Join us as we embark on our journey with Rainbow Billy as we restore color to a monochrome world and help our friends find the courage to be their true selves in a story about empathy and growth. Gameplay runs through the first small section of the game as we learn how to break the curse of the Leviathan and make our first friend.
Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan is a wholesome, non-violent 2.5D Adventure-Puzzle-Platformer with RPG elements, in which you must save whimsical creatures by bringing back color to the world you once knew!
Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan Developer: ManaVoid Entertainment Publisher: Skybound Games Platform: Windows Release Date: October 5, 2021
Aeon Drive is an action game whose focus is on “speedrunning”. The indie market is flooded with “the Dark Souls of metroidvania” kind of action games, which makes Aeon Drive a breath of fresh air. Aeon Drive is a type of time trial action game. Time trials are normally a bonus mode in many action games, with the player trying to complete an area or set of bosses as fast as possible. Don’t be fooled by this simple premise, though; Aeon Drive is a full fledged game and features platforming and combat with a pacing that can be so fast, your eyes may be unable to follow the action sometimes.
Story
Trying to escape from a war in her home dimension, our protagonist Jackelyne -or Jack for short- is forced to make a transdimensional leap. She ends up in a Blade Runner-esque Barcelona. As she enters Neo Barcelona, her ship is immediately hit by a defensive cannon, spreading her ship’s unstable dimensional cores all over the place and forcing her to make a crash-land. As she lands, she is immediately captured by Neo Barcelona’s security forces. Now, with the help of her robot drone friend Vera, she must escape prison and retrieve her ship’s parts before they explode along with the entire planet.
Gameplay
Aeon Drive ditches the old action game formula of going through a stage, collecting upgrades and/or currency, defeating a boss and whatnot in favor of something more direct and simple. The objective of the game is to reach the end of the stage before the time runs out. You have 30 seconds to rush through a given stage and get to the goal; along the way, there will be enemies and other obstacles that Jack must negotiate in order to accomplish this. Jack can swing her sword, jump, slide, climb walls and the most important ability of all: throwing her dagger. Due to the ship’s crash, the dimensional leap and everything else that transpired, Vera’s now able to teleport Jack for short distances. To do this, Jack uses a dagger that she can throw in all eight directions. Wherever the dagger sticks, Vera is able to teleport Jack instantly to that point. This teleporting ability is vital to completing the stages and is also the main feature of the game, allowing the player to go through the stages as fast as lightning.
To help the player along the way, Jack can collect time capsules. These are the only collectible items that can be used during gameplay and when enough time capsules are collected, you can replenish five seconds of your remaining time. There are other items in the game. They’ll unlock entries in the gallery mode among other things.
At a first glance, Aeon Drive may seem like a difficult game that is intended for high level or professional esports players. This couldn’t be farther from reality; although you can’t choose a specific difficulty, Aeon Drive is a very accessible and simple game. I’d even go as far to say that’s a fairly easy game if your only intention is completing the main campaign. There’s even an option to disable the time limit; it’s a nice addition that allows players to enjoy the game at their own pace. It can also be used as practice mode of sorts if you’re trying to find the best route to reach the goal faster.
Neo Barcelona consists of 10 areas subdivided into 10 stages. Each area has their own visual themes and music. The stages are very short and lack a bit of creativity in their design; even then, they’re still fun to complete.
The real challenge in Aeon Drive is placing high in the leaderboards but that’s completely optional. There’s also an option to tackle the stages with 3 more players cooperatively or to engage in PvP to see who’s the fastest. Currently, the game doesn’t have an online mode, but fortunately it’s getting implemented in the game soon according to the developers.
The game’s controls are responsive enough, and the overall difficulty maintains a steady pace, only turning up the heat significantly after the player has already progressed through a good chunk of the game; this inconsistency in the game difficulty and minor issue with a lack of variety in the overall level design are the only faults that I think subtracts from the game’s overall quality.
