At this point in the zombie genre’s life cycle, you’d think we would be putting it out to pasture. Letting it taste that fresh dewy grass for one last time, before we take it out back, and drive a pneumatic spike into its’ over-saturated brain… However! This damn undead bovine just keeps producing so much tasty zombie milk, that we can’t quite get our fill. It does seem that The Walking Dead has walked off a cliff, and movie audiences have grown tired of the shuffling flash eaters. Gamers, on the other hand, really do game on. What with remakes of classic zombie games, new Resi titles, and every other shooter apparently having a zombie mode these days. Compounded to that, we also get the occasional new zombie-themed IP. One such new entrant, is the delightful and entertaining indie game, The Caretaker.

Gaining a new perspective

I was immediately taken with the camera angle and character controls. The simplicity of moving “Dan” around the ruined city marries perfectly with the knee jerk reactions needed when engaging hostiles in close quarters. The Caretaker’s wide top-down view could quite easily lose the necessary claustrophobic feel for a zombie game, however, the developer did a great job of balancing this by limiting light sources available to the player. In some indoor sections, you will only have your meagre flashlight beam to shine in the dark. Here you will find the faster moving enemies a real threat, and the sound effects will play a great part in keeping you apprised of any nearby monsters.

Any Resident Evil fans will quite quickly recognise some classic series’ tropes. Players will go through the old knife/handgun/shotgun… progression of weapon pickups throughout the areas of the game. Further nods to that franchise include a lock and key system based on colours, and a healing system involving different medicine types for each wound/effect you will suffer. Also, expect a little backtracking now and then! I liked the enemy types and found the pace of their introduction quite effective. You will have enough time to learn new enemies patterns and attacks gradually, for the most part, though there are some surprises.

You can’t just be the good guy and expect to live…

The Caretaker takes place in the ruins of a small city, torn apart by an unknown cataclysmic event. The resulting chaos sees monsters roam the streets, and the remaining human population horrifically zombified. It was immediately reminiscent of Resident Evil 2’s Racoon City, and that’s not a bad thing. I found these nostalgia bursts quite warming, and never exhausting. The story will be unveiled to you through documents found along the way. The developer has done a good job of giving depth to what may have been a quite linear experience. Exploration will net you more ammo and healing items. However, enemies will respawn in already cleared areas, so there are never truly any safe zones.

A full playthrough of The Caretaker took me around 4 hours. Bear in mind that was exploring fully, and me being useless at puzzles. One feature I would have liked to see in The Caretaker was a New Game mode. I think the inclusion of more challenging playthroughs would have suited the game well. This may, or may not, have included playing as a bar of tofu. As it stands, there is a Survival Mode(Horde mode), which does add some replayability, though I can’t honestly say I would spend too much time with it. These are all important considerations prior to purchase of course, as I do like weighing a cost: duration ratio for games. Currently, The Caretaker is €8.19 on Steam, so it won’t break the bank either way.

When there’s no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth

On the downside, and this is a big concern, I did encounter one game-ending glitch. This highlighted a flaw in design with The Caretaker, as you are only allowed to have one save on the go at any one time. Unable to load back an earlier save, I was forced to start the game over again. That said, I did not encounter any other bugs or glitches during my playtime, and the circumstances for the game-ending glitch would be very difficult to replicate.

Most importantly, The Caretaker was a very positive experience overall. I loved the setting, the creature sounds, and the enemy variety. The story is unveiled cleverly, and the boss battles are challenging, without being frustrating. I can quite heartily recommend the game to any fans of the genre, which is basically everyone these days.

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There has been no production schedule announced for The Witcher: Blood Origin yet. We do know, however, that the follow-up season to The Witcher is set to film at some stage this year.

