Thea 2: The Shattering has been reviewed by RockPaperShotun.

Thea 2 isn’t the hours I spent numbly crafting and cooking, or the card combat which I ended up auto-resolving ninety percent of the time, or the genuinely frustrating way my beloved Cabbage Joe was mercilessly crushed by a camp of bandits after clicking my way into an unwinnable encounter. Thea 2 is the child brought to my villagers via stork, who grew up to be a purple whirlwind demon, and spent their life studying rat corpses so I could learn how to build wishing wells. It’s the time my entire party got sick because a demon decided it would be fun to poo in my food supplies. It’s friendly dwarves who rob you blind after extending your hospitality, and evil-looking goblins who bestow blessings on you after sharing your food. Thea 2 is interesting in a ‘may you live in interesting times’ sense. An imperfect thing that I can’t help but feel affectionate towards.

Thanks Farflame!

OnlySP reports that George R.R. Martin is collaborating with From Software on a game.

The writer of A Song of Ice and Fire, the book series behind the popular television show Game of Thrones, has reportedly been consulting on a FromSoftware title.

In a blog post on his official website, George R. R. Martin stated that he has "consulted on a video game out of Japan."

Gematsu has reported that a contact familiar with FromSoftware-the Japanese development studio known for Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice-has shared that Martin is working with the studio on a project known internally as "GR."

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Pathfinder: Kingmaker is getting an Enhanced Edition and Beneath the Stolen Lands DLC on June 6th.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker Enhanced Edition and Beneath the Stolen Lands DLC arriving June 6

24 May @ 4:04am - Mortheim

Dear Pathfinders,

From day one, we’ve set it as our goal to tirelessly improve our game based on your feedback and insight. We’ve pored over comments, scoured the forums and scrutinized your survey answers – and then rushed back to start fixing, polishing and expanding. Today, we are happy to announce the fruits of our labors: an Enhanced Edition of “Pathfinder: Kingmaker”, free to everyone who already owns a copy of the game! Not only is it a culmination of all the previous patches and fixes. Featuring all-new classes, items and abilities, numerous quality-of-life features and multiple balance adjustments, this is the ultimate way to play the game!

The Enhanced Edition will launch on June 6. In the meantime, to let you know of all the exciting new features, we’ve prepared a slew of content, including teasers, dev diaries and even dev streams – the first of which will go live today! Join us on https://www.twitch.tv/owlcatgames at 7:30 PM CEST/1:30 PM EDT (US) for an in-depth look at a new prestige class!

“Pathfinder: Kingmaker – Enhanced Edition” Key Features

• Free Upgrade for all existing players
• Numerous gameplay-enriching content additions and dozens of quality-of-life features
• New abilities and ways to build your character
• A Brand-new class: Slayer
• New items and weaponry
• Improved balance, especially in the beginning and last two chapters of the game
• Enhanced kingdom management system, both in terms of balance as well as usability and player comfort
• Increased variety of random encounters on the global map
• Thousands of fixes and improvements made since the game’s initial release

Beneath the Stolen Lands

Some of our shrewder fans have already figured out that we like to release things near the end of the month. Such was our plan for “Beneath The Stolen Lands”, our 3rd DLC, as well. However, after postponing it for a month from late April to late May, we’ve realized we now had 2 releases lined up one after the other in the space of a week. For this reason, we’ve decided that it would make more sense to release both the DLC and Enhanced Edition on the same day, June 6.
Just to remind you what it's going to be like:

“Beneath The Stolen Lands” Key Features

• Enter a massive dungeon with a party made from scratch. Begin your adventure to the Tenebrous Depths with a party of newly created characters. Start the game from the main menu and experience the descent into an endless rogue-like dungeon
• Explore the near-infinite possibilities of building a Pathfinder character. Try out different builds to perfect your tactics at your leisure. Create a band of adventurers able to overcome any danger!
• Defeat is but a new beginning! Dying in an encounter enables additional benefits for your next playthrough
• Unlock new items to buy across multiple playthroughs. The number of item slots traders have depends on how far you have been able to descend during all of your previous forays combined
• Enter the dungeon as your main character, alternatively you can wait for an invitation from a mysterious protector of Golarion as you play through the Main Story. The pre-set version of the dungeon is included into the main campaign, allowing you to use your character and companions to conquer the Tenebrous Depths

