Twinworld Game Reviews

Archive for the ‘News’ Category

OSAKA, February 29, 2024 — Publisher DANGEN Entertainment and developer Manalith Studios announced today that Dungeon Drafters will be releasing on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox digital stores on March 14, 2024. The console release is set to include all content updates since the game’s initial release on PC, making it the best version yet. Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch are available now.

Dungeon Drafters is a mystery dungeon adventure with roguelite elements where players unleash the magical power of cards. In Dungeon Drafters, cards serve as the player’s arsenal, allowing them to weave powerful spells and devise devastating combos in exciting tile-based combat. Whether they split the ground open with earthquakes, hurl white-hot fireballs, or summon powerful allies to eliminate foes, Dungeon Drafters’ combat offers a wide range of combat approaches that will tickle the fancy of any deck builder fan.

Players start by choosing from six distinct characters – Mage, Brawler, Monk, Bard, Shinobi and Explorer – each offering a signature starting deck that guides their initial playstyle. Regardless of the initial decision, players have the freedom to branch out and create any deck they desire while customizing their character. In order to achieve victory, players must dungeon crawl their way through any of the six unique dungeons in the world, learning the tricks of each area’s monsters, making adjustments to their decks, and seeking specific cards to overcome challenges.

As players explore dungeons, they’ll face the choice of either diving deeper into the unknown or returning to the Adventurers’ Town to secure their spoils. Be careful, as diving too deep may result in losing precious loot! The game offers an immersive experience in the Adventurers’ Town, where players can prepare for their next adventure. Activities include acquiring more cards, unlocking new ones by opening boosters, interacting with NPCs to initiate challenging quests, or simply taking time for activities like fishing!

With 300 different cards of different archetypes – Traveler, Raider, Stranger, Oracle, and Warden – Dungeon Drafters offers a unique deck-building experience for any kind of player. Whether a power gamer seeking the strongest cards and most overpowered combos, a lab scientist experimenting with novel, audacious combinations, or a completionist aiming to 100% their card collection, players will find something to love with Dungeon Drafters’ deck-building system.

Source: PR Email

Gothenburg, Sweden – February 29th, 2024 – The city is collapsing, people are becoming shells of their former selves, a tormented couple is struggling to distinguish nightmares from reality and it all started with…well, the strange thing is, we are struggling to remember…. Decipher the mystery for yourselves in Elden Pixels’ atmospheric narrative adventure, A Void Hope, available today on PC and Switch.

What critics are saying

“…a mystery that pulled me in within the first five minutes” – GameReactor

“A Void Hope creates something new and fresh” – The Gamer

“…a visually stunning experience” – Adventure Gamers

A Void Hope is a short and immersive experience best enjoyed in a single sitting on a rainy, dark night. The game follows a couple trying to find a cure for an unknown affliction that seems to affect people’s memories, forcing them to venture into dark and dangerous streets and explore abandoned buildings in a collapsing city filled with delightfully detailed degradation rendered in Elden Pixels’ gorgeous retro-inspired pixel art style.

A Void Hope’s compelling mystery and carefully-crafted ambience is supported by puzzle platforming mechanics that require you to solve puzzles and find items as you traverse the city. There are dangerous threats wandering the streets too, but your goal is to avoid conflict in this narrative-focused adventure where unwinding the threads of the unknown by exploring the secrets of the city’s physical space, along with the psychological space of your struggling protagonists, will be your primary focus.

A Void Hope’s haunting aesthetic is aurally enhanced thanks to Elden Pixels’ collaboration with renowned synthwave artist Waveshaper, who previously worked on the soundtrack for Furi. His soundtrack accompanies you throughout your journey, enhancing the eerie and evocative landscape at every step. The music combines with sound design from Little Nightmares Audio Designer Christian Björklund and a story by science fiction and horror writer Frida Windelhed to create a seductively chilling ambiance that is as emotionally engaging as it is aesthetically pleasing.

Source: PR Email

28th February, 2024: Indie publisher Sometimes You, and indie developer Uncle Frost Team, are pleased to announce their forthcoming console release of Cybertrash STATYX. Launching on PlayStation 4, Microsoft Xbox One,  Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch on 13th March 2024. Gamers will be presented with a tactical 2D action-platformer offering lots of frantic action and entertainment!

So it all begins

In the future, robots and artificial intelligence have begun to replace people, corporations are waging war among  themselves. It is difficult for people to survive in such conditions, and some of them are trying to escape from the vicious system.

