New game releases.
Outlaws of the Old West is Now Available on Steam Early Access and is 25% off!*
Outlaws of the Old West is a massively multiplayer survival MMO with a huge world, thousands of items and a modular building system. Survive the wild, build your own homestead, defeat villainous bandits and work with others to tame the Wild West.
*Offer ends March 19 at 10AM Pacific Time
Smell that my friends? That is the smell of sales. We love a good sale here at Pocket Tactics, so much so that sometimes we’ll even post about them separate from their usual slot on Friday’s Weekender Update. A handful of interesting deals have cropped recently, so we thought we’d take a break from our usual schedule to make you aware of the latest discounts.
11 Bit Studio’s excellent survival/adventure game set in a war-torn modern state is definitely one of those seminal works that must be experienced before you die. You play as a group of civilians trying to survive in a city turned into a warzone, and is based on real-life experiences from the Balkan conflict in the 90’s.
At $2.99 (down from $14.99), it’s a steal. This isn’t the cheapest price its ever been, but it’s the first time the game’s been on sale since last May, so who knows when it may drop in price again. If you haven’t picked it up yet, we suggest you do so now.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI_c0lp68RY?controls=0]
One of our favourite digital boardgames is going cheap again. Ticket to Ride pits 2 – 5 players against each other as they collect cards and connect cities to their train network in an attempt to meet hidden objectives and score the most victory points. It’s an excellent game to play solo, hot-seat on a single device or over the internet, and it’s currently half price.
Another Asmodee Digital title, Colt Express wasn’t in the best of states when it launched (hence our review), but Asmodee made some much needed fixes to multiplayer in the months following launch. It’s still not perfect, but at half price it might be worth a try if you’ve been looking for another digital board game to fill your boots.
To finish off the list, we also spotted that word puzzle app WindWord was being given away for free. We haven’t looked at it ourselves, but one our readers recommended it on our best word puzzle list. Given the circumstances, I think you can certainly afford to check it out!
Let us know if you spot any other good deals, otherwise we’ll check in again during Friday’s update!
Factory Town is Now Available on Steam Early Access and is 10% off!*
Build, automate, and optimize your own village on procedurally-generated 3D terrain. Use marble-run chutes, railways, logistic blocks, conveyor belts, and a variety of worker units to research useful new technology and keep your houses supplied with goods.
*Offer ends March 19 at 10AM Pacific Time
Custom Games API:
– Added GetDedicatedServerKeyV2 which utilizes a new approach for securing/generating the keys. Any custom game that relies on GetDedicatedServerKey to communicate with its backend will want to switch to the V2 version as soon as possible.
– To give custom game authors time to switch to the new system, GetDedicatedServerKey will remain unchanged until 3/31/2019, after which will be automatically switched to V2.
– When playing on local/unofficial servers, GetDedicatedServerV2 will return special values to make the state more clear for developers (e.g. “Invalid_NotOnDedicatedServer”).
11 Mar 2019
Hey, remember Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery? What a wonderful (read: awful) poster-child for everything that’s wrong with Free-to-Play that was. I imagine Harry Potter fans were less than pleased with the most recent mainstream attempt at bringing a beloved franchise to mobile, but perhaps redemption is at hand thanks to Pokémon Go creators Niantic.
Working with WB Games San Francisco, the location-based games developer has taken their tried and true AR platform and brought it to everyone’s favourite world of wizards and magic. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is officially a thing, and it’ll be coming to iOS and Android later this year. Pre-registration is currently available on Google Play.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzQDoPUcvmE?controls=0]
In Wizards Unite, you play the role of a new member of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force, whose job it is to go out into the world and clean up a calamity that’s causing magical beings and objects to proliferate the Muggle world, putting everything at risk. If you’ve played the Pokémon game you can imagine the type of activities you’ll be doing, and where you’ll be doing them. This blog post on Niantic’s website is specifically illuminating.
I’d just taken up my role as Editor when Pokémon Go First launched in the summer of 2016. Due to the fact it took me a while to find my feet, I let the game pass us by although I did end up dabbling in it myself.
AR or Location-based mechanics are pretty interesting and take on a variety of guises – there is an interesting confluence at the centre of people’s natural habits in terms of where they go, what they do etc… and how they use their phones, of course. Harry Potter feels like just as good an idea as Pokémon Go did. It’s not really my cup of tea anymore (especially as I don’t travel about as much as I used to), but as a new parent, and as someone who used to like the Harry Potter books, I can certainly appreciate the appeal.
