Today I wanted to talk about a totally new type of game that’s gaining a lot of popularity. In late 2018, a totally new type of game called I’m on Observation Duty got released on Steam. Recently, these type of games are exploding on Steam. A spin-off called The Exit 8 gave a totally new spin on the formula. The games are actually a scary spin on the spot the difference style of gameplay. But, what does attract players so much into this formula? Let’s talk about a few titles, and maybe we find an answer to that in this article. Now, feel free to leave a comment in the comment section down below with your thoughts and/or opinions on these games, similar games and/or the content of this article.

Two main gameplay styles

There are actually two major styles in this genre. A lot of streamers call, one style Observation Duty and the other style Exit 8. Both styles have the same core concept. You need to first look at a room and then notice if anything changes or anomalies appear. The way how you deal with these anomalies differs in both styles.

In Observation Duty style games, the idea is mostly always that you are a security guard watching camera’s. You have to flip through camera’s and report the anomalies before there are too much present in the area. In Exit 8 type games, you play through them while walking through the rooms themselves. You have to walk one direction when there is no difference and another direction when there is a difference. The difference is that you have to make a certain amount of correct judgements in a row. One wrong judgement and you are sent back to level 0.

The gameplay is tricky to explain in words and in an article. I wanted to write this article several times, but I was unable to describe it properly. The best way to describe it in my opinion is a non casual spot the difference game.

Ever since, “I am on Observation Duty” and “The Exit 8” hit the scene… A lot of horror game streamers played through them. They gained a lot more popularity. A lot of new titles came out in a rapid pace with different spins on the genre and interesting innovations. I think it will become more clear when I talk about the games I played through or watched my favorite streamers play through.

The Exit 8 – The Platform 8

During the summer of this year, Klamath and I streamed through these two titles. The Exit 8 is one of the earliest games to my knowledge in the 3D style.

The idea is that you are trapped in a looping metro hallway where you have to reach the 8th exit. Travelers are advised to continue walking when nothing out of the ordinary happens. But when suddenly a poster changed or something else changed, you need to turn back.

Like I said in the introduction, when you make one mistake, you start at level 0 again. The first passage through the hallway is always safe. After that, you have to do 8 correct answers in a row. Now, at least 8, since if your 8th run has an anomaly, you need to turn back. You can only win if you have a hallway that has no strange thing, and you are above the 8th hallway.

Something really nice that this game does is, it doesn’t repeat anomalies. When you defeat a certain anomaly, it won’t repeat until you see all of them or reset the game. This makes the game more unpredictable and replayable.

The anomalies in this game range from extremely obvious like suddenly the hallway flooding… But others are sneaky, like a camera that moved location to the other side of the hallway. So, it was a puzzle. Is this room really the same, or did something change. Since you couldn’t go back to check. And there were various details that added to the complexity of the game.

In May of this year, we got the follow-up to this game called The Platform 8. If you thought that was more of the same, think again. This time, you are in the actual metro, and you have to survive 8 carts. The big change is that you can’t fail with an anomaly this time around since the exit door is locked if you need to find the anomaly first.

It’s a change that didn’t sit well with me at first, but I totally understand why. This game is now turned into a more tense game where you have to survive the crazy things that the game throws at you. The game is shorter than The Exit 8, but I’ll say… This game had me spooked and jump several times.

That’s Not My Neighbor

At it’s core, this game is an Observation Duty game. But with a big twist. You are a security guard at the entrance of a building. There are imposters out there, trying to look like your neighbor, and you have to keep them out.

This game tests your reasoning skills and tests you if you can look at all the clues. The best I can describe this game is: a mixture between Papers Please, and I am on Observation Duty. The added layer of difficulty is that you have a lot to keep track of. Who did you let already inside? Who is on the list and for who do you better call their apartment first?

This game is getting frequent updates with more lore and more modes. Each time I see this game being played by the streamers I watch, the new update impresses me. And I totally understand why this game got so big.

There is this extremely catchy song by longestsoloever. The amount of times I played it on repeat is just getting silly. Give it a listen if you like electronic music, but I warn you. It’s an earworm.

Confabulation

Confabulation, noun. Confabulation is a memory error consisting of the production of fabricated, distorted, or misinterpreted memories about oneself or the world.

This game does a very interesting take on the actual formula. Instead of explaining the differences and anomalies with unexplained events, in this game it’s caused by a mental illness.

The flow of each play trough of this game is the same. But, the puzzles, the changing objects amongst other things are randomized. It’s up to you to make sure that you avoid you going insane and finding the truth of what happened.

This is an Observation Duty style game, but you can walk around in the area instead of watching at camera feeds. There is an extra layer added with the puzzles that add more information and lore of what happened.

I could talk about it more, but I highly recommend you play this game as blind as possible. The story, scares and impact is that much stronger when you don’t know what’s coming and let yourself be surprised. Watch the candles since they give you amazing hints on where to look next.

ATTA -Spot the Oddities in the Strange Hotel-

What if you have to count the amount of differences in a hallway instead of deciding there is a difference or not? Well, then you describe “ATTA, -Spot the Oddities in the Strange Hotel-“.

This game is an Exit 8 type of game with multiple rooms, where you have to count all the errors in a hallway… While various strange things happen. Like a train suddenly appearing and you have to duck for cover.

The atmosphere this game has, where it leaves you with an open ending that raises more questions than it answers, is the cherry on the cake. It’s a more intense game than your usual games. It may be a short run, but it’s a wild and pleasant ride all the way through.

Hospital 666

The final game I want to talk about today is called Hospital 666. In this game, you try to escape a cursed hospital. The first level has you running down a looping hallway. The second level, has one side room open.

Now, an impressive option that the game gives you is that you can choose if you want anomalies in the hallway or not. So, if you are in the second level, you can choose if you want things in the hallway to change or only focus on the new room.

Something impressive that this game does as well, is when you make a mistake, you can go back to the hallway to see what the mistake was that you made. You still start from the lowest floor of that level, but being able to see what got you is amazing. Since this game has very crazy anomalies but also various very sneaky ones. Like one is that some smiles faces appear on the wall.

