It took me a bit of time to wrap my head around a few of the mechanics, but once I got going with it, Kingdoms and Castles was a smooth, enjoyable experience.
Come one! Come All! Listen as we regale you with details of a vampire game that fully released on May 8th with more content, bosses, and just loads of fun!
In a surprise twist of events, Devolver Digital announced The Talos Principle 2: Road to Elysium DLC on June 7th, and the moment we found out about it, we just HAD to have it.
Dear Readers, You have been chosen to embark on an investigation to uncover the unusual cases that have gone cold in an enclosed city. Outsiders are prohibited, but...
This game is witched-good fun... Sorry, wicked-good fun. Fast-paced and beautiful, Witchfire by The Astronauts is a snappy little extraction shooter that has recently been getting a bit more attention.
June 25, 2024 | Indie developer Bearbone Studio is excited to announce that Minds Beneath Us will release on PC via Steam this July 31. Embark on a thrilling Sci-Fi journey in which you live in a futuristic Asian city where the society is fully automated by advanced AI. Your mind is ensnared within a foreign body, accompanied by its original owner's subconscious. In a world where your choices matter, together you will face impending challenges and confront an uncertain destiny.
Minds Beneath Us is a point and click thriller about a guy and a data ghost who lives in his head and controls his body.
In a society that has become fully automated with AI. A new industry has emerged that replaces the hardware needed to operate the Internet with linked human brains. As a result, the most disadvantaged of citizens have had no choice but to put in their bid to sign up, one after another. Against the stage of this mad society, a mysterious conspiracy gradually unveils. Do you dare to deep dive into what is really going on?
Key Features
Players can constantly make their own dialogue choices, and shape the relationship between characters. The combination of dialogue choices and actions will constantly affect the story.
Observe environments, pay attention to each dialogue then look for hidden clues in every scene. Unlock new dialogue choices.
With hand-drawn animation and smooth camera movement, we create a unique cinematic experience.
Combine 2D characters and detailed 3D environments, present the near future Taipei street.
About Bearbone Studio
BearBone Studio is an independent game development team established in 2019. We are dedicated to delivering impactful stories to players, exploring the diverse possibilities of narrative content and expression across various genres and gameplay styles. Currently, our team is fully immersed in the development of "Minds Beneath Us", a side-scrolling text adventure game set in a near-future alternate world.
Night of the Dead by developer and publisher Jackto Studios—PC (Steam) review written by Pierre-Yves with a copy provided by the publisher. #NightOfTheDead #keymailer
Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this product from https://keymailer.co/
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
It was a dark and quiet night when all of a sudden, the undead came from everywhere to get you. Did you remember to repair your gear? How far are you from home base? Both important questions to ask yourself as ready or not, here they come.
Night of the Dead is an open world base building survival tower defense with its own flavor of the dreaded zombie apocalypse. There are a few humans left in hiding, but overall, there is just you and the remnants of the world post apocalypse. Having recently launched from Early Access, there's good, bad, and definitely ugly as some of these zombies did not do a makeup check before jumping on camera.
Jokes aside, there is plenty to explore within the world that Jacto Studios have created. Izzy and I had originally played a few years back when it first launched and with the chance to review it, we dragged another friend of ours along for the full release 1.0 ride.
Starting off with the good. Night of the Dead has a well-designed tutorial system that will eventually teach you everything that you need to know. Blending in the introduction of gameplay with the story, you are given a good overview of the controls. The bad with this is that I wish you could skip this section the second time, or, at least fast forward through the audio dialogs that block you from moving forward.
From the introduction, you are unleashed into the world to either go about the story, or, doing your own thing because it's the apocalypse and everyone else can deal with it. In either case, your actions will eventually lead to building, crafting, survival and combat quests that act as the rest of the tutorial for all of Night of the Dead's features. These can result from something as nothing more than coming across a bunny, to trying to hit something with improper gear. One way or the other, all roads lead to learning.
I appreciate this approach to the gameplay. While I love learning from the ground up, it's nice to not have to figure out every tiny detail or have to look it up in a discussion. But why if you like figuring it all out? Because you already have to worry about everything else, like actually surviving. Between the base building and the exploration where there are zombies everywhere, once the clock strikes twelve, it's truly “go” time.
Night of the Dead lives up to its name every night at midnight. Once the clock strikes twelve it's no longer a crafting survival but a tower defense. The object or point of interest to protect? You. You're the target so you've either had better built a safety bunker with loads of traps, or a parkour track for the zombies to be sliced, diced, stamped or launched out of sight. Automated defenses also exist but need to be reloaded, or hooked up to electrical systems that you hope don't fail in the middle of this undead tsunami.
There's a learning curve to be sure, but for everything else, you have access to plenty of melee and ranged weapons to defend yourself. These in theory work well enough but in practice, you have to wonder why the dead simply won't die… again. This is where things can get ugly, and not just because you're taking out zombies. There are times where no matter how many times you hit them, they visually look like they are taking damage but refuse to fall down.
And we aren't even talking about special types.
We are simply talking about regular zombies who simply refuse to die. Kind of like Resident Evil where it's just ridiculous by a certain point. So this can mar the experience quite a bit especially when you're dealing with constant enough numbers. Traps work well but they need to be upgraded and they won't always be around to help you out.