Visuals
Aeon Driver’s pixel graphics are simple but well made. They not only lay the playground efficiently, but are also pleasant to the eyes with well defined sprites. Jack’s sprite and animations are well done and cute, making her look like a chibi Strider Hiryu. The landscapes of Neo Barcelona are also handled with care. Some of them were even modeled after real places in Spain and were edited to look as if they were set on an 80’s cyberpunk movie.
Audio
Featuring synthwave music, Aeon Drive’s soundtrack complements the fast action and overall 80’s feel perfectly. 80’s themes and music are already tired tropes in indie video games, but Aeon Drive’s music score is masterfully composed; it never stops, never gets boring, and last but not least, doesn’t interfere with the game’s flow in a negative way.
Overall
In my experience, “speedrunning” games aren’t the most prolific of action games variants. Aeon Drive is not only an excellent representative of this sub-genre in terms of gameplay but also has a lot of care put into its presentation. It reminds me of the NES era games where the basic requirements for enjoying a game were turning the power on and pressing the start button without the need to sit through countless dialogues and cutscenes.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Exciting reveal trailer shows off blend of high-octane intergalactic racing and personal sci-fi story
Tolochenaz, Switzerland – October 4th, 2021 – 110 Industries is thrilled to announce that Red Goes Faster, a sci-fi racer offering a complementary contrast between exhilarating racing and an intriguing love-triangle-infused story, is heading to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC.
In Red Goes Faster, players take on the role of Leon Garcia, an aspiring young racer who takes part in intergalactic races by day and explores his home planet of Keplar by night. Players will spend their time between races visiting a rich variety of establishments where they will hang out with Leon’s friends and find themselves trying to untangle a complicated love triangle.
Racing is Leon’s only way off his home planet of Keplar, a world that once seemed full of promise. Prospective colonists were promised an exciting new life complete with wellness programs, office perks, health insurance and a whole lot more by the corporations preparing to profit from the planet. Then they realised Keplar was worthless. The promises of an idyllic new life evaporated and the corporations headed back home.
Leon’s grandparents were among those that made the decision to stay, but he wants out. His road to winning the Keplar Super Trofeo will be complicated by his high school rival and his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, but he’s determined that he won’t miss his only chance to get off this rock.
“We are really excited to be bringing Red Goes Faster to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC,” said Sergei Kolobashkin, Founder and Creative Director at 110 Industries. “The mix of racing and adventure that the game offers is really bringing something new to the table and we can’t wait to share more details.”
About 110 Industries 110 Industries is a company that develops, publishes, and distributes video games for gaming consoles and cloud gaming services; provides strategic, transparent and tailored solutions for successful long-term investments on the video game market.
Stefanie Joosten to bring Japanese gaming expertise to 110 Industries’ titles Wanted: Dead and Vengeance Is Mine
Tolochenaz, Switzerland – October 4th, 2021 – 110 Industries is thrilled to announce that acclaimed motion capture and voice actress Stefanie Joosten has joined 110 Industries as a creative director on upcoming time-bending mech game Vengeance Is Mine and as cutscene director on ultraviolent third-person action title Wanted: Dead.
Stefanie is known for her work on major titles such as Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, SpaceLords and Last Labyrinth, though this marks the first time that she will be stepping into an executive video game production role.
As well as bringing her experience and knowledge of the games industry to these projects as creative director and cutscene director, Stefanie’s talent as a performer will also be harnessed at 110 Industries as she takes on roles in Wanted: Dead and Vengeance Is Mine. Details on the stories for those games and the characters Stefanie will be playing are under wraps for now, but look forward to information on those intriguing worlds and the fascinating people that inhabit them in future updates.
“We are very excited to have Stefanie onboard,” said Sergei Kolobashkin, Founder and Creative Director at 110 Industries. “Her in-depth experience working with Japanese gaming companies is an edge we were looking for. She came out like a world-class pro.”
About Wanted: Dead Wanted: Dead is a high-octane Japanese-influenced third-person action game coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Featuring spectacular melee combat, exciting gunplay and a unique limb-severing system, Wanted: Dead’ takes players to a dark and dangerous version of cyberpunk Hong Kong where you will need sharpened skills to survive.
