Super Rare Games Announce ROGUE HEROES: RUINS OF TASOS Physical Release

Super Rare Games are excited to share the news that we’ve partnered up with Team17 and Heliocentric Studios to bring you the roguelite adventure inspired by the Zelda franchise, Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos, available in physical format for the very first time on the Nintendo Switch.

Only 4,000 copies total will ever be printed, which go on sale May 19th at 6pm BST (10am PDT/1pm EDT) – available worldwide exclusively at superraregames.com. 

As is typical of Super Rare Games, this rare physical release comes with all the current content, including the recent Druids & Dungeons Update, on its cart, a full-colour manual, interior artwork, an exclusive sticker, and trading cards. Fans also won’t be waiting for long as Super Rare Games titles ship shortly after release.

A dark evil stirs beneath the once peaceful land of Tasos… Deep within the four Great Dungeons, the ancient seals that hold the Titans at bay are gravely weakened and their minions have unleashed terror upon the world. The Goddesses who once forged these seals make a desperate plea for a band of heroes to come forth and save the world. Do you have what it takes to save Tasos in this roguelite adventure, and more importantly… are you going it alone or with your friends?

Play solo or multiplayer – Embark on your adventure solo or work together with up to four players in co-op mode. Puzzles and challenges will scale depending on the number of players so synergizing your skills and collaborating is key to defeating each dungeon

Classic feel with a modern twist – Classic in its topdown-style gameplay but with a modern-day colourful pixel art visuals and a wealth of options for puzzles and combat, Rogue Heroes lets you choose from a variety of tools, spells, and weapons to tackle the fearsome monsters and challenges that await you.

Delve into dungeons – No two runs in Rogue Heroes feel the same thanks to the procedurally generated dungeons. Each room has hand-designed layouts, traps, puzzles, and enemies all with randomised configurations, making every run feel fresh and different.

Endless customisability – The multiple classes all come with their own stats and unique abilities. You also have a large range of tools, spells, and weapons at your disposal – everything is upgradeable! Find the build that works for you to take back Tasos!

Restore your home – Spend your hard-earned loot on new buildings for your village of Intori and in turn gain access to new upgrades for your characters.

For more information, you can check out the official site. Follow Super Rare Games on Twitter for news and updates.

HoYoverse Reveal ZENLESS ZONE ZERO Closed Beta Details

Global interactive entertainment brand HoYoverse today revealed its latest urban fantasy ARPG title Zenless Zone Zero. Registration for the initial closed beta is now available on the official website.

Zenless Zone Zero is a brand-new game IP set in a post-apocalyptic metropolitan city. It features an engaging story with a futuristic art style, distinctive characters, and an exhilarating action-orientated combat system. Players will play the role of a “Proxy” and embark on an adventure with a diverse group of partners to conquer the unknown enemies and unravel the mysteries in New Eridu — the last shelter for urban civilization.

Contemporary civilization has been destroyed by a supernatural disaster known as the “Hollows”. They grow exponentially out of thin air, creating disordered dimensions where mysterious monsters dubbed the “Ethereal” roam. New Eridu, the last urban civilization that survived the apocalypse, managed to thrive by acquiring the technology to extract valuable resources out of the Hollows.

As New Eridu became the city of miracle and attracted more resettled residents, it also started the massive exploration of the Hollows for its perpetual expansion. The Hollows then became industrialized and monetized under the city’s administration, which gradually led to the increasing tension between monopolistic enterprises, gangs, conspirators, and fanatics.

Players in the game take on the role of a “Proxy” — a special professional who guides people in their exploration of Hollows. A great many people want to enter the Hollows for their own various reasons, and the “Proxies” are their indispensable partners. Players will help them explore the Hollows, battle their enemies, achieve their goals, and in the process learn more about their story.

Ubisoft Announce New Crisis Event NIGHTMARE FOG For RAINBOW SIX EXTRACTION

Ubisoft have announced Rainbow Six Extraction’s newest Crisis Event, Nightmare Fog, is now available until 2nd June. This limited-time event will test each Operator’s senses as an unavoidable fog of toxins makes its way through the Containment Zone. This ambitious update also adds a new deadly enemy, Protean Vigil. From now on, players can earn additional XP to grind out their Operators by ten extra levels with a new Prestige System.

