Blazing Griffin, the team behind The Ship: Remastered, announced their next game Murderous Pursuit will launch on Steam in March 2018. This stealth game is the spiritual successor to The Ship and is set in a Steampunk version of Victorian England where parties in luxurious air ships are all the rage. The mysterious and bloodthirsty Mr. X is throwing a party for the ages, and he has selected up to eight players or bots from the party goers to be his entertainment for the evening.
Each player will be given a target and will engage in a game of cat and mouse as they avoid guards and assassinate their target in the flashiest way possible to please Mr. X. To survive, players will need to rely on blending in with the crowd, mingling with other party goers in special vignettes or using disguises to throw their hunter off the trail.
As part of the announcement, Blazing Griffin has released a short teaser trailer that sums up the game nicely.
Sony Interactive Entertainment Australia is pleased to announce the fantastic line up of games available to PlayStation Plus members on February 6th.
February’s PS Plus lineup is lead by a fan-favourite of early PlayStation 4 adopters – Knack. Knack follows the action-platforming capers of loveable title character Knack as he fights to defend mankind in an ongoing war against the Goblins. Spawned from the mysterious power of an ancient relic, Knack has the unique ability to take on extra mass as he moves around the world – starting as a three-foot tall platforming pip-squeak and growing all the way into an earth-shaking titan.
Next up is the stunning platform-adventure RiME. Tequila Works’ ambitious production finally arrived on PS4 last year to a great deal of hard-earned and well-deserved praise. Taking inspiration from classics like Journey and Shadow of the Colossus, RiME conjures an aesthetically breathtaking world for you to explore. From lavish beaches to sunken temples; ancient structures to dizzying cliff-sides, each new environment unfolds seamlessly from the last, pulling you ever deeper into its tale.
Continuing from January’s line-up, PlayStation Plus members will be able to pick up PlayStation VR multiplayer shooter StarBlood Arena in February as well. StarBlood Arena places you inside the cockpit of a miniature battle pod and invites you to test your mettle in a lawless competition where only the most skilled pilots earn a shot at intergalactic glory.
Check out the full list of free February titles below:
Ash of Godsis an upcoming tactical RPG featuring a mix of beautiful hand-drawn art and deep story telling. The game is scheduled to launch in March 2018 for PC. We had a chance to talk about Ash of Gods, animation, and video game development with Aurum Dust founder Nikolay Bondarenko.
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One of Ash of Gods defining features is its hand drawn art style inspired by Ralph Bakshi, Disney and Soyuzmultfilm. North American and European audiences are very familiar with Disney and, to a lesser extent, Ralph Bakshi; however, this may be the first time they are hearing about Soyuzmultfilm. Can you tell us a little about the style and where you can see its influences in Ash of Gods?
Yes, towards the end of the 1950s – and in the early 60s it was a golden era not only for Disney but for a new Soviet-era animation studio – Soyuzmultfilm. Animated features such as “The Scarlet Flower” from 1952 and “The Snow Queen” from 1957 were key creations of Soyuzmultfilm, and have become our main artistic reference points: we use a similar palette, as was used in the works of the Disney studio and Bakshi’s, the use of fillings (a different technique for working on characters and scenes) and lastly, the use of rotoscoping and animation at 16+ frames per second. Most of our team is older, and grew up on the cartoons of Soyuzmultfilm studio, and we really love “The Island of Mistakes” and “The Fire is Burning in the Yaranga.” For me, the period from 1947 to 1960 encompasses the golden years of Soyuzmultfilm, when each of their works was a real film.
A lot of the art in Ash of Gods is hand drawn. Can you describe the process of how an image is drawn by hand and then turned into a usable art asset in a game?
We have a great playlist of videos where you we show how we’ve created the game’s art- scenes, characters, animations, rotoscoping, etc. Be sure to watch some of the videos here.
Generally speaking, we have a classic “boring” process: for each character, our writer Sergei (Malitsky) creates a description and psychological portrait, and selects references. After that, Dmitri (our narrative game designer) and I gather references for poses and discusses all this with the artists. We use a 4-pass approach to drawing: a rough sketch for 2-3 hours with a pose and basic features, drawing, painting and then applying halftones.
