Game Xbox Wire

Exploring the Narrative of Lost at Sea
Enter Chernobyl’s Exclusion Zone in Chernobylite September 7
Double XP Weekend, Limited-time 32v32 Mode, and More Coming to Super Animal Royale
Tactical Turn-based Fantasy Game Fort Triumph Available on August 13
Next Week on Xbox: August 2 to 6

Posted: 30 Jul 2021 02:00 PM PDT

What are the most important moments in your life? Lost At Sea is a game about life and death, about coming to terms with your past and about family. Set on a beautiful island, this game will force you to look past your fears and take stock of your life through imaginative puzzles and a relatable story.

Lost At Sea tells the story of Anna, who, in the autumn of her life, has come to be alone. To live her new future, she will first have to take stock of her past. Construct her memories through objects and puzzles on a strange island, and face the question we all face eventually, "Did I do it right?"

In Lost At Sea, we experience moments in the life of Anna, moments that we all recognize, moments that make us all wonder how life suddenly took a hold of us, instead of the other way around. This is a perspective we don't see often in games; a woman, a mother, who is in the second half of her life, but still very much a part of the community and actively involved in planning her future.

The age bracket of 50-70 is very much overlooked in games, especially in women; often it seems that there are either young women, forty-something mothers, or grandmas aged 80+. We're happy that with Lost At Sea we are able to pay attention to another age/life group.

Lost At Sea is a narrative-driven game that combines linear and non-linear storytelling, as well as metaphorical spaces and puzzles to hopefully allow players to join Anna on her journey.

There is the environmental storytelling; the island that serves as the backdrop of the gaming experience is a symbolic space, letting players physically explore the larger emotions of the main character and confront her fears. The final layer of the storytelling are the thoughts, feelings, and the voice of the main character in the here and now, carrying players through the 'main plotline' if you will.

The game's puzzles are designed to point towards specific moments in a human's life, showing the broad spectrum of human life from cradle to grave. At the same time, meaningful objects attached to these puzzles connect Anna's story to these moments and her life is told to us in miniature memories via a voice over and storybook illustrations.

Lost At Sea invites you to explore the island’s scenic landscapes and dreamlike spaces, uncover its hidden secrets and solve its riddles, as you dive deeper and deeper into Anna’s mind and soul. We hope you find yourself in Anna’s journey, because her fears, struggles and triumphs are all too human.

Enter Chernobyl’s Exclusion Zone in Chernobylite September 7

Posted: 30 Jul 2021 01:00 PM PDT

Are you ready to face your fears? The Zone will open for stalkers in Chernobylite on September 7. Take your best gear—humans aren't the only threat lurking in the dark here…

Chernobylite is a science-fiction survival horror RPG from developers The Farm 51. Set in the hyper-realistic, 3D-scanned wasteland of Chernobyl's Exclusion Zone, explore a non-linear storyline in your search to uncover the truth of your tortured past.

Igor Khymynyuk, a former physicist of the Chernobyl power plant, has returned to what is now the Exclusion Zone to find his fiancée who disappeared 30 years ago on the fateful day of the nuclear disaster. She haunts him in his dreams and as long as there's even the slimmest hope that she's alive, Igor must face the horrors of the Zone himself. The very ones that might have already consumed Tatyana. Will you discover the dark secrets of Chernobyl? Will you be able to face the truth you'll find there?

Tatyana Amelieva, Igor's missing fiancée, called Igor to Chernobyl in his dreams. She seems to be both a guide and a nemesis. Her intentions? Unknown. In the Zone it's hard to even tell if she's really there or just an echo of a memory.

Chernobylite is a thrilling story of conspiracy, love, and obsession. As events unfold you will discover not if you can face your fears but if you can survive them.

