Launches on PS4/Vita, Switch, Xbox One & Steam in February 2021
We are excited to announce that Habroxia 2, the follow-up to Lillymo Games’ 2019 space-faring retro style shoot-em-up Habroxia, is coming to PS4, PS Vita, Switch, Xbox One, and PC/Steam on February 3rd!
Habroxia 2 is a non-linear, old-school space shooter with upgrades, boss fights, and even New Game+, all wrapped in a retro package combining pixel graphics, chiptunes and stellar gameplay. Along with even more customizable ship upgrades and challenging boss battles, Habroxia 2 will also feature a revamped twin-stick control scheme and branching stages.
Eastasiasoft will publish Habroxia 2 on PS4/Vita in Asia/Japan as digital & physical editions. We will also handle porting & worldwide digital publishing on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Steam. Habroxia 2 will launch on February 3, 2021 for US$9.99 / €9.99 / ¥1000.
Alongside this announcement comes the exciting news that Habroxia, the game that started the series, is being brought to Xbox One by eastasiasoft on December 2, 2020.
In the aftermath of a brutal attack on Free Space, humanity sends scout ships to the star system that was at the source of the assault. But when one of the pilots doesn’t return home, it’s up to his daughter — the talented starpilot Sabrina — to find him. Habroxia 2 is a non-linear, old-school space shooter with upgrades, boss fights, and even New Game+, all wrapped in a retro package combining pixel graphics, chiptunes, and stellar gameplay.
“Your drill is the drill that will pierce the Heavens!”
Tokyo Japan, December 1st, 2020 – Global publisher Lightning Games today is proud to announce the DLC for it’s 2D robot-combat platformer HARDCORE MECHA is available now on Nintendo Switch. The ‘Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann’ DLC is up for grabs with a 10% discount until the 3rd of December.
The ‘Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann’ DLC arrives following HARDCORE MECHA’s launch on October 15th providing a host of new additions that will keep players fully engaged in its fast paced mecha warfare experience. This DLC comes from the famous animation ‘Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann’ which will include titular mecha ‘Gurren Lagann’, ‘Lagann’ and pilot Simon too join HARDCORE MECHA’s already impressive roster. With these Mechas come their ability to use the devastating attacks Gurren Boomerang, Skull Break, Full Drillized, Fire Cart Kick & Giga Drill Break. All ‘Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann’ content is available to use on Local & Online Multiplayer Mode, Training Mode and Single-player Simulation Mode.
“We’re very excited to bring the ‘Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann’ DLC to HARDCORE MECHA,” said Louiky Mu, Producer at RocketPunch. “We made sure to recreate aspects of the show as closely as possible, so players can feel what Simon feels when he casts his abilities. To have players able to fight as some of their favourite characters from this beloved animation is an honour for us.”
About HARDCORE MECHA HARDCORE MECHA is a robot-combat platformer where players select their mecha as they embark on a thrilling action-packed adventure filled with shooting, flying and exquisite animations – imagine a mix of Metal Slug and Super Robot Wars! The game features three major game modes: Campaign, Multiplayer, and Survival mode.
In Campaign Mode you take control of Tarethur, a mercenary tasked with finding a missing intelligence officer on Mars in a story of conspiracy and insurgency. Consisting of 8 chapters and 18 stages, these range from deep underwater, out in space or confined in urban environments, all gorgeously realized with seamless animated cutscenes. Multiplayer mode allows players to select from a roster of customizable mechas and showcase amazing freestyle combo moves and experience the high-speed competitive PVP battles. HARDCORE MECHA supports online multiplayer and local split-screen for up to four players. And for players that are looking for a greater challenge there is the survival mode, “Simulation Battle”. Here players can handpick from the 50 mechas that appear in-game, as they fight to survive against waves of deadly enemies.
HARDCORE MECHA was first announced back in 2016 and was successfully funded via Kickstarter which saw more than 4,000 backers pledge to the project. Since then, the game has won critical praise for its super slick and fast paced 2D gameplay taking home over 10 indie awards including at the Tokyo Game show, and Developer Award at the PlayStation™Awards 2019. After its release, HARDCORE MECHA topped the PlayStation Japan sales chart for weeks, and remained in the top 3 for over a month.
About Lightning Games Lightning Games is a video game publisher dedicated to delivering quality PC/Console games to players around the world. Lightning Games recently released titles loved by players, including Overdungeon and The Enchanted Cave 2.
