Mato Anomalies is a turn based RPG developed by ‘Arrowiz‘ and published by ‘Prime Matter‘. Mato Anomalies is said to be coming out the 10th of March 2023 on the Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4 and pc. Things might get futuristic around here. X35 Earthwalker is confident concerning the future. Let’s take a look.
In Mato Anomalies all the action is taking place in what’s described as a “fantasized neo-futuristic version of Old Shanghai”. You control Doe and Gram who all about investigating strange anomalies around the city. Not just that but at times you’ll head into rifts to battle “demonic abominations”. So there are demons who want to take down the city. Typical demons. Hate them.
We do like that the two protagonists are different not just in character but also in role and skills. Doe is a detective and will gather knowledge and intel to figure out what’s going on concerning the city of Mato. While Gram is an exorcist and does the demonic battling, hopping into rifts. So players will have to use the both of them to get the jobs done.
They won’t be alone as Doe and Gram may have to team up with what’s described as “unlikely companions”. This is telling us that there’s good potential for the story. According to the description, there will be hope, duty and justice. Things might get complicated here. So maybe gain the trust of some people you meet, even if they don’t like you.
We checked out some Mato Anomalies gameplay and it’s mostly what w expected. Move around the city and find clues concerning what’s going on. Talk to NPCs, handle missions and get the locations of rifts. Jump in and deal with those demons who are causing problems. Getting rewards for doing so. There’s also factions who are involved with what’s going on concerning Mato. You’ll be dealing with them as they are a factor. In combat, there’s a “shared health across all team members, gear matrix and dual-talent system.”
Overall Mato Anomalies is looking like it’s going to be a very good game. The graphics are very good for its style. The story is going to be the strongest factor of Mato Anomalies. Meaning the game rises or falls quite a bit depending on how they do the story, its impact and what emotions it brings out of the player. The developers ‘Arrowiz’ have done a very good job so far. We at X35 Earthwalker will have to keep an ear open for this game. Now Mato Anomalies may have demon rifts but those things close automatically when they face… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Mech Armada is a tactical turn based game developed and published by ‘Lioncode games‘. Mech Armada is said to be coming out the 8th of December 2022 on the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS5 and PS4. It’s already out on pc though. X35 Earthwalker is the best turn based strategy gamer in the world. Hopefully Mech Armada is good enough. Let’s take a look.
Mech Armada is all about putting players in control of mechs made for battle. These mechs are custom built and players are involved in them being built. There’s a whole roster of these mechs for you to build and off course upgrade. There’s said to be over 80 different parts. No mechs are the same as they have their own weaknesses and strengths.
Weapons? Let’s talk about it. The arsenal of weapons is what you’d expect from a variety of mechs. There’s guns, big guns, missile launchers, ray guns, flamethrowers and even fighter drones. Makes you wonder what else is available. Don’t forget that Mech Armada is turned based. So you know the function of these weapons will play around that. Costs, cool down, range, drawbacks etc. The campaign is described as rougelike. When you die, it’s final. You have to start again. It’s randomly generated. This means you’ll get new random encounters and mech parts. So yeah, make sure you have the ability to work with what you got.
There’s going to be battles for sure but your’re going up against the swarm. At the end of each area, you will face the major bosses of the swarm. They have been described as “massive, ugly and ridiculously tough.” Resource management is key in games like this. Either get good at this or fail every time. Now concerning the enemies we do wonder about a number of things. How difficult will the battles be. Will they be better balanced and controlled than Phoenix Point? We hope so. Here’s what the official website said “Understanding your enemy and anticipating their actions… observing the terrain ahead of you will determine your success.” Interesting.
We checked out some Mech Armada gameplay and it’s what we expected. We hear you can create thousands of unique combinations when it comes to the mechs. Every run will be different. They said “All the gameplay elements (monsters, maps, resources and rewards) are randomly combined and balanced ensuring no two battles are the same.” The areas will be different. The areas do look sort of after apocalypse type event. desert wastelands, busted up places and the areas just outside ruined cities. What’s also really nice is the auto save. Just makes things easier for gamers and puts our minds more at ease.
