In a change from Core Keeper, Kyora will be a side-scroller, and has a resemblance to fan-favourite survival/crafting title Terraria. Kyora will allow players to build their own base as they change the world around them with a host of different tools.

Along the way, players will have to also explore the world and deal with various threats, ranging from small creatures to gigantic boss fights. Players will also be able to craft new equipment, allowing them a degree of customisation depending on the biome they decide to tackle.

Alongside its other gameplay features, Kyora will also feature co-op multiplayer for up to 8 players online, allowing players to discover their own various synergies and combinations that help them take on the game’s various challenges.

While it doesn’t yet have a release date, Kyora is slated to get an Early Access release on Steam.

For starters, we have Frostpunk 2, of course, with is set to launch for PC on September 20 and will also be available via Game Pass on the day of its release. 11 bit studios’ post-apocalyptic survival city builder sequel will be followed not long afterward by turn-based 4X strategy game Ara: History Untold, which releases on September 24 as a day and date Game Pass title.

Meanwhile, Robotality and Chucklefish’s turn-based strategy title Wargroove 2, which launched last year, will be preceding both titles when it lands for Game Pass on console, cloud, and PC later this week, on September 17.

Game Pass’ newest console tier, Xbox Game Pass Standard, launched recently at $14.99 per month, though as previously confirmed, it will not feature any day and date releases.

For those confused about the upbeat nature of the DLC compared to the base game, Octopia takes place in a parallel world. It’s more of a farming sim, with Sam and John looking to restore a ruined farmland. There are crops to grow, livestock to raise, meals to repair and fish to catch. Of course, your progress also affects the neighboring Seagull Town.

You can eventually construct stores and houses, causing more NPCs to move in (which include familiar faces from the base game) and more. Eastward: Octopia promises about 15 to 20 hours of “pixel-perfect gameplay,” which isn’t too shabby considering its price point.

As for an Xbox One release for the DLC, Pixpil is looking into making it available and “will update the community as soon as we have more news.”

As its name might imply, Wargroove 2 is a follow-up to 2019’s tactics game Wargroove. Set three years after the original Wargroove 2 will feature a host of new characters, as well as three campaigns.

One of the key features of Wargroove 2 is the new Conquest mode, which is essentially a roguelike mode where players take on battles for world domination. Players will be able to pick their Commander and a starting army, and will be able to pick the battles they want to fight.

Wargroove 2 will also see the return of four-player co-op and Versus modes, and there will also be a robust campaign creation kit that will allow players to make and share their own custom campaigns, complete with original stories.

The story concerns an “ambitious foreign faction” that is “unearthing forbidden technologies,” which could have dire consequences for the land. The Saffron Isles are a new location, and the pirate Nadia is one of the new playable Commanders. While Grooves return, the sequel offers a way to supercharge a Commander’s Groove for even more damage.

Wargroove 2 also introduces a new roguelike single-player mode called Conquest. Players partake in smaller, faster battles, with Gold and Health carrying over. You can choose your Commander and starting army, and seemingly plan a route through, but we’ll need to wait for more details. The in-game editor also returns and allows for creating maps, cutscenes and even entire campaigns to share with others.

If that weren’t enough, four-player co-op and Versus modes return with local and online support. In addition to customizing rules, there’s also asynchronous play. Stay tuned for more details on Wargroove 2 in the coming months.

Chucklefish was hyping up its first free DLC content for turn-based tactics title Wargroove over the past few months. Now, Double Trouble officially has a release date – it’s coming February 6th for Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. PS4 players will receive it “soon”. Check out the newest trailer below.

Double Trouble focuses on the Outlaw Commanders, a group of rogues that are planning a huge heist. Players will get to control Wulfar, the twins Errol and Orla, and Vesper. The campaign can either be played co-op locally and online or solo.

Along with new Commanders, there are two new units – the Thieves and Riflemen – along with new Arcade missions. Public and Private lobbies for multiplayer are also coming along with updates for the editor. You can also expect some new music tracks for the Outlaws. All in all, Double Trouble is looking like a fantastic reason to jump into Wargroove. Stay tuned for more details as it nears release.

The Game Awards 2019 are taking place tomorrow but creator and host Geoff Keighley has announced a rather interesting offer for those at home. It’s called The Game Festival and will go live later today on Steam at 10 AM PT. The idea is to provide several demos for players to try out at home.

As noted in a recent Medium post, Keighley said, “Six years ago I bet everything I had to create The Game Awards as a way to celebrate our passion for gaming. Now feels like the right time to take the next step with The Game Festival, a completely digital approach to the consumer event space.

“Let’s face it: Not everyone can attend a physical trade show or consumer event. The Game Festival is designed from the ground-up as an event without barriers, extending the benefits of a physical event to the global gaming community that watches The Game Awards.”

Some of the game demos are System Shock, which is a remake of the classic FPS/RPG by Nightdive Studios; Chucklefish’s RPG adventure Eastward; Spiritfarer from Sundered developer Thunder Lotus; Haven from The Game Bakers of Furi fame; and even Carrion from Phobia. Overall that’s pretty solid. The list of confirmed demos for games is as follows:

• System Shock (Nightdive Studios)
• Eastward (Pixpil/Chucklefish)
• Spiritfarer (Thunder Lotus)
• Moving Out (SMG Studio/Devm Games/Team17)
• Röki (Polygon Treehouse/United Label)
• Chicory (Greg Lobanov)
• Wooden Nickel (Brain&Brain)
• Haven (The Game Bakers)
• Heavenly Bodies (2pt Interactive)
• Acid Knife (Powerhoof)
• The Drifter (Powerhoof)
• CARRION (Phobia/Devolver)
• SkateBIRD (Glass Bottom Games)

The Game Festival will be available from 10 AM PT today till 10 AM PT on December 14th. Better carve out some time because once the event ends, the demos will be gone. Even those that have been downloaded and/or installed will become unplayable. There are also plans to bring The Game Festival to consoles in 2020 but for now, it’s a Steam affair.

As for The Game Awards, they start today at 7 PM PT and will offer up 15 new world premiers. These include Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima and NetEase’s Naraka: Bladepoint.

Chucklefish’s Wargroove will be receiving some free DLC in the near future but it’s not just one free Commander. Instead, we’re getting the Double Trouble DLC which introduces a new story co-op campaign (which can be played solo) and three new Outlaw Commanders. Two new unit types – Thieves and Riflemen – will also be joining the fray.

Along with Wulfar, players can control the twins Errol and Orla or Vesper, the latter receiving more details soon. The story concerns a kidnapping and the rogues planning an enormous heist. How the campaign plays out remains to be seen but there will also be new Arcade missions, Public and Private multiplayer lobbies and a new Volcano map theme.

Balance changes are also coming, which you can see below. The DLC is in the final testing phase as per the developer so once submissions are done, the release date will be announced along with a new trailer. Wargroove: Double Trouble is coming to Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Balance Changes

• Spearmen – Cost increased 150 => 250 gold
• Dogs – Cost decreased 200 => 150 gold
• Amphibians – Damage vs structures reduced, crit damage now 45-55 => 35-45
• Amphibians – Cost increased 250 => 350 gold
• Trebuchets = Cost increased 900 => 1000
• Balloons – Cost decreased 500 => 450
• Balloons – Can now only carry the same units as wagons
• Harpies – Minimum base damage vs structures 45% => 50%
• Koji – Drones now take 50% damage from all units instead of 800% damage
• Sedge – Sadistic rush charge speed, very slow => slow
• Tenri – Tornado charge speed, medium => slow
• “M” (secret Commander) – Groove charge speed, slow => medium
• Ryota – Blade dash charge speed, medium => fast
• Ryota – Blade dash now starts at 50% commander damage
• Ryota – Blade dash now increases in damage by 5% commander damage per “jump” on blade dash route.
• Ryota – Can now dash through neutral structures
• Commander – Minimum base damage vs soldiers 95% => 115%
• Commander – Minimum base damage vs spearmen 65% => 75%
• Critical hits no longer increase RNG damage range. All damage is max +/- 5%, even after crit
• Killing non unit summons (vines, crystals, etc) will no longer build groove

Several months after promising new content in the works for Wargroove, Chucklefish has confirmed that a new Commander is coming. Available for free at launch, it’s Wulfar the Outlaw Chief, capable of teeing enemies off with his giant hammer. Wulfar is also generally flexible and intimidating, making him a tough Commander to fight against.

As for his hammer, it sends enemies into other foes across the map, dealing damage to both. You can also hit enemies into the ocean to insta-kill them. It’s also possible to send your allies flying but for the sake of better positioning. The tactical possibilities with Wulfar are fairly cool by this point.

More information will be coming in the next few weeks. Chucklefish noted that a livestream of the DLC would be available “soon” so stay tuned. Wargroove is available for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch. Check out our official review of the game here.

Despite a long development cycle, Wargroove has been a fairly strong success for Chucklefish. A number of post-launch updates have been released and the title is also out now for PS4. However, there’s even more in the works as Chucklefish revealed plans for future content.

There are currently three updates in the works: Patch v1.3.0 will add Korean language support, bug fixes and lay the foundation for PC mods. The next patch will implement PC mods via the Steam Workshop and allows players to do things such as, oh, having recruiting dogs into their armies. The patch will follow v1.3.0 “closely” and be in open beta.

Finally, there’s update v2.0, a major patch that offers new content, lobby listings for locating public games, balance adjustments for some units and commanders, and much more. New Map Editor options are coming – the developer is currently playing around with ideas like Gizmos, Counters, Metalocations and much more. Read all about it on the official website through the link above.

It’s worth noting that everything mentioned above may not make it into the final updates. Chucklefish advises waiting for official patch notes before getting too hyped. In the meantime, we’ll have to wait for more information on when each patch will be coming.