Watch your Back: Week January 9 to 15 - part 1
After the short hiatus that preceded Christmas, crowdfunding platforms will once again be flooded with new releases. At least 6 soloable games are planned to launch on January 11, so let's roll up our sleeves and take a look at the first 3.
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Hostage Negotiator reskin Final Girl is coming back with Season 2. The real horror here is that the individually packaged episodes are going to eat up even more space in people's Kallaxes. 5 new feature films have been revealed: Into the Void is inspired by the Alien franchise and pits you and the crew of USCSS PATNA against the Necromorph hiding in the ventilation shafts. Terror at Station 2891 is based on The Thing, and takes place in an arctic research station where not only do you have to face the Organism but also your own colleagues.
A Knock at the Door is referencing home invasion movies: a group of youngsters is having a party at the secluded Wingard Cottage when suddenly someone knocks at door... and they haven't been invited. Once Upon a Full Moon is based on the Little Red Riding Hood fairytale and challenges you to cross the woods and meet grandma. Finally, in Madness in the Dark the Ratchet Lady is wreaking havoc inside a mental asylum, turning the residents into maniacs.
Season 1 episodes will also be available to order in the Kickstarter campaign, along with two vehicle miniature packs, one for each season.
Personal opinion: Much as I like the theme of the reskin, I didn't enjoy Hostage Negotiator, so there is no temptation for me here. I only played HN once and immediately wanted to pass it on, even though I could see that the game is not as random as it first seems. That's fine though, as I loathe shelf hogs anyway. That said, fans are spoiled for choice with so many different episodes, and it looks like a great product overall.
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Skytear Horde is a 1-2 player tower defense game that can be played solo, co-op or competitively. You first choose a castle and a hero, and start with a pre-made alliance deck. Waves of monsters will hit your castle walls every turn, so you have to carefully deploy your forces to deter them. Enemies may force you to discard cards which means losing your resources. If you manage to defeat the attackers, the Outsider boss will show up for the final confrontation.
The Kickstarter preview states that the game was designed with true solo in mind, so you won't have to play 2-handed. If you go for the Deluxe edition, you also receive a neoprene playmat.
Personal opinion: this is something I would buy in retail if I aimlessly wandered through my local game store and didn't want to leave empty-handed. It looks like a decent game but doesn't excite me as much as to back it.
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Sauria is a 1-5 player competitive dice rolling game in which you are a guest/staff in a dinosaur park trying to escape the eruption of a volcano and the dinos themselves. Each character in the game has a secret agenda, and the winner is the player who manages to leave the island unscathed and also has the most victory points.
You will be exploring the park hex tiles gathering tools and weapons. As you move around you will be making noise, however, which attracts the attention of the dinosaurs. If any approach you, you may have to fight. At mid-game, the volcano begins to erupt which means everyone has to rush.
Personal opinion: the usual annoyance of a game that has a solo mode but the creators never mention it until it launches. If they can't be bothered, why should we.
Skytear Horde seems promising.. I'll watch it. True Solo is always awesome. And some cards look really good.
I have all of HN, but missed the original FG kickstarter through indolence. It looks pretty good… but since Van Ryder has got into NFTs, I can't in conscience buy from them anyway.
Just activated notify on launch for Skytear Horde, looks indeed promising. Final Girl is still fully shrink wrapped waiting for a first play....and I do like Hostage Negotiator, although it can be very frustrating the first couple of times you play the game as it is tempting to go for a 'push your luck'-strategy...and that's simply not working, unless you are really lucky with you rolls...once you get it it is fun, but due to randomness a win is never guaranteed.
I never played Hostage Negotiator and Final Girl didn’t appeal to me at first (even with all the rave reviews). But, now with the Alien, Thing and Red Riding Hood themes it looks kind of cool. Skytear Horde looks interesting and I like it’s focus on a true solo mode. I like how you added your personal opinions on each product!