I was sent Killer Frequency for free to review for my blog. I am very grateful for the opportunity, but won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review of the game. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee!
What is Killer Frequency?
Killer Frequency is a horror puzzle game out now on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Meta Quest. This review is on the non-VR steam version.
Infamous serial killer, the Whistling Man, has returned to terrorize the sleepy town of Gallows Creek. With emergency services down, it is up to one late-night radio host, DJ Forrest Nash, to keep the town safe from the sadistic murder. Forrest must now host the most important show of his life as he plays music, answers calls, collects clues, and uses the power of radio to keep people safe. Can he survive the shift without incident?
Gameplay
As the midnight DJ, you will have to play music, run paid ads, and take calls. Victims will call into the show asking for help, and it is a player’s job to guide them out of danger from the radio station. During this time, you’ll get to explore the station to search for clues to solve the puzzles. You can fail these puzzles and get people killed, but you can always save before an important call and rerun it if you want to save everyone. I let people die because I wanted to live with my mistakes.
Thoughts
Killer Frequency is a fantastic concept for a puzzle game. It has terrific flavor, a fun soundtrack, fantastic voice acting, and interesting puzzles. The tone is a bit on the silly side, but that doesn’t stop it from becoming intense. The voice acting and timers do a great job of creating enough tension to make this game feel like a horror game, without it being scary or gruesome.
I loved the puzzles in this game. They are creative and fun. I found them hard enough to keep me engaged, but never so difficult to where they became impossible. Even if you don’t like puzzle games, I recommend you try Killer Frequency for its unique take on the genre.
Aside from a few missing voice lines, the game played great. Exploration felt good, the world they created was fun and quirky, and the voice acting was fantastic. The voice acting in this game goes out of its way to not only create an authentic late-night radio experience but also fill the world of Gallows Creek with unique and memorable characters.
One thing to consider before making your purchase is that this game feels like a visual novel. There is some exploration, but most of the gameplay exists within calls and conversations with the producer. You’re either sitting through playful banter or on a call, answering and asking questions to solve a puzzle. This means that a lot of the time you are looking at the inside of the DJ booth. I loved it because I could sit back and listen to the narrative, but it is something to consider.
Conclusion
Killer Frequency is a fantastic puzzle game, and has easily become one of my favorites. I love the flavor, the concept, and the story. If you are looking for a relaxing puzzle game to sink some time into, check out Killer Frequency on Steam. You can pick it up for $24.99 on
The Realm of Ink demo is now live on Steam. If you are looking for a new action roguelike to sink some time into, download this demo today! The demo is only 40 minutes long, but you’re going to want more.
If you enjoy my content, please leave a comment, like, follow, and share this with your friends!
Hook
Realm of Ink is a short story collection controlled by the Book Spirit. For the most part, characters within its pages live their lives as written. This changes when on a hunt for a cunning Fox Spirit, Red discovers that everything around her is a fabrication. After her awakening, Red makes her journey through this fictional world to find out the truth of the Book Spirit. What secrets will she learn along the way?
Gameplay
Thoughts
The full version of the game will give players access to different characters, spirits, and upgrades, but the demo is limited to one character, chapter, and a limited selection of upgrades and spirits. While I was left wanting more, the provides players with a solid grasp of the gameplay loop.
Real of Inkplays like your traditional Rogulike. Players start each round with a random spirit and earn random upgrades as they move through the levels. Champions have access to a light attack, a heavy attack, and two spirit abilities.
These types of games are repetitive by design, but there is enough RNG in this game to make each run feel different. I ran through the demo version a few times and never had the same build twice. Some builds are better than others, but that is the nature of RNG.
Red is a cool champion with three loadouts. Players start the demo with the single sword but can unlock a duel wield version for faster attacks and a ranged attack after you end your first run. Each loadout plays differently, which keeps the game feeling fresh. I preferred the ranged version of Red because I had a lot of fun kitting in this game.
Realm of Ink is beautiful, and I recommend you check it out to appreciate its art style. The demo also has fun flavor, and an amazing soundtrack. The gameplay was fun. Combat was great, leveling was fast and easy, RNG seemed fair, and the spirits gave fun abilities. I don’t like that you start the game with one spirit and have to find the second through RNG.
The only complaint I have is that in some runs, I only had access to one spirit ability. This felt like a disadvantage, especially when it came to the boss fight. I hope spirits are easier to collect on full release because it is the mechanic that gave the game its unique flavor.
The demo is short, but it was long enough to get me excited. I need a little more story and gameplay before I can form a full opinion. If you’re looking for something new to play, check out the Real of Ink demo. It’s free, it’s fun, and it isn’t a huge commitment.
