Twinworld Game Reviews

The newest addition to NIS America’s 2020 lineup is the heart pounding rhythm platformer Mad Rat Dead, coming to PlayStation®4 and Nintendo Switch on October 30 in North America and Europe, and November 6 in Oceania!

Directed by Yu Mizokami (Yomawari: Night Alone and Yomawari: Midnight Shadows), this game features the titular Mad Rat, who has been granted one more chance at life to fulfill his dream. The player must keep his heart pumping in time with the music and clear stages within a time limit…lest Mad Rat’s own time on Earth runs out! Funky visuals and addictive soundtracks, along with the ability to rewind, provide a unique experience unlike any other.

Source: PR Email

Stuttgart, Germany – June 18th 2020 – ININ Games makes the long-lost run & gun game Ultracore accessible for retro game fans around the world. The game was developed by the famous Swedish game developer, Digital Illusions, also known more recently as DICE. Releasing digitally on June 23rd 2020 for PS4 and Nintendo Switch in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. Ultracore will be available in the eShops for £17.99 / €19.99 / $22.99 USD. A digital release for PS Vita will follow soon.

ININ Games is excited to announce that we are able to give fans of retro platformer games the opportunity to play Ultracore after more than two decades of waiting for this piece of gaming history! Packed with ultimate action in 5 large stages with various weapons to collect and use to fight your enemies, the thrilling run & gun platformer from the 90s will be available digitally on June 23rd 2020 for PS4 and Nintendo Switch.

With the endeavour of Strictly Limited Games, Ultracore has been restored and completed after its development was put on hold due to an upcoming evolution of video game consoles back in 1994. In collaboration with experts of the genre and (former) members of DICE, the game was brought to life – improved, optimized, full of run & gun action and hardcore boss fights.

This masterpiece has been further refined by adding a second full-length soundtrack, so players will be given the option to either play through the game with the old or the new background music. This new soundtrack features more than 20 full-length synthwave and electronic tracks of few of the genres best artists such as Scandroid, Waveshaper, Mega Drive, Fury Weekend, 3Force, Isidor, Fixions and many others.

And now it’s the turn for the retro fans that didn’t get the chance to capture one of the limited physical versions of the game as Ultracore has finally made its way through to the digital release by ININ Games.

“I know the care, love, sweat and hard work that went into creating Hardcore in the first place by all involved parties. Thus, I think it is fantastic that this product finally gets to see the light of day and for people to be able to play it.” – Fredrik Liljegren, one of the 4 founders of DICE.

Ultracore presents all the tried and trusted features and elements of a platformer. Side scrolling, pin-point shooting, turret explosions, constant avoidance of enemy confrontation, including bigger badder bosses as you progress, and rewards galore.

You would not expect anything different… but can you make it to the end with your trusted hand weapons and jumping skills?

Ultracore Is Uber Cool!

Source: PR Email

Beijing China, June 18th, 2020 – Global publisher Lightning Games in collaboration with Independent developer RocketPunch Games is happy to announce that its 2D action platformer HARDCORE MECHA will be launching on Nintendo Switch this October. This follows its critically acclaimed launch on PC via Steam in 2019 and on PlayStation 4 in January 2020.

HARDCORE MECHA is a 2D platformer where players select their mecha to embark on a thrilling action-packed adventure filled with shooting, flying and exquisite animations – imagine a mix of Metal Slug and Super Robot Wars! The game features 3 major game modes: Campaign, Multiplayer, and Survival mode.

In Campaign Mode you take control of Tarethur, a mercenary tasked with finding a missing intelligence officer on Mars. Players will be engrossed in a story of conspiracy and insurgency consisting of 8 chapters and 18 stages ranging from deep underwater, out in space or confined in urban environments, all gorgeously realized with seamless animated cutscenes. In several stages, Human pilots can also exit their mechas, giving a greater ability to explore the environment and engage in further platform-based combat.

For players that are looking for a greater challenge beyond the 8 hours single-player campaign, there is a Survival mode, “Simulation Battle”. Here players can handpick from the 40 mechas that appear in-game, as they fight to survive against waves of deadly enemies.

Multiplayer mode allows players to select from a huge roster of customizable mechas and showcase amazing freestyle combo moves and experience the high-speed hardcore competitive PVP battles. HARDCORE MECHA supports online multiplayer and local split-screen for up to four players.

“HARDCORE MECHA is the ultimate mecha experience. From the array of different mechs available, the variety of stunning manoeuvres, on top of the engaging platforming elements, there is so much for players to enjoy,” said Louiky Mu, Producer at RocketPunch. “Now it’s coming to the Nintendo Switch, players will be able to engage in the fast paced competitive action anywhere and everywhere.”

