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24-killers-is-too-likeable-to-cheapen-with-genre-labels Rock,Paper,Shotgun

24 Killers is too likeable to cheapen with genre labels

March 20, 2023RockPaperShotgun

I rarely enjoy adventure games, and in fact resent them for pinning that term for a genre that almost never feels adventurous. And yet I don’t quite want to say that 24 Killers is an exception, because confining it to any genre feels reductive, let alone one that will probably put you off if you’re anything like me. It’s a tiny bit like a Stardew Valley or Gleaner Heights, or any of those “do chores until you run out of energy” games, but mostly it’s a “hanging out and being slightly weird” game. Read more

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henry-halfhead-is-an-adorable-puzzler-that-lets-you-possess-literally-everything Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Henry Halfhead is an adorable puzzler that lets you possess literally everything

March 20, 2023RockPaperShotgun

What’s the ultimate video game fantasy? I’m guessing playing as a bald half-head that’s been separated from every body part is pretty low on the list, but after seeing the trailer for Henry Halfhead, you’ll probably change your mind. Announced as part of the weekend’s MIX Showcase, Henry Halfhead is an upcoming indie where you take control of the titular half-head (the top half) and possess everyday items to solve puzzles. It’s aiming for a PC release next year, and it just looks delightful. Read more

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rps-time-capsule:-the-games-worth-saving-from-2012 Rock,Paper,Shotgun

RPS Time Capsule: the games worth saving from 2012

March 17, 2023RockPaperShotgun

Welcome to the latest edition of The RPS Time Capsule, where members of the RPS Treehouse each pick one game from a given year to save from extinction while all other games fizzle and die on the big digital griddle in the sky before blinking out of existence. This time, we’re turning our preservation mitts on the year 2012, a year absolutely stacked with some pretty stellar releases. But which ones will make the cut and be safely ensconced inside our cosy capsule for future generations? Come on down to find out. Read more

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goofy-bridge-builder-poly-bridge-3-is-coming-in-may Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Goofy bridge-builder Poly Bridge 3 is coming in May

March 16, 2023RockPaperShotgun

Physics-based bridge-building indie Poly Bridge is coming back for a third entry, developer Dry Cactus have announced. Poly Bridge 3 is releasing on May 30th for PC and it’ll continue the series’ tradition of unstable bridge construction, with a hint of Trials Fusion’s topsy-turvy physics. Your goal here is to get your vehicle from one side of the level to the next, hoping to dear god that your recently-built bridge doesn’t collapse. Read more

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i-booted-a-boombox-around-sons-of-the-forest-so-you-don’t-have-to VG247

I booted a boombox around Sons of the Forest so you don’t have to

March 16, 2023VG247

Who says silence is golden? I went on a quest to bring music to my Sons of Forest base. When I first laid eyes (and ears) on one of Sons of the Forest’s radios, I had no idea that, a few hours later, I’d be booting them around the forest. And I certainly didn’t anticipate the weird gravity and physics-defying road these devices would lead me down. I was determined to bring its tunes to my base – after all, crafting is so much when it’s got its own soundtrack. What I hadn’t counted on was that while you can…

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what’s-the-worst-thing-you’ve-done-for-an-achievement? Rock,Paper,Shotgun

What’s the worst thing you’ve done for an achievement?

March 15, 2023RockPaperShotgun

In the latest edition of Ask RPS, our new mailbag feature where RPS supporters pose us questions that we then answer in public posts for everyone to enjoy, we’re turning our gaze to that loved and loathed staple of the video gaming landscape: achievements. Ah, achievements. Never mind if they’re good or bad. Today, we’re remembering the terrible things we’ve done to actually get them. The question comes courtesy of Fachewachewa, who asked: What’s the worst thing you’ve done for an achievement? Or more generally, a time you were focused on a specific goal in a game, reached it (or…

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pentiment-and-medieval-strategy-game-inkulinati-combine-for-the-perfect-video-game-crossover Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Pentiment and medieval strategy game Inkulinati combine for the perfect video game crossover

March 14, 2023RockPaperShotgun

The perfect video game crossover doesn’t exi… Oh wait, what’s that? Ink-based strategy indie Inkulinati is crossing over with who? The other game inspired by medieval manuscripts of course: Pentiment. This comes courtesy of Inkulinati’s first major content update, St. Francis And Friends (out now), and it’s beautiful enough to crack your repressed childhood excitement. Read more

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japanese-pc-doujin-are-keeping-indie-games-creative-at-tokyo-game-dungeon Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Japanese PC doujin are keeping indie games creative at Tokyo Game Dungeon

