Video Games
Lovecraftian Roguelite ‘Dive or Die: Children of Rain’ Launches July 21 [Trailer]
You won’t have to wait very long to save the world in Dear Villagers and developer Drop Rate Studio’s 2D Lovecraftian underwater roguelite Dive or Die: Children of Rain. The teams have announced a July 21 launch on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, and have released a new trailer to mark the occasion, showcasing more gameplay. There’s also the demo that’s still available on Steam.
The story concerns years of the eerie “Black Rain” that have drowned the entire world, leaving few survivors. A race against time has started, as the Rainmaker, an Eldritch Divinity, has given humanity one final choice: recover its sacred idols hidden deep within the “Abyssal Pool” in under 40 days, or face extinction in the final Flood.
Players will lead a desperate camp of survivors clinging to the last remnants of land. To succeed, they will balance managing their camp on the surface, while making deadly descents into the Abyssal Pool below. Every dive is a gamble against dwindling oxygen, physical injury, and the creeping madness, thanks to the otherworldly horrors that lurk in the darkness.
On the surface, players will rebuild infrastructure, assign survivors to vital roles, and upgrade diving gear. Each decision is a trade-off between immediate survival and long-term preparation. Below, you’ll need to efficiently navigate among the depths and those that dwell there, while hoping to return to the surface with much-needed resources and live and dive another day.
Video Games
Demo Now Available for First-Person Action Title ‘Vampire Hunter: Nightrise’, Coming July 14 [Trailer]
Over the Moon Games has announced that their upcoming first-person title Vampire Hunter: Nightrise will launch on Steam on July 14. You won’t have to wait until Steam Next Fest next week to get a chance to get your vampire slaying fix in, as the game’s demo is available now.
Touted as “Castlevania meets Tunic,” Nightrise puts players into a vampire’s castle with a single goal: reach him before nightfall. Of course, it’s easier said than done, since you’ll be needing to deal with the castle itself. Rotating fireplaces, moving bookshelves, watching portraits, and hidden passages are open from the start, but they only give way once the player understands how the place works. No keys, only knowledge.
Meanwhile, despite not having a whip, you’re equipped with something just as cool in a stake launcher that pins enemies to walls. You can also fire stakes through flame to ignite them, and even turn the castle’s own furniture into ammunition.
Underneath it all, the player’s faith is a major gameplay mechanic, functioning as as a literal resource that the castle constantly tempts them to trade away for power, quietly shaping how the story ends. As your conviction weakens, the castle’s influence grows stronger. You’ll have to manage faith as carefully as ammunition.
“In Nightrise, almost everything is open to you from the very beginning, if you know how to reach it,” explains Over the Moon Games’ John Warner. “There is something deeply rewarding about learning to overcome an obstacle instead of just finding a key. It creates a real sense of power and wonder. We took huge inspiration from Tunic in that respect, and from Outer Wilds.”