Pre-Order Tropico 6 For PC And Gain Exclusive Access To The Beta

Fans of the beloved Tropico strategy series can gain immediate access to the beta by pre-ordering Tropico 6 from the Kalypso Shop.

Tropico 6 improves on the inspiring formula from the acclaimed strategy series and gives players the option of pre-ordering two editions of the upcoming game to choose from: Standard Edition and El Prez Edition.

Check out the latest beta trailer for Tropico 6 below:

Tropico 6 Details

Here’s everything new with the latest release in the Tropico series:

  • Players choosing to pre-order the standard edition will receive a 10% discount and the ability to hop into the beta immediately. Those springing for the El Prez Edition will acquire those two benefits, as well as other bonuses like a flashy tourist outfit and a decorative flamingo pond for their suite.
  • As the leader of your government, players now have the option of ruling an entire archipelago rather than just one island republic. This is sure to divvy up your time between numerous islands and increase the amount of strategy needed to keep the people on your side.
  • Linking these series of islands together with bridges, tunnels, as well as plenty of other enticing transportation for your citizens. Sending them from one island to another in taxis and cable cars is an all-new feature to keep your reign in power.
  • Players can join in up to 4 player co-op or competitive matches with the online multiplayer for extended fun with friends.
  • Send government agents out on raids to bring back all of the worlds riches, or give impressive speeches to keep your citizens following your every word – the choice is yours based on how you wish to rule.

If you’re a first time subscriber to the Kalypso Shop you’ll also gain an extra 15% discount on top of the 10% saved from pre-ordering the game.

With access to an exclusive beta offering a complete tutorial across all four eras (Colonial, World Wars, Cold War and Modern), as well as two full maps to help get players acquainted to running multiple islands at once, reserving customers are in for quite the treat.

Tropico 6 is set to release on PC, PS4 and Xbox One sometime in 2019.

Melancholic 2D Game, My Memory Of Us, Available For Pre-Order On Steam, PS4

News out of indie developers Juggler Games: the 2D puzzle adventure game, My Memory of Us, has officially become available for pre-order on both Steam and PS4.

A symbolic adventure between two childhood friends takes players across a dreary world set during the second great war, World War II. Fight against the struggles of occupation as two kids from alternating backgrounds do everything they can to stick together.

Below you can find the official gameplay trailer showing off the distinctive art style and game design:

My Memory of Us

Still not sold on My Memory of Us? Here are some key features you’ll find during your adventure:

  • The surreal take on real-life events showcases a familiar history lesson while managing to create an emotional story tied with powerful gameplay mechanics. Each event in the game is tied to real-life war stories from Warsaw.
  • Witness two children from two entirely different backgrounds bond and become friends through everything from stressful situations to unapologetic, playful encounters.
  • Players will have the option of either controlling each of the two children separately, or uniquely navigating both at the same time. Switch between the two with the touch of a button, or utilize special skills tied to each child.
  • Along with the trailer, there’s a slew of “Making Of” videos showcasing the design, story, sketched art style, programming, the two heroes and even the moody music.

Now that you’re interested (I think), you can pre-order a copy for Steam or PS4 (in EU only) before its official launch on October 9th, 2018. The game is also set to release on Xbox One, however, as of now it’s still under submission.

A Tale Of Forbidden Elemental Love, Degrees of Separation – Releasing Early Next Year

From the indie minds of Moondrop Studios, partnered up with veteran publishers behind Ninjin: Clash of Carrots and Override: Mech City Brawl, Modus Games, comes a brand new adventure in the name of love, Degrees of Separation.

A Tale Of Forbidden Elemental Love

This upcoming 2D adventure game grants players a thrilling journey of puzzle-solving and deep narrative between two differing climates personified as partners in love, Rime and Ember.

The announcement comes with a release window of this winter for consoles and PC. Here are all of the details about Degrees of Separation:

  • Both single player and co-op multiplayer is available for players to explore a unique world brimming with puzzling obstacles highlighting the useful differences uncovered in both Rime and Ember.
  • In 2-player co-op, players will work together as a team to achieve passage through tons of environmental challenges utilizing the distinct elemental powers of heat and cold.
  • The game features a powerful mixture of passionate story-driven narrative and inspiring puzzle mechanics between the two co-stars.

