The popular Vampire Survival game expands with “Secrets of Gloomrot” – Coming May 17th!
Skövde, Sweden – 26th April 2023 – Today, Stunlock Studios released a gameplay trailer for the highly anticipated “Secrets of Gloomrot”, the first major content update for V Rising, coming May 17th. While the upcoming update covers improvements all across the game, this first-ever gameplay sneak peek focuses on the new biome: Gloomrot. Navigate polluted valleys and lightning-scorched highlands to face the mutated experiments and mechanical wonders spawned from the twisted imaginations of the Trancendum. Hunt the blood of the brilliantly insane to harness the power of lightning and enter a new age of technology. Gloomrot will be one of the bigger regions in the game, almost the size of Dunley Farmlands.
In addition to adding a new biome, players can look forward to a long list of improvements and new content. Castle building will be dramatically improved, allowing for multiple floor construction, claiming castle territories, and adding more ways to customize your domain. Combat will be more diverse with new weapon types and a new spell school, as well as letting players modify their spells to their liking with the jewel system. The world of Vardoran has also been revamped with new points of interest to visit, visual updates, new items, and enemy types. There will also be a total of 13 additional bosses to hunt down to obtain arcane knowledge. All this and more as Secrets of Gloomrot drops on May 17th. Check out the website: https://playvrising.com/expansions/gloomrot
More on V Rising: Survive as a newly awakened vampire in a world ruled by humans and rise to become the next Dracula. Feed on blood to gain new powers, hide from the scorching sun, and engage in real-time PvE and PvP combat set in a dark fantasy realm. Raise your castle and invite friends to join as you explore a vast open world, pillage villages, skirmish with bandits, and delve into the lairs of supernatural beasts. Attack other player’s castles, or become a diplomat in a game of blood, power, and betrayal.
About Stunlock Studios Stunlock Studios is one of the leading independent Swedish game developers in Skövde, known for vampire survival game V Rising and arena brawler Battlerite. Out now in Early Access, V Rising’s gothic world has already attracted more than 3 million vampiric initiates and Battlerite was one of the most popular free-to-play games on Steam with over 6 million unique players entering the arena. With a passion for multiplayer action games, the studio crafts groundbreaking and community-driven games, always with their players in mind.
Deadly with a scalpel, and marking enemies for death, this fiendish fox debut is one to remember
XD Games, Shanghai — April 26, 2023 | With Flash Party’s ninth season, The Wheel of Destiny, well underway, developer XD Games is debuting their latest playable hero to join the colourful roster: Foxx! Now available to unlock in-game, this scalpel-wielding fighter is a fierce assaulter capable of delivering devastating attacks at close range with one or two tricks hidden up his spectral sleeve.
Foxx is a great pick for Flash Party fans who favour close-quarters action over anything else! The 22nd hero in Flash Party utilises the unique combos his scalpels can provide, Foxx is able to deliver massive amounts of damage to his foes. Firstly, his blue scalpel is used to perform a neutral attack, which applies a ‘Soul Mark’ to his enemies. Using his red scalpel, Foxx is able to unleash lethal follow-up attacks and even detonate the ‘Soul Mark’ to create an extra explosion. A lethal two-pronged, or rather scalpelled, attack that will see players gain a vital edge against their opponents in battle.
Check out a sneak-peak of Foxx in the video below:
But it doesn’t stop there! After equipping Colourful Stickers, Foxx’s skills will gain even stronger combo abilities, and his giant hand (did we mention he has an enormous spectral hand?) will be empowered further, helping him seize the initiative — and other players — on the battlefield. Perfect for grabs, counter attacks or just getting in close to deliver the final blow, Foxx’s hands-on approach will take Flash Party by storm.
The scalpel is his weapon of victory, the spectral hand his ultimate support and the unquenchable soul fire under Foxx’s eye patch will ignite cheers and applause throughout the Flash Party.
New Legendary Skin for Alice: The Little Gardener Coming Soon!
It’s not just Foxx who is a welcome addition to Flash Party. As the weather warms up, Alice has put on her gardener’s outfit and is raring and ready to go to the most popular outdoor destination in Metropolis to plant flowers – or, play in the mud!
A new series of skins: Vernal Ode, including the Legendary Alice skin: The Little Gardener and the new hero Foxx skin: Primavera Painter, will also be launched in-game today so make sure to check them out!
About XD GAMES
Founded in 2003, XD Inc. is a global video games developer and publisher with extensive experience across development, publishing and operations. As of 2022, XD has 38 free-to-play and paid games with over 50 million monthly active users worldwide. In addition, TapTap — a mobile games community and app store — was launched by XD in 2016 and is estimated to currently have 44 million monthly active users.
XD’s mission is to assemble like-minded talented games industry craftspeople with a common goal of touching the hearts of players around the world. XD produces games of the finest quality with passion, offering a pure gaming experience, and encouraging players of all ages to embrace the unique joy of video gaming.
Dynamic, Customizable RGB Lighting with Kingston FURY CTRL
Intel XMP 3.0 Certified
Australia – April 26, 2023 – Kingston FURY, the high-performance division of Kingston Technology, a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, today announced the addition of white heat spreaders to its award-winning line of Kingston FURY DDR5 memory modules providing more options for those looking to build a system that stands above the rest, in and out of the game.
Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 offers the superior speed and low latency solutions to take your experience to the next level of performance, now with a low-profile heat spreader design in white to combine outstanding cooling functionality and bold styling. Go for a simple and easy upgrade with Plug N Play at 4800MT/s1 or select an Intel® XMP 3.0 or AMD EXPO™ Certified kit . Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 RGB lets users personalize even further with the Kingston FURY CTRL™ RGB tool by selecting or customizing one of the 18 built-in, vibrant, and stunning RGB lighting2 effects, all kept smooth and in unison with Kingston’s patented Infrared Sync Technology. The Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 line hits speeds up to 6000MT/s, is available in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB single modules and, kits of 2 up to 64GB, with kits of 4 coming next month.
For system builders and DIY PC enthusiasts who want to maximize the performance of their next-gen DDR5 platforms and complement the look of the latest PC builds, Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5 enhances your system with aggressive low latencies and extreme speeds up to 7200MT/s. Whether creating content, multi-tasking or pushing the limits in-game, users can tap into the extreme overclocking potential of DDR5 in style. Again, with FURY CTRL users can select from 18 customizable lighting effects to highlight the sleek, aluminum heat spreaders of the Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5 RGB available now in white & silver. Available in single module capacities of 16GB and 32GB and Dual Channel kits of 2 with capacities up to 64GB.
“We’re pleased to expand the look of our Kingston FURY DDR5 lineup with the addition of white heat spreaders,” said Kingston. “As creativity flows and gaming evolves, we want to empower our users to choose the modules that best fit their individual style.”
The Kingston FURY DDR5 line of memory is 100% tested at speed and backed by a limited lifetime warranty and legendary Kingston reliability.
Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 Features and Specifications
Greater starting speed performance: With an aggressive starting speed at 4800MT/s, DDR5 is 50% faster than DDR4.
Improved stability for overclocking: On-die ECC (ODECC) helps maintain data integrity to sustain the ultimate performance while you push the limits!
Increased efficiency: Boosted by double the banks and burst length and two independent 32-bit subchannels, DDR5’s exceptional handling of data shines with the latest games, programs and demanding applications.
Intel® XMP 3.0 certified: Advanced pre-optimized timings, speed and voltage for overclocking performance and save new user-customizable profiles utilizing a programmable PMIC.
AMD EXPO certified: AMD’s Extended Profiles for Overclocking
Qualified by the world’s leading motherboard manufacturers3: Tested and approved so you can build and upgrade with confidence on your preferred motherboard.
Low-profile heat spreader: Newly designed heat spreaders in black or white combine bold styling and outstanding cooling functionality.
: Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 will auto-overclock itself to the highest listed speed allowed by the system BIOS.
RGB:
Enhanced lighting with new heat spreader design: Game in style by customizing the black or white heat spreaders with the smooth, stunning range of 18 RGB lighting** effects using [Kingston FURY CTRL™] or the motherboard manufacturer’s software.
Patented Kingston FURY Infrared Sync Technology™: Vibrant RGB effects light in unison with Kingston’s patented Infrared Sync Technology.
Capacities:
Singles: 8GB, 16GB, 32GB
Kits of 2: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB
Speeds4: 4800MT/s, 5200MT/s, 5600MT/s, 6000MT/s
Latencies: CL36, CL38, CL40
Voltage: 1.1V, 1.25V, 1.35V
Operating Temperature: 0 °C to 85 °C
Non-RGB Dimensions: 133.35 mm x 34.9 mm x 6.62 mm
RGB Dimensions: 133.35 mm x 42.23 mm x 7.11 mm
Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5 Features and Specifications
Engineered to Maximize Performance: With speeds up to 7200MT/s, Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5 RGB features premium components hand-tuned by engineers, rigorously tested for compatibility across the industry’s leading motherboards, and backed by 100% factory testing at speed for a hassle-free overclock experience.
Tap Into Extreme Overclocking Potential: DDR5 ushers in a whole new era of memory technology to make extreme overclocking a more stable option than previous generations. On-die ECC delivers more reliable DRAM components, an on-board PMIC balances power when and where it’s needed, and two independent 32-bit subchannels provide dramatic increases in data efficiency for multi-core processors.
Intel® XMP 3.0 Certified: Intel Extreme Memory Profile technology makes overclocking a breeze with advanced pre-optimized factory timings, speeds and voltages for overclocking performance. [Renegade DDR5 RGB] features a programmable PMIC for XMP 3.0, supporting up to two customizable profiles to optimize your own unique timings, speeds, and voltages saved directly to the DIMM.
Qualified by the World’s Leading Motherboard Manufacturers: Tested and trusted for your preferred motherboard so you can build with confidence.
Aggressive Aluminum Heat Spreader Design: Newly designed black & silver and white & silver aluminum heat spreaders with black PCB keep your rig running— and looking— cool to complement the look of your latest PC build.
RGB:
Dynamic RGB lighting: Bring your system to life with 18 preset RGB lighting effects utilizing Kingston FURY CTRL or the motherboard manufacturer’s RGB software with the sleek newly designed black & silver or white & silver aluminum heat spreaders with black PCB.
Kingston FURY Infrared Sync Technology: Ensure your RGB lighting effects stay in perfect lock-step with Kingston’s patented [Infrared Sync Technology].
