Twinworld Game Reviews

Archive for December, 2023

Gothenburg, Sweden – December 19th, 2023 – Elden Pixels is proud to reveal its upcoming anxiety-fueled metroidvania The Prisoning: Fletcher’s Quest, coming next year to PC and consoles. On the brink of physical and emotional burnout during the last stages of an intense game project, a game developer escapes into a dream persona who himself is trapped in a mental prison.

Enter the mind of Fletcher, the developer’s dream persona, who just so happens to be a slightly overweight, 43 years old divorcee, struggling Honky Tonk musician, craft beer enthusiast, father of two. Look, not all heroes wear capes, but ours at least wears a cowboy hat. Help Fletcher as he struggles to pick up the pieces and bust his way out of the mental prison he’s stuck in.

Loosely inspired by real events, The Prisoning: Fletcher’s Quest, tasks players with helping Fletcher escape his mental prison and save the day! Venture through ominous environments ranging from Mars, to an insane asylum, to inside a computer. You’ll have to explore, collect unique weapons from each area – that can be tackled in any order – and employ a host of fun and creative upgrades if you’re to find and defeat the five prison gang leaders. Or become their friend. Either way!

“The Prisoning: Fletcher’s Quest is heavy on metaphor and self-reflection, but hey, if you’re not down with all that anxiety, these points can be completely skipped and you can plough your way through another tight metroidvania with killer mechanics, a banging chipmusic soundtrack, and more pixel art than you can stomach!” said Mikael Forslind, Game Designer at Elden Pixels. “Note: The Prisoning: Fletcher’s Quest is not recommended for anyone with a peanut allergy.”

Source: PR Email

Darmstadt, Germany, December 19th, 2023 – rokaplay, in collaboration with FIRECHICK, is set to unveil a substantial free update for its pixel-art top-down level editing sandbox, Super Dungeon Maker, on both Nintendo Switch and Steam for PC today. This anticipated update is packed with thrilling additions, promising to elevate the gaming experience for both new and seasoned players.

Super Dungeon Maker Updated Features:

• New Character Skin: Unleash The Knight in the realm.

• New Diverse Dungeon Themes: Embark on adventures with five new themes, each featuring unique mechanics:

  • Film Set Theme

  • ”So Many Me” Theme

  • Lava Theme

  • Tomb Theme

• New Enemies: confront six new opponents:

  • Shieldforker (Forker with a shield)

  • Projeggslime (Slime with projectiles)

  • Sparkull (Fire Skull)

  • Homefly (Chasing Fly)

  • Reveton (Skeleton Chicken)

  • Hoohoo (Ghost Chicken)

• New cosmetics: The latest visual addition – pets.

• Creative Dungeon Enhancements:

  • Traps trigger hit and barrier switches for more creative dungeons.

  • Corn Coins unlock Corn Gates.

  • Golden Eggs can now be placed on different floors to explore more endings.

• Hall of Fame Dungeon: High Tier Kickstarter backers present their unique and creative dungeons here.

• Enhanced Gaming Experience: undergo a reworked undo-system and improved controller functionality allowing players to draw floor tiles much faster.

• Steam Trading Cards (Steam Only): personalize your gaming profile.

“We are thrilled to unveil this update, meticulously designed to enhance the Super Dungeon Maker experience for all players,” said Linda Treffler, Co-Director and Artist at FIRECHICK. “The sheer delight of witnessing the imaginative creations crafted by players has truly astounded us. Experiencing their creativity has been a genuine treat and their creations are nothing short of remarkable!”

“With this latest update FIRECHICK has taken Super Dungeon Maker to the next level,” said Adrian Kaiser, Head of Communication at rokaplay. “Super Dungeon Maker was already an amazing game, but now there’s so much more room for player expression, and making your own dungeon has never been easier!”

Source: PR Email

14 December 2023 To celebrate the acclaimed Story of Seasons series, today Japan publisher, Rainy Frog, is excited to announce the next instalment of the critically lauded Piczle series Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons. Releasing on Nintendo Switch and PC Steam, this must-play puzzler offers a feast of fun, compelling challenges and beautiful settings that can be enjoyed on release 27th February 2024.

With the current trend and upsurge for more cosy titles, Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons, is a perfect fit to please that demand, as well as capturing a new audience that wants something more relaxed, but at the same time challenging and enjoyable!