Through Pokémon Go and Ingress, Niantic have been perfecting and improving on their underlying technology, so you’re likely to see similarities in Wizards Unite if you’ve played their other titles. Judging by the previews already online, a lot more real-world information interacts and effects in-game encounters, which could be interesting.
What do you guys think? Are you more likely to play this Harry Potter game vs. Pokémon Go? What are your thoughts on free-to-play AR games in general?
Playing Card Crusade made this reviewer crave pizza…because it called to mind a shared truism between the two. You know what they say about pizza, when it’s good, it’s great, when it’s ‘meh’ it’s still pretty good. Well the same goes for roguelikes, a crowded yet beloved genre for pretty much the same reason. Few of them will reach the heights of, say, Dream Quest or Slay the Spire, but that doesn’t mean the also-rans of the genre aren’t any good.
It does mean that their fun and inventiveness are relatively limited. Card Crusade is satisfying to play but also suffers from some mediocrities. It’s quick and light and the development cycle shows future promise, but as-is needs a skosh more variety and challenge to stand on its own merits. Criticism aside, I couldn’t put it down.
The setup: a tale as old as time, an adventurer travels ever-deeper into a ten-level dungeon to face a final boss. The map in Card Crusade is almost entirely cosmetic, with a simple tap sending the player character scurrying to that precise spot. Tap to open doors and treasure and wander too close to draw aggro of the hostile mobs, which will hound you down once provoked. Battles ensue, with a turn-based, energy-limited card system.
It’s standard fare, with block, energy and health resources working just as you’d expect, along with a pretty nice suite of status effects to spice things up. Each piece of equipment you pick up adds a card to your deck, which starts off trim but needs to bulk up quickly in order to power through the scaling difficulties of the lower levels. Early mobs of packs of dogs or swarms of horseflies are child’s play to clear, but later on Witches and Eyeball Monsters (I guess they can’t call them Beholders?) will present a stiff challenge.
Each room with an enemy also contains a chest, which presents one of two possible new cards. While there are unique classes with abilities and a class-specific starting card, the rest of the possible card pool is totally open. Anyone can use poison, magic, a crossbow, a ‘metallicize’ defense. So in terms of deck-building the game is rather generous and free-form, which gives it a relaxed, sandbox quality. I love this, because it means that failed runs happen because of choices along the way rather than loot. The downside is repeat runs feel samey.
Battles have an unusual tempo to them. Of course it’s always best to clear the field as soon as possible, but the game usually proceeds in bursts of activity, with some turns devoted to healing and survival while others see play of an especially strong card to eliminate a key foe. Here Card Crusade breaks with longstanding roguelike tradition and does not offer full healing upon level-up or floor clear, which means damage suffered becomes persistent. This is one of the game’s smartest choices, adding a sense of pressure while simultaneously rewarding clean strategy and play. It unfortunately also weights defensive builds more positively and taxes health-sacrificing ones further.
The enemies have a little more variety to their abilities and effects. Some multiply and fill the field, others passively buff themselves until they hit like a truck. Their move sets are all made available right from the get-go, making planning a must for efficient clears. Aside from battling and choosing loot, the game offers nothing else, so its appeal lives or dies on the merits of these alone. The battles aren’t especially difficult, but the enemy variety is nice and refreshing, and the health margins for making it to the final boss are surprisingly slim. If the game feels relaxing or ‘easy’ this is a side-effect of its deliberately generous, low-variance design.
It also has some nice flourishes to differentiate repeat plays. Yes, the classes all work differently, but there are also Shrines which offer an optional benefit and drawback. (The closest analogue I can think of would be the excellent Desktop Dungeon’s shrine & faith system). They might boost poison, healing, burning or health, but the shrines always take a toll. The exchange is mostly fair, well-balanced and most importantly of all, well-advertised.
That’s probably the most just assessment of the game as a whole, honestly: fair and as-advertised. It might get quickly solved if you’ve already blazed through Dream Quest, Meteorfall, Night of the Full Moon, Slay the Spire, and every other card battler out there, but it’s still got enough meat on its bones to be worth the price of admission. Diverting, a fun time-sink whose future updates will hopefully add more cards and classes, maybe even a hard mode for those of us ready for a bigger challenge. It is undoubtedly good reliable fun, but this rush is half-nostalgia and half-quality. Here’s hoping the game continues to improve and enrich itself.
