Author: Trafficblast

Megaera, one of Hades‘ earliest bosses, stood before me for the first time. I had done a handful of runs through the underworldly roguelike but had never made it far. I was determined to change that with this run. I used all of my focus to dash, dodge, and dance around her until both our health bars were nearly depleted. I made one final swing to finish her off. Finally, I had won.

The high of victory wouldn’t last long though–I died shortly after that boss fight and returned to the House of Hades. But I was surprised to find Megaera waiting for me in the lounge.

“The next time we fight, you better finish me off,” she said in an encounter I hadn’t experienced before. I’d run into similar situations in other roguelikes, where I fought a new boss in Slay the Spire or Dead Cells, but had never been rewarded for failing.

“Roguelikes are categorized by their punishing difficulty. It’s like a source of pride,” Hades writer and game designer Greg Kasavin told GameSpot. “We don’t think that’s integral, though; the thrill comes from the idea that the game can surprise you over and over again.”

Hades is still difficult, but its core systems are built around moving forward. You’ll still encounter new story beats, items, and other changes if you keep losing. It’s a departure from the design choices that the genre is known for, as Supergiant Games wanted to bring the “thrilling” surprises that roguelikes are known for and make them available to more players.

A few weeks after the fantasy-meets-basketball adventure Pyre shipped in July 2017, the team at Supergiant Games came together to brainstorm what they wanted from their next game. Development on the studio’s previous games, Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre, had been messy and difficult because the studio didn’t plan those projects well. They were developed in stride around central themes–a process that put strain on the small team.

“Our pre-production can be so frustrating because it takes so long to find an idea that gels. We wanted to make an early access game that would force us to have a playable game sooner,” Kasavin said, adding that this was the first time the team wrote up a summary pitch for one of their games. “We then decided on a roguelike to encourage replayability. You don’t see many narrative-driven games in early access.”

“We know that designing things on paper can barely mean anything. When the rubber meets the road, that’s when the real stuff happens.”

Supergiant Games Creative Director Greg Kasavin

Kasavin and other members of the team had been playing roguelikes like Risk of Rain and card battler roguelike hybrid Slay the Spire, marveling at how deep the gameplay systems were in those games. They wanted to create something similar: a game that players could play over and over again and still experience something new with each session.

“There is a ton of variety in the deck-building mechanics in Slay the Spire,” he said. “Each character has a fundamentally different play style on top of all the other play styles you can use by building your deck. Trying to manage the randomness is really compelling.”

In Slay the Spire, you build your deck as you progress through the game’s three spires, choosing new cards as you defeat enemies and open chests. There are certain strategies, like going for cards that apply poison to enemies, that players focus on because of their effectiveness. There’s no guarantee players can get the necessary cards to make those builds feasible, though. You may have to adapt and change your plan midway through a run, depending on the cards or relics you find.

“On one hand, you might push towards a certain build, but the randomness is going to fight against you. That decision-making part of roguelikes is super interesting,” Kasavin said. “Difficulty has nothing to do with any of that.”

Roguelikes are historically difficult. Games like FTL, The Binding of Isaac, and Spelunky popularized a genre where players would need to spend dozens of hours just to get good enough to to finish a run that can be completed in one sitting. Kasavin wanted players to spend dozens of hours playing Hades, but he wanted to reward them during that time.

With every return to the House of Hades, players will hear new dialogue from characters like Achilles and Hades; unlock new weapons, areas in the hub world, and upgrades; and learn more about the game’s overarching story. Progress and narrative advancement isn’t tied to winning like it is in many other roguelikes.

Hades isn’t easy, of course. It has similar content that gives players who want an increased challenge a grind that’s akin to Spelunky or Slay the Spire. The difference is that everything else in the game, the different weapons and intriguing intra-Olympus relationships, become available to all players much sooner than they might in similar titles.

Hades was a complete change from how Supergiant Games usually approaches its projects. Outside putting more time into pre-production, the studio rejected one of its longstanding practices of building each game from scratch.

“We wanted to make games that had their own unique identity and that meant not using ideas from previous games in our new projects,” Kasavin said. “They all have ideas that make them what they are.”

Bastion’s evolving hub world, Transistor’s deep skill system, and Pyre’s branching story and NPC dialogue options all make those games unique. Their defining elements all also find a home in Hades. The evolving hub turned into the House of Hades, the skill system transformed into the boons that each god gives protoganist Zagreus, and the NPC dialogue system became one of the most vibrant parts of a trip through the Temple of Styx.