There are several layers to the survival aspect of the game. You'll need to build your base and set out on dangerous missions to find resources in the Exclusion Zone, such as food, weapons, medicine, and scrap materials. Your mission isn't something you can accomplish alone, so you'll need to find companions and send them out too. Your companions will be crucial to the success of your mission so you'll have to manage your resources well to make sure you all survive. But nothing in the Zone is easy. Remember: everyone has a hidden agenda.

Exploring the Zone will take its toll on you. When radiation levels are too high, they'll damage your health. Facing hostile soldiers and creatures from another dimension will affect your psyche. Your ammunition can run out and sometimes you won't be able to get back to your base to catch your breath, so you'll have to master the art of survival in the field. In a tough situation you can either create simple tools from the available materials or work with abandoned ones you find. You'll have to do whatever it takes just to stay alive.

The survival elements in Chernobylite were all designed to match the game's setting, Chernobyl's Exclusion Zone. For example, in the game you can gather scrap metal and chemical tanks, which devs, The Farm 51, saw on their trips to Chernobyl.

These down-to-earth elements of survival blend with the game's paranormal aspect. Dangerous and mysterious creatures enter the Zone from another dimension. To make exploration a bit easier, you'll have a special tool that can open portals for quicker travel or to travel back in time and change the choices you made. But the more you use this power, the more creatures will appear, so there's always a price to pay.

Developers, The Farm 51, traveled to Chernobyl quite often to gather data for the creation of its in-game version. "We tried to recreate the most interesting places in the Exclusion Zone around the Chernobyl Power Plant using photogrammetry to achieve the most accurate results," said Michał Mierzejewski from The Farm 51. "The fact that we managed to scan it will, in a way, save the Zone."

When the team reached the higher levels of Reactor 5, they could see practically the whole Exclusion Zone. "We said 'Imagine, how cool would it be if a player could see this view every day in-game and choose where to go next from this lookout and even see their influence on the game world'," said Artur Fojcik, the Game Director.

Characteristic places such as Cafe Pripyat, the Chernobyl Power Plant, and the now destroyed Emerald Summer Camp have been ingrained in the game forever.

The real Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, although it has its own secrets, is actually safe. The Zone's recreation in Chernobylite however will take you on a thrilling adventure but will force you to face your fears. Knowing this, will you still enter the Zone? See you there on September 7. We hope you survive.

Double XP Weekend, Limited-time 32v32 Mode, and More Coming to Super Animal Royale

Posted: 30 Jul 2021 11:00 AM PDT

It's a big weekend in Super Animal World! Earn Double XP to make extra speedy progress through your Season 0.5 Animal Pass and play the limited-time S.A.W. vs Rebellion 32v32 mode for the first time on Xbox. Both are live now and will be live until this Sunday (August 1st) at 11:59pm PDT.

In case double XP wasn't already enough help for completing your Animal Pass, the new Animal Pass Archive system, arriving in our next update, will allow you to continue making progress on past seasons that you own. No more FOMO necessary!

Just visit "The Archive" once the new update arrives and you'll be able to activate any previous season passes you own to complete them at your own pace. You can always purchase the current Animal Pass season for 550 S.A.W. Tickets, and previous seasons will be available for 750 S.A.W. Tickets once they move into the archive.

S.A.W. vs Rebellion (32v32) limited-time mode

This weekend, stage a rebellion as a member of the Super Animal Super Resistance (S.A.S.R.) or fight to stop it as part of the Super Animal World (S.A.W.) security forces.

Load into matches with a squad of up to 4 friends, and you'll be placed on one of the two teams of 32. Then, you'll take off on one of two Giant Eagles that will drop your team and the enemy team on opposite sides of the island.

Each team wins when they either defeat the entire opposing team of 32 animals or capture and hold 3 or more strategic flags on the island. Flags also provide loot when captured and a health buff when you're nearby them, so they're important objectives to prioritize.

The game has two limited-time modes so far (32v32 and Mystery Mode) that we rotate in for special events like this, and we're working on more, so let us know what you want to see next!

