Celeste Devs Celebrate 3rd Anniversary by Creating Celeste Classic 2
Celeste is one of the better platforming games to come out during the last generation of consoles. The tough-as-nails platformer has built up a dedicated community and received universal critical acclaim. It's pretty incredible when you think about how the game started as a small, PICO-8 project the dev team made in four days at a game jam. Well, recently the game had its third anniversary and the devs decided to celebrate with something really cool. Check it out below.
To celebrate the 3rd anniversary of Celeste, we made a sequel to Celeste Classic for PICO-8
you can play Celeste Classic 2 now on web or pico-8! https://t.co/EHp7dTgGlE
— Maddy Thorson (@MaddyThorson) January 25, 2021
Celeste Classic 2 was, like its predecessor, created during a short game jam. Of course, that means fans shouldn't expect a fully fleshed-out sequel to their beloved game. Instead, this is a throwback to how the game started. That game jam spirit is alive and well in this release. I've put a bit of time into the release and, while I'm absolutely terrible, it's a good bit of fun. The controls are dead simple and you can just pick it up in your browser on the game's itch.io site. With such a nonexistent barrier to entry, you should give it a try if you have a few minutes.
As far as what comes next for the team behind Celeste, we still don't know exactly. Maddy Thorson and the team at Extremely OK Games haven't announced anything concrete yet. Hopefully, we hear something more soon as Thorson's first two games have both been exceptional.
Celeste Classic 2 is available now on PC via itch.io. Celeste itself is out on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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The Medium Asks Players To Review It After Beating It
People who are playing the latest Xbox Exclusive, The Medium, are noticing something interesting after rolling credits. After all is said and done, Bloober Team's latest prompts the player to review the game on the Microsoft Store.
The message reads, "The Medium is our biggest and most ambitious game so far. It's a close and personal project that was years in the making. We poured our souls into it and we've made a lot of great memories during development. However, as great as it is to make games, we do what we love with one person in mind – and that's you. Your thoughts mean a lot to us, and they make us better developers. This is why we would love to hear your impression of The Medium."
In addition to the Microsoft Store, reviews for The Medium have also started popping up online. Our reviewer, Charlie Wacholz, said, "Despite its technical prowess and stunning visuals, The Medium is a drag. From slow, uninteresting gameplay to a confusing and poorly executed story, Bloober Team's latest makes for a good tech demo, but not much else."
Leading the charge for Xbox's exclusive and first-party lineup for 2021, The Medium was originally slated to launch with Microsoft's latest consoles last year. Now, it's the first in a laundry list of new first and third-party exclusives for the platform. According to Microsoft, at least 30 games will be launching exclusively on Xbox this year.
On top of that, there are pervasive rumors that two Xbox Game Studios games that haven't been revealed yet are launching this year. According to the rumor from a LinkedIn post, one of the games will be a AAA open-world game. The other is allegedly coming from Compulsion Games, the studio behind Contrast and We Happy Few, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2018.
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Modding Support For Cyberpunk 2077 Has Arrived With a Full Toolkit
Mods make everything better. Want to use a Master Sword in Skyrim? There's a mod for that. Want to make a massive clockwork machine in Minecraft? Mods can make that happen too. But there may not be a single game that needs mods more than Cyberpunk 2077. CD Projekt Red's latest title has been fraught with issues, and rather than wait for the company to fix them, some modders have taken the onus upon themselves. Now, their jobs are going to get a little easier. Official modding support for Cyberpunk 2077 has arrived in the form of modding tools.
Modders have already made a suite of mods for Cyberpunk 2077 without any tools for assistance. However, they're limited in scope. Most are simple quality of life changes, things that let players change their FOV or minimap. Others make cars handle better, which, seeing how they control now, is a fairly easy task. There's even a third-person mod for Cyberpunk 2077, although it doesn't really improve the experience beyond letting players see what their character really looks like most of the time.
However, there's a lot more for modders to do. Multiple games have mods that improve performance, stability, or even graphics. Some of the most intense visual mods players can find are called ENBs, which totally change the lighting system in a game. It's not clear if the released modding tools will let modders get started on that kind of work, but they're certainly a step in the right direction.