Capacities: Singles: 16GB, 32GB Kits of 2: 32GB, 64GB
Speeds: 6000MT/s, 6400MT/s, 6800MT/s, 7200MT/s
Latencies: CL32, CL36, CL38
Voltage: 1.35V, 1.4V, 1.45V
Operating Temperature: 0 °C to 85 °C
Non-RGB Dimensions: 133.35mm x 39.2mm x 7.65mm
RGB Dimensions: 133.35mm x 44mm x 7.66mm
1 Kingston FURY™ Plug N Play memory will run in DDR5 systems up to the speed allowed by the manufacturer’s system BIOS. PnP cannot increase the system memory speed faster than is allowed by the manufacturer’s BIOS. Kingston FURY Plug N Play DDR5 products support XMP 3.0 specifications so overclocking can also be achieved by enabling the built-in XMP Profile.
2 Lighting customizable with [Kingston FURY CTRL] software or with motherboard RGB control software. RGB customization support through third-party software may vary.
3 Featured on the Qualified Vendor Lists (QVL) of the world’s leading motherboard manufacturers.
4 Learn more about megatransfers per second – MT/s denotes megatransfers (million transfers) per second and represents the effective data rate (speed) of DDR (Double Data Rate) SDRAM memory in computing. A DDR SDRAM memory module transfers data on the rise and fall of every clock cycle (1 Hz).
From big data, to laptops and PCs, to IoT-based devices like smart and wearable technology, to design-in and contract manufacturing, Kingston helps deliver the solutions used to live, work and play. The world’s largest PC makers and cloud-hosting companies depend on Kingston for their manufacturing needs, and our passion fuels the technology the world uses every day. We strive beyond our products to see the bigger picture, to meet the needs of our customers and offer solutions that make a difference. To learn more about how Kingston Is With You, visit Kingston.com.
# # #
Kingston and the Kingston logo are registered trademarks of Kingston Technology Corporation.
IronKey is a registered trademark of Kingston Digital, Inc. Kingston FURY and the Kingston FURY logo are trademarks of Kingston Technology Corporation. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
The first six main Final Fantasy games were re-released many times since their inception on the 8 and 16-bit Nintendo consoles. Initially released for PC and mobile, the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series is an effort by publisher Square-Enix to provide versions of these titles that preserve their pixel-retro aesthetic.
Story
Final Fantasy I, II, and III are pretty light on lore. These titles use the same basic premise: As the warriors of light, players must restore the four crystals to defeat evil. That said, some character development can already be seen in FF II and FF III. Final Fantasy IV was released pretty early in the life span of the Super Nintendo. The hardware upgrade foresaw a huge step-up in presentation and content for the series. FF IV delivered a much more fleshed-out story. Things such as cutscenes, more involved character interactions and a melodramatic storyline were introduced. Final FantasyV kind of followed that same trend, but it failed to push the storytelling forward compared to FF IV. The story-telling and overall character development were the highlights in FF VI. It was with Final Fantasy VI that the series first got its grandiose sense of scale. It had – for its time – a dense and intricate storyline. Its main characters were constantly evolving along the main plot, and they also had exclusive and optional events that fleshed them out even further. For the first time, the characters felt sort of alive, even if they were primarily stereotypes. It was pretty satisfying to wonder where the narrative might lead the characters next, especially at the beginning when their paths branch out. Cutscenes and events such as the famous opera skit and the multi-layered final boss battle made RPG fans back then dream about what would come next.
Gameplay
These titles are the foundations for their more popular 3D entries. Many of the things that would become synonymous with Final Fantasy, such as airships, Chocobos and Moogles were first introduced in these games. The first three games, like many RPGs of their time, were mostly simple objective-based dungeon crawlers that featured lots of battles and resource management. They may be simple, but not overtly so. The sense of progression in these games is purely gameplay-based, meaning that for each dungeon completed, another challenge instantly arises, and these aren’t limited to simply completing dungeons. For example, certain types of terrain can only be traversed with the employment of some sort of vehicle, or an NPC might hold some item that is required for your party to evolve their initial jobs. This dynamic of constant challenge and reward is fun. The games are mostly well paced, and they don’t require the player to constantly grind for levels and resources, although difficult spikes in certain places will present players with veritable challenges sometimes.
The subsequent games play largely like their predecessors, but they are much more story-heavy in comparison. They introduce many cutscenes and dialogues. The story-telling and overall character development were the highlights in FF VI to the point it overshadows the gameplay. At the same time, side quests and optional bosses were gradually implemented in the series, and their number also increased a lot in Final Fantasy VI.
The Pixel Remaster series implements various gameplay balance changes and bug fixes that these games received throughout their many re-releases. It also implements its own changes to make these titles as approachable as ever. For starters, there’s an auto-battle feature that repeats the commands that the player has entered previously. The auto-battle function also increases the speed of battles dramatically. Even players who can’t stand the slowness of turn-based RPGs may find that these games are now much more dynamic and fun overall. It’s also possible to turn off random encounters altogether at any time. To add to that, players can now run without equipping any additional items in all six games. Diagonal movement is also possible across the board. Inside the configuration menu, you can find the boost menu, where it’s possible to multiply or even reduce the experience and money gained. If you’re more of a purist, you can simply leave everything as is and enjoy these games closer to what the original versions were. As they say, having options is always a good thing.