Check out an early prototype build from 2014 of Degrees of Separation below:

“The combination of innovative mechanics and powerful narrative is what drew us to this game(…) It’s why we seek out these very important indie titles that have a true story to tell.” – Christina Seelye, CEO of Modus Games

Degrees of Separation is now set to release in February of 2019 on the PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PC. Expect more details, including a trailer, to be revealed in the coming months.

Graveyard Keeper Review PC

Graveyard Keeper Review [PC] – One Grave A Day Will Keep The Ghosts Away

Advertised as “the most inaccurate medieval cemetery management sim of the year,” I went into Graveyard Keeper expecting to find something weird, funny, and moderately inappropriate. What I found was something… very close to it.

Graveyard Keeper is indeed a resource management game made by Lazy Bear Games and tinyBuild, who are also the creators behind the fighter management game Punch Club.

You are thrown right into the game, witnessing our protagonist’s rather unfortunate fate, which leads him into a curious conversation with Death himself. Suddenly, we are being teleported back in time (year 204 to be exact) and are assigned the role as a graveyard keeper. You receive in your possession an old, abandoned house on a hill, with an even older and rustic graveyard next to it. 

Enjoy your own little bizarre and slightly disturbing utopia by creating a garden, tidying up your graveyard and home. However, to do these things you need to unlock different technologies. As your skills and experience as a graveyard keeper expand, you will also unlock different ways of preserving and taking care of the bodies you receive.

Graveyard Keeper Review PC
It may seem complicated at first, but as you get into the game, things gradually fall into place.

Research and upgrade your characters’ skills by collecting red, green, and blue «points» – which kinda look like regular ol’ gems. Different gems are required for different techniques:

Red: represents hand-crafting skills.

Green: knowledge about the nature of things and nature itself.

Blue: spiritual knowledge of the immaterial world.

Collecting these points takes quite some time in the beginning, making the game feel very slow-paced. However, once I learned more skills, the game naturally became more interesting.

The fact that almost every single action in the game consumes energy feels like both a blessing and a curse. While this is not necessarily a problem in itself, one might discuss that each action takes too much energy. This becomes a little tedious when you eventually have plenty of tasks to do. A grave situation indeed!

Visually, Graveyard Keeper has a lovely retro style design. With that said, the geographical design of the game feels quite big. It feels like the distance between each relevant quest site is too far, and it takes me forever to get there; maybe an auto-walk button would come in handy. But hey, at least the game has really pleasant music that I can listen to while I walk!

Graveyard Keeper Review PC
One grave a day will keep the ghosts away… literally.

The voice effects of the characters are funny and reminded me a little bit of the voices in Undertale. The characters want you to do quests for them, and in return, you gradually build a friendly relationship with them. While the dialogue has many good intentions of being funny, I cannot exactly say that it tickled my funny-bone

Even though the dialogue isn’t top-notch, Graveyard Keeper has a morbid sense of humour. They don’t take themselves too seriously, and that is kinda refreshing. For example, the local tavern is in dire need of meat for their delicious meals. And well, since you have flesh in abundance, you don’t really have to tell them where it comes from, right? … Right?

As you progress further in the game, you will also receive different recipes you can cook, so that you can restore the lost energy. Perhaps you might have some use for the flesh that you’ve been extracting too – if you know what I mean.

Being the graveyard keeper feels like a minor task in the game, compared to the tons of other stuff you can do: keeping a farm, a garden, working as a blacksmith to fix around your home, and doing various quests for the other villagers. The game runs in a day-and-night cycle, with different weather, even though I didn’t get the feeling it affected anything regarding gameplay. The characters’ availability, on the other hand, depends on which day of the week it is, where each day is indicated by its own symbol.

Moreover, Graveyard Keeper can become rather tedious. One example is being able to only pick up one thing at a time when you have to move quite a distance, making each task long and dreary. If I could pick up two things at a time, that would reduce the workload. If these glitches could be fixed, being a graveyard keeper wouldn’t be such a dead-end job… 

Though I must say, after I’ve laid my character to sleep to regenerate his energy bar, I kept finding myself automatically playing another day. Looks I’m just dying to play more… Because even though the game definitely has some flaws, it is nevertheless an entertaining game with a lot of potential.

