One of the first such questions Karma: The Dark World brings up is about the nature of memories. In the game, you take on the role of Roam Agent Daniel McGovern, working for the Leviathan Corporation as a peacekeeper of sorts. As a Roam Agent, you are tasked with investigating various small-scale crimes that might threaten the hegemony and power of the Leviathan Corporation. To do so, you will be exploring various crime scenes to find clues, and occasionally, your investigations might even end up taking into peoples’ minds and memories.

"I noticed just how much inspiration Karma: The Dark World takes from David Lynch’s classic TV show Twin Peaks"

The idea of being able to explore the minds of people is where the game is able to flex its horror muscles. While the “real-world” parts of Karma: The Dark World tend to be generally creepy, with a sense of dread constantly weighing you down, the minds of the various people you get to explore are where most of the game’s horror aspects intensify, becoming tense and oftentimes frightening. The parts of the game where you get to explore the minds of your suspects are often the most interesting, both visually and thematically.

The first time I jumped into the memories of a suspect was around the time I noticed just how much inspiration Karma: The Dark World takes from David Lynch’s classic TV show Twin Peaks. While the game doesn’t have the campiness of the seminal show, it does feature similar surreal imagery, including a room draped in red where we get to experience some of our suspect’s deepest regrets.

The story in Karma: The Dark World is told in a non-linear fashion. The game kicks things off by having the player wake up with no idea of who or where they are. After a short bout of exploration, we meet another person who, in a series of events, straps us into a chair and throws us into the depths of our own mind. From this point on, the game makes the protagonist’s role and objectives quite clear: solve crimes and, in the process, maybe even figure out the nature of the Leviathan Corporation.

You will constantly be hopping between different time frames as you get further into the story, and will ultimately have to figure out the actual order of events yourself. The game does provide plenty of hints in its story through environmental clues, however. Subtlety also feels like it was not the priority when it came to the story of Karma: The Dark World. The allusions to classic dystopian fiction like 1984 is ever-present, especially considering the role the Leviathan Corporation plays in the everyday lives of the game’s citizens.

Speaking of which, the Leviathan Corporation definitely sits right up there with the most nefarious antagonistic forces in gaming. Alongside running its dictatorship to fuel further profits, hints of how the company tends to treat regular citizens can often feel downright horrifying. An early example of this pops up when you find a letter where a person was punished for picking up something they shouldn’t have, ultimately being forced to live out the rest of their life as a pipe cleaner, while also losing what is referred to as “social credit”.

"Subtlety also feels like it was not the priority when it came to the story of Karma: The Dark World."

At its most basic level, the core gameplay revolves around slowly and methodically exploring crime scenes in order to find the way forward. Obstacles often take the form of puzzles that can range quite a bit in difficulty, from just needing to find a hidden vent, to figuring out the combination to a lock from environmental clues. A lot of the core gameplay structure feels like it was taken right out of a classic Resident Evil game, and unfortunately, things never really get much more complicated than that.

There isn’t really any combat in Karma: The Dark World, and the most you’ll end up running when facing down a horrifying creature as you traverse a suspect’s mind, and sometimes even hiding. Ultimately, the full extent of the gameplay falls under what the studio itself likes to refer to as a “cinematic interactive story.” Now, don’t get me wrong; this is far from a walking-sim where you just get to passively experience a story happening around you. You get a lot more agency in this game, and absorbing every drop of environmental storytelling along with the main story being presented is incredibly important to enjoying the game.

When it comes to atmosphere, Karma: The Dark World has absolutely nailed it. Visuals are a big part of this, and the environments are often downright gorgeous. This is especially true for the creepy parts of the game that have you enter peoples’ minds. Even in the “real world”, the dreariness of the world and the oppressive nature of the Leviathan Corporation’s iron fist on society feels ever-present. The audio is downright fantastic too; most of the music you get to hear tends to be diegetic – with the sound probably coming out from a record player nearby. There are a few musical stings used to heighten the tension here and there, but most of the time, you mostly end up with just the environmental sounds and your own thoughts to keep you company.

"When it comes to atmosphere, Karma: The Dark World has absolutely nailed it."

