Tag: Software

Fallen Tear: The Ascension is a game that caught my eye ever since it was announced, since it blends some of my favorite genres, RPGs and platformers. The title has a stunning game world with long, handcrafted levels that look great and which hold lots of secrets. But the thing that sets this game apart is the world transformers based on player actions. You have different things to do here, from battling enemies to freeing beasts and gods. What’s really nice about the game is that your character can access masteries, talents and ascensions, all of which enhance his power. You will battle tons of powerful enemies, so it helps if you can unlock new powers and find creative ways to eliminate those, especially when it comes to bosses. The version I played has only 2 game modes and limit content, but it’s clear Fallen Tear: The Ascension is a special game. When I started playing, it immediately reminded me of the Ori games, which are elite tier in the world of platforme...

The TRON universe has always been exciting, both from its stunning look, but also the mythos related to its creation and how it runs. After the last TRON movie, we barely had anything when it comes to TRON-related content, but it seems that 2025 is a good year for fans, with TRON: Ares (the movie) and a new game TRON: Catalyst coming in as well. But is TRON: Catalyst worth your time? Right off the bat, the game starts off with you in prison, trying to get out and figure out how to survive on the Arq grid. You’ll notice the amazing TRON elements right off the bat, since you have a lightcycle, identity disk, and the great visuals you see from the movies. However, TRON: Catalyst has an isometric perspective, which is something fresh for this world. And in my opinion, they nailed the aesthetic, while also offering a major focus on the story, rather than combat. You play as Exo, which is a program that has a power called Glitch. She’s rather powerful and we also have a ...

HITMAN World of Assassination has become one of the go-to games when it comes to sandbox stealth. And with HITMAN 3 - The Banker Pack, we get even more content to boot, this time in the form of a new Elusive Target, along with a 2-level arcade contract that features The Banker as your primary target. However, this DLC also brings you a new suit, King of Cards, a pretty cool silenced pistol, and, of course, a casino chip, the banker rope and a set of cosmetics. Granted, you don’t need the DLC for the elusive target itself, but it was released alongside it. However, if you want to access the arcade contract, as always, this DLC is mandatory. The elusive target mission is very well-made, in my opinion, and it brings 47 against Le Chiffre, a very powerful and respected poker player. He’s also very dangerous and reaching him will take a lot of preparation. The French villa where this mission takes place is enormous, and I found it to be one of the better sandboxes in th...

When starting Void Sails, I didn’t have any idea what to expect from it. Sure, they show a ship going through the air and various islands you can visit, but that was the extent of it, at least for me. The fact that this is made by a 3-people team of developers makes the game even more intriguing. So, I went into this embracing the idea that I could be either heavily surprised or disappointed, and I got a little bit of both. Right off the bat, the ship design is very interesting, and I think it’s one of the strong suits of the game. I like how the ship looks and the style they went for, which feels like a New-Renaissance style with a very creative touch. That being said, the other things in the game, especially the background, feel more like a prototype or framework rather than the real deal. Considering the team’s size, I think they did a good job, however I’m not the only one that expected more detail, and just more stuff to do. The story is told via 2D, text-base...

One of the best things about recent roguelite games is that they are continually trying to reinvent the wheel, and some of them do a great job at it. Deadzone: Rogue is a prime example here, since it’s a roguelite FPS that seamlessly combines elements from Doom, Dead Cells and Borderlands with amazing success. The premise here is very simple: you’re on the ISS-X, you don’t know who you are, how you got there, and what you need to do. Simply put, the only way is forward, and you need to stay alive in order to figure out what to do next, which is not easy at all. There are 2 chapters in the early access version, with the third one coming on release. Each chapter has 30 levels/rooms, and the nice thing is that they use random generation to not make every run feel the same. However, the game’s main appeal is definitely the combat. You have dozens of enemy types, but also a huge range of weapons and armor. All of these drop from enemies, and each item can be upgraded. T...

