LONDON, UK – September 12, 2024 – Embark on a magical journey across an enchanting wilderness and immerse yourself in a cozy witchcraft adventure with REKA, available now on Steam Early Access.
Developed by Emberstorm Entertainment and published by Fireshine Games, the publisher behind indie sensations Core Keeper and Shadows of Doubt, REKA is a cottage-building third-person adventure that tells the tale of a Slavic witch travelling the countryside with their walking chicken-legged home.
Experience an unforgettable story of witchcraft and wonder, penned in collaboration with Lead Writer Rhianna Pratchett. Build, customise, and expand your walking cottage, designing and decorating your home with complete creative freedom, while taking on quests to unlock new furniture, decorations, and keepsakes.
Discover animals, spirits, and secrets, and take control of your walking home on a journey across bewitching landscapes, forming an unbreakable bond with your chicken-legged house as you explore mystical forests, swamps, and villages together. Meet townsfolk, forage for ingredients, and harness the power of nature under the guidance of Baba Jaga on a journey to become a powerful wielder of magic.
“We are so excited for players to discover the opening chapter to REKA’s story with today’s Early Access release, and begin their adventure across an enchanting wilderness,” said Jesco von Puttkamer, Lead Narrative Designer at Emberstorm Entertainment. “As a new studio, today marks an exciting milestone for us, and we’re looking forward to listening to players’ thoughts and feedback, reading their comments, watching their streams, and developing REKA with our community in mind as we work towards the game’s 1.0 release.”
REKA is the debut title of Berlin-based indie game studio Emberstorm Entertainment. Founded in 2020, the team’s goal is to make unique and immersive games with a focus on atmosphere and artistic craftsmanship.
About Fireshine Games
Fireshine Games is a global publisher of digital and physical video games based in London, England, with a focus on finding fun and bringing innovative indie gems to players around the world. Originally established in 2014, Fireshine Games has built a portfolio of digital titles and indie sensations, including award-winning titles Core Keeper and Shadows of Doubt, while partnering with studio giants to bring digital hits to physical release, including Lies of P from Neowiz, Balatro from Playstack, and Planet Zoo: Console Edition from Frontier Developments. Fireshine Games is part of the EG7 group of companies.
With over 50 million copies sold, Human Fall Flat is now bringing its hilarious, light-hearted fun to VR platforms
LONDON, 12th September 2024 – Curve Games and No Brakes Games are excited to bring you Human Fall Flat VR! Imagine yourself wobbling through whimsical dreamscapes, now with the power to flail your arms in every direction, just like a real-life ragdoll. Whether you’re swinging from ledges or pulling levers, the all-new VR control system lets you reach out and touch the madness. Get ready for a hilarious and immersive new experience that’s guaranteed to make you laugh out loud. Welcome to the Human Fall Flat VR world as you’ve never seen it before – coming to Meta Quest 2 & 3, PlayStation VR2 and SteamVR!
Human Fall Flat VR is a completely new experience from the original game and takes the fun to a whole new level with its intuitive 3rd-person view specially designed for VR headsets. Get ready to control your Human avatar’s wobbly arms with your controllers and experience an all-new kind of chaos for £9.99/€12.99/$12.99. Whether you’re leaping, climbing, carrying, or swinging, things can hilariously spiral out of control, adding a playful and immersive physicality to the game.
What’s better than tackling the game’s quirky challenges solo? Doing it with friends! The standalone VR edition lets you and up to three friends team up as a goofy group of four Humans. Together, you’ll navigate tricky traps and solve mind-bending physics puzzles, all while laughing at the unpredictable antics along the way.
Human Fall Flat VR includes all the original levels and a treasure trove of Extra Dreams crafted by the community’s most creative minds. Each level offers a unique environment to explore, from treacherous industrial areas to the icy slopes of a snowy Alpine wonderland. It’s a visual and sensory treat, making Human Fall Flat VR an adventure like you’ve never experienced before!