“We didn’t realize why we were making it so hard on ourselves,” Kasavin said.

It’s part of the reason why Hades feels so polished–it’s a summation of everything the studio had worked on for the last decade-plus. The narrative that framed Greek gods as a dysfunctional family was the glue that brought it all together.

One of the motivators behind changing the way Supergiant Games approached development was growth. The studio added eight people in the lead-up to Hades after struggling to develop Pyre with only a staff of 12. The team wanted to find a way to continue making games they were passionate about without development starting with nothing but a “hazy idea.”

The new people they hired included platform engineers, technical designers, and similar roles that could help streamline how the team made their games. Bringing on these developers, several of whom helped the game launch on Nintendo Switch (something the studio has been unable to do with Pyre), meant they had to shore up how they approached their projects.

“We didn’t realize why we were making it so hard on ourselves.”

Supergiant Games Creative Director Greg Kasavin

“This new process did have a stink of creative bankruptcy, that’s why we avoided it in the past,” Kasavin said of planning Hades development before creating a prototype. “We know that designing things on paper can barely mean anything. When the rubber meets the road, that’s when the real stuff happens.”

The main goal with this new process was to start sooner, and it worked. It usually takes Supergiant Games around three years to finish a game, which is also how long it took to finish Hades. But this time, the team was far more organized–allowing them to constantly record dialogue during that same three-year period.

Many players have been along for the ride since Hades launched in early access in 2018, and those players are still experiencing new story beats after playing it for more than a hundred hours. That’s only possibly thanks to that three year stretch of recording sessions. It’s why every character feels alive each time you speak to them.

“Another challenge is what happens when the story runs out, what will players do then,” Kasavin said, laughing and adding that the game isn’t endless. “Hopefully they go away before the story runs out.”

Disclaimer: Greg Kasavin is the former executive editor of GameSpot.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge includes an area called Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities where you can create your own lightsaber based on one from the films, and the Disney attraction is expanding to video games, as well. In 2021, you’ll be able to purchase Cal Kestis’ lightsaber from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

The first video game lightsaber to be available at Galaxy’s Edge, Cal Kestis’ lightsaber was damaged late in the game’s storyline, and it appears the version available for purchase will reflect this. It will be joined by Count Dooku’s curved fencing-style saber this fall, and you’ll also get to customize sabers with Ahsoka Tano’s hilts and blades from The Clone Wars series.

What’s interesting about the Cal Kestis saber is that it wasn’t limited to a set design. As you progress through the Fallen Order story and collect more items and unlockables, you can change nearly everything on the lightsaber. This includes the hilt as well as the color itself, and this can be swapped at will to change things up. Of course, in Star Wars lore, this isn’t actually possible, as the color is tied to the crystal placed inside.

Though an official sequel hasn’t been confirmed, EA seemed to indicate Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was the first in a new franchise earlier this year. Given its critical success and the strength of the Star Wars brand, that shouldn’t be a big surprise. The most-recent EA-published Star Wars game is Star Wars: Squadrons, a space vehicular combat game played entirely in first-person view.

Now Playing: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Video Review

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Following the controversy surrounding the PS5’s voice chat functionality–and Sony having to clarify that it would not be recording your voice through the console–the company has offered an apology and a better explanation of how chat is going to work on the system.

In a post on the PlayStation Blog, SIE VP of Global Consumer Experience Catherine Jensen said that the voice chat recording function will be used for players to report harassment while playing games. The most-recent five minutes of a voice chat will be available to players to record and send to Sony’s consumer experience team to make a decision.

The notification players see that lets them know they may be recorded is likely a matter of legality. In certain regions, including some parts of the US, it is illegal to record someone’s voice without their consent.

“Please note that this feature will not actively monitor or listen in on your conversations–ever–and it’s strictly reserved for reporting online abuse or harassment,” Jensen said. She added that users will not be able to opt out of this feature in order to ensure that everyone is held accountable if they are being abusive online.

So there you have it: Sony isn’t spying on you with the PS5. Microsoft ran into similar controversy at the start of the Xbox One’s lifespan because of its Kinect voice functionality, which listened for a voice command to turn on. Microsoft has since discontinued Kinect and unlike Sony, isn’t even offering a camera for its console at launch. A lot can change in seven years.

The PS5 and PS5 Digital both launch on November 12, just two days after Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Series S.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 takes Michael Burnham 930 years into the future to the year 3188. After coming through the wormhole, Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) crashes into a ship belonging to Cleveland “Book” Booker (David Ajala), causing them both to crash land on the planet Hima. Book is a courier, on a mission to repatriate his stolen cargo. He has a cat named Grudge, and a mysterious connection to plants and animals.

