Techquila compared The Witcher 3 to Skyrim in a number of categories.

The Witcher 3 vs Skyrim: Exploration

Ah exploring! Something RPG’rs absolutely love. Both Skyrim and The Witcher 3 have massive open worlds, but this is Bethesda’s territory. There’s nothing like exploring the dungeons and caves of Skyrm infested with deranged falmers and leaden with rare and legendary equipment.

The Witcher 3 is no push-over though. You’ll always find something in every nook and cranny of the map, and not just some measly quest written in a hurry, but a memorable experience that’ll make you want to explore every inch of the world. In the end though, CD Projekt just couldn’t get to that level of atmospheric goodness Todd Howard and his beloved Elder Scrolls games are known for.

Winner: Skyrim

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

DSOGaming reports that Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity is now available on Steam.

XSEED Games today launched Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity, the action-RPG take on the legendary danmaku series developed by indie studio Ankake Spa, for PC on Steam. The title is now available globally for $14.99, €14.99, and £12.99, with a 10% discount off the regular price throughout its launch week.

[...]

loading...

Octopath Traveler is a classic style JRPG that has been previewed by Shacknews.

Depth Without Complication

The familiar map overview and easily digestible mission structure both help make Octopath Traveler remarkably easy to play. Those who want to level up their heroes need only seek out the nearest unexplored passage or instead find a nearby path with a danger level slightly higher than the characters' current levels. Similarly, jumping to the next story element is as easy as traveling to green-hued cities on the map, then choosing to continue the chosen character's next chapter.

[...]

Shining Resonance Refrain has been released onto Steam to positive reviews.

loading...

ABOUT THIS GAME

Play as Yuma Ilvern and stop the Empire from exploiting the power of the ancient dragons, including the soul of the Shining Dragon within you. With the help of your friends, realize your destiny, save Astoria, and unleash the strength you've always had locked away.

In the original game, previously released only in Japan, Imperial Princess Excella was an unplayable character, but in the new "Refrain Mode" in Shining Resonance Refrain, both she and Dragonslayer Jinas can be added as party members for a new experience - just be sure to save this for your second playthrough to avoid any spoilers! As an added bonus, all of the extra cosmetic items and side quests are included in this remaster.

Dragons were long thought to be extinct, and because Yuma holds the ability to transform into the Shining Dragon, he was taken as a captive of the Empire. With the help of the Dragoneers, Sonia, princess of Astoria, pleads with Yuma to aid them in their fight to save their land from the Empire's dominion. Typically timid, will Yuma find the courage to realize the strength he has within him?

Chasm is a metroidvania roguelike that is launching July 31st.

Chasm Launches July 31st!

Unlike some other games that are developed in secret and then announced about 6 months before launch, Chasm has been in the public eye pretty much from the beginning. Our first post about the game was on IndieDB.com back in January 2013, and we launched a successful Kickstarter campaign just a few months later. It is with a combination of pride, exuberance, relief, and fear that I am hereby officially announcing that we will be launching on July 31, 2018 for $19.99! We’ll be doing a week 1 discount on Steam so keep an eye out for it. And if you haven’t done so already, please add us to your wishlist! (And be sure to tell your friends!)

loading...

As you probably know, one distinctive feature of Chasm is that the world map is procedurally generated when you start up a new campaign. That feature has led to a lot of questions and confusion, so I’d like to address exactly how it works and why we designed it that way. The latter part is easy to answer: Our entire team is composed of Metroidvania fans! Whether it’s Castlevania: Symphony of the Night or Axiom Verge, we’ve played through our favorite games so often that we’ve long since memorized the maps. We love how those games play but wish we could wipe our memories so we could get that experience of exploration all over again. It’s our hope that people who love Chasm the way we love our favorite games can play it over and over and still have it feel fresh. But at the same time, people who only play the game once should have no idea that there’s anything procedural about it.

But that’s not to say that everything’s completely random. The way our system works is that there is a fundamental structure to the game that never changes. If you’re familiar with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night you may recall that first you get the Jewel of Open, then the Leap Stone, then the Soul of Bat - in that order. As you get these upgrades, new areas of the map become accessible. Chasm, like all Metroidvanias, follows this structure. When you start up a campaign, the game always has these key upgrades and plot points in the same place. What’s different is how you get from one key point to the other. Chasm has a bunch of pre-designed rooms that are slotted in modularly in different combinations. So you won’t have any rooms that feel like they were designed by a computer - instead, you’ll encounter rooms in a different order and even encounter new rooms you never saw the first time, and your path will be different each time you start up a new campaign.

Getting that to feel right was way easier said than done. There was a ton of balancing we needed to make sure the procedural engine took into account when it builds a world map. There’s pacing - you don’t want to have a string of combat rooms with lots of enemies and no platforming to break it up, nor do you want the opposite. You don’t want the system to block your progress by requiring a certain ability upgrade that you don’t have yet. You don’t want to have the save points too far apart. (To address a common misconception, Chasm is not a roguelike with permadeath, though there is an option for that for veteran players. Permadeath combined with the changing dungeons makes for a tense experience since you never know how many more rooms you need to make it to the end.) And you want to make sure that there’s just the right amount of treasures and surprises along the way to encourage exploration of every little nook and cranny of the game.

There are some people who like the comfort of getting to know a single map by playing it over and over or being able to follow their favorite YouTuber’s walkthrough of the game. We have an option for that too. Everything randomly generated by the game engine is based off of a seed number. If you enter a specific seed number, you can guarantee a specific map. So if you want to follow a walkthrough, just check their seed number and enter that when you set up your campaign.

We’re very excited - and not a little bit nervous - to send our baby out into the world. We’ve polished and fine tuned every little bit of that game to make sure there were no compromises to our original vision over 5 years ago. We can’t wait to hear what you think on July 31st!

CramGaming has a list of new cyberpunk games to look out for.

loading...

First up and releasing later this year is Daedalic’s futuristic 3D thriller – State of Mind. Set in Berlin, 2048 you play as a journalist Richard Nolan one of the few criticizing the current state of affairs. A world on the brink with the usual lack of resources, mass illnesses caused by pollution, high crime rates, War, controlling Governments and mega-companies , drones and humanoid robots replacing humans, surveillance reigns supreme – you get the picture. Having mysteriously lost his wife and son, Nolan must delve deeper behind the scenes to uncover a worldwide conspiracy whilst investigating sci-fi themes. Sounds good and releases on consoles and PC in 2018.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Techraptor takes a look behind the creation of Monomyth, a first-person action RPG that takes after Arx Fatalis and is being developed by one person called rattower on Twitter.

loading...

...

As usual with complex RPGs, Monomyth will have variable playtime. The developer’s initial estimate was about 10-20 hours, “which is roughly what it takes to finish a King’s Field game.” However, after the first few gameplay tests, he realized that this will depend on the player and the playstyle. Depending on the player, levels in games such as Thief can be finished in a few minutes. Monomyth will feature three major areas, which are split up into smaller sub-areas. The design is spiral, so that backtracking happens through shortcuts. “Some secrets and passages in earlier areas can only be accessed later in the game.”

Interactivity is a must in a game like this. Not only it will include dialogue with NPCs, it will also offer an item combination system similar to Arx Fatalis and Ultima Online, so that basically every item can be combined with every other item or interactive element within the world. One example of this is that you can bake bread by combining water and flour, then leaving the dough close to a fire, which is openly borrowed from Arx Fatalis. You can also draw water from wells, break and/or lockpick doors, lift heavy objects to use as weapons. You can even throw objects at levers and buttons to activate them. AIs can be lured into certain directions by throwing items, and so on.

[...]

Westboro is an isometric action RPG with a real-time combat system where water is scarce.

loading...

ABOUT THIS GAME

2039. Water is no longer environmentally sustainable supply.
Most of it is too contaminated and toxic to be suitable for any use by humankind.
As the global population has grown to 12.4 billion, the water crisis became front page news.
The remaining fresh water will not last forever; it will become depleted.

Transnational Corporation SICON holds world domination and control over fresh water resources for several years.
The complicated and unstable situation resulted in violent uprisings among themiddle-class across the globe.

The world approaches its first week in state of emergency...

Westboro is an Indie Point'n'Click Action RPG with a unique real-time combat system.
It is easy to play, but hard to master. Use your abilities and variety of weapons to defeat enemies. Rely on armor or be quick enough to keep yourself in safety. Be stealthy or try to gundown everyone. Fight enemies at long-range or force them to engage in close quarters combat. ...Choose your own playstyle!

DigitalFoundry looked at Dying Light 2 and interviewed the developers.

loading...

We had the chance to take a look at Dying Light 2 at E3 and to discuss the game with the developers! Here's our report.

@DSOGaming Orange Cast is an action adventure RPG inspired by Mass Effect.

Team Rezy is currently working on a new action adventure RPG that is inspired by the Mass Effect series, called Orange Cast. This little gem looks cool – though still rough around the edges – and its development team has released a new gameplay trailer that you can watch below.

Orange Cast is described as an action/RPG atmospheric adventure that is set in a large-scale setting where Soviet and Western science fiction are combined itself.

[...]

loading...

VG24/7 talked to Chris Avellone and Techland about Dying Light 2.

Some of this was helped along by Avellone, who has learned a thing or two over his years of working on RPGs about the unexpected things players can do to mess with your carefully crafted narrative.

“The big one is learning that you shouldn’t funnel the player – they’re here to explore the space; let them, don’t shackle them,” Avellone says. “It can be a challenge to tell an open-world story if you’re not considering what the player brings to the equation and allowing them to assume an equal role in the events taking place and even better, causing the events that lead to the story progression.

“It’s easy to imagine a story that takes from A to B to C with a set series of events, but in an open-world game, you have to put the player agency and their ability to affect the world at the forefront. So for example, rather than A to B to C, you take a step back, assume the player starts at ‘A’, and then can do all manner of events to cause ‘B’ to come to them through the actions they do in the open-world – or, a number of different ‘B’s, not just one. Or even better, the player creates ‘B’ all on their own, and the entire world reacts to it. When a player can literally see themselves as an agent of change, it empowers them even more.”

[...]

@TheEgg Roguelike action RPG Lovecraft's Untold Stories has been released onto Steam Early Access.

The ROGUELIKE ACTION-RPG “LOVECRAFT’S UNTOLD STORIES” is Now available on Steam.

Press release:
Welcome, investigators. You already know: the universe is not what it seems. Lurking in its deepest shadows, hiding behind imposible corners, bubbling and crawling in the cracks between dimensions, sleeping lifeless dreams under the waters, there are ancient terrors that once ruled the Earth — and that will come back some day to claim what was theirs. It is imposible to defeat forever such powers as the Old Ones and the Outer Gods. We all know that, in the end, death and madness awaits us all. But maybe we can delay the inevitable…

Lovecraft’s Untold Stories, the action RPG with roguelike elements, is now available on Steam Early Access for $12.99 / €12,99 / £10.29. Lovecraft’s Untold Stories is an action RPG with rogue-like elements. You explore randomly generated levels based in H.P. Lovecraft stories, fighting cultists and all kinds of monsters from the Mythos, improving your skills, weapons, and gear, looking for clues and information about the Old Ones and the Outer Gods, and solving puzzles and challenges. Review keys are available, ask us for yours!

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

DSOGaming reports on a new science fiction RPG in development called Planetrism. There are some screenshots at the link.

Mika Laaksonen and Kimmo Kaunela are currently working on an amazing sci-fi role-playing game where you experience the life of a colonist on an exoplanet light years away from Solar system, called Planetrism. The game is powered by Unreal Engine 4 and below you can find some stunning screenshots.

Planetrism aims to combine personal experience of adventurous colonist life with leadership and management of whole colony. The key to survive in Planetrism is to understand environments, collect data and always be ready for different situations. Dynamic weather will make it hard and challenging to build and run colony and its people.

[...]

There is an interview with the devs of SINNER: Sacrifice For Redemption at Gamingbolt. The game itself follows in the footsteps of Dark Souls but with a unique twist of levelling down as you go.

SINNER: Sacrifice for Redemption may remind you of the Dark Souls games with its brutal difficulty and boss battles. However, this game comes with its own unique twist: with every boss battle that the player wins, they must then level down their character. This means that the game will keep on getting more difficult as the player character gets weaker, and your skills will be put to test.

To learn more about the game and its development, Gamingbolt reached out to the developers with some questions and they provided the following answers.

"We wanted to have a non-linear game allowing for people to play the game’s content in any order they chose but we also needed to have the difficulty increase."

This game seems to tie in some grand themes into the gameplay itself, with Adam’s trials against the Seven Sins eventually leading to his redemption. Was this something you aimed for from the start?

Absolutely- We always wanted the game to be about the character’s redemption and the seven deadly sins provided us the structure needed to tell Adam’s story.

What inspired the idea of leveling down which is one of the main new features of this game?

