October Night Games
This is a nice little puzzle-like game, and it’s more complex than meets the eye at first time. I enjoyed it more and more, when exploring how things worked out.
I found the hunt for manage the achievements fun, and I have collected 21 of 23. Coming Halloween I will reach 22, but to get the last we all have to wait until 2039! (Playing during Halloween, beneath full moon)
But … after 98 hours playing the “Halloween” campaign I have reached my goals, more or less. Will I play the game again? There is a second campaign “Freezing Moon”. I didn’t see anything that interested me there. The only effect I could see was that you take injuries by the freezing cold. I will check it out again … but I don’t see it as that fun.
– Real player with 102.1 hrs in game
Read More: Best Lovecraftian Board Game Games.
Been having a really fun time playing this one and I’m not the most active board game player, love the setting and it’s inspirations. The developers have been releasing patches since the launch of the game making it better and correcting some bugs, there’s a lot of fun to be had here, even if you just play againts bots.
– Real player with 22.8 hrs in game
Stirring Abyss
I have received a free key as being part of closed [i]beta test[/i]. Neither am I affiliated with the developers nor have I received any compensation for my review.
Stirring Abyss is a turn-based tactical game set in the depths of Lovecraftian ocean. It has been made by three-man indie studio Sleepy Sentry from A Land of a Thousand Lakes.
You will control a handful of Salem USS submarine’s crew members while exploring procedurally generated ocean floor missions, fighting strange enemies and managing resources at Salem to repair different parts of the vessel, unlock upgrades or craft items. Your goal is to save the crew by fixing the damaged submarine and leave abyss.
– Real player with 63.4 hrs in game
Read More: Best Lovecraftian Underwater Games.
yes i’d recommend the game, and while it sound odd’s, i’ve not followed it’s progress either or enjoyed the demo, so i’ll now give my reasons why i’d recommend it all the same,
the demo was ok, but for me i didn’t play enough or see enough to really say i liked the design or think that it was going to be long enough for me to really enjoy and play, as i have more than enough un started un finished game already, not played,…
my was i wrong, so very wrong tbh, as i saw many saying it was too hard and or too short, i thought well in for a penny in for a pound and jumped straight it, my play style is how i test, so no reading, no watching and with little thought going in, i started on easy in the story mode, and the rest is history, i died, many times and had little clue overall on what i was doing or doing right or wrong, so i stepped back and looked at the diver i was given, then understood what i was doing wrong, the design wasn’t wrong, it was the idiot who was playing it, firing a speargun from X numbers of hexes away and missing isn’t a issue with the game or design, but a lack of understanding on who was firing it, what skill or lack of they had and my understand on how things work under water for one, so the basic design is well done, now with the better understanding on just because a certain diver gets given a certain item, doesn’t mean there the best person for it, so like any RPG, understanding stats is key to longer play, level and skills, items used are key to staying alive, progress from story missions are only a small part of the game, side missions giving items needed to stay alive and gain more exp and level up for the story means 13 missions alone, your not going to get the extra ability to really do the game justice unless really skilled, which i’m not so good at, so learning how the game works, getting the extra pieces of equipment, leveling up and altering your stats to stay alive for longer is key, not just endless grind and lucky dice roles, alter your base sub, add more items, build more, search more and research more is key to happy and longer game play, so what on the surface seems a easy to play game, becomes something with more depth than of first inspection, most won’t get to the 4th diver and really get into the game in under 3 to 4 hours of play, so won’t understand or enjoy this, the first few hours of the game, aren’t really the game at all, just the tutorial and the basic’s of how it plays, it’s mid to late game, which really makes this shine, then again what do i know, i tend to test more and game less and die often, but with trial and error and 7 hours in, i’ve find the depth of the game which for most may or could stay hidden from less time in game, don’t take me word for it either, spent the time, it’s worth it, as 2 hours won’t get you anywhere or enough into the game to really see either, yes it’s a challenge, but those who refuse to play on anything other than the hardest setting from day one, will be in for a hard game unless you pick up more than the basic’s and are lucky from the off, so either way play and enjoy and see you at the bottom of the sea, with luck you will get the parts needed to repair the sub and use that as a base to explore, finding new bits and bobs, maps, plans and items and parts to level up your every growing crew, to carry on the mission in hand, if you die to often, just take a step back and see what’s killing you and ask why? as some crew are better when surrounded while other have the skills needed for other task, plan to use them correctly and the game is more than just doable, but enjoyable and not just a challenge, but fun into the depth.
– Real player with 56.8 hrs in game
Dread Nautical
Fun game, if you can get over some annoyances. The story is good. The battles are fun.
Bad things:
Low replay value.
Part of your party can get stuck outside of a room when you get “ambushed”. This makes for the annoying practice of “rushing characters into a room at the start of a fight”. Gotta do that as fast as possible… and it is very silly and annoying.
