KnowTechie reports on Epic Tavern which they describe as a reverse RPG game. The game is currently available on Steam Early Access.

I found that I actually had surprising control over the characters that I ostensibly wasn’t in control of. The game sends you on a tutorial quest that is guaranteed to fail eventually, as it’s the story catalyst of why things in the world are as bad as they are when the game begins. You do control heroes in combat by telling them what kind of roll to make (e.x. Aggressive or Cautious, among several options).

From there it’s all about hedging probabilities. The best way that I can describe the level of control you have is one that goes well with the “sports management meets fantasy” pitch: You’re more of a coach on the sidelines making broad suggestions and less of a player making micro choices.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Some new info on gameplay, mechanics and story for interactive fiction RPG Vampire: The Masquerade -Coteries of New York.

Hello, everyone! How has summer been treating you so far?

Here at Draw Distance, we’re longingly staring at the blue skies outside our windows as we’re entering the final phases of development of Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York, our upcoming narrative-focused, fully licensed game set in the globally renowned universe of Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition.

As time passes, we unveil more and more information about Coteries of New York. In our last press release, published by many media outlets around the world, we shared tons of data regarding the gameplay, mechanics and story.

Here’s the tl;dr list of key information we shared about Coteries of New York:

• Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York presents the conflict between two vampiric factions: the traditionalist Camarilla and the fiercely independent Anarchs in New York
• It's a unique, atmospheric, single-player narrative experience, set in the rich, fully-licensed, globally-recognized universe of Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition.
• Coteries of New York present players with choices that matter, aiming to deliver a dark, atmospheric, and emotional narration mixed with morally challenging dilemmas, and many potential paths leading to the story’s finale.
• We plan to include significant branching and reactivity, so that the players feel their decisions influence the world around them and encourage multiple playthroughs for those invested in the world and story of Coteries of New York.
• You are a newly-fledged vampire in New York. You must learn what it means to be one of the Kindred in a huge, vibrant, contemporary metropolis.
• You will make choices for your character, including which storylines to pursue and how to approach the different situations presented. You will be presented with branching dialogue choices, memorable characters - all among iconic locales of New York City. You’ll be able to use Disciplines appropriate to your clan to charm, sneak, intimidate or kill, and your choices will determine your path.
• You’ll build your Coterie and learn your undead companions’ deepest secrets… or see them abandon you.
• Although you start off as part of the authoritarian vampire sect called the Camarilla, you soon learn that other factions exist - chief among them, the independent Anarchs. Your paths will inevitably cross theirs, but whether you choose to shun them, or try to learn more about what they represent, will be your decision.
• While the game is primarily text-driven and story oriented, several mechanics reflect the dark truths of being one of the Kindred.
• Hunger is used to indicate the constant need for blood that vampires must deal with nightly. Characters have the opportunity to hunt for blood during quests. Ignoring this need leads to warnings in the game’s fiction, and if disregarded for too long, to consequences that include succumbing to the Beast
• Humanity is a measure of how moral and rooted in humanistic principles the character is. This rating is used by the game to modify the results of choices in quests, offer additional story choices, or even lock certain choices out.
• Finally, the Masquerade rating tracks how well the character blends in with mortal society. Staying inconspicuous and hidden from prying eyes is even more important for vampires than ever, due to the existence of the so-called Second Inquisition, a clandestine hunt for vampires concealed within global government agencies. Secrecy and not flaunting your supernatural powers in the sight of mortals is of utmost importance.

That’s all the information we’ve prepared for today. In the upcoming updates we will unveil more about the characters, Clans, Disciplines and different types of quests!

Oh, and by the way, check out the game's main page on Steam - you'll find four brand new pre-alpha screenshots there!

We're hope you're pleased with the amount and weight of the information we provided. Stay tuned, as we're preparing to share our first gameplay trailer with you soon!

Thanks!
Best,
Jacek @ Draw Distance team

Twinfinite reports on Wheel of Fate which is described as being an "AI" RPG capable of thousands of story possibilities.

Developer UDX Interactive has today announced a new project called Wheel of Fate. The game’s genre is described as an artificial intelligence RPG, in which player decisions shape the world around them using unique technology.

“With Wheel of Fate, we took a massive leap that RPG’s never do and that’s to incorporate machine learning to continuously explore thousands of possibilities and create new story arcs,” says former Mass Effect 2 developer and Wheels of Fate designer Miles Holmes.

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Thanks Farflame!

Some gameplay video of post apocalyptic RPG Chernobylite.

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Hey stalkers!

Thanks to the Kickstarter campaign supported by so many of you, we spent the last few months working very hard to bring you into the Heart of Darkness - The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The beginning of our game takes place there - this is where it all started, and this is where it all ends. Even if there's still a few months ahead to the release of Early Access version of the game on Steam, we wanted to share a small part of the experience with you. Leave us your comments and help us polish the game to become an ultimate Chernobyl experience for all of us.

And anyway, to visit Chernobyl without leaving your home, add Chernobylite to your wishlist on Steam and stay tuned for more news about autumn's release of our game.

Thanks Farflame!

A new gameplay video of RPG shooter Within the Cosmos.

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Available on Steam in September 2019

Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/61...

Within the Cosmos is a single-player first-person sci-fi RPG.

As you explore the Adallio System to try to find answers, your choices and actions will determine how the story unfolds.

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The year is 2278, and humanity is on the verge of extinction. Your mission is to preserve the human race, as they are fighting a war they will not win. You are one of 500 people who work for UESA (United Earth Space Agency). You were put in cryogenic sleep and sent to the planet 'Berith II'. A planet that is tucked away in the Adallio star system, hidden, and far from the war. However, once you arrive, you and your crew come under attack by an unknown enemy, and it is up to you to figure out who is behind the attack, and why.

Thanks Farflame!

Farflame spotted a dev diary for a Starflight remake:

Starflight: The Remaking of a Legend

Welcome to the IndieDB page for Marvin's 'Starflight: The Remaking of a Legend' project. This project is a fan remake of the original 1987 PC game loved by many back in the day. Marvin is a veteran professional software and game developer who has worked for multiple well known companies such as Bethesda Softworks and Rainbow Studios, on popular games such as 'Elder Scrolls Redguard' and 'Cars: The Video Game'. As a fun side project, Marvin has decided to use his years of experience to remake his favorite childhood game with modern graphics via Unity. This game is open-source and freely available on GitHub, should anyone wish to help. Playable builds are being released on the project website and occasionally here too.

Dev Diary 14 - Creating More Alien Comms (Part 1) in Starflight: The Remaking of a Legend

Time for another post! This time Marvin brings to life the Spemin and the Gazurtoid via their communications screens and dialogue in his Starflight: The Remaking of a Legend project. Next article will cover more strange encounters! :)

[...]

Ashes of Oahu is a post-apocalyptic shooter-RPG set in Hawaii and it has been reviewed by IndianNoob, who felt it was lackiong as it only scored a 5.5 out of 10.

Ashes of Oahu is a clear cut example of high ambition restricted by budget constraints and lack of manpower. Amidst the technical mess, there are moments of brilliance and pure fun but they are too far and few between. I genuinely hope that the developers keep updating the game like they have the past few weeks and may it end up closer to their original vision sooner than later. But for now, Ashes of Oahu is a hard pass.

The Guardian has an editorial on RPGs becoming too predictable and that a breath of fresh wind is needed.

But every now and again, a game comes along which shows that innovation can happen without putting people off and revives a genre in the process. The Ubisoft model was once to open-world games what the Fallout model is to first-person RPGs. The blueprint: climb towers to unlock new areas, sprinkle a map with icons representing mini goals to reach, make progress at your leisure. It underpinned Ubisoft’s Assassins Creed, Far Cry and Watch Dogs series, Warner Bros’ Batman and Middle Earth franchises, and many others.

Then came The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, in 2017. It’s got the towers, the open-world, and the plethora of smaller activities to distract you from the main noble quest. But it quietly revolutionised that stale old structure. Nothing in Breath of the Wild is gated. If you wanted (and you were extremely skilled) you could simply walk to the final boss and finish the game, though you would be far more likely to be lasered to death by guardian robots on the way up to the castle. The icon-filled map is almost entirely gone: only fast-travel points and the occasional quest-line show up. The rest is there for you to discover with your eyes and ears, rather than following objective markers like an orienteering enthusiast.

Thanks Eye

Remnant: From the Ashes released on Steam recently and is a souls-like co-op shooter RPG.

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ABOUT THIS GAME
Remnant: From the Ashes is a third-person survival action shooter set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by monstrous creatures. As one of the last remnants of humanity, you’ll set out alone or alongside up to two other players to face down hordes of deadly enemies and epic bosses, and try to carve a foothold, rebuild, and then retake what was lost.

A REMNANT OF MANKIND The world has been thrown into chaos by an ancient evil from another dimension. Humanity is struggling to survive, but they possess the technology to open portals to other realms and alternate realities. They must travel through these portals to uncover the mystery of where the evil came from, scavenge resources to stay alive, and fight back to carve out a foothold for mankind to rebuild...

ENDLESS FANTASTIC REALMS AWAIT Explore dynamically-generated worlds that change each time you play through them, creating new maps, enemy encounters, quest opportunities, and in-world events. Each of the game’s four unique worlds is filled with monstrous denizens and environments that will provide fresh challenges with each playthrough. Adapt and explore… or die trying.

SCAVENGE. UPGRADE. SPECIALIZE. Overcome tough-as-nails enemies and epic bosses throughout hostile environments to earn experience, valuable loot and upgrade materials you can use to build a wicked arsenal of weapons, armor, and modifications to approach each encounter dozens of unique ways.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS. Invading other worlds to seek an end to the Root is dangerous and survival is far from guaranteed. Team up with up to two other players to increase your chances of survival. Teamwork is necessary to make it through the game’s toughest challenges… and unlock its greatest rewards.

We never did a book review before, but here is our first one. Corwin went through Bitmap Books' CRPG book and remembered a lot of things from the past and learned some things as well. It is not a very long review, but it describes very well why Corwin liked the book.

Nostalgia can be a wonderful thing and I've been around long enough for it to really take hold. I remember when there were only mainframes and punch cards; I remember seeing Pong when it first took the world by storm; I remember buying an Intellivision and playing two simplistic DnD games for hours; I remember being excited when I bought a Commodore 64 and played 'Bard's Tale', 'Phantasie', 'Might and Magic' and 'Ultima'. I remember buying my first IBM clone PC and being extremely annoyed when it wouldn't play the first PC game I'd ever bought 'Quest For Glory' because it needed a '286' to run. (Who reads the fine print on the back of a box?) I remember having to upgrade to a '386' a '486' and a Pentium (complete with assorted memory managers) just so I could play the latest game in the Ultima series. Ah, the joys of nostalgia.

PCGamesN found seven Fire Emblem PC alternatives:

Looking for a Fire Emblem PC game? Here are seven alternatives to try

All the squares you could hope for

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a unique union of Persona and grid-based warfare. It manages to make building an army fun as well as a megalomaniacal necessity. Unfortunately, the fantastical TRPG (that’s tactical role-playing game) series is exclusive to Nintendo platforms. Bummer. But don’t despair; there are a ton of similar games available right now on PC.