The Recipe for Success

The critically acclaimed Piczle series has been redefining the logic-puzzle genre for over a decade. Infusing the series with a rich story and lovable characters, each Piczle title gives puzzle fans more than just puzzles. From the sprawling world and story of the critically acclaimed Piczle Cross Adventure to the retro LCD inspired Piczle Puzzle & Watch Collection and the rich depths of Piczle Lines 2: Into the Puzzle Verse, Piczle offers unique logic-puzzling experiences.

Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons continues this tradition and winning formula by offering not only the most feature-rich and cosy nonogram experience available, but doing so in homage to everybody’s favourite farm life game series!

In Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons players experience addictive nonogram logic-puzzles that celebrate the beloved farm life game series by exercising their brain with classic logic-puzzles. Favourite villagers and bachelors, tools and crops, animals and upgrades in nonogram form will provide you with countless hours of puzzling!

No end of nonograms

With over 350 puzzles featuring a wealth of different Story of Seasons mainstays you’ll have a veritable pasture-full of puzzling pleasure! Puzzle variations include nonograms featuring the series’ farm animals, seasonal crops, villagers and, of course, your favourite bachelors and bachelorettes!

Bigger together

Five unlockable collage puzzles celebrate Story of Seasons’ festivals by combining dozens of puzzles into a bigger picture. Each collage puzzle combines dozens of individual nonograms that each unlock part of a bigger canvas celebrating your favourite festivals!

Explore the Almanac

Clearing specific puzzles will unlock entries in the in-game 100+ page almanac that celebrates all your favourite characters and critters from the Story of Seasons games.

Play it your way!

True to the Piczle series, Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons provides the most feature-rich and option-abundant experience available to cater the puzzling experience to players’ exact liking. From hiding away the timer to correcting mistakes, from choosing the puzzles’ themes to managing how completed clues are marked off, play exactly how you want. There is no wrong way to play!

There is so much more on offer to ensure an intuitive & intriguing time is had!

Piczle series creator and Score Studios CEO James Kay commented “Thanks to Marvelous’ cooperation, I was able to develop a game that faithfully reflects the story of the Story of Seasons series. It was a great honor to work with Marvelous on the game and hope that fans of both Story of Seasons and Piczle will enjoy the game.”

Hikaru Nakano, Manager at Marvelous Global Games Studio added “The characters and crops from Story of Seasons have been turned into cute puzzles, creating a really fun game. I hope fans of the Story of Seasons series will enjoy the game.”

Features

• Test yourself with 30 hours of brain stretching puzzle fun with 350 puzzles.
• Reveal a bigger picture by completing collage puzzles combining dozens of smaller puzzles.
• See your farm grow with new crops as you complete puzzles.
• Watch the seasons change in your farm as you progress.
• Browse a 100+ page almanac with information from five Story of Seasons games.
• Listen to music from the Story of Seasons games in the Music Player.
• Enjoy the same charming character and farm graphics used in the Story of Seasons games.
• Tweak the puzzle experience as you like it with a wealth of puzzle options.
• Unlock 25 varied achievements.
• Supports 9 languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese)

Source: PR Email

Stuttgart, Germany – 12th December 2023, World renowned publisher Deck13 Spotlight, together with developer Argonwood, is excited to announce the forthcoming release on January 18th 2024 of Rising Lords, a stylised and medieval turn-based strategy experience. After nearly four years in Early Access on PC Steam, which was critically acclaimed, it has built up amazing community support. The full and final release will be synced in with the news of its debut release on Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo Switch, marking an enchanting triple-platform serving of enticing strategy.

Implemented for release

Together with a gripping story campaign, other alluring elements broaden its tactical appeal with exciting card and board game features, presenting an experience not to be overlooked. The full release of Rising Lords comes with an impressive list of must ‘shout about’ enhanced features: From graphics, user interface and engine upgrades to new events, maps, buildings, special figures, factions, skill cards, morale system, diplomacy, map editor + workshop support, challenge mode, story campaign and much more!

Setting the scene

The epic Rising Lords takes place in the fictional Northern Island Kingdom of Aubelin. For generations there has been no king, and the country is loosely ruled by the Council of Counts. The people are unhappy and the various regions are in a desolate and isolated state. The all-new story campaign accompanies the journey of Tankred of Tannheim, a young boy who must quickly learn to follow in his father’s footsteps and protect his homeland from bandits and cultists.

