Author: Trafficblast

Patrice Désilets is no stranger to pitching video games. During his illustrious career at Ubisoft he was a key creative force behind Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and multiple Assassin’s Creed titles. Standing in front of a room of people and delivering his vision for a game is, you’d think, second nature at this point. And yet, in a small hotel in Paris, he’s breathlessly rattling through his journey post-Ubisoft, displaying the kind of nervous energy more commonly seen with indie developers revealing their first ever game.

It makes sense, however, when he comes to a grinding halt and very deliberately says, “This is an indie game,” pausing to let that sink in. His new game, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, has been shrouded in mystery since it was first revealed, and he’s setting expectations. He may be the guy that helped make Assassin’s Creed, but Ancestors is the start of a new journey. It’s a game where the player begins as a simple ape that must forage and fight for survival; venture into the unknown in search of knowledge and experience; develop the skills necessary to place it and its tribe in a position of safety; and evolve so that it can stand shoulder to shoulder with the other species inhabiting the jungle. They say you should write what you know, and it’s hard not to draw parallels to the very real challenges Désilets and his newly established studio are facing, overwrought though the comparison may be.

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It becomes apparent why setting expectations is important to him the moment I get my hands on Ancestors. It’s an ambitious idea that is incredibly interesting but is realized with mechanics that I found myself unexpectedly tangled up in. In that respect, it has a distinctly indie feel to it.

At its heart, Ancestors is a survival game, but one that ties almost everything you do to the development of your ape avatar. It wants to inspire curiosity and experimentation in a natural way, and to that end is devoid of any sort of quest system. The exception is the opening, where I was tasked with finding an adorable young ape that was stranded in the wild and bringing it back to my shrewdness (fun fact: A group of apes is called a shrewdness, as I learned while writing this). I did this by using my natural senses, hitting a button to focus my hearing and then honing in on soundwaves coming from a distant tree.

The act of traveling there is undoubtedly the most recognizable representation of Désilets’ design history, with a kind of simple traversal system built around holding and releasing a button to grab onto trees, branches, and thickets. Momentum can be used to swing from position to position around the jungle environment, and while it’s not quite as slick as something Altair or Ezio would pull off, there was a kinetic quality to the movement that felt satisfying. With the infant ape returned, I was then free to head back into the jungle and do as I please.

Although the game doesn’t make a big deal of it, there’s a line that it throws up during the intro that serves as the drive behind the gameplay. It challenges you to defy science and evolve faster than the rate history states apes transformed at. Doing this involves indulging that curiosity and exposing your ape to the unfamiliar as much as possible. This, in turn, leads to it learning and growing. Items and objects in the environment initially have a black fog around them, indicating they are unfamiliar and should be examined. I picked up tree branches to figure out what they are, explored surroundings to develop a familiarity with the world around me, and leapt around to advance motor skills.

In doing so, I was rewarded with Neuronal Energy. When resting at Sleep Spots I was able to access the ape’s mind and build neural pathways that improved my capabilities and unlocked new ones. After picking up enough things, my ape realized it could hold things in two hands, and then switch between them. With ample use of my visual and aural instincts, which are represented in-game by a kind of special overlay that highlight points and objects of interest, the range at which I could see and hear things could be extended.

Seeking out the unknown, learning, and evolving as a species is the core of Ancestors’ gameplay loop, but there are additional considerations. Perhaps the most important is growing in number. Out in the wild there are other apes that can be found and added to your shrewdness. With more apes, the opportunity to procreate arises, which is also a key part of advancing ape-kind. You can approach other apes and groom them to build a relationship, and once it’s intimate enough, you’re able to mate and have children–provided you grab a few comfy leaves and put together a makeshift bed to get it on in.