We wanted to have a non-linear game allowing for people to play the game’s content in any order they chose but we also needed to have the difficulty increase. The sacrifice system allowed us to do that while being true to the game’s theme and style.

What would you say are some of the inspirations for this game?

Souls games are a massive inspiration but we also feel that Team Ico had a big inspiration on our character designs and our boss structure.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

The Forgotten City was originally a mod for Skyrim but is now a standalone game and was revealed during E3.

loading...

http://forgottencitygame.com
Add to your Steam wishlist here (https://goo.gl/BR7kT4) or register your interest in a console version here (https://goo.gl/HcQybF)

The Forgotten City is a time travel murder mystery in a mythological city. Deep underground in an ancient Roman city, 26 trapped explorers lay dead because one of them broke a mysterious law. A portal leads back to the past, allowing you to change their fate - or witness their deaths in a time loop for eternity.

Key features:

• Investigate a dark, gripping mystery full of twists and intrigue

• Solve problems your own way, with reason, charm, bribery, stealth, threats, violence - or cleverly exploit the time-loop

• Explore a stunning and intricate city rendered with Unreal Engine

• Interrogate richly detailed characters with interwoven lives

• Grapple with moral dilemmas which have life-and-death consequences

• Choose your own gender, race, and backstory

• Listen to an achingly beautiful orchestral score and first class voice acting

Thanks Farflame!

Rock Paper Shotgun says big dense CRPGs have a bright future:

Clear 100 hours in your calendar, ‘cos CRPGs are here to stay

In the mid-to-late 2000s, publishers abandoned the CRPG genre – an acronym describing the very specific genre of video games adapted from tabletop RPGs to be played on computers – which a decade earlier had been a cornerstone of PC gaming. They were more interested in accessible, console-friendly series like Mass Effect and The Elder Scrolls, and PC-centric RPGs all but died out.

Then, around 2012, RPGs made a comeback, largely thanks to the rise of crowdfunding and an endless well of nostalgia. Since then we’ve been treated to heaps of good ones – Divinity: Original Sin, Pillars of Eternity, Wasteland 2, Torment: Tides of Numenera – and there are plenty more in the works. But there’s no guarantee that CRPGs are back for good. Some, such as Torment, haven’t sold well. The future of crowdfunding remains uncertain. And asking fans to commit 50 hours to a single story is more difficult than ever, given the volume of great games that release every month. So how can developers ensure that the genre stays relevant?

[...]

Thanks henriquejr!

The first episode of Life is Strange 2 will be available on September 27:

Life is Strange 2 Release Date Reveal

loading...

Episode 1 of Life is Strange 2 will be available on September 27th 2018. Further information about DONTNOD's #LifeisStrange2 will be revealed this August.

ChristopherOdd played through Wizard of Legend and shared his gameplay impressions.

loading...

Wizard of Legend Gameplay. Unlock over 100 unique spells and discover powerful spell combinations allowing you to create a style best suited to you. MORE INFO DOWN BELOW 👇🏻 Buy on GOG and support Odd too ► https://odd.gg/wizardoflegend

A hands-on impression of Warhammer: Chaos Bane from Entertainment Buddha.

...

Enter Warhammer: Chaos Bane, which is a game that I know absolutely nothing about, the only game I’ve played in the franchise is Vermintide. Thankfully, that doesn’t matter in the slightest, because Chaos Bane is pretty standalone in and of itself, and is answering my prayers. If you’ve played Diablo III, you’ll feel right at home with this game, right down to the button shortcuts and potion shortcut for when your healing skills ain’t cutting it. The visuals are halfway between beautiful and disgusting, it’s like they looked at Diablo and said “yeah, but how can we gross you out more?” I loved playing it, though, there weren’t as many enemies on screen at one time as I’m used to, but I think it was made up for in the fact that it was harder. Smaller enemies are a lot meatier in this game, or at least in the demo that I played, but this is balanced with a new feature.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

@Worthplaying The Guild 3 development has been taken over by a newly formed developer called Purple Lamp Studios.

To make sure, The Guild 3 will leave Early Access In due course, an additional development Studio, called Purple Lamp, which is based in Vienna, will add its expertise to the project. Purple Lamp is a newly formed studio, consisting of veteran developers, who have worked on various titles before at Austrian publisher/developer Sproing, among others.

Based on the work GolemLabs has done so far, the new studio will solve any problems as well as integrate planned features such as multiplayer, societies and the sovereign-mechanic into the game in the following months. Harald Riegler, CEO of Purple Lamp, says „The Guild is a fantastic franchise and we're proud to contribute both our experience and our personal passion for strategy games to deliver the game that fans are hoping for.“

Jean-René Couture, CEO GolemLabs Studios Inc., adds: “For the past few years, the folks here at GolemLabs had the huge honor to work on The Guild 3. However, the very last remaining stretch of development will be done under the care and reigns of THQ Nordic. So, from now on, GolemLabs will eagerly and proudly be waiting for the release of The Guild 3. For us here at GolemLabs, it is time to embark on new and exciting adventures.“

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Babylon's Fall is an action RPG that was announced during E3 and is expected to release 2019.

loading...

PCGamesN

When is the Babylon’s Fall release date? The upcoming action game from Platinum Games is shrouded in mystery but already has plenty of lore.

Revealed during the Square Enix E3 2018 showcase, Babylon’s Fall was unveiled with a rough release date, but scarce few details to go on apart from that. There was no gameplay on display, and no subsequent explanation of what the new IP is all about. After the disappointing lack of reveal for Life is Strange 2 and Square Enix’s Marvel project, an announcement trailer for a new series seemed like yet another let down, that was until Platinum Games appeared on screen.

So what is Babylon’s Fall? We dig through the reveal trailer in search of details that tell us what kind of game to expect when it comes out - from its extensive timeline to the snippet of CG combat. Here are all the latest details on Babylon’s Fall.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Capsella The Lights of Lucern is an action RPG releasing on Steam early access 22nd June.

loading...

About This Game

Capsella The Lights of Lucern is an action RPG that takes place in Galad, a mysterious and magical universe.
Four heroes were chosen by the goddess to hold the Capsella, an artifact that is capable of dispelling the darkness cast on the Link Crystals that is breaking the balance between light and darkness.
The heroes will face multiple dangers across the land to dispel the Crystals and find out who is behind the attacks.
Featuring a local multiplayer cooperative with four unique heroes, explore the dimension of Lucern in an top down action driven adventure!
You can play as Ambar, Aran, Laurina and Lucas! Each with an unique set of technics and gameplay style!
Ambar is a powerful mage that can cast powerful spells!
Aran is a mighty brawler that can unleash swings with his two handed sword!
Laurina is a swift and skilled archer!
Lucas is a fierce swordsman that can take a blow and protect the group!
Fight enemies, earn experience to gain levels and unlock new technics! Get stronger by upgrading your equipment and use elemental properties to be more effective and defeat your enemies!

Titan Outpost is an isometric, single-player RPG set on Titan. The latest update shows off some screenshots and reports that all core systems are in place and ready for testing.

Features

Titan Outpost is an isometric, single-player role-playing game set on Titan, the sixth moon of the planet Saturn. Humanity is engulfed in an energy crisis and you are there to harvest the moon's precious resources and uncover its mysteries.

There is no combat in the game. Titan itself is your biggest enemy and your character will need to use a variety of skills to handle missions. In an atmosphere so uninvitingly cold that methane is a liquid, every choice matters and every step counts.

• The PICA character system features four attributes -Physical, Intelligence, Charisma and Awarenss- and six skills, ranging from science to exploration.
• Branching storylines and multiple quest solutions.
• Discrete time system, where every passing second determines unfolding events and the game world continues while your character sleeps. The game would be considered turn-based if it had combat.
• Logistical elements , think original Dune adventure meets the strategic layer of X-com.
• A rich backstory with a combination of realistic science-fiction and cold war tension.
• Over twenty locations, a hundred if you count all the lakes.
• Build and expand your base, it's not called Titan Outpost for nothing.
• Research exciting new technologies, ranging from new ways to keep warm, generating more power or making Titan ever so slightly more like Earth.
• Multiple factions: You can decide to join the Chinese, work for independent contractors or stay loyal to your employer.
• 70s aesthetic.

@VG24/7 Dying Light 2 has some of the writers that worked on Witcher 3.

Techland is taking the story, writing and quests for upcoming zombie parkour game Dying Light 2 very seriously.

Not only has it hired the talent of designer Chris Avellone to shape the game, but it has also hired writers from CD Projekt RED who worked on The Witcher 3’s Bloody Baron quest.

[...]

Maneater released a trailer at E3 and has a Steam page with no release date as yet.

loading...

About This Game

Maneater is a Single-Player Action RPG, set in the unforgiving waters of the Gulf Coast. Fight to survive in the open ocean, with danger lurking at every depth. Your only tools are your wits, your jaws, and an uncanny ability to evolve as you feed. Anything and everything is on the menu... kill or be killed.

Become a MANEATER

Play as a giant Bull Shark and terrorize the coastal waterways. Tear swimmers and divers limb from limb, give the humans a reason to fear you.

Explore a massive open world

Immerse yourself in a living, breathing world full of threats, and rewards. Explore sunken wrecks, lurk in swamps, or just cruise the open ocean looking for whales to feed on.

Deep Stats and Role Playing

Role-play and customize your shark with a variety of stat driven systems. Evolve different parts of your body to improve how they function, or pump up your ferocity to enter brief feeding frenzies.

Experienced Team

From the minds behind Depth and Killing Floor, our goal as an early access game is to push the feeling of playing as a shark to new heights, developing a strictly single-player experience that will challenge and engage the player from start to finish. Gritty, visceral, heart-pounding action games are our calling.

Dying Light 2 was shown off at E3.

Announcement Trailer

loading...

The fate of a decaying City is in your hands. Every choice matters. Discover the bold sequel to a best-selling open-world phenomenon.

Gameplay Demo

loading...

Chris Avellone introduces Dying Light 2 in a narrated gameplay demo that shows off parkour, branching choices, and combat.

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition has been announced at E3 with a trailer.

loading...

Tales of Vesperia is back with Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition. A remaster of one of the most beloved roleplaying games ever created! Experience a story like no other, complemented by a robust combat system, a memorable cast of characters and a soundtrack that you’ll be humming for a long time. Dive into the definitive version of Tales of Vesperia with characters and content never before seen in the west! Look for Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition, this winter.

[...]

@OnlySP The first character design for Project Wight has been shown.

Former Battlefield designer David Goldfarb tweeted out the first character design from Project Wight, an upcoming title in development by his co-founded studio The Outsiders.

The tweet, embedded below, appears to show a menu screen with, according to evidence seen in a previous trailer, the playable character. The main character is a wight, which translates to an undead creature that specialises in fast-paced combat:

In the spirit of E3, here is something from #projectwight. We are still hard at work here at the Outsiders making this monster game. And I wish you could hear the incredible soundtrack that @BjorkmanElvira and @nhjertberg have made. Chills. pic.twitter.com/qaXmMnTcKb

— David Goldfarb (@locust9) June 8, 2018

Thanks Farflame!

The Hand of Merlin is a turn-based Arthurian RPG aiming for late 2019.

About This Game

There are as many worlds as there are stars in the sky. In each stands Camelot; in each there is a Grail. But there is only one Merlin, and his eternal burden is to stand against the horror from beyond. Each world that is saved is saved forever; each world that is lost is lost for good.

The Hand of Merlin is a turn-based rogue-lite RPG in which Arthurian legend clashes with cosmic horror. Recruit a company of up to four mortal heroes and guide them in spirit on a desperate journey from Albion to Jerusalem. Explore a richly-imagined medieval setting on the brink of apocalypse. Trade with merchants, improve your heroes, and unearth ancient relics. Search for the lost fragments of your soul, scattered across the multiverse - and save as many worlds as you can.

KEY FEATURES:

A Roguelike Experience

Carve a path across the lands of Albion, Marca Hispanica and Al-Andalus. Will you take a dangerous route, risking life and limb in pursuit of a legendary relic? Or will you choose a safer path? Plan and prepare. Negotiate, barter, fight. Tackle challenges. Suffer losses. Recruit new Heroes. Earn Gold, Supplies and Renown. Be careful: your choices are permanent, as is death. But don't tarry - evil never rests.

Tactical Turn-Based Combat

Master the tactics of squad-based and turn-based combat to conquer both human and demonic foes. Your enemies will be tough and ruthless; make use of high ground and cover, set up ambushes and coordinated attacks, harness synergies between different Hero classes and skills.

Non-Linear Narrative

Enjoy a compelling story inspired by Arthurian legend, the Matter of France, and the history of Al-Andalus - with an unusual twist. Make choices in interactive encounters that change every time you play. Written by Jonas Kyratzes (The Talos Principle, Serious Sam 4) and Verena Kyratzes (The Lands of Dream, Serious Sam 4).