RPGFan looks back at Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic:

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

One of the best things about fan communities is an unwavering passion for their beloved properties, and few fandoms are more passionate than the Star Wars community. Whether you are talking about the original trilogy or the prequels, the extended universe or the new Disney continuity, you're always going to find fans who will defend their opinion with the intensity of a Jedi versus a Sith. Sometimes, this kind of passion can lead to poisonous situations, but can also be the catalyst for amazing pieces of art. This includes a video game labor of love which BioWare developed over a decade ago: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

Since its release, KotOR has gone down as one of the most influential and best-regarded games in history; a reputation it well deserves. It introduced revolutionary systems that we take for granted in RPGs today and is still the gold standard of how licensed properties should adapt their subject matter to the video game medium. Even 20 years later, passionate modding communities ensure that KotOR stands the test of time by introducing new quests, updated graphics, and other modern bells and whistles.

[...]

Score: 90/100

The tactical RPG GOD WARS The Complete Legend will be released on Steam on June 14:

Overview
The game introduces new elements such as “Status Effects”, “Hate Elements”, “Decoys”, and “Summoning Beasts” into this traditional Tactical RPG. It adds both fun and attraction while inheriting the lineage of classical Tactical RPG making this a truly advanced and ultimate edition of Tactical and Strategy RPGs.

Players can now enjoy the main scenario, “The Future Past” and additional challenging stages, “Labyrinth of Yomi” and “The Deep Levels” in this game. “Labyrinth of Yomi” is an intermediate level stage where players are required to fully develop their characters “Jobs” to clear the stage. New challenges for advanced players awaits at the last stage, “The Deep Levels” where players will need to configure and determine optimal formations from the character’s exclusive job and exclusive skills as well as coming up with effective strategical tactics.

Story
The heroine “Kaguya” controlling her destiny by her own will and her friends who join along the path on this journey establishes the legendary ancient kingdom of “Yamataikoku” by overcoming various obstacles and challenges. Among the friends and other characters who will come across in this adventure are 25 including “Momotaro”, “Urashima”, "Okuninushi", “Sakuya”, a motif of “Konohanasakuyahime”, and “Iwanaga” who are all legendary heroes of myths and fairy tales representing ancient Japan.

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KEY FEATURES

• The two new challenging stages “Labyrinth of Yomi” and “The Deep Levels” are additionally implemented to the main scenario.
• An overwhelming game volume with a total play time of 160 hours
• Playable by using your Mouse and keyboard!
• An “Alignment” function to change character in the formation screen and an automatic placement function for your team members on the map are newly added!
• The following challenging elements attractive and captivating to tactical RPG players are implemented:

• 142 battle stages
• 478 types of skills
• 4 levels of difficulty setting
• Multiple playthroughs are possible
• Multiple endings are set

A Spellforce 3: Soul Harvest trailer, featuring the Dwarves has been made available.

Early Axes! SpellForce 3: Soul Harvest shows the Dwarves in action in a new pre-release trailer!

With the power of Ale, they cannot fail! The mighty Dwarves are ready for every thief who wants to steal their Moonsilver.

Vienna/Austria and Munich/Germany, May 23rd, 2019 - The Dwarves! Masterful builders, legendary blacksmiths, seasoned warriors and the most stubborn folks you'll ever meet are making their way into SpellForce 3. With the Soul Harvest expansion, two more playable factions will boost the ranks of the RTS smash hit. Watch the new faction trailer and pick a side! The stand-alone expansion SpellForce 3: Soul Harvest will launch on May 28th, 2019 on PC for an SRP of $24.99 | £19.99 | €24.99!

An upcoming expansion for Mutant Year Zero, named Seed of Evil, has been announced.

Funcom Reveals 'Seed of Evil', An Upcoming Expansion for Mutant Year Zero

Game set for Nintendo Switch launch - Expansion to be released on July 30th - New playable mutant announced - The expansion to the award-winning tactical adventure game picks up where the original game ended and introduces a new playable character, Big Khan the Moose.

