Twinworld Game Reviews

Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Friday the 16th of February, 2024: Indie publisher Ratalaika Games and one man, solo, indie developer Diedermor Studio are pleased to announce their forthcoming release Unlife. Launching on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Xbox One,  Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch on 1st March 2024. This is a dark and apocalyptic experience set in a world destroyed by nuclear war, where instead of land only the Black Ocean and its dangerous inhabitants exist!

Simply effective

Unlife may appear to be a straightforward 2d platformer in which you need to overcome various obstacles – swim under water, search for weapons and supplies, and destroy merciless monsters but there is a lot more to it. The hero will have to move between platforms on a large submarine from the Second World War and will also have the opportunity to personally control a smaller submarine. By collecting various trash, you can create items on the workbench necessary for survival. The genetic material of the killed creatures can help cure the hero of the disease, which will affect the end of the game.

Apocalyptic World

The player’s first task will be to reach an old submarine located on a sea platform where the character wakes up. The player will have to explore various oceanic stations, some of which are submerged. Visit an abandoned ship, navigate through an underground subway inhabited by numerous nightmarish creatures. The player will encounter various horrifying entities resembling spiders, mutant humans, a colossal kraken, and a terrifying monster from the depths of the Black Sea.

Monsters are quite dangerous and their attacks significantly harm the character, so it’s crucial to act swiftly. By defeating a monster, the character obtains DNA from which they create a cure for the parasite.

2 into 1

Unlife narrative is linear, but there are two possible endings depending on whether the player can cure their character of the parasite living inside them.

An dark, horrifying experience – a post-apocalyptic challenge not to be overlooked!

Features and Facts:

• Dark mysterious atmosphere
• Hand-drawn graphics
• Dynamic gameplay and battles with dangerous monsters
• Submarines and water locations
• Two endings
• Themed dark soundtrack
• Run, dodge attacks, climb ladders, scale ledges, and swim underwater
• Melee weapons for attacks and firearms for shooting
• First aid kits restore health, and canned food temporarily increases stamina
• Monsters
• Keyboard hints at the initial stages

Diedermor Studio’s Dmitriy, who created ‘Unlife’,  summed up how he sees his work and the experience offered to gamers. “ I love this game for its atmosphere, unique world, and setting. I managed to create a wonderful soundtrack that accentuates the character’s solitude in this dark adventure. I am proud to have successfully completed this challenging project, which is one of the most complex ones for me so far.”

Source: PR Email

Denver, USA – February 15th, 2023 – Yarrow Games are proud to reveal that their upcoming turn-based dice-oriented deck-building roguelike Tamarak Trail is coming to Switch, PlayStation, Xbox Series consoles, and PC on February 29th for $14.99, with a 10% discount available on Steam during launch week. Pre-orders are now available on Switch and Xbox.

You won’t have to wait that long to try it out though, as a demo is currently available on Steam. This lets players try out the first section of the map playing as the Detective, where you’ll be able to face the game’s first two bosses. For this demo, all abilities will be available, and you’ll be able to start updating the Sturgeon Lodge, teasing the permanent upgrades that will be available in the full game.

“We’ve been consumed by Tamarak Trail for so long, ensuring that it’s as pristine, balanced, and atmospheric as possible,” said Piotr Lipert, Lead Designer at Yarrow Games. “Being able to finally share it with everyone has us champing at the bit, and we can’t wait to see what kind of strategies people come up with when Tamarak Trail launches on February 29th.”

More about Tamarak Trail

As a member of a secret society named the Sturgeon Lodge, it’s up to you to piece together the mystery of a decaying earth, hunt down the source of this corruption and put a stop to it at all costs. Embarking on this adventure, you can choose one of three characters: The Magician, the Tracker or the Detective, each with their own unique abilities and traits. Depending on your preferred playstyle, the character’s different skills and attributes allow you to craft a unique strategy for your character as they navigate the ominous trail. Procedurally generated paths create a myriad of possibilities where you can encounter events, monsters, campsites, treasure and more. Every new discovery reveals new bonuses and strategies to explore.