About RocketPunch Games RocketPunch Games is an indie game developer based in Beijing, who pursuits to deliver fun and high-quality video games to players worldwide, onto various gaming platforms. HARDCORE MECHA is the first production of RocketPunch Games, the game was on top of PlayStation Japan sales chart for weeks, and remained in the top 3 for over a month after its release, with the overwhelmingly positive feedback from players and media, the efforts behind HARDCORE MECHA have been recognised.
BUILDBEE RELEASES FREE ASSET PACKS FOR BOARD GAME DEVELOPERS
The 3D-printable assets will be available to everyone on the BuildBee platform
November 30 2020, Australia – Today BuildBee announced the release of several free packs of assets for board game developers and enthusiasts, to help take board game creations to the next level. These packs will be grouped under BuildBee Games, which was made to help amateur and professional board game creators, design and realise new designs, game mechanics, and art styles.
BuildBee, a 3D printer software company, provides a cloud-based platform which allows users of any skill level to operate, run and access 3D-printing from any BuildBee-based 3D printer worldwide without having to own a 3D printer. Because the process happens only between cloud-to-printer, the design cannot be stolen or intercepted and protects the owner’s intellectual property.
BuildBee’s Lead Product Developer and co-founder Matt Griffiths said, “We’ve always been fans of board games, particularly games like Carcassonne on the Hill and Ticket to Ride. When we realised we could help with their creation, it was an easy decision. We wanted to give board game developers options for game objects that are easy to access but also give them the option to design or tailor their own.”
“With BuildBee, board game developers and enthusiasts will have access to a large variety of asset types as well such as an apple, or a meeple in a wheelchair; they’ll be able to print what they need and even change the asset’s size, position and general shape to fit their requirements,” said Griffiths.
Card holders are scaled to a practical size and are ready to print. Print multi-card holders on their side for best results. All other tokens and meeples are scaled to fit in a 10mm x 10mm footprint, and should be scaled up to the desired size.
BuildBee are working on future packs for release in early 2021, some of which will be added free to BuildBee, while other more detailed packs will be available to Pro and Enterprise tiers.
Access to BuildBee begins at the Starter level, which is free, and builds up to the Pro and Enterprise levels. BuildBee pricing and level access can be found here.
About BuildBee
BuildBee provides a powerful cloud-based platform for the entire process of owning, operating, running and accessing 3D-printing for any 3D printer, at any user skill level. The BuildBee team believes 3D-printing can change the world by reshaping how we design, produce and consume physical goods. Their aim is to continuously improve 3D-printing by harnessing the power and insights of a large network of print jobs to streamline the print process and reduce the required knowledge of the average user. BuidlBee supports individuals, schools and institutions in Australia, Asia, Europe and the United States.
Monday, 30 November 2020: Dynamic Duo, Benson ‘Liki’ Niuila and Daniel ‘Rekonz’ Mort took out the inaugural Red Bull Flick Grand Final last night, following two weeks of gruelling qualifiers.
Over 620 players competed in Red Bull Flick, a grassroots tournament that saw the traditional CS:GO format energised by a brand new game mode; Hold The Flag. Duos attempted to control and stand their ground over a flag point for 60 seconds against their opposition, across five unique CS:GO maps designed specifically for Red Bull Flick.
In a high-octane grand final, two duos took it to the end with the inaugural Red Bull Flick tournament coming down to a matter of seconds. Semi-professional players ‘Dynamic Du-Woah’ faced off against amateur team ‘Deadweight’ in a best of five that saw both teams playing all five rounds. ‘Deadweight’ turned the tide with a surprise upset in the third map, Speedway, showing their competition not to underestimate the amateurs and that this was anyone’s game. With seconds on the clock, ‘Dynamic Du-Woah’ cinched the victory in map five, Himalaya, after a strong push from Benson ‘Liki’ Niuila to hold for the milliseconds remaining.
Winning team ‘Dynamic Du-Woah’, comprised of Benson ‘Liki’ Niuila and Daniel ‘Rekonz’ Mort – beat out 311 other pairings for the title of first ever Red Bull Flick victors, and secured a custom built PC each, valued at $3,000 AUD. Liki shared that the unique Red Bull Flick format, Hold The Flag, helped level the playing field between amateurs and pros playing.
