London (April 19, 2023) During today’s Monster Hunter™ Rise: Sunbreak Digital Event, the valiant knight Dame Fiorayne announced Free Title Update 5 arrives on April 20, 2023 for Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak. This update features two challenging new monsters to face, including Risen Shagaru Magala and the Looming Calamity itself, Amatsu. Alongside these imposing combatants, the Anomaly Investigations level cap has been increased, two Risen Elder Dragons will be added to Anomaly Research Quests, an update is coming to the Melding Pot, new Special Investigations were unveiled, and even more Event Quests are on the way.
Amatsu is a fearsome Elder Dragon that bends the weather to its will, and when confronted is capable of summoning storms and lightning strikes that are rumored to have wiped a city completely off the map. As if a god of destruction was not enough for Kamura’s “The Fierce” to handle, Risen Shagaru Magala has managed to use its overwhelming power to dominate the Qurio, infecting it to achieve an even more fearsome form. Amatsu will be available from MR10, and Risen Shagaru Magala will be unlocked at MR180. Hunters able to topple these towering tormentors will be rewarded with materials and components to craft new gear complete with unique skills.
In addition to contending with these titans, hunters are also able to tackle two additional Risen Elder Dragons in Anomaly Research Quests, and face even more challenges with the new Anomaly Investigation level cap of 300. All of the afflicted materials from these hunts can be used at the Melding Pot with the new “Qurious Melding” feature that allows for even more skill customization. You’ll want a perfected loadout before attempting the new Special Investigations that unlock after completing an Anomaly Investigation at level 300. These Special Investigations feature monsters with a variety of power-ups including increased strength and more far-reaching attacks.
More Event Quests are also on the way, offering various rewards including poses, the Bloodmalice Layered Armor, the Buff Body Layered Armor, and even Lagombi Ears. The new “Monster & Elgado Music: Chill Version” paid BGM pack offers an assortment of laid back songs for hunters to relax and study the blade to. There are also other new paid DLC options for face paint, layered armor, hairstyles, and more! The voices of Sir Jae and Oboro the Merchant will be made available to hunters, alongside the hairstyle of the one and only genius scientist, Bahari.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak will release for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, PlayStation®5, and PlayStation®4 on April 28, 2023. At launch it will contain content up to Free Title Update 3 (Ver.13), which includes harrowing encounters such as Chaotic Gore Magala. Ver.14 and onward will be made available after Summer 2023, so keep an eye out for more updates!
About Capcom
Capcom is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment for game consoles, PCs, handheld and wireless devices. Founded in 1983, the company has created hundreds of games, including groundbreaking franchises Resident Evil™, Monster Hunter™, Street Fighter™, Mega Man™, Devil May Cry™ and Ace Attorney™. Capcom maintains operations in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Tokyo, with corporate headquarters located in Osaka, Japan. More information about Capcom and its products can be found at www.capcom.com or news.capcomusa.com.
Capcom, and the Capcom logo are registered trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd. in the U.S. or other countries. Ace Attorney, Devil May Cry, Mega Man, Monster Hunter, Resident Evil and Street Fighter are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd. and/or its subsidiaries, in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
Early access launch includes two expansive regions to explore
LOS ANGELES – April 19, 2023 –Survival: Fountain of Youth, the single-player survival game set in the 16th-century Caribbean islands from developer Odinsoft and publisher Twin Sails Interactive, makes landfall with its Steam Early Access launch for Windows PC today. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions will dock at port alongside the full future 1.0 launch.
What started as Juan Ponce de Leon’s legendary 16th-century expedition for the Fountain of Youth leads to waking up disoriented on an unfamiliar island after a terrible storm. Shipwrecked and stranded with limited resources, get to work securing shelter, scavenging food and water, and staying healthy as diseases and predators loom.
Create a base of operations to store materials and craft tools before adventuring outward. Search for points of interest and clues relating to both the missing crewmembers and the mysterious civilization that once called these islands home. Could the Fountain of Youth lie here somewhere?
Traverse two expansive regions in the early access version of Survival: Fountain of Youth, with plans for two major content updates adding new regions and islands during early access, and a fifth region arriving at the 1.0 and console launch.
Scour for materials to assemble an arsenal of weapons and tools from simple spears to gunpowder muskets, transform basic lean-tos into cozy cabins, and develop skills to spend survival points that unlock valuable perks. Surviving and escaping the islands requires careful planning and preparation, with wild animals and tropical storms throwing a spanner in the works.
