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.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure is putting players back in the shoes of Max Caulfield, the iconic protagonist of the original Life is Strange. And as if that’s not exciting enough, this time she’ll be armed with an all-new power: the ability to enter alternate timelines in which certain characters are still alive. 

From the trailers and teasers that Deck Nine has given us, we know that Max will use her new power to solve the mysterious murder of her friend Safi. However, the ability to enter alternate timelines opens up seemingly infinite possibilities for other Life is Strange characters to return. It also leads us to ask the all-important question- will Chloe be in Double Exposure? We’re pretty sure Deck Nine is playing their cards close to the chest and has some exciting surprises in store for us.

10. Joyce Price

Even if you chose the Bae over Bay ending to the first Life is Strange, the powers that Max has in Double Exposure could theoretically allow for key characters from her past to make a return. Though Joyce is Chloe’s mom and not Max’s, she is still an important figure in Max’s childhood. A few texts, emails, or postcards from Joyce could be a good way to link the new game with the classic one. 

9. Chris Eriksen

Chris is the imaginative main character of The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit who also plays a key role in Life is Strange 2. We don’t have any confirmation on exactly when Double Exposure takes place, but he might now be about the right age to be a college student at Caledon University, where Max is a photographer-in-residence.

8. Skip Matthews

Skip Matthews is a security guard at Blackwell Academy in Before the Storm who makes music on the side. Hopefully, his band PissHead made it big, and Max will hear their tunes on the radio. It would certainly bring back some of that classic Life Is Strange spirit and would be a nice lighthearted touch.

7. Max’s Parents

We don’t know much about Max’s family; they only appear in the original Life is Strange via text messages. But Double Exposure has the opportunity to open up the mystery of their characters a bit more, as it might give Max an even more complex backstory. Regardless of the choices you made and the ending you selected, it seems most reasonable for them to still be in contact with Max and want the best for her.

6. Alex Chen

The main character of Life is Strange: True Colors is a deeply empathetic, caring person who has a personality that would blend well with Max’s. It would be nice to find out more about what’s happened to her since the events of True Colors, and even if her appearance is just in the background, it would likely aid in establishing a more fully intertwined Life is Strange timeline.

5. William Price

Chloe’s dad William is a key figure in the Arcadia Bay chapters of Life is Strange, despite the fact that he passed away before the games began. If we’re opening up alternate timelines, we’d love to see one in which Chloe and William are both present together- though maybe that’s just wishful thinking. If we do see William again, Deck Nine has to be careful to ensure that his return doesn’t retract the importance of the original game’s story.

4. Hawt Dog Man

Hawt Dog Man is an icon of the Life is Strange franchise who’s in every game and timeline. There’s no way his mustard-loving self won’t return in some form or another, and no way he wasn't going to nab a spot on this list.

3. Rachel Amber

Major spoilers for the first game ahead- no matter how you play the original Life is Strange, you can’t save Rachel Amber. Her presence, however, hangs over the entire game to the point where Max can almost feel it, despite never having met her. In the Life is Strange comics, Max is able to meet Rachel in an alternate reality. What if a similar scenario was possible with Max’s new power? I’d love to see how the two would interact.

2. Kate Marsh

Kate Marsh is a fellow student that Max cares deeply about in the first game, and so it would, of course, be great to see her or hear from her again in Double Exposure. Her storyline is also the first to truly show players just how powerful Max’s rewind powers are and how much of a difference your choices make in the Life is Strange universe.

1. Chloe Price

And now for the question we all want answered- will Chloe be in Double Exposure? In one of the preview scenes for Double Exposure, we find out that Max is keeping a photo of Chloe close but that her friend Safi doesn’t know Chloe. This implies that Max might be keeping her past a secret or that she hopes to escape it. Perhaps the latter is more likely since we now find Max on the other side of the country from where she grew up. Years have passed since the first game, and I think it’s fair to say that Double Exposure's Chloe, if she appears, will have to be a very different character than the one we saw in Arcadia Bay. 

We’re excited to see what Square Enix and Deck Nine have in store for us when Double Exposure releases on October 29th, 2024.

The post 10 Life is Strange Characters We Want to See Return in Double Exposure appeared first on Destructoid.

Release Date: August 27, 2020
Developer: DONTNOD Entertainment
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Article Reading Time: 4 minutes

Tell Me Why is free on Steam until July 1

Exciting News for Gamers on Steam!