Taking inspiration from the likes of Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, a deep combat system will give you the opportunity to take on enemies up-close and personal, or engage with guns from a distance, with cool slow-motion sequences, the ability to issue orders to AI companions and a limb-severing mechanic that changes enemy attack patterns adding style and substance to combat encounters.
About Vengeance Is Mine Currently in development for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, Vengeance Is Mine is a brutal melee mech combat game with a time-manipulation mechanic that adds a fascinating twist to encounters. Thanks to the capabilities of the high-tech HYDRA mech suit, players will have the ability to speed up time and blink towards unsuspecting enemies, or rewind time to readjust combos or evade death.
The game tells the story of Gabriel Jaeger, brutally executed by three time travellers heading back to 1664 to obtain an old piece of technology that will allow them to operate the Deacon – a derelict military installation buried under the streets of New Amsterdam. Charles Jaeger, now in full control of the Deacon, rallies his flock to meet their spiritual leader Robert Wright beyond the horizon of space and time. His only problem is Gabriel. Barely making it out alive, Gabriel is in control of the prototype HYDRA mech suit and ready to wreak his revenge.
About 110 Industries 110 Industries is a company that develops, publishes, and distributes video games for gaming consoles and cloud gaming services; provides strategic, transparent and tailored solutions for successful long-term investments on the video game market.
Go on a quest for revenge in thrilling third-person mech combat action game
Tolochenaz, Switzerland – October 4th, 2021 – 110 Industries is excited to announce that its upcoming mech combat title, Vengeance Is Mine, is in development for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Vengeance Is Mine’s, brutal melee mech combat is augmented with a time-manipulation mechanic that adds a fascinating twist to encounters. Thanks to the capabilities of the HYDRA mech suit, the player will have the ability to speed up time and blink towards unsuspecting enemies, or rewind time to readjust combos or evade death. HYDRA also comes packing an energy-based projectile weapon that allows you to take on foes at distance.
Players will step into the shoes of Gabriel Jaeger, brutally executed by three time travellers heading back to 1664 to obtain an old piece of technology that will allow them to operate the Deacon – a derelict military installation buried under the streets of New Amsterdam. Charles Jaeger, now in full control of the Deacon, rallies his flock to meet their spiritual leader Robert Wright beyond the horizon of space and time. His only problem is Gabriel. Barely making it out alive, Gabriel is in control of the prototype HYDRA mech suit and ready to wreak his revenge.
“We’re thrilled to introduce people to the time-manipulation mech combat we’re bringing to the table with Vengeance Is Mine,” said Sergei Kolobashkin, Founder and Creative Director at 110 Industries. “As we continue to work on bringing the game to PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, we will have plenty more exciting information to share, so please keep your eyes open!”
About 110 Industries 110 Industries is a company that develops, publishes, and distributes video games for gaming consoles and cloud gaming services; provides strategic, transparent and tailored solutions for successful long-term investments on the video game market.
New trailer gives first look at John Wick-esque mix of complex melee combat and exhilarating shooting
Tolochenaz, Switzerland – October 4th, 2021 – 110 Industries is excited to announce that high-octane third-person action game Wanted: Dead is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Featuring spectacular melee combat and exciting gunplay, Wanted: Dead’s new teaser trailer offers a peek at a dark and dangerous version of sci-fi Hong Kong where you will need sharpened skills to survive.
Players assume the role of Lt. Hannah Stone, leader of the “Zombie Squad”, an elite team who work outside the purview of the traditional police force. Taking inspiration from the likes of Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, a deep combat system will give you the opportunity to take on enemies up-close and personal, or engage with guns from a distance, with cool slow-motion sequences, and a limb-severing mechanic that changes enemy attack patterns adding style and substance to combat encounters.
Among the talented team working on the game’s finessed combat systems are developers that previously worked on Ninja Gaiden and the Dead or Alive series.
Offering a change of pace to Wanted: Dead’s adrenaline-pumping combat, non-combat sections and the chance for Lt. Stone to chill at the HQ to consume food and drinks for buffs gives the game intriguing variety, as well as offering players the chance to soak in more of its rich lo-tech sci-fi world.
