ARUMA STUDIOS IS WORKING ON A NEW POINT-AND-CLICK ADVENTURE GAME: INTRUDER IN ANTIQUONIA
Welcome to Antiquonia. Internet not included.
A modern 2D point-and-click adventure set in a disconcerting town that disregards the Internet. Sarah, the protagonist, wakes up with amnesia and has to solve a series of puzzles to discover her past. Husband-and-wife indie developers, Aruma Studios has announced their first commercial adventure game, Intruder in Antiquonia, which is currently under development and will eventually become available on Linux, Mac, and Windows in 2022.
The story unfolds in present times. Sarah, the protagonist, is found lying on the road that leads to the town of Antiquonia. She is found by Karim, the ambulance driver in town. Together with the police officer and the convent gardener, Karim will help Sarah as she navigates both her lost memories and Antiquonia.
Antiquonia is fairly unique and heavily inspired by the region of Galicia, Spain, where both developers grew up. Galicia has many beautiful towns full of soul and a long history, and the developers worked hard to capture that in the visuals of the game. As Sarah digs deeper into her memories, she discovers that she can hack computers and gadgets. That skill would be a complete game-changer in most places, but Antiquonia is a bit special when it comes to technology, so it won’t be so easy.
Antiquonia is designed to be a delight to explore, not just through beautiful visuals, but also by including charming, fully dimensional characters with motivations and in-depth backstories. Puzzles are deeply integrated with the story and are designed to keep the challenge at a level that feels rewarding when you solve them while still not being too stressful.
While the game is primarily a drama, it’s full of brief moments of comedy to break the tension, inspired by great movies such as Life Is Beautiful and As Good as it Gets. These moments are achieved through the unique personality of certain characters, who are fun to listen to, authentic, and they never pretend to be something they are not. The game’s development aligns with the developers’ return to their roots in Galicia after 10 years of working in Switzerland. It’s also the first time they are working full-time on a video game. “I’ve wanted to make an adventure game since I played Loom and Maniac Mansion with my father as a kid, and this transition provided the perfect opportunity. A break from the usual 9 to 5 to do something very personal, with love and passion.” said developer Rubén López.
Silvia used to be a producer in TV shows and Rubén used to be a software engineer at Google. Together, they have created another short point-and-click adventure for the web and two puzzle games for smartphones. Silvia Izquierdo said “We are capturing a little bit of Galicia in this game, and that feels truly special. Also, I love how I can translate many of my production skills to this genre, while at the same time learning a lot of new things.”
Intruder in Antiquonia is the first commercial adventure produced by the indie game studio Aruma Studios. The founders, Silvia and Rubén, are a family team based in A Coruña, Spain. They both love games that make you use the brain and have engaging stories. Aruma Studios has already released three more games. The most recent one is Star Balloon, a puzzle game for mobile with a twist on the classical match-3 mechanics in which you control balloons by blowing air from two fans. Before that, they released Quantum Derail, a point-and-click adventure game for the web in which you play as a police detective solving the theft of the first quantum locomotive. Even before the name Aruma Studios existed, they released their oldest title, Egg Savior, a puzzle game for mobile in which you indirectly control a chicken by adding and moving platforms so it can reach an egg.
Brazil is fast becoming a leading hotspot for game development, and today we’d like to shine a light on seven of the brightest studios — each with titles set for launch in 2021. Following the smashing success of Brazil’s Independent Game Festival (BIG Festival), which registered an incredible 545 companies from 64 countries, the country is experiencing explosive growth in the indie scene. Whether your platform of choice is PC, console, mobile, or VR, there is a little something for everyone coming out of the biggest country in South America.
So without further ado, let’s check out some of the upcoming titles from some of the studios who were a part of the Best by Brazil special selection during BIG Festival!
