Features

Taken for a Quickie | City of Brass

10/5/2018

A roguelike Arabian Nights adventure from the former BioShock developers at Uppercut Games, City of Brass finds itself on the receiving end of our latest Quickie.

by Sam Sant

@SlamShotSam

Developer: Uppercut
Games
Publisher: Uppercut
Games
Platforms: Xbox One,
PS4, PC
Players: 1

Arabian Nights, eh? Such an underutilised setting nowadays!

It really is! Especially considering the rich, established groundwork. City of Brass fills the Prince of Persia-shaped void in your library, even if its procedurally generated levels don’t quite match up to their handcrafted equivalents (as you might expect).

Is there permadeath? Being the other roguelike staple and all...

There is, in addition to other trappings like a Spelunky-style timer to keep you moving and ensure that you don’t lose too significant a time investment on any failed run. There are a few persistent forms of progression that further take the edge off being banished back to the beginning, but, if that’s something you’d like to avoid in general, the Burdens & Blessings system allows you to fine tune the level of difficulty to your exact liking.

So, what are we up against? Am I going to need those Blessings?

City of Brass is just as challenging as most of its roguelike brethren, largely due to the fact you’ll face equal resistance from trap-riddled environments and the varied swathes of enemies that lurk within them.

Yikes. How d’ya combat those foes?

With careful employment of your dual-wielded sword and whip, the latter having a good reach than can be used to trip, blind and disarm enemies with lashes to the relevant extremities, which presents opportunity to close the gap and use the former to deliver weighty melee blows.

Alternatively, you could utilise throwable items within the environment or manipulate enemies into triggering traps with the push and pull abilities. There’s really a lot at your disposal, making experimenting to discover useful combos a tactical highlight.

That sounds great, but what about the systems surrounding combat?

Exploring involves some light platforming and plenty of pilfering, as you grab artefacts used to purchase upgrades and services that’ll (hopefully) help you eke closer to making it out of the titular city alive. Initially there’s something slightly cumbersome about the controls on console, especially in comparison to the far more fluid PC version (which also looks noticeably sharper than even the Xbox One X build), but some options menu tinkering and time to adjust should set you straight.

Is it something you’d recommend, then?

Provided you’re willing to spend a little time grappling with those initial control gripes on console, absolutely. City of Brass has an opulent aesthetic and satisfying mechanics that’ll keep you coming back, always met with an engaging new challenge to surmount.

0 Comments

Taken for a Quickie | Extinction

6/5/2018

We wrestle with Iron Galaxy’s Extinction in our recurring quick look series.

by James
Michael
Parry

@James_Parry

Developer: Iron Galaxy
Publisher: Maximum
Games
Platforms: Xbox One,
PlayStation 4, PC
Players: 1

Extinction then, can't say I've heard of it...?

In a nutshell, Extinction is a game which involves you saving some villages and townsfolk from huge lumbering monsters with a combination of speed and big swords.

Sounds a lot like Attack on Titan?

That's fair. The David vs. Goliath of this story isn't something you can really get away from, as it's not only the core theme of the game, but its central mechanic. You start off by saving townsfolk by powering pillars and fending off low-level grunts, which charges your fancy magic meter, then it's killing time.

If the giants you face are so large, how exactly are you supposed to take them down?

Fortunately for you, the several-stories-high Ravenii are quite a slow bunch, meaning tracking them down isn't an issue. Plus you have a whip that can be used as a grappling hook to fling yourself to the top of buildings and, if you can get in the right position, up the creature’s back. Once you’re near, and have sent enough townspeople on their way, you'll unlock severe slashing blows which can take off a limb or two, immobilising your opponent.

With their legs cut off it's job done then, surely?

You'd be forgiven for thinking so but alas - they grow back after not too long, so you need to be quick in dealing your killing blow. For that you need a fully charged rune magic meter, but once you're there it's decapitation in a single blow. Of course, they might have armour on, which takes a few more slashes to relieve them of.

And that's all there is to it?

Unfortunately, yes. The controls are basic, a bit clunky too, and each level just pits you against one or multiple Ravenii. There’s some NPC blathering on top, but really there isn’t an awful lot of depth here. The experience barely changes as you progress (one of the alternate modes is the classic endless waves of enemies affair) and, as such, the game quickly begins to feel like a bit of a slog. Disappointingly, Extinction is difficult to recommend if you're already enjoying Attack on Titan or something similar to satisfy your giant-slaying needs.

0 Comments

Taken for a Quickie | Murderous Pursuits

5/5/2018

Spiritual successor to PC cult classic The Ship, Murderous Pursuits is the latest sneaky multiplayer murderthon from developer Blazing Griffin, and the latest game to receive our quick look treatment.

by Sam Sant

@SamShotSam

Developer: Blazing
Griffin
Publisher: Blazing
Griffin
Platforms: PC
Players: 1 - 8

“Sneaky multiplayer murderthon,” you say? Tell me more…

Putting the obvious comparisons with The Ship aside, if you’ve ever played Assassin’s Creed multiplayer then you already know what to expect. Set in an alternate Victorian history aboard an affluent airship, the mysterious Mr. X has covertly orchestrated a deadly game of cat and mouse in which players must hunt their quarry whilst also foiling those tasked with hunting them.

Sounds tense! How exactly does it play out?

Oh, it can definitely get tense! Paranoia is a constant but you can’t succumb to it – a patient approach is integral to success. You’ll need to study the behaviour of NPCs in order to mimic and blend with them, throwing pursuers off your trail, whilst in the process learning how to identify human-controlled characters (or bots that convincingly imitate them, which is super meta) attempting to do the same.

Through utilising a variety of weapons found around the four maps and abilities selected in the pre-game lobby, as well as carefully maintaining your exposure by resisting the urge to break into a run and naturalistically interacting with environments, every kill will curry extra favour with Mr. X and edge you closer towards being crowned his champion.

Not one for the impatient younger siblings, then?

Probably not, but then what stealth game is? A helpful HUD and simple controls make Murderous Pursuits quite accessible, but those only concerned with hoovering up kills will see themselves losing to players with fewer frags and better execution. They’ll also invite witnesses to their dirty deeds, be they NPC guards or other players, which can severely shorten your lifespan.

How’s the presentation? Do I need a monster PC to run it?

Nope, it runs at a solid 60 FPS with full graphics settings on a GTX 1060 and looks great. The eight playable characters - caricatures, really - are diverse and immediately likeable, while minimalistic menus complement more detailed and bustling in-game environments.

It’s all tied together by narration from Mr. X and a tiptoeing soundtrack that’s charmingly true to the period and genre.

So, would you recommend a stint as Mr. X’s personal hitman?

If Murderous Pursuits sounds intriguing to you, then definitely. Its laser-focused design delivers moreish and tactical fun, but only for as long as the central conceit remains exciting to you. Multiple hours in, win or lose, each match still ends with a smile.

0 Comments

Taken for a Quickie | City of Brass

Taken for a Quickie | Extinction

Taken for a Quickie | Murderous Pursuits

Read More

Categories

Archives

Pass the Controller

What is PTC