Twinworld Game Reviews

Archive for September, 2020

Sept. 10, 2020 – MO:Astray, the narrative action platformer from publisher Rayark Games and developer Archpray, is now available for Nintendo Switch. A major update for the Windows PC version also springs into action today on Steam with two new game modes.

Explore a bizarre subterranean world as MO, an amorphous being guided by strange voices ringing in its head. Traverse a mysterious lab and haunting alien locales inhabited by parasitic creatures, overcoming obstacles by utilizing MO’s ever-shifting form. Scale cliff sides, launch across chasms, and evade hazards on a journey to uncover the secret of MO’s existence.

Master MO’s abilities in all-new game types. Race against the clock in Speed Mode, where discovering optimal routes through areas is the secret to setting record new times and achieving blisteringly-fast speed runs. Hone lightning-quick reflexes to survive the trials of Disaster Mode, which remixes the experience with deadly new environmental hazards, faster machinery, and other challenges designed to test even the most skilled platforming veterans.

Harness a range of powers to carve a path through MO’s perilous surroundings. Double jump, dash, float, and more to access new passageways, solve environmental puzzles, and uncover secrets. Unleash MO’s psychic skills by latching onto enemies to siphon their memories and unlock flashbacks that thread together and unravel an extraordinary otherworldly tale.

“MO:Astray draws inspiration from a long line of console platformers and feels right at home on Nintendo Switch,” said Ching-Yi Hou, producer, Archpray. “We’re excited to share our game with a new audience today and are happy to invite our die-hard fans back to get swept up in MO’s mysterious world all over again to speedrun and conquer the new challenge mode.”

MO:Astray is out now on the Nintendo eShop for $14.99 with support for English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), and Korean language options.

Source: PR Email

Baltimore, MD – Sept 10th, 2020 – Independent developer EVC in partnership with indie publisher Versus Evil are excited to announce that their narrative-driven tactics RPG Wintermoor Tactics Club is now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch following its critically well received launch on PC via Steam, GOG.com, and VersusEvil.com.

Wintermoor Tactics Club is a narrative-driven tactics RPG married with visual novel elements. You play as Alicia, one of the members of the Wintermoor Academy Tactics Club, where students play the premier tabletop game of the time, Curses & Catacombs. A mandatory snowball tournament between all of the clubs is announced by the Principal and each losing club is disbanded. Now you and your friends need to use your tactical skills to fight rival clubs, while also exploring the school and investigating the Principal’s true motivations for the tournament.

Perfect for both veteran tactics gamers and for new players who like the idea of tactics games but don’t know where to start, Wintermoor Tactics Club brings an easy going and light-hearted sense of humor to RPG adventure. Players can delve into the mystery of the clubs as they wage fantasy battles, spy on rival clubs and make new friends through the course of the story.

As much as it is an RPG, Wintermoor Tactics Club tells a story about the importance (and challenges) of inclusivity, it’s designed to have a warm and inviting feel. Inspired by the concept of ‘hygge’, the gameplay is streamlined and accessible, while the art, music, and writing create a cozy space. Even when it deals with serious conflicts and grand fantasy battles, Wintermoor is designed to feel like curling up with a good book and a hot cup of cocoa on a winter night.

“Bringing great player experiences to new audiences has always been our passion as a publisher, so I’m thrilled that we’re helping to bring such a well-received and heartfelt RPG like Wintermoor Tactics Club to console”. Said Steve Escalante, Versus Evil General Manager.”Titles like this are rare indie gems, they deal with the complexities we face in our daily lives and wrap it into a beautifully told, cozy RPG we can all embrace.” He added.

With dozens of unlockable upgrades and seven playable characters across 40 battles, players get to test their strategic mettle against a host of different characters while writing tabletop campaigns and crafting adventures. Wrapped in a charming narrative, the game explores the intimate relationships and personal stories behind Wintermoor’s mix of colorful characters.

Source: PR Email

Kuala Lumpur, MY– September 10, 2020 — The frantically cute couch co-op bake-o-rama, Bake ‘n Switch arrives on Nintendo eShop today! Help Rosemary, Thyme, Parsley, Ginger, Sage and Salt defend the sweet and savory worlds of Tropic Toaster and Serradurra from the encroaching invasion of Mouldies! Pick up your copy on your Nintendo eShop today for $29.99.

Battle Mouldies and bake rambunctious Buns through over 100 levels of a’dough’rable party action. Choose from 6 Bakers, each with unique baking abilities, and play with up to 4 friends in co-op or against them in PvP or Team v Team in online or local multiplayer through the lush jungles of Tropic Toaster and the sweet but deadly desert terrain of Serradurra.