Set sail on a range of seafaring ships to explore new islands and locations. Start with a primitive raft before upgrading to capable Spanish vessels that cut through waves. Use ships as a floating base or set up camps on different islands to facilitate longer exploration missions to uncover secrets and clues related to the story experience. Survival: Fountain of Youth encourages both player-defined adventuring and story-driven questing, allowing everyone to play at their own pace.
The teams at Odinsoft and Twin Sails Interactive are huge fans of the survival genre and the specific setting and story of Survival: Fountain of Youth. In understanding the complexity of choices and interactions they aim to offer players, both teams are eager to launch the game in early access to fine-tune the experience and improve the game based on player feedback. Today’s launch represents the beginning of a journey. Content and features will be added regularly, and bugs will be resolved as they are discovered. Working together with the playerbase and community, Odinsoft and Twin Sails Interactive look forward to receiving precious feedback during early access and will implement ideas and concepts introduced by conversations with the community.
“Survival: Fountain of Youth blends a historical setting with open-ended survival mechanics to create a challenging and rewarding experience for those that love exploration,” said Stas Ignatov, Head of Publishing, Odinsoft. “Entering early access is an adventure unto itself, and we look forward to embarking on this journey with players today on Steam!”
Survival: Fountain of Youth is now available on Steam Early Access for Windows PC for 20.69 USD / 17.38 GBP / 30.22 AUD after a 10% launch discount available through April 26 (22.99 USD / 19.32 GBP / 33.58 AUD before discount). Survival: Fountain of Youth features English, French, German, Russian, and Simplified Chinese language support.
Twin Sails Interactive is an international video game publisher, part of the Asmodee Group, an Embracer company since March 2022. Based in Paris, our team of passionate professionals partners with developers to help drive their titles to success. Originally known as a specialist of digital board-game adaptations under the name Asmodee Digital, Twin Sails expands Asmodee’s reach into original, creative titles aimed at a wide audience on PC and consoles. Following the release of the acclaimed Gloomhaven adaptation and the well-received early access launch of Ember Knights, Twin Sails is publishing AA titles such as Survival: Fountain of Youth, indie gems Wantless, Innchanted, News Tower and Amberial Dreams, with more yet to be announced.
Odinsoft is an independent game development studio based in Los Angeles, Calif., with development offices in Turkey. Composed of numerous game-industry veterans, Odinsoft seeks to create highly immersive experiences for players across the globe. Survival: Fountain of Youth is Odinsoft’s debut title.
For more information about Odinsoft, please visit the official website.
Take a look at Sunsoft’s upcoming releases for 2023 in a new livestream broadcast tomorrow
Nagoya, Japan -–April 19, 2023 — Sunsoft is back with even bigger plans in 2023, and you can get a glimpse at what the legendary team has in store soon. Sunsoft is pulling back the curtain on its upcoming releases in a new digital showcase airing April 20, 2023, on the official Sunsoft YouTube channel with Vtuber Sunsoft Nosuke as your host.
2022 was the year of Sunsoft’s resurrection after years of silence, and 2023 is shaping up to be even busier. To start, Sunsoft will be sharing more information on their upcoming release of the iconic NES platformer Gimmick and the standalone release of its equally iconic soundtrack.
Additionally, Sunsoft will preview two more upcoming games during the broadcast
The Sunsoft broadcast will air live at 7 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on April 20, 2023, but you can also catch the VOD recording with support for English captions at any time.
Live streaming in Japanese will be held at 3:00 pm (JST) on Apr 20. English version will be released at 6:00 am (PST):
About SUNSOFT
SUNSOFT is the video game division of Japanese electronics manufacturer SUNCORPORATION, established in 1971. In October 1978, SUNSOFT began to develop video games in arcades with two titles, Block Challenger and Block Perfect. We had several arcade hits in the early 1980s such as Arabian, Ikki and Kangaroo. On July 25, 1985 we released the first Famicom (NES) title Super Arabian in Japan under the SUNSOFT brand. SUNSOFT is known for being a retro-game developer and publisher of such titles as Gimmick! , Blaster Master, Spy Hunter , BATMAN , Tripwprld , Uforia the Saga, etc. For more information, visit sunsoft.jp/en and follow us on Twitter. (@sunsoftgames) https://twitter.com/sunsoftgames
Unleash the power of the beat in this fast-paced rhythm-action FPS featuring dazzling firefights, an original multi-genre soundtrack, and custom music gameplay!