As players make their way through the Containment Zone, they will be exposed to a fog that increases their Neurotoxin level. After exposure reaches a certain level, this toxin creates Psychedelic Effects for Operators, such as enemy hallucinations, disruptions that affect their vision, and deterioration that causes damage.

To cure themselves, players can find a Neurostim supply case that can temporarily remove a portion of an Operator’s Neurotoxin level – but there is limited amount of Neurostim supply cases available in each Sub-map. This limited supply challenges players to adapt new strategies for incursions and be prepared to take on Archæans while fighting off psychedelic effects.

Alongside Nightmare Fog, players can discover more exciting content:

Ten New Prestige progression levels

New Protean Vigil enemy

New REACT Rush Pistol

Five new Crisis Studies

Themed Charms for players to keep

Extra XP towards Milestone Progression.

Nightmare Fog is the newest content added to Rainbow Six Extraction, and players can look forward to more in the future. Players can jump in now with their squad via Game Pass on Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One, and Windows PC, as well as on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Stadia, Amazon Luna, Ubisoft+, the Ubisoft Store, and the Epic Games Store.

For more information about Rainbow Six Extraction, please visit r6extraction.com.

SLITHERINE Announce New Releases at HOME OF WARGAMERS 2022

Yesterday at Home of Wargamers 2022 developer Slitherine unveiled their next slate of titles set for release this coming year.

Below you will see the titles that were unveiled:

Ancient Arena Chariots

Dangerous, grueling, fierce. Chariot Racing was by far the most favored sport of ancient times. Ancient Arenas takes you back to an age where charioteers were the richest sports stars and team owners were their ruthless and fearless managers.

Manage your mansion, breed horses, train aurigas, assemble chariots, join a faction race in leagues or with friends. Control your chariots in real-time races.

Field of Glory Kingdoms

Field of Glory: Kingdoms is the new game from award-winning studio AGEOD, makers of some of the best grand strategy games of all times. It is set in 1054, just after the Great Schism, and it encompasses more than two centuries of epic European, African, and Middle Eastern history.

Administer your royal domain with the new Authority concept. Administer your population from the lowest peasants to the prestigious, powerful, and troublesome nobles.

If you want even more direct control, Field of Glory: Kingdoms lets you export and load your battles into Field of Glory II: Medieval and then load the results back into the game.

Master of Magic

Master of Magic is a combination of an RPG and a strategy game, a remake of a classic from the 90s.
In Master of Magic you take up the role of one of 14 unique and diverse great wizards who compete with each other to dominate the worlds of Arcanus and Myrror.

Choose from different schools of magic and fantasy races to command, then lead your minions and expand your influence and power across the land.

Stargate Timekeepers

Stargate: Timekeepers is a tactical game in which you lead a team of specialists through a story-driven campaign featuring an original narrative set in the Stargate SG-1 universe. Sneak a newly formed team behind enemy lines, use your characters’ unique skills, craft the perfect plan to unravel a timeloop mystery, and defeat the Goa’uld threat.

Lead a team of specialists operating behind enemy lines. Use your characters’ unique skills to come up with perfectly synchronized plans to overcome Kull Warriors, Jaffa Generals, Moloc’s Officers and many new and original enemies.

Starship Troopers Terran Command

Starship Troopers – Terran Command is a thrilling real-time strategy game set in the Starship Troopers movies universe. Take command of the Mobile Infantry and do your part in the war against the Arachnid threat. Ensure that human civilization, not insect, dominates the galaxy now and always!

Take part of this exciting military campaign, meet unique characters, see amazing locations and experience the heroic war against the Bug – all presented live on FED NET!

Well that was breathtaking keep your eyes pe

HELLO NEIGHBOR 2 BETA Review

Info

Developed By: Dynamic Pixels and Eerie Quest Studios.

Published By: tinyBuild.

Platforms Available On: Xbox Series X/S and One, PS5/4 and PC.

Reviewed on Xbox Series X, a code was very kindly supplied for the purpose of this review.

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Overview

Hello Neighbor 2 is a stealth horror game about uncovering your creepy neighbor’s secrets. Taking place directly after events of the original, you are a journalist looking to solve the Neighbor’s case because no one else dares to. Play against a complex opponent controlled by an advanced AI that learns from you and all the other players! As time progresses and the Neighbor adapts to the players’ patterns, his own behavior will change and surprise you.

