TECHMASH

Tag: #LinuxGaming

  • Realtime ‘Worms’ Mayhem! DIRTNAP Blasts Onto Steam Early Access This August

    Realtime ‘Worms’ Mayhem! DIRTNAP Blasts Onto Steam Early Access This August

    Get ready to take nostalgia and turn the chaos up to eleven! Independent Finnish studio Part Time Monkey (alongside co-developers Unstable Entity and Nitroyale) has officially announced DIRTNAP, a fast-paced, real-time take on classic 2D arena shooters like Worms, Liero, and Soldat.

    Mark your calendars: DIRTNAP will launch in Steam Early Access for Windows and Linux on 28 August 2026, and you can add it to your Steam wishlist right now!

    What is DIRTNAP?

    Imagine the total map destruction of classic turn-based tactics games, but remove the wait. DIRTNAP is a frenetic 1–10 player arena shooter where the environment itself isn’t just cover—it’s your primary weapon.

    Every pixel of the battlefield can be blown away, dug through, or incinerated. As you carve up the earth, dynamic fluids like lava, water, and mud flow realistically into the newly created tunnels and craters, creating constantly shifting battlegrounds and deadly traps.

    “We are three Finnish developers who grew up on Liero, Soldat, Molez and Worms, and we wanted that same ‘the whole map is a weapon’ feeling in realtime,” says Tuomas Erikoinen of Part Time Monkey.

    Key Features to Expect at Launch:

    • Pixel-by-Pixel Destruction: Fully destructible terrain paired with interactive fluid simulation for water, lava, and mud. Watch fire spread, stalactites drop, and dynamic weather alter the landscape!
    • 1 to 10 Player Mayhem: Support for online multiplayer via Steam, local split-screen couch co-op, and LAN. Short on friends? Fill any empty slot with intelligent bots.
    • 7 Playable “Dirtlings”: Choose your character based on game-changing abilities—crawl walls as the Ant, dig through indestructible rock as the Bear, swing around with web hooks as the Spider, or go invisible as the Chameleon.
    • Over 30 Explosive Weapons: Lock and load with classic rifles, rocket launchers, flamethrowers, airstrikes, and the iconic banana bomb.
    • 5 Game Modes: Battle it out across Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Battle Royale, and a 4-round Tournament mode featuring mid-match upgrades.
    • 4 Unique Biomes: Fight across Dunes, Permafrost, Mudlands, and Volcanic caverns, each presenting distinct environmental hazards.
    • Cross-Platform Support: Ready to run natively on both Windows and Linux PC setups.

    Why Early Access?

    The developers want the community to play a direct role in shaping the game’s future. Early Access will serve as a collaborative sandbox to balance weapons, fine-tune physics, and decide which new characters, biomes, and modes get built next.

    If you are a fan of 90s/2000s retro arena combat or games like Noita and Duck Game, this is definitely one to keep on your radar.

    Head over to Steam today to hit that Wishlist button ahead of the 28 August 2026 launch!

    Find out more here

    #DIRTNAP #PartTimeMonkey #IndieGames #SteamEarlyAccess #Worms #Liero #GamingNews #PCGaming #LinuxGaming #IndieDev

  • Trapped in the Dark: Psychological Sci-Fi Mystery Advent: Dawn Descends onto PC, Mac, and Linux Today!

    Trapped in the Dark: Psychological Sci-Fi Mystery Advent: Dawn Descends onto PC, Mac, and Linux Today!

    If you’re a fan of mind-bending sci-fi mysteries, claustrophobic psychological thrillers, and deep, narrative-driven visual novels, your next obsession has officially arrived. Australian indie developer Spire Games has officially launched Advent: Dawn, pulling players deep into a web of paranoia, living crystals, and fractured trust beneath a remote island.

    Advent: Dawn is available today on PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam—and if you jump in during launch week, you can even snatch it up with a special launch discount!

    What is Advent: Dawn About?

    In Advent: Dawn, you step into the shoes of Dr. Atlas Everly, a neuroscientist who accepts a lucrative invitation to research a unique, mysterious crystal formation hidden within an island cave system. But what starts as a scientific expedition quickly devolves into a nightmare.

    A sudden, catastrophic collapse traps Atlas underground alongside six strangers. With no clear route back to the surface, the group must navigate a sprawling labyrinth of darkened caverns. As if being buried alive wasn’t terrifying enough, strange symbols, cryptic messages, and the claustrophobic atmosphere begin to take their toll.

    As paranoia sets in, survival becomes more than just finding an exit—it’s about figuring out who you can trust. Every companion is hiding something, and the danger in the dark might not just come from the cave, but from the people trapped inside it with you.