The other part that I didn't quite enjoy is that unlike 7 Days to Die, Enshrouded or Valheim in the same genre-ish vein of existence, you can build walls, ramps and doors but you cannot demolish any of the currently existing buildings. You need to chop down trees, mine minéral deposits or break down cars, boxes and trash cans for materials. Searching other places will help, but all of the existing infrastructure? You can build either inside or around but you cannot modify it directly which is very unfortunate.
Night of the Dead isn't a bad experience, it's just a slower one better had with friends to speed up the evolution of your gear and travel options. What I really enjoyed however is that every player has a companion that will level up alongside you and can be equipped with most of your gear minus very specific higher level crafting devices.
This makes playing alone much more enjoyable as there's someone else chopping down trees, mining rocks, mining ore, breaking down objects. It's not just you. Best part of this feature is that they were also along for the ride in multiplayer giving you access to so much more help. Means more food to eat and wounds to heal, but well worth it.
So overall, Night of the Dead isn't a bad experience. The quest system helps to onboard into this post apocalyptic world more easily. Companions mean that you're never truly alone and that you always have a helping hand. I just wish the building system would allow us to take down what's already there and build a new one as you see fit.
June 21st, 2024 - Warsaw, Poland | QubicGames, a well-known publisher of indie games, is thrilled to announce its Summer Sale. Almost all QubicGames titles are available for just $0.49 each, exclusively for owners of selected titles in the North American region.
From June 21st to September 1st, 2024, QubicGames invites gamers to take advantage of this limited-time offer, allowing them to expand their gaming libraries at a fraction of the usual cost. The Summer Sale includes a vast array of QubicGames' popular titles, ensuring that there is something for every type of gamer.
How to Unlock the $0.49 Deals
To access these incredible discounts, players must own any of the selected QubicGames titles: free Coloring Book, Robonauts, Mana Spark, Puzzle Book, or Hole io.
Once they own one of these titles, they can buy nearly all QubicGames games for only $0.49 each.
A Diverse Catalog of Games
QubicGames is known for its diverse range of games, from action-packed adventures to relaxing puzzles. The Summer Sale includes some of the most beloved titles:
Eyes: The Horror Game - You’re alone. No one will save you and what’s worse, it was your choice…
Run Sausage Run - The most exciting sausage race in the world! Let the bodies hit the floor in a ketchup bath!
Hole io - Show who is the biggest black hole in the town!
Real Boxing 2 - Take the fight to the next level in award winning Real Boxing™ 2. Train hard, fight harder. Prove your worth in the career and multiplayer mode.
How to Participate?
1. Check Eligibility: Ensure you own one of the selected QubicGames titles (free Coloring Book, Robonauts, Mana Spark, Puzzle Book, or Hole io)
2. Browse the Catalog: Visit the QubicGames store on your Nintendo console to view the complete list of discounted games. Or you can visit our event website here: https://qubicgames.com/summer
3. Purchase: Select your desired games and purchase them for just $0.49 each.
*Drum Roll* Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome back to our spectacular show! *Symbol Clash*
As we gather here today, I see recurring faces. Couldn't stay away from our last performance? Just itching to join our wonderful family, again, for another crazy circus experience? You're in luck! I made sure to add more razzle and dazzle than our last showcase. Clinging to the edge of your seats, are we? Then it's about time to start the show...
Everyone, we invite you to relax, grab some popcorn, and cheer loudly for our fanfare, extraordinaire!
~~~
Behind the Curtains
Spoiler warning, in Radiant Tale: Fanfare we focus on the after story from the original title: Radiant Tale. We experience the after story through our beloved heroine, Tifalia. Depending on who you've enchanted in your original playthrough, this version continues to centre on the couple's relationship goals. How are they fairing after confessing their undying love for one another?
This fan disc will tug you along a 4-hour short story (can you call several hours short???) about the ups and downs, struggles and sacrifices these power couples push through. No need to worry about unlocking anyone's route though, as all is available from the get go.
Performing on Stage Tonight
ROLL CALL!? Here's a quick refresher on our past love interests:
What's our circus clown been up to these days? Trying his best to govern his hometown with his sweet adorable girlfriend by his side. But does someone that busy really have time to show his affection enough? Could loneliness be our partner in crime? Or are we going to put our foot down and flaunt ourselves in front of 'Mister' responsible to get that jester blood and heart pumping again?
Vilio (VA: Yuuma Uchida) {Jack Jeanne, Olympia Soiree}
Magical Buddies
A Hunger like no Other
Mates for Life
What can I say... You're married (mated) to a flipping DRAGON! Infinite air-miles, warm cuddles and a powerful guardian. What could go wrong? Magic apparently. As this fiery duo travels the world, they must face new hardships in the shape of natural elements. Even the sweetest kiss can call forth vines from the earth to bound our scaly husband to the ground. Curses! Why must these feelings conjure up natural disasters. Will they conquer these strong, magical, emotions?
Having survived a deadly illness, our aquatic magician can now focus all his time and energy on pampering his cute new wife. Having challenged the goddess of life, these two newlyweds are the symbol of True Love. With such an honour bestowed upon them, they strive to educate the rest of the world in the art of the heart. With so much focus on the rest of society, will they have time to embrace each other?
