Tag: exploration
Final Fantasy XVI State Of Play Showcases Real-Time Combat And World Exploration
PlayStation and Square Enix have shown off 20 minutes of gameplay from Final Fantasy XVI, highlighting combat and world exploration. The State of Play focused on the combat of Final Fantasy XVI, some of the story and side content, and the massive Eikon fights.
This new video showcased the real-time action combat, which is relatively new for the franchise. Snippets of Clive, the main character, fighting enemies on the ground were shown, as well as the battles where you control the Eikon, the massive summons in the game. The action is all in real time and Clive will learn a ton of different abilities and attacks from the different Eikons in the world, allowing players to adapt the combat to their own playstyle. These abilities can be found in a massive skill tree, which allows you to reset those abilities at any time and even let the game pick your abilities for you.
The massive Eikon versus Eikon fights can play out in a number of different ways, with one shown featuring a third-person shooting sequence and others feeling similar to an all-out wrestling match. Square Enix said that each Ekion battle would feel unique and be based around the specific Eikons fighting.
A Step Closer To Mars: What SpaceX’s Test Flight Means For Space Exploration
Finally, on April 10th, the much-anticipated test flight of SpaceX’s Starship Orbital (also known as Starship and Ship 24) is…
The post A Step Closer To Mars: What SpaceX’s Test Flight Means For Space Exploration appeared first on TechRound.
A Collection of Fun Databases For Programming Exploration
“Google Research maintains a search site for test datasets, too, if you know what you’re looking for,” adds Esther. There’s also, of course, Kaggle.com.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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Lil Gator Game Developer Interview: Make Your Own Fun With Adorable Sandbox Exploration
Lil Gator Game is a charming sandbox adventure from MegaWobble. It’s available for $19.99 on Steam, but it’s this month’s IGN Plus game and Plus members can get a Steam key as an IGN Reward and jump in right now.
Plus members – get your key for Lil Gator Game here on its IGN Rewards page. Not a Plus member? Learn more here. You can also follow the devs on Twitter.
Lil Gator Game Developer Interview
I sat down with Lil Gator Game devs Scott Slucher (Lead Developer) and Connor Quothe (Lead Writer) to talk about their inspiration, as well as what players can expect when they jump into this fun, lighthearted game.
The titular Lil Gator has a recognizable hat, tunic, and left-handed sword swing that will immediately look familiar to any Zelda fans, and Lil Gator Game wastes no time before making its love for that series explicit. When I asked why the main character was an alligator, Scott laughed and said, “because alligator is green and Link is green,” and although that isn’t the whole story, Scott was inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, a fantastic duo from the Game Boy Color generation.
With such classic inspiration, it would be easy to mistake Lil Gator Game for a one-trick pony, but that’s far from the truth. Filling out the world and giving it life are myriad characters, each with fun personalities that make meeting and talking to them breezy and delightful.
The writing was inspired by Frog Detective’s conversational tone, as well as cartoons like Spongebob Squarepants, Fairly Odd Parents, and Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends. Connor’s own theater and Dungeon Master background meant he had experience giving substance and personality to multiple characters, which Lil Gator Game’s broad cast of characters greatly benefits from.
Fueling the lighthearted and comedic side of the game (and leaning into the strength of the side characters) the side quests are inspired by the Yakuza series. “[They are] just weird little things you stumble into,” Scott said, “with a joke or moral message at the end, and then you move on.” Side quests are also incredibly short. There are tons of them, and they can generally be completed in under a minute, creating refreshing gameplay loops of exploration and levity.
The warm, welcoming tone of the game reminds me of A Short Hike, and Scott confirmed some other inspiration for Lil Gator Game was drawn from Kirby’s Air Ride and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, which is reflected in Lil Gator’s focus on discovery and undirected play.
When asked about the team’s favorite elements, Connor said his were some Easter Egg items the player will find, and Robin (who was primarily responsible for creating the music) loves the game’s humor. Scott, who was inspired by long hikes near his Kentucky home, is most attached to the trees (which he reworked four times during development).
Scott had one final note to players. “I encourage people to look for ways to find their own fun… I have the concept of a “toy box” with this game. I tried to put in as many toys as I could, in the hopes that they’d be inspired by one of them and would play with it.”
What Is IGN Plus?
IGN Plus is the paid membership program for IGN, and right now you can grab an annual membership for just $29.99, or just $4.99 a month, if you prefer to go that route. You can also try it for just $1 for 30 days.
What you get as an IGN Plus member:
- Monthly Game keys (Like Lil Gator Game, & more)
- Removes all ads from IGN
- Grants 15% off most items at the IGN Store
- Gives you a MapGenie Pro membership (for tons of game maps & collectible locations)
- Unlimited access to IGN maps and checkpoints
- & more.
Brian Barnett writes reviews, guides, features, & more for IGN & GameSpot. You can get your fix of his antics on Twitter (@Ribnax) and Twitch (Ribnax) or check out his fantastic video game talk show, The Platformers, on Twitch & Apple Podcasts.