From Valenka
It should be noted first and foremost that the version of Earthlock: Festival of Magic that I played was so very early in development that it only really showcased the visual art style and basic combat mechanics... and that was enough to make me want to experience the final version when it launches. It isn’t every day that I get a taste of a project in development and keep a close eye on it, heavily anticipating its release. Norwegian developer, SnowCastle Games, have managed to capture my interest with a very basic and modest demo of their upcoming project.
Earthlock: Festival of Magic is a very colorful and charming turn-based RPG that wonderfully marries elements that make a game of this genre so enjoyable. During my playthrough, I couldn’t help but notice Earthlock’s subtle nods towards Pokemon, Disney and Fable while dancing down its own brilliantly carved path, highlighting a unique, but familiar and appreciated take on a beloved genre and theme.
The story follows a cast of interesting and creatively designed characters on a quest to discover the secrets of Umbra, a world that has eerily stopped spinning. Despite the mysterious and ominous theme surrounding the game, it is an absolutely gorgeous world with lovely, complementing color palettes and a keen sense of detail and accents. It’s exceedingly appealing and is certainly a world I could spend quite a lot of time in.
http://i.imgur.com/znyeKYO....
Earthlock’s combat is very reminiscent to the classic turn-based, strategic battles that many gamers applaud, despite some unfair criticism of being outdated. The difference here is that Earthlock manages to take a classic formula and apply their own refreshing and distinctive flair. For example, during combat, you’ll find a pairing system that is composed of a combatant and a protector, serving as your offense and defense. Your warrior can use swords and consumables like ammunition while the protector can use healing spells or shields to block or deflect damage from the enemy.
One feature that I’m particularly interested in that was not included in the version I played is the crafting and harvesting features that bring about a Harvest Moon feeling to Earthlock. Within the game, you’re able to have your own home village where you can plant and harvest consumables as well as play with character progression. The village will be understandably modest initially, but as you progress through the game, your little slice of land will certainly become something to show off. Harvesting in Earthlock is interestingly tied to the combat in lieu of the fact that the harvested items that come from tending your village are actually the magical ammunition and usable items you’ll find yourself using in combat.
Earthlock: Festival of Magic is shaping up to be a significant contribution to the RPG genre, with its magnificent art style and ambitious but obtainable goal of marrying beloved elements from numerous different experiences into one lovely bundle. With combining a little bit of everything and adding a unique and creative spin, it is truly something to keep an eye on.
http://i.imgur.com/4bN8pGK....
Earthlock: Festival of Magic is currently under development for PC, Mac OSX, Linux, PS4, Xbox One and Wii U.
Day 19 | SnowCastle Games
Microsoft announced its financial results for Q3 of fiscal year 2026, including an update on its gaming Xbox business and more.
Not looking good. Hopefully Asha Sharma is able to turn Phil’s disaster around.
To me it's still quite remarkable how they can cash-in 5.3bn in revenue in a single quarter, since their hardware is basically dead.
The stock mark is what makes Microsoft remarkable, They have convinced every institutional and retail investor to just keep piling money into them. Like many big tech giants they are just a big growing pyramid scheme. As long as people keep dropping money into ETF's that cover the market Microsoft will always be liquid. At the same time it is completely stifling innovation and competition. People need to start being more discreet in how they invest their money as it's killing the system.
Riiiiight because people will just flock back to them for one or two games per year.
15+ years of bad performance is what they call irreparable in business. It is time for them to sell off the assets and get out of entertainment.
These declines are on the back of extra revenue received from releasing games like Forza horizon 5 on PlayStation. So I’m being sarcastic here when I said they should go back to exclusives. Killing off a revenue stream from Ps5 sales will only make things worse
The charity event will be streamed live from Gamescom in August.
Thanks to the slip-up of an artist working on the title, we now have more evidence that a new Injustice game is in the works.
the art syle reminds me of Torchlight , i think this game looks great
and i'm happy that it's coming for consoles and PC that's big for an indie game :)
hope the best for the team
I always loved this type of art style in games. And it's coming to the wii u
I adore stylized games. They can capture so much of the imagination without feeling too intrusive. I'll have to keep my eye on this.
Nice to see they are showing love to all platforms.
Oh wow ! Sold from the logo