Game Informer

Game Informer

GI Show – Super Meat Boy Forever Review And The Games Of 2021

Posted: 07 Jan 2021 06:06 PM PST

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On this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, we talk about some of the game's we played over the holiday break, including: Super Meat Boy Forever, Slay The Spire, and Airborne Kingdom. Then we run down the current release calendar for the year, and spend some time talking about the big, upcoming games we're excited to play, including: Resident Evil Village, Back 4 Blood, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Finally, we take some time for another fantastic round of community emails. So please join Kimberly Wallace, Marcus Stewart, Alex Van Aken, and myself for another wild and ever-entertaining episode!

Thanks for listening! Please make sure to leave feedback below, share the episode if you enjoyed it, and follow me @benjaminreeves to let me know what you think. You can watch the video above, subscribe and listen to the audio on iTunes or Google Play, listen on SoundCloud, stream it on Spotify, or download the MP3 at the bottom of the page. Also, be sure to send your questions to podcast@gameinformer.com for a chance to have them answered on the show!

Our thanks to The Rapture Twins for The Game Informer Show's intro song. You can hear more of their music at their website.

To jump to a particular point in the discussion, check out the time stamps below.

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:01:57 - Super Meatboy Forever

00:09:15 – Airborne Kingdom

00:12:40 – Slay the Spire

00:16:55 - Games of 2021 To Look Forward To

01:04:00 - Community Emails

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Ratropolis Review – Real-Time Rategy

Posted: 07 Jan 2021 04:17 PM PST

Publisher: Cassel Games
Developer: Cassel Games
Release:
Reviewed on: PC

The deckbuilding genre, once relegated to the physical tabletop, has seen explosive growth on the indie PC scene in recent years. Now, skilled developers are mixing, mashing, and combining traditional deckbuilding mechanics with other genres. In Ratropolis, Cassel Games successfully integrates card construction with city-building and defense to create a charming strategy mix. The resulting amalgamation is a satisfying soiree of rodents, robots, and giant ducks that keeps you coming back game after game. Your army of adorable mice and machines must restore the glory of the ratropolis! Yes, that's like a city for mice.

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The goal is simple: You must survive 30 waves of onslaught as you build up a city. To that end, you select a main commander mouse that dictates what cards are available on each run. Each mouse has a variety of strategies to employ, and while you start with basic loadouts like the military-oriented general and the money-laden merchant, later unlockable characters like the scientist, shaman, and naval officer add many timing considerations and more advanced foibles to the game. 

Each run starts simple and fresh, with you defending your fledgling ratropolis from two different lanes. As you begin adding cards to your deck, you cycle through economy boosts, troops, and buildings. Each class plays differently, and the unique commander mechanics keep the experience crisp when it could otherwise get bogged down. For instance, the merchant's military units are quite powerful – but they only stick around for so long after they're paid. The scientist can morph and mutate troops, and shamans collect the souls of fallen units. The action takes place in real time, though the assault pauses when you're looking through cards to purchase. It's a fun and frenetic mind-teaser to play all your cards, draw a new hand, and keep blasting through your deck. In addition to having different archetypes with their own special cards and abilities, you can also play in multiple biomes like deserts, coasts, and forests each with their own sets of power ups and enemy types.

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Cycling through cards, pruning weaker options from your deck, and hoarding resources is interrupted by random events that often force you to make tough choices. Will you sacrifice some of your unit cap or all your gold to a mouse insurrection? These random happenings offer up choices that can have big impact. During one run I even had a special event happen that funneled all the enemy forces into a single lane of attack, making it a much easier defensive endeavor than fighting on two fronts. Combined with the variety in cards, builds, abilities, biomes, and hero choices, the random elements in the game feel tightly tuned toward letting you have plenty of different experiences that all feel fair, even if you get smashed by some barricade-hopping pirates or sleep-inducing sirens.

