"What to Play on the Weekend" is a weekly game recommendation from the Touch editors. At the end of each week, we will each recommend a new game of the week (and occasionally an old game), whether it is a PC or console game, or a mobile game, for everyone to refer to and choose from, or it may be a group review of a popular or distinctive game, providing readers with multiple perspectives on a game.
When you're out of bed on the weekend and don't decide what to do next, let's see if there's anything you're interested in in our selection, and welcome readers and developers to ask us for coverage.
祝思齐：《Through the Morning Light》 （itch.io）
Keywords: RPG Maker, pixel art, narrative
One sentence recommendation: a sad song on the overhead battlefield.
Through the Morning Light is an indie game with a quirky style. The player takes on the role of a tired chief of staff who is surrounded by a colleague who is sad and sees many things as a bad omen. During wartime, he needs to report to the General, and will also encounter NPCs working on different jobs in the chalkfield. Everyone seems to be stuck in a strange mood and situation.
The game's black-and-white art style is very expressive
There is a peculiar creature "blind writing" in the game's worldview. According to the author, in a world of constant war, the dead will become trees, and those who cannot grow into trees will become blind – a phenomenon that often happens on the battlefield – and they will be resurrected and lured away from the battlefield with them to unknown places.
People in war are always in a state of fantasy and pain
The game's art style and copy work together to create an atmosphere of confusion and melancholy. In the first chapter demo announced, the Chief of Staff always seems to be walking on the edge of hallucinations and dreams. Talking to different NPCs will give you all sorts of strange items with mysterious descriptions, and when they try to rest (or simply get tired), they will fall into an inexplicable illusion. In the fantasy, there are not only all kinds of misery and death on the battlefield, but also inexplicable imagery: white horses, black horses, vultures, the sea...... And following these things can lead to unpredictable ends.
The space in the dream is very eerie
There are often images that are difficult to understand at first glance, but they can be very emotional
At present, the demo seems to have 5 endings, and there are a lot of collectible items involved. The game is free to download and play on itch.io, and the developer has also provided a guide for you. Players who like this style of narrative game can try it.
熊冬东：《荒野军团》 （Steam）
关键词：弹幕射击、塔防、Roguelike
One sentence recommendation: a roguelike masterpiece that integrates tower defense gameplay.
Wilderness Legion is a roguelike game that combines tower defense, collecting, and action. Different from the regular survivor-like gameplay, the game also incorporates tower defense elements, giving players more choice.
In Wilderness Legion, players chop down trees and kill enemies during the day, collect supplies, and use them to buy and upgrade weapons, build towers around the base, and build defensive positions. At night, the base becomes attackable, and enemies will target the base as their primary target. How to use gold and wood resources to build a build on the premise of taking into account tower defense is the essence of this roguelike gameplay.
Towers will also be attacked, and the player will need to repair them in a timely manner
The build genre in the game is more complex, and it will take a while for newbies to get used to it. Players can choose from 4 different options when leveling up, such as weapons, buffs, equipment, etc., and the weapon will become a "super weapon" when it reaches the maximum level when it has the corresponding buff, which will produce powerful effects. Outside of the game, players can also level up with the stones rewarded by the battle, allowing the character to gain additional attributes after the start.
Options screen at the time of upgrade
Bring critters roaming around the map back to the base, and the player will gain additional effects
The Red Legion will launch on January 26, 2024, and is currently available on Steam. If you're interested in roguelike games, give them a try.
(The game code is provided by the publisher Erabit.) ）
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Wang Linqian: "Ghost Town Girl" (multi-platform)
Keywords: hand-drawn style, visual novel, dystopia
One sentence recommendation: absurd, warm, and happy radio wave stories.
Ghostpia is a Japanese-style visual novel. It is worth mentioning that this work has a long crowdfunding and production process, after launching Chapter 1 in 2014, it was updated to Chapter 4 in 2018 at the rate of 1 chapter a year, and decided to port to Switch, and then it was not until the summer of 2023 that the first season was officially completed (a total of 5 chapters), put on Steam, and completed the sinicization in November. Judging by the end of Season 1, there will be more episodes in the next Season 2.
