moons of madness

Moon of Madness is a new first person psychological horror game developed by ‘Rock Pocket Games‘. It is said to be coming out this year 2019 on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Now some gamers have quite the expectations and views concerning psychological horror games. We hope the developers deliver a scary experience. Let’s take a look.

Players control Shane Newehart who is a technician stationed at the Invictus. The Invictus a mars research outpost. Basically the Orochi scientists have heard a mysterious signal that they recorded. This signal is coming from mars. They built Invictus in order to learn the true nature of this message. The analysts broke it down and learnt that something intelligent was behind this signal. Off course Shane Newehart doesn’t know about any of this. He still has to do his job though.

moons of madness

All players have to do, in Moons of Madness, as Shane is just keep the Invictus up and running until the transport ship Cyrano arrives to do their ‘transporting’ job. This new team will take over. Sounds like a simple job for a technician but gamers should know by now that it wouldn’t really be a game if it was that simple. you learn that the station is in terrible shape. Greenhouse is flooded which means food is an issue, martian dust is leaking into the infirmary which means possible contamination of medical goods, also the security system is on lockdown which means safety is an issue.

In Moons of Madness players learn the the whole station is trash at this point. Everything is falling apart and you need to be an Isaac clark from Dead Space and put your technical skills to use. This is made much harder as you start to experience unusual things. You are hearing and seeing things that aren’t there. Call it visions (most likely not) or hallucinations… but are they? What if they are real? Who knows. It’s up to the player to get through all of this and keep the Invictus station together. Keep your head. 

Moons of Madness

Do not forget that Moons of madness is also an psychological horror game. This means that the main culprit in the bringing the scares will be the atmosphere. Expect to be all alone and isolated. The music will set the tone nicely. Having ominous music, then loud moments and then at times dead silent. Some areas will be dark, there will be shadows and off course there will be sounds. What do you hear around the corner? Is something in the room with you? Also our main character Shane will suffer from hallucinations. So that figure, form, creature you see… is it real. Players will need to know the difference quick. We at X35 Earthwalker like to see games do well and successfully pull pf what they aim to do in games. Psychological horror games like Visage need the right balance of scares, quite moments and death threats.   

Moons of Madness

We checked out some gameplay so far Moons of Madness is looking real good so far it looks good and what we thought it would be. First person works well for this kind of game. We like that there is actual danger with actual creatures. Setting it in space where help is millions of miles away works fine. Will there be any stealth or hiding required? Whats the ration of real creatures to hallucinations? We have questions. The graphics are looking good and we hope it stays that way. For a game like this the pacing must be quite slow. If it rushed too fast it will be like Dead Space.  

Overall Moons of Madness looks like it will have lots of action and mystery but may be lacking in terms of scares. We will have to obviously see more though. The developers ‘Rock Pocket Games’ have so far done a good job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker are looking forward to seeing what Moons of Madness has got. We hope they do it well too. Now Moons of Madness might have some scary moments but nothing is scarier than the power of… the ‘Earth Walk!’

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Silver Chains

Silver Chains is a new first person horror game developed by ‘Cracked Heads Games‘ and published by ‘Headup‘. It is rumoured to be coming out in the second quarter of 2019 on the Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PC. We can expect some spooky atmosphere in this one.

The story in Silver Chains is a bit mysterious. Players control a guy called Peter. He was driving but somehow hit a tree (take away his license) during a stormy night. He then wakes up inside a mansion. No, not Luigi’s Mansion. An abandoned mansion. This all takes place in England… rural area. Peter doesn’t remember what happened and definitely doesn’t know how he got in here. Off course it wouldn’t be a horror game if there wasn’t something going on. Peter quickly learns that he’s not alone in this mansion.

Silver Chains

So off course the aim of Silver Chains is to get out of the mansion. While doing this you quickly start to learn that this mansion has some secrets… dark secrets. Some messed up things happened here. It gets worse. He also learns that this isn’t his first time in this place. So instead of being wise and escaping the place and forgetting he’s ever been there like CoryxKenshin. Peter instead acts like he’s Mystery inc and searches for clues and wants to figure out what happened here. 

