Underkeep – Demo Impressions

A new turn-based blobber in 2026? Please wake me, because I must be dreaming. As it seems, I’m not, and Underkeep is real. Now, this demo was a pure treat, as it’s a blobber without the dancing hell gameplay of Legend of Grimrock, being turn-based with combat more akin to the Wizardry series (but on a grid).

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Vultures: Scavengers of Death – Demo Impressions

Turn-based gameplay in a classic setting of survival horror—now that’s an unusual twist. I’m glad to report that Vultures: Scavengers of Death makes it work splendidly. So, prepare yourself to dodge, headshot zombies, look for loot, and read final messages of bite victims’, but all in a turn-based manner from a top-down view.

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Stellar Tactics – Nearing Release

Wow. Stellar Tactics, an early access game I bought way back in 2019 is finally hitting 1.0, with a preliminary release date in March. I honestly thought it was going to end up as abandonware, but I’m happy to be wrong about this. I did try it, and I remember feeling charmed, since I enjoyed the turn-based combat and the genre: sci-fi RPG. What’s not to like?

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Menace – Early Access Impressions

The early access release of Menace is here, and after giving it twenty sweaty coffee-infused hours like the nerd that I am—I’m ready to give my first early impressions. While I do feel it’s a much better experience than the demo, since we are actually in control of progression and the campaign now—sadly, my issues with the general gameplay remain. This means that the combat is still mostly abstracted, with a strong wargame (board-game) feeling that work against the immersion in parts.

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Warhounds – An Oddity [Trailer]

Watched a trailer for an upcoming tactical turn-based game called Warhounds, and it was a strange experience, because I could swear I have played this before. And well, I have, as Warhounds seems to be a Western release of the game SPARTA 2035, which I liked when testing out the demo. For some reason, though, the Steam page for the game now shows an error message.

The Russians on Steam don’t seem too happy about this, as they think SPARTA 2035 has been abandon in favor of Warhounds. But according to one of the developers, there is no reason for them to worry, who also says:

[Google Translate]Greetings! Warhounds is based on the game Sparta 2035. Sparta is a game for the local CIS market, available only in Russian. Warhounds is a global game with redesigned characters, a multitude of new features, updated balance, full English voiceover, and a number of significant plot changes.”

That explains the issue, but is this where we are now, two separate games, depending on market/culture, or is it just a re-release—who knows? I don’t see why SPARTA 2035 couldn’t be released as it was. Anyhow, trailer after the jump!

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