Gaming News — #gaming news

When I first read that there was a cat-based Metroidvania that’s inspired by Slavic mythology, I knew I had to check it out. 

If you’re like me, you have an appreciation for well-crafted pixel art video games. So when I saw Cotton Fantasy coming to the Nintendo Switch, I was immediately intrigued, given the genre and cat-based storyline. It turned out to be my second favorite teenage witch-based game of 2022, and it’s worth picking up for any pixel lover. Here’s why I love this game so much…

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We're back for some Weekly Gaming News! 

It's about time we wrapped up the month and a lot has happened, and we mean a lot. While the Retroverse still manages to churn out some interesting news stories from the past, it somehow managed to catch up with 2022. What do we mean by this? Well, stick around, and I'll tell you. Let's go! 

Legend of Mana: Tear Drop Crystal

First, we're taking a look at Square Enix and their epic collab with Warner Brothers Japan. This time it’s for a nostalgia trip for the ages, the release of Legend of Mana: Teardrop Crystal. A new anime based on the popular Legend of Mana action-RPG video game. Now, that definitely brings back memories. The show is slated to drop this 2022, and as part of the announcement, Square Enix and Warner Brothers dropped the key visual for the show, plus a teaser trailer. Everything looks updated, but you can't deny that old-school 90s-feel it brings. This special anime project is part of the Mana/Seiken Densetsu 30th Anniversary Celebrations. It features a young boy named Shiloh who hears a mysterious voice in his dreams that sets him out on an epic adventure.

Dandy and Randy DX

Now, for some adulting! Yes, you heard me! Brazilian indie developers Asteristic Game Studio have created an action-adventure puzzle game that's cute, fun, and somehow very realistic. Okay, it's pretty terrifying. Dandy and Randy DX is a game based on the very adult concept of bankruptcy. Now, tell me that isn't the least bit scary. Dandy, a pink duck, and his partner Randy a blue-plane-flying rabbit are a couple of go-getting archaeologists who owe a heck of a lot of money to a big bank. What follows is a single-player or co-op adventure where you solve puzzles and explore underground caverns to find valuable treasures that go straight to the Tax Man.  It ain't much, but it's honest work. 

The game features an array of equipment and items that help you on your journey. Think Legend of Zelda and Stardew Valley, but you could end up in jail if you don't farm hard enough. I think that's a pretty good way to motivate. Despite the premise, it's a gorgeous pixel art game packed with a banging chiptune soundtrack that'll bring back memories from summer days, and it gives us a dose of reality at the same time. Dandy and Randy DX is currently available on PS4, PS5, Microsoft Xbox One and Xbox Series XS Steam PC, and Nintendo Switch. So, if you're looking to go on a grand adventure that involves action, excitement, and adulting, then this game might be worth checking out. Just make sure to check your credit score.

Elden Ring Unofficial Demake

Now, on to something a bit more recent. So, we all know that Elden Ring has been around for a while now and that being the case, it's also brought along its fair share of mods from the community. Some of which are, well, let's just call them strange, for lack of a better term. However, you can't deny how wild and creative the community is when it comes to their imagination. Think of a mod; they got it. 

But what about hardware? Well, apparently, they got that covered too. Enter Twitch streamer shintendoTV, a game streamer who also happens to specialize in a bit of retro game development. If you're not a fan of Elden Ring's AAA graphics and beautiful sprawling landscapes, you're in luck because, thanks to good old Shin, we might have an actual working Game Boy remake on our hands. Or, as he likes to call it, a demake. Man, Game Boy studio is awesome. He's since streamed a series of videos showing us the project's scope, and it's looking pretty good. A lot of the actual game details are baked right into the Game Boy remake, down to the “You Died” screen. So far, it's the cutest “Game Over” ever! ShintendoTV looks to get things wrapped up by the end of May and plans to make the actual game available for download both for emulators and actual Game Boy hardware. You can check out his Twitch channel for any updates. So next time you see a few people ranting about how Elden Ring doesn't meet their expectations, remember that they'll have a Game Boy version to check out pretty soon. And maybe that's what they wanted all along. Maybe. 

It’s time again for more Weekly Gaming News from Mega Cat Studios!

Now, if you're a huge anime fan or anything Japan, we have a couple of tidbits that might tickle your fancy. Also, since gamer fuel is kind of a big thing nowadays, one certain company decided to throw its hat in the ring! Let's go!

NINTENDOJI

Now, a lot of geeks and gamers alike have a lot of knowledge to drop, and of course, they'll let you know about it. But this time, we've come across a game that you might have never even heard of ever! We're talking about Nintendoji.  It's an exclusive digital reward for gold and platinum club Nintendo members. It's understandable that very few know about this game because it was only released in Japan. 