Seize Studios What the Duck Description: An action-adventure RPG set in a world where humans are able to summon spiritual animals to battle for them! Mighty dragons, ferocious tigers, and in the case of protagonist Illy…a not-quite-as-ferocious duckling. Join Illy and brilliant inventor Hellen as they journey across the land seeking revenge and learning about themselves along the way. Platform: PC
Coffeenauts Spacelines from the Far Out Description: Have you ever dreamed of opening up an intergalactic travel agency with your best pals? In this procedurally-generated co-op title, players will plan and execute the perfect stellar vacation for their clients, ferrying them to their desired location safe, sound, and preferably free of space-sickness induced vomit. Platform: PC, Xbox One
Electric Monkeys Gravitational Description: Players will take on the role of Sebastian, a scientist and wheelchair user, as he attempts to solve a series of puzzles in a gorgeously rendered VR setting. They’ll need to use their wits and a hefty dose of spatial reasoning to develop gravitational solutions and prevent the reactor from exploding. Platform: (Playstation VR) and Steam
Glitch Factory No Place for Bravery Description: Join Thorn, an aging but still mighty warrior, as he traverses a brutal and bloody pixel-art world in search of his missing daughter. Ferocious combat and terrifying enemies will challenge Thorn in this 2D action-RPG inspired by games like Sekiro and Dark Souls. Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch
Petit Fabrik Kukoos – Lost Pets Description: Reminiscent of classic Nintendo 3D platformers, Kukoos – Lost Pets drops players into an adorable cartoon world where they must rescue a series of brainwashed pets being held captive by a robot frog. With plenty of collectables and hidden secrets to find, Kukoos – Lost Pets will take players back to the golden era of games like Super Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie. Platform: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
QUByte Interactive Project Colonies: Mars 2120 Description: The first human colony on Mars has gone mysteriously silent, and it’s up to tough-as-nails Space Marine Lt. Anna “Charlotte” to head to the red planet and see what went wrong. Project Colonies: Mars 2120 is a Metroidvania that features all the hallmarks of the genre like fluid ranged and melee combat, upgradable abilities, and a vast, interconnected world to explore filled with deadly enemies and challenging bosses. Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Lunic Games Evertried Description: Ascend a tower filled with increasingly deadly floors in this rogue-lite tactics title with a twist on the classic turn-based gameplay the genre is known for. In Evertried, the player’s actions dictate when enemy units move — which means they can only move after the player, offering a refreshing ability to dictate the speed of the match. Make clever use of attacks, movement, and skills along with dash, focus, modifiers and other hazards to clear each floor of enemies and proceed to the next floor! Platform: PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
All seven developers and their games are looking to offer something fun and new, and show just how Brazil is becoming a leader in indie development.
SUPER NINJA RYU HAYABUSA RETURNS INNINJA GAIDEN: MASTER COLLECTION, AVAILABLE TODAY
Learn the Way of the Ninja and Overcome Unforgiving Foes on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC
Hertfordshire, 10th June 2021 – Today, KOEI TECMO Europe and famed developer Team NINJA launched the long-awaited and highly-anticipated NINJA GAIDEN: Master Collection on Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4 (playable on PlayStation®5 via Backward Compatibility), the Xbox One consoles (playable on Xbox Series X|S via Backward Compatibility), and Windows PC via Steam®. To celebrate the launch, KOEI TECMO Europe released an action-packed new trailer teasing the unforgiving white-knuckle gameplay of the NINJA GAIDEN series!
TheNINJA GAIDEN: Master Collection brings the nostalgic yet timeless high-speed action of the NINJA GAIDEN series to the current generation of consoles, allowing both newcomers and returning fans to enjoy exhilarating battles against fearsome opponents. Players will follow the adventures of Super Ninja Ryu Hayabusa across three of his most renowned 3D outings – each packed with most of the previously released game modes and DLC costumes! The Master Collection includes:
NINJA GAIDEN Sigma (originally released in 2007): Vengeance is born. The greater fiend Doku, sent by the Vigoor Empire to obtain the Dark Dragon Blade, decimates Hayabusa village. Young Ryu Hayabusa sets out to avenge his clan and to take back the fallen blade from the evil empire.
NINJA GAIDEN Sigma 2 (originally released in 2009): Hayabusa faces off against the Supreme Ninja Overlord, Genshin, and his Black Spider Ninja Clan in their attempt to steal the Demon Statue that has been protected by his father for generations. Hayabusa ventures around the world on a quest to retrieve the Demon Statue as he cuts down all greater fiends in his path to ultimately destroy the Archfiend.
NINJA GAIDEN 3 Razor’s Edge (originally released in 2012): A mysterious alchemist, the Regent of the Mask, places a deadly curse on Hayabusa, as the Dragon Sword is absorbed into his arm causing great pain and suffering. While he struggles with his curse, the Regent intends to destroy the world within 7 days – meaning Hayabusa must overcome his agonising fate to stop the Regent and save the world.