STOCKHOLM – April 19, 2023 – Indie developer Jaw Drop Games and publisher Raw Fury are ready to hit play on a musical uprising! GUN JAM, the fast-paced, rhythm-action first-person shooter where you’ve gotta blast, dash and kick to the beat to survive, is out today on PC via Steam for $19.99, with a bonus 10% limited-time launch discount making it $17.99 until April 26. Groove out to action-packed firefights with unique beat-matching mechanics synced to a multi-genre original soundtrack – or import your favorite music and create your own custom beatmaps to play along to!
Inspired by classic retro shooters and arcade games, GUN JAM delivers over-the-top rhythm action featuring a variety of characters with distinct abilities and vibrant maps that sync to the music. Rack up high scores with an array of powerful weapons against hordes of challenging enemies and bosses, all set to a high-energy soundtrack running the gamut from EDM to heavy metal to trap, or whatever mix you import from your personal music library.
Key Features
Survive dazzling firefights synced to an original, multi-genre soundtrack of EDM, heavy metal, and trap.
Import your favorite music and shoot to the beat of your own custom gameplay soundtracks! Use GUN JAM’s music importer* to create personalized beatmaps and play along to whatever tunes you like on any map.
Master GUN JAM’s signature beat-pattern mechanic – shoot, dash, kick and rocket jump to the beat against waves of foes to claim the high score.
Play as different characters, each with their own unique attributes and Overdrive ability.
Dish out heavy damage with powerful weapons like the Railgun, Double-Barrel Shotgun, Rocket Launcher and Plasma Rifle.
Take on hordes of challenging enemies and bosses featuring distinct attacks and behaviors.
GUN JAM VR, a deeply immersive spin on the core GUN JAM experience, is also available now on Meta Quest 2.
*GUN JAM supports MP3, WAV, FLAC and OGG files.
Warning: GUN JAM contains flashing images. If you experience epileptic seizures or blackouts when exposed to certain light patterns or flashing lights, please immediately stop playing and consult a doctor.
About Jaw Drop Games
Jaw Drop Games is an independent game studio based in the U.K. and a collective of experienced, award-winning game development professionals. We blend AAA production values with independent originality and creativity. Our goal is to create games with jaw-dropping moments.
Raw Fury is a boutique indie (un)publisher founded in 2015 by Jonas Antonsson, Gordon Van Dyke, and David Martinez. We don’t care about genres or mechanics. We care about experiences and emotions. We want to help developers make magic.
The campaign to save humanity begins, and a new hero emerges inAge of Darkness: Final Stand’sbiggest update yet.
Melbourne, Australia – 11PM AEST 19 April, 2023– The fight for humanity begins today with PlaySide Studios and Team17 releasing Flames of Retribution, the latest – and largest – update for the critically-acclaimed dark fantasy survival real-time strategy game, Age of Darkness: Final Stand.
Flames of Retribution includes: Act I and Act II of Final Stand, the game’shighly-anticipated and long-awaited campaign mode; a new hero for The Order in Survival Mode, Merek; alongside new Survival Mode improvements. In Flames of Retribution,players will cast back The Veil to reveal secrets of the grim, dark world of Erodar across the prologue and seven engaging campaign missions, confronting monsters both human and Nightmare in the process.
Watch our thrilling launch trailer now
Additionally, PlaySide Studios and Team17 are pleased to announce the follow-up content update, Exile’s Return will launch later this year. This upcoming content update will include the world-shattering conclusion of the campaign and addition of an aggressive new Survival Mode hero.
Read the full patch notes here, check out a new showcase trailer for Merek, and read breakdown of his hard-hitting abilities below:
Drinks on Me! (Level 1): Merek’s passive Skill is unlocked from Level 1. Drinks on Me! will activate once Merek takes enough damage, whereby he will then heal allies around him for 5% of his maximum HP. When Merek’s Ultimate, Holy Protector, is active, Drinks on Me! will also heal Merek.
Crushing Weight (Level 2): At Level 2, Merek leaps into action with his active Skill, Crushing Weight. This Skill gives Merek the ability to jump forward, slamming into the ground to damage and stun enemies within an Area of Effect radius. Merek also regains armour for each Nightmare slain, scaling per level.