We don’t have an official release date, but I will be trying to get my hands on a copy when it comes out. Stay tuned for that. If you enjoy my content, please leave a comment, like, follow, and share this with your friends!
The Bungie Foundation is hosting its fifth Game2Give fundraising event. From now until February 2nd, players can earn unique rewards to support children’s hospitals and provide relief to global communities in need. As of writing this, $989,692.90 out of their $1,500,000.00 has been met, and I am pretty sure we can beat that. Head over to the official page to learn more!
There are two ways to support this. Players can either donate on the official website, or they can buy some of the Game2Give merch available for a limited time on the Bungie Store. Supplies are limited, so move fast!
As As an added intensive, Bungie is opening the vault and giving donors access to exclusive emblems. Emblems cost 1 credit, and donors earn 1 credit per $6 donation. This is a great cause, so make sure you gather any spare glimmer and give back! (Check out the official page for more)
The Building Better Worldsexpansion for the Alien RPG just released, and you might want to pick it up for the colony mechanics. You will need the core rulebook to use this resource, so either the Core Rulebook ($54.08) or the Starter Set ($51.22) should be enough to get you started.
Starter set doesn’t include GM Screen
The Starter set has everything you need to get you started:
5 generated character sheets
prewritten adventure
84 game makers to keep track of characters, motions, and more
54 custom cards for weapons, personal agenda, and initiative
10 specially designed base dice
10 specially designed stress dice
864x558mm double-sided map
You do get a condensed version of the rules, but this should be perfect for new players. If you want to create your own adventure, I recommend you pick up the core rulebook! You get a pdf version for either physical copy.
Thoughts on the Expansion
Building Better Worlds is a neat resource for GMS who need a little extra help to spice up their next Alien campaign. I typically like to make up my adventure, even when working from a book, but I appreciate being able to fall back on other people’s ideas from time to time. This book has some neat ideas I definitely want to try at my table, like having my players become stranded on a prison planet of deranged criminals and Xenomorphs.
The book introduces new ships, NPCs, planets, solar systems, and weapons to help aid GMs with flavor and world-building. It includes several plot hoots, ideas on how to run certain planets or colonies, and even a campaign players can run through if they need a jumping-off point. Most importantly, the book introduces the colony mechanic.
From my brief understanding, players will need to travel to foreign planets and either start, maintain or save a colony for humanity’s expansion into the cosmos. This won’t be an easy task. Planets are inhospitable, conditions are unpredictable, and there are bloodthirsty aliens lurking in the shadows. In space, if the stress of survival doesn’t kill you, the Xenos will. This sounds like the perfect bleek setting for any table that needs a change of pace, and I am here for it.
Where to Buy
Remember, you need access to the core rules before picking up this expansion. Those interested in the Building Better Worldsexpansion can get their hardcover copy from the official Free League Publishing website for $45.51. Those who don’t care about physical media can pick up the PDF on DriveThruRPG for $19.99. If you play online, I recommend picking up the official Building Better Worlds module for Foundry VTT. I’ve written a post explaining why you should use Foundry VTT if you want to know more.
I do plan on running Alien RPG at some point after Dragonbane. I have a huge collection of RPGs I need to get through, and I like to take my time and live in them for a bit. Until then, stay tuned! If you enjoy these updates, please leave a like, comment, follow and share this with your friends.
I release my translations the Monday after the official release. Make sure you check out the original. If you enjoy this project, don’t forget to like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends!
The Gatekeepers turn their firepower towards the Sons of Chaos. Chaosdramon fires away furiously, keeping the swarms of Gatekeepers away. The rest of the Sons of Chaos clean up any bits of swarm that manage to break through the blast of Chaosdramon’s Hyper Infinity Cannon. The Sons of Chaos move to form a defensive perimeter around their leader.
Kosuke stands behind the three prototype Digimon and watches as they crack the Gateway. Explosions and beams of hot energy fill the air around him, but his attention never falters. The progress bar makes its slow crawl across the screen…30%…33%…
The last time Kosuke attempted to crack the gateway, the progress stalled at 30%. They surpassed the first attempt, and each second brought him closer to Saya.
Dorumon announces their progress periodically. Kosuke’s screen fills with a stream of endless code as he sends commands to the prototype Digimon. The code creates a visible stream of light that becomes tethered to the backs of each Digimon. They continue to work furiously. Their feet begin to glow as streams of code stretch from beneath them across the face of the Gateway, revealing a complex geometric pattern on its surface.
