Indie Showcase: Shadow of the Guild

We got a request to cover this indie title and thought it would be a perfect opportunity to showcase the game... and speak on indie dev projects like this.

Shadow of the Guild is described as an epic tale of the Rain Merchants Guild. In this side-scrolling beat-em-up adventure, you play as Yaran, an assassin with a powerful combination of mage and warrior skills. You're able to perform stealth attacks, cast spells, and use combos for a variety of attacks.

Features:

• RPG: 3 skill trees to follow the path that suits you best: Warrior, Mage, and Assassin
  
• Beat 'em all: Dynamic fights where you can mix your skills in epic combos
  
• Items: Consumables, throwing weapons and a whole bunch of runes to give you new skills
  
• Exploration: Side quests, special items, secret passages

I like what I'm seeing in this game. As you've heard in the first 30, I understand that the road of indie development is challenging... and there are a lot of indie games that never get this far. There are projects that come to a complete halt based on a lack of time and resources, so it's good to see those that break through. 

Shadow of the Guild, launches on November 10th (2022), so I'm not sure what the release date's build will look like... but from what I've seen and played, it certainly has room to grow.

If the team plans to continue updating the game past launch (which we don't know what that version looks like but), I see a number of things supporters can look forward to. One of the biggest things I see them updating is the art and animations, just fleshing them out more (because a number of assets look like concept art/placeholders). 

I wouldn't normally post these... but the team gave me the green light to proceed, so shout out to them. If you're a dev team on the road to release and your game is playable, I think there's a bit more grace for an indie dev versus a bigger studio.

If the game is playable with the finishing touches being minor (or other things have to be implemented), consider early release. It makes sense, especially if the bugs aren't game breakers because... it can help fund the rest of the project or put more wind in your sail to get it released. I say this because of what I've mentioned with some projects coming to a halt, if you can avoid that and deliver a great game... early release could be the route for you and you can update it moving forward. Just make sure that you follow up with the updates so that the efforts don't go to waste as a result of burning supporters.

As far as Shadow of the Guild goes, I enjoyed the gameplay, and the stealth kill scenes. The stealth kills are brutal... so (parents) keep in mind that the mature content will likely get it an "M" (for mature) rating. I don't know what else they have in store... I know that there was a warning + the First 30 showcased some of it, so just keep that in mind when it comes to your kids.

Anyway, the game definitely reminds me of Prince of Persia + Mark of the Ninja, but when it's all said and done... I hope it stands on its own as a memorable title.

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Ingbelle Digital Drum... Reviewed!

Shout out to the Ingbelle team for sending over this product for review. My opinions are my own.

So I've spent about a week with the Ingbelle Digital Drum set, and I'd have to say that it's a solid + useful + fun product. What makes it solid + useful + fun? Glad you asked, let's jump in!

Quality: The durable rubber base is solid enough to take on more than a few jam sessions, but... with a high sensitivity level for the sound plates they don't require you to lay in on them. Once you find a designated spot for this digital drum, the chances of even affecting the brain of the product drop's down to over 90%... because it's not falling or slipping off a base unless the table flips over or something. Even then the system is sturdy enough to take a light drop (a 2 or 3-story drop might be a different story but why would... anyway).

In terms of the buttons, they give you a nice clicking sound so that you know the button press was made, and as far as the OFF/ON switch + the MP3, Phones, Pedal, and USB/DC5V ports go... there are no loose ports. I mention all this because it's a solid design that doesn't give off a cheap flimsy feel.

Then we come to the foot pedal add-on which are super light and feel like a cheap addition to give the complete drum kit feel. Don't get me wrong, they work, but... with them being light... on our wood floors, they slide also. Perhaps a tougher grip would work (may buy some and place below them), or... just use them on a carpet or a rubber mat. On that note, I believe that foot pedals of better quality can be connected to this device as long as they can connect to the port.

