Techmash

Category: New Games

  • Step into the Nightmare: A Look Back at NeverAwake FLASHBACK

    Step into the Nightmare: A Look Back at NeverAwake FLASHBACK

    Remember those games that burrowed into your brain, challenging your reflexes and leaving you with a strange sense of accomplishment mixed with existential dread? Well, get ready to dive back into that feeling with NeverAwake FLASHBACK, a game that’s not just a journey through a nightmare, but a nostalgic trip through game design itself.

    FLASHBACK isn’t just a re-release; it’s a curated experience that highlights the brilliance of the original NeverAwake. For those unfamiliar, NeverAwake casts you as a young girl named Rem, trapped in a recurring nightmare populated by the very things she despises – vegetables, dogs, dentists, you name it. Your goal? To survive, collect her “soul” (a collection of orbs), and ultimately wake up. Sounds simple, right? Think again.

    What made NeverAwake so compelling, and what FLASHBACK emphasises, is its unique blend of bullet-hell action, rogue-lite elements, and a hauntingly beautiful aesthetic. The game throws increasingly complex patterns of enemies and projectiles at you, demanding precision and quick thinking. But it’s not just about dodging; it’s about strategic movement, weapon upgrades, and understanding the subtle nuances of each boss encounter.

    A Visual and Auditory Feast (or Fright!)

    One of the first things that strikes you about NeverAwake is its art style. It’s a gorgeous, hand-drawn dreamscape that oscillates between whimsical and genuinely unsettling. From the swirling, psychedelic backgrounds to the grotesque yet oddly charming enemy designs, every frame is a piece of art.

    The audio design complements this perfectly, with a soundtrack that’s both ethereal and anxiety-inducing, perfectly reflecting the dreamlike quality of Rem’s struggle.

    More Than Just a Bullet-Hell

    While the bullet-hell mechanics are certainly a core part of the experience, NeverAwake FLASHBACK offers so much more. The rogue-lite elements mean that each run feels fresh, with different weapon combinations and upgrades available. You might discover a new synergy that completely changes your approach to a previously impossible boss. This constant experimentation and learning are what keep you coming back for “just one more run.”

    And let’s not forget the bosses themselves. Oh, the bosses. They are truly the stuff of nightmares, each with unique attack patterns and weaknesses to uncover. From giant, angry vegetables to a terrifying dentist’s drill, these encounters are intense, challenging, and incredibly satisfying to overcome.

    Why Play FLASHBACK Now?

    For those who missed the original, FLASHBACK is the perfect entry point. It’s a chance to experience a truly unique and memorable game that defies easy categorisation. For veterans of NeverAwake, FLASHBACK offers a chance to revisit Rem’s nightmare with potentially enhanced features, quality-of-life improvements, or even new content that makes the journey feel fresh all over again.

    In a gaming landscape often saturated with familiar genres, NeverAwake FLASHBACK stands out as a testament to creative vision and challenging gameplay. It’s a game that will test your skills, immerse you in a fantastical world, and leave you pondering the strange and wonderful things that lurk in our subconscious. So, if you’re ready to face your fears (and maybe some broccoli monsters), dive into NeverAwake FLASHBACK. Just try not to lose too much sleep!

    NeverAwake FLASHBACK https://neverawake.neotro.jp

    #NeverAwakeFLASHBACK #NeverAwake #FLASHBACK #games #gaming #gamers #action #shooter #arcade #SHMUP #roguelite #PCgame #NeotroInc #PhoenixxInc

  • VR Giants: A Colossal Co-op Adventure You Need to Play

    VR Giants: A Colossal Co-op Adventure You Need to Play

    VR gaming is constantly looking for new ways to connect players, and one game has mastered the art of asymmetrical co-op: VR Giants. This inventive puzzle platformer doesn’t just put you in a virtual world; it makes you and a friend two sides of a singular, epic journey.

    Two Players, Two Worlds, One Goal

    At its heart, VR Giants is a two-player cooperative game with a fantastic twist:

    • The VR Player is Goliath, the Giant: Towering over the world, the VR player uses their body (yes, their actual body movement!) to act as a living part of the level. You’ll lift, shield, and create bridges with your hands and limbs to help your small companion. It requires active movement, making it a truly physical VR experience.
    • The Screen Player is David, the Tiny Hero: Controlled via a standard gamepad on the same PC (or through online features like Steam Remote Play Together), the screen player is agile and vulnerable. David’s job is to navigate the level, dodge environmental hazards like spikes and fire, collect coins, and, most importantly, activate switches to summon and move Goliath to new play areas.

    The core gameplay loop is a delightful blend of physical action and classic platforming. Goliath might have to hold his hand steady to create a temporary platform for David, or use his massive body as a shield against falling rocks. David, in turn, is the key to progress, collecting the necessary items and opening the way for the giant.

    The Magic of Asymmetrical Design

    What makes VR Giants truly special is the inherent contrast in roles. It’s a brilliant solution to the age-old problem of “VR isolation” where a friend can only watch you play. Here, the non-VR player is just as crucial, creating a hilarious and genuinely collaborative experience.

