It’s helped by its innate simplicity, as the only concrete rule is – stay alive. There’s a bit more to it than that of course, so we’ve looked to sum up on why this is a game you need to get involved in.

Choose Your Own Adventure

Many games claim that you can play them exactly how you want, and survive. But in the end you have to use the same tactics over and over again to win through – yet in Hero’s Land you can choose how you want to tackle the many challenges you’ll face.

You can play with others in co-op, or be a lone wolf in the solo mode. You can also make friends in-game to work alongside, or train up pets to become your combat partners instead. Whatever type of player you are Hero’s Land has options that caters for you.

A Huge and Varied Arsenal

As you’d expect for a game focused on surviving you have a dizzying range of weapons to use, each with their own. New ones can be grabbed when you slay some monsters and bosses, and you can even carry multiple ones to use how you see fit.

Some foes will require specific types of weapon, so making sure you have the right tool for the job is essential – and it’s hugely satisfying when you choose correctly and crush your enemy with ease. There are even turrets, stones, and groundspikes you can set up to send your foes packing.

So Many Characters…and Pets!

There’s a huge variety of heroes to unlock here, all unlocked via coins you earn in combat. Every single one has a specific skill set to match your style of play – and also a unique look to match your sense of style.

Then there are a range of monsters out there, but you can keep their (thankfully less aggressive) cubs as pets – or even as partners if you want to defeat your enemies that way.

Grinding Isn’t A Pain

Publisher Orienjoy has made sure grinding away in Hero’s Land isn’t a chore by implementing a unique synthesis mechanism.

Sounds complicated we know, but ultimately it makes levelling up various parts of your character a much smoother process – you won’t find yourself seeing various skills get unbalanced in favour of others.

Pop In Anytime

Hero’s Land doesn’t punish you for having a life outside of the game. You can quit and re-enter the game at any time you wish, even though 

When you exit the game you’ll be rewarded for your efforts, and have something to hold onto when you next enter the arena.

So if the above sounds like your cup of tea – and it really should – you can find Hero’s Land on Steam right now. 

The post 5 Reasons Why You Need To Play Hero’s Land appeared first on Gamezebo.

For our money, this is always the most interesting place to be at any games conference, where it’s possible to see games at various stages of development and perhaps get an early glimpse at the next Slay the Spire or Spelunky. 

Later on, some of these games will be recognised with awards at the Indie Showcase Gala. 

We’ll let you know who wins. 

In the meantime, here are some of our favorite games at the show. 

Backpack Hero, Jaspel

Already available in Steam Early Access, Backpack Hero has the potential to be an indie hit along the lines of Slay the Spire or 10000000, with the same brand of innovative, accessible RPG gameplay. 

Pitched as an “inventory management roguelike”, this pixelart treasure sees you arranging the items in your backpack to maximise their impact. One user describes it as “Slay the Spire and Tetris” mixed together, which is a solid elevator pitch as far as we’re concerned. 

It’s not clear when the full game will be released, but in the meantime its developers are piling on more content in the form of dungeons, items, heroes, enemies, events, and more. 

Grab at a 20% Early Access discount on Steam right now.

Bang-on Balls: Chronicles, Exit Plan Games

Another hotly anticipated Early Access title, Bang on Balls: Chronicles is a slick, polished 3D platformer that sees you rolling around in a gorgeously rendered little world bashing into enemies, collecting items, and completing missions. 

Indie game stands can be a mixed bag at events like Digital Dragons, but Bang-on Balls has the look and feel of a AAA title. There are already three huge themed maps to explore, with two more in the pipeline, and you can expect the final release to be along soon. 

In the meantime, you can play the Early Access version now. 

Let Bions Be Bygones, Bohemian Pulp

We’ve all moved on from the days when developers could hope to impress us with stylish pixel-art graphics and atmospheric detective noir aesthetics.

Except we obviously haven’t, because Let Bions Be Bygones was one of the most eye-catching indie titles at Digital Dragons. 