I probably spent all my money on the wrong things. I bought a Conduit upgrade for a unit I rarely used and invested too much in just one Shield Steward. Let’s hope that Dualism is a good choice and that I can pump enough Valor into him to make him a big obstacle for enemy groups. My hero will be on the same level, trying to deal as much damage as possible. The question now is whether I want extra rewards from a Trial that gives enemies Titanskin, aka improved damage reduction. I need one more Trial to reach an engine milestone, but I might take a lot of engine damage in the fight. I decide that the extra resources are important and risk it. The first few waves don’t pose much of a problem, and I build up full defenses on all three levels. Unfortunately, the damage reduction makes it harder to eliminate enemies with spells. And when Elebor the Wall shows up, with his ability to gain armor, it’s clear that I will struggle to deliver enough damage to take him down. M...

Many games explore medieval times, but they usually stick to generic, well-known historical locations. Few titles try to step outside of the box, and Ertugrul of Ulukayin is certainly one of them. The game explores medieval turkey with an original story, filled with notions like betrayal, family and standing up for the innocent. The game is not fully open world, but the areas within the game are vast and large, albeit limited at times. Yet I felt that Ertugrul of Ulukayin manages to successfully create a world that’s vibrant, yet also suitable for the era they are trying to showcase. Despite the fact that this is an indie game at heart, you can clearly see a lot of time and money were spent to create a beautiful medieval region. Yet at the same time, the game also manages to capture the brutality and challenges that locals were dealing with during medieval times. We get to see how Mongols were attacking Turkish establishments, while also delving into the mythologic...

Dragon is Dead is a game where you are a Successor, an amazing immortal warrior that can’t die. Your focus is to help the people of Cliffshire as they battle mythical forces and figure out what caused these problems. At its core, the game is a hack and slash platformer, but it also has RPG elements such as quests, leveling, loot, a skill tree and many others. While it feels complicated at first, everything is explained as you go along, and you will get the hang of it rather quickly. In the beginning, you barely have a sword, and you feel very frail. But right after the first 1-2 levels, you already get some loot from enemies, and you start becoming stronger and stronger. One of the things that I found very interesting in Dragon is Dead is the skill tree. While it’s not as complex as Path of Exile, it’s in that vein, and you can expand into different skills, which also have their own upgrades. Every level you get will bring you a skill point, so you have to battle al...

Austrian Bentwood furniture is poised to dominate the world market. It will take time, quite a bit of money, and significant investment in education. As long as everything goes well and no one else manages to develop a more efficient furniture industry, beautiful tables, and chairs might be one of the main contributors to Austria’s effort to dominate Europe. The idea of forming Germany is attractive but I want to see how far I can push company-driven expansion. I’m even ignoring military tech, which might become an issue, to unlock more of the economic discoveries, and, of course, unlock extra companies to work with. Meanwhile, many diplomatic efforts are focused on investment rights and monopolies. Victoria 3: Charters of Commerce is developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive. This is a downloadable content pack for the grand strategy game that enhances the way trade works while making companies more interesting to interact with. ...

The idea of having a beat-em-up with roguelite elements is very interesting, and if you add a cyberpunk theme into the mix, things get even crazier. And that’s exactly what KIBORG is, a very interesting take on roguelites with tons of hands-on combat and some shooting here and there. It reminded me of Sifu, but with a roguelite approach that’s very interesting and which can bring in dozens of hours of enjoyment. When you start a run in KIBORG, the game is rather easy to understand. You’re going from room to room, battling all the enemies that come in your way. The owner of this prison enters you in a “fight or die” tournament where you need to get to the top of the prison and reach the shuttle. If you get there and defeat Novak, the final boss, you will be free. But if you don’t, you’ll die trying. The room-to-room combat is very interesting, and in true roguelite fashion, you can choose which path to go on. Each path will have different rewards, unique enemies, an...