The collection will come as a digital-only offering with both a Standard version, containing all three games in the knockout collection, and a Deluxe Edition containing all of the games, a beautifully vibrant 70-page digital art book, and a digital soundtrack featuring over 180 tracks from the series. KOEI TECMO Europe announced that Steam® users that purchase either version of the game within the first week of launch will receive a 10% discount.
KOEI TECMO EUROPE LTD. is a publisher of interactive entertainment software for current generation consoles, handhelds and digital download content based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, UK. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of KOEI TECMO HOLDINGS CO., LTD., headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. KOEI TECMO’s best known for their signature ‘one versus thousands’ Warriors series, the fan-favourite Ninja Gaiden and fighting entertainment title Dead or Alive. Through collaboration with strong existing franchises, such as A.O.T. Wings of Freedom (Attack on Titan), has brought fan-favourite shows to life in video game form. The company’s desire for innovation and diversity has seen the creation of the critically acclaimed dark-samurai action title Nioh, which takes on new and unique gameplay styles. The company’s acquisition of GUST, developer of a variety of heart-warming titles, has seen their flagship Atelier series span generations of consoles and fans alike. More information about KOEI TECMO EUROPE LTD and its products can be found at www.koeitecmoeurope.com
Prove your drifting skills against the best with ECCs’ drifting racing simulation game
Milan, Italy – 10th June, 2021 – Global publisher505 Games and developer ECC Games S.A. are thrilled to announce that the long-awaited drifting racing simulation gameDRIFT21 has left Early Access and fully launched for PC via Steam today. And as a bonus, drifting and racing fans can purchase DRIFT21 at a special discounted price for a limited time only.
During its time in Early Access, ECC Games S.A. has worked tirelessly with the drifting community and drift racing fans to create the best gameplay experience, bringing all the thrills of real drifting racing to PC. The DRIFT21 V1.0 release will receive a substantial update with new cars, tracks, and new game modes to expand the gameplay to ensure that all players will have access to the best driving experience available.
Once raced illegally on the streets of Japan, drifting racing has now spread across the globe. Sanctioned races are held in many countries including the UK, Germany, Poland, Australia, Japan and the United States and attracts drivers at the very top of their game. These specialist drivers push their skills and their cars to the very limits to drift at speed through the entirety of a corner while maintaining total control.
Choose from 12 fully licensed cars and take the time to tune it to perfection, right down to the smallest engine parts, to suit your drifting style and the circuits you take on. Then, take your drifting machine out on the EBISU circuits and choose from one of seven challenging single player modes including time attack, career, quick race and solo run or really test your skills against other drifting racers from around the world in one of the five new multiplayer modes.
Features:
Choose from 12 fully licensed cars including the Mazda MX5, Subaru BRZ, BMW E46 M3 and the Nissan 350Z.
Customise your cars in the garage mode with over 1900 parts to tune and extensive paint shop and decal options.
Test your drifting racing skills on 8 of Japan’s legendary EBISU circuits including Driftland, Minami and Touge, Koszalin in Poland as well as big stadiums turned drifting tracks.
Challenge your skills in 7 single player modes or take on the best drifting racers from around the world in 5 thrilling head-to-head multiplayer events like Free For All, Sprints and Tandem.
Enhanced driving and collision physics adding new levels of realism to the drifting experience.
Many more updates including Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud Saves, new progression-like mechanics and garage challenges.
DRIFT21 is available to purchase for PC via Steam now at a special discounted price for a limited time only.
505 Games, a subsidiary of the Italian entertainment company Digital Bros. and Metacritic’s 2019 #1 Publisher of the Year, is a global video game publisher focused on offering a broad selection of titles for players of all ages and skill levels. The company publishes and distributes premium and free-to-play games on leading console, PC and handheld platforms as well as for mobile devices and social networks.
Publishing highlights in premium games include Remedy Entertainment’s critically-acclaimed Control, Typhoon Studios’ comedic action-exploration game Journey to the Savage Planet, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Indivisible, Assetto Corsa Competizione, Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons, Last Day of June, PAYDAY 2, Terraria, Portal Knights, ABZÛ and Virginia. Free-to-play publishing highlights include Battle Islands, Gems of War and Hawken. Distribution highlights include No Man’s Sky, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Warhammer: Vermintide 2, Dead by Daylight and Inside/Limbo. Upcoming titles include Hideo Kojima’s DEATH STRANDING for PC.