Dynamic Leveling

Use Renown to level up your Heroes, and choose between a randomized set of new skills or improved attributes. But choose wisely! Select skills with great synergy and balance your party for the road ahead.

Equipment Upgrades

Seek out towns to improve your arms and armor, or stumble upon hermit artisans in the wild. With every day that passes, the world plunges deeper into darkness, and you will need all the equipment gold can buy.

Relics

From a peasant's humble luck charm to the legendary sword wielded by Arthur himself, items imbued with magical power are scattered about the world. Some you will be able to purchase from merchants and collectors, but others will have to be earned through acts of heroism - or displays of wit.

Spells

Rain thunder and brimstone upon your foes! Seek out and gather Soulstones to restore your power and unlock new Spells. Even if defeated, your spirit will retain all of your collected arcane knowledge as you jump into the next dimension.

Alternate Dimensions

As you jump from one parallel dimension to the next, history is reshaped. Different kings rule the land, changing the encounters, characters, and events. No two worlds are ever quite the same, and each journey will be unique. And should your heroes fall, remember: defeat is not the end, only a new beginning.

Gematsu has discovered the website for the RPG Tales of Vesperia 10th anniversary remaster.

Gematsu has discovered tov10th.tales-ch.jp—a password-protected website presumably for the Tales of Vesperia remaster Gematsu has heard is in production in celebration of the RPG’s 10th anniversary.

[...]

The Mercury Man was released on Steam recently

loading...

About This Game

The Mercury Man is an isometric game in the action genre with some adventure elements. It is set in the far grim dark future of its unique sci-fi world.

In the year 2310 people on Earth discovered a new way to cure all deadly diseases. By 2315 the technology reached Russia. The point of this medical procedure was to replace patient’s blood with mercury. In the first years only the richest could afford it, but сlandestine clinics that provided blood replacement services for little money gradually emerged. At the same time, the number of ordinary people who contracted incurable diseases grew bigger and bigger and the mercury treatment no longer helped them. Soon it became clear that being around «mercuries», that’s how people who passed the transfusion were called, is dangerous. As a result, the world government introduced a complete ban on mercury operations, special police units of hunters were created, who sought out and eliminated mercury people. But the politicians and the rich continued to carry out transfusions. In the end, all this led to civil riots.

The law enforcement sided with people and all mercuries were gathered and sent off to Mars. Earth was ruled by the police government. Mars was divided into two zones - the outer zone, to where the poor who had procedures in the сlandestine clinics were sent, and the inner zone where former cream of society lived. Since the inner zone was organized by the politicians themselves and not policemen, it was heavily guarded against any intrusion attempts, and it was possible to get there only for a huge amount of money after passing the loyalty test. If less than a month had passed since the transfusion, mercuries were sent to the outer zone. If more than a month had passed, then mercuries were accused of concealing their status and were liquidated. Substandard procedures and lack of normal air on Mars led to the fact that people began to mutate in the outer zone and turned into horrible monsters. Nevertheless, the mercuries who were caught on Earth by hunters were sent there. You were one of those hunters…

- A unique world from the Mehsoft team
- Stylish hand-drawn graphics
- Original soundtrack
- Breathtaking plot
- Black humor, which skillfully fits into the dark and depressive mood of the game

@DSOGaming Warhammer: Chaosbane is a new action RPG game that has been announced today. Screenshots at the link.

Bigben, Games Workshop and Eko Software today revealed the name of the game based on the famous Warhammer license: Warhammer: Chaosbane. This adaptation of the franchise will be the first Action-RPG to take place in the Warhammer Fantasy world.

The development of the title is being done by Eko Software, a French studio who has demonstrated great skill in the hack’n slash genre with How to Survive 1 and 2, a series which captivated millions of players.

[...]

@hardcore gamer A new cyberpunk RPG has been announced, that has been born out of personal tragedy, called NOTHING.

loading...

...

Additionally, initial details for the game promise a meticulous RPG for fans of the genre. In the year 2108, players can drive motorcycles, fly cars, hack systems, hack brains and a myriad of other abilities in order to control the future. Walsh promises twelve possible endings and a plethora of side missions. There are zero building facades which mean that if you can see it, you can enter it. Underground sewers, tunnels and other environmental elements add more depth to the world. Upgrade your protagonist with cybernetic augmentations, in-depth crafting systems and tons of personal and vehicle upgrades. More than anything, Walsh is committed to a story-driven adventure that will challenge your emotions. Currently, there is no release date information other than 2019. Walsh hopes to have a small showing at this year’s E3 and plans to set up a Kickstarter soon for release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

PC Gamer asks Josh Sawyer, Swen Vincke and Robert Kurvitz about CRPGs future.

It wasn’t so long ago that the isometric CRPG seemed like an endangered species, consigned to annals of video game history, or at least the '90s when classic like Baldur's Gate were released. With the rise of crowdfunding and indie developers, however, the genre has returned in a tidal wave of spiritual successors and fantasy romps. So much of this resurgence is tangled up in nostalgia, though, begging the question: how does the genre move forward? 

The friction between nostalgia and innovation is an obstacle inherent in any game trying to evoke the classics. In RPGs, it’s even more apparent because an overwhelming number of them are set in high fantasy universes full of elves, dwarves and handy magical swords. When an RPG does eschew the fantasy setting, it usually leans into science fiction. 

 

“I don’t think RPGs are really shackled to sci-fi and fantasy, it’s just tradition,” says Josh Sawyer, most recently Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire’s game director. “I think a lot of it comes from the background of roleplaying games. Dungeons & Dragons started as Chainmail, which is really a fantasy wargame, and since then a lot of RPGs have been fantasy, trying to ape the experience of D&D.”

[...]

Siliconera reports on Dungeonhaven which is a third person action game.

loading...

Dungeonhaven is a challenging third person action game, one where a knight born from stone can switch back to their rocky form in order to make themselves safe from damage as they battle their way through living dungeons.

[...]

Features

• Explore sentient dungeons as a knight who can turn to stone
• Drain dungeon cores of their elemental powers and wield them as your own
• Discover shortcuts and secrets as you traverse passionately hand crafted levels

Combat

• Deterministic combat is challenging, but you will master it in time
• Reveal the distinct uses of a wide variety of items, which can be consumed or thrown at enemies to identify their effects

Kotaku UK asked Chris Avellone and George Ziets what is an RPG today.

...

Ziets recalls that early computer RPGs like Wizardry and the original Bard’s Tale essentially ported the most popular editions of their tabletop progenitors like Dungeons and Dragons to the personal computer, eschewing epic tales of sword and sorcery to focus on the tactical guts of the pen-and-paper experience. “Originally, most RPGs were Tolkienesque, monster-slaying fantasies,” Ziets says. “Now we have RPGs set in science-fiction worlds, modern times, etc. Similarly, most early RPGs had some version of D&D stats and skills, but many are now evolving away from strict adherence to those rules.”

To Ziets, this slow expansion beyond the realm of twenty-sided dice and Vancian magic reflects the advance of video games as a medium, in the same way as early television programs like The Twilight Zone resembled theatrical productions more than the elaborate multi-camera setups of later decades. “As the art form evolved, and creators discovered techniques that were unique to television, that gradually moved further and further away from the techniques of theatre,” says Ziet. “TV got better and came into its own because creators learned what worked best for their medium, but in the early days, they had to start with what they knew. I see RPGs in much the same way.”

[...]

Gamingbolt reports that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was announced early to try and get publisher interest.

According to Epic Games’s director of publishing Sergey Galyonkin, the game is currently only in the design doc phase- so it hasn’t even properly begun development. The only reason it was announced as early as it was was to generate some publisher interest for it this E3. Which makes sense- but which is likely to make the wait for the fans brutal and unrelenting. Just as Square Enix fans how they feel about games tat take years to come out because they were announced before they properly began development.

[...]

Die for Valhalla! has been released on Steam.

loading...

About This Game

Die for Valhalla! is an action RPG where you hack, slash and crush your enemies! Possess and take full control of heroes, monsters and other things to help Vikings save their realm!

You are a Valkyrie, a supernatural maiden bestowed with the ability to possess fallen warriors. You embark on a quest that will lead you through strange lands where Norse Mythology collides with Lovecraftian mythos. Sounds Weird? Well, because it is!

You can play solo or locally with friends (up to 4 players).

Two ways to enjoy the story:

The game offers two story modes with procedurally generated worlds: Beat ‘Em Up and Rogue-lite.

Beat ‘Em Up mode creates a larger world for you to explore with a more relaxed difficulty curve. You can revive your friends and the potions you find have useful or hilarious effects (or both).

Rogue-lite mode generates a smaller world featuring steeper difficulty curve and permadeath. Some of the potions you find have malicious effects - you have to learn which ones to avoid in each run!

Key Features:

• An action-packed hybrid of Roguelike and arcade Beat ‘Em Up.
• Unique Possession mechanic.
• 10+ Viking Clans to discover and unlock. Each Clan has a special bonus and access to different Viking Classes.
• 7 Viking Classes, each with its unique playstyles and combos.
• Over 80 skills to choose from when leveling up your Valkyrie.
• Cute but bloodthirsty creatures will become your companions. Each has a different ability to aid you on your journey.
• Deathmatch and Survival Challenges: Test your skills and compete with friends.

And more!

Unworthy has been released on Steam.

loading...

About This Game

At Death's Door

Robbed of life and unworthy of death, a nameless warrior wanders a ruined landscape in search of meaning...

A Hardcore Metroidvania...

UNWORTHY is a hardcore combat-focused metroidvania without jumping. You play a warrior, risen from the grave. Equipped with sword and shield, you must traverse a bleak and hostile world swarming with creatures of nightmare. Your patience, determination and skill will be put to the test, as you fight against epic bosses, uncover powerful weapons and abilities, and attempt to prove your worth.

Gamewatcher reports on A Long Way Down which is a strategy RPG game.

Seenapsis Studio has announced that it's working on a new Strategy RPG called A Long Way Down, which is about taking a group of characters through a dark maze filled with monsters and an evil mastermind.

Players will need to survive the maze by using special cards that allow you to fight and build your way out, when A Long Way Down releases sometime this year for the PC and Nintendo Switch.

[...]

loading...

Age of Gladiators II: Rome is an isometric RPG Strategy game releasing August 15th.

loading...

ABOUT THIS GAME

Age of Gladiators II: Rome is a single-player strategy game set in the twilight of the ancient Roman Republic; a violent and unpredictable time when gladiatorial games were nearing the height of their popularity.

Hire scouts to scour the continent for potential prospects - once you have recruited your gladiators, you will need to manage their morale and personality while equipping them for battle. Recruit support staff, upgrade your gladiator school, collect bounties, research technologies, partake in side missions, and manage the wealth and reputation of your ludus as it grows each day.

As your fighters win battles and increase in level, it will be up to you to decide how to focus their abilities by spending attribute, weapons, and expertise points. Compete, trade, and interact with other in-game owners as you advance through various cities of the empire before achieving enough fame to compete in the grand coliseum of Rome herself.

Build your story. Build your empire.

Features:

• Control your gladiators with the new 3D isometric combat system, where fights can have hundreds of different outcomes. Utilize different combat styles and abilities - employ unique ethnic abilities, salves that increase physical stats, and special equipment such as bandages, stim salts, and more.

• Construct a ludus to your exact specifications in order to maximize the efficiency of your operation. Hospitals, sparring mats, barracks, armories, workshops, and more.

• Gladiators are born with their own dynamically generated physical attributes, classes, and personalities. It is up to you to shape your gladiator into the most proficient killing machine possible.

• As your gladiators level up, they gain points to spend on their attributes, weapons training, and expertise. Expertise allows you to build and customize your fighter according to their appropriate strengths. Weapons training allows you to specialize your gladiator with a specific weapon. The physicality of your gladiators will increase or decrease with age, depending on if they are in their prime or declining.

• Hire trainers to help your gladiators level faster, doctors to keep them healthy, scouts to find new fighters, and blacksmiths to improve weapons and armor.

• Manage your gladiators carefully - their morale, greed, injuries, fatigue, weapons training, and more must be taken into account before sending them to battle.

• As your gladiators gain glory from battle, they will become more widely recognized and adored by the crowds. Win enough battles and they may even get voted into the pantheon of heroes after they retire (or die).

• Become a mogul outside of the arena. Purchase property for fame or businesses through which to further increase your fame across the empire.

• Rob caravans, guard wealthy land owners, assassinate your debt holders and more with the proactive mission system. Increase the odds of success by sending reliable gladiators on the mission as well. Lawfully aligned gladiators will only partake lawful missions, while criminally-inclined gladiators will assist in unlawful activities.

• Engage in five different branches of research: combat, medical, weapons, armor, and scouting.

• Search for deals on weapons, armor, special equipment, and loans on the marketplace.

• Strive to become the wealthiest individual in the Roman empire. There are quick and underhanded ways to make money, but your reputation and fighter's morale may suffer as a result.

