Gallery: BREACHED

Posted on April 24, 2016 by geelw

Welcome to BREACHED, coming to Steam sometime this year from indie developer Drama Drifters. “What’s it all about?” you ask with a raised eyebrow as you lean forward in your seat. Well… let’s take a look:

You awaken as Corus Valott, long lost in cryogenic slumber, to find your shelter damaged by unknown circumstances. The land and settlements around you have crumbled to ruin, broken buildings and jagged shards all that remains. Confused and isolated, you’re compelled to repair the shelter, explore the ruins and scavenge your surroundings, in hopes of uncovering – or perhaps avoiding – the uncomfortable truth of what has transpired.

Well, that’s not good news at all for Corus, but the game certainly looks quite impressive despite his plight.

You’d THINK by 2245 (when the game takes place), we’d have all this “how to survive on other planets” stuff down pat. But, nope. Stuff always tends to go haywire in sci-fi, which is of course a good deal better than it happening in reality, right? This is probably why BREACHED will work so well (if that trailer is any indication). Survival simulation, speedy drone piloting, exploration and repairs all come into play as Corus only has eight (game) days to get things taken care of. Will he make it off that rock or what? I’d say that may be all up to you and what the developers have planned. While you’re waiting for the release date, feel free to give a listen to the game’s otherworldly soundtrack a bunch of times while you wait. It’s quite good.

Back with more on this one once the inbox gets a tickle of news.

Valley: Blue Isle Studios’ Newest Is Intentionally More Jumpy Than Scary

Posted on April 23, 2016 by geelw

Blue Isle Studios made a name for itself with Slender: The Arrival on PC and then consoles, but the studio wisely decided not to become the all jump scare all the time game factory fans of that horror hit wanted it to be. Its upcoming title, Valley is a very different game than Slender was, although some are making direct (and probably unfair) comparisons to Gone North Games excellent first-person puzzle platformer A Story About My Uncle.

The trailer below certainly has a few things going for it that game didn’t as well as what looks like a tonal shift from freeform 3D platforming to a bit of slightly frightening business:

As for what’s what with the story and what to expect from the gameplay, here you go:

Valley is a First-Person adventure unlike any other. Hidden deep within a remote region of the Rocky Mountains, you find yourself bewildered within a secluded valley. With the power of a recently discovered L.E.A.F. suit (Leap Effortlessly though Air Functionality), run and jump your way through beautiful forests, dangerous ruins and vast environments; all the while utilizing the power to control life and death to uncover the startling secrets of the mysterious valley.

Features

Move faster, jump higher: make your way through the world of Valley™ using the incredible speed and agility of the L.E.A.F. suit.
Manipulate life and death: the L.E.A.F. suit grants its pilots the phenomenal power to both give and take life from any living thing.
Experience a unique twist on death: the more you die, the more the valley will die around you.
Enhance yourself: upgrade your suit with new abilities and strengths.
Explore: the world of Valley™ is filled with forests, wildlife, ancient ruins, charming creatures, dangerous enemies and other mysteries.

Six screens below to ogle:

The varied environments combined with the intriguing gameplay makes Valley quite intriguing and well worth a play to see how the mechanics work. If it all works well, Blue Isle will have what’s looking to be an even bigger hit than Slender was, provided that game’s legion of fans is willing to try something different. Valley lands on PC via Steam (so far), PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this summer.

Gallery: Niten

Posted on April 22, 2016 by geelw

“Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world”
– Miyamoto Musashi

That quote from Musashi’s classic The Book of Five Rings is seemingly what Edinburgh, Scotland-based indie developer Donald Macdonald is aiming to convey with Niten, an upcoming first-person exploration game currently available for backing on Kickstarter that blazed through the Steam Greenlight approval process in a mere ten days. Created with Unreal Engine 4 and Speedtree assets, MacDonald’s interactive adventure looks absolutely glorious with an open world beckoning to be fully explored as the story plays out:

In search of the past and the present find yourself lost on a remote island off the coast of Japan. Uncover the mystery where ancient Japanese culture meets breathtaking scenery, blossoming cherry trees and a sky that tells a story in its self. Watch the weather turn and see the sun go down, feel the chill of the morning mist and let the glowing fireflies guide you as you search to uncover the truth of the island.

As for that island, let’s take a look at some gorgeous screenshots below the jump. Passports ready? Good. We’re off: Continue reading →

Gallery: Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan – The Awakening

Posted on April 15, 2016 by geelw

Okay, who knew Cameroon (yes, that Cameroon) had an indie game development studio working on a colorful Action/RPG partly inspired by Japan’s Tales of franchise and a few side-scrolling brawlers some of you may have spent a lot of money in back in the arcade era?

Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan – The Awakening is out NOW and can be purchased directly from the developer or on Steam (both at a 15% discount).

If that colorful trailer above and those equally colorful screenshots below the jump are any indication, Kiro’o Games has a winner on their hands worth playing.

Continue reading →

Gallery: Lobo With Shotguns Looks Like A Total Blast From the Past

Posted on April 13, 2016 by geelw

If any game was a perfect example of “screenshots do NOT do this game justice!” it would be Lobo With Shotguns, coming sometime this year from talented indie developers Fat Panda Games Studio. Based in Yucatán, Mexico, the team has infused their upcoming non-stop action-packed game with a seriously awesome retro look that recalls 60’s and 70’s comic books as well as classic arcade game series such as Final Fight, Double Dragon, Streets of Rage, and even bits of Splatterhouse.

Hush, now about that icky grain in this screen. See the trailer below for what’s up with that…

As soon as I saw the screens and spectacular trailer, I think I let out a squeal that sounded like a car skidding on a wet highway then through a guard rail and off a cliff (BOOM!). Memories of the old Marvel Super Heroes cartoons from their 1970’s run on WPIX here in NY punched me in the head until I stopped laughing because I’d forgotten to breathe. I also got a whiff of ancient Mexican horror/hero movies at work here, but it’s not as obvious an influence. That said, if anyone was to do a series of side-scrolling Lucha games featuring the legendary Sancho character, I’d choose this team based on what’s here.

See what I mean?
Continue reading →

PC Review: ADR1FT

Posted on April 12, 2016 by geelw

Platform: PC

Developer: three one zero LLC

Publisher: 505 Games

# of Players: 1

MSRP: $19.99

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A (90%)
If you’re one who normally plays games on a smaller screen laptop or monitor, ADR1FT is most likely going to make you want a bigger screen as soon as possible. Of course, I’m saying this as someone whose first introduction to the experience was back when it was running on another engine and 505 Games premiered an early console and PC VR demo in a movie theater where on the big screen the scope was quite impressive indeed. That scale is far more thrilling with the complete overhaul/upgrade to the Unreal 4 Engine, but it works best on the biggest display you can get even if it means popping over to a friend’s place to show off the finished product.

Forget the “walking simulator” labels the game is getting from the limited vocabulary crowd, throw out your science degrees or overly critical eye for complete accuracy (it’s a videogame, NOT a NASA sim), strap yourself in and prepare for a quietly wild ride. ADR1FT is less of a straight adventure game and more of a deliberately paced and tension filled trip into space where survival is key if only to discover how it all ends. The game works as both a visual treat for the eyes as well as a great example of the promise of virtual reality as a viable entertainment option (provided you currently own or plan to buy one of the VR headsets being hard marketed this year).

Continue reading →

Gallery: DUELYST – It’s In The Cards This One Will Be A Hit

Posted on April 7, 2016 by geelw

While I’m not at all a “competitive” gamer or a huge fan of online-only gaming, every one in a while I’ll get something cool to peruse in my inbox that makes me stop and click away on a few links. Counterplay Games’ DUELYST not only got me to click away on a few links, I actually signed up to check out the beta of this free to play card battle/strategy game and came away pretty impressed. Given that lack of time is a big factor in getting me to even look a most online games, DUELYST grabbed me right away with its gorgeous pixel art style and short matches that take around 5 to 10 minutes to play.