505 Games has offices in California, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, China and Japan. The company works with a network of distribution and sub-licensing partners in all other markets. For more information on 505 Games and its products please visit 505games.com.
About ECC Games S.A
ECC GAMES S.A. is a Polish development studio listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, that creates games since 2010. The studio gathers automotive enthusiasts, who realize their passion for cars and motorsport by creating games about cars. The company produced, among others, Car Mechanic Simulator 18 for iOS and Android. In the development of the DRIFT21, professional drifting drivers, mechanics, and drifting referees are actively involved. To guarantee the highest possible level of realism in DRIFT21, ECC Games S.A. closely cooperates with Paweł Grosz from the Drift Patriot team, vice-champion of the Polish Drift Open series from 2017
Play both games for FREE and check out developer streams June 17 and 19
SHEFFIELD, England – June 10, 2021 – British developer Valorware – best-known for 9th Dawn III: Shadow of Erthil, the latest installment in the 9th Dawn franchise – today announced that it is co-developing and publishing two new titles: the narrative-based RPG Pinku Kult: Hex Mortis (co-developed by Pinku Kult) and side-scrolling cute ’em up Flewfie’s Adventure (co-developed by Cosmic Boop).
But the good news doesn’t end here: Both titles will be featured during next week’s Steam Next Fest with free playable demos that highlight each game’s unique aesthetic and core gameplay loop. Developer streams for both games are also scheduled for 12:00pm PT / 3:00pm ET on Thursday, June 17 and Saturday, June 19 featuring Tom Au of Valorware, Hana Eaton of Pinku Kult, and Stephanie Newton of Cosmic Boop.
Bound by Ink It all started with tattoos: Hana Eaton and Stephanie Newton met Valorware founder Tom Au back in 2012 and 2014, respectively, when they became customers at Tom’s tattoo studio. Eventually, both Hana and Stephanie fell in love with the art and science of tattoos and started working with Tom as tattooists. With a keen sense of style and a love for original characters and narratives, the trio soon began to turn all that amazing art into inclusive, endlessly engaging interactive experiences – and the rest is history!
Pinku Kult: Hex Mortis Welcome to Razore City, a desolate and grim metropolis with one big problem: demons. Control your own Razore City denizen as you are tasked by the mysterious Shōkan Corp to investigate numerous bizarre goings-on around the city and track down the mastermind behind it all, the strange girl in the fox mask. Originally an apparel brand, Pinku Kult’s wild designs and firm grasp on the cyberpunk ethos made it a natural starting point for game development. Pinku Kult: Hex Mortis is an RPG adventure featuring unique 2D art and a completely original storyline. Adventure through the city discovering twisted locations whilst leveling up your team of misfits to eventually take on Hell itself.
Fully original world and story: Dive into the world of Pinku Kult! Meet a cast of colorful characters and come face to face with terrifying demons and lose yourself in Razore City and the mystery of the girl in the fox mask.
Intense boss battles: Boss battles feature several forms and variations to battle your way through, each more deadly than the last.
Unique dungeon and level design: All the dungeons are meticulously designed around each demon which resides in them. Make your way through perilous dungeons and haunted mansions taking down vicious enemies and solving intricate puzzles.
Customizable player character: Customize your player avatar with numerous outfits and hairstyles. You can also unlock more mysterious masks as you take down the demons haunting the city.
Turn-based RPG system: An old-school approach to a turn-based battle system with a battle order included giving players a chance to strategize and plan out their moves.
Flewfie’s Adventure Planet Cutemellow is in trouble, Uzzu and his swarm of monsters are here to take over! Join Flewfie on this epic Adventure! With the help of your friends Scientist Snail, Bunn Bunn and Pinky Panda, can you put an end to the chaos and stop Uzzu? Fly across the Sticky Caramel Coves, the shimmering scenes of the Crystal Plains and sneak through the murky depths of the abandosphere! Explore each world to discover many quests on your journey!
Packed with beautiful artwork and a cute cast of original characters.
Explore five unique worlds to discover a variety of environments and encounter new monsters.