At some point, the Gatekeepers had turned their attention to Kosuke. Bits of Gatekeepers occasionally rain around him, but he never takes notice. His fingers tingle with anticipation as they glide over the keyboard.
Eiji watches Kosuke curiously. He becomes moved by the man’s unwavering focus. Unable to do much else, Eiji opens his monitor to check on the progress.
66%
The Gateway groans as the glow of flowing data eats away at its face to complete the pattern. It looks to be a third of the way done.
Loogamon’s ears twitch. It flicks its nose toward the air.
“What is it?” Eiji asks.
“Something’s coming…” Loogamon’s voice trails. There is a hint of fear in its voice.
“What…Wait….Crap! Tartarus!” Eiji cries out.
“Stay calm. There’s nothing we can do right now. Just focus on the job,” Dorumon calls out. Its voice seems a bit distracted.
“Its time!” Kosuke shouts. “Everyone fall back!”
“Tappin out!”
“That’s it for me!” The Sons of Chaos Leaders slowly chime, letting Tartarus know they’ve hit their limit. Only Chaosdramon would be left to hold the line.
“Let’s all raise a glass when all this is over,” one of the leaders adds.
“You got it!”
“Loggin AUGH!” A deafening scream blasts through the chat before everything goes silent. Eiji’s mind begins to race. Have they been attacked? He searches the skies for answers.
Suddenly, a Digimon drops from the sky and lands on the Gateway with a sickening thud. Smoke and dusk kick around it furiously. As it clears, Eiji can make out a severely damaged machine. Its body is covered in deep gashes. Exposed wires let off sparks of electricity. It begins to move towards them. Each step releases thick black smoke from its gashes.
“Mekanorimon?” Eiji asks in disbelief. ” I thought the DigiPolice retreated?”
A series of small explosions erupt throughout Mekanorimon’s body. It lurches to one side and topples over to its side. Inside sits a damaged Numemon. It spills out of the seat, flopping onto the ground as it makes its escape from the wreckage. Satsuki appears next to the Mekanorimon and gingerly touches its cold steel body. “I’m sorry,” she whispers as she gently strokes the unmoving Digimon.
She turns her attention to the prototype Digimon. Her expression fills with rage. “I’m getting the captain back, and none of you filthy code crackers are going to stop me!” she shouts.
“Hey, Satsuki?” Eiji says as he leaps between the enraged officer and the Prototype Digimon.
Satsuki clenches her fist and begins to grit her teeth. “Eiji Nagasumi…” Satsuki scowls harder.
“It’s too dangerous to stay as a hologram. One stray bullet and you’re gone.” He adds, trying to calm her down.
Don’t talk down to me boy. I know what I’m doing,” she growls as she pulls out a small device from her pocket. The label on its side reads: CLASSIFIED. Metropolitan Police Department. Unit 11: D-003799. “I’m putting an end to this, once and for all!”
“Is that a Digimon Dock?”
” Sorry, Captain. Consider this my resignation…” Her voice trails as she looks down at the unconscious Ryudamon.
“Satsuki..?” Eiji stammers.
“Get ready kid, I ain’t holding back!” she yells as she turns on the device.
A horrific metallic scream fills the air. Eiji searches for a source, but nothing happens.
Genocidal Rain!
Character design/illustration illustrator: malo
A hail of heavy-caliber bullets rain from above. Each bullet explodes into Chaosdramon with thundering force, but the crimson dragon absorbs the blows effortlessly. Bellow, Eiji ducks his head expecting a stray bullet that never comes.
RATATATATATATA
The defining explosions continue. Eiji lifts his head slowly to search for its source. Above it, Chaosdramon is pinned down by the endless hail of bullets. At the other end, a heavily armored bipedal dragon fires its Gatling gun furiously towards them. A jetpack blows viciously, keeping it over them. Its blue armor glistens with each explosion. Its blank expression remains fixed on the prototype Digimon.
“So they just had a Mega Digimon sitting around?” Eiji lets out.
“Impressed?” Satsuki asks mockingly. She turns her attention to a terminal that floats in front of her. She enters a few commands and smirks as Brigadramon continues to rain down fire.
“I only left for five minutes…” Marvin’s voice comes through chat as he takes control of the Chaosdramon remotely. “Let’s see how you handle this!” Chaosdramon closes the gap between them and grabs the Gatling gun. “Gotcha!”
Satsuki lets out a sly smirk. “Not so fast!” Brigadramon adds Brigadramon lifts its left arm, revealing three rocket launchers hidden under its claws. “Did you think that’s all I had?”
