Hilarious Speedrunning Platformer 'Himster' Is Looking for Beta Testers on Our Forums

I've played some terrifying games this year, but the upcoming App Store title Himster is looking to serve a serious challenge towards the likes of Outlast 2 and Resident Evil 7 for the most horrifying release of 2017. In Himster, you control the titular upgraded hamster, which is claimed to be 95% more fun and have 75% more energy than your average cat, dog or fish that are currently the post popular pets in the world. The resulting creation is a hideous yet deceptively adorable rectangular-shaped Himster, which is able to stretch and fly around the rainbow-tinted backdrop to solve the many puzzles across the game's numerous platforming challenge modes. This may sound like an incredibly bizarre concept - and you're totally right - however the brilliant gameplay trailer below gives a glimpse of what to expect from this eccentric arcade game before it launches in the near future.

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Putting the humor of the game aside, I'm quite impressed by the amount of charm that the flailing eponymous animal has as the Himster navigates the incredibly varied challenges in its path. With pivots that can swing your character over spiky traps, and terrain that affects the movement and travel of the animal, there is a lot of potential for developer Set Snail to keep the action varied over the course of the game. Furthermore, the promise of a dedicated speed-run mode with six daily levels, as well as an endless mode creatively titled '4ever', give an incentive to keep on playing Set Snail beyond its initial release period. With no release date stated it's clear that it's still relatively early days for Himster, even if the early signs and footage is looking remarkably encouraging. If you'd like an early glimpse of Himster, and to lend a helping paw in the game's development, feel free to sign up for the beta testing phase on our forum thread.

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'Bacon May Die', a Frantic Beat 'Em Up From the Developer of 'Iron Snout', Is Out Now on the App Store

If I'm honest, I'm more of an advocate of cats in video games, although I appreciate the effort that developer SnoutUp has made over their prolific App Store output in making pigs the stars of the show. With previous releases such as Iron Snout [Free], the developer has underlined the secret intelligence of everyone's favorite pink, sedentary farm animal, and Bacon May Die [Free] is essentially a continuation of this theme. Set in an alternate reality where hordes of zombies are set on eating bacon rather than brains, Bacon May Die features fun beat 'em up action that looks as entertaining as it is bizarre, and is today available on the App Store to download for free.

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Since we last posted about Bacon May Die needing beta testers at the end of May, the developer has added a multitude of new weapons and enemies that can be encountered in the endless zombie-slaying action in the game. Ranged and melee weapons - from a chainsaw to a guitar and even a swarm of bees - can be harnessed to eradicate the undead opponents, and colorful costumes allow you to deck out your pig protagonist with whatever fashion sense you deem stylish yet practical for the battles ahead. As one of the active members of our Discord server, it's nice to see such development work finally come to fruition, and the sidescrolling action is a nice throwback to an earlier time in iOS gaming history. If you want to bring home the bacon, check out Bacon May Die for free on the App Store today.

'Bacon May Die', a Frantic Beat 'Em Up From the Developer of 'Iron Snout', Is Out Now on the App Store posted first on http://ift.tt/2k0LiGW

Stardew Valley multiplayer details emerge, beta test coming to Steam at the end of 2017

Chucklefish has provided some information on the multiplayer portion of Stardew Valley.

Stardew Valley multiplayer was announced as in the works last year, and it is expected to go into beta on Steam at the end of 2017.

After the multiplayer game is started, handy carpenter and builder Robin will arrive on the farm and put up three cabins. Each of which will house a farmhand controlled by a friend.

Like the player, friends will be able to farm, fight, fish, forage, mine and almost everything else the main player can do, such as take part in festivals. Each will also have their own inventory and when not connected, it can be managed by using the chest in their cabin.

The main player will make the more important decisions, such as when to start or end a festival, when to sleep, and whether to choose to side with the townsfolk or Walmart Joja.

One of the other fun things mentioned is the ability to marry your friends, which sounds like both a blessing and a curse, depending on the friend obviously. I won’t be marrying any of mine, for instance. I rather enjoy being married to my tortured writer of a husband, Elliott. Funny how one’s preferences can spill over into video game land.