Indeed, from tiny mech battles to post-apocalyptic road trips, you might argue that there has never been a better time to dive into classic grid-based tactics games. They may not let you share tea with your students-turned-soldiers, but the format has been applied to a huge range of settings with a number of twists thrown in, offering more depth and diversity in turn-based combat than we’ve enough free time to enjoy.

[...]

• Into the Breach
• Valkyria Chronicles 4
• Overland (upcoming)
• Shadowrun: Hong Kong
• Wargroove
• Fae Tactics (upcoming)
• The Banner Saga

Monsters' Den Chronicles is a dungeon crawler from 2012 that is now available on Steam.

 

 

 

 

 

Originally released in 2012, the third entry in the classic Monsters' Den series has come to Steam- improved and remastered!

Monsters' Den Chronicles is a dungeon-crawling RPG with turn-based battles and an emphasis on advancing a persistent roster of heroes.

Form a party and undertake one of six different adventures. Procedurally generated dungeons mean that even the same scenario is different each time.

• Six different story scenarios
• Randomly generated dungeons add replayability
• Endless dungeon and wave survival modes
• Hundreds of loot items to find
• Unlock additional items by completing in-game achievements
• Includes the premium content from the original web game

The Last Spell is described as a turn-based tactical RPG with roguelite mechanics in which you lead a team of hardened heroes to defend the last bastion of humanity against hordes of monsters.

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What if Final Fantasy Tactics & Dynasty Warriors had an illegitimate daughter?

The Last Spell is a turn-based tactical RPG immersed in roguelite mechanics in which you lead a team of hardened heroes to defend the last bastion of humanity against hordes of monsters.

A Dark Fantasy Tactical RPG with Rogue lite elements

This is the end. War and a bunch of crazy mages provoked The Cataclysm. A mysterious mist filled with hellish monsters enveloped most of the world. They said that those who entered the mist were killed, driven mad, or even turned into monstrous abonimations themselves. Only a few Havens keep up the fight against the Hordes of bloodthirsty monsters that come out at night from this strange purple mist.

Days were quiet and peaceful: they could take time to organize themselves, heal their wounds and search the surroundings for anything useful. But the nights… The mist thickened and from their bowels unleashes hordes of mutated monsters, craving for blood and magic.

In this glorious mix of pixel art and dark fantasy setting, you lead a group of hardened warriors whose only purpose in life is to desperately defend the last of the mages while they try to cast The Last Spell, and banish all magic from this world. And maybe save us all. Maybe.

Features

Turn-Based Tactics:

• Manage your squad of hardened heroes
• Scarce resources: use Mana wisely to survive
• Class-less skill trees and bonus perks

Hordes of Evil:

• Tons of enemies to slay, burn, shock and slice!
• Dozens of enemy types with different behaviors
• Impressive skills to help you slaughter ’em all

Protect the City:

• Rebuild a safe Haven from the remains of civilization
• Build walls, traps and watchtowers
• Protect the circle of magic at all costs!

Roguelite Elements:

• You will fail… but everytime you do, you’ll grow stronger
• Procedurally generated Enemy waves, Maps, Characters and Weapons
• Nasty bosses

Yesterday, Bitmap books has made the CRPG book available. The book that would not have been if it wasn't for Filipepepe.

We're very proud to announce that The CRPG Book: A Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games is now available to purchase. After a very successful pre-order period, we decided to reprint the Standard Edition to give more people the chance to own this amazing book.

Spread over more than 500 pages, The CRPG Book: A Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games reviews over 400 seminal games from 1975 to 2015, covering the role-playing classics we all know and love such as Ultima, Wizardry, Fallout and Mass Effect – all brought to life with vibrant and engaging in-game images. Each entry also shares articles on the genre, mod suggestions and hints on how to run the games on modern hardware. The book is completely by written by fans, AAA developers, indies, journalists, modders and industry personalities such as Chris Avellone, Ian Frazier, Scorpia, Ferhegón, Richard Cobbett, Brian 'Psychochild' Green, Durante, George Weidman and Tim Cain, to name but a few.

We also have a small amount of the sought after Collector's Edition available. These are priced at £49.99, which includes the A4 Dungeon Map Pad, Postcard Pack, A2 Poster and Pencil. We also have a small amount of the Collector's Edition which don't include any goodies, which are priced at £39.99.

GameSavvy interviewed Stephen Rhodes who has worked on the Witcher 3 and Assassin's Creed Odyssey as a writer.

Tyler: You’re clearly passionate about games, so what came first? Was it that you wanted to be a writer and got into video games or was it that you wanted to get into video games and eventually became a writer?

Stephen: It’s definitely the second one. I went to university to study military history. I was really into history. I could tell very early on that it wasn’t really doing it for me and I just didn’t see a future career in it. So, I transferred courses internally because they had a good games course and I did a game design degree which covered a broad range of things including design, a bit of audio, programming, a bit of art and did a bit of narrative as well. I was always quite good at design and interested in the design and the mechanics of things because I like systems. But looking back, (narrative) resonated with me because when I did the narrative module I got like a 98% in it or something ridiculous. I loved doing it but I sort of put it aside afterwards and carried on pursuing other disciplines.

I got into the actual industry by doing QA and testing. There was a studio, Travelers Tales, the guys who do the Lego games, and they were quite close to where I went to university and a lot of the graduates ended up there. There were a few (graduates) in high positions at that point and they were always looking for students who were about to graduate. So, I went and did QA but they put up some internal positions in design roles not long after I started. I applied and got a design role where I did level design, camera stuff, working on cut scenes and working on missions so it was quite a broad job role but it was a great entry into the industry. Doing that I realized I had a passion for narrative and storytelling. It was always something that came very naturally to me. Growing up, me and my friends used to play DnD and other Roleplay Games like Star Wars, and Warhammer Fantasy. I was always liked to DM (Dungeon Master) as I was always coming up with the stories and campaigns and characters. It was always something I harbored a passion for so I kind of bridged the gap and after three years at Travellers Tales I realized that the Lego games weren’t satisfying my creative needs. So I applied to a couple of places and ended up getting a job at CD Projekt Red in Poland as a quest designer, which for me it was a great merge of my experience and also my passion for narrative.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

PC Gamer reports on the first trailer for Haven, which is an RPG about lovers on a lost planet.

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Earlier this year, Furi developer The Game Bakers announced Haven, an RPG about lovers on a lost planet. The description at the time was pretty vague: It's playable alone or in two-player coop, and "the only thing that matters is to stay together." Today the studio revealed a little more about what's coming, including the first-ever gameplay trailer and a rundown of basic gameplay.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

What do we do against the summer slump? We present you another top RPG list - this time henriquejr spotted one on PC Gamer:

The best RPGs on PC

The best RPGs on PC guarantee hundreds of hours of adventure in one of the PC's essential genres.

The best RPGs on PC can deliver hundreds of hours of adventure. Since tabletop RPGs first started getting the digital treatment, the genre has grown into an intimidating, massive beast. Many of the best RPGs you can play on PC are of the action variety, hailing from the explosive years of 3D RPGs like Oblivion. More recently, classic style RPGs  like Pillars of Eternity with closer ties to their tabletop roots have seen a resurgence in popularity. Our list of the best RPGs on PC have something to scratch your roleplay itch whether you prefer fast-paced swordplay or more methodical turn-based games.

The RPG genre is tough to boil down: by the most literal definition, every game is a role-playing game. This list represents our best definition of the canonical RPG—games that likely emphasize story; that let you inhabit a customizable character through skill points, inventory, and dialogue decisions; that include complex, controllable relationships with companions or non-playable characters. Drawing these kinds of lines helps us provide a better service to you, we hope—though we've made some exceptions where we think it's worth it.

[...]

Some interviews for Dying Light 2 from Gamingbolt and AusGamers.

Or as I suggested to Jaskula “renaissance Mad Max?”.

“Yeah, yeah! Of course that was our goal,” he says almost jumping out of his seat at the phrasing. “Humanity lost it's war to the infected. So we knew that [the game-world] had to be multicultural; it's somewhere in Europe because we wanted it to be a mix of cities we know, and for us it was a perfect setting for the game with the architecture; the medieval buildings correspond [with] what we call ‘Modern Dark Ages’.”

The reason this is poignant, in mentioning multiculturalism with the idea of a ‘Modern Dark Ages’, is that one of the voices I heard in the demo was definitely Aussie (hence the Mad Max reference), but that all of this rolls into why, and how, The City has descended into an archaic level of society. Freedom means different things to different groups within Dying Light 2, and the ideology of positive ‘multiculturalism’ is flipped on its head. This is not a nice place to be, let alone live in, and we haven’t even gotten to the Infected who still populate its daytime interiors and nighttime streets. A Mardi Gras of dread, fear and vertical requirement, from a gameplay perspective.

[...]

As Aiden’s parkouring from location to location, his clothes look fluid and well detailed. For some reason, Aiden has a very weird looking bracelet on. There’s no indication of what this means, but it looks very important.

I have a question related to the bracelets they wear —

TS: Yes. The bracelets are called biomarkers. This is something that was built 15 years before the events of the game by an organization called GRE. This basically shows you how close you’re getting to the point of no return. Because when you are infected, the infection accumulates in your body. When you cross a certain threshold then you basically turn into a zombie. So this tells you, “I’m really in bad shape. I really need to find some [drugs].” Most of this is important in terms of narrative, how people react to you. Because when you’re close to turning, they will react to you. That’s the rule of this world. That’s a safety measure for everyone in the city.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

OnlySP asked the developers of Within the Cosmos about gameplay, lore, and the future.

OnlySP: The game also has a stat system, which sounds a little like S.P.E.C.I.A.L. from Fallout. Is that an apt comparison? Will players be able to improve and modify those stats through gameplay and, if so, how?

Debois: Yeah, it's a similar idea to how S.P.E.C.I.A.L. works in Fallout or similar games. When the player starts the game, they will be given a fixed amount of points that they can assign to their attributes. So, if you decide to max out your Constitution and Agility, you'll have a character who's agile, sneaky, and strong, but that would come at the cost of not having much Intelligence, Charisma, or Perception. So, you're really gonna have to think about what attributes you favour, or you could put a roughly equal amount into all of them and have a character that can do a little bit of everything but not a master of everything. It's up to you. I feel like that system will really create the desire for players to have multiple playthroughs of the game, and still have each playthrough feel like a different experience.

As far as improving and modifying those stats... I'm still trying to get the balance right. There might be one or two instances where you can upgrade them, or get temporary boosts to them, but whether you can improve or modify them beyond that is still being determined.

OnlySP: While upgrading, will players be able to respec their character's abilities at all or are they locked into the upgrades they use?

Debois: No, they won't be able to respec. Once you select an upgrade/perk, that's what you're locked into.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Action RPG Warlocks 2: God Slayers will release July 18th.

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Warlocks 2: God Slayers is a humorous action RPG game with online and local co-op.
Challenge the vile gods and dethrone them in this action-packed hack’n' slash experience with wizards and meteor showers.

God Slayers is a brand new story.
Take the role of one of the Warlocks and face the gods themselves, as slashing hordes of shadow monsters in the past have angered them, to say the least.
The Order of Warlocks has been called to challenge and dethrone arrogant gods from the thrones - make them pay for their betrayal.

