Twinworld Game Reviews

Archive for June, 2019

El Paso, Texas – June 10th, 2019 – As debuted today at the Kinda Funny Games Showcase, independent developer Ask an Enemy Studios has launched its split-screen single-player twin-stick risk-’em-up A Duel Hand Disaster: Trackher on the Nintendo Switch eShop today for $9.99.

A Duel Hand Disaster: Trackher is a twist on the classic shmup formula as players control two ships simultaneously. Destroy incoming enemies on the left side to earn points, while recovering resources on the right to multiply those points. The left side does not take damage. The right side does. It’s complicated and that’s the whole point. The devil is in the details. Should you want to survive with your score intact, you’ll have to train both sides of your brain!

Adding further intensity is the fact that players lose their score when they die. Should you want to rank on the leaderboard, you’ll have to push the eject button yourself. Fail and not only will you lose your score, you also risk the chance of wiping your leaderboard position as well. Playing till death is not an option.

A Duel Hand Disaster: Trackher has been in development for over four years and in that time has been praised by numerous gaming media. Paste Magazine called it “enormous fun”, Hardcore Gamer dubbed it “an awesome arcade shooter”, and IGN can be seen having a blast coming to grips with it at GDC 2016.

“A Duel Hand Disaster: Trackher, or ADHD for short, has been in development for nearly half a decade and there’s still nothing else out there like it,” said developer Jaycee Salinas. “Controlling two ships at once is already a madcap scramble, then the risk vs reward scoring system, wherein you don’t get a score unless you successfully extract, adds an even more insane layer of intensity. It’s somehow stressful and transfixing at the same time and the Switch is the perfect platform to zone out with it.”

About Ask an Enemy Studios

Founded in El Paso, Texas in 2013 by a Full Sail University game design dropout with no prior programming or game design experience, only sheer will and determination, Ask An Enemy Studios seeks to create new twists on classic game genres. Its first title, A Duel Hand Disaster: Trackher, launched on Nintendo Switch  in June 2019, and is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and leaving Steam Early Access. Its motto is “Gameplay first, ask questions later.”

Source: PR Email

E3 2019: 10 June, 2019 – New publisher Big Sugar (formerly Digital Uppercut) is proud to share the news that a brand new all-action trailer for upcoming heavy metal adventureValfaris has made its debut at this year’s E3 as part of the PC Gaming Show.

Watched by the assembled media at the event and by thousands of online viewers, the 60 second video offers a breakneck look at the type of brutal, over-the-top action players will be able to enjoy when Valfaris launches later this year on PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.

Players can also sign-up for an upcoming closed beta via the Valfaris site, or try the game right now by downloading a demo from the Steam page.

Developed by Steel Mantis, a two-man dev team that previously worked together on Gothic gore fest and love-it-or-hate-it indie hit Slain: Back From Hell, Valfaris transports players to the eponymous space citadel where they must run-and-gun with extreme force to purge the evil that has corrupted it.

“Valfaris is my take on some of the games I loved playing when growing up, such as Gryzor/Contra and Turrican,” explains Andrew Gilmour, the creative driving force behindValfaris. “Relentless action, cool environments, insane bosses, crazy weapons… those aspects have a timeless quality – they kept me hooked then and are still every bit as appealing to me today. I want to capture that special formula of classic old-school fun withValfaris.”

In addition to showcasing the trailer, a model of one of Valfaris’ most devastating weapons, the aptly named Bringer of Mayhem, also made a cameo appearance on stage at the PC Gaming Show.

About the game

Set in a far corner of space, Valfaris is a heavy metal infused 2D action-platformer and the next game from the team behind Slain: Back From Hell.

After mysteriously vanishing from galactic charts, the fortress of Valfaris has suddenly reappeared in the orbit of a dying sun. Once a self-contained paradise, the grandiose citadel now plays host to an ever-growing darkness. Therion, a fearless and proud son of Valfaris, returns to his home to uncover the truth of its doomed fate and to challenge the arcane evil at its very heart.

Brutal combat. Deadly enemies. Stunning pixel art. Savage soundtrack.

Get ready to rip the galaxy a new wormhole.

