So, in the middle of a too stupidly busy day, I get ANOTHER copyright strike from YouTube courtesy of the overzealous idiots at Rico Management. Wonderful. Now that I’m boiling with rage over some bullshit (again, I have done nothing illegal here – I just posted videos I was sent to post to help promote the film I reviewed, so thanks go to for nothing but grief to a few people at this point), I still have to be polite here and tell you about this fine deal over at IndieGala.
Five games for two bucks may not seem like such a solid deal after the bigger bundles they’ve offered in the past. But there’s quite a lot of gameplay for the money and you’re helping fund a charity or few. So, pipe down and go take your medicine, I say. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go scream at someone and go take that dumb-ass Copyright School test AGAIN. Grrrr. I hate this sort of irresponsible behavior by faceless entities who need to sat out of the lives of people like me who stay on the decent path in life. But I guess these jerks need a lesson in knowing we’re all not thieves and pirates or whatever.
Unless you’re the sort of person who’s been around gaming for a while, maybe follows a bit of industry news and happens to read game credits all the way to the end, you may not know who Rod Humble is. Hopefully you’ve clicked that link and did some fast reading, because through his new company, multimedia studio Chaphat he’s got a new game coming soon that’s going to most likely get a lot of people talking and hopefully playing solo or against each other in once they give it a try.
Cults & Daggers is “a sprawling and complex strategy game set in the Hellenistic era between the death of Buddha and the birth of Christ.” If that wasn’t intriguing enough, the press release continues: “As the Old Gods plot to destroy a planet they can no longer rule, players are tasked with creating their own religion to fight a secret war for the soul of the world.” Reading that made me think of a little Lovecraftian undercurrent at play. But as I still need to try out a demo, I’ll hold out on any over-speculation as to exactly where the game goes.
As your head is spinning around that heady description and the screenshot gallery below is piquing your curiosity, the power of “cripes” compels you to read on for more info. On one hand, Cults & Daggers is a turn-based strategy game that’s decidedly very old school in terms of presentation and gameplay modes. but this is exactly the sort of game that will appeal to a wide range of players young and old who like the challenge found here. As you can see, this isn’t a graphics card showpiece at all, but more of a designer’s dream project. The board game-like layout, simple menus, creative use of artwork and plenty of lovely fonts all show off a game you won’t mistake for something else on the market.
Granted, bringing up religion in almost any context that may be seen as “negative” by its more core followers is a tricky thing to do. That said, Cults & Daggers appeals to the imagination in a “What if?” and looks to spin its web around your curious side as it hooks you into its world. The best historical strategy games are those where you can hop in for hours immersed in the gameplay and this one looks like it’s going to be up there with the classics of the genre.
Here’s what to expect in the final version of the game:
Features
Secretly manipulate the rise and fall of great cities throughout 400 years of history
Gain influence by building temples, performing sacrifices, preaching, recruiting noble families, etc.
Weaken opponents through blasphemy, assassination, robbery and subversion
Destroy evil places of power to thwart the Old Gods and earn grand rewards
Disciple skills include teaching, killing, hiding, performing spells & curses, preaching and more!
Carefully manage your religion’s Faith and Hope levels in order to gain power and influence
Spend Faith and Occult to cast spells, and bring curses and miracles to the world
Extensive Single player with procedurally generated disciples and city data
Multiplayer for up to 4 via Multiplayer Hot Seat and Play-By-E-Mail (PBEM)
Procedurally generated technology tree and adventure system
In-depth modeled spying system allows for deep subterfuge
Game includes free Cults & Daggers ambient music album
With all that in store for those who hop on the Cults & Daggers bandwagon, it’s clear that Humble and Chaphat want this game to be one of those “evergreen” titles that people can pick up and play for years without ever growing tired of it. The deep complexity and lack of flashy visuals will most likely keep this off of anything but home computers or laptops. On the other hand, who knows that will happen if this one takes off and gets a cult following (pun intended). As usual, we shall see.
