Twinworld Game Reviews

Archive for August, 2022

Denver, CO – August 17th, 2022 – Super indie publisher Versus Evil, in partnership with indie development studio Drop Bear Bytes, today announced that they will publish Broken Roads, a traditional isometric RPG coming to PC, Switch, Playstation and Xbox in 2023. Broken Roads presents a post-apocalypse future with real-world locations and landmarks serving as the backdrop for the complex stories of Australia’s survivors wrapped in an intricate hand-drawn aesthetic.

Drop Bear Bytes headquartered in Australia, brings a wealth of revered industry talent to the fold with a team comprised of talented developers, artists and writers from Australia, South Africa, Canada, USA and the UK. RPG genre professionals including Colin McComb (Fallout 2 and Wasteland 2) Creative Lead, and Leanne Taylor-Giles (Rainbow Six Siege and Torment: Tides of Numenera), Narrative Director, have also contributed their expertise to the whole team.

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. In addition, the in-game 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.

“Versus Evil has a history of partnering with some of the best creatives in the industry and publishing highly engaging RPG titles enriched with deep narratives and killer visuals. Drop Bear Bytes have a clear vision and a collective talent that will bring an exciting addition to the Versus Evil RPG family of published titles and we look forward to sharing their passion project fans of the genre” Said Steve Escalante, General Manager of Versus Evil.

Broken Roads is another compelling addition to Versus Evil’s impressive RPG catalog and joins other critically acclaimed titles in the genre such as The Banner Saga Trilogy,  The Hand of Merlin and Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire.

Source: PR Email

17th August, 2022 – Indie publisher Ratalaika Games, together with SoftColors, is happy to announce the upcoming release of Aquadine which has already been described by the media as ‘amazing’ when released on PC Steam last year. The 26th August 2022 sees the console release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch ($19.99/€19.99) for a really exciting visual novel experience!

Aquadine is a beautiful kinetic visual novel where most of the crafted story is pretty straightforward and totally immersive. Players will initially learn more about Aquadine’s characters and culture, giving everyone a chance to see which characters they may like to follow in a casual environment before the story gets more serious.

Setting the Scene

A character select screen will then appear that depicts four main characters: Anya, Diana, Cameron and Elisabeth. Clicking any of them will lead players to that route, and they can be read in any order. If all four are cleared, an epilogue titled Memories will be unlocked at the start screen. That is the true ending of the story.

Each of the main characters are memorable in their distinct personalities, their speech patterns, and their own stories. There are many fun scenarios where the main cast interacts with each other in the common route and while players are experiencing one route at a time, the other main characters may still be important to them. Everyone is connected, and reading all four will unlock the important epilogue.

The Setting

Aquadine is a very special town where one could take a vacation and really embrace the beautiful scenery. It’s rich in culture and mythology while inhabited by many lovable characters. The most unique feature of this visual novel would have to be the town of Aquadine itself.

While this setting draws much inspiration from Venice, the mythology is actually about an ancient merfolk civilization. Players will witness how this intertwines with the modern day setting and the importance to the overall plot. The protagonist’s mother also has a very strange combination of symptoms that has never been seen before.

The Game

As players go deeper into the story, they’ll slowly uncover the many secrets inside. One of the most memorable early scenes is an encounter with a beautiful mermaid. But much like Ciel, she also has her own secrets. Players will learn a bit more about her before the heroine routes diverge into four different options. There are too many memorable scenarios to list. They’ll discover the mermaid’s true identity, enjoy Diana finally bonding with her excessively strict mother, witness Cameron savagely beat the living crap out of her martial arts team, learn how Elisabeth comes to terms with her trauma, and feel how desperate Ciel is as he does whatever it takes to save his mother.

And there is more…………

“With the exception of the epilogue, Aquadine is written in third-person perspective which allows additional scenes from the heroines’ private lives, especially with family, and it wouldn’t feel natural if the main character is always present. Visual novels are traditionally told in first-person so the readers could immerse themselves through the main character’s eyes and make choices, but we wanted to explore other options. This approach itself is a challenge, because it can be risky to commit to something different from what’s expected. The third-person narrative without choices enabled the flexibility to flesh out major characters much deeper than what can be told in a simulation.” Brian Trieu, Director of Aquadine

Fact and features

• Four heroine routes
• Stunning visuals
• Gallery feature allows players to relive their favourite art and music
• 25 Songs
• Partial voice acting
• Sound preferences
• Anime influence
• Impacting story
• And much, much more…

Summing up!

