Ashen is a new action RPG developed by ‘Aurora44‘ but published by ‘Annapurna Interactive‘. It is coming out on the Xbox One and PC. Ashen straight away has gotten our interest. There’s combat, danger, survival and a brutal world. Let’s take a look.
In the world of Ashen, nothing lasts forever. Players control a “wanderer”. This wanders is alone, travelling and surviving alone. That’s going to change. This is a strange world as for starters there isn’t a sun. So how does everything survive (ask the game)? There is natural light but that comes from eruptions. These eruptions is what covers the whole place in ash (ash + en = ashen). There are multiple survivors and it’s wise to work together to survive. The game is centred around this.
When you find survivors in Ashen you must decide what to do concerning them. You can ignore them or lead them to your settlement. If convinced to stay they can be of some serious help to you, offering their skills and abilities. Some might be skilled blacksmiths and other crafting skills or even “foraging expertise”. The point is that surviving alone in Ashen is a bad idea.If you want to find a place to call home then you will need some members.
Ashen is a multiplayer game as well. In your very large world you will encounter other players. You can work with them to fight evil, off course send an invite to join your party or leave them alone. Don’t be a bully now. The whole of Ashen literally is about working together, meeting people (real and) computer so keep that in mind when exploring.
The world in Ashen is huge and there is lots to see indeed. Expect forests, fields, broken structures, fjords, palaces, bogs and more. Even more interesting is that, according to the developers, no two gameplay experiences are similar. Basically the game works in a way that your adventure changes depending on where you are “at any given moment”. This means if you went to the bog first then things will be different if you had instead gone to a palace first for example, not just what happens at that exact location but surrounding things and more in the world itself. Interesting right? We know.
Off course let’s get to the interesting parts. The combat and the monsters. Combat first. The combat should make a number of Dark Souls fans happy as it’s a similar style. Being patient is needed for the combat in this game. You need to watch your enemy, see the attacks coming and know when to dash and dodge. Every fight you get into regardless of how far you progress could be your last so always be ready and prepared.
In terms of the enemies, there’s more to say. You can expect some scary monsters, spiders, flying things which swoop down, giant flying whale creatures, actual giants and more. There are thinkings hostile enemies that don’t like you and then there are indigenous creatures. You see those nice looking plants and flowers over there? Pick some. Congratulations you are dead. Even the plants and vegetation can be dangerous enemies capable of killing you.
We checked out some Ashen gameplay and it looks good so far. The graphics are quite cartoonish but done well. Movement speed is good, you can roll, evasion is fast enough, enemy attacks are telegraphed nicely (well at least for smaller ones), game difficulty seems acceptable from the start, crafting is important so loot everything you find and kill. Also Ashen has a stamina based combat system. Your attacks and moves cost stamina. Players will need to know what fights to pick and decide their actions carefully. You can decide to never see other players or never have any A.I. We are given that choice. The A.I by the way work very ell. They dodge attacks, know when to heal and fight good.
Overall Ashen looks like a very good game indeed. The sounds are very good and the controls are very responsive. The world design and enviro meets have great variety and we like that. We do hope for more variety in enemies though but how frequent we see them, we don’t know. The developers ‘Aurora44’ have done a very good job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker look forward to seeing Ashen come out. Now Ashen might have a massive world but what’s even more massive is… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Police 10-13 is a new simulator game developed by ‘Wingman Games’. Police 10-13 is coming out initially on PC but the developers plan to get their game on Xbox One and PS4 as well. They claim their game is in heavy development so there isn’t that much concrete information right now. Let’s take a look.
Police 10-13 is a police simulation. So this means, players will be playing as police officers and handling crime, dangerous situations and regular police work. You will be affiliated with a police department. Police 10-13 will be a single player game but also multiplayer but it has been confirmed that there is no story mode. The whole game is free roam and you can do what you want. Other branches will be made available in the future.
Police 10-13 is being built using the Unreal 4 Engine so already gamers will have some high expectations in visuals and graphics. The world of Police 10-13 is set in a place called Metro. The style of this city will be North American, including things like roads and road signs and probably other things like jaywalking. The whole game is open world.
There will be different weather in Police 10-13. They are trying to be as realistic as possible and replicate as many different situations too. so expect arresting on rainy days, hot sun, cloudy, windy and more. Hopefully they have hailstones as well… and snow. There is also a day and night cycle which players have full control over in terms of that you can set them yourself.
As a police officer you can also transfer to another police department. Don’t get excited, it’s not as fun as you think. There are procedures that needs to be handled. So players will have to qualify for that department. At the police academy. That’s right, go back to school you lazy gamers and learn! We actually like this aspect of the game and definitely like to know more about how this part of the game will work.
