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GAMING MICE
ISSUE 357

AGE OF CHIVALRY 2
EMPIRES 4
A GRAND RETURN
TEMPERED STEEL
AND TEMPER HOWUPAYOUR
PRO MOUSE
FOR THE ICONIC RTS TANTRUMS CAN GAME
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#357 JUNE 2021

“WE’VE GONE BEHIND
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JUNE 2021 5
 Contents #357 42
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Monitor
08THETOPSTORY
What is and isn’t allowed on Steam?
10 THESPY
Rumours and revenge.
12 SPECIALREPORT
Twitch stops the music.
14 POSITIVE
INFLUENCE
Patrice Délisets reveals his influences.
16 DNATRACING
The strange tale of Raven Software.

Previews
20 Chivalry 2
24 The Lord of the
Rings: Gollum
26 Age of Empires 4
28 Gamedec
30 Chicory: A Colorful Tale
32 A Musical Story
34 Icarus
36 Grit
EARLYACCESS
38 Fights in Tight Spaces
40Revita
Features
42 Blood Bowl 3

20 42 52
52 Let’s Kill Crunch

GETYOUR CHIVALRY 2 BLOOD BOWL 3 LET’S KILL

FREEGIFT Tyler dons his armour, draws his
blade, and charges headlong onto
a medieval battlefield – and
Sports and Warhammer collide
for the latest videogame
adaptation of the beloved
CRUNCH
We find out how studios can make
discovers that archery is, like, tabletop classic. We go hands-on great games without sacrificing
totally unfair man. and get tactical. their developers to do it.

Turn to page 50
 20

Reviews
66 Outriders
70 Yakuza 6
72 Spacebase Startopia
74 Trials of Fire
76 Record of Lodoss War:
Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth
78 Shelter 3
80 Genesis Noir
52 82 Oddworld: Soulstorm
84 Total War: Rome
Remastered
86 Crash Bandicoot 4:
66 It’s About Time
88 It Takes Two
FREEGAMES
90 Super Raft Boat
91 Miska’s Cave
91 Roborazzi
THEY’REBACK
92 Dark Souls Remastered
93 Inside
93 Dicey Dungeons
93 The Cave
93 Legend of Bum-Bo
Hardware
96 GROUPTEST
100TECHREPORT
96 124 102BUYER’SGUIDE
ExtraLife
106NOWPLAYING
Robin discovers life without gold.
110UPDATE
Warframe’s Railjacks get a rethink.
112MODSPOTLIGHT
Breathing new life into a retro racer.
116HOWTO

66 96 124
Learn to master Loop Hero.
118DIARY
Facing chaos in GTA V one last time.
122WHYILOVE
OUTRIDERS LIGHTWEIGHT FREESPACE 2 The bold legacy of the Source Engine.
Looting, shooting and co-op – but
does Outriders have enough spice GAMING MICE
to keep us coming back for more? Looking for that competitive
We reinstall the iconic space
combat sim. Do its interstellar
adventures hold up in 2021? We
124REINSTALL
Returning to the galaxy of Freespace 2.
128MUSTPLAY
Or will we just be going crawling edge? Check out the best light-as- try to stay unexploded long Robin’s latest favourites.
back to Destiny? a-feather mice on the market. enough to find out.

JUNE 2021 7
 MONITOR NEWS | OPINION | DEVELOPMENT

Developer La Ruina
claims he’s sought
the advice of a lawyer
in order to get the
game released, so
this particular fight
may not end here.

SEX DOESN’T SELL

T
STEAM draws a line on steamy content in games
he major digital intervene in the content available on culture’ and are fronted by one La
storefronts have faced Steam, refused to sell a game called Ruina, who, representing the
reckonings in recent Super Seducer 3. SS3 is a full-motion developer, posted various
years, and haven’t video offering that uses multiple- communications with Valve about
always come out of choice dialogue for the player to go why the game had been refused by
them smelling like roses. This is through dates with women. Steam. Valve’s reason was, “Steam
partly because they have kicked These are, in other words, rather does not ship sexually explicit images
certain decisions into the long grass, shoddy FMV games about ‘pickup of real people.” La Ruina contends
but are now being forced to come that, with 61,000 Steam wishlists for
down one way or another. The the game, he is “ready to take a
other side, sadly, comes down to butcher knife to the game” and that it
political pressure to de-list games “STEAM DOES NOT would be “easy enough” to edit it to
that certain regimes, in this case the
Chinese communist party, don’t like. SHIP SEXUALLY be as “safe” as other FMV games on
Steam, removing the explicit imagery
EXPLICIT IMAGES OF in question. In response, the Valve
Recent months have seen some of
these issues come to a head when
Valve, notoriously reluctant to
REAL PEOPLE” representative reiterated the
company’s decision to neither “sell
the game or re-review it”.
8 JUNE 2021
 NEWS | OPINION | DEVELOPMENT

LEAK PERFORMANCE SWEET DREAMS A WRETCHED AND FOUL CREATION

ELDEN RING THE SIMS 4 CURSED USB TYPE-C
We got a look at From Soft’s After begging and pleading The beauty of a USB Type-C
upcoming Elden Ring… from for the better part of six cable lies in its reversible
a video that looked like it had years, Sims fans finally got orientation. Perhaps that’s
been recorded on a potato. bunk beds in The Sims 4. why certified monster, Pim
Nevertheless it shows that the Souls Sure, they were broken and buggy, and de Groot, created a device that offers
studio is doing what it does best, but on turns out the team hadn’t actually two functions depending on which way
a grander scale: the footage includes finished coding them, but they were up you plug your cable. Thankfully, the
horse-mounted combat, giant dragons, there! At long last! One bed on top of the device’s only purpose today is as
and a character that can jump! RS other! It’s the dream! MT maniacal proof of concept. JR

Highs & Lows

HIGHS
Accept Cookies
Final Fantasy XIV director Naoki
Yoshida showed off his lalafell black
mage in a seven-hour Twitch stream
while baking coffee cookies.
Total domination
The Total War series has sold over
36 million copies.
Prepare for Titanfall
Respawn has announced it will be
bringing Titanfall content into Apex
Legends, beginning with season 9.

BACK FROM THE GRAVE Sub standard

Blizzard’s changed how it sells WoW
While Valve was drawing these lines, another old decision game time, so players can no longer
ABOVE, BOTTOM returned to haunt it and GOG. Released in February 2019 just pay for 30 days up-front: it has
removed from GOG, to universal praise, Taiwanese horror Devotion only spent
LEFT: After being to be a minimum of 60.
a matter of days on Steam before it was removed due to
developers Red
Candle Games said, an image it contained of Winnie-the-Pooh along with the Among duds
“This is a difficult word ‘moron’, which some related to depictions of The long-awaited Airship map
predicament to Chinese president Xi Jinping as said Disney bear. arrived for Among Us and… it’s not
overcome, but we Since then Devotion’s Chinese publisher was shut great. The huge space makes it
won’t stop striving.” down by the authorities, and the game subsequently trivial for imposters to win.
ABOVE, BOTTOM found it hard to sell to a Western audience. Things Cyberfunk
RIGHT: PC Gamer’s seemed to take a turn for the better when GOG accepted Cyberpunk 2077’s latest patch fixes
Rachel Watts
described Devotion
it for distribution in late 2020. But within a day of the 484 issues – and it’s still buggy.
announcement, saying it had received “many messages
as “intimate and
engrossing, a horror from gamers”, GOG chickened-out and refused to sell it.
game that has The larger context is that platforms which have grown
LOWS
empathy for its over decades, largely free of any social or ethical
characters instead of considerations, are being increasingly drawn into orbits
treating them like both personal and political. Refusing games a sales
disposable,
screaming platform, in the age of digital distribution, is the equivalent
meat bags.” of exile for their developers. The rationale behind any
game being removed from sale should be of concern to
players, developers and the platform holders. There are no
easy answers: but ad-hoc ones rarely feel right.
Rich Stanton
JUNE 2021 9
 The Spy
NEWS | OPINION | DEVELOPMENT

own game. And recently, GamesBeat’s Jeff Grubb claimed,

during a Twitch stream, that Remedy’s next game would
be an Alan Wake sequel. Who could have guessed?
We already knew that Remedy – who now own the

T
BUT W HO WATCHES THE SPY? Alan Wake licence, after acquiring it from the first game’s
publisher, Microsoft – is working on two games for Epic,
one big and one small. Grubb went on to claim this marks
a change in strategy by Epic, whose game store went on a
tear snapping up exclusives to the chagrin of Redditors
everywhere, towards funding and publishing original
games instead. Will that placate the angry forum men?
he Spy is outraged! Incensed! FIELD WORK
Scandalised! Other synonyms! Speaking of anger, that’s what The Spy felt on seeing Call
Having just returned from the of Duty leaker Tom Henderson’s claim that the next
dead drop that receives The Spy’s Battlefield game will be called – wait for it – ‘Battlefield’. If
subscription of PC Gamer, The true, it will follow previous Battlefield games like
Spy was horrified to learn of the Battlefield V and its direct predecessor Battlefield 1. The Spy
existence of a game that glorifies assumes that, having worked so hard to make numbers
supervillains and the secret bases absolutely meaningless, DICE now feels comfortable
they’re so inexplicably conditioned doing away with them entirely.
to build. The Spy was further appalled to note that this Henderson claims Battlefield will be set in the near
so-called Evil Genius 2 received a 75% score – a future – so there’ll be robots – and that it will feature a
recommendation of all things! After everything The “revolutionary campaign” in which, rather than being part
Spy has done for this publication, they go and praise an of a specific country’s standing army, you lead a specialist
enemy profession. The nerve! team that both of the game’s superpowers – USA and
Russia – will be attempting to recruit during the campaign.
Clearly payback is deserved, and so The Spy will now As for multiplayer, Henderson claims that it will have
release the secrets of the PC Gamer staff – real salacious “bigger and better battles”, which doesn’t tell us anything,
stuff that is guaranteed to sully the name of this but does at least offer some fun alliteration. Henderson
magazine’s creators. First, though, The Spy needs to also suggests that battle royale will be returning, although
impart some videogame rumours, so as to ensure the team not as a part of Battlefield V’s Firestorm mode. Instead it
can’t justify cutting this page for being a barely disguised will adopt a new name, and introduce an ability-style
personal vendetta masquerading as a column. system similar to Warzone’s perks.
First up is Remedy, makers of games that ask high- And with that, it’s time for The Spy’s revenge. First to
concept questions like “what if a man could do really slow the firing line is UK EIC Phil Savage, who, despite having
dives because he is sad?”, written plenty about Apex
“what if offices were evil?”, Legends, is languishing on a
and “what if writers were pathetic 0.69 KD/R. And
THE SPY interesting?”. Control’s final THE NEXT BATTLEFIELD GAME what of editor Robin
The Spy will defeat all DLC featured Alan Wake,
leading many to assume it WILL BE CALLED – WAIT FOR Valentine’s embarrassing
addiction to… wait, shit, The
evil genii, too.
was teasing a sequel to the
flashlight-wielding author’s
IT – ‘BATTLEFIELD’ Spy is out of page space.
The Spy

This month in… 2011

ISSUE
227, June 2011
ON THE COVER
Mass Effect 3
IN THE CINEMA
Thor

Tom Francis’ Mass Effect 3 cover

1 feature Portal 2
2 heads 3 Craig Pearson predicts the
leads a bounty of exciting up our future of indie gaming by
previews. Elsewhere there’s a hands-off review section. rounding up some of the most exciting
report from a little game called Skyrim, “Valve’s platform upcoming ideas from small PC
and some fresh info on the irresistibly puzzler sequel creators. Some – Frozen Synapse and
exciting Prey 2. Alas, one of these makes you feel like Nidhogg – were absolute classics.
games would never make it to release, the dumbest Others – Monaco and Confetti
while the other has been released genius ever,” Carnival – didn’t make much of a
multiple times across multiple writes Dan splash. One – Spy Party – is somehow
platforms and versions. Stapleton. still in Early Access.

10 JUNE 2021
 Special
Report
PCG INVESTIGAT ES

Music copyright laws

are putting Twitch
– and streamers – in
an increasingly tricky
position.

FACE THE MUSIC

M
After DMCA takedowns, Twitch has to make peace with the music biz
etallica never scored a Legend of “[That’s what] I would expect,” says Kellen Voyer, a
Zelda game, but it sounded like it
when Twitch replaced Metallica’s
lawyer who specialises in IP and technology law. “With all
new technology there’s a period of freedom, then a Synch
BlizzCon 2021 concert with cheery
midi music. The biggest streaming
teething period, then some form of equilibrium between
the technology and rights holders. Then another
rights
The music
platform in the world had to censor its own broadcast technology emerges and it starts all over again.” industry insists
or risk upsetting an already aggravated music industry. Twitch pay a
GETTING TWITCHY “synchronisation”
licence, but when
In 2020 the music industry attacked Twitch in a letter Twitch today is firmly into its teething period. In exactly synch
claiming it “continues to turn a blind eye to the same November, Twitch told streamers that “things can – and applies is
users violating the law while pocketing the proceeds of should – be better for creators” and laid out plans for tools ambiguous. “If
the live stream is
massive unlicensed uses of recorded music”. After largely that will make it easier for streamers to manage copyright truly ‘live’ many
ignoring Twitch for years, the music industry started on their channels. What it hasn’t said much about is what rights users take
sending thousands of DMCA takedowns for copyright Twitch can do to prevent those DMCA takedowns. the position that
violations. So Twitch reacted – dramatically. In October, it Twitch Soundtrack, launched last year with a selection the musical
forced streamers to delete thousands of old VODs, with of licensed music, seemed like a solution. But the music composition does
not need to be
no good tools to determine which files were problematic. industry claims Soundtrack doesn’t include all the cleared, as it is
The music industry is upset with copyrighted music in licensing it should. What’s missing? Synch rights, which not ‘fixed’ with the
livestreams and VODs, but Twitch’s existing solutions are are complicated. Synch rights apply to the pairing of visual images and
all for the latter. It also insists that Twitch needs to pay for music with imagery. Twitch claims Soundtrack is “fully therefore does
broader licences for its Soundtrack tool, which is meant to licensed”, but its argument is based on an interpretation of not implicate a
copyright owner’s
let streamers play licensed music safely. If the music the law that would mean synch doesn’t apply to streams. exclusive rights,”
industry continues to press, is that Metallica concert just a The music industry doesn’t see it that way. So why the explains the Reed
preview of what enforcement will look like in a few years, admonishing letter and not a lawsuit? Smith guide to
with automated tools detecting and silencing copyrighted “I expect the RIAA and other groups are holding out livestreaming.
material live, instead of just cleaning up VODs? for a deal being struck with Twitch,” says Voyer. “They’ve
12 JUNE 2021
 NEWS | OPINION | DEVELOPMENT

LEFT: Twitch is using

a service called
Audible Magic to
detect copyrighted
music in archived
material and mute it
automatically.

KEEPING WATCH Twitch’s troubled history with music copyright

JUNE 2011 AUGUST 2014 JANUARY JUNE SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER FEBRUARY
Justin.tv spins its Twitch first 2015 2020 2020 2020 2020 2021
gaming content starts using Twitch offers a Twitch receives a Twitch Streamers are Twitch issues a Metallica’s
off into a new software to library of huge amount of Soundtrack is forced to delete sort-of apology BlizzCon
division called automatically royalty-free DMCA takedown announced – a archived streams for DMCA issues performance is
Twitch – its detect and mute music for notices related to library of featuring and publishes a dubbed over with
popularity leads copyrighted creators to copyrighted pre-approved copyrighted guide for what sounds like
it to subsume the music in archived use in their music in archived music to use music at creators on easy-listening
company. streams. streams. content. in streams. short notice. avoiding them. elevator music.

had a long history of protracted, public battles over new flagging music, bulldozing over situations that should be
technologies that have never ended exactly as they want considered fair use in the US.
and often been bad for PR. There’s a lucrative relationship That’s not the major issue Twitch streamers are
that could result should the parties ink a deal so continuing
dealing with today, but if Twitch adopts technology that
to push outside of court is a way to pursue this option.” scans for copyrighted material live, not just in VODs, it
Facebook Gaming signed a deal with major record could lead to big changes. Voyer thinks it’s one possible
companies to allow for licensed music in both livestreams outcome, if the music industry keeps pressing. Right now,
and VODs. There are still limits to what songs can be Twitch is focusing on tools for streamers, like the ability
played, but it’s a “throw money at the problem” solution to more easily delete batches of VODs and better DMCA
that takes some of the risk away from creators. notifications. If Twitch is planning new licensing deals or
Twitch Soundtrack included about one million songs a content matching system that works live, it’s not talking
at launch, but doesn’t have deals with any of the major about those plans publicly.
music companies that “I expect most streamers
Facebook does, like Warner, want to use music without
Universal, and Sony. If having to worry about
big-name partnerships and THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS UPSET licences, that’s their best
a licensing deal aren’t in
Twitch’s future, it seems WITH COPYRIGHTED MUSIC IN internet experience,” says
Voyer. “Conversely, the
likely some kind of
automated copyright system
LIVESTREAMS AND VODS artists want exposure but
also compensation for the
for livestreams will be. use of their works, that’s
YouTube’s system, Content ID, is designed to scan their best internet experience.”
videos and compare them against a database of A solution like Content ID for live streams would
copyrighted material. Content ID can even monitor probably mollify the music industry – and address its
livestreams and shut them down when they contain claim that “Twitch continues to turn a blind eye to the
copyrighted content. Twitch uses a service called Audible same users repeatedly violating the law” – but would also
Magic to detect copyrighted material and mute it in VODs likely come with the same baggage the Electronic Frontier
and clips, but it doesn’t work in real-time. Foundation laid out. If Voyer’s right, copyright issues will
continue to build on Twitch until something breaks, “You
STOP THE MUSIC can’t appease both sides 100%, but I feel that a new
Content ID has some real drawbacks for YouTubers. normal will appear after this current period of tension
Mismatches can trigger undeserved bans, and the (which I expect will only increase before it gets better).”
Electronic Frontier Foundation argues that it’s too good at Wes Fenlon
JUNE 2021 13
 Positive
Influence
IN SPI RAT IONS AND CONNECTIONS IN GAMES

ALTAÏR-NATE PAST
H
How Assassin’s Creed creator PATRICE DÉSILETS became
gaming’s cool teacher
istory loomed over the young Patrice the assassins.” Ultimately, of course, the Prince of Persia
Désilets. Aged three or four, he would license fell away, and the game Désilets and his team made
meet his mother as she came off the was Assassin’s Creed. One less overt influence on the
boat from the French fort where she finished game was GTA. “I guess a lot of games in the
worked on the Richelieu River. The beginning of the 2000s were inspired by it,” Désilets says.
Quebec waterway had been a crucial path for French “Exploring GTA, my pleasure was just to be in this game
and English armies during the era of European world and see the sun rise. So it was like ‘Can we replace
colonisation, and the scene of several bitter battles. But the car with the main character? In GTA I can go
for Désilets, three centuries on, these ruins represented anywhere with the car, can I go anywhere with the
a kind of reverse science fiction. character?’ That’s why we had the parkour.”
“The past is like a fantasy land,” he enthuses these days. LEGACY GAMES
“It’s so different. Where we are now, it’s as if it’s on a Ironically, by the time the series reached the colonial era
different planet. The 20th century just changed us, totally. that had so inspired Désilets as a young boy, he was no
But this is where I’m fascinated by us – we think we’re at longer at Ubisoft and found himself unable to appreciate
the end of it. I like to look behind and let a player Assassin’s Creed as a player. It felt too much like he was QA
experience how we were.” It just so happened that, as testing, rather than having fun. “I haven’t played any of
Désilets finished up the creative direction of Prince of them since the third one,” he says.
Persia: The Sands of Time many years later, Ubisoft’s What Désilets carried forward from Assassin’s Creed
marketing team was on the same dusty page. was a fascination with DNA. His games posited that
“I received a mandate back then to do the sequel to memory was passed down between generations –
Prince of Persia, for the next generation of consoles,” he connecting us to our ancestral past, just as that fort did on
says. “And I was asked to redefine the action-adventure the Richelieu River. The idea of DNA as a storage device
genre. I remember having a discussion with marketing eventually spawned a whole new game, in the form of
people, saying ‘OK, we just did a fantasy game, and maybe Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey in 2019.
now the next big thing would be history.’” A survival game set across a span of eight million years,
Désilets returned to his college books, and found a Ancestors tasks you with guiding an ape clan from all
tome on secret societies. There he discovered the myth of fours in the African jungle to a bipedal, proto-human
the old man on the mountain, and his dreaded sect of existence hunting prey with tools across grasslands. More
assassins (derived from the Arabic ‘hashishin’, incidentally, than any other game in Désilets’ catalogue, it shows the
meaning ‘those who use hashish’). “That’s in Iran,” past to be as alien as fantasy – a treetop realm of
Désilets realised. “That’s Persia. You could be the prince of poisonous foods and oversized snakes.
Ancestors is a harsh teacher, and Désilets believes in the
teaching potential of games. “Some teachers get it, and they
use play, they don’t fight it,” he says. “This is homo sapiens,
NAME CHECK 1 IT’S FRENCH
“My own ancestors
3 IT’S
INTERNATIONAL this is how we learn, through play. Learning is about trial
and error. But it’s not something I think about that much.
Why is Désilets’ studio came from France and
settled in 1652 on the
“It’s a French word that
English-speaking What I think about is doing a good job with my research
called Panache? banks of the Saint people would and knowing my subject matter, so that if you want to know
Lawrence River.” understand.” more about what you just experienced, there is a real thing
out there you can go and teach yourself.”
2 IT’S ABOUT 4 DEER? Even now, Désilets encourages his team not to bend
STYLE “I was in a cabin in the reality when the answer to a game design problem might
“I had this idea of
making games with
woods, and in
French-Canadian an
be found in fact. “It’s my 30 seconds Wikipedia rule,” he
flair, that are antler is called a says. “If information can be found in 30 seconds on
different.” ‘panache’.” Wikipedia, it’s got to be on point.”
Jeremy Peel
14 JUNE 2021
 MORE THAN ANY OTHER GAME IN
DÉSILETS’ CATALOGUE, IT SHOWS THE
PAST TO BE AS ALIEN AS FANTASY

LEFT: Assassin’s
Creed II remains the
creative highpoint of
Desilets’ career.
ABOVE: An
earthquake was the
in-fiction reason for
Prince of Persia’s
deadly jumps.

JUNE 2021 15
 ng
AGES EXPLORED

ACTIVISION WAS SITTING

ATOP ITS NEW CALL OF DUTY
EMPIRE, AND RAVEN WAS TO
BE ITS SCAFFOLDING

16 JUNE 2021
 NEWS | OPINION | DEVELOPMENT

CROW’S NEST
P
How Raven Software became kings of COD after vanishing from view
utting out a Wolfenstein game ought to be had sold the company to Activision in 1997. Back then,
the highlight of any developer’s career. It Bobby Kotick and company were only the 15th largest
was the making of MachineGames and game publishers in the world; luckily, that had changed by
Gray Matter Interactive, which became the 2010. Activision was sitting atop its new Call of Duty
backbone of Treyarch after Return to empire, and Raven was to be its scaffolding.
Castle Wolfenstein – not to mention id Software, whose That might not sound like glamorous work, and it isn’t.
tribute to a prison-break game launched the FPS genre. If they got to choose, no developer would become a
support studio. These many hundreds of artists,
But for Raven Software, it was a disaster. There was programmers, and producers are the unsung heroes of
nothing wrong with the game, as such: Wolfenstein (2009) game development, enabling the creation of your
is a perfectly serviceable shooter, with an arsenal of favourite AAA games. But their names never grace the
impossible weapons built for colourful Nazi evisceration. lips of fans, unless those fans pay particular attention to
But it was also a doggedly faithful sequel to Gray Matter’s credits or splash screens. The role of the support studio,
Return to Castle Wolfenstein, and by that time the b-movie as its title suggests, is subservient: they are beholden to
blankness of BJ Blazkowicz seemed terribly old- the creative vision of other teams, fulfilling the dreams of
fashioned. The eight years between the two games had designers they may not ever meet.
seen Halo, Half-Life 2, and Bioshock – a sea change in the However, Raven sucked it up. The studio made DLC
sophistication of first-person adventures. Beyond a for the original Call of Duty: Black Ops, and helped out
surface-level nod to City 17 with a train station opening, with “random user interface and engineering tasks”, as
Raven had simply failed to learn the lessons of its peers. Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling bluntly put in an
Wolfenstein shifted a meagre 17,000 copies on PC in its interview with GamerZines in 2011. Lead producer
first 12 days on sale, and layoffs followed. Charles Weiss was there to see the
The following year, Raven released Singularity, an company give up on its own game
ambitiously-planned FPS that was about time ideas and refocus its energies on the
manipulation. Its dependence on audio logs made it clear BOTTOM: “Look all needs of others. “Adapt or die,” he
the studio had paid attention to Bioshock – but only around you,” boasted later told the Activision blog. “This
Heretic’s marketing, has been a motto at Raven as long as
because in a desperate seven-month sprint to finish a “even up and down.” I can remember, and it has always
sprawling, nearly-cancelled project, the team needed a
way to fill the gaps in its dramatically cut-back story. stuck with me.”
Delays meant overshooting Activision’s planned
marketing push, and financial failure became inevitable.
Three teams shrank to two, shrank to one, like the
crushed boxes in Singularity’s uninventive puzzles.
RANDOM TASKS
Another studio might have closed down. But in an
instance of extreme foresight, Raven’s founding brothers

WOLF PACK
Wolfenstein elements that survived the reboot

CAROLINE BECKER WILHELM STRASSE THE KREISAU CIRCLE

A determined resistance Occupies a zeppelin over An anti-Nazi paramilitary
leader who spends much of Isenstadt, from which he network that first appeared
the game staring at a map. orders Becker’s capture. He in Return to Castle
Her backstory was retained returns as the antagonist of Wolfenstein. By the ’60s it’s
for MachineGames’ sequels, Wolfenstein: The New Order, operating out of a giant
in which she’s older but played by The A-Team’s U-boat, supplying BJ with
power armoured. Dwight Schultz. intel and a sense of family.

JUNE 2021 17
NEWS | OPINION | DEVELOPMENT

BIRD’S EYE VIEW

30 years in the shooting business BLACK CRYPT
An RPG, since the FPS didn’t exist yet.

WOLFENSTEIN 3D
Created the genre that would
KEY define Raven.
Raven Software SHADOWCASTER
id Software The most advanced id Tech game of
Grey Matter Interative its day.

DOOM
Demons, gibs, and a very
useful engine.
RETURN TO CASTLE
WOLFENSTEIN HERETIC
Gray Matter’s hit Like Doom but with wands.
stealth-shooter.

QUAKE II
id’s first attempt to tell a story.
With aliens.
WOLFENSTEIN SOLDIER OF FORTUNE
A faithful sequel. Too faithful. Famed for its dismemberment.

JEDI KNIGHT II: JEDI

OUTCAST
The best ever Star Wars game,
some say.

CALL OF DUTY ONLINE

Made specially for China.
QUAKE IV
A sequel to the Strogg
campaign.

WARZONE
Everyone’s new pandemic hobby.
SINGULARIT Y
A messy time travel yarn.

BLACK OPS: COLD WAR

Raven built its brave campaign.

