A music action-adventure set in the recesses of the human mind.
This is how Bedtime Digital Games describe their new game Figment: if you are familiar with Back to Bed, an adorable puzzle game about guiding a sleepwalking man safely back to his bed, you will quickly see the resemblance. (If the title of the game sounded familiar, you probably remember Chris’ preview here).
The first thing that hits you when entering the game is its gorgeous hand-drawn art style, which was one of the most prominent qualities of its predecessor as well. Starting with a pretty little house, we meet our protagonist Dusty, a careless and pessimistic character, who doesn’t care much for anybody or anything. His companion, the bird Piper, works as great opposition to him – cheery, optimistic, and creating bad puns all day long. Well, perhaps some of them are clever, I guess.
Dusty’s scrapbook is stolen by a dark, sullen creature – and we learn later it’s a manifestation of a nightmare. Dusty’s mind is set on getting it back, no matter the cost, and Piper chirps that “something is wrong with the mind,” and that we need to fix it; as a kind of foreboding to what this whole ordeal is about. And so the story begins, as we venture into the imaginations of the mind.
The puzzles are interesting, and luckily for me, not too hard.
The game uses some interesting terminology; some of which might seem familiar, but on a very different subject than video games; neurology. Collect endorphins so that the “brain will turn back into yourself again in no time,” pulling you out of whatever it is that’s holding you down. Killing nightmares are a way to release these endorphins – which makes perfect sense since endorphins are basically the stuff that makes you happy. One can also collect endurance neurons, which is basically health points. The game also creates new words such as the “remembrane” – which is a ball of light that represents forgotten memories. They can be collected throughout the game and are also a part of restoring your mind.
The terminology is there for a reason; as the game world itself is a manifestation of the brain, Dusty and Piper has to traverse through the different parts of the brain in order to fight the different nightmares. The right side of the brain is the creative side, and the scenery adjusts accordingly, with instruments decorated as flowers, creating an absurd yet playful atmosphere. The logical part of the brain, on the other hand, is filled with cogs and clocks, with darker colours. There are really interesting concepts concerning the brain that make it into the game, such as the “train of thoughts” which is an object used to solve some of the puzzles in the logical part of the brain. Very well done by the developers – very clever indeed!
This specific puzzle… I was stuck on it for quite some time. *sigh*
The puzzles get more extensive as you proceed in the game, meaning you need to look around everywhere, backtracking and so on. Some of the puzzles that look dimensional like this remind me of the indie game Monument Valley. However, the puzzles are not too hard, which I liked. I am a fan of progress in games and appreciate not having to be stuck on a puzzle for a longer period of time.
The majority of the game is about solving puzzles, but there’s also a bit about battling enemies or so-called nightmares. In terms of gameplay, Figment shows how the hack ‘n’ slash element can be implemented into a relaxing game successfully. It is simple and straightforward – and patience is key when it comes to defeating your enemies. The nightmares come in the form of human fears, such as disease, spiders, etc, which is interesting, because they are both rational and irrational fears – applying to both parts of the brain!
The loading screen is a map of your progress, which is pretty handy. And it is gorgeous-looking too. The universe actually reminds me of the painter Salvador Dali and his painting “The Persistence of Memory.” Do you see the resemblance?
It is clear that Figment is a game that focuses on its musical prowess. And with good reason, too. I loved the sound design in this title. The music changes depending on where you are in the brain and which nightmare you are fighting. The instruments that play in the soundtrack are blended into the scenery in a very beautiful way, and one can clearly see how essential music is to the ethos of this game. It gets better: during the boss encounters they sing songs to you – about what they are, and why they are frightening. The songs are catchy and fun – I really enjoyed them for this reason alone.
Figment offers a unique soundtrack, with specially designed songs – if there ever exists a vinyl of the music, be sure to send it my way, okay? Just sayin’.
Though the game doesn’t contain that much action, it sure is a fantastic adventure game. The levels are imaginative, and gorgeous in an absurd kind of way. Moreover, the way Figment chooses to deal with the distress of the mind is fascinating, and very well done.
As of this moment, the game is only available on Mac, PC, and Linux. Hopefully, it will be available on Xbox, PS4 and Switch soon, because more people definitely need to play this.
The new album Thrashlevania is Castlevania headbanging basically. It’s Castlevania done loud and fast, timed to arranger Louie Aronowitz’s 15-minute speedruns of the original game on the NES. Once again it’s from music publisher Materia Collective. Yes, those guys.