Anyone can download the official Cyberpunk 2077 modding toolkit at its site here. Available for anyone that wants to mess around with Cyberpunk 2077 is the following: Metadata, AchiveDump, TweakDump, and Tweak DB IDs. All of these are necessary for modding Cyberpunk 2077 as they grant access to different parts of the game's resources. However, before putting Link or Sonic in Cyberpunk 2077, be sure to read the license agreement on the page first.
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Slay the Spire Comes to Android Early Next Month
It's finally happening my fellow Android users. Slay the Spire will soon be on our preferred mobile platform. Of course, after the game launched on iOS last summer, it was only a matter of time. That said, I'm very happy to no longer have to steal my wife's iPhone to play the game on the toilet. Finally, on February 3, all mobile players can join hands in unity and play Slay the Spire as much as we want. Just make sure to wipe your hands first. Give the announcement from Humble Bundle a look below.
Slay the Spire is arriving on Android on February 3rd! Which character will you ascend the Spire as first? #slaythespire pic.twitter.com/LCSVDAqkhB
— Humble Games (@PlayHumbleGames) January 27, 2021
If you haven't played Slay the Spire yet, what are you doing? It is one of the best translations of deckbuilding to the digital platform. Not just because it marries the classic board game mechanic with roguelikes, but also because it does everything so incredibly well. I've put hundreds of hours into various deckbuilding analog board games and, at this point, it's kind of hard to go back. The game is just that good.
Of course, with the success of the game, there have been several other titles trying to cash in on that market. And while I quite like games like Monster Train and Dicey Dungeons, I still think Slay the Spire takes top billing. Developer MegaCrit just knocks the game out of the park in nearly every metric.
Slay the Spire is available now on iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It finally makes its way over to Android on February 3. Now, if only I had a time machine.
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Destruction AllStars State of Play Shows Off Character Skills and Gameplay
Destruction AllStars is officially releasing on February 2 as a part of Sony's PS+ offerings for next month. We've gotten several looks at the game, most notably a recent character trailer. Today, the team took a deep dive into showing us even more characters and the modes that will be on offer. You can see the whole thing below as part of PlayStation's latest State of Play. Check it out.
Let's start with the characters. As mentioned above, we got a sneak peek at several of them last week. However, today's video shows off both Pita and Shyft. Pita uses her special skills to take things on the offensive. Whether she's in her car or not, she can lay down a trail of fire in her wake that damages enemies. Shyft, on the other hand, is more stealthy. He can turn either himself or his car invisible to set up attacks and disappear from his enemy's radar.
We also got a look at the characters' on-foot gameplay. We've known you'd be getting out of your car for a while, but I have to say I didn't expect the movement to look so free-form. Every character has seemingly taken a years-long parkour study to become incredibly nimble. You can wall run, vault, and double-jump to your heart's content.
The team also gave us a look at Carnado and the other modes. The 8-on-8 mode has you trying to earn gears by wrecking your opponents. However, you only bank those gears by going into the Carnado. Stockpile, on the other hand, sounds similar to the classic Tag mode from other extreme sports games. And finally, Gridfall sees the world falling out from under you as you try to be the last player standing.
Destruction AllStars is shaping up to be a fun take on car combat. I don't know if it will blow the roof off and take over the world, but I think it looks neat. We'll know for sure shortly as the game launches on PS5 on February 2.
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God of War Series 'Fallen God' Receives a Release Date After Delay
If you are eager for some Kratos action and have been missing the big guy since you rolled credits on 2018's God of War, fear not as you can soon pick up a brand new God of War comic series that will tell the tale between the original trilogy and the 2018 reboot. After getting delayed last year, American Comic Book and manga publisher Dark Horse Comics has now updated its God of War: Fallen God comic page with the release date, March 10, 2021.
God of War: Fallen God is a four-issue mini-series created by Chris Roberson, author of the previous God of War comic series, artist Tony Parker, colorist Dan Jackson, John Roshell, and the cover of the series by Dave Rapoza. God of War: Fallen God was originally set to be released by Dark Horse Comics back in June 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the comic was delayed to an unannounced release date. Thankfully, that date has now been revealed and excited fans will be able to get their hands on issue #1 when it launches this spring.
