Time To Get Old: Chronos: Before the Ashes Is Out Now!
Sydney, Australia, December 2nd, 2020 – Chronos: Before the Ashes is out now on PC, Stadia, Xbox One™, Nintendo Switch™, and PlayStation®4! Start your hero’s journey and experience the events that happened before Remnant: From the Ashes in this prequel to the 2019 smash hit.
In Chronos: Before the Ashes, you will face a vast labyrinth full of challenges and get in touch with a unique mechanic: When your hero dies – and he will, of that we’re sure 😉 – he will come back a year older. Throughout the course of the game, the hero will get older and older. As we all know, at a young age it’s easier to use strength and agility to your advantage. But wisdom comes only with age, kids! In Chronos: Before the Ashes, as your character ages, it becomes easier for him to enhance his magical abilities.
Chronos: Before the Ashes is based on the VR-exclusive Chronos from Gunfire Games, but has been overhauled and optimised to work on all platforms without the need for VR support. Chronos: Before the Ashes is out now on PC, Stadia, Xbox One™, Nintendo Switch™, and PlayStation®4. If you want to learn more about Chronos: Before the Ashes visit the Official Chronos Website.
About Chronos: Before the Ashes Chronos: Before the Ashes is an atmospheric RPG that chronicles a hero’s lifelong quest to save their homeland from a great evil. Grow wiser, stronger and more powerful as you explore the depths of the mysterious labyrinth. But beware, the labyrinth takes a heavy toll – each time your hero dies, they lose a year of their life!
Adventure RPG – Refreshing combination of Adventure Game elements and RPG mechanics.
Deep Combat – A variety of weapons, abilities, and powers are available to the player in the pursuit of their quest.
Unique Aging Mechanic – Every time the player dies they age one year. Players must adapt to their advancing age as they progress throughout the game. You will begin your adventure young, nimble, and quick, and end your time in the game wise and more attuned to magic.
In partnership with KonoSuba publisher Kadokawa, and developed by Sumzap, KonoSuba: Fantastic Days follows the original storyline from the popular anime series “KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World!” Featuring original characters, including Kazuma, Aqua, Megumin, Darkness, all-new exclusive characters along with new storylines will also be created uniquely for the game.
Nexon revealed KonoSuba: Fantastic Days videos with the main voice actors Jun Fukushima, who stars as Kazuma, and Sora Amamiya, starring as Aqua, as they shared their thoughts on the forthcoming global release of KonoSuba: Fantastic Days.
“I’m so happy that everyone can now play KonoSuba: Fantastic Days!” exclaimed Sora Amamiya. “The content in the game is very fulfilling and the characters are super cute. I hope you’re excited!”
For the latest news on KonoSuba: Fantastic Days, follow @playkonosuba on Instagram and Twitter. To sign-up for updates, visit playkonosuba.com.
● KonoSuba – Interview with Kazuma Voice Actor, Jun Fukushima
● KonoSuba – Interview with Aqua Voice Actress, Sora Amamiya
Based on the popular anime series “KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World!”, KonoSuba: Fantastic Days is a free-to-play character-collection RPG for iOS and Android. Featuring fan-favorite characters, including Kazuma, Aqua, Megumin and Darkness, the game follows the storyline from the anime and includes unique characters created exclusively for the game. Earlier this year, the Japanese release of KonoSuba: Fantastic Days has been met with positive response from players gaining a strong recognition and fan base.
Founded in 2005, Nexon America Inc. delivers outstanding free-to-play online game expertise and live game support, taking the strengths of NEXON Co., Ltd. (“Nexon”) and applying them for uniquely western audiences. Nexon America has consistently sustained iconic franchises such as MapleStory and Mabinogi for more than a decade, which have gone on to break records and captivate players. With new projects on the horizon, Nexon America maintains the pioneering and innovative spirit of its parent company, employing its player-first approach, while designing the best possible gameplay experiences for the western market.
Twin Mirror™: The psychological thriller from DONTNOD is now available on PC (Epic Games Store), PlayStation®4 and Xbox One™
DONTNOD Entertainment is delighted to announce the release of Twin Mirror™, its newest narrative adventure co-produced by Shibuya Productions, on PC (Epic Games Store), PlayStation®4 (PlayStation®Store) and Xbox One™ (Microsoft®Store). In this psychological thriller, gamers are invited to the town of Basswood (West Virginia) to follow Sam Higgs in his quest for truth.
To celebrate the launch of this new game, the independent studio DONTNOD is happy to share a launch trailer.
