Paradox Interactive and Triumph Studios Unveil Age of Wonders 4

Award-winning Fantasy Strategy Series Returns on May 2, 2023 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S

STOCKHOLM and DELFT, Netherlands — Jan. 19, 2023 — Paradox Interactive, a developer and publisher of wondrous games for all ages, today revealed a new game from Triumph Studios: Age of Wonders 4. The first sequel in nine years for the award-winning Age of Wonders fantasy strategy game series brings new levels of customization and replayability to the games’ iconic empire-building, role-playing, and best-in-class tactical combat. Age of Wonders 4 will launch on May 2, 2023 for PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC.

Witness the dawn of a new Age of Wonders in the announcement trailer:



“For 25 years now, Triumph has been exploring new places to take our original fantasy strategy series, and the fans who have taken the journey with us have made it a rewarding endeavor,” said Lennart Sas, Co-founder of Triumph Studios and Director of Age of Wonders 4. “Even after all this time, we’re still adding amazing new ideas to Age of Wonders, and whether you’ve been playing since the beginning or ready to visit our worlds for the first time, you’re about to experience something special.”

Age of Wonders 4 invites players to rule a fantasy realm of their own design, in a blend of strategy, role-playing, and turn-based combat. Powerful Wizard Kings have returned to the realms to reign as gods among mortals, and players will rise to challenge their rule using Tomes of Magic to unleash arcane destruction and evolve their armies, gaining new abilities and forms. For the first time in the series, players can create their own custom factions, and leave their mark on countless worlds through each choice they make.

For an in-depth look at Age of Wonders 4 in action, Paradox and Triumph have shared an announcement show, available to watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7pKeH1cLb4

Features of Age of Wonders 4 will include:

• Create the Empire of Your Wildest Fantasies: Craft your followers by combining bodily forms, societal traits and arcane powers. Build anything from a clan of cannibal halflings to mystic moon elves, or recreate your favorite fantasy tropes. Seek powerful tomes of magic to enchant your armies and see your people physically change as they morph into angelic beings or scions of chaos to face their enemies.
• Strategy Meets Role-Playing Like Never Before: Every choice opens up new possibilities and tactical advantages; deep, multilayered strategy allows you to try new tactics or explore new powers at every turn. Tactical turn-based battles bring your armies to life, from skirmishes with roaming monsters to vast sieges with many units on each side!
• Write Your Own Legend: A new event system provides unexpected levels of storytelling for 4X games. See your decisions shape the world around you as you seek glory through brutal domination, cunning alliances, or ultimate arcane knowledge. Your own creations may even appear as potential rivals or allies in subsequent games, as you experience the next chapter in your own story!
• Make Your Mark on a Vast, Reactive World: Explore a new realm in each session - or create your own! Challenge new variations and combinations of locations and features, from frozen wastelands ruled by ice queens to desolated ruins where dragons roam. With a tremendous variety of empires, units, and environments to keep the game endlessly replayable, Age of Wonders is more open-ended - and mod-friendly - than ever before in the series’ history.

Age of Wonders 4 can be wishlisted now at https://store.steampowered.com/app/1669000/Age_of_Wonders_4. 

For more information about Age of Wonders 4, visit https://www.paradoxinteractive.com/games/age-of-wonders-4/about.

About Paradox Interactive

The Paradox group today consists of both publishing and internal development of games and brands. Paradox has a broad portfolio of games and owns the most important brands, including Stellaris, Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron, Crusader Kings, Cities: Skylines, Prison Architect, Victoria, Age of Wonders and the World of Darkness catalog of brands.

Since 2004, the company has published its games all over the world, initially through physical distribution but primarily in digital channels after 2006. Paradox games are developed primarily for PC and console platforms, but the company also releases games on mobile. The largest markets today include the US, UK, China, Germany, France, and Scandinavia. In total, Paradox games have over five million players each month.

For more information, please visit http://www.paradoxinteractive.com

About Triumph Studios

Triumph Studios is a games developer and publisher based in the university town of Delft, The Netherlands, and is the creator of the original Age of Wonders and Overlord series. Founded in 1997 by Arno van Wingerden and Lennart Sas, the studio has made games with deep mechanics, immersive stories, and world-conquering ambition for the last 25 years. Triumph was acquired by Paradox Interactive in 2017 and has continued to develop deep, replayable strategy games in close cooperation with the Swedish publisher.

For more information, visit triumph.net.  

Article by: Susan N.

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DISCOVER NEPTUNE IN THE LATEST TRAILER FOR DESTINY 2: LIGHTFALL

Explore the neon city of Neomuna and meet the Cloud Striders in this new trailer


January 17th, 2023 | Today, Bungie released an environment trailer providing players with a glimpse of Neptune before Destiny 2: Lightfall launches next month. The trailer shows off the newly discovered metropolis of Neomuna, which is filled with futuristic skyscrapers and neon lights.

The trailer also showcases the scope of Calus’s invasion into Neomuna and depicts Guardians grappling their way through the city using the new Darkness subclass, Strand. Players also get to meet Neomuna’s defenders, the Cloud Striders, as they ask for the Guardian’s help in protecting their people from the attack.