The only downside with the visuals is that the character models aren’t quite as polished as the rest of the game tends to feel. This even ends up being a detractor to the atmosphere when the ambient lighting can’t quite cover up for the models. Most of the time, however, this tends to be a non-issue, since just about every other aspect of the visuals tends to make up for the relatively poor character models, be it through the expert use of lighting and volumetric fog effects, or even just a heavy dose of surrealism thanks to the distorted perspectives you often get to see through.

Karma: The Dark World is ultimately an interesting experience. It’s the rare horror game where, while you’re not killing things and counting bullets by the buckets, you’re also not focused entirely on hiding. Rather, investigation is the most important thing here, and the puzzle design, even if somewhat simplistic at times, goes a long way in reinforcing this idea. Pair that with some deliciously-thick atmosphere courtesy of excellent visuals and audio, as well as an intriguing story that’s being told in a compelling way, and you get a horror experience that is well worth your time.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Wired Productions has announced that Deliver Us the Moon will launch for the Nintendo Switch on July 16. The company has also released a trailer that showcases the game running on the hybrid console, while also setting up its story. Deliver Us the Moon sees players stepping into the shoes of a lone astronaut who’s sent to the Moon on a mission that the fate of the entire human race – which is facing ecological collapse – is hinging on. Check out the trailer below.

KeokeN Interactive announced in April that due to issues with securing a publishing deal for its next project, it was laying off its entire staff. Earlier this month, the developer also announced Deliver Us Home, the third game in its sci-fi series, which is seeking crowdfunding through Kickstarter.

There’s a new compass, Diplomacy Events and three Merchant Ships, and depending on how you handle different individuals and factions, you can gain Splinters. You can also access Improved Wonders – including Oberon’s Gate for escaping from the Ursee – and turn enemy factions into Vassals, ensuring they’re no longer a thorn in your side.

As for Splinters, they’re used to “reshape and revolutionize” one’s strongholds. According to the post-launch plans, you can use these to build new Extractors (often in short supply) or Battlegroup repairs. Time will tell, so stay tuned for more details.

Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles is available now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC. Check out our review – we awarded it a seven out of 10.

Now, Wired Productions and developer KeokeN Interactive are once again partnering to finally bring the sci-fi adventure game to the Switch. It will release sometime later this year, with a specific release date currently unannounced. Check out its announcement trailer below.

Set in the not-too-distant future, Deliver Us the Moon sees players playing as an astronaut traveling to the moon, sent on a mission to help stave off impending extinction for humanity as the planet struggles with depleted resources and ecological collapse. A sequel, Deliver Us Mars, launched for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC in February last year.

Deliver Us the Moon is currently available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Earlier this year, KeokeN Interactive revealed prototypes for five planned projects – including three in the Deliver Us series – in hopes of finding publishers or funding for the projects. Read more on that through here.

It offers three new Captains specializing in “trading with other factions and then providing buffs on the output.” There will also be three new diplomacy events – offering, demanding and requesting Tribute, each having different effects depending on the settlement. Spoils provide resources for making new Extractors or repairing the player’s Battlegroup and are gained from certain world encounters and winning battles.

In May, the Naval Command Update goes live, allowing players to create a naval force of battleships and declare “Total War” with a unique harbor, Naval Command, to post up. It also includes four new carrier ships and three naval events. As the name indicates, Total War means no diplomacy, just straight-up combat.

Other new additions include something called Mad Lector, faction expansion, new architecture, and mod and workshop support (which Salas is “still figuring out at the moment). These also aren’t the only updates coming as “things not mentioned now could find their way into life!” Stay tuned for more details on the first update, including a release date, in the coming weeks.

Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles is available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. Check out our review here. Of course, a third Falconeer game is also in the works, though details have yet to be revealed.

Set in the same world as The Falconeer, Bulwark occurs some forty years later. You start as one of three factions – the Free Houses, who favor peace and building; the Imperial Remnant, which remains loyal to the Imperium of the past; and the Mancer Order. Each faction has a unique starting location and building aesthetics while relying on different materials for upgrades.

"However, you’re not constrained to a particular faction or play style. It’s possible to invite other factions, including the Bannerless and the Freebooters, to join your cause."