The game is steeped in cliche, and sees you taking on the role of a hardboiled detective coming out of retirement for one last job, taking you into the underbelly of a neon-soaked dystopian city.

We don’t know when it’s coming out, but you can wishlist it on Steam.

Everdream Valley, Mooneaters

There’s a growing number of gamers who have done everything it’s possible to do in Stardew Valley and want to repeat the experience in new pastures. 

Everdream Valley is the latest in a long line of agricultural life sims, and this charming 3D adventure comes with its own twist. 

During the day you spend your time raising animals, growing crops, and generally trying to become a successful bumpkin. By night, you enter your animals’ dreams and bring enchantment to the valley.

The quality of a game like Everdream Valley can only be established over the long haul. But we think it has promise. 

It’s out on May 30th, and you can pre-order it on Steam right now for a 20% discount.

Inkulinati, Yaza Games

Inkulinati is a singular name for a singular game. Available right now in Steam Early Access, this accessible, playful 2D strategy game sees you unlocking units, creating squads, and taking on enemies in turn-based battles.

The game’s most obvious USP is that it all takes place on a medieval manuscript, like a Monty Python animation.

But there’s more. Yaza Games has integrated various gestures into the action, allowing you to harness your Inkulinati powers to intervene directly. Plus, the turn-based combat works on a unit-by-unit rather than team basis, which is relatively unusual. 

You can download the Early Access version of Inkulinati on Steam right now. 

Super56, Onion Soup Interactive

Is 56 games enough to sustain a WarioWare-style mini-game collection? We don’t know.

But Super56, from Onion Soup Interactive, looks like a fun take on the genre all the same. 

Super56 showcases an impressively diverse array of graphical styles, from 8-bit retro arcade to multimedia graphic novel to full 3D with ragdoll physics. 

If you want to check it out, there’s a demo on Steam right now. The full release is “coming soon”.

Project Bridge, NE Games

File under “terrible name, interesting game”. 

While Project Bridge sounds a bit like an engineering puzzler or a city-builder, it’s actually a frantic co-op endless runner. It sees you and three friends scrambling around to gather resources and build bridges while the void sweeps inexorably along behind you. 

Levels are procedurally generated, and every attempt is doomed to end in failure. But we think there’s potential in working with other players to keep your attempt alive as long as possible. 

Project Bridge is “coming soon”, and you can wishlist it on Steam right now.

The post 7 of the Most Promising Indie Games at Digital Dragons 2023 appeared first on Gamezebo.

Dying Light 2 Wins Big

Dying Light 2: Stay Human was the biggest winner of the night, taking both the Best Polish Game and Best Polish Game Design awards.

During a ceremony at the ICE Congress Centre in Krakow developer Techland received a powerful professional PC kit, powered by sponsor AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper Pro processor

Techland’s highly acclaimed survival horror sequel, released last year, is set 22 years after the first game and boasts the vocal and motion capture talents of superstar actor Rosario Dawson. 

Gameplay-wise, it sees you once again parkouring your way around an apocalyptic hellscape and smashing zombies right in their stupid faces with a variety of degradable weapons.

The map is massively expanded this time around, while the free-running mechanic has been tweaked and refined, resulting in the Digital Dragons Awards triumph we see today.

Who Else Walked Away With Awards?

Draw Distance’s Serial Cleaners took home the prize for Best Polish Game Art, while The Parasight’s Blacktail scooped the award for Best Polish Game Audio.

The Best Ongoing Polish Game is, of course, Cyberpunk 2077.

FromSoftware’s Elden Ring has been crowned the Best Foreign Game by a jury.

To read more about the event, the prizes, and the jury members, check out the official press release. 

The post Dying Light 2 Named the Best Polish Game of 2022 in the Digital Dragons Awards appeared first on Gamezebo.

This isn’t our first time at the event, though it has grown markedly since we last attended in 2014.