Conjunction-vitis

While we know little of the possible plot for the new series, we have some small details of Turner-Smiths character Éile. According to Deadline, Éile is “an elite warrior blessed with the voice of a goddess, who has left her clan and position as Queen’s guardian to follow her heart as a nomadic musician.” So a badass busker, basically. Naturally enough this elven busker encounters some strife and must embark on a quest for vengeance. Possibly against a dude who threw a used crisp packet in her guitar case. Let’s not rule that one out.

The Witcher: Blood Origin will be helmed by Declan de Barra, who was a lead writer for original Witcher series. Andrzej Sapkowski, author of The Witcher book series, will serve as creative consultant.

I’m not sure how this one will be received, to be honest, and I have my doubts. Sure, The Witcher series was very successful, but that was based directly on a massively popular video game franchise. And it also starred Henry Effin’ Cavill. Will there really be enough of a fan-base there to watch a prequel show loosely connected the game? With no Cavill?

Obviously, Netflix is happy to take the chance, but that’s probably why they’ve limited it to a six-episode standalone. Most likely this is Netflix testing the waters for a possible universe expansion. A Witcher-verse, if you will… Unwarranted speculation aside, you can rest assured we’ll have any Witcher news, big or small, no sooner than you can say: “Toss a coin to your witcher…”

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Football Manager 2021 will see you helm a “football” team, as it’s “manager”. The Oxford Dictionary describes “football” as “a game played between two teams of eleven people, where each team tries to win by kicking a ball into the other team’s goal”. Whereas “manager” is explained as “an open box from which cattle and horses feed”. Hopefully, I didn’t lose any of you there. Moving on…

Headline Features

There are four core features Sports Interactive have improved on for this year’s iteration. They being: Interaction, Recruitment, Matchday, and End of Season.

Interaction

Managers can now use an even deeper arsenal of personal interaction when dealing with players, staff,  management or media. Most notable are the new Quick Chat and Gesture systems. Quick Chats are essentially informal meetings, where we might, for example, speak with a players agent to garner interest. The Gesture system adds a new layer of physical communication to the usual verbal stuff. Want to emphasize a point or rile up a complacent team? Throw a gesture in there to let them know you mean business! It is unconfirmed whether we can kick a boot at David Beckham, but I live in hope.

Recruitment

Recruitment in Football Manager 2021 has been radically overhauled, with more depth added from last year. The new title will see the addition of Recruitment Meetings and Recruitment Roles. Both of these new systems will guarantee your team are always scouting and selecting the exact type of player your team needs. Meetings occur in a 3D environment with your scouts on hand. Individual roles can then be delegated within your team. So managerial!

Match-day

Pre-match build-up, team talks, interviews, in-match presentation and graphical overhaul. The Match-day hype is real for Football Manager 2021. We will be able to feel the atmosphere for every match our team plays this year. Be it the Irish First Division or European Cup, you’ll have more data and analysis at your fingertips than ever before. In the new UI’s Dugout section, there will be more options than ever to wield as the sideline gaffer.

Your assistant, coaches & data analysts are all on hand to help and will give you advice during pertinent parts of the match… In competitions where VAR is used, you’ll now not only see the VAR call displayed on the stadium screen – just like in real-life – but the in-match caption now also reflects how it’s displayed in the real world.

Cannot wait to blame all my losses on VAR. Finally!

End of Season

Two major improvements for each Seasons end this year will be Celebrations and End of Season Review. We will now get proper on-field season celebrations, complete with confetti, the media circus, and the all-important trophy lift. Compounded to that, your manager will receive a full end of season review. This will take place in a brand new environment, rounding up all the stats, figures, highs, and lows from your last campaign. Nerd-tastic.

Injury Time

It looks to be a great year for football simulation fans. The already excellent 2020 title has been markedly improved upon for Football Manager 2021. Console managers can also delight in the franchises return to Xbox at a future date. With Football Manager 2020 currently on Xbox Games Pass, we can presumably expect the same for this title next year also. If you pre-order the game now, you’ll grab it a 10 per cent discounted price, and gain Early Access. Solid Deal. I’m still not sure why we’ll need to be feeding cattle, but hey what do I know, I’m only the gaffer.