Let’s get to the fun stuff. The weapons and guns. There is a wide range of equipment and gear for officers. Players can expect radios, swat mirrors, handcuffs (off course), batons, flashbangs (flash em), radar guns and even breathalysers to expose those driving under influence. Have K9 units, use police boats and fly helicopters. so we got some vehicle action going on.
Time for some extras. Police 10-13 will be VR (virtual reality) supported so don’t put away your Oculus rifts just yet. Police 10-13 is also fully modable. The modding community will have a field trip with this game so expect dinosaur police officers arresting Halo spartans. The developers go into detail about all the hard work they are putting in. They clearly have huge plans for this game.
We would like to say we checked out some gameplay but all we see right now is development diaries and displays of their work like animations even. They are focusing on heavy detail from things like arresting and searching animations, to securing crime scenes, following protocols, police academy and much more. We hope they do their own things and work on not just making a simulation but something that people will also find exciting and fun. Fun is a key aspect of games which is for entertainment. We will need to see more from Police 10-13 before we can even begin to get excited about it. So far we aren’t impressed or excited.
Overall Police 10-13 looks like it will be a deep game that the developers will be adding to over time like Sea of thieves. It will be detailed but concerned when it comes to the fun aspect. It’s fine to have no story mode but there needs to be some stuff going on in this city besides people speeding. The developers ‘Wingman Games’ are working on this game. We at X35 Earthwalker hope to see more of Police 10-13. We encourage gamers to take a look at this game for yourself and if interested, keep an eye on it. Now a police simulation may be cool but it’s nothing compared to… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Fade to Silence is a new survival RPG developed by ‘Black Forest Games‘ but published by ‘THQ Nordic‘. It has already come out as early access on the pc but it’s coming to Xbox One and PS4 2019. If you thought survival was harsh in the last game we wrote about (The Wild Eight) then wait until you see this. Let’s take a look.
In Fade to Silence players control Ash. He’s got his own issues but now has way more ever. Ash is tormented. We don’t know by what though. He’s a natural leader and is able to get very different groups of people to come together. Ash plans to build a sustainable base for I’m and the other survivors. Protection against the harsh environments. This will mean that players need management skills as there are others survivors who need to be found and watched over in a sense.
The Other survivors in Fade to Silence have strengths and skills of their own. No one is useless. For example Ryme known as ‘the sneak’ is as her name suggests very sneaky. Able to move silently, unnoticed and avoid detection. This should alert players that stealth will be needed at some points. Ezra (name from the Bible) is known as ‘the alchemist’. again you can guess why. it has been said that he’s spent decades working on his potions and perfecting them. Expect a wide range of effects incoming. Gani is called ‘the survivor’. She is calm, a thinker and has huge determination to reverse the planets current state. Offers wise advice and will open your eyes to your faults. So basically listen to her. Rhys, known as ‘the investigator’ is an interesting one. Always studying the corruption and learning for a way to use it as an advantage. His studies have caused some strange side effects. He’s either got special insight into the eclipse’s power or it’s damaged him. There are more characters so keep that in mind.
Now onto the danger in Fade to Silence. Since this is a post-apocalyptic frozen wasteland, expect a lack of food, resources, light and expect the freezing cold. Players must venture out into this dangerous area in search of resources, materials and more. Each venture is risky and can be your last. You can upgrade your equipment and weapons but that requires, more materials and items. Upgrading is quite important here. Now there is a bigger threat… a certain unexpected but constant event… a blizzard! if this blizzard catches you when you aren’t ready then it could end you. Everything is worse during a blizzard.
If you though all of that was bad, then wait until you hear about the monsters. Games like this need to compete with the creativity and action of other games to gain interest so off course they will add dangerous natural monsters to spice things up. In Fade to Silence players will face different kinds of monsters. For example the Ripper is a melee enemy who always gets close to you to slash you up with it’s claws. It’s attacks are slow but deadly enough to kill you quick. Hellvines spawn from corrupted grounds and attack whatever comes within range. The Feeder strikes fear in survivors as it’s very durable and resilient. It has a long range tongue that can drag you in, right in front of it’s jaws. This enemy is powerful. The Stalker will follow players, waiting for the moment to strike. It’s attack is very fast and you must get close for the best chance to finish it off. There are many more monsters and they are a serious problem. We like that the developers have displayed a good amount of information concerning the game, characters and monsters. They are one of the few who did this right.
We checked out some gameplay. There is a lot of stuff to do in Fade to Silence. You can hunt animals and skin them, collect raw meat, which has to be cooked, even use their bones as material. Use a bow and arrow, blade or even branches to attack enemies. You can even travel around on a sleigh pulled by dogs which does look cool; however your dogs fear the corruption as well. They will not move into a corrupted area. They will actually just stop in their tracks. Survivors can assist you in defending a camp from a monster attack. Players must watch out for one monsters that may be a problem. It’s called the Inner voice. It will speak to you, give you ideas. Do not let it corrupt you.
