FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 1st, Warsaw, Poland.
The time has come to separate the boys from the men, as fighting Nazis while trying to hold the position that you’ve recently taken from them is no easy task. Check the entrance to your bunker, look after your supplies, count the ammunition you have at hand, and do all you can to get ready for the upcoming assault.
The game was published in Early Access on Steam with the development roadmap that you can check below:
ABOUT WW2: BUNKER SIMULATOR
WW2: Bunker Simulator is a unique mix of FPS, action, survival, and simulation game. Try to make it through each day while at the same time following orders from Command and fulfilling every military task they throw at you. Your fight will not only be with restless Nazis attacking when you least expect them but also with hunger, thirst, exhaustion, and sleep deprivation. Take care of yourself as much as your brothers-in-arms to make sure they will come to the rescue when you need them most. Scavenge for supplies, destroy military targets, fight back enemy waves, send encrypted supply drop requests, and do all you can to hold your ground. History will judge you, but until then, make sure that everyone knows you are in charge of this bunker.
WW2: BUNKER SIMULATOR – MAIN FEATURES
Take care of your basic survival needs. You are only human, and as such, you need to rest, eat, and regain your energy to be able to perform tasks entrusted to you by Command. There is a lot to be done, but the enemy will not wait for you to get ready. Make sure to keep the balance between taking care of yourself and taking care of the mission.
Remember that nobody wins the war alone. Command your brothers-in-arms, and do not forget about their needs. They know much more than just shooting and can support you when you need them most.
Scavenge for supplies and manage them wisely. You are on a battlefield, and that means shortcomings in every area, whether it is food, meds, or ammo. You cannot afford to ignore defeated enemies that may carry valuable items. Search them, and then ration whatever you are able to find.
Do not be afraid to call for backup. If all fails, and you find yourself in a situation where you do not have enough bandages, food, or ammunition, send an encrypted message to Command with a request for a supply drop. Then, anticipate enemy plans by decrypting any messages you receive with your supplies.
Destroy military targets. Follow Command and make good use of your machine gun, anti-aircraft gun, or even an anti-tank cannon.
Immerse yourself in the World War II setting. The realistic recreation of the war bunker’s construction and weapons used is designed to help ensure the most immersive feel possible.
WW2: Bunker Simulator was created by BEPLAYER and Art Games Studio and is available on Steam Early Access thanks to Art Games Studio and Gaming Factory.
More information about the game can be found on the official website, Steam, and Facebook.
About Art Games Studio
Art Games Studio S. A. is a Polish developer and publisher working on games for PC and Nintendo Switch. They’re working with developers, helping them to create, finance, and publish their games on various platforms. The team’s portfolio covers Bad Dream: Fever, When I Was Young, Alchemist Simulator, or S.W.A.N.: Chernobyl Unexplored. One of their projects, Climber: Sky is the Limit received two Gamescom awards nominations this year. https://art-games.com/
About BEPLAYER
BEPLAYER is a small independent game developer that creates video games with passion and desire by using their diverse skillset. After some experience with mobile games, WW2: Bunker Simulator will be the first PC title in their portfolio.
About Gaming Factory
Gaming Factory is a producer and publisher of PC and console games. Among the company’s main objectives are producing and publishing its own titles for consoles and PC and supporting independent development teams. https://gamingfactory.pl/
Download Today the Racing Hit to Unlock Exclusive Xbox-Themed In-Game Decals, Experience Cross-Save and Cross-Play with Windows PC, and for Xbox Series X, 4K and 120 FPS
PARIS, FRANCE – September 1, 2021 – Gameloft, a leader in the creation and publishing of games, is thrilled to announce that Asphalt 9: Legends, the latest game in the one billion downloaded multi-award winning arcade racing franchise,is now available on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, further securing Gameloft’s initiative to launch and engage with new platforms and players.
Features exclusive to these versions of the game include an exclusive Xbox-themed decal, cross-save and cross-play with the Windows PC version of Asphalt 9: Legends, and exclusive to Xbox Series X, Asphalt 9: Legends runs in native 4K and 120FPS. Asphalt 9: Legends for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One will have full content parity with the Windows and mobile versions.
Asphalt 9: Legends for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S can be downloaded here.
“Bringing Asphalt 9: Legends to Xbox is a major achievement for us at Gameloft,” said Guilherme Lachaut, SVP Strategic Partnerships. “Asphalt 9: Legends is playable on a variety of devices, and launching on Xbox X|S and Xbox One further cements our objective of joining a variety of platforms and engaging with those players. These versions will be a real delight to players new and returning. Those looking for a 4K 120FPS fast-paced experience will be in for a visual treat!”
More details about Asphalt 9: Legends and the Asphalt franchise can be found here.
