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Hard-as-nails indie hit Hyper Light Drifter arrives on iOS this week
Hyper Light Drifter, the Zelda-inspired indie classic from developer Heart Machine, is set to hit the App Store this Thursday, July 25th. It’s a neon-drenched action RPG that sees you travelling across a crumbling yet elegant world of rock-hard bosses and oddball NPCs. The game originally launched for PC back in 2016 after a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign where $645,158 was pledged to bring it to life. It was an instant hit among critics and fans, earning almost universal praise for its intense combat, stunning visuals, and score from It Follows and Fez composer, Disasterpeace. Its narrative is wordless and open to multiple interpretations, something that a few players foun…
iPadFantasy RPG First Summoner challenges you to develop the perfect deck
Great news today for fans of strategy RPGs, as SkeinGlobe and LINE GAMES’ First Summoner has now launched for both iOS and Android. It’s a tactical real-time RPG with plenty of scope for unique strategies and inventive deck building. First Summoner was designed specifically for one-handed play in portrait mode, meaning it’s comfortable to play in short or long sessions. The idea is that you’ll manage your hero and chosen deck of 6 cards using the game’s deck-building feature. You decide what goes into your deck, and each AI enemy or online opponent will likely require a unique setup from you. There’s a ton of stuff to see and do here, with the World Ma…
Plants vs Zombies 3 enters pre-alpha phase on Android
Seemingly out of nowhere, EA has announced a pre-alpha for the third entry in its popular tower defence series, Plants vs Zombies 3. The alpha test is open to a very limited number of Android players, and it’s currently unclear whether they’ve already got all the testers they need. The original news of the alpha test came from Android Police. From what I can see, there’s been very little info released about Plants vs Zombies 3 prior to the sudden announcement of an alpha test. I’ve tried to sign up myself, but the game’s Google Play page appears to be temporarily offline. There’s also no word on which regions the alpha test is open to – it’s a…
Biggest update yet for Pirates Outlaws adds new pirates and an arena mode
Pirates Outlaws, the popular roguelike card game from developer Fabled Game, has now received its biggest update yet, adding new pirates and an extensive, intense arena mode. The update is available now for all players on Android and iOS. The arena mode gathers together every relic, card, and enemy from the main game for a complete, exceedingly challenging experience. It’s a stage-based mode where you’ll occasionally take on boss-type enemies. There’s no AP to manage or map to rely on, so you’ll instead be given a variety of pre-selected actions at the start of every battle. The arena comes with its own new rewards, so you won’t just be collecting the exact…
Pokemon Go and One Piece are teaming up for a neat crossover event
Niantic's smash-hit AR title Pokemon Go is teaming up with beloved, long-running manga/anime series One Piece for a special crossover event at the end of the month. It’ll run from July 22nd through to July 29th, and it’ll give you the chance to nab an exclusive Straw Hat Pikachu. This slightly bizarre pairing comes just in time for Pokemon Go’s third anniversary and One Piece’s 22nd anniversary. If you’re yet to read/watch anything One Piece-related, it started life all the way back in 1997 as part of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. The pirate-starring series has since gone from strength to strength, with several decent video game adaptations and the af…
P1 Select is a hard-as-nails roguelike from acclaimed developer Michael Brough
Michael Brough, the cult developer behind roguelike hits Imbroglio, Cinco Paus, and 868-Hack, has very quietly released his latest game, another roguelike (or “Broughlike”) called P1 Select. This one plays out across 9 randomly generated levels, and there are 9 different characters to pick from, including Bounch, Midas, Phaser, Doom, Dashe, Pop/Up, Vish, Fast!, and X-ray. Each character has their own unique ability, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to experiment. For those who might not have played any of Brough’s previous stuff, his games are usually referred to ask “Broughlikes”, a term that’s come to describe any roguelike based on an es…
Latest update for popular strategy RPG Brown Dust introduces Companions
The hugely popular strategy RPG Brown Dust has received a whopping new update that makes a host of smart changes and adds a game-changing new feature: Companions. For those who haven’t yet tried it, Brown Dust is an accessible but layered strategy RPG where the challenge comes from optimising your Mercenary party and thinking tactically about your turn orders. Companions are set to shift the current meta, boosting their assigned Mercenary’s level cap from +10 to +15. Each one is connected to a single Mercenary, and even the less played Mercenaries will have one. The more you level up your Companions, the more of their lore and backstory you’ll uncover. Their look will…
Platform shooter Project Zero Deaths delivers high-octane thrills