For a start, it’s graduated from a single hangar-like hall to a sprawling multistorey conference space called ICE Krakow Congress Centre.

We’re told that there are more that 2,300 attendees this year, along with 140 speakers and 100 lectures and workshops.

Naturally, we’re all about the games, but we took some time to sit in a few talks on the most fascinating, exciting, confusing, and vaguely terrifying topic in the world right now: generative AI.

They were The Elephant in the Room – Generative AI, by Monika Gorska and Lene Marcinoska-Boulange of Wardynski & Partners; To AI or Not to AI? – The Ins and Outs of Using Artificial Intelligence for Creating Game Assets, by CD Projekt lawyer Kuba Jankowski; and Make gAIns not clAIms – how to safely use AI in your videogame, by Michal Pękała, a senior attorney at Rymarz Zdort Maruta.

We’ve tried to summarise what they collectively had to say. Any factual errors that you might find below are definitely our fault and not theirs.

Copyrights and Wrongs

Did you know that the output of generative AI isn’t protected by copyright?

Anybody can use that hilarious AI-generated image you made of Homer Simpson with no clothes on, and they don’t have to ask your permission or give you credit.

That’s because a “work” must be the result of human intellectual effort. It’s why photographer David Slater was famously unable to claim ownership of the selfie that a monkey took using his camera in 2011.

You can claim copyright over the bits of an AI-generated image you have personally modified, but everything else is fair game.

Here’s the rub. While AI-generated images are copyright-free, much of the material a generative AI tool trawls through as it scrapes the internet for inspiration is not.

With the possible exception of Adobe Firefly, AI tools are ravenous and indiscriminate, thanks in part to laws that allow the use of copyrighted material for the purposes of training AI.

As a consequence, if you ask a generative AI tool to create images of “yellow plastic toy men” and publish the output, you’d better prepare yourself for a very difficult conversation with LEGO’s legal representatives.

Likenesses and voices are subject to copyright, too, so you’re exposing yourself to legal peril if you publish your AI-generated image of Keanu Reeves speaking like Donald Trump, however funny it might be.

These are stark examples, but the fact is it’s possible to find copyright breaches in all sorts of AI-generated outputs, however unintentional.

How to Stay Safe

Game developers can protect themselves by, among other things, ensuring that they only ever use AI-generated assets as inspirations, and clearly label them so as not to allow legally vulnerable material into their work.

Nobody reads the small print, but it’s worth taking a look at the user agreements attached to AI tools. In many cases they can essentially publish your private information – not because they’ve gone snooping but because you’ve fed it to them. Like a chump.

This happened to three Samsung employees, one of whom entered the transcript of a confidential meeting into ChatGPT and asked it to summarise.

Big mistake. But it’s possible to make a much bigger one. If you work for a publicly listed company and you give a generative AI tool information that could potentially allow a user to make advantageous trading decisions, you might just be guilty of insider trading.

And that could mean jail time.

Doors Closing and Opening

We also learned that artists are in trouble. While there are absolutely ethical questions around the capacity of generative AI to make artists redundant and undermine the entire enterprise of human creativity, there doesn’t seem to be an easy fix.

But there is a whole new job. Outputs may not be copyrightable, but it’s feasible that prompts – the instructions that tell generative AI tools what to make – could be.

Enter, prompt engineers.  It seems there’s a growing number of coders who specialise in creating prompts for generative AI, and they’re commanding eye-watering sums for their skills.

We came out of that talk nervously uncertain as to whether the Picasso of the future is going to be a prompt engineer.

Ultimately, this is the beginning of something, and the beginning of things is often a bit like the Wild West. There’s every chance that we’ll wrestle the flailing squid of AI back into the water.

There are three potentially pivotal court cases going on right now, two of them involving Stability AI.

The first of these has been brought by Getty Images, which argues that Stability AI has been conspicuously violating its copyrights by generating eerily familiar images that even contain versions of the company’s distinctive watermark.