Gamers can expect puzzles in Silver Chains. There will be multiple ones around the mansion. Remember that since it’s a mansion it’s going to be a large area, with many rooms, places and even hidden areas. It’s clear that Siulbver Chains has lots of emphasis on exploration and off course the story. Players will need to explore the whole mansion, find items, find clues, read notes and all that horror game stuff. Expect back tracking as well since not everything can be done when you see it. 

silver chains

Yes, like Visage, Silver Chains is all abut that atmospheric horror. A lot of work and effort has gone into the graphics. The developers wanted photorealistic details and graphics. So make sure to look around in the mansion (when you should have ran away a long time ago). A good horror game will also have the appropriate music. Expect Silver Chains to have some music that has been described as “eerie”.

Now what kind of horror game would Silver Chains be without some form of danger. There is danger and it’s not in plain site. The danger lurks in the shadows. This danger though isn’t something you can fight. Players must either have a good hiding spot or run (maybe you shouldn’t have skipped P.E in school). This monsters is will coming for you and won’t stop so solve puzzles, explore and hide while it’s on your trail.

We checked out some gameplay. So far it definitely gives a familiar vibe that other horror games have given. The question is whether Silver Chains does what it’s trying to do better than the others. The details are there, the setting is there, the mystery is quite typical but works. The main factors will be how the monster and dangers work. Will it get tiresome, will layers get use to it? The difficulty of the puzzles? Many factors but it’s still early and gamers will just have to wait and see.

Overall Silver Chains looks like a good game so far. You can tell work went into it. The graphics are alright so far, the sounds are good, no info on the dangers really. The developers ‘Cracked Heads Games’ did a good job with this so far. We at X35 Earthwalker are going to keep an eye on this game. Now Silver Chains may have some dark secrets but one thing that doesn’t have any is… the ‘Earth Walk!’

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Shape of the World

Shape of the world is a new first person exploration game developed by ‘Hollo Tree Games‘. Shape of the world is coming out the 6th of June on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch but coming out the 5th of June on the Mac, PS4 and PC. This game is said to get people away from the real world. Let’s take a look.

Shape of the world is very different from majority other games. How? Well in Shape of the world there is no perils, enemies, puzzles, platforming or challenges etc. It’s literally just about exploring, looking around, getting lost, taking in the sights, having a good time and all at the players own pace. That’s right, no timer or anything. It’s just like Abzu which was all about exploration too with no enemies but all under water.

The world in Shape of the world is very much alive. There are colours everywhere. Games like this have learnt and applied the fact that big and colourful worlds with lots going on seem to pull people in the most. Lots or procedurally populated plants which means as you travel, expect a bunch of different plants everywhere. It really does change from place to place so stop and take a look. Also there are lots of different creatures as well. We have seen some that look like round ghosts, there are some slowly flying dolphins, larger but harmless worms and much more.

Shape of the World

It’s all about the player in Shape of the world. The world doesn’t even live without the player. Mainly thanks to the interaction. For example if you come across a forest, you will notice that as you get near to it, it begins to grow and come to life. The forest will also regrow in a new and different way. So players are advised to retrace their steps over time to see what new stuff they see.

We checked out some gameplay and even though the whole point of the Shape of the World is very simple, the gameplay itself is deeper than you think. Players actions will  change and altar the world in big ways, so experiment. Players can also interact with Ephemeral flora, Grand monoliths and even some creatures. So it isn’t as simple as you would think. There is quite a lot to do but it has been said that Shape of the World is a 1-3 hour game, off course depending on the players pace through the game.

Overall, Shape of the World is a very cool game. The visuals and graphics are great for what it is. The music was done excellently as it’s responsive and changes according to where you are in terms of location. The developers ‘Hollow Tree Games’ did a excellent job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker are not looking forward to this game as it’s not our style at all but we know others will love this. Now exploration is important but the one thing worth exploring is… the ‘Earth Walk’.

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Warhammer Vermintide 2

Warhammer Vermintide 2 is the sequel to Warhammer: End Time – Vermintide. It is a first person co-op action game developed by ‘Fatshark’. I’s coming out early 2018 for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC. The rats are back but wait… there’s more! Let’s take a look.

Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide was a vicious first person co-op that many gamers jumped into and slaughtered some rats. Like seriously, who likes rats? We don’t. In Warhammer Vermintide 2, those rats are back but wait… There’s more! The warriors of chaos are here! Even worse they have teamed up with the relentless Skaven ratmen. They have a dark pact and one goal in mind… to destroy humanity and do what they want with the realms of man. Clan Fester of the ratmen is really vexed with man for what happened at Ubersreik. This time they ain’t about to let a couple of humans ruin everything. They got friends who will make a difference.