    Communication is paramount. You can’t just silently stomp your way through a level as Goliath; you need to coordinate with David, who has the ‘eyes on the ground’ perspective.

    The game takes you through diverse biomes—from icy landscapes to scorching lava caves—each introducing new mechanics. You even get different forms for Goliath, such as a Temporary Goliath who only exists as long as the button is held, or a Fire Goliath made of lava who must avoid touching David or any flammable wood objects! This adds layers of creative puzzle-solving to the adventure.

    A Must-Try for Co-op Fans

    With its original concept, engaging puzzles, and strong focus on teamwork and trust, VR Giants has been winning over players since its Early Access debut on Steam. Now, with its upcoming release on Meta Quest (allowing both players to potentially be in VR!), the adventure is set to become even more immersive.

    If you’re looking for a fresh, fun, and truly cooperative gaming experience to share with a friend, sibling, or partner, VR Giants is a colossal recommendation! Grab a friend, step into your respective roles, and get ready for one of the most inventive co-op platformers in recent memory.

    VR Giants https://vrgiants.com/

    #VRGiants #vr #vrgames #metaquest #games #gaming #gamers #RisaInteractive #coop #puzzle #platformer #adventure

  • A Grand Finale of Perspective: Why You Need to Play Roterra 6 – Royal Adventure

    A Grand Finale of Perspective: Why You Need to Play Roterra 6 – Royal Adventure

    For years, the Roterra series has captivated mobile gamers by turning the world—literally—on its head. Now, the saga of Princess Angelica and her royal quest comes to a spectacular conclusion in Roterra 6 – Royal Adventure, and it’s a fitting send-off for this award-winning puzzle franchise.

    If you’re a fan of mind-bending spatial puzzles, stunning environments, and a fairytale story with real depth, this is the adventure you’ve been waiting for.

    The World is Your Puzzle

    At its heart, Roterra is a gravity-defying, perspective-shifting puzzler. In Royal Adventure, the core mechanic remains: you manipulate the world—twisting, turning, and flipping specially marked blocks—to create a path for your character, Princess Angelica, and her allies.

    The genius is that the visible path is rarely the correct one. You must constantly challenge your perception, as a wall can become a floor, and what looks like a dead-end often hides a crucial, upside-down route. It’s an exercise in creative problem-solving that feels incredibly satisfying when you finally make that last crucial flip.

    Bigger, Richer, and More Challenging

    Roterra 6 takes everything fans love and amplifies it for the grand finale.

    • Massive Content: The game is packed with over 160 intricate puzzles across five expansive chapters, plus a bonus chapter for dedicated players. That’s hours of challenging gameplay set in beautiful, vibrant new environments, including lush jungles and mysterious underwater realms.
    • New Mechanics: To keep seasoned players on their toes, the game introduces intriguing new elements like mysterious ghost blocks—cubes that appear and disappear based on your perspective—adding a fresh, strategic layer to the maze-solving.
    • A Deeper Story: The puzzles are the narrative, but this instalment dives deeper into the lore. The animated story features Angelica, the determined protagonist, as she finally confronts her power-hungry brother, Orlando, and uncovers the full history and lineage of the magical realm. This is the conclusion that ties the entire series together.

    More Than Just a Game

    The Roterra series has consistently been praised for its elegant design and beautiful 3D visuals, often compared favorably to titles like Monument Valley. Royal Adventure continues that legacy, delivering a calming yet stimulating experience perfect for both a quick break or a long, immersive session.

    It’s an adventure that reminds you to embrace the power of perspective. In a world where “up” is truly relative, the only way forward is to think differently.

    Ready for the Final Flip?

    Whether you’ve followed Princess Angelica’s journey from Flip the Fairytale or you’re looking for a brilliant new puzzle game to sink your teeth into, Roterra 6 – Royal Adventure is a must-play. It offers a premium, ad-free experience that truly challenges your mind while delivering a rich, captivating fairytale conclusion.

    The final chapter is now available on mobile devices. Download it, start flipping the world, and help the rightful Queen claim her crown!

    Roterra 6 – Royal Adventure https://playroterra.com

    #Roterra6RoyalAdventure #games #gaming #gamers #Roterra #RoyalAdventure #DigiTGames #puzzle #iOS #Android #mobilegames

  • It’s Almost Winter in Sledders: Time to Hit the (New) Powder!

    It’s Almost Winter in Sledders: Time to Hit the (New) Powder!

    The anticipation is over! Just as the real world starts getting a chill in the air, Sledders has dropped its fantastic “It’s Almost Winter” update, and it’s time to fire up those snowmobiles. This update is more than just a seasonal name—it’s packed with new features, a fresh map to explore, and a host of quality-of-life improvements that are going to make your freeriding experience better than ever.

    Here’s a breakdown of what’s new and why you should be jumping back into the deep snow right now!

    ? Capture the Epic: Photo Mode Arrives

    Finally! The community has been clamouring for it, and the developers at Hanki Games have delivered. The new Photo Mode lets you pause the action, move the camera freely, and capture those epic, mid-air, deep-powder moments in stunning detail.