Those Buns might be cute, but each of the 7 different breeds have their own quirky behaviors – which could help or hinder your progress – so show no mercy and get those bouncing, rolling, burrowing and flocking Buns in the oven before time runs out! Max out your scores to win special costumes and challenge yourself in Stormy maps where weather and enemies are more unpredictable. Hey, it’s a breadful task, but someone’s gotta “dough” it!

“After much anticipation, tweaks and polish, we are beyond excited to launch Bake ‘n Switch on Nintendo Switch today,” said Stefan Baier, COO of Streamline Games. “But this is just the beginning of the Bun madness, as we have batches of new content baking even as we speak! Start honing your Dough merging, punching and baking skills because there’s lots more to come!”

Bake ’n Switch is set to receive various free DLC updates throughout the coming months. Based on player feedback during the Steam soft launch, Streamline will be implementing a Single Player Campaign, Ad-hoc Matchmaking and Chinese localization in addition to already planned new Co-Op and PVP maps and challenges to continuously expand the Bake ‘n Switch world. All SKUs of the game will benefit from this content.

Source: PR Email

If there’s a vision, there’s a way to make it come alive with RPG Maker MV, available now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch in North America, and will soon launch on September 11 in Europe and September 18 in Oceania. With a huge array of assets, many possibilities await: building maps, customizing characters, creating battle sequences, and much more!

The RPG Maker MV Player, a free separate application, allows creators to share their works online while players can download and play these creations even without owning the base game.

Source: PR Email

AALBORG, Denmark — September 5, 2020 — GRAVEN, the dark-fantasy action-adventure FPS co-published by 3D Realms and 1C Entertainment with development by Slipgate Ironworks, launches on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC in 2021.

Revealed at Realms Deep 2020, GRAVEN delves into a gruesome medieval world of deities and monstrosities as a disgraced Priest of the Orthogonal Order. When a heretical member of the Order sacrifices the Priest’s adoptive daughter, the Priest lethally retaliates in a bout of righteous fury. Tried and found guilty by his brothers and now exiled to the burning sands, he closes his eyes for one last prayer, for peace. The Creator speaks to him directly: “You will have to earn your peace.”

Heed the Creator by hunting down the foul heretical sects responsible for conjuring plagues and twisting the natural order of the seasons. Blending action, exploration, and puzzle-solving, GRAVEN takes cues from classic shooters, immersive sims, and action RPGs alike. Journey across three expansive, open-ended regions, and scour the lands to purge evil.

Carefully observe a reactive world to find the way: with a journal, the player drives the exploration instead of following waypoints. Listen to townsfolks’ woes and slay the monsters responsible for their torment. Banish over thirty distinct enemies from plagued madmen to swamp beasts with powerful sorceries such as wild blasts of lightning and scorching rays of flame. Solve environmental puzzles with those same powers, altering the world with spells.

Wield destructive conventional weaponry, including magic staves and wrist-mounted crossbows. Find hidden gold to upgrade weapons and spells at blacksmiths and alchemists. Return to previously-plundered areas with new abilities to uncover secrets and entirely new areas. With more than 30 weapons and spells, GRAVEN encourages experimentation. Play solo, with one friend in split-screen co-op, or even in a party of four online for complete arcane chaos.

“GRAVEN began as a game we had often dreamed of,” said Frederik Schreiber, vice president of 3D Realms and Game Director on Graven. “‘What would a spiritual successor to a Dark Fantasy series such as Hexen, have looked like if it was made in 1998 in the original Unreal engine?’ We think the answer is GRAVEN. We hope you do too.”

GRAVEN will be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC in 2021.

Source: PR Email

Melbourne, Australia – September 4th, 2020 — Publisher Fellow Traveller and indie developer Kaizen Game Works are pleased to announce that Paradise Killer, the open-world murder-mystery, is now available on Nintendo Switch and Windows PC!

To celebrate the launch of Paradise Killer, Fellow Traveller is offering a 20% discount on copies bought for Nintendo Switch from now until September 11. Steam gamers also get a 20% launch week discount from now until September 18.

Welcome to a whodunit tale where you get to decide who did the deed—you just have to PROVE it.

Paradise is an island that regenerates every few millennia. The psychic power that the alien worshipers within release into the universe is meant to feed and eventually resurrect their fallen deities. But this force also attracts undesired interest from demons, who eventually corrupt each island — until a new alternate reality is birthed by the Council.

The system isn’t perfect, but it will be one day — on Perfect 25, the next island-to-be. But on the eve of rebirth, the Council is murdered and Paradise is killed.

