Graceful Explosion Machine Coming To PlayStation 4 and Steam

After gracing the Nintendo Switch in April as a launch window game, Vertex Pop's Graceful Explosion Machine will be making its way to PlayStation 4, and Steam next month.

“Graceful Explosion Machine (GEM, for short) goes light on story and all-in on intense action gameplay. Sure, you’ll face an overwhelming swarm of enemies, but to help you out you have access to four unique and devastatingly powerful weapons at all times.
Each weapon is mapped to a face button, so switching between them is instant and effortless. Before you know it, you’ll be chaining weapons attacks together, building stylish combos, and racking up huge scores.”

— https://blog.us.playstation.com/2017/07/26/graceful-explosion-machine-gracefully-explodes-onto-ps4-august-8/

Graceful Explosion Machine is coming to Steam and PlayStation 4 on August 8th, 2017. http://vertexpop.com/gem

There was a few more tibits information in the announcement. The game will be coming to Japan thanks to Kakehashi Games, and there will be an update that speeds up the loading times, and introduces some changes to the scoring system, and sharing:

“We started by redesigning the score screen to give a clearer breakdown of your score, weapon usage, and additional stats that better reflect your play style. It’s both fun and functional.

We also wanted to make it easier to capture and share those clutch GEM moments. Once you’re in the zone, we know it’s hard to stop the game even for a few seconds to grab a screenshot, so we had to come up with a really creative solution.

Or, more accurately, a really technical one: We designed an AI system to pinpoint the most exciting moment of your run, which we then automagically screenshot and display on the score screen. You can fullscreen it, add it to your Album, share it, etc.”

— http://www.vertexpop.com/blog/new-platforms-regions-features/

That patch is out now on Switch, and will be available on PlayStation 4 and Steam when the game launches August 8th.

Blue Isle Studios Announces Citadel: Forged with Fire

Teased earlier in the week, Blue Isle Studios formally announced their next game - Citadel: Forged with Fire.  The game looks like a combination of Skyrim with some Harry Potter wand magic you'll play as a "newly minted apprentice of the magic arts" and will have complete freedom to shape their own destiny.

“Welcome to the magical world of Ignus: a 36 square kilometer landmass of sweeping plains, dense forests, craggy mountains, festering swamps and frozen tundra. Leave no stone unturned as you explore dangerous caves and ancient ruins to recover powerful artifacts and uncover a rich history spanning thousands of years. Embark on a journey across the land to find the perfect place for you and your allies to call home.”

You can check out the trailer below, and head over to the Steam page to check it out. The game will hit Early Access on July 26th with a full release planned for early 2018.

This massive online sandbox RPG features elements of magic, spellcasting, building, exploring and crafting. Tame mighty beasts, forge alliances, explore uncharted territories or fight for dominance in Citadel: Forged with Fire! Featuring music composed by the award-winning composer of "Ori and the Blind Forest" Gareth Coker!

Cryptark Out Now On PlayStation 4

Released last week on Steam, the sci-fi twin stick shooter was delayed for a week on PS4 and was released today. You can pick it up on the PlayStation store right now.

Available June 20th on Steam, June 27th on PS4 Cryptark is a 2D sci-fi shooter where you take on the role of a heavily armed privateer seeking to earn government contracts by boarding deadly alien space-hulks. It's up to you to strategize a plan of attack, pick an equipment loadout, and destroy the central core to be victorious.

Little Red Lie Out Next Month

It's been a while since we've heard from Will O'Neill, who last released Actual Sunlight on Vita
 (long live Vita). His next game, Little Red Lie was announced almost two years ago, and now we'll get a chance to play the story driven game next month on July 7th.  The game is described as being "about debt, family, and the truth about honesty."

You'll play as Sarah Stone, a middle-age office administrator, and Arthur Fox, a wealthy motivational speaker. The two characters will never meet but are still deeply connected. Check out the trailer below, and full details on the website here.

Learn more at http://www.littleredlie.com

My next game, Little Red Lie, will release July 7th. Info: https://t.co/g1TxwaMMWU Please enjoy and RT this trailer! https://t.co/y8pHt1xRM3

— Will O'Neill (@willoneill) June 16, 2017

E3: Alto's Odyssey Looks Great On Sand

Alto's Odyssey is set for release sometime this year, and it looks like we're trading in the snowy peaks of Alto's Adventure for sandy ones in Odyssey.  There was a Youtube interview from E3 that Kotaku wrote about:

"Eli Cymet, lead producer for development team Built By Snowman, talked with Gameslice host Geoff Keighley about Alto’s Odyssey yesterday at E3, showing off some of the game’s new moves. Wall rides and dynamic obstacles add some upward motion to the downhill boarding game without adding any control complexity—it’s still a simple one-finger game."

