Here’s a new thread for the ID@Xbox titles and releases.
Vaccine - Release Date: Tuesday, February 21st
Inspired by 90s survival horror titles, Vaccine is a blast from the past. Two members of a Bio-hazard response team are trapped in a house occupied by mutated creatures, and they’re not friendly. One of your team has been infected by a deadly virus and you need to find a vaccine. If you manage to find the vaccine and uncover the mysteries of the house, all of you will survive. If you find a vaccine but the house is still a mystery, your friend will relapse and you will have to find another vaccine. However, this time the layout of the house is different.
Shift Happens - Release Date: Wednesday, February 22nd
Shift Happens is a celebration of couch co-op. Each player can control either Bismo or Plom, two characters who were connected after an accident. Together they share a common mass that can be shifted at any time to change size and strength. Using this mechanic, players must conquer over 40 levels filled with puzzles and obstacles. If you fancy a challenge, there are additional objectives, secret areas and arena-based levels. Don’t worry if you don’t have a friend though; there’s a single player campaign too.
Zombie Vikings - Release Date: Wednesday, February 22nd
The Zombie Vikings are on a mission — they must recover Odin’s lost eye. To do this, Gunborg, Seagurd, Hedgy and Caw-kaa must travel across “the most epic of worlds”. Hack and wade through the gingerbread swamps of Molgaga and cruise through the intestines of the feared Midgaard Serpent. They’ll even need to defeat giant poultry. The Xbox One version of the title comes with the Raybjörn and Frostbjörn character DLCs, five extra levels, a cameo appearance from Psychonauts’ Raz and a behind the scenes video.
Bokosuka Wars II - Release Date: Friday, February 24th
Back in 1983, Bokosuka Wars was released on the SHARP X1. Originally considered to be a role-playing game, the title later earned a reputation as a simulation RPG because of its strategic gameplay. 33 years later, the sequel was released in Japan and this week marks the game’s debut in North America and Europe. While the charm of the original title is still present, players get to try out a third kingdom, dynamic stages, a new character, two-player gameplay, new graphics and other improvements.
Chime Sharp - Release Date: Friday, February 24th
Chime gained a great reputation upon its release in 2010 as a game whose profits went to the charity OneBigGame as well as being a competent puzzle title. Now its sequel is being released on the Xbox One, although the franchise no longer has charitable links. Players must tessellate shapes to cover the puzzle grid. A pulsing beatline reads the shapes as notes meaning that players can create a musical masterpiece of their own. Developer Chilled Mouse tells players to “consider what it might feel like to cross Tetris, a music sequencer and a hypnotic dream about your favourite pop song”.
forma.8 - Release Date: Friday, February 24th
Players may already be familiar with developer MixedBag if they have ever played the Playstation title Futuridium EP Deluxe. The Metroidvania style forma.8 is the follow-up title to the aforementioned game. Players assume the role of a small exploration probe, forma.8. Separated from his companions after an accident, he is stranded on the surface of an alien planet. His only hope for survival is to recover a powerful energy source that can be found deep under the planet’s surface. The only problem is that he faces ancient civilisations, dystopian visions and a great amount of danger, especially when nothing is as it seems.
A Pixel Story - Release Date: Friday, February 24th
A prototype of A Pixel Story was originally developed in just 9 weeks for game development competition Dare to be Digital. The final product took five university graduates another 2.5 years to finish. Drawing inspiration from platformers and puzzle titles, you’ll see a mix of old-school and influences from more recent years. Players need to save the world and they’ll do this by leaving the safety of your bedroom and travelling to the core of a giant computer system. Using a unique magical hat, players can choose their own teleportation points simply by leaving the hat in the desired location. Once you’ve conquered the story, there are even more challenge rooms with which the more hardcore gamers can challenge themselves.
Riptide GP: Renegade - Release Date: Friday, February 24th
The Riptide franchise has been around for a while, but Riptide GP Renegade is the first of these titles to be purposely built for modern consoles. Yet again, players enter the world of illicit hydro jet racing. Futuristic armoured riders perform death-defying stunts as they race for first place across surging waves and down rather large waterfalls. There’s also the cops to contend with. Being built for consoles, players can reap the benefits of a “deep” career mode, as well as splitscreen and online multiplayer.
Trulon: The Shadow Engine - Release Date: Friday, February 24th
Trulon tells players a story that’s based on a novel from Jak Koke (Shadowrun trilogy, The Dragon Heart Saga). Combining adventure RPG gameplay elements with a card combat system, players take on a quest in a steampunk world full of magic. Gladia is a monster huntress who is tasked with finding a cure for a disease that is spreading rapidly across the world of Tripudia.
Warhammer Quest - Release Date: Friday, February 24th
Contrary to public belief, tabletop games are gaining in popularity. This seems like a perfect opportunity for Warhammer to storm a different type of gaming, and Games Workshop is seizing this opportunity with both hands. The third Warhammer title to be published in four months, the turn based strategy title puts players in charge of a team of heroes that must find hidden dungeons situated along the borders of the Empire. Will you find wealth and glory, becoming a Hero of Legend?
We Are The Dwarves - Release Date: Friday, February 24th
This “action-based tactical adventure” puts players in charge of a trio of Dwarven astronauts. The Dwarven Stars are dying and the race is rapidly facing extinction. If a new star is not found in the depths of the Endless Stone, the future is not worth thinking about. Forcer, Smashfist, and Shadow must explore the stone universe, encountering new civilizations… and ancient monsters. To help with this journey, players can use the game’s active pause mechanic that slows down time and means that attacks can be combined to create orchestrated destruction.