The best releases of the week and the biggest discounts in online stores.
In this issue:
- quest “Shine” from the Moscow developer Sergei Noskov;
- collection of remasters Command & Conquer and Red alert;
- underwater adventure Beyond blue;
- and classic role-playing game The Dark Eye: Book of Heroes.
The light remake
Developer: Sergey Noskov
Publisher: Sergey Noskov
Platforms: PC
We will start with the quest entitled “Light” from the Moscow developer Sergei Noskov. Formally, this is a remake of Sergei’s very first game, released eight years ago. But in fact, then he released rather a demo – and now she finally managed to turn into a full-fledged project.
The plot is simple: a certain comrade wakes up in the building of Moscow Humanitarian University. Around is a typical post-apocalypse: abandoned buildings, streets overgrown with grass, abandoned cars and not a single person who could explain what the hell is going on here. I have to figure it out on my own.
Earlier, Sergei had already released several games alone with good graphics and a convincing atmosphere – but, admittedly, he had serious problems with the gameplay. However, now he has taken into account previous mistakes: he took as a basis the simplest genre of walking simulators, did not become wise with puzzles and laid emphasis on the atmosphere. And I must admit, it turned out just fine. Recommended for all fans of the genre – and especially those who are interested in the domestic indie scene!
Command & Conquer Remastered Collection
Developer: Petroglyph
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platforms: PC
A collection of remasters Command & Conquer and Red Alert. It would seem, who needs games twenty-five years ago? But, as it turned out, there are more than enough people who want to: the peak online has reached almost 30 thousand people. The remaster contains more than 100 additional missions and more than 250 maps for the multiplayer. At the same time, new features of the network game, an updated interface, support for mods and much more were added. And separately worth mentioning the seven-hour soundtrack from Frank Klepaki himself.
The sound design was generally approached with fanaticism: for example, the same actress who worked on the original re-voiced the artificial intelligence of EVA – fortunately for a quarter of a century her voice has not changed. But the storyteller from Red Alert could not be voiced again: alas, the original actor is no longer alive.
But the gameplay did not change, so artificial intelligence is stupid, as before. Beginners are cursing about this, and veterans let out a tear of tenderness and climb to kiss the monitor. As a bonus, a huge amount of additional materials is attached, which turn the remaster into a real museum dedicated to one of the main gaming masterpieces of the nineties.
Beyond blue
Developer: E-Line Media
Publisher: E-Line Media
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4, Switch
Beyond Blue is a story adventure about divers. The action takes place in the near future: the main character named Mirai is the head of a team of scientists who study the depths of the sea with the help of new technologies. In appearance, Beyond Blue may remind Abzu or Subnauticabut inside it is completely different: there is not much freedom, there is no crafting or survival – the main emphasis is on the plot and atmosphere. Mirai will have to get along with her colleagues, communicate with relatives, worry about her grandmother with Alzheimer’s.
At the same time, the game raises topics of illegal extraction of resources, pollution of the oceans and the negative impact of man on the inhabitants of the sea. We can say that Beyond Blue is not only an entertaining, but also an educational project. The team tried to accurately simulate marine life, bottom topography, the behavior of schools of fish and other elements of underwater life. In addition to the game, 16 documentaries are attached: there are underwater filming of the BBC channel, and conversations with ocean scientists.
The Dark Eye: Book of Heroes
Developer: Random Potion Oy
Publisher: Wild River, EuroVideo Medien GmbH
Platforms: PC
Originality is good, but you should not forget the classics. The role-playing game The Dark Eye: Book of Heroes looks like greetings from the past, but many retro fans will probably take this as a plus.
The project is based on the German table The dark eye, which has been successfully developing for over 35 years and has a lot of fans in its homeland. Players are waiting for the huge fantasy world of Aventura, inhabited by four races: elves, half-elves, gnomes and people. In addition to race, for each character you can customize the appearance and choose one of twelve professions.
As for the gameplay, here the authors draw inspiration from the cult Baldur’s gate and Neverwinter nights. At the same time, the developers claim that there is no such combination of deep role-playing mechanics, procedural generation of the world and a strong emphasis on the cooperative in any other game. True, the authors of the first reviews on Steam do not agree with this.
More on review
Discounts
Nintendo also could not resist and threw off the prices of popular games. True, the discounts are small, mainly in the region of 30%. Full edition The Witcher 3 can be bought for 3150 rubles, and for 2450 – Divinity: Original Sin 2. Action My friend pedro and platformer Ori And The Blind Forest Now they cost about 900 rubles. There are discounts and more: for example, action Starlink: Battle For Atlas fell by more than 80% – up to 830 rubles.
More on review