To combat the monsters and nefarious foes you’ll encounter, you’ll have to be tactical in your dice-building, as each face could mean the difference between victory or defeat. Different dice sides can be used to attack directly, apply buffs and debuffs, inflict damage over time, defend yourself, or flip your dice to another side for combo-extending awesomeness. You can even apply “dice cores” to secure passive abilities.

You’re given direct control of your physics-based dice rolls, allowing you to smack them together to create killer combo attacks. In true deck-builder fashion, dice faces can be customized with more abilities after each victory, adding new attacks, defenses and combinations to take forward into future battles. Modify your dice to find a play style that suits you!

Features:

• Craft fully customizable dice!
• Use dice sets with physics-based rolls and infinite combos
• Play as one of three character classes with distinctive gameplay
• Immerse yourself into a meticulously hand-drawn, randomly generated trail full of mysteries and challenges
• Discover eldritch artifacts that drastically change your battle style and strategy

Source: PR Email

A boundless sea of adventure and discovery awaits you in Ys X: Nordics, coming Fall 2024 to Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC!

This milestone entry offers exhilarating, fast-paced combat, a moving story of unexpected bonds, and naval exploration across the vibrant Obelia Gulf. Adol Christin and his unlikely ally, the pirate Karja Balta, must learn to work together to save the people of the gulf from the mysterious immortal monsters known as the Griegr.

We hope you will enjoy this thrilling adventure when it comes to consoles and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG). Additionally, PC versions will include a language option for Japanese!

Source: PR Email

February 13th – Warsaw, Poland | QubicGames has announced that Bucket Crusher by Voodoo will be released for the Nintendo Switch on February 16.

Will you manage to completely destroy the wall until not a single brick is left standing?

Immerse yourself in the most satisfying casual game where you tear down walls brick by brick using a circular saw! Push the bricks into your Bucket Crusher to convert them into cash, but watch out because you can run out of fuel!

Once you complete the first wall, there are various colorful and interesting mosaics with different shapes waiting for you to dig into and pull to pieces!

Upgrade your machinery after each level and think carefully about the wisest way to invest your money. Increase the length, power, size, and fuel capacity to get more bricks with every run of the level!

If you want to knock down walls faster and earn more cash, consider buying special permanent upgrades that cost prestige points, but there’s a catch here. To get them, you have to reset all your progress!

Features:

• tear down various brickwork mosaics using your saw!
• earn coins for each brick you claim and reset your progress to get Prestige Points!
• upgrade your machinery for more power, size, length, and fuel capacity
• buy a variety of improvements: treadmill, tank, multiplier, discount, and servo!
• change the look of your saw with different skins!
• relax and de-stress after a long day
• beware because the game is very addictive!

Source: PR Email

February 6th – Warsaw, Poland | QubicGames has announced that The Nom by Voodoo will be released for the Nintendo Switch on February 9.

The new powerful form allows you to walk on walls, absorb scientists to grow, morph into objects, and blend with the environment when you are outside the view of humans!

Your quest is to find and defeat Dr. Vial to regain your human form. Face fierce guards and powerful bosses who will stop at nothing to prevent you from achieving your goal!

Explore a world filled with danger and mystery as you fight your way through each level, using your wits and strength to overcome the challenges that lie ahead!

Features:

• show your dominance using various attacks like throwing, exploding, or smashing into your enemy!
• avoid enemy vision and, when needed, morph into objects to prevent detection
• climb on walls and attack from above!
• upgrade your armor, move speed, growth speed, and fever charge to increase your advantage over your enemies!
• beat your records on bonus levels. Push guards in the void to go as far as possible, but be careful because the ground is falling!
• challenge yourself and beat Stealth Mode levels where you must escape unnoticed! Here is a twist – you can’t attack here!
• earn keys found on the levels to open prize boxes
• expand your observation base
• put on different skins to look even more dangerous!

