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EITR – A Shield Maidens Quest to Restore Light to Yggdrasil

Action Featured Game Trailers News 06/19/2015

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Battle Your Way through 9 Dark Worlds in the Action RPG – EITR

2 man London based game developers Eneme Entertainment are hard at work on their latest action RPG EITR. Set in a world of Norse mythology, this mysteriously dark tribute to the Diablo and Dark Souls franchises puts players in control of a badass female protagonist called a Shield Maiden. Her world has fallen into darkness at the hands of the enigmatic trickster god Loki, who has released the EITR upon your realm. As a result, this has corrupted the powerful world tree “Yggdrasil”, the connector of the 9 Norse worlds. With sword and shield in hand (and a hunger for ass kicking), you must walk through ruined worlds in a battle against this dark substance. Your quest to restore light to the Yggdrasil will not be an easy one. It will be filled with gruesome monstrosities that you must slaughter with extreme prejudice in order to restore balance to your homeland.

EITR is reminiscent of the 96’ classic action dungeon crawler Diablo, with a bit of Dark Souls, Path of Exile, and even (dare i say) Light Crusader (Sega Genesis) thrown in. Armed with a sword, shield, bow, and a slew of magical power ups, players will have to fight off an diverse array of monster and boss types. ETIR’s isometric camera angle allows players to move around freely and gives a real sense of the level layouts. The also gives with enough screen real estate to take on a flurry of attacks from massive groups of enemies. The gameplay trailer shows the Shield Maiden having a tough time even taking on 2-3 enemies simultaneously, so players will have to rely heavily their shields to ward off vicious attacks. The controls are tight and every missed sword swing looks like it could be disastrous for player health and sanity. As far as design is concerned, EITR’s pixel art animations are beautifully smooth, impressive, and create a fascinatingly bleak aesthetic. This gives the game a somber and desolate tone that add depth to the world and the games story. Developer screenshots show the Shield Maiden sitting alone by a campfire, reflecting upon the horrors she has faced in battle and the long blood soaked road ahead. Judging by the gameplay trailer and various screenshots, this will not be a cakewalk for our sword wielding heroine.

The music and visual tone of EITR give this indie game a unique vibe. The battles look frustratingly enjoyable and I have heard that randomly generated loot is in the works. Get ready for a tense and challenging gameplay experience that really takes us back to the roots of the genre. This game has made my list for most anticipated games of 2016 and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. EITR is destined to join other honorary action RPG’s in Valhalla!

EITR is scheduled for release in 2016 for PC, STEAM, and probably coming to Sony and Xbox consoles. Check out the E3 game trailer and the gameplay trailer above!

What do you think of EITR? Let us know in the comments section below!

Run or Die Game Review – A 2D retro runner that will have you Jumping, Diving, and Dying

Run or Die – Punishing Retro Runner with Replay Value for Days

Team Flow games latest release Run or Die, for STEAM/PC is a fast paced retro runner that forces players to react quickly in order to navigate a dangerous futuristic city. Released for STEAM on December 11^th 2014, Run or Die combines simple jump and dodge gameplay mechanics with tough as nails obstacles, that will frustrate you beyond belief but keep you coming back for more.

Game Features

Like many other games of the 2D runner genre, Run or Die has your standard run and jump platforming controls and sensibilities. The main things that make this game stand out from others, are the abilities granted to you by the ROD suit. This futuristic piece of hardware gives players the abilities to leap, dash, dive, use an EMP Blast or fire an ION cannon (sweet!). The levels are randomly generated with different obstacles for you to overcome and different abilities to use each time you run through a level. I found this to be pretty challenging at first, but once you get the hang of how the abilities work and where to use them, getting past certain areas takes on a whole new level of excitement (and stress) that is truly enjoyable. This is definitely a game with a learning curve, as the controls are simple but difficult to master. Each frustrating death leads to new learnings that allow you to make progress through the game.

