It used to be the summer was relatively sparse for video games. We had the big week of showcase announcements, a time in which few titles would dare drop unless it was during a conference, and then some months before those games started emerging from the oven. Now, there’s always something to play.
On the one hand, that’s great! There’s always a delectable treat around the corner. On the other hand, it’s really easy to miss out on wonderful goodies amidst the feast. So, while you gorge on recent indies like Dave the Diver, take a moment to look over this menu of upcoming delights.
Super Space Club
Jump into the cockpit of this paradoxically chill thriller of a game on August 4 to float among the stars and annihilate enemy crafts. You pick your cannon type and fighter before blasting off to complete the mission. In the case of my recent hands-on experience, this mission was simply to get through the first round.
I chose to play as Olly, who seems to be a robotically enhanced octopus/inventor. Being low-leveled, I can’t pick more advanced ammo, like seeking missiles or firework-like rounds. But the single rounds suit me just fine as I propel myself past asteroids, taking on waves of hostile fleets to an out-of-this-world score.
Turnip Boy Robs A Bank
“Wait, does that turnip have a gun?” This may be one of my favorite video game lines of the year and it certainly demonstrates the meta-humor found in this veggie-centric sequel. While details on the story are scarce, it’s clear that our loveable, tax evading, hero has joined up with the dreaded Dillitini and the Pickled Gang.
It’s time to commit crimes. My introduction into the world of felony theft includes physically shaking a bunch of dummies for their money, sword/gun training, and dodging lasers. Once those simple tasks are out of the way, I hop in the van to the nearest bank to gather every penny. Whether by death or a successful getaway, I inevitably end up at the hideout. Here, I can exchange my ill-gotten gains for better tools.
Artificer’s Tower
It’s not hard to see the game’s inspiration from the first room you build. Artificer’s Tower is a mystical take on the popular mobile reimaging of the Fallout franchise, Fallout Shelter. Each room fits together in a regular, rectangular pattern and offers the residents both needed resources and tasks to fill their day.
My first room, the base-level Fabrica takes both Essence — a resource I harvest from my magically inclined residents — and gold to create. Once built, my mages can craft food, water, and clothes. However this last item requires me to build an Alchemy chamber to help with the process, and, unlike the other options, provide happiness rather than sustenance.
Xenonauts 2
Goldhawk Interactive and Hooded Horse’s upcoming turn-based strategy project is set to go into Steam Early Access in a little under two weeks. Styled as an “XCOM-style strategy game about fighting off an alien invasion,” the game will be available to play starting July 18.
It starts during a cold, Cold War. The wrinkle is the world has more to worry about from without than within, and as a member of the secret Xenonauts organization, it’s my job to make sure the world stays safe from extraterrestrials. I have an option for four different difficulty levels, the first two of which are solidly geared to players unused to this style of game. From there, I set up my base, intercept an alien craft, and attempt to loot the wreckage before I’m discovered and have to defend my fleeing colleagues.
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