Well, if you call your latest deal the FPS Bulletproof Bundle and it’s all about shooting stuff up, that’s kind of misleading, isn’t it, Bundle Stars? Well, yes and no. Sure, you’ll get eight different FPS games from companies small to large as well as two downloads that let you create your own shooters (or other types of games) all for a measly $3.49. As you’re shutting up and buying this deal of the day, you’ll probably realize that that “bulletproof” in the title isn’t a lie at all. In fact, as games can’t kill you no matter how many digital bullets, lasers, bombs and other ordinance fly your way, you can rest easy knowing you’re safe in your own home while playing any of these titles.
As you can see from these trailers (and the rest on the game page), the selection ranges from quirky to scary and you’ll even get a dose of action movie “realism” in some games. As for Axis Game Factory’s AGFPRO v2, it’s probably a decent way for would be game makers to get some hands-on time with what looks like a simple to use set of tools. You probably won’t make the next Half-Life or anything close to it with, but you’ll certainly see that making games isn’t as “easy” as you may think even with a program this flexible.
But hey, perhaps you’ll prove me wrong and make a game that blows anyone who plays it out of the water. Stranger things have happened, for sure. Anyway, go make this the best $3.49 you’ve ever spent on anything playable, I say.
Coming to PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox One and Xbox 360 on April 7, 2015, Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin will bring FromSoftware’s hard as hell-made nails game to those new consoles with a number of changes and improvements over the original release. For those rolling their eyes about the prospect of repurchasing the game just for spiffier visuals and every bit of DLC content included for free, fear not. Enemy placement throughout the game is vastly different and their AI has been dialed up even further.
Additionally, the number of enemy mobs has been increased, making the already challenging game much more so. All that and it seems that both offline and online players will have to now worry about a super-tough new foe that can invade their games with intent to do them in. Online fans looking for a fight will love the now 6-player PvP, although “love” is kind of a subjective term here. There’s nothing quite like being invaded mid-game by a bunch of people who you don’t know who may or may not be wanting to help you adventure.
Finally, that subtitle refers to an all-new NPC who’s chock full of information and meeting up with him will no doubt lead to new areas and content in the game. As you can see here, the official Dark Souls II website has announced a new patch for current owners of the original game that adds a ton of new features and content that will prepare players for the April release of Scholar of the First Sin. The great thing about all this is this reworked version of Dark Souls II is not only geared for veteran players who’ve mastered the game, but new players who want to see what all the fuss is about.
Yes, From has also added new NPC’s who can assist new players with the ins and outs of survival in such an unforgiving world. But don’t expect casual hand-holding or an assist if you bite off more that you can chew. The latter is what the assorted not so wee beasties are supposed to to and I’m betting plenty of players old and new will become meals off wheels when Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin arrives in about two months.
Nope, not at all. In fact, there’s a very good chance you’re jumping on this link and slapping down the twelve dollars to unlock all nine titles as well as the surprise bonus games coming next week. The two Knights of the Old Republic games are worth that price and Republic Commando was and is very underrated gem that’s a solid FPS as well as fairly amusing in spots thanks to a snappy scripting job. The rest of the lot (so far) is an interesting selection of genres from straight up action to real-time strategy without the resource gathering and makes for an excellent deal for the money.
As for what those upcoming additions to the bundle are, it’s tough to say. It would be nice to see more Jedi Knight games make it into the bundle, as both Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II with the Mysteries of the Sith expansion and Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast were pretty impressive for their respective times. Jedi Academy is okay and fun to play, but those two other game were sweet spot central, bumping up the visual quality and gameplay to nice heights.
Given that it looks as if whatever games Disney comes up with in the future will be meant to replace these mostly classic Star Wars experiences, this bundle comes not only recommended, but also comes with the recommendation that you give it as a gift to anyone tho know who’s a fan of the films (and has a decent gaming PC). That, and a portion of those Republic Credits you spend on this deal will go to two charities: Star Wars: Force for Change and Unicef’s US Fund. Already, over 191,000 of this bundle have flown out of the Humble Bundle site, meaning a lot of people out there know a fantastic deal when they see it. Anyway, you know what to do, Padawans, so I’ll let you get to it.