Core features:

• Hilarious pixel art with hand-drawn animations.
• Dynamic hack 'n slash experience in solo, local and online co-op (up to 4 players).
• More than 40 types of challenging enemies that work together to take you down, using their unique skill sets.
• 5 different types of Warlocks to choose, each with their own abilities to unlock throughout the game.
• Special familiar slot for your character (with evolutions!).
• 8-10 hours of gameplay to complete the solo adventure with one Warlock.
• Giant, powerful bosses waiting to get slayed.
• Extensive maps with tons of randomly generated loot to be picked up.
• Colorful narration with plenty of jokes and humour.

A recent developer diary for Ashes of Oahu covers player choice and the branching story.

Developer Diary #6: Player Choice and the Branching Story

18 Jun @ 5:46am - Deny

In our previous developer blog, we covered the importance of outposts and touched on enemy A.I. You can catch up on that blog here. This week we are covering the depth of the branching narrative that you’ll uncover as you play though Ashes of Oahu and the impacts of your choices.

When Kai embarks upon his journey through Ashes of Oahu the factions exist in a loose tension with each other. They have motivations that place them in conflict, but they do not live in a state of all-out war. Depending on your choices, they can stay neutral towards each other, become allies, or devolve into open hostilities. This is done to increase player agency and show Kai’s influence on the world around him.

What Kai learns as he interacts with different characters will affect the story as well. What you learn throughout the game can become relevant in later conversations with other NPCs. If you have met one particular character and that meeting is connected to another person elsewhere in the world, you could find new branching dialogue available to you. You’ll also find that some NPCs will be willing to help you along your journey and venture out to support Kai’s efforts if you make the correct dialogue choices.

Ultimately the choices Kai makes and the way he aligns himself with the factions will impact who will help you defeat the Pua’a. Kai can turn missions down directly and risk gating any future rewards from that character, or he can choose to work with all the factions and try to bring them into harmony at the likely cost of never reaching the ultimate in skill rewards from any of the factions.

One early example of how Kai’s choices can have severe consequences is how he chooses to interact with a man named Tacitus. A first glance Tacitus appears to be a member of the Islanders that has been evicted from the Farm. He insists that he was helping the Farm fight off an invading band of Raiders, but the Farm didn’t like his tactics and asked him to go. He appears gravely injured and requests you seek aid on his behalf.

Once Kai arrives at the Farm, doubts are raised about Tacitus’ motivations. Apparently, the Raider invasions didn’t really start until he showed up. Needless to say, the Farm isn’t inclined to give you medical items to aid Tacitus. At this point, you can either steal the supplies and suffer reputational damage with the Islanders (if you get caught), or you can do a quest for the medical staff, and then they will reward you with the items you wanted.

If you choose to help Tacitus, he will reward you with grenades, promise you more in the future, but eventually betray you and attack alongside the Raiders at a later point in the game. If you choose to turn him down, he will become openly hostile towards you. You’ll learn early on that helping everyone you meet isn’t always in your own best interest, nor is everyone always going to tell you the truth, but it is your choice to make. However, regardless of the decision you arrive at, you are guaranteed to have some fun and exciting gameplay moments out of it.

Thanks Farflame!

Alder's Blood is described as a grim and dark stealth tactical game with the turn-based combat focused on avoiding enemy ambushes and setting up your own.

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Become a member of an elite cast known as the Hunters. Take on the quest to kill the corrupt god that abandoned the human race and left it to perish. Embark on a dangerous journey and explore the remnants of a world in search of a means for mankind’s survival. Alder’s Blood – a debut title from Shockwork Games, will hunt you down on PC and Switch later this year.

Feature List

• Stealth, ambush-based combat. Try to outsmart and outwit all the horrifying creatures you’ll be facing, as they are way stronger and you don’t stand a chance in a direct assault;
• Diverse, challenging opponents. From werewolves to vampires, all monsters have their unique attacks and skills and can easily see, hear or smell you from the distance. So be careful not to reveal your position too early;
• Stamina-based characters. Cautiously manage your energy level between attacking, moving and casting spells. In the end, you’re only a human and running out of energy will seriously fatigue you;
• A grim world plunged in half-darkness. In this world, our god has finally turned his back on us and his corrupt presence can change the intensity of the battlefield. From summoning monsters, through changing the weather, to transforming one of the creatures into a powerful avatar of his will;
• A vagabond’s exploration system.Travel the world bringing your mobile base along with you. Take shelter in and manage your camp, but be wary of enemy ambushes;
• A unique fusion of dark Victorian fantasy and wild west. Immerse yourself in a world so different from the one you know. The universe shaped by struggle, where mankind has not had the freedom to develop or advance any of its technology

UnleashtheGamer has a large infographic of the best 500 RPGs from the last 40 years.

You might’ve forgotten, but a few months ago, on a cold February afternoon, we released a humongous infographic on the internet containing (what we then thought) a definitive list of the best RPGs.

How It All Began

We won’t lie to you – it took a lot of work. Like, a lot. Gathering the data, centralizing the titles, neatly categorizing each game in the appropriate place, and not to mention designing the infographic itself, took a lot of grind and sweat.

• 3 weeks to gather the initial data, researching, and talking to friends

• 1 week of proofreading and arguing with said friends about the differences between real-time with pause and turn-based games

• Several hours making research on the difference between high fantasy and low fantasy only to understand that there is no consensus in the media on either definition, and we’re free to accept whichever option we wish

• 2 days for our designer to come up with a structure that makes sense

• Hours upon hours to find all the information required

• 2 weeks of gathering your feedback and doubling the number of games

• Hours of our designer adding all them and alphabetizing all 500+ games per your request

• 1836 layers in the Photoshop file

• A full month of being proven wrong each day when I thought I knew a lot of RPG games

[...]

@Gamingbolt The developers of Chernobylite have been interviewed.

From what we’ve read of Chernobylite so far, it seems the story is a pretty big focus in the game- is that an accurate assertion?

Exactly! In our previous game, Get Even, we put a lot of emphasis on narration and the bar has been set up pretty high. Nevertheless, with Chernobylite, we have an ambition to push it even higher.

How much are player decisions going to affect the game and its story? How divergent can we expect the branching paths to be?

It’s very difficult to answer this question without going into too many details. In our branching system we don’t allow the player to make choices only in specific places planned in the script. In our game each character may die, each task may be a success or a failure. Everything will have their consequences both in the story and in the gameplay.

How does collaborating or competing with other characters in the Exclusion Zone work in the game as a mechanic? 

Very often in RPGs we encounter different fractions which we can ally with in various ways and antagonize the other ones at the same time. In Chernobylite each stalker is like a fraction. It’s mostly visible in members of your crew – everyone has a different agenda, goals or sympathies. It’s bread and butter.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Dying Light 2 was previewed by RockPaperShotgun at E3.

But Aiden has more pressing concerns. As I said, people are about to get thirsty – and he’s just been told a chap called the colonel is hoarding all the water. Before he can set off to have words, though, a mob of humans starts battering at the base’s gates. Aiden jumps down into the fray, and three people very, very quickly lose their limbs and heads. The slicing is much the same as the last game, where a single well aimed slash can end a fight immediately.

The renegades are dead, but Aiden’s friend is in dire straits. It’s here I see the first decision in the demo, and the first hint that our presenter’s promises of meaningful choices might actually have… meaning. Does Aiden stay with his pal Frank as he bleeds out, or chase after a van that could get him into the colonel’s place? It doesn’t feel like much of a decision, because somebody else is looking after Frank anyway.

So he’s off, leaping between rooftops, wallrunning and sliding as he goes. Now though, Aiden can also whip out a paraglider. The city reminds me much more of the later half of Dying Light, the half with towers and grappling hooks. The first game took over ten hours to give you a grappling hook, and it’s unclear how long it will take to earn it here – when I asked, I was told you get it in the second of the games seven regions. “You can also do more with those tools later on,” creative director Adrian Ciszewsk told me. The grappling hook, for example, can be upgraded so you can chuck it at people to bring them in for a kicking, a la Scorpion in Mortal Kombat.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

ArsTechnica has the details on how the Stardock and Star Control creators settled their differences with mead and honey.

The settlement's details are public, and Ford & Reiche have a blog post on their site explaining things. In summary, though, the terms are simple and straightforward:

• All existing lawsuits between Stardock and Ford & Reiche are dismissed with prejudice (this simply means the suits cannot be re-litigated).
• All parties are responsible for their own attorney's fees.
• Stardock gets to use the Star Control name for its Star Control Origins game and can develop sequels and DLCs as it likes.
• Ford & Reiche get to continue to develop their own direct Ur-Quan Masters sequel (which was previously called Ghosts of the Precursors but will be renamed).
• The Star Control Origins universe (now known as "the Star Control franchise") will continue in a disconnected bubble from the Ur-Quan Masters/Ghosts of the Precursors universe (now known as "the Ur-Quan Masters franchise").
• Reiche will contribute some writing to the Origins universe in a volunteer role.
• All of the complicated arguments about who owns which copyrights and trademarks and who they bought them from and when and what's copyrightable and what's not are mooted. (Which is great because it means I don't have to re-summarize the mountain of IP arguments that both sides were making!)
• The original three Star Control games can continue to be sold on other storefronts, including Stardock's, and Stardock will split revenue from those games' sales with Ford & Reiche.
• No licensing money changed hands.
• Brad Wardell of Stardock must furnish Paul Reiche with a specific amount of honey from Wardell's apiary.
• In turn, Paul Reiche must furnish Brad Wardell with a specific amount of mead brewed from Wardell's bees' honey.

Wait... what?

Yeah, the last bit kind of threw me, too.

[...]

OneAngryGamer wrote an article defending Chris Avellone's opinion on politics in games.

The interview was published on May 31st, 2019, and when asked about whether stories can be apolitical, Avellone stated…

“They may become political as societal norms change, but I believe it’s possible to do apolitical games. I also don’t condone developers who want to do political games or make a statement – I think a game is served better by asking a question, provide a range of perspectives on the question, but then leaving the answer to the player. I try to frame any politics in the parameters of the world, the lore, and the franchise.

 “The reason I take this approach is because I view games as entertainment. If you’re purposely pushing an agenda or point of view in your game – especially a real-world one that’s clearly divorced from the game world – and you’re dictating that perspective as correct vs. asking a question or examining the perspective more broadly, then it’s left the gaming realm and the ‘game’ has become a pulpit.”

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

@DogarandKazon Stardock and Frungy Games have settled their lawsuit amicably and in a positive way for fans of Star Control. More will be announced at E3.

An Unexpected Message From Deep Space

June 08, 2019

Stardock® and Frungy Games™ (Fred and Paul) are happy and relieved to announce that all parties have settled their disputes amicably and in a way where the fans of Star Control® and The Ur-Quan Masters™ are the biggest winners.  Stay tuned to Channel 44 for more details next week from the E3 floor!

Gamingbolt reports on a rumour that Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch will come to PC and PS4.

Bandai Namco Entertainment’s string of leaks continues. After FromSoftware’s Elden Ring and Tales of Arise leaking, it’s Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered. The remaster is coming to PS4 and PC this Fall with a resolution upscale and improved performance but will also released on the Nintendo Switch without these enhancements.