To celebrate the Year of the Rabbit, a new Exotic Ghost, Ship, Sparrow, and a festive ornament for the Riskrunner are available in the Eververse store today. Players can also find a red envelope filled with free bright dust waiting for them in the Eververse store, available until the end of January. A new emblem inspired by the Year of the Rabbit is also available to all Guardians by claiming emblem code TNN-DKM-6LG.

Currently in Destiny 2, Season of the Seraph has players working to restore the Warmind, Rasputin, to prepare for what the Witness has in store. Players can still participate in Moments of Triumph until the end of the Season, to honor their achievements over the past year of Destiny 2. Players will soon be able to explore the futuristic metropolis that has been taken over by Calus’s Shadow Legion, when Lightfall launches on February 28, 2023.

About Destiny 2

Destiny 2 is one of the world’s most popular first-person shooter video games and action MMOs. Developed and published by Bungie — the iconic studio behind the Halo franchise and classic titles Myth, Oni, and Marathon — Destiny 2 tasks players with defending humanity and exploring the mysteries of the solar system. Players embody Guardians, who wield powerful elemental abilities. Players can select from multiple classes, upgrade and swap elemental subclasses, as well as outfit themselves with a variety of customizable weapons and gear to suit their aesthetic and playstyle.

Destiny 2 features responsive first-person shooter combat, an engrossing cinematic story, challenging co-op quests, and a variety of PvP and PvE modes playable solo or with friends — with cross-platform play also supported.

Since its launch in 2017, Destiny 2 has received yearly expansions that progress the story forward, add a wealth of additional content, and further refine the gameplay experience for its passionate community of players. Quarterly Seasons introduce additional objectives and challenges for players to best, including dungeons and raids that offer powerful rewards. Lightfall, the upcoming expansion and penultimate chapter of Destiny 2's Light and Darkness saga, releases on February 28, 2023

Destiny 2 is available on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Windows PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the Microsoft Store. For more information, please visit destinythegame.com.

 

Article by: Susan N.

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This is What Midgard Sounds Like | ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree Musical Combat Showcase + Soundtrack Teaser

The Norse Mythology Inspired, Story Driven, Rhythm Combat RPG comes to PC, PS4 and Switch on January 27th, 2022

16 January, 2023 - Wroclaw, Poland + Wellington, New Zealand | If you are wondering how rhythm based combat fits onto a Norse mythology inspired RPG, look no further. Untold Tales and Wildboy Studios have released a playthrough video of the Ice King fight from ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree.

The playthrough (on the Hard difficulty setting) was recorded on the Nintendo Switch. The team also released a video to showcase the game’s unique, electronica infused OST with the track “Sons of Fenrir”.

Combat Playthrough:

Sons of Fenrir Track:

Combat is all about surviving to the end of the song. The more you stay to the beat, the higher you chance of dealing a hit vs your foe dealing a hit.

Fear not though, for those born with the natural rhythm of a forest troll, combat can be made easier on Normal Mode with 2 “rails” of notes to hit or entirely winnable in Story Mode, allowing players to focus on the narrative.

All fights can then be replayed in the Arena Mode for those wanting that perfect score or certain trophies.

ABOUT THE GAME

Inspired by Norse mythology, this hand-drawn, story driven, rhythm combat RPG blends narrative, exploration, and music all into one journey. Meet and converse with a slew of diverse characters, explore a haunting take on Midgard and make choices that influence your story and ending.

Combat is entirely rhythm based and is inspired by titles like Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution. Naturally this makes music a crucial component of ATONE, with each fight receiving its very own song composed by Australian electronic artist Luminist.

ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree will be priced at $14.99 / 14.99 € and will be available on Steam, GOG, the Nintendo eShop and the PlayStation Store as a digital download. 

About Untold Tales

Untold Tales is an indie publishing label with a focus on games that have an interesting story to tell. We help dev teams successfully deliver their digital masterpieces to a wider audience across multiple platforms. While we don’t focus on any specific genre, our most trusted guiding light is games that offer remarkable joy and narrative.

About Wildboy Studios

As a New Zealand based company, our first indie title ATONE marked the beginning of our game development journey. Our studio craft embodies two qualities, passion and dedication. For us, game development is neither a hobby nor a job. We find purpose and fulfillment by transporting others to a place of limitless potential and exploration.

Our games are an extension of our creative personalities. Within each narrative, our aim is to reignite the childhood spark that has captured our imaginations since day one.

Article by: Susan N.

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Dungeon Munchies Satisfies Hunger for Physical Version

Dungeon Munchies Satisfies Hunger for Physical Version on PlayStation, Nintendo Switch Today Fight insatiable appetite of the undead on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 & 5

 

VANCOUVER, Canada — Jan. 13, 2023 — Dungeon Munchies, the monster-mashing, side-scrolling action RPG developed by maJAJa and published by Chorus Worldwide, offers a delectable physical edition for PlayStation 5|4 and Nintendo Switch, available today at retailers in North America courtesy of Serenity Forge. A European release will follow at a later date.

 

Originally fully released on Nintendo Switch and Steam last year after debuting in Steam Early Access, each physical copy of Dungeon Munchies comes with some bonus treats. Along with a physical copy of the game, savor a sticker sheet full of skulls and spirits, a double-sided poster featuring a cookbook of recipes, and a soundtrack download card to redeem a digital version of the original soundtrack.