Players can learn more about the background setting, related stories, and support them through the official website of the production team
Compared to a standard AVG, "Ghost Town Girl" is more like the production team described in the synopsis, "a visual film with a lot of personality". The game is deliberately set up with a screen like an old monitor, noise effects, and the characters' vocalizations are also sizzling electric sounds. Each chapter begins and ends with a short but well-made OP and ED, which doesn't require the player to make any choices, just silently clicking and watching the protagonists' actions and the story unfold - from a personal experience, it may also be better to turn on the automatic mode and hang around like a movie.
Noise and snowflakes like old monitors
In terms of content, this work has a variety of characters and settings, a large number of psychological descriptions, and an absurd, dystopian but cheerful and warm plot. From the perspective of the protagonist Sayoko, those sensitive, dark, and subtle feelings, in the context of Ghost Town, inevitably make people feel that everything is cold and steely, but at the same time, because it adds a lot of warm and bright daily content of the girls, and carries out a lot of nonsensical plot development, so that this work has a very unique flavor. Without going into too many spoilers here, anyway, if you're a patient and airwave player, you'll love it.
The sinicization of the game is also very good.,According to the translator,,There are a lot of translations that are finalized under the direct communication of the author.
Beautiful and warm snowy nights
The art style of the game is very distinctive, like a picture book, the colors are bright, the lines are beautiful, and the storyboard and voiceover are also properly controlled, giving people a very smooth and vivid experience. However, there are a lot of violent and bloody pictures in the game, although they are also quite beautiful, but some of the plots of the supporting actress Clara are indeed a little excessive, and many players complain about the "bad taste" of the production team...... If you don't mind this, you can consider understanding it in advance.
The game will be released on Steam on August 22, 2023, the whole process will take about 7 hours, the price is 76 yuan, and it supports the NS platform.
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王永昂:《梦中影》(Steam)
Keywords: pixel art, puzzle solving, horror
One sentence recommendation: A psychological horror game with a slightly weird painting style.
Afterdream is a single-player game developed by Finnish independent producer Jesse Makkonen. The game tells the story of a little girl in search of the truth in a dream, and the developers seem to be trying to make the player think more about human nature beyond the experience.
It's a bit weird in the art style
Jesse Makkonen's work has always been confronted with human nature. The previous work "Distraint" tells the personal growth story of a newcomer in the workplace, in the face of a harsh working environment, the protagonist has experienced a psychological journey of fearlessness, struggle, reflection, and determination to change.
In terms of picture performance, "Shadow in a Dream" continues the style of "Seizure", and the overall atmosphere is weird. In terms of gameplay, "Dream Shadow" has added the camera as a prop, which adds a lot of fun to the game. Overall, the game offers a great sense of immersion, but sometimes the sudden change in the background music can be terrifying.
If it's a warrior, put on headphones and play
"Dream Shadow" will be on Steam on September 28, 2023, priced at 42 yuan, and interested friends can get it.
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彭楚微：《漂移大陆：魔法复兴》 (Steam)
Keywords: strategy, simulation, real-time strategy
One word recommendation: compete for the sky island and build the sky kingdom!
Driftland: The Magic Revival is a real-time strategy game with elements of God simulation. The game is set in a fragmented world: a brutal war between ancient magicians has lifted entire continents into the air, sustained only by a powerful spell. Faced with a civilization destroyed by the war and a variety of life on the planets of the Drifting Continent, the two opposing factions decided to make a truce in order to repair everything destroyed by the war - they used their last remaining magic to cast a spell on the planet to keep the world in a relatively balanced state. Many dark centuries have passed, and once again there is a glimmer of hope on the continent: a new source of magic has been found, and a new mage has been born. Players will decide the fate of the Drift Continent – to return to its former glory or to disappear into the vast universe.
The game is set on a floating continent
In the game, players take on the role of a mage lord with their own castle, tower, and tiny territory. Explore and connect floating plots in procedurally generated worlds with magical mechanics to expand your kingdom. The gameplay is generally a simulation of the management genre, a bit like the "Worker Talk" series, but the resource collection is not so hardcore, and most of the time, you don't feel too lacking in some kind of resource.
In contrast, the combat part of the game is relatively simple, and the player can choose to control the units or choose to let the units move freely. But because the game doesn't have a "Hit &Run" setting, the two are actually pretty much the same.
The game's resources and research system are relatively simple
"Drifting Continent: Magical Revival" is currently priced at 70 yuan on the Steam store. Overall, it's a more casual business simulation game with a novel setting and simple combat parts, but it also adds a touch of flavor to the game. It is worth mentioning that the game can be played online, and it is recommended to play a few games with friends on the weekend.
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