To keep up to date with all things Human Fall Flat, follow us on Twitter @HumanFallFlat and chat with Human Fall Flat friends and the rest of the community on the game’s official Discord channel:http://discord.gg/hff,
About Curve Games
Curve Games (part of theCatalis Group) is an award-winning independent label working with developers across the world to deliver the best in interactive entertainment. With a uniquely diverse games catalogue that includes renowned indie hits such as For the King, Bomber Crew, The Ascent, Lawn Mowing Simulator, and the multi-million-selling smash hit Human Fall Flat, Curve Games has taken its place as one of the leading games publishers worldwide.
About No Brakes Games
No Brakes Games are the developers of Human Fall Flat, based in Tenerife and Vilnius. We believe in empowering our team to support and challenge each other to make the best games for our players. Our studios are hard at work on our next titles, including the development of the much-anticipated sequel Human Fall Flat 2.
Change the tide of the battlefield with the new technology and civilization bonuses
Ankara, Turkey – 12th September 2024. Indie developer Good Mood Games has launched a new free Civilization Ascension Update today for their deep real-time strategy title, Eyes of War. Currently available in Steam Early Access, Eyes of War blends real-time strategy and a third-person perspective set in the brutal medieval era. Offering both single and multiplayer gameplay experiences, players can build their castles, fortify their defences, and, when the action starts, control every individual unit in character mode, offering unparalleled strategic advantages during epic battles.
The free Eyes of War Civilization Ascension Update introduces special bonuses for the four civilizations in the game. These bonuses are applied to the player’s civilization from the start of each game. The bonuses are fixed, meaning they cannot be lost or changed, and will provide unique traits that affect the gameplay from beginning to end. Additionally, there is the introduction of new, unique technologies exclusive to each civilization, offering strategic advantages that are not available to the others.
For example, the Silveria will have focus bonuses on Cavalry and Archers and have Civilization bonuses, including starting with more wood and stone for building, mounted units have a wider line of sight, archers are trained faster, and market commission is lower than other factions. Unique technology bonuses include castle archers deal more damage, and units gain damage or movement speed temporarily after killing an enemy.
Meanwhile, the Solvong receives focus bonuses on economy and population with civilization bonuses including starting with more gold, archers being cheaper, the maximum population being higher at the start compared to other civilizations, and advancing to the next age is cheaper. Unique technologies include increased accuracy for ranged units, faster completion of buildings, and increased rate of collection of taxes (gold) from buildings.
A full list of bonuses and technologies for all four civilizations (Solvong, Silveria, Veridia and Norvion) can be found HERE
The update will also add some changes to horse armour and dodge mechanics, as well as other quality-of-life enhancements.
Check out the Eyes of War cinematic trailer below:
About Eyes of War:
Eyes of War, blends real-time strategy and third-person perspective, creating a medieval warfare game where you can switch between these two different modes. In strategy mode, build and develop your castle, and create your army, while in character mode you can personally control each unit in your army from a third-person perspective, smoothly transitioning between units to feel the battle up close. Compete with friends or AI in supported maps for up to 4 players, striving to become the ruler of the map. Continue your battles not only with the Strategy Game Mode but also with different game modes like the Arena Game Mode.
Build your castle, develop your city, create your army, and defeat your rivals! Be Part of the Army!
In strategy mode, wage war with other players by developing your castle and army. Take control of any unit at any moment in the game, manage and experience the war atmosphere in character mode. Be not only a leader but a hero with every decision you make.
Features:
Feel Your City and Environment Up Close! – See the details of every corner of the maps up close in character mode. Roam within the city you built with great dedication in character mode. Become one of the heroes defending your city against rivals!
Utilize Amazing Strategies Against Real Players – Join online battles on maps supporting up to 4 players. Battle against opponents for resources. Use your strategies against real players and be ready for surprising strategies from your opponents.
Measure Swords in the Arena – Take your battles beyond the strategy mode. Compete in the arena with the units you choose against AI or real players and become the champion of the arena.
Struggle of Four Nations – Engage in the struggle among four nations, each with its own unique culture. Diversify your strategy by using units with different advantages from each nation.
Eyes of War is now available via Steam Early Access. Fans can add the game to their Wishlist now and download the free playable demo.