Next, Igor (art director) and Vlad (character artist) paint many characters together, helping each other with faces and colors.
With scenes, the process is about the same – a little less than a day on the sketch, and then 3-9 days for drawing – due to the large number of small details.
Importing this art into the game is a bit complex – we import all the layers from Photoshop in separate files, after which automatic scripts collect it into the scene, after which the artist adjusts the parallax.
Motion capture technology for 3D games in the video game industry is very common, with many members of the public familiar with the black suits with white tracking balls. Is the process of working with motion capture for 2D animation similar? What is different about it? Are there any special challenges that come with motion capture techniques for 2D animation?
Once again, we have a great video documenting our creative process
In fact, we used rotoscoping to save on animators. We have 54 combat characters and to draw them all in an isometric projection it takes around 7000 keyframes (at 31,000 total) – it is pretty tough. Outlining the recording of the actors allows us to do it faster, and the animation itself turns out as if it were live actors (despite the fact that we have an average frame rate of 20 frames per second). And this feeling of liveliness was our goal.
The walking animation was the hardest – recording footage of the actors helped a little, but we also had to animate their hands – it was a difficult, long, and painful process. As for the process itself – we went with classic animation: using key frames, cleanup, phasing, painting, and mixing. Just like Disney did, until they abandoned 2D animation.
The gameplay uses cards to determine the strategies in battle. Can you go into a little more detail about how cards are used and collected over the course of gameplay? For example, do players have control over the contents of the deck the cards are drawn from?
The player buys, steals for or finds cards or their fragments in-game. Cards are similar to magical spells from Heroes of the Might & Magic – each card brings some chaotic effects with it. In the game itself, the character’s skills are completely deterministic, with just two exceptions.
The cards contribute an element of surprise, and danger – so, when using the Armageddon card (hello HMM), we deal massive damage to all the characters on the field, and “Rust” to greatly reduce a hero’s attack on the field. For many classes, the loss of an attack via something like Rust is almost a death sentence.
In a single-player game, you have complete control over the deck – you can choose what to take with you. If you play at low difficulty levels, you don’t have to use cards that often, but if the “harvest” (the evil in the land) is spreading – it will be difficult without cards.
Ash of Gods features rogue-like storytelling that is affected by player actions. How much writing had to be done for Ash of Gods. How much of the story do you expect players to experience in one playthrough?
Oh, this is the coolest question, thanks for asking!. Before we started working on the game, Sergei wrote an actual book for us, with a full plot, maps, and a world history that covered about 1000 years.
This allowed us to greatly simplify our work on the text. We consider ourselves the creators of the term “roguelike storytelling” as we understand it – it is the ability to conduct a continuous and coherent story in the game, where you allow the player to kill or at least remove from the story by serious injury, any hero (and we mean absolutely any, even the main character) and yet still keep the story moving, and the story adapts and evolves based on this change.
It’s complicated to create something like this, for sure. An example of this – at the moment, we have statistics for about 40 complete paths through the story – following just one gets you about 60% of the total game content, and will feature one of seven possible endings. This makes Ash of Gods very similar to visual novels, which I adore for the fact that you get really different endings depending on how you “play” them.
To help illustrate this further, well, I can’t do it without some spoilers, so you’ve been warned – in one of the story paths, the “final battle with the main boss” simply will not happen because the main villain does not want to fight with you – and without you killing him, he can finish his own evil mission, and give your story a “bad” ending, while in another, one of the main heroes will kill his own girlfriend, believing it will somehow save the world (but guess what…it doesn’t!). And in another — the main characters themselves will wage war on one another, and you, as a player, will need to choose a side.
Recently, someone told us a very cool joke about Russian developers, “Sometimes it seems like they are afraid that someone will beat their game.” Probably it’s partly about us too =)
Ash of Gods also has what we call “intermediate endings” where the game doesn’t end, but the life of a main character may! Some heroes you just will not find in the game, or find them dead if you aren’t smart or careful enough.