18 JUNE 2021
 DNA Tracing
WISCONSIN WIZARDS
In a sense, Raven had been a support studio once before
– one of the very first. In the early ’90s, keen to make the LEFT: Raven was
most of the Doom engine, John Romero had flown up to responsible for a
Wisconsin to teach Raven how to use his tools. He and bestselling and
beloved Star Wars
the studio’s founders, Steve and Brian Raffel, had a love of game, Jedi Knight II.
Dungeons & Dragons in common – and in fact, Raven’s
debut game Black Crypt was originally intended to be a
tabletop adventure module.
Under Romero’s direction as executive producer,
Raven built Heretic – which was a dark fantasy FPS in
which Doomguy’s stand-in flew and fired a magical
crossbow. Romero got to scratch a creative itch, and
Raven’s relationship with id carried it all the way to
Wolfenstein, which was released in 2009. complex map design. And in an unexpected role reversal,
“[A] reason I believe we have been successful and Infinity Ward has faded into the background since the
around for 30 years is we have always been collaborative game became the pastime of 80 million players. In 2021,
people,” Brian Raffel told the Activision blog in 2020. “If it’s Raven Software that signs off the patch notes of the
you look at our history of the games we have worked on, biggest FPS in the world.
you will see we have made many of them in a As Raven has reemerged from behind the iron curtain
collaborative setting.” of Activision’s studio system, it’s been able to revive some
Raven’s place in the castle of COD wasn’t so different of its mothballed ideas too. Dan Vondrak, the man who
from its role on Heretic. Headline studios like Infinity shepherded Singularity over the line, headed up Black
Ward and Treyarch got Ops: Cold War’s campaign
most of the credit, but – a return to the Soviet
Raven got the security it
needed to grow again. The IT’S RAVEN SOFTWARE THAT conspiracy themes of his
previous game. There’s even
irony was that, while the SIGNS OFF THE PATCH NOTES OF been a reprieve for
studio had become invisible
to the public, its work was THE BIGGEST FPS IN THE WORLD Wolfenstein’s
underdeveloped hub town,
being played by more Isenstadt – a network of
people than ever before. It compact German streets
became the lead developer on Call of Duty Online, a game that connected the game’s missions, and disappointed
Westerners are almost completely unaware of, but has many critics at the time. By focusing solely on a single
served a Chinese audience for more than half a decade. Berlin safehouse for Cold War, Raven was able to fill a
Chinese COD fans were testing an 18-player battle royale new hub with real depth. This time, it wasn’t just
mode several months before Blackout came out. connecting missions but characters, pushing the
campaign’s cast to bounce off each other in fantastic
RAFFEL WINNERS performance captured encounters.
When the time came to make Warzone, Raven was Finally, working on Wolfenstein has come good for
perfectly poised. By all accounts, it worked as one with Raven – it just needed a decade to feel the benefit.
Infinity Ward, coordinating on Verdansk’s uniquely Jeremy Peel

JUNE 2021 19
20 JUNE 2021
 PREVIEW
Chivalry 2

NEED TO KNOW
RELEASE DEVELOPER PUBLISHER LINK
June 8, 2021 Torn Banner Studios Tripwire chivalry2.com

CHIVALRY 2
slash, a stab, and an overhead strike, each
with light and heavy variants), a special
attack, a sprinting special attack, a kick for
breaking blocks, and a jab to interrupt.
You can cancel attacks, feint, throw your
weapon, block, and counter with the right
timing. You can dodge backwards and to
the sides, and you can duck. It’s exciting to
Tempered steel and temper imagine using all these options: I’m going
tantrums on medieval battlefields to thrust, and they’ll block, but then I’ll
cancel, and I’ll kick, and then, and then –
and then some guy named Freemason_
Hog111 busts the back of my head open

I know I’m getting salty when the big

sures start coming out. Oh, sure, I guess
with a morning star while jogging by.
Maybe the mind games will come into
that enormous axe blade just chopped my play in one-on-one duels, but what
head clean off and I died and everyone
trampled on my bloody corpse while it flopped
developer Torn Banner is showing off prior
to Chivalry 2’s summer release are
around in the mud. Yeah, sure, that’s just fine! 64-player medieval mosh pits: team
deathmatch and attack-and-defend maps
I really enjoy this stupid game, but PLAYED that start with all the players lining up and
Chivalry 2’s mutliplayer medieval battles IT charging at each other. I did not fool
are infuriating sometimes. Every time you anyone with feints. You can’t really trick an
spawn, you’ve got to run for ten seconds executioner’s axe that’s already set an
or longer to get to the front line collision course for your neck.
(spamming C to yell “rauuugh” helps pass The big, heavy weapons take skill, too,
the time), and when you get there, you though. You’ve got to shove your way into
might be poked to death instantly by three fights at just the right moment and make
guys with spears, or mobbed by shiny your opponents whiff, or hit the perfect
knights, or, worst of all, shot through the block timing. Kicking and jabbing are
eye with an arrow. Oh, sure, why wouldn’t useful, and many players forget about
you stand 20 yards away from the fight them. Most importantly, you’ve got to
and shoot arrows at me? You joker. remember to use your mouse. It doesn’t
I should really hit Alt-F4 and call it a just change where you’re looking in the
night when I’m getting mad at the concept first or third-person views, but also what
of archery, but the prospect of going on a you’re aiming your sword or polearm or
spree beckons me from beyond the mace or axe at and the orientation of your
respawn timer. I love a good spree. chest, twisting or bending your character
Example: after putting up a disappointing at the waist. Swipe your mouse in the
K/D during one objective-based match, I direction of a strike animation and you’ll
switched to a two-handed hammer I’d just connect faster and swing in a bigger arc.
unlocked and, for a minute, turned the Against opponents who aren’t minding
game into a gritty Three Stooges reboot their mouse movements, you can
as I bonked head after head, producing a dominate with just that skill.
series of metallic thunks followed by There are weapons that are just easier
squishy splurts. I stopped giving a crap to score kills with than others, though, and
about the objective, a line of trebuchets that led to some of my frustration. I
my team was supposed to blow up, and stubbornly wanted to prove that I could
entered pure bonk mode. I bonked out 11 dominate with a basic-ass sword, but I
kills before they hauled me down. wasn’t good enough. I like that Chivalry 2’s
KNIGHT SCHOOL
When I say that Chivalry 2’s melee combat THERE ARE WEAPONS THAT
is nuanced, I suppose I really mean that
the possibility for nuance exists. With one ARE JUST EASIER TO SCORE
of the many melee weapons, you have
three main swings (typically a horizontal
KILLS WITH THAN OTHERS
JUNE 2021 21
PREVIEW
Chivalry 2

weapons feel unbalanced, though. If I thrown by vanguards. I hate having my

wanted to rise to the top of the vision obscured by flames in the middle of
scoreboard, I should have grabbed a big a sword fight, when I’m trying to put all
axe and tried to best the other team’s top that nuance to use. Maybe it’s my
players at their own game. And if I wanted problem, though: I’m trying to play a
to humiliate knights with finesse, ducking medieval battle simulator as if it’s a sword
under their greatswords and jabbing at fighting simulator. Torn Banner is very
their kidneys, I could try – and fail, and get clear that Chivalry 2 is the former.
incredibly salty about it. “Our primary influence is Hollywood,”
I wasn’t the only one reacting a little Torn Banner president Steve Piggott says. The shiny knight
emotionally, either – the chat got a little The maps are sectioned into well-defined armour looks great.
chippy on day three of the alpha. It’s funny sets: storming the beach, battering down
that such a goofy game got tempers going the gates, defending the town square. In
across a weekend. You can drop anvils on one, the top player on the defending team On my way to Burning Man.
people, dance and taunt instead of transforms into the ‘heir’ for the final
fighting, throw all of your weapons at stage, becoming a VIP who has to be
someone and then try to punch them to protected by their team (but fights
death. But can we get on the ******* powerfully, too). I was the heir once. Very
objective, please? Hello? fun, and I like how Chivalry 2 encourages
Mordhau, a medieval warfare game goofing off even in vital moments. You’ve
from another developer, gained a got special emotes as the prince, you can
reputation for attracting assholes. Aside sit in the throne, players can kowtow
from a vote kick function (which I only saw before you. That playfulness helps keep
used spitefully), Chivalry 2 will include the mood below the rage quit line.
player reporting, and chat can be turned The trick will be getting players to keep
off. I doubt it’ll be enough to prevent coming back, something the first Chivalry
assholery, but nothing ever really is. and Mordhau have struggled with.
One thing I love is that after you’re Crossplay may help with that, though
killed you can press F to commend the Piggott thinks the most important thing is
player who got you, which sends them a that Chivalry 2 feels fair even when you
notification and some bonus points. It’s die, and that players “know how to get
nice to be able to say “good swing, bud” better”. A good tutorial helps with that, but
with a keypress. It’s especially fun when also clarity in the animations and netcode
you’ve got a little rivalry going, and you – you’ve got to know what you did wrong
and the same player have nodded to each to know how to get better, and that’s hard
other a few times. Not commending a when you can’t trust what you see.
player can also carry meaning: Thanks for
butting into that duel with a lucky shot. I’ll DIAL IT IN
never commend a filthy archer, of course. What I find really encouraging is
something Piggott tells me about the way
TAKE A BOW Chivalry 2 is constructed. “We know that
I really do hate archers. I’m sure they’re players are going to find things that we
having fun, but I just don’t like getting an didn’t realise,” he says, “so we built the
arrow in the face while I’m trying to system to build the game in a way that we
riposte, and I wouldn’t mind playing on ‘no can tweak all those things. We have a
archery’ servers, if such a thing exists at million different knobs and dials.”
launch. (There’s some good news in that Chivalry 1, in contrast, was more or
general respect: Chivalry 2 has a proper less stuck the way it was when it was
server browser, not just matchmaking.) done, a consequence of it being made by
I also don’t like the class abilities. “amateurs all over the world”. I look
Footmen have healing packs that they can forward to seeing how this pro Torn
limply chuck at teammates, which just Banner team tinkers with the meta.
feels pointless when knights can blow The studio will also add new maps and
horns that heal every teammate around other stuff after release, including
them. I really despise the fire bombs something it decided to spend some extra
time on: horses, which will be able to “kick
in all directions”. I look forward to saying
FOOTMEN HAVE HEALING “oh, sure, that’s fair” after getting hoofed
PACKS THAT THEY CAN LIMPLY in the back of the head while failing to fake
out an archer with ducks and dodges.
CHUCK AT TEAMMATES That’s the nuanced combat I crave.
Tyler Wilde

22 JUNE 2021
 PREVIEW
Chivalry 2

That can’t be comfortable

lounging attire.

Out of the way, sir, I’m trying

to bonk that archer’s head.

JUNE 2021 23
PREVIEW
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum
Not quite the Gollum we know from
the movies, but close enough.

NEED TO KNOW
RELEASE DEVELOPER PUBLISHER LINK
2022 Daedalic In-house daedalic.com

THE LORD OF THE

states – running, climbingand swinging
– which makes it look stiff and robotic.

RINGS: GOLLUM
Gollum is trying to reach the immense
gate that leads out of the tower. There’s no
map screen or minimap in the game, so
you have to pay close attention to the
environment to find a way your way there.
At one point Gollum acquires a hand-
A familiar story from a drawn map scribbled by an orc, but as you
different perspective might expect, it’s not that easy to read.
The scale and detail of the tower is
impressive. It’s all jagged obsidian spires
and snaking rivers of bubbling lava, which

A n air of mystery has surrounded The

Lord of the Rings: Gollum ever since it
was announced by Daedalic back in
March 2019. The studio has outlined its
grand vision for the game: to tell the story of the
is exactly the kind of interior decoration
you’d expect from an edgelord like Sauron.
Daedalic says its approach to level
design in the game will give players a lot of
freedom. There will, apparently, be
destruction of the One Ring from the perspective multiple ways to get through an area,
of Gollum, rather than the Fellowship. which I get a sense of as I see Gollum
picking a route through Barad-dûr.
But now, finally, I get to see the game in Gollum is not a fighter, meaning stealth
action, and get a sense of how it might plays a prominent role in the game.
actually play. Alas, it’s a hands-off demo, Another of his abilities is having a keen
and the developer playing it says the build sense of hearing – especially in the dark.
is ten months old. So I’m not getting a
totally accurate picture of what the MY PRECIOUS
finished game will be like. This wasn’t implemented in the demo I
Gollum has been imprisoned in saw, but in the finished game you’ll be
Barad-dûr, the colossal tower built by FIRST able to see sounds, helping you find
Sauron in the fiery heart of Mordor. LOOK enemies and predict their
The Dark Lord’s stronghold looks movements. If you manage to isolate
massive from the perspective of the a lone orc, Gollum can knock them
diminutive former hobbit. Luckily he’s an out – but this takes a long time and
expert climber. generates a lot of noise.
The developer controlling the demo One of the most interesting things
notes that Gollum has been clambering about Gollum is the raging internal battle
around Middle-earth for around 500 between his current self and Sméagol, the
years, and has developed superhuman hobbit he used to be before the ring
strength and climbing skills as a result. polluted his mind. At certain points in the
He can run on walls, swing on poles, game you’re forced to make a choice,
slide down cliffs, and crawl up certain deciding whether to react to something as
surfaces. He may be a wretched monster the violent, bitter, duplicitous Gollum, or
tormented by the power of the One Ring, the meek, kindly Sméagol.
but he’s very nimble on his feet. It’s an intriguing concept, but I was
In the build I’m shown, Gollum’s thrown off a bit by the portrayal of the
animations are in pretty rough shape. I character. This game is based purely on
watch him scramble around Barad-dûr, the books – as a fan of the films I
and it feels very… placeholder. There are struggled a bit with hearing someone
no smooth transitions between his various other than Serkis performing the role.
That’s gonna take some getting used
to. But Daedalic has promised that it will
GOLLUM IS NOT A FIGHTER, SO remain faithful to the source material,
STEALTH PLAYS A PROMINENT which means we might not see anything
as egregious as Shadow of War’s
ROLE IN THE GAME bizarrely sexy Shelob here.
Andy Kelly
Sauron’s tower is one of a promised
variety of Middle-earth locations.

24 JUNE 2021
 PREVIEW
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum

Daedalic is promising multiple

paths through the levels.

Gollum has a bad habit of annoying

giant magical spiders.

JUNE 2021 25
PREVIEW
Age of Empires 4
Riding an elephant has to be way
more fun than manning the wall.

So… who wants to go first?

Love the fort within the fort

as this civilisation grew.

26 JUNE 2021
 PREVIEW
Age of Empires 4

NEED TO KNOW
RELEASE DEVELOPER PUBLISHER LINK
Autumn 2021 Relic Entertainment Microsoft ageofempires.com

AGE OF EMPIRES 4
them, something the English aren’t going
to do with a stone castle. During the
roundtable I also got quick looks at the
Chinese and Delhi Sultanate, the other
two confirmed civilisations.
“So much time has passed and other
strategy games have evolved and iterated
how RTS works,” said franchise creative
Adding a new dimension director Adam Isgreen. He pointed to
to wargaming some major additions in Age 4, like units
being able to hide in forests to pull off
ambushes and wall combat that makes
city assaults feel suitably dramatic.

I mean it as a compliment when I say Age

of Empires 4 looks like Age of Empires 2.
It’s 20 years newer and 3D instead of 2D,
but the blue splotches on buildings and
the peasants working the fields catapult me back to
NEW AGE
After spending much of the last decade
playing games in the Total War series,
though, Age of Empires 4 still looks like a
my obsession with building armies of Teutonic throwback to me. A unit of pikemen looks
knights who lumbered across the battlefield like like three men instead of one hundred,
better-dressed Terminators. and cavalry seem to gallop up to an
infantry line instead of crushing through it
“We knew we wanted to make a modern in a realistic show of physics. Total War’s
version of Age, but we also wanted to combat definitely leans towards
make a game that felt like Age of Empires simulation, but outside of battles it’s
and would be immediately relatable to the missing most of what makes Age of
core community,” game director Quinn Empires so fun: creating a city building-by-
Duffy said at a roundtable, where the AOE building and encircling it with an immense
4 team talked about the game wall, or sending scouts into enemy
in-depth for the first time. I only got a NEW camps to torment their peasants.
relatively brief look of Age of Empires INFO The asymmetry between
4 in motion, but that was enough to civilisations tantalises me the most.
pick up on how many changes can be Civs will get bonuses for building
called modern. cities and landmarks on top of tweaks to
The terrain is gorgeous and takes full systems like trade, research, and
advantage of being 3D with dramatic cliffs production. And then there are the unique
and hills that will give an advantage in features and units, like the Sultanate’s war
combat. Units in each civilisation now elephants. Where the English are meant to
speak their own native language and their be cozy and familiar, the Mongols and
audio will change from one age to the some yet-to-be-named Civs “really push
next. The whole world will even become the boundaries of what Age of Empires
more vibrant and saturated as you has done before,” said Isgreen.
progress out of the dark ages and Age of Empires 4’s four planned
approach the Renaissance. campaigns also sound ambitious: instead
Don’t like your city layout? Just pack Though there are still generic units of focusing on individual historical figures
up the tents and move elsewhere. shared between factions, retaining the they’ll tackle a longer view of the
triangle of cavalry, ranged units, and civilisation’s history. The Norman
pikemen, civilisations are now more campaign begins with William the
asymmetric. The Mongols, for example, Conqueror, then moves to the conflict
can pack up all their buildings and move between his children Henry I and Robert II,
and then their children, through to the
signing of the Magna Carta a century later.
THE TERRAIN IS GORGEOUS Four years after it was announced, Age
AND TAKES FULL ADVANTAGE of Empires 4 is finally out in autumn 2021,
but it should be playable sooner – a closed
OF BEING 3D beta is on the way before launch.
Wes Fenlon
JUNE 2021 27
PREVIEW
Gamedec

NEED TO KNOW
RELEASE DEVELOPER PUBLISHER LINK
September 16 Anshar Studios In-house gamedec.com

GAMEDEC
game will offer, with a lot of dialogue
options, decisions and menus locked off.
But I did get a bit of a taste of the
game’s detective systems. A man with a
pair of holographic bat wings is lying dead
on the rain-slicked pavement, seemingly
shot out of the sky by an automated drone
the city uses to kill vermin.
Solve crimes as a virtual Refreshingly, there’s no combat in
Sherlock Holmes Gamedec – although you can still die,
albeit temporarily until whichever VR
world you’re in respawns you. This is a
game about conversations, investigation,

T his isometric RPG has a neat premise.

virtual worlds. A game detective, if you
will. You know, a… gamedec? It’s a
terrible name, but the concept of diving into
and piecing together clues to paint a
You’re a private detective solving cases in picture of the truth.
FULL DEC
I get a sense of this as I explore the crime
simulated worlds and solving crimes is a strong one. scene, interrogating witnesses, hacking
CCTV cameras and drones, and using my
Set in Warsaw in the 22nd century, virtual detective skills – in the form of classic RPG
reality has become so convincing that skill rolls – to root out hidden clues. These
people rarely spend time in the clues are then added to a codex that you
increasingly grim, dystopian real world. can access, linking them together to make
And who can blame them? In this dark deductions. You’re given several
cyberpunk future, life sucks, which has conclusions, and must create a path
contributed to the sheer popularity of VR. towards the correct one (or what you think
But the problem with spending all day is the correct one) by linking clues to it.
hanging out in virtual worlds where As I explore the crime scene I
there are no real consequences is PLAYED learn a few things that add weight to
that it tends to bring out the worst in IT the theory that the victim was shot
humanity. I mean, play any popular down by one of those anti-vermin
online game today for more than ten drones. Apparently giant fruit bats
minutes and this isn’t hard to imagine. are a problem in this future Warsaw, and it
As a result, crime has become an seems the drone may have mistaken the
issue, to the point where cybercops like dead man for one as he fell from above
you have to be brought in. You create your with those wings on. But there are other
own detective, using abilities and clues suggesting it might actually be a
professions to determine what kind of murder. The best detective stories throw
super sleuth you’ll be. up a lot of intriguing questions, and
Some of the crimes you investigate Gamedec does a decent job of making me
happen on the rain-soaked streets of want to find answers to them.
Warsaw, but you’ll also be able to venture As a fan of detective games, in theory I
into virtual worlds too. These include a should be pretty excited about Gamedec.
seedy 21st century city where people But I’m not there yet. The investigation
role-play, GTA-style, as criminals. mechanics are sound, but the writing is
I played a demo of Gamedec, set in a not great. It feels flat and amateurish, and
tiny, closed off crime scene somewhere in the future slang (‘gamedec’ being a prime
the depths of Neo Warsaw. It presents example) comes across very forced.
only a minuscule fraction of what the final Of course, for any detective game, it all
really boils down to the quality of the
cases. If Anshar can create compelling
APPARENTLY GIANT FRUIT mysteries with satisfying solutions, it
BATS ARE A PROBLEM IN might just make up for the game’s other
shortcomings. I guess we’ll find out when
THIS FUTURE WARSAW the game is released on September 16.
Andy Kelly
The people lying in these pods
are dead to the world in VR.

28 JUNE 2021
 PREVIEW
Gamedec
The Low City is where Gamedec
really dials up the cyberpunk.

The wealthy get the nicest parts of this

futuristic Warsaw to themselves.

Here’s the crime scene I

investigated in my demo.

JUNE 2021 29
PREVIEW
Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Don’t worry, I’ll paint
it to death.

You’ll begin with four colours but will

collect more throughout the game.

Painting the right symbol on this

barrier will solve this puzzle.

30 JUNE 2021
 PREVIEW
Chicory: A Colorful Tale

NEED TO KNOW
RELEASE DEVELOPER PUBLISHER LINK
Spring 2021 Greg Lobanov Finji chicorygame.com

CHICORY: A
Chicory like an adventure game where you
solve puzzles and see the ending and be

COLORFUL TALE
happily done,” Lobanov says. “But, some
people are going to forget that the game
even has an ending and just wander
around decorating, finding furniture and
chatting to all the characters.”
Similar to other life sims, you can take
An adventure that encourages you your time helping character’s out with
to paint outside the lines their requests, collecting items, and
exploring the world. You can colour within
the lines of the world, or completely
freehand it and have the freedom to

I would describe my colouring style in

Chicory as a chaotic, turbulent scrawl. I
have zero time for staying within the
lines, switching up colours as fast as I
can on the fly. Chicory may be a game about
scrawl wherever you like.
“A really cool benefit of the painting
mechanic is that when you come to a
brand-new screen, you always know you
haven’t been there before, because it’s
colouring in, but its willingness to let players draw black and white,” Lobanov says. “It’s the
freestyle is what really makes it shine. same for areas you’ve already visited, you
always know you’ve been there because
It’s a whimsical adventure game where it’s coloured in or you have drawings on it.”
you play as an adorable beagle named Folks who are concerned about the
after your favourite food – which for me accessibility of using colours as game
was pancakes – who possesses a magical mechanics have nothing to be worried
paintbrush that lets you colour in the about. “None of the puzzles use colour as
environment around them. a mechanic,” Lobanov says. “There’s no
As cool as having a giant magical puzzle asking you to paint things in
paintbrush is, you’re only borrowing specific colours, so if you’re colour
it, and the brush’s true master is the FIRST blind or have a colour vision
titular Chicory, who is currently LOOK deficiency, it doesn’t matter.”
missing. Not only that, but Chicory
seems to have taken all the colours PICTURE PERFECT
of the world with her, so you’re tasked with So far, Chicory sounds like a lovely walk in
finding out where she is and restoring a scribbled-in purple park, but the game
colours to the world with your newly also touches upon serious themes too. A
acquired painting prowess. big part of the game is the relationship
The best thing about Chicory is, between your character and Chicory.
unsurprisingly, the colouring, and you can She’s a famous artist and you’re her
directly draw onto the game’s black and number-one fan, so how that relationship
white backdrop. The painting mechanic is develops is a central aspect of the game.
used in a lot of thoughtful ways “I care a lot about being genuine,”
throughout the game. You’ll be using the Lobanov says. “It deals with themes like
brush’s many abilities to solve puzzles, imposter syndrome, anxiety, and being a
navigate tricky platforming areas, and creative person in general. It’s also about
even use it as a weapon in boss fights. how being creative interacts with ideas of
Chicory sounds like an adventure status and fan-creator relationships.”
game through and through, but developer Lobanov’s last project, Wandersong,
Greg Lobanov says that it also has a lot in was about a bard trying to save the world,
common with life sims. “You can play but Chicory’s themes are more intimate
which is something he hopes will strike a
chord. “I’m keen to learn about how
THE PAINTING MECHANIC IS people are going to relate to it,” Lobanov
USED IN A LOT OF THOUGHTFUL says. “I feel that with Wandersong, the
stakes are so big and obvious, but in
No, you cannot ‘borrow’ my
all-powerful paintbrush. WAYS THROUGHOUT THE GAME Chicory it is much more personal.”
Rachel Watts

JUNE 2021 31
PREVIEW
A Musical Story

HIMI
JENDRIX
Actually, his name’s
Gabriel (apparently). The
band is his escape from a
monotonous job, and maybe
– just maybe – his door to
fame and fortune. Yet it
somehow leads to
hospital…

HUNTING
GAME
The rhythm gameplay
is (so far, at least)
very simple and, while skill
is required, you’re
essentially just slowly
unlocking a story piece
by piece. “Is it a
game?”. Yes.

NEED TO KNOW
RELEASE DEVELOPER PUBLISHER LINK

A MUSICAL
2021 Glee-Cheese Studio Digerati bit.ly/3mbbtMN

T
PLAYED he wonderfully named Music sparks memories as the main

STORY
IT Glee-Cheese Studio has its character of A Musical Story, Gabriel,
sights set high here. It’s a tries to remember how he ended up in
rhythm game, sure – tap a hospital bed. The soundtrack is
buttons in time to the music, fantastic, a diverse and
occasionally hold one down, you 1970s-appropriate collection of lo-fi
Are You Experienced (in the know how it goes – but one with a
narrative focus. You see, correctly
beats and casual, psychedelic riffs that
let notes ring. If nothing else, your ears
ways of the rhythm game)? synching button taps with the music
sparks a brief flashback.
are in for a real treat, man.
Luke Kemp

32 JUNE 2021
 PREVIEW
A Musical Story

BEAT
IT
Each set of notes must
be matched perfectly to
progress. If you need to
repeat the process, you’ll
find that riffs have been
carefully chosen for
repetition to
sound natural.

FEELING
IT
Although genre tradition
dictates that the rhythm
icons be presented
horizontally, here they’re
given in a circle. The aim is
CORRECTLY SYNCHING for players to match
beats by ear rather
BUTTON TAPS WITH THE MUSIC than eye.

SPARKS A BRIEF FLASHBACK

JUNE 2021 33
PREVIEW
Icarus
Storms aren’t
just for atmosphere.

NEED TO KNOW
RELEASE DEVELOPER PUBLISHER LINK
TBC RocketWerkz In-house surviveicarus.com

ICARUS
Icarus isn’t just for show, it can mess up
your mission and threaten your life.
As the storm lifts and the sun begins to
shine, Hall walks me through the familiar
early paces of the survival game. I collect
sticks and stones from the ground and
craft a stone axe and a pickaxe. As with
my fire-whacking broom, it feels a bit
Battling a hostile planet in Dean strange to be using primitive stone tools
Hall’s next survival game considering I’m a spaceman. But this is
just the first step of being a prospector.
You arrive with nothing, but once you’ve
mined valuable resources from Icarus,

D ean Hall is on fire. That’s not a metaphor you’ll be able to take them back up into
– his character is engulfed in flames. As orbit and start buying and crafting more
Hall runs around looking for water I
quickly craft a long-handled tool called a
advanced equipment.
Wildlife abounds, and Hall takes me
‘fire whacker’ which is basically a broom. Another deer hunting with bows and arrows, where
player and I whomp Hall repeatedly with our I take down a buck with a single bowshot.
brooms trying to smother the flames. We also fend off a wolf attack near the
cabin. Animals will visit lakes and rivers
Hall collapses and I stare down at his when thirsty, look for food when hungry,
corpse, wondering if we’ve just beaten him and react to weather events, getting
to death while trying to save him. “I think I “freaked out” by storms, as Hall puts it.
burnt to death, actually,” says Hall as he While the session-based aspect of
respawns. He explains that in Icarus small Icarus feels pretty novel to me, the
fires can quickly grow out of control and crafting system is more traditional. As you
become full-on forest fires. “We should play you gain XP (as well as earning the
probably get away from here,” he shared XP of your teammates), and
adds, as several more small fires PLAYED these character levels give you
begin to smoulder near the trees. IT access to higher tiers of crafting
Forest fires are just one of the recipes, unlockable by spending
many hazards in Icarus, the co-op points. At higher levels on the tech
survival game in development by tree I can see advanced armour,
RocketWerkz, the New Zealand-based camouflage, fishing gear, weapons like
studio Hall founded after leaving Bohemia rifles and shotguns, and items like
Interactive (and DayZ) in 2014. As Hall binoculars and a fire extinguisher.
describes it to me, in Icarus it’s “you Near the end of my session I craft a
against the planet”. I definitely got that little cabin of my own using the intuitive
feeling in the hour I spent playing. building system with snappable pieces
(similar to Rust or Fallout 4) and lots of
HALL PASS attractive wooden beams (Valheim vibes).
Hall’s team has already built several small My cabin winds up looking like a basic box
bases stocked with supplies and but the one RocketWerkz built looks more
equipment on Icarus (the planet) by the like a ski chalet, suitable for relaxing after a
time I log in for my session. Icarus is in the long day of deer hunting and bear attacks.
midst of a storm and many of the It’s only a very small slice of Icarus I got
structures Hall’s team built have already to experience, and I didn’t even get to see
been partially destroyed by falling trees the portion of the game that takes place
and lightning strikes. The weather in on the space station. But I’m still eager to
go back for more. Hall says Icarus is
playable solo, too, though it seems like it’d
I CRAFT A LITTLE CABIN OF MY be extra difficult to survive without a
OWN USING THE INTUITIVE friend close by to fend off bears with a
shotgun and whack you with a broom
BUILDING SYSTEM when you catch on fire.
Christopher Livingston
Build cozy (but
temporary) cabins.

34 JUNE 2021
 PREVIEW
Icarus

Mining exotic resources is

key to building your fortune.

Part spaceman,
part caveman.

JUNE 2021 35
PREVIEW
Grit
Grit supports squads, duos,
and lone wolf cowboys.

NEED TO KNOW
RELEASE DEVELOPER PUBLISHER LINK
Spring 2021 (Early Access) Team Grit In-house grit.gg

GRIT
much better fit for 19th century weapons
than the usual battle royale looting.
“They aren’t known for having rails on
them where you attach your laser
pointers,” joked Mavor. “When you’re
looking for a weapon, yeah, I want the
ace, but if the ace is the wrong suit, I
might take the king or jack or something
Big ideas for big sky country in else to maintain my perk. When you’re
this cowboy battle royale looking throughout the game it puts more
of an emphasis on the hands that you
want… and it extends that loop of looting
to be more interesting.”

N ame your favourite scene in a western

and the developers of Grit almost
Grit ran a short network test in early
April, but its real release on Steam Early
certainly have an idea for it. “The thing Access won’t come until later in the year.
that really sealed the western theme for Right now it’s rough. The Unreal Engine 4
me is when we got horse combat working well,” map looked a bit splotchy and barren and
says co-creator Bob Berry. “I was like, this isn’t just ran poorly on my i7-7700K and RTX 3070.
PUBG in the West anymore. It feels like a very But the developer stressed that it was a
different game now, and it’s fun.” beta test for getting performance data.
There’s still lots of polish to do and piles of
In some ways Grit’s unabashedly familiar. features to be added.
One hundred cowboys parachute out of a Grit’s strengths do prove how fun a
zeppelin (their parachutes look like cloth western battle royale could be, though. I
wagon covers out of The Oregon Trail) liked a few of its smaller touches. Firing
and loot their way across a giant map Grit’s weapons emits big puffs of smoke,
while a dust storm circles them. But the serving as a glaring indicator of where you
idea is that it’s a western first and are. It’s a nice, natural way to trace
foremost. You can have a high PLAYED whoever’s shooting at you. The same
noon-style duel – when you die, you IT goes for horses: ride at full speed and
can shoot it out with one other your horse kicks up a dust cloud
cowboy to get back in the game. If that’s visible from far away. Slow
you want to ride a horse up to a train and down to a trot and that cloud dissipates,
take it over, you can do that. Tracks letting you travel a bit more stealthily. It
crisscross the map, and trains will even sounds good, too. Shotguns really roar,
provide some shelter from the closing and you can hear horses galloping
circle. Stetsons serve as head armour and through canyons from far away. Horses
stove doors protect your body from hot control like stiff automatons, but trying to
lead. “How cowboy is this?” was the key shoot from one – or shoot someone off of
design question for everything added to one – is a fresh battle royale challenge.
Grit, co-creator Jon Mavor says. You can also expect some sort of meta
progression. The details are still in the
PLAYING IT STRAIGHT planning phase, but Grit will probably use
Even poker’s a big part of Grit, though you the season pass model. The huge map ranges from
won’t be sitting down to play a hand. Loot “We have a million different game desert to (literal) greener pastures.
is built around collecting playing cards mechanic ideas that we want to try and a
that represent different weapons. Put team that can move very fast,” Berry says.
together a flush to earn a perk that sets “It’s not just about how many hats we can
you apart from the average cowpoke. It’s a put out per month… right now we’re way
more interested in what cool mechanics
we can bring to the game, and we’ll try it
STETSONS SERVE AS HEAD with the players and get feedback on
ARMOUR AND STOVE DOORS what’s working and what’s not. I think the
game will feel alive because our updates
PROTECT YOUR BODY will come fast and frequent.”
Wes Fenlon

36 JUNE 2021
 PREVIEW
Grit

Being knocked out of a window There’s always that one friend who
is a known cowboy weakness. tries to showboat. Showchute?

JUNE 2021 37
EARLY ACCESS PREVIEW
Fights in Tight Spaces
Armoured enemies can regenerate
their defences every turn.

You brought a gun to a

spinning kick fight.

Some spaces offer almost

no room to evade attacks.

38 JUNE 2021
 EARLY ACCESS PREVIEW
Fights in Tight Spaces

NEED TO KNOW
EXPECT TO PAY DEVELOPER PUBLISHER LINK
£19.50 Ground Shatter Mode 7 bit.ly/31xCFf8

FIGHTS IN TIGHT
felt since Superhot, with a colour scheme
that can’t just be a coincidence.

