The Digital Insider | Month: June 2024

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream Is A New Stealth Game From Former Mirror’s Edge, Battlefield Developers

Publisher Nordcurrent Labs and newcomer developer River End Games have revealed Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream, a narrative-driven stealth-strategy adventure game launching next year. Revealed during today’s Future Game Show Summer Showcase, Eriksholm comes from a team of developers whose experience includes Battlefield, Mirror’s Edge, Little Nightmares, and Unravel.

Set in the titular Eriksholm, a fictional city inspired by a Nordic aesthetic of the early 1900s, Eriksholm follows three protagonists united in their hearts to defy their oppressors. In the reveal trailer below, you can see one of those protagonists, Hanna, an adolescent orphan searching for her brother Herman. That journey transforms Hanna into a reluctant hero, inspiring herself and her friends to rise from the gutters of Eriksholm to become symbols of change.

Check it out for yourself in the Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream reveal trailer below:

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From Eriksholm’s top-down 3D perspective, players will control the game’s three protagonists to navigate through the city (aboveground and underground) while utilizing unique character skills, tools, weapons, and more to overcome enemies and complete puzzles. River End Games says players can freely move the in-game camera to survey the environment, plan their next steps, and execute strategies with perfect timing.

“All of us at River End Games are proud to finally reveal Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream to the world,” studio founder and creative director Anders Hejdenberg writes in a press release. “This is just the first glimpse of what we’ve done, and we hope it will capture your hearts and minds, just like it has captured ours. We can’t wait to show you even more in the future.”

Here are some screenshots from the game:

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream will launch in 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store).

What do you think about Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream’s reveal? Let us know in the comments below!

My 13 Favorite Games From The Wholesome Direct 2024

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On Your Tail aims to prove that even solving mysteries can be relaxing. Set in a scenic seaside village, you control Diana, a curious detective searching for the perfect summer vacation. Unfortunately, a masked thief spoils the good vibes, so you’ll collect clues, chat with residents, and use your deductive skills to unmask the culprit. Or you can spend time cooking food, fishing, and playing arcade games in the city’s leisurely interactive sandbox.

The Star Named EOS Is A Wholesome Photography-Based Puzzle Game Releasing Next Month

Silver Lining Studio, the developer of Behind The Frame, has revealed its next game, The Star Named EOS, will launch next month. More specifically, the narrative-driven photography-based puzzle game will launch on July 23 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC.

Silver Lining revealed this during today’s Wholesome Direct, during which it also showcased some new gameplay from The Star Named EOS. In the gameplay trailer, we see more of this game’s beautiful hand-drawn world, unique puzzles solved through photography, and more.

Check it out for yourself in The Star Named EOS release date trailer below:

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You might recognize someone in the trailer, too, as the main character’s mother is voiced by Suzie Yeung, who voices Yuffie in Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. The Japanese dub features the voice of Aoi Yūki, who has voiced characters in Persona 5, Genshin Impact, and more, and the Chinese voice-over is performed by Shandy Ma, who has appeared in more than 20,000 commercials and TV shows.

“The Star Named EOS is a story-driven puzzle game centered on a love for photography and the pursuit of memory,” a press release reads. “As a child, Dei regularly received letters from his mother when she was traveling, each of which came enclosed with a memorable snapshot of the location she was visiting. But one day, Dei notices something peculiar about one of the photographs she left behind, putting everything he believes to the test. Now, guided by his mother’s voice deep within himself, it’s time for Dei to set out on his own to learn the truth about his family and confront the echoes of the past.”

Here are some additional screenshots from The Star Named EOS:

The Star Named EOS hits PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC on July 23. If you’re curious about the game, you can download its Steam demo right now.

Are you going to check out The Star Named EOS next month? Let us know in the comments below!

Combining Diverse Datasets to Train Versatile Robots with PoCo Technique

One of the most significant challenges in robotics is training multipurpose robots capable of adapting to various tasks and environments. To create such versatile machines, researchers and engineers require access to large, diverse datasets that encompass a wide range of scenarios and applications. However, the heterogeneous…

Every Game Showcased At Day Of The Devs SGF Edition 2024

This “role-puzzling adventure” is like a typical grid-based action/adventure title, but every time you move, the entire row or column of your map grid slides with you. In fact, the entire world exists on one interconnected grid, so you’ll have to navigate every puzzle, town, and dungeon skillfully to get where you need to go. It hits PlayStation 5, Switch, PC, and Netflix games next month on July 25.