Aquadine is about a gondolier boy who works to save money for his mother’s hospital bills; however, she has a very strange disease that none of the doctors know what it could be.

Source: PR Email

Stuttgart, Germany – 17 August 2022 – Following the smashing success of the Kickstarter campaign for Slaps and Beans 2, the sequel to the hit pixel-art brawler starring Bud Spencer and Terence Hill, ININ Games, Buddy Productions and the developers at Trinity Team have once again teamed up. As part of this collaboration, Bud Spencer & Terence Hill – Slaps and Beans 2 will be released digitally and in retail for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. A digital release for the Xbox family of consoles is also planned.

Bud and Terence are back and in their second original video game adventure, they will stop more scoundrels with earth-shattering slaps and flying kicks – always with a crisp line on their lips. Slaps and Beans 2 builds on the success of its predecessor with an enhanced combat system, fun mini-games, more detailed pixel art, a co-op mode, and a dedicated competitive party mode for up to four players.

By popular demand from the amazing community, the sequel will now be fully dubbed for the first time in English, German, Italian and Spanish, to provide an even more authentic experience. Paired with more iconic soundtracks from the movie composers Oliver Onions and the faithfully recreated characters, Slaps and Beans 2 will make the hearts of fans around the world beat faster.

Slaps and Beans 2 is in development for all current consoles. The game is scheduled for release in Spring 2023 and will be distributed both digitally and physically through ININ Games. Special Limited Editions will be available via Gamesrocket.com.

Source: PR Email

Stuttgart, Germany – 16 August 2022 – Get ready for the wildest fighting game on the block! ININ Games is excited to announce that they will bring Tanuki Creative Studio’s fast-paced 2D beat ‘em up adventure Jitsu Squad to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 (PS4) and PlayStation 5 (PS5), for online stores and retail. A digital release for the Xbox family of consoles is also planned for a later date. Fans can expect whacky-chaotic battles with the four unique members of the Jitsu Squad, either alone or with up to four people in co-op mode.

Jitsu Squad is a fast-paced fighting game inspired by old-school brawlers, paired with the intense and exciting fights of modern beat ‘em ups. Play alone or with up to four people in co-op mode against waves of enemies while amassing massive combo-chains and unleashing powerful and flashy super moves. To set the right mood for 90s fighting games, Jitsu Squad not only comes with a hand-drawn cartoon look and stunning visual effects but also music by none other than Crush 40 singer Johnny Gioeli, famous for the iconic SONIC The Hedgehog music.

Story

Containing the soul of a powerful demon, the legendary Kusanagi Stone can grand godly powers to those who awaken it but has remained hidden over the centuries. Now, the wicked sorcerer Origami, destroyer of worlds and lord of darkness, has summoned ancient warriors to find the stone for him, cursing their souls and turning them into animals. Luckily, a mysterious monk called Ramen manages to save four warrior souls from Origami’s call: Hero, Baby, Jazz, and Aros, together are the Jitsu Squad!

Features

• Fight lightning-fast, adrenaline-tingling battles
• 4 playable characters – Turn your warrior into a real legend with the upgrade system and unique secondary weapons that open up new combos
• Slay your enemies in style with 100+ chain-combos, infinite juggles and Epic Super Specials that will make your heart beat faster
• Powerful in-game character transformations will get your blood boiling
• Tons of unique enemies to slay and 8 different planets to save
• Up to 4-player local couch co-op fun
• Team up with a friend in 2-player tag-team mode, where each player can choose up to 2 characters
• Enter the battlefield while blasting original tunes by Crush 40 singer Johnny Gioeli, famous for the iconic SONIC The Hedgehog music
• Fighting game input commands provide a nice 90s throwback

Jitsu Squad will release digitally and in retail on PS4, PS5 and Nintendo Switch later this year. More information about the planned release for the Xbox will be announced at a later date. Special Limited Editions will be available via Gamesrocket.com. Additional information can be found on the official ININ website.

Source: PR Email

Gothenburg, Sweden – August 16th, 2022: In collaboration with the LEGO Group, Thunderful are delighted to reveal the platforms that the anticipated LEGO Bricktales will be releasing on. The new digital adventure from the developers behind the Bridge Constructor series will be available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in Q4 2022.