Overall Mech Armada looks like a nice game. We like the colours and the look of the game. The animations of the mechs are weak though. We also wanted more impact of the weapons when it hits enemies. There’s lots of options and the random generated factor adds to replayability and layers. We like to see it. We hope the enemies have certain behaviours but hope certain combinations raise the difficulty naturally. The developers ‘Lioncode games’ have done a nice job from what we can see. We at X35 Earthwalker will keep an ear open for this game. Now Mech Armada may have mechs vs swarms but that war is little league compare to… the ‘Earth Walk!’
King’s Bounty 2 is a turned based role playing game developed by ‘1C Entertainment‘ and published by ‘Prime Matter‘. King’s Bounty 2 is said to be coming out the 24th of August 2021 on the Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, PS5 and PC. We got a fantasy world with magic, beats and danger. Let’s take a look.
King’s Bounty 2 all takes place in the kingdom of Nostria. Nostria real quick gets a new king. This change of leadership is never really easy but that’s not even the main focus. Nostria has a lot of troubles coming their way. Big dangers actually. Off the such like sabotage which always sucks, conspiracies which makes communication hard and even necromancy which is always bad. All these threats and more are on the way with many mystical enemies and battles.
King’s Bounty 2 is not going easy on the situation with loads of drama. On top of what we have already listed there’s also “kingdoms in disarray, counties demanding independence, bandits prowl the roads, all the overseas nations have denied the King’s authority over them, and blighted creatures lie in wait for the unwary.” So off course Nostria needs a hero. This is where the players come in. Pick one of three main heroes and we hope they are interesting. So off course players need an army. The means recruiting and building that army. This also won’t be easy as betrayal is a factor so keep an eye out on this adventure.
Our interest off course lies in the beings and creatures of King’s Bounty 2. The enemies and what you can expect to face. We have seem what looks like elemental beings, there’s golems, there’s human enemies, necromancers, beasts looking like big cats, skeletons off course, glowing plasma like big birds, gargoyles or maybe demons. We see a lot of threats and having a variety of enemies and dangers work very well especially in fantasy worlds like King’s Bounty 2. We wonder if they have the creativity to bring something new up in here but let’s see.
We checked out some King’s Bounty 2 gameplay and it’s what we thought but not as cool. Something we didn’t talk about much is that this is turn based strategy. You have hexagon ground layouts for combat, measuring the field and where units can stand. The combat doesn’t look exciting. We like the visuals and effects on attacks like lightning and fire. It’s definitely magically but we hope the actual combat gets better and more exciting. We like the details that given to us during combat and things are clear and easy to understand. We like the variety of the attacks as well like ice throw from an ice golem, magical blasts from spell casters and even arrows from archers.
Overall King’s Bounty 2 looks lie a good game. Nothing huge but another good game with a adventure for gamers. It’s clear quite a lot of work went into King’s Bounty 2. So far it hasn’t attracted or impressed us yet. We do want to see more though. There’s dialogue and decisions that need to be made. We know there’s consequences for your actions but do they truly matter? Most games fail with this choice to consequence stuff. Let’s see if King’s Bounty 2 fails better. The developers ‘1C Entertainment’ have done a good job so far. We at X35 Earthwalker hope more is done on this game. Now King’s Bounty 2 may have Nostria but that place is too lame for… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Gears Tactics is the new turn based strategy game developed by ‘The Coalition‘ and ‘Splash Damage‘ and published by ‘Xbox Game Studios‘. Gears Tactics is an Xbox exclusive said to be coming the 10th of November 2020 out on Xbox Series X and Xbox One. It’s already out on PC though. Gears Tactics is coming into a serious genre. Let’s take a look.
