Yearly Archives: 2019

UnderMine Early Access Review (PC)

by Jason Parker (Ragachak)

UnderMine stands out as an enjoyable, challenging roguelite. Roguelites offer at least a little bit of mercy: while you start back at the beginning if you die, you do get to keep some of your gold. In UnderMine, players control a never-ending supply of peasants. Armed with a pickaxe, you delve into the mines at the whim of a powerful wizard. Thanks to a series of phylacteries, an evil force has achieved immortality, and it’s up to you to stop him. No matter how many peasants have to die in this quest, it’s a risk our masters are willing to take. There is no escape: you dig until you die.

Gameplay:

As in most roguelikes, you’re given no real direction or tutorial. You are immediately thrust into the mines at the start of the game, tasked with mining for gold and fighting monsters. When you die down in the UnderMines, you lose a large percentage of your gold. Any relics you acquired also disappear. You will eventually rescue a Blacksmith, who will give you ways to improve your survivability. You can buy upgrades for your health, damage (ranged and melee), and throw range.  The Blacksmith can also craft items from Blacksmithing Plans. These plans are single-use, and the items made will only last for a single run into the mine. You receive a fair amount of them, however, so don’t be afraid to make use of them. You can also have potions crafted for you, and even the Archmage gets in on the act. As your gear upgrades, he’ll offer to sell a few items that will persist beyond death.

This means grinding is essential. There are lots of different ways to play, but one of the most important upgrades you can get is the Goldsack. When you die, you lose about half of the gold you acquired. Upgrading your Goldsack will decrease the amount of gold you lose upon death. In my current playthrough, I’m at 70% Gold Integrity, which makes grinding a lot easier. Once I had that, I focused on upgrading my damage and health, but not my thrown weapon. I don’t throw my pickaxe except to nail weak enemies, but that’s personal preference. The desire to retain as much gold as possible on death drove my every decision. I rarely buy shop items as those potions and keys don’t persist on death. The only thing I purchase is health items because you take so much damage in the early game.

The Struggle:

I like that the playable character is not a legendary hero or an immortal badass; you are a peasant, a nobody. When this character dies, another peasant will take their place. That’s pretty dark, but it also tells a fascinating story. The character’s names are random, but they all look the same. I was hoping to see more differences in the peasant you control, but that’s fine.

The gameplay loop is very simple: Dive into the mines, go through a series of floors, and fight a boss – if you don’t die along the way. I have yet to reach the deepest parts of the mine, but it seems that escape is impossible. The floors are procedurally generated, and the early game loop is usually four floors followed by a boss. There are hidden rooms, huge monsters, traps, fires, copious enemies, and hidden secrets.  There are tiles that fire flaming arrows, and burrows that spit out hordes of rats. If that wasn’t enough, there are chests that spit out bombs!

When gold hits the ground, cute little creatures will show up. Their goal is to steal your gold and run off with it. One good thwack will stop them though. If they get to the edge of the screen with a piece of gold, it’s gone forever. Enemies don’t drop gold, however, unless you have a specific rare relic. Gold deposits and veins will be your primary source of income. There is one more way you can lose money in this game other than through death. There’s a character that pops up in hidden rooms who will offer a variety of Mini-Games to play. In theory, you win gold or other items. It’s expensive and risky, so I avoid them like the plague. After 10-15 hours, I’ve yet to win a single thing from her, so I’m certain she’s rigging these games.

UnderMine Review Screenshot

Be Prepared:

Your only real weapon in this adventure is your trusty Pickaxe. You can swing it in front of you, and throw like a boomerang. You also can pick up bombs, which you use to break certain rocks. You can weaponize bombs, but it’s not their primary purpose. While the Pickaxe is your only weapon, Relics are the next best thing. Relics are special items that leave you when you die. They have so many different effects and can change your whole approach to the game. Relics appear in rooms marked with a treasure chest, but some merchants also sell them at very high prices. Unfortunately, these are random, but some of these relics are remarkable. My favorite is arguably the “Sewing Kit”, which prevents you from losing gold on death. There isn’t anything more useful.

There are relics that make gold explode when it hits the ground and relics that alter what your bombs do. You can enhance your life total, and so much more. Always take the time to get them when they show up on your mini-map. None of the relics have negative consequences, but they might not fit the build you are going for! For example, you can only have one Bomb Relic equipped at once.

There are Blessings/Curses in the mines, and Curses will hurt you. You can find secret rooms with shrines in them. Praying on these can give you a Blessing and a Curse. The curses are serious damn business. I found one that cut my HP from 300 down to about 140, and every single room was a heart attack waiting to happen. Losing extra gold is another terrifying curse. But the blessings are just as good, so take heart. There are potions that remove curses and blessings, so bear that in mind.

UnderMine Review Screenshot

Danger In the Mines:

Attention to detail can manifest in ways that make the game difficult, but can also be turned to your advantage. For example, Oil on the ground prevents you from jumping. If a normal Glomp (slime) slops down into that oil, it becomes an Oil Glomp. If you get that oil ablaze, while it can hurt you, it also hurts any enemy that finds itself in the oil.