Book informs Burnham that The Federation collapsed over a hundred years ago, after an event called The Burn. This was the day that most of the dilithium exploded. Lost and alone, Burnham asks Book for help to locate and contact her ship, the USS Discovery. Chastity and Greg recap the story and comb through Episode 1 for Easter eggs and Star Trek references.

Ikenfell is a magical school in its seemingly natural state: peril. Students have gone missing, strange trees are cropping up, and other magical anomalies plague the land. As Mariette, the non-magical yet still worried sister of one of Ikenfell’s students, you embark on a journey through this pixelated 2D RPG adventure to save her, the school, and maybe the whole world. A number of interesting ideas in both story and combat make Ikenfell an appealing prospect, but since some prove stronger than others in execution, ultimately it’s a journey with more than a few bumps in the road.

As the game begins, Mariette almost immediately gains supernatural pyromantic abilities thanks to strange magical occurrences. It actually feels a bit at odds with the message of not needing to be magical to be heroic, which throws the vibe off kilter right from the beginning. The conceit does make sense within the context of the story, though, and sets out one of the first mysteries in the game. New forms of magic are cropping up, and even some who previously had no magical powers suddenly find themselves wielding elemental magic. Mariette can use her new fire power to take on the various magical enemies of Ikenfell in turn-based isometric grid battles, with a bit of a twist.

Combat is a fairly large part of the game and is mostly turn-based. Turns are split between a movement phase, where you position your team on the battlefield, and then an attack phase where you select from combat options that have their unique ranges and damage, and sometimes added effects. Starting out you’ll have basic attacks which do moderate damage to a single enemy in front of you on the grid. As levels are gained, party members added, and moves are unlocked, more strategies and styles open up.

The strategy really gets quite flexible as no two moves from any party members are the same; they each have their own skill sets which suit their characters. The impulsive electric wielder can teleport in and out of danger quickly, whereas the timid alchemist has limited range and does best at healing or poisons. Even though I eventually found myself settling on the party of three I preferred, I still found myself using the full selection of their moves in different battles. This is thanks to the wide variety of enemies which all can be approached in a variety of ways. I tended to use poison and regeneration spells in long fights against high-HP enemies, for example, rather than bombarding them with direct damage. For heavy hitters I’d make note of their attack patterns and position my crew accordingly, which would change the feasible attacks. The mechanics are simple but present enough strategic considerations and opportunities to keep the formula feeling relatively fresh over time.

The twist to the battles is that, while turn-based, they incorporate timed elements. Each attack and even each defensive maneuver will have its own unique animation and timing. Despite being relatively simple pixel art, some of these are just gorgeous and filled with personality. Hitting the button in time with the animation and sound will determine how successful your attacks are. Some may do more damage, while others may need solid timing to inflict status effects. When defending, timing a button press to the block will reduce your damage.

In the beginning, I really enjoyed this system. While the early battles were easy, simply having something to give me a boost made me feel a sense of mastery over the combat. Timing something right just feels good, almost like you’re flicking your wrist in the final moment of casting a spell or actively bracing for defense at the crucial moment. It also makes spells you’re consistently good at really feel like your own, like your practice has paid off. However, timing something badly is frustrating and with so many different attacks from both sides to learn, it can be tricky to get it right consistently. The timing elements mean you always have to be aware of what’s happening on the battlefield and not being able to pause during battles requires a high level of diligence.

The impact of how successful you are at timing is immense, which makes it a bit double-sided in that failing them can work against you as much as success can work in your favor. The clutch mechanic, which allows you to survive a lethal blow on successful defense, means it’s literally a life and death difference. As I went further through the game I ended up swapping the option in the settings to semi-auto, giving me a bit more leeway, and I much preferred it. This change got rid of some of the more unfair-feeling losses from timing that I swear I had nailed and it encouraged me to experiment without the fear of losing outright. You can also turn it completely off, and while I didn’t prefer that option, it’s an important one to have to make the battles more accessible.

Alongside battling, there are also puzzles to solve. Most are fairly standard in that you might need to flick a series of switches, push rocks around, or gather specific items. They’re usually the right amount of challenging to make you think without leaving you stuck, and they provide a nice break between battles. However, some just feel purposefully obtuse. Once I had to look for books in the library and I just ended up interacting with all the shelves until I found them–there didn’t appear to be a marker or strategy to help. Sometimes there are invisible paths with little to signal them other than, “I guess I’ll just try walking through this wall.” In that way, Ikenfell can sometimes feel as confusing as it is magical.

