Pepper Grinder Review – Short And Spicy – Game Informer

Sometimes, all it takes to get started on a great game is to come up with a compelling mechanic, and Pepper Grinder is a prime example. The titular grinder is as powerful as it is versatile, able to drill through the ground and power all sorts of wacky devices. The difficulty curve can be choppy, and ends more quickly than it should, but that core mechanic builds a sturdy foundation that kept me entertained from start to finish. 

That core mechanic is, of course, the Grinder, a conical drilling device protagonist Pepper uses to burrow through terrain, spin switches, and defeat enemies. Level design is consistently clever, and I won’t spoil anything, but I was impressed by the number of uses the team found for a device that could easily get old quickly. That said, while popping in and out of dirt patches, swinging on grappling hooks, and boosting over gaps is fun, it’s not as easy as it looks.

Pepper Grinder Review – Short And Spicy – Game Informer

Don’t let Pepper Grinder’s pixel art and cheery exterior fool you – this game can get tough, particularly in its platforming challenges. Some jumps need to be boosted at just the right time, and if you’re not ready for a certain grapple point to appear, you plummet to your death. The hardest levels are Pepper Grinder’s boss stages, thrilling battles that make creative use of the game’s mechanics. Because bosses have large health bars, these are tests of endurance, but despite that, they manage to maintain the game’s blisteringly fast pace. The arenas and the bosses themselves also look fantastic, showcasing developer Ahr Ech’s talent for pixel art at the highest degree.

While I enjoy being challenged, the difficulty sometimes frustrated me with its inconsistency, with one level killing me repeatedly and the next one flying by without harming me once. Dying against a tough boss was never an issue because their difficulty is well-forecasted and fitting, but some levels have difficult jump sequences or waves of enemies right before a checkpoint, which annoyed me when I had to try again and again. While there are a few reasons this can happen, it’s at least partially a symptom of the game’s length; including fewer levels makes it harder to smooth out the difficulty curve, resulting in spikes like this. 

I’ve alluded to it a few times, but Pepper Grinder is a surprisingly short experience. It only took me three and a half hours to complete the main story and then another half hour or so to go back and collect enough coins to play the locked levels I’d skipped over. I don’t mind short games, but rolling credits on this one caught me off guard. There are plenty of ideas and mechanics that could have easily been expanded, and by extending the earlier part of the game, the difficulty spikes near the end likely wouldn’t be as frustrating.

That said, I do appreciate its efficiency. Ahr Ech had an idea for a platforming mechanic and iterated on it just enough to complete a story – there’s not a wasted moment in the entire playthrough, and that’s more than a lot of games can say. Pepper Grinder is a well-cooked meal – I just wish the portion was bigger.

And there are ways to spend more time with the game after defeating the final boss. In addition to a time attack mode, completionists will be glad to see five collectible skull coins in each level, though they’re worth collecting for more casual players, too. With 10, you can access a locked level in each world, and they’re some of the most enjoyable levels in the entire game, sometimes even introducing completely new mechanics. Skull coins can also be used to unlock hair and clothing colors, but I wish they were separate – it feels odd to choose between playing more of the game and changing my hair color. I recommend prioritizing level unlocks, but I won’t blame you for springing for the pink hair.

Pepper Grinder is an innovative indie experience, packed with tense battles, fluid platforming, and eye-catching visual design. While its short runtime left me wanting more, I’m happy with what it is: a bright action platformer that’s anything but a grind.

No Rest For The Wicked Developer Moon Studios On Why Remote Development Is Key To Its Success

No Rest for the Wicked is the upcoming action RPG from Moon Studios, the developer behind Ori and the Blind Forest/Will of the Wisps. It’s also the game gracing the latest cover of Game Informer. Cover story writer and editor Marcus Stewart and I traveled to Vienna, Austria, to play the game and speak with two of its leads, tech and production director and studio co-founder Gennadiy Korol and studio CEO and creative director Thomas Mahler. 

However, while the frosted glass of the front door of the two-story apartment we entered was engraved with the words “Moon Studios”, this studio is actually just Mahler’s workplace. Korol met us in Vienna for the cover story, but he actually lives in Israel. The rest of Moon Studios lives around the world, because Moon Studios is completely remote – there is no headquarters to report to or central location to work. 

No Rest For The Wicked Developer Moon Studios On Why Remote Development Is Key To Its Success

Mahler (left) and Korol (right) explain why Moon Studios is a remote studio

While remote development has become more popular as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Moon Studios has been remote since its founding in 2009. When I asked Korol and Mahler about remote development, it’s clear it’s a big part of the team’s winning game development formula, responsible for the aforementioned Ori games and the upcoming No Rest for the Wicked, which launches into Early Access on PC next month. 

“We absolutely 100 percent believe it allows us to hire the best talent,” Mahler tells me. “I think for us, it was a little bit easier because we never knew anything else. We started as a remote studio. I do think it’s much harder if you’re at an established studio and you have established, proven processes that are all based on being in the office, and then now, suddenly, the world stops and you have to work remote but these processes […] you’re reliant on […] you have to be in the office for. 