 

A loud, rumbling growl emanates from under the earth. In a massive underground complex, a hand emerges from the dirt and pulls itself out from the abyss of death. Now, louder than ever, the zombie’s ravenous hunger echoes forth from its empty belly. With some creativity, the surrounding monsters could offer a solution…

 

With the help of Necro-Chef Simmer, self-proclaimed culinary “expert” of the Underworld, learn how to convert the surrounding creatures into transformative meals. Plunge the depths of myriad environments filled with macabre, combative creatures, each offering perks when cooked and consumed. Fry up some mosquitos and toss ‘em back to gain their wings alongside a new double jump ability. 

 

Found an electrified snail? Eat it to find strong undertones of a shocking counter attack. Dismember creepy crawlies and become a well-fed Franketnstin’s Monster of food-fuelled feats. Can’t eat it? Craft with it! Use leftover creature parts to improve survivability with upgraded equipment.

 

“We relish Dungeon Munchies launching physically,” said Shintaro Kanaoya, founder and CEO of Chorus Worldwide. “These delicious physical editions of Dungeon Munchies from our friends at Serenity Forge bring their usual delectable level of detail to this award-winning game. The standard edition will include tasty extras including a soundtrack download, while the Collector’s Edition is a veritable all-you-can-eat feast of goodies to satiate any appetite...”

 

The physical edition of Dungeon Munchies launches today for $34.99 on PlayStation 5|4 and Nintendo Switch. The game is also currently available digitally on PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch for $16.99. For more information, follow Dungeon Munchies and Chorus Worldwide on Twitter, and visit the official Dungeon Munchies page on Chorus Worldwide’s website.

About Chorus Worldwide

Chorus Worldwide is a global publisher composed of gaming veterans with experience at world-renowned companies including Microsoft, Supermassive Games, and Electronic Arts. Originally created to guide indie developers into the rapidly growing Asian markets, Chorus now works with talented developers across the world, including Argentina, Indonesia, and Malaysia, finding huge success in titles like the acclaimed Coffee Talk, and the Asian releases of The Room and The Room Two.

About maJAJa

Founded in 2018, maJAJa is a game development studio based in Taipei, Taiwan. Founders Scofa (Designer/Artist), Jimbo (Programmer), and Ian (Translator & Other) had worked on other Taiwanese indie games before joining forces as MaJAJa to create their first game: Dungeon Munchies.

Article by: Susan N.

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Elden Ring with Malted Milk Ball Imperial Porter – Beeps and Beers

Elden Ring is developed by FromSoftware, Inc and published by Bandai Namco Games. Malted Milk Ball Imperial Porter is made by Perrin Brewing Company. Article by Nick.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Beeps and Beers to ring in the New Year? Yes, please.

If you’ve been following any of my recent posts, it quickly becomes apparent that while I was late to the game where Elden Ring was concerned, it became a serious investment for me once I started to play it. When it first released, it came out while I was out of state visiting some family, and by the time I had gotten back, it was on to other releases I was covering for Chalgyr’s Game Room.

 

Then the holidays got here, which usually leads to something of a slowdown in the gaming industry as the rush to get titles out before Black Friday more or less comes to an end until February or so the following year. I often refer to that period as the ‘dead time’ – and I died a whole lot playing Elden Ring. That didn’t however, keep me from nominating it as my Game of the Year for 2022.

From roughly Thanksgiving until New Year, Elden Ring was the game I played when I had the time. Some nights were more strenuous (looking at you Putrid Crystallins) and some that were much lower key (farming that big bird near the cliff for easy runes). Most nights fell in the middle, and that was one of the things that I really enjoyed about Elden Ring. There was this fantastic sense of exploration – it kind of reminded me of my old World of Warcraft days when I would explore every nook and cranny available to me with my rogue stealthing about, just to see what oddball little thing I could find. Elden Ring scratched that itch beautifully.

Of course, that often led to me wandering about areas that I wasn’t properly prepared for yet, and some battles I had to do my best to run away from (ahem… dragons in lakes). With so many nights of gaming, there were plenty of beers had during the process. Most of the time it was just fine, but there was absolutely a night where it did not help my cause a whole lot in Elden Ring, even while I was enjoying the beer itself immensely. 

I’ve mentioned Perrin in the past before (here and here), but one of my all-time favorite beers of theirs has to be the Malted Milk Ball Imperial Porter. When it first came out, it was actually one of my earliest bourbon barrel aged beers. Why does this make for a dicey adventure in Elden Ring? Well, it’s a strong beer and my reflexes were certainly not at their finest the afternoon I started to drink this one. This beauty pours a nice, thick, dark color into the glass. In terms of accidentally being thematically appropriate, the afternoon I opened this beer I was traveling the dark, swamp-like lands of Liurnia of the Lakes. It’s one of the game’s somewhat earlier regions, with a lot of bent trees, ankle-deep water, cemeteries and rundown churches to set the tone. 

