Screenshot Survey: May Madness

Published: May 2, 2020 5:35 PM /

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gun jam

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, we have more boats (but this time on the sand!), a new, upcoming Soulslike, a highly anticipated pixel platformer, and a new rhythm shooter you don't want to miss.

Red Sails

Last Screenshot Survey, we took a look at boats in the sky. You know, skyships! Skyships are great, but have you ever seen a boat on sand? Now that is awesome. I'm not entirely sure how the science works out, but Red Sails' boat looks pretty efficient in the sand. Choosing between the sky and the desert, boats look more suitable for sandy environments, don't they?

Red Sails is a game by a group of French developers, and right now there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of information. I was taken away by the beauty of the graphics and how the developers managed to create diverse set pieces. Red Sails looks to take place entirely within a desert, but that doesn't stop them from being creative and creating a marvelous, even Journey-like experience. There's no release date yet, but Red Sails is worth keeping track of for the future.

Mortal Shell

If you've turned your sound on as the Tweet indicated, you've probably already guessed that's not what the game sounds like, but hey, that'd be pretty darn funny if it did. What drew me to this particular entry for Screenshot Saturday was the way in which the player character falls. In video games, when you fall off a cliff, it usually looks pretty goofy as your character flails like a fish. I like that the Mortal Shell developer made falling off a cliff a more impactful experience. Look at it! The body slams viciously into the wall after a heavy shield bash. It's glorious.

Mortal Shell is an upcoming brutal action RPG, although one might also call it a Soulslike. Revealed earlier last month, Mortal Shell is developed by Cold Symmetry and published by Playstack. If you've seen media for this game since its launch, there's tons of vicious, grim monsters to slay and many deaths to be had. By death, I mean for you, the player. To enhance your skill set, you can use Mortal Shells, which allows you to use different combat styles. Slated for Q3 2020, Mortal Shell already looks like a polished experience worthy of contending with FromSoftware's finest.

Hearth Forth, Alicia

Every time I catch glimpses of Heart Forth, Alicia throughout the years since its reveal, I keep thinking, "When is this coming out?!" Well, as we can see, it's coming along quite nicely, but is sadly not available to the public. Nevertheless, combat is looking better than ever. This side-scrolling platformer takes combat seriously, throwing tons of whimsical foes at our magical protagonist. I've also found that with number damage indicators, people either love them or hate them. I'm a fan of it in this case, as it gives you some more "oomph" in the combat.

Heart Forth, Alicia is a gorgeous pixel platformer and Metroidvania that's been around for a while. It's a Kickstarted game with a successful campaign from all the way back in 2014, and it amassed nearly a quarter of a million dollars. There's puzzles, different spells, companions, and even a story to unravel as you venture forth in this pixelated platformer. Look out for its release some time in the future!

Gun Jam

Beat Saber revolutionized the rhythm game genre by utilizing VR mechanics to create a fun and challenging head-bopping experience. Here's a contender for the next popular rhythm game with an extremely clever name: Gun Jam. Now, you might have noticed that I cheated a bit by including this for today's Screenshot Survey, when it was in fact last Sunday when this Tweet came out. But look, the gameplay in Gun Jam seems fantastic and the graphics are excellent.  It's exciting, because I've never really been interested in a rhythm game until now.

Gun Jam is developed by Jaw Drop Games. The gameplay has players shoot to the beat of the red indicators on the screen, while aiming at various foes rushing at you. It's an arcade-like experience as it features multipliers in order to obtain the highest score. So far, Gun Jam seems to have varied environments such as this snow scene, as well as temples and laboratories. And you really have to listen to that soundtrack; it's one that'd make Mick Gordon proud.

Interested in any of these games? What's your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!