Halberd Hurricane (Level 4): Merek comes in like a destructive force at Level 4 with Halberd Hurricane! The Bolstering Might sweeps his Halberd in a 360 degree arc, damaging all units in the area. There is also a chance to proc Drinks on Me! when he kills an enemy using this skill. Halberd Hurricane can be used multiple times in quick succession and the amount of uses that can be stored increases as Merek levels up. The time it takes for each use to be stored also reduced with each level.
Holy Protector (Level 6): At Level 6, Merek gains the ability to buff and support his loyal comrades with Holy Protector. When this Skill is activated, Merek temporarily grants nearby allies Armour equal to his maximum and recovers it to that maximum if it has been damaged – this applies even to units that don’t ordinarily have Armour. While Merek’s Ultimate is active, Drink’s on Me! also restores health to Merek. Holy Protector also buffs Merek’s other skills by temporarily increasing the area of effect.
Currently in Steam Early Access, Age of Darkness: Final Stand features proprietary SwarmTech technology allowing over 70,000 enemies – the Nightmares – to be rendered on screen simultaneously, as they try to overcome player’s attempts to defend humanity’s last vestiges of hope.
Age of Darkness: Final Stand is available in Early Access on Steam now for USD$21.99 / AUD$31.95. Flames of Retribution is free for all owners of Age of Darkness: Final Stand.
PlaySide Studios Limited is Australia’s largest publicly listed video game developer. It provides titles in a range of categories, including self-published games based on original intellectual property and game development services in collaboration with studios such as Take-Two Interactive, Activision Blizzard, Meta, Disney, Pixar, Warner Bros, and Nickelodeon. The company’s portfolio consists of 60 titles that are delivered across 4 platforms, which include mobile, virtual reality, augmented reality, and PC. The company was incorporated in 2011, is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, and is headquartered in Port Melbourne, Australia
About Team17 Digital:
Founded in 1990, Team17 Digital is a leading developer, video games label, and creative partner for developers around the world. Part of Team17 Group plc, which floated on AIM in 2018, Team17 Digital has an extensive portfolio comprised of over 120 titles, and fully encapsulates the spirit of independent games. Team17 Digital’s portfolio of multi-award-winning and award-nominated in-house brands include Hell Let Loose, Golf With Your Friends, The Escapists, and the iconic Worms franchise, alongside its games label partner titles, including the award-winning games Blasphemous, Greak: Memories of Azur, and Overcooked! franchise.
With the Closed Beta Test approaching and the release of the game on June 16th, it’s time for players to get to know more about the intricate mechanics involved in creating and managing a park in Park Beyond.
After discovering the campaign of the game, its colourful cast, and the mind-boggling concept of impossification, this new trailer will dive into all the possibilities and resources at the hands of the players to make their business a success. How do shops and their inventory work? What are the visitor’s needs? How about staff? All in-depth management functions are accessible in specific tabs to keep an eye on, for a safe, fun and profitable park!
Start planning your dream park by watching the trailer here:
Creativity is also in the spotlight using your imagination and the thousands of assets provided in Park Beyond. Players looking to make their inspiration come to life, can access the Sandbox mode, create a custom game and get to work with building and decorating. Each creation can be saved and reused in future parks and contributes to the atmosphere with customized colours, light and even music! The layout of the land is also under the players’ control with terraforming and tunnelling giving an extra dimension to the parks and even rides.
Management magnates, creative visioneers or a bit of both, all playstyles can thrive in Park Beyond.
Park Beyond will release on June 16th for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Register now for the Closed Beta Test starting May 9th: https://bnent.eu/BetaPB
The Last Journey Edition includes all DLCs, including the Better Save Soul expansion, launching simultaneously on consoles
SEATTLE — 18 April 2023 —Graveyard Keeper, the dark comedy cemetery management sim from developer Lazy Bear Games and publisher tinyBuild, sends souls off with the Last Journey Edition, which includes the base game plus all DLCs on Playstation 4 and Xbox One today. The Better Save Soul expansion also cleanses sins simultaneously on consoles today.
A critically acclaimed, cult classic title since its launch in 2018, Graveyard Keeper’s Last Journey Edition celebrates the franchise by combining all of its previously released content plus the Better Save Soul DLC, now available to consoles, into one bundle, perfect for long-time fans or players looking for a new (and incredibly funny!) experience.