SPACES
A decades-long cinematic legacy helps
establish a flawlessly-executed theme, but
other inspirations come from some more
unexpected sources. Every tight space is
divided up into a grid system, with
enemies signposting their upcoming
A lack of clarity means these tight attacks in a manner reminiscent of Into
spaces have room to grow the Breach, while Agent 11’s own abilities
are defined by a deck of cards which is
drawn from every turn. Different decks
allow for different styles – all-guns blazing

W earing its inspirations with confidence,

Fights in Tight Spaces riffs on classic
movie hallway fight scenes, capturing
much of the scrapping and dirty tactics
that make those close-quarters brawls so electric.
or sly and slippery, although I’ve found the
basic set of cards most effective – and
start out simple but can be upgraded with
more complex moves over time, while
every action you take is defined by a
But despite the clean choreography, it’s the less mana-style ‘momentum’ cost. The
apparent influences that force a stumble. influence of roguelike deckbuilders like
Monster Train and Slay the Spire is clear.
Immaculately-dressed and with a snappy
retort always on hand, Agent 11 would be a CLAUSTROPHOBIC
serviceable stand-in for James Bond or The brawny setting might seem at odds
John Wick. But rather than give you the with the exhaustive mental search for the
whole movie, Fights in Tight Spaces wants optimal strategy that these mechanical
to focus on the real action – the scenes inspirations promote. When you’re backed
where the hero is hopelessly into a corner with nowhere to go, however,
outnumbered with nowhere to run. In you begin to realise how successful a
attempts to break up crime rings run PLAYED combination this is. But Fights in
by Scandinavian bikers, well-dressed IT Tight Spaces falls down on the one
Mafiosi, or German ninjas, you’re aspect most crucial to the genre’s
placed into subway cars, prison cells, success: visual and mechanical
and dive bar bathrooms, and tasked with clarity. An isometric perspective and
fighting your way out against seemingly opponents who are similar shades of the
insurmountable odds. same colour means it can be easy to
Developer Ground Shatter has clearly misread a situation. A lack of information
done its cinematic homework. The means I’ve tried to bait enemies into an
requisite agility and power is clear in every intricate series of attacks on each other,
nimble dodge or meaty punch, and the only to lose my gamble on which gunman
stakes of each encounter are apparent would fire the first shot and take a series
despite the turn-based format – a single of game-ending hits. In my first attempt at
wasted movement can be the difference a late-game bossfight, my entire
between victory and a bullet in the back. campaign was almost derailed by an
It’s at its best when it’s letting you unclear tooltip that meant I was taking big
manipulate a crowded scene, slipping out chunks of damage that I thought I was
of danger before pushing an opponent dealing out instead.
into the line of fire, capturing the Fights in Tight Spaces leans on a lot of
combative mastery of even the most different ideas, blending them together
seasoned action frontmen in a way I’ve not into a final product that pays excellent
homage to its themes, but stumbles over
its execution. These current failings are far
DEVELOPER GROUND SHATTER from a deal-breaker in Early Access, but
HAS CLEARLY DONE ITS are an unfortunate distraction, turning an
otherwise effortlessly cool power fantasy
Throwing a goon out of
bounds is an instant KO. CINEMATIC HOMEWORK into a frustrating head-scratcher.
Alistair Jones

JUNE 2021 39
EARLY ACCESS PREVIEW
Revita

NEED TO KNOW
EXPECT TO PAY DEVELOPER PUBLISHER LINK
£11.400 BenStar Dear Villagers bit.ly/3tU4kDu

REVITA 1 Despite being an Early

Access title developed
by just one person, Revita
has a list of accessibility
options that puts many
studios to shame. Sprites
can be outlined in a variety
of colours, game speed can
Much more enjoyable than a be adjusted, pixelated text
rye-based crispbread can be swapped out for a HD
font, and more.
2 Ingenius,
what is quite frankly a stroke of

G rab your controller, and prepare

yourself for a roguelike you’ll be happy
to have kill you again and again. 2D
platforming and twinstick shooting
ensure that it’s very much pick-up-and-play, which
a gachapon machine can be
unlocked in the hub once the tower has been
cleared. For the reasonable price of five soul
coins (earned through runs), your character
can unlock one of many hats to proudly wear.
is just as well as you’ve only got four hearts and a
fairly weedy, short-range gun. 3 Abuffs
small number of
will be cursed or
As you start off so underpowered, pickups – in very, very rare instances
are vital to making it through to the end. – blessed, with an additional
While enemies will occasionally drop debuff or buff included
goodies, you’re going to have to buy most accordingly. If you’re
of your items – with health points. underpowered when you
Whether you’re sacrificing hearts at an reach a boss, a special chest
altar, making a purchase at a shop, or will appear, which can be
buying your way into a chest, it’s going to opened for free but
cost you precious health. Revita is a guarantees a cursed item.
constant balancing act between
confidence in your abilities, and how well 4 Going on a journey is a theme
(or how badly) any particular run is going. throughout (stations, trains, elevators),
Levels are presented as floors reached and the three bosses available at time of
via an elevator, and each is just one or two writing are, in order, named after the first
screens big. This keeps the game three originally identified stages of grief
fast-paced, and the action tense. Some (denial, anger and bargaining).
enemies will slowly chase you down, and 2
most spew bullets. With little room to 5 Each room is over with
move around in, the brief invincibility quickly, one way or
afforded by your dash is a literal lifesaver. another. Even if you take
At time of writing, there are just three advantage of the option to
sets of floors, and I find myself saddened slice damage dealt by
when I reach the end for the first time. I enemies in half, each
want to keep playing! So I do. There’s mistake made is felt keenly
already a huge amount of items to unlock, as your health is chipped
and BenStar is making regular additions away. Conversely, expertly
and tweaks to the game. Revita has a clearing a room in seconds is
bright future ahead of it. immensely satisfying.
Luke Kemp
6 There is, for now at least, not really
anything in the way of permanent
THE BRIEF INVINCIBILITY character buffs. Instead, unlocks centre
AFFORDED BY YOUR DASH around adding new items and even new room
types to the tower. Soultorches for example
IS A LITERAL LIFESAVER give you a few extra souls, which you collect
for a chance to heal a little.
3

40 JUNE 2021
 EARLY ACCESS PREVIEW
Revita

JUNE 2021 41
42
 COVER FEATURE
Blood Bowl 3

Playing my first match in BLOOD BOWL 3

– and surviving to tell the tale.
By Jody Macgregor

JUNE 2021 43
COVER FEATURE
Blood Bowl 3

overhauled in Second Season in

2020. Cyanide’s videogames, once at
the cutting edge, are now behind the
ball, two editions out of date.
IT’S FIVE MINUTES
I GET KNOCKED DOWN
But not for long. While the board INTO THE
game fans have nicknamed Blood
Bowl 2020 was being designed,
MATCH AND
ALREADY WE’RE
Cyanide was consulting on the rules
in preparation for eventually
digitising them in Blood Bowl 3.
“Their knowledge and passion for
Blood Bowl is phenomenal,” says
Owen Rees, head of videogame
licensing at Games Workshop, “and
LAUGHING
indeed sometimes in the past their
ames Workshop gave up on Blood questions whilst coding the game
Bowl for a long time. A fantasy have helped us refine our FAQs.
football game for teams of 11 to 16, Outside of Games Workshop they
it was never going to move as many are probably the foremost
miniatures as wargames you have experts on the game!”
to buy entire armies for. Basile Bastian, lead game
designer at Cyanide, confirms the
An official player committee was close relationship. “I remember
given the task of updating its living the first draft,” he says, “there was
rulebook, which they did until 2009, a lot of differences with the
when Cyanide released its first previous set of rules, and we give
videogame version and essentially feedback. ‘This rule is a little bit
became the custodians of Blood Bowl. strange because it says quite the
Cyanide organised tournaments opposite ten pages after’. They help
online, created new teams like the us and we help them to improve
heavily armoured Bretonnians and also. So that was a nice exchange.”
acrobatic bear-taming Kislev Circus, To demonstrate the changes in
and helped keep Blood Bowl alive. Blood Bowl 3, Bastian has set up an
Today, Games Workshop is a online match in the current build,
different company, one with more several months ahead of its planned
time for hobbyist board games. The August release. We’re both playing
tabletop version of Blood Bowl was new teams, him the Imperial Nobility
resurrected in 2016, and the rules (humans in fancy armour, loosely

44 JUNE 2021
 LEAGUE LEGENDS
Star players are cheaper
now. So let’s get to know
a few of them
replacing the Bretonnians), and me MORG ‘N’ him for not going easy on me), and
THORG
the Black Orcs (orcs with a little Ogre with lots of again when I push one of his players
ABOVE: Play the ball, more skill than the regular kind, trophies, including a
medal for Services
into the rabid crowd to be
not the orc. backed by goblins to do most of the to Organ pummelled into unconsciousness,
LEFT: The emote fiddly ball-carrying). Transplants. and again when one of my goblins
wheel lets you display On the first turn I make a safe scores a touchdown against the odds.
emotion without move, which is to say I hit someone HAKFLEM
having to use your
human voice. smaller than me. I pick a humie SKUTTLESPIKE WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS
player with no friends around, and Two-headed, Though everything that makes it
execute a block on him — rolling two four-armed skaven Blood Bowl remains in place, the
dice and choosing the most with the most
Warhammer-y
rules have changed in plenty of ways.
favourable since I’m stronger. Each name ever. For instance, my troll has a new skill
comes up with the same result: Both called projectile vomit, which I use to
Down. That would normally mean puke stomach acid all over Bastian’s
both players take a fall, except he’s GLORIEL ogre. Everyone has the ability to
got the Block skill which prevents SUMMERBLOOM jump over prone players, adding a
Both Down results from applying to Elf thrower who’s little mobility. And you can use more
nice to people and
him. I elect to reroll, and get the believes in following than one reroll each turn.
exact same result. My orc hits the the rules, which Rerolls are a precious commodity.
deck, and it’s an immediate turnover. makes her a rarity. You have to put a lot of thought into
A perfect first turn for my first game committing more than one to a
of Blood Bowl 3. KARL A single manoeuvre. “Is it a good
So yes, Blood Bowl 3 is still the VON KILL move?” asks Bastian. “Depends on
same Blood Bowl in spite of any Human, former pig the situation, of course, but it gives
changes: a game that encourages you farmer, runner up more elasticity to the system. I think
for most
to prioritise actions with the least Warhammer-y it is a good thing for new players.”
chance of failing, yet will still name ever. I’ve only got two rerolls per half,
sometimes slap you in the face and if I use both in a single play it
because the dice are nobody’s friend. ZOLCATH had better be for something
Personally, I love the randomness. THE ZOAT worthwhile. A complicated multi-
It’s five minutes into the match and Zoats are like if a
centaur was green,
step play, for instance like having the
already we’re laughing, as we will six-legged, reptilian, troll pick up the goblin with the
be again when Bastian commits a and basically just ball, first passing a Stupidity check
foul on one of my players (making not a centaur. as he has to before doing anything,
the PR guy quietly watching us chide then passing an Always Hungry
JUNE 2021 45
 MY TROLL PUKES
STOMACH ACID
ALL OVER
BASTIAN’S OGRE
check to not eat the goblin, then a regular. A simple change like being might open trapdoors on the pitch,
Passing test to accurately hurl the able to spend more than one reroll grease someone’s boots, or help you
tiny doofus, who has to beat another per turn could significantly change ABOVE: The troll can
use a vomit attack, or
sneak a knife onto the field.
roll just to survive the landing so he how they’re played, making hail- just punch dudes. Special Play cards, fondly
can scurry over the line. mary risks more common. “Especially remembered from the board game’s
That’s four rolls in a row. More if during the last turns of a drive,” says FAR RIGHT: Player 1990s version, have returned to the
the goblin has to dodge out of tackle Bastian, “I think it will occur during cards now show
Agility and Passing (a tabletop game with similar effect.
zones after landing or sprint to go an those kind of moments.” new stat) as the They’re inducements available
extra square or two. It’s not the kind Other new rules bring a little numbers you have to pre-match, when you’re bribing the
of thing a team like the Black Orcs more balance to Blood Bowl, though roll over. referee and hiring an extra healer.
will try often when safer plays — like in typically chaotic ways. Teams with They let you draw from decks full of
hitting people — are available. When a lower value, perhaps because dirty tricks like “Look, a Distraction!”
the other team’s down and bleeding, they’ve lost a few players to a bashy and magic items like Agrablag’s Ball
then we’ll remember about goals and opponent in a previous game, can roll of Pain. Only some of them will be in
think about walking one in. for ‘Prayers to Nuffle’ — the god of Blood Bowl 3, Bastian tells me. “We
Other teams, those of the football violence whose name is ‘NFL’ have a bunch of special play cards for
agile-and-fragile variety, need to spit as pronounced by someone who gets the launch of the game, not all of
in the face of probability on the hit in the head for a living. Nuffle them directly at launch,” he says.

BOWLED OVER There have been more than three Blood Bowl videogames, but who’s counting?

BLOOD BOWL CHAOS LEAGUE BLOOD BOWL BLOOD BOWL: BLOOD BOWL: DUNGEONBOWL BLOOD BOWL 2 DEATH ZONE
1995 2004 2009 LEGENDARY CHAOS 2012 2015 2018
Published by Cyanide’s One amicable EDITION EDITION An expandalone Cyanide’s sequel A real-time Blood
MicroLeague. No unlicensed game out-of-court 2010 2012 with matches was less clunky, Bowl spin-off, so
way of telling was so close to settlement later, Same game, but The same game played in tunnels, but also less unpopular it was
players apart by Blood Bowl Games Cyanide was given with more again, but with which were a bit complete, with folded into Blood
looking at them. Workshop took a shot at an official stadiums more Chaos restrictive for new teams added Bowl 2 as free
Largely forgotten. them to court. videogame. and teams. teams. football. as DLC. content.

46 JUNE 2021
 COVER FEATURE
Blood Bowl 3

Fingers crossed the Mutated Balls choose from a handful of preset

card makes it in. heads, but from separate helmets,
shoulder pads, body armour, arm
THE BEAUTIFUL GAME guards (left and right separately), and
Though Blood Bowl 2 looked nice an overall level of spiky bits, as well
enough, it had its limitations. as different colours for each. It’s
Crowds made up of the same four closer to painting a miniature,
people, smeared ground textures, a without having to worry about
lack of variety in player models – not mucking up the eyes.
the kind of things that ruin a
turn-based sports game, but very THERE WILL BE BLOOD
noticeable after some time. Your personalised designs get
Blood Bowl 3 may not have crowds highlighted in snappy cinematics
of unique individuals in the stands, where you see your perfect beautiful
but it does a better job disguising that creation get slammed into the ground
with waving pennants, extra statuary, by an ogre. They’ve been abbreviated
cooking fires, and water features from the overlong cinematics in
placed around the stadium. There’s Blood Bowl 2, but I recognise the
even a camera goblin balancing on a Noble Blitzer using the same attack
barrel in the pond. the Bretonnian Blitzers used to.
We’re playing on the Imperial “We created a new bunch of
Nobility’s home ground, rough animations, especially for the new
grey astrogranite that highlights factions,” Bastian says, “and others
spilled blood nicely, one of 12 are reused from the previous ones.
pitches (“some of them with new We kept the best ones from Blood
game rules”) in Blood Bowl 3. Bowl 2.” I’m not sure this sideways
The players look a little less uppercut is one I’d keep, but perhaps
copy-pasted. My orcs have different I’m salty because I’m watching it lift
arrays of tusks attached to their my guy into the air.
faces and patterns on their All this is overseen by a coach,
shoulderpads, and while one of my now represented next to the dugout.
goblins wears knuckledusters and a Bastian’s coach is wearing an
beaky helmet, another has spiked elaborate winged headpiece, mine
elbow pads and a faceguard has half a dead ghoul nailed to his
impressively shaped like a toothy shoulder. The coaches also appear in
metal mouth. “We have improved the pop-ups when you choose an emote,
visuals,” Bastian says, “we based our of which there are six: despair,
artistic vision on the figurines.” celebration, incitement, tease, kill us,
More customisation options help and explosion. Six perfectly normal
with that. An orc doesn’t just get to emotional responses. I’m feeling a bit

JUNE 2021 47
COVER FEATURE
Blood Bowl 3

explosion today. The coaches aren’t that love the tabletop version, rather
just for show, though. “If the foul than an alternative.”
action is made and the referee has
seen it you can try to use the coach
For those who prefer a
singleplayer experience, Blood Bowl 3 BLOOD BOWL 3 HAS
A STORY CAMPAIGN
to tell him no,” Bastian explains. has a story campaign that won’t
There’s a chance your coach’s force you to play vanilla humans like
argument will earn your player a Blood Bowl 2 did. “You can create a
reprieve. Bastian helpfully
demonstrates this system by kicking
skaven team for example and play
with this skaven team all the THAT WON’T FORCE
YOU TO PLAY
a half-dead goblin while it’s down. campaign,” Bastian says. “Now the
There’s space for assistant campaign is divided into chapters
coaches and cheerleaders on the and each chapter is a specific
sides of the field as well. “Each
faction has its own cheerleader,”
Bastian says, “visually different, and
the dances are different. It was a
competition, which has specific
challenges to beat.” Your custom
team doesn’t have to end their story
there, either. “You can play the team
VANILLA HUMANS
huge request from the community you have created during all the
because it was the case in Blood Bowl campaign, and after that play the
1, but not in Blood Bowl 2.” same team in multiplayer.”
Of the handful of cheerleader Sounds grand, but singleplayer
options in Blood Bowl 2, the orcs won’t count for much without an
with weighted nipple tassels were AI that puts up a bit of a fight,
difficult to forget about. Cyanide has and the AI in Blood Bowl 2 was a
to run its designs by Games cakewalk even on hard difficulty
Workshop to get validated and were mode, unless you handicapped
surprised to receive a yes on that yourself with a low-tier team.
one, so I’m told they’ve submitted When I ask Bastian whether this
some wild designs for Blood Bowl 3. will be improved he explains the
AI is being programmed “to be
SPLATTERMANIA more offensive than before, and it
The tabletop return of Blood Bowl will try also to create some
was bittersweet for people who got configurations with its players”.
into it immediately before lockdown. He loses some of my confidence
“Unlike the tabletop version the when the first configuration he
digital version obviously allows for mentions is a cage to protect the
players to play with people they’re ball-carrier, something the AI already
not physically with,” says Rees. “Also relies on too much in Blood Bowl 2,
it brings in new players who may not rarely passing or running even when
be aware of the tabletop version so there aren’t enough turns left to
we see it as complimentary for those score any other way.

48 JUNE 2021
 OVER THE YEARS A timeline of the different versions of Blood Bowl

1986 1988 1991 1994 2001 2011 2016 2020

1st edition. 2nd edition. Kerrunch. A Third edition. Living rulebook. A Blood Bowl: Team Blood Bowl 2016. Blood Bowl
Adapted from Introduced spin-off aimed at Introduced the free PDF annually Manager. A card The rules didn’t Second Season.
Warhammer Dungeonbowl, an beginners, with turnover rule, updated, the rules game – basically change much, but Rewrote the rules
Fantasy Battle – a underground simpler rules became previous Football Manager it was a board to help new
skirmish wargame version of the recognisably videogames used. with orcs. game again. players, nerfed
with a ball. sport. Blood Bowl. wood elves.

Bastian assures me that “near the all your players and any competitions seemingly produced on a whim, and
end of a drive she will try to do more you’re managing more easily. after the third edition Games
… in order to complete a touchdown” A detail that matters to me: Blood Workshop abandoned it for 20 years.
and “she will be more aggressive Bowl 3 lets you rename players at any A game of Blood Bowl is full of
about trying to do more fouls”, which time, not just when hired. I’m from surprises, but it’s just as surprising
would be an improvement. the XCOM school of nominative the game still exists.
Since I didn’t get to try the reward, where they earn nicknames “In retrospect the idea of fantasy
singleplayer, I can only hope Blood by living long enough to distinguish races playing a contemporary-style
Bowl 3 can pit you against computer- themselves, or die anonymous. The sports game was a crazy idea to
controlled teams that know how to same applies to elves and goblins, TOP: The referee have in the 1980s,” admits Rees,
play it. Everything else Bastian says is whose survival odds are about the seems like a “but it clearly struck a chord and
encouraging. He explains that we’ll same as XCOM squaddies. trustworthy sort. the cheeky irreverence but
be able to make leagues that mix He’s got an recognisable structure just work
player and AI teams, and decide BUT I GET UP AGAIN unbribable face. really well together. Who doesn’t
whether players are allowed a pool of Surviving against the odds is what FAR LEFT: They think like a referee you can bribe, players
bonus turn time (another nice touch Blood Bowl is all about, and the it’s all ogre… with chainsaws, or an ogre
for beginners). The menus are being game’s production embodies its throwing a goblin down the field to
redesigned, and you’ll be able to see theme. The first edition in 1986 was score a touchdown?”
JUNE 2021 49
 THE GIFT
PROMOTION

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FEATURE
Let’s Kill Crunch

52 JUNE 2021
 FEATURE
Let’s Kill Cru

Meet the game

makers determined
to stop development
from ruining lives.
By Jeremy Peel

JUNE 2021 53
FEATURE
Let’s Kill Crunch

LEFT: Hinterland
is only beholden
to its players,
“We’re fortunate
to have this.”
RIGHT: Auroch
has a long history
with Games
Workshop licences.

he games industry never stood a

chance. Raphael van Lierop,
narrative director of Far Cry 3,
believes the medium inherited
crunch from its parent industries
– the expectation of overwork
baked into softw and
filmmaking long before a
programmer first managed to
steer a pixel across a screen. By
the time van Lierop joined a game
studio in the early 2000s, burnout
was considered best practice.

54 JUNE 2021
“We didn’t at all associate these was something I’d wanted. Shortly
things with poor management or after that game shipped I decided
poor planning practices,” van Lierop that I would never go back to another
says. “We believed crunch was a AAA studio, and Hinterland was
necessary prerequisite to creating
something exceptional.”
largely born from that decision.”
Hinterland, which develops HINTERLAND IS
PART OF A NEW
It was only after a dozen years of top-rated Steam survival game The
70 to 80 hour weeks, as van Lierop Long Dark, is part of a new wave of

WAVE OF STUDIOS
found himself putting his kids to bed studios dedicated to ending crunch.
only to turn around and drive back to Though divided by continents,
the office, that he recognised an cultures and genres, they face shared
unhealthy spiral. “I recall a night in
particular during a really heavy
problems – and offer a glimmer of
hope that the rest of the industry can DEDICATED TO
crunch period, my wife looking over
my shoulder and reflecting that she
didn’t understand why I was making
so many personal sacrifices for
one day find similar solutions.
BAD ROMANCE
Overwork is not exclusive to AAA
ENDING CRUNCH
something that didn’t feel that much studios. Famously, Stardew Valley
like ‘me,’” he says. “I realised I’d developer Eric Barone spent four
never stopped to ask myself if this years in self-imposed crunch –

TRIPLE YAY The big-budget studios changing things for the better

DOUBLE FINE OBSIDIAN BUNGIE

Tim Schaefer has committed to finishing ‘Death marches’ are rare at the venerable RPG studio, Halo 2’s brutal development led the developer to
Psychonauts 2 without crunch, and new owner which explains how it’s kept hold of its core of veteran change its ways. Destiny 2 was made without
Microsoft has backed him. staff for such a long time. enforced crunch, and holiday time is now mandatory.

JUNE 2021 55
FEATURE
Let’s Kill Crunch

LEFT: “It’s just

games,” Nijman says.
“Work shouldn’t have
to be like this.”
RIGHT: AAA projects
are complex, says
van Lierop, and
therefore mistakes
have a high cost.

averaging ten hours a day, seven years bouncing between tabletop-

days a week. “We still really related games like Chainsaw Warrior,
romanticise the solo dev working in Ogre and Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics.
their basement for years who In its early days, developers weren’t
shipped a huge hit,” van Lierop says. consulted when deals were made.
“The games press plays a big role in “The first two projects that I
this. The issue is that for every
single indie hit that was made under “FOR US, MAKING worked on were disasters, from a
production point of view,”
those extreme conditions, 100 or
1,000 failed miserably and those
THINGS LEISURELY partnership and production manager
Nina Collins explains to me. “The

IS JUST AS FAST AS
developers ruined their health, their team would have a contract put in
finances, and their relationships front of them saying ‘We’re making
chasing a false dream.”
MAKING THEM
this game in 12 months, for this
For Vlambeer, the two-man team much money’. Both of those projects
behind Nuclear Throne and were very much firefighting, and
Luftrausers, the dream was realised
– but designer Jan Willem Nijman
nonetheless regrets the damage done
during the process.
UNDER STRESS” that’s what led to them having
crunch – we had overpromised on
quality, on scope, and we didn’t have
enough time or budget. That was
“I burnt out a few times,” he says. when, as a company, we said ‘This
“The launch of Nuclear Throne was a isn’t sustainable.’”
major one. Recovery means not In the years that followed,
working for an extended period of Auroch started tracking the time
time, being a barely functioning staffers spent on tasks, in and out of
human, and then many months, if not leisurely is just as fast as making normal working hours. “What you
years, to slowly get back to normal. them under stress. In fact, I am get with that data is the hidden
On top of that, I lost some of my convinced that by living a fuller life work,” creative producer Peter
‘elasticity’ – I can’t push myself you can be more creative and are Willington says. “And if you can’t
remotely as far anymore without more open to inspiration.” track the hidden work, how in the
quickly burning out again.” hell can you make good estimates
More recently, during the AUROCH & A HARD PLACE for future projects? Production is
development of Minit and Disc Room But what happens when the scope something that happens before
– two critically-acclaimed games and timeline of your game is decided you’ve signed the contract.”
Nijman made with a variety of by an outside force, like a publisher? Beyond making more sensible
collaborators for Devolver Digital It’s often midsized studios that are promises to publishers, Auroch now
– he took care to prioritise life over trapped in the vice – accepting schedules its weeks differently too –
work. “If it needs more time, it needs high-pressure projects in order to planning work for only four days out
more time,” he says. “If it means that make payroll. Auroch Digital, which of five, leaving extra time for
the game needs to be a bit smaller, now makes the space agency strategy meetings. “You try and pull
that’s also fine. For us, making things game Mars Horizon, spent several developers who are under pressure

DARK AGES The most notorious examples of games industry crunch

EA SPOUSE ROCKSTAR SAN DIEGO BIOWARE’S ANTHEM

“My happy, supportive smile is running out.” The The Red Dead Redemption studio was the subject of a A Kotaku report said many staff had taken
2004 open letter from the anonymous partner of a similar letter six years later, which detailed doctor-mandated stress leave after working on the
game dev triggered multiple lawsuits against EA. mismanagement and overwork. doomed jetpack shooter.

56 JUNE 2021
and crunching into a discussion,” reminding people that it’s not how by doing. “If you’re the boss who’s
Collins says. “Their stress levels go to they impress me.” working late hours, you’re just
the max. And the problem is that Auroch has encountered the same overburdening yourself and setting
they don’t view meetings as part of problem. “No matter how many an unhealthy example.”
development. And in that meeting, as times we tell people that we are
a group, you might find out that you anti-crunch, when they’re first BOSS FIGHT
can cut 20 days off the AI.” starting a new job, people still feel It’s this last point that has proven
Willington knew these measures like they’re trying to prove tricky to put into practice at some of
were working when, on launch day themselves,” Collins says. “It’s the studios I’ve spoken to. Somewhat
for Dark Future: Blood Red States, the proving themselves in the wrong way hypocritically, Bithell still works
team was finished coding by – because there’s historic stuff from overtime, a fact his staff have called
lunchtime – early enough to pass the industry. And it’s really important him out on. “We had a postmortem
around a bottle of whisky. “I was very to stop people doing that, because after we released John Wick, and the
emotional about that,” he says. “That they’re going to run themselves into biggest piece of feedback from my
was the pivot point.” the ground doing something that’s entire team was ‘Mike works too
completely unnecessary.” hard,’” he says. It’s an issue Bithell
LATE NIGHT CHAT Traditionally, many game studios Games is addressing by bringing in
Beating crunch takes soft skills as have presented crunch as optional – extra producers.
well as spreadsheets, however. As but the consequences of opting out “That’s one of our objectives as a
soon as Mike Bithell made enough have been severe. “It was never company,” he says. “We may never get
money to start employing people, he explicitly stated, but I think everyone my hours down fully, but that’s OK
pledged that they wouldn’t crunch. knew that the ‘nine to fivers’ were because I get to own the company. I
But sticking to that principle has not the ones that would get the good get my name on the fucking front of
meant actively catching staff in the promotions, because they couldn’t the game. It’s a very different thing
act of working too hard. possibly be that dedicated or when you’re an employee, being paid
“Still to this day, I have to check if ambitious,” van Lierop says. “What I hourly, and I can’t ask for the same
they’re working late,” the John Wick want to hear from studio leaders is, degree of devotion.”
Hex director told me at Yorkshire they never have to talk to their staff Auroch’s last two games involved
Games Festival last year. “They’ve about work-life balance or having no crunch at all, but some senior
worked in environments where that’s healthy work habits because they all staff do still put in the extra time.
expected of them, or often they just know it’s expected of them. At “We’ve had someone start that will
really love their job. They’ll think Hinterland, if we have to remind hopefully spread that out,” Collins
that’s the way to get into my good team members not to work too hard, says. “There’s always more to be
books to get a promotion or a pay it’s a failure of our leadership.” done, but we can proudly say we do
rise. It’s my job as a boss to keep Nijman believes it’s important to lead not do crunch.”
JUNE 2021 57
FEATURE
Let’s Kill Crunch

are all reviewed as ‘Very Positive’ on

Steam – the highest honour in the
field of player satisfaction.
Developers may worry that forgoing
crunch will lead to unfinished
games, disappointed critics, or
frustrated fans waiting for updates.
But all of the developers interviewed
for this article believe their games
have turned out better since turning
their backs on overwork.
“The first game I worked on [at
Auroch] turned out fine, but no one
was like ‘This is great,’” Willington
says. “We’re making our best looking,
best playing games since we stopped
doing this stuff.”
“Even if you’re a cynic, crunch is a
bad idea,” Bithell says. “All the data
we have on it says it demolishes
someone’s ability to produce work.
It’s really just common sense. You
have to understand what the
biological limitations of being a
human being are. You can’t work
crazy hours, and the research all
backs up that position.”
“It’s generally understood that
work done under extended crunch
conditions is often not good or
high-quality work,” van Lierop
explains. “Why would you want
that? You’re burning your people out
to get worse results and eventually
lose them, which just puts more
burden on the next batch. I don’t
At Hinterland, members of the think the results are compromised by
team have crunched on three avoiding crunch. I think they are
occasions: once to get The Long Dark definitely compromised by
through Xbox certification before depending on crunch to get your
reveal at E3; once to fix PS4 technical games out the door.”
issues before the game hit 1.0; and
“ALL THE DATA WE once to get overhauled story episodes BLOOD DIAMONDS
out before Christmas of 2018. The question, then, isn’t whether
HAVE ON IT SAYS IT “It’s no coincidence that these avoiding crunch works. It’s whether
three instances all occurred around the rest of the industry will follow
DEMOLISHES fixed external milestones,” van suit. Bithell’s established reputation
Lierop says. “Timing commitments allows him to stand up for his team in

SOMEONE’S ABILITY
we’d made to our partners or our publisher negotiations, while
players that we felt we couldn’t Auroch’s cashflow means it can
break. Our solution since has been to afford to delay milestones – both
TO PRODUCE WORK” avoid making public commitments privileges that a new indie team may
like that, and as much as possible to not have at their disposal.
avoid lining up significant launches Larger developers, meanwhile,
of new content with new platforms.” have less incentive to end crunch.
“They can pull in another coder
QUALITY OF LIFE that’s just as good,” Collins says. “We
It’s notable that The Long Dark, couldn’t afford to lose those people,
Mars Horizon, Minit, and Disc Room so we had to sort it out.” What’s
58 JUNE 2021
 FEATURE
Let’s Kill Crunch

LEFT: Bithell’s
breakthrough hit
Thomas Was Alone
was made purely in
his evenings and
weekends.
RIGHT: Volume is an
underrated Bithell
Games stealth sim.

more, AAA studios are often part of how we measure its we shouldn’t be destroying the
beholden to shareholders – who can value,” van Lierop says. “Until Amazon anyway.”
be much less understanding than consumer sentiment changes and Play Minit today, and you’ll find it
players. “Hitting quarterly revenue people stop buying games made filled with places and people the
targets becomes the measure of under unhealthy working conditions, team encountered while out living
business health, versus the health of nothing will fundamentally change their lives, not staring into a monitor.
the teams or the quality of the around crunch.” “Spending time not working is
products,” van Lierop says. “Even if it would make no important to fuel that,” Nijman
But, as we’ve seen before, players difference for the final product, the explains. “There’s a quote floating
can influence whether or not fact that it makes people unhappy, around somewhere that there are
developers ruin their health and unhealthy, and takes so much time off two types of poets: those who try,
home lives, even at the highest levels their lives is more than enough try, try and squeeze and eventually
– by voting with their wallets. “What reason to end the whole practice get their words on the page, and
we need in games is more of a ‘blood once and for all,” Nijman says. those who live life and sometimes
diamonds’ concept – societal “Instead of saying ‘Not destroying the poetry happens. I want to keep
pressure that acknowledges the Amazon Rainforest is good for the designing games like that second
human cost of a product should be economy,’ people need to realise that group of poets.”