[...]

LastKnownMeal asks what the Piranha Bytes purchase by THQ Nordic means for a potential Gothic 4.

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A couple of days ago, German game developer Piranha Bytes has been bought by their ELEX publisher THQ Nordic. It does seem that the publisher believes in the studio and suddenly there was one question in the air, what about Gothic 4?

Thanks Farflame!

Wccftech interviewed the lead designer behind Dying Light 2 about the setting and its RPG elements.

Can you talk about the Modern Dark Ages setting, how it came to be and what makes it unique?

Dying Light 2 started a long time ago, but we typically spend a lot in the concept phase, trying to make sure that whatever we decide to move forward with is well thought-out. We had defined the meaning of the game, the design foundations, the dominant emotions we want to evoke, the lore and world setting, but we still felt that we needed something unique that would make the game really stand out. Modern Dark Ages was a concept that came to us during that stage - we discovered that juxtaposing medieval behaviors, rules and laws with a modern setting really serves as a wake-up call for us as humans. As humanity, we've been there (during the real Dark Ages), we've lost our minds for some time, we started the most cruel wars, we stopped believing in reason. When you see all of those things in the context of a modern city it makes you go "ah, so if we're not careful with what we have we can really revert to the worst version of us". But this is not only a narrative tool, it's also a north star we're using in a lot of other areas of the project.When we design locations, we take modern buildings and add post-apocalyptic elements to them so they start looking like medieval fortresses. When you look at our weapons they're medieval by definition - but they're made from modern materials.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

@OnlySP A new teaser trailer for Action RPG Dreamscaper.

Indie developer Afterburner Studios has released a teaser trailer for its debut game Dreamscaper.

Whilst the game is yet to receive a release date, Afterburner Studios has credited fan input throughout pre-alpha play tests.

The team claims that it was inspired by some of its members' favorite games and describes Dreamscaper as "[a] fluid, action-packed, RPG Rogue-lite-every slumber is a different dungeon and you must unlock the powers of your dreams to fend off nightmares and see a new day."

[...]

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Thanks Farflame!

Turnbasedlovers have an overview of We are the Plague, which is described as a tactical, turn-based game, set in a hand-drawn dark fantasy world. The game is set for a Q4 2019 release and has a free demo available.

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"I am the voice of the Plague, not your silly imagination. I am the only thing, that can save you from a long and painful process that inevitably leads to, let’s say, dead for good. Without any chance to come back."

The Plague is generous and bountiful. It will give you tools, it will give you a weapon. You will be changed, transformed into something else. Just submit...

You have chosen to serve the Plague. Driven by hatred traverse the scorched and devastated lands in search of a revenge. Be the part of a legion, devouring cities and all living creatures, play against humanity to achieve your own goal.

Creatures you meet during your journey are a living proof of an inevitable change the Plague will bring upon the Earth. Crooked, in constant pain, blind followers. Your body and mind turn too. You are a part of a disease, your bones grow into a weapon, mysterious objects give you a strange power....

...And there's this voice in your head

JOIN THE PLAGUE

• Single player story mode
• Original, hand-drawn 2D graphics
• Tactical, turn-based fighting system
• RPG elements with character customization
• Dedicated, ambient soundtrack

Fantasy Hero Manager has released on Steam and is described as a turn-based game where you recruit and manage a party of self-aware heroes. 

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THE PREMISE

Fantasy Hero Manager places you in command of a magical airship, on a quest to find the legendary land of Vrool and its Fountain of Eternal Youth.

Fly across the world recruiting heroes for your adventure. Negotiate their salaries, manage their personalities, keep them sober, and never forget to pay them. Watch as they make friends, get married, grieve the loss of comrades, and die in glorious battle… all before searching out new heroes to fill your empty bunks!

Fantasy Hero Manager has been designed to be highly accessible, with a simple and clear UI, yet broadly complicated in its mechanics. Created with a nostalgic look-back to the age of Nethack, Zork, and the golden age of gaming.

THE WORLD

An infinite world with randomly generated maps: with eight biomes, and hundreds of individual locations, there is plenty of variety in each map.

• Visit taverns to recruit heroes, trade, and rest.
• Enter into dangerous henges, caves, dungeons, and castles to fight monsters and search for treasure.
• Go to cities, towns, elven lodges and dwarf fortresses to receive quests.
• Fight gods, dragons, fallen heroes, and legendary creatures in castles, forts and towers.
• Go fishing in the seas and lakes, foraging and hunting on the plains, and mining in the mountains.
• Train up in castles or woodsman’s huts.
• Improve armour and weaponry in forges.
• Visit temples for healing services.
• And explore the many unique tiles which can offer boons or death to the heroes.

Beyond what there is to explore the world has other unique features:

• A system of star-signs which cast luck onto those born beneath them.
• A moon phase system.
• Purchasing and selling tax unique to each location.
• The ability to store and revisit past maps to finish quests or take advantage of good prices.

THE HEROES

Each hero generated in completely unique with a large number of stats, abilities, and traits. Choosing a hero can be difficult: do you take the fantastic fisherman with abominable attack power?

• Eight races to recruit from: humans, orcs, elves, dwarves, undead, and angels.
• Thirteen magic types a hero can have: some offensive, some passive, some for crafting and foraging.
• Ascendancy system with six classes to which any hero can ascend: lich, titan, phoenix, dark angel, nature wielder, and abomination.
• Six crafting skills, six abilities, many health and magic statistics.
• Each is born under one of ten starsigns which offer bonuses when the time of year is right.
• Their own healing and recovery rates.

Beyond their stats heroes have personalities and a mood system:

• Watch as the make friends with those they fight alongside.
• Fall in love and get married, or help nudge them in that direction.
• Renegotiate their salary as they gain levels and earn you treasure.
• Grieve the loss of friends, celebrate weddings and successful quests, get bored if you neglect them.
• Leave your party if you fail to treat them as they would wish.
• Learn skills from each other based on a teaching skill.

ENEMIES

With nearly two hundred unique enemy types to battle your heroes will always have something to kill!

• Biome specific monsters.
• Eight humanoid races to fight: elves, kobolds, undead, etc.
• Twelve different monster families each containing six monster types: from clockwork monsters, through bubbling slimes, to filthy goblins.
• Over sixty incredible bosses which include gods, dragons, fallen heroes and abominations!

CRAFTING:

Having a wide-ranging party will allow you to take advantage of the six crafting options.

• Cook meals to restore stamina while in dungeons, and make fishing bait.
• Mix herbs to make magic and healing potions.
• Create alchemical potions to increase mining ability.
• Forge armoury hammers to repair armour and improve it.
• Tool picks, to help lockpick chests.
• And scribe maps to new and more dangerous locations.

SIMPLE UI

A major goal in creating this game was to have a single interface screen from which all action takes place. You can click through all your heroes and their abilities without ever leaving the map or battle area.

A SIMPLY COMPLICATED BATTLE SYSTEM

A battle system designed to have a lot going on but be simple to play. Includes, an auto-battle option that can be applied to all, or to select, heroes, with aggression settings.

MUSIC

Thirty beautiful and relaxing piano tracks to listen to while adventuring.

Cogconnected writes that players are weary of open world games and outlines some reasons why.

How Much is Too Much?

One issue might be that open worlds in games have gotten to be bigger and bigger in recent years. The size of the map has come to be almost equated with depth of content, and new games often seek to make their maps as large as possible to impress players. But does there come a point at which there is too much land to explore, leaving a lot of it untouched? Certainly, we saw with the recent Red Dead Redemption 2 that the sheer size and level of (sometimes mundane) detail could wear players down and kill the fun.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

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

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

Steam has a Dungeons & Dragons sale until May 24th.

Kingslayer Tactics has been announced.

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Kingslayer Tactics is a unique low fantasy game set in the chambers of European castles at the turn of the sixteenth and seventeenth century. You play as the Kingslayer called "The Raven".

In this interesting and mysterious renaissance world you will learn the tactics, strategy and adventure of a person dedicated to his goal. Sneaking through castle corridors and fighting with hordes of royal guards is not the only thing you need to do. Planning your next step and upgrading your weapons is equally as important.

Interesting and mysterious world

The game world is inspired by the European kingdoms and principalities, but the realities of the game are far from historical facts. The game takes the player on a journey through mysterious lands, set in an alternative version of the Renaissance Europe

The story

Enter a dark and mysterious story about “The Raven” and discover his secrets. Since the story about the Kingslayer was told for the first time in tavern, it is still floating around among european sorcerers.

Tactics, strategy and adventure

Kingslayer is a unique combination of tactics, strategy and adventure in one game. Top-down shooter mechanics mixed up with stealth gameplay elements and RPG features creates an interesting and addictive gameplay.

Unique gameplay features

1. Upgrade your weapon by replacing steel parts with unique elements made of precious metals.

2. Turn into a raven in order to avoid a deadly threat and get into hidden and protected chambers.

3. Explore the refined locations, wander around the world of the 12 Kingdoms in the form of a "Raven".

4. Collect important informations about your goals, learn about the game universe and obtain rare artefacts by completing artfully designed quests.

5. Learn the story about complicated character that combines the characteristics of a villain and a noble knight, but gives no pretext for clearly define his moral choice.

A post-apocalyptic sale this weekend on Steam see's a variety of games up to 75% off. This includes games like ELEX and Mutant Year Zero.

PC Gamer reports that the Frostpunk setting could be used as the basis for an RPG.

GamesIndustry.biz spoke with Patryk Grzeszczuk, 11 bit’s director of marketing, about his company’s future plans for Frostpunk. Part of those plans is bringing Frostpunk to consoles, which the studio is working on now.

But further on down the road, Grzeszczuk says 11 bit is looking into exploring new genres, including RPGs. The studio has been gradually adding to Frostpunk’s backstory and lore as they’ve produced more DLC, and that process has resulted in a world rich enough to support a more narrative-leaning game.

[...]

PC Gamer reports that The Council developer Big Bad Wolf is developing a Vampire: The Masquerade RPG, too:

Another Vampire: The Masquerade RPG is in development

A new Vampire: The Masquerade game is in the works, publisher Bigben revealed today. It accompanies the recent acquisition of the Werewolf adaptation, originally announced in 2017.

The new game doesn't have a name yet, but it will be a narrative RPG inspired by the rules of the tabletop version. The Council developer Big Bad Wolf is behind the adaptation, which seems like an excellent fit. The Council is an episodic narrative adventure full of occult plots, conspiracies, secret organisations and murder. It's Vampire: The Masquerade but without the fangs.
[...]

Thanks henriquejr!

Worthplaying has some new screenshots for action RPG Ashes of Oahu.

Built using the Unreal 4 Engine,  Ashes of Oahu  combines innovative action with faction-based gameplay, inviting players to discover the secrets of Hawaii’s mystical past while uncovering and exploring a full-scale authentic representation of 500 square miles of game world terrain – from discovering special powers and abilities of the Hawaiian gods, to choosing skills and weapons, and remaking the island in their own way, all while watching out for the powerful Nightmarchers who protect the island.

In Ashes of Oahu, players must fight for survival and learn to tap into the power of the spirit world to become a demigod and help liberate Oahu from the army that has taken its control.