“I think that’s a really difficult change to make. That’s like changing the DNA of a studio, but we never had to do that.”

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Mahler says he wouldn’t be in game development if not for the internet and, subsequently, remote work. He lives in Austria, and “there’s almost no [games industry] here.” But because of remote work, he was able to work at studios around the world. “I think that’s just amazing, right? That you can find all these people who are just amazingly talented, no matter where they live in the world, and if they’re super hungry, if they’re really passionate, if they’re willing to throw themselves in, then they can get a job in the games industry.” 

He says studios that believe you have to work in the office for good work simply haven’t adapted yet. He hopes Moon Studios’ resume of games speaks to the idea that great products can come from remote studios. “I get this question a lot: ‘How did you make it look so coherent?’,” he says. “The workflow is exactly the same: people play the project, they play the build, they’re in touch with one another all the time. I don’t necessarily know why we need to sit in an open office space to achieve that.” 

Korol, who attributes their belief in remote work to meeting Mahler on an online forum in 2004 before creating Moon Studios together in 2009, agrees. 

“Some people blame certain things that don’t go right when people are working remotely on the fact that it’s remote work,” he says. “But I think it has to be a bit more nuanced. If you’re just trying to force a remote culture on top of the office approach, which is how a lot of these companies are structured, it’s not going to work. You have to kind of re-envision how the communication works, how the documentation works, how the work flow works, and what the big focus point is. I personally believe that remote work actually puts the emphasis on the product and the work even more than office work.”

Korol admits the team does miss out on the opportunity for water cooler moments, which he says can be fantastic moments, but Moon Studios does try to replicate them with streams, meet-ups, and more. 

Korol points to a lack of commute, giving employees back more of their time, and the ability to be with family more easily as key factors for Moon Studios’ remote success.

“There’s no commute, so you don’t have to worry about wasting time,” he tells me. “Especially with people with families. We find it works really well for them because they can be with their kids. We’ve heard all these stories of people that say, ‘Oh, I had to ship this game, and I didn’t see my kid growing up, and I missed that precious period where I will never have that again, and my kid will never be that age again and it’s gone, and I was just so busy with work.’ But if you work remotely from home, you can still be there for your family and do great work.

“You can pace yourself much better, and you can take care of your mental health much better, so I’m a huge believer in [remote work.]”

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Ultimately, Korol and Mahler, Moon Studios’ two leads, believe remote work is the most efficient process. Studios that aren’t remote are missing out on great talent for their games, they say. 

“We believe it’s really ultimately the most efficient process if you do it right, if you hire for that, if you optimize all communication for that,” Korol adds. “And like with everything else, you also have to iterate. So if things go wrong, your first reaction shouldn’t be, ‘Oh, let’s bring everybody back to the office.’ The reaction should be, ‘Well, why isn’t it working? Can we fine-tune it? Can we tinker with it a little bit more?’ And I feel like maybe some people are jumping the gun a little bit too fast and are missing out on some opportunities with great talent.” 

No Rest for the Wicked hits Early Access on PC next month on April 18. 

While waiting for its launch, check out this feature breaking down the Early Access roadmap and endgame content of No Rest for the Wicked, and then check out more than 25 minutes of the game in our No Rest for the Wicked New Gameplay Today. 

You can learn even more about No Rest for the Wicked by checking out our features and videos rolling out over the coming weeks in our exclusive coverage hub below. 

Databricks claims DBRX sets ‘a new standard’ for open-source LLMs

Databricks has announced the launch of DBRX, a powerful new open-source large language model that it claims sets a new bar for open models by outperforming established options like GPT-3.5 on industry benchmarks.  The company says the 132 billion parameter DBRX model surpasses popular open-source LLMs…

15 Free & Premium Resources & Tools for Designers in 2024

15 Free & Premium Resources & Tools for Designers in 2024

Too many good things may not actually be a good thing. Modern life is already filled with noise, making it challenging to sift through repeated or similar information without feeling overloaded.

This holds true for web design resources as well. The goal here is to cut through the noise, directing your attention towards a curated collection of tools and resources. The big-name options already have plenty of exposure and are easily found, so they were intentionally excluded from this list.

Instead, we focus on showcasing 15 outstanding web design tools and resources that fly under the radar. These free and premium picks are less commonly discussed, offering fresh perspectives and solutions in the already crowded web design landscape.

  1. Website and page building tools that include a very promising free AI website builder together with some popular free and premium WordPress themes.
  2. Tools for building high-converting eCommerce stores – Shopify is gaining more followers every day. It made sense to include a first-rate Shopify theme. And you’re in luck if WooCommerce is your thing. We’ve included top WordPress themes in this list that have been developed specifically for WooCommerce and are top sellers.
  3. Tools for adding animation & special effects – Static and motionless pages are page-loading performance-friendly but seldom do a decent job of engaging visitors. We’ve picked tools that will sacrifice a little performance in exchange for impressing visitors with amazing animations and SFX.
  4. Tools that add popular website functionalities – One of the most popular post-2020 functionalities is tools that give your website the ability to take bookings, are easy to use, will do an excellent job, and can save time and money. These tools tick all those boxes and have been included.
  5. Resources for visually improving your website – The best way to differentiate between related products or services is through visual elements. We have included unique illustrations and icons to help you address that issue.

Best of all, at least half of the following 15 web design tools and resources are free for you to use.

Three important things many of these web design tools and resources have in common:

  • They are free. Many are either free or have a free version that will help you save money.
  • They are of high-quality. Free does not imply substandard quality. They are aesthetically and functionally top tier web design tools and resources.
  • Your website projects will look better. These tools and resources will turn a bland website or page into one that is appealing and exciting.

In Short: Trafft is a booking software solution with a great white label option.

Click the video above to see Trafft in action.

Trafft can make your day if you own or represent almost any type of service-oriented business and need to upgrade a manual or semi-automated booking operation or one that simply does not get the job done. In addition to booking, Trafft will help you automate requests for appointments, send reminders, and give your clients the option to pay online.

If you are a developer/agency, the Trafft booking software’s White Label Option is one you can use for your clients. In short, the White Label feature will give you the opportunity to sell Trafft to your clients as if it was developed by you, with your own name and branding replacing Trafft’s.

As a user, you will quickly become familiar with Trafft’s ease of navigation, the depth this software solution’s customization options, and its extensive collection of prebuilt booking pages. The Career Mastery Coaching prebuilt booking page, illustrates how to manage bookings for a range of different services and can be put to good use by a wide range of different enterprises.

Client Average Rating: 5 stars on Capterra, 4.7 (Excellent) on Trustpilot.

Client Insight:“I give Trafft a 10/10. It’s so easy to use and customize to your business needs. The best part is Trafft is always adding new features. Don’t walk, RUN!”

Help on the Spot Materials: Support Manual, social networks, and YouTube videos.

Explore Trafft

In Short: wpDataTables simplifies your data management tasks including data that is complex or coming from multiple sources.

Click the video above to see wpDataTables in action.

wpDataTables is best known for its ability to enable its users to easily create tables/charts when confronted with vast amounts of data or data from several diverse sources. This plugin’s top feature, Multiple Database Connections, is relatively new and adds a significant amount of data management power to an already powerful plugin. With Multiple Database Connections, any table you create can establish an independent connection to MySQL, MS SQL, or PostgreSQL databases.

Soon after you use wpDataTables you’ll realize how easy it is to work with and how its intuitive user interface serves to streamline your workflow.

Timesaving wpDataTables templates can also be put to effective use. The Responsive and Sortable Cryptocurrencies Rank Table example can easily be applied to a wide range of uses.

Client Average Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (WordPress.org).

Client Insight: “I don’t write reviews very often but when I do it must be something special. And so it is in this case. The product is perfect for my needs. A lot of interesting solutions that save a lot of time. A very developed plugin and simple, intuitive to use – very helpful.Support should be 6/5 stars.”

Help on the Spot Materials: Support manual, YouTube videos, and the Facebook community.

Explore wpDataTables

In Short: Amelia is an automated appointment booking solution for your service-oriented agency or business.

Click the video to see Amelia in action.

According to 70%+ of Amelia’s users its Multilingual Notifications System is an outstanding feature. Why? The multilingual notifications system keeps all parties up to date on appointments/events status and fosters effective communication between your clients and your employees.

Templates can make it easy for you to set up a booking page with great UX for your clients that will also help you get new ones. Doctors You Can Trust is one of the more frequently used templates as it can be applied to a wide variety of healthcare service types.

Once you start using Amelia, you will appreciate its user friendliness, customization option, clean interface and straightforward pricing plans.

Client Average Rating: 4.8 on Capterra.

Client Insight: “The Amelia plugin is awesome! I have been using it on many of my client’s websites and the experience could not be better. It’s very easy for any customer to book an appointment, pay and have the details of the meeting right on their google calendar. Also, amelia offers a ton of integrations such as with google meets, zoom and WhatsApp. The plugin is incredible and the team behind it is very friendly and always ready to help you out. Thank you!”

Help on the Spot Materials: Support manual, Discord Group, and YouTube videos.

Explore Amelia

In Short: Use the Mobirise AI website builder to create your pages/websites using prompt commands.

Click the video above to see Mobirise AI in action.

It can be a genuine time saver whenever you are able to accomplish a lot by doing a little. Mobirise AI Website Builder’s top feature is its ability to create anything from a landing page to a simple or one-page website from a single prompt or a series of prompts.

Upload what you want, prompt Mobirise AI, and it will take that prompt and return a content-rich page or website. You will still have to do a little fine tuning to attain perfection.

Customizing a Mobirise AI’s template, through the use of prompts, is another approach. You will appreciate the builder’s ability to respond to prompts typed in any language and to edit content without any need for code.

Client Insight:“WOW, this is not the first AI website builder that I have tried to claim to be AI… It is definitely the best! The others I have tried that I have tried have not seemed like AI at all – and more like the old generic template-building frameworks like Drupal and WordPress – with the same completely irrelevant stock images… and completely unrelated to the topic/input that was given including the completely irrelevant stock images!!Your team has done VERY well here!”

Help on the Spot Materials: Support manual, YouTube videos and forums.

Generate & Download Your Website for Free

In Short: LayerSlider is the ultimate solution for creating beautifully designed and animated web content.

Click the video above to see LayerSlider in action.

What is there to like about LayerSlider? Quite a lot, in fact. You can use this WordPress slider plugin on any website to create richly animated sliders, slideshows, popups, or other engaging content.

The most important of LayerSlider’s features is the way it enables you to seamlessly integrate stunning animations, effects, and graphics into a website to create a strong connection between your page and its visitors.

LayerSlider offers a variety of prebuilt, easily downloadable, and aesthetically pleasing templates. They give you an added website-building advantage in that you can easily customize and fill them with your own content. The DJ Service Hero template illustrates how effortless it can be to engage your website audience with energy-filled immersive visuals.

Is there anything else that you will love? Yes – LayerSlider’s Project Editor. It makes it ever so easy for you to design and create as the mood strikes you, and don’t forget the popups and banners you can use for promotional purposes.

Client Insight:“A fantastic slider plugin with regular updates to make sure compatibility is never a problem. Keep up the amazing work!”

Help on the Spot Materials: Ticket system with direct support, plus built-in help and a walkthrough of the Project Editor.

Explore Layer Slider

In Short: Uncode offers you an all-in-one web-building solution.

Click the video above to see Uncode in action.

This multipurpose WooCommerce theme’s users consistently point to its WooCommerce demo library when they are asked what they consider its most important feature to be. They will mention the strict attention to detail that is evident in their designs and the inspirational qualities of the demos as the rationale behind their choice.

Which demo would be the best for you? That will be entirely up to you, as your choice will be dependent on your needs and desires. The Creative Studio demo is one of the five most widely used. Its layout and creative and somewhat unusual scroll effect will give you plenty to love.

As an Uncode buyer, you’ll will enjoy its in-depth customization options, and its clean and modern demos. Finally, outstanding support will be there when you need it.

Client Average Rating: 4.89/5

Client Insight: “We bought the first Uncode license for a customer project in 2016, and since then – we have bought another 20 Uncode licenses. Although we use a few other themes as frameworks for our customers’ web projects, Uncode has become an indispensable multi-tool for solving most types of large and small web projects for our customers”.

Help on the Spot Materials: Support manual, Facebook Group, and YouTube videos.

Explore Uncode

In Short: Essential Grid is the perfect WordPress Gallery Plugin for creating captivating online galleries.

Click the video to see Essential Grid in action.

Essential Grid’s standout feature is its extensive library of over 50 unique grid skins, which is a key reason for its popularity among WordPress users. These skins are central to the plugin’s purpose, providing a variety of grid formats that are both innovative and beyond what many users have previously encountered.

Exploring this collection, users will discover grid layouts that are new and unexpected, such as the Grant Fuhr Blog Grid. This particular example showcases a minimal, image-focused blog grid layout enhanced by an eye-catching circular mask animation effect. Its simplicity and visual appeal make it versatile for a range of applications.

Beyond its aesthetic capabilities, Essential Grid proves to be a practical tool for efficiently organizing content streams. It is an excellent option for any website project needing a system that allows images or other content to be sorted, filtered, and searched with ease, saving time and enhancing the user experience.

Client Average Rating: 4.7/5 on Trustpilot.

Client Insight:“It’s rare in today’s world to find support that is competent and responsive, but Theme Punch’s Essential Grid support is AMAZING!!! It’s visually flawless and easy to set up. The few times I’ve needed help with the plugin over the last year, I could always count on the prompt service of the support team.”

Help on the Spot Materials: Support manual and YouTube videos.

Explore Essential Grid

In Short: You will find Blocksy’s free WordPress theme ideal for building lightweight websites.

Click the video to see Blocksy in action.

Blocksy’s standout feature is hard to pin down due to its wide array of capabilities that attract a diverse fan base. Key highlights include the Custom Blocks Module, beloved for its versatility; support for Custom Post Types and Dynamic Data, which wins plenty of praise; and its Advanced WooCommerce integration, crucial for online store functionality.

Developers, in particular, may be drawn to Blocksy’s White Label Module, which allows for customization without Blocksy branding.

This theme is appreciated for being fast, easy to use, and offering detailed control over page design, all at no cost. Additionally, Blocksy boasts an impressive collection of demos, including the popular Floreo demo. Designed for eco-friendly online shops, Floreo is easily adaptable for virtually any business, making it one of the top five most utilized demos.

Client Average Rating: 5/5 on WordPress.org

Client Insight:“Blocksy is among the finest themes available. Its support team is exceptional as well: they have been providing us with assistance for many years, consistently demonstrating responsiveness and effectiveness.”

Help on the Spot Materials: Support Manual and detailed documentation.

Download Blocksy for Free

In Short: Slider Revolution is not your run-of-the-mill slider plugin.

Click the video above to see this dynamic plugin in action.

Slider Revolution stands out for making it simple to design captivating content sections, whether for a homepage, highlighting special products, or other purposes. This tool not only aids in crafting original designs but also allows users to incorporate elements from preferred content sources or inventories.

Gone are the days when Slider Revolution was just a tool for creating basic sliders. It has evolved, offering a broad range of design possibilities that go beyond the conventional, enabling users to create dynamic, engaging content easily. With Slider Revolution you can:

  • Build exciting multi-page websites.
  • Build portfolios that will get you hired.
  • Create page sections that stun.

You don’t have to be in the clothing or suit-selling business to put the Suits Product Showcase slider template to effective use. This and other Slider Revolution demos can easily be customized by individual web designers, web shops, and small agencies.

Client Average Rating: 4.65/5 on Trustpilot.

Client Insight: “The plugin is loaded with features and tools to create captivating content. I’m using it to create a presentation, sort of like PowerPoint. I am finding that every now and then it seems to get bogged down and things go wonky in the editor, but after saving, closing, and reopening the project, everything resets to normal. It takes a while to learn how to use it, but worth the effort. There are lots of tutorials, including videos, to help you if you get stuck. I really like this plugin”

Help on the spot materials Support manual and YouTube videos.

Explore Slider Revolution

In Short: WhatFontis is the most accurate free font identifier on the market.

Click the video above to see WhatFontis in action.

WhatFontis shines as a valuable tool for anyone looking to pinpoint a “must-have” font quickly and easily, making it a standout addition to any design toolkit. Its primary strength lies in its core function: accurately identifying fonts from images submitted by users. For free.

What sets WhatFontis apart is its impressive accuracy rate of over 90% in identifying fonts, regardless of whether they are free or commercial. This high success rate is unmatched, with the few instances of misidentification typically due to the submission of low-quality images.

  • WhatFontis searches your font through its approx. one million free or commercial fonts (that’s five times more fonts than the database of its competitors).
  • You will get a rapid answer, thanks to is AI-powered search engine.
  • And you will get 50+ close alternatives for the font you identified.

Client Insight: “I came across this website courtesy Google search, used their services successfully; and today I found out it’s on product hunt! If you are ‘driven’ by the need to discover what font ‘that person/ company’ uses, then this should be your go-to solution site. For most of us it would be a once in a blue moon need, except for the professionals.”

WhatFontIs – Identify Any Font for Free

In Short: XStore is the best WooCommerce theme for building attractive and engaging online stores.

Click the video above to see XStore in action.

XStore is well known for its classic selection of pre-built online stores. However, a relatively new feature, a selection of Sales Booster Features, has replaced the impressive online store selection as XStore’s favorite feature.

The booster features are designed to make shopping quicker and easier for customers and consequently increase a store’s conversion rate. They include Frequently Bought Together, a Free Shipping progress bar, a sticky ad-to-cart bar, cross-sells after “Add to Cart,” and more.

XStore also features a Single Product Builder, an Archive Products Builder, a Checkout Builder, and a Cart Builder for shop owners.

The online stores (demos) are designed to get your project off to a rapid start. The XStore Elementor Yoga Accessories pre-built store is one of the most widely used, and one of the most effective at engaging visitors with its attractive layout.

Client Average Rating: 4.88/5

Client Insight:“I have been using the XStore theme from ThemeForest for a while now, and this is my third purchase of the same theme. XStore has been extremely helpful in customizing websites for my clients, saving me a lot of time and effort that would have gone into coding. The built-in plugins also help in reducing costs for developers like me. I must say the team behind XStore has done a great job, and I hope they will continue to do so.”

Help on the Spot Materials: YouTube videos and support manual.

Explore XStore

In Short: WoodMart should be your WooCommerce theme of choice for engaging niche eCommerce website designs.

Click the video above to see WoodMart in action.

The moment you see the WoodMart website, the unique custom layouts instantly stand out. With WoodMart’s standout feature, the Custom Layouts Builder, your online store can achieve the same striking appearance. The ease of customizing layouts is just the beginning; you’ll also appreciate WoodMart’s customer-focused features, like “Frequently Bought Together” and “Dynamic Discounts.”

Additional notable features include the Theme Settings’ Search and Performance Optimization. These tools not only enhance the shopping experience for customers with sales-boosting options like “Frequently Bought Together” and “Dynamic Discounts” but also provide benefits for store owners. For developers, WoodMart’s White Label option offers the chance to customize the theme for client projects.

No matter what your business niche may be, WoodMart provides a demo to kick-start your project. If setting up an electronics store is your goal, the Electronics 2 demo is worth exploring for a comprehensive look at what WoodMart can do for your online presence.

Client Average Rating: 4.93/5.

Client Insight: “This theme has a variety of customization options and the support is just amazing – they have wonderful people to support you. Really happy and satisfied choosing woodmart.”

Help on the Spot Materials: Support manual and YouTube videos.

Explore WoodMart

In Short: Hongo is an optimized Shopify theme with unique customer-friendly demos.

Click the video above to see the Hongo Shopify theme in action.

