Join us on the first few cycles on Erlin’s Eye as we learn the very basics of surviving this brave new world as the operator class.
Roleplaying in the ruins of interplanetary capitalism. Live the life of an escaped worker, washed-up on a lawless station at the edge of an interstellar society. Inspired by the flexibility and freedom of TTRPGs, explore the station, choose your friends, escape your past and change your future.
Citizen Sleeper Developer: Jump Over The Age Publisher: Fellow Traveller Website: http://fellowtraveller.games/ Platform: Windows Release Date: 27 May 2022 Price: $19.99 USD
Recommended – “While the game mechanics starts to lose its pacing at the very end, Citizen Sleeper offers a great story rich experience for fans of narrative heavy games and the sci-fi genre.”
HyperX Now Shipping Clutch Wireless Gaming Controller for Hours of Mobile and PC Gaming
Sydney, Australia – May 30, 2022 – HyperX, the gaming peripherals team at HP Inc. and brand leader in gaming and esports, today announced it is now shipping the HyperX ClutchTM wireless gaming controller. HyperX Clutch wireless controller features a familiar standard full-size controller layout, comfortable ergonomic design, and textured controller grips to provide improved controls for mobile gaming. HyperX Clutch is compatible with controller-enabled games on Android mobile devices and PC.
The HyperX Clutch controller provides a comfortable gaming experience with textured controller grips and an ergonomic design that offers more comfort than holding a phone. The HyperX Clutch wireless gaming controller allows users to switch between PC and Android mobile devices with wireless support for Android mobile devices via Bluetooth®1 4.2 or a 2.4GHz wireless receiver for PC. A USB-C to USB-A cable is included as a wired connection to PC for gaming, allowing users to take full advantage of gaming on the cloud via multiple devices.
“We strive to make long-lasting and affordable products that elevate the gaming experience,” said HyperX. “The newly launched HyperX Clutch wireless controller features an ergonomic design that enhances gaming comfort for gamers playing on multiple platforms.”
HyperX Clutch controllers use a standard controller layout and provide additional Turbo and Clear buttons for a competitive edge. The Clutch wireless controller includes a convertible phone clip that can function as a tabletop tool for tablets and phones. The phone clip can securely fit phones from 41mm to 86mm and comes equipped with a built-in 600mAh rechargeable battery offering up to 19 hours of battery life2 on a single charge for longer gaming sessions.
1 Bluetooth® is a trademark owned by its proprietor and used by HP Inc. under license.
2 Actual battery life will vary with use and will naturally decrease with time and usage.
About HyperX For 19 years, HyperX’s mission has been to develop gaming solutions for every type of gamer and the company is consistently recognised for delivering products that provide superior comfort, aesthetics, performance, and reliability. Under the tagline “WE’RE ALL GAMERS,” HyperX gaming headsets, keyboards, mice, USB microphones, and console accessories are the choice of everyday gamers as well as celebrity ambassadors, pro gamers, tech enthusiasts, and overclockers worldwide because they meet the most stringent product specifications and are built with best-in-class components. For more information, please go to www.hyperx.com.
About HP Inc.
HP Inc. is a technology company that believes one thoughtful idea has the power to change the world. Its product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers, and 3D printing solutions helps bring these ideas to life. Visit http://www.hp.com.
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HyperX and the HyperX logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of HP Inc.in the U.S. and/or other countries. All registered trademarks and trademarks are property of their respective owners.
Aspyr Announces STAR WARS™: Knights of the Old Republic™ II: The Sith Lords for Nintendo Switch™, Launching June 8
Pre-order the acclaimed RPG adventure or secure the digital bundle including the original STAR WARS™: Knights of the Old Republic™today
AUSTIN, Texas — May 27, 2022 — As part of Star Wars Celebration, Aspyr and Lucasfilm Games have announced that the timeless RPG epic STAR WARS™: Knights of the Old Republic™ II: The Sith Lords is coming to Nintendo Switch™ on June 8, 2022. Experience the standalone sequel to the original award-winning STAR WARS™: Knights of the Old Republic™ with HD cinematics, textures, UI and resolution.
The Sith Lords have hunted the Jedi to the edge of extinction and are on the verge of crushing the Old Republic. With the Jedi Order in ruin, the Republic’s only hope is a lone Jedi in exile struggling to reconnect with the Force. Lead a diverse crew of unique allies, make difficult choices with far-reaching consequences, and decide your destiny. Will you follow the light side and save the galaxy, or succumb to the dark side and bring it all down?
