Rat Tower dev talks about the latest updates for the dungeon crawler Monomyth:

Monomyth DEVLOG / 8.0 - Balancing

Thanks Couchpotato!

Wizard Worm checked out the Adventure RPG Mage's Initiation: Reign Of The Elements:

Mage's Initiation: Reign Of The Elements Review (The Last Quest For Glory Heir)

Patch v0.91.66 for Low Magic Age introduces a new player race: The Lizard Scion

v0.91.66 Patch Notes - Lizard Scion, Feats, New Adventure Preview #3

New Player Race: Lizard Scion

Every few generations, a lizard scion is born to a lizardfolk tribe. With twice the life span of a typical lizardfolk and a large and muscular stature, a scion typically rises to become the leader of her tribe.

Lizardfolk show great—often unquestioning—devotion to scions, believing they are blessings from the spirits and divine in nature. In many ways, tribes see them as living monuments to the lost greatness of their people, singing songs of an era when every lizardfolk was as large and impressive as the scion.

Some lizard scions become great protectors and voices of wisdom among their people, leading a tribe to previously unknown accomplishments and stability within its hidden enclave. Others attempt to build alliances with other lizardfolk tribes or even unite two tribes into one.

[...]

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Learn more about the great beasts of Zodiac Legion:

Great Beasts and Turn-Based Carnival

Greetings, Commanders!

Since Turn-Based Carnival has started on Steam, and Zodiac Legion is featured as part of it, we figured it would make for a good occasion to reveal the latest upcoming addition to our bestiary – great, hulking, intimidating, monstrous beasts!

The first one you may already be familiar with, since it’s been lurking in our screenshots and other materials for a while, but we’ve never introduced it properly. The scorpion beast is a living weapons platform employed by the fleshcrafters of the Aegidian League. Heavily armoured and with fearsome pincers to match, it projects a terrifying presence on any battlefield, but its most devastating weapon is its stinger, which is capable of launching magical projectiles over great distances, making the scorpion a natural artillery unit. Zodiac Champions will need to carefully consider how to tackle these abominations – whether to seek shelter from their barrage or approach and be torn to shreds in close combat.

Next there are two very special newcomers. The French region of Provence is known for its chivalric traditions, and so we sought its support in financing the game, and the grant we’ve received has allowed us to make room for two monstrosities from Provençal folklore. The Coulobre and the Tarasque are the first dragons to slither their way into Zodiac Legion. The former is a great winged serpent – slaying it may prove a challenge given its lethal breath and razor-sharp claws. The latter is a lumbering behemoth with a carapace tougher than any steel, and with a strength and ferocity that let it crush its foes even when greatly outnumbered, literally stomping them into the dirt.

It will take all your might and cunning to bring down these dreadful creatures! Standard infantry formations may not save your men from bombardment, deadly sprays and trampling. Only with faith in the stars will your knights emerge victorious.

Until we meet again!

Thanks Couchpotato!

Rock Paper Shotgun checked out the indie RPG Small Saga:

Small Saga review: a short, story-heavy RPG that's light on challenge

Well, I think this is probably the first and only time I've ever heard British documentarian Adam Curtis appear as an ominous backing sample in an RPG boss battle theme, but in many ways, I hope it's not the last. Forget the operatic choral chants of Final Fantasy bosses. The new rallying cry against peak villainy is now some no-nonsense British commentary about the state of human extinction. It works surprisingly, well, and Small Saga is a game shot through with these kinds of Britishisms, set in the parks, streets and underbelly of modern-day London.

[...]

Hopefully, with a bit of rebalancing, Small Saga might yet reach the upper echelons of pint-sized RPGs, joining the likes of Jack Move as another lively reimagining of their Final Fantasy inspirations in miniature. As things currently stand, though, Small Saga gets a much more tepid recommendation - though I'd be half-tempted to say the Adam Curtis battle music (and its excellent score more generally) is almost worth the very reasonable price of entry alone. It's certainly a one-off, I'll give it that, so if you can stomach its lack of challenge, you'll probably still have quite a good time with it.

