Video Games
Get Your Lovecraft This Steam Next Fest with the Demo for ‘The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu’ [Trailer]
The summer edition of Steam Next Fest is upon us, and NACON and ACE Team are kicking things off with a new demo for The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu after its Closed Beta earlier this month. To mark the occasion, the devteam has released a new trailer that offers a glimpse into the gameplay and the oppressive atmosphere that awaits players in the jungle.
Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s cosmic horror short novel, The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu invites players to form a squad of 2 to 4 members to embark on an uncharted continent in search of a legendary city containing invaluable treasures deep within a hostile jungle. The Steam Next Fest demo supports up to 4 players in online co-op, letting you experience the first few hours of the game. Several types of missions are available, ranging from simple treasure hunts to battles against fearsome creatures.
Before each expedition, players gather aboard the galleon to choose a contract and share weapons and equipment. Once they arrive on the continent, the explorers set out in search of treasures and resources to bring back to the galleon’s captain. Ancient forts, remnants of lost expeditions, await discovery. They allow players to establish a new starting point to venture deeper into the jungle as expeditions progress.
But the jungle hides even more terrifying dangers. As they venture deeper into the jungle, their perception of reality gradually becomes corrupted until their sanity reaches a critical point. Visual and auditory illusions disorient the adventurers, potentially causing accidental sabotage that could jeopardize the mission. Even death offers no respite: fallen comrades may return in a corrupted form and turn against their allies.
The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu will launch July 15 on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and the Xbox Series. Pre-orders for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series versions are now open.
Video Games
Definitive Edition of Throwback Survival Horror Game ‘Doctor Viscera’ Launches June 23 [Trailer]
For those who enjoy their survival horror gaming with a side of old-school cheese, you have Liminal Road’s Doctor Viscera. Released last October on Steam, the game is set to receive its Definitive Edition next week on June 23rd, with plans for a release on consoles to be shared soon. The Doctor Viscera: Definitive Edition will include a variety of improvements, adjustments, and new content designed to make the experience even more intense. All of this content will be available free to existing owners.
For those not in the know, Doctor Viscera is a throwback survival horror title with PSX-inspired visuals, where you must escape the abandoned GrimmHaus Asylum. You must explore the asylum’s various rooms, find useful items, and solve puzzles to unlock new areas and discover escape routes. At the same time, you’ll need to be on the lookout for the Doctor and his grotesque experiments.
The biggest addition to the Definitive Edition is the Nurse, a brand-new enemy who will actively pursue players throughout the campaign. Although slower than the eponymous doctor, the nurse introduces a completely different gameplay dynamic by using ranged attacks with a firearm, forcing players to rethink their routes, strategies, and survival tactics.
Under certain circumstances, you can disarm the Nurse, creating entirely new situations and possibilities within the game.
Doctor Viscera: Definitive Edition also introduces a new area to the map, featuring a tram system. In addition to serving as a new exploration route, it can also be used to quickly escape pursuers and travel between different sections of the asylum.
The update also brings improvements across multiple aspects of the experience, including:
- Level design changes
- Puzzle redesigns
- Performance optimizations
- New immersive audio system
- Controller support
- New menu interfaces
If you’re looking to check out the game before buying it, you can check out the demo that’s also available on Steam.