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New Maps, Vehicles, Missions & More Are Coming in SnowRunner’s Season Pass Trailer

New Maps, Vehicles, Missions & More Are Coming in SnowRunner’s Season Pass Trailer

Pre-order SnowRunner — Premium Edition now to experience the greatest off-road trucking content on April 28 and beyond on PlayStation®4, Xbox One and PC

PARIS April 7, 2020SnowRunner, Saber Interactive and Focus Home Interactive’s definitive off-road driving game, rolls out April 28 on PlayStation®4, Xbox One, and PC via the Epic Games Store. SnowRunner expands and improves upon nearly every aspect of the original MudRunner, and that trend will continue well after launch with all the content featured in the SnowRunner Season Pass.

The SnowRunner Season Pass will feature new vehicles, maps, activities and more, delivered in four phases, each with its own theme and a huge new region. Discover vast wilds set in fresh locations like Canada, Russia and Wisconsin, as well as powerful new vehicles to explore them in alone or with friends in four-player co-op.

Even those without the Season Pass will receive plenty of free bonus DLC after launch, including more extreme cargo, plus new activities, skins, trials and more! Modding support will continue to grow, with new types of missions that take players on unique off-road adventures, like hunting for the lost wreckage of a World War II bomber.

You can grab the SnowRunner Season Pass now by pre-ordering SnowRunner — Premium Edition, available with an exclusive bonus via the official game store.

Chrono Trigger Composer Yasunori Mitsuda Will Contribute Music to Sabotage’s Upcoming RPG Sea of Stars

Chrono Trigger Composer Yasunori Mitsuda Will Contribute Music to Sabotage’s Upcoming RPG Sea of Stars

After being funded in less than seven hours, Sea of Stars is currently at almost 500% percent funded on Kickstarter

QUEBEC CITY (April 7, 2020) Sea of Stars developer Sabotage announced today that legendary composer Yasunori Mitsuda will contribute music to the upcoming turn-based RPG. Mitsuda, best known for his work on massively popular games like Chrono Trigger, Xenogears and Shadow Hearts, will develop original music for the game, joining Sea of Stars’ composer Eric W. Brown (The Messenger.)

“Without knowing exactly why, ‘I want to write music for this game’ was the feeling I had while seeing it convey the nostalgic golden age of the 90s,” said Mitsuda. “Although there are still many games being released with this classic style, I don’t think players are satisfied with just nostalgia. As seen in their previous game, by adding new systems and ideas to classic formulas, Sabotage Studio breathes fresh, new air into their work.

He continued, “Impressed by the respect they show for past games while at the same time giving players new ways to have fun, I found myself wanting to make a game with everyone at Sabotage Studio. Please look forward to an exciting adventure.”

Creative Director and Sabotage CEO Thierry Boulanger said, “Mitsuda’s music has carried me for years, I still listen to his work every week while working at the studio. He has been such an inspiration for so many of us, we couldn’t be more honored that some of his music will be added to our game. It’s exactly what Sea of Stars needed to feel truly whole.”

Telling the story of the Children of the Solstice, Sea of Stars focuses on engaging combat and unrestrained exploration, featuring freedom of movement seldom seen in the genre. Sea of Stars’ compelling world unites players with Valere and Zale, youths fated to become Solstice Warriors. Combining their Sun and Moon powers to perform Eclipse Magic, they are pledged to fight the monstrous creations of the evil alchemist known as The Fleshmancer. Sabotage’s knack for twisting narratives makes for an engrossing, wondrous tale surrounding a world’s looming apocalyptic threat.

Responding to feedback and demand from the Sea of Stars backer community, Sabotage also recently revealed that the title would be getting an early backer exclusive physical edition via a partnership with Limited Run Games which is set to include unique art from artist Bryce Kho (Aegis Defenders) for $90 CAD (~$63 USD.) Sea of Stars was funded in less than seven hours upon its announcement last month, and is currently tracking at almost 500% of its initial goal.

Sea of Stars’ combat challenges players to coordinate adaptive strategies while thwarting opponents with pre-emptive attacks, rewarding carefully timed strikes and interrupted advances. With six playable party members distinct in fighting style and personality, experimentation is key to discovering devastatingly powerful new match-ups. There’s no need to grind to unlock a character’s true potential, either, as character progression is balanced to flow along with the story. Sea of Stars’ journey prioritizes meaningful encounters over enduring dozens of the same fights.