Will you be able to defeat Dr. Vial and become human again?

Source: PR Email

February 5th, 2024 – Get ready to blast into some blistering arcade action with the latest title from Brain Seal Entertainment, Geometry Survivor, which is launching later this month on both console & PC!

Taking the popular Bullet Heaven formula and bringing it back to the neon glory days of early 80’s gaming, Geometry Survivor pits you against unyielding waves of vector based enemies. Fire off smart missiles, mega-lasers, blackholes, and more in an attempt to stop the horde, working run after run to figure out which combination of weapons will deliver the most powerful phosphor glow tinted payload. Keep those bullets firing as you spend the credits earned during your runs on new ships and upgrades, helping you survive just that little bit longer each time before having to put in another hypothetical quarter.

Geometry Survivor will launch on February 21st across Steam, PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One & Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

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

Gothenburg, Sweden – February 1st, 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 on February 29th when Elden Pixels’ atmospheric narrative adventure, A Void Hope, releases on PC and Switch. While you’re waiting for A Void Hope to take advantage of the disjuncture offered by the Leap Year and slide into our reality on February 29th, search for your first clues in the new release date trailer and check out the first in a series of dev diaries.

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.

Elden Pixels have also today released the first in a series of dev diaries, with this first entry featuring game designer Mikael Forslind discussing A Void Hope’s design, showing off early prototype footage and explaining how the game found its direction.

Source: PR Email

Berlin, 26 January 2024 – Sharpen your katana and ready your ninja stars– the trailblazing, true ninja action game returns! ININ and SLG are excited to announce the pre-order start for the Limited and Collector’s Editions of the upcoming remake Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn (Retail Editions following)! After 33 years, experience a revamped 16-bit style, an improved combat system, a BRAND-NEW level, and an epic soundtrack by the one and only, Iku Mizutani!

Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn lands physically on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 for 29.99€ and digitally on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4|5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC Steam for 19.99€ this Summer. Pre-orders of the Limited and Collector’s Editions are available now at Strictly Limited Games. Fans can also wishlist on Steam today, while the Retail Edition will soon be listed on iningames.com.

Regarded as one of the best two-player co-op games for the Nintendo Family Computer (NES) in the early 90s, Shadow of the Ninja (also known as Blue Shadow in Europe and Australia) propelled NatsumeAtari and TENGO PROJECT into becoming one of action gaming’s greats.

VISUALLY REFINED

In this thrilling action-adventure platformer, you will use your striking katana, as well as the acrobatic finesse of a ninja to face the advance of powerful enemies. Our fearless heroes, Hayate and Kaede have undergone a major visual upgrade from their original 8-bit models. From the deadly foes to the no-less deadly stages, every part of this title has been faithfully remade in stunning high-quality graphics.

COOPERATIVE GAMEPLAY

Special attention was dedicated to the already acclaimed 2-player mode, which now features upgraded cooperative gameplay dynamics, refined character interactions, and an overall optimized experience. So, grab a friend and engage in deadly shinobi combat to save the world in this dark action gem Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn!

LEGENDARY SOUNDTRACK

This remake brings back Iku Mizutani, the star composer who helped create the iconic Natsume sound and renowned tracks for various NES games.

Features

• An Arsenal of Deadly Weapons: Caltrops, shuriken, and more! Departing from the NES original, Hayate and Kaede will have an expanded variety of weaponry!
• Jungle of Concrete and Steel: Five completely recreated stages featuring devious traps and challenging platform puzzles. Plus, a 6th entirely new stage!
• Two Ninjas are Better Than One: Grab a friend and get ready for the critically acclaimed couch co-op!
• A Fresh New Look: Beautiful modern in-game sprite art as a faithful update to the 8-bit original!
• Bringin’ It Back to the 90s: Feast your eyes on the key visuals and characters illustrated by Dynamic Productions, the same remarkable illustrators of the original 90s title!
• A Star-Studded, Rockin’ Soundtrack: Play along with the legendary Hiroshi Iwatsuki and Iku Mizutani’s electrifying guitar riffs and fast-paced retro melodies.