Visuals
While many might be disappointed to see these games re-released using the same visual aesthetics for the umpteenth time, I have to say that the new pixel work and added effects and animations make these games a delight to look at. The Pixel Remaster versions use a brighter palette that makes the colors pop out. The older 8-bit games were brought up to a similar standard as seen in FF IV and V. The new shading on the water surface looks pretty good, as do the new environmental effects. The opera event in FF VI was remade using Square Enix’s HD-2D engine. It was a disappointment that all the games were not remade this way.
Audio
Besides the new remade soundtrack for each game, all effects are basically the same as the original versions. Some of the new arranged tunes are gorgeous, while others sound pretty close to their original counterparts. Some of these compositions that had a very short loop were extended, but not all of them received the same treatment, which is rather odd. The opera song from FF VI is now sung using real vocals that were recorded in many different languages. Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with how the soundtrack turned out.
Overall
It took some time, but we finally have a way to enjoy classic Final Fantasy games on modern consoles. It’s high time for these games – and other overlooked Square Enix gems, such as Chrono Trigger – to receive more up-to-date renditions. Regardless, the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster collection is a pretty good way to enjoy these titles, even if you’re a first-time player.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Brave a New World as Stranded: Alien Dawn Lands on PC and Console Today
Purchase the compelling planet survival sim before May 9 to unlock bonus Early Adopter content
Cambridge, UK – 25 April 2023. Frontier Foundry, the games label of Frontier Developments plc (AIM: FDEV) and developer Haemimont Games, creators of the strategic sci-fi city builder, Surviving Mars, invite players to discover Stranded: Alien Dawn, a gripping new simulation, out today on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation®4, and Xbox One. Players will also receive a major day-one update on all platforms, which includes a thrilling new Military Outpost scenario.
Watch the launch trailer for Stranded: Alien Dawn here:
Players who purchase the game before May 9 2023 can expand their bases even further with an exclusive Emergency Landing Pod model and a new wooden plank construction material as part of an Early Adopter launch bonus available on all platforms.
Stranded: Alien Dawn invites players on PC and consoles to explore an Earth-like planet, filled with alien threats. Forging the story of their survivors, the player’s every decision could make or break the fate of the small, marooned group. As they adjust to their unprecedented circumstances, survivors must defend against alien wildlife attacks, grapple with unusual illnesses, and protect themselves against extreme weather to do just that: survive.
In Stranded: Alien Dawn, survivors are at the heart of the story, each bringing unique skills, traits, and histories to the group dynamic. Players must ensure that their survivors can work together when pushed to the brink, not only caring for their basic needs but providing opportunities for relaxation and entertainment for optimal happiness and productivity.
As the survivors work to transform their crash site into a thriving base, they must salvage and craft their way from a basic shelter to a high-tech fortress with automated defences. Whether crash-landing on the lush mountains of Sobrius or the dry canyons of Desertum, each region offers an array of vibrant flora and fauna, along with natural resources which can be researched and exploited to ensure the group can flourish in their unforgiving new surroundings.
During its time in PC early access, players enjoyed several major content updates, bringing a stunning new region plus expanded gameplay – from animal taming to impactful new moons, and much more. Arriving with today’s launch, the Military Outpost scenario brings exciting new ways to play. Rich new content challenges players to select the ultimate team of survivors and succeed against all odds, by constructing an Ansible Relay to enable interstellar communications. The action-packed scenario introduces a new survivor, new technologies, and a range of innovative combat and defence options to research.
Stranded: Alien Dawn launches today on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation®4 and Xbox One for a suggested retail price of £29.99/$34.99/€34.99.
About Stranded: Alien Dawn Brave a new world in Stranded: Alien Dawn, a planet survival sim where the fate of a small group hinges on your every choice. Make vital decisions to protect survivors from starvation, disease, extreme weather and more. From basic camps to fortified bases, create a stronghold to defend against hostile alien wildlife that roam an expansive 3D landscape. Devise innovative solutions to problems and manage multiple unforeseen crises at the same time, ensure the survivors live to see another sunrise while on this epic and unpredictable journey.
About Frontier Frontier Developments plc (AIM: FDEV) is a leading independent developer and publisher of videogames founded in 1994 by David Braben, co-author of the iconic Elite game. Based in Cambridge, Frontier uses its proprietary COBRA game development technology to create innovative genre-leading games, primarily for personal computers and videogame consoles. As well as self-publishing internally developed games, Frontier also publishes games developed by carefully selected partner studios under its Frontier Foundry games label.
About Frontier FoundryFrontier Foundry is the games label of Frontier Developments. By forming partnerships with quality external developers and leveraging the company’s proven publishing expertise, Frontier Foundry is best placed to bring players unique and memorable new games that break boundaries and create legacies.
About Haemimont Games Haemimont Games is an independent game development team brought together by a common passion: to thrill, engage and provoke gamers worldwide. The studio is behind Tropico 3, 4 and 5, Surviving Mars and Victor Vran. Their latest creations include Stranded: Alien Dawn and Jagged Alliance 3.
VR support for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index, and Windows Mixed Reality alongside gamepad, keyboard and mouse input
TOKYO – 25 April 2023 –Paranormal Hunter, the co-op survival horror game set in haunted locations full of malevolent spirits from EALoGAMES, prepares to plague players’ worst nightmares with a Steam Early Access launch on Monday, May 22, 2023. The dread will spread onto PlayStation 5|4 and Nintendo Switch alongside a PC 1.0 release in late 2023.