“Stop it!” Eiji shouts suddenly. “It’s here!”
DELETE ALL!
A metalic voice echoes over the battlefield as a small vortex forms above the chaos. From it falls a silver knight Digimon.
Omnimon raises its right arm. The cannon at the end begins to glow as it gathers energy. The cannon fires without warning.
GARURU CANNON
The frozen beam falls towards the gate.
“Tartarus!” Marvin moves the Chaosdramon to intercept the blast. Ice creeps over its hard metallic body, slowly choking the life from it. With its final breath, it lets out one last defiant breath.
HYPER INFINITY CANNON
Omnimon moves quickly, dodging the blast and closing the distance between it and the prototype Digimon.
EXA DESTROYER
Three missiles explode against Omnimon, forcing the Royal Knight to land. Omnimon remains unscathed as it turns its attention to Satsuki’s Brigadramon.
GENOCIDAL RAIN!
RATATATATATATA
Brigadramon’s Gatling gun begins to spin as it releases a turret of bullets. Omnimon disappears behind a cloud of dust and smoke. The gun comes to a stop. Smoke wisps rise from the end of the barrels. Omnimon stops out of the smoke, unscathed. The runes on its blade begin to glow as it inches toward Kosuke and the other Digimon.
…..95%….96%….97%…
TRANSCENDENT SWORD
Omnimon charges.
“Kosuke!” Eiji shouts helplessly.
Kosuke pulls out two Digimon Docks from his pockets. “I told you, everything is going to plan.” He presses a button on the docks. Two mega Digimon suddenly appear to intercept Omnimon’s attack.
99%.
The Gateway lets out another massive grown. The prototype Digimon begins to glow as ghostly images of their ultimate forms appear briefly above them. As the projections disappear, beams of data shoot from their bodies toward the sea above them.
Omnimon makes quick work of Kosuke’s Mega Digimon and continues its charge towards Kosuke. Its blade swings for his neck.
“100% Gate Cracking complete!” Dorumon announces as Kosuke, Eiji, and the three prototype Digimon vanish.
Temporal Forces releases on March 22nd, so its time to look at all the full art cards that have been revealed so far. There is a lot of cool art in this set, and a lot you’re going to want to chase. Check out the full list of spoilers and their translations. Always support your LGS, but I made a list of places where you can preorder if that isn’t an option.
If you enjoy these updates, make sure you leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. If you want to order any existing Pokémon product like the latest Paradox Riftset, get it over at TCG Player.
I was sent Roots of Yggdrasil for free to review for my site. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review of the game. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.
What is Roots of Yggdrasil
Roots of Yggdrasil is a roguelike deck builder that splashes village builder elements to create a unique gaming experience. The game releases on Steam in Early Access on January 24 for $14.99. Don’t forget to wishlist.
Sunna and her tribe have been trapped between time, and they must find a way out. Together you must build a settlement, explore the unknown, and discover the secrets that will take the tribe to the top of Yggdrasil. But the road won’t be easy, and failure means you will have to start over. Do you have the spatial awareness to make it to the top of the mountain?
Gameplay
Players start a run of Roots of Yggdrasil with a random deck that they upgrade throughout a run. These decks summon structures that can be built on procedurally generated levels. Space and resources are limited, making efficiency a player’s most important resource. To beat an encounter, players need to complete several tasks to power up the ship for the next leg of the voyage. A player can run out of space or resources, or have a random disaster make it impossible to complete a level. For example, there is a deadly fog that slowly eats up the map, leaving players without enough space to build.
Aside from the village builder elements, Roots of Yggdrasil plays like your typical deck builder. Heroes have special abilities players can cast periodically, there are random encounters that give players cards or resources, and there are permanent upgrades players can purchase in between runs. The hardest part about this game is building in the right order and leaving enough space for what you need.
Thoughts
Roots of Yggdrasil is a cute game with a fun art style, amazing flavor, and interesting mechanics. I enjoyed this game a lot, but the game isn’t finished, and you can tell. It isn’t unplayable. The game never crashed, and the mechanics were fine, but it needs a little polish and more content. The gameplay started to feel repetitive after a few runs, so most people will want to wait for more biomes, mechanics, and features to be added to the game.
If you don’t mind the roughness of an Early Access game and want to experience a unique deck builder, look into Roots of Yggdrasil. The bit I got to play is fun, and I can see the potential. I’ll be revisiting the game on a future release, so make sure you stay tuned for that. Until then, make sure you add it to your wishlist!
I was sent New Cyclefor free to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. These will be my honest impressions of the game. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.