Side Quests: Help those in need by completing side quests across 5 different world maps.
Find Glop the puzzlemaster in every level! Test your skills with intricate puzzles and obstacles. Can you rescue all the bundrops?
Customize your UFO and Flewfie with unlockable skins you can find hidden throughout the game.
Level up your UFO throughout your journey to aid you in combat.
Availability Free demos for Pinku Kult: Hex Mortis and Flewfie’s Adventure will be available during the Steam Next Fest (June 16-22). Pricing and launch dates are yet to be determined.
About Valorware Valorware is a UK-based game development and publishing company. Valorware is led by developer Tom Au and is focused on producing content-rich RPGs. To learn more about Valorware, please visit http://valorware.com.
Over the last three years Arc System Works has been working on overdrive when it comes to putting out new fighting games. After the stellar success that was Dragon Ball FighterZ and the releases of Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle and Granblue Fantasy Versus the developer has returned to one of their oldest series, Guilty Gear, to bring out Guilty Gear Strive as their fourth major fighting game in such a short time-span. With Guilty Gear Strive landing not only on a new console generation but also experimenting with a few adjustments and a new netcode, will this latest entry continue to show how overlooked this series has been in the past?
Story
In an interesting fashion, unlike many other fighting games that attempt to work a story mode into their game, Arc System Works is continuing with their rather unique approach to storytelling. While there is an arcade mode, it is only set before the events of the main story and barely features any actual interaction between characters with only the first and last fights featuring any form of dialogue before leaving players with a “To be continued” message. This is because the actual story in Guilty Gear Strive is portrayed as a lengthy movie broken down into chapters.
Rather than attempting to force fights into the storyline that either wouldn’t make sense or result in strange breaks in pacing the entire story plays out through cinematics that generally last for twenty minutes a chapter. This means that players can simply enjoy the well-animated and quite interesting storyline at their own pace but it is also worth noting that, unless you’ve been keeping up with the series, and even if you have, many things may be a bit confusing from time to time.
Thankfully the game features an exhaustive amount of reference material accessible at any point during the story or at the main menu. These include a timeline of events from before modern-day to the current day in the series, outlining major world events and situations affecting the main characters, a glossary of nearly every proper noun, terminology, and more, and finally a relationship chart and biography that covers every character that has even appeared in past games allowing players to do their best to understand why certain characters hate/like one another, why certain characters have changed entirely since we’ve seen them last, or why certain battles are happening.
This may seem like it is a bit complicated and that is certainly the case but it also makes for some great storytelling, especially since the story of Guilty Gear Strive continues after the events of Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2. While we won’t go into detail about any of the specific story segments, it is worth noting that longtime fans of the franchise, especially those who are deep into the series’ lore, will not be disappointed here.
Gameplay
One element of the Guilty Gear franchise has always been how stylish and deep the fighting mechanics in the game are and that remains mostly true for Guilty Gear Strive though a few things have been changed to make the series a little bit easier to get into and this is primarily due to the way combos work now as well as the fact that the game does play a bit slower than some of the more previous entries. This isn’t a bad thing however as, if anything, it is easier now to perform high damaging combos as long as players know what they are doing but certain canceling techniques have been removed, making things a bit more balanced.
It is also worth noting that while it is possible to juggle an opponent against the edge of a stage it is no longer possible to constantly punish them in these areas. Instead Guilty Gear Strive has implemented a stage-break mechanic that sends the struck fighter flying and resets the stage while rewarding the attacker with a boosted tension gauge. Players can still make use of the Roman Cancel system to continue to pressure their opponents or recover from a missed attack at the cost of their own tension meter. Roman Cancels serve as a way to immediately cancel the animation of any attack and can be used both offensively and defensively as a result and there is even now a display showing how long players have to enter into a new combo during the cancel. This modified mechanic allows for players of many skill types to get a hang of things and they will need it as the fifteen characters available at the launch of the game all come with their own unique quirks and styles.
Of these characters thirteen of them have made their return from previous entries and while a number of them have been given modified combos or a few new attack strings alongside some removed moves for most fighters, players will likely know what to expect here outside of the missing instant kills that were in previous releases. The two new characters come in the form of the rushdown styled Giovanna, a female fighter accompanied by a spirit wolf that is one of the quicker higher damage dealing characters in the game with a number of fluid attacks that string together well, especially when combined with her aerial Overdrive while the other addition is a vampire samurai named Nagoriyuki that deals explosive damage with his blade but is incredibly slow moving as a result and damages himself at the cost of using many of his special skills.