Key Features
A Standalone Sequel: Experience the follow-up to the acclaimed STAR WARS™: Knights of the Old Republic™ in this original RPG epic set in the darkest days of the Old Republic.
Choose Your Destiny: Discover your past and make difficult choices that aren’t as clear-cut as “good or evil.” Each decision can have a significant impact on your story and your squad. Will you uphold the Jedi Order, or lead the galaxy to ruin?
Master the Force: Choose from three different Jedi classes, each able to wield specific Force powers, and customize your characters with unique skills and abilities.
Lead Your Crew: Command a party of diverse crewmates, each with their own strengths, alignments and nuanced back stories. Your actions will influence your crew’s destinies, but not everyone may agree with the choices you make…
The Sith Lords Restored Content DLC: Expand your experience even further with this incredible collection of content featuring new crew dialogue and interactions, a bonus mission starring HK-47, and a new revamped ending, coming as free DLC post-launch.
Fans can pre-order STAR WARS™: Knights of the Old Republic™ II: The Sith Lords today on the Nintendo eShop for $14.99|£14.99|14,99€. A digital bundle including the full game plus the original STAR WARS™: Knights of the Old Republic™ is also available to pre-order for $29.99|£29.99|29,99€.
About Aspyr
Aspyr is a leading video game publishing and development partner focused on maximizing the potential of games across all platforms for all players. Today, the company supports a growing network of partners that includes many of the industry’s leading entertainment IP holders, publishers, developers, and technology providers. Aspyr is a standalone entity under Saber Interactive, an Embracer Group company. Aspyr is based in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit www.aspyr.com.
Mobile Gaming Controller Innovators to Lead Explosive Trend of Cloud Gaming Services like Xbox Game Pass With New Gamevice 2022 Product Line for iOS and Android Devices
SIMI VALLEY, CA – MAY 31, 2022 – Gamevice, the industry-leading, mobile gaming peripheral manufacturer, announced today Gamevice for iPad, the first product stemming from its new focus on products for the cloud gaming sector is available now on Gamevice.com and Amazon. With cloud gaming’s popularity projected to grow by $5 billion in 2023*, Gamevice for iPad is designed to deliver a seamless console experience when playing Xbox Game Pass titles on mobile devices. The first released product from the 2022 lineup, is the Gamevice for iPad, it brings unparalleled control and comfort to gamers playing their favorite AAA titles on the iPad. Having formerly partnered with Razer for the distribution of the Kishi Mobile Gaming Controllers, Gamevice has now sold more than one million units of its award-winning gaming controllers.
Gamevice is an Official Xbox Certified hardware accessory partner and all Gamevice products will come with a free one month subscription to Xbox Game Pass.
Gamevice has also released an updated iOS and Android controller to fit the newest iPhone 13 and Samsung S22 smart phones. Gamevice for iOS andGamevice for Android securely attach to iOS and Android phones creating an amazing console-like gaming experience in the palm of your hands with collapsible portability for gaming on the go. Gamevice for iOS and Gamevice for Android are available now on Gamevice.com and Amazon.
“Since 2015, Gamevice has led the industry in creation and distribution of mobile controllers and peripherals. With the launch of Gamevice for iPad and the latest versions Gamevice for iOS and Gamevice for Android, we continue to pave the way for mobile gamers to experience all that gaming has to offer with console quality controls on mobile,” said, Gamevice CEO, Phillip Hyun. “As we look to the future, we continue to expand with the ever-evolving gaming and telecom industries. With the 5G rollout and Play Anywhere initiatives, we continue to meet the demands of mobile gamers with our dynamic product line.”
The brand new Gamevice for iPad will feature the high-quality feel of your favorite console controls, with compatibility for Lightning-based mobile iOS devices with larger screens including the iPad (5th-9th gen versions), iPad Air 2 and iPad Air 3, the iPad Pro 9.7-inch and iPad Pro 10.5-inch. Gamevice for iPad levels up the mobile console experience via cloud gaming with support from Xbox Game Pass, GeForce Now, Apple Arcade, Luna, and Stadia. Gamevice has also revamped its Gamevice Live App to help players get access to hundreds of games through the app.
Gamevice for iPad is available now (Gamevice.com and Amazon) for ($99.95). Gamevice for iOS for ($79.95) andGamevice for Androidfor ($59.95) are also available now (Amazon and Gamevice.com). More Gamevice product reveal announcements will be coming in 2022.