For more information, please visit the Eyes of War website https://www.eyesofwar.org/ and follow the development journey on the official social media channels:
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About Good Mood Games
We are a video game company founded in 2022 in Türkiye. Our mission is to create games that appeal to a wide audience and are loved by players. In line with this goal, we aimed to offer a unique experience to players by integrating different mechanics into the game world with our first game “Eyes of War”.
As an independent studio, we work meticulously to provide the best experience to our players by aiming for excellence in design, graphics, sound and gameplay. Our team aims to give players unforgettable moments by taking care of every detail.
In addition to Eyes of War, we also contribute to the gaming world with projects such as “City Defense Z” and “Space Digger”. The valuable experiences we have gained in this process guide us for many other games we are currently working on. We look forward to bringing you more enjoyable and innovative games in the future!
After rice and spinach, GIANTS Software announces two more crops for Farming Simulator 25: peas and green beans. Starting November 12, virtual farmers can look forward to growing a variety of 25 crops on their fields in total. Various tree species and vegetables in greenhouses add even more agricultural variety, and the number of crops corresponding to the game’s title is a coincidence, the publisher and developer notes.
Cultivating peas & beans
Early in a farmer’s year, peas are planted in March – a month before green beans. They take four months to ripen, and farmers use specialized harvesting equipment to harvest the crop after applying the usual steps to improve yields. Huge machines like the OXBO EPD540E, a self-propelled pea harvester, guarantee a satisfying harvesting season between July and October. Or August and December for green beans.
Rice & spinach with special requirements
New details make rice and spinach even more appealing to farmers who do not shy away from crops that require special attention: Rice and long-grain rice count as two crops with individual needs for water management and equipment for planting and harvesting. Both are planted in paddies, fields deepened for water retention. Spinach is not for farmers who like to sleep in: The leafy crop can be harvested twice a season after being sown once – if farmers are quick. They also have to hurry after harvesting because it can’t be stored and must be sold immediately before it withers.
More details are yet to come
On the way to release, GIANTS Software still has some features to show off. Announced through previews, the creators recently revealed minor features like a new third-person perspective on foot or grazing animals cutting grass on fields.
Farming Simulator 25 will be released on November 12th for PC, Mac, PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S. It features more than 400 machines and 150 real-world brands. Pre-orders are available now on selected channels. Visit the official Farming Simulator website.
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About GIANTS Software
GIANTS Software is an international video game developer and publisher from Switzerland established in 2004 and known worldwide for creating the popular Farming Simulator series. The team with offices in Switzerland (Zurich), Germany (Erlangen), USA (Chicago) and Czech Republic (Brno) is very committed to maintain close contact to the agricultural industry and to engage with the community.
About Farming Simulator
Since 2008, over 30 million units of Farming Simulator have been sold worldwide. The game series has been released on all popular platforms including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs since then. From the start, the team enabled users to create mods with the company’s own GIANTS Engine. With the Farming Simulator League (FSL), the series introduced a competitive esports mode in 2019 – with teams competing in professional tournaments and many acclaimed brands and sponsors on board.
World War II stripped me of my family, my home and my future
Madrid, Spain – September 12th, 2024. Meridiem is pleased to announce that the World War II real-time tactics game 63 Days will be released as a physical edition on November 5th, 2024 for PlayStation 5. Set during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, 63 Days tells a universal story of brotherhood, youthful passion, and immense bravery against overwhelming odds and is developed by Destructive Creations, recognised for hits such as Ancestors Legacy and War Mongrels.
Meridiem is responsible for the design and manufacturing of The Home Army Edition of 63 Days physical release for PlayStation 5 and will include a special collector’s case and an exclusive five-card set with illustrations of the main characters of this historical adventure.
About 63 Days
I belong to the first generation born in a free Poland, after 123 years of foreign occupation. The outbreak of World War II stripped me of my family, my home and my future. We are angry, tired, but united. We are eager to do something to regain some control over our lives. My colleagues and I feel we have only one choice, to take revenge and regain the independence of our city and our nation, or die trying.
The odds are overwhelmingly against us. We are like brothers and sisters, united by an unwavering fighting spirit. We rely on our ingenuity, stealth and the strength of our teamwork. But will all that be enough?
Watch the trailer for 63 Days – The Home Army Edition here
63 Days – The Home Army Edition will be released as a physical version on PlayStation 5 across European specialist stores on November 5th. Fans can pre-order the game now.