We @Weplaygames.net are thrilled to share that the award-winning strong touching story adventure game, Tell Me Why developed by DONTNOD Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios, is free on Steam until July 1, 2024. This limited-time promotion allows you to dive into an emotionally gripping story without spending a dime!

1. You can visit the Tell Me Why Steam page.
2. Click the “Add to Account” button to permanently add the game to your Steam library.
3. Download and Play: Enjoy the game at your convenience.

Game is also Available for Free on Xbox Game Pass

For those with an Xbox Game Pass subscription, Tell Me Why is free for your console and PC . Download the game or play directly from cloud on your devices like handhelds. This means you can enjoy the game as part of your subscription without any additional cost. Access it through the Xbox Game Pass Catalog and start playing.

Why Tell Me Why?

Tell Me Why Game is a captivating episodic adventure that delves into the bond between twins Tyler and Alyson Ronan. Using their supernatural connection, they explore and uncover the mysteries of their troubled past in a small Alaskan town. Known for its rich storytelling and strong characters, the game lets players make impactful choices that shape the narrative.

DONTNOD Entertainment, the creators of Life is Strange, featured Tyler Ronan, a transgender character voiced by August Black. This representation is authentic and respectful, adding depth to the story without overshadowing it. The game’s stunning Alaskan setting and engaging puzzles immerse you in the twins’ world, offering insights into their fantasy realm, “The Book of Goblins.” With beautiful visuals and a heartfelt story, “Tell Me Why” invites players to explore themes of identity, memory, and family in a deeply human way.

Hurry Up or Wait with Pride!

This offer is available only until July 1, 2024 on Steam, so take advantage of your chance to experience this powerful narrative adventure for free. Keep an eye on our site for updates on upcoming freebies and game reviews. Or wait a year as this game honors Pride supporting LGBT communities making this for free.

The post Tell Me Why: For Free on Steam Until 1st July or Available Anytime with Xbox Ultimate appeared first on WePlayGames.net: Home for Top Gamers.

We recently saw the official reveal of the next Life is Strange game. Life is Strange: Double Exposure follows original heroine Max as she solves a murder mystery using her new powers to explore parallel universes. While we love Max, we can’t help but feel like making her the star of another game is an odd choice. Here are five reasons Life is Strange: Double Exposure made the wrong choice bringing back Max.

5. Bringing Max Back Makes The First Game Too Important

To be clear, Max is a wonderful character. Life is Strange is a beautiful game, and it wouldn’t have been the same with anyone else in the lead. However, the decision to bring her back makes her – and by extension, the Arcadia Bay storyline – feel too important.

We’ve had quite the wait for another Life Is Strange game since the release of True Colors, but we’ve finally got another exciting entry coming at the end of 2024 with Life Is Strange: Double Exposure. In this return, we’ll play the fan-loved character, Max, who we were first introduced to in the initial Life Is Strange game. However, fans didn’t quite recognize her in the trailer.

Max has a slightly different look for the upcoming game. Although her hair color and length are about the same, she’s missing her iconic blunt bangs and prominent freckles. This immediately triggered a response from fans, who called out and hated these changes to the original character we all know and love. However, I personally feel like there are some excellent reasons behind the changes, and, ultimately, they are doing nothing else but breathing new life into Max.

The post Max Caulfield’s New Life Is Strange Look Doesn’t Deserve the Hate appeared first on GameSkinny.

The Life Is Strange games have typically changed main characters with each entry, but that will change with Life Is Strange: Double Exposure. The fifth game in the adventure series will focus on a grown-up version of Max Caulfield, the time-reversing teenager from the first game back in 2015.

Read more...

Title: Life is Strange: True Colors
Developer: Deck Nine Publisher: Square Enix
Platform Reviewed: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Released: September 10, 2021 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC;  December 7, 2021: Nintendo Switch
Article Reading Time: 9 minutes

True Colors of Haven Springs

Life is Strange: True Colors serves as an excellent entry point for newcomers to the franchise, thanks to its standalone story and relatable protagonist. However, seasoned fans will find familiar themes, gameplay mechanics, and subtle callbacks to previous games that enrich the experience. But no worries, Life is Strange: True Colors can be enjoyed without knowledge of three previous installments.

Having previously played the first Life is Strange, its prequel titled Before The Storm, and the sequel Life is Strange 2, I have to confess I fell in love with the emotional world full of unexpected twists and turns and difficult decisions that these games offer. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to immerse myself once again in this captivating series. I am excited about the latest Life is Strange series installment.