Small Saga review

A short and sweet turn-based RPG that has a lot of bite to its story and whose music will have you harking back to the Final Fantasy glory days, but its battles are too much of a cakewalk to leave much an impression.

Styg explains the new armor mechanics of Underrail: Infusion:

Dev Log #7: New Armor Mechanics

Hi guys,

It's that time of the year again. All the stars and planets are in the right position and it's time for an Infusion dev log.

We already showed you the extent to which we upgraded the visual aspects of the engine, but the mechanical changes that I've done so far and am yet to do are just as extensive, and perhaps more radical. I'm going to talk about them one by one, in separate dev logs, as I continue to test, tweak, and refine them.

Our immediate goal with the engine and the game is to (re-)implement a number of items and mechanics, get a few areas together, and get the game in a state where it can be played for real, so to speak. Mainly so I can better asses how all these changes work in practice, but also so we can produce a short demo video and show you the game in action for the first time.

* * * * * * * * * *

So, anyway, let's get to the changes to the armor mechanics and damage resistance in general.

In Underrail, the damage resistance was divided into percentual resistance and flat threshold. Incoming damage would be reduced either percentually or by flat amount, whichever would reduce more damage in any given case. This caused a lot of balancing problems. Threshold was generally either useless or overpowered (especially when stacked in early game), while resistance was hard to progress with armor quality, as its percentual nature made it already scale innately.

All these problems really came to forefront when I was implementing different types of shotgun shells in Expedition. Balancing usefulness of different shells in this system was just impossible and it took a lot of tweaking to make it even remotely decent with liberal use of seemingly arbitrary threshold and resistance ignore factors. At one point I was tempted to just implement a completely different interaction for the shells specifically, but decided against it for the sake of consistency.

Another problem with the old model was that all resistances stacked globally. Meaning: resistances from boots and helmets were equally effective as body armor and they all aggregated when it came to interacting with incoming damage. This made me really hesitant to put a lot of resistances on helmets and boots because, on one hand, I didn't want them to make the high resistance armors completely broken by just maxing (or near maxing) out all the resistances and, on the other hand, I didn't want these items, because of their high resistances, becoming mandatory for characters that use ligher armor in the body slot.

There are other problems too, but these are the main issues, I think.

So how does the Infusion's new system differ from the old one?

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

Splattercatgaming checked out the tactical RPG Wantless:

Wantless is a Customizable Strategy RPG About Back Alley Brainwashing

Wizard Worm checked out the dungeon crawler Chronicles of Vaeltaja:

Chronicles of Vaeltaja: In Search of the Great Wanderer Review (Party-Based RPG)

A demo for The Crazy Hyper-Dungeon Chronicles is now avaiable:

Explore, Battle, Survive, and (Hopefully) Stay Sane: The Demo is Here!

Dive into our roguelite and descend into an ever-changing, whimsical dungeon with each new playthrough.

Welcome, bold adventurers!

On a scale from "zero" to "final boss," we're at least "miniboss" level excited to announce that you can now get your greedy mitts on the demo for The Crazy Hyper-Dungeon Chronicles!

Immerse yourself in a chaotic, pixelated world where each level is a new beginning, every room a potentially murderous unknown, and every enemy a challenge that will test your coolness and strategic skills. Ready to start the hunt for the Sacred Groowl?

The demo gives you a taste of our personal reinterpretation of the classic dungeon-crawlers of YGOD™ (Ye Good Olde Days):

• Innovative combat system that blends arcade action with turn-based strategy.
• Randomly generated levels to ensure a unique experience with every new playthrough.
• A succulent arsenal of weapons and special abilities that adapt to your playstyle.
• Dialogue loaded with nerd humor that enriches a memorable adventure.