Following the tragic death of his best friend, Sam Higgs decides to pay him one last tribute and comes back to Basswood, his childhood town. It quickly becomes obvious that this little West Virginian city holds numerous dark secrets. The former investigative journalist employs his unique deductive skills to uncover the mysteries surrounding the city and its inhabitants. Confronted with his past, Sam is torn between his quest for truth and his desire to reconnect with his loved ones. Who can he really trust?
Sam’s unique analytical skills allows the player, through a Mind Palace, to relive his memories during flashback sequences, study the environment and gather clues allowing the simulation of multiple scenarios to deduct the course of events or predict the story’s key turning points. However, this particular trait can lead Sam to cut himself from the world and, sometimes hurt those around him.
That’s when the Double comes into play, a character only Sam can see. The Double is a representation of himself more emphatic and social. Sam can always rely on this ally to guide him through social interactions and navigate a society that sometimes rejects singularity. Through these human qualities the Double can offer Sam an alternative when he needs to make important decisions.
Every decision, every interaction and every discovery will influence the direction of Sam’s investigation and will ultimately determine how much of himself he’s willing to sacrifice. There are no right or wrong answers – each player will live a truly unique experience tailored by their very own decisions.
Co-produced with Shibuya Productions, DONTNOD’s first self-published title will be exclusively available as a digital PC version on the Epic Game Store for a year. BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment will be the distribution partner for the PlayStation®4 and Xbox One™ versions.
Twin Mirror™ is now available on PlayStation®4 (PlayStation®Store), Xbox One™ (Microsoft®Store) and PC. The digital PC version is exclusively available on the Epic Games Store for one year starting today.
Twin Mirror™ is compatible with PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.
Don’t miss the latest news about Twin Mirror™, follow the game on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About DONTNOD Entertainment
Founded in 2008, DONTNOD is an independent French studio that develops “AA” budget video games in popular genres, such as adventure (LIFE is STRANGE, TWIN MIRROR), action (REMEMBER ME) and RPG (VAMPYR). Every new game is an original, natively multi-screen creation with a unique narrative experience and gameplay (consoles, PC, smartphones, tablets, Mac and TV) and is aimed at a wide audience, whether released in episodes by adopting the successful TV series format, or in “one shot” format. The studio has built an international reputation amongst leading publishers such as Square Enix, Focus Home Interactive, Bandai Namco Entertainment and Capcom.
DONTNOD (ISIN code: FR0013331212 – ALDNE) is listed on Euronext Growth Paris.
Step into the studio’s immersive and innovative universe at dont-not.com
About Shibuya Productions
Founded in 2014, Shibuya Productions is a Monaco based company, with a subsidiary in Japan, specialized in animation and video games with strong content such as Astroboy Reboot, Shenmue III and Cobra Return of Joe Gillian. Shibuya Productions also produces mangas, documentaries and fiction films while playing an international role in the Pop Culture recognition by organizing the unique yearly event MAGIC both in Monaco and Kyoto. http://www.shibuya-productions.comhttp://www.magic-ip.com
About Epic Games
Founded in 1991, Epic Games is the creator of Fortnite, Unreal, Gears of War, Shadow Complex, and the Infinity Blade series of games. Epic’s Unreal Engine technology, which brings high-fidelity, interactive experiences to PC, console, mobile, AR, VR and the Web, is freely available at unrealengine.com. The Epic Games store offers a handpicked library of games, available at epicgames.com. Follow @EpicGames for updates.
About BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe S.A.S.
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe S.A.S. part of BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc. is a leading global publisher and developer of interactive content for platforms including all major video game consoles, PC and mobile. The company is known for creating and publishing many of the industry’s top video game franchises, including PAC-MAN™, TEKKEN™, SOULCALIBUR™ and DARK SOULS as well as new franchises such as LITTLE NIGHTMARES™ and THE DARK PICTURES ANTHOLOGYTM. For more information please visit www.bandainamcoent.eu. All the BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment products are available on the official store https://store.bandainamcoent.eu
Twin Mirror® est une marque déposée ou commerciale de DON’T NOD ENTERTAINMENT aux Etats-Unis et dans tous les pays.
Xbox Game Pass for PC Gets Cyberpunk Visual Novel VA-11 HALL-A Dec. 1
Over 600,000 Copies of Bartending Simulator Sold
CARACAS, VENEZUELA – 1 December, 2020 – VA-11 HALL-A, the cyberpunk booze ‘em up from Ysbryd Games and Sukeban Games about bartending and relationships in a post-dystopian world, kicks off happy hour on Xbox Game Pass for PC today.
