Tag: gaming

Roguelike TRPG “Deadlock Station” Revealed, Demo Available Now (PC)

CRITICAL REFLEX and Luxorix Games are thrilled to debut Deadlock Station with an action-packed trailer showcasing the all-new roguelike autobattler tactical RPG. Command your squad, build your base, explore the world and fight aliens in this fully-featured demo experience available on Steam today!

Turn the battlefield to your advantage in this pixelated tactical roguelike with indirect controls. Assemble a unique squad of heroes to destroy the alien invaders with precise strategic planning. Use resources to upgrade your base between each tactical expedition as you seek to uncover the truth about the Event and the mysterious disappearance of humans.

Key Features:

  • Strategic Auto Battles: Carefully plan out the attack by positioning your units and queuing unique abilities before each fight.
  • Use the Environment to Your Advantage: Lead your heroes into a damage-boosting anomaly, lure enemies into traps, and erect barricades to halt your opposition’s advance!
  • Build Your Base: Between expeditions, develop your base to unlock new items, characters, and factions to interact with, from the ruthless Order to the all-knowing Past and Future Society.
  • Upgrade Your Squad: Combine weapons, armor, items and mutations to create truly unique fighters, and use resources collected in battle to unlock all-new abilities!
  • Mysterious Artifacts: Utilize strange alien artifacts in the heat of combat to gain an advantage and help you win even the most difficult battles.

Download the demo and wishlist Deadlock Station on Steam today. Follow Luxorix on Twitter/X for the latest news and updates from the game.

About Luxorix Games

Luxorix Games is an indie game team who came together by happenstance, and so they continue to work together. They’re currently working on Deadlock Station, a game made in GameMakerStudio2. Learn more at luxorixgames.com or by following Luxorix on Twitter/X. Gamedev unites!

Lost Castle 2 Steam Early Access Review

Lost Castle 2 is a new beat-em-up rogue-lite from Hunter Studios that they were kind enough to send me. As always I like to get that out of the way upfront and let everyone know I appreciate it.

Lost Castle 2 Currently has mixed reviews on Steam, most of which are simply complaining about the lack of couch co-op. I get it because the game is built for co-op, but I find it a bit ridiculous to bash a game based on what’s not in the game when it was never promised to be in it. I pointed this out early because if you loved the first one because of that feature, it isn’t in this one.

The game itself is quite simple and has a nice loop to it. Pick a starting weapon, which you can limit to your favorite three or just get any of them at random. Go kill enemies and pick your path as you go. Then you either finish the run or die which gets you money either way. Then you can spend that money to upgrade your camp and get new items, better character starting stats, and many other things. Then just repeat it.

The game is fun and the combat engaging. Each weapon comes with its own special and charged movies and has different variations to find. Some will shoot out extra fireballs, others will poison the enemy, and much more. The armor is equally diverse with each one offering a different look or abilities.

This is actually my only real complaint. Your look changes with the armor and some of it looks so great id prefer I just looked like that. The ability to set an armor as your default look would be great, We are only in early access so that may very well be an upcoming feature. We will have to wait and see.

I can absolutely say this game is worth picking up. For $15 the replay value and fun alone make this a must-buy. Easily an 8/10 experience. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

 Mists of Noyah Xbox Review

Mists of Noyah is a newly released 2D survival game from Pyxeralia and Bbyte Interactive, and as always, I appreciate that they sent me a copy to check out.

The gameplay loop is quite simple, you kill enemies, collect loot, level up, and build new items and objects at the village that acts as your base. You have a button that attacks with your weapon that changes based on one of the five playable characters.

Each character has their own set of strengths and weaknesses. For example, Rhys is a paladin-type character with a long sword and heavy armor. His spells focus on healing as they damage or consecrate the ground to up your defense.

The game sounds nice and looks pretty good, but I do have to note a few issues I ran into while playing. For example, and this was probably my own fault, I accidentally returned to base while fishing. Now while this sounds not so big of a deal it did confuse the game and I would randomly use my fishing rod instead of talking to people or entering buildings. A quick reload and the problem was fixed. Also on returning to the base at a different time, the screen went black but my character was still perfectly able to move around. This again was easily fixed with a reload but it still happened.

