VANCOUVER – Oct. 11, 2019 – SkyBox Labs, co-developer of Halo Infinite, have released Stela on Apple Arcade. The cinematic platformer following a young woman in the last days of a mysterious ancient world comes to Xbox One on Oct. 17 and PC in early 2020.
Guide the sole survivor of the dying planet across ruined landscapes populated by ravenous creatures. Explore the remnants of civilization and solve puzzles which focus on scale in colossal environments.
Sneak past strange entities to complete puzzles before deftly escaping their clutches for good. Navigate once-thriving regions, uncovering their secrets while seeking new paths toward potential salvation in a monastery atop a snow-capped mountain.
From an abandoned farm to misty forests, fiery wastes, and mysterious monuments, Stela’s landscapes evoke a constant struggle against a once beautiful but now dangerous world.
Each area is handcrafted with muted aesthetics and employs massive scale to reinforce the foreboding atmosphere of the world and create a cinematic experience. The narrative unravels through interaction with the environments, all set to an ambient soundtrack from Wandersong and Rogue Legacy audio veterans A Shell in the Pit.
“Our focus on creating an in-depth narrative with no dialogue and minimalist controls has created an accessible experience that still carries great emotional weight sure to delight our fellow fans of cinematic platformers,” said Shyang Kong, co-founder, SkyBox Labs. “Apple Arcade is the perfect platform for Stela, putting our tale of a young woman’s journey in the hands of fellow travelers.”
Stela is available now on Apple Arcade devices for all subscribers and will be $19.99 USD on Xbox One.
For more information, please visit the Stela website or follow the studio on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
October 11, 2019 – Just moments ago, Star Citizen launched Alpha 3.7, dubbed “Into The Depths.” Alpha 3.7’s main features surrounds the addition of caves, on-foot mining, personal inventories, mission sharing and player interdiction, these features combine to create a full game loop that encourages players to team up, find caves to mine resources and then transport them safely while maneuvering around a new ship, the RSI Mantis, that can pull players out of quantum travel who might be unsuspectingly on their way to sell the fruits of their hard-earned resources.
While caves, mining and its associated game loop are the centerpiece of Alpha 3.7, we’ve also added numerous features and quality of life upgrades, including a new “Pirate Swarm” game mode in Arena Commander, improvements to our character customizer and NPC combat AI both on foot and in ships, new weapon attachments for players looking to refine their loadout, and more.
Warsaw, Poland – Oct. 11th, 2019 — 11 bit studios proudly announce their best-selling, award-winning PC hit, Frostpunk, is out now as the Frostpunk: Console Edition on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. A well-weighed mix of post-apocalyptic survival, city-builder, and society simulation, the console edition was rebuilt from the ground up setting the new benchmark for strategy on consoles.
Frostpunk: Console Edition is available today on Microsoft and Sony digital stores for $29.99, and at retail for $34.99. Thanks to a partnership with Merge Games Ltd, the Signature Edition for collectors launches at $44.99 featuring a beautiful art book, CD soundtrack, enamel pins and more.
Frostpunk puts the player in the role of a 19th-century leader of what is possibly the last community on Earth, living in the last city still standing. Ruling the city’s population, maintaining and building up its infrastructure, and developing steam-powered technologies to survive an apocalyptic winter are tasks not easily accomplished.
A strategy game at heart — a genre often relegated only to PC players — 11 bit studios aimed to create a strategic experience that plays naturally on a controller while still being engaging and thrilling. The team’s ambitious goal was to set a new benchmark for strategy games on consoles and they’re confident that’s exactly the goal they achieved.
OSLO, Norway – Oct 10th, 2019 – Halloween is going to become extra dark and terrifying this year, as publisher Funcom and developer Rock Pocket Games are thrilled to announce that Moons of Madness will launch on PC on October 22nd, 2019. Release date on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One is set to January 21st, 2020.
Having already been labeled as “one of the scariest looking games we’ve ever seen” by IGN, cosmic horror game Moons of Madness is bound to bring a chill down the spine of even the toughest horror game fan. You play as Shane Newehart, chief engineer on a research facility on Mars, 140 million miles away from the nearest police station. So, when things start going wrong, you are pretty much on your own. And things will go wrong.
“We wanted to make a game that combines Lovecraftian elements and Mars exploration,” explains Rock Pocket Games CEO Ivan Moen. “And central to a good Lovecraft experience is the battle that goes on in your own mind. You will face external threats, sure, but having to face your inner demons at the same time is what makes this truly terrifying.”