As you explore the apocalyptic paradise of Oahu, you will come upon various areas of settlement. Some will be overrun by Kamapua'a raiders, while others will be run by the various factions that have taken footing. But it's the Pig God's raiders that can be the most dangerous, and it's Kai's job to clear them out.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Gamingbolt asks the question 'What Happened To Deus Ex?'

While the critical reception for Mankind Divided was on average positive, it could still be fairly characterized as slightly less favorable than the previous three mainline titles. The sales for the game, compared to previous iterations and accounting for all its platforms, have generally been seen as underwhelming compared to past titles, a sentiment in part reinforced by Square Enix’s limited commentary on the game’s commercial performance. Though it should be said that this title was the Deus Ex series’s debut on the current generation of consoles, and the limited install base at the time of release likely impacted commercial performance and momentum. Mankind Divided’s story is accompanied by three pieces of DLC, collectively referred to as “Jensen’s Stories.” Mankind Divided’s ending leaves a massive opening for a sequel that explores the tension between Adam Jensen and the Illuminati, the latter of which are portrayed as corrupt and evil and have infiltrated TF29, and Adam Jensen and the Juggernaut Collective.

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

HitC writes why they believe a Game of Thrones RPG would never work.

Unlike The Witcher 3 which had politics you could ignore, a Game Of Thrones RPG would have to constantly be in-your-face about politics because the property is about ideologies, backstabbing, and the iron throne. Back when the show was good, it was about people playing the game of thrones and the dastardly deeds and sacrifices they would make to end up on top of the series’ now non-existent ladder. Even more so for a video game than the TV show, it would be very difficult for a studio to balance the core politics with the anti-fantasy setting and subplot.

And would gamers want to sit and watch a dozen politically heavy cutscenes? Most would just rather storm off into battle against armies and the White Walkers so they could mindlessly hack-and-slash and overcome overwhelming forces. This would also be untrue to the source material as – at least before season 6 – Game Of Thrones was never heavy on heroics, and characters were always punished or died for the mistakes they made.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Wccftech reviewed Dark Devotion and couldn't keep up.

Another problem highlighted by bosses is the fact that despite spending a long time with the game, I had no idea what I was doing most of the time. Your first mission, given to you by a large scribbling bug-like man in the hub, is to go and kill some grey monsters in the Abandoned Dungeon. But after finding and slaying them, after several attempts, I couldn’t find a way of returning to the hub. So I kept going. I wound up killing the boss and moving on to a completely new area before eventually dying and coming back to the hub to turn in my quest. I thought perhaps my progression would help me for the next mission, but it didn’t. The next mission was in a new, unconnected area to where I explored, and I had to kill lantern carrying enemies this time. Unfortunately, I didn’t find all of them as I explored this area, but did encounter, and slay, the boss. Once again I had progressed to a new area, although I still hadn’t completed my mission. I love exploring in games, but with the chance to backtrack, Dark Devotion made it all too easy to get ahead of yourself and make it feel like wasted time instead.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Wccftech reports that Assassin's Creed: Ragnorak is the next game, according to 4chan. This is unconfirmed at this stage but the leak does include screenshots.

The next entry in the Assassin’s Creed series is apparently going to be named Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok, and it will be set in the Viking Age.

A recent leak has surfaced on 4chan complete with some off-screen screenshots. The game will be set in the Viking Age, and the main character will be an ally of Ragnar Lodbrok, a legendary Viking who fans of the History TV Show Vikings should know well, who will aid in the formation of the Great Heathen Army which invaded England in 865.

[...]

OnlySP talks about the retro dungeon revival and cites Vaporum and Operencia: The Stolen Sun to argue the genre's possibilities.

The old-school dungeon-RPG genre never really went away, but, like a miracle, bigger names than ever are now paying attention to its crunchy allure. The industry saw, of course, the triumphant return of polished real time RPGs with Legend of Grimrock and its imitators, the constantly expanding Etrian franchise on DS and 3DS, Severed by Drink Box (developer of Guacamelee), and, arguably, the growing popularity of Shin Megami Tensei and its spinoffs.

Last month saw the console release of Vaporum: Steampunk Dungeon Crawler, which OnlySP reviewed, as well as Zen Studios’s Operencia: The Stolen Sun on Xbox One and the Epic Store.

Both hearken back to the first-person dungeon-RPGs of early 3D—though with a beautiful layer of modern graphics and accessibility on top—but also approach the genre in very different ways. In the interest of exploring what is possible in grid-based retro games, here are some of the biggest ways that the two titles differ.

[...]

Techitout writes a short opinion piece about open world games needing more content.

But you see, that’s the problem… Open-world games need to keep the player entertained and offer them an incentive to keep on pushing on. And to be honest, bland and empty worlds are not the answer. This is where developers need to take charge, and instead of seeing the player as a cash cow, rather see them as what they truly are… People who just want to be entertained and not robbed of their hard earned money.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

@TheGG Dark Devotion is a 2D side scrolling RPG which has recently been released.

Hibernian Workshop’s brooding 2D side-scrolling action RPG, “Dark Devotion“, is available now on PC via Steam, GOG, and Humble Bundle for €19.99 from publisher The Arcade Crew.

Featuring dynamic and heavy combat, Dark Devotion tests the faith of its most devout players and grants them several paths to atonement via a variety of game mechanics.

[...]

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Thanks Farflame!

Starflight is being remade by a veteran ex-Bethesda developer.

Welcome to the IndieDB page for Marvin's 'Starflight: The Remaking of a Legend' project. This project is a fan remake of the original 1987 PC game loved by many back in the day. Marvin is a veteran professional software and game developer who has worked for multiple well known companies such as Bethesda Softworks and Rainbow Studios, on popular games such as 'Elder Scrolls Redguard' and 'Cars: The Video Game'. As a fun side project, Marvin has decided to use his years of experience to remake his favorite childhood game with modern graphics via Unity. This game is open-source and freely available on GitHub, should anyone wish to help. Playable builds are being released on the project website and occasionally here too.

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Thanks Farflame!

TurnBasedLovers took a look at an upcoming turn-based strategy game called Tactical Deception. There are screenshots at the link.

Background Story

You lead a group of ex-soldiers who will have to deal with civil wars that have led the country to bow to corrupt politicians and criminality. We will face the angry population and the various factions that have been created. (Military, Bankers, Industrialists, Doctors, and others). We will have to make our choices and decide which path to follow.

Key features

• Turn-based strategy mechanic
• Character development: Each character has their own story and skills that you learn on the way, so it’s important to assemble the right team for each mission.
• Decision-making mechanic: Experience a non-linear story full of intrigue, lies and important decisions on who to trust. The choices will affect the path of adventure throughout the game and missions.
• Replay value: Try spotting the truth behind every story by choosing another side and fighting different enemies
• Tactical planning: Learn the importance of strategic thinking, make high-level tactical decisions and accomplish missions.
• Field of view: The visual field of each character is 90 degrees, which leaves room for stealth sneaking.
• Increasing action points: Action points can increase when a character is hit or sees a teammate being hit, when an alarm sounds and in some other special occasions.
• 100% hit chance if you are near the enemy (no RNG).
• Explore over twenty unique locations.
• Comics art style.

Xenomarine is a science fiction roguelike, with turn-based combat, which recently released on Steam.

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XENOMARINE is a dark, atmospheric, sci-fi/horror themed roguelike in which you play a space marine exploring an alien-infested space station. Starting out with little more than a crowbar, you will fight to survive against over 120 increasingly powerful alien species, as you progress as far as you can through infinite randomly generated levels.

With no starting classes, develop your character into the ultimate fighting machine by means of in-game choices: create a unique build each time you play by finding and choosing between a large and distinctive range of unique usable items and individually upgradable weapons and armor. And although the focus in Xenomarine is on items rather than skills, there are also 70 skill levels to be learned you gain experience from combat and from randomly generated missions.

WARNING: This game is unforgivingly hard: expect to die soon and often when first starting out! Also, in the default 'roguelike' game mode, death is permanent - meaning you will have to start again from level 1. But don’t worry: each playthrough will be different because so many parts of the game are randomly generated (in a way that’s carefully fine-tuned for balance).

*This game contains flashing images and may not be suitable to all users*

Setting

You are a Xenomarine, stranded in a dark alien-infested space station. Your squad are all dead, and you have nothing but a crowbar, a torch running low on power and some battered armor. Death is certain,  but you're sure as hell going to take as many Xenos as possible down with you before you go! And you've not forgotten the rumours that there's powerful ancient alien tech to be found...

Features Of Xenomarine Early Access

• Rich, Tactical Turn-based Combat
• infinite, randomly Generated Levels
• Atmospheric lighting and procedurally generated sound effects
• Unique useable items such as scanners, forcefields and night-vision goggles
• 10 alien types with 12 variants each, making 120 enemies: all with unique behaviours
• No starting class: develop your class on the fly with over 70 skill upgrades
• Multiple damage types and status effects
• Crafting (craft items from scrap and upgrade weapons and armor)
• Hack drones and turrets; deploy traps; find and use mysterious alien tech
• Random mini-quests
• Intuitive user interface, with mouse-only and keyboard-only support

Josh Sawyer explains why developers don't make historical games.

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well??? re-uploaded from my other account.

OnlySP reports that the full release of VoidGate has been delayed until late 2019 for extra polish.

VoidGate, a dark, procedurally-generated indie title, has had its release date delayed until later this year.

Announced on VoidGate's general discussion's tab on Steam, the developer-under the name Olathuss-posted the saddening news.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

OneAngryGamer reports that a Daggerfall spiritual successor is in the works from some of the original developers.

Ian from Indigo Gaming is heading up a project along with Julian Jensen and Ted Peterson — developers who worked on Daggerfall, Morrowind and Oblivion — to make a spiritual successor to the original The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall. They’re currently laying out the design roadmap and engine-agnostic systems for a prototype, along with recruiting artists (specifically modelers, riggers, and animators) to help build the prototype.

The news was made available via a forum thread over on the Daggerfall Workshop, where Ian pitched the recruitment drive to the community, writing…

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Project Dagger is a classic style dungeon crawler under development for Android, Nintendo Switch, and iOS platforms.

PROJECT DAGGER DEVLOGS #1 : HELLO WORLD !

Hello, and welcome to Project Dagger.

Today, we are excited to show our progress in the development of this brand-new game that is planned to be released on Android, Nintendo Switch, and iOS platforms.

FIRST, WHAT IS PROJECT DAGGER ?

Project Dagger, previously known as Project Tartarus before its redoing from the ground up, is a reimagination of an old school first person Role-Playing game, Dungeon Crawling and classic Sandbox Exploration oriented, similar to classics including Dungeons and Dragons: Eye of the Beholder, The Elder Scrolls: Arena, The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall, and newer ones like The Legend of Grimrock and the cancelled project by Techland- Hellraid. It also takes inspiration from the Elder Scrolls Travels, which are unknown to most and predate the modern Elder Scrolls: Blades. The aim is to deliver the classic Dungeon Crawler experience to mobile, utilizing the robust Unity Engine, and will be published without any paywall or pay to win elements that ruin most modern mobile games.

