NORSE: Oath of Blood – Demo Impressions

I'm somewhat of a fjord guy myself, you know

NORSE: Oath of Blood I have followed for a while, so this demo didn’t take me by surprise like Of Ash and Steel. However, the demo by itself is a surprise in how entertaining it felt, especially going by the atmosphere, writing, and the satisfying turn-based combat. A prerequisite is that you must like Vikings, as the setting is supposed to be as authentic as possible to them, according to the developers. No monsters, dragons, or zombies this time around, yet murderous slavers, and lunatic forest hermits can be unsettling enough!

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Of Ash and Steel – Demo Impressions

It’s rare, but sometimes it happens. That rare stumble upon a game that both has a fantastic demo, and a release date not set in the far future of 2035. Of Ash and Steel is this game, and after giving it three hours, I couldn’t help but give it two thumbs up! It’s an old-school RPG in the form of Risen—and trust me, I did the test. I swung my sword at the back of my host as thanks for nursing me back from death, and he promptly kicked my ass. But see, he didn’t kill me, he just knocked me out, called me something foul and took my bow as compensation. If that isn’t old-school “living-world” mechanics, I don’t know what is!

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Menace – Demo Impressions

Start the Cannon Fodder theme song, please

Finally, the Menace demo has arrived for us to download and play like the tactics starved maniacs that we are! So, how is it? I would say it’s okay, showing potential for the future. However, the high boardgame feel of it really surprised me. It’s a game that is a lot more abstracted in combat simulation, LOS (line of sight), and damage than I was expecting—especially compared to their last title; Battle Brothers.

For example, “overwatch” has been dumped in favor of faster gameplay, forcing you to move forward instead of turtling behind defenses to ambush the enemy. Fair, I guess, but it also means that the defensive safe playstyle that I like is out the window. And it feels a tad ridiculous that my special forces unit when having action-points left after a move, say up to a building, can’t defend themselves.

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Mars Tactics – New trailer and Release Date!

Ah, Mars Tactics, one of those high-potential games I played at random during one of Steam’s Next Fest demo parties. Yeah, let’s see—yes, all the way back in 2023. Well, I’m happy to announce progress has been made since. Lots of work has gone into the strategic map, and the turn-based combat itself, as you can see in the trailer provided down below.

What’s most interesting here, beyond the new tidbits of gameplay shown (that robot!), is that a release date has been set. This comes with both good and bad news. The good: release is in May 2026. So, a while out, but not overwhelmingly so. The bad: it’s an Early Access title. And with that, I can only suspect that the complete package won’t arrive until 2027 or something like that. But hey, at least we are getting a taste, because the turn-based combat was fun in the demo, and the setting is very cool—which reminds me of the faction wars in Total Recall. Kuato lives! Check the trailer after the jump, as usual.

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Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown [Gameplay Trailer]

The publisher Daedalic Entertainment just released a gameplay trailer for their new upcoming game: Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown. And what can be said? The trailer is short and only shows us snippets of the gameplay and mechanics. As it stands right now, taken from what has been shown, it seems to mostly be a management game with story based decisions, which you make in a menu.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. However, I must admit it comes off a little flat to me. No tactical teams to send and fight with, beyond CYOA (Choose Your Own Adventure) picks when on expeditions. Yet, it all could provide an interesting experience, since space combat seems to be a thing, and getting to decide the fate of Voyager could provide some “alternative history” fun. Maybe you can let Tuvix live now, instead of putting him to sleep like an old sick dog.

Not to be a negative Nancy, the game still has potential. I was just expecting something extra, and usually, I’m not the biggest fan of rehashing old plot-lines. But it’s the good Star Trek, so it will probably be fun regardless. Trailer after the click!

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