- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: Satisfactory is heading over to Steam on June 8, 2020.
Coffee Stain Studios, the developers behind Sanctum and the more famous Goat Simulator, have now come out to announce a brand new game. The actual details are still a complete mystery, but what I can tell you is that the game's name is Satisfactory (with the focus being on the 'factory' part of the title) and that it has rather lovely visuals.
If you would like to give it a look for yourself and see if I've somehow managed to miss something in the incredibly brief teaser trailer, you'll find the video right below. It's not very long so I'd definitely recommend checking it out, if for no other reason than the adorable lizard-dog it features prominently:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update #2]: Necromunda: Underhive Wars has now arrived for PC and consoles, though not without a fair few bugs.
[Update]: Warhammer 40k themed tactical RPG Necromunda: Underhive Wars is launching on September 8, 2020!
Rogue Factor, developers you might recognize from their work on the rather solid Mordheim: City of the Damned, have announced their next foray into the Warhammer universe. However, instead of going with Warhammer Fantasy, this time around they'll be exploring the grim darkness of the far future with the Warhammer 40,000 themed Necromunda: Underhive Wars.
Much like Mordheim, the gameplay in Necromunda will be a turn-based affair with a heavy focus on customization. In other words, you will be able to customize almost every aspect of your gang members, everything from their appearance to their loadout. As your characters grow in power they will be able to unlock even more skills and weapons, so it really comes down to choosing whatever playstyle you enjoy, and then trying to form a team around that idea. A fairly simple concept, but one that has been proven to work many times before.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
After five years of development, as well as a year and a half in Steam Early Access, the stylish action-RPG Ghost of a Tale has now finally released on PC. The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions are in the works as well, though there is currently no official release date set just yet. According to the developers, the best estimate they can offer is "later this year" as they're still getting prepared for the whole certification process.
As for the gameplay itself, Ghost of a Tale is primarily focused on immersion and exploration. Since you are a tiny little mouse you will need to use stealth and disguises in order to avoid much larger enemies, as well as rely on your environment for both safety and a means of fighting back. After all, a giant rat might be able to chew your face off in a single bite, but that tends to be quite hard to do when an entire rack of barrels collapses on its head!
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
If you're up for wracking your brain with a variety of increasingly difficult puzzles, all the while enjoying some rather lovely ambiance, you might be interested to hear that the first-person puzzle-adventure Q.U.B.E. 2 has now arrived for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It offers eleven major areas with around 80 individual puzzles, full color blind support with symbols as color aid, as well as a mysterious storyline to unravel.
Speaking of which, you will be playing as Amelia Cross, a naive archaeologist that suddenly finds herself stranded among the sand-swept ruins of an ancient and quite possibly alien civilization. In order to escape you'll have to explore the maze-like monolith, solve puzzles to unlock new areas, as well as "come to terms with a devastating truth that will shake your world". A relatively simple premise, but for a puzzle-adventure I feel that's probably the best approach given that you'll mostly be focused on figuring out whatever set of problems lie before you.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
These days it is not easy for an indie game to stand out in terms of visuals, but the relatively recently announced puzzle-adventure Tala has managed to do just that. As you can see in the image above, it features a combination of nature photography and traditional animation, with the end result being downright adorable to behold.
If you're wondering how all of it looks like in motion, however, allow me to share with you the original reveal trailer. It's not very long, but it'll give you a pretty good idea of what Tala is all about. Have a gander, it's well worth the minute:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: It took a while, but Firmament will be launching in the first quarter of 2023!
After many, many years of waiting the world finally saw Cyan bring out a brand new spiritual successor to Myst back in 2016 - the highly atmospheric and utterly bizarre Obduction. Thankfully, fans of puzzle-adventures will not have to wait as long for the next one as Cyan has just recently unveiled their newest steampunk adventure Firmament!
There are currently very few details available about Firmament, but on the positive side there is a fairly lengthy teaser trailer, so if you're interested in what exactly Cyan cooked up this time around you'll find the video right below. Have a look, it's quite an intriguing one:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
Ever since Games Workshop relaxed their hold on the Warhammer 40,000 license we've been getting a steady stream of games set in the grim darkness of the far future, with Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus being the most recently announced one. As you might expect from a game featuring the Adeptus Mechanicus, you're going to be able to upgrade the weak flesh of your Tech-Priests with a variety of mechanical augments, and then use said augments to decimate the enemies of the Omnissiah in strategic turn-based combat.
The details are still few and far between, but what I can tell you is that the story in Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus will be penned by Ben Counter - an author with quite a few books and short stories set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. While the recently posted trailer won't give you much information to ponder over, it will give you a pretty darn good idea of what tone Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus is aiming for, so I'd suggest you give it a look regardless:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
Amanita Designs, developers of classic point and click adventure games like Machinarium and Samorost 3, are fairly well known for their use of quirky visuals and lighthearted humor. With that in mind, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to hear that their latest game CHUCHEL is exactly that - a charming comedy adventure with a variety of puzzles to solve and ridiculous characters to meet.
Since trying to explain an art style through words alone is a bit of a pointless task, allow me to share with you the recently posted launch trailer. It'll give you a pretty darn good idea of what CHUCHEL is all about and whether it's the type of game you'd even enjoy. Have a gander, it's well worth the two minutes:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: Northgard has just received its biggest and most important update yet - the Map Editor!
The rather stylish viking themed strategy game Northgard made its way onto Steam Early Access in February of last year. In my initial review I found it to be pretty darn good, albeit heavily lacking in terms of content. With that in mind, I am very glad to say that Northgard has now finally left Early Access alongside a brand new singleplayer campaign, as well as a variety of different clans to play around with!
You can get a good peek at what all of this looks like in-game through two of the recently posted trailers. The first one is your general "here's what the game's about" video, while the second one is entirely focused on the singleplayer campaign and the story you'll be following throughout it. Have a gander:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
The original One Finger Death Punch is one of those games that are far better than they have any right to be. Its visuals are completely generic and its gameplay consists entirely of standing in one area and clicking the mouse, yet despite all of this Silver Dollar Games managed to create a fast-paced brawler that is as exhilarating as it is difficult to master.
With that in mind, I am very glad to say that they are now working on a sequel! The developers haven't shared any information about the gameplay improvements they're working on just yet, but they did mention that One Finger Death Punch 2 will be made with Unity, and as such has the potential to appear on consoles as well.