Twinworld Game Reviews

Archive for December, 2020

Redmond, Washington, December 23rd, 2020 – Super Meat Boy Forever, Team Meat’s long, long awaited sequel to 2010’s runaway platforming hit Super Meat Boy, has finally made its debut on the Nintendo Switch eShop and Epic Games Store, where it costs $19.99 / £15.99  / €15.99. PlayStation and Xbox versions will follow in approximately one month.

This much anticipated sequel also moves the Meat Boy saga forward, as Meat Boy and his partner Bandage Girl have had a child, Nugget, who has unfortunately been kidnapped by the sinister stillborn psychopath, Dr. Fetus (I hate that guy!). So now it’s up to Meat Boy, Bandage Girl, and some surprising new characters in the Meat Boy Cinematic Universe, to rescue the kidnapped child.

In the time since we saw him last, Meat Boy has been hitting the gym and he now packs a punch with an oversized, Battletoads-esque right fist that packs a mean whollup! Combined with new slide and plummet maneuvers, Meat Boy is more agile than ever!

What’s better than playing through Super Meat Boy Forever once? The answer is simple: Playing through Super Meat Boy Forever several times and having new levels to play each time! Levels are randomly generated and each time the game is completed the option to replay the game appears and generates a whole new experience by presenting different levels with their own unique secret locations. We’ve handcrafted literally thousands of levels for players to enjoy and conquer. You can replay Super Meat Boy Forever from start to finish several times before ever seeing a duplicate level. It is truly a remarkable feat of engineering and a monumental example of ignoring the limits of rational game design and production.

“It seemed like this day would never come, but after over a decade Super Meat Boy has a fully fledged sequel that takes everything people loved about the original, but makes it meatier and more super,” said Team Meat co-founder and programmer Tommy Refenes. “I knew I didn’t want to release a sequel that was simply more of the same, so Super Meat Boy Forever rethinks the entirety of how the game works, from the controls, to your moveset, to the new power-ups. It’s a completely different experience that still fundamentally feels like Meat Boy. And with its thousands of randomly generated challenges, you can literally play it forever!”

Source: PR Email

Get primed for a cram session with the latest system trailer from Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny, coming to Nintendo Switch in Summer 2021! Lessons include the basics and Disgaea-specific elements, new mechanics unique to this installment, and player-friendly experiences to accommodate all gamers.

Source: PR Email

December 21st, 2020 – Hound Picked Games, an indie label who are are a passionate purveyor of Indie developers, is excited to announce that HyperParasite, developed by Spanish developer Troglobytes Games, has been announced by world renowned and respected Forbes, as their Number 1 ranked Indie Game of the year.

Matt Gardner, Senior Contributor, commented “Not only would I say HyperParasite is the best indie game of 2020, I’d go so far as to name it my favorite game of the year outright.

Although HyperParasite has gone under the radar of many gaming media, with so many releases throughout 2020, the game continues to be spotted by eager, eagle eyed gamers looking for a shooter that combines strategy, with all out action and presents an honest challenge that captivates players but also has that polished presentation and mechanics that marks this down as an indie game developed by a team that know what they are doing!”

“We are delighted with this accolade from Forbes and we hope that more gamers will check out HyperParasite especially of course fans of this genre.” Saverio Coprusso – CEO of Troglobytes Games. “Since launch, we’ve been finely tuning the game according to feedback from players, implementing a new mode and we will have a physical version for Nintendo Switch releasing in February!”

What You Get!

Released on PC Steam, Sony PS4, Microsoft XBox and Nintendo Switch HyperParasite offers a fresh take on the twin-stick shooter, with incredibly slick fast-paced action and responsive controls.

60 classes of host, each of which can be snatched and controlled, to take advantage of their unique skills and weaponry. Laced with comedy, a bodacious synth-wave soundtrack and rad retro visuals that drags the player kicking and screaming back to the 80s! HyperParasite is a game full of outrageous and rip-roaring brawling action that throws down the fingerless glove to its challengers.

Features:

• A unique twist on the genre; jump from one host body to another
• Over 60 (SIXTY!) different characters to control as host bodies
• A unique retro 3D-pixelated aesthetic
• Survive 5 acts of procedurally generated, grungy looking levels where secrets are hidden around every dark corner… tentacles too.
• Trouble loves company! Bring a mate and deliver twice the carnage in local co-op mode
• Original beats served by Van Reeves and Joe Kataldo, delivering a thumping score with a pulsating synthwave bassline, punctuating every snatch and kill

Source: PR Email

Stuttgart, Germany – 17th December 2020 – ININ Games and STUDIOARTDINK announce the pre-order start of three limited editions for Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World. All three limited editions are available for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, exclusively via the Strictly Limited Games Partner Store. The limited editions as well as the retail editions of Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World will be released in 2021.