It's a hauntingly beautiful area, especially during the in-game evenings – but large with a lot of north by south geography to it. Plenty of strange and undead creatures along the way, and a handful of interesting environmental puzzles. Those weren’t too terribly challenging. One example was a tower I had to get into that had me 'looking around' for turtles to poke. There were a lot of undead continually spawning around me, but they were slowly shambling about and not any kind of a real threat - just more of a distraction. 

During all of this, I certainly continued to enjoy the Malted Milk Ball during my explorations there. Being that it’s an imperial porter, that’s a style that I find tends to open up and display more distinctive flavors as it slowly warms to more of a room temperature. Given that this was a beer that I was simply sipping on, it had ample time to start to show off more of the vanilla bean and cocoa flavors that give it more of a desert-like profile. It’s got a bit of body and warmth to it – perfect for cold Michigan winters and I was playing this out in early December during a pretty substantial snowfall (a great excuse to stay inside and play Elden Ring – at least until I had to shovel the drive).

This is one of my favorite beers hands-down, and has been for years now. Elden Ring is probably one of my favorite games in years also. So the match seems solid until you start to get a bit deeper into the bottle of this one. It rings in at a 12% ABV due to its imperial style and the warm booziness that comes from the beer resting in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels for nine months. This would be an excellent beer even without the bourbon finish, but personally I think bourbon barrel really helps to further accentuate the warm vanilla undertones as the brew warms up. 

Now, where does this pairing go wrong? Well… remember the dragons in the game I bemoaned earlier? There’s one in this region too. There’s a need to sneak behind him and pick up an item. It’s a fun, tense little moment – and you can pick it up, hop on your horse Torrent and ride out of there safe and sound as the one-slumbering dragon wakes up and starts to throw a hissy fit flying around looking to destroy you. 

The problem was, the further I got into that bottle, the more I wanted to go back and face that dragon. Spoiler alert – I was not ready for that particular encounter, but that did not preclude me from attempting it about a dozen times before I wizened up enough to give up on it for now. A good strong beer like that does not necessarily make for good in-game decisions or reflexes as it turns out. It did however, make for an entertaining and memorable afternoon of gaming and that’s what matters most.

I already reviewed Elden Ring recently and scored it a 9.5 out of 10. I’m completely comfortable doing the same for Malted Milk Ball Imperial Porter as well. 

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Did you get into the Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader closed Alpha??

Nicosia, Cyprus - 7 December 2022: The Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader closed Alpha test has arrived! Award-winning studio Owlcat Games confirmed that all early founders who pre-purchased the Developer’s Digital Pack or the Collector's Edition will be able to download and play the Alpha from today.

https://roguetrader.owlcat.games/preorder/en#packs

The closed Alpha will eventually transform into the Beta version of the game, and will remain live until Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader‘s release, meaning that anyone who pre-purchases the Developer’s Digital Pack or Collector's Edition will still be able to try the game early starting from today. In-game progress will not be transferred from one version to another

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is the first cRPG set in the legendary grim darkness of the far future of Warhammer 40,000. Set to be released on PC and consoles, the game features turn-based combat and is being produced in close collaboration with Games Workshop.

Owlcat recently unveiled a new gameplay trailer during the PC Gaming Show 2023 Preview, giving viewers a taste of what it truly means to be a Rogue Trader. Together with the trailer Steam and GOG wishlists were opened for the eagerly-anticipated title.

Watch the Gameplay Trailer:

About Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader closed Alpha

Players will visit a number of worlds in the Koronus Expanse, where they can aid the Emperor's loyal subjects, punish heretics, or even show treasonous sympathies and abet renegades. The Alpha features one of five chapters of the game.

Among other signature locations in the Koronus Expanse, brave explorers will be able to plot a course to:

• Footfall – a void station populated by pirates, religious zealots, and common workers. A dangerous place even for a Rogue Trader, but one ripe with opportunity!
• Dargonus – the hive world capital of the player's empire and the Rogue Trader's family seat
• Janus – a jungle-covered agri-world where the player will decide the fate of a conflict between a rebel group and the local governor
• Kiava Gamma – an industrial world where dark and strange things are happening

Among other signature locations in the Koronus Expanse.

Players will travel between worlds through the warp, repel pirate attacks in open space, explore new planets, and found colonies – all from aboard the Rogue Trader's majestic voidship housing thousands of subjects and crew members.

On their journey, the Rogue Trader will receive assistance from their companions - their loyal Seneschal, a Tech-Priest of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the ship's Navigator, an Interrogator of the Inquisition, a Battle Sister of the Adepta Sororitas, a smuggler, a diviner psyker, and even a xenos. However, it is up to the player to decide if they want to build solid relationships with their crew, help resolve conflicts between party members, or leave them loose!

About Owlcat Games

Owlcat Games is a team of developers united by a love of RPGs. From our beginnings as a small group of games industry veterans obsessed with the idea of making our dream games a reality, we have grown into a truly international company, with our headquarters in Cyprus and more than 120 employees spread across offices in various countries. We are continuing to expand and take on new hires from around the world, and we also get together every week to play tabletop games in the office and on Roll20 online.