For those who have yet to hear of Life is Strange, it is an episodic graphic interactive story adventure game that is not particularly surprising in gameplay as it follows the tradition of previous installments. Still, the better pace of the story, along with containing a lot of decision sequences and frequent content of cutscenes and cutscenes forming the vast majority of the game, and between these sequences, the player can move around the visually very charming available locations in a visual treatment reminiscent of, for example, the games from The Walking Dead series by Telltale Games.

Alex Chen: From Family Heartache to Mystical Might

In this game, the protagonist is a young girl named Alex Chen. She has gone through a lot of hardships in her childhood, as she lost her mother to cancer and her father left home. This unfortunate turn of events has led to her separation from her older brother, Gabe.

After spending many years in orphanages and foster homes, Alex, now an adult, is excited to finally reunite with her brother Gabe in Haven Springs, Colorado. Upon arriving in the small town, she quickly becomes close to her brother and other local community members. She even finds a place to live, making her dream of having a natural home a reality. However, as is typical in the Life is Strange series, things turn dark when a tragedy occurs, leading Alex and her brother on a quest for the truth. Their investigation involves the local mining company Typhoon, responsible for the Uranium mining operation in the Haven Springs area.

Choices and Consequences

As you explore Haven Springs in this game, you will come across various places like a music store, a florist, a pharmacy, and the Black Lantern bar and restaurant. The town is visually appealing, with intricate details and a vibrant atmosphere. The game’s decision-making system plays a significant role in the gameplay, and every choice you make has consequences. However, I must admit that later in the story, the game does not follow through on its promise of impactful decision-making despite displaying the “your choice will have consequences” message in the top corner of the screen.

I instead got the impression that this was not always the case. Quite often, these consequences were not actually wholly consequences but just changed the final dialogue with certain characters and so on, which gave me the unwanted feeling that I didn’t have as much influence on setting the direction of the story as the game at first glance claimed. However, the story itself was very good, but in short, I felt slightly robbed of that feeling of “control over the action.” Another thing that influenced my view of the story is the fact that several familiar moments and situations could be seen in previous works, Specifically from the first Life is Strange and its prequel Before The Storm, which, as a die-hard fan, at first, I was very pleased with and had a strong sense of nostalgia, but later when it was my turn to think more deeply I wasn’t too happy with this decision by the developers DeckNine. Instead, it gave me the feeling that the developers were trying to feed on the fame of the already mentioned previous episodes, but on the other hand, I have to say that it didn’t hurt the story, and still, True Colors kept its own identity and uniqueness in terms of narrative, independent from the previous episodes.

Empathy’s Double-Edged Sword: Gift and Curse

The last and perhaps the most essential thing related to the gameplay that I must in no way leave out and that is necessary for Life is Strange
is the supernatural ability of the protagonist. Alex has had a “curse,” as she calls it, since birth, and that is that she can feel other people’s emotions and, in a way, read thoughts through them, such as sadness, anger, fear, or joy… An aura of a different color also depicts each emotion depending on the type of emotion. If a person is experiencing an emotion very strongly, Alex can feel and experience these emotions partly herself, which may not always be as lovely in practice as it sounds. For Alex, this can be a severe problem in places, which hurts her psyche.

Alex’s empathy can be both a gift and a burden. While it allows her to connect with others profoundly, it can also overwhelm her. There are moments when her inability to shield herself from strong emotions leads to internal conflict and difficult choices – should she prioritize helping others even at the risk of personal distress? Her powers become central to not only to unraveling the mystery in Haven Springs but also offer poignant commentary on the challenges of being highly empathetic.

True Colors of Sounscape

After the gameplay, we move on to the following extensive domain of the Life is Strange series: the music. This has always been the royal discipline of these games, and with Life is Strange True Colors, it is no different.
Fans will probably agree that I’ve heard better soundtracks in other titles, but that doesn’t change the fact that the game maintains its excellent standard within the brand. The choice of licensed music throughout the game is hilarious and enjoyable and often works well in the specific moments of the game in which the songs are set, as we are used to with the rest of the series.