Squint past the neon nightlife and cyberpunk wonder of 207X’s Glitch City, and you’ll find millions barely eking out an existence. A corrupt government keeps the oppressed in line with nanomachines. Food shortages run rampant. The city’s have-nots, a class growing every day, find comfort in cheap, chemical-ridden cocktails of the future.
Jill, a bartender at local watering hole VA-11 HALL-A, can oblige. As Jill, serve drinks to customers from all walks of life, each with a story to tell. Spend time with an android sex worker, an up-and-coming idol, a professional hacker, and other VA-11 HALL-A patrons. Build relationships with each, uncovering relatable backstories while unfolding a rich narrative tapestry.
VA-11 HALL-A’s branching story falls entirely under the influence of what drinks Jill serves. Unlock six possible endings by fulfilling drink orders dutifully or going off-menu to open new narrative possibilities. Sober up customers for a lucid dialogue or pour something stronger to try loosening lips.
Luxuriate in rhythmic synthwave and electronic music. Enjoy Glitch City’s nightlife with pixel art evoking classic Japanese adventure games of the ‘80s. Balance tough love with customer service to earn tip money to make rent and customize Jill’s apartment. Make choices to help patrons to forget about their daily troubles in a world where the powerful do not care.
“The world of VA-11 HALL-A is entirely unlike our own, but its inhabitants’ stories are ones we can all identify with,” said Fernando Damas, co-founder, Sukeban Games. “While we may not live in the post-dystopian Glitch City among androids, we all know what it’s like to have a terrible day and need to confide in someone. VA-11 HALL-A celebrates this oh-so-human need and how sparks of hope can be found in dismal circumstances.”
VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action is out today on Xbox Game Pass for PC, joining previous Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Steam for PC, Mac OS X, and Linux releases. On all platforms, VA-11 HALL-A supports English, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese text localization.
Publisher Ysbryd Games delivers games with stories that have the heart and soul to stay with players for a lifetime, underlined by captivating gameplay and striking aesthetics.
Based in Venezuela, Sukeban Games is a team of six people aiming to push the narrative limits of what video games are expected to deliver. Sukeban Games’ first commercial outing, VA-11 HALL-A, has sold more than 600,000 copies on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4.
SAN DIEGO – December 1, 2020 – Psyonix, the San Diego video game developer, announced that Rocket League’sSeason 2 will go live on December 9. The next season is a celebration of music that will introduce a new customization option called Player Anthems, new songs and content from Grammy-nominated EDM artist Kaskade through a partnership with Monstercat, a new Rocket Pass, a new Arena, and more!
Rocket League Season 2 will feature:
● Player Anthems – This new customization option will let players select and play Rocket League music in the Arena after scoring a goal. More information about Player Anthems will be revealed on the Rocket League website tomorrow. ● New Music and Content From Kaskade – Psyonix partnered with long-standing partner and electronic music label Monstercat and acclaimed producer Kaskade to create an EP of songs for Rocket League Season 2. The first song, “Flip Reset,” with WILL K, is now available in-game, featured in the Season 2 trailer. Additional Kaskade music and content will be available throughout the season. ● New Rocket Pass – This season’s Rocket Pass includes music-themed items, some of which will pulse and flash to the beat of the menu and arena music! The appropriately named R3MX car and 70+ Tiers of unique items will be available for those who unlock Rocket Pass Premium. ● Neon Fields Arena – This new EDM-inspired Arena will be available in Online Playlists and Private Matches. ● Rocket Labs – Rocket Labs will return as a Casual Limited Time Mode Playlist throughout the season. ● Additional Updates – New Competitive Rewards, Challenges, Quality of Life improvements, and changes to the Esports Shop are coming in Season 2 as well. More information on the changes to the Esports Shop will be available early next week.
Check out the Season 2 landing page HERE and the most recent blog post HERE for additional information.
ABOUT ROCKET LEAGUE Winner or nominee of more than 150 “Game of the Year” awards, Rocket League is one of the most critically-acclaimed sports games of our generation. Rocket League is a high-powered hybrid of arcade-style soccer and vehicular mayhem with easy-to-understand controls and fluid, physics-driven competition. Available on Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and PC from the Epic Games Store, Rocket League includes nearly endless customization possibilities, a fully-featured offline season mode, multiple game types, casual and competitive online matches, and special “Mutators” that let you change the rules entirely.
To learn more about Rocket League, please visit www.RocketLeague.com, “Like” it on Facebook, and follow it on Twitter @RocketLeague for all the latest developer updates and news.