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The Grounding

There’s nothing more terrifying than Velociraptors. That’s the basic premise Jaw Drop Games have established in Deathground. And, of course, they are correct. Naturally, we mean the terrifying raptor iterations from Spielberg’s Jurassic Park movie, which so often haunted our worst nightmares. The game sees players stranded on a mission to retrieve high-value loot while dodging dino dentures. Missions can be played solo or co-op up to 3 players.

Players are put through the ultimate test of cooperation as they travel through darkened and anxious environments overrun by deadly dinosaurs, in order to survive. Reactive AI dinosaurs that hunt you down, random extraction points and dynamic objectives create unpredictable and varied experiences and all contribute to a menacing atmosphere filled with fear, suspense and anticipation.

The Death

The key features of Deathground are as follows:

• Squad-based survival – Team-based objectives and constant mortal danger means cooperation is essential
• Intense and suspenseful game-play – Stealth, combat, crafting and utilizing various items and weapons
• Special Character Classes – A character class system with special traits, skills and tools
• Replayable Gameplay – AI dinosaurs, weather systems, random spawn and extraction points, and dynamic objectives creates unique and intense game-play sequences with each playthrough.

You can check out the full trailer for Deathground below. Considering how early in development the game is, there’s plenty to be excited about. The tentative release date for Steam Early Access is Q3 2021, so the developers are certainly not rushing this one. And that’s definitely a good thing.

At the very least Deathground is a title worth keeping an eye on. Or for the dino fans, which is basically everyone, you may even consider supporting their Kickstarter campaign over on the official page: Kickstarter.com/Deathground.

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Finally, there exists a very small group of beings, hitherto unspoken about. A group lost from history. They occupy the shadows. Lurking, and waiting. Watching, and judging. The Illuminati of Souls fans. Using their Mensa level intellect, these fans perceived a darkness coming from the East in 2009. A whisper, nay, a shadow, or an almost imperceptible fog, that roiled across the Pacific to the Continental US in late 2009. Casting fear to the side, they ordered this rumour to their homes, and their lives were forever changed. Transported to the forsaken land of Boletaria, they encountered a game that outwardly seemed familiar, yet was unlike anything they had ever played. A game that would create its own sub-genre, and change the way mainstream games were made forever. That game, was, of course, Demon’s Souls. And now it’s back.

With Demon’s Souls, I have always been here in this Nexus

Announced at last nights PlayStation event, Demon’s Souls came as a delightful surprise. There had been rumours of course, but none could have predicted just how epic the first reveal would be. The remade environments, so familiar to fans, are gloriously dripping in atmosphere. The enemy types and bosses which make an appearance are jaw-dropping and conjure a very specific reminiscence. I haven’t actually played Demons Souls since that initial year with the game, so this remake looks to me how the game felt back then. If that makes sense.

Originally developed by FromSoftware, Bluepoint Games are the studio behind this remake. Although Bluepoint have developed their own games, they are essentially “remake” specialists. Demon’s Souls will now be added to their remake back catalogue of Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and Uncharted, to name but a few. FromSoftwares masterpiece is in good hands, it would seem. At the time of writing there has been no indication of release date, but don’t be surprised if Demon’s Souls is available at launch. You can check out the PS5 Demon’s Souls trailer below. Trust me, it’s worth a watch.

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You have a heart of gold… Don’t let them take it from you.

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Way to go Wayô

Wayô Records have remastered the original tracks from composer Yuzo Koshiro. Koshiro worked with the label on this project and has added his own commentary to both games’ soundtracks. While the original games’ soundtrack has been out since 2017, Streets of Rage 2 will be released June 2020 on CD and digital. The cassette tape releases for both games audio will also debut at the same time.