Key features

• Skulls in space! Gore in space! Metal in space!
• Savagely reduce foes to piles of gibs with an array of brutal weaponry
• Explore a diverse range of tainted environments as you venture ever deeper into the dark world of Valfaris
• Dominate ranks of deadly enemies and bosses, from the weird to the grotesque (and some that are just grotesquely weird)
• Gorge your eyes on devastatingly awesome pixel art hand-crafted by Andrew Gilmour
• Feel the power of a seismic soundtrack by extreme metaller and former Celtic Frost guitarist, Curt Victor Bryant
• Forged from the ground-up by the team behind cult hit Slain: Back From Hell

Source: PR Email

IRVINE, Calif. – June 6, 2019 – Attention, fellow earthlings! Citizens of Space is set to blast off for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Steam for PC on June 18, 2019! The follow-up to 2015’s constituent-pleasing Citizens of Earth features an all-new combat system, deeper recruitment mechanics, and plenty of unique worlds to explore!

As the newly elected Ambassador of Earth to the Galactic Federation of Planets, everything seems like smooth sailing – until you arrive at the Federation headquarters for your first Assembly and you find Earth, the very planet you’re supposed to represent, missing! Out of a job (and a home), it’ll be up to you to recruit Citizens from across the galaxy and figure out who is responsible so you can get back to your cushy job as an Ambassador!

Citizens of Space Features:

• Citizens Unite!–You have access to over 40 recruitable Citizens, all available at any moment in the story, and each with their own role to fill in and out of combat. Everything has been streamlined so you’ll spend a lot less time managing and more time leading your Citizens!
• A Brand-New Battle System–Put your skills to the test in a newly-designed combat system where your ability to leverage timing and reflex-based minigames make all the difference between a landslide victory and a concession speech.
• New Worlds of Exploration–It’s not just Earth in trouble this time! Journey from your home planet to a variety of humorous, wacky worlds, each brought to life with vivid art and organic environments.

Citizens of Space will be available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Steam for PC starting June 18, 2019 for $14.99 (with commensurate European pricing).

Warsaw, June 5, 2019 — Making its way to Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC, Children of Morta has today received pricing across all platforms. Developed by Dead Mage and published by 11 bit studios, Children of Morta will be available digitally for $21.99 USD and €21.99 later this summer. While knowing the price is nice, what’s nicer is the stunning box art for the game that has also been released today!

Children of Morta sets its story in a distant land but copes with themes closer to our daily lives that one would expect. It is a story of the simple emotions we all know so well — and value more than sometimes we dare to admit — love and hope, longing and uncertainty, ultimately loss and the sacrifices we are willing to make to save the ones we care the most for.

Embark on the adventure of an extraordinary family of heroes. With the Corruption spreading through the land, the guardians of Mount Morta have to stand up against an ancient evil. But… it’s not a story about saving the universe. It’s a story about a valiant family standing together while the world around them is being devoured by darkness.

Children of Morta will be available digitally on Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC at 21.99 USD/EUR. The boxed editions from Merge Games will be released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PC (in Europe and Australia) alongside the digital releases.

Source: PR Email

June 6th, 2019 — It’s time to kick out the summer jams as X.D. Network are excited to share an official release date for the rhythm action game Muse Dash! Mark your calendars for June 20th as the fan-favourite title will hit both PC and Nintendo Switch on that date with a limited-time exclusive Marija skin on PC and Nintendo Switch, and all DLC from previous versions included for the Nintendo Switch!

Given the Players’ Choice award by TapTap and best indie game of 2018 awards from other platforms, Muse Dash has received a lot of love previously and the team is incredibly excited for a whole new audience to experience it this time around!

Simple 2-button controls make Muse Dash easy for players to jump into, with action side-scroller mechanics like traditional rhythm game instrument solos, timed dodges, and beat-based enemy attacks all mixed together to mash the perfect jam. Rhythm game players will also find depth in Muse Dash, as mastering each song takes more than just a few tries. Each song comes with trophies to unlock, leaderboards to make your mark on, and 3 difficulties to suit your style. Focus on your rhythmic abilities while keeping those reflexes strong to become a true master of Muse Dash!

What to expect from Muse Dash:

• Launch on Nintendo Switch and PC in June 2019
• Nintendo Switch version will have free DLC updates
• Over 80 songs to master in-game
• Rhythm mashed gameplay with surprising depth
• A variety of stages, enemies, and bosses to face representing different music genres
• Limited-time exclusive Marija skin
• 3 unique heroines to play, each coming with their own pets, and unlockable outfits
• Leaderboards for each song to challenge yourself against the very best in Muse Dash!
• High-level difficulty options for rhythm game players who want to master Muse Dash

The PC and Nintendo Switch versions of Muse Dash will include English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified and traditional Chinese localization options for players to choose from. The Nintendo Switch version will launch on the e-shop in Japan, North America, Europe, and Australia with DLC included, while the PC release will be worldwide with DLC available separately.

