The Twisted Prosperity update adds a new Fear, a bullet ricochet system, and more localizations as Ice Code Games prepares the tactical extraction looter for full release.
Twisted Prosperity marks the largest update to-date of Ice Code Games’ Early Access tactical extraction looter Nightmare Frontier.
According to developer Ice Code Games and publisher Slitherine, while no official date has been confirmed yet for the 1.0 launch of Nightmare Frontier, additional information regarding the upcoming release will be shared shortly.
After being available in Early Access for nearly a year, the game is nearing the end of its development cycle as Ice Code Games continues to add features based upon user feedback.
Initially launched as a unique take on the tactical RPG genre, combining elements of extraction-based progression, horror, and turn-based tactics, Nightmare Frontier currently allows users to control a group of scavenger “roughnecks” that are sent into a post-apocalyptic version of a mid-1900s boom town.
Each excursion typically involves pushing into increasingly dangerous areas, recovering valuable resources, battling against “nightmares,” and escaping alive before the operation collapses.
The core element driving both the setting and the design of the enemy types (the Dreadweaver) within Nightmare Frontier’s world is the concept of the monsters being born from humanity’s fears.
As such, the game provides a distinct experience compared to other, more traditional tactical RPGs. Players are not simply completing individual map clearances or fighting singular battles. There exists a significant danger in each attempt to extract valuables.
While a player can potentially earn loot and resources during a given expedition, poor position choices, prioritizing targets poorly, or failing to successfully withdraw from a situation can turn what was initially seen as a successful expedition into an unmitigated disaster.
The primary addition made via the Twisted Prosperity update is a new type of Fear called Deadwood.
Deadwood is characterized as a large-scale creature that combines visual representations of forests with the psychological logic of nightmares. Simply put, Deadwood lives off of stasis. To survive in Deadwood’s presence, players must remain mobile, plan their routes strategically, and avoid locking their squads into static defensive positions.
The Twisted Prosperity update also brings with it a new bullet ricochet system. Ricochets can provide players with benefits if they understand the layout of the battlefield, make use of angles, and think about using indirect methods of attacking enemies.
In terms of Nightmare Frontier’s combat layer where guns are used in conjunction with a turn-based mechanic; this gives players a method of utilizing positioning to maximize the effectiveness of their shooting.
Where shots were previously primarily concerned with firing at the nearest enemy, ricochet shots can enable players to hit enemies located behind cover, finish weakened enemies, or set up future turns for maximum efficiency due to limited resource availability.
Additionally, Twisted Prosperity adds three new languages (Czech, Hungarian, and Ukrainian), bringing the total number of languages available in-game to ten (English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Chinese, Russian and Italian).
Slitherine published Nightmare Frontier under a licensing agreement with developer Ice Code Games (the same developers behind Hard West II) in December via Steam.