A threat system starts up when you hit floor 10. The game is way more fun without it. I don’t want to think about how to collect loot after a battle in the least possible amount of steps (because threat goes up with every move) It doesn’t make the runs more interesting, it just makes it more annoying, and you have to keep going straight towards the exit on every map.
– Real player with 45.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best Lovecraftian Roguelike Games.
Dread Nautical bring tactical and survival challenges to play. you can search for supplies and gears. you can choose if you wish to engage the enemies or sneak pass them to complete the floor. I find this game to be fun and challenging. Also who and how many survivors you recruit affect your gameplay in term of food and dividing resources.
– Real player with 21.9 hrs in game
Army of Tentacles: (Not) A Cthulhu Dating Sim: Black GOAT of the Woods Edition
I´ve seen this game come up along with some others when I was looking for certain tags.
I looked at it but was not sure if it´s going to be good or not by the pictures you get on the shop page.
However, it got recommended to me and so I finally decided to buy it.
Started it without neither knowing what type of game it is (expected it to be a visual novel) nor what´s going to await
me anyways…
However… starting to play I can say this game is hughe fun. You meet a lot of different characters / creatures.
– Real player with 5.0 hrs in game
Burg Battle
Takes the boring parts of RTS out of it. Easy to learn AND easy to master!
– Real player with 89.9 hrs in game
Great reverse tower defense game. Easy to get hooked!
Single-player is fun, but multiplayer up to 8 players over LAN (but can fill in bots with different difficulties if you’d like) means I can blow up my buddy’s armies from afar.
Make lots of armies, blow up the other guys' armies, make bigger armies, and conquer. Multiple factions and individualized talent trees allows versatility in playstyle and adds a lot of depth to the game. 5/5.
– Real player with 21.4 hrs in game
Dudes on a Map: Virtual Grid Paper
I can’t say enough about how great this tool is for helping with running my game! It’s simple to pick up and start playing with, without having to study tutorial videos. Easily import your own maps in jpeg form, and you’re on your way to having a great time with friends. There are some ‘fancy’ features, like having 2 different types of fog (one standard and one for secret areas you don’t want to accidentally reveal), marking up areas of effect, initiative tracker, add in your own monster/NPC tokens, and a dice roller (with the option of using symbol dice for different game systems). While these are great, you don’t need to use them if you don’t want to. I tired of trying to learn how to use other systems, and my experience of using dudes has convinced me that I don’t need to while still having a great time with my friends.
– Real player with 241.7 hrs in game
Been playing since the earliest Alpha releases. Also, for respectful reasons of this review, I did not get it for free but I am close to the creator so, anyone reading this, perhaps you’ll feel that there’s bias BUT, I will happily preface it at the top here first.
Dudes On A Map, for me, can be described as the easiest non-tech proficient program for playing RPG’s online with your friends. While some may say “Scoff, there’s not nearly as many tools and all these bells and all those whistles.” I would reply to them “Good, I don’t want all that and, to be honest, I don’t want to take a small 101 course just to get my games running.”
– Real player with 125.0 hrs in game
SKALD: Against the Black Priory
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1609100/Skald_Against_the_Black_Priory__the_Prologue
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1712620/SKALD_Against_the_Black_Priory_Original_Soundtrack_Vol_I/
You drag yourself from the black tides, across the corpses of drowned men, and onto the unwelcoming, craggy shoreline. Gulls cry overhead and the stink of seaweed fills your nose. By some miracle you have made it to Idra. It will take all your skill to survive and unravel the eldritch mysteries of the Black Priory. Pray your sanity holds.
About the Game
‘Skald: Against the Black Priory’ is an old-school roleplaying game that combines modern design and a fully realised narrative with authentic 8-bit looks and charms.
Delve into a dark fantasy world, full of tragic heroes, violent deaths and Lovecraftian, cosmic horror. Explore an engaging, branching story mixed with rich exploration and crunchy, tactical, turn-based combat that will seem familiar yet innovative to RPG fans, old and new.
Do you have what it takes to lead a company of broken heroes from the tainted shores of Idra to the gates of the Black Priory - and beyond?
Features
Lovingly crafted retro-style art:
-
Experience a richly illustrated world of authentic pixel art using thousands of hand-drawn tiles and images
-
A palette inspired by the legendary Commodore 64 computer.
-
Optional CRT filter for that authentic old-school experience.
Deep character creation:
-
Build your main character and recruit a party from among a dozen diverse characters, each with their own skill-set, agenda and personality.
-
Choose from a dozen classes and backgrounds as well as heaps of feats, spells and equipment as you take your party from level 1 to 20.
Crunchy tactical combat:
-
Engage in challenging, fast-paced, turn- and grid-based combat.
-
Play it your way, with fully customizable difficulty and feedback settings. Or hit ‘auto-resolve’, lean back, and (hopefully) watch your party cleave a bloody path through their foes.
A richly detailed, living world:
-
Explore the vast expanse of Freymark and the Outer Isles and watch your actions spell doom or salvation for the region.