Gears Tactics is another big genre change for Gears of War. Gears pop has a big matchmaking and balancing problem. Gears Tactics though is going to be very different and we trust to be a very good game. The story in Gears Tactics is set 12 years before the first Gears of War game. Remember ‘E-day’? Yeah that basically. The focus is on Gabriel Diaz or Gabe for short who is the father of Kait Diaz. He was a lieutenant colonel in the pendulum wars but now a sergeant due to his own decisions and disagreement with the Cog. When things got real crazy the Bog call him back into the action. The problem is a locust monster called Ukkon. A ‘monster who creates monsters’. This locust, Ukkon, is the master mind who genetically engineered the Reaver, Corpser and Brumack. So this guy is the top priority target. So you must gather and recruit people as the Cog is basically in disarray. So it’s a squad of survivors. Get to it.
So straight of the truck we know this is a turn based strategy game. This means intelligence is needed. The golden rule of the Cog is take cover or die. Now it’s only natural to compare turn based strategy games to the best which XCOM 2 War of the Chosen. Now Gears Tactics no doubt will have the visuals and graphics advantage especially being on the Xbox Series X. We also trust Gears Tactics will have the advantage in terms of story. So what truly matters will be the gameplay and mechanics. Now Gears Tactics has been described as fast paced. It has to be. Especially when you have wretches around who like to rush you for melee damage while drones move around to flank. The action has to be strong in Gears Tactics. Plus it feels good to finally be able to face the locust again. We getting along with the swarm but they aren’t in the same league as the Locust.
Now off course there is character and equipment customisation. It’s a necessity at this point. So expect Lancers with extended drum magazines. Expect rifles with bayonets for close range action. There are five different classes for your characters: Vanguard, Support, Heavy, Sniper and Scout. Obviously each of these have their own roles and advantages but also get their own skill tree. The skills is where things get interesting. It’s too deep to get into real detail but let’s simplify. The Vanguard loves bayonet charting and gets bonuses like damage reduction for successful charges. They also heal by themselves every turn. The Sniper has a reduced accuracy penalty against targets far away. Killing targets can lead to damage bonuses or extra actions. The support literally focuses on buffing everyone from giving out extra reloads, extra actions, healings etc. The scout gets a cloak ability. It’s all about attacking from cloak and regaining your cloak. Mobility and deadly. The Heavy brings explosives, damage reduction and all about standing it’s ground and dishing out big damage (at times).
Now gamers who have played turn based strategy games should know what to expect at this point. Just apply the Gears of war formula. There will be missions of variety. Some off course will be more favourable for certain unit types. Some situations are better for the cloaking of the scout. There will most likely be a mission where you need to hold your ground for a time so the heavy is best. We hoped that each branching of skills are pretty much equal instead of one branch of skills clearly being better or more practical than the other. That’s a hard thing to do when you have so many. We were checking out the skills and for example concerning the Vanguard , the ‘Shock trooper’ branch is easily superior to the ‘Warden’ branch. Warden isn’t useless at all but doesn’t compare. As a Vanguard we would get shock trooper and Paladin. Easy. Hopefully they make a patch to improve the weaker paths.
You see the green badge? Off course you do. You know what that means. “Games built using the Xbox Series X development kit are designed to take advantage of the unique capabilities of the Xbox Series X. They will showcase unparalleled load-times, visuals, responsiveness, and framerates up to 120 FPS.” So you expect the best visuals, graphics and performances on Xbox Series X. Yes Gears Tactics has been confirmed 10th of November for Xbox Series X. We will leave a screen shot right below.
We checked out some Gears Tactics gameplay and it’s what we expected from this game. It looks good already and it’s going to get better. There’s a lot of detail on the screen. Overwatch is here to keep enemies in check, executions grant allies an extra action. Use disabling shot to ruin the enemies plans and shut down their overwatch. We hope the building up of your characters leads to you eventually become unstoppable for the most parts. Excellent turn based strategy games have loads of options and powerful combinations if the players know how to do it. Intelligence needs to be rewarded. The difficulty needs to be nice and high. Players need to find what works and what doesn’t. We like the details you get provided with while aiming at an enemy. From what we have seen we believe this is a good game.