“Our latest trailer gives a glimpse of Wanted: Dead in glorious motion and we can’t wait to share more about the deep combat systems that underpin that breathtaking action”, said Founder and Creative Director at 110 Industries, Sergei Kolobashkin.
About 110 Industries 110 Industries is a company that develops, publishes, and distributes video games for gaming consoles and cloud gaming services; provides strategic, transparent and tailored solutions for successful long-term investments on the video game market.
World War Z: Aftermath is billed as an upgrade from the original title released in 2019. The same over the top third person zombie co-op experience is back with upgraded visuals for the new generation consoles, new content, and a revamped melee system, all while offering the World War Z’s original content. World War Z: Aftermath is available as an upgrade for owners of the original game and features cross platform support and compatibility with owners of World War Z.
Story
World War Z: Aftermath offers three new chapters. The Paris and Rome chapters are brand new mini-stories. The final Kamchatka chapter is the thrilling conclusion to the Moscow and Tokyo chapters in the original game.
Paris and Rome are decent self-contained story. It’s hard to create an in-depth plotline in only four missions. The writers do a decent job by focusing on a single plotline and stripping any sort of character development or side plots. The only problem with the tightly controlled story is it is so easy to slip into unintended camp. There are several times where the writers either uncomfortable edge to or pass through the border.
Story-wise, the Kamchatka mission offers players the best version of World War Z’s story because it ties the Moscow and Tokyo chapters together. The writers were able to stretch their wings a little with the extra space and makes me wonder what the writers could have done by dedicating all three chapters to expanding and closing content from the original game.
Gameplay
Based on the evasive marketing, it’s a little hard to figure out what World War Z: Aftermath is when looking from the outside. Is it a brand-new game? DLC? World War Z: Aftermath is one part expansion and one-part graphical update for the new generation of consoles. Saber Interactive has made the wise decision to allow owners of World War Z to play with Aftermath owners, only preventing base game owners from playing the new content. On the gameplay side, new guns, the vanguard class, and a revamped melee system has been added.
The combat mechanics has been improved, though the changes are mostly subtle. The Swarm Engine is still impressive with its liquid like hordes of zombies rushing at the player. The new firearms are nice but feel like small variations of the original weapons. To a certain degree, it is a challenge to add firearms that differentiate themselves as the original game covered almost all the standard archetypes. On the other hand, I hoped the developers would take some more creative liberties by exploring more obscure weapons like they did with the Advanced Combat Weapon. The ACW fires small explosive rounds like the Payload Rifle but with a smaller explosion radius.
The new melee system is fantastic. Previously, the only thing different between the melee weapons were the skins. Now each melee weapon has classes, stats, and perks that have a meaningful impact on the game. Now choosing a melee weapon needs to be taken in consideration when constructing a build, and the slasher class has new life breathed into it
While those who haven’t touched World War Z since the game’s initial launch will assume two classes have been added to the game, Aftermath actually adds only one: the Vanguard. The class wields an electrified shield that can protect the team from incoming zombies or charge through the horde to create an opening or rush to save a fallen teammate. The game wasn’t very clear about how the shield is to be used as I ended up relying on YouTube to have a proper demonstration. It’s tap to pull out the shield and hold to charge. The shield is an interesting idea, but the real frustration is pulling out the shield automatically eats up a good chunk of the equipment charge, even if the shield wasn’t used on zombies. It turns an accidental deployment into a costly mistake. It makes more sense to pull the shield out for free but use up charges when the shield touches a zombie.
The first-person camera is a new gimmicky addition to the game. In theory, the new camera should make the experience more tense. The execution is where the new camera angle stalls. It is essentially a close zoom of the existing camera. There’s no addition of iron sites or scopes which makes the whole scheme feel half baked.
The new maps follow the same rhythm as the old ones. They are linear maps with defence segments littered throughout the map. The defense segments still represent the best of what World War Z has to offer. While players have more equipment at their disposal, there’s an intense excitement when hundreds of zombies come pouring into the team’s position.
