Publishing: Multiverse: Cosmic Conquest – a unique TCG now on Kickstarter

Multiverse: Cosmic Conquest® is a trading card game, combining collectible cards with a strategy game. It introduces distance, movement, and range, making it much more dynamic than traditional TCGs and CCGs. This is a completely unique concept created by TokArts Media, waiting now for gamers’ support on Kickstarter.

Having played many trading card games over the years, Multiverse creators have realized that most TCGs were very similar and shared many flaws. So they thought they would try to design their own game with a unique gameplay.

In Multiverse: Cosmic Conquest® you battle for the conquest of the galaxy. Your deck of cards represents your arsenal of weapons, vessels, characters and actions to be performed. Games are played by 2 to 6 players, each of whom – in a proven TCG fashion – has a customized deck of Multiverse: Cosmic Conquest® cards that he or she draws from during the game. But this is where the similarities to typical TCGs end.

First of all: the game board. Instead of simple division into “your side” and “your opponent’s side” the game introduces a special game board, called the “Galaxy”. It is unique every time the game is played and it’s revealed to the players gradually as they explore it. In Multiverse your ships can move through the galaxy, conquer enemy planets, battle, transport resource, board enemy ships and more. Their speed and position matters greatly. The galaxy itself is formed out of each player’s small deck of special galaxy cards, which they assemble alongside their main deck. All of this this adds a new tactical dimension to the game.

Another core element to the game is a unique resource system. You pay resource to play cards from your hand. Unlike in other TCGs, the resource is generated by the galaxy cards on the tiles you control rather than dedicated cards in your main deck. This removes the frustrations of resource cards flooding or drought so common in many TCGs. Add in atypical win conditions – through control of the majority of the galaxy or conquering opponent’s home planet – and what you get is a game, which will give you more strategies, tactical options and spur of the moment choices than you are used to in any other TCG.

It took 3 years to design and develop the game to its current shape. That also includes creating 25 episodes of “Let’s make a TCG” videos on YouTube (a behind the scenes look on the development of the game). To go live and deliver a high-quality product, the game needs a proper implementation. Creators have covered the bulk of the investment already, but they still face the challenge of how cover the costs of the game’s final online platform implementation. That’s why Multiverse: Cosmic Conquest® is now on Kickstarter, waiting for gamers’ pledges.

For those who support the project, creators have prepared some rewards, starting with your name in game credits, card artworks, Booster Packs, an access to a beta version of the game – to having your own personal card in the game. For a better understanding of the game and getting more details about the project, check the Kickstarter page here.

About the company

TokArts® was founded in 1997 and since then the company has earned its reputation while providing top quality IT and Business consulting professional services to the world’s leading communication service providers on some of the most challenging projects of the Internet age. Since year 2013 TokArts® is focusing on the gaming sector both as a consulting firm and as a game design studio with its own titles. TokArts® main effort is now concentrated on the delivery of its innovative on-line TCG, Multiverse: Cosmic Conquest®, which promises to be a big hit in its genre.

For more information, please visit our website: www.tokartsmedia.com

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Publishing: Tikitap Announces Global Launch of Oh My Mayor: Touch in the City2!

A First Idle Game From Tikitap: Oh My Mayor Global Blazes Today!

Tikitap, an independent and innovative game publisher is conquering mobile gaming world as they launch their newest title Oh My Mayor: Touch in the City2 on mobile device! Their very ‘first’ idle mobile game that launches today! Get the game now!

November 24, 2017 – Oh My Mayor: Touch in the City2 is a new and first idle game that will open globally today! Get your mobile device now and download the game via Google Play Store!

Download NOW: Google PlayStore:  https://goo.gl/Zrz4dy

Oh My Mayor: Touch in the City2 takes you to the business world while starting to be the great businessman in the game. Fund your city to yield great and stable revenue. Be the Mayor of your own city! Strategize how you will build your bustling city instantly! Complete challenging tasks, missions and more to collect great rewards! Unlock NEW buildings by collecting experience and leveling up!

Grow your city with less tap and relax as you gain funds! The first idle game you will love instantly!

About Oh My Mayor: Touch in the City2

Want to be the Mayor of your own city? Live the dream as you play and strategize to this first idle game offering.

An idle game that focuses on increasing citywide revenues, develop own and neighboring cities and secretaries that helps your city grow faster. Enjoy its first idle game style! Start your training as businessman as you create a city being YOU as the Mayor! Sharpen your excellent leadership as you build the city and turn it to empire!! Collect various transit and secretaries to declare as the best entrusted Mayor with great influence to nearby city.

Game Features:

• Build bridges to expand your city towards new horizons!
• Various types of transit to increase revenue
• Hire secretaries with unique skills to make your cities grow faster
• Use BOOST and continuous funding to upgrade your cities to gain more revenue
• Invest in amenities to expand your cities
• Complete challenging tasks and collect dozens of rewards
• No need to tap! Just watch
• A city growth simulation game that requires a little less attention so you can relax

About Tikitap

Tikitap is an independent mobile game publisher which was recently established and aims to bring forth new and quality idle game around the world.

