It’s Saturday, and that means it’s time for another Screenshot Survey. Every week, we take a look at a few cool new games in the works by game developers tweeting with #ScreenshotSaturday. For even more games you might be interested in, check out the Screenshot Saturday hashtag on Twitter.
This week's Screenshot Survey on Screenshot Saturday gives us a cute, four-armed wizard, a creepy horror title with squirrels, and two titles early in development.
Potionomics
Some days you just want to crawl back into your cocoon. #screenshotsaturday #gamedev pic.twitter.com/S0hEpCQSAm
— Potionomics (@potionomics) July 4, 2020
One game that stood out to me during the 2020 PC Gaming Show was Potionomics. I feel like it fell a bit under the radar with all the hype behind Persona 4 Golden. While covering the show, quite a few of us commented on how great Potionomics looked. Maybe it was because it's a game where you run a shop, something I believe we need more of. Or maybe, it was because of the high-quality animations. Check out this wizard woman with four arms, and how expressive she is! Absolutely superb work.
Potionomics is developed by Voracious Games and published by XSEED. It is an appropriately named title, as you take the role of the owner of a potion shop. You can make new potions, customize your shop, and haggle for maximum profit! As a side note, there seems to be a humanoid walrus that you can trade with, so that's got me all kinds of excited. There's no release date for Potionomics yet, but we'll be sure to inform you when a release date is announced.
Dread X Collection 2
Make your beloved beautiful again by hunting squirrels and stapling them to her rotting corpse in SQUIRREL STAPLER: a psychologically deranged bargain bin hunting simulator ripped from the 90s.
— David Szymanski (@DUSKdev) July 4, 2020
Coming to the Dread X Collection 2 @dread_x_p #screenshotsaturday pic.twitter.com/JFHVjJNaga
David Szymanski is a master of creating horrific worlds with super retro visuals, and so, here he is again with another spot on Screenshot Survey. Like some of his previous work, I'm disturbed but extremely intrigued. Don't mind the rotting corpse referred to as "my beloved," I want to know what's up with this squirrel picture. It's cute, sure, but what does "YOU ARE SLEEPING" mean? It looks weird, and that's just what I expect from David.
While this particular crop of screenshots is from a game called Squirrel Stapler, it's actually part of a larger collection of games. The Dread X Collection 2 is an upcoming anthology of smaller horror games by various developers. The first Dread X Collection is available now, and has some spooky works for players scream at. The upcoming collection is likely going to be similar to the first, and if you're looking forward to Squirrel Stapler, I reckon you'll want to purchase the Dread X Collection 2 when it launches in the future.
Decline's Drops
More Decline's Drops gameplay!
— Le Moulin Aux Bulles (@moulinauxbulles) July 3, 2020
Added a new technique, the GLOVE.
It's actually an old feature that I also had to improve, and it works better now!
Also what do you think about the new background?#gamedev #game #indiegame #indiedev #GameMaker #GameMakerStudio1 #DeclinesDrops pic.twitter.com/3odMHshWqH
This next title has a wonderful look about it. The aesthetic seems like it's hand drawn, and the color scheme reminds me a lot of the Kirby series. It gives off a lighthearted and friendly tone. I don't know how deliberate it was, but the whole style just gives off that Kirby aura—perhaps it's the UI. The frame that surrounds the gameplay gives it a sort of cinematic feel, too. Overall, I guess you could say this is a style that anyone can enjoy.
I don't know too much about Decline's Drops other than what is on the developer's Twitter, but so far there seems to be a lot of great progress being made. I've noticed several improvements from older tweets of Decline's Drops, including a more crisp art style and smoother animations. One thing that seems to have remained is the awesome UI. I hope that we'll see more information on this title soon, but for now, it might be a cool game to follow on Twitter to see how it progresses.
TBD
Safety tip for spellcasting #1: Think it through.#screenshotsaturday #indiedev #gamedev #madewithunity pic.twitter.com/4CYlnpztZI
— Mate Cziner (@MateCziner) July 4, 2020
Let me preface by saying that TBD is not the actual game title. The fact is, I don't really know; nonetheless, I thought this was one worth pointing out. After all, how often do you see bushes come to life? This game looks really interesting and opens up a lot of cool possibilities if the spell system is implemented correctly. The ability to transfer a soul into inanimate objects sounds hilarious, and as you can see, the result is just that. The real question is, what is the limit of this system? Can you give the tree a soul? Perhaps that rock? It remains to be seen.
I've gathered that from previous Tweets, this is a "combat game with heavy focus on monster summoning" according to developer Mate Cziner. You'll be able to fight waves of enemies with various spells in your arsenal. Hopefully that includes using sentient bushes to your advantage. I look forward to seeing what else will become of this game, for sure.
Interested in any of these games? What's your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!
Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net