Putting my silly school-girl daydreaming aside, it does sound as if it could be a fun mechanic, but friends will also be able to marry the available singles in town. In Stardew Valley, the player has to woo their intended, and once they have been wooed sufficiently, the player needs to acquire the Mermaid Pendant. Once the player has done this, it is presented to the NPC.

In the case of multiplayer, if the main player and a friend do decide to get hitched, the Mermaid Pendant won’t be used in that instance. Instead, an “alternative method” with similar effort will be required. No word on what that is, just yet.

Chucklefish said the main portion of work on the multiplayer is finished, such as synchronizing multiple games over the Internet. Retrofitting multiplayer into the single-player game was a rather large undertaking as almost “every source file” was touched, and 15,000 lines of code were rewritten.

With that pretty much accomplished, the next stage of development will consist of implementing the farmhand cabins, the events and festivals, multiplayer NPC relationships, UI and menu, and then it’s on to polishing, testing and optimizing the multiplayer.

Those who wish to jump into the Stardew Valley multiplayer won’t need to set up a server, as friends can be invited onto the player’s farm using Steam. For consoles, the invite mechanism is TBD, but will likely be similar.

The beta test is slated for the end of the year on Steam, and when ready for release in early 2018, it will be made available as patch 1.3 patch on Linux, Mac and PC.

Consoles will get the patch too, starting with Nintendo Switch, and due to its size, the Stardew Valley multiplayer patch “will take a while to roll out” to each platform.

At present, local multiplayer, split-screen and PVP are not planned.

Stardew Valley is now available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. It’s expected to arrive on Switch sometime between Q3 and the end of 2017.

Stardew Valley multiplayer details emerge, beta test coming to Steam at the end of 2017 posted first on http://ift.tt/2k0LiGW

Alluring Arcade Game 'Spin Addict' Turns the Auto-Runner Genre on Its Head, Out Now on the App Store

Don't worry - Spin Addict [Free] is not set in some dystopian future where fidget spinners have taken over the minds and souls of the entire human race. Instead, Spin Addict is all about, revolving, jumping, and perpetual motion, and is perhaps one of the most novel spins on the auto-runner genre I've seen in some time. In fact, the 'auto' in auto-runner is somewhat misleading, as your spinning top protagonist must constantly hit rotating cogs in the environment to give itself momentum, or otherwise it'll come to a grinding halt. This intuitive mechanic, combined with the expected platforming action and the ability to actually spin the environment, makes Spin Addict stand out amongst an abundance of games that have failed to innovate the tropes of auto-runner titles. First impressions on our forums are all universally positive, and if you're similarly intrigued, Spin Addict is available to download for free on the App Store today.

Mind-spinning mechanics aside, I was surprised by the presentation and beautiful cel-shaded graphical style of Spin Addict from the outset. It turns out that h8games, the people responsible for Spin Addict, also created 2016 hexagonal adventure title The Little Fox [Free], which stood out to me at the time for its devastatingly effective aesthetic design. Spin Addict follows the developer's design principles in a similar way - with high-end visual effects from dynamic lighting to movie blur, h8games have gone above and beyond the expectations for auto-runners by creating one that is at home on even the most powerful iOS devices. An original dubstep soundtrack completes this impressive presentation, and 15 distinct levels amongst an endless mode make Spin Addict more than worth your time to download. While it is a free-to-play release, it's not a particularly aggressive one, and based on the effort that has been put in I feel compelled to throw a few dollars in the developer's direction. Download Spin Addict on the App Store now, and join in the game's discussion on our forum thread.

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'Overtake King', a New Game From the Developer of 'Tower Fortress', Drives Onto the App Store On August 3rd

One of my most anticipated upcoming iOS releases of 2017 is Tower Fortress, and I'm sure this sentiment is shared by many members of the iOS community on our forums if the fervour on the game's forum thread is anything to go by. Unsurprisingly, Tower Fortress was quickly taken under the wing of pixel art standard-bearers Nitrome, and ever since the announcement of the publisher revamping the game's visuals, we've been in the dark as to when Tower Fortress would finally make its debut on the App Store. Sadly, I have no breaking news to bring to you in that regard, however the developer Keybol has today announced a brand new game to tide us over until Tower Fortress's hopefully imminent launch. Enter Overtake King - as the name suggests, Overtake King is all about weaving your way through traffic as a death-defying motorcyclist, and is aiming to provide a novel arcade time-wasting experience when it launches on August 3rd.