There are plenty of ways to get fire on the ground, including fire attacks granted by relics or the breaking of a red crystal. These shower the ground in fire, but also enhance your attacks with fire for a limited time. There’s a lightning version as well that can chain lightning, or electrify puddles of water. If you get set on fire, jump into a puddle of water.

Each enemy has its own pattern to watch out for. Learning what enemies can or cannot do is key to success. Rats tend to charge up their strike so you can hit them, back off, and wait for them to come at you. Glomps leap super high and try to crash down on you, so you can move a step away and slash them.

UnderMine Review Screenshot

A Never-Ending Cycle: 4/5 (Great)

UnderMine‘s story is enjoyable, and the gameplay loop is difficult without being too frustrating. It is aggravating at the start, but that’s all roguelikes. I’m not as big a fan of “you must defeat all enemies in a room to proceed” mechanics, especially when there are so many enemies with hard to dodge mechanics. You learn how to deal these over time, but the new-player experience can be frustrating. It is rewarding to get the tactics of enemies down, but the RNG does make some dungeon runs unwinnable. That comes down to how bad you want to gamble on a blessing or curse though. The visuals are sharp, and the enemies look a mixture of adorable and horrifying. There’s plenty of content here for the price point.

I did encounter a bug that almost made me quit more than once. From what I understand the developers are aware of it, and I was playing on an earlier build. I do want to address it anyway. When I attack, my character model arbitrarily turns in the opposite direction. So you hit something, and when you go to swing again, you turn around, and they hit you instead. This has caused numberous deaths, because I was low on HP and needed to get through a room to get to relative safety.

The gameplay for UnderMine is simple, but it’s fun. It’s still challenging, and you will likely die, again and again. The high you get from success is real though. The bosses are suitably epic, and it’s common to die several times to them to learn their pattern. Thankfully, the trip back to them isn’t a horrific, tedious walk.  It’s interesting that Fandom is getting into publishing, but this offering is a good one. The early game is a bit punishing, but once you’ve learned what to do (and not to do), the fun factor picks up. This game is certainly a worthy entry into one of my favorite genre of games. No matter how badly I do at them, I always come back. I’ll certainly come back to try my hand more with UnderMine.

Note: A game key was provided for review.

UnderMine Gallery:

Crying Suns Reveals September Release Date

Crying Suns is an upcoming tactical roguelite from developer Alt Shift and publisher Humble Bundle, that’s coming to life on September 19th, 2019. Players will control a space fleet commander, exploring a mysteriously fallen empire. You will control a clone of Admiral Ellys Idaho, the greatest Imperial Admiral to ever head to the stars. awoken by Kaliban, the last functional OMNI to exist, a strange, dark comedy awaits. Inspired by some truly great sci-fi classics like Dune and Foundation, a deep story will come to the roguelite genre. Crying Suns will come to PC and Mac, with the iPad edition arriving at a later date.

Major Features:

  • Tactical, real-time battles between fleets. Pause time to plan out your attacks strategically.
  • More than 300 possible story events to keep each run unique.
  • A deep and dramatic storyline structured into 6 chapters.
  • A beautiful mix of pixel art and 3D graphics.

Wheel of Fate Announced for Steam

Wheel of Fate news

UDX Interactive has a new title on the way with a bold goal in mind. Wheel of Fate is their newest artificial intelligence single-player RPG for PC. Each player’s destiny is uniquely determined by their choices, and by spinning the Wheel. Miles Homles (Mass Effect 2) is the designer for this turn-based game, and it uses A.I. to explore thousands of possibilities for a player’s journey. A lone adventurer awakens the mythical Wheel of Fate, in the world of Providence. This brings the army of Fateless back with it, and they must, of course, be dealt with. Players will defend Kismet’s Falls as the region’s protector from the sieges of the Fateless. The Active Response Battle system will be how players work against this threat. Wheel of Fate’s Kickstarter will begin on September 9th, 2019. More information can be found here.

MIles Homles, Lead Designer discussed Wheel of Fate further:

“With Wheel of Fate, we took a massive leap that RPG’s never do and that’s to incorporate
machine learning to continuously explore thousands of possibilities and create new story arcs. Our team implemented machine learning to analyze each player’s moves, skills, choices, weapons, items, and more and be able to come up with ways to either support that into the story or even combat it. It’s really an unprecedented approach.”

A full list of features includes:

● Artificial Intelligence Wheel adapting the world to player choices
● Strategic turn-based combat with initiative turn system
● Active Response Battle system allows for engaging turn-based combat that keeps
players on their toes
● Procedural Dungeons that adapt to the wheel spins
● Build and customize homes in the lore-rich region of Kismet’s Fall
● Manage and defend Kismet’s Fall as the protector, upgrade buildings and prepare for
sieges
● Rich story that ties actions to the outcomes of fate
● Craft items, weapons, and armor to head into battle
● Billions of gear combinations to build a character in any way

Hoverloop Announces Open Beta Weekend

Online remote-control drone shooter Hoverloop announced an open beta weekend, beginning on August 31st, 2019, until September 1st. Anyone is free to download the game via their Steam Page and put th eir drone-piloting skills to the test. As a reward, all participants will receive exclusive items to customize their drones. They are also encouraged to share feedback/report bugs via the Steam Community Hub or Hoverloop’s Discord here.