Packing an encyclopedic knowledge of the land of Hyrule and a passion for sharing it freely with others can be a bad thing if you’re wearing a baggy Tingle costume in public while ranting on a street corner to passersby giving you a wide berth. If that’s you, well… here comes the banana truck right… about… now. On the other hand, if you’re a more creative person like Jessica “Allaweh” Brown, you get cracking on a fan-made game that adds to the Legend of Zelda lore and feels quite like a professionally made product for classic game console. Zelda: Sword of Moria is set two years after the events in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, but plays much closer to the original game than its sequel. Brown has been releasing updated demo builds as she tinkers away on her project and once completed, the game will be free to anyone to play.
The game will require the Zelda Classic Launcher to run and should work fine on pretty much any PC. Once you’re all set to play, that recently created intro sequence kicks in and it’s off to the races. Sword of Moria actually begins with Link not having a sword (or any weapon at all) and a slight bit of hoofing it around to a new town to get his hands on one. This lets you see Brown’s nice level layouts as well as the tried and true Zelda gameplay where you’re unarmed for a short bit as you learn some navigation basics and see a few enemies you’ll want to avoid. Once that sword is acquired, get set to chop bushes and cut grass for Rupees and hearts as well as some enemies that previously had you scampering away before they drew a bead on poor Link.
The demo features an open world like the classic first game, but Brown’s braininess about Hyrule has allowed her to fill in some geographic gaps in the world map, making for a sensible and surprising journey while it lasts. In this latest demo build (2.0), you’ll be able to explore, fight off monsters, solve puzzles and find treasure in the Town of Saria, Northern Death Mountain, Calta Canyon and Eastern Calatia. Two smaller dungeons and one Major dungeon plus a few villages are also open for exploration. As this is an unfinished game, there are a small handful of areas that shouldn’t be ventured into lest you accidentally get Link bumped off. But the bulk of the demo looks and feels as if it’s a professionally made first-party game circa 1987 or so.
There’s still a good deal of work to go, but from the time spent with Zelda: Sword of Moira, it’s clear that this is going to be one of those great fan-made games that’s not just another remake or not quite “right” pseudo-sequel that goes off a few rails at different points. Her sticking to lore and dedication to making a game as close to feeling like the original and sequel make Ms. Brown someone to watch. And with work on a few sites, a regular podcast, YouTube and Twitch channel, she won’t mind you watching her, by the way.
Holy Cats. Fourteen, no wait… FIFTEEN Steam games for $1.99 over at IndieGala for the next 24 hours ONLY? Insane, but it’s got BUY ME written all over it, folks. You’ll get a nice mix of genres from roguelike RPG to fast-paced action, a slice or three of horror and even the unique photo album game Retention about a guy who has a bike accident and is flipping through the pages of his memory as he lies on the ground awaiting help. Well, I guess that’s better than slipping in the shower as far as accidents go. Ouch. This one’s worth a play because the developers say it only takes about eleven minutes to play. Eight endings give it replay value, so I guess that’s about 90 minutes total if you go for all four good and bad endings, correct?
Anyway, go get your deal and shut yourself in for the weekend. It’s going to be terrifyingly cold in some spots from what I’m seeing…
Haunting my inbox was an invite from Agnieszka Szostak to check out a brief demo of Goetia, a point and click mystery adventure game from French indie developer Sushee. The game is currently half funded on Kickstarter with about 21 days to go, a good sign for a game of this type. The demo clocks in at about an hour of play and shows off a game well worth keeping an eye on.
In the game, you’ll play as Abigail Blackwood,or more precisely, the ghost of Abigail Blackwood. She rises from her grave one gloomy evening and after realizing she’s no longer among the living, also discovers that there’s a mystery to be solved at her family’s seemingly abandoned manor nearby. While the demo takes place entirely in the mansion and it’s grounds, Sushee says the final build will have a lot more ground to cover. The cool thing is, it’s entirely up to players as to how to proceed thanks to Abby’s ghostly, spherical form. As a ghost, she can travel through some walls and floors as well as interact with and manipulate objects in order to solve puzzles and progress through an even deeper mystery.