Thrashlevania: Fast and Furious
Aronowitz himself is a performer and musician who has been featured in the Tribeca Film Festival, The New York TV Festival, on Nickelodeon, and more.
Here’s what he had to say about Thrashlevania:
The biggest and most ambitious aspect of this record is that it’s timed to how I play through the game. I speedrun Castlevania in about 15 minutes, and wanted to organize the record in such a way as to press play and just leave it running while I go through it. It also has possibly the most difficult guitar parts I’ve ever played… maybe.
We dare say that completing the game in under 15 minutes is an achievement in itself:
The original Castlevania soundtrack was created by Kinuyo Yamashita, her debut work no less – it’s a legendary soundtrack that includes fan-favourites such as Vampire Killer, Wicked Child and Heart of Fire.
The Gran Turismo series has always left racing fans feeling accomplished, trained and ready to tackle the toughest racing courses known to man. The enormous selection of cars and daunting content featured in the series’ Career mode were both namesakes in the long-running racing franchise. With Gran Turismo Sport, the series does away with both, leaving long-time fans a bit sceptical to the change. However, Polyphony Digital manages to create something the genre desperately needs to stay competitive and does so with astounding visuals and sounds, ambitious online competition and a campaign mode geared toward making every player a better, more sound racer.
Taking the racing genre to new heights in online competition
If you’ve played through the beta last week, the layout of GT Sport should look familiar. Opened with a beautiful shot of one of the 160+ racing machines featured in Sport, the options on where to first go seem limitless. With various racing modes like Arcade, Campaign and the online hub of competitive racing – Sport, the best way to tackle this daunting racer is to hone your skills on the track. Campaign mode allows you to do exactly that, tasking you with various driving tactics like conquering S-curves, to full lap time trials.
Without question, GT Sport is easily one of the most breathtaking titles to grace the current generation of video games.
The absence of favourite modes blinded by the glimmer of gorgeous visuals
One thing many fans of the GT series will notice almost immediately is the absence of the traditional career path. While I felt extremely disappointed by this initially, I collected my thoughts, took a few deep breaths and continued forward. The game alone looks and sounds like no other Gran Turismo in the series, which was enough to push me reluctantly further into the game. The exhausts growl, engines rumble and the turbo hiss all breathe fresh life into the series; which before shoved otherwise stale and recycled sounds of below standard racing motors.
The level of detail found in every car featured in Sport is astounding and, above all, quite appetizing to the eye. The shimmer and gloss, the detail when racing in the cockpit view (which is by far the best looking cockpit camera view I’ve seen in any racing game to date) and liveliness of every course immerses the player into every race. The shadows that graze across the road follow the cars effortlessly as you patiently bend and curve around the course. The details and sharpness of Sport are quite possibly above all other racing games, however, there still lie a few hiccups in the overall production and appearance in the gorgeous racing title.
The courses in GT Sport are lively and beautifully rendered for some of the best racing experiences on current gen consoles.
Dynamic weather – something us racing fans have seen a lot of over the past couple of weeks in other new releases – is missing from the formula altogether. The challenge that comes about from slippery and icy courses or dirt stirred up from off-track racers found in other racing sims, which have recently hit the market, is nowhere to be found in GT Sport. The day-to-night cycles which help add a sense of time and endurance to longer races remain untouched in the Gran Turismo series, which easily could have helped push the latest instalment with even more challenges to conquer for the racer.
Making strides in providing enjoyable online races
That being said, this still doesn’t shred the fact that Gran Turismo provides a true racing experience at a high level of competition. In Sport mode, players are free to enter and participate in online races. From daily challenges to legitimate championships, Sport is (obviously) the centrepiece of what this release tries to narrow in on. However, before entering the ring of professional and dignified racing amongst the eager grid of online racers, the player is forced to complete the Racing Etiquette class for proper racing guidelines on how to – more or less – not race like an ass.
The ‘class’ is simply two instructional videos highlighting what counts as proper racing manoeuvres, and what makes you look like the king of all things awful in the world of online gaming. Bumping other racers in the back, boxing racers out around turns, blocking other racers from passing, cutting corners to gain ground; there are tons of rules to follow in the world of competitive online racing in GT Sport, but they do in fact help to make a much more enjoyable experience when diving in online.
Boxing out, blocking cars, ramming other racers, as well as a litany of other misbehaviours will not be tolerated in the competitive ring of online racing in GT Sport.