The gameplay will concentrate on offering absolutely pure dungeon crawling, while giving the player the ability to navigate between dungeons and the overworld. The loot-based nature of the game, taking hints from the Borderlands’ formula, will be the main hook to the Player, combined with an engaging and attractive story.

Synopsis :

“As the Civil War rises in Adenfel, a new threat has been summoned under the shadow. The long-lost Elven Warlord of the House Amuril, Amn' Refer, kept inside the Ghost Prison, has broken free from his eternal sleep. A new war of shadow and magic has begun. Unnoticed by the warring Kings and Queens, Amn' Refer unleashed disease and corruption. The Divine Curse is was called for none could uncover its hidden origin.

But, it’s just the beginning. You are one of the Royal Archblade’s Apprentice, sent by Lord Thranerth to investigate these events. Travel to the crater of Hakun. And uncover the infernal scheme, involving the sinister shadow cult calling themselves as The Order of the Serpent, and determine the fate .... of Adenfel”

WHATS BEING WORKED ON ?

Currently, we are opening opportunities to join the development team, if you are interested to join the development, visit the link below and apply to available jobs.
Teamups.net
We will be in touch with you.

Now onto our first bi-weekly update.

1. Modelling

We have finished our first impression of our Gothic-styled tile-set and have optimized the meshes for use. At the moment we are in starting phase of completing Dwarven-styled dungeons, taking references from Tolkien’s Moria, and emphasizing on the geometric style of the architecture.

Our character modeler has currently begun working on some mobs and reoptimizing skeleton meshes, as well as fashioning variations. Skeletons will take a very important role because of the disease. Thus, it is important to develop variations to avoid over-repetition.

2. Programming

The basic programming has been completed. We are presently expecting an accepted programmer to join the team and start operating. However there still a lot to be done.

3. Public Relations

We are preparing to launch a public Discord sever soon as a platform to deliver exciting progress. It would also be used to create a community which the public would be able to join and participate in, see what's behind the development, and have a talk with the team to discuss about your ideas !

That is all for this Devlog, guys . Hope to see you again in two weeks, with more informations and updates, as well as an exciting announcement. Stay tuned !

Cheers!

Raihan Erviansyah, Trimatra Lead

SideQuesting previewed Star Renegades and found it more than the sum of its parts.

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Star Renegades, at its most basic explanation, is a turn-based game in which we explore an overworld map to halt the advancement of an enemy force. But this is really just the top layer of the onion. Underneath, it draws inspiration from a lot of games and genres, and pushes us to approach it much differently than we would a typical RPG experience. As we travel across the overworld from point to point with our squad, we can come across battles or mini-missions, alternate paths or bosses. How we pass these obstacles affects our play experience down the line, as our actions have very quick consequences.

If we go one way on the map, for instance, we get caught up in a battle that may be slightly overpowered but gets us along further. If we opt to take a side path, we have to shut down a giant cannon that blocks our way, affecting our available actions on the map. This continues in a loop that could last for as little as 2 hours or as long as… well, as long as it takes to get to the other side. We can even form relationships along the way, building up our camaraderie with our squadron and even having progeny of our own that will join our battles in later loops. And while this 2-hour loop might seem fast, just 15 minutes in a demo had me advance far on the map, and feels like it packs a lot into a small space. It’s much more flushed out than I could have imagined.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Twinfinite shares their list of the top 20 JRPGs on Steam.

TheGG reports that shooter RPG Beyond the Veil will release on Steam April 19th.

Incorporating RPG mechanics, players will have to be resourceful and crafty when navigating the post-apocalyptic world. They will be required to gather resources and choose which powerful attributes and stat increases to give their character.

For those players looking for a challenge, Beyond the Veil features timed trials that will give players the opportunity to earn weapons, accessories, and inscriptions to give them the edge in combat against the hordes of enemies they will face.

Featuring top-down combat movement and awareness are key to survival in Beyond the Veil’s real-time bloody battles.

[...]

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Thanks Farflame!

GamerHubTV played through some of Othercide.

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Thanks Farflame!

The 20th Anniversary of Summoner brings with it an Anniversary OST from the original composer Scott Lee.

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Summoner 20th Anniversary is a magical and nostalgic journey into a moment in gaming history for PlayStation 2 and PC. Over a four year period, Scott Lee, the original composer has modernized the entire production by meticulously and delicately rebuilding every song from scratch. Hear elements and sounds you couldn’t hear before, truly experience how the soundtrack was intended to be. Unreleased songs that were written for Summoner from 1999 to 2001 era complete the musical storyline. This album is a must-have for any Summoner fan!

* Reused original keyboard hardware from 1999 adding the perfect color accuracy faithful to the source material from Summoner.

* Recorded using industry top of the line DSP gear @ 96K 24 bit sample rate masters. Every sound was re-recorded for superb quality.

* Evaluated development notes, audio, midi, and design choices for Summoner from legacy media to maintain accuracy.

* Completed the musical storytelling with Summoner songs written from 1999 that were intended to be in the game.

* An enormous amount of time, love and effort was put into the final product, for the fans!

â˜�ï¸� Soundcloud Album Teaser â˜�ï¸� https://soundcloud.com/scottleeofficialwebsite

🎹 Artist Website: http://www.scottleeofficialwebsite.com

🎧 Apple iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/summoner-20th-anniversary/1458911423

💿 CD Baby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/scottlee4

🎨 Artwork: http://www.kellysnapka.com

@TurnBasedLovers Crystal Companies is a tactical card game with turn-based strategy.

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To become an expert at Crystal Companies, one must not only master the craft of deck building but also understand the advantages of different build orders and strategies depending on the environmental conditions (which can even include weather that changes over the course of a skirmish). Elevation and obstacles can aid or hinder units depending on their positioning, attributes (like mobility), etc.

Key features

• Cards that instantiate 3D characters, structures, and spells in dynamic procedurally generated environments.
• 300+ cards and several factions in the debut set that can be mixed and matched to customize unique decks for near-limitless strategies.
• Variable terrain that includes weather events, natural disasters, different elevations, impassable and semi-navigable terrain conditions, and themed ecoregions.
• One-versus-one AI and multiplayer online game modes, with additional modes to come.

GamesInsiders reports on a new action RPG being developed by Shift Up called Project Eve.

Based in Seoul, South Korea, developer Shift Up has announced recently a brand new action RPG developed with Unreal Engine 4 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The game is called Project Eve.

[...]

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Gamingbolt reports that Octopath Traveler has been rated for PC by the Korean Board.

The rating also mentions Bandai Namco as the game’s publisher, which also checks out- the company has often acted as distributor for Square Enix’s titles in Korea. Given how successful Octopath Traveler was when it launched, and how Square Enix obviously wants to keep making games in its mould, it wouldn’t be too surprising if they did indeed decide to expand the game’s audiences to appeal to a larger number of people in order to see more sales.

[...]

Tactical turn-based RPG Othercide was previewed by Monster Vine.

The gameplay of Othercide is complex but easy to understand. Each unit on the map has action points, which are used up when you have them move, attack, or execute any other commands. You can preserve points for the next turn by acting conservatively, or you can blow them all with a more offensive strategy. You should definitely choose your playstyle wisely though, as Othercide features good old-fashioned permadeath. If a unit dies, they’re gone for good, so you’ve got to be careful. This kind of punishment really keeps you on your toes, as I was for the entire demo. I had to consider whether it was worth risking a unit to try to hasten things along, but then I realized this was a GDC demo, so it didn’t really matter since I’d be gone in 15 minutes. Still, the full game’s stakes will be quite heavy.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

PC Gamer reports that Darkborn has a new gameplay video. Darkborn was previously known as Project Wight and features a monster killing Vikings.

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Darkborn, formally known as Project Wight, has finally been shown off in grisly detail. The Outsiders' sneaky first-person tale of vengeance puts us in the shoes of a monster, rather than one of the burly vikings that populate the land. It's pretty grim, but also just pretty. Enjoy a murderous stroll in the woods by watching the gameplay reveal (cheers, IGN) above.

[...]

@TechRaptor Squad RPG We Are the Caretakers has been announced.

I’ve read some African science fiction, and it can be compelling stuff. After the enormous commercial and critical success that was Black Panther, I can see there’s definitely a market for it. So if you’re looking for a game in that vein, We Are The Caretakers has just been announced with a teaser. It’s an Afrofuturistic sci-fi squad management RPG with a distinct visual flair, and possibly some solid worldbuilding behind it. The teaser features a monologue by a figure clad in some peculiar body armor, and a tall helmet, like a totem mask. He seems to be standing over some kind of rhino-like creature as he talks about his role as a caretaker. At the end of the monologue, what seems like a large spaceship appears behind him. Then there are some glimpses of the gameplay, such as movement from a top-down perspective. The game’s art direction is helmed by former Activision-Blizzard artist, Anthony Jones.

[...]

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Thanks Farflame!

In Darkness is an action RPG that recently released on Steam.

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Origin

In Darkness is a fantasy game inspired by mythological, and epic legendary stories; it also was inspired by classic games like Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link; and Ghost'n Goblins.

Story

Adventurous travellers in search of riches and treasures discovered a mysterious island with abundance of gems, but without knowledge it was a forbidden land, they were punished and doomed by the guardians of the island for seeing so much greed, no matter there were also innocents ones among them. However, the gems not only provide wealth, but also provide powers to those who own them. For that reason the favoured doomed travellers took advantage of the weakest ones, and divided themselves into clans. And so... more adventurers continue arriving on the mysterious island, but the struggle for absolute power keep them in a tireless quest to recruit more punished travellers and the searching for gems.

Travel to the mysterious island, find out where the power of the gems comes from, and become the champion supreme.

Key Features

• Single player mode
• Top down perspective
• Three fighter classes
• intricate hallways
• Challenges
• Real time combo battle
• Character customization
• One balanced level difficulty
• Puzzles
• Auto save system
• Dynamic music
• Partial controller support
• A lot more features

Conglomerate 451 is a cyberpunk dungeon crawler that is set to release into Steam Early Access soon.

Conglomerate 451 to Hack Into Steam Early Access with a blend of cyberpunk and classic dungeon crawling

26 Mar @ 9:26am - 1C_George

Say hello to Conglomerate 451 and goodbye to the limits of your human vessel!

Our brand new grid-based, dungeon crawling first-person RPG set in a cyberpunk world is coming soon in Early Access!

Check out the announcement trailer here:

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An announcement trailer for Overland which is a tactical strategy game set in the post-apocalypse.

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Overland is squad-based survival strategy game with procedurally generated levels set in post-apocalyptic North America. Every random level is full of close calls and hard choices, even though the interface is approachable and easy to learn. Manage fuel supplies, weapons, and other items by making the right choices on the procedural roadmaps. A road trip straight into the heart of the cataclysmic event that changed the Earth forever.

The reveal trailer for turn-based roguelike RPG Eidolons.

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On wings of darkness, through mist and snow, an indie turn-based roguelike RPG is coming to PC this year. Yet journey to Light is made through twilight. Support Eidolons in our crowdfunding campaign this April!

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/eidolons-nethergate/coming_soon

GamesRadar talked with Dying Light 2 producer Kornel Jaskula; who expanded on the game's open world design philosophy.