 

Game Quicky: Rogue Quest: The Vault of the Lost Tyrant (PC – Steam) ~ Treasure Looting Time

Steam page

So, today I want to talk about a point-and-click game called Rogue Quest: The Vault of the Lost Tyrant. Full disclosure, I got a press key from the developer to write this review but the developers told me that I’m allowed to say my full opinion about the game. So, this article is that, my full opinion on this game. Since this isn’t a large game, I decided to write a game quicky about this game. Also, since this game is heavily story based, I decided to only post screenshots from the first area to avoid spoilers. I hope you are ready! Since this intro is going on for long enough! Let’s go! And as usual, feel free to leave a comment with your opinion on the game and/or the article. 

The good

In this game, you play as Cassandra Nech, a master thief looking for a treasure from a Lost Tyrant. After she found the entrance to where the treasure is located, she gets in some trouble and your adventure begins.

Now, I really like the writing in this game. It’s really well done and made me laugh here and there. This game doesn’t have voice acting, which can be off-putting to some people, but I think it added to the atmosphere of the game.

The game tries to mimic a LucasArts point-and-click game like Monkey Island or Grim Van Dango. They succeed in this perfectly in my opinion. Together with the amazing pixel art and visuals, I really felt that I was playing a game from that long forgotten golden age for adventure games.

I really love the main menu of this game, it’s shown in the screenshot you find a bit above this paragraph.  At the left-hand side, the giant speaker, you have the options menu. Then, in the middle, you have that large metal door. That’s the new game option. To the right of that door, you have the load option. And then, that door to the right, you have the credits. The exit game button is if you click at the bottom of the screen like you would be leaving the area. I love menu systems like this.

During gameplay, the interface is really handy to use. I also love that there is a really helpful hint system to help you with the puzzles when you are stuck. Not to say that the puzzles are too hard or anything of that sort, some of them really make you think. Once or twice, I had to write down some things to solve a puzzle.

The sound design of this game is really well made. The sound effects really help you to immerse you in the game.

The controls for this game are really good too. The fact that you can press the space bar to see everything you can interact with, helped out a lot.

For those who like them, this game has Steam Achievements. The full 7 of them, and one or two are really tricky to get.

I really liked the credit scene. I’m not going to spoil it but, it made me smile from ear to ear.

The last big positive is that this game is really cheap. You can buy this game for 4€ on Steam.

The in-between

The animation in this game is pretty good, apart from three things I think can be improved. One, when you are pulling a switch, some weird pixels appear above Cassandra. Or that might be because I played this game on a big monitor.

The second thing that should improve in terms of the animation is the grab animation. In various cases when you are going to climb a ladder, pull something down or doing any action, the same animation played. I really wish there were some different animations.

And the 3rd and final thing that could be improved in terms of the animation is the inconsistencies in the skipping of animations. Sometimes I was able to skip the walking animation by clicking on a door and sometimes I wasn’t able to do that. My suggestion is that when you double click on something, the animation is skipped and you move automatically to the other location/room. Like in the screenshot above, when you would double click the rope, you would skip the animation of swinging across.

Something I think could use a small bit of improvement is the save system. Now, I don’t mind the 5-save limit. What I do mind is the fact that I can’t name my save files or know what location I saved. This is a minor detail that is always really helpful in adventure games.

Now, I was about to complain how I didn’t like the fact that the dialogue text goes automatic, but the developers said in the Steam forums that they are considering patching something in for this.

The bad

Something I really found disappointing in this game is the fact that this game is way too short. You can fully complete this game in about two hours.

The ending gives makes me want more about this game. I truly wish the game had more content since once I was getting into the game, it was over.

My other big problem with the game is the soundtrack. Now, the music in the game isn’t bad in any sense of the word, but they use music that they don’t make themselves. While there is nothing wrong with that since not everybody is a pro at making music and making music is hard work and expensive. But, I feel like they have a missed opportunity here.

It would have been more awesome if there was sometimes a bit less music and a bit more ambient background noise. The game takes place in a cave after all. Also, sometimes I felt like the atmosphere of the writing and the visuals didn’t always fit the music as a glove.

But, that’s everything I wanted to say about this game, so it’s time for my conclusion.

Conclusion & final thoughts

So, I recommend this game to casual players, adventure gamers and people who enjoy the old point-and-click games of LucasArts. This game is a really cheap 4€ adventure you should give a chance.

After I played this game, I really got interested in all other titles of this developer and I’m planning to give a few of their other games a try.

This game lacks some polish in some areas, but in most areas this game is good. If the developers polished it up a bit more like I said in this article this game would be great.

So, for those who want to hear a score from me; I give this game a 70/100.

Thank you so much for reading this game and thank you so much Expera Game Studio for giving me a review copy of your game. I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to be able to see you in another article but until then, take care and have a great rest of your day!

Publishing: Hitbit, when design meets retrogaming

We decided to give retrogaming a new look, using quality design and new technology. Retrogaming is a new trend in the game industry, and many adults who used to be gamer kids in the 80’s are out there today waiting for a new old-school game machine in their living rooms. Playing retro games was easy and simple in comparison to the contemporary video games with their advanced technologies and over-complexities.

While those new video games keep attracting many people today, there is also some people who appreciate simplicity and “classiness” of the retro games like still many people today prefer music such as The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. That is why we decided to give retrogaming a new look with quality material and modern design, yet maintaining its vintage feel. And we powered it up with the newest hardware and wireless capabilities: HDMI, Bluetooth, WiFi and 2400 MIPS CPU. All of them with hassle-free configuration and the possibility of emulating thousands of classic games available in single/multi-player mode. It also integrates with modern wireless joypads.