Moons of Madness is set in the same thematic universe as Funcom’s The Secret World, where conspiracies and dark secrets are commonplace. And although The Secret World-players will recognize certain names and themes, playing one is by no means a prerequisite to enjoy the other.
The game will be available on Steam October 22nd for $24.99/€24.99 (pricing may differ across territories).
The 2019 Los Angeles Haunted Hayride brings with it a new production company as well as design firm. Will these changes be enough to raise the hayride up from the slump it has been in the past few years? In many ways, yes. However, there are still several, some serious, issues that the LA Haunted Hayride must address in order to keep in the haunt community’s good graces.
The biggest change to the LA Haunted Hayride in 2019 is that “The In-Between” midway area has been completely overhauled, becoming the fictional town of Midnight Falls. Set in the 1980’s, Midnight Falls is putting on a Halloween carnival and its residents are roaming the grounds. These residents, in a Ghost Town Alive style, are not really scaring anyone. They certainly interact with guests, giving lore about the town and other residents, and generally entertain. But this is a mixed bag as, on one hand, the interaction is fun! On the other hand, there is a distinct lack of scaring going on in Midnight Falls. They need some residents that solely scare guests. The Scary-Go-Round, a skeleton Merry-Go-Round ride, is on the premises but not functioning for some reason. This was a sorely missed aspect of past hayrides. They need to bring this attraction back in order to help sop up some of the crowds. There is a stage setup where, on our visit, Monte Ravolta performed, and there may be other acts throughout the run – I can’t speak to that.
The food offerings of the 2019 Los Angeles Haunted Hayride have improved, with plenty of meat and vegan based options at a new food tent. Also on-site during my visit was Auntie Anne’s pretzel truck and a cinnamon roasted nuts kiosk. Something I did miss was more of the Halloween-oriented fare like caramel apples and pumpkin spice flavored options. It would be nice to have some more sweets on the menu. While past LA Haunted Hayrides didn’t do the main dishes very well, they did have the sweets.
Of course, we need to discuss the hayride itself. Unfortunately, this year’s hayride is really spotty in terms of quality and narrative. In past years, the hay wagon would briefly stop at each vignette, allowing guests to take in the scene. This year, the hay wagons just kept driving – which wouldn’t be an issue if the scenes were engaging enough to make a positive impression. There are only a few scenes that make sense in the overall theme of Midnight Falls. There are also large areas without any decorations or monsters where there should be. In fact, it seemed like the hayride monster cast was a fraction of its former number.
As a whole, the various mazes of the LA Haunted Hayride have definitely gotten better this year. The Darkness is now a more traditional haunted house experience called Roadkill Ranch and Trick or Treat is back with some houses giving out candy again (which is the way it should be) – just remember to say “Trick or treat!”. Midnight Mortuary is a new haunted house for the LA Haunted Hayride and was built, in part, with help from some of the folks from Sinister Pointe. It is a great haunted house and features various, fun, physical elements as well – things like crawling through passageways, etc.
The night we attended was severely overcrowded. Guests waited for hours…. Some just trying to get through the security checkpoint at the entrance of the LA Haunted Hayride and others mired down in the line for the hayride ride itself (even the VIP line was long). The maze lines were practically nonexistent and there was barely any wait for the food options. If you are not going to purchase a platinum pass (which is very pricey for what you’re getting access to), I suggest getting to the site at least an hour early to line up. Then, once you get inside, go immediately to the hayride attraction and ride it. After that, you should have smooth sailing as you enjoy the mazes, food, and shows.
Overall, the 2019 Los Angeles Haunted Hayride feels like a beast in transition, trying to throw off the shackles which weighed it down in previous years while not quite being able to achieve its sky-high goals. There are several ticket options available to attendees – from hayride-only passes at $35 dollars all the way up to the platinum pass for about $110 dollars. General Admission is $45 dollars and I can definitely see paying that for the event. Despite its shortcomings, there are fun and scares to be had within its mazes and Midnight Falls area. This year’s hayride is not worth the platinum level pass unless you have plenty of money to burn. For $110 dollars, you can pay for two Knott’s Scary Farm tickets (with money left for parking and food) or one Halloween Horror Nights general admission ticket.
