Publisher Focus Home Interactive released a brand new trailer for The Technomancer. The Technomancer is a sci-fi RPG developed by Spiders Studio, the game takes place on Mars, where you …
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We’re late, and it seems that’s become somewhat of a trend for us lately. Our Game of the Year awards weren’t doled out until January, and now our look forward at the XBLA and Xbox One XBLA-type games of 2014 is just making its way to you in February. You were on your own when it came to planning out January’s releases, but now it’s time for our annual look ahead at the top downloadable games likely to arrive on an Xbox platform during the (remainder of) the year ahead. Read on to find out what you can expect out of Xbox over the next (not quite) 365.
Developer: Capy Games
Developer Capy Games is hard at work on two games for this year, including the Xbox One exclusive Below. Announced during Microsoft’s E3 2013 press conference, the game centers on a adventurer who lands on the shore of a mysterious island. The game’s major focus is exploration; your character is but a tiny portion of the screen to show the full scale of the island. There’s plenty of island to see, and the randomly generated environment will ensure every adventure will be unique. Making it through the island will not be a walk in the park: the “roguelike-like” combat and permanent death will make survival difficult, but Capy promises to play fair. Only those who can brave the game’s toughest challenges will find the game’s hidden secrets and discover what lies below.
Spiders Studio’s next project Bound By Flame is already confirmed for the Xbox 360 early next year. It’s described as a dark fantasy RPG that assimilates much of the gameplay crafted in Mars: War Logs, Spiders’ previous offering, and builds upon that foundation with a bigger budget and more development time.
The premise places you in the role of a cursed mercenary, bound to a demonic being who tempts you with power in exchange for bits of your soul. You’ll choose whether to entertain this pact for shunned power in the face of increasingly deadly opposition, or go it alone, training in the purer ways of the hero. Intriguingly, scenarios and experiences within the game are said to change depending on the entity’s influence over you, altering your appearance in the process.
Combat in Bound By Flame unfolds in real-time, similarly to its predecessor with three skill trees dedicated to the holy trinity of combat, stealth and magic, but expanded to a much a larger degree. On the features front, genre staples confirmed to be making an appearance include: a crafting system to create and improve weapons and armor at both ends of the experience spectrum, the option to customize your character’s gender and facial features, and of course, droves of creatures in all shapes, sizes and levels of lethality.
The first teaser trailer seems to confirm that elves, dwarves, goblins and other high fantasy fare are thankfully missing, opting for a more gothic bestiary with somewhat of a Dark Souls vibe. Finally it should come as no surprise, like both of Spiders’ previous RPG offerings, Bound By Flame looks gorgeous. Hit the jump to see for yourself, and definitely keep this one on your radar.
We’ve seen a lot of Mars: War Logs‘ grungy, sun-kissed universe. Everything from cyberpunk screenshots to a serene music video, but we’ve never seen the third-person RPG in action, until today. Focus Home Interactive has released a brand new trailer showing off a combat scheme that appears strikingly similar to Batman: Arkham Asylum. So far, so good.
You’ll wade into groups of opponents, human or otherwise, swinging and firing any number of customizable weapons. You’ll dodge, duck, dip, dive and…dodge the blows and firearms of your enemies, countering attacks with precision timing. Most importantly, you’ll be able to choose your style of combat. Mars: War Logs features a three-tiered skilltree system that encompasses the holy trinity of combat styles.
If you’re a skull-cracker, the Combat tree might be your preferred choice for knock-down-drag-out brawls. The Technomant tree houses the more mystical arts, gifting you the cybernetic voodoo to hurl lighting and waves of energy from your fingertips. Lastly, for the sneaks and saboteurs, the Renegade tree might be the best fit with its emphasis on stealth takedowns and use of traps. Whatever you choose, you’ll be able to further specialize as you advance in level by earning experience for completing quests and finishing off enemies.
Hit the jump for a look at how to navigate the hostile environments of the martian planet when Mars: War Logs releases this Spring.
Cyberpunk action-roleplaying adventure Mars: War Logs shows off its sunnier side in its first official trailer. Soaked in sunlight and soulful melody, the trailer only hints at the dirty, dingy underbelly that is everyday life for the colonists of Mars.
Mars: War Logs takes place several undetermined hundreds of years in the future where humankind’s colonization of the Red Planet has failed. The surviving remnants of those efforts have devolved into civil war for control of the most precious commodity on the planet: water. Because life’s not hard enough, helping to ensure everyday could be the last are the mutants, the religious zealots and that beautiful sun. That savagely beautiful sun, scourging the surface with solar radiation in doses suitable for proper skin liquefaction.
You’ll take on the role of Roy Temperance, the renegade whose story intertwines with the fate of the planet, as you fight against the aforementioned martian horrors and the corporate ruling class. Boasting a deep stable of intriguing characters, dozens of unlockable skills and perks and customizable equipment, Mars: War Logs is shaping up to be unique, to say the least.
Helmed by Spiders Studios, Mars: War Logs runs on the studio’s cleverly named and obviously gorgeous Silk engine, spinning it’s way toward a tentative “Spring 2013” release date. We’ll keep this one on our radar. In the meantime, feast your eyes on a bevy of silky screens after the jump.