If stuck with a penalty, the driver is then instructed to slow down for a set amount of time. While the cars are ‘in the penalty’ they appear as a ghost car to help alleviate any further burdens for other racers. If the driver fails to follow the penalties, they seconds begin to add up throughout the length of the race, and the total is then tallied to their overall time; in turn losing a few spots in the final standings. However, if one racer spins out or smashes into a barrier/wall by an unfair racer, there’s not much help to retain the position you previously held. Sure the disobedient racer was punished, but that has little effect on the innocent racer at hand.
Drivers are separated by driver rankings and sportsmanship rankings in online competitions. The driver ranking shows off how fast you are and comes in a rank from S-A-B-C-D-E, with an S ranking as the best possible outcome. The sportsmanship ranking keeps track of your penalties and overall etiquette form, helping to place racers in evenly matched competitions. The proper racers earn better rankings, increasing their score and rank higher amongst the competition rankings.
Though missing the Career mode, there is still tons of content in GT Sport
Throughout Sport mode, there are a handful of options to choose from, most of which are unavailable at this time. The Daily Races is the only option to dive into right now, but once the online championships begin, there are three other events to partake in. For now, Daily Races will do as it helps to build DR and SR points in your driver’s profile. Each day three different courses are available with a broad range of vehicle classes to choose from. Giving players an evenly matched group of racing machines, players are able to enter the race and begin qualifying rounds. Again, there isn’t much to Sport mode right now, but the promise of taking your online racing career further is inching closer with the approach of competitive championships at stake.
The Campaign mode is where players go to learn the basics, and eventually graduate to more difficult challenges. Like other entries in the series, there are loads of tests taking the player through acceleration/braking, tackling s-curves, out-in-out manoeuvres, as well as tons of other useful skills to help build a better racer.
Oval courses, street and popular circuit courses, as well as the beloved rally tracks all make their appearance in GT Sport.
Accomplishing all tests with a bronze time or better will reward the player with a car at random. Aside from the new vehicle upgrade, the knowledge of how to conquer turns and other difficult manoeuvres are enough to help push the player a little further into the depths of the multiplayer experience.
Mission Challenge and Circuit Experience are the other two events found in Campaign mode. Mission Challenge gives players difficult situations usually involving the player behind a handful of spots on a specific sector in a course and urged to place the highest position possible before the finish line. Circuit Experience acts as a practice session for every sector, or an entire lap, in every course, with a gold, silver and bronze time to beat. There are tons of challenges and courses to conquer, of which does help to give some of the playability the traditional career mode provided in previous entries.
In Arcade mode, players will finally have the chance to get down and dirty with AI racers in actual full-scale races. Fans of career mode in the other GT games may find themselves hashing out races here, as it provides the closest familiarity to the missing career mode. The course and car selection may be the smallest ever featured in a Gran Turismo title, but the thrill of competing in this expertly handled racer is well worth the downsizing.
Other modes offered in the game are Brand Central, which is the manufacturing market for all of the cars in the game – where players purchase the cars of their dreams, Scapes which is the shiny and spectacular photo mode and the all-new livery editor. Buying your dream car to take on the road, placing it in gorgeous, jaw-dropping settings, or perhaps covering it with custom wraps and liveries to help personalize your ride, all give Sport a casual approach when the heat of the racing grid is too much to handle. The views and scenery in Scapes present a truly remarkable image, some even looking near identical to real-life photos.
Scapes mode gives players chance to place their dream car into a gorgeous scenic setting and snap the perfect photo.
Throughout Gran Turismo Sport players will race, crash, learn, and occasionally win; all in repeating order. With a strong emphasis on multiplayer racing, and an even stronger swinging hammer crashing down on racing etiquette, I can honestly say my reluctance has subsided almost entirely to the eSports approach. Earning points for your overall driver ranking and sportsmanship ranking, players are easily matched for a better quality of racing.
Find Polyphony Digital’s latest entry in the popular racing series – [amazon_textlink asin=’B00ZG1SVA4′ text=’Gran Turismo Sport’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’geali01-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’351cec9e-b40a-11e7-a8a4-63dad7f5c6da’] – out now for the PS4.
Competitive gaming can finally be justified by a university honours degree in eSports, but students hoping to learn how to more efficiently frag their foes in Overwatch may be disappointed.
Better ways to play competitive games?
Beginning in September 2018, Staffordshire University will be offering the UK’s first eSports degree program. The honours degree program is more aimed at teaching students the business side of eSports than it is teaching students better ways to play competitive games.