Inspired by an anime with a cyberpunk setting, the development team pointed out some salient features, “We are proud of how we managed to present the story, characters and balance the game for different styles of players. The game has three game modes with their own characteristics and accents. The player can choose the most suitable game balance for the passage. You can also note good shooting mechanics and interesting types of weapons.”

The goal of the game is to uncover a conspiracy against humanity and escape from the metropolis while being persecuted by the corporation. There are no sub-objectives because the game has a straight storyline. People are being kidnapped and modified by installing neural manipulators in different ways. Due to the limited resource of the chips, the newly minted cyborgs also take control of the unmodified population. Captured people have their memories erased and are turned into cyborgs. The opposition is weakening.

In the role of the main character – Jenet, you fall deep in the events, trying to remember the past and escape from the clutches of the corporation. Uncover a conspiracy against humanity! Run, jump, slide, destroy enemies, gain experience points, upgrade your character and win the day!

Tactics

The main character has neat abilities to manoeuvre to avoid enemy attacks. Also, different types of weapons imply certain tactical advantages. However, manoeuvres are not as necessary if the player selects the run-n-gun mode. Some types of enemies, when they detect the main character, chase the player and shoot in bursts, having their own ammunition. To avoid hitting the character, the player must choose the moment to counterattack. It presents all the possible tactical elements within such a retro platformer.

On the Level

Cybertrash STATYX does not have numbered levels, but there is a sequence of missions in different locations with a total of 15 missions. There are three modes which change difficulty and balance. Players can choose easy mode for quick walkthrough or tactician mode for hard gameplay but with much upgrading abilities. Also, there is a balanced mode for normal challenges.

It’s Getting Harder?

The difficulty level of the game depends on new types of enemies that appear as you progress. As the player progresses, he will be able to use upgrade terminals to improve his character’s characteristics. This will help you complete missions more efficiently and defeat bosses.

As you progress through the game and destroy enemy units, you gain experience that increases your character’s levels. With each level the player receives an experience point. These points, using modification terminals, allow you to increase the level of dexterity, luck, hacking, shooting and credit.

Boo the Baddies

All enemies are robots of different types. There are patrolling drones, and combat units with jetpacks for jumping. Heavy units without the ability to jump, but with high firepower, mines with artificial intelligence that quickly approach the character when detected.  Weapons galore and a lot more to find out as you play and progress.

Together with some cool sound effects and very high quality soundtrack, written by a professional composer, this retro platformer has plenty to offer!

A 2D side scrolling retro platformer with added energy!

Source: PR Email

Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons launches on Nintendo Switch and Steam today from Japanese publisher Rainy Frog. A special collaboration between the popular puzzle series Piczle, and the charming farming game Story of Seasons, the game offers 350 classic nonogram puzzles based on the delightful Story of Seasons games.

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!

Grow your farm

As you clear puzzles the seasons progress, your farm expands, livestock appears and crops grow. From your empty field when you start your nonogram farming adventure to a vibrant farm full of animals and crops, with every puzzle you clear your farm grows!

Collage Puzzles

Five unlockable collage puzzles celebrate Story of Seasons’ festivals by combining dozens of puzzles into a bigger picture.

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.

Story of Seasons Music Player

Cycle through the music of 29 songs from the Story of Seasons games at your leisure.

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 and 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

Fantasy meets reality as a battle between magic and order unfolds in REYNATIS, an all-new dark action RPG coming Fall 2024 to Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and Steam!

Seeking freedom through strength, the wizard Marin heads to Shibuya, where he meets Sari, an officer of the MEA, an organization dedicated to keeping wizards under control. Conceal your magic to explore the city as a regular civilian and shop or take on quests, or use your explosive powers to reach new locations and battle those who stand in your way. Fight for what you believe in in this stylish, spellbinding RPG from director TAKUMI and featuring music by Yoko Shimomura!

Source: PR Email

February 21st, 2024 – Warm up those CRTs and get ready to bask in the warm phosphor glow, because Geometry Survivor, the latest and greatest title from Brain Seal Entertainment is launching today across consoles & PC.

Taking the outrageously fun Bullet Heaven formula, and applying it to old school arcade action, Geometry Survivor tasks you with surviving an onslaught of foes in vector based kaleidoscope of color. Wield, upgrade, and evolve all sorts of unique weaponry, outsmart cunning waves of enemy ships, and earn points to unlock new ships and buffs to help you scratch things out just a little bit farther in your next run.

