The Iterative Digest #88
Taking your game to its first con, God of War Ragnarök release date, whether you're getting a good publishing deal and more!
Hello and welcome to issue #88 of the Digest! This week we discuss taking your game to its first con, God of War Ragnarök getting a release date, whether you’re getting a good publishing deal, and much more!
So without further ado, sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s latest - curated by yours truly! If you like what you see, don’t forget to share and subscribe; your support means a lot to us. Have a great week!
God of War fans rejoice! The much-awaited sequel God of War Ragnarök has finally received a release date for November 9th, 2022. Multiple editions of the PS4/PS5 title have been announced with a JÖTNAR Edition having a 16” Mjölnir Replica.
Kojima Productions has had to threaten legal action after game designer Hideo Kojima was falsely linked to the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.
Rumors have circulated that Bungie may be working on a new Destiny game for mobile in partnership with Chinese tech and gaming giant NetEase. It is suggested that the game is a new title rather than a mobile version of Destiny 2.
Microsoft announced through email that their Games with Gold service would be dropping Xbox 360 games come October. The company said that they had “reached the limit of our ability to bring Xbox 360 games to the catalog.”
Rockstar has reportedly scrapped plans to remaster Grand Theft Auto IV and Red Dead Redemption after the poor reception of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition.
A Lollipop Chainsaw game has been confirmed and is targeting a 2023 release. Dragami Games confirmed that it had purchased the IP from Kadokawa Games for the purpose of remaking the 2012 title that launched on the Xbox 360 & PS3.
Klein Tsuboi, an Elden Ringer famous for wielding dual katanas with a pot on his head as he helped others kill one of the game’s toughest bosses has been rewarded. Bandai Namco recognized the distinguished player known as “Let Me Solo Her” with an official swag box, complete with a personal thank you note and a real-life sword.
Taking your game to its first con? Kelsey breaks down a helpful list of things to consider after her experience with Too Many Games. Take note as these may save you headaches in the future!
July 12th
In Time on Frog Island, you become shipwrecked after a terrible storm casts your might vessel into the perilous rocks of a nearby island. You awake to find your ship in pieces, and discover that this strange island is filled with… frogs? You can explore the island sandbox at your own pace, trade to fix your boat, and experiment when it launches onto PC, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, and PS4/PS5.
July 14th
Welcome to Escape Academy. Train to become the ultimate Escapist as you solve puzzles, hack servers, and brew the perfect cup of tea. Play in over a dozen masterfully hand-crafted rooms, designed by experienced experts in the field of real-life escape rooms. It’s set to launch on PC, Xbox One, Xbox S|X, and PS4/PS5.
In Eyes In The Dark: The Curious Case Of One Victoria Bloom you fight with light against the dark in this “roguelight” platformer. You must drive back the darkness that overruns Bloom Manor and conquer swarms of creatures as you discover powerful new items to upgrade your arsenal. Are you ready to enter the ever-changing manor when it launches on PC?
Are you an indie dev looking to get published? Then check out this PC Gamer article on what a good and a bad indie game publishing deal looks like. It breaks down what a good indie game publishing contact looks like, variation in individual contacts, what indie developers should say no to, and more.
Cameron - Carrion
Carrion is a 2D Metroidvania with a unique reverse horror theme. You assume the role of an amorphous creature of unknown origins, stalking and consuming those that have imprisoned you to spread fear and panic, doing everything you can to escape the secure research facility you have been kept.
The story is told from your perspective as the monster with the exception of some flashback sequences exploring the facility. Initially breaking free of your containment tube, you will explore, solve puzzles and devour and defeat enemies as you seek to upgrade and mutate Carrion to ultimately escape.
Devouring humans will replenish health, and as you progress you will spread your biomass into sectors that become hives acting as a save/checkpoint for you to recover before attempting upcoming puzzles. Containment tubes throughout the game act as skill upgrades and allow you to mutate between three levels with their unique skillsets. Red pools act as environments where you may choose to dump some of Carrion’s mass to access skills unique to a smaller level. For example, the game has various points where you may need to progress through a laser system that shuts off if you cross it. The level 1 variant of Carrion has a unique skill for invisibility that it access through shocking its tentacles. These skills tie deeply in with its Metroidvania theme as a completionist will need to backtrack through earlier levels with newer skills in order to get the full experience from the game.
The gameplay mechanics center heavily around three main areas, with those being exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving. Even though the visual design gives off the vibes of a 2D platformer, Carrion is unable to jump and simply moves along with the use of his tentacles. This movement may deter players initially but I found after a little while, I had ‘mostly’ mastered traveling with the exceptions of a few small pipes. Combat is the most satisfying, as tearing apart an enemy leads to limbs flying over the screen, and later levels make clever use of skills such as a maxed tentacle onslaught obtained towards the end of the game. Finally, I will note that the puzzle-solving sat on just the right difficulty for me, with my only concern being the lack of an in-game map to properly navigate the 9 levels of the title. However, given the role we play, I don’t expect the monster Carrion to be breaking out a map to distinguish if he has gone one pipe too far navigating the nuclear lab.
Ultimately, Carrion is the perfect blend of the satisfaction of solving Metroidvania puzzles and devouring humans poor enough to cross your path. I celebrate the concept of reverse horror and I hope we see other developers adopt this approach in the future. If you enjoy 2D puzzle/action games and sit well with the guilty pleasure of playing as a monster, then this is the game for you.
Cameron spent 5-6 hours playing both the Xbox and PC versions of Carrion.
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