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ABOUT GAMEVICE Transforming the Apple iPad, iPad mini, iPhone, and iPad Pro’s, into a full-fledged portable gaming platform with real, console quality controls. Gamevice is a lightning and usbc connected attachable controller offering the lowest latency possible of any controller on the market. This MFi certified (Made for iOS devices) dual analog stick controller easily snaps onto the Apple iPhone X, 8 and 8 Plus, 7 and 7 Plus, 6s and 6s Plus, iPad Air, iPad mini, and iPad Pros, to deliver true, fully functional hardware gaming controls.
More than just a controller, Gamevice is an entertainment hub that transcends the boundaries of play, bringing video games, drones and toy control to a mobile device. Mobile gamers and gadget gurus no longer have to deal with the limitations of a touchscreen as Gamevice delivers controls on par with consoles or high-end remotes. From modern console classics like Capcom’s Street Fighter IV to Mojang’s omni-platform Minecraft, there are more than 1,000 Gamevice compatible games. Weighing in at less than a pound, Gamevice was engineered specifically to enhance gaming by providing console level controls and inputs, exceptional ergonomics creating the ultimate mobile gaming experience.
Visual novel with more than 500,000 copies sold reveals untold tale
TOKYO — 27 May, 2022 —fault – StP – LIGHTKRAVTE, the latest entry in the cinematic sci-fi-meets-fantasy visual novel series with more than 500,000 copies sold from developer ALICE IN DISSONANCE and publisher Phoenixx, begins telling its origin story today on Steam for Windows PC, Mac, and Linux.
The fault series returns with its first full release since fault – milestone two side: above, which originally released on PC in 2015, and on console in 2020. Experience a story that combines a novel-length script with cinematic flair, merging the beauty of hand-drawn artwork and animation with three-dimensional effects and visuals that bring the world to life.
Experience the story of Khaji, a gentle boy from a humble background who aims to become a painter and escape his boring, everyday life. That wish is granted with unforeseen consequences when he finds himself suddenly wrapped up in the world of manakravte, the magic that dramatically transformed his home kingdom of Rughzenhaide. Along the way, he’ll meet new faces and ones familiar to fault fans and discover shocking revelations.
Newcomers need not fear, as fault – StP – LIGHTKRAVTE features a standalone story that takes place five years before the events of fault – milestone one, where Princess Selphine and Royal Guardian Ritona found themselves exiled from Castle Luzenheide. A dictionary feature helps explain referenced events and terminology like manakravte for beginners.
Meanwhile, series veterans can enjoy meeting characters like Ritona before she became Royal Guardian and learning about their origins before the release of the next chapter in the series, fault – milestone two side: below.
“fault – StP – LIGHTKRAVTE serves as a way for us to give new fans a way to both have an easy point to jump into the series while experiencing the thrill of something new alongside our existing fault community,” said Munisix, Director, ALICE IN DISSONANCE. “And we know that our existing community will revel in some of the surprises that this prequel has in store.”
fault – StP – LIGHTKRAVTE is now available on Steam for Windows PC, macOS, and Linux for $17.99 with a 15% launch discount. The game supports English, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese language text. Previous games in the series are also available at a 50% discount on Steam for a limited time.
Established by creative director Munisix, ALICE IN DISSONANCE created the acclaimed cinematic visual novel series fault, selling more than 500,000 copies worldwide to date across four titles. Under the visual art direction of illustrator Hare Konatsu, ALICE IN DISSONANCE focuses on highly immersive visual novels inspired by the shōnen manga genre of Japanese storytelling, utilizing a distinctive cinematic camera work style to bring a movie-like experience to their games.
Established in 2019 by industry veterans, Phoenixx aims to support innovative and creative developers from Japan and around the world. Its mission is to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one creator, one game, and one community at a time.
Warsaw, Poland, Friday 27th May 2022: Tate Multimedia is incredibly excited to announce that, more than 20 years after his debut, Kao the Kangaroo will launch on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and Epic Games Store today.
Gamers picking up Kao – pronounced K-O – will take on his biggest adventure yet, with our favourite kangaroo embarking on a journey to find his missing sister and solve the mystery of just what happened to his long-lost father.
Kao the Kangaroo sees the marvelous marsupial pick up his famous magical boxing gloves and travel the world confronting famous fighting masters who are under the influence of disturbing, dark power.