There is an ending in which one of the main characters can be killed along with the whole team! In this situation, I imagine most players will say “Oh, screw this!” and load an earlier save, but I want to believe they’ll continue the game, and see where this kind of storytelling takes them. We tried to have consequences even for the smallest choices and follow the style of Guy Ritchie’s scripts, when every small detail really means something in the overall story, and the path it takes – there’s nothing “throwaway” in our characters or stories.
The game offers many opportunities for player actions to impact the events of Ash of Gods. What is the process of writing a script with so many branching possibilities? Do you start with one possible line of events, then go back to the start and begin adding another branch? Do you create each possible branch for an event at once before moving on to the next one?
Remember we already had a book? This was our “canon”, and we use it to determine the results of player actions on the story. Not just “if this, then that” style storytelling, but actual short- and long-term consequences. We decided that each chapter in the game should contain at least 1 important decision with long-term consequences (5-6 hours), 1 with an average (1-3 hours) and 1 immediate consequence (morality, loyalty, wounds, gold, and time, for example). After that, we decided on possible endings, and where the main characters can die in the storyline, but keep it going. Then we looked at how the secondary characters can die in the story and affect the narrative. Then, we did the same for the supporting characters. For each such character, we immediately wrote the conditions under which he did not join the player’s party.
We then met together in our small office, where we had whiteboards filled with decision trees that cover about 5-6 hours of gameplay. We photographed the boards, and wrote out important decisions. After that, Sergei and Dima switched to Articy (this is software for work on the story) and moved the tree to it, together with key dialogues. We tested what happened with these stories, and corrected everything that was bad. And we did this over, and over, and over, to fine tune it all.
Then we started playtesting – repeatedly removing and correcting the logical inconsistencies and stupidities that arise because of the multiple paths in the story and gameplay.
In the end, we ended up rewriting the second half of the book, because in the game it turned out more interesting, and then we ended up rewriting the ending of the book, as in the game it turned out to be more interesting.
The first installment of Ash of Gods is called Redemption. How many installments are planned?
We’re planning two. The second part, if it happens, will tell the story from the Ensa and Umbra perspective – the antagonists of the first game. They have terrible, inhuman goals, but also a right and reason to follow them. I would like to use the second part’s story to talk about the duality of morality, and the fact that putting on labels and passing judgement are not always easy.
There is a novel being written for Ash of Gods by game author Sergey Malitsky. Can you provide us with more details about the novel? When will it be released? Will the novel be an adaptation of the game’s story? If so, does this mean there will be a set of events considered canon? If not, how will the novel and the events of Ash of Gods be connected?
Oh, it seems in the two previous answers, I already answered this question! I guess I got ahead of myself! We will release the book a few weeks after the release of the game. As I’ve mentioned, the book is the history of the game world, and the story bible, which was written before we started working on the game. While the book was the basis for the game’s story, we also ended up, as we tested the game and story paths, changing the book itself.
You can find a couple of chapters from it on our website. It’s very difficult for me to evaluate the quality of the English text now, but I like Russian very much.
If the budget allows, are there any features that aren’t possible right now in Redemption that you hope to add in the next installment?
Yes. We’d really like to do a full voiceover in the game, add more animations, and use large combat locations – like those you see in the X-Com games.
The possibility of a Steam Early Access period for the multiplayer portion of the game has been talked about. Will Ash of Gods go to Steam Early Access and when?
No, we consciously decided not to go to Early Access, as during the Kickstarter campaign a fairly large community was formed that actively helps us test the game not only as QA volunteers (catching bugs and problems), but also as end users.
Internal perfectionism also affected our decision – we simply can not show the general publicash a crude version that is regularly subjected to reworks and re-balancing. Very soon, however, media, influencers and KS backers will get access to the preview version of the game, which will reveal several mysteries of the plot and create many new ones 🙂
Get your wallets and your WoW Tokens ready! Pre-orders for World of Warcraft: The Battle for Azerothis live. As usual, Blizzard has not pinned down a specific release date for the new expansion beyond before September 21, 2018 and sometime this summer in the northern hemisphere or winter in the southern hemisphere.