-
Focus on the rich, branching narrative… Or live the life of a mercenary and explore varied sidequests and encounters - the plot will wait for you.
-
Manage your party as you make camp, recruit hirelings, travel by land and sea, and interact with powerful factions and their visions for the world.
Become part of a fantastic community:
-
Skald was made possible by crowdfunding and already has a large, passionate and welcoming community that can’t wait to meet you.
-
By joining Skald’s Early Access you’ll have a direct line to the developer, get sneak peaks and give feedback on forthcoming plans and help shape the game into a modern classic.
-
We will publish the powerful tools used to create the game in an effort to support and encourage modding and content creation once the game has fully launched.
The Story of Skald: A Dream Come True
Skald is the dream-project of a lone Norwegian developer, AL.
AL missed the thrill of delving into grand, immersive games such as ‘Ultima’, ‘Magic Candle’, ‘Wasteland’ and the Gold Box series. When he noticed the lack of newer roleplaying games that combined the classic (early 90s) charm with more modern game design he decided to take matters into his own hands.
AL set to work crafting the game of his dreams.
A highly successful Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaign with 700 backers, and a fast-growing community of passionate fans proves he made the right call.
Collaborators
Despite being a one-man company, Scape-IT has been able to collaborate with some amazingly talented people in creating SKALD:
Danny Salfield Wadeson is a UK-based writer & narrative designer who has worked on BAFTA and TGA nominated narrative games such as Roki, Backbone and Duelyst
Twitter: @MadQuills
John Henderson is an experienced fine artist and illustrator and is also a teacher of Art. Whether using dip pen, oil paint or pixels, John’s work is easily recognizable as being highly atmospheric as well as lovingly created. Having worked on many publications and indie gaming projects he is also currently busy with his own project, Wild Wood for the C64.
Twitter: @JohnHen65953721
Scott Hartill UK based artist and game designer. More interested in pixels than anything else. Currently busy developing a PS1 style survival horror in his spare time.
Twitter : @cluly
Torgeir Fjereide is a Norwegian artist and illustrator. He loves painting mythological and medieval scenes and he’ll take any excuse to paint a bearded man.
Twitter: @TheBrushOfThor
Post Horn Public Relations is a pro-bono initiative created to support talented developers.
Twitter: @horn_pr
Rachael A Edwards hails from England and spends most of her days writing fantasy novels about morally grey characters in worlds filled with mythology, corruption and magic. An avid gamer, Rachael’s love for storytelling began at a young age. She is currently working on a YA fantasy novel and is represented by Rena Rossner of The Deborah Harris Agency.
Twitter: @RachaelAWrites
MementoMoree (formerly known as Paolo Pomes) has been creating art since his late teenage years. Proficient in most types of art, from pencil & paper to highly detailed 4k textures, he’s found solace and pleasure in the retro pixel art!
Twitter: @MementoMoree
Marco Pedrana is a digital and traditional art vagrant. He started as draftsman in advertising and comics, went on in illustration, then painting, then conceptual art. He doubled back on videogame design with Aeon of Sands, creating its graphic, story, and sfx. Lately he freelances as a 3D generalist for indie game and cinema productions.
He focuses on narrative art, regardless of the medium or scope.
Twitter: @marcopedrana
Romanus Surt is the main guy at Graverobber Foundation, the developer behind Das Geisterschiff and Der Geisterturm. He does music for SKALD.
Twitter: @surt_r
Edwin Montgomery is a composer and sound designer for games, films and performance. A long-time RPG obsessive, he wrote the soundtrack for inXile’s remastered 30th anniversary version of “Wasteland”. He has created music and sounds for a variety of fantasy game worlds, including Warhammer 40,000, Game of Thrones and Neverwinter. Edwin does sound design for SKALD.
Twitter: @edwinmyshkin
It Stares Back
First I just want to get it out of the way that
! for no apparent reason at all the store page us calling it 4x which immediately shaves respect points for the dev doing that. It’s my one real criticism which is a minor thing except that words have meaning. You can’t just call things whatever you want. Then other idiots get misinformed until all Steam or GOG becomes a massive dumpster fire and people start not even realizing just how the fuck to make games anymore with enough misinformation. So, it’s a casual RTS, or RTS-lite. It has nothing whatsoever to do with 4x in the slightest and it bothers me maybe even less than confuses me how the hell a game dev could make that much of a mistake without doing it on purpose
– Real player with 40.0 hrs in game
Was introduced to It Stares Back through the Reddit post they made to advertise it, and instantly fell in love with the artstyle of this game, and was enamoured by the lore weaving together the world it’s based in. Cosmic horror, biopunk, and post apocalyptica seamlessly weave together to form the world of the Great Tapestry, a grotesquely beautiful hellscape beset by a ravenous, deafening, void. As the Noble Guide, you are tasked with ripping the souls of long dead soldiers from the earth to fight it back.
– Real player with 17.3 hrs in game