Hongo stands out for its exceptional design quality, which shines through in the Shopify-like websites you can create with it. This high level of design not only enhances the aesthetic appeal of your site but also saves you money. By utilizing Hongo’s custom eCommerce features, you can avoid the extra costs of Shopify apps. Additionally, Hongo offers extensive customization options for building your store, providing both financial and creative benefits.

The development team behind Hongo has focused on optimizing for speed, ensuring fast loading times on both desktops and mobile devices, enhancing user experience, and potentially boosting your site’s search engine rankings.

With Hongo, you have access to 19 pre-built eStores, covering a wide range of popular eCommerce niches. These are supported by over 150 sections and 100 pre-built pages, offering a robust foundation for your site. Hongo’s Modern Furniture Shopify theme is an excellent starting point for those looking to launch a new site. Plus, you have the flexibility to mix and match demos to create a unique online store that meets your specific needs.

Client Average Rating: 4.87/5.

Client Insight: “In my honest opinion from the quality of the theme to the customer support that stands behind Hongo this is a steal. You will not go wrong when purchasing any theme from them and I would strongly suggest purchasing the extension support because its beyond worth it.”

Help on the Spot Materials: Support manual, 150+ online articles, and YouTube videos.

Explore Hongo

In Short: Litho enables you to take full advantage of Elementor’s popular page building features.

Click the video above to see the Litho Elementor theme in action.

Litho’s standout feature is its strong integration with Elementor, which enhances its page-building options and capabilities. It attracts a wide audience, including freelancers, artists, shop owners, digital agencies, bloggers, and writers, and is likely to impress you, too.

For startup companies, using Litho can be beneficial. You can take advantage of its importable demos, which can be used individually or collectively, allowing for a variety of combinations. The SEO Agency layout, one of its most popular, is particularly suited for startup company websites.

Furthermore, with Elementor, you can customize various page elements, including the header, footer, mini header, archive pages or post templates, page titles, and promo popups, allowing for a tailored user experience.

Client Average Rating: 4.94/5.

Client Insight:“Customer support for the Litho theme has been fantastic. Very helpful, friendly and fast. The theme is full of features and design options that are modern, setting the look and feel of this theme apart from many of the older & more established themes. The design has a fresh and professional look.”

Help on the Spot Materials: Support manual, support portal, and YouTube videos.

Explore Litho

In Short: The number one resource for top-quality stock illustrations.

Click the video to see these illustrations in action.

GetIllustrations stocks a library of more than 21,000 ready-to-use illustrations in various categories. This resource’s top feature consists of:

  • 21,500+ vector illustrations to download.
  • Free updates for one year.
  • New illustrations added every week.

These illustrations offer entertainment, knowledge, engagement, and much more. With over 40 carefully organized categories to choose from, many have hundreds of illustrations, while some boast over 1,000. Exclusive to Getillustrations, these illustrations give you an advantage over users of other stock illustration sources.

The Leap Illustrations pack includes 70 dual-toned illustrations tailored to complement your brand’s unique personality and style, helping you stand out from competitors. This pack is ideal for organizational employees, educational materials, and similar needs.

Client Insight:“Great product and I like the alternative as opposed to just using adobe stock for illustrations for my app. Really like the illustrations you have to offer!”

Help on the Spot Materials: Vector stock illustrations are in AI, SVG, PNG, and Figma formats.

Explore Get Illustrations

With this collection of lesser-known but high-quality web design resources and tools, you will be able to use them to better deliver:

  • Website projects that persuade visitors through aesthetically better designs and visuals.
  • High-converting eCommerce stores that utilize back-end theme features developed specifically for that purpose.
  • High-demand website functionalities, such as booking forms.

Below, you will find the key information for each resource, which will help you make an informed decision about whether to try them or skip them.

The following brief recap will tell you what each tool or resource excels in and highlights their standout features:

WordPress Plugin Summary Standout Feature
Trafft The best white label booking software for agencies and developers. Trafft’s white label
WpDataTables The best WordPress plugin for creating tables and charts. Multiple database connections.
Amelia The best WordPress plugin for beautiful and intuitive booking websites. Multilingual notifications system.
Mobirise AI Website Builder Generate full-page websites using prompt commands only. Prompt command.
LayerSlider The best WordPress plugin for making simple sliders. Seamless integration of spectacular animations.
Uncode The best multiuse WordPress and WooCommerce theme. A go-to solution for any project. The design of demos.
Essential Grid The best WordPress gallery plugin for businesses. 50+ unique grid skins.
Blocksy The best free WordPress theme in 2024 for building beautiful, lightweight websites.
Slider Revolution The best WordPress plugin for creating jaw-dropping animated sliders. WOW-effects for WordPress.
WhatFontIs The best free font identifier. Identify any font from any image.
XStore The best WooCommerce theme for building high-converting online stores. Sales booster.
Woodmart The best WooCommerce theme for niche eCommerce design. Custom layouts builder.
Hongo Shopify A conversion-optimized Shopify theme with customer-centric demos. Great design quality.
Litho Creative, modern, highly customizable, responsive, and multi-purpose Elementor WordPress theme. Elementor.
GetIllustrations The #1 resource for top-quality stock illustrations. 21,000 ready-to-use illustrations.

