Month: March 2019

First revealed at The Game Awards 2018, Journey to the Savage Planet takes a decidedly more strange and self-aware approach to the premise of the lone space adventurer exploring a distant world. Instead of seeking knowledge and charting new areas of the universe for the betterment of humanity, it’s your job as an interstellar adventurer to make way for the inevitable push of capitalism by prepping the planet for your employer–a mid-tier corporation that has an endless flow of products to sell.

We spent some time with Journey to the Savage Planet during GDC 2019 and spoke with Typhoon Studios co-founder and creative director Alex Hutchinson about the developer’s approach to the familiar premise, why he’s proud the game features no procedurally generated content, and how players will always be within reach of consumerist tendencies, even in the furthest reaches of space.

Playing as an unnamed planetary settler for Kindred Aerospace–the fourth-best interstellar corporation in the universe–you’ll explore a distant planet housing strange wildlife and plentiful resources. With the intent on making the planet ready for colonization, you’ll quickly find that the creatures of the planet are more than capable of defending their territory from invaders. To make things more complicated, the planet possesses signs of intelligent life, and prominently features some ominous ancient ruins hinting at something hidden deep within the planet. In order to complete your lonely mission, you’ll need to collect as much data as you can and uncover the secrets of the ruins, and this is all while enduring constant advertisements for Kindred products.

In a similar vein to the adventurous jaunts found in No Man’s Sky, the key to accomplishing your goals in Savage Planet is to explore as much as you can, scan everything in sight, and collect resources. But in contrast to the scale and breadth of procedurally generated content found in the former game, Typhoon Studios’ self-aware take on the space-adventure is set entirely on one planet, allowing you to get acquainted with all the bizarre sights found within. Your only safe haven on the planet is your makeshift base. If you die, a 3D-printed copy of yourself will respawn here, allowing you to continue your mission.

Typhoon Studio worked to present a setting that shows personality and nuance, Hutchinson said, setting Savage Planet apart from other games that rely heavily on tech that creates content on the fly.

“It’s kind of like we’re a hipster game, we made all of the content in-game by hand,” said Hutchinson while explaining Typhoon’s approach to world design. “Personally, I don’t think anything made by an algorithm is worth looking at. The meaning of anything creative for me is why you did it and how you did it. If no one did, then I don’t really find it that meaningful. It’s like you’re missing the point by relying on that technology too much. Also, we made a very funny game, and there really aren’t a lot of games like that out there. I remember growing up with games like the Super Nintendo and the Amiga 500, and playing these new games you’d see these bright blue skies, and it had an optimistic outlook in them where you would actually like to be in those cool worlds. That was really attractive to me, and it’s something that’s somewhat absent now.”

In keeping with those retro roots, Savage Planet has a lot in common with games like Metroid and Castlevania, focusing on the exploration of an interconnected environment. Over the course of your expedition, you’ll gradually find some rare materials to upgrade your suit and weaponry. With the planet divided into four distinct biomes, each area requires certain gadgets to traverse. For instance, the grappling hook upgrade can open up new shortcuts and sections of the planet, and is surprisingly useful when trying to evade certain enemies.

Just when you think you’ve gotten used to the strange wildlife, such as non-hostile creatures that howl with an ear-piercing screech if provoked, you’ll encounter some of the more dangerous critters. During the demo, we came across a larger beast that could fire out mortar strikes from its back.

Personally, I don’t think anything made by an algorithm is worth looking at. The meaning of anything creative for me is why you did it and how you did it.

One of the more interesting twists on the larger plot is that your character is an extension of the larger corporation that’s come to colonize the planet. Though the game doesn’t outright refer to you as a colonizer or an invader, it’s not hard to see that you’re clearly encroaching upon territory that isn’t yours, especially when it’s your job to disrupt the environment for a company that can just as easily clone you as it tries to sell you on more of its products. With no means of two-way communication, your only link back to civilization is with constant live-action advertisements that mimic late-night ’90s infomercials. These ads all praise the corporation’s mid-tier achievements while hawking bizarre goods that are mostly useless for your mission–even more so in the grander scheme of trying to find ancient life on the planet.

“We often joke that you’re basically coming to this alien world to ruin it,” said Hutchinson. “But everything we’ve placed in this game has a point. When a game says ‘you’re on an adventure!’ it’s usually not for no reason, there is a broader point to be made, a payoff. You have your goal and your core missions to find and accomplish, and you can accomplish those goals at any time in your own way. But also, we’re going to bombard you with weird advertisements along the way.”

What I found most interesting about Journey to the Savage Planet is how it managed to blend satire with the experience of an isolating exploration game, which felt surprisingly more intimate than expected. That feeling of isolation is often punctuated with the obnoxious live-action advertisements, which are the closest connection you have to civilization and a friendly face. Though it’s still a ways out from launch, planned for a Q1 2020 release, Typhoon’s new game seems to be striking a particular tone that aims to be more thoughtful with the pulpy premise than it initially lets on.

If you’ve been keeping your eyes peeled for deals on gaming computers and accessories, today’s a great time to stock up on whatever you need: Best Buy is running a flash sale for today only on some great hardware, including laptops, desktops, TVs, tablets, headphones, keyboards, and way more. Plus, some Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One games are included as part of the sale, as well as Xbox One bundles. The sale ends tonight at 9:59 PM PT / 12:59 AM ET, so these deals will be gone by tomorrow.

PC gamers should definitely check out the discounts on PC accessories, like this Corsair mechanical gaming keyboard with back lighting–it’s built with an aircraft-grade aluminum frame to last you for years. It’s also $60 off, selling for only $110 now. This Corsair laser gaming mouse has 4.7 stars and over 1,000 reviews–and it’s marked down 50% at only $30. Need a new headset you can wear comfortably for hours? The Razer Kraken Pro V2 headset is marked down to $60 and has great sound quality at an affordable price. A couple of Gamdias Talos mid-tower PC cases on on sale too–one with three dual-ring RGB fans that’s discounted at $140, and another with two fans you can get for only $75. There are also some gaming chairs available, like this Gamdias Achilles gaming chair that comes in multiple colors–it’s $30 off, so you can get it for $240 instead of $270.

On the games side, the most notable deals include Red Dead Redemption II for $40, Battlefield V for $30, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle for $20, Far Cry 5 for $20, and FIFA 19 for $30. Browse all of the discounted games here.

There are also some console deals–if you buy one of these Xbox One bundles, you’ll get a $50 e-gift card for free from Best Buy. The bundles eligible for the free gift card include the The Division 2, Fortnite, NBA 2K19, Battlefield V, Anthem, and the Metro Saga. Even better: choose among these select consoles (many of them overlap with the aforementioned bundles), and you’ll also get $20 off a controller and $10 off a 3-month or 6-month Xbox Live Gold card in addition to the $50 gift card. Not bad!

Shop all the deals in Best Buy’s flash sale »

The diorama-like design of Yoshi’s Crafted World falls somewhere between capturing how a child might imagine a world and being a joyful expression of imagination in its own right, with washi tape snails, cardboard cows, and fish made from paper planes set among carefully laid-out stages. Each set of two or three levels introduces a new theme and its own quirks to discover, from the various ways everyday objects are recycled into art to how those crafts might be concealing the collectible you’re after. While the best ideas mostly stay in their own levels and don’t really build upon themselves or each other, each area is a delight to explore on its own.

Crafted World plays largely like other Yoshi games. You gobble up enemies to get eggs, throw the eggs at stuff, and maybe find some friends and secrets along the way, all with unlimited lives and very little to pressure you. The big change in Crafted World is the addition of a dimension–while you still mostly move left or right in 2D, some paths allow you to move forward or backward onto a separate left-right pathway, and you can throw eggs forward and backward, too. Aiming into the foreground or background shifts the depth of field so you can better see what’s around you, with the added effect of making the levels seem even more like 3D, handmade dioramas.

Because coins, collectibles, and other points of interest are scattered throughout the foreground and background as well as your immediate path, you’re encouraged to engage with the environment in every direction throughout a level. Finding a secret can mean spotting a suspiciously empty space and hoping an invisible winged cloud is there like in previous games, but it also means keeping an eye on the horizon for collectibles poking out from behind background decorations or moving Yoshi forward a bit to get a better look through a cardboard building’s window. It’s hard not to wonder what might be behind a bush or off in the distance, and Yoshi’s Crafted World fosters that inherent curiosity with small, endearing details.

Each set of levels has its own theme, from the jungle to ninjas to a haunted house. The 16 different themes comprise a wide variety of cute and creative takes on the craft aesthetic; the jungle’s frog platforms jump using folded-paper springs, the ninja Shy Guys throw origami shuriken, and the haunted house features a large cardboard puppet Shy Guy that wields a cardboard scythe and chases you through a graveyard. Inanimate crafts are frequently juxtaposed with a moving or puppeted version–childlike bird cutouts in the background with 3D bird enemies in your immediate vicinity, for example–which only enhances the feeling that the levels are imagination brought to life.