Key Features

●      Dynamic Combat: With every encounter harboring threats deadly to the careless tactician, victory demands sharp timing, anticipation, and pre-emptive counters to ultra powerful attacks.

●      Engaging Exploration: Climb, dive, swim and leap across a lush world brimming with life and hidden secrets, enjoying the journey between battles as much as the action itself.

●      Gripping Story: Become acquainted with six playable characters with rich backstories, personalities, and varied motives as the mysteries of a troubled world come to light.

●      All Fun, No Tedium: Enjoy combat without fear of hitting a wall and having to grind for experience or items; in Sea of Stars, defeat requires a change in battle plans, not hours of repetition to better the odds in a rematch.

●      Rich Universe: A sprawling, lively land, Sea of Stars’ hosting region can be enjoyed as a standalone story or a supplemental adventure for fans of The Messenger.

●      Radiant Lighting: Dynamic light effects pairs with a world-influencing day/night cycle to make every area feel truly alive, pushing the traditional visual limits of classically-styled 2D pixel-art games; the only way to properly tell the story of heroes conjuring the powers of the Sun and the Moon.

Fans interested in backing the Kickstarter can head directly to https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sabotagestudio/sea-of-stars and get involved for as little as $1.

For more information, please hit up www.seaofstarsgame.co.

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The LEGO Group and Nintendo lift the lid on exciting new LEGO® Super Mario™ details; preorders begin today

The LEGO® Super Mario™ Starter Course and the first of a range of LEGO® Super Mario™ Expansion Sets now revealed, underpinning the new physical play experience that brings Super Mario™ to life in the world of LEGO® bricks. 

BILLUND, April 7, 2020: The LEGO Group today announced pre-order availability of the LEGO® Super Mario™ Adventures with Mario Starter Course. Fans can now secure their own set of this upcoming and highly anticipated new product line, the result of a unique partnership with Nintendo. The new LEGO Super Mario product line features an interactive LEGO Mario figure that collects coins in real-life game levels created with LEGO bricks. Neither a video game nor a traditional LEGO brick-based set, it promises to change the way people interact with Super Mario in the physical world and engage in LEGO experiences.  

Disclosed for the first time today by LEGO Design Lead Jonathan Bennink, fans will be able to begin exploring the fun-packed LEGO Super Mario universe with the Adventures with Mario Starter Course. This entry point set to the world of LEGO Super Mario is needed to unlock expansion sets and features seven action bricks for different interactions with the LEGO Mario figure that are only included in this set. 

The LEGO Mario figure itself has LCD screens in his eyes, mouth and belly to display a wide variety of instant reactions to movement, color and action bricks. Also included is a speaker that plays iconic sounds and music from the video game series. 

“Super Mario has continued to appear, always in a form adapted to the current hardware of the time.” said Takashi Tezuka, Executive Officer and Game Producer of Nintendo Co., Ltd. “I am thankful that in this project with the LEGO Group, Mario is jumping out of the digital world of game consoles and smart devices, and we are able to bring him into the world with a new, physical type of Mario play. It’s very exciting to think of LEGO Mario becoming a real friend to children and to picture them playing in their very own Mario world that they imagined themselves.” 

Kids aged 6+ can build levels and play their own way, with action-packed challenges having lots of creative fun in a highly interactive experience. LEGO Mario is used to collect virtual coins as he runs and jumps from the Start Pipe to the Goal Pole via LEGO bricks, cloud platform, and clashes with the Goomba figure and Bowser Jr. figure.  

The Starter Course can be combined with LEGO Super Mario Expansion Sets, which each unlock unique challenges and characters to play with and against friends. The first Expansion Sets, also revealed today, include the Piranha Plant Power Slide Expansion Set and the Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle Expansion Set. And because the products all include modular builds, fans are fully in charge of creating exactly the LEGO level course they want to see Mario come to life in. 

Fans will also love the free LEGO® Super Mario™ app by the LEGO Group, a supporting feature to further enhance the physical play experience. It keeps track of scores to encourage continuous rebuilding, as well as it provides digital building instructions with zoom and rotate viewing tools to make building easier, suggests other creative ways to build and play, and is a safe forum to share ideas with friends.  