The teaching focuses on:
“… how to host small and large scale events for single player and multi-player teams, create business plans to develop teams, create online communities and promote your events through digital marketing.”
However, the eSports program is not all business and numbers. Students will also benefit from opportunities to “explore the culture of eSports”. Hopefully, this cultural exploration includes exploring firsthand the ins and outs of various characters’ combos in Street Fighter V.
Staffordshire University has even reached out to the eSport industry for help in designing and planning an appropriate course study track for prospective students. Such collaborators include Fast Web Media, Ukie, Codemasters, the British eSports Association, and the National University eSports League (NUEL).
Both Staffordshire University and the collaborating eSports organizations are optimistic about the program and feel that eSports are set to become both an important and profitable industry.
The Vice Chair of the British eSports Association had this to say regarding the future of eSports as an industry:
“Staffordshire University’s decision to establish an eSports course is visionary and far sighted. eSports is one of the fastest growing entertainment mediums in the world, and anything that can help the UK establish itself as a centre for this exciting industry should be celebrated.”
The opportunity for student work placement has also been offered by Red Bull’s new London eSports studio.
Staffordshire University is hosting an event on the 22nd October, 11 am – 6 pm for those curious about their eSports degree program.
Whilst the headline seems simple enough, it does take some explaining. Sony is a huge corporation and is made up of many companies. One of the companies that make up Sony as a whole is Sony Music Entertainment. Now we have Sony Music Entertainment branching out by creating a new label called ‘Unties’. Still with me?
Unties seems focused on publishing and promoting small indie titles. Their mission statement includes this little snippet:
With the growth of game development environments, high quality game development has become possible even in small scale environments, and the evolution of digital publishing has made it easier to distribute developed titles to users worldwide. On the other hand, with a mixed bag of titles overflowing the market, there are also situations where interesting titles are buried without being noticed.
So far so good. Where it gets interesting is that one of Unties four confirmed games is a turn-based action game called Tiny Metal. It’s going to be available on PS4, PC, Mac and Switch.
Takeaways:
Unties is a game publisher owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Sony Music Entertainment is owned by Sony. Sony Interactive Entertainment (the PlayStation people) are also owned by Sony. Obviously.
Unties have confirmed four titles that they’ll be publishing. All are small indie titles.
One of the titles, called Tiny Metal, will be launching on the Nintendo Switch.
Weird, right? I know it’s a little long-winded but the link is there. Sony is involved in the publishing of a title which will be available on the Nintendo Switch. Sure the average consumer will see a logo for a company called Unties, but we’ll know the truth!
Having mutant superpowers is probably cool, right? Hmm, think again. Try being a bird-shaped monster who lays eggs – tiny copies of yourself hatch from these eggs to fight for you. Useful? Yes. Weird…? Definitely. Oh, and it turns out you can tear off your own head to throw it at your enemies.
Freaking Awesome?
That’s Freaky Awesome, an action rogue-lite developed by indie studio Mandragora out tomorrow on Steam for $9.99 / €9.99 / £5.99.
You play as Sam, a retired action hero searching for his lost dog in an old factory (which is procedurally generated, of course) full of mutated monsters and traps. Enemies leave behind a poodle of mutagen that can heal you but can also mutate you – even if you’re in the middle of a fight.
Every mutated form has its own mechanics and powers, and you need to adapt to them in order to survive. On top of that, you can use objects in combat and develop your character to unlock new skills, as well as play in co-op with up to 4 players.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole’s release is right around the corner but many gamers still sit in the dark when it comes to the storyline. The prequel to Ubisoft’s upcoming release – The Stick of Truth – took players through a fantasy world full of aliens, zombies, and of course, the powerful Stick of Truth. Now players will have a chance to play the superhero role as the New Kid in the next instalment of the South Park RPG series.
With outlandish costumes, skills and abilities, as well as the ever-so-popular over-the-top narrative, the creative team behind South Park are back at it again with their new release quickly approaching. Entering Cartman’s new world of superheroes and villains, you’ll take control of a lowly new kid in a new world of fantasy mayhem, fighting enemy sixth graders and of course, tons of fart stomps.
The cast of South Park will fend off evil in a brand new re-imagined superhero world.
Compared to The Stick of Truth – which harnessed the essence of traditional RPG mechanics combined with the hilariously disturbing and all around provocative dialogue – The Fractured But Whole takes this formula and expands on it immensely. With more of South Park to explore, diving into the lives of residents in the fictional Colorado town looks to become more enduring and exciting than its predecessor.