    Whether you’re setting up a new desktop background, sharing your best trick on social media, or entering an upcoming screenshot contest, this feature is a game-changer for all you virtual photographers out there.

    ?? New Territory to Conquer: Introducing “Drainage”

    Get ready to carve up a completely new environment! The Drainage map is now available for all your freeriding adventures. While we don’t have all the specifics, a new map means new lines, new obstacles, and fresh terrain to master. Grab your buddies and be the first to find the best hill climbs and secret spots!

    ?? No More Fading Tracks: “Infinite Snowtracks”

    Immersion just got a major boost. The new “Infinite Snowtracks” feature means your snowmobile tracks no longer reset at a certain range. This small but significant change dramatically increases the realism of the snow physics, allowing you to truly see the persistent impact of your riding across the landscape. The backcountry is your canvas, and now your work stays put!

    ? Personalize Your Ride: Wrap Color Customisation

    Want your sled to stand out in the multiplayer lobby? Now you can! The update brings Wrap Colour Customisation, giving you new ways to personalise your snowmobile and show off your unique style as you rip through the wilderness.

    ? Smoother Racing, Better Looks

    For those who enjoy a bit of friendly competition, the Multiplayer Race mode has received a welcome visual overhaul and general improvements. Expect a smoother, more polished racing experience for when you want to put your skills to the ultimate test against your friends.

    Performance and Polishing

    As with any good update, the “It’s Almost Winter” patch includes various optimisation changes and improvements, particularly benefiting console players with reduced RAM usage and fixed graphical glitches. A permanent solution to clear all your spawn points with the “Delete All Markers” feature (use with caution!) also helps clean up the UI.

    Just the Start of the Season

    The developers have mentioned that this is just a “small taste” of what’s to come, with a bigger update planned before Christmas! If this is the warm-up, we can’t wait to see what the full winter season has in store for the Sledders community.

    The “It’s Almost Winter” update is live now on PC and consoles. Time to suit up, hit the fresh powder in Drainage, and capture your finest moments with the new Photo Mode! We’ll see you on the trails!

    Sledders | It’s Almost Winter https://www.sleddersgame.com/

    #SleddersItsAlmostWinter #game #gaming #gamers #Sledders #ItsAlmostWinterUpdate #SimulationVideoGame #Adventuregame #Racing #Sports #HankiGamesOy

  • Celestial Return: Rolling the Dice in the Cyber-Noir Abyss

    Celestial Return: Rolling the Dice in the Cyber-Noir Abyss

    Forget everything you know about clean-cut heroes and predictable plot lines. Stepping into the world of Celestial Return, a gripping Sci-Fi Noir RPG from Metaphor Games, is less a journey and more a stumble into a rain-soaked, neon-drenched abyss where cosmic horrors mingle with corrupt megacorps.

    If games like Disco Elysium and Citizen Sleeper left a delightful, philosophical ache in your soul, then this is one title you need to be watching. It’s not just a game; it’s a manifesto for the forgotten.

    The City that Eats You: Welcome to Netherveil

    The premise is pure noir: you play as Detective Howard—a washed-up ex-rocker and paranormal anomaly detective—in Netherveil City. This dying, cyberpunk metropolis is a magnet for the weird: streets bleeding neon, corpses that crawl back to life, and a string of mysterious suicides that are anything but ordinary.

    Howard isn’t armed with a trusty sidearm, but a rusted badge, a pocketful of stolen dice, and a truly unique partner: a sentient, talking rose. Together, they must explore the city, interrogate the dead, and uncover a plot involving alien invasion and the cosmic horrors hiding just beneath the digital veneer.

    Dice are Your Bullets, Your Bribes, Your Breath

    The core of Celestial Return lies in its unique, dice-driven mechanics. In this narrative-heavy RPG, dice are everything. They are not just for combat, but for nearly every critical decision:

    • Dialogue Checks: Persuading a witness, lying to a cop, or even resisting an inner monologue’s pull all hinge on a roll. Success opens new narrative branches, failure burns resources or locks you into unforeseen consequences.
    • Resource Management: You earn, spend, and lose dice constantly. Hoard them, and opportunities vanish; roll recklessly, and you might find yourself without the ‘oxygen’ you need for the next crucial check.
    • Character Building: Forget rigid class structures. Your choices in conversation and skill allocation build your character’s Insights—like Virtue, Foolishness, or Anger Issues—which in turn shape the dialogue options you see. Every choice literally rewrites your path.

    This system creates a thrilling sense of risk and consequence, mirroring the existential terror of surviving in Netherveil.

    A Hand-Shattered Art Style and Sonic Warfare

    Beyond the mechanics, the game is a feast for the senses. Metaphor Games has crafted a distinct visual style that is both raw and polished, blending the detailed precision of Japanese manga (think Akira or Blame!) with the raw nerve of American comic books. The hand-drawn graphics are atmospheric and moody, capturing the grit and glamour of a collapsing world.

    The auditory experience is equally immersive, with a full soundtrack that is described as “sonic warfare.” Expect a jarring but perfect mix of Noir Jazz, Cyberpunk Techno, and Death Metal—it’s not background noise, it’s a character in itself.