You can find out more at their Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/537956042/hitbit-when-design-meets-retrogaming

Official website: http://designofthings.it

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/designofthingsmilan/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designofthingsmilan/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou4PMoQMHpE&feature=youtu.be

Preview: Shadow On Broadway (PC) ~ Let’s Solve This Demo!

Official website

Today we are going to talk about something quite unique. This game is created by a group of students and this is their first game. A more complete story can be read on their about page. The reason I decided to write an article about this game is because I tried to create games in the past with my friends. So, this story speaks to me. My games weren’t as fleshed out or developed as this game is. But, is this game any good or is this a project better left between friends and family of the developers? Let’s take an honest look at the game. I have beaten this demo three times, the first two levels are playable, so if you want the full game, you will have to follow them on Facebook for future updates. Also, as usual, feel free to leave a comment with your opinion on the game and/or the content of the article in the comment section down below.

Note: while I have beaten the game, I’m not going to label this as a review. I have chosen to label this as a preview since it’s a demo that shows off the first two levels of the game in an alpha stage.

A Mystery

In this game, you play as a P.I. named Jack and you must find Nancy. Together with Genevieve, you find a lead on which gang has Nancy. So, you can start to look for her.

While the setup for the story isn’t unique, what matters is how the story is written. The writing is okay. I enjoy detective/crime stories but I have read better-written stories. That’s not to say that this story is bad, the pacing is great but there are things left unexplained and things that don’t really “click” with the overall presentation.

Most of the story will be told while the next level loads. This will happen in nice black and white drawn panels. They are displayed like you are reading a visual novel. If you aren’t interested in the story, you can skip it by clicking after the level loaded. The voice acting will keep playing if you clicked until the cutscene transitioned into the level, but the comic book way of presenting the story won’t progress.

Speaking of the voice acting, it’s decent. There were a few things that could be improved in terms of the voice acting. Sometimes the voice acting lacked the emotion or the needed “punch”. To avoid spoilers, I won’t give specific examples but you will hear it once or twice. But then again, this might be me being too critical of a free game made by a group of people who just released their first game. Since the sound quality is amazing when it comes to the voice acting. It’s just that additional “punch” that is lacking.

There are also subtitles that show up on the top of your screen when the characters are talking. The only thing that annoyed me about them is the fact that a lot of subtitles are missing the “.” at the end of the sentence. You also get a sort of tutorial, where the keys are explained. These show up above the health bar in red while you hear the sound of pressing keys on a typewriter while letter per letter is shown.

This brings me to the sound design. The soundtrack of this game is good. The music is good and helps a lot building the atmosphere. The sound effects are overall good with a few exceptions. The sound effects of hitting enemies and them dying is just bad.

The sound of hitting the enemies is just annoying. When I heard it the first time, I just imagined a room full of them and them dying all at the same time. The sound of the enemies dying didn’t fit the enemies at all.

Solving it

The gameplay of this game is pretty good. You play either as Jack or Genevieve. Both have different abilities that are unique to them.

Jack can roll to dodge attacks and Genevieve has a few magical moves. Their moves are easy to get used too since the controls are responsive. Yet, I have a few complaints when it comes to the controls.

The first problem with the controls is something I’m annoyed by if games do this. I live in Belgium and we have an “AZERTY”-layout in our keyboards. Usually, the game rebinds the “WASD”-movement keys to “ZQSD” but this game doesn’t do that. Thankfully, I could use the arrow keys as a replacement but this made it awkward for me when I had to fight. Since my arms are so close to each other. Oh well.

This brings me right to my second problem. Because of that, some keys were too far from my fingers to use. This became a problem in the second level when I was playing around with the magic abilities of Genevieve.

And the final issue I have with the controls is the lack of a rebind option and the options menu. You can’t rebind the keys and the options menu for the “controls” only shows a few of the keys. This needs to be a bit more worked out.

This brings me to the menu system and the UI. Something I pay a lot of attention too. And in this game, the menu system is okay apart from two things. I think that when you open the pause menu, it should make the menu more the focus. Now, it’s just displayed on top of the level.  My second “issue” with the menu system is a very small one. But, why is there on every menu “return” used to return to the previous menu but in the sound menu it’s “back”?

A small suggestion for the sound menu is, when you mess around with the sliders, it would be nice if you hear a sample so you can tweak it to your liking.

Now, I’m sorry but the UI isn’t the prettiest of things in this game. Now, am I saying the art chosen for the HUD and everything is bad? No, not at all. The problem is that it doesn’t fit the presentation at all. It would make the game so much better if the HUD blends in with the presentation a bit more.

Close, but no cigar.

Now, it might seem that this game is bad or mediocre. The thing is, the game is still in its early stages and it shows. I think it’s a wise move of the developers to put the game online and get as much feedback as they can to improve their game.

Something I really liked about the demo was the presentation. The atmosphere of the game is just perfect. The filter put onto the gameplay is pretty good. Yet, it bugs me that I still need to complain about something here. The animation still needs a lot of work. The animation of the first boss special attack is unfinished and the animation of some scripted events aren’t present yet. Which is a shame, since the character models are well made and detailed. But without things like lip synching or some more movement of the characters, while those scripted events play out, it gives the game a cheap and unfinished feel.

Since this demo is quite short and can be beaten in a few minutes, this game doesn’t have a save feature. In fact, I didn’t need a save feature in this demo since I never came close to dying. The demo is easy, some puzzles might stump you for a bit but a seasoned puzzle gamer will blast through them.  This doesn’t mean that the puzzles are bad, they are easy to figure out and they don’t slow down the gameplay.

Like I touched upon before, in this game you must explore and investigate an area. In this game, you must solve puzzles and defeat enemies. I just talked about the puzzles, so let’s talk about the combat. The combat is pretty good, it’s too bad that there weren’t more challenging situations in the demo to experiment more with the combat system of the game.

If the developers would use these two levels as the opening of the full version of the game, my only hope is that they make those two levels longer. It’s better to have a couple of longer levels than a bunch of short levels. Since it allows for more creativity instead of an incoherent mess of ideas. That’s my opinion.

In one of my playthroughs, a glitch stopped me in my tracks. The camera froze just before the cutscene of the 2^nd boss but I could continue playing the game. Blindly. The glitch stopped me from pausing the game too. I tried to replicate it several times, but I can’t tell what caused it.

Thanks to this glitch, I learned that you can use your attacks during those scripted cutscenes. This was so nostalgic to me since you could do that in the old Tomb Raider games too.

I want to mention one other thing about the 2^nd boss too. Dress his arena a bit more. In the scripted cutscene, you show us walking to him while he is sitting on a stage in a theatre. But, when the fight starts, it almost looks like you are in an ordinary room.

If I may give a final suggestion before I go to my conclusion, I think there is a missed opportunity in the game. I think it would be a good idea if you put “Demo / Alpha version” somewhere in the main menu or as a message when you start the game. Since otherwise, people might think that this is going to reflect on the full version and that might put off potential players.

My conclusion for this game is a simple one to make. I think the developers Team Noir are working on something interesting here. The game looks promising but lacks a lot of polish. The HUD doesn’t fit the atmosphere, the animation needs some work, the story needs a bit more depth… but the fundamentals are there.

I have played a lot of good and bad free games in my gaming life and this is getting so close to the good category. I honestly think they released the demo too soon. This game could have benefitted from more polish. I have played far worse games where the game bugs out or the controls lock up. That doesn’t happen in this game. Apart from one glitch I couldn’t reproduce or trigger for a second time, everything works in this game like it’s supposed to be.

The content of this demo promises an interesting game. Developing a game is hard and requires a lot of work and skill. Looking at this demo, it’s obvious that the skill is already there. It just needs some more work.

That’s everything I wanted to talk about in this game/demo. I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to be able to welcome you in another article but until then have a great rest of your day and take care!

Publishing: My Pet Village Newest Content Update. Get your game updated!

One of Google Play Editor’s Choice, with half a million downloads and counting, My Pet Village is hereby revealing its newest content update. Get your game up-to-date and watch out for Special Events offering!

A café-management simulation game such as the famous Restaurant City, Pet Society and FarmVille mold into one and reincarnated to the newest mobile game entitled My Pet Village. Get your game updated via Google Play and AppStore!

Build your own Pet Village NOW!

Google Play Store: https://goo.gl/439ZhX

iOS AppStore: https://goo.gl/8A99Vd

Here are the updates Patch Notes:

1. NEW Event Open

• Special event will start
• Get the Ratan Theme using event points!

2. NEW Costume

• Cute new costumes were added to the game!

 

3. NEW Laboratory System

• New system to use ‘Regular Customer Card’
• Use Lina’s Laboratory System, ‘Regular Customer Cards’ are required!

Laboratory Activities

• Obtain 2x Manufactured Products
• Increased Delivery Speed by 20%
• Change Fabien stall Reset Time (2 Hours)
• Change Stamp Store Reset Time (1 Hour)
• Decrease Speedy Waiting Time (1 Hour)

4. Fix Tutorial

• Bugged tutorials can be restarted.
• Get the reward in mailbox when you complete the tutorial.

5. Minor Bug Fixes

 My Pet Village, a café-management simulation, offers various café and pet activities. Manage and upgrade your café for your growing regular customers! Adopt a different kind of pets ranging from dog, cats, rabbits and more! Let them run your errands and perform to customers! Explore different activities for your pet! Compete in weekly events for the best scores! Join global rankings!

For more announcement, update and notice for My Pet Village, feel free to visit our Facebook Fan Page.

My Pet Village Official Facebook Fan Page: https://goo.gl/XtkhwC

About PivotGames Inc.

PivotGames, Inc. is a leading online game developer with more than 10 years of experience in online and mobile game development. They are currently developing mobile games targeting the global market, and plan to grow in earnest through 2016 services. Especially they also provide service for infrastructure, game operating system and data analysis for the long-term service and profit. We can provide reliable and reliable game development and services.

Publishing: RuleMkr Announces Global Pre-Registration of 2D Pocket RPG, NTales!

RuleMkr, a newest Korean Development Company launched a cute and nostalgic 2D Pocket RPG, NTales: Child of Destiny which was recently opened in the Philippines and Australia. This success reached worldwide audience and opens pre-registration before Grand Launch commence.

Nov 13, 2017. 2D Pocket PRG, NTales has opened the pre-registration starting today, November 13, 2017 available for all current and upcoming players from all around the globe. Players who pre-registered will receive a variety of exclusive in-game rewards and items in the free-to-play game exclusively! All players can sign-up within 20 days starting from the start date of the pre-registration!

Pre-register NOW! ➡️ https://goo.gl/ycR59v

NTales: Child of Destiny has now achieved the milestone to be able to proceed in having a pre-registration for the upcoming Global Launch! Months have passed since the first Soft Launch in the Philippines are and now making its way to expand around the globe to entertain avid 2D RPG fans.

SIGN UP and pre-register by clicking the link above to win exciting prizes! Successful registrants get to take home great perks you couldn’t resist! What are you waiting for, sign-up NOW! Spread the news for this newest 2D Pocket RPG pre-registration invite!

Let’s Play NTales!

Google PlayStore: https://goo.gl/5LrjmP

NTales, your 2D Pocket RPG, offers the multitude of battles, exploration, and special features. Save the kingdom with different sub-quests while exploring and defeating various monsters through its over 200 maps! Collect and summon cute and powerful pets to fight along your side. Challenge the Boss Dungeon with your friends! Various costumes, wings, and unique equip and items to obtain! 3 Special Hero classes to choose! Make them even powerful by choosing from different subclasses you want!

Watch out for further announcement for the rewards on to this 2D Pocket RPG via Facebook Fan Page, plug Community and in-game announcements.

For more information and updates about 2D Pocket RPG, NTales’ Grand Launch, feel free to visit our plug Community and Official Facebook Fan Page!

Official Links

NTales: Child of Destiny Official Website: https://goo.gl/7drdsM

NTales: Child of Destiny Naver Plug Community Link: https://goo.gl/MBts2y

NTales: Child of Destiny Official Facebook Fan Page Link: https://goo.gl/XoVZV8

NTales: Child of Destiny Youtube Link: https://goo.gl/1YsX3d

 About NTales: Child of Destiny

NTales: Child of Destiny is a complete take on MMORPG.

This new game offers the multitude of battles, exploration, and special features. Enjoy this new 2D Pocket RPG style! A linear storyline or get distracted with interesting sub-quests. NTales added twists of MMO by implementing Raid Parties, Guild War and PvP. Fighting along your side are adorable and powerful monsters with a PvP Mode of their own! 2D Pocket RPG you surely can’t get enough!

Summon Pet, enjoy various PvE and PvP game modes! Classic hero classes to choose from but a wide variety of class builds to your preference.

Game Features:

• Accomplish impossible missions and side-quests!
• Gear up your class with great costume, wings, unique equipment and items!
• Challenging Battle Modes – Boss Dungeon, Infinity Tower, Time Dungeon and Pet Island
• Summon cute and powerful pets to fight along your side!
• Tag along your friends to defeat Boss Dungeon, join guild and party with peer!
• Choose from 3 Classic Hero Classes: Warrior, Magician, and Cleric!
• Journey to over 200 Maps – Sharpen your skill to defeat the monsters!

NTALES: CHILD OF DESTINY RELATED LINKS:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NTalesGlobal/

Plug: https://www.plug.game/Ntalesglobal

YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDTeO9ZirCg

 ABOUT RULEMAKR

Rulemakr is a Korean Development Company recently established and aims to bring forth quality and new games from Korea worldwide.

Review: A Hat In Time (PC – Steam) ~ Time Pieces Everywhere

Official website

I could start this introduction to this game with talking about how this game took a long time to develop, how this game started on Kickstarter. Yet, that wouldn’t be needed, since that’s a well-known fact about this game. While I have beaten the game, I haven’t 100% it. I’m pretty close, but that doesn’t stop me from writing a review of this game. I played this game on PC, using a wireless XBOX360 controller. So, I hope you are ready to dive into this game since I’m ready to review it. As usual, feel free to leave a comment with your opinion on the game and/or the content of this article.

“Mafia is here to collect”

In this game, you play as Hat Kid. She is flying home in her spaceship. When she gets into trouble with a mafia dude messing with her spaceship, Hat Kid’s timepieces drop down to the planet below. It’s your goal to find them and collect them all so you can get back home.

The main story of this game is really light-hearted, but it does the job pretty well. The writing of the characters is just amazing. All the characters you encounter on your journey are pretty memorable.

In addition to that, the voice acting is just perfect. Sometimes I really felt that these characters were real. The voice actors may pat themselves on the back for this. I really enjoyed that part of the game.

The story made me laugh several times and made me smile over and over again. The charm and attention to detail in this game is just astounding. In one outdoor level, rain is falling. And Hat Kit is wearing a raincoat in that level.

While the final boss shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who played the first few levels of the first world, the way how the ending is handled and the motivations of the characters wraps up the game nicely. There was even a moment I had to pause the game and put my controller down. The game had hit a personal chord with me. I’m not going to explain why and how to avoid spoiling the end but it’s just great.

Something I really like about this game is how no cutscene drags on for too long. You are right into the gameplay after a few minutes. This is a feeling a lot of other reviewers share with me.

Pretty worlds

I could continue to talk for quite a while about the writing, but a review of a game should talk about more than just that. The writing brings so much charm to the game just like the visual presentation. The game just is eye-candy.

The atmosphere that’s created with the visuals is just amazing to look at. I had several moments where I was in awe just finding little secrets in Mafia Town. The world feels alive. Just like the writing, the visual presentation adds so much charm and personality to the game.