FREE-RANGE GAMES The best work of the devs we interviewed

MARS HORIZON MINIT

Basically your own NASA control room. Auroch’s management sim is friendlier than In this Zelda-like adventure, your lives last only 60 seconds. It’s a typically intense
Kerbal but deeper than space itself. and giddy concept from Vlambeer’s Jan Willem Nijman.

THE LONG DARK JOHN WICK HEX

“Your endless struggle to keep the Grim Reaper at arm’s length is enormously Put together with the input of Hollywood fight choreographers, this is turn-based
rewarding,” said PC Gamer’s Andy Kelly of Hinterland’s chilly survival game. tactics at its most stylish.

JUNE 2021 59
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 HOW
REVIEW
WE REVIEW
We review each game on its own merits, and try to match it
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aim of reviews is to help you make buying decisions. To this
end, we’re selective about what we review, and try to focus
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00%-09% Broken or offensively bad; absolutely no value.
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10%-19% We might be able to find one nice thing to say about could possibly have imagined when
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Example Gettysburg: Armored Warfare they started work on the looter-
20%-29% Completely falls short of its goals. Very few shooter, it’s undeniably received far
redeeming qualities. more attention and interest than it
Examples Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse
30%-39% An entirely clumsy or derivative effort. There’s ever could have if it were competing
little reason to play this game over a similar, better one. for space with some of the big
Examples Trials of the Blood Dragon
budget behemoths that were
40%-49% Flawed and disappointing.
Examples Aliens: Colonial Marines supposed to come out around it. It’ll
50%-59% Mediocre. Other games probably do it better, or its probably have a totally different life
unique qualities aren’t executed well.
Examples Primordia, Homefront: The Revolution than it would have under different
60%-69% There’s something to like here, but it can only be circumstances. Which raises the
recommended with major caveats.
Examples No Man’s Sky, Ghost Recon: Wildlands question: does someone at People
70%-79% A good game that’s worth playing. We like it.
Examples Prey, NieR: Automata
Can Fly have a monkey’s paw?
80%-89% A great game with exceptional moments or
features, and touches of brilliance. We love it.
Examples Overwatch, Night in the Woods
90%-94% A compelling recommendation for most PC
gamers. Important to PC gaming, and likely ahead of its time.
Examples Bayonetta, Dishonored 2 ROBIN VALENTINE
95%-96% Far and away one of the best games we’ve ever PRINT EDITOR
played. We recommend it to the entire world. [email protected]
Examples Half-Life 2, Kerbal Space Program
97%-100% Advances the human species. Boosts the
immune systems of nearby children and small animals.w
The Editor’s Choice award is LET US KNOW
granted in addition to the score, WHAT YOU THINK
Email us via letters@
at the discretion of the PC Gamer pcgamer.com with your
staff. It represents exceptional reactions, or simply
quality or innovation. tweet us your thoughts
Find out more @PCGamer
www.bit.ly/pcgreviews

64 JUNE 2021
 70
84

66

Contents 86 Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time

88 It Takes Two
66 Outriders FREE GAMES
70 Yakuza 6 90 Super Raft Boat
72 Spacebase Startopia 91 Miska’s Cave
74 Trials of Fire 91 Roborazzi
76 Record of Lodoss War: THEY’RE BACK
Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth 92 Dark Souls Remastered
78 Shelter 3 93 Inside
80 Genesis Noir 93 Dicey Dungeons
82 Oddworld: Soulstorm 93 The Cave
84 Total War: Rome Remastered 93 The Legend of Bum-Bo
This month’s lootin’, shootin’ reviewers…

MORGAN PARK PHIL SAVAGE FRASER BROWN RICK LANE RACHEL WATTS TOM SYKES MAT T ELLIOTT
Specialist in Specialist in Specialist in Specialist in Specialist in Specialist in Specialist in
Gun mods Honourable crime Space rubbish Word salads Pachydermatology Crashing, sinking Item descriptions
Currently playing Currently playing Currently playing Currently playing Currently playing Currently playing Currently playing
Outriders Yakuza 6 Spacebase Startopia Trials of Fire Shelter 3, Genesis Noir Super Raft Boat Dark Souls
This month This month This month This month This month This month Remastered
Realised how much he Spent a lot of time Played a game full of Finally opened his Had to learn how to Declared a new This month
misses energy- looking for the perfect fantastical tech and eyes to the joys of look after a herd of mortal enemy: rocks. Took a trip down a
whipping people into tailored suit for doing exotic aliens, and fell in roguelike glitching elephants The jury’s still out on slimy, horrid, deadly
explosive barrels. martial arts in. love with the bins. deckbuilders. who hate fruit. mountains. memory lane.

JUNE 2021 65
REVIEW
Outriders

RIDE AND DIE

OUTRIDERS is an inconsistent looter shooter
that isn’t worth the ride. By Morgan Park

W hen I think of People Can Fly, I think of Bulletstorm,

an absurdist FPS remembered a decade later for its
outrageous weapons, like the crazy-ass drill gun that
could be steered in mid-air and penetrate multiple
enemies. By the end of that game, launching bodies 20
feet in the air and energy-whipping them into an explosive barrel was one
of the most mundane ways to solve a problem.
It’s almost hard to believe that
Outriders shipped with the same
aren’t very good. The sum is a
mediocre b-movie looter lookalike
NEED TO KNOW campaign
WHAT IS IT?
A third-person co-op
looter shooter
EXPECT TO PAY
£50
DEVELOPER
People Can Fly
PUBLISHER
cycling through nearly
identical variants of the same two or
three shotguns and rifles, trashing the
old one each time one with a bigger
number came along.
It wasn’t until the back half of the
campaign that I finally started finding
enough Rare weapons to take
advantage of Outriders’ generous mod
system. This is the one area where
studio logo on the box, because it that can be safely skipped. Square Enix People Can Fly unshackles players to
looks like the bland shooter that As a shooter fan first and a loot theory-craft optimised builds to their
Bulletstorm’s meathead characters fan second with days worth of time REVIEWED ON heart’s content. You see, dismantling
would make fun of. It’s a surprisingly in Destiny and Borderlands, I think RTX 2060, Ryzen 5 any armour or gun (and you’ll pick
2600 3.4GHz, 16GB
shallow looter shooter People Can Fly and I RAM up many) for materials automatically
that tries very hard to have opposing banks its mods so that they can be
look like Destiny and A mediocre priorities in our loot
play like Gears of War. b-movie looter shooters – everywhere
MULTIPLAYER
Co-op for up to later applied to any other gear you’ve
got, as many times as you like.
three players
But honestly, I’d rather lookalike that I would zig, Outriders LINK It’s a fairly radical departure from
the grindy crafting systems the genre
replay any of the games
I’ve already mentioned can be safely zags. Nothing
illustrates this better outriders.square-enix-
games.com is known for. Rolling the perfect
than spend more time
on Enoch.
skipped extensive class skill
than Outriders’ combination of perks on your
favourite Destiny guns could take
In my first 13 hours trees for the four hours, but it’s just a few clicks when
with Outriders, I said that I was still classes that mostly consist of tiny, you’re playing Outriders.
waiting for it to impress me as I incremental stat boosts. I can see the
completed the campaign and looked numbers get higher and trust that an MOD CONS
toward the endgame Expeditions extra ten percent damage against the I just wish it didn’t take so long to get
mode. My opinion has brightened a stronger Captain enemies is helping, to that point. The majority of
bit: Expeditions do represent the best but the result doesn’t meaningfully Outriders is its campaign, and I
that the game has to offer, but they’re change how I play the game. wasn’t starting to have fun with
not compelling enough to fuel a habit. The same goes for Outriders’ weapon mods until it was almost
I have larger problems with the weapons, which span a mostly over. The flexibility of Outriders’
core fundamentals underlying the predictable variety of assault rifles, mods stands out as its most
game. Outriders’ shooting mechanics, shotguns, DMRs, sniper rifles, and innovative features, but it has the side
loot, level design, and matchmaking LMGs. I spent almost the entire effect of sucking any personality out
of the gear itself.
That’s exactly what happened
with the first Legendary I scored, the
HEALTH SCARE Regaining health isn’t as simple as picking up a medkit Thunderbird, a gnarly-looking assault
rifle carved from alien bones. Its tier
three Ultimate Storm Whip mod is a
nasty damage bonus that calls a
thunderbolt down from the sky with
every other connected shot like Thor
himself had commissioned it. The
PYROMANCER TECHNOMANCER TRICKSTER DEVASTATOR Thunderbird instantly became my
Specialties: Medium Specialties: Long range, Specialties: Mobility, Specialties: Defence, favourite gun after the massive pile of
range, damage-over-time support, healing execution, close-range. close-range, stuns common drops that had preceded it.
The Pyromancer only The Technomancer is The Trickster has, The Devastator is like the It had a clear identity. I was bummed
regains health when an easily the most survivable appropriately, one of the beefier version of the out when its firepower was quickly
enemy afflicted by their
fire abilities is killed. That
class in Outriders. Any
damage dealt with their
trickiest ways of regaining
HP. They have to kill
Trickster, trading agility
skills for fortifications
outpaced by common drops after a
may sound strict, but it’s weapons triggers health enemies up close, so that make them the few hours, but I eventually
easy to get to grips with. regen, so keep firing. shotguns are ideal. tankiest class in the game. dismantled it so I could make use of
its mods on other weapons.
66 JUNE 2021
 This alien spider was
a hot mess.

The main protagonist can be lightly

customised with face and hair options.

The environments outside of Outriders’

arenas are often breathtaking.

This time bubble slows down

bullets that enter it to a crawl.

Shotguns are a great idea against

fodder, less so against Captains.

JUNE 2021 67
 Later levels start throwing
tons of Captains your way.

The Trickster’s abilities all centre

around mobility and time control.

Anyone familiar with Destiny will instantly

understand Outriders’ inventory.

If you’re lost, Outriders draws

a line to your destination.

Outriders features mostly humans,

but sometimes a crazy alien appears.

68 JUNE 2021
 REVIEW
Outriders

Naturally, I slotted the Storm

Whip perk into my newest rifle, but
something was lost in translation.
Barbecuing alien dogs just ain’t the
PEOPLE CAN FLY A brief history of the storied shooter studio
same when it’s coming out of a dull
steel rectangle. Even though
Outriders is designed around this
freeform hot swapping, for me, it
dilutes the feeling of finding
something truly unique and powerful.
Sorry, Thunderbird, you’re not as PAINKILLER GEARS OF WAR BULLETSTORM FORTNITE OUTRIDERS
special as I thought. I’ve got 80 2004 (PC) 2011 2017 2021
Mjölnir guns now. This FPS is from an 2007 PCF released its PCF continued to Looking back at the
era where PCF was the studio last great FPS, collaborate with studios past work,
FIGHT, NO FLIGHT everything was behind the original Bulletstorm, a few Epic and is even Outriders feels like
inspired by Doom. Gears of War’s PC years after its Epic credited as a a combination of
I like third-person shooters just fine, Except instead of port. Following its partnership began. co-developer on PCF’s love for FPS
but Outriders doesn’t use the legions of demons, success, Epic The shooter is still Fortnite, one of the weapons filtered
perspective to its advantage. A loot you’re slaying
Lucifer’s armies.
acquired a majority
stake in the studio.
remembered for its
inventive weapons.
biggest games in
the world.
through their work
on Gears of War.
shooter where you can barely see
your coolest guns seems
counterintuitive. The back of my
guy’s chunky armour clogs up the immediately more balanced with one better part of my weekend wrapping
screen, while I can barely make out or two teammates by my side to my head around Outriders’
the back-right flank of my gun barrel. share the aggro. I just wish matching Expeditions, a rotating pool of
This is nothing new. First-person loot up with other players wasn’t so bad if around 15 challenging missions that
games empower intimate you don’t have friends to play with. can get a lot harder as you unlock
connections with the rare guns that There’s currently no way to over a dozen difficulty tiers through
motivate players to trudge on. In matchmake into a specific repetition. The quality of loot
Borderlands or Destiny 2, equipping a Expedition, so the best you can do as rewards scales up and down
new gun is almost like playing a a solo operator is join a rando’s depending on how fast you get them
different character. My Outrider’s session and hope they want to play done, but if the squad is wiped even
decidedly unathletic moveset doesn’t the one you do. You could also wait once, you have to start over.
quite stack up with this. for someone to join you, but that It’s a neat little mode that I could
Seriously though, for a game didn’t happen a single time to me lose a few hours to with friends,
about cutting loose with godlike despite keeping my party open. similar to the hardest runs of Mass
powers, I have no idea Good luck talking to Effect 3’s surprisingly fun multiplayer
why Outriders is so them once they finally mode. That’s the only way I’d
horizontal. Every arena People Can Fly do join, though. recommend playing Expeditions
is an uneventful grid of has been very There’s no native voice unless you’ve optimised a loadout
waist-high cover
straight out of Xbox clear that orCantextFlychat and People
isn’t planning
around self-heals.
I guess that means I’m pretty
360-era Gears of War, Outriders isn’t on ever adding it. much done with Outriders. There’s
right down to the way a service game something here for folks that go
that every player OUTLIERS bananas for the most granular of
character is firmly People Can Fly has class customisation – all those
glued to the ground. A nice floaty been very clear that Outriders isn’t a incremental class boosts are probably
jump would pair perfectly with my service game. What’s already here is a dream to my most min-maxing of
Trickster’s teleportation build or the what the game is. If I hadn’t known friends. It’d be easier to get excited
Pyromancer’s fireballs. that going in I would been pretty about that stuff if Outriders’ basics
surprised as I rolled credits on the were as good as what else is out
POWER TRIP campaign, because the entire thing there. Xbox Game Pass feels like the
There’s also a huge focus on feels so insignificant. The story perfect home for a divisive game like
class-specific magical abilities. I follows your player, one of the last this that rubs players the wrong or
mained a Trickster that can only Outriders (elite soldiers, basically), right way depending on what you’re
regain health and shields by killing on a trip across humanity’s new looking for. It’s a shame that PC
baddies up close. The main damaging home planet Enoch to call down Game Pass subscribers aren’t
skill you start with, the Temporal resources from a long-abandoned getting the same kind of deal,
Blade (which is more of a shockwave colony ship. Early on your Outrider but I think Outriders is a safe
that zaps targets down to their becomes Altered, which is basically skip either way.
skeleton before eventually like having elemental Light powers
exploding), served me better than the from Destiny, but with a different

63
VERDICT
one or two other offensive skills proper noun. It’s a dull tale that Buried by unsatisfying
unlocked over time, so I just stuck seems to have little other purpose combat, People Can Fly’s
with it throughout. than setting up an endgame. Outriders is a looter that
Co-op definitely seems like the And then, the endgame happens, ends right as it’s starting
way to go. Every fight felt and it’s surprisingly bare. I spent the to get somewhere.

JUNE 2021 69
REVIEW
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

DRAGON AGED
YAKUZA 6: THE SONG OF LIFE isn’t a major departure from its predecessors,
but still finds its own rhythm. By Phil Savage

O ne of the peculiarities of Sega’s PC port release schedule

– releasing the series (almost) chronologically, rather than in NEED TO KNOW
the order they were made – is it lessens the original impact
that Yakuza 6 once had. It’s no longer a showcase for the new TheWHAT
Dragon engine, because Yakuza Kiwami 2 exists. And it’s not
as experimental or new as Yakuza: Like a Dragon, whose reworked combat
and fresh protagonist make it a great jumping on point for newcomers.
Instead, this is Kazama Kiryu’s final karaoke, old Sega arcade machines, a
game as protagonist – the end of a cat cafe, and a new gym that lets you
game, set
IS IT?
seventh Yakuza
before
Dragon in the
chronology
EXPECT TO PAY
£15
DEVELOPER
Like a
Yakuza 6 gives its characters room to
reflect, it’s often a triumph.
ENGINE TROUBLE
As the first Dragon Engine game,
Yakuza 6 does have some
compromises. Its version of
Kamurocho isn’t as fully formed as in
Kiwami 2 or the PlayStation exclusive
Judgement, with sections of the city
story that has played out over train your skills, Onomichi is smaller, RGG Studio closed off. And I never quite gelled
hundreds of hours across six previous quieter and more rural. It’s a PUBLISHER with the combat. Rather than Yakuza
games. Which is to say, if you’re new close-knit community that Kiryu has Sega 0’s crisp, clean encounters, here the
to the series – or have only dipped to work hard to crack, and is sparse REVIEWED ON animations are more fluid, yes, but
your toe into a handful with its distractions. An GeForce GTX 1070, sluggish as a result. I’ve seen
of them over the years entire chapter of the 32GB RAM, Ryzen 7 speculation that it’s a deliberate
– come back to this one Onomichi’s story is dedicated to 3700X attempt to depict Kiryu’s advancing
later, when you’ve prominence Kiryu’s search for baby MULTIPLAYER age, but the upshot is it’s a game
fallen a bit deeper
down the rabbit hole. sets Yakuza 6 formula, because all of
the shops have closed.
Yes, for minigames about fighting that never feels as
satisfying as its predecessors.
After an in media res apart from its It’s that kind of town. LINK
yakuza.sega.com/ Yakuza 6, does, at least, get a big
opening to set the tone, predecessors Onomichi’s yakuza6 performance update on PC, with
you’re treated to a prominence sets uncapped framerates providing a nice
lengthy sequence that Yakuza 6 apart from its upgrade over the PS4 version. Even
follows on directly from Yakuza 5’s predecessors, offering a change of playing on an increasingly aging GTX
semi-cliffhanger ending. A lot of the pace that gels well with the story 1070 graphics card at near-maximum
opening hours are spent slowly being told. As Kiryu works to settings on 1440p, it held consistent
moving the pieces into place – enamour himself to the locals, he falls at around 60 fps. And while Yakuza
dealing with the fallout and in with a small-time yakuza family has never exactly been the prettiest
ramifications of Yakuza 5, and getting – a loveable bunch of losers whose series, the Dragon Engine games
characters ready for the drama of the hearts are nevertheless in the right continue to look great with incredibly
finale. The upshot is this: Kiryu, place. It’s a reprise of Yakuza 3’s detailed faces and animations.
arrives in Onomichi – a port city in setup, but one that offers a contrast to The broad strokes of every Yakuza
Hiroshima – with a baby in tow. the destructive political dealings of game are the same: a story that runs
While you’ll still spend plenty of the clans that threaten to once again the gamut from hard-boiled mystery
time in Kamurocho – both in the tear down everything Kiryu cares to interpersonal drama, a suite of
story and as the de facto hub for about. There’s plenty that doesn’t ridiculous substories, and a handful
minigames – Onomichi is both the land: giant, absurd twists and of minigames, all tied together by a
heart of Yakuza 6, and a statement of convoluted contrivances that are the likeable protagonist able to withstand
intent. Where Kamurocho has hallmark of the series. But when the tonal shifts. The difference
between each comes down to a
handful of things: the plot, the
themes, the surprising new
ONOMICHI MEMORIES Kiryu’s coastal holiday, in pictures distractions, the feel of the
destinations. Yakuza 6 isn’t the best
game in the series, but it’s definitely a
deserving part of it, and well worth
playing… at least when you’re ready.

79
VERDICT
CENTRAL SHOPPING JUNGHAI FERRY RYUNAN LA PENTE The setting proves that
DISTRICT DOCK SHRINE The perfect spot to plan a the series still has some
Come and meet the Try a spot of spearfishing, Receive a boon by gifting full-scale war against a
famous ramen-headed just beware of the giant statues the assorted gang of wrestlers as you tricks, making Yakuza 6
mascot, Ono Michio. emperor squids. detritus of your inventory. wrap up Kiryu’s trip. a worthy finale for its
main protagonist.

70 JUNE 2021
Another day, another gang of
goons to kick.

Never start a fight unless

you can look good doing it.

Remember: Kiryu
never kills anyone.

The RTS minigame works as well

as can be expected. (Not very.)

Bicycles are underrated

in their versatility.

JUNE 2021 71
REVIEW
Spacebase Startopia

SPACEManage
MANAGEMENT
a space station fuelled
by nostalgia in SPACEBASE STARTOPIA. By Fraser Brown

R ealmforge Studios’ Spacebase Startopia is a homage to one of

my favourite management games. More than an homage,
really, as it lifts pretty much everything from the original
Startopia, even the name – it’s more like an unofficial
remake. After two decades of waiting, I should be happy to
return to my donut-shaped space station, but instead I’m conflicted.
Hewing so closely to the original also emphasises the ways in which it
misses the mark, and some of the new additions leave a lot to be desired.
We got off on the wrong foot, them up. They have very serious
NEED TO KNOW
WHAT IS IT?
A spiritual successor to
Startopia , the classic
space station
management
EXPECT TO PAY
£46
DEVELOPER
sim
WAR IS HELL
Speaking of raiders, the fights sure do
suck. It doesn’t matter if it’s pirates or
monsters popping out of alien
cocoons, combat is the least
entertaining aspect of the job.
Managing your security bots and
mechs mostly amounts to just
clicking on the thing you want to
kill… and that’s it. Each class of mech
Spacebase Startopia and I, when it faces and I love them. Realmforge Studios also gets one unique ability, but that
introduced me to my relentlessly With your station teeming with PUBLISHER feels like overkill for encounters this
irritating virtual assistant. Clippy ain’t life, the three-level system proves to Kalypso Media shallow. Getting into a fight also
got nothing on VAL, an AI buddy be a boon. The donut is split into REVIEWED ON means switching to a different mode
who keeps track of sections, separated by GTX 1080 Ti, Intel where you can only control your
your objectives and bulkheads that can be i7-8086K, 16GB RAM combat units, introducing an
ceaselessly puts you The deck opened for a fee, and unnecessary amount of faffing
down with lines system was one
seemingly run through of Startopia’s There’s the sub deck
three specialised decks. MULTIPLAYER
Yes around as you switch back and forth.
It’s one of several UI crimes
LINK
a text-to-speech
programme. VAL is defining with all your essentials,
like berths, medical bit.ly/31SUyoX committed by Spacebase Startopia.
Fights are uncommon in the
insufferable, but at least
you can mute its voice.
features the fun deck where
centres and factories; campaign, thankfully, at least until
the last few missions.
Unfortunately, the your visitors can let Along with invasions, other
same can’t be said for the text their tentacles down; and the bio random events and time-sensitive
pop-ups, full of laboured sci-fi deck, where resources grow and choices crop up that offer more
references and awful banter. visitors can hang out and meditate. compelling management wrinkles.
Thankfully, Spacebase Startopia is The deck system was one of One of these events even taught me a
still capable of being charismatic, full Startopia’s defining features and valuable lesson: maybe it’s OK to let a
as it is with aliens and sci-fi oddities. works just as well here. It splits the plague take root in your station if
Sometimes I’ll even follow my vast station up into chunks, and you’re also in the business of curing
diligent little droids around as they means you’re never staring at the people. I have some regrets about my
travel all over the station delivering same stuff for hour. So when raiders disgraceful behaviour and some
crates and cleaning up after the dirty are killing people on one deck and aliens to apologise to.
organics. Even the bins have a bit of won’t take a break just because you’re I wish there was more of that:
personality, as they’re actually robots busy trying to stop everyone from tough choices and corruption. The
who drop off their gross cargo at the suffocating on another, that bit of cartoon capitalism of Spacebase
recycler once the droids have filled distance makes it easier to prioritise. Startopia feels like fertile ground for
these kinds of shenanigans, but
they’re so rare. Maybe I should be
glad there aren’t more misses like the
DECK-BUILDING Take a tour of your station new RTS layer, but management
games have developed a lot over the
last two decades, offering so many
ways to build on Startopia instead of
cloning it. I guess living in the past
isn’t such a good thing after all. But it
can be fun to visit for a few days.
SUB DECK FUN DECK BIO DECK

63
VERDICT
This is where ships dock and visitors Visitors can feed their insatiable The bio deck is a huge garden that Spacebase Startopia is a
arrive – so it’s also where you’ll find desire for booze, dancing, and can be terraformed to produce missed opportunity to
essential rooms and facilities, like gambling here, forgetting all their resources, which can then be crafted
visitor quarters, the medical centre, troubles. Unless they have a into blueprints. It’s also where meaningfully build on a
security, and industrial buildings. gambling addiction. visitors can do a spot of meditating. classic, but it’s still an
entertaining game.

72 JUNE 2021
Most buildings are customisable, but you
can save time by using various prefabs.

We only serve the healthiest

brain food here.

Garbage Bot is Spacebase Startopia’s MVP.

If you don’t dedicate your life to
picking up rubbish, this happens.

Just doing a bit of gardening.

JUNE 2021 73
REVIEW
Trials of Fire

HOT DECK
TRIALS OF FIRE is an irresistible
card-based roguelike. By Rick Lane

O n paper, Trials of Fire is everything I despise. I don’t like

turn-based roguelikes. I don’t like card battlers, and I really
don’t like anything involving hexagons – the Poochie of the
shape world. Trials of Fire features all of these, which in any
sensible reality makes me the last person who should be
reviewing it. But if you’ve looked out the window lately, through the haze
of coronavirus toward the icecap-melting sun, you’ll have noticed reality
died on the way back to its home planet some time ago. As such, I’m
unsurprised to discover that Trials of Fire is flipping excellent.
NEED TO KNOW card
WHAT IS IT?
roguelike with
turned-based,
card combat
EXPECT TO PAY
£20
DEVELOPER
battling is further bolstered by
the RPG systems. Winning battles
Procedural fantasy
and completing quests levels up your
characters, letting you either upgrade
cards in your deck, or replace them
with more powerful abilities. Yet the
RPG elements can also work against
you. Travelling across the map tires
your party out, and the more tired
your party is, the more your deck will
Set in a blighted fantasy land, Trials space like a spun coin. When a Whatboy Games fill with cards like Fatigued and
of Fire sees you pick a trio of character is killed, their counter PUBLISHER Exhausted, which serve no purpose
adventurers from an eventual pool of bursts like a grenade, scattering In-house other than clogging up your hand.
nine, before embarking upon a series shrapnel across the board. Yet this REVIEWED ON Balancing survival with progress
of set quests across isn’t what makes Trials AMD Ryzen 5 3600, is one of the game’s main challenges,
procedurally generated of Fire special. That Nvidia GeForce 2080 especially since reaching a quest
maps. Between you and The primary would be how cards Super, 32 GB RAM objective usually triggers a tough
your key objectives are way of simultaneously act as MULTIPLAYER boss fight that will test your affinity
regular points of
interest, ranging from acquiring abilities and a resource.
By default, playing a
No with your deck. If your party gets
wiped out, the quest is over. This can
small settlements to willpower is to
ancient ruins, prowling sacrifice cards spend a resource
card requires you to LINK
whatboy.com/game be a little galling, especially if you’re
near the end. But most quests are
monsters and spooky known as willpower. designed to be completed in two to
forests. Encounters are There are a handful of four hours. Meanwhile, failure still
initially presented in journal format, cards that generate willpower, such grants experience, unlocking new
with the game describing the as Advance, which also enables you cards for your existing party, and
situation before offering a range of to move forward. But the primary new characters like the witch, who
choices. Sometimes these choices way of acquiring willpower is to specialises in stealing enemy cards
require a skill check that results in a sacrifice cards in your hand. This and using them against your foes.
reward if successful, or damages your pool can be drawn from by all three For a game that borrows so many
characters if you fail. party members unless you’re using different ideas and mechanics, Trials
Other times, your decisions will willpower for movement, in which of Fire is impressively seamless. The
trigger a fight. What’s immediately case the sacrificed card must come only real issue is how the storytelling
striking about Trials of Fire is how directly from that character’s deck. suffers due to the game structure.
good the combat feels. When you While not startlingly original, Trials
drag out a ranged attack to target an ALL HANDS of Fire’s fantasy world is convincing,
enemy, an arrow flies out from your The tactical scenarios that result while the encounters are written in
counter and thuds into your from this are gripping, with each new pacey and engaging prose. Yet the
opponent, causing it to skitter on its hand bringing new challenges. The quests themselves are
straightforward MacGuffin hunts,
while your party characters have
little personality outside of battle.
WITCH RECOMMENDED Overall though, it’s a minor
blemishes. Trials of Fire is a taut
Here’s a few examples of the Witch’s devious skills RPG roguelike that successfully
distills the action and mystique
of sword and sorcery into card
battling form.

85
VERDICT
MIND BURROWING BARB REVULSION Trials of Fire’s list of
DRAIN Does 2 damage and embeds Adds 3 defence, then strips features may read like a
Does 2 damage and then into the enemy’s deck. all enemy defences
steals a card from your Returns to your deck when equivalent to your current videogame word salad,
enemy’s deck. shuffled into their hand. defence total. but the result makes for
a fine RPG feast.

74 JUNE 2021
Trials of Fire creates impressive
spectacle out of surprisingly little.

Some battlefields feature

environmental hazards.

The UI seamlessly shifts from dragging cards

to dragging your abilities toward targets.

The storybook framing is neat, although

the artwork doesn’t always feel cohesive.

JUNE 2021 75
REVIEW
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth

MINI-VANIA
1990s anime lives on in RECORD OF LODOSS WAR:
DEEDLIT IN WONDER LABYRINTH. By Eric Watson

I f you’re unfamiliar with the D&D-adjacent Record of Lodoss War

novels, RPG, and anime from the ’90s, Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth NEED TO KNOW
will be mostly incomprehensible. The story has characters such as
Parm, Pirotess, and Ashram, and working out their relationships is A bite-size
like starting Wandavision at episode nine without having seen a
Marvel movie. Later, Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth mirrors Wandavision’s
exploration of grief, and that at least should make sense to anyone.
Non-fans don’t need to worry too
much about following the story. The spirit of wind also grants the ability
WHAT IS IT?
2D pixelated
Metroidvania
EXPECT TO PAY
£15.50
DEVELOPER
swap while jumping or running. The Why so Serious?, Team
Ladybug
late-game bosses are mostly human-
size opponents (who will be familiar
to fans of the series) that can move
and fight as quickly as Deedlit. A
useful spell that summons a vine-
shooting dryad is invaluable against a
particularly tough boss who is weak
against plants, while a rapid-fire,
light-element bow works wonders
against his even faster second form.
Metroidvania genre traditionally to hover over spikes and enemies, PUBLISHER
values exploring 2D dungeons over which is useful throughout the game. In-house, Playism DONE WONDERING
cohesive narrative, and Deedlit in The spirit of fire grants the ability to REVIEWED ON Spells, weapons, bows and a select
Wonder Labyrinth is no exception. It detonate barrels, but that skill is Windows 10, AMD FX few additional power-ups are found
checks all the familiar never used outside of 8350 Eight-Core, by exploring the various paths and
Metroidvania boxes, the tutorial area, oddly. Radeon RX 580, 24GB secrets of the dungeon. Wonder
though its shortness A few A few late-game RAM Labyrinth nails the vertical shafts and
and lack of difficulty late-game beasts, like the basilisk, MULTIPLAYER winding corridors that create the
left me wanting.
Deedlit is a high elf beasts are are impressively large
and powerful, but
No traditional Castlevania-like
experience (minus the breakable
whose billowing cape, impressively almost every enemy LINK
bit.ly/3uDtvKA chandeliers), but after exploring the
long hair, and quick
back dash are
powerful suffers from the same
problem: they’re
map to 100%, I don’t recall finding a
single secret area.
purposefully modelled shockingly sluggish, Most Metroidvanias encourage
after Castlevania: Symphony of the making Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth backtracking by unlocking new
Night’s Alucard. She’s capable of one of the easiest games I’ve played. abilities, but Wonder Labyrinth is far
wielding a melee weapon and a bow, The exceptions are the boss fights, more linear, ushering me to each area
and can cast a few elemental spells. which feature a rewarding balance of one after another. Instead of
More importantly, she can harness attack rhythm memorisation and acquiring new traversal powers,
the spirit of wind and the spirit of on-the-fly elemental swapping to defeating the boss of each stage
fire. With the tap of a button, I can exploit weaknesses. Mid and simply unlocks a new set of coloured
switch between these two modes, or doors, which opens the next area
stances, dealing one damage type or (and perhaps a single door in a
the other with my basic weapon previous area I can now access). The
attacks, as well as becoming immune
to that damage type.
CHARACTER STUDY only exceptions are acquiring a
double and triple jump, but their
Swapping between fire and wind Who’s who In Lodoss War critical applications are
is a surprisingly fun complication, DEEDLIT PARN disappointingly limited.
and it’s encouraged or required by A high elf and The original Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is a
most enemies, bosses and the only woman hero of the brief but fun foray into a well-worn
platforming challenges. Every enemy in the original series is a genre. The mode-swapping and
has at least one elemental weakness, adventuring
party. She fell
brave but
inexperienced
elemental attacks are enjoyable, but
resistance, or immunity, which are in love with the young warrior, the game is over just when it starts to
clearly displayed with clever dice group’s hunky like in every reach a proper crescendo, with 100%
iconography on a scale from one to leader, Parn. JRPG ever. of the map revealed (and presumably
six. An early-game dragon boss all the gear and spells) in under six
primarily deals fire damage, but is GHIM KARLA hours. Not quite a full symphony, but
immune to fire himself. I can switch The elderly Karla’s magical a fun little ditty none the less.
to fire mode as a defensive dwarf warrior prowess and
manoeuvre when he blankets the

68
appears in the immortality VERDICT
floor in dragonbreath and then swap labyrinth as the makes her Record of Lodoss War:
to wind mode when I see an opening merchant with
a never-ending
more of a lich
than a witch Deedlit in Wonder
to slice and dice. Mode-swapping is supply of (minus the Labyrinth feels like the
used outside of combat too, with health potions. skeletal thing). first half of a fun, but
wind and fire barriers forcing me to simplified Metroidvania.

