REVIEW

Satellite Reign is a real-time strategy, class-based game that takes place in a dystopian, cyberpunk universe. But this uni-verse, and the game itself, is far more complex than most

titles of the same genre, in regard to both plot and mechanics.

The game is a spiritual successor to the Syndicate PC series, which started in 1993 at the hands of Peter Molyneux’s Bullfrog Produc-tions. Satellite Reign was done by a crew of veteran developers who have been working together for a long time, and Mike Diskett, who previously worked as the director of Syndicate Wars in 1996, is a part of the team, and was in fact the one who announced Satellite Reign’s Kickstarter campaign back in 2013.

Comparing the old DOS Syndicate series to Satellite Reign is really a tough job, mainly because the titles are separated by quite a bit more than 20 years. Besides the obvious graphical and sound im-provements, it’s clear the developers really put effort into making the universe of Satellite Reign much more complex than Syndicate was. The mission system, the weapons and gear augmentations, plus the character management and skill systems are all more sophisticated now. It seems the team used the current technol-ogy available in 2015 to recreate a modern version of Syndicate, preserving the game’s structure and even some of the mechanics.

Controlling a group of four agents through a dystopian city while trying to stop Dracogenics is a tall order. The major corporation developed a technology that is capable of storing people’s minds on computer files before they die, to download them again in another body after the old one is dead, basically granting eternal life to those who can afford it. After the debut of such technology, the city falls apart and Dracogenics takes over; it’s the agent’s duty to hack the technology, use it in their favor, and bring the corrupt business down. The technology is used when characters die in battle to come back in new bodies. The triumph over Dracogenics is accomplished through several missions that include breaking

Syndicated Tacticsby Bhernardo Viana

30 The Indie Game Magazine

into the company’s facilities to retrieve items, rescuing people, assassinating targets, or bribing guards for information.

The main problem is that the mission system can be very confusing. Since the Kickstarter campaign, the developers have said players wouldn’t “be spoon-fed one mission after another,” but they pushed this a bit too far. I completely agree that being free to do whatever I want in a huge city is very good in most instances, but when lots of missions suddenly start popping up one after another, without an explanation of what to do, things get overwhelming. Previous strategy games have included this kind of freedom of choice, but often the player was able to know which missions were easier or harder, and there was a visual cue to denote side quests versus core missions. If this kind of distinction was there, the whole problem would be solved. Choosing missions at random resulted in almost impossible attempts to complete them, which made a big part of my experi-ence very frustrating.

On the other hand, as stated before, this is really the only major flaw of the game. Everything else is exciting, interesting, and very well designed. Each agent’s management is highly dynamic, from the customization of

their visuals to the controls, which makes it possible to divide the members in groups and control them separately through nearly infinite and customizable keyboard shortcuts. The class system also works great – I could organize my team easily, from soldiers to support roles. These classes have unique abilities that facilitate combat and objective completion, like drawing fire towards a single character or slowing time down for a few seconds. Other abilities are made to be used in the city itself, like hacking the Dracogenics security system to avoid being noticed in their facilities, or hijacking stronger characters to use them as clones that grant stat bonuses to the agents when used.

The gameplay possibilities can generally be divided into two tactics: The first one is the use of brutal force, leaning towards weapon and gear research, plus augmenta-tions to overpower guards while wrecking electronic equipment to avoid being noticed by other guards (this style is reminiscent of the older Syndicate games). The second one is infiltrating different areas through stealth, zip-lines, hacking, and cloaks. Both playstyles are viable and feature abilities that will enhance the odds of success in each mission, and players can try both in a single game since some missions are better

Developer: 5 Lives StudiosPlatforms: Win, Mac, LinuxWebsite: www.satellitereign.com

Twitter: @satellitereign

Pros• Compelling and complex tactics• Several ways to complete

missions• Perfect shortcut and control

system

Cons• Mission system is very

confusing• Occasionally frustrating

done with guns and explosions, while others simply can’t be completed without stealth or extremely heavy gear.

Graphically, Satellite Reign is impressive. The game’s color palette fits the cyberpunk genre perfectly, featuring common yellows and browns in the streets to contrast the colorful, fancy buildings of big companies. The top-down isometric view works well, since the game requires a lot of movement and a big field of view. Accompanying this is a tension-filled soundtrack that is often sup-pressed by the sounds of sirens and gun shots, which in my opinion is the most important sound for such a chaotic city.

Overall, Satellite Reign’s logic and tactical consistency is truly great, but the mission system is not even close to being harmonized with it, which can make the experience very frustrating. Besides this, the game is an ex-perience any RTS player should have.