In LEGO Bricktales, journey across 5 different LEGO themed biomes and use an intuitive new brick-by-brick building mechanic to solve puzzles and bring your solutions to life. From purely aesthetic creations, such as market stands and music boxes, up to functional physics-based puzzles like building cranes and gyrocopters, LEGO Bricktales offers a host of challenges and quests to test your imagination and building skills.

Through the deepest jungle, sun-drenched deserts, a bustling city corner, a towering medieval castle and tropical Caribbean islands, you’ll be treated to delightful environments packed full of secrets, challenges and fun characters.

In each diorama, there are LEGO Minifigures who need your help, as well as the opportunity to unlock new skills for your good deeds. While exploring these colorful environments, you will discover a variety of construction spots with their own sets of bricks – it’s up to you to figure out a unique build that will work. Whether you’re being asked to put on your designer hat and build a throne fit for a king or testing your engineering skills to build a bridge that will get a digger across a river, how you construct your builds and meet the challenges you’re being offered is up to you!

“We know that LEGO fans across the world will be incredibly excited to get their hands on LEGO Bricktales,” said Dieter Schoeller, Vice-President of Production at Thunderful. “That’s why it’s so great to be able to announce that the game is coming to such a wide-range of platforms. Across PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC, we are ensuring that as many people as possible are able to play and enjoy this title and its intuitive brick-by-brick building mechanic.”

Source: PR Email

12th August 2022 – Indie publisher Ratalaika Games, together with Venturous, is happy to announce today the release of Voyage, a relaxing and beautiful cinematic journey of exploration for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch, priced at $14.99 / €14.99. This imaginative, eye-catching cooperative adventure game is one not to miss which is already grabbing some really amazing quotes and review scores!

A long-forgotten past

Billed as a side-scrolling casual adventure, Voyage offers much more with its aesthetics and ongoing changing settings, following two survivors who find themselves on an unknown planet. Their travels, whether you decide to play by yourself or cooperatively, will consist of many obstacles that halt and hinder their ability to progress forward. Experience the journey, piece together memories through broken statues and interpret murals to unravel a mystery of the past.

Shared Exploration

When playing Voyage in single-player mode, as opposed to two player cooperatively, one of the two protagonists in the game acts as an AI companion as if you were to play the game with a friend. You can choose which of the characters to control at any given time, interact with objects and climb together, tell each other to follow or stay put and even hug. This shared experience is an integral part to the narrative as the journey will revolve around two survivors in search for answers of a long-forgotten past. Embark on a voyage, unravel a mystery and find a way home together.

Features

• Shared experience – Work alone or with a friend to guide two survivors and explore the world of Voyage in a seamless cooperative experience
• Hand-painted – Lose yourself in Voyage’s sprawling hand-painted environments.
• Wordless narrative – Seek answers in a mysterious, wordless journey
• Non-violent – With an emphasis on exploration over violence, Voyage can be enjoyed by anyone without much difficulty
• Immersive soundscape – Music and sound by Calum Bowen, composer for Snipperclips, Pikuniku and Lovely Planet

Unique – Ready to Captivate a broad audience

Voyage has already been described as unique, delightful and mesmerising. With a completely wordless narrative accompanied by a soothing soundscape it opens up a fascinating way to observe and play. With simple controls, focus is squarely toward the visual delights on offer and the events that unfold as you are instantly pulled into this beautifully crafted world!

Source: PR Email

Nantes, France, August 4th, 2022 – Have you heard the story of Foretales? Word has it that indie developer Alkemi, in partnership with Dear Villagers, have cooked up an all new way to tell an interactive story… with cards! In Foretales, narration and experimentation blend with decksploration mechanics to create an all new kind of card game where what happens next is entirely up to you!

Our story begins long ago in the realm, where the avian thief Volepain and his friend were asked to steal a magical lyre. They outwitted the guards with an ace up their sleeve. And by “ace” I mean pocket sand. The point is it worked, and our heroes snagged the lyre undetected. Unfortunately, it was no sooner that they had gotten their hands on the lyre that Volepain began to have terrifying visions of the end of the world!

To combat this catastrophic prophecy, Volepain knew he had to assemble a team of companions. His potential allies included the tiger archer Léo, the gorilla Karst, the elephant Isabeau, and the parrot Pattenbois, among other eccentric allies. He knew each party member came with their own strengths and weaknesses that would have to be deployed strategically if they were to succeed in their quest.