Folks, it goes without saying: your feedback is as precious as gold. We will listen to your experiences and painstakingly collect your advice like scribes to refine the game until its release in the fall of 2024.

So, put on a comfy pair of boots, check your equipment and supplies, and dive into the crazy world of The Crazy Hyper-Dungeon Chronicles! We can't wait to see how you'll fare.

Catch you on the Sixteenth Level!

The Development Team 

The Kickstarter campaign for the DLC Tales of the Moon Cult has been successful:

Tales of the Moon Cult

You are amazing!
We're thrilled to announce that Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness is getting an expansion pack next year! Thank you so much for your incredible support!!

Even though the Kickstarter campaign for Tales of the Moon Cult finished with success, late backing (pledging) is still possible, and is counted towards stretch goals. Let's spread the word together about the PayPal option!

Reward surveys will be sent out in the near future. Just like in 2018, we are going to use BackerKit. You will also be able to upgrade your pledge or choose add-ons in BackerKit for a limited time.

We are truly grateful to everyone who has been on this long journey with us and worry not, we're not finished yet. Also, be sure to drop in to our Discord channel and chat by the fire!

The Black Geyser Team

Thanks Couchpotato!

Gameffine checked out the narrative RPG Cabernet:

Cabernet Preview

It’s no secret that I’m a sucker (vampire pun #1) for vampire RPGs, my obsession with which began with the deeply flawed Masquerade: Redemption and peaked with Troika’s magnum opus, Bloodlines. I tried to satiate the thirst left behind by Bloodlines with Vampyr, Coteries of New York, Swansong, V Rising and even Vampire’s Fall: Origins to varied results. Heck, I’m one of those poor suckers (vampire pun #2) who pre-ordered Bloodlines 2 over three years ago. You can understand my excitement when Party for Introverts (cool name, btw) announced Cabernet, a narrative vampire RPG set in a world of 19th century aristocratic vampires. Thanks to Neon Hive PR, I got to have an early look at Cabernet’s juicy new demo build. Here’s yours truly, presenting Gameffine’s Cabernet preview.

[...]

One can never have too many vampire RPGs. Even with the limited time spent in the demo, I can confidently say that Cabernet is one to watch out for. An often overlooked historical setting, choice-driven gameplay, and plenty of opportunities to piss off immortal elites made Cabernet climb to the top of my ever-growing Steam wishlist. You can even say that it’s got a bite!

Thanks Yemeth!

Splattercatgaming checked out the recently released expansion Vagrus - The Riven Realms: Sunfire and Moonshadow:

This Gigantic Post Apocalyptic RPG Just Got Even Bigger - VAGRUS

The Early Access version of the tactical RPG Wantless: Solace at World's End is now available:

Wantless - Early Access Release Trailer

Early Access Now Available

Play Wantless: Solace at World’s End today!

Greetings, fervent gamers!

This is it! We are thrilled to announce that the Early Access for Wantless: Solace at World's End is officially live! It's time for you to become a mind-doctor and make good use of your tactical cunning in a dystopian future.

[...]

Paolo Nicoletti announced the dungeon crawler/roguelike The Crazy Hyper-Dungeon Chronicles - a demo will be available soon:

The Crazy Hyper Dungeon Chronicles Trailer

Dive into this 2D Roguelite Dungeon-crawler and get catapulted into a series of mind-bending labyrinths with a top-down perspective. All this is rendered in glorious pixel-art and adorned with a turn-based combat system infused with electrifying arcade nuances, where each weapon serves as a unique extension of your character.

Another hallmark of this adventure is its randomly generated level design. Every zone of the Hyper-Dungeon is a unique universe, different from any other gameplay session. The layout of the rooms, the shape of the corridors, and the placement of monsters, traps, and treasures are reinvented every time, providing players with an ever-changing challenge.

