- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update #2]: Risk of Rain 2 has now left Early Access alongside the massive new Update 1.0!
[Update]: Risk of Rain 2's Artifacts update has now arrived, and unsurprisingly, it's a pretty good one.
While there were some delays here and there, Risk of Rain 2 developers have so far stuck to their roadmap with admirable precision. As such, I'm sure it won't come as much of a surprise to hear that the big Artifacts 2.0 update will be coming this March 31st, only a little bit later than what the team predicted quite a few months ago.
The details are still few and far between, but I can tell you the update is going to bring with it a brand new stage to explore, multiple new bosses, as well as a variety of items and equipment to experiment with. Most importantly of all, the update will bring with it improvements to the Artifact system, as well as even more Artifacts to help spice things up.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: Curse of the Dead Gods will be launching onto PC and consoles this February 23rd.
Curse of the Dead Gods is a hack & slash roguelite that will have you explore a variety of dungeons littered with traps, hordes of enemies, and permanent curses that can be both beneficial and devastating - all depending on how you deal with them. In other words, Curse of the Dead Gods is going for a 'challenging but fair' style of difficulty, with the enemies being subject to all of the same attacks, curse effects and traps as you are.
You can get a pretty good idea of what all of this looks like in gameplay terms, as well as what some of the curses are like, through the recent gameplay overview trailer. Have a peek, it's a pretty informative one:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: The long journey has now come to an end! Black Mesa has been officially released!
It has a been a long and difficult road, with the project seeming quite dead on multiple occasions, yet Black Mesa and its developers have persevered and will soon be reaching the grand finale of their entire journey. According to the latest blog post, the fan re-imagining of the original Half-Life will be releasing in full this March 5th!
You can get a pretty good idea of just what Black Mesa has to offer, as well as how much of an improvement it is over the original, through one of the recent trailers for the Xen chapter. Have a gander:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update #2]: RimWorld is getting the massive free Update 1.3 and Ideology expansion in July 2021.
[Update]: RimWorld's new Update 1.2 has added difficulty customization and a bunch of new content.
RimWorld's very first expansion Royalty released a little while ago alongside Update 1.1. The two of them brought in royalty as a new social class, powerful psychic powers, a variety of new animals and quests, a new mechanoid type and mechanoid hives, as well as even more items to toy around with.
The influx of new content won't be ending there, however, as RimWorld developers have now come out to announce their plans for the future. In the short term you can expect a variety of bug fixes and improvements based on player feedback, while in the long-term the Royalty DLC will be expanded with a with a bunch of new features. Here's a brief list highlighting what the developers are currently working on:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update #2]: The day has finally come - Deep Rock Galactic has now been unleashed from Steam Early Access!
[Update]: Deep Rock Galactic will be digging its way out of Steam Early Access this May 13th!
As previously announced, Deep Rock Galactic will be officially released from Steam Early Access in the second quarter of 2020. In order to ensure everything goes according to plan, as well as to polish up the new-player experience, Ghost Ship Games have now revealed that there will be one more major update before launch.
Update 29 will feature a whole bunch of under-the-hood optimization and improvements, the most obvious of which will be the visual overhaul of your trusty Drop Pod. Also, if you're a fan of making your gear as ridiculously over-the-top as possible, you'll be glad to hear your pickaxe will be getting a full visual customization system.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
If you're looking for a story-driven adventure with a hearty sprinkling of puzzles, the the newly released Beautiful Desolation might be up your alley. Expect to see a 2D isometric adventure game set in an African-inspired distant future, factions that both revere and revile the advanced technology that brought the world to ruin, and naturally, gigantic scorpions and rocket-launcher-wielding robots.
You can get a pretty good impression of just what Beautiful Desolation has to offer, as well as what the actual gameplay is like, through the recently posted trailer. Have a peek:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
If you're looking for a bit of a change in scenery, you might want to check out the newly released Knights of Light. To put it quite simply, Knights of Light is a Mount & Blade inspired action-RPG set in 7th-century Iran and primarily focused on the events that led to the fall of the Sassanian empire.
In terms of gameplay, Knights of Light is split into two major parts: solo action and army management. The first one should be fairly self-explanatory. Just like in any other RPG, you'll be able to freely roam across the world, complete a variety of missions, and naturally, clash swords with anyone that dares stand in your way. When it comes to army management, you'll be expected to give orders to your troops on the field, as well as carefully manage your resources and build-up your regions.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update #2]: The Soroboreans expansion has now arrived alongside highly positive reviews.
[Update]: The Soroboreans expansion has been pinned for a June release date on PC, and July on PS4 and Xbox One.
While Outward is certainly a niche RPG, it's one that I found to be quite compelling as it provides a real sense of adventure and exploration. As such, I am very happy to say that Outward will soon be getting its very first expansion - The Soroboreans!
The details are few and far between, but so far the developers have confirmed three major features. First of all, you will be able to drastically adjust your weapons and trinkets through the use of the new enchanting system. Given how magic works in Outward, I fully expect enchantments to be immensely powerful, as well as immensely hard to acquire!
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
When it comes to mixing genres, usually the developers tend to go with ones that complement each other. For example, combining Metroidvania-style exploration with an action-RPG combat and progression system makes perfect sense. The newly released Lair of the Clockwork God does not do that!
Instead, Lair of the Clockwork God goes the complete opposite direction by combining the slow and meticulous point & click gameplay with the frantic pace of a platformer. Add to that a very loose connection to reality, as well as plenty of humor, and you've got a bit of unusual game before you.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: March 3 has now arrived, and with it Curse of the Dead Gods has been released onto Steam Early Access.
Curse of the Dead Gods is an upcoming hack & slash roguelite with a focus on 'challenging but fair' difficulty. You'll need to brave numerous levels filled with deadly traps, powerful enemies and even curses, though it's not all that bad as through skillful play you can transform those disadvantages into massive boons. So push enemies into traps, use their abilities against their own allies, and then build your character in such a way that all of your curses end up working in your favor!
You can get a bit of an idea of how this is done, as well as what Curse of the Dead Gods has to offer as a whole, through the recently posted gameplay overview. Have a gander: