On the Radar – October 2021

Reviewing reviews…

“Even the fool can say something right,
but always for the wrong reason“
– Umberto Eco

When we talk about the “war” between Steam and the other digital shops, like Epic Games, many people justify their preferences for the first one essentially because it can still offer many unique features.
Among them, a special place is reserved for the users or the curators reviews.
To be honest, when it’s time to buy a new game, even I cannot avoid reading some Steam reviews about it. Sometimes they can be really useful, sometimes not, but, for sure, if a game has an average low rating, then it will likely be really bad. But, to be honest, sometimes some reviews don’t seem so “trustworthy”…
Now, it is not my intention to express a general opinion about the usefulness of the Steam reviews, because, as it happens in many other areas, mostly depends on the seriousness of who is expressing the opinion, but, believe me, in some cases, there are reviews that, despite their uhm… “quality”, they are simply impossible to forget!

An example?
Then, how to judge a player of Fallout 4 that, after almost 1.800 hours of gameplay, wrote “I’ve nearly finished making my character“?
And this is just the beginning.
From time to time, some players seem to misunderstand the essence of the game they are playing. So, for example, a user, after playing “Shower With Your Dad Simulator 2015” (oh man…), simply commented “I miss my son“, while, another one, after a short session on Dying Light, sadly wrote, “thought it was going to be playing a game about changing light bulbs…“!

There is the group of the disappointed ones. Someone, commenting “Getting Over It Bennett Foddy”, synthetically wrote “Very simple controls. Only uses mouse, alt and F4” and another one, after trying the famous “Death Stranding”, wisely said “it’s like working at Amazon. Long hours, tough customers and poor pay“!

Not to mention, those who made “Logic” their main source of inspiration. After receiving a FREE copy of Battlefield V, a player expressed his opinion just commenting “Too expensive”! Obviously, many of those reviews cannot be read without a good dose of humor. like the person who commented The Witcher 3 writing: “You can do everything you can’t do in real life, like casting magic and talking to girls.“

Now, in conclusion, even if I really like competition and welcome shops like Epic Games Store, well, I’m not sure I feel ready to do without the pearls of wisdom such as those just mentioned above. And you?

MIST LEGACY – 5^th October (E.A.)

Let’s begin this month with something quite original. Mist Legacy is an indie MMORPG developed by a very small team – who previously released Therian Saga – with a precise idea in mind.

The keyword of the game is clearly “freedom”, because in Mist Legacy you can do essentially whatever you want. It has a very nice art style, with a fascinating top-view world, turn-based combat, skill-based progression and skill-distribution crafting.
Here are some of the most interesting features:

• No classes, no blocks. Be limited only by the time you want to put in the game. Your character will evolve based on the skill you use.
• There are no fixed blueprints for crafting objects, buildings and vehicles. The game uses a system called skill-distribution that will take properties of material and convert them to items with skills.
• Forests and mountains have skills. Rivers and cities have skills. Plants and trees and rocks and even the weather has skills too. An intricate system makes the world feel alive.
• You will need buildings to craft, store material and host guests. Like the rest of the game, a skill-based challenge dictates the strength of your buildings

By the way, I almost forgot the best thing: it will be free! On Steam very soon!

VAGRUS THE RIVEN REALMS – 5^th October

This is one of the most promising RPGs we have been following for a long time.
A fantastic and dark open world, with choices that will change the course of events so that each game will be different from the other. Here you can find our interview with the talented developers and here a preview based on an E.A. version of the game.

Here is what Vagrus has to offer:

• EXPLORE A DARK CONTINENT
• EXPERIENCE A BRANCHING NARRATIVE
• ENGAGE IN TURN-BASED COMBAT
• MANAGE YOUR CREW
• ENCOUNTER A COLORFUL CAST OF CHARACTERS

For sure this is one of my favorites of the month. Don’t sleep on this one!

On Steam.

THE SHADOW GOVERNMENT SIMULATOR – 12^th October (E.A.)

Quoting the description on Steam we learn that Puppet Master is “a turn-based strategy game where you lead a secret society towards world domination. Investigate the influential and convert them to your faction via bribery, seduction and intimidation. Reshape society’s power structures to fend off rival societies and the world’s nations in your quest for power.“

On Steam on E.A.

RUIN RAIDERS – 14^th October

Personally I’ve never covered this game before, but, somehow, it has always attracted me. It seems a mix between X-com and Alien (the movie), but with a colorful and more relaxed flavor.

Ruin Raiders is a turn-based tactical roguelike in which you command military squads on a no-return journey into the ruins of an ancient civilization. Explore ruins, demon-infested depths, and more while upgrading your raiders with unlockable gear before facing bosses that hide in the abyss.

On Steam in the middle of the month.

STOLEN REALM – 14^th October

Stolen Realm is a tactical turn-based RPG but not the usual one.
The game has, for sure, some good points like a simultaneous team turn system for faster-paced combat, a really evocative low-poly art style, a co-op mode with up to 6 online players, and also an entire world to explore where you can gather materials and craft objects, fishing, building a castle and so on. In other words: a must for every true turn-based fan out there!

On Steam during the next month!

TACTICAL COMBAT DEPARTMENT – 14^th October (E.A.)

Let’s be honest, is there anyone who has never imagined being a SWAT member?

After so many movies, SWAT is synonymous with “cool”, especially when you can be one of them seating on a couch, without risking your own life and with the use of a simple mouse (better if it’s a “super-duper-uber-mega tactical mouse”, whatever this means…). So, be happy because in a few weeks your dream may become true!

Tactical Combat Department is a tactical turn-based strategy game. You command (try to guess?) a special intervention squad called to operate in very special situations and environments.

During your tense turn-based missions you’ll have to:

• consider the psychological reactions of both civilians and suspects
• choose between a stealth or an action approach
• secure, as soon as possible, all suspects and civilians

On Steam quite soon.

GLOOMHAVEN – 20^th October

It’s possible that some of you already know a board game named Gloomhaven, so they might already have a rough idea of what this transposition will bring on PC in the near future.
I tried an E.A. version of the game about a year ago, and I can say that what struck me, at that time, apart from the very good graphic, was the high level of strategy required. In other words, Gloomhaven, at least in its early access version, appeared to me as a game surely not for everyone, but still a damned good game.

At its core Gloomhaven is a sort of mix between a tactical RPG and a dungeon crawler, where every action is based on the use of cards, but not in the way we are used to. Here each card has separate actions printed on the top and the bottom of it, that gives your character the ability to attack, move, heal, etc. Every turn, players select two cards and choose to take the top action of one card and the bottom action of the other.

If you like true strategy games and are not scared by some occasional headache, then go and buy this great game without hesitation!

On Steam near the end of the month!

CARDS OF THE DEAD – 21^st October

Do you think is it possible to mix together zombies, cards, and survival features? Don’t waste your time thinking for the right answer, just try Cards of the Dead!

I’ve to admit, this is one of those games that, at a first glance, may appear as a minor release, but for me, Cards of the Dead has a lot of potentials.
The game blends adventure features with survival mechanics in a world infested with zombies, where your true aim is to make your way to a biological complex and retrieve the sample of a vaccine.
I wrote to the dev anticipating my interest in reviewing the game, but I received no answer… yeah simply dead (ok sorry for terrible joke…).

On Steam.

DISCIPLES: LIBERATION – 21^st October

If I’m not wrong, the first Disciples was published by Strategy First back in 1999, followed by many sequels.
At its core, Disciples is a turn-based strategy game with RPG elements similar to games like Heroes of Might and Magic.
Obviously, since 1999, the series has made a lot of progress, with more emphasis on the RPG aspects of the game. I’m sure that If you like HoMM then you’ll love also this one!

FEATURES LIST

• 80+ hour single-player campaign: experience a sprawling dark fantasy epic over three acts, with more than 270 quests and five unique endings to unlock
• Explore a war-torn realm: journey through a sprawling world in ruin and work to unearth its endless secrets, hidden treasures, and bloody past
• Write your own story: pick from four uniquely skilled classes and define your place in the world, recruiting others to your cause from an assortment of factions
• Build a base: take on quests for precious resources and use your political savvy to build a place of planning and sanctuary
• Fight for your life: recruit 50+ units and amass an army best suited to your play style; hone both steel and spell in intricate-turned based combat.
• Challenge deadly bosses: test your mettle and pit your party against horrific monsters and beasts, each requiring a unique strategy
• Choice is everything: let your decisions guide your fate and directly influence what sort of leader you become
• Fight your friends: put forth the ultimate challenge and battle for supremacy in 2-player online skirmishes

On Steam.

RISE OF HUMANITY – 21^st October (E.A.)

I’m keeping an eye on this game for a very long time.
Somehow it reminds me of the cult movie, Terminator, because the setting seems to be almost the same: a dystopia and very grim future where machines try to prevail on humanity starting a bloody and gruesome war.
Part rogue-lite, part tactical RPG, Rise of Humanity is finally ready to lunch its E.A. version, and I’m ready to write, in a near future (far future, here, is too dangerous!), a nice preview!

On Steam!

DARKEST DUNGEON 2 – 26^th October

Originally published in 2016, Darkest Dungeon was one of the best and most innovative turn-based games of the last decades. The game boasted a truly fascinating grim and dark setting and a unique art style, imitated by many other games to come.

So now, after a very long waiting, in just a few weeks, we will finally be able to put our hands on the sequel. Unluckily, we don’t know much about it, but we can imagine that it will be as ruthless as the first chapter, with an abundant quantity of blood and amputated limbs…

What we know for sure is that the 26th of October will be just the beginning, because the game will be released just in its E.A. version.

On Epic Store!

SUPER ROBOT WARS 30 – 28^th October

Sorry but I don’t know much about this game so forgive me if, for this time, I just report the Steam description:

“30 years on, the battle for our world’s future continues. Super Robot Wars is a tactical RPG that brings characters and robots from a variety of mecha anime together to battle their mutual foes.
The battle switches between ally and enemy phases. Once the player has moved and attacked with their robots, the enemy takes their turn. When all enemies have been defeated, the game proceeds to an Intermission.
During Intermission, the player can use resources earned in battle to train pilots, upgrade robots, and earn bonuses for their army. They then can proceed to the next chapter of the adventure.“

On Steam!

ANCIENT GODS – October

Ok, I know that there are (maybe) too many deckbuilding / card-battler out there, but, at least, this one tries to use a quite “original” lore for the genre.

Without big surprises, Ancient Gods, by Hexpion, is a deckbuilding and a gacha game fused together. We must gather gold to unlock new gods from different cultures, and mixed them with our cards.
A solid card battle mechanics with events to face.

KEY FEATURES

• Mild strategic turn-based card battle
• 40 characters, more than 100 cards to collect
• Random events
• Campaign mode with many rewards
• Endless mode with the unlimited challenge

Ancient Gods is expected for October 2021 on Steam and you can also play the free demo.

GUILE & GLORY: FIRSTBORN – October

I’m very curious about this game.
It remembers me of the golden era of RPGs.
I’m a nostalgic man and the good old pixel art goes straight to my heart.

A legion of nightmarish immortals sweeps across the land, slaughtering all who would oppose them.
Your goal is to assemble a perfect team to explore the furthest reaches of the Drowned Land in a tale of heroic fantasy and take part in a lot of turn-based tactical fights.

On Steam.

VOID ECLIPSE – October

We tried the demo during a Steam Festival, and be surprised by Void Eclipse by Tau Ceti Studios. Void Eclipse is turn-based strategy in an immersive sci-fi world. You’re an android with scattered memories in search of your mysterious origins. Explore the stars, Evolve your army and Fight an alien threat. Help characters or harm them – will you be Feared, Admired, or Respected?

KEY FEATURES

• Explore the galaxy searching for memory fragments as you confront your enemies.
• Evolve your character’s personality matrix and upgrade your battle abilities!
• Tactical turn-based combat includes over 100 passive & active battle abilities for your characters.
• Choose dialog options that changes your reputation, what missions to take, and what units to unlock!
• Comes with 2 playable alien races and 14 unit characters to compose your ultimate battle fleet.

Expected for this month on Steam.

That’s all folks! See you next month.

Hardcase