I believe that the game could become excellent if it received more updates. If you like grinding games, Graveyard Keeper will definitely give you many hours of entertaining gameplay to dig into.

P.S: I hope my editor doesn’t give me the graveyard shift after this!

Graveyard Keeper is available on PC and Xbox One.

New Gameplay Footage Shows Off 19 Minutes Of Life Is Strange 2: Episode 1

Life is Strange has been embedded in video game history as a piece of – somewhat niche – memorable storytelling that weighs heavily on the player, no matter if you’ve played it once or a dozen times. Dontnod Entertainment is bringing back the highly acclaimed series with their upcoming sequel, Life is Strange 2.

Life is Strange 2

After the surreal events following Max Caulfield and Chloe Price, fans will return to the sobering universe as Sean Diaz, accompanied by his little brother, Daniel. As Devastating events occur involving the brothers, they are forced to outrun the Seattle Police and hitchhike their way to their home of Puerto Lobos, Mexico.

Check out the 19-minute long official gameplay “Seattle” trailer below:

Returning to the Life is Strange universe, fans of the series will be delighted to find the same atmosphere, mysterious powers and musical stylings are returning to the sequel.

Those who have experienced The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit earlier this summer will find that their decisions made in the demo will carry over to Life is Strange 2.

Episode (one) out of five of Life is Strange 2 is set to release on September 27th, 2018 for the PS4, Xbox One and PC. There is currently no official release date for the other episodes in the sequel.

Overcooked 2

Pre-Order Overcooked 2 And Receive Five Exclusive Chefs

The incredibly strategic chef simulating, food preparation co-op game Overcooked is finally receiving its well-deserved sequel this August.

If you pre-order the game before its release you will gain an early advantage with five exclusive chefs unlocked from the “Too Many Cooks” extra content pack.

Overcooked 2 – Five Exclusive Chefs

From a Calico cat to a space alien chef, expand your cooking arsenal with a variety of unique top chefs in the upcoming Overcooked 2:

Here’s everything that’s been added to the cooperative cooking sequel from indie developers Ghost Town Games:

  • Levels can now dynamically shift around you to help throw in an extra dash of depth to the overall cooking strategy. Players will also find themselves fighting the heat in a number of various kitchen settings, such as slicing rolls in a high-class sushi restaurant to harnessing your culinary skills in the wizard school kitchen.
  • No longer stuck with local co-op only, players can now participate in up to 4-player co-op action, either online or local.
  • Overcooked 2 will introduce the brand-new throwing mechanic which allows players to cautiously heave ingredients to one another – or into the blender – in tight situations when time is of the essence.
  • A slew of new recipes will make their debut in Overcooked 2 which means all-new equipment to handle and ingredients to uncover.
  • On top of the completely new roster of chefs featured in Overcooked 2, the “Too Many Cooks” pre-order bonus comes with 5 talented exclusive chefs: Calico Cat chef, Monkey chef, Unicorn chef, Walrus chef and Alien chef.

Fans don’t have much longer to wait to get their hands prepped and ready for insane cooking action as Overcooked 2 hits stores – both digital and physical copies – on August 7th for the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC for £19.99/€24.99/$29.99.

Eerie Adventure Game, Call Of Cthulhu, Release Date Officially Announced

Plunge deep into the Lovecraft universe and bring to life the mysterious RPG with Cyanide Studio’s upcoming release, Call of Cthulhu.

The investigative sci-fi mystery-RPG has finally been handed an official release date, and it’s only a couple of months away.

Call Of Cthulhu Details

Below are a few details about the upcoming thrilling adventure game:

  • Players will explore the depths of Darkwater Island as Private Investigator Edward Pierce in a chilling first-person view discovering the dreadful secrets that lie within the twisted community.
  • You will make your way through haunting asylums, underground bars and plenty of secret areas and passageways all scattered throughout the eerie community of Darkwater Island.
  • Players have the decision to tackle all investigations at their own pace using their own methods. Gain intel by conversing with the many civilians populating the island, or perhaps have your own personal discoveries and observe every detail buried in the surroundings.
  • Control Pierce’s sanity which can warp his mind – a mind that has become ever-so-fragile after The Great War – and see how long he can last during the terrors of Darkwater, as well as the disturbing truths seemingly hidden around every corner.