Super Animal Royale Tonight

I'm sure many developers would claim the same thing, but I really think we have one of the best communities around, so we're always looking for opportunities to turn the spotlight on each of you.

The SAR animated series, Super Animal Royale Tonight, aims to do exactly that and is getting a new episode soon, so that means it's time to submit your best gameplay clips! In addition to telling SAR stories that sync up with changes in-game on the island, the series showcases the superest (highest skill) and blooperest (funniest and most creative) clips from the community.

Clips for this episode are due August 2nd and you can get all the details on how to submit in the Official SAR Discord server, or watch previous episodes from SAR Tonight Season 2 over on YouTube.

In addition to clips, this episode will also be highlighting the top selections from the latest Super Fanart Contest. You can view the art from previous art contests here or in-game on the walls of the Super Museum of Modern Art, and if you'd like to submit a piece you can find more information and submit a piece by August 8th here.

Lastly, if you have Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, make sure to redeem your free copy of the SAR Founder's Edition DLC, courtesy of Game Pass Perks! The DLC includes 3 exclusive Super Animal breeds and 10 cosmetic items and is only available during Game Preview.

As always, your feedback helps us keep making the game better and better, so be sure to share what you want to see next in SAR on Discord, Twitter, Facebook or your social platform of choice. See you on the island, Super Animals!

Tactical Turn-based Fantasy Game Fort Triumph Available on August 13

Posted: 30 Jul 2021 10:00 AM PDT

Hear ye, hear ye! The tactical turn-based fantasy game Fort Triumph will conquer Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Ring out the news to every valley and village: the game will arrive on August 13 but you can pre-order it now!

While uplifting and vibrant, with ever-changing procedural maps, the game offers a great challenge too. If you have the permadeath setting on, you'll have to avoid death or lose your heroes forever. The combat is turn-based and relies on physics. Each character has a limited amount of Action Points, so you'll need to use the environment cleverly to win—sometimes it's better to kick a nearby tree on an enemy's head than use up all your AP to approach them and not have enough left over to attack.

Will you take up the quest? Besides all of the juicy action, there's an intriguing plot as well. Very sinister stuff, too. The world is in peril. Goblins are attacking humans, evil stirs in the dark and the land's heroes are broke. Luckily, a local noble, Lady Aureline, is looking for mercenaries.

Liandra Pageturner is a Mage who just lost her scholarship. Since the one trick they don't teach you in magic school is how to pay for the darn thing, she bands with her two somewhat less sophisticated friends to do some mercenary work. The only problem is…when Liandra channels mana, she becomes just a bit unhinged. A minor inconvenience, really. At least for now. Mages use ranged attacks, like a Magic Arrow or Whirlwind.

Solaris Ironfloss, the Paladin, is the most righteous person most people know. Left jobless after the Justice Factory shut down, he joins Liandra's party. Solaris dreams of performing heroic deeds with an almost child-like naivety and often sees the best in everyone. It upsets him deeply when reality refuses to bend to his ideals. Paladins perform melee attacks and are the most resilient in a party.

Evon Dogbane is a Ranger and a rebel without a cause. Greedy and cynical, Evon hates nobles from the bottom of his heart. Some suspect he's an arsonist, but maybe it's just that he has one of those faces. But he does good too; what better way to avoid the tax collector than by getting robbed by Evon first? As a Ranger, Evon specializes in distance attacks and uses different kinds of arrows to inflict damage.

Krita Skullspitter is a Barbarian seeking to join a party; a self-described hard worker and hard puncher. She holds a firm belief that being strong is better than being weak, so the strong should decide what's good for the weak. Barbarians' focus is performing multiple actions in a single turn.

Set off on a grand adventure when you play campaign mode, set in a witty parody of a fantasy world and get to know all of these characters yourself. You might even actually save the world and earn some coins along the way. Choose your level of difficulty and decide whether to enable or disable Permadeath before you start the game—if it's off, you can repurchase your lost hero in towns, assuming you have the resources for it.