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About Gameloft Leader in the development and publishing of games, Gameloft® has established itself as one of the top innovators in its field since 2000. Gameloft creates games for all digital platforms, two of which are featured in the “Top 10 iOS Games by All-Time Worldwide Downloads” from App Annie. Gameloft operates its own established franchises such as Asphalt®, Dragon Mania Legends, Modern Combat and Dungeon Hunter and also partners with major rights holders including Disney®, LEGO®, Universal, Illumination Entertainment, Hasbro®, Fox Digital Entertainment, Mattel®, Lamborghini® and Ferrari®. Gameloft distributes its games in over 100 countries and employs 3,600 people worldwide. Every month, 70 million unique users can be reached by advertisers in Gameloft games with Gameloft for brands, a leading B2B offering dedicated to brands and agencies. Gameloft is a Vivendi company.
Developer Sucker Punch is already known for its open-world games, such as the Infamous series. Released last year, Ghost of Tsushima goes for the tried and true historical and mythological themes as seen in games like Assassin’s Creed. What sets Ghost of Tsushima apart from the competition, as its name implies, is that it’s rooted in Japanese history. Something rarely seen in videogames. It’s also in part a homage to Japanese director Akira Kurosawa’s movies. Kurosawa is famous for titles like Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Dreams and many others. Ghost of Tsushima tries to capture the feel of Kurosawa’s movies with a lot of focus on it’s characters and their struggles.
The game does this all while mixing it with a richness of Japanese folklore and tradition. Ghost of Tsushima is an open-world, action-adventure game with stealth elements. The new Director’s Cut is essentially the same game with added fan requested tweaks, like the option to lock on to enemies in combat. This new version also adds a new episode covering the Iki island invasion. Iki island was invaded at the same time Tsushima was. The “Iki Island Expansion” features a new story, characters, activities and places to explore. Fortunately, the Director’s Cut upgrade can be purchased separately for those who already have the original game on their PlayStation 4. There is also bonus content that can be downloaded separately for free. This bonus content includes a digital artbook and a round table with some of the people involved in the production of the game.
For those who already played the original version of Ghost of Tsushima. Iki island awaits. With a new story focusing on Jin’s past. New quests, abilities and mini-games, were also added.
Story
In Japan, the year is 1274 CE. The Mongol empire successfully land in the island of Tsushima with a fleet composed of several ships and thousands of soldiers. Near the shore where the enemy general Khothun Khan lands. An army of 80 samurai await in a desperate attempt to fend off the Invaders. They know they won’t be coming back alive. But to die in battle, as a warrior, is one of the greatest honors a samurai can achieve. You assume the role of Jin Sakai, one of the 80 warriors and the last of his clan. After a bloody struggle, the Samurai are massacred. Their leader is captured. Only a few Samurai survive. Jin is lucky enough to be found by a peasant and nursed back from the dead. Now, it falls upon him to reunite what is left of the samurai and rescue their leader in order to have another chance at driving away the Mongol army even if it means breaking his code of honor.
Gameplay
Ghost of Tsushima places a lot of emphasis on its story and characters. After the exciting first battle with the Mongol army, things slow down quite a bit as the game lays the foundation for its background and teaches you the basic controls and game mechanics. The pace picks up after that as Jin forms his plan to take back Tsushima. The Mongol army already took control of most of the island. But, some samurai survived or simply weren’t able to take part in the battle. It’s up to Jin to recruit these warriors by helping them resolve their issues and convincing them to make a stand against the invading army. In the very beginning, you only have the option to take your enemies head on. Jin’s main weapon is a katana, a samurai sword. You can choose to start a battle with a “stand-off”, where Jin will challenge one of the Mongol enemies to an one-on-one duel. If you win, besides having one less enemy to worry about, the remaining ones will be scared for a short amount of time. Also, your resolve gauge wil fill a lot. The resolve gauge is an important part of the gameplay as it’s the only way to heal yourself in the mid of battle. More powerful techniques also require resolve, so it’s a good idea to try and replenish it whenever possible. You also have the option of rushing in and trying to take all the enemies at once, although you’ll be heavily in disadvantage at the beginning of the game.
A stand off, will allow the player to take out one or more enemies, by just timing your button presses right.
A bit further into the story you’ll gain the option of killing your enemies by stealth and will also acquire more weapons, including long ranged ones. As you complete quests, Jin’s legend will grow. Beyond acquiring points to learn new moves or upgrade already existing ones, you’ll also unlock “Ghost Weapons”. These weapons focus on the stealth part of the combat, such as smoke bombs, a throwing dagger called kunai, etc. You may think: what are ninja weapons doing in a samurai game? In fact, historically, most of these are all samurai weapons that are featured prominently in ninja flicks and games, popularizing them as only used by ninja. They’ll be a great help if you choose to tackle missions more furtively or when facing a great number of enemies. As you take back forts from the Mongol soldiers and defeat their leaders, you’ll also gain points that are used towards unlocking new fighting stances. The different stances will focus on a particular style of enemy, such as a shield or spear wielding one. Each stance and ghost weapon has its own tree of additional skills to unlock, allowing you to throw more kunai at once or, in the case of stances, unlocking new sword moves. Other abilities will unlock by just progressing through the story. There’s no shortage of options when it comes to choosing how to complete missions and fighting your enemies.