In between the levels, there is a boss fight/puzzle that separates the floors from each other. They can be a bit janky, but the developer has updated and optimized the game quite a lot, and it is a lot better. Now, he is currently creating a sequel taking place in a school. And as somebody who works in education, I can’t wait to play through that.

Final thoughts

These games are only a handful of games in the genre. I have given a quick rundown of the games mentioned in this article, but if you are interested, I’m willing to talk more in depth about these titles. My intention with this article is to promote these titles.

Each game listed here is between 5 to €10 and is an amazing ride. These games are short little romps but are bursting to the seams with creativity. I always think, now, I have almost seen everything this genre has to offer. But, then I’m surprised with a new gameplay mechanic or a new setting that changes the atmosphere completely.

So, depending on how well this article does… I might write more of these. If you found amazing titles like this, feel free to send them my way or leave them in the comment section down below. But, for now, I’m going to leave you with my usual outro. Thank you so much for reading this article and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to be able to welcome you in another one, but until then, have a great rest of your day and take care.

Wikipedia – Nintendo Microsite

After the release of Tears of the Kingdom, I was afraid that we would never see a new game in the style of the 2D Zelda game. Yet, I have been proven wrong when this game was announced. To be very honest, I didn’t have very high hopes for this game. Especially since this game was announced this summer and released in late September. I felt that this game going to be a game to fill a gap while the developers are working on a much larger game. Now, the game is released, and I have played through a fair chunk of it. So, what is my opinion on this game? Well, that’s what I’m going to tell you in this first impressions article, while I all invite you to leave a comment of your thoughts and/or opinions in the comment section down below.

Renewing the Echoes

After a short introduction where you play as Link, the main story of this game is introduced. There are all consuming interdimensional rifts appearing all over Hyrule, and it’s eating various people in the kingdom.

Link gets eaten by one of those rifts while freeing Zelda and when Zelda tells her father, the king, about these rifts… A new rift appears and replaces the king with an evil clone of himself. Zelda gets thrown in the dungeon and there she meets a fairy named Tri. This fairy gives Zelda a special staff where she can summon objects into the world using echoes. With those echoes, she escapes the dungeon and sets out on an adventure to save Hyrule from doom before the land is fully consumed by the rifts.

Something I always love about the Zelda games is that there is a different core mechanic at the base of the game. In this game, we get two things. We got the rifts to another dark world, but we also got the magical staff, which we can use to summon various echoes into the world. These echoes mean you can tackle this game in various different ways. But I’ll talk more about that later in this article.

In terms of story, this game is hitting all the same beats as your typical Legend of Zelda game. It might be disappointing, to some, that in this game there is no voice acting anymore apart from the grunts and various emotional noises. Personally, I think it adds to the charm of this game. That’s because the characters in this game are way more expressive. While the story isn’t going to leave you at the edge of your seat of “what’s going to happen next”, it’s still well quite enjoyable, and the more expressive characters add quite a lot to the charm and atmosphere of the game.

Something I really like is how in this game, you are free to explore the world at your own peace. This game isn’t limiting you to go in a certain order. While this game isn’t fully open world like Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, it’s somewhere in between. You can tackle parts in a different order. Like the first two major dungeons can be done out of order. Each area is its self-contained puzzle, and everything you need can be found in that general area.

In my introduction of this article, I said that I was afraid that was afraid that this game would be a short one where you were able to beat it in a few hours. That it was going to be a game that’s supposed to hold players over for the “next big 3D Zelda title”. To my surprise, this game is rather lengthy for a 2,5D Zelda game. It clocks in at 25 hours of casual playtime, which is, to my knowledge, one of the longest 2,5D Zelda games.

Climbing with beds

Something I find myself doing quite a lot while playing this game was climbing the area with beds. I summoned various beds stacked on top of each other to climb a wall. Since, I wanted to know if the developers hid a secret on that cliff face.

The exploration of this version of Hyrule is a blast to do. While you visit a lot of familiar places and meet your usual suspects like the Zora and the Gerudo, it’s a treat seeing them again. The only thing I missed a bit is showing the impact of the rifts. Something that this game only tells through dialogue was how things got impacted by the rifts. I wish it was shown a bit more visually. Like different animations of the characters before and after. But maybe, Tears of the Kingdom set the bar a bit too high for those expectations where each major area had a certain curse.

In terms of gameplay, this game really leans into the echoes mechanic. It also remembers that Zelda is a princess and didn’t really have combat training. So, you have to use summoned enemies to your advantage to let them fight for you. Now, you do have a sword, but you can only use it when your power meter has charge. I always reserved that for the dungeon bosses or when the situation got pretty dicey. Since recharging that meter is either done with potions or by defeating monsters from the rift world. These enemies aren’t exactly common in the overworld, and the energy bar drains fast.

In general, this game hits the same general gameplay beats as all other Zelda games. You go from dungeon to dungeon, learning a new technique or skill, defeating the boos and moving forward to another dungeon. There are also side quests in this game, that give you a nice reward. In this game, you also have a nice system to keep track of these side quests, like in Tears of the Kingdom. Something they also brought over from that game is the cooking system to a degree.

That’s something I personally feel mixed about. Maybe it’s me, but I feel the ingredients are quite rare to come by and there is no real way to farm certain ingredients like in Breath of the Wild. I have to admit that it adds a certain charm to this game, but I feel it’s a bit under implemented here. Like when you first meet the potion creators Deku shrubs, they talk about recipes… And I had a hard time finding any.

Like in Tears of the Kingdom, you can also eat most of the ingredients without cooking them. While I personally dislike the fact you have to do two clicks to consume an item, I do understand why they did it. To avoid you consuming them too much. Yet, this is a change from the two previous games and I honestly really feel it’s a set backwards. A fine solution would be to give the player an option to switch between both systems.

Grezzo playset

This game was co-developed by Grezzo. Their previous original Zelda game was Tri Force Heroes. But, this game looks very similar in graphical style to the remake of Link’s Awakening on the Nintendo Switch from late 2019.

This game looks like a plastic toy set and it looks amazing. While I was playing this game, I felt amazed at how expressive they were able to make everything without breaking the illusion that this is a toy set brought to live by our imagination. I don’t have a lot of complaints about the visuals and animations. And most of my complaints aren’t that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.