Fans can expect to see Call of Cthulhu released right around Halloween on October 30th, 2018. Scary stuff. The game is coming to the PS4, Xbox One and PC.

the inner friend

The Inner Friend… Is Awakening – It’s Out This Year

Audio can sometimes distort the meaning, can change the perception of something. We can witness an event, but we hear someone else’s story or whilst we are witnessing the event the ambience can alter what we have clearly seen; we doubt ourselves.

Sometimes we just need to cut the talking and just watch, a picture can tell a thousand stories and gazing upon a canvass, silent movie or a photo is when we truly find something about ourselves; no external influence, only our internal thoughts to delight or dismay us, we, you, I…

The Inner Friend

The Inner Friend

The Inner Friend is a game developed by Montreal ‘s Playmind studio. Previously working on AR, VR and interactive installations, they have taken their experience on these projects onboard to develop The Inner Friend, a narrative told through the visual exposition of surreal landscapes – based on the psychology of a child and supported with an ambient/cinematic score.

As you go into the subconscious mind you need to restore memories but the further you drive the darker the world becomes – you must escape or fight horrid creatures.

The Inner Friend

Can The Inner Friend accomplish its goal? Will its minimalistic and surreal visuals draw us into the world? Will the puzzle and combat help to compliment its meaning or will it hinder it?

Like gazing upon the canvass… We will all walk away with our own thoughts and our own interpretations.

The Inner Friend

A picture can tell a thousand stories. The Inner Friend will release this year on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Desert Child game

Racing RPG Desert Child Due Out Q3

The heat is exhausting out here, the only time you get shade is when the sun sets and then, you still want to be under an umbrella. For me, well I just get on this hoverbike over here and ride, for pleasure, for pay; it makes no difference.

Racing RPG Desert Child Game

The hot air turns cool. Of course, it can get pretty hot then let me tell ya – but when I ride, it’s like, what’s the word, Zen, you know… Free. It’s then I forget about the earth and its bullsh… ha, sorry kids, its nonsense. That’s not the life for me; the life for me is up there, Mars; and I’ll do whatever it takes to get there. Me and my trusty Judy here, my hoverbike.

Desert Child game
Dine on a range of interplanetary cuisine with sweet buffs to help you win

Hell, I’ll race, hunt bounties and deliver drugs; whatever it takes… Oh, you don’t like that? Listen, kid, you may snarl away to yourself as you’re reading this on your phone, tablet, but out here you do what you can for a buck. Breaking the law? Nah man, it’s survival. It’s the difference between having a meal and rummaging in the bins for scraps.

To me, I see as I’m playing some RPG, life-sim, racing game; the more points I get, the better the ranking, the bigger the taking. Man, I sometimes see the scores with my very own eyes I get that absorbed in it. Pfft, don’t look at me like that, I’ve got rent to pay and noodles to eat. I might even customize I, Judy, here.

Desert Child game
Race, shoot, and get better! Designed for replayability, with secrets that keep you coming back

I know you don’t understand but look, kid, if you want to survive out here you should do the same, earn what you can and get your ass to Mars.

You’ll see me soon kid, by Q3 you’ll understand and if you see me, you’d better shoot first kid; like I said, just think you’re on your PS4, Switch, Xbox One or PC… It makes it easier.

Desert Child game
Hunt bounties, deliver drugs, throw races – do anything you can to earn cash

Desert Child, that’s who I am. And that’s who you’ll be”.

F2P MMO, Dead Frontier 2, gets Early Access launch on Steam – coming in August

A grizzly survival horror packed with an MMO punch hits Early Access on Steam next month in the latest from indie developers Creaky Corpse: Dead Frontier 2.

