Video Games
‘Axiom Verge’ Receiving Free Randomizer Mode in New Update
With developer Thomas Happ still working away at Axiom Verge 2, the developer decided to drop a treat for fans waiting on the sequel in the form of a free update to the original. In a new blog post, Happ revealed that Axiom Verge will be receiving a new Randomizer Mode that randomizes the items you get as you progress through the game.
Happ explains that the option came to be based on the speedrunning community for the game. An unofficial version of the Randomizer Mode had been created by Pozzum, who worked with Happ to incorporate it into the game.
The Randomizer Mode (which is currently only available in beta form on the Epic Games Store and Steam versions) will also have different difficulty levels, each catering to the specific type of run you’d like to work on. The higher difficulties require the player to exploit certain glitches in the game to allow them, and will actually accommodate the player in order to do so.
Happ hopes to include the mode (or something similar) in Axiom Verge 2, which is scheduled for release on the Nintendo Switch later this year.
Video Games
Inspired by 80s Slashers, Short Horror Experience ‘Dead Stop – No Vacancy’ Launches August 13 [Trailer]
Fresh from their work on last year’s Beneath, developer Camel 101 has announced that their next title, a short, standalone first-person horror experience in Dead Stop – No Vacancy, will launch on Steam on August 13. Accompanying the announcement is the release date trailer, which thanks to the narration, is appropriately hammy.
Players in No Vacancy step into the shoes of Nancy, a hard-edged investigative reporter whose journey to the town of Crestfall takes an unexpected turn. Stranded without directions or a GPS signal, she arrives at the remote Paradise Motel just as daylight begins to disappear. What initially appears to be an inconvenient stop soon becomes an investigation into the motel’s dark history, and whatever may be hiding beneath it.
No Vacancy is the first entry in Dead Stop, a new anthology of short, standalone horror games inspired by classic horror stories and unsettling places. In this case, the game takes inspiration from 80s slasher films.
Rather than relying on cutscenes to tell its story, No Vacancy‘s has the player discover the story through the various objects you examine in the game. As such, you’ll also be dealing with various environmental puzzles built around the motel’s dark history. Completing the vibe is the game’s throwback graphics, which don’t quite have the typical PS1-era aesthetic, but it’s enough to give you that old-school feel.
Ahead of the game’s launch, you can also check out the demo via the Steam page.