FTS: Zen Studios Reveals the Final Table for Pintable M: The THING Pinball!

 

Tilt into Terror with Pinball M, Releasing on November 30

Final Table Reveal: The THING Pinball

Zen Studios Reveals a Chilling Final Addition to the Upcoming M-rated Pinball Experience

SAN FRANCISCO – Nov. 20, 2023 – Can you trust anyone, even yourself? Fans will find out soon, as Zen Studios’ new pinball experience, Pinball M, releases for consoles and PC on November 30. Zen Studios, in collaboration with Universal Products & Experiences, has revealed The THING Pinball as the final table in the hard-hitting launch lineup for Pinball M. In an immersive and suspenseful experience, The THING Pinball table follows the plot of Universal Pictures’ thrilling 1982 cult-classic film. Players will immerse themselves in a thrilling and suspenseful world inspired by the film and use their pinball skills to battle against the shape-shifting alien set in the arctic tundra of U.S. Outpost #31.

The chilling table features include:

• Players will be challenged to survive the vicious attack of the Dog-Thing by shooting its tentacles.
• It’s Bennings! Players will not only be able to watch him transform but then torch what he becomes.
• Players will collect blood samples and shoot the reagent cartridge to reveal the impostor.
• We found something in the ice! Players will lock, then bust open the balls for BURIED IN ICE multi-ball.
• Players will rig their own TNT to blow up the base and The Thing in a wild Wizard Mode.

“The THING Pinball is an authentic homage to the 1982 film, and features original clips from the film itself,” said Mel Kirk, COO of Zen Studios. “It gives long-time horror fans a go-to table in Pinball M, and completes our extraordinary line-up for launch.”

Joining an already illustrious launch library with Chucky’s Killer Pinball, Dead by Daylight™ Pinball, Duke Nukem’s: Big Shot Pinball, and Zen’s own creation: Wrath of the Elder Gods: Director’s Cut, The THING Pinball will hit Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and the Epic Games Store on November 30.

For more information, visit: The Thing Pinball | Zen Studios Ltd.

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FTS: Monster-Collecting-and-Fusing RPG Cassette Beasts Hits Play April 26 on Steam, Microsoft Store & PC Game Pass

Monster-Collecting-and-Fusing RPG Cassette Beasts Hits Play April 26 on Steam, Microsoft Store & PC Game Pass

Capture unique creatures and transform into them to battle in this open-world adventure, coming Spring 2023 to Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch

STOCKHOLM – March 29, 2023 – Raw Fury has announced that indie developer Bytten Studio’s Cassette Beasts, the creature-collecting-and-fusing, turn-based battling, open-world RPG, will debut on PC via Steam, the Microsoft Store, and PC Game Pass on April 26, 2023. It will arrive later this spring on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Xbox Game Pass.

Cassette Beasts puts a unique spin on monster-collector RPG adventures. On the remote island of New Wirral, people can use cassette tapes to transform into strange creatures and battle. You’ll need to explore the island and record a menagerie of mighty monsters to your trusty cassette tapes to gain their abilities and find a way home!

Discover over 100 awesome monsters to collect and transform into during turn-based battles. You can even combine two creatures together to make powerful new forms with shared elemental types, stats, and move sets using Cassette Beasts’ Fusion System! Some of your opponents have this ability, too, so you’ll need to get creative to win.

Side B Features:

• Transform into Monsters…with Cassette Tapes?! Faced with the constant threat of monster attacks, the residents of Harbourtown can fight fire with fire. Record a variety of special creatures, then play them back in the battle to take on their forms!
• Fuse Monsters Together: Merge with your companions’ monsters to transform into unique, fully animated fusions combining the strengths of both forms! There are thousands of creature-fusion combos to experiment with and discover.
• Explore a Rich Open World: Some monster abilities can be used in human form, which you'll need to get around, solve puzzles, and more. Glide, fly, swim, climb, dash, or turn magnetic in a colorful land brought to life with beautifully crafted monsters, ‘80s vibes, and a synthy soundtrack!
• Master a Deep Battle System: Use elemental chemistry to apply advantageous buffs or debuffs with your attacks, or even alter your opponent’s elemental type.
• Travel with a Diverse Cast of Companions: Never fight alone! Forge bonds with your partners and help them complete personal goals to become a better team. The strength of your relationship determines how well you’re able to fuse!
• Play Couch Co-op with Friends: Team up in local multiplayer for up to two players. Explore the open world, transform, and battle together as a duo!

 

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The MISSING: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories... Reviewed!

The MISSING: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories is... weird.

FYI... I'm going to refer to this game just as "The Missing" for the most part in this review. Not because I don't want to write out the title, but... it's a little long.

