evident from the trailer, Sea of Stars features a gorgeous 2D art style and cutting edge lighting effects that make amazing use of shadows in a changing day/night cycle.
Sabotage received critical praise for their previous retro-inspired title The Messenger in 2016. In addition to the notable ability to switch between 8- and 16- bit graphics, the game gained was heralded for its great gameplay, inspired storytelling, impressive visuals, and fantastic score.
Sea of Stars is expected to be released in March 2022. The project is currently seeking backing on Kickstarter, where a variety of reward tiers are available, but a minimum backing of about $18 USD secures a digital copy of the game. It appears that this nostalgia-fueled throwback will continue to “scratch the itches” of retro gamers while continuing to modernize the genre.
If you thought the simple, pixilated art of 90’s games was over and done with, think again. Fireflies is bringing back the retro look for a 3D action puzzle game that makes voxel art look like it belongs in an art exhibit.
Seriously, it looks that good.
The atmosphere of the game makes it seem like it could lean more on the fantasy side but the reality is, this is very much a contemporary game. It centers around a child who has experienced abuse and domestic violence. Bosses are reminiscent of the child’s past experiences with real-life monsters, appearing large and menacing as the child imagines them to be. Indeed, much of the game revolves around the child being locked in their own mind. Submerged in the shadow of their past experiences, the child gains help from a psychologist, and of course the fireflies.
Led by Victor Romao, Lead Artist of Smart Studio based in Santo Andre, Brazil, Fireflies has already enchanted critics and proves you don’t need smooth graphics to capture an audience.
We wanted to do something different when choosing voxel in an unprecedented level of detail and size never seen in games before. This choice is also interspersed with what we are trying to communicate, because everything in life is built, like small pieces that fit together forming worlds around us.
– Victor Ramao
If that isn’t poetic to a T, then what is? Romao has truly done something dynamic. He has managed to tell a story through art, making the scenery and background of the game a character of its own. The voxel art is just as engaging to the player as it is to the main character. Fireflies pulls gamers in with its atmosphere and holds their attention as it tells the story of a troubled heart.
Fireflies is now available for PC on Steam, GameJolt, and Itchio. Check out more on the game here.
The gaming world (and quite frankly Hollywood, as well) can’t seem to get enough of the remakes, but what about re-releases? Well, that’s what you are going to get with Ziggurat Interactive. Pulling PC titles out of the 90’s like anyone was missing them, Ziggurat Interactive has partnered with GOG to release relic titles like Slave Zero, Fields of Glory, and Line of Sight Vietnam.
Slave Zero, 1999
Among these early game titles, most of which gamers have moved on from, Ziggurat Interactive is also releasing an “N-Fusion bundle,” a nice collection of PC games from N-Fusion Interactive. The bundle includes Deadly Dozen, Line of Sight Vietnam, and Elite Warriors Vietnam. I’m sensing a theme here.
Line of Sight Vietnam, 2003
Other games included in Ziggurat Interactive’s re-releases are Darklands, Nam, Fields of Glory, and more. Truly, you are a veteran player if you can recall any of these titles and to that, we make a toast to you.
And, it is nice to see these classics resurfacing because this is where it all began. You think you’re a master RPG player, now? Well, forget about Skyrim. Darklands was the original open-world role-playing game, with positive and negative reputation points to add up and hundreds of quests to complete that have nothing to do with the main story. Old school gamers traveled through medieval Europe where they would visit real historic places and feel historically accurate with job titles like religious studies and healers instead of clerics. That’s how it used to be done, kids. That’s what Ziggurat Interactive is all about.
Darklands, 1992
It’s good to know a group of people out there are dedicated to preserving these classic games. While outstanding and high-quality games keep making their debuts, it’s always a humbling experience to go back to your roots. The days of low-grade graphics and floppy disks may be long gone, but their influences remain.
Ziggurat Interactive’s collection of classic games is now available on GOG.com. There is more to see from them as new titles and classic re-releases will be available this year and next.
Cat Quest was a fairly successful action RPG released by Singapore-based team The Gentlebros in 2017. It was praised for its nostalgic recall of classic RPG mechanics while avoiding some of the tedious grinding necessary to progress through the storyline. Cat Quest II was released on multiple platforms in mid-September of last year, taking place narratively centuries after the original, now a tale of two heroes instead of one. Two ancient kings emerge from limbo to find their kingdoms overrun by monsters and under the thumbs of tyrants. Familiar characters from the first game- royal advisor Kirry and blacksmith Kit Cat- appear to help guide the duo through their first few adventures.