OSLO, Norway - May 23rd, 2019 - Hours of gameplay, new locations to visit and a new leading character await fans of the award-winning tactical adventure game Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden, as Funcom and The Bearded Ladies today announce the upcoming expansion Seed of Evil.

The turn-based tactical adventure game Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden received critical acclaim for its gameplay, artwork and captivating characters. Set in post-apocalyptic Sweden, the player controls a group of mutants searching through the ruins of civilization for salvation or simply something to eat. Using a mixture of stealth and combat strategy, while evolving your characters through a series of interesting mutations, is paramount to overcoming the evil that is threatening to eradicate what is left of decent society.

A new menace is looming in the expansion. Powerful and ominous roots have emerged and seem to be taking control over the minds of friends and foes alike. Fortunately, a new hero has arrived, and players can now add Big Khan the moose to their squad of mutants. He is not only skilled at landing critical hits but comes with the unique mutations Ground Pound and Flame Puke, giving the option to apply a more diverse playstyle in order to succeed.

The expansion and the retail release on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch was originally set to release on June 25th. The new release date is now July 30th. The expansion and the full game will also be available digitally on all platforms.

PC gamers can preorder the expansion on Steam later today for $ 14.99 (pricing may differ across territories). A Digital Deluxe Edition will also be released today on Steam, consisting of both the original game and the upcoming expansion. The Deluxe Edition will also be available in retail.

Wytchsun: Elleros Origins is an Elder Scrolls like open world game which will release May 27th.

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You are the only one who can stop the cataclysm from destroying the land of Elleros.

Every 400 years a cataclysm wipes out nearly all life in the land of Elleros. The last cataclysm was 399 years ago. This is the year everything changes.

Wytchsun brings to life a complete open world for you to explore in any way you choose. From exploring ancient caves to battling corrupted necromancers, Wytchsun enables you to play the way you choose.

The fate of the TriImperium hangs in the balance. Battle, Explore and Command: Choices define your experience, and even one decision can change the course of history in Elleros.

A Stunning World to Explore

• Travel throughout countless biomes and fully immerse yourself in a world that is on the brink of cataclysm.
• Currently features three towns, miles of open world and six planes of the abyssal realms. Updates add content every month
• Encounter detailed lore and varied magical realms, while meeting or slaying the realms denizens.

Play however you choose

• Tailor experience from the very beginning. There are no character classes, you can shape your play-style as you please. Play as a mystic and monk who wields a broom refuses to use weapons, a dark magician riddled with magic diseases, or a knight clad in armor favoring a shield.
• Schools of magic, faith miracles, dark secrets and the weapons of humility enable you to play in the way you decide.
• Decide how to handle complex issues like corruption and magic diseases, miracles, and upgrades like runes or faith.

Detailed Character Customization

• Sculpt your champion in your own fantasy or image. The character creator allows you to create your a hero unique from anyone else, and change or mutate them over time.
• Shape your character’s reputation and morality based on consequences of actions you make throughout the game

Engage in Powerful, Terrifying Combat

• Battle against necromancers, dark magicians hordes of the undead or bandits.
• Unleash spells, monastic powers, stances and 115 different magical spells and skills.

True next generation

• Day/night cycles and dynamic weather systems affect how the towns citizens, and monsters of Elleros behave.
• Built from the ground up for next generation hardware to provide stunning game world realism

Watch Out!

Wytchsun is not finished! It is in active development: Its runs well on most hardware, but there are bugs and missing features. If you would like to play Wytchsun when it is finished, follow our development progress. We'll keep you informed as updates improve the game.
Playing today: there are at least 15-25 hours of open world exploring, locations and magic planes. Some of these are hidden realms! There are also features like over 30 in-game readable books with turning pages; crafting, 10 magic planes, a crime and justice system, stealth and theft etc.

About the development team

Wytchsun: Elleros Origins is being created by Rampage Interactive. We have a small in house team along with remote workers all around the globe dedicated to specific tasks during production, such as audio and graphics.

Topless Robot checked out the ATOM RPG:

Atom RPG - v1.08 Quality of Life Update | Backlog Quest!

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Today Bawss Sawss dives into the vast alternative past of a post-nuclear Russia. Atom RPG - v1.08 Quality of Life Update has added a lot of life to this excellent and immersive homage to the old Black Isle Fallout titles while still keeping a unique flavor all its own.