Punching a path through his adversaries, Kao will pummel his way to glory within a colourful and vibrant world, alive with activity and visual flair. Lurking behind the bold and beautiful environment, however, lies a whole other world filled with mystery, uncontrollable power, and chaos better known as the Eternal World. Its secrets are now in Kao’s hands, granting him brand new powers…but at what cost?
“Today’s the day people will finally be able to get their hands on Kao the Kangaroo – assuming they take their boxing gloves off first,” says Kaja Borowko, Head of Studio. “This is an entirely new adventure that bothhonours Kao’s previous outings, as well as offers fresh takes on the 3D platformer that newcomers can also appreciate. It’s a complete reboot for Kao, and it’s amazing to finally get the game out there!”
The original Kao the Kangaroo series collectively sold more than 700,000 units worldwide, with four games having launched across PC, PlayStation 2, PSP, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, and the SEGA Dreamcast.
Check out the brand new trailer here!
Kao the Kangaroo features:
Beautiful, diverse worlds, packed with secrets
Engaging and fun gameplay for all ages – family-friendly, but for core gamers too
Magic gloves stacked with powers
Kao – a cheeky, brave, and feisty kangaroo who embarks on a life-changing journey
An engaging story filled with a cast of captivating characters
Challenging combat including unique boss battles
A whole host of items to collect
Kao the Kangaroo launches today on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and Epic Games Store for a digital price of €29.99/$29.99/£24.99 and a recommended physical price of €34.99/$34.99/£29.99.
About Tate Multimedia:
Tate Multimedia S.A. is a Poland-based, independent developer and game publisher. We are creators of the legendary Kao the Kangaroo, well-known Urban Trial series, and award-winning Steel Rats.
London, 27th May 2022 – Avast! Curve Games and Denki are thrilled to announce Autonauts vs Piratebots. This ingenious new game launches this Summer, marking the evolution of Denki’s unique base-building, management and automation sim and the next installment of the BAFTA Award-winning Autonauts franchise. Check out the trailer here!
Autonauts vs Piratebots is a whole new game of automation and strategy for novices and veterans alike. Be the captain of your own destiny in this swashbuckling simulation that boasts an in-depth campaign across procedurally-generated worlds. Players will need to use crafting, world-building and RTS thinking to reclaim Autonauts settlements from marauding Piratebots, all while honing their Bot coding skills.
Use coding and automation to scavenge the world for resources, create industrious Workerbots and train them to become fearless Defencebots to combat fearsome Piratebots. Build mighty defensive walls and deploy armed towers to stop the relentless pillaging Piratebot raiders in their tracks. Salvage essential new technology from the black-hearted Piratebots to drive them from the land while you free your fellow Autonauts.
Autonauts vs Piratebots marries an utterly charming artistic vibe with an innovative and intuitive ‘show-and-tell’ Scratch-style coding system to make unique automation gameplay accessible to all. Nows your chance to code and command an entire army of cute Autonaut Defencebots to conquer hordes of rough and tough Piratebots!
What more could you want in this Bot Battle Banger coming to Steam soon?
To learn more about Autonauts vs Piratebots, please visit the official Steam page. Or meet the helpful, lovable Autonauts community on the official Discord server.
For the latest Curve Games updates, join the Discord channelhere and follow@curvegames on all socialshere.
About Curve Games
Curve Games is an award-winning independent label working with developers worldwide to deliver the best in interactive entertainment. With a uniquely diverse games catalogue that includes renowned indie hits such as For the King, Bomber Crew, The Ascent, and Lawn Mowing Simulator, and the multi-million selling smash hit Human Fall Flat, Curve Games has taken its place as one of the leading games publishers worldwide.
About Denki Denki is a video game developer based in Dundee, Scotland, which was founded in 2000 by 4 developers from the now-defunct DMA Design. Denki has worked extensively in the digital interactive television (DiTV) market, as well as other gaming platforms, and has produced bespoke licensed gaming products with the biggest entertainment brands on the planet. Autonauts is an original IP from the studio and their most recent release.