Just like, I don’t have any complaints about the music and sound design of this game. If you take the music and sound design in a vacuum, you would say that it sounds just like very other Zelda game. It sounds like a remix of the familiar melodies we all know and love from the Zelda games. But, this isn’t a problem, since it sells the illusion that you are a child playing with a sort of Playmobil toy set of Hyrule and trying to recreate the sound effects and music of the game.

In terms of controls, this game plays like a dream. I rarely had problems with the controls and something I really like is the fact that with one press of a stick, you can see a view from on top when you feel the camera is blocking something. Now, there is one thing that I do have some things to criticize about. And that’s about the jumping.

It’s pretty difficult sometimes to judge how high Zelda can jump. I had moments in combat where I wasn’t aware I could jump on a higher ledge until I saw an enemy jumping backwards on that ledge. I also got tripped up several times with how far Zelda can jump. Her jump is shorter than I think, and the amount of times I jumped into a pit misjudging the jump is quite a lot. Something that would have helped is something a small landing shadow when Zelda was coming down. Then again, that must have been a nightmare to implement… So, maybe I should keep her shorter jump just better in mind.

Now, something else. Something I really like is how this game has two difficulty modes. I’m playing through this game on the normal difficulty setting and I have to say, I’m happy that I did. This game can lure you into a false sense of security. I wouldn’t say that this game is hard, but it isn’t a cakewalk either. You really need to keep your wits about you and think fast sometimes.

Being aware of what’s around you is also quite important since this game loves to hide things in little side area’s and using the map system is a must. I love how you can put pins and such on the map. Yet, I have to admit that I still keep notes in my phone like: “treasure in Gerudo dungeon, need to check later”.

The more I play through this game, the more I realize that the critiques I can make about this game are more on the minor side. Like how it feels like a waste of time when you are scrolling through a long list of echoes when you just want to find one. An easy solution would be to give the player an ability to favorite certain echoes. But then again, the sort function in the quick menu has “most used”, “recently learned” … So, it’s kinda that.

Now, you have two save slots in this game. So, you can play through this game and let a friend or a sibling play through a different slot. Now, this game also autosaves for you frequently, in case you forget to save. The game also keeps like several autosaves in case you want to return to an earlier point.

Something I really like is how this game also has a quick travel system. The system works similarly like an owl statue in Majora’s Mask or a water vane in Link Between Worlds. It makes it easy when you feel stumped by a puzzle and want to return later. The fast travel locations are very fairly placed all over the land.

While I went quite critical in this game, the more I played it, the more it won me over. This game is a new 2,5D Zelda adventure game I hope we were going to see again. The last new, non remake 2,5D Zelda game was released almost 11 years ago. And, I’m so happy to see a return to this style. I’d love to see a this style also making an appearance very so often since it’s clear there are still various unique ways to explore Hyrule and tell a story about the Hyrule legend without going fully 3D.

Apart from a few small complaints you read in this article, I honestly don’t have any major complaints about this game. This is a game I’m going to finish for sure, since I’m enjoying my time with this title quite a lot. If you are into the series, I highly recommend this title to you. If you enjoy exploration and playing with unique mechanics, I also think this game is for you. This game is totally worth it’s price tag and it pleasantly surprised me.

And with that said, I have said everything I wanted to say about this game for now. I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to be able to welcome you in another one, but until then, have a great rest of your day and take care.

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Discover the ins and outs of Legend of Runeterra's Path of Champions. Find out what makes this one of the most unique games in its genre.

The post The Unique Charm of Riot’s Path of Champions first appeared on Two Average Gamers.

The post The Unique Charm of Riot’s Path of Champions appeared first on Two Average Gamers.

With all the farming sims in the gaming scene, I do wish we had more scifi themed titles. Just imagine the potential? I could use robots to plow the fields for me, and all sorts!

I can only think of one scifi farming sim. That was Innocent Life for the Sony Playstation Portable. I have been playing it more in recent months (Emulation is a wonderful thing!) and despite the enormous grind and unskippable cutscenes when I’m forced to watch the characters walk slowly from one area to another, I love the game’s atmosphere and worldbuilding.

Why am I going down this weird trip down memory lane? If I don’t review a futuristic farming sim now, my beginning will be wasted. Thankfully, I am going somewhere with this, and today’s episode of Scar Tries features my opening experience with The Last Craftsman. A code was provided by AuraTummyache through Keymailer for this piece, thank you for that! It is available in Early Access.

While The Last Craftsman has been well received on Steam, it seems to be criminally overlooked with only a handful of reviews. That’s a shame, because this is an impressive crafting sim packed with features. While it is more designed around research and development than farming, you can still make a ton of money through crops. The advantage of all the future technology comes into play here, as much of the grind that other farming sims possess do not apply here. Crops grow without the need to water them every day, and you can automate a lot of production. This gives you more time to explore the expansive map The Last Craftsman offers. It did not take long for me to realize just how much effort AuraTummyache has put into his game.

The basics of the genre are all present here. You are the new craftsman in the town of Gear Springs after the previous architect died, so it is down to you to deal with the whims of the citizens! The map is fairly large and split into several zones, and offers a ton of places to explore. The biggest strength of The Last Craftsman for me is the research system. Items come with dozens of different properties such as Plain, Cute, Fruit, and so on, and you have to tailor the town’s needs to those properties. Fortunately the research mechanic helps this a lot, and by sacrificing resources, you gain more knowledge and the ability to craft new things. It is a simple gameplay loop but that is the beauty of it. I just found myself eager to keep exploring.

I have reviewed a lot of farming sims on here the last couple of years. The Last Craftsman might not be the most refined, but it is probably the most refreshing. I was not sure about it when I first started playing it, but a few hours in and it really left an impression on me. For $10, you can not do much wrong with that price, and there is more than enough in The Last Craftsman to keep your interest.

We’re in another heatwave in the UK, and I wish I had some mountain air to keep me cool! In today’s episode of Scar Tries, I’m featuring a game very special to my heart.

Dungeons of Hinterberg was one of the games I was most excited for in 2024, and it does not disappoint. Developed by Microbird, it’s proving to be one of my favorite games I’ve played this year.