The open-world pirate adventure RPG Sail and Sacrifice has been released as Early Access version:

Sail and Sacrifice

In this single player open-world adventure game, you will be the captain of yer own pirate fantasy! Explore 25 islands, sail the seas, amass a crew, and choose yer allies in The Archipelago.

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KEY FEATURES

• Explore The Archipelago - See that giant skull in the distance? The massive volcano? Tall towers overlooking the sea? Anything the light touches is yers to discover. With 25 islands to explore, Sail and Sacrifice offers over 25 hours of immersive gameplay. The tribal, pirate, and Spanish architecture near the mountains and shorelines are filled with civilization, wildlife, and opportunity.
• Captain a Ship - Expand yer crew, choose yer First Mate, decide the share for each member, and have them follow ye into battle. Gain respect by sinking ships and fencing enemies land and at sea. Spend yer treasure on a variety of ships and weapon types to strike harder.
• Choose yer Allies - The Kalinago natives look to their three Gods for help against the rise of piracy under immortal Captain Warden and the oppression of Spanish Prince Burgés who claims divine right over the others. But there is more to this war than meets the eye. Take sides as the dynamic story and its characters change around you.
• Live the Fantasy - Sail and Sacrifice brings ye to the world of pirates, getting drunk on tavern rum, singing sea shanties, and enjoying the witty conversations. All the while, discover ancient temples built by the natives that contain powerful artifacts. Visit the royal Spanish palace to admire their zoo animals, Renaissance paintings, and fine wine.

A new "closed alpha" gameplay trailer for Nioh 2.

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GOG Galaxy 2.0 is under development and beta applications are open.

What is GOG GALAXY 2.0 and why should I use it?

GOG GALAXY 2.0 is an application, thanks to which you'll be able to combine multiple libraries into one and connect with your friends across all gaming platforms, consoles included. If your games and gaming buddies are scattered between different launchers and platforms, this is a solution for you! Keeping track of all achievements earned by you and your friends, hours played, and games owned across platforms has never been this easy. And the application is entirely free, all you need is a GOG account to use it.

How can I add my games to GOG GALAXY 2.0?

In GOG GALAXY 2.0 you're adding games through official and community created integrations. By connecting platforms, the data about the games you own is automatically imported to the application. On top of that you will also be able to manually add single games that are not connected to any platform.

Will GOG GALAXY 2.0 show all my games, or only those I have installed on my PC?

Yes, GOG GALAXY 2.0 will show all your games from connected PC and console platforms... even if they are not currently installed.

[...]

A video introducing the Ventrue clan for Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2.

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Historically, Seattle has been the site of many industrial booms, and of course, the Ventrue have been there to capitalize on its fortunes. As more and more billion-dollar corporations shape the local and global landscape, enterprising Ventrue have entrenched themselves in the businesses of the 21st century, paving the way for a prosperous future for their clan… and making enemies of the residents who preferred the way things used to be.

DSOGaming reports that Rune: Ragnarok has had a name change and is now known as Rune II. In addition the game will be exclusive to Epic Game Store.

Human Head Studios has announced that Rune Ragnarok has been renamed to Rune II and will be coming to the Epic Games Store this Summer. Inspired by the original Rune (2000), RUNE II is set in a dangerous Norse universe during Ragnarok, the end of days, where beasts and the last remaining humans alike struggle to survive.

[...]

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Techquila checked out Rage 2:

Rage 2 Review: Mad Max Meets Borderlands in this Wannabe Just Cause Title

Rage 2 released this month to an overjoyed audience, after a long wait, promising lots of senseless destruction and violence. And that’s exactly what it delivers. Several dozen hours of shooting, ripping, shredding along with tons of explosions and non-stop, fast-paced killing. However, it derives too much from other well-known franchises like Mad Max, Borderlands and even Mass Effect Andromeda to some extent. Before you get your knickers in a bunch, let me explain.

[...]

Conclusion
Rage 2 isn’t a must play by a long shot, but if you are into games like Just Cause, Mad Max, or perhaps titles with limited depth, but unlimited scope for bone-crushing and head-hunting, then I’d suggest checking it out. It’s a suitable way to release stress or frustration after a long day of work.

