Sword Hero – Demo Impressions

Now, here we have a game with some serious potential, for everyone that loves the Gothic, and the Elder Scrolls series. The Sword Hero demo is rather short, as you are limited to five arena battles, with increasing difficulty depending on the foe. However, what is showcased here is nothing short of amazing. Especially if you enjoy heavy system based RPGs/action games. By that, I mean how stuff interacts with each other, primarily through a damn cool physics engine. Expect hilarious ragdoll slapstick, which is right up my alley. 

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Galdred Talks Medieval Combat (& Game Design)

Galdred, the man and myth behind the upcoming tactics RPG Zodiac Legion has made a presentation in medieval combat & armor with his own game as a reference point – talking about game design and application of armor in real life. Galdred is known for being a medieval warfare buff, so he knows what he is talking about. The format of the presentation is a bit odd, seeing as it’s a thread on Twitter (X) of all places. Even so, I recommend you give it a read, and you can do so by clicking here! Especially if you are looking forward to Zodiac Legion, or just want to learn something interesting about medieval times. 

Just as a reminder, I did an interview with Galdred last year, where we talked about the game, his experience as an indie dev, and all the hardship being a solo developer comes with. You can read it here, if you’re curious. 

Iron Tower’s future plans [Part II]

Way back in February this year, I wrote that Iron Tower is working on a new Battle Brothers inspired and Lovecraft themed game. However, nothing was being set in stone thanks to financial issues. While nothing is guaranteed yet, it seems things have perked up slightly, going by their latest post on Steam, called Future Plans, Part II.

Not too much is being shared, but it seems they are busy working towards their spanking new title, making good progress doing so using Unreal 5 [gulp]. Even praising the engine for its ease of use to create worldmaps (landscaping?). It does make me wonder: will it be a fully 3D game, or a top-down tactical one? Who knows, but I’m looking forward to more info, since this will probably be right up my alley, compared to their earlier outings.

Well, at least things are looking brighter, and I wish them all the luck. I hope this game becomes a slam-dunk!

Gothic 1 Remake – Xardas trailer

Alkimia Interactive released a very stylized Gothic 1 Remake trailer a couple of days ago, featuring the mage Xardas explaining the state of the colony. And it looks very good, with the narration doing a great job of inviting you into the world of Gothic. However, I’m in the middle when it comes to remakes and remasters, as for many of us, we already know the story, with the gameplay feeling like old hat. Four times out of five, it’s the exact same game, just “visually improved”. Yet, even that aspect can come off as questionable at times…

As it is, with this remake, I’m honestly hyped. The demo was great, and while I know the story, I can’t help but feel excited to experience the struggle of the penal colony once again. Much thanks to Alkimia Interactive taking the job seriously, which comes through in their video dev logs. I was hoping Gothic 1 Remake would come out this year, but sadly, it has been set for release in early 2026, So a while until then. In the meantime, check out the cool trailer below:

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The Temple of Elemental Evil (Rediscovered)

I have been playing the semi-forgotten party based D&D RPG Temple of Elemental Evil from 2003 with the mods Temple+ (engine fixes) and Circle of Eight (more engine fixes, + extra game content). The reason I mention the mods so early in the article, is that when I played Temple of Elemental Evil the first time, none of these mods existed. And Temple of Elemental Evil was not a stable game, at all, at release. However, it showed serious potential, which these excellent modders saw and started to work on. These mods are now, as I can see it: essential. Temple+ for the numerous fixes, and Circle of Eight for the additional quests, that makes the first part of the game much more enjoyable.

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