Ion (VA: Youhei Azakami) {Seven Deadly Sins, Atelier Ryza, 9 R. I. P.}
Gladiator Daddy
Bread Maker
Good Morning and Good Night
Touch deprived most of his life, our acrobat wastes no time in making sure to kiss his sweetheart before and after a hard day at work. As dedicated as he is in making sure you're loved on a daily basis, certain things from his past need mending before he can live the comfortable life of a house husband. A change in environment will definitely put their relationship to the test. Will they fight to come out on top?
A dream he never thought would come true, our mascot can now hold his precious gift (You) close. Every night is girlfriend appreciation night, but there are those who wish to get in his way. Parents, friends, and that wolfish barkeep. When tension between the two rises, there's only one solution to relieving this stress... A very cute and embarrassing grooming session... I'll let you wonder about that one.
New Recruits
Let's be real for a second... During the first game (or any Otome you've played) I bet you asked yourself: “Why can't these cuties be date-able?” You're in for a sweet and salty treat then. Back by popular demand, we are now able to romance a couple of new available bachelors! Shall I make introductions?
The Ring Leader himself! Whoa! This one caught me by surprise considering his love for all things cute and that he has a high respect for the arts of femininity. His looks alone scream beauty queen, but that's where I was terribly wrong. There is very much a MAN under that luscious exterior, and he's raring to tease the crap out of you. I don't think I've blushed so much from the unexpected side of his flirtatious onslaught. Is it hot in here or is it just me?
Liyan ( Watanabe Hiroshi) {Fire Emblem: Three Houses}
Down Boy
Reap What you Sow
Belly Rubs
Our flirtatious bar owner from Cheers is back and is ready to amp up his game. Don't let his wolfish charm trick you. This puppy is all woof and no love bites. Reciprocate his romantic attempt and he becomes a ball of goo. Wait? Who's romancing who? If what this hotshot Fenrir needs is a taste of his own medicine to turn him into a blushing mess, this may turn out to be more fun then I initially thought?
What if...?
There are two other potential lovers, but with a shorter story of what could possibly bloom between the two of you. A sort of sneak peak into a possible future. Wanna see?
Who would have thought that the royal family advisor had such a handsome personality. If you can get over his combustion and spontaneous outbursts, he can be quite endearing. He might just have to steal you away to be his personal secretary.
The kingdom's future king is struggling to come to terms with his miniature stature. He wishes for nothing more than to be a great ruler for his people, but being asleep for ten years, thanks to a curse, can put doubts in people's mind. He'll have to show his strength through his actions if he desires to warm everyone's hearts. Especially the heart of the woman who saved him. Now if he can just show her how much of a man he really is.
Final Call
Overall, Radiant Tale: Fanfare was certainly the finale that this fan disk delivered. Packed full of extra content that will bring a smile and a couple of hysterical giggles out of you. The only gripe I'd have to touch on would be that some of the stories felt forced. Like, they were struggling to add a believable outcome to bring everyone's relationship full circle. The new LI's were adorable and more side characters in Otome games need their moment to shine. This game gets my rating of 9 out of 10.
Ladies and Gentlemen! It's been a pleasure, but I must bid you all, adieu! Now then troupes, get your sexy butts in the bag. Don't worry it's magical, you'll fit!
June 19, 2024 - After 10 years in the making, German indie developer Crunchy Leaf Games is excited to finally announce that Galactic Glitch (Steam, press kit, trailer) will release on Steam Early Access this July 15 at a price of 12.99 USD | EUR, with a 25% launch discount during the first week.
Galactic Glitch is a unique twin-stick roguelike shooter with physics-based combat. Mixing the top-down arena combat of Bubble Tanks, the fluid and frantic action of Dead Cells, and a healthy dose of crazy physics mechanics, the game challenges the idea of what a top-down shooter should be. Use your grav gun to exploit physics, catching and slingshotting rocks and mines off the walls of the arena. Manipulate enemy rockets and fling them back in their faces, rip parts off enemies to use them as weapons, or even grab and launch enemies into each other.
"Galactic Glitch has been a labor of love for over 10 years, starting with our passion for Flash games like Bubble Tanks. The moment we added physics in 2014, everything clicked. Then, playing Dead Cells in 2017 showed us exactly how we wanted our game to feel—an ultra-fluid, physics-driven space roguelike. So in 2020, as Covid hit, we restarted development in earnest and now, 4 years later, our dream game is finally ready for its Early Access release. We look forward to hearing what players think, and improving and expanding the game based on their feedback!" - Max Dohme, lead developer at Crunchy Leaf Games
Key Features
Key Features 2D Space-Roguelite - Experience exhilarating twin-stick shooter gameplay combined with the endless replayability of a rogue-lite and the heart-pounding challenge of permadeath.
Physics-based Combat - Wield a powerful gravity gun to manipulate the battlefield, hurl massive asteroids, and turn your enemies' own missiles against them.
Multi-Part Enemies - Strategically dismantle foes piece by piece, exploiting their weak spots while avoiding their heavily armored defenses.
Dynamic Exploration - Venture into a mysterious, glitched world of star systems, uncovering hidden secrets and valuable items as you chart your unique path.