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Gameplay

If you were a fan of the original Hello Neighbor title then rejoice as later this year tinyBuild will be releasing the sequel with a whole host of gameplay enhancements. Recently I had the opportunity to take a look at the beta build to get an understanding of what is to come.

The Hello Neighbor world has been somewhat expanded as the focus isn’t just on the Neighbor’s creepy home, now you are tasked to explore the neighborhood of Ravenbrooks to gather intel on the mysterious missing children and the reason for their disappearance.

As an investigative reporter it’s your job to sneak about the neighbourhood monitoring the strange goings on behind the closed doors. Peer through windows, spy from afar use your wits to gather the intel you need, just don’t get caught otherwise it’s game over and you need to start over again.

The different style of gameay works really well, opening up the world to beyond the house gives you so much more scope and really adds that intense feel to the game.

The new addition to the game “The Guest” a crazy bird looking man thing was crazy annoying just popping up out of nowhere to send me back, seemed to be darkness triggered so maybe keep close to the light, alongside that there were other bugs I came across but this is beta not the finished game so you have to expect some flaws.

Overall liked what I saw and looking forward to the finished product.

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Graphics and Sound

For the graphics the devs have kept with the original cartoon look of the game and it looks really good.

The soundtrack of the game is creepy and makes you feel more on edge, in game the creepy sound effects really work we to create the atmosphere.

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Summary

If I was to put my thoughts together in summary, I felt the game works well as a more open world it felt more immersiv and being a fan of the previous games I’m looking forward to the full release.

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Verdict-Out of 5🌟

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Good

I give Hello Neighbor 2 Beta a good score of 4🌟 a good insight of what is to come and definitely looking forward to see the full release.

Pre order the full game on Xbox now click here

ROAD 96 Review

Info

Developed By: Digixart.

Published By: Ravenscourt, Koch Media.

Platforms Available On: Xbox Series X/S and One, PS5/4, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Reviewed on PS5, a code was very kindly supplied for the purpose of this review.

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Overview

Road 96 is a crazy, beautiful road-trip. The discovery of exciting places, and unusual people on your own personal journey to freedom. An ever-evolving story-driven adventure inspired by Tarantino, The Coen Brothers, and Bong Joon-ho. Made by the award-winning creators of Valiant Hearts and Memories Retold.

Moments of action, exploration, contemplative melancholy, human encounters and wacky situations. Set against a backdrop of authoritarian rule and oppression. A stunning visual style, a soundtrack filled with 90s hits, and a thousand routes through the game combine so each player can create their own unique stories on Road 96.

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Gameplay

What I enjoy most about reviewing is that you come across different games that you may well have missed, going into that slot is Road 96 an adventure road trip unlike anything else you’ve seen before.

Take a step out of your life of normality and step into a new world and explore the life through the eyes of a group of youngsters trying their best to escape the authoritarian rule and skip the border for a better life.

The game is a mixture of many different games and it works so well because of that, you have point and click aspects mixed in with mini games finished off with a hint of life simulator. When I was a child my favourite books to read were choose your own adventure where you could control the out come through your choices which is what this game is as every choice you make has a consequence.

If you like a game you can get lost in then you are definitely in the right place, there is hours upon hours of gameplay for you to get lost in and virtually impossible for you to have just a quick go. Because of the choice / consequence mechanic no two game play throughs will ever be the same making for a unique gaming experience depending on the choices you make.

Without giving too much away the game itself is captivating with a deep story that resonates on many personal levels, it has raw emotions mixed with dramatic scenes that would fit into any action thriller film. The many different characters you come across each add more depth to the story with some you may find more helpful than others.

The different chapters of the game although are within the same world feel like completely different games which keeps the gameplay fresh and never boring. There’s also time to just sit in a chair kick back and enjoy the stunning scenery and soundtrack, you would think a game that has so much going on and so many characters would feel disjointed and lost but Road 96 works and works well.

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Graphics and Sound

The graphics of the game are stunning, the devs have gone for a cartoon realistic approach that works really well and gives the game that warm vibe. There are times when you can just sit by a waterfall and take it all in, just take a breath and enjoy.

The soundtrack is great – also available on streaming sites/apps – a mixture of chilled guitar and upbeat dance tracks about a good a mixture as the game itself. The in game voice acting is great and really helps tell the story well.