Awaken with bloodshot eyes and a foggy head, surrounded by raunchy townspeople in an unfamiliar medieval land as their newest… Graveyard Keeper? Brush up on some average everyday embalming, tombstone creation, and lot management. Make critical decisions with incredibly relatable ethical implications, like harvesting the organs from bountiful corpses and selling them to the local butcher for some extra dough.
Modify and upgrade zombies’ organs with the previously released Breaking Dead DLC, while trying a hand on how to run a tavern with Stranger Sins. Face the vampire terrorizing a peaceful village (or live to become a snack) with the Game of Crone expansion, bringing more horrible secrets, and allowing players to create their own refugee camps in hours of brand new gameplay.
Save souls for the sake of The Ancient Contract (and personal gain) in the Better Save Soul DLC. Help a shady new friend named Euric remove the shards of sin from his soul in return for the invaluable knowledge of remote workbench management to maximize mortuary efficiency.
“The cemetery beckons for new employees, so we’re looking forward to adding PlayStation 4 and Xbox One players to our Graveyard Keeper roster,” said Nikita Kulaga, Co-Founder, Lazy Bear Games, “We hope these new-hires pick up their shovels and enjoy our otherworldly mix of the stranger side of the medieval times, raunchy and playful dark humor, and compelling management sim.”
Graveyard Keeper Last Journey Edition launches on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One today. It includes the base game plus Breaking Dead, Stranger Sins, Game of Crone and Better Save Souls DLCs for USD $49.99. The Better Save Souls can be purchased separately for USD $9.99. It supports English, French, German, Simplified Chinese, Spanish – Spain, Brazilian Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Italian, and Polish languages. Graveyard Keeper and all DLCs are already available on PC via Steam. Starting today until Tuesday, 25 April, Steam users will enjoy a 80% discount on all Graveyard Keeper-related products.
tinyBuild is a global video game publisher and developer focused on creating long-lasting, sustainable franchises across multiple media formats. Responsible for over 70 titles including Hello Neighbor, Graveyard Keeper, and Potion Craft, the company has a dozen development studios spread across the US, EU, Serbia, and Ukraine.
About Lazy Bear Games
Lazy Bear Games is an international studio based in Lithuania, founded 13 years ago as a ‘Game Jam’ Studio! In this time, they’ve created 3 beloved IPs, Graveyard Keeper, Swag and Sorcery, and Punch Club!
There are certain games that come to mind when one thinks of troublesome development cycles and one of these titles happens to be Dead Island 2. Originally announced back in 2014, just a year after the expansion to the first game’s release, Dead Island 2 debuted to plenty of fanfare only to fall silent for years with only sporadic updates coming in the form of development teams being brought in only to be fired and replaced multiple times throughout the years. Now, nearly a decade after being announced, Dead Island 2 is back from the dead and is ready to bring the undead to LA but has this gore-filled game missed the mark or has its long development paid off?
Story
Roughly ten years have passed since the events on Banoi Island and while the world may not have realized that the zombie threat was real at the time, it is getting a full dose of mayhem now as Los Angeles finds itself overrun with undead. With the army and other forces working to evacuate as many people as possible, players watch as their six playable characters make their own way onto one of the last planes set to take off out of LAX and avoid being trapped in the outbreak. That is until a celebrity on the flight turns and starts attacking other passengers, forcing the army to shoot the plane down in an effort to contain the spread of the infection.
Here players will select their “slayer” of choice ranging from a paralympian, an exotic dancer, motorcycle stunt driver, rockstar turned stuntman, hustler, and even an Irish roller derby player each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses and set of starting skills. Regardless of the character chosen, players will emerge from the wreckage and come to the aid of another celebrity survivor from the oncoming horde of undead only to end up getting bitten as a result. Struggling against the infection, the player’s only hope is to make it to their new celebrity friend’s mansion even if it means showing up with a fresh bite as their housewarming gift. It soon becomes clear that the player’s chosen survivor just so happens to be immune to the zombie virus and not only recovers from their bite but appears faster and stronger as a result, making them a perfect zombie slaying machine and, with a bit of help from Sam B from the original game, players quickly get the hang of creating a powerful arsenal that will help them survive the streets of “Hell-A” while looking for a way out.