While True Colors maintains the series’ affinity for emotive indie music, it deviates slightly from the melancholic melodies that defined its predecessors. Songs by artists like Novo Amor and Angus & Julia Stone provide a familiar touch, but the soundtrack often leans towards brighter, pop-infused tracks. This musical shift reflects Alex’s personality, which is more hopeful and outwardly expressive than the introspective protagonists of earlier games. However, fans who deeply connected with the poignant, almost haunting scores of the first Life is Strange or Before the Storm might find True Colors’ soundtrack lacks the same thematic depth and nostalgic resonance that so powerfully underscored their narratives.

Another Valued Game Added to the Life is Strange Series

Despite the shortcomings such as vulgarly speaking “robbing” other parts of the series, although not to a great extent and not always convincing decision-making system in which the player does not seem to have as much power as he would like, it is still a good story adventure game with a sympathetic protagonist, interesting supernatural abilities and a thrilling story which is complemented by an enjoyable soundtrack which still makes this game a title I can still recommend very highly.

Buy Life is Strange: True Colors
PlayStation Store . Xbox Store . Steam . Nintendo Switch

By the way, quiz question: who do you like the most, Alex, Ellie from Last of Us or Amicia from Plague Tale ?

The post Life is Strange: True Colors – Will Alex’s Secret Tear the Town Apart? appeared first on WePlayGames.net: Home of Top Gamers.

Když jsem se poprvé dozvěděl, že vývojáři stojící za sérií Life is Strange pracují na zcela nové IP, měl jsem radost a nemohl se dočkat dalších detailů. O několik měsíců později jsem měl možnost vyzkoušet si Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden na německém Gamescomu a na našem webu jsme vám přinesli první dojmy. Jakým směrem se hra posunula, kdo jsou lovci duchů a povedl se studiu Don’t Nod přechod do zcela jiného žánru?

Recenzovaná verze: PlayStation 5

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden je single-playerová příběhová akce, kde jsou hlavními postavami zamilování Antea Duarte a Red mac Raith. Tito lovci duchů, chcete-li vymítači, cestují po Severní Americe a výměnou za nějaký ten dollar pomáhají místním s problémy, jenž mají něco společného s nadpřirozenem. Ačkoliv je takový život těžký, Red ani Antea si nestěžují – mají jeden druhého a jejich láska nezná hranic, a to doslova.

Jednoho dne se totiž dostanou k další fušce v jedné nepříliš malebné vísce. Místní jsou prokletí, zdají se jim pravidelně noční můry a ti, kterým zbylo ještě trochu rozumu utekli do New Eden. Vše nabere nečekaný spád a oba lovci se tváří v tvář setkávají s něčím, na co nebyli připraveni. Tragické podcenění situace vyústí v Anteinu smrt a Redův pád ze skály. Zatímco mužská polovička tohoto zvláštního páru přežije, tak Antea takové štěstí neměla. Proměnila se v jednoho z těch duchů, které ze srdce nenávidí. Díky svým znalostem se milencům krátce na to podaří spolu navázat kontakt a tím začíná příběh, který jsem si plnými doušky užíval po celou dobu testování.

Jako Banisher vstoupíte do života mnoha lidí, kteří se v New Eden často potýkají s problémy, které nejsou schopni sami zvládnout. Pochválit zde musím to, jakým způsobem jsou napsány samostatné questy i postavy. Ty mají často jisté vedlejší úmysly a mnohdy se tak situace vyvrbí poněkud jinak, než se na první pohled mohlo zdát.

Příběh Reda a Antei není jen obyčejnou duchařinou, ale také intimní cestou dvou lidí za společným cílem, na níž musí překonat řadu nepředstavitelných překážek. Mezi kterými vyčnívá otázka morálky. Antea totiž přizná Redovi, že existuje způsob, jak ji přivézt zpět co světa živých. A zde se zastavím… Pokud vám jméno studia, které za hrou stojí, není cizí, tak jistě tušíte, že příběhová náplň Banishers je tou nejsilnější stránkou hry. Je tomu vskutku tak a byla by velká škoda se pokračování zápletky dozvědět z druhé ruky. Prozradit vám ještě můžu skutečnost, že hra má několik různých konců, které se odemknou v závislosti na vašich rozhodnutích.

Ne všichni duchové a obyvatelé jsou v Ghosts of New Eden špatní a často je to právě na vás, abyste nastalou situaci rozsoudili. Standardně máte na výběr ze tří možností.

Sacrifice – Výběrem této možnosti označíte viníka, jemuž následně za jeho činy odeberete duši. Co s to duší pak budete dělat je jen na vás.