Overall Gears Tactics is going to be a good game for sure. Whether it becomes the best turn based strategy game we will have to see for ourselves. It’s Gears of War, it’s turn based strategy and it looks good. There are boss battles and obviously it would be against the brumack, corpser, reavers and Uddok himself. The boss better not be a complete joke but can’t be tedious and annoying either. The developers ‘The coalition’ and ‘splash damage’ have done a very good job. We at X35 Earthwalker will have to see what else Gears Tactics has to offer. Now Gears Tactics might be getting tactical but none of their tactics will work against… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition is a turn-based strategy RPG developed by ‘Snowhound Games‘ and published by ‘1C Entertainment‘. Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition is said to be coming out the 24th of March 2020 on Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PC. We have never heard of this game. We hope it’s good. Let’s take a look.
Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition is set in a dystopian future. Mankind has been scattered through the galaxy. Human society is also changed. There are two classes, basically the poor and those who are well off and cozy. Well players control someone who’s poor and a stateless outcast. So you live off scraps wherever you can find it. Now rumour has it, there is an alien derelict ship rumoured to be somewhere in the deep sky sector. Why do you care? It’s what’s going to help you get citizenship and a better life on a decent planet. Yep, simple story.
Simply put, Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition is all about recruiting others to join your team. You must build them up, train, get stronger and gather items, materials, weapons and more. Scavenging is the main thing here and you must travel from room to room, which is procedural generated by the way, to find stuff and fight of attackers. You can return to home base and that’s where you can upgrade your gear.
We aren’t going to say much about this game as it’s really clear what to expect from this. What also stands out is the art style. It’s comic book art style and it’s good to see something different from time to time. The most interesting thing for us about Deep, Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition has to be the monsters you can fight to get loot. How a game presents and design their monsters makes a big difference. Players can also explore alien ships, space stations and also planets which aren’t very safe.
We checked out some Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition and it’s what we expected from a game like this. This definitive edition is the base game plus two downloadable content: “New Prospects” and “Station Life.” These off course add new gameplay features, enemies, character upgrades, missions other stuff. We just need to something bigger or more interesting to get us to want to play it. It has a very different style but art style isn’t enough.
Overall, Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition does seem like a good game, not our kind of game but still good. It’s got some deep mechanics but we need more for us to get into it. The art style is done well and looks good. There are two modes, story and arena players will play it more than once because of the procedural generated rooms thing. The developers, ‘Snowhound Games’ have done a good job with this game. Now Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition may have comic style graphics but what will always look better is… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Element Space is a turn based strategy role playing game (RPG) developed by ‘Sixth Vowel‘ and produced by ‘Inca Games‘. Element Space is said to be coming out the 24th of March 2020 on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It’s already out on PC. This game is suppose to be a futuristic battle, so let’s see what it’s got. Let’s take a look.
In the universe of Element Space, the year is 2199. That’s not as far future as Halo but still far. So basically earth somehow was close to being destroyed, so humanity had to expand into space. An organisation called the sixth vowel, the movement of light, made space travel and their missions possible. Suddenly though this same organisation turned on humanity. There was a big war which lasted years. Now the factions that worked together are now having tension amongst each other. There will be another war. The players job, is to bring the starship inspiration which is the symbol of the galactic war to the city of Truce so that the first galactic congress can be held to unite all the factions.
Element Space all turn based combat so players need to take their time and think about what to do next with what options they have. An excellent example of turn based combat is XCOM 2: War of the Chosen. Information tells us that there is a variety of strategies and approaches because there are 32 ranged and melee weapons and character skills that can help mx things up. Games like this need vary and options in abundance.
Another factor that’s important is the enemies. Element Space is said to have a range of enemies. Some have blasters, others have rifles, some have a great sword, others have two short blades, some have multi hits and fast, basically there’s stuff to be concerned about in this game. The factions have different uniforms and we hope that there co meat style and strategies are different and distinguishable too. So expect to see these guys across 24 different levels.