Of course, Volepain and his friends need your helping hand to guide them on their journey. Choose whether to approach a scenario by using stealth, creating a ruse, making a trade, or engaging in good old-fashioned fisticuffs. If you play your cards right, Volepain and his ragtag squad could prevent a terrible fate!

Now it’s up to you to forge your own destiny on this perilous quest, when Foretales comes to Nintendo Switch and Steam on September 15th.

Our boldest adventurers can sweeten the pot by tossing in some extra coin – approximately €23.99 / $23.99 / £18.78 – for the Deluxe Edition, containing Foretales’ original soundtrack and a digital art book.

“Foretales is unlike anything else out there, using cards to not only battle and barter, but also dictate important story choices like where to go, how to infiltrate an enemy stronghold, and who to recruit,” said Alain Puget, founder of Alkemi. “Foretales is more than a card game, it’s an adventure! And we can’t wait to share it with you all when it launches on September 15th!”

“We at Dear Villagers seek to bring people unique experiences, and Foretales is a perfect encapsulation of that,” said Guillaume Jamet, Head of Publishing at Dear Villagers. “It’s more than a CCG, but a sprawling adventure played out in table top form! Its whimsy is bolstered by legendary composer Christophe Héraltop’s killer soundtrack, and veteran character actor Travis Willingham offering his esteemed vocal talents as the narrator. Foretales has got freedom, choice, and charm to spare!”

Source: PR Email

Dueren, Germany – August 4, 2022 – Headup Games & Goody Gameworks are pleased to announce that retro-inspired side scrolling city-smasher Gigapocalypse is out today for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, priced at $9.99 / €9.99 / £7.99.

Inspired by Kaiju monster movies like Godzilla and King Kong, as well as classic arcade games like Rampage, Gigapocalypse gives players a roster of monsters, or “Gigas”, to choose from as they reduce cities to rubble to the beat of a pumping heavy metal soundtrack. Create your own monster apocalypse with customisable Kaijus and lay waste to a wide variety of locations waiting to be stomped into dust.

With every run you undertake to try and get to each location’s boss, your Giga will become more powerful and earn mutation points. Spend these points to upgrade your Giga with new mutations, skills, skins, and even up to five tiny minion pets who will accompany you on your outings of urban destruction. Take care of your Giga in Tamagotchi-style minigames and decorate your Giga’s home with cool items that will improve your Giga and make them even more menacing.

Gigapocalypse offers nine monsters to choose from – three ‘Old Gods’, three prehistoric monstrosities and three horrors from outer space. You can take these beasts of destruction into a host of fun city locations from across multiple timelines, ranging from the Wild West to the modern day.

“We are delighted to bring Gigapocalypse to console gamers who want to let off some steam and smash stuff up,” said developer Goody Pundit. “With the many updates and improvements we’ve made during the game’s stint in Early Access on PC, the game is better than ever and I hope console players enjoy picking out a Giga from our monstrous roster and laying waste to everything in front of them!”

Source: PR Email

3rd August 2022 – Indie publisher Ratalaika Games, together with Venturous, is happy to announce the up and coming release of Voyage, a relaxing and beautiful cinematic journey of exploration. Out on the 12th August for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch, priced at $14.99 / €14.99, this imaginative, eye-catching, cooperative, adventure game is one not to miss.

A long-forgotten past.

Billed as a side-scrolling casual adventure, Voyage offers much more with its aesthetics and ongoing changing settings, following two survivors who find themselves on an unknown planet. Their travels, whether you decide to play by yourself or cooperatively, will consist of many obstacles that halt and hinder their ability to progress forward. Throughout their journey they will unravel a mystery of the past and there are three stories being told simultaneously in Voyage – ‘gameplay’ (the actual journey) – ‘statue scenes’ (which are big sisters’ personal memories) and lastly – ‘murals’ (which tell the story of the planet and the people who lived there.)

2 Becomes 1

When playing Voyage in single-player mode, as opposed to two player cooperatively, one of the two protagonists in the game acts as an AI companion as if you were to play the game with a friend. You can choose which of the characters to control at any given time, interact with objects and climb together, tell each other to follow or stay put, point and even hug. Many of the objectives throughout the journey of Voyage require cooperation between two characters; for example pushing pillars, moving objects and helping each other while climbing. In addition to this, the actual shared exploration of the game does also play a part in the narrative itself. Whether you decide to play by yourself or cooperatively, the journey will revolve around two survivors in their search for answers and unravel a mystery and find a way home together.