Over on the Dark Horse website, it tells readers a little of what they are in store with the first God of War: Fallen God comic. The description reads: "Can a man ever be free of his past? Can the tides of time ever wash away the bloody sands of sin? Or do transpired trespasses permanently and inescapably stain one's soul? After conquering Zeus and thwarting Athena, Kratos believes himself to be finally free from his bondage. He sets sail for the desert in an attempt to distance himself from his home and his shame only to find his rage and guilt follow close behind. Kratos rages against the one foe that has proven to be unconquerable–himself. But a war against oneself is unwinnable, and only invites madness."
The God of War: Fallen God comic series will come in four issues and is currently available for pre-order before its release on March 10, 2021, via your local comic shop for $3.99.
PlayStation head Jim Ryan has recently talked to The Telegraph on whether the next God of War installment will be available on the PS4 as well as the PS5. Unfortunately, as yet, Ryan only apologized and stated "Sorry. I've got nothing to say about that today," For now, all we know is that the next installment in the series is tentatively set to release in 2021 and will for now only be coming to PS5 and if you have yet to experience the latest God of War for yourself, it's available exclusively on PS4 and you can pick it up from Amazon right now.
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FIFA 21 Adds Neymar, Benzema, and More in Team of the Week 18
While Team of the Year is the talk of the town in FIFA 21 right now, it's not the only thing happening. Today marks the 18th iteration of Team of the Week and it includes a few bangers. Obviously, you'd rather get a TOTY card out of your Weekend League rewards, but who's going to say no to a cheeky Neymar? But seriously, this isn't the most-loaded TOTW we've ever had, it's just a very solid one. Check it out below.
The match defining goals, assists, and saves that made up the past week of footballing action
#TOTW 18 is available now in #FUT. #FIFA21 pic.twitter.com/UgV8spX1kU
— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) January 27, 2021
As mentioned above, Neymar is the standout player by far. And his price matches that. The 92-rated left-winger will tear your opponents into swiss cheese. The only issue you could potentially take is that it'd be nice to have a central version of Neymar for squad building. Otherwise, this is a massive card.
No one else is as exciting as Neymar, but there are a few big-name players in the squad. Karim Benzema, Bernardo Silva, and Frenkie de Jong are the other marquee names. Benzema is especially interesting because he has a Headliners card. So, if you already have that, congrats on your newly-boosted Benz.
The team also includes a few solid Premier League talents in Nick Pope and James Maddison. Neither are crazy expensive, so if you're a fan those would be decent cards to target. Pope is overpriced because the community has a thing for his height. Personally, I don't get the hype, but I'm also not that good at FIFA.
Everything else is pretty standard. Youcef Atal, Nico Elvedi, and Filip Kostic are all decent cards but aren't really worth writing home about. I will say that Atal's Europa League card was my supersub for months before I picked up James Tavernier's Headliner. So, if you need one of those, he might be worth a look.
All told, this is a decent enough TOTW. There's only one truly marquee player and we've certainly had several better squads this year. That said, if you can get your hands on Neymar, your left-wing is set until Team of the Season.
FIFA 21 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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Life is Strange Co-Creator's Ashwalkers Receives A Release Window on PC
The co-founder of DONTNOD and co-creator of Life is Strange Hervé Bonin's Ashwalkers is coming to PC this coming April. Through his new studio, Nameless XIII, he is creating an experience that is part survival game and part narrative adventure. So easily something he is no stranger to. You take the role of four survivors traveling across a post-apocalyptic Earth after it was ravaged by volcanic eruptions two centuries prior. Their journey will prove to be a test of survival but also of the relationships of the group and those around them.
What sets Ashwalkers apart from the swath of other survival games is its choice system. You'll have to deal with some major ethical questions during your journey to a haven for their community of survivors. Managing your initial party will be a matter of life and death. You'll have to search for and maintain supplies while rationing your food and medication. All while having to contend with the treacherous environment and dangers around every corner.
Your reactions to your teammates and other survivors are where Ashwalkers really takes some cues from Life is Strange. With 34 different endings, your actions will assuredly have consequences. For better or worse, you'll have to make some tough calls throughout your journey. Some of them will mean life or death for your party members. That many branching paths and endings are sure to offer plenty of replay value as well. So no matter what way one of your runs plays out, there's always room for exploration and new possibilities.