When it comes to the Vampire: The Masquerade series there has always been a lot to love. Whether it happens to be the tabletop RPG it originated from or cult classic Bloodlines, being able to sink into the lore filled world of vampires blending in with society while adhering to a strict code has left fans eager for more. As such it came as something of a surprise that the franchise has only recently seen a resurgence in video games, in the form of smaller games and a constantly delayed sequel to a certain fan favorite, with the narrative based Swansong being the latest to sink its teeth into a fanbase eager for more. Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong‘s impressive world and solid storyline may fit in perfectly with the series’ lore but technical hiccups and investigative limitations keep it from truly reaching its potential.
Story
Set in a modern day Boston, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong begins with the local Camarilla Prince triggering a “Code Red” that not only summons the head of most vampire factions in the area to the Prince but also puts everything on immediate lockdown. The reason for the Code Red is that a party meant to celebrate the unification of a number of vampire organizations has been attacked, resulting in mass casualties. Not only is the reason for the attack unknown but the perpetrators could be any number of factions, let alone the fact that it has potentially opened up the world of vampires to the prying eyes of humanity.
With the Masquerade at risk throughout all of Boston and numerous forces angry that they’ve lost loved ones, the Prince of Boston, Hazel Iversen, summons three specific vampires to try and find out everything that they can. This includes the oldest of the three vampires, the nearly three hundred year old Ventrue vampire named Galeb, the near-hundred year old Emem from the clan Toreador, and the youngest of the three, Leysha whose clan Malkavian leaves her with unstable but the most vital of powers. It is through the eyes of these three that players must try and find out the truth or behind the attack as well as the motivations of the party responsible for it, even if it means “cleaning” everything up as a result.
For those unfamiliar with Vampire: The Masquerade, jumping into Swansong may seem a bit daunting at first as the game does little to actually explain most elements of the game’s lore other than providing a few initial explanations of what the Masquerade is. What it does have to offer instead is an incredibly in-depth glossary that players can almost always access that contains not only terms from the franchise’s lore but also details about the various types of vampires and their quirks, the factions and powers throughout the world, and often even extensive details surrounding player characters and main characters that players will be interacting with, including their history. Although this may seem a bit overwhelming, learning the various terms and elements of the world are essential and something that players should brush up on as soon as possible.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong starts off fairly strong by laying out such a drastic problem that players will need to uncover the truth behind and steeping the world in so much lore that it is incredibly easy to get hooked into allowing for a compelling narrative that is filled with various twists and secrets that players will need to try and uncover, but trying to do so means having to deal with some stiff villains as well as a lackluster investigation system focused around each character’s capabilities and trained stats and, quite frequently, bugs.
One of the key elements to Swansong’s story is how each of the three main characters plays as well as their backstory and developments but unfortunately, while they are written quite strongly they don’t really develop in any unique way outside of one. Galeb is a fairly stereotypical vampire and while Emem can reveal quite a few things about her past, does little to actually grow even if players try their best to aim her in that direction, especially since most character developments begin to phase out near the second half of the game. It is only Leysha that truly shines in this regard as being one of the most interesting characters to both play and learn more about throughout the game.
It is also worth noting that while Swansong does encourage players to play through the game more than once, the number of times that various interactions or revelations can simply be locked away due to a character not having enough “Rhetoric,” Knowledge, Technology or something similar can be quite frustrating even if there is usually more than one way to solve various encounters. In fact, while it is very intriguing and enjoyable to potentially sway a conversation in your favor by using a vampire’s specific “Discipline,” the actual opportunities to do so are few and far between. That being said, finding an entire route of storyline being either completely locked out or inaccessible simply because players may not have had enough points in a certain skill is far from enjoyable, even with the ability to skip text finally being unlocked after completing the game.
While these moments can cause frustration, there is a solid investigative storyline to be had here and with multiple endings for each of the three characters that will vary depending on player choice, including many events leading into said endings can play out, Swansong’s issues only put a damper on what is often a very interesting narrative with plenty of replayability.
Gameplay
For the most part, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is something of a puzzle/mystery game where players must try and find as many clues as possible while investigating various small maps that are separated into scenes. While not everything players locate is helpful, some things will be and having the most options available to help potentially sway a conversation in your favor, bypass a lock with a located key, or even uncover a secret code to unlock a password, can be vital to try and be successful in a scene. They will also have to solve a variety of puzzles that range from simply taking context clues from the environment, to far more complex and frankly a few unintuitive ones. In fact, at the end of every scene players will be told of other potential options that could have been available to them, their successes, failures, and even a few key things that they may have missed, helping to express just how much the game values replayability.