Some areas are blocked off by mysterious runes that require knowledge of how to dispel, so Abby will need to scour every nook and cranny for clues. The object manipulation is actually really cool, as it allow Abby to “be” an item for as long as you wish to float it around the screen. Solving some puzzles involves multiple steps of manipulation, but the interface only has three icon-based actions to deal with.
Abby can look, use or inhabit certain items and combining these skills (plus some careful reading of found documents) is key to success. The game is also reminiscent of the hugely popular “hidden object” genre that has far too many titles to count. Goetia requires a bit more grey matter activation, as there’s a nice layer of complexity to figuring some things out. Combine that with an open environment and you have the makings of an instant genre classic.
Visually, the game is quite lovely in a simple non-system hog manner reminiscent of classic side-scrolling PC point and click games from the 90’s. That said, the use of lighting and parallax scrolling are brilliantly implemented, giving the game a nice sense of realism. As Abby is just a sphere-shaped spirit, you’re not going to be seeing her girlish figure animating anything but the objects she possesses. So, if you’re looking at this for the potential of playing as a hidden statue, candlestick or other otherwise inanimate object, go on ahead and dive into that demo with relish.
If you’re still rocking a system that runs Windows XP, fear not. There’s a 32-bit demo you can play that’s exactly the same. This is a smart move by Sushee because believe it or not, plenty of people still use that well-aged OS. I’m also sure part of the target audience for a game like this skews older enough to not be spending rent money on keeping up with the latest gaming rig setups.
All kidding aside, Goetia’s story is compelling in the manner it rolls out, enveloping you in a multi-layered mystery that so far, makes for a game worth funding and/or buying outright once it’s completed. Here’s what to expect in the final version:
A 2D world of Victorian mystery.
Over 90 rooms to explore.
Five vast and diverse areas to discover – Blackwood Manor is surrounded by ruins, woods, caves and an abandoned village.
A progressive-rock and ambient-inspired soundtrack.
Use your ability to walk through walls in order to reach secret rooms and areas.
Possess objects like a poltergeist to lift them, use them, combine them, make them float in the air, pile them up… well, you’re a ghost after all, behave like one!
Solve puzzles in more than one way by discovering hidden rooms and special features, such as new ghostly powers.
Delve into Blackwood’s story: 40 years have passed, and many things have changed since Abigail’s death.
Feel free to explore! You can travel through the world of Goetia however you like – and if you get stuck, simply backtrack and explore another area.
Goetia is set for an October release on PC and Mac. As for other platforms, let’s just say “who knows”, but the controls certainly make it seem like it’s going to be a very mobile-friendly port for those of you who prefer your games a bit more portable.
You know something folks? I just absolutely love that I can fall asleep every night knowing that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is going to be one of 2015’s best games on anything it appears on. CD Projekt RED is going to get plenty of people hot under the collar and a few other places for all the right reasons when this game finally gets into the hands of eager gamers on May 19, 2015. In case you’ve been wondering why this one’s so late, the delay is so the dev team can squash any nasty bugs that would stop players from fully enjoying the experience. They could more than likely ship the game sooner and patch it up over time. However, given the troubles plaguing other AAA games from last year that did just that (you know who you are), I’m betting CDPR wants to avoid the wrath of fans complaining them to death on message boards worldwide. Good for them for wanting to get it all right, I say…
It’s a Monday, it’s freezing outside and there’s going to be a ton of snow on the ground in some spots that will keep you indoors wishing you had the whole rest of the week off and then some. What to do, what to do? Well, if IndieGala has their merry way with some of you, you’ll be sitting in front of a warm PC playing some cheap games. Or at least ONE cheap game, as Words for Evil from this week’s Every Monday Bundle is FREE as a bird. Check it out below:
The rest of the games in this weeks deal ($1.49 for six games!) are certainly eclectic as you’ll soon see. Also, if you poke at the IndieGala store page, you can get another free game just because they really want you to shop there at some point and find even more deals. Sounds like a plan, if you ask me. Alrighty then – go do what you need to do. Me, I’m going to build a fire somewhere warm and cook the first thing that crosses my path…
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 