Everything Announced During The 2024 Summer Devolver Direct Presentation

This year’s not-E3 weekend video game events have begun, starting with Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest showcase earlier today. Shortly after that, though, perhaps the zaniest publisher, Devolver Digital, took to the digital airwaves to showcase six of its games in the 2024 Summer Devolver Direct presentation.

If you weren’t able to catch it, or if you missed the name of the game you’re excited to check out (or even its release date maybe), we’ve got you covered.

Here’s Everything Announced During Today’s 2024 Summer Devolver Direct Presentation

Possessor(s)

Possessor(s) is a new game from Heart Machine, the team behind Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash, and it’s coming to undisclosed consoles and PC next year. It features action combat inspired by platform fighters like Super Smash Bros. and is set in a quarantined city destroyed by interdimensional catastrophe.

In the game, you control Luca, the host, and Rehm, her less-than-cooperative counterpart as the two venture through a sprawling metropolis filled with ruined skyscrapers to explore and secrets about what happened to uncover. Devolver says the story features multiple paths in an “open-ended world structure” and upgrades to discover that allows Luca and Rehm to explore previously inaccessible areas, possibly hinting at a Metroidvania-inspired city layout.

Tenjutsu

Tenjutsu is a jujutsu-inspired action roguelite from Sébastien Benard, lead designer of Dead Cells and solo developer at Deepnight Games, and it’s coming to consoles and PC sometime in the future. If you’re familiar with Benard’s work, you might recognize Tenjutsu (48h version), which he released back in 2022 – Tenjutsu is a fully fleshed-out version of that 2022 concept.

Devolver describes the game as a “fast and fluid rogue-jutsu,” leaning into the game’s jujutsu roguelite action. In it, you control a renegade yakuza “hellbent on defying her former associates and loosening their grip on the Secret Garden City.” To do so, you must fight four powerful crime syndicates. To defeat them “you must master a brutal brawling system and build a diverse arsenal of weapons, upgrades, and martial arts techniques, breaking their hold on the streets in a flurry of violence.”

While you have to take down all four crime syndicates, you can do so in any order. As you do, you unlock new weapons, combat moves, and additional areas to explore. However, the longer you spend doing this, the stronger your enemies become.

Cult Of The Lamb: Unholy Alliance

Developer Massive Monster still isn’t done with its 2022 hit game, Cult of the Lamb, as it’s bringing full campaign co-op to it this August. The Unholy Alliance update hits the game on August 12 and adds a new playable character: the Goat.

With the Goat joining the titular Lamb, players can now experience the entire campaign in local co-op. Devolver says this update includes two-player twists on existing minigames in Cult of the Lamb, like fishing and kuncklebones, as well as additional corrupted weapons, tarot cards, curses, and relics. While playing in co-op, players can swap weapons, deal extra damage when fighting back-to-back, and deal critical hits if their attacks are in sync. Plus, solo players get some new powers and abilities to play with, too.

Elsewhere in the update, Unholy Alliance adds new buildings, fleeces, follower traits, follower quests, and more secrets to discover.

The Talos Principle II: Road To Elysium

Devolver Digital Presentation 2024 Everything Announced Revealed SGF Summer Game Fest

One of our favorite games of 2023 – The Talos Principle II – is getting a three-part “coda” expansion next week, on June 14, called Road To Elysium. Devolver says it will reunite players with beloved characters and put your puzzle-solving skills to the test through a series of thought-provoking new stories.

Road To Elysium follows the event of The Talos Principle II and continues the evolution of the robot world while providing you with a new perspective on some of the base game’s key moments. This expansion consists of three chapters, each with a distinctive look and feel:

Orpheus Ascending: Set in Ancient Egypt, in this chapter, you will explore the philosophy of love, death, and resurrection through the story of Hypatia and Sarabhai.
Isle of the Blessed: This chapter allows players to hang out with Yaqut and Miranda as they join Cornelius and Athena on a “puzzle-driven adventure set on a stunning Caribbean island.”
Into the Abyss: Devolvers says in this chapter, players will “return to one of the most dramatic moments from The Talos Principle II” to find out what happened to Byron when he was trapped in the Megastructure.

The Talos Principle II’s Road to Elysium expansion launches June 14 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It will cost $19.99.

Anger Foot

After delaying Anger Foot last year to 2024, Devolver Digital has given the first-person kicker (and shooter) a PC release date: July 11.