Score: 3.8/5

Thanks trespasser!

A new trailer for The Sinking City has been released, focussing on the horror and rotten powers gripping the city.

@DSOGaming THQ Nordic has acquired Piranha Bytes and with it the IP for Gothic, Risen, and Elex.

THQ Nordic announced today that the acquisition of the Piranha Bytes team and trademark and the intellectual property Gothic has been finalised. Piranha Bytes’ rights to Risen and ELEX were also acquired. The newly formed entity (Piranha Bytes GmbH, Essen, Germany) will host the entire development team and is a 100% subsidiary of THQ Nordic GmbH, based in Vienna, Austria.

[...]

Henriquejr spotted an article about the current state of singleplayer games on PC Gamer:

The state of singleplayer games in 2019 so far

In 2017, we worried singleplayer games were dying. 2019 tells a different story.

There have been a few moments of panic over singleplayer games across the last several years, but a lot of this discussion emerged back when EA cancelled Visceral's Star Wars game, which coincided with the closure of the studio in 2017.

EA didn't say anything about singleplayer games specifically, but the reason given at the time was that the company was "listening to the feedback about what and how they want to play, and closely tracking fundamental shifts in the marketplace". EA's Blake Jorgensen later suggested, according to this GameSpot article, that the game wouldn't sell enough copies to justify itself.

Other factors have led to a sense that singleplayer games are in trouble: BioWare making a disappointing co-op game in Anthem instead of the singleplayer RPGs it's known for, for example. Black Ops 4 was the first Call of Duty game not to feature a campaign. GTA 5's possible singleplayer DLC was mothballed in the face of more content for the successful online component, the demands of porting the game to more formats, and making Red Dead Redemption 2. Jedi Fallen Order was marketed on being a singleplayer-only game with no loot boxes, which felt like an admission that EA had gone too far in the other direction.

[...]

Viking Vengeance is a fantasy action RPG which will release sometime during 2019.

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Features

- Raider and Ranger classes
- unique level up system with a variety of skills, talents and items to choose from
- Worship a God of your choosing to gain their aid in battle or even become their avatar for a short period of time
- Gather your enemies` blood and use it as sacrifice at the Idols to boost your devotion to the Gods and enhance your abilities
- Visit the blacksmith to improve your gear or buy new items
- 2 different options to choose from when you die, each with its own advantages and disadvantage
- A story mode that will take through different mythological places where you will encounter all kinds of foes, some more familiar than others.
- Execute your enemies to restore your health or to gain extra blood that can be exchanged to revive faster
- Collect different and unique rune stone to enhance the idols and become more powerful
- Use the environment and game physics in your favor to gain the upper hand in combat
- Pray to your Norse God to gain their aid in battle and push back the Templars and their God

Titan shield has been released on Steam and is described as a turn-based combat tactical game where you lead your party into the depths of the Titan's hold to deal with its owner.

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Titan Shield is the game about bashing, slashing, shooting and casting powerfull spells – solo or as a party group. There is no place for gossip or long dialogs here. You have to rely on combat skills and tactic management to fight your way throught for the Titan`s head.

• The way to your goal is not that easy as it seems. About 16 h of gameplay to make it.
• 8 playable classes to choose from, each with its unique set of skills.
• Character customisation for each member of your party with different attributes, weapon styles and skills builds.
• Uncommon system of gear upgrade – allows to create powerfull weapons with a choosen effect.
• Choice of difficulty level for each run – that includes size of tyour party and starting resourses.

@starnews A Q&A interview with Asobo Studios about A Plague Tale: Innocence. Additionally Rob Cram has reviewed the game.

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Star News: The game is gorgeous, and it’s done with an in-house engine. Why did you decide to go that way versus bringing in a middleware engine and do you feel it was easier/harder in the long run to do it that way?

Renard: I’m not a programmer but it was certain we were going to use our technology. We have a very strong team of engineers upgrading the engine based on the needs for each game we do. In the case of Plague, the visual rendering was one of the priority and the engine made a huge leap forward from the beginning to the end of the production, as you can easily see on screen. It’s just a tradition in the company to keep pushing the engine forward. I can’t say it’s always the easier way, but it’s a long term investment.