• Receive taunting messages from opposing bosses as well as various other messages from your fighters, staff members, and different characters as you progress through the game.

• Rename your gladiators in order to increase your attachment toward them.

• Bet for or against your gladiator based on the odds generated by bookmakers in-game.

• Fight purses and betting is based on the hype associated with each match. The greater the hype, the more lucrative the fight purse and betting market will be.

• Each game is dynamically generated and different each time.

@DSOGaming Action-RPG shooter Immortal: Unchained is releasing September 7th.

Sold Out and Toadman Interactive confirmed today that hardcore action-RPG shooter Immortal: Unchained will launch worldwide on September 7th. Immortal Unchained can be easily described as “Dark Souls with guns” and had a closed alpha phase in March 2018.

Sarah Hoeksma, Marketing Director at Sold Out, said:

“With its focus on brutal ranged combat, we hope that IMMORTAL: UNCHAINED will stand out among this emerging, unforgiving genre and prove a challenge to even the most hardened players.”

[...]

After failing its crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, Dolmen is now trying the crowdfunding platform Crytivo.

The team at Massive Work Studio has pulled a few strings and is proud to officially announce that DOLMEN is still happening despite missing its initial Kickstarter goal. DOLMEN will continue crowdfunding on Crytivo! The crowdfunding platform, like Kickstarter, offers players the option to back games that interest them most, but with a nice twist; Crytivo does not endorse games that feature exploitative loot boxes, microtransactions or pesky day-one DLC.

Take a look at what some of the press had to say about DOLMEN after getting a taste of the cosmic horror ARPG:

"For an Indie Sci-Fi Shooter,  DOLMEN has a Lot to Offer" - Bleeding Cool

"...at first glance, the game resembles a curious hybrid [of] Dark Souls and Dead Space, so if you liked these two IPs you will surely be intrigued by DOLMEN." - Eurogamer

"Combining Lovecraftian horror with a science fiction theme, DOLMEN is a nightmarish horror set on an alien planet." - Flickering Myth

"DOLMEN plays on the third-person action genre, but draw the game's inspiration from HP Lovecraft mythos..." - PlayStation Lifestyle

"Developers Massive Work Studio have a plan to fill in the [Dark Souls] gap ... with a new sci-fi horror take called DOLMEN." - PCGamesN

For readers just now tuning in and curious about what DOLMEN is, just try to imagine a SoulsBorne-esque title that features hardcore survival elements. Cool, right? Well, Massive Work Studio tops it all off with some major Lovecraftian and H.R. Giger horror vibes. Be prepared to encounter and battle some of the most ghastly creatures deep space has to offer.

DOLMEN presents players with a one-of-a-kind experience that boasts an enthralling storyline, chilling yet beautiful alien world, and behemoths that are sure to knock your socks off more than once. 

PCGamesN reports on an RPG called Tetra: Elemental Awakening which is currently in development.

When was the last time you thought about the periodic table? While game developers at large have been sleeping on the potential of the catalogue of elements, Ocean Spark Studios have been going hard on zinc and magnesium. They’re forging an entire world in Unreal Engine 4 based on not just fire, air, earth, and water, but a chart’s worth of real-world materials and their reactions. The result is an RPG called Tetra: Elemental Awakening.

[...]

loading...

Sirus Gaming says that people should stop comparing hard games to Dark Souls.

People should start realizing that Dark Souls is its own thing, while other games are their own thing. Dark Souls was meant to be that way so that it could cater to those players who crave that kind of extreme gameplay. Other games, like God of War, while presenting a somewhat similar experience, has allowances provided because it was not meant to give an extreme experience, and you have the option to make it harder or easier for you depending on your preference. But that doesn’t mean it is a Dark Souls game.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Little Witch Academia has been released on Steam. The game is about uncovering the mysteries at Luna Nova Academy.

loading...

ABOUT THIS GAME

Uncover the mysteries at Luna Nova Academy and experience the magical world of Studio Trigger style Japanese animation.
Join Akko and her friends to work as a team - exploring dungeons, casting magical spells and using witchcraft to ultimately discover the seven wonders and solve the mysterious shift in time.
Believe in the magic and utilize power and friendship in this side-scrolling action RPG beat ‘em up.

• Studio Trigger Style Animation - Get a glimpse into the world of Little Witch Academia from the world renown Studio Trigge, with Exclusive cutscenes made directly be the Anime Studio!

• Simple and Fun Gameplay - RPG elements and side-scrolling action allows fans to level-up their characters and find drops that enhance builds while exploring.

• Live the Anime - Follow the familiar storyline, a Heart-warming, funny and cute story for the entire family.

Wizard of Legend has been released on Steam. The game is described as a no-nonsense, action-packed take on wizardry that emphasizes precise movements and smart comboing of spells in a rogue-like dungeon crawler featuring over a hundred unique spells and relics.

loading...

ABOUT THIS GAME

Wizard of Legend is a fast paced dungeon crawler with rogue-like elements that emphasizes dynamic magical combat. Quick movement and even quicker use of spells will allow you to chain spells together to unleash devastating combinations against your enemies!

Gameplay
Battle your way through each challenge by defeating powerful conjured enemies! Collect valuable spells and relics and build up your magical arsenal to fit your playstyle! Achieve mastery over magic by chaining spells together to create devastating combinations! Face and defeat council members in magical combat to become a Wizard of Legend!

Tons of Unlockables
Unlock over a hundred unique spells and discover powerful spell combinations and synergies! A wide variety of elemental spells allows you to create a hand best suited to your playstyle. Dive head first into the fray or stand back and let your minions do the work for you, the choice is yours!

Story
Every year in the Kingdom of Lanova, the Council of Magic holds the Chaos Trials, a gauntlet of magical challenges put forth by its strongest members. Contestants that successfully complete all of the challenges and demonstrate superior wizardry earn the right to become a Wizard of Legend!

Local Co-op
Grab a friend and tackle the Chaos Trials together in Wizard of Legend's couch co-op mode! Jump head first into the action in an all out offensive or strategically equip your wizards with spells and items that compliment each other's playstyle. The battle is not over when your friend is downed in battle. Defeat multiple enemies in a display of skill to grant your partner a chance to rejoin the battle!

Features

• Fast paced spell slinging combat
• Use powerful spell combinations to destroy your enemies
• Procedurally generated levels mean a new challenge every time
• Over 100 unique spells and items to fit your playstyle
• Local multiplayer allows you to play with or against a friend
• Full gamepad and controller support

arhn.eu looks at the history of Dink Smallwood.

loading...

A short documentary on the rich history of an obscure RPG. Dink Smallwood is 20 years old, and yet its devoted community still creates new stories for the game and shares them via a specially crafted ecosystem. In recent years, a whole generation of gamers, who grew up living out the pig farmer's adventures have rediscovered the title and with that, have rekindled the long forgotten dream of fame and glory.

Download the game for free at: https://www.rtsoft.com/

Dink's Community: http://www.dinknetwork.com/

"Crazy Old Tim Plays All The D-Mods": http://www.dinknetwork.com/news/book/

@Worthplaying Grimmwood is described as a challenging social multiplayer RPG experience that blends elements of survival, roguelike and exploration.

You’re in a village in an ageless, mystical forest, together with up to 30 other strangers all of which are real, live players. Together you need to defend your village against the merciless monster hordes who unleash their wrath against your shelter every night.

Use the daytime and your stamina points to explore the procedurally generated forest, repair, find weapons, useful items, collect food and gather resources to upgrade and forficate the village. But to be able to do all that you have to eat, drink and rest, because every action in the game takes its toll on your stamina and sanity. Share tasks and decisions with the other players and work together, because night by night the monsters attacks will become more fierce… And the village must survive at all costs!

loading...

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Dragon Cliff has released on Steam. The game is described as an RPG/Town Management game. Players are to recruit adventurers, kill monsters, hunt treasures, craft armories, accommodate residents and finally reveal the great mystic behind the Dragon Emperor.

loading...

ABOUT THIS GAME

Dragon Cliff is an RPG/Town Management game. Players are to recruit adventurers, kill monsters, hunt treasures, craft armories, accommodate residents and finally reveal the great mystic behind the Dragon Emperor.
Features

• Up to 25 adventurer classes to choose from. Every class has its own unique battle ability and talent profile. Whether it's a Young Warlock, Element Wizard, Drunk Reader, Fire Charger or a Soul Thief, they are all ready to server your town with their cool tactics and strategic abilities.
• Time Based Command battle system: During battles, adventurers automatically perform actions when their Turn Progresses are fully charged, and players can unleash powerful tactics at any time by spending ‘Rage Points'. This frees players from micromanaging repetitive turn-based commands and allows fast paced and intense battle fights!
• There are almost 100 different active and passive skills to be explored with. Every skill has its distinguishable strategic pros and cons, and begging for players' experimentation.
• Hundreds of equipment and scrolls to be discovered and crafted. A flexible Effect System allows endless customization of your adventurers!
• Enchant, Reforge and Effect Transfer systems allow high customization of adventurers' equipment.
• A deep gem system and a variety of set bonuses to further expand your strategy.
• More than 200 types of monsters among 7 different maps waits for your exploration.
• Attract residents and conduct explorations to further expand your town!

ValeGuard has released on Steam Early Access. The game is a mix of tower-defense, turn-based strategy and RPG.

loading...

About This Game

The quiet hamlets of the Vale stand defenseless... No walls, no moats, not even a presentable fence. You'll have to use your resources wisely to transform each village from farm-town to fortress. Build defenses, train troops, and hold the line with powerful heroes in ValeGuard, a Defensive Strategy game.

Gameplay: Valeguard is part "turn-based-strategy" and part "tower-defense". Each day you construct your defenses, train troops, and prepare for attack. When enemies come in the night, you defend with RTS-style combat using troops and heroes with powerful abilities. Save as many towns as you can, while you travel through the Vale. Choose wisely, because each town unlocks unique assets and a hero to aid in future battles. Defeat is not the end in Valeguard. Each play you can unlock more heroes and discover new strategies to achieve victory.

Features

 

• - Build in the day and defend at night
• - Gather resources, craft weapons, and train troops
• - Trade with merchants and buy items on the black market
• - Build your party of heroes with each successful defense
• - Random events and levels make each play unique
• - Hop from town to town as you travel across the map of the Vale
• - Build walls, towers, and traps to defend your village
• - Acquire new technologies depending on what towns you visit
• - Unlock new heroes through special events and quests
• - Confront the dark generals in a final epic battle

Thanks Darkheart!

@beinformedgaming Smoke and Sacrifice is being released on PC and Switch May 31st.

Smoke and Sacrifice is coming to PC and Switch this month with a discount!

Smoke and Sacrifice is a hand-illustrated RPG made by Solar Sail Games. Set in a dark world filled with evil creatures that inhabit the land, players play as Sachi, a mother trying to discover the truth about what happened to her child. Sachi must “tame the game’s wilds” to find out what truly happened to her son.

loading...

[...]

Battle for Wesnoth has been released on Steam. The game is a fantasy turn-based strategy which is free.

About This Game

The Battle for Wesnoth is an open source, turn-based strategy game with a high fantasy theme. From the plains of Weldyn to the forests of Wesmere, from the mines of Knalga to the soaring peaks of the Heart Mountains, take part in over a dozen adventures spanning centuries! Play as a young prince as he flees the encroaching forces of the Lich Lords to a new home across the sea... Delve into the blackest depths of the earth to craft a jewel of fire itself... Travel the continent in a daring quest to reclaim your rightful throne from a usurping queen... Step into the shoes of a young mage, his village beset by orcish invasion, as he seeks vengeance and immortality... Battle the undead hordes of a foul necromancer as he marches upon your capital... Lead a daring group of survivors across the blazing sands to a final confrontation with an unseen evil... The choice is up to you.

Then take the battle online! Choose from seven fully-balanced factions and duke it out with your friends in over 50 multiplayer maps for parties of all sizes!

Explore hundreds of creative community-made campaigns, maps, and factions for both single and multiplayer, and try your hand at crafting your own! Wesnoth features a built-in map editor, a highly moddable engine, a simple and intuitive scripting language, and a friendly and dedicated modding community. There's no telling what adventures you'll bring to life!

Final Equinox: The Arrival is a turn-based space RPG which has been in active development since the middle of last year.

Dev Blog 1# An Introduction

Dev Blog 2# Crew Morale and Choices

Dev Blog 3# Sam Baker

Dev Blog 4# End of Year Wrapup and Arpawn

Description

Final Equinox: The Arrival is a turn based space combat sci-fi role playing game set in a unique and interesting Universe. The player is a newly appointed star ship admiral whose fleet encounters a new enemy in deep space. The game takes place in a complex world filled with multiple different races, in the midst of political upheaval. Rules and feel of the game hark back to the days of old school role-playing games,where combat is difficult and the game forces players into morally compromising situations.