“We were thrilled to see the global reaction to news of LEGO Super Mario,” said Jonathan Bennink, Digital Design Lead on LEGO Super Mario, the LEGO Group. “Fans have been keen to learn more, so I am pleased that today we were able to reveal more details about this exciting new collaboration that has led to a reimagination of the LEGO building experience and an entirely new way to play inspired by the beloved video game icon, Super Mario. We can’t wait to see fans get creative and challenge each other with this highly engaging and social play experience.” 

The full LEGO Super Mario assortment will launch Aug. 1st 2020

The recommended retail price for the Starter Course is 59.99 EUR/USD, while the recommended retail price for the two expansion sets will be 29.99 USD/EUR for the Piranha Plant Power Slide Expansion Set and 99.99 USD/EUR for the Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle Expansion Set. 

About the LEGO Group: 
The LEGO Group’s mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through the power of play. The LEGO System in Play, with its foundation in LEGO® bricks, allows children and fans to build and rebuild anything they can imagine.  

The LEGO Group was founded in Billund, Denmark in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, its name derived from the two Danish words LEg GOdt, which mean “Play Well”. Today, the LEGO Group remains a family-owned company headquartered in Billund. However, its products are now sold in more than 140 countries worldwide. For more information: www.LEGO.com. 

About Nintendo:  
The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Nintendo Switch™ system and the Nintendo 3DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 4.7 billion video games and more than 750 million hardware units globally, including Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS™ family of systems, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™, Nintendo GameCube™, Wii™ and Wii U™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names, such as Mario, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Zelda and Pokémon. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Americas. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at https://www.nintendo.com/. 

Free Demo, Killer Sale Available Today For Quirky Action Platformer KUNAI

Free Demo, Killer Sale Available Today For Quirky Action Platformer KUNAI 

The dual-kunai wielding-tablet, Tabby, is here to wreak devastation on unsuspecting AI enemies

PARIS – (April 6, 2020) – Publisher The Arcade Crew and developer TurtleBlaze announced today that the adorable but deadly KUNAI is now unleashing damage on your PC via a free demo on Steam, with an eShop demo to follow shortly. Additionally, KUNAI is currently 30 percent off on Steam and the eShop, with each platform’s deal ending on April 12 and April 19 respectively.

Launched earlier this year, the adorable but deadly KUNAI received positive reviews from international press for its engaging gameplay and unique art style when it launched on PC and Switch. Fans can now get a free look at the various weaponry and moves that will be at their disposal as they slice and stab their way through a hellish but aesthetically pleasing warscape. 

An adventure best explored through ninja-tier parkour and best survived with razor sharp combat reflexes, KUNAI is a warrior’s delight, where right off the bat players have ample opportunities to reduce enemies to scrap metal while swinging on ropes across chasms, dashing up walls to lofty goals, and dropping in on unsuspecting targets. 

In KUNAI, players dish out swift death as Tabby, an emotive, tablet-powered hero infused with an ancient warrior’s soul. Tabby is resuscitated and rebooted in the midst of a futuristic war between AI robots gone wrong. Humanity is on the brink of extinction thanks to a famed inventor’s botched AI creation, and Tabby sets out to solve things as any handheld consumer electronic warrior hybrid would: with heaps of violence. 

With vertical and horizontal level design aimed at keeping you on your toes, navigating the fast-paced world in KUNAI is engaging, challenging and immensely rewarding. Slicing baddies and soaring through KUNAI’s sprawling world with Tabby is a joyous escape, and toppling the land’s merciless bosses in all-out showdowns is immensely satisfying. 

To keep tabs on KUNAI, slash your way over to the official website (https://kunaigame.com/), ambush The Arcade Crew on Twitter (https://twitter.com/TheArcadeCrew). # # #

DEEP SILVER ANNOUNCES SAINTS ROW: THE THIRD REMASTERED LAUNCHING MAY 22, 2020

DEEP SILVER ANNOUNCES SAINTS ROW: THE THIRD REMASTERED LAUNCHING MAY 22, 2020

Refreshed, revamped, remastered: Saints Row: The Third Remastered makes its debut on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC this May

Larkspur, Calif. (April 6, 2020) – Nine years after its original release, Deep Silver today announces that Saints Row®: The Third™ has been completely updated and enhanced to current gen specs and will release as Saints Row: The Third Remastered for the Xbox One, PlayStation®4 and PC on May 22, 2020.