Abilities and Items - Customize your approach with diverse upgrade paths in each run. Unlock new Powers and experiment with creative combinations to craft your ultimate build.
About Crunchy Leaf
Galactic Glitch marks the fourth major release from Crunchy Leaf Games, after having released popular titles such as 3030 Deathwar Redux, Rise of Legions, and Crystal Clash. While the company is based in Berlin, Germany, the Galactic Glitch development team is half western European and half Ukrainian. The team is planning to donate a portion of the game's profits to benefit the people of Ukraine.
Come one! Come All! Listen as we regale you with details of a vampire game that fully released on May 8th with more content, bosses, and just loads of fun! This action adventure survival game also has a massive multiplayer gameplay in it as well! So, on that note, here are the first impressions of our newest vampire to our clan.
Richard: V Rising is a cool take on vampire survival/crafting/hack and slash/stealth mashup that's both immensely rewarding as well as immensely frustrating in equal measures, depending almost entirely upon how you play. The mash-up of genres is a really interesting take, as you (as a vampire) must survive by drinking blood and avoiding the sun. You're also building up your castle and completing personal tasks to progress forward. To do that building you're gathering resources for both the castle building and crafting equipment. Then there's the hack and slash type combat with enemies with cool magic spells thrown in the mix, and sneaking around powerful foes and sunlight during the day.
The survival mechanic is lighter than usual in this genre. Yeah, you lose items not equipped on death and gotta go retrieve them, but they aren't permanently lost, your respawn points are fairly numerous on death, and you don't really lose anything. On the flipside to this, sometimes surviving is really tough. Run into a boss 20 levels above you? Good luck. Get stuck in a boss fight during the day? Have fun trying to goad them into a small area where you can actually fight them without dying. Run into almost any enemy with a skull icon? Get rekt. During all of this, you will be constantly losing blood so you need to replenish it by sucking it out of creatures or people. Sometimes that's easy and they have more pure blood, giving nice bonuses, other times it's super tainted and only useful for quenching your thirst.
GAMEPLAY & UI
With most games of this type we have the fun of customizing our characters and vampires are no different in wanting to be dressed up in their best finery!
Valerie: Other than the normal head, face, body that we can select from including skin and hair color, we can change the colors of our clothing! Of course I am a big fan of red and why not? This game is full of blood and that is a red hue! There is vanity outfits we can deck ourselves in for various 'functions' should we hold them in the traditional style *cough* like The Masquerade Ball! *giggles* Overall, as in Guild Wars 2 where I always had a field day in selecting my color coordination for all my armor pieces, this new feature is awesome!
Richard: The stealth aspect, or perhaps "option" is more apt, is something I had a lot of fun with. There's a traditional and more liberal approach to this. You can definitely sneak around enemies, stealing whatever isn't nailed down, and then running or eliminating key targets. Alternatively, you can try and goad different factions into attacking each other, and then reaping the rewards by waiting for your opponents to beat down each other before swooping in to take the spoils. I actually had this on my first boss, or V Blood as they're called. I was tasked with defeating a level 16, a level 27 walked in and picked a fight, and then a level 30 roamed by. It was chaotic, it was dumb, and I can't believe I got away with getting the rewards for all of them.
The non traditional stealth involves hiding from the sun while moving between bushes and tree shadows, or following clouds as they provide shade for you to run under. If you're out during the day, expect to do this a lot, otherwise your vampire ass will be toast. Literally and figuratively. It's both annoying and really fun? I know that's a weird contradiction, but my experience of V Rising was generally quite contradictory.
Susan N.: The game runs smoother than it did before 1.0. We used to have a ton of rubber banding issues, some minor graphic hiccups, and one unfortunate disconnect in Gloomrot, but its much better since the gameplay is optimized. Abilities respond much faster than before, making it easier to take on the various V Bloods. Prior to the launch of 1.0, there was only one difficulty setting for mobs, but now there are options!
I do want to mention that the UI is much better than its previous design. All of the available bag slots are shown with a lock button. When you craft a bag to increase the amount of resources you can hold, it is visually obvious how much you get. I also adore the character customization. Not only do you get to choose your overall body shape and hair color, but you can choose the look of your gear. As expected, I'm all purple!
Next we have our homes that we can build to our tastes and functionality. Our homes are castles! Susan N.'s statement when she had her first taste of the game back in 2022 was epic! "For me, it is memorable for many reasons like being able to vicariously
make and live in my ULTIMATE CASTLE. *Ahem* Anyways, I absolutely adore V
Rising so it needed to be on this list."
Susan N.: I still stand by my statement in 2022. The customization you have for your epic castle is one of a kind. I'm all about building things while waiting for the sun to descend below the horizon. When looking at the build menu, there are tons of options to build the castle of your dreams, not limited to color of the lighting, to wallpaper (which now has no build cost!), to hedges and gardening plots for the outside. Though, while we have a ton of options (with or without some of the cool DLCs), I definitely would love to see a couple more things - like not being restricted to the stone doorframes.
In the early game, the cost of building the castle was mildly prohibitive. The amount of wood and stone you need just to make a decent sized room to protect from the sunlight AND hold your basic assemblers is intense. Later on, you can grab some worker blood and the build costs will be a little more manageable. Combine that knowledge with the proper flooring for the room and your build costs will no longer slow progress.