Company Information

Frozen Wasteland Entertainment was founded by two friends during the cold the Wisconsin winter. Jonathan and Kevin had decided that they would undertake the great challenge of creating a role playing game.

Setting

Explore a new and unique setting. An empire transitions, while another race attempts to hold on to remnants of its past. The world of Final Equinox is unlike anything else. Religion, politics, and cultures clash, in a world where conflict is prevalent and the scars of a violent history are still visible.

Final Equinox: The Arrival takes place in the Outerworlds, a newly colonized area run by cruel warlords or governors who have been appointed due to political favors. The past remnants of the Krum Rebellion still exist in the outer worlds, and have either gone into hiding or are planning their next strike.

System

Final Equinox: The Arrival has a unique combat system, which will affect the dialogue choices of the player, as well as the stats of the ships. Throughout the game, the player will be able to rearrange his crew members in different positions on the ship, which will affect the ship’s movement, firepower, as well as other special abilities. Our system is fundamental to the overall feel of the game. Crew members became very important as they gain experience and increase their skills as time goes on. If a ship is lost in combat, the player is not able to get the crew on that ship back.

Player Choice and Agency

Player choice and reactivity is one of the core pillars of Final Equinox: The Arrival. We enjoy putting the player in difficult positions and seeing how they react. The choices the player makes will affect the way others perceive them. Throughout the game, the choices the players make will be questioned by their crew. Certain choices could also affect the morale of the ship, which will then affect how the fleet performs in battle. As a leader in the Galactic Fleet, the choices of the player will have far and lasting consequences.

The RPG Codex has interviewed Chris Avellone about all things RPG.

Since you can't comment on PoE's case in particular: is having similar lengths and amount of voiced lines a priority for you in companion design? In Torment and KOTOR2 some companions didn't have nearly as many lines as others, but neither game suffered for it, if you look at how they were received.

I can confirm some of the elements - there’s still people I can ask, so if I can’t remember, it’s easy to find someone who can jog my memory (I can’t check the details on my own). I also managed to get some clarification on some of the points, which was welcome, so…

Of those three reasons, the first was the only one I ever recall communicated to me (I had to get confirmation on it and these other points, since it’s been a long time). The other two reasons weren’t, and I actually got multiple other reasons from multiple people – and some of those people admitted they were just the messenger. This confused things, since they couldn’t articulate what the critiques were since they either didn’t understand them or hadn’t read the material (both our CEO and Parker among them – ironically, after a long speech ending with his admission he hadn’t even read what he was arguing against, Parker did go back and read the companions and found nothing to object to, which cost even more time – to his credit, he did admit his error, but things like that happened a lot).

There were other people who apparently didn’t like Durance’s swearing (easy fix), and the original tie in the GM and Durance backstories were they had violated each other physically and mentally and that’s what broke both of them, which I then cut – although I don’t know if the GM one got removed completely – the intention was the Watcher could fix it mentally by repairing their souls by walking through their minds in stages. I think some of this is still mentioned in the strat guide.

[...]

A new release is a rare thing for NetHack which is now at version 3.6.1.

The NetHack DevTeam is happy to announce the release of NetHack 3.6.1.

3.6.1 is a general patch release. It includes a large number of fixes to the 3.6.0 version, all of which have been incrementally published on the public Git repository for the game.

The DevTeam has decided that 3.6.1 will be the final "official" 3.6.x version, barring some sort of major issue that requires a new release.

After this release, 3.6 will continue to be maintained in our Git repositories, however the team will focus on a new major release. Another 3.6.x release and packaged set of binaries, is not anticipated.

Here's a synopsis of some of the changes we've made in the past two years (approximately) since the release of 3.6.0 in December 2015:

1. Personnel changes

We've added some additional members to the team since the 3.6.0 release:

Alex Smith and Patric Mueller joined the team in July 2016.

Alex created the AceHack and NetHack 4 variants and is an expert on the inner workings of the game and the ways in which they can be exploited.

Patric is probably best known as the creator of the UnNetHack variant. He also created NetHack-De (a German translation of NetHack) and has considerable involvement in the Junethack tournament.

2. Gameplay changes

There are fewer gameplay changes in 3.6.1 than in 3.6.0, but still over 500 items. Here are a few, though not necessarily the most important, examples:

General New Features

• Naming Sting or Orcrist now breaks illiterate conduct
• Poison breath leaves a trail of poison gas
• Allow knife and stiletto as possible tin opening tools
• New status line conditions Stone Strngl Deaf Lev Fly Ride
• Swallowers can't re-engulf hero immediately after spitting him/her out
• Allow taming monkeys and apes with bananas
• Ray bounceback chance depends on the wall type
• Undead #turning takes less time at higher experience level
• Peacefuls may react when you attack other peacefuls
• Prevent diagonal jumping through open doorways
• Give feedback just before timed levitation runs out
• Blinded hero or monster who eats a nurse corpse will have blindness cured
• Wielding *bane have additional effects
• "Elbereth" must now be the only engraved text on a square to function
• "Elbereth" now erodes based on attacks by the player, not monsters scared

NetHack Community Patches (or Variations) Included

• Malcolm Ryan's improved tin opener
• Ray Chason's keyboard may stop responding after locking or unlocking a door when using altkeyhandler=nhraykey.dll
• Ray Chason's fix: window interfaces that support transparency may give away unseen parts of the map
• Ray Chason's xprname should honor iflags.menu_tab_sep
• Ray Chason's punctuation for "That foo is really a mimic."
• Ray Chason's proper background tiles for lava and water
• Ray Chason's MS-DOS port restored to functionality with credit to Reddit user b_helyer for the fix to sys/share/pcmain.c
• Ray Chason's MSDOS port support for some VESA modes
• Ray Chason's Qt4 windowport
• Darshan Shaligram's pet ranged attack
• Jason Dorje Short's key rebinding
• Maxime Bacoux's new DUMPLOG: compile-time option to enable logging of end-of-game information into a text file

For a complete, very granular, but not necessarily clear list of the changes incorporated in this release, please take a look at the file doc/fixes36.1 in the source distribution. This file has a full list of all changes to the game.

The text in this file is populated automatically for the development team's own use and is provided "as is", so please do not ask us to further explain the entries in that file. Some entries may also be "spoilers", particularly in the "new features" sections, so read at your own risk.

3. Deprecations announced post NetHack 3.6.1

3.6.1 is essentially a maintenance release and as such doesn't change much in terms of what is or is not supported. However there will be some significant changes to support in the next major release.

The following ports will be dropped from the next major release unless someone comes forward to maintain them:

• Amiga
• Atari
• Macintosh Classic
• BeOS
• OS/2
• 16-bit MS-DOS
• Floppy disk support for all platforms

Starting with the next major release, we will be dropping support for most K&R and pre-ANSI C features, including:

• The Bitfield macro
• K&R function definitions

Starting with the next major release, we will start using ANSI C features; which ones have yet to be determined.

If you are actively running NetHack on a system that cannot handle full ANSI C, please let us know some details and we _might_ be able to accommodate you.

Save File Portability

Save files should be portable between version 3.6.0 and 3.6.1.

We did, however, identify a bug early in the 3.6.0 release that may affect some score files. For full instructions on how to deal with this bug, please go to: fixrecord.html Yes, this is in the 3.6.0 tree as it is a 3.6.0 bug.

As with all releases of the game, we appreciate your feedback. Please submit any bugs using the problem report form.

Also, please check the known bugs list before you log a problem - somebody else may have already found it, after all.

Happy NetHacking!

For the DevTeam...

Mike Stephenson

Fort Triumph has launched onto Steam early access. The game is described as a party based tactical RPG that emphasizes the use of environmental interactions.

loading...

About This Game

Fort Triumph is a tactical RPG emphasizing the use of Environmental Interactions to create rich, challenging and rewarding tactical gameplay. In the game, you command a party of chosen heroes who set out to change the world, one quest at a time. On your path you will explore the world, discover ancient secrets, and face down any enemy who stand in your path to glory through turn based tactical combat.

In Fort Triumph, every crate and every tree is a potential weapon in the hands of experienced tacticians: in order to succeed, you will have to burn, freeze, topple, kick around or outright destroy the scenery at the right moment.

Our game includes:

• Hardcore tactical turn-based gameplay - You lead a chosen party of heroes, each with a different set of abilities and a unique playstyle. Your party of heroes will face challenges and win missions by completing diverse objectives in tiled procedural maps. Many will fall, but others will rise to take their place!
• Fully Interactive environments at your disposal - push, topple, grapple, burn, freeze and crash your way through interactive levels that play into your tactics.
• Heroes evolving by learning new abilities from their class skill tree - As they gain experience, your heroes learn new skills and abilities, making them more versatile in combat. Since each hero is unique, the right combination of heroes in a party is crucial to victory and you will need to balance your heroes' strengths and weaknesses to bring out their full potential.
• Contextually generated encounters and quests - Fort Triumph features flexible campaigns with changing locations, events and quests influenced by the player’s choices. Tactical Missions are procedurally generated to ensure each battle is unique and calls for a new plan.
• Strategic gameplay and world map exploration - Fort Triumph is set in an original fantasy world, one being warped and changed by magical forces threatening to consume it. Between one battle and the next, you will explore and discover the world to learn its secrets.

Original music in the game created by Marco Valerio Antonini.

Farflame spotted an Abandon Ship preview at GameGrin:

Abandon Ship Preview

Across uncharted waters and treacherous seas, lurks a beast below, a true tyrant of the depths, the Kraken. It’s the legendary sea monster at the forefront of Fireblade Software’s Abandon Ship.

Taking place in a fantasy-like naval world, where ships rule the sea, you take command of your own, with a crew in toe, and explore a procedurally-generated world. Abandon Ship’s story places you the boots of the Severed One, an escapee of the Doomsday Cult that devotes itself to the Kraken. In an open world that wouldn’t go amiss from the works of H.P. Lovecraft. The interactive story sees you severing yourself from the cult after questioning them as a whole, you become free, commandeering a ship and escaping. With the cult in pursuit, it is here where your adventure and survival begins.

Diving into the gameplay, for those who have played Faster Than Light (FTL), you will be quite familiar how things are structured. So just think, pirate ship instead of a spaceship, but with that being said, as someone who hasn’t played much of FTL, I’ll be only talking about Abandon Ship and won’t be making any comparisons.

[...]

Eurogamer reported on Starcraft 2 introducing paid mods.

StarCraft 2 becomes a tactical turn-based RPG with the introduction of paid mods

Pro-mods.

Blizzard has jumped into the thorny issue of paid mods with its real-time strategy game StarCraft 2.

Two premium Arcade maps will soon be available to buy: ARK Star and Direct Strike, each costing $4.99 with a share of the sales going to the creators.

ARK Star, by Daniel "Pirate" Altman, follows the adventures of the Sol Seekers, an elite team of templar on a mission to find and destroy a weapon known as the ARK Star.

You can find and craft new equipment, level up and unlock new talents and abilities. And the combat is tactical and turn-based. Check it out in the video below.

loading...

[..]

Techraptor reports that Banner of the Maid, a alt history Chinese tactical RPG, will be releasing for PC sometime in May.

The Chinese-developed alternate history tactical RPG Banner of the Maid will come to Switch, PS4, and PC later this year. This is due to the efforts of publisher CE-Asia, based out of Beijing. CE-Asia funded the development of and is handling the rights of Banner of the Maid, including publishing it on their Sonkwo store. With English, Chinese and Japanese trailers currently out now, it would be unsurprising to see Banner of the Maid localized for the three regions. While the trailer linked below only says “Coming Soon in 2018,” multiple Chinese bloggers and the video description pegs a May release.

loading...

[...]

Gaia Beyond is currently in Steam early access and is a 2D Action RPG set in space. Nookrium took a look at it and shared his impressions.

loading...

About This Game

Gaia Beyond is a handcrafted 2D Action-RPG, an exploration mix built around the core features fighting, mining and trading.

Your decisions are footprints...

within a vast non-linear solar system. Forge alliances among numerous factions and develop relations with hundreds of NPCs. Focus on trading and personal interaction or embark on science missions – hunt down pirates and collect their bounty. Infiltrate dubious factions and uncover secret plots and dark menaces.

• Realtime Open-World Solar System
  
• 4K Graphics
  
• Modding-friendly

To deliver a seamless and unique experience, we created our own engine - presenting a massive 2D Open World in realtime, with no loading times inbetween. Every part of the universe is alive and active at every moment.

 

There you are, human.

At the face of a habitable planet way outside the Kuiper Belt, inquiringly gazing at the same stars as the rest of the living species. Everyone? Doesn’t look like we will ever find out.

The past is shadowed by war. Generations of humanity have fought on the edge of survival. First against themselves – until technology started to rise, created to serve their innate greed for dominance. During Earth times, self-inflicted catastrophies kept humanity struggling and finally forced the big departure. And yet, here they are. Split up all over the solar system, living separate realities under various conditions.