Very quickly, Cat Quest II resolves itself into the same open-world play that the original offered, with dungeons and sidequests offered openly, with only a recommended level shown before the player accepts the challenge. Kirry waits patiently at whatever landmark will begin the next quest that will further the main narrative, but while a side-quest or two is enough to level the players up for the next boss, there’s so much to explore that completionists will be near to overpowered by the time they get around to it. Kit Kat offers armor and weapons upgrades while after a brief encounter with the mages’ guild, they will offer upgrades to the spells, frequently moving locations for the convenience of the player.
Playing on the PC I found that a general hack-and-slash approach was enough to get me through exploring and most of my questing without a problem – I didn’t even realize that the red pattern that appeared on the ground underneath an enemy was the range of their attack until the first boss fight. I was too busy stabbing to pay attention. And I never truly used dodge unless it was for a boss.
The big boss fights required a bit more strategy; blindly smashing through wasn’t an option, especially as the magic-user Cat King didn’t have the HP to stand up to it and the tank Dog King needed the cat’s cover fire to be most effective. It would’ve been really interesting to see co-op in action, but unfortunately, I did not get that opportunity. As one of the people who did NOT play the original, I was curious to see what was different – I was really shocked to see how much was the same, from the map to the enemies to the combat. I think the biggest changes are the addition of the dog kingdom as allies and an increase in detail to the artwork.
Overall, this really was an enjoyable little game- no stress, low stakes, but still an engaging colorful world with a solid story and unique characters. A little much with the puns, you’ve been warned, but it truly is that level of challenging that lets you blow off some steam without losing your mind to frustration. And, as a side benefit, it’s really easy to find a stopping point, so if you’ve got other stuff going on, it’s easy to turn it off and come back to it without losing a ton of progress. If you’re an RPG fan that has more pictures of your pet than your SO on your camera roll, Cat Quest II might be right up your alley.
This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.
From that headline you probably think that this isn’t a real story, I’ve just gone insane and started stringing random words together. Well you can’t go insane if you already are and no, it’s a thing. For shooter addicts out there Assault Android Cactus+ may be a very good thing.
Pre-orders for this title from the guys and gals over at Super Rare Games and folk at Witchbeam started March 12th. Physical copies are coming to your Switch systems and as with all pre-orders of boxed titles this one is coming with goodies. I’ll get into what these are in a bit, but first off let’s give you an idea what you’re dealing with.
Assault Android Cactus+ is, as I’ve already mentioned a twin-stick shooter. Set in a vivid sci-fi universe, Junior Constable Cactus is outside her pay-grade when she responds to a distress call and winds up stranded on a crippled space freighter under attack by its own worker robots.
Interestingly you don’t have lives in AssaultAndroid Cactus+. Things are going to get frantic because you’re dealing with a draining battery mechanic instead. Lights out probably isn’t a good thing so you’ll have to think fast and shoot faster as you charge head-first into waves of re-fitted robots. As you try not to get shot to bits you’ll have to circumvent transforming stages and of course massive boss showdowns.
There’s plenty to unlock and do in Assault Android Cactus+. Aside from the 25 stage campaign you’ll also have a boss-rush mode to try and survive. In addition to this Infinity Drive and Daily Drive will give you other fun ways to play. If you’re getting tired of all these modes this version is also getting an all new Campaign+ mode with remixed stages to add a bit of a fresh take on things.
Adding to all the above you’ll be able to choose from nine playable androids, each with their own personalities and distinct play-styles. For variety you can unlock game modifying EX options and just for a bit of fun you can explore the codex and developer commentary. That should be enough for even the most jaded player to go at.
I mentioned goodies before right? Well the Super Rare version of the game is being released with a 20 page full colour manual, interior artwork, exclusive sticker and three trading cards selected randomly from the five card set. As an aside having a manual might not sound like much but I remember a time when we collected those things, you were seriously miffed if your game came without one. In a digital age it’s lovely to have something to hold.
UPDATE: I’m seeing that copies of this title on the Super Rare games store are currently showing as out of stock. This of course doesn’t mean there won’t ever be any more so it’s probably worth checking back over time. Should you wish to do this you can find a link here.