For more variety and flavour you can unlock and acquire new weapons and perks as you make a name for yourself with the galaxy’s factions. Get the best equipment for your squad. Speaking of squad, throughout the world of Element Space you will encounter and recruit new allies who will aid you in your mission and off course combat. Each companion has their own unique skills. The developers have also given them their own story and past so you can know it if you want.
This is tough but Element Space is trying the whole, your choices and actions effect the story or characters mechanic. Most games don’t pull this off well and fail at it. We hope this isn’t the case. Aid factions will make their leaders support you and unlock you those perks and weapons we talked about but if you fail them, they may turn against you when you need help.
Your companions have upgrade trees where you will decide what they would be best at. Also decide what roles to take with you into combat like: Duelist, flanker, tank, support, gunslinger or assault. The cover system is here too in Element Space. Full and half cover. Full is obviously better better but both are destructible. All cover is destructible so keep this in mind when on both the offence and defence.
We checked out some Element Space gameplay and it’s not exactly what we expected. It’s definitely more action packed than we thought. There’s some awesome hand to hand combat animations for moves, we mean proper fighting. It looks good. You can use grenades, rockets and abilities to really do damage and we like that. The bullet trajectory and hit detection is better than XCOM 2’s but the overall flow and quality isn’t on the same level but it’s still very good. We are only comparing it to XCOM as it’s the best and Element Space is doing very well. We hope it’s even better for the console releases.
Overall Element Space looks like a really good game. We actually like what we see. The graphics are good, the sounds are nice we wanted more but it’s nice. The environments make sense and a good amount of cover for options. We hope there are even more dramatic enemy designs so it isn’t just all people in armour. The developers Sixth Vowel have done a good job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker will keep an ear open for this game. Now Element Space may be a battle in the future but it’s still miles behind… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Ash of gods is a new turn based strategy and card role playing game developed by ‘AurumDust‘ and published by ‘WhisperGames‘. Ash of gods is coming out this year, 2019 on the Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PS4 but already out on PC. This game has a feature that definitely makes it stand out. Let’s take a look.
In Ash of gods the story has been described by the developers as “This is the story of “angels” who after being given free will turned the life of humans into hell in the absence of a god”. This doesn’t make sense but it’s a fictional video game set in a fictional world, so go with it. The game wants to centre it’s theme around moral choices and right and wrong. With people behaving like monsters and at times something that isn’t human behaves more human like than actual humans. That kind of stuff.
The style of the story telling is rouge-like but very serious. Ash of gods forces players to really and truly think things through. First things first, all of your characters can die. Yes, even the main character. If you truly mess up you can lose everyone and the game continues even when the main character dies. This is very good and already sets this game apart from others. Next is that every decision you make affects further plot development. It could either be immediate consequences or something much further down the line.
So like in life do not just focus on what’s right in front of you, or what you will gain immediately or you could start a war much later in the game or get someone killed. The developers gave examples, “A rude word may provoke a lethal conflict and a wound in battle may lead to death in a story mode”. That’s not all. Players will need to manage their resources carefully too. If you fail to do so the whole party of characters will die. Scared yet? Well don’t be, it’s a game after all.
You already know that Ash of gods is tactical as it’s turn based strategy. You think about what moves and options you have. What do you want to accomplish in the end? Also as a card game you will need to collect cards, have an effective build and use what you got wisely. Characters have classes which off course determines their moves and what you can do with each one. So turn based + characters classes + cards = quite a deep strategy game.
Concerning the combat with enemies, in Ash of gods, there is something players should know. The A.I has been described as smart. The developers have stated that there is no invincible team build. The A.I will constantly adapt to how you play so the challenges you face will always be different. Rushing in hard and fast won’t work multiple times in a row. This is good because many players like to be cheap and do things the super easy way. Good move developers.
Games like Ash of gods will off course have some risks. It’s up to players to decide if it’s worth it and whether to do it or not. You can save resources by taking the shorter but more dangerous route. Sacrifice some hit points for a all or nothing strike. Even take a smaller team into battle to acquire the better cards have rounds be quicker.