76 JUNE 2021
Despite his bluster, all the
dragon fights are pretty easy.
Flying and hovering remains a critically
powerful ability throughout the game.

The basilisk is one of the

biggest non-boss enemies.

Zombies just kind of stand

there, waiting to die.

Most platforming puzzles

involve the bow.

JUNE 2021 77
REVIEW
Shelter 3

ANIMAL CONTROL
SHELTER 3’s nomadic wildlife adventure
has majorly lost its way. By Rachel Watts

M ight and Delight is a studio known for making survival

games that capture the awe and ferocity of the
wilderness. Or, if you’re like me, you might know it as
the studio who made that badger sim that made you cry. A survival
my eyes out over adorable creatures with the third instalment in the
Shelter series, which this time features an elephant herd.
In Shelter 3, you play as a mother You’ll have your fair share of
elephant who is leading her herd to a bamboo forests, scorching deserts,
NEED TO KNOW
WHAT IS IT?
adventure
Well, it seems like it’s still on a mission to make me bawl herd ofyouelephants
where play as a
EXPECT TO PAY
£12
DEVELOPER
Might and Delight
checkpoint by using your ‘elephant
sense’, which makes the screen go
dark and illuminates the next
environmental destination,
represented by a symbol. The issue
with these points is that many of
them took me anywhere but forward
– some of them making me backtrack
on myself, which feels actively
counterintuitive in a game about a
place that will reunite the group with and watering holes to navigate PUBLISHER nomadic group that’s always pushing
their ancestors. Its world mixes through, and one section has you lead In-house forward to its destination.
elements of both previous games: the the herd through a mountain cave REVIEWED ON The layout of the world is also
linear story of Shelter 1 and the more and emerge at a luscious lagoon on AMD Ryzen 5 3600, confusing. I kept running into dead
open-world structure the other side. 8GB, AMD Radeon RX ends and accidentally wandering into
of Shelter 2. To survive, Environments are 5700 XT dangerous areas that were meant for
you need to keep your Problems start lovely to travel through different chosen pathways. It also
herd fed and protect to reveal and since you’re not MULTIPLAYER
No didn’t help that I would always get
them from danger. themselves playing as a predator LINK the same choices at each checkpoint,
As your herd makes
its way across the straight from you can happily frolic
with wildebeest, rhino, mightanddelight.com
regardless of the one I picked before.
It just didn’t feel like a journey where
plains, you’re guided by
environmental
the get-go fear antelope and without
of them fleeing or
my choices mattered.
Out of the different paths you can
checkpoints and given attacking. But, as pretty choose, the ones that hint at danger
a choice between two paths – after as the world is, problems reveal are not that perilous at all. I easily
making your decision the next themselves straight from the get-go. sprinted across a scorching desert
checkpoint will appear, leading you and didn’t even need to bother
further into the world. DANGER ZONE protecting my herd against the tiger
Exploring environments is a The AI of the elephant herd was encounter since the AI kept instantly
highlight of the game. Shelter 3 looks misbehaving throughout my time killing my calf no matter what I did.
like an elegant quilt whose multiple playing. Clipping was a constant There was a great sequence with
patterns have all been intricately issue, and the elephants would avoiding some hungry crocodiles and,
stitched together. Each elephant in regularly catch on environmental although the AI was a bit iffy, it still
your herd has a unique skin pattern, areas. There were also problems with made for some tense gameplay.
and you can tell which calf belongs to getting them to eat the fruit that I However, it’s only one moment out of
which mother because they both found, which was frustrating. a frustrating string of encounters.
share that pattern, like they were cut Navigation was also an ongoing What makes the previous Shelter
from the same cloth. It’s a great touch. issue. You can keep track of the next games shine is their ability to show
nature as both awe-inspiring and
completely terrifying, but Shelter 3
fails to capture that. Protecting your
IRRELEPHANT herd feels more like a chore than an
emotional responsibility, and
Elephants are great, but their best attributes didn’t make it into the game technical hiccups suck all the
1 With 40,000 muscles,
an elephant’s trunk is
strong enough to break a
2 Studies have shown
that elephants are
genuinely compassionate
intensity out of the game. It breaks
my heart since you can see the ideas
and concepts of a great survival game,
tree branch, yet delicate and altruistic towards but the execution just isn’t there.
enough to pick a flower. other animals and humans.

3
55
VERDICT
They have super tough
tusks that they use to
dig into the ground, peel
4 These giants take
regular mud baths
to protect their skin from
Its environment is pretty,
but that’s not enough to
forgive a game that
bark off trees, and fend off the sun, and to cool
any predators. themselves down. ultimately feels
unfinished.

78 JUNE 2021
A quiet moment by
a cool lagoon.

Crossing the desert is no

problem if you hustle.

Keep your eyes open for what

lurks beneath the surface.

Charging through a bamboo

thicket lacks crunch.

Little heart symbols show when

the elephant herd is happy.

JUNE 2021 79
REVIEW
Genesis Noir

STAR STRUCK
GENESIS NOIR’s adventure traverses the
entire history of the universe. By Rachel Watts

T he Big Bang is wild when you think about it. All that we have
come to understand – space, time, our universe, and life as we NEED TO KNOW
know it – are all part of a long chain started from one precise
moment. Thinking too much about it is enough to send
anyone spinning into an existential crisis, but Genesis Noir
takes these grand themes in its stride, creating a cosmic adventure mixed
with a detective story that goes down like a smooth glass of whiskey.
In Genesis Noir, the Big Bang isn’t
only the single biggest event in
legends, except this particular god
has a trenchcoat, fedora and an
WHAT IS IT?
An experimental
point-and-click
adventure that’s cool,
stylish and a bit odd
EXPECT TO PAY
£12
DEVELOPER
Spending time clicking on every part
of a scene and pressing all the
buttons can break the pacing.
Even though there are moments
lost in visual translation, Genesis Noir
has a great sense of motion, and the
majority of the game flows as
smoothly as the coolest saxophone
solo. Often there won’t be a puzzle at
all and you’ll just be messing with the
recorded human history, but a affinity for trad jazz. Feral Cat Den reality of the scene. In one section,
gunshot blast frozen in time, its bullet Genesis Noir’s themes may be PUBLISHER I’m using an old rotary phone, and
speeding toward your lover. To stop ambitious, but following along on this Fellow Traveller the background swirls around me as I
this event from meeting its inevitable adventure is a breeze. Most of the REVIEWED ON spin its dial. I’ll be jamming out on
end, you need to time you’ll be swept AMD Ryzen 5 3600, some giant piano keys only for them
explore different along through a string 8GB, AMD Radeon RX to melt away and reappear as the
pockets of time in the The game ofsequences, inventive animated 5700 XT windows of a giant skyscraper.
vast expanse of the always has new
universe, trying to undo ways for you occasional bits of
with MULTIPLAYER
No THE HARD GOODBYE
the chain of events puzzle-solving mixed Although playing Genesis Noir can be
leading to this moment to interact with in. The gameplay is a LINK
genesisnoirgame.com an effortless ride, it does lose
and thus changing the
course of history.
a scene little experimental, and
you’ll usually be
momentum when it gets to the last
third. There were multiple times
This thematically clicking parts of the where the game’s story hinted that it
epic adventure is wrapped up in a scene and manipulating the was coming to a close. By the time
noir mystery, with your character environment to continue. the game did come to a conclusion, it
caught in the middle of a love The game always has new ways was tonally very sudden, missing out
triangle. The trio consists of the for you to interact with a scene, like on a dramatic climax.
character you control, a watch taking part in some call and response Genesis Noir may have some issues
peddler named No Man, your lover improv jazz, planting seeds that with pacing towards the end, but the
and femme fatale jazz singer Miss expand into all-engulfing black holes, way its story, themes and visuals are
Mass, and jealous shooter Golden or simply piecing a broken bowl back so tightly interwoven is spectacular. I
Boy. These characters aren’t really together. Most puzzles are pretty love how No Man is constantly
people, but something akin to gods, straightforward, but there were times gravitating towards Miss Mass like
interdimensional entities, and cosmic where the interactions were a little he’s helplessly caught in her orbit,
beings. The story is similar to the abstract and it was difficult to work how the gunshot blast is visualised to
godly dramas of Greek and Norse out what the game wanted from me. look exactly like the scientific
diagrams of the Big Bang, and how an
ice cube swirling around in a gin
glass can look like the spinning
COSMIC CASTING planets in a solar system.
The noir genre is all about how
Here’s the cast of characters that take centre stage characters are caught up in
circumstances beyond their control.
Genesis Noir captures exactly that,
and its framing of human history and
presentation of the Big Bang is the
perfect way to explore it.

76
VERDICT
NO MAN MISS MASS GOLDEN BOY While it’s a little abstract
The protagonist who has A jazz singer with hair so A jealous saxophonist who in nature, Genesis Noir is
the coolest job title ever: epically huge it has its own should really learn how to still an all-around
interdimensional detective. gravitational pull. channel his emotions. stunning audio-visual
adventure.

80 JUNE 2021
A sneak peek at Golden Boy’s
new album cover.

Following a melody through a busy city The comic-book visuals

makes for some stunning visuals. perfectly match the story.

You’ll be leaping into this

interdimensional gunshot blast.

Adjusting the soil in the right harmony

will make the seedling grow.

JUNE 2021 81
REVIEW
Oddworld: Soulstorm

HONEST ABE
ODDWORLD: SOULSTORM’s beautiful presentation suffers
from some gaping technical oversights. By Luke Winkie

I t’s easy to root for Abe. The Mudokons have been enslaved for
centuries by the Glukkons. Mudokons are worked to the bone,
drugged and punished for any insubordination. It is up to one
Mudokon to spark an insurrection and free his people from their
chains. This is the plot of the 1998 Playstation cult classic
Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus, and many of the same core story beats are
preserved in this 2021 ‘reimagining’, Oddworld: Soulstorm.
Veterans of Exoddus
will recognise Maybe Aesthetically,
Oddworld always
NEED TO KNOW MORE
WHAT IS IT?
A reimagining of
Oddworld: Abe’s
Exoddus from 1998
EXPECT TO PAY
£40
DEVELOPER
Oddworld Inhabitants
THAN ODD
There were multiple times where the
game’s checkpointing system put me
in the middle of an active firefight. I
would die and respawn with hail of
bullets inches away from Abe’s head.
The collision detection on the
monkey bars is maddeningly erratic
– I’ve clipped straight through them
on more than one occasion. Those
Soulstorm’s basic Soulstorm is an bridged the gap PUBLISHER incidents are emblematic of a larger
rhythms from the
jump. This remains a ideal tribute between facile,
Saturday morning
In-house problem with Soulstorm’s controls,
which are slippery, floaty, and
2D stealth puzzle game, to the cartoon and perturbing REVIEWED ON unreliable, all while simultaneously
in the traditions of
Gunpoint or Mark of
PlayStation era ultraviolence, and the
idea of arming Abe
Windows 10, GeForce
GTX 1070, Intel Core
i7-9700 CPU, 16GB RAM
demanding razor sharp precision.
That’s a shame, because the
the Ninja, or the many with molotov cocktails MULTIPLAYER presentation of Soulstorm’s story and
other games that took initial to clear the path is very much on No characters is top notch. Oddworld
influence from Oddworld all those brand. Unfortunately, I consistently LINK has long been one of the great
years ago. Abe is a wimp; he can’t ran into gaping lapses in gameplay oddworld.com settings in videogames, and the
really fight, nor can he absorb more polish that made Soulstorm more Glukkons’ bleak reign is
than a quarter-clip of gunfire to his frustrating than it should be. Maybe extraordinarily vivid on modern
chest. Glukkon cronies crawl around Soulstorm is an ideal tribute to the machinery. The desolate strands of
the rickety, rust-stained scaffolding PlayStation era, considering the desert and steel, the horizon dotted
that make up most of Soulstorm’s period-specific jank in the code. with towering refineries belching
geometry, and Abe’s best option is inky blackness into the sky above –
usually to sneak past the police force it’s all pitch perfect. Oddworld has
unnoticed, or MacGyver together a never looked more Oddworld. The
few meagre weapons. Perhaps you
lay down a stun mine and make a
ANOTHER WORLD same goes for the narrative, which
takes a couple notable risks in how it
beeline for the exit, or chuck an The history of an odd series alters some of Exoddus’ motifs.
explosive can of soda at the feet of a In some ways, Soulstorm is a
thug before binding them up with a videogame about addiction and its
spindle of Sellotape. lasting consequences, which is
That’s the marquee new mechanic territory rarely explored on PCs. All
in Soulstorm. As in every new game of this will likely strike a chord with
on the market in the 2020s, crafting ABE’S MUNCH’S NEW N TASTY Oddworld lifers, who are also more
systems have come to Oddworld. Abe ODDYSEE ODDYSEE 2014 capable of looking past some of
can accumulate a small trove items 1997 2001 A remake of the Soulstorm’s more eccentric quirks.
that the player can stitch together The bizarre, A bold first game, But as a casual appreciator of this
into ammunition. This makes every fart-filled first (one-footed) reintroducing universe, I spent a lot of my time
adventure. leap into 3D. Oddworld.
encounter a lot more modular than with this game thinking about Lorne
was possible on the PlayStation. A Lanning’s long-gestating desire to
herd of ravenous guard dogs in the make an Oddworld film. It’s an
way? Just pull up the inventory menu attractive prospect: a new work from
and produce a few makeshift the talented Oddworld Inhabitants
grenades. Soulstorm’s forge system team, but without any busted
doesn’t deviate far from the bare collision detection.
essentials – you’re only looking at 11
recipes here – but it is clear that the

65
ABE’S STRANGER’S SOULSTORM VERDICT
powers that be at Oddworld EXODDUS WRATH 2021 Soulstorm’s charm,
Inhabitants want its most ardent 1998 2005 This… this is the characters and sincere
players to keep an eye on what they This sequel was A wild west one you’re narrative are imprisoned
have in the inventory, in order to fire the inspiration first-person reading about
for Soulstorm. shooter spin-off. right now. within some buggy,
up the revolution. erratic software.

82 JUNE 2021
Your choice of dystopian
soft drink.

Soulstorm’s cutscenes
are beautiful.

You alone can save

the Mudokons.

There are a number of changes of pace in

the narrative, including this turret section.

Soulstorm is as much a puzzle

game as it is a stealth game.

JUNE 2021 83
REVIEW
Total War: Rome Remastered

CAESAR SEIZER
TOTAL WAR: ROME REMASTERED makes an
old game palatable again. By Jon Bolding

F or years, Rome: Total War was my favourite game in the series.

It struck the perfect balance between being a game and being NEED TO KNOW
an exercise in history. Total War: Rome Remastered brings back
what I’d call the first great Total War game for the modern era, Remastered
updating much of its outdated UI and scaling it up to 4K and
widescreen displays. It’ll be a trip down memory lane for those who loved
the original and a more palatable experience for modern Total War lovers.
As a remaster, a lot of to new units. The
attention is going to be Graphics look choices are well-served
WHAT IS IT?
retro
Roman
strategy
EXPECT TO PAY
£25
DEVELOPER
Creative Assembly,
Feral Interactive
DONE ROME-ING
It’s a large-scale strategy game that
for its time was huge but is pretty
small by modern standards. It has
fewer unique factions, even with
unplayable ones unlocked by the
remaster, than modern games. The
simplicity ends up being a real
strength. Pick a faction, learn of a
handful of little towns scattered
given to how it looks as good as by a new UI outlining PUBLISHER around the map, and go conquer
and sounds, but what
you really get out of nostalgia says the building tech tree.
Adding to this is a
Sega them. It’s just more bite size and
rewarding over shorter periods than
this remaster is how it they looked 17 new set of screens for REVIEWED ON any modern Total War is.
plays. The old Rome:
Total War didn’t always
years ago the world map, letting Windows
you get access to
10, AMD FX
8350 Eight-Core,
Radeon RX 580, 24GB
With two huge campaign setups
between the original game and the
play well with modern information about the RAM Barbarian Invasion expansion there
hardware. The new one does quite campaign world state at a glance that MULTIPLAYER are a lot of ways to conquer the
well. The rig I played it on was able could be a chore in the original Rome: Yes ancient and early medieval worlds.
to chop along at maximum settings Total War – which settlements are LINK There’s also the Alexander campaign
and peak unit sizes happily, with no biggest? Where are the resources? totalwar.com from that expansion, if you want a
stuttering in even the largest battles. Who do I border? more streamlined experience. It’s a
That’s not to say the graphics or lot of value for money if you’re
sound are lacking. The music enjoying the gameplay.
especially is much higher quality Making these old campaigns easy
than the old game, and whatever
magic was worked there has
IT’LL END IN TIERS and quick to play with a much-
updated and modern user interface is
revitalised one of the best How the factions rank up where Total War: Rome Remastered
soundtracks of an entire era. The Egypt
really, really shines. Where it doesn’t
graphics? Well, it’s a remaster, not a Chariots are OP. shine? The real-time tactical battles.
REIT S

remake. They’re better by leagues, Parthians They were great in 2004, but today’s
with lots of sad building models Kite your enemies to death. standards are much higher. They’re
getting remade, especially on the just clunkier, simpler, and less
campaign map, but they’re nothing Britons dynamic than you want them to be.
compared to any modern Total War. Screaming, blue and naked. The AI tries so hard to do its best
REIT A

The battles especially just look Macedonians to fight you off, but it’s still just as
lackluster because the battlefields are Very, very long spears. easy to trick it out of position or
so bare of terrain features. I think the Greeks hoodwink it with obvious feints.
best compliment I can give is that, Like Macedon but worse. There’s a complexity to the
REIT B

with the changes made, the graphics Carthage interaction of unit types that’s very
look as good as nostalgia says they The imperial also-ran. fun when it shows up, but the
looked 17 years ago. campaign AI just isn’t very good at
What hasn’t changed with age is Gauls
There are loads of them.
producing armies of higher-tier units
how good the Rome: Total War for you to fight. The featureless
REIT C

strategic layer is, and the revamped Thracians battlefields don’t help and were the
campaign map does a lot to highlight Mix of Greeks and barbarians. finger on the scale that made me
the simple-yet-deep empire Numidians click the autoresolve button more
management. The early Total War Too many camels. often than not.
REIT D

system of settlement population does Scythians

all the strategic heavy lifting, asking

72
Never get off their horses. VERDICT
you to choose between upgrading Spain Rome Remastered is a
infrastructure for population growth Don’t even get a historical name. competent remaster of a
REIT E

and long-term income, upgrading Pontus great strategy game, but

trade for pure cash income and Don’t make me play Pontus. it can’t compete with its
building military structures for access modern heirs.

84 JUNE 2021
 Roman infantry throw javelins
at closing Britons.

A force of early Romans

defends a town from Gauls.

The revamped campaign

map looks quite good.

A horde of Gauls do
what they do best.

Legionaries charge a
hoplite phalanx.

JUNE 2021 85
REVIEW
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time

MASK OFF
Turning back the platformer clock in
CRASH BANDICOOT 4: IT’S ABOUT TIME. By Oscar Taylor-Kent

E veryone’s favourite jorts-champion has only recently become

a PC gaming convert, but he’s hit the ground running and is
looking better than ever. This is a gorgeous cartoon
platformer that plays like something out of the genre’s golden
age, but with welcome quality of life improvements.
Time and space have been shattered, masks are locked to sections of a
meaning that Crash and Coco need to stage, so every time you use them is a
run through quirky takes on real-life neatly designed challenge.
historical settings, from pirate ships ‘Challenge’ really is the word the
NEED TO KNOW CocoBeyond
WHAT IS IT?
A return to Crash’s
glory days (with a
return to numbering
to match)
EXPECT TO PAY
£5
DEVELOPER
the standard Crash and
gameplay come Tawna,
Dingodile, and Neo Cortex. They still
platform, smash crates, and collect
gems as they rush to the end of the
stage, but have their own gadgets that
give neat mechanical twists. Beyond a
handful of mandatory stages, their
optional timeline missions take place
at the same time as a level you
to jazzy New Orleans swamps. Most further you get into the game, and Toys For Bob already played as Crash.
of the time you’re running away from some later platforming challenges PUBLISHER Unfortunately, when you reach that
the camera, on pretty linear paths will have your own eyeballs spinning Activision point in the level, the new character
– though as you’d expect it changes with rage. But the exhilaration you REVIEWED ON tag teams off into Crash, where you
to a side-on camera at feel when you pull it AMD Ryzen 7 1700X just start replaying a more
times, and running off is like nothing else, Gigabyte RTX 2080 challenging portion of the stage.
towards the screen for I’ll admit and rarely is your Super 32Gb RAM When I wanted to play as a different
the odd chase that most of untimely demise hard MULTIPLAYER character, I wanted to play as a
sequence. New default
options give you an my deaths to understand – though
some hazards can blur
2 (offline, controller
passing)
different character, not return to a
previous stage for part of it. It just
easily readable shadow felt like my into the busy LINK feels a bit exhausting.
to make jumping extra
clear, and a modern
own fault environments if you’re
not cautious. Thanks to
bit.ly/39R1x6m Which is bizarre, as it doesn’t
need the padding – there’s already a
option ditches lives in an uncapped framerate, wealth of challenges to complete,
favour of just tallying your deaths. I’ll begrudgingly admit that most of including alternative N.Verted
It’s called Crash 4 for a reason, my deaths felt like my own fault. versions of every stage in the game.
picking up the torch of the original On top of all of those, you have
trilogy and evolving it in a way that CREW CONTROL hidden Flashback challenge levels,
legitimately makes sense. This isn’t a Turning back the clock to re- time trials, hidden gems, and the
cynical nostalgia grab like Sonic 4. conceptualise a Crash sequel has devious task of destroying every crate
The big new additions here, the mostly paid off. But, just like some of (which feels a tad too masochistic in
Quantum Masks, change up the the less-favoured original sequels, most stages, even when compared to
platforming. These give you the Crash 4 does stumble upon some the original trilogy).
power to hit a button to toggle more lacklustre additions. Our furry Hitting the coveted 106% is tough.
certain glowing platforms on or off; friend has fallen for the inexplicable But that’s what you want from Crash.
to slow down time; switch gravity allure of platformer grinding, and it’s Sometimes it can be a bit too
onto the ceiling; or give you a not well implemented, especially as frustrating, much in the way the
spinning top super double jump. The you try to collect everything you can. series has always been, but often
those challenges are optional. You
don’t have to smash every crate. You
don’t have to make that tricky,
CREW CONTROL How the best of the rest play… gravity-defying leap just to snag those
extra wumpa fruit. You don’t have to
shave a few seconds off your best
dash though a stage. But you want to,
don’t you? Just because it’s there, and
sometimes it just feels fantastic to
crash and burn.
TAWNA DINGODILE NEO CORTE X

79
VERDICT
Not the same Tawna from previous Half-dingo, half-crocodile, This villainous doctor is responsible There’s the occasional
games, but a more kickass version all-vacuum lover. His big for Crash’s mutations. Armed with a stumble – there always
from another dimension. Her back-mounted tube can suck up laser, he transforms foes into
hookshot can smash crates and crates, including TNT, which can platforms of a solid or bouncy was – but this platformer
enemies from a distance then be shot as a projectile. variety, and can do a floaty headbutt. plays slickly and looks
even better.

86 JUNE 2021
The huge arrows mean you can wall
run, so you don’t get confused.

Both the jet-board and polar bear

return for some frantic action.

This giant masked ghost shows up

early, and is a great design to run from.

Every level’s bonus stage has

plenty of tricky crates to collect.

JUNE 2021 87
REVIEW
It Takes Two

LABOUR OF LOVE
IT TAKES TWO is a brilliant co-op adventure
that runs wild with variety. By Rachel Watts

I t’s not often you see the rom-com genre explored in games.
Everyone knows the formula: a light-hearted story about a pair of NEED TO KNOW
lovers seemingly meant for each other, but kept apart through
kooky circumstances. The interplay between the two main
characters is at the core of these stories, and it’s a relationship
that’s difficult to translate into games. But Hazelight Studios has taken the squabbling
genre head on in It Takes Two, a co-op adventure to be played as a pair.
Cupid’s arrow has easily hit its mark begin with, but It Takes Two’s
here, and the coupling of a romantic world-hopping adventure brings a
WHAT IS IT?
A chaotic two-player
adventure
learn
about a
couple who
the art of
cooperation
EXPECT TO PAY
£35
through some puzzle platforming.
Cody can fire nails into a wall so May
can swing on them with the hook of
the hammer, but this is just one way
these tools can be used. Sometimes,
May will have to break some glass
bottles blocking the way, or Cody will
have to fire a nail into a target to keep
a revolving platform in place. There’s
a lot to get stuck into, and before you
comedy and couch co-op gameplay lightheartedness to the topic. In your DEVELOPER
Hazelight Studios
can get sick of a particular mechanic,
is a match made in heaven. But It bite-sized doll-form, you’ll be the game quickly switches to
Takes Two’s story of a couple trying exploring inside and outside the PUBLISHER something new. I haven’t even talked
to reconnect struggles to capture the family’s home, but each area has a EA about the circuit breaker puzzles, or
whimsey and charm of magical-realist twist. REVIEWED ON the brilliant giant sentient vacuum
the genre. You and Worlds are dense AMD Ryzen 5 3600, cleaner boss fight.
your co-op partner The duo need with mini-games, 8GB, AMD Radeon RX
play as parents Cody to traverse puzzles, platforming, 5700 XT COUPLES THERAPY
and May, who have
been magically multiple packed with action
and rail grinding, and MULTIPLAYER
Two-player co-op
There are attempts at exploring why
the couple has come to the decision
transformed into dolls worlds to break sequences all with LINK to divorce, but it only really skirts the
after breaking the
news to their young
the spell cooperation at their
core. Throughout our
ea.com/games/
it-takes-two
surface of any emotional climax. It
never gets any deeper than the pair’s
daughter that they’re time with It Takes Two, bickering, their differences boiling
divorcing. The reason behind their my partner and I have tinkered with down to one being a workaholic and
transformation is the eccentric Dr time inside a cuckoo clock, escaped the other not having any passion in
Hakim, a moustachioed, from a lair of ferocious moles, their life and occasionally forgetting
anthropomorphic relationship- travelled on the back of a giant to take out the trash.
advice book who has devised a plan ghostly catfish, and had a fistfight Understandably, Hazelight
that will make the couple reconcile with a squirrel on top of an probably wanted to keep things
their differences through the power aeroplane. It’s like the game has been light-hearted to match the genre, but
of cooperation. Dr Hakim’s cheesy made for someone with the attention I think wanting to stick so strictly to
plan is a method the couple is less span of a toddler. the rom-com genre of having a happy
than happy about, but at the promise Each level introduces a new fairy-tale ending instead of a more
of returning to their human bodies, mechanic designed around that area’s nuanced exploration of divorce and
the duo need to traverse multiple world, but even then It Takes Two is parenthood is a miss from Hazelight.
worlds to break the spell. constantly switching up how that Still, it’s refreshing to play a co-op
A couple breaking the news of mechanic is used. The first location game that isn’t so arcadey, and this is
their divorce to their daughter isn’t you get to explore is the family’s one of the best story-driven
quite the set-up I imagined for a garage, and Cody and May are given multiplayer games on PC, sitting
happy-go-lucky romantic comedy to a hammer and nails to help them comfortably next to Portal’s two-
player campaign. One of my favourite
co-op experiences of all time is the
quietly introspective Journey, and if
4 LOVE GURU that’s made special by the fact that
you don’t speak a single word, then It
3 Here’s why I’ll be seeing Dr Hakim the eccentric Takes Two is opposite – its strength is
book in my nightmares it that never has a quiet moment.
1 2 3 4
HIPS TEETH MOUSTACHE EYES

80
VERDICT
The constant Why would a It’s menacing, There’s no life An excellent co-op
gyration of his book need the kind of behind them at adventure that doesn’t
hips makes me human teeth? facial hair a all. It’s like he
2 1 incredibly Deeply super-villain has no soul in take itself too seriously
uncomfortable. unsettling. would have. his pages. – but unfortunately
that’s where it falls short.

88 JUNE 2021
Scorching hot lava in a child’s playroom?
Although It does set the scene.

It Takes Two’s playfulness with Cody and May:

scale is a highlight of the game. pocket-sized edition.
Would you believe me if I said that you
fly on fidget spinners in this world?

JUNE 2021 89
 FREE GAMES REVIEW
COOL TITLES FOR NO CASH by Tom Sykes

The boss is a bit of a pushover. The raft is terrifyingly fragile.

Beat the game to graduate

to a harder version.

SEA HERE
Y
Keeping my head above water in salty roguelike SUPER RAFT BOAT
ou build your own dungeon in the hectic Super Raft Boat, character – you’ll need at least a
which takes place on the open sea – a terrible place. You NEED TO KNOW stitch of wood if you’re to reach the
extend, and repair, a raft by plonking down endless bits of WHAT IS IT? island and end the game. Once there,
driftwood, while soggy terrors including sharks, fish and An action roguelike set you can either recline in the deck
ghosts advance relentlessly towards you. on a fragile raft chair (your cause of death is given as
EXPECT TO PAY ‘relaxation’), or hop aboard a brand
Your main method of defence is, and the sea beasts tear it to bits. Free new raft for the new game plus.
naturally, a gun, which you fire in a Space is at such a premium on your DEVELOPER
typical twin-stick manner. Shoot the raft that you feel every piece of Shattered Journal DON’T ROCK THE BOAT
gulls and leaping fish before they can damage keenly, be it a single bite Games Super Raft Boat has a small scope for
take a bite from you. But kill the from a shark, or a great big gouge PUBLISHER a roguelike: there is only one boss
sharks and the giant sharks before from a bolt of lightning. In-house fight, and no persistent unlocks other
they can chomp on your raft, tearing It’s when the shark-fin hits the fan REVIEWED ON than the two bonus characters and a
chunks of the floor out of your that Super Raft Boat becomes super AMD [email protected], few skins and weapons. I’m not
floating dungeon. interesting. Can you 6GB RAM, GeForce GT complaining, as this might be the first
The shooting is fine: remember the last 610 time I’ve finished a roguelike, while
very screenshakey, if a A hodgepodge roguelike where you those extra characters change the
little lacking in aural island that’s were undone by… a MULTIPLAYER
No game dramatically.
oomph. But the
flooded-world setting is constantly rock? No, they’re
If one LINK There’s Chauncy the shark, who
a veritable breath of growing and dreadful. happens to float
bit.ly/SuperRaft can only stay out of water for so long,
and Roboto the floating ’bot, the only
fresh sea air. Clouds
drift overhead the
shrinking towards your raft – and
you don’t have the
character who can shoot while away
from the raft. Every character has
gleaming ocean, and upgrade that lets you their quirks, and their own particular
later storm clouds and obscuring mist destroy it – all you can do is watch in firearms. Even with its small scope, it
are introduced. It’s an exciting, horror as it tears a path straight should be a while before you tire of
transporting setting, particularly through the middle of your home. repeating those same four levels.
when it’s been so long since many of So, you repair. You make your raft
us have seen the actual ocean. into a big rectangle, or whatever

81
VERDICT
One interesting fact about the shape you prefer. You could even A small but perfectly
ocean is that there’s not a lot of land build multiple rafts, and swim formed roguelike that
in it. Instead you have your raft: a between them. But with the raft a offers good enough
hodgepodge island that’s constantly strict necessity – although its gunplay and nail-biting
growing and shrinking, as you build function varies from character to raft management.