Dungeons of Hinterberg is a beautiful action-RPG, boasting an expansive collection of dungeons to explore, combat, and puzzle sections to chew through. It also places a strong emphasis on exploration and character relationships. It takes place in the wilderness of the Austrian Alps, and from the very beginning, the game’s visual design drew me in. From the opening cutscene, I was introduced to the snowy backdrops leading to the quaint town of Hinterberg: a tourist site and the cornerstone of the Master Slayer. While the world is vibrant and based on real life, I love how it blends the fantasy elements together.

You play as Lusia, who has come to Hinterberg to challenge the famed Dungeons of Hinterberg. It must be grueling, juggling her corporate lifestyle with her ambitions to be the great slayer of monsters, but I’m not one to judge! This mix of frantic combat moments and the relaxing sober experience of forming new friendships feels like a great balance, and that suits me just fine! I enjoy slaughtering monsters as much as any guy, but I also enjoy comfortable nights with a hot drink. In Dungeons of Hinterberg, you can do both.

The early gameplay is a mix of tutorials to teach players the basic game mechanics: normal stuff! While I did not get much time to explore (the game is eager to get you into the dungeon crawling part quickly), I still enjoyed seeing the sights. The graphics really pop on the Steam Deck, and the art design reminds me a little like Sable. With the number of ways to travel the alpine world such as snowboarding, ziplines, and classic mountain climbing, exploration is one of the game’s biggest strengths.

Combat is fast, and you’ll be tasked with fighting a whole slew of different monsters that roam the Hinterberg wilds. While the playable slice only gives you a few options, what I played felt solid enough. In combat the player is locked into a death arena circle, so you’re forced into quick decisions. Thankfully we got full controller support out of the box, and I had a blast slaughtering the monsters that opposed me. The mix of accessibility and puzzle elements make dungeon crawling delightful, even when I get stuck.

This is just an early impressions piece, because I wanted to get a little time with the game to see if it was something I wanted to pursue. I’m happy to say that not only does it meet my expectations, but it exceeds it. This is a brilliant experience so far, and all I want to do is return to Hinterberg. With all my writing projects amidst all the games I need to play, that might be a bad thing. However, there are worse vices than addiction to awesome indie games. Dungeons of Hinterberg is excellent so far, and I won’t be surprised if it makes some GOTY lists in December.

It is time for another bite-sized review! Today, we’re off to the lovely town of Sunnyside in Japan in a charming farming sim. Well, just calling Sunnyside a farming sim is slightly incorrect, and there’s a lot more to the game than meets the eye. Big thanks to the lovely folks at RainyGames for providing me with a review code.

Sunnyside is a pretty big game with a ton of content, so consider this a general impressions piece. I’ve played about twenty hours of the game so far, and I feel I’ve got enough of a grasp on the mechanics to share my thoughts. I’m writing this during a mini UK heatwave, and everyone knows how much we British folk love complaining about the heat! Seriously, the combination of island humidity plus no AC is not a pleasant time! So I’m hunched over my laptop with cooling fans set to full power, hoping I can be productive.

Launching into Early Access last month, Sunnyside started with the usual launch bugginess, but many of the bugs and technical issues were quickly squashed by the team. It’s sitting on a ‘Mostly Positive’ score right now, which is probably where I would place it too. Before I dig deeper, I can say if you are in the mood for a farming simulation game with some interesting mechanics and a great atmosphere, Sunnyside might just be the game for you. As an Early Access title, it is in active development and will see some unfinished stuff behind the scenes. Its current price tag is $29.99, which is what I would expect for a large game like this. For Early Access, some might call that a little high, especially given the rough state.

Sunnyside features a fairly robust narrative alongside the typical farming gubbins. You play as a lady who moves into the rural region from the big city, determined to try something new. Despite her big sister doubting she has what it takes, she can secure the run-down farming plot, losing most of her money. I was delighted to find out you will lose the game immediately if you don’t bid on the plot, so that’s a funny little thing the devs put in. It made me laugh. Either way, you get the farming plot, receive some help from some happy locals, and the game begins in earnest. With the aid of construction drones and some modern technology, the usual farming grind is not as frustrating in Sunnyside.

Let’s slow down to discuss the characters and dialogue. Overall, I quite like the characters in Sunnyside. There are many, and they seem fairly well written from my experience. They have their distinct personalities and quirks that make them stand out. One pitfall of having a town full of people to befriend in these games is being able to make them unique, and Sunnyside does a decent job with that. I’m torn on the main character you play, however.

Her dialogue is very straight, to the point, and almost robotic. You’ll be meeting a ton of people in the early game and I found myself speeding through the dialogue scenes. I’m not saying her dialogue is bad because it might be a character trait. Given her relationship with her sister and all the interactions I’ve experienced in the game, it is possible our main character just might be that personality. I haven’t got any insight from the developers on what their intention was around the main character, but if it is a deliberate writing choice, then I’m happy to keep it as is. It was just something I needed to point out, as I’m sure I’m not the only one who noticed something off with her dialogue.

There are some odd science fiction elements too. While discovering the local cave for resources, you’ll come across a strange robot from an alien race, lost and confused. This robotic chap is called Sparky, and you’ll be bringing him with you on a long journey to uncover the secrets behind this civilization. The caves are also full of weird creatures who will attack you on sight, leading to a deckbuilding combat game. This is just one of many mechanics in Sunnyside. While I was surprised by the twist in the story, the combat is relatively enjoyable with many cards to use. You can adjust game difficulty in several areas from economy to combat, and I appreciate the amount of accessibility Sunnyside offers.

Visually, Sunnyside is very easy on the eyes. Getting around has a couple of frustrations with invisible walls (some paths are blocked off which felt weird to me) but overall the exploration is great. You get access to a bike fairly early on which helps exploring even further. This is a pretty large map to explore, and being able to call any vehicle to you from the phone is a big perk. One problem a lot of farming games share is getting around the world, and Sunnyside bucks this trend. You get access to other ways of transport as you progress in the game, but I have yet to unlock them.

