Customers Can Equip Multiple Award-Winning MAINGEAR Systems with the Latest NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 30-Series GPUs
Kenilworth, NJ (June 10, 2021) – MAINGEAR — an award-winning PC system integrator of custom gaming desktops, notebooks, and workstations — is proud to announce that the new NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080 Ti and NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070 Ti graphics cards are now available to configure within its product line of award-winning custom gaming desktop PCs and workstations.
Powered by Ampere — NVIDIA’s 2nd gen RTX architecture, the NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080 Ti and NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070 Ti feature enhanced performance for a more immersive, jaw-dropping gaming experience. NVIDIA’s 2nd gen RTX architecture delivers real-time ray tracing effects — including shadows, reflections, and Ambient Occlusion (AO) — allowing NVIDIA’s 30-Series GPUs to take gaming graphics to new heights with ultra-realistic 3D visuals. The groundbreaking NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) 2.0 AI technology utilizes Tensor Core AI processors to boost frame rates while producing sharp, uncompromised visual fidelity comparable to high native resolutions.
“Gamers are hungrier than ever to get their hands on the latest and greatest graphics cards,” said Wallace Santos, founder and CEO of MAINGEAR. “We’re gamers too, so we share that same passion as our customers to have access to the very best. That’s why we’re so excited to work with NVIDIA to equip our amazing line of desktops with the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and 3070 Ti cards.”
The NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080 Ti and GeForce RTX™ 3070 Ti are available now as configuration options across multiple MAINGEAR gaming desktops — including PC Gamer’s Editor’s Choice award-winning F131, PC Mag’s Editor’s Choice award-winning VYBE, RUSH, and the impossibly small, yet fully-featured TURBO desktop. New VYBE pre-configured desktops start at $1699, featuring an RTX 3060 Ti, topping out with a system designed to deliver the ultimate gaming experience with the RTX 3080 Ti for $3499. The VYBE brings MAINGEAR’s expertise in crafting the world’s most technologically advanced, best performing, and beautifully designed PCs to a gaming desktop with an unprecedented price to performance.
MAINGEAR’s full lineup of desktops offers countless customization options, including the latest AMD Ryzen and Intel processors, premium HyperX memory, and Gen4 NVMe storage options. These top-end components, paired with MAINGEAR’s exclusive APEX hand-crafted water cooling, unlock the performance potential of every MAINGEAR system. Learn more about MAINGEAR desktops with NVIDIA® GeForce 30-Series GPUs here: https://maingear.com/geforce-rtx-30-series.
About MAINGEAR
MAINGEAR is a high-performance PC system integrator that offers custom desktops, notebooks, and workstations. MAINGEAR has won multiple Editors’ Choice awards from publications such as PC Gamer, Hot Hardware, PC World, Maximum PC, Computer Shopper, and more. Each MAINGEAR system is handcrafted for precision performance and uncompromised quality. With a passion to craft the best and most innovative high-performance computers, MAINGEAR sets the standard among system integrators.
Starting today, customers can order an ORIGIN PC desktop powered by an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti at ORIGINPC.com
Miami, FL –June 10th, 2021, 9:00 A.M. EDT— ORIGIN PC, a leader in custom high-performance systems, announced today the availability of the new NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070 Ti graphics cards available across the award-winning lineup of ORIGIN PC desktops.
The new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti features 2nd gen RT Cores, 3rd gen Tensor Cores, and streaming multiprocessors that offer stunning visuals, amazingly fast frame rates, and AI acceleration to games and creative applications. The GeForce RTX 3070 Ti features 8GB of GDDR6X memory and 6144 CUDA Cores. Powered by the NVIDIA Ampere architecture, which delivers increases of up to 1.9X performance-per-watt over the previous generation, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX RTX 3070 Ti can power graphics experiences across multiple resolutions. With a 30 Series graphics card in an ORIGIN PC system, gamers can turn on real-time ray tracing in select games, use DLSS in several games for AI-powered rendering, activate NVIDIA Reflex to reduce system latency, and use NVIDIA Broadcast to optimize your microphone audio or webcam.
Customers interested in customizing and ordering an ORIGIN PC gaming desktop with an NVIDIA GeForce 30 Series GPU can visit: https://www.originpc.com/gaming/desktops/
ORIGIN PC builds custom, high-performance desktops, workstations, and laptops for hardware enthusiasts, digital/graphics artists, professionals, government agencies, and gamers. ORIGIN PCs are hand built, tested, and serviced by knowledgeable gaming enthusiasts, industry veterans, and award-winning system integrators. Every ORIGIN PC comes with free lifetime 24/7 support based in the United States. The ORIGIN PC staff is comprised of award-winning enthusiasts, experienced in the gaming and PC markets who want to share their passion with others. ORIGIN PC is located in Miami, FL and ships worldwide. For more information, please visit www.ORIGINPC.com or call 1-877-ORIGIN-Ø. (674-4460)
Exciting new physics-based construction and adventure sandbox game coming soon from Green Man Gaming Publishing and Wizard Games
London, UK 10th June 2021. Green Man Gaming Publishing is excited to announce a new partnership with Wizard Games to publish the upcoming physics-based construction sandbox game Sea of Craft. Available for PC via Steam, Sea of Craft will be released in late summer 2021.