---

 

Star News: Though it’s not what I’d call an action-heavy title, Amicia gains quite the arsenal of abilities via alchemy. While things like sparking/extinguishing flames and knocking out enemies made the list, were there skills you wanted to put in that you had to leave on the drawing board? If so, what were they and why did they get cut?

Renard: Everything we did was based on what Amicia was able to do as a 15 y.o. noble girl facing the reality of a dying world. We knew she wasn’t going to fight with a sword for example, and it helped a lot narrow the possibilities.

We did cut one alchemical ammo that eventually wasn’t useful in the gameplay, but nothing big. A Plague tale is not a big game, so we had to take the right decisions and limit wandering around too much (which we did anyway but hey, it happens everywhere).

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

The space RPG Between the Stars will be released as Early Access game on May 28:

Between the Stars

Between the Stars is a space action game with RPG growth and real time combat that places you at the helm of an interstellar cruiser. Your mission will be to protect the civilized world from the Children of the Sun, a faction that dominates border planets in the known universe. In order to undertake your mission you must cross the galaxy, face new challenges at each warp jump, and make difficult decisions that affect your ship, crew and the world that surrounds you while upgrading your ship's equipment and fighting in battles to survive.

• Fight in intense space battles in real time.
• Use special abilities on your ship in the right moment to mark the difference on the battlefield.
• Unlock, upgrade, personalize and buy different playable ships and their systems in order to conquer the galaxy.
• Create a captain and develop them throughout the adventure. Level them up and acquire different attributes depending on your decisions.
• Explore the stellar map and its events generated in a procedural universe.
• Visit space stations and planets across different sectors that make up the galaxy.
• Hire and upgrade your crew in order to face the dangers of the universe. Ensure their safety and cover your casualties, as well as level them up.
• Hundreds of text based events that will pit your capacity as well as your crews against countless dangers.
• Craft, salvage, and investigate new weaponry in order to augment your offensive capabilities.
• Decisions made in one event could change the evolution of the entire playthrough.
• Enjoy a standard difficulty mode or play with permadeath on for a challenge.

What is... Between The Stars

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PC Gamer reports that Sunless Skies' will be getting a free story expansion called Vagabond.

Sunless Skies' Vagabond update, which adds a new officer, new locations, and a new chunk of story, will be out on June 12, Failbetter Games has announced.

Your new officer is the Amiable Vagabond, who will take you to meet the skylarks,  a "community of ragged wanderers who rove the heavens". You're trying to help them find the Sugarspun Garden, "a place surely too good to be true...".

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

AusGamers interviewed the Rich Lambert, Creative Director at Zenimax Online Studios, about Elsweyr for The Elder Scrolls Online.

Alongside dragons and getting to see the homeland de los gatos, Elsewyr is also introducing a new playable class – the Necromancer. Something that, no matter the fantasy setting, fans always seem to be asking for. In the world of The Elder Scrolls, Necromancy has been a major presence throughout the history of Tamriel. “Necromancy is a really big thing in Elder Scrolls lore,” Rich confirms. “It’s kind of the precursor to the Mages Guild. The Mages Guild was started because there was infighting in the Psijic Order, around whether Necromancy was good or bad. One of the Daedric Lords is all about Necromancy. It’s something we've always wanted to do and something that our players have always wanted us to do. Even during the initial beta, they were asking, ‘Where's the Necromancer class?’”

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

TheGG reports that The Executioner is coming to Steam July 17th. The game is described as a dark RPG about a torturer.

Press release:
13 MAY 2019 – Lesser Evil Games today announce that the first chapter of their dark RPG “The Executioner“, which thrusts players into the shoes of a torturer, will be released via Steam on July 17th.

Fusing a unique blend of medieval storytelling, sanity management, and the brutal moral conundrums only an executioner could face — this harrowing tale of a man who tortures people for a living will challenge you to face the monster that lives inside of all of us. The decisions are yours, and so are the consequences.

As shown in the new teaser trailer, the predominantly text-based adventure promises a dark and unsettling atmosphere in a world filled with moral ambiguity.