Geometry Survivor launches today on Steam & Nintendo Switch for $4.99 USD as well as on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, & Xbox Series X/S for $7.99 USD with the PlayStation 5 version coming a couple of days later on February 23rd at the same price.

About Geometry Survivor

Geometry Survivor is a rogue-lite auto shooter where you must survive for 20 minutes. Fight against waves of geometry ships, defeat their formations and survive the grid world.

Features

• One hand gameplay: Use just one hand to control the direction of your ship
• Auto-Shooter: Your weapons fire automatically, letting you concentrate on staying alive
• Weapons: Each run allows you to get a unique combination of weapons
• Credits: Earn credits and permanently unlock new upgrades
• Enemies: Enjoy the multitude of enemies each with their own AI
• 20 minutes of intense gameplay
• Retro visuals and music straight from the 80s
• Delicious gameplay!

Geometry Survivor is the ultimate survival game, do not miss it!!

Source: PR Email

21st February, 2024: Indie publisher Sometimes You and Indie developer BOV, a team of two, are pleased to announce their forthcoming release Cat and Ghostly Road. Launching on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch on 6th March 2024. An atmospheric and beautiful graphically stylized adventure title where the player has to go on a dangerous journey to the world of ghosts and demons.

Setting the scene

Fifteen years ago, in the cold autumn a white cat was found under a bridge by developers from the BOV team. Nobody was looking for him and so they took him in and has lived with them since. The cat’s name is Lune (symbol of a good beginning Yan) and they grew very fond of him, and, so, he became the prototype for our hero.

One day a misfortunate incident happened to the old man…. Now you will need to help the man and save him from death. To do this, you have to go on a dangerous journey to the world of ghosts and demons. Not all things are what they seem: in order to see their true form, you have special vision. Did we forget to tell you, you assume the role of the cat, a very special feline!

Cat Napped inspired!

Bov, the developer, highlighted, “The inspiration for creating the game was our cat! Because the cat is white, he resembles a moon cat. We gradually became imbued with the idea of fantasy in an Asian style. Everything else fell into place naturally. The main goal of the game is for the cat to save his friend’s soul that’s been taken by a demon. Secondary goals include helping fairytale characters.”

Sneaky

Cat and Ghostly Road is quest driven and you will interact with a large number of characters through dialogues and by using items from the inventory. There are quite a few diverse characters and among the key characters, it’s important to mention the cat-girl, where you will gain a new and interesting mechanic.The main goal is to free the soul of the cat’s human friend from the demon’s captivity. You need to solve numerous tasks along the way: help a carp, find the dead flower, locate a skull for a ghost, drive away rats from an old ship, retrieve a phoenix feather. There are many varied tasks, and the cat/you will need cunning and special abilities, which are gradually acquired throughout the journey.

Designed for a challenge and gameplay!

Cat and Ghostly Road is designed in such a way that you can’t skip any landscape. While some locations can be revisited, once the player progresses further, they lose the opportunity to go back. The storyline remains unchanged, but the game features a variety of diverse scenes. Some of the most memorable locations include the “Garden of Souls”, where one of the main scenes takes place, the “Spirit Cemetery”, a meditative walk through the “Pearl Tree”, and the “Ghostly Bazaar,” where you can encounter amazing characters. Plus a few more that gamers will find!!!

Features

• Cat’s visions – allow the player to see demons
• Mini Puzzles– playing the clay flute (ocarina) – a game involving zodiac signs plus lots more
• Gameplay – 3+ hours
• Dialogue – simple straightforward, yet challenging
• Cat and Ghostly Road – atmospheric and meditative in nature
• Music/SFX – Expertly crafted and incorporated

Visually Cat and Ghostly Road is a title that has a focus on its looks and ambience to create a tranquil and enticing story so that gamers can enjoy both the environment and the mental challenges. The luxurious hand drawn screens are detailed and varied and inspired by Asian culture and art.

Cat and Ghostly Road’s intuitive presentation and tasks allow for gradual progression and interaction utilising objects is also balanced but at the same time challenging adding interest for the player to continue their exciting journey of exploration and achievements.