31www.indiegamemag.com

PREVIEWS

38

A Bright Light in a

Dark Galaxyby Bhernardo Viana

Developer: Praxia Entertainment Inc

Platform: Windows PCWebsite: www.venturebeyondsol.com

Twitter: @beyondsol

I’m fond of 4X games,

and playing Beyond Sol was a nice moment for me. At first it took me some time to un-derstand the space strategy game’s objec-tives, but a quick in-game tutorial put me back on track. I was controlling a 3D space-ship in a procedurally generated, silent, beautiful 2D galaxy inhabited by differ-ent human cities, as the result of years of space colonization and technological stud-ies. I belonged to a new faction and had to start building my own city in order to get some money and resources.

The galaxy map showed that 5 other cities were in the same system as me, and as ex-pected, I would have to deal with them to eventually dominate the solar system. The amount of cities in the map and the game difficulty on single player are customizable before starting a session, which was truly great for my casual experience.

To achieve galactic supremacy, I had to farm chemical elements from asteroids and ravage ship debris to gather resources to build new facilities, such as a power plant, a defensive turret, houses, and a hangar. I could also engage my fleet in combat against space pirates to steal their resources. Both options were viable and offered almost the same amount of rewards when completed, which allowed me to switch between the two game styles and never get bored. The

down side is that there’s no way to group ships and assign tasks, so the other ships just follow the player ship.

Another key part of gameplay is the diplo-macy system, where the player can manage their relationship with the other factions. The game starts with a neutral relationship between all factions, and to start an alli-ance with another city the player must earn respect by either sending them money or aiding them in combat against space pirates in their territory. To become enemies, play-ers can simply hit the “declare war” button before suddenly dealing with constant attacks from the other city. This is reversible though, and it is possible to surrender or negotiate a truce during war.

The game excels in terms of progression because of its speed. Instead of slower progression, the developers created a fast-paced game in which, within about 2 hours, it’s possible to lead a considerable fleet and take advantage of all the mechanics the game has to offer. Unfortunately my city started much smaller than the others, which slowed down the diplomacy because nobody wanted to join a small city. I could only effectively use diplomacy when a new and smaller city appeared on the galaxy during the game.

There are still buildings, ships and new upgrades to be released, but the missing elements don’t jeopardize the experience. Beyond Sol is already a great game, and if it stays on track, it will surely be even greater.

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REVIEW

In Super Mega Baseball: Extra Innings, players either choose a team or build their own to face other teams in Sea-

son or Exhibition matches. Despite being funny, the game is pretty serious when it comes to the rules

and characteristics of baseball games and teams. Every team has a mastered skill; for example, the Moonstars are

pitching experts, and the Sirloins are extreme power-hitters. Every team player has an array of stats like velocity, accuracy,

and power; during a season, these stats can be boosted by hiring unlockable NPCs like coaches, stylists, and trainers.

When the contest starts, the player’s team alternates between pitch-ing, batting, fielding, and base-running during the top and bottom parts of innings, just like a regular baseball game. When pitching, players can choose between nine different ways to throw the ball, each with its own effect and difficulty for both the batter and the pitcher. Despite this variety, all pitches are realistic, so none of them

A Home Run by Bhernardo Viana

28 The Indie Game Magazine

set the ball on fire or activate a special ef-fect when perfectly executed. Instead, the trickier the pitch, the harder it is to perform. The pitch’s quality is defined by the player’s aim. A target shows up on the screen, and the player has to aim directly in the center to make the perfect throw; if they miss it, the throw can either be too easy for the batter to hit, or be out of the strike zone. Also, players can choose between making a regular, slower throw that is easier to control, or a power pitch that travels much faster but makes aiming a lot harder.

Batting may be the easier part of the game, at least on the lower difficulty settings. While you still have to deal with different pitches, the bat’s aim moves along with the ball and makes everything easier. It’s also possible to steal bases while batting, and to choose which base each runner is going to stop at. The mouse and keyboard controls are used to select the players, though they are not ideal for these actions since their sensitivity is too high, which caused accidental player selections a fair amount of times and resulted in unexpected outs. The same problem hap-pened while fielding, when the same controls are used to choose where the ball is going to be thrown.

At this point, it’s clear that Super Mega Base-ball is closer to a baseball simulator than a fantasy game. While fielding, this becomes more evident. Sometimes it’s possible to let the A.I. catch pop flies, but in other situations it’s up to the player to choose the fielder. After catching it, sometimes with an epic wall catch - yes, characters can and may have to jump to make difficult catches - the player has to perform relays or cutoffs to quickly reach the bases and avoid multiple runs. The higher the difficulty setting chosen, the more these characters will depend on the player controls.

