PARIS – March 29, 2024 – Focus Entertainment and Rundisc are honored that Chants of Sennaar, their critically acclaimed puzzle game, continues to be recognized for its creative and technical achievements since its launch last year. In addition to its recent nominations in the Game Beyond Entertainment and New Intellectual Property categories at the BAFTA Games Awards, Chants of Sennaar has now been nominated for prizes at two of science fiction and fantasy’s most distinguished events: Best Game Writing at the Nebula Awards, as well as Best Game or Interactive Work at the Hugo Awards.
Inspired by the myth of Babel, Chants of Sennaar draws visually from European comic artists’ mixture of architectural styles. You’ll embark on a captivating journey deciphering ancient languages to restore the connections between the People’s tower and unravel the mysteries around you.
Chants of Sennaar has already taken home the Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game at the New York Game Awards, as well as a Games for Impact Award nomination at The Game Awards. It was also a finalist in the Excellence in Design category at this year’s Independent Games Festival Awards.
The 20th BAFTA Games Awards will take place on April 11, 2024. The 59th Annual Nebula Awards, organized by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), will be held on June 8, 2024. The 2024 Hugo Awards is set to run on Aug. 11, 2024.
Tune in for an exclusive first look at the New Season ‘Whispering Mist’
XD Games, Shanghai — March 29, 2024 | Gather up, hunters! It’s time for a new season of Torchlight: Infinite. The wait is over as the developers of this action-packed ARPG announce an exclusive season preview livestream event. Mark your calendars for April 13th at 9AM PST to catch a glimpse of the thrilling new features and adventures that await in the latest expansion, ‘Whispering Mist.’
Rumours have been swirling among fans about the enigmatic theme of Torchlight’s upcoming season. Legend has it that there is a place — desolate and eerie — where reality warps, time bends backwards and a sinister mist holds sway. This land is none other than the mysterious – Mistville!
The forthcoming season will plunge players into the heart of this foggy and foreboding city. As hunters traverse this Netherrealm, they will encounter its denizens — the Mistville Residents — whose defeat is crucial to unravelling the mysteries that lie within.
The season preview livestream promises fans an array of riveting reveals. These include brand-new gameplay elements exclusive to this season, innovative hero traits ready to be mastered, epic outfits, and significant feature adjustments aimed at enhancing gameplay for an all-round smoother Torchlight: Infinite experience.
Fans can also expect the unveiling of a hot and highly-anticipated feature that has been eagerly awaited for some time, giving them all the more reason to tune into the livestream for some thrilling debuts.
Torchlight: Infinite players — whether seasoned hunters or budding newcomers — can tune into livestream for a sneak peek of SS4 via Twitch or YouTube on April 13th at 9AM PST so save the date today!
Following a number of successful seasons Torchlight: Infinite is proud to be gearing up for another season of high-octane, dungeon crawling action which will officially commence on April 18 at 7PM PST. You can find out more about Torchlight: Infinite by checking out the game’s Steam, iOS, and Android pages.
XD Games
Founded in 2003, XD Games. is a global video games developer and publisher with extensive experience across development, publishing and operations. As of 2022, XD has 38 free-to-play and paid games with over 50 million monthly active users worldwide. In addition, TapTap — a mobile games community and app store — was launched by XD in 2016 and is estimated to currently have 44 million monthly active users.
XD’s mission is to assemble like-minded talented games industry craftspeople with a common goal of touching the hearts of players around the world. XD produces games of the finest quality with passion, offering a pure gaming experience, and encouraging players of all ages to embrace the unique joy of video gaming.
The original Slave Zero is a third-person shooter which was released back in 1999 for the Sega Dreamcast and Windows PCs. Slave Zero X serves as a prequel to the original Slave Zero, but in terms of visuals and gameplay, it’s a completely different beast.
Story
A dictator known as SovKhan rules atop Megacity while the general populace suffers. Underground, a group of rebels plot to overthrow the SovKhan, ending his reign of tyranny. As Shou, players must climb the Megacity with the help of Biomecha X and eliminate the SovKhan and his minions.