Both the Standard Edition and Digital Deluxe Editions are available for pre-order. Both versions contain the base game and an immediate level 110 character boost. The standard edition is priced at $69.95AUD/$79.99NZD/$49.99USD.
The Digital Deluxe Edition is priced at $94.95AUD/$109.99NZD/$69.99USD and comes with the following of in-game cosmetic items for Blizzard’s other games:
World of Warcraft: Charge into battle astride the Seabraid Stallion (Alliance) and Gilded Ravasaur (Horde) mounts, and explore new frontiers with Tottle, the baby Tortollan pet, at your side.
Hearthstone: After a rough day on the front, rest up at the tavern and play a few hands of Hearthstone with your hot new Azeroth Is Burning card back.
StarCraft II: Make your mark on distant worlds with Horde- and Alliance-themed sprays.
Heroes of the Storm: Roar onto the Battlegrounds of the Nexus riding your Primal Flamesaber, a fiery new mount with three variants.
Overwatch: Champion your faction on the battlefields of tomorrow with Horde and Alliance voice lines for Torbjörn and emotes for Tracer; sprays featuring Anduin, Sylvanas, Jaina, and Varok Saurfang; and player icons representing Kul Tiras and Zandalar.
Our Take
Open pre-orders means WoW Token prices will be swinging wildly for the next few days. So it’s a great time to buy or sell depending on how the market is swinging that hour.
The more interesting piece of news is what wasn’t announced, Diablo 3 rewards were not listed. While this isn’t a guaranteed sign that Blizzard had moved to the next Diablo title, this seems to hint that Blizzard is switching gears from active development to upkeep for Diablo 3.
Spiderweb Software Releases Avernum 3: Ruined World, A Fantasy Role-Playing Game for Macintosh and Windows
Final chapter of the epic saga is now available!
January 31, 2018 – Spiderweb Software, Inc., makers of fine indie fantasy role-playing adventures for 24 years, announce the release of Avernum 3: Ruined World. A tale of desperate exiles and their battle for a land to call their own, Avernum 3 is an epic fantasy role-playing adventure for Windows and Macintosh, with a mobile version arriving Q1 2018.
At last, your people are free. You broke out of the underworld prison of Avernum. You emerge onto the surface, back into the sun at last, only to find that the world is being destroyed. Plagues of horrifying monsters scourge the surface. If you don’t stop them, you will have no home to escape to.
Avernum 3: Ruined World is the conclusion to the epic Avernum saga and a full remaster of Spiderweb Software’s greatest hit. It is an epic fantasy role-playing adventure in an enormous world, spanning an underworld and a gigantic surface continent. Fight the plagues of monsters that are destroying your home. Explore a world that evolves as time passes. Towns are destroyed. Refugees flee. Disasters happen.
Fight to save the world. Or don’t! Do odd jobs. Become a bounty hunter or a merchant. Buy a house. Explore a multitude of towns and dungeons. Master over 60 spells and battle disciplines and hunt for hundreds of magical artifacts. Explore one of the biggest, most unique worlds in computer games! Avernum 3: Ruined World is available for $19.99 on Windows and Macintosh from Steam, GOG.com, the Humble Store, and the Spiderweb Software website.
Spiderweb Software, Inc., an indie game company based in Seattle, WA, is fanatically dedicated to creating fun, exciting fantasy role-playing games for Windows, Macintosh, and the iPad. Past titles include the award-winning Exile, Geneforge, Avernum, and Avadon series.
ZODIAC INTERACTIVE AND SPOTLIGHTOR INTERACTIVE RELEASE CANDLEMAN: THE COMPLETE JOURNEY ON STEAM
BEIJING – Jan. 31, 2018 – Zodiac Interactive and independent developer Spotlightor Interactive have released the 3D fairytale platformer Candleman: The Complete Journey on Windows PC via Steam for $14.99.
