Between Horizons Releasing March 25, 2024

Between Horizons Releasing March 25, 2024

Publisher Assemble Entertainment and developer DigiTales Interactive have announced the imminent release of their highly anticipated narrative-driven game, Between Horizons, for PC

CODE VEIN

CODE VEIN

Code Vein is an anime-flavored action role-playing game where players step into the shoes of a vampire like Revenant with the gift to save the world. The similarities to Dark Souls are immediately apparent, but Code Vein has enough of its own unique quirks that prevent it from feeling like a straight-up copy. The story is interesting, as are the various companions you meet along the way, but levels that are boring in both layout and design detract from the experience. The game still has plenty to offer for those willing to put in the time, but there are better souls-like titles on the market.

Gameplay: Code Vein sticks closely to the soul-like formula of fighting enemies, collecting materials to level up, and defeating bosses to unlock new areas.

Graphics: The character designs are great, although the game is heavy on fan service, and some levels look very drab.

Sound: The soundtrack features a couple of memorable tunes, and the quality of the voice acting is generally good

Penko Park

Penko Park

Penko Park hands players a camera and encourages them to take photos of weird critters that dwell in the park. It’s an on-rails experience, but various unlocks keep things engaging. The charming visuals, which live up to the promise of being creepy and cute, will draw players in, but although short, the game is still a lot of fun to play.

Gameplay: The premise of Penko Park is straightforward, but capturing photos of critters in various poses is a fun challenge.

Graphics: The visuals look like a children’s storybook come to life, and the designs of the Penko are pretty imaginative.

Sound: The game lacks music during levels, but the ambient noises compensate for this

Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Help a young spirit guide named Kena reach a sacred Mountain Shrine by freeing the spirits trapped in a forgotten village. The game features a combination of exploration, combat, and puzzle solving but doesn’t offer anything terribly unique or original. However, the visuals are beautiful, to say the least, and the soundtrack is exceptionally well done. Even with multiple difficulty settings, the combat can be challenging, and the story is much darker than the visuals suggest. Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an impressive debut title, but it can feel a little shallow for players expecting a full souls-like experience.

Gameplay: The combat is enjoyable and challenging, but apart from the Rot, there’s not much that players haven’t seen done many times before.

Graphics: The stunning visuals can put many AAA titles to shame.

Sound: The game features a stellar soundtrack and excellent voice acting

Elden Ring

Elden Ring

Elden Ring is a souls-like title that takes all the best elements of the genre and wraps it up in a massive open-world setting. Playing as a Tarnished, players venture into the Lands Between on a heroic journey to become an Elden Lord. Unlike many open-world titles, Elden Ring is a joy to explore and features plenty of hidden dungeons, catacombs, and caves to keep players busy. Simply completing the main storyline will take hours, and the addition of different endings, tons of secrets, and lots of optional bosses extend the playtime even further. It’s more accessible than other FromSoftware titles but still offers a challenging experience that should not be missed.

Graphics: The world of Elden Ring is visually distinct and filled with memorable bosses and scenic locations packed with detail.

Gameplay: Elden Ring has so many options for weapons and spells that very few players will end up with the exact same experiences.

Sound: The game’s soundtrack, sound effects, and voice acting are all superb

The Blackwell Legacy

The Blackwell Legacy

Players must team up with a ghostly assistant and help other spirits pass on to the afterlife in this retro-style point-and-click adventure. It’s not an original premise, but the game features interesting characters and doesn’t overstay its welcome. Some of the puzzles are a little too obscure, and the game has some frustrating aspects, but it’s an impressive debut for the series.

Gameplay: Roseangela Blackwell is not your typical point-and-click adventure game protagonist, so experiencing the world from her viewpoint is a unique experience.

Graphics: Although low-res, the visuals are very detailed and well-animated.

Sound: The soundtrack is good, but some tunes feel a little out of place,, while the full voice acting is quite impressive for an indie title

Days Gone

Days Gone

Roam around a post-apocalyptic Oregon as Deacon St. John, an ex motorcycle club member trying to survive the aftermath of a virus outbreak that turned the population into violent zombie-like creatures. Deacon lost his wife during the outbreak and the game picks up two years later as he goes on a crusade against the Freakers, bandits, and everyone else who gets in his way. While Days Gone features most of the cliches found in other open-world titles its compelling story, nailbiting combat, and beautiful environments make it worth playing through. It is also filled with enough additional content to keep players coming back for more.

Gameplay: With a large, beautiful map to explore and plenty of missions as well as sidequests there’s always something to do in Days Gone.

Graphics: The game looks incredible on PC and is filled with a lot of detail as well as really good mocap performances.

Sound: Sam Witwer steals the show as the voice of Deacon St. John, but the rest of the cast also delivers stellar performances and the rest of the audio lives up to expectations

TOEM

TOEM

TOEM is a hand-drawn adventure game where players get to travel to various locations and perform good deeds that mostly involve taking photos. The monochrome visuals give the game a unique look and being able to switch between an overhead view and a first-person view is a cool touch. The game is very casual and relaxing, so younger players will enjoy the adventure but is also engaging enough to keep older players hooked.

Gameplay: Travel from one location to the next while snapping photos and helping out people in need.

Graphics: The combination of 2D and 3D elements along with the monochromatic visuals gives TOEM a unique and interesting look.

Sound: TOEM features a great soundtrack, humorous made-up voice-overs, and great ambient sounds

Ravva and the Cyclops Curse

Ravva and the Cyclops Curse

Ravva and the Cyclops Curse is a 2D platform adventure that draws inspiration from the 8-bit NES era. Players must help a young summoner fight through ten levels of monsters to defeat the evil Cyclops that cursed their mother. Along for the ride are four summons that offer different abilities for Ravva to use. Some of these are more useful than others, but they add some variety to the gameplay. The game is very short but offers an entertaining experience while it lasts and should appeal to all retro fans.

Gameplay: Cycle through different summons while platforming through levels filled with traps and monsters.

Graphics: The visuals look authentically 8-bit, but despite the limited color palette everything remains clear and visible.

Sound: Each area only has one tune, but the music is upbeat and cheerful

Majotori

Majotori

Majotori is a trivia game that wraps its 1000+ questions in a whimsical narrative experience with over 50 branching storylines. With questions in categories such as video games, cinema, and animation the game is definitely aimed at players who pride themselves on their knowledge of all things geek, but it is also possible to adjust the frequency of certain categories. The witty writing, coupled with the colorful visuals and catchy soundtrack makes for a fun experience that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Gameplay: Majotori features plenty of questions and interesting categories while the branching storylines provide the perfect incentive to replay the game.

Graphics: The visuals are simple but colorful and eye-catching.

Sound: Thanks to a whimsical and catchy soundtrack the lack of voice acting isn’t too noticeable