    A New Narrative Legacy

    Celestial Return is shaping up to be more than just an homage to the narrative RPGs that inspired it. It promises:

    • Multiple Protagonists: The full game will feature the story told from the viewpoints of three distinct characters, including a rebellious cyborg and the aforementioned talking rose, each with their own Insights and anxieties.
    • Nine Thrilling Endings: Your decisions, rolls, and alliances will lead to vastly different conclusions.
    • An Epic Scope: Despite its deep noir focus, the game is a massive undertaking with over 70,000 words of dialogue and text.

    The team at Metaphor Games is currently on Kickstarter, rallying support to bring this ambitious vision to life, and the positive feedback from the available demo shows they are on the right track.

    The Verdict (So Far):

    If you crave a story-rich experience where your choices genuinely matter and the atmosphere is thick enough to cut with a rusted badge, Celestial Return should be at the top of your wishlist. Prepare to roll the dice and face the cosmic, cyber-noir truth of Netherveil.

    Celestial Return is in development by Metaphor Games. A demo is available on Steam and the project is currently seeking support via Kickstarter.

    Celestial Return https://www.celestialreturn.com/

    #CelestialReturn #MetaphorGames #games #gaming #gamers #demogame #Steam #Kickstarter #cyberpunk #RPG #scifi #indiegames

  • Roll the Dice and Swing the Blade: Why Slots & Daggers is the Indie Roguelike You Need to Play

    Roll the Dice and Swing the Blade: Why Slots & Daggers is the Indie Roguelike You Need to Play

    Forget everything you think you know about fantasy RPGs. Slots & Daggers, the new retro-fantasy roguelike from solo developer Friedemann (creator of Summerhouse), is spinning the genre on its head—literally. This isn’t just a game; it’s a wonderfully strange, highly addictive fusion of fast-paced fantasy combat and the satisfying pling of a classic arcade slot machine.

    The Perfect Hybrid: Slot Machine Meets Strategy

    At its core, Slots & Daggers is an adventure across strange and dangerous lands. You’re a determined hero, armed to the teeth, ready to take on goblins, knights, and the mysterious ‘guy named Ike.’ But here’s the brilliant twist: every action you take in combat is determined by a spin of a slot machine.

    Need to attack? Spin the reels for a dagger, sword, or spell symbol. Need to heal? Hope for that potion icon. Every battle becomes a white-knuckle test of luck, quick reflexes (you can try to time your stops!), and calculated risk. Do you spend your hard-earned chips for an extra re-spin, or trust the random number gods?

    The Vibe is Impeccable

    If the unique mechanics hook you, the game’s aesthetic will reel you in completely. Friedemann has created a world that is equal parts charming and bizarre:

    • Retro Visuals: Expect a chunky, nostalgic look that feels straight out of an old-school handheld or early PC title.
    • Weird Fantasy World: The enemies are eccentric, the items are quirky, and the overall atmosphere is delightfully odd.
    • Crunchy Beats: The soundtrack is driven by old-school hip-hop drum machines, adding an undeniably satisfying rhythm to the chaotic spinning and slaying.

    It’s a compact experience that doesn’t try to be an 80-hour epic; it’s a tight, focused dose of arcade goodness.

    Build Your Luck, Hone Your Skill

    As a roguelike, the game thrives on replayability and emergent strategy. Victory in battle earns you crucial rewards:

    • Powerful Modifiers: Unlock game-changing items like extra wheels for the slot machine, new weapons, and spells.
    • Adapt Your Loadout: Each run offers new opportunities to customise your approach. Will you stack damage bonuses or invest in more ways to manipulate the reels?

    You’re constantly fine-tuning your loadout to turn the inherent randomness into a tactical advantage. It’s a dance between trusting your luck and honing your on-the-fly strategy.

    Final Verdict: Steady Your Blade—and Spin!

    Slots & Daggers is a testament to clever indie game design. It takes a simple, universally appealing mechanic (the slot machine) and wraps it in a compelling, quirky fantasy roguelike structure. It’s fast, tactile, and promises to be deeply addictive.

    If you’re looking for a game that blends strategy, randomness, and a whole lot of “PLING PLING PLING” arcade fun, add this one to your list.

    Slots & Daggers is out now on Steam! Have you tried the demo? What’s the most ridiculously lucky spin you’ve had? Let us know in the comments!

    Slots & Daggers https://futurefriends.lol/

    #SlotsandDaggers #games #gaming #gamers #pcgames #steam #Indiedev #Friedemann #FutureFriendsGames #Fantasy #Roguelite

  • Sarcasm, Spells, and the ’90s: Our First Look at Simon the Sorcerer: Origins

    Sarcasm, Spells, and the ’90s: Our First Look at Simon the Sorcerer: Origins

    For a generation of point-and-click fans, there are few characters as iconic—or as gloriously sarcastic—as Simon the Sorcerer. Now, over thirty years after he first tumbled into the Magical World, the story is finally going back to where it all began. Get ready, chums, because Simon the Sorcerer: Origins is almost here, and it looks like a love letter to classic adventure gaming.

