Eastasiasoft recently announced that tactical RPG Empire of Angels IV will be coming later this June for PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. Despite its roots reaching back to 1993, this will be the first time that the Empire of Angels series will be available on home consoles. Developed by Softstar and inspired by Norse mythology, Empire of Angels IV
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On Tuesday, independent comic book creator Clint Stoker launched a crowdfunding campaign for Downcast 3: Submerged, which reached its original funding goal within hours of going live. Written by Stoker and featuring illustrations by Ignacio Lazaro and lettering by the ever-prolific Eric Weathers, Downcast 3 is an 80-page sci-fi graphic novel including a 64-page main story, an 8-page backup story,
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A beautiful, approachable, and engaging adventure with a lot of charm, Asha in Monster World is exactly the kind of game my early 90s self wished the games of the future would be.
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Independent comic book creator Luke Stone* recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for Hybrids: The Killing Field Part 2, the seventh installment in the Hybrids adventure saga. At the time of this writing, the project is not only fully funded, but all of the prep work on the book itself is also complete (just have to print the bugger, ya’ dig?).
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Following a successful crowdfunding campaign via Indiegogo, father and son creative team Shaun and Parker Davis are bringing their superhero adventure Pillowman and Blanketboy to the masses via Star Cross Comics. Unlike the crowdfunded project, the Star Cross edition of Pillowman and Blanketboy is split across three issues at $4.99 a pop (as opposed to a single graphic novel). But
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Overnight, Square Enix hosted a special video livestream celebrating the 35th anniversary of their Dragon Quest RPG series. Details are scant, but here is the full gambit of Dragon Quest goodness that RPG fans have to look forward to: Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate – “What is the purpose of light?” Described as “an adult Dragon Quest”, by
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Gamigo recently announced that its voxel-based MMO Trove will be coming to the Nintendo Switch in Summer 2021. In Trove, players can venture through voxel-based worlds or dungeons, solve puzzles, compete in a variety of mini games, or participate in the “Bomber Royale” multiplayer mode. Heroes can be customized with equipment and abilities, and character classes can be switched on
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On Tuesday, Allegiance Arts Entertainment launched a crowdfunding campaign for The Saints, an all-new 52+ page graphic novel written by Mike Baron and illustrated by Christian Rosado. Like previous Allegiance Arts projects, The Saints will likely find a home on WalMart store shelves as individual issues, but the Indiegogo campaign will fund the graphic novel “premiere” edition. At the time
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Konami recently announced that Super Bomberman R Online will release on 27 May for PS4, Nintendo Switch and Steam PC. An Xbox One version is still planned, though no release date has been confirmed at this time. Formerly a Google Stadia exclusive (point and laugh), Super Bomberman R Online is a free-to-play re-envisioning of the classic multiplayer game, this time
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Following the success of Chrono Mechanics, veteran comic book creator Art Thibert is once again returning to his Image Comics roots with Black and White Volume 2 – Man Vs. Machine. A follow up to 2020’s Black and White (which we reviewed here), Man Vs. Machine is the 60-page conclusion to the origin story of the Black & White characters.
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Publisher Aksys Games recently announced Blazing Strike, an all-new 2D fighting game coming in spring 2022 to Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and Steam PC. Developed by RareBreed Makes Games, Blazing Strike is hoping to recapture the greatness of 90s arcade fighters. Here is the official breakdown of Blazing Strike from Aksys, followed by some screenshots of the game. Inspired by
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Welcome back to The Splintering’s Monochrome May event! Today we’re cheating a bit on the whole “Monochrome” thing to feature Black and White Remastered, a completely redrawn and enhanced version of Art Thibert’s superhero comics originally published in the mid-90s by Image and made possible today by a successful crowdfunding campaign.*Written and illustrated by Art Thibert and co-written by Taylor
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Publisher Deep Silver recently announced the reformation of Free Radical Design, the studio responsible for the TimeSplitters series, and that development of a new installment in the TimeSplitters franchise will begin “in the coming months.” Based in Nottingham, England, this new incarnation of Free Radical Design includes multiple members of the original team, including FRD founders Steve Ellis and David
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Independent comic book creator Aaron Calimeri launched a crowdfunding campaign for MRDR WPN, a 20-page project presented in glorious black and white. Co-written by Calimeri and Adam AF and featuring illustrations by Rafael Chrestani, MRDR WPN is described as “paramilitary biopunk action comic book.” Here’s the official plot synopsis taken from the MRDR WPN Indiegogo campaign page: While on a
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Welcome back to Monochrome May, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of all things colorless and achromatic! Today we’re going to review the black and white bargain buy, The Swan King. Published in 2020 by Alterna Comics as a “One-Dollar One-Shot”, The Swan King is a 19-page, standalone story written and illustrated by Wentland and lettered by Wes Locher. Set in the
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Less than a day remains in the ABSOLUTE. Book 2 crowdfunding campaign by Unhinged Entertainment. Created by Jason Bascom, ABSOLUTE. is a stylish fantasy adventure presented in black and white. The project is already fully funded, so now all Bascom has to worry about is the stretch goals and fulfillment. Piece of cake, right? Here’s the pitch taken from the
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Publisher Curve Digital recently announced that Neon Giant’s cyberpunk-inspired shooter RPG The Ascent is scheduled to release on 29 July for Steam PC, Xbox One, and SeXbox. It will also be available via Xbox Game Pass on day one. You can check out The Ascent’s latest trailer below followed by the breakdown of the game from Curve Digital. The Ascent
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Today, I’m unboxing Crusade Comics’ Shi Haikyo by Billy Tucci, Steven Peros and Gardenio Lima. We reviewed the first crowdfunded Shi book, Return of the Warrior in December (spoilers: we liked it), so hopefully Haikyo maintains the same level of quality. You can check out the Shi Haikyo unboxing video below. I appreciate all feedback – positive, constructive, or colorful.
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After a strong post-release push, Rise Again Comics’ Monster M.D. finally reached the blessed “six figures” milestone, raising more than $100k via Indiegogo. Monster M.D. creator Von Klaus made the announcement via social media, where he thanked his backers and fans. Written by Klaus and illustrated by Marco Maccagni, Monster M.D. is a mature but lighthearted take on several classic
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SNK and developer TiMi Studios recently released the first gmaeplay trailer for Metal Slug Code: J (title tentative), a new installment in the classic arcade action franchise developed specifically for mobile (that’d be iOS & Android). A release date has yet to be announced, but the trailer looks promising so far… if TiMi can work out a mobile control scheme
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Over the weekend, the Indiegogo campaign for Indie Volt Revolt ended successfully, having raised 193% of its original funding goal. Created to celebrate the two-year anniversary of the Indie Volt podcast network, Indie Volt Revolt is a 100+ page anthology featuring the work of over two dozen artists. One of the more unique aspects of the book (in addition to
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Welcome back to Monochrome May, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of all things chiaroscuro! Today we’ll be reviewing the crowdfunded action/sci-fi comic book More Lethal by King Toad Comics. For those of you not familiar with the “crowdfunding review” format, we grade a crowdfunding campaign on four distinct categories: Book Content and Quality Communication and Fulfillment Packaging and Shipping Stretch Goals
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On Friday, renowned comic book creator Ethan Van Sciver announced that his independent publishing house ALL CAPS Comics would be publishing future books by Richard C. Meyer, including the yet untitled Jawbreakers 4. Meyer and his own venture, Splatto Comics, currently have several books in the hopper awaiting fulfillment (including the third Jawbreakers book, Grand Bizarre). The ALL CAPS publishing
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XSEED Games has confirmed that the western release for Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed is now scheduled for 20 July 2021, exactly two months following the Japanese release. Standard editions of the game will be available digitally on Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC (via Steam, GOG and the Humble Store) for $39.99. There are also multiple special editions of the
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There are only a few days remaining to back issue one of Secret Comics Presents, a 22-page horror anthology book published by- you guessed it- Secret Comics. Written by Nasser Rabadi (Stardust, ASYL) and featuring illustrations by Jason Robinson (Spawn), Secret Comics Presents includes four separate tales of terror presented with stark black and white artwork. Here’s the official pitch
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Top Secret Press recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for Sword of Justice issue 3, the final part of the three-issue miniseries. Written and illustrated by Silvio Spotti and featuring colors by Veronica Lopez, Sword of Justice is a sci-fi/fantasy adventure set in the distant future. Here’s the official plot synopsis taken from the Sword of Justice Kickstarter campaign page: Backers
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SNK Corporation recently shared the latest character reveal trailer for The King of Fighters XV, this time featuring Leona Heidern (voiced by Seiko Yoshida). A member of Ikari Warriors Team and adopted daughter of team leader Heidern, Leona has been a KoF mainstay since her first appearance in King of Fighters 96. You can check out the Leona Heidern reveal
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As part of the Digital Dragons ‘Indie Celebration’ showcase, game publisher Digerati Digital recently announced that a free demo for Severed Steel is now available to download and play via Steam. Severed Steel is a highly stylized first person shooter (FPS) featuring “bullet time” slow motion sequences, a stunt system, and destructible voxel environments. The demo includes: Six arcade mode
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Game publisher Eastasiasoft recently announced that retro-inspired, twin-stick shooter Trigger Witch is coming to Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and SeXBox in summer 2021. The game will be available via each respective platform’s digital storefront, as well as in physical format thanks to PlayAsia. Developed by New Zealand studio Rainbite, Trigger Witch is set in a world “where magic
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Veteran animator John Celestri recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for Bloodwing Angel, a 52-page graphic novel that began life as web comic. Written and illustrated by Celestri (He-Man, The Star Wars Christmas Special), Bloodwing Angel is a supernatural fantasy inspired by the book of Job (it’s in the Bible, ya’ heathens!). Here’s the official pitch taken from the Bloodwing Angel
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