Some levels have not-crafty additions to round out their themes, many of which provide interesting wrinkles to the standard Yoshi mechanics. One jungle level is an on-rails shooter that tasks you with throwing eggs at animal-shaped targets to score points; one of the ninja levels is set behind a moving shoji screen so that much of your platforming and collecting is done in silhouette, forcing you act quickly when the path to a collectible is revealed. Nearly every area has at least one non-standard level, and the variety helps break up the slower, more deliberate pace of the typical Yoshi levels.

Some ideas, like the shoji screen, make sense as one-offs, but most of the areas exist disparately from one another, and the most interesting ideas are never developed beyond their original incarnations. The ninja area (a clear highlight) has rotating doors that turn 180 degrees when you shoot them, revealing platforms you might need to progress or moving Yoshi to the other side of a wall where treasure awaits. They aren’t tricky puzzles, but the front-to-back movement of the doors plays off 2.5D and visual depth effects especially well, and it’s disappointing that they aren’t used more and to greater effect as the levels progress.

The levels are designed to be replayed, though. After completing certain levels, you’ll unlock the “flip side” version, which gives you the simple task of finding three Poochy Pups (as opposed to dozens of collectible items). The flip side gives you a closer look at the construction, from the tape holding things together to a pair of scissors left among the crafts in the background. While totally optional, the flip side has a different layer of detail that is charming in its own way–especially when you realize that the hard-to-reach tower that housed a collectible you’re proud of getting is actually a milk carton.

The Yoshi games’ usual relaxed approach suits this well. Breezy platforming allows you to put all your focus on taking in the scenery and keeping an eye out for hidden collectibles, and by extension, you can replay levels with a purpose–like seeking out an item you missed, which you know is somewhere in the middle–without having to slog through a frustrating or tedious beginning. By the same token, finding collectibles is a matter of being curious rather than completing difficult maneuvers. It’s certainly not a cakewalk to find everything, but if you know what you’re looking for and you’re patient, it’s satisfying and never so challenging as to disrupt the atmosphere of the game.

Breezy platforming allows you to put all your focus on taking in the scenery and keeping an eye out for hidden collectibles, and by extension, you can replay levels without having to slog through a frustrating or tedious beginning.

There are a number of ways to make the game a bit easier or more laid-back. The returning Mellow Mode, which gives Yoshi longer air time and more damage resistance, and two-player co-op are basic options, but I found myself gravitating toward Yoshi’s costumes, which you can unlock using the coins you collect normally. The crafted costumes–favorites include a trash bin and a dinosaur skeleton–function as armor, giving you a few extra hits before you start taking damage. In addition to being adorable and fitting the overall vibe nicely, they’re a good middle ground for those who still want normal jump distances but the freedom to walk into a few Shy Guys on accident.

Yoshi’s Crafted World is at its best when it’s relaxing and pleasant. The 2D-to-3D level design keeps you curious while the go-at-your-own-pace approach keeps the pressure off and leaves you to appreciate the small, imaginative details. Its most interesting ideas never evolve past their first introductions and are frequently confined to one or two levels, but individually, those levels both reward your curiosity and your willingness to slow down and look at what’s around you–and it’s those simple pleasures that provide the most joy.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood was unveiled at E3 2018, promising a co-op trip through Paris, set in the 1980s. Now, publisher Bethesda has announced the game’s release date of July 26.

In addition, the company has revealed more details about its cooperative play. Specifically, it stated those who purchase the deluxe edition can invite one friend at a time to play with them online for no extra cost using the game’s Buddy Pass. The chosen friend can download and play as much as they like, for free, as long as they play with the deluxe edition owner. They can then upgrade to the full game to play whenever they like and with friends of their own. Alternatively, if you don’t like the thought of playing online with a friend, you can utilise the help of an AI teammate.

The deluxe edition also comes with an array of cosmetic items as part of the Cyborg Skin Pack, while players who pre-order any version of the game will receive a different selection of cosmetics called the Legacy Pack. Pricing for either edition has yet to be announced.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood is coming to PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. It stars sisters Jess and Soph, who are searching for their lost father and series stalwart, BJ Blazkowicz.

Bethesda recently confirmed Youngblood–as well as Rage 2, Doom Eternal, and more titles from the publisher–will still release on Steam, despite the recent trend of PC games skipping Valve’s store for Epic’s equivalent.