Overall Fade to Silence seems like a good game. The graphics are very good and the sounds are good too. The environment looks quite realistic in many ways. The snow is done well too. The areas are clearly distinct from each other it’s clear what area you are in. The monsters look cool but we hope they are strong for the sake of difficulty. The developers ‘Black Forest Games’ have done a good job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker look forward to seeing what this game has to offer. Now Fade to Silence may be a serious survival game but it’s all calm when compared to the seriousness of… the ‘Earth Walk!’
The Wild Eight is a new survival adventure game developed by ‘HypeTrain Digital‘. It is already out, early access, on pc but when on console isn’t clear. so all we can say is keep an eye on The Wild Eight if you want to know. It will however be on Xbox One and PS4. This game emphasises on how intense the survival is. Let’s take a look.
In the world of The Wild Eight players control a group of survivors who were on plane that crashed in the Alaskan wilderness. So lots of snow, very cold and dangerous indeed. The Wild Eight makes it very clear that every second that passes you and the survivors come closer to death. But wait… there’s more… Some are wondering if the plane crash was an accident or all planned. This is because the area they crashed has military bunkers and abandoned government labs which would suggest some government secret experiments may have gone on here and off course, like every other government experiment plan, went wrong. What’s really going on? Or maybe we are getting paranoid.
So if you couldn’t tell by now that starving and the below zero temperature isn’t the worst things you’ll face here. Those military bunkers and government labs we mentioned earlier have dangers of their own. it has been said that inside are fatal surprises. The mechanics of this game in some ways reminds us of Metal gear Survive, which we enjoyed, in that the main things you’ll be doing is exploring, hunting and crafting. Exploring, because there are many places and to discover and things to see. Hunt, because everyone needs food and things to eat. Craft, because tools, equipment and weapons are all needed to survive. Did we say weapons?
Off course Alaska wouldn’t be Alaska without some animals around right? In The Wild Eight players may unfortunately come across some wolves who always hunt in packs. Wolves are vicious and if players under equipped or not careful can wipe you all out. Not scary enough for you? Well players can could be even more unfortunate to come across a bear! Bears are way worse than wolves and they will chase you down. If you see one, do not provoke it. We also have reason to believe there are worse things in the Alaskan wilderness. Monsters and supernatural beasts like werewolves. Check their website for yourself and see.
There are eight characters to choose from and each has their own strengths. For example William has 10% more defence and 5% more protection from the cold. Jeffrey has 50% more durability for all items he crafts. Vivian has a 5% increased chance for critical damage on enemies but 10% if she strikes from behind, she also gathers 20% more wood and stone. Robin has 5% increased attack speed, 5% increased range damage and 10% increased stamina recovery speed. Off course this is only four of the eight characters, so discover and learn the rest for yourself.
We checked out some The Wild Eight gameplay and it’s not exactly what we thought it would be but still interesting. There are crafting recipes, multiple animals like warthogs too, axes are needed for chopping trees, a day and night cycle, torches and light sources which light up the area nicely, basically quite a lot going on. There is signs of progression as well as in at one point you must run from bears and then later on you can face them and kill them. The movement animations could have been better though. We also like that they took temperature into consideration as in without warmth your character will die.
Overall The Wild Eight seems like a good game. Definitely very deep. The story is good, the crafting is good, the graphics are good for it’s style, the effects like torch light glow are good. They should have explained the difficulty regarding playing with friends and solo. We hope the military bunkers and government labs are exciting. The developers ‘HypeTrain Digital’ did a very good job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker are keeping an ear out for The Wild Eight. The Wild Eight may have government secrets but even thats weak when compared to… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Lost Ember is a new adventure exploration game developed by ‘Mooneye Studios‘. It is coming out in spring 2019 on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC (and Windows 10). Lost Ember has gotten lots of attention. It has even gotten lots of nominee and won some awards already. Let’s check this out.
In Lost Ember, players get to explore a world that has been taken back from mankind by nature. So don’t expect any people around here. Players control a wolf but not just any wool. This wolf has the ability to inhabit other animals and control them. This is where the different perspectives come from. First of all how comes this wolf has the power to control other animals? Did this wolf use to be a person? A nature mage or something? Hopefully the game explains this.
Off course, since this is a exploration game and man is gone, there will be ancient cultures, ruins, forgotten civilizations and more for players to check out and learn what happened, secrets of this world and what’s going on. So being a wolf has the obvious advantages of being fast. So you can cross areas quickly and get from point A to point B. You will come across areas where the wolf cannot go, like high ledges for example. Taking over a bird solves this problem as you can then fly up to see what’s up there.
Control small animals to go through tight spaces, control a fish so that you can explore the waters because wolves can’t go that deep with dying. Even control moles who then can dig underground. Who knows, you may find a cavern or a diamond pick axe (get it?). Either way the main concept of the game is clear and simple. Run around and explore but if there is somewhere the wolf can’t go then control the right animal for the job. Simple. Explore and learn about this mighty civilisation that has fallen and learn about certain characters from the past.
Now let’s talk some details because games like this, we are sure you know the formula by now, so there isn’t much to really say about it. It’s an exploration game with some mystery. Lost ember is built using Unreal Engine and they did a good job because the looks and art style is one of the main things that got so many people’s attention. Many have said it’s a beautiful game and others have made some really big claims about it’s beauty (calm down now).
Lost Ember will also be compatible with VR (Virtual reality). People have asked and they delivered. The game has been tested with HTC Vive and Oculus Rift and according to the developers “it’s awesome”. They are also looking into being compatible with PlayStation VR. Lastly gamers can pre-orderfrom two options: the regular where you get a digital copy of the game and two karma points which you can spend to unlock free rewards. The digital plus bundle gives you a digital copy of the game with the digital soundtrack and art book along with 4 karma points. Take note that pre-orders for windows is only available right now.
We checked out some gameplay and it’s what we expected. We expected a colourful world, lights, animals and fictional stuff like creating structures a light companion etc. It looks very nice. Not as impressed as those critics were though. This game reminds us of the other exploration games we have already written about. We haven’t seen anything that makes us want to play Lost Ember though. Fans of exploration will probably love this and rightfully so. Once again it’s down to the gamers and their taste.
Overall lost Ember looks like a good game. Designed well, people waiting for it, supported and will have VR. Definitely got some stuff going for it. It isn’t our thing though and we believe it needs more going on in the world for it to be exciting. Exploration doesn’t mean that’s all the game should have. It needs to stand out from the others. The developers ‘Mooneye Studios’ clearly did a good job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker are not looking forward to Lost Ember but we know for a fact there are some who are. Now lost Ember has a wolf that can control other animals and that’s cool but it’s lame when compared to… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Skyforge is a very large game and it’s got the content and game world to make a Battle Royale possible. If you didn’t know about the Skyforge Battle Royale by now, then just read our previous G-Blog about it right here. We mentioned that there is a lot of strategy in this battle Royale which sets it apart from the others like Call of Duty‘s Blackout, Fortnite and Pubg. Let’s take a look into that.
The first thing that clearly makes a difference in gameplay is the character abilities. The first three that are available from the start are the recruits. Tough, agile and accurate. Now only two of the recruits have good abilities.
Tough Recruit – is the weak link here as this character class only bonus is having 10% more health. So instead of having 100 health, the tough recruit has 110. This honestly makes almost completely no difference in combat. There are some moments when you survive a firefight and thanks to the extra 10 health you come out with only 6 health left. So it isn’t completely useless, just the least useful.
Agile Recruit – has 25% more stamina and also has faster sprint. The accurate recruit (as the name suggests) grants slightly increased accuracy with all weapons that you must fire. So with agile recruit, you can get to weapons faster than anyone else early game because obviously you are faster. You can also traverse the battle field better because of the larger stamina. This means heading from place to place to find weapons and more is something easy with this character.
Accurate recruit – When playing as the accurate recruit you should feel more confident in combat as you will always have the advantage in terms of aiming. Some weapons like the plasma thrower have bloom as you fire, meaning your shots get less accurate as you hold down the trigger. This character class will suffer less from that thanks to the slightly increased accuracy.
Now the other nine character classes are much different with more various abilities. They must all be unlocked though, by spending in game currency called ‘Token of the king’. You earn these every time you play. Depending on what place you get after a round of Battle Royale determines how much you get. For example if you died 5th, you get like 490 while winning you get 700. It coasts 500 to ‘rent’ a character for one match. Strange but here’s how it works. You can rent for one match and then after using them, spend 500 more. If you rent a character class 50 times, you permanently unlock the character. That’s too much in our opinion but if you keep playing and have fun, you will horde up those token of the king currency and be able to purchase a character every time. Let’s look at those characters.
Morgan, the Filibuster – has a special weapon and item. The weapon is a explosive cocktail which can be thrown at enemies to light them and the ground on fire. they will take serious burn damage and reduce their accuracy. The item is a bottle of rum that when you drink restores a small amount of health over a few seconds and it also increases your melee damage. The cons of the Filibuster is that you can’t use other grenades or medkits you find in the match. A great way to use the Filibuster is in ambushes. Lead them around a corner, or wait behind a rock or tree and throw your cocktail at them, then shoot them as they panic. Then heal up after the fight. She is also the best character at the start of a match as she can drink to increase her punch damage and kill enemies who try to pick up weapons near you. Fun fact, the cocktail does so much damage that players having maximum armour shards and full health will get brought down to 60 health meaning you yourself only need to fire a few shots to finish the kill.
Dolph, the Mercenary – has a ability and perk. The Mercenary has infinite firearms ammo. So rifles, dual pistols, heavy pistol, dual sub machine guns, dual shotguns can all be used with ever having to find ammo. You still need to reload though which is a big downside. The perk is that you have 20% more health so basically 120 instead of 100. The cons for the Mercenary is that you can’t use mines, grenades, weapon scopes or gadgets. A great way to use the Mercenary is to be aggressive right from the start. grab a firearm and hunt down others early game, you will always have the advantage since you have more health and have infinite ammo while every else is running around looking for ammo. Try and find armour to make yourself tougher to kill. Fun fact, the Mercenary when he has heavy armour is the most durable character in the whole game having 50 more points of health than anyone else so the chance of the Mercenary winning a 1v1 is almost always guaranteed.
AVER RP-800, the Android – has a gadget and perks. The Android’s gadget when used allows you to detect enemies and reveal their location to you in a large radius. The perks is that the Android always shoots accurately and has infinite sprint. The cons of the Android is that this character takes increased damage from energy weapons and cannot use other gadgets like the active camouflage for example. A great way to use the Android is to be constantly on the hunt for items and weapons, traveling around the map quickly thanks to the infinite stamina. This can be done with confidence because if you approach a bullion for area with chests, then use your detect gadget and expose any enemies in the building, area or even following you, giving you the clear advantage in that fight. Fun facts, thanks to infinite sprint the Android is the one character that players, when using, have no excuse for getting killed by being outside the safe zone. Also the detect gadget doesn’t seem to detect camouflaged characters. Also having the experimental boots is most effective with the Android thanks once again to infinite sprint.
Kerr, the Devourer – has some abilities. The Devourer does 50% more damage… to monsters! So A.I monsters on the field are easier to kill. Also every time the Devourer kills either a monster or player, he gets a growing bonus to health and damage. The cons of the Devourer is that you can’t use armour or armour shards which isn’t much of a negative honestly. A great way to use this character is to grab a weapon and run away in search of monsters, forget other players. Kill as much monsters as you can find as each monster (the green coloured ones) grant 3 more health while stronger ones add more, also killed monsters drop loot. So if you killed ten weak enemies you will have 130 health instead of 100. If you happen to slay some players too you may end up with over 160 health and the amount of damage you do will be really high. It’s all about the kills. Fun fact, did you know X35 Earthwalker himself got over 200 health when playing as the Devourer killing many players and monsters.
Alecto, the Faceless – has a special ability and a perk. The Faceless has permanent active camouflage and the first attack you launch when invisible gets a 30% damage boost. The cons of the Faceless is that your camouflage gets disabled when you attack, take damage or pick up an item. You are also slightly exposed when you swap weapons too. Also you cannot use other gadgets and have 25% less heath so 75 instead of 100. A great way to play the faceless is to be patient and stalk your enemies, waiting for the best time to attack them from your invisibility. You can also sneak into locations ad loot everything quite comfortably thanks to your invisibility but be careful as you can still get spotted. Snipers and blasters are weapons work well with the Faceless. Fun fact, the Faceless is one of the most hated characters by players so it’s very funny when you stalk a character, wait for them to open a chest and then you kill them and take the prize for yourself.
Anna-Malia, the Hacker – has some abilities. The Hacker can summon a random item right in front of you. The other ability is that this character can instantly teleport forwards (off course there is cool down) and gets a speed boost right after the teleport temporarily. The cons of the Hacker is that you can’t use other gadgets or traps (like mines) and your maximum health is reduced by 20% so you have 80 instead of 100. A great way to use the Hacker is to keep creating the random item as soon as the gadget is available as you never know what you can get. Maybe something powerful or useful. Use the teleport to help you traverse the map faster and find the items you need before getting into fights. Also If someone gets the drop on you, then quickly teleport forwards and use that speed boost to get out of there. Fun fact, that ability to summon a random item can even give you a legendary weapon! Like we said, you never know what you will get so keep using it.
Ivy, the Sapper – has special traps and a ability. The Sapper can detect enemy mines from a great distance and even disarm them, meaning that you should never fall into traps. Also the Sapper always has three mines that can be thrown into desired positions (off course cool down). The cons of the Sapper is that you cannot use other mines, gadgets and grenades. A great way to use the Sapper is to always from time to time plant a mine behind you as you travel to hit following enemies or those just happening to be running past. You should also plant a mine at the entrance of a building you are looting so uninvited guests will pay the price for trespassing. You can also throw a mine near an enemy player who will then take big damage making killing them all the much easier. Fun fact, once X35 Earthwalker himself was at an elevated location near the final closing of the safe zone and three all three mines in there, the other 3 players all ran in towards the centre and all took heavy damage while he shot from the top and killed all without taking any damage.
Joe, the Engineer – has a special item. The Engineer has a portable auto turret which he can plant to have it fire at both monsters and players. The cons of the Engineer is that you cannot use mines and you have reduced stamina and your stamina recharges slower. A great way to use the Engineer is to go look for monsters and kill them with help from your turret. They not only drop loot but, for the engineer, turret parts which when enough is collected upgrades the turret making it deal more damage and more durable. Once your turret is at least level 2, make sure to plant that turret when you spot an enemy coming your way to give a nasty surprise. The engineer can do ambushes as well. Fun fact, X35 Earthwalker himself was facing one more player and the circle was getting really small, so he planted a level 3 turret. The last player jumped into the safe area but was getting hit by the turret and focused on that instead of the legendary soldier himself and was quickly defeated.
Selena, the Night Huntress – has two perks. The Night Huntress receives a 30% bonus to damage and movement speed at night time. The con of the Night Huntress is that she is 20% slower during the day time. A great way to use the Night Huntress is to literally go on the hunt when it is night time. As soon as it’s dark you really feel so much faster and not even strong monsters can defeat you. So hunt down players as it’s most likely you will win every time. Also take down some monsters for extra loot to get some ammo and powerful items to prepare for the final moments of the match. Nothing is more scary than a Night Huntress hunting you down at night, there isn’t that much you can do if she spots you. Fun fact, when the Night Huntress has the light armour at night time, she’s is the fastest thing in the game. it’s gets worse when she has the experimental boots. A floating rim reaper.
Thanks to all these different characters, the Skyforge Battle Royale has the most unpredictable and epic matches. Different strategies are being used during the same match by multiple players and some completely destroy others depending on the environments, situation, weapons and items at hand. Even though some characters are clearly stronger than others most of the time, any character can win. X35 Earthwalker has won a Skyforge Battle Royale match with each character which you will be able to see for yourself eventually on the X35 Earthwalker Youtube channel. Skyforge’s Battle Royale definitely stands out from the others like Call of Duty’s Blackout, Fortnite and Pubg and we’ve definitely had way more fun in the Skyforge Battle Royale matches. We trust that this information will be useful to players of this game. Off course we didn’t give away X35’s personal developed strategies. Now Skyforge Battle Royale may have many characters but even if they work together, they are no match for… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Aftercharge is a online 3v3 competitive shooter game developed by ‘Chainsawesome Games‘. It is coming out… well that’s the thing. some say later this year but steam says January 2019. So it’s up to you to personally track that information yourself over time. It’s coming out on Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. Let’s take a look.
Now let’s start with the Aftercharge story… there isn’t one… really. basically what we do know is that there are invisible robots who want to destroy some glowing extractors but said extractors are being guarded by invincible security squads. So invisible robots vs invincible troops. As mentioned before, this is all 3v3 competitive. The maps in Aftercharge are small like the teams so the action is always happening and rounds are short which is good for these things.
In Aftercharge, the invincible security team don’t have to worry as they can’t die but need to spot the invisible attackers and take them out to protect the extractors. The robots need to be real clever. They sneak to sneak around the security members, maybe cause a distraction or two and off course work together.
Being invincible is over powered off course so to balance it out, not only are the robots invisible but they also can revive allies as much as they want and there are no cool downs to abilities. What? Abilities? Oh yeah. Both teams have abilities and a character pool. Each of the characters have very different abilities from each other. Already this is sounding cool.
We checked out some Aftercharge gameplay and learnt a lot. Robots can attack security to knock them away, throw distractions, stun, thruster jump, out up a bubble shield and more. The security can put up shield gates to block entry, a scanning device to find invisible enemies, a exposing grenade to reveal robots, traps like mines and disablers and off course more. It definitely sounds chaotic. There is a lot going on.
Overall Aftercharge looks like a cool fun game. We can see how things can get very competitive since it’s simple, silly, chaotic but has some depth to it. It is strategic. The graphics are quite cartoonish style and look nice. The character designs seem alright so far. The developers ‘Chainsawesome Games’ did a very good job with this. We at X35 Earthwalker want to see what Aftercharge accomplishes. Now Aftercharge may have invisible guards and invisible robots but even if they worked together, they wouldn’t stand a chance against… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a new tactical adventure game developed by ‘The Bearded Ladies’ (we are not making this up) but published by ‘Funcom‘. It is coming out the 4th of December on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC. This game will capture the interest of gamers just from sight alone. Let’s take a look.
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a strange game set pretty much in a strange world. Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden has been described as a tactical adventure, turn based with real time stealth. Straight away you sort of get how this game will play like. Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden does remind us of XCOM 2 in a way. Basically the story is that the world has ended (strange since the world is still there). There has been global economic issues, old and new superpowers are against each other, off course extreme climate change and nuclear weapons which form mushroom clouds and other issues.
Now nature has taken over… Well nature and some mutants (where did they come through). There are n humans left, they are all gone and the only things in the zone now are the mutants, animals and deformed humanoid. Players control a group who must venture of the zone in order to survive. Your destination is the Eden which suppose to be a haven and where the truth is according to legend. This sounds like quite the adventure.
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is suppose to be a deep tactical strategy game. They have said it has been inspired by XCOM which means it should be good. Players can explore ruined destroyed looking areas like damaged highways, clearly abandoned cities. Off course each mission needs a plan and supplies which is why you will return frequently to a place called the Ark where you can get body armour like police vests, powerful rifles and even something like a top hat for style.
The members of your team are strange. There is a four foot duck (Dux) who has an attitude problem, a boar (Borwin) who clearly has anger issues and Selma who seems like a deformed humanoid and leader. There are multiple other characters in this world and they have their own distinct personalities and behaviour also.
Even though Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is definitely a lot of combat and fire fights, stealth has been emphasised and encouraged. You have shadows to use to your advantage, floodlights will expose you, line of sight is a mechanic here too, fully destructible environment like walls to get the drop on enemies and much more. This is real time stealth so players have full control on their approach and how you want to do it.
There are upgrades and new abilities called mutations. For example that duck (Dix) can learn an ability to sneak into a base full of enemies completely undetected and unnoticed even though he is a walking duck who is armed with weapons. Don’t ask questions, just go with it. The boar (Borwin) can learn to charge enemies which makes sense. Selma can learn a mutation called stone skin which literally makes her skin stone, we guess that means she takes reduced damage or maybe temporary immunity to damage. Off course there are more mutations to unlock.
There isn’t a lot of information on the kind of enemies you will face. We do know there are monsters called ghouls and that enemies will have levels, like a level 7 ghoul for example. We also know they will be other mutants like weird creatures with swollen mushroom bumpy heads. Hopefully more information will be given as the enemies do add or take away from a game.
We checked out some gameplay and we like the full control stealthy parts of the game where you can decide where to go to and how you plan to do something. The duck can get a mutation that allows him to fly granting elevation advantage and more mobility. There are ladders to climb, hit percentage, critical hits, weaknesses, advantages and even sniping capabilities. Just make sure to scavenge and find all sorts of useful supplies, parts and things that can really help out.
Overall Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden looks like it’s going to be a serious game. It’s unique, got some good mechanics, inspired by an excellent game, graphics look good and the levels look very good. There is some mystery like the elder who knows a lot and his story will be unfolded. we just hope that the enemies are awesome and off a side variety since it’s suppose to be mutants which means anything can be formed. We expect creativity from this. The developers ‘The Bearded Ladies’ (we hate this name) did a very good job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker are looking forward to seeing what Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden has for gamers. Now Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden may be a ruined world but one thing that’s not ruined is… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Wreckfest is a new demolition racing game developed by ‘Bugbear‘ but published by ‘THQ Nordic‘. It is coming out the 20th of November on the Xbox One and PS4 but already out on the PC since June 2018. To make progress in Wreckfest, dangerous driving and destruction is needed. Let’s take a look.
In the world of Wreckfest, no one technically is safe and the same definitely goes for vehicles. Do not bring the family car to this place. There isn’t much to say about a game like this as what you see is pretty much what you get but modern. Wreckfest is all about having some quite crazy fun. Race fast and get to that finish line, ridiculous and as described “over the top” crashes and demolition really. So both casual and competitive gamers can dive into Wreckfest without too much difficulty.
Yes. Wreckfest like other modern racing games has single player but also has multiplayer too. Players can compete against others online and destroy their vehicle “by accident” (not really). There is even a demolition derby! You can be in an arena with multiple other racers who just want to ruin your paint job and smash your cars front and rear bumpers off. For the last time, put on your seat belt!
We can say the kind of cars you find in this game is definitely unique compared to others, even like Forza Horizon 4. This is because the cars in Wreckfest are old, some rusty, some damaged, off course patched up and at times look like crap but that’s exactly how they wanted it. They look vintage and definitely like they’ve been in a number of races, crashes and Derbys. So you won’t expect that brand shining new convertible with those giant rapper rims and tinted windows (maybe) but you can find and put together something rough, tough, something you can spit on.
The developers have uses their own design engine called ROMU which is built for racing games. Wreckfest has been designed in a way to make players feel every detail of what’s happening with their car. Like the bumps in the round, even the weight of your car when you turn and off course really feel it when you get hit and damaged. not sure how they plan to do that when we are using controllers but you drivers will have to find out for yourselves.
As mentioned before, yes there is a single player mode called career mode where you will compete to prove you are the best and where you can unlock new vehicles and off course upgrades. Challenge mode is basically sort of reminds us of guts and glory in a way. You can drive school buses, three wheeled vehicles and even lawn mowers. Multiple is as you expect with online races, online demolition derbies and online wrecking and destruction.
We checked out some gameplay and it’s sort of less than we were expecting. It does look old, the cars do look like rusty scrap but everything seems a bit to slow for us. The tracks definitely look like a team dug it out and worked hard to make it. Not professional looking but good looking and gets the job done. The environments and where the spectators stand can cheer have been designed well but not that realistic in terms of health and safety. It’s definitely rough racing as multiple cars are getting hit, slammed and pushed out of the way. We do however expect more from this game. Off course we haven’t seen everything yet though.
Overall Wreckfest looks like quite a bit of fun. Just get a car and have a drive. The graphics are very good. The sounds are good too. The physics for the damages the cars get when they crash is very good too. The environment being destructible adds to the realism of the game. The developers ‘Bugbear’ did a very good job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker are not looking forward t this game but will see how console players take towards this Wreckfest. There may be lots of destruction and danger in Wreckfest but it’s all Childs play when compared to… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Darksiders III is the new action, adventure, hack and slash game developed by ‘Gunfire Games‘ but published by ‘THQ Nordic‘. Darksiders III is off course the latest Darksider game and is coming out the 27th of November on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC. The Fury is coming soon. Let’s take a look.
Darksiders III is now all about Fury the only female of the four apocalypse horsemen. By the way isn’t it interesting that so many popular games, anime and books got inspiration from the Bible (Think about that). Basically the story is that the earth has been taken over by the seven deadly sins who off course have their own minions and evil creatures serving and assisting them. The charred council won’t let this slide so they send Fury to solve the problem… by fighting, slashing and destroying all enemies and things that stand in her way. It says, “from the heights of heaven dow through the depths of hell”. sounds like a big battle if you ask us. Fury must restore balance to the situation and also aims to prove that she’s the most powerful of the horsemen. Isn’t death automatically suppose to be the strongest of the four horsemen?… whatever.
Now in Darksiders III the protagonist, Fury, fights differently from the others. Fury relies on both her physical abilities with her whip and magic. Now this magic also allows her to use her other forms well hollows to be exact. The Force hallow basically gets her very physical. She wields Scorn as quite a big hammer for powerful defense shattering, heavy damage attacks. This hammer while not as powerful as Thor’s mjolnir can also act as a focal point for magnetic attraction. This means she can pull in rocks, enemies and even energy and then make it all go boom. She can even travel along certain walls and ceilings if she maintains that magnetic force ability as a sphere.
Another Hallow is the one we all know called Fury, where she wields the whip and magic at the same time acting as more of the all rounder and default form, handling pretty much any situation. Another Hallow is Flame. Now her Scorn takes the form of two flails that are on fire. So this means a whole new menu of attacks and the blazing fire means explosive area of effect attacks too. While in this Hallow she can go through lava and fire without any damage and even perform a very high fiery jump. This all means she can reach areas she couldn’t before with this hallow. Rumour has it that there are more hallows for players to discover and use to their play style and advantage. Do you prefer evasion, quick attacks and high mobility or would you rather smash things in your way? You decide.
The world in Darksiders III works and reminds us off Metroid Prime in the fact that it’s a open ended big world with multiple areas that players will have to revisit at times to access new locations, discover new things, fight a boss that you couldn’t before, etc etc. It works very similar. For example there was. apart in Metroid Prime where you needed the plasma beam to get through a iced of area or certain doors in a place you already been too. In Darksiders III you will need the flame hallow to get through some lava to reach that other area. So get use to your locations as you advance the story along.
The main real enemies in Darksiders III are off the course the seven deadly sins. They are powerful and dangerous and one is apparently very lazy…. you might even say it’s slothful… fine we’ll stop. Their personalities are off course determined by what sin they represent. each one fights differently and has a different style. Wrath carries two large sword like melee weapons which he uses to crush and destroy, Sloth when he decides to finally fight is not as slow and lazy and as you would expect in battle, Envy’s appearance is very misleading so don’t underestimate the terrible fashion statement that is it’s robes. We are sure you can guess the rest of the names.
We checked out some gameplay and the first thing that came to our minds was Dante’s inferno which was a fun game by the way. Fighting monsters, demon looking things, combat in Hell, a weapon that extends like Dante’s scythe combined with the use of magic like Dante’s cross. Smashing open objects to collect energies or souls that pull towards you, executions etc. This is a good thing though as the way Dante played was great for it’s time. Darksiders III brings a smoother and more superior graphics game. The evasion is very good as Fury looks like she just about dodges some sweeping attacks and confirms that timing is important for those dodges.
Overall Darksiders III looks like a very good game so far but we are more concerned with the story and how it delivers. Will it be a simple here’s a checklist of bosses, kill them, game over? The graphics and sounds are very good. The combat is smooth. The whip weapon needs to look more exciting though. The developers ‘Gunfire Games’ did a good job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker are not exciting or looking forward to this games as there isn’t anything that gets us excited or makes us want to play it, that doesn’t mean it isn’t good though and there are fans waiting for this game. Now Darksiders III may be have a strong female horseman but even she is nothing when against… the ‘Earth Walk!’