Saints Row: The Third Remastered has received a full makeover courtesy of Sperasoft. Every weapon has been remodeled, every car has been redesigned, and a vast proportion of the city has been retextured all sparkly and new with over 4,000 assets updated to match current gen fidelity. Saints Row: The Third Remastered features retextured environments, character models and visual effects, enhanced graphics and a new lighting engine.

In addition, all three expansion packs and more than 30 pieces of DLC from the original version have been remastered and are included for hours of additional gleeful mayhem. The remastered edition will inspire new gamers and original fans to revisit the reworked city of Steelport and revel in the glorious world of the Saints.

About Saints Row: The Third Remastered:

Saints Row: The Third Remastered gives you control of the Saints at the height of their power, and you live the life to show for it. This is your city. These are your rules. Remastered with enhanced graphics, Steelport the original city of sin has never looked so good as it drowns in sex, drugs, and guns.

Years after taking Stilwater for their own, the Third Street Saints have evolved from street gang to household brand name with Saints sneakers, Saints energy drinks, and Johnny Gat bobblehead dolls all available at a store near you. The Saints are kings of Stilwater, but their celebrity status has not gone unnoticed. The Syndicate, a legendary criminal fraternity with pawns in play all over the globe, has turned its eye on the Saints and demands tribute.

Refusing to kneel to the Syndicate you take the fight to Steelport, a once-proud metropolis reduced to a struggling city of sin under Syndicate control. Take a tank skydiving, call in a satellite-targeted airstrike on a Mexican wrestling gang, and fight against a highly trained military force by your lonesome in the most outlandish gameplay scenarios ever seen.

Key Features:

  • The Full Package, Remastered – With enhanced graphics, improved lighting, reworked environments, and visual effects, Steelport and The Third Street Saints have never looked so good.
  • City of Sin – Disrupt and dismantle the Syndicate stranglehold on weapons, cybercrime, and criminal rackets. Discover the secrets of Steelport, where there is action on every street corner, for better or, more likely, worse.
  • Weapons of Crass Destruction – It’s one thing to defeat your enemies. It’s another to humiliate them. Hover jets, human cannonball cars and outrageous melee weapons are all part of the fun.
  • Crazy Character Customization – Create the most outlandish characters ever seen, from washed-up celebrities to mask-less ninja pirates. Inside every sinner, there is a Saint. Who will you become?
  • Over The Top Co-op – Fly solo or play online with a homie. Give freefall skydiving a try, landing in your partner’s flaming pickup as you make a desperate run toward a heavily armed Syndicate base. Steelport is always more fun with a friend.
  • All DLC included – All three expansion packs and more than 30 pieces of DLC from the original version are included in this massive Saints package, all for the low MSRP of $39.99.

For more information on Saints Row: The Third Remastered on Microsoft Xbox One, Sony PlayStation 4 and PC head over to www.saintsrow.com.

For more information about the Saints Row universe, please visit one of the following official sites:

Web: www.saintsrow.com                       Facebook: www.facebook.com/saintsrow

Twitter: www.twitter.com/saintsrow    YouTube: www.youtube.com/saintsrow

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© 2020 and published by Deep Silver, a division of Koch Media GmbH, Austria. Developed by Sperasoft, a Keywords studio. Developed by Deep Silver Volition, Inc. All rights reserved.

ABOUT DEEP SILVER

Deep Silver develops and distributes interactive games for all platforms. The Deep Silver label means to captivate all gamers who have a passion for thrilling gameplay in exciting game worlds. Deep Silver works with its partners to achieve a maximum of success while maintaining the highest possible quality, always focusing on what the customer desires.

Deep Silver has published more than 200 games since 2003, including its own brands like the open world extravaganza Saints Row, the zombie action franchise Dead Island, and the grim post-apocalyptic future of the Metro series. Upcoming highlights from Deep Silver include Dead Island 2 and Saints Row V. Deep Silver also owns the development studios Deep Silver Dambuster Studios in Nottingham, UK; Deep Silver Fishlabs in Hamburg, Germany, Deep Silver Volition based in Champaign, IL, USA, and Warhorse Studios based in Prague, Czech Republic. For more information please visit www.deepsilver.com.