    Key Features & Gameplay

    Drawing inspiration from legendary story-driven thrillers like Zero Escape, Steins; Gate, and Ever17, Advent: Dawn blends atmospheric prose, psychological suspense, and puzzle-solving into a rich, choice-based narrative:

    • Interactive Flowchart Navigation: You won’t get lost in dead ends. The interactive flowchart map allows you to jump back to key decision points, test new theories, and explore alternate narrative paths smoothly.
    • Environmental Puzzles: Uncover clues and open new paths forward by solving light environmental puzzles and riddles woven directly into the cave’s core mystery.
    • Branching Routes & True Ending: Every choice you make pulls you closer to a different survivor—and a different set of secrets. You’ll need to explore individual character routes and piece together every terminal ending to unlock the final, mind-bending True Ending.
    • Immersive Original Soundtrack: Set the mood with an atmospheric original score composed by Caleb Coles, designed to amplify the game’s tension and emotional depth.

    Descend into the Mystery Today

    Whether you’re a long-time fan of mystery visual novels or looking for a thrilling narrative experience to dive into this weekend, Advent: Dawn delivers a tense, character-driven descent into the unknown.

    Can you unravel the lies and escape the abyss before the subterranean world consumes you?

    Grab Advent: Dawn on Steam today for PC, Mac, and Linux!

    Find out more here

    #AdventDawn #SpireGames #IndieGames #VisualNovel #SciFiMystery #GamingNews #SteamRelease #PCGaming #MacGaming #LinuxGaming #IndieGameDev #TechMash

  • Flip, Nudge, and Destroy: Roguelike Pinball Sensation ‘Cult of PiN’ Locks In August Release Date

    Flip, Nudge, and Destroy: Roguelike Pinball Sensation ‘Cult of PiN’ Locks In August Release Date

    Move over Balatro and Peglin—there is a new heavy-hitting indie synergy addiction on the horizon, and it’s taking us straight back to the golden era of arcade cabinets and Windows 3D Pinball (Space Cadet).

    Independent developer KennyMakesGames has officially announced that Cult of PiN, the highly anticipated arcade pinball roguelike, will launch globally on Steam on August 10th, 2026. The announcement drops alongside an explosive new Release Date Trailer showcasing the game’s chaotic, high-intensity gameplay.

    Check out the official Release Date Trailer below:

    Pinball Physics Meets Modern Deckbuilding

    If you think this is just your standard high-score chaser, think again. Cult of PiN flips the classic genre on its head by turning pinball tables into battlefields. Instead of simply keeping the ball alive for points, your ball deals actual damage to the bumpers it strikes.

    Your goal? Demolish the handcrafted 3D tables, shatter cursed bumpers, and survive intense, gravity-defying showdowns against biomechanical Boss Bumpers.

    The real magic happens between rounds. Over a successful public demo campaign that has already captured the attention of over 120,000 players, the game has proven that its rogue-lite mechanics are incredibly deep. Players can draft from an expanding pool of over 130 unique upgrades, Glyphs, and Blessings to scale their damage multipliers into absolute absurdity.

    Key Features At A Glance:

    • True Build Synergy: Mix and match over 100 Glyphs to create game-breaking combos that turn your ball into a weapon of mass destruction.
    • 8 Playable Balls: Master distinct mechanics, specialised passive abilities, and powerful “Rituals” to trigger table-wide chaos.
    • Hand-Crafted 3D Tables: Discover 4 beautifully stylised, hand-drawn tables featuring hidden bonus zones, unique layouts, and unpredictable table mutations.
    • High-Intensity Sessions: Designed for quick 15-to-20-minute runs across 7 distinct difficulty levels, keeping the gameplay loop endlessly fresh.

    Play Anywhere: Full Steam Deck & Cross-Platform Support

    In a massive win for handheld gaming enthusiasts, KennyMakesGames has confirmed that Cult of PiN will launch with full native support for PC, Mac, Linux, and the Steam Deck.

    The game has been completely optimised for high-framerate portability, featuring native controller mapping and smooth performance built precisely with the Steam Deck in mind. Whether you are nudging your ball on a desktop or flipping targets on your morning commute, the tactile satisfaction travels with you.

    Pricing and Availability

    Cult of PiN will officially hit Steam on August 10th, 2026, for an incredibly reasonable $14.99 / £11.79 / €12.75. Even better news for early adopters: the game will feature a 15% discount during its launch week.

    If you can’t wait until August to start smashing tables, you can head over to Steam right now to try out the newly updated, heavily localised public demo and add the game to your wishlist.

    Find out more here

    #CultOfPiN #IndieGames #SteamDeck #GamingNews #Pinball #Roguelike #PCGaming #MacGaming #LinuxGaming #TechMash