Navigating these subterranean levels will be anything but a walk in the park: you'll need tactics, quick reflexes, and keen observation to overcome lethal traps and a wide variety of enemies. The full version of the game offers a total of 50 meticulously designed levels, paying special attention to gameplay mechanics, plot, and dialogue. The gameplay offers a broad spectrum of experiences that continually alternate: from last-stand battles to tactical reasoning, and from puzzles that require intuition and wit.

Each level is a microcosm unto itself, with different biomes, varying levels of brightness, and changing dimensions. Think you can dodge some challenges? Think again... what invaluable treasures will you miss by taking the easier path? But it doesn't end here: classic mechanics of the genre--such as character development, leveling up, and collecting rare items--are enriched by an intuitive yet effective crafting system.

Additionally, you'll have the opportunity to customize your fighting technique with three different styles, each with unique unlockable abilities. Monsters in the game are numerous and exhibit different behaviors, making encounters compelling without being excessively difficult or frustrating: we firmly believe that a video game should above all be fun.

But don't be fooled by the seriousness of the challenge: the entire adventure is imbued with eccentric humor and sharp dialogue, rich in pop culture, nerd/geek references, and nods to classic video game lore, which, we hope, will capture the heart of every gamer!

Couchpotato spotted the first playtests for Dungeons of the Amber Griffin:

Dungeons of the Amber Griffin - Playtest Launch

The Sunfire and Moonshadow DLC will be released on November 7 - the Turn Based Lovers checked it out:

Vagrus - The Riven Realm: Sunfire and Moonshadow - New DLC

Delve into a new, expansive region known as the Bronze Desert; a treacherous land that is host to a burgeoning conflict between two nemesis factions: the Chimera Legion and the mysterious, desert-dwelling Ahari.
Sunfire and Moonshadow is Vagrus - The Riven Realms' first expansion and it is rife with opportunities for the taking. Expansive quests, colorful NPCs, and new, terrifying enemies await any vagrus daring enough to test their mettle. Will you take the plunge?

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The tactical RPG The Iron Oath will leave Early Access today:

The Iron Oath

Introduction

The Iron Oath is a turn-based tactical RPG that is set in a dark fantasy world. Recruit, manage, and embark on missions with a roster of adventurers, testing the limits of their mortality. Every decision made carries weight and can have a minor or major influence on your characters and the world that surrounds them. As you and your guild progress, the world changes dynamically, enabling new storylines to discover and resulting in a unique experience for every playthrough.

Features

Tactical turn-based Combat: Deadly foes, traps and destructible objects means one misstep could be your party's undoing. Proper planning and execution is vital to your success.
A Large and Dynamic Overworld: 9 regions with over 50 hubs to visit. Cities can be overtaken, destroyed and rebuilt; while various factions can emerge, rise and fall. A playthrough can potentially last hundreds of years, resulting in many changes to the initial world state.
In-depth Guild Management: Control your guild's finances, resources, alliances and roster. Your characters will age, retire and frequently die in combat and you will need to recruit and train their replacements.
Character Development: Every recruitable character has their own personal backstory, incorporating events that have taken place during your playthrough. Their motives, alignment and traits all stem from this, but each of the three is subject to change as their career progresses.
Dynamic Dialogue: Characters will converse over a variety of subjects such as the current state of the world or relevant past experiences, along with offering their input on any decisions you face.
Decisions Matter: Your choices bear consequences and they can affect your characters, your guild and the many factions that exist throughout the world.
Detailed Pixel Art: Meticulously hand-crafted pixel art characters, animations and environments help set the mood for your journey.

The Heavy Duty DLC for Underrail is now available on GOG and Steam.

Description:

This DLC adds three new weapon types - grenade launchers, machine guns and miniguns, as well as a special high-level side mission that will challenge even the most hardcore UnderRail veterans.

