Hi. Remember me? Yeah, I used to write for this site, sometimes 2-3 articles a day. Seems like it’s shifted to 1-2 articles/month which is a bit, what’s the word…suboptimal. This reminds me of another site from many years ago where our Dear Leader went on a sabbatical and the site–under my guidance–started to go in the toilet. <shrug> Hey! Speaking of Dear Leader, that brings up a little news tidbit. Turns out Owen’s back and started a game publishing house. Weird, huh?
PC/Mac/Linux Do year hear that? That’s right, it’s the deck-building roguelike alarm! So soon after the last one, too! This time, it’s VVVVVV/Super Hexagon developer Terry Cavanaugh’s Dicey Dungeons, and it’s just wonderful. The pitch? It’s Dream Quest, but instead of building a deck of cards you’re designing your own roll-and-write sheet on which to delegate dice rolls to deal damage and defeat the denizens of these damned dicey dungeons. And it’s a game show!
PC/Mac/Linux I’ve been playing the hell out of Slay the Spire, first on PC and now on my Switch, for months now. You’d think it would get old but it’s still my go-to when I sit on the couch and grab a controller. Starting today, however, StS has some strong competition. Nowhere Prophet from Sharkbomb Studios is a just-released roguelike deckbuilder that adds a ton of story and tactical doodads to differentiate it from other solo deckbuilders on Steam.
PC, iPad? The previous excursion on the high seas from Every Single Solder was Carrier Deck which plopped you into the real-time boots of a nuclear-powered carrier captain out to solve the world’s problems via air power. It didn’t go over too well with the Stately Players, which was a bummer considering the love levied at their previous non-real-time gems, Vietnam ’65 and Afghanistan ’11. Undaunted, they’ve hit the high seas again, dialing back the clock a bit to the Age of Sail where you command a frigate in the Royal Navy. Welcome to Her Majesty’s Ship.
PC/Mac While I’ve seen them in action at gaming events, I’ve never had the pleasure of sitting down and actually playing one of the ‘Block Games’ from Columbia. First of all, they look complicated. Secondly, tabletop war games tend to not be my go-to game type, and, most importantly, no one’s asked me to sit in and play. This will all change soon, as there’s a Kickstarter currently running to bring these games to PC/Mac. The first game on the list is Richard III and, best of all, it’s already funded.
PC/Mac/Linux I’m going to admit that, lately, gaming just hasn’t been doing it for me. Oh, I’ve been playing games — older ones, mostly — but there’s very little happening that’s gotten me excited for…well, a long time now. This is changing thanks to our pals at Handelabra. Yet to release a dud, a new Handelabra release is always something to get excited about even if it is just a Steam Early Access launch. So, prepare yourselves for your next Handelabra addiction as Aeon’s End launches tomorrow for PC/Mac/Linux.
iOS, Android, PC/Mac Right up at the top of my “digital board games that have been around a while and yet I can’t seem to find time to play but really want to and plan to someday when things aren’t so crazy and life settles down and maybe my kids move out of the house and I’m retired” list sits a little gem from Nomad and AEG called Mystic Vale. It’s been available for a bit on Steam now but today it moved to the little leagues. That is, today it released for iOS and Android.
PC/Mac/Linux, PS4, Switch We’ve already talked a lot about Slay the Spire and just what an incredible game the folks at Mega Crit have put together. It was in Early Access for forever before releasing for PC/Mac/Linux in January and has been a staple on my hard drive ever since. I can beat the game (or at least get to the end boss) fairly often now, but the fun hasn’t diminished. Each run is a new experience and a new chance to try something a bit different. The only thing missing was being able to play on the go, away from keyboard or console. That was fixed today when Slay the Spire arrived for Switch.
iOS, Android, PC/Mac When we heard about the partnership between GMT Games and Playdek, it was like hearing that your two favorite people were finally tying the knot. I mean, they’re so right for each other! It was only a matter of time before this pairing started to bear fruit and, today, they have their first born! (I’m discounting Twilight Struggle as that was pre-partnership and has turned into a titillating ménage à trois with Asmodee) It’s Fort Sumter and it’s coming to mobile and Steam today. Right now, as a matter of fact.
iOS, Android, PC/Mac/Linux My top mobile game of 2018 was Handelabra‘s masterful port of the Little Card Game That Could, One Deck Dungeon. It was a perfect blend of quick, roguelike play and oodles of dice-chucking madness. Yes, bad dice rolls can nip you in the backside, but that’s the point of the game: building up your hero(es) to mitigate dicey disaster. I played the hell out of it on my iPad and even sank too much time delving on my laptop. It was nearly as perfect as could be, with one exception: it wasn’t also on my phone. This Thursday, that changes.