Koch Media is a leading producer and distributor of digital entertainment products (software, games and films). The company’s own publishing activities, marketing and distribution extend throughout Europe, North America and Australia. The Koch Media group has more than 20 years of experience in the digital media business and has risen to become the number one publishing partner in Europe. It has also formed strategic alliances with numerous games and software publishers: Bethesda, Capcom, Codemasters, Kaspersky Labs, Konami, Koei Tecmo, Milestone, Sega, Square Enix, etc. in various European countries. With Headquarter in Höfen, Austria Koch Media owns branches in Germany, England, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, the Nordic regions, Benelux, Australia, Czech Republic and the United States.

All product titles, publisher names, trademarks, artwork and associated imagery are trademarks, registered trademarks and/or copyright material of the respective owners. All rights reserved.

About Sperasoft Sperasoft is a leading game co-development company headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley with development centers in the USA, Poland, and Russia. We offer full development capabilities with comprehensive professional teams that are built from the best producers, engineers, game designers and artists in the industry. During 16 years of existence, Sperasoft studio has not only grown to 600 people and has opened 5 offices around the world, but also moved to a new level of cooperation with customers – becoming a co-developer of the world’s most famous publishers. Sperasoft is a part of Keywords Studios – the international technical services provider to the global video games industry.

Saints Row The Third Remastered Coming to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on 22 May

Arguably one of the best titles in the Saints Row franchise, Saints Row The Third is being remastered for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game will launch on May 22 and will include the base game, all three expansions, and all released DLC. No word yet on pricing or which digital storefronts the game will be available on for PC.

Over 4000 graphical assets have been updated for the new version, improving textures, models, environments, and visual effects. A new lighting engine has also been added to the game. Sperasoft handled the remastering work. The company has previously provided developmental support for other major games like Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege and Mortal Kombat.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York Review

Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York

Developer: Draw Distance
Publisher: Draw Distance
Platform: Switch (Reviewed), PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Release Date: March 24, 2020
Price: $19.99 USD – Available Here

Overview

Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York kind of hit by surprise. With sequel coming out to platforms soon of the cult favorite classic, Vampire: The Masquerade, it is nice to have an appetizer while we await the main course. This visual novel of sorts brings the atmosphere and world fans will remember, and looks to set the stage for the grand ball. Does Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries Of New York hit the Switch with style, or does it leave us pining for more? Let’s find out.

Story

If you are looking for a narrative, there is definitely a lot here to take in. Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York has players take the role of a newly sired vampire who is quickly thrown into a world of clans, scandal, and mystery in the dimly-lit New York streets. Who can you trust? Who will be your ticket to your next meal? What next? All of those decisions are mostly yours to make as you follow dialogue trees to progress forward.

Decisions feel meaningful, and the nuance in the storytelling keeps this vehicle moving forward at a swift pace. I sat down with this game for the first time late into the night, with plans to just play Coteries of New York for a bit and found myself resting the Switch over three hours later. The story is immersive and well written, and the characters and world are genuinely interesting and multi-dimensional. I have always loved vampire lore and was not too familiar with the original Masquerade, and I found this tale to be gripping. That said, I can see how some may not be able to connect with it, as it does feel as if it built for a specific audience, and not something the mainstream public are going to want to plunge into with possibly doing some research.

Gameplay

There is not a whole lot to say on the whole gameplay aspect of Coteries of New York. I mean, this is a visual novel so it basically takes you through the story with mild animations and character cuts displayed on the screen. The only thing the player really needs to do is make a decision from time to time, read, and take in everything in-between. There are times the writing and choices make you feel like you should be able to interact more or somehow find more involvement than what is given, but unlike the main franchise, this title is story driven and deviates little into any other genre.

There are some decent features that add a layer or two to Coteries of New York. Players have access to a dictionary that help them learn this world as they play, detailing terms that will be more kin to the franchise – rather than expecting the player to learn everything by context alone. Trying to build a faction can be a lot of fun and decisions again do feel necessary, but I do still think that players looking for more weight will be slightly disappointed as there is not a lot of extra features for the game overall. No ways to revisit moments in the story to an audit, no way to really experience the game in a new or meaningful way overall once it is finished. That doesn’t mean it will waste your time, it just is likely to leave you wanting a lot more by the time the credits roll and the blood has run dry.

Visuals

I really dug the art style within Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York. Every character has a dark, if not gritty charm to them and expressions and personality are still present, despite animation. There are subtle places for animation, but most is visual novel fare, such as blood squirting or doors opening and closing. If you understand the concept you should be fine with this, but do realize that presentation can be a bit limited- even with the genre in mind and an imagination is going to be needed to get the most out of this experience.