March 13, 2023RockPaperShotgun

To track the public understanding of modern-day indie gaming is to look at the small-scale independent development scene through an Anglo-centric lens. While it would be unfair to ignore the hobbyists programming experiences in BASIC on their ZX Spectrum or similar, it’s commonly accepted that indie gaming as we recognise it today has its roots in the early days of the internet and the Y2K boom, when Flash, Gamemaker Studio and similar tools allowed things like Cave Story and N to grow. With online distribution further helping games like Bastion, Journey and World Of Goo to flourish, the definition of…

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one-of-the-greatest,-grizzliest-roguelikes-is-on-game-pass,-and-you-need-to-play-it-now VG247

One of the greatest, grizzliest roguelikes is on Game Pass, and you need to play it now

March 13, 2023VG247

Darkest Dungeon is punishing, grim, and upsetting – yet still somehow one of the most compulsively playable games on Game Pass. Often, video games overlook a very simple – and very real – part of the heroic experience. If you’re some decorated soldier that’s ventured out into the wilds on many conquests and expeditions, you’re not always going to come home happy, smiling, with a clean conscience and untroubled mind. There’s an accumulation of guilt, of shame, of trauma. This is something Darkest Dungeon knows, and more than just acknowledging it, the developers at Red Hook Studios make it the…

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contemplation-and-relaxation-join-forces-with-ease-and-challenge-in-zellige Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Contemplation and relaxation join forces with ease and challenge in Zellige

March 10, 2023RockPaperShotgun

One of the best things games can do is bring you an appreciation of something you’ve never thought about before. You’ll probably start out Zellige thinking “oh, it’s making some shapes and they turn into a pattern, whatever”. But within ten minutes you’ll be actively saying things like “does the empty space over here feel like purity or desolation” and “what does the contrasting colour of these triangles say about their relationship with the central star?”. It’s been a while since I played a game about creating art that felt effortless even as I put in a lot of effort….

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vg247’s-the-best-games-ever-podcast-–-ep.42:-the-best-game-you-could-complete-as-your-real-self VG247

VG247’s The Best Games Ever Podcast – Ep.42: The best game you could complete as your real self

March 10, 2023VG247

Could you be… a plumber? Welcome to VG247’s Best Games Ever Podcast: Episode 42 – The best game you could complete as your real self. Video games allow us to live our wildest power fantasies, such as “plumber”, or “murderer”. But what if you had to endure a game world not as some souped-up avatar, but just as yourself? You? Little, pathetic ol’ you, with your savings account, and your Nissan Qashqai? You wouldn’t last two minutes in the mushroom kingdom, mate. But if our panellists had a choice, which game worlds would they have themselves parachuted into? Somewhere nice?…

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what’s-better:-ground-pound-attacks-or-reloads-dumping-unspent-ammo? Rock,Paper,Shotgun

What’s better: ground pound attacks or reloads dumping unspent ammo?

March 8, 2023RockPaperShotgun

Last time, you decided that Quake 2’s railgun is better than the currency ‘Gold’. I take this as a solid sign that we can trust in the process, that we know we are on the right path, that we will find our way to the single best thing in video games. This week, I ask you to choose between dropping things in very different ways. What’s better: ground pound attacks or reloads dumping unspent ammo? Read more

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this-farming-life-sim-is-set-around-the-base-of-a-space-elevator Rock,Paper,Shotgun

This farming life sim is set around the base of a space elevator

March 8, 2023RockPaperShotgun

Upcoming farm-o-life sim game Before The Green Moon has an interesting setting: a small community round the base of a space elevator, set in the lead-up to you leaving for the moon. Even more interesting is that it’s coming from Turnfollow, an indie team best known for wonderful little story games like Little Party and Wide Ocean Big Jacket. Huh! Life sims are not my genre but I really like Turnfollow’s games, so I’m in. Check out the announcement trailer below for a small taste of this sci-fi life. Read more

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the-scariest-thing-about-sons-of-the-forest…-is-a-finger VG247

The scariest thing about Sons of the Forest… is a finger

March 7, 2023VG247

There’s a lot to be scared of in Endnight Games’ latest Steam Early Access project – but it’s the digits that do me in. Sons of the Forest is not for the faint of heart. There are corpses, cannibals, a breed of mutant whose entire torso is a row of teeth, and a whole range of other terrors. But nothing has come close to the sheer horror of a single finger. In case you think this is turning into a torrent of filth, I’ll clarify. The finger, or fingers in question, are attached to the game’s friendly NPCs, Kelvin and…

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super-auto-pets-replaces-emoji-artwork-with-new-animal-pics Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Super Auto Pets replaces emoji artwork with new animal pics

March 6, 2023RockPaperShotgun

For a long time, Super Auto Pets used a strange and clever (and cheap!) source of artwork for its attacking animals: emojis, scaled up far larger than they appear in WhatsApp messages from your mum. The super auto-battler did eventually start making custom artwork for its later expansions, but much of the furious fauna was still emojis. That has now changed with today’s patch, going back to replace all the old emojis with new animal pictures. Goodbye, old friends. Read more

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