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Earthblade, The Next Game From The Makers Of Celeste, Has Been Delayed

Earthblade, The Next Game From The Makers Of Celeste, Has Been Delayed

Celeste and Towerfall developer Extremely OK Games has announced its next game, Earthblade, has been delayed. The fantasy platformer was scheduled to launch sometime this year but has now been pushed to an undetermined window.

Earthblade was first announced in April 2021 before getting its first trailer at The Game Awards in 2022. The fantasy “explor-action” platformer stars Névoa, a child of fate who returns to uncover the mysteries of a fractured Earth. The game appears to be inspired by the Metroidvania subgenre, with the studio stating it features “seamless exploration, challenging combat, and countless mysteries to pick apart.” Outside of PC, Earthblade has no announced platforms. 

In a candid blog post, Extremely OK Games’ head Maddy Thorson opens by writing,

“I know, I know, this update is long overdue. We appreciate your patience as we try our best to make this video game that appears to be stubbornly determined to not get made. More on the process in the following paragraphs, but first we need to face the music: this game ain’t coming out in 2024. We had hoped to be announcing a firm release date around now, but it just isn’t in the cards. We know that this will be disappointing for a lot of you and we’re sorry for that. Maybe this was predictable, but still it always sucks when the haters are right.”

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Thorson continues by announcing more positive news in the addition of veteran indie developer and friend Kyle Pulver to the small team. Despite the studio’s reservations about recruiting new talent due to due to concerns Thorson describes such as “increasing communication overhead, and creating more financial pressure as our burn rate balloons,” Thorson is confident Pulver’s ideas and fresh vision have helped the team reexamine Earthblade, its problems, and identify solutions. 

Thorson also admits that Pulver’s hiring came after realizing they had become a “bottleneck” to Earthblade’s development process. 

“I’ve struggled to keep up with my workload and provide a strong direction for the team, while navigating all of the challenges of my personal life, including my gender transition. Transition involves a lot of change, uncertainty and doubt, and it’s easy to see how that has bled into Earthblade.”

Thorson describes themselves and the team battling uncertainty around the project following setbacks, but that studio still believes in Earthblade. Thorson states they were currently recovering from transition-related surgery and that being on the other side of it has helped them regain clarity and ease for what’s next. “It feels like the start of a new era,” Thorson writes. 

Contra: Operation Galuga Review – Finding A Way Forward – Game Informer

Contra: Operation Galuga Review – Finding A Way Forward – Game Informer

Once a tentpole franchise in the popular run-and-gun subgenre of action games, Contra has experienced a stark downturn in recent decades. Konami’s (mostly) side-scrolling shooter franchise has often gone long stretches without a release, and the games that have come out in recent years range from middling to downright bad. With Contra: Operation Galuga, Konami taps renowned retro-style developer WayForward, best known for its work on the Shantae series, to bring the once-renowned series back to its roots. While far from a one-to-one remake, Contra: Operation Galuga effectively captures the spirit of the original game while modernizing just enough to make for an exciting, albeit short, adventure.

The core conceits of the original Contra carry forward into this modern reimagining. Smooth platforming, solid 2D gunplay, and a wealth of power-ups are at your disposal as you take on a tough-as-nails campaign consisting of eight missions. The spread gun power-up remains extremely effective, but I adored blasting through hordes of enemies with items like the flamethrower, heat-seeking missiles, and lasers. Operation Galuga ups the ante by allowing you to stack power-ups, meaning the upgrade becomes more potent if you gather duplicate power-ups. On top of that, if you find your back against the wall or you’re about to pick up a new power-up, you can sacrifice your existing weapon to unleash a powerful Overload ability. These ultimate-style abilities provide aid in the form of additions like drones, shields, and clusters of attacks. I loved balancing the risk and reward of maximizing damage and effectiveness in tough combat scenarios.

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WayForward proves supremely capable of delivering stellar gameplay and strong level design within the confines of the established classic Contra games. By using the original levels more as guides than slavishly adhering to their layouts, WayForward competently injects big setpiece moments late ’80s technology could only dream of. Though the initial level and the ascent up a waterfall hold a special place in my heart due to nostalgia, I most enjoyed when WayForward added elements like a hoverbike to the base mission, or inserting a train into the ice level. Though there are only eight missions in Story Mode, these different formats go a long way to diversifying the experience, as do the multiple unlockable characters, each with unique special abilities. However, I am disappointed in the lack of 3D-style shooting gallery levels that were so iconic in the original NES game.

Additional enemy types, bosses, and areas to explore pad out the stages, and unless you hone your skills, it will be an uphill battle to get through Story Mode. While the term “bullet hell” wasn’t yet coined when Contra hit the NES in 1988, that term can retroactively be applied to certain sequences of that title. Those same sections have been reimagined and easily earn that designation in Operation Galuga. On various occasions, it took me multiple attempts to understand what I even needed to do to push through a difficult situation and, even more still, to execute the plan. True to its source material, Operation Galuga is a hard game.

