Tag: Software

Lumines was a game similar to Tetris which got released in 2004 to critical acclaim. However, while a lot of people always wanted to play it, the available versions were not as impressive or visually-stimulating as Tetris, for example. But with Lumines Arise, things are finally changing. This new version is made by the team behind Tetris Effect: Connected, and it brings a very similar, state of the art remaster of the original idea, with a modern set of visuals and astounding music. The core idea in any Lumines game is that you have 2x2 blocks descending from the top of the board. Your only focus is to create squares with a matching color. The more squares you combine, the higher the score you will get. Of course, if the blocks get to the top of the board, you lose, and that’s what you want to avoid. Even if it’s a simple formula, it’s very addictive. And Lumines Arise manages to make it even more compelling with its presentation. There are dozens upon dozens of le...

The Prussians are running out of steam. We’ve lost plenty of allies, and the Austrian armies had to backpedal significantly, allowing the aggressors to destroy a few fortresses in the process. But they are now overextended, with one flank of their advance exposed to my conglomerated cavalry command. Austria’s strategy would have been easier to implement if I hadn’t lost all of Hannover’s troops early on, while also abandoning a few divisions to slow down the enemy advance. We’re rebuilding those units, while also bringing more artillery to the front, and soon the other German princes will rejoice in Prussia’s defeat. Strategic Command: American Civil War - Concert of Europe is developed by Fury Software and published by Slitherine Ltd. This is the second downloadable content pack for the turn-based strategy title. As the name makes it clear, the action moves to European battlefields, engaging with some of the most important moments of the XIX century. There are fi...

Hahlgrim is down to his last 100 HP, and he has no less than four Broo squads around him. Fortunately, Ketil is also close by, ready to both heal and armor up our main hero. Then he slashes at two of the enemy units, eliminating them, and gaining the ability to Surge. That means I have another attack, which significantly weakens another opponent, taking out two of its soldiers. An Umbroli uses his massive ranged boulder attack to destroy some Imperial mages that have already set some of my allies on fire. Spell archers counter with their own flaming arrows, just as my melee cavalry encircle a horde of stag-riding creatures and push them back from the frontline. Chaos does not have a high-level hero on the field, which gives my own heroes space to destroy one or two squads each turn. But we still have to deal with two dragonsnails and some walktapi. The first have plenty of hitpoints while the latter can deliver toxic attacks that take time and action points to clea...

The Romans have an insatiable need for stone. Even while the city has too much wood to actually use and five charcoal makers running at all times, the quarries are struggling to extract enough humble stone for all my needs. The people really want more baths, which means more reservoirs, which in turn requires an expansion of the aqueduct system. While my building material reserves replenish, I decided to focus on wine production, planting more vines, and building another winery. I already have enough for my population, even if the now-empty apartment buildings get filled with newcomers. But I want an extra 100 to deliver a sacrifice to Neptune and sell for a decent pile of gold. Nova Roma is developed by Lion Shield and published by Hooded Horse. I played a preview version of the game on the PC via Steam. The title mixes classic city building with some light survival elements. The story setup is light on history, high on abstraction. Rome has been in decline, and o...

Becastled has been one of those games that used early access rightfully, it entered that state years ago, and it continued getting more and more updates until it finally released late October this year. The question is, does Becastled manage to surpass city building/survival games like Banished or not? Let’s find out. At its core, Becastled has a very simple premise. You have to build your castle during the day and then during the night you have to fend off the attackers. Naturally, the more you play, the more challenging the attackers you become. That’s why you need to accumulate as many resources as you can, build new buildings and grow your castle as much as possible. Upon playing this game, the most important thing for me was to expand the city, while keeping it safe. The city building experience is similar to the aforementioned Banished, but also Stronghold, especially since it has great medieval music. The fact that you need to have a running economy along wi...

The duck warriors are starting to get annoying. They insist on lobbying arrows my way, safe because my spell attacks can really reach them. So, after some exploration of their lands that involves a mysterious conversation with a masked character, I decide to return to the peanut lands and find a way to get further into the ruins. I’ve taken down one boss so far, after three tries, and I don’t feel ready for another. As Blue is running around, zapping enemies, and dodging attacks, I want to get more magic currency. This, in turn, will allow me to trade for a powerful item. It would also be nice if my hero could pick up another spell, and maybe a way to launch more attacks before his mana reserves drain. Scrabdackle is developed by jakefriend, with publishing handled by Fellow Traveller and jakefriend. The game is in Early Access on Steam at the moment. The title delivers an innovative take on 2D action adventure, with some Souls-like elements. The story starts insi...

Moonlighter was one my favorite indie games when it came out, because it brought a unique blend of owning a shop and acquiring items in combat. Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault manages to take that to the next level, with a great roguelike spin that helps revitalize the series. You get to enjoy a stunning world with various combat styles, great visuals and, of course, tons and tons of loot. Although the game is in early access, the premise is that you eventually have your own shop, and you need to run it, but also find the items to sell in it. And that’s where the adventuring part comes into play. You will enter different dimensions, each with their own different paths through which you can take. Those can either take you to enemies, a shop, bosses and so on, so you get to carve your path towards the end of a very large level. Each one of those smaller levels has different enemies, for the most part, and you have to eliminate them in order to move forward. There ar...

As someone who enjoys playing ARPGs and who is a huge fan of the Gothic series, I was excited to see Of Ash and Steel being announced. Not only was this touted as a modern version of that series, but it also wanted to bring some great, new ideas into the mix. And all of that sounded amazing, but did Of Ash and Steel manage to deliver? I would say they managed to do so, more or less, although this is not a perfect package. The story within the game is actually quite fun, since you are a cartographer who needs to chart Grayshaft along with a team. But due to unfortunate events happening at sea, you, Tristan, are the only one left alive. That means you need to start exploring the island, complete your mission, while also helping locals. And, naturally, that also validates the reason why we don’t have a map in the game. There are 3 difficulty levels in the game, but I think that the lack of a proper map makes the game quite difficult to begin with. It’s a double-edged ...

The Nazis have a lot of tanks. And enough air assets to strike at artillery and tanks, even when I use all my fighters to protect them. The better approach might be to gang up on individual fighters to take them down, even if that leads to a slowed operation pace and more prestige spent on replacements. The bigger problem is that I’ve spread my forces thin on too many fronts, making it harder to punch through German defensive lines. A KV-1 can take down a Panzer IV, especially one softened by an airstrike. But taking ground is difficult when the German armor can retreat behind infantry supported by anti-tank guns, reinforce, and then strike back at a weakened armored spearhead. It might be a good idea to restart the battle, placing all my best units in one group for rapid advance while the others just keep the enemy engaged. Panzer Corps 2: Elite - 1st Guards is developed by Flashback Games and published by Slitherine Ltd. This downloadable content pack focuses on ...

Tormented Souls 2 tries to build upon the predecessor who on its own was a decent indie venture in the Resident Evil genre. And while the game itself picks up from the previous one, it definitely works well as a standalone experience. You can watch a quick recap of the previous game, and you will be good to go. I find that great, because it adds a unique approach to gameplay, while still being very engaging and fun to play. You play as Caroline, and your sister Anna goes missing without you knowing what happened. You will go into different places searching for clues, ranging from a school to the cemetery, sewers and processing plants, among others. I like that Tormented Souls 2 manages to add some new locations into the mix, and it definitely tests your abilities every chance it has. And that’s because they are bringing a unique array of ideas here, especially when it comes to puzzles. There are a lot of those actually, and the game certainly doesn’t shy away from ...