Step into a wicked realm of paranormal phenomena in insidious environments brought to life with immersive VR support. Explore terrifying locations alone or with up to four friends in online co-op while carrying out spine-chilling investigations. Scour each stage for key objects and clues before completing a banishing ritual capable of eradicating the evil ghosts that stalk each location, all while a fearsome presence pursues the party with murderous intent.
Equip investigative tools to detect otherworldly disturbances and stay alert for things that go bump in the night. Discern the difference between creaking floors and spectral moans while unlocking doors and progressing deeper into distributing environments. Shine spirit-repelling flashlights to fight back against unwelcome entities, tune ghost sensors, and coordinate with fellow investigators to collect cursed items and earn extra cash between missions.
Race against the clock to perform banishing rituals before malevolent spirits capture the party. A single unfortunate encounter with a ghostly pursuer sends humans into a crippling stupor, damaging their sanity and threatening to send them to an early grave. Revive co-op partners from death by dread quickly and stay cautious during investigations to increase the odds of survival. Enjoy a tense and terrifying specter-hunting experience with crossplay for both VR devices and keyboard/gamepad users, allowing everyone to steel their nerves and become a Paranormal Hunter.
“We wanted to create an authentic, immersive experience inspired by both Japanese and Western horror imagery,” said Takatoshi Tatsusuremi, founder, EALoGames. “We invite players to bring their friends into the terrifying world of Paranormal Hunter when it arrives on Steam Early Access this May.”
Paranormal Hunter launches on Steam Early Access on Monday, May 22, 2023, for $9.99, with VR support for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index, and Windows Mixed Reality devices. It will offer English, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Simplified Chinese-language support.
For more information, please visit the official website, follow Paranormal Hunter on Twitter and Facebook, and wishlist Paranormal Hunter on Steam.
About EALoGAMES
Established in 2018 by Takatoshi Tatsumi, EALoGAMES (Entertainment Art Logic Games) is a Tokyo-based team consisting of elite industry veterans with credits on famous console titles including Shenmue, Shenmue II, and Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine. Paranormal Hunter is the studio’s first title and seeks to infuse all of their future work with passion for the process of game development.
Dallas, TX – April 24, 2023 – Vexlands, the open-world crafting adventure developed by Emberheart Games and published by Apogee Entertainment, sets off to build a homestead on Steam for PC, GOG and the Epic Games Store in early 2024.
Forge a safe haven in the midst of a long cursed worldscape, and embark on a journey to discover the source of the surroundings’ ill fate. In this peculiar, all but vacant landscape, discover remnants of the past that tell tales of the disappearance of humanity. Explore and expand into the unknown while on the hunt for food sources and relics, and craft items to increase chances of survival.
Gather resources in exchange for precious coins, and spend hard-earned money to unlock nearby territories. Each parcel purchase is a gamble and permanently introduces good or bad elements into the ecosystem. Fruitful new areas can add positives to the world like raw materials, food sources, and new dungeons, while unlucky land grabs unleash dangerous enemies and enact natural disasters with surprising effects on the surroundings.
Every playthrough offers a one-of-a-kind experience thanks to a procedurally generated world with dynamic weather. Pray for light rain to water crops, but fear storms capable of flooding farm grounds. Meteor strikes and lightning can crush buildings, but yield rare materials in the wreckage. And don’t forget to make it home before dark for a strategic advantage against the monsters lurking at night.
Outfit a thriving home base with supplies and defensive structures, and rest between quests into the unknown across five biomes. Harvest trees and foliage to provide tools and sustenance, and build crafting stations to upgrade gear. Discover local livestock and herd them homeward to create ongoing food sources, and construct buildings to speed up resource production and efficiency. Collect multi-purpose herbs that can be used for cooking up stamina-building meals or as part of alchemy recipes for potions to increase health, speed and defense.
Slash, dash and magic blast enemies to smithereens during jaunts into new territory, and prioritize a plethora of abilities with extensive skill trees. Focus on farming, production and storage upgrades to craft the perfect homestead, and level up adventuring skills to make quick work of enemies during skirmishes and dastardly dungeon crawls.
“Vexlands shines in its customizability. Each playthrough is a new experience that lends itself to different playstyles,” says Scott Miller, Founder of Apogee Entertainment. “Between a beautiful procedurally generated world, a completely custom progression system and a pinch of coziness, a unique adventure awaits for every player and every playthrough.”
Vexlands is now in development, headed to Steam for PC, GOG and the Epic Games Store in 2024. For more information, please connect with the official Emberheart Games website, as well as the legendary publisher Apogee Entertainment on their official website, Twitter, Discord, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
About Apogee Entertainment
Apogee Software’s pioneering journey began in 1987, when Scott Miller decided to split his new game, Kingdom of Kroz, into three episodes, with the first episode available as free shareware. The “Apogee model” of distribution revolutionized PC gaming at the time and catapulted Apogee Software to global renown. As an indie publisher, Apogee (and its later incarnation, 3D Realms) would introduce the world to id Software, Remedy Entertainment, Parallax Software, and other video game superstars in the making. As a developer, Apogee would innovate and inspire in equal measure, creating treasured characters and franchises like Duke Nukem, Max Payne, Shadow Warrior, and Prey en route to earning over a billion dollars.