Dead Island 2 is an interesting title that fully utilizes its Los Angeles settingto allow players to come across a wide range of survivors with different personalities as well as plenty of different environmental storytelling clues and collectables ranging from podcast segments, voicemails, to simple notes from survivors from before, during, and after the outbreak. Nearly every location that players travel through, be it an “influencers” mansion or a classic star’s abode to smaller houses of artists, beach shops, and more will usually have layers revealing elements about what happened there before players arrived. This contextual storytelling and worldbuilding is one of the game’s greatest narrative strengths and exploring each of the different locations ranging from Bel-Air to Beverly Hills to movie studios, and of course Venice Beach and more is a delight.
One element that remains true through most of Dead Island 2 is the game’s signature approach to the zombie apocalypse as it offers plenty of enjoyable and ridiculous setpieces with plenty of humor that fits in perfectly with its LA setting, though there is certainly a darker side beneath this same humor and the title does know when to take things slow for heavier moments. While players will complete a wide array of side-quests and meet many colorful survivors along their way through the roughly thirty to forty hour game (depending on how much players wish to explore) many of the little side-stories with these survivors end rather abruptly and even mentioning tasks for players to undertake in the future only for these quests to never happen with only a few having proper resolution. In the few cases where they do occur, players are often left in the dark about the outcomes, with some potentially key elements of the outbreak left unexplained.
That is nothing compared to the actual core storyline of Dead Island 2 as, while we won’t spoil anything that happens, there are a number of interesting developments that occur at the halfway point of the game including some intriguing confrontations only for them to never have any notable payoff and some of the biggest events It’s unclear whether these main storyline quests will be addressed in future DLC, as part of the game’s season pass, or in a potential sequel, ending on such an incomplete and cliffhanging note is a major letdown, especially since a number of side-quests don’t even unlock until the post-game and, outside of a few passing NPC references, don’t address it at all.
Gameplay
In many ways Dambuster Studios has taken the original Dead Island style of gameplay and refined it, opting to evolve many of the game’s mechanics while still sticking to the tried and true first person melee combat. Of the six slayers that players will choose from they each have various stat differences that will vary their growth, with Amy being the fastest but also having the least amount of health while Ryan is almost her exact opposite, serving as a slow tank of a character and each of these characters also have a unique pair of innate skills that serve as one of the biggest changes to Dead Island 2‘s approach to character building.
First and foremost, one of the things that players will notice in Dead Island 2 is that, rather than featuring only a few large maps, the title now offers ten separate areas to explore with most of these locations being rather large in size allowing players to run around and examine various nooks and crannies to see where survivors may have hidden their treasures. One element that has been removed entirely is vehicles as there is no driving in any form here which is honestly for the best as it allows players to navigate tighter areas with ease and encourages exploration, though players will unlock fast travel points partway into the game. Players will still gather cash as well as plenty of random tidbits of junk, gunpowder, alloy, etc. that can be applied to craft ammunition, healing items, and most importantly mods for their weaponry. Some areas that players will travel through may require Fuses purchased from vendors to open and often containing valuable weaponry and rewards and a number of locked safes, suitcases, and more are also hidden throughout the environment. These locked containers can only be opened once players have killed and looted the keys from the zombie holding them and while this is an interesting way to handle special loot containers, it is a bit annoying that some keys are only held by zombies that appear incredibly late in the game, though this does encourage repeat visits to see just how the zombies have changed as the outbreak progresses.
Now, as we mentioned before, one of the most notable differences about character building in Dead Island 2 are skill cards. Rather than offering skills that can be unlocked or upgraded as the player levels up, players will instead be able to apply various Skill Cards to their characters as they obtain them from leveling up, completing specific quests, locating them in the environment, or even finishing certain challenges. Players only have a certain number of skill card slots though they can eventually unlock every type of skill card available even though some characters may obtain certain abilities first. For example, Amy will gain access to the dodge combat ability allowing her to zip out of the way of a zombie attack, leaving them open for a counterattack, as well as a powerful jump kick while Ryan can block a zombie attack and follow-up with a counter or perform a slow but devastating drop kick. Eventually players can gain access to these abilities for any survivor as well as other abilities including a war cry and other options.