The second has been brought by a group of artists against not only Stability AI but also Midjourney and DeviantArt, arguing that generative AI is creating outputs derived from their original work.

Lastly, a group of programmers is taking on Microsoft, OpenAI, and GitHub over claims that they are scraping licensed code for their Copilot AI initiative.

The outcomes of these legal actions will hopefully begin to create a foundation of case law.

Meanwhile, legislation is being created in various jurisdictions that might just prevent generative AI from taking over the world – or at least plunging the games industry into turmoil.

The post What We Learned about Generative AI on Day One of Digital Dragons 2023 appeared first on Gamezebo.

Meta World: My City is the hotly anticipated sequel, and it takes the series in a bold new direction.

The thrilling real estate-based gameplay is still present and correct, but it’s joined by character cards, skills, and an innovative metaverse feature that lets you play on real world maps.

Right now you can build a property empire in New York City, with tons of other international cities set to join the game in the future.

For the uninitiated, Meta World: My City casts you as a potential metaverse real-estate collector. To progress through the game you’ll need to collect properties, increase your Investor License Level, go head to head with other players, and more.

But it all starts in the office, which is located on Meta Office. Your office is your base of operations throughout the game, and it’s how you move between the board game component of Meta World: My City and the Meta World metaverse.

There’s a ton of stuff to discover, but we’re here to help you get started with a brief overview of the game and a few essential tips and tricks.

General Beginner’s Tips

To win in the board game part of Meta World: My City, you need to reach a certain score by monopolizing the board as much as you can.

You’re in competition with players all around the world, and games are one-on-one, with your opponents coming to you via an online matchmaking system.

Winning board games allows you to hold virtual land and buildings on Meta Island, which in turn will net you greater rewards.

The trick is to build landmarks, monopolize certain color blocks, race for the set score, or attempt to bankrupt your opponent. There are plenty of ways to win – but there are plenty of ways to lose as well.

Character Cards

Character cards are essential for the board game sections of Meta World: My City. You play with a deck of four, with each of the game’s characters coming with their own rarity, cost, and active and passive skills.

To give you a couple of examples, Sophie’s skill enables you to instantly place her on any block you like, giving you a huge strategic advantage, while Beatrice’s skill allows you to preview dice cards and then select the ones you want.

Since dice cards are random, the ability to pick is hugely beneficial.

Each character card is upgradeable in terms of Tier, Character Level, and Passive Skill. To upgrade a card you need to spend in-game rewards such as Gold and Crystal, which you obtain through gameplay.

Upgrading your character cards improves your odds of winning the game.

Consider Your Strategy

The skills of your character cards can completely change the momentum in Meta World: My City. However badly you’re doing, you can reverse the situation by, for example, changing your opponent’s dice cards or occupying a crucial block.

Plus, playing the right character card will earn you Marbles, the game’s primary block-buying currency, allowing you to beef up your capabilities for the next game. There are many different paths to victory.

Virtual Real Estate and Special Structures

Winning board game rounds lets you obtain virtual real estate through subscription, by applying for it at the Meta World’s Market tab. You can get land randomly, through auction, and through trading with other players.

Collecting virtual real estate lets you earn daily game rewards. Needless to say, the more land and structures you have, the greater your rewards will be. These rewards allow you to upgrade your character cards, among other things.

If you upgrade your structures enough you’ll earn the coveted title of Special Structure Holder, allowing you to earn Meta Cash that you can exchange for a public token called MBX and trade it on external markets.

Your Investor Grade determines the number of rewards you’ll earn, so it pays to keep upgrading.

You can download Meta World: My City on the game’s official website, Google Play, and the App Store.

Plus, you can stay up to date and get involved with the community on Discord, Twitter, and Facebook.

The post Meta World: My City Hints, Tips, and Tricks appeared first on Gamezebo.

As of March 30, one of Asia’s biggest games is available in the west, where it looks set to repeat this success. In fact, as of the time of press, its sitting at the top of the most downloaded App Store chart in the US.