The story plays an integral role in Slave Zero X, which is uncommon for such a fast-paced action game. There’s a lot of voiced-over dialogue that plays during intermissions and even during gameplay. Players can choose between English and Japanese VOs. After watching some bits and pieces from the game, I liked what I heard and decided to try the English VO. I was pleasantly surprised because the English actors mostly do a very good job. Their voices fit the characters perfectly. You can feel a lot of emotion and effort went into bringing these characters to life.
Gameplay
Slave Zero X is a side-scroller hack n’ slash focused on ground and aerial-based combos and crowd control. What’s most striking about Slave Zero X’s gameplay is the use of fighting game mechanics such as special moves, EX moves, combo breakers and extenders, and so on. It sounds complicated, but it’s actually quite simple. Special moves are mostly simple inputs, like up plus attack. Their EX versions are activated by pressing an additional button. There are also two unlisted secret special attacks that require a bit more tight execution from players.
The game is difficult, and there’s no easy mode. Despite that, players can upgrade Shou’s stats and even heal mid-stage by using points accrued each mission. That said, it’s fundamental to know how and when to use certain essential game mechanics, such as burst and fatal sync, in order to stay alive. The game does a good enough job introducing those to players, but it’s up to you to “get good.”
At some points, the game requires players to make use of Shou’s jumping abilities to climb up walls or traverse gaps. Some set pieces that don’t involve fighting are introduced in some stages, and they make for a nice, if too brief, change of pace.
As a downside, the game keeps throwing the same enemies at you over and over. While new enemy types are introduced further into the game, in general, they lack variance in terms of attacks and patterns. Knowing what Shou and X are capable of is fundamental, not only to overcome the many challenges present in the game but also because your enjoyment of the game is heavily tied to your ability to style on and pulverize your enemies. Unfortunately, the cinematic bits end up spilling into the game too much. That’s mostly aggravating during certain boss fights. Contrasting with the rest of the game, they end up being a bit too easy and unimaginative.
Visuals
Slave Zero X ditches the Western, fully polygonal look from the original in favor of a 2.5D look, employing 3D backgrounds and sprite-based characters to that end. The art direction now follows a Japanese aesthetic. The game features cool and gory biopunk imagery combined with shoujo manga (manga for girls in Japan) art to portray the main characters, making for an interesting contrast.
Audio
The soundtrack comprises techno beats fit for an action game like this. The problem is that it’s hard to pay much attention to it due to how crazy the action gets in the game. To add to that, the characters simply refuse to shut up which is a tad distracting while you’re trying to keep your 30-hit chain going.
Overall
Slave Zero X offers a decent action game experience with responsive controls, a unique system and a gripping story. It does get a bit too repetitive for its own good, and the story bits during gameplay should be dialed down a couple notches. The sound design is chaotic, with voices, effects and music competing with the rest of the game at some points which can be distracting. The lack of interesting boss fights is probably its gravest fault, but it’s still a game that should be on the radar of enthusiasts of the genre.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
We guide the impulsive rebel Shou, as he fuses his own body with a bioweapon in a desperate attempt to overthrow the sovereign Khan and end his tyrannical rule. Journeying from the very foundations of Megacity S1-9, passing through temples and laboratories where human experiments are conducted, we reach for the top while leaving no enemy standing in this lightning-fast hack n’ slash game.
Slave Zero X – Full Playthrough
Slave Zero X is a stylish 2.5D character action game set in the biopunk world of Slave Zero (1999). Run & Slash your way through a dystopian future in this character action game which will resonate with fans of Devil May Cry, Strider, and Guilty Gear.
Slave Zero X Developer: Poppy Works Publisher: Ziggurat Platform: Windows, PlayStation 4|5, Xbox Series X|S Release Date: 22 Feb, 2024 Price: $24.99 USD
Recommended – “Slave Zero X is a decent fast-paced action game experience with a surprisingly good story. However, its overall repetitiveness and lack of interesting boss fights drags it down quite a bit.”
Cartman’s wish for not having to go to school is granted as the town of South Park is struck by a seemingly endless blizzard, turning the quiet mountain town into a frigid wasteland where toilet paper is worth as much s gold. What better way to take advantage of this free day off than to go outside and play in the snow in good ol’ South Park fashion, beating the heck out of one another as the New Kid in THQ Nordic’s South Park: Snow Day
Play as the New kid in South Park and join Cartman, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny, in three-dimensional glory, to celebrate the most magical day in any young child’s life – a snow day!
