Schooling of the world

A few years ago, I had some time to kill in Huddersfield and decided to check for any interesting books in the Oxfam shop. I'd never seen a copy of Granta before nor hunted one down, presuming my intelligence was below its target readership and assumed my pretentiousness lay elsewhere. (Spoiler: despite ongoing questions regarding my intelligence, it didn't.) But here it was, an issue dedicated to the best young American writers. It included a short story by Karan Mahajan called The Anthology . I'd previously read his second novel, The Association of Small Bombs, and the queasy, uncertain feelings it gave me were reason enough to make me a fan. The Anthology brought out a similarly uneasy reaction in me, as it's another dark story, one about the aftermath of a bombing and it begins in Delhi in 2000 at a literary event. It's a world away from video games, but Mahajan's focus on politics and world-building felt relevant to the spaces where games often find themselves these days. … [Read more...] about Letting your mind go in dense, dark worlds: an interview with author Karan Mahajan

Developer Flight School Studio and publisher MWM Interactive released a trailer with new story and world details for its upcoming game, Stonefly . The "magical adventure game set in a tiny forest" features "a brilliant, optimistic, but naive young inventor" protagonist named Annika Stonefly. On the overall feeling of the game, creative director Adam Volker commented in the trailer, "We're going for something that feels like Rogue One shrunk down to FernGully size, written as a coming-of-age story." The events of the story kick off when Annika loses her dad's rig--the game's version of mechs--after taking it out for a ride. She joins a trio called the Acorn Corps in order to track down the thieves who stole her dad's rig and in the process of doing so, discovers new things about herself and the world around her. The Acorn Corps, a ragtag group with a currently unknown modus operandi, is led by "no-nonsense captain" Blair Ravenwood. She has a "chip on her shoulder and something … [Read more...] about New Stonefly Trailer Shows Story Behind Its Insect Mech World

Evil Genius comes from the golden era of PC management and god games, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Theme Hospital and Dungeon Keeper 2 to offer imaginative base-building with a distinctive art style and a ton of personality. Set in a vibrant sixties spy-thriller world, Evil Genius was filled with the kind of comical villains that would give Dr Evil a run for his one million dollars. Now, Evil Genius 2: World Domination brings the series back to the global stage, offering four geniuses to control. There are old faces and new, each with their own vision for taking over the world and unique abilities to aid their mission. Here’s a little meet-and-greet of the four titular geniuses. Maximilian The face of the series (and rightfully so, he’d tell you). Maximilian fuses the venerable Bond-villainy of Blofeld, the ambition and short-man complex of Napoleon Bonaparte, and an ageing English bulldog (though you wouldn’t guess that from how fast the guy moves). Bullied throughout … [Read more...] about Meet the four geniuses of Evil Genius 2: World Domination

Nintendo has unleashed another of its indie-focussed showcases, firing out more announcements of games heading to Switch in the coming months. And in case you missed the livestream - or have an exceptionally short memory - here's everything it contained. Digixart - the developer behind acclaimed World War 1 narrative adventure 11-11: Memories Retold is bringing its striking procedural road trip adventure, Road 96 , to Switch later this year. Aerial_Knight's Never Yield is parkour-infused 3D runner set in a eye-catching, futuristic Tokyo - and to a "dope-tastic" soundtrack by Detroit artist Danime-Sama - that's heading to Switch on 19th May, with an eShop demo right now. The ever-reliable Annapurna Interactive has two titles coming to Switch. Virginia developer Variable State's Last Stop - which features three intertwined, supernaturally hued stories in one - comes to the console in July, while Joel MacDonald's Hindsight , spanning the entirety of a woman's life from birth … [Read more...] about Here’s everything announced in Nintendo’s Indie World showcase

Today's Nintendo Indie World livestream wasn't the longest showcase the company has ever put forward, but it was packed full of announcements. The headline reveal was arguably Oxenfree 2, but beyond that there were plenty of other upcoming indie games shown off for your Switch. Whether you missed the livestream or just want to catch up on all of the announcements, here's everything that was shown off: Road 96 , a procedural narrative game inspired by 90s road movies where each story is unique, launching later this year. Never Yield , a 3D free-running adventure game set to a funky jazz-inspired soundtrack set in a futuristic version of Detroit. It'll be available on May 19, with a demo available later today. Last Stop , a game made up of three entangled stories all contributing to the same overarching story coming July 2021, and the emotional narrative of Hindsight , which launches later this year, both come from Annapurna Interactive. OlliOlli World , a … [Read more...] about Everything announced during today’s Nintendo Indie World showcase