The game is great however considering the low cost of about $10. The game is a fun play-through and has plenty of replay value for that price, with the few issues I ran into I can’t in good conscience call it a must-buy, but it is a solid 6/10. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Uncover the Dark Secrets of a Post-War Divided City as 663 Games Announces Kill the Shadow

Publisher 663 Games and developer Shadowlight Sanctuary have today revealed Kill the Shadow, a suspenseful narrative-driven detective role playing game coming to PC via Steam later in 2024. Brought to life using a combination of highly detailed 3D environments and 2D-pixel art characters, Kill the Shadow transports you to an alternative post-war divided city as you take on the role of Detective Ah’Guang as you investigate a series of murders. Use your eloquence, intelligence and the ability to rewind time (or even violence) to piece together the evidence of the bizarre cases and unravel the shocking secrets lurking behind them. Justice or love? The decision is in your hands. 

Kill the Shadow is a suspenseful narrative-driven detective role playing game. Investigate a series of bizarre murders in different areas of the dark water city: the missing Master Ruan at the temple fair, the sudden death of Wangcai, the grudges at the Shipwreck, and the dismembered limbs in the sewers.

Find the lost memories of the city and piece together the truth of its division from ten years ago. Unravel the truth – kill, judge, or even kiss (?) the mastermind behind it all.

Features: 

  • Hints and Evidence – Freely choose how you enhance your abilities—strength, spirit, charm—and select your own methods to investigate cases—psychological warfare? Bribery? Or simply beating your suspects? Deduction System: Collect, analyze, and connect related clues to create your own unique investigation path
  • Seeing the Past – “The Shadow”, a strange creature attached to you that reads memories and reconstructs the traces of the deceased “Don’t worry, Ah’Guang, we’re just using each other. You use me to find the culprit, and I, well, I love tasting those bizarre stories, hahaha!”, says the Shadow.
  • The Ways of the World – Meet various characters in the city: the energetic girl with a camera, the elegant Mrs. Ruan, the rumoured goddess who can cast spells, and the elderly fish-selling lady. Discover the stories behind them. Encounter characters like the self-righteous Captain Wang, Lao Citou’s son Xiao Citou, the foul-mouthed Little Rascal, and the deceased Master Ruan. Earn the hearts of your favourite characters by completing certain events!
  • Retro and Neon – The combination of 3D environments and 2D pixel art characters creates a unique artistic style with a striking contrast between modern and retro aesthetics. Explore a variety of diverse and freely explorable scenes: the dilapidated steel forest factory, the muddy shipwreck dock built on water, the Zhulong Walled City blending the fictional traditional Ma Island and Imperial culture, and the bustling old city district.

Kill the Shadow will be released for PC via Steam in late 2024. Fans can add the game to their Wishlist now. Join the Kill the Shadow Discord channel for all the latest news. 

Cozy Mining Adventure ‘Core Keeper’ Launches Day One on Xbox Game Pass

Pugstorm and Fireshine Games are delighted to announce that Core Keeper, the award-winning mining sandbox adventure game, will be available day one with Xbox Game Pass for console, PC, and cloud when the game launches on Xbox Series X|S and Microsoft Store for Windows PC on August 27th.

With over 2 million units already sold during PC Early Access, Core Keeper is an award-winning mining sandbox adventure where your choices shape an epic journey.

Harvest relics and resources to build your base, craft advanced tools, and discover a dynamically evolving world as a single-player explorer or online with friends. Explore mysterious biomes, level up your skills, encounter the Cavelings and defeat legendary Titans to unveil the power of the Core. Play at your own pace in an enchanting underground sandbox, growing gardens, fishing in mysterious waters, mastering recipes, hatching pets, driving vehicles, and exploring alone or with friends to carve out your own unique adventure.

“We’re so excited to bring Core Keeper to Xbox Game Pass players on day one, and let them jump into the game’s enchanting subterranean world as a solo explorer or online with friends,” said Sarah Hoeksma, Chief Marketing Officer at Fireshine Games. “Core Keeper is a compelling mining adventure that blends base building, fishing and farming with crafting, boss battling and much, much more, and we can’t wait for so many more players to discover the game at launch with Xbox Game Pass.”

Core Keeper is available now on Steam Early Access, and will be available on consoles and PC 1.0 on August 27th. To keep up with the latest info & updates, follow @CoreKeeperGame and join the community on Discord.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 Announces Developer Deep Dive and Delay

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl will now be launching on November 20, 2024,moving from the previously planned date of September 5, 2024.

“We know you might be tired of waiting, and we truly appreciate your patience. These two additional months will give us the chance to fix more “unexpected anomalies” (or simply “bugs”, as you call them). We are always grateful for your ongoing support and understanding – it means the world to us. We’re just as eager as you are to finally release the game and for you to experience it for yourself.” said Yevhen Grygorovych, Game Director at GSC Game World.

At least they have a sense of humor.

