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!’

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Ash of Gods

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.

Ash of Gods

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.

Ash of Gods

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.

Ash of Gods

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!’

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Phoenix Point

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. 

Phoenix Point

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. 

Phoenix Point

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).

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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!’

 

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Wargroove

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.

Wargroove

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.

Wargroove

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!’

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Dual Gear

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?…

Dual Gear

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.

Dual Gear

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!’

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Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a new tactical adventure game developed by ‘The Bearded Ladies’ (we are not making this up) but published by ‘Funcom‘. It is coming out the 4th of December on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC. This game will capture the interest of gamers just from sight alone. Let’s take a look.

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a strange game set pretty much in a strange world. Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden has been described as a tactical adventure, turn based with real time stealth. Straight away  you sort of get how this game will play like. Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden does remind us of XCOM 2 in a way. Basically the story is that the world has ended (strange since the world is still there). There has been global economic issues, old and new superpowers are against each other, off course extreme climate change  and nuclear weapons which form mushroom clouds and other issues.   

Now nature has taken over… Well nature and some mutants (where did they come through). There are n humans left, they are all gone and the only things in the zone now are the mutants, animals and deformed humanoid. Players control a group who must venture of the zone in order to survive. Your destination is the Eden which suppose to be a haven and where the truth is according to legend. This sounds like quite the adventure. 

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is suppose to be a deep tactical strategy game. They have said it has been inspired by XCOM which means it should be good. Players can explore ruined destroyed looking areas like damaged highways, clearly abandoned cities. Off course each mission needs a plan and supplies which is why you will return frequently to a place called the Ark where you can get body armour like police vests, powerful rifles and even something like a top hat for style.

The members of your team are strange. There is a four foot duck (Dux) who has an attitude problem, a boar (Borwin) who clearly has anger issues and Selma who seems like a deformed humanoid and leader. There are multiple other characters in this world and they have their own distinct personalities and behaviour also. 

Even though Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is definitely a lot of combat and fire fights, stealth has been emphasised and encouraged. You have shadows to use to your advantage, floodlights will expose you, line of sight is a mechanic here too, fully destructible environment like walls to get the drop on enemies and much more. This is real time stealth so players have full control on their approach and how you want to do it.

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden

There are upgrades and new abilities called mutations. For example that duck (Dix) can learn an ability to sneak into a base full of enemies completely undetected and unnoticed even though he is a walking duck who is armed with weapons. Don’t ask questions, just go with it. The boar (Borwin) can learn to charge enemies which makes sense. Selma can learn a mutation called stone skin which literally makes her skin stone, we guess that means she takes reduced damage or maybe temporary immunity to damage. Off course there are more mutations to unlock.

There isn’t a lot of information on the kind of enemies you will face. We do know there are monsters called ghouls and that enemies will have levels, like a level 7 ghoul for example. We also know they will be other mutants like weird creatures with swollen mushroom bumpy heads. Hopefully more information will be given as the enemies do add or take away from a game.

We checked out some gameplay and we like the full control stealthy parts of the game where you can decide where to go to and how you plan to do something. The duck can get a mutation that allows him to fly granting elevation advantage and more mobility. There are ladders to climb, hit percentage, critical hits, weaknesses, advantages and even sniping capabilities. Just make sure to scavenge and find all sorts of useful supplies, parts and things that can really help out.

Overall Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden looks like it’s going to be a serious game. It’s unique, got some good mechanics, inspired by an excellent game, graphics look good and the levels look very good. There is some mystery like the elder who knows a lot and his story will be unfolded. we just hope that the enemies are awesome and off a side variety since it’s suppose to be mutants which means anything can be formed. We expect creativity from this. The developers ‘The Bearded Ladies’ (we hate this name) did a very good job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker are looking forward to seeing what Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden has for gamers. Now Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden may be a ruined world but one thing that’s not ruined is… the ‘Earth Walk!’

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Aztez

 

Aztez is a beat em up game developed by ‘Team Colorblind’. It’s coming to Xbox One, PS4 and Vita next year but it’s already out on PC, Mac and Linux. Aztez isn’t an ordinary beat em up game as it has something interesting mixed in. Let’s take a look.

Aztez is set in the Aztec empire (in case you haven’t guessed already). Now according to history, the Aztec times were not a joke… let’s just leave it at that but in Aztez things are far more serious. Aztez is all about expanding and maintaining the Aztec empire. This isn’t easy as there are different events happening like violent outbreaks. This stuff is handled through turn based action. That’s right. Aztez is a hybrid. Turn based and beat em up. Sort of like Hand of Fate 2 but definitely not the same.

In Aztez, the Aztez are your elite close combat warriors who you can deploy on certain missions which players are going have to think carefully about this though as you have limited deployments. When it comes to combat and settling things like reasonable adults, Aztez then becomes a beat em up game. The beat em up side of this is said to be very deep. Lots of mechanics. and there are consequences concerning the empire. This is all because of a large and powerful enemy. this enemy is approaching the valley of Mexico. Do everything you can to win.

Aztez - X35 Earthwalker

Aztez is supposed to be one of those games, you can replay multiple times. Everytime you play, players will encounter different events, different rewards, spoils and challenges. Now the cities in the empire are all large. This is an empire that grows at the expense of others, what do you expect. Not only that, you can even enter the underworld. It gets crazier. You will face mythological enemies and historical foes. So historical as in other famous groups of people in history maybe. not sure but mythological creature basically means anything. The best thing though is that you can summon the Aztec gods who have immense power to completely stomp anyone who foolish enough to defy you.

We checked out some gameplay and it does look very cool. On the strategy turn based part of the game, the scrolling around is smooth, the details and how it looks are great. Information that players need are clear and displayed nicely. When it comes to combat again, information is clear. You can see and select what cosmetics you want your Aztez to have and decide what weapons to equip. There is lots of action players can do. There are light and heavy hits, you can dash like in Cuphead, you can grab enemies and knee them to the head, you can block, dodge, hover in the air as you attack, a combo counter and more. the combat is also very smooth and active and you can tell that things will get way more complex. Aztez looks good so far.

The combat is done very well. it isn’t simple the enemies walk up to you and take a scripted swing. these enemies move forwards and back, take attacks and have wide range of them. Enemies with spears can do long range attacks and multiple stabs. Those with swords can do heavy ground slashes. Others that have magic abilities strike in unrealistic ways. They have their own special attacks and it forces players to remember what certain types of enemies can do and how to handle or avoid each one. Some leap in the air and crash down, overs go in the air and bird dive down while others stay on the ground with a shield. The A.I combat has been done better than most games definitely.

Overall we at X35 Earthwalker think Aztez is a cool game. Graphics and sounds are very good. The combat is easily the greatest things about Aztez. There are some heavy consequences for failing missions and bad decisions in Aztez so keep that in ming gamers. The developers, ‘Team Colorblind’ did a very good job with this game. We at X35 Earthwalker believe Aztez is worth checking out thanks to it’s different approach and very active combat mechanics. Now the Aztez may be elite warriors but even they are no match for… the ‘Earth Walk!’

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