The Missing is a puzzle platformer, delivering more crazy than you can shake a limb at. In this game, the old saying "Break a leg" is taken literally. Not just broken, I'm talking severed limbs, decapitation, body set on fire and... I hope you get the picture. When I first saw the trailer, I was like... WHAT THE FLIPPING FLAPJACKS is this?! Then I played it. Literally seeing J.J. Macfield's body parts coming off was rather extreme... but it didn't stop there. It's a puzzle game, you have to use her body parts (or someone else's) to assist you in solving puzzles in this crazy adventure that involves you trying to rescue your missing friend.

The game begins at a campsite where you (J.J. Macfield) and your friend Emily, spend the night on a Memoria Island (off the coast of Maine). You go from them having an intimate moment to... a horrifically trippy-like nightmare. It's not that bad when you first start but prepare yourself. I like how they began with a touch of weird to get you started but not too much. It moves at a nice pace.

You will have to go through all types of horrific challenges to progress, and luckily you aren't always dodging and running from some... (gulp) monster, known as the Hair Shreiker. You're a college student with a cell phone attached to her hip, so... even though you're in this nightmarish world you get a dose of normalcy and comedic action via text messages. I appreciate that because some are quite enjoyable. It's not lost on me that I still have to get the hell away from point B to get to C and beyond... but its a nice break from the creepy. In addition to the (in-game) real-world texts from Emily, friends, and even... F.K., there is a more serious message tucked in there... see if you can figure it out.

Anyway, when it comes to the challenges, regardless of how gruesome... it's creative as you really see how it comes together (or... errr apart in a cohesive way). You aren't just setting J.J. on fire... you're using her as a human torch to burn down vines. You aren't just seeking decapitation, you use it to get J.J. through tight spaces. The list goes on... but you get the idea. Like many other puzzle games, I found the puzzles growing in difficulty as they went along. The Missing keeps a nice balance between platformer, solving puzzles, and taking on the Hair Shreiker... even if I found the character and overall game a bit on the stiff side (animation wise). Even with it lacking polish seen in a lot of the AAA titles, it definitely has a certain charm... brought to you by Swery.

Visually it... works. I didn't have major complaints in this department, my focus was on the puzzles and J.J. not losing her... head. I feel that they created a world that has enough depth, and nothing felt like a pointless filler (no recycled backgrounds from what I saw). Collecting donuts in The Missing... is also a challenge, starting off easy, but you as you progress... they aren't just giving them to you.
You have to figure out an angle to reach some of the platforms where the donuts are sitting... or the Sleepy Donuts mascot. At times I had to jump onto chandeliers... other times I had to send J.J. into a circular saw blade so that it would send her body parts flying high enough to land onto a platform that's out of reach. Getting donuts unlocks a series of things, like concept art, more text messages... and even cheats. So enjoy those donuts because they cost J.J. an arm & a leg!

Hey folks, can't grab that donut floating near that tree? Hahaha... well that's no problem because, in The Missing, you can take your arm and throw it at the donut to get it down. Never again go hungry on Memoria Island with Sleepy Donuts just a severed arm length away. TADA!

This is one of those games that fits in our "dose of... crazy!" category. When it comes to the audio, I... hmmmm, really didn't like it at all. I understand that it was fitting for the game, but... I tell ya... if I heard some of those sounds when I wasn't playing this game... nearest window here I come (if I could make the jump)! They knew what sounds were jarring in some areas (especially the area with the wrecking balls).... and the silence had me paranoid that something was going to pop up to try and get me. So good job... even if I didn't like it.

By the way... those White Owls in the game also represent the team "White Owls Inc".

You get a form of replay value in The Missing. You're able to go back and access chapters to replay in order to obtain the remaining donuts you may have missed to further unlock content and put two & two together. There are also 20 achievements to obtain to further extend the replay value... and if you can't figure out the puzzles as quick as some of us, you may be there for a while longer soaking up more replay value (although that can be frustrating... but I'm sure you can do it). Puzzle difficulty can essentially be a con for some, but it's a puzzle game... the name of the game is figuring out puzzles.

Price wise... I think it works well at $29.99, you get a platformer with plenty of depth and a solid story that really comes together well + it has a nice amount of content. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but it does touch on a real-world issue that exists for some people.

Overall, The MISSING: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories is... a dark puzzle platformer for fans of horror + puzzle + platform games. The price is exactly where it should be, they didn't try to overprice... and even if it started off crazy to a WTH degree, Swery really rounded this game out well. I wish the character wasn't as stiff and the game was a bit more polished, but that may have been the desired design decision.

Fun factor: 3

Visually: 4

Replay value: 4

Price: 5

"4 / 5 Cool Points"

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