About Games Workshop

Games Workshop Group PLC (LSE:GAW.L), based in Nottingham, UK, produces the best fantasy miniatures in the world. Games Workshop designs, manufactures, retails, and distributes its range of Warhammer Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40,000 games, miniatures, novels and model kits through more than 523 of its own stores (branded Games Workshop or Warhammer), its own web store, and independent retail channels in more than 50 countries worldwide. More information about Games Workshop and its other, related, brands and product ranges (including its publishing division ‘Black Library’ and its special resin miniatures studio ‘Forge World’) can be found at www.games-workshop.com

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader © Copyright Games Workshop Limited 2022. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, the Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader logo, GW, Games Workshop, Space Marine, 40K, Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, 40,000, the ‘Aquila’ Double-headed Eagle logo, and all associated logos, illustrations, images, names, creatures, races, vehicles, locations, weapons, characters, and the distinctive likeness thereof, are either ® or TM, and/or © Games Workshop Limited, variably registered around the world, and used under licence. All rights reserved to their respective owners.

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Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider Review

Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider by developer JoyMasher and publisher The Arcade Crew—Sony PlayStation 5 review written by Pierre-Yves with a copy provided by the publisher.

Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider by JoyMasher and The Arcade Crew is a side-scrolling action platformer channeling the golden age of classic 16-bit action games in a refined full-throttle quest for revenge. With crisp and clean controls, this short and fast paced adventure won’t leave you with much downtime as you race through multiple stages as a cybernetic ninja death machine.

What originally drew me to Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider was the Ninja Gaiden-esque feel to it. Having enjoyed the originals as tough as they were when I was younger, and still to this day not being able to get through even the revamp of Ninja Gaiden Sigma… it’s embarrassing I know… I thought that this would be my chance to redeem myself a bit. What I didn’t know was that while channeling that awesome nostalgic 16-bit era of gameplay, this adventure would have a lot in common with Capcom’s Mega Man X series.

Split between a tutorial and the main adventure, the tutorial will teach you everything that you need to know. Walking and running, jumping and wall jumping, and finally attacking enemies with your sword or secondary abilities. What’s neat about the sword attacks that worried me a bit with so many ranged enemies is that Moonrider can slash through a lot of these projectiles. Some still need to be dodged while others can actually be parried back to the source which is great for those enemies out of reach. Finally an adventure that doesn’t penalize you for being melee based!

Where the parallels get drawn with Capcom’s Mega Man X series, is that you are given a little bit of story, and then you are given several stages to select with more story sprinkled throughout. These stages can be selected in any order after the initial stage, and for every stage completed, you get an ability from the boss you defeated. While the concept itself is obviously nothing new as the original Mega Man himself dates back to the late 80s, it’s easy to make it their own and JoyMasher have definitely done that here.

The stage designs themselves are neat and feel independent from one another in their challenges. In most cases, the stages are direct A to B paths from the beginning of the stage to the boss, but some have some slight options as to whether you want to go one way or the other. On that note, you’ll definitely want to check out both routes which can most often be done in the same gameplay session as hiding high and low are upgrade chips to improve Moonrider’s fighting capabilities.

The use of upgrade chips was neat. Only being able to equip two at a time, these chips offer the ability to:
-    Increase your hit points over time,
-    Add in extra armor but at the cost of only being able to get a “B-rank” on your stage evaluation,
-    Increase your attack power for each enemy defeated
-    Double jump <- My favorite as it made a lot of areas so much easier!
-    And plenty more

And the best part is that you can install them on pickup. You don’t need to worry about going back to the stage selection screen to do so. If you want to modify your loadouts then yes, you’ll have to either finish the stage or call it quits, but otherwise it was nice to have.  

Finally, there’s one feature that I want to praise but it leads into something that I had an issue with. As mentioned, all roads will lead to the bosses, but first you’ll have to make your way through the mid-bosses which are numerous through each stage. Most of these mid bosses can be downright terrifying at times and in any other game? Could almost be bosses in their own right. Their challenge rating is appropriate and there’s a sense of “yeah, I did it” for most of them which is why it’s a bit disappointing that most of these are harder than the actual stage bosses.

Stage bosses are supposed to be badass and the hardest part of any stage. Sadly when it comes to Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider, just about all of the bosses short of the final one will take no more than a few seconds to dispatch. The main reason as you can often get one or two full sets of combo hits before even counting on some of your special abilities. Add in either your default overpowered ability or that of a specific boss which launches a giant otherworldly tentacle making me think of H.P. Lovecraft, and that’s it. You win and you get to move on.

On a final note, while Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider may only take two to three hours depending on your skill level, there is a bit of replayability. The upgrade chips mentioned above also act as collectibles and it’s entirely possible that you missed a few. So going back and exploring to find them is always an option as some may have even been out of reach without being able to double jump at that point in time. The other element of replayability is the stage grading which comes in a letter format and I’m not proud to say that I got several C’s and D’s before finally getting into the proper flow for A’s and B’s while working on the S’s.

Summary

Overall though, JoyMasher and The Arcade Crew’s Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider was both challenging and fun. Channeling that golden age of classic 16-bit action games really shines through alongside some modern elements to keep up the pace as you run, hack & slash your way through this world.

Score: 8 / 10

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Our Games of the Year 2022 - The Winners of GotY

This is it. Of course, any and all lists are subjective, but these are the titles that members of our team looked back on and thought to ourselves: this is the gaming experience that defined 2022 for us. 