Battles and puzzles take place all over the school grounds and the surrounding areas of Ikenfell. Each area has its own lovely chiptune themes to match the environment. The battle music doesn’t tend to change, though, and as you’ll enter into so many of these it can get repetitive–except when it transitions into a few voiced songs for specific character moments to show off their personalities and intentions. Unfortunately, these aren’t very good and can be incredibly jarring when it happens mid-game. I often found myself turning the volume down during these sections.

The story has you explore different dungeons in the form of classes, dorms, libraries, and more as you try to find your sister and work out what’s going on. All the different areas offer new backdrops, enemies, and puzzles to solve. I feel like every time I was getting bored with one place, Ikenfell would usher me into another with a fresh set of exploration opportunities. The variety is lovely but it also has a very “Sorry, your princess is in another castle” feel, where I always felt strung along thinking the story was close to ending but it just kept going. Naturally, this started to feel tedious at times. The drip-feed of story progression drifts into slow and unrewarding for your troubles at times.

The story itself is just kind of odd. It’s definitely a direct parody of Harry Potter, though somewhat gender-swapped and queer as all get out. But the same plot holes that plague the halls of Hogwarts are still present here. Students are somehow as powerful, or sometimes more than, teachers and engage what’s described as incredible feats of magic. Teachers let them and don’t seem to have any desire to be particularly helpful, despite the end-of-the-world stakes. They may be intended as humorous nods, but in effect come off as incongruous.

Despite this, Ikenfell has some interesting takes. It explores the kind of toll the actions of a heroic group of do-gooders, not unlike the trio from Harry Potter, is bound to take on a school. What about the people that get hurt for their brazen actions? How much stress does this kind of constant danger put on all of those meant to care for these students? What does a really progressive, queer-positive fantasy world like this even look like? And how does it feel to be excluded from this magical world as an ordinary person? There’s some unexplored ideas to the magical fantasy that deserved looking at, and Ikenfell does its best.

Ikenfell made me feel like it wanted to really care about these important issues, but it does nothing to explore them.

Unfortunately, the execution struggles at times, with things feeling a bit forced. For a game all about caring for each other, all you can really do is fight things and beat the crap out of them. A few times characters will even say things like “I’m so gay” after the story has already plainly shown us they are and most of the other characters are attracted to the same sex. Why is being gay a big deal in this world? Was there queer oppression? It’s ripe with queer internet culture but with no real anchor to the context within the fantasy world. This makes it feel tacked on as an afterthought rather than an authentic representation of real people.

Ikenfell made me feel like it wanted to really care about these important issues, but it does nothing to explore them. Characters sometimes break the fourth wall in odd ways to lampshade these ideals, but without context or relevance it often feels shoehorned in rather than true representation. I can see the beating heart of good intentions and ideas, but they ultimately feel fumbled.

Ikenfell is a game of good intentions. The take on RPG combat is both satisfying and interesting with enough options, both with in-game tweaks to characters and strategy and also directly within the settings, to help tailor it to your preferences. It just drags on a bit without feeling like anything has actually really happened until its final moments. The nice variety and wholesome vibes present a lovely little world to explore and save. There are just enough little pitfalls in the story and execution that can be quite grating when I wanted to feel immersed.

As All Hallows’ Eve closes in, many of us are wading into our collections of horror movies looking for a good, wholesome scare. The scariest option, though, might be to head into a movie theater to see the new supernatural horror film The Empty Man, which hits the big screen next week.

The Empty Man, based on a comic from Boom! Studios, tells the story of ex-cop James Lasombra (James Badge Dale) as he searches for a missing girl and comes across “a secretive group attempting to summon a terrifying supernatural entity.” As the trailer describes, all it takes to summon the Empty Man is finding an empty bottle on a bridge, and then blowing into that bottle while you think about him.

The story sounds pretty straightforward, but perhaps more interesting is the fact that this movie hits theaters on October 23 when so many movies are being pushed into 2021 or shifted to streaming services. The Empty Man is a holdover from before Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox. The studio first optioned the comic book in 2016, and the movie was initially scheduled to hit theaters on August 7, 2020.

The Empty Man is written and directed by David Prior, who makes his feature directorial debut with this movie; Prior has been directing and producing shorts and video documentaries since 2000. It also stars Stephen Root, Joey Courtney, Marin Ireland, Ron Canada, Sasha Frolova, and Robert Aramayo.