ABOUT PSYONIX™ Based in San Diego, CA, Psyonix is a critically-acclaimed video game developer and a leading expert in Unreal Engine technology. For more than 15 years, the studio has been a driving force behind some of the most successful games in the industry, including Gears of War, Mass Effect 3, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Bulletstorm, Unreal Tournament III, Unreal Tournament 2004, and the award-winning Sports-Action hit, Rocket League®.
ABOUT KASKADE As a household name in electronic music for over two decades, Multi GRAMMY Award-nominated musician Kaskade needs no introduction. His list of achievements is a mile long: 11 studio albums, 7 GRAMMY nominations, the first solo electronic dance artist to sell out both Navy Pier in Chicago and the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the first DJ to ever secure a Las Vegas residency, the only DJ to have played the Grand Canyon West Skywalk, and the first electronic artist to headline Coachella. Less tangible but even more important has been his influence on dance music tastes and culture for generations of listeners. Often Kaskade is one of the artists who introduced now-veteran listeners to the genre, and such fans typically become evangelical fans for life. In 2019, he worked with multi-award winner Meghan Trainor on “With You”, Cheat Codes “Be the One” and Gorgon City on “Go Slow,” among solo releases, such as “My Light,” “Come On,” and official remixes for the likes of Alicia Keys, Jennifer Lopez, and Gwen Stefani earlier. Kaskade continues what has become a nostalgic tradition for many dance music veterans and a crash course in their new favorite kind of music for uninitiated listeners. Only months into 2020, and Kaskade has released a REDUX EP, and multiple singles to alleviate quarantine stress for his audience. Stay tuned for more moves from the original curve bender, Kaskade.
ABOUT MONSTERCAT Monstercat is one of electronic music’s most influential independent record labels. Founded in Canada in 2011, its mission has remained the same: to empower a creative and passionate community of artists and fans through innovation.
Championing a cadre of world-renowned artists including Marshmello, Vicetone, and Tokyo Machine, Monstercat celebrated over 1.9 Billion audio streams in 2019, and exceeds 150 Million global streams monthly. With 4 releases a week across the Uncaged and Instinct imprints, Monstercat has topped radio and streaming charts worldwide.
Beyond recorded music, Monstercat channels the undeniable power of its brand into apparel, live event promotion, and gaming partnerships. In 2019, Monstercat hosted stages and events at international festivals including Tomorrowland, ADE, and Miami Music Week, with a collective 65 events across 14 countries. Monstercat also holds its own annual festival, Compound, which draws thousands of fans to Vancouver in celebration of artists + music. Monstercat’s live radio program Call of the Wild boosts the signal even further, reaching 3 Million listeners weekly through its syndication partnerships across 30+ global networks including SiriusXM, and popular livestreaming platform Twitch.
Within the work of sync + partnerships, Monstercat has redefined music licensing for content creators and major brands. Undertaking co-branded soundtracks, in-game activations, and collaborations with game publishers and titles–including Epic/Psyonix (Fortnite, Rocket League), Roblox, and Beat Games (Beat Saber)–Monstercat offers curated solutions that continue to excite and fuel the gaming community.
Backed by passionate employees, driven artists, and the dedication of fans worldwide, Monstercat proves that independent labels have the ability to reshape and reimagine the music industry landscape.
Chicago’s criminal Kings and Queens hit the streets on PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch today
This character-driven, noir-inspired game puts players smack dab in the glitz and glamour of the roaring 20s, all while working behind the scenes in the gritty underbelly of organized crime. It’s up to you to hustle, charm and intimidate your way to the top of the pile and do whatever it takes to stay there. Empire of Sin’s gameplay is structured around three pillars:
Roleplay: Choose one of fourteen unique bosses based on fictional and real-world gangsters, then set out to build and manage your criminal empire in Chicago’s infamous Prohibition era. Go to the mattresses as Al Capone or Goldie Garneau and send the rest of Chicago’s underworld to sleep with the fishes!
Empire Management: Build your Empire of Sin and run Chicago’s underworld economy with business savvy, brutality or city-wide notoriety. Strategically manage your establishments such as speakeasies, supply chains, casinos and more.
Turn-Based Combat: Assemble a killer gang from Empire of Sin’s more than fifty recruitable gangsters and slug it out in turn-based combat to defend and expand your territory – or send a message to opposing gangs.
