Tenebris: Terra Incognita – 1.0 is Out!

Tenebris: Terra Incognita is almost a game I have forgotten about, since I wrote my very positive Early Access impressions article two long years ago—landing the game on a four-out-of-five in pure entertainment. Now finally—a year late—it’s out in a 1.0 version and it looks pretty damn good, like a deep turn-based RPG similar to Darkest Dungeon but in space (where nobody will hear you scream, except mom, of course). Let’s hope the grind has been adjusted to more tolerable levels. Anyhow, be sure to check out my Early Access article if curious, and the game on Steam—because I’m almost 100% certain this release won’t disappoint!

The Black Pits (Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition) [Review]

The Black Pits is Beamdog’s arena expansion that came with Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition when it was released years ago in 2012. And here I thought it was high time to finally try it out. Now, this little side-adventure isn’t much more than a string of fights put together, but it does have a story, and a prominent antagonist (Baeloth the Entertainer) that will make an appearance again in the future Beamdog releases (The Black Pits II: Gladiators of Thay and Siege of Dragonspear) and Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition itself. Effort was made to at least have the main bad guy in a continuation of sorts, which is nice, as Baeloth is one of the best parts of this expansion besides the battles.

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Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities: The Viewing [Film Review]

If you ever want to watch something mesmerizing that captures the essence of cosmic horror, I’ve got something special for you: The Viewing. The Viewing is part of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, which is a horror anthology on Netflix. It only got the one season, and despite being quite entertaining, Netflix sadly decided not to renew it for a season two. The collection got a few horror gems, but the stand-out is definitely The Viewing, so I’m glad we at least got that story before being axed like a slasher victim.

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Jagged Alliance 3 – Abandoned? [Video]

One of the best franchise revivals in recent times was Jagged Alliance 3, which had its release three years ago. Time flies, huh? Jagged Alliance 3 was a good game, so naturally most of us expected that the franchise wouldn’t go dormant again so soon after such a strong resurrection, but it did. And honestly, it’s a complete and utter waste, considering how cool the series is, and how good a job the developer Haemimont Games did. Not one DLC, not even a single word about the future of the franchise. In this excellent video by Kordanor’s Gaming Lair—Kordanor (he kinda looks like a JA merc) talks about these issues: why things stalled, and what to expect.

It’s mostly speculation, of course, but he does clear up a few things. Such as who owns what now (IP, dev team), a fact that makes this much more complicated than one thinks. The future isn’t looking too bright though… Video after the jump!

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The lack of Stealth in a Vampire game…

I have been trying out the newly released RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker, and the lack of any kind of stealth in this game is an incredibly missed opportunity that would have added an excellent thematic gameplay mechanic. Instead, if it’s scripted not to do so, you will have to fight your way in or out of a situation every time.

While this is clearly a skill issue from my part, I find the combat incredibly awkward. This is mostly due to a spastic camera and the brutal action‑based combat, where you are supposed to block, dodge, and kill multiple opponents on a regular basis. And well, it’s just too hard for an old fella like me, yet I can play Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord without trouble using manual blocks. I’m not sure what is going on here, outside of having a difficult time focusing on what’s happening in a skirmish, visually. Anyhow…

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Star Wars: Zero Company – Three Strikes and You’re Out

Finally, a long-sought-after turn-based tactical game in the style of an X-com-like is here, and simply, it’s good. Now, that’s not to say it doesn’t have problems, because it does, but in a general sense, Star Wars: Zero Company is a welcome addition to the genre and should satisfy the call for squad-based combat. I might as well make one thing clear already. This is not a battle simulation in the style of Jagged Alliance 3—it’s more of an Xcom 2 (nuXCOM) game, with perhaps even a stronger focus on board game rules, gameplay and combat abstraction. But before we get into that, let’s talk about the story, which is a huge focus in Zero Company, maybe to its detriment in some cases.

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