To conclude, what can we decipher from my experience in Sunnyside so far? It offers something refreshing from the usual farming games with the setting and storyline, and it gives players enough tools to overcome some of my usual gripes with the genre. It is fairly easy to make money, it looks great with its gorgeous atmosphere, and I felt emotionally attached to the gameplay. As an Early Access title, it does not skimp on content, but it carries some rough edges despite the improvements to performance since launch. I’m still really unsure of what the main character’s dialogue is built around, but overlooking these things, I can still recommend Sunnyside in its present state.

However, this is a tough market. First impressions are important, and while Sunnyside has improved a lot since its launch, it is still a little janky. Farming sim fans will probably enjoy what Sunnyside has to offer, but they might want to wait a little longer for performance improvements before diving in. Regardless, I was looking forward to Sunnyside for months before its launch, and I’m fairly happy with it so far.

Bite Sized Reviews: Into The Emberlands

I am doing something a little different for this piece! Into the Emberlands launched in Steam Early Access last month, a cosy exploration roguelike developed by Tiny Roar.

I wrote a full review on SteamDeckHQ, so here’s the link to my piece up on there for a full overview of the game, including extensive Steam Deck testing (which is the main reason for the site!) I decided instead of writing up a full review again for here, it is a better use of my time to make a short summary, and if you’re interested in a longer piece to just go to my review there. I write for a few outlets these days, and with so many projects going on I feel like a kitten running after a dozen balls of string in every direction!

Into the Emberlands is a pretty charming game even in its Early Access state, boasting colorful visuals, engaging gameplay, and enough meat on the bones to warrant its asking price. Seeing how you can buy Emberlands for $6.49, it is difficult to say no to that. Hell, I spent more than that yesterday getting a massive slice of cheesecake delivered to my door for the Wimbledon Final!

While the game’s loop rarely steps beyond fetch quests, I found it more engaging than I expected. You can unlock extra help for future runs in the form of more wood or a starting axe, which aids the replayability. In terms of flaws, I found Into the Emberlands a little janky around the edges, especially with input lag on the computer when clicking on an event or loading a menu. This is less noticable on the Steam Deck, but it is enough to mention. There should be more than enough to keep you engaged, and I still love booting it up for a quick dose of gaming when I need something comfortable to play. Into the Emberlands is a cosy cup of hot chocolate, and easily gets my recommendation.

It’s gonna be a busy few weeks ahead! Tacticon is on again this week, and I have a bunch of reviews I am working on. Expect some more interviews in the following weeks as well with the wonderful creators behind these games!

Sigilfarer reimagines the deck-building experience, allowing players to forge their own fate through a customizable dice system. In this game, your party is represented by a set of dice, with each face shaped by the equipment you choose. 

Sigilfarer is scheduled for release in the first half of 2025. Stay tuned for more updates and prepare to embark on an epic journey where every roll of the dice shapes your destiny. For more information, please visit Anshar Publishing Steam Page or contact us via [email protected].

Join us on a journey as we witness a daughter's growth, shaped by the choices you make as her father. While you'll guide her path with study schedules and part-time jobs, it's the unexpected encounters that will truly define her.

About “Princess Maker 2”

“Princess Maker 2” is a childrearing simulation game in which the player experiences being the father to a daughter granted to them by the stars.

They raise the girl for eight years, from ages ten to eighteen. Your daughter grows up to be an adult through various experiences in the game. The girl’s dream is to become a princess, but a wide variety of opportunities await depending on how you raise her. What kind of dream will you make come true for this girl?

Redrawing the graphics

This title is based on “Princess Maker 2: Refine,” released in 2004. Especially important graphics were redrawn by Takami Akai in a style similar to the PC-98 version. The graphics are drawn in high resolution befitting modern game systems, with a commitment to quality in the details.

Addition of an opening animation

An opening animation by Yonago Gainax has been added to the game. The animation, drawn by a team led by Takami Akai, envisions the future the player will have as the “father” with their “daughter”.

Knowing how your daughter is doing is the first step in raising her

This title is a social simulation, so it is very important to always be aware of your daughter's status and use this to raise her.

In “Regeneration”, parameters for assessing your daughter's status are always available, so you can check on her at a glance. Check what you should do for your daughter’s future, and raise her carefully.

Message from Takami Akai

I am deeply grateful to see that “Princess Maker 2”, which came out 30 years ago, is still so beloved by so many fans that we can release a new version. This time I was finally able to redo the graphics, which I had always wanted to do. Please enjoy the newly redrawn vacations and endings.

About Takami Akai

Born 1961. While still enrolled at Osaka University of Arts, he made his debut with the DAICON III Opening Animation. As one of the founding members of GAINAX Co., Ltd., he has worked on anime and tokusatsu shows, as well as games and events. His most noteworthy works include the "Princess Maker" series, Gurren Lagann, and Dai Tokusatsu Negiman.

• Release Date: July 11, 2024 (Nintendo Switch, Steam)
• August 8, 2024(PS5, PS4)
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Steam
• Languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Trad/ Simpl)
• About Bliss Brain

Bliss Brain Corporation is a Japanese game publisher. Bliss Brain revives high quality games for the modern day and distributes them to the world in downloadable format. Currently, they offer "Princess Maker 2 Refine", "Princess Maker ~Faery Tales Come True~", and "Princess Maker 5" for download on Steam. "Wonder Boy Collection" (not yet released in Japan) will be released for the first time on PS4 and Nintendo Switch. Bliss Brain plans to release more new games in the future.

For details, visit https://blissbrain.co.jp.

About Yonago GAINAX

Takami Akai started this entertainment company in 2014, in his hometown of Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture. It does business based on the theme of contributing to the local community. With a small team of just 10 members, it works on unique jobs, including anime, games, and events.

For details, visit https://yonago-gainax.co.jp/.

Already this distinguished and deeply planned/researched creation has been finely tuned and skillfully worked on over this extended period to ensure a game of depth, challenge and not least quality. It has already won, or been nominated for, a number of awards!

Opening up to a new world of Challenge

Developer’s Silvine strategy game adds another dimension to a genre that is sometimes overlooked as being formulaic, very simple in design, presentation and procedural play. Artifice: War Tactics is a turn-based strategy roguelike game with a unique asymmetric combat system. In this game, enemies set up attack zones, while your champions can actively evade and disrupt  strategy using their traits, abilities, or items.