As an additional change that I absolutely adore about castle building is that it is no longer a slog to move the whole thing. There is a relocation option in the build menu. You will have to place all of the same walls, floors, etc... and you'll have to redesign your castle afterwards. We found that you can create a large room with everything inside of it. Once you have everything placed, then you can spend the time reorganizing. If you didn't place everything, don't worry because the game will refund you the materials you didn't use in the move!
Richard: As a really dumb bonus, before you can build a real castle you can make a wood "castle", which is really just a fenced in fort with no roof. Now, what do you think happens to a vampire during the day in a fort with no roof? I will admit, a few times I loaded into the game only to find I had been spawned in a sunny patch and died while the world was still rendering/connecting. While there is a fixture you can craft that makes a fog to keep the sun away, it runs on bones which you also need for other things, so that's a little annoying. Once you get a real castle with a roof though? That's where things start getting a little less frustrating, as you have more access to fixtures and mechanics to help you out.
Valerie: I LOVE building my castle! When I get a floor done and the roof shields me from the sun, I am peachy keen on the placement of rooms with their own functionality. Each of my rooms get a type of flooring that augments the crafting process with bonuses of time to completion and material costs. Also, from behind the protection of my walls I can expand the size of my castle or room without dying from the sunlight!
COMBAT
How about those bosses, or V Bloods as they are referred to in this game? Got any tips on beating them?
Richard: Combat is...both smooth and rough, at least in my opinion. Depending on the enemies/boss you're fighting, you generally either have to lean into all ranged, or all melee based attacks. While not an absolute, this usually requires some trial and error and managing what spells you have equipped. On the plus side here, there are a lovely myriad of different spells and weapon types to choose from. Not only are spells divided by element, but they also have a lot of choices within the category. Spells can also be altered by equipping certain gems, which can attach to each spell in their own unique equip slot that's available per spell. I had a lot of fun swapping play styles and equipment like this.
Susan N: The earlier build of the game frustrated the crap out of me with respect to the combat system. The bosses would scale depending on how many players were participating in the fight and if one weapon was suited to your combat style, it felt like certain bosses were impossible. Not only that, but the weapons and armor that you had access to did not allow for customization. Each boss relied upon specific playstyles that did not work well for some of the family in our multiplayer game. I almost threw in the towel on the game because it felt like my brother was the only one capable of killing higher end V Bloods. Since 1.0, the combat scaling is balanced, we have a couple more weapons, and amulets / gems that fit playstyles better. This means we've made much more progress that I felt good about than in the earlier build.
As far as combat goes, there are more bosses that can be taken on, along with upgraded buildings, and spell points as opposed to unlocking specific spells. Essentially, you can get a point in the unholy tree which you can spend on a couple of spells in the tier. The game no longer shoehorns you into a specific playstyle by allowing the freedom to pick which spell you want, what bonusses you want on your amulets, and which gemstones you use to socket your spells with. Combine that with a new blood type and some passive abilities that you can unlock with the new Rift system, and we have a winner! I absolutely love how the game has progressed in this way. Though, if that wasn't enough, you can start a server with a difficulty setting that suits the players. For my family and I, we are quite happy with the relaxed mode. It allows us to try different tactics and feel useful during certain fights that we previously struggled on. Now *THAT* is worth it. Other games can be at a normal or harder difficulty depending on what kind of experience you're going for!
Valerie: I am finding it easier to defeat those V Bloods and with the added Relaxed mode of gameplay I can even beat ones I couldn't before in my single player game. I found when I played coop I didn't die as much now (unless I did the stupid thing of aggroing another pat of enemies while trying to take down our first targets) and I could help in kiting single enemies instead of the whole lot that we dove into in the first place! My two fave weapons in this game are the scythe and dual blades (Slashers as they are called).
CRAFTING SYSTEM
How do you guys feel about the updated crafting system?
Richard: The crafting system is pretty neat, as you can unlock new things by beating bosses. In addition, your progress is also increased and you can redeem rewards by meeting certain gameplay/castle building/character progression milestones. On the other hand, you need a moderately offensive amount of materials in order to build pretty much anything, you need to wait too long to process it, and you can't teleport with a lot of materials, making gathering items an absolute pain, provided the server settings haven't been tweaked to help out in this area. Pro tip, make sure to select where you build your castle carefully to avoid long travel times in the start. You can relocate your castle, but it can be a little annoying to do so, even if it's extremely useful.
Susan N.: As I mentioned before, the crafting system in the beginning is a bit much, especially when trying to keep your vampire alive. I don't relish the idea of hiding in my coffin for 10 minutes while I wait for the sun to go down. Even when that is done, getting to the stage where you can build a stone room with a roof takes a little bit of time. But, once you get through that process, you have a better idea of how to get to that point more efficiently. With worker blood you can reduce the cost of building, and when you get to the point where rooms have the right flooring to reduce the cost even more, you're cruising.