Subscribe For More Live at E3 ► http://bit.ly/YTE3Live Follow Geoff on Twitter ► http://www.twitter.com/geoffkeighley Follow Geoff on Facebook ► http://www.facebook.com/gameslice Watch YouTube Live at E3 -- coverage begins Sunday, June 11 at Youtube.com/E3

Ubisoft Toronto Announces Starlink: Battle for Atlas

Ubisoft have officially revealed what Ubisoft Toronto have been up to all these years - not since Splinter Cell: Blacklist have they been the main developers on a game.

Enter Starlink: Battle for Atlas, a space open-world adventure game where you can use real life figurines to build your ship:

"As you explore the Atlas Star System, you’ll do so with a physical ship clipped to your controller. Using Smart Building Technology, you’ll be able to immediately swap out parts on the ship – including wings, weapons, pilots, and even the starship hull itself – and see them change in-game to meet the shifting demands of your situation as you experiment with different combinations, weapons, and status effects. It’ll all come in handy as you’re dealing with the evil forces of a warlord named Grax, while also searching for allies to help you survive in a hostile system."

Watch the world premiere of Starlink: Battle for Atlas and travel deep into space to protect the Atlas star system from enemies! Available Fall 2018! #Starlink Website - http://ubi.li/mthfr ABOUT Starlink: Battle for Atlas: In Starlink: Battle for Atlas, you're part of a group of heroic interstellar pilots, dedicated to free the Atlas star system from the Forgotten Legends, an evil robot force.

Starlink: Battle for Atlas will be coming to Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 during Fall 2018.

Embers of Mirrim From Creative Bytes Studios Out Later This Month

Announced earlier this year, Creative Bytes Studios' Embers of Mirrim will be coming out to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam May 23rd.

To save their world from an alien threat, two proud races must set aside their differences and come together... literally. www.EmbersOfMirrim.com Embers of Mirrim is an adventure-platformer featuring a mystical creature with the ability to split into light and dark embers, each independently controlled by the analog sticks.

As you can see from the gameplay above, Embers of Mirrim is an adventure platformer, where you play as a mystical creature able to split. You can check out the PlayStation blog, where Design Director Frank Knezic went over a little bit about developing the "splitting" mechanic in the game:

Embers of Mirrim began as a simple idea. What if a player had the ability to switch back and forth between classic platforming and twin stick controls? We called this core mechanic “splitting:” you start as a traditional platforming character and then ‘split’ into two other characters, each independently controlled with the left and right analog sticks. We ran with this idea and developed it into a simple prototype room (think grey boxes and spheres) to answer some fundamental questions about “splitting:” How does the player decide when to split? What buttons do they use? How and where do the split characters re-combine? How do the split characters move? Is this actually fun?!

We'll have to wait next week to find out how deep the spliting feature goes, but we'll be sure to play it on our Youtube page.

Card Game Star Pirates Infinity From Snakehead Games Out Now

Star Pirates Infinity, the collectible card game from Hamilton based Snakehead Games. The game is available for iOS, Android, PC, and Mac. The game contains 4 factions, PVP including Guilds, and 44 story missions. You can check out the trailer below:

20-Hundred Terracades into the future, fragments of mankind settled in the distant star cluster of Terzan-7. When the rogue star, Krishna XI-32, unexpectedly went hypernova, the resulting Gamma radiation blast obliterated life on all planetary colonies in the cluster.

With the Nega-Gate destroyed in the initial blast, only those in super luminous ships were able to escape the star's fury. Limited by their meager interstellar range, the survivors of Terzan-7 were unable to return to their home galaxy.

With the radiation dissipating after the Hypernova over the course 100 earth years, the survivors began their pilgrimage into the hell-bathed systems. Inheriting the shattered remnants of a thousand worlds irradiated in a stellar inferno, four factions have arisen to rebuild the desolate systems in their own image....

Official trailer for the new mobile CCG from SHG Studios! Select from 4 unique Factions, build your Deck and fight for control of the galaxy! Coming soon to Android, iOS and PC!

Use Your Words Announced For Nintendo Switch

First it was released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, and then later on Wii U - now the party comedy game will be making its way to the Nintendo Switch. Details, such as release date, are thin but if you're looking for some Toronto developed games on Switch - may I suggest Graceful Explosion Machine?

Everybody's favorite new party game is coming to Nintendo Switch! Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/useyourwords Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/useyourwordsgameSBG More information at http://useyourwords.lol

First Look at Gameplay for DISTANT

As we previously mentioned in a past post, Snowman and Slingshot & Satchel are working on DISTANT.  We don't know too much about the game yet, but some gameplay footage was released today.  It was first publicly shared at Tribeca Games Festival.  From The Snowman Blog:

“Sun-drenched and placid above the surface, with an ancient darkness lurking beneath, this world is just one of the many you’ll traverse as you unravel DISTANT’s secrets. What are the giant beasts lumbering in the distance? Who is the powerful cloaked traveler you’re guiding? And what exactly are those glowing, ethereal shards?”