Highlighting the superhero world, the characters don heroic costumes, equipped with gut-wrenching moves and gross abilities. Players also have the option of choosing a starting superhero class, like the Blaster, Speedster, or the heavy hitting Brutalist, which changes the style of your player’s combat approach. Plenty of other stats, buffs and the powerful Ultimate move is sure to provide players with tons of combinations for intense, and excruciatingly side-splitting combat abilities.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole is coming in the wake of the astoundingly successful prequel, The Stick of Truth. The RPG approach to the acclaimed franchise as well as changing the theme of the story from fantasy role-playing to superhero fantasy battles means Ubisoft looks set to devour fans with tons of new content.
The release of The Fractured But Whole is now right around the corner, releasing October 17th on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Star Wars Battlefront II, despite not yet being released, has already been subject to heavy criticism from gamers.
After partaking in Battlefront II’s public beta, many players have voiced concern about in-game loot crate microtransactions. Each loot crate contains cosmetics and winning poses for the characters, but each loot crate may also contain game-changing Star Cards. Ability upgrades, temporary invincibility, shorter weapon reload times, and other stat boosts are all obtained through Star Cards. These Star Card upgrades are only available through, you guessed it, loot crates.
Players may purchase the loot crates with in-game currency or with real money, but the amount of currency earned in the multiplayer matches is said to be a disproportionately small fraction of the loot crate cost.
This leaves players using in-game currency to access loot crates at a major disadvantage to players willing and able to pay real money for loot crates. Players relying on in-game credits will likely be severely under-levelled compared to those paying money for quicker access to loot crates and whatever Star Cards the loot crates might contain.
As a result, Battlefront II’s multiplayer will be unbalanced. Many players have spoken out in opposition to Battlefront II’s “pay-to-win” loot crate system and their complaints have not gone unnoticed.
Publisher EA and developer DICE have responded to criticism and have ensured players the loot crate system included in the beta is not the completed loot crate system and will be adjusted further for better balance. Part of the promised balancing includes making the game’s most powerful items available only through in-game achievements.
EA and DICE have also assured players:
“You have to earn the right to be able to upgrade Star Cards and unlock most Weapons. You can only upgrade or unlock them if you have reached a high enough rank, which is determined by playing the game”.
Although EA and DICE have promised a balanced gameplay experience, some players are hesitant. Only on November 17th, when Star Wars Battlefront II is released, will gamers know whether or not EA and DICE follow through with their promises.
Developer Piranha Bytes has released one last trailer for their RPG ELEX before its release into the gaming wild tomorrow.
In ELEX, players choose to join three different factions – from there they can shape the fate of the planet of Magalan with their decisions.
The action role-playing game is set in a post-apocalyptic world, or as the developers state: “where magic meets mechs”.
From swords and axes to bows, crossbows and harpoons, ELEX offers a large selection of weaponry. Once you’ve picked a weapon, you need to find a companion, choose a faction and change the world. Are you up for this epic task?
ELEX is out for PC, PS4 and Xbox One digitally and at retail in mere hours.
The sequel to the South Park RPG, – The Fractured But Whole – is now right around the corner. The new title promises to deliver a ton of content on the base game itself, but the team over at Ubisoft are relentlessly teasing with the unveiling of future DLC releases – all of which will be available separately, or in the South Park Season Pass.
New costume packs, challenges, in-game helpful buddies and brand new stories to follow are all on the horizon after the game’s official release. Here are the takeaways of what the Season Pass will include:
Takeaways:
Relics of Zaron – This costume pack is included as a free Day One update for all Season Pass owners once the game releases on October 17th. The beloved character Towelie will also be released as a helpful in-game buddy on October 24th.
The Danger Deck DLC – Enter Doctor Timothy’s Danger Deck for the ultimate challenge in combat. Unlock new and exclusive costumes and artefacts only found in the Danger Deck DLC, releasing December 2017.
From Dusk til Casa Bonita DLC – Introducing an all-new story, team up with the Coon and Mysterion and infiltrate Casa Bonita. Fend off against the demonic presence and unravel the mysteries of the new storyline releasing in 2018.
Bring the Crunch DLC – Yet another storyline DLC, not much info has been released at this point, but we do know a new class of superhero will be introduced. This DLC will be releasing in 2018 as well.
Along with the standard edition and the separate Season Pass available for purchase, players may also receive all of the downloadable content within the Gold Edition, which is available for pre-purchase now.