The original development team behind the wheel

The game is a fully remastered version of the famous Wonder Boy IV from 1994 with the development being led by the creator of the Wonder Boy series, Ryuichi Nishizawa. Nishizawa-san is supported by members of the original development team. Shinichi Sakamoto (sound), Maki Ōzora (character design) and Takanori Kurihara (creative management) are creating the next entry of the beloved series.

Dream team with new features

Asha is chosen to leave her village in order to rescue missing spirits and to save the world. Luckily, she has her blue flying friend Pepelogoo to help her on her adventures.

While the story stays true to the origins, there are many updates and features that will be included in the new Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World:

• For the first time ever: Character voices
• Remastered graphics with a fresh 2.5D design
• New dynamic and impressive cutscenes and animations
• Remastered game sounds & soundtrack by Shinichi Sakamoto
• Additional easy mode, so everyone alike can enjoy the game

The devs listened closely to the fans to make sure that their feedback will be implemented in order to create a stunning fresh take on the Wonder Boy brand that will make gamers happy.

Original Monster World IV included

The beloved original Monster World IV is included in all physical editions. Monster World IV is featured on the cartridge for Nintendo Switch and will be an exclusive download code that comes with the PS4 disc version of Asha in Monster World..

Exclusive, physical editions

The Limited Edition is available for €39.99, limited to 3,500 copies for Nintendo Switch and 1,700 copies for PlayStation 4 worldwide and features:

• Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World game (PS4/NSW)
• Monster World IV original game (PS4/NSW)
• Manual (Mega Drive Style)
• Reversible Variant Cover
• Individually Numbered

The Collector’s Edition is available for €99.99, limited to 2,500 copies for Nintendo Switch and 1,200 copies for PlayStation 4 worldwide and includes:

• Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World game (PS4/NSW)
• Monster World IV original game (PS4/NSW)
• Manual (Mega Drive Style)
• CE Box
• 2-sided Poster
• Monster World Map
• 2 OST (Original + Remix)
• Squishy Ball Pepelogoo
• Sticker
• Artbook
• Shikishi
• Acrylic Standee
• Fridge Magnet
• Stamper

The Mega Collector’s Edition is available for €179.99, limited to 999 copies for Nintendo Switch and 499 copies for PlayStation 4 worldwide. This edition celebrates the origins of the game and features everything from the Collector’s Edition plus:

• Asha and Pepelogoo Figurine (18cm / 7.1″)
• Mega Drive- / Genesis-Style Plastic Case with reversible inlay
• Console-Style Packaging
• Certificate of Authenticity
• Asha Pixel Pin
• Retro-style Registration Card
• Vinyl Sticker for your Console

For all music enthusiasts, there is a limited Vinyl Set with two picture disks with the original soundtrack and the remastered soundtrack. It is limited to 499 sets and is available for €49.99.

Source: PR Email

17 December, 2020 – Unto The End, the challenging combat adventure from developer 2 Ton Studios and publisher Big Sugar, launches today on Nintendo Switch. Unto The End will be downloadable from the eShop for $24.99, with a 20% launch discount available for a limited time.

Handcrafted by 2 Ton Studios (aka husband and wife team Stephen Danton and Sara Kitamura), Unto The End combines full-blooded combat with breathless adventuring, and is set within a hostile, but beautifully realised and richly atmospheric world. Gameplay is demanding but fair, and places player skill firmly at the heart of the experience.

About the game

Unto The End is a challenging combat adventure game in the style of a cinematic platformer. The story is simple: get home to your family. Master read-react combat in intense sword fights. Spot opportunities to trade and use items. An adventure told through your actions, how will you make it home?

Key features

• Read-React Combat: One of a kind combat system focused on skill and mastery, designed and built from the ground up specifically for 2D. Fight intelligently and strike tactically with your sword and range weapons in fierce one-on-one and group battles
• Handcrafted Encounters: The adventure unfolds through carefully crafted encounters, each featuring intelligent, worthy opponents, all with their own motivations and place in the world
• Player-Skill Focused: A challenging single-player experience with minimal handholding. All the father’s abilities are available from the outset and mastery of those skills, as well as keen observation of your surroundings, are key to survival and success
• Unforgiving Terrain: From cavernous underground ruins to harsh mountain peaks, overcome environmental challenges and deadly traps as you travel through a world of meticulously crafted landscapes

Unto The End is available on PC, Xbox One, PS4, Switch, and Stadia. It’s also available on Xbox Game Pass.