Depending on which vampire players are controlling, they will have a variety of different abilities available to them. Galeb is a dominating presence that is also capable of tracking down other undead, Emem can teleport around predetermined locations to reach potentially vital areas that otherwise would be unreachable, and Leysha , being a Malkavian, has the most unique powers as she not only suffers from visions that can potentially expose the Masquerade and can spring up from time to time but also has the most interesting elements to take advantage of. Leysha can both become completely invisible to nearly anyone, even other vampires, as well as change her outfit to match another’s, making many of her chapters feel like proper infiltrations of an area akin to a certain bald assassin.
Every scene players will have two different resources that they will need to manage. One of which is willpower that is expended either through interacting with certain objects in the environment or unlocking things as well as used during conversations with characters. When conversing with characters there will be times that certain dialogue selections will require specific skills to be used such as Intimidation and, should the player have at least one point in said skill, they can use willpower to boost their possible success rate of winning a discussion. This can lead to unveiling more information or potentially making it through an important confrontation that we will discuss more later. Willpower is limited and while it is possible to restore it using items, players will always want to be careful of running out and being left at the whims of the game. Players can find items for every character that can be used to regain small amounts of willpower, as well as hunger, that carry through the game.
The other element is one that will be true for every good vampire game, hunger. No matter what clan they may belong to, every vampire needs to drink blood to survive and using their powers or encountering certain situations only increases the thirst for blood. As such, players will need to make sure to keep their use of abilities in check or properly plan out how to safely feed in various scenes and not risk raising suspicion as it is entirely possible to become a dangerous threat to the Masquerade as a whole if players are a bit too bloodthirsty. Feeding on humans requires finding a safe area, leading one to such a location, and then taking part in a quick mini-game to successfully drink without killing them. A second feeding can happen in the same location but doing so will automatically kill a weakened human. It is also possible to feed on rats from time to time, though doing so is also frowned upon, though far less than an actual corpse.
Maintaining these resources is handled well-enough, especially since often it feels like players are far too limited in what they can actually do in scenes. Conversations with characters often limit when and what vampiric powers a player can use while using dialogue options is generally the better way to go about things, even when things aren’t as interesting as a result. This is especially true thanks to the restrictive way character building is handled and the lack of any new game plus option. At the end of every scene, players are rewarded with XP based on what they managed to find. This XP can then be used to unlock various aforementioned skills and put points into disciplines but unfortunately this can also mean that players can allocate points in a way that makes their character nearly useless in a scene.
Perhaps the most important element of most scenes are confrontations with various characters. As far as Swansong can be concerned, these are treated in a fashion similar to boss fights where players must make it through a certain number of dialogue choices correctly and properly finish a discussion in their favor to try and succeed. Not every exchange needs to be a win as some misses are allowed in most confrontations but these play a vital role in trying to survive as well as unveil the most of what Swansong’s story has to offer. Despite how usual interactions can often play out, these tend to be the most exciting especially since they involve not only high stakes but also tend to make the most use out of what each character is capable of in terms of abilities and powers.
It is also worth noting that while players can choose to restart a scene to reallocate XP points to try and change things in their favor, these restarts can often take a massive step back and there is no way to save during the middle of a scene. As such it is also an incredible issue whenever a bug arrives that prevents progression. These bugs can arise either through NPCs glitching out and becoming uninteractible, puzzles locking into place and not being solvable, and more which can result in a massive restart and waste of time.
Visuals & Audio
With so much lore to delve into it is clear that the developers have tried to put a lot of emphasis into making sure character designs and outfits have been created to reflect their clans, including many unique looking designs and a few events that we can’t discuss due to their spoilerish nature and how various players may end up with different results. Many characters are nicely detailed and the various environments players explore are handled well but unfortunately even on the Xbox Series X the game suffers from massive amounts of texture pop-in that occurs frequently during discussions and even when exploring an area.
The voice work in Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is handled incredibly well with every piece of dialogue voiced by fitting characters and some great sound effects to match the theme of the game. As far as the soundtrack goes, the title features a fairly simple but fitting collection of tracks that work well enough but are far from memorable.