Nameless XIII's Ashwalkers: A Survival Journey, which was originally titled Cendres, will make its way to PC in April 2021 via Steam. Fans of survival games and choose your own adventure style games will want to keep an eye out for this one. A demo will also be available during the upcoming Steam Game Festival in February. So it won't be long until we get to try our hands at this new journey into the apocalypse.
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EA Starts a New Studio That Will Focus on the Next Skate Title
Back at EA Play 2020, EA finally announced that its popular Skate series is finally returning. Of course, given the massive fan campaign and the success of indie games like Skater XL and Session, it's not surprising to see EA go back to the Skate well. And the success of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 has to be a good sign for the company. However, there were still several unknowns about the title. Thankfully, one of those has been announced today. Skate finally has its own studio, as EA announced Full Circle, a brand new team based in Vancouver. See the announcement below.
Hi! Yes, we're still working on the next Skate and we officially formed a studio to prove it! https://t.co/Ha1Zf9omyI pic.twitter.com/2M3WNvzBxb
— Skate (@SkateEA) January 27, 2021
As you can see if you click through the tweet above, they're very much still staffing up. When they announced the next Skate it definitely seemed pretty far out and this kind of confirms that assumption. It looks like they're hiring quite a few positions across the board. I wouldn't expect this game any time soon.
That being said, it is comforting to see EA putting together a studio for Skate. It signifies to me that they're serious about development. That's not a big surprise given how loud the community has been about wanting this game, but it's nice to see that confirmed. Personally, I think the earliest we see anything out of this game is this year's EA Play. However, I would expect even that to just be a small teaser. Though, what do I know? I've never made a video game.
Skate doesn't have a release date or anything like that. But as soon as it does, you can expect to see the news right here on DualShockers.
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Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy Review – A Charming Adventure
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy is the sequel to the original Atelier Ryza, which chronicled a secret adventure the titular alchemist embarked on with her friends on Kurken Island. Three years later Ryza receives a letter from her friends, summoning her to the royal capital Ashra-am Baird in order to learn even more alchemic secrets. This marks the start of a grand new adventure.
The call to action is simple and straightforward. However, the mysteries that unfold, namely ruins around the capital and a certain creature encountered later on, keep a healthy interest in the story until the end. Not to mention, it's always a pleasure taking a break from heavily dramatic plots that make up a vast majority of JRPGs to work through much lighter fare. Ryza 2 is driven almost solely by its characters rather than the plot, meaning the focus always remains on their journeys and character arcs. Luckily for players, the main cast is more than strong enough to carry the game.
Their personalities operate under well-worn JRPG tropes yet possess enough depth to justify the investment in their arcs. It's a sequel, it doesn't spoon feed you any information. Rather, it assumes you know the conclusion to their stories and goes from there. You have a healthy mix of familiar faces and newcomers, a welcome adjustment to ensure the second game stands out.
Each party member has their own combat abilities and roles that players must explore and define themselves. Some are as you expect (Ryza being an alchemist means she has a mix up of physicals and magic), while others are surprisingly unique (the heavy hitter of the team wielding a giant sword is a young rich girl named Patty who wears a frilly dress to battle).
Atelier Ryza 2 is a hybrid of action and traditional JRPG with party member turns denoted by a gauge that approaches a sword symbol in the center. Enemy turns are also shown this way, making it easy to plan ahead what moves and actions you need to take. You can also switch between party members, which can be used to build up basic attack and Skill combos.
Basic attacks and combos are executed with the attack button, and each successful attack nets Action Points (AP). Party members will automatically use attacks on their turn which also builds AP. Blocking attacks to minimize damage is another AP gathering strategy. And, by executing a perfect guard (which nearly negates damage and staggers the enemy) you net even more AP.
Once enough AP is saved, you can unleash special Skills that deal more damage or have other effects. Once enough Skills are used, your Tactics Level goes up. Tactics Levels grant special benefits such as raising the combo count for normal attacks, increases AP regain, and extra Skill effects. Skills can also be chained after normal attacks, which deal even greater damage to foes. You can even chain Skills into other Skills if you have the AP for it, and later on, can chain the same Skill multiple times.
