Dice inquisition, Brinepunk, and family friendly cleanup

Hello everyone! The past two weeks have been filled with games actually. I’ve touched a lot of stuff briefly. Donkey Kong Bananza? A lot of fun! The Drifter? A surprising take on the adventure genre from a studio that I love. Wildgate? A super fun extraction shooter that has a lot of promise.

But the main thing that has dominated my brain space is this competitive tabletop game called Pagan: Fate of Roanoke. This 1v1 game set in the 1800s pits a deadly Witch who is spreading secrets and deception across a town, and a Witch Hunter, who is desperately trying to gather evidence, determine the Witch’s identity, and eliminate them before they can complete the dark ritual. What unfolds across an hour is a very hectic game of cat and mouse, misinformation, and deathly decisions. It’s SUPER fun. I can’t stop thinking about it. Maybe I should start writing about board games again here. Who knows?

But you aren’t here for board games, so let’s take a look at what you should be playing.

And What Came Out This Week?

Inkshade

Developer: Studio Vezelle
Steam rating: Positive
Store page

Playing right into my recent tabletop binge, Inkshade is a deeply mysterious turn-based tactical board game where you play against an otherworldly GM. All the pieces are carved out of wood, and the movement looks so visceral, it really is trying to capture the feeling of sitting at a chess board, but with a lot more Eldritch tentacle shit going on.

Inkshade has some roguelite elements going on. You will unlock new pieces during your run, and while the board state and challenges may change, the tactics and strategies that you learn along the way will prepare you for what comes next.

I love the concept, it leaves me filled with intrigue. But DAMN is this trailer dark, and the screenshots are too. I feel like it might cause some severe eye strain, but I am ready to give it a go regardless.

Dice Gambit

Developer: Chromatic Ink
Steam rating: Very Positive
Store page

Tabletop and tactics fans get a treat this week with Dice Gambit, a dice-rolling RPG tactics game that has a smidge of visual novel in there to drop a well rounded experience. Your noble family is deep in debt, and it is up to you to complete quests for your rivals, grow your relationships, and manage your family bloodline to creator unlikely alliances, and powerful heirs that expand your skills as you fight to rid the city of the evil chromatic monsters.

It seems like Dice Gambit has a lot to dive into, especially with the family management aspects. You will be upgrading your skills with over 200 to unlock, mashing together passives and stats to create an everlasting legacy. Honestly, on paper it actually seems a little overwhelming, but the trailer has a vibe that is really welcoming and I love the idea so much that I hope that the onboarding is strong enough to carry a smooth brain fool like me through.

I never thought we’d see a spiritual successor to Double Fine’s generational-spanning tactics game Massive Chalice, but the folks over at Chromatic Ink have somehow delivered a very specific mash-up of interests that somehow feel precisely tailored to my needs. I love throwing a handful of dice and just seeing what happens. I feel like for some tactics fans the RNG might be a little frustrating, but this is so up my alley.

The Scouring (Early Access)

Developer: Orc Group
Steam rating: Very Positive
Store page

If you are craving some classic Blizzard-inspired RTS action, you might want to check out The Scouring from Orc Group this weekend. This classic strategy game pits Orcs and Humans against one another in a classic battle of dominance, but The Scouring has a few interesting takes on that well-worn formula. For one, it is very focused on Steam Workshop for mods for new maps and game modes. It also features competitive multiplayer for up to 8 players, with dynamic action that will demand you adjust your play style as the situation demands it.

But the really interesting thing here, at least for me is Hero Mode. This is a separate game mode where you play as a hero unit with crazy skills as you dungeon dive, collect items, and issue commands to your army from the front lines. The RTS is happening around you, and you get to be the main character. That sounds pretty interesting to me, a fairly new RTS player, so I’m definitely excited to check it out.

Early Access means that things are a little rough around the edges, but the developers have dropped a pretty concise roadmap that doesn’t seem too crazy to complete. Big shout out to the folks over at Nextlander who mentioned this in their latest podcast. Otherwise this would have slipped by me this week.

Monster Mop Up

Developer: Terahard Ltd
Steam rating: Positive
Store page

Did you like Viscera Cleanup Detail? Do you have kids now? Monster Mop Up is the family friendly version of that game, but with a lot of nice modern extras.

Your job as a Custodian is to rescue Ragamuffins from the Human world, then mop up the evidence so that their existence remains a secret. You will be rewarded for your hard work by unlocking new high tech gear to make cleaning easier, and new items to expand and decorate your home with between the missions.

With support for up to 6 players, Monster Mop Up genuinely looks like a fun zen-like experience for a group of family and friends.

Abyssus

Developer: DoubleMoose Games
Steam rating: Very Positive
Store page

I know, there sure are a lot of co-op Roguelite FPS releasing every week, but how could I refuse the world’s first Brinepunk game a spot on this week’s list?

Abyssus puts you into the boots of a Brinehunter, a warrior tasked with exploring the ruins of a sunken civilization and dealing with the horrors that await. All of this is in the name of finding Brine, a mystical resource that powers up your weapons, and other gadgets as you become an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.

There’s a lot of content to plow through in Abyssus, with over 64 handcrafted levels that are then procedurally generated to create unique runs every single time. I think it’s important that they want you to know that they were first handcrafted. It makes me feel like this one might feel more intentional than other games in the genre.

Sign me up. I am ready to enter the salty Brine.

And that’s a wrap

Thanks for reading! As always, if you enjoyed it please share it with a friend. If you have a spare dollar or two, it would mean a lot to throw it into our Ko-fi cup. I am currently working on a piece about Wildgate, a game that I love dearly, but if you try and read Reddit, is already dead on the vine and doesn’t have a future. Hopefully the piece turns out ok.

Did I miss a good game this weekend? Let me know in the comments so I can check it out!