Darkest Dungeon: By the Fire
Developer/publisher: Red Hook Studios
Platforms: Steam (Windows, Mac, SteamOS/Linux; base game is verified by Steam Deck), Epic Games Store, GOG, PS4, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Price: $7
It’s been six years since the last Darkest Dungeon expansion. Red Hook has even released a sequel since then. So it was a surprise to recently learn that the studio (which is now under the Behavior Interactive umbrella) had created new DLC for Darkest Dungeon.
By the fire brings The Runaway and The Duelist – two heroes who debuted in Darkest Dungeon II – to the original game. They each expand your character roster by one slot, so you won’t have to worry about how to make room for them. The Runaway has a burning ability unique to this hero. The DLC adds a series of new trinkets, three additional districts and new town events while increasing your heroes’ damage.
If you haven’t delved into the darkest dungeon yet, you can purchase the base game for just $3.74 on Steam until September 1st and on PS4 until August 27th. You’ll need it anyway before you can play the DLC. Or maybe, like me, you’re hooked Darkest Dungeon as a gift from the Epic Games Store a long time ago and I forgot all about it.
(I’ve spent way too much gray matter this week trying to figure out what makes the supposed “Darkest Dungeon” even darker and what to name a sequel other than adding an “II” to the title. The English language is a complex and vicious beast.)
Twisted Tower
Developer: Atmos Games
Publisher: Realms 3D
Platform: Steam (Windows; Steam Deck verified)
Price: Usually $15, with a 10% discount until September 1
Ready for a nightmarish trip to an abandoned theme park in the 1950s? Of course yes. Twisted Tower is a first-person horror shooter where you’ll face off against hellish versions of mascots with a range of upgradeable toy-based weapons. These include a mallet, a rubber band gun, a chain gun that shoots bubble gum, and a “fart shotgun.”
This game seems to have a strong BioShock influence, right down to the vending machines where you can buy upgrades (you won’t have elemental powers at your disposal unfortunately). With no sign of the next game in this series – 13 years later BioShock Infinite — Twisted Tower might give fans of these games something to chew on. I hate clowns and would be more than happy to blow up a number of them, so I’m very tempted to catch Twisted Tower.
The Lantern of the Saint Sans Rire
Developer/publisher: NerveLabs
Platform: Steam (Windows Early Access)
Price: Usually $20, with a 10% discount through August 24
It’s going to be a while before the Bethesda release Ancient Scrolls VIalthough Xbox may be trying to speed things up. But if the Oversight remaster has caught your interest or reignited a passion for pre-Skyrim games in the series, it might be worth taking a look The Lantern of the Saint Sans Rire.
This open-world RPG, which you can play solo or cooperatively, is inspired by Morrowind. It is located on an island that has a tower as its centerpiece. As you explore, you’ll learn more about this part of the world and meet strange locals. There is an amphitheater with seats that gradually fill with “ghosts” related to the island residents you help or hinder. I’m not sure what the theater is for yet, but it seems related to the climax of the game. I’m intrigued!
The developers admit that it’s not a fully polished game. After all, it’s in Early Access. They expect it to stay in EA for less than a year and roll out updates every week or two. As things currently stand, The Lantern of the Saint Sans Rire has a main campaign that you can complete with over 50 quests, over 60 distinct enemies, over 100 items you can equip, and “complete spell crafting and alchemy systems.” NerveLabs suggests that the game offers north of 30 or 40 hours of gameplay for completionists.
Sensory overload
Developer: Pancake Studios
Platform: Steam (Windows, SteamOS/Linux)
Price: Usually $10, with 20% off until September 4
This is a precision based dropper game that involves playing with your mind. Developer Pancake Studios states that “every effect in this game is designed to overwhelm your brain.” You may find that your depth perception is disrupted as you navigate your way through tunnels and try to avoid obstacles for as long as possible in an attempt to move up the leaderboards. Levels are named after “what they will do to you”, such as Vertigo, Nausea, Peristalsis and Apocalypse.
There’s no chance I’m playing Sensory overload. I could barely walk through the trailer without feeling my eyes widen and my head thump. It’s probably not for people prone to motion sickness. Still, this will speak to a certain type of sufferer (a term I use with nothing but affection in this context), so I thought I’d include it in this week’s roundup for those people.
Relate
Developer: SteleDev
Publisher: Fallen Games
Platform: Steam (Windows; demo available)
Price: $5, with 21% off through August 26
This pixel art platformer has a fun concept that its name alludes to. At the start of each level, the keys you use to control a little frog (left, right, and jump) are randomly reassigned. This seems absolutely terrible for accessibility, even though it’s a good idea overall. You can forget about muscle memory.
There are echoes of Celestial And Super meat boy here. There’s wall jumping and instant respawning, and dying leaves a blood splatter. You unlock more difficult levels by collecting fruits. I played the demo and enjoyed the challenge of trying to remember which button does what while avoiding deadly obstacles. Relate is much more my kind of puzzle game than Sensory overload.