The combat will make you feel like a true, badass samurai.
Unlike some similar open world games, Ghost of Tsushima places great importance in its combat. Controls respond well. It allows you to take part in sword duels with enough precision and variety to not make it feel like a necessary nuisance. This allows you to move on smoothly to the next quest. The duels are actually fun. And, depending on the difficult you choose, they will require skill and fast reflexes from the player, especially if you are confronting one of the special duels in the game. These duels involve characters of greater importance and serve as boss battles.
The “boss” duels will test your reflexes.
Besides the main quest, you’ll encounter a variety of side activities as you explore Tsushima, from sub-quests that help give more insight and context to the story to more varied ones. These activities can be in the form of mini-games; like cutting through bamboo to hone your sword skills, relaxing in a hot spring and reflecting on the struggles of the past and the journey ahead, and writing Haiku, a type of Japanese poem. Writing Haiku is my favorite. The haiku I wrote doesn’t make much sense, but hey, there’s a nice vista to appreciate and a relaxing background song. I still play that song sometimes when i need to relax.
These golden birds will lead you to places of interest. Making the exploration feel more fluid and enjoyable.
The main story quests have very specific conditions that must be met, taking away some of the player’s freedom. If you step a bit out of the specified quest location, the game will warn you to go back or else they’ll do it for you. This same annoyance is present in another Sony title. Horizon: Zero Dawn. Horizon punishes the player even more harshly. In some cases, erasing a lot of game progress. Having said that, when you decide to play by the rules, the main quests can also be a lot of fun. It gives the player opportunities to experiment with the available tools in combat and the quest objectives.
Really…
There is also a seemingly never ending amount of trinkets to collect. There are charms that you can equip on your sword that grants advantages like restoring health when you kill an enemy and mere cosmetic ones, like hats, masks and new colors to your armors. Other sub-quests will have you searching for powerful, mythical equipment and techniques. It’s a good idea to do some of these, since they’ll not only grant new ways of dispatching enemies but will also give you more insight on Japanese folklore and the story in general. Most of these are completely optional. There are also other minor activities encountered as you roam through the forests and groves of Tsushima, like taking on a mongol caravan and freeing their prisoners. There’s so much to do, that it can certainly overwhelm some players. They can certainly get tiresome given their frequency and repetitiveness.
Visuals
What a beautiful place Tsushima is! Ghost of Tsushima, hands down, is one of the most beautiful open-world games in any system you can find today, from earth to sea to the sky. You can feel the amount of care Sucker Punch put in recreating medieval era Japan. The visuals are created with precision and artistry, such as temples with their bells and pagoda, populated with monks, busy in their activities; the many forests and groves with their rustling leaves, bathed in sunlight; to beaches and the soothing come and go of the waves, illuminated by the moon. In some locations, the camera will take an angle far from Jin to showcase the scenery around. It’s a sight to see. I, personally, couldn’t help but stop every few minutes to snap a screenshot given the overall beauty of the game. The character’s models and animations, are also very well done. The main characters faces are particularly impressive with some of them being modeled after real actors. Everything is rendered with such a high quality that it’s almost incredible a PlayStation 4 can handle all this with a solid performance. For fans of Kurosawa’s movies, there’s an option called “Kurosawa mode” that makes the game look and sound like one his old samurai movies. The PlayStation 5 version doesn’t change anything drastically as it ads only obligatory next-gen features such as dynamic 4K resolution and a 60 fps target. These upgrades are already a huge improvement. But don’t expect new models, effects and whatnot.
You can collect artifacts and other itens, that will teach you a bit about Japanese and Mongolian history.
Audio
The audio is varied enough. It focuses on minimalistic, ambient sound like sounds of nature, such as waves breaking on the shore, and of the animals that populate Tsushima. They give life to the game’s landscape. The music also reflects this more calm and ambient feel with the exception of more dramatic moments, like in combat or during a story sequence. There’s a variety of themes like more serene sounds when exploring and taking the views of Tsushima. When taking on a mission, like assaulting a fort or retaking a village, the music takes a more suspenseful tone featuring, sometimes, what appears to be Japanese or Mongolian chanting. This gives the overall ambience an even more exotic and mystic feel to it. Traditional Japanese instruments can be heard throughout the game. Examples of this are stringed ones like a Koto and Shamisen, Japanese flute called Shakuhachi, Taiko drums, among others. The combat effects are also very believable with clashing swords having a lot of impact and giving that extra edge to combat. I particularly enjoy a “samurai cinema” so I went with the Japanese voice-overs. The game also features english voice acting. When Ghost of Tsushima was first released on the PlayStation 4, the character’s lips only synched to the English voice-overs. Now, they added lip synch for the Japanese voices too. But this feature is only available on the PlayStation 5.