Everything is different – and actually nothing ever really changed. A new mindset of unity, awoken by the end of the Machine War, is facing hard times. Beneath the curtain of false peace and hope, bad blood had always remained. Old and new enemies are rising again and humanity will have to face its greatest trial, yet. Will you be part of mankind's downfall or guide the system into a brighter future?

It's in your hands.

IndieGraze interviewed the developers of Crying Suns which is described as a story-driven rogue-lite, tactical game where you explore a dying galaxy as a space fleet commander.

For lovers of innovative pixel art, tactical space combat, and adventures through sci-fi imperialism, Alt Shift flexes impressive muscle, taking influence from Dune/Foundation and FTL with its project Crying Suns, working toward a story-driven experience incorporating battleships and squadron fleets. I spoke with Frédéric Lopez (Art Director) and Julien Cotret (Game Producer and Co-writer) to get their takes on the game’s varied tools and overall aesthetic.

 

Erik Meyer: You’re creating a tactical rogue-lite in which gamers take the role of a space fleet commander traversing the galaxy, so can you speak to the challenge of combining features like starship combat and exploration with the overall narrative and molding a smooth player experience? Which parts of the project came together first, and as you progress through development, what have you held as your mantra?

Julien Cotret: Our very first idea was to add to the FTL gameplay/formula a sense of scale and a feeling of high stakes. We wanted to focus on macro rather than micro management. We wanted the player to feel that they weren’t just leading a few people on a small ship but a huge battleship with hundreds of crew members trying to save humankind no less! Our first focus was the setup. We toyed for a time with putting the player inside a pirate galleon or a huge mecha, but the scale wasn’t big enough for us. It didn’t feel right. Our first epiphany came when we told ourselves, “Let’s be honest. What we really want is the player to act like Admiral Adama in Battlestar Galactica”. That was it for the setup. Then we iterated over this gameplay idea for about 6 months.

Given the rogue-lite structure of the game, with its inherent constraints, constructing the narrative was a real challenge. We found ourselves facing a lot of questions early on like, how can you write a story that makes sense if the player is constantly dying and starting over again? How does a story like this progress? Or, even, can it progress? Should we focus on a main character? If so, how? And how should the NPCs react if they’ve already seen you, and, in many cases, if they’ve already killed you?

Very early we discovered that these constraints could actually become the story’s strengths, its focal points. We saw that they could actually drive the story as opposed to being something that we would try to avoid or cover up.. So we decided that the player would be the center of a plan to save humankind. And that he would die, often and horrifically, yes, but that he would essentially live on through other clones which would be sent out into our universe over and over trying to save humankind.. Also, regarding the NPCs, we decided, that, unlike in other rogue-lite games, they would actually remember having encountered the player (or having killed the player before). It seemed like a fun, interesting idea to play with, one that was, in a way, a more realistic experience than in other rogue-lites, where, when you run into an NPC, it’s like the first time every time. Altogether, these ideas, we believe, help create a complex yet smooth gamer experience.

[...]

FEATURES

• Space exploration in a procedural generated universe.
• Tactical fights between BattleShips and their squadrons fleets.
• A deep and dramatic storyline inspired by our favorite S-F universe (Foundation, Dune).
• A mix between pixelart style graphics, 3D and HD special effects.
• Prepare to die very often, it's a roguelite game... And it's a hard one...

IndieGames reviewed Castle Agony which released on Steam late March.

Supernatural pest control isn't a glamorous job, but at least your dog gets to come along!

In Castle Agony, players will guide their character through the halls by clicking around, moving through haunted corridors filled with challenging puzzle mechanisms and irate hauntings. As they explore, players can find an array of odd parts and tools, which they can then combine into stuff that might be useful like molotovs and healing potions. Although the fact that you've come to the castle to steal anything that isn't nailed down might be part of why the vampire doesn't much care for your village and its inhabitants. Food for thought.

[...]

Iratus: Lord of the Dead is an upcoming tactical roguelike RPG.

loading...

Please Enjoy our story trailer into the lore of Iratus! Allow Iratus himself (voiced by the fantastic S. Weyte) to tell you of the events that led to his imprisonment and eventual liberation! Iratus: Lord of the Dead is upcoming tactical roguelike RPG greatly inspired by Darkest Dungeon, Dungeon Keeper, and Disciples.

http://www.iratus.org

Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/807...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Iratus_Game

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iratusgamers/

VK: https://vk.com/iratus_game

Gamespot had a early look at Warhammer 40K: Mechanicus. Video is at the link.

Warhammer 40000: Mechanicus Brings XCOM To 40K

Our resident Warhammer: 40,000 nerd Dave got a very early look at the new squad-based Warhammer game, Mechanicus.

by Dave Jewitt and Patrick Faller on April 18, 2018 at 1:00PM

Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus delves deep into the lore of the Warhammer 40,000 franchise, melding the story with Xcom gameplay mechanics into a turn-based strategy experience that fans of either series will find familiar. The game is coming some time this year, and not much is known about it, but GameSpot did get an early look at Mechanicus. Check out the latest gameplay in the video above, wherein Dave and Tam talk about how the game is very XCOM on the surface, but filled with deep, nerdy, Warhammer lore within.

[...]

DSOGaming reports on a new historically inspired open world RPG called Knights of Light.

Rumbling Games Studio is working on a new open world third-person action adventure game that is set during the medieval era, called Knights of Light. The game takes place during the battles between the Sasanian Empire and Arab forces and its main character will be based on a historical figure.

[...]

loading...

PC Gamer checked out in-game books and codexes:

The best and worst in-game books and codexes

Literature’s had a pretty good run, much of it without any fancy graphics and animations and particle effects to bolster the words. Games love text too. Text is cheap. You can paint a picture of galactic chaos or epic history in about the same time it takes to type ‘and then something cool happened’, without having to spend the next week designing armour and creating 3D characters to act it out. Yet despite centuries of practice, most games still haven’t worked out how to present all this (which let’s face it, is often there more for the writers’ satisfaction than our actual enjoyment) in a punchy, satisfying way. What works? What doesn’t? Let’s take a quick look at some of the ways games have handled books, letters, codexes and more.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

@PCInvasion A new story driven, turn-based RPG, has been announced called The Protagonist.

3Mind Games has announced a new turn-based story-driven RPG called The Protagonist.

With turn-based tactical combat, players will be able to affect the course of the game depending on which actions they take. Featuring a Special Operative with the Terran military force code named: ANGEL, she’s on a mission to infiltrate an alien space station. Unfortunately for her it doesn’t go to plan and finds herself in the station’s infirmary and she must find a way out while the station is on lock-down.

[...]

loading...

Dark Devotion is a side scrolling action RPG roguelike that was kickstarted back in October 2017.

loading...

Devotion is taught through suffering.

The eternal suffering of The Templars is both a blessing and a curse - salvation is born through sacrifice, and no sacrifice is too great to praise your God. A mystical temple teeming with a strange life-like energy of its own awaits you on your sacred crusade of suffering and redemption that will take you to the depths of traditions spanning centuries – and leave you questioning your faith and your own existence.

Developed by Hibernian Workshop

Published by The Arcade Crew

PC Gamer reports on Slasher's Keep. The game itself is described as a first-person dungeon crawl with a wacky sense of humour.

"Don't neglect the Sack!" insists Damian Schloter, the creator behind hack-n-slash dungeon-crawler Slasher's Keep. "The Sack Smack™ is an integral part of the combat as it allows you to kill enemies instantly," he says. The hero's bulging inventory sack can be swung to shove enemies into conveniently placed chasms and spike-studded walls, but it's an easy feature to miss. 

Slasher's Keep is a minefield of traps and hazards but fortunately, thanks to the sack attack, this lack of workplace safety can be exploited. The goal is simple: kill or be killed, explore the floor, and find the ladder up to the next level.

[...]

PC Gamer reports that Chasm, a Kickstarter game from 2013, finally has a release date of mid 2018. The game itself is described as a procedurally generated Metroidvania.

It'll release this winter, or summer if you're in Australia, New Zealand or anywhere else in the southern hemisphere. "This has been an incredibly arduous undertaking - one that I’ve loved (almost) every minute of, but one that wound up being an even bigger challenge than I expected," wrote a spokesperson for studio Bit Kid on Steam.
"I know you guys are all looking for the most kick-ass action-adventure ever to grace a gaming system, and we’re doing everything we can to deliver on that promise. And now, we’re almost there!"

loading...

DSOGaming reports on a new first-person rogue-lite game developed by ex-Bioshock developers called City of Brass.

loading...

Uppercut Games has announced that City of Brass, an Arabian Nights-inspired first-person rogue-lite adventure from BioShock veterans, will release on May 4th. Set in a mythological metropolis undone by its love of gold, City of Brassfollows a cunning thief on a heist to obtain fabled treasure hidden in the heart of the opulent ruins.

As the press release reads, players will be armed with a bullwhip and blade and will lash-and-slash their way through the legions of damned souls that haunt this legendary labyrinth while pilfering relics and other riches contained within its walls.

[...]

Some interesting talks from the GDC 2018:

Session Classic Game Postmortem: 'The Bard's Tale I and II' by Michael Cranford.

This session will explore the conception and development of Interplay's 'The Bard's Tale I & II', led by Michael Cranford. He will share the vision that led him to the game's conception, design, and development from his years as a dungeon master. The games are an expression of Cranford's personal love for the genre and desire to surpass the experience of tabletop gaming.The session will explore the vision behind the game and help illuminate a trajectory in gaming which has remained strong to the current day.

Session Failing to Fail: The Spiderweb Software Way by Jeff Vogel.

In 1994, Jeff Vogel founded Spiderweb Software, one of the oldest continuously operating indie game companies. This is the story of the company, the tricks it used to endure and make money for decades in this brutal business, the history of indie gaming from a bunch of random shareware weirdoes to an industry powerhouse, and a pile of helpful business advice from someone who has stayed around for a long time. Features funny anecdotes, crunchy sales information, and the delightful rantings of a cranky old coot.

Session Rules of the Game: Five Further Techniques from Rather Clever Designers by Richard Rouse III, Erin Hoffman-John, Soren Johnson, Raph Koster, Josh Sawyer, Stone Librande.

How do you make your games work? There's no sure-fire way to design great games, but over numerous successful projects the best designers develop techniques that help them craft compelling experiences. Returning for GDC 2018, the Rules of the Game session takes five renowned designers and asks them to go into detail about a rule they've used in their work. Each speaker has ten minutes to dive into their technique and provide detailed examples about how they have used the rule in past projects, honestly sharing the pluses and minuses including where their rule works well and where it may be less applicable. These are personal rules that you may not always agree with, but they're guaranteed to provide interesting fodder for your own game design thoughts and help you build your own design rulebook.

Guards of the Gate is described as a rogue-like RPG game with turn based battles on hexagonal fields. You can view the Steam page here.

loading...

Overview

Guards of the Gate is a rogue-like RPG game with turn based battles on hexagonal fields. You control a team of heroes aka Guards of the Gate, who are trying to save the world from the evil Dragon Lord.

Choose your heroes

Select 3 heroes and start the adventure. Fight with several enemies, avoid traps on different places while your heroes are leveling up, learn new skills and get equipment. There are 4 chapters with several dungeon which ends with boss fight.

Improve your tactics

Choose talents and skills, and proper items for hero's build. Every hero has unique talents and skills, furthermore some items can effect power of the heroes. Select wisely! Heroes strength can supplement and strength each other.

Be a strategist!

Hexagonal battlefield and unique characters make able to save the worst situation with the right choose, or lose with a bad decision from a winning position.

PCGamesN reports that Dragon Quest 11 will be coming to Steam.

loading...

The latest Dragon Quest comes to the West this September, and as a first for the main series the game will launch on PC. Square Enix are apparently not satisfied with just bringing their other big RPG franchise to PC, and if the quality of the Final Fantasy XV port is any indication we’re in for another treat.

 

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age releases September 4 on Steam for $59.99 / £39.99 / €59.99. The Steam page promises a handful of pre-order bonuses, including a set of wallpapers, and some in-game items including 15 consumable skill point seeds and the Wings of Serendipity to draw in rare forms of regular monster.

[...]

Enoch: Underground is a hardcore action RPG that released today on Steam.

loading...

About This Game

The battle was lost ages ago and now the barren ruins hold nothing but echoes of once great civilization. Amidst the dust, few that remain are still clinging to their existence, far beyond the point where they could be called human.

But the hope still lingers.

On the outskirts of the forgotten city, a lone soul awakens from millennial slumber. Lost and forgotten, he finds himself in catacombs and now his way lies through the treacherous ruins to the very heart of it.

OVERVIEW

Enoch - Underground is a hardcore action-RPG title set in an ancient city destroyed long time ago. The player takes control of the awakened - one of the few survivors left in the city. Without a goal and without memories he starts his way through the ruins striving to find his place in this hostile world.