World War Z: Aftermath is still a grind heavy game. In fact, it just added more things to grind. The price to level weapons and classes is still high, especially for players in the early game. The random spawns for equipment and enemy are still a touch too limited. Maps could still benefit from more options that would encourage players to dig further into side areas.
Visuals
The visual style haven’t changed much from the base game. It still leans towards a realistic look. There is still enough zombies to prevent the hordes from feeling like a clone army, but players will definitely see a the same handful several times over. World War Z: Aftermath would benefit from having a few more models.
Audio
The audio quality hasn’t changed much from the base game either. The sound effects are still solid, and the soundtrack really puts players in the right mood. Annoyingly, the voice acting is still just as bad. Most of the accents tend to B level quality, as many actors seem to use the wrong accent. There are a lot of moments where a character will start with a passable accent and before suddenly dropping to an obvious classic American accent for a few words. There was even the odd line or two where the actor clearly gave up on trying.
Overall
World War Z: Aftermath is a good expansion. The extra content and the revamped melee system bring some much needed variation to the game. It still a grind heavy game that could benefit from more variation between runs. The audio/visual presentation is decent, though the voice acting could use a lot of improvement. Aftermath makes the game stronger. With the addition of the content patches released later in World War Z’s lifetime and Aftermath, this is the World War Z game I wish was released back in 2019.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Follow Sophie Neuenmuller on an All-New Adventure in the Dream-Like World of Erde Wiege
Oct. 2, 2021 – Today, KOEI TECMO and developer GUST Studios announced a new chapter in their heart-warming Atelier series: Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream. The latest entry in the series follows the beloved alchemist, Sophie Neuenmuller, shortly after her adventures in 2016’s Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book. The new title is currently in development for the Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4 Computer Entertainment System, and Windows PC via Steam® and is scheduled to release across Europe and North America on Feb. 25, 2022.
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream continues the story of Sophie and Plachta’s many adventures. After leaving Sophie’s hometown of Kirchen Bell, the pair discovers a huge tree identical to one that Plachta had seen in a dream, and as they get closer, a mysterious vortex pulls them inside. Sophie awakens alone in a curious new world called Erde Wiege, and it’s not long before she hears about an alchemist named Plachta that lives on the outskirts of town. Shockingly, when Sophie arrives at the atelier, she meets a young alchemy enthusiast named Plachta, and even though the alchemist shares the same name as her friend, she doesn’t recognize Sophie. What other surprises await Sophie on this journey? As the adventure continues, Sophie meets aspiring alchemist, Ramizel Erlenmeyer, who willingly agrees to help her in her time of need. The narrative elegantly unfolds with a charming new visual style that combines the art of the Mysterious sub-series with the high-quality graphics and animations featured in 2021’s Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends and the Secret Fairy.
See the Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream teaser trailer
On her journey to find her missing friend, Sophie will have to fight the many monsters that inhabit the lands of Erde Wiege. As soon as players encounter an enemy in the field, the battle begins instantly without any load times or separate screens – a series first – allowing battles to flow seamlessly. In addition, battle parties now consist of six members, with three in the front and three in the back, to form two teams that co-operate in multi-linked turn-based battles. This new battle system opens up a wide range of exciting combat strategies that players can utilise to take out their foes.
As with previous entries in the Atelier series, alchemy plays a huge role in Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream. The game builds upon the panel synthesis system featured in the Mysterious sub-series, where materials are placed into the panel slots to create new items. The game allows both aspiring and veteran alchemists to synthesize items in a way that is comfortable to them due to two different panel types – regular panels make it easier to create items, while restricted panels are complex to master but allow for items with stronger effects to be synthesized.
To help celebrate the latest edition into the Atelier Sophie franchise, KOEI TECMO America is offering a delightful new Limited Edition of Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream, exclusively available through the NISA Online Store. This must-have version of the game contains an art book, deluxe fabric poster, keychain, bonus BGM CD, and an exclusive DLC costume all packaged into a beautiful collector’s box.