Onwards – Battle Forth

As Lord or Lady, lead your provinces to success by balancing production, resource gathering, construction, diplomacy, taxes and rations. Build mighty fortified cities, raise massive armies and use a variety of unique characters to triumph over your enemies. Manage your growing number of lands and people as you conquer neighboring territories, and engage in highly tactical grid and turn-based combat, using counters, skill cards and terrain to your advantage. Help your people become knights or sacrifice them on a battlefield far away, but be careful – even the most humble peasants will revolt… eventually.

Challenge yourself and your friends with simultaneous cross-platform multiplayer, a map editor and multiple gameplay modes! The story campaign consists of a prologue and six chapters, not forgetting a challenge mode where waves of enemies appear at every turn, and a scenario mode where you can choose a map and battle up to three lords (or friends of yours).

Features & Facts

• Turn-based tactics
• Varied game modes
• Versatile maps and map editor
• Skill and event cards
• Deep morale system
• Resource management and building construction
• Weapon forging and army creation
• Balancing of military and economic strength

Producer Carola Feierfeil “With a long and focused development Rising Lords can boast of MORE skill cards, units, events, buildings, victory conditions, etc. We are extremely pleased with the varied modes, including the gripping story campaign where you play the role of a young boy struggling to restore the glory of his ancient house and every decision you make will shape your path.”

An epic turn-based challenge is set to battle, build and survive!

Source: PR Email

Denver, USA – December 8th, 2023  – Independent game developer C2 Game Studio and Versus Evil, one of the leading independent video game publishers, have today released an all new blog post detailing some of the environments you’ll explore when Monolith: Requiem of the Ancients launches on PC, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms in 2024.

This latest blog post provides an overview of Gliese, a realm draped in mystery, where history lies cloaked in shadows and destiny teeters on uncertainty. Gliese boasts a spectrum of biomes that enrich its essence. Each environment beckons explorers to unearth their secrets, discover hidden temples, explore caverns, and undoubtedly revel in the manifold wonders that Gliese holds.

Here you’ll get a snapshot of its arid wasteland The Great Xanios Desert, once home to Gliese’s most ancient civilization; the  lush Deep Forest where legends speak of a hidden grove where the whispers of ancient wisdom echo; the snow-capped Kalios Mountain Range where harsh temperatures and fierce winds make for a challenging venture to all but the unique breed of Hiltsik who’ve adapted to the climate and setup a village there; and the enchanting Firefly Forest & Sacred Lake, full of serene waters and rumored to serve as the passage to a hidden Diokek City.

If you’d like to come to grips with Monolith: Requiem of the Ancients, a demo is currently available on Steam that offers a taste of its deeply satisfying combo-based combat system.

More about Monolith: Requiem of the Ancients:

The world of Gliese is threatened by dark forces, revenants from a forgotten time. Astor, a young warrior, must rise and unearth the secrets of the past, exploring majestic, mysterious ruins and ancient temples in an epic fight for the planet’s survival. Only Astor can gather the ancient powers and legendary weapons needed to stop an unholy ritual.

Journey across an expansive, colorful world, full of mystery and danger. Abandoned ruins and derelict temples from a long forgotten era pepper the landscape, teasing mysterious tales that you must uncover. Aided by an enigmatic presence, Astor will dive into an intricate storyline filled with iconic and endearing characters. Explore deep forests, sprawling deserts, frozen tundras, and crumbling ancient structures as you embark upon a globe-trotting adventure.

Source: PR Email

Indie publisher, Ratalaika Games is excited to announce the forthcoming release, on 15th December 2023, of Hirilun, a fast-paced first-person platformer set in a dark, strange city. Releasing on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch, this monochrome visual experience is well worth checking out.

Challenge

If you like a competitive challenge and a fast paced game then look no further than Hirilun. You are in a dark and strange city, full of hidden places and high buildings. Although anyone can get in, only the fastest will achieve fame all contestants seek…

Fast

Hirilun is best described as a time-trial-based first-person platformer in which you explore a dark and strange landscape. Run, jump, glide, sprint and dash to achieve the best possible time, and compete with your friends on the  worldwide leaderboards. You will need to move very quickly, running and jumping nonstop, going through all the checkpoints, and reaching your goal is far from easy.

Only the fastest will be heralded!

Getting it right

Each level has a multitude of different paths; which will be the fastest one? You’ll have to find out… Collecting the experiences that you will find along the way will make your timer stop temporarily. Still, it may not always be worth the detour…

Compete with your friends and against players worldwide. The leaderboards are updated daily!