Alongside these defensive moves and jump attacks players can apply various skill cards that add additional modifiers to things such as dealing extra damage with jump kicks, healing when performing a well-timed dodge, reducing cooldown time on another new mechanic called Curveballs, and much more, though many of the most unique benefits come in the form of Autophage skills. These skills, as well as powerful “Numen” abilities come as players unlock a rage ability called Fury that will turn them into a powerful zombie slaying beast that can unleash the power of the game’s signature three tough zombies as their own while in Fury mode. Alongside these abilities come tainted skills that will raise the player’s Autophage level that comes with its own unique benefits and drawbacks at three different tiers. A third tier character can deal way more damage to zombies and stay in Fury longer but also suffers from reduced health gain from food and health kits as well as no regenerating health. These skill cards can be modified at any time while playing the game to fit the player’s playstyle or potential enemy they may be facing and there are some rather powerful combinations available. That being said, there are also a number of skills that feel incredibly useless compared to others with many of these unfortunately arriving quite early in the game making it difficult to see the potential in these skill cards in the early game.
The tools that players have to dispatch the various undead they come across, be it a running zombie freshly turned and eager for flesh, a generic walker, or even an anemic shambler, will come in all shapes and sizes. This includes everything from brass knuckles, pool cues, baseball bats, crowbars, kitchen knives, cleavers, swords, pikes, and much much more. While some of these weapons are improvised and are meant only for emergencies nearly every other weapon comes in a rare, epic, or legendary quality. These weapons give players the option to mod various improvements to them using blueprints unlocked through quests, challenges, and in containers, be it making them caustic so acid damage melts the skin from zombie bones, electric to stun and shock them, or even cause bleeding damage and more. The modifications are quite detailed and there is some strategy when it comes to modifying a piece of weaponry with the higher rarity gear allowing rarer upgrades but also more of them. Weapons can be swapped quickly using the weapon wheel that slows time or with the tap of the Y button and it helps combat feel fast paced and kinetic, especially since every melee blow feels incredibly satisfying thanks to the game’s impact system and zombie gore mechanics. The previously mentioned Curveball mechanic allows players to have a bit of extra weaponry in a pinch as every character can equip two throwable Curveballs at a time with each having its own separate cooldown meter. These Curveballs can deal straight damage such as a pipe bomb or throwing stars, bait enemies away from the player, or deal elemental damage in the form of molotovs, chem-bombs, and even spike filled bombs. Firearms are also an incredibly powerful tool once players gain access to them though it is worth noting that ammo is a bit limited in the game, with vendors carrying only a few bullets and players needing to either scrounge for bullets from the environment or craft their own. It is also interesting to note that the game makes great use of environmental options for damage, be it the standard exploding barrels or even laying your own traps using Jerry Cans filled with water, gas, and even acid to create traps or soak a zombie making them more susceptible to fire, electric and other types of damage.
The different zombie types that players fight against have their own unique affinities and resistances with firefighter zombies being resistant to fire and shock damage while hazmat resists all caustic damage, making sure players always carry a variety of tools to slay their way through the hoard and that doesn’t even touch upon the numerous “Apex Variants” that will feature some familiar zombie types from the first game as well as a few that have been reworked and brand new for this entry. These Apex zombie types can be incredibly challenging and often serve as a solid obstacle when first encountered and will populate the world once players encounter them for the first time making each encounter a possibly dangerous one when mixed in with standard zombie types.
Every good zombie game has plenty of gore and while there have been a few notable gore filled games released already this year, Dead Island 2 takes the bloody cake in this category. Dambuster Studios has made sure that the zombies truly reflect the damage that players deal to them as well as what type of weapon they are using. Players can use flame that will burn the clothing and singe the skin from their bones, electricity will blacken and char, and acid can turn a zombie into a barely walking piece of bloody muscle. Utilizing blunt weaponry can smash a jaw into a dangling mess or shatter a limb with bones protruding from flesh while edged blades can slice clothing, expose intestines, and much more. Firearms and heavier attacks can blow limbs clean off an enemy let alone the signature decapitations that remain as bloody and gory as ever. Though even a zombie with no legs can still be a threat as they crawl after players looking for one last bite to the ankle before having their head stomped in. This level of gore gives combat a visceral and impactful feeling, especially when wielding large weaponry that can send the undead flying, that never gets old. That being said, there are some instances where zombie bodies can really glitch around the environment once they are slain and can even sink into the ground in some locations.