Ever want to play an Akira Kurosawa movie? Now you can.
Overall
Ghost of Tsushima is a love letter to Japanese history and culture. Add to this, Sucker Punch’s technical and artistic expertise. The developers tried to go back in time. Recreating, in game form, not only what once was the island of Tsushima, but also, a way of life that’s long gone. It’s very story-driven. But the story is interesting enough so you’ll want to see what happens next and with enough gameplay to keep anyone occupied for dozens of hours. It’s an open-world adventure like so many you see nowadays. The first main differences being its well done and fun combat. The second main difference is a rich background that isn’t explored much, like Eastern culture. Its game design is a bit marred by open-world games conventions. But it is still an outstanding achievement and a really good experience, especially if you happen to be a fan of Japanese culture and samurai movies.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
You know, it’s hard to get excited for games nowadays. And I know that I’m trying. I reviewed a lot, played even more and I’ve been burned too many times in order to still have faith in new releases. It’s just how it is. I remember one particular game where devs said they would never add microtransactions and then a few years later they did exactly that. I remember even more Kickstarter promising more that would put even Peter Molyneux to shame and after securing funds, they would release a barebone product of what we expected. Then we have obvious cash-grabs, sequels piggybacking on the fame of the originals, and so on. Considering that, it’s no wonder how a person can turn jaded and cynical. That’s why I was reserved when approaching Psychonauts 2 and partially expecting the worst. So, did I get the absolute worst or the absolute best? Read on and find out (how’s that for an incentive?)
Story
The game pretty much continues where the original game left us. Raz is finally a member of the Psychonauts, no more internship for him. Our first task is to figure out what is happening to the head of the Psychonauts, Truman Zanotto. Ever since he was kidnapped and rescued, he hasn’t been the same. And to make things even worse, later we find out that there might be a mole in our organization. And to make things extra uncomfortable for Raz, his family is making an appearance in this game. Can he successfully reconnect with them after running away from home? Who is the mole? What is happening with Truman Zanotto? Questions, questions. The answers to those (and some more that you never bothered to ask) are hidden deep within the game.
Gameplay
First of all, Psychonauts 2 is a self-contained sequel. It might seem weird, but having played the first game is no requisite to fully understand the story here. Although, if you haven’t played the original game yet……..why not? Go do that right now and come back then to finish reading this. In any case, playing the original is not necessary even though is highly recommended. Raz now has new powers, new abilities, and new enemies. But the good news is that the fluidity of the movement and smoothness of the platforming is as good as before. If you just finished playing the first game and jumped right into the sequel, it will feel like the same game in terms of the gameplay and controls. Everything is here just as you left it 16 years ago. Enemies now have health bars and some might be more tedious than the others (looking at you, Panic Attack) but once you unlock a complete set of your powers, all of the enemies become nothing more than a nuisance. The sequel is now introducing sidequests as well. As you imagine, they’re not mandatory, but completing them will reward you with new moves, skill points and just give you that warm fuzzy feeling in your tummy knowing that you helped someone. One particular sidequest will reward you with new costumes, so if you want to see Raz looking mighty suave in a business suit, you know what to do.
Visuals
I rarely get to play a game where the creativity of the devs is so well presented in the level design, but Psychonauts 2 is surely one of those. One particular level where you help the musicians to get together as a band is so unique and trippy and psychedelic that I’m already seeing it as the new Milkman Conspiracy. You know, the one that it’s so good that it has its own Wikipedia page so I think it’s just a matter of time before PSI-King’s Sensorium gets one later as well. There’s no one word that I could use to describe all the levels in the game and “creative” is simply an understatement. Depending on the worlds, they range from bizarre to trippy to downright disturbing but they surely leave a long-lasting impression on the player. I already 100% completed some of them (gathered all the figments, vaults, bags, etc) but I still replayed some just to admire the level design and the familiar absurdity that could only be found in Psychonauts.
Audio
Usually, when I get to this section it’s where a game (almost any game) loses its momentum. Not Psychonauts 2, however. The voice acting is top-notch, the humor never feels forced and flat. The soundtrack is amazing but it’s not like I expected anything less and the sound effects on some levels (along with the narration) elevate the gameplay to a whole new level. I only miss how this time the levitation ball is less “boingy” (is that even a proper word?) compared to the first game cause that sound of the bouncing around really grew on me.