In terms of environments, Run or Die has over 170 retro-inspired handcrafted maps that are beautifully designed. The sprite animations are top notch and add a unique pixel art style to Run or Die’s overall aesthetic. Created by Vidboy and Lifeformed, the music of Run or Die is awesome and reminiscent of super Nintendo era chip tunes that will keep your pulse racing. Run or Die features 4 different game modes which add a ton of replay value. Endless mode challenges players to run an endless obstacle course where after each death you must restart at the beginning of each level. This is awesome for fans of speed running. It would be pretty mind blowing to see someone tear through endless mode without dying once. “Daily runs” allow players from all over the world to run through the exact same city layout, with one chance to grab the high score for the day. Training mode is your basic walkthrough that gets you familiar with the controls and hurdles you will face in the other gameplay modes. Challenge mode gives players a chance to collect all the intel they can in the form of data disks before reaching the goal.

Overall

Run or Die is a super fun retro runner with stellar music, rewarding challenges, and a ton of replay value that will keep players coming back for more each and every time. You can pick up Run or Die on STEAM for $4.99, or during the summer sale for $2.99. Happy running!

What do you think of Run or Die? Let us know in the comments section below!

Demons With Shotguns: The Battle Between Heaven & Hell Rages On STEAM

Demons With Shotguns is a 2D Bloodbath of Soul Reaping Action

Ever since Joust was first released for the arcade and Atari 2600 back in 1982, arena style action games have found their way into the hearts of video game fans all over the world. With easy controls, a simple objective, and unlimited replay value, 2D arena platformers have truly stood the test of time. Just ask Nick DeMucci of Mindshaft Games, indie game developer of the new indie game Demons with Shotguns.

Features

Demons with Shotguns is a fast paced 2D retro arena platformer, where you can take on up to four friends in a bloody battle for their souls. Players will be able to choose between five playable characters: the faithless Preacher, the desperate Demon, the heavenless Angel, the peace keeping Nun, or even Death himself! Like many similar arena battle games like Samurai Gunn or Towerfall, Demons with Shotguns only features local multiplayer and does not have an online component. This has been a common trend in many retro based platformers as of late and I couldn’t be psyched about it. What’s better than getting together with a few friends and blowing their heads off as a nun? I can hear the trash talk already!

All characters have the same play style and only use shotguns, but things are sure to get interesting when players pick up tarot cards. These randomly generated tarot cards can either help the player by providing a temporary power up or negatively affect them by powering them down. In terms of level design, players will be able to duke it out in up to 4 different environments, with up to 10 levels each. Every environment has different hazards and mechanics that work to keep the player on their toes (and probably screaming in enraged frustration).

Game Modes

Demons with Shotguns features multiple game modes and types that make the action even more intense and fun to play. Players will be able to choose from various game types like frag-based deathmatch, soul reaping, capture the soul, and last soul standing. In terms of game modes, players can take the free for all approach and go nuts in the anarchy styled bloodbath, or work together in team based modes.

Demons with Shotguns looks like another insane action game that will offer hours of non stop soul sucking fun. Shang Tsung is definitely going to be butt hurt over this game. You can pick up Demons with Shotguns on PC and STEAM June 25th 2015.

What do you think of Demons with Shotguns? Let us know in the comments section below!

Horizon Chase First Impressions: Retro Indie Racing Game

Horizon Chase First Impressions:

Back in the 80’s and 90’s, arcades across the US were flooded with bright lights, huge arcade cabinets, and a barrage of bleeps and bloops. Many of which were competitive racing games that people would wait in line for just to have a chance to play. Games like Daytona USA, San Francisco Rush, Out Run and Hang-On were staples of the arcade and still exist in some corners of the world to this day. In today’s world, arcades have become slim and racing games have made their way into the home and have gone online. One studio hell bent on bringing the nostalgia of the arcade into the living room is Brazilian developer Aquiris Studios, with their latest retro racing game Horizon Chase. Horizon Chase is a beautifully colored indie racing game currently being developed for PC and Steam and will be a true tribute to 80’s and 90’s racing games. It stands alongside other indie racing games like Drive Any Track, Power Drive 2000, and Road Redemption, which we have seen a resurgence of over the past few years. A quote from Amilton Diesel, the Artistic Director and Co Founder of Aquiris Game Studio states “Our ambition with this game is to bring back fast and fluid gameplay, colorful graphics and rapid response controls, basically the essence of gems like Out Run, Top Gear and Lotus Turbo Challenge.”