HARDCORE MECHA was first announced back in 2016 and was successfully funded via Kickstarter which saw more than 4,000 backers pledge to the project. Since then, the game has won critical praise for its super slick and fast paced 2D gameplay taking home a clutch of indie awards at the Tokyo Game show, and Developer Award at the PlayStation™Awards 2019. HARDCORE MECHA was on top of PlayStation Japan sales chart for weeks, and remained in the top 3 for over a month after its release.

Source: PR Email

This IGF Finalist and A MAZE. Honorable Mention is both a surreal story-driven adventure and a puzzle game with mind-bending / perspective-shifting mechanics, made by Barnaque (Montreal, Canada) & published by Nakana.io (Switch publisher of EQQO, Soul Searching, Lydia).

Tagline:

Lose yourself in Infinity… but never lose Hope. Think outside the box in a multiverse of perspective-shifting puzzles.

As Hope drifts deeper into Infinity, Reality begins to suffer. There doesn’t seem to be any way out, and Hope is by nature doomed to carry on. Challenge your mind to help him out.

Master the innovative camera manipulation mechanic to change your perspective and discover new mazes, abilities and characters such as Time, War, Fatality or Technology – who can be helpful allies or deceitful foes in this 8-hour long story-driven puzzle adventure.

Infini Key Features:

• Discover a unique, mind-bending and varied gameplay
• Immerse yourself in a rich emotional story
• Easy to learn but increasingly challenging
• At least 8 hours of gameplay across 100+ levels and 10 diverse worlds
• Ideal for quick play sessions
• Experience original imagery and a soundtrack of over 20 songs
• Feel the void of Infinity!
• Independent Games Festival Finalist + A MAZE. Honorable Mention

Infini drifts into Nintendo Switch on 03 July. The eShop game page and a Demo are now available.

Source: PR Email

Manchester, UK, June 17th, 2020 — The perfect way to settle a score is with good old fashioned fisticuffs… and energy beams, swords and undead minions! Merge Games, along with France-based developers Dark Screen Games, are delighted to announce that Bounty Battle, the 1-4 player beat-’em-up with characters from all over the Indie World, is coming to consoles and PC July 16th!

Bounty Battle is the ultimate indie fighting game: a new 2D fighter, where you can pit your favourite Indie heroes against one another! Indie heroes from games like Guacamelee! Dead Cells, Darkest Dungeon, Owlboy & more battle it out in this fighter frenzy. Bounty Battle features 30 fighters from over 20 different Indie games! Fighters come with their own Minion companion and unique abilities. Battle across levels inspired from the fighters’ native game worlds with up to 3 other players.

Characters:

Characters – Bounty Battle showcases your favorite characters from these beloved indie games – Guacamelee!, Darkest Dungeon, Dead Cells, Awesomenauts, Nuclear Throne, Owlboy, Axiom Verge, SteamWorld Dig, Oddmar, Jotun, Battle Chasers Nightwar, Death’s Gambit, EITR, Super Comboman, Pankapu, Flinthook, Doko Roko, Tower of Samsara, Blubber Busters, Ruin of the Reckless, The Bug Butcher, and Blocks that Matter

Key Features

• A host of game modes including a Tournament, Versus, Challenge Mode, Tutorial and Training Room to perfect your style
• 30 characters from your favourite Indie titles each with their own move set and special attacks
• Each fighter has their very own minion to summon and join the fight
• 16 different arenas to battle on – some plucked from the worlds of their fighters
• Multiple colour and palette swap options to fight in style!

Bounty Battle is also getting the Signature Edition treatment! This edition is currently only available from the Signature Edition website.

Bounty Battle will release digitally July 16th on PC and consoles. Retail and the limited Signature Edition versions will release in August.

Source: PR Email

Manchester, United Kingdom, June 16^th, 2020 – Today Tri-Heart Interactive are excited to announce that their action-packed multiplayer, The Otterman Empire, will be flying onto Steam, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One July 2^nd, 2020 and is available to pre-order now.  Players on Steam will be able to enjoy online multiplayer action with Steam Remote Play from July 2nd, with console compatibility coming soon.

The Otterman Empire offers a truly unique blend of campaign, collaboration and competition for one to four players, and with rapidly-switching objectives and multiple game modes – no two games are ever the same!

Select your otter, choose your jetpack, prepare your water gun, and then customize it all! Challenge your friends in explosive and frenzied two-minute rounds, each with randomly-generated objectives and supply drops to keep you on your toes. Team up or fly solo to stop the otterly evil, Tiko from destroying the entire empire. Jet-off across the galaxy and stop his deranged experiments from wreaking havoc in otterspace!

