Axiom Verge

Now that the glorious Steam Summer Sale is over, and I've has some time to actually play (some of) the games that made their way into my library (thanks to friends and devs alike), I'd like to tell you about Axiom Verge, by Thomas Happ.

I grew up with Metroid. Exploration, occasional glitches, interesting enemies, and an amazing soundtrack all converged to create an atmosphere that had me exploring every nook of the map, testing things, and racking up dozens (if not, hundreds) of hours of gameplay.

Axiom Verge recreates that atmosphere on a level I've not seen from other "Metroid-like" games. Even at full price, this gem is definitely worth every penny. Here's some gameplay of my time exploring and making it up to the first boss (or miniboss, I can't tell yet).

Lords of Xulilma

Lords of Xulima is a new indie game from Numantian Games, which embraces the classic gameplay style of Baldur's Gate, with a little bit of Wizardry-esque turn-based combat. The premise of the game game is that you are the one chosen by the gods to restore balance to the world.

Lords of Xulima has the isometric view we've come to enjoy from the genre. Combat is easy to grasp, you can harvest things for crafting, and there is an in-game journal to keep track of your quests (and there is a LOT to do in the game).The voice acting is great, there's crafting, and you can save the game pretty much anywhere (which is great for people who have real-world responsibilities and can't devote hours upon hours to each gaming session). You also have to keep track of the food your party is carrying - which I think is a neat mechanic for games of this nature.

In the past few months alone, we've seen fantastic RPGs like Divinity: Original Sin and Wasteland 2 hit the market, along with revamped classics like Icewind Dale and the Baldur's Gate franchise. In a world of first-person shooters and sidecrollers (both of which I enjoy wholeheartedly), it's great to see some developers keeping the classic RPG genre alive and fresh with games like Lords of Xulima. Do yourselves a favor and check it out today!