Originally debuting on Xbox One in early 2017, Candleman: The Complete Journey is a gorgeous fantasy adventure featuring perilous platforming gameplay that combines light and shadow. As a little candle who can burn for only 10 seconds, players must venture through unsettling darkness and overcome a wide range of enchanted yet dangerous environments in search of a mysterious light in the distance.
The PC edition of the game includes the previously released “Lost Light” DLC, a new time challenge mode, enhanced performance and framerate optimizations, and 4K resolution support.
Candleman: The Complete Journey is out now on Windows PC. A version of the game is set to release on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system in North America and Europe later this year. For more information, visit the game’s Steam page, and follow the game on Facebook and @CandlemanGame on Twitter.
About Zodiac Interactive
Experts in global software publishing and boasting a wealth of industry knowledge. Based in Beijing, the team is using their experience to bring quality foreign games to the booming Chinese market, while also identifying and enabling exciting up-and-coming Chinese developers to reach their potential in the West.
About Spotlightor Interactive
Founded in 2009 by Gao Ming and Ma Xiaoyu, Spotlightor is an indie game studio based in Beijing, dedicated to creating innovative games which provide unique experiences through immersive interactive design.
JOIN THE FRAY: WORLD-WIDE RELEASE DATES FOR TEKKEN MOBILE ANNOUNCED
Over 1,500,000 pre-registrations so far!
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe is pleased to announce the global release dates for TEKKEN, the first mobile fighting game based on the iconic fighting game franchise. Starting on February 1st, players around the world will be able to experience the fast-paced action that TEKKEN is famous for. Players can duke it out in various game modes and compete online through the Dojo mode.
February 1st: Latin America, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa, South East Asia
February 15th: UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, Russia, Benelux, Singapore
March 1st: United States, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong
To celebrate 1,500,000 pre-registrations BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe is proud to announce Rodeo, an exclusive mobile character that will be available for free on March 1st for every player of TEKKEN.
*iPhone 6 and lower devices are not supported. IOS 10 required. Android devices with 1 Gb memory or lower are not supported. Android 4.4 and higher required.
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™, DARK SOULS™, NARUTO™, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN™, Dragon Ball, GALAGA™, RIDGE RACER™ and ACE COMBAT™. For more information please visit www.bandainamcoent.eu
Coffee Stain to acquire majority share in Gone North Games – names new studio Coffee Stain North
The world leader in goat simulation technology expands to Stockholm through acquisition.
Coffee Stain Group announced today an agreement to acquire a majority share in Gone North Games AB, the developer of Goat Z and Goat Simulator: Waste of Space. As of today, the studio will be rebranded as Coffee Stain North, expanding Coffee Stains reach well beyond its origin of Skövde. The acquisition builds upon an already successful partnership with the Stockholm based outfit that has been brewing for the last four years.
“We discovered Gone North Games when they pitched us on their first game – A Story About My Uncle, and we saw a lot of potential in their team already back then,” said Anton Westbergh, CEO of Coffee Stain. “The game ended up being our first foray into games publishing, and a successful one at that! Since then the talent behind Gone North has played a major part in carrying the Goat Simulator brand into the future through their seemingly endless creativity and vision. We welcome them into the Coffee Stain group with great excitement to soon be able to share more on their upcoming project”
“When we first approached Coffee Stain we already knew we had a lot in common,“ said Sebastian Eriksson, CEO of Gone North Games. “And over the years we’ve worked together we’ve discovered a deeper personal connection in everything from humor to game design sensibilities. All these commonalities have given us true creative freedom, and with the resources and support of Coffee Stain we’re currently working on our biggest project to date.
Coffee Stain North is fast becoming THE place for talented developers looking to make Stockholm their mainstay, offering the perks of AAA (competitive salaries, excellent benefits and sound economic backing) while maintaining what’s cool about being a small indie dev (creative freedom, influence over projects and work environment, actually knowing everyone on the team). As the studio grows into their new offices on Kungsholmen, open positions will be continually posted on coffeestain.se
Coffee Stain The Coffee Stain group is made up of Coffee Stain Studios (of the Sanctum series and Goat Simulator fame), Coffee Stain Publishing (of the soon-to-be-published Deep Rock Galactic and Huntdown fame) and Coffee Stain North (of this expertly crafted press releases fame).