We are Meridiem, a video game publisher and distributor in love with its culture, which we protect and pass on in order to preserve it. We do this by fostering talent through investment in independent projects with potential, bringing back classic titles, promising indies and AAA games while continuing to support the physical format.
About Destructive Creations
Since 2014, we’ve been uncompromising, original game developers and publishers. Our approach? We like to tell serious stories without taking ourselves too seriously. When you get to know us, you’ll know what we mean by that. https://destructivecreations.com/
Blue Brain Games’ Acclaimed Renaissance Puzzle Adventure Trilogy Reaches Its Epic Conclusion
Bratislava, Slovakia – September 12, 2024. Global indie developer and publisher Blue Brain Games is excited to announce the release of The House of Da Vinci 3 for Xbox and PlayStation consoles digitally on September 19, 2024. This highly anticipated finale to the beloved puzzle adventure trilogy invites players to unravel the ultimate mysteries surrounding Leonardo da Vinci and his brilliant apprentice, Giacomo.
The House of Da Vinci games have captivated millions with intricate puzzles and immersive Renaissance settings, earning an impressive 4.8/5 average review score across all platforms. The third instalment promises to elevate the experience even further, offering over 10+ hours of gameplay filled with new challenges, a gripping narrative, and the polished mechanics that fans have come to expect.
Key Features:
New Adventure, New Puzzles: Engage with original puzzles and intricate mechanisms inspired by da Vinci’s inventions.
Time-Bending Gameplay: Utilise the Oculus Perpetua to manipulate past events and solve present-day conundrums.
Enhanced Interactions: Experience more intuitive controls and new ways to interact with the beautifully crafted world.
Diverse Locations: Explore stunning new settings across Renaissance Italy and beyond.
Epic Conclusion: Immerse yourself in fully voiced dialogue, cinematic cutscenes, and a story that ties together the entire trilogy.
“The House of Da Vinci 3 represents the culmination of our team’s passion for puzzle design and historical storytelling,” said Martin Pavelek, CEO of Blue Brain Games. “We’re excited to bring this enhanced version to console players, allowing them to experience the grand finale of Giacomo’s journey in stunning detail.”
The House of Da Vinci 3 will be available globally on September 19, 2024, for Xbox and PlayStation platforms via their respective digital stores.
About Blue Brain Games
Blue Brain Games is an indie puzzle game studio from the heart of Europe. Our games focus on powerful storytelling and unique features to keep you, the player, having fun and coming back for more.
We strive to deliver incredible authenticity into every detail. With every new game, we aim for amazingly detailed and historically accurate storyline enhanced with our own layer of imagination. Our stories are built around real historical figures, who, even after several centuries, still have a strong aura of mystery around them: just like the great Nikola Tesla or Leonardo Da Vinci.
We’re masters of puzzles, brain twisters, baffling riddles and complex lockboxes hidden far beyond where any eye can see.
We’re a really small team of dedicated people, determined to approach multi-platform games in a different way: we want to provide our players a game environment rich in details, we want to submerge them into an amazingly realistic atmosphere, we want to set your brain ablaze trying to solve complex puzzles and mechanisms.
First opportunity to navigate a shattered world and secure humanity’s future in this immersive survival game
Oberhaching, Germany, September 12th, 2024 – Developer SpaceRocket Games and publisher Toplitz Productions announce that Permafrost, their exciting survival game set within a frozen open-world urban landscape, will be available to play in October’s Steam Next Fest. Dive into a world, where survival is not just a choice, but a necessity.
From October 14th thru October 21 you can get your first hands-on opportunity to brave the bone-chilling arctic-like temperatures in Permafrost caused by a world changing event that has brought about the near extinction of the human race. Exploration, resourcefulness and the sheer will to survive will see players construct intricate shelters from scrap, cultivate crops to stave off hunger, and harness the power of technology to fend off threats both human and environmental. In Permafrost the sub-zero temperature will have an effect on character capabilities as they fend for themselves in challenging conditions, hunt elusive prey, and repurpose salvaged machinery to craft the tools needed for survival. The demo offers survival game fans a unique opportunity to experience a modern post-apocalyptic setting, combining intricate resource management with deep survival mechanics.
