- By Ash
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While I greatly enjoyed my time with Frostpunk, it's one of those games that I find really difficult to return to. This is mostly because each challenge Frostpunk presents you with is so daunting that by the time you solve it you've become an expert in your field, which as you might imagine kind of takes the edge off any subsequent playthroughs.
With all of that in mind, I am delighted to say that 11 bit studios have just announced a solution to my little problem - a fancy new sequel! Frostpunk 2 will take place 30 years after the apocalyptic blizzard and will have you tackle the problems of an increasingly divided society, all the while trying to keep everyone from freezing to death through the newly introduced oil extraction industry.
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- in Indie Games
While this might not come as a massive surprise given that it was accidentally leaked a while ago, the time-bending exploration game Outer Wilds is finally getting an expansion - Echoes of the Eye! You can expect to see it arrive on September 28, 2021 for PC and consoles, and judging by the brief synopsis it also looks like it'll be Outer Wilds' first and only expansion.
The exact details on what Echoes of the Eye will bring to the table are still few and far between, but the developers are planning to weave the expansion into the existing world and its story. As such I think we can expect to see a couple of new environments to explore, updates to some of the original ones, as well as a whole new set of mysteries to uncover!
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update #2]: Kena: Bridge of Spirits has now also landed onto Steam alongside very positive player reviews.
[Update]: After multiple delays, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is now fully ready to launch.
The remarkably charming action-adventure Kena: Bridge of Spirits was supposed to release this August, but according to the newly posted announcement that is sadly no longer going to be the case. Instead you can expect Kena: Bridge of Spirits to arrive on September 21, 2021 for PC and PlayStation.
As for the reason behind the delay, it's thankfully nothing too concerning. The Ember Lab team has simply reevaluated the whole project and figured they could use an extra month in order to get everything polished up and ready to go.
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- in Indie Games
Now that its one-year exclusivity period with Google Stadia is over, Orcs Must Die! 3 has finally made its way to Steam, Xbox One and X|S, PlayStation 4 and 5, as well as GeForce Now. Much like its predecessors Orcs Must Die! 3 is firmly focused on the combination of third-person action and tower defense elements, all in an effort to shock, fry, explode or otherwise mangle hordes of dastardly Orcs.
As for what this looks like in actual gameplay, that you can find out through the recently posted launch trailer. Have a gander, it'll clue you in quite quickly on what to expect:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: RimWorld's Biotech expansion is adding children, player-controlled mechanoids and gene editing.
After being suddenly announced and going through a brief round of public testing, RimWorld's second expansion Ideology has now been unleashed. As the name would suggest Ideology allows you to create your very own belief systems and then enforce them upon your colony, with this covering everything from nudist hippies to technology obsessed cannibals. There's also brand new roguelike-styled quests to spice things up, alongside new creatures, improvements, and perhaps most excitingly, a brand new ending to uncover!
You can get a pretty good idea of how all of this translates into actual gameplay, as well as how insane the whole thing can get, through the freshly posted launch trailer. Have a peek:
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- in Indie Games
Just like many of the JRPGs from which it draws a great deal of inspiration, Cris Tales is all about wondering across the world in search of adventure, befriending and recruiting a variety of over-the-top characters, and then teaming up with them to face off against a whole host of enemies in turn-based combat. That said, things don't stay that simple for very long as Cris Tales heavily focuses on time-traveling and allows you to visit individual locations in the past, present and future!
You can get a little bit of an idea of what this looks like in actual gameplay, as well as what Cris Tales looks like in general, through the rather handy overview trailer. Have a peek:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
A full year has gone by since Streets of Rage 4 first arrived, so if you're looking for some sort of excuse to give it another whirl, you'll be happy to hear the very first DLC has now arrived. The aptly titled Mr. X Nightmare will have you enter a simulation created from the remnants of Mr. X's brain, in which you will encounter three new playable characters, a brand new Survival mode, a new character customization system, as well as new arenas, traps and enemies to toy around with.
You can get a pretty good idea of what all of this nonsense looks like in action through the recently posted launch trailer. Have a gander, it's a rather straightforward one:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
While it once commanded a great deal of respect, the F-Zero series has sadly completely disappeared over the course of the past twenty years. While that doesn't seem to be changing any time soon, I am pleased to say that an indie studio is currently working on a spiritual successor - Voidspeed Outlaw.
As you might expect given its inspiration, Voidspeed Outlaw is a retro-futuristic racing game that will have you zoom across a whole bunch of tracks set all throughout the Solar System. Along the way you'll be able to upgrade and customize your speeder, switch between a variety of different models, as well as mess around with several game modes.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: The Ideology expansion and its accompanying free Update 1.3 have now arrived alongside a pretty positive reception.
It may have taken well over a year since RimWorld's Update 1.2 and Royalty expansion, but I'm happy to say a brand new batch of content is nearly ready to be unleashed! Much like before the upcoming patch will be separated into two parts: the free Update 1.3 and the paid Ideology expansion.
Despite being free, Update 1.3 will be a rather chunky one. Expect to see a new AI system to make base raids a more dangerous affair, a pens-and-fences system for animals, a reworked faction goodwill system, combat formations, improved mod support, better visual indicators for things like wounds and body modifications, new beards, a whole bunch of quality of life tweaks, and the list goes on for a while.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: Mr. X Nightmare DLC has now arrived and so far it's looking like it's quality stuff!
If you're looking for a reason to dive back into Streets of Rage 4, you'll be happy to hear that a brand new DLC is set to arrive this July 15th - Mr. X Nightmare. The rather appropriately titled expansion will have you enter a simulation created from the remnants of Mister X's brain, in which you will find a brand new Survival mode, three new playable characters, a character customization system, and naturally, a whole host of new weapons and enemies to test your toys against!
The way the Survival mode will work is fairly simple, though it does also promise a decent chunk of replayability. As you push through increasingly stronger waves of enemies you will be granted a choice of perks. These perks can be either purely positive or a offer a 'give and take' sort of deal, with the end goal being for you to create synergistic builds with which you can bulldoze straight through the toughest enemies Streets of Rage 4 can throw at you.