One of the things I noticed about the crafting of items is the upgraded machines. Not only will they do all of the previous stages of research or building, but they will be able to make higher level items. The first notable example of this is the advanced blood press. Since everything in the castle requires blood (as it should), it stands to reason that vampires get to be pretty skilled at dealing with the perils of too much blood, not enough, and proper cleaning procedures! *cackles* I'm quite pleased with these upgraded buildings because not only are they faster, but they look that much cooler. Who said a vampire can't have style?
Valerie: My beef with the crafting system is the RNG on seeds dropped. I am pretty sure I've only found one, maybe two, per gameplay time! It's annoying when you need such a huge amount of resources to build! One of the crafting resources in this game is blood essence and sometimes it's so damned hard at the beginning to get more out in the world. However, I do find I can 'bulk' up on blood essence when I get enough rats or can pick up enough hearts. I make do!
BUGS & ISSUES
Did any of you have any weird problems, issues, or those dastardly bugs that are an ongoing thing in games these days?
Susan N.: One of the things that we noticed is, if you send a servant from your throne, and then you build a structure where they were standing, they will get stuck inside the structure when they come back. While you might be thinking that you can interact with the servant coffin to summon them, you can't. They still have inventory and won't sleep until you relieve them of the items.
I'm unsure if this is a bug or not, but anytime I attempt to join the family game, even having them on my Steam list, the game never shows up! We have to click on 'direct connect' and input a long string of numbers to join. Not even typing the IP address with the port works either. While we do have a way to connect with the direct connect option, not being able to find my Steam friends without it is a minor nuisance.
Richard: I have the unfortunate issue where loading up the game takes me literally five minutes. I then need to wait about two to three full minutes before the lag settles down. Afterwards, it's fine and smooth though.
Valerie: I’m with Susan N. on the friends issue and their games not showing in the server list.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Richard: Despite my...rather unfortunate castle placements, bad luck with high level enemies roaming into my combat zones, and poor loadouts for some of my first V Blood attempts, V Rising is really fun. I do highly recommend playing around with server settings a bit and finding something that fits for you, especially if you intend on running a private personal server, which would basically remove a lot of the negative portions I experienced. Also, remember to consider castle placement if you have the space for it. Trust me.
Susan N.: With the launch of 1.0, I adore V Rising in its current state. There are more bosses to defeat, upgraded buildings to use, better combat gameplay, customization of your character and your castle, and more! I love that we can get passive abilities when purchased with Stygian Shards. Another addition that I enjoy is specific vampire merchants that can be found in the rift zone. One merchant offers blue weapons that can be repaired at the ancestral forge while the other has either Epic or Legendary level of weapons. Instead of randomly finding these items in the world, you can now buy the weapon of your choice! RNG will still get you with what bonuses you get, but it's a small trade off. Overall, I cannot stress how much more I'm enjoying V Rising. Now if you'll excuse us, we have Dracula to take on!
Valerie: I fell in love with this game the minute I watched my daughter and son playing it a couple of years ago. Next thing I knew I was gifted the game and have been enjoying multiplayer time with the kids as well as my many aggravating attempts to play my single player. Now with all the new optimizations, bosses scaling to your level, new areas to explore, and all the cool stuff for both my castle and my character, I am immensely enjoying this game! With the newfound information on worker blood, I am now going to have an even peachier time decking out my castle! Shall I invite Dracula over for some tea? Mwahahahahaha!!!!
RATINGS
Richard: 9 / 10
Susan N.: 9 / 10
Valerie: 9.5 / 10
Final Score: 9.25 / 10
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June 12, 2024 - French indie developer Dreamirl Game Studio and publisher PixelHeart are excited to announce that Noreya: The Gold Project will release on Steam this June 21 and also on all consoles in the future, for a price of 27.99 EUR | USD, with a 15% off during the first week. Venture into a frenetic metroidvania and take part in a fight between divinities where you will have to choose between Corrupting Gold and Purifying Light to achieve your ends. The game offers players a choice between allegiance to the Gods of Light and Shadow or the gods of Corruption and Gold! But be careful! Decisions made in the game affect your progression by changing the available paths and abilities.
Salluste, the God of Avarice, took power over the city of Lemia after imprisoning the Goddess of Light. Kali, a fighter who lost everything at the hands of the gods, sets out for the city to verify the rumors surrounding this new god who corrupts and subjugates humans in exchange for wealth.
Explore the City of Gold and its cathedral, confront the creatures of shadow and gold, pledge allegiance to the god of your choice to embody their power, or detach yourself from the gods and suffer their wrath.
Key Features
Meticulously crafted pixel art.
2 Unique persistent worlds that evolve according to your chosen allegiance to the gods (The Path of Gold or The Path of Light).
A skill tree with 53 abilities!
12 memorable bosses you can face in any order.
Over 25 totally unique monsters with innovative gameplay surrounding each monster.
Easy-to-play, hard-to-master controls.
Smooth, pleasant platforming with 3 levels of difficulty.
Fast, dynamic gameplay.
Pixel-perfect combat, subtle and accessible.
Multiple possible endings.
An original, epic soundtrack by Sarys and Xavier Dang (MisterMV), which evolves according to your allegiance.
An original storyline scattered around the world: find all the steles in the game to understand the history and mysteries surrounding the gods (optional storyline).
A non-linear map: discover the world as you please.
About Dreamirl Game Studio
Dreamirl is an indie game studio based in Toulouse (France) fulfilled of passionate people, from veteran to junior. We released Exoblast in January 2022.