    The Magic is Back, and it’s Hand-Drawn

    Developer Smallthing Studios has truly done something special with the game’s aesthetic. Inspired by late ’90s and early 2000s animation—even bringing in artists who worked on the Oscar-nominated film Klaus—Origins boasts over 15,000 hand-drawn frames and 50 fully hand-drawn backgrounds. The result is a vibrant, lush, and truly alive 2D world that feels like a modern-day Saturday morning cartoon, perfectly capturing the whimsical, yet slightly twisted, fantasy setting.

    This isn’t just a nostalgic throwback; it’s a visually stunning experience that promises to be one of the most beautiful point-and-click titles in years.

    The Origin Story: Weeks Before the Adventure

    Origins serves as an official prequel, set in the weeks just before the events of the 1993 original. We follow teenage Simon after a forced move to a new house. Before he even gets to insult a talking door, he’s drawn into a foreign world by an ancient prophecy.

    This new adventure promises to delve into his past, revealing how he stumbled into this chaotic new realm populated by powerful (and mostly useless) wizards, strange creatures, and, of course, plenty of baffling alchemical devices. Expect a story that balances genuine heartfelt moments with Simon’s signature, razor-sharp wit.

    The Voice of Sarcasm Returns

    No Simon the Sorcerer game would be complete without the voice of its hero, and fans will be thrilled to know that the original English voice actor, the iconic British comedian Chris Barrie (known for Red Dwarf and Tomb Raider), is reprising the role! His unmistakable timing and dry delivery are central to Simon’s charm, and his return after more than three decades adds an extra layer of authentic nostalgia.

    Adding to the auditory treats is an original score by industry veteran Mason Fisher, blending whimsical fantasy with emotional depth. Oh, and keep your ears open: music icon Rick Astley is even making a surprise musical contribution!

    Classic Gameplay with Modern Polish

    At its heart, Origins is a classic point-and-click adventure. You’ll be solving tricky puzzles, combining items, operating ancient mechanisms, and learning powerful spells. Previews suggest a streamlined, intuitive interface that lets you directly control Simon, complete with a handy feature to highlight all interactive points on screen—a welcome quality-of-life improvement for the modern adventurer.

    One preview mentioned a hilariously convoluted, multi-step puzzle just to retrieve a key from a kitchen sink, which is exactly the kind of absurd, clever challenge fans of the genre crave.

    Ready to Step Back into the Magical World?

    Simon the Sorcerer: Origins is shaping up to be a magical, hilarious, and visually captivating journey back to the roots of a cult classic. Whether you’re a long-time fan or a newcomer ready to experience the most sarcastic wizard in video game history for the first time, this is an adventure you won’t want to miss.

    Mark your calendars! Simon the Sorcerer: Origins is set to launch on October 28, 2025, for PC, Mac, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, and Xbox One/Series X|S. Get ready to solve some puzzles, embrace the sarcasm, and find out exactly how Simon became the Sorcerer.

    Simon the Sorcerer Origins https://www.ININGAMES.COM

    #SimontheSorcererOrigins #PC #NintendoSwitch #PlayStation #Xbox #games #gaming #gamers #dlc #SmallthingStudios #ININGames

  • Win the Fight Before it Begins: Why You Need to Master the Foresight in Forestrike!

    Win the Fight Before it Begins: Why You Need to Master the Foresight in Forestrike!

    The time for preparation is nearly over, martial artists! We’re just weeks away from the launch of Forestrike, the tactical kung-fu roguelite that is going to rewire the way you approach combat. Forget frantic button-mashing—this is a game of calculated perfection, where your mind is your greatest weapon.

    Developed by Skeleton Crew and published by the masters of indie mayhem, Devolver Digital, Forestrike is heading to PC and Nintendo Switch on November 17th!

    The Art of Foresight: Strategy Meets Action

    At the heart of Forestrike is a revolutionary mechanic: Foresight.

    You play as Yu, a monastic warrior on a critical quest to free the Emperor from a ruthless Admiral. You are constantly outnumbered, but you possess a secret weapon—a meditative technique that allows you to mentally perceive fights over and over again.

    • Practice Without Consequence: Activate Foresight to enter a simulation of the upcoming battle. Here, you can test every move, parry, and strike. Get killed? No problem! The simulation simply resets, allowing you to try a different sequence of movements.
    • The Perfect Path: Your opponents always respond predictably to your actions, turning each encounter into a strategic puzzle. Your goal is to find the perfect, flawless sequence of moves that allows you to overcome the odds.
    • The Real Fight: Once you commit to the real battle, the training wheels come off. You must execute your plan with precision and perfect timing. Fail, and your roguelite run is over! Success carries you forward, stronger and wiser for the next challenge.

    This isn’t just an action game; it’s a tactical brawler that rewards precision, problem-solving, and cold-blooded execution.