We checked out some Ash of gods gameplay and we like the character animations. They are very good. There’s lots of options and lots to do in Ash of gods. There are shop keepers, a large adventure and even multiplayer modes: PvP and PvE. Communicate with your friends by selecting from text options to let them know if they good or suck. This game is definitely very big and has a lot of work put into it. We even saw powerful magical spell like attacks such as using electricity and fire to shock and devour enemies. Looking good so far.
Overall Ash of gods is looking very good. There is more to the story such as that the Reapers are here and they want to drown the world in blood in an attempt to wake up the sleeping gods (That always ends well). The graphics are very good for it’s style and there is a lot of work that went into the music, so listen up. The developers ‘AurumDust’ did a very good job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker will keep an eye on this game. Now Ash of gods may have some real consequences for decisions but the events that take place are child’s play when compared to… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Phoenix Point is a new turn based strategy game being developed by ‘Snapshot Games‘. It is coming out in June 2019 on the Xbox One and PC. Phoenix Point is being developed by not just any group but by the original creator of XCOM. So we just have to check this out. Let’s take this out.
The story in Phoenix Point is sort of complex but we like how they are doing it. Listen carefully. An unusual virus was discovered. Discovered in melting permafrost. It’s described to have a very large genome. The weird part is that only 1% of it’s genes match anything in existing databases. Basically 99% of this virus is completely knew stuff to humanity. Once again humans never learn. If you find something that’s clearly alien, then have nothing to do with it. Destroy it!
Later within the 10 years, after research and all that good experimenting that scientists love to do, the seas transform into something living… something not natural… something “totally alien”. Now aliens called mutagens started invading the land through the means of an airborne microbial mist. These aliens definitely aren’t friendly (when are they ever friendly). They are hostile and must be handled. Now if the Earthwalkers were there, we would handle the situation easily within some hours.
Since the original creator of XCOM is behind Phoenix Point, we know that the tactical side is going to be real deep. Matter of fact we are expecting more than what’s in XCOM 2: War of the Chosen. We even want it to be complicated and have many layers that clearly separates those who have deep skill and those who are beginners. For starters players will be controlling different soldiers, taking turns, hiding in cover, taking shots, blowing away cover and all that good stuff but there’s more.
In Phoenix Point, players will be using the Geoscape. The Geoscape is what we use for a strategic view of the world and the different situations going on. It’s also from this that you make your plans and decisions. So research, operations, missions and construction is done from here. As you play make sure to search and make contact with scavenging sites for resources and new things, phoenix project sites for the real good stuff and havens where surely more humans are located and possibly some soldiers.
Let’s focus on more things that stand out. Your soldiers will have endurance and willpower. Will power points are used for heavy physical or mental exertion, meaning that pushing your soldiers too hard will have consequences. You can also use will power points to activate special abilities. This means there are now more stats and resources for players to manage in Phoenix Point. Also there will be times where your soldiers will not go out alone. They may be joined by drones, both aerial and land based. These will make a difference on the field.
The soldiers in Phoenix Point have deeper mechanics going on. Your soldiers do gain experience during missions and combat. They also gain experience through certain facilities like in XCOM. They gain skill knowledge through interactions with the other human factions like alliances, trading and even conflict. There are skill trees that affect and cover a large amount of stuff in this game. So think careful about your soldier development.
There’s now more equipment and weapons than before. They are based on different technology so don’t expect the same old research. Some of the stuff you develop will be based of old stuff while others will be brand new stuff while some will be alien in nature. In this war, nothing seems to be off limits. As expected you can develop and combine technology through your own research. Who doesn’t want a shoulder mounted missile launcher. Also each human faction has their own technology as well which you can get from them through trading (the nice way) or conflict (the mean way).