After each run, you're awarded points that unlock new cards and advisors (essentially buffs that can be discovered during a run to help you out), which allow you to dive into additional strategies and try new things. Want to try a run that focuses on casting spells or just constructing tons of defensive structures? Unlocks help you out and offer incentives to keep playing your favorite classes, explore outside of your comfort zone with others, and keep you plodding on wave after wave. Once you've mastered the standard mode, you can begin exploring ascending pollution ranks, increasing levels of difficulty that add more challenging foes and other quirks to play around, like restricting your building space. Despite getting repetitive after I mastered core tactics, I had a great time pushing forth again and again, many hours after my first few victories.

Ratropolis has that ethereal "one more game" quality where the clock vanishes as you pour hour after hour into your feisty mice companions. When you lose a cool flame tank or a giant hatched duck lord, it's a bit sad, but there's always another game right around the corner. As more alchemic creations spawn from the deckbuilding surge, Ratropolis offers a lot of interesting and stylish entertainment for lovers of multiple brain-busting genres.

Score: 8.5

Summary: A satisfying romp as you restore glory to your rodent empire, defend against waves of flavorful foes, and recruit colorful companions.

Concept: Survive and thrive as you build a rodent-filled city and hold back waves of weasels, snakes, and other dangerous town-wreckers

Graphics: Stylish and sometimes adorable, the cartoony mice are entertaining to watch as they wander the village and battle threats

Sound: Adorable little mouse barks and quips as they battle endless tides keep you engaged from wave to wave (with help from a solid soundtrack)

Playability: The basic mechanics are easy to grasp, though don't be discouraged if you lose while learning the ropes

Entertainment: Beating back the tide with a variety of mouse-related strategies is an enjoyable romp

Replay: High

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Super Meat Boy Forever Review – Hardcore Hurdling

Posted: 07 Jan 2021 04:00 PM PST

Publisher: Team Meat
Developer: Team Meat
Release: (Switch, PC), TBA (PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Rating: Teen
Reviewed on: PC
Also on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch

A decade ago, the original Super Meat Boy released into what almost feels like a different industry. Team Meat's hardcore platformer was at the forefront of the modern indie renaissance; games like Super Meat Boy helped show that even small teams of dedicated developers could make a big mark on the gaming landscape. A few years later, Team Meat announced the follow up, Super Meat Boy Forever, a pseudo-sequel that would take Meat Boy into the world of autorunners. Naturally, this raises a few questions: can Team Meat distill Meat Boy's pixel-perfect platforming into a game where players are limited to a single input? And, does Super Meat Boy Forever have any chance of leaving the same kind of cultural mark on the industry as its forerunner? Now that I've played the game, the answers are clearly "Surprisingly yes," and "No chance in hell."

Because Super Meat Boy Forever is an autorunner, Meat Boy takes off running the second you press start, and you can't control the direction of his movements or his speed. This might sound like it would simplify the action and neuter Meat Boy's difficulty, but that isn't the case. While this is technically a simple game, it's far from easy. Given Super Meat Boy Forever's streamlined action, Team Meat has put extra focus on precision platforming, setting up a series of harrowing obstacle courses that force you to carefully time your jumps. There were a few times I wished I had a little more control over Meat Boy, but, for the most part, I quickly forgot about his limitations once I was sliding under buzzsaws and bounding up walls.

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This Meat Boy is called "Forever" because its levels are procedurally generated, meaning you can theoretically play the game endlessly. Procedurally generated games often lack that hand-crafted feel, but Super Meat Boy Forever's levels flow seamlessly together in ways that usually feel natural. Each level is composed of fragments taken from a pool of over 7,000 bite-sized platforming sections, which means that every player gets a unique experience. After I finished one playthrough, I generated a new set of levels and was surprised by how different they felt.

Even without procedural generation, Super Meat Boy Forever's action evolves as you progress. In one set of levels, I dashed through storms of falling glass. In another, I used Meat Boy's dash punch to move blocks across the screen, creating new platforms. I particularly enjoyed the levels featuring pickups that allow Meat Boy to teleport through walls. Each new set of levels emphasizes different obstacles, which continually kept me on my toes. I was genuinely surprised by how fresh the action felt throughout, and the game was throwing new mechanics at me up to the end.