If you’d like to check it out for yourself, Avatars Saga is now available in a variety of western territories, including the US, Canada, Germany, France, and the UK. You can grab it right now from the App Store or Google Play.

What Is Avatars Saga?

Avatars Saga is a mobile action RPG that plays from a portrait perspective. You choose from one of five different classes: Swordsman, Warrior, Assassin, Archer, or Kung Fu Master, and set out on a journey across an oriental-inspired world. Along the way, you’ll master an elemental-fused combat system, which sees you use the powers of fire, ice, thunder, light, and darkness to vanquish your foes.

But it’s the world that will draw you in initially. Avatars Saga features a massive, visually-stunning open world with a real-time weather system. That means that the environment can change quite drastically as you explore, from sunshine to pouring rain.

How Does it Play?

As you can expect from an RPG, you primarily spend your time increasing your character’s power. That includes completing quests and battling monsters to gain experience, which allows you to level up. You’ll also find new gear that you can equip, as well as a variety of pets who will join you on your adventure.

However, Avatars Saga is a mobile RPG, so you can expect idle gameplay to help power you through the experience when you’re otherwise busy. As a portrait game, it’s perfect for one-handed gameplay, too, so you can check it out on a busy commute.

Can I Play With My Friends?

Oh, absolutely. Avatars Saga is a social game at heart, and features global servers that brings players together from all of the countries its currently available in. That means you can make friends from across the globe! In gameplay terms, social play allows you to battle together, or against each other in PVE and PVP respectively.

There are also marriage and apprenticeship systems, which provide you and another player with bonuses for working together. Whether you want to play with your partner, or mentor a new player, Avatars Saga provides you with a way to play together.

I’m In! Where do I Sign Up?

Simply grab the game from the App Store or Google Play right now to check out Avatars Saga. To celebrate the global release, developer 4399 is giving away 1,000 free draws and a special in-game panda pet at SSR rank. All you have to do to get those rewards is download the game right now.

That’s not all, either. Here’s a full list of the additional rewards you can get:

• 1.5x XP Potion
• Double XP Potion
• Outfit
• 110,000 Silver
• Bubble-Lucky Clover
• Offline Grinding Card (Two hours)
• Junior Wings Essence
• Mount Upgrade Bolus (5*)
• Protoss Upgrade Bolus (5*)
• Boss Refresh Card
• Level Two Cold Jadestone
• Rose (9*)

Avatars Saga is currently available on the App Store and Google Play in Korea, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, US, Canada, Germany, France, and the UK. We’ll keep you posted as the game launches in even more territories.

The post Why Avatars Saga is the Number One Game in Southeast Asia appeared first on Gamezebo.

If you’re wondering what we looked at yesterday, you can have a read of the full Gamezebo at GDC 2023: Day Two Diary now. We’ll wrap this introduction up by mentioning that the rest of the Gamezebo team, Meriel and Adele, are still continuing to deliver the usual gaming content throughout the day.

Master Detective Archives: Rain Code

Rain Code’s story centres around Yuma and Shinigami as they work to solve mysteries throughout Kanai Ward. The game’s developer, Spike Chunsoft, has described the game as a lucid-noir detective adventure. We reckon the game has taken great influence from Blade Runner – check out the trailer and see for yourself!

-Zak

Crime O’Clock

Bad Seed presents Crime O’Clock – a top-down mystery solving game. Play as a detective in charge of solving Police cases in a small town. But that’s not all! The developer puts an interesting spin on this Where’s Wally? inspired game, as you have access to time travel.

Check out Crime O’Clock, which is coming later in 2023, on Switch and Steam.

-Zak

Let’s! Revolution!

Stop the narcissistic monarchy from ruling the 2D kingdom! Play through a roguelite puzzle genre-mashup, flipping tiles, and uncovering the secret path to the king in order to put an end to his tyranny once and for all.