    Forge Your Own Fighting Philosophy

    As Yu journeys to the capital, he’ll encounter five great masters, each offering a distinct martial arts school:

    • Leaf Style: Taught by Master Talgun, this school focuses on Evasion and Redirection. You’ll be deflecting blows, seizing weapons, and using your enemy’s force against them. Evasive, graceful, flowing—the ultimate defence.
    • Cold Eye School: Built on the chilling principles of Endurance and Retaliation, Master Nodai’s brutal school is for those who embrace pain. Absorb damage to fuel devastating counterattacks, making every blow you take a step closer to victory.

    By mastering these unique styles and combining their techniques, you’ll be able to shape your own fighting philosophy and create devastating hybrid movesets!

    Experience the World Now!

    Ready to see the future? The demo for Forestrike is available to play on Steam right now! You can dive into the Leaf Style and the brutal Cold Eye School, tackle a variety of encounters, and start honing your Foresight technique.

    The road to the Emperor is long and unforgiving, but with Foresight, you can win the fight before it even begins.

    Forestrike launches November 17th on PC and Nintendo Switch! Wishlist it now, download the demo, and get ready to prove you are the greatest martial artist the world has ever seen.

    Which master’s style—the Evasive Leaf or the Retaliatory Cold Eye—will you try to master first?

    Forestrike https://www.devolverdigital.com/

    #Forestrike #games #gaming #gamers #demogames #pc #nintendoswitch #steam #SkeletonCrew #DevolverDigital #gameplay #combat

  • Back to the Old School: Why We’re Excited for Of Ash and Steel

    Back to the Old School: Why We’re Excited for Of Ash and Steel

    In a world full of open-world RPGs vying for our attention, one upcoming title is looking to stand apart by taking a page straight out of the genre’s classics: Of Ash and Steel. Developed by Fire & Frost and published by tinyBuild, this third-person, open-world action RPG promises a return to the no-hand-holding, pure-exploration experience of beloved 2000s games.

    Set for release on PC (Steam and GOG) on November 6, 2025, Of Ash and Steel is shaping up to be a game for those who fondly remember a time before glowing quest markers dictated every move.

    A Low-Fantasy World That Doesn’t Hold Your Hand

    Of Ash and Steel places you on the island of the Kingdom of the Seven, a realm that has fallen into disrepair and is plagued by the threat of volcanic ash. You start not as a mighty hero, but as Tristan, a humble orphan-turned-cartographer whose main skill, ironically, fails him when his expedition’s ship is wrecked on the shores of Grayshaft.

    This focus on a “zero-to-hero” journey is central to the experience. The developers at Fire & Frost have made a bold commitment: there are no quest markers or compasses. You must pay attention to in-world directions, landmarks, and your own instincts to navigate the dangerous, fixed-level world. This commitment to player-driven exploration is perhaps the game’s most compelling feature, encouraging a level of immersion and discovery often missing in modern titles.

    Challenging Combat and Deep Customisation

    Getting around is one thing, but surviving is another. The game features challenging action-RPG combat, utilising swords, bows, and even basic magic. This isn’t a power fantasy right out of the gate—initial encounters can be lethal, a stark reminder that Tristan is a novice.

    The combat system offers depth with three different stances and a variety of weapon types (axes, swords, rapiers, etc.). As you progress, you’ll invest in attributes like Strength, Dexterity, Stamina, Insight, and Fortitude, allowing you to truly tailor your fighting style and unlock abilities. The survival elements, requiring you to stay fed and watered, further ground the experience in a gritty, low-fantasy reality.

    The Soul of the Classics

    The developers cite inspiration from classics like Gothic, The Witcher, and Fable, and it shows in the game’s DNA:

    • No Level Scaling: Just like classic RPGs, enemies inhabit fixed locations with set levels. Wander off the beaten path too early, and you’ll find yourself quickly overwhelmed—a thrilling risk-reward structure.
    • NPC Reactivity: Characters in the world won’t treat you like a legendary saviour from the start. They react to your fame, armour, and accomplishments, meaning your journey from vagrant cartographer to respected force is acknowledged by the inhabitants of Grayshaft.
    • Skill-Based Progression: Beyond combat, skills extend to professions like crafting, cooking, and alchemy, offering various ways to survive, earn money, and prepare for your next dangerous venture.

    Ready to Forge Your Path?

    Of Ash and Steel is a breath of fresh air for fans of demanding, richly detailed RPGs. It challenges you to slow down, explore, and learn the world’s secrets through sheer grit and observation. If you’re tired of being led by the hand and crave a world that pushes back, this low-fantasy epic from Fire & Frost and tinyBuild should be high on your wishlist.

    Are you ready to dive into the ash and steel and forge your own legend? Let us know what you think of this old-school approach in the comments!

    Of Ash and Steel https://www.ofashandsteel.com/

    #OfAshandSteel #FireandFrost #rpg #tinyBuild #pcgames #steam #SteamNextFest #IndieRPG #OpenWorldRPG #Soulslike #ArenaMode #FantasyRPG

  • Everwind: Setting Sail on the Survival RPG Clouds

    Everwind: Setting Sail on the Survival RPG Clouds

    Everwind, an ambitious title from developer Enjoy Studio S.A. and publisher Bohemia Interactive, is poised to take the sandbox survival and RPG genres to new heights—literally. Billed as a first-person adventure set in a world of floating islands, the game puts a fresh, sky-faring twist on familiar survival mechanics.