In the aftermath, the “investigation freak” Lady Love Dies is summoned from exile to find the culprit. This is the crime to end all crimes.

What are the facts? What are the truths? Are they the same?

Who killed Paradise?

KEY FEATURES

• Breathe life back into Paradise – You are tasked with finding the killer and building an airtight case against them. Take your case to trial and argue your interpretation of the evidence. Only when someone is successfully convicted can the crime be considered solved and Paradise be saved.
• What are the facts? What are the truths? Are they the same? – The “truth” is that there are many possible killers, and many ways to build a case. Even if you make a convincing case for prosecution and get someone convicted, is the mystery really solved?
• Explore an island full of secrets – Paradise is an island set in an alternate future history filled with cryptic lore and even more mysteries. Examine bizarre relics to learn more about this world’s surreal history.
• Find YOUR Paradise – You choose who to accuse, and build a case to support a conviction. Everyone on Paradise has a secret to hide and something to gain. Old friends become new suspects, forcing you to choose between the evidence, the greater good and your own beliefs. There are many possible murderers, but who you pick will define your own personal truth.
• Gather evidence – Let your personal computer and electronic assistant Starlight be your guide through another dance of an investigation. Collect evidence, record testimony and interpret the facts to form your own truth.
• Unlock hidden areas – Solve hieroglyph puzzles on ancient nightmare computers to discover new areas of the island, find concealed evidence and reveal terrifying secrets.

Paradise Killer is now available on Windows PC and Nintendo Switch.

Source: PR Email

Manchester, UK – September 3rd, 2020 — The perfect way to settle a score is with good old fashioned fisticuffs… and energy beams, swords and undead minions! Merge Games, along with France-based developers Dark Screen Games, are delighted to announce that Bounty Battle, the 1-4 player beat-’em-up with characters from all over the Indie World, is coming to consoles and PC September 10th and is now available to pre-order on Nintendo Switch!

Bounty Battle is the ultimate indie fighting game: a new 2D fighter, where you can pit your favourite Indie heroes against one another! Indie heroes from games like Guacamelee! Dead Cells, Darkest Dungeon, Owlboy & more battle it out in this fighter frenzy. Bounty Battle features 30 fighters from over 20 different Indie games! Fighters come with their own Minion companion and unique abilities. Battle across levels inspired from the fighters’ native game worlds with up to 3 other players.

Characters:

Characters – Bounty Battle showcases your favorite characters from these beloved indie games – Guacamelee!, Darkest Dungeon, Dead Cells, Awesomenauts, Nuclear Throne, Owlboy, Axiom Verge, SteamWorld Dig, Oddmar, Jotun, Battle Chasers Nightwar, Death’s Gambit, EITR, Super Comboman, Pankapu, Flinthook, Doko Roko, Tower of Samsara, Blubber Busters, Ruin of the Reckless, The Bug Butcher, and Blocks that Matter

Key Features

• A host of game modes including a Tournament, Versus, Challenge Mode, Tutorial and Training Room to perfect your style
• 30 characters from your favourite Indie titles each with their own move set and special attacks
• Each fighter has their very own minion to summon and join the fight
• 16 different arenas to battle on – some plucked from the worlds of their fighters
• Multiple colour and palette swap options to fight in style!

Bounty Battle will release on Sept 10, 2020 for £19.99 $/€24.99/$24.99 on consoles and for £15.99/€19.99/$19.99 on PC. Consoles will see a 20% pre-order and launch discount (pre-order live for Nintendo Switch on Sept. 3, 2020), and Steam will see a 15% discount at launch.

Bounty Battle is also getting the Signature Edition treatment! This edition is currently only available from the Signature Edition website.

Bounty Battle will release digitally Sept. 10th on PC and consoles.

Source: PR Email

KARLSTAD (3^rd September 2020) – Clear River Games will start rolling out the physical version of Ys Origin for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 from October 1^st through retailers in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand (check with your favorite retailer for exact shipping date). The action RPG saga’s inaugural quest in which humanity flees a demon horde’s relentless pursuit is developed and ported by Dotemu, based on the original work created by the Japanese developer and publisher Nihon Falcom. Suggested retail price is €29.99.

In addition to the retail version, the Ys Origin Collector’s Edition will be sold in limited amounts through Strictly Limited Games partner store. Sharing the same values as Clear River Games on preserving our common video game cultural heritage, Strictly Limited Games is the perfect partner for the collaboration. The Collector’s Edition costing €44.99 will be available shortly after the retail release global to everywhere Strictly Limited Games ships.