Check out BUCK’s upcoming title and add it to your Steam wishlist now!

-Zak

Broken Roads

Drop Bear Bytes presents: Broken Roads! The game is a top-down survival life simulator set in a post-apocalyptic Australia. If you’re from the land down under, you’ll be happy to see some of your favourite monuments make cameo appearances throughout the carefully crafted map.

The game takes a focus on moral dilemmas, as you’ll navigate between doing what’s right and what’s wrong, whilst also trying to survive. Things start getting interesting when you’re presented with a situation where there are no good choices – but you still have to choose! This is where we think Broken Roads shines, bringing a riveting experience to those who want to play close to truth and justice. However, if you’re only in it for yourself, then you’ll be having a blast choosing the darkest paths possible.

Featuring a 30 hour campaign, as well as plenty of alternative endings, Broken Roads is coming to Steam, as well as the other major consoles, in 2023. Make sure to add it to your wishlist as soon as possible!

-Zak

Rendezvous

Rendezvous is Hitcent’s upcoming puzzle side-scroller! The game features a Cyberpunk-like narrative set in 2064 Indonesia, and we follow a security guard, Setyo. Our protagonist is an ex-hacker who’s managed to turn his life around, and just wants to live an apple-pie life.

The stakes start to rise when Setyo learns that his sister has started working for one of the most dangerous groups in Neo Sureaya. Now, the former hacker must turn to his old ways in order to save his own blood from following in his dark footsteps.

Rendezvous features traditional 2D gameplay, as well as a beautiful pixel aesthetic. Hitcent is launching the game next month, on April 11 on Steam. Make sure to add it to your wishlist now!

-Zak

Kalypso Media

Kalypso Media had a booth on the showfloor at GDC, and we stopped by to learn about two upcoming games that are set to launch earlier this year. The team was absolutely lovely, and were very enthusiastic about the upcoming games.

Railway Empire 2

The first game we learned about was Railway Empire 2, which is a direct sequel to the original of (almost) the same name. You play as an entrepreneur, who runs a small railway company in the early 1800s.

You have to grow your company by building up the perfect rail network. You’ll actually map out the rail lines yourself by drawing them across the landscape, which is made up of the entirety of US and continental Europe. There are also 60 period-authentic trains to place on your tracks.

Check it out now, and wishlist it, on Steam.

-Glen

Dungeons 4

Next, we saw and learned a lot more about Dungeons 4, which expands on the gameplay of the first three entries. You play as ‘The Absolute Evil’ and have to build up horrifying dungeons that suit your evil creature minions’ needs.

You then send them out into the overworld to turn its inhabitants over to the dark side. Think of yourself as Sauron, as you strive to corrupt the entirety of Middle Earth.

If you’ve played Dungeons 3, this is a bigger and better entry, with more richly-detailed visuals, a lot more objects, and even the arrival of dwarves. Go ahead and wishlist it on Steam right now.

-Glen

Pocket Oasis

Pocket Oasis is an adorable plant manager that features uniquely hand-painted graphics. The game, developed by Miracle Tea, is aimed at casual gamers who need a relaxing time out. You can create your garden in a variety of places, such as an outdoor balcony. Decorate it to your liking, and welcome visitors, from friends all the way to NPC animals.

Pocket Oasis is coming soon to PC and Nintendo Switch.

-Zak

Pool Party

If you’re looking for a fun, co-op party game to play with your mates, then Pool Party might be the one! Developed by Lakeview Games, Pool Party sees you and three other friends play through a bunch of chaotic, fun mini-games in local co-op in a race to the top of the leaderboards.

Pool Party is coming to Steam soon. Make sure to add it to your wishlist!

-Zak

Seven Dwarfs: Legends Untold

Seven Dwarfs: Legends Untold is Surprised Turtle Studios’ latest co-op adventure game. In the roguelike, you play as the Seven Dwarfs, as you embark on an adventure to save Snow White from the forces of evil. Each Dwarf has their own special ability, and you’ll each work together to make it through a multitude of levels and boss fights.