SOUTH PARK: SNOW DAY! Developer: Question Publisher: THQ Nordic Platform: Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch Release Date: 27th, March 2024 Price: $29.99 USD
Not Recommended – “South Park: Snow Days! may sound like the comedy fans love and offer a solid story but finds itself lacking nearly everywhere else as this roguelike struggles to impress beyond its first run.”
Adventure with friends, automate tasks, and destroy evil malware
TOKYO — March 28, 2024 – Omega Crafter, the open-world survival crafting adventure developed by Preferred Networks, Inc. (PFN) launches on PC via Steam Early Access at 8:00 PM PDT on March 28 (12:00 PM JST on March 29).
Mere days before launch, a malicious program infects a video game world. As the most talented engineer, dive into the unfinished world solo or with up to six friends, and regain control of development from the inside out by defeating Omega Crafter’s newfound ruler.
Adventure alongside Grammi, the engineer’s programmable sidekick. Master the basics of both crafting and automation with simple pre-made commands. Order Grammi to harvest raw materials, craft items, then automatically sort creations in storage chests for easy inventory organization.
Set up multi-step behaviors with a drag-and-drop coding interface to easily automate entire processes. Chop down trees, gather wood, store items in nearby chests, and even notify task completion in the chat log if desired — all with a single click. Grammi can even dance!
While Grammi handles everyday tasks, venture into the unknown in search of dungeons hiding rare loot guarded by villainous creatures. Peruse the lush scenery of the Beginning Grasslands, the vast open landscapes of the Inexhaustible Wilderness, and brave the dark corners of the Halloween Forest — each with their own distinct materials, monsters, and hidden secrets.
Construct simple shelters, massive metropolises, and everything in between. Easily level the ground, cultivate hills, pave roads, create water sources and strategically position structures with pre-set processes for maximum efficiency. Shape the world and save it from the infectious malware so the game can launch on time!
Omega Crafter is available in Early Access on PC via Steam on Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 8 pm PDT for $24.99, with a special 10% discount at $22.49 during the first week. It will support English, Japanese, French, German, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, with machine-translated options in Spanish, Thai and Portuguese. For more information and developer updates, follow the Steam page.
Omega Crafter was born out of PFN’s continuous effort to promote the fun and convenience of automation and programming to a broad range of audience. As a technology company primarily focused on software and hardware for AI solutions, PFN is also offering its award-winning programming education app Playgram to private tutoring schools nationwide in Japan. Omega Crafter was developed by PFN’s small in-house team consisting mostly of engineers with the belief that automation is the best part of open-world survival craft games.
About Preferred Networks
Preferred Networks (PFN) was established in March 2014 with the goal to develop practical, real-world applications of deep learning, robotics and other advanced technologies. PFN’s business domains include transportation, manufacturing, life sciences, robots, plant optimization, materials discovery, education and entertainment. In 2015, PFN developed Chainer™, the open-source deep learning framework. PFN’s MN-3 supercomputer, which is equipped with the MN-Core™ deep learning processor, topped the Green500 list three times in 2020 and 2021. https://www.preferred.jp/en/
Solo swashbuckler Ahr Ech and dirt-burrowing publisher Devolver Digital are proud to announce that Pepper Grinder is out TODAY!
Available now on PC and Switch, this fast-paced platformer sees you using a giant, whirring drill to swim through the earth like a dolphin swims through water.
Challenging platforming, lush pixel art, clever environmental puzzling, and chaotic combat await you in this vibrant side-scroller, complemented by a thrilling soundtrack and ultra-tight, immensely satisfying controls.
After a freak storm tears Pepper’s ship apart, she washes up on the dangerous shores of a mysterious island and finds a group of narwhal-like creatures—a band of bilge-sucking buccaneers known as the Narlings—making off with her precious treasure.
But a chance encounter with a drill named Grinder gives her the power to fight these thieves head-on. Pepper embarks on a quest to retrieve her stolen booty, drilling her way across the island to recover her filthy lucre and show the Narlings—and their mysterious leader—why you should never mess with someone wielding an oversized power tool.