After setting up the requisite resource extractors for Iron, Stone and Wood, you need workers. Build out towers and walkways to ensure a steady flow towards resource nodes near your settlement while ensuring said workers can travel to and fro. Expand this into a proper city and build harbors to transport some resources over larger distances. Hire captains who specialize in ferrying certain materials and establish supply routes. It’s all standard city-building fare but stripped down and streamlined.

While you’re encouraged to build indiscriminately – I’m quite proud of my spider-web of walkways – there are some limits. Bulwarks are built on sheer mountainous terrain, or the Ursee – the latter’s depth means you have limited space for expansion. Outposts can be upgraded while towers gain multiple floors and assigned Commanders, while walkways turn into battlements.

However, you’re not constrained to a particular faction or play style. It’s possible to invite other factions, including the Bannerless and the Freebooters, to join your cause. You’ll randomly encounter them in their isolated settlements or sailing about and can invite them to your cause. Doing this allows for demolishing and moving their outposts into your particular bulwark, increasing the allegiance to said faction. Similarly, Captains and Commanders from different backgrounds can be brought on, with the latter lending some unique units to your Surveyor’s battlegroup. You may even encounter Captains with warships who can help secure your supply routes from raids.

Resource allocation can get a little confusing at first since, despite all those walkways, you’ll notice your Mancer outposts are getting no access to the Stone required for upgrades while the Bannerless hog them all. The good news is you can demolish and rebuild your bulwark as you see fit, repositioning specific outposts closer to harbors and bringing in certain resources without any material consequences. While I can understand not having different Captains sharing trade routes and having to create specific start and end harbors, a shared resource pool for the bulwark would be nice.

"If a particular faction becomes dominant, it can lead to benefits – like arranging trade and peace agreements with the Bannerless in exchange for combat support."

Eventually, when balancing out the pops of different factions, some tact is necessary. If a particular faction becomes dominant, it can lead to benefits – like arranging trade and peace agreements with the Bannerless in exchange for combat support. You could even invite their settlements to join your cause, eventually unlocking faction leaders with unique bonuses. Different types of Surveyors with specific stats suited to speed or warfare also become unlocked.

However, other factions won’t take kindly to it, and there can be ramifications when assigning Captains to routes, with some warships refusing to accompany pirates. Unrest will also start to brew, and you may close any opportunity for peace with other settlements.

Of course, being a part of a faction like the Mancer Order doesn’t guarantee that other aligned settlements will want to deal with you. When courting a Mancer outpost, having them join my cause required a deeper knowledge of the faction. On the bright side, you could also take a more aggressive approach when having other outposts, declaring war and reigning down destruction via Skull Ships and Falconeers.

This highlights one of the weaker elements of Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles – the combat. All you need to do is hang by near an outpost while your forces automatically batter the enemy into submission. It often comes down to the health and number of units, which can be hard to gauge amid battle (outside of notifications of losses). Warring sides are indicated by two bars at the top, which dwindle based on who’s losing. It’s not an indicator for your health – wander into an active warzone, and your Surveyor can go down, regardless of how much of the bar remains.

"Translating a city-builder to the controller, even one as streamlined as Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles, can be difficult. While the controls aren’t complex, they can be awkward."

You have minimal control over the unit types that join your battlegroup, and though you can meet wandering ships that replenish their health, how you regain units after losing a conflict is unclear. Hanging around the bulwark or an allied outpost does the trick over time. As overly simplistic as the combat can be, accessing mythic units, like a giant sea-faring turtle with armaments that can intimidate other faction outposts into surrendering, is cool.

However, once you’ve provoked the ire of other factions, they won’t stop sending warships. The only option left then is to venture to each of their cities and force a surrender. Some more diplomatic options would have been appreciated, even if there’s a point of no return.

Translating a city-builder to the controller, even one as streamlined as Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles, can be difficult. While the controls aren’t complex, they can be awkward. You don’t freely move your Surveyor, specifying spots for it to move instead. If an interactable icon pops up, like building a harbor, outpost or resource extractor, a single button press is enough. However, this becomes more unwieldy as your bulwark is more developed since it’s sometimes all dependent on the position of your cursor.