The warriors of chaos are is made up of dangerous norsemen who’s clan goes by the name ‘Rotblood’. They are crazy and serve Nurgle, the god of pestilence. He sounds like a pleasant god doesn’t he. Who doesn’t want pestilence? Now they have one goal in mind and that’s to completely destroy the empire. They literally want to leave nothing behind. Now the warriors of chaos are quite a variety as some look humanoid and weird dangerous weapons like axes while others just look like deformed monsters with tentacles, horns and worse. Now imagine this force but teamed up with the ratmen. That sounds like a problem.

Warhammer Vermintide 2 - X35 Earthwalker

The heroes are back! The five from Ubersreik: Bardin Goreksson, Kerillian, Victor Saltzpyre, Sienna Fuegonasus and Markus Kruber are here but things are better than before. There are 15 unique careers  with their own play styles, own talent tree, active and passive abilities, access to unique weapons and equipment and adds depth to character progression. So be prepared to get in deep with your characters as there is much more experimentation to be done.

Now Warhammer Vermintide 2 has added some new things and really mixed some stuff up. This time the fight will be focused on Helmgart. There is also a new Spawn Director which makes sure that overtime you play through the game, it is different. The enemy spawning and formations are always changed up and pretty much unpredictable. There is a new and improved loot system. The rewards you get are completely connected to your hero and your the career you are currently playing. There is much more weapons and accessories in Warhammer Vermintide 2. Much more. So now character build will be more deeper, more to think about and off course more important.

It has been said though that matchmaking has been completely improved with a support for dedicated servers. this should make all the difference. Another new feature is something called ‘The Keep’. The Keep is the new head quarters for the heroes. The new base of operations. This is where all the tactical stuff happen. This is where all the planning is done as well. Here you decide what missions to go on. There is also a practice room where players can test and try out abilities, weapons and talents. We hope it’s like that special room in Dead Space 3 where you could construct and build weapons to test on Necromorphs with unlimited ammo. For those who are about showing off and war glory, you can also hang up and display your battle trophies.

There is also the ‘Heroic Deeds System’. this is new and will shake things up for even veteran players. The best way to explain this to use the exact words from the Warhammer Vermintide 2 official website, which says “Experience special scenarios and unique trials through the Heroic Deeds System. These consumerable quests will place you in strange new settings, dramatically change the mix of enemies you face, limit the use of weapons and abilities, or give you unusual mission objectives.” This sort of reminds us of the spartan ops from Halo 4 where there were full missions but nothing like the campaign and anything could sort of go in there. Let’s see how Warhammer Vermintide 2 handles this.

Warhammer Vermintide 2 - X35 Earthwalker

We checked out some gameplay and can confirm that things do look better. The combat still looks as stiff and not much mobility as before but the combat it’s self is different. The enemies seem to have slower heavy attacks and light fast attacks. Their amour seems to play more of a role as well. The heroes movements during battle seem more complex than before which will make fights more engaging and interesting. The graphics are definitely improved as the surroundings look great and the sounds of strikes and clashing with amour is also very good.

Overall Warhammer Vermintide 2 looks like a complete improvement over the prequel Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide. Graphics, sounds, combat, features, loot system, enemies are all taken to a higher level; however it hasn’t won us over at X35 Earthwalker. The first game didn’t impress us at all and we actually didn’t end up enjoying it. The combat felt so stiff. off course many enjoyed it and we are sure many will enjoy the sequel as well but we will need to see and know more to find out if it is our thing or not. The developers ‘Fatshark’ did a great job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker will keep an ear open for Warhammer Vermintide 2. Now Warhammer Vermintide 2 may have new enemies but that still isn’t enough to defeat… the ‘Earth Walk!’

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Hello Neighbor

Hello Neighbor is a first person puzzle game developed by ‘Dynamic Pixels’. It’s coming out the 8th of December for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Gamers are are all getting ready to move into their new house and face their cunning neighbor. Let’s take a look.

Hello Neighbor is a game that needs no introduction really. It was all over youtube and played by many of the biggest you tubers around. Millions of views and lots of videos. Gamers play a man who moves into a new neighbourhood. Things seem normal but then we become fixated on our neighbour who lives opposite us and make it our duty to break into his house, sneak around and get into his basement. I know it sounds like a game for creeps but you know you are going to play it… so what does that make you (think about it).