Six maps make up the setting for the game and collecting items throughout as the world spins and speed is required to make for a very immersive experience. The fact  that the pathway to  success is  not a  linear formula adds to great replayability!

Platforming is the main essence of Hirilun and being able to move at speed, jump, contort  and manoeuvre, sometimes at impressive distance,  to collect items is implemented with consummate ease that allows players to focus on the challenges ahead.

Features/Facts

• Fast Gameplay
• Top Challenge
• A platformer with a difference
• Lots of hidden elements
• Race against the clock
• Skill required!!
• Great music
• Intensence time trials

Source: PR Email

In celebration of the Holiday season, Thunderful and The Station are today delivering an early Christmas gift in the form of the free Jingle Bolts update for SteamWorld Build. The Jingle Bolts update is available on all platforms – PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.

With the Jingle Bolts update, you will find the western wilderness in which you build your own SteamWorld town transformed into a snowy winter wonderland where even your citizens embrace the Holiday spirit with Christmas hats and snowman heads. It’s all ready to decorate with a host of new Holiday-themed items, including Christmas trees, candy cane fences, snowmen and even a gift sleigh.

Jingle Bolts is the first free seasonal update for SteamWorld Build with more updates planned in 2024.

SteamWorld Build offers a cosy building sandbox that oils the cogs with that unique SteamWorld secret sauce in an experience that works just  as well on console as it does on PC. Break ground and raise houses for your steambot citizens, keep them fed and provide some rootin’-tootin’ entertainment. Venture into the abandoned mine sitting under your town, rumoured to be filled with ancient tech that holds the key to escaping impending doom. Using the natural resources above ground and the abundant ores buried below, expand your town, stimulate new residential tiers to join the quest to dig deeper, unearth untold riches and ultimately help them to hightail it off the planet!

Source: PR Email

Montreal, Canada, December 5th, 2023 – Hey Buddies! No holiday feast is complete without WildArts and Dear Villagers’ delicious adventure RPG Born of Bread. Thankfully, it’s fresh out of the oven today at 10am PST / 1pm EST on PC for $24.99 / €24.99, and Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series platforms  for $29.99 / €29.99. Switch and Steam editions also receive a 10% off launch discount for their first week on sale.

“Born of Bread feels like the perfect holiday game,” said WildArts Lead Designer and Programmer Nicolas Lamarche. “It’s filled to the brim with hilarious gags, charming characters, culinary puns, and a lengthy adventure that captures the essence of classic RPGs from the 90s. Born of Bread is our ode to the kinds of games that we spent our childhood holidays playing, so we’re ecstatic to pass this tradition on to the next generation!”

“When we first laid eyes on Born of Bread we knew it was a keeper,” said Guillaume Jamet, Head of Publishing for Dear Villagers. “It instantly made us laugh, then continued to surprise us with its strong visual identity, addictive action-based take on turn-based combat, and incredible writing. We’re so glad that we can finally share the full adventure with all of you!”

Born of Bread is a home-cooked turn-based role-playing adventure that throws back to classic cartoony RPGs full of fun characters and charming stories for children and adults alike. Beings from another age are causing havoc across the land and their mischief comes as a great threat for everyone. The unlikeliest hero, Loaf, a golem born of bread who possesses a never-ending childlike wonder, will find himself and his newfound friends in the middle of a drama that’s thousands of years in the making.

Explore a wonderful world ripe with mysteries, ranging from the enigmatic ruins of the Forest of Roots to the freezing landscapes of Frosty Flats. With the help of your buddies, face off against menacing baddies and engage in fun, quirky turn-based /real-time hybrid combat.

The full recipe to bake Born of Bread requires the following ingredients:

• One flour golem who possesses a never-ending childlike wonder and a set of odd abilities

• A wonderful world ripe with mysteries

• An eclectic cast of fleshed-out characters

• A wacky storyline

• A pinch of light puzzles

• Turn-based battles with a dash of real-time minigames

• Bright, colorful 2.5D graphics

• Side-missions (add to taste)

To start with, you’ll want your flour golem, Loaf. Put him in a mystical land where he can mingle with his friends and local folk. Although he may not look like much, Loaf might be the hero this land kneads!

Stir in a story of beings from another age causing havoc across the land. And with their mischief comes a great threat to everyone!

Mold an eclectic cast of endearing characters, 2.5D illustrated setting, environmental puzzles, and unique turn-based /real-time hybrid battles. Be sure you know what your enemy is weak or resistant against, as it will take brains and reflexes to thwart Born of Bread’s throngs of foes.