Source: PR Email

Los Angeles, USA – 20th February 2024 – In the wake of the success of Baldur’s Gate 3, RPG fans looking for their next fix can set their sights on March 8th, when Burst2Flame are delighted to announce their simultaneous turn-based tactical RPG, Stolen Realm, will be releasing on PC, Xbox and Switch. Stolen Realm takes the core of the RPG experience and distills it down into a fast-paced experience free of RPG-bloat so that you can focus on making important choices. That includes strategic decisions in combat, how to take advantage of a highly flexible class system that lets you build everything from spell-slinging assassins to shadow-infused knights, and the opportunity to make dubious deals with demons in just one example of the attribute-altering events you might encounter on your journey.

Play Stolen Realm solo, or in co-op with up to six heroes, as you build a unique hero from a pool of over 300 skills in 10 distinct skill trees and arm yourself with over 700 unique lootable items, each fully customisable with modifiers. Frictionless drop-in/drop-out systems give players the flexibility to join or leave mid-quest, with the game automatically scaling difficulty based on the number of players currently active.

Garnering overwhelming positive user reviews during its time on early access on Steam, Stolen Realm takes the deep tactical systems of RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin and gives it a unique twist. Simultaneous turns allows all members of the player and enemy team to take their actions at once, creating the kinds of fast-paced encounters you’d typically find in action RPGs, without sacrificing the strategic richness that turn-based RPG fans love.

As you explore procedurally generated dungeons that range from frosty peaks to overgrown jungles, picking your path between battles, story events, resource gathering, shops and treasure rooms on your way to the final boss, you can discover and customise awesome gear that can radically change the way you play. Wield Abbadon the Soul Crusher, a mythic mace that raises slain enemies as skeletal warriors to fight for you, or unsheath the Bloodletter, a cursed sword that grants additional power at the cost of your lifeblood. D&D-like attribute based rolls that have permanent effects on your character in special events add further variety and intrigue to your adventure.

With the game launching out of Early Access on PC and hitting Xbox and Switch on March 8th, the game will be getting a complete story, as well as a brand new streamer mode. The streamer mode allows viewers of a stream to step onto the role of dungeon master, voting and deciding on the enemies and events the streamer will face. These updates add to a roguelike mode, hardcore more and 6 difficulty levels.

“After years of dedication and hard work, our small team is really excited to be launching Stolen Realm on PC, Xbox and Switch on March 8th,” said developer Jason Jolley. “The success and praise we’ve had during Early Access has been wonderful and we’re looking forward to introducing the game to a bigger, wider audience on March 8th.”

Source: PR Email

February 18th – Warsaw, Poland | QubicGames has announced that Woodturning 3D by Voodoo will be released for the Nintendo Switch on February 23.

Unleash your inner carpenter and shape incredible wooden sculptures!
Grab a chisel, carve a shape, color it with sprays, and sell your masterpiece to customers!

As an aspiring carpenter, you must exercise patience and precision, carving out some of the most complex pieces with attention to minute details – much like real-life woodworking.

In this engaging universe, every stroke matters. You are not just randomly using your tools. Instead, you work like a sculptor who turns ordinary wood chunks into unique and colorful artwork.

It’s less about speed and more about accuracy – a refreshing break from usual arcade fare – making it perfect for casual gamers and those seeking a challenging new venture!

Features:

• Grab chisels of 3 different shapes and start carving!
• Use tools precisely and carefully because any wrong movement can affect the final appearance
• Accept customer offers for various sculptures and earn money
• Decorate your wooden artwork with colorful sprays and stencils!
• Perform special tasks to get cash rewards
• Put cool skins on your tools to look like a pro
• Upgrade your studio and give it a new look
• Decide if you want to sell your sculptures or if you want to put them on your collection shelf
• Conduct auctions of your works and see who bids the highest!

Transform wood into amazing sculptures and master the art of precision!

Source: PR Email

There’s just eight days before the release (on 27th February 2024) of Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons, the next instalment in the series. Coming from Japan publisher, Rainy Frog, this lavish and much anticipated title offers hours of compelling puzzle challenges presented in a beatifically crafted setting for Nintendo Switch and  PC Steam gamers to enjoy.

Features and Facts

• Checkout the seasons as you progress
• A  new title from leading  Japan developer
• 100+ page almanack with information from five Story of Seasons games
• Fab and relaxing music
• Achievements
• Fun, and challenging
• Intuitive
• See you farm expand as you progress
• A cosy game to really get to
• Brain teasing – 350 puzzles

A Cosy Challenge Awaits!

Source: PR Email