The Ys Origin Collector’s Edition will include:

• Ys Origin Nintendo Switch or PlayStation 4 Game with Reversible Cover Art
• Collector’s Edition Box
• Diorama Set with Yunica Tovah, Hugo Fact and The Claw
• Official Soundtrack on 2 CD’s
• Ys Logo Enamel Pin
• Sticker Sheet
• Bonus Acrylic Card

Ys Origin presents a game through an emotional and exciting story, which takes place 700 years before the two first games of the series – Ys I & Ys II. Aspiring knight Yunica Tovah and mage Hugo Fact, two fighters desperately searching for the Goddesses that have abandoned them. Together the duo must best the demonic forces lurking within an enormous tower before the beasts reach humanity’s sanctuary in the clouds. As the game progresses, the player gets the chance to unlock a third playable character. With tons of powerful loot to earn, distinct scenarios and playstyles between each character as well as secrets to unveil, Ys Origin is a deep, compelling RPG experience.

“Ys Origin is the inaugural title for our new publishing unit Clear River Games. The Ys series has a long heritage and reflects what we want to bring to light. In the future you will see more retro related or inspired games and Japanese classics in different genres coming from Clear River Games,” says Ali Manzuri, founder and games industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience.

“Clear River Games is part of an effort by the Embracer Group to focus on games culture and history with a flair of retro as the foundation. We will be welcoming more studios, publishers and IP owners to join us on this voyage,” adds Martin Lindell, senior advisor at Embracer Group and equal games industry journey man with more than 20 years of experience.

Source: PR Email

Kuala Lumpur, MY— 3rd September, 2020 — Ready to get baked?? Violently cute couch co-op party game, Bake ‘n Switch is coming to Nintendo Switch on 10th September! Accompanying this highly anticipated news, Streamline have also released a new Bun Madness trailer today to introduce the various Bun breeds to players! Bake ‘n Switch will be available on the Nintendo eShop for $29.99.

Journey to the lush palms and sandy beaches of Tropic Toaster or the harsh aridity of the Serradura today in Bake ‘n Switch. Play as one of the six Bakers – Ginger, Rosemary, Thyme, Parsley, Sage or Salt – and embark on a bun-baking extravaganza through 100 levels of sweet and savory party action! Team up with friends in co-op or battle against them as foes in PvP or Team v Team in local and online multiplayer to merge, punch and bake the adorable Buns before time runs out.

And now about those Buns…

Tropic Toaster’s Lil’ Bun starts out as a roly-poly doughball and chomps its way into a Big Bun – give these little guys some space, and they’ll do your delicious work for you! The Doughdoughs may not be the smartest buns in the batch, but while they scare easily, they are easy to herd. Surround them and watch them flock toward the oven and hop right in! While the Doughdoughs and Lil’ Buns may be easier to manage, the Doughrillas have music in their feet and pound their mighty hands to their own jungle beat!

In Serradurra, the sweet “dessert” world, you’ll encounter a whole new bunch of delectably devious Buns. Armadoughs are tough on the outside, but… actually, just tough all the way through! These curly croissants act as giant bowling balls to smash through flavors and barriers, while the sneaky Bunboa burrows its body in the sand and launches surprise attacks to constrict your enemies. Fluff Foxes are fiendishly cute – fast, with a stunning tailspin. You’ll need to work as a team to corner these sly confections and corral them into the oven. And finally, the Batlava, whose super sweet – and sharp – tooth sucks the flavor right off those Buns in no time flat!

Source: PR Email

Stockholm, Sweden — September 1st, 2020 — Early Morning Studio’s dark, medieval tactical RPG Vampire’s Fall: Origins will launch on Nintendo Switch and Xbox One on September 17th. Already popular on Steam and mobile, the game has drawn a community around its clever, slightly dark-humoured story and classic 2D open-world RPG elements mixed with turn-based combat gameplay.

After the malevolent Witchmaster destroys the Vamp’Ire village you awaken as a fledgling vampire set on a course for revenge. Your efforts to halt the dark magic conjurings of your evil foe take you on a journey through a vast 2D open world where you embark on quests, encounter a variety of NPCs and engage in snarky dialogues that add a lighthearted counterpoint to the sinister atmosphere. Whether you choose the path of virtue or corruption you will face scores of enemies through over 50 hours of gameplay, leveling up your character by unlocking skills and abilities as well as upgrading your gear along the way.

“Vampire’s Fall has come a long way since the first time we came up with the concept,” said Emir Kuljanin from Early Morning Studio. “Now 10 years later and three platforms in, we are gearing up for Nintendo Switch and Xbox One launch to welcome console players into the gritty and witty world full of mystery.”

Source: PR Email