Tag: Download

The two Panthers are nearly impervious to anything my tanks can throw their way. Thankfully, they are engaging different combat groups and don’t have all the support forces they need to make a big impact. One of them is pinned in by infantry supported by two towed anti-tank guns. I plan to accept the losses in men I take every turn as long as this piece of Nazi armor cannot move. The other is engaging my Shermans and winning. But I’ve pounded it with artillery and with bombers, and the Germans have already had to reinforce it once. I have the resources to bring my own tanks up to strength when needed, and I push to encircle the Panther, even if that makes a few of my own troops vulnerable for the next turn. Let’s hope that Axis forces don’t have more reinforcements to throw into this battle. Panzer Corps 2: Frontlines - Westwall is developed by Flashback Games and published by Slitherine Ltd. This downloadable content pack for the turn-based World War II strategy g...

The transport question is becoming a little too complex for my liking. Trains are clearly superior to trucks, but they still move from one point to another, with no way to place any intermediate stops and no commands to keep the flow just right across long distances. Moving large quantities of anything, from basic concrete and iron bars to complex nano tubes, requires multiple connections and careful use of the depots that move everything across short distances. The long-term plan is to re-create the optimal conditions for life present on Earth. That involves releasing enough water to have oceans and developing forests so that animals get to run around. The short-term plan is to create an atmosphere and make sure that our three cities keep growing by getting all the resources the citizens are demanding from the conveniently placed supply hubs. With the game set to the lowest speed, I get to work re-making the most transportation routes that lead from manufacturing ...

Granted, one of the first screens of Hell is Us is a disclaimer that insists the story, events and NPC in the game are pure fiction, I’ve never played a game more rooted in reality than this one. Hell is Us manages to capture the cyclicity of humanity’s history with a frightening accuracy. Although the circumstances are different every time, humanity’s innate inclination to self-destruction left in shambles many times throughout history. Fortunately, its only other powerful trait – survivability, somewhat balances its suicidal tendencies. Developed by Rogue Factor, Hell is Us throws players into an isolated country ravaged by a bloody civil war. You play as Remi, an exile who was snuck across the border at a very young age to escape the hate war between two religious factions: Palomists and Sabinians. Returning after many years to find out more about his family, Remi finds itself in the middle of a conflict that he knows nothing about. He embarks on a personal jou...

We’ve seen a lot of roguelite games recently, but many of them try to shy away from pixelated worlds, whereas OVIS LOOP manages to embrace that world. The game is all about offering us a glimpse of a post-apocalyptic world where only sheep and wolves remain. We have a mad wolf scientist who wants to eliminate all the lamb from the land. And you are here to stop that. You’re a robot-sheep called Omega, and your focus is to improve, enhance your skills, and eliminate all the minions created by the enemy, as you get one step closer to keeping all sheep free. The game world in OVIS LOOP is beautifully made, and they do an excellent job at bringing a sense of immersion. However, when it comes to the gameplay, it’s business as usual. You have multiple weapon types to choose from, and each weapon can be enhanced with all kinds of items you find along the way. One of the coolest things for me when it comes to OVIS LOOP is the world, they made it feel vibrant, despite the p...

Sometimes taking a step back is important, even if it means having to work with a lower multiplier when launching the next attack at the walls and the boss. It keeps my units from hitting the fortifications and dying. Although there’s one ant that I’m ready to sacrifice, as it contributes nothing to my constantly increasing combat power. A lucky mushroom, some strong equipment, and good character choices allowed me to take down the first boss, a Robin Hood-type with a penchant for arrows, before he was able to launch his first attack. Now Instructor Marsk is proving to be tougher to defeat, with his ability to unilaterally modify a column’s combat value. But I have educated troops and, as long as I manage to get Kosha in the right position, nothing can stand in our way. The Royal Writ is developed by Save Sloth Studios and published by Yogscast Games. I played it on the PC via Steam, with it unavailable on other hardware. The video game combines card and math-focus...