“It was a pretty good day for us wasn’t it? We didn’t expect it to go to the 5th map (Himalaya), but they surprised us on the 3rd map (Speedway) and took us right to the final round. I was definitely getting nervous, but we pulled through and are very happy with the win.” Said Benson ‘Liki’ Niuila.
“We really enjoyed the Red Bull Flick format and the experience from qualifiers through to the live finals today. It was intense and different to what we were used to, so happy to come away as winners tonight.”
Joshua Inman, Operations Manager at ESL representing Red Bull Flick said the tournament had been a success.
“Creative tournaments like Red Bull Flick are a great entry point for amateurs to be able to play amongst esports pros in a professional setting. The unique maps and Hold the Flag format have definitely challenged amateur and seasoned gamers alike, and we saw that in the positive responses and feedback from players. It’s been great to continue our work with Red Bull to support ongoing esports in Australia.” Said Inman.
In the lead up to the Red Bull Flick Grand Final, some of Australia’s biggest streamers and esports professionals teamed up to demonstrate the new game format and five new maps. Tune into your favourite streamer’s channels, including Paladin Amber, Bordie and AFL Legend Mitch Robinson to catch the action for a limited time.
Red Bull gives you wings – in gaming and real life. We have built up personalities in gaming and hosted and supported esports events for a long time. Some of the most notable athletes promoted include streaming superstar Ninja, the 2019 Dota 2 world champions OG, and many more. We are partners with the League of Legends Global Esports Events and numerous regional leagues around the world, including the League of Legends European Championship (LEC), Campeonato Brasileiro de League of Legends (CBLOL), and League of Legends Championship Series (LCS).
Apart from Red Bull Flick, we host tournaments – like the Red Bull Kumite – that gives world class players the chance to stand out.
Explore the world behind the can and visit the hub on redbull.com/esports or redbull.com/gaming. Our hubs feature the latest trends in gaming, esports and lifestyle. It is a focal point for getting information about exciting upcoming Red Bull events, plus there is a section aimed at players in particular who want to improve their skills.
About ESL Gaming
ESL Gaming is the world’s largest esports and gaming lifestyle company. Since 1994, the company has been shaping the industry and leading esports and gaming innovation on a global scale across the most popular video games with numerous online and offline esports competitions, and through premier gaming lifestyle festivals. The company operates high-profile, branded international leagues and tournaments under the ESL Pro Tour, including ESL One, Intel® Extreme Masters, DreamHack Masters, ESL Pro League, and other preeminent, stadium-size tournaments. ESL Gaming also produces and hosts DreamHack Open tournaments, ESL National Championships, grassroots amateur cups, matchmaking systems, and DreamHack’s gaming lifestyle festivals — which feature everything gaming under one roof. ESL Gaming is part of MTG, the leading international digital entertainment group. More information is available at about.eslgaming.com.
200 square metre arena allows Sydney-siders to experience a new form of immersive untethered entertainment
Sydney, Australia – Monday 30 November 2020 – The world’s largest free-roam Virtual Reality (VR) entertainment network Zero Latency VR will open the doors to its first VR venue in Sydney tomorrow, 1 December.
Located at 219 O’Riordan Street, Mascot, Zero Latency VR Sydney will allow players to explore VR experiences with up to seven friends, without being restricted by any wires. Customers can book tickets now at https://booking.zerolatencyvr.com/book-now/sydney/, with prices at $59 (Tuesday – Thursday) and $69 (Friday – Sunday).
From 1 December, visitors can survive a reality TV show set in the zombie apocalypse in Undead Arena, or attempt to escape a stranded space station taken over by robots in Singularity. Visitors can expect more experiences to be available over time, including the highly anticipated Far Cry VR (coming 2021), based on the hit Ubisoft game Far Cry 3.
What to expect from Zero Latency VR Sydney
“We’re excited to bring our free-roam virtual reality experience to Sydney, allowing players to explore digital worlds as if they were actually living in them,” said Zero Latency VR CEO Tim Ruse. “Whether you’re looking for something to do with family and friends, a fun hens and bucks night activity, or something different for the work Christmas party, a session in Zero Latency VR won’t soon be forgotten.”
To experience Zero Latency VR, players wear a VR headset, strap into a backpack which tracks movement, and use a controller to interact with the virtual world. During the experience, players can navigate around the virtual environment they’ve chosen by physically moving around the 200 square metre play space and communicating with their friends via built-in microphones and speakers.
Visitors to Zero Latency VR Sydney can have peace of mind knowing that they’ll have a safe and hygienic experience.
