Found this little thing…

Came across the announcement of Critical Shift in a forum post over at the Codex, and I felt compelled to share it here with my fellow tactical brothers. The gameplay looks like a modern turn-based Xcom title, with heavy SCP influence (but maybe not as silly as some SCP files). Critical Shift is taking place on an abandoned secret base in the Arctic, where researchers have dug up something they shouldn’t have, and now need help from you. Sounds like a true sci-fi classic in the making, at least story-wise. You see, I’m a sucker for everything involving scientists meddling in stuff nobody sane would touch with a ten-meter pole. It’s one of my favorite book genres, within sci-fi/horror. That, and tales of doomed expeditions, so I’m excited. The trailer looks damn cool as well, especially if you enjoy a little gore here and there. Check it out below.

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Chains of Freedom – Liquid Loyalty

When I tried the demo back in February this year, I was pleasantly surprised. I expected nothing, yet got an interesting experience for my time downloading. Now, the transition from demo to full game does not always go smoothly, but I’m glad to say that the gameplay is exactly the same in the 1.0 release. The story also progresses as expected, and this could be considered good for almost every game, which is it in this case too. However, Chains of Freedom remains the same to its detriment, seeing as what you get in the demo, is what’s on the menu for the whole campaign.

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Star Wars embracing Xcom?

I just noticed on Steam that there is a turn-based Xcom-like game set in the Star Wars universe called Star Wars: Zero Company. According to the information available, it’s planned for a 2026 release. So, some time until then. At first, I didn’t think much about it, since I was sure it would be set in the new Disney era – the era of cringe. But it is not so. Instead, it’s set during the twilight of the Clone Wars, which should be a damn cool setting for a clandestine Xcom-style squad. A group of specialists put together to tackle the toughest of missions the republic can think up. However, what has me curious is that one of the team members is a Jedi. It has me concerned that this will eventually play out with the typical “Are we the baddies?” scenario with an allegiance switch. Considering Order 66 (the betrayal of the Jedi), and with the game being set late in the war. I really hope this isn’t the case, but it’s too early to worry about that now. Check out video announcement below:

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Cyber Knights: Flashpoint – Release date!

Finally, we have a release date for Cyber Knights: Flashpoint – May the 15th! So, pretty soon! I pinned it as a release for 2024, boy, was I wrong in that assessment. But I’m glad that it finally releases, because I have been looking forward to it a lot! It seems to take plenty of inspiration from X-com, which makes my heart jump with joy. It’s made by Trese Brothers, so deep tactical gameplay, with satisfying progression is basically guaranteed. I did an interview with them a while back, and if you are interested, you can read it here. For the announcement trailer, check the video below:

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Iron Tower’s new tactical RPG (maybe)

I’m not the biggest Iron Tower fan, seeing as their games (at least to me), are more of a CYOA (Choose Your Own Adventure) experience than a free-form RPG. But, it can’t be denied that they are hits within the cRPG community. Colony Ship and The Age of Decadence weren’t too liked by me, yet, it shows that they know their craft and have a specific style and tone they follow, regardless of my lack of appreciation. However, while successful, it seems the games didn’t bring in enough money, and for anyone that followed the drama after Colony Ship‘s release knows that the future looked grim for the studio. Then, the other day, right out of the blue, they announced they are working on a fresh new game, and it certainly has me curious!

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