What's Your Gam3? 22nd Oct

Welcome

Welcome to What’s Your Gam3? My aim with everything I do is to introduce you to new games! As I continue to improve the newsletter, all feedback is gratefully received. Now, let’s see what has happened this week.

From next week the newsletter will be moving to a Thursday release.

Thoughts on the week

When is a rug not a rug?

A bit of Twitter drama currently about creators promoting a “scam”. I do hold an NFT for the project, and whilst it was annoying that it stopped before delivery, I think web3 gaming brings some nuance to the term “rug”.

Looking at Steam only 20% of games leave their early access area, with plenty of games failing before they even get that far. You can also find plenty of AAA studios that just stop developing as they aren’t happy with the direction of the game.

Web3 gets you in early, but that increases the risk that it could all just collapse. Unless there is malicious intent or negligence with funds, then I don’t think you can call a web3game that doesn’t deliver a game a “rug” or “scam”.

What's Your Gam3? Ep. 63

This week on What’s Your Gam3? I spoke to Battle for Faenora. You can hear the full episode on YouTube! 

Battle For Faenora

Reviving Classic Gaming Mechanics with Modern Twists

Nathan Montgomery, the Creative Director for the gaming project "Battle for Faenor," elucidates the vision behind this real-time strategy RPG game. Drawing inspiration from classic games like "Final Fantasy Tactics" and "Ogre Battle," the aim is to modernize the gameplay without losing its original charm. Montgomery believes the updated graphics and more active gameplay elements cater to modern audiences who might not possess the patience of gamers from two to three decades ago.

Gameplay Dynamics and Squad Formation

The game's core experience revolves around squad formation and real-time strategic battles. Players can form squads with diverse classes of characters, each having unique strengths, weaknesses, and progression paths. The proof of concept demo showcases the basics of this gameplay, allowing players to engage in mission-based battles to liberate a stronghold from a corrupt government. The full game aims to expand this experience with a richer class and unit customization system, enhancing the strategic depth and engagement.

Extending Community Engagement and Future Plans

Montgomery also discusses the potential of community-driven events and engaging with other developer and gaming communities to enrich the "Battle for Faenor" universe. Although they have a well-defined vision, they are open to community input to shape the game further. The proof of concept demo is just a glimpse into what they aspire to achieve, with plans for more squads, hidden events, legendary equipment, and an extensive gameplay loop that rewards players for their progress and achievements.

Web3 Integration and Community Engagement

A notable feature of "Battle for Faenor" is its Web3 integration, aimed at enhancing community engagement without overwhelming players with all potential Web3 features. Montgomery emphasized a disciplined approach towards Web3 integration, ensuring the game's value remains central. Through a proof of concept demo on Steam, they aim to gather feedback and build excitement within the gaming community, despite the absence of Web3 integration on Steam due to platform restrictions. The eventual goal is to seamlessly integrate digital collectibles, allowing players to mint and own unique game assets on the blockchain.

Web3 Mascot and Community Engagement

Montgomery introduces a Web3 mascot, a red panda named 'Muchkin,' describing it as "our little red panda web3 mascot" which symbolizes the web3 integration within the Finora universe. Looking ahead, he shares excitement for the upcoming launch of the browser game 'Wildlands' and further developments on "Battle for Faenor" over the next 3 to 6 months. He reiterates the guiding principle behind the game's development, aiming to create a game that resonates with both younger audiences and those unfamiliar with Web3, thereby enhancing their gaming experience.

Keeping the Community Informed

Montgomery suggests following their Discord and Twitter channels for updates and to stay in touch with the development team. He wraps up the interview by reiterating the projected timeline for the browser game's launch within three months, marking it as a significant step towards bringing the envisioned gameplay and Web3 integration of "Battle for Faenor" to the gaming community. Through these channels, the "Battle for Faenor" team aims to keep the community engaged and updated on their progress, ensuring a smooth transition into the immersive and strategically rich universe they are crafting.

Don’t forget to join us next week!

Gam3 Changers

Life overtook me again this week, however, more episodes coming soon!

Did you miss last week’s episode? Listen now on Spotify.

What I Played!

You can join me live as I play new games on Twitch! Alternatively, you’ll find edited versions of my playthroughs on my YouTube channel. [Don’t forget to follow and subscribe].

Pirate Nation

Pirate Nation is a Pirate Sim game that includes card battling, questing, and island customization, all fully on-chain.

+Cute art
+Plenty of content to keep you engaged
+Several areas of progression and goals to keep you coming back

-Card battling is still pretty shallow
-Farming resources could become repetitive

I was sponsored to play Pirate Nations’ latest update as part of the Treasure Content Creator program, but even outside the paid steams I’ve been keeping an eye on my pirate and island.

The game is available to play on browser, by invite, or by holding an NFT, for more information follow their Twitter to keep up to date.

Metarun

Metarun is a endless runner for mobile that offers PvP.

+Different heroes with different abilties
+Progression system
+Engaging visuals
 
-No player base for PVP
-Nothing unique in the genre really
-Many of the abilities achieve the same outcome just with different visual

It is a good time killer, but no reason to pick it over any other endless runners.

The game is currently on mobile for the app store/google play, for more information follow their Twitter to keep up to date.

Thanks for making it to the end, that is all the new games for this week. Do you know any you’d want to hear more about? Let me know.

Remember to tell your friends about What’s Your Gam3? Otherwise, they’ll hate you for letting them miss out on all the new games.

Remember to play games you enjoy!