If you’re not familiar with Anger Foot, it takes place in the caffeine-fueled S**t City, and tasks players with putting the boot, literally, to a menacing menagerie of merciless gangsters.

“Unleash the world’s deadliest feet on a colorful cast of anthropomorphic enemies, clearing out slums, sewers, and skyscrapers as you grab new weapons, unlock new sneakers, and upgrade your powers in absurd and wonderful ways,” a press release reads.

The Crush House

Devolver announced today that its reality TV-inspired “thirst-person shooter,” The Crush House, launches on PC on August 9. However, the publisher revealed a new demo for the game is available to download and play right now.

In The Crush House, you play as Jae, a new producer for The Crush House. As Jae, you’ll take your camera into the show’s Malibu, California, mansion to keep viewers glued to their screens by filming as much drama, romance, and tension as you can find. However, if you fail to keep the audience entertained, your show will get canceled.

And that’s everything announced during today’s 2024 Devolver Digital presentation.

Let us know what your favorite reveals were in the comments below!

New Batman: Arkham Shadow VR Pre-Rendered Trailer Teases The Story

Last month Oculus Studios and developer Camoflaj announced a new entry in the Arkham series, Batman: Arkham Shadow. The teaser implied Batman would be tussling with the Rat King (not to be confused with Ratcatcher, we think) in VR, and it would be canon to the Arkham universe that Rocksteady created, but little else was revealed beyond that. Today, we received another pre-rendered trailer, so while we’re still not sure how the game will look and play, we at least have a better idea of the game’s tone and characters. The dramatic cover of a popular song chosen for this cinematic trailer? “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” by the Smashing Pumpkins A.K.A. the rat in a cage song.

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The trailer shows Gordon, The Rat King, seemingly in a prison cell, and what appears to be a still-sane version of Harley Quinn. Here is the story outline from the trailer’s press release.

The press release for the new trailer promises the game will have a “blend of exploration, stealth, and free-flowing combat the series is known for.” The game is coming exclusively to Meta Quest 3 next year.

Silent Hill Creator’s Slitterhead Gets First Gameplay Look In New Trailer, Out This November

Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama founded Bokeh Game Studio back in 2020 to work on a new horror game that we later learned is called Slitterhead. After a teaser trailer and a behind-the-scenes look at the game’s development, we finally have our first look at gameplay. Plus, the studio announced Slitterhead launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, and PC on November 8.

Revealed in a new trailer during the 2024 Summer Game Fest showcase, Slitterhead’s debut gameplay trailer starts in a Chinese city, with a police detective searching through a trashed ally. He finds what appears to be a mangled body in a trash can before the trailer shows more of the neon-lit Chinese metropolis, with shots of (presumably) our playable protagonist jumping from high above to the ground below while using some spectral power that allows them to possess bodies of pedestrians. We also get a look at Slitterhead’s monstrous creatures and third-person survival action gameplay, which features both guns and melee combat.

Check it out for yourself in the Slitterhead gameplay trailer below:

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As you can see, Slitterhead is looking quite action-packed, especially compared to Toyama’s Silent Hill efforts. However, the lineage is clear.

Slitterhead has largely remained a mystery since its reveal. We know in 2021, Toyama said he was working on a choice-driven game, and we assume that’s Slitterhead. Toyama also told IGN Japan his next project (presumably Slitterhead) would be released in 2023. Obviously, that didn’t happen, but now we know it’s releasing this November. Outside of that, a behind-the-scenes video diary showed a few clips of Slitterhead, including training room-esque encounters, a neon-lit Chinese city, and even a dog that appears to be playable.

Slitterhead hits PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, and PC on November 8.

What do you think about this first look at Slitterhead’s gameplay? Let us know in the comments below!

Battle Aces Is A Far-Future ‘Action Real-Time Strategy’ Game That Aims To Make The Genre More Approachable

Uncapped Games, founded in 2021, has debuted its first title: Battle Aces, an action real-time strategy game for PC. Revealed during today’s 2024 Summer Game Fest showcase, Uncapped says it designed Battle Aces with RTS newcomers in mind in an attempt to make the somewhat difficult genre more approachable for wider audiences.

Set in the far-flung future – the 26th Century, to be exact – humanity fights amongst planets in a struggle for resources, weaponry, and more. Players will take on the role of Battle Aces, or mercenary commanders, in charge of high-tech drones to fight “explosive, large-scale battles in the front lines of war.”