Key features:

- New skill "Heavy Weapons" which covers two new weapon types - machine guns and miniguns
- Grenade launchers, a area of effect type weapon, added to Guns skill
- New high-level side mission where you'll fight against elite enemies
- New feats

Couchpotato spotted a Cyberpunk RPG called Rain Tactics:

Rain Tactics

Play Winter, an invincible god who desperately wants to die, in this cyberpunk RPG Tactics with roguelike elements. Explore the tower city of Shavanath, lead your avowed into battle and take control of your godly powers to change the course of Fate.

The Early Access RPG Alvara got an update:

New engine version and fixes

Hello everyone !
Big update today. The version of the engine has changed, with all that this implies:

• Improved lighting, shadows and contrast have been optimized
• The cameras in combat were fixed, the rotation prevented the enemy from being properly targeted
• Added Steam achievements
• Adjustment of the illness state (or slowdown) which created a bug in the progress of action orders.

The music of Stardew Valley can be enjoyed live:

Stardew Valley: Festival of Seasons - Official Announcement Trailer

Thanks Couchpotato!

RPG Jeuxvideo interviewed the GrapeOcean Technologies about Black Geyser und the current Kickstarter Tales of the Moon Cult:

Black Geyser: Interview with the team (english version)

While its DLC is currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter and is planned to be released in 12 languages including French, the GrapeOcean Technologies team behind Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness had the kindness to answer some of our questions and talk about the project, its creation and its development. Below is the original interview, and following this link is a French version.

If participating in the crowdfunding of Tales of the Moon Cult sparks your interest and if you wish to get some additional rewards, don’t hesitate in giving some money on the Kickstarter page of the project.

RPG JV: Greetings! Could you introduce yourselves?

GrapeOcean Technologies: Our studio, GrapeOcean Technologies, was founded in 2014, bringing together more developers, artists and RPG enthusiasts from all over the world. The idea of a studio focusing on computer RPGs came from three IT university students a year earlier, who enjoyed playing classic-style RPGs. Since then, we released our first videogame, Black Geyser and now working on its expansion pack, Tales of the Moon Cult. Black Geyser has been a true community effort from RPG fans worldwide. In particular, we want to express our gratitude to the French role-playing community for their continued faith in our work. Without your support to Black Geyser on Steam, GOG and Kickstarter, our studio wouldn’t be as it is now.

How did the idea of the game come to the team?

The concept of greed spreading in the world to serve the interests of an evil god… it just came as an idea. There are many games portraying evil villains spreading fear and chaos, but greed and envy are portrayed less often, despite of the fact these are natural human emotions.

What were your influences for the game’s development?

We have always been lovers of classic-style CRPGs such as Baldur’s Gate or Icewind Dale. Magical atmosphere, exciting story, memorable characters. We wanted to follow their spirit while providing a more modern experience and user interface at the same time.

How did the development go and how long did it take?

There were good times and also tough times – as it happens with most indie teams we guess. Based on the feedback from fans, some aspects of the game were reworked, which required additional time. There was also the pandemic and other external events which influenced the development, making it longer than we initially planned. The development of the core RPG engine from scratch (based on Unity) took several years, and the content also took several years, since we are a very small team. During these years, the size of the team changed – we had subcontractors as well who worked on a project basis when their work was needed. Without them, it would have been impossible to develop the game without running out of the budget.

[...]

The base goal of the Kickstarter Black Geyser: Tales of the Moon Cult has been reached:

Base Goal Reached - Stretch Goal Added!

Ho there, adventurers!
Less than one week after launch, Tales of the Moon Cult was funded on Kickstarter today! Hundreds of amazing backers have pledged to make this project a reality. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Now about stretch goals. Personal Interactions (€30k) used to be nearest one, but we decided to insert a new, more easily reachable goal at €25k as well: Something For Everyone - with shapeshifting, flails and modding support!

In case you've missed our previous update, there is now a Base Game add-on that gives you  Black Geyser for €12 only - this is a 60% discount compared to its full price in stores - a big discount never seen before, and will not be seen again soon.

In the meantime, we've also added a "Base Game + Expansion Pack" add-on for €24. Holidays are coming soon - surprise your family & friends with a fully functional Black Geyser with its future Expansion Pack included! 