Of all the games from that era, few soundtracks captured the public’s ear-lobes like Streets of Rage did. It is a point of absolute nostalgia for any gamer of that time, and every one of us has fond memories connected to individual tunes off those soundtracks. It might be the chilled out beats of the opening track, with the rolling city-scape in the background. Or it could be the thumping high tempo accompaniment to beating down that first Freddie Krueger-like boss dude. Either way, I’d bet you have some happy memories associated with those tunes. It’s pure magic!

Aside from Streets of Rage, Wayô Records also have a nice back catalogue of retro gaming classics on audio. You can check out their full collection over at their official website here: WayôRecords.com, or for a little of that sweet Streets of Rage nostalgia, check out the video below. If you don’t well up inside of the opening notes, you are dead inside my friend and should seek medical help.

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Can’t we all just get along?

The game takes place within the confines of City 31, a sprawling metropolis dealing with a new era of human-alien co-existence. XCOM Chimera Squad features several major changes not seen in previous games. Firstly, naming soldiers after your least favourite people then using them as muton bait is gone. Chimera Squad are a set group of individuals, each with their own abilities and personalities. You will have eleven squad members in total, with a mixture of humans and aliens fighting the good fight. The next notable change is the new “Breach” mechanic, which is the first phase of every operation. During this phase, you will choose how and where you assault the target location, with certain soldiers offering specific methods of entry.

Additionally, commanders can now choose the turn order for their team, as part of the new interleaved turn system. Whereas in the other XCOM games, the player made all his teams moves, then the aliens’ theirs. XCOM Chimera Squad changes this to a system more akin to Divinity: Original Sin. That being; agents and enemies alternate turns in a single timeline. The final major change I’ll mention is the bleed out mechanic. If one of your agents gets shot up, they’ll go down with a bleed out timer. Any agent can then stabilize them, ready for extraction. If they bleed out before you reach them, however, it’s mission failure. So essentially you can’t lose a single soldier…

All the good news

So not only do we get a surprise new XCOM game (it was only announced last week), the price point isn’t bad either. At full price XCOM Chimera Squad is €19.99, but if you purchase before May 1st, you’ll get it half price. The game promises a twenty hour campaign, with plenty of replayability, and can be found on the games Steam page. Check out the video below for a full rundown on XCOM Chimera Squad.

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Keep readin’ cupcake

Gears Tactics is a complete change of pace for the storied franchise. This new iteration sees players slaughter monstrous bad guys in turn-based tactical combat. Naturally, there will be comparisons to current king of the genre XCOM. Fans of those games will be at home with the style almost immediately. Although, The Coalition has definitely ramped up the adrenaline, and given their game that inherent “Gears” vibe. Trademark executions are the main combat feature, allowing players a free move; clearly an emphasis on brutal action as much as strategic thinking.

Players will control a Gears squad of four hyper-aggressive meatheads, with deep customization and RPG options available. The main player character is one Gabe Diaz, father of Gears 5 protagonist Kait, and all-around grumpy dude. The game is set 12 years before the events of Gears of War and focuses on the initial battles against the Locust. Gabe’s nemesis will be Ukkon, a Locust geneticist who is responsible for the creation of the Locust army during the events of Gears of War.

Now watch the f’kin trailer buttercup

The trailer itself doesn’t show a lot of game-play but highlights plenty of exposition. Gabe and Ukkon get their introductions, and the character customization and RPG elements are touched upon. I have to admit I’m looking forward to this one. I’ve been a Gears fan since the get-go, and a lifetime turn-based strategy guy. The two seem a match made in heaven. Bring on the carnage!

You can pre-order Gears Tactics now on Steam or Windows 10. Do so, or play with the Xbox Games Pass for PC before May 4th and you will receive the Thrashball Cole Character Pack which includes Augustus Cole as a recruit and the Thrashball Armor Set, complete with rare abilities. Stay tuned to GamEir. Also, be sure and converse with us on Twitter (@gam_eir), Facebook (@GamEir), and Instagram (@GamEir). Check out our videos on Twitch (GamEir) and YouTube (GamEir) and we’ll give you all the latest content.