The new Apogee Entertainment, with founder Scott Miller and longtime partner Terry Nagy at the helm, will empower today’s incredibly talented indie developers, paving the way for their global success with innovative ideas, cutting-edge marketing, and the same fearlessness that changed the industry.
Emberheart Games
The lead developer on Vexlands is Primoz Vovk of Emberheart Games, whose previous work includes recent remasters of past Apogee hits from the 90’s, like Crystal Caves, Secret Agent, and Monster Bash. Vexlands is an all-new IP and collaboration between Apogee and Emberheart on an IP owned by Apogee.
LONDON, UK – April 24, 2023 – Become a private detective and solve murder cases, robberies, vandalism reports and more in Shadows of Doubt, an immersive sandbox detective sim, available today on Steam Early Access.
Think like a private investigator in a unique crime-solving experience, using a variety of gadgets to investigate each case and track down a serial killer. Explore fully simulated cities and meet individual citizens each with their own name, job, apartment and daily routine. Track down suspects and approach each case your way: scan fingerprints, check call histories, read private emails, bribe citizens, watch CCTV, or pick locks, break down doors and sabotage security systems – there are multiple ways to solve each case.
For its initial launch into Steam Early Access, Shadows of Doubt includes ‘The Dead of Night’ – a specially crafted case to introduce the game – and a Sandbox Mode, featuring an endless number of cases to investigate and civilians to meet, a variety of equipment and dense procedurally-generated cities to explore.
ColePowered Games today also revealed the first look at a roadmap of free content and features coming to Shadows of Doubt during Early Access, ahead of a full 1.0 release scheduled for later this year. Coming in Q2 2023, the game’s first major update will introduce a brand new side job, along with a new building type and additional NPC interactions, with additional updates planned for Q3 and Q4 2023.
“I’m so excited to finally invite players into the world of Shadows of Doubt and delighted by the early press reaction to the game,” said Cole Jefferies, Founder & Director at ColePowered Games. “Shadows of Doubt has been a dream of mine for a very long time, so to finally see the game in players’ hands is an incredible feeling. I hope players love the game’s immersive crime-solving experience, and look forward to the additional content coming as we work towards a full 1.0 release.”
About ColePowered Games ColePowered Games is an indie development studio founded by Cole Jefferies, currently working on stealth detective game ‘Shadows of Doubt’. Previously developed city building puzzler ‘Concrete Jungle’.
About Fireshine Games Fireshine Games is a global publisher of digital and physical videogames based in London, England. Originally established in 2014 under the name Sold Out, Fireshine Games works with studio giants such as Team 17, Rebellion and Frontier Developments as well as introducing new indie dev studios to the world like Pugstorm, Stonewheat & Sons, Spiral Circus, ColePowered Games and many more – publishing for physical and digital distribution. Fireshine is also part of the EG7 group of companies.
First ever collaboration between Popeye and World of Warships to feature in-game commanders and exclusive items, while raising awareness for World Ocean Month in June
AUSTIN, TX (April 24, 2023) — Wargaming, the publisher and developer of the leading naval multiplayer World of Warships, has today announced an official partnership with pop-culture icon Popeye the Sailor Man in a special collaboration recognizing World Ocean Month. This collaboration will take place in tandem with a charity partnership, to be announced ahead of the content becoming available to purchase. Taking place every June, World Ocean Month is an annual celebration of our ocean and a platform to raise awareness of the work needed to maintain the Earth’s greatest ecosystem.
The Popeye Charity Bundle will include in-game commanders Popeye and Bluto, including bespoke voiceovers, two flags, and a unique camouflage for the Tier VII USS Colorado.
Popeye, the iconic, spinach-eating sailor, and clean ocean advocate, is owned by King Features Syndicate, a unit of Hearst and home to some of the world’s most popular entertainment characters. A longtime advocate for ocean conservation, in 2020, Popeye announced his representation of The SeaCleaners, an organization that focuses on long-term and worldwide preservation of the ocean, joining its fight against plastic pollution and raising awareness of its ocean conservation efforts. This partnership with Wargaming continues Popeye’s commitment to sustainability and ocean conservation.
World of Warships is the world’s leading free to play naval warfare from Wargaming, where players battle against each other in the largest library of historically accurate war vessels from the 20th Century. With the game’s deep roots in the military community, Wargaming has an established track record of supporting veteran and historical non-profit organisations.
“Popeye the Sailor Man is a beloved childhood favourite for many of us here at Wargaming, so having the opportunity to bring him to our waters is an honour. It feels even more special knowing we are making a contribution to raising awareness about the ocean preservation while bringing joy to our players,” commented Marko Valentic, Global Business Development and Communications Director at Wargaming.
“As one of the world’s most recognizable pop-culture sailors, we could not think of a better gaming partner for Popeye than World of Warships,” said Jarred Goro, vice president, licensing, North America, King Features. “We are thrilled that World of Warships passion for ocean conversation matches our own and we look forward to bringing this in-game collaboration to fans around the world.”
About World of Warships World of Warships is a free, historical, online combat PC game from Wargaming. With its massive fleet of most iconic war vessels, including five different ship classes and strategically designed environment, World of Warships provides the ultimate naval warfare gaming experience, suitable for everyone. Thanks to its largest collection of historically accurate ships available to play, World of Warships prides itself as a digital ship museum and a focal point for naval history enthusiasts. New thematic content and innovative game modes are being added on a regular basis, providing a diverse and exciting gameplay to its broad player base.