“Survive the elements, teach your family, and build a home,” the game says. However, for the two hours I played, simply surviving was such a challenge that I was barely able to even think about teaching or building. Ancestors holds out on a lot of information, so I found myself frantically trying to figure things out before my ape died and I was given control of another one to, effectively, start over. At one point something in the jungle cut me, I’m not sure if it was a narrow miss with a bird of prey that got the jump on me as I was scoping out the jungle from atop a tree, or if it was the needles of a bush I was trying to investigate, but either way I could see blood leaking out of me. The clock was ticking and the game offered no indication of what to do to stop the bleeding beyond finding something with clotting properties. My first thought was to grab a leaf, use my new ability to run my hand along it and strip off the leaves, and then try to apply it to myself. However, after I did this, there was no indication that I had some new material I could use. Ancestors doesn’t have an inventory system and my hands were empty, so I clearly had the wrong idea. Except, I had the right idea. The leaf residue was in my hand, but that just wasn’t made clear to me. Had I known that, I would have sought out a rock to break it down and apply the clotting material to my wound.

Ancestors holds out on a lot of information, so I found myself frantically trying to figure things out before my ape died and I was given control of another one to, effectively, start over

This is representative of the overall obtuse nature of Ancestors and, according to its developers, this is by design. Ancestors is a game about trial and error, experimenting to find out what works. After all, that’s what the apes are doing, so why should it be any different for you? There are solutions to the questions you want to be answered, and once you come upon them the knowledge fundamentally changes how you perceive the world around you, the tools available to you, and your chances of surviving. If the developers were to lay out all the answers, there would be no challenge. And without the satisfaction of figuring out how to solve a problem, it’d become a hollow experience.

Their reasoning makes sense and, on occasion, it worked. At one point I consumed berries to stave off starvation and found myself poisoned. I looked around and, not seeing any obvious plant remedy, I decided to just see if drinking lots of water would help wash it out of my system. Lo and behold, the poison indicator drained quicker as I hydrated myself and I became poison-free. But for every situation where it clicks, there’s one where just a little bit of guidance would have been helpful. Having made a spear by stripping branches, I used the action button and my ape stabbed into the ground. Naturally, I thought this would be perfect for fishing, so I walked into a nearby stream to try and gather some food but walked away empty handed. It wasn’t until much later, when I found a fishing spot, that I realized that there are specific locations that yield fish.

Ancestor’s biggest challenge, to me, is walking the line between creating that sense of trial and error that leads to finding solutions and developing a knowledge base that smooths out survival, and providing enough guidance so that players don’t become frustrated and walk away before have that kind of meaningful experience. Although Désilets and his team are aware of this, he was very committed to sticking to his vision, saying the ambiguity is core to the experience.

“That line, and I had multiple discussions with the team and the other game designers, where it was like, ‘What is too much and what is not enough?'” he said. “You’re right, we’re always on the line. I was asked before, ‘Could you tell us what’s the solution for bleeding?’ If I tell you, it’s over. It’s not like there are 48 different solutions to bleeding. There’s one or two, and if I tell you the one there’s only one left.

“If you did it, then you know it’s difficult, but as soon as you find a solution the game world will change. Because suddenly you see opportunities that you didn’t see at first. We did a playtest in November, and there was a guy who came in, and he told me he had an epiphany while playing it. He said, ‘At first I thought there was nothing, then I pick up something, I transformed it, and I went holy f**k, there’s everything. Everything is already there, and it’s neat.’

“Once you understand the rule set, and you know how to get rid of your bleeding, or your broken bones and whatnot, you’ll start to go on the other side of the fence, of like okay, now I get it. Then from the second to second struggling, you’ll go to the minute to minute, then hour to hour. Then it’s a different fun.”

As Désilets rightly pointed out, the strict time conditions we played under somewhat alter the experience of Ancestors. I had just two hours with the game and so, naturally, I was trying to get a feel for it at an accelerated pace, delving deep into the jungle as quickly as possible, attempting to battle snakes and escape alligators well before I was probably ready to. Having finished my playthrough, I came away slightly frustrated but also feeling like, under the right circumstances–namely that I had more time–I could take a more considered approach and have the experience Désilets and his team envisioned.