The Executioner will be a multipart epic adventure into the cruel and unforgiving political sphere of medieval times. Starting with Chapter One, this brutal tale will follow the newly appointed Royal Executioner on a journey to retain his sanity in the darkest of times.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Worthplaying report on a new Bestiary trailer for Warhammer: Chaosbane.

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Find out more about the daemons you'll be slaying on your journey in Warhammer: Chaosbane.

Thanks Farflame!

ColonyShip-4: Survivors is a turn-based science fiction RPG where you must establish a base of operations on an alien planet and find a way home. The game will release onto Steam Early Access this June.

Instead of finding an uninhabited planet to survey and begin colonization on, CS4 experienced catastrophic system failure and crashed on a strange planet. Now crashed on an alien planet, you will have to secure a base of operations, search for crew, confront unknown enemies, and survive long enough to find a way home.

Current Features

• Turn-Based Tactical Action
• Open-world campaign
• RPG-style character progression
• Weapon and Equipment Research and Customization
• Multiple Endings
• Squad Chemistry
• Soldier Stress
• Soldier Conversations

Challenging Enemy AI

• Uses Cover
• Flanks
• Runs Away
• AI Battlefield Commander considers the whole battle when reacting to your actions

Planned Features

• MacOS/Linux support
• Multiple Controllable Races
• Varied Cast of Opponents
• Multiple Unique Factions
• Gene Modifications
• Moral and Ethical Impact to Decisions

A new update on Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness. The video focuses on dialog and story aspects.

New gameplay video is live!

For this update, we want to address more specific dates relating to our delays, while at the same time giving our backers a much better idea of what to expect. For this gameplay video, we will be focusing on the dialogue and story aspects of Black Geyser, and the systems throughout the game by which players will be able to influence their surroundings while interacting with NPCs. All of the footage you will see in this video is part of the Black Geyser Backer Beta; backers who have pledged for a tier that includes this reward will be able to play through the same sequence of events that we choose in the video, as well as a lot of content before and after what you will see here. The options that go unselected are things our beta backers can choose in the Beta, as they are possible routes in the conversation and may lead to very different results than those you see in this quest. 

The Cult of Zoria quest presented here ties in directly to the main story quest of the game. Your character has been hired by a mysterious figure in Isilbright (the capital city of the kingdom of Isilmerald) to flush out the cult dedicated to the worship of Zoria, Demigoddess of Night. Strange things have been happening in the countryside west of Isilbright, along with the disappearances of important political and religious figures. It’s up to you to root out the truth and discover what the demigoddess’ recent resurgence of followers might mean. But in the course of your investigation you find other adventurers, sent before you to investigate the same happenings. Will you help them, or claim the glory for yourself alone? Can you discover what the cultists are up to before it’s too late?

Just as a reminder, for a short while longer our late backing is still available. If you are interested in what you see in this update and want to be a first-time backer, visit our Backer portal here. If you are an existing backer who has not yet pledged for a tier including the rewards which grant you access to our Backer Beta, you still have a chance to upgrade your pledge on BackerKit; follow the link in your email that we sent you after you first pledged to access our pledge manager, and update it to a higher tier if you want to join the beta!

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Current status

As discussed in our previous Kickstarter update, delays were expected due to the combination of external and internal causes. To be brief, we faced more unpredictable bugs than we assumed we would in our initial project plan. After fixing them, we decided to rewrite a part of our Unity-based game engine to make it more robust in order to reduce the risk of similar bugs in the future. This refactor is now complete. Other bugs were completely out of our control (for example, the Unity core engine and editor have their own issues as well, and we have very little influence on those). 

Additionally, for several months it looked like our negotiations with the investor who proposed a change in funding milestones might have finished at any moment, but talks only ended a few days ago – with success. The good news is that the game will have all the features that we originally planned for (as well as those promised due to successfully-reached Kickstarter stretch goals), but there will be a delay of 8-9 months in the release of the Backer Beta as well as in the launch of the finished game from the dates we originally planned. Therefore, the Backer Beta is expected to be accessible in November 2019, while the release of the game is expected to be ready by April 2020.

Our next Kickstarter update is planned at the end of June. Stay tuned!

Thanks Morrandir!

Druidstone: The Secret of the Menhir Forest was reviewed by IndieGameWebsite.

