Preview - Thoughts On Cuphead, Below, and Arrowheads from E3
Hey everyone! So as I've been tweeting, I got to go to E3, and got to play a lot of great games. Some of those great games were developed in our own back yard. Here are some general thoughts I've had on them:
Cuphead from Studio MDHR
We've discussed this a few times on the podcast, but this game is beautiful. It's fluid and smooth, and it was great to confirm this in person. Platforming sections have just been announced and I got to play the section from the video we posted earlier. The game is certainly difficult, but the controls are easy to grasp and similar to Megaman games of the past. I think once you get the level design down, and the placement of enemies you'll be flying - it will be interesting to see how long this takes. Sadly I didn't get a chance to try out a boss, but the 10 minutes I played left a great impression.
Below from Capybara Games
E3 probably isn't the best place to play test a game like Below, especially if it's the first time you've ever played it. It deserves to be played in a dark room, with nothing else to get in the way with headphones on. You start the demo on a beach with your boat and before long you're going "below" in a mountain, fighting creatures and collecting items. The atmospheric and creepy music matched my actions perfectly, and there appears to be some sort of crafting system, but I didn't get a chance to try it out. Battling was similar to Legend of Zelda games of old, having a sword, shield, bow and arrow at your disposal, but with other weapons to pick up like a spear. Below is planned for this summer, and I would turn off the lights when you play.
Arrowheads from OddBird Studio
You don't have to travel to Los Angles to play OddBird Studios multiplayer shooter. You can download Arrowheads from their site right here, and when you do I recommend getting some friends to play along with. Think of it as a 3D Towerfall. The gang has added some extra levels since the last time I played it, and it's just as fun as ever. The art and animations are colourful, the gameplay is solid, and the game is just straight up a lot of fun to play. If you want to hear some further discussion on it, make sure to listen to Episode 22 of our podcast, but keep this one on your radar.
Remember that this article was a Patreon early exclusive, which means they got to read it first. Become a Patreon today.