Pierre-Yves - Chained Echoes

So coming in at the very last minute, Chained Echoes by Matthias Linda and Deck 13 Spotlight easily became my 2022 Game of the Year. It had just about everything that one could want from both a retro inspired RPG / JRPG while also having all of those modern day "luxuries". 

Like Rise of the Third Power that was my Game of the Year right until I sat down to Chained Echoes, it has a lot of the same elements but what brought it a notch above is that the gameplay is all designed to constantly keep you moving. There are no transitions, splash screens for stats, or any of that. You run around the field, get into battle if you want to, fight, and keep moving with nothing more than a few stats showing the results of the combat. Adding in great writing, visuals and audio effects and music? This is what put Chained Echoes at the top of my list for the 2022 gaming year. 

Susan - My Time at Sandrock

Pathea Games released My Time at Sandrock after pushing it back a few times due to licensing issues. As a fan of the first game, My Time at Portia, I immediately sought out the sequel and found myself in awe of the graphics improvements and QOL features. While it is still in Early Access, I’m definitely making Sandrock my GOTY because I cared about the character storylines (unlike its predecessor) and beauty of the game. Plus, Pathea included a multiplayer feature that allows my friends and I to build the town together!

Richard - Dragon Munchies

An amazing sidescroller action platformer with an amazing cast and an amazing storyline. There was so much to love about Dungeon Munchies that I have a hard time not recommending it to almost everybody I can.

Nick - Elden Ring

I know this is a popular choice in a lot of corners, but I'm a sucker for a big fantasy game, and Elden Ring is the biggest one in a long time. I haven't been this engrossed in a game since... probably Dragon Age: Inquisition (and I sunk about 140 hours into that one). Elden Ring pisses me off, it gives me a sense of satisfaction, it tickles my desire for exploration and discovery and most of all I just got lost in it for dozens and dozens of hours. It sucked up my time like no other game in 2022 did. 

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Our Games of the Year 2022 - Runners Up

The games that nearly took the top prizes in our hearts and minds. Our team had a very difficult time narrowing it down - overall we felt like 2022 was an excellent year filled with fantastic video games. It can be hard to pick a favorite. Or a second favorite. Sometimes even a third. As such, this post is all about the games that our team thought were great - just not quite the best of the bunch.

Nick - Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi 

Just about everything this title did tickled some part of my brain. Nostalgic old-school dungeon crawling goodness of my youth? Check. Satirical yet meaningful and interesting story? Check. Sharp visual and musical presentation? Check. Challenging, fun and addicting? Check, check and check.

Pierre-Yves - Runner-Up - Rise of the Third Power

Rise of the Third Power by Stegosoft Games for me is at the top of this year's list. This adventure had everything. Well written and thought out characters, story, events, excellent music and an amazing battle system that never got old. This was a shining example of a well thought out and executed title.

While sad when it ended, because of how good it was, the only thing left now is to wait and see what new amazing title Stegosoft Games comes out with next.

Pierre-Yves - Honorable Mention - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge by Tribute Games and Dotemu was so close to being #1 for the year. The Turtles were back, they had Splinter, April, Casey Jones and magically brought back bad guys from the cartoons and the movies all without missing a beat. 

Best part? The side scrolling beat 'em up gameplay was smooth and while it brought on that sense of nostalgia? It was designed by today's standards offering a super smooth experience. 

Susan - Runner-Up -  Brok the Investigator

This year my runner-up is none other than Brok the Investigator. This indie title is not just a game - it makes you think about certain ideas as you play, but does so in a way that is fun. Brok has a couple of different features that I absolutely love like using the ads as its in-game hint system, a simplistic combat system that doesn’t require the memorization of a thousand combos, and the switching between two characters to show how a relationship can be helped or hindered by daily actions. Honestly, the game impressed me so much that it had to be my runner-up.

Susan - Honorable Mention: V Rising

My honorable mention for the most memorable game is another vampire game - what a shock, I know. But I couldn’t wrap up 2022 without including V Rising. It is a mix of everything I’m looking for in a game like building, crafting, combat, and conquering the lands. You can hunt V Bloods to unlock buildings or abilities and each enemy increases its difficulty level when there are several players in the area. One of the other things I love about V Rising is the fact that you can also build your own castle! What’s also great is that you control the game’s pace which is a fact I appreciate. 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 - Other Honorable Mention: Slime Rancher 2

My honorable mention for 2022 is Slime Rancher 2. Sure, it isn’t complete yet but how could we not love the slimes? They are adorable! And they constantly smile at you! What’s not great about that? (Especially in recent years…) Anyways, the moment I knew the game was coming out, I jumped out of my seat from excitement because I absolutely loved the first one. It’s no surprise that I needed to get the sequel. Besides, when you see the smile on the slime's faces, you will understand. They just can’t be denied! Sure, I may already have a ton of money from selling plorts, but I need more! Plus, it’s a fantastic game to play after a particularly tough day. Slime Rancher 2 is 100% another amazing guilty pleasure for me this year. Now stop reading this and go take care of the cuties!