Overall
Sometimes miracles do happen. A game comes out that’s not a full cash grab and it’s doesn’t want to squeeze its player for the last dime. Sometimes there is a game where its sole intent is to make you feel good, to get you to have fun and enjoy the gameplay as much as you enjoy the story. Psychonauts 2 is one of those rare gems. A game with immense creativity, a game with a heart, and filled with love and passion through every level. It’s one of those games where after you complete it, your first wish is to have your memory erased so you could experience it again for the first time. If there is one game in this year that you shouldn’t skip, it’s this one.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
The French studio Rebound CG is proud to announce the final release date of Tennis Manager after four months of Early Access that has achieved a “very positive” rating of 85% on Steam.
After a phase of private beta testing with a hundred passionate tennis fans and sports management enthusiasts, the game moved to Early Access where thousands of players gave feedback. Now, the game representing “the Football Manager of tennis” sees a definitive release.
This version takes into account a number of technical and graphical improvements, along with new functionalities such as mod compatibility (Epic and Steam Workshop), a history of records for men’s and women’s circuits since the Open Era, and a version for Mac.
The game is available on the platforms Steam, Epic Games, and the Mac App Store for the price of $39,99 // 39,99 € // 34,99 £GB.
Rebound CG, independent developer of the game, hopes that other new stories will be written around it, such as those of streamers Domingo and Rivenzi and professional players Clara Burel and Arthur Cazaux, who have met in real life after playing the game.
The French studio is counting on the success of this first title to build a successful new licence, which it hopes will become a cultural phenomenon, referenced in the same vein as Football Manager.
Information Platforms: PC & MAC Launchers: Steam & Epic Games & Mac App Store Category: Sports Management Simulation Early Access release date: 25th May 2021 Final release date: 7th September 2021
Founded in 2017 by a team of sports and video games fans, Rebound started their journey with the creation of a tennis management licence: Tennis Manager. Supported by some of the biggest names in the sport such as Patrick Mouratoglou, the studio’s first title Tennis Manager Mobile was released in 2019 on the App Store and the Play Store, receiving more than 1.5 million downloads. After two years of development and completion, Rebound is releasing a deeper PC and Mac Version of Tennis Manager in 2021.
Releasing later to other platformsSeptember 1st, 2021 — Gamious and Whitethorn Games announce their upcoming slice-of-life interactive story game Lake is out now on Xbox Series X|S, as well as Steam for Windows PC!
It’s September 1, 1986. You take on the role of forty-something Meredith Weiss, who returns from the big city to her quiet hometown. She exchanges her busy career at a software company to fill in for her dad, the local mail carrier.
During her two-week stay in beautiful Providence Oaks, Oregon, she runs into a few familiar faces as well as plenty of new folk. As Meredith, you get to decide who to talk to, who to befriend and perhaps even start a romantic relationship with.
Whatever happens, at the end of her stint she’ll have to make up her mind: return to her demanding job in the big city, or stay in the town she grew up in?
Play Lake and…
Escape to a beautiful, rustic environment without cellphones and the Internet.
Drive around the lake in your dad’s trusty mail truck, or let the auto-pilot do the work.
Talk to a range of engaging characters, each with their own personalities and quirks.
Choose after-work activities: hang out with your friends, help out your neighbors or stay home and read a book.
Experience two weeks of branching story that doesn’t shy away from slice-of-life themes.
Determine your own story: there are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers or endings, simply what you want to happen.
About Gamious We are Gamious, a game developer based in Haarlem, The Netherlands. A nice bunch of people who love to create original and accessible games with pure gameplay – games we love to play ourselves. We either self-publish, work with publishers, or a mix between these two, to get the games to the right platforms. Check out our website: https://www.gamious.com/
About Whitethorn Games We’re an indie game publisher focusing on pleasant, cozy games that can be played in pieces, that require no special skills or knowledge, and that anyone can pick up and play. We’re believers in accessibility, inclusion, and widening the audience that gets to play. We like to consider ourselves the defenders of easy games. Join in on the discussion via our Discord.
PlayStation 4 & Xbox One players are invited to join in the celebrations and combat The Boredom starting today
Seattle, Wash – (September 1, 2021) – Publisher Kalypso Media and developer Realmforge Studios have today launched the brand-new ‘Festival’ DLC for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One players – inviting console users to plan and party with El Presidente. The launch comes after the release of the PC version on August 26.
Tropico 6 – Festival invites players to the biggest console party that Tropico has ever seen, introducing a new party planning feature, new buildings and over 20 different festivals and 4 themes – helping El Prez stave off the ancient entity ‘The Boredom’ that threatens to engulf the archipelago.
Tropico 6 – Festival is available now through the Microsoft Store and PlayStation Store, and can also be purchased through the Kalypso Store and Steam for PC.