About PixelHeart
PixelHeart is a company that distributes, produces and publishes independent Retrogaming and Next Gen video games in physical and digital versions. Known for its limited editions and rare products, it excels in exploiting old video game licenses. Thanks to a team of passionate and talented creators, we are fortunate to work with partners and studios such as Visco, Elite Systems, Storybird Studio, Neofid Studios, Astro Port, Picorinne soft and Mr Paul Cuisset, father of Flashback and Fade to Black. We’ve gone to great lengths to unearth retro/next-gen gems, seeking out the rightful owners of these licenses. We want to rekindle your gamer/retrogamer souls by offering you quality products, both in the packaging of our physical editions and in our choice of games. But we go even further, working on Next Gen projects too, and we’re constantly on the lookout for new ones. Whether you’re a professional studio or a team of amateur creators, let us know about your creations by contacting us via this contact form.
We are excited to announce that RPG MAKER WITH, the upcoming
installment in the RPG Maker series, will launch on Nintendo Switch
on October 11! PS4 and PS5 versions will release in 2025.
To celebrate, we've
released a brand new trailer highlight how you and your friends can
use the asset sharing feature to create a game together, no matter
where you are!
As the latest
installment in the RPG Maker series, RPG MAKER WITH features more
tools and greater accessibility than ever before. The user-friendly
interface and intuitive controls make it easy to choose between
creating simple or complex assets and functions, so you can dive
right in, regardless of skill level.
Gotcha Gotcha Games
Inc. is a video game publisher and developer based in Tokyo. Their
mission is to deliver anexciting experience that allows anyone to
become a game creator, regardless of skill level. They are known for
theRPG Maker and Pixel Game Maker series.
In 2003, NIS America
was established in Southern California to bring exciting,
one-of-a-kind Japanese culture toNorth America.NIS America’s team
members devote themselves to the fans. Their respect for their fans
is at the heart of everythingthey do. As an established entertainment
publisher in the U.S., NIS America is committed to continuous growth
andimprovement.NIS America is a subsidiary of Nippon Ichi Software,
Inc., a company famous for its unique line of strategy RPGs
withtitles such as Disgaea and Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk.
In keeping with its mission, NIS America alsopublishes other popular
Japanese games, like the highly acclaimed title, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox.
Defeat hellish monsters in
Pyrene
- an upcoming fast-paced dungeon-crawler by French indie studio Two Tiny Dice, available this September on Steam.
After the commercial and critical success of FORWARD: Escape the Fold, solo-dev-turned-studio lead Christophe
Coyard is back with a game that borrows from its predecessor's ideas all
while building upon every single one of them. If FORWARD could be
called the perfect bite-sized roguelike dungeon crawler,
Pyrene(pronounced Pie · reen) could easily be known as the all-you-can eat buffet of the genre. As Pyrene ramps up to
launch inSeptember 2024 and prepares
to show off its shiny new demo during Steam Next Fest (June 10-17), the
team just announced the official release date during the OTK Games Expo. Pyrene launches on Steam PC & Mac in September 2024.
With multiple playable characters
(including a stoat), a variety of distinct biomes and a ton of
unlockable items, this first look at Pyrene will give Two Tiny Dice fans
and newcomers alike a taste of this brand new experience. Unite with
your fellow villagers
to confront the sinister Demon Herensuge and his horde of hellish
fiends, hell-bent on shattering the tranquility of your homeland. Use
your deck-building skills to make it out of the unforgiving dungeons of
the Pyrenees alive.
Developed by a team of passionate roguelike, dungeon-crawler players -
Pyrene will feature the standard elements all roguelike enthusiasts
expect with a robust deck-building system and a unique combat approach
that rewards you the more you play.
Key features:
Mythological Setting: Pyrene is based on Basque mythology, a never-before seen pantheon in video games.
Strategic Decision-Making: Balanced
between ease of play and strategy, Pyrene presents deep deck-building
elements that intertwine with its dungeon-crawling gameplay to force you
to think before making any move.
Unique Characters:
Play as a diverse cast of characters from your village, each one
possessing unique skills, mechanics and magic. Tailor your deck to your
hero to make
the most of each run!
Built for Replayability:
With a wide range of objects, biomes, relics, talismans & spells,
no two runs are the same and you will be able to develop ingenuous
strategies
to navigate the game’s story and endless modes YOUR way.
Press Notes:
Ease of Coverage: Pyrene has a very short tutorial, no voice over and little dialogue which allows for a seamless coverage experience.
Immediate Action: The learning curve is short
meaning you can immediately grasp the concept of the game and you'll
also be able to feel the full effect of the game's mechanics in the very
first levels, making it less of a grind.
About Two Tiny Dice and the making of Pyrene
Following the release of Forward: Escape the Fold in
March 2022, Christophe realized the potential of fast-paced card-based
roguelikes and decided to work on a new, more ambitious title. Joined by
Jeanne and Marion, artist and writer respectively,
the trio started the journey to create Pyrene. With more features, a
complex storyline and deep gameplay, the game aims to bring a refreshing
take on the roguelike deck builder genre.