Source: PR Email

Redmond, Washington, December 15th, 2020 – Team Meat is proud to reveal that it’s long, long awaited sequel to 2010’s runaway platforming hit Super Meat Boy is finally nigh! That’s right, Super Meat Boy Forever is coming for us all on the Nintendo Switch eShop, alongside its PC counterpart on the Epic Games Store, on December 23rd, where it will cost $19.99, though there is a 10% pre-order discount bringing it to $17.99. It’s a holiday miracle! PlayStation and Xbox versions will follow approximately one month later.

This much anticipated sequel also moves the Meat Boy saga forward, as Meat Boy and his partner Bandage Girl have had a child, Nugget, who has unfortunately been kidnapped by the sinister stillborn psychopath, Dr. Fetus (I hate that guy!). So now it’s up to Meat Boy, Bandage Girl, and some surprising new characters in the Meat Boy Cinematic Universe, to rescue the kidnapped child.

In the time since we saw him last, Meat Boy has been hitting the gym and he now packs a punch with an oversized, Battletoads-esque right fist that packs a mean whollup! Combined with new slide and plummet maneuvers, Meat Boy is more agile than ever!

What’s better than playing through Super Meat Boy Forever once? The answer is simple: Playing through Super Meat Boy Forever several times and having new levels to play each time! Levels are randomly generated and each time the game is completed the option to replay the game appears and generates a whole new experience by presenting different levels with their own unique secret locations. We’ve handcrafted literally thousands of levels for players to enjoy and conquer. You can replay Super Meat Boy Forever from start to finish several times before ever seeing a duplicate level. It is truly a remarkable feat of engineering and a monumental example of ignoring the limits of rational game design and production.

To commemorate Super Meat Boy Forever coming to Nintendo Switch, PowerA has made a limited run of an officially licensed Enhanced Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch featuring Meat Boy, which you can pre-order today at PowerA.com or on December 16th at Amazon.com for $49.99 / £39.99 / €49.99.

“Super Meat Boy was a massive success that changed my life forever and people had been clamoring for a sequel for ages,” said Team Meat co-founder and programmer Tommy Refenes. “But I didn’t just want to deliver more of the same and call it a day. Meat Boy deserved more than that. I wanted to rebuild Meat Boy from the ground up, in a way that would offer an entirely new experience that still hits all the same kinetic, addictive notes as its predecessor. I know Super Meat Boy Forever took forever to make but we’re confident that it was worth the wait.”

About Meat Boy

Meat Boy took the world by storm in 2008 when it was conceived as a free Flash game by developers Edmund McMillen and Jonathan McEntee. This devilishly difficult love letter to arcade platformers went so viral that over 8 million people played it. Due to its popularity, Team Meat founders Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes collaborated on a commercial successor that became the 2010 megahit Super Meat Boy, which went on to sell over a million copies in its first 15 months. A decade later, Super Meat Boy is still capturing the populace’s imagination as its Switch port’s launch sales nearly matched that of its 2010 debut on Xbox 360. The franchise’s latest project, Super Meat Boy Forever, is coming to Epic Games Store and Nintendo Switch eShop on December 23rd, 2020, with PlayStation and Xbox versions to follow shortly thereafter.

Source: PR Email

Staffordshire, UK – Lightwood Games is thrilled to announce the release of a new word puzzle game, the fourteenth instalment of the popular “by POWGI” series.

Roundout by POWGI is out on Tuesday 15th December on PlayStation, followed by Xbox on Wednesday 16th and Nintendo Switch on Monday 21st. Roundout is a mash-up of two other puzzles, Word Wheel and Kriss Kross.

A twist on a traditional letter scrambling puzzle, this game places the words you find into a crossword-style grid. The more overlapping words you find, the more clues you get towards discovering the remaining words.

Anagram puzzles are often open-ended, challenging you to “find as many words as you can”. By contrast, Roundout provides satisfaction by giving players a clearly defined – and achievable – goal to work towards.