It must also be said that while engaging against the undead remains incredibly satisfying, it also rarely feels like a challenge. This comes in part due to the way death is handled in the game as players do not seem to suffer any consequences from dying against the undead and will simply respawn without losing money or even weapon durability, giving players little incentive to avoid death, though a few deaths can come rather abruptly thanks to explosions often feeling like instant kills. Combine this with the fact that players can use money, an abundant resource in my experience, to not only repair their favorite melee weapons but even spend extra to match it to their current level and players may quickly find themselves sticking to some tried and true favorites rather than experimenting with the countless weapons that drop from defeated infected or unlocked chests.
As for the quests that players undertake, Dead Island 2 offers quite a lot of variety thanks to its setting. Many of these quests tend to simply involve tracking down an object or slaying a certain zombie but some, such as Lost and Found quests involve using notes and hints around the world to track down a special weapon and are a real treat to solve as the target will only spawn once players complete every step, though one did happen to glitch during my playthrough, rewarding me with the weapon despite skipping a step. Other quests can involve unique challenges such as slaying zombies in a certain manner to help keep things fresh and encouraging player experimentation. Between structured side-quests, lost-and-found missions, and of course tracking down various keys for chests, there is a lot of content to be had here.
While we weren’t able to check out the co-op during our time with the game prior to release, the developers offer up to three players at a time, a rather odd choice since usually these titles offer four player co-op. That being said, each player in a group will receive their own unique drops and will carry over any progress they make between play sessions online with others, meaning completing various side-quests or challenges online will allow for players to take the rewards back to their own game.
Visuals & Audio
Dead Island 2 takes all of the glitz and glamor of Hollywood and makes sure to offer plenty of color in its release of Dead Island 2 as players will be treated to a number of colorful and well detailed looking maps to explore. While these are smaller areas overall, there are no load screens once players are in a location though if the player is running quickly they may notice zombies materialize from thin-air from time to time. There is a solid amount of variety to the locales that players will travel through and the vibrant colors of these locations and the designs of the zombies with their clothing as well as the aforementioned gore mechanics make this game a real treat for the eyes. It is also interesting to note that the team went the extra mile to offer a Day and Night option for every map in the game including, oddly enough, the two underground locations.
Voice acting throughout the game is handled rather well with characters fitting their roles nicely, be it portraying a drugged out rockstar, soldier making her stand, etc. It is worth noting that some dialogue did replay from time to time while re-exploring locations that were tied to a side-quest but these were rare instances. The title also features a very fitting sounding soundtrack with a notable vocal introduction theme to the action as well as some great pieces of background music that kicks up when players encounter larger groups of zombies or face off against an Apex variant as well as a number of solid rock tracks usually used for drawing the attention of the hoard.
Overall
Dead Island 2 may have taken over a decade to arrive but these undead corpses are still as fresh and bloodier than ever. With visceral combat that has some of the best looking gore and zombie model reaction to impact and weapon variation around, players will be in for quite a treat when it comes to slaying their way through Hell-A but unfortunately an incredibly limited story with an abrupt unsatisfying ending and the lack of a notable challenge prevent this title from taking full advantage of what its combat and presentation have to offer.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
It’s time to put your money where your mouth is! Return to a sunnier, wackier Barn Finders location, face new auctions, collect more priceless finds and live out your pawnstar dreams!
Barn Finders: Bid Wars DLC takes you to a whole new island so please, don’t forget your sun lotion!
Watch the date announcement trailer here
Warsaw, Poland, 18th of April 2023 – Duality Games is thrilled to announce the release of the latest DLC for their hit game Barn Finders, it’s Bid Wars. The DLC will be available on Steam for PC on May 18th for the price of $9,99.
Barn Finders: Bid Wars takes players to an exotic island filled with new features and endless entertainment. The DLC offers new solutions to existing gameplay, adding a huge new location that players can explore, an island full of color, mysteries and yes, big ticket items!
With the same old sense of humor that made Barn Finders a viral hit, players can look forward to facing new types of auctions, get to craft items, collect an amazing collection of posters, and spice up their Pawn shop to the next level.
“We’re excited to level Barn Finders up with a new and fun gameplay experience by launching the Bid Wars DLC,” said Michał Szewerniak, Game Director of Duality Games. Our community has been on the hunt for the best bargains for over three years now, so the new features and the new location expand our growing universe to offer players even more hours of light hearted entertainment and a chance at getting rich!”
Barn Finders: Bid Wars DLC will be available for purchase on Steam for PC on May 18th, and we invite all gamers to join us on this new and exciting journey.
For more information, visit Duality Games’ official website or follow them on Twitter!