For more details on Permafrost head over the games official Steam page here.
About SpaceRocket Games
SpaceRocket games was founded in 2023. However, the seeds of what would become the flagship project, Permafrost, were sown a bit earlier. Initially, in December 2022, a dedicated trio began to mold the prototype in a somewhat informal setting. Fast forward to the present, and our team has expanded to 15 members. This diverse group consists of talented game designers, programmers, and graphic artists. Our ranks include both individuals just making their debut in the game development world and seasoned veterans who’ve contributed to numerous projects.
About Toplitz Productions
The German-Austrian publisher, whose name originates from the mysterious Toplitz Lake in the heart of Austria, develops and publishes games with “heart & soul” for all platforms. The company consists of a healthy mix of experienced industry veterans and young talents, all of whom are passionate gamers. They enjoy working with creative developers on many exciting titles, such as those from the “Dynasty” and “Giant” series.
London (September 12, 2024) MARVEL vs. CAPCOM® Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is now available worldwide digitally across Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4, and PC via Steam, with an Xbox One digital release coming in 2025! For the first time ever, play these classics with friends and foes across the world from the comfort of your home with online multiplayer supported by rollback netcode!
Experience the extraordinary nostalgia of the seven-in-one collection with countless characters and Super Heroes prepared to brawl. All seven games promise to take players back in time with their hard-hitting action for the first time ever on modern platforms:
X-MEN® CHILDREN OF THE ATOM
MARVEL SUPER HEROES™
X-MEN™ VS. STREET FIGHTER®
MARVEL SUPER HEROES™ vs. STREET FIGHTER®
MARVEL™ vs. CAPCOM® CLASH OF SUPER HEROES
MARVEL™ vs. CAPCOM® 2 New Age of Heroes
THE PUNISHER™
Check out the launch trailer on YouTube (below), and for more information on MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, visit the official website and Twitter/X page.
And don’t forget to gear up for the collection’s physical release on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024 on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch!
The future of MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is bright with its upgrades and enhancements that will make the fighting experience fun and memorable for everyone:
Battle It Out Online: Online ranked, casual, and custom matches are available for all fighting games so you can go head-to-head with family and friends from around the world!
Robust Rollback Netcode: Online matches are supported with rollback netcode for the most stable online gameplay experience!
Be the Best: Climb the global high-score leaderboard across all seven games to show your skills to the rest of the world!
Practice Makes Perfect: Training Mode is now included across the entire fighting game collection so you can master your favourite character or try a new one!
Watch This: All eyes are on the players with Spectator Mode to make watching matches seamless and entertaining!
One-Button Specials: One-Button Specials are now available for players, making these games even more accessible than ever!
There’s Levels to This: Difficulty Settings can be adjusted higher or lower for solo players to up the ante or ease up on the challenge!
Additional Features: The collection is a treasure trove for fans of the classic games with an immersive music jukebox, an in-game Museum, original Marquee Cards from all titles, the ability to save the game in single-player mode, new display filters to emulate older television and arcade screens, and so much more!
For Capcom fans, fighting game enthusiasts, comic book and Super Hero aficionados, and everyone in between, MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics offers a timeless celebration of a legacy fighting game series, delivering a diverse roster of iconic characters, enhanced features, and competitive gameplay. Relive the nostalgia or discover enduring classics for the first time, uniting fans of all generations in celebration of Capcom’s legendary fighting game series and stay tuned for more information on the collection in the coming months!
About Capcom
Capcom is a leading worldwide developer, publisher, and distributor of interactive entertainment for game consoles, PCs, handheld and wireless devices. Founded in 1983, the company has created hundreds of games, including groundbreaking franchises Resident Evil™, Monster Hunter™, Street Fighter™, Mega Man™, Devil May Cry™ and Ace Attorney™. Capcom maintains operations in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Tokyo, with corporate headquarters located in Osaka, Japan. More information about Capcom and its products can be found at www.capcom.com or news.capcomusa.com.