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Super Meat Boy Forever's controls are generally superb, but my one complaint has to do with Meat Boy's ability to punch enemies. When you press the jump button twice, Meat Boy dashes forward and slams his oversized fist into any helpless enemy standing in his way. The critters don't pose much of a threat, and usually serve to help Meat Boy cross large gaps; Meat Boy's punch resets after it connects with an enemy, meaning he can stay airborne as long as his fist is flying. This mechanic is a lot of fun, and I appreciated having a few enemies to whack around. Unfortunately, Meat Boy's jump and punch are tied to the same button, so trying to jump as you touch the ground makes it perilously easy to throw a punch off the side of a cliff instead. Given the precise timing needed to complete many of Super Meat Boy Forever's challenges, having punch and jump on separate inputs could have prevented a lot of irritating mistakes.

Super Meat Boy Forever's simplified controls produce a bit of frustration, but this is a game that rewards pushing through the pain for the thrill that comes with completing a harrowing platforming sequence. My thumb grew numb, but that didn't stop me from wanting to play more. In fact, on some levels, I died over a hundred times, but I rarely cared because Super Meat Boy Forever's respawns are mercifully quick, its checkpoints are short, and its bite-sized platforming sequences are a total rush.

Score: 8

Summary: Super Meat Boy Forever's simplified controls produce a bit of frustration, but this is a game that rewards pushing through the pain for the thrill that comes with completing a harrowing platforming sequence.

Concept: The evil Dr. Fetus kidnapped Meat Boy's kid so our blood-soaked hero must platform through a series of deadly obstacles and rescue his whippersnapper

Graphics: Simple and crisp, Super Meat Boy's art design is zany and gross – but in a fun way

Sound: This metal soundtrack isn't nearly as good as the original's chiptune beats, but it gets the job done

Playability: The autorun functionality places the focus on a series of exceedingly challenging platforming sequences, but the jumping around feels great

Entertainment: Like the original, Super Meat Boy Forever tests your resolve, but it's easy to jump back into the action and the thrill of success is worth the endurance

Replay: Moderately High

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New Gameplay Today – Monster Hunter Rise Demo

Posted: 07 Jan 2021 03:00 PM PST

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Monster Hunter is coming back to the Nintendo Switch in an all-new entry, Monster Hunter Rise. It contains some of the new features introduced in Monster Hunter: World, such as seamless transitions between zones, while also delivering its own slate of unique features. Make room, Palico friends, it's time to meet the new Palamute companions.

As Alex Stadnik shows in this new footage from the Switch demo, players can use their new canine-ish companion as a mount. In battle, the animal can help out alongside your catlike Palico. They seem to get along fine, which is ultimately all that matters. We also get to see a new Wirebug that lets players grapple onto objects in a similar way to Iceborne's Clutch Claw, as well as the top-notch speedrunning mindset that only Alex S. can provide. 

Alex and I are joined by fellow Monster Hunter fans Dan and Jay, so get ready for some Very Smart questions and observations. Monster Hunter Rise is coming to the Switch on March 26.

Dying Light 2 Art Director Leaves Techland After 22 Years

Posted: 07 Jan 2021 02:25 PM PST

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After 22 years with the company, art director and writer Pawel Selinger has announced his departure from Techland Studios. 

Selinger first joined the studio at Techland back in 1999 and has been with the company ever since through various projects and position changes. The art director took to his LinkedIn to share the news of his departure with a small note to fans and colleagues: 

"After over twenty-two years, I decided to end my cooperation with Techland. I would like to express my gratitude to the company that has allowed me to develop and fulfill myself for half of my life. Techland, I will always be rooting for you, as well as the great people I have met thanks to you. I wish you that Dying light 2 and subsequent projects will become world hits."