Studio Quote - Technology/Inspirational

Neeraj Kumar, Founder. Silvine, ”Our studio specialises in both design and technology. Creating an art-heavy game has been a challenge for us, one we have successfully negotiated!  We  conducted extensive research, made iterations, and received a lot of help from colleagues with specialised expertise. Our inspiration stems from games like XCOM, Into the Breach, and Darkest Dungeon.”

Unleash your tactical prowess in a mediaeval fantasy world where survival depends on thwarting enemy ambushes with an array of champions at your disposal. Defeat powerful bosses to conquer strongholds and lead your army to victory!

Chaos ensued as civil war broke out in every kingdom, demanding its rulers to bow down to Theosus, or face the wrath of the people. In the end, not many remained to challenge Theosus as he became Ozaria’s sovereign. Years later, Sirion, the keeper of the relic, reached out to the mortals of this realm to rally against the tyranny. He gathered all the rebels to form the Conclave and entrusted the last of the stone fragments to them. You are the leader of this Conclave, and even though your chances of success are slim, it is up to you now to overthrow this false god.

Gameplay - visually cool, challengingly perfect!

Presentation and action is via  the  asymmetric grid combat system where you can execute an impressive array of combinations and synergies. Every action carries consequences. The animation and special effects that accompany each move add real impact to the game’s authenticity and overall ambience, just one of many impressive features.

Setting up to play, each turn base move follows a number of sequences/choices at the player's control. Observe enemy positions and deduce where they’re most likely to set up an ambush. Anticipate where the enemy is most likely to move during the following turn to position your champions. Position your champions strategically. Set attack zones and engage your enemies to create chain reactions of combos, maximising your victory and striking as many enemies as possible. A user-friendly interface gives lots of information about the enemies’ powers and move positions and there are various key presses that will bring up further helpful information. After only a short period of time and your first success Artifice becomes very intuitive.

Look out!

The biome hazards come in four types: Sandworm, frost wraith, Poison Ivy, and Floating Rune. They can be both dangerous and useful. If you are able to hit the enemies while they are next to them, they also attack the enemies. On the other hand, if you end up taking a hit while next to them, you might end up losing a shard (life), which will make the battle more difficult. Using them wisely is important for a master tactician.

Features & Facts

• Every unit has its own move and attack patterns, as well as unique traits and abilities.
• After winning 4 battles, you can challenge the boss.
• If you defeat the boss, a new island will unlock.
• There are a total of 3 islands and 1 final boss fight to complete.
• Collect any items or resources that enemies drop when defeated.
• Win the battle and earn rewards based on achieving secondary objectives and in-game drops.
• Visit the loadout area to equip great items and upgrade your champions.  
• Experiment with different objectives and aim for the rewards you need the most.

About Silvine Game Studios

Founded by Neeraj Kumar, Aubhik Nath, Ekta Verma, and Vishal Mohan, Silvine Game Studios is an indie developer based in Chennai, India. After their success with Asura: Vengeance Edition, the team reunited to create Artifice: War Tactics. Learn more at Silvine Game Studios.

Portal to the Cosmobeat is a rhythm-based dancing action game where you have direct control of your limbs as you face off in dance battles across the galaxy.

In Portal to the Cosmobeat you are a young dance enthusiast who is given a magic ribbon by his mother and sent out into the galaxy to take part in epic dance battles. The dance battles blend … Read More

Journey Beyond the Edge of the World is a narrative-driven first person retro-sci-fi adventure set aboard a decommissioned fishing trawler that’s lost at sea in uncharted waters.

Taking place in 1953, in Journey Beyond the Edge of the World, players must navigate treacherous waters, solve environmental puzzles, and uncover hidden secrets to reveal a dark mystery. The rest of your crew has disappeared and … Read More

Pip My Dice is a Yahtzee roguelike where you’ll use customizable dice and powerful relics to rig the odds in your favor as you battle bosses and climb the online leaderboards.

Drawing inspiration from Balatro and Yahtzee, Pip My Dice is a dice-based roguelike deckbuilder where players can upgrade their dice or employ various strategies to battle their way through different stages. Players must … Read More

Haddie’s Pizzeria is a cooking simulation game with a big focus on realism as you prepare and cook delicious pizzas from scratch.

In Haddie’s Pizzeria, players take on the role of Haddie, a young entrepreneur seeking to build a successful pizzeria in a small town. The game is a simulation where players manage the daily operations of the pizzeria, including taking orders, cooking pizzas, … Read More

Puropu Defense Squad is a wacky third person action tower defense game where weird looking aliens defend their base against waves of horrible humans.

Playable with one to four players in online co-op, in Puropu Defense Squad you control a team of customizable heroes, each with unique abilities and weapons. The game combines tower defense mechanics with real-time combat, requiring strategic placement of units and … Read More

Endzone 2 is a survival city-builder game set in a post-apocalyptic world where players must manage resources, lead a group of survivors, and rebuild civilization.

A sequel to the 2021 original, in Endzone 2 players will expand their colony, explore dangerous and irradiated zones for resources, and defend against threats like raiders and environmental hazards. It features dynamic weather, a day-night cycle, vehicles, improved settler … Read More

Truck Mechanic: Dangerous Paths is a simulation game where players step into the shoes of a truck mechanic operating in challenging and hazardous terrains.

Set in a vast open world, Truck Mechanic: Dangerous Paths focuses on repairing, upgrading, and driving trucks as they traverse through perilous routes. Players must manage their workshop, source parts, and complete various missions to transport goods across dangerous landscapes, including … Read More

SWAP/MEAT is a co-op roguelite third person shooter where you hunt aliens for their meat, which you use to swap out body parts with new abilities.

Playable with one to four players, in SWAP/MEAT you’re a Meat Scientist who works for Rangus Meats and travels to different planets and hunts aliens for meat. The body parts of the aliens you kill can be swapped out … Read More

Lightning Katana is a fast paced samurai action FPS inspired by Hotline Miami, Katana Zero and Devil May Cry.

In Lightning Katana you will kick, shoot, parry and slice your way through an entire Yakuza gang to avenge the death of your pet dog. The game plays a little like a blend of Hotline Miami and Wolfenstein 3D, with fast paced one-hit-kill combat, … Read More

Mother Machine is a quirky co-op action roguelite platformer where ravenous chaos goblins climb and feast their way through alien caves.