Now let’s talk about the enemies in Phoenix Point. The Pandoravirus has the ability to mutate living forms. This means sea creatures will get some alien upgrades and come for us. The Pandoravirus can incorporate DNA from multiple species and clone them at a fast rate too. This means expect more enemies than naturally would be in the sea if they are left alone. The aliens will mutate into new forms depending on the tactics you are using. So some enemies won’t be simple melee anymore since you keep your distance, meaning you will then face ones with ranged attacks, increased defence etc. So combat will be different and dangerous each time. Phoenix point also has a procedural generation system for the aliens meaning, players must expect a whole lot of different surprises and situations up ahead on the battle field.
There’s more. Players can expect to face bosses in Phoenix Point. These huge bosses are completely new. They have multiple abilities. Expect multiple defensive abilities and offensive ones. Some can generate mist and some can even spawn larvae, which off course means more enemies. This is also where the body part targeting system really comes into play. Players can target a specific limb to disable a certain weapon or reduce their combat effectiveness or for whatever reason. Strategic is just as needed when it comes to the bosses too.
We checked out some early gameplay and it’s looking good so far. From the Geoscape you can monitor the thick microbial mist’s approach from the sea indicating where the alien activity threats will come to. The Alien crabman, mindfragger and mist sentinel are definitely new and interesting enemies. Watch out for those grenades. Almost everything is destructible. So blow up the buildings, structures and more to bring your enemies down. This applies to your soldiers too so be careful where you hide. There’s obviously a lot more to come and that’s good to know.
Overall Phoenix Point is looking real good right now. From the early gameplay alone, the graphics look very good for what it is. The sounds need some work but again it’s the early build. The monsters we hope get more detail and have more clear variety between them. The developers ‘Snapshot Games’ have done a very good job so far. We at X35 Earthwalker look forward to seeing Phoenix Point come out. We have very high but reasonable expectations as fans of the XCOM and XCOM 2: War of the Chosen. Now Phoenix Point may have lots of strategy but it’s completely simple and basic when compared to… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Wargroove is a new turn based strategy game developed by ‘Chucklefish‘. It is coming out in the first quarter of 2019 on the Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS4 ad PC. Don’t be fooled. Wargroove may seem like another simple game but it’s said to be quite a deep one. Let’s take a look.
So far there isn’t much information at all concerning a story but we know there is a story. Players must battle through the campaign to learn about the different factions, what they are about and off course their motivations for such actions. This is like Supreme Commander 2 where the campaign allows you to learn all about the different factions in term and their fighting styles. Wargroove currently seems to be all about the action and matches.
In Wargroove players control entire armies and the commander. There are currently a minimum of 12 commanders and four factions. The current names are: Felheim Legion, Cherrystone kingdom, Floran tribes and Heavensong empire. Also like with Supreme Commander 2, the main focus is on the commanders. These commanders don’t sit behind a desk giving orders though, they are on the battlefield. Be careful as losing your commander means it’s all over.
The commanders are very different from each other in terms of character and reasons for what they do and off course design. Each one is a powerful unit and players will be wise to keep an eye on what they are doing at all times. Each one also has their own groove. A groove is basically a special move. This can be used once their have a full meter. We have bee given two examples: Valder can create a new undead unit on the field while Mercia can heal adjacent units.
There is also an in-game editor which will allow gamers to create their own adventure. Players can create their own sub-quests, secrets, missions with story and even make adjustments to the games rules. Wargroove also allows players to create their own maps too and the events that should take place on it. Features like this are always a good idea as it allows players to use their creativity and provides more options. This reminds us of forge mode in Halowhere you can literally create entire game modes and maps.
We checked out some gameplay and we so far aren’t impressed but that doesn’t mean it’s not good. There are straight up soldiers, animals like dogs, wagons and other transportations that carry units, catapults for that good support, different terrains from sand to grass and ice, there is even rivers and trees. We like how your movement path and options are very clear. Everything is bright and looks friendly. Best of all Wargroove has multiplayer. Up to four players both local and online, co-op and competitive. That’s very good.