As far as single player content goes, Guilty Gear Strive is on the simple side as it only features the aforementioned limited arcade mode, survival mode, a versus mode allowing for local fights or battles against adjustable AI, and a number of training modes making it rather anemic compared to past releases. This includes the standard tutorial to learn the mechanics of the game, free training, and a “Mission Mode” that allows players to complete specific tasks while still learning aspects of the game. These Missions range from being completely mind-numbing at times to being quite helpful as a number of them can teach players the best way to use certain characters’ supers and overdrives to their advantage.
Of course the bulk of the players’ time will be spent in the online multiplayer mode and there is some small bad news and some great news in this regard. To interact with the online multiplayer players will have to make use of a charming but aggravatingly annoying 8-bit lobby regardless of playing a ranked or player match. Thankfully once the matches actually begin that is where Arc System’s embracement of rollback netcode truly shines. Even during long play sessions online nearly every match has played out flawlessly with there being little to no lag and no dropped matches.
Visuals & Audio
Over the last few years Arc System Works has been mastering their craft of using 3D models to create gorgeous looking 2D styled fighters and nowhere is that more evident than here in Guilty Gear Strive. Every detail on each stage, all elements of the characters themselves, and even the story mode feature some great animations and intricate details making even the slightly slower combat still feel nearly as fast as it was before especially when two of the faster characters are duking it out.
The game features both the original Japanese voice track as well as a brand new English voice track that works for both standard gameplay and the entire story mode, making it a rather extensive dub though players can choose the voice track of their choice at the main menu. One thing that has always been a fact about Guilty Gear is that it will feature an amazing hard rocking soundtrack and once again Guilty Gear Strive truly shines in this regard. Everything from character themes filled with hard rock and vocals to standard rocking background themes are available and really stand out as they are almost all perfect sets to battle to.
Overall
Guilty Gear Strive comes in as strong as ever with a rocking soundtrack, the best visuals that the franchise has seen so far, and incredibly polished fighting mechanics that make it a bit easier to learn but still just as complex as before for longtime fans of the series. Sure, there are less single player modes, the online lobbies are a hassle, and the launch roster may not be the largest but the diversity of their playstyles mean that players will have fifteen different tools to play with while partaking in some of the best online netcode that is available for a fighting game to date.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Massive Update Also Adds New Area, Max Level Increase to 300 and More Today!
LOS ANGELES – June 9, 2021 – MapleStory, the iconic free-to-play global MMORPG from Nexon, has today launched Neo: Darkness Ascending, Part One of its summer update, the largest content update to the game in 2021. Neo Part One adds an all new area, Cernium, increases the max level to 300, and offers special limited-time events today, in addition to adding a new Nova Archer job, Kain, on June 23.
First, a new Nova Archer job – the Darkness Chaser, Kain – joins the game on June 23. Kain is a powerful archer, fighting to recover his lost past after discovering that his organization had deceived him. Using the Whispershot, a one-handed weapon, alongside melee weapons from his Weapon Belt, Kain commands an effective and versatile weapons mastery to inflict critical hits on his enemies.
The border between two worlds has disappeared and Cernium, City of the Gods, has reappeared. New area Cernium is now available in-game and brings new challenges and quests to all players. For an added boost, a special power called Sacred Power is now available to aid in the battle against monsters inhabiting the Grandis Continent. Sacred Power is acquired by equipping Sacred Symbols, which can be enhanced to increase Sacred Power as well as main stats.
Starting today, the maximum character level is increased from 275 to 300 and the amount of EXP required to level up between levels 210-250 has been reduced. The update also includes increased EXP rewards for Arcane River quests, and modifies the character death penalty to a decreased drop rate percentage instead of overall experience lost.