In total there are 4 factions in the game: the Human Kingdom, the Yak-Scuffle Goblins, the Restful Dead, and the Forest Utopia. Each faction has certain perks specific to it, for example the Forest Utopia faction has the most health points and a building that increases armor, but cannot take cover.

In Skirmish mode you can choose a faction yourself or choose "random" and let the AI decide for you. This mode allows you to play against an AI or other humans outside of the Campaign. Set the difficulty level, choose your opponents, and let the strongest win.

In addition, Fort Triumph offers local co-op, the classic hotseat experience, in Multiplayer mode. Up to 8 players can compete or become allies—allied players share views and cannot attack one another. You'll share one screen, so don't let your friends peek at your movements.

Which hero will be your favorite? Which mode will you play first? The world of Fort Triumph will be yours to explore on August 13. Pre-order now!

Next Week on Xbox: August 2 to 6

Posted: 30 Jul 2021 07:00 AM PDT

Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! Here we cover all the new games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows PC as well as upcoming Xbox Game Pass and soon-to-be released ID@Xbox games! Get more details on the games below and click their profiles for pre-order details when available (release dates are subject to change). Let's jump in!

Deadly Days – August 3

A unique strategic rogue-lite in the zombie apocalypse. Manage and protect a group of survivors and help them to stop the catastrophe. Discover and use many wild and crazy objects, even wilder and crazier survivors, special abilities, and deadly weapons.

Castle of Pixel Skulls DX – August 4 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S ● Smart Delivery

Castle Of Pixel Skulls is a fun retro-styled platformer filled with fun and crazy hurdles. Play challenging levels in a race against time to escape. Will you have what it takes to survive?

Enter Digiton: Heart of Corruption – August 4

Free a subterranean kingdom from death and ruin! Nested in the hollow husk of a desolate world lies the kingdom of Digiton. Once a prosperous, technologically advanced society, the kingdom fell into ruin through greed and lust for power. This led to the rise of four demon lords who now hold dominion over the kingdom.

Orbals – August 4

Four brave little Orbals have taken on the mission of defeating the tyrant Dragon King. They must roll and smash their way to escape from 100 tricky levels unlocking their greatest abilities along the way. Only by working together will they be able to solve all the puzzles and save Orbalia!

Solos – August 4

Solos is an action-puzzle game with over 100 levels. The goal of the game is to shoot all the bad blocks without hitting yourself in the process; a twin-stick, create-your-own bullet hell.

IIN – August 5

Play as a wandering soul that takes control of cubes and needs to bring the right one to the portal, dealing with many forces on the way. The calm pacing and the inspiring soundtrack will set the mood and pull you into an immersive experience.

Animus: Revenant – August 6

Leap into the tragedy and ruin the dead king has wrought. Collect tarnished memories, craft weapons, engage in tense combat to uncover hidden stories within this ARPG.

Armed Emeth – August 6 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S ● Smart Delivery

Roam the wilderness and battle golems in this story of grit and oil. Upon discovering that the leader of a criminal organization has an enormous bounty on his head, Valess receives a golem of his own and decides to embark on an adventure into the unknown where numerous bounties await.

Bone Marrow Console Edition – August 6 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

A game in the genre of role-playing logic puzzles. Combine numbers in pairs, and these numbers must be paired with objects. Using their combination, you can create better weapons, shields, and potions, which will increase your attack and defense against dark monsters.

Goroons – August 6

A teamwork-based adventure where you must combine your unique skills and overcome tough-as-nails puzzle challenges. Every Goroon is born with a morph skill and several forms, each form suited for a specific task. With their powers and teamwork, you can beat every challenge ahead.

No Thing – August 6 – Xbox One X Enhanced

A minimalistic surreal action game set in the totalitarian regime of the future. Tells the story of an office clerk who is sent with an important message to the Queen of Ice.

Game Xbox Wire

Game Xbox Wire

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