I thought this was an interesting article about Hardspace: Shipbreaker, an interview with its creators, and a look ahead to what they may be doing next.
Coming to Game Pass in the first half of May:
I’m interested in Weird West, I think, don’t know much about it. Is it fun? Also note the following games leaving Game Pass this month:
- Before We Leave (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Anniversary Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC)
- Hearts of Iron IV (PC)
- Her Story (PC)
- Umurangi Generation: Special Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC)
That furry steampunk Jrpg may have interesting mechanics. (FUGA)
I seem to remember from the Weird West thread, that folks thought the item system was unbalanced and needed a lot of work. Supposedly the game devs were going to do that. I assume this Definitive Edition is that version. Anyone know?
Whew. I’m glad there’s not much leaving, the PS+ list to finish playing this week is nutty.
I had to look up the last game, is this worth playing?
“Umurangi Generation is a first person photography game in the shitty future.”
I thought it was interesting. It’s a lo-fi, low budget game where you run around taking photographs while apparently a kaiju invasion is taking place in the city around you.
It’s definitely interesting and worth checking out, especially as it’s pretty short.
Release date reveal for Planet of Lana: May 23. Since that’s also the date that Star Trek: Resurgence releases, I’m going to have a pretty busy week with some sci-fi goodness.
Is this planet a danger zone?
I really enjoyed reading the Eurogamer review this morning, even though it’s a thumbs down overall. Once I’m done with Jedi Survivor and Diablo IV and other big releases this summer, I think I’ll enjoy taking a look at this game.
Main criticism:
What follows is an endless cycle of MacGuffin after MacGuffin that runs so deep, you almost forget why you’re tumbling down this rabbit hole. As you’re pushed through a revolving series of fetch quests, the game speedruns through important events and quickly abandons potentially interesting characters, meaning everything feels paper-thin. Even Ravenlok (the hero, not the game) feels one-note, as she’s never given enough time to meaningfully interact with the wacky cast; most of her conversations are polite and frictionless, almost like she’s keeping us at arm’s length. The credits roll before you truly understand either how the world works, or who any of these colourful characters are.
On the other hand, though, this quick-cut pace gives Ravenlok its dreamy quality. Since we never stay in one place for too long, the game is free to whip up new environments, new ideas, and new circumstances constantly. It rarely makes sense, but Wonderland was never a sensible place anyway. Everything lacks elaboration, but that lets Cococucumber throw interesting sights at you without interruption.
Summary
Overall, my time with Ravenlok can be summed up quite nicely with the original Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland book. It ends in a way that’s pertinent to this game: The King and Queen Of Hearts hold a trial for an innocent man using an illogical, almost unreadable poem as evidence. Having found new perspective through her journey, a braver, bolder, and literally bigger Alice defends the innocent, arguing that the evidence is meaningless. That’s a debate that followed the book in the real world - was this trippy novel childish nonsense, or could it have deeper connotations?
That was a question that kept popping up in my head during this playthrough too, although the answer here is probably the former. Ravenlok never sits in the moment, never bothers to ask if there’s any meaning to the madness, never twists language in the ‘curiouser and curiouser’ kind of way. Ultimately, my enduring memory of the game is a hazy collection of visual snapshots, and that was admittedly enough to hook me through an 8-hour playthrough. It’s endlessly alluring to look at and think about, although scratch beneath the surface and you won’t find much else to grab onto.
I had forgotten that Lego Star Wars: Skywalker Saga was on game pass. I was reminded by a promotional quest on Game Pass today to play the game, since it’s May the 4th (Star Wars Day) today.
Hopefully Planet of Lana succeeds where Somerville disappointed for me last year!
Looks like the PC Game Pass app added not just FUGA2, but also the Shadowrun trilogy of games, all with Xbox achievements!
Here’s the new games for the second half of May, bunch of stuff I don’t recognize. But Planet of Lana still looks cool!
Pretty bold comparing yourself to Diablo 2.
Ghostlore (Console) – May 18
Available now with PC Game Pass and coming soon to Xbox consoles. Ghostlore is an ‘Eastpunk’ Action-RPG where you fight monsters from Southeast-Asian folklore. Inspired by timeless classic ARPG’s such as Diablo 2 and Titan Quest, Ghostlore offers a detailed item and character customization system, procedurally generated maps, and an authentically retro 90’s aesthetic.
On the other hand, they compare themselves to Titan Quest too, so I’m going to set expectations really low accordingly.
And yes, I’m really looking forward to Planet of Lana. I hope they knock it out of the park.
Railway Empire 2 is the big one for me, though I’ve always wanted to check out Massive Chalice.
Looks like Chicory is getting a fair amount of buzz, was on Playstation for a while and is now making its way to Xbox. Developed by the same folks that made Wandersong, which I thought was a pretty charming little game.
I played it on Switch and it really didn’t do much for me. A lot of people loved it though.
I didn’t play the original Supraland but apparently it’s sequel got a surprise day one drop to Game Pass -