Near the end of matches, it becomes even more clear the game is trying to be as realistic as possible. Starting pitchers get tired after their 7th inning and start throwing slower pitches, batters who are struck out often get nervous and tend to miss their swings easily, and catchers can even drop the ball on easy plays.

Despite being realistic and challenging, Super Mega Baseball also provides a good time for casual players, thanks to a difficulty slider named “Ego” which ranges from 0 to 99. I’m too casual to play on hardcore modes, so an Ego of 20 was perfect for me. Baseball

enthusiasts might be looking for a bigger chal-lenge, and after playing an inning at Ego 99, I can assure that there is a plenty to be had.

The cartoony, cel-shaded characters are incredibly expressive, and the customiza-tion tool - where you can set the player’s disposition and choose their standard facial expression – takes the humor to the next level. You can also opt to use the standard characters, who are fun enough thanks to several facial expressions designed to convey anxiety, confidence, excitement, and so on.

The heavy metal riffs mentioned at the beginning show up occasionally during the matches. They set an encouraging mood during the character’s presentation, but are impossible to hear during each play. I presume players would lose their focus if there was music in the background during the pitches, but I somewhat missed it in other moments of the game.

For those expecting another lame sports game, this is certainly not the case. Super Mega Baseball offers the greatest experience I’ve ever had in sports games, even having so little knowledge of baseball. Even if you don’t like sports or baseball, I would still recommend it just for the fun factor.

Developer: Metalhead Software IncPlatforms: Windows PCWebsite: www.supermegabaseball.com

Twitter: @supmegbaseball

Pros• Realistic rules balanced with fun• Many customization options• Well-implemented difficulty slider

Cons• Imprecise keyboard/mouse

controls• Needs better soundtrack

integration

by Bhernardo Viana

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REVIEW

I played RPGs a lot when I was growing up, but for some reason I’m just not used to the genre anymore. I had to

get out of my comfort zone to play Super Chibi Knight, and I consider myself lucky for having done so. The game is an action adventure platformer with RPG elements made by Pesto Force, a team that consists of a 33-year-old father and his 8-year-old daughter, Bella.

If you think it’s hard to believe a kid so young had any participation in the game’s development, you’ll be surprised to know the game is actually a sequel to a browser game called Chibi Knight, where a 5-year-old Bella had already provided voice-acting and general ideas for the game. She also has a solid gaming background, citing Spelunky and Super Meat Boy as some of her favorite games. For Super Chibi Knight, she recorded full voice acting for the main character, and also contributed to concept art and game testing. The outcome is an immersive experience that puts the player into a fantasy world where Bella voices a powerful, small hero.

The story begins in the Oukoku Kingdom: The evil Demon Monocchio was summoned by an unknown force a long time ago to devastate the lands, but an unexpected hero rose up and defeated it and its minions. However, some of these minions tried to summon the demon once again with the help of General Tso and his army. First, four mages from the Sorcery Clan of Island Mahou tried to prevent Tso’s actions with their magic spells, but the general used his dark magic to blind the wizards, who are still alive but unable to fight. After this, a prophecy said a chosen youth would be able to learn their spells and banish evil forever. Meanwhile, the Beastmasters from the Yajuu Mountains also organized a massive strike against Gen-eral Tso, but were defeated after a massive poisoning of their food supply. Shortly after, the Yajuu Seers also predicted that a chosen youth would be able to ride the mystical beast Hebi and defeat the evil duo forever. Both tribes could do nothing but wait for their chosen one, little did they know she was soon to arrive.

Some basic RPG elements are present in a

simplistic way; the hero levels up, has hit points, magic points, and stats to master. These stats are attack, armor, and magic, and can be raised with the experience earned from defeating monsters. This experience is given as coins that can be spent on cheaper stats, or stored for reaching the maximum level quicker. Players will also have to venture through a world map filled with monsters, not-so-hidden passages with loads of bonus experience, and NPC’s that will have you solve some quests for them in exchange for experience and new skills, such as a dash or spin attack.

There are a reasonable amount of quests. Most of them are key to the main story and must be solved to progress through the game, but there are also a few of them that can be skipped. The game is so short that there is no true reason to skip such quests, since they are generally easy and entertaining. These consist mostly of finding and collecting stuff spiced with monster slaying, which is the main way of leveling. I spent little time grinding monsters outside of quests, what is truly great for a modern game. Trying to

by Bhernardo VianaRelease Your Inner Child-Sized Hero

34 The Indie Game Magazine

appeal to gamers that are willing to spend many hours farming experience for a small reward is a niche audience nowadays, and this fast-paced leveling mechanic gave a modern touch to Super Chibi Knight.