One franchise – multiple platforms After the successful launch of World of Warships on PC, its unique gameplay and design has been adapted to bring free massive naval battles to other platforms with World of Warships: Legends available on PlayStation and Xbox and World of Warships Blitz on iOS and Android mobile devices.
About Wargaming Wargaming is an award-winning online game developer and publisher headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus. Operating since 1998, Wargaming has grown to become one of the leaders in the gaming industry with 16 offices around the world, including studios in Chicago, Prague, Shanghai, Tokyo, Vilnius and Belgrade. Millions of players enjoy Wargaming’s titles across all major gaming platforms. Our flagship products include the free-to-play hits World of Tanks, World of Warships and World of Tanks Blitz.
About Popeye Sailor. Tough guy. Hero. Legend. That’s Popeye. He’s an underdog with bulging forearms, a mean uppercut and a love of canned spinach; he is unassuming, unsophisticated and undeterred by a challenge. From the minute he walked into the comic strip “Thimble Theatre” and muttered his famous “Ja think I’m a cowboy?” line, Popeye the Sailor Man captured the hearts of millions of fans around the globe. As the star of his own comics strips and animated content on the big screen and small, Popeye became quickly ingrained in American culture and today remains one of the most recognizable pop culture icons in the world. For more information, visit www.popeye.com.
About King Features King Features is a premier producer and distributor of the world’s most iconic intellectual properties and a leader in classic character licensing and franchise development. With one of the longest-running consumer products programs in the industry, King Features’ portfolio includes world-renowned pop culture brands such as Popeye®, Cuphead, Flash Gordon™, The Phantom™, Hägar the Horrible, Moomin, Prince Valiant® and Mandrake the Magician. King Features produced the Emmy nominated series The Cuphead Show! with Netflix Animation which debuted in 2022. As content syndication specialists, the company distributes beloved comics such as Blondie, Beetle Bailey®, Mutts™ and dozens of others as well as columns, editorial cartoons and puzzles across multiple platforms and content providers around the globe. King Features is part of Hearst Newspapers, which publishes 24 dailies and 52 weeklies, including the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle and Times Union (Albany, New York), and operates local digital marketing services and directories.
When it comes to drawing attention to a new property, few things work quite as well as using a familiar face that fans love, especially those that grew up in the late ’80s and ’90s, as part of the game’s debut. Now, what happens when you take not just one familiar face but an entire star-studded cast of some of the most popular B movie actors of the age and build a game around them? Well, you get Crime Boss: Rockay City which looks to capitalize on its ‘90s crime filled setting and skilled cast of well-known actors and actresses to offer a fresh take on building a criminal empire only to stumble heavily for a number of reasons.
Story
The fictional Rockay City in Florida has been a hot-bed of crime making it a perfect place for someone looking to make their mark in the crime world to stake their claim and Travis Baker is ready to do just that. When the “King” of the criminal underground is suddenly removed from the picture, it creates a massive power vacuum just waiting for the right person to step up, even if it means taking on four other powerful gangs and dealing with an ever increasing police presence to do it.
Most of what Crime Boss: Rockay City has to offer in the way of storytelling comes from its primary gameplay mode, Baker’s Battle, that plays out in a sort-of roguelike manner. As players advance through the days they will encounter various events, first introducing many of the famous actors that appear throughout the game as well before focusing more on showcasing the criminal elements and rise to crime. Being a roguelike, players are expected to die and restart the story a bit better off each time while also experiencing different events and, for the most part, Crime Boss: Rockay City handles this well-enough after the initial introductions as players never quite know just quite how their rivals may act while playing through the campaign each time though there is a lot of recycling done throughout multiple events.
The biggest highlights of the missions and events players can undertake are the various side-stories that feature original characters that actually have mostly complete stories to experience that see players take on new types of missions ranging from a mercenary on the hunt for a certain briefcase, a soldier fighting battles in the Vietnam war, and more. These side-stories are time-limited and often have some solid semblance of storytelling on their own but unfortunately the actual story development of Baker’s crew and the writing itself is a massive letdown even when paired up with the way each playthrough unfolds. This is primarily thanks to the fact that the title squanders the star power it has as, outside of Michael Madsen’s handling of Baker, Michael Rooker as Touchdown, and perhaps Danny Glover as the aptly named Gloves nearly all of the other characters barely play a role in the game. Even Damion Poitier and Kim Basinger, who work as Baker’s close aides in his criminal schemes, are handled poorly with stiff cutscene interactions. Other crime bosses barely feel like they play a role other than having a celebrity face, with a few notable characters literally having no dialogue. Combine the squandered celebrities with a mostly generic rise to power filled with recycled scenes and awkwardly stilted cutscenes and players will find themselves struggling to find reasons to go through Baker’s Battle once they’ve succeeded.
Gameplay
Crime Boss: Rockay City offers a handful of gameplay modes though players will likely be spending the majority of their time playing through the story mode that is the previously mentioned Baker’s Battle. This is because the other two modes available in the game, Crime Time and Urban Legends are incredibly generic and simply place players in the same type of missions that they experience in the campaign mode. Crime Time allows players to team up with three other players online to complete heists or other operations while Urban Legends also allow players to play online with a team of other players or even bots in a small set of missions, also taken from the campaign, with a thin veneer of a story stringing them together.