Part One of the Neo Update also brings the new Neo Castle event to MapleStory. Neo Castle, an area shrouded in mystery, was formed when Maple World and Grandis World combined, creating a space to enjoy a series of new events with the following features and shops available now:
Neo Stone Shop: Players can exchange Neo Stones for a variety of improvements that can be used to enhance items and boost character growth
Neo Gem Shop: Neo Gems are earned by playing one of the many new mini-games, and can be used to buy special cosmetic items
Neo Core Shop: Neo Cores can be collected by battling bosses and can be used to purchase a variety of rare items
Neo Meso Shop: The Meso shop is stocked full of powerful items that can be purchased using Mesos
The Neo Update also includes the following updates and features:
Burning World and Tera Burning
Burning World and Tera Burning events return to support speedy player growth, allowing players to create and designate burning characters who will gain 1+2 levels each time they level up, to Lv. 150 and Lv. 200 respectively, receive additional level-up rewards, and earn the 17-Star Unique Absolab weapon.
The Better Maple Project brings a host of new improvements for overall improved gameplay including:
The V Matrix has been improved for easier use
Boss Battles have been improved and a new boss entry system has been added, allowing players to move to the waiting area immediately from the current channel simply by selecting the boss, difficulty and pressing “GO”
Skill Tooltips have been widened for better legibility and understanding of skill descriptions
Equipped item functionality has been improved, allowing players the ability to compare equipped items with other items linked in chat
The Clean Slate Scroll has been updated, and while in possession, is changed to a Pure Clean Slate Scroll to protect the item from being destroyed when it fails
A Notification has been added to alert players when Safeguard is automatically disabled during Star Force enhancement
Meso Market trades that are in progress for other characters in the same world have been updated and can be viewed in addition to canceling or receiving trades
The Meso Market’s daily listing limit has been increased to 20
Maplers can now purchase Mu Gong’s Soul Shard from the Mu Lung Dojo Point Shop
MapleStory is one of the largest and most active free-to-play, side-scrolling MMORPGs with over 13 million registered players from its Global services alone out of a total seven MapleStory services around the world. First released in North America in May 2005, the game continues to grow and evolve alongside its passionate community since launching over 16 years ago. There have been over 274 million characters created to date, which would make MapleStory the 4th highest populated country in the world.
Nexon America, a subsidiary of NEXON Co., Ltd. (“Nexon”) (3659.TO), is a global leader in online games, with more than 100 live games operated across more than 190 countries. Nexon pioneered micro-transactions and the free-to-play business model, and is widely credited with unmatched global expertise in sophisticated live game operations, nurturing player communities, and for sustaining titles for years, even decades. Founded in Korea in 1994, the company is now headquartered in Japan and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Featuring 24bits/ 192kHz high resolution, 4 EQ modes, and high portability. The F.R.E.Q. DAC and DAC-L fulfill plug-and-play convenience and pure sound enjoyments for gamers
Kowloon, Hong Kong – June 10th, 2021 – Mad Catz Global Limited, the leading innovator in gaming hardware, is excited to announce two DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) products – F.R.E.Q. DAC and DAC-L. Portable for mobile and laptops F.R.E.Q. DAC and DAC-L provide excellent convenience and immersive audio to gamers.
Enjoy the breadth of the music with a better gaming experience
Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. DAC is a complete Digital-to-Analog Converter with a convenient USB Type-C port that supports the latest mobile devices with exceptional portability. It features 4 EQ modes with an outstanding 7.1 surround sound to ensure an immersive musical experience. The user can enjoy the depth of music with a better gaming experience.
The built-in Hi-Res chip ensures high-quality sound performance. Up to 24bits / 192kHz lossless output maximizes the original sound quality of your mobile phones or gaming laptops. Moreover, the native 7.1 surround sound channel assures accurate positional audio while gaming. The ultra-immersive surround sound engages the gamers in playing for longer hours. Also, the intelligent EQ Modes allow you to switch to 4 different modes: Gaming/Music/Movie/Stereo by just clicking the button or sliding the touch bar.
The USB Type-C design fulfills plug-and-play mobility. It perfectly fits all Type-C ports in the latest mobile phones, gaming laptops, MacBooks, or even your small form-factor case. Users can enjoy mobile games, listen to music, or watch videos while traveling or transporting.
The Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. DAC and DAC-L are available for delivery by mid-June 2021. Availability may vary by region. For more info on availability and pricing in each territory, please contact Mad Catz PR below.
Additional information is available on F.R.E.Q. DAC/ DAC-L Product Page.