90 JUNE 2021
 FREE GAMES REVIEW

RUN, RABBIT, RUN

Grinding crystals in the athletic MISKA’S CAVE
I n endless runner Miska’s Cave,
you can also endlessly run on
the ceiling, by bounding
gracefully from the bottom to the
top of screen. The game’s rabbity
little hero is more acrobatic than
Helping you out is a giant pile of
unlockable upgrades. By exchanging
crystals you can improve your
character, buy higher difficulties and
different modes of play. Not a fan of
endless running? Have a go at these Pop balloon enemies and
Mario, even before you unlock the ready-made challenges instead. they’ll split into smaller ones.
double and triple jump, which let Crystals are earned in a number of
you switch direction while the ways, including taking bets from a You can purchase spells,
including homing missiles.
bunny is in mid-air. certain character. And, by God, you
need them, as Miska’s Cave is utterly
This athleticism gives Miska’s a in love with the grind.
different flavour from other endless The game only really becomes fair
runners, which tend to focus on pits once you’ve ground (grinded?) to
and obstacles to trip you up. Miska’s embiggen your health. Similarly, I
is all about leaping, and all about its saved up to buy normal difficulty – I
enemies, which come in waves and found this blisteringly tough – only to
fly menacingly towards you. A quick find I had to buy yet another upgrade
slice is all it takes to knock them back to return to easy.
and eventually kill them, but getting Grinding unfortunately breaks the
the timing right is another matter. spell for me. Others may disagree.
Miska’s Cave is quick: runs can be But beneath that crust,
over in a matter of seconds,
depending on how unlucky you are in
the random drawing of enemies.
there lies a nifty,
rewarding runner about
an acrobatic rabbit.
62 NEED TO KNOW
EXPECT TO PAY
Free
DEVELOPER
Soulflee
LINK
bit.ly/3uQCGYl

PAPTRAP
Snapping celebs in nightclubs in ROBORAZZI
D id you know that robots
have paparazzi? Every time
C-3PO stumbles out of a
nightclub, there’s a tin-man
scumbag waiting with a telephoto
lens. Johnny 5 is enjoying a holiday
health. And there isn’t all that much
health floating around.
Because a roborazzi charges its
batteries by taking photos of
celebrities (it’s all there in the lore,
trust me), the other wrinkle is your As you search, party chatter
in Spain, when a pap trundles up dwindling life bar, which depletes as is displayed on the screen.
the beach and takes a photo of his time goes on. While you recover
saggy robo-bod. In Roborazzi, you health for every successful snap, this You can capture multiple
targets in one photo.
are a robot paparazzi, and it’s is still a challenging game that I had
actually a pretty stressful job. to restart a number of times, so I was
grateful that the celebs were
For one thing, you can’t stop. In every randomised every time. Beat the
nightclub-set level, you’re given a list game and you can replay to improve
of targets to take photos of (funkily your score, although more likely
dressed partygoers, or sometimes you’ll smile, delete the folder, and
parts of the scenery). However, as move along to your next game.
your character won’t stop moving – That’s not really a complaint in a
as you shunt them around the gaff landscape teeming with amusing
with WASD – it can be tricky to curios. But while it has your
locate your mark, and to keep them attention, this is a novel, fairly
in shot while you work your camera stressful pixel hunt that
magic. Take a pic of the wrong
person, or stumble into the shot
yourself, and you’ll lose a chunk of
takes its robot-paparazzi
theme and does it a certain
amount of justice.
70 NEED TO KNOW
EXPECT TO PAY
Free
DEVELOPER
Kultisti
LINK
kultisti.itch.io/roborazzi

JUNE 2021 91
 THEY’RE BACK
OLD GAMES REVISITED by Matthew Elliott

Umpteeth playthrough, but this

prick makes me jump every time.

DRAKE EXPECTATIONS
S
Overconfidence: still the biggest killer in DARK SOULS REMASTERED
ometimes it’s nice to go back to places that hold a special place
in your heart, isn’t it? Quaint French seaside towns you NEED TO KNOW afleeting
toddler’s block tower – but it’s a
thing. By the time I reach
holidayed in as a child. The village in which you grew up. The WHAT IS IT? Sen’s Fortress I know the sword will
toilet labyrinth where you spent countless hours fighting A Fighting Fantasy book be as much use as two-legged
diseased rats, cursed lizards, and wobbling stacks of slime, only you actually have to
play without cheating
trousers on a Titanite Demon.
to discover the next area was even worse and all suffering is relative. Thank That’s a handy way of looking at
you for these special memories, Dark Souls. EXPECT TO PAY the whole experience. Starting from
£35 scratch is a different experience –
I had planned to see how far I could when all I really need to do is waltz DEVELOPER Taurus Demon non-deaths aside –
get without dying, in an act of in and batter him. Still, these QLOC, FromSoftware but I know the clock’s ticking. Before
Souls-defying mastery. I’ve been here not-deaths, had they happened, PUBLISHER long I’ll reach a fight I can’t breeze
before, Miyazaki, and I know all your would serve as a reminder not to get Bandai Namco through, even with Ol’ Drakey on my
horrid tricks. I’m even arrogant overconfident. I’m not going to do REVIEWED ON hip. And looking up at The Duke’s
enough to take on the Black Knights, anything rash yet, though. Imagine if Intel Core i7-7700 CUP Archives while I’m hours away, down
parrying and riposting I was desperate enough @ 3.60GHz, 16 GB RAM, in the bowels of the Undead Parish, is
with a calmness I to get the Drake Sword! NVIDIA GeForce GTX a reminder of how far Dark Souls
literally never felt on I’m actually too 1070, Windows 10 takes you. There’s something
my first run. I won’t be good at Dark SOUL SURVIVOR MULTIPLAYER terrifying about seeing how you’ve
too hubristic – Havel
can jog on, for instance Souls to fight OK. I got Drake Sword. Yes got to go, and majestic about looking
back and seeing where you’ve been. I
– but I’m supremely the Taurus But at least I used the
cool, speedrun method
LINK
bit.ly/2Qwwo1g can’t think of another journey in
confident I’ll at least
reach the Capra
Demon instead of just shooting
his arse-tail for 20
games that makes me feel like I’ve
grown and suffered as much as Dark
Demon without any minutes. I make no Souls, and even cheesing the first few
embarrassing deaths. apologies. Asking me to ignore it is hours with the worst kept secret
You need to know that none of the like telling a homeschooled teenage weapon in games can’t change that
deaths on the Taurus Demon count. I boy not to look at naked wobblers sense of achievement.
fell off the bridge twice – not a during double geography. More than
proper death – and died twice anything, it’s a form of nostalgia – a

91
VERDICT
overcomplicating things. If anything, warm, reassuring throwback to one Darks Souls Remastered
I’m actually too good at Dark Souls to of the few times in Dark Souls where proves you can actually
fight the Taurus Demon. He just you don’t feel like a prey animal. It go home again. It’s just
doesn’t realise it yet. I’m trying to does ruin some fights – the Bell rotten and full of
counter-roll and outmanoeuvre him, Gargoyles, for example, go down like monsters out to kill you.

92 JUNE 2021
 REVIEW

CONQUEROR WORM When you’re in the queue for Lidl

on Saturday morning.

Run right and suffer: the INSIDE story

I t’s hard to think of many things
as intuitive as Inside. It’s one of
those games you understand in
the first five seconds precisely
because it tells you bollock-all. Run,
jump, move things, don’t get
elevates it with some unexpected
weirdness. The length helps. Five
hours is enough of Inside’s world. I’m
not sure I could take more.
There’s a knowing brutality to
Inside that at times veers into the
bludgeoned by baddies. There’s blackly comic, but it always retains its
rarely ever any confusion. power to shock. Someone at
PlayDead has spent a disturbing “Cute chicks! Hope I don’t have
to thresh them.”
The pacing of Inside makes it a hard amount of time making animations of
game to stop playing. The puzzles kids being squashed, shattered, or
roll elegantly into each other in a way savaged by dogs. It’s atmospheric, too.
that’s incredibly morish – there’s The sound design adds richness to
some simple part of my brain that the game’s limited palette, with
just loves being rewarded with rumbling water, snarling dogs, and
progress, like a rat in a patronising thrumming machines. In the wrong
maze. My desire to progress is hands it could have been bleak, but
compounded by the endless suffering any game that lets me solve a puzzle
of my nameless protagonist, too. by flinging chicks at a hay bale clearly
Some games spend hours setting me isn’t taking itself too seriously. There
up with a compelling reason to keep are some areas that drag, but Inside
playing, and don’t always succeed. still hangs together well
Inside, however, manages to captivate
me with a story that starts as
‘everything is terrible, run right’ then
enough to provide a short,
nasty shock with a
mind-bending ending.
82 NEED TO KNOW
EXPECT TO PAY
£15
DEVELOPER
Playdead
PUBLISHER
In-house

“What star sign are you? A pithy way of describing an Arranging cartoon poos:
I’m a Sneezing Hedgehog.” agonising death by dragon. my life as a games writer.

DICEY DUNGEONS THE CAVE

T he plan this month was to pick
dark games to go with the theme
of under-places. But as far as
N ot every danger is clearly
labelled. There’s no combat in
The Cave, and very little in the way of
THE LEGEND OF BUM-BO
dungeons go, this one is deliciously peril – you can’t die, and doomed

Y
bright. It’s part gameshow, part RPG, interactions with monsters always
part RNG, part CCG, which is enough result in a quick restart. But the es, it sounds like the sort of thing
acronyms that I’d hit my word count biggest antagonist here is a rope. You you’d secretly rename your little
if I spelled them all out. And while will grow to hate the rope. The rope brother’s diary as a prank. And yes,
that disparate mix should stitch is your enemy. Not because it’s it’s as relentlessly foul and lavatorial
together into some flesh-pit dangerous, but because it’s so slow as The Binding of Isaac, but despite
abomination, Dicey Dungeons is just you could grow a lustrous beard in some thoughtful match-four puzzle
lovely. It’s crisp and intuitive, and, if the time it takes to climb one. And in mechanics and unique cardboard-
anything, mixing all those elements a game that requires lots of cutout presentation, Bum-Bo doesn’t
together makes challenging things backtracking, that can quickly suck inspire the same devotion as Edward
more palatable. Think of it like hiding your will to live. It’s one of a few McMullin’s more well-known trip
grandpa’s medicine inside a key lime unimaginative stumbles in The Cave, around the u-bend. Whereas Isaac
pie. The constant weirdness and a game that otherwise functions as a encourages me to dive back in after
delirious selection of enemies pleasant, mildly-amusing every failure, I’m less inclined
is like you’ve eaten the
drugged pudding yourself. 84 puzzle platformer that never
goes as deep as you hope. 67 to do so after 20 minutes
spent lining up faeces. 70
JUNE 2021 93
96 102
GROUP BUYER’S
TEST
The very best
GUIDE
Top builds to match
lightweight mice. your budget.

100
TECH
REPORT
How to go from 50 fps
to 500 fps in one click.

JUNE 2021 95
 GROUP T EST

LIGHTWEIGHT
GAMING MICE
The key to competitive gaming success?

T
A lightweight mouse… maybe. By Josh Brown
hough we’ve to usurp your desktop from
come quite a the classics.
long way since
hefty rubber When it comes to shedding a
balls traversed few grams each company has
freebie magazine mousepads, taken a slightly different route,
even the most popular resulting in multiple ultra-
gaming mice still have a bit of lightweight gaming mice best
heft to them. Hence why the suited to all manner of player
term ‘lightweight’ has become and grip style. Whether you’re
the major buzzword for looking for cut-outs that
manufacturers looking to flog increase airflow and lighten the
the latest line of top-tier payload, or a wireless option
gaming mice in the past that opts for style over fluid
couple of years. Nowadays useability, there’s an ultra-
there are heaps of lightweight lightweight gaming mouse out
gaming mice available, ready there for everyone right now.

96 JUNE 2021
 HARDWARE
Group Test

Aerox 3 Wireless Makalu 67

STEELSERIES £80 MOUNTAIN £60
The best lightweight wireless gaming mouse Great for larger hands
1
Steelseries has hit a
sweet spot with the
Aerox 3 Wireless. The
Bluetooth connectivity on top of
its lightning-fast 2.4Gz mode.
Paired with a physical CPI
2 The Mountain Makalu
67 is a stylish piece of
kit. It’s also the chunkier
rubber stem pinning it to the
chassis might snag on a
mousepad with any sort of raised
honeycomb perforations spread button just above the mouse option on this list, making it a edge, like from a USB hub.
further than most, giving even the wheel, RGB lighting, a mammoth great choice for the bigger- It would have been nice to see
tops of your fingers a breeze, and 200+ battery life (with fast handed player looking for an the breathable perforations
it features a coarse outer shell for charge and USB Type-C), and an ultra-lightweight clicker. Its large stretch to the thumb and finger
those who need the extra grip. included receiver hub and cable, stature and heavily curved body areas as well, but overall, the
The otherwise beautiful RGB trim there’s a degree of flexibility here should suit palm grips the best, Mountain Makalu 67 is a solid
reveals visible circuitry which, that other wireless options in its but claw grip players shouldn’t choice, and one that’s far lighter
depending on taste, can cheapen grade just can’t match. And it’s notice any major downsides. than it looks. It even features
the overall look. only three grams heavier than the There’s a deeply satisfying handy indentations to make
Small hands and a claw grip other wireless mouse included in click from the two well- replacing the mouse feet a breeze
will go a long way here. Large- this group test. pronounced thumb buttons, when the time comes.
handed palm grip gamers might which sit relatively high up the
find themselves dragging their VERDICT body, giving your thumb plenty of VERDICT
digits. Even when opting for that Great battery life space to work with. The cable is Large but lightweight
slimmer profile, though, the Aerox Breathable casing loose and light enough to whip Gorgeous RGB around the wheel
3 Wireless managed to provide USB-C charging around no problem, but the long Plenty of grip
SPECS WEIGHT: 66G / CPI: 20,000 / POLLING RATE: 1,000HZ / SENSOR: OPTICAL / INTERFACE: WIRELESS, USB, SPECS WEIGHT: 67G / CPI: 19,000 / POLLING RATE: 1,000HZ / SENSOR: OPTICAL / INTERFACE: USB / BUTTONS: 6 /
BLUETOOTH 5.0 / BUTTONS: 6 / ERGONOMIC: RIGHT-HANDED ERGONOMIC: RIGHT-HANDED

JUNE 2021 97
 GROUP T EST

THERE’S NO WAY A
TENSE GRIP WILL
CRUSH IT LIKE A CAN 3

MM720 G Pro X Superlight

COOLER MASTER £48 LOGITECH £130
The travel-friendly ultra-lightweight option A good wireless option that can be great
The Cooler Master Its comparatively tiny footprint Logitech has a storied going deeper into the ecosystem,
3 MM720 is by far the
smallest of the bunch
isn’t just a by-product of Cooler
Master aiming for that ultra-
4 history in the PC
peripheral space, so it
Powerplay wireless charging can
keep it going indefinitely for a bit
here, meaning it’s also the lightest lightweight buzzword: there’s a should come as no surprise to of extra cash.
at a mere 49 grams. It features method in the miniature see them enter the ultra- The side buttons may be a
the trendy honeycomb design but form-factor in that it’s primarily lightweight game. The Pro X little too mushy for some players,
swaps a long body for a stubby designed for a claw grip. There’s Superlight is about as sleek as but had it not been for the
design you could mistake for a no reason a palm or hybrid grip stylish as they come. Devoid of Steelseries, this would be the
cheap travel mouse you’d find won’t work, but prepare for your RGB, it wouldn’t look out of place wireless option to beat. It’s just a
grossly overpriced at an airport digits to curl over the clickers if in an office. Its shell is perhaps shame Bluetooth support may
technology store. that’s the case. Either way, the too smooth, but at a mere 63g it have been cut to save on some
Its smooth, plastic finish isn’t much appreciated finger rest on manages to weigh less than even weight, which leaves its
the most premium around, but the right-hand side should help most wired options while packing connectivity options lacking
there’s no way a tense grip will keep things comfortable. a 70+ hour battery. compared to its rivals.
crush it like a can. And despite the By far the best part of the
perforations, it’s IP58 water- VERDICT Superlight is its wireless VERDICT
resistant, so dropping a gamer Tiny footprint functionality. Sure, the battery of Comfortable
beverage over this thing won’t Appreciable lighting this particular pointer could run Stylish
destine it for the trash heap. Very light dry at a moment’s notice, but by Stellar sensor
SPECS WEIGHT: 49G / CPI: 16,000 / POLLING RATE: 1000HZ / SENSOR: OPTICAL / INTERFACE: USB / BUTTONS: 6 / SPECS WEIGHT: 63G / CPI: 25,600 / POLLING RATE: 1,000HZ / SENSOR: OPTICAL / INTERFACE: WIRELESS, USB /
ERGONOMIC: RIGHT-HANDED BUTTONS: 5 / ERGONOMIC: RIGHT-HANDED

98 JUNE 2021
 HARDWARE
Group Test

4 5 WHAT MAKES A
GREAT MOUSE
SENSOR?
Hyper-accurate sensors
play a big part in gaming
mouse design these days.
At higher refresh rates and
resolutions, the need for
next-generation sensors
exists to ensure players
aren’t held back by the very
thing designed to replicate
their movements. Sensors
need to be capable of
maintaining accurate,
low-jitter operation at high
speed. There are a few key
metrics to look out for: CPI
(counts per inch, often
inaccurately described as
DPI), which determines
how many times a mouse
reports your movement per
inch; acceleration, not to be
confused with software
acceleration, is the rate at
which the mouse will
function with force; and
lift-off distance, which tells
you how far you could lift
your mouse off the mat
while retaining a reading.
Something to consider
when deciding which
mouse is for you.
6

Model O Viper 8KHz

GLORIOUS £66 RAZER £52
The original ultra-lightweight king A snappy sensor you can count on
The Glorious Model O without mushing the two left-side Razer slides into the you’ll have a slightly textured grip
5 takes cues from Razer’s
iconic designs and
clickers. Its body screams quality,
but when you’re not rubbing your
6 ultra-lightweight gaming
market this year with
and curved mouse buttons to
keep you in place. With five CPI
packages it into what feels like a palms all over its smooth skin like the wired Razer Viper 8KHz. The profiles of the box, the only real
more reliable chassis. It features that of a fidget toy, the light name is really just a fancy way of reason to need Razer’s own
contoured left and right-click scratching of the front feet might saying the mouse reports its software clogging up your
buttons, an absolutely fabulous just get into your head. position to your computer a machine is to set a reachable
matte (or gloss) finish that’s silky It’s not the smoothest mouse whopping 8,000 times per toggle, as it’s inconveniently
smooth to the touch, and a on the mousepad, but that could second. Is it noticeable in game? placed underneath.
modestly angled body that will be down to its four comparatively Not really. But it’s a reassuring The whole package doesn’t
offer solid support – with the small feet. And unless you spring claim to fame that should reduce feel quite as high quality as some
correct grip, of course. for the smaller Model O-, it’s not figurative mouse latency to a others, but its ambidextrous
The relatively low profile of the actually the lightest mouse frankly ludicrous low. design makes it the most
Glorious Model O might have around these days. The fast sensor is housed in a well-rounded.
palm grip players scraping their solid plastic chassis that’s
wrists a little too much for VERDICT segmented in a cyborg-esque VERDICT
comfort, while those with larger Well built fashion. And it looks smoother Ambidextrous
hands might struggle to find the Zero tracking issues than it actually is. Lay your palm Unique cyborg design
space for their thumb to sit Smooth yet grippy over the low-profile body and Groundbreaking sensor
SPECS WEIGHT: 67G / CPI: 12,000 / POLLING RATE: 1000HZ / SENSOR: OPTICAL / INTERFACE: USB / BUTTONS: 6 / SPECS WEIGHT: 71G / CPI: 20,000 / POLLING RATE: 8,000HZ / SENSOR: OPTICAL / INTERFACE: USB / BUTTONS: 6 /
ERGONOMIC: RIGHT-HANDED ERGONOMIC: AMBIDEXTROUS

JUNE 2021 99
 TECH
REPORT

Nvidia’s 20-series
cards, from 2016, are
largely associated
with ray tracing, but
also brought mesh
shader support to
the desktop.

THROWING SHADE
T
Or how to go from 50 fps to 500 fps with one click
here’s some benchmarking software you awesome. Just like ray tracing, then. Modern pixel shaders
may have heard of called 3DMark. It’s on do a lot, from bump mapping to shadows to the motion blur Smart
Steam. Recently, it updated its
benchmarks to include the 3DMark Mesh
you turn off in every game.
What they were doing was calculating lighting effects on a access
There’s a parallel
Shader Feature Test, which requires a per-pixel basis rather than at the triangle level. Before there here with
GPU that’s compatible with DirectX 12 Ultimate. The were pixel shaders, there were vertex shaders (vertices in Nvidia’s
test runs twice, once with mesh shaders disabled, then graphics-speak are different to those in geometry, where Resizable BAR
(called Smart
again with them switched on. In 4K, using an RTX 3080 they are the point at which two lines meet – in graphics, they Access Memory
card, we got a framerate of around 50 fps for the first can carry more information, such as the spatial position, by AMD).
run, then something closer to 500 fps for the second, colour, or even texture coordinates that can be used to turn a Traditionally,
with no perceivable difference in what was displayed complex polygon into a triangle mesh) which transform a 3D CPUs could only
on the screen. How the heck did that happen? position into a 2D coordinate plus data for the Z-buffer that access 256 MB
holds depth information. Shaders can manipulate the values of VRAM, so all
instructions had
‘Shaders’ is a term that’s been thrown around in videogames for position, colour and texture, allowing the programmer to to be passed
for a while now, and while it seems straightforward it’s not move, recolour and light the 3D models in a scene. through serially,
exactly obvious. Shaders are programs that run on There are more shaders too, from the geometry shaders in chunks of that
programmable GPUs (that’s most of them) that control the that came aboard Direct3D 10, the tessellation shaders from size. RBAR/SMA
levels of light, dark, and colour in rendered images. They’re a Direct3D 11, to the ray tracing shaders in DirectX Raytracing lets the CPU
access all the
major part of modern games’ lighting effects, and there are that gaming is still getting to grips with. VRAM,
whole shader languages for graphics programmers to, well, Mesh shaders, however, arrived with AMD’s Vega parallelising and
program graphics in. architecture – the one that’s behind cards like the Vega 64 speeding up
Pixel shaders were the ray tracing of their time – players and the Radeon VII. They’re a part of DirectX 12 Ultimate, communication
of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind in 2002 may remember and Nvidia was quick to add them to its toolkit with the over the PCIE
bus, reinventing
being asked whether they wanted to activate pixel shaders. Turing architecture that powers 20-series cards. Both old ways of doing
They only worked if you had a high-end graphics card, there manufacturers have moved on a generation since then, so things.
was a bit of a performance hit, but they made the water look the technology is now embedded in our graphics hardware.

100 JUNE 2021

 HARDWARE
Tech Report

FAR LEFT: Id Tech 4,

the engine behind
Doom 3 (2004) and
Prey (2006) is
notable for
introducing
per-pixel lighting.
LEFT: Comanche 4
was an early
pixel-shaded game,
coming out in 2001.

HOW IT HELPS Making the most of mesh shaders

1 BOTTLENECKS
Nvidia’s Asteroids demo shows the
benefits of mesh shading moving
2 ASTEROIDS
There are 350,000 asteroids here,
each 10 million triangles. But with mesh
3 DISTANCE
The asteroids are separated into
six LOD categories, depending on how
4 TRIANGLES
Here, the asteroids are coloured
depending on their level of detail, with
bottlenecks from the CPU to the GPU. shading, only 50 million are drawn. close they are to the player. closer rocks using more triangles.

Mesh shaders bring a few different things to the graphics index buffer compression, or the use of different index buffers
processing party, including efficiency gains. By dividing for different channels of vertex data. Such approaches can
chunks of an object’s geometry mesh into ‘meshlets’ and reduce memory usage and also reduce the memory
processing them in parallel across the GPU’s cores, they bandwidth used during rendering, boosting performance.”
fundamentally change the rendering pipeline. Mesh shaders’ parallelism means they scale well as you
throw more cores at them, and their flexibility means you can
HOT MESH make decisions about culling geometry that won’t be seen
“Mesh shaders [make] geometry processing behave more like earlier, so less time is wasted processing it, and this also
compute shaders,” wrote DirextX dev lead Shawn Hargreaves applies to LOD scaling, where more distant objects are less
on the Microsoft DirectX blog. “Rather than a single function detailed. Traditionally calculated on the CPU, mesh shaders
that shades one vertex or one primitive, mesh shaders allow them to be moved to the GPU, speeding things up a lot.
operate across an entire compute thread group, with access It’s not just increased core counts and larger amounts of
to group shared memory and VRAM that increase a GPU’s
advanced compute features rendering speed. GPGPU, or
such as cross-lane wave
intrinsics that provide even MESH SHADERS’ PARALLELISM general-purpose computing
on GPUs – think the sort of
more fine-grained control MEANS THEY SCALE WELL AS YOU innovations that came with
over actual hardware
execution. All these threads
work together to shade a
THROW MORE CORES AT THEM DirectCompute in DirextX11,
OpenCL or Nvidia’s CUDA
parallel computing platform
small indexed triangle list, and API – is seeing
called a ‘meshlet’. Typically there will be a phase of the mesh innovations from the supercomputing world move over to
shader where each thread is working on a separate vertex, our gaming GPUs. Many of the world’s fastest
then another phase where each thread works on a separate supercomputers run on GPUs, after all. GPUs are already
primitive – but this model is completely flexible allowing data very good at breaking a complex problem down and
to be shared across threads, new vertices or primitives processing it over many, many cores (8,704 in the RTX
created as needed, existing primitives clipped or culled, etc. 3080) at the cost of high power consumption.
“Along with this new flexibility of thread allocation comes a Mesh shaders, like many innovations in graphics
flexibility of input data formats. Mesh shaders no longer use processing, are all about using these supercomputing
the Input Assembler block, which was previously responsible resources more efficiently, and if that means better
for fetching index and vertex data from memory. Instead, framerates and lower electricity bills, then that’s something
shader code is free to read whatever data is needed from any we can definitely all get behind.
format it likes. This enables novel new techniques such as Ian Evenden
JUNE 2021 101
 YOUR NEXT P C

BUYER’S GUIDE Build the best PC for your budget

ADVANCED

MID-RANGE

BUDGET

KEY
Budget build Mid-range build Advanced build
PC gaming is for everyone. Pick the parts you want to You want to run every new game at 1080p 60fps. This You’re looking for the best PC on the market and
build a new, well-rounded PC for a good price. recommended build will see you through. superior components. But you still want to spend smart.

102 JUNE 2021

 HARDWARE
Buyer’s Guide

BUDGET
A320M-A Pro

W ER T N E
D R AO B R E H T O M

Y
MSI £42

N
Everything you need and nothing else. This
MSI motherboard is simple but it works. And

BUILD
that’s all we can ask for at this price.
Ryzen 5 3400G

W ER T N E
ROSSECORP

Y
AMD £130

N
Capable budget CPU and GPU in one tiny
package, and it also comes with its very
own CPU cooler.
Enjoy 1080p gaming without None

W ER T N E
DRAC SCIHPARG
breaking the bank

Y
This build is tailored to today’s GPU

N
shortage. But don’t fret, once cards are
back in stock you could slot one in to this
PC for an upgrade.
Wraith Spire

W ER T N E
RELOOC

Y
AMD Free with CPU

N
The Wraith Stealth is a great cooler made
even better by the fact it comes free with our
choice of chip. Budget heaven.
Vegeance LPX 8GB (2x 4GB)
W ER T N E
YROMEM

Y
DDR4-3000
N Corsair £39
For gaming we only really need 8GB of RAM,
and this stuff is quick to boot.
MWE White 400W
W ER T N E
YL P P U S R E W O P

Cooler Master £39

N

Small by today’s standards, this PSU from a

trusty manufacturer offers plenty of juice for
this build and a little more.
MX500
W ER T N E
DSS

500GB
N

Crucial £57
One of the best value SATA SSDs you can buy
and plenty fast enough for a snappy OS.
WD Blue 1TB 7200rpm
DDH

Western Digital £37

You don’t necessarily need a HDD in 2020,
but if you’re a virtual hoarder, this’ll give you
loads of useful extra space.
Neos
ESAC

BitFenix £36
You’ll want to minimise how often you rebuild
your PC, so make sure to give it a good home.
This case’ll do nicely.
GW2280
YA L P S I D

BenQ £105
A 1080p60 VA monitor will see you through
in style and, once you upgrade, will make a
superb second monitor.
G213
DRAOBYEK

Logitech £40
It may be a membrane switch board, but it’s

TOTAL
stylish, and well-built. Sometimes that’s
worth more than cheap clicky switches.
G102

£600
ESUOM

Logitech £35
A classic shape delivered in a sleek shell, this
mouse fits all hand sizes and grips. A solid
option for the money.
HS35
TESDAEH

Corsair £40
This headset delivers in-game with its
punchy drivers and clear microphone –
perfect for video calls and multiplayer alike.

JUNE 2021 103

HARDWARE
Buyer’s Guide

MID-RANGE
B450 Tomahawk Max

D R AO B R E H T O M
MSI £120
A reliable platform for your build, the
Tomahawk Max also comes in black to

BUILD
complement any style.
Ryzen 5 3600X

ROSSECORP
AMD £198
This CPU is one of the greats, and uses the
Zen 2 architecture to dominate in gaming
and productivity.
Our recommended build for GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Ed.

DRAC SCIHPARG
playing the latest games Nvidia £369
The RTX 3060 Ti is a little overkill but
we’re willing to make sacrifices elsewhere
to make it work.
Wraith Spire

RELOOC
AMD Free with the CPU
We love a freebie, especially one as capable
as the cooler included with the 3600X. This’ll
keep your machine running smoothly.

