“Crown Wars: The Black Prince” throws players to the tumultuous era of a burning, war torn medieval France, offering a tactical experience reminiscent of the acclaimed XCOM series. Choose which of the varying in playstyle families you’re fighting for, customise your emblem and assemble your squadron of valiant troops, each representing a unique class with distinct roles. Lead them into battles across a variety of dynamic environments and try not to get attached, as keeping them alive won’t be easy!

One of the game’s distinguishing features is its departure from the intense time pressure characteristic of XCOM. This allows for a more leisurely approach to troop management and resource gathering, as players can focus on developing their squad and upgrading their main base through side missions. While time does pass as you dispatch troops and undertake missions, the main missions offer a longer window of opportunity, providing players with greater flexibility in their strategic decisions. “”Crown Wars: The Black Prince” doesn’t wait around to jump in the action and after a cutscene throws the player into battle. First there’s act 1, which has the role of a tutorial that allows the player to get familiar with the games mechanics as well as slowly unlocking new buildings that provide many benefits to your growing band of alchemists, beast masters and many more. After completing the initial tutorial act the game will open up with random missions that pop up on the map for a couple days which range from killing all enemies to extracting prisoners. Those will yield valuable resources used for upgrading weapons and armour in the forge or various buildings around the base.

Visually, “Crown Wars: The Black Prince” immerses players in its richly detailed medieval setting. From the smouldering ruins of pillaged villages to the imposing walls of besieged castles, each battlefield is meticulously crafted to evoke the atmosphere of the era. On top of the typical use of destroyed buildings and carts as full of half cover, Crown Wars stands out with its inclusion of interactive elements. Among them are ballistae and catapults that add an extra layer of depth to the tactical combat, allowing players to leverage their surroundings to gain the upper hand against their foes.

Despite its strengths, the game currently sits at a 7/10 rating in my opinion. While the medieval setting and tactical gameplay are executed admirably, there’s room for improvement in terms of character customization and troop levelling. The current system feels somewhat limited, with only two skill trees per class and streamlined weapon options. However, with some adjustments and added variety, “Crown Wars: The black prince” has the potential to become the definitive XCOM-like experience that fans have been eagerly awaiting.

In conclusion, “Crown Wars: The black prince” offers a compelling blend of tactical depth and medieval atmosphere. With future updates addressing the concerns raised by players, it has the potential to ascend to the ranks of gaming greatness and become a must-play title for strategy enthusiasts everywhere.

“Crown Wars: The black prince” is available from May 23rd on all major platforms.

Ingression is a 2D platformer by Espale Studios. It’s a game that is both challenging and rewarding, with excellent level design that makes players question their sanity before jumping for joy after conquering difficult levels. Despite the difficulty, each level is short enough that death does not result in frustration. Imagine if Celeste and Portal had a baby, and the outcome is the best of both games expertly melded together.

Thrawrting the Empire

You play as Rina, a thief tasked with stealing a time machine from the empire to prevent them from creating a time machine in the first place. Dr. Kowalski is an empire defect who helps you break into the empire’s base to steal a time machine. There are also flashbacks to Maxine, another thief who attempted the same task as Rina several years ago. There are some interesting story beats, but overall, it’s just a generic science fiction plot designed to move forward in the levels.

The gameplay in Ingression is superb. A precision 2D platformer that takes after games like Celeste and Super Meat Boy. Short levels but tricky platforming where one false move can send you back to the beginning of the level. You have a stamina bar when you cling to walls and different mechanics to learn. The use of portals in the video game is also interesting. Sometimes, you use the portals to traverse levels, and sometimes, you use portals to transport platforms through them. Combining all these elements creates a satisfying platforming experience.

Thinking with Portals

The level design in this game is just brilliant. Each chapter comes with a theme for Rina to traverse. Chapter 1 introduces basic mechanics, but each chapter after is layered with unique mechanics. One chapter deals with light-based objects such as lasers to dodge and a laser ball you can use as a moving platform to jump off. Chapter 3 is a synthetic biome with a flesh-eating plant you can bounce off and vines to climb and jump. Each chapter ends with a long chase scene, where drones chase you, and it is up to you and your mastery of the mechanics in each chapter to navigate a long maze before the drones zap you. These levels are the most challenging, and each jump must be perfect. However, running through these creates a flow I have rarely experienced in a game.