Something I only noticed when I watched Nitrorad’s video about A Hat in Time was the different idle animations Hat Kid has. She is so cute and adorable. If I could, I would love to have her in my friend circle without a doubt.

So, the visual presentation, animation, and writing all help build an amazing world. While there are only 4-6 worlds in the game currently, depending if you count the final boss level and the hub or not. This might seem that the game is rather short, and it is.

The game can be beaten in one day if you know what you are doing. Yet, there are rumors floating around that there is more content coming in the future. I also heard that this content is going to be free. Yes, two new free worlds! I can’t wait to play them. If you can’t wait, there is a Steam Workshop and mod support in this game. So, you can play a lot of player created content to ease the wait.

I’m playing this game casually and taking my time with it. I’m taking everything in and think I can complete the game in 20 hours. But, I don’t want the game to be over. I just want to continue to run around in the unique worlds and explore each level as much as I can.

The theming of each world is just amazing. While a lot of people say that their favorite world is the 2nd world, the Bird Studio world, I have to disagree. In that world, there is too much focus on stealth. A game mechanic I don’t really enjoy. I really loved the 3rd world. The more creepy world. Something just clicked more with me in that world.

I can’t put my finger on just why, but maybe the music has to do with it. The soundtrack and sound design of this game are just wonderful. I even bought the soundtrack and I put it on my phone in my day-to-day playlist. It’s that good.

This game is mostly an adventure/platformer game in the style of Super Mario 64/Mario Sunshine. For those games, you need great control or otherwise, you won’t be able to fully enjoy this game. For no special reason, I started playing this game with a controller and to be honest, it clicked. While I think you would enjoy this game with mouse & keyboard, I think that playing with a controller is the way to go for this game.

The attention to detail in the game continues with the controller actually. I have seen so many games where when you boot it with a controller, keyboard input is disabled. This isn’t the case in this game. Also, when you boot the game with a controller and press a key on your keyboard, the on-screen button prompts change to the keyboard layout and give a quick pop-up at the side: “new input found: keyboard”. That’s a great feature.

The control is really great for this game. The only thing I had to get used to is the wall jump mechanic. Hat Kid can climb a little bit up instead of sliding down. But, in order for this to happen, you have to press the button to move forward. The times I pressed the jump button and fall to my doom… Well, it happened more often then I dare to admit.

While I had an issue here and there with Hat Kid not being able to jump when she is under a ceiling, the patch that arrived earlier this week fixed a lot of those instances. Whenever you report a problem, the community is really helpful to try and solve it. Also, the developer actively reads the Steam Forums and tries to create a patch as soon as they can. I wish more developers did this.

The UI of this game is just excellent. I really enjoy how simple and to the point the UI is. I have nothing more to say about that.

What is this game exactly?

So, I have been praising this game to the heavens and I haven’t talked about what you have to do this in this game. Well, let me fix that.

If you know how Super Mario 64 works, you know how A Hat In Time plays, somewhat. You have 4 different worlds that feature different levels each. In each level, you have a certain goal to achieve and your reward for completion is a timepiece. In some levels, you can also find a time rift. These bring you to special raw platforming stages that reward you in the end with a timepiece. You will have to find these time rifts since you only get a photo of the area where it is, so you will to explore the world to find the timepiece.

A minor complaint I want to bring up is that when you find a time rift and find the timepiece, you go back to the hub. The issue here is that you aren’t able to return to the world you were in, where you found the timepiece. And one time, I nearly finished a level and I hit a time rift by accident. For those curious, it was the lava level in Mafia Town.

Apart from each world having a unique theme, they also have unique gameplay styles. For example, in the 2nd world, there is more focus on stealth. While in the 3rd world, you have to do chores for the demon of the forest.

I really like the diversity the game brings to the table. Each world and level puts your skills to the test and challenges you with great challenges. You will have to use all your hat abilities multiple times. I felt that nothing went underused in this game.

I really enjoyed collecting the yarn balls to craft new hats. I really enjoyed collecting the green gems to buy new badges to further expand Hat Kit her skill set. You even have a badge that makes the game even harder, one that gives you one health point for example. You can quickly change between hats. Also, time slows down when you switch between hats.

Speaking of challenge, the part that gave me the most challenge were the bosses of this game. They are all unique and have different attack patterns. Something I recommend that you do when you are stuck with a boss is trying to figure out their patterns as soon as you can.

This game isn’t too challenging. The penalty for dying is starting the stage over from the last checkpoint. And the game is very forgiving with health pickups littered all over the stages.

All in all, there is a lot to experience in A Hat In Time. The gameplay offers quite a lot and I can’t wait to see what the end worlds will offer. I think it would be cool if we have an Egyptian or Greek themed world. But, we will have to wait and see until more information is released.

Another big positive of this game is that the game only costs 28€ here in Europe. Believe me, I find this really cheap for the content you get.

Now, is this game perfect? So far, I have sung a lot of praises about this game and I haven’t mentioned anything negative about this game apart from the game’s short length and the nitpick about time rifts.

One flaw this game has is that the camera can be really annoying to control. Something a lot of other reviewers mentioned as well. I do have to agree with them, the camera can be annoying sometimes. But, it works amazingly more often than not.