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Summary

Time to put my thoughts in a summary, the game itself is varied in styles that shouldn’t work but it does really well, the game never feels tired there’s always something to do and loads of replay potential as each time you play it it’s like a whole new game. Two big thumbs up from me.

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Verdict-Out of 5🌟

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Excellent

I give Road 96 an excellent full marks score of 5🌟 a game that you will never get tired of playing, seeing is believing and you definitely need to see this.

Grab your copy on PS5 now click here

Total Mayhem Games Release New Trailer Ahead of WE WERE HERE FOREVER Release

Total Mayhem Games have released a new trailer ahead if latest release of We Were Here Forever.

Take a look at the trailer in the player below:

We Were Here Forever is the fourth installment in the We Were Here series and expands upon the basis of We Were Here Together to offer an even more thrilling experience! In this series, you and your partner have different pieces of information necessary to solve puzzles and escape the enigmatic Castle Rock.

Communication is the key to success in this game, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be a walk in the park.

The We Were Here series has been played by over 6.5 million people and the new game is currently one of the 60 most wishlisted games on Steam, so fans can’t wait to get their hands on this game.

We Were Here Forever is released on Steam 10th May.

THE ASCENT-PS5 VERSION Review

Info

Developed By: Neon Giant.

Published By: Curve Games.

Available on all main platforms (apart from Nintendo Switch as yet), this review is for the recently released PS5 version.

A code was very kindly supplied for the purpose of this review.

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Overview

The Ascent is a solo and co-op Action-shooter RPG, set on Veles, a packed cyberpunk world. Welcome to The Ascent Group arcology, a corporate-run metropolis stretching high into the sky and filled with creatures from all over the galaxy.

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Gameplay

At the back end of last year I was lucky enough to review The Ascent on Xbox Series X on it’s release – take a look at the review here – I really enjoyed the game with it’s old school shooter vibe and it’s constant action, when the PS5 release was announced I was intrigued to see if there were any improvements or changes to the game, in this review I’ll take a look at the PS5 version and give my thoughts on the game.

Now I’m not into this one platform’s better than the other argument, but on this occasion I feel the PS5 comes out on top, the game feels alot smoother and with the adaptive control functions including sound effects through the built in controller speakers the PS5 gameplay feels alot more immersive.

Along with various bug fixes and visual polishing the game also now includes Game+, a transmog system, and a photo mode which only enhance the game even further.

In terms of the actual gameplay there isn’t much difference between the Xbox Series X version and the PS5 version, the added bug fixes on the PS5 give it the edge ever so slightly  up both are really enjoyable games.

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Graphics and Sound

In terms of graphics there isn’t much of a difference between the two versions if any at all, both played on a 4k screen look stunning and experienced pretty much no visual defects.

The soundtrack is basically the same lots of full on kick ass tracks, in game the sound effects work well, I personally really enjoyed having the effects coming through the PS5 controller speaker I thought it made the game that little bit more immersive.

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Summary

To summarise my thoughts of The Ascent, I personally found both games fully enjoyable throughout but felt that the ps5 version was a slightly more immersive and felt a more smoother experience overall.

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Verdict-Out of 5🌟

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Excellent

I give The Ascent (PS5) a solid top marks score of 5🌟 not just a platform port this is a highly polished version with more immersion, well worth picking up.

Grab your copy of The Ascent on PS5 now click here

Super Rare Originals Announce Next Release OTXO

Super Rare Originals have announced its latest title under its new original publishing label – OTXO!.

OTXO is a violent, tight top-down shooter with roguelite elements, a slow-mo mechanic, more than 50 abilities and 150 hand-crafted rooms, and a massive arsenal of weapons to face your inner demons with. Can you beat the cycle?

We’re ecstatic to be partnering with Lateralis again to help bring his gritty, loud, and deeply personal game to life, after partnering previously on the physical version of his game Dogworld. 

What’s more, we’re featuring as part of Steam’s Going Rogue festival, with a playable demo available from Monday, May 2nd – May 9th! 

At the beginning of the year, Super Rare Games, one of the world’s leading physical games publishers, ventured into new territory by announcing its brand new, all original publishing label, Super Rare Originals! The step was taken to further pursue our mission to become indies’ best friend and help preserve and support incredible indie games and indie game developers. The first Super Rare Original, Grapple Dog ( see review here ) released with critical acclaim in February, and OTXO is the latest addition to our incredible line-up of indie-first games on consoles + PC.