A common question that is on Dying Light fan's minds is "Where is Dying Light 2" since the news went silent after our last in-depth look at E3 2019 and the public firing of Chris Avellone, the writer attached to the project, following sexual misconduct allegation. 

Back in June of 2020, Techland confirmed that the game was still very much in active development when rumors began circulating that the sequel was canned and that development was "a mess." Techland came out swinging, saying that there were "many inaccuracies" with reports that flamed these rumors, which you can learn more about here with our previous deep dive into the state of the game. 

While the current development status for Dying Light 2 is unknown at this time, it's important not to take this departure as a knee-jerk reason for immediately assuming the project is doomed. Many lead developers leave studios once their work on certain projects is completed. It's possible that his role within Dying Light 2's development is completed and after 22 years, he simply wants to pursue something new. 

Wherever his path leads, we wish nothing but the best for Pawel Selinger as he goes into the next step of his incredible gaming journey. 

Microsoft Previously Tried To Buy Nintendo, "Imagine An Hour Of Somebody Laughing At You"

Posted: 07 Jan 2021 02:06 PM PST

Microsoft has made some epic power moves over the past two years when acquiring new studios for a revamped focus going into this new generation. With Bethesda (through ZeniMax) being the latest big name to be taken under the Microsoft wing, it's become almost a game to see who it will acquire next. That being said, the road to acquisitions hasn't always been easy going. In fact, Nintendo, when previously asked if it would be interested in being acquired, "laughed their asses off" at Microsoft. 

The inside look at acquisitions past comes via an impressive retrospective piece about the original Xbox via Bloomberg with Microsoft's former director of third-party relations, Kevin Bachus. Former chief executive officer Steve Ballmer and former head of business development Bob McBreen also weighed in with previous acquisition woes. 

It's important to keep in mind that these offers to buy were a long time ago when Xbox was in its infancy. This has no bearings on any potential talks going on now. 

"Steve made us go meet with Nintendo to see if they would consider being acquired," explained Bachus after revealing that the team first approached EA about acquiring them and were also met with a hard 'no'. "They just laughed their asses off. Like, imagine an hour of somebody just laughing at you. That was kind of how that meeting went."

That didn't deter Microsoft from trying again with an offer to help develop hardware for Nintendo to make it 'better.' 

McBreen added, "We actually had Nintendo in our building in January 2000 to work through the details of a joint venture where we gave them all the technical specs of the Xbox. The pitch was their hardware stunk, and compared to Sony PlayStation, it did. So the idea was, 'Listen, you're much better at the game portions of it with Mario and all that stuff. Why don't you let us take care of the hardware?' But it didn't work out."

"But it didn't work out" is pretty obvious, but what eventually happened is that the original Xbox launched a few days before Nintendo launched its GameCube. Since then, both companies have grown exponentially, though Xbox took a massive dive in public perception with the launch of the Xbox One. Slowly but surely, especially with the help of new leadership found in Phil Spencer, the Xbox brand has once again become synonymous with a solid gaming experience, though more work is needed to beef up that first-party lineup. That's where these acquisitions come into play and something we dive deeply into with our previous analysis talking about the different strategies of PlayStation vs. Xbox going into this new generation. 

This look at the past does bring up a good point though: a lot has changed through the years and Microsoft, despite its slips, has proven to be a valuable company. If you could come up with a dream pairing for the next studio to be purchased by Team Green, what studio would it be and why? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below! 

This New Animal Crossing: New Horizons Collectible Figure Line Is Too Cute For Words

Posted: 07 Jan 2021 01:16 PM PST

Animal Crossing is a beloved franchise that has given players pure joy for years and years. New Horizons offered that same joy by coming at the perfect time right at the start of the global pandemic reaching quarantine levels in March 2020. While the game itself continues to update with new events and features, there's a new way to celebrate this lovely series with a new line of adorable figures that are just too cute for words (but here are some words about them anyway). 

The latest collection of adorable Animal Crossing memorabilia comes from Bandai Skokugan and it will be launching later this year in June featuring small figures of Isabelle, Tom Nook, Marshal, and more. The whole line is released as a bundle which will retail for $47.95. 

