X4: Foundations

X4: Foundations describes itself as a universe simulator, and that’s perhaps a really fitting description for such a game. Set against the backdrop of outer space, X4: Foundations lets players lose in a vast sandbox and lets them carve out their own lifepaths in a virtual space with customizable spaceships, dynamic economies, and crafting systems. It’s a complex game with a lot of moving parts and can be pretty fun to poke around.

Microsoft have announced which games will be coming to Xbox Game Pass for PC this month. Those subscribed to the service on PC will get access to a pretty solid duo, with Frostpunk and FTL: Faster Than Light both joining its catalog of games in January.

Frostpunk is an excellent city-building survival title that constantly forces players to make tough decisions against a backdrop of a harsh, desolate, wintery apocalypse. 11 bit Studios have also been supporting the game excellently since its release, so it’s definitely worth diving into, if you haven’t already done so.

Meanwhile, if you like roguelikes or strategy titles (or both), the space-faring indie hit FTL: Faster Than Light is a game you’re going to want to check out- though the game was also recently free on the Epic Games Store, so there’s a good chance you might not need to make use of Game Pass for this one.

Microsoft have also confirmed the lineup of games that will be coming to Game Pass on Xbox One- it also includes Frostpunk. Check out the full lineup through here.

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— PC Game Pass (@XboxGamePassPC) January 7, 2020

Epic Games’ “12 Days of Free Games” initiative continues to roll on. Subset Games’ FTL: Faster Than Light is currently free on the Epic Games Store until 9 AM PST today. All you need to do is have an Epic Games account, login and claim it for free.

FTL: Faster Than Light is one of the more famous rogue-lite titles out there. It sees players controlling a ship with different crew members, each specializing in different roles. You can engage in different battles, experience random events and manage the various system failures that your ship endures.

Though it can be stressful, FTL: Faster Than Light can also be incredibly addictive. The free Advanced Edition expansion also adds new ships, events, weapons and much more on top of the base game. Pick it up today for free or hang around for after 9 AM PST – it seems that Heart Machine’s Hyper Light Drifter will be the next free game offered on the store. Stay tuned if/when that happens.

Say what you will about Electronic Arts, but EA/Origin Access continue to be a solid deal. To further sweeten the pot for Origin Access Premier subscribers, EA has been adding more recent big-time releases to its Vault. This week, we get Haemimont Games’ Tropico 6 and The Bearded Ladies’ Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden.

Tropico 6 sees El Presidente returning to prominence ane managing a slew of islands across different eras. Election speeches are back, the Caribbean music is as swanky as ever, and the freedom to rule your way is fairly strong. Check out GamingBolt’s review here.

Meanwhile, Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden presents real-time isometric exploration, but turn-based tactical battles. Commanding a squad of three, it’s possible to ambush your enemies or sneak by them undetected. Along with a free challenge mode, the title also has a free demo available on Steam.

If neither of those suits your taste, then there are four other titles which are also available to Origin Access Basic subscribers. These are Into The Breach, FTL: Faster Than Light, Shift Quantum, and Detention. Check out the Origin Access updates page for more information.

Gilded Falcons – Alundra

Alundra is an underrated and tough RPG from the PlayStation 1 era. Suffice to say, the challenge wasn’t just the annoying puzzles and platforming but doing so while finding all 50 Gilded Falcons. Sound easy? The Falcons themselves can be found in a variety of places including dungeons that you never revisit. The Falcon in Olen’s Nightmare is especially punishing since all Murgg enemies must be defeated within the time limit. Fail to do so and the dungeon is gone, never to return again.

If you need a reason to pick up Subset Games’ Into The Breach, a new turn-based tactics game that combines rogue-like elements with strategy, then how about FTL: Faster Than Light for free? Pick up Into The Breach for $15 on GOG and you’ll receive FTL: Advanced Edition completely free.

FTL: Faster Than Light is a lot more rogue-lite in its gameplay approach. Players take control of a spaceship and must find ways to overcome different threats like space pirates, missile attacks and more. It’s not strange to divert your engine power to shields or board an enemy ship in order to survive. With several alien races, numerous decisions to make and permadeath, FTL offers a new experience on every single playthrough.

As for Into The Breach, it focuses on the battle between giant mechs and hostile aliens called the Vek. You’ll have to use superior tactics to beat the Vek but if you fail, it’s possible to send a pilot back into time for an advantage on the next playthrough.

Subset Games may have risen to fame with FTL: Faster Than Light, it’s spaceship management/roguelite experience that often bordered on the absurd, but it’s latest game Into The Breach may be even better. The turn-based, tactical strategy RPG is now available for PC with several reviews also having dropped.

The premise of the game is essentially Pacific Rim. Giant creates known as Vek are threatening the Earth and so humanity has constructed powerful mechs to fight them off. The gameplay, however, is focused on defending as many cities as possible with the Vek’s moves being clearly telegraphed.

Players can direct enemies into projectile flight paths, push Vek away or find other clever ways to win engagements. The other twist is that along with customizing one’s mech and acquiring new pilots, they can send a unit back in time to help in the next run should they fail.

Into The Breach has already received universal acclaim on Metacritic with a Metascore of 92 from six different publications. Sure, it’s not a huge median to go off of but publications like GameSpot and IGN have awarded it a 9 out of 10. If you’ve picked up the game, what are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

Remember FTL: Faster Than Light, the charmingly brutal rouge-like from Subset Games? The developer has announced a brand new game called Into The Breach, which should sound incredibly familiar for any fan of Pacific Rim.

The turn-based strategy game will see players control giant mechs and battling kaiju to protect humanity from extinction. Here’s something interesting though – each time you try to save the world, you’ll be faced with a new randomly generated challenge. What that entails isn’t exactly clear but if it’s anything like FTL, then players will have their task cut out for them.

If the FTL pedigree wasn’t enough, then former Obsidian creative director Chris Avellone will be writing while FT composer Ben Prunty will return for the soundtrack. As of now, Into The Breach has no release date but it will arrive first on PC, followed by Mac and Linux.

What are your thoughts on Into The Breach? Let us know in the comments

Into The Breach – Announcement Trailer from Subset Games on Vimeo.