“Zero Latency VR’s safety and hygiene standards were high before COVID-19, but we’ve taken extra steps in all our venues to ensure visitors will have an enjoyable, safe experience when they visit,” said Ruse.
“We’ve always performed vigorous sanitisation and disinfection of all gear before and after each session, but we’ve now also adjusted the safety alarms in our games to keep players 1.5 metres apart throughout their experience, and our Game Masters have completed additional training in hygiene practices including temperature checks, sanitation processes, and using personal protective equipment.”
This will be the sixth Zero Latency VR venue in Australia, joining the existing Brisbane, Gold Coast, Perth, Melbourne and South Melbourne venues, and the 46th venue worldwide since the first venue was opened in Melbourne in 2015.
About Zero Latency VR
Zero Latency VR opened the world’s first free-roam VR entertainment venue in 2015 and has grown into the largest free-roam virtual reality entertainment network on the planet today, making it accessible to millions worldwide. Zero Latency VR now has 46 venues in 22 countries and counting.
Five New Commanders, Three Collaboration Premium Ships, Two Unique Camouflages, and More
Five new popular characters from Azur Lane are making their debut in World of Warships: Legends! Queen Elizabeth, Admiral Graf Spee, Fusou, Scharnhorst, as well as Baltimore—who originally appeared as part of the first-ever collaboration between World of Warships and Azur Lane—are making their way into World of Warships: Legends. Each character is also represented by their namesake ship in-game and has unique abilities to help in battle. They are available for a limited time from November 30th until the start of the next update on December 21st.
Azur Lane is a naval-themed anime-style Shoot ’em up game for Android/IOS with characters based on historical warships. Each commander coming to World of Warships: Legends has a unique voiceover by their popular voice actors, recorded specifically for this collaboration. They also come with unique commander inspirations and skills based on their Azur Lane skills, such as Baltimore’s powerful “APsolute Ammunition” that modifies the performance of your US cruiser’s armour piercing shells. As for ships to command, Baltimore, Fusou, and Queen Elizabeth each have a special premium version of their namesake ships with an exclusive camouflage available during the event, while Admiral Graf Spee and Scharnhorst will have unique collaboration camouflages available for their ships. There are even a few ways to get Azur Lane faction flags to show your allegiance! Players can get the commanders from the new Azur Lane containers, while the ships and camouflages are available in the in-game shop.
About World of Warships: Legends
Experience epic naval action in World of Warships: Legends, a massively multiplayer online game where you can master the seas in history’s greatest warships! Recruit legendary commanders from maritime history, upgrade your vessels and stake your claim to naval supremacy with or against players around the world in thrilling and immersive battles.
World of Warships: Legends brings the online naval action loved by millions to home consoles for the very first time, alongside a host of content and features exclusive to the console experience.
Wargaming is an award-winning online game developer and publisher headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus. Operating since 1998, Wargaming has grown to become one of the leaders in the gaming industry with 4500+ employees and offices spread all over the world. Over 200 million players enjoy Wargaming’s titles across all major gaming platforms. Their flagship products include the massively popular free-to-play hit World of Tanks and the strategic naval action game World of Warships.
Azur Lane is a shooting RPG for Android/iOS that utilises side-scrolling shoot ’em up mechanics. As part of the game, you can form divisions of beautiful kansens (ship-girls) to fight against enemies. An auto mode is available in addition to the manual mode, so you can enjoy this game even if you aren’t usually good at shoot ’em ups!
With the launch of the new generation, one common thing we see is a lot of ports. Ports from last generation are a given, but another common thing are developers from PC franchises dipping their toe in the pool of consoles with what may have been successful on that market. Frontier, a company known for their console offerings as well as highly successful simulation fare are ready to twist out Planet Coaster to consoles after already achieving over two million sales. Does it hit the right marks, or is this a trip to a theme park you can skip? Let’s find out.
Story
I mean, there is not going to be a lot of story in a coaster sim of any variety, but for as far as tutorials go, Planet Coaster does have a nice overarching narrative of simply getting to know a set of personalities who guide you through the game, with each trying to teach you a different element of gameplay along the way. Think Civilization, and maybe add just a little less meaning of these highly spirited helpers. That is kind of what you get here. The Career mode is full of little squabbles between the lot, and that banter certainly assists in understanding the core structure as you begin warming up to this title’s offerings.