Thankfully, you can adjust the difficulty in a couple of ways to make it more approachable. In both Story and Arcade Mode, you can choose a difficulty setting and decide if you’d rather have your character operate on the one-hit kill style of the original game or if you want HP associated with each life. These modernizations drastically improve the experience, though don’t expect these settings to make the missions a walk in the park. 

These settings also don’t impact the aptly named Challenge Mode, which gives you 30 bite-sized objectives to complete. You can try your hand at speedrun, survival, boss battle, and weapon-specific challenges, but outside of the initial attempts, I never felt compelled to return to these. Arcade Mode offers a similar experience to that of Story Mode, but minus the superfluous cutscenes and narrative character restrictions. You can also play Arcade Mode in four-player co-op instead of the two-player limit in Story. 

All these activities reward you with credits, which are used to buy perks from the in-game shop. These equippable boosts offer upgrades like additional HP, extra lives, new characters in Arcade Mode, and even bonuses like additional soundtracks and a fast-paced Speedrun Mode. Unfortunately, the perks are expensive, and I grew tired of farming credits long before I reached the amount I needed for the perks I was eyeing. Even entering the famous Konami Code just adds an expensive, purchasable perk in the shop. 

Though the stages are much longer than their original forms, sometimes clocking in at around 15 minutes, playing through Story Mode only takes a couple of hours. Still, Contra: Operation Galuga packs a whole lot of action into those hours. When you add the more flexible Arcade Mode and difficult Challenge Mode, Operation Galuga is an admirable modernized reimagining of one of the most influential games of the late ’80s.

JVC Introduces the KY-PZ540 PTZ Camera at NAB Show 2024 – Videoguys

JVC Introduces the KY-PZ540 PTZ Camera at NAB Show 2024 – Videoguys

 JVC is introducing their brand new, first ever 40X zoom PTZ camera at the NAB Show 2024. JVC will be exhibiting at Booth #C4720, showing off their new KY-PZ540 camera series. The KY-PZ540 PTZ cameras will feature 40x optical zoom,  NDI® HX3 capabilities, JVC’s renowned Variable Scan Mapping technology and more. 

“JVC’s first PTZ cameras to incorporate this focal depth, the KY-PZ540 and KY-PZ540N with integrated NDI® HX3 capabilities are designed with JVC’s 4K imager. The cameras also feature JVC’s renowned Variable Scan Mapping technology, which dynamically scans the 4K sensor to produce a seamless and lossless image transition up to 40x in full-resolution HD. The cameras are ideal for large event spaces and instances when the need to zoom in from a distance is essential. KY-PZ540 PTZ cameras also incorporates the brand’s award-winning features, such as AI-enabled advanced SMART auto tracking operation and NDI supported IP-based remote operation capabilities. Get closer… 40x closer!”

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In JVC’s Press Release announcing the news, Joe D’Amico, Vice President of JVC Professional Video says, “We asked our key customers what feature was most in demand and their request was for a PTZ camera capable of 40x zoom in 1080/60p mode at an affordable price point. We already have an award-winning PTZ product—increasing the zoom magnification while keeping the unit affordable made it possible for us to accommodate the needs of a larger segment of customers.”

This JVC camera will be added to our store along with the full line of JVC products as soon as detailed information is released. Click here for the JVC product page.

Check out the Press Release here!

Revolutionize Your Photography Workflow with the PRO-BLADE™ Ecosystem: – Videoguys

Revolutionize Your Photography Workflow with the PRO-BLADE™ Ecosystem: – Videoguys

Discover how renowned portrait and commercial photographer Lindsay Adler harnesses the power of the PRO-BLADE™ ecosystem to streamline her workflow. Elevate your process from pre-production to post-production with unparalleled speed, higher capacities, and reduced equipment bulkiness.

In the fast-paced world of photography, efficiency is paramount. Renowned photographer Lindsay Adler shares her experience with the game-changing PRO-BLADE™ ecosystem, detailing how it has transformed her workflow for the better.

From meticulous pre-production planning to the final touches in post-production, Adler highlights the key advantages of integrating the PRO-BLADE™ ecosystem into your toolkit. With its cutting-edge technology and innovative design, photographers can expect unparalleled speed and performance at every stage of the process.

One of the most significant benefits Adler emphasizes is the notable decrease in bulkiness of equipment. Gone are the days of lugging around cumbersome gear – with the PRO-BLADE™ ecosystem, photographers can enjoy a more streamlined setup without sacrificing functionality.

But it’s not just about efficiency – the PRO-BLADE™ ecosystem also empowers photographers to push creative boundaries and explore new possibilities. By freeing up valuable time and resources, photographers like Adler can focus more on their artistic vision, leading to truly exceptional results.

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or an aspiring photographer looking to take your work to the next level, the PRO-BLADE™ ecosystem promises to revolutionize your workflow. Say goodbye to limitations and hello to a new era of creativity and productivity. Experience the difference for yourself and unlock the full potential of your photography journey with the PRO-BLADE™ ecosystem.

Watch the full video from SanDisk Professional below:

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