    Currently generating buzz with a recent Steam demo release, Everwind invites players to embark on a grand cooperative adventure, trading terrestrial survival for the freedom and danger of the open skies.

    Gameplay: Your Home in the Clouds

    At its core, Everwind is a blend of exploration, crafting, combat, and base-building, all centred around a unique mobile fortress: your flying island-ship.

    Key Features of the Everwind Experience:

    • Airship Base-Building: The flagship feature is your customizable airship, which acts as your floating base and gateway to the world. Players must gather resources, craft essential items, and continually build upon this vessel, turning it into a fortress and a home. The construction system moves beyond simple cubes, offering wedges and sloped parts for more detailed builds, ensuring your aerial sanctuary is truly your own.
    • A World of Floating Islands: The procedurally generated world is a vast, endless horizon of floating islands, each promising new resources, enemies, and mysteries. The environment is also fully destructible, giving players freedom to shape the world according to their needs and vision.
    • Deep RPG and Survival Mechanics: Players engage in typical survival activities like gathering resources, crafting, and looting, but overlaid with an RPG progression system. Combat involves both melee (sword and shield) and powerful magic, with a range of mystical staffs and the arcane art of alchemy offering strategic advantages in battle. Players can also unlock skill trees and personalise their character.
    • Dungeons and Exploration: Adventure awaits in dungeons found across the islands, where players will battle various foes and challenging bosses to secure valuable treasures. The sky is layered into different tiers, with higher altitudes offering greater challenge and more substantial rewards.
    • Co-op and Multiplayer: Everwind is built with co-op in mind, supporting up to four players in online multiplayer. Teamwork is essential for coordinating tasks, exploring ruins, and taking on tougher challenges, making for a shared survival experience. The developers plan to support dedicated servers in the future.

    Development Status

    Developed by Enjoy Studio S.A. and published by Bohemia Interactive, Everwind has been highly anticipated, recently surpassing over 500,000 Steam wishlists. The game is slated for an Early Access release in 2026 on PC, with plans for console releases as well.

    The developers have emphasised that Early Access is a key part of their strategy, aiming to actively involve the community in development and use player feedback to guide the introduction of new content, such as additional biomes, enemies, crafting items, and even a farming system.

    Everwind (previously known as SkyVerse) offers a refreshing take on the well-trodden survival genre, promising not just to survive, but to truly conquer the clouds.

    Everwind https://www.bohemia.net/

    #Everwind #Skyverse #survival #rpg #games #gaming #gamers #scifi #BohemiaInteractive #EnjoyStudio #demogame #steamearlyaccess

  • Grab Your Scythe and Your Pig: Why You Need to Play Spindle

    Grab Your Scythe and Your Pig: Why You Need to Play Spindle

    What happens when the Grim Reaper wakes up and realises that no one in the world can die anymore? You get chaos, and the premise for the charmingly dark action-adventure game, Spindle.

    Developed by Wobble Ghost and published by Deck13 Spotlight, Spindle is a beautiful pixel-art game that pays homage to classic top-down adventures (think Zelda, but with a touch more melancholy and a lot more pork). And yes, the game is out now on PC and Nintendo Switch!

    An Unlikely Duo: Death and a Pig

    You step into the cloak of Dengel, the Grim Reaper, who finds their calling suddenly obsolete. The universe is unravelling because of this unprecedented cessation of death, and it’s up to you to figure out what went wrong.

    But you’re not traversing this crumbling world alone. By your side is a truly trusty (and playable!) companion: a pig.

    This is one of the most unique aspects of the game. Your pig isn’t just a cute sidekick; they are integral to solving puzzles and overcoming obstacles. Yes, you can switch and play as the pig! They can use their unique abilities to help Death, creating a compelling, cooperative dynamic in a single-player adventure. Oh, and yes, the game lets you pet the pig. Naturally.

    Old-School Action, Modern Heart

    Spindle nails that nostalgic, old-school feel with its handcrafted pixel world and Zelda-esque mechanics. You’ll explore a variety of unique landscapes, from deep forests to snowy peaks, and delve into five challenging, puzzle-filled dungeons.

    • Puzzles & Dungeons: Each dungeon has its own unique quirks, riddles, and traps that will test your wits and your command of Death’s (and the Pig’s) abilities.
    • Combat: Wield your scythe against all manner of creatures and face off against formidable bosses who may be guarding lost souls or, perhaps, be the very reason no one can die.
    • Abilities: As you progress, you’ll regain Death’s lost abilities, which in turn unlock new areas to explore, echoing the best of the action-adventure genre’s exploration loops.

    More Than Just a Game

    While the gameplay is fast-paced and full of satisfying combat and clever puzzles, Spindle delivers a surprisingly deep and emotional story. At its core, it’s a gripping tale about death and the many ways we choose to deal with it.