About Mad Catz
Mad Catz®, the legendary gaming hardware brand, has been leading innovation in gaming hardware for three decades. In 2018, Mad Catz announced a surprise return to the international gaming scene, with a dedication to focus first on quality, committed to producing unique gaming hardware designed and engineered in-house to stand out amongst the competition and deliver superlative performance for gamers of all abilities. Mad Catz designs products for gaming across multiple platforms including Windows® PC and Mac® computers, in-home gaming consoles, handheld gaming consoles, smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. Headquartered in Kowloon, Hong Kong, Mad Catz Global Limited is the brand owner of Mad Catz and has its branches in Taiwan and China. Mad Catz promotes its brand across five continents and distributes its products around the globe.
Mad Catz, the Mad Catz logo, and F.R.E.Q. are trademarks or registered trademarks of Mad Catz Global Limited. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Talyon Opens its Doors in Lyon, France to Develop a New Game Set in the Solasta: Crown of the Magister Universe
Paris, France – June 10, 2021 – French Independent videogame developer Tactical Adventures is proud to announce studio expansion through the creation of a new subsidiary development team, Talyon, a new studio based in Lyon, France.
Lead by Julien Millet, Talyon’s first project is to build a team of developers for its first game, a new tactical RPG set in the same universe as Tactical Adventures first game, Solasta: Crown of the Magister.
With over 19 years of experience in the videogame industry with renowned studios (Quantic Dream, Eugen Systems, Wizardbox…), Julien Millet fully masters the production process thanks to his artistic, creative, and technical skills.
Julien joined forces with the talented and passionate team at Tactical Adventures in 2019 to help develop its first tactical RPG Solasta: Crown of the Magister, where he actively contributed to the game development, specifically working on narrative and level design aspects.
The Talyon team currently consists of two additional developers who also worked on Solasta: Crown of the Magister, and are actively recruiting more passionate and talented staff to join their studio based in Lyon, France.
“A beautiful journey lies ahead of us,” said Julien Millet. “This new studio will take the Solasta universe to uncharted territories that we are eager to develop.”
“It has been almost two years since we started working with Julien and his team, and their contribution to the development of Solasta has been crucial,” said Mathieu Girard, Founder, CEO and Creative Director of Tactical Adventures. “It’s a privilege to be able to create this new studio with them, and to keep expanding the Solasta universe together!”
Solasta: Crown of the Magister released Steam version 1.0 on May 27 and has seen positive user reviews on all platforms the game is sold on including, Steam, GOG, Gamesplanet, Humble Store and the Microsoft Store, Xbox Game Pass for PC catalogue.
Tactical Adventures wishes to expand upon the Solasta universe creating a rich and unforgettable tactical RPG with the new project that Talyon is developing. Talyon will benefit from the technical innovations that helped define the genre and success of Solasta: Crown of the Magister.
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ABOUT TACTICAL ADVENTURES: Tactical Adventures is a videogame development studio, created in 2018 by Mathieu Girard, who previously co-founded Amplitude Studios (acquired by Sega in 2016). Located in the heart of Paris, Tactical Adventures is a self-published studio, aiming to create immersive & tactical videogames within the RPG genre. One of the key strengths of the studio’s philosophy revolves around the recruitment of experienced team members, organized into agile teams, whose development process & decisions will be made in collaboration with their community.
Special Guests D’Angelo and Rhiannon Giddens To Join Daniel Lanois for The Songs of Red Dead Redemption 2 Concert
Limited final tickets available for this live performance from NYC’s The Battery hosted by Tribeca Festival June 10th
This Thursday, June 10th Rockstar Games and Tribeca Festival are coming together once again to present a special live outdoor performance from The Battery featuring Red Dead Redemption 2 Original Soundtrack producer, Daniel Lanois and featuring special guests, Original Soundtrack artists, D’Angelo and Rhiannon Giddens.
Set to take place at sunset in this iconic Manhattan location, The Songs of Red Dead Redemption 2 Concert marks the first live show in New York City of select tracks from the evocative and emotional soundtrack, and the first time ever that the famed icon of American soul and R&B, D’Angelo will join Lanois and Giddens together to perform these unforgettable songs live.
Limited ticket quantities are available at here for this must-see performance, part of this year’s Tribeca Festival with an expanded showcase of games, 10 years after Rockstar kicked off that initiative with the Festival’s first ever video game to be recognized as an Official Selection – L.A. Noire.