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With its isometric perspective and simplistic graphical style, Overtake King reminds me of the risky driving of Burnout or Need for Speed merged with the mobile sensibilities of something such as Cubed Rally Racer [$0.99]. However, one element from the gameplay trailer is particularly strange - it appears that the cars you must avoid are actually reversing, potentially explaining why your motorcycling protagonist is so determined on overtaking as many vehicles as possible. Perhaps they're stationary and my eyes are playing tricks on me, or maybe the name 'Oncoming Traffic King' was a bit too wordy for the developer, but it's an amusing observation nonetheless. At the very least, the existence of Overtake King likely means that Tower Fortress is close to being completed, which is a consolation for missing its initial release date on my birthday in March. For more details on the game, drive with reckless abandon down to our forum thread for additional information on Overtake King.

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Switch owners can pick up Resident Evil: Revelations and Revelations 2 in late 2017

Resident Evil: Revelations and it’s follow-up will both release for Nintendo Switch later in the year.

Capcom announced this morning Resident Evil: Revelations and Resident Evil: Revelations 2 would arrive on Switch in late 2017.

The games will be made available at retail across North America as a combo pack dubbed Resident Evil: Revelations Collection.

It contains one cartridge with Revelation along with a digital download voucher for Revelations 2 for $39.99. Both games will be available as individual, digital downloads for $19.99 each.

As previously announced, the first Revelations will be made available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It is set to arrive on both systems August 29.

This version of the 2013 title boasts 1920×1080 resolution, an improved framerate, increased environmental detail and “refined creature movement.” On PS4 and Xbox One, all previously released DLC will be included as unlockable rewards.

Resident Evil: Revelations was originally released in 2012 for 3DS before arriving PS3, Wii U and Xbox 360 the following year as Resident Evil: Revelations HD, along with PC. It also included with new enemies, characters and other updates.

Resident Evil: Revelations will be made available for PS4 and Xbox One digitally, and at retail in North America and the UK for $19.99/£19.99.

Once a release date for Switch is announced, we’ll let you know.

Switch owners can pick up Resident Evil: Revelations and Revelations 2 in late 2017 posted first on http://ift.tt/2k0LiGW

Stylish and Simplistic Puzzle Game 'follow.trail' Goes Back to App Store Basics on August 10th

The App Store of 2017 is all about fine margins, and it's the tiniest details that can be the difference between success and failure. Is a core gameplay mechanic immersive enough to warrant repeated plays? Or is an interface slick enough that it remains intuitive and stylish whilst also being accessible to the everyday iOS user? In truth, it's quite hard to distinguish such knife-edge differences, although I'd wager that the upcoming follow.trail is close to nailing the precarious balance between design and distraction. As a hyper-simplistic puzzle title that requires you to navigate clearly marked domino-esque blocks in a certain order to clear the board, follow.trail is not exactly a new concept amongst its genre peers on the iPhone. However, its understated stylish presentation and intelligible swiping control scheme present a case for follow.trail to join my esteemed collection of one-handed App Store wonders when it launches on the App Store on August 10th.

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The design mantra of 'back to basics' is one that is understandably met with a lot of cynicism amongst the iOS community, and for good reason. follow.trail does follow such an ethos, although not merely in its presentation, but in every aspect of its composition as a puzzle game. As well as the aforementioned controls and aesthetic design, follow.trail features no hints or skipping levels, no menus or options that may get in the way, and no loading screens to wait through. The resulting combination is a streamlined yet contradictory experience - the lack of a UI or settings to tweak feels like a refreshing yet limiting feature, and while I admire this no-frills approach, it will at the very least feel anachronistic in the App Store's modern guise. That being said, an ultra-small file size and a $2.99 premium pricing are definitely positives, and the resulting amalgam is a puzzle game that isn't necessarily innovative, but I'm really interested in trying out. follow.trail will release on the App Store on August 10th, but until then visit our forum thread for more information on the game.

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