Banish – Jednoznačně ta nejkrutější volba. Nešťastníkova duše bude navždy uvržena do absolutního prázdna, kde bude navěky bloudit a trpět.

Ascend – Touto volbou osvobodíte ducha od věčného smutku a obdarujete jej věčným klidem.

Jak jsem již zmínil výše, vaše volby v každičké situaci budou mít vliv na to, jak váš příběh skončí. Jeden průchod by vám měl zabrat okolo 20 hodin v závislosti na chuti plnit vedlejší questy. 

Během nahánění živých i mrtvých prevítů se často dostanete do situace, kdy vám slova stačit nebudou. Soubojový systém mi ze začátku hry nepřišel příliš intuitivní a chvíli mu trvalo, než se mi dostal pod kůži. Levelováním postavy si odemykáte zbraně a všemožné body ve stromě dovedností. Časem tak je vše jednoduší, svižnější a přirozenější. Obě postavy se navíc naučí i umění spolupráce a to se pak ze soubojů stane i zajímavá vizuální podívaná. Zde musím smeknout před vývojáři z Don’t Nod, kterým se podařilo vytvořit hru, která co do grafického ztvárnění potěší i náročnější hráče. Během hraní jsem oceňoval krásné scenérie, design nepřátel a celkovou mapu, která je tvořena několika biomy. Stále se ovšem jedná o relativně malé studio a tak jsou místy k vidění méně kvalitní animace či nevypovídající mimika obličejů.

Během testování se mi na mysl často drala hra God of War, ze které se vývojáři jednoznačně inspirovali, a to na několika frontách. Nejvíce je to cítit na kameře, která je umístěna hned za ovládanou postavou. Stejně tak její úhel odpovídá při přeskakování překážek, lezení po římsách, šplhání atd. Zmínit bych měl i soubojový systém, který taktéž místy připomínal Kratovo řádění. Stejně jako God of War z roku 2018 působí Banishers i přes nižší rozpočet svěže, kinematograficky a především souboje s bossy či videa na koncích hry jsou prostě epické.

Ačkoliv hra nese ve jméně jen název města New Eden, tak se můžete těšit na rozlehlý polootevřený svět, po kterém se budete moci volně pohybovat. Rozloha by tak napovídala, že si vývojáři dali záležet na řádné výplni, která bude naše hráčské hlavičky zaměstnávat a bavit. S onou náplní jsem ale spokojen příliš nebyl. Možná za to může nové Like a Dragon, které jsem testoval zároveň s Banishers, možná za to prostě může nedostatek vedlejších aktivit. Extra nášup by si taktéž zasloužili nepřátelé, kteří sice vypadají originálně, ale je jich žalostně málo a rychle se zajídají.

Na konec musím vyzdvihnout výkony herců v hlavních rolích. Antea je zde zosobněna skvělou Amakou Okafor a o Reda se postaral herec Russ Bain. Ten přidal Redovi do vínku také skvělý skotský přízvuk.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden je pro mě příjemným překvapením. Studio Don’t Nod využilo své nejsilnější stránky a vyvarovalo se chyb, které tížily jejich předchozí titul, Vampyr. Unikátnímu příběhu zde sekundují skvěle napsané postavy, příjemná a atmosférická grafika, sound design a nátlak na hráče, kteří se musí rozhodovat podle svého nejlepšího svědomí. 

Vývojáři: Don’t Nod

Vydavatelství: Focus Home Interactive

Datum vydání: 13. 2. 2024

Česká lokalizace: Ne

Doba testování: 40+ hodin

Článek RECENZE Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden – Život živým, smrt mrtvým! se nejdříve objevil na GAME PRESS.

An FPS ripped from the 90s, Hyperstrange and developer Mekworx’ Supplice revels in classic play, turning back the clock in fine form.

Doom clone

Remember the term “Doom clone”? If you’re too young it might sound strange, but all FPS’ were dubbed that at one point. For some reason, and one that befuddled me more than a bit even at the time, gaming-writers and fans didn’t seem to recognize the first-person shooter as a new genre. Instead they just referred to all FPS’ as Doom clones.

That’s a pretty insulting moniker for the teams that poured hours of work into games like Heretic, Rise of the Triad, and others. It didn’t take all that long till it started to fade thankfully, though it did hang around for a few years. History lessons aside though, playing Supplice brought that time period roaring back for me. It just felt like one of those “Doom clones” that hit the PC circa 1994-ish.