Entertainment Earth

According to Bandai, "New Shokugan flocked doll collection featuring the popular villagers from the Animal Crossing: New Horizons video game series. Each character stands approximately 2 1/5-inches tall. The soft and fuzzy texture makes these already cute characters even more adorable! Each comes in a window box. The Animal Crossing: New Horizons Villager Collection Mini-Figure Set contains all 7 characters in a special set packaging."

The set of Animal Crossing figures can be found here on Entertainment Earth, though pre-orders are sold out at the moment. There is a signup that you can input your email to in order to get an alert when pre-orders open back up for another wave. 

[Source: TheHashtagShow]

Exclusive Look At Agent 47's New Camera Tool In Hitman 3

Posted: 07 Jan 2021 01:02 PM PST

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In this exclusive video, we're showing off Agent 47's new multi-function camera that is coming with the arrival of Hitman 3. The camera will be a default item that players can utilize on every mission and contract, as IO Interactive designed it as an "essential tool for professional and playful means." Agent 47 can use the camera to remotely access locked doors or as an investigative device to uncover new mission intel. One of the many routes that can be used to complete the game's Dubai location requires Agent 47 to earn the trust of one of his targets, and to do so he must dispose of a particular nuisance — an overly curious journalist. Upon successfully subduing the journalist, I was tasked with taking a photo of the body and presenting it to my target, subsequently gaining their trust and the necessary alone time I needed to eliminate them quietly. 

It should be known that while Hitman 3's camera tool certainly allows creative players to capture their favorite moments, the gadget does not provide the experience of a full-blown photo mode.

Please note that this Hitman 3 gameplay was captured on PC by Game Informer. Click the banner below for more exclusive coverage of Hitman 3, including the 5 Things You Should Know About Hitman 3, the First 5 Minutes of Hitman 3's Opening Dubai Mission, or our full cover story from Issue #332.

Valve Is Recruiting Psychologists To Craft "New Gaming Experiences And Technologies"

Posted: 07 Jan 2021 12:34 PM PST

Steam is the epitome of PC gaming for Valve's library and game staples like Left 4 Dead, Half-Life, Portal, and Team Fortress. While the company took a long hiatus from making games, the storefront has never stopped evolving and improving, but it looks like with the return of Half-Life with Alyx that the company is preparing for a big future ahead. 

In a recent job posting for Valve, it was noted that the company is actively looking to hire at least one psychologist to help "craft new gaming experience and technologies" going forward. 

"Valve is an entertainment and technology company driven to design and deliver world-class entertainment experiences to customers," reads the recent job posting. "We hire people with broad skill sets who also exhibit deep expertise. Psychologists at Valve contribute to a wide variety of initiatives across the company and are trusted to prioritize their work in collaboration with their peers."

The listing continues with the below bullets of what they are looking for and why: 

  • Craft compelling gameplay experiences for future Valve titles
  • Provide insights on human behavior to improve customer experiences on Steam, our game distribution platform
  • Conduct statistical analyses on Valve's gameplay, financial, and company data to identify patterns of behavior
  • Research compelling new hardware technologies
  • Design experiments to evaluate various gameplay hypotheses and design choices
  • Improve existing playtesting methodologies
  • Develop innovative ways of acquiring data to answer questions about Valve's products and business practices

For new gaming experiences and improvements for the storefront, it's not uncommon to rope in a person with a psychological background when looking at consumer behavior and what people are wanting out of a particular service. With Epic Games Store also upping their game with a better cut for developers and a constant rotation of free games for players, more competition is a good thing because it's pushing the previously comfy Steam to constantly improve and not stay stagnant out of a place of market dominance. 

Required is a graduate degree in Psychology (or a related field) with an advanced knowledge of statistics, a background in research on the consumer behaviors of a market, and an extensive background in researching cognitive behaviors. If you or someone you know fits that bill, you can check out the job post here. 