Playable with one to four players, in Mother Machine you are a cute little chaos goblin who has an insatiable appetite. As you and your friends run, jump, swing and blimp your way through procedurally generated cave systems you’ll unlock a wide array of … Read More

Security: The Horrible Nights is a pixel art horror adventure where you’re a security guard in a hospital and every time you die an entirely new story begins.

Currently in development by Professional Villains (creators of The ER and Anglerfish), Security: The Horrible Nights is a horror game about a security guard in a hospital where anything can happen. Your job is to monitor … Read More

Worshippers of Cthulhu is an eldritch horror colony sim game where you build a city and perform rituals to awaken the almighty Cthulhu.

In Worshippers of Cthulhu you are a cult leader who is seeking to bring about a cosmic rebirth at the hands of Cthuhu and other maddening eldritch entities. After your ship washes up on a strange land with a giant pit that … Read More

Feed The Gods is a multiplayer card-battling roguelike where cultists attempt to fight their way out of a pit of doom before they’re eaten by an ancient god.

Playable with 3-6 players, in Feed The Gods you are a cult leader who uses cards to help guide a loyal cultist to freedom from a pit below the Tower of Doom. Matches take place on a … Read More

Project T is a co-op multiplayer horror shooter that takes place in the world of Dead by Daylight.

Playable with up to four players in online co-op, in Project T you will take on the role of Trespassers who are trapped in an area of The Entity’s realm that’s called The Blackraker. You’ll need to scavenge for weapons, vehicles, talismans and other useful objects, … Read More

Peacequarium is a chilled out idle aquarium simulator that you can stock with fish and leave running on your screen while you do some work.

The basic gameplay in Peacequarium is similar to most idle games – you earn money, and buy stuff and upgrades to earn more money. You’ll buy fish, buy food, upgrade your tank and collect rare, epic and legendary fish. There … Read More

MISTERY is an isometric multiplayer horror action game with social deduction where the monsters may be some of your teammates.

Playable with up to eight players, MISTERY is an SCP inspired asymmetric multiplayer horror game set after a catastrophic containment break at a secret facility. Players will need to arm themselves, blast hordes of monsters, unlock psionic powers and complete objectives. Things might not be … Read More

King’s Orders is a mediaeval strategy game where you command your away with letters that may have difficulties reaching their destination.

In most strategy games the orders you give are instantly followed and you can instantly see them take effect. That’s not how things actually worked throughout history though – messengers had to relay the information back and forth between the frontline and command, which … Read More

Scarlet Deer Inn is a beautifully animated narrative-driven cinematic platforming advertise where the character sprites are made from embroidery.

Drawing inspiration from Slavic folklore and the works of Studio Ghibli, Scarlet Deer Inn is a cinematic platforming adventure where a mother of two finds herself locked in a dark dungeon. The demo features an extended town-based section where you can talk to residents and complete … Read More

Midnight Murder Club is a tense and humorous multiplayer FPS where you’ll have to be strategic with your flashlight as you hunt each other down in a pitch black mansion.

In Midnight Murder Club each player starts with a flashlight and a revolver in a mansion with no other light sources whatsoever. There are traps, weapons and equipment hidden around the mansion, but the main … Read More

Five Laps at Freddy’s is a Mario Kart style mascot kart racing game starring Freddy Fazbear and pals.

The karting gameplay in Five Laps at Freddy’s is pretty similar to most Mario Kart style racing games. You can choose from a selection of FNaF characters, select which kart you’d like them to drive and then you use a mixture of driving skill, power-ups and luck … Read More

Symphonia is a beautifully animated non-violent musical platforming adventure where you use your violin to gather an orchestra that will bring the world back to life.

Previously featured on Alpha Beta Gamer when it was a student project, Symphonia is a platformer that takes place in a world where music is a source of energy. The once thriving world is now dormant after the … Read More

Zenless Zone Zero Update 1.1, also known as Undercover R&B, is the game’s first big update since release. HoYoverse’s newest game has been making waves, but it’s only just begun.  Undercover R&B promises a new Bangboo, Agents, W-Engines, story expansions, and tons of new game modes and events. Read on to find out when Update […]

The post Zenless Zone Zero Update 1.1: Release Date, New Agents, And Features appeared first on TopGamersGuide.com.

Esports has come a long way: from high-score chasing, to the Battle By the Bay, the World Cyber Games, and much more. It wasn’t until the 2010s that the legitimacy and ubiquity of esports reached a fevered pitch, with studios chasing after this market and the push to give esports as big of a profile as traditional sports. But as I looked at genres like fighting and RTS, I started to think about whether esports has helped or hurt game development.

The Intended Effect

Esports and live service have gone together since the 2000s and the rise of League of Legends. The idea was that by creating an esport, a game would become popular outside of just playing the game; people would follow the esport and sponsors could sell ad revenue. There has always been this dream in the US to have esports reach the same level of recognition and impact that we saw in South Korea with StarCraft.

By continuing to support a game with more content, it would mean people would spend money on said content, and more support would keep a game going for years. When you look at the big successes — LoL, CS: GO, Rainbow Six: Siege, and so on – it does turn into that. For multiplayer, it has been a godsend in terms of keeping these games relevant and playable for years thanks to people continuing to play for the competitive side. This symbiotic relationship has been the envy of publishers and developers who all tried to make their own take on these games, as we saw with the numerous battle royales, MOBAs, shooters, and so on. And while esports has been good to these games it hasn’t been good to the health of these genres.

The problem is that making an esport and making a marketable game might not be as compatible as you think.

Making an Esport

Esport design is different from the traditional design and mechanics we see in other games. When you are building an esport, you must focus on the competitive side — all map design, all balancing, all future content, must be built around what the competitive people want to see. This has been the driving factor for fighting games for years and was part of what led to the decline of traditional RTS games in the mainstream in favor of MOBAs.

An esport is all about “the match” and everything that isn’t related to it is seen as fluff to the competitive side.

Matches are meant to be as balanced as possible and favor player skill above all else. With every esport game mentioned in this piece, you’ll find very little content outside of that. For the games that do add in single-player or story content, with rare exceptions (that I’ll come back to below), it is kept minimal and seems like something added to check off a list.