There are many other small mechanics that you uncover throughout the game, which add even more depth to the experience. Some of these include positive and negative status effects and the Stun Gauge, with the latter denoting a counter on an enemy that decreases as you damage it. If it reaches 0, they become stunned which delays their turn and makes them take extra damage. Continuing to damage them in this state causes their Wait Time to freeze until the effects eventually disappear.
You also have Action Orders given by other party members which, when responded to, results in them supporting you with powerful Order Skills. And thanks to the fact that even weak monsters can power each other up when attacking in groups, even a low-level encounter can require your full attention.
The battle system is incredibly flexible and dynamic, in which precise timing and your own skill refinement is greatly rewarded. Players master various mechanics to increase damage output, keep enemies from acting as much as possible, and control the overall flow of battle. Because players need to constantly maintain this flow in combat, battles rarely ever get dull.
Of course, the trademark of Atelier Ryza, and of the series at large, is the alchemy system. Ryza is a talented alchemist who can collect ingredients from both the field and monsters to create items, equipment, and weapons. Once you've collected enough ingredients, you return to your Atelier (your base of operations) and use the alchemy cauldron to synthesize items.
A detail I particularly enjoyed was that even a task as mundane as gathering materials is made interesting due to the party's interactions with each other. They note facts, relay anecdotes, and reveal personal feelings with each other. In these moments, you glimpse into their world in which they've known each other for years. It's fun to dig into the history that comes with that. It's a great touch that humanizes the game even more and makes the experience that much more enjoyable.
Imperative to alchemy is the Skill Tree, which gives you access to recipes Ryza learned in her hometown as well as other useful skills. SP is used to unlock said skills, gained by synthesizing items and exploring ruins. Once you learn a skill you need to also acquire a recipe to use that skill, and then you add the necessary materials into Material Loops. If an ingredient has an additional trait, that trait will be added to the final result as long as the Loops are at the proper corresponding level.
Material Loops used for the process also possess their own elemental property (fire, ice, lightning, or wind). This is important because ingredients with the same element as the Loop will increase the final product's power, otherwise known as its Elemental Value. This also can have many other positive benefits.
There's a lot to learn and apply with the alchemy system but it's well balanced with tons of flexibility and depth. Not to mention how it manages to capture the excitement of discovering new recipes and getting to use newly harvested materials for the first time. My only gripe is that I wish you could fuse without having to find the recipes first. I would love the opportunity to just cut loose and experiment all day. But requiring one first does keep players from discovering powerful and potentially game-breaking fusions early on so it's an acceptable trade off.
One of the main boasts of the first Atelier Ryza is that the graphics engine was rebuilt from scratch for what was then current-gen consoles. And it shows. The graphics are absolutely breathtaking — vibrant, colorful, and bright — thanks to the well-rendered sunlight that shines down on the world. Other than a few low res textures scattered around, it's an incredible feast for the eyes. This graphical leap covers the well-detailed character models and smooth animation as well, and even NPCs benefit from the visual bump.
Complementing the graphics is the great art direction. Each character looks very distinctive. While their outfits maybe a little busy at times, it only adds to their charm. The graphical enhancements extend to battle effects as well, with some flashy Skill animation (one of my favorites being when Patty activates her fire sword skill) on full display.
The soundtrack is excellent, with some seriously catchy tunes that make the gameplay experience even more enjoyable. Sound design, however, is a little hit or miss. Some sound effects on the field are either way too muted or seem almost comical. Battles, however, are another story as the sound design here shines. The more subtle sounds such as blocking an attack or striking with basic combos are satisfying enough, while Skills deliver on the more bombastic sounds.
There are also some nice extras included in the game such as a photo mode, atelier decoration, and bonus costumes for the party members. Even better is that photo mode is available right from the beginning, unlike in the previous title. And on the field, Ryza herself can explore the environment in new ways such as scaling small cliffs, swimming, and even riding monsters.
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy is a fantastic JRPG. Whether you're a returning fan or a first-time player, it's an excellent jumping-off point into the franchise. As a first-time series player myself, Ryza 2 was quite a pleasant surprise and one that I find myself continuously drawn into.
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