Proud to be a community-driven game, developers, Tri-Heart Interactive have worked closely with a thriving community from the outset. Their close work with players helped polish a well-rounded, family-friendly multiplayer with a nostalgic twist – affirming their vision that The Otterman Empire would feature intense split-screen action:

“Community development and the decision to include split-screen, local multiplayer came hand in hand. Our events, our community, and our development process has always encouraged interaction between players and we wanted to reflect this in our game,” said Tri-Heart Interactive Managing Director, Kieran Rogers. “Bringing back split-screen played a major part in that. We also grew up in a time that split-screen gaming was the only way to play games together, and we all have a fondness for the experiences we got from gaming at the time, we wanted to offer the same to a new generation of players.”

Game Features

1. Unique combination of competition and collaboration which delivers a range of challenges with unpredictable outcomes.
2. Team up with up to four players in a chaotic, couch co-op campaign or test your friendship and go ‘t.o.e to t.o.e’ in our competitive, versus mode!
3. Rapidly changing game modes, two- minute rounds and environmental hazards designed to create otter chaos.
4. Eight dynamic local multiplayer modes including the fast-paced, Squiditch, explosive Detonator and sharp-shooting Target Practice.
5. Eight lush and detailed planets including the huge volcanic base station, Fishmonger Base, the technological playground, Ottopolis and the beautiful overgrown temples of Lontra

The Otterman Empire is available to pre-order now on Steam, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch and will be launching on all platforms on July 2^nd, 2020.

Source: PR Email

Valencia, Spain – June 16th, 2020 – The sunny adventure of Summer in Mara is out today! Chibig Studio is excited to share their farming sim meets archipelago adventure, available now on Nintendo Switch, Steam, and GOG for $24.99 USD with a weeklong launch discount.

Summer in Mara is part farming simulation meets story-based adventure, as players visit new islands, make friends, and learn more about the evil corporation Elit, which wants to conquer Mara. As Koa, Chibig Studio showcases a story about growth and empathy as players explore the world of Mara to make it a better place. Character development is a huge focus for the team, and this is reflected in the care put into the friends met, and the anecdotes of their travels.

Summer In Mara features over 30 hours of playtime with 250+ missions to set off on and 20+ characters to meet and befriend. Along with a host of upgrades, secrets, and treasure to find, Summer in Mara is set to deliver a wholesome and fun experience for all ages!

Players who want to try Summer in Mara can experience the prologue on Steam before purchasing. The prologue will also be added to Nintendo Switch at a later date. PS4 and Xbox One launches of Summer in Mara are planned for later this year.

Source: PR Email

Stuttgart, June 16th – ININ Games and Taito are pleased to announce that the localised, digital versions of two Collections of classic Darus Shoot ‘Em Up titles are out today. Nintendo eShop and PSN store will be releasing the Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade and Darius Cozmic Collection Console.

Iconic bosses, fast-paced action, mesmeric battles and giant robotic sea creatures – The Darius series pioneered horizontal Shoot ‘Em Up games and was developed by the legendary TAITO Corporation. The first Darius game wowed arcade fans in 1986 with its dedicated dual-display cabinet and its revolutionary enemy and sound design.

Numerous sequels and ports followed over the years, setting new standards for Shoot ‘Em Up excellence each time.

All games have been faithfully ported to modern consoles by M2 in Japan, so gamers can rest assured that these are absolutely high-quality ports with perfect performance.

Darius Cozmic Collection Console – Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4

This download collection includes 6 titles (9 versions) from the Darius home console series:

• Darius II (Mega Drive, JP version)
• SAGAIA (Genesis, US version)
• SAGAIA (Master System, EU version)
• Darius Twin (Super Famicom, JP version)
• Darius Twin (Super NES, US version)
• Darius Force (Super Famicom, JP version)
• Super Nova (Super NES, US version)
• Darius Alpha (PC Engine, JP version)
• Darius Plus (PC Engine, JP version)

Price: 54.99€ / 44.99 GBP / 59.99 USD

Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade – Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4

This download collection includes 4 titles (7 versions) from the Darius arcade series:

• Darius (Arcade, original version)
• Darius (Arcade, new version)
• Darius (Arcade, extra version)
• Darius II (Arcade, Dual Screen version)
• SAGAIA (Arcade, ver.1)
• SAGAIA (Arcade, ver.2)
• Darius Gaiden (Arcade)

Price: 39.99€ / 34,99 GBP/ 44,99 USD

Bombs Away!

Source: PR Email