YROMEM
Ballistix 16GB DDR4 (2x8GB)
Crucial £75
With plenty of capacity at 16GB, this
unembellished memory has everything you
need for gaming and more.
CX650M
YL P P U S R E W O P

Corsair £93
The heart of your gaming PC is your PSU,
and this 650W Corsair promises to keep your
rig ticking nicely.
S70 1TB
DSS

Addlink £70
Building on a budget doesn’t mean
sacrificing speed – the Addlink S70 proves
you can indeed have both.
WD Blue 1TB 7200rpm
DDH

Western Digital £37

Just like in the budget build, this HDD isn’t
strictly necessary, but for a pretty low price
it’s nice to have plenty of extra space.
Eclipse P400S TG
ESAC

Phanteks £70
An ATX case is all you need for this build. We
like this one because it’s simple, functional,
and really nice to look at.
AOC G2590FX
YA L P S I D

AOC £173
Everything a PC gamer could want: Full HD,
144Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, AMD
FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync compatible.
Alloy FPS
DRAOBYEK

HyperX £80
As the name suggests, this keyboard is built

TOTAL
like an absolute tank, with a steel frame and
Cherry MX switches.
Model O-

£1,438
ESUOM

Glorious £59
Lightweight and responsive, the Model O-
has made a name for itself among streamers
and pros thanks to its clever design.
Blackshark V2
TESDAEH

Razer £94
The Blackshark V2 offers up some killer
audio quality to rival the greats. And at a
reasonable price too.

104 JUNE 2021

 HARDWARE
Buyer’s Guide

ADVANCED
MPG Z490 Gaming Carbon WiFi

D R AO B R E H T O M
MSI £260
A heady mix of enthusiast motherboard
functionality and build quality that stops

BUILD
short of god-tier motherboard pricing.
Core i9

ROSSECORP
10900K
Intel £529
If you want the fastest gaming CPU, look no
further than Intel’s flagship Core i9.

Go above and beyond with a PC GeForce RTX 3080 Founders

DRAC SCIHPARG
powerful enough to end worlds Edition
Nvidia £649
The RTX 3080 is the flagship graphics card
of an entire new GPU generation.
Kraken X63

RELOOC
NZXT £123
One of the most stunning AIO coolers rebuilt
with an updated pump and, of course, RGB
lighting for more pizzazz.

YROMEM
Vengeance RGB Pro 32GB DDR4
(2x16GB) @ 3,200
Corsair £176
If you truly want to show off, even your
system memory should be aglow with RGB.
SuperNOVA 1000 G5 Gold
YL P P U S R E W O P

EVGA £200
This calibre of gaming PC draws a lot of
power. Thankfully, this PSU can handle it
with high efficiency
WD Black SN750 1TB
DSS

Western Digital £169

Western Digital is back on Samsung’s heels
with this brilliantly fast, yet affordable, 1TB
M.2 NVMe SSD.
860 QVO 2TB
DDH

Samsung £195
Built on QLC flash memory, it’s not the
quickest storage around, but it’s a speedy
alternative to an HDD.
600C
ESAC

Corsair £135
If you’re going big on parts, you should grab
a case that has plenty of room for upgrades
down the line. This one will do just fine.
Nitro XV273K
YA L P S I D

Acer £780
This one’s an easy choice – 4K and 144Hz for
under a grand is an offer we can’t refuse, and
neither should you.
G915 Lightspeed
DRAOBYEK

Logitech £210
Low-profile mechanical switches are just the

TOTAL
icing on the cake that is the superb, wireless
Logitech G915.
G502 Lightspeed

£3,666
ESUOM

Logitech £110
With a lengthy battery life and a phenomenal
sensor to keep you gaming at your best, the
G502 is undoubtedly one of the finest.
Arctis 7 Wireless
TESDAEH

SteelSeries £130
If you’ve settled on a wireless keyboard and
mouse, the last thing you want is a pesky
cable to your headset.

JUNE 2021 105

 EXTRA LIFE
CONTINUED ADVENTURES IN GAMING
This, but with my
Xbox controller.

“Forcing yourself into basic

competency reframes the experience”
SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE goes down much smoother the second time around

F or the last year or so,

I’ve only associated
Sekiro with
frustration and
anxiety. I wrote about
beating the final boss using a
JAMES DAVENPORT
THIS MONTH
Rewrote bad memories
over with good ones.
ALSO PLAYED
The initial hours leading up to and
including the first bout with
Genichiro feel like a different game
with a clear understanding of Sekiro’s
swordplay. Because I’ve already
rejected my Dark Souls instincts, I’m
slow-motion mod when Sekiro Loop Hero,
Spelunky 2
clearing arenas without much issue.
released, which led to dozens of Parry timing is baked into my brain
death threats in the inbox and with most enemies, and I’m better
mentions, and to a meme big now, at least. I’ve been inside for a able to oscillate between stealthy and
enough to make the news all over year. The Snyder Cut exists. Actual aggressive play. It’s odd, really,
the internet, from Vice to the BBC. Elden Ring footage leaked. Anything because Sekiro is the most forgiving
The voice actor for Liquid Snake, is possible, so I might as well try to From Software game 80% of the
Sonic the Hedgehog, and the reconnect with Sekiro. time. There’s not a single non-boss
XCOM commander all chimed in I’m realising that I’ve always loved
with takes on the thing. “You not Sekiro, I only thought the last boss
only cheated yourself…” was bullshit. I still do, but the journey SEKIRO IS THE MOST
It was funny in retrospect, but not
there is a blast, and even better once
you’ve subjected yourself to the FORGIVING FROM SOFTWARE
while in the eye of the hurricane. I
didn’t touch Sekiro after that. Until
misery tax Sekiro demands up front
in order to learn how it works.
GAME 80% OF THE TIME
106 JUNE 2021
 NOW PLAYING
THE GAMES WE LOVE RIGHT NOW

What the big gorilla I can’t wait to not loot

boss feels like now. this guy’s corpse.

Easy peasy.

“If you can’t eat it

then it’s junk”
Rejecting capitalism in LEGEND OF GRIMROCK 2
encounter you can’t just run away ROBIN VALENTINE and it’s all very exciting, but you just
from for a quick mental reset, and can’t help bogging down your quest
after you’ve proved your mettle you THIS MONTH
Learned to live without
by picking up absolutely everything
can just grapple hook through the material things. in sight. As you hit space limits or
whole damn game. Sekiro isn’t an your weight capacity, you have to
elegant teacher, but forcing yourself ALSO PLAYED trudge back to town to sell all your
into basic competency reframes the Legends of Runeterra, pointless gubbins, usually inflating
whole experience. Trials of Fire your gold supply to the point where

R
Some highlights from Sekiro, money becomes meaningless before
Round 2: the ape fight is now my PGs trend towards the game is over. Crafting systems
favourite. I’m no longer pissed about bloat. People want only make the compulsion worse,
the surprise second form. I can also bigger worlds, more imbuing every piece of detritus in the
finally parry lightning, which made stuff, greater choice. environment with a dangerous sort of
Genichiro’s final form a much cooler, But as in any genre, potential. ‘But what if I need it later?’
smoother affair. Ingesting Sekiro’s the things that are missing can end
combat vocabulary takes time, but up defining the experience far more ONE MAN’S TRASH
little in games feels better than than what’s there. In the world of Grimrock, the only
building up that demonstrable potential anything has is in helping
instinct. My favourite a-ha moment After adoring the first game, I’ve you to survive right now. Is this axe
was noting that the Okami people finally recently dived into Legend of better than your current one? No?
were weak to poison in a tidbit of Grimrock 2, and it’s reminded me of Then its only worth is as a heavy
item description, then testing the one of my favourite absences in object to hold down a pressure plate.
Sabimaru attachment to trivialise gaming: neither game has any It might have beautiful gold inlay, and
every fight with them. merchants. In fact, they have no be the only one of its kind in the
I’m also better able to appreciate commerce at all. You can’t trade or entire game, but if you can’t eat it
the narrative this time around. barter. There isn’t even any money. then it’s junk.
Having already pieced together the Any gold or jewels you do find are Everything only has the value you
basic story, I can pay more attention just dead weight – if you can drag give it, and it’s amazing how freeing
to the details now, and there’s a lot to them to the end of the game, you’ll that is. I leave a trail of shields,
appreciate. I know who Tomoe is and earn an achievement, but really they helmets, and swords in my wake, and
see signs of her history everywhere. serve no function. I never have to give any of them a
A shame we didn’t get to see that That’s got to be almost unique second thought. Instead I save my
story told in DLC or comic book among RPGs – I struggle to think of limited inventory space for the things
form. My renewed fascination set me another without any means at all of I truly treasure. Like a stack of
off on a VaatiVidya lore video bender, buying or selling goods. And it deftly pebbles I can use to solve all manner
watching every one of his Sekiro story solves a classic problem almost all of puzzles, or a piece of cheese for
summaries and character-focused RPGs have: hoarding. my ratman leader to scoff later, or an
videos in a single session. We’ve all been there – you’re old scroll with a useful potion recipe
The only thing left to do? Take travelling the lands, recruiting on it. For once I’m not a hoarder –
down the final boss. Wish me luck. companions and vanquishing evil, I’m a survivor.
JUNE 2021 107
 NOW PLAYING
THE GAMES WE LOVE RIGHT NOW

The loop starts barren, but

quickly fills up with cards.

Combat doesn’t require the player

to do anything but hope and pray.

“It’s my job to experiment and find

ways to game the system in my favour”
LOOP HERO is a retro card-battling RPG that’s as obtuse as it is fascinating

R etro indie games are

too common these
days, but it’s rare to
find one that so
bravely – and
resolutely – clings to the past. Sure,
STEVEN MESSNER
THIS MONTH
Walked 500 miles to fight
an evil lich.
ALSO PLAYED
TRIAL AND ERROR
What makes Loop Hero so tantalising,
though, is how mysterious it all is.
Almost nothing is explained, so it’s
my job to experiment and find ways
to game the system in my favour.
throwbacks like Hyper Light Drifter Valheim, Legends of
Runeterra
There’s a ton of secret interactions
or Celeste evoke games of bygone that can unlock all sorts of powerful
eras, but they mix that together (or fatal) side-effects. Drop a Vampire
with a ton of very modern design It’s a little bit like if the deck- Mansion right next to a Village, and
and graphical features. But Loop building roguelike Slay the Spire and instead of healing you the villagers
Hero doesn’t just echo games of some clicker games had a baby. will all be turned into nasty ghouls
yore, it feels like a long-lost relic. To Instead of actively controlling your for a few laps. Eventually, though, the
put it bluntly: this shit is old school. hero, they just march ever onward villagers and vampires will settle into
and fight entirely of their own a symbiotic relationship which means
The idea is brilliant in its simplicity: volition. Your mission is to walk a the village now heals much more HP
you play an adventurer who survived fine line where they fight ever-more than it ever did before. Uncovering all
an apocalyptic event in which an evil challenging monsters while still of these secret tricks is deeply
lich erased the world. To restore earning enough loot to boost their satisfying. There were frustrating
everything, you walk along a barren stats so that they can survive each times where it felt like I couldn’t
loop of road fighting monsters. fight. Sitting back and watching this survive more than a few laps around
Sometimes these monsters drop all unfold and occasionally playing the map, but I’ve now mastered the
cards, which you can then place new cards or equipping new gear game to the point where I can beat
either on the road, beside it, or sounds boring, and yet I found myself its toughest bosses and return to my
somewhere off in the inky 50 hours in with no plans to stop – main base loaded with treasure.
nothingness that surrounds you. I’m enjoying it that much. Going in It’s been a while since I overcame
Placing a Swamp card, for example, circles has never been this much fun. a game like that. And it harkens back
means mosquitos will begin to spawn to an era when games weren’t so
on that tile next time I pass through. eager to please or help the player.
I might earn some equipment from IT’S A LITTLE BIT LIKE IF Loop Hero is so confident in what it
killing one or some nice resources, or
maybe I’ll just die and lose everything SLAY THE SPIRE AND SOME does well that it doesn’t need to
explain itself. That may turn off a lot
and have to start building my loop
again from the beginning.
CLICKER GAMES HAD A BABY of people. But Loop Hero is an enigma
that’s been a joy to unwrap.
108 JUNE 2021
 EXTRA LIFE
NOW PLAYING I UPDATE I MOD SPOTLIGHT I HOW TO I DIARY I WHY I LOVE I REINSTALL I MUST PLAY

“New me doesn’t worry about

anything except not worrying”
Can DISCO ELYSIUM work as a tool for developing self-confidence?

I ’m sorry about my
first playthrough of
Disco Elysium. So
sorry, in fact, that the
game branded me
‘Sorry Cop’ – the human equivalent
MATTHEW ELLIOTT
THIS MONTH
Went on a journey of
self-improvement.
ALSO PLAYED
so I can better see my reflection
– and then I even fix the expression
on my face as well. (We’ll skip over
the bit that says I look like a sad, old
man. A sad, confident old man.) It’s
not enough. My eruption of self-
of a Hallmark sympathy card. I Dicey Dungeons,
Loop Hero
improvement needs structure, so I
spent the first hours of the game buy a map. Something, despite being
trying to make up for all the awful over 40 hours into the game, I’m yet
things my character probably did, This is the proof I didn’t need that to do. This lets me tick off specific
without really knowing what they brazen self confidence always leads tasks Useless Former Me left
were, in a haze of post-booze to positive results and I can’t envision unfinished. I lift barbells and get
self-loathing that felt entirely too a single circumstance where this discounts on key items in the pawn
much like innumerable Sunday won’t be the case. That’s the sort of shop. I don’t worry about how people
mornings. But this time it’s going to thing old me would worry about. will react. It’s a revelation. My only
be different. I’m going to live life New me doesn’t worry about regret is the hours I spent worrying
(or play Disco Elysium) without anything except not worrying. about other people’s feelings.
boundaries. I’ll pick the most And then Disco Elysium ruins it. I
confident option even if it leads to SENSE OF WORTH find a lifeless body on a boardwalk. A
results that nobody desires. My thrusting self-confidence man who died drunk and alone. And
Nothing says ‘assertiveness’ like manifests elsewhere. I decide to find the hard-to-spin-into-an-inspiring-
choosing things based on how out what my heraldic bird is and story news is that it’s the husband of
much other people don’t want me conclude it must be a Major Majestic the woman I was talking to earlier.
to have them. cockatoo. A normal cockatoo just Telling her about his death is
wouldn’t cut it. I try to fix the broken genuinely touching and sad, and had
The first example of this manifests as tap in my bedroom with chain cutters the game even offered a brassy,
me finding a woman’s missing swaggering way to break the news,
husband. Except he’s not missing and I’m not sure I’d have taken it. It’s a
she doesn’t want me to find him. But I’M GOING TO LIVE LIFE (OR moment that makes me wish I’d put
the new, assertive me insists she does,
so I keep pushing, only to discover PLAY DISCO ELYSIUM) fewer points into empathy in real life
– but I’m more glad than ever I’ve got
that he actually is missing and she
sort-of wants me to track him down.
WITHOUT BOUNDARIES them in Disco Elysium. Thank you for
coming to my TED Talk.

Could an under-confident man do this?

A face that says,

“I like those odds!”

JUNE 2021 109

 UPDATE
WHAT’S NEW IN THE BIGGEST GAMES

WARFRAME
An overhaul for the contentious space combat. By Steven Messner
Fortunately, that was the only
hiccup I really had getting into
Railjack. As part of the overhaul, the
entire progression system for it has
been streamlined so that it feels
much more in sync with Warframe’s
other main features, like Archwing
flight suits and up-close running and
gunning. The old system for modding

W
your own Railjack has been gutted
hen Warframe first NEED TO KNOW entirely and replaced with a new
added ship-to-ship modding system that works similarly
space combat back in RELEASE DEVELOPER to modding your individual guns or
2019, it was easily one March 25, 2013 Digital Extremes warframe exosuits. Cards you earn
of its most ambitious PUBLISHER LINK from missions can be slotted into
updates ever. The free-to-play loot In-house warframe.com different spots on the mods table to
shooter had experimented with unlock their bonuses.
zero-G fights with Archwings a few If you haven’t played Warframe There’s also a completely new set
years earlier, but Railjack was (or are a lapsed player), what you of skill trees devoted to different
much akin to Sea of Thieves. should know is that Railjack is playstyles in Railjack. Investing into
Players form a crew and explore extremely fun. The new update the Captain tree, for example, let’s
dangerous asteroid fields makes it easier than ever to pilot one you unlock crew slots on your ship
surrounding various planets aboard all by yourself or find a crew to run that can be filled with recruitable
a ship called a Railjack with missions with, and it also makes it so NPCs to stand-in for actual players.
multiple stations each player can you can build your own Railjack ship Meanwhile, one useful Gunnery
take control of. Or they can eject without much effort – though there
themselves into space and board are some glaring problems.
enemy ships, destroying them from
OFF THE RAILS
A HUGE REVAMP
the inside. But as cool as Railjack is,
it fell woefully short of what Before the update, for example, THAT FIXES A
players expected. For one, it was Railjacks could only be built by player LOT OF THE
just too damn complicated. clans that had first finished
construction on a Drydocks room in BIGGEST ISSUES
That’s what Warframe’s latest update their clan dojo. Now the major player
is trying to fix. Called Corpus Proxima hubs (called Relays) have their own upgrade lets you swivel the
and The New Railjack, this update Drydocks everyone can use. The secondary cannons 360 degrees to
completely overhauls Warframe’s problem? There’s currently no way to track your enemies and then blast
ship combat to make it both more start the Railjack intro quest and start them away with glee.
accessible to all types of players, less building one because one of the items Along with the new missions
obtuse, and, best of all, much less you need to start the quest can still types, I’m having a lot of fun with
grindy. It also adds a new region to only be obtained from clan Drydocks, Railjack. It’s thrilling being inside
explore with different missions, not the public ones. It’s an issue that your ship one minute, out in space
enemy types, and some new rewards required me to shell out some fighting in your Archwing suit the
that’ll make Railjack more enticing to platinum (Warframe’s premium next, and then infiltrating an Grineer
players. It’s a huge revamp that fixes currency) in order to get my own crew ship from the inside,
a lot of the biggest issues with the Railjack directly from the in-game commandeering it, and using it
Railjack game mode, but it also still market, and this feels like it is a against the enemy. Warframe still has
needs more work. massive oversight. a problem where new features like
Railjack often feel like islands
separated from the main game –
secondary pockets of grinding that
ROLE PLAY don’t feed back into your main
journey all that much, but now
The four roles every Railjack crew needs to fill Railjack feels a lot more in tune with
the rest of Warframe.
There’s still a lot of problems to
solve alongside annoying issues, but
this feels like a much better
foundation for the future of the
PILOT GUNNER ARCHWING PILOT ENGINEER game. Railjack represents a big leap
It’s your job to pilot the
Railjack around the map,
Use the side guns and
forward artillery to blast
Exit the Railjack and
engage enemy ships with
Repair hull breaches on
the Railjack, repel
forward for Warframe and, after its
keep it alive, and fight any and all enemy ships your Archwing flight suit. boarding parties, and first year left a lot of players
any enemy ships that that happen to get in your Board crew ships to synthesize more essential frustrated or turned off by the mode
get too close. way in space. commandeer them. Railjack ammo. entirely, its refresh feels like a chance
to start over again.
110 JUNE 2021
New armaments and mods are
frequently found during fights.

Boarding enemy ships is just like You can use Archwings to fly around
a traditional Warframe mission. freely outside of the Railjack.

Commandeering enemy ships

never stops being fun in Railjack.

JUNE 2021 111

 MOD SPOTLIGHT
MAJOR MODS, ANALYSED
The pedestrians are laughable today,
but were once groundbreaking.

Redriver 2’s improved draw distance

is immediately noticeable.

112 JUNE 2021

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NOW PLAYING I UPDATE I MOD SPOTLIGHT I HOW TO I DIARY I WHY I LOVE I REINSTALL I MUST PLAY

REDRIVER 2
Driver 2 comes to PC for the first time. By Jeremy Peel

T he Las Vegas strip,

chunkily but
recognisably rendered
in PS1 polygons,
screams by at a rate of
about two lampposts per second. I’d
through a huge amateur effort, led by
a software engineer who goes by the
moniker SoapyMan, fans have finally
succeeded in reverse engineering the
PlayStation code that powered
Reflections’ tribute to Bullitt.
check the speedometer for a more
conventional reading, but I daren’t WHEEL DEAL
look down for even a moment. As I You can see the gruelling timeline
weave between the street furniture laid out on GitHub: an entire year
into oncoming traffic, two squad dedicated to building the skeleton
cars mimic every jerk of my and making preparations, then
steering wheel. They’re so close several months more getting the
behind that, occasionally, the nose game fully playable with its cutscenes
of a pursuit vehicle bumps into the intact. But the modders didn’t stop
rear end of my 1971 Dodge there – they’ve since fixed bugs that
Challenger, nudging the speed still Reflections never got to, and
higher. This is fender bender figure completed some “unfinished
skating, and it only ends one way: gameplay aspects”. They named the
with a car-totalling crash. The project Redriver 2, after the Red River
question is whose. bar that’s shot up in the game’s intro,
and put it out before Christmas.
Eventually, my slaloming across the It’s an ordeal to install – starting
central reservation succeeds in with ripping image files from the
sending one panda into a neatly
manicured tree outside a casino, and
the second crumples straight into the WHILE THE TECH
wreckage. One of the drivers radios
in the result, presumably through a MAY BE ANCIENT,
heavy nosebleed, “We lost ’em.” REFLECTIONS’
CONTROLLER SUPPORT
It’s the kind of classic car chase
PC gamers knew well in 1999, when HANDLING STILL
Three tricks on Redriver 2’s pad
Driver came out. But what happens FEELS MODERN
next is new. With the cops gone from
my rear-view mirror, I get the hell original PlayStation discs, and ending
out of my Dodge, stepping onto the with me consulting a step-by-step
tarmac. Black smoke plumes from its YouTube video. But it works, and
hood as if announcing the selection how. While the tech may be ancient,
of a new pope, but I’m actually Reflections’ handling still feels
picking a new disguise. I plump for a modern. There’s a good reason for
Chevy pickup, leaving the Challenger that: the studio’s physics know-how
and its heat burning in the middle today underpins the vehicles in
lane of the Boulevard. When the next Watch Dogs and Ghost Recon.
police cruiser passes, all its driver Redriver 2 is a light-touch mod.
sees is a weekend gambler trundling Much of what it does is invisible,
safely below the speed limit. mimicking the convenience and
This is Driver 2 – until now, a accessibility features of contemporary
missing link in the development of games – the likes of autosaving and
urban driving games that ultimately subtitles in cutscenes. Then there are
L1 + Y + DIRECTION B gave us GTA III. Bafflingly, the sequel the subtler touches, like the leaves
THUMBSTICK BUTTON A rear-wheel to a million-seller only ever came out being disturbed by the whoosh of
Throwing the wheel
into full lock can
Clamber out of your
car toward a slick
burnout can get
you moving fast,
on the PlayStation, on two discs, and vehicles flying by.
instantly correct a new ride parked on but watch out for on the Game Boy Advance in a form The deepest changes are reserved
handbrake turn. the street. oversteer. more truncated than a cop car for cop AI, which is both smarter and
wrapped around a telegraph pole. But better balanced for difficulty. New
JUNE 2021 113
 MOD SPOTLIGHT
MAJOR MODS, ANALYSED

navigation and pathfinding leaves Speaking of whom, Driver 2 Chase the Gunman, which remains
them well equipped to trail me introduces Jericho, the series notorious among series devotees. The
around the feet of Vegas’ replica antagonist last seen in 2011. gunman takes off down a lethal
Eiffel Tower – but equally, cops can Resplendent in a floor-length trench Brazilian mountain pass, weaving
no longer spot me if I’m driving coat and carrying two sawn-off between two lanes of traffic on a
above or below them. That’s shotguns, despite the very real danger narrow high wire where a single
significant, given that one of Driver of kickback damage to his shoulders, mistake means death.
2’s 20-year-old innovations was he epitomises the turn-of-the-
sliproads and overpass systems, and millennium action genre in all its CORNERED
they’re sprinkled liberally around its fantastic absurdity. To make matters more painful,
recreations of Vegas, Havana, Rio and The Vegas sequence is perhaps Reflections alters its physics for
especially Chicago. the high point, as the two vying gangs encounters like these – granting your
converge on the city. What ensues is target the centred momentum of an
SILENT RUNNING something like a playable Scorsese armoured train. A perfect PIT
Like its predecessor, Driver 2 is a montage – the kind that alludes to a manoeuvre, which would ordinarily
vehicular stealth game that year of tit-for-tat bombings and steer an opponent off the road,
sometimes requires you to loiter at a takedowns, only with you playing out instead pings you off the cliff edge
junction or feign respect for the each vignette. One high-concept like a pinball. The only way to win is
highway code while a lawman rolls level, in which you race to overtake a with gentle dents to the target’s
by. The act usually lasts just a few train and swap vehicles on the tracks, bumper – or, if you’re daring enough,
seconds before you floor it to reach saving the victim trapped in the boot an overtake followed by a hard brake.
an objective as your timer runs down. Abandoned forum posts speak of
But it’s the tension between the two all-night sessions skidding around the
conflicting needs, for speed and THE REDRIVER 2 same cursed corners, or years of
caution, that makes getting from A to
B entertainingly unpredictable. TEAM HAS scattered attempts ending in sudden
and unexpected victory. I was
In retrospect, it’s easy to see the PRESERVED fortunate: it only took me a week.
attraction of Reflections to its current
owner, Ubisoft. You can see the REFLECTIONS’ That sort of ordeal would rightly
be called out if Redriver 2 were a
parallels with Assassin’s Creed’s
tailing missions – Driver 2 sometimes
EXACTING DIFFICULTY commercial product released today.
And yet it’s exciting to be challenged
asks you to follow a car while keeping of the second vehicle, contains more in this way by an urban driving game.
your distance – and the vision cone drama in 30 seconds than many Even now, only motorsport
stealth of Black Flag. driving games do in half an hour. simulations demand real mastery
In vibe and setting, however, Brief though that final successful from their players – no street race in
Driver 2 is totally itself. Told through run may be, a single Driver 2 mission GTA V will ask you to perfect the
cutscenes of unusual cinematic flair can easily gobble hours. Aside from flick of a steering wheel. Watch Dogs,
for the time, this 1970s crime thriller one tweak to a jump from an meanwhile, seems to have given up
isn’t so much dripping cool as exploding ship, the Redriver 2 team on driving missions completely.
sopping with it. A gang boss’s has preserved Reflections’ exacting Cheap and cruel as Chase the
accountant has defected to a rival difficulty. Back then, the studio didn’t Gunman’s tricks are, they can only be
syndicate, and the potential for lost balance its games with the help of overcome with consistently excellent
trade secrets has the criminal regular focus testing, as it later did driving – hurtling between static
underworld ready to boil over. with Driver: San Francisco. Instead, it objects at terrifying speeds, and
Enter undercover cop Tanner and relied largely on the instincts of pulling off handbrake turns without
his partner Jones, looking to find the director Martin Edmondson, who it’s so much as half a second lost to
accountant and defuse tensions fair to say must be one of the best oversteer. Redriver 2 gifts us with a
– engaging in smoky conversations in Driver players in the world. chance at road virtuosity, a space to
basement bars, sleuthing in the vents Fail states come fast and satisfy the sneaking suspicion that
of sweaty Havana warehouses, and frequently, particularly during levels you might just be the best getaway
enabling no small number of where you’re required to catch up driver in Los Santos, if only you were
getaways as they ingratiate with and take down another driver. given something to push against.
themselves with the bad guys. There’s one late-game scene, named In fact, I suspect that Redriver 2 is
actually harder than its inspiration.
Play Driver 2 on a PlayStation
emulator, and you’ll see that the game
ROGUE’S GALLERY Meet the cast of Driver 2 slows right down when things get
busy – covering for lost frames on the
limited hardware. In effect, console
players were navigating that Rio
mountain pass in convenient slo-mo.
Now, on PC, there’s no such crutch.
All of which is to say that if you
TANNER JONES JERICHO SOLOMON LENNY complete Redriver 2, you can
Ace wheelman and Tanner’s partner, A hitman whose Jericho’s boss is A slimy mob money consider yourself the top player on an
undercover cop,
our star gets more
who spends the
latter half of the
tactic is to stand
stock still in the
caught on the
backfoot from the
man whose
defection is the
ancient, forgotten leaderboard. And
talkative over the game dangerously street and blast start of the game, catalyst to an even if you don’t catch up with that
course of the deep in gang cops. Somehow but gives as good international gunman, you will have played some
series. drama. always survives. as he gets. gang war. of the finest car chases ever
committed to code.
114 JUNE 2021
 EXTRA LIFE
NOW PLAYING I UPDATE I MOD SPOTLIGHT I HOW TO I DIARY I WHY I LOVE I REINSTALL I MUST PLAY

The Redriver 2 team

restored traffic light trails.

Another Tuesday
night in Vegas.

Collisions are crunchy and

grimace-inducing.

JUNE 2021 115

 HOW TO
GET MORE FROM YOUR GAMES

Defeat The Lich in

LOOP HERO
Exact carefully-orchestrated revenge on the world-destroying first boss. By Harry Shepherd
NEED TO KNOW
DIFFICULTY
Easy
TIME
One hour
VITAL LINKS
Loop hero classes:
bit.ly/3r9ZUXf
Card combo list:
bit.ly/3f55zvq
ESCAPE ARTIST BASE CAMP BAR HUMBUG
All bosses guide: 1 Assess your situation each time you
start a new loop. You’ll only limp 2 Any feelings of shame from ducking
out early will fade when you have more 3 Keep your eye on the progress bar in
the top-left of your screen with a skull
bit.ly/31vRoHw
back to camp with 30% of your hard- resources to spend back at camp. Prioritise next to it. It gradually fills each time you play
earned resources if you die, so there’s no buildings like the Herbalist’s Hut to give you a card, and it’ll end with the Lich spawning
shame in backing out if things are getting potions and the Field Kitchen to boost your on your camp. To help prevent that, don’t
tough. The Lich can wait. campfire’s healing powers. play cards willy nilly.

EAT THE LICH

5 You can use
Oblivion to
delete cards and
reduce the boss
progress bar, but
TIME TEAM save some for The
4 The bar above the boss spawn
indicates how much time has passed
Lich’s palaces. They
spawn with the boss
in each day. Many tiles will trigger their around your camp,
effects based on the passing of time – each giving him a
including monster spawns and the healing 5% stat boost up to
effect of meadows. 35%. Ouch.

PLANNING
6 Another way
to stop The
Lich’s palaces
spawning is to get
there first. With the
status of the boss RARE FIND
progress bar in 7 Don’t automatically swap in new
mind you can place higher-levelled gear. Check its stats
tiles near your first and make sure it fits your build, noting
campfire to deny that rarer gear gives more bonuses. Unused
The Lich its palatial gear turns to scrap if your inventory fills,
bonuses. which is a useful resource.

116 JUNE 2020

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PEAK GRINDING Repeat the best card combination for more rewards

1.BUILD
IT UP
Place Rocks in a 3x3
grid. This gives you a
Mountain Peak, but you
can only have one
active at a time.
2.COLLECT
Now you’ve got
resources and a health
boost. You’ll get a harpy
spawning onto your
loop every two
days now.

3.KNOCK
IT DOWN
Use an Oblivion card
to replace the Mountain
Peak with a new Rock
or Mountain to get
extra resources.

SURPRISE MECHANICS RISK REWARD HEAD START

8 Tiles react to each other in intriguing
ways, so it pays to experiment with 9 Gear is acquired by killing enemies, so
loading up your loop with hostiles 10 That said, filling your board with
enemies early on could play into your
your card placement. As you place cards, increases your chance of decent loot you’ll hands, if your increased loot drops bear
study the changes that happen to itself and need against The Lich. However, that means fruit. The Lich’s difficulty scales with the
adjacent cards carefully. Note: there are few your world will be more perilous, so add new level of your loop – the earlier you spawn it,
that are solely good or bad. foes with caution. the weaker it’ll be.