Not that it copies Doom outright, but it’s impossible not to see the roots of the genre in Supplice. There’s solid reason for that, since the game comes out of a developer who’s familiar with Doom-modding, though it goes a little deeper. Supplice has somehow completely captured the feel of an era, which, for good or ill, is pretty freaking cool if we’re being honest.

Invasion!

Mekworx’ Supplice revels in mid-90s FPS design. When I say that it feels like it came out in 1995, I mean every bit of that. And of course that’s kind of the point, but that said, if you’re looking for a deep narrative… well you’re not gonna find it here.

The entirety of Supplice’s story is told via terminals that you’ll have to access and read as you play through the game’s gore-soaked levels. These include ‘live’ messages from helpful (?) AI’s and survivors of the alien (maybe) assault, as well as pre-recorded texts and emails from base personal.

While it might not sound like it, a complete and pretty enjoyable story is spelled out with that. And although it seems like a pretty straightforward one at first, it does bob and weave as things go on.

Basically you play as a worker just transferred to Methuselah colony. It’s not all that special of a place, though it definitely becomes one, as an invasion by an unknown and seemingly alien force hits it like a ton of bricks.

Techno-organic troopers, giant beasts, and Strogg-like (from Quake 2) repurposed human soldiers make up the bulk of the opposing forces. The adventure sends your character across the colony, on a mission to reach something called the Flux Gate, and make it off of the planet. Though, as it turns out, things might be a little more complicated than that.

I would’ve loved to have seen some cut-scenes digging a little deeper into what’s, again, a pretty good narrative. Even static images, told comic-book style would have been great. Though that said, it would have messed with the aesthetic. And with a retro title, that’s pretty darn important to maintain.

Iconic controls

Just like with the style of storytelling, Supplice revels in Doom-like controls. Players can move and shoot, as well as interact with their environment by flipping switches and using security keys.

As for the hardware, Suppllice stars a small but very solid arsenal. It’s packed with cool guns like a firebomb-tossing RPG, twin submachine guns, a triple-barreled shotgun, and a sick drill that serves as a melee option.

That drill can actually be upgraded (once) as you play too, but beyond that the weapons are what they are. Unlike some other retro-shooters out there, Mekworx decided to not include an arsenal-wide upgrade system.

I will add though that the controls for everything are spot on. If you remember those games of yore fondly, I’d find it tough to believe you wouldn’t feel right at home blasting your way through Supplice’s alien landscape.

Pinnacle of the era

If you’re looking for ‘retro’, Supplice can’t really be beat in terms of the look. In fact, if the game did see release decades ago, it would have been one of the best-looking FPS’ of the day. The graphics are a mix of Quake and Duke Nukem 3D, with some excellent lighting effects and imaginatively constructed maps.

The game’s locations are fun to play, well varied, and constructed like they actually could be part of a science colony. That’s something that I personally love to see in a retro game. There are randomly placed power-ups and ammo (etc) for sure, but the maps themselves make way more sense than something like Doom’s early stages, for example.

Those stages are also really colorful, with outdoor and indoor areas. And if you expected the outdoor ones to be martian sand or something, think again. Methuselah colony is pretty lush, with green plant life and flowing water.

While the levels themselves are terrific, as touched-upon earlier, Supplice’s enemy list isn’t all that deep. It’s a pity, though one that might be corrected as the game expands with future episodes. Something to keep in mind. And in any event, it’s definitely fun to mow down crowds of what the game does throw at you.

I did find the music to be pretty annoying and repetitive, but I guess you can’t have everything. Oh, and not that I should have to point it out since this whole review has hung on the “retro” themes of Supplice, but there’s almost no vocal work.

Everything is text-based in Supplice, other than the shouts of the enemies and the occasional voice of the main character telling the player that she can’t open a door or something.

Overall

As retro-shooters go, Supplice is pretty great. It’s definitely got the feel down, and actually gave me a sense that it could have been launched back in 1995. In this case, that’s a very good thing.

Especially if you remember the genre’s infancy fondly, you’ll probably find plenty to like about this one. And remember, this is just episode 1, so there’s plenty more Supplice to come.

A copy of this game was supplied by the publisher for this review

Supplice
Release Date: April 6th, 2023
Platform: PC (Steam version reviewed)
Publisher: Hyperstrange
Developer: Mekworx
MSRP: $14.99 USD

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