Gone North Games (now Coffee Stain North) Founded in 2013, Gone North Games is an independent video game development studio based in Stockholm, Sweden. Founded by nine developers around the sleeper hit A Story About My Uncle, loved by critics and gamers alike. Since then they’ve taken Pilgor the goat on a journey from the zombie apocalypse, into the deep reaches of space. They’ve also done a lot of work on the Goat Simulator franchise on mobile platforms, helping the game continue to be a mainstay on the best selling charts around the world.
DEADLY PREMONITION: THE BOARD GAME AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON
Uncover the Deep Dark Secrets of Greenvale and Track Down the Raincoat Killer in the Official Board Game LOS ANGELES, CA – January 31, 2018 – Rising Star Games announced today that Deadly Premonition: The Board Game is available now on Amazon.com Inspired by the cult phenomenon video game, this limited run of Deadly Premonition: The Board Game places players in the town of Greenvale where you play as a detective on the hunt for the murderer, but beware… the killer is hidden amongst the detectives! The ‘Deluxe Edition’ of Deadly Premonition: The Board Game is available now on Amazon.com, featuring premium items such as, a custom die, original soundtrack, a themed gaming cloth, and a download code for the original cult hit PC video game, upon which the board game is based.
About Deadly Premonition: The Board Game Deluxe Edition:
Welcome to Greenvale. In this small mysterious town a young woman has been murdered. Anna Graham’s death marks a tragic loss for the community.
The town is home to many strange characters. With no significant leads on the killer, each must be considered a suspect. It’s time to kick-start the investigation and get to work, isn’t that right Zach?
Each agent has been assigned six suspects to investigate. You must protect the innocent, uncover incriminating evidence, apprehend and accomplice and identify the hidden killer among you before it is too late.
Game Length: 30-45 minutes Recommended age: 18+ Players: 2-4
Deadly Premonition: The Board Game Deluxe Edition is available as a limited run product on Amazon.com for $59.95. For more information please visit www.deadlyprem.com.
ABOUT RISING STAR GAMES
Rising Star Games is a privately held video games publisher with a global reach. With operating offices in Europe and USA the company publishes video game entertainment across all gaming platforms from Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and via Steam. With decades of combined experience and a genuine passion for interactive entertainment, Rising Star Games is proud of its ever-expanding and enormously diverse catalogue of over 130 titles. www.risingstargames.com
GOLEM GATES, A REAL-TIME STRATEGY AND COLLECTIBLE CARD GAME HYBRID, RELEASES FIRST MAJOR EPISODE OF ITS SINGLE-PLAYER CAMPAIGN ON STEAM TODAY
Witness the Birth of The Harbinger in Story Content Update for Dark Fantasy Strategy Game from Talent Behind Epic’s Gears of War and Marvel Studio Films
APEX, NC (JANUARY 31, 2018) – Laser Guided Games LLC — an independent developer made up of industry veterans from Epic Games — and Hollow Earth Inc., the studio responsible for character design in blockbuster Marvel films Spider-Man: Homecoming, Iron Man and the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War, today released the first major story content update for their dark fantasy strategy game Golem Gates. Players of the real-time strategy (RTS) and collectible card game (CCG) hybrid title can experience Golem Gates’ lore-rich world through Book I of the episodic single-player story campaign, available today as a free update through Steam.
It all begins with a mysterious voice, reaching from the unknown — calling from the darkness to summon you, The Harbinger. An outcast in this forsaken world, The Harbinger is given purpose: find the monolithic Golem Gates which aid the enemy, and destroy them to be redeemed. Book I of Golem Gate’s single-player story campaign teaches the player to wield the power of The Harbinger to manipulate and command nanites from The Ash — an ancient power that resides in the world’s atmosphere. Follow the unseen force that compels you to take up arms in five story missions that put you on the course to unraveling the mysteries surrounding the golem’s long-lost creators. But beware, there are others with power over The Ash.