For more information on Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream, check out the official site, ‘Like’ us on Facebook, and Follow us on Twitter @KoeiTecmoUS.
ABOUT KOEI TECMO AMERICA CORP.
KOEI TECMO AMERICA CORP. is a publisher of interactive entertainment software for current generation consoles, handhelds and digital download content based in Burlingame, California. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of KOEI TECMO HOLDINGS CO., LTD., headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. KOEI is best known for its Dynasty Warriors® and Samurai Warriors® franchises. TECMO is best known for the Dead or Alive®, Ninja Gaiden®, Tecmo Bowl®, and Fatal Frame® series.
The fight for survival in the Open-World-Sandbox starts today
Suzhou, China, 2. October 2021 – Today, the global closed beta of the multiplayer war sandbox game Myth of Empires by Developer Angela Game invites players to dive into a beautiful yet merciless world set in ancient Asia. The game offers both PvE and PvP servers. The beta will run until 10th of October 2021, players can register via Steam Playtest here.
Myth of Empires is set in ancient Asia, allowing players to experience the harsh conditions of a country torn apart by war with as much freedom as possible. Individuals will need to bond together – either with NPCs or other players -, forming factions, fighting for survival and dominance, establishing their rule and leading armies in massive battles, sieging enemy cities and securing server-wide empires.
Players could first experience Myth of Empires with its closed alpha in April as well as the localization alpha in June. Since then, lots of new gameplay and improvements have been implemented. This beta, being the game’s first global test, brings the sandbox world a large step closer to what the development team envisions for the final version, regarding both content as well as scale.
Watch the December 2020 announcement trailer:
Key features available in the beta test:
Brave an unforgiving world filled with bandits, wild animals, and hostile players. Stave off hunger with meat collected through hunting, and collect resources from the world to build your fort.
New environments: Snowy mountains, desert, swamps, caves, and an all-new weather system.
Engage enemies in intense, tactical combat. Control the direction of your strikes to maximize their impact and damage.
Craft dozens of different kinds of weapons and armor of different tiers to help you in battle. Make swords, spears, halberds, axes, throwing weapons, crossbows, bows, shields, and more!
New animals: Elephants, rhinos, crocodiles, butterflies, fish, and more.
Construct your very own customized structures piece by piece, and build siege weapons such including ballistas, catapults, trebuchets and siege ladders to wreak havoc upon enemy fortresses.
Recruit NPCs through peaceful means or by force and have them collect resources, craft items, hunt, or fight alongside you. Tame horses that you can ride into battle, or breed them to make horses with attributes more suited to your needs.
PVE and PVP servers will be available in Asia, North America, and Europe.
A robust guild system allows players to form factions with their friends. Work together to fend off enemy attacks, conquer your server, and reign supreme!
New gameplay and content: County, province, and fortress siege battles, as well as improved voice-chat, a new trade system, and character voices.
Myth of Empires is developed by Angela Game’s T’ien-Kung Studio.
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About T’ien-Kung Studio T’ien-Kung Studio is one of Angela Game’s core game development teams. It consists of more than 50 senior members, each with more than a decade of game development experience. The core creators have worked together for more than ten years, and have worked together in the development of a variety of games for PC, console, VR platforms, and mobile systems.
About Angela Game Angela Game is an independent game developer located in Suzhou, China. Founded in 2019, this passionate, ambitious, and talented studio seeks to create titles that appeal to hardcore gamers looking for original ideas and engaging gameplay.
As original Himno past the stunning 1,000,000 downloads on Steam we are very happy to announce Himno The Silent Melody Demo on Steam Next Festival and the Early Access version release date set to October 20th, 2021.
Himno – The Silent Melody expands the entire world of the peaceful game Himno.
You play as Fash, an intrepid Guardian Explorer who has seen this world fall. Now after hundreds of years, Fash must bring together the other guardians and restore that world of light and color.
Enter a strange and unexplored world full of strange machines, beautiful procedurally generated maps, and surprises. Craft powerful gear, find other explorers and save this old world.
