Displaying items by tag: Early Access

This unique simulation still suffers from certain aches and pains that we have all come to know and loathe from Early Access titles, but it’s a solid concept paired with great attention to detail and a surprisingly in-depth simulation make for a stunning (if currently unpolished) submarine simulator.

Despite its wonderful premise and future potential to match the loveable charm of similar titles, Willowbrooke Post is hindered by game-breaking bugs and missing content to the point where it is almost unplayable. Though it does show some promise and you should definitely keep an eye out for the full release if you’re a fan of management-based games, it can’t be recommended at this point in Early Access.

Outlaws of the Old West is a promising survival MMO in Early Access, developed by Virtual Basement and published by Wandering Wizard. You wake up in a wooden coffin in the middle of nowhere, left with only the minimal clothes on your back and your will to live. With nothing but nature around you, it’s up to you to survive the harsh world and build a new life in the Wild West.

Project Winter provides a refreshing take on the multiplayer survival genre and offers up some substantial promise, but is hindered by a variety of technical problems. With eight players per round, you and your fellow survivors must work together to survive the frigid landscape around you and combine your resources to call for help, all while avoiding the traitors among you and the vicious wildlife searching for their next meal. It’s a brutal world out there, and you can’t survive it alone.

Element: Space, developed by Sixth Vowel and published by Inca Games, is a turn-based strategy RPG that sees you fill the shoes of Captain Christopher Pietham, tactician and leader. You will guide Captain Chris through the galaxy on a mission to stop the evil organization Tempest who are bent on inciting war between the many factions in the galaxy despite it being on the verge of peace. Many challenges await on your path to peace, and only Captain Pietham and his crew will be able to walk it.

2084, developed by Feardemic (a subsidiary of Bloober Team, which is known for Layers of Fear and Observer), is a heavily-stylized FPS with some strategy elements that is still in Early Access. While the cyberpunk-horror atmosphere manages to set a fantastic stage for the hacker protagonist, it's difficult to shake the feeling that most of the assets, at least in terms of the environment and enemy models, have been ripped directly from Observer and Layers of Fear.

This battle royale title has dark humor and a ton of character customization, yet it could use more weapons and maps.

STARDROP is a lovingly crafted, first-person exploration title. If you enjoy a bit of mystery and like the idea of discovering the unknown in the depths of space then this is definitely the title for you.

There are needed tweaks to make, but setting those aside, The Light Keeps Us Safe is an enjoyable, suspenseful experience just short of being a horror game. Though, eeriness is pervasive due to the dark atmosphere and audio. If you enjoy atmospheric titles that are suspenseful, you should check this out; I look forward to seeing how this game’s development goes.

World War 3 had a rocky launch and will hopefully be fully redeemed by the development staff. The gameplay combined with the deep customization really does complete a modern military shooter dream. This title offers players the ability to be in full control of their gear and character, all while being fun. While this title is in the infant stages of Early Access, it shows great promise to be a fantastic experience in the long run. While map variation and different weapon choices and game modes seem to be limited as of now, I am sure we will see more and more content added in the future. Godspeed, The Farm 51.

Building, creating, destroying, self-detonating, designing, and restarting. Nimbatus is an Early Access space-drone design simulator that’s fulfilling to anyone who has a brain for engineering or adventurous curiosity. To put it lightly, my experience with Nimbatus has been one for the books of failure, and has required me to watch countless tutorial videos on how to make a drone that can even be stable enough to maneuver a planet surface. Having said that, my enjoyment in watching my failed little creations of destruction is great enough that I won’t be stopping anytime soon.

For fans of MOBAs or battle royales, you owe it to yourself to give Battlerite Royale a try. Improvements do need to be made, but there’s no doubt you’ll have a ton of fun playing with a friend.

The Ballad Singer is a fully illustrated, narrative adventure created by Curtel Games. It’s a text-focused storytelling experience based on classic RPGs, role-playing tabletop games, and other epic adventures. The story takes place in the fantasy world of Hesperia and is told through the eyes and experiences of four different but connected heroes (or, rather, “adventurers,” as some of them aren't all that heroic).

Green Hell is a brand new, single-player survival game from Creepy Jar. Its title does it justice. The game is extremely challenging and the struggle for survival is ever-present as you navigate the seemingly endless Amazon jungle.

Scum is a fresh, deep, immersive, and enjoyable survival title. Prepare to fight, loot, and scavenge, and even satisfy the human body's most basic needs. Your time in Scum will not be dull, but you may desync from the servers or find some teleporting lag warriors around the airfield.

To Hell with Hell uses a plethora of exhaustible masks with abilities to offer a great new mechanic to the roguelike crawler genre, but overall lacks a considerable amount of mechanical fine-tuning.

I've been playing this game for weeks and I still haven’t actually escaped. Every character I’ve started has died a miserable death. What’s been surprising to even me over that last twenty or so hours of gameplay is that I’m still eager to learn and improve. We’ll have to see if that continues being the case, but at this point it feels safe to say that Battlestate Games has struck a dangerously satisfying balance that might be as fun as it is intimidating.

Headsnatchers is a great time when played with a group of friends. I would have mentioned the music had I been able to hear it over our laughing, taunting, and carrying on. However, with less than that, it can be a little underwhelming. It's a worthwhile purchase if you're looking for an alternative to a board game night or party entertainment for a small group and are willing to support a title still in development.

Outpost Zero is a survival adventure title that features base-building and crafting. The market has seen a noticeable influx of similar games, so creating one that stands out isn’t the easiest task to accomplish. Despite the apparent lifelessness of some areas and certain needed quality-of-life improvements, based on the title’s current state and projected trajectory, it has potential. I know I can see myself sinking time into this, especially the base-building aspect.

In its current form, BlackFaith is a simple yet beautiful sandbox/survival building game at its core, albeit with some bad integrations and not much rhyme or reason to it as of yet.