Overall, Wargroove does look like a good game. The unit’s animations are good. The pixel graphics are good. The sounds are good too. We even like how the weather can effect gameplay like wind in certain directions can grant increased movement. The developers ‘Checucklefish’ did a good job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker will keep an eye out to see what Wargroove truly has for gamers. Now Wargroove might have factions and commanders but even when working together they would get destroyed by… the ‘Earth Walk!’
Dual Gear is a new turn based strategy action game developed by ‘Orbital Speed Studio‘. It has been saids to be coming 2018 (year soon over) on the Xbox One, PS4, Mac and PC. This game caught out attention straight away. Hope it’s very good. Let’s take a look.
The world of Dual Gear is originally set in 2064 where powerful nations built the Gaia Belt which is the orbital energy station for receiving the newly discovered energy source. It was later attacked by terrorists after a test and the successful completion of phase one of the Gaia Belt in 2101. TEC deployed the orbital defence gear to defend and they were successful but the damage was heavy and even earth suffered from the battle. So TEC focused more on surface tactical units known as Dual Gears. Off course successful projects like that don’t stay at home but sold multiple units to clients around the world. Was that attack the last anyone will hear of the terrorists?…
In Dual Gear, players get to control the Dual Gear units. The gameplay is off course turn based and you see everything in third person. You will control each unit separately, one by one. It’s a combination of real time shooting and quick performance cut scenes. This means players will need tactical thinking, good management, reflexes and awareness. Dual Gear has two elements that must be taken into account: action point (AP) and generator output (GP). All skills need action points in order for that skill to be used within that turn but they also need enough generator output to pull it off. The example given was a Dual Gear using a powerful weapon. It might require 1 or 2 action points during this turn but it will cost some Generator Output and if you don’t have enough, that attack isn’t going to work (it’s easier when you see it for yourself).
There’s more. Units also have a sort of health and shield system in place. The two elements here are: Armour power (AP) and Core power (CP). If you get hit anywhere then the armour power decreases for that part hit, like the right arm. If that hits zero then the core power will now start to decrease upon taking damage. If that part then hits zero now, then that part is destroyed. That’s right, Dual Gear allows the targeting of specific parts of Dual Gear units. Off course there are consequences for destroying parts of a Dual Gear. For example losing a right or left arm will off course mean you can’t use any weapons that arm wielded. If a leg is destroyed then that Dual Gear will not only travel at a much slower pace but will also consume more Generator Output (GP) than normal which also means using certain skills and weapons will be more restricted.
So if an enemy unit spots one of your own it won’t do anything at first. If you start moving then it can and will fire at you. It stops firing when you stop moving again. This design choice was to allow players to not panic and think about what they want to do now. This means players will need to be aware of how much AP and GP they have before making any moves or strategizing. Management is key here so don’t be in a hurry or a rush.
Customisation is very detailed in Dual Gear as well. The options are of a wide variety. The Dual Gear is made up of five main parts. Cockpit, head, back pack, arms and legs. Each part can be customised. You can equip your Dual Gear with high weight legs which grant higher durability resistance to damage but this means less movement speed and more GP is consumed when moving. This makes you wonder about the different parts available. We hope there’s a range. Also you can customise the style. You can add camouflage, add patterns, change the colour to make that Dual Gear your very own. Also players can select an emblem. If you are going to fight at least look good while doing it.
We checked out some. Gameplay and we saw different built Dual Gears with different weapons, weight, speed, attack range and more. Launch missiles, swing with blades and snipe from a distance. You can see how much Generator Output is being used and how much each skill will consume. When the enemy fires at you you can dodge attacks which is where the reflexes come into play. So far the action looks good and seems like a real detailed turn based strategy game.
Overall Dual Gear looks like a good game. The graphics looks good and the sounds are good too. The machines are very loud though so be careful with your speakers. The developers ‘Orbital Speed Studio’ did a very good job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker look forward to Dual Gear coming out. Now Dual Gear might have a lot of history but it’s history is nothing compared to… the ‘Earth Walk!’