“There’s a part of me says, yes, you may feel frustrated because you feel like it won’t let you play the game the way you may want it. I saw all of you just went in the jungle crazy running, and this is where a little bit I’m like, ‘Okay, that’s your choice, not mine. I didn’t say to you go in the jungle and run. You went, and because there is you can have a lot of fun and pleasure not exploring that far.

“But also take your time, don’t rush it. This is where I say [your character is] not like the other video game characters out there where it’s all about you can do it, you’re superior. No, you’re that little prey at first. Take your time, slow down, stop. Then our job is to make sure you understand, well, this is the pace of this game.

“But you’re totally right, though. It is a fine line, and sometimes we’re not on the right side. It’s about balancing at the end of the day. But it is a game about that, about you as a gamer, can you go through your own evolution of play? Maybe in a way that will let me survive.”

Despite my minor frustrations with it, Ancestors has definitely piqued my interest. That loop of learning and evolving felt compelling, even among the frustration of not knowing what to do and repeatedly dying. It has sparked a curiosity in me, and I do have questions that I want to see answered. While the game’s title indicates players will be able to evolve from simple ape to homo sapien, the game actually only goes for eight million years of human history, up to the Australopithecus stage of evolution. However, whether or not I make it that far will depend on the balancing, and Désilets admits that it’s something that the team is working on in the lead up to release.

It’s the beginning of Spring (or Autumn in other parts of the world), and to celebrate, Microsoft has kicked off a huge sale for Xbox One and Xbox 360 games and related content.

The Spring Sale, as it’s called, offers discounts up to 65 percent on more than 500 Xbox One and Xbox 360 digital games and extra content. As part of the sale, there are 95 Xbox One games available for $10 or under. And to make things sweeter, Xbox Live Gold members can save even more (up to 10 percent extra), while new Xbox Live Gold members can sign up for only $1 and also receive 1,000 coins for Apex Legends. The Xbox Game Pass $1 introductory offer also continues for new subscribers as part of the Spring Sale.

In addition to games, some Xbox One consoles, like the Fallout 76 Xbox One X bundle, are $100 off, while the custom Xbox Design Lab controllers are $5 off. The Spring Sale runs until April 22, so you’ll have to act relatively quick to get in on the savings.

Some of the notable Xbox One game deals include Battlefield V ($30 USD), Assassin’s Creed Odyssey ($24 USD), Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 ($30 USD), FIFA 19 ($18 USD), Fallout 76 ($40 USD), Just Cause 4 ($30 USD), Red Dead Redemption 2 ($45 USD), Resident Evil 7 ($20 USD), and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition ($15 USD).

Go to Major Nelson’s blog to see a full rundown of the Xbox One and Xbox 360 games and DLC deals. There are so, so many. The deals are also valid in Europe, Australia, and other parts of the world.

Although the Tomb Raider trilogy that began with 2013’s Tomb Raider and ended with last year’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider has wrapped up, it sounds like more Tomb Raider games could be on the way. Producer Jonathan Dahan told USGamer that he would be “extremely surprised” if the franchise ended with Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

“I’d be extremely surprised if we didn’t see more of it,” Dahan said. “We’re not able to say anything about what’s happening next, but I’d be very surprised if we didn’t hear more about the franchise.”

The Tomb Raider franchise is one of the biggest and best-known in all of gaming and beyond with the movie series that recently rebooted with Alicia Vikander in the title role.

Dahan also said in the interview that he’s excited to see “what’s next in terms of technological advances.” This line is notable given Microsoft is rumoured to talk about its next-gen plans at E3 this year, while Sony, too, is reportedly cooking up a PlayStation 5.

The Xbox One and PS4 launched in 2013, so that generation might soon be ending. For its part, retailer GameStop believes new consoles may be revealed soon.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s latest expansion, The Grand Caiman, is out now. It introduces a “ferocious deity” that players must defeat to say the innocent San Juan villagers.

Where would you like to see the Tomb Raider series go next? Let us know in the comments below!

