DIGITAL SPACE INVADERS

DIGITAL SPACE INVADERS Five PC Games Set to Make A Splash in 2020 By Bryan Grogan

PC gaming has been popular in China ever since the government banned video game consoles in 2000, a restriction which lasted for 15 years. That love for the PC format has never gone away; Chinese is now the most popular language on major video game platform Steam, according to PC Gamer. Reacting to this, platforms like Steam host games like Chinese Parents and The Scrolls of Taiwu, only heightening the appetite that gamers, and game developers, have for the increasingly lu crative market. Below, we highlight five games that we think will prove to be smash hits in 2020.

Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story

This game, made in 2.5D format (in order to appear to be 3D when it is, in fact, not) takes the player through a terrifying world that mixes cyberpunk and mythology. Developed by Toge Productions, the game’s official Twitter account places the ac tion in Neo-Hong Kong. Players take the role of Mei Lin Mak, a de facto detective, investigating technological glitches that have infected Neo-Hong Kong. She must break a family curse in order to fix the spooky real-world glitches. The game has been receiv ing a ton of hype for the unique scope of the story and gorgeous visuals, and is set to be released later this year on a variety of platforms and consoles, including Windows PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One.

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Luna: The Shadow Dust

Set for release in February of this year, this long-awaited release, developed by Lantern Studio and published by Coconut Island Games, has already received awards for its music and artwork. After gaining global recognition for the excellent Chinese Parents, which was released back in the middle of 2018, but has enjoyed a fabulously long lifespan on Steam, Coconut Island Games is a company to watch. Luna: The Shadow Dust is just one of the games that it has slated for release this year, alongside Rascal Fight, a “fun and exciting fighting game,” and A Perfect Day, which rewinds to 1990s China. The point-and-click game has gorgeous visuals, while gameplay is wordless; a young boy and his companion make their way through an adventure inspired by games of old.

Sands of Salzaar This surprise (read: under-the-radar) hit was released on January 3 through Steam, and quickly climbed to the top of the week’s best sellers on the gaming platform, selling 50,000 copies in under a week. Developed and published by Han-Squirrel Studio, based out of Shenzhen, Sands of Salzaar is an open-world fan tasy game that takes place in a desert, with players tasked with recruiting a variety of characters to shape the future of their world. Reviews of the game have been largely positive; gamers and media outlets have been impressed by its ambitious scope, which takes place across an unfolding world, with large battle sequences.

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Wanba Warriors Now for something a little bit different. This super zany fighting game is based around the idea of calligraphy combat, with fight ers using blobby characters holding calligraphy ink brushes to defeat their opponents. Purported to make use of bizarre swing mechanics, and with characters capable of harnessing incredible supernatural abilities, this game sounds like a blast. It also sup ports local multiplayer mode so you can battle with or against your friends. Developed by game company BigYu, a demo for Wanba Warriors was released in mid-2019, with the full game ex pected to drop in 2020. Beijing-based Zodiac Interactive, the same folks who brought us the super-weird Candleman, is also behind publishing for this one.

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The Rewinder

Taking China’s reinvigorated mania for mythology and packaging it in game format, indie developer Misty Mountain Studio has made this 2D side-scrolling point-and-click game, The Rewinder. Artwork for the game has already been called gorgeous by a num ber of media outlets. Due to come out in 2020 on Steam (though a specific date hasn’t been assigned), The Rewinder should appeal to fans of animation and mythology alike. Taking on the role of a special agent, gamers are tasked with interacting with monsters and deities and helping spirits to achieve a rebirth and to return to the living world.

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