Gameplay
There is a lot to take in for the gameplay of Planet Coaster, as at first, it seems like a simple coaster sim. Simple is however an unfair word as there is so much beyond the surface that the player, just shortly after beginning – might be a bit overwhelmed with all that is going on. For instance, the tutorial does a great job at instructing you what to do. The first park in tutorial mode is a lot of fun, as you get a gist of what is to come. The second tutorial, where you build your first coaster is decently long as well, but fails as a tutorial as it doesn’t go into small details like how to work the interface. Sure, you may get through via tips and a ton of trial and error, but I spent over two hours making my first coaster as trying to accurately turn my coaster appropriately while fighting the camera proved to be frustrating and tedious, as all of those broad options for the PC have been turned into ten inputs over a screen of multiple paths. For everything you do, there is a screen of menus that now have ten to thirty new options. It is a lot to take in for sure, and the game mainly instructs answers for “why” you are doing something, rather than answering “how can I do it” far too often.
All that being said, once you learn the game, you should have no problem fully enjoying all the game has to offer. There is so much depth and so much detail in general that fans of the full-on simulation experience should find their nirvana once they actually get into the main game’s offerings. The player is usually given a small amount of cash and must adjust prices based on how successful the park is, in order to continue a profit that lets them expand. Finances, guest and staff happiness, park maintenance and cleanliness must be accounted for early to avoid a lot of backtracking and tuning later, and luckily Planet Coaster is consistent enough to ensure that these mechanics blend well together, despite a few minor hiccups with staff happiness that I seemed to always have on each playthrough.
If you have time, you can even enjoy the park as a bit of a guest yourself. Players can ride their own creations which is highly satisfying, and test any unit at any time. Fans of management simulation titles will find their niche beyond that steep learning curve, as this is definitely the most advance theme park sim title I have played on a console.
Visuals & Audio
Visually, the game looks great. Every guest seems to have their own set animations where you can tell their needs from those animations alone, which makes seeing the fruits of your labor all the more rewarding. The animations of the scenery and rides also are sharp and smooth, despite a few issues with floating trees and odd yet “accurate” placement that kind of feel like an overlook within development. Yes, it’s a bright, atmospheric park, and that is nice to see run well on a console. The menus however leave a lot to be desired in terms of accessibility. There would be far less of a curve if this title was fully optimized for consoles without so much disarray of the screen. Yes, this is absolutely a port, but one that could have followed the route of “The Sims” or other PC management titles and sacrificed just a few options to ensure everything flows in a much steadier manner.
The audio is also fine. While the soundtrack is a bit forgettable outside of that gritting menu song, it does its job well. You can even assign tunes to each ride and area, so if you are going for a theme like “fairy tale”, you will be able to capture that with the audio fairly quickly. Guests all scream and make their odd dialogue well, and the voice acting of our guides was done with care and quirk, to give the experience its own identity.
Overall
Planet Coaster: Console Edition is certainly something. It may be the most complex simulation title we have ever seen on a console, and with updates and more fine-tuning, I could easily see it maintaining its value for this entire generation of consoles as it has enough here that one could easily sink hundreds of hours in. Personally, the accessibility for new players and that wonky camera leave it feeling a bit short as a whole. Not as a game, as if I were to just rate the main experience, its damn near perfect. Seeing my roommate come in and playing it and dealing with those same frustrations I went through and eventually giving up however showed me that this title simply isn’t for everyone. Players with patience and the will to push through and learn however are sure to find their new home for a long period of time in what is indeed a monster of a park to play in.
A new trailer for Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny has been released by NIS America and this marks the first time that we have heard some of he English voice actors for the game, though this time around we only get a chance to hear how Zed, who is voiced by Brandon Winckler, and Jason Marnocha as Cerberus for now.
Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny introduces a new art style as well as a brand new storyline as it is set within a world where the strongest God of Destruction ever recorded has emerged to wreak havoc with numerous Netherworlds already torn apart by its rage but when a Darkest Assembly is held to try and figure out a way to defeat the creature, it seems like it might already be dead and at the hands of a lowly zombie by the name of Zed at that?
The trailer can be found below and as for the game itself, Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny is currently set to be released in Japan on January 28th for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch and only on the Nintendo Switch in the West sometime in Summer 2021.
