Though the game’s reliance on pure chance can sometimes prove a bit galling, it managed to give my group of roleplayers a nice palate cleanser after a night of dice-rolling, and that makes it worthy of a look. Unlike most tabletop campaigns, however, “For the King” is a deeply tactical affair that demands a level of precision and system mastery that recalls dungeon-crawling “roguelikes” like “NetHack” and “Brogue.” And just like in a true roguelike, once you fail, it’s game over for that party, and you must start afresh with a new band of would-be heroes. Just like in D&D, you and a few friends build a party of adventurers from individual “classes” and suit up to save a doomed kingdom from a mysterious affliction. It’s far from a perfect game – especially the treacly voice-acting, which borders on parody at times – but if you give it a chance, this is one of the most forward-thinking games of the year.Īs a devoted fan of tabletop RPGs like “Dungeons and Dragons,” I’m continually on the hunt for a video game that simulates the feeling of huddling around a table to save a world of make-believe from your devious “dungeon-master.” (Sure, there have been plenty of games emblazoned with the D&D logo over the years, but they focus on replicating the dice-engine that powers the game, rather than the shared experience it creates.) “For the King” isn’t quite the silver bullet that I was looking for, but it comes a lot closer than, say, “Neverwinter Nights.” goes through in search of her love interest Emily begins to reveal itself, delving into themes that most games prefer to leave unexplored. As you run from left to right through its mysterious island, however, the nature of the extreme harm that protagonist J.J. On the surface, “The Missing” doesn’t seem like anything to write home about: a bare puzzle-platformer with a reliance on physics conundrums that sometimes feel ripped from a Flash game from a decade ago. That’s a shame, because while his latest effort exhibits much of the ramshackle charm of his previous work, it nails its purpose with far more confidence and poise than many other games in its style. Hardcore gamers might recognize the name of Hidetaka “Swery” Suehiro from the 2010’s divisive Twin Peaks-esque disasterpiece “Deadly Premonition,” the Japanese auteur remains mostly unknown to mainstream audiences, largely due to his heterodox style. Its grimy aesthetic might make it look like it’s from 1998, but “DUSK” isn’t a relic for the aging LAN-set if you’re up for a challenge, it’s the best shooter of 2018. Like “Doom (2016)” before it, the game’s armory reflects a keen knowledge of old-school tactics, with each filling out a particular role, from the usual array of pistols and shotguns to a crossbow that shoots glowing bolts through walls. It might look and feel like an arena shooter, but “Dusk” thrives not only on throwing wave after wave of bizarre monstrosities at you, but using the terrain of the level itself against you, like dropping you in a claustrophobic corridor with five invisible monsters looking to claw you up. Unlike many indie nostalgia-trips, however, rather than wallowing in past glory, Szymanski is more interested in imagining a possible future for this mostly-abandoned breed of classic shooter. For example, jumping repeatedly as you run forward will build up your movement speed to ridiculous highs, a tactic known as “bunny-hopping,” and many opponents can be laid low by “strafing” sideways in circles around them to avoid their fire. Anyone who yearns for the love screech of a 56k modem will find themselves well at home in David Szymanski’s “Dusk,” a blood-soaked tribute to early first-person shooter greats like “Doom” and “Quake.” Unveiled earlier this year in Early Access and released this month, “Dusk” eschews the plodding, stop-and-pop military simulation of “Battlefield” for the breakneck speed and fantasy physics of the genre’s early standouts.
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