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!

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.

Continue reading →

The Journey of Marvin Mobuto [Halo Animation]

It has been a while since we watched a fan animation of a game, so here is NotPipi with The Journey of Marvin Mobuto. It’s a tragic, but also slightly amusing tale of a marine onboard the Pillar of Autumn—the lone survivor of his squad after crashing into Halo in his escape pod. Now, this guy is badass, as shown in the film, yet his fate was sealed as soon as he ran into 343 Guilty Spark. If you understand what I mean. Watch it after the jump!

Continue reading →

Critical Shift – Playtest Impressions

One thing that’s common now is to base your game on SCP, especially if you want mystery, and instantly want to set the tone of what’s to come. Critical Shift leans into SCP something fierce, being the game that feels the most similar—without actually being set in that universe. At least, that’s the impression I’m getting from the three missions in the playtest.

Continue reading →

The Alters – Are You Me? [Field Report]

This will not be a review, since I haven’t finished the game yet. Yet, I find myself compelled to talk about The Alters. I’m not going to go into too many mechanics, as I mostly want to talk about the impressive narrative structure. I’m not sure if I have actually experienced anything similar. Not in this genre at least, which is some kind of base-building/management game.

Continue reading →

The Expanse: A Telltale Series – Embrace the Vacuum [Review]

In preparation for Owlcat’s upcoming RPG The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, set in The Expanse universe, I decided to watch the show. Why it took me this long, I honestly don’t know. Because it’s excellent, as it reminds me of the cool sci-fi underground crime world of Mass Effect 2—where a mercenary’s life is only worth as fast as he is on the trigger. From here on, one thing led to another, and I got curious if the show has seen any other game adaptations. And to my surprise, yes, in fact it has, in the form of a Telltale style game in The Expanse: A Telltale Series, which we are reviewing today.

Continue reading →