Check out first 30 mins of Gameplay here:
Check out official Trailer here:
“Empire of Sin is labor of love, a game I’ve wanted to make for 20 years,” said Brenda Romero, game director, Romero Games. “If games are about wish fulfillment, anyone who’s ever wished to run a criminal empire is in for a treat. We designed the game to put you right there in the thick of the action, at the very beginning of Prohibition. It goes without saying, but I’ll say it — the Empire of Sin team can’t wait to get this game into players’ hands.”
“Empire of Sin is the perfect video game cocktail: it fuses together the strategy and management gameplay that Paradox is known for with new flavors like turn-based combat, all set in the meticulously recreated world of 1920’s Chicago,” said Ebba Ljungerud, CEO, Paradox. “Bringing this ambitious project to the finish line has been a wonderful collaboration with Romero Games, and we’re thrilled for players to take their first steps into Prohibition today!”
Purchase Empire of Sin today at the links below. In addition to the base game, there are additional pre-order upgrade packs that contain a wide range of perks. Wiseguys who want to outfit their Empire can grab the Deluxe and Premium Editions that include stylish cosmetics, recruitable crewmates, weapon sets and more.
Paradox Interactive is a leading global publisher of strategy games for PC and console. The company has developed and published a world-renowned catalog stretching back to 1999, with players hailing from all around the world.
The publisher’s steadily-growing portfolio includes firmly established franchises such as the critically acclaimed Europa Universalis, Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron, and Stellaris series created by Paradox Development Studio, the Age of Wonders series created by Triumph Studios, as well as award-winning titles such as Cities: Skylines, Pillars of Eternity, and more from a network of partner studios. Paradox is the owner of the World of Darkness IPs and is publishing Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. Today, over four million people play a Paradox game each month, and the number of registered Paradox users is over twelve million.
Paradox’s head offices are located in Stockholm, Sweden. Our development studios are located in Stockholm, Malmö and Umeå, Sweden, in Delft, The Netherlands, in Seattle, Washington, and in Berkeley, California. We share a passion for gaming and gamers, and our goal is to provide deep and challenging games with hours of gameplay and endless variety to our ever-growing community.
Featuring Five Iconic Animals, 170+ Scenery Pieces, and an Incredible New Timed Challenge
Cambridge, UK – Dec. 1, 2020 — Frontier Developments plc (AIM: FDEV) today announced a Planet Zoo expansion that’s certain to make waves. The Aquatic Pack is an all-new, water-based DLC featuring everything players need to turn their zoos into magical marine menageries. Introducing never-before-seen additions to Frontier’s ultimate zoo simulation, Planet Zoo: Aquatic Pack will be available on Steam from December 8 for $9.99.
With Planet Zoo: Aquatic Pack players can plunge to new depths of zoo keeping with five iconic water-dwelling animals, as well as a wealth of aqua-inspired foliage, scenery and zoo construction pieces. Whether odes to the ocean or tributes to the tides, players can adorn their zoos with eye-catching murals depicting wild jungles and icy tundra, pick reflective materials embracing water’s mirror-like qualities, display graceful new animal sculptures, and even create their own cascading waterfalls.
Adding to the abundance of existing animals in Planet Zoo, the Aquatic Pack turns the tide, offering a completely new dimension for budding zookeepers to explore and enjoy. Welcoming the wonderful Diamondback Terrapin, charming Giant Otter, beautiful Cuvier’s Dwarf Caiman, brilliant Grey Seal and adventurous King Penguin, players and guests alike will delight as they watch these new additions interact with their watery environments in a whole new way.
With over 170 new scenery pieces included in the Aquatic Pack, zookeepers have everything they could need to enrich and expand their zoos. This new range of construction items and blueprints contains both valuable building pieces and aquatic-themed content enabling players to add fresh and functional fauna or flora to their existing zoos, or build entirely new water-based areas.
Also included is a brand new timed scenario. Players will head to Oregon, USA and get busy managing a unique zoo set around a drained riverbed. This water-centric location will test players’ skills with its tight space restrictions. Featuring lots of elevation to play with, there’s more than enough room for visionaries, by completing habitats, introducing animals, and training staff, it’ll be profitable in no time.
In addition to the Aquatic Pack, existing players can discover a wealth of new content as part of the latest free content update. This update will include new foliage and enrichment items, the ability to educate guests through the addition of educational animal talks, quality of life updates, as well as a brand new timed scenario, letting players journey to the jaw-dropping environment of the Philippines as they transform disused rice terraces into a fledgling zootopia, while pushing conservational awareness.