In something that came as a bit of a surprise, Gal Gun Returns was recently announced for release in the West from PQube and Inti Creates. The reason for this surprise is that not only does this mark the first time that the original story will be told in the West following the sequel release but it will also be releasing on the Xbox One, marking the series’ return to the Microsoft console once again and avoiding the more draconian measures other platforms have taken in recent years.
Either way, PQube has announced that fans of the series can expect Gal Gun Returns, which includes brand new features and improvements including game modes, beautiful new in-game artwork, mini-games, full voice acting, and lots of past DLC, to be released on the Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC on February 12, 2021 in the West and have released the opening movie for the game that can be found below.
Bloober Team revisited their 2017 horror title Observer this year, opting to give the game a bit of an upgrade. The developers have described Observer: System Reduxas not quite a full remake but not a simple remaster either. Observer: System Redux is probably closer to an expanded definitive edition, bringing new side quests, improved graphics, and tweaks to the gameplay.
Story
Observer: System Redux is set in a grim cyberpunk dystopia. The world is fleshed out through documents in computer terminals and in dialogues throughout the game. There is just enough of a connection to the modern world to feel eerily familiar, while different enough to be a disturbing what-if scenario. The world is quite rich and is worth revisiting in the future, as the game itself is too short to do the world justice.
The story is decent. It starts off well but becomes scattered at the mid point. There are a few too many threads that are being spun, so things do not really flow well until the final few sequences at the end of the game. The problems are made worse by the side quests, which further derail the flow. The ending is handled well enough, but there is room for improvement. Loose threads are mostly tied up, but there are a few last minute twists that feel rushed or thrown in as an afterthought.
Gameplay
Observer: System Redux is a bit shallow in the gameplay department. For the most part, it is a walking simulator with some light puzzle, investigation, and stealth elements. There is nothing wrong with walking simulators, but the other elements are less than stellar attempt at mechanical variety.
The puzzles and investigations are straight forward affairs. Finding passcodes and plugging in cables are used way too often, which makes the unique puzzles a treat for all the wrong reasons. The forensic investigations are simple scan and search tasks. It feels like a missed opportunity for players to piece together the events themselves, instead of having the game dialogue do it for them.
The stealth section is equally shallow. Monsters appear at several points in the game, requiring players to avoid their line of sight, represented by a beam of light, by hiding behind cover. For the most part, players are stuck relying on sound and trying to watch for the beam of light. Luckily, the stealth sections are not too difficult as the simple mechanics would otherwise make the game frustrating.
The level design is simple and straight forward for the most part. For the exception of the apartment hallways, most areas are designed with clear point As and Bs with only a few twists and turns. The developers usually do a good job with using light and colour to guide players in the right direction. To my frustration, there are a few spots that don’t meet the standards set out in the rest of the game.
Observer: System Redux added a few extra side missions. There’s about an extra hour worth of content. All the side missions are probably best experienced during a second run or a single break from the main story line near the end game’s point of no return as not to further distract from the main plot. The new mission design is a hit or miss, as one mission’s repeats the same couple of mechanics.
The horror elements are decent. Bloober Team has a good balance of body horror and creepy environments. There are a lot of jump scares. Some are well placed; others seem to be there for the sake of getting a rise out of the player.
The controls are usable but still need improvement. Tutorial dialogues are not updated when key binds are changed. I had problems with the crouch button not working in the dream sequences, requiring me to revert to the default crouch key. I do like the accessibility features in the game, especially the function allowing players to interact with objects by simply clicking a button instead of manipulating objects with the mouse.
Visuals
Bloober Team did a fantastic job with the visual style. The world’s presentation says almost as much about the lore as the story itself. The game is set in a stunning clash between dilapidated poverty and high-tech projections. It is as if the high-tech world is trying to cover up the desperation and the destitution like a drug.
Audio
The audio experience is solid. Rutger Hauer delivers an excellent performance. While the supporting cast do a good job, they just barely keep up with his skill. The soundtrack is enjoyable. It is dark and moody, striking a great balance of horror, electronic, choral, and ambient music. The sound effects are nice. The virtual surround sound has room for improvement. It works well enough to deal with the stealth sections, but better implementation would make for a more immersive experience.
Overall
Observer: System Redux is a fantastic art piece, but only a decent video game. The audio/visual presentation is absolutely fantastic. The world is rich, but the story loses focus at times. On the other hand, the game isn’t quite sure if it is a walking simulator or something more. While Observer: System Redux is hard to recommend to everyone, the game is an excellent pick for walking simulator fans looking for a gorgeous world to experience.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