Audio

The audio is fine. The sound effects and voice work help the story come forward, well placed and setting the mood for each chapter. The soundtrack is also on point, with atmospheric tunes that bellow in the background without being a large distraction. Again, not too much to say on the subject, but the gears here moving accordingly so know to crank up that volume while playing to get the full package.

Overview

Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York is a nice, if not limited offering for the Switch. The story is amazing, and since this is a visual novel, that should be enough to sell the game for anyone looking for a good story with vampires told in a rich setting. I do think the title may attract some who may be looking for something more profound mechanically, but most will find a filling and deep package at the core here that will get them ready for The Masquerade’s IP to expand even further.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Final Trailer from Japan Showcases Memorable Moments and Beloved Characters

Final Trailer from Japan Showcases Memorable Moments and Beloved Characters

Featuring a number of jaw-dropping reveals and glimpses at scenes from throughout the full game, the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Final Trailer is here.

The story of this first, standalone game in the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE project covers up to the party’s escape from Midgar, and goes deeper into the events occurring in Midgar than the original FINAL FANTASY VII.

The world is under the control of Shinra, a corporation controlling the planet’s life force as mako energy. In the city of Midgar, Cloud Strife, former member of Shinra’s elite SOLDIER unit now turned mercenary lends his aid to the Avalanche resistance group, unaware of the epic consequences that await him.

Related Links:

Official Website: www.ffvii-remake.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/finalfantasyvii

Twitter: https://twitter.com/finalfantasyvii

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finalfantasyvii/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/finalfantasy

#FinalFantasy #FF7R

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons Review

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $59.99 USD – Available Here $79.95 AUD – Available Here

Overview

There has always been something a bit special when it comes to the Animal Crossing series. Where most games have a set storyline and or even a final goal to chase after, Nintendo has managed to craft a series entirely around simply living a slow life in a village tied to real time where players can take as long as they want to reach any type of goal. That being said, fans of the series were also kept waiting for quite some time as Animal Crossing: New Horizons arrives nearly eight years after the last core game in the series, having it take twice as long as any previous wait since the series debuted back in 2001. The question is, has the wait been worth it?

Gameplay

Players take on the role of a villager who has signed up as part of the initial group to take part in the Nook Deserted Island Getaway and this drops their completely customizable, and later customizable at any time with the help of furniture, character onto an abandoned island with only two other random animals. After a brief introduction from Tom Nook and his two nephews the player is quickly appointed the “Resident Representative” and given a tent to place down wherever they want to before then being able to choose where their first two animal friends will also be staying.

More than ever does Animal Crossing: New Horizons do its best to try and keep players a bit more restrained out of the gate in an effort to not overwhelm potential newcomers as the first few days limit the player quite a bit on what they can actually do and even when some milestone is completed, it generally won’t be officially finished until the next day. This can lead to a fairly slow start even for an Animal Crossing game as things such as the vaulting pole used to cross rivers or ladders used to climb cliffs aren’t available until multiple days have passed if players are keeping up with Tom Nook’s requests.

For Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the tutorial that introduces nearly every aspect of what the game has to offer also works a bit like the game’s storyline. As players complete various tasks they will eventually bring in familiar faces such as Blathers to help establish a museum on the island as well as establish a full shop. With players left in what many would describe the wilderness, it is up to the new crafting system to complete most of these goals. Nearly everything that players will use requires some form of crafting at a workbench as any tools that are created break after a period of use though stronger recipes quickly unlock a bit into the game. While this type of durability is a bit of a new annoyance, it also provides some extra meaning to gathering things that players may otherwise have simply overlooked in the past or sold for Bells.

Tree branches obtained from shaking trees or simply from the ground can be used to craft a variety of tools that can then increase what players can gather, such as various types of wood, stone, iron, and of course plenty of fish and insects that also make the island their home. All of these items, including things like sea shells, can play a role in crafting various “Do It Yourself” recipes that can provide things like furniture, wallpaper, flooring, and even help in catching fish or relieving a pesky bee sting. These types of recipes are found everywhere as players can buy a few outright from the shop, learn some from neighbors, or find them in strange and unusual places. It is worth noting that while the crafting system is incredibly easy to understand, it is also rough around the edges. Players cannot craft more than one of any item at a time, making things like crafting multiple fish baits a chore and, once players unlock storage in their home, they cannot pull extra ingredients directly from storage for use in their DIY recipes. This can lead to some extra hassle when crafting recipes, especially since players are initially incredibly limited on how many items they can hold.