Each puzzle is generated from the letters in an 8-letter word, making it quick and intuitive to play with a controller stick. Nintendo Switch also supports touch screen play in handheld mode.

Roundout by POWGI contains 120 puzzles to solve, with a terrible “dad joke” to make you groan each time you solve one. It is priced at $7.99 / GBP £6.49 / €7.99 and rated ESRB E / PEGI 3.

It’s a casual puzzler in Lightwood’s usual no-fluff style, intended to get your brain ticking in moments between more intense gaming sessions, Roundout by POWGI has also been tested and confirmed to work on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Source: PR Email

Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders is a separate game file that comes included with the Space Invaders Forever purchase. Due to the game only being playable via touchscreen, I wasn’t able to capture footage for it. The Switch needs to be held vertically to play the game as well.

Stuttgart, December 11th 2020 – TAITO and ININ Games are happy to announce that Space Invaders Forever, a collection featuring the iconic shooter brand, is out today, 11th December 2020 for Nintendo Switch™ both digitally and physically in North America, Europe and Australasia together with the PlayStation®4 platform versions with the exception of the Nintendo Switch™ digital North America release that will be on 15th December 2020.

The legendary arcade game series is finally back on in its greatest iteration ever! In this collection, take part in the never ending fight against the invaders as we have put together three awesome and brand new takes on the bona fide arcade legend.

Space Invaders Extreme

In Space Invaders Extreme, mind, body and skills are all put to the test in this exhilarating and modern take on Space Invaders. Team up with friends, experience the psychedelic visualizer coloring the environments and feel the beat of one of the coolest soundtracks you’ve ever heard from TAITO’s legendary sound production team ZUNTATA.

Arkanoid vs Space Invaders

But for those who want something entirely different, Arkanoid vs Space Invaders brings two legends together for the very first time in an all new way of playing Space Invaders! Take control of the Vaus paddle ship and see what happens when things go balls to the wall crazy with plenty of twists and bounces throughout the fight, as well as some other familiar faces from the TAITO family

Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE

For those who want to go classic and relive this with friends and family, Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE brings back the familiar sights and sounds from the 1978 phenomenon, but this time space has expanded and the invasion can be fought with up to four people! The graphics might be simple, but the challenge is not! Luckily, no quarters are needed this time, so keep up the fight!

For over 40 years, Space Invaders has captivated gamers and helped shape the video game industry as we know and cherish today. This collection is a celebration of an icon, a modern take on a timeless classic and fun that will keep you coming back again and again… FOREVER!

Don’t miss out on the excitement!

Source: PR Email

KENSINGTON, MD — Dec. 10, 2020 — Evolution Board Game, the strategy game of adaptation from North Star Digital Studios with more than 3 million players worldwide across physical and digital editions, now stalks the untamed wilds of Nintendo Switch.

Evolutionists who purchase Evolution on Nintendo Switch by Sunday, Jan. 10 will receive the Arms Race Promo Pack add-on for free, along with the Nintendo Switch-exclusive Tiger Skin. Five additional trait cards and a Nintendo Switch exclusive tiger skin create new strategic opportunities while offering deadly stripes to show off in local and cross-platform matches.

Dive into the new version of the critically-acclaimed Evolution at home or on the go with lightning-quick Joy-Con support or touchscreen controls. A robust feature set provides everything digital board game fans could ask for with online play* and local pass-and-play alike.

• Conquer a single player campaign with 21 levels, bosses, and distinct A.I. opponents
• Chat or start real time and asynchronous games from your friends list
• Find new opponents with skill-based online matchmaking
• Climb the online multiplayer rankings and single player progression ladder
• Keep cards close to the chest with pass and play optimized for Nintendo Switch
• Test yourself against weekly challenges
• Discover gorgeous hand-drawn species hidden throughout the game

An intuitive learn-while-playing tutorial trains humble scientists to adapt species with new traits adorned with gorgeous watercolor style artwork. Experiment with millions of genetic combinations to survive the harsh realities of the natural world. Climb the leaderboards to become the best digital board game biologist in the world, earning new avatars and other rewards as the fruit of your labors.

“Evolution on Nintendo Switch is silky smooth using the Joy-Con controllers and is the fastest way to play. We’ve listened to what fans want and have added a ton of features and content to the game to make Evolution the best digital tabletop experience available,” said Scott Rencher, co-founder, North Star Digital Studios.

Evolution Board Game is available on Nintendo Switch everywhere except Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong for $19.99 USD.

Source: PR Email