- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: The aptly named A-cobra-tic content update has now gone live.
Ultimate Chicken Horse, as the name would obviously suggest, is a multiplayer-focused platformer that's all about trying to sabotage your friends while avoiding the same fate yourself. So as you play the levels, you and your friends will have a chance to add a variety of deadly traps and hazards, all in an effort to be the only one that reaches the end and giggles at everyone else's misfortune.
If that sounds like time well spent, then you'll be glad to hear that there is a major update coming this March 12th. It's bringing with it a skateboarding snake as a new playable character, two new levels to flung your friends into pits from, as well as four dastardly weapons to utilize: Flamethrower, One-Way Gate, Cannon & Beehive.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
The original DreadOut released back in 2014 to a good bit of excitement and some fairly mixed reviews. The concept itself was pretty solid, as was the idea of focusing on the lesser-seen horror themes from Asian folklore and urban legends, but the actual execution left a lot to be desired. To put it simply, DreadOut was just a little bit too clunky.
Quite a few years have past since then, and developer Digital Happiness has now returned to give the whole thing another try with DreadOut 2. Much like its predecessor, DreadOut 2 is a survival-horror game with action elements, adventure game exploration, and even more Asian/Indonesian horror to dig into.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: Quantum League has now been released, and so far it's looking quite good.
If you're looking for a bit of an unusual competitive experience, you might want to check out Quantum League and it's newly launched Open Beta. To put it simply, Quantum League has you play multiple rounds against your opponent while stuck in a time loop, with each new round representing a diverging timeline. So once you're past the initial round, you'll be able to team up with your past self in order to counter what got you killed in the first place, as well as hopefully prevent your opponent from creating an even bigger advantage.
All of this sounds a lot more complicated than it really is, so allow me to share with you the recently posted cinematic trailer. It should get the point across quite nicely. Have a gander:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: Othercide and its rather striking visuals have now landed onto both PC and consoles.
These past few years have been pretty good for fans of turn-based strategy. The genre has not only managed to escape the slump it was stuck in for quite a while, but there are more and more turn-based strategies being announced each month, with all of them seemingly taking the formula in a bit of a different direction.
Needless to say, this applies to the newly announced Othercide as well. It is a turn-based strategy with horror elements, a fetching black-and-white art style, as well as a bit of a unique take on the usual turn-based combat. Instead of simply trading blows with your enemies, Othercide allows you to delay your attacks for maximum impact or to simply interrupt the enemy. If everything starts going south and you run out of options, there are also various reaction skills that give you the opportunity to try and avoid potentially fatal situations at a moment's notice.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update #2]: I've now reviewed World of Horror's version 1.0 and I'm happy to say that, despite some issues, it's a highly enjoyable roguelike!
[Update]: After nearly three years in Early Access, the full version of World of Horror will be launching for PC, PlayStation and Switch in Summer 2023.
If you're in the mood for a horror game that's a little bit out of the ordinary, you might want to check out World of Horror that has just landed onto Steam Early Access. To put it simply, it's a roguelite horror-adventure heavily inspired by the works of Junji Ito and H.P. Lovecraft, all wrapped up in a rather lovely retro 1-bit art style.
As for the actual gameplay, it's mostly about trying to figure out just what in the world is happening throughout each of the randomized storylines, as well as doing whatever you can to prevent the old gods from returning once more. In order to succeed you'll need to solve puzzles, keep an eye out for suspicious allies and potential threats, carefully manage your resources, and if it comes to that, smack otherworldly horrors over the head with a baseball bat.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: The long wait is now finally over - Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord has now arrived onto Steam Early Access!
After what feels like an actual eternity of waiting, the day has finally come! Developer TaleWorlds Entertainment has now officially confirmed that Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord will be coming to Steam Early Access on March 31st!
The initial version will be somewhat limited in scope, so expect to see reused maps for different towns, limited number of quests and voice-overs, as well as a lack of some supportive features. Thankfully, most of the core gameplay will be fully present from the start, so you should still be able to have a good bit of fun with Bannerlord.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: Bonelab, Boneworks' highly ambitious successor, is launching on September 29th.
While Boneworks is one of the better VR games currently available, its launch version had a rather major flaw - no manual saves. That wouldn't be too big of a deal if the levels were fairly short, but some of the later ones could take upwards of an hour to complete on your first attempt, which is just way too much time to go without any sort of checkpoint.
As such, I'm pleased to say that Boneworks has now finally added save spots throughout the levels. They will save any items you have on your person, as well as any items you chucked into the handy savespot bins, so you'll always be able to continue right from where you left off. A simple feature, but a highly welcome one regardless!
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
If you're in the mood for a good ol' fashioned mystery, you might want to keep an eye on the freshly announced Westmark Manor. To put it simply, it is an upcoming Lovecraftian adventure game with a heavy focus on storytelling and atmosphere, as well as plenty of tricky puzzles to keep you on your toes throughout the journey.
You can get a bit of an idea of what this includes, as well as what the overall story might be about, through the recently posted reveal trailer. Have a gander:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: RimWorld's very first expansion Royalty has now suddenly been released alongside Update 1.1!
If you're like me and you've already had RimWorld consume a frankly embarrassing amount of your free time over the past few years, I'm afraid I bring some bittersweet news. With almost no warning, Ludeon Studios have now released a whole bunch of new content and improvements as a part of the Update 1.1 beta!
In terms of weaponry and armor, the update has added EMP and smoke launcher weapons, barricades to protect yourself from foolish raiders, as well as a lighter variant of marine armor - recon armor. There's also a bunch of new animals like donkeys, horses, sheep, goats, and most importantly of all, geese. As for the characters themselves, they have received a couple of new traits, reworked versions of previous ones, as well as some new tribal backstories to spice things up even further.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: Operencia has now made its way to Steam, GOG, PS4 and Switch alongside generally positive reception.
While it has mostly disappeared as a genre these days, I must admit I have a bit of a soft spot for the first-person, dungeon-crawling RPGs of old. If you share my passion for them, you might be interested to hear that Operencia: The Stolen Sun will be breaking its Xbox One and Epic Game Store exclusivity and hopping over to Steam, GOG, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch this March 31st.
Much like its oldschool predecessors, Operencia will have you control a variety of unique characters, each one with their own special abilities and skills to use and synergize with. Naturally, you'll need all of these abilities to defeat the hordes of enemies you'll encounter throughout the levels, as well as to help solve puzzles and search for the secrets that are likely to be littered throughout each of the thirteen map.