Pilot Season – Week 3 – Dead Cells

This is week three of the pilot season, where I show the first episode of a few Let’s Play series, you vote which one you like the most and I keep playing that game to the end. The second most voted for comes afterwards and the rest fade into oblivion.

So far we’ve had Ori and the Blind Forest and Hollow Knight, two wonderful Metroidvania games, the genre I’ve been obsessed with for the past few months. Now it’s time for a rogue-like on Early Access on steam, Dead Cells.  Continue reading Pilot Season – Week 3 – Dead Cells

Preview – Tanzia

Some time ago I received a preview key for an action RPG called Tanzia by Arcanity Inc., which opted for an MMORPG feel and control scheme for its action. From the few screenshots and videos I’d seen before giving it a try, it looked pretty interesting, with a strange blue character blasting things to bit on a tropical island.

Now that I’ve had a chance to play around with the Early Access build, I can say that there’s a lot of potential in the title, but it’s too rough to enjoy right now, with some bizarre design decisions that make the action feel like a slog instead of a fun time. Continue reading Preview – Tanzia

Preview: We Happy Few

I remember the announcement for We Happy Few and the first few images posted online. I thought it was creepy and exciting. I’m a big fan of dystopian settings, even more so when the people in them think of society as being utopic overall. The juxtaposition between how clearly horrible the world is and how people perceive it is fascinating for me, particularly when done right.

This weekend I got my hands on the Early Access version of We Happy Few—no, I didn’t buy it, the developers sent me the code—and I got to play for a little while, exploring this alpha version dystopian world. Continue reading Preview: We Happy Few

Preview: Wolcen Lords of Mayhem aka Umbra

Last year I backed a project on Kickstarter, my first ever backing and it was for a top-down Action-RPG (aka Diablo-clone) built using the CryEngine. Its name was Umbra but recently on entering Steam Early Access, it received a name revamp, one I’m not particularly fond of, to Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem.

I really hate the new name, I thought Umbra had a lot more character and added a sense of mystique to the world. So for the rest of this article, I’ll keep calling it Umbra.

When you launch Umbra, the first thing you’ll see is a warning reminding you of the Alpha stage of the game, and how because of that there is very little in terms of sound design in the game, which is true as there are barely any sound effects, let alone music to find in the current build. Continue reading Preview: Wolcen Lords of Mayhem aka Umbra

Preview: Man O’ War: Corsair

During Rezzed I had the chance to check out Man O’ War: Corsair, a naval game set in the distant past of the Warhammer Fantasy universe. It puts you in control of a crew as you sail the treacherous seas looking for trouble, fortune and enough money to retire and buy that house of your dreams…and try not to die a horrible death in the process.

When I launched the game and after the first long loading screen—which strangely enough was quite short when I played the game a second time—I got the chance to create my character, the captain of the ship. As the game is still in Early Access there weren’t many options available, so “default guy” it was! The crew was the same no matter what I did and that’s ok, as beyond your second in command they’re just a band of disposable nobodies you hire in bulk at port. Continue reading Preview: Man O’ War: Corsair

Grim Dawn Now Available on Steam

Grim Dawn, the Action-RPG Spiritual Successor to the now defunct Iron Lore’s fantastic Greek Myth inspired Titan Quest, is now available for purchase on Steam, with both a 10% discount until November 12th and Early Access for those who purchase it. Continue reading Grim Dawn Now Available on Steam