Cobra is missing too many of his guided shots, and that’s entirely my fault. I managed to use it efficiently to eliminate shielded opponents without needing to platform up to their level and then use the character’s revolver. I even solved a few environmental puzzles and picked up treasure using it. But I’m having trouble using the Psychogun well against this robot boss. I manage to hit two of his three weak points, but the mechanical foe immediately regenerates. Dodging attacks isn’t very hard once patterns are learned, but I really need to deal some damage of my own and quickly. The new plan is to find a better vantage point before I unleash my special attack to make it easier to get to the hipoints and then engulf my enemy in a hail of hand cannon fire. Space Adventure Cobra - The Awakening is developed by Magic Pockets and published by Microids. I played the title on the PC via Steam, and it is also offered on the Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Se...

The herd probably wants to be free. I cannot directly communicate with any of the fantasy creatures that move ahead of me, even if they are more than ready to follow commands. I move to the left, and they shift their path to the right, even if that means going straight toward an obstacle that they cannot push through. The Calicorn will probably turn around in a few seconds, so I issue the stop command and then move all again slowly, making sure to guide them carefully around obstacles. I know there’s a flying threat up ahead, even if the game doesn’t allow me to scout too far, so I want to be careful and prepared. The herd is ready to charge and run to a safe place. I just need to give them the command at the right time. Herdling is developed by Okomotive and published by Panic. I played on the PC via Steam, with the title also on the Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation 5 from Sony, and the Xbox Series X and S from Microsoft. The video game combines herd management wi...

Abu Bakr Al-Saddiq took one of the religious sites that grant victory points, so I decided to take one of his cities as compensation. Two axemen, one archer, and my leader, Kavad, managed to execute a quick raid. I then shifted into a defensive position and started developing my cities, trying to get one to maximum population while preparing another to build a majestic Colosseum. We researched most techs, built many gold mines, connected our cities, and tried to maximize gold production. Space is at a premium, and I decided the population was more important than production. Our scouts raided as many goodie huts as possible, and our traders managed to open up a profitable route to Roman-held Carrhae. But I had only one city that pumped out combat units when I had the resources. When Abu Bakr returned, he had more units than I expected and was very focused on seizing hexes. He avoided the Romans altogether and sent horsemen and swordsmen my way. I shifted my entire s...

As we all know, the Ninja Gaiden series has always been about fast-paced ninjas, action and third person gameplay. With Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, the series takes a very interesting turn to the platforming world, and it does that in a rather amazing way. Unlike the other Ninja Gaiden games where the focus is on Ryu, here we play the role of a young ninja from the Hayabusa village, called Kenji. However, what makes the game incredibly fun is that as you play, you encounter a skilled assassin Kumori who ends up dying, and you take over her powers. The dual-power approach and the ability to even control Kumori for small amounts of time adds a lot of depth to the gameplay and story as well. For me, the ability to lock some of the levels behind Kumori’s powers or not even being able to complete a level without her shows how important it is to master both ability sets. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of ways to use those abilities in levels, and each time I did that, I fe...

Set in the world of Glorantha, RuneQuest: Warlords is an upcoming turn-based strategy game based on the classic RPG RuneQuest, developed by Viruos and published by Slitherine. The game has three factions that translate into three different playstyles: Children of the Storm, Lunar Empire, and Chaos. RuneQuest: Warlords features an 18-mission story campaign that promises to take players across mythic landscapes and fierce conflicts between the three factions. As it happens with this type of games, combat mechanics are easy to learn, yet hard to master. The four missions I played had a wide range of objectives from defending positions or NPCs, to obliterating a certain number of enemy units and conquering specific locations. The preview version only has four missions, and you can only play with the Children of the Storm faction, which can be described as fast, mobile and aggressive. One of the heroes that will join your retinue from the second mission belongs to the L...