New Cycle is a survival village builder coming to early access to Steam on January 18. Because the game will be in early access, this will just be my initial impression of the game. I’ll revisit and review the game when they release 1.0.
Concept
A solar flare has destroyed society as we once knew it, sending the world into post-apocalyptic chaos. Those who remain must now build a new society from the wreckage of the old. This won’t be an easy task. Resources are limited, illnesses are rampant, nature is unrelenting, and morale is low. Can you usher your people into a new age, and rebuild society to its former glory?
Aesthetic and Performance
For an Early Access game, New Cycle runs fine. It still needs a bit of polish, but the game never crashed on me. The Aesthetic is a little dark, but I enjoy the sepia color scheme. It makes the game feel a lot more gritty and bleak.
Game Modes
The game offers most of its content through its game modes. You can enjoy the freedom of Sandbox, Manage a built city ravaged by a mysterious illness, or you can start from scratch in a campaign. The campaign has a few maps you can start from that affect gameplay. For example, you can start on a mountain where you have access to better mining but don’t have less food to work with. I love the work that went into the flavor. At the moment, the game has enough content to keep players busy till the full release.
Gameplay
Thoughts
New Cycle is the most technical village builder I’ve ever played, which isn’t a bad thing. At its core, it shares a lot of the core elements of other games in the genre. This game isn’t any more difficult to learn, but it is a bit more difficult to master. Where in other games I would sit back and watch my villagers live their lives, New Cyle had me worrying about all the elements that could end my civilization.
Just like any survival game, you need to worry about resources, hunger, morale, and the elements. This is a game where you have to be very careful about your efficiency because random events will set back your progress. There was a game where I ran out of food and my buildings got struck by lightning, and I had to start over because I planned poorly. I still recommend you go in blindly and learn from your mistakes, but having a guide handy doesn’t hurt.
Conclusion
This game isn’t going to be for everyone. The survival mechanics will turn away the more casual village builder fans. That said, the game is doing a good job of combining the survival and village builder genres. If you’re a technical person who enjoys the economics of survival but doesn’t mind the roughness of Early Access, you might want to look into New Cycle. To be clear, this isn’t a daunting technical game that requires good notes and a Ph.D., but it is less casual than the other games in the genre. I liked it, and can’t wait to see where they take it. Don’t forget to add it to your Wishlist!
I was sent Terra Aliafor free to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. If you’re looking for accessories for your VR headset, like magnetic prescription lenses or a high-quality charging cable, get it at ZyberVR. Use discount code CHURAPE for 15% off. You can also always buy me coffee.
Terra Aliais a VR RPG game for the Meta Quest that teaches players a new language. The game supports 10 languages: English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Brazilian Portuguese. Players are put into a world full of magic, but the only way to use it is to learn a new language.
There is a story to this game, but it doesn’t feel important. At least it didn’t hook me enough to care. The main draw to this game is the grind to learn a new language. The game does this through exploration, puzzles, and combat.
I felt like exploration was the main loop for this game. Players pick up new vocabulary and phrases through exploration. To pick up a new word, you point at the word, listen to the translation, and pronounce it properly. The game offers a prerecorded pronunciation and uses the Quest’s mic to check yours. Players use the words and phrases they learn to solve puzzles, beat challenges, and cast spells.
For the most part, the prerecordings are fine when it comes to single words, but they fall off when it comes to prerecordings. The recordings of some of the phrases were incoherent, and I found myself stuck because I couldn’t hear the pronunciation. Challenges are a pain because you can’t repeat the pronunciation of phrases. You can listen to single vocabulary words all you want, but you only get a quick shot at phrases. This made learning phrases difficult, and the challenges annoying to complete.
Combat in this game is where this game could have stood out more, but it falls flat after the novelty wears off. After a couple of battles, I found myself actively avoiding them because they felt like a chore. To cast a spell, players have to translate a word to their chosen language within the time limit. The system gives players a word like a dog and two options, and players must pronounce the correct word properly. It’s a fine system, especially with this kind of RPG, but nothing exciting. It also doesn’t always work which is a bit frustrating.
Terra Alia is good at teaching players new words in a different language, but don’t expect to become fluent. I found that the repetitive grind helped me pick up new words quickly, and I rarely needed to look up a resource. Unfortunately, once the novelty wore off, I didn’t find much reason to play. If you have young kids, this is a solid came to throw them into. It has a cute cartoonish style, the loop is simple and easy to follow, and it’s a nice intro to a new language. Anyone more hardcore about RPGs will find the experience lacking. It is a cool idea and I hope they can make it better, but in its current state, I can’t recommend it.