Once you create an account, the game recommends you dive into a three stage tutorial in order to learn the basics. This is great advice to follow as the game takes off the training wheels should you choose to hop into it feet first. As with any good turn-based strategy game with card battles, positioning is crucial as is having the proper cards. Early solo play pits you against each faction and defeating them unlocks them and their cards. This gets you a nice starter deck as well as lets you choose which group to join. That said, the AI is pretty fierce. Expect to have your rear end passed back to you a few times when the AI outplays you or you run out of good cards because you haven’t built up a nicer deck.
Continue reading →

Goliath: Expect Big Things From This Mech-Building ARPG

Posted on April 5, 2016 by geelw

Octopus Tree is a brand new publisher with a couple of really impressive looking upcoming titles. The one that jumped out and bit me the hardest (ouch!) was Whalebox Studio’s Goliath, an action/adventure RPG coming to Steam on May 12 for $19.99 where you build robots and take them out for some quality time in order to meet other like-minded robots and other big beasts with the intention of nicely or not so nicely knocking the stuffing out of them.

But don’t let me let you think I’m pulling your leg here. I don’t know you all THAT well and heck, I’d ASK first before I pulled anything on you even if you wanted me to (but I avoid fingers for obvious reasons). Ahem. Any-way… just watch that trailer above then go click below the jump and peek at part of the press release. Hey, I’m trying to finish up another writing gig here and I’ve a meeting in about ten minutes, so our “me” time today is somewhat limited… Continue reading →

Soda Drinker Pro Burps Onto PC, Xbox One Soon

Posted on April 5, 2016 by geelw

If your day wasn’t or isn’t weird enough…it’s surely about to get its daily dose of the truly bizarre. Note: this video may cause you to want to go have a drink… of SODA!

Admittedly, I initially had no idea what to make of the infamous Soda Drinker Pro other than to say I played it about a year and a half or so ago for about two hours and I had no idea how to write about it. Was it a commentary on the indie game scene and how any idea that could get made got made? Was it a genuine attempt by a novice developer to get his offbeat game some free media coverage in this age of everyone online being some sort of critic just because they have opinions and easy computer access? Was it a bad dream after too much cold pizza and stale coffee?

After playing that two hours, I’ll admit that my brain was out of things to say back then. So nothing was said and the game seemingly vanished for a while. Actually, it didn’t “vanish” at all. It got tweaked with Oculus Rift support(!) and you can buy a DRM-free download code for the PC version for $4.99 from the official site if you’re brave and curious with five bucks in your hand you want to pass through your monitor to developer Will Brierly.

As you’ve more than likely guessed from that title… Soda Drinker Pro is BACK. As in it’s coming to XBox One and PC on April 14th with the rather intriguing and somehow far weirder platform game Vivian Clark as a bonus. As you can see, that game looks as if Salvador Dali moved into Pee-Wee’s Playhouse and had lots of babies with a spaceship full of willing extraterrestrials:

Or in proper English, I think I may need to play this at some point. You may need to as well if your eyes and brain survived up to this point. Just keep an eye peeled wherever games appear in your area in about a week or so.

Jalopy Hands-On: Slow Riding a Lemon Is Actually Fun Times

Posted on April 1, 2016 by geelw

Of all the different games from Excalibur Publishing I’ve sampled over the past two months, Jalopy is out and out the best one to date. Created by Minskworks, which is Greg Pryjmachuk, a former game developer who worked on on the legendary Formula 1 franchise, Jalopy is both a visual throwback to the 1990’s and a solid, challenging car simulation for the modern age that’s more fun to play than certain AAA driving games. Set during the fall of Communism in the Eastern Bloc, players are tasked with owning and maintaining a beat up but lovable Laika 601 as they drive it around the GDR’s highways and countryside. Continue reading →