Party it up with the new ‘Festival’ mechanic: host 20+ types of festivals each based off different eras and ensure your soirees are the talk of the town for years to come
New scenario-driven campaign: take on The Boredom – an ancient evil threatening to engulf Tropico in clouds of mundanity and mind-numbing activities
8 new buildings: make use of 4 new festival areas and ensure your parties are well equipped with new buildings like the Balloon Factory and Fireworks Factory
Add a spring to your citizens’ step with the Dance School and keep your island visitor numbers healthy by adding a Ticket Shop for specific festivals
4 new tunes: keep the party going with an assortment of new tracks, each tailored to a different festival
3 new edicts: experiment with exciting new features like Funhouser Special, Customer Service and Laundry Festivals
2 new customization options: pick your perfect party outfit and set your palace to match
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About the Kalypso Media Group
Kalypso Media Group GmbH is a fully independent publisher, developer and marketer of interactive entertainment software with 150 employees in 10 locations throughout Germany, England, France, Japan, and the United States, including Kasedo Games, Kalypso Media’s digital-first label, and three development studios – Realmforge Studios (Dungeons series), Gaming Minds Studios (Railway Empire, Port Royale) and Claymore Game Studios (upcoming Commandos game). Kasedo Games also now holds a majority stake in France-based developer Bulwark Studios, increasing the Kalypso Media Group’s total development studios to 4.
Specializing in developing strategy games for a global audience on all modern platforms, Kalypso Media’s IP portfolio includes the full rights to the Tropico series, Commandos, Port Royale, Dungeons, Sudden Strike, Railway Empire, and others. Kalypso Media’s recent releases are Commandos 2 – HD Remaster and Praetorians – HD Remaster, Railway Empire – Nintendo Switch™ Edition, Dungeons 3 – Complete Collection, Railway Empire – Complete Collection, Port Royale 4, Tropico 6 – Nintendo Switch™ Edition, Commandos 2 – HD Remaster for Nintendo Switch™ and Spacebase Startopia. Upcoming releases include Spacebase Startopia for Nintendo Switch™ (9/24/21) and Disciples: Liberation (10/21/21). Kasedo Games’ recent releases include Filament, console and tablet versions of Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus, Distant Kingdoms (available in Steam Early Access) as well as City of Gangsters.
25th Anniversary Celebrations with STORY OF SEASONS on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC
London, United Kingdom – 1st September 2021 – Marvelous Europe Limited are today excited to announce that the beloved life simulation and farming franchise STORY OF SEASONS, known as Bokujou Monogatari in Japan and previously known as HARVEST MOON in the west, is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this month.
As part of this anniversary celebration, Marvelous Europe Limited have today confirmed that the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of STORY OF SEASONS: Friends of Mineral Town, a title that made its Nintendo Switch debut in July 2020, will launch physically and digitally on the 15th October 2021 within Europe and Australia.
Marvelous Europe Limited has also today announced that the previously released STORY OF SEASONS: Pioneers of Olive Town will be making its Windows PC debut on 15th September 2021 via Steam. The release of STORY OF SEASONS: Pioneers of Olive Town on Windows PC marks the first time that an entirely new entry in the STORY OF SEASONS franchise will be released onto the platform and only the second game to do so within the 25 year history of the franchise.
In addition on 15th September 2021, STORY OF SEASONS: Pioneers of Olive Town will receive a brand new costume DLC inspired by the Harvest Goddess, Sakuna. This costume DLC will be available to download for free for a limited time from the Nintendo eShop and Steam.
About STORY OF SEASONS: Friends of Mineral Town: Originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2003, STORY OF SEASONS: Friends of Mineral Town is a complete remake that will let series fans revisit the charming world of Mineral Town, while also introducing it to a new generation of farmers. In this peaceful setting, players will grow crops, take care of animals, and build relationships with villagers.
About Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town: Embrace the pioneer spirit to shape the untamed wilderness, discover new animals and produce, and help them flourish on your farm. Customise every inch of your new homestead to impress a new cast of marriage candidates from Olive Town, an aspiring tourist hotspot that grows and thrives along with your farm.
About Marvelous Europe Founded in April 2012, Marvelous Europe Limited is the European arm of Marvelous Inc. a publicly listed entertainment company based in Tokyo. Marvelous is both a game developer and publisher with our popular PC and console titles including Story of Seasons and Rune Factory, in addition to third-party acquisitions such as Granblue Fantasy Versus and Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin.
Pathfinder was birthed from Paizo’s concerns about Wizards of the Coast’s new licensing system that came with the Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition books. As a response, Paizo opted to adapt the D&D 3.5 Edition by rebalancing the rules, adding more content, creating their own world, and calling it Pathfinder.
The rights to the Pathfinder video game license first went to Obsidian, whose card game adaptation was met with a lukewarm reception. Owlcat Games took over afterwards and produced Pathfinder: Kingmaker, a tactical RPG that better embodied the spirit of the source content. The game was so well received, Owlcat Games was able to develop their latest title: Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous.