CROWD
CONTROL
11 Maximise the
effectiveness
of friendly boons by
spawning enemies
close together. ROGUE STATE
Blood Groves will 12 Choose the rogue class to fight The
finish off hostiles Lich. If you’ve been unable to prevent
with less than 15% some of The Lich’s palaces spawning, upping
HP remaining, so your evasion stats to avoid its damage will be
make the most of essential. Ram home your advantage with
it’s area of effect. vampirism and critical hit boosts.

JUNE 2020 117

 DIARY

GTA V:
TRYING TO STAY ALIVE IN

CHAOS MOD
PART III
We square off against the Chaos Mod one
last time. Who will emerge victorious?
By Rick Lane

118 JUNE 2021

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NOW PLAYING I UPDATE I MOD SPOTLIGHT I HOW TO I DIARY I WHY I LOVE I REINSTALL I MUST PLAY

1
THE RULES
Every five minutes,
a random event
will occur.
W hen I last grappled with Grand Theft Auto
V’s Chaos Mod, which throws random
events into the game like a rogue barista
pouring hot sauce and spider eggs into
your skinny caramel latte, Michael had
the mission, but I can’t see a way back inside. Frustrated, I
take a potshot at a passing car. Next thing I know, I’m
inside the car. I see what’s going on here. The Chaos Mod
is making me teleport to the end location of any bullet I
fire. I use this ability to access the hospital rooftop, where
2 Random events
must be
played through.
just been teleported into Los Santos’ military base. As
you can imagine, the famously congenial US Military
doesn’t take too kindly to a murderous middle-aged
the objective icon is. There’s no entrance here either, but I
don’t have to work the problem any further, as a UFO
spawns right where Michael stands and kills him dead.
3 No reloading
except upon death.
thief appearing in their top-secret compound (at least,
not one who isn’t wearing his uniform, oh-ho!) and
soon the base is lit up like 17th century London after a
Respawning back in the morgue, I now attempt to
escape the hospital in the specific manner GTA V wants
me to. But the teleportation effect makes combat next to
certain baker left a certain oven on. impossible, as each bullet fired exposes Michael to enemy
gunfire, traps him in the game geometry, or simply
A solid cliffhanger, if I say so myself, neatly set-up for me catapults him out of the world entirely. I fight in vain until
to begin this entry with a daring escape from one of Los the effect expires, whereupon the Chaos Mod turns all the
Santos’ most secure locations. It would be a shame if, say, NPCs into spinning ragdoll horrors and I’m able to
Michael got annihilated complete the mission with
the moment a khaki-clad minimal obstruction.
army type came into view.
Good thing this isn’t MICHAEL CLIPS YOGA RANTS
exactly what happened,
then! Ahaha. Aha. Ugh. THROUGH THE FLOOR Returning home, Michael
treats himself to some
JUST A PHASE AND PLUMMETS INTO well-earned TV time. But a
confrontation with his wife
Emerging from the
hospital after his massive
lead overdose, Michael
A GREY ABYSS leads him into an
impromptu yoga session
with Amanda and her guru
drives across town for a Fabien. The yoga mission is
rendezvous with his FIB handler Dave Norton. Furious one of the worst examples of GTA V’s restrictive attitude
that Michael has leapt back into the armed robbery game toward progression. It would be entirely in-character for
(placing his cover story and Dave’s career in jeopardy) Michael to be rubbish at yoga because he’s an overweight
Norton opts to turn the situation to his advantage, tasking late-40s layabout. But no, Michael failing at yoga also fails
Michael with sneaking into a hospital to identify whether the mission, because GTA V is so obsessed with its own
a body there belongs to an FIB source. This requires narrative grandeur it leaves no room for player agency.
Michael to appear dead, which Dave carefully arranges by Luckily, the Chaos Mod comes to the rescue. I’m not
clubbing Michael in the back of the head. entirely sure what it does, but the result is that both
Now back in hospital again, Michael leaps out of a Amanda and Fabien run off, while a bunch of random
body-bag and commences his search for the errant corpse. NPCs wander into Michael’s back yard and begin hurling
For some reason the morgue is guarded, and while I profanities at him. “You fucking shit!” a man yells as
manage to knock out the first guard and steal his pistol, Michael’s struggles with the ‘Warrior II’ pose. “Why don’t
the second spots me and begins to shoot. Naturally, I you blow me?” spits a scarfed ginger fellow as Michael
shoot back, whereupon Michael clips through the floor attempts the ‘Dancer’. “Eat my ass!” growls a woman as
and plummets into the grey abyss beneath Los Santos. Michael assumes the plank, his calming exercises now
At this point, I expect one of two things to happen, accompanied by the sound of distant explosions.
either Michael will fall forever, or he’ll die and the After the world’s least relaxing yoga session, Michael
mission will restart. Instead, somehow Michael respawns accompanies his son Jimmy to buy drugs. Sampling their
outside the hospital. In theory, this means I can continue purchase together, the mandatory ‘trip sequence’ ensues,
with Michael flying in his underwear
over a rainbow-coloured Los Santos.
When Michael returns to Earth, not
only has Jimmy stolen his car, but
Michael is also half his normal size.
Initially I mistake it for part of the
sequence, as Michael rides an
inexplicably massive bicycle home.
But it transpires the Chaos Mod has
shrunk all the NPCs in the game,
demonstrated by a hilarious meeting
between Michael, Dave Norton, and
two other FIB agents, who trade
insults and cutting remarks with one
another in Munchkin voices.
The Lollipop Guild tasks Michael
with a mission to extract an
informant from his interrogation by
the IAA. I look forward to seeing
Just breathe, Michael.
how the Chaos Mod is going to
You f***ing c**t. improve/ruin it. But it passes without
incident, as do the next few missions.
JUNE 2021 119
 DIARY
PERSONAL ADVENTURES IN GAMES

CHAOS TOP TEN We’ve seen many strange effects from the Chaos Mod, but which are the most chaotic?
10
Spawn Tug
9Spawn Deadly 8Christ on a 7Five Wanted 6Asteroids 5Whale Rain 4Doomsday 3Traffic 2Psychotic 1Artillery
Agent hoverbike Stars Magnet NPCs Barrage

This is a growing problem. There’s still much of the the next effect – doomsday. Franklin’s car is tossed about
Chaos Mod I haven’t seen, but because the effects are like an empty crisp packet in a hurricane, and it’s only
random, with every new one I see, the chance of the next through a last minute leap from the driver’s seat that he
being a repeat increases. It’s still capable of delivering isn’t blown up.
absurd scenarios, highlighted by a cutscene outside Armageddon dies down as quickly as it had started,
Franklin’s home where the house suddenly explodes, while Franklin commandeers another car. He races to
instantly killing Franklin’s Aunt, his friend Lamar, and his Vespucci beach where the first target is located, leaps out
dog. Not only does the cutscene continue, with Franklin of the car and starts shooting… without me pressing the
now arguing with three corpses, but both the fire-brigade left mouse button. Yep, the Chaos Mod has set my
and the ambulance service turn up, bumbling through the weapons to fire constantly. If there’s one thing that marks
cutscene like stage technicians who forgot to wear black. out a skilled assassin, it’s wild, indiscriminate gunfire.
But it’s an island of daftness in an ocean of either The target takes off, disappearing into a crowd of
uninteresting effects or stuff I’ve seen before. I’m beachgoers. With no way to pull Franklin’s finger off the
beginning to fear the Chaos Mod is running out of steam. trigger, I have to mow down everyone on the pathway.
One target down. Three to go. Five minutes remaining.
THE FOUR JURORS To claw back time, I race straight across Vespucci beach.
Later, a new mission gives me an idea. While he waits The second target is on a yacht out to sea, easily sniped by
around for Michael to put together another heist, Franklin Franklin from pier. Two down. Four minutes to go.
has taken up a spot of hired murder for the group’s fixer I hop back in the car and start up the highway, when
Lester. In the mission, Franklin has to assassinate four the Chaos Mod activates cinematic camera mode,
jurors involved in a case with Redwood Cigarettes. But constantly changing the camera angle while I drive in
there’s a twist. He only has eight minutes to kill them. real-time. This makes my race against time look incredibly
This seems like prime Chaos Mod territory, but on the cool, but also makes it phenomenally difficult to drive. It
current settings, I’ll only see one or two effects within takes me 90 precious seconds to reach the third target,
those eight minutes, while there’s a good chance I’ll have who is again easily sniped from Franklin’s lofty position
seen them before. So I head into the Chaos Mod’s settings on a window cleaner’s lift.
and reduce the interval between effects from five minutes Three down, two-and-a-half minutes to go. The final
to thirty seconds. That should sort things out. Boy, did it. target is on a moped somewhere in the Vinewood hills. A
The Chaos Mod first uses its newfound power to difficult area to drive around at the best of times, but it’s
deploy a helicopter to attack Franklin while he races to especially tough when it suddenly starts raining asteroids.
the first target. It looks like Franklin’s career as a hitman One such space rock almost completely blocks the road
will be short-lived, when the helicopter is obliterated by leading up into Vinewood, leaving a tiny gap which I
squeeze through. I kill the final target with seconds
remaining. That’s more like it, Chaos Mod. In fact,
I don’t… I don’t have a caption for this. Franklin versus the jurors wouldn’t make a bad
conclusion to this diary.
But I think we can do one better.
TREVOR VERSUS EVERYTHING
One final battle. One last stand. The Chaos Mod against
GTA V’s King of Chaos. I’ve dropped the interval timer to
ten seconds, with all effects lasting half a minute. Before
we start though, I must prepare. Well, try to. I’d planned
to kit Trevor out with weapons and armour. But prior to
deciding to do this, the Chaos Mod depleted my bank
account, as if it knew what was coming.
That said, I can at least choose a location for the final
showdown. After fair amount of deliberation, I settle on
Legion Square, the architecturally abstract park in
downtown Los Santos. It’s close enough to roads for
vehicle-effects to play a role, but it also has enough cover
to offer me protection from the Chaos Mod’s shenanigans.
I select my starting position at the park’s main entrance,
and set the Chaos Mod rolling.
The sky darkens. The tyres blow out on all the nearby
vehicles. Then those vehicles catch fire. Then they turn
pink. It’s like a storm’s approaching. The impending signs
of the Chaos Mod’s oncoming apocalypse, mischief and
mayhem all rolled into one.
Suddenly Trevor hits the ground, sideswiped by a
speeding moped. I’ve been surrounded by a swarm of
 EXTRA LIFE
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Outtamyway!

fuchsia mods, intent on ramming me to death like a pod of And then the Chaos Mod gives me a reprieve,
bottlenose dolphins. I whip out my pistol and start teleporting me to some woodland town in the farthest
shooting. The fact my gun fires cats barely registers. reaches of San Andreas. I run along the road, watching for
I successfully clear the gang when something any oncoming threat. But there is only silence, and the
astonishingly loud bursts nearby. I whirl around to spy a stars, and the distant headlights of vehicles, which the
figure across the park. I can’t see him clearly because the Chaos Mod has turned kaleidoscopic in hue.
Chaos Mod has draped the park in a thick fog, but a After 30 seconds of bizarre tranquillity, the Chaos Mod
blueish blur narrowly teleports Trevor again –
misses Trevor’s head. Some this time to the helipad
kind of force gun. I dash
behind cover and take the I RETREAT DEEPER atop the tallest building in
Los Santos. Many of the
figure down.
Now the Chaos Mod INTO THE PARK, Chaos Mod’s effects won’t
be able to reach me here,
unleashes its full fury,
slapping me with a DODGING CETACEAN but I’ve also no clear
method of descent. Then I
five-star wanted level. It
also starts raining whales
again. I retreat deeper into
CARCASSES AS I GO spy a window cleaner’s lift
dangling a few feet away
from the building’s rooftop.
the park, dodging cetacean It’s a tricky jump, but I’m
carcasses as I go. Bullets begin flying my way. I blast a fairly certain that I can make it.
trio of cops encroaching on my position, then whip out I don’t make it.
my grenade launcher and bring down a helicopter that’s In the end, it isn’t any of the Chaos Mod’s effects that
been hovering above me. But there’s another kill Trevor. It’s gravity. Trevor plummets to his death,
approaching, while the minimap is thick with flashing dressed as a mad scientist, because the Chaos Mod had to
dots. It’s really only a matter of time. get one last joke in. So long Chaos Mod. It’s been unreal.
Meowch!

JUNE 2021 121

 WHY I LOVE
WHAT MAKES GAMES SPECIAL

THE SOURCE ENGINE

The beautiful tension of an engine caught between eras. By Nat Clayton
RIGHT: My own
maps eventually
ditched textures
and let the lighting
do the talking.

122 JUNE 2021

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T here’s a dead end

junction, late in
Half-Life 2’s airboat
segment, that’s fairly
easy to miss. It’s
nothing special to look at. A
ANOMALOUS MATERIALS Fancy making your own maps?
concrete run-off with a few shanty
houses and a handful of zombies.
But this corner, with its distant
chirping of crickets and the sunset
baking the panelled walls in just the
1 BUILD IT
Source (and other
engines) use BSP terrain,
2 SCRIPT IT
Need a loud bang to
accompany your jump
3 LIGHT IT
Now, the fussy part.
Every light needs to be
4 BUILD IT, AGAIN
Go make yourself a
cuppa, because now
right way, is special enough that I which basically means scare? Setting up a hand-placed. Annoyingly you’ve got to compile your
dragging out boxes and brain-teasing puzzle? you’ll have to get your map. Give it a few
always stop by for a visit when slapping textures on ’em. Most actions can be easily map in-game before minutes, and before you
returning to the game. It’s a corner Quicker than building plugged in using in-editor previewing the scene, know it you’re walking
that perfectly captures the fleeting, bespoke 3D models. logic – no code required. which brings us to… around your own creation.
uniquely melancholy beauty of
Valve’s Source Engine.
then it’s equally the last home for their own sensibilities. Source let
The Source Engine, the software that community mapmaking. modders become developers, with
drove all of Valve’s games from Remember mapmaking? Out of the folks behind the biggest mods
Half-Life 2 through Counter-Strike: the current lineup of competitive now among the more beloved indie
Global Offensive, came at a uniquely shooters, Counter-Strike: Global darlings. Through machinima and
transitory moment in game Offensive is the only one that still Source Filmmaker, Source let
development. It was the mid-2000s, sports robust level-creation tools. amateurs become animators.
and 3D games were starting to look There’s a common sentiment among Valve has moved on, and is now
pretty damn good. Ten years earlier, the indie level design community that fully invested in Source 2. The engine
and games were merely suggesting the field is sort of dead, with modern behind Half-Life: Alyx and Artifact is
spaces through blocky corridors. A toolsets ditching efficient design tools every bit as capable as its predecessor.
decade later, and we’re looking at in favour of creating more complex, Maybe even more so. But the internet
games that are near photorealistic. jaw-dropping environments that are landscape has moved on, and Source
Source bridged that gap. It’s at harder to tweak on the fly. 2 has yet to see the explosion of
once the last gasp of things like Where Unreal and idTech used to
bsp-based terrain, baked lighting, and sport similar features, the kind of
the entire field of level design, and a
peek at the lush, living words of
tools that made constructing and
reworking arenas frictionless SOURCE MADE IT REALLY EASY
games to come. Over the past ten disappeared with Source, and have TO CREATE MODS THAT
years, developers have gotten really,
bloody good at wringing spectacular
only really started to make a
comeback with… well, Source 2. LOOKED ‘PROFESSIONAL’
landscapes out of the engine – but Source made it really easy to create
they’re doing so with a level editor mods that looked ‘professional’, creativity that defined its predecessor.
built in 1997, using limitations laid without really having to get knee- Maybe it’ll get there in time.
down in 2004. deep in learning game development. The Source Engine lives on with
It’s a bizarre tension, but one that Respawn Entertainment. The tech
gives Source maps a strange, almost RESONANCE CASCADE behind Half-Life 2 is the same tech
haunted feeling. There’s an intangible The Source Engine feels like a that powers Apex Legends. Sure,
quality to the way Source levels are snapshot of a singular moment in so Respawn has gutted the thing beyond
lit. Sounds all echo just a little moremany ways. As mentioned, it’s a recognition, crafting worlds the
than you think they should. Hop into transition between old and new ageing engine could only have dreamt
an empty Garry’s Mod map, and the design sensibilities. For the cynical, of. But that’s only fitting for an engine
sense of isolation is overbearing. it’s a reminder of the time Valve that itself is duct-taped together from
actually made games. Its modding the scraps of Quake.
LEVEL WITH ME scene is a throwback to an internet And sometimes, when the low
It helps that, by a rough estimate, that hadn’t yet been consolidated sunlight hits King’s Canyon’s walls
there are probably 11 thousand billion around a handful of websites, a just right, I see the same warm,
Source maps floating around the thousand pre-Twitter forums intangible glow I fell in love with
internet right now. If Source is the gravitating around their own mods back in City 17’s filthiest canal runoff.
last gasp of ’90s design philosophies, and servers, creating worlds based on I see Source, and I know I’m home.

RIGHT: Squint, and

you can kinda see
Apex Legends’
Source engine roots.

JUNE 2021 123

 REINSTALL
OLD GAMES, NEW PERSPECTIVES

As well as being impressive, large ships are

FREESPACE 2
dangerous to fighters, and should be avoided.

more dangerous alien faction known

as the Shivans – the primary
antagonists of the first game.
WTF?
There are more acronyms flying
Jumping back into the cockpit with the classic space sim. By Rick Lane around a Freespace 2 cutscene than in
an episode of Line of Duty, though in

R
an age where games tend to guide
eleased in 1999, alongside a swarm of indie titles like you by the nose through every
Freespace 2 is Evochron Mercenary, Everspace, and plot-point, it’s quite thrilling to be
generally regarded as House of the Dying Sun. Can a unceremoniously dropped into a
one of the best space 20-year-old space combat simulator briefing littered with military
sims ever made. But really hack it against these newer, technobabble and names of ships and
it’s worth bearing in mind that, for glossier, more powerful vessels? officers you have no frame of
a long time, Freespace 2 didn’t have I don’t want to spoil the ending, reference for. It makes you feel like a
much competition. In the 2000s, but the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. rookie pilot, which at the game’s
space sims almost disappeared Not only is Freespace 2 still fantastic, outset, is exactly what you are.
completely, with only a handful of it remains astonishingly fresh. Frankly though, the why of the
notable titles like Freelancer, X3, Playing Freespace 2 does initially fight doesn’t matter much at first.
and EVE Online appearing through come with a side of narrative You’ll be too preoccupied grappling
that decade. Freespace 2 was the whiplash, especially if you haven’t with how to fight, while cooing at the
last of the great ’90s space sims, and played the first game – the somewhat tremendous spectacle Freespace 2’s
there appeared to be little new awkwardly titled Descent: Freespace. combat offers. Thanks to a
coming out that could challenge it. Set 32 years after The Great War combination of a highly active
depicted by Descent, Freespace 2
Since 2010, however, the situation has drops you smack into the middle of a NEED TO KNOW
changed. Space sims have seen a brewing conflict between a human- RELEASED DEVELOPER
welcome resurgence, with major alien coalition named the Galactic 1999 Volition
projects like Elite Dangerous, No Terran-Vasudan Alliance, a rebel PUBLISHER LINK
Man’s Sky, and Star Wars: Squadrons human splinter-faction called the Interplay hard-light.net
careening out of hyperspace Neo-Terran Front, and another, much
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I’m sure there’s nothing

weird or dangerous in there.

The spritework on
explosions is phenomenal.

modding community and smart

creative decisions of the time,
Freespace 2 has been exceptionally
well preserved. The game only looks
UNDER THE HUD
noticeably old during its few quiet There’s a lot going on in Freespace 2’s HUD. Here’s a breakdown
moments, when you’ve got time to
dwell upon the angular spaceships
and the painted-on skyboxes.
The moment combat commences,
however, Freespace 2 literally 1
explodes with colour. The
pockmarked black of space is
suddenly illuminated with motley
bands of laser-fire, golden missile- 2
tracers, and the searing green and
blue bars of mighty beam weapons
from larger ships like frigates and 5
destroyers. Speaking of explosions,
Freespace 2 does those brilliantly too. 3
Damaged ships will trail sparks like 6
clusters of baby stars, before erupting
in a bright and soupy fireball. The 4
best moments in Freespace 2 happen
when the largest ships go boom,
sending out a massive blue halo as
they burst into smithereens. 1 2 3 4 5 6
Sound and scale play equally WINGMEN MONITORING WEAPONS GSE SHIELDS MINIMAP
significant roles in making the game’s Squadrons’ Displays the Shows the The power level Shows the A snapshot of
combat so satisfying. Every weapon status.
White = fine.
health of the
key ships that
available and
selected
of systems.
G = guns.
shield status of
both your ship
the battle
showing
in the game’s vast arsenal has a Red = damaged. are taking part weapons at your S = shields. (left) and target enemies and
palpable weight behind it, whether Hollow = dead. in the battle. disposal. E = engine. ship (right). friendly ships.
it’s the thud of your lasers or the roar
JUNE 2021 125
 REINSTALL
OLD GAMES, NEW PERSPECTIVES

Freespace 2 does an amazing job of creating

galactic spectacle with limited visual fidelity.

Weapons are mostly split between lasers and

missiles, but there’s a broad variety of each.

of your cluster Hornet missiles. And shunt shield power to a specific your education through several
while Freespace 2’s ships may lack the quadrant, or press Q to equalise tutorials in the campaign. Even the
sleek lines and chrome plating of shield power across your ship. Even first few missions are also designed
Elite Dangerous, larger ships like movement has multiple shortcuts, so you can take a backseat if you need
Destroyers and the GTVA’s Colossus letting you instantly max out your to, letting your AI squadmates do
are still daunting to approach in your throttle, or press M to match the most of the work while you learn
tiny, fragile fighter. speed of any ship you’ve targeted. how to fight effectively.
Freespace 2’s spectacle effectively Inevitably though, there comes a
draws you in, but what keeps you COCKPIT STOP point where sitting back will simply
sticking around is the combat All this is designed to give you the result in your ship being quickly
simulation itself, as well as the tools you need to deal with whatever obliterated. Freespace 2 can be
structure Freespace 2 builds around it. scenario Freespace 2 launches at you. seriously challenging. It frequently
The basics of Freespace 2’s ship Indeed, the breadth of information pits you against seemingly
combat are familiar stuff. Every ship you need to retain can be a little overwhelming odds, often tasking
has six degrees of movement, shields, daunting, but Freespace 2 mediates you with protecting a station or a
a targeting and tracking system, and convoy with just a few fighters as an
fixtures for various weapons like entire fleet of enemy vessels slides
lasers and missiles. But it’s the out of subspace. There were several
nuance with which Freespace 2
represents these systems that makes
SHIP SHAPE missions where either my own hull
or that of the vessel I was tasked to
it so interesting to grapple with. Just a few of the many different ship types protect escaped with only a few
With targeting, for example, you hitpoints remaining.
can cycle through targets as you This leads onto where Freespace 2
would in any other space sim. But truly shows its quality – mission
there are also keyboard shortcuts for structure. Most missions ultimately
specifically targeting hostile ships, HERCULES ULYSSES GTF LOKI involve either attacking or defending
friendly ships, the ship currently Class: Heavy Class: Space Class: a target, but Freespace 2 has a
hovering in your crosshairs, and even Assault fighter superiority Recon remarkable ability to frame this in
specific points on larger ships, like Pros: Extra
weapon slots
Pros: High
manoeuvrability
Pros:
Balanced outfit
ways that make missions thrilling. An
turrets or crucial systems. Similarly, Cons: Low Cons: Low Cons: Only one early mission sees you trying to stop a
your shields can be managed in a Manoeuvrability armour missile bank rebel cruiser before it jumps into
range of different ways. You’re able to subspace, despite it being too far
126 JUNE 2021
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This may look cute, but spaceships only

do this when very distressed.

generate an atmosphere of paranoia, their wingmates. Ultimately, while

AS THE GAME GOES ON, where you’re never quite sure what
exactly is going to happen, or the
individual missions are excitingly
structured, the story lacks the same
MISSIONS BECOME extent of the rebels’ knowledge about colour as the brilliant combat.
EVERMORE INTERESTING your true identity.
For the most part, Freespace 2
One final point. It’s crucial to note
that Freespace 2’s state of
plays just as well as it did 20 years preservation is owed largely to the
ahead to intercept. As it escapes, your wingmates grumble ago, though there are a few areas community, which has created a huge
that command deliberately allowed the ship to flee, before where its age is understandably on range of mods, visual enhancements,
you’re forced to deal with an ambush by rebel fighters. show. Some of the audio is quite and other support tools that ensure
scratchy, particularly cutscenes and the game runs well on modern
DAREDEVILS IN THE DETAILS briefings. Moreover, the heavy- machines. If you plan to play
As the game goes on, missions become evermore handed tutorials betray the game’s Freespace 2 yourself, I recommend
interesting. In the middle of the first act, your faction age. If Freespace 2 was made today, that you download the Freespace
unlocks a subspace node to a distant nebula. The these would be carefully woven into Open Installer. This includes support
following mission sees you exploring its purple haze as the campaign itself, rather than for higher resolutions alongside a
part of the Suicide Kings – an outfit of daredevil pilots. In suddenly pulling you out of the story whole bunch of other inbuilt mods
the next mission, you return to the nebula to destroy a for a lecture in advanced targeting. like better quality cutscenes. You’ll
vast alien ship known as the Ravanna, blind-firing Finally, while Freespace 2’s plot is also need to download Java and a
powerful warheads at it while needled by enemy fighters. enjoyably twisty, its approach to separate Windows executable to get
Freespace 2 also has a knack for mid-mission twists – a storytelling is rather cold and it running, but it’s worth the effort.
signal on the radar revealing a rebel cruiser lost in Shivan impersonal, leaving little room for Freespace 2 deserves its reputation
space, or a massive allied ship emerging from subspace to character development. There is a as one of the finest space sims
turn the tide of battle when all hope seemed lost. reason for this – the game wants you around, remaining every bit as
Curiously, some of the game’s best missions are to buy into its highly militarised thrilling and elegantly crafted as it
optional. While the campaign is mostly linear, it offers a fiction, which is why most of the was back in 1999. Having not played
brief side-story that sees you go undercover as a rebel story is told through briefings with it in years, I wasn’t prepared for how
pilot. These missions are filled with natty twists and turns, gravelly voiced officers talking in fresh, immediate and exciting the
such as your co-agent springing an ambush on a rebel sci-fi jargon. This element succeeds, experience is, which is a testament to
convoy without first warning you, forcing you to suddenly but the game otherwise fails to imbue Volition’s talent as a studio, and a fine
fight the wingmen you were flying alongside mere much personality into its cast, demonstration of how great design
moments ago. In this way, these missions effectively particularly the player character and can withstand the passage of time.
JUNE 2021 127
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ROBIN FOR SCIENCE! NEW ATHEISM MAGIC TIME

VALENTINE

LEGENDS OF RUNETERRA CURSE OF THE DEAD GODS UNAVOWED

Tick these games off playruneterra.com bit.ly/3dAGuWJ bit.ly/2Onzeoq
as you try them, and The new Lab of Legends mode After Hades, I thought it’d be a So many point-and-click games
when you’ve done
them all you can tear brings solo adventures to this long time before I found another these days are just throwbacks,
out the page and post competitive card game. There’s roguelike that wowed me. I tried riding on nostalgia. Unavowed feels
it to me for a super something wonderfully subversive Curse of the Dead Gods on a whim, like it forges a proper new niche for
special prize: the about the way it takes the same cards not expecting much, and was blown the genre in the modern landscape,
undying respect of
the world’s greatest you use in the tightly balanced PvP away. It’s a game that has such a combining clever puzzle-solving and
magazine editor. mode and lets you stack wacky new strong sense of what it wants to do, investigation with Bioware-style
effects onto them as you build crazy packing every moment with world-building, companions, and
combos to beat the AI with. meaningful decisions. moral choices.

SHOW OF FORCE

MUST DIG THIS

PLAY
STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT II DEEP ROCK GALACTIC
bit.ly/2Rf2MpD deeprockgalactic.com
Matches of Star Wars Battlefront II My promise to you: I will never stop
don’t so much put me in mind of the banging on about Deep Rock
movies as they do childhood Galactic. My favourite thing about
memories of bashing my action A PERSONAL LIST this co-op dig-’em-up is the incredible
figures together. With the OF THE BEST sense of discovery, and constant
microtransactions stripped out, GAMES YOU CAN updates have only added to the
what’s left is just a huge toybox of PLAY RIGHT NOW wonders you can discover. The new
chaotic fun across every era of the by Robin Valentine biome that feels like being inside a
series. Slight and silly, but joyful. gigantic plant is a personal highlight.

SLIDE IN OFF THE R AILS SPACE TO GROW

THE JACKBOX PARTY PACK 7 MONSTER TRAIN SLIPWAYS

bit.ly/3wEUZ4H themonstertrain.com bit.ly/37aCDNs
There’s a real magic to every The new Last Divinity expansion Even in its current barebones beta
Jackbox Party pack, and it’s may have actually layered too many state, there’s something really
wonderful to see them never lose new ideas into this anarchic memorable about Slipways. Boiling
momentum. There’s a game in this maelstrom of a strategy game – and the entire space 4X genre down to a
latest offering that’s basically just that might actually be perfect, super quick and simple, yet
giving improvised Powerpoint because Monster Train is at its best deceptively mindbending, puzzle, it
presentations to your friends, and it’s when you’re totally overwhelmed and allows you to build an entire
some of the most fun I’ve had with a grabbing at combos like a man intergalactic empire in half an hour,
videogame this year. drowning in a sea of cards. one trade network at a time.

128 JUNE 2020

 Future Publishing Ltd Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA | Tel: 01225 442244 | Email: [email protected] | www.pcgamer.com

Brand Director Tim Clark

Global Editor-in-Chief Evan Lahti

PC GAMER UK PC GAMER US
Editor-in-Chief, UK Phil Savage Executive Editor Tyler Wilde
Print Editor Robin Valentine Senior Editor Wes Fenlon
Online Editor, UK Fraser Brown Senior Reporter Steven Messner
Features Producer Andy Kelly Features Producer James Davenport
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Guides Editor Harry Shepherd Weekend Editor Jody Macgregor
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Video Producer Graeme Meredith
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Senior Hardware Editor Jacob Ridley
Hardware Writer Katie Wickens
Trainee News Writer Mollie Taylor
News Writer Nat Clayton

CONTRIBUTORS
Josh Brown, Matt Elliott, Ian Evenden, Phil Iwaniuk, Alistair Jones, Luke Kemp, Rick Lane,
Jeremy Peel, Tom Sykes, Oscar Taylor-Kent, Eric Watson, Luke Winkie

PHOTOGRAPHY & ILLUSTRATION

Photographer Olly Curtis
Spy Illustrations David Lyttleton

DIGITAL PRODUCTION
Group Production Editor Steve Wright
Editorial Operations Assistant Nick Lee

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Production Manager Fran Twentyman
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 IT’S ALL OVER...

ON
THE
BALL
More crossover
sports games on the
CRUSADER KINGS LACROSSE
In this rather complicated sports sim, it’s considered a good
horizon for 2021
match if you can make it to half-time without either team
captain being assassinated or marrying a sibling. ...UNTIL MAY 27

XCOM BASKETBALL BIOSHOCK CRICKET

The fog of war keeps each match surprising, though things The possibility of an errant ball putting a crack in the glass
do have a tendency to grind to a halt as both sides take wall separating the arena from the crushing weight of the
turns whiffing shots at the basket. ocean adds a wonderful tension to each match.

SKYRIM TENNIS PORTAL FOOTBALL

Mostly it just plays like normal tennis, with a similar amount Each player has their own portal gun, adding intricate new
of shouting, but if a ball goes out of bounds it can take layers of strategy to the historic sport. You know what, this
upwards of 200 hours to retrieve it. one’s not even a joke. I unironically think this would be great.

130 JUNE 2021