To make this dream a reality, Techland has poured resources into constructing new proprietary technology, a necessary expense (and headache) to engineer something as ambitious as Dying Light 2. “You could say that it has been quite the challenge,” Jaskula laughs. “All of this has forced us to change the technology behind our games. We created a brand new engine – the C-Engine – to support the focus on choice and consequence that runs through the story and the gameplay.”

But all of this will be for nought if Techland can’t sell the concept of its ‘narrative sandbox’ to prospective players. The truth is, it’s incredibly difficult to demonstrate something so inherently systemic. The entire game is layered in such a way that even the smallest interactions, decisions and actions can feed back into the simulated world at large. If every one of your actions feeds into the wider scope of the story, as well as the gameplay opportunities that pervade the experience, simultaneously, how do you possibly convey that idea to the players?

The best way to think about the structure, Jaskula suggests, is if you cast it in the context of going rogue with a LEGO set. “The player does have an overall goal in Dying Light 2, but it’s up to you to decide how you get to it,” he tells me of the overarching narrative, one which sees you charged with trying to locate an object that can potentially turn the tide of the zombie apocalypse in your favour. “It’s like having LEGO bricks and being given the goal of building a house. We give you the bricks but not the original set – you don’t have the instructions that can take you through it step-by-step. You only have the goal and it’s up to you to decide how that house will look by the very end – but it is going to be a house. It’s up to the player to figure out how the bricks can connect, how they influence one another, and how the building and its interior takes shape…”

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

A new trailer for The Forgotten City shows off a change in art direction.

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The Forgotten City is a time loop murder mystery set in a mythological city.

Deep underground in an ancient Roman city, twenty-six trapped explorers lay dead because one of them broke a mysterious law. Reliving that fateful day over and over again, you'll need to cleverly exploit the time loop, Groundhog Day-style, to avert disaster! Face tough moral choices while interrogating diverse characters, gathering their secrets, and putting together the pieces of a giant interpersonal puzzle.

The Forgotten City offers incredible freedom and respects players' time and intelligence, rewarding lateral thinking with the best of all possible endings.

The Forgotten City is a re-imagining of the critically acclaimed mod with more than 2 million downloads, and the first mod in history to win a national Writers' Guild award.

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

Enjoyed the mod?

The Forgotten City retains all the elements you know and love while improving every aspect and adding plenty of surprises. Walk the streets of a brand new city. Get to know re-imagined characters. Sink into original lore with fresh twists and endings. Enjoy added combat mechanics, an all-new orchestral score, professional voice acting, and motion capture animations.

Thanks Farflame!

RockPaperShotgun reports that The Outer Worlds will be exclusive to Epic Games Store, as well as The Sinking City, Control and others.

Epic Games are getting serious about going head-to-head with Valve with their store, and have the war-chest to prove it. They’ve just announced a slew of exclusives, including Obsidian’s highly anticipated The Outer Worlds, and Remedy’s upcoming horror shooter Control. Frogwares’s cthulhoid detective mystery The Sinking City will be making its debut on the upstart storefront too. This is on top of Epic’s surprise announcement that Quantic Dream’s formerly PlayStation-exclusive library is coming to PC via their store. See the list of announced exclusives below.

[...]

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Thanks Farflame and porcozaur!

Player2 is in search of missions with meaning.

I’ll bet, if you have read this far, there is one game that is in the forefront of your mind. So I am going to mention it. The Witcher 3. If there is a better example of what I am talking about I am yet to play it. In fact, I think it is fair to say that The Witcher 3 has changed what it means to have a living, breathing, meaningful world in a game. Just mention the Bloody Baron and anyone who has played the game instantly reacts. But the thing is, to complete that quest you did things players had been doing in games for years. You went to point A, looked for an object, killed some baddies, returned to base, went to point b, discovered a truth, killed some baddies, returned home. Questing 101 right? But what made that quest so impactful was how the story intertwined with the gameplay. There were repercussions and consequences to your actions, your choices had an impact in the world, changing it in ways that would remain consistent for your remaining time spent with Geralt. For the rest of the game, every time you visited that area of the world you were reminded of your actions and what became as a result. The Witcher 3 changed the way we look at story, at purpose, in an open world and nothing has even come close since.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

OnlySP reports that Ashes of Oahu is the redesigned Nightmarchers RPG that was previously on Fig but failed to fund.

One of the key changes to the game is the shrinking of the playspace. Previously, Wyrmbyte had endeavoured to create a 1:1 representation of Oahu, though the new version reduces the island’s area to 25km².

The move away from recreation extends to the gods in the game, which no longer take their names from those used by Hawaiian natives.

Another major change comes to the art style, which has been adapted from realism to one inspired by comic books. The developer claims that this alteration came from a desire to reflect the fictional nature of the story.

[...]

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Thanks Farflame!

@TheGG Knights of Tartarus is coming to Steam.

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“Hello, Imagine if Dragon Quest and Zelda were on one single game. What you’ll get is Knights of Tartarus, an RPG where you go to the underworld to fight against four colossal monster knights.

Knights of Tartarus is a challenging open world game where you will need monsters to teach you their spells, craft items, solve puzzles.

Each monster holds special and unique abilities which can be learned. Monsters also give you crafting materials for making equipment. Additionally, there are skill upgrades that can be gained by leveling up.

These give you special perks like performing combo moves or becoming immune to paralysis, and much more.

I plan to release Knights of Tartarus on April 19, 2019. The game will be available on Steam and Itchio for PC, Mac and Linux.” – Stello Hexis

[...]

Knights of Tartarus is a role-playing game where you enter the underworld to fight off a legendary order of knights and save the world. To have a chance, you will need monsters to teach you their spells, craft items, solve puzzles and even compete against your rival.

FEATURES

Explore an open world and travel into the magical monster dimension called Tartarus. You'll find many friends and not so friendly characters along the way.
There are many regions each containing unique puzzles, treasures, and enemies.



Fight against magic beasts to gain spells, crafting materials and gold. Each monster holds special and unique abilities which can be learned. Monsters also give you crafting materials for making equipment. Additionally, there are skill upgrades that can be gained by leveling up. These give you special perks like performing combo moves or becoming immune to paralysis, and much more.

Great and varied soundtrack.
Huge bosses that are difficult but fair.
A cute dog.

Thanks Farflame!

Unleash the Gamer shares their list of the best 16 science fiction RPGs.

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HOW WE CHOSE THE BEST Sci-Fi RPGs

Before getting down to listing our favorite sci-fi RPGs , we’ll explain the criteria that we considered when deciding whether or not a game fits into the Sci-Fi RPG category.

What an RPG Is (in our opinion)

For the purposes of the article, we consider an RPG a game that has:

• Story
• Character building and progression
• Choices that affect the game world
• An emphasis on exploration
• Combat that is directly influenced by player stat choice

What We Consider to Be Sci-Fi 

As for deciding if a game can be included in the Sci-Fi genre, we took into consideration the following factors:

• Set in a near or distant future
• Setting and universe based on imagined future scientific or technological advances
• Science and technology are at the center or the basis of the plot, having either benefited or harmed the societies portrayed
• Portrays aliens or life on other planets.

[...]

PC Gamer reports that the roguelike building sim Dwarf Fortress is coming to Steam:

Dwarf Fortress is coming to Steam with graphics and mod support

The classic version will still be free and updated, same as always.

I'm telling you, with a straight face, that this is the biggest PC gaming news of 2019: Dwarf Fortress is coming to Steam, with graphics and Workshop mod support. Dwarf Fortress is as famous for its ASCII graphics as it is for its unparalleled depth as a procedurally generated simulation of existence. And while it's always been moddable, the new Steam (and Itch.io) release, coming this year, will make an infamously complex game just a little bit easier to get into.

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Kitfox Games, makers of Moon Hunters and the upcoming Boyfriend Dungeon, are handling publishing and working with artists and a composer for the new release. The new 32x32 pixel graphics tileset is being created as a collaboration between two long-time Dwarf Fortress modders. Under the surface, Dwarf Fortress will otherwise be the same game. The free version will remain available and be updated same as the version available on Steam, which will cost $20.
[...]

thanks henriquejr!

Deadsiege is an action RPG currently in Early Access on Steam. There is also a free demo available to try out on the Steam page.

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Heavily inspired by old classic genres, Deadsiege is a top-down Action RPG game set in an ancient fantasy world with a massive selection of weapons, items and outfit. Explore the world and battle vicious enemies, collect unique equipment, level up your character, grow your talent tree and unleash powerful skills to wipe out your foes. Deadsiege features straightforward character development and dynamic combat system.

Deadsiege’s loot system is completely randomized and gives you the opportunity to build your character the way you want. Deadsisege contains a wide arsenal of different enemies and bosses, higher level enemies give more experience and better loot, but are dangerous and harder to kill.

FEATURES:
- Combat: Dynamic swap between melee and ranged weapons. Dive down on enemies, dodge attacks and stand against hordes of monsters.

- Loot System: Randomly generated items with common, rare, epic and legendary classes of loot, give you the opportunity to build your character the way you want

- Spell System: A diverse spell system includes AoE, damage over time, disable and Stats modifier effects.

- Talent Tree: Grow your Talent Tree and unleash powerful skills. Become more powerful as you advance through the game.

- Character Stats: Level up your character and adjust Vitality, Strength, Defense, and Intelligence stats. You can choose physical and magical builds or mix of both.

- Inventory: Real time character preview, choose your weapons, equipment, create your ultimate monster-slaying build. Take all the weapons and tools you need, choose from plenty of new powerful items for this adventure.

Wildermyth is a fantasy tactical game currently in beta on itch.io.

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Wildermyth Beta—starting March 1st, 2019

You'll live a hundred lives in the Yondering Lands. You'll untangle human stories and fight mustering forces who threaten peaceful folks. You'll gather threads of beauty, magic, and strife to weave your own ever-growing legend, called Wildermyth.

This is a beta. We think it's pretty fun, but it's not the full, complete game yet. We have a lot more content and features to add, and we'd love for your voice to help steer us as we go.

* * *

An Imaginative Papercraft World

The Yondering Lands weaves hand-painted 2D characters and scenery into a 3D world to create a luscious, layered landscape, full of detail and surprises. No orcs, elves, or goblins here—but watch out for the telepathic insect-dragons and the clockwork undead.

Character Depth

Each of your heroes has their own unique generated history, personality, appearance, and relationships with the other heroes—all of which can change over the course of the game as they encounter mysteries and overcome challenges.

Choices That Matter

A hero may choose to trust the enigmatic wolf god, leading to a particularly hair-raising change in their appearance and combat abilities. Or they may choose whether to pursue a romance with a fellow hero, giving each of them new advantages from fighting side by side. Encounters and events have permanent, character-defining effects, letting you craft the arc of each character.

A New Approach to Death

Got one-shotted by that tentacled horror-bear? Choose to let a hero "fall back" with a maiming that can open up opportunities for transformation later, or let them go down in a blaze of glory to be remembered for generations to come.

Fresh Tactical Combat

 Combat in Wildermyth emphasizes teamwork and careful positioning. Walling and flanking provide conflicting incentives, and interfusion lets you remake the battlefield with explosive magic. Multiple difficulty levels mean you can get as intense as you want to.

