The flipside of realizing a game you didn’t have high expectations for turning out to be great is playing one you’d been looking forward to that didn’t quite hit the mark. Motorslice — from the two-person team at Regular Studio and publisher Top Hat Studios — had been on my “play this ASAP” list for a while. Sadly, it didn’t really work for me.
As P, your aim is to destroy all of the machines in an oversized construction site using a cool chainsaw-style weapon. There are some nice ideas here, like the third-person camera that’s its own character, a drone that accompanies P. The Mirror’s Edge-style parkour and Shadow of the Colossus-inspired boss designs looked good in trailers and I do love the low-poly aesthetic. Travelling up and along walls using the chainsaw is nifty too.
However, the controls are off-putting. They’re too imprecise to be properly compatible with the game’s platforming demands. P suffered many (surprisingly grizzly) deaths at my hands, so I was at least thankful that respawns are quick. Speaking of P, the game often objectifies her in a way that feels icky. And then there are long stretches of running with nothing much to look at other than another upcoming, ominous section of the world for P to battle through.
If I haven’t put you off trying Motorslice, you can snap it up now on Steam, GOG, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox for PC. It usually costs $20, but there’s a 10 percent launch discount until May 19. You can also check it out via Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
Wax Heads is another one of several music-focused games we have to tell you about this week. This is a record store sim in which you’ll chat with customers and recommend things for them to check out. It’s said to embrace the community spirit of music and how it can connect us. I love that.
All of the songs and albums featured in Wax Heads were created for the game. They span pop, punk, metal, rap, folk and other genres.
Wax Heads, which is from the two-person studio Patattie Games and publisher Curve Games, is out now on Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox for PC and Nintendo Switch. The price will typically be $15, but there’s a 15 percent discount until May 19.
Dead as Disco is a rhythm brawler that has a lot of buzz — more than 1.2 million people played the demo and initial Steam reviews are very positive. It’s now available in early access on Steam and the Epic Games Store (usually $25, 20 percent off until May 19).
For now, you can check out the first arc of what will eventually become a larger narrative campaign. The initial soundtrack features more than 30 songs, including licensed tracks, covers and original music. You can play to the beat of your own music that you add to the game as well.
Along with fleshing out the campaign, developer Brain Jar Games plans to add more bosses, moves and a co-op mode. More accessibility features, songs and collectibles are in the pipeline, along with support for additional languages. If you’re not quite ready to drop some cash on Dead as Disco, you can sample it (hey, that’s a music term!) thanks to a Steam demo.
Sticker/Ball is another addition to the rapidly growing incremental roguelite deckbuilder genre. If you’ve played games like Balatro, CloverPit and Raccoin, you’ll know the drill: you’ll have to earn a certain number of points each round to keep your run going. You’ll use a variety of tools to break the rules and make the numbers go up as quickly as possible.
The focus here is on firing balls at dice. You receive points when you hit dice, and more as balls bounce between them. You can use stickers to augment the dice. The effects of the stickers can compound to send your score into orbit. For instance, according to the Steam page, “poop attracts flies. Spiders make webs. Spider webs catch flies. More points for you!” There’s also something about frogs being able to hijack spaceships. I’m sure there are many other strange combinations amid the more than 100 stickers on offer.
Sticker/Ball, from solo developer Bilge and publisher Future Friends Games, is out now on Steam. It’ll usually be $8, though there’s a generous 30 percent discount until May 18.
I’d already bought several of the games listed above before I spotted Rova, but I had to open up my wallet again. This is a space rover photography game from FreeRangeDevs. It has lovely cel-shaded art direction that reminds me a bit of the excellent Rollerdrome (though surely this game is a bit more laidback).
It looks super charming and I love that the rover is in the shape of a dog — Rover as a rover. Each object you snap will form part of a research database that serves as a record of everything on the planet.
The early access version of the game currently includes the first fully explorable planet. At least one more planet is planned, along with dynamic weather systems and the option to let crew members ride on the rover.
Rova is available on Steam. It’ll usually cost $8, but it’s 20 percent off until May 22.
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