Menace (in open beta for since February 5th) and Mewgenics (released February 10th) dominate the news. Is this the year of tactical games?
Game Releases and Updates
Elemental Reforged has a release date – March 17th. General consensus is slightly concerned that the game may not be ready, but we shall see. I am excited though!
In preparation for the upcoming “Rise from Ruin” expansion, the devs have been playing AoW4. Go have a look here. Rise from Ruin releases on March 9th. Nomad culture, Harefolk form, Astral Barrens terrain type and new fated regions. Oh, some tomes too! Plus Michiel Van den Bos has made 3 new tracks for this. This dlc looks to be a corker.
This next game has been on my radar for quite a while, and I think I shall play it as soon as it releases, which is… *checks notes…* tomorrow ! Fall of an Empire puts you in the shoes of a crumbling empire, beset on all sides, broke and in crisis. It is very Rome themed, and recalled in me fond memories of Barbarian Invasion. The release was delayed a bit, as you can see from the trailer. It was the dev diaries that sold me on this, which brings up the question – how many people read dev diaries?
Old World DLC! The franchise is moving east. The Indian sub continent is rich and varied in history (and food) and does not get very much representation in mainstream games. I am looking forward to this. Seems there will be plenty of Elephants, and that they cause enemy troops to panic. One has to wonder though, will Mohawk Games keep moving east? Should we expect something East/South East Asia themed soon?
Songs of Conquest DLC! Continuing the theme of going East, the DLC, entitled Yuhan, delivers a new faction that seems very China coded. This was actually announced a few weeks ago, but I missed it. Sorry. You can read our review of the original game here.
Also from Lavapotion (of Songs of Conquest fame) comes a demo for their new game, Wielders of the Essence, which is a survivor’s-like. When did that become a genre?
On the topic of sub-genres, in the arena of HoMM-likes, Heroes of Science and Fiction (I prefer the old name, Song of the Siren, although I imagine with Songs of Conquest and Songs of Silence, there were just too many songs, like an overcrowded iPod) releases soon (17th March). This is basically Heroes of Might and Magic, but in space. It is a blast to play, clean graphics, fast turn times, and good game options, such as being able to choose how long your “week” is.
Community and Industry News
Related to the recent discussion on DLC (article, podcast and video) comes this article in PC Gamer, about a particular low value dlc.
As mentioned in the last newsletter, we have been invited to Turn Based Thursday, which runs from March 9th the March 16th. Our 3 chosen games are Age of Wonders 4, Old World and Astro Protocol. Dates and times to be confirmed. Stay tuned.
The Steam Next Fest ends today. One week, 921 game demos tagged as “strategy” and thousands pf players. What stands out for you? For me, it is probably the newest announcement from Proxy Studios, the creators of Gladius and Zephon, who are publishing Down with the Ship. This is an autobattler. “Roll, buy, place, pray.”
Community Discussion
We have recorded and are editing 2 podcast episodes. One is on eXploration in gaming, and the other an interview with Zeikko from Null Vector Studios. Null Vector are the creators of Astro Protocol, a game which came out of nowhere and has captured a piece of my heart.
Questions to ponder:
- Are 4X games a direct evolution of boardgames from the 80’s, and if so, would they differ if the current boardgames were taken as the inspiration/starting point?
- What are “dead” or “empty” turns in 4X games, and are they a problem?
- Is AI coming for all our jobs, is it the harbinger of boundless ingenuity, or a load of hot air? Discussion on Discord has been interesting.
Did we miss anything this fortnight? Be sure to let us know in the comments below if weâve missed an important news item!
Want to write for us? Have a game or two that you love to keep tabs on? Let us know! eXplorminate@gmail.com
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