Interesting Facts – Features

• Share Experience, work alone or with a friend
• Lose yourself in Voyage’s sprawling and expansive hand painted environments
• Customizable input methods such as keyboard, gamepad, mouse and touch
• Music and sound by Calum Bowen, composer for Snipperclips, Pikuniku and Lovely Planet
• Replay the game and come to different personal conclusions
• Relaxing and Unique journey focus
• A game that could be played by anyone without much difficulty
• Players can expect to travel through several carefully chosen environments; sunlit ruins, windy grasslands, sandstorm filled desserts, swamps, misty forests, mossy forests, caves, underwater, a spaceship and more
• Find and understand murals that show what has transpired
• Creatures and otherworldly beings that players get to interact with along their journey, some playing a bigger part in the overall story of the game
• Voyage consists of various settings and moods all tailored to support both the gameplay and the narrative of the game

Unique – Ready to Captivate a broad audience

Voyage has already been described as unique and absorbing, with no audible voices and no text dialogue but soothing backdrop music it opens up a fascinating way to observe and play. With simple controls, focus is squarely toward the visual delights on offer and the challenges that unfold as you are instantly pulled into this beautifully crafted story!

Source: PR Email

Vienna/Austria, Jacksonville/Florida, Tokyo/Japan August 3, 2022: THQ Nordic GmbH and All Elite Wrestling, LLC (AEW) and YUKE’S Co., Ltd. today confirmed that the release of AEW: Fight Forever will be the tag-team event of the century! The two companies have joined forces to bring developer YUKES’ latest creation to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

“One of the first things I did after signing with AEW was to ask Tony Khan to let me help assemble the best gaming team on the planet, to make the best wrestling game ever,” said Kenny Omega, EVP of AEW and former AEW World Champion and AEW World Tag Team Champion. “Well, we just landed the perfect finisher by partnering with global publishing and distribution powerhouse THQ Nordic for AEW: Fight Forever. The THQ brand has long been synonymous with wrestling games – there is simply no more qualified partner to bring AEW: Fight Forever to the millions of wrestling fans the world over.”

YUKE’S president and CEO Yukinori Taniguchi said “I am both gratified and excited to have the opportunity to work with AEW – who is breathing new life into the pro wrestling industry – and the THQ Brand, with whom we have created an entire era of pro wrestling games. Using the expertise we have cultivated over the years, we are taking on this project with the ultimate staff from the YUKE’S Development Team in order to recreate AEW’s appeal within a video game to the highest degree. We hope that fans will enjoy experiencing the most cutting-edge technology, and the next evolution, in pro wrestling gaming.”

“Kenny’s incredible vision for AEW: Fight Forever is informed by his wrestling pedigree both inside the ring and on the controller,” said Executive Producer Reinhard Pollice, THQ Nordic. “Combine that vision with YUKES’ unparalleled wrestling game development history is resulting in an AEW experience that draws heavily on the arcade feel that first won wrestling gamer hearts more than two decades ago.”

A touch of nostalgia is just the beginning in AEW: Fight Forever. Players can look forward to pulling off the most current wrestling moves seen on wildly popular AEW programming. This, in addition to innovative tandem offensive moves. Online co-op wrestling is going completely next level with Tag Team matches that feature sequences of team maneuvers performed with simple commands. A long roster of the most popular AEW wrestlers, deep career mode, create-a-wrestler, signature AEW arenas, multiple match types and even some good ol’ fashioned, unsanctioned fun await!

About AEW: Fight Forever

Features:

• Match Types
  • Single Matches
  • Tag-Team
  • 3-Way
  • 4-Way
  • Ladder Matches
  • Casino Battle Royale
  • Falls Count Anywhere
  • Unsanctioned Lights-Out (allows use of weapons)
  • Exploding Barbed Wire Death Matches
• Career Mode
• Wide Range of Customization Modes
  • Custom Wrestlers (attire and appearance)
  • Custom Move-Sets
  • Custom Entrances
  • Custom Teams
  • Custom Arenas
• Online Multiplayer
• Leaderboards

Source: PR Email