Horizon Chase also features famed composer Barry Leitch, who was the musical creator of classic racing games Top Gear, Lotus Turbo Challenge 2, and Rush series. This is excellent news, as the sounds and music he’s created have defined and influenced an entire genre of games.

Horizon Chase looks and sounds as if you have been transported back to the arcades of past. With colorful polygonal graphics and a pulse pumping soundtrack, fans of racing games around the globe will be itching to get their foot on the gas! A release date for Horizon Chase has not yet been announced but we’ll keep you guys posted with a fresh update as soon as we find out!

What do you think of Horizon Chase? Let us know in the comments below!

Sinless Review – Cyberpunk Adventure Game For iOS & Android

Featured Reviews 05/23/2015

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Sinless Review – The Dystopian Future Never Looked So Beautiful

Sinless is a mobile game that combines visual novel and adventure game mechanics. Released by MGP studios and available for all iOS and Android phones and tablets, Sinless offers a mobile sci fi experience we have not seen matched in some time. This point and click indie game combines stunning visuals with a killer musical score that add an extraordinary level of depth to the world. Planned out as a trilogy, the first episode (“The Reveal”) places you in an ominous and ruined world, where neon lights and corporate structures invade your peripherals. In this highly sophisticated dystopian future, human augments have become the norm and average citizens live under the control of a New Order. The corporations Omnicorp and Titan maintain control of the population through the production and mandatory use of “ports”, cybernetic implants that control human emotions. They claim the ports help people become “better and more efficient”, and that “an efficient individual is a happy individual”. Is this starting to sound like a cyberpunk game yet?

Features:

One aspect of Sinless that is unmistakably well done is it’s beautifully stylized environments and sounds. Attention to visual design is one of Sinless’s strongest characteristics and is downright impressive. The bright lighting effects and wide color palette make the environments lush and extremely pleasing to the eye. If you look hard enough you will even catch reflections of other pieces of furniture in some of the rooms and areas. I can’t help but compare the world of Sinless to that of Bladerunner, Dredd, or Total Recall (2012), as the visual aesthetics stand right alongside these cyberpunk classics. Sound plays a huge role in setting the overall tone and ambiance of Sinless. The sound effects and musical score are top notch and might be some of the best I have seen in a comparable mobile game. Through musical and visual composition, Sinless creates a depth of feel and emotion that are refreshing and engaging for the player. Most mobile point and click adventure games do not nail these two features down, but Sinless excels in both categories. I’d recommend wearing headphones while playing, so you can really appreciate the sound effects the way they were intended on being experienced. You really feel highly immersed in Sinless’s cyberpunk world.

Navigating the game’s first person world is simple. The player moves by clicking various touch points within individual areas, or pulling the screen to look in different directions. These touch points will navigate you to another place or give you information about the world via a dialog box. I found these touch points to be awkward at first, since they are not marked on the screen for the player to see. You may have to click around a bit to get a feel for them, but it doesn’t take long. If you have ever played Snatcher for Sega CD, then you will probably be familiar with Sinless’s dialog and conversation style.

Another thing Sinless does a great job of is engulfing the player in the stories narrative and world. The narrative of Sinless is interesting and at times deeply cerebral. Throughout your quest you will encounter various characters from different parts of the city via world map, all with interesting and unique things to say. Though there are a few friendly conversations to be had, most characters don’t really chit chat with you. Instead they act as points to keep the pacing and story moving. Considering that this is a mobile game, it was definitely nice to be able to make progress quickly. Having too many available characters to BS with would likely get boring quickly and take away from the main story line. The conversations play out similarly to that of Shadowrun Dragonfall, where the NPC’s you chat with act as information hubs, allowing you to choose a key phrase which will further the conversation and give you more insight into the story.

Overall:

MGP studios has created a enveloping point and click experience that carves out it’s own little piece of cyberpunk fiction. Sinless combines a well-rounded set of features that excel over many other point and click games. With stellar sound and visual effects, and a narrative that keeps the player deeply engaged every minute of gameplay, Sinless stands out from the pack. In a mobile world that lacks competition of this caliber, Sinless is a unique cyberpunk experience that any fan of the genre will enjoy.

Sinless is now available for itunes and android devices for $4.99. The full soundtrack is available on soundcloud.

What do you think of Sinless? Let us know in the comments section below!