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The free demo features three playable missions while utilizing three plucky heroes along the way. Each character has their own unique skillset and weapons. Successfully complete missions, and you’ll earn XP, which can then level up your heroes. The full game will feature a narrative told over 6 independent chapters. At this time, the Flamberge Early Access build has 3 of those 6 completed, with a multiplayer mode in Beta.

Hyde and Zeke

FLAMBERGE is a tactics role-playing game featuring simultaneous turns. The player must plan out movements and attacks for each of their heroes, and then execute the turn. When the turn is executed, both heroes and enemies will move and attack at once. The player must anticipate enemy actions in order to win.

There are 20 missions available currently, promising up to 3-4 hours of game-play. Missions play out over a single map, viewed from above in glorious hard-to-discern pixel art. All the moves in Flamberge are turn-based. Each character, friend or foe, has a certain amount of time available to them. During the planning phase, you will decide how your team will move, and what actions to take.

The execution phase will follow and here your plans will play out, simultaneous to the enemy moves. There are visual cues to indicate enemy moves, allowing you to further plot and plan their demise. I was impressed with how quickly Flamberge drew me in. The soundtrack has some notable bangers, and the afore-mentioned art style is quite nice. Compounded to that the missions are genuine tactical puzzles, and the story features a nice touch of humour.

Flamberge is definitely one to check out for any turn-based strategy fans out there, or even pixel art enthusiasts (I’m sure that’s a thing). Anyway, take a peek at our preview video below, see what you think, and let us know.

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“A Hoonter must hoont”

The Bloodborne influence will strike you immediately. After all the hunters are as inhuman as the beasts they hunt. You will take the role of a hunter chief, and are responsible for every aspect of your team’s management. This will include resource gathering, crafting, item and weapon management, and of course, undertaking hunts. A word of warning though! One constant theme I’ve noticed from perusing the various reviews available on Alder’s Blood: the intense difficulty. Apparently we’re in original XCOM/Xenonauts type difficulty. So if that’s the challenge you’re after, then Alder’s Blood certainly ticks that box.

Features of Alder’s Blood:

• Stealth, ambush-based combat. Try to outsmart and outwit all the horrifying creatures you’ll be facing, as they are way stronger and you don’t stand a chance in a direct assault;
• Diverse, challenging opponents. From werewolves to vampires, all monsters have their unique attacks and skills and can easily see, hear or smell you from the distance. So be careful not to reveal your position too early;
• Stamina-based characters. Cautiously manage your energy level between attacking, moving and casting spells. In the end, you’re only a human and running out of energy will seriously fatigue you;
• A grim world plunged in half-darkness. In this world, our god has finally turned his back on us and his corrupt presence can change the intensity of the battlefield. From summoning monsters, through changing the weather, to transforming one of the creatures into a powerful avatar of his will;
• A vagabond’s exploration system. Travel the world bringing your mobile base along with you. Take shelter in and manage your camp, but be wary of enemy ambushes;
• A unique fusion of dark Victorian fantasy and wild west. Immerse yourself in a world so different from the one you know. The universe shaped by struggle, where mankind has not had the freedom to develop or advance any of its technology.

“Beasts all over the shop…”

Alder’s Blood was originally launched on Kickstarter way back in February 2018. That campaign failed to meet its goals, but Shockwork Games were undeterred. They formed a partnership with publisher No Gravity Games, and launched a second Kickstarter last year. Since that successful campaign, they have secured a release on Nintendo Switch, with followup releases coming to PC in April, via Humble and Steam. At the moment, you can get the Switch version at a discounted price of €14.99, while full price the game will set you back €19.99. Take a stroll over to the games website and you can download the prologue to play for free. Go ahead… join the hunt.

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