Guess what! Join Malik, Emhari, Inaya, and Isabelle on their journey to make friends, survive their jobs, and maybe even kiss a little? The long wait is over, people! Play ValiDate: Struggling Singles in Your Area on PC and Xbox! (Switch is coming in two weeks, babes!)
Steam: http://steam.validategame.com
Itch.io: http://itch.io.validategame.com
Xbox: http://xbox.validategame.com
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Mask of the Rose: The NerdyAdoptee Review
PUBLISH DATE: June 8, 2023
PLATFORMS: Windows, macOS, SteamOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch (launch); PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S (unspecified later, post-launch)
This is the game I've been waiting for.
Mask of the Rose is a visual novel from UK-based Failbetter Games, developers of Sunless Skies, Sunless Sea, and Fallen London. I've long followed Failbetter's work because of their commitment to worldbuilding. All of their games share a common universe, an alternate Victorian vision of the 19th century world, with generous helpings of the unexplained, the supernatural, and even dashes of Cthulhu-esque cosmic horror. London has sunk underground, and the residents of London have lost contact with the surface. In this dark world (nicknamed "the Neath"), we encounter things that are familiar (the Queen is still around, although she's become curiously reclusive) along with the less familiar (what exactly are the "Clay Men?").
This world has been built by Failbetter over three games and thirteen years, but Mask of the Rose doesn’t require any previous knowledge or experience with their games. A character creator allows you to choose your character's background, silhouetted portrait, and how others address your character, from "Captain" to "My Lady" to "Citizen." In addition to the gender inclusivity of the character creator, it's wonderful to see Failbetter give the player the option to specify the kind of romance they're looking for in this visual novel. You can pursue friendships only, seek romantic relationships, physical relationships, or both--and choosing any of those options doesn't prevent you from seeing certain endings or lore, it just gives the player agency in this quite personal choice.
From there, we're introduced to the world and its wide and diverse cast of characters. Going into almost any detail risks ruining the discovery that is such a beautiful part of Mask of the Rose, but I'll at least say that the characters in Mask of the Rose feel complex and unique, each with their own voice and desires. The gameplay loop revolves around choosing how to spend your time--like with other time-management-style games, you can't have conversations with everyone. In each conversation, you're making dialogue choices that have an impact on the people you speak with and on the character you're building over time. The choices are well-written, and show an insight into the complexity of conversation and tone that is often missing from less thoughtful visual novels.
Each day in Mask of the Rose is split up into a Morning and Afternoon time, adding weight and stakes to each playthrough: do I try to get the exhausted pastor to spend more time with a mutual friend, or do I cozy up to the streetwise merchant who seems to know what's going on behind the scenes? More importantly, WHOM DO I WANT TO SMOOCH?
Ahem. Excuse me.
Mask of the Rose has so much story to uncover that one playthrough isn't sufficient. You're trying to solve a mystery, you're trying to uncover more about London's peculiar new surroundings, and you're trying to matchmake your friends, and you might be looking for romance for yourself. A playthrough generally takes me about 3-4 hours, and although I've done multiple playthroughs, there's still more to discover. I'm excited to learn more about each one of the fascinating characters, and I'm further drawn in because Mask of the Rose weaves a tale that touches upon so many elements of 19th century English society, from British global imperialism and colonialism to class struggles and privilege.
While I love the writing and Mask of the Rose's visual novel gameplay (and unique "storycrafting" mechanic/minigame, which is another gameplay pillar), I did run into a few frustrations. I would've appreciated an option to fast-forward text I've already seen. Mask of the Rose helpfully provides a fast-forward option, but it's too easy to accidentally skip past new dialogue and lore. In a game that demands multiple playthroughs, a smarter fast-forwarding option is a really unfortunate omission. I also felt like the time management aspect felt very constraining; it could be my own lack of intuition and understanding, but I sometimes found progression dense or unforgiving. The subtlety of Mask of the Rose is a strength, so I’d love if hints or some kind of help could be an option that players choose to turn on. More days and levels of signposting to clues would go a long way to making me even more excited about future playthroughs.
Overall, I'm smitten by Mask of the Rose. It's the game I've been waiting for because I've wanted to explore this world for a long time, but have struggled with the gameplay and difficulty of Sunless Sea and Sunless Skies. If you share a love for evocative writing and thoughtful worldbuilding, you've got to get Mask of the Rose.
Be sure to tell me whom you smooch!
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Air Twister
Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Yu Suzuki was attached to many of Sega’s high profile arcade games like Hang-On, Space Harrier, and OutRun, all using fancy 3D sprite scaling technology. He then shook up the gaming world with Virtua Fighter, then moved onto Shenmue, an expensive failure that resulted in his demotion. But having since left Sega for his own ventures, he’s returned to his roots with Air Twister, a 3D rail shooter which barely hides that it’s a modernized Space Harrier.
Read more...
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Ninja Theory Co-Founder, Hellblade Director Tameem Antoniades No Longer At Studio
New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/ninja-theory-co-founder-hellblade-director-tameem-antoniades-no-longer-at-studio/
Ninja Theory Co-Founder, Hellblade Director Tameem Antoniades No Longer At Studio
Ninja Theory co-founder and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice writer and director Anteem Antoniades has left the company. This news comes from a new Polygon preview of Ninja Theory’s upcoming release, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, which hits Xbox Series X/S and PC on May 21, as reported by VideoGamesChronicle.
Polygon noticed during a hands-on preview of Hellblade II at Ninja Theory’s Cambridge, U.K.-based studio that there was no trace of Antoniades. A spokesperson for Xbox confirmed later that Antoniades was no longer working at Ninja Theory.
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“On my visit, there was no sign or mention of Ninja Theory’s flamboyant founder and Hellblade writer-director Tameem Antoniades,” Polygon writes in its Hellblade II preview. “An Xbox spokesperson later confirmed to Polygon that he is no longer with the studio. Antoniades was involved in Hellblade 2 in the early stages, but the game now has a trio of creative leads: environment art director Dan Attwell, visual effects director Mark Slater-Tunstill, and audio director David Garcia.”
Beyond the Hellblade series, Antoniades also worked on Ninja Theory’s Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, and DmC: Devil May Cry.
Hellblade II hits Xbox Series X/S and PC on May 21.
For more, watch the latest Hellblade II trailer here, and then read about Hellblade II’s photo mode and what to expect from it at launch. After that, watch this Hellblade II gameplay trailer.
[Source: VideoGamesChronicle via Polygon]
Are you picking up Hellblade II on day one next month? Let us know in the comments below!
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