Dead Frontier 2

Slay tons of gruesome abominations and survive in an online world where pairing up with friends may be your only hope of staying alive. Check out the battered and exceedingly bloody trailer for Dead Frontier 2 below:

Along with the announcement of the August Early Access period are tons of gameplay revealing features covering the infected-slaughtering cooperative game, such as:

  • Players will need to make every shot count and scavenge for every viable resource in this massive online survival shooter pitting the player against waves of zombie-infected horrors in a dark and twisted atmospheric environment.
  • Player driven economy has players trading with one another for survival supplies, rare equipment and weapons, or perhaps teaming up with each other to fight off the hordes of undead.
  • PvP action and punishing cooperative global events are coming soon to Dead Frontier 2, featuring both unreal boss battles and outpost defending carnage – or take on the hordes alone. The team also plans to bring in the option to barricade safe houses to keep what you don’t want in out.
  • Take advantage of a true free-to-play game with the option to upgrade your uniquely customized character with rewarded skills and abilities, or make them stand out with purchasable cosmetic wardrobes and other items.

Dead Frontier 2 will have players slaying and slaughtering hordes of deadly infected together come August 31st, 2018 via Steam Early Access.

Killer Queen Black

Killer Queen Black is making its way to Switch this winter

The 2013 action/PvP title, Killer Queen, has swarmed all over the multiplayer scene since Bumblebear Games launched the game on Arcade platforms. Now shoving itself on PC and Switch, players will have the chance to take the challenge either at home or on the go.

The announcement of the revamped version titled, Killer Queen Black, also came with a short but very “metal” trailer to go with it.

Killer Queen Black’s Metal Trailer

New mechanics to suit the insane competitive gameplay style and visually nostalgic 16-bit graphics for a better play at home experience has been tweaked in the games by its creators, Nik Mikros and Joshua DeBonis.

A few features about what to expect from the Killer Queen experience are:

  • Killer Queen is an 8-player team battle multiplayer game featuring vintage 16-bit graphics on a variety of platforming based levels.
  • Players take on different roles throughout different match types and earn victory through a variety of numerous tasks, such as collecting berries, stealing drones or taking out the Queen character.
  • There are three different methods of victory in every match: Scooping up berries and delivering them back to home base via drones are known as Economic Victories. Military Victories have players slaying the opposing team’s Queen on three separate occasions. And lastly, The Snail Victory has players hitching a ride on the sluggish snail located on the bottom of the screen relying on your faithful teammates to cover your slow pace while you make your way to the opposing goal post.
  • Along with the three different victories, there are four various types of match styles. Quick matches have players jump head first into the competition, Ranked to push yourself to the top of the leaderboard, Custom matches give players the opportunity to adjust various rule settings, and Arena is a specialized battle mode only playable after acquiring specific tickets awarded by earning victories or purchased through in-game currency.
  • A special “Black” team can be found occasionally which acts as a highly praised team of elite members. By winning over the Black team, players will dethrone them and become the king of Killer Queen.

Killer Queen Black will be released this winter on the Switch and PC. Stay tuned for more on the multiplayer platforming action game.

Epic Loon

4 player platformer Epic Loon brings back beloved couch co-op; releasing end of June

Fighting iconic terrors like Godzilla and Alien from the classic VHS film era is due to hit the video gaming world in the upcoming co-op platformer, Epic Loon.

Gather your friends and choose to partner up or battle each other in engaging and completely bonkers gameplay from French developers Macrales Studios.

Epic Loon Brings Back Beloved Couch Co-Op

Here are a few takeaways surrounding the premise and mechanics of the upcoming indie title:

  • Teaming up with up to four players in local co-op, players will take on the role of the vile alien species born from the coveted VHS cleaner tape determined to wipe out the collection of quirky renditions of VHS classics, such as Nosferatu, Jurassic Park and Godzilla.
  • Two separate gameplay modes will have players either teaming up for a co-op adventure or duking it out in competitive ‘Battle Mode’ across various classic film settings.
  • Revitalizing the local couch co-op experience brings forth a vintage style of gameplay to help match the retro ambience.
  • With over 350 levels to master and unique game modes like Hardcore difficulty and Speedrun settings, players will find themselves amidst a bizarre action platformer overflowing with content.

Epic Loon will come crashing down on the classic VHS scene after the start of summer on June 28th, 2018. The Switch, Xbox One and PS4 are all seeing console releases of the alien swarming co-op platformer, as well as a launch on PC.

Stay tuned for more on the classic film destroying couch co-op title, Epic Loon, as we near the official release next month.