Another flaw is how underdeveloped the time rift tokens are. You find them in hard to reach or hidden places. You can use three of them to spin a roulette wheel for new visual costumes/colors/remixes of songs. Now, when you exit out of the roulette wheel without picking a price, you lose your rift tokens. Besides that, when you want to unlock everything, you can’t. Since there are more things you can unlock than there are rift tokens.

I also don’t like how the game completion percentage only tracks the number of timepieces you have. It would be cooler if it also counted if you have unlocked all the hats and things like that.

The only minor issue I have with the UI is the fact that sometimes it didn’t display when I reached a checkpoint in the game. It didn’t happen once or twice, and it’s a real bummer.

One of the biggest things that annoyed me in my playthroughs is the hat changing. Now, this is a minor flaw and a nitpick; but it’s something I would love to see changed. Sometimes, when I quickly changed a hat while I was using the controller, the game didn’t register it. I have to wait a little bit longer before the hat is changed. Now, this issue isn’t present when you play with a mouse and keyboard since you see a visual line going to the hat when it’s selected. This isn’t present when you are playing with a controller.

Here is another nitpick. When you alt+tab out of the game, the music is still playing.

The biggest issue is the occasional glitch in this game. There are a few things that bug out, like Hat Kid getting stuck on walls while she uses her grappling hook but these things are easy to recover from. Also, with the frequent updates, a lot of these bugs are fixed as long as you report them.

But, I think you see my point here. The issues with the game aren’t game breaking or made me enjoy the game less. I do admit that the game isn’t flawless, but the flaws that are present are more minor problems.

So, that’s everything I wanted to say about this game. There are a few features and things I left out this review about this game. It’s time to give my final thoughts on this game in the conclusion.

Conclusion

The bad:

-There are some occasional moments where the game glitches out.

-Switching hats with a controller don’t always work when you do it quickly.

-The camera can cause some issues here and there.

-The game is way too short in its current condition.

The good:

+ Amazing visuals.

+ Fun and lighthearted story.

+ Great level design.

+ Amazing variety.

+ …

Final thoughts:

Apart from Super Mario 64, I haven’t played a lot of games in this style. When Yooka Laylee released earlier this year to mediocre reviews, I didn’t have a high expectation for this game.

After a few minutes of playing this game, I was hooked. The charm and atmosphere of this game are just so addictive. I really enjoyed my time with this game. A Hat In Time has grown on me. I wish I did back the Kickstarter for this game back in 2013.

This game is so much fun to play and I can’t wait to fully complete this game. After I have beaten the game, one thing is for sure, I’m going to try out the community created mods and wait for the new worlds to arrive.

This game is one of the best games I have played in 2017. The amount of effort this small time put into this game is just mind-blowing. This game has no major flaws and it comes highly recommended from me.

While some people would say that this game does nothing innovative, I think you shouldn’t hold it against this game. It’s clear that this game is highly inspired by other titles but it’s a great homage and it does everything in such an amazing execution.

The game has flaws, yes. But, the flaws didn’t stop me from enjoying the game an awful lot.

Thank you Gears For Breakfast for delivering such an amazing game and I can’t wait to see where you take this game. I also hope you guys are also thinking about either more worlds or a sequel since I’m hungry for more Hat in Time! You have put a smile on my face from beginning to end.

That was everything! Thank you so much for reading this article and I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to be able to welcome you in another article but until then, take care and a have a great rest of your day!

Score: 100/100

Publishing: The Riddle of the Sphinx: The Awakening in HD on mobile devices – Kickstarter

Explore the Great Pyramid and SOLVE the Riddle of the Sphinx: The Awakening in HD on mobile devices and more!

Jeff and Karen Tobler, along with Charlie and Marta Tobler, their son and daughter in law, are “rebuilding” the Giza Sphinx and Great Pyramid — one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World — in enhanced HD resolution in newly rendered, breathtaking environments. The adventuring family has turned to Kickstarter to fund their epic Historical Egyptian adventure re-make.

MOSELLE (SAINT LOUIS), Missouri, Nov 1, 2017 — Old World Studios announced the launch of Riddle of the Sphinx: The Awakening. Husband and wife teams, Jeff and Karen Tobler, along with Charlie and Marta Tobler, have turned to Kickstarter (https://riddleofthesphinx.com/kickstarter-launch) to fund this epic Egyptian adventure.

Riddle of the Sphinx is an epic adventure game that takes the player through the compelling archaeological ruins and history of ancient Egypt while uncovering age-old mysteries surrounding the Great Pyramid and Sphinx.  Players of all ages will have access to amazing life-like 3D environments in this larger than life archaeological adventure game.

Set within and around the ancient Egyptian monuments, Riddle of the Sphinx is backed by years of extensive research and painstaking recreation of the existing Giza Plateau, Great Sphinx, and Great Pyramid — one of the existing Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Major levels of the game involve exploring real-life archaeological finds, then taking those discoveries to the next level. Players assume their role as close friend and confidant of famous archaeologist Sir Gil Blythe Geoffreys as he excavates the site of the Sphinx. The tale begins as Sir Geoffreys realizes he has unwittingly unleashed an ancient curse while translating a key scroll. Sir Geoffreys dies, and the scroll mysteriously disappears. The player’s task is to locate the missing scroll, finish Sir Geoffrey’s translation, and solve the time-worn puzzle before . . . well, we won’t spoil the intricately woven plot.