Seven Dwarfs: Legends Untold’s release date is currently unconfirmed, but you can add the game to your wishlist on Steam now.

-Zak

The Wandering Village

Stray Fawn Studios previously debuted The Wandering Village through an early access build on Steam in September of 2022. The game is a city building simulation with a twist. The land you’re plotting on is actually the back of a giant, wandering creature (hence the game’s title!) Maintain a symbolic relationship with the creature as you build up your city and appease the residents.

Grab The Wandering Village on Steam as well as the Xbox One/Series X/S now.

-Zak

Escape Academy

Train to become the ultimate escape master! Play through a series of connected escape rooms, competing against a friend, in an attempt to reach the end. Add the game to your Steam library now.

The post Gamezebo at GDC 2023: Day Three Diary appeared first on Gamezebo.

It’s Zak and myself here this year, and we’ve both got our meeting planners stacked with some of the best developers and publishers. So, you can bet that we’ll have some great stories for you right here on Gamezebo.

Meanwhile, Adele and Meriel are hard at work on bringing you fresh content for all new releases, so it should be an exciting week for Gamezebo! We wish you a great week and hope you enjoy the content.

Memory’s Reach

Memory’s Reach is 100 Stones Interactive’s upcoming project. The developer has revealed that one of it’s greatest influences is the metroidvania sub-genre, and the gameplay really highlights this.

The game itself sees you explore a mysteriously vacant alien planet from a first person perspective. Each level contains a plethora of brain-teasing puzzles that you’ll have to solve in order to navigate yourself around the planet. What’s interesting about the game is that, along with the range of mini-puzzles, the environment itself is a quest that you’ll have to solve in order to move onto the next level.

Memory’s Reach is coming to PC and Mac. 100 Stones Interactive doesn’t have a release date confirmed just yet, but the studio is aiming for a late 2023/early 2024 release. Check out the game on Steam.

-Zak

Asym Altered Axis

We caught up with Asym this afternoon, and learned all about the upcoming asymmetric shooter, Asym Altered Axis.

It supports six players, with a team of five infiltrators versus a single defender. The infiltrators play in third person, while the defender plays in first.

Effectively, it’s Dead by Daylight in reverse. The infiltrators have to steal the defender’s nexus, while the defender has to stave them off.

The defender’s job is a lot more dense than the infiltrator’s. First you have to build your base, customising the aesthetics. If you want to build a base that represents a fiery hellscape, this is the game for you.

You can also completely customise your defences, adding traps like swinging pendulums, as well as buildings an units that will attack your opponents.

Then, when the battle commences, you fly above the map, using ultimate abilities to destroy your opponents. These include dropping icy walls and a meteor storm.

Asym Altered Axis is in alpha right now, with a beta to follow tentatively in Q4 of this year. We’ll keep you posted as this develops.

-Glen

Arcana Of Paradise

Shueisha Games presents: Arcana Of Paradise! The game is a side-scrolling adventure game set entirely in a tower, and the story follows a group of 20 children who live at the very top. After the children overhear a rumour that teases a paradise at the bottom, they attempt to traverse the dangerous floors in pairs.

Each kid has their own unique ability, and they work differently depending on their combo. Experiment to find out which ones are the best, and fight to get to the bottom of the tower! Once you’ve gotten to the bottom, you’ll have to repeat the process with a different pair, until all 20 children have made it out safely.

Arcana Of Paradise comes out on April 20th, and it will be available on Steam and the Nintendo Switch.

-Zak

Secret Mode

Prolific PC and Switch publisher Secret Mode joined us at GDC to talk primarily about its upcoming ‘PowerWash Swimulator’ (Secret Mode’s pun, not ours).

Its actual title, Loddlenaut, draws a lot of inspiration from PowerWash Simulator and The Gunk, and sees you trawl the ocean floor in search of pollution, which you clean up.