With Major Updates
on Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, The Rogue Prince of Persia and
the remake of Prince of
Persia: The Sands of Time, the Legendary Franchise Paid an Extensive Tribute to its Fans.
June
10th, 2024 – Today, Ubisoft shared multiple exciting updates on its
iconic franchise, Prince of
Persia. From major free title updates on Prince of Persia: The Lost
Crown and The Rogue Prince
of Persia, to a beacon of anticipation and excitement around the
remake of Prince of Persia:
The Sands of Time, the brand confirmed its embers have truly turned
into a blaze. And it is
only the beginning!
Prince of Persia:
The Lost Crown
The highly
anticipated “Divine Trials” free update is now available for all
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown players.
It adds 22 new expert challenges for players to push their skills to
the maximum! Players can
now access the Hall of Memorials, through a special door located in
the Haven, and choose
from four sets of challenges. These challenges become progressively
more difficult and are
designed with unique exotic conditions. Whether it’s Platforming,
Puzzles, Combat or even newly
reworked Boss Battles, there won’t be easy victories! Trials are gradually unlocked
as each new power is acquired. However, players who have already completed the trials
will get direct access to all of them at once, in their existing
saves. Four new amulets and
outfits will reward players who managed to beat the revised Boss at
the end of each set. Players
were also given a glimpse of the future Story DLC "Mask of
Darkness", coming to all
platforms in September 2024.
The Rogue Prince of
Persia
The recently
released and critically acclaimed 2D fast-paced platformer roguelite
The Rogue Prince of Persia
dropped the first major title update to its Early Access during the
conference. “The Temple of
Fire” brings a vibrant yet treacherous new biome in which players
will have to mobilize all their
skills to overcome new enemies, traps, and traversal challenges. Evil
Empire studio spiced up the
experience with 2 new mobs, the Shielded Warrior and Duellist, as
well as 1 new weapon, the
Flaming Censers. This update also introduces the Meta Progression Skill Tree, which allows
players to use Spirit Glimmers to unlock persistent improvements. The Temple of Fire is
the first major content addition among multiple updates leading up to
the 1.0 launch of the game,
based on community feedback collected throughout the Early Access phase.
Prince of Persia:
The Sands of Time
The remake of Prince
of Persia: The Sands of Time confirmed the targeted year of release, through a poetic
vision of a flame reignited. In 2026, players will get to reconnect
with their beloved Prince, in
an adventure rebuilt from the ground up, which captures the magic of
the original game. The
game successfully completed its pre-production phase and is now
entering full production,
with Ubisoft Toronto, Ubisoft Bucharest, Ubisoft Pune and E-Studio
joining forces with Ubisoft
Montréal.
For more information
about Prince of Persia, please visit princeofpersia.com
For a limited time,
new subscribers get 4 months free with Ubisoft+ Premium -– Yearly
and play Prince of Persia:
The Lost Crown now. Offer lasts until July 11, get it at
https://ubisoftplus.com/.
About Prince of
Persia™: The Lost Crown
Prince of Persia™:
The Lost Crown is an action-adventure platformer that takes place in
Mount Qaf, an imaginary world
inspired by Persian mythology, where the player will live an epic
adventure to save the Prince and restore world balance. Embodying
Sargon, a young gifted Persian warrior in the cursed mythological heart
of Persia, player will explore diverse biomes and fight challenging
enemies by combining unique
Time Powers and Super Abilities. Prince of Persia™: The Lost Crown
is developed by Ubisoft Montpellier.
About The Rogue
Prince of Persia
The Rogue Prince of
PersiaTM is a 2D fast-paced action-platforming roguelite, developed
by Evil Empire and published by Ubisoft releasing in Early Access on
Steam May 27, 2024 before releasing on other platforms at a later
point. Join an engaged community, interact directly with the dev team
to create the best possible game experience and enjoy regular content
updates. Guide The Prince on his quest for redemption and to save his
people of Ctesiphon from the Huns, masters of shamanic magic. Only by
questioning his own behavior, trying new paths and new build for each
run and with the support of those closest to him, can he find the
solution that will save his kingdom and prove his worth to his
family.
About Prince of
Persia: Sands of Time
The remake of Prince
of Persia: The Sands of Time is an action-adventure game under
development by lead studio Ubisoft
Montréal, supported by Ubisoft Toronto, Ubisoft Bucharest, Ubisoft
Pune and E-Studio. This remake is a heartfelt homage to the original
game, which has marked a whole generation of players, rebuilt and
enhanced for a modern audience.
About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a creator of worlds, committed to enriching players’
lives with original and memorable entertainment experiences.
Ubisoft’s global teams create and develop a deep and diverse
portfolio of games, featuring brands such as Assassin’s Creed®,
Brawlhalla®, For Honor®, Far Cry®, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon®,
Just Dance®, Rabbids®, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six®, The Crew® and
Tom Clancy’s The Division®. Through Ubisoft Connect, players can
enjoy an ecosystem of services to enhance their gaming experience,
get rewards and connect with friends across platforms. With Ubisoft+,
the subscription service, they can access a growing catalog of more
than 100 Ubisoft games and DLC. For the 2023-24 fiscal year, Ubisoft
generated net bookings of €2.32 billion. To learn more, please
visit: www.ubisoftgroup.com.