Capcom, and the Capcom logo are registered trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd. in the U.S. or other countries. Ace Attorney, Devil May Cry, Mega Man, Monster Hunter, Resident Evil and Street Fighter are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd. and/or its subsidiaries, in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
Now that the Silent Hill 2 remake is just a few months off, it’s a good time to revisit the series in preparation. You can also make things even more interesting by trying some SH-inspired indie titles. Hollowbody is the latest horror game to pay homage to the classic, but does it do it justice?
Hollowbody Gameplay
Story
In the 21st century, a bioterrorist attack struck the western British Isles. Fearing widespread contagion, the authorities walled off contaminated zones, leaving common citizens to die while the rich were evacuated to secured areas. Six decades have passed, but people still demand answers and justice. You play as Mica, who has decided to risk everything to rescue her partner, who went missing during an investigation in the excluded zone.
The game’s biopunk setting is intriguing. Down in the walled zone, players can find notes and voice files that hint at how these people lived and died before being decimated by a missile strike. The game drip-feeds its story to keep players engaged. That said, the chunks of lore found provide players with brief and uninteresting bits that don’t add much to the overarching plot.
Gameplay
Hollowbody follows the same design structure found in the Silent Hill games. That means players get to explore the outdoors and indoors of a deserted city, solve puzzles, and deal with enemies. Players can expect a lot of running through the streets of the walled city. The map is big, with houses and other buildings visible in the distance. The game features classic urban locales like apartments, a subway, convenience stores, and a church—for extra spookiness—and more. Despite that, very little can be explored, and the alleys and yards that can be investigated often yield little of interest, if anything at all. Inside “dungeons,” players get to solve very simple and easy logic puzzles. Developers nowadays go the extra distance to avoid frustrating players, but an indie game in a niche genre should provide diverse difficulty options off the bat. Silent Hill 2 did it 23 years ago.
During my time with the game, I only encountered the same four enemies: an average humanoid, a big humanoid, a white spider thing that barely moved, and a dog that attacked by bumping into the player. They pose no threat since ammo and weapons are plentiful. It’s more reassuring to eliminate enemies blocking your path in tighter spaces, though it’s easy to bait an attack and move on. Later in the game, enemies appear in larger numbers outdoors, but they’re mostly just extra obstacles to avoid. There’s no incentive to engage, especially with clunky combat and camera mechanics.
Visuals
The graphics are mostly well put together and resemble visuals from early PlayStation 2 titles. However, the erratic camera and poorly implemented lighting detract from the game’s presentation. The colors are too washed out and dim, and points of interest blend too much with the backdrops, making it somewhat difficult to spot important elements. Lastly, the limited and awkwardly placed camera angles make Hollowbody a stressful experience but for all the wrong reasons.
Audio
The soundtrack is monotonous but offers a few tense moments. Frankly, the most disturbing sound you’ll hear is the wheezing baby cry made by some monsters. Ambient sounds could be more varied. Sound effects like wall-knocking and shattering glass provide the right kind of creepiness when exploring desolate buildings, but they should be used more creatively to catch players off guard.
Overall
Hollowbody could have been a good horror adventure, but its potential was ultimately squandered due to poor execution in key areas. Although the narrative is a central aspect of the game, it struggles to establish hooks that capture players’ attention. While a game in this genre doesn’t necessarily need intricate and polished combat, the ease with which enemies can be brushed off diminishes the tension that is crucial to the horror experience.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Hollowbody sets its survival horror in a biopunk environment, offering an intriguing concept. The game is story-driven, featuring combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving. We venture into the walled city to uncover its mysteries while helping Mica search for her missing partner.
Hollowbody – Gameplay
A tech-noir survival horror short story, set in the urban decay of a long abandoned British city. Solve environmental puzzles, manage limited resources and fight for a way to escape beyond the wall.
Alone, stranded, and with limited resources at your disposal you’ll have to push your way through the zone, solve environmental puzzles, manage resources and fight for your life as you try to find a way to escape beyond the wall.
Hollowbody Developer: Headware Games Publisher: Headware Games Platform: Windows Release Date: 13 Sep, 2024
Not Recommended – “Hollowbody offers an intriguing biopunk setting but fails to engage players due to clunky gameplay, underwhelming sound design, and the lack of a gripping story.”
