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Titan Souls: One hit point, one bow, one arrow, lots of deaths
Of the three key influences in Acid Nerve's Titan Souls, From Software's Souls series is the least obvious. The PS4, Vita and PC game is an immediate callback to top-down Zeldas like A Link to the Past, with its pixelated bow-wielding hero dueling with boss after boss hidden in room-like caverns. The bosses themselves are huge, powerful and varied, and the very nature of a game in which you only take on bosses clearly takes inspiration from Shadow of the Colossus. These influences aren't hard to spot. Your hero only has one hit point and a single weapon, the bow and arrow. It's a formula which on paper presents a challenge that doesn't have much to do with the Souls games at all. Yet there is a key similarity, and it's what makes Titan Souls shine with so much potential. If you love a good challenge, Titan Souls should definitely be on your radar.
See the pretty pixels sprouting in Devolver's indie garden
Devolver Digital's indie garden at Gamescom features a lineup of games that the publisher has curated over a few years for mass-market consumption, including three that we're particularly excited about: Not a Hero, Titan Souls and The Talos Principle. Each one is wildly different, but they all carry a similar theme. Not to bring the mood down or anything, but that theme is death. Not a Hero stars a bearded dude with no special powers, but he does have a gun. The problem is, everyone else has a gun, too. It's a twist on the classic pixelated platformer in that the environments have depth, allowing players to sink behind outcroppings in the walls to hide from flying bullets. It's lighthearted, fast-paced action featuring a humanoid blue bunny gang lord. Not a Hero comes from OlliOlli studio Roll7, and it's due out on PC in early 2015, with PS4 and Vita versions in the summer. Titan Souls has been a favorite of ours since E3, when it was awarded one of the coveted Joystiq E3 Selection stickers. It's all about one – you have one arrow, one life and you fight one giant, punishing enemy at a time. The only thing more than one in this game is the number of times you'll die. Titan Souls is by Claw and it's due out on PC, Mac, Linux, PS4 and Vita in Q1 2015. The Talos Principle is a slower burn than its companions, offering a serene, 3D puzzle experience similar to Portal or what we've seen of The Witness. Between the shape and light-manipulation puzzles, it approaches death, religion and other deeply introspective topics from a philosophical angle, offering a mix of narrative and riddle. The Talos Principle is in development at The Swapper studio, Croteam, for PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS and PS4.
Joystiq's E3 2014 Selections
With E3 2014 in the books, Joystiq's writers look back at their favorites from the show. With the only stipulation being that the game must have been playable to qualify, the team presents its selections for favorite games of E3 2014. From independent gems to major releases from powerhouse publishers, Joystiq's list represents the variety of experiences available to video game fans worldwide. Here are Joystiq's first annual "E3 Selections."
Ludum Dare 28 ends with 2,000 free games: Fountain, Monocraft, more
The massive, two-pronged game jam Ludum Dare 28 started and ended this weekend, and the completed games are up for judging now, for 19 more days. The theme this year was "You only get one." Ludum Dare comprises two, simultaneous game-making marathons: one solo, 48-hour jam with prizes, and one team-optional, 72-hour jam with more relaxed rules. Games up for judging include Terry Cavanagh's introspective Fountain, Mattia Traverso's one-brick Minecraft spin Monocraft, vallde's planetary annihilation game Bounty Hunting, Claw's minimized colossus title Titan Souls, and 5elephants' artistic archery shooter One Arrow (shown above). Also spawned in the jam is Hypnotic Owl's powerful story, The Day the Laughter Stopped – it's an intense, narrative-driven game heavy with trigger warnings, but well worth a play-through. Ludum Dare 28 received 2,064 entries and all of them are playable for free right here. You only get one 2,064.