Check out the action in the Battle Aces reveal trailer for yourself below:

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“Battle Aces immediately sets itself apart from traditional RTS games by allowing players to choose their army composition and customize their play style through Unit Decks,” a press release reads. “With over 50 units to choose from at launch and more than 40 to be made available to play in the upcoming closed beta test, Battle Aces offers an immense variety of potential in-game matchups and near-limitless strategic potential that begins before a match even starts.”

Uncapped points out features like automated resource gathering, instant unit-spawning, and preset expansions as ways it aims to keep players focused on the fun of controlling and strategizing massive armies in combat, “even as they manage the moment-to-moment strategic decision-making of when to expand new bases, and when to tech for more powerful units.” The team says its U.I. allows players to quickly switch between unit production and army control seamlessly, and it hopes “the combination of design and U.I. elements makes it easier than ever to build and reinforce armies and keep attention on managing intense battles.”

Speaking of battles, Battle Aces features 1v1 and 2v2 matches, and each match is limited to just 10 minutes.

Here are some Battle Aces screenshots:

“The promise of RTS has always centered on building and commanding a massive army, and controlling how it moves and fights across the map as you match strategic wits against an opponent,” Uncapped senior game director David Kim writes in a press release. “In Battle Aces, our aim is for players of all skill levels and experience with RTS to experience that promise in every match. In fact, what we’ve seen in our testing so far is that players new to RTS or less familiar with the genre have been able to learn Battle Aces and grow in skill more quickly than any RTS our team has ever worked on before.”

Are you interested in checking out Battle Aces? Let us know in the comments below!

Valorant For PlayStation And Xbox Coming Later This Year

During the 2024 Summer Game Fest showcase, Riot Games announced that its popular free-to-play hero shooter, Valorant, will be coming to consoles sometime this year. Earlier this week, I had a chance to visit Riot Games, where I not only played its upcoming 2D fighting game set in the League of Legends universe, 2XKO, but also learned all about Valorant for consoles and even got my hands on the upcoming Xbox Series X version.

When creating the console version of Valorant, Riot Games relied on one of the mantras that fueled its PC version: “Creativity Meets Clutch.” This means the studio wants to retain the kind of experience where the game has a strong tactical foundation that caters to the competitive crowd. In speaking with production director Arnar Gylfason, he tells me that even as the team opens the game up to new demographics through the console release, the more dedicated and competitive crowds will always be Riot’s main priority with Valorant.

Through the transition to consoles, Valorant will retain the same anti-cheat and network performance found on the PC version, and Riot Games has renewed its commitment to growing with the players. Riot says it has no end date in mind for Valorant, so it will continue to add content for as long as the player base craves it.

On consoles, Valorant will deliver the same wide-ranging customization and cadence of updates players have grown accustomed to on the PC version, but Riot insists it is not a straight port. However, despite PC having several years of a headstart, Riot says there is no flagship platform for Valorant, and players can enjoy cross-progression. This means that no matter where you play, your money, unlocks, loadouts, and more carry over from platform to platform. Valorant on consoles also has crossplay, but only with the other consoles; PC players can only play with other PC players to maintain competitive integrity since mouse and keyboard controls grant various advantages, particularly with first-person shooters.

I enjoyed the smooth controls on Xbox Series X. The development team has done an excellent job translating the controls from mouse and keyboard to gamepad, which Riot admits was one of the biggest hurdles in bringing its hero shooter to consoles.

“That was the big question to solve for on bringing the game to a console audience: How do we allow you the same range of control that you are used to on a PC from a keyboard and mouse to a controller?” Gylfason says. “With a controller, you just don’t have the same input variability, and so we had to solve that for the console player. Our approach to solving that is what we call Focus Mode. So, when you’re hip-firing and moving and shooting normally, you want to have your sensitivity way up so that you’re very quickly looking around, scoping around, and understanding your environment. And then, when you engage Focus Mode, which is engaging your left trigger, have your sensitivity significantly lower so that you can fine-tune that aim and hit that headshot that you wanted or take that engagement that you wanted to take. While you don’t have the same scale of variability as you have on PC, you at least have some scale of variability.”

Focus Mode feels good in action, and since the last time I played Valorant was around its 2020 launch, it’s great to see how much additional content has been added to the game since then. Alternating between the tactical Swiftplay mode and the all-out fun Team Deathmatch for my hours of hands-on time, I had an absolute blast. Since I’m much more of a console gamer than a PC gamer, I’m excited to dive into the Valorant competition in earnest when it finally comes out sometime later this year.