Hitman VR Gameplay Shows How Players Can Eliminate Targets Up Close And Personal

Posted: 07 Jan 2021 12:33 PM PST

IO Interactive announced last August that Hitman 3, as well as the previous games in the World of Assassination trilogy, would be fully playable in PlayStation VR. A new gameplay trailer walks players through the various ways players can take out targets using their own hands, as well as demonstrating that the spirit of the series remains intact.

Hitman 1 and 2 are being ported to PlayStation VR while the soon-to-launch Hitman 3 was developed for the headset from the ground up. The video shows that players still have the freedom to take out targets in any manner they see fit. Whether that involves dropping a hapless guard over a cliff or strutting a Paris runway, Hitman's zany antics should feel even more absurd as the person actively doing it. 

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We recently sat down with IO to discuss the process and reasoning behind bringing the Hitman to VR. The studio discussed how the experience brings out a player's personality in ways standard Hitman does not, and adds a greater emotional impact to assassinations (especially against civilians). It's a fascinating read for those interested in this new perspective for Agent 47. 

Hitman 3 launches January 20 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, Stadia, and PC. Hitman 3 is also our cover story for January, so be sure to head over to our coverage hub filled with exclusive content such as our humorous rapid-fire interview with IO and the developer's thoughts on leaving the Hitman franchise behind.

Fall Guys Adding Limited-Time Doom Costumes

Posted: 07 Jan 2021 09:00 AM PST

To this point Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout has featured crossovers with games like Sonic the Hedgehog, Untitled Goose Game, and Half-Life. Mediatonic's wildly popular gameshow-style battle royale is adding a new hellacious franchise to those ranks, as costumes from id Software's iconic Doom franchise will soon be available for you to outfit your jellybean guys with.

The teaser trailer, which you can see below, shows off at least three of the Doom-inspired costumes you'll be able to grab during the limited-time event. Check out the Doom Slayer costume, as well as a couple of demons below.

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The Doom costumes arrive in Fall Guys for a limited time beginning January 12. To learn our thoughts on Fall Guys, check out our review from last year. For more on the latest game in the Doom series, Doom Eternal, hit up our review here.

New Monster Hunter Rise Trailer Shows Off More Monsters And Locations, Demo Available Today

Posted: 07 Jan 2021 08:45 AM PST

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A new Monster Hunter Rise video shows off even more of the upcoming game, including new locations for players to explore, new monsters, and some sweet ridable mounts. During a recent live stream, the team behind the expansive adventure shared a new location called the Frost Islands ahead of a public demo going live later today. 

Quite a few videos were shared following today's digital event, including the entire almost-hour long showcase and a separate Wynern riding trailer: 

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The full showcase can be seen in the video at the top of the article alongside another interesting splice about Wirebug below: 

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Capcom also shared the below information about what the digital showcase had to share and the Frost Islands monsters: 

Frost Islands Monsters

  • Goss Harag – One of the new monsters. Goss Harag is a creature that lives in icy regions, roaming the snowy fields for prey. It's a Fanged Beast that attacks hunters using blades of ice that it creates with its own breath.
  • Barioth – A Flying Wyvern. It is a fearsome monster with huge fangs and sharp spikes. The spikes on its front paws and tail are actually scale that it uses to freely move around on icy surfaces.
  • Khezu – A Flying Wyvern. This is a creepy monster that mainly lives in dark places, like caves. Be careful of the electricity it releases from its body, and its long twisty next.
  • Great Baggi – A Bird Wyvern. It is characterized by its blue-white skin color and the large protruding crest on its head. It catches prey by dousing them with a fluid that knocks them unconscious, so you'll need to protect yourself against the sleep status affect.
  • Lagombi – A Fanged Beast. It uses its belly to glide around the snow like a sled, so you'll need to be quick on your toes to deal with it.
  • Tigrex – A Flying Wyvern. This is an extremely aggressive monster that uses its well-developed limbs to rush at its prey, dealing heavy damage with its claws and jaw.