Story
The game is set in a world besieged by demons. The Worldwound was carved through the land many years ago, spewing out demons from the Abyss since then. Blessed with incredible powers, the player is finally able to create an opening for the original inhabitants to drive back the demons and save the world.
The story is interesting. The plot is the bog-standard hero epic where the player has incomparable powers that will help them save the world, but it’s well executed. The lore is tightly woven. The quests are interesting and pushes the plot forward at a good pace.
The characters are a bit straight forward. It’s not a horrible thing as there are so many characters to keep track of. The main character and party members all have alignments that Pathfinder inherited from Dungeons & Dragons. The party characters and dialogue options for the player follow the alignments rather strictly, though the player does have options for neutral answers. Nuance is not exactly the game’s strong suit. More importantly though, the simplicity never devolves into caricature. The character depth never gets deep enough to ever escape the reality that the party members are designed to be shuffled around with very little loss to the plot.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover the writers excel at humour. The writers know when it’s right time to slip in a good joke to lighten the mood without derailing the whole game. There are some great minor NPCs who are part of very witty events. There are also some party members that provide a little levity. Lann and Woljif are genuinely lovely characters who regularly crack jokes, and many of them are actually funny.
Gameplay
The follow up to Pathfinder: Kingmaker is here. Check out the first 45 minutes of Pathfinder: Wrath of the Rig in our latest gameplay video.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is a tactical RPG that follows the Pathfinder ruleset to a varying degree. Players who are still in love with the more complex ruleset of Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition will have a great time with the Pathfinder ruleset. The game’s normal difficulty is a looser adaptation of the rules to compensate for the sheer number of enemies the game will throw at the player compared to an actual campaign. For the skilled or the brave, there is a mode that follows the Pathfinder rules faithfully.
Character management is impressive. Creating and leveling up characters is almost an exact copy of the tabletop RPG experience. While there are a few pre-generated characters for players to choose, part of the experience is making one from scratch. The game offers a lot of class options as it uses the standard classes inherited from Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition System Reference Document and the content from the Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide. The game has excellent options for players who are unfamiliar with the Pathfinder rules or don’t want to put in the effort of manually leveling up every character. For those doing a manual level up to tweak a few options or leveling up their main character, the game offers recommended skills and talents. By default, the game automatically levels up the party characters.
Combat in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous offers some flexibility. By default, the game is a real time RPG where players can adjust the flow of time to queue up abilities, adjust positioning, or select targets. It isn’t for everyone, but it is a faster way of playing the game. The turn based mode is closer to the traditional tactical RPGs. The controls are snappy and just works well. It’s my preferred way of playing as the greater degree of control is necessary in the chaos of battle.
I enjoy the game’s combat. The normal difficulty level follows the Pathfinder rules closely enough to be entertaining without some of the minor peculiarities that would bog the game down or require a change of level design. The game usually throws just enough enemies at the player to keep the game challenging. I would have appreciated a bit more variety in the enemies. There are a lot of demons and cultists to slay, so having more beasts and other creatures would have provided better opportunities to utilize some underused abilities and spells.
The level design has its ups and downs. The levels are split between area maps and the overworld. The overworld is simple and easy to understand. The area maps are where things unravel a bit. The maps for quests are excellent. They are well designed with plenty of nooks and crannies to explore, traps to avoid, and puzzles to solve. The random encounters on the other hand are incredibly repetitive and boring. It feels like there are only three or four maps, and players will spend a decent amount of time fighting off these encounters. It feels like the developers are unnecessarily stretching out the game as the enemies are often too easy for the player’s party.
Controlling the army of crusaders is a major part of the game. It is designed to represent the march towards the demon hordes. Demon armies protect the roads and certain locations. An army is required to clear out the enemies, so the party can proceed. While the idea is nice, the execution is lacking. Battles are painfully simple compared to party combat. An auto-resolve function is available, and almost always provides better results. Considering the game runs smoother with the auto-resolve, one must wonder if the mechanic was even necessary to begin with.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous still has some ways to go with the user experience. The tutorial is decent. I like that the tutorial will repeatedly pop up for specific mechanics until the player permanently dismisses it. Unfortunately, the encyclopedia isn’t thorough enough. Some key terms and tutorials have entries, but there are some serious holes. There is a tutorial covering army combat, but the encyclopedia doesn’t have the entries.
There are some quality-of-life features that would improve the user experience. The game does not always provide error messages with enough details or visual cues to explain what the problem is. Unless the player is very familiar with the Pathfinder rules, players will need to deal with a good bit of trial and error to figure things out. The worst is probably the charge function. All characters can charge into battle, so melee characters have a fighting chance against archers and spellcasters; however, it isn’t clear what is actually blocking the charge since there is no movement line showing what is in the way. Moving around the overworld map is also painfully slow.