Look for South Park: The Fractured But Whole releasing for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC on October 17th. Be sure to take advantage of the Season Pass and the additional content coming through future DLC releases.
Well, if the digital sales it’s racked up since its September 29th launch are any indication, Alisa’s been far from alone in taking great delight from this nostalgic throwback to a bygone age of gloriously ridiculous platforming challenges…
Takeaways:
After spending just a fortnight on the Xbox Store and PC marketplaces, Cuphead has over a million unit sales to its name.
It’s no small feat when one considers that the side-scrolling adventure currently costs £16 / $20 to pick up, meaning Studio MDHR has at least £16m / $20m to invest in its next – as yet unknown – project.
At present, Steam Spy reckons most of Cuphead‘s player base derives from PC hardware, with almost 590,000 gamers already having purchased the tough-as-nails platformer for themselves on Steam.
The development team’s Chad and Jared Moldenhauer say they’re “humbled and excited that so many people from around the world” have taken a trip back to the age of 1930s cartoon action with them. They add: “We could never have dreamed of the reception we’ve received from our amazing fans.”
Given how many development studios – not least Guerilla Cambridge and Lionshead – have fallen by the wayside of late due to diminishing demand, that Cuphead looks set to buck this trend will doubtless come as a huge relief for first-time devs Studio MDHR.
But complacency can soon breed catastrophe, of course, so the minds responsible for rendering the eponymous nose-laser-blasting protagonist’s psychedelic escapades would do well to brainstorm fresh ideas for further projects rather than resting on their laurels.
In the meantime, though, be sure to let us know your thoughts on Cuphead in the comments section below, as well as what you reckon the storming success of a fledgeling indie title such as this one could mean for the trajectory of our industry.
Future-planning seems at the forefront of Ubisoft’s collective hivemind right now.
For starters, the studio outed the full DLC structure of its madcap RPG South Park: The Fractured But Whole‘s season pass – sentient towels, trips to Casa Bonita and all.
But not content to announce the long-term gameplan for one of their oncoming AAA titles, they’ve also given Egypt-set open-worlder Assassin’s Creed: Origins the same treatment with a new DLC-orientated trailer of its own…
Takeaways:
Those picking up Origins‘ premium Gold Edition (£80 / $100) or standalone Season Pass will have two major expansions to dive into after the core campaign: “Curse of the Pharaohs” and “The Hidden Ones”.
The former introduces a new open-world region where Bayek must overcome dead Pharaohs and mythological beasts in “a mystery that turns into a living nightmare”. We’re hoping that doesn’t mean re-watching the Assassin’s Creed movie, as the two experiences sound uncannily similar.
As for “Hidden Ones”, expect to witness “the next step in the Brotherhood’s story” as the first followers of everyone’s favourite Creed – Bayek included – travel to the Sinai Peninsula to brawl Roman conquerors heralding a threatening new epoch.
What’s more, Gold Edition purchasers will also get Horus and Roman Centurion customisation packs featuring new outfits and mounts for our newfound Assassin protagonist and his noble steed.
That’s not to say Ubisoft won’t provide those sans Season Pass with free DLC, though. Game director Ashraf Ismail says to expect an “epic challenge” in Trials of the Gods, where Animus glitches pitch Bayek against the likes of Anubis and other fearsome deities.
Plus look out for daily challenges at Nomad’s Bazaar yielding secret items, a Photo Mode enabling players to soak in the glorious sights of Ancient Egypt, the near-obligatory Horde Mode and a Discovery Mode framing the open-world in an educational light, all costing £0.00 to download.
Whether dedicating so much effort to developing Origins‘ post-launch content – as opposed to keeping their focus on crafting as groundbreaking an Assassin’s entry as possible for Day 1 – will work in Ubisoft’s favour remains to be seen.
After all, if the finished product coming our way soon doesn’t deliver truly overhauled combat and a compelling core narrative on a par with Ezio and the Kenways’ beloved escapades, then no amount of DLC will necessarily correct this misstep.
At the same time, however, given the extra year of development Origins has had what with the franchise’s 2016 hiatus, one can hardly blame developer Ubisoft Montreal for using that to their advantage, and most fans surely won’t complain at the thought of returning to Ancient Egypt on numerous occasions after the credits roll.
Catch the full trailer for yourselves below, and keep your eyes peeled for our verdict on Assassin’s Creed: Origins when it arrives on Xbox One, PS4 and PC this October 27th.
