Developer Shotgun with Glitters describe The Padre as “a corrupted fairytale set in the 1910’s”. While a smattering of literary horror influences can be dredged up from The Padre‘s darkest corners, my time spent with the Alpha demo was less a ghost story, more a…
One of the Japanese demonology inspired Yokai you’ll face in indie platformer Rising Dusk is the lizard-bird hybrid Kappa. The Kappa is an ancient Japanese folklore staple, and has a history with games too – the most notable example being fire breathing princess stealer King…
Way back in the forgotten days of the year 2013, Taitale Studios launched a Kickstarter for their massive MMORTS, Novus AEterno. The devs were asking for $200,000, but despite interest from the community they were nowhere near achieving their goal. Fortunately, as time ticked down…
It’s a great time in gaming for feel-good Armageddon scenarios. The Cede Kickstarter launched recently, giving green-thumbed gamers the chance to bring beautiful blooms to a gloomy doomsday. Now, with the gorgeously cell-shaded Flotsam, catastrophic floods have never looked quite so inviting. Let’s dive in, shall…
I visited Croatia, where Saint Kotor is set, earlier this year. Saw some castles. Met some people. Drunk some beer. It was nice. I didn’t take part in any stygian rituals to resurrect eldritch monstrosities. Nor did I howl at any gibbous moons from twisted…
Post-apocalyptic worlds are gloomy places. I understand everything you’ve ever loved has been reduced to a puddle of goo, but maybe if you spent more time repairing society and a bit less moaning about the mutants chewing your face off, you might feel better. There’s…
Cats are shit. Whereas dogs offer love and companionship, cats only produce scratches, fur balls, and misery. These are well-known, scientifically proven facts. Yet for some reason, people insist on owning these creatures. Think of all the good that could come in the world if…
The big news in real-time strategy circles recently was genre leader Starcraft II going free-to-play (to an extent). However, at the other end of the market Starfall Tactics is steadily progressing with last week marking the end of a ten-day NPC Factions Test event. This…
Game nostalgia comes in many forms, but the predominate one seems to be low-bit count pixel graphics. Maybe, just maybe, there is another way to harness nostalgia for a bygone era without giving up on style. Enter Blue Omen Operation, a 2D action combat RPG…
Spying in video games is a fantastic example of the negotiation of power between the player and game. Compare 1992’s Night Trap to Five Nights At Freddy’s in terms of their use of cameras. One uses the extra eyes to activate traps in a house…
One of the best things about video games is the way in which they allow us to inhabit and explore a virtual space. These arenas are often beautiful, and some features, such as photo modes, encourage players to appreciate their graphics. But Gigoia Studios takes…
Since its first appearance, Darkest Dungeon has been an indie darling. It met high praise on Kickstarter – as well as earning over $313,000 – and got rave reviews upon entering Steam Early Access in 2015. Even now Darkest Dungeon is beloved for its tough…
The average gamer probably doesn’t stop to consider the sheer depth of video game design. Who can blame them? On average most can only find 6.5 hours a week to even play games. Naturally, the number of players exploring the minutiae of their beloved games is…
One-hundred-and-sixty. That’s how many times I have died to date. As a cartoon mercenary working for the devil himself, it is up to me to collect the souls of the living, and let me tell you, they have no interest in passing on. I jump,…
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild served a staggering reminder: it was the most open-world Zelda game since the original. Everything in between, while not without opportunities to explore, had a linear order in terms of dungeons and major events. Cue The Untold…
Vampires, much like any good horror icon, never die off completely. Even after the Twilight series earned them some bad press, people are still enchanted by their otherworldly nature. While many game developers have attempted to funnel this interest into an immersive, playable experience, few…