Source: PR Email

Los Angeles, 5th of June 2019 – izneo, the ever growing platform for digital Comics continues to improve! This month, the recently released izneo application for the Nintendo Switch is getting its first update. The user’s feedback has been received loud and clear and the reading app is now welcoming some touch screen features! You’ll find more details about the changes and modifications below.

“The launch of our izneo platform on the Nintendo Switch brought us a lot of attention from the North American market. As we keep working on increasing the content in English language, we’ve also collected a fair amount of feedback from the community. This first of many updates will bring to our users the much requested touch feature alongside several fixes and optimizations. We are really happy with the reception of izneo on the Switch and will keep improving both the content and the application to provide the best experience to digital comics lovers” said Luc Bourcier, CEO of Izneo.

In addition, we wanted to keep you up to date with our new arrivals on izneo. The avid gamers will be delighted to discover the comic book adaptation of Life is Strange by Emma Vieceli, Claudia Leonardi & Adrea Izzo. For the sci-fi lovers, the third book of the Summit series just came out! Also recently released, the trending existentialism focussed and autobiographical comics Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe.

Also worth noting are the month long sale on Humanoids sci-fi titles featuring 50 books for $2,99 a piece, and the two weeks sale dedicated to Vikings and Sailors from the Europe Comics publishers from June 1st to June 15th and the other two weeks discount period on 15 comics from Archie Comics from June 6th through June 20th.

Izneo Switch app patch highlights

NEW touch reader functionality: turn pages, zoom, change the reading mode..

SMOOTHER reading experience.

BETTER pre catching: users can now download multiple books at once.

VARIOUS BUG FIXING: users should not experience any more crash.

Source: PR Email

Warsaw, Poland – June 4th, 2019 – Ovid Works has revealed its first Dev Diary for Metamorphosis, a first-person puzzle platformer about a man mysteriously transformed into a little bug.

Metamorphosis drew much acclaim upon its reveal to the press at GDC a few weeks ago. Most notably, Gamespot included it in their roundup of indie games that shouldn’t be overlooked, and Game Informer called it one of the best indie games at the show.

Coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, Metamorphosis is inspired by Franz Kafka’s seminal short story The Metamorphosis. Ovid Works’ video game reimagines salesman Gregor Samsa as he turns into a tiny bug and embarks on a quest to save himself and his friend Joseph, who has been arrested for reasons unknown.

In this Dev Diary, Ovid Works dives into their philosophy of making games that tell an interesting story, while still being fun to play.

“Franz Kafka was almost the first game designer. He was putting into his stories those labyrinths. And all of these things are possible to recreate today as a world which the player can experience,” said Game Director, Zaq Chojecki. “And by experiencing such complicated, impossible worlds, he arrives at the same questions and the same reflections as the characters of Franz Kafka.”

Metamorphosis places players on a perilous journey that’s as strange, twisted, and thoughtful as Kafka’s literary works. Set in 1920s Prague, players will have to leap, climb, and chart their path through a wide variety of settings from a micro perspective, including the human world, an underground world of insects, and a host of surreal environments.

Source: PR Email

Staffordshire, UK – Lightwood Games is thrilled to announce the release of Word Wheel by POWGI. This new digital version of the classic word puzzle is available to download on the PlayStation Store today, and on the Nintendo eShop on Thursday.

Word Wheel is a popular style of anagram puzzle, which challenges players to form as many words as possible from a wheel of nine letters. The middle letter must always be included.

The game is a perfect portable puzzler with immersive touchscreen controls and, following Lightwood’s usual no-fluff approach to puzzle games, it is optimised to launch quickly and get straight to the content.

On Switch and PS4, connect up to four controllers to solve the puzzles as a team, or see who can find the most words.

Cross-buy is included for PlayStation, so players can download the game on PS4 and Vita with one purchase. Players who complete the game will be rewarded with a platinum trophy.

It is priced at $7.99 / GBP £6.99 / €7.99.

Source: PR Email