Game release: “Observation” (PC)

No Code and Devolver Digital‘s PC version of sci-fi thriller Observation is another example of how hard lone survival in space can be.

Sci-fi stories about an A.I. gone rogue aren’t very new in this day and age, especially with computing power growing ever stronger. However, this game adds a gameplay as well as narrative twist to proceedings, as one plays the artificial A.I. called S.A.M. that helps discovering what happened to Dr. Emma Fisher, her crew, and the space station they worked on.

Assisting Emma by using the station’s control system, cameras, and tools slowly unravels the mystery of what is happening, which seems to become more and more dramatic the further systems shut down and the life of Fisher depends on the player’s actions. Being part adventure with puzzles and part exploration game with roaming the abandoned station results in existential horror without falling back on aliens or monsters. Even if the camera gameplay technique was done years before with the overlooked EXperience112 and classic sci-fi survival themes have already been tackled with games like Deliver Us the Moon, this looks like another example of how far games have come in terms of immersion.

The game is out now on PC after having received a release on PS4 in May 2019. The PC version currently has a 50% discount that lasts until May 28, 2020, at 4 PM UTC.

Buy the game for PC on
GOG
Steam

Official website

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GOG release: “Northgard”

Shiro Games‘ RTS/management mix Northgard based on North mythology has arrived on DRM-free GOG shores.

Adventure stories set in the North or during Viking times have received something of a renaissance in various media, and it’s the case with Northgard, too. After being forced out of their home country because of a king being murdered and his Regal Horn stolen by a man called Hagen, a group of Vikings discovers the titular land and tries to find the reason behind the assassination. Settling down isn’t made any easier by the dangers of wildlife, undead warriors, giants, and even a dragon, in addition to harsh winters.

Part resource management with building simulation aspects that include assigning vikings to specific jobs, part expanding, exploring, and fighting, the game demands all sorts of strategic decisions from its players. As everything is a mix of history and mythology, enemy types add to variety, while different victory conditions and multiplayer options further enhance the experience that spans 11 campaign chapters.

Northgard was originally released in March 2018 and is now available DRM-free on GOG with its various DLCs (in the form of different clans). There’s a promo sale with discounts of up to 50% that last until May 27, 2020, at 1 PM UTC. Cross-play with the Steam version will also be implemented very soon.

Official website

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Game update: “Driftmoon: Enhanced Edition”

Ville Mönkkönen and Anne Mönkkönen’s (aka Instant Kingdom‘s) fantasy RPG Driftmoon has become even more magical with its new Enhanced Edition.

There are many indie titles that seem to have slipped through my release news fingers, and this is one of them. But thanks to the “game update” category which features special editions of games in much improved form, this is an appropriate way to cover them. Originally released in 2013, the game revolves around the titular enchanted world where an ancient evil has awakened and now troubles its lands and a young man’s home village. Together with a little firefly, a panther queen, and a skeleton, the party sets out to save the world and themselves. Being a fantasy game, this obviously results in many quests, treasure hunting, and real-time battles in action-RPG style.

The Enhanced Edition offers new characters, quests, items and skills, quest reminders, a silver feather counter (something that seems to be very helpful), but also a major graphics update and improved user interface. In addition to better music and many bugfixes and improvements, there are even more surprises waiting for those who’ve played the original game. Anyone who hasn’t tried it out, should give it a chance, as it looks and sounds like a massive overhaul of the already fun first version(s).

To celebrate the release of this new edition, the title can now be bought on PC with a 50% discount that lasts until May 25, 2020, at 1 PM UTC.

Buy the game for PC on
GOG
Steam

Official website

If you liked reading this article, make sure to LIKE it or comment on it on EMR’s Facebook page :). Or FOLLOW the blog on EMR’s Twitter page.
Using the GOG links and buying the products also helps ;).

5th anniversary of “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” and GOG sale

CD Projekt RED‘s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt celebrates its 5th anniversary, and GOG joins the fantasy fun with a sale.

5 years is a very long time and if a game is still fondly remembered and played, then it’s clearly an indication for quality. Even if I’ve only managed to cover The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in various news articles and I just recently started with the Xbox One version, some space should be reserved for the epic fantasy RPG and its expansions. In its feature article, GOG looks back at the game’s legacy with its creators, so anyone interested in how it came to be and developed throughout the years, should give this a go.

The whole Witcher saga experience can also be found in this birthday sale:

The Witcher: Enhanced Edition (see my review)
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings – Enhanced Edition
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – GOTY Edition
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine DLC
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone DLC
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Expansion Pass
The Witcher Adventure Game (reviewed here)
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
Video Game Show — The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt concert

The sale with discounts of up to 85% lasts until May 25, 2020, at 1 PM UTC.

If you liked reading this article, make sure to LIKE it or comment on it on EMR’s Facebook page :). Or FOLLOW the blog on EMR’s Twitter page.
Using the GOG links and buying the products also helps ;).

Amazon/Twitch Prime free games in May 2020

Twitch Prime‘s free games of the month for May are a perfect example of quality and variety.

It’s less than two weeks before the end of May due to things having gone a bit crazy lately, and with so many other news (and some reviews) waiting to be written, let’s keep this as brief as possible, especially since there are so many this time: adventure game The Little Acre, stunt-bike racing game Urban Trial Playground, rhythm action games Avicii Invector, action-platformer Pankapu, interactive short game Fractured Minds, and puzzler Snake Pass.

The amount of content is pretty amazing and there’s a wide range of emotions to be found here, especially with the personal Fractured Minds about anxiety or Avicii Invector which was finished after the death of its musician. The other games are more fun-focused, so for me personally, this is by far one of the best free bundles of Amazon/Twitch Prime yet.

Every game can now be downloaded for free until the beginning of next month.

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