News by Lindsay M. and Trent P.
Welcome to Digitally Downloaded’s regular catch-up news feature. With each issue we will bring you the best news that you may have missed. Grab the biggest mug you’ve got, fill it with your favourite brew, and catch up with us (and our favourite news anchor, Dee Dee)!
British indie band Daughter scoring Life Is Strange prequel
By Lindsay M., News Editor
Life Is Strange got an awful lot right. Powerful storytelling? Check. Compelling characters? Check. Amazing soundtrack and score? Check and check. The Dontnod-developed, Square Enix-published title was scored by Jonathan Morali, frontman to perhaps my favourite indie band – Syd Matters. While he isn’t involved in the upcoming prequel being developed by Deck Nine Games, Life Is Strange: Before the Storm will keep the indie vibe alive, as Square Enix announced this week that British trio Daughter are at the helm of the game’s music. For a sneak peak, below is “Burn It Down,” one of the tracks from the game’s soundtrack:
Daughter is classified as “indie-folk” and from what I’ve heard thus far, definitely has the same vibe as Morali’s work while bringing in a feminine aspect that I expect will work well with the game’s story and themes. Elena Tonra, the lead singer of Daughter, speaks to the experience of writing an original soundtrack for the first time, saying, “[We] are so honoured to have been given the opportunity to work with the team. We loved the story on first read as it centres around realistic female lead characters who are emotional, intelligent, sensitive and badass in equal measure.”
I don’t know about you, dear reader, but I’ve already snapped up the pre-order for Life Is Strange: Before the Storm so it will come as no surprise that I am currently on my way to pre-order Music from Before the Storm, available here. http://smarturl.it/DaughterMFBTS Before the Storm will be released on August 31 for just PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The soundtrack will release on September 1. The game features all tracks from Before The Storm, two additional tracks from the Daughters back catalogue, and other licenced tracks.
Spelunky dev working with other indie stars on UFO 50
By Lindsay M., News Editor
A couple of weeks ago, Twitter was abuzz after Spelunky developer Derek Yu posted a screenshot of a new game with the hashtag #UFO50 attached. At the same time, two other well-known indie devs – Jon Perry and Eirik Suhrke – tweeted screenshots of different games using the same hashtag. For me it was instant confusion: three obviously different games, but one hashtag? What am I supposed to think of that?!
Luckily, the wait wasn’t too terrible. It was revealed earlier this week that UFO 50 is a collection of (50, appropriately) games. Based on the retro-styled graphics, it seems like an NES Classic in game form to me – but with all new games inspired by those of generations past. The 50 games aren’t directly related to each other but there is an overarching story about a development company in the 1980s that is creating the titles. Each game shares the same 32-colour palette, making them uniform and authentic while scratching my OCD itch for things to match perfectly. Each game concept comes from a single director but they each had a hand in every level, from art and design to programming. It sounds like a true collaboration to be excited about.
UFO 50 will be released next year. There is no information on platform or pricing yet, although the developers have said that they want it to be “an easy purchase” so I wouldn’t expect a huge price tag to be attached. Apart from Yu, Perry, and Suhrke, other developers involved are Paul Hubans and Ojiro Fumoto. If you don’t recognize any of these names, you’ll recognize the games they’ve created: apart from Spelunky, there is Downwell, Time Barons, Skorpulac, and Madhouse. We can’t wait to see this all-star indie developer collaboration in action!
Ubisoft shows Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle multiplayer
By Trent P., Contributor
During E3 Ubisoft focused more on the single player aspects of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, a surprise game for many at E3 not because of the reveal but because of how well the game captured the universes of Mario and Rabbids in a unique gameplay setting. Our own Clark was won over by the title and during our round up of the Ubisoft conference Lindsay couldn’t contain her excitement for the game. Many media outlets echoed out sentiment.
As a true believer during the pre-E3 leaks, I couldn’t contain myself when Ubisoft posted a 12-minute video on the multiplayer aspects of the upcoming game. The video covers the cooperative multiplayer mode which two players take control of two teams of (you guessed it!) two characters. Within this mode players will work together to protect Toad and Toadette with the goal of taking them to their correct end zones to complete the level.
The multiplayer video isn’t the only recent Mario + Rabbids video from Ubisoft, and at the same time the company dropped a great trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dxl6nPdz-8 . The Phantom of the Bwahpera trailer showcases single player action set to the a chilling Rabbid opera. Both videos showcase the charm and attention to detail that will be talked about by many once the game releases on August 29.
New party mechanics coming to Nights of Azure 2
By Lindsay M., News Editor
In what just may be the most detailed press released I’ve ever seen, Koei Tecmo has introduced and explains the new battle party system for Nights of Azure 2: Bride of New Moon. But first, there is a new character trailer that all eyes must see immediately. The video below introduces many of the faces Aluche will meet on her journey, including familiar face Christophorus and a first look at Eleanor Ernest:
The game’s party battle system means that it can be comprised of Aluche, an NPC of choice, and up to two Servans. Each team member will have different styles and skills. Aluche’s Servan allies have Servan Actions, which can help turn the battle to Aluche’s favour. One of the ally types, Tricker, are able to gain advantage by unleashing elemental abilities. Trickers change forms as they evolve, and grow more powerful with Reincarnation (reduces stats to allow access to new attacks and abilities). As for Aluche, she is apparently part vampire as she discovers that the blood of her fallen comrades can be used to heighten her strength.
Nights of Azure 2: Bridge of New Moon is Gust’s sequel to Nights of Azure, which we loved just as much as we do most anything Gust has a hand in creating. It is expected to be released October 24 for PC, PlayStation 4, and the Nintendo Switch; Gust is usually quite good at deadlines so I wouldn’t expect any delays!