Overall
Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong offers a unique take on investigation and offers a variety of fun powers to make use of but unfortunately due to its restrictive nature by limiting investigations to skills and puzzles that end up being more frustrating than enjoyable, this twisted tale is one that may be intriguing and steeped in lore that fans have been craving but also one that is flawed and a bit buggy as a result.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Do you know what type of game never gets old? Platformers. There is a finite number of shooters, horror games, and racing games that I can play before fatigue kicks in. Then it is time to switch to a completely different genre until enough time passes so I can revisit and replay something. But I can always find time for a good platformer. Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Toy Story 2……..the list goes on. This is why I have good expectations from Kao the Kangaroo. It’s colorful, has a cute protagonist and you can imagine a lot of jumping around to be in the picture since we will be playing as a kangaroo. Now I just need to find out if my good expectations will be met.
Story
Right off the bat, we get dropped a bombshell of a story – our father has been kidnapped! Sister too! Who did that and why, who are these ghoul-like monsters appearing all over the place, why our Kao has to wear boxing gloves, why is our mentor a ghost, and why every bee in the game is trying to kill us. Sure, a lot of questions at first but a lot of them will be answered soon enough, especially those concerning the disappearance of our family. There is also something or someone called the Eternal Warrior that’s been corrupting our cozy tropical island with dark power. You can call me clairvoyant, but something tells me we might have to deal with them too at some point in our journey.
Gameplay
After a short tutorial level, we find ourselves on the adorable Hopallo Island. It acts as an initial central hub of the game where we can explore around to get some coins, hidden items, and runes. Runes act as keys for levels and getting enough of them enables us to check out the levels in no specific order. While you have plenty of NPCs cheering you on, you’ll be on your own most of the time. Actually, it’s just you and your boxing gloves. After landing enough hits on the enemies, you can perform a flashy finishing move although I didn’t find it necessary most of the time. It’s up to you if you want to spam punch and nothing else or wrap it up with a finishing move after 3-4 hits. The results are pretty much the same and just punching alone might even be faster when you’re by multiple enemies.
Later on, you can unlock special moves and elemental charges for your boxing gloves. Some of those special abilities will enable you to clear up cobwebs, burning them in one hit and thus unlocking new areas of the level. With all that said, this is really an accessible platformer. There is no steep difficulty curve as you go through the later levels. The only things that offer a slight challenge were certain boss fights, and by “slight challenge” I mean that I managed to die 2 or 3 times before finally taking them down.
You might then ask yourself if the game is not really all that challenging, what’s the hook here, and what’s the incentive to play it? It’s simple, really. This is an exploration platformer. Pretty much every level (including the main hub) is filled with hidden items, a plethora of coins, heart pieces, hidden areas, extra lives, and much more. This is one of the games where snooping around really pays off in the end.
Visuals
The word of the day is – cute. Everything is cute. You, the enemies, levels, NPCs, bosses. The world of Kao the Kangaroo is full of flashy colors and it’s a real joy to play it. And if that wasn’t enough, pretty soon you’ll figure out that our Kao can be customized, in a way. With enough coins, you can buy different outfits for him and accessories. Want to look cool with some sunglasses while taking down bosses? This game got you covered.
Audio
The sound design in this game covers all the basics. It is incredibly rich in jungle-like levels, and the main hub. The soundtrack is just diverse enough that it doesn’t overstay its welcome. It also has a surprisingly good voice acting for an indie game, despite how you might not hear it so often. Aside from that, my only complaint is that the game will rely on memes and pop culture references that stopped being funny or relevant a few decades ago. The “arrow in the knee” meme had a good run, let’s just bury it for now. Deal?
Overall
Kao the Kangaroo is a game that doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel and it doesn’t shoot for the stars. Despite what high or low expectations you might have, it will set you straight pretty soon. Its main selling points are good visuals, a lovable cast of characters, and a surprisingly rich level design. While the overall difficulty of the games leaves a lot to be desired, Kao the Kangaroo ends up being a pretty well-made platformer where making pancakes out of enemies with your boxing gloves never gets old.
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Join us for our latest gameplay for Kao The Kangaroo as we complete a short tutorial level, then explore Hopalloo Island and defeat the first boss Terror before deciding where to go next. Kao also takes a break to buy the himself some sunglasses and a Hawaiian T-shirt.
Inspired by the golden age of 3D Platformers, Kao The Kangaroo returns in a whole new adventure! Embark on an epic journey, master magical gloves, explore lush environments and take Kao through his most grand tale yet!
Kao the Kangaroo Developer: Tate Multimedia Publisher: Tate Multimedia Platform: Windows Release Date: 27 May, 2022
Recommended – “A surprisingly well-made platformer with above-average visuals and engaging characters. A perfect entry-level collectathon for a younger audience.”