Please note the Planet Zoo: Aquatic Pack requires the Planet Zoo base game in order to download and play. Planet Zoo is available now on Steam with an RRP of $44.99, Planet Zoo Deluxe Edition RRP for $54.99 or the Planet Zoo Deluxe Upgrade Pack for $11.99.
About Planet Zoo Simulation Runs Wild in Planet Zoo. From the developers of Jurassic World Evolution (2018), Planet Coaster (2016) and Zoo Tycoon (2013) comes the ultimate zoo sim, featuring authentic living animals who think, feel and explore the world you create around them. Craft unique habitats and vast landscapes, make big decisions and meaningful choices, and nurture your animals as you construct and manage the world’s wildest zoos. Build and run a truly modern zoo where animal welfare and conservation comes first.
About Frontier Frontier is a leading independent developer and publisher of videogames founded in 1994 by David Braben, co-author of the iconic Elite game. Based in Cambridge, Frontier uses its proprietary COBRA game development technology to create innovative genre-leading games, primarily for personal computers and videogame consoles. As well as self-publishing internally developed games, Frontier also publishes games developed by carefully selected partner studios under its Frontier Foundry games label.
This planetary-building simulator is more than meets the eye – Take a look at combat in Per Aspera. Price and Bundles have also been announced!
STOCKHOLM — Dec. 1, 2020 — Get ready to bring the surface of Mars to life in Per Aspera, coming to Steam and GOG.com on December 3rd for $29.99USD/£23.99/29,99€ with a 10% discount at launch. In today’s video, the team at Tlön Industries prepares players to defend their colonies against a mysterious and looming threat. With hard sci-fi, deep and strategic city-building, a compelling narrative, and additional combat mechanics, Per Aspera has redefined the simulation genre!
PLANET-SIZED FEATURES
🌑 Balance a complex well of resources to build interconnected structures that span the entire planet.
🌒 Customize your terraforming plan with branching research trees — develop new technologies steeped in real-world science to create a thriving interplanetary civilization.
🌓 Cultivate relationships with your human colonists and ensure their continued survival on Mars’ unforgiving surface. How you choose to forge these relationships will impact how your mission concludes.
🌔 Uncover the mystery of a threatening presence on Mars and defend your colonies from unknown and combative forces.
🌕 Immerse yourself in a rich, compelling narrative featuring the voice acting talents of Troy Baker, Phil LaMarr, Laila Berzins, Yong Yea, Linsey Murrell, and Nneka Okoye, or take your time and craft the perfect Martian landscape with Sandbox mode.
About Tlön Industries
Based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, this 10+ person, independent video game studio was founded by three industry veterans with development experience on Master of Orion, Okhlos, and Command & Conquer.
About Raw Fury
Raw Fury is a boutique indie (un)publisher founded in 2015 by Jonas Antonsson, Gordon Van Dyke, and David Martinez. We don’t care about genres or mechanics. We care about experiences and emotions. We want to help developers make magic.
December 1, 2020 – Mark your calendars! We’re happy to announce, that following its successful Kickstarter campaign, NeocoreGames’ role-playing tactical game KING ARTHUR: KNIGHT’S TALE will be available on Steam Early Access on January 12, 2021.
Early Access allows us to work hand in hand with our players and implement changes to the game as we go, based on the feedback we receive from the community. The Early Access period will last for a few months, with regular content updates, followed by the full release on PC in early 2021 and later on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S / X.
Based on the Arthurian mythology, KING ARTHUR: KNIGHT’S TALE is a turn-based tactical role playing game – a unique hybrid between turn-based tactical games and traditional, character-centric RPGs. KING ARTHUR: KNIGHT’S TALE is a modern retelling of a classic Arthurian mythology story filtered through the dark fantasy tropes, a twist on the traditional tales of chivalry.
MAIN FEATURES
Your Fights – Control a small team of heroes and fight gruelling, but satisfying battles with a deeply engaging, tactical turn-based combat system. Choose from more than 30 heroes of five diverse classes and combine hundreds of skills and artefacts to assemble an efficient team.
Your Heroes – Gather your own Knights of the Round Table and send them on knightly quests. These heroes are the most important resources and the most complex gameplay elements at the same time. But beware! Death is always final! You must manage them at the Round Table accordingly, planning ahead before going into battles. The character progression system is designed to be as deep as in the traditional RPGs: heroes level up on unique skill trees and the complex loot system provides unique options to fine-tune their tactical capabilities. Each hero has a distinctive personality and their loyalty is constantly changing through the decisions made by the player – in certain cases they can even leave the Round Table and turn against you.
