- By Ash
- in Indie Games
Absolver is a bit of a weird game. Its an online combat RPG with a heavy focus on fluid melee battles, though more alike a fighting game than any standard RPG. However, instead of using predefined skills like in a fighting game, your character in Absolver can be customized to a massive extent with new combos, attacks, abilities, and even ways of blocking enemy attack. As I said, its a bit of weird game, but its definitely an interesting one!
In order to show how exactly the dueling system works the developers have recently posted a video detailing the three beginning combat styles. As you might expect, each one has a lot of interesting things going for it, as well as plenty of room for future improvements. But rather than just watch me babble, watch the video instead:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
The original Risk of Rain is a 2D action platformer with some roguelike elements thrown into the mix. Ever since its release it has garnered a massive amount of positive reviews, and for good reason as the gameplay itself is just pure fun. As such, it probably wont come as much of a surprise to hear that Risk of Rain 2 has been announced.
What might come as a surprise, however, is that Risk of Rain 2 will be done entirely in 3D! Its still early in development so all of the details are a bit shaky, but the important thing to keep in mind is that it will follow the same sort of ideals as the original. In other words, expect plenty of fast-paced action with some of your favorite characters from the original.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
Steel Division: Normandy 44 is a tactical real-time strategy with a focus on absolutely massive multiplayer battles that can scale all the way up to 10-on-10. After going through a brief beta phase Steel Division: Normandy is now finally available on Steam, and I'm very glad to say that so far the reviews are overwhelmingly positive.
But before we move on to what works and what doesn't, it would probably be wise for you to check out the recently posted launch trailer. It doesn't feature much in terms of actual gameplay, but it should at least give you an idea of what kind of a game Steel Division: Normandy really is. Have a look:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
If you're eagerly waiting for Konami to stop being Konami and actually do something with the Castlevania series, I might have found a little game to tide you over until Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night finally arrives. The game in question is Castlevania: The Lecarde Chronicles 2 - a surprisingly faithful homage to the Castlevania games of old, as well as rather enjoyable fan game in its own right.
I've only played it for about thirty minutes so far, but from everything I've seen it both feels and plays like the oldschool Castlevania games. But don't just take my word for it, allow me to show you the relatively recent launch trailer. Have a look:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
Mages of Mystralia is a charming action-adventure where you have to design your very own spells in order to fight enemies, solve environmental puzzles, and explore over "a dozen distinct regions". After being successfully Kickstarted back in April it has now arrived for both PC and consoles, and from what I can see on Steam it appears to feature some very solid reviews.
So if you're interested in weaving your own incantations and you're up for a lighthearted adventure, here's the recently posted launch trailer to hopefully give you an idea of what Mages of Mystralia is all about. Have a look:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
Pathfinder, along with Dungeons and Dragons, is one of the longest-running and most popular pen-and-paper roleplaying games. But despite its success in the physical world Pathfinder is unfortunately short on video game adaptations, which is why I'm very glad to say that Pathfinder: Kingmaker, an isometric party-based RPG, has just been announced!
There isn't much information available right now, but what I can tell you is that you can treat the title literally. In Pathfinder: Kingmaker you will not only have to blaze a path through the wilderness in order to uncover its secrets, but you will also have to establish your very own kingdom in the unsurprisingly hostile Stolen Lands. Much like any RPG there will be plenty of ways to tailor your character towards whatever playstyle you might enjoy, as well as a variety of fleshed-out companions to recruit along the way.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
Ctrl Alt Ninja, a group of designers, programmers, and artists who previously worked on the surprisingly awesome Legend of Grimrock games, have now come out to announce their next project - Druidstone: The Secret of the Menhir Forest. From what information is available so far it appears that Druidstone is going to be a turn-based CRPG with some roguelike elements mixed in.
Given the combination of genres it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to hear that Druidstone will use procedural generation to populate its world and dungeons. Sometimes you'll have extra paths available, other times you'll have to deal with more combat encounters than usual, but you also might just get lucky and only meet friendly people on your trek through the forest. Its all pretty basic stuff, but it has been proven to work time and time again, so you won't see me complaining.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update #2]: Rain World's Downpour expansion has now arrived, and so far it's looking quite good!
[Update]: Rain World's very first expansion Downpour will be landing on January 19th, 2023 - six years after the original launch!
You have to give credit to Adult Swim, the games they choose to support are always the weirdest and most unique ones out there. And as you can probably guess from the title alone, Rain World is definitely one of them given that its an action-adventure where you can sneak, climb, and pounce around as a cat/slug hybrid.
While the concept sounds absolutely ridiculous, the gameplay shown so far seems to be remarkably solid. But don't just listen to me, see it for yourself via the recently posted "Fate of a Slugcat" trailer that showcases both story and gameplay elements. Have a look:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
Shiness is an indie action-RPG that's all about exploring a colorful world and beating up a wide variety of monsters that inhabit it. This isn't done in the usual RPG combat style, however, as Shiness takes much of its influence from fighting games. As such the combat is all about combos, parries, and carefully timed blocks rather than pure button-mashing.
While the recently posted trailer won't give you an idea of what the combat is like, it will give you a good look at the world you'll be exploring and the music you'll be listening to throughout your journey. So if you're interested in seeing what Shiness has to offer you'll find the video right below:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
Swarm Universe is a fast-paced top-down shooter with a bit of a twist. All of your damage comes from a swarm that trails closely behind you, so in order to dispatch your enemies you will need to master the movement mechanics and get in sync with your deadly followers to get them to go where you want.
Since this is a bit of a strange concept allow me to show you how exactly this works in-game via the recently posted trailer. Before you dive in, however, I would recommend increasing the volume slightly as the soundtrack is pretty damn good. Anyway, here's the video: