Author: John Reynolds In Circadian Dice, you control a group of heroes that have managed to step outside this unnatural cycle, and are now setting out to find and destroy its source. You will need to overcome a series of skirmishes by upgrading your dice to bend chance in your favor, and strategically using your limited resources to defeat your enemies. While the heroes and their dice are restored to normal after each scenario (whether they die or succeed), any upgrades, relics, abilities, and modifiers that you have unlocked persist - so your tools are constantly improving! The better you perform in battle, the quicker you will build your arsenal and progress through the game towards your ultimate goal to break the loop and save the universe. TL: DR Version: I highly recommend this game! I came from Slay the Spire and this game has a similar feel to it, but instead of a deck builder, the game utilizes dice that you are building the different faces on. The game packs in a ton of content without feeling overwhelming thanks to the easy to learn mechanics that the game so eloquently teaches the player. Overview: Circadian Dice is dice builder similar to deck builders like Slay the Spire, except it utilizes dice instead that you are customizing to fit the challenge ahead. The game features premade scenarios that you can try to survive through or complete with a full five star score. The stars that you collect from your score are used to unlock relics, new scenarios, and classes. Once you beat the game, you can unlock a hard mode variant and they have an endless survival mode for a challenge. This game is perfect to pick up and play for short bursts and it will keep you drawn in with everything it has to offer. My Gameplay:
The game is played by introducing you to waves of monsters that you will have to defeat to move forward. Waves can introduce new enemies and new abilities that the enemies have. You begin with just two six-sided dice to use with faces that depend on your class and relics you have brought in. As you level up you will gain more dice to use in your fight against the monsters. Once in combat you will roll your dice and decide if you want to keep what you rolled or if you want to reroll, which you can do two times per turn. An example of some faces you can get are: Sword for attacking, shield for blocking, or hearts to heal you. There are more faces you can get by using your gold in the shop to customize your dice. I personally love the store in this game. As turns go by, options in the store expire so you have to pay attention to what is there at all times. Sometimes you will even see that the game has offered a sale to you and you can snag some very nice faces for cheap gold cost giving you the boost you need to make it through the wave. By completing a wave you are offered a few different rewards, anywhere from gold, XP, abilities, or a streak/score. I love trying to beat every scenario with five stars so that makes me choose the reward of the streak more often than I would like, which is my only complaint with the game. If you care about the stars like I do, you are missing out on items that could help you with your run. The abilities in the game I originally didn't take advantage of. As I progressed through different scenarios they became a necessity and I could feel how much they boosted my gameplay. You start with abilities for your class you are playing and can unlock new ones as rewards, even abilities from other classes allowing you to multi-class. This is a super cool feature in the game as I enjoyed the original Cleric class the best, but I also liked the Elementalist for the abilites. During one of my runs as a Cleric I was able to learn a couple abilities like Fireball that I wouldn't have had otherwise. This game feels very exact even though it is based in probability and dice rolling. You can push to unlock a chest, but risk being attacked. You can choose gold as a reward and risk not having an ability that could've pushed your run further. You could have traded a dice face and then immediately needed the one you got rid of. It feels like the player is in control of their own odds with every decision that they make and I enjoy that. The pure amount of content that this game offers is insane and I would expect to see it on YouTube and Twitch more as it receives more visibility. Most recently, YouTuber/Twitch Streamer Northernlion has started a series of the game, so I would expect it to spread some from there. Best of wishes to the developer and I hope to see more community content be made for this game! Where to Buy and When to Expect:
Disclaimer: Game is not fully released yet and is subject to change from time of publication.
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Author: John R Combining point & click with classic adventure game and rpg mechanics. Explore the world, do missions, improve your skills, and craft items. TL: DR Version: Having only played the demo, I would rate this adventure/rpg game a 10/10 for the beautiful music, art, and captivating story. I can tell that a lot of love was poured into this project and when you see that in the video game industry, you have to support it! Overview: For Evelyn is an intriguing tale of love, betrayal, and the ultimate sacrifice. The story takes us into the fantasy world of Aura, a place of magic and mysteries. It has been about 700 years since Arcanbreak, a cataclysmic event that changed the world forever. You'll be playing as Yohanna, Evelyn's mother. She’s a strong-willed character, and throughout the game, she will realize how far she is willing to go to protect the ones she loves. With emotional backstories and a powerful, moving musical score, For Evelyn will draw the player in and refuse to let go. This game was created by Kisuarts! Kisuarts has been developing games as a hobby for about ten years, but now is going for it full-time! Previously worked as the lead for a small development team but today is working as a solo developer. Previously worked on games such as Traum (https://store.steampowered.com/app/810230/Traum/), Light in the Dark (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1131540/Light_In_The_Dark/), and Arcanbreak (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1402400/Arcanbreak/), the predecessor to For Evelyn. My Experience: As mentioned above, I only played the demo. The developer did have an option to reach out for a key to the game for press, but since I just started the website I didn't want to bother them with the request, plus I love supporting indie developers and their projects anyway so I'm happy to purchase the game once released. Now, onto the things that I loved about this game… EVERYTHING. If someone forced me to complain about something in the game, I would have to choose how many times in the dialogue the mother says "little dove". It seemed a little much in the span of the demo, but that may slow down later in the full game. For how games go though, to have that miniscule of a complaint, that's AMAZING. Starting with voice acting, I think they all need a personal shoutout! Amanda Hufford Melissa Medina Steven Kelly Joe Cliff Thompson PJ Kanis Jenna Kathleen Natalie Van Sistine Marissa Lenti Lizzie Ray Gehrig Schreiber Every time a character spoke it pulled me further into the story. They took the assignment and ran with it, sounded like what I would expect the character to sound like based on their appearance, and put emotion where it was needed. Bravo! The art, and especially the sprites, is adorable! I have two examples below from screenshots within the game! The music itself is something that the developer uses as a selling point to the game and I can see why. It goes along so well with the game, like peanut butter and jelly go together. The voice acting already adds so much extra emotion to the story and the music drives it home. Altogether, this game has changed my opinion on this type of game. I normally don't play this type of game or at least haven't in years as I've found the genre to be hit or miss, so I was pleasantly surprised and happy to be wrong in the case of For Evelyn. I wish the developer the best and hope they achieve success with this game!
Where to Buy and When to Expect:
Author: John Reynolds Octomaze is based on the use of a unique new game mechanic - controlling a tentacle passing through a labyrinth. With it, you can both destroy enemies and collect items/objects while avoiding the death of your tentacles. TL: DR Version: I think that this game is a MUST-HAVE for everyone on their mobile devices and is a 10/10 in its genre. At a 5 star rating currently on the Google Play Store with over 200 reviews, you can see why I would think that. The unique puzzles that the game offers as well as the art style and light tributes to retro games that have come before make this game the perfect puzzler to add to your mobile library. I ended up purchasing the early access version for myself! Overview: Octomaze is a retro-inspired puzzler developed by Octagon Game Studio. Octagon Game Studio was founded by Dmytro Kyrychenko, Olexiy Dyachenko and Andrew Proniuk and is located in Kyiv, Ukraine. You may recognize the game or studio from their runner up performance in The Big Indie Pitch #5 (Mobile Edition) that took place on January 13th, 2021. In this world, priceless artefacts were stolen long ago from the Octopus tribe by their eternal enemies, the parasites. These parasites infested their home, and have remained there ever since. In order to stop the parasites from spreading and save the tribe, they must be retrieved. The young octopus Aristotle has spent years in search of them and has become quite the adventurer. Seeking the last of the missing artefacts, he believes his adventures are drawing to a close. That is until he begins to discover keys along the way. The player will help him navigate through various areas of forest, a junkyard, a city, an ocean, a laboratory, and his final destination space, from inside a starship. The main objective of the game is for the player to guide Aristotle’s tentacles through obstacles to successfully pass various levels while gaining as many points as possible, killing parasites on the way. During the process, a player can find objects both hostile and helpful that the protagonist can interact with. (source: https://www.pocketgamer.biz/interview/76033/the-big-indie-interviews-we-discuss-creating-a-modern-retro-puzzler-and-all-things-indie-with-octagon-game-studio/) My Experience: This game wasn't on my radar but the developing team wrote to me on Twitter asking me to take a look at the game trailer and if I was interested in playing the game. I'm so very glad that they did! I downloaded the demo from the Google Play Store where it is free to play the first 15 levels. They have a super short and to the point tutorial showing you the basics of how to move your tentacle to finish the objective. As the 15 levels progress they introduce new enemies, obstacles, and objectives to complete keeping the game super interesting, especially with it being a mobile app and thinking about car rides or various waiting periods playing this game. My experience interacting with the developers on Twitter was also extremely pleasant and I wish them good fortune along their way of being an indie developer. One thing that I loved was that there are currently not microtransactions within the game, even for the cosmetic changes that they allow. You naturally collect coins by playing the game and you can cash those in for changes to your octopus color. The puzzles were very satisfying to complete and it is possible that they trip you up and you need to restart as you try out different combinations for button pressing, or locations for your bombs to detonate. If you get stuck on a level they also have a feature for you to spend 100 coins to skip the level and move forward. This in the long term will keep player interaction going so that they don't uninstall the game once they get stuck on a more difficult puzzle. I had such a great time with this game and I would really like to suggest it to anyone who enjoys puzzle games. My fiancé saw me playing and wanted to play it for herself! I think the team at Octagon Game Studio is definitely on to something and I hope they continue development and finish it out strong to make it the best game it can be! I can see this topping the game charts on mobile and they have definitely earned that accomplishment if they reach it. They are also genuinely nice and have an informative interview with PocketGamer which I mentioned above, worth the read if you are interested in their project. Again, I wish the developers the best and check out their game currently on the Google Play Store. Where to Buy and When to Expect:
This game will eventually be a Mobile/Tablet/PC game for release on Windows/iOS/Android. Currently, the demo and early access is only available on the Google Play Store for Android. You can try the demo here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.octagon.octomaze_demo&hl=en You can purchase the early access here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.octagon.octomaze You can visit the Octomaze website here: http://octomaze.com/ You can find the developers on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/octagon_game_st Lastly, you can sign up for the Newsletter here: http://octomaze.com/newsletter/ Disclaimer: Game is currently unfinished and is subject to change from time of review Author: John Reynolds Ragtag Crew is a turn-based tactical roguelite where party members can bicker or forge bonds. Pick their classes AND personalities and brave the post-apocalyptic desert, fighting enemies and… each other’s opinions? TL: DR Version: I rate the game a 8.5/10. I love the concept of your "Ragtag Crew" having a personality and being able to clash, but also support one another. I feel like some of the situations are a little unfair that the game can throw you in to so it could be balanced out more, but it's all a part of the fun to lose some runs. With zero music or sounds, I would suggest some kind of playlist in the background for now if you decide to demo the game (Update: @TheZackParrish from Twitter has been working on music for the game, a taste can be found on his channel at https://youtu.be/SjHh27kSsmo). The writing within the game is exceptional with a fantastic sense of humor. Overview: Ragtag Crew has been developed by HardLane Studio. HardLane Studio is a 3 person development team located in Minsk, Belarus. It appears to have been found in 2017 when they began development on Wondrous Lands, a game featured on Newgrounds.com and Kongregate.com. The game takes your normal roguelite formula and adds in a personality on top. For the demo, there are 5 character classes to choose from and 5 personality types. The personality types then feed into a skill system for checks within the run. The characters also have their own abilities that are different from the others so a lot of thought can go into choosing your 3 person crew. You are walked through a tutorial using a premade crew where you learn how the combat and map flows for a run. The map features several potential areas such as areas of interest, ruins, settlements, wasteland, and shops. Once you have cleared enough combat zones, you will level up from experience allowing you to add an additional ability. My Experience:
I had a really good time with this game and I'm happy to have playtested it! The prompts in new areas were well written and included humor, sometimes with the enemies or even with each other. The personality also plays into how the crew interact with each other. During my runs, I only received one repetitive prompt from before so I'm happy with the level of randomization for the writing. I did think that the game was a little too willing to throw you into combat for almost every location type you could visit. I stopped into town in one run hoping it would provide my crew some rest after an intense fight, but instead I was thrown into a fight against a gang that wanted to run the town. It was what I thought would be a very positive experience but it ended up being my demise for the run as I went into another fight after the settlement showdown. I am looking forward to a soundtrack or ambient sounds to be added to the game to hear what the developers tie together. The storytelling aspects are already good, so a solid soundtrack would tie it together better. I'm also excited to see what strategies are developed and what team builds are considered overpowered overtime once the game is fully released. Where to Buy and When to Expect: You can add this game to your Wishlist in Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/882590/Ragtag_Crew/ Here you can also request access to the demo if you would like to play! They also have a Facebook page where they post about updates to the game: https://www.facebook.com/hardlanestudio/ If you wanted to join the development Discord, here is the link: https://discord.gg/H5K2rAVJSa The game is slotted for a release in 2021 and I have yet to see an expected price. Disclaimer: Game is currently unfinished and is subject to change from time of review. Author: John Reynolds Guild of Ascension is a mix of turn-based tactics and real-time gameplay, where your turns are short bursts of action-packed combat. Plan, learn strategies, unleash powerful chain reactions, but do not wait around too long, as the clock never stops ticking during your Ascension. TL: DR Version: I give this game an 8/10 rating and I very much look forward to it’s release slotted for Q3 2021. The environment, visuals, and soundtrack all tie this roguelite-esque game together beautifully. The developer is clearly dedicated to improvement as he keeps channels of communication open directly with players. Where the game falls short is the grind and repetitiveness that is almost a trait of roguelites at this point but could be counteracted by adding additional challenges that refresh within each level to add to the replay value. Overview: The game is being developed by WhileOne Productions, founded in 2019 headed by Marius Ibanez, who has 9 years of experience including working on games such as Watch_Dogs and For Honor. (source: https://www.guildofascension.com/) The game is a roguelite with turn-based action sequences and random chance events scattered throughout. You begin with a thorough tutorial showing you the different variations of attacks and skills available in your arsenal that you will need to utilize to climb the floors of the Tower. You begin with two characters and the choice of 3 weapons to divvy out to your team: a bow, sword and shield, or a hammer. As you work your way through the Tower you will find wishes (tower currency for in-tower shops), privileges, random chance events, and XP rewards. You have the option to power through as many rooms as you want or go straight to the boss once you find the floor key. The choice is entirely up to you how you want to play! The customization even goes further to weapon choices, charms, kits, and even how you level your character and spend your hard-earned experience! My Experience: Upon being accepted into the final wave of playtesting for the game, I went straight to Steam to begin the 16GB download as of writing. There is a Discord available for the game’s demo version (discord.gg/2snYbQQ) that I thoroughly loved since the developer, Marius, was incredibly welcoming, responsive, and open to feedback. Playing the tutorial and being introduced to the play style of the game, I grew excited for what was to come. My choice was to have a sword and shield user, and a bow user to dispatch foes from afar. The first floor of the Tower was a great introduction area, not as easy as the tutorial, but not a roadblock in the player’s first experience in the Tower. You will notice that the NPCs offer you challenges to complete during each floor for you to receive extra rewards like new weapons to purchase or gold to spend in the town. There were some complaints that once you run out of challenges you will have to grind for gold to improve your gear while replaying previous floors you already beat. I did not experience this during my playthrough, but it is possible to happen. Worth a note, you collect wishes throughout your run and if you don’t spend the wishes in the Tower there is a conversion to gold once you complete the floor that may help you avoid this. Positive Community: What has really overwhelmed and sold me for this game is the community. The community that has already been created within the Discord is one that enjoys the game and wants to see it improved to the highest level of quality available, and Marius welcomes this. In just my time since being accepted I have seen him take notes from the community and push out updates to reflect what was asked, and then confirmed if it was what was wanted afterwards. In today’s world where it feels like game developers look at the multibillion-dollar gaming industry as a money pool, Marius is a breath of fresh air to see that some developers do care. If you want to support developers that care, keep an eye on WhileOne Productions. Where to Buy and When to Expect: You can add this game to your Wishlist in Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1169520/Guild_of_Ascension/ You can also have GOG notify you when the game releases here: https://www.gog.com/game/guild_of_ascension They also have their direct website available where you can sign up for a newsletter: https://www.guildofascension.com/ The game is slotted for a release Q3 2021 and I have yet to see an expected price. I will also post a link to the socials for WhileOne Productions below as well: Twitter YouTube Disclaimer: Game is currently in a playtest state and is subject to change from time of writing. |