You can switch to the buildings themselves, which is necessary for upgrading them, and extend nodes from outposts to create towers and snap them together intuitively. However, you manually hop from building to building to achieve this, extending your cursor each time and hitting the confirm button. A free cursor for scanning the bulwark would have certainly made things easier. Also, an option to automatically upgrade all walkways into Battlements and some details on how some of the unique buildings, like Surveyors, worked would have been nice.

"Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles isn’t going to redefine the city-builder genre, and for what it’s worth, it’s not trying to."

Though the gameplay loop can feel simplistic at times, it does shake things up as you fly through the Great Ursee, encountering random individuals and adding them to your settlement or discovering ambushes and fighting them off. Yet, with how gorgeous the aesthetic can be, especially with different weather and lighting effects, whether it’s storms or mist as you sail past sites like The Shard or bask in raging volcanoes, it’s a shame that the narrative elements and characterization are surface-level at best. At least there’s a Freebuild Mode for those who want to build and create massive bulwarks that are a sight to behold.

Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles isn’t going to redefine the city-builder genre, and for what it’s worth, it’s not trying to. It delivers a more tightly focused strategy exploration title where expanding, light diplomacy and conquest are possible at an easily manageable pace. Additional control options and combat information are desperately needed, and it feels like the setting could have offered more beyond its current narrative confines. Yet, as far as city-builders go, it’s solid, easy on the eyes and enjoyable to delve into.

This game was reviewed on PS5.

In Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles, players are thrown into the tumultuous world of the Ursee. Players will be tasked with navigating through the world’s history of conflict and war by now helping in rebuilding the shattered landscape.

Along with the game’s launch announcement, Sala has also revealed that a year’s worth of support for Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles has been planned. The roadmap for the game is set to be revealed in late April, and will feature a mix of free and paid content.

Wrapping things up, Sala has also revealed that a third game in the Falconeer series is planned, making it into a trilogy. The third title, currently titled Project Ancient Waves, will bring the perspective of the franchise’s setting down to a human scale. It will revolve around people who do the things that help a society in running more smoothly. More details about Project Ancient Waves will be revealed later this year.

According to the Sala, Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles features in-depth building tools available to players. A trailer released earlier this month went into detail about some of the game’s city-building tools. The trailer showcased a massive city built using 20,000 different constructions, and housing 100,000 citizens.

A demo for Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles was released back in February, featuring a scenario to play through, as well as up to 25 different buildings to experiment with.

With 20,000 different constructions and 100,000 new citizens, it’s an incredible network of old and new buildings. Some sections link together with bridges, but airships also roam the sky. Combined with the atmospherics and times of day, it highlights how intricate and gorgeous some cities can get.

Of course, there’s more to the experience than building, as players must prepare for real-time combat, forging alliances and ultimately ensuring the survival of their city. Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles is available March 26th for $19.99 on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC. Pre-order now, and get The Falconeer: Warrior Edition for free, ready to play.

Publisher Wired Productions also released a new trailer showcasing Photo Mode (included with the demo). Along with changing the depth of field and time of day, players can replay the construction of their builds, pause and play, and fully manipulate the camera. It’s great for admiring one’s city and the visuals in general.

Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles is coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC on March 26th, retailing for $19.99. Pre-orders also get a free copy of The Falconeer: Warrior Edition and can start playing immediately. Stay tuned for more details on the title in the coming weeks, and check out our interview with the developer here.

The demo will be the first chance that console players will get to try out Bulwark: The Falconeer Chronicles, since the last demo was released only on PC. The demo will feature one complete scenario that is designed to teach players Bulwark: The Falconeer Chronicles. It will feature up to 15 buildings.

Bulwark: The Falconeer Chronicles was originally announced all the way back in August 2022. Taking place in the Flaconeer universe, the game was announced with a trailer showcasing its oceanic setting of The Great Ursee. Gameplay in the city builder will revolve around managing resources, building up a city, and making choices that make defending the city easier or harder.

What sets Bulwark: The Falconeer Chronicles apart from its city building contemporaries is that it encourages a more freeform style of city-building, rather than forcing players into more rigid grid-based layouts. For more details on the game, check out our interview with Tomas Sala.