“We’re thrilled to introduce players to the The Harbinger, the protagonist of the game, and the Golem Gates themselves, the ominous giant structures that protect the enemy,” said Josh Nizzi, Head of Hollow Earth Inc. “We can’t wait for players to dive deeper into the dark and dangerous world of Golem Gates — stay tuned for even more twists and revelations ahead!”
“With the introduction of the Golem Gates single-player campaign, players can now further immerse themselves in its arcane setting,” said Matt Oelfke, Founder and Lead Developer at Laser Guided Games. “Our Early Access players enjoying Golem Gates’ multiplayer side couldn’t get enough of the world we created, so we’ve expanded our scope to deliver even more single-player content than originally planned. Book I is just the beginning, and we can’t wait to hear what fans think!”
In Golem Gates, players collect cards (called Glyphs) and strategically weave them into a deck to prepare for battle. Battles are fast-paced and highly tactical with streamlined resource management to keep the focus on the unrelenting action. Through Steam Early Access players can take their glyph decks online in various competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes, and experience the beginnings of Golem Gate’s epic story ahead of launch. In addition to new story content, today’s update also adds a new Trials Mode for a series of diverse challenges. Golem Gates delivers both intense combat and strategy, blending multiple genres for a truly unique experience.
Key Features:
Dynamic Diversity: Create your own unique battle plan to counter your opponents with nearly 100 collectible card game inspired Glyphs, including units, buildings, traps, buffs, debuffs and techs, that provide nearly limitless strategy options.
Multiple Modes: Experience the evolving story of Golem Gates’ single-player campaign and take the fight online with friends in cooperative and survival-based modes.
May the RNG Gods Smile Upon You: Randomized Glyph drawing puts a slightly different spin on every battle by eliminating monotonous build sequences, while rewarding deck building mastery and strategic planning chops in equal measure.
Streamlined Strategy: Build and enhance your forces with Glyphs; no production or research buildings are needed. Capture resources in King of the Hill style skirmishes without dedicated gathering units and keep your focus where it belongs — on the battle.
Fight Where You Have Sight: Glyphs can be played almost anywhere you have an existing presence. Add more forces to a battle to turn the tide, transform a scouting party into an army, place emergency defenses to respond to the enemy or hide an outpost in a direction the enemy doesn’t expect. The choices are yours, but beware: the enemy will do the same and with the right Glyph, your forces can be destroyed as quickly as they were created.
Golem Gates is a collaborative project developed by Laser Guided Games and Hollow Earth Inc. Laser Guided Games is made up of veterans from Epic Games who have worked on blockbuster game franchises such as Gears of War and Unreal Tournament. The Hollow Earth team specializes in art design and story development with past experience working on blockbuster Marvel films Spider-Man: Homecoming and Iron Man, as well as the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther, in addition to the Transformers movie franchise.
Golem Gates is available for purchase now via Steam Early Access for Windows PC for an early adopter price of $19.99 at http://store.steampowered.com/app/575970/Golem_Gates. The complete game emerges from Early Access on March 28, 2018.
For more information about Golem Gates, please visit www.golemgates.com.
About Laser Guided Games LLC
Made up of veterans from Epic Games, Laser Guided Games is an independent video game developer based in North Carolina that specializes in developing PC games with unique mechanics. Laser Guided Games is headed up by Matt Oelfke, who worked as a programmer and designer at Epic Games on blockbuster game franchises such as Gears of War and Unreal Tournament, and Rob McLaughlin, a veteran programmer who has worked on titles such as Civilization, Gears of War and Unreal Tournament.
About Hollow Earth Inc.
Hollow Earth head, Josh Nizzi, worked as a concept designer on blockbuster Marvel films (e.g., The Avengers, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Iron Man) and the Transformers movieverse before returning to game development full-time. Prior to his work in movies, Nizzi was involved in the development of such games as Red Faction and MechAssault 2.