Monsters (Other Locales)

Let's look at some monsters from other locales.

  • Mizutsune – The Leviathan Mizutsune is a very uniquely evolved creature. It secretes a special fluid that it can turn into bubbles by rubbing it against its body hair. These bubbles will greatly hinder your movement.
  • Magnamalo – The flagship monster of this game. Magnamalo's body is enveloped by a carapace hard as armor and it attacks hunter with its tail and a type of gas that looks like hellfire.

Wyvern Riding

Once you've met the unlock requirements, you'll be able to use your Wirebug to bind monsters to use a feature called Wyvern Riding.

This lets you use Ironsilk to control wild monsters. You can even use this to make a monster attack other monsters.

Characters

  • Fugen – The village elder. He is deeply trusted and respected by the villagers, and he's a certified long sword wielder as well.
  • Hinoa and Minoto – These are the Village Quest and Hub Quest maidens. They are Wyverian twins, beloved throughout the village. Their songs bring peace to the villagers' hearts, and Minoto has even taken up painting recently.
  • Yomogi – A cheerful yung girl who runs the locale tea shop.
  • Hojo – The Guild Master, oldest man in the village, and manager of all things quest-related. He draws up all of the quest notices that go up on the quest board.
  • Master Utsushi – Leader of the hunters in the village.
  • Iori – The Buddy Handler. He is a kind and pure-hearted young boy who loves animals.
  • Kogarashi – The Felyne Chief. He's in charge of deploying the Meowcenearies.
  • Rondine – The Trader. She came on a ship from a faraway country to make trade with the village.

As for the demo, that will be going live today on Nintendo Switch, available this afternoon until February 1 at 3 AM ET. It will offer four quest types including a Beginner Quest, an Intermediate Quest, a Basic Training Quest, and a Wyvern Riding Trailer Quest so that players can enjoy riding some Wyverns. Capcom continues, telling players more about the demo saying: 

The Beginner Quest and Intermediate Quest can of course be played solo, but they are also available in local co-op and online co-op.

For this demo, you'll get to explore the Shrine Ruins. This is a great locale for learning about the Wirebug and the new stat-boosting endemic life featured in this game.

The Beginner Quest features Great Izuchi, while the Intermediate Quest has you take on Mizutsune, which we revealed today. Of course, you'll be able to take a Palamute and / or Palico with you, so you can experience riding a Canyne and receiving various kinds of support from your Buddies.

The Basic Training Quest will teach you how to use the Wirebug, and the Wyvern Riding Training Quest will let you try out the new Wyvern Riding feature. Wyvern Riding is a new system that allows you to control monsters for a while, by dealing enough damage through aerial attacks or Silkbind attacks using the Wirebug, or by using turf wars or endemic life to your advantage. While controlling wild monsters, you can move around and attack, and you can even slam them into walls, so this is definitely something you'll want to check out.

As for the game itself, Monster Hunter Rise debuts on Nintendo Switch this March 26. Thoughts on the latest video showcase? Sound off with what you think in the comment section below! 

Know By Heart Is A Narrative Adventure About Accepting Loss By The Makers Of Pathologic

Posted: 07 Jan 2021 08:35 AM PST

Know By Heart is an upcoming narrative experience by Ice-Pick Lodge, most famous for their horror-driven Pathologic series. This narrative-driven experience trades in the creepy survival horror of the studios past works in favor of a more grounded narrative about traveling down memory lane and accepting loss. 

Set in a post-Soviet Russian town, protagonist Misha finds himself stuck in the monotonous routine of life until his high school crush returns to town. As the two old friends rekindle their relationship and reconnect with other high-school friends, the quiet town experiences its own crisis. 

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The non-linear plot features multiple endings and takes around five hours to finish, according to Ice-Pick Lodge. Gameplay mechanics are designed around Misha's thoughts and memories, including various mini-games designed to help "weave an illusion of briefly returning to one's childhood and inevitably growing up…" The low-polygonal art direction looks great, and the beautiful piano-laden soundtrack compliments the presentation. 