Source: PR Email

Berlin, Germany – January 23rd, 2024 – The time has come for the Motorhead Empire to meet its match, as The Legend of Steel Empire officially takes flight on Nintendo Switch – physically and digitally – offering both seasoned pilots and daring recruits a chance to etch their names into the history of diesel-punk legend.

Take control of the Striker airplane or Zeppelin with an aerial mine launcher and engage in intense euro-shmup action, battling enemies both in the air and on the ground, and using devastating screen-clearing attacks in tight spots.

Up for more shoot’em up mayhem? We have a steaming hot collection coming soon, including both versions of the original Steel Empire (Sega Mega Drive version and Game Boy Advance version) and Over Horizon, launching to modern consoles worldwide as a digital download for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. Stay tuned to learn more!

Source: PR Email

January 22nd, 2024 – Today Indie publisher Ratalaika Games, together with indie developer Pixelcraft Games, are excited to announce the forthcoming release of two titles in a single pack – The Adventures of Panzer: Legacy Collection. Landing on 26th January 2024 for Xbox Series S & X, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 & 5 the two Panzer titles, the original and its sequel, are impacting side scrolling platformers adventures that offer hours of enjoyment and challenges.

“The Adventures of Panzer is first and foremost an action platformer. The games push the player to constantly keep moving forward and one of its unique qualities are the characters that you meet along the way – with humour and the light heartedness being the driving force. There are several small secrets hidden in the maps which include NPCs with useless dialog, but adding quirky interest. Both games feature Legendary retired raid leader, Panzer, and his trusty sidekick Blarghe. These are the characters you can swap over and harness their attributes”

Where it began

The Adventures of Panzer, the first title of the IP is a 2D platformer. With its raw and simple game design it presents some truly impressive challenges and gameplay. Unforgiving (with random bosses) it offers no compromises, just good old fashioned continue onwards and don’t look back play!

Present Day Sequel

The most recent creation, The Adventures of Panzer 2 brings everything that worked and was successful in the original  first game but now making it much more  accessible to your average player. Many new “quality of life” features are implemented  to make the game play smoother making the overall experience more enjoyable in another epic side scrolling platformer adventure.. There is even a level select feature, upgrades that the player can buy, multiple playable characters for improved repeatability.  Level design with more detail  and  interest and less unforgiving add to a more impressive experience.  Lets not forget the boss fights which are even more explosive.

Setting the Scene Panzer 2

Set approximately a year after the events of the first game, Panzer returns to his role as Raid Leader of the Zergadins.The old team has been “recruited”, an all-new state-of-the-art headquarters built, and a world of adventure awaits! But, a new evil has arrived and it will take the whole team working together to defeat it. So this time Panzer doesn’t have to fight alone! He is joined by the agile hunter Kankaro with his bow and arrow, the mage Ahzriaz with her lethal ice magic, and the crazed troll Vespeto with his insane explosives!

Features

• Multiple playable characters
• Real-time character swapping
• Unlockable special ability
• Non-linear progression
• Simple currency system to buy more health
• Skippable cutscenes
• Lots of useless NPC dialog!
• 9 fully fleshed-out levels
• 10 challenging bosses

1 meets 2

The Adventures of Panzer 2 is an entirely different beast compared to Panzer 1. In terms of size it is literally twice the size. But it also has much more content within that. The non-linear nature of the game allows a player to pick their own path – but the levels are predetermined, like most 2d side scrollers of this/the era.

Music and Sound – Pitch Perfect

All the music and sound effects for Panzer 1 & 2 were provided by Logan E. Schad who spent months crafting each level’s theme music. Everything from Pugnas dark and evil castle to Hareynas’ Farm. When you play each level you will know it is distinct!

Source: PR Email