Battlefield V‘s battle royale mode, Firestorm, has introduced new way to play. Developer DICE today added Duos, which as its name suggests, lets you play with one other person.

Duos joins the exisiting Solo (1 player) and Squads (4 players) mode that are already available in Firestorm.

“It’s our first time putting Duo out into the wild having started work on the mode much later in Firestorms development. We love it, and we think it’s a great addition to the game, but we recognize best that we’re better hearing that from you, and we’d appreciate your support in helping to make it a strong addition to Firestorm, and Battlefield V,” DICE said in a forum post.

Duos will be available in Firestorm until 10 AM UTC on Monday, April 15. At that time, DICE will go over fan feedback and and its own telemetry, and later report back about what they saw and learned. It appears Duos is launching as part of a test of sorts.

In other Battlefield V news, the World War II shooter recently introduced a microtransaction system that allows players to purchase various cosmetic items–here’s how it works.

Apex Legends developer Respawn is aware of the interest among fans in a Nintendo Switch version of the battle royale game, but it might not happen — or it might. Respawn isn’t ready to say just yet. Project lead Drew McCoy told Wired that the studio is working on “a lot of things” right now, but there is nothing to announce yet about a Switch edition.

“If Switch was coming, we would tell you, and we would blast it across the world. We are hearing all the Switch players who say they want the game,” he said. “I can’t make any promises right now. We have a lot of things that we’re working on, so stay tuned for anything in the future. But currently we don’t have anything to announce.”

McCoy’s wording is interesting. He never outright says it won’t happen, or even that there are no plans. He’s saying that Respawn has nothing to announce right now. This is very far from a confirmation that Apex Legends is coming to Switch, however.

Apex Legends is available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

Switch players aren’t without any battle royale games, of course, as Epic’s Fortnite is available on the console. Tetris 99 is also on Switch, while Crazy Justice has been announced for Switch.

In addition to ongoing support for Apex Legends, Respawn is just about to reveal its Star Wars game, Jedi Fallen Order, this weekend at Star Wars Celebration. The studio is also working on a new Titanfall experience to launch this year, while the team has an Oculus Rift game also in development.

Would you like to see Apex Legends come to Switch? Let us know in the comments below!

Wizards of the Coast is debuting a set of new cards coming to Magic the Gathering, both in its Arena digital version and the classic tabletop game. We have the exclusive reveal of one of the upcoming cards, Finale of Promise.

Finale of Promise is a versatile red card, allowing you to cast target cards from your graveyard. The strongest effect comes if the attribute is 10 or more, which then lets you copy the spells twice with new targets. You can check the full card text, and the artwork from illustrator Jaime Jones, below.

These cards are meant to signify major story moments in Magic lore. Finale of Promise shows Niv-Mizzet being reborn through the use of the Elderspell.

Magic: The Gathering Arena is the latest digital incarnation of the classic collectible card game, built to be a faster-moving version of the game than previous video game adaptations. Wizards of the Coast also made it more easily expandable to keep up with its steady stream of new card additions, so that it could receive expansions and other additions right alongside the physical game.

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Disney has finally what its new streaming service, Disney+, looks like. During the company’s Investor Day presentation today, the company provided a first look at the UI–and it bears a strong resemblance to Netflix. Check out some images of the UI in the gallery below.

As you can see, there are tabs for Disney brands like Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and others. In terms of specific content, Disney back catalog shows and films will be available, alongside new original shows like a Falcon & Winter Soldier show from Marvel the Star Wars show The Mandalorian from Jon Favreau.

All content on Disney+ can be downloaded. The service will available on pretty much every screen you can imagine, including game consoles like PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

Disney+ is just the latest paid subscription service from Disney. The company’s ESPN division has its own streaming package called ESPN+, while Hulu, which Disney owns 60 percent of, is also a paid streaming catalog. During the investor briefing, Disney management said it will likely offer a bundle for all three, but specifics haven’t been announced yet.

Disney+ launches in the US on November 12 for $7/month.