Know By Heart is coming to PC sometime during Q2 2021. 

Arkane Studios Co-Creator Is Working On A New Game

Posted: 07 Jan 2021 08:10 AM PST

Prey and Dishonored are two incredible games that offered unique adventures and a narrative players couldn't help but be swept up in. But what's next for Dishonored co-creator Harvey Smith since he's not attached to Arkane's upcoming Deathloop title? We don't know specifics yet, but we do have confirmation that he's actively working on a new game with the teams behind both games. 

In a recent interview with Vandal,  Smith confirms that he's not attached to Deathloop due to a new project currently in the works. He then confirmed that the teams behind Prey and Dishonored are also attached to this mystery game, though details were scarce about what the nature of the title would be. 

It's always possible that a new entry into the already-established franchises is on the horizon, but this sounds more like it could also be the rumored new IP that began making its rounds earlier last year. A job post posted a few months after rumors began circulating pointed to the team developing a new "immersive simulator" game, which is also a likely candidate for what Smith and the team is currently working on. 

It will be interesting to see what new story arises from this creative team following the acquisition of ZeniMax Media by Microsoft, which includes Bethesda and Arkane Studios. Whether it's a continuation of the Prey or Dishonored adventures or a brand new IP altogether, this is a massively talented team and we can't wait to see what they've been working so hard on. 

If it is the game from the earlier September job post, it's likely that the project is very early on in its development, meaning that a reveal probably a long ways off yet. Perhaps we will see more hints dropped about the new game over the months leading up to the time period E3 usually takes place in. While events may be out again this year due to the continued evolution of COVID-19, many companies are still preparing for the usual reveal times whether these announcements happen in-person or through a digital format once more. 

What do you think the new project from Harvey Smith and his team is? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below! 

[Source: Vandal]

First Five Dragon Age Comics Bundle Available For Pre-Order

Posted: 07 Jan 2021 08:00 AM PST

Dragon Age is a phenomenal RPG experience from BioWare that goes well beyond just the games. From an animated movie starring a younger Cassandra Pentaghast to comics and movies that stunningly bridge the gaps between our times in Thedas, the lore of Dragon Age is extensive indeed. If you haven't checked out the comics, I highly recommend you change that and now BioWare is offering an easy way to do just that by offering a bundle deal with the first five comic series from the franchise. 

The bundle includes 22 issues in total, including Dragon Age: The Silent Grove, Those Who Speak, Until We Sleep, Magekiller, and Knight Errant. It doesn't include the most recent series starring Fenris with Blue Wraith, but this bundle does offer an awesome way for fans to dive into a much deeper narrative beyond becoming the Warden, the Champion, and the Inquisitor. 

BioWare

Personally, I can't recommend the comics and books enough. The novels especially add an additional layer of nuance to the games themselves, especially concerning Inquisition with characters like Cole, Rhys, Fiona, and Empress Celene. That being said, the comics also offer a similar extensive experience, with The Silent Grove, Those Who Speak, and Until We Sleep especially bringing a new tale of a crowned Alistair, Varric, and Isabelle as they go on an adventure of a lifetime to uncover a dark secret about his father, Morrigan's siblings, and seeing Tevinter in an all-new way. These comics also introduced one of my favorite characters of the franchise: Maeveris Tilani, cousin to Varric (II and Inquisition) and close friend to Dorian (Inquisition).

Mage Killer and Knight Errant offer a different experience even more centered on Tevinter while also featuring cameos of the Chargers and Dorian himself, as well as new protagonists to fall in love with that continue on in Knight Errant and Blue Wraith. 

With the recently confirmed new series bringing Fenris back once more into the spotlight, this is honestly a great deal to take advantage of for those that want to read the Dragon Age comics but didn't know where to start. 

While the BioWare Store listing is sold out currently for $30, other retailers like Target and Amazon still have pre-orders available. You can also do what I did and call your local comic shop and ask if they have any pre-ordered or to put in a special request. 
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