Pepper Grinder is an electrifying blend of slick platforming, screen-shaking action, and unique drill-based traversal—and you can take it for a spin today on PC and Switch.
Zombie Dinosaurs Roam the Isle in this Dark, Hostile Version of ARK as Blue Isle Studios Delivers Premium Mod for ASA Showcasing Powerful Mod Tools
Studio Wildcard revealed today a new premium mod for ARK: Survival Ascended and its available now on Steam! Developed by Blue Isle Studios, ARK: Survive The Night (Premium Mod) transforms the ARK gameplay you know and love into a thrilling and terrifying zombie horde survival experience. Try to Survive The Night in ARK: Survival Ascended now available to download on Steam!
The flipside of sunny days on ARK’s Island, Survive The Night (Premium Mod) is set on Obsidian Isle, a dark and hostile world where survivors are thrust into a relentless battle for survival against hordes of horrific, zombie dinosaurs. Whether joining forces with others or braving the challenges alone, players must scavenge for resources, build fortifications and craft an arsenal of weapons and supplies to withstand the zombie threat.
“ARK is a very full-featured game with a huge amount of battle-hardened technical infrastructure built in. This means we get to leverage all of that and focus on building the best parts: the experience and the gameplay,” said Alex Tintor, Creative Director and Founder, Blue Isle Studios “We were able to use our expertise building horror games and add that on top of ARK’s foundation, and then deliver that to millions of players. I started my career as a modder and this was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”
This dark and treacherous mod features a Blood Moon horde zombie onslaughts, ‘The Stalker’ creature, Loot Boxes & Airdrops, and a personal Survivor Score that determines the quality of loot players find and the difficulty level of the Blood Moon hordes!
ARK: Survival Ascended features thousands of downloadable custom content created by players, including new maps, creatures, items, and game modes, through a dedicated Mod-browser found directly within the game! To view all the mods available visit the official home of ARK: Survival Ascended mods on Overwolf’s CurseForge page.
ARK: Survival Ascended is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S Windows PC and Steam. Visit our website at playark.com and watch us tame ‘n train leviathan dinosaurs on Twitch.TV.
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ABOUT STUDIO WILDCARD
Since revealing its flagship game ARK: Survival Evolved in 2015, Studio Wildcard has tirelessly strived to bring its dinosaur-filled vision to the masses. With millions of players worldwide, the team has delivered an amazing amount of new content and leveraged cutting-edge technology to keep fans engaged. With a transmedia universe, the ARK story can be discovered on all gaming platforms, within spin-off titles, and now as a new epic narrative featuring a star-studded cast in ARK: THE ANIMATED SERIES on Paramount+.
ABOUT BLUE ISLE STUDIOS
Founded in 2010, Blue Isle Studios is an independent video game developer and publisher located in the heart of downtown Toronto, Canada. Led by industry veterans Alex Tintor and Brenden Frank, Blue Isle has established itself as one of gaming’s most exciting developers, creating iconic titles that have sold millions of copies worldwide. A small yet passionate group of artists, designers and programmers, Blue Isle works to build captivating virtual worlds, delivering the best gaming experience possible no matter the genre.
IllFonic Announces New Content Planned for 2024 and 2025
March 28, 2024 (Lakewood, CO.) – The Jungle is alive once again. Predator: Hunting Grounds will release new content in 2024 and 2025 with the game’s original creator and asymmetrical multiplayer expert, IllFonic Inc. as the new publisher, collaborating with 20th Century Games to breathe more life into this fan-favorite.
“This game has a strong, enthusiastic player base and a vocal community that wants to see the game updated and supported,” remarked Charles Brungardt, CEO of IllFonic. “Now that IllFonic is publishing games, we knew we had to get Predator: Hunting Grounds back. We knew we needed to get back to the Chopper!”
Later this year and into 2025, following Patch 2.49 this April, fans can expect future DLC content, balance improvements, and an update to support Predator: Hunting Grounds on PlayStation®5 (PS5®) consoles. Even more exciting, for the first time, Xbox fans will have the chance to take on or become the iconic extraterrestrial warrior on Xbox Series X|S later in the year as well.