Thank you again to everyone who has been on this journey with us and don't worry, we're not finished yet. For all those diving in for the first time, be sure to stop by our Discord and chat by the fire!

The Black Geyser Team

Thanks Couchpotato!

The tactical RPG Wantless will be released into Early Access on November 8:

Wantless | Gameplay Trailer

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The Kickstarter for the expansion pack Black Geyser - Tales of the Moon Cult has started:

Tales of the Moon Cult

Tales of the Moon Cult (TotMC) is a major expansion pack for Black Geyser coming to Windows, Mac and Linux on Steam and GOG. It adds new locations to the world map with brand-new content and a questline that revolves around the Cult of Zoria. Several new features are introduced to the base game as well, including Strongholds, Dual Wielding and a number of QoL improvements. 

This Kickstarter is the last time you can get the Collector's Edition Box for Black Geyser. The box contains a hardcover handbook (including a monster manual and artbook as well), T-Shirt, mouse pad, keychains and a beautiful cloth map.

Even though our manufacturing possibilities are very limited, we received a lot of e-mails asking about the Collector's Box so we decided to offer this edition for a very last time, extended with the new expansion pack. Thank you so much for your interest, it means a lot!

Main Features
You won't need to start a new game in Black Geyser to activate the expansion pack content. However, if you are around the end of the last chapter (point of no return), you'll need an earlier savegame to initiate the plotline of Tales of the Moon Cult.

The estimated release date is August 2024. Our core team is currently very small, so we ask your support to help bring this project to life. A successful Kickstarter campaign will also give us a clear message that we should keep doing what we're doing and stay together.

Existing backer? If you already have an add-on from a previous campaign that gives you this expansion, please refer to our FAQ in the top menu of the page.

Tales of the Moon Cult will be available in all 12 languages supported by the base game, and will extend Black Geyser with the following features aspects:

• Major questline focusing on the Cult of Zoria and their answer to the corruption of greed affecting the world
• Indoor, outdoor and underground areas with new side quests and riddles
• Brand-new spells and magical items
• A standalone fixpack with many improvements to the base game, delivered to all owners of Black Geyser as a free update (no DLC required)
• Additional features, depending on the stretch goals reached

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato and Screeg!

Couchpotato spotted DevLog 73 about patch 1.2.0.0 and the Heavy Duty DLC:

Dev Log 73: Version 1.2.0.0 and the Incoming DLC

Hi guys,

In preparation of the coming release of Heavy Duty DLC (which you can wishlist now on Steam or GOG) we are pushing version 1.2.0.0 out on the main branch today. You can find the list of changes down below.

In one of the dev logs back in 2022, I hinted at a possiblity of us releasing a small DLC that would contain some important mechanics that we originally planned for a bigger DLC that would follow after Expedition. These mechanics were the new weapon types. As I said then, instead of making this large DLC we decided to move on to Infusion and basically rework the entire engine.

However, we didn't want to just leave those out permanently. While I was busy working on the new engine, along with the 3D artists, I decide to have the level/quest designers, who could not do any substantial work in the new engine yet anyway, work on a short, but unique, side-mission that we could then package with the weapons as a smaller DLC.

That way we could freshen up the game without disrupting the work on Infusion significantly. Granted, it did take some of my development time to code the new weapons (because at that point we only had the spritesheet renders) as well as some of the artists' time when creating the new tilesets. However, the majority of the work was done by the two level designers that had time to spare anyway.

So I hope you all enjoy the new weapons, I found them very fun during testing, as well as the new adventure. I can now confidently say that this is probably maybe the last big content update to the game until we're finished with Infusion. Of course, there's still the question of improved Steam Deck support and localization tools. Also it wouldn't hurt to add a couple more unique weapons, spears in particular...

Anyway, here is the list of changes in this patch. It does not include the DLC stuff that's coming later.

[...]