Alongside the aforementioned bells, that still serve as the primary currency at shops, players now have another currency to work with called Nook Miles through the use of a cell phone that even has reception on a deserted island. These Nook Miles are rewards for partaking in nearly any activity Animal Crossing: New Horizons has to offer and can be redeemed for a wide variety of items ranging from extra recipes, increased item capacity, special Nook Travel Tickets, and more. Most of these Nook Miles can be obtained from reaching certain goals by selling enough items or catching enough bugs but players will quickly unlock an ever rotating set of challenges in the form of Nook Miles+ that are simpler tasks that can be as basic as chopping down a tree or catching a certain type of fish. These smaller tasks rotate every day with a bonus reward and constantly refresh at their basic level immediately upon completion, giving players plenty to do if they want to rack up the points.

The aforementioned Nook Travel Ticket allows players to go on a random island tour that places the player on a small untouched island that can have a variety of different aspects to it. Some may only offer some extra basic resources while others may contain fruit different from that found on the player’s island, hybrid flowers, and even special insects. These islands can also be where players will randomly find potential animal villagers that can be invited to join their island should a vacant lot be available, giving the player a small bit of control as to who they want to invite to their island past the first handful of villagers.

While having set goals to chase down is always an option for players, customization is also at an all time high in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Whereas players could only decorate their house with all different kinds of furnishings, they can now even place furniture outside should they choose. This can be everything from fitting looking streetlamps or picnic tables to randomly tossing a bookcase in the middle of nowhere. This style of customization is quite expansive and, eventually, players can even take this one step further by having almost complete control over the layout of their island. Of course actual creations remain as varied as ever as the game once again features an extensive pattern creator that allows players to create clothing styles and various patterns for their walls and floors that can be shared online with others to a surprising level of detail.

One must also compliment the way animal villagers are handled in this entry as well with many of them seeming to have a variety of unique looking activities that players can catch them in at various times in the day. This includes finding a group gathered singing or eating to finding them exploring the museum once it has been built, each having a bit of unique dialogue depending on the situation. This, combined with the daily rotating shops and monthly changing fish and insects allows for Animal Crossing: New Horizons to really shine as the type of game that players will want to step into daily just to see what is happening on the island. Of course, there is the option to “time travel” but this quickly ruins the pacing of the game and considering holiday events are locked behind patches players will find themselves left in the cold should they choose to do so.

Speaking of events, with this review going up in the middle of “Bunny Day” we also were able to get a small sample of how some things may work in the future, though this is likely to change. Players will encounter Zipper who has filled the island with multiple egg types and recipes that allow players to create egg themed furniture and clothing, but unfortunately the eggs themselves kind of end up overpowering nearly every aspect of the game. Fishing becomes an exercise in frustration as most catches result in an egg while balloons float over constantly only to be carrying eggs once shot down. This type of style will likely change over the course of the year and be refined as Nintendo works on these live holidays, but this first one is a bit rough around the edges.

Visuals & Audio

When one considers that the last time a mainline Animal Crossing game was released for the Nintendo 3DS it is clear that the improvement here is phenomenal. While the series itself was never really a powerhouse as it is designed for a more cute and fluffy approach to life, despite some of the horror themes already created out there, the small touches to the world help make the entire island appear all the better looking. Player characters will find no shortage of costumes to wear that aren’t ones they make themselves while the island villagers are all newly modeled with a number of strange new characters joining the mix. One must also say that the environment really has seen a solid improvement here compared to the previous release though some insects can be quite horrifying to look at now compared to their previous appearances. Speaking of insects, the museum is truly stunning looking this time around, especially as players fill it with a variety of fossils, insects, and fish that they have donated to Blathers’ cause.

The soundtrack for the game features a wide variety of soothing environmental tunes and basic themes that fit with the style of the game though players can purchase songs from K.K. Slider to play in their house while there is no voice work as all animals talk through a variety of mumbling noises that vary from villager to villager.

Overall

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the type of game that fans have been hoping for as Nintendo has managed to deliver an experience that players will want to come back to for years to come to see just what is happening on any given day. It may not ask much of the player’s time, especially since main goals peter out fairly quickly after the first couple weeks of playing, but this style of slow life adds a number of new features that are mostly implemented well and help give additional meaning to a variety of tasks that players easily could have overlooked in previous entries.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.