Endless Replayability

Procedural generation gives you new heroes, new enemies, new story events, and new maps every time you play. Pick and choose from a huge bank of combat abilities as your heroes level up in each playthrough, and decide whether you prefer offensive or defensive tactics, brute strength, stealth, or magically flinging fire from a nearby lamp into your enemies' faces.

Build a Legacy

As time passes, heroes grow old and may retire, or may fall in combat. Adding them to a roster of legends allows you to call on them in later playthroughs, creating a metagame as you build their mythology and increase the renown of your pantheon.

Your Game

We built Wildermyth for you. We want to empower you to tell your best stories. Let us know what we can do to make it better.

PC Gamer reports on Star Renegades, which is a 'tactical strategy rogue-lite RPG' about an endless rebellion.

And I mean literally won't quit, as each run through the game represents an attempted rebellion: When you blow it (and I guess the assumption is that you will), the rebel flame flickers until the next generation comes along to pick up the torch. That's the "rogue-lite" element of the multi-genre Star Renegades; the RPG side comes into play via the special skills, tactics, combos, synergies and other "meta-unlocks," plus weapons, loot, and gear, that characters can gain and pass down to future fighters.

[...]

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TheSixthAxis reports on a new RPG in development called Haven that focuses on love. Screenshots at the link.

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Sure, this couple have escaped to another planet, but it’s about staying together as they rebel against the rules and ponder how many breakfasts you can have in a day. There’s some interesting design apparent in the bundle of screenshots, from the gorgeous open world and JRPG-style conversations to the twin character controls in combat. You’ll be able to play it solo or in co-op with, you know, someone special.

Thanks Farflame!

TurnBasedLovers provide an overview of what turn-based RPG Tactics V: Obsidian Brigade is all about. The game is due Q3 2019 on PC and Consoles.

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Background story

The land of Auria is a fantasy kingdom, where the lesser houses commonly rage war among themselves, but there’s a unifying threat.

You move the Obsidian Brigade about a world map, encountering story through battle.

Key features:

• Robust combat system (with many mechanics: facing, targeting styles, actions, delayed actions, reactions)
• World map navigation.
• >50 hand crafted levels
• >80 scripted scenes/battles
• ~12-18 hours of story
• ~3 hours of optional story
• 3 ½ tiers of gear/weaponry
• 13 unique unlockable classes
• >50 skills (proficiencies, abilities, power casting unlockable)
• >140 powers (Elemental magic, close range, Archery, Imbue poisons, etc.)
• Optional cooperative main-game via assigning troops to another controller during deployment.
• Training option allowing a non-fatal combat to be controlled by player(s) or AI to gain XP and Skill points
• Optional Alternate top-down perspective available
• New game plus

[...]

Bluesnews reports that Vambrace: Cold Soul has been announced. The game is described as a Roguelike fantasy/adventure and is due April 25th.

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Vambrace: Cold Soul is a roguelike fantasy-adventure set amidst a frozen landscape. Plan your expeditions underground, then journey to the cursed city surface with your team of heroes. Wield unique powers, avoid dangerous traps, brave strange encounters, and survive deadly combat!

Hazardous Space is a Roguelike 2D turn-based action game with RPG elements and has recently reached version 1.0.

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A dangerous survival adventure in space station labirynths. Turn-based combat, character progression, the atmosphere of impending threat. Collect and modify weapons, stock up on ammunition and first-aid kits, use your brain and think two steps ahead. Between you and the exit from the station - a horde of enemies who know nothing about fear or mercy.

Features

Unravel Mystery of the Wanderer Station

The "Wanderer" station is full of secrets for you to uncover. Perhaps, that's how we will find out what happened there and how the arrival of Max is connected with that. Or maybe not only that. The main thing to survive!

Whole Station of Labyrinths and Traps

If you think that the layout of the premises in the future will cease to be the fruit of the maniacal misanthrope's sick mind - you are deeply mistaken. Max will have to wade through the mazes, crowded with traps, enemies and other surprises. A simple straight path is for wimps!

Craft System and Resource Management

From rusty knuckles to super-mega-blaster - feel like a master gunsmith! And do not forget about your battlesuit: it makes you strong, dexterous, skillful - demanding energy instead. Lots of energy. Tons of energy!

Wide Selection of Weapons

If the enemy is unresting - provide him with the eternal rest! For this, there's a whole arsenal of various weapons at the "Wanderer" station. Grenades, machine guns, brass knuckles, pistols... Not enough? Each weapon can have an elemental damage module!

Hordes of Diverse Enemies

Zombies, mutants, mutant zombies, monsters from laboratories, zombie monsters from laboratories ... Max and you are not going to get bored!

High Replayability

Have you explored the station, remembered the compartments' layout, taken notes of the traps and stashes? Here's a new walkthrough for you! Each new attempt feels like the first time, cause the levels are generated procedurally.

Story:

It's 2115. Something terrible has happened on board the research space station Wanderer, and the former space marine Max Carnage becomes an unwilling participant in these events. To survive, he will need to remember his military past.

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TheGG reports that Mad Princess: The Great Gladiators is now available on DLSite. The game is described as a gladiator role-playing game.

January 11th, 2019, Tokyo – The English translated version of independent developer Atorasoft’s gladiator role-playing game “Mad Princess: The Great Gladiators” is now available for sale on DLsite and is planned to be released on Steam.

Developer Comment:
“YOU, the player, will not be restricted by a single story. In this RPG you can enjoy a ‘free-scenario’ where you are at liberty to adventure and play as you please.

The battle and exploration controls are straightforward, allowing the player to enjoy the content many times in a smooth and hassle-free manner.
We sincerely hope you enjoy our game!”

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Wccftech reports on a beta giveaway for Conqueror's Blade.

Conqueror’s Blade is starting its first fully featured Closed Beta test today. There were others some time ago, as you might recall, but none featured the game’s distinctive open world elements that are going to be available in this test.

Grab one of the five hundred beta codes we got from My.com to join the frantic battles between Warlords. They’ll be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more on this free-to-play MMO medieval warfare game, check our previous hands-on preview and our interview with Xi Wang, CEO of the Chinese studio Booming Games.

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The action game God Eater 3 has been released:

GOD EATER 3 - Launch Trailer

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IGN checked out the upcoming shooter Far Cry New Dawn:

Far Cry New Dawn: What's Happened Since Far Cry 5?

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Some reviews for Genesis Alpha One which are decidedly mixed.

PCInvasion 4/5

Genesis Alpha One bears the distinction of being part fps, part ship-builder, part management sim, and part roguelite. If that seems like an awful lot of different things to juggle, well, it is. But the game pulls it off extremely well. It’s fairly complicated and doesn’t like to hold your hand, but it lets you take it at your own pace. There’s a brief tutorial at the beginning that teaches you the basics of shipbuilding, but you’ll mostly have to learn by doing. Moving around the galaxy is also fairly simple, as you initially just hop from square to square with hyperdrive via the bridge.

GameWatcher 6/10

The truth is, Genesis Alpha One feels like an Early Access game, far from the polished status one would expect from a full release – even an indie one. While the concept is intriguing and very promising, the lack of immersion and design decisions make everything exhausting. If you’re interested in a roguelike sci-fi game, you could give Genesis a shot, but don’t expect much from what is clearly an unfinished title.

Way Too Many Games 6.5/10

The visual and sound designs are also mixed bags. Gun models in particular don’t look very good and the overall interface can be really untidy to dig around. Alien creatures look laughably bad and there is a distinct lack of variety among human character models, with your crew members looking almost identical to each other. I do like some of the game’s design choices, though: the monitors and UI are clearly inspired by the original Alien franchise, which all look great. The sound design can be best described as just being there, not really adding anything to the experience or taking anything away from it either.

Genesis Alpha One is a collection of really good ideas, but its execution ended up being very messy. I really hope the developers don’t abandon this game as it is, as there is some serious untapped potential to be a great game in here as long as they fix its many issues.

AusGamers 8.5/10

Like all great sci-fi there are surprises around every corner in Genesis Alpha One. From that first time you delve into the ventilation system of your ship to discover a truly horrific alien infestation, to landing on a strange planet only to find some strange DNA that will let you splice alien abilities into your crew’s genetic make-up - leading to humans that can visibly sense hidden threats. Then there’s running into a nasty group of space pirates that proceed to warp in and around your ship, decimating your facilities and crew. Each voyage presents a new galaxy to explore, new planets, new challenges, with the ability to carry over select bonuses and technology; with total play time varying from short and sweet if you’re unable to overcome a nasty infestation to somewhere in the ten-hour range.

GamingLyf 2.5/5

Genesis Alpha One still offers alot to like. There’s glimpses of something surprisingly unique and genuinely interesting under the weak combat and often repetitive gameplay loop. The game is priced cheaper than most, and many folks won’t struggle to get their money’s worth. As a base it feels like a title that could evolve into something great given enough time and resources with future updates. As it stands though it’s hard to recommend the game wholeheartedly right now.

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Warhammer Quest 2: The End Times is available now on Steam with a 10% launch discount.

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In Warhammer Quest 2: The End Times, you will lead your warriors across a war torn land and into dungeons for wealth and glory! Swing swords, fire arrows and cast spells as you fight through the denizens of Chaos that threaten the Warhammer world. Success in battle is rewarded with new weapons, armours, skills and treasure.

Explore a war-torn fantasy world!
Be on your guard as you travel through a world in turmoil. The road holds danger for the heedless traveller, but rich rewards for the wary hero.

• Explore three regions, each with their own enemy sets, objectives and multi-part campaign quests.
• Visit towns to barter in markets, discover new quests, and level up your warriors to gain new skills and gameplay possibilities.
• Paths between dungeons are littered with events and opportunities to improve your chance of victory in the next turn based battle!

Battle through deadly dungeons!
Experience all the peril and danger of the Warhammer world as you battle your enemies through Chaos ridden dungeons.

• Encounters come to life as your warriors enter the fray with a vast array of weapons and skills.
• Hold your enemies back with fire, use ice to freeze them to the spot, or poison them with lethal toxins.
• Attack with magic staffs, explosive pistols and flaming hammers. If all else fails use legendary armour or mystical robes to deflect attacks.

Heroes and Enemies!
A variety of different heroes and enemies bring huge tactical variety to the dungeons. From Sorceresses and Mages, to Witch Hunters and Knights. Find which characters best suit your playstyle.

• Choose from 12 different Hero classes. All with unique weapons, armours, skills and items!
• Battle over 40 types of enemies, ranging from simple minded Beastmen to devious Skaven Seers and monstrous Trolls!
• Collect and equip over 200 different weapons, items and armours. Figure out which combination is most effective for bashing the enemy!

Easy to learn, hard to master. Engage in deep tactical gameplay as you encounter new enemies with new devious abilities that will test your strategic ability to its limits.

Can you defeat the Chaos invasion? Only the mightiest will survive in Warhammer Quest 2: The End Times!

@DSOGaming DRAGON BALL GAME – PROJECT Z is an action RPG coming 2019.

This action RPG is called DRAGON BALL GAME – PROJECT Z and will allow players to assume the role of Goku (also known as Kakarot). What’s also really interesting here is that this new DBZ game is currently scheduled for a 2019 release.

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Culture of Gaming looks deeper at the art of video game swordplay and how games have gone about it through different eras.