Sea of Craft is a realistic physics-based construction and adventure game with hundreds of building materials and weapons to choose from, giving you near infinite options to create unique and wonderful sea faring creations. When you’re done building, take to the treacherous waves of the Beela South Sea where wild adventures and rich bounty await you. Band together with players from around the world and do battle with mysterious monsters lurking in the depths or battle your enemies and claim untold riches!
Sea of Craft features three unique gameplay styles; Singleplayer, Open Sea and Sandbox mode, all offering you the freedom to flex your creative muscles and enjoy the game your way, either alone or with other players from around the world. Craft the vessel of your dreams and take part in exciting challenges or battle for supremacy in intense PvP battles. The only limiting factor is your own imagination!
“As part of the broader investment into the publishing division, Green Man Gaming is excited to be working with Wizard Games to bring Sea of Craft to market” commented Helen Churchill, SVP of Publishing at Green Man Gaming. “We have been tracking Sea of Craft for some time, and are impressed with the marriage of physics-based construction, exhilarating single player, PVP game mode, and an impressive Early Access content plan – we believe Sea of Craft will be the complete packaging to crafting and simulation fans”
“We’ve been working on Sea of Craft for over two years. Sea of Craft has won a huge amount of love and recognition from those who’ve participated in our numerous online closed tests and offline exhibitions.” commented Changmeng Li, game producer. “Now we’re working hard polishing the EA version. In Sea of Craft the possibilities are endless and we can’t wait to see what amazing crafting antics players get up to!”
Sea of Craft will also be participating in the upcoming Steam Next Fest with Wizard Games hosting two livestream and Q+A sessions on 17th and 22nd June at 7pm BST/8pm CEST/2pm EDT/11am PDT on the Steam page.
Features of Sea of Craft
Play your way – Three distinct game modes catering for every playstyle!
Go big or go home – Immerse yourself in a beautifully crafted, 64km² open world map with realistic water physics
Create the vessel of your dreams – Using in depth building mechanics you can craft your seafaring vehicles using resources scattered around the world. Paint and decorate them with unique decorating items and take it to the next level by building huge, complex vessels.
Expand your armada –Trade ship designs with other players in the in game ship expo!
Go solo or buddy up – Jump into the full Singeplayer challenge based story mode or invite your friends to do battle on the high seas in intense PvP open world combat.
Get creative – Sandbox mode with unlimited resources to let your creativity run wild
Four unique minigames – Test your vessel and skills with fun and challenging minigames including Spy Ducks, Fast and Furious, Fishing Challenge, Ghost Ships (with many more to come!)
Sea of Craft will be setting sail in late summer 2021 for PC via Steam. Fans can wishlist the game now. For more information check out the official website at http://www.seaofcraft.com/
About Green Man Gaming Publishing
Green Man Gaming Publishing works with developers around the world to bring great indie games to market. Green Man Gaming Publishing is a division of Green Man Gaming, the multi-award-winning global video games retailer and technology business.
About PuzzleJar (developer)
Having banded together in 2018 with full heads of hair, the lifelong gamers at PuzzleJar form a small indie games R & D team. They wield their many combined years of experience with Unity to create awesome player experiences. In partnership with Wizard Games Global – one of China’s leading game developers and publishers – PuzzleJar toils ceaselessly to bring better games to the world. Each hair fallen in the course of development is offered readily for this noble purpose
Redhill Games’ Nine to Five Will Be Playable for Free During Steam Next Fest
Experience the latest sneak preview of the upcoming team-tactics shooter from June 16-22
HELSINKI – June 10, 2021 – Redhill Games has announced that Nine to Five, the fast-paced FPS that pits three teams of three against each other, will be playable for free on Steam from June 16-22 as part of Steam Next Fest. The demo will let players experience Nine to Five’s core gameplay hooks, as well as exclusive new weapons and armor. Squad up with friends, customize your loadouts, and dive into an exhilarating multiplayer showdown where good teamwork and strategy can make all the difference.
Set in a near-future where corporations rule everything and being a mercenary is just another job, Nine to Five is a free-to-play 3v3v3 shooter that’s as much about outsmarting your rivals as it is outgunning them. Matches develop over three phases, each impacting the next and forcing players to constantly adapt their strategies to win.
Redhill has continued to build up Nine to Five through frequent testing phases with its community toward a future official release. For more info, check out www.ninetofive.game.
About Redhill Games
Headquartered in Helsinki with multinational leadership and talent drawn from many of PC gaming’s top companies, Redhill Games was established in late 2018 with a core focus on creating high-quality titles that capitalize on the team’s extensive knowledge of free-to-play, games-as-a-service experiences. The studio employs over sixty talented developers from nineteen nationalities and continues to grow.
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.
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