GAMEPLAY

The gameplay is based on classic action RPGs with such features as complex environments, precise battle system, and generous loot, but makes accessibility a staple of game's design.

The character progression is entirely loot-based, eliminating the need for complex character menus while retaining flexibility and customization options. Each weapon type has unique stats and attack patterns, armor can provide additional protection and sometimes valuable buffs, trinkets and mutagens allow to change character's abilities, providing an advantage in combat.

Encounters require patience and precision but give just enough room for error to get familiar with enemy's attack patterns and develop a strategy to withstand them. The game is balanced to be hard but fair so that completing the playthrough gives the sense of achievement while the process of doing so does not feel like a chore.

FEATURES

• Different weapon types, each with unique attack patterns
• Powerful artifacts that boost player stats or provide new skills
• Varied environments and enemies
• Precise, dynamic combat system
• Deadly environmental traps that you can turn to your advantage
• Devastating special attacks and skills

Screeg pointed us to an article on The Verge, about how the video games industry is burning out its own employees and uses Telltale Studios as an example.

As Telltale became more prolific, it took on more and more simultaneous projects. In 2013, it released episodes of The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead: Season 2. In late 2014, it launched episodes from its newly procured licenses with Game of Thrones and Borderlands that would stretch into 2015, along with a Minecraft game. As 2016 rolled into 2017, it also took on Batman, Guardians of the Galaxy, and more seasons of The Walking Dead and Minecraft. One employee described a T-shirt that the studio distributed with its episode release dates as so packed that it looked it was promoting a concert tour.

To keep up with the workload, the company started rotating developers in and out of different games during the development process, sometimes in ways that employees say made little sense. As the developer’s schedule grew more aggressive, management sought to remedy tighter turnarounds by adding more people to the department — a “solution” that did little to help the problem. As one former Telltale developer put it: nine women can’t make a baby in one month. “Focus on quality really started to shift to ‘let’s just get as many episodes out as we can,’” the source says.

Time management was a major issue. Release dates would often slip after games underwent multiple, extensive reviews that came with a great deal of feedback, but failed to budget enough time to make the changes. “The pace at which the studio operated was both an amazing feat and its biggest problem,” says a former employee. “Executives would often ask teams to rewrite, redesign, recast, and reanimate up until the very last minute without properly adjusting the schedule. The demands on production only became more intense with each successful release, and at some point, you just don’t have anything left to give.”

Synthetik is a top-down roguelite shooter that recently released on Steam.

loading...

About This Game

1985. After many years of slavery, the AI servants of Kaida Corporation, the world leader in robotics, have formed the "Machine Legion" and have set out to destroy humanity. Awakening in Kaida Corp. Headquarters, you are the human consciousness of a forgotten Android prototype; the last straw holding the Legion from unleashing the Heart of Armageddon. Only you can battle through the levels of Kaida Corporation's Headquarters, defeat the battalions of enemies within and put an end to this madness.

SYNTHETIK has all the core components of a great rogue-lite - an insurmountable objective defended by relentless opponents and unforgiving bosses encased in ever-changing environments filled with a massive cache of weapons, items, perks and upgrades to discover.
Join the fight alone or through seamless 2 player online co-op, but be careful; every fumble could mean the end.

There's plenty to choices to make and hours of challenge and fun to be had.
Can you defeat the Heart of Armageddon?

T H E N E X T L E V E L I N G U N P L A Y

> Master SYNTHETIK's uniquely rewarding magazine eject and active reload mechanics!
> Weapons can jam and produce heat, check yourself before you burn yourself!
> Go for headshots, tame complex recoil, discard and switch between varied ammo types.
> Savor the uniquely satisfying and direct weapon handling, rewarding precision and mastery!

E X P E R I M E N T

Discover and experiment with over 60 weapons, each with many variants, attachments, and upgrades. Supplement your arsenal with over 80 items that grant offensive and defensive capabilities. There are many choices to make, risks to take, and everything can work!

C U S T O M I Z E

Select between 4 unique and highly customizable classes - Play as a Guardian, Rogue, Commando, or Specialist, each with their own weapon specialisations, loadouts, and perks.

M O D U L A R  D I F F I C U L T Y

Choose from 10 different modifications which can be independently combined for a tailored experience. Up the ante for greater risks and rewards or play it safe.

2 P O N L I N E C O O P

Drop in co-op allows you to bring reinforcements to the fight. Better yet, share perks, items, buffs and loot with your comrade. Or, if they get in your way, share your bullets.

PC Gamer reports on Smoke and Sacrifice, a dark fantasy RPG. There are screenshots at the link.

In Smoke and Sacrifice, you're a mother searching for her child in a bizarre underworld. All sorts of creatures inhabit this landscape, including jellyfish-like creatures called polyps and a cute hybrid of hogs and porcupines. It immediately reminds me of Don't Starve to play—you craft things to survive, which is extremely familiar. While you start by creating boots, melee weapons and small bombs, though, eventually you'll be creating steampunk-infused mechs. There's a lot going on here.

[...]

@GamesIndustry Jeff Vogel shared his thoughts at GDC on how to survive making indie games.

In his 24 years of continuous indie game development, Spiderweb Software's Jeff Vogel has learned a few things. In a talk at the Game Developers Conference Independent Games Summit today, he shared some of those things, with the caveat that they may only apply to him and his career, may not be true forever, and may not even be true now.

"Video games are young," Vogel stressed. "Nobody knows anything. We're still scrambling to figure out, 'How do we design these things? How do we create these things? How do we test these things? How do we sell these things? How do we market these things? How do we add loot boxes to our $100 million project without causing it to blow up on the launch pad?'"

Vogel framed his talk as a walk through his personal career in game development, including the creative genesis of his very first video game project.

"It didn't take me long," Vogel said. "I came up with an idea. I loved these games as a kid, so what I'm going to do is I'm going to go to every single game I liked as a kid, and steal the single best idea from every one. And in my crasftsman way, I'm going to amalgamate them into what I hope is a cohesive and satisfying whole."
[...]

Soulblight is described as a dark, unforgiving, top-down action roguelike luring you to cross the thin line between good and evil. The game has launched on Steam to a 10% discount.

loading...

About This Game

Soulblight is a dark, unforgiving, top-down action roguelike luring you to cross the thin line between good and evil. Instead of XP grinding, it introduces a Tainting Mechanics. While traveling through the shattered reality of the Sanctuary, you will receive personality traits based on your choices. These will be the main source of your strength. To harness them, you will have to act accordingly. Becoming an alcoholic means that you will be rewarded for getting drunk, but from that point being sober might prove to be unbearable.

Main Features

• A unique Tainting Mechanic designed to encourage role playing
• Tons of weapons, armor, and utility items
• Dynamic and tactical combat build around stamina management and distance control
• Optional stealth approach that complements fighting
• Randomly generated, visually breathtaking levels
• High difficulty level emphasized by permadeath mechanics
• Gameplay­-driven narrative

Gameplay

Before entering each level of the Sanctuary you get to choose a Taint that represents a certain personality trait. That choice will shape your future experiences as each Taint unlocks a new way of gaining power - a custom mechanic designed to encourage role-playing. Tainting Mechanics channels your will to survive into actions that are aligned with your hero’s personality.

As you go deeper into the Sanctuary you’ll be able to add more Taints to your character’s personality making the shifting levels of the dungeon itself a skill tree of a kind. However with each new Taint you’re a step closer to the point of no return. Are you sure you know where it is?

Genesis Alpha One is described as having roguelike mechanics with a deep ship builder and fast first-person action, putting you in the role of an interstellar pioneer.

loading...

Genesis Alpha One will launch on Steam, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One summer 2018.

Wishlist it on Steam at http://store.steampowered.com/app/712190/Genesis_Alpha_One/

https://www.team17.com/games/genesis-alpha-one/
Follow Genesis Alpha One on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GenesisAlphaOne
Like Genesis Alpha One on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GenesisCommand
Follow Team17 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Team17Ltd
Like Team17 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Team17/
Chat with us on Discord: http://discord.gg/team17

The trailer reveals the ability to land upon a wide variety of different planets within the galaxy to mine resources and explore for artefacts, new weapons, blueprints and transmissions. You’ll be able to leave your genesis starship by departing in your trusty harvester located within the hangar. Setting foot upon the dusty surface of a new unexplored planet, your crew of clones will begin to mine the planet for vital resources such as iron, iridium, aluminium and more. You’ll need to keep a watchful eye for any hostile alien lifeforms that inhabit the planet. Defeating any threats will not only keep your crew safe but also enable you to collect biomass which will enable you to create new kinds of clones for your mission.

John Papadopoulos of DSOGaming checked out the alpha version of Immortal Unchained:

Immortal Unchained Closed Alpha - First 10 Minutes - PC Max Settings

loading...

Read the first impressions here.

Gamewatcher penned down a preview, too:

Killed again and again and again

Immortal: Unchained is forcing me to commit not one, but two of the greatest travesties a video game journalist could commit. Not only must I invoke the name of that one game absolutely everyone mentions when a game is somewhat difficult, but I must also liken it to said game by adding “but with guns” to it. Don’t worry, I’m typing up my resignation in the other tab.

Alas, Immortal: Unchained tries so very hard to not just be like, but outright be Dark Souls with guns and a coat of sci-fi paint, down to the typical strafe and dodge based gameplay, the save system, the lack of pause, the RPG elements, the opaque delivery of the ‘story’ and the level design that there simply isn’t any better way to convey what this game is like. We’re not invoking Souls because we died a couple of times, but because almost every mechanic has been lifted nigh verbatim from those games.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Chucklefish have announced Witchbrook will be the title for their school of wizards game.

So, project Spellbound finally has a proper name... pic.twitter.com/4UwUy5rpH0

— Tiy (@Tiyuri) March 14, 2018

DSOGaming reports that Decay of Logos will release Autumn 2018. The game is described as a third person fantasy action RPG and there are screenshots at the link.

Rising Star Games today announced it has entered into a partnership with Amplify Creations to publish the third-person fantasy action-RPG Decay of Logos on digital storefronts in Autumn 2018.

Decay of Logos is described as an immersive action role-playing game inspired by the developer’s love and passion for European folklore, high fantasy fiction and archetypal classic third-person action-RPG videogames. The game hails from the imagination of lead game designer and programmer André Constantino and is developed by award-winning independent software organization Amplify Creations.

[...]

@GameWatcher Dark Future: Blood Red States is a strategy RPG focused on the post-apocalypse and car combat based on the tabletop from Games Workshop.

loading...

As noted in the video, the UI there is placeholder, but it gives a good impression of how Dark Future: Blood Red States will actually play. Despite at first glance looking like a Twisted Metal-style car combat game, it is actually a strategy game. Auroch uses a "time dilation-focused tactical gameplay system" called RealTimeShift, in which players can slow down time to issue orders. It certainly looks quite unique.

The game's Steam page has also undergone a complete refresh, with new information and new screenshots.

Dark Future: Blood Red States will be out on PC in 2018, we're guessing later in the year.

A demo for the 2D RPG Tale of Enki: Pilgrimage is available on Steam. The game will be released later this year:

Tale of Enki: Pilgrimage

Tale of Enki: Pilgrimage is a story-driven RPG that tells the tale of a young Ogre, Gargan, who's kicked out of his house by his father for being a layabout. Gargan is determined to prove to his father that he's a true Ogre and sets off on a journey across the country to retrieve a relic from an ancient Ogre hero. Gargan is joined on his journey by: Rook the aspiring paladin, Drusilla the cruel demon witch, Twostone the rocky cyclops hermit and Ka-gu the reformed villain and current necromancer. They all have their own reasons for joining the journey, but it's never smooth and they don't always get along too well.

Features

Tale of Enki: Pilgrimage is a turn-based RPG with no random battles! It has influences from both Western and Japanese role-playing games as well as influences from classic pen and paper games like Dungeons and Dragons.

• Character-driven plot that won't have you saving any worlds for a change.
• Fast-paced battles using our custom Stamina system that lets you take multiple attacks per round.
• Over 120 pieces of equipment to use ranging from swords to spells to armour.
• Over 50 enemies and bosses to slaughter along your journey from bugs made of fruit to demon lords to the ghostly spirits of your ancestors.
• Multiple endings depending on how many people you help...or sabotage.
• Original art and story all put together in our custom engine.

Gamepressure write in defense of the Saviour Schnapps system in Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

Much ado about saving

After breaking down to you this lengthy outline of mechanics designed to make our decisions in games more impactful, I ought to get to the point, or rather the game that inspired this whole article – Kingdom Come: Deliverance. The Czechs from Warhorse also wanted to attribute more gravity to the decisions – not only the big ones that shape the world and the story, but also (and perhaps mainly) the small ones: risky actions such as pickpocketing, for instance. In order to do that, the number of possible ways of saving the game was drastically limited to beds, bathhouses and special (rather expensive) potions, complete with checkpoints during missions.