Developed by Grounding and released nine years ago in April of 2013, it's a turn-based battler where players explore dungeons and kick some bad guy’s ass to improve their skills and gather items. It's very simple yet enjoyable. The end goal is to find some sacred relics, which includes some nice crossover items from the Mario series and other Nintendo franchise. Your main guy Kageshina Kurabe may not be as popular as other Nintendo mainstays, but he's appeared on Super Smash Bros. as a trophy and spirit, so if you're still wondering who that handsome red-haired Onii-chan is, well, now you know. 

POCKY & ROCKY RESHRINED

Now, it's time to take a look at a cute classic that's making its way to the Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch, complete with a shiny coat of remastered paint. Sweet! Natsume Atari's collaboration with Tango Project is finally going to drop, and we can finally get a taste of the sweet nostalgia from 1990s. Now, this new entry in the Pocky & Rocky series is scheduled for release this summer,  so the short wait can definitely be sustained by the hype.

Now, if you haven't seen this shrine maiden and tanooki duo, this is a good chance to check them out. And if you want to know why people are so excited, Tango Project has a cool gameplay trailer on their Youtube channel right now.  So whether it's top-down or side-scrolling, the classic style of action is both cute and pretty challenging, to say the least. Pocky & Rocky Reshrined is available for pre-order right now and set for official release on April 21 in Japan and June 24 everywhere else.

COCA COLA BYTE

Last but not least, we're rehydrating, recharging, and realizing that one major soda brand just might have pulled an epic gamer move, and no, this is not an April fool's joke again. Coca-Cola has come up with a pixel-flavored drink called Coca-Cola Byte. It's part of their Creations project lineup and is clearly inspired by all things retro, given its sweet vaporwave aesthetic. Now, if only we could get the weekend to promote it, we could come full retro circle. 

This, of course, isn't the first time Coca-Cola brought us something out of this world. Coke Starlight was their first release in the Creations collection and gave us a taste of space. And I guess that's what people mean when they sort of kind of want to break up, but not really. But moving on, according to their website, Coca-Cola Byte’s bright, upfront taste is reminiscent of powering up a game. And its refreshing finish makes for a perfect gaming companion. Well, whatever that kind of flavor profile is, I‘m so intrigued.  The drink won't be available worldwide until early May, but you'll be seeing a lot of their promotional material in Fortnite. So, from a Coke Byte island to different mini-games and challenges, the hype is real, so we're hoping that the pixel flavor will pack a punch. 

Well, that's our news for the week, but we'll be back again from the archives to feed your retro cravings. This has been Weekly Gaming News, join our Discord and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more!

We're kicking off December with another trio of games to get on your radar.

Let's talk about friendship and trust and then go the complete opposite direction. Think along the lines of Among Us or the card game Killer at a Cabin and voila we have our first game Killer in the Cabin. This game foregoes the cute and colorful look and opts for something more relatable and realistic. You play as a group of survivors from a bus crash in some mountains and the objective is to survive all the days that you'll be waiting for help and rescue to arrive. Of course this would mean having to work together sourcing water, gathering food and finding shelter. This sounds all good and in the name of friendship right, wrong. It's good for those of you who aren't trying to kill everyone else unfortunately one of you definitely is. As a survivor your goal is to live on and also try to keep as many people alive as possible until help arrives. As the killer well the objective is pretty much given but you'll have a range of different options to terminate other Players these include the ability to poison, strangle a sleeping player, or the option to not help when gathering materials so yeah good luck making friends. 

I'm super charged up to tell you more about this next game. It'll bring you back to simpler times when you used to play with action figures, a whole battalion of soldiers fighting off a completely different set of toys like dinosaurs or elves or beyblades. This one is called Hypercharge: Unboxed. Here you'll be controlling a small soldier by the name of Sergeant Max Ammo. The mission is to prevent hypercore from being destroyed if it gets wiped out you will have to say goodbye to your human friends they won't remember you and it'll be as if you never existed. You'll need to protect different stations against a swarm of evil toys aiming to take them out and looking to destroy you as well. Hypercharge is a classic style third and first person shooter inspired by Toy Story and small soldiers focusing on wave-based shooting with defense building mechanics. Features include single-player, Co-op and plastic versus plastic progression, big weapons and wave-based hybrid. Every level that you complete unlocks new items to use. Available on Windows PC and Nintendo Switch. 

Completing our trio for today is a sandbox combat called Super Punchy Face. It's a roguelite beat'em up where literally everything is a weapon. Do whatever it takes to win against equally capable opponents in levels that are different every time. Between each fight you could choose from a random selection of techniques to perfect your style so kind of like the Matrix. You'll be breaking everything you touch either by hitting someone with it or by hitting it with someone. Again everything is a weapon: bean bag chairs, ping pong paddles, mop buckets, you name it. What's so special about this sandbox combat is, there's no magic, no guns, no swords and no killing. It's about taking advantage of everyday objects around you to survive. Well, try them out and tell us what you think. 

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