The explosive platform shooter Project Zero Deaths, currently in open beta, has just received a sizable update that adds some new game modes, maps, and other exciting features. It’s a demanding physics-based shooter with light platforming that sees you dodging attacks, returning enemy fire with your own, and hopping around the place to get any sort of tactical advantage. There are tons of cosmetic items to collect, and you’ll also have the option to customise your ever-expanding arsenal. The current game modes on offer include Bomb Delivery, Payload, Capture the Flag, Team Deathmatch, and Ring Collecting. This latest update introduces 4 new maps: Temple, Factory, Obelisk, and…
inbento is a delightful food-based puzzler from the team behind Golf Peaks
inbento is an upcoming puzzler from the team behind Golf Peaks that sees you learning how to put together increasingly elaborate bento boxes. It draws plenty of inspiration from striking Japanese aesthetics and, of course, bento cuisine itself. The game requires you to master some tricky cookery mechanics. You’ll gradually grow more skilled at putting together each meal and eventually even learn to develop your own hand-crafted recipes. It also tells a heartwarming tale about a family of cats, exploring the theme of parenthood in simple and wordless, though still impactful, ways. You can expect a tight and concise puzzle game with around 2+ hours of memorable and fun gameplay. This…
Lamentum serves up a terrifying world of Lovecraftian horrors
Lamentum, from developer Obscure Games, is an upcoming horror game that takes you on a terrifying trip through mid-19th century New England. You play as Victor, an inquisitive aristocrat who takes it upon himself to discover a cure for a mysterious, unexplained disease. He’s heard talk of a reclusive earl with the power to grant wishes. The only problem is that the old coot is holed up in the Grau Hill mansion, a monster-filled hellhole of a place. Cue a grisly trip into the darkest depths of human nature, one with Lovecraftian horrors and oddball characters to spare. It wears its inspirations on its sleeve, including Silent Hill, Alone in the Dark, Resident Evil, and of course H.P…
Stranger Things 3: The Game is a brilliant, old-school adventure
The newly released Stranger Things 3: The Game serves up an old-school adventure where you play through the events of the third season of Netflix's hit sci-fi show Stranger Things. It’s fairly reminiscent of something like Zombies Ate My Neighbours, with its straightforward combat and appealing, pixelated visuals. This one’s perfect for fans of the show looking to take a deeper dive into the latest series, but it should still appeal to those who can’t tell a Demogorgan from a Mind Flayer. Pocket Gamer, our sister site, reviewed BonusXP’s adaption of the first season of Stranger Things, Stranger Things: The Game, back in 2015, praising its pixel art visuals and abi…
Nostalgia-driven arcade space shooting gets underway as P.3 hits the App Store
If you’ve been struggling to get your retro gaming fix recently, then rest easy. Developer Devjgame’s P.3 is a new vertical arcade shooter that aims to fill that void, delivering smooth shooting in a package that is unabashedly a throwback to the CRT screens of the retro era. It’s available from the App store now, featuring five boss-filled levels, and only requires two buttons to play. The first thing you’ll notice when jumping into P.3 is just how unique-looking it is. Ships and environments are all rendered in classic black and white, lovingly brought to life using a classic 8-bit art style which sees the game work as a love letter to classic arcade game…
Developers we’d love to see on Playdate: Part 8
On now to the 8th and final part of our list of developers we’d love to see on Panic’s upcoming Playdate console. For this entry, we’ve gone for an indie studio that only recently rose to popularity and a renowned solo developer known for his fleshy designs and hardcore gameplay. Askiisoft Although Katana ZERO wasn’t Askiisoft’s first game, that would be 2009’s Tower of Heaven, it’s fair to say the assassin-starring action platformer was the one that put the team on the map. It’s a hyper-violent, 80s enthused mystery that draws plenty of inspiration from the Hotline Miami games. Though, despite wearing its influences on its sleeve, Katana gr…
Worse Than Death is out now to scare the pants off you
Worse Than Death is indie dev Benjamin Rivers’ follow-up to his classic murder mystery game Home. It’s a spine-tingling horror title that puts you in the unfortunate shoes of a high-school student called Holly. Something awful has been stalking Holly and her best friend, and nobody seems to be able to help. By exploring her weird home town, solving its many puzzles, and dodging its new, monstrous inhabitants, you’ll gradually uncover the murder mystery-style truth behind what’s going on. There are eight distinct locations to explore, each with its own challenges to overcome and monsters to steer well clear of. You’ll need to exercise patience and remain stealt…
Developers we’d love to see on Playdate: Part 7
Here we are now on the 7th part of our ever-expanding list of developers we’d love to see on Panic’s Playdate. Along the way, we’ve suggested the likes of SWERY65, Twinbeard Studios, thatgamecompany, and Scott Cawthon. We’re back on the indie devs again, though these two and their work almost couldn’t be more different. Hello Games It’s well known by now that Hello Games has spent years turning No Man’s Sky around and working hard to regain the trust of those who felt burnt by its state at launch. But I’d ask you to cast your mind back further to when Hello Games was known simply as the up-and-coming indie studio behind the delightful Joe Dan…