Richard - Runner-Up - AI: The Somnium Files Nirvana Initiative

Sequel to AI: The Somnium Files, Nirvana Initiative takes everything I loved about the first game and brings it to the sequel. It's fun, full of interesting puzzles, and a lot of funny gag moments. Good times. Well, for the player, anyway.

Richard - Honorable Mention - Never Awake

An interesting take on the shooter/bullet hell genre where you actually earn powerups and equipable accessories throughout the game. A kind of gut punch story I wasn't expecting and smooth shooting mechanics make a solid game

Richard - Other Honorable Mention - Gunvolt 3

The Not-megaman we needed to bring a refreshing light to the megaman style games. Gunvolt 3 had an incredibly smooth style that I enjoyed all the way through. Seriously, pick up the whole series, it's great.

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Our Games of the Year 2022 - Most Memorable

Sometimes a video game just sticks with you. Maybe it's a character you're particularly attached to, or a narrative you're wholly invested in. Sometimes it's just a catchy song or an addicting gameplay loop. Whatever it is, I'd wager every gamer has at least one title that lingered in their thoughts well after turning off the television and putting down the controller. 2022 provided plenty of those experiences for members of our team as well - here were some of our favorites.

Nick - Tactics Ogre: Reborn 

This one also had me feeling nostalgic. The Tactics Ogre series actually was a major part of my video gaming past. This is a remake of an already excellent game, somehow finding more ways to improve upon it. I bought it the day it came out and subsequently lost most of my weekend to it and I’m still going back for more. There's an excellent story, characters I care about, lovely music, throwback visuals and loads of depth to the turn-based strategic gameplay.

Richard - PowerWash Simulator

So soothing. Much cathartic. It just...feels good. The sense of accomplishment when you hear those Dings is just... mmm

Susan - Vampire: The Masquerade: Swansong

This year, the game that stuck out to me the most was Vampire the Masquerade: Swansong. As a vampire game, it will immediately stick out for me because the genre is intriguing to me for many reasons, but as a video game it stood out even more. For one thing, it has some prevalent scenes that I can never wash out of my brain. Another reason it stands out is because of some of its writing. There were points where I felt like the names and traits of the different clans felt hamfisted, and yet, I still enjoyed playing it. Plus, the three characters you play have different abilities. I found that it was entertaining to play multiple characters in a game where their actions intersect in a way that just works.

Pierre-Yves - The Legend of Heroes: Trails Form Zero

There's no hiding my love for Nihon Falcom's Trails (or Ys) series. Minimum 40 hour RPGs each, the characters, the combat, the music, they all blend in for memorable experiences that you just want more of. 

Actually an older title that has just recently seen a localization outside of Japan, and the sequel due out Spring next year, Trails From Zero would have been memorable all on its own. 

Thrown together as an experiment between being police officers and Bracers, a guild that takes requests from the people generally outside of the scope of authority like the police and the military, the Special Support Section had their work cut out for them. Starting out on their first day, this adventure will see plot twists and the deepening of friendships that we know will last as we see our cast again later down the line in the conclusion to the Trails of Cold Steel Series.

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Our Games of the Year 2022 - Guilty Pleasures

As a team, we felt like 2022 was loaded with great games. There were of course plenty of big titles that dropped that garnered the majority of the 'Best Game' conversations; but what about those titles that simply tickled our fancies? Which games did we find ourselves coming back to not because they were necessarily the best-made AAA titles, or had the most outstanding visuals or gobs of content but because... we simply enjoyed them? Here's what the team weighed in with.

Susan - Recipe for Disaster

Sometimes a game becomes a guilty pleasure for reasons that we cannot explain. This year, that game is Recipe for Disaster which is a restaurant simulation game. You get to design a restaurant, craft a menu, and hire staff to run the place. Originally, I played the game in Early Access where it had some strange quirks that eventually were improved upon for the full release. I found myself playing in the restaurant simulator more and more. In fact, I almost had a massive disaster because the kitchen caught on fire, the bathroom toilets clogged, and my staff freaked out. To save the situation, I gave them all raises and closed the restaurant early once I dealt with the issues. Miraculously, I saved the whole playthrough by reacting that quickly. Needless to say, it has become one of my guilty pleasures for 2022.

Pierre-Yves - Dying Light 2 Stay Human

On a whim, Izzy and I played Dying Light together. Not knowing if it would be either of our thing, it was all we did for a few weeks straight if I wasn't reviewing anything else. The best part? We played Dying Light just in time for Dying Light 2.

Once again diving into this zombie apocalypse based world, there were now new twists, turns and tools to help you survive. It took a lot to put this down for other titles that I needed to cover. Unlike Elden Ring that I was able to put away after the platinum, with new content continuing to be released, there's nothing stopping Dying Light 2 from continuing to be a Guilty Pleasure to sit down to.

Richard - 7 Pirates H

Shut up, it's fun. Yeah, the "physics" may be...unique and the stages a little small, but it was surprisingly fun and the soundtrack was good...Don't judge me.

Nick - Capcom Fighting Collection

This is a spot that seems to usually go to the NBA 2K series, but I wanted to go in a different direction this year. And while NBA 2K23 is probably still the game I’ve put the most hours into since it released, Capcom Fighting Collection was yet another trip down memory lane for me that I found myself coming back to time and again. Some of these titles were new to me, but most of them were favorites from years (decades) past. Maybe it’s the holidays, but my sentimentality for games of old definitely hit different this year for me.