This is all before discussing the use of portals. They take an already excellent level design and elevate it to incredible heights. There are parts where you need to jump into portals and use the momentum to clear gaps. Sometimes, it feels amazing to clear those gaps, but sometimes, that can leave you disoriented and cause you to die. The most interesting way they use the portals is when interacting with other mechanics. The most insane example is shooting a light ball you can jump off, synchronizing it with a second ball. Both have to go through portals simultaneously before bouncing between them while going up to the end of the level, dodging spikes, and avoiding falling. Being able to execute these insane feats is exhilarating when you finally pass a difficult challenge. It also left me in awe at what the developers came up with.

A Triumph

Ingression is difficult, but it is satisfying to play. The levels I have played are unlike anything I have experienced in a platformer. Its flawless combination of platforming and portal gameplay is an excellent homage to the games that came before them while creating something unique and fun to play. While sometimes you can get disoriented by the portals, and the story is serviceable, the gameplay is excellent and a must-play for platformer fans everywhere.

“Baladins” is a delightful fusion of whimsical Paper Mario aesthetics and the immersive storytelling of Dungeons & Dragons. As a player, you’re thrust into a captivating world where you assume the role of various classes, each with its own unique stats and quirks. In my playthrough, I took on the role of the lovable cook, armed with my trusty frying pan and a flair for culinary creativity.

The game’s turn-based mechanics are seamlessly woven into a narrative that is both simple yet captivating. The overarching objective? To thwart a time-eating dragon, whose voracious appetite threatens to consume not only you but time itself. What sets “Baladinst” apart is its ingenious use of a time loop mechanism, where players are granted a six-week window to outsmart, or feed the dragon enough so that it loses appetite for time in order to avoid inevitable doom.

One of the game’s standout features is its emphasis on character progression. Throughout each loop, players have the opportunity to enhance their skills, those being similar to a dungeons and dragons character. Each character will start with a different set of stats that they are “‘proficient’ in and can be improved when completing certain tasks in all major stops on the game board. These skills aren’t just vital for taking down the dragon; they also come in handy when aiding the eclectic cast of characters populating the game world.

This leads to one unfortunate issue I have with the game. It’s clearly made with the intention for co-operative play and by all means that is always great for a game and makes perfect sense in a party based paper D’n’D , I can’t help but notice how unfair it is if someone finds it hard to fill in their party roster for what ever reason. I have reviewed “Baladins” on steam and for some reason the game does not take advantage of steams share play mechanics in which you can ‘couch co-op’ with anyone from your friends list, fortunately with the games nature I didn’t have much issue convincing a friend to get the game and join the adventure. After we played through a couple loops and our voices started to disperse because we decided to voice every single character we came across I then realised that the game is considerably easier with more people , I can only imagine with a full party it would be a completely different game. You see the game gives you time constraints and the more rumours overheard and the more information gathered the player will start piecing it together and create tasks for the next loop. That means planning what skills to improve, items to take and path to travel, but your time, skills and distance you can travel is double with a friend, or quadrupled with a full party. A simple fix would be to let solo players fill their parties with up to 4 characters either way regardless if one player controls them all or if there a friends joining the adventure.

All that being said , there is more to praise about “Baladins”. Visually the game is a feast for the eyes. The charming paper-inspired graphics lend a whimsical touch to the game’s vibrant environments, while the meticulously crafted game board serves as the perfect backdrop for your some times questionable escapades. Every location is teeming with life, brimming with unique characters just waiting to share their stories and quests.

Despite its simplistic writing, “Baladins” shines thanks to its witty humour and engaging dialogue. From quirky NPCs to laugh-out-loud moments, the game’s narrative never fails to keep you entertained as you navigate through the intricacies of the time loop. Some quests given by the multitude of characters you meet will have nothing to do with escaping the time loop but will have you locked in either way , from meddling in a fortune tellers relationship to helping crooked artists win over the theatre, “baladins” will have you hooked on solving these issues only for you to find yourself a week before the time loops resets, realising you have done nothing to stop it.

In conclusion, “Baladins” is a delectable treat for fans of turn-based RPGs and narrative-driven adventures alike. With its charming visuals, engaging gameplay, and captivating story, it’s a game that’s sure to leave you craving for seconds. So grab your over the top role playing friends, sharpen your skills, and embark on a journey like no other. After all, time waits for no one!

The game is available from 15th May 2024, on all platforms and at the time of writing is $26.72 on Steam.