Well I don’t know about you guys but I’ve had an enjoyable week – we managed to get some key reviews online and there’s been some interesting new games to pad out one’s collection, depending on your preferences. It feels like we’re finally getting out of the slump that struck the start of the year, at least.
Don’t forget to check out our competition for a chance to win a free iOS code for Shieldwall Chronicles, by the way! First competition we’ve done in a while so you don’t’ want to miss out.
Meanwhile, In mobile gaming…
Our main game highlight of the week is this roguelike/card game hybrid that features turn-based combat. We’ve always got a lot of time for card mechanics here and there’s been some very interesting games that play around with roguelike concepts, so we’re hoping this one can live up to the emerging genre hits.
There are six playable characters, each with a pre-made deck. A further 250 cards and 80 relics are available to find and collect within a procedurally generated world. A unique feature appears to be the presence of ammunition, whereby you’ll have to make sure your abilities or attacks are ‘loaded’ before you use them. It’s worth noting that while the base game is only a dollar, there are IAPs covering the various in-game resources & currencies. We’ve got someone working on a full review of this so we’ll let you know the full score ASAP.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmLzS46t310?controls=0]
Utility and gaming-adjacent apps is something I’ve thought about covering more of here – after all, we all have interested beyond just mobile gaming and the great thing about mobile is that you can get apps that support your other hobbies. As a PS4 owner myself, the recently released PS4 Remote Play app on iOS would in theory be right up my street… except I’m not on iOS. Sadly, the Android version only supports Sony-made phones and tablets. Guess I’ll just have to play my PS4 on an actual TV, like a pleb.
If you are an iOS user and have a PS4, however, this might be relevant to your interests. Reports vary on how well the app performs, but Mikhail Madnani over at Touch Arcade has done some testing which is worth a read. Personally, I wish they’d bring back the second-screen initiative a bunch of games dabbled with half-a-decade ago, but there you go.
This isn’t actually due out till tomorrow (who launches a game on a Saturday? I mean really!), but I don’t want to sit on this for an entire week until the next Weekender update. I’m flagging this up to you now instead, although note we don’t have store links at the time of writing. Hats off to Dave for pointing this out – I would have missed it otherwise.
This is a two-player micro-game that involves card-drafting, set collection and combos to score victory points. The premise is you’re laying out the wonders of your Kingdom through time, with each round representing an ‘Age’. As time moves on, your achievements crumble but you get to keep one card from the previous round as a kind of ancient legacy to inform your future strategy.
I’ve actually got the physical game and it’s a relaxing, fun experience for two people that can be played quite quickly and only requires some light record keeping. It’s not something you can play a lot off, mind, but It’s a good a candidate as any for a digital conversion. According to the devs it’ll feature solo-play vs. and AI, as well as hotseat multiplayer with a friend or loved one.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8TI2W1RvH8?controls=0]
Unless I’ve gone blind, there doesn’t appear to have been any updates of note this week but do let readers know in the comments if you’ve spotted something I haven’t. One thing: Even though Shieldwall Chronicles launched its’ 1.03 update yesterday, 1.04 has already been released to fix some critical bugs that cropped up.
It’s not a great week for sales of note, unfortunately, although as a nice change of pace we actually have an Android-exclusive sale to flag up this time around:
This hidden gem of an RTS game came out in 2012, but we only did our official review in 2017 after the developer decided to launch the steam version. It’s a great strategy title that pays homage to the genre greats like C&C. If you’re still wary, there is a Demo version you can try as well.
This is one of those games that we keep talking about but have never formally reviewed. This RPG adventure title about playing your way through different game genres is going for just a buck.
Seen anything else you liked, played any of the above? Let us know in the comments!
Wa-hoo! It’s almost time for Mario Day! Every year, people celebrate the mustached hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario, on March 10, aka Mar10 Day. For this year’s celebration, Nintendo is offering a special deal on select Mario games for the Nintendo Switch™ system. Between Sunday, March 10, and Saturday, March 16, anyone outside the Mushroom Kingdom (sorry, Bowser!) can purchase a select Nintendo Switch system and one of five select games starring Mario for a suggest retail price of only $329.98. That’s a savings** of $30, which amounts to 50 percent off one of the games.