An update will be arriving in this open beta that will add some new features and polish. Private Online Lobbies for multiplayer will be added, and new announcers will show up to shoutcast the matches. Players will also be able to make custom dog tags in the garage, which will be displayed on the billboards when they’re the best player in a match. A full list of the updates coming to the game can be found here.

Pax Nova To Receive Massive Planetary Update Today

Pax Nova is receiving its biggest update yet today, with the “Planetary Update”. It will give players much more control over the start of the game. You can decide on galaxy/planet sizes, how many computer opponents you begin with, and which factions/biomes you want on each planet.

The planets on which you can build and fight are also much more exciting. There are new types of terrain, new trees, and natural wonders. Also, four biomes no longer look the same because of randomly generated lighting and new textures. In addition to this, the research tree has been greatly improved. You can get a peek at some of this in today’s trailer.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy Hits Switch and Steam This September

Spyro is getting ready to soar again, with the launch of the Nintendo Switch and PC (via Steam) release of Spyro Reignited Trilogy on September 3rd. This will be the first time the Spyro trilogy is available on these platforms, with all three title sin one location. To celebrate 21 years of Spyro, lead developer Toys For Bob is also inviting fans to a special livestream on Games Done Quick’s Twitch Channel at 10 a.m. PT on Sept. 3. During the stream, fans will get a dragon’s-eye view into how the studio is commemorating the launch of the game on these two platforms and how players can join in on the fun.

If that weren’t enough, Spyro and friends are coming to Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, for the Spyro & Friends Grand Prix, which goes live on August 30th, 2019. Available for no additional charge to those who own the main game, it will add plenty of new cosmetics to seek out. There will also be the new Spyro-themed track, where you collect gems, dodge firework bundles and fly by sheep.

Aladdin and The Lion King Return with Digital Remasters This Fall

Two true Disney classics are coming back this fall, with Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King. This will include fan-favorite versions of each title, with upscaled graphics, and additional enhancements to playability on current consoles. This will also include a brand-new “final cut” of Aladdin and an original Aladdin “tradeshow demo” that has not been publicly available since 1993.

Fans will be able to revisit these beloved games and take advantage of a variety of modern support options, including instant save states, a “Rewind” button to jump back up to 15 seconds, level select, invulnerability, infinite lives, and an “Interactive Game Viewer.” The Interactive Game Viewer enables players to view full game playthroughs, with the ability to skip forward, jump in, and start playing at any point. It will be available for 29.99 on October 29th for the Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC. Physical copies will be available at a variety of major retailers.

In addition, Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and the Lion King features:

  • Authentic Game Content with Modern Improvements – Fans old and new can enjoy the original game builds, upscaled graphics, customizable controls, special filters for visual enhancement and more.
  • Variety of Game Versions – The collection includes multiple playable platform versions of the games including their Sega Genesis, Game Boy, and Super Game Boy releasesas well as The Lion King Super Nintendo Entertainment System version.
  • A Helping Hand – Players who want to experience the Disney magic in true “Hakuna Matata” fashion can use the Interactive Game Viewer, Rewind feature and cheat codes to aid gameplay progression.
  • Curated, Explorable Museum – A treasure trove of behind-the-scenes development assets including interviews, an art gallery, and a music player shares the rich history behind the Aladdin and The Lion King 16-bit games.

Soulcalibur World Invitational Tournament Announced

Bandai Namco announced a new esports tournament built around Soulcalibur VI, the SOULCALIBUR World Invitational, on Smash.gg. This will begin on August 28th, 2019, at 4 pm PDT. On November 2nd, 2019, at the HyperX Esports Arena (Luxuor Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada) is where this epic showdown will take place, where the best Soulcalibur VI players from around the world will gather to crown the Soulcalibur World Champion.

Featured hosts who will be providing blow-by-blow reporting throughout the SOULCALIBUR World Invitational include fighting game community stalwarts Markman, Kitana Prime, Aliciaxlife, and Ebonic Plague. With nonstop action and excellent color commentary, the SOULCALIBUR World Invitational promises to be one of the most entertaining esports events of the year.

Motohiro Okubo, Producer of SOULCALIBUR VI at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc. had this to say:

“The SOULCALIBUR franchise has been the premier weapons-based fighting game for two decades, building a fan-base which stretches generations and around the world. Now, in the age of esports, it’s an honor to finally deliver a tournament fully focused on SOULCALIBUR, where the eight best players from every corner of the globe come together to compete for prizes, honor, and the ultimate crown of being the best SOULCALIBUR VI player in the world.”