Characters each have their own progression of levels, gear, and abilities. Equipment and abilities can be customized and upgraded in-between missions. Gold buys you shiny new gear, whilst abilities are acquired as you level up. Upgrades may feel minor at first, but they make a big difference. There’s a satisfying power curve throughout the story, making you genuinely feel stronger and more capable the more you play.

Gems are the most important part of your customization, however. Gems earned during missions allow you to enhance abilities and equipment. They’re a finite resource, and each one is a valuable prize, so where you choose to slot them is critical. They’re also shared across your party, so you’ll want to be sure to spread them out evenly.

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Thanks Farflame!

Shane Plays interviewed Matt Barton about RPGs and talked about their new book release Dungeons & Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games 2nd Edition.

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Shane and Matt Barton of Matt Chat celebrate the release of their book Dungeons & Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games 2nd Edition by, what else, talking CRPGs as they break down their favorite CRPGs, their biggest disappointments in the genre and their most anticipated upcoming game! Plus: when did Bioware first disappoint Shane, trolleys vs. buggies, how do you say renaissance, and Survivor: Westeros update. (Podcast version has extra content not included in radio broadcast)

Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls will release on Steam May 29th.

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An old-school challenge in a crisp and colorful package, Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls revitalizes the time-honored formula of the original dungeon crawler series with modernized visuals and sound.

Choose each of your six team members’ class, race, gender, and moral alignment, then delve into one of several dungeons near the central town hub. Advance with caution — monsters are vicious, deadly, and attack in packs. Plan each expedition carefully, stay focused on your objectives, and know when to retreat to the surface.

In between expeditions, chat with the locals, pick up new quests, pray for guidance at the temple, go bargain-hunting for new/rare equipment, and more. With patience, skill, and careful planning, your party will rise from a gang of paupers to a mighty force.
The magic torches are lit, the monsters are ravenous, and the kingdom is waiting for a new hero. Enter the world of Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls and experience a classic adventure reborn.

KEY FEATURES
Your Party, Your Way
Choose from eight classes and five races to build a six-person team with diverse but complimentary skill sets. Change their classes in mid-adventure to fit your needs, or focus on leveling up their primary class to earn bonus skills for the party’s benefit.

So Beautiful and So Dangerous
Tangle with a menagerie of over 100 distinctive monsters, from the traditional to the bizarre, all drawn by famed series illustrator Jun Suemi. The game also features character illustrations by renowned commercial artist Yuki Hayabusa.

Conquer the Dungeons
Every step through the underworld is fraught with danger, and one wrong move can end your adventure. But if you have the grit to withstand what the dungeons throw at you, both you and your party will gain enough experience to stroll through them like you own them.

Wizardry’s Rebirth on PC
The PC remaster of this classic originally released for PlayStation 3 features English and Japanese text with the original Japanese voiceovers, high-resolution graphics, and a brand new Turbo Mode to make exploring the game’s massive dungeons a breeze. All story DLC is included, and players can download the Growth Fruit DLC for free to give themselves a boost when creating characters.

Thanks Couchpotato!

PC Gamer reports that Phantom Brigade has a new combat system that lets you peer into the future.

The timeline is a neat system and extremely helpful for someone like me, who isn't great at strategy games because I lack the ability to really think ahead. It's also worth noting that being able to see into the future in Phantom Brigade is a prediction and not necessarily what will actually happen once bullets start flying. There's friendly fire and even collision turned on for your mechs, so it's possible they may damage each other or get in each others' way if you try to move them through the same space at the same time. Your mech isn't going to be able reach the end of its move action if he bonks directly into your other mech halfway through it.

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Thanks henriquejr!

PC Gamer reports that Otherside Entertainment will self publish System Shock 3 if it has to.

OtherSide could, and will, publish the new System Shock itself if it has to, but Spector said doing so would be "a huge distraction," and require hiring new staff with expertise in the field. 

"The reality is, OtherSide is a company of developers who want to develop games," he said. "We don’t particularly want to be a publisher. [OtherSide founder] Paul Neurath and I have worked with publishers before, Origin self-published when I was there, and we don’t want to get into the market of distributing stuff."

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Thanks Farflame!