Casual vs. Competitive

When we look at games and genres that have gone out of their way to be the next esport, it’s time to face an important truth: esports suck the fun out of those games. From a community standpoint, some of the worst games imaginable, with regard to community management and moderation, are from the esports side. You have those who send horrible messages to other players, players who look down on everyone else, and reports of corruption and cheating from time to time.

From an onboarding and UI/UX point of view, these games are ineffective at providing accommodations and educating new players on how to play competitively. When it comes to the importance of UI/UX design, esports games fail this test time after time, and a lot of it comes down to their player base, specifically the esports side. Just as single-player gamers often fail to understand the difference between complexity and depth, so do a lot of multiplayer fans. Some immediately fume the second someone wants to change a game to make it easier to play or modernize it for audiences today, as we saw with the modern controls debate from Street Fighter 6. The problem is that teaching someone how to play against an AI is not the same as teaching them how to fight another player. For games that introduce new rules and mechanics, onboarding and tutorials may never cover those advanced elements.

In the last section I mentioned that esports players tend to focus on match design and match balancing above all else, however, the “else” in this regard is what attracts people to play these games in the first place. An esports player wants something that is consistent across however many matches they tend to play over the game’s lifespan and this is also why progression, outside elements, or those that don’t fit within the match are viewed as negatives. For everyone else, this kind of stuff is what makes these games appealing. Something I wrote about in my RTS book with unit design is that at the end of the day, cool trumps balance. Are the different factions in the Command & Conquer universe or the races in StarCraft 2 perfectly balanced? Heck no, and any self-respecting fan would say the same.

Keeping with StarCraft 2, it's the only game I can think of that came out with a fully supported esports model with its competitive play and a completely original campaign for each faction featuring unique units and progression not seen anywhere else. This is in line with how NetherRealm Studios revitalized the fighting game genre in the late 2000s by focusing on content for people who have no interest in the competitive side.

Esports players, no matter how much money gets thrown at sponsorships and tournaments, represent a fraction, of a fraction, of a fraction, of your consumer base, and it's why only catering to them does not keep a game financially afloat.

Where the Money Comes and Goes

Live service game design is all about money coming in and going out in a continuous cycle. If you’re not creating new content, money stops coming in, which means no more budget to create new content. And if you’re not creating “attractive” content for people to buy, then you are just wasting development time and money.

The issue with catering only to esports players with your game’s content and growth is that it doesn’t leave room for anyone else to keep playing. You’ll see this with any competitively-driven game — the first month or two will have peak player counts with new players trying to learn the game and see if it works for them. And then, without fail, those numbers plummet and the people who stick around are just the competitive side or those trying to be competitive.

This group only cares about one thing: content that plays into the competitive side of the game. Anything else is not of interest to them, and if you think new cosmetics are going to be enough to bring casual players back, that’s not going to work. To that point, trying to create new game modes, new mechanics, or anything that runs counter to the esports/competitive side will be met with angry esports players, and still may not be enough to get people to come back. Blizzard’s strategy of splitting StarCraft 2 down the middle between the competitive and casual sides with its content was a brilliant move. Conversely, trying to shoehorn competitive and casual together is what doomed Command & Conquer 4.

The problem with trying to cater to an esports market is that instead of being able to grow your game with new content and interest over the months and years, it starts to shrink. Once a game’s audience becomes fixed like this, no one new is going to join, and if they do, chances are they won’t stay long. If players feel like they are just there to be served up to the expert players, they will leave even faster, as Activision’s report on Skill-Based Matchmaking covers in detail.

The Better Live Service

Some of the most popular live service games today come from the mobile space and are as far away from competitive experiences as a game could get. Creating attractive content for a live service game requires making sure that all segments of your audience can experience it. If there are new missions, storylines, etc., then they should be accessible to all groups. For bonus challenges or limited-time events, there needs to be content for each group of players.

Whenever there is content that only one group of players can use or will support, it’s going to push the other ones away; you need as wide of a consumer base as possible if you want your game to keep growing.

What Is the Future of Esports?

Esports is in a very awkward place now; it’s no longer the new thing on the market, and tournaments like the LoL Championship Series and EVO have reached the mainstream, but prospects for continued growth are debatable. Part of the problem is that it’s not about organically making a game an esport, where the process would look like this:

1. The game comes out
2. People like to play it
3. Tournaments are developed
4. The game becomes an esport

Now, many developers and publishers are chasing the market to will their games to become an esport. The ones that specifically are built for esport players are not finding a market outside of just those players.

Just as the RTS genre needs to have a hard talk about modernizing and appealing to more people, the fighting genre needs a similar one.

Despite how many copies Street Fighter 6 sold and how popular it was, less than half the player base on PC tried a multiplayer match. Designing additional content for mainstream and non-competitive players has helped, but it doesn’t fix the inherent problem of trying to get someone who isn’t a pro player interested in playing a game designed around that mindset.

What do you think: Is esports going to keep growing, or has it reached its limits?

During GamesCom 2024, Netflix Games officially announced Squid Game: Unleashed, a new mobile multiplayer battle royale inspired by viral Korean show Squid Game. The title places players to a brutal competition, during which they must outlast their opponents in a series of deadly challenges both familiar from the original series and new. While a specific release date has not yet been announced, the game is expected to launch "soon."

You can watch the official announcement trailer from gamescom 2024 below:

Squid Game: Unleashed will feature ragdoll physics and cartoon violence, adding an exaggerated twist to the gameplay based on the deadly series. Players will compete in online multiplayer matches, navigating through various twisted contests based on the original show’s deadly games, as well as new games inspired by classic childhood activities.

This release comes as part of Netflix's broader push into gaming, which includes the formation of its first in-house game studio in Helsinki, Finland, led by former Zynga and EA executive Marko Lastikka. Netflix has been expanding its game library, which includes titles like Before Your Eyes and Into the Breach.

Squid Game: Unleashed is set to be released on mobile platforms through the Netflix Mobile App. The first season of Squid Game is on the service now, with season 2 debuting on December 26, 2024. The reality show based on the property is also on Netflix.

The post Squid Game Mobile Game Announced by Netflix appeared first on Siliconera.