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Our Games of the Year 2022 - Biggest Surprises

Now that 2022 is in the rear-view mirror, we are entering 2023 with anticipation for the games to come. That doesn't mean however, that we don't want to take a little time to appreciate those titles that meant the most to us over the prior year as well. We have several categories in mind that will be rolled out each day, starting with our biggest surprises. As the name implies: which game managed to not only meet expectations, but blow them away? 

Pierre-Yves - Elden Ring

I don't know what I expected to be honest. Years in development, little teasers here and there, what was it? When would we get it? And then we had it. 

Dark Souls 4.

That's what Elden Ring is. Does it do anything new? Not particularly, but it's a combination of all of the Soulslikes experiences that From Software have done over the years into one awesome package. Is it perfect? No. Could the multiplayer use some enhancement like that epic mod that was created? Yes. But it was so hard to put down and it continued to impress me with its design approach. 

The biggest question now is, where does From Software go from here? Do they try to one up this? Return to Armored Core? Or make something brand new.

 

Note: This was originally written before the announcement of Armored Core 6. Yay for a new Armored Core!

Richard - Tiny Creatures

I'll admit, this isn't something I was expecting, and boy did it blow me away. A sort of novelized storytelling combined with puzzles and...action bullet-hell? It's an incredibly weird combination that just plain works. A weird and amazing take on Frankenstein told in a unique way, this is definitely the biggest surprise for me.

Nick - Roguebook

When this title was first announced, I really had no idea what to expect from it. As someone who enjoyed Faeria when it released, Roguebook was a welcome return to the characters and world that I hope to see in more games in the future. Like Faeria, Roguebook mashes up some aspects from similar but different genres and the end result was highly addictive and challenging game that I found myself picking up repeatedly throughout the year after its release.

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Sword of the Necromancer: Revenant Kickstarter campaign to launch in a few weeks

As someone who enjoyed the first Sword of the Necromancer quite a bit, I find the following news to be pretty interesting. Grimorio of Games will launch a Kickstarter campaign for 3D Action RPG Sword of the Necromancer: Revenant, just after 2 years of the original game's launch. The game showcased its first trailer last December, after being announced in development back in April 2022.

    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grimoriog/sword-of-the-necromancer-revenant

The first Sword of the Necromancer also had a successful crowdfunding campaign, raising €201,256 from its initial €15,000 goal. Revenant's campaign will have an initial goal to fund the game's physical edition, with additional stretch goals to add more features to the game. Sword of the Necromancer: Revenant has been announced for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series.

Backers will be able to obtain the game at a lower price than when it comes out. Exclusive campaign rewards will also be available, including a special surprise. The campaign will also offer limited "Early Bird" pledge tiers, so signing up to receive the notification when the campaign launches is recommended.

In the meantime, players can go to the game's Steam Store page and wishlist it.

Grimorio of Games has been sharing more details about the game and its development on their social networks with weekly Twitch dev streams, and also have a newsletter which players can sign up to to get the latest info and exclusive in-game bonuses.

    Watch the trailer on YouTube

About Sword of the Necromancer: Revenant

Sword of the Necromancer: Revenant is a third-person 3D Action RPG with Dungeon Crawling and city building. Revive your enemies once again and make them fight alongside you!

With a completely renewed battle and companion system, travel the continent, restore the Sacred City of Euda to its former glory and vanquish the ominous threat that looms over the world.

Gather the powers of the Revenants, forgotten heroes of old times and create a little army of dead to defeat the Necromancer once and for all.

    Key features:

Turn your foes into allies once again: use the Sword of the Necromancer to resurrect defeated monsters and make them fight alongside you.

Use the power of the Revenants: once ago great heroes, their spirits now wander the world. Defeat them in battle and unleash powerful summons.

Improved and customizable AI: set your monster’s Tactics to get the most of each one

New battle system: improved battle system with new possibilities like air combos. Swap characters at any moment and continue chaining hits!

Play solo or in local co-op: play the whole game with an AI companion or lend a controller to a friend to play together in split-screen co-op.

Leave the dungeon: travel the world and help its people, explore cities, towns and open fields. Delve into procedural dungeons filled with enemies, loot and challenges.

Restore Euda to its former glory: reconstruct a ravaged town, recruit people and get new functions and services like shops, a forge, cook…

The new game is being developed taking all the feedback from the original into account to create a refined and enjoyable Sword of the Necromancer experience, while keeping its trademark original mechanic and expanding upon it. Grimorio of Games is working to make an engaging game to both new and returning players.

About Grimorio of Games 

Grimorio of Games is a small team based in Barcelona. After developing the hyper-active action platformer Super Hyperactive Ninja, Grimorio of Games released Sword of the Necromancer, a top-down 2D Action RPG with roguelike elements, in 2021.

The game was released digitally on January 2021 for PC, Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch, and had a physical release in Europe for PS4 and Switch in September. In November, the game received PS5 and Xbox Series versions, thus being released in all current platforms.

Sword of the Necromancer previously had a very successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over €200K with more than 5500 backers.

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