Hello Neighbor’s story really got the interest of gamers. Games with good mysteries have a good chance of standing out. The neighbour isn’t a normal guy. Some theories suggest that he is working with the devil. some say that he kidnaps children for rituals. Some say his mannequins contain the souls of past neighbours who got in his way. It’s so mysterious that even YouTube channel ‘Game Theory’ got involved. Either way it’s clear that something is up with the neighbor. For starters he is always wearing those black gloves like he’s messing with chemicals twenty four seven or very hygienic. Look at him!

Hello Neighbor - X35 Earthwalker

Now sneaking into the Neighbouo’s house is one thing but getting around and solving the many puzzles is a totally different situation. Go through the door, climb through a window or drop in from the roof. There are many padlocks requiring different colour keys, many items like magnets, key cards, crow bars, flash light etc which all have their own purpose. There are normal doors and then there are doors that look like they were designed by a drunk cowboy builder. Now why is this so hard? The answer is the Neighbor. He is an advanced A.I. He is constantly moving around the house minding his own business. He can hear for sounds and will investigate any unusual noises. He will at times sleep, other times work out and do stretches or even pee in the toilet. If he sees you then you have a problem.

The Neighbor in some of the beta is faster than the players but in the latest alpha you are equal speed. Either way he is fast. Meaning if you take those corners too wide, he will catch you. If you hide in a obvious place, he might check that place out, discover you and catch you. If you lock doors thinking you are safe in the storage room well he will break it down and then catch you. What happens when he catches you? No one knows but just promise us that you won’t cry. The neighbour adapts to your tactics and approaches always. So after you respawn you may find bear traps set up around doors that you like to use. You may find some doors locked. You may find some security cameras in certain hall ways which will snitch on you if they see you. He may stay by certain areas more if you are normally seen there. It gets worse.

Hello Neighbor - X35 Earthwalker

Being chased is the worse as you are blasted with loud dramatic music for the chase which also doubles as your cue for when he stops chasing you because the music then stops. He can throw glue to slow you down or at one point bear traps. We aren’t sure of other abilities and skills that the Neighbor will have as now it’s the complete and final game which must have received lots of feedback and comments. The neighbour may get a weapon as the game progresses. He may set up decoys or net traps. he may use that mechanical shark which we saw in the second beta. What we do know is that his movement and parkour skills are getting stepped up making him a bigger threat than before and harder to get away which makes sense as this is supposed to be an advanced A.I.

After finally unlocking the basement, the game is over… actually that’s not true. That’s just the start. The basement in itself is a whole new thing. Later builds revealed that the basement is pretty much a maze. Winding paths, contraptions set up, fences, gates, keys and even a dangerous presence… friendly? We think not. So Hello Neighbor isn’t going to be a simple game. it’s obviously clear that it’s large, very deep and a mysterious story. X35 Earthwalker himself and even Diamondz L45 are excited for this game and to see what is happening. What’s the real deal with the neighbor? Why does his house look like that? What’s up with the mannequins. Below is some Hello Neighbor alpha 2 gameplay by CoryxKenshin.

The final build will have a bunch of new stuff and after so many betas and alphas the gaming community just couldn’t wait for this one. Now there are some concerns from us at X35 Earthwalker about Hello Neighbor. In the latest alpha build the player can learn certain abilities to deal with the neighbor like being invisible when crouching and even knocking the neighbor of you when he grabs you. These were cool but they defeat the whole purpose of the neighbor making him less of a threat, and less scary as it’s incredibly hard to lose with those powers. Last point. Why is everyone saying that the neighbor has issues and that he’s the problem when it’s the players who have nothing better to do than spend their day breaking into their neighbor house constantly. Matter of fact, the neighbor is a nice guy for not calling the police! We know we would!

Overall Hello Neighbor is going to be a great game. we just hope the developers don’t get too carried away or mislead and end up ruining it. The graphics good for the style that it has. Surreal. Hopefully the sounds are on point. The developers ‘Dynamic Pixels’ did an amazing job. Please keep it up. We at X35 Earthwalker are definitely looking forward to Hello Neighbor. Without a doubt. Now the neighbor may be up to something but he he certainly ain’t up for… the ‘Earth Walk!’

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