    The developers, Wobble Ghost, openly shared that the game was shaped by their own experiences with loss, aiming to create a powerful experience of connection and healing. Every character you meet is designed to develop and change as the story unfolds, reminding players that coping with grief is a personal and valid journey.

    Spindle is a beautiful mix of dark themes, whimsical companionship, and classic gameplay. If you’re looking for a heartfelt action-adventure that will challenge your mind and touch your heart (and let you play as an adorable pig!), this is one indie gem you shouldn’t miss.

    Spindle is available now on PC and Nintendo Switch! You can check out the free demo on Steam to try before you buy.

    Spindle https://spotlight.deck13.com/spindle/

    #Spindle #death #pc #nintendoswitch #steam #games #gaming #gamers #demogame #Deck13Spotlight #WobbleGhost #grimreaper

  • Step Into the Void: Torchlight: Infinite Season 12 – Overrealm is LIVE!

    Step Into the Void: Torchlight: Infinite Season 12 – Overrealm is LIVE!

    The latest season of Torchlight: Infinite, titled Overrealm, has officially dropped, ushering players into a fast-paced, high-risk dimension where efficiency is the key to unimaginable loot. If you’ve been looking for a reason to jump back into the world of Torchlight, this is it—Season 12 brings a core seasonal mechanic, a major hero overhaul, and massive quality-of-life changes that promise to redefine the endgame grind.

    The Overrealm: A Race Against Time

    The new seasonal mechanic, Overrealm, is a series of timed, procedurally generated rifts you can access through mysterious “Doors” found in the Netherrealm. This is a pure test of your build’s speed and clear efficiency:

    • The Timer is On: Once inside the Overrealm, you must defeat monsters as fast as possible to fill your Containment Progress bar. When full, a new, deeper, and more difficult layer is unlocked. If the timer runs out, your run ends!
    • Bottled Shadows: A new currency you can capture during your runs. Stacking them amplifies your rewards, leading to explosive loot drops, including more Flame Fuel or higher-tier Matchless Legendary Gear.
    • Overrealm Disturbances: High-risk, high-reward map modifiers that can dramatically change a run. Expect things like monsters respawning with bonus loot or dangerous tentacle clusters summoning massive enemy waves.
    • Containment Dossier: A permanent progression system that allows you to spend earned currency (Abnormal Gaze) on vital upgrades. Think teleporters, time extensions, and unlocking rare encounters like the loot-heavy Floating Skull or the elusive boss, the “Doorhunter.”

    New Ways to Play: Bing’s Transformation & Combo Skills

    The season introduces radical new build possibilities, starting with a familiar face getting a complete makeover:

    • Escapist Bing: Creative Genius: Bing, the former chaotic bomber, has been retooled into a tactical spellcaster with the new Creative Genius trait. Utilising twin resources—Whimsy and Ingenuity Essences—Bing’s Inspiration Machines deliver powerful debuffs and devastating Spell Burst damage, creating one of the game’s most versatile high-damage heroes.
    • Combo Skills: A brand-new skill system has been added, inspired by fighting games. These skills chain together Starters and Finishers, rewarding players for executing the full sequence. Skills like Crescent Slash offer rapid flurries and shockwave Finishers, opening the door for entirely new attack-based builds.

    Revolutionising Progression: Ethereal Prisms

    Perhaps the biggest change to long-term character building is the introduction of Ethereal Prisms:

    • Ultimate Talent Customisation: Prisms can be socketed into your Advancement Talent Panels, allowing you to either supercharge your existing Main Talents or replace them entirely with game-changing effects.
    • Build-Defining Effects: Imagine being able to equip a shield with a two-handed weapon, or enabling Lucky Damage rolls at the risk of skill failure—Prisms are here to completely redefine the boundaries of buildcrafting.

    Quality-of-Life and Endgame Revamps

    The developers have clearly been listening to community feedback, rolling out major overhauls:

    • Aeterna and Outlaw Go Core: The popular Outlaw seasonal mechanic (Season 11) is now a permanent part of the game with smoother encounters. The City of Aeterna’s progression has also been streamlined, retiring the complex Soul Candles system for new Ember Rooms.
    • Trade House & Crafting: Trading is smoother than ever with reduced listing delays and real-time commodity pricing. Crucially, Mutated Legendary items are no longer bound, significantly enhancing endgame crafting and trading across the board.
    • New Universal Mechanics: Season 12 also adds new buffs (Hasten, Fortitude, Aggression) and debuffs (Frail, Torment, Infiltration) that open up new gearing and support options for every hero.

    Torchlight: Infinite Season 12 – Overrealm is a massive update that emphasises speed, build flexibility, and rewarding efficiency. The Overrealm challenge offers a fresh endgame loop, while the new Ethereal Prisms and Bing’s rework guarantee countless hours of theorycrafting for both veteran and new players alike.

    The journey into the Overrealm is now open—it’s time to test the limits of your build!

    Torchlight: Infinite Season 12 https://torchlight.xd.com

    #TorchlightInfiniteSeason12 #Torchlight #Infinite #Overrealm #games #gaming #gamers #XDGames #rpg #PC #iOS #Android