In OTXO (pronounced oh-cho), our protagonist enters an inexplicable, abstract mansion to rescue a loved one. As you venture deeper into the Mansion it becomes apparent that what’s being unraveled is an anecdote about abject misery and the cost of fighting against overwhelming odds. Face your inner demons and unveil the secrets of the Mansion.

Playable demo – The demo of OTXO will feature 12 different weapons and 10 levels. No boss fights, unlockables, or randomization of the game rooms is present in this demo – it’s purely a gameplay experience. The demo will be playable during Steam’s Going Rogue festival, May 2nd-9th!

Violent top-down roguelite action – A tight shooter with tons of customisation options. Utilise a special slow-mo mechanic, Focus, to take down your various enemies, unlock new weapons, and acquire new abilities from an enigmatic bartender. Build a setup that’ll help you break the cycle!

No run’s the same – With 8 different areas to work your way through and 150 hand-crafted rooms randomly laid out during your playthrough, no run through OTXO is the same.

About the developer – OTXO is developed single-handedly by Lateralis, the creator of Dogworld and composer for Glass Revolver’s WE KILL MONSTERS. His signature minimalist, gritty art design and reserved pixel art colour palette shine through in OXTO. His previous game was awarded 8.5/10 by Noisy Pixel, and our physical Switch release sold out almost instantly due to high demand of his quality indie game work. 

IKAI Review

Info

Developed By: Endflame.

Published By: PM Studios.

Platforms Available On: PS5/4, Xbox Series X/S and One, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Reviewed on PS5, a code was very kindly supplied for the purpose of this review.

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Overview

Fear and anxiety prevail after the darkest tales from Japanese folklore come to life in this first-person psychological horror game. Set in a feudal era, Ikai revolves around the priestess of a shrine struggling to defeat the spirits of her past and her present.

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Gameplay

If you like horror games that are a little more than just hack and slash then you really need to take a look at Ikai, this game chilled me to the bone but also frustrated the life out of me. The game itself seems to be a bit of a hybrid between first person horror, point and click and puzzler and trust me some of the puzzles will have you questioning your sanity.

You play as a young priestess of an ancient shrine struggling to defeat the evil spirits of her past and future, so there are no weapons to protect you in this game you need to use your mind what I mean by that is you write calligraphy seals to protect yourself from the evil spirits that lurk in the other world, this in itself can be quite tricky when using a controller as I feel that they’re not really made for this type of thing this is more suited to the Switch touch screen, but master it and it does feel quite satisfying.

As you go about doing your daily chores like washing and stuff this is when the horror side of the game begins as you venture outside of the compound and towards the river, this in itself is a puzzle as you can easily get lost, there are various puzzles you need to complete to be able to move on which were fun to complete as it made the game feel unique.

I’ve played a few Japanese horror titles lately and they have all been of a psychological nature, really going deep inside your mind and twisting your head, for the most part I found Ikai one of the better games I’ve played from this genre, there are moments of the game that literally made me jump but on the whole I was glued to the screen throughout not wanting to miss any of the story.

The whole mechanic of using your writing skills as protection really worked well ( although maybe not for controllers ) and added a unique feel to the game also adding to the tense feel of the game.

The game itself did well blending the different styles to make one hybrid game that will entertain you whilst also scaring the be-jesus out of you. The atmospheric feel as you explore the surrounding areas really make you feel on edge and make for a more immersive experience.

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Graphics and Sound

Graphically I think Ikai was more or less faultless with the developers really making use of the next gen power creating environments that look super detailed giving you more of a creepy vibe.

The soundtrack was great and really worked well in the menu to build the tension. In game the voice acting wasn’t the best but it was good enough to get the story across and overall worked well.

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Summary

To put my thoughts of Ikai into a summary, I would say that the game felt quite polished and did well to delve deep into dark Japanese folklore bringing a chillingly dark game that was a lot of fun albeit scary to play.

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Verdict-Out of 5🌟

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Good

I give Ikai a good rating of 4🌟 a good all round game that gives enough scares to keep you hooked, would recommend to any fan of the genre.

Grab your copy of Ikai on PS5 now click here