What took the ancient Egyptians half a million workers and decades of grueling manual labor to complete, Jeff and Karen originally completed in just under 6 years. But now, they are utilizing the latest in 3d rendering software to create absolutely stunning settings for the game’s epic storyline, bringing an even more realistic immersive experience to exploring the Sphinx and Great Pyramid, as well as the huge scope of historical discoveries including hidden corridors, lost tombs, and secret chambers that tie to a larger mystery… a riddle.

“One aspect of Riddle of the Sphinx that intrigued me was the age-range of players who were impacted. It surprised us that parents were playing with their children, older house-bound players could ‘escape’ through the game and even long-distance engaged couples played over the phone. It was really encouraging that Riddle of the Sphinx was the tool for people to share time with each other and create lasting memories. We are excited to see new relationships forged and more memories made with the new real-time 3d version,” said Karen Tobler, Co-Creator of Riddle of the Sphinx.

“Riddle of the Sphinx is the ultimate Egyptian adventure game with realistic megalithic monuments, lost tombs, hidden corridors, and sacred artifacts pointing to solving the Riddle of the Sphinx… it’s a game where everyone can become the adventuring archaeologist that we all secretly want to be,” shared Jeff Tobler, co-developer of Riddle of the Sphinx.

Old World Studios is offering unique Kickstarter pledge rewards to backers of the Riddle of the Sphinx: The Awakening.

For more information visit https://riddleofthesphinx.com/ or their Kickstarter campaign https://riddleofthesphinx.com/kickstarter-launch

The Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/riddleofthesphinxgame/

About Old World Studios

Old World Studios is the adventure game division of LifeTree Group, LLC (originally Omni Creative Group, Int’l). In 1994, the husband-wife team, Jeff, and Karen Tobler began work on Riddle of the Sphinx, a project that started as a means to virtually explore the Giza Plateau, Great Sphinx, and Great Pyramid. The story grew to include the fulfillment of the many theories, lore, and myths of secret chambers, hidden corridors, and lost treasure associated with the Great Pyramid — the response was phenomenal! Riddle of the Sphinx and its sequel The Omega Stone continue to be sold and played worldwide.

Publishing: NTales is on its way for New Server. Be prepared Saviors!

Due to insistent public demand, the newest, epic and nostalgic 2D Pocket RPG, NTales: Child of Destiny is hereby fulfilling players’ request of opening a new server, Martina. Yes, you read it right! NTales is on its way for opening another server to cater more players. With this, more and more players from PH and Australia can access the game. Watch out for the server release as it will be posted in our Official Facebook Fan Page and plug Community.

Also, don’t miss the exciting and spooky event offer of this hit 2D Pocket RPG entitled NTales’ Spooktacular Treats! Get to take home exciting reward and prizes. Catch it as you visit our posts on Official Facebook Fan Page and plug Community as you log in to the game.

NTales, your 2D Pocket RPG, offers a multitude of battles, exploration, and special features. Save the kingdom with different sub-quests while exploring and defeating various monsters through its over 200 maps! Collect and summon cute and powerful pets to fight along your side. Challenge the Boss Dungeon with your friends! Various costumes, wings, and unique equip and items to obtain! 3 Special Hero classes to choose! Make them even powerful by choosing from different subclasses you want!

There will be a big announcement for our 2D Pocket RPG. Watch out for the coming weeks!

For more information and updates about 2D Pocket RPG, NTales, feel free to visit our plug Community and Official Facebook Fan Page!

Official Links

Download the game, NOW!

Google PlayStore: https://goo.gl/mWGaqk

NTales: Child of Destiny Official Website: https://goo.gl/1w26z9

NTales: Child of Destiny plug Community Link: https://goo.gl/onQ64q

NTales: Child of Destiny Official Facebook Fan Page Link: https://goo.gl/ZAgKFM

NTales: Child of Destiny Youtube Link: https://goo.gl/yfQMHW

About NTales: Child of Destiny

NTales: Child of Destiny is a complete take on MMORPG.

This new game offers a multitude of battles, exploration, and special features. Enjoy this new 2D Pocket RPG style! A linear story line or get distracted with interesting sub-quests. NTales added twists of MMO by implementing Raid Parties, Guild War and PvP. Fighting along your side are adorable and powerful monsters with a PvP Mode of their own! A 2D Pocket RPG you surely can’t get enough!

Summon Pet, enjoy various PvE and PvP game modes! Classic hero classes to choose from but a wide variety of class builds to your preference.

Game Features:

• Accomplish impossible missions and side-quests!
• Gear up your class with great costume, wings, unique equipment and items!
• Challenging Battle Modes – Boss Dungeon, Infinity Tower, Time Dungeon and Pet Island
• Summon cute and powerful pets to fight along your side!
• Tag along your friends to defeat Boss Dungeon, join guild and party with peer!
• Choose from 3 Classic Hero Classes: Warrior, Magician and Cleric!
• Journey to over 200 Maps – Sharpen your skill to defeat the monsters!

NTALES: CHILD OF DESTINY RELATED LINKS:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NTalesGlobal/

Plug: https://www.plug.game/Ntalesglobal

YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDTeO9ZirCg

ABOUT RULEMAKR

Rulemakr is a Korean Development Company recently established and aims to bring forth quality and new games from Korea worldwide.