Iron Danger Review

Iron Danger

Developer: Action Squad Studios
Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment
Platform: PC
Release Date: 25 March 2020
Price: $34.99 USD/$49.95 AUD – Available Here

Video Review

Overview

Iron Danger is a real time tactical combat game inspired by Finnish folklore. The game’s main feature is a time control mechanic. With only a limited amount of health and items, players will lean on their ability to control time heavily to avoid damage and erase bad decisions.

Story

The story follows Kipuna, a young girl who is the only survivor of a Northlander attack on her village. During her escape, Kipuna is impaled through the chest with a crystal that has imbued her with magical abilities. Now, Kipuna is on a quest to assemble all the crystals and use that power for good amidst a brutal war between two nations.

Iron Danger’s story is very good. While the game is too short for epic world building, the writers take a relatively familiar fantasy setting and make some adaptations to make it their own. This gives a little more time to focus on character building. Combined with the excellent dialogue, the result is an enjoyable adventure with a lovable cast that have relatable moments.

Gameplay

Iron Danger bills itself as a tactical combat game where players are able to control time. Fans of tactical RPGs will be instantly familiar with much of Iron Danger’s combat. Players control two characters at a time. Each character follows some RPG archetype, such as the caster and the tank. Each level consists of a map with a certain goal. Unlike an RPG, Iron Danger does not award experience or equipment, but rather offers players a range of upgrades after specific maps.

The time control mechanic is game’s focus. The mechanic counteracts the player’s low health pools as players can fix bad decisions and pre-emptively dodge or block enemy attacks. While the game advertises itself as a mix of real time and turn based combat, practically speaking, combat is turn based with all characters taking their turns simultaneously. One turn or heartbeat is equal to half a second of real time. The actions of the player’s two characters are listed on the bottom timeline, which should be familiar to anyone who has used video editing software. Players are able to rewind back a limited number of heartbeats, so while short term implication of a certain action is meaningless, the long-term consequences still remain.

The combat is enjoyable, but it does not always feel tactical. Oftentimes, I found myself having to fiddle around with different actions until I could figure out the correct combination of moves to beat the encounter. Luckily, I found the long bouts of frustrating experimentation happening once or twice per map. The ability to roll back time makes combat feel more puzzle-like which isn’t a bad thing, but it may be a different from what people would expect when they hear “tactical combat game.”

The level design in Iron Danger tends to be linear and on the small side. The larger maps usually have one or two side areas to explore with a few consumable items to help the player out, but the emphasis is not on exploration. While combat is still the main draw, there are a few smart puzzles in the game to break up the action. My only gripe with the level design is the tiny levels for story purposes. They are treated the same as other maps which cause some unnecessary load times.

The controls are decent, but there is room for improvement. Actions are assigned by clicking on the character’s timeline and selecting the desired action, then time is moved forward, and the action is executed. If the other character has no action queued, they will simply stand still, and player will need to rewind time to set up the other character. It’s the most annoying part of Iron Danger’s controls. I would have preferred the game automatically jump back to the character with no action queued once an action is selected for the other. The other main issue with controls is pathing for traps. Without the player manually selecting a nearby safe spot then clicking on a trap to pick it up, characters will often run right on top and set it off.

Visuals

The visual experience is solid, marred only by a few minor technical details. The art style is cartoony but is restrained with smart use of light and dark colour schemes.  The UI can get cramped once players have a lot of skills and items on the bar. The graphical options are extremely spartan as players can only set resolution, fullscreen or windowed, and graphic quality from a vague low to very high. The models, textures, and animations look good except for an odd stutter when characters sneak around.

Audio

Iron Danger’s audio is very good. The sound effects and soundtrack are enjoyable to listen to. The voice acting is excellent as the actor deliver strong performances. All major dialogue is voice acted, leaving only minor banter as text.

Overall

Iron Danger is a hard game to describe. The genre isn’t quite a tactical combat game, but it doesn’t fit the traditional definition of a puzzle combat game either. Regardless of typology, Iron Danger is a unique take on RPG style combat that is easy to pick up. The story and audio/visual presentation ties the experience together nicely. While the game has some flaws, the well executed time control mechanic makes Iron Danger worth a try.

Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.