Your Kingdom – See the entirety of Avalon presented on a the Adventure Map, observe all the territories, select your missions and explore various places. Management in KING ARTHUR: KNIGHT’S TALE focuses on rebuilding Camelot and expanding the mystical Stronghold with new buildings that each unlock various upgrades, and also offers different ways to heal up and manage the heroes of the Round Table.
Your Legend – Play as Sir Mordred, the former nemesis of King Arthur. Explore the mystical island of Avalon, venture on knightly quests and make decisions in various encounters where you’ll need to make moral choices, as in most RPGs, which all have impact on the story and your Morality. The end of the campaign opens up new endgame content for the bravest of all: tough new challenges appear on the map with challenging, mythic boss fights and random quests, loot, and character progression ultimately leading to the banishing of Balor, the monstrous god-king of the Fomorians himself.
Beyond the Legend – Complete more than 50 unique points of interest on the Adventure Map, including 20 story missions and various side quests, taking place on diverse terrain. Journey to dark castle dungeons and the forests of the Sídhe, all built by using photoscanned environments and complemented by high-quality mocap animation, then rendered inside a modern PBR engine utilizing DirectX 12 to support strong, atmospheric effects. Challenge seven enemy factions, fight more than 50 types of enemy units and overcome ten incredible boss fights throughout your quests.
King Arthur: Knight’s Tale is available to wishlist on Steam.
– FAST FACTS – Name: King Arthur: Knight’s Tale Genre: Dark Fantasy Role-playing Tactical Game Developer: NeocoreGames Publisher: NeocoreGames Platforms: PC (Steam), PS5, XSX|S Early Access Release Date: January 12, 2021 Release Date:Q1 2021 Price:$39.99
About NeocoreGames NeocoreGames is an independent video game development company founded in 2005 with its headquarters located in Budapest, Hungary. Best known for The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing series and Deathtrap and currently working on Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr and Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Prophecy, the very first Action RPG set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. NeocoreGames also developed Crusaders: Thy Kingdom Come, The Kings’ Crusade and the King Arthur: The Role-playing Wargame series.
Meddling with the affairs of Gods is always a dangerous game, especially for a mortal as even at the best of times the mortal realm just barely comes out on top, even in Greek mythology. After first being revealed back in 2019 under the name Gods and Monsters Ubisoft chose to go with Immortals Fenyx Rising as the name instead and has taken a number of aspects familiar with both the Assassin’s Creed games as well as a certain Nintendo release and combined them to create a more light-hearted open world action game that has came out of left-field as being perhaps one of their best attempts at a brand new open world game in years.
Story
The Greek gods once reigned supreme over their realm but Typhon, a powerful monster, has broken free from its prison in Tartaros. Typhon is quick to seek revenge against the various gods as they either fall to his might or flee in terror as no one seems capable of putting up much of a fight against the powerful monstrosity with even Zeus seeking a way to hide from the creature. In an effort to find a way to put down Typhon for good, Zeus turns to the god of knowledge that everyone knows he adores so much, Prometheus. With Prometheus still chained up after giving fire to humanity, the pair serve as the narrators that tell the tale of Fenyx, an unproven soldier that has lived in the shadow of their brother their entire lives.
On their way home from a great battle the ship that Fenyx, her brother, and the rest of the battalion were on manages to sink allowing the survivors to wash up on the devastated Golden Isle. It doesn’t take long for Fenyx, who can be played as either a boy or a girl, to find out that something is incredibly wrong here as not only has every other survivor been turned to stone, their hero-esque brother has also suffered the same fate and strange monsters have begun appearing across the land. Armed with a powerful weapon passed down by the gods, Fenyx finds herself stepping out from her brother’s shadow and becoming more than just a warrior, instead transforming into just the type of hero that the Greek gods will need to save them even if it means facing some truths that these deific beings would rather not accept.
Immortals Fenyx Rising takes an interesting twist when it comes to narrative storytelling as players will find Prometheus narrating most of Fenyx’s journey with Zeus providing various quips and inserting his own little facts here and there to change things up, altering history only for Prometheus to have to reign him in in an effort to keep the story moving forward. This makes for amazing humor, especially if the player knows at least some basic knowledge about the Greek pantheon, as Zeus makes numerous fourth-wall breaking jokes and banters with Prometheus all while the player is exploring a newly found location, fighting a wave of enemies in a story mission, or interjecting on Fenyx’s own interactions with other gods.