With the launch nearly here, the team is ready to share the biggest and the most comprehensive update on the game yet. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Developer Deep Dive will premiere in collaboration with Xbox on the 12th August, 2024, featuring a variety of never-before-seen content, including:

– Interviews and behind-the-scenes of the development process;
– Lots of new footage, including world overview, various locations, gameplay and cutscenes;

– A full video walkthrough of one of the story quests.


This Developer Deep Dive is set to give our fans the full understanding of how the game plays and looks. More details will be shared soon.

Since the very start of Russia’s full-fledged war against our country, GSC Game World has been supporting Ukraine in all the ways possible. For those willing to do the same, we recommend following a link to the official charity fund of Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine himself – https://u24.gov.ua/

About S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is the latest instalment in the acclaimed series that has captivated millions of players globally. This new entry combines first-person shooter elements with immersive sim mechanics and horror, delivering a uniquely intense experience. Featuring unprecedented scale, advanced graphics, and a rich, atmospheric adventure, it promises to be the ultimate S.T.A.L.K.E.R. journey.

Mists of Noyah Arrives on Consoles Out Now

Mists of Noyah is a survival game with RPG elements, where players will be placed in an abandoned fortress devastated by corruption, with only ruins remaining. To restore the structure, it will be necessary to explore the world in search of survivors and resources.

The game features a day and night system that requires a strategic division of tasks. During the day, players will need to hunt, collect materials, find food, and gather the inhabitants of the old fortress. At night, it will be essential to join forces with as many people as possible to build defense towers and fight extremely powerful demons.

With five playable characters, you can choose the one that best suits your gameplay style, ensuring a unique and personalized experience. You can equip yourself with different items and unlock abilities that make each confrontation more dynamic.

Features:

  • Missions
  • Five playable characters
  • More than 10 biomes
  • Events
  • Resource Gathering
  • Forging and Crafting
  • Dungeons

And much more!

Romancing the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake Trailer

The king of historical simulation games returns this year with a first for the series. The remake of ROTTK8 comes with completely redrawn graphics for the officers as well as reworked graphics for everything else. They have also added entirely new features to the game itself, in what is called tales, you will see new scenes to help you build a bond between officers, with a “what to do next” tab to see what you should be doing to see these play out.

Another new feature will be the destiny system that show the connection between two officers. These include positive (symbiotic) and negative (antagonistic) feelings towards each other.

With plenty of new features and graphics, this year will be the perfect time to visit the series, best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Let’s School Xbox Review

Let’s School is the new simulation game about running your own school from Panthea and PM Studios and they were nice enough to send me a copy to check out, so without further waiting let’s get to this.

The game starts off pretty standard, the old person that ran the school (into the ground) passes the responsibility of fixing it up over to you. You will start by fixing some walls, building a classroom, and hiring a teacher. You will learn to set up a class schedule, recruit students, and much more from there.

The tutorial shows you these things well, which is good because the controls aren’t very intuitive. As much as these games have been nailing the controls for consoles lately this one just feels off. They are still perfectly playable, however.

The graphics are also a bit disappointing, thankfully we don’t play these games for how they lool or sound. There are some things the game does well though. For example, I never felt like I was sitting there watching for no reason at all. I always had something to do without feeling rushed. As students graduate and you get new ones and improvements to the school to be researched the game does offer plenty of things to fill your time,

The game also doesn’t limit you to simply building classrooms. Baseball fields and basketball courts eventually become pretty important, and of course, students love a place to just sit down and read under the trees.

The price of the game is also nice at only about $20, and the Steam Version seems to go on sale quite often, I don’t see a reason to not pick this game up. Despite a few minor complaints the game is still an 8/10 and well worth picking up. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Tactical Nexus Review

Tactical Nexus is a sort of Puzzle RPG you can get on Steam for free. I gave it a shot because the devs decided to stop charging for a game people were buying but not playing. I know it sounds weird.

  The game itself is simplistic. It looks like something a Super Nintendo would have had and the controls are pretty easy,mostly just hold down right click on the mouse and left click on where you want your character to go. You can pick up an assortment of objects that do things like heal you or give you attack or defense. Others will increase your HP or Experience by a about 30%.

  This is where the strategy comes into things. When do you pick up the items? And when you level up do you increase your attack, defense or get keys to help unlock new areas?

The puzzle part of this is the fact that if you make the wrong choices you can absolutely lock yourself out of being able to finish the level. Don’t level up your attack enough and suddenly you can’t progress further into the game.

The game can be played in 15 or 20 minutes depending on the level you are on or it can take hours,and mastering it will take hundreds of hours.

As a free to play game it’s definitely worth checking out. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.