The five Mario games featured in the promotion are:
Already own a Nintendo Switch system? You can get a great deal, too! Purchase a digital download code from participating retail stores or retailer websites to redeem in Nintendo eShop for the same five Mario games for only $39.99 MSRP* each. Learn more.
That’s not all! There’s lots of other fun Mario stuff going on this month—check it out!
Nintendo NY celebration
If you happen to be in New York on March 10, be sure to check out all the cool Mario activities going on at the Nintendo New York store, sponsored by Frito-Lay Variety Packs. You can also check in with your My Nintendo account to score some rewards while supplies last.
My Nintendo
Speaking of My Nintendo, to celebrate Mario’s big day, My Nintendo is offering Happy MAR10 Day wallpapers and a March calendar. You can redeem your My Nintendo reward points and plaster your PC or smart device. Also, be on the lookout later in the month for specially-marked Frito-Lay products featuring popular Nintendo characters. If you check the packages, you’ll find details on a chance to earn My Nintendo Gold Points and be entered in a drawing to win some awesome prizes.
NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO PLAY OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING. Open only to legal residents of any of the 50 US or DC, 13 or older. Void where prohibited. Sweepstakes begins at 12:00:00 am CT on 3/25/19 and ends at 11:59:59 pm CT on 5/19/19. Hourly play periods apply. Code required to play. Obtain a Code: Purchase any specially-marked bag of Frito-Lay Family Fun Mix (18 ct) or Spicy Doritos & Cheetos Mix (18 ct) and look for the unique 12-digit alphanumeric Code located on the right-hand side on the vertical side of the bag (“Code”). To receive a Code without making a purchase, send a 3″ x 5″ card with your full name, address, city, state, zip Code, date of birth and email address, to be received by 5/15/19, to: Walmart Game Giveaway Code Request, PO Box 760006, Dept. 882-716, El Paso, TX 88576-0006. Code will be emailed. To Play: Visit FLVPGameGiveaway.com, input your Code for a chance to win an Instant-Win Prize. Limit 3 Code submissions per person/email address per day. Odds of winning an Instant-Win Prize depend on the number of eligible Plays received and the order in which they are received per hour. Subject to full Official Rules at FLVPGameGiveaway.com. Sponsor: Frito-Lay, Inc. 7701 Legacy Drive, Plano, TX 75024-4099. Nintendo is not a sponsor, co-sponsor or administrator of this sweepstakes.
A Nintendo Account is required to receive and redeem My Nintendo points. Terms apply. https://accounts.nintendo.com/term_point.
Mario games
Want to add to your Mario game collection? We’ve got you covered with a selection of some of Mario’s greatest hits!
The official home of Mario
Have you checked out the Mario homepage? It’s a great place to learn about the history of Mario, his friends, and their adventures.
Nintendo Switch News
If you’ve got a Nintendo Switch system, be sure to check out the special Mario Day coverage in Nintendo Switch News, right on your device!
Mario on Nintendo 3DS
Looking for Mario games on the Nintendo 3DS™ family of systems? Look no further!
Mobile
If you need a quick Mario fix while on the go, download the Super Mario Run™ game for your mobile device, and be on the lookout for Mario content coming to the Animal Crossing™: Pocket Camp game.
Persistent Internet and compatible smart device required. Data charges may apply. Optional in-game purchases.
Coming soon
Even after this marvelous month of Mario is over, we’ve still got two new Mario games on the way: Dr. Mario™ World for mobile devices and Super Mario Maker™ 2 for Nintendo Switch, both slated for release in 2019. Maybe we should change this to Mario Year?
*Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price. Actual price may vary.
**Savings based on manufacturer’s suggested retail price when purchasing game and system separately.
***Additional accessories may be required for multiplayer mode; sold separately.
Games Shown:
In the Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn game, Kirby can transform into knitted wonders like tanks and flying saucers. Plus, his new ravel abilities mimic his classic copy abilities, adding something new to every stage of this action-adventure game!
Features:
If you would like to purchase this game, or try the free demo, please visit https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/kirbys-extra-epic-yarn-3ds.
Mild Cartoon Violence
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