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A few of the items that have captured our attention this week.
13th June
Hello and welcome back to our recurring column where we share a bit about the games we've been immersed in. This time around, Bertie is obsessed with a tricky roguelike that throws together an absurd mix of concepts; Matt thinks he's stumbled upon the finest video game tutorial ever created; Victoria is annoyed by her children's back-seat gaming habits; and Sherif can't resist diving into yet another Soulslike.
What have you been playing this week?
Here's another question: can you recall what you were playing last week? No worries if not! The What We've Been Playing archive has you covered.
Chivalware, PC
This was one of my standout demos at a recent Dotemu press gathering. Chivalware is a solo-developed roguelike that combines match-three mechanics with Mega Man and active grid-based combat. If that sounds strange, it's because it feels strange; I suppose another way to describe it is that it's original, and it is—it's unlike anything else I've experienced.
You play as a disk knight in the game—inspired by floppy disks—and during battles you fuel your abilities by standing on and activating tiles of the same color. Activate a large cluster of tiles for a big power boost, but steer clear of small clusters because they'll break your power-gathering rhythm.
At the same time, you need to dodge enemies that have their own attack patterns, which often cover the areas you want to move to, all while setting up your own strikes. So you see: plenty to manage, and there's energetic electronic music to accompany it. It's a musical game; the action feels like a kind of dance.
Between battles, you can choose your path, visit shops, and upgrade your abilities, and you'll want complementary loadouts because some powers are ineffective against certain enemies. So: even more to consider.
What I appreciated most about Chivalware was how instantly engaging it was. It's a punch to the face—a tricky little title. Irresistible in its own stubborn way. Exactly the kind of game I can't step away from. And there's a demo available now on Steam for you to try. (Also, bonus points for the name.)
-Bertie
007: First Light, PC
Probably due to trauma from watching the very unsettling Live and Let Die at far too young an age, I'm not much of a James Bond fan. So my excitement for 007: First Light was basically nonexistent. But then the reviews came out, my curiosity was sparked, and—well—blimey IOI.
First off, there's Patrick Gibson, who's almost criminally charming in the lead role. Any doubts: gone! But what really won me over about this whole thing is what might be the best video game tutorial ever. Bond and the team's early adventures in Malta, as they train to become the next generation of double-ohs, is a thrill; a genuine—and wonderfully stylish—classic training montage that leaps wildly between punching, sneaking, driving, and more, cutting sharply from one to another and back, with dizzying pace.
It really shouldn't work—you barely get more than a few seconds with any of these mechanics before moving on—but the sequence's clever repetition of events keeps things coherent (and actually educational!) as it races through the basics with cinematic flair. That was the moment any reservations I had about committing to this whole Bond adventure completely disappeared. And then wandering around MI6! The trip to Q's lab! The slapstick fights as you literally bring the house down while battling your enemy-turned-friend. It's brilliant stuff.
-Matt
Split Fiction, Xbox Series X
My husband and I are still making our way through Split Fiction, but we've unintentionally picked up two extra passengers along the way: our kids. The issue is, they are the definition of backseat gamers. "You need to roll, Mummy." "Aim that way, Daddy." "You both need to go over there." Yes, we know!
There's no choice but to move their bedtimes earlier to right after dinner. I love my children more than anything, and would take a bullet for them, but I absolutely refuse to let them tell me how to play games.
-Victoria
Mortal Shell 2 beta, PC
I'm a sucker for a good Soulslike. I play so many of them, though, that the magic has worn off a bit for me. But I can't stop: I keep playing more and obsessing over every small detail in the desperate hope of recapturing that first-time thrill; reliving the moment I fell in love with the genre. Now that you've read that, it won't surprise you to hear that as soon as the Mortal Shell 2 beta was announced, and shadow-dropped during Summer Game Fest, I immediately booted up my PC to download it.
The beta was described as a work-in-progress build offering only the first three hours of the game. I went in expecting that hour count to be exaggerated and that I'd probably see everything in about an hour, but six hours later, I'd only just managed to see everything. I'm still missing one bonfire, frustratingly.
The Mortal Shell 2 beta makes a killer first impression. Almost everything I loved about the original has been improved. Even in this early state, I can feel how deliberate and satisfying combat remains; how open—but not aimless—the world is; and how thrilling it is to discover a new Shell—the game's term for a class—or weapon. The Seal mechanic changes Soulslike combat fundamentals to such an extent that I'm surprised no one tried it before.
If I don't get distracted by any other game this weekend, I might just jump back in to find that last damn bonfire.
-Sherif