The game still requires a good bit of bug stomping. I often ran into issues where the turn would not end properly, requiring me to switch to real time mode for a short while before returning to turn based mode. I also ran into characters who were impossible to manually level up, even though the prompt to switch to manual mode was selected.
The UI feels a little unfinished. There are many feats, skills, and abilities that don’t have art. Instead, they have a generic icon displaying an acronym in a fancy font. The item management UI could also use a bit of work. While equipping characters works well enough, managing items within the bags could use improvement. The icon to designate a better than average item has the same icon regardless if the item has an common buff or is a unique named item. While the filter options are good, a sort by value option could be added. Bulk selling stacks is also awkward. Instead of using a modifier key to sell an entire stack with one click, the player needs to click on the items fast enough to trigger a scroll bar to select a set number of items to sell to the vendor.
Visuals
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous follows the standard western fantasy art style. The 3d game graphics leans towards a realistic look. I appreciate that the 2D artwork looks like it was torn out of the pages of the Pathfinder game books. It is a major part of making the game feel like a Pathfinder game.
The technical options are very good for an RPG. There are plenty of graphic options to tweak. There is also an incredible set of accessibility settings for colourblind players. There are some weird issues with borderless fullscreen mode though. It behaves more like an exclusive fullscreen mode where the game minimizes when alt-tabbed instead of switching windows.
Audio
The audio experience is solid. The soundtrack is composed of the traditional epic instrumentals and fits the emotions of the game well. The sound effects are realistic and have enough variation. The voice acting is also good, though only the most important parts of the game and combat has voice acting. Each character has a few lines for combat that cycle through, but the default setting was still too much for me. I appreciate that the developers even put a setting to tune how often characters use their voice lines in combat. It is absolutely a feature I wish more RPGs would adopt.
Overall
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous isn’t perfect, but it a very good game. It adapts the Pathfinder tabletop RPG in an enjoyable and reasonably approachable way. The audio/visual experience is impressive. The combat is a blast, and the story is good. I am impressed with the amount of options the developer has given the player, both in the technical and gameplay sense. There are issues with the game, but most can either be tuned or fixed completely. The only real problem is the dull army mechanic which, unfortunately, is a core mechanic. Regardless of its flaws, this game is highly recommended for RPG fans looking for a solid table top RPG adaptation.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Space strategy game Star Dynasties is exiting Early Access TODAY for Windows PC via Steam for $29.99.
From publisher Iceberg Interactive (Endless Space, Stars in Shadow) and developer Pawley Games, Star Dynasties is a turn based, procedurally generated narrative of human drama and personal politics, mixed with a light empire management layer.
Your choices. Your legacy.
Check out the game in our release trailer here:
After launching into Early Access in March, Pawley Games have implemented several major new features alongside many balance tweaks and bug fixes;
Expeditions: The remnants of humanity live inside structures which they cannot build, and travel inside machines whose workings are unfathomable. Expedition Events grant players a piece of pre-Collapse knowledge, bringing the sci-fi setting of the game to life; from the relics of a previous age of exploration, to the mysteries of the here and now.
Colony Improvements: On every colony, there are remnants of pre-collapse buildings that provided its people with safety, food, or other necessities. Of course, after the collapse, many of these buildings fell into disrepair. Now, players can repair the installations that complement their goals in a particular region.
Story Editor + Mod Support: The story events editor is a powerful tool that will allow players to write their own story events and chains. Join us in the #sd-modding channel on Discord to ask questions and get help from other modders and the devs!
Lead Developer Glen Pawley remarked:
Star Dynasties was a private passion of mine for many years, but sharing the game in Early Access has been the most stimulating and enjoyable part of making it. Listening to the feedback of thousands of players from all over the world has improved the game in ways I could not have anticipated. I hope people who try it now will discover something that’s even better than where we started, and a bit different from anything else they’ve played before.
Forge Your Dynasty
Your campaign will span through generations of your bloodline. Customise a faction leader and launch your quest for galactic domination. Even if you set out as a benevolent upstart duke, your great-grandchild may be cruel and vindictive. You’ll have to be ready to adapt to the strengths and weaknesses of your descendants.
Your Own Space Opera
A feudal society is built upon strict rules and values. It will be expected of you to defend your vassals, protect your family and respect your neighbours. Act honorably and you can seduce the court of public opinion. Ingratiate yourself with others by throwing lavish feasts and solidify your alliances through marriage. Then strike ruthlessly when you can get away with it. Depose your unruly barons, threaten and force concessions from other dukes, and blackmail other characters to get what you want. Unearth the secrets of your enemies to ruin their political standing in a galaxy where reputation is everything.
A Rich Galaxy of Emergent Stories
You’ll be kept on your toes by a procedurally generated cast of hundreds of characters, each one trying to achieve their own personal goals. As events transpire, the choices you make can have a major impact not just on you; but on your heir, your house, and the fate of your empire.