Of course this style of humor may not be for everyone but it works very well here partially because Fenyx herself works as a fairly strong character in her own right. Her interactions with the various other gods such as Hermes, Aphrodite, and more as well as the plot of dealing with Typhon and the various aspects of the world are well written and create a solidly entertaining plot that, even if the player isn’t a fan of game’s comedic chops, is still worth enjoying in its own right and even better for those with a solid sense of humor.
Gameplay
In many ways Immortals Fenyx Rising feels like something of an introduction to Ubisoft’s general approach to their open world games as the entire first section that players explore as Fenyx serves as something of a tutorial for most of the game’s mechanics while the game as a whole feels like a more condensed open world with a number of various activities to tackle. Fenyx will initially start with the ability to climb nearly any vertical surface as long as she has enough stamina to do so, swim through bodies of water, glide or double jump with the help of some mythological wings, and much more as players progress throughout the game. Despite the fact that there is so much available at the player’s fingertips, especially since some challenges can be flat out defeated early simply by persistence or thinking outside the box, there is a certain lack of surprise to some challenges as players can immediately identify the locations of chests, puzzles, collectibles, and more simply by climbing atop large statues or mountains and revealing them on the map.
Some of the best parts of Immortals Fenyx Rising come in the form of the various puzzles that players will need to solve. These puzzles come in a variety of forms that can have some rather surprising solutions and, as mentioned before, there is some wriggle room to some puzzle solutions here and there. Puzzles can range from sliding block and weight based ones, timing ones, properly placing stars to mimic a constellation, arrow aiming, and far more that can rely on Fenyx’s maneuverability to solve. It is also nice to note that, given the game’s open nature, players are warned if they cannot currently solve a puzzle due to a missing story ability so they don’t beat their head against an impossible task.
Fenyx gains health from collecting ambrosia scattered throughout the world as well as stamina by absorbing Zeus’ lightning locked away in the best puzzles in the game, the Vaults of Tartaros. These vaults serve as challenging areas separated from the base world and can feature anything from a gauntlet of battles against Typhon’s minions, to jumping puzzles, to arrow timing puzzles, and more to really help make sure that these areas stand out as note only special but often some of the best examples of what Fenyx and her ever growing showcase of powers is capable of.
Battling against Typhon’s various minions and other twisted forces is handled quite smoothly as players can make use of light sword based attacks to deal quick damage, chip away at an enemy’s guard or send them into a stunned state by hitting them with heavy axe blows, fire at them with arrows including the aforementioned complete control arrow, and of course dodging and countering any incoming damage. This is only the start of things however as players can hold various pieces of debris to throw at foes or even grab at an enemy after certain points and some of the powers that Fenyx unlocks from the various gods that she meets really make her something of a steamroller when it comes to taking down even some of the more challenging fights.
This can lead to things being a bit too easy at times should the player find themselves gathering plenty of resources across the map and using them up at the Tower of the Gods. Here players can refine potions that replace using fruit or mushrooms to restore larger portions of health and stamina, use the aforementioned collectibles to provide permanent boosts, and of course strengthen Fenyx’s equipment. It is also worth noting that while the gear is a bit more simplistic in nature, players can choose to have their equipment look however they wish once it is obtained, meaning that players can play as a “fashion” soldier if they want to.
Visuals & Audio
The world of Immortals Fenyx Rising is quite varied with a number of bright and colorful regions that vary in small but noticeable ways and feature quite a large variety of wildlife and mountains that players can tame and scale should they please. The character models themselves are a bit on the rougher side as the art style doesn’t quite find the right line between cartoonish and realistic and although the monsters can be quite stunning at times, players will quickly find out that, outside of some more unique opponents, many of the foes they face within the first few hours will be repeated all the way until the end, making the flashy and fluid combat a bit disappointing in this regard as players will lack enough unique enemies to take down with it.
The English voice actors fore Zeus and Prometheus really pull their weight here as they provide most of the game’s narration and their delivery of the humor really pays off in that regard. The other voice actors are also handled quite well with Fenyx’s female voice actress really fitting the character quite well while the soundtrack fits the heroic style that the game wants to fit itself around though most background tracks fail to really stand out in any significant way.
Overall
Anyone spending time with Immortals Fenyx Rising will immediately know where it draws inspiration from and watered down various mechanics from these inspirations to create its own thing and shockingly, created a wonderfully humorous game with rewarding exploration that doesn’t overstay its welcome all while providing a solid mixture of combat and witty puzzles to keep players interested in exploring should they choose to see everything the game has to offer even if it is clear that Ubisoft may not have known just what type of hit they had on their hands here.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