After the first basic quests take place, it’s up to the player to choose between the path to the Island of Mahou or the Yajuu Moun-tains. How these two choices will be made is a bit confusing in the beginning, although the player is directly presented with some context. It’s a simple yet effective plot that enhances the idea of being the chosen one and carrying a special, ancient power that will save the world from eternal damna-tion. The little girl is so powerful that she can simply choose how to defeat the most feared creatures in the whole Kingdom. For players, this means they can choose between being a Mage or a Beastmaster.

The artwork also conveys this imaginative feeling of power in a small package. Every-thing is cartoonish and colorful, just like any child’s imagination. The colors are vivid and intense, even when it’s related to the bad guys: Tso is a small, red man with black dress-

ings, while Monocchio is a giant, one-eyed red ball of fur with green tentacles. With the easy combat controls that mostly consist of button mashing, Super Chibi Knight quickly brought me right back to the childhood days of my first action games.

After playing through the short couple of hours that the game had to offer, I could only think of how simple yet challenging the game was. At the same time, I couldn’t think of its simplicity as a negative point, because it was enjoyable most of the time. Although some bugs were a big bummer during long runs with no checkpoints, I came back and restarted without a problem. The biggest problem I faced was the game’s soundtrack, which was very repetitive, albeit epic, and annoying after the first hour.

Despite the visuals, Super Chibi Knight is not just for kids, and you’d be surprised to see how many things can be discovered and done in it. Bella said in one of her videos that she thinks “people will love Super Chibi Knight because it’s fun,” and being fun is more than enough of a reason to convince me to play a game.

Developer: Pesto ForcePlatforms: Windows, Mac, LinuxWebsite: www.superchibiknight.comTwitter: @pestoforce

Pros• Highly Dynamic• No excessive grinding or gold

farming• Cute artwork

Cons• Some minor bugs• Repetitive soundtrack

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PREVIEWS

38

Thousands of years have passed since the 21st century. Technology is now a hybrid of futuristic machines pow-

ered by steam. Like many other steampunk games, this is the setting of Avenging Angel, a post-apocalyptic world where the player controls an Associate of the Inventors Guild through an adventure spiced with FPS and survival elements.

The game begins with a routine mission: Fix the Aethernet connection on an island. The exploration begins in a library with no encounters, unless you count the glitches that immediately started to show up. When I first tried to jump on a box, my character was suddenly thrown in midair and fell down some steps. The same thing happened in more critical situations, like when I was trying to walk downstairs and enter the Mines. These bugs require the player to think about alter-natives in order to avoid them and progress, which really shouldn’t happen.

On that note, there are some other very disappoint bugs in this version, like sudden background music and sound effect crashes in the middle of a dynamite explosion. Some hits in combat also produce no sound at all, which made me unable to understand how many hits it took to take down some enemies.

Bugs aside, there are also quests that the player must fulfill to unlock new areas and items. The main problem is that the quests start to pile up, and the newest ones get higher priority than others. I often had to stop a quest mid-way to start another, and it seems this was part of the game’s mechan-ics to unlock new areas and tell a bit more of the conspiracy behind the main plot. At least the game makes up for it with some great voice acting.

The cel-shaded graphics are both vibrant and fitting, although I had to make some light adjustments. The landscapes are incredible, utilizing the popular rust color from other steampunk games. However, the NPCs are not as well rendered as the environment, which made me think I was playing completely dif-ferent games while exploring versus talking.

Some survival elements also come with the game, like a workshop where players can craft new items learned from blueprints, and even create medicinal potions through alchemy. In the early game, there’s a very small number of items that can be made in the workshop, but the number increases as new base items are found. Because of the uselessness of the workshop in the beginning, the game can be rough in the early going. I

couldn’t find consumable items that restored health for almost an hour, and I also didn’t have any ingredients or blueprints to make one, which resulted in playing with only 10 HP most of the time.

As it is now, Avenging Angel is too problem-atic for how it looks. Although only some minor art adjustments should be made, the gameplay is in a very rough state. If the developer can work out the bugs and better polish the experience, the game does stand to be a very good steampunk FPS; but at the moment it’s not worth it.

Developer: Dark Amber SoftworksPlatform: Windows PCWebsite: www.avengingangelgame.com

Twitter: @avengingangel02

Not Yet Deserving of Wings by Bhernardo Viana

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