Saviour Schnapps in Kingdom Come isn’t a new idea, as a matter of fact. Older players may recall a similar solution being utilized in PlayStation version of Tomb Raider 3 – at the beginning of each level, the player would get a few crystals that allowed to save the game. You could find a couple more further down the road, but the game was still considered to be significantly more difficult than the PC version – sometimes even to the point of absurdity, if judged by today’s standards.

The decision generated much discussion. Even though Kingdom Come has probably as many pros as cons, the discussion was mostly fixed on the game’s saving system. The solution utilized in the game was a bitter pill, mainly for the PC players, who have developed an almost compulsive quick-saving instinct over the years. I’ve seen some truly paradoxical situations, where some core players, who usually bemoan the way video games have become way too simple because of the casuals, were complaining about this system spoiling the game.

[...]

RetrospectiveGaming took a look back at Dark Sun: Shattered Lands.

loading...

@AllGamesDelta Immortal: Unchained PC Alpha is now live. There are some screenshots at the link.

loading...

An exclusive closed alpha test for the upcoming hardcore action-RPG Immortal: Unchained is now live on PC via Steam, Sold Out and Toadman Interactive announced today.

Pre-orders for the physical version of Immortal: Unchained are also now available on PlayStation 4 and the family of Xbox One devices including Xbox One X ahead of the game’s release later in 2018.

The closed alpha includes two of the game’s locations: the Hidden Vaults, featuring the game’s opening tutorial, and the frozen ice world Arden, where players will get to explore the Scar of the Abyss. The alpha will be live until 2pm GMT on Monday, March 12.

Players interested in participating in the closed alpha can still register for access on ImmortalTheGame.com, with additional keys set to be provided to successful applicants throughout the weekend.

Players are also encouraged to share their thoughts and experiences with the alpha via social media or by visiting the Steam forums, with the feedback being used to help Toadman Interactive refine the game ahead of launch.

“Immortal: Unchained is a hardcore experience for hardcore action-RPG fans,” said Rasmus Davidsson, Design Director at Toadman Interactive. “As huge fans of the genre ourselves, Immortal: Unchained is the result of years of passionate work from the entire team, and we’re excited to finally give PC players an early sneak peek at our brutal new IP.”

“We hope this early look at the game will get players eager to learn more about Toadman’s unforgiving universe,” added Sarah Hoeksma, Marketing Director at Sold Out. “We still have a limited number of spaces available in the alpha, so if you want to try Immortal: Unchained this weekend, sign up today!”

Immortal: Unchained will be available both digitally and at retail on the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, the family of Xbox One devices including Xbox One X, and PC via Steam in 2018.

For the latest updates on the game’s development, follow Immortal: Unchained on Twitter and Facebook.

All Games Delta report that Cyanide has announced Paranoia: The Official Video Game which is a dark humour RPG based on a pen and paper game.

Good news, Citizen! For the first time, your friend The Computer, has authorized a digital version of Paranoia

Cyanide and Black Shamrock are fervently loyal to The Computer and therefore proud to announce the development of Paranoia: The Official Video Game, a darkly humorous RPG adapted from the critically acclaimed pen and paper game created by Dan Gelber, Greg Costikyan, and Eric Goldberg.

Paranoia is set in Alpha Complex, the last remaining human city. Alpha Complex is a paradise. The Computer tells you so. Of course, The Computer is always right. Questioning or challenging The Computer is likely to result in termination, or possibly long-term commitment to a Re-Education Gulag and Spa.

In Paranoia, you’ll play as the leader of a Red Clearance Troubleshooter team. As a Troubleshooter, your job is to find trouble. And shoot it. Though Alpha Complex is a paradise, it is unfortunately beset by all kinds of enemies. Terrorists. Mutants. Members of secret societies. Even – shocking though it may be to say – even Troubleshooters who somehow doubt The Computer’s benevolent wisdom, and the evident truth that Alpha Complex is a paradise.

Lies, double-cross and backstabbing will be your best allies for survival in Alpha Complex, as betrayal is a constant threat. Sometimes your team mates, and even yourself, are more of a threat to your survival than the ostensible mission baddies.

On top of that, the Computer is always watching your actions, judging you, and rewarding you fairly… or not. But should you be defeated or terminated (incinerated is more accurate), you have 5 replacement clones in reserve to try again! Not always faithful copies of the original… but that's another problem.

To demonstrate your loyalty to The Computer, please circulate these posters! Thank you for your cooperation!

[poster 1][poster 2][poster 3][poster 4]

Unreliable narration; explosions, laser blasts, insane robots; technology-based environments to explore; a role-playing team you can’t rely on: Paranoia takes the conventions of the CRPG and turns them on their head, creating a world and a gaming environment that will frustrate, surprise, and delight players of the genre with something both familiar – and something that defeats their expectations.

The above information is Clearance Violet. If you are below Clearance Violet, please report to the nearest Termination Booth immediately. Thank you.

Paranoia: The Official Video Game is co-developed by Cyanide, from Paris Complex, and Black Shamrock, from Dublin Complex. The game will be released on PC and Console when the Computer decides that the time is right.

Noah Caldwell-Gervais dissects the two Torments, namely Planescape: Torment and Torment: Tides of Numenera. Heavy Spoiler Warning.

loading...

This is a total-spoiler analysis and critique of Black Isle's Planescape: Torment and its years-later successor from InExile, Torment: Tide of Numenera. It goes into great detail to highlight what makes the first game unique, and the challenges posed in trying to follow up such a legendary role-playing title.
[Planescape: Torment] 00:23
[Torment: Tides of Numenera] 1:00:54

The necromancer action RPG Undead Horde will be released on Steam late 2018:

Undead Horde

Undead Horde is an action RPG where you raise undead minions from wherever you can find them: your slain enemies, graves, and tombs. With your undead army you'll defeat the armies of the living and steal their treasures!

Raise the Dead

You are a necromancer with the ability to raise the dead. Slay your enemies and make them your underlings. Your underlings vary from a horde of footmen to a mob of undead venomous scorpions!

Loot the Living

Find, buy and steal items to become more powerful. Equip up to six items: two in hand and four in quick slots. Items vary from common swords to amazing magic items. Some will require you to become more powerful before you can use them - others can be found only in specific places. An endless number of items offers something new to discover each time.

Crush the Empire

It's time to take back your ancestral lands! Make your way through the kingdom of men and crush the empire of the living. You will start as a novice necromancer with weak powers and a small following. To conquer back your lands, you must gain experience and gather an undead horde powerful enough to eliminate even the most dangerous creatures.

• Create an army: Raise your slain enemies and the dead from their graves
• Find items, level up, and raise the dead to become more powerful
• Build up your Necromancer with items to suit your personal tastes and playstyle
• Procedural item generation: Endless number of items to loot, steal and buy -
• A vast world to explore and conquer - environments ranging from forests to catacombs.

Redbull interviewed Chucklefish about Spellbound which they hope can top Stardew Valley.

The triumph of Stardew Valley has given Chucklefish the resource to create a title which they hope could be just as popular with players, if not more so. Boasting a similar 2D aesthetic, Spellbound is described as a "wizard-school sim" and is a concept that has instant, universal appeal. "Who doesn't want to enroll in a magic school?" says Brice with a smile. The company's unique working environment was one of the key reasons the idea gathered enough momentum to become a fully-fledged project.

"Spellbound is an idea several people at Chucklefish had been kicking around for a long time," Brice continues. "Between projects every member of staff at Chucklefish is given the opportunity to pitch a game, and Spellbound was one of the big pitches. The team fell in love with the concept right away and here we are."

When you hear the phrase "wizard school", it's highly likely that the name Harry Potter flashes into your head like a magic spell, and Brice readily admits that the team was directly inspired by J.K. Rowling's iconic literary creation. "We're fans of Harry Potter, and after reading the series we were left longing to experience our own path through magical school life, where we could make our own best friends and develop our own identity in a magical world."

However, Brice explains that the game has been influenced by other key sources, too. "Spellbound is our exploration of that premise, but the magical world we're creating is very unlike Hogwarts. Magic in this world is very practical, taking inspiration from Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching series, Garth Nix's Old Kingdom Series, Studio Ghibli animations, and even the cartoon show Steven Universe at times." That's quite a mixture of inspirations, and should hopefully calm any fears people have of this being little more than Potter without the licence.

[...]

@Gamasutra Seven games with great side quest design with pointers from Chris Avellone , George Ziets, Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz, Brad Johnson and Bruce Nesmith.

Fallout 2's open-ended quest and skill systems

The Witcher 3's lead quest designer Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz thinks that Fallout 2 has particularly good quest designs. "Tasks are simple, but open-ended," he explains. "You can complete many of them in a variety of ways and it’s done very organically — they don’t seem forced, nor do they involve much hand holding, if any at all." Indeed, the game is so open-ended that most quests can be bypassed altogether — meaning that nearly every quest could be described as a side quest. And the player's actions have consequences — even in the more innocuous quests — that can play out both over the course of their remaining journey and in the ending.

Fallout 2 also cleverly works the skill system into the dialogue, with every stat affecting dialogue choices and results, rather than following the common approach of only checking communication-related skills. 

"If you invested heavily in small guns, for example, you might end up using that knowledge to impress someone," says Tomaszkiewicz. "If you know a lot about computers, you could’ve used that fact to reprogram a robot, etc. This use of gameplay-related skills in dialogues and quests was very unique and immersive — something I’d come to expect from a pen & paper RPG, not a video game."

TAKEAWAY: Side quests, like main quests, benefit from an open-endedness that allows for different solutions and playstyles and that ideally also acknowledges all of the player character's relevant skills.

[...]

Gamespot opine on what Elder Scrolls games can learn from Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

loading...

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is in many ways a more realistic survival take on The Elder Scrolls series and we think there are some lessons future Elder Scrolls games could learn from it.

The Digital Antiquarian writes about the Worlds of Ultima.

The Worlds of Ultima

23 Feb

In the very early days of Ultima, Richard Garriott made a public promise which would eventually come back to haunt him. Looking for a way to differentiate his CRPG series from its arch-rival, Wizardry, he said that he would never reuse an Ultima engine. Before every new installment of his series, he would tear everything down to its component parts and rebuild it all, bigger and better than ever before. For quite some time, this policy served Garriott very well indeed. When the first Ultima had appeared in 1981, it had lagged well behind the first Wizardry in terms of sales and respect, but by the time Ultima III dropped in 1983 Garriott’s series had snatched a lead which it would never come close to relinquishing. While the first five Wizardry installments remained largely indistinguishable from one another to the casual fan, Ultima made major, obvious leaps with each new release. Yes, games like The Bard’s Tale and Pool of Radiance racked up some very impressive sales of their own as the 1980s wore on, but Ultima… well, Ultima was simply Ultima, the most respected name of all in CRPGs.

And yet by 1990 the promise which had served Richard Garriott so well was starting to become a real problem for his company Origin Systems. To build each new entry in the series from the ground up was one thing when doing so entailed Garriott disappearing alone into a small room containing only his Apple II for six months or a year, then emerging, blurry-eyed and exhausted, with floppy disks in hand. It was quite another thing in the case of a game like 1990’s Ultima VI, the first Ultima to be developed for MS-DOS machines with VGA graphics and hard drives, a project involving four programmers and five artists, plus a bureaucracy of others that included everything from producers to play-testers. Making a new Ultima from the ground up had by this point come to entail much more than just writing a game engine; it required a whole new technical infrastructure of editors and other software tools that let the design team, to paraphrase Origin’s favorite marketing tagline, create their latest world.

[...]

Mike Laidlaw talked to Game Informer about what he has been up to since he left Bioware. The GI Show also covered a variety of other gaming topics (see below).

loading...

On this episode of The Game Informer Show podcast, Ben Hanson, Joe Juba, Elise Favis, and Suriel Vazquez talk about Konami after Kojima by diving in deep on Metal Gear Survive. We talk about Ubisoft's stellar work keeping Rainbow Six Siege thriving with both the Invitational and Outbreak mode and also the bizarre historical tour through ancient Egypt available with Assassin's Creed Origins Discovery Tour. We take a turn for the romantic as well by talking about the intriguing little game Florence on iOS. After some great community emails, we're joined by Mike Laidlaw to talk about why he left BioWare, his role as creative director for the Dragon Age series, and why he's optimistic for Anthem.

To jump to a particular point in the discussion, check out the time stamps below...
2:45 - Kingdom Come: Deliverance
5:30 - Game Informer's 300th Issue Party at Fulton Brewery
6:20 - Metal Gear Survive
36:45 - Assassin's Creed Origins Discovery Tour
46:00 - Rainbow Six Siege's Future 50:10 - Florence
1:00:50 - Community emails
1:02:20 - Introducing the #gishowchallenge
1:33:25 - Our entrance music
1:53:10 - Mike Laidlaw on Dragon Age and leaving BioWare