Video Games Archives | Page 13 Of 43

9 Years of Shadows (and Retrogaming goodness) is Coming to the Nintendo Switch and PC!

Halberd Studios 9 Years of Shadow is coming next year! This beautiful pixel art game will certainly look gorgeous when done.

Halberd Studios is a Mexico-based development team that emphasizes the power of the narrative in games and they have a beautiful looking product that’ll be available next year for the Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam). 9 Years of Shadows promises to bring retrogaming goodness and a style to those who love the anime Saint Seiya, and much more. It’s a side scrolling videogame with a pixel art landscape looks absolutely radient, and it’s been tested at events like PAX and Steam Next Fest.

“We have gotten some immensely valuable feedback and really excited sentiments”, said Miguel Hasson, Creative Director of Halberd Studios. He also added, “We want to make sure we live up to those expectations and over-deliver on the Metroidvania experience. We thank you all for the support.”

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It’s 7AM. Are You Ready to Play The Haunting Paper Ghost Stories 7PM?

Paper Ghost Stories 7PM is certainly worth playing on All Hallows’s Eve for the essential experience.

Paper Ghost Stories 7PM Available for Xbox and Steam (PC)
* 50% discount this Halloween

The clock is ticking in Paper Ghost Stories 7PM, a short playable visual novel by Cellar Vault Games. At the time of this posting, it’s 7AM, and will you have time to try this game before it runs out? This teaser to a larger product scheduled to release next year reveals a very promising product, and I’ll be keeping my sights on news for when Third Eye Open has a street date.

As its name implies, paper theatre it played sometimes on stage with a huge extravgent set, and a varient also includes shadow puppet, where paper cutouts with clear colour transparent bits are projected upon a large screen. When pared with a supernatural tale, the scarier moments have an unprecedented aesthetic which genuinely throws itself at you!

What makes these games unique are its approach to rendering its characters. They’re two dimensional images where you see the front and back, and they’re animated in a three dimensional space. The artistic style is very appropriate to the world it’s emulating, and if that isn’t terrific enough, the soft scares are perfect for today. This early release for Halloween weekend nicely plays with that concept. Here, you play three characters (Wen, Lun and Ming) who’ll have to figure out what the new tenants are up to! Most of the interaction is through making conversation, and choosing how you want to respond. Plus, there’s also a bit of running around.

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Nostalgia, 16 Bit Communications and Unusual Findings. Everything An Alien Could love.

The Easter eggs contained in Unusual Findings are perfect! The 16-bit iconic posters, art, or something of the era are lovingly rendered.

Unusual Findings Poster Available on All Major Videogame Platforms

Epic Llama Games‘ Unusual Findings is a loving tribute to all things’ 80s, and this video game also shows what Netflix’s Stranger Things would be like had it been one. Here, you play as a group of boys (based on how far I got with the game, no girls join in) as they explore their town while looking for answers to a possible UFO crash nearby.

Even the soundtrack is similar. Thankfully, I’m sure no one is going to send lawyers after this developer. Also, I don’t think what’s composed here can be authentically recreated. The Commodore 64’s SID chip rivals some modern synths, but to do what this video game does requires some level of authenticity.

Much of the gameplay is determined by a simple point and click interface. A round option menu appears when you press the interact button. You can look at or blow on the item being stared at. Also, if you miss one part of the conversation, it won’t impede getting to the end. They provide clues on how to solve puzzles. It’ll also help hone a player’s logic and critical thinking skills.

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Just How Good is The Orion by Up-Switch?

The Orion by Up-Switch is a step in the right direction, but we recommend waiting for a version two to deal with some minor issues.

The Orion by Up-Switch is a casual gamer’s upgrade. It is exactly what I need when I’m finding I need the text on those RPGs I like to play magnified and although I missed the crowdfunding campaign, I’m glad it’s made it to market. I should’ve come with some extra accessories though, like a screen protector for the Nintendo Switch. I’m very worried the device’s display might get scuffed when put into this ultra-sized screen extender. There’s no padding to ensure that the investment won’t get damaged.

As much as I like this product, the only issue I’m finding is that the makers recommend their own branded external power bank for use. As long as other third party units meet the requirement (10,000mAh), any other power supply will do. At home, the company recommends using the cube that comes with the Switch, and that’s one I agree must be used. I tried other power adapters, and they don’t work as nicely.

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Undungeon is Laughing Machine’s Neat Sci-Fi Horror

After going through Undungeon’s very lengthy tutorial, I feel as though I’m only scratching the surface of this huge game.

Undungeon is available on the Nintendo Switch and PS4, and I can see a lot of time is needed to finish this game. It’s very dialogue heavy, and when I thought I could play it on the go, I’d rather spend time with it like a cinematic experience than a random arcade game that it isn’t.

Here, I can’t help but be reminded of Ultima IV in the beginning moments of this game. Anyone who played this game won’t find anything new here. Like the classic game of yore, I had to answer questions that will define my character. This game by publisher tinyBuild and developer Laughing Machines has a lot of surface level design to like.

Here, the point of the game is to “Restore the order in all dimensions, influence and determine the fate of the worlds, create and decide what will happen in the new Multiverse.”

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Is There No Place For Bravery with Glitch Factory Games’ Latest?

In No Place For Bravery, players may well be wanting to turn Thorn into the Mighty Thor, but that won’t come easy.

Available for the Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam

No Place For Bravery is a beautiful looking retro-style RPG where its fantasy narrative matters more than the game play. Here, you’re guiding a former Nordic warrior, Thorn, on his quest to find his daughter. She’s been kidnapped, and it’s sometimes tough to notice the clues about where her captors have taken her. Each decision you make can either bring him closer to an unsettling truth or decide to hang up the sword for good.

In this game’s case, it’s about why must our intrepid adventurer cross the road? The little girl means everything to him, and it seems he’ll stop at nothing to bring her back. That also includes killing, and when considering he’s a war veteran, the PTSD will one day come back to haunt him. That’s one reason why this game measures up. The pixel based bloodshed is enough to satsify an Evil Dead fan, but as for what it all means, the dialgoue that opens this story up is haunting.

In that regard, playing this game on a big screen rather than a small one is a must. I found the story very satisfying but the game, not so much. When I wasn’t playing at home, I found Orion’s Upswitch gaming accessory to be very helpful. Although this larger screen attachment lacks touch controls, that’s okay. The controllers you attach onto this device help do the work. I’ll be providing a more detailed review in later days, after trying it on other games which I always wanted to make portable.

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