You befriend acquiatic creatures, unlock new gadgets, and recycle trash and turn it into items that will help you on your adventure.

You can check out Loddlenaut right now on Steam, with a demo launching just prior to GDC 2023. The full launch will follow later this year.

-Glen

Kwalee

We caught up with Kwalee, who’s working on a whopping nine games at the moment – five of which are likely launching this year. We can’t talk about all of these games, but we can talk about a few of them.

Scathe

We learned a bit about Scathe, which launched last year. It’s kind of like Doom meets Left 4 Dead. You battle hordes of demons in drop in/drop-out cooperative multiplayer. The art style, in particular, is nice in this one. Check out those colours on Steam!

Wildmender

Next up is Wildmender, which is an adorable survival game that takes place in a scorching desert. You have to build out a flourishing town in the middle of a desert by utilising an oasis. You’ll carve out rivers in the sand, plant life-sustaining vegetation, and craft items that are useful in your adventure.

You can do it all together with friends, too, as well as go on adventures, tackling huge monsters and exploring dangerous territory. Again, the art style is lovely. It’s reminiscent of Journey as well as the Alto’s games on mobile. You can check out a playable demo right now on Steam.

Die by the Blade

Die by the Blade is a Soul Calibur-like 1v1 weapon-based fighter that exists in a “samuraipunk world”. You wield a wide variety of Japanese weapons as you strive to defeat your opponents. What we particularly like about this game is the fully 3D environments, that allow you a far greater range of movement than other 1v1 fighting games.

Check out the demo right now on Steam.

Robobeat

Lastly, we learned about Robobeat. This is a shooter very much in a similar vein to Metal: Hellsinger or Hi-Fi Rush. You have to shoot in rhythm to the beat, maximising your damage. You can also wall run, grapple, hook, slide, and bunny hop – so expect the past to be lightning fast.

You can check out a demo right now, but you have to join the official Discord and request a code from there. You can also learn more about it on the Steam page.

-Glen

Fort Solis

Fort Solice is a third person narrative thriller that’s set on the surface of Mars in 2083. While responding to a maintenance call, Jack Leary arrives at Fort Solis to find it seemingly abandoned by it’s crew. Now, Jack must get to the bottom of the presented mystery, and uncover the hidden truth surrounding the base.

Fallen Leaf Studio is proud of the game’s use of no cuts or edits, providing you a truly cinematic and immersive experience. The game is planned to release on PS5 and Steam in quarter three of 2023.

Pixel Ripped 1978

The third episode of the Pixel Ripped series developed by ARVORE, Pixel Ripped 1978, is on it’s way! The VR game puts you in the shoes of fan favourite character, Dot, as you attempt to save Bug’s childhood memories from Cyblin Lord. Transport yourself through multi-dimensional puzzles in a celebration and tribute to gaming in the late 70s.

Pixel Ripped 1978 is coming to PlayStation VR and Steam in the Summer of 2023.

Slave Zero X

Based on long-lost concept art for a 1999 Dreamcast game, Slave Zero X is a third person mech shooter. The game, developed by Poppy Works, takes a 2D approach, in combination with 3D environments – the developer describes this as 2.5D! Hack and slash your way through a biopunk dystopia that’s filled with a bunch of extra lore and story.

Slave Zero X is coming to Steam, as well as a variety of console platforms soon. While the release date is currently unconfirmed, you can add it to your Steam wishlist now.

One Military Camp

Abylight Barcelona’s latest and greatest One Military Camp recently hit the Steam stores in an early access build. The game is a city management/strategy game that takes place in a country where enemies have taken over. Play as Sergeant Hawkins to build and grow your camp, increase your defenses, and take back the country piece-by-piece.

The game contains three biomes up to now, but the full release will increase this to five. There’s also an upcoming sandbox mode, as well as a possible multiplayer. The game leaves early access in September 2023, and it’s currently available on Steam.

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