Successfully becoming the new King of Rockay City’s criminal underground involves taking over all of the territory on the map and doing so will require a lot of cash and firepower. Players will obtain money daily from the various territories they own as well as from small-scale robberies such as robbing small stores, other gangs’ warehouses, and even lifting things from a police investigation but the biggest scores come from large scale targets. These missions involve breaking into a bank, smashing into an armored car, and many other lucrative opportunities. Regardless of the size of the heist, players can bring up to four team members with them on a mission though each member of the crew, outside of the boss himself, can only go on one mission a day and if they happen to die, they will be gone forever and if Baker himself dies then the entire run is finished.
All robberies play out in a mostly similar fashion as the crew arrives on the scene and must try their best to obtain their loot without raising too much of an alarm. Players will have three levels of suspicion before police are called with actions such as being seen on camera, caught picking a lock, and other acts raising it by one level a piece. Of course, shooting anyone will immediately trigger a fight but unfortunately stealth is often a complete non-starter in the game. Whether it is a stealth kill that fails to trigger properly, cameras that can see players through obstacles, an often ineffective “intimidate” command, or even the occasional instant fail due to a random event, players will almost always find themselves in a shootout with the police one way or another.
Ally AI is thankfully rather intelligent as they will properly shoot at police and rival gangsters though they will often opt to leave loot behind rather than grab bags though this can be remedied by simply tossing bags at them and grabbing more yourself. As for the enemy AI, things are a bit of a mixed bag. Police come in waves of ever increasing power and can often feel like they are simply funneling into a kill zone without any challenge while, at other times and on lower threat levels, players will find themselves dropped with pinpoint accuracy from a distance away. As for the gunplay, players will find a wide-array of weapons available to them and each weapon, with the exception of a few pistols and one of the assault rifles, feel incredibly stiff and unresponsive when used in combat. Rapid fire guns are the worst in this regard with SMGs and LMGs feeling completely lackluster when fired though melee is also completely ineffective when not done as a stealth attack… when it properly registers.
Outside of the heists players will find themselves needing to take over and defend territories from rival gangs. Some locations can be completely empty and can be taken over at the cost of a few soldiers to defend the area though most will see players needing to lead a team to assault a location. Playing as Touchdown, they will take part in a Team Deathmatch style of gameplay where they must eliminate a certain number of enemies before taking down their Lieutenant to take over a location while defending simply sees players having to eliminate all attacking enemies. This deathmatch gameplay is simplistic at best and glitchy at worst as there were a couple of battles that saw enemies spawn directly in front of the character, riddling them with bullets instantly at the cost of a life. Along these same lines, ally AI can be rather iffy in territory battles with players often needing to do the lion’s share of the work even when bringing a surplus of soldiers with them.
Unfortunately, outside of the special missions that see players taking on the role of an original character in a side-story, that is all the gameplay boils down to, two separate modes that will be repeated ad nauseum throughout the game with only a little variation depending on the level. Players will never find themselves interacting with other crime bosses nor will they even interact with Chuck Norris as the detective outside of him appearing when the player either dies or is captured by the police at the end of a run. This lack of actual content from the celebrity cast is a shock considering the star power Crime Boss: Rockay City has at its fingertips or even mission variety is a massive disappointment that quickly begins to drag.
Being a roguelike, players will level up their Crime Boss as they make their way through the campaign. Every level players can choose from one of three perks that will carry over permanently, ranging from increased health and damage for Travis, earning more money from loot, having better starting gear or extra territories, and more. These little bonuses are a nice way to make sure every subsequent run is a little easier but, as mentioned before, the lack of standard mission variety is the biggest damper to rerunning through the game.
Visuals & Audio
With Crime Boss: Rockay City bringing so much star power to the table it only makes sense that the development team put as much effort as possible into creating authetic looking facial scans of the cast. The characters in the game look absolutely fantastic with cutscenes looking realistic as characters talk with one another. The city is also well-detailed with plenty of neon lights and fancy looking explosions though there is a lack of map variety that will quickly become apparent. Even the designs of the guns are nicely handled with some of the more powerful weapons having unique looking paint jobs or etchings to make them stand out from standard firearms.
Unfortunately for as impressive as the cutscenes and the characters in them look, the way they sound is often quite terrible. Despite having talented actors as part of their cast, most of the voice work must have been recorded in separate sessions and, especially in Chuck Norris’ case, awful sound booths. Madsen, Glover, and Rooker sound perfectly fine and fit their characters quite nicely even if they are playing their signature roles turned up to the max but the rest of the cast, if they talk at all, sound quite terrible with stilted conversations. Thankfully the soundtrack features a great collection of background music that fits perfectly with the ‘90s setting and criminal themes.
Overall
When Crime Boss: Rockay City was first shown off it highlighted its celebrity cast and ability to rise through the crime world in fantastic fashion and at its core it has that type of potential but it has fallen short in almost every regard here outside of some stellar looking facial captures. Perhaps due to a lack of time or money the game lacks polish in nearly every regard with repetitive gameplay, lackluster storytelling, and a near complete squandering of its celebrity cast. Crime Boss: Rockay City has potential in its bones to be something far better than it is now but unfortunately this crime boss is better left sleeping with the fishes.
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