News by Matt S.
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)!
The developer behind Zen Pinball is working on a classical dungeon crawler
Zen Studios is best known for its pinball simulation, but over the years it has produced a number of other top-quality games, including the rather excellent CastleStorm, Kickbeat and others. Now it’s embarking on another very different genre with Operencia: The Stolen Sun; a first person dungeon crawler.
Zen Studios is billing this as a homage to the likes of Wizardry and Might & Magic of yesteryear, and promises 13 levels, over 50 different enemies to fight, and the ability to turn off auto-mapping, if you want to go really old school and draw your own maps as you play.
This game will release on PC in 2019, and other platforms TBA. Hopefully that means a Nintendo Switch port at some point, since Hyakki Castle was absolutely sublime on Switch.
Mortal Kombat XI is happening, and it’s happening on everything
Mark April 23, 2019 on your calendars. That will be the day your PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC or Switch gets very, very bloody. Mortal Kombat needs no introduction, as it is a series that has existed both in fame and infamy, and the latest game should hopefully turn some heads all over again.
Details are currently limited, but what we know is that there will be some mechanic that allows players to “customise their rosters.” Additionally, there will a new story, which is a good thing – while fighting games don’t necessarily need a narrative (and indeed, some are taking steps to get rid of that side of things), Mortal Kombat’s story has always been delightfully B-grade, and we’re looking forward to seeing more of that in action.
The trailer, above, is predictably extreme. It looks like Mortal Kombat XI is on the right track.
A new Dragon Age is happening
BioWare’s Anthem looks absolutely terrible and nothing like what we’ve come to love from the developer. Thankfully, Anthem will come and go, and then BioWare can focus more of its energy on this new Dragon Age that EA has just announced.
Unsurprisingly, we know next to nothing about the game, and only have the briefest teaser trailer to go by. It’s not going to release in 2019, or possibly even 2020 – it will be early in development, and it’s likely that EA has announced it as much to allay fears for BioWare around Anthem that the developer hasn’t forgotten its heritage.
As teaser trailers go, though, this is a good one. The Dread Wolf Rises indeed.
Get your London Detective on on December 18
Good news, PlayStation Vita fans! You’ve got another great-looking game to play on December 18. London Detective Mysteria is going to be a console exclusive to the Vita (there’s also a PC version), and it looks, and sounds, great.
From the press release: Eschew the frivolities of 19th century London’s high society and instead delve into the curiosities that lie hidden in London’s darkest corners in London Detective Mysteria. Playing as the heiress of House Whiteley, players will name their own Lady Whiteley as they investigate mysteries of London and interact with personalities inspired by famous fictional characters including Detective Holmes, Jack the Ripper, and more. Take full control over the experience by adjusting text speed or even the individual speaking volumes of individual characters and their original Japanese voices. Players must choose their words carefully as they interact with other characters, as decisions made throughout the story will not only affect special rewards but will also shape whether Lady Whiteley finds love or something more sinister in the shadows of 19th century London.
The mash up of famous figures like Jack the Ripper and characters drawn from literature in Sherlock Holmes certainly has us intrigued. The PlayStation Vita had become the home to visual novels late in its life, and another one to that library is always welcome.