Traverse fantastical, colourful worlds and uncover their secrets. Here's a first look at DISTANT gameplay! Facebook: http://facebook.com/distantgame Twitter: http://twitter.com/playdistant Instagram: http://instagram.com/playdistant Music by www.jordanchinmusic.com

Graceful Explosion Machine And Nintendo Switch Review

We give a (very quick) review of Graceful Explosion Machine as well as our thoughts on the Nintendo Switch roughly 7 weeks in since launch. Remember to subscribe!

We're back playing Graceful Explosion Machine from Vertex Pop. We give a very quick general review, while also talking our thoughts on the Nintendo Switch so far. Website: http://www.torontogamedevs.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/torontogamedevs Patreon: patreon.com/torontogamedevs Store: designbyhumans.com/shop/TorontoGameDevs

Castle Pixel Releasing Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King This Month

Here's one that almost snuck by us, but the developer behind Rex Rocket will be releasing their next game, Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King, later this month on Steam. The Zelda inspired game has players controlling Lily, Knight of the Rose:

Slash your way through monster-infested dungeons to save the Kingdom of Blossom from eternal darkness. Collect unique weapons, spells, and more during your journey to take down powerful bosses and solve clever puzzles.  Be part of a vivid, dynamic story passed down from grandfather to grandchildren by influencing the course of events yourself!

Explore a huge open game world in classic action-adventure fashion as Lily, Knight of the Rose! Slash your way through monster infested dungeons to save the Kingdom of Blossom from eternal darkness. Collect key items such as bow and boomerang on your journey to extend your fighting capabilities and solve dungeon puzzles.

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King releases on Steam on March 28th. You can check out the Steam page right here.

Party Minigame 'Use Your Words' Coming Next Month

We found out about party game Use Your Words late last year, and now we won't have to wait much longer to play the game on Steam, Xbox One, and PS4. (Wii U users will have to wait a little bit longer it seems).  According to a tweet, players will be able to be funny again April 4th.

Use Your Words is a party multiplayer game which has players using their smart-phones in different minigames (listed below). Check out the trailer below, and see you April 4th!

• Sub The Title: Watch a short clip from a foreign film, then write your own subtitle! Fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 will love making the actors onscreen say whatever they want in a variety of monster movies, martial arts movies, and some just plain weird films from the past.
• Blank-o-Matic: Fill in the blank to complete the sentence! Instead of waiting to have the funniest card in your hand, write an answer that matches your sense of humor! We've hired some of the funniest writers around to set up the jokes perfectly so that even Grandpa can crack off a zinger or two.
• EXTRA, EXTRA!: Write a hilarious caption or clickbait headline for a ridiculous photo, in a take on the classic "caption this" game!
• Survey Says: Go with your gut in this rapid-fire game show style "lightning round"!

We're releasing April 4th on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Steam!
(Wii U coming soon!) pic.twitter.com/nSWGGgtgtU

— Use Your Words (@UseYourWords) March 24, 2017

Coming Spring 2017, it's Use Your Words! The party game for funny people and their unfunny friends! Get more info at http://useyourwords.lol Pre-order it for Steam at https://store.useyourwordsgame.com Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/useyourwords And like us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/useyourwordsgameSBG

GRIP available on Steam

GRIP is available on Steam, and it looks like a pretty sweet racing game.  All the vehicles in GRIP have armour and weapons, and it looks really intense.  The creators at Caged Element are planning a console version this year (which I will be all over as soon as it's available).  Check out the screenshots and trailer below.

GRIP is now available for purchase on Steam Early Access! Visit the store page here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/396900/ We'll be updating the game frequently, so be sure to check the page for news! You can download a true HD version of this trailer here: http://www.cagedelement.com/grip/video/GripTrailer3.mp4 http://www.twitter.com/gripvideogame http://www.facebook.com/gripvideogame http://www.gripvideogame.com http://forum.cagedelement.com We appreciate the praise and support we've gotten from all of our fans so far.

Graceful Explosion Machine Getting Love on Reddit from PAX East

Graceful Explosion Machine by Vertex Pop is set to release in April, and check out all the love that it’s getting on Reddit from its’ appearance at PAX East.  There is definitely hype growing for this game, and I can't wait to play it myself on the Switch and see all the combo variations.

Graceful Explosion Machine is a side-scrolling shooter.  You are the pilot of the Graceful Explosion Machine; a fighter ship battling your way to get home.  Your ship has four weapons with combos and you can travel over 30 levels across four unique worlds.

Graceful Explosion Machine is coming soon to Nintendo Switch™ http://vertexpop.com/gem