Piece of cake!

Source: PR Email

Paris, December 1st, 2023 – Publisher Microids and IMPS are pleased to confirm the retail version of the 3D adventure/platform game, The Smurfs 2 – The Prisoner of the Green Stone is now available in North America for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

About The Smurfs 2: The Prisoner of the Green Stone

Handy Smurf has created a revolutionary invention: SmurfoMix! However, it’s missing a key ingredient, the Green Stone, which lays in the greedy clutches of Gargamel.

He sets off on a mission to retrieve the famous Green Stone, a key ingredient that would greatly help him  improve his invention, from Gargamel’s laboratory. But a fatal misstep causes it to explode, its fragments scattering throughout the Cursed Land. In addition to unleashing into the wild its incredible powers to copy and decompose matter, the Green Stone has set free the evil Stolas, a new order bent on creating a reign of terror.

A crack team of 4 Smurfs must then adventure to save the Cursed Land from the mighty Stolas! Well equipped, the Smurfs can count on the SmurfoMix and an unexpected ally… Gargamel himself!

Key features:

• Meet the team of 4 iconic Smurfs: Handy, Brainy, Dimwitty, and Storm.
• An accessible and intuitive gameplay that will delight both Smurf fans and action/platforming fans.
• Enjoy dynamic gameplay with exploration, platforming, and even more intense combat thanks to the SmurfoMix!
• For the first time in a video game, collaborate with Gargamel! Use his teleporters to travel through the Cursed Land and discover 3 brand new unexplored regions.
• Collect various resources to improve the Smurfomix throughout your adventure!
• Embark on the adventure with a friend or family partner in co-op mode.
• A new story which respects the franchise, set in a beautiful, well-crafted colorful universe!

Developed by OSome Studio, The Smurfs 2 – The Prisoner of the Green Stone is an all-new story available digitally since November 2nd on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. The retail edition for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch is now available in North America.

Source: PR Email

Gothenburg, Sweden – December 1st, 2023 – Thunderful and The Station are thrilled to announce that  SteamWorld Build is out now on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch at a price of €/$26.99 thanks to a 10% launch discount and available on Xbox Game Pass. On top of the launch discount, if fans already own everything in the franchise they will get an additional 22% discount of the deluxe edition and will only pay €/$28.79 for SteamWorld Build and the OST. Fans of SteamWorld games can now get their hands on extra discounts on Steam in a new SteamWorld Complete Bundle where the discount grows depending on how many games are already owned.

Welding the city-building genre to Dungeon Keeper-like underground mining and oiling the cogs with that unique SteamWorld secret sauce, SteamWorld Build offers a never before seen take on the city-builder genre from developer The Station. The soundtrack for SteamWorld Build is also now available via Steam, Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal through Distrokid.

As the architect of a SteamWorld mining town, break ground and raise houses for your steambot citizens, keep them fed and provide some rootin’-tootin’ entertainment. Venture into the abandoned mine sitting under your town, rumoured to be filled with ancient tech that holds the key to escaping impending doom. Using the natural resources above ground and the abundant ores buried below, expand your town, stimulate new residential tiers to join the quest to dig deeper, unearth untold riches and ultimately help them to hightail it off the planet!

SteamWorld Build has been developed for PC and console simultaneously to ensure that every aspect of the game works just as well with a controller in hand as it does with mouse and keyboard, bringing a traditionally PC-centric genre to console without compromise. In SteamWorld tradition, it’s a fantastic way in for newcomers to city builders, regardless of what platform they are on, while also offering a new twist on the genre that gives experienced players a refreshing new challenge infused with that patented SteamWorld charm.

“We are delighted to see SteamWorld Build receive such love from media in their reviews of the game and we’re very excited PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch players can now experience the game for themselves,” said SteamWorld Universe and Franchise Director, Brjánn Sigurgeirsson. “We’re looking forward to being able to share more about the future plans for SteamWorld Build and the series as a whole!”

“We always placed a lot of pressure on ourselves when it came to meeting the high standards the series has set and making sure we get that all-important SteamWorld-feel right when it comes to SteamWorld Build,” said Adam Vassee, producer at The Station. “Seeing the reception that game has been getting is really humbling in terms of showing that we delivered on that and I’m so happy that players can have fun building now that the game is finally out!”

Source: PR Email