October 10, 2019 – Hosted by Gaten Matarazzo (Stranger Things), each episode of this terrifying and hilarious prank show takes two complete strangers on the surprise ride of a lifetime. It’s business as usual until their paths collide and their one-day assignments turn into supernatural surprises. Where fear meets funny, Prank Encounters is the most elaborate hidden camera prank show ever devised.
PARIS – Oct. 9, 2019 – Indie publishing label The Arcade Crew and developer Hibernian Workshop today announced Dark Devotion will beckon PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch owners into its mysterious, labyrinth-like temple on Oct. 24. The date was revealed within a new gameplay trailer showcasing the game’s haunting, intricately detailed world and its tortured inhabitants:
Dark Devotion’s merciless atmosphere keeps the tension ramped up throughout its sidescrolling action RPG-style adventure, as the grim foes prowling its crumbling temple have unraveled trying to please the same insatiable God you are. A keen eye and infallible guard are key while exploring these arresting ruins, as snagging loot, dodging traps, and reading enemy attacks are the only way you’ll endure the challenges ahead.
A wealth of equippable gear, versatile items, and branching pathways cement player choice as a pillar within Dark Devotion’s hellish gauntlet, encouraging extensive experimentation with how to slay the brutes in your way. This journey to empower your modest faith holds nothing back in its test of your skills and determination, and with 18 distinctly deadly bosses lurking in the chambers ahead, you’d be well served by saying a prayer.
“Being able to introduce Dark Devotion to RPG fans across both PC and soon consoles has been nothing short of a dream come true for us,” said Louis Denizet, head programmer and CEO at Hibernian Workshop. “We’re so grateful to our passionate community for sticking by us through development and embracing our debut effort so warmly, and we’re eager to see how the new console players fare on their journey to prove their faith.”
October 9, 2019 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and NetherRealm Studios will be offering a Free Trial Weekend for Mortal Kombat 11 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One from Oct. 11-14. With new downloadable content (DLC) fighters and various updates available, this is the perfect time to jump into Mortal Kombat 11, the No. 1 selling console game in the U.S. year-to-date*.
During the Mortal Kombat 11 Free Trial Weekend, players will have access to the following content:
All multiplayer game modes
First two chapters of the cinematic Story mode
Full base game roster of iconic characters
Preview of recently added Kombat Pack fighters within the Towers of Time mode, including the Terminator T-800 from the upcoming Skydance and Paramount Pictures film, “Terminator: Dark Fate,” along with Nightwolf and Shang Tsung
Please note, a PlayStation Plus subscription or Xbox Live Gold membership is required to participate in online multiplayer matches during the Free Trial Weekend. These subscriptions are not required to download the trial or enjoy single player content. Player progress will also carry over to the full game, if purchased, and as an added bonus, all versions of Mortal Kombat 11 will be 40 percent off in the PlayStation Store and the Xbox Marketplace during the Free Trial window, including the Standard Edition, Premium Edition and standalone Kombat Pack.
October 9, 2019 – Universal Studios’ “Halloween Horror Nights” is the ultimate Halloween event. For more than 25 years, guests from around the world have visited “Halloween Horror Nights” to become victims inside their own horror film. Multiple movie-quality mazes based on iconic horror television shows, films and original stories come to life season after season. And, the streets of each park’s event are transformed into highly-themed scare zones where menacing scare-actors lunge from every darkened corner.
“Halloween Horror Nights” runs on select nights through Saturday, November 2 in Orlando and select nights through Sunday, November 3 in Hollywood. For more information about “Halloween Horror Nights” at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort, visit www.HalloweenHorrorNights.com.
October 8, 2019 – Outer Wilds, the critically acclaimed open world mystery about a solar system trapped in an endless time loop, will be coming PlayStation 4 on Tuesday, October 15. Developed by LA-based studio Mobius Digital in partnership with publisher Annapurna Interactive, Outer Wilds is a first-person space simulator game that rewards players’ curiosity. Originally released on Xbox One and PC, the game will be available on PlayStation 4 for $24.99.
Winner of the Seamus McNally Grand Prize and Excellence in Design awards at the 2015 Independent Games Festival, Outer Wilds features planets packed with hidden locations that change with the passage of time. Explorers can visit an underground city before it’s swallowed by sand, or explore the surface of a planet as it crumbles beneath their feet. Players also have access to a variety of unique gadgets that help them probe their surroundings, track down mysterious signals, decipher ancient alien writing, and roast the perfect marshmallow.