What is coming to the jungle in 2024/2025 –
April 2024: Patch 2.49 will cover the currently released PS4 and PC: Steam / Epic Predator: Hunting Grounds. The focus is on player movement, Fireteam weapon rework and balance, Predator weapon balance, and UX/playability improvements. More to come in the team’s patch notes.
Late 2024 Release: Xbox Series X|S, PS5 Release: Predator is coming to Xbox. This release is focused on next-gen running on Unreal 4.27, Vivox, and Wwise, with a Standard Edition and a Digital Deluxe Edition offered.
Winter Release, 2024: New Predators
Spring Release, 2025: More new Predators
Predator: Hunting Grounds is an immersive asymmetrical shooter set in remote areas worldwide. Players are transported into the Predator universe, giving fans the closest experience to being in the films, where the Predator stalks the most challenging prey. Play as an elite special forces team member – the Fireteam – and complete paramilitary operations before the Predator finds you. Then again, what better way to bond with your fellow Fireteam than to try to turn the tables on the Yautja… Hunt the Hunter! Or play as the Predator to hunt the most worthy prey, choosing from your vast array of deadly alien tech to collect your trophies one by one. The Predator’s mission is clear: The Hunt. Study the warriors in the jungle and choose the best of the best to engage. Dispatch your targets and collect trophies to display as tokens of each hunt. Do not let your prey escape.
Failure is not an option.
Please note: *Gameplay is required to unlock weapons and gear. *Internet connection required for online multiplayer. *Crossplay will be expanded to support additional platforms.
“PlayStation” and “PS5” are registered trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
About IllFonic Inc. Founded in 2007, IllFonic is an independent video game developer with studios in Lakewood, Colorado; Tacoma, Washington; and Austin, Texas. Our staff is composed of video game, music, and technology veterans redefining how games are made and marketed. Titles and collaborations include Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, Arcadegeddon, Predator: Hunting Grounds, Friday the 13th: The Game, Dead Alliance, Star Citizen, Evolve, Armored Warfare, and Nexuiz. For more information, visit www.illfonic.com.
Victoria, Australia – March 28th, 2024 – Independent game studio Drop Bear Bytes have revealed an all new video introducing one of the player character origin stories for their upcoming isometric RPG Broken Roads, ahead of its upcoming launch on Steam, PlayStation and Xbox consoles on April 10th; with pre-orders available now!
Set in the Australian post-apocalyptic outback, players will choose between one of four classes: the Hired Gun, Barter Crew, Jackaroo, and Surveyor. This final video introduces the Surveyor, an explorer with a drive to discover the world and its secrets. Having always had a curious mind from a young age, the Surveyor now uses their parents’ teachings of navigation and constellations to forge a new path in the wastes, making money by telling people of their discoveries.
About Broken Roads
Broken Roads is a narrative-driven RPG that brings exploration, strategic turn-based combat and meaningful philosophical choices to an all-new Australian post-apocalyptic setting. Broken Roads skillfully blends traditional and all-new role-playing elements on top of a classless system offering near-unlimited character development options built around four philosophies: Humanist, Utilitarian, Machiavellian, and Nihilist. Furthermore the game presents players with an original morality system: the Moral Compass which sees dialogue options and questing decisions influence, and be influenced by, a character’s philosophical leaning and the tough decisions they make along the way.
Broken Roads’ locations are all authentic recreated from the team visiting towns and landmarks in West Australia and taking photos, videos and audio recordings for it to be as true as possible. Furthermore, even the game’s atmospheric soundtrack composed by Tim Sunderland is composed with instruments constructed from everyday objects which brings a wholly unique and distinctive tone to the game.
About Drop Bear Bytes
Drop Bear Bytes is an independent studio headquartered in Torquay, Victoria, Australia. Drop Bear Bytes was established in early 2019 with the goal of developing a deep, narrative-driven role-playing experience. With a team comprised of developers, artists and writers from Australia, South Africa, Canada, USA and China, we are currently working on our debut title, Broken Roads, a traditional isometric RPG for PC, Switch, Playstation and Xbox platforms