Sound: In terms of sound, the built-in speakers get the job done. I know the company says the speakers are high-quality, and they don't sound bad... but... without the specs of the speakers... I can't give you the specifics.

As far as the sounds go, the onboard sounds are clean. These sounds include snare, 3 toms, crash, ride, hi-hat, and a bass drum. If you press the Kit button, the instruments also switch up. One thing I noticed while using headphones is that the sound is even richer, I can't say that for all headphones, but the ones I used... made me appreciate this product even more.

In the box + Features: In the box, you get the Digital Drum (duh of the day), storage bag, drumsticks, line-in cable, foot pedals, and USB/DC5V cable.

Features include dual speakers, a metronome function to help you find your rhythm, portability so you or your little musician can rock out on the go, and includes a rechargeable 2400 mAh battery so you can play up to 10 hours per charge.

Going back to the line-in cable, if you want to record your drum session, connect your digital drum to the line-in port. If you aren't familiar with what it looks like, here's info from HearthStats:

Port for connecting a line

External audio equipment like CD players, musical instruments, and microphones are connected to the Line-in port. Any of the following symbols may be used to represent a line-in port:

If you need to enable line-in, just follow these instructions.

A plus would've been some sort of software that allows the user to customize the sounds or place custom ones in the product.

As a digital drumset, you won't get the various sounds from the same bass drum based on where you hit it (i.e. hitting the drum closer to the sign gives a different sound than towards the middle), as long as you understand that... you should be good with the product. 

Before I forget, this type of drumset is a plus for parents who want to get their children a drumset... but don't want to hear it. Just get some volume-limiting headphones and let them rock out.

Price: Pricewise, the Ingbelle Digital Drum comes in at $54.99, which... is actually a solid price. It's portable (you don't need anything connected to it), it's fun, can allow for a variety of uses (parties, group activities, etc) and it's actually useful for recordings. I like the price because when comparing it to some of the toys out there in a similar price range, they don't have a feature that also makes them useful in terms of recording sessions and things of that nature. Motivating your little musician to form a band wouldn't be a bad idea if this product.

Quality 5

Sound 5

In the box + Features 5

Price 5

5 out of 5 Cool Points

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Persona 5 Royal

Persona 5 Royal

Prepare for the award-winning RPG experience in this definitive edition of Persona 5 Royal, featuring a treasure trove of downloadable content included! Don the mask of Joker and join the Phantom Thieves of Hearts as they stage grand heists, infiltrate the minds of the corrupt, and make them change their ways!

This title is packed with beloved characters, confidants, story depth, and plenty of locations to explore with many opportunities to strengthen your abilities in the metaverse and in your daily life. Persona 5 Royal presents a unique visual style and features an unforgettable soundtrack by the award-nominated composer Shoji Meguro.

Explore Tokyo, unlock Personas, customize your own personal Thieves Den, experience alternate endings, and more! Become the ultimate Phantom Thief and defy conventions, discover the power within, and fight for justice in the definitive version of Personal 5 Royal.

Wear the mask. Reveal your truth.

This could've been a First 30, but I didn't want to reveal certain things

you may want to see when you actually play the game.

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Top Audiences + The Sims 4 Free-To-Play + Free Games!

 

The Sims 4 is free to play now, and it should've always been... free to play. I think that everyone who bought the game should receive some form of... free DLC because now everyone can get and play the game for free. It was always set up in a free-to-play format anyway because everything was so closed off as far as going from one location to the next and having to pay for additional content.

Paying full price and then being charged for all this DLC was... bad, but with the change into free-to-play that changes things for newcomers. There was... free DLC for those who bought the base game, but... EA capped the gift access at a little more than a month (momma no!). If you bought the base game, it should be there regardless or give at least 6 months to a year to redeem.

Top 10... let's go!

USA

Canada

Netherlands

United Kingdom

Australia

Germany

France

Italy

Japan

Romania

So Close:

Poland

China

Ireland

+ Free Games!

Free until 10.27.2022 @ 11AM!

            

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