There's a goblin in my Pachinko!
RPG Pachinko, deckbuilding battle royales, and squirrels with guns are taking over Steam this week.
Happy Saturday friends! This week I have been utterly spellbound by Tactical Breach Wizards, the most recent Tom Francis joint that I mentioned in last week's dispatch. I have enjoyed all of his releases since his debut with Gunpoint, but Tactical Breach Wizards is truly something else, and I really hope it is finding its audience.
I do worry about this though. In the lead up to release I kept hearing "it's XCOM but with wizards" from media and punter alike. Getting my hands on it now though, it barely shares any DNA with XCOM (a series that I have fallen head-over-heels for in recent years), but rather sits alongside the excellent Into the Breach as a puzzling tactics game that feels more like chess, than playing a tabletop skirmish game with random dice rolls.
If you have been staying away because of the XCOM comparison, but you love games like Into the Breach, consider checking out some gameplay. Without a doubt, this has become my game of the year so far. Not just indie game of the year. Game of the year.
Anyways, lets get into it, shall we?
And what came out this week?
Core Keeper
Developer: Pugstorm
Steam rating: Very Positive
Store Page
Craft-em-up exploratory sandbox adventure Core Keeper has finally hit version 1.0 after a lengthy Early Access period, which has culminated in a polished gem that many are raving about. I can already hear Mesmaa on the Discord yelling that we still haven't played it together. SOON MESMAA, SOON!
Supporting 1-8 players, you awaken as an explorer at the bottom of a cavern with untold secrets and intriguing technology. You will harvest resources, collect relics, create advanced tools, and build a base to survive the perils of the cavern. Unlike other creative survival games, Core Keeper seems to have its eye on interesting combat, pitting you against a swathe of enemies, and eventually, legendary Titans.
The steam reviews are glowing, it has been refined and polished for a long time, definitely worth checking out if you are a fan of the genre, and even better if you have friends to play with.
WARCANA
Developer: 1000 Orks
Steam rating: Positive
Store Page
30 magicians drop out of an Chinook with a deck of cards... ok, not exactly that, but WARCANA is a pretty interesting take on the chicken-dinner serving Battle Royale genre. This real-time base defense strategy game uses a unique deckbuilding mechanic as you hold off waves of attacks, while deploying your own armies to the battlefield. Supporting up to thirty players, WARCANA wants you to be the last magician standing. Honestly, that sounds absolutely rad to me.
If multiplayer is not your bag, it also has a single-player campaign with over 30 scenarios for you to face off against, which I imagine will prepare you for the horrors of war...cana. Check out the trailer to see some really gorgeous pixel art, and the most Mick Gordon sounding riffage that I've heard in a hot minute.
Squirrel with a Gun
Developer: Dee Dee Creations
Steam rating: Very Positive
Store Page
You all know I love a game that conjures up its schtick in name alone. Squirrel with a Gun does exactly that, places your in a silly sandbox as an adorable squirrel who has access to many guns. Chasing the omnipresent golden acrorns, your will need to run, jump, climb, and shoot your way through a delightful platform shooter that has puzzles, and exploration galore.
It seems the squirrel has escaped a secret underground facility, and now the Agents are chasing them throughout an idealic neighborhood. So you know, normal cool stuff. Games in this vein are usually not my bag, but the trailer has enough feel good moments that I would consider it. If you like this madness, and things like I Am Bread or Goat Simulator, my guess is that this one is for you.
Peglin
Developer: Red Nexus Games
Steam rating: Very Positive
Store Page
Quick disclosure - I know the creators of this game, and they are excellent people. But that aide, Peglin is an excellent game, and more people should be checking it out, so I wanted to include it in this dispatch!
Have you heard of Pachinko? It's the closest equivalent that we have in Japan to the slots in Vegas or your local Pokies bar for the Aussies reading this. You might remember that Konami left the games industry to focus on their health and fitness clubs, and Metal Gear Solid branded Pachinko machines? Well Peglin takes the idea of Pachinko and removes it from the dank, financially life-ruining dens of Kabukicho and creates it as a fun fantasy turn-based RPG with adorable characters.
Fight adorable slimes, dragons, and other nasties as you make your way down the random paths in each run, collecting relics and becoming all-powerful. Imagine Slay The Spire meets Peggle, and you are somewhere in the ballpark of what Peglin is bringing to the table.
Very cool game, I urge you all to check it out.
Crypt Custodian
Developer: Kyle Thompson
Steam rating: Very Positive
Store Page
Search Action fans are feasting this year, with another great entry releasing this week called Crypt Custodian. Players fill the paws of Pluto, the janitor of the afterworld who has to clean up after a cast of doomed ghosts who all need Pluto's help.
Learn the stories of the ghosts left behind in the afterworld, and try to give them some comfort as you learn how they died and why they were banished. Unlock new abilities and fight your way through the dark corners of death.
This one was rocketing up the charts this week, and as I was putting the dispatch together I noticed that Good Game Lobby posted a review, and seemed to enjoy it! You should give it a read, and throw their newsletter a subscription while you're there!
Thank Goodness You're Here is a reyt good time
A few weeks ago I mentioned that I was playing Thank Goodness You're Here, and while I was indeed enjoying it, I was not finding it to be the side-splittingly funny adventure that many critics were hailing. I ended up completing the game, and letting it sit with me for a few weeks before writing a review.
Even though I have spent the review lauding the humor, I must admit that for me personally it wasn't the side-splitting affair that many reviewers are saying. I put that down mostly to the fact that I am from a rural mining town in Australia, that feels A LOT like Barsnworth. We had our own version of a local businessman who couldn't function without his morning pint (I will say, he was far less friendly than the one in the game). We had our small town dramas and rumor mills that bore less comedy, and more just loudly yelling at the McDonald's car park. Also, being Australian I guess the humor is a little less novel, and for that I will say that playing Thank Goodness You're Here was a little like sitting in my country town's pub, shooting the shit, and laughing at old mate Greg who had had waaaay too many pints.
If you want to read the whole thing (with no spoilers), check out the link!
Steve Heller
A quick note on the next few weeks
I have mentioned a few times that my wife and I are expecting, and we are at that point of the journey where the baby could arrive in the next two minutes, or the next three weeks. Just setting up the expectation that the next few weeks I might be absent (for very good reason), so if I disappear, you all know why!
As always thank you for reading. If you enjoy the dispatch please share it with a friend or two, as we march our way towards 100